A lightning proof device for filter has a lightning proof device provided between a signal source input end and a filtering system of the filter. The lightning proof device has a first and a second metal inducing sheets opposite to each other, a filtering capacitor being provided corresponding to the first metal inducing sheet. The first metal inducing sheet is connected with the signal source input end of the filter and a first electrode end of the filtering capacitor, and a second electrode end of the filtering capacitor with the filtering system of the filter. The second metal inducing sheet is connected to the ground end. A gap is formed between the first and the second metal inducing sheets. In this manner, surge signal is absorbed and released by the gap in preliminary stage and the residual surge energy is filtered and de-energized by the filtering capacitor in final stage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lightning proof device for filter, more particularly to a novel lightning proof device for filter that can prevent damage of the electronic components contained in the filter from happening by surge pulse so as to achieve the object of protecting the filter and another electronic equipments connected therewith and to further increase its practical performance in the overall implementation.
2. Description of Related Art
Generation of surges is a natural phenomenon. When the intensity of the electric field set up between the accumulated atmospheric charged cloud and the ground exceeds a specific critical value, air insulation in some parts will be collapsed to cause the forming of a conductive path having large transient electric current contained therein. Hence, surges having high intensity will be induced at the input or output terminal of the electronic device near that conductive path. Furthermore, nuclear explosion electromagnetic wave triggered by solar nuclear explosion occurred during intense sunspots activity will also induce various surges of different intensity in the electronic circuit to negatively affect ground telecommunication. Moreover, surges carrying very strong energy can be transmitted in electromagnetic wave manner to a place with several hundred kilometers far away from the explosion point. In the process of its transmission, the electromagnetic wave will cause damage to electronic, information, electrical, optoelectronic, microwave equipments or the like.
As some electronic components in the electronic equipment are attacked by surges to cause damage (such as burn-out of insulation layer of semiconductor, integrated circuit or the like), the function of the overall equipment is brought into failure. This failure belongs to permanent damage so that the equipment can work no more without maintenance. Further, the energy of electromagnetic wave can enter into electronic circuit through exposed antenna, ground wire or the like so as to cause burn-out of electronic components, short circuit and furthermore, cause failure of various digital systems. These electromagnetic interference is introduced signals which causes failure symptoms such as malfunctions, abnormal operation latching and hence they belong to temporary disturbance without damaging components inside. Once the power source of the system is shut off and restarted, it will resume to normal operation.
Lightning induced surges, switching surges, electromagnetic pulse are the main sources causing malfunction, interference or failure of equipment. Generally, these surge interference sources invade through (a) power source line, (b) signal line (control line), (c) ground wire. If the equipment is in lack of capability of handling the surge energy and discharge current or uses improper method, it will inevitably suffer failure or interference. Therefore, surge suppressing components are usually added in various electronic equipment, communication equipment, control equipment and electrical equipment so as to reduce equipment failure or interference.
Among them, the general common structural design of surge suppression has a spiral coil connected to the end of an antenna body, and the other end of the spiral coil is grounded. When surges is generated by lightning or signals, the abnormal electrical signals triggered by lightning or surges is guided from the end of the antenna body to the spiral coil through one end thereof and is further guided to the ground section through the other end of the spiral coil so that the energy of the abnormal electrical signals can be guided to flow into the ground and further to protect the electronic equipment connected with the spiral coil.
The inventor of the present invention proposes a novel lightning proof device for filter according to the research and improvement conducted on conventional structure, based on profound experience in R&D and manufacturing in relevant field, so as to achieve the goal of better practical value and to provide more diversification for consumers to choose.


The present invention relates generally to a method of modulating an inflammatory response in a mammal and to agents useful for same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of modulating an inflammatory response in a mammal by modulating the functional activity of activin and thereby modulating the pro-inflammatory mediator cascade. The method of the present invention is useful, inter alia, in the treatment and/or prophylaxis of conditions characterized by an aberrant, unwanted or otherwise inappropriate inflammatory response including, inter alia, sepsis and inflammation of the airway. The present invention is further directed to methods for identifying and/or designing agents capable of modulating activin mediated regulation of the inflammatory response.

Bibliographic details of the publications referred to by author in this specification are collected alphabetically at the end of the description.
The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.
Mammals are required to defend themselves against a multitude of pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, as well as non-pathogenic insults such as tumours and toxic, or otherwise harmful, agents. In response, effector mechanisms have evolved which are capable of mounting a defense against such antigens. These mechanisms are mediated by soluble molecules and/or by cells.
In the context of these effector mechanisms, inflammation is a complex multifaceted process in response to disease or injury which is regulated by the release of a series of cytokines (Alexander et al, 2001, J Endotoxin Res 7:167-202). These cytokines are classified in general terms as pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines and the critical balance between release and activity of cytokines with opposing actions regulates the inflammatory response to prevent it from becoming overt or understated.
If the inflammatory response continues unchecked and is overt then the host may suffer associated tissue damage and in severe cases this may present as septic shock and multi-organ failure can occur (Ulevitch et al., 1999, Curr Opin Immunol 11:19-22). Conversely, a poor or understated inflammatory response may mean uncontrolled infection resulting in chronic illness and host damage. Regulation of the inflammatory response is important at both the systemic level and the local level.
The discovery of the detailed processes of inflammation has revealed a close relationship between inflammation and the immune response. There are five basic indicators of inflammation, these being redness (rubor), swelling (tumour), heat (calor), pain (dolor) and deranged function (functio laesa). These indicators occur due to extravasation of plasma and infiltration of leukocytes into the site of inflammation. Consistent with these indicators, the main characteristics of the inflammatory response are therefore:    (i) vasodilation—widening of the blood vessels to increase the blood flow to the infected area;    (ii) increased vascular permeability—this allows diffusible components to enter the site;    (iii) cellular infiltration—this being the directed movement of inflammatory cells through the walls of blood vessels into the site of injury;    (iv) changes in biosynthetic, metabolic and catabolic profiles of many organs; and    (v) activation of cells of the immune system as well as of complex enzymatic systems of blood plasma.
The degree to which these characteristics occur is generally proportional to the severity of the injury and/or the extent of infection.
The inflammatory response can be broadly categorised into several phases. The earliest, gross event of an inflammatory response is temporary vasoconstriction, i.e. narrowing of blood vessels caused by contraction of smooth muscle in the vessel walls, which can be seen as blanching (whitening) of the skin. This is followed by several phases that occur over minutes, hours and days later, as follows:    (i) The acute vascular response follows within seconds of a tissue insult and lasts for some minutes. It is characterised by vasodilation and increased capillary permeability due to alterations in the vascular endothelium, leading to increased blood flow (hyperaemia) that causes redness (erythema) and the entry of fluid into the tissues (oedema).    (ii) If there has been sufficient damage to the tissues, or if infection has occurred, the acute cellular response takes place over the next few hours. The hallmark of this phase is the appearance of granulocytes, particularly neutrophils, in the tissue. These cells first attach themselves to the endothelial cells within the blood vessels (margination) and then cross into the surrounding tissue (diapedesis). If the vessel is damaged, fibrinogen and fibronectin are deposited at the site of injury, platelets aggregate and become activated and clot formation occurs.    (iii) If damage is sufficiently severe, a chronic cellular response may follow over the next few days. A characteristic of this phase of inflammation is the appearance of a mononuclear cell infiltrate composed of macrophages and lymphocytes. The macrophages are involved in microbial killing, in clearing up cellular and tissue debris, and are also thought to play a significant role in remodelling tissue.    (iv) Over the next few weeks, resolution may occur wherein normal tissue architecture is restored. Blood clots are removed by fibrinolysis. If it is not possible to return the tissue to its original form, scarring may occur from in-filling with fibroblasts, collagen, and new endothelial cells. Generally, by this time any infection will have been overcome, although this is not always the case and may result in further immunological responses, such as granuloma formation.
Inflammation is often considered in terms of acute inflammation that includes all the events of the acute vascular and acute cellular response (1 and 2 above), and chronic inflammation that includes the events during the chronic cellular response and resolution or scarring (3 and 4).
It should be understood, however, that in addition to the occurrence of inflammatory responses in a localised fashion in tissue which is damaged, infected or subject to an autoimmune response inflammatory responses may also occur systemically, such as in the case with sepsis.
Accordingly, in light of the wide-ranging impact of inflammatory responses, there is an ongoing need to elucidate the complex mechanisms by which they function. By identifying these mechanisms there is thereby provided scope for developing means of appropriately modulating inflammatory responses.
Inhibin, activin, and follistatin are three families of polypeptides originally isolated and characterized from ovarian follicular fluid based on their modulation of follicle stimulating hormone release from pituitary cell culture. In addition to their effects on follicle stimulating hormone synthesis and secretion, inhibin and activin have other biological functions. By contrast, the physiological significance of follistatin was obscure, until it was discovered that follistatin is a binding protein to activin.
Activins, composed of two β-subunits, βA, βB, βC and/or βE are members of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily [Vale et al., 1990, Handbook of Experimental Physiology, Vol. 95, Eds. Sporn & Roberts, Springer-Verlag, Berlin pp 211-248]. Multimeric protein forms of activin include the homodimeric forms (Activin A-βAβA, Activin B-βBβB, Activin C-βCβC, and Activin E-βEβE) and the heterodimeric forms (for example, Activin AB-βAβB, Activin AC-βAβC, or Activin AE-βAβE). The activins are multifunctional proteins. For example, Activin A, although originally identified as a regulator of follicle stimulating hormone release, is now known to exhibit the pleiotropic range of functional activities which are characteristic of most cytokines. Activins, like their related proteins, inhibins (which consist of a dimer of a structurally related but dissimilar α subunit and an activin β subunit) can bind to activin type II receptors. However, only activins are able to recruit type I receptors to form an active complex, triggering intracellular Smad signalling pathways and thereby influencing cellular function at the transcriptional level. At present, activin A, AB and B have been shown to demonstrate typical receptor-mediated agonist activity. Activin B has been reported to display less biological activity than activin A [Nakamura et al., Journal of Biological Chemistry, 267, 16385-16389, 1992]. This may be associated with variation in the availability of specific type I receptors, differentially recruited by activin A and B [Tsuchida et al., 2004 Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 220, 50-65].
Follistatin functions as a biological regulator of activin. In fact, it was originally identified by its ability to suppress the secretion of follicle stimulating hormone, subsequently shown to be due to its property as an activin binding protein. Follistatin is a monomeric protein which binds to activin with high affinity and is believed to thereafter lead to lysosomal degradation of the complexed activin. Follistatin comprises a number of post-translational and glycosylation variants. However, the two major isoforms are the full length follistatin 315, which is believed to be the predominant circulating isoform, and the 288 isoform, which has a strong affinity for heparin sulphate proteoglycans and is largely a cell membrane-associated isoform (Phillips and de Kretser, 1998, Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology 19:287-322).
Activin affects the growth and differentiation of many cell types, stimulates the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland and inhibits growth hormone, prolactin, and adrenocorticotropin release [Billestrup et al., Molecular Endocrinology 1990 4:356-362; Kitaoka et al., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 1988 157:48-54; Vale et al., Nature 1986, 321:776-779]. Activin A was first characterized for its ability to stimulate follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary, a capacity shared by activin B [Nakamura et al., 1992, supra; Van Dijk et al., 1995, Annals of the New York Academy of Science 762, 319-330]. However, activin A is now known to have many more properties besides this initial function for which it was first isolated. Both activin A and B participate in foetal development, with their respective mouse knockouts [Vassali et al., 1994, Genes and Development, 8:414-427] presenting distinct phenotypic anomalies. Knockouts of activin A exhibit neonatal lethal phenotypic defects [Vassalli et al., 1994, supra; Matzuk et al., 1995, Nature 374: 354-356] but substitution of the βA gene with βB provides partial rescue of this phenotype [Brown et al., 2000, Nature Genetics, 25:453-457], suggesting some overlap in the activities of activin A and B. In contrast to these observations there is evidence that activin B may have specific roles in processes such as embryonic mesoderm induction [Thomsen et al., 1990, Cell 63:485-493] and mammary gland development [Robinson et al., 1997, Development 124:2701-2708]. Of particular interest is that activin B is presumed to be the activin of relevance in intrapituitary regulation of FSH, as shown by neutralization studies [Corrigan et al., 1991, Endocrinology 128:1682-1684]. Additionally, distinct differences in expression patterns of activin A and B are evident during tissue repair [Hübner et al., 1996, Developmental Biology 173:490-498] and in association with models of liver fibrosis [De Bleser et al., 1997, Hepatology, 26:905-912]. Such evidence suggests that activin A and B play different roles in a range of biological and pathological processes.
Follistatin specifically binds several members of the TGF-β superfamily, but has by far the highest affinity of binding to activin. As a result, circulating follistatin 315 neutralizes activin activity by preventing the interaction of the cytokine with its type II receptors [de Winter et al., Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 1996 116:105-114] and, furthermore, cell surface-bound follistatin 288 facilitates the lysosomal degradation of activin [Hashimoto et al., Journal of Biological Chemistry 1997 272:13835-13842]. Both follistatin and activin mRNAs show a broad tissue distribution [Meunier et al., PNAS 1988 85:247-251; Michel et al., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 1990 173:401-407; Schneider et al., European Journal of Endocrinology 2000 142:537-544]. Follistatin and activin are detectable in serum [Demura et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 1993 76:1080-1082; Demura et al., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 1992 185:1148-1154; Gilfillan et al., Clinical Endocrinology 1994 41:453-461; Khoury et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 1995 80:1361-1368; Knight et al., Journal of Endocrinology 1996 148:267-279; McFarlane et al., European Journal of Endocrinology 1996 134:481-489; Sakai et al., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 1992 188:921-926; Sakamoto et al., European Journal of Endocrinology 1996 135:345-351; Tilbrook et al., Journal of Endocrinology 1996 149:55-63; Wakatsuki et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 1996 81:630-634], and their concentrations in serum increase with age [Wakatsuki et al. 1996, supra; Loria et al., European Journal of Endocrinology 1998 139:487-492]. At present, however, the precise sources of follistatin and activin in serum are unknown. Current data suggest that tissue-specific balances of follistatin and activin govern the growth and differentiation of responsive cell types in an autocrine/paracrine manner [Michel et al., Acta Endocrinologica 1993 129:525-531; Phillips, Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism 2001 12:94-96].
An emerging role for activin and follistatin in the body's innate immune response has been documented. For instance, activin and follistatin are secreted by various cell types in response to inflammatory compounds in vitro [Hübner et al., Experimental Cell Research 1996 228:106-113; Jones et al., Endocrinology 2000 141:1905-1908; Keelan et al., Placenta 2000 21:38-43; Michel et al., Endocrinology 1996 137:4925-4934; Phillips et al., Journal of Endocrinology 1998 156:77-82; Yu et al., Immunology 1996 88:368-374; Erämaa et al., Journal of Experimental Medicine 1992 176:1449-1452; Shao et al., Cytokine 1998 10:227-235; Mohan et al., European Journal of Endocrinology 2001 145:505-511]. Moreover, in some examples of inflammatory processes such as wound healing, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis, increased activin and/or follistatin expression has been noted [Hübner et al., Laboratory Investigation 1997 77:311-318; Hübner et al., 1996, supra; Yu et al., Clinical and Experimental Immunology 1998 112:126-132]. However, since these very early and preliminary findings, the role of activin and follistatin in the context of inflammation, per se, has not been further elucidated, either in the context of their precise activities or in the context of the scope of the inflammatory conditions in which they function. In light of the extreme diversity in terms of the nature and extent of inflammatory responses which can occur, and the extremely pleiotropic activities of cytokines such as the various forms of activin, it is not surprising that the preliminary findings of the mid to late 1990's have not progressed to more substantial theories. In particular, activin A, activin B and follistatin are expressed by a wide variety of cell types and most organs in the body in response to a wide range of stimuli. Accordingly, their role in the context of inflammation cannot be predicted and is therefore far from clear.
In work leading up to the present invention it has been surprisingly determined that activins A functions as a crucial component of the cytokine cascade which regulates the inflammatory response. Specifically, activin A initiates the release, in vivo, of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and can, in fact, modulate the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines which are released subsequently to an appropriate stimulus. Accordingly, although it has previously been observed that activin A levels are modulated during the onset and progress of an inflammatory response, until the advent of the present invention there had been no progress made in elucidating the precise role of this molecule in the context of inflammation.
It has still further been surprisingly determined that activin B levels are even more dramatically modulated in the context of an inflammatory response than are activin A levels. This is particularly surprising in light of what has been known to date in relation to the distinct roles of activins A and B. Still further, whereas immunoassays directed to the measurement of activin A have been available for use for some time, analysis of activin B has been inhibited by the absence of a specific immunoassay for this particular activin species. A very limited data set is available which suggests that circulating activin B levels alter during pregnancy or with ovarian function [Petraglia et al., 1993, Endocrine Journal 1:323-327; Woodruff et al., 1997, Journal of Endocrinology 152:167-174; Vihko et al., 1998, Human Reproduction 13:841-846; Vihko et al., 2003, Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 80:570-574]. Kobayashi et al. (2000) [Biol. Pharm. Bull. 23(6):755-757] demonstrated that an increase in activin-βB mRNA is associated with liver regeneration and the development of fibrosis, although the authors do not postulate whether this is linked with changes to levels of activin AB, Activin B or inhibin. A study by Rosendahl et al. 2001 [Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 25:60-68] examined a mouse model of allergen-induced airway challenge in the lung and focussed on examining associated changes in expression and distribution of TGF-β superfamily and TGF-β/activin receptors. This group reported that induced airway allergens produced only a very modest elevation of activin βB mRNA expression over control levels. Histological examinations did not provide any information on mature activin dimer protein synthesis or distribution (either activin A or B) nor was there any evidence provided that the modest increase in activin-βB mRNA levels was not, in fact, linked to changes in inhibin levels. Accordingly, the determination that activin B levels are in fact dramatically increased during inflammation relative to activin A levels is extremely unexpected in light of the very limited information which was available about the functioning of both the activin A and activin B molecules.
The findings of the present invention have now facilitated the development of methodology directed to modulating the inflammatory response by regulating the levels of functionally active activin A and activin B and, therefore, pro-inflammatory cytokine release. Accordingly, there are now provided both methods for the therapeutic or prophylactic treatment of conditions characterised by an unwanted or inappropriate inflammatory response and means for screening for regulators of pro-inflammatory cytokine release such as activin A and activin B mimetics, agonists or antagonists.

Method of modulating inflammatory response by downregulation of activin


A remote unit (14) couples to an obstacle detection sensor (13) to both detect an obstacle in the path of a movable barrier (11) and operability of the obstacle detection sensor (13) itself. Information regarding these and, optionally, other parameters (such as battery status) is coded and transmitted as a short burst wireless transmission to an interface unit (15). The interface unit (15) decodes the message and provides controlling information to a movable barrier operator (12) as appropriate when an obstacle is present, when the sensor (13) is faulty, or when other monitored parameters are out of normal bounds. In addition, the interface unit (15) can provide local alarms (auditory and visual) when detecting one or more of the above conditions.

This invention relates generally to movable barrier operators and more particularly to obstacle detection.
Various kinds of movable barriers are known, including gates, doors, shutters and the like that move or pivot in horizontal or vertical directions to move between open and closed positions. Movable barrier operators of various kinds that effect motorized and controlled movement of such movable barriers are also known. Safety concerns exist with movable barrier operators. In particular, at least in some settings, care should be taken to ensure that a barrier that is moving to a closed position does not impact an obstacle and cause damage to either the obstacle or the barrier. The prior art proposes various solutions to address this issue.
Pursuant to one approach, an obstacle sensor attached to a leading edge of the movable barrier can detect an obstacle and provide a signal to the movable barrier operator to cause the operator to reverse movement of the barrier. Such sensors include switch style compressible strips having electrical conductors disposed therein that complete a circuit when the conductors are urged towards one another as the leading edge makes initial contact with an obstacle. Other sensors include pneumatic style sensors and light beam style sensors. Unfortunately, such sensors can themselves be damaged. When damaged, the sensor may no longer reliably detect an obstacle and thereby give rise to concerns regarding safe operation of the movable barrier.
The prior art suggests that an obstacle sensor can be tested from time to time to determine viability of the sensor. Towards this end, for example, a resistance can be added to a switch style compressible strip to facilitate detection of an open circuit that would indicate damage to the sensor. Unfortunately, such testing ability must ordinarily reside in proximity to the sensor itself and hence on the movable barrier itself. Wireless sensor interfaces are desired (to minimize the use of electrical supply and signaling cable on the door) but this typically requires the use of portable power supplies, such as batteries. To meet the limitations associated with such circumstances, prior art sensor interfaces only test sensor viability, if at all, infrequently (for example, once every ten minutes) or on an event-driven basis (for example, immediately following each closing of the door). Such infrequent or sporadic testing offers a considerable window of opportunity following damage to a sensor during which damage to the barrier or to an obstacle can occur.


In one embodiment, a retaining mechanism for a high definition multimedia interface connection that can aid in preventing inadvertent separation of a high definition multimedia interface cable with a device to which it is connected.

HDMI cables carry uncompressed digital audio and video over a single cable providing a simple and convenient way for consumers to connect devices such as a cable box or video game system to digital televisions and other devices. Connecting an HDMI cable to a device merely requires that an HDMI connector on the end of a cable be inserted into a HDMI connector/port on the device. Generally the insertion force required to do so is relatively low as is the extraction force required to remove a cable from a device. Unfortunately this low extraction force can cause problems in some instances. For example, a cable that is inadvertently pulled can become completely or partially dislodged from the device causing, for example, weak, intermittent, or nonexistent electrical connections at the connection, signal interruption and/or connector damage. This can be particularly troublesome in equipment installations where devices and/or their connections cannot be easily accessed.

Retaining mechanisms for high definition multimedia interface


Described embodiments receive a signal by a set of fixed taps and a set of floating taps of a receiver, each tap corresponding to a detected symbol. Each of the floating taps is stored in a corresponding shift register to account for process, operating voltage and temperature (PVT) variations of the receiver without calibration of delay elements. Multiplexing logic selects (i) corresponding floating taps for equalization by coupling selected floating taps to the outputs of the fixed taps, and (ii) different phases of each possible floating tap position. The multiplexing logic prunes and/or amalgamates the phases of each possible floating tap position and selects floating taps based on a magnitude of each phase. A combiner adjusts each output value of the fixed taps and the selected floating taps by a corresponding tap-weight, combines the adjusted values into an output signal and subtracts the output signal from the input signal.

In many data communication applications, serializer and de-serializer (SERDES) devices facilitate the transmission of parallel data between two points across a serial link. Data at one point is converted from parallel data to serial data and transmitted through a communications channel to the second point where it received and converted from serial data to parallel data.
At high data rates frequency-dependent signal loss from the communications channel (the signal path between the two end points of a serial link), as well as signal dispersion and distortion, can occur. Ideally, without noise, jitter, and other loss and dispersion effects, a data eye at the receiver will exhibit a relatively ideal shape. In practice, the shape of the data eye changes with noise, jitter, other loss and dispersion effects, and with temperature and voltage variations. As such, the communications channel, whether wired, optical, or wireless, acts as a filter and might be modeled in the frequency domain with a transfer function. Correction for frequency dependent losses of the communications channel, and other forms of signal degradation, often requires signal equalization of the signal at a receiver.
Equalization through use of one or more equalizers compensates for the signal degradation to improve communication quality. Equalization may also be employed at the transmit side to pre-condition the signal. Equalization, a form of filtering, generally requires some estimate of the transfer function of the channel to set its filter parameters. However, in many cases, the specific frequency-dependent signal degradation characteristics of a communications channel are unknown, and often vary with time. In such cases, an equalizer with adaptive setting of parameters providing sufficient adjustable range might be employed to mitigate the signal degradation of the signal transmitted through the communications channel. Equalization might be through a front end equalizer, a feedback equalizer, or some combination of both. The shape of the data eye also changes due to equalization applied to input signal of the receiver. In some systems, equalization applied by a transmitter's equalizer further alters the shape of the eye from the ideal.
If a simple, analog front-end equalizer (AFE) is employed, the data eye operating margin improves. However, better performance might be achieved through use of a Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) in combination with an AFE. Classical DFE equalization optimizes for intersymbol interference (ISI) and opens up the vertical and horizontal data eye opening. In SERDES communication channels, DFE filtering is employed to cancel post-cursor ISI in the equalized channel's pulse response by subtracting the output of the DFE from an input signal. DFE filters include a number of taps, the number of which determines how well the post-cursor ISI might be cancelled. The longer the filter length (i.e., the more filter taps), the more ISI terms might be cancelled, but at the expense of increasing DFE filter complexity and power consumption.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Shift register based downsampled floating tap decision feedback equalization


A valve device comprises a vertical, tubular housing, a vertical valve member in the housing, and a coil-form compression spring encircling the member and urging it upwardly against a valve seat in the housing lower end. The member includes an upper, obturating portion and a lower, closure portion and its internal surface includes an upper annular part which diverges downwardly at a gradually increasing angle away from the location of the obturating portion in the valve closed condition. The internal surface includes a lower annular part converging downwardly at a substantial angle to the housing axis and situated directed radially outwards of the spring. Below the seat is an outlet mouth encircled by a rim, the closure part having a bottom lip at such clearance relative to the rim that, shortly before the closure part seals against the seat, the rim and the lip act shearingly upon liquid therebetween. The member includes three guiding fins in sliding contact with the internal surface. The seat may consist of moulded-in elastomeric material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a valve device for controlling liquid flow, in particular for use in filling a carton.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various valve devices for filling containers are known. French Patent Application Publication No. 2299628 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3949791 and 4079762 disclose a variety of possible constructions of such devices.
Published British Patent Specification 2043604A discloses a filling valve device for pressurized fluids which comprises a nozzle containing a stem axially displaceable downwardly under the thrust of the fluid against the bias of a helical spring closely encircling the stem. The stem carries an obturating dish at the top and a valve closure head at the bottom, the dish dividing the nozzle interior into two spaces, one communicating with a source of pressurized fluid, the other communicating with the interior of the container to be filled whenever the valve closure head is depressed.
Contact of the fluid with air exterior to the nozzle is prevented and possible foam formation is discharged through an axial passageway formed through the stem and through an elbow conduit coaxial with the stem axis and aligned with the central bore of the stem. The spring acts between the underside of the dish and the top of a horizontal spider mounted in the interior of the nozzle, the spider being composed of a central, stem-guiding ring having radial spokes which rest against a step formed in the internal surface of the nozzle. Below the spider, the internal surface of the nozzle converges downwardly at a substantial angle to the nozzle axis. In the open condition of the valve device, the liquid flows down through between the obturating dish and the internal surface, past the outside of the spring, and through the spokes of the spider. The valve head, which protrudes downwardly from the outlet end of the nozzle, carries a gasket for bearing upwardly against that outlet end to seal the same.
A problem with this device is that the close encircling of the stem by the spring and the use of a spider and a sealing gasket provide crevices where solids content can accumulate and be very difficult to remove by flushing of the device.
Published European Patent Application 0090664 discloses a valve device for use in filling cartons, which includes a metal tubular housing containing a metal valve member comprising a closure part co-operating with a metal valve seat at the lower extremity of the housing, and a driving part movably received with clearance in the housing. In one embodiment, the internal surface of the upper part of the housing is co-axial with the housing and comprises, progressing downwards, a cylindrical zone, followed by a downwardly diverging frusto-conical zone at about 10.degree. to the axis of the housing, followed by a substantially radially inwardly directed annular zone, followed by a rectangular two sided annular groove which receives the lowermost coil of, and thereby locates the lower end of, a downwardly-diverging, conical compression spring co-axial with the housing. In another embodiment, the cylindrical zone is followed by a downwardly diverging frusto-conical zone at about 2.degree. to the axis, followed by a second cylindrical zone, itself followed by the frustoconical zone at about 10.degree. to the axis. Owing to the provision of the frusto-conical zone at about 10.degree. to the axis, during the later part of the opening movement of the valve member against the spring, the clearance between the driving part and the housing increases smoothly and considerably, and the driving part reaches a force equilibrium position at which the clearance is considerable. Two grooves formed in the housing and the closure part immediately below the valve seat bound an annular closed space for receiving liquid squeezed out downwardly at the valve seat as the closure part closes. Four equiangularly spaced fins extending upwards from the closure part support a co-axial tubular part which is a sliding fit in the housing and which terminates short of the closure part to leave liquid outlets.
The smoothly and considerably increasing clearance is intended to enable the valve device to cope with liquids of considerably differing viscosity. However, it has been found in practice that only a relatively limited range of viscosities can be coped with without replacement of parts. For example, it is desirable for such valve devices to be able to cope with a range of viscosities increasing from 3% fat milk, through 10% fat cream, through drinking yogurt, to natural yogurt with small fruit pulp. Yet, it has been found in practice that the valve device of EP00090664 requires the provision of a selection of driving parts of differing maximum external diameters in order to be able to cope with such a range of viscosities. However, with aseptic filling, dismantling of the filler in order to change from filling one liquid product to filling another is highly undesirable. The provision of the frusto-conical zone at about 2.degree. to the axis followed by the second cylindrical zone does not assist in this respect, because these two zones are intended to provide a slight clearance relative to the driving part to ensure that, during the major part of the closing stroke of the valve member, liquid trapped between the driving part and a non-return valve upstream of the valve device can rapidly escape to below the driving part; the driving part is not intended to have an equilibrium position at either of these two zones. Another difficulty which has been found to arise in practice with the valve device of EPO090664 is that the liquid, having passed through the clearance between the driving part and the frustoconical zone at about 10.degree. to the axis, not only finds itself having to turn through more than 90.degree. owing to the presence of the substantially radial annular zone, but, as it encounters the lowermost coils of the spring, which collapse first during compression of the conical spring, the liquid then has to climb upwards over these substantially closed lowermost coils until it can penetrate through between higher coils of the spring. This may not constitute a problem with liquid of relatively low viscosity, for example 3% fat milk, but it proves an excessive obstruction for liquid of relatively high viscosity, such as natural yogurt with small fruit pulp. A further difficulty with the valve device of EP0090664 is that, with use, and particularly with liquids with a relatively high solid content, the two grooves formed in the housing and the closure part immediately below the valve seat become gradually clogged with solids. This results in the grooves not properly performing their function of trapping liquid squeezed out downwardly at the valve seat, with consequent dripping, and/or the closure part being obstructed from closing fully, resulting in leakage and consequent dripping. A yet further difficulty is that the use of four fins can produce problems in accurate centering of the valve member in the housing and also requires the valve member to have some means for retaining the valve member against turning relative to the housing around the axis, because the four liquid flows among the fins at the closure part tend to assume a squarish outline as seen in plan, so that there would be a risk that some of the liquid might miss a square-section carton at the corners of the squarish outline unless that outline is held substantially in register with the plan outline of the carton. A still further difficulty is that the manufacturing tolerances required to achieve a liquid-tight seal with a metal-to-metal seating are very high and, moreover, a metal-to-metal seating is unable to adapt itself sealingly to solid particles becoming deposited therebetween.

Valve device for controlling liquid flow


A vehicular auxiliary machine is disposed between seats arranged side by side in a vehicular width direction of a vehicle body. A bracket is a member on which the vehicular auxiliary machine is mounted, and which is fixed to the vehicle body. The vehicular auxiliary machine includes a harness connecting portion disposed in such a way as to locate on a side of one of the seats. The bracket includes a base surface and a pair of vertical wall portions. Further, the bracket includes a rib spanning between a harness connecting portion and the base surface, on a harness-side vertical wall portion of the paired vertical wall portions close to the harness connecting portion.

In recent years, in order to enable early rescue of a passenger when a vehicle accident occurs, a so-called automatic emergency alert system configured such that information for specifying a vehicle and a user, an accident situation, a vehicle location, and the like are transmitted from a vehicle to a police station, a fire station, a medical institution, and the like via a service company, is about to spread.
In order to implement this system, a vehicle-mounted emergency alert device (hereinafter, referred to as a DCM) as exemplified in Patent Literature 1 is mounted in a vehicle, as an auxiliary machine for transmitting information to a rescue organization.
An auxiliary machine including a DCM, which is required to play a certain role, when a vehicle accident occurs, for example, a device for automatically releasing a door lock in order to rescue a passenger is preferably disposed between seats arranged side by side in a vehicular width direction such as a center tunnel as a location within a vehicle body, which is less likely to be affected by an accident.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a side collision detection system including an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration, a side-collision airbag device disposed on an outer side with respect to each of left and right front seats in a vehicular width direction, a two-step load transmission portion disposed on a side door, and configured to transmit a side-collision load to the acceleration sensor by two steps, and a controller for controlling activation of the side-collision airbag devices, based on a signal from the acceleration sensor.
The side collision detection system disclosed in Patent Literature 2 also appropriately activates a side-collision airbag device, based on a signal from an acceleration sensor A when a side collision occurs, by disposing a controller between left and right seats in such a way that the controller as an auxiliary machine is not broken, even when an accident occurs in a vehicle.
However, since a controller as an auxiliary machine is disposed between left and right seats, the controller may not play an intended function, when a seat is displaced toward the controller and directly interferes with the controller when a side collision occurs.
A controller is required to control a side-collision airbag device to appropriately activate also when a side collision occurs. However, Patent Literature 2 fails to disclose measures against this problem, and there is room for consideration.
In particular, in an arrangement structure of an auxiliary machine disposed in such a way that a harness connecting portion for connecting a harness extending from a vehicle body to the auxiliary machine in order to supply electric power to the auxiliary machine, or transmit and receive a signal to and from the auxiliary machine is located on a side of one of left and right seats, it is necessary to provide measures in such a way that a seat does not directly interfere with the harness connecting portion and damages the harness connecting portion when a side collision occurs.

Arrangement structure of auxiliary machine for vehicle


A secure electronic storage system includes an authentication gateway, a user/system interface coupled to the authentication gateway, a secure digital storage including a plurality of memory blocks (Containers) that store at least one information resource (Fact), wherein a target Container can only be accessed by a Fact comprising a valid authorization path (Authorization), and a memory controller coupling the user/system interface to the secure digital storage. In a non-limiting example embodiment, the memory controller is operative to: (a) manage the creation, sharing and unsharing of Containers; and (b) determine if a request to access a target Container includes a valid Authorization for that Container.

Authorization is the function of specifying access rights to resources related to information security and computer security. More formally, "to authorize" is to define an access policy. For example, human resources staff is normally authorized to access employee records and this policy is usually formalized as access control rules in a computer system. During operation, the system uses the access control rules to decide whether access requests should be approved (granted) or disapproved (rejected). Resources include individual files or an item's data, computer programs, computer devices and functionality provided by computer applications.
Access control in computer systems and networks rely on access policies. The access control process can be divided into two phases: 1) a policy definition phase where access is authorized, and 2) a policy enforcement phase where access requests are approved or disapproved. Authorization is thus the function of the policy definition phase which precedes the policy enforcement phase where access requests are approved or disapproved based on the previously defined authorizations.
Most modern, multi-user operating systems include access control and thereby rely on authorization. Access control also uses authentication to verify the identity of users. When a user tries to access a resource, the access control process checks that the user has been authorized to use that resource. Authorization is typically the responsibility of an authority, such as a department manager, but is often delegated to a custodian such as a system administrator. Authorizations are expressed as access policies in some types of "policy definition application", e.g. in the form of an access control list or on the basis of the "principle of least privilege" where users are only authorized to access whatever they need to do their jobs. Older and single user operating systems often had weak or non-existent authentication and access control systems.
"Anonymous users" or "guests" are users that have not been required to be authenticated. They often have limited authorization. On a distributed system, it is often desirable to grant access without requiring a unique identity, e.g. with the use of an access token. Familiar examples of access tokens in the real world include keys and tickets which grant access without proving identity.
Trusted users are sometimes authorized for unrestricted access to resources on a system, but must be authenticated so that the access control system can make the access approval decision. "Partially trusted" and guests will often have restricted authorization in order to protect resources against improper access and usage. The access policies in some operating systems, by default, grant all users full access to all resources. Others do the opposite, insisting that the administrator explicitly authorizes a user to use each resource.
Even when access is controlled through a combination of authentication and access control lists, the problems of maintaining the authorization data is not trivial, and often represents as much administrative burden as managing authentication credentials. It is often necessary to change or remove a user's authorization: this is done by changing or deleting the corresponding access rules on the system. Using atomic authorization is an alternative to per-system authorization management, where a trusted third party securely distributes authorization information.
Authorization-based security has been around for a while and typically works as follows. It uses some authorization token, which is give to the creator of some resource. The authorization token must be protected, as it yields access to the resources. Therefore, many authorization systems use encryption to protect the contents and to validate the token is unchanged and thus still valid at the time of use. Securely sharing the authorization token is a key part of the strategy, as the token must not be allowed to escape. Thus, many authorization-based systems focus on assisting users of application in sharing authorization tokens with other users (possible of other applications). Also, authorization token may be modified to limit access (e.g. read-only memory) before being shared.
Prior art security mechanisms tend to focus on resource permissions. The typical example is file systems, where access permissions are set on files and folders. A user may be given read-only access to a folder; however, permissions for sub-folders and their files can be independently adjusted, such that a folder with write permission for everyone may appear nested with in a top-level restricted folder.
It will be appreciated that prior art access systems are tradeoffs between administrative overhead and security. Systems with high security tend to require a great deal administration with individuals and even groups assigned to the task of maintaining and enforcing the access policies. Systems without dedicated administrators tend to be of low security by providing permissions that are broader than necessary, allowing access control features to be easily or even accidentally circumvented, and relying upon user names and passwords which might fall into the wrong hands.
These and other limitations of the prior art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the following descriptions and a study of the several figures of the drawing.

Authorization path secured electronic storage system


A method and apparatus for the superdistribution of content on a network having a plurality of terminals for permitting a user of a terminal to superdistribute content stored in the terminal to another terminal and permitting the other user of the other terminal to inspect and purchase the content if desired. The invention provides an easily used mechanism that allows for the superdistribution of content from user to user to aid in the widespread distribution of content among users of various types of terminals including mobile terminals.

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for distributing content in a telecommunications network. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus to support superdistribution of Digital Rights Management (DRM)-protected content among various terminals including desktop computers, mobile communication devices and intelligent home appliances, all of which have appropriate apparatus for processing and/or outputting the content and connectivity to the Internet, and the customization of the features of the content when downloaded to the terminals based on profile information of the terminals.
Today, there is enormous demand for digital content, in particular digital music in Motion Picture expert group version 3 (MP3) and other formats, to be downloaded from the Internet for entertainment or other purposes. The major enablers of this widespread phenomenon include advances in Internet technology, advances in apparatus for processing and/or outputting digital content including digital audio technology, and the availability of intelligent devices that support digital computing and communication.
Consumers enjoy easy access of digital content over the Internet. They can easily spread their experience to their family, friends and colleagues, by making soft-copies of the downloaded digital content, or by relaying the URLs of the content source over the Internet. This kind of referencing activity can be used as a powerful tool for promoting new products, in parallel with commercial advertisement.
However, the lack of appropriate DRM-protected superdistribution solutions is hindering the growth of this new business model. On one hand, content publishers want to protect the copyrights of their digital content, so that they can be fairly compensated for providing the services. On the other hand, they do not want to make it difficult for consumers to access their digital content and to share their experience with their peers. In addition, there are as many interested groups as there are interested individuals, and it is inefficient if not impossible to try to manage superdistribution of such disparate groups and individuals in a centralised manner.
Various apparatuses, systems and methods have been proposed for distributing digital content including copyrighted material through a telecommunications network, particularly a cellular network. These proposed apparatuses, systems and methods have attempted to control the distribution of the content to ensure that the originator of the content is paid for each copy. Such apparatuses, systems and methods, for example, have operated using encryption techniques where a key is provided to the purchaser of the encrypted content to permit only the purchaser to decrypt the encrypted content.
The actual distribution of such digital content has been accomplished using many different types of telecommunication techniques including using, for example, the Short Message Service (SMS) facilities of a cellular network or the Instant Messaging (IM) technology of an Internet Protocol (IP) network. Using the SMS facilities of a cellular network or the IM technology of an IP network allows for the quick distribution of content to a purchaser operating a network terminal without extensive overhead. The SMS facilities of a cellular network are particularly useful in distributing content such as ring tone data, voice mail, display screens, and the like for use by a terminal. Payment for the content is accomplished, for example, by charging the account the user maintains with the service provider operating the cellular network or by credit/debit card.
Although the above described apparatuses, systems and methods sufficiently handle the distribution of content from the originator/seller of the content to a user and the collection of payments for the content, they are not intended to address the issues associated with superdistribution of content from user to user. The superdistribution of content from user to user often contributes to making content that may have been somewhat popular into content that is widely used and very popular. Superdistribution relies on the actions and excitement of users rather than traditional systems and marketing methods.
One of the major issues associated with superdistribution is controlling such distribution so that the user receiving content, paid for by another user, cannot use the content beyond that needed to inspect the content so as to contemplate purchasing the content. Other issues associated with superdistribution are providing a mechanism to transmit the content from one terminal to another terminal, providing a mechanism to permit the user of the other terminal to purchase the content if desired, and providing a mechanism for permitting the customization of the features of content, that has been downloaded to a device, to the capabilities and functions of the device.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method that allows adequate protection of digital content from piracy, participation of individual consumers in the media superdistribution process, and the hierarchical management of superdistribution communities.
Further there is a need for a system and method that permits a user of a terminal in a network to superdistribute content to the terminal of another user and allow the other user of the other terminal to inspect and purchase the content prior to the content being permanently stored in the other terminal.
Still further, there is a need for a system and method that effects the superdistribution of content from a terminal of a user to another terminal of another user without intervention of the network. Only when the other user of the other terminal has inspected the content and indicated a desire to purchase the content should the network intervene.
Still further yet, there is a need for a system and method that effects the customization of the features of content, that has been downloaded to a device, to the capabilities and functions of the device.
Even further still there is a need for a system and method that allows for a terminal to implement business methods based on the superdistribution of content.

Method and apparatus for the superdistribution of content in a network including stationary and mobile stations


An electronic stethoscope which is adapted to receive auscultatory sounds from a body, is adapted to transmit the auscultatory sounds to a user, or other medical device which is adapted to be powered by a battery. The stethoscope has a chestpiece adapted to utilized in cooperation with the body, an acoustical transducer cooperating with the chestpiece for receiving the auscultatory sounds and transforming the auscultatory sounds into an electrical input signal. The stethoscope or medical device has an electronic processor for processing the electrical signal. The stethoscope has a speaker for converting the electrical output signal into an acoustical output signal and an earpiece receiving the acoustical output signal and providing the acoustical output signal to the user. The chestpiece (or housing of the medical device) has a cavity adapted to contain the battery. A battery carriage is insertable into the cavity of the chestpiece and is adapted to receive the battery before the battery carriage is inserted into the cavity of the chestpiece or housing. The battery carriage provides electrical continuity from the positive terminal of the battery to power supply circuitry when the battery carriage is inserted into the cavity of the chestpiece or housing. The battery carriage receives the battery in only one orientation with the positive terminal of the battery coupled to the positive electrical connection.

Stethoscopes have long been used by physicians to monitor auscultatory sounds. Typically stethoscopes have been comprised of a head or chestpiece, a sound transmission mechanism and an earpiece assembly. The chestpiece is adapted to be placed near or against the skin, body, of a patient for gathering the auscultatory sounds. The sound transmission mechanism transmits the gathered sound to an earpiece, or a pair of earpieces, where the physician may monitor the sound.
The chestpiece of conventional acoustic stethoscopes are usually quite simple physically. They are usually round disk shapes sometimes dual sided, top and bottom, to allow either side of the chestpiece to contact the skin of the patient, perhaps for the gathering of auscultatory sounds in different frequency ranges.
Recently, some stethoscopes have utilized electronics for at least part of the sound processing path. In most of these devices, the auditory sound is picked up by a microphone usually located in a detection device which is similar to the chestpiece of a conventional auditory stethoscope in external appearance. The electrical signal from the microphone is then processed electronically and is coupled to a speaker, or speakers, where the electrical signal is converted back into an auditory sound for reception by the physician. Of course, other electronic analysis or display of the auscultatory sounds may be performed by the signal processor, either in addition to or instead of the usual conversion back into an auditory sound.
The incorporation of electronic circuitry into the stethoscope has been a considerable design problem for the engineer. Typically, the electronic circuitry increases the physical size of the stethoscope package. Either the size of the chestpiece is increased in size dramatically or an additional enclosure to house the electronics is located between the chestpiece and earpiece assembly or both. In both of these cases, the resulting stethoscope is bulky, cumbersome to use and not easily storable between uses.
Since, stethoscopes are by necessity portable devices and since the electrical components of electronic stethoscopes require a source of electrical power, electronic stethoscopes must be battery powered. Also, since the physician has become accustomed to handling and using a conventional acoustic stethoscope, an electronic stethoscope must by physically sized and configured to resemble its conventional acoustic predecessor. Further constraints placed upon the electronic stethoscope include the demands of reliability, long battery life, light weight, isolation from external sounds, maintenance of high signal quality.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,717, Walshe, Electronic Stethoscope; U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,712, Andries, Electronic Stethoscope System; U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,501, Shue, Electronic Stethoscope Apparatus; and French Patent Publication No. 2,659,007, Oclin, Stethoscope With Electronic Amplification, generally describe electronic stethoscopes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,694, Pfeiffer, Stethoscope, (assigned to the assignee of the present invention) describes a stethoscope which has both an electronic and an acoustic capability. The chestpiece of the stethoscope described in the Pfeiffer patent has a conventional shape and achieves a conventional function. The chestpiece is round and generally flat making the stethoscope appear and handle similarly to conventional stethoscopes. The stethoscope contains a battery holder (37) formed of an insulating material such as polypropylene placed on top of a printed circuit board (34) clamping the printed circuit board to the housing. In addition to having a pair of cavities (38) for flat, round batteries (39), the battery holder also serves as a cover for the volume control (35) and frequency selector (36). The battery holder is also provided with a cylindrical guide sleeve (40) for push button on-off switch (41)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,302, Walshe, Electronic Stethoscope, illustrates a circular holder (194) for two replaceable batteries (190 & 191) contained in wells (192 & 193). The holder is received in body bore (196) against shoulder (197). A metallic terminal strip (198) on disc (199) engages the battery terminals (190a & 191a) when cap (160) is in place. Different sized studs (200 & 201) on the disc (199) interfit locator stud holes (203 & 204) in the holder (194).
Other patents describe various battery powered electronic apparatus but which fail to provide the significant advantages of the present invention.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,561, Stevens, Programmable Electrical Apparatus Containing a Battery, describes an electrical apparatus, watt-hour meter, enclosed within a housing which contains a replaceable battery. A composite unit (16) provides the dual functions of battery support and terminal connector and cooperates with an access port or service entry (14) in the housing (12). The composite unit includes an integral structure containing support or receptacle for a battery, such as dry cell battery (18), which may comprise a hollow cylinder or tubular body providing a receptacle or chamber (20) for the retainment of a battery in its designated position within the apparatus and in electrical contact with the terminals therefor. Battery chamber (20) is provided with a plurality of longitudinal spacing ribs (22) for the support of the battery. The composite unit provides connecting terminal (26) for terminal post (24) of the battery and connecting terminal (30) for terminal post (28) of the battery.
Also U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,883, Williamson et al, Housing Arrangement With Breakaway Battery Access Door, describes a battery powered device (10) having a battery compartment with an integral battery door assembly (12). The battery door is hinged permitting outward pivoting from the housing. A latch mechanism (20) may be operated to latch and unlatch the door. The battery door assembly (12) includes two horizontal wing members (28) which cylindrically hold the cylindrical battery (18). When battery (18) is positioned within cavity (16), respective ends thereof are placed in contact with terminals (40) which supply power to the electrical circuitry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,628, Siwiak, Portable Battery Powered Electrical Apparatus With Improved Battery Pack Protected Against Inadvertent Short Circuit of the Battery Terminals, discloses a portable radio transceiver (10) having a removable battery pack (14). The battery pack includes a battery power source (15). The battery (15) makes electrical contact within the battery pack (14) and is coupled to terminals (18) on the battery pack through a normally open switch (20). Switch (20) is not closed until the battery pack is coupled to the transceiver, thus preventing any accidental short circuiting of the battery.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,025, Stow, Battery Retaining Device, discloses a retaining device suitable for removably interconnecting a battery with the housing of an electrical apparatus. The retaining device has a bracket provided with two stanchions adapted to receive the battery in a battery retention channel.

Electronic stethoscope having battery carriage

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) diaphragm is provided. The MEMS diaphragm includes a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer and a first dielectric layer. The first conductive layer is disposed on a substrate and having a plurality of openings. The openings having a first dimension and the openings having a second dimension are arranged alternately, and the first dimension is not equal to the second dimension. The second conductive layer is disposed between the first conductive layer and the substrate. The first dielectric layer is partially disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, so that a portion of the first conductive layer is suspended.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more generally to a MEMS diaphragm.
2. Description of Related Art
Micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) devices are mini-electromechanical devices, and the manufacturing technology thereof is similar to that of integrated circuits. With the rapid development of the electronic industry and the manufacturing technology of integrated circuits, the MEMS devices fabricated based on the MEMS technology are varied and include tiny electromechanical devices such as accelerometers, switches, capacitors, sensors and diaphragms. The MEMS devices are widely applicable to electronic products due to the advantages of light weight, small size and excellent quality. For example, the MEMS diaphragms fabricated based on the MEMS technology have become the mainstream in the mini-microphone market, and are applicable to cell phones, digital cameras, cordless headsets, laptops, hearing aids and electronic ears.
Generally speaking, a MEMS diaphragm includes a bottom electrode, a top electrode partially suspended above the bottom electrode, and a dielectric layer between the top and bottom electrodes. In the process of fabricating the MEMS diaphragm, after a bottom electrode, a dielectric material layer and a top electrode having openings are sequentially formed on a substrate, a portion of the dielectric material layer is removed by the etchant such as hydrofluoric acid through the openings in the top electrode, so that a dielectric layer is formed between the top and bottom electrodes. Accordingly, the top electrode is suspended above the bottom electrode and having the vibration property. For example, when the top electrode is vibrated by sound waves, the capacitance between the top and bottom electrodes is changed, and the sound waves are converted to electric signals by the MEMS diaphragm.
However, during the step of removing the portion of the dielectric material layer, the etchant may over-etch the dielectric material layer and even damage the electronic devices around the MEMS diaphragm. Therefore, the device characteristics of the MEMS diaphragms and electronic devices are affected.


Methods and apparatus for treating a patient. The method includes acquiring a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals with an ultrasound transducer, each RF signal representing one or more return echoes from a scan line of a pulse-mode echo ultrasound scan. A position of the ultrasound transducer corresponding to each of the acquired RF signals is determined, and a plurality of contour lines generated from the plurality of RF signals. The method estimates a 3-D shape and position of an anatomical feature, such as a joint of patient based on the generated contour lines and corresponding ultrasound transducer positions. An apparatus, or computer includes a processor and a memory with instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform the aforementioned method.

Joint pain is a major public health problem and is responsible for significant costs and disability in the United States. This is due, at least in part, to underlying osteoarthritis. Joint pain occurs in approximately 46 million Americans and is increasing due to an aging population and an epidemic of increasing obesity. Joint pain costs the healthcare system about $37 billion annually. Depending on the degree of patient disability, joint pain can be treated with a range of systemic and targeted interventions. Systemic interventions include over the counter medications, physical therapy, prescription pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications (e.g. Naprosyn). Targeted interventions include injection of medications into the affected joint, arthroscopic surgical correction of underlying pathology and ultimately total joint replacement surgery. Within the targeted interventions segment, there are approximately 10 million patients in the United States receiving injection treatments of the knee, hip, spine, and shoulder. Many of these treatments involve expensive pre-arthroplasty substances, such as single dose visco-supplements, platelet rich plasma, stem cells, etc. These substances are typically injected without needle guidance assistance so that delivery accuracy depends entirely on the skill of the physician. Studies have revealed injection inaccuracies ranging from 18-34% in the knee and 33-90% in the shoulder, with similar missed injection rates in the hip. Failure of these conservative treatments result in an estimated 505,000 knee, 280,000 hip and 42,000 shoulder replacements (arthroplasty) annually in the United States alone. By 2030, the number of knee and hip arthroplasties are projected to increase by 565% and 101% respectively. For every joint replacement patient there are an estimated 10 patients upstream in the care pathway creating a large symptomatic population that is projected to increase 40% by 2030.
A major challenge for conservative management of joint pain is the lack of low cost, accurate, non-ionizing joint imaging technology. A low-cost imaging modality to accurately visualize joints would represent a significant musculoskeletal innovation relative to fluoroscopy or MRI imaging. Moving diagnostic and treatment to lower-cost sites (e.g., from hospital to office-based) and providers (e.g., from radiologist to physicians and physician assistants) is necessary if costs are to be contained as injection substance cost and joint pain numbers increase. Today, knee and shoulder injections are office-based procedures only for skilled orthopedists or musculoskeletal specialists. Improved joint visualization would enable accurate treatment of most joints by lower cost providers in the office. Improved joint visualization and injection efficacy, as well as the migration of many injections to lower-cost settings and providers, is also attractive to third-party payers.
Office X-Rays show only a 2-D image of joint space and offer minimal bony and/or soft-tissue anatomic data. Ultrasound is widely accepted as a means to visualize the joint space, but the present technology has significant limitations. Current ultrasound-based joint injection guidance systems provide orthopedic surgeons with a difficult-to-interpret 2-D planar image of a limited area of the joint to be injected. In the joint orientation which provides the best joint space visualization, the needle is often perpendicular to the probe and seen only as a spot. Some surgeons use fluoroscopy to assist with the guidance, which can be harmful to both the patient and the surgeon due to the ionizing X-Ray radiation emitted. These images are also typically distorted, and require distortion correction. The resulting corrected 2-D images can be quite blurry. To limit the amount of radiation exposure, many surgeons do not keep the fluoroscopy machine active to track the needle while the needle is being inserted into the joint. Rather, the surgeon captures snapshots of the joint at different time intervals in order to obtain the location of the needle relative to the joint space. But, even with these modified techniques, fluoroscopy exposes the patient to X-Ray radiation far in excess of conventional radiographs. Injections with these modalities are also typically more painful if multiple injection attempts or needle repositioning is needed to correct inaccuracies in the injections due to a lack of real-time imaging to help guide the needle.
MRI scans are conducted under static conditions and are often difficult to interpret. The inability to allow metal objects near the joint during an MRI, and the confined area in which the patient is placed further limits the ability of MRI to provide real time imaging during the injection. MRI procedures are also very expensive, and may reveal multiple concerns, which makes it difficult for the physician to make a proper diagnosis.
Most medical practices also cannot afford fluoroscopic or MRI guided equipment, so almost all joint treatment that involves imaging of the joint is performed at an outpatient facility or hospital. These imaging modalities also require additional room shielding and regulatory oversight, as well as expensive specialized personnel.
Therefore, there is a need for a joint imaging and injection modality that overcomes the foregoing limitations. More specifically, there exists a need for joint injection guidance systems that do not require X-Ray radiation exposure and that provide real-time tracking of the needle on its approach to the joint space.

Real-time 3-D ultrasound reconstruction of knee and its implications for patient specific implants and 3-D joint injections


Systems and methods that enable a player to place a wager on a historical horse race, wherein if the wager is determined to be a winning wager, a win amount for the winning wager is randomly selected from a pool of win amounts.

In various embodiments, the systems and methods of the present disclosure operate to enable a player to place a wager on a historical horse race, wherein if the wager is determined to be a winning wager, a win amount is randomly selected from a pool of win amounts.
Certain gaming machines may provide players awards for games of chance based on the player obtaining a winning symbol combination and on an amount of a wager.


By allowing the movement of a user to affect the playback of content, the entertainment characteristic or uplifting spirits derived from content playback itself can be enhanced. The timing at which the user places his/her foot on the ground while walking or the timing at which the user shakes or changes from swinging in one direction to swinging to another direction is detected. Then, content, such as a music piece or moving pictures, is played back by allowing the timing of beats or bars of the music piece or the timing of scene changes or cut changes of the moving pictures to be synchronized with the timing of the movement of the user.

When playing back music with DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players, CD (Compact Disc) players, or MD (Mini Disc: registered) players, it is very important to play back music with high quality. The same applies to playing back music compressed using ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding: registered) or MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) since users eventually listen to time-series signal waveforms transformed from the compressed music.
In contrast, a device that can change content, such as music, in real time in accordance with a current situation of a user is now being considered. For example, the tempo or pitch of music is changed in accordance with a current situation of a user and short sections of music materials are spliced to create one piece of continuous music. From this point of view, the device plays the role of improvising a new piece of music by combining existing pieces of music, which is conventionally conducted by a DJ (Disk Jockey) or VJ (Video Jockey).
When people enjoy music in a concert hall or a discotheque, they stamp, jump, or move their heads back and forth. Swinging in tune with music is not uncommon. Just walking in tune with marching music is pleasant and uplifts your spirits. This proves that synchronizing the rhythm of your physical movements, such as stepping or movement of your head, with the rhythm of content can enhance your spirits or feeling.
According to the invention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-300838, in a step game (music direction game), such as "Dance Dance Revolution" (trade name), in which players compete to get a score by stepping in tune with music, play environments that match players' tastes are provided.
According to the invention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-65891, the above-described step game is applied to rehabilitation of patients. In this game, the heart rate of a user (patient) is detected and, if the detected heart rate exceeds a reference heart rate, an alarm is issued.

Content playback method and content playback apparatus


The mattress structure comprises: a mattress body; a fixing plate, being firmly disposed in the mattress body and having a plurality of fixing holes; a moving plate, being disposed in the mattress body and above the fixing plate, the moving plate having a plurality of penetrating holes; a plurality of flexible members, being disposed on the surface of the top end of the moving plate; a plurality of fixing members, each of the fixing members having a fastening end and a connecting end; and a plurality of lifting devices, being disposed at the bottom of the moving plate, by means of the lifting devices driving the moving plate and the fixing members holding the flexible members, the flexible members being then compressed in order to adjust the flexible supporting forces of the mattress body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a mattress structure, more particularly to a mattress structure that is able to adjust the flexible supporting forces thereof so as to let that different users can be provided with different levels of softness.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Under the leadership of science and technology, the life is always fast and in pressure. At the end of a day, everybody needs a good sleep to completely relax the body for the next day.
Except for work and normal life, 30% time is for sleep for a human being. The quality of a sleep may directly affect the health of the human being. Accordingly, demands to a mattress may then be more than ever. The prior mattresses are mostly made by the way of integration molding, and the softness of a mattress shall be adjusted based on the requirements of a user. It costs a lot as always and is inconvenient. The prior mattress structure has a mattress body and a flexible member in the mattress body, but it is full of disadvantages listed below:
After using a period of time, partial of the flexible member is damaged as a sunken portion so as to affect sleep.
The flexibility of each part of the surface of the prior mattress structure is the same and may not be changed; the flexibility cannot be adjusted according to different users as well, and therefore the ergonomic cannot be met.
Since the flexible member is made by integration molding, a chain reaction can happen. If two people with different sleep habits lie on a bed, one people may be affected by another. Hence, an option for solving the problem is to purchase another mattress structure for more comfortable, but it is definitely not an economic way.
The inventor of the present invention had applied a patent application, titled mattress structure, to USPTO on Sep. 8, 2010, and the application Ser. No. 12/877,275. The patent application adopts two layers of flexible members in order to adjust the hardness of the mattress structure. Frankly speaking, the two layers of flexible members take higher cost of manufacturing and assembling.
The inventor of the present invention has hardly worked on the issue to develop the new mattress structure of the present invention, and it will be discussed as below.


Methods for patterning integrated circuit (IC) features with varying dimensions are provided. In an example, a method includes forming a first patterned radiation-sensitive resist layer over a device substrate using a first mask, wherein the first patterned radiation-sensitive resist layer includes a first portion of an IC pattern; using the patterned first radiation-sensitive resist layer as a mask to form the first portion of the IC pattern in the device substrate; forming a second patterned radiation-sensitive resist layer over the device substrate using a second mask, wherein the second patterned radiation-sensitive resist layer includes a second portion of the IC pattern; and using the patterned second radiation-sensitive resist layer as a mask to form the second portion of the IC pattern in the device substrate. The combined first and second portions of the IC pattern in the device substrate form an IC feature having a dimension greater than dimensions of the first and second portions.

Integrated circuit (IC) technologies are constantly being improved. Such improvements frequently involve scaling down device geometries to achieve lower fabrication costs, higher device integration density, higher speeds, and better performance. Photolithography is frequently used for forming components of an integrated circuit device. Generally, an exposure tool passes light through a photomask or reticle and focuses the light onto a photosensitive layer of a wafer, resulting in the photosensitive layer having an image of IC features therein. The photosensitive layer is then developed, such that a patterned photosensitive layer is formed that includes a pattern of the IC features. This pattern may then be transferred to the wafer, such that the IC features may be formed in the wafer. It has been observed that printing IC features having varying dimensions is presently limited by lithography material properties and/or lithography process characteristics. Accordingly, although existing approaches for patterning IC features have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects.

Method for patterning trenches with varying dimension

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


In a bar coating apparatus which applies a coating liquid to a continuously running web using a columnar bar which rotates by being supported by a bar receiving member, the bar to be used is determined based on D*, where A is a deflection value of a difference between a maximum value and minimum value of roundness of the bar, B is a value obtained by a second-order approximation of A in a width direction X of the bar, T (=A−B) is a value obtained by subtracting B from A, and D* is an average inclination which is an average of a bar width of an absolute value |dT/dX| of a differential value of T in the width direction X of the bar.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for bar coating, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for bar coating which applies a coating liquid to a continuously running web with a columnar bar having a small diameter of 5 mm to 15 mm inclusive.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various methods are proposed as methods of applying a coating liquid to a continuously running web, and as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S58-4589 or the like, a bar coating method which is easy to operate and does not require much space is widely used. However, since the bar is long, stepped coating thickness unevenness (hereinafter, referred to as "traverse step-like unevenness") are likely to occur in the web running direction due to minute vibration of the web or the bar, and as a countermeasure for this, the applicant of the present invention proposed, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H09-201563, a bar coating method whereby, when it is assumed that a lap angle between the web and the bar is 2.5° to 30° inclusive, the maximum diameter of the bar cross-section is Rb and the curvature radius of the arc of the cross-section of the bar receiving member of the bar support member is Rh, Rb/Rh is set to within a range from 0.9 to 1.0 inclusive and the bar hold angle of the bar support member is set to 90° to 180° inclusive. In this way, it is possible to solve traverse step-like unevenness.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-82059 proposes to adjust straightness and roundness of the whole bar in order to apply a thin film to the web without producing traverse step-like unevenness.
However, even when the bar coating methods according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H09-201563 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-82059 are used, there is a problem that traverse step-like unevenness occurs in the web width direction for every turn of the bar on the coating surface of the web onto which the coating liquid has been applied. Especially, as for thin film coating applied to a web where a wet film thickness is 15 μm or less as in the case of coating when manufacturing an optically functional film such as optically compensated film, it is difficult to obtain a leveling effect after coating and these coating faults become easily apparent, which is problematic.
However, even if the straightness or roundness of the whole bar is adjusted, there is a problem that the occurrence of traverse step-like unevenness cannot be prevented during bar coating.
The present invention has been implemented in view of the above described circumstances and it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for bar coating capable of applying a coating liquid to a web as a thin film so as not to produce any traverse step-like unevenness during bar coating.


A scroll compressor oil pumping system has a concentric axial bore located in the driveshaft of the compressor which serves as the primary oil pump. The driveshaft is journaled in a lower bearing housing and is located within the oil sump of the compressor. An inlet housing is attached to the lower bearing housing and creates a stepped flow path for the oil between the sump and the oil pump. The inlet housing may also be equipped with a plurality of air foil shaped vanes to impede the formation of a bottom vortex. The stepped flow path causes an annular vortex to form which operates to separate the contaminants from the lubricating oil. In order to assist in the formation of the annular vortex, the driveshaft can include an impeller. The contaminants are channelled into a holding chamber formed by the lower bearing housing and the inlet housing. A plurality of funnel shaped orifices guide the contaminants into the chamber and operate to resist blow out of the debris during liquid flashing conditions. A magnet can be included within the holding chamber to attract the metallic contaminants if desired.

Scroll machinery for fluid compression or expansion is typically comprised of two upstanding interfitting involute spirodal wraps or scrolls which are generated about respective axes. Each respective scroll is mounted upon an end plate and has a tip disposed in contact or near contact with the end plate of the other respective scroll. Each scroll further has flank surfaces which adjoin, in moving line contact or near contact, the flank surfaces of the other respective scroll to form a plurality of moving chambers. Depending upon the relative orbital motion of the scrolls, the chambers move from the radially exterior ends of the scrolls to the radially interior ends of the scroll for fluid compression, or from the radially interior ends of the scrolls to the radially exterior ends of the scrolls for fluid expansion. The scrolls, to accomplish the formation of the chambers, are put in relative orbital motion by a drive mechanism. Either one of the scrolls may orbit or both may rotate eccentrically with respect to one another.
A typical scroll machine, according to the design which has a non-orbiting scroll, includes an orbiting scroll which meshes with the non-orbiting scroll, a thrust bearing to take the axial loads on the orbiting scroll, and a lubricant supply system for lubricating the various moving components of the machine including the thrust bearing. Accordingly, there is a continuous need in the field of scroll machines for improved lubricating techniques and systems of the scroll machinery.
Conventionally, scroll compressors utilize a large bore located within the lower portion of the crankshaft to act as a primary lubricant pump. This large bore or primary pump is in communication with a smaller bore extending from the outer circumference of the primary pump up through the top of the crankshaft to provide lubricating fluid to all the various components of the compressor which require lubrication. The lower portion of the crankshaft and thus the large bore is located within a lubricant sump in the bottom of the compressor's shell to provide a continued supply of lubricant to the primary pump.
When the primary pump draws lubricant from the sump, often included with this lubricant is a collection of debris including dirt, metal shavings, and other forms of contaminants. The primary pump will pump not only the lubricant throughout the compressor, but included with this lubricant will be the suspended pieces of debris or contaminants. Screens and filters can be provided in an attempt to clean the oil being pumped, but these screens and filters are only capable of removing the larger pieces (>0.005" diameter) of debris or contaminants. The smaller sized particles, particularly the very fine particles (<0.001" diameter), are allowed to be circulated with the lubricant throughout the bearings and thrust surfaces of the scroll compressor causing wear between the various components.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a lubricant cleaning device which is capable of removing virtually all of the suspended debris and contaminants. This would then enable the lubrication system to distribute clean lubricant throughout the scroll compressor significantly increasing the life of the compressor by reducing wear.
It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide an improved lubricant cleaning system which utilizes an annular vortex to trap suspended debris particles. The debris particles which are trapped in this annular vortex experience outward acceleration forces and move downward out of the vortex, towards a dirt trap area. The forces of gravity then move the debris through a plurality of funnel shaped orifices where they fall into a dirt trap holding chamber. The chamber contains an annular magnet to retain the metallic contaminants and has a volume which is of sufficient size to hold all the contaminant material normally seen by the compressor through its entire operating life.
Other advantages and objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the subsequent detailed description, appended claims and drawings.


An apparatus, a system and a method are disclosed. An exemplary apparatus includes a wafer holder including a first portion and a second portion. The first and second portions are formed of the same continuous material. The first portion includes a first upper surface and a first lower surface, and the second portion including a second upper surface and a second lower surface. The apparatus further includes an interface between the first and second portions. The interface provides for a transition such that the first upper surface of the first portion tends toward the second upper surface of the second portion. The apparatus further includes a tapered region formed in the first portion. The tapered region starts at a radial distance from a center line of the wafer holder and terminates at the interface. The tapered region has an initial thickness that gradually decreases to a final thickness.

In some semiconductor manufacturing processes, wafer processing chambers or reactors are used to process wafers from which integrated circuits are made. During the manufacturing process, a wafer is placed on a wafer holder (or susceptor). After the wafer has been placed on the wafer holder, it is placed in a processing chamber or reactor where a process, which has non-steady state temperatures, is performed using backside lamps. The backside lamps may include one or more lamps placed under the wafer holder to heat the wafer holder and the wafer.
For example, a rapid thermal process (RTP), using backside lamps, may be performed to deposit film layers on the wafer. This may be referred to as chemical vapor deposition (CVD). As the CVD process is carried out, the amount of film deposited on the wafer may vary as a function of the temperature of the wafer. The wafer temperature may not be uniform for a variety of reasons. For example, the wafer temperature may not be uniform because the wafer edge transfers heat to the underlying wafer holder, thereby causing a temperature difference between the wafer edge and the wafer center. As such, the uneven wafer temperature results in uneven/varying film deposition that ultimately adversely affects the performance of the integrated circuit made from the wafer. Temperature uniformity can also be important for other non-steady or RTP temperature processing such as annealing, doping, etching, and other processes. Accordingly, there is a need for a wafer holder (susceptor) that more uniformly controls wafer temperature during non-steady state conditions.

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.