This invention relates to investment casting compositions comprising (i) a refractory material, e.g., a ceramic material, and (ii) a soluble core material comprising one or more block polymers characterized by an ABCBA structure. This invention also relates to methods for investment casting and to the manufacture of molded articles. The soluble core materials exhibit desirable breaking strength, dissolution rate and surface characteristics.

Investment casting is a conventional industrial process which employs a disposable pattern that is used to produce a ceramic mold in which an article or part can be cast. The pattern is conventionally made by injecting a liquid pattern material, e.g., wax, a heat-softenable plastic and the like, into a pattern die. The pattern die is typically manufactured from a durable material, e.g., aluminum, steel and the like, by conventional machining processes. The pattern is removed from the die after the pattern material solidifies.
A refractory material, e.g., an aqueous ceramic slurry, is then built up around the pattern to invest the pattern therein. A mold typically is produced by heating the refractory material having the pattern invested therein to remove the pattern and fuse the refractory material. The details of investment casting process vary depending upon the type of metal to be cast in the mold, the type of core material and the like. The casting of ferrous alloys can be used to illustrate a conventional investment casting process.
The pattern is coated with successive layers of refractory material. Each layer is coated with fine ceramic sand and dried before the next layer is applied. Usually about 10 to 20 layers are utilized to invest the pattern in the refractory material. The invested pattern is then placed in an open ended container which is filled with a coarse slurry of ceramic back-up material which hardens. The container is then placed into a furnace or autoclave. The temperature of the furnace or autoclave is elevated to cause the refractory material to dry and then fuse. The pattern is removed, as by melting or burning out the material constituting the same, during the heating step. The resulting fused ceramic structure is the desired mold.
Removal of the pattern leaves a cavity in the container corresponding in shape and dimension to the final part. The cavity (and therefore the pattern) can be slightly larger than the final part to compensate for the shrinkage which takes place in the subsequent casting operation, or to allow for machining when desired. The mold is sometimes fired to burn out the last traces of pattern material and to fuse the refractory material before the cavity is filled with molten metal. This firing process proceeds slowly in a controlled cycle which can be in a time range of 12 to 18 hours to avoid cracking the mold.
The molten metal is introduced into the cavity of the mold and solidified by cooling to form a casting. After solidification, the mold is broken away to release the part.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,465,808 discloses an investment casting method which involves forming a shell mold using a pattern composed of a mixture of polystyrene and a water soluble ethylene oxide polymer and removing the pattern after formation of the shell mold by treatment with steam under pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,435 describes a process of making investment castings using a water decomposable core material that includes a nitrogen containing organo-ring material selected from mono and fused 5 and/or 6 membered ring compounds having as a ring constituent at least one nitrogen atom per every two rings of the compound, water soluble substitution products of said compounds, polymers of said compounds, and polymers of said substitution products of said compounds. It is stated that preferred materials comprise a mixture of these materials with polyethylene glycol and effervescent agents.
United Kingdom Patent 1,342,599 relates to a method of manufacturing an investment casting core by forming, in the shape of an investment casting core, a mixture of a ceramic powder and an organic binder, and heating the shaped core to a temperature insufficient to sinter the ceramic powder but sufficient to remove 48% to 96% by weight of the binder and to carbonize the remainder of the binder thereby to form a non-thermoplastic body of ceramic powder bonded by carbonaceous residues, the binder being so selected as to decompose during said heating to leave a residue of 0.4 to 14% by weight of the total weight of ceramic powder and the carbonaceous residues.
WO Patent Application 90/01727 discloses a method of investment casting that utilizes a pattern produced by stereolithography. The pattern has a polymeric matrix that has intersticial spaces dispersed throughout. The spaces have therein a thermoplastic material that flows from the matrix upon heating during the investment casting process, softening the pattern to prevent the thermal expansion of the pattern from cracking or deforming the mold.
United Kingdom Patent 2,074,065 describes a core for use in investment casting which comprises a ceramic material and a binder such as sodium aluminate which is soluble in water and stable up to such temperatures that the core is refractory above 800.degree. C. Such a core is manufactured by forming the mix of the ceramic material and binder into a granulated semi-dry powder which is then pressed in a die from which it is removed and dried and then fired before use. Alternatively, the ceramic material and binder are mixed with an additional organic binder with the resultant mix being granulated and injected under pressure into a die. After removal from the die, the core is fired to burn out the organic binder. When such cores are used they can be leached out after casting with a hot solution of dilute boric acid or other weak acid which acts to neutralize any sodium hydroxide formed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,931 relates to a system of making molds for investment casting in which the patterns are formed from, and the sprue form is coated with, polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight in the range of from approximately 1,300 to approximately 1,600 or its equivalent and having admixed therein as a filler powdered graphite, in which the graphite comprises in the range of from about 35 percent to 60 percent by weight of the pattern forming material. The patterns are molded to the desired shape, and to include a gate section, and they are adhered to the sprue form in spaced apart relation by fluidizing the gate section end to make a welded connection with the sprue form coating. The mold is then formed about the patterns that are adhered to the sprue form, leaving the pour cup end of the sprue form exposed, to which heat is subsequently applied to sufficiently fluidize the sprue form coating so that the sprue form can be drawn out of the mold thereby leaving the sprue opening. The sprue form coating remaining in the mold sprue and the patterns are then removed without heating the mold by leaching with water, utilizing mechanical and/or chemical agitating after which the mold may be heated sufficiently to dry same for use as an investment casting mold.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,528 discloses a method and apparatus for casting of fragile complex shapes by the formation of a two layer wax mold about a pattern of the shape to be cast. Thereafter, the pattern is removed from the mold and the outer layer of wax dissolved. The slip is then poured into the mold and allowed to solidify before the inner layer of the mold is completely removed from the cast article.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,715 describes the evaporative casting of molten metals to produce castings having smooth surfaces without any sign of carbon deposits thereon by using a terpolymer polycarbonate prepared from cyclopentene oxide or cyclohexene oxide, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or butylene oxide, and carbon dioxide in making patterns for the lost foam casting process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,466 relates to the evaporative casting of molten metals to produce castings having smooth surfaces without any sign of carbon deposits thereon by using a copolymer polycarbonate prepared from cyclohexene oxide, cyclopentene oxide, cycloheptene oxide, or isobutylene oxide and carbon dioxide.

Investment casting compositions and processes for the manufacture and use thereof

Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation


A hand stamp with a use count mechanism and security elements for preventing unauthorized use. The use count mechanism includes a magnet mounted on an inner shell for relative movement with a stamp image platen carried by an outer shell, a magnetic field sensor carried by the outer shell for sensing movement between the magnet and the outer shell when the platen is moved to a stamping position, and an MCU for converting sensor signals to signals for a display. The security elements include print sensors mounted on the outer shell for sensing the finger prints of a user, with the MCU configured to convert these signals for transmission via a Bluetooth module to a smart phone containing finger print signals of an authorized user. If the fingerprint signals match, the smart phone sends an authorization signal to the MCU, which responds by unlocking the hand stamp.

This invention relates to hand stamps used to mark documents and other objects with a distinctive image. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved hand stamp having a use counting capability and use limited to only users authorized via a smart phone.
Hand stamps have long been used to mark documents and other objects (such as cartons) with a distinctive image serving to certify the identity or content of the document or object. A typical hand stamp comprises a combination of a protective inner shell and an outer shell assembled for mutual translatory motion along a common longitudinal axis. A centrally located support shank is connected at one end to the outer shell for motion therewith and a stamp platen bearing the stamp image is positioned on the other end of the shank. An inking pad is pivotally connected to a mounting portion of the outer shell so that the inking pad contacts the stamp platen when the hand stamp is in a dormant position with the stamp platen retracted into the protective inner shell and the inking pad pivots away from the stamp platen when the outer shell in manipulated along the common longitudinal axis and the stamp platen is extended beyond the limit of the protective inner shell. A biasing mechanism ,maintains the stamp platen in the retracted position when no manipulative force is applied to the outer shell. Examples of known hand stamps of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,467 issued Mar. 17, 1998 for "Hand Stamp", U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,638 issued May 17, 2005 for "Hand Stamp And Locking Storage Cap", and U.S. Patent Application Publication number US 2014/0230671 A1 published Aug. 21, 2014 for "Self-Inking Stamp", the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
As noted above, many known hand stamps are used to certify the identity or content of a document or an object. For example, in China and Japan a hand stamp bearing a unique image issued to an individual is required to open a bank account or enable other bank transactions. Similarly, a hand stamp bearing a unique image issued to a corporation or other business entity is required to conduct legally binding business transactions. If a hand stamp is borrowed or stolen, there is nothing to prevent an unauthorized possessor of the hand stamp from conducting fraudulent transactions. Known hand stamps have no provision for protection against such unauthorized use.
In many business organizations it is customary for an individual having the authority to legally bind the business entity to a financial or other business commitment by virtue of personal possession of the company hand stamp to delegate this authority to another individual employee for limited purposes by temporarily transferring possession of the company hand stamp to that other individual with instructions to use it for only such limited purposes. For example, the authorized individual may instruct the other individual to use the company hand stamp to certify a limited number of company checks for payment. Unless the authorized individual closely monitors the other individual's use of the company hand stamp, there is no control on the use of the company hand stamp by that other individual, who is free to certify more company checks for payment than the authorized limited number. Known hand stamps have no provision for protection against such abuse of delegated authority.

Hand stamp with use count and smart phone authorization


A planar antenna device (AD) for a TV receiver (R) comprises i) a loop antenna (LA) comprising first (E1) and second (E2) ends spaced one from the other, ii) a tuning means (TM) connected to the first (E1) and second (E2) ends of the loop antenna (LA) and arranged to control the frequency of the VHF TV signals this loop antenna (LA) is able to receive from command signals, iii) a first ground plane (GP1) cooperating with the loop antenna (LA) in order to act as a UHF monopole in receiving TV signals with UHF frequencies, iv) a first coupling means (CM1) coupled to the loop antenna (LA) at a first chosen location and arranged to deliver the received VHF signals, v) a second coupling means (CM2) coupled to the loop antenna (LA) at a second chosen location and arranged to deliver the received UHF signals, vi) an amplification means (AM) coupled to the first ground plane (GP1) and arranged to amplify TV signals, and vii) a switching means (SM) arranged to couple the amplification means (AM) to the first coupling means (CM1) and/or to the second coupling means (CM2) in dependence on command signals in order that the amplification means deliver amplified selected TV signals with VHF and/or UHF frequencies to an output.

Nowadays, more and more electronic devices are adapted to display television programs. This is notably the case of some portable equipment such as personal digital assistants (or PDAs), portable television and laptops. Because of the small size of these items, the size of their TV antennas needs to be reduced as much as possible.
This size reduction becomes an important issue when the frequency of the transmitted TV (RF) signals belongs to the VHF band, which is part of the new off-air standard for TV broadcasting DVB-T. It is noted that the DVB-T standard comprises part of the VHF band (from 170 MHz to 220 MHz), which corresponds to wavelengths approximately equal to 1.5 m, and the entire UHF band (from 470 MHz to 855 MHz), which corresponds to wavelengths between approximately 0.64 m and 0.35 m. If one assumes that the size of the TV antenna must be equal to a quarter wavelength in order to achieve a good TV signal reception, it follows from the above values that the TV antenna size must be of the order of 37 cm if the signal frequency belongs to the VHF band and between 16 cm and 6 cm if the signal frequency belongs to the UHF band. So, if it is possible, although difficult, to design a standard antenna providing an acceptable signal reception over the entire UHF band in a portable device, it is impossible to do so if the antenna also needs to receive TV signals with frequencies belonging to the VHF band, i.e. for frequencies in the UHF and VHF bands.

UHF/VHF planar antenna device, notably for portable electronic equipment


The methods and systems disclosed here leverage currently available reliable top down imaging techniques used by SEMs and use computational methods to synthesize accurate 3D profiles of features of high aspect ratio structures in a device. Radial cross-sectional profiles obtained from different locations along the lateral direction at different heights/depths are stitched together to create one composite 3D profile of the HAR feature.

A variety of HAR structures are routinely used in current and next generation semiconductor devices. Features of a HAR structure should be characterized well using detailed metrology to be able to tune the etch process parameters as the etch progresses and the aspect ratio changes.
Existing imaging approaches for metrology, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), image features of any structure, including high aspect ratio (HAR) structures, in either lateral or longitudinal planes. Since the HAR structure is sampled only on a single plane, a significant amount of information on the feature is lost. This is akin to significant aliasing given that metrology off a single plane is used to represent a 3-dimensional surface. Imperfect device characteristics gathered from the aliased images impair effective tuning of process parameters. More recently, techniques like Small Angle X-ray Scattering (known as CD-SAXS) are being used for improving device characteristic metrology, but X-ray based techniques do not have the robust, well-established imaging capability that SEMs have.

Construction of three-dimensional profiles of high aspect ratio structures using top down imaging


Methods for steering the access technology selection by a mobile device in an overlay Small-Cell and Macro Network, such as UMTS, LTE, CDMA, or WIFI are disclosed. This selection determination is based on the observed, real-time correlated and estimated network congestion, content-awareness, application/service expectations, and other criteria. Methods and procedures to influence network selection or control currently selected networks by propagating real-time correlated and consolidated information on a plurality of Radio Access Technologies to Access Points, or modifying the list of alternative Radio Access Technologies available at a location using standards defined mechanisms and parameters are identified. Additionally, steering content access and delivery through alternative access technologies, based on anticipated network usage by user's service activation, and the knowledge of the type, state and resource usage of a plurality of access networks when a mobile device connects to multiple access technologies through in-band or out-of-band mechanisms is identified.

A growing number of portable user communication devices, such as laptops, tablets, smart phones, and feature phones, support multiple wireless technologies, such as WIFI, WIMAX and Cellular Wireless Technologies (GSM/SPRS, Edge, HSPA, LTE, CDMA). Within the cellular wireless technology, also known as the Radio Access Network (RAN), provided by a wireless cell operator, there could be multiple technologies, such as GSM/GPRS, Edge, HSPA, LTE, 1XRTT, EVDO and others. Standard protocols (such as 3GPP, 3GPP2) define control protocols by which the user device selects a component access technology with the same class of RAN (for example GSM/GPRS, Edge, HSPA, or LTE) based on the signal strength seen by the user device and Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) type. The service is initiated by the user in co-ordination with the Base Station and Radio Network Controller. However wireless LAN technologies, such as WIFI and WiMAX, originally developed for enterprise and private networks, are becoming increasingly available as WIFI hotspots in several areas, such as airports, event stadiums, shopping malls and other venues. These services may be offered by the same operator as the wireless cell operator or by a different operator. Also, cell operators are deploying micro and femto cells in certain locations to increase the capacity and coverage in dense locations.
As mentioned above, the network selection in the majority of the mobile wireless devices is based on Received Signal Strength or based on the configuration of the best network in the device, and by type of service (voice or data), that the user initiates. For example, on a UMTS device, that has connectivity to both UMTS and WIFI networks, when the user initiates a circuit switched (CS) service, such as a voice call or SMS, the device uses the UMTS RAN. When the user initiates packet switched (PS) services, the device uses WLAN. If the device is currently not associated with a WIFI access point (AP), and if the WIFI radio is enabled, the device attempts to connect to the highest priority WLAN/SSID that it successfully connected to previously. The load on the WLAN or the UMTS RAN, whether the user device is in high mobility environment, and the type of content or resource needs of the user application are not factored into the access network selection. Thus, with the above methods, when a number of users enter the vicinity of a WIFI AP, and the users are authorized to use the WLAN, all the user devices connect to and start using the WLAN for packet services thus causing congestion on that particular WLAN. Additionally, if the user is mobile and moving in and out of WIFI-AP coverage area, his service keeps oscillating between WLAN and RAN for packet services.
3GPP standards define Access Network Discovery and Selection (ANDSF) methods by which a mobile device identifies which access network to connect to (Network Selection and Inter System Mobility Policy), or which network to route specific IP flows to (Inter System Routing Policy). This framework uses a client application (ANDSF Client) and server (ANDSF Server) in the operator's core network. The ANDSF Server may be a new device in the operator network or its function may be incorporated into an existing core network (CN) device, such as the PCRF. The ANDSF server communicates priorities for one or more access networks or for forwarding selective IP flows to the ANDSF Client in user device. The client's connection to the ANDSF Server may be client initiated (client pull) or initiated using Network Push through mechanisms, such as SMS. The network policy propagated by the ANDSF server could indicate that in a specific location (such as particular RAN sector ID or geo location), a specific WLAN has a higher priority. Thus, a client application could turn on the WIFI radio when it enters the coverage area of a sector. The standards do not specify how the ANDSF server prioritizes the access networks for a user, or a dynamic mechanism that the ANDSF server should use based on congestion, network state or user access patterns of the access networks.
Thus, an improved system and method for selecting an appropriate network for a user device, based on criteria, such as mobility, congestion, and usage pattern, would be beneficial.

Content and RAN aware network selection in multiple wireless access and small-cell overlay wireless access networks


A method and apparatus for sequencing texture updates in a video graphics system is accomplished by storing a first portion of graphics data in a first position of a bus master buffer, where the first portion of the graphics data utilizes a texture. An indication of a texture update is then received, where the texture update, when performed, modifies the texture to produce an updated texture that is used by subsequent graphics data. The updated texture is stored in a second position of the bus master buffer. A second portion of the graphics data, which utilizes the updated texture, is then stored in a third position of the bus master buffer. The data in the bus master buffer is then accessed through a direct memory access transfer initiated by the graphics processor in the system. The bus master buffer data is accessed in a sequential manner, which ensures that the texture update does not occur until after the graphics data utilizing the original texture has been drawn.

Computers are used in many applications. As computing systems continue to evolve, the graphical display requirements of the systems become more demanding. This is especially true in applications where detailed graphical displays must be updated quickly. One example of such an application is a computer game where movement and modification of background images may place great demands on the processing power of the computing system.
In order to display some screen images, detailed textures are stored in memory. These textures are then molded and adapted to overlay or map to structures for display. An example is a brick pattern that would be mapped onto a wall structure, where if the wall is extending into the distance, the texture will be mapped in such a way to show perspective.
In video graphics systems, draw commands are interspersed with changes in textures. In other words, a number of draw commands may be executed that use a first texture, and then a new texture may be loaded for a second set of draw commands. In order to avoid corrupting these drawing operations, the processor may be forced to wait for some of these commands to be executed by a graphics processor that is part of the system. When the processor is forced to wait for the graphics processor to complete a drawing command or texture load, the efficiency of the system is compromised. Delays experienced by the processor translate into overall slowdowns in the execution of the program.
Consequently, a need exists for a system that allows the processor to transfer drawing commands and texture changes to the graphics processor in a faster, more efficient manner.

Method and apparatus for sequencing texture updates in a video graphics system


This substrate holding/rotating device includes an opening magnet forming a predetermined magnetic field generation region through which each movable pin rotating in response to rotation of the rotary table is capable of passing, the magnetic field generation region disposed so as to be eccentric with respect to a rotation direction of the rotary table and so as to allow only driving magnets corresponding to part of the plurality of movable pins to pass through the magnetic field generation region, the opening magnet giving a repulsive force or an attractive force to the driving magnet of the movable pin passing through the magnetic field generation region, the opening magnet generating a force that enables the support portion of the movable pin urged to the hold position by the urging unit to move toward the open position against an urging force of the urging unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate holding/rotating device, a substrate processing apparatus including the same, and a substrate processing method. Examples of substrates to be held or substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, substrate for liquid crystal display devices, substrate for plasma displays, substrates for FEDs (field emission displays), substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magnet-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, substrates for solar cells.
2. Description of Related Art
US2013/0152971 A1 discloses a rotating type substrate holding/rotating device that is composed of a rotary table that is rotatable around a rotational axis along a vertical direction, a rotation driving unit that rotates the rotary table around the rotational axis, and a plurality of (e.g., four) holding pins that are disposed at the rotary table and that horizontally position a substrate with a predetermined interval between the substrate and the surface of the rotary table.
The plurality of holding pins include fixed pins that are immovable with respect to the rotary table and movable pins that are movable with respect to the rotary table. The movable pin is rotatably disposed around the rotational axis that is coaxial with its central axis, and has a contact portion that is brought into contact with the peripheral end edge of the substrate. The contact portion is displaced by the rotation of the contact portion between an open position that is far apart from the rotational axis and a hold position that is close to the rotational axis. A pin driving magnet is joined to a rotational shaft of the contact portion.
Switching between the opening and the closing of the movable pin is performed by use of an elevated/lowered magnet disposed below the rotary table (magnet switching method). A magnet raising-and-lowering unit is joined to the elevated/lowered magnet. When the elevated/lowered magnet is at a predetermined lower position, the elevated/lowered magnet does not face the pin driving magnet, and therefore an external force that urges a movable pin toward its hold position does not act on this movable pin. Therefore, when the elevated/lowered magnet is at the lower position, the movable pin is held at its open position. On the other hand, when the elevated/lowered magnet is at a predetermined upper position, the movable pin is held at its hold position by means of a magnetic attractive force between the elevated/lowered magnet and the pin driving magnet.
The substrate holding/rotating device mentioned above is included in a single substrate processing type apparatus that processes substrates one at a time, and a processing liquid (a cleaning chemical liquid) is supplied from a processing liquid nozzle to the upper surface of a substrate being rotated by the substrate holding/rotating device. The processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate receives a centrifugal force resulting from the rotation of the substrate, and flows toward the peripheral edge part of the substrate. As a result, the whole area of the upper surface of the substrate and the peripheral end surface of the substrate are subjected to liquid treatment. Additionally, depending on the kind of substrate processing, there is also a case in which the peripheral edge part of the undersurface of the substrate is also intended to be subjected to liquid processing.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Substrate holding/rotating device, substrate processing apparatus including the same, and substrate processing method


A protective batting glove having finger portions for covering the fingers and hand of an individual, the glove includes a cushioned shield engaged to the glove proximate to the back of the hand of the individual such that the shield is concealed to provide the appearance of a conventional unprotected batting glove.

Individuals engaging in baseball or fast pitch softball recreational activities frequently are injured when struck by a ball. A common location for injury is the back of an individual's hand which may be struck by a ball during batting activities. The back of a hand is defined as the posterior or dorsal portion, or metacarpus region, which is opposite to the palm between the wrist or carpus and the phalanges or fingers. The back of an individual's hand may be delicate and easily injured.
No known batting glove exists which provides protection to the back of the hand of an individual either through the inclusion of a permanent or releasable shield designed for minimization of injuries while simultaneously providing the conventional or unprotected batting glove appearance. In addition, a protective batting glove including a resilient shield may significantly improve a batter's confidence, thereby escalating performance and enjoyment of a game or sports related activity.


A method of separating bound labeled indicator from free labeled indicator in a layer of a test element for immunoassay. The method comprises. a) depositing sample containing a target immunoanalyte capable of binding to the labeled indicator or to an immobilized antibody in competition with the labeled indicator, onto an exterior surface of a test element in the presence of the labeled indicator and PA1 b) adding an amount of wash liquid to the exterior surface to form a pool of the liquid having a meniscus on the surface, the liquid penetrating the surface over an area bounded by a closed intersect edge formed between the pool meniscus and the surface, so that penetrating liquid can push free labeled indicator away from bound labeled indicator in a volume of the layer below the bounded area. The method is improved in that the step b) comprises i) depositing a first amount of wash liquid at a first location on the surface in a pool, (ii) allowing at least a portion of the pool to spread out through a first portion of the test element to wash out free labeled indicator, and then (iii) depositing a second amount of wash liquid at a second location on the surface different from the first location to spread out through a second portion of the test element different from the first portion, so that the intersect edge is displaced over the surface over time and the liquid flowing into the test element at the intersect edge sweeps through more of the target read area than is the case when washing from only the first location, thus reducing background signal due to non-separated free labeled indicator remaining in the volume.

It is known in immunoassays that the labeled indicator bound or complexed with the antigen analyte must be separated from those that are unbound or "free". When conducting the assay in a slide test element, it is conventional to achieve such bound-free separation by applying a solvent stream, such as water, to the center of the test element while the applicator and test element remain stationary with respect to each other. E.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,288 the technique is to apply "a stream of a solvent, in which the labeled indicator is soluble, . . . to substantially the center of the reaction zone," col. 5. That there is no relative movement between application and test element is apparent from the fact that "the solvent migrates radially out from the center . . . [and] unbound reactants . . . if visible, would appear as a ring around the reaction zone . . . , ibid.
Such a stationary technique has continued to be the method of choice even in more modern assays, as is apparent from, e.g., the analyzer described in FIG. 11 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,960.
I have discovered that such a process of separating bound labeled indicator from free is unsatisfactory, because, in some test elements at least, it tends to leave unseparated free indicators within the center of the washed zone, the same area that is scanned for detection. That is, a staticly disposed stream will leave relatively untouched, the free indicators directly under the center of the impinging stream. The cause of this is the lack of a sufficient fluid flow at the static center, unlike the periphery, effective to sweep the free labeled indicator through the test element. This is because the pool of liquid intersecting a typical spreading layer of a dried test element, will flow rapidly into that layer only around the intersect edge formed by the meniscus of the pool and the surface of the spread layer. Very little flow velocity is experienced under the center of the stream. This is particularly apparent when the sample fluid initially deposited on the surface layer of the porous test element is of higher viscosity levels due to protein, lipids, etc., than the wash liquid, making it more difficult to move or transport the free indicators. Dilution of the sample could reduce this effect, except that dilution of the sample has its own disadvantages, e.g., it reduces concentration of analyte and therefore degrades signal to noise, and adds potential error from the dilution step.
Yet another drawback of a fixed stream is, that it can physically wash away the top layer of the element, such as if that layer is a blush polymer spreading layer.

Immunoassay including washing a slide at different locations

Johnson & Johnson Clinical Diagnostics, Inc.


The invention is directed to diagnosing a catalytic converter capable of storing nitrogen oxides and mounted in the exhaust-gas system of an internal combustion engine. A signal-emitting exhaust-gas probe is provided rearward of the catalytic converter and the exhaust gas forward of the catalytic converter is influenced by increasing components in the exhaust gas which are effective as a reducer thereby triggering a change of the signal. The time elapsed between the start of the influencing and the change of the signal is evaluated to diagnose the catalytic converter.

The three-way catalytic converter no longer satisfies the requirements as to the conversion of nitrogen oxide in one operating region of the combustion of lean air/fuel mixtures (.lambda.>1). Here, NOx storage catalytic converters are used which store the nitrogen oxides emitted in lean engine operation. Stored nitrates are released and converted to nitrogen by the operation of the engine in the rich region (.lambda.<1).
The use of NOx storage catalytic converters in this connection is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,887.
Statutory requirements provide for an on-board diagnosis of the vehicle components, which are relevant to toxic emissions, such as catalytic converters. In this connection, it is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,932, to apply the signals of oxygen-sensitive exhaust gas probes, which are mounted forward and rearward of the catalytic converter, for evaluating a three-way catalytic converter. The known method is based upon the oxygen storage capability of an operational three-way catalytic converter. In this connection, U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,932 discloses a change of the air/fuel mixture composition from .lambda.=0.95 (rich, fuel-rich mixture, oxygen deficiency) to .lambda.=1.05 (lean, fuel-poor mixture, oxygen excess). The exhaust-gas sensor mounted forward of the catalytic converter reacts thereto virtually without delay. The oxygen storage locations of the catalytic converter are at first not occupied because of the oxygen deficiency in the exhaust gas, which is present for .lambda.=0.95. The oxygen storage locations are successively occupied after the switchover to the oxygen excess forward of the catalytic converter. Accordingly, at first there continues to be an oxygen deficiency rearward of the catalytic converter. After a time span, which is dependent upon the oxygen storage capability of the catalytic converter, an oxygen excess also occurs rearward of the catalytic converter which triggers a change of the signal of the rearward exhaust-gas sensor. The time delay, that is, the phase shift between the reactions of both exhaust-gas sensors, is less with decreasing capability of oxygen storage of the catalytic converter and can therefore be used for evaluating the oxygen storage capability for diagnosing the catalytic converter.
This known method is not easily transferrable to a catalytic converter, which in addition to a storage capability for oxygen also has a storage capability for nitrogen oxides. Catalytic converters of this kind can usually still store nitrogen oxides when their oxygen storage capability is already exhausted and an exhaust-gas sensor, which is mounted rearward of the catalytic converter, indicates an oxygen excess. The time delay between the reactions of both exhaust-gas sensors after a changeover from rich to lean mixture therefore supplies no statement for NOx storage catalytic converters as to their NOx storage capability.

Method of diagnosing an NOx storage catalytic converter during operation of an internal combustion engine


Methods and apparatus are described for receiving a fax transmission at a mobile phone. In one embodiment, the mobile phone receives an incoming call and answers the incoming call, upon receiving a command from a user of the mobile phone to answer the incoming call. A program on the mobile phone then detects that the incoming call is a fax transmission, and then places an outgoing call to a fax server. The program on the mobile phone then conferences the incoming call with the outgoing call to the fax server, such that the fax server receives the fax transmission. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Fax messaging continues to be an important avenue for the delivery of secure messages between individuals world-wide despite the proliferation of message delivery services that use the Internet. Traditional fax messaging services require both a dedicated fax machine and a dedicated fax number to receive a fax transmission. Modern fax messaging services, such as those provided by j2 Cloud Services, Inc. of Hollywood, Calif., have eliminated the requirement for a dedicated fax machine, utilizing the Internet to provide greater flexibility for subscribers to transmit and receive fax messages. A subscriber of a modern fax messaging service is assigned a direct inward dialing (DID) telephone number, which the subscriber distributes to others who wish to send a fax message to the subscriber. The DID telephone number is in effect the subscriber's individual fax number. When an incoming fax transmission is received at a particular DID telephone number, the fax messaging service generates a fax message from the fax transmission in a format that is suitable for transmission over a data network such as the Internet, and sends the fax message to the subscriber (e.g., to the subscriber's email address).
As mentioned above, fax messaging services typically assign a separate DID telephone number to each subscriber. The DID telephone number is a unique telephone number that is different from the subscriber's other phone numbers (e.g., mobile phone number, home phone number, work phone number), and thus requires the subscriber to remember yet another telephone number, and to distribute this telephone number to others in order to receive fax messages.

Processing a fax transmission using a mobile device


Titanium complexes containing catecholate ligands can be desirable active materials for flow batteries and other electrochemical energy storage systems. Such complexes can be formed, potentially on very large scales, through reacting a catechol compound in an organic solvent with titanium tetrachloride, and then obtaining an aqueous phase containing an alkali metal salt form of the titanium catechol complex. More specifically, the methods can include: forming a catechol solution and heating, adding titanium tetrachloride to the catechol solution, reacting the titanium tetrachloride with a catechol compound to evolve HCl gas and to form an intermediate titanium catechol complex, and adding an alkaline aqueous solution to the intermediate titanium catechol complex to form an alkali metal salt form titanium catechol complex that is at least partially dissolved in an aqueous phase. The aqueous phase can be separated from an organic phase. The resulting complexes can be substantially free of alkali metal halide salts.

Electrochemical energy storage systems, such as batteries, supercapacitors and the like, have been widely proposed for large-scale energy storage applications. Various battery designs, including flow batteries, have been considered for this purpose. Compared to other types of electrochemical energy storage systems, flow batteries can be advantageous, particularly for large-scale applications, due to their ability to decouple the parameters of power density and energy density from one another.
Flow batteries generally include negative and positive active materials in corresponding electrolyte solutions, which are flowed separately across opposing sides of a membrane or separator in an electrochemical cell containing negative and positive electrodes. The flow battery is charged or discharged through electrochemical reactions of the active materials that occur inside the two half-cells. As used herein, the terms "active material," "electroactive material," "redox-active material" or variants thereof synonymously refer to materials that undergo a change in oxidation state during operation of a flow battery or like electrochemical energy storage system (i.e., during charging or discharging). Although flow batteries hold significant promise for large-scale energy storage applications, they have often been plagued by sub-optimal energy storage performance (e.g., round trip energy efficiency) and limited cycle life, among other factors. Despite significant investigational efforts, no commercially viable flow battery technologies have yet been developed.
Metal-based active materials can often be desirable for use in flow batteries and other electrochemical energy storage systems. Although non-ligated metal ions (e.g., dissolved salts of a redox-active metal) can be used as an active material, it can often be more desirable to utilize coordination complexes for this purpose. As used herein, the terms "coordination complex, "coordination compound," "metal-ligand complex," or simply "complex" synonymously refer to a compound having at least one covalent bond formed between a metal center and a donor ligand. The metal center can cycle between an oxidized form and a reduced form in an electrolyte solution, where the oxidized and reduced forms of the metal center represent states of full charge or full discharge depending upon the particular half-cell in which the coordination complex is present.
Titanium complexes can be particularly desirable active materials for use in flow batteries and other electrochemical energy storage systems, since such metal complexes can provide good half-cell potentials (e.g., less than −0.3 V) and current efficiencies exceeding 85% at high current density values (e.g., greater than 100 mA/cm2). Various catechol complexes of titanium can be particularly desirable active materials, since they are relatively stable complexes and have a significant degree of solubility in aqueous media. Although various methods are available for synthesizing catechol complexes of titanium (also referred to herein as titanium catecholate complexes or titanium catechol complexes), none are presently viable for producing the significant quantities of these complexes needed to support commercial-scale energy storage applications. In addition, concurrent production of extraneous salts during such processes can be problematic.
In view of the foregoing, improved methods for synthesizing titanium catechol complexes to support their use as active materials in energy storage applications would be highly desirable in the art. The present disclosure satisfies the foregoing needs and provides related advantages as well.

Processes for forming titanium catechol complexes


A user terminal apparatus is provided. The user terminal apparatus includes a sensor configured to sense a movement of the user terminal apparatus, a storage configured to store a plurality of movement patterns and place information for each time period matching with each movement pattern, and a processor configured to, in response to the movement sensed by the sensor corresponding to one of the plurality of movement patterns, determine a place where the user terminal apparatus is located using a movement pattern corresponding to the sensed movement and place information matching with a present time.

1. Field
The disclosure relates generally to a user terminal apparatus and a controlling method thereof, and for example, to a user terminal apparatus capable of recognizing the place where a user is located and a controlling method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, with the development of wireless communication technologies, the use of mobile terminal apparatuses has increased rapidly. In particular, as smart phones are widely used, applications providing various services using a user's personal usage log data have been developed. Such smart phones are generally equipped with a GPS module, and may provide services such as map information, navigation, etc. of the surrounding areas based on information on the user's current location using a GPS signal.
The GPS module provides a user's exact location using a satellite, and calculates the current location using a triangular surveying method by measuring exact time and distance of a signal received from more than three satellites. A mobile terminal apparatus, etc. having the GPS module may execute a program and inform the place where a user is located by displaying the current location of the mobile terminal apparatus on a map based on the signal received through a GPS receiver.
However, the GPS receiver which can receive a GPS signal consumes power which is limited in a battery of the mobile terminal apparatus and thus, whenever location information is collected, a great amount of power is consumed. In particular, in a building or in an area where GPS satellite transmission is compromised due to obstruction, fading, reflection, etc., the GPS receiver may not perform its function properly.
In this regard, as the type of sensors provided in a mobile terminal apparatus has increased and the type of data collectable from a mobile terminal apparatus has become diverse, a solution to estimate the place where a user is located by utilizing the previously-collected data is suggested.

User terminal apparatus and controlling method thereof


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display driving circuit, a driving method thereof, a display driving system and a display apparatus. The display driving circuit includes a processor and a source driver. The processor is electronically connected to the source driver and configured to receive a low voltage differential signal and to output a data signal for sub-pixels of odd-numbered pixel units and a data signal for sub-pixels of even-numbered pixel units among the low voltage differential signal simultaneously to the source driver progressively.

TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) or Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays, as a flat panel display device, have advantages of small size, low power consumption, no radiation and a relatively low cost and the like. Thus, they have been increasingly used in a high performance display field.
The display device includes a display panel and a driving chip electronically connected to the display panel. During a process of displaying images, the driving chip may output a data signal and a control signal to the display panel, so that the display panel displays according to the data signal under the control of the control signal. With a continuous improvement to the resolution of the display panel, there is also an increasing requirement on the transmission rate of the data signal. The conventional driving chip has the problem that the data signal may be misaligned due to a slow data transmission rate, which may lead to an abnormal display.

Display driving circuit and a driving method thereof, a display driving system and a display apparatus


The present disclosure provides an information processing method, an apparatus using the method and a non-transitory storage medium thereof. The method includes: when a first touch operation on the first touch operation area is detected, adjusting a presentation field of the game scene in the graphical user interface according to the first touch operation; when a preset action of the first touch operation is detected, determining a path point in the game scene according to a touch point of the preset action, and controlling the virtual character to move automatically towards the path point in the game scene according to a preset path finding strategy; and when a preset cancellation operation is detected, cancelling the path point and configuring the virtual character to move in the game scene according to the second touch operation on the second touch operation area.

With development of mobile intelligent terminals and game industry, a large number of mobile games with different themes have emerged, to meet needs of users. A plurality of users teaming up for game battles is a core gameplay of many mobile games. For example, the core gameplay of mobile games of a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) type is to form a team of 5V5 for battling. During the period when users team up for battle, it is vital for users to realize interaction with virtual characters in parallel at the same time (for example, a user must simultaneously take into consideration his own character's actions and view battle situations of teammates outside his/her visual field (field hereinafter)). Therefore, whether it is possible to provide a convenient and quick interaction mechanism to enable the user to implement multi-thread operation is an important influencing factor of user experience for such mobile games.

Information processing method, apparatus and non-transitory storage medium


An automatic timing and scoring system equips vehicles with transmitters and places the receiving antenna on the track used by the vehicles. Each vehicle transmitter has a unique frequency. The receiving antenna is located so that the transmitters pass adjacent thereto. The receiving antenna is coupled to a receiver. The receiver has an amplifier and bandpass filters. The bandpass filters pass all of the transmitter frequencies, while rejecting much of the noise. The signal that is received by the receiving antennas is amplified and then limited to a predetermined amplitude. Then, the received signal is shifted in frequency to an intermediate frequency. The intermediate frequency signal is passed through a narrow bandpass filter that rejects all transmitter frequencies but the transmitter frequency of interest. Then, the intermediate frequency signal goes to a tone decoder, which detects signals having predetermined minimum durations. The detected signal is then sent to a computer that records the presence of the signal and the time of occurrence of the signal. The computer tracks the laps of each vehicle as well as elapsed time of each vehicle.

Timing and scoring in car races is generally performed by human trackers. The trackers visually track each car as it is driven around the race track and record its lap number and elapsed time. Because races may have thirty or forty cars or more, and because it is difficult to continuously assimilate and tally the information from the human trackers, confusion as to timing and scoring can arise during a race. Occasionally, an error is made as to whether a car completed all of the laps or as to the relative position of each car. Such errors can be costly and embarrassing.
There have been attempts to automate the timing and scoring of a race. These automated prior art systems generally perform unsatisfactorily. For a timing and scoring system to perform satisfactorily, some technical problems must be overcome. First, the automated system must be able to resolve the position of each car at the finish line within a short distance. Such high spatial resolution is required in order to determine which car crossed the finish line first on each lap and in particular on the final lap. If the spatial resolution is too low, a car in second place that is only a short distance behind the first place car may be improperly identified as being tied for first place.
Another problem is that the automated timing and scoring system must be able to distinguish each car from the other cars. This of course is to allow tracking of each individual car. Furthermore, the system must be able to detect all of the cars simultaneously if need be. This is so if several cars cross the finish line simultaneously on a lap, all will be detected and none will be missed.
Still another problem involves the ambient electromagnetic noise found at race tracks. Race tracks are very noisy (in the electromagnetic sense) places. In addition to all of the local radio, television, powerline, etc. noise in the area, the ignition systems in the race cars produce high energy broad band noise. There are also two-way radios in use for communications between the drivers and their pit crews. Thus, an automated timing and scoring system must be able to identify real timing and scoring signals from noise signals. Inaccuracies are introduced whenever the system interprets a noise signal as a valid signal.

Automatic vehicular timing and scoring system


A pulsed power system has an inductive energy storage circuit (42) including a current source (43) and a plasma opening switch (44). The plasma opening switch has a transmission line (51, 52) coupling the current source to a load (41). The plasma opening switch changes from a closed state to an open state when a plasma discharge (45) in the plasma opening switch is driven by magnetic force from a first region along the transmission line to a second region towards the load. Electrical conductors (47, 48) are arranged for providing a stabilizing magnetic field configuration in the first region to magnetically latch the plasma discharge in the first region during charging of the inductive energy storage circuit, and current flowing along the transmission line from the current source to the load tends to disrupt the stabilizing magnetic field configuration and unlatch the plasma discharge from the first region and drive the plasma discharge toward the second region.

Pulsed power has a number of military, industrial, and scientific applications. For example, the U.S. Department of Defense has been using a variety of pulsed power devices such as the Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratory for emulating nuclear weapon effects and verifying computer models. The Z machine is said to serve as a model for a larger X-1 machine, which should provide enough X-ray energy and power to implode fusion capsules of deuterium and tritium to achieve high-yield fusion.
For most applications, a high-voltage capacitor bank is discharged for pulsed power production. Unfortunately, the energy storage density of a typical high-voltage capacitor is relatively low, especially if the capacitor is rated for repetitive operation. Moreover, a fast current rise is important for obtaining not only a high pulsed power level but also a high X-ray or neutron yield. A fast current rise requires high voltage and low inductance. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,096 issued May 1, 1984.)
Due to the limitations of capacitor banks, there has been considerable effort toward developing pulsed power generators using stored inductive energy. There are a number of relatively low cost electrical power sources that provide stored inductive energy and have a relatively high energy density. These electrical power sources include homopolar generators, compensated alternators, and explosively-driven magnetic flux compressors. An opening switch, however, is needed for obtaining pulsed power having a fast current rise from the stored inductive energy.
For example, to power a dense plasma focus with an explosive generator, a useful switch would interrupt a few megamperes in less than one microsecond and remain open for the 3 to 4 microsecond pulse delivered to the device. (Freeman et al., "Plasma Focus Experiments Powered by Explosive Generators," LA-UR-83-1083, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Los Alamos, 1983, p. 13.)
Efforts toward development of a suitable opening switch are described in G. D. Roy, "High Power, High Repetition Rate Switches: An Overview," Naval Research Review, Vol. 2, 1990, p. 17-24. Desired attributes of the switch are fast opening, fast recovery to achieve high repetition rates, controllable and long conduction time, low resistance during conduction, fast rise of impedance during opening, high impedance after opening, large currents, large stand-off voltage, and jitter-free operation. The plasma flow switch is mentioned as having conduction time up to 10−5 seconds and opening time in the 100 nanosecond time scale, and as of 1990, useful only in very high power (terrawatt), low impedance (10 ohm), single shot, staged pulsed power systems. (Page 19.)

Pulsed power system including a plasma opening switch


A clamping spring device for an elastic clamp for attaching at least one electrical conductor includes a support and a clamping leg at an end of a spring leg. The support includes a freestanding edge. The clamping leg projects toward the support at an acute angle so as to form a receiving space between the clamping leg and the support. The receiving space narrows in a conductor insertion direction from a conductor insertion side toward a clamping point and is configured to receive the at least one electrical conductor inserted in a lengthwise direction. The clamping leg includes a clamping edge for clamping the electrical conductor between the clamping edge and the support at the clamping point. In the clamping position, the clamping leg is offset from the freestanding edge so that, when clamped, the at least one electrical conductor is bent around the freestanding edge, providing an interlocking effect.

An elastic clamp having a clamping spring device is known from German Utility Model Specification 299 15 512 U1. The interlocking of the clamped conductor is provided to prevent unintended withdrawal of the conductor from the clamping spring device and/or from the elastic clamp. In the known device, the interlocking of the clamped conductor is achieved solely in that the clamping leg on the spring leg is at an acute angle in relation to the support, viewed in the conductor insertion direction. In this way, the clamping edge on the clamping leg that is applied to the conductor is pressed against the conductor more strongly in the event of traction on the conductor against the conductor insertion direction, which is to cause the interlocking effect.
In the above known clamping spring device, the support, against which the clamping leg on the spring leg presses the clamped conductor, comprises a continuous flat surface. The clamped conductor accordingly does not experience deformation when it is pressed against the surface, due to which the conductor is secured against withdrawal solely by interlocking the conductor on the clamping edge of the clamping leg. Above all for a braided conductor, which comprises multiple thin conducting wires, the security against conductor withdrawal is not sufficient in the known clamping spring device, which is due to, among other things, not all of the conductor wires being able to be grasped by the clamping edge of the clamping leg and individual conductor wires being able to tear out if the conductor is pulled against the conductor insertion direction.

Clamping spring device for an elastic clamp


The image processing method includes following steps. Determine an image display space of an CIELCH color space corresponding to an original color space. Convert a plurality of first pixel data of the original color space to a plurality of second pixel data of the CIELCH color space. Perform an image adjustment process to the second pixel data of the CIELCH color space to obtain a plurality of third pixel data of the CIELCH color space, wherein the third pixel data is restricted within the image display space. Convert the third pixel data of the CIELCH color space to a plurality of fourth pixel data of the original color space to set an image displayed by a display apparatus.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image processing method and, more particularly, to an image processing method with color space conversion.
Description of the Related Art
Along with development of the display area, the image display function is widely used in many types of electronic devices. In order to obtain image with high quality and bright color, color saturation of the image can be increased to obtain brighter color and clearer image.
Generally speaking, a common color space is a RGB color space. However, a distortion image occurs when adjusting the RGB color space directly or only increase single color component of the image. Therefore, pixel data of the RGB color space is converted to pixel data of other color space first. Then the converted pixel data is performed with an image processing. The image processing performed in other color space decreases the image distortion. However, few pixel data may exceed the viewable range and affect the image quality when converting the processed pixel data back to the RGB color space.


A method and apparatus to share energy in a wireless device are provided. A power sharing method between a wireless device and at least one neighboring wireless device, includes scanning, by the wireless device, the at least one neighboring wireless device. The power sharing method further includes determining to share power with the at least one neighboring wireless device. The power sharing method further includes sharing power with the at least one neighboring wireless device.

1. Field
The following description relates to a method and apparatus to share energy in a wireless device.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of various types of portable wireless devices, such as smartphones, tablet personal computers (PCs), netbooks, and the like, has increased. Additionally, communication standards between portable wireless devices, such as near field communication (NFC), wireless local area network (WLAN), Bluetooth, and the like, have been developed. Accordingly, information may be exchanged between portable wireless devices used by the same user or different users, and these portable wireless devices may form a single application and may be operated as a single system.
When portable wireless devices are operated as a single system, there may be a limitation on a service time or lifetime of an application due to a lack of battery power to operate the portable wireless devices. Furthermore, the lack of battery power may occur in a wireless device that requires a continuous operation, for example, in a sensor device for healthcare.

Apparatus and method for sharing energy in wireless device


An integrated circuit structure includes a plurality of insulator layers (connected to each other) that form a laminated structure. Further included are via openings within each of the insulator layers, and conductive via material within the via openings. The conductive via material within corresponding via openings of adjacent insulator layers are electrically connected to form continuous electrical via paths through the insulator layers between the top surface and the bottom surface of the laminated structure. Within each of the continuous electrical via paths, the via openings are positioned relative to each other to form a diagonal structural path of the conductive via material through the laminated structure. The corresponding via openings of the adjacent insulator layers partially overlap each other. The diagonal structural paths are non-perpendicular to the top surface and the bottom surface.

The present disclosure relates to laminated integrated circuit structures, and more specifically to laminated structures that use conductive vias.
Within integrated circuit devices, stresses on laminated structures caused during module assembly or by large thermal gradients, can result in deformation, deflection, or warping of laminate. The effects of the laminate warping are found, for example, during chip assembly processes as it causes open connections between the chip and the laminate. The laminate warping also contributes to module co-planarity. This causes yield loss during card assembly. There are various ways to control the laminate warping, such as appropriate laminate materials selection, selecting appropriate laminate fabrication processes, employing mechanical fixtures during assembly, etc. In some situations, above various ways may not be enough to control laminate warping, and could potentially increase production costs.

International Business Machines Corporation


When a pulsating current is applied to an LED string included in an LED lighting device, and the number of LEDs caused to light up is changed, the LED lighting device is in efficient, since there are LEDs lighting up for a long period of time and LEDs lighting up only for a short period of time. The LED string includes LED string 407 that lights up for a long period of time and LED string 408 that lights up only for a short period of time within a period of the pulsating current. The element size of the LED 102 included in LED string 407 is different from the element size of LED 203 string 408. Thus, the amount of light emission per unit area LED string 407 may be equal to the amount of light emission per unit area LED string 408.

A lighting device that causes LEDs (also called a light-emitting diode) to light up by a voltage waveform in the shape of a pulsating current or in the shape close to a pulsating current obtained by full-wave rectifying a commercial AC power source is known (hereinafter, referred to as an LED lighting device). This LED lighting device includes an LED string in which a plurality of LEDs is connected in series so as to be capable of resisting a high voltage, and has a threshold value and when the threshold value is exceeded, a current flows through the LED string and the LED string lights up. This threshold value is set to a value somewhat lower than the peak of the pulsating voltage (about 140 V), and therefore, when the effective value of the commercial power source is 100 V, the threshold value is set to about 100 to 120 V. Each of the LEDs has a threshold value called a forward voltage Vf and when a voltage equal to or higher than the forward voltage Vf is applied, a current flows and the LED lights up. The threshold value of the LED string is the sum of the forward voltage Vf of each LED included in the LED string.
When a pulsating voltage is simply applied to the LED string, the LED string lights up only for a period of time during which the pulsating voltage exceeds a threshold voltage. Thus, the LED string becomes dark and flickering becomes conspicuous and further, the power factor and the distortion factor also deteriorate. If the number of LEDs connected in series in the LED string is reduced to shorten the non-lighting period of time, the power loss of a current limiting circuit inserted in series with the LED string becomes large, and therefore, this is not preferable. Thus, there is proposed an LED lighting device intended to solve the above-described problems by switching the numbers of LEDs connected in series in the LED string caused to light up in accordance with a voltage applied to the LED string or a current flowing through the LED string (for example, Patent Documents 1, 2).
In FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, a light-emitting diode lighting device (LED lighting device) is described, which adjusts the number of light-emitting diodes 14 (connected in series) caused to light up by dividing a light-emitting diode circuit 15 (LED string) into six diode circuits 17 to 22 and switching drive switches 30 to 35 based on a pulsating voltage.
In a circuit in which current paths are switched based on the pulsating voltage as in Patent Document 1, the current flowing through the LED string is reduced or increased considerably at the instant when the paths are switched. In other words, the current value becomes discontinuous and this causes various problems, such as an increase in harmonic noise. In contrast to this, in the LED drive circuit illustrated in FIG. 26 of Patent Document 2, by measuring the current flowing through the LED string, when the current exceeds a predetermined value, the number of LEDs connected in series in the LED string is increased and at the same time, the current is also increased continuously.
The circuit of FIG. 26 of Patent Document 2 is explained briefly (see FIG. 8). In FIG. 8, there is an LED string including an LED group 1, an LED group 2, and an LED group 3. When the current flowing through the LED string is small, a FET Q1 bypasses the current flowing through the LED group 1 and the LED group 2 and no electric flows through the LED group 3 (the LED group 3 does not light up). When the current increases, the circuit operates so that the sum of the current flowing through the FET Q1 and the current flowing through the LED group 3 is constant. At this time, the LED group 3 lights up faintly. When the current increases further and exceeds a predetermined value, the FET Q1 cuts off and all the currents flow through the LED group 3 and the LED group 3 lights up fully together with the LED groups 1 and 2. When the current decreases, the reverse operation is performed. The upper limit of the current is limited by a current limiting resistor R1.
When the LED is caused to light up in the circuit illustrated in FIG. 26 of Patent Document 1 illustrated in FIG. 8, if the pulsating voltage becomes high, the current flowing through the LED string also increases and if the pulsating voltage becomes low, the current flowing through the LED string also decreases, and therefore, there is an advantage that the power factor and the distortion factor are excellent.    Patent Document 1: JP-458646 (FIG. 1)    Patent Document 2: WO2011/020007 (FIG. 26)


The invention is a method for designing semiconductor light emitting devices such that the side surfaces (surfaces not parallel to the epitaxial layers) are formed at preferred angles relative to vertical (normal to the plane of the light-emitting active layer) to improve light extraction efficiency and increase total light output efficiency. Device designs are chosen to improve efficiency without resorting to excessive active area-yield loss due to shaping. As such, these designs are suitable for low-cost, high-volume manufacturing of semiconductor light-emitting devices with improved characteristics.

The invention relates to the process of designing and fabricating semiconductor light-emitting devices. In particular, the invention is directed towards improving the light extraction efficiency and increasing the total light output of these devices.
The extraction efficiency of semiconductor light-emitting devices (LEDs) is limited by the large contrast between the optical refractive indices of semiconductor materials (nsxcx9c2.2-3.6) and that of the surrounding media, typically air (naxcx9c1.0) or optically transparent epoxy (nexcx9c1.5). This large difference in refractive indices causes photons within the device to have a high probability of being totally-internally-reflected (TIR) when impinging on interfaces between the semiconductor and the ambient media.
To illustrate, for a cube of GaP (optically transparent for wavelengths  greater than 555 nm) surrounded by epoxy, a photon xcex greater than 555 nm within the GaP (nsxcx9c3.3) striking one of the six interfaces with epoxy (nexcx9c1.5) must impinge at an angle less than xcex8=xcx9c27xc2x0(relative to normal) to avoid being TIR. This constrained range of angles for which transmission is possible defines an xe2x80x9cescape conexe2x80x9d for the photon. If the photon is emitted from within the GaP with an equal probability of emission in any direction within 4xcfx80 steradians, the probability of striking any of the interfaces within an escape cone is 33%. Accounting for Fresnel reflection, the probability of the photon actually being transmitted into the epoxy is 28.4%.
Commercial LEDs are non-ideal devices that contain many optical loss mechanisms, e.g. active layer re-absorption, absorption within internal epitaxial layers, finite ohmic contact reflectivity, free-carrier absorption within doped regions. In particular, for devices with emission layers of low internal quantum efficiency, the loss mechanisms due to the active layer can limit extracted light to only those photons which escape the device without making a second pass through the active layer after emission. This suggests a limit on the achievable extraction efficiency of such devices to not much more than 28.4% (based on the above calculation). To illustrate, the coefficient of absorption for a band-to-band process at the emission wavelength is on the order of 104 cmxe2x88x921. A photon making a single pass through an emission layer of typical thickness of 1 xcexcm, has a probability of being absorbed equal to 63%. For low quantum efficiency material, the probability of re-emission as a photon is relatively low, for example xcx9c10%. Thus the first-order probability of the initial photon being absorbed and converted to a non-radiative process is 57%. The problem is exacerbated by other loss mechanisms and by the fact that a majority of photon trajectories traverse more than just the vertical thickness of the active layer. Thus, much of the light escaping the device is light that is transmitted through the semiconductor/ambient interfaces immediately upon first impinging such an interface. This light is xe2x80x9cfirst-passxe2x80x9d light. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram depicting first-pass light and some of the aforementioned photon loss mechanism and paths for escape. xe2x80x9cMultiple-passxe2x80x9d light is the light which escapes the chip only after multiple encounters with the surfaces of the LED chip.
Some losses can be reduced by decreasing the thickness of the light-emitting active region and any other absorbing layers. However, fundamental limitations in the materials growth and device physics (e.g. carrier confinement, interfacial recombination) limit the minimum thickness of the active layer at which reasonable radiative efficiencies can be achieved. The selection of the active layer thickness (for material of low radiative efficiency) is a trade-off between internal radiative efficiency and extraction efficiency. Devices of the highest attainable extraction efficiencies will arise from semiconductor LED structure designs that provide for much of the internally emitted light being first-pass. Indeed, even in structures of relatively high internal quantum efficiency, loss due to ohmic contacts and free-carrier absorption still compel designs for more first-pass light extraction. One approach to improve light extraction is to modify the shape or geometry of the chip.
One such shape is the inverted truncated cone device, where the p-n junction is located at or close (within several xcexcm) to the plane of truncation, as disclosed by Franklin, et al., in the Journal of Applied Physics vol. 35,1153 (1964). The device exhibits enhanced forward-directional light emission characteristics and improved external efficiency. The shaped sidewalls of the conical portion redirect light impinging on this surface towards the top surface at near normal incidence. In Infrared Physics 6, 1(1966), Carr determined that there is a minimum top window height beyond which efficiency no longer increases and further suggests an optimal angle, xcex2m=(xcfx80/2xe2x88x92xcex8c)/2, where xcex8c is the critical angle for total internal reflection, for maximum efficiency. This analysis neglects internal absorption and secondary reflections. The light measured is emitted only from the top surface of the device. For high-flux applications, these devices (Franklin, et al. and Carr) are sub-optimum in that they do not utilize side-light which can be 40% or more of the total extracted light from an LED. Also, this device does not employ a heterojunction and would suffer reduced injection efficiency at room temperature relative to the published data at T=77K. Furthermore, the upper extraction window for this homojunction device is not transparent to a substantial portion of the photons generated within the p-n junction active region. With the internal quantum efficiency of GaAs LEDs typically close to 100% (especially at T=77K), the relatively low measured value of external quantum efficiency ( less than 10% in air) indicates that omission of side-light collection and poor transparency are contributing to significantly reduced extraction efficiency in this device design.
In xe2x80x9cSov. Phys. Tech. Phys. 23, 476 (1978)xe2x80x9d, Alferov et. al. disclosed another shaped LED using a double- mesa structure that improves extraction efficiency by providing bounce paths that avoid the active region and back surface of the device for multiple-pass light. Mesa etching of the sidewall surfaces does not allow control over the angle of the sidewalls which is an important parameter for light extraction and die cost. Also, the double mesa device exhibits an area-ratio from top surface to active area on the order of 9 or more. This area-ratio is the number of devices that can be yielded per unit area on a wafer. Since the reduction in area yield (xcx9c9xc3x97) is significantly greater than the observed gain in extraction efficiency ( less than 3xc3x97 compared to conventional geometries), this device approach is unsuitable for cost-effective high-volume manufacturing.
In U.S. Pat. N0. 5,087,949, issued Feb. 11, 1992, Haitz disclosed an LED with diagonal faces for improved light extraction. The active layer in the LEDs is located nearly adjacent to the larger-area base (away from the imaginary apex of the pyramid shape). Consequently, light-emitting regions near the perimeter of the active layer do not fully benefit from the angled sides as do the central regions of the active layer. Therefore, the effective extraction efficiency gains in such a device are limited.
By shaping a semiconductor light-emitting device (LED) such that the side surface(s) that are oriented at an angle(s) offset relative to the direction normal to the plane of the light-emitting layer, the total light extraction is increased. By employing a p-n heterojunction for high injection efficiency, and transparent windows for low-loss optical extraction out both the top and side surfaces, high total external quantum efficiencies are achieved. Finally, the device designs and fabrication techniques are suitable to high-volume manufacturing. Methods of providing transparent windows via wafer-bonding and epitaxial regrowth allow precise positioning of the p-n junction and effect control over both device characteristics and yield. The preferred device design improves overall extraction efficiency while maintaining a reasonable degree of yielded devices per unit area on a wafer.
The device shape provides an optical path from the active layer to the ambient media which minimize encounters with the optical loss mechanisms present within the device. This function is performed by shaped sidewalls that reflect light towards the top surface of the device to within the critical angle of transmission to the ambient, and which furthermore allow TIR light from the top surface to escape out the shaped sidewalls. Thus first-pass light extraction is increased. Also, while orienting light for transmission into the ambient, the shaped sidewalls also inherently provide a relatively larger volume of low-loss material through which photons may pass a number of times without encountering the absorbing active layer or ohmic contact, i.e. the solid-angle cross-section of the active layer and ohmic contact have been reduced relative to the case of a conventional chip. Furthermore, the shaped device does not require excessive multiple passes or prohibitively long mean path-lengths for photons within the device before transmission and so does not suffer as extensively due to free-carrier absorption.

LED having angled sides for increased side light extraction


An embodiment provides a method of wireless power transmission, including: powering a transmitter that produces electromagnetic waves in a three dimensional structure; selecting a transmission frequency that is a resonance frequency for the three dimensional structure; and transmitting, using the transmitter, electromagnetic waves within the three dimensional structure on the transmission frequency selected. Other systems, methods, apparatuses and products are described and claimed.

Wireless power transfer (WPT) includes wireless techniques for charging of battery powered devices. This wireless charging operates using close proximity between the charging source and the device to be charged. For example, WPT technologies such as near-field manetoquasistatic (MQS) WPT and inductive charging are capable of charging a device (e.g., one or two devices) by bringing the device into close proximity with a charging source. This wireless charging technique commonly includes inducing a current in the device to be charged by placing it on or in close proximity with the power source. Common examples include charging an electric toothbrush in a charging stand, using a power transfer mat upon which a mobile device is laid, etc.
WPT also includes a power source providing a small amount of power for certain device devices at a distance. For example, broadcast far-field WPT is capable of transferring power at greater distances, e.g., to a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. However, this broadcast technique is not efficient in that commonly less than 0.1% of the source power is provided to the target device. Moreover, regulations often (which vary by jurisdiction) limit the amount of power transferred using such techniques to approximately 100 uW. While point-to-point far-field WPT systems maintain higher end-to-end efficiency, these techniques require complex control and tracking mechanisms to maintain a line of sight connection between the power source and the target and are likewise limited in the amount of power that they can deliver.

Resonant cavity mode enabled wireless power transfer


An improved percussion mallet for musical instruments is described. The percussion mallet includes a shaft member, a tubular rubber shock absorber mounted on the head end of the shaft member, a wooden disc surrounding the shock absorber, and a rubber band secured to the outer surface of the wooden disc. These elements combine to produce a cleaner standard tone upon striking a musical instrument. In addition, the rubber band has three outer surfaces which enable the improved percussion to make either a forte or piano sound, depending upon the angle of the mallet as it impacts a musical instrument.

This invention relates to mallets for striking musical percussion instruments and, more particularly, to an improved percussion mallet.
Percussion mallets are used for vibraphones, marimbas, xylophones, and similar musical instruments. Previous percussion mallets include hammer heads constructed from combinations such as a rubber ball and wound cloth, a wooden base and a felt band, and a plastic ball and rubber sleeve. These mallets produce a "standard tone" upon impacting a percussion instrument. However, the "standard tone" is always preceded by a clunking sound attributable to the contact by the mallet with a bar of the percussion instrument before the "standard tone" of the bar is generated. This clunking sound is particularly noticeable and distracting in a recording studio. Prior percussion mallets are also limited in that they can only produce one volume. As a result, a player controls the volume by employing a higher stroke with a heavy, downward force for a forte passage and a lower stroke with a lighter, downward force for a piano passage.
A general object of the invention is to provide a percussion mallet for musical instruments which produces the "standard tone" without the clunking characteristics attributable to other percussion mallets.
Another object of the invention is to provide a percussion mallet for musical instruments which is capable of producing two different volumes, forte or piano, depending upon the angle at which the percussion mallet strikes the musical instrument, thereby eliminating the need to change stroke heights or playing force.
The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing a mallet having a head portion which includes a shock absorber, a wooden disc, and a circular band of rubber. The shock absorber consists of a rubber tube mounted on and affixed to the head end of the mallet handle. The wooden disc has a centrally positioned aperture which fits over and is glued to the outer surface of the rubber tube shock absorber. Finally, the circular band of rubber is affixed to the outer surface of the wooden disc. The circular band of rubber has a pair of converging symmetrical surfaces which extend outwardly and intersect with opposite ends of a third surface. The third surface and the edges formed by the intersecting of the third surface with the pair of converging surfaces establish the striking surfaces of the percussion mallet. A forte sound is created by striking the percussion instrument with the flat third surface, while a piano sound is created by changing the angle of the mallet so that either of the aforementioned edges strikes the percussion instrument.


There is disclosed a method of treating inflammatory viral infections, acne and dermatitis conditions comprising the administration of an effective dosage of 3,3-Bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)phthalide (phenolphthalein). The dosage may be administered orally or topically depending on the condition being treated.

This invention relates to the discovery that 3,3-Bis (p-hydroxyphenyl)phthalide is an effective treatment for certain inflammatory skin conditions, especially those of a viral origin. Phenolphthalein has long been known as one of a group of primary diphenylmethane cathartics. The cathartic effect of phenolphthalein was reportedly discovered in 1902 and since that time it has been widely employed in laxative formulas. It is also reported that phenolphthalein is relatively nontoxic. Goodman & Gillman, Pharmacological Basis of Theraputics (4 Ed. 1977) "Cathartics and Laxatives" pp. 1021 and 1022. Phenolphthalein is also used as an indicator in titrations of mineral and organic acids and most alkalies.
Although inflammatory viral infections may be caused by a wide variety of viruses, a common virus which produces persistently hard to treat conditions is the Herpes Simplex virus. Type I normally produces above waist infections while Type II produces lesions below the waist, in the genital region. Common manifestations of Herpes Simplex I infections are labialis (cold sores, fever blisters, etc.) pharyngitis, keratitis, skin infections (herpetic whitlow), encephalitis, and chronic ulcerative stomatitis. Herpes Simplex Type II may cause progenitalis oropharyngeal infections, meningitis and encephalitis. Other manifestations of inflammatory viral infections are canker sores, sun blisters and other such skin lesions and ulcerous conditions.
Inflammatory viral infections have proven very difficult to treat and in many instances are allowed to run their course with symptomatic treatment such as ointments, local anesthetics and the like. Treatment for Herpes Simplex infections includes dusting with bismuth formic iodide, application of camphor spirit, ephinephrine, idoxuridine, adenine arabinoside, large doses of steroids and X-ray or grenz ray therapy.
Inflammatory skin conditions (dermatitis) which occur frequently include photodermatitis and actinic dermatitis such as sunburn, actinic karatosis and the like, eczema, pruritus, acute and chronic lesions, burning, swelling and blistering. These conditions are also difficult to treat with moisturizing creams, lotions and other topical agents being employed.
Acne is a disease of the pilosebaceous unit which includes the hair follicle and its sebaceous gland. They are most numerous on the face but also are found in abundance on the back, chest and upper arms. (L. Kaminester, "Acne," Journal of the American Medical Association, May 19, 1978, Volume 239, No. 20, pages 2171-72) Normally the sebaceous glands secrete an oily material called sebum which rises to the top of the hair follicle and then flows out onto the skin surface. Acne occurs when the canals through which the oily sebum flows become plugged up. Bacteria, chiefly Corynebacterium acnes, live in the hair follicles and break down complex fats into triglycerides and free fatty acids.
The plugged hair follicles, or comedo, often ruptures into the lower skin areas and dumps free fatty acids, horn, fat, hair and bacterial products into the dermis, creating a "toxic" foreign body response which can cause scarring. Recently recommended treatment of acne includes oral antibiotics that effectively decrease the bacterial count of C acnes. These include tetracycline and erythromycin which selectively concentrate around the hair follicles, thus reducing the C acnes count and subsequent inflammation. Those antibiotics may also be applied in topical application. Kaminester reports that topical applications of antibiotics are inferior to orally administered antibiotics and should not be used in severe cases of inflammatory acne. Topical tretinoin and benzoyl peroxide preparations have also had beneficial effects.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fast acting, effective treatment of inflammatory viral infections.
It is a further object to provide a topical agent to arrest dermatitis conditions.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a topical agent which reducts the C acne count in hair follicles and thereby helps prevent and aids in curing acne.

Treatment of herpes simplex infections and acne


A means of power control on the reverse link of a CDMA network is disclosed. Specifically, the forward link from the base station to the subscriber unit is used to direct the subscriber unit to modify the output power radiated. The forward link consists of the forward packet data channel and the forward channel control channel. The forward packet data channel carriers the informational data to the subscriber unit, and the forward packet control channel includes carries of a power control setting. The forward channel is bi-phase modulated with the forward packet data channel transmitted in-phase and the forward packet control channel transmitted in quadrature.

The present invention relates to CDMA-based radio networks and, more particularly, to packet-switched data services.
IS-95 based CDMA currently has very limited packet-switched data capabilities as disclosed in TIA/EIA/IS-95 Interim Standard, Mobile Station-Base Station compatibility Standard for Dual Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular Systems, July, 1993 (herein incorporated by reference). The primary limitation is imposed by the reverse link. On the forward link, the paging channel can be used to accommodate outbound traffic, although the maximum data rate imposed is currently restricted to 9600 bps. On the reverse link, two mechanisms exist which can be used to facilitate in-bound traffic. Short messages (i.e. 110 bytes or less) can be accommodated by using the access channel. The peak data rate supported on the access channel is 4800 bps. The random access protocol employed is highly inefficient, yielding data throughputs significantly less than 4800 bps. For longer messages, negotiation of a dedicated traffic channel is required. While the traffic channel is capable of supporting 9600 bps sustained, the set-up times can be prohibitively long for short messages (e.g. 800 msec).
The existing IS-95 channel structure associates a group of reverse access channels with a single forward paging channel. The paging channel is used to carry system configuration information as well as user data. Up to 7 paging channels can be supported currently, each delineated with a sector by a separate Walsh code. Different sectors within the network are delineated by covering all channels in the sector with a complex valued pilot code. The modulation employed on the paging channel is essentially BPSK, using data rates of either 4800 bps or 9600 bps. Currently, there are 64 Walsh codes for channelization on the forward link; however, each Walsh code may be reused to facilitate greater capacity and/or data rates. The paging channel is currently segmented into fixed 80 msec slots.
Associated with each paging channel are 32 reverse link access channels. Access channels are chosen at random by users and are delineated by non-orthogonal codes. The codes within a sector are a function of the sector pilot code, paging channel code and the access channel chosen. The random access protocol employed is based on slotted ALOHA, with the slot size being a system configurable parameter. The parameters governing the protocol permit additional randomization of packets through time offsets to further reduce the possibility of collisions. All packets employ a minimum of 20 msec of un-modulation preamble to allow for acquisition by the base station. The access channel data rate is fixed at 4800 bps, with 64-ary orthogonal modulation being employed.
Mobiles use the access channel to request access to the network respond to page channel messages and send short messages to the base station. The procedures governing it's use are identical, regardless of the transaction classification. Several key factors that limit the efficiency of the access channel for packet data are outlined briefly below:
1. Initial Transmit Power
The initial transmit power employed by a mobile is determined using a simple rule which requires the sum of the received power and transmitted power to the constant. This open loop estimate can be error by as much as 8 dB due to inaccuracies introduced by both the estimation process and mobile implementation. The errors serve to reduce system capacity as well as reduce data throughput.
2. Fixed Transmit Power
The emitted power remains constant for the duration of a packet. However, the channel conditions and interference levels change over the duration of a packet. Since the transmit power remains constant, there are times when the received power is more than adequate and other times when it is less than adequate. This reduces system efficiency.
3. Access Channel Acquisition
The cell site receivers are designed to continuously search for access channel messages. The processing requirements imposed by the access channel structure can be large, particularly when the number of searcher elements becomes limited (i.e. serving cells). When the hypothesis space a single searcher must examine becomes large, the duration of the packet preamble may be extended to avoid missed acquisitions due to limited processing power. This increases the overhead-to-data ratio per packet.
4. Fixed Access Channel Data Rate
The access channel data rate operates at a fixed rate of 4800 bps. In addition, the access channel packet sizes are of fixed duration. Under certain circumstances the network is capable of supporting higher data rate transactions. Support of higher data rates increases overall throughput of the system. There are other circumstances where mobiles may be peak power limited and cannot support reliable communications at 4800 bps. In these cases it is desirable to provide a more reliable lower data rate service alternative.
5. Limited Feedback Channel Information
While using the access channel, mobiles are required to monitor the corresponding paging channel for system status messages as well as messages addressed to specific mobiles. There are not explicit feedback mechanisms employed at the physical layer such as power control, channel busy/idle status and system load. The lack of timely feedback information severely limits the throughput and capacity of a packet data service.
6. Soft Handoff
There is currently no mechanism to support soft handoff while using the paging or access channels. Traffic channel operation is currently the only channel type for which soft handoff is supported. This may limit the coverage, capacity and throughput capabilities of a packet service.