A post-less coaxial cable connector includes a body, a shell, a compression ring, and a coupling portion. The shell has a collapsible groove that, when the post-less coaxial cable connector is axially compressed, collapses and engages the coaxial cable. This provides pull strength and electrical communication in the post-less coaxial cable connector. The compression ring has projections, that when the post-less coaxial cable connector is axially compressed, engage the coaxial cable jacket, providing sealing at the back end and rotation torque.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to coaxial cable connectors, and particularly to quick mount Type F connectors for use with minimally prepared coaxial cables.
2. Technical Background
Coaxial cable connectors such as F-connectors are used to attach coaxial cables to another object such as an appliance or junction having a terminal adapted to engage the connector. Coaxial cable F-connectors are often used to terminate a drop cable in a cable television system. The coaxial cable typically includes a center conductor surrounded by a dielectric, in turn surrounded by a conductive grounding foil and/or braid (hereinafter referred to as a conductive grounding sheath); the conductive grounding sheath is itself surrounded by a protective outer jacket. The F-connector is typically secured over the prepared end of the jacketed coaxial cable, allowing the end of the coaxial cable to be connected with a terminal block, such as by a threaded connection with a threaded terminal of a terminal block.
Crimp style F-connectors are known wherein a crimp sleeve is included as part of the connector body. A special radial crimping tool, having jaws that form a hexagon, is used to radially crimp the crimp sleeve around the outer jacket of the coaxial cable to secure such a crimp style F-connector over the prepared end of the coaxial cable.
Still another form of F-connector is known wherein an annular compression sleeve is used to secure the F-connector over the prepared end of the cable. Rather than crimping a crimp sleeve radially toward the jacket of the coaxial cable, these F-connectors employ a plastic annular compression sleeve that is initially attached to the F-connector, but which is detached therefrom prior to installation of the F-connector. The compression sleeve includes an inner bore for following such compression sleeve to be passed over the end of the coaxial cable prior to installation of the F-connector. The end of the coaxial cable must be prepared by removing a portion of the outer braid and/or folding the outer braid back over the cable jacket. The F-connector itself is then inserted over the prepared end of the coaxial cable. Next, the compression sleeve is compressed axially along the longitudinal axis of the connector into the body of the connector, simultaneously compressing the jacket of the coaxial cable between the compression sleeve and the tubular post of the connector. An example of such a compression sleeve F-connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,675 to Samchisen; such patent discloses a compression sleeve type F-connector known in the industry as "Snap-n-Seal." A number of commercial tool manufacturers provide compression tools for axially compressing the compression sleeve into such connectors.
It is known in the coaxial cable field generally that collars or sleeves within a coaxial cable connector can be compressed inwardly against the outer surface of a coaxial cable to secure a coaxial cable connector thereto. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,274 to Hayward, a connector assembly for a signal transmission system is disclosed wherein a body portion threadedly engages a nut portion. The nut portion includes an internal bore in which a ferrule is disposed, the ferrule having an internal bore through which the outer conductor of a coaxial cable is passed. As the nut portion is threaded over the body portion, the ferrule is wedged inwardly to constrict the inner diameter of the ferrule, thereby tightening the ferrule about the outer surface of the cable. However, the connector shown in the Hayward '274 patent can not be installed quickly, as by a simple crimp or compression tool; rather, the mating threads of such connector must be tightened, as by using a pair of wrenches. Additionally, the end of the coaxial cable must be prepared by stripping back the outer jacket and the conductive grounding sheath, all of which takes time, tools, and patience.

Quick mount connector for a coaxial cable


Techniques for group messaging on a mobile computing device are described. An apparatus may comprise a message server to communicate messages between multiple mobile computing devices. The message server may have a group message management module to establish a group messaging session between the multiple mobile computing devices. The group message management module may have a group generating module to receive a message with a group message indicator and identifying information for multiple mobile computing devices within the message. The group generating module may form a message group to communicate messages from any one of the mobile computing devices to all of the mobile computing devices for the group messaging session. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

A mobile computing device such as a combination handheld computer and mobile telephone or smart phone generally may provide voice and data communications functionality, as well as computing and processing capabilities. In addition to supporting telephone and voicemail services, a mobile computing device may support various other types of mobile messaging services such as facsimile, electronic mail (email), instant messaging (IM), short message service (SMS) messaging, multimedia message service (MMS) messaging, video conferencing, and so forth. Accordingly, there may be a need for an improved apparatus and methods for providing enhanced mobile messaging services.


A hitch-mountable, collapsible stair assembly is disclosed for use in assisting mounting into a raised vehicle bed. The steps rotate between a generally vertical stowed position and a generally horizontal in-use position. The height of the steps above the ground is adjustable. The lower step can also be extended for ease of use.

Some vehicle beds are considerably higher off the ground than can be readily or easily stepped into from ground level. Some domestic-use vehicles having such relatively high beds include pick-up trucks, sports utility vehicles, minivans and vans. Often the beds of commercial, medium, and heavy trucks and equipment are also difficult to reach. For example, the beds tend to be elevated on tow trucks, flatbed trucks, box trucks, moving vans, dump trucks, mobile cranes, and the like. Most of these vehicle beds are primarily designed for rear-entry, wherein a user approaches the rear of the vehicle and climbs over the rear bumper (or similar) onto the vehicle bed. Such elevated vehicle beds are difficult to navigate for both human and pet users.
These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

Hitch-mounted collapsible stairs for vehicle


Method and apparatus are provided for editing input information. Input information is received from an input means (1) from which a keyword is selected for editing purposes. A low level record is located in a memory (5) which has the keyword of the input information stored therein. The low level record having the keyword stored therein is accessed to determine the location in the memory of higher level records and information types of the higher level records. The higher level records having stored therein explanatory information for the keyword in accordance with the information types of the higher level records. The higher level records are of a plurality of information types for presenting different types of explanatory information regarding the keyword, such as a definition of the keyword, a synonym for the keyword, an example usage of the keyword, etc. A display (55) is provided with an indication of the information types stored in the memory for the keyword so that a user can select a desired information type. The explanatory information associated with the desired information type is then displayed to the user, thereby facilitating the user's decision whether the keyword is properly used in the input information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document-creating support apparatus for creating various documents such as a business document, manual, report, literary writing and the like. The documents which can be created by the apparatus of the present invention are compatible with multimedia documents which include not only character strings but also images, sounds or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese word processors (referred to as "word processor" hereinafter) have been commercially available, and basic technology has been developed for inputting/outputting Japanese, for editing, for Japanese alphabet-Chinese character conversion, for dictionary function, etc.
A document processing system such as a word processor, personal computer, work station and the like which support proofreading and revising a document (created by the word processor or another processing means) has also been developed.
Further, basic technology of mutual data converting among multimedia has been established, where a character string is converted into a sound, a sound is converted into a character string, and a character string is converted into a figure, or vise versa.
A communication technology has been also established whereby a document created by a device is converted into electric signals for transmission to another device, or wherein the devices control each other.
The base of a knowledge processing technology has been established where knowledge and know-how are stored as a knowledge data base.
Although the conventional technology has been described centering on document processing, more expansive technology related to the work station has been established. In this regard, a device employing a multiwindow scheme to enhance labor effectiveness has been commercially available.
The base of the technology of creating a document by using these devices and technology has been established.
In recent years, word processors have been widely used, and documents created by these devices are increasing. More advanced word processors capable of inputting, outputting, editing, proofreading and revising a document have also been commercially available to create a document. As used herein, "proofread" includes revising and correcting.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 117621/1984 discloses a document editing and proofreading system capable of using common editing and proofreading commands for different kinds of data such as a figure, an image and a writing. Also, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 127137/1984 discloses a means capable of finding miswritten and omitted words in the document which has a characteristic that the boundary of written words is indefinite, for automatically correcting the miswritten and omitted words.
To illustrate disadvantages in the prior art, an explanation will be presented on the operation of a currently commercially available document processing apparatus having a proofreading support function (referred to as "document-proofreading support apparatus" or simply as "proofreading support apparatus" hereinafter. Proofreading of a document is a step in creating the document, and the document-proofreading support apparatus sometimes means the document-creating support apparatus in the explanation.) This apparatus has not been widely used compared with the word processors, and therefore it will be explained in detail.
There are mainly two ways of proofreading in this document-proofreading support apparatus. One is the way of analyzing the appearance of written words in a character string and extracting a part to be revised. The other is the way of utilizing recently developing high language processing technology, such as morphology analysis, structure analysis and meaning analysis. The device for analyzing the appearance of written words does not employ a large-scale dictionary for analysis, and hence it has the advantage that the program is simple, processing speed is high and memory capacity is small. On the other hand, the appearance analyzing device also has the disadvantage that the accuracy in extracting the part to be proofread is unsatisfactory. In other words, in this system, the part to be proofread is extracted by comparing the inputted character string with a registered character string in the memory. Accordingly, the device has no capability of extracting the part to be proofread for a character string that has not been registered. In addition, if the character string alone has been simply registered, the part not to be proofread may often be extracted by mistake instead of the part to be proofread.
On the other hand, the device capable of effecting high-level language processing has disadvantages. For example, it requires a large scale dictionary and processing program, its processing speed is low and memory requirement is large. On the other hand, the high-level processing device has the advantage of high accuracy in extracting the part to be proofread. Namely, in high-level language processing, phenomena having the same function receive indices of the same classification, or are grouped into clusters of respective patterns, whereby variety of phenomena can be extracted. Although this and the aforementioned devices are distinguished from each other in view of extraction of the part to be proofread, they can be distinguished based upon the capability of proofreading incorrect parts.
In the method of analyzing the appearance of written words, since words are replaced only by checking up the character string, errors may occur each time the proofreading step is carried out when a character string having the small number of characters is replaced with that having the large number of characters.
In contrast to the method of analyzing the appearance of written words, the device effecting the high-level language processing provides accurate proofreading even if the proofreading is repeated many times. This results from the fact that the high-level device has a capability of recognizing that the long character string is a symbol of a long sound.
The commercially available document-proofreading support apparatus having a high-level language processing function has basically proofreading supporting functions as state below as (a) to (g).
(a) Declensional kana (japanese alphabet) ending is standardized based upon the reference. For example, if an expression " " appears in a sentence, the part of " " is pointed out while the standardized style of the word, " ", is presented to take the appropriate alternative in the sentence. PA1 (b) Superfluous and omitted characters are pointed out. For example, when " " is miswritten as " ", the apparatus indicates that a character is omitted between " " and " " to urge the user to input the character. PA1 Abominable words, difficult words and classical expressions (if any) are pointed out, and they are replaced with appropriate, plain words. PA1 (c) A sentence which does not corresponding to the reference style is pointed out and standardized, when various styles of sentences make up the document. Disproportion in brackets and missing brackets are pointed out, and correct ones are presented to take them in the sentence. PA1 (d) A sentence having a syntactically vague structure is pointed out to urge the user to revise. PA1 (e) Discord in use of an adverb and superfluous use of passive voice are pointed out to urge the user to revise. PA1 (f) A proper noun and a numeral are pointed out to call the user's attention. PA1 (g) Inappropriate expressions which are particularly prone to frequently appear and misuse of words having the same sounds but different characters are pointed out, and the appropriate alternative is presented to take it in the sentence.
The above-mentioned functions are major ones of the proofreading support apparatus which has been widely used in this way.
Two expressions, "to take the alternative in the sentence" and "to urge the user to revise", are used in the above explanation of the function of the apparatus. "To take the alternative in the sentence" means that the apparatus understands what is wrong and how it should be improved; the appropriate alternatives for improvement are displayed on the window or the like; and, that the operator chooses one of the alternatives to replace the inappropriate part in the sentence with the appropriate alternative. "To urge the user to revise" means that the apparatus senses that something is probably wrong but not tell how it should be corrected. These expressions are distinguished in accordance to the technical level of the current proofreading support apparatus, and if the language processing technique is more advanced, the step "to urge the user to revise" may be upgraded to the step "to take the alternative in the sentence" in future.
However, in any case, a man having a good knowledge must ultimately judge, select words and phrases or revise. In this sense of the words, the current document proofreading apparatus should be more appropriately termed document-proofreading support apparatus.
Such a document-proofreading support apparatus has the following disadvantages.
With the conventional proofreading support apparatus, although a part to be proofread and the alternatives for improvement are presented, the reason why it should be proofread and improved in such a way is not presented.
This means that if the user does not understand the difference between the alternatives, he or she may select an inappropriate one by mistake (if several alternatives for improvement are presented).
Even if there is only one alternative, decisions must be made whether or not it is to be improved in such a way as that the apparatus indicates. Moreover, there still is a risk that the improvement according to the indication of the apparatus leads reversely to an undesirable revision of the correct part to an inappropriate word or phrase.
Thus, if effective information and further information are required for distinguishing an alternative from the other in revising, the conventional apparatus does not have desirable function to solve the problem.
The apparatus can not distinguish one mistake from another in degree; it can not decide whether the mistake should be proofread paying great attention or simply be looked over, and thus sufficient efficiency in proofreading is not obtained.
As mentioned above, the apparatus has no function to present further information and information effective to distinguishing one alternative from the other in revising, and therefore merely a person skilled in the art can operate the apparatus. This is the primary cause of inhibiting the spread of this kind of processing apparatus.
On the other hand, in the steps of creating a document, the conventional word processor is manufactured giving priority to inputting and editing functions, and it does not have such functions as presenting a subject, elaborating a plan, coordinating knowledges, etc. in creating a document.
The present invention effectively overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages by implementing document-proofreading and -creating functions by utilizing information applied to arcs which link correlated retrieving information.

Document processing support system using keywords to retrieve explanatory information linked together by correlative arcs


A self locking snap hook that includes a central shank having an arch shaped hook member that defines a gateway opening at one end, a gate keeper enclosing the gateway opening, a locking lever to prevent the opening of the gate keeper, and a second locking mechanism having an engaged and a disengaged position such that when it is engaged it prevents the locking lever from being disengaged. Movement of the second locking mechanism between its engaged and disengaged positions requires the application of force and resulting movement in a direction other than that required to move the locking lever from its engaged to its disengaged position.

Safety and the prevention of falls is of primary importance for individuals working at heights, around areas of excavation, or where a fall could result in serious injury or death. In such cases the employment of a safety system to prevent falls is often not only desirable but a statutory requirement. Typically, safety systems that are commonly used involve the placement of a harness or belt around an individual and then the subsequent use of a rope, cable or strap that physically secures the individual, by way of the belt, to a solid structure. For example, individuals working on bridges, towers or tall buildings will commonly wear belts, safety harnesses or fall arresters that include a lifeline most typically comprised of a rope or strap having one end secured to a structural feature of the device upon which the individual is working. In the logging industry and in situations where individuals work on utility poles, a worker is often fitted with a safety belt having a rope or strap that is connected to the belt at one end, is passed around the tree or pole, and then has its free end connected to the opposite side of the belt. So that the worker may readily engage and disengage the lifeline, rope, cable or strap, at least one end must be fitted with a means to releasably secure it to a solid or safe structure. The other end of the rope or strap may be equally fitted with a means to releasably secure it to the worker's belt or harness, or it may be a more permanent attachment.
In theory, should a worker slip or fall while wearing a safety belt or a harness that is securely attached by way of a lifeline to a solid structure, the worker will only be allowed to fall a very few feet after which his decent will be stopped and he will be suspended until he can regain his balance or be rescued. Unfortunately in practice the safety harness and fall arrest systems currently in use do not always function as designed and accidents, injuries and fatalities sometimes occur. One type of failure that can have disastrous results is a consequence of the use of snap hooks on the end of a lifeline.
Due to their convenience and ease of use, snap hooks having a gate keeper that encloses the hook bowl, are probably the most widely used method to secure the end of a lifeline. Since standard snap hooks can become unintentionally opened through the application of a force against the gate keeper, others have proposed and developed a variety of different locking mechanisms that assist in maintaining the gate keeper in a closed position. While such locking mechanisms have reduced the likelihood of an unintentional opening of the hook, they too suffer from their own limitations. For example, one of the most common locking snap hooks currently in use requires an individual to grasp in his hand both the gate keeper and a locking lever and squeeze them inwardly toward each other in order to "open" the hook. Moving the locking lever inwardly effectively "unlocks" the gate keeper allowing it to also move inwardly so that the hook may be placed over an object or removed therefrom. One of the reasons for the success of this form of locking snap hook is its relative ease of use since an individual can effectively operate the hook through grasping it in one hand. However, the ease of operation of such snap hooks can also result in their unintentional disengagement. Disengagement can occur where the hook is accidentally compressed such that both the locking lever and the gate keeper are pushed inwardly toward the hook bowl at the same time. It has been found that situations as innocuous as leaning against a hook that is bearing against a solid surface can be sufficient to cause accidental disengagement.


Disclosed is a file clip which comprises a pressure bar to drive a clamp plate to clamp on a base plate by means of the operation of a torsional spring. The clamp plate is movably secured to the base plate by two crank levers. The crank levers have each two conical portions at two opposite ends thereof and respectively made in an extended size so that they can be conveniently fastened in the fixing holes on the base plate and the positioning holes on the clamp plate to firmly secure the clamp plate to the base plate. Except the torsional spring which is made metal material, the other parts of the clip are made of plastic material through injection molding process.

The present invention is related to clips and more particularly to a clip for mounting on a file to hold paper, which is generally made of plastic material through injection molding process and convenient to assemble with the hand without the use of any tool.
FIG. 1 illustrates a file clip according to the prior art, which is generally comprised of a clamp board driven by a pressure bar to clamp on a base plate by means of the operation of two crank levers and a torsional spring. The clamp board, the pressure bar, the base plate, the crank levers and the torsional spring are all made of metal material through forging and punching process. During assembly, the crank levers and the torsional spring must be movably mounted on the base plate by machinery through rivet joint. The manufacturing process of this type of file clip is complicated and dangerous. Because all the parts of this type of clip are made of metal material which shall be surface treated through electroplating process, environmental pollution is still another problem to handle


An apparatus for use in conjunction with a silt collecting pond to prevent silt from being washed from adjacent land by rainwater comprises a base adapted to rest on the bottom of the pond and a cylindrical cage defining an upwardly open interior volume extending upwardly from the base. A conduit communicates between the interior volume of the cage and the exterior of the pond. Silt cloth is mounted about the cage and a floatable safety lid is adapted to cover the upper opening of the cage. In operation, silt bearing rainwater enters the pond and rises about the apparatus. Water passes through the silt cloth at a predetermined rate such that the water stands in the pond a sufficient time to allow silt to precipitate therefrom. When the pond has been filled with silt, a sleeve is slipped into the cage and a grated lid placed atop the sleeve so that the device thereafter provides for drainage of surface rainwater from the land.

A common problem associated with construction that involves the clearing, grading, and leveling of land is the subsequent erosion of the resulting bare soil by rainwater and consequent pollution of rivers and streams by silt carried from the land with the rainwater. The problem has become so acute in some areas that regulations have been imposed upon developers requiring that silt barriers be erected to trap and contain silt that might otherwise be washed from the construction site into adjacent streams. In addition, surprisingly large volumes of silt can be washed from newly graded land such that additional soil must sometimes be brought in to replace the silt that was washed away.
One prior method of controlling silt erosion has been to erect silt barriers or fences on graded land in the path of running rainwater. Such barriers are sometimes formed from sheets of porous material called silt cloth mounted to upstanding wooden stakes. The silt cloth is adapted to pass water and to prevent passage of silt so that running water encountering the barrier passes through the cloth while silt suspended in the water is trapped behind the cloth.
Problems with these types of silt barriers have been numerous. For example, the barriers are generally flimsy and are often erected improperly such that they are easily uprooted by the force of running rainwater, thus allowing continued erosion of the land. Further, since water does not always drain from land along a single or well defined path, it can be difficult to determine the proper locations to erect the barriers. Consequently, barriers typically are erected across all potential drainage paths, which is expensive and time consuming. As a consequence, these types of silt barriers can be an ineffective and expensive method of controlling silt erosion. Also, since the barriers function as simple filters, they tend to become clogged and inefficient over time.
Another method of controlling silt erosion has been to construct a silt collecting pond at a lower elevation on land subject to erosion. An elongated cylindrical stand pipe is commonly placed in a vertical orientation within the pond and V-shaped weirs are formed around the top of the pipe. A drainage pipe in communication with the standpipe at its bottom portion extends outside the silt collecting pond. With this method, rainwater flows from higher elevations of the land and fills the silt collecting pond until the water level in the pond rises to the bottom of the V-shaped weirs. Excess water then drains through the weirs into the standpipe and out of the pond through the drainage pipe. the weirs into the standpipe and out of the pond through the drainage pipe.
With the just described method, water normally stands in the pond at or below the level of the weirs so that silt can precipitate to and collect on the bottom of the pond. Problems with this method have been that water standing in the pond tends to attract mosquitoes, algae, and, in general, forms an unsightly and unhealthy quagmire. Further, sticks and other debris tend to get caught in the weirs preventing proper drainage of water therethrough and consequently decreasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the device.
A common problem with both silt fences and collecting ponds arises when they are used along an extended sloped grade where a plurality of barriers or collecting ponds are positioned at intervals along the grade. In these situations, flowing water accumulates as it flows past each successive barrier such that at the bottom of the slope the flow can become a torrent that washes away even the best silt fences and collecting ponds. Prior art control methods have therefore proven ineffective for use on such extended slopes.
Finally, with prior art methods the silt fences and stand pipes must generally be removed and discarded after the land on which they were installed has been graded, leveled, and stabilized. In many cases, separate drainage systems must subsequently be installed to insure adequate drainage of rainwater from the land in the future.
There is, therefore, a persistent and heretofore unaddressed need for a method and apparatus for controlling silt erosion that overcomes the many problems associated with prior art silt control methodologies. It is to the provision of such a method and apparatus that the present invention is primarily directed.

Method and apparatus for controlling silt erosion


A multi-use golf towel including an absorbent front layer, a back layer being chamois, and a moisture barrier inner layer disposed therebetween to keep the front layer dry, a removable rotating golf brush with wire and nylon bristles disposed in a frame within the towel, and a ring to accept a hanging device to attach the towel to a golf bag. A cover disposed on a back side of the frame to protect the bristles.

Various types of golf towels are known in the attached prior art. However, what is needed is a multi-use golf towel having a front layer for washing and a back layer for drying and polishing, the first and second layers separated by a moisture barrier inner layer. The towel has a removable rotating golf brush with wire and nylon bristles. A ring is provided to suspend the towel from a golf bag. The towel is designed to eliminate the need for multiple attachments and devices used by a golfer. The towel enables the user to quickly and easily clean and dry any and all of his golf equipment.


A glass unit such as a binocular or monocular in which an object to be observed is viewed under magnification is made to display a map image, whereby the observer's own position can be specified on the map image without an atlas being opened. Based on a self-position data input from a GPS unit (21), a CPU (31) transmits map image information near its own position from a topographic map database (23) to a CG buffer (39) by way of a memory (25). On the other hand, based on the self-position data, a mark or character indicative of its position on the map image is generated by a mark character generating unit (35) so as to be superimposed onto the map image from the CG buffer (39), whereby a composite image thus formed is displayed by an LCD within a housing (10) so as to be viewed within the visual field of the glass unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glass unit in which a binocular, a monocular, or the like (referred to as "binocular or the like" hereinafter) for viewing, under magnification, an object to be observed is provided with a special function.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For example, there is a case where it is necessary to recognize one's own current position during mountain climbing. In such a case, a topographic map (atlas) of the neighborhood is opened, a landscape nearby which can become a landmark is observed with a binocular or the like, the direction of this landscape is specified with a magnet or the like, and then, based on such information, one's own current position is heuristically specified on the topographic map.
It is, however, troublesome to open a topographic map every time one's own position is to be specified. Also, there are often cases where it is difficult to open a topographic map (atlas) itself, for example, when the footing is unstable or wind is strong.
In such cases, it will be very convenient if one's own position can be visually specified without a topographic map (atlas) being opened.


The device includes at least one sliding bolt in a disengaging mechanism, and at least one movable pin arranged to lock said disengaging mechanism and prevent movement of the bolt. It is mounted in a housing (10) and consists of two identical control modules (11, 12) each having an arm (11a, 12a) which is fast on a lever (13) controlling the movable locking pin (14). Each module is mounted on a base plate (11b, 12b) supporting a mechanical activating device (11c, 12c) and a device for controlling this device and pushing the arm (11a, 12a) by means of a detent pin (11d, 12d). The activating device comprises at least one potential energy storage element while the module comprises a device for arming this element. A programmable electronic timing device and a member coupled thereto are provided for releasing the potential energy at a predetermined time. Each module has an independent power supply from cells or batteries (11e, 12e). A display device (11f, 12f) provides control parameter display.

Various devices of this type for equipping safes, vaults, or doors of protected sites are already known.
The timed control device for opening a lock described in international application published as No. W089/03922 comprises a locking mechanism controlled by an electronic device with a triggering module and a blocking module. The locking mechanism is designed to block a bolt in locked position for a predetermined time period defined by the electronic control device.
These known conventional mechanisms generally have a spring barrel and a timing mechanism with an escape device which frees the energy in a previously armed spring barrel at a moment previously defined by the timing mechanism and disengages a peg associated with a locking pin.
These timing mechanisms have the disadvantage of being very costly because the mechanical parts must be extremely precise. Furthermore, the controls which can be exerted on this type of mechanism are limited to those which can be exerted on a mechanical watch movement, in known manner.

Timed triggering control device for a mechanism


Methods and kits for diagnosing tumorigenicity by measuring the concentration of GP88 in blood, plasma, serum, saliva, urine and other biological fluids. The methods and kits detect GP88 in biological fluids at a concentration as low as about 0.1 to 10 nanograms per milliliter and are useful for determining whether a patient has a tumorigenic condition, whether the patient is likely to be responsive to anti-tumorigenic therapies, and whether the treated patient is responding to anti-tumorigenic therapy by measuring the concentration of GP88 in the patient's serum or other biological fluid.

The proliferation and differentiation of cells in multicellular organisms is subject to a highly regulated process. A distinguishing feature of cancer cells is the absence of control over this process; proliferation and differentiation become deregulated resulting in uncontrolled growth. Significant research efforts have been directed toward better understanding this difference between normal and tumor cells. One area of research focus is growth factors and, more specifically, autocrine growth stimulation.
Growth factors are polypeptides which carry messages to cells concerning growth, differentiation, migration and gene expression. Typically, growth factors are produced in one cell and act on another cell to stimulate proliferation. However, certain malignant cells, in culture, demonstrate a greater or absolute reliance on an autocrine growth mechanism. Malignant cells which observe this autocrine behavior circumvent the regulation of growth factor production by other cells and are therefore unregulated in their growth.
Study of autocrine growth control advances understanding of cell growth mechanisms and leads to important advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Toward this end, a number of growth factors have been studied, including insulin-like growth factors ("IGF1" and "IGF2"), gastrin-releasing peptide ("GRP"), transforming growth factors alpha and beta ("TGF-a" and "TGF-b"), and epidermal growth factor ("EGF").
The present invention is directed to a recently discovered growth factor. This growth factor was first discovered in the culture medium of highly tumorigenic "PC cells," an insulin-independent variant isolated from the teratoma derived adipogenic cell line 1246. This growth factor is referred to herein as "GP88." GP88 has been purified and structurally characterized. Amino acid sequencing of GP88 indicates that GP88 has amino acid sequence similarities with the mouse granulin/epithelin precursor.
Granulins/epithelins ("grn/epi") are 6 kDa polypeptides and belong to a novel family of double cysteine rich polypeptides. U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,192 (Shoyab et al.) is directed to 6 kDa epithelins, particularly epithelin 1 and epithelin 2. According to Shoyab, both epithelins are encoded by a common 63.5 kDa precursor, which is processed into smaller forms as soon as it is synthesized, so that the only natural products found in biological samples are the 6 kDa forms. Shoyab et al. teaches that the epithelin precursor is biologically inactive.
Contrary to the teachings of Shoyab et al., the inventor's laboratory has demonstrated that the precursor is not always processed as soon as it is synthesized. Studies, conducted in part by this inventor, have demonstrated that the precursor (i.e., GP88) is in fact secreted as an 88 kDa glycoprotein with an N-linked carbohydrate moiety of 20 kDa. Analysis of the N-terminal sequence of GP88 indicates that GP88 starts at amino acid 17 of the grn/epi precursor, demonstrating that the first 17 amino acids from the protein sequence deduced from the precursor cDNA correspond to a signal peptide compatible with targeting for membrane localization or for secretion. Also in contrast to the teachings of Shoyab et al., GP88 is biologically active and has growth promoting activity, particularly as an autocrine growth factor for the producer cells.
Diagnosis of cancer often requires sampling a biopsy of a tissue suspected of being tumorigenic, testing the tissue sample to determine if a tumor marker is present, and determining if the tissue sample is tumorigenic. Biopsy procedures can be risky and painful depending on the location of the tissue and the condition of the patient. In addition, the trauma inflicted by biopsy procedures may increase the risk of malignancy. A study reported in the British Medical Journal identified biopsy as the strongest risk factor for testicular cancer. Swerdlow et al., BMJ 1997;314:1507. Biopsy has also been identified as a risk factor in breast, liver, and other cancers. In addition, a study conducted at the Johns Hopkins University concluded that misdiagnosis following biopsies occurs at a significant rate. Kronz et al., Cancer: Dec. 1, 1999, vol. 86, no. 11 pp 2426–2435. Misdiagnosis may be due, in part, to the small sample sizes obtained from needle biopsies and other procedures that capture only small tissue samples. Small biopsy sample sizes reduce patient risk. Id. However, the risk of misdiagnosis increases when only a small tissue sample is utilized. Id.
What is needed are new methods and kits for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer, and particularly methods and kits that avoid risks associated with biopsy of tissue.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A text inputting method includes: obtaining a user identifier, finding a user language module corresponding to the user identifier according to the user identifier; obtaining a user input, generating a candidate sentence list according to the user input; obtaining a universal language model, calculating an on-screen probability of each candidate sentence in the candidate sentence list according to the user language model and the universal language model; sorting candidate sentences in the candidate sentence list according to their on-screen probabilities; and outputting the sorted candidate sentence list. The method increases a text inputting accuracy ratio and an inputting speed. In addition, a text inputting system and an apparatus are also provided.

Input method software is a kind of frequently used word inputting system.
A traditional text inputting method usually uses a universal language model as a core to construct the input method. The universal language model is obtained through analyzing a large amount of training material. The training material is usually obtained automatically from the Internet. It represents general an input requirement of most users, i.e., the universal language model is created based on common word-selection habits of most users. However, when inputting words using the input method software, a user usually wants to obtain characters that he constantly uses rapidly. When selecting a word, different users may desire different kinds of candidate sentences ranking in the first according to their different identities, interests and habits, and field of characters that they used to use. For example, a scientific researcher and a bank clerk usually hope that professional terms in their fields are ranked in the first when inputting words. For another example, people from north-east and Sichuan province also hope their own dialect words ranking in the first in the candidate sentence list. The traditional input method which uses the universal language model cannot meet the input requirement of different users. Thus, the input accuracy ratio is low and the input speed of the user is affected.
In addition, a standard Ngram language model modeling method has a defect. On the one hand, the standard Ngram language model is a simplex model. However, in a practical application, the user's Chinese input, handwritten recognizing, voice recognizing requirement are various and unlimited. For example, users may have variable and unlimited requirements such as Chinese input, handwriting recognizing and voice recognizing. For example, a user may write a technical report sometimes and chat on the Internet at other times. Under these two situations, Chinese input requirements of the user are different. For another example, users in different ages may have different speaking habits due to their different living experiences. Reflected on the Chinese input, contents constantly inputted by these users have a big difference. Therefore, a simplex model cannot meet different requirements for inputting Chinese of users of different ages and requirements of one user under different situations. For the different requirements, if the same model is adopted, accuracy of recognizing the input of the user is affected. On the other hand, the standard Ngram language model does not have a self-study mechanism. Once parameters in the standard Ngram language model are determined, the parameters cannot be adjusted intelligently according to inputting habits of the user. Thus, accuracy ratio for recognizing the input of the user is relatively low.

Text inputting method, apparatus and system based on a cache-based language model and a universal language model

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


An information recording method based on a recording format in which when information is recorded on an information recording medium by a recording means, accompanying information concerning at least the information recording medium or recording information is repeatedly recorded a plurality of times together with the recording information comprises the steps of searching a recording failure position in an area in which the accompanying information is to be recorded when a recording of the accompanying information is failed, moving the recording means from a recording start position to the recording failure position, and recording the accompanying information from the recording failure position by the recording means based on the recording format. A write once optical disk recording method based on a recording format in which when information is recorded on a write once optical disk by a recording means, accompanying information concerning at least the write once optical disk or the recording information is repeatedly recorded a plurality of times together with the recording information comprises the steps of searching a recording failure position in an area in which the accompanying information is to be recorded when a recording of the accompanying information is failed, moving the recording means from a recording start position to the recording failure position and recording the accompanying information from the recording failure position by the recording means based on the recording format.

The present invention relates to an information recording method of repairing repeat data recorded on a write once optical disk (CD-R) and a recording method for a write once optical disk.
Heretofore, there is an optical disk device capable of recording information by sequentially forming pits with irradiation of light beams on a disk-like recording medium. One of such optical disk devices is known as a CD-R (CD-Recordable) conforming to the standards of so-called compact disc (CD).
An optical disk used in such CD-R drive device is a so-called write once optical disk (hereinafter referred to as "CD-R") in which information can be written once by changing optical property of a recording layer within a pregroove which is a previously-formed guide groove with irradiation of light beam of high intensity.
A data structure of CD-R will be described. A PCA (Power Calibration Area) for indicating a light amount adjustment area is formed in the innermost peripheral portion near the center of the optical disk. The PCA area includes a test area for adjusting a light amount of light beam used upon recording and a count area for recording the available state of the test area.
A PMA (Program Memory Area) indicating a program area is formed adjacent to the PCA area in the outer peripheral direction from the center of the optical disk. In the PMA area, there are repeatedly recorded the available state of the optical disk, to be concrete, start address information and end address information of data recorded at the track unit.
There are formed a plurality of sessions adjacent to the PMA area in the outer peripheral direction from the center of the optical disk. Each session includes a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area in the outer peripheral direction from the center of the optical disk. In the lead-in area, there are repeatedly recorded data of table of contents information of a signal recorded on the program area as TOC (Table of Contents).
Audio data or the like is recorded on the program area. The program area is shown by a track number corresponding to the number of data to be recorded. The track includes a TD (Track Descriptor) indicative of data structure within the track and a packet which is a unit of data smaller than the track. The same information is repeatedly recorded on the TD.
As one of methods for recording data in the program area of the CD-R once, there is known a track recording method for recording data at the track unit. The track means a collection of data indicative of one music or one file of more than one music or file.
When the track is recorded, an area in which data is not recorded in the program area on the optical disk, i.e., a non-recording area is detected by reading data from the PMA area and data is recorded on the non-recording area at the track unit.
Further, data is recorded at the unit of packet which is the data unit smaller than the track unit. A data recording operation at the packet unit is called "intra-track recording". At that time, information indicative of start address and end address of track are initially recorded in the PMA area such that the track is previously formed of packets of arbitrary number. In the intra-track recording operation, data is sequentially and continuously recorded from the first packet within the track. After this data recording operation is interrupted, data is again recorded from the next address of the address of the final recorded data.
As described above, in the CD-R information recording format, PMA, TOC and TD data of the same information should be recorded continuously a plurality of times at predetermined recording units. Further, in the next recording operation, data should be continuously recorded on the ending portion of the recorded recording unit located on the outermost periphery of the CD-R.
However, in the conventional information recording method of the CD-R, when recording operation of data such as PMA, TOC or TD data is failed and the recording operation is ended in the middle of recording operation, the information recording method does not take a countermeasure for repairing data at all. As a consequence, since the recording in the recording unit area is not completed in accordance with the format, there is then the disadvantage that data cannot be recorded on the area following the recording failure area.


An illumination device for use with a safety marker to increase the visibility of said safety marker is described. The illumination device includes a generally circular and hollow bracket supporting an illumination source (e.g., bulb) and having at least one flange associated therewith. The flange of the bracket is shaped and positioned to removably fit between at least two protruding feet of a traditional safety marker without inhibiting the desired nesting or stacking feature of the safety marker. The illumination source may be powered by a variety of power sources (e.g., solar panel) and, when attached to the safety marker, provides illumination of the exterior surfaces of the body of the safety marker, thereby greatly increasing the visibility of the safety marker.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to safety or traffic markers and, in particular, to a device used with a safety or traffic marker to increase visibility of said marker.
2. Description of Related Art
Safety or traffic marks are devices used to physically mark the location of safety hazards (e.g., a road-side hazard) so that individuals exposed to such hazards will take particular notice of it and, hopefully, be able to avoid the hazard. Traditional safety markers primarily include traffic cones, relatively simple integral members comprising a rectangular base and a conical body. Such markers are generally constructed of a generally translucent, brightly colored and often reflective material, such as plastic. FIG. 1 illustrates a traditional form of a traffic cone 10 having a generally conical body 20.
Safety markers are routinely used around locations where construction or some other obstruction is present on or close to roads or vehicle byways. Since those primarily using a road or byway are presumably focused on the operation of the vehicle in which such user is traveling, a device is needed to draw the attention of such users to extraordinary situations present along or adjacent to the road or byway. For example, where construction is taking place on a portion of the road itself, safety markers are often used in close connection with each other to outline the area subject to such construction, simultaneously: (a) forming a partition to separate the users of the road from the construction project and its associated workers and equipment; and (b) calling increased attention to the presence of the potential hazard. Bright (and sometime reflective colors) of the safety markers allow users of the road to notice, and take heed of, the associated hazard even in dim or low light situations (e.g., at night or during inclement weather).
Despite some incremental improvements in traditional safety markers, several distinct disadvantages are still associated with such markers. For example, even for markers having brightly colored or reflective surfaces, safety markers are often difficult to properly visualize in routine situations. For example, at night such markers are often not noticed until a point when the user of the road or byway has too little time to react to the associated hazard. Inclement weather situations (e.g., snow, heavy rain, fog) can also produce this result. Additionally, it can be argued that the rather ubiquitous nature of traditional safety markers has conditioned those who would be warned of associated hazards to pay less attention to such traditional markers.
As a result of the foregoing limitations associated with traditional safety markers, attempts have been made to improve the visibility of such markers. For example, flashing warning lights have been used with limited success in connection with safety markers. Such flashing lights are typically removably attached to the upper surface of a traffic marker in an effort to increase the visibility of said marker. However, the bulky nature and often complex way in which the flashing light must be attached, powered, maintained, etc., render such lights impractical, if not impossible, to use with typical safety markers.
An example of such a device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,824 to Wright, entitled Traffic Cone-Mounted Warning Lights. Although the concept of providing a flashing light to increase the visibility of a safety marker is laudable, the Wright device proves to be impractical, at best, when used with a traditional traffic cone. For example, since the flashing light device of the Wright invention is slipped down over the exterior, upper portion of the traffic cone, the presence of the device adds weight and bulk to the upper portion of the cone, destabilizing it. With device in place, the marker more easily tips over when the marker is subjected to certain destabilizing forces, such as wind.
An additional limitation to devices such as the Wright invention is that the presence of the device precludes the desirable, and therefore, preferred manner of collecting, transporting, storing and distributing traditional traffic markersxe2x80x94stacking or nesting of the conical markers. Indeed, the addition of virtually any object to the exterior surface of traditional traffic markers will impede the desirable stacking feature of the conical shape of the markers.
As a last example, the presence of any object (such as the Wright invention) on the exterior surface of a safety marker facilitates an opportunity for mischief. Since the device is exterior to the marker, it is extremely convenient for unauthorized individuals to tamper with, damage or even quickly remove, the device, thus altering or preventing its desirable function.
The present invention comprises a device capable of increasing the visibility (and therefore the desired function) of a traditional safety marker. The present invention accomplishes greater visibility of the marker, through the use of an integral source of illumination capable of illuminating the entire visible surface of the marker, without hindering the desirable features associated with said markers.
More specifically, the present invention further comprises a bracket shaped to detachably mate with an interior surface of a safety marker. In a preferred embodiment, the bracket mates with an interior surface of a safety marker such that: (a) it does not inhibit the nesting feature of the shape of the marker; and (b) the illumination device is protected from the elements and from convenient interference by unauthorized individuals.
Associated with the bracket is a source of illumination, such as a bulb. The bulb is preferably removably attached to the bracket such that it easily can be removed and discarded, when replacement is needed or otherwise desired. The bulb may be powered by one or more of several means, including a traditional battery or power source, or a solar panel pack. When illuminated, the bulb provides enough light to illuminate from within the marker the visible exterior surfaces of the marker, thereby greatly increasing the visibility of the marker to those to be warned by the presence of the marker.


The present invention generally encompasses a starter block for use in the starter course of a roofing project to facilitate the subsequent positioning of shingles upon a hip roof without causing said shingles to substantially bend. The starter block has a tapered thickness, that is, the height of the front surface is greater than the height of the back surface. In one embodiment, the height of the front surface is about twice the height of the back surface. Otherwise, the starter block is generally rectangular. In one embodiment, the starter block is formed from a composite material, such as a combination of at least a polymer component (e.g. polyethylene) and a filler component (e.g., glass, stone, limestone), and includes at least one nib extending from each of its side surfaces and at least one nailing zone on its top surface. A roofing system that incorporates a course of the starter blocks coupled to the eaves of the roof and at least one course of shingles positioned to lie flat on and at least partially overlap the course of starter blocks with the shingles extending back to the upper surface of the roof without substantially bending or flexing the shingles in the one course is also provided.

The present invention relates to a roofing product. More specifically, the present invention provides a tapered starter block for use in the starter course of a roofing project.
There are many types of roofing shingles including asphalt, wood shake, slate and composite shingles. Many of these shingles have some structural rigidity. For example, slate, wood shake and some types of composite shingles will not substantially flex or bend. Other types of composite shingles will bend a short distance if forced but at a cost of increased stress at the area where the shingle is bent. Typical asphalt shingles have little structural rigidity.
When installing a roofing system, a roofer will likely begin by coupling a starter course along the eaves of the roof to form a base for the first course of full shingles. Often, the starter course is composed of shingles that have been cut so that they have a shorter length than the standard shingle. For shingles with less structural rigidity, a single layer of cut shingles is generally sufficient for the starter course.
For shingles with more than a little structural rigidity, however, if only one layer of shingles is used for the starter course, then the shingles in the first course will not lie flat on the starter course while maintaining some contact with the roof behind the starter course. Thus, when the second course of shingles is installed, the first course shingles will extend above the starter course so that there is some distance or gap between the bottom of the first course shingle and the top or upper surface of the starter course. To avoid this problem, a roofer may couple the front portion of a first course shingle to the starter course in addition to coupling the back portion of the shingle to the roof, thereby causing the first course shingle to bend along the back edge of the starter course. Of course, a roofer may employ this method only when the shingles are capable of bending and, even then, bending the shingle places unnecessary stress on the shingle at the bend line that may lead to premature failure.
Roofers have developed several methods to address the above-stated problem. One solution is for a roofer to cut an additional number of shingles into even smaller sections and install those sections in a second layer on top of and towards the front of the starter course in order to fill the distance between the first course shingles and the starter course. Unfortunately, this is not an optimal solution because it increases both the shingles required for the project and the time required to complete the roof.
Another method developed by roofers is to cut a piece of lumber or other solid building material into a starter strip and then use the strip along the eaves of the roof to form the starter course. Typically, the starter strip is made as long as possible, and usually significantly longer than traditional shingles, so that the fewest number of strips are required. However, because each type of shingle may be sized differently, it is difficult to create a standard wooden starter strip that would work with different types of shingle. In addition, care must be taken when installing the first course shingles to insure that the shingles completely cover the starter strip. As with the previous method, this solution is not optimal because of the extra time, effort, material and expense required to produce the strips.
Finally, some simulated shingles are designed so that they have some type of interlocking joint or contour structure that allows the back end of one shingle to fit together with the front end of a later installed shingle course when the shingles are installed. Occasionally, these shingles will have an accompanying starter product for installation at the roof eaves. It should be understood that these starter strips include the same interlocking joint or contour structure as the regular shingles, and, therefore, are not suitable for use with other types of shingles.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a product that would prevent the problems described above. More specifically, it is beneficial to provide a product that could be used to eliminate any gap between the front portion of the first course shingles and the upper or top surface of the product underlying the first course shingle and/or any gap between the back of the first course shingle and the roof so that the first course shingles may be installed without substantially bending or breaking. Additionally, it would be beneficial to provide a product that accomplishes the above and that is usable with different types of shingles and capable of being produced in numbers.


A surgical instrument for correcting spinal deformities includes a tubular body adapted to receive a second instrument through the tubular body. The tubular body forms a transverse passage adapted to receive a longitudinal fixation element through the tubular body. The tubular body further includes first and second arms for connecting the surgical instrument to a vertebral anchor. The first and second arms include one or more anti-splaying features adapted to mate with anti-splaying features on the second instrument to prevent the first and second arms from splaying as the second instrument is inserted into the tubular body.

As is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,939, which is incorporated by reference herein, spinal fixation systems may be used in surgery to align, adjust and/or fix portions of the spinal column, i.e., vertebrae, in a desired spatial relationship relative to each other. Many spinal fixation systems employ a spinal fixation rod for supporting the spine and for properly positioning components of the spine for various treatment purposes. The spinal rod, which is generally formed of a metal, such as cobalt chrome or titanium, may be implanted to correct deformities, prevent movement of vertebral bodies relative to each other, or for other purposes. Vertebral anchors comprising pins, bolts, screws, and hooks, engage the vertebrae and connect the rod to different vertebrae.
Adult Spinal Deformity (ASD) refers to a number of conditions of the spine in which the spinal curvature is outside of defined normal limits. In some patients, the deformity is measured in degrees of rotation from a specific plane, such as the sagittal plane. "Derotation" refers to a procedure for adjusting the rotation and correcting abnormal spinal curvatures. In a derotation procedure, one or more instruments are used to apply bending moments to one or more vertebral anchors implanted in vertebral bodies. A bending moment induces rotational and translational movement of a vertebral body relative to adjacent bodies. Each vertebral anchor is implanted deep within an incision, making it difficult to apply force directly to the anchor. Therefore, a bending moment is commonly applied indirectly to a vertebral anchor by applying derotation force to a long extension tube attached to the vertebral anchor that extends above the incision.
Extension tubes can perform multiple functions aside from applying derotation force to a vertebral anchor. For example, an extension tube can provide a hollow conduit into which a second instrument can be inserted to access the vertebral anchor before or after derotation. Occasionally, the insertion of a second instrument into an extension tube results in outward force on the extension tube that causes outward deflection of the extension tube arms. This outward deflection, which will be referred to herein as "splaying", can cause extension tube arms to disconnect from the vertebral anchor and interrupt a surgical procedure.


For a programmable direct current (DC)-DC converter application, a driver system includes a switched mode power circuit for providing a DC power signal to an electrical load and a control block. Control block includes interfaces coupled to receive at least one real-time input signal from a low voltage region of the switched mode power circuit and to provide at least one control signal to the low voltage region. Control block configures the switched mode power circuit to provide the DC power signal having at least one power parameter within a tolerance of a power configuration setting value of the electrical load. Control block responds to the at least one real-time input signal from the low voltage region to adjust operation of the low voltage region via the at least one control signal. Low voltage region can include a plurality of switched converter circuits.

Electrically powered artificial lighting for general illumination has become ubiquitous in modern society. Electrical lighting equipment is commonly deployed, for example, in homes, buildings of commercial and other enterprise establishments, as well as in various outdoor settings.
Traditional luminaires can be turned ON and OFF, and in some cases may be dimmed, usually in response to user activation of a relatively simple input device, such as a light switch. Often, traditional luminaires are controlled individually or as relatively small groups at separate locations. Each of the light sources in a luminaires are driven ON and OFF or dimmed by a driver circuit, e.g., for a light emitting diode (LED) light source, or a ballast, e.g. for a fluorescent light source.
Unfortunately, the driver circuit is typically produced in different variants depending on the type of electrical load that is controlled. In the case of an LED light source, for example, the driver circuit typically only supports a single control protocol, such as a constant current configuration for the LED light source. Sensors, such as occupancy or daylight harvesting sensors, typically require an entirely different type of driver circuit that supports a constant voltage configuration. Emergency luminaires continuously emit emergency illumination lighting at an emergency illumination levels, for example at a minimum of 1.0 foot candles (fc) for a 90 minute period. Such emergency luminaires require yet another entirely different type of driver circuit.
Typically, a driver circuit will include a high voltage region and a low voltage region. The driver circuit is generally utilized to control another circuit or electrical load, such as the light source of the luminaire. The driver circuit regulates current flowing through the driver circuit to the electrical load, in this case the light source of the luminaire. The driver circuit is application specific—the high voltage region and the low voltage region of the driver circuit are typically controlled separately—making the driver circuit inherently inflexible by design.
Because the driver circuit is typically customized for one specific application (e.g., LED light source, sensor, emergency luminaire, etc.), the separation between the high voltage region and the low voltage region is not problematic. There are minimal optimization issues, such as efficiency losses, between the high voltage region and the low voltage region, because the driver circuit is custom built for the specific type of electrical load, such as a specific National Electric Code (NEC) class 2 output device. Thus, the driver circuit is typically incompatible with a different type of electrical load than it was designed for. Even if the driver circuit were somehow compatible with a different type of electrical load than it was designed for (and assuming there are no safety issues, e.g., Underwriter Laboratories (UL) requirements were met), there would still be lingering optimization issues.
A driver system is needed to overcome these and other limitations in the art.


An improved method of fabricating integrated circuit structures on semiconductor wafers using a plasma-assisted process is disclosed wherein the plasma is generated by a VHF/UHF power source at a frequency ranging from about 50 to about 800 MHz. Low pressure plasma-assisted etching or deposition processes, i.e., processes may be carried out within a pressure range not exceeding about 500 milliTorr; with a ratio of anode to cathode area of from about 2:1 to about 20:1, and an electrode spacing of from about 5 cm. to about 30 cm. High pressure plasma-assisted etching or deposition processes, i.e., processes may be carried out with a pressure ranging from over 500 milliTorr up to 50 Torr or higher; with an anode to cathode electrode spacing of less than about 5 cm. By carrying out plasma-assisted processes using plasma operated within a range of from about 50 to about 800 MHz, the electrode sheath voltages are maintained sufficiently low, so as to avoid damage to structures on the wafer, yet sufficiently high to preferably permit initiation of the processes without the need for supplemental power sources. Operating in this frequency range may also result in reduction or elimination of microloading effects.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the processing of semiconductor wafers to form integrated circuit structures thereon. More particularly, this invention relates to the use of a VHF/UHF plasma in the processing of semiconductor wafers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the processing of semiconductor wafers to form integrated circuit structures thereon, plasma-assisted processes are often utilized either in deposition or etching process steps. In such processes, e.g., reactive ion etching (RIE), plasma etching, CVD facet, or conformal isotropic CVD, radio frequency power from a generator or power source is generally applied to electrodes within a vacuum processing chamber via a matching network of some kind which will maximize the power transfer from the generator or power source to the plasma. When an electric field of sufficient magnitude is established between electrodes in the vacuum chamber, the field accelerates electrons present in the gas which undergo collisions with gas molecules. Very little energy can be transferred through elastic processes, because of the large mass difference between electrons and atoms or molecules, so the electron gains energy from the field and eventually may collide inelastically with a gas molecule, exciting or ionizing it. Ionization can liberate additional electrons, which are, in turn, accelerated by the field. The process avalanches, causing gas breakdown, resulting in a steady state plasma when ionization and recombination processes are balanced. Highly reactive ions and radical species are produced which are used to etch or deposit materials on semiconductor wafers.
The power sources used for such prior art generation of plasmas conventionally utilized electromagnetic radiation at low frequencies ranging from about 10-400 kHz, at high frequencies ranging from about 13 to about 40 MHz (typically at 13.56 MHz), and at microwave frequencies ranging from about 900 MHz up to 2.5 GHz.
At low frequencies of 10-400 kHz, both ions and electrons can be accelerated by the oscillating electric field, as well as any steady state electric field or bias developed in the plasma, resulting in the risk of potential damage to sensitive devices being fabricated on the wafer. At higher frequencies of 13-40 MHz, the so-called high frequency range, steady state electrode sheath voltages may be developed ranging from several hundred to over 1000 volts. This creates a problem since device damage is a concern at voltages exceeding about 200 volts, depending upon the device structure, material, and other factors.
The problem of high sheath voltage has been ameliorated by the use of microwave power sources to excite the plasma, i.e., power sources at a frequency range of from about 900 to about 2.5 gHz. Such techniques produce a plasma at low particle energies, i.e., 10-30 ev. However, the use of microwave frequencies can result in loss of anisotropy (vertical nature) of the etch, apparently due to the lowering of the sheath voltage; and can slow the etch or deposition rate down, apparently due to lowering of the particle energy level. In fact, in some cases the threshold energy level for certain processes, e.g., reactive ion etching of SiO.sub.2, cannot be reached using only microwave energy to power the plasma.
Because of such shortcomings in the use of a purely microwave energy source, microwave energy has been used in combination with another power source at high frequency, e.g. 13.56 MHz, to raise the sheath voltage at the wafer sufficiently to achieve the desired anisotropy in the etch. Microwave ECR sources use a microwave source and a magnetic field such that the ECR condition is met, that is, the radian frequency of the microwave source w= B e/m where B is the magnetic field magnitude and e and m are electron charge and mass respectively. This produces a high density, low energy plasma at low pressures. A divergent magnetic field can be used to extract ions and accelerate them to higher energies, and/or a high frequency bias may be applied to the wafer to increase ion energy.
However, such usage and coordination of multiple power source systems further complicates the apparatus used in carrying out such etching and/or deposition processes. Furthermore, the use of an ECR system necessitates the use of lower operating pressures ranging, for example, from 0.1 to several milliTorr. This, in turn, results in a reduction in the maximum flow rate of etching or deposition gases through the reaction chamber unless a very large vacuum pump is used.
It would, therefore, be desirable to conduct plasma-assisted processes using a power source wherein sheath voltages could be developed low enough to avoid risk of damage to devices on the wafer, yet high enough to achieve desired anisotropy, and at reaction rates comparable to prior art processes.

UHF/VHF plasma for use in forming integrated circuit structures on semiconductor wafers


A system and method are disclosed for the repair of IP multicast sessions. A repair server polls multiple transmit servers to accumulate as many of the packets missing from the multicast session as possible. A network includes a source of multicast packets in a multicast session and a plurality of multicast recipients in that session. A repair server in the network provides the packets it receives to the recipients. The repair server includes a missing packet detector. There is a plurality of retransmit servers in the network buffering portions of the packets they respectively receive during the session. The repair server maintains an ordered list of the retransmit servers that are most likely to have buffered copies of packets missing from the session. When the repair server detects that there are packets missing from the session it has received, it uses the ordered list to sequentially request the missing packets from respective ones of the plurality of retransmit servers.

IP multicasting provides an efficient way for a source to send a stream of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets to a set of recipients. The source sends only one copy of each packet to an IP network, such as the Internet, for example. The routers in the IP network do the work required to deliver that packet to each recipient. Various IP multicast routing protocols can be used in an IP network. These allow the routers to communicate with each other so that the multicast datagrams are sent only to those subnetworks with receivers that have joined a multicast session.
A multicast session is identified by an IP address and port number. The IP address is a Class D address in the range from 184.108.40.206 to 184.108.40.206. IP multicasting is more efficient than unicasting for group communication. Unicasting requires that the source send a separate copy of each datagram to each recipient. This requires extra resources at the source and in the IP network and is wasteful of network bandwidth.
Some useful background references describing IP multicasting in greater detail include: (1) Kosiur, D., "IP Multicasting: The Complete Guide to Corporate Networks", Wiley, 1998; (2) Maufer, T., "Deploying IP Multicast in the Enterprise", Prentice-Hall, 1997; (3) Deering, S., "Host Extensions for IP Multicasting," Network Working Group Request for Comments Internet RFC-1112, August 1989; (4) Waitzman, D., Partridge, C., Deering, S., "Distance Vector Multicasting Routing Protocol," Network Working Group Request for Comments Internet RFC-1075, November 1988; (5) Schulzrinne, H., Casner, S., Frederick, R., Jacobson, V., "RTP: A Transport Protocol for Real-Time Applications," Network Working Group Request for Comments Internet RFC 1889, Jul. 18, 1994. The IP multicast protocol set forth in the IETF RFC 1112 "Host Extensions for IP Multicasting" is the standard protocol for enabling hosts to establish and conduct IP multicast sessions on the Internet. The IETF RFC 1075, "Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP)," describes a protocol for propagating routing information among multicast-enabled routers.
The multicast backbone on the Internet (Mbone) is an extension of the Internet backbone to support IP multicasting. The Mbone is formed collectively by the portion of the network routers in the Internet backbone that are programmed to perform the IP multicast routing protocol. Those routers in the Internet backbone that are programmed to handle IP multicast sessions, as well as unicast sessions, are referred to herein as multicast-enabled routers. The Mbone is a virtual network that is layered on top of sections of the physical Internet. It is composed of islands of multicast-enabled routers connected to each other by virtual point-to-point links called "tunnels." The tunnels allow multicast traffic to pass through the non-multicast-enabled routers of the Internet. IP multicast packets are encapsulated as IP-over-IP, so that they look like normal unicast packets to the intervening routers. The encapsulation is added upon entry to a tunnel and removed upon exit from a tunnel. This set of multicast-enabled routers, their directly connected subnetworks, and the interconnecting tunnels define the Mbone. For additional details, see (1) Corner, Douglas E. Internetworking with TCP/IP: Volume 1-Principles, Protocols, and Architecture, Third Edition. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1995; (2) Finlayson, Ross, "The UDP Multicast Tunneling Protocol", IETF Network Working Group Internet-Draft, published Sep. 9, 1998, http://search.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-finlayson-umtp-03.txt; and (3) Eriksson, Hans, "MBone: The Multicast Backbone," Communications of the ACM, August 1994, Vol. 37, pp. 54-60.
Since the multicast-enabled routers of the Mbone and the non-multicast-enabled routers of the Internet backbone have different topologies, multicast-enabled routers execute a separate routing protocol to decide how to forward multicast packets. The majority of the Mbone routers use the Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP), although some portions of the Mbone execute either Multicast OSPF (MOSPF) or the Protocol-Independent Multicast (PIM) routing protocols. For more details about PIM, see: Deering, S., Estrin, D., Farrinaci, D., Jacobson, V., Liu, C., Wei, L., "Protocol Independent Multicasting (PIM): Protocol Specification", IETF Network Working Group Internet Draft, January, 1995.
Multicasting on the Internet has a unique loss environment. On a particular path the losses occur in bursts, as multicast-enabled routers become congested, rather than the losses having the characteristics associated with white noise. When packets are lost on a particular link in the multicast tree, any downstream receivers lose the same packet. Therefore, a large number of retransmissions may occur at the same time in response to negative acknowledgments from receivers. One problem is that such retransmissions are typically in multicast sessions which will tend to encounter the same congested nodes as did the original multicast sessions.
However, congestion in different parts of network is not correlated since traffic to receivers in other parts of the multicast tree does not necessarily pass through the same congested nodes and therefore does not lose the same bursts of packets. Therefore, path diversity would be a good means for recovering at least some of the missing packets, if there were a way to coordinate such a recovery.
Another problem in IP multicasting is that some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) discriminate against multicast packets and discard them before discarding the packets for other services. Therefore, it would be worthwhile balancing the efficiency of multicast transmissions with the quality of point-to-point transmissions.
What is needed is a way to improve the quality of audio and video multicasts of live conferences, news broadcasts and similar material from one source to many receivers over the Internet. Live audio and video material is not as interactive as a telephone conversation, for example, and therefore, a few seconds of delay can be tolerated to recover missing packets. What is needed is a way to recover as many packets as possible with a limited amount of work and delay, rather than to do whatever is necessary for a perfect recovery of all missing packets.

Network-based service for the repair of IP multicast sessions


A method for a drive device to get control data from a basic input/output system (BIOS) includes the following steps. Firstly, an index zone is automatically provided according to a specified version of the BIOS for storing an index of control data associated with the specified version of the BIOS. Then, the drive device gets the control data associated with the specified version of the BIOS from the BIOS according to the index.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the presence of the copies of control data for controlling a hardware device in prior art. The control data Sc, which generally consists of a plurality of micro-control instructions, is stored in a storage zone 110 of a BIOS 11, and a corresponding copy thereof is stored in a storage zone 120 independent from the storage zone 110. The operation of a hardware device 13, for example a chip of a peripheral device, is controlled by a drive device 12 according to the control data Sc stored in the storage zone 120. In a case that the drive device 12 is a driver program consisting of a plurality of assembly language instructions, the control data Sc can be directly incorporated into drive device 12.
When the version of BIOS 11 is upgraded, the control data Sc stored in the storage zone 120 should be manually refreshed along with the control data Sc stored in the storage zone 110. That is, the control data Sc stored in the storage zone 110 of the upgraded BIOS 11 should be duplicated to the storage zone 120 or the drive device 12 to refresh the control data Sc previously stored for the use of the hardware device 13. Otherwise, the operation of the hardware device 13 will be malfunctioned.
Since the duplication of the control data Sc provided for the hardware device 13 to be consistent to that stored in the upgraded BIOS 11 is performed manually, some disadvantages are rendered in practice. For example, it is laboring-inefficient to synchronize the copies of the control data. On the other hand, if the copies of the control data are not properly synchronized, the hardware device 13 may experience serious adverse effects or even cashed down.

Method for automatically getting control data from BIOS


According to an embodiment, a data processing system for managing electronic offers comprises: a memory storing a set of historical transaction records pertaining to past consumer transactions and a set of offer data relating to an offer provider; and a logic module adapted to automatically suggest an offer to the offer provider based on at least a subset of the historical transaction records and at least a subset of the offer data, the offer being targeted at a consumer. In an embodiment, the electronic offer is suggested in response to a request for a receipt made by the consumer. In an embodiment, the electronic offer is automatically approved by the offer provider and is included in a transaction receipt transmitted to a data processing system associated with the consumer.

Approaches described in this Background section may include approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Targeted marketing techniques assist a variety of entities, such as product manufacturers, service providers, and retailers, in efficiently persuading consumers to purchase certain products and service. A marketing entity may include, without limitation, product manufacturers, service providers, retailers, third-party marketing firms acting on behalf of another entity, non-profit organizations, and so forth. The marketing entity may identify characteristics of people to which the entity wishes to "market" a product or service. For example, an entity that sells product X may determine that it wants to market to persons that have purchased a complimentary product Y within a timeframe of Z. Of course, one problem with targeted marketing is that it is sometimes difficult to ascertain exactly what characteristics to target.
Once targeted characteristics have been identified, the entity may then attempt to "market" to persons who have those characteristics. Unfortunately, it is also generally difficult to ascertain whether a given person actually has the targeted characteristics and/or how to actually reach specific persons that have those specific characteristics. For example, a particular retailer may have no idea that a potential consumer recently purchased product Y from another store, and thus be unable to specifically target marketing for Product X to that potential consumer. Large-scale targeted marketing is therefore typically difficult to achieve with a high degree of efficiency. Rather, a marketing entity is typically limited to less efficient targeting techniques, such as targeting specific zip codes or web sites, thus resulting in the marketing entity wasting marketing resources on many persons who do not have the targeted characteristics.
One common marketing technique involves incentivizing customer behavior through targeted promotional offers. An "offer" may be construed to be a promise by an offer provider, which may be any entity engaged in targeted marketing, to provide a consumer with a benefit under a certain set of implicit or explicit conditions known as terms. Example benefits include, without limitation, a monetary gift, a discount applied to the purchase of one or more products or services, free products and/or services, access to additional offers, and so forth. Example terms may include any one or more of, without limitation, actions that the consumer must perform, a specific set of item(s) that must be purchased by the consumer, a specific amount of money that must be spent by the consumer, a timeframe during which the offer is valid, and so forth. A customer benefit of an offer is realized during a process sometimes called "redemption," which typically takes place during a transaction between the consumer and a retailer. When the consumer wishes to engage in a transaction the retailer determines whether the conditions of the offer have been met. If so, the retailer, which may be any merchant or other entity that sells products or services, provides the benefit to the consumer on behalf of the offer provider.
In some embodiments, the retailer is in fact the offer provider. In other embodiments, the retailer may then seek compensation for providing the benefit from the offer provider by means of a process known as clearing. During the clearing process, the retailer provides evidence to a third-party clearinghouse, or directly to the offer provider, that the retailer provided the benefit. Assuming the evidence is sufficient, the third-party clearinghouse, or offer provider, provides compensation to the retailer. In embodiments involving a third-party clearinghouse, the offer provider may provide the third-party clearinghouse with funds in advance. The offer provider also sends to the third-party clearinghouse funds from which the compensation is provided, or reimburses the third-party clearinghouse for providing the compensation.
A frequent implicit or explicit term of an offer is that the retailer must be presented with a specific coupon during a transaction. In general, a coupon is a certificate, document, or other physical or electronic construct that entitles a consumer to accept an offer described or referenced by the coupon, thereby realizing the benefit of the offer. A coupon sometimes takes a "hard copy" form, such as a paper certificate, with printed images and/or text describing terms of the offer. The process of the consumer accepting an offer by presenting, referencing, or otherwise providing a coupon while purchasing, contracting, or otherwise transacting with another party involves "redeeming" the coupon. For example, a consumer may redeem a hard copy of a coupon by handing the copy to a clerk during a purchase at a retail store. The clerk may then provide the consumer with the subject of the offer, such as a discounted price, item, service or gift.
One technique for distributing coupons is to include printed coupons with newspapers, magazines, or other items that are distributed to consumers. One example of an item with which coupons are distributed is a printed receipt. For example, some retailers print receipts at a point of sale on register paper on which coupons have been pre-printed. As another example, some retailers print coupon(s) on a receipt at the time of the transaction for which the receipt is printed, thereby allowing the retailers to dynamically select which coupon(s) appear on the receipt based on the product(s) that were purchased during the transaction.
Recent distribution techniques now provide consumers with opportunities to print their own coupons. For example, a number of websites provide search engines or catalogs with which consumers may locate offers and then print coupons for the offers they find. The printed coupons may be used in the same manner as any other coupon.
Other recent distribution techniques involve creating digital coupons. One such technique involves creating unique digital coupons that are saved to an account associated with the consumer, such as a store loyalty account. The consumer may redeem such digital coupons during online or physical transactions by presenting an account identifier, such as a store loyalty card or an oral identification of the consumer's telephone number, for the associated account. Since many consumer accounts are tied to card-based identifiers, such as store loyalty cards or credit cards, the process of storing a digital coupon identifier to an account may also be referred to as saving a coupon to a card. Some examples of such techniques are described in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/878,231, filed Sep. 9, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
Another digital coupon-based technique involves creating unique digital coupons that may be stored on a computing device. The digital coupons may be transmitted from the computing device to a point-of-sale during a transaction using any of a variety of mechanisms. For example, information about the digital coupon may be uploaded to the point-of-sale during an online transaction involving the computing device. As another example, information about the digital coupon may be transmitted wirelessly from a smartphone to a receiving component coupled to a checkout register during a transaction at a brick-and-mortar store.
Considering the current state of the industry and market for digital offers (including digital coupons and other digital promotional discount vehicles), there is a need for improved systems, methods and technology platforms for generating, processing, storing, managing and delivering digital offers, for enhancing and customizing the digital offer experience of consumers in general, for increasing the value and benefits derived by consumers from digital offers, for improving the ability of offer providers, offer distributors and retailers to customize digital offer selection, delivery, utilization, management, monetization and redemption analysis, and for otherwise increasing the efficiency and financial return of the digital offer industry and market.

Automatic recommendation of digital offers to an offer provider based on historical transaction data