The invention discloses a magnetic nano-multilayers structure and the method for making it. The multilayer film includes—sequentially from one end to the other end—a substrate, a bottom layer, a magnetic reference layer, a space layer, a magnetic detecting layer and a cap layer. The, up-stated structure is for convert the information of the rotation of the magnetic moment of the magnetic detecting layer into electrical signals. The magnetic detecting layer is of a pinning structure to react to the magnetic field under detection. On the other hand, the invention sandwiches an intervening layer between the AFM and the FM to mitigate the pinning effect from the exchange bias. Moreover, the thickness of the intervening layer is adjustable to control the pinning effect from the exchange bias. The controllability ensures that the magnetic moments of the magnetic reference layer and the magnetic detecting layer remain at right angles to each other when the external field is zero. The invention achieves a GMR or TMR magnetic sensor exhibiting a linear response and by tuning the thickness of the non-magnetic metallic layer, the sensitivity as well as the detecting range of the devices can be tuned easily.

The present invention generally relates to spintronics materials and magnetic sensors. More specifically, the invention relates to magnetic nano-multilayers for magnetic sensors and the manufacturing method thereof.
The magnetic sensors are extensively applied in several areas such as the data storage, mechanical positioning, speed measuring and non-destructive detection. The magnetic sensors are primarily made of semiconductor materials exhibiting the Hall effect and the magnetic materials possessing anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR). Both materials suffer from an inadequacy of sensitivity to magnetic fields. As the spintronics developed since 1988, the magnetic sensors built upon giant magnetorsistance [GMR] effect and tunnel magnetoresistance [TMR] have gained wider attention. Magnetic sensors based on spintronics materials have become popular for two reasons. One reason is that they are more sensitive. The other reason is that the techniques for making devices implementing the GMR and the TMR effect are compatible with those for making stable semiconductor products. Thus, the magnetic sensors promise a huge demand because of their extensive industrial applications.
The present technique in the industry for manufacturing GMR and TMR magnetic sensors (e.g. the magnetic read head in a hard disk drive [HDD]) involves essentially an embedded permanent magnetic film. The presence of the permanent magnetic film makes sure that the magnetic moment of the free layer in spin value structure—the layer sensitive to external magnetic field—and that of the reference layer—the pinned layer—stay at right angles. In turn, the magnetoresistance of a nano-structured magnetic multi-layer or magnetic tunnel junction [MTJ] responds linearly to the applied field, and free from magnetic hysteresis. Unfortunately, to embed a permanent magnetic film in the GMR spin value structure and in the MTJ hugely drives up the complexity and the cost for producing the devices. Moreover, the devices made with the present art are not as compact as we want them to be.

Magnetic nano-multilayers for magnetic sensors and manufacturing method thereof

INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES


The present invention is a method of preparing a comestible unit which disperses quickly in the mouth. The present invention also includes the product resulting from the method. The method includes initiating crystallization of shearform matrix and combining with an additive, either before or after initiating crystallization, to form flowable, compactible micro-particulates. The combination is then subjected to compacting to form a comestible unit having high structural integrity, good appearance, and excellent release characteristics.

The present invention relates to the art of making comestible dosage units, such as tablets, which disintegrate quickly in the mouth.
Dosage units in the form of tablets are usually prepared by compressing a formulation containing a medicinal substance or drug and other ingredients, such as excipients selected for properties which facilitate production and use of the tablet. There are currently three known basic methods for preparing tablet granulations. These are wet granulation, dry granulation and direct compression. Both wet and dry granulations involve the formation of an agglomerate for feeding to a die cavity. Direct compression usually involves compressing a powder blend of an active ingredient with suitable excipients.
The preparation of formulations for tabletting by wet granulation is the oldest method and still the most widely used. Wet granulation involves many steps, including: milling of drugs and excipients, mixing of the milled powders, preparation of binder solution, mixing of binder solution with powder mixture to form a wet mass, coarse screening of the wet mass using 6-12 mesh screens, drying of moist granules, screening of dry granules through 14-20 mesh screen, mixing of screen granules with lubricant and disintegrant, and tablet compression.
Wet granulation is an expensive process because it requires many processing steps and involves considerable material handling equipment. Consequently, the process requires both energy and substantial space which should be environmentally controlled.
Generally, free water and heat are inimical to active ingredient. Wet granulation procedures involve water and/or heat. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method for making tablets in the substantial absence of heat and free water in order to enhance the survival of active ingredients incorporated in the tablet.
Dry granulation refers to the granulation of a powder mixture by compression without the use of heat and solvent. Dry granulation is used when wet granulation is not available because the drug is sensitive to moisture or heat.
Two methods are used for dry granulation. One method is slugging, where the powder is precompressed on a heavy-duty tablet press, and the resulting tablets or slugs are milled to yield the granulation. The other method is precompression of the powder with pressure rolls using a compactor.
Dry granulation has many disadvantages. It requires a specialized heavy-duty tablet press to form the slug; it does not permit uniform color distribution as can be achieved with wet granulation, where dye can be incorporated into the binder liquid; the pressure roll press cannot be used with insoluble drugs because this may retard the dissolution rate; and the process tends to create dust thereby increasing the potential for cross-contamination.
Direct compression tabletting has the least amount of steps. Direct compression is used in a process by which tablets are compressed directly from powder blends of the active ingredient and suitable excipients (including fillers, disintegrants, and lubricants) which are included in the mix to provide uniform flow into the die cavity and form a firm solid compression tablet. No pretreatment of the powder blends by wet or dry granulation procedures is necessary.
Although it has considerably fewer steps than either wet or dry granulation processes, direct compression also has many technological limitations. These limitations include primarily obtaining sufficient flow, and obtaining bonding of particles to form a strong compressed tablet. Low-dose drugs are difficult to blend, that is, uniform distribution of the drug is not easily attained and unblending sometimes occurs during the compression stage. High-dose drugs do not lend themselves to direct compression because of poor flowability and poor compressibility. A typical example would be some of the antacid drugs, such as aluminum hydroxide and magnesium carbonate.
When direct compression is used the choice of excipients is extremely critical. It is desirable that when using direct compression fillers and binders possess both compressibility and fluidity. In addition to compressibility failures, the process of direct compression also has disadvantages in the area of blending. Direct compression blends are subject to unblending in post blending handling steps. Differences in particle size because of differences in density between drug and excipient particles may also lead to unblending in the hopper or feedframe on the tablet press.
A disadvantage of all prior art process is the production of fines usually associated with making compression tablets. In the prior art, preparation of particles for formulation of tablets by compression results in a noticeable amount of fines, i.e., very tiny particles on the order of 150 microns and less. These fines can interfere with operation of apparatus for feeding tabletting machines as well as the operation of the tabletting machines. Often, it is necessary to conduct tablet production in a facility which is environmentally controlled to eliminate or reduce the fines. This adds to the cost of production of the tablets.
Moreover, a percentage of the non-compressed particulate is lost during production because there are fines dispersed and cannot be recaptured, and because some of the fines are not capable of being recovered for recycle.
In order to overcome the disadvantages associated with the prior art set forth above, technology has been developed by the common owner of the present application and co-pending U.S. parent application Ser. No. 194,682 filed Feb. 10, 1994. The commonly-owned case discloses a unique procedure in which compression tabletting can be simply and accurately manufactured by "fuse and compression" steps. Fusion is achieved by flash flow processing the tablet ingredients to provide shearform matrix masses which are subsequently compressed to form comestible compression units. This process includes advantages of wet and dry granulation and direct compression but does not have the disadvantages associated with these prior art procedures.
In another commonly-owned application (bearing U.S. Ser. No. 08/259,496) filed on the same date as the present application, a rapidly-dissolving unit dosage and preparation and apparatus for making same are disclosed. The method disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/259,496 includes mixing uncured shearform matrix material with an additive followed by tamping the resulting mixture to form a dosage unit. The tamped unit is subsequently cured by exposing to controlled ambient heat, moisture, and pressure.
Dr. Fuisz also has several patents which relate to other unique delivery means. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,326, Dr. Fuisz discloses a fiber form of medicament-bearing product which can be compacted to form a sheet-like body. He cautions, however, that the compact body cannot be squeezed too much for fear of breaking the fibrous mass. There is no indication to form a compressed tablet as a medicinal dosage form.
Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,085 a spun fibrous cosmetic is disclosed as well as a compacted form of sugar fibers to form a sheet-like body which can be handled more readily. There is no indication to form a compressed tablet.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,856, a wafer-like structure is disclosed in which a medicament is distributed on or through spun fibers which are then chopped by passing through a conventional "food grinder" (Hobart hamburger grinder). The enclosed volume of the end product is less than 30%, and preferably less than 15%, of the as-spun volume of floss. There is no mention in the '856 disclosure to form a compressed tablet.
The use of compacted spun fibers in the same sense as in the patents mentioned above is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,034,421 and 5,096,492. None of these disclosures suggest formation of a compressed tablet.
While the procedure described above in commonly-owned application U.S. application Ser. No. 08/259,496 discloses a technique for making a rapidly dissolving dosage unit, none of the other procedures provide a technique for forming a dosage unit which quickly disintegrates in the mouth of the consumer, but which can be conveniently manufactured for shipment and sales. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide another method for preparing a dosage unit which quickly disintegrates in the mouth.
Other and further objects will be realized by those skilled in the art in view of the following disclosure.

Process for forming quickly dispersing comestible unit and product therefrom


The present invention provides a storage subsystem capable of realizing a backend network enabling SSDs arranged in a small number of rows to be shared among controllers, and capable of having a large number of HDDs loaded thereto, according to which the performance of the storage is enhanced. In a topology of the backend network, the respective controllers 102 and 152 and the enclosure expanders are respectively connected via top expanders 110 and 160, the top expanders 110 and 160 are connected via a central expander 140, expanders 119, 120 and 121 for connecting SSDs to the top expander 110 are mutually connected in parallel, expanders 169, 170 and 171 for connecting SSDs to the top expander 160 are mutually connected in parallel, expanders 122, 123 and 124 for connecting HDDs to the top expander 110 are connected in series, and expanders 172, 173 and 174 for connecting HDDs to the top expander 160 are connected in series.

Generally, storage subsystems are equipped with randomly accessible nonvolatile storage media. Examples of such randomly accessible nonvolatile storage media include magnetic disk drives and optical disk drives. The current main stream of storage subsystems is equipped with multiple hard disk drives (HDDs).
Along with the advancement of semiconductor technology, nonvolatile semiconductor memories that can be used as storage media in storage subsystems are being developed. One example of drives using such nonvolatile semiconductor memories as storage media is a solid state drive (SSD). The storage subsystem equipped with SSDs have superior power saving property and access time compared to storage subsystems only equipped with hard disk drives (HDDs).
Storage subsystems have controllers for controlling data transfer between a host computer connected to the storage subsystem and the storage media disposed within the storage subsystem. The controller is equipped with a frontend interface for connecting the host computer, a backend interface for connecting a large number of drives as storage media, a processor for controlling the storage subsystem, a memory connected to the processor, and so on. A SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) is known as a standard of the communication network for connecting backend interfaces and the like.
A SAS backend network includes an initiator, drives such as SSDs and HDDs, and an expander (hereinafter also abbreviated as "Exp"). The initiator is a device for outputting command requests such as read/write to the drive, and it can be included in the backend interface of the controller, for example. The expander is a switch for connecting multiple drives to the initiator. In order to connect a large number of drives, multiple expanders are mutually connected and used.
In the prior art storage subsystem, expanders are generally connected in a cascade (in series) in order to connect a large number of drives. Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for connecting expanders in a cascade.


This invention provides a method to detect analyte which comprises preparing fine particles which have a chargeable group in their core and a hydrophilic polymer chain in their shell; obtaining an agglutinated matter by forming a biologically specific bond between a specific residue on the surface of fine particles and analyte, and by simultaneously forming a bond by the electrostatic interaction between impure protein and said particles; and subsequently cleaving only the latter bond by raising ionic intensity. Thus, this invention provides a method to detect analyte with rapidity and high sensitivity with use of agglutination reaction.

In a method for detecting analyte which is well-known in this field, latex or erythrocyte is sensitized with antigen or antibody beforehand, and, then, agglutination reaction with an analyte which exists in biological fluid such as protein or a certain specific organic material is utilized for detecting the analyte. An example of latex which has widely been employed for the above-mentioned method is polystyrene latex, which is being studied also as to what influence is exerted on analyte-detecting rate or the sensitivity of detection (e.g., non-specific adsorption of materials other than analyte, or the like) by factors such as particle size and functional group (carboxyl group and the like) on the surface of particle (see Journal of the Japan Society for Clinical Laboratory Automation, 12, 2, 121-124, 1987).
Agglutination of latex particles via analyte has a major influence on detecting rate. It takes, however, a considerable time for the agglutination, since the speed of said agglutination is determined by diffusion. Hence, it has been tried, for instance, to make latex particles carry magnetic particles and to raise the rate of agglutination or precipitation of latex particles by magnetic force (see, e.g., J. Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 50, 765-776, 1993).
Polystyrene latex particles and the like which are mentioned in the former of the above-mentioned documents are liable to agglutinate non-specifically, and are sometimes slightly inferior in dispersion stability. Furthermore, the surface of such particles is apt to non-specifically adsorb impure protein other than analyte. Thus, a part of the inventors of this invention has provided, as a quantum dot to detect analyte in biological sample, composite particles which are composed, for instance, of semiconductor-ultra fine particles-encapsulating fine particles whose surface is covered with chain of polyethylene glycol (hereinafter referred to also as PEG) or poly(ethylene oxide) (or wherein PEG having high mobility in an aqueous solution takes plural brush-like structures) (see pamphlet of WO 02/056020, pages 16-17). Although this type of quantum dot prevents non-specific adsorption of impure protein, it has generally a particle size up to hundreds of nanometers, and has high-mobility PEG on its surface. Thus, quantum dot makes a very stable dispersion in an aqueous solution, and has therefore not necessarily been considered to be suitable for use in a system to rapidly detect analyte with use of agglutination reaction.

Method of high-speed detection for biological analyte


An electroplating solution includes an aqueous electrolyte solution including water soluble copper salts, sulfide ions and chloride ions, an accelerator including an organic material having sulfur (S), the accelerator accelerating copper (Cu) reduction, a suppressor including a polyether compound, the suppressor selectively suppressing the copper reduction, and a leveler including a water soluble polymer having nitrogen that is dissolved into positive ions in the aqueous electrolyte solution.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a copper electroplating solution, a copper electroplating apparatus and a method of forming a copper bump using the electroplating apparatus. More particularly, example embodiments relate to a copper electroplating solution and a copper electroplating apparatus for forming a bump on a flip chip and a method of forming the bump using the copper electroplating apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional semiconductor packages and board structure for a semiconductor package, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB), usually have contact terminals for electrically communicating with external bodies. For example, solder bumps and solder balls have been mainly used for the contact terminals of the packages and the board structures. Thus, the manufacturing efficiency of the packages and the board structures is influenced by the process efficiency of forming the contact terminals on the packages and the board structures.
Particularly, a chip scaled package (CSP), which has been widely used as a mini package for recent smaller-sized electronic systems, is manufactured by bonding the solder bumps to integrated circuit (IC) chips that are arranged on a semiconductor substrate, for example, a wafer. For example, the solder bump bonded to an active face of the IC chip makes contact with the contact pad of the PCB, and thus the IC chip and the PCB are manufactured into a flip chip package.
In general, the solder bump of the flip chip package is formed on the IC chip through a coating process and a reflow process. Conductive metals, for example, copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and tin alloys (e.g., SnPb and SnAg), are coated on the electrode pads of the IC chip by an electroplating process and the coated metal layer is bonded to the electrode pad by a reflow process. Various electroplating solutions have been suggested for improving the uniformity of the solder bump by uniform metal plating and suggested for increasing the electroplating speed onto the electrode pad of the IC chip.
However, the uniformity of the solder bump and the uniform metal plating usually conflicts with the electroplating speed, and thus the uniform metal plating and the plating speed has trade-off relations. The plating speed is proportional to the intensity of the applied electrical current, and thus a larger current is required for a higher plating speed. In contrast, the current of relatively high intensity in the electroplating process usually causes locally abnormal growth of the electroplated metal and the non-uniform metal plating, which results in the non-uniformity of the solder bump. When the electrical current is applied to the IC chip at a relatively high intensity, the metal plating is likely to be performed locally under an unsteady state and thus the metal is excessively plated at some points and is insufficiently plated at other points. Therefore, the surface flatness of the solder bump is deteriorated and thus the surface area with which external bodies make contact is insufficient for the semiconductor package.
Particularly, various electroplating solutions have been suggested for copper (Cu) because copper (Cu) has been most widely used for the electroplating process for the solder bump. However, an electroplating solution of which the metal can be uniformly plated at a relatively high speed has not yet been suggested, especially for the electroplating metal of copper (Cu).

Copper electroplating solution and copper electroplating apparatus


The present invention provides sequences and reagents for preparing microarrays with internal controls. Specifically, the present invention defines and provides sequences that are not present in the hybridizing mRNA or cDNA, and therefore can be used both as hybridization controls and for inter-spot normalization.

The proper and harmonious expression of a large number of genes is a critical component of normal growth and development and the maintenance of proper health. Disruptions or changes in gene expression are responsible for many diseases. Using traditional methods to assay gene expression, researchers were able to survey a relatively small number of genes at a time. Microarrays allow scientists to analyze expression of many genes in a single experiment quickly and efficiently. A microarray works by exploiting the ability of a given mRNA molecule to bind specifically to, or hybridize to, the DNA template from which it originated.
DNA arrays are commonly used to study gene expression. In this type of study, mRNA is extracted from a sample (for example, blood cells or tumor tissue), converted to complementary DNA (cDNA) and tagged with a fluorescent label. In a typical microarray experiment, cDNA from one sample (sample A) is labeled with a first dye that fluoresces in the red and cDNA from another sample (sample B) is labeled with a different dye that fluoresces in the green. The fluorescent red and green cDNA samples are then applied to a microarray that contains DNA fragments (oligonucleotides) corresponding to thousands of genes. If a DNA sequence probe is present on the microarray and its complement is present in one or both samples, the sequences bind, and a fluorescent signal can be detected at the specific spot on the array, where the DNA sequence probe is located. The signals are generally picked up using a "scanner" which creates a digital image of the array. The red to green fluorescence ratio in each spot reflects the relative expression of a given gene in the two samples. The result of a gene expression experiment is referred to as a gene expression "profile" or "signature".
This technology, though widely used, is not without its problems. Almost every procedure in the methodology is a potential source of fluctuation leading to a lot of noise in the system as a whole. The major sources of fluctuations to be expected are in mRNA preparation, reverse transcription leading to cDNA of varying lengths, systemic variation in pin geometry, random fluctuations in spot volume, target fixation, slide non-homogeneities due to unequal distribution of the probe, hybridization parameters and non-specific hybridization. Some of the errors mentioned above can be minimized by performing replicates of experiments or by using a flipped dye design.
Biological replicates are arrays that each use RNA samples from different individual organisms, pools of organisms or flasks of cells, but yet compare the same treatments or control/treatment combinations. Technical replicates are arrays that each use the same RNA samples and also the same treatment. Thus, in this setting, the only differences in measurements are due to technical differences in array processing. The rationale for the flipped dye design is that it allows for the estimation and removal of gene specific dye effects. These dye effects have been shown to be reproducible across independent arrays by the use of Control vs. Control arrays. Any deviation from a ratio of 1 in these arrays is due to either dye effect or residual error. However, none of these methods will account accurately for chip manufacturing error.
Therefore, there remains a need for the development of improved microarray technologies, and particularly technologies that allow researchers to control for errors and/or to normalize signals.


The present invention includes a method and apparatus for storing data. Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention is a data storage device. The data storage device includes a conduction barrier, a probe tip mounted on a suspension mechanism, a voltage source coupled to the suspension mechanism for emitting a current of electrons through the conduction barrier, a sensing mechanism for sensing a magnitude of the emitted current wherein the magnitude of the current of electrons emitted through the conduction barrier is based on a distance between the probe tip and the sensing mechanism.

Storage media for computers and other types of electronic devices generally come in two types: volatile memory and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory loses its contents when power is no longer being supplied to the memory, whereas non-volatile memory maintains its contents even when power is not being supplied to the memory. The most common type of volatile memory is volatile random-access memory (RAM), which is most commonly available as and implemented as an integrated circuit (IC). The term data storage medium is used herein in a broad sense, and encompasses IC memory, as well as other types of data storage media.
By comparison, non-volatile memory has perhaps more commonly been available as and implemented as magnetic and optical media, including hard disk drives, floppy disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROM's), CD re-writable (CD-RW) discs, and digital versatile discs (DVD's), among others. Historically, non-volatile memory implemented as an IC was primarily available as ROM that was not re-recordable, such as hard-wired ROM and programmable ROM (PROM). More recently, IC non-volatile memory has become available as various types of flash memory, which is more technically known as electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM).
It is a general aim for the computer industry to increase the storage density of the storage media being used by computers. Every new technology, however, should offer long-term perspectives in order to give room for continued improvements within the new technology. This is due to the fact that with every fundamental change of storage technology, the computer industry has to undertake remarkable investments in order to adapt existing production machines or to replace existing machines by new ones for any technical purpose involved with said new technology. Thus, the consequence for further development of storage systems is that any new technique with better storage area density should have a long-term potential for further scaling, desirably down to the nanometer or even atomic scale.
The only available tool known today that is simple and yet provides these very long term perspectives is a nanometer probe tip. Such tips are used in every atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM) for imaging and structuring down to the atomic scale. The simple tip is a very reliable tool that concentrates on one functionality: the ultimate local confinement of interaction.
In recent years, AFM thermo-mechanical recording in polymer storage media has undergone extensive modifications mainly with respect to the integration of sensors and heaters designed to enhance simplicity and to increase data rate and storage density. Using heater cantilevers, thermo-mechanical recording at 400 Gb/in.sup.2 storage density and data rates of a few Mb/s for reading and 100 kb/s for writing have been demonstrated.
Such prior art thermo-mechanical writing is a combination of applying a local force by the cantilever/tip to a polymer layer and softening it by local heating. By applying sufficient heat an indentation can be formed into the storage medium for writing a bit which can be read back with the same tip, by the fact that the lever is bent when it is moved into the indentation and the electrical resistance of a sensing circuit is changed therewith.
While writing data or bits, the heat transfer from the tip to the polymer through the small contact area is initially very poor and improves as the contact area increases. This means the tip must be heated to a relatively high temperature to initiate the melting process. Once melting has commenced, the tip is pressed into the polymer, which increases the heat transfer to the polymer, increases the volume of melted polymer, and hence increases the bit size. After melting has started and the contact area has increased, the heating power available for generating the indentations increases by at least ten times to become 2% or more of the total heating power (depending on the design). Once the bits are written, it is crucial that the read process is conducted as efficiently as possible.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method and system that is capable of reading these bits in an efficient and expeditious fashion. The method and system should be simple and capable of being easily adapted to existing technology. The present invention addresses these needs.

Data storage device and a method of reading data in a data storage device

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method is used for producing nanoscale and microscale devices in a variety of materials, such as silicon dioxide patterned buried films. The method is inexpensive and reliable for making small scale mechanical, optical, or electrical devices and relies upon the implantation of ions into a substrate and subsequent annealing to form a stoichiometric film with the device geometry is defined by the implant energy and dose and so is not limited by the usual process parameters.

The global market for MEMS devices and nanotechnology is well established and currently is over eight billion dollars per year. Currently most microeletromechanical systems (MEMS) are constructed using modified versions of VLSI technology wherein layers of silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, and polysilicon are successively grown and patterned using photolithography. This process is inherently costly and time consuming, as there are typically as many as seven growth and lithography steps. The process is also limited by the resolution of the lithography and wet or dry etch processes to the extent that nanoscale devices are not easily achievable.
Continuous oxide films have been implanted into silicon using a SIMOX process. An O+ ion broad area beam is used for creating an unpatterned buried film under the surface of and into bulk silicon. The thickness of the buried film is determined by the concentration dose of the ion broad area beam. The bulk silicon with the buried oxygen film is then annealed to create a silicon dioxide SiO2 buried film in bulk silicon. Such buried films would normally be destroyed by conventional etching processes and are unsuitable for creating nanoscale devices, that is, ion broad area beams would not be used for creating nanoscale devices because there would be no suitable etching process for releasing the nanoscale SiO2 MEMS. The standard application is to create an electrical barrier in VLSI bulk silicon.
Typically, silicon MEMS devices are fabricated where a silicon dioxide SiO2 film is used as a sacrificial layer. Deposited or thermally grown films are used for creating layers that are patterned by photolithography and then etched away. The resolution of this process is unsuitable for making nanoscale features. Typically, MEMS devices are then released using a wet or vapor phase hydrofluoric acid to dissolve the silicon dioxide across the whole wafer at all levels. In practical terms, the wet or vapor process is limited to making polysilicon devices, as there is currently no simple means for doing the opposite. That is, there is no good method of cleanly removing the silicon while selectively leaving the silicon dioxide to form a three-dimensional structure. Therefore, the device material is restricted to polysilicon even when silicon dioxide is integral to the process. MEMS devices are typically created using conventional photolithography processes having multiple steps with limited resolution, and hence unsuitable for manufacturing of nanoscale devices.
Laser assisted chemical etching using chlorine gas has been used to etch bulk silicon. Silicon dioxide structures have been defined using standard lithographic techniques and VLSI processing. Commonly used wet etches, like EDTA or KOH, can remove silicon but are difficult to handle and the etch selectivity is highly temperature dependent. Further, wet etching of removed silicon dioxide creates stiction in the MEMS device as the surface tension of the drying liquid draws the small devices down onto the substrate. Xenon difluoride and bromine trifluoride in the vapor phase have been used to selectively remove silicon and leave silicon dioxide or nitride but the process can be very aggressive and hard to isolate and control. These release processes disadvantageously limit the ability to use the rest of the wafer for other electrical or packaging purposes and make these processes poor candidates for production environments. In the case of integrating electronics and packaging, industry is searching for improved methods, such as an electronics first method that deposits the electronics first and then uses the MEMS process to create further structures, or such as, a MEMS first method that conversely creates the MEMS first and is followed with the deposition of electronics and packaging. Neither the electronics first or the MEMS first methods are particularly suitable for high yield processes. These and other disadvantages are solved or mitigated using the invention.

Ion implanted microscale and nanoscale device method


A control system for managing power supplied to a phacoemulsification hand piece includes a power source that provides power to the hand piece and a controller that controls the power source. The controller calculates a thermal value based on irrigation fluid flow and a power level and decreases the power level in proportion to the calculated thermal value when the calculated thermal value exceeds a threshold thermal value. Irrigation fluid flow can be calculated from irrigation fluid pressure.

The present invention relates to phacoemulsification surgery and more particularly to a thermal management algorithm in which the amplitude of power applied to a phacoemulsification hand piece is varied in proportion to temperature.
The human eye functions to provide vision by transmitting light through a clear outer portion called the cornea, and focusing the image by way of a crystalline lens onto a retina. The quality of the focused image depends on many factors including the size and shape of the eye, and the transparency of the cornea and the lens. When age or disease causes the lens to become less transparent, vision deteriorates because of the diminished light which can be transmitted to the retina. This deficiency in the lens of the eye is medically known as a cataract. An accepted treatment for this condition is surgical removal of the lens and replacement of the lens function by an artificial intraocular lens (IOL).
In the United States, the majority of cataractous lenses are removed by a surgical technique called phacoemulsification. A typical surgical hand piece suitable for phacoemulsification procedures consists of an ultrasonically driven phacoemulsification hand piece, an attached hollow cutting needle surrounded by an irrigating sleeve, and an electronic control console. The hand piece assembly is attached to the control console by an electric cable and flexible tubing. Through the electric cable, the console varies the power level transmitted by the hand piece to the attached cutting needle. The flexible tubing supplies irrigation fluid to the surgical site and draws aspiration fluid from the eye through the hand piece assembly.
The operative part in a typical hand piece is a centrally located, hollow resonating bar or horn directly attached to a set of piezoelectric crystals. The crystals supply the required ultrasonic vibration needed to drive both the horn and the attached cutting needle during phacoemulsification, and are controlled by the console. The crystal/horn assembly is suspended within the hollow body or shell of the hand piece by flexible mountings. The hand piece body terminates in a reduced diameter portion or nosecone at the body's distal end. Typically, the nosecone is externally threaded to accept the hollow irrigation sleeve, which surrounds most of the length of the cutting needle. Likewise, the horn bore is internally threaded at its distal end to receive the external threads of the cutting tip. The irrigation sleeve also has an internally threaded bore that is screwed onto the external threads of the nosecone. The cutting needle is adjusted so that its tip projects only a predetermined amount past the open end of the irrigating sleeve.
During the phacoemulsification procedure, the tip of the cutting needle and the end of the irrigation sleeve are inserted into the anterior capsule of the eye through a small incision in the outer tissue of the eye. The surgeon brings the tip of the cutting needle into contact with the lens of the eye, so that the vibrating tip fragments the lens. The resulting fragments are aspirated out of the eye through the interior bore of the cutting needle, along with irrigation solution provided to the eye during the procedure, and into a waste reservoir.
Throughout the procedure, irrigating fluid is pumped into the eye, passing between the irrigation sleeve and the cutting needle and exiting into the eye at the tip of the irrigation sleeve and/or from one or more ports, or openings, cut into the irrigation sleeve near its end. The irrigating fluid protects the eye tissues from the heat generated by the vibrating of the ultrasonic cutting needle. Furthermore, the irrigating fluid suspends the fragments of the emulsified lens for aspiration from the eye.
Power is applied to the hand piece to vibrate the cutting needle. In general, the amplitude of needle movement (or vibration) is proportional to the power applied. In conventional phacoemulsification systems, the needle vibrates back and forth producing a longitudinal needle stroke. In improved systems, the needle may be caused to vibrate in a twisting or torsional motion. Regardless of the type of vibration, the magnitude of vibration (or amplitude of needle stroke) varies with applied power.
One complication that may arise during the procedure is burning of the cornea at the incision site. These corneal burns are caused by heating of the needle (and surrounding sleeve) at the corneal incision. The inventors have found that this heating is dependent on three basic factors: the amount of power applied to the hand piece (which in turn determines the magnitude of needle vibration or amplitude of needle stroke); the amount of fluid flow through the eye (since the fluid carries heat away); and the amount of friction between the needle and the surrounding sleeve at the incision (as can be appreciated, the tighter the fit between the sleeve and the needle, the more friction, and the more heat produced as the needle vibrates).
In other words, heat is produced at the corneal incision as the cutting needle rubs against the surrounding irrigation sleeve. This heat is normally dissipated by fluid flowing through irrigation sleeve, into the anterior chamber of the eye, and out of the eye through the aspiration lumen. The friction between the cutting needle and the sleeve at the corneal incision site can vary depending on the characteristics of the incision. Generally, a smaller incision (which is desirable from a surgical perspective) can lead to a greater friction force between the needle and the sleeve as the walls of the incision press the sleeve against the needle. In such a case, when the needle is vibrated, heat is produced. If the fluid flowing through the eye is insufficient (or if too much heat is produced), a corneal burn can result. Corneal burns are problematic because they distort the cornea resulting in distorted vision. Since cataract surgery has gravitated toward smaller and smaller incisions, the risk of corneal burns appears to be increasing.

Thermal management algorithm for phacoemulsification system


For mobile stations (MS1 . . . MSn) combined with a base station (BS1 . . . BSm), the loss of an unavailable mobile station (MS5) is signalled at the base station (BS1 . . . BSm) in that the relevant mobile station (MS5) is deleted from a memory (SP1) of the base station (BS1 . . . BSm) with respect to an identification word (IDW5).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for managing a number of mobile stations registered in a base station of a cordless communication system, in which the mobile stations are registered in the base station on the basis of booking and registered procedures being executed between the base station and the mobile stations and including a mutual exchanging and storing of identification words.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technical development of communication systems for the cordless transmission of voice and non-voice information is tied to various standards, analogously to the ISDN standard (Integrated Services Digital Network) which has existed for some time in line-connected communications. Apart from some national standards and several cross-boundary standards such as the CT1, CT1+ standard on an analog basis and the CT2, CT3 standard on a digital basis, a standard, the so-called DECT standard (Digital European Cordless Telecommunication; compare Nachrichtentechnik Elektronik, Berlin, Vol. 42, No. 1, 1-2/1992, pages 23 to 29, U.Pilger: "Struktur des DECT-Standards" [Structure of the DECT standard]), analogous to the global GSM standard (Groupe Speciale Mobile or global systems for mobile communication; compare Informatik Spektrum, Springer Verlag Berlin, Vol. 14, No. 3, 1991, pages 137 to 152, A. Mann: "Der GSM-Standard--Grundlage fur digitale europaische Mobilfunknetze" [The GSM standard--Basis for digital European mobile radio networks]) for mobile radio, has been created on a European scale for the lower-power cordless communication between portables and a base station, with ranges of some 100 meters. It is an essential feature of the DECT standard that the base station can be connected to line-connected communication networks (e.g. PSTN=Public Switched Telephone Network; PTN=Private Telecommunication Network).
For the cordless communication according to DECT standard, a dynamic channel selection of approximately 120 available channels is carried out.
The 120 channels result from the fact that in the DECT standard, ten frequency bands between 1.8 and 1.9 GHz are used, a time-division multiplex frame of 10 ms being used in time-division multiplex access (TDMA) in each frequency band according to the representation in FIG. 1. In this time-division multiplex frame, 24 time channels (from 0 to 23) are defined which provides a frame structure. This frame structure is then used in such a manner that for each frequency band, 12 stations of a DECT system can operate simultaneously in duplex mode. A time slot of in each case 417 .mu.s is allocated to the 24 time channels. This time slot specifies the time in which information (data) are transmitted. This type of transmitting information in duplex mode is also called the ping-pong process because transmission takes place at a particular time and reception takes place at another time. In this ping-pong process, one time frame or pulse (burst) of 365 .mu.s is transmitted in each time slot, which approximately corresponds to a frame length of 420 bits. The succession in time of the transmitted pulses defines a channel, the so-called physical channel, with a data throughput of 42 kbit/s for the time slot, 6 kbit/s for a guard space used in order to avoid overlaps by adjoining time slots, and 1.152 Mbit/s for the time-division multiplex frame. In the DECT standard, the time frame shown in FIG. 2 is allocated to a physical layer (PH-L) and is frequently also called the D field.
In addition, a number of layers are defined in the DECT standard, analogously to the ISDN standard with the ISO/OSI 7-layer model. One of these layers is the physical layer (PH-L). Another layer is a medium access control layer (MAC-L) which is allocated an A field and a B field according to FIG. 3. The A field comprises 64 bits which, inter alia, are used for messages when combining the portables and base station of the DECT communication system.
The B field comprises 324 bits, 320 bits of which are used for voice data and 4 bits for detecting partial interferences of the pulse.
In its simplest form, the DECT communication system has a base station with at least one mobile station. More complex (e.g. networked) systems contain several base stations having in each case several mobile stations. Due to the 24 time channels defined in the DECT standard, up to 12 mobile stations can be allocated to the base station, which communicate with the base station in duplex mode. For the time-division multiplex frame of 10 ms, also defined in the DECT standard, duplex mode means that information is transmitted every 5 ms from the base station to a mobile station or conversely. So that the base station and mobile station can communicate with one another, it must first be ensured that the two stations (communication partners) are combined to form one communicating unit.
For this combination, a booking and registration procedure is carried out according to European Patent document EP-A2-0 301 573. In this known booking and registration procedure, the combination between a base station and a mobile part is achieved as follows:
(1) Transmitting of a product-specific identification word from the base station to the mobile part which is ready for booking, PA0 (2) Checking of the received identification word in the mobile part (determining the correspondence with an identification word stored in the mobile part and subsequent acknowledgement of the agreement found), PA0 (3) Transmitting of a system- and telephone-specific identification code from the base station, PA0 (4) Storing of the identification code in a memory of the mobile part. Another possible example of a booking and registration procedure will be described, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 12, in the text which follows.
FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of base stations BS1 . . . BSm and mobile stations MS1 . . . MSn of a cordless communication system for combining these to form a communicating unit. The base stations BS1 . . . BSm and mobile stations MS1 . . . MSn are transmitting/receiving devices which can both transmit and receive.
For combining the transmitting/receiving devices, it is first assumed at a booking stage that the base station BS1 . . . BSm and the mobile station MS1 . . . MSn are still in an OFF state. This OFF state is a sub-state of an INITIAL state ("RESET BS1 . . . BSm"), ("RESET MS1 . . . MSn") which is also associated with a COMMUNICATION state and a TRANSITION state (transition from a completed combining procedure to a new one).
To pass from the INITIAL state to a START state ("SET"), keys are operated independently of one another in time at the base station BS1 . . . BSm and the mobile station MS . . . MSn. In the case of the mobile station MS1 . . . MSn, this is usually a combination of keys whilst in the case of the base station BS1 . . . BSn, if (a) it is also constructed as a voice communication set or (b) as an interface to an external communication network, it can also be a combination of keys or a special key. Since m base stations and n mobile stations can be allocated to the communications system, there can as a consequence also be m and respectively n simultaneous or non-simultaneous switch-on processes. In FIG. 4, this is expressed by an "/" line in the "RESET/SET" transition.
In the text which follows, the combination of the base station BS1 and of the mobile station MS1 ("BS1.times.MS1" combination) of the m x n combinations for combining the base stations BS1 . . . BSm and mobile stations MS1 . . . MSn is to be described as representative of all others.
After the base station BS1 has been switched on ("SET" state), it is switched into a state of READINESS FOR BOOKING (RDY FOR BOOK") and a MESSAGE state ("MESS"), for example by operating the special key. In this MESSAGE state, the base station BS1 automatically transmits at least one message, by means of which it informs the mobile station MS1 of its readiness for booking, in each kth time-division multiplex frame of 10 ms for a period of, for example, less than 30 seconds. In the present exemplary embodiment, the base station BS1 transmits, for example, two messages, a DECT-specific message M1 and a supplementary message M2.
The DECT-specific message M1 is a message which is transmitted in the A field of the MAC layer (Medium Access Control Layer) in a Q channel defined there. In this Q channel, attributes of the base station BS1 are transmitted in a 16-bit information field for layers defined above the PH layer (Physical Layer) and the MAC layer (Medium Access Control Layer) of the DECT standard (DECT transmission agreement) (Higher Layer Information). The DECT-specific message transmitted by the base station BS1 is such an attribute. The message is transmitted whenever a logical "1" is set at position 13 of the information field.
The supplementary message M2 can be, for example, a user-specific message which can be used for identifying a group of equipment allocated to the base station BS1 as in the present exemplary embodiment. Since this exemplary embodiment is a DECT-specific communication system, the transmission frame necessary for transmitting the supplementary message M2 within the time frame defined in the DECT standard must also be available for this.
In the DECT standard, it is possible to transmit various system information items in the A field of the MAC layer (Medium Access Control Layer) in a Q channel defined there. This range of transmittable system information items, in turn, contains a transmission sequence (ESCAPE sequence) to which no DECT-specific information content is allocated and which is therefore freely available. This ESCAPE sequence, which is initiated by an initiating sequence (HEADER) of 4 bits with the bit combination of "0111", comprises a total of 36 freely available bits. According to the DECT transmission convention, the supplementary message M2 and the DECT-specific message M1 are transmitted alternating with another DECT message in every 8th of 16 (k=16) time-division multiplex frames.
To be able to receive the two messages Ml, M2 transmitted by the base station BS1 in the MESSAGE state ("MESS"), the mobile station MS1 must be in a state of READINESS FOR SIGNAL ("RDY FOR SIGN"). The mobile station MS1 is switched from the SET state to the state of READINESS FOR SIGNAL by means of the aforementioned key combination.
If the mobile station MS1 is in this state and the two messages M1, M2 are transmitted by the base station BS1 during this state, the mobile station MS1 attempts to synchronize to these two messages M1, M2 in a SYNCHRONIZATION state ("SYNC"). Synchronization by the mobile station MS1 is not required, depending on the time of the message transmitted by the base station BS1. In the present exemplary embodiment, this applies to the DECT-specific message M1. This message is a type of message which is "easy to handle", in which any mobile station automatically receives an authorization for access to the base station BS1. As already mentioned in the introduction to the description, however, this is not desirable. The mobile station MS1, which only attempts to obtain the access of authorization on the basis of the DECT-specific message M1 received in a state of END OF SYNCHRONIZATION ("RDY SYNC; Ml"), is rejected by the base station BS1 because the latter is not in a state of READINESS FOR RECEPTION ("TO BE RECE"). The mobile station MS1 thus has no other option but to synchronize the supplementary message M2, also transmitted by the base station BS1.
In distinction from the DECT-specific message M1, the supplementary message M2 is a user-individual message type in order to impede the access authorization for the base station BS1. It should be pointed out again at this point that it is also possible to transmit more than one supplementary message M2 (e.g. Mi, where i=3 . . . j), in order to further impede the access authorization. A limit for such extensions is set, however, by the 36 bits of the ESCAPE sequence, at least with respect to the DECT standard.
The mobile station MS1 synchronizes to the supplementary message M2 by the mobile station MS1 searching for a synchronization information item corresponding to this supplementary message M2 in a SEARCH state ("SRCH IN MEMO") in a memory allocated to it (e.g. a RAM or ROM etc.). If this search of the mobile station MS1 remains unsuccessful in a FIND state ("FIND"), the user of the mobile station MS1 cannot obtain the access authorization for the base station BS1. He will be rejected as unauthorized. This means that he can safely switch off the mobile station MS1 ("RESET MS1. . . MSn") temporarily in order to attempt, for example at a different time, to combine with one of the other base stations BS2 . . . BSm.
If, however, this search of the mobile station MS1 is successful in the FIND state ("FIND"), synchronization is completed, provided no other supplementary messages Mi have been sent by the base station BS1 ("RDY SYNC; M1 M2"). In this "RDY SYNC; M1 A M2" state, the mobile station MS1 receives, for example from the base station BS1, an individual BS1 identification word IW1 (IWm) which is permanently allocated to the base station BS1 during its manufacture and is undecodably stored in a programmable BS1 memory (BS1 storage location X7 of the BS1 memory SP1 according to FIGS. 5 to 7 and 11) of the base station. The BS1 identification word IW1 (IWm) received is temporarily stored in a main memory (MS1 main memory ASP2.1 according to FIG. 9) in the mobile station MS1.
The mobile station MS1 thereupon automatically transmits a return message RM to the base station BS1 in an ANSWER state ("ANSW"). With this return message RM, an individual MS1 identification word IDW1 (IDWn) which is permanently allocated to the mobile station MS1 during its manufacture and is undecodably stored in a programmable MS1 memory (MS1 storage location Y0 of the MS1 memory SP2.1 according to FIGS. 8 to 10) of the mobile station MS1 is also transmitted via the mobile station MS1 and temporarily stored in a buffer (BS1 memory location X0 of the BS1 memory SP1 according to FIG. 6) in the base station BS1. After that, the mobile station MS1 automatically changes to a REGISTRATION state ("REGI"). This change concludes the request stage and the mobile station MS1 signals to the base station BS1 that a registration stage can now begin (declaration of readiness for registration).
The base station BS1, which is already in a first RECEIVE state ("RECE-1") after the transmission of the last message and is waiting for this return message RM (feedback from a mobile station), immediately thereafter engages the mobile station MS1, which is in the REGISTRATION state ("REGI"), for the registration stage in an ENGAGE state ("ENGA") by means of a "clamp".
With the "clamping" of the mobile station MS1, the base station BS1 switches itself off (dot-dashed arrow in FIG. 4 from the ENGAGE state ("IENGA") to the INITIAL state ("RESET BS1 . . . BSm")) with respect to the readiness for booking ("SET"; "RDY FOR BOOK"; "MESS"states). This prevents the other mobile stations MS2 . . . MSn from obtaining the access authorization, for the base station BS1 during the booking stage, for the registration stage in which the mobile station MS1 is combined with the base station BS1. As soon as the registration phase has elapsed for the mobile station MS1 and the base station BSm, the mobile stations MS2 . . . MSn again have the opportunity to gain the access authorization for the base station BS1 in the request stage.
The case described above, in which the mobile stations cannot obtain access authorization for a base station during a registration stage in progress occurs, in particular, when a number of mobile stations wish to obtain the access authorization in the period between the transmission of at least one message ("MESS") state and the initial reception of a return message by the base station. In the present exemplary embodiment, this problem is solved in accordance with the principle "first sender of a return message is first".
As an alternative, however, there is also the possibility that all mobile stations registered during this specific period are progressively processed (a) in parallel by the base station or (b) remaining in a waiting loop, retaining the principle.
With the "clamping" of the mobile station MS1 by the base station BS1, the base station BS1 automatically returns to a second RECEIVE state ("RECE-2") in which it waits for a legitimation message LM from the mobile station MS1. The mobile station MS1 transmits this legitimation message LM immediately after it has been "clamped" by the base station BS1, in a LEGITIMATION state ("LEGI"), to the base station BS1. The legitimation message LM consists of a coded actual legitimation word I-LW which is generated by the user of the mobile station MS1 by pressing keys at the user interface of the mobile station MS1. The base station BS1, which has already waited for this legitimation message LM, checks in an AUTHORIZED state ("AUTH") whether the actual legitimation word I-LW received by it, with which the mobile station MS1 alleges to be authorized for registration in the base station BS1, is identical with a nominal legitimation word S-LW which is stored in a programmable BS1 memory (e.g. PROM, EPROM or EEPROM etc.) allocated to the base station BS1. This nominal/actual comparison can be carried out by means of a program in the base station BS1 or by means of a comparing arrangement implemented in the base station BS1, in which the comparing arrangement VA, according to FIG. 12, in its simplest form consists of a BS1 microprocessor as a comparator, a BS1 main memory allocated to the BS1 microprocessor (e.g. RAM) for storing the actual legitimation word I-LW, and the programmable BS1 memory, also allocated to the BS1 microprocessor, with the nominal legitimation word S-LW stored therein.
If the base station BS1 finds in the AUTHORIZED STATE ("AUTH") that the actual legitimation word I-LW does not correspond to the nominal legitimation word S-LW (I-LW.noteq.S-LW), and thus the mobile station MS1 is not authorized for registration or the user of the mobile station MS1 is not authorized, it rejects the mobile station MS1 which, in the meantime, is in a CORRECT state ("CORR"), as unauthorized. The base station BS1 thereupon eliminates itself for registration by returning to the INITIAL state ("RESET BS1 . . . BSm").
In correspondence therewith, the user of the mobile station MS1 can temporarily switch off the mobile station MS1 ("RESET MS1 . . . MSn") after it has been rejected for registration by the base station BS1, in order to attempt then, for example at a different time, to combine with another base station.
If, however, the mobile station MS1 is authorized for the registration (I-LW=S-LW), the base station BS1 and the mobile station MS1 in each case change to a JOINED state ("JOIN"). In this state, the identification words IW1, IDW1, which have in each case been temporarily stored, are "permanently" stored as conclusion of the combining procedure (the BS1 identification word IW1 is stored at the MS1 storage location Y1 of the MS1 memory SP2.1 by the main memory ASP2.1 in the mobile station MS1 according to FIGS. 9 and 10 and the MS1 identification word IDW1 is stored at the BS1 storage location Xl by the BS1 storage location X0 in the base station BS1 according to FIGS. 6 and 7).
With this mutual storage of the identification words, the base station BS1 and mobile station MS1 have been combined to form the communicating unit. After this combining, the base station BS1 and mobile station MS1 are in each case reset to the initial state ("RESET BS1 . . . BSm") and, respectively, ("RESET MS1 . . . MSn") for any possible new combinations. In this INITIAL state, the base station BS1 and the mobile station MS1 can start a new combining procedure, in each case in the TRANSITION state, in which the base station BS1 is to be combined, for example, with the mobile stations MS1 . . . MSn and the mobile station MS1 is to be combined with the base stations BS2 . . . BSm, or can change into the COMUNICATION state for setting up a communication link.
FIGS. 5 to 10 show various memory states of the BS1 memory SP1 of the base station BS1 and the MS1 . . . MS6 memories SP2.1 . . . SP2.6 of the mobile stations MS1 . . . MS6 during the combining procedure of the base station BS1 with the six mobile stations MS1 . . . MS6.
The BS1 memory SP1 has, for example, ten BS1 storage locations X0 . . . X9 which are used as follows:
The BS1 storage location X0 is reserved, for example, as buffer location for the MS1. . . MS6 identification words IDW1 . . . IDW6 of the mobile stations MS1 . . . MS6.
The BS1 storage locations X1 . . . X6 are reserved, for example, as read-only memory locations for the MS1 . . . MS6 identification words IDW1 . . . IDW6 of the mobile stations MS1 . . . MS6 (subscribers TLN1 . . . TLN6).
The BSI storage location X7 is reserved, for example, as read-only memory location for the BS1 identification word IW1.
The BS1 storage location X8 is reserved, for example, as read-only memory location for the nominal legitimation word S-LW1.
The BS1 storage location X9 is reserved, for example, as read-only memory location for the 36 bits of the supplementary message.
The MS1 . . . MS6 memories SP2.1 . . . SP2.6 have, for example, in each case two MS1 . . . MS6 storage locations Y0, Y1 which are used as follows:
The MS1 . . . MS6 storage locations Y0 are reserved, for example, as read-only memory locations, in each case for the MS1 . . . MS6 identification words IDW1 .IDW6 of the mobile stations MS1 . . . MS6.
The MS1 . . . MS6 storage locations Y1 are reserved, for example, as read-only memory locations in each case for the BS1 identification word IW1.
In addition, the mobile stations MS1 . . . MS6 have MS1 .MS6 main memories ASP2.1 . . . ASP2.6 which are available as buffer locations for the BS1 identification word IW1.
In detail:
FIG. 5 shows the BS1 memory state of the BS1 memory SP1 after the base station BS1 has left production.
FIG. 8 shows the MS1 . . . MS6 memory states of the MS1 . . . MS6 memories SP2.1 . . . SP2.6 after the mobile stations MS1 .MS6 have left production.
FIG. 6 shows the BS1 memory state of the BS1 memory SP1 when the base station BS1 is in the first RECEIVE state ("RECE-1").
FIG. 9 shows the MS1 . . . MS6 memory states of the MS1 . MS6 memories SP2.1 . . . SP2.6, after the mobile stations MS1 . . . MS6 have synchronized in the END OF SYNCHRONIZATION state ("RDY SYNC; M1 M2").
FIG. 7 shows the BS1 memory state of the BS1 memory SP1 after the base station BS1 has combined with the mobile station MS1.
FIG. 10 shows the MS1 . . . MS6 memory states of the MS1 .MS6 memories SP2.1 . . . SP2.6 after the base station BS1 has combined with the mobile station MS1.
FIG. 11 shows the BS1 memory state of the BS1 memory SP1 after the base station BS1 has combined with the mobile stations MS1 . . . MS6. The MS1 . . . MS6 memory states of the MS1 . . . MS6 memories SP2.1 . . . SP2.6 remain unchanged compared with the states in FIG. 10.
If the combination has been carried out and concluded, for example in the manner described above, the case may occur that at least one of these mobile stations allocated to the base station is no longer available (for example due to theft or loss). So that it is not possible, for example in the case of a stolen mobile station, to access the base station with the aid of this mobile station, for example in order to conduct telephone conversations via this base station (if this is connected to external communication networks) (misuse), the base station must be informed of the unavailability.

Process for managing a number of mobile stations registered in a base station of a cordless communication system


An abnormality score calculating means calculates abnormality scores which are information indicating abnormality of medical data, based on specificity of the medical data. An abnormality score vector generating means creates at least one or more abnormality score vectors which are information obtained by integrating the abnormality scores. Further, a side effect detecting means which decides a likelihood of a side effect indicated by the abnormality score vector, based on a predetermined rule, and detects an abnormality score vector the likelihood of which is set in advance and which satisfies conditions as information indicating the side effect.

In many cases, drugs which are available in a market cause side effects which could not be found by inspection upon development. Hence, doing researches to quickly find side effects which occur in the market and managing side effect information are important to manage safety of drugs and improve the drugs.
Currently, when a drug causes a side effect, each medical organization needs to report the side effect to, for example, a government. When a side effect is reported, this information is accumulated in a side effect report database (side effect DB). It is difficult for people to check and process all reports on side effects accumulated in the side effect DB, and therefore methods of specifying a side effect of a drug from these reports are being proposed.
Non Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of detecting a pair of a drug and a side effect by using methods such as Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network, Gamma-Poisson Shrinker and Reporting Odds Ratio. According to the method disclosed in Non Patent Literature 1, information including a pair of "drug-side effect" is automatically extracted from the side effect DB in which an enormous amount of information is stored, and a side effect of a drug is detected based on the event probability of this pair.
Further, Patent Literature 1 discloses a clinical trial managing system which comprehensively manages clinical trials. The system disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has a set exclusion criterion indicating, for example, an abnormal value of data or occurrence of a side effect. Further, whether or not a side effect occurs is decided based on whether or not an abnormal value is produced or a doctor's opinion.
Furthermore, Patent Literature 2 discloses a method of identifying and predicting a drug side effect. According to the method disclosed in Patent Literature 2, an ADE (Adverse Drug Events) rule is defined in advance. Further, when a test value is not included in a range of a normal test value in the ADE rule, the test value is decided to be abnormal and warning processing is performed.

Device, method, and program for extracting abnormal event from medical information


A network of switches may be adapted to route image data to one or more processor cores based on tags associated with data samples, where each tag includes at least one reference-space coordinate value. When image data is received by the network, the image data may be spatially transformed to a reference space, e.g., the physical space that is represented by the image data, to generate the data samples and each data sample may be tagged with a corresponding reference space coordinate value and routed through the network to one or more of the processors according to the tag.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Computational physical simulation and animation play an important and useful role in a range of computer applications, including virtual reality, electronic and computer games, scientific simulations, and robotic motion planning. Game developers, for example, increasingly use real-time, physics-based animation to enhance the realism of game-object interactivity. Despite the considerable efforts devoted to accelerating video and other image-based data processing, displaying and processing state-of-the-art computer simulation and animation requires a level of computational resources that, in many cases, exceed capabilities of available computing power. The present disclosure contemplates that further improvements in the efficiency of computational physical simulation are desirable as described herein.

Routing image data across on-chip networks


Described herein is the generation of optimized H3N2, H2N2 and B influenza HA polypeptides for eliciting a broadly reactive immune response to influenza virus isolates. The optimized HA polypeptides were developed through a series of HA protein alignments, and subsequent generation of consensus sequences, based on H3N2, H2N2 and B influenza isolates. Provided herein are optimized H3N2, H2N2 and B influenza HA polypeptides, and compositions, fusion proteins and VLPs comprising the HA polypeptides. Further provided are codon-optimized nucleic acid sequences encoding the HA polypeptides. Methods of eliciting an immune response against influenza virus in a subject are also provided by the present disclosure.

Influenza virus is a member of Orthomyxoviridae family. There are three subtypes of influenza viruses, designated influenza A, influenza B, and influenza C. The influenza virion contains a segmented negative-sense RNA genome, which encodes the following proteins: hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), matrix (M1), proton ion-channel protein (M2), nucleoprotein (NP), polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1), polymerase basic protein 2 (PB2), polymerase acidic protein (PA), and nonstructural protein 2 (NS2). The HA, NA, M1, and M2 are membrane associated, whereas NP, PB1, PB2, PA, and NS2 are nucleocapsid associated proteins. The M1 protein is the most abundant protein in influenza particles. The HA and NA proteins are envelope glycoproteins, responsible for virus attachment and penetration of the viral particles into the cell, and the sources of the major immunodominant epitopes for virus neutralization and protective immunity. Both HA and NA proteins are considered the most important components for prophylactic influenza vaccines.
Each year, seasonal influenza causes over 300,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths in the U.S. alone (Simonsen et al., Lancet Infect Dis 7:658-66, 2007). The emergence of the novel H1N1 influenza virus in 2009 demonstrated how quickly a new influenza pandemic can sweep across the world. H3N2 influenza strains can infect both birds and mammals and H3N2 influenza is becoming increasingly more abundant in seasonal influenza. H2N2 is another influenza subtype that has previously caused human pandemics. An H2N2 strain caused the 1957 pandemic in Asia. Influenza B virus is another type of influenza that infects humans and represents a significant cause of seasonal flu, but is not known to cause pandemics due to its limited host range (humans and seals).
There are currently two influenza vaccine approaches licensed in the United States—the inactivated, split vaccine and the live-attenuated virus vaccine. The inactivated vaccines can efficiently induce humoral immune responses but generally only poor cellular immune responses. Live virus vaccines cannot be administered to immunocompromised or pregnant patients due to their increased risk of infection. Thus, a need exists for a broadly protective influenza virus vaccine.

Computationally optimized broadly reactive antigens for H3N2, H2N2, and B influenza viruses

University of Pittsburgh—Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education


A composite forming fabric (10) comprising a paper side layer (12) having a paper side surface, a machine side layer (14) having a bottom wear side surface, and a plurality of pairs of first and second intrinsic, interchanging weft binder yarns (16,18,20, . . . 34) for binding together the paper side layer (12) and the machine side layer (14). At least of said plurality of pairs of first and second intrinsic, interchanging weft binder yarns have at least four segments (S1-S4) in the paper side layer (12) within each repeat of the weave pattern in the fabric, and these segments provide an unbroken weft path in the paper side surface. Each of the first and second intrinsic, interchanging weft binder yarns (16,18,20, . . . 34) of each binder pair having at least four segments (S1-S4) in the paper side layer (12) within each repeat of the weave pattern binds to at least one warp yarn (2-20) in the machine side layer (14) vertically underlying one of the segments (S1-S4).

Papermaking involves the forming, pressing and drying of cellulosic fiber sheets. The forming process includes the step of depositing an aqueous stock solution of the fibers, and possibly other additives, onto the forming fabric upon which the initial paper web is formed. The forming fabric may run on a so-called Gap Former machine in which the aqueous stock initially is dewatered, and the initial paper sheet is formed between two forming fabrics.
An effective forming process typically produces a sheet with a very regular distribution of fibers and with a relatively high solids content, i.e., a high fiber-to-water weight ratio. In order to form a fibrous web with a desired uniform, regular distribution and high fiber-to-water weight ratio, the forming fabric must possess a number of properties. First, the papermaking surface should be relatively planar; resulting from the yarn floats in both the machine direction (MD) and cross-machine-direction (CD) lying at substantially the same height, to thereby prevent localized penetration of the fibers into the fabric. Such localized penetration results in "wire marks" which actually is the result of fiber basis weight variations throughout the sheet area. In addition, the MD and CD floats need to be distributed in a regular manner to avoid introducing undesired wire marks into the formed sheet. Moreover, these basis weight variations can result in undesired variations in sheet absorption properties; a property very relevant to the functionality of quality graphical papers where a consistent uptake of print ink is necessary to produce a clear sharp image.
Other factors also cause the formation of undesired wire marks. For example, wire marks can be introduced into the sheet by the flow of water around yarns positioned below the fabric's papermaking surface. This phenomena, referred to as "strike through," needs to be taken into account in designing the fabric construction.
Importantly, the forming fabric must also possess a high degree of dimensional stability. This high stability is necessary, for example, to minimize cyclic variations in fabric width, which can result in MD wrinkles in the fabric. This, in turn, contributes to the so-called, streaky sheet, i.e., a sheet with MD streaks created by variations in fiber basis weight.
Dimensional stability of a fabric typically is obtained by manufacturing the forming fabric with a relatively high mass of material. However, the use of thick yarns often causes undesirable wire marks. Consequently, there has been a trend to providing composite forming fabrics, that is, "multi-layer" structures, whereby a high number of relatively thin yarns are distributed throughout various fabrics layers to facilitate fabric stability.
One type of multi-layer structure is a triple-layer, or composite, fabric made by joining two (2) distinct fabrics, each with their own MD (warp) yarns and CD (weft) yarns, by the use of additional and independent "binding yarns." These binding yarns can be employed in either the MD or CD direction, and in this system provide the sole function of binding the two separate fabrics together. In other words, these binding yarns are not intended to function as part of the warp or weft yarn system in either the top fabric or the bottom fabric of the multi-layer structure. Such a triple-layer fabric is illustrated in EP 0,269,070(JWI Ltd.).
Where the two fabrics of the triple-layer structure are joined in either the MD or CD direction by binding yarns that also belong, or form part of the weave pattern of either, or both, of the paper side or wear side fabrics, the resulting structures are referred to more specifically as "self-stitched" triple-layer structures. Such binding yarns are referred to as intrinsic binding yarns. Self-stitched structures are taught in a number of prior art patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,303 (Nordiskafilt AB) discloses a triple-layer structure wherein paper side yarns are used to bind the paper side and wear side fabrics into one structure.
Triple-layer structures, whether employing separate and distinct binding yarns or intrinsic binding yarns that form part of the paper side and/or wear side weave structure, allow, to some extent, for the use of fine MD and CD yarns in the paper side fabric layer for improved papermaking quality and sheet release. Additionally, the use of significantly coarser yarns can be employed in the lower fabric layer, or wear side fabric layer, which contacts the paper machine elements, to thereby provide good stability and fabric life. Thus, these triple-layer structures have the capability of providing optimum papermaking properties in the paper side fabric layer and optimum mechanical properties in the wear side fabric layer.
In the known commercial embodiments of the triple-layer and self-stitched fabrics of the prior art the internal surface of the wear side fabric layer is dominated by floats of MD yarns. Where wear side fabric CD yarns interlace with wear side fabric MD yarns, such that the wear side CD yarns appear in the internal region between the paper side and wear side fabric layers, relatively prominent short weft knuckles are formed. The pressure of relatively stiff wear side MD yarns acting on the wear side CD yarns during the production of the fabric can cause so-called "knuckle spread," whereby the wear side CD yarn knuckles are distorted and their width increased to form a relatively large area. The location of such yarn mass areas within the fabric inner region reduces the ability of water to flow through the fabric in such yarn mass areas such that fabric dewatering may be adversely affected.
A further common feature of the known self-stitched and other triple-layer designs is that they are relatively thick structures with a high amount of empty space distributed throughout their thickness. The relatively high "void volume" is typically associated with sheet rewetting on the paper machine such that the sheet solids content at transfer to the press section may be undesirably low. That is, the fibrous web formed on the papermaking fabric has an undesirably low fiber-to-weight ratio. This can result in reduced papermaking machine performance through a higher amount of sheet breaks occasioned by the wetter sheet, reduced running speed and higher drying costs downstream of initial web formation.
The prior art '303 patent, referred to earlier herein, discloses embodiments which utilised more, and finer warp yarns in the paperside layer as compared to the warp yarns in the wear side layer. The wear side warp yarns in the '303 patent occur less frequently and are of a thicker diameter than the paper side warp yarns. Accordingly, the embodiments shown in '303 would have a relatively high thickness and corresponding void volume. These issues have been addressed somewhat by more recent patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,627 (Seabrook, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,195 (Ward), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,550 (Ward). The entire subject matter of all these latter-identified patents is incorporated herein, by reference. All of these latter patents disclose self-stitched triple-layer fabrics with equal numbers of warp yarns in their paper side and wear side fabric layers. Consequently, there is still adequate MD orientated load bearing material, but a reduction in fabric thickness and void volume as compared to the embodiments shown in '303 patent is expected.
More recently, thickness and void volume of self-stitched fabrics have been the subject of EP 1,273,698, the subject matter of which is fully incorporated by reference herein. This latter publication describes the provision of self-stitched structures with reduced thickness and void volume compared to the prior art. To achieve such structures high numbers of thin paper side yarns are required to allow the fabric of the '698 publication to perform adequately. Thus processing costs are higher for such fabrics, as compared to fabrics requiring a lesser number of relatively thicker fabrics. Furthermore, the lifetime of such fabrics may be limited because a wear side CD yarn of relatively small diameter is typically chosen to facilitate the recessing of the thin, load bearing, wearside MD yarns into the fabric and away from the wearing elements of the paper machine. By comparison with the prior art fabrics, the embodiments of '698 publication are relatively thin and consequently are more prone to instability than such prior art fabrics. Consequently, sheet basis weight profiles may be adversely affected by the use of fabrics made in accordance with the teachings of the '698 patent.
Although the aforementioned composite papermaking fabrics employing intrinsic interchanging binder yarn pairs have provided improved structures, applicant believes that there still is a need for additional, improved composite structures of the type employing intrinsic interchanging binder yarn pairs providing a high resistance to delamination, or separation, of the paper side and machine side layers, and also providing a composite fabric of relatively low thickness and related low void volume, to improve paper sheet dryness, and with suitable fabric stability to produce sheets with good basis weight profiles, and further providing a composite fabric with high levels of wearable material on the fabric wear side layer to perform without mechanical problems for the desired duration of use. It is to such structures that the present invention is directed.

Fabrics with multi-segment, paired, interchanging yarns


A multi-phase realigned voltage-controlled oscillator (MRVCO) achieves phase realignment based on charge injection in the VCO stages with the injection amount proportional to the instantaneous phase error between the VCO output clock and a reference clock. The MRVCO may be incorporated as part of an implementation of a multi-phase realigned phase-locked loop (MRPLL). A separate phase detector, as well as a specific realignment charge pump, may be provided in the PLL for controlling the VCO. The VCO has lower phase modulation noise, so that the PLL has very large equivalent bandwidth.

In classical VCO structures, low-frequency phase modulation (PM) noise, or long-term jitter, is significant and cumulative. Phase-locked loop (PLL) circuits using this kind of VCO are able to correct this PM noise or jitter only up to a modulation frequency equal to that of the PLL bandwidth. At higher modulation frequencies, the PLL circuit stops regulating and so the PM noise is equal to or slightly higher than the intrinsic PM noise of the VCO. Reducing high frequency PM noise, short-term jitter, requires either a very large PLL bandwidth or a low noise VCO. Enlarging the PLL bandwidth is limited by the fact that the bandwidth cannot exceed about 1/20th of the reference frequency, due to quantization noise. Hence, low noise VCO circuits are sought.
Phase realignment in a VCO circuit allows synchronizing its phase to that of a reference clock signal. In particular, the VCO clock edge may be resynchronized to each reference clock edge. This resynchronization has been realized by inserting realignment inverters having specific phase delays into the VCO ring. See, for example, the published international (PCT) patent application WO 03/063337A1 of Sheng et al. A realignment signal is obtained by combining the VCO circuit's clock output with a reference clock. This realignment signal is applied to one of the realignment inverters to force a transition at the reference clock edge. PLL circuits that use a phase-realigned VCO have reduced PM noise or jitter to significantly higher frequencies than comparable simple PLL circuits.
However, this technique also requires sophisticated digital gating and timing skewing between the VCO clock output, reference clock and realignment signal in order to apply the phase realignment at the optimum instant. The phase realignment factor, which is defined as the induced realignment phase shift divided by the difference between the VCO and reference phases just prior to the realignment instant, is hardly dependent on device performance spread and mismatch. The addition of realignment inverters adds phase delay to the VCO ring and thus decreases the VCO circuit's maximum operating frequency. The device parameters in any VCO circuit embodiment are specific to the design operating frequency, and hence this particular phase realignment technique is not applicable where a VCO circuit with a wide frequency range is desired.

Multi-phase realigned voltage-controlled oscillator and phase-locked loop incorporating the same


A liquid crystal display projector comprising a light source, a group of mirrors, liquid crystal display devices, a projection lens, a main body containing the light source, group of mirrors, liquid crystal display devices and projection lens, and a mechanism whereby the projection lens is allowed to retract into and protrude from the main body. The projection lens comprises an outer cylinder having a ring-like shape; a drive motor with a gear; a ring-like intermediate cylinder with a first cam groove, second cam groove and gearwork provided on the exterior thereof with the gearwork meshing with the gear of the drive motor and is installed on the inner side of the outer cylinder so as to be made movable by sliding; a first inner cylinder having a first axis to fit in the first cam groove and fits with the inner surface of the intermediate cylinder in the front portion thereof so as to be movable by sliding according to the movement of the first axis caused by the rotation of the first cam groove; a second inner cylinder having a second axis to fit in the second cam groove and fits toward the back of the inner surface of the intermediate cylinder so as to be movable by sliding according to the movement of the second axis caused by the rotation of the second cam groove; and a plurality of lenses installed in the cylinders at specified positions. The projection lens operates such that driving of the drive motor causes the intermediate cylinder to rotate and the rotation of the intermediate cylinder allows the projection lens to zoom by extending and retracting the first inner cylinder.

For many years by now, projectors using a metal halide lamp and the like as the light source, whereby video images displayed on liquid crystal panels are enlarged and projected on a screen, have been available on the market.
With such projectors, the light emitted from the light source is gathered on liquid crystal panels by means of mirrors and the like and projected on a screen through a projection lens.
There are two kinds of liquid crystal display projectors, one being a 1-panel type that employs one liquid crystal display panel and the other being a 3-panel type wherein three liquid crystal display panels are used and color splitting and color combining are performed by means of dichloic mirrors and the like.
Each respective type of the above has a projection lens protruding from the projector's main body cabinet.
As shown in FIG. 6, a 1-panel type liquid crystal display projector has, in general, a projection lens 41, a field lens 42, a liquid crystal display panel 43 and polarizers 45 for light incident side and light radiant side.
There are two types in the projection lens 41, one having a fixed focus length and the other having a zooming function.
A 3-panel type liquid crystal display projector is basically of the same structure except for having half mirrors 44 that are additionally built in for color splitting and combining.
These types of liquid crystal display projectors were proposed in a Japanese patent application published for public examination, Showa 62(1987)-316710, for example.
Each respective liquid crystal display projector of 1-panel type and 3-panel type has generally a structure wherein a projection lens protrudes from the main body cabinet of the projector due to limitations in layout.
The structure wherein the projection lens protrudes has often caused a problem of damaging the protruding lens and the like when a liquid crystal display projector is carried. In addition, the protruding projection lens has imposed many restrictions on designing liquid crystal display projectors, thereby leading to a reduction in freedom of design. Furthermore, there is a drawback that dust easily settles on a protruding projection lens.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for disposing of calls. The apparatus includes a call initiation module, a transfer module, and a presentation module. The call initiation module initiates a plurality of calls. The transfer module transfer a plurality of calls to at least one agent. The presentation module simultaneously presents a plurality of transferred calls to an agent for disposition.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus, system, and method for managing calls from a call center and more particularly to the management of transferring multiple calls to a single agent.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the world of sales, it is axiomatic that the more people you contact, the better the chance of making a sale. Thus people in sales are always trying to contact people in more efficient ways. For example, door-to-door sales people for particular product may make a house call at a time that the buyer of that product is most likely to be home. These same principals apply to telemarketing. One way to increase the rate of connecting with a decision maker during a sales calls is to increase the number of calls made. Statistics can be used to determine the average of number of initiated calls that actually produce a live decision-maker at the other end. For example, at a particular time of day, only 1 out of every 4 calls may yield the live customer you are trying to contact. Using this example, one technique used to increase the efficiency of sales agents actually speaking to live customers is to make four calls for every one available agent.
The problem with this technique is that there may be situations where all four initiated calls produce a live customer, and there are not enough agents to handle all the customers. Under this scenario, three of the calls might be abandoned. This may not have a positive effect on the customer and may hurt future sales. Additionally, sales agents are at their best when they know a live customer will be on the other end of the line. If calls initiated by a sales agent produce five or six wrong numbers or answering machines in a row, the sales agent may be caught off guard when connecting to a live voice, and their sales presentation may be less effective.
An advancement in the art would be to decrease the number of abandoned calls made by a phone calling system while increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the sales agent. It would be a further advancement in the art to provide a phone calling system that automatically determine the disposition of calls and update a database accordingly. It would be a further advantage if sales agents only had to deal with live customers who were the intended recipient of the sales call. It would be a further advancement if a single agent could handle multiple calls at once. Such a sales calling system is disclosed herein.

Apparatus, system, and method for disposing of a call


Systems and methods described herein employ techniques for optimized and selective management of policy deployment/delivery to mobile clients in a congested network to, for example, prevent further aggravation of network congestion. In order to address mobile network congestion it is necessary to be able to enforce network management policies on the devices which are specifically in the congested areas. This presents a challenge as the process of knowing and keeping track of where a device is geographically located within the network actually consumes network resources. There is a tradeoff between the accuracy with which you know a given devices location and the amount of resources required to gain this knowledge. Thus, it is crucial to have a way to determine the location of a device in the network with sufficient accuracy such that congestion management policies can be applied effectively while not unduly taxing the network with additional traffic.

In order to address mobile network congestion, it is ideal to be able to enforce network management policies on the devices which are in specific congested areas. This presents a challenge as the process of knowing and keeping track of where a device is geographically located within the network actually consumes network resources.

Optimized and selective management of policy deployment to mobile clients in a congested network to prevent further aggravation of network congestion