A passively controlled multiple output fiber laser system in which the frequency relationships between all of the optical outputs remain constant over time includes a plurality of fiber lasers for generating respective output beams. The lasers are positioned in close proximity to each other so that they experience the same environmental conditions. Each laser includes at least one Bragg reflection grating that controls the frequency and bandwidth of the laser's output beam. The Bragg gratings are formed so that they respond equally to environmental changes. In a preferred embodiment, the fiber lasers are made from a plurality of substantially identical photosensitive fibers, and Bragg gratings are exposed simultaneously under identical exposure conditions in each of the fibers. A multiple output fiber laser system suitable for heterodyne LADAR systems is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fiber lasers, and more particularly to a multiple output fiber laser system with passive frequency control and a method for making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Target detection systems, such as a laser radar (LADAR), typically use a pulsed optical signal beam from a pulsed laser to track moving targets. One such LADAR system is described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/369,023 filed on 5 Jan. 1995, entitled "RANDOM PULSE BURST RANGE-RESOLVED DOPPLER LASER RADAR" by Joseph N. Paranto et al., and assigned to Hughes Aircraft Company, the assignee of the present invention.
The pulsed signal beam reflects from a target and is collected and sent to a heterodyne receiver, which mixes reflected pulses with a local oscillator beam, typically an optical beam from a continuous-wave (CW) laser. For effective heterodyne detection of the reflected signal beam, the frequency relationship between it and the local oscillator beam must remain constant over time. This creates a problem because the local oscillator and pulsed signal beams are created by two separate lasers whose operating frequencies drift over time due to, among other factors, changes in environmental conditions (i.e., temperature, stress, strain).
Prior systems overcome this problem by utilizing tunable single-longitudinal mode (single-mode) solid state lasers to generate the local oscillator beam, such as those described in B. E. A. Saleh, et al., "Fundamentals of Photonics," John Wiley & Sons, 1991, pp. 518-519. The local oscillator beam is actively tuned to track any drifts in the frequency of the pulsed signal beam. These tunable lasers are very expensive and they increase the total size and complexity of the LADAR system due to the associated tuning and feedback circuits that are required.

Multiple output fiber laser with passive frequency control and method


A display panel for a CB transceiver is disclosed which identifies to others the channel being used by the operator and other information such as the operator's code name or that the operator needs emergency assistance. The display panel is adapted to be installed in a motor vehicle on the front dashboard, on the rear window area, or the side windows. In the preferred embodiment, the display panel includes an electronic digital channel indicator connected to the channel selector of the CB transceiver. The numbers displayed on the channel indicator change with the channel selected on the CB transceiver. A translucent overlay is mounted within the display panel in front of the digital channel indicator, and the overlay is personalized with information about the operator. A light behind the overlay makes the information visible to others. Two flashing lights are also mounted within the display panel. One of the lights is connected to the CB transceiver microphone to indicate that the operator is "on the air", and the other light is used in case the operator requires emergency assistance.

The present invention relates generally to a display device for a mobile CB transceiver system and, more particularly, to a channel and information indicator for identifying to others the channel being used by the operator and other information such as the operator's code name or that the operator needs emergency assistance.
Many conventional radio receivers are provided with a microphone and the circuitry necessary to transmit a radio signal modulated with audio frequency information. Such radios are usually referred to as "citizens band", "CB", or "two-way radios" or, more generically "transceivers". For a number of years, such transceivers have been available in motor vehicles to enable the driver of the vehicle, while driving, to communicate with a person having a similar transceiver either at a stationary location or in another vehicle for information, entertainment, or emergency purposes.
Recently, the use of mobile transceivers has gained in popularity to a point where a large percentage of both cars and trucks on the road today are equipped with CB radios which has caused the airways to be flooded with communications. These CB radios are usually purchased separately and installed adjacent to or under the vehicle's dashboard and away from the steering wheel column where space is a little more plentiful and the transceiver cabinet will not significantly interfere with the driver's operation of steering, braking, accelerating, or other vehicle control functions. Such a location permits the driver to hear received radio messages and for messages he wishes to transmit, a microphone is attached to the transceiver by an electrical cord or cable of suitable length and the driver will normally steer the vehicle with one hand while he holds the microphone close to his mouth with the other hand so that he can transmit messages.
Until the present invention, CB radio users have not been able to display to others the channel they are using. A typical CB radio has 40 channels and an electronic digital channel indicator built into the transceiver or in the microphone. When an operator is on a particular channel, the channel number is displayed to him only. The channel number selected is not displayed to others, and therefore, the operator cannot always control to whom he is talking or listening. If one CB operator spots another automobile having a CB radio in traffic, it has not been possible for either CB operator to know if the other CB operator has his radio on or what channel is being used. Thus, there has been a need for a relatively simple, inexpensive, channel and information indicator for CB radios which can be quickly installed on existing transceivers or added as original equipment to new transceivers.
The disadvantages of present CB transceivers which do not have a channel indicator display device, for identifying the channel used, have resulted in the CB radio channel display of the present invention which effectively eliminates the difficulties hereinbefore discussed.


Various examples of a technique for forming a pattern for substrate fabrication are disclosed herein. In an example, a method includes receiving a substrate. A patterned resist is formed on the substrate and has a trench defined therein. A dielectric is deposited on the patterned resist and within the trench such that the dielectric narrows a width of the trench to further define the trench. A fabrication process is performed on a region of the substrate underlying the trench defined by the dielectric.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs. However, such scaling down has also been accompanied by increased complexity in design and manufacturing of devices incorporating these ICs. Parallel advances in manufacturing have allowed these increasingly complex designs to be fabricated with precision and reliability.
As merely one example, advances in lithography have reduced the sizes of circuit devices and enabled the formation of increasingly complex structures. In general, lithography is the formation of a pattern on a target. In one type of lithography, referred to as photolithography, radiation such as ultraviolet light passes through or reflects off a mask before striking a photoresist coating on the target. The photoresist includes one or more components that undergo a chemical transition when exposed to radiation. A resultant change in property allows either the exposed or the unexposed portions of the photoresist to be selectively removed. In this way, photolithography transfers a pattern from the mask onto the photoresist, which is then selectively removed to reveal the pattern. The target then undergoes processing steps that take advantage of the shape of the remaining photoresist to create features on the target.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


An integrated circuit arrangement having a number of structural elements, at least one of which is surrounded by a metallic shielding structure. This structural element is thus protected against interference due to disturbing impulses from its environment. In particular, the structural elements of the circuit arrangement can be arranged next to or on top of one another. To produce the metallic shielding structure of a structural element of the circuit arrangement, at least one depression which surrounds the structural element is created and then lined with metal. The contacts and electrical connections of the structural element are electrically insulated from the metal of the shielding structure. To connect two structural elements within a three-dimensional circuit arrangement, the surfaces of the structural elements that face one another can be covered with two different metals, the alloy thereof having a melting point TS above the melting point T1 of at least one of the metals, so that heating to a temperature between the two melting points results in a permanent connection.

In modern circuit designs, in order to increase packing density and shorten connection paths, power semiconductors are integrated on one chip together with their control logic. Examples of this are found in motor controls or in ABS circuits and airbag drives in the automotive field. It is necessary here to protect the sensitive drive logic from the interference of strong disturbing influences from the power semiconductor.
Previously, the drive logic of the power semiconductors was separated galvanically (cf. A. Nakagawa et al., ISPS 1990, p. 97 to 101). To this end, the modules were integrated on silicon wafers comprising a thin SiO2 layer beneath the active Si region. The galvanic separation was obtained by etching trenches around the circuits, said trenches extending to the insulating SiO2 layer.
The thus obtained shielding of the drive logic against interference is inadequate against high-frequency disturbing impulses, however. Rapid switching processes can trigger an uncontrolled responding of the logic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,942 teaches an integrated circuit arrangement with at least one structural element that is delegated in a first substrate, which element is shielded by a shielding structure from electrical fluctuations of the first substrate caused by another structural element of the circuit arrangement. To this end, a shielding structure is created which surrounds a bottom half of the structural element laterally and comprises a bottom horizontal shielding element. To generate such an integrated circuit arrangement, a method is described in which an annular depression is created in a surface of a substrate. An insulating layer and a layer of polysilicon are subsequently deposited. A thick layer of SiO2 is deposited on this and planarized. On the planarized surface of the SiO2 layer, a second substrate is deposited as a carrier. The rear side of the first substrate is then ground thin, until the insulating layer is exposed. Parts of the conductive layer serve as a shielding structure. In a part of the first substrate that is surrounded by the shielding structure, source/drain regions are created by implantation. A gate electrode and contacts are created over these. Since high temperatures are required in order to deposit the carrier and to create the source/drain regions, doped polysilicon, which has a high melting point, is used for the shielding structure.
Japanese Patent Application No. 61/290 753 demonstrates an integrated circuit arrangement in which a lateral metallic structure is arranged next to a structural element. To this end, depressions which are lined with an insulating layer and filled with conductive material are arranged in a surface of a substrate at which the structural element adjoins.
European Patent Application No. 0 567 694 describes an integrated circuit arrangement with at least two blocks, which are separated from one another by an insulating layer. A metallic plate is arranged between them, in order to limit the capacitive coupling between the first and second blocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,856 describes a circuit arrangement which is integrated in a substrate, which arrangement can switch electrical signals from a surface of the substrate to a rear side of the substrate. To this end, depressions are made in the rear side of the substrate, which are lined with an insulating layer. A contact element extends along a sidewall of the depression. Stacks comprising structural elements can be arranged on top of each other in that electrodes of the structural elements are connected to one another by heating.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,511 describes a three-dimensional integrated circuit arrangement in which substrates comprising structural elements are stacked on top of one another. The structural elements are arranged in monocrystalline layers. The connecting of the substrates is accomplished by heating two adjacent SiO2 layers of the substrates to approximately 900xc2x0 C. Structural elements that are stacked on top of one other are electrically connected to one another other by contacts
It is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated circuit arrangement in which structural elements are shielded against interference, even high-frequency disturbing impulses, and a method for the production thereof.
This object is inventively achieved in accordance with the invention by a metallic shielding structure that acts as a Faraday cage, which structure surrounds the structural element to be protected, and in a method for the production therof.
The term xe2x80x9cstructural elementxe2x80x9d is used here for individual elements such as diodes and transistors as well as for circuit structures comprising a number of elements.
Protecting structural elements with a metallic shielding structure brings the advantage of avoiding the high costs associated with the use of the above described wafers containing SiO2.
By the metallic shielding structure, the structural elements are protected from interfering impulses not only of neighboring power semiconductors, but of any origin. The necessity for an additional shielding against interfering impulses from the environment is forgone. This keeps the volume of the chip particularly small.
The structural elements can be integrated into a three-dimensional circuit arrangement. Substrates comprising structural elements are thus joined on top of each other in a stacked fashion. Compared to the common two-dimensional arrangement, which is conditional to the use of a common substrate material for all modules, the three-dimensional arrangement increases the combinatorial possibilities with regard to the material and production process of the various structural elements. Sensor elements or high-speed GaAs-Hf transistors can thus be combined with silicon CMOS logic, for example.
To produce one part of the shielding structure, the surfaces of the structural elements are provided with a metallic layer, and their electrical contacts are subsequently electrically insulated from the metallic layer by etching away the metallic layer around the contacts. It is advantageous to use two different metals for the metallic layers of two structural elements that are arranged adjacently in the stack, the alloy of which has a melting point above the melting point of at least one metal. If the structural elements are now brought together, and their metallic layers are heated to a temperature below the melting point of the alloy, at which one metal is solid and the other liquid, then the metals mix, which results in a hardening, due to the higher melting point of the alloy. The metals of the shielding structure thereby simultaneously serve to permanently connect two adjacent structural elements in the stack.
It is advantageous to use tin as one metal, since it has a low melting point. Copper can be chosen as the other metal.
It is advantageous to deposit an auxiliary layer made of Ti or TiN prior to applying the metals onto the surface, which layer improves the adhesion of the metallic layer and forms a barrier against diffusion of the metals into metallic parts of the surface of the structural elements.
It is advantageous to apply an additional auxiliary layer of copper prior to the application of the tin, in order to improve the adhesion further.
These and other features of the invention(s) will become clearer with reference to the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments and accompanied drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-section through a first substrate, in whose top layer there is a structural element with a top and a bottom contact, and with an electrical connection, this being surrounded by a first lateral shielding element in the top layer, which is interrupted for purposes of leading the electrical connection through.
FIG. 2 is a cross-section through the first substrate of FIG. 1, on whose top surface an auxiliary layer and a top horizontal shielding element is deposited.
FIG. 3 is a cross-section through a second substrate, in whose top layer there is a structural element with a top and a bottom contact and with an electrical connection, this being, surrounded by a depression in the top layer, which is interrupted for purposes of leading the electrical connection through.
FIG. 4 is a cross-section through the second substrate of FIG. 3, on whose top surface an auxiliary layer is deposited and a top horizontal shielding element and a first lateral shielding element are created.
FIG. 5 is a cross-section through a third substrate, in whose top layer there is a structural element with a top and a bottom contact and with an electrical connection, this being surrounded by a depression that is provided with an insulating layer.
FIG. 6 is a cross-section through the first substrate of FIG. 2, which is ground thin from below and in which depressions are created on its bottom surface, which depressions encounter the first lateral shielding element in the top layer, on one hand, and the bottom contact of the structural element, on the other hand. The sidewalls of the depressions and the bottom surface of the substrate are provided with an insulating layer.
FIG. 7 is a cross-section through the first substrate of FIG. 6 subsequent to the deposition of an auxiliary layer and of a bottom shielding element onto the bottom surface.
FIG. 8 is a cross-section through two substrates arranged one on top of the other and which are connected.

Integrated circuit arrangement with a number of structural elements and method for the production thereof


A dishwasher employing a float assembly positioned in a centrally located sump in close proximity laterally and vertically to a horizontally rotating circulation pump impeller inlet area for accurately terminating fill when the liquid level rises slightly above the dynamic prime level thereby enabling lower water usage by eliminating the need to overfill to compensate for inaccuracies in liquid level control. A baffle partially encloses the float to prevent nuisance trips resulting from liquid turbulence in the sump caused by pump operation. A cover is provided over the float mechanism to prevent nuisance trips caused by overspray striking the float. In its preferred form the float assembly comprises a multi-chambered open bottom float portion and an inverted U-shaped stem portion. One end of the U-shaped stem is connected to the float. The free end is slidably supported in a vertical standpipe formed in the bottom of the sump. The free end projects externally from the sump through the standpipe to operatively engage a switch mounted beneath the sump. The switch is operative to enable and terminate liquid fill.

This invention relates to a dishwasher employing a float device for accurate liquid fill control.
Most automatic dishwashers presently commercially available use timer means and a flow-controlled inlet or constant flow type water valve to meter the desired amount of liquid into the wash chamber. It is well known that due to manufacturing variations, timer inaccuracies and deterioration of the flow controlled inlet valve over time, this approach results in inaccurate fills. To insure against an insufficient fill using this approach, the nominal fill setting is intentionally higher than necessary. This intentional overfill results in satisfactory washability performance but at a cost of greater water and energy usage than is necessary. One means of reducing water usage in a dishwasher is to provide an accurate fill control means which eliminates the need for intentionally overfilling.
The use of float devices in dishwashers is well known in the art primarily for flood control. In this role the float is typically placed in a corner of the wash chamber remote from the sump. This arrangement too provides an inherently inaccurate level control. Two major contributing factors are the placement of the device at a location relatively remote from the center of the machine which makes the liquid level sensing very sensitive to machine levelling, and the relatively large surface area of the pool requiring a relatively large change in liquid volume to make a relatively small change in liquid level. Since accuracy in a flood control device is not essential, this arrangement works satisfactorily for that purpose. However, for the precise control of liquid fill required to enable minimum water usage, such an arrangement is clearly not satisfactory.
It is desirable therefore to provide a dishwasher which provides a simple, reliable and inexpensive arrangement for accurately controlling the amount of liquid used in the machine with a view to minimizing water usage and associated energy consumption.
Thus, it is one object of the present invention to provide a dishwasher with an improved liquid fill level control arrangement.
It is another object of this invention to provide such a dishwasher in which the liquid level control arrangement accurately senses the level of liquid in the wash chamber.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a dishwasher in which the liquid fill level control arrangement is relatively insensitive to non-level mounting of the dishwasher.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a dishwasher in which the liquid fill level control arrangement is not vulnerable to nuisance tripping.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a dishwasher in which the liquid fill level control arrangement includes a float device for accurately sensing the liquid level in the wash chamber.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a dishwasher in which the liquid level control arrangement includes a float device which is capable of accurately terminating fill when the quantity of liquid provided to the wash chamber only slightly exceeds the quantity necessary to maintain the pump in its primed operating condition.

Dishwasher fill level control arrangement


A method is disclosed for power normalization of spectroscopic signatures obtained from laser based chemical sensors that employs the compliance voltage across a quantum cascade laser device within an external cavity laser. The method obviates the need for a dedicated optical detector used specifically for power normalization purposes. A method is also disclosed that employs the compliance voltage developed across the laser device within an external cavity semiconductor laser to power-stabilize the laser mode of the semiconductor laser by adjusting drive current to the laser such that the output optical power from the external cavity semiconductor laser remains constant.

Laser-based sensors that interrogate chemical samples across a range of optical wavelengths often make use of a tunable laser system such as a tunable external cavity laser (ECL). As the laser scans across its wavelength range, the output power of the ECL varies. The output power typically reaches a maximum somewhere in the middle of the scan, and falls to zero on either edge of the scan. In order to compensate for various aspects of the power variation, a separate photodetector can be employed to measure the power output of the laser independent of any absorption signatures. The separate photo detector may be separate from any photo detector involved in the detection process. Absorption spectra derived from the sensor can then be divided by the power spectrum to provide a power-normalized spectrum. Need for an extra photodetector is a limitation of chemical sensors employing power normalization because of the increased size, weight, and power required. The present invention addresses these and other problems by providing laser configurations and methods that obviate the need for an extra photo detector dedicated specifically to measure power output of the laser (i.e., for power normalization) for chemical sensing applications, thus reducing the size, weight, and power required for such systems. It further provides a method for determining the circulating power of external cavity lasers and for precise and sensitive detection of analytes without the need for a separate detector.

Methods for determining optical power, for power-normalizing laser measurements, and for stabilizing power of lasers via compliance voltage sensing


A phase change memory array may include at least one cell used to determine whether the array has been altered by thermal exposure over time. The cell may be the same or different from the other cells. In some embodiments, the cell is only read in response to an event. If, in response to that reading, it is determined that the cell has changed state or resistance, it may deduce whether the change is a result of thermal exposure. Corrective measures may then be taken.

This relates generally to phase change memories.
Phase change memory arrays are based upon memory elements that use a class of materials that have the property of switching between two phases having distinct electrical characteristics. Each of the phases may be associated with different crystallographic structures. The reset phase is associated with amorphous, disorderly structure, while the crystalline or polycrystalline phase, called the set phase, is an orderly structure.
The two phases, therefore, have distinct resistivities. In the chalcogenides, the resistivity varies by two or more orders of magnitude when the material passes from the amorphous phase to the crystalline phase and vice versa.
Thus, to reprogram the memory cell, heat may be applied to change the state of the cell. Unfortunately, the phase change memory cell may also change state over time in an undesirable way. The rate of change may be accelerated by exposure to high temperatures. The resulting bit alteration when exposed to cumulative high heat cycles for brief periods may reduce the useful lifetime of the phase change memory array.

Sensing phase-change memory/test cells for determining whether a cell resistance has changed due to thermal exposure


A telephone line overvoltage protection device and a method of forming an overvoltage protection device are provided. A first terminal guard housing defines a plurality of terminal receiving channels. A second housing contains a printed wiring board and the first terminal guard housing is arranged for mating engagement with the second housing. A plurality of terminals are inserted in the terminal receiving channels. Each of the terminals includes an outwardly extending terminal portion extending outside the first terminal guard housing. The outwardly extending terminal portion of each of the terminals is formed to define a line of terminal portions corresponding to a plurality of terminal receiving apertures in the printed wiring board. Then the terminal portions are inserted in the terminal receiving apertures and soldered to the printed wiring board. The terminals are bent to position the printed wiring board and a mating portion of the first terminal guard housing for insertion into the second housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telephone line overvoltage protection devices, and more particularly to an improved configuration and method of forming a telephone line overvoltage protection device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Overvoltage protection devices are commonly used with telephone lines for protecting telephone equipment against hazardous voltages due to lightning or power surges. Overvoltage protection circuitry that overcomes many disadvantages of the prior art circuitry is disclosed in McCartney, U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,920, issued Jul. 19, 1988 and McCartney et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,063, issued Jul. 10, 1990 and both assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,581 issued Nov. 20, 1990 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a connector guard for use with a telephone line overvoltage protection device of the type having a plurality of terminals for electrical and mechanical connection with a telephone connector block. The connector guard is an electrically insulative housing defining a plurality of terminal receiving channels providing electrical insulation between adjacent terminals and adjacent ones of the telephone line overvoltage protection devices. While the disclosed connector guard overcomes many disadvantages of known telephone connector block assemblies and provides improved reliability, it is desirable to provide a telephone line overvoltage protection device configured for facilitating manufacture, assembly and use.
Problems with known protection devices generally effective for overvoltage noise and transient protection include the complexity, the difficulty and time required for manufacture and assembly.

Method of forming a telephone line overvoltage protection device


A low-iron loss grain oriented electromagnetic steel sheet subjected to final finishing annealing has a plurality of linear grooves formed on surface of the steel sheet in a direction across the rolling direction, so as to improve the magnetic characteristics of the steel sheet. The linear grooves have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape in which the angle of a groove side wall to the direction of the thickness of the sheet is about 60.degree. or less. Projections are present at a bottom portion of the groove, and the depth at the top of the projection at the groove bottom is at least about 1/2 of the maximum groove depth. The steel sheet maintains a low iron loss even after stress relief annealing. The present invention provides a method of stably producing the steel sheet.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new low-iron loss grain oriented electromagnetic steel sheet and to a method of producing the same. This invention particularly relates to an electromagnetic steel sheet which maintains a low iron loss after stress relief annealing. This invention further relates to an electromagnetic steel sheet having advantage as a core material of a, transformer or other electrical apparatus.

Low-iron loss grain oriented electromagnetic steel sheet and method of producing the same


A piston ring may have a base with a sliding external surface, an internal surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface, the external surface having chamfered edges. The external surface, the internal surface, the upper surface, the lower surface, and the chamfered edges may have a coating provided with a nitrided first layer having a thickness of up to 2% of a nominal axial thickness of the ring when applied to the upper surface and the lower surface, and a thickness of up to 10% in relation to the thickness of the first layer applied to the upper surface and the lower surfaces when applied to the external surface and to the chamfered edges. The external surface and the chamfered edges may include a sliding layer having one of a hard chromium or ceramic chromium plated coating, the sliding layer being applied on the first layer, the sliding layer having a thickness of between 80 and 175 microns.

Whether they are Diesel cycle, Otto cycle, two stroke or three stroke engines, internal combustion engines comprise at least one piston ring. The piston ring seals the space between the cylinder sleeve and the piston head, insulating the combustion chamber from the other internal engine components. The piston ring is arranged radially in the base of the piston head, preventing the combustion gases from escaping from the combustion chamber in the direction of the casing, and preventing the engine oil from penetrating the combustion chamber. Usually, engines are provided with three rings placed in parallel in grooves arranged in the base of the head.
Certain internal combustion engines, principally those operating on a diesel cycle, work under high load. These engines operate at low speed with high power and therefore are more demanding in terms of their mechanical components. Thus, the rings used in such high-power engines need to be highly wear-resistant, not only on the external surface but also on the upper and lower surfaces of the rings.
Prior art piston rings generally comprise a stainless steel base with a nitride coating deposited on the external, internal, upper and lower surfaces and on the chamfers of the rings.
Patent document DE 10 2005 023 627 discloses a piston ring provided with a nitride coating and a hard chromium coating deposited on the external surface of the ring. However, the document does not disclose a complete solution since the ring, which is the subject matter of the invention, has only one of the edges of the external surface chamfered and with a hard chromium coating. That is to say, the hard chromium coating is applied partially on the external surface, thereby reducing wear-resistance.
Furthermore, documents JP 3090520 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,473 disclose piston rings provided with a nitride coating applied to the internal, upper, and lower surfaces, and a hard chromium coating applied using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process to the external surfaces of the rings.
These documents disclose, as disadvantage, PVD coatings that are limited to smaller thicknesses and thus coatings that are restricted in use in terms of durability. In addition to promoting the ring fatigue process through the compressive action of the PVD layer on the nitriding.
It is therefore necessary to find a piston ring comprising a nitride coating combined with a plated coating composed of chromium deposited in the most critical region of the ring, which is defined as the external surface and the chamfered edges, the ring offering a high level of durability owing to excellent resistance to wear on the various faces and the respective, sleeve and piston, contact moments.


The invention is a collapsible and thereby portable children's desk with a reversible top board including a blackboard on one side. The invention includes a two-legged support frame for a reversible, slanted board which may be stored in between the two-legged support frame; a storage tray for writing utensils also supported between the two-legged support frame; a double-layered side arm connecting one side of the support frame to a child's seat; and the necessary hinges to allow the desk to be collapsed with a 3 step process including: first, the folding of the chair to be flush with the side arm and then the placement of the chair and side arm within the two-legged support frame and finally the lifting up and sliding down of the board between the two-legged support frame.

1) Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to children's play and educational devices, in particular to children's desks which have both a play and an educational purpose and which are readily portable due to the fold-up nature of the invention.
2) Description of the Related Art
Tables with boards for children's play tables and chalkboards exist in the prior art; portable art and board-like devices also exist. This invention includes each of these aspects to provide a portable art and work table for children which can be stored in a small area.


A card edge connector includes an insulative housing defining a central slot along a longitudinal direction thereof. Two rows of passageways are disposed by two sides of the central slot, respectively. An elongated slit is formed in an outer side of each corresponding row of the passageways. A contact strip includes a elongated strip retention portion retained in the corresponding slit, a plurality of first contacts extending, from an upper portion of the retention portion, laterally into the some corresponding designated passageways. A plurality of discrete second contacts are respectively retainably disposed in the remaining passageways.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to card edge connectors, and particularly to the card edge connector with individual signal contacts and commoning power contacts and the method making the same.
2. The Related Arts
Card edge connectors are popularly used in the computer industry, for example, Micro Channel connectors, EISA connectors and DIMM connectors, etc. The contacts used in the card edge connectors generally include two types of which one is the so-called forming type in which the curved contact portion is successively bent/formed after the individual contact has been stamped from the metal sheet, and the other is the so-called blanking type in which the curved contact portion generally is directly formed when the individual contact is being stamped from the metal sheet.
The advantage of the former is to own the superior resiliency and the contacts on the same side of the connector housing can be commonly formed on the same carrier and simultaneously inserted into the corresponding passageways. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,766 discloses a card edge connector, i.e., the EISA connector, with two level contacts which are of the so-called forming contacts arranged on the same contact carrier and adapted to be inserted into the corresponding passageways of the housing at one time.
Oppositely, the advantage of the latter is to own the more precise shape of the contacts than the forming type, and have only one step, i.e., direct stamping, to form each individual contact rather than two steps, i.e., one stamping plus one forming, required by the forming type one. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,102 discloses the so-called blanking type in which the odd configuration of the curved contact portion or even the dual-beam contact portion can be achieved.
From another viewpoint, in some applications some of the individual contacts in the connector are expected to be electrically connected. Under such a condition, the jumper strip(s) or the shunting bar(s) is/are intentionally applied to the connector for implementation of commoning such specific contacts, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,464 (the card edge connector) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,597 (the cable connector).
The invention is to provide a card edge connector with some commoned designated contacts in an easy manufacturing way.
According to an aspect of the invention, a card edge connector includes an insulative housing defining a central slot along a longitudinal direction thereof. Two rows of passageways are disposed by two sides of the central slot, respectively. An elongated slit is formed in an outer side of each corresponding row of the passageways. The slit is configured to laterally communicate with some designated passageways in the corresponding row. A contact strip includes a elongated strip retention portion retained in the corresponding slit, a plurality of first contacts extending, from an upper portion of the retention portion, laterally into the some corresponding designated passageways and communicating with the central slot, and a plurality of tail portions extending downwardly from a lower portion of the retention portion out of a bottom face of the housing. A plurality of discrete second contacts are respectively retainably disposed in the remaining passageways with the corresponding tail portions extending downwardly out of the bottom face of the housing.

Card edge connector with commoning contacts and individual contacts and method making the same


A hook structure includes a base and a movable hook which is fixed on the base and is provided with a hook board and a hook board seat that are mutually assembled. An elastic member is provided between the hook board and the hook board seat. By the elastic member, when the hook is collided by an external force, the elastic member will operate the hook board to be ejected back, allowing the present invention to be provided with an advantage of a hidden-type and collision-proofed hook.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hook structure, and more particularly to a hidden-type hook structure.
b) Description of the Prior Art
As in an ordinary family, there is usually a requirement for hanging objects, such as hanging clothes or bags; therefore, hooks have been used very generally in the existing family. Referring to FIG. 1, it shows a perspective view of a conventional hook. A hook 1 is provided with a base 11 and a hook body 12, wherein the base 11 is usually fixed on a wall with glue or a nail, and the hook body 12, which is connected to the base 11, provides for hanging the object, thereby satisfying the requirement of hanging the objects.
However, in using the aforementioned conventional hook 1, following problems and shortcomings actually exist that improvement is needed:                1. The hook body 12 of the conventional hook 1 is connected to the base 11, and the hook body 12 is usually integrally formed or assembled with the base 11. However, whether being the assembly-type or the integrally formed type, the hook body 12 will be protruded on the wall. Therefore, when a person collides with the hook 1, the hook body 12 of the hook 1 will usually be broken or even fractured, resulting in that the hook 1 cannot be used any more, and causing an inconvenience.        2. When installing the conventional hook 1, a ruler or a piece of paper should be used to mark a fixing position first, and then the hook 1 is installed according to the mark of fixing position. Therefore, two actions are needed to accomplish the installation, resulting in that a laboring time will be wasted in installing the hook 1 and the installation will be inconvenient.
Accordingly, how to solve the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art, is a technological issue of research and development for improvement by the present inventor and related vendors.


A method is for determining a two-dimensional mammography dataset. The method includes the receipt of a three-dimensional mammography dataset of an examination region via an interface. The method furthermore includes the first determination of a two-dimensional mammography dataset of the examination region by application of a trained generator function to the three-dimensional mammography dataset via a processing unit, wherein the trained generator function is based on a trained GA network. Through this method, it is possible efficiently to create two-dimensional mammography datasets, which are visually similar to real two-dimensional mammography datasets and can therefore be appraised with standardized methods.

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a promising further development of two-dimensional mammography, which is the standard diagnostic method at present. Since DBT provides three-dimensional information about the breast anatomy, it reduces the number of false positives of two-dimensional mammography, which are caused by the overlaying of fibroglandular tissue. On the other hand however a diagnosis based on digital breast tomosynthesis increases the workload of a doctor making the diagnosis, since a plurality of slice recordings must be inspected.
In order to design the diagnosis, in particular the search for lesions, more efficiently it is advantageous, as well as the digital breast tomography, to continue to provide a two-dimensional mammography. Although the two-dimensional mammography could be provided by a separate recording by way of ionizing radiation, this increases the radiation stress on the tissue being examined. It is therefore advantageous to provide a synthetic two-dimensional mammography dataset based on three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis.
The publication by Felix Diekmann et al. "Thick Slices from Tomosynthesis Data Sets: Phantom Study for the Evaluation of Different Algorithms", Journal of Digital Imaging 22(5), P. 519-526 (2009), discloses approaches for creating a two-dimensional mammography dataset, which sum parts of the digital breast tomosynthesis (for example in the form of a Maximal Intensity Projection MIP, or by averaging layers). Although these methods are efficient, they have problems if suspect lesions are hidden behind structures with high intensity values, or when overlapping, inconspicuous structures create false positive results in the projection.
It is known from the publication by G. van Schie et al., "Mass detection in reconstructed digital breast tomosynthesis volumes with a computer-aided detection system trained on 2D mammograms", Medical Physics 40(4), P. 041902 (2013) that a curved two-dimensional surface can be created, which comprises the most conspicuous lesions of digital breast tomosynthesis, and that these can be represented in one plane. However distortions arise from this, so that the resulting two-dimensional image data is dissimilar to a usual two-dimensional mammography and makes a diagnosis difficult.
It is known from the publication US 20170011534 A1 that relevance values can be allocated to voxels of the digital breast tomosynthesis via a self-learning algorithm, wherein the relevance values relate to the relevance of the respective voxel for breast cancer diagnosis. Based on these relevance values, a two-dimensional image dataset is then created by weighted intensity projection. This method of operation is also problematic if suspect lesions are hidden behind structures with high intensity values or when overlapping, inconspicuous structures create false positive results in the projection.

Determining a two-dimensional mammography dataset


The present invention relates to a method for forming golf club head using metal injection molding and the resulting golf club head. The method of the invention allows for a lower volume of powdered metal than current metal injection molding processes thereby decreasing overall production cost.

Golf clubs are formed through a variety of methods. Commonly, a golf club head is forged or cast and then machined to the requisite dimensions and desired aesthetic quality. These processes have proven to be time consuming, inefficient, and expensive.
Recently, powdered injection molding has come to the forefront of golf club manufacturing. Metal injection molding or (MIM) is a manufacturing process which combines the versatility of plastic injection molding with the strength and integrity of machined, pressed or otherwise manufactured small, complex, metal parts. The process generally involves combining fine metal powders of a diameter of less than 45 micrometers with plastic binders (various thermoplastics, waxes, and other materials), which allow the metal to be injected into a mold using standard plastic injection molding machines.
After the part is molded and before the binders are removed, the post molding product is referred to as a "green part." The next step is to remove the binders and flow agents with solvents and thermal processes. The resultant metal part is then sintered at temperatures great enough to bind the particles but not melt the metal. This process results in a golf club that has a crisp, clean appearance similar to a golf club subjected to a milling process. However, this process requires powdered metals, which are expensive.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,842 generally discloses a unitary golf club head made by metal injection molding. This requires that the entire volume of the club head is formed from powdered metal, which, as mentioned above, is cost prohibitive based on the cost of powdered metals.
Therefore, what is needed is a golf club that can be produced efficiently and with a low volume of powdered metal, while maintaining performance characteristics and aesthetic quality.


The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for providing high speed communication between a sending system and a receiving system. One computer-implemented method includes determining, by a computer, that data is available for serialization using a pointer transfer; getting a data block of the data from a memory; getting metadata corresponding to the data block; writing an original address of the data block to a transport layer; writing the data block to the transport layer; determining that the data corresponding to the data block contains pointers; and adding a referenced data block to one or more data blocks to be transferred to a receiving system.

A computing system can communicate with one or more other computing systems over a network. Communication components associated with the computing system and/or the network can be grouped according to layers. For example, layers can include application, presentation, session, transport, network, data link, and physical layers. Each layer can be associated with one or more functions. For example, the application layer can interact with software applications that implement a communicating component and the transport layer can provide the functional and procedural means of transferring variable-length data sequences from a source to a destination host via one or more networks, while maintaining the quality of service functions. In general, a given layer can provide one or more services to a layer above the given layer, and can consume one or more services provided by a layer below the given layer.


A biodegradable device for activating T-cells includes a biodegradable support and a binder attached to the biodegradable support, the binder having reactivity to one or more agents capable of binding to a T-cell surface antigen.

Cell therapy methods have been developed in order to enhance the host immune response to tumors, viruses and bacterial pathogens. Cell therapy methods often involve the ex-vivo activation and expansion of T-cells. Examples of these type of treatments include the use of tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cells (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,132 issued to Rosenberg), cytotoxic T-cells (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,255,073 issued to Cai, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,827 issued to Celis, et al.), expanded tumor draining lymph node cells (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,385 issued to Terman), and various other lymphocyte preparations (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,207 issued to Bell, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,983 issued to Ochoa, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,177 issued to Riddell, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,920 issued to Babbitt, et al.).
T-cells must be activated in order to proliferate, perform effector functions and produce cytokines (Liebowitz, Lee et al. 1998). T-cells require direct contact with antigen presenting cells ("APC") for activation. APC convert protein antigens to peptides and then present peptide-MHC complexes in a form that can be recognized by T-cells. The interaction of the peptide-MHC complex on the APC and the T-cell receptor ("TCR") on the surface of the T-cell usually provides the first of the two signals required for activation. The second of the two signals required for activation is usually provided by membrane-bound or secreted products of the APC.
Due to the difficulty in maintaining large numbers of natural APC in cultures and in identifying disease-associated antigens and controlling the processing and presentation of these antigens to T-cells by natural APC, alternative methods have been sought for ex-vivo activation of T-cells for use in cell therapy. One method is to by-pass the need for the peptide-MHC complex on natural APC by instead stimulating the TCR with polyclonal activators, such as immobilized or cross-linked anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to provide the first signal to T-cells. Other methods take advantage of the secondary T-cell activation pathway to provide the first signal, such as the use of immobilized or cross-linked anti-CD2 mAb.
The combination of anti-CD3 mAb (first signal) and anti-CD28 mAb (second signal) is most commonly used to substitute for natural APCs in inducing T-cell activation in cell therapy protocols. The signals provided by anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 mAbs are best delivered to T-cells when the antibodies are immobilized on a solid surface such as plastic plates (Baroja, Lorre et al. 1989; Damle and Doyle 1989) or sepharose beads (Anderson, Blue et al. 1988) (see also U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,694 issued to June, et al.).
A method for immobilizing anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 mAb on tosyl-activated paramagnetic beads with a 4.5 micron diameter and the subsequent use of these beads to stimulate T-cells to proliferate and produce pro-inflammatory cytokines has been described (Levine, Bernstein et al. 1997). It has also been shown that T-cells activated with these beads exhibit properties, such as cytokine production, that make them potentially useful for adoptive immunotherapy (Garlie, LeFever et al. 1999; Shibuya, Wei et al. 2000). These beads are now commercially available from Dynal, NS (Oslo, Norway) under the trade name Dynabeads® CD3/CD28 T-cell Expansion.
The use of paramagnetic beads with immobilized mAbs for expansion of T-cells in cell therapy protocols requires the separation and removal of the beads from the T-cells prior to patient infusion. This is a very labor-intensive process and results in cell loss, cell damage, increased risk of contamination and increased cost of processing. Because of the tight association of the immobilized mAbs on the beads with the corresponding ligands on the surface of the target T-cells, the removal of the beads from the T-cells is difficult. The bead:cell conjugates are often separated by waiting until the T-cells internalize the target antigens and then by using mechanical disruption techniques to separate the beads from the T-cells. This technique can cause damage to the T-cells and can also cause the ligated antigens on the T-cells to be removed from the cell surface for a period of time (Rubbi, Patel et al. 1993). In addition, highly activated T-cells are most desirable for use in cell therapy protocols and T-cells often lose this desirable property during the 24-72 hour waiting time for the T-cells to internalize the target antigens.
The process of removing the paramagnetic beads after separation from the T-cells requires the passing of the cell/bead solution over a magnet. This process can greatly reduce the quantity of beads remaining with the T-cells, but does not completely eliminate the beads. This incomplete bead removal results in some beads being infused in patients which can cause toxic effects. The magnetic bead removal process also reduces the number of T-cells available for therapy, as many T-cells remain associated with the paramagnetic beads even after the waiting time and mechanical disassociation, and are thus removed with the beads in the magnetic field. Some cell loss also occurs when T-cells that may not be bound to the beads become entrapped by beads pulled to the surface next to the magnetic source.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A relatively low frequency chopping operation is applied to a delta-sigma ADC to reduce DC offsets resulting from non-ideal component operation. Sequential chopping takes place outside a closed loop and may include an inverted polarity feedback for a part of the chopping period. Nested chopping involves chopping within the closed loop, and may include an inverted polarity feedback and a time shift. The feedback compensation for sequential and nested chopping permits the correct polarity feedback to be provided at the desired time in conjunction with sampling and quantization events. Integrating capacitor(s) may be swapped in relative polarity during nested chopping to preserve residual conversion information for the desired polarity. The ADC operation is non-temperature dependent and avoids modification to the useful signal, resulting in higher accuracy.

The present disclosure relates generally to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and more particularly to delta-sigma (ΔΣ) ADCs with reduced DC offset and reduced low frequency noise.
A delta-sigma (ΔΣ) ADC is similar to a voltage controlled oscillator in which the frequency of the oscillation is proportional to the input voltage. A ΔΣ ADC is typically realized with a ΔΣ modulator, such as is represented in FIG. 1. A ΔΣ modulator 100 operates on an analog input to a difference operator 102, such as may be implemented as a summing junction. An integrator 104 operates on the error signal produced by difference operator 102. A comparator 106 provides a threshold operation in which the output of integrator 104 is compared to a threshold, and an output of comparator 106 changes state when the threshold is crossed. A latch 108, which can be implemented as a D flip-flop, captures the output of comparator 106 and produces a bit stream output. A feedback loop is provided through a one bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 110. The output of DAC 110 is provided to difference operator 102 to produce the error signal applied to integrator 104. The bit stream produced by delta-sigma modulator 100 is used to provide an analog-to-digital conversion when the bit stream output pulses are counted within a given time interval. When the pulses output from latch 106 are counted or summed over a given interval, the digitized value of the count or sum represents an average of the analog input. Feedback DAC 110 typically converts a bit stream value output from latch 108 to a voltage reference that can represent a range of operation for the delta-sigma modulator. Comparator 106 and latch 108, when combined, can be viewed as providing a quantization operation.
When delta-sigma modulators are used to convert analog inputs to a bit stream output for use in ADC applications, such a ΔΣ ADC may be limited in the dynamic range and the acceptable frequency of the analog input. The accuracy of high dynamic range DC and low frequency measurement signal chains in a ΔΣ ADC are dominated by DC offset and 1/f noise. The input and signal chains in a ΔΣ ADC are typically implemented as differential pathways to contribute to rejecting or reducing noise.
Auto-zeroing and chopping are two fundamental approaches conventionally used to minimize DC offset and low frequency noise in data converters and sampled amplifiers. Auto-zeroing refers to a technique for reducing the impact of DC offsets associated with ADC operation by measuring and attempting to cancel offsets. In one approach, ADC inputs are shorted and the DC, input-referred, offset is measured, stored and subtracted from input values during regular operation. This approach is limited by the accuracy of measuring the offset and residual errors during the cancellation of the offset.
Chopping refers to a technique for switching signal pathways in an attempt to compensate for the impact of pathway mismatches. Signal pathway mismatches may be related to component tolerances, manufacturing processes, trace paths and other mismatched items that can produce voltage offsets in the signal pathways. Chopping helps to remove the offsets by alternating signal pathways to balance mismatch impact over time.
However, notwithstanding the above techniques, a residual DC offset continues to be present due to mismatches in the differential signal paths. Achieving an input referred offset in the range of 100 nV is a major challenge in high accuracy DC measurement circuits.
Referring to FIG. 2, a diagram of a charge domain model of a typical first order ADC system 120 that is based on a ΔΣ modulator, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1, is illustrated. System 120 illustrates the charge domain operation of the first order ΔΣ ADC that shows offset sources associated with integrators and switches. System 120 illustrates an input sampling capacitor Cs, a feedback sampling capacitance Cref, an integration and amplification capacitance Cint and a quantizer 122. The offset charge associated with each of these signal paths are illustrated as Qoff_in across input sampling capacitance Cs, Qoff_dac across feedback capacitance Cref, Qoff_int associated with the integrator, and offset Voff_quant associated with quantizer 122. The input referred offsets associated with the sources modeled and reflected to the input in system 120 are summarized in Equation 1 below.
                              V          off_tot                =                                            Q              off_in                        Cs                    +                                    Q              off_dac                        Cs                    +                                    Q              off_int                        Cs                    +                                    V              off_quant                        ·                          (                              1                -                                  z                                      -                    1                                                              )                                +                      V            off_int                                              (        1        )
Equation 1 indicates that offsets associated with the input and the feedback DAC, as well as the amplifiers, refers to the ADC input as is, and therefore a reduction in the amplifier offset and 1/f noise contribution is insufficient to reduce the input offset.
In known ADCs, attempts have been made to remove DC offsets by focusing on amplifier offsets and 1/f noise. One approach to reduce or remove DC offsets calls for the introduction of a chopping operation as described above. With this approach, a signal path is modulated and demodulated with switches or pulse signals to chop the signal. The chopping operation can contribute to reducing DC offsets and low frequency noise in an integrator/amplifier. These approaches, however, do not address residual errors that originate from the chopping activity itself.
One known attempt to reduce DC offsets and 1/f noise associated with switched capacitor gain stages, as well as ΔΣ ADCs, employs a fast chopping switch before and after the integrator, which tends to move the low frequency errors to higher frequencies and permits the useful signal to pass unchanged.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a conventional chopped integrator used with a ΔΣ ADC is illustrated as system 130. An operational trans-conductance amplifier (OTA) 132 with a gain of gme has an input chopper 134 and an output chopper 135. Input and output choppers 134, 135 move 1/f noise and DC offsets of OTA 132 to a higher frequency. For example, a DC offset of OTA 132, represented as voltage Voff_amp is moved to a higher frequency by choosing a chopping frequency, fchop_fast, which moves 1/f noise away from the useful signal.
Sampling switches 136, 138 and feedback DAC switches 137a, 137b have a charge injection that is common mode if the switches are ideally matched. Sampling switches 138 are referenced to a common mode voltage Vcm to provide common mode sampling in an arrangement sometimes referred to as parasitic insensitive sampling. However, mismatches in the paths and switch variables tend to produce a DC offset voltage Voff_int, which is temperature dependent. As indicated in FIG. 3, the accumulated DC offset Voff_int equals the sum of the DC offset Voff_samp from sampling switches 136 and the DC offset Voff_dac from the feedback DAC switches 137a, 137b. DC offset Voff_dac can also be influenced by mismatches in feedback capacitors 133a, 133b. The DC offset represented by voltage Voff_dac can be dynamic based on the density of the logic ones produced by the ADC provided in the DAC feedback. The dynamic nature of voltage Voff_dac can be further influenced by mismatches in the DAC switches. The DC offset due to a high logic one density in the output of the ADC tends to decrease for analog inputs around midrange of the ADC. Switch leakage mismatch, both junction and off-state, also contributes to offset errors.
FIG. 4 illustrates a system block diagram of a charge domain model of a ΔΣ ADC using a chopped integrator such as that shown in FIG. 3. A shortcoming of the technique of using a fast chopping clock before and after the integrator, as illustrated in FIG. 4, is that charge injection mismatches due to input and feedback switches of the ADC continue to remain a dominant offset source.
FIG. 5 illustrates another known attempt to reduce DC offset and 1/f noise to push the input signal to a high frequency using an input chopping network. The high pass quantization noise generated by a typical ΔΣ ADC can contaminate the input signal in accordance with this approach. The contamination can be reduced by converting the low pass ΔΣ modulator to a high pass modulator using the low pass-to-high pass frequency transformation z→-z. This is the approach is illustrated in the system block diagram shown in FIG. 5. In the modulator illustrated in FIG. 5, unlike previous ΔΣ ADCs, the quantization noise is pushed to lower frequencies. However, due to primary modulation at the input, the useful signal is pushed to higher frequencies, generating stringent settling time and slew rate requirements on the analog modulator, which tends to increase overall power consumption for the ADC. In addition, residual offset due to the fast chopping activity at the input continues to present a problem with inaccuracy in this architecture.
Another known approach to address DC offsets is similar to that described above in FIG. 5, with the addition of a slow chopper to remove residual DC offset. FIG. 6 illustrates a charge domain model with an ADC incorporating a slow chopper. The ADC of FIG. 6 has the drawback that a slow changing input is processed to a very high frequency, which tends to increase the analog modulator settling and slew rate requirements. In addition, moving the input signal to a higher frequency tends to cause a disturbance on the integration capacitor. The disturbance on the integration capacitor reduces the DC accuracy of the ADC, which in turn contributes to a reduction in the overall accuracy of the ADC. The ADC charge domain model exhibits a lack of phase inversion in the feedback DAC, which makes this approach less useful in terms of limitations on DC accuracy and dynamic range.

Multistage chopper stabilized delta-sigma ADC with reduced offset


A photopolymerizable mixture is disclosed that contains a polymer binder, a polymerizable compound having at least one terminal ethylene double bond and a boiling point above 100.degree. C. at normal pressure, a hexaarylbisimidazole and a 1,3-diarylpyrazoline or a 1-aryl-3-aralkenyl-pyrazoline. The mixture is suitable for the preparation of printing plates and photoresists and is distinguished by high photosensitivity and low sensitivity towards acid solutions.

The present invention relates to a photopolymerizable mixture that contains a polymer binder, a polymerizable compound having at least one terminal ethylenic double bond and a boiling point above about 100.degree. C. at normal pressure and a photoinitiator combination. The mixture is suitable for the preparation of recording materials, in particular of printing plates and photoresists.
EP 138,187 discloses photopolymerizable mixtures that contain, as photoinitiators, a combination of a hexaarylbisimidazole with an N-heterocyclic compound substituted by p-dialkylaminophenyl groups. These substituted N-heterocyclic compounds have the disadvantage that they are readily soluble in acids and, for example, when used as plating resists are extracted from the acid baths and contaminate the latter.
JP 55/75 405 describes 2-pyrazoline derivatives having substituents in the 1-, 3-, 4- and/or 5-position as photoinitiators, which are optionally combined with compounds containing aromatic keto groups. These initiators and initiator combinations give mixtures which are not sufficiently photosensitive for use in practice.
DE 3,019,211 relates to sensitization of iodonium and sulfonium compounds, which act as photoinitiators, with polyarylpyrazolines. It also relates to combinations of these mixtures with monomers which can be polymerized by free radical polymerization. The photosensitivity of these mixtures is inadequate.

Photopolymerizable mixture and recording material prepared therefrom


A reciprocating conveyor being switchable between an operation mode and an interrupt mode by an RF remote control. An electric valve communicates between a hydraulic drive pump and a reciprocating switch valve to provide a bypass for a pressurized fluid. A hand held transmitter produces a signal which is received by a receiver. The receiver cause the actuation of the electric valve between open and closed positions.

Reciprocating slat conveyors or "shuffle floor" conveyors for vehicle beds have been disclosed in various U.S. Pat. Nos. including: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,184,587; 4,144,963; 4,691,819 and 4,856,645. Reciprocating slat conveyors use groups of multiple slats moving horizontally relative to each other or with the slats of each group moving simultaneously in one direction and sequentially in the opposite direction. This arrangement provides step-wise movement of material across the conveyor floor. The slats are reciprocated on a framework by a hydraulic drive system mounted beneath the framework. The control devices for the drive system are mounted to the vehicle and generally located in the approximate vicinity of the drive system. In most applications, the user needs to monitor the discharge of the material coming off the conveyor. For example, a user needs to monitor grain coming off the conveyor at the end of the bed into a hopper of an auger to prevent overflows. With conveyor controls inconveniently located away from the discharge end or from the user's point of observation, the user must travel back and forth from the end of the beds to the vehicle mounted controls to start and stop the reciprocating action of the conveyor.

Remote control for a reciprocating vehicle bed conveyor floor


A customer service information forwarding method is provided. The method includes receiving customer service information sent by a client terminal to a first target account; obtaining a login status of a second target account on the second communication platform; when the login status of the second target account is offline, obtaining a pre-established forwarding account bound to the second target account and setting the state of the customer service information as not-forwarded; aggregating not-forwarded customer service information within a preset time period into aggregated customer service information; when a number of the aggregated customer service information within the preset time period does not exceed the predefined value, sending the aggregated customer service information to the forwarding account; and when the number exceeds the predefined value, sending a message to the forwarding account to prompt a user to login the second target account to check the aggregated customer service information.

Today's chat software for customer service works either in one-to-many mode or in many-to-many mode between businesses and customers. Usually, the customer to business ratio is relatively high. For example, tens of thousands of customers are served and addressed by one or several customer service staffs. This requires high performance supporting system at the business end. So the customer service is generally received and served by customer service staffs though PCs installed with customer service software, and smart mobile terminals may not be able to support and manage simultaneously tens of thousands of users while processing a large number of messages. However, when the customer service staffs are not online, messages sent to PCs by the customers may not be able to be processed in time, failing to take advantage of the flexibility of smart mobile terminals to expand customer service software functionality.
The disclosed methods and structures are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.

Method, apparatus and system for customer service information forwarding

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A method and system for interactively shopping for groceries, especially on an Internet web site, where the user may create a shopping list, shop for items from the list at a selected grocery store, arrange for pick up or delivery of the selected items, and provide payment. A user may also download a created shopping list to a handheld computing device (e.g., PDA) or print the list with reference to the layout of a particular grocery store. Users are required to register and provide specific demographic information (useful to manufacturers and stores) to be eligible to receive the benefits of use of the web site, such as menu creation, coupon downloads, menu planning, and recipe input. Shopping lists may be created from a single input screen using standard language text. Products may be automatically suggested to the user based on best regular price or retailer's specials. Recipes may be altered to meet numbers of servings or to comply with dietary requirements.

The present invention relates generally to shopping for goods and services, and more particularly, to a method and system for interactively shopping for groceries, especially on the Internet, where the user, among other things, is offered the opportunity to create a shopping list, shop for items from the list at one or more selected Grocery Stores, arrange for pick up or delivery of the selected items and payment, print the list, or download the list into a personal digital assistant or like device for use in the store, etc.
Recently, a wide range of interactive devices has been developed to provide information to a variety of users via communications networks. These interactive devices include, for example, computers connected to various computer on-line services, interactive kiosks, interactive television systems, a variety of other wired and wireless devices, such as personal data assistants (PDA's), and the like. In particular, the popularity of computer on-line services has grown immensely in popularity over the last decade. Computer on-line services are provided by a wide variety of different companies.
In general, most computer on-line services are accessed via the Internet. The Internet is a global network of computers. One popular part of the Internet is the World Wide Web, or the "Web." The World Wide Web contains computers that display graphical and textual information. Computers that provide information on the World Wide Web are typically called "Web sites." A Web site is defined by an Internet address that has an associated electronic page, often called a "home page." Generally, a home page is an electronic document that organizes the presentation of text, graphical images, audio and video into a desired display. These Web sites are operated by a wide variety of entities, which are typically called "providers."
A user may access the Internet via a dedicated high-speed line or by using a personal computer (PC) equipped with a conventional modem or a variety of other wired and wireless devices. Special interface software, called "browser" software, is installed within the PC or other access device. When the user wishes to access the Internet by normal telephone line, an attached modem is automatically instructed to dial the telephone number associated with the local Internet host server. The user can then access information at any address accessible over the Internet. Two well-known web browsers, for example, are the Netscape Navigator browser marketed by Netscape Communications Corporation and the Internet Explorer browser marketed by Microsoft Corporation.
Information exchanged over the Internet is typically encoded in HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) format. The HTML format is a scripting language that is used to generate the home pages for different content providers. In this setting, a content provider is an individual or company that places information (content) on the Internet so that others can access it. As is well known in the art, the HTML format is a set of conventions for marking different portions of a document so that each portion appears in a distinctive format. For example, the HTML format identifies or "tags" portions of a document to identify different categories of text (e.g., the title, header, body text, etc.). When a web browser accesses an HTML document, the web browser reads the embedded tags in the document so it appears formatted in the specified manner.
An HTML document can also include hyperlinks, which allow a user to move from one document to another document on the Internet. A hyperlink is an underlined or otherwise emphasized portion of text that, when selected using an input device such as a mouse, activates a software connection module that allows the user to jump between documents or pages (i.e., within the same Web site or to other Web sites). Hyperlinks are well known in the art, and have been sometimes referred to as anchors. The act of selecting the hyperlink is often referred to as "clicking on" the hyperlink.
Some grocery shopping utilizing Internet-based web sites has been available for five or more years, allowing the user to select and purchase for delivery, or pick up, items offered by retailers. Typically these web sites have either been specific to a particular retailer, traditional or web-based, or, more recently, for a limited number of retailers in a particular geographic area.
Despite the availability of these shopping methods, it is well known that users have frequently been unwilling to use these methods for their routine grocery shopping. For example, users must utilize a cumbersome and rigidly structured hierarchical menu to select items for purchase. This approach is counter to the way most people approach grocery shopping, identifying items individually or by relatedness, such as selecting ingredients from a recipe. Additionally, users have been unable to price-compare like items between stores, making it difficult to decide where to shop. In addition users often wish to price-compare brands in the same store quickly, a feature not heretofore readily provided.
Furthermore, it is rarely within the users' coupon resources to locate the specific coupons for most or all of the items on their grocery list for a particular shopping experience. To date, users must select coupons from the newspaper or from Internet-based coupon sources and manually match the coupons to their purchases. This approach of manually matching coupons to purchases results in significant missed opportunities for users. In addition, when users have matched the coupons with their purchases there have been limited methods for redeeming the coupons, except at the time of purchase by physical presentation of the coupon.
Most importantly, Internet grocery shopping has based its revenue generation on delivery fees and charging more for the products purchased by the user. Most, if not all, grocers create separate warehouses for their Internet-based grocery establishments, and therefore, offer a limited selection of items at a higher cost to the user. As evidenced by the number of failures of Internet grocery shopping web sites this arrangement has been largely unsuccessful. Further evidence of the difficulties with existing methods has been the limited number of users attracted to grocery shopping on the Internet.
Finally, users have not been presented with opportunities to utilize other tools to make the shopping effort more efficient and effective. Particularly, users have had to manually maintain reminders, capture items for purchase on scraps of paper or elsewhere to reuse what they need. They have been required to transcribe items required from their own recipes and meal plans onto the previously available web sites. Similarly, they have been required to transcribe quantities from recipes, meal plans and weekly menu plans which can be time consuming and result in items being missed.

Interactive internet shopping and data integration method and system


The combination of a piston with an integrated spark plug to be used in an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The plug-in-piston configuration allows for maximum combustion and fuel efficiency as well as increased power output. Further, the configuration minimizes the release of unburned fuel and pollutants into the atmosphere. A method is also disclosed by which electrical energy is communicated to a spark plug.

This invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to an improved combustion environment within the cylinders in rotary engines employing reciprocating pistons.
In the familiar internal combustion engine, as well as in the familiar rotary piston type internal combustion engine, the spark plug is typically located in the stationary head of the engine. This configuration provides for the ignition of an air-fuel mixture within the cylinder at the point of the spark plug. The ignition of these gasses can be best described as a rapid burn originating at the point of the spark plug and growing out from that point towards the outward moving piston face. During high-speed operation the speed of the piston can exceed the speed of the burn. When this happens the burn is not yet completed when the exhaust valve opens and the unburned fuel is then expelled into the atmosphere wasting fuel and energy as well as producing higher than normal levels of pollution. On the other hand it is known that high-speed movement of the piston can help control the production of nitrogen oxides (other pollutants). Therefore, a need has developed to have a combination of high-speed piston movement with a more complete combustion.
This invention seeks to address the problem of unburned gasses being expelled into the atmosphere because of uncompleted combustion cycles during the high-speed operation of an internal combustion engine. It further seeks to provide conditions where high-speed piston movement is encouraged during combustion to help control the formation of nitrogen oxides and thereby further reduce toxic emissions. It is yet another goal of this invention to provide a means by which more usable energy can be provided because of a more complete combustion burn cycle, thereby increasing fuel efficiency and reducing fuel usage.

Plug-in-piston assembly and method of using the same


A rack assembly having a plurality of support posts, brackets extending from individual support posts, and a bracket rail extending between two or more brackets and capable of supporting goods. An outer plate portion of each support post is formed with a plurality of vertically spaced apart engagement holes. Each bracket has engaging projections adapted to be received into the engagement holes, engaging pawls extending from the respective engaging projections and engageable with respective edges of the engagement holes, and a plate portion abuttable to the outer surface of the support post. The bracket can be mounted to the support post by inserting the engaging projections into corresponding engagement holes at the erection site to allow the engaging pawls to engage the edge of the engagement holes. Simultaneously, the slip-off preventive projection of the bracket is inserted into the slip-off preventing hole in the side plate portion of the support post. Thereby, the plate portions of the bracket is abuttable to the outer surface of each support post and thus the bracket is securely mounted to the support post.

Rack assemblies adapted for the convenience of loading and unloading operations by forklift trucks or goods handling devices employed in automatic warehousing facilities have been known which are of the type having a plurality of support posts arranged in spaced apart relation, both depthwise and transversely of the rack assembly, bracings and longitudinal beams for interconnecting the depthwise disposed support posts so as to securely fix them together, and transverse beams for interconnecting the transversely disposed support posts. Brackets project from each adjacent pair of the transversely disposed support posts at opposed positions, and bracket rails extend between the brackets of each adjacent two depthwise disposed support posts for supporting articles placed in the rack assembly.
In such known rack assembly, each support post has, for example, a rectangular tube shape. Usually, brackets are fixed by welding to sides of each support post at the manufacturing factory site, and bracket rails are likewise fixed by welding to distal ends of associated brackets, prior to shipment of the rack assembly. In some cases, brackets are adapted to be fixed by bolts to sides of each support post so as to be set in position at the site for rack erection.
The known rack assembly has a drawback that where assembly work is carried out in the factory, assembled rack members will occupy a large space and, in addition, shipment of same involves a high cost of transport. In the case where rack members are adapted to be fixed together by bolting, one disadvantage is that considerable time is required for assembly work at the erection site. Another disadvantage is that the rack assembly has a larger number of component parts.
The present invention is directed to eliminating the above mentioned problems, and accordingly it is a primary object of the invention to provide a rack assembly which is less expensive, can be put in assembled condition in much shorter time, and yet has higher strength.


A gating mechanism that uses a capillary stabilized liquid as a reversible, reconfigurable gate that fills and seals pores in the closed state, and creates a non-fouling, liquid-lined pore in the open state is disclosed. Theoretical modeling and experiments demonstrate that for each transport substance, the gating threshold—the pressure needed to open the pores—can be rationally tuned over a wide pressure range. This enables realizing in one system differential response profiles for a variety of liquids and gases, even letting liquids flow through the pore while preventing gas from escaping. These capabilities allow dynamic modulation of gas-liquid sorting and to separate multi-phase mixtures, with the liquid lining ensuring sustained antifouling behavior. Because the liquid gating strategy enables efficient short-term and long-term operation and can be applied to a variety of pore structures and membrane materials, and to nano, micro as well as macroscale fluid systems, the gating systems is useful in a wide range of applications.

Porous systems (e.g., micropores or nanopores) in living organisms have evolved to extract fluids, vapors, and solids from soil, air, and ocean, sort them among internal compartments to control buoyancy, pressure, body patterning, sensing and metabolic cascades, and eliminate wastes, toxins, and pathogens.
In synthetic systems, a single system capable of complex multiphase selectivity and control has not been achieved, and fouling is nearly inevitable. Currently, many synthetic pore designs rely on static gating by precisely tailored chemistry, geometries, molecular fitting, and/or layering. To make transport responsive and controllable, active gates are designed to open and close the pores: polymers lining the pathway extend and recoil, hydrogel plugs swell and contract, "ball and chain" or "plunger" elements enter and exit, or elastomeric lids flex up and down. Yet for most systems, the need to balance surface chemistry and size requirements makes it difficult to differentially tune the behavior of multiple substances at once, and highly specific molecular pathways are observed only for pure liquid. The material requirements of responsive gates can further constrain options, and, for any nano/microscale transport, fouling is a universal problem that imposes another set of size and chemical considerations.
FIG. 30 shows a conventional pore (e.g., nanopore or micropore, which is significantly larger than molecular scale) in a solid material.
In such conventional pore systems, gas will flow through passively (i.e., the threshold pressure for gas (Pthreshold(gas)) is zero) regardless of shape and surface chemistry (see left of FIG. 30). In other words, transport of gases (left) is uncontrolled and can occur even at zero differential pressure. As used in the present disclosure, the "pressure" discussed herein refers to the pressure differential across the pore systems as compared to the pressure of the environment. For example, if operating under atmospheric conditions, zero pressure means that no additional differential positive or negative pressure is applied to the system, but the system is operating under atmospheric conditions.
Moreover, in conventional pore systems, liquid will deform and enter the pore as dictated by the balance of surface interactions, geometry, surface tension, and pressure (see right of FIG. 30). Specifically, liquids will enter and pass through the pore at an absolute threshold pressure that is greater than zero (i.e., |Pthreshold(liquid)|>0).
Moreover, while the liquid is flowing and even after the pressure is removed and the flow stops, some residual amounts of the liquid is shown to stick onto the pore surface and the system is prone to fouling.

Fluid-based gating mechanism with tunable multiphase selectivity and antifouling behavior

President and Fellows of Harvard College


A lift system 100 may comprise two sets of two pistons with each set of pistons attached to an upper cross bar 210 and a lower cross bar 275, with the lower cross bar having distal ends comprising distal insertion areas 276 with the distal insertion areas passing through a first void 241 defined within a wheelie bar 240 and the distal insertion areas 276 reaching further to move a wedge bar 270. To lift a patient from a lowered position, a piston moves a lower cross bar 275 which in turn moves a wedge bar 270 into a wedge 280, causing the lower cross bar to break out of plane with a top bar 205. The use of two wheelie gears 220 ensures that the lift remains horizontal even if piston forces are not uniform.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to low profile stretchers that rise in a horizontal position. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of unique rotational and sliding components that are inwardly layered to create a low profile lift that moves a patient from the floor to a raised position without human effort in the lifting.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In the related art, health care workers and first responders face the dilemma of moving a patient from the ground to a raised position. Such workers often suffer significant injuries in manually lifting a patient off of the ground. A traditional folding cot stretcher having a wood frame and cloth body provides a low profile platform wherein a patient may be rolled or slid upon the cloth body or patient surface. The wood and cloth stretcher is then lifted off of the ground by workers. While sliding or rolling a patient upon a low profile prior art cot stretcher presents a minimal risk of injury, manually lifting the stretcher presents a significant risk of injury.
In the related art, stretchers with mechanical means of lift are known, but present a raised profile, inviting injury to workers lifting a patient upon the raised platform. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,623 issued on May 21, 2002 to Flynn et al presents a modern iteration of the classical ambulance stretcher and discloses a flat stretcher near the ground and provides a scissor type frame to lift the stretcher off of the ground. FIG. 12 of Flynn presents a profile view of the stretcher in its lowest position and shows several components, vertically configured, between the patient surface and the ground. The existence of components between the patient surface and the ground represents a vertical distance requiring the manual lifting of a patient.
European patent application 90830259.9, publication No. EP 0 406 178 A2 by Corradi discloses a wheeled stretcher used to move a patient from a bed to a stretcher and vice versa. The Corradi stretcher relies upon a standing frame to keep the structure at a bed level and is not designed to lift a patient from the ground. While the Corradi stretcher will move a patient from bed to bed, Corradi fails to lift a patient from the ground.
The related art fails to disclose or suggest means or methods of providing a stretcher having a patient surface at near ground level and means of mechanically lifting the patient to a raised position. Health care workers currently injure themselves lifting up prior art wood and cloth stretchers or from lifting patients upon the raised platforms of prior art mechanical lifts. Thus, there are significant shortfalls in the prior art.


A composite laminate sheet material consists of a metallic foil positioned on a congruent thick sheet of paper by means of an adhesive which can be heat cured. The composite laminate is directed via a series of rollers through a printer and a rotary die cutter where suitable geometrical sections are cut in the laminate. After the cutting operation, the sheet is directed to a series of rollers having their axes of rotation parallel to and beneath a main roller. One series of rollers directs the foil material to a first collection site, while another series of rollers directs the paper waste material to a second collection site. The rollers are so positioned that the foil material is directed to its site in a direction transverse to that of the waste material. The sections are automatically removed from the composite material unto a conveyor belt where they are directed to a heat tunnel to permanently affix the foil to the paper backing.

This invention relates to apparatus for producing a foil article and thereafter stripping said article from a composite sheet layered material and selectively separating the waste material. The subject matter of this application was filed in the United States Patent Office under the Disclosure Document Program and received Disclosure Document on July 26, 1978 and was entitled COMBINATION LAMINATOR AND SEPARATOR.
As can be ascertained, many products are formed having the name of the company printed on a label or a cover member. As such, these items may be fabricated from an attractive material such as a metallic foil and are used to enhance the product display. Examples of such items are lids for food products or covers for various containers.
In the prior art, the particular shape of the label or lid for a container is printed upon and then the configuration is cut from a composite laminate which may consist of a paper backing having secured on a surface thereof an aluminum foil or some other attractive metallic material. Essentially, the pattern that is cut from the laminate is the final product and the remainder of the laminate constitutes waste and is thus discarded.
In any event, in today's society based on the significant increase in raw materials, such items as aluminum or metallic foil are relatively expensive as compared, for example, to paper waste and so on. It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide apparatus for separating the foil waste from the paper waste and hence, enabling a user to direct the foil waste to a separate location where it can be recycled and used again.
There are many examples of machines in the prior art which serve to produce and print label structures. Such devices are sometimes referred to as strippers. An example of such a machine may be had by referring to U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,136 entitled STRIPPER APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF LABELS issued on July 28, 1970 to F. P. Williams. Other patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,743,064 describe apparatus for feeding a combined carrier tape and adhesive tape and for separating one tape from the other. Still other U.S. Pat. Nos. such as 3,923,199, 3,953,278 and 3,966,534 show various machines and apparatus for separating labels or other stock from suitable laminates.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,534 entitled LETTER PRESS PRINTING MACHINE issued on June 29, 1976 to K. M. Oddy depicts a label stripping machine which uses a separator for separating the waste paper from the label. The patent uses a series of rollers and waste paper is stripped and collected from the backing sheet by employing an abrupt change of direction in the path of travel. The patent also discloses means for printing on the label.
In any event, the prior art is replete with a number of patents as indicated above which show various arrangements for stripping labels, lids or other stock from laminates, but the prior art does not disclose an apparatus for separating waste foil from paper waste to enable a user to separately collect each for purposes of recycling.