A method and an optical pickup device for generating a focus error signal are disclosed. The device includes an irradiation optics for irradiating laser beams onto an information recording surface of an optical disc, a first and a second photodetector for receiving reflected light, and photodetection optics having an astigmatism generating element for applying astigmatism to light reflected from the information recording surface and for introducing the reflected light to the first and the second photodetectors. The device also includes first and second photodetecting circuits which generate a first and a second preliminary focus error signal. The photodetecting circuits include a first and a second diagonal adder connected to the first and the second photodetector, and a diagonal differential device connected to the first and the second diagonal adders for generating an output difference between outputs of the first and the second diagonal adders as the first and the second preliminary focus error signals. The device further includes a device for generating a focus error signal calculated from the first and the second preliminary focus error signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an optical pickup device for use in an optical information recording/reproducing apparatus, and more particularly, to an optical pickup including a focus error detecting circuit using an astigmatism method.
2. Description of the Related Art
For a recording/reproducing apparatus for recording/reproducing information on an optical disc, loaded therein, such as an optical video disc, a digital audio disc, and so on, a focus servo and a tracking servo are essential for always accurately converging light beams for writing and reading information to a pit train or the like formed spirally or concentrically on a recording surface of the optical disc. The focus servo performs a positional control for an objective lens, used to irradiate a pit train on the optical disc with light beams, in an optical axis direction so as to reduce a focus error, i. e., an error of the position of the objective lens in the optical axis direction with respect to the focus position of the objective lens. The tracking servo performs a positional control for the position of the objective lens, used to irradiate a pit train on the optical disc with light beams, with respect to a recording track in a radial direction of the optical disc, so as to reduce a tracking error, i. e., an error of the objective lens with respect to the pit train recording track position.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional optical pickup device using the astigmatism method.
A laser beam from a semiconductor laser 1 is transformed into a parallel laser beam by a collimator lens 2, passes through a polarizing beam splitter 3, and is converged by an objective lens 4 toward an optical disc 5 to form a light spot onto a pit train on an information recording surface of the optical disc 5. Light reflected from the optical disc 5 is converged by the objective lens 4 and directed by a beam splitter 3 to a detecting lens 7. Converged light formed by the detecting lens 7 passes through a cylindrical lens 8, serving as an astigmatism generating element, to form a spot image near the center `O` of a light receiving surface of a quadrant photodetector 9 having four light receiving surface areas (elements) divided by two orthogonal line segments. The cylindrical lens 8 irradiates the quadrant photodetector 9 with a light spot SP in the shape of true circle as illustrated in FIG. 2A when the laser beam is converged on the recording surface of the optical disc 5 in focus, and an elliptic light spot SP, extending in an orthogonal direction of the elements as illustrated in FIG. 2B or 2C when the converged laser beam is out of focus on the recording surface of the optical disc 5 (FIG. 2B illustrates the light spot SP when the objective lens 4 is too far from the optical disc 5, while FIG. 2C illustrates the light spot SP when the objective lens 4 is too near the optical disc 5), thus generating so-called astigmatism.
The quadrant photodetector 9 opto-electrically transduces the light spot irradiated to the four light receiving surface areas into respective electric signals which are supplied to a focus error detecting circuit 12. The focus error detecting circuit 12 generates a focus error signal (FES) based on the electric signals supplied from the quadrant photodetector 9 and supplies the focus error signal to an actuator driver circuit 13. The actuator driver circuit 13 supplies a focusing driving signal to an actuator 15. The actuator 15 moves the objective lens 4 in response to the focusing driving signal in the optical axis direction.
The focus error detecting circuit 12, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is connected to the quadrant photodetector 9, where the quadrant photodetector 9 is composed of four detecting elements DET1 to DET4 in first to fourth quadrants which are located adjacent to each other with two orthogonal division lines L1 and L2 interposed therebetween and which are independent of each other. The quadrant photodetector 9 is positioned such that the division line L2 is in parallel with a tangential direction with respect to the extending direction of the recording track, and the other division line L1 is in parallel with the radial direction of the same. Respective opto-electrically transduced outputs from the elements DET1 and DET3, symmetric with respect to the center `O` of the light receiving surface of the quadrant photodetector 9, are added by an adder 22, while respective opto-electrically transduced outputs from the elements DET2 and DET4, also symmetric with respect to the center `O` of the light receiving surface, are added by an adder 21, and outputs from the respective adders 21 and 22 are supplied to a differential amplifier 23. The differential amplifier 23 calculates the difference between the supplied signals, and outputs a signal indicative of the difference therebetween as a focus error signal (FES).
As described above, in the conventional focus error detecting circuit 12, the outputs of the quadrant photodetector 9 are added by the adders 21 and 22, respectively, and the differential amplifier 23 calculates the difference between the outputs of the adders 21 and 22 to generate a focus error component. In this event, when the light beam is in focus, the light spot in the shape of true circle as illustrated in FIG. 2A is formed on the quadrant photodetector 9, where a spot intensity distribution is symmetric with respect to the center `O` of the light receiving surface of the quadrant photodetector 9, i. e., symmetric in the tangential direction and in the radial direction, so that the values resulting from the additions of the opto-electrically transduced outputs from the elements on the diagonals are equal to each other, with the focus error component being calculated to be "zero". On the other hand, when the light beam is out of focus, i. e., an elliptic light spot extending in a diagonal direction as illustrated in FIG. 2B or 2C is formed on the quadrant photodetector 9, so that the values resulting from the additions of the opto-electrically transduced outputs from the elements on the diagonals are different from each other. Thus, the focus error component output from the differential amplifier 23 exhibits a value corresponding to the focus error. Specifically, assuming that the references designated to the elements of the quadrant photodetector 9 represent the outputs thereof, the focus error signal FES is expressed by the following equation: EQU FES=(DET1+DET3)-(DET2+DET4)
However, it is actually difficult to perfectly remove astigmatism in the conventional optical pickup device utilizing the astigmatism method, although optical elements (including a laser diode as a light source) are designed so that any further other astigmatism does not occur. In addition, birefringence of the substrate of the optical disc generates astigmatism. For example, the birefringence in the disc substrate made of polycarbonate (PC) generates astigmatism in the direction extending at the angle of 45 degree with respect to a tangential (track) or radial direction. In this case, when the conventional optical pickup device detects a focus error signal FES from the optical disc having a lands and a groove formed on an information recording surface thereof, the FES includes a noise during the crossing of the light spot over the tracks. This is because the astigmatism is changed in response to the variation of optical path in the substrate cased by the difference in the focus position of the light beam between the land and groove.
Further more, there may be sometimes an offset of the optical axis of the light spot from the center `O` of the light receiving surface in the tangential direction due to an error associated with the manufacturing of the pickup as indicated in the broken line shown in FIG. 3. If an offset is present in the optical axis of the beam spot in the tangential direction or there are another astigmatism in the optics and birefringence in the disc substrate, then the focus error signal FES does include noise. Such a noise is hereinafter called an "FES noise".
Since a conventional CD player has employed an objective lens having a small numerical aperture NA and a large focus depth, the noise more or less included in the focus error signal (FES) has not caused any problem as a focus error. However, when information is read from a recently developed optical disc having pregrooves such as DVD-RAM or the like, an objective lens having a large numerical aperture and a small focus depth is employed for purposes of reading information, so that the noise included in the focus error signal exerts larger influences on the focus servo for the objective lens.
This may cause a focus servo system to fail to follow the noise in an optical pickup device adapted to read information from an optical disc having pregrooves, resulting in oscillation of a circuit associated with the focus servo system.

Method for generating a focus error signal due to astigmatism and optical pickup device using the same


A highly reliable semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor is provided. Oxygen is supplied from a base insulating layer provided below an oxide semiconductor layer to a channel formation region, whereby oxygen vacancies which might be generated in the channel formation region are filled. Further, a protective insulating layer containing a small amount of hydrogen and functioning as a barrier layer having a low permeability to oxygen is formed over the gate electrode layer so as to cover side surfaces of an oxide layer and a gate insulating layer that are provided over the oxide semiconductor layer, whereby release of oxygen from the gate insulating layer and/or the oxide layer is prevented and generation of oxygen vacancies in a channel formation region is prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object (a product including a machine, a manufacture, and a composition of matter) and a method (a process including a simple method and a production method). In particular, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor device, a light-emitting device, a power storage device, a driving method thereof, or a manufacturing method thereof.
In this specification, a semiconductor device refers to all the devices that can operate by utilizing semiconductor characteristics. An electrooptic device, a semiconductor circuit, and an electronic device may be included in the category of semiconductor devices or alternatively may include semiconductor devices in their categories.
2. Description of the Related Art
A technique by which transistors are formed using semiconductor thin films formed over a substrate having an insulating surface has been attracting attention. These transistors are applied to a wide range of electronic devices such as an integrated circuit (IC) or an image display device (also simply referred to as a display device). Although a silicon-based semiconductor material is widely known as a material of a semiconductor thin film applicable to a transistor, as another material, a semiconductor material using an oxide has been attracting attention.
For example, a transistor including an oxide (oxide semiconductor) containing indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).
Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that oxygen is released from an oxide semiconductor during a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor and thus oxygen vacancies are formed.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method of semiconductor device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A degradation estimating apparatus for an unburned fuel component adsorption catalyst, which is connected with an internal combustion engine and has an unburned fuel component adsorbent and an oxygen storage component is provided.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a degradation estimating apparatus for an unburned fuel component adsorption (storage) catalyst.
(2) Description of the Related Art
So far, there has been employed a catalyst which is for reducing an exhaust gas exhausted from an engine to the atmosphere. There is a problem which arises with the employment of a catalyst, however, in that the catalyst gradually degrades to show a lower purification performance. For this reason, there is a need to timely estimate the purification performance of the catalyst, i.e., the degree of degradation of the catalyst.
As one of the technologies for the estimation on the degree of degradation of the catalyst, there is a technique, for example, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and, in this example, an exhaust gas exhausted from an engine (not shown) is purified through the use of a three-way catalyst (TWC) 102 provided in an exhaust passage 101 and then discharged or released to the atmosphere.
In addition, in the exhaust passage 101, O2 sensors 103 and 104 are provided at an entry and exit of the three-way catalyst 102 so as to detect an air-fuel ratio of an exhaust gas flowing into the three-way catalyst 102 and an air-fuel ratio of an exhaust gas exiting from the three-way catalyst 102, respectively.
Still additionally, this three-way catalyst 102 contains an oxygen storage component (hereinafter referred to as an "OSC adsorbent"), thereby adsorbing oxygen contained in the exhaust gas.
Still additionally, it is known that the degree of degradation of the three-way catalyst corresponds to the degree of the OSC adsorbent, and the technique shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 also employs a method of detecting the degree of degradation of the three-way catalyst 102 by detecting the degree of degradation of the OSC adsorbent.
A description will be given hereinbelow of this method. First of all, a fuel injection quantity and others of an engine are varied periodically, thereby periodically varying an air-fuel ratio to be detected by the upstream side O2 sensor 103 (see mark A1 in FIG. 6).
At this time, if the OSC adsorbent functions normally without degrading, when the exhaust gas reaches an oxygen excess atmosphere (lean), the OSC adsorbent adsorbs the oxygen in the exhaust gas while, when the exhaust gas falls into an oxygen shortage atmosphere (rich), the oxygen adsorbed by the OSC adsorbent is discharged into the exhaust gas. That is, owing to this OSC adsorbent, the variation of the air-fuel ratio is suppressible (see mark A2 in FIG. 6).
On the other hand, in a case in which the OSC adsorbent falls into a degradation condition, difficulty is encountered in sufficiently adsorbing and discharging oxygen through the use of the OSC adsorbent, which makes it difficult to suppress the variation of the air-fuel ratio occurring on the upstream side of the three-way catalyst 102 (see marks A3 and A4 in FIG. 7).
As described above, in the example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an estimating the degree of degradation of the three-way catalyst 102 can be made on the basis of a difference in detection value between the upstream side O2 sensor 103 and the downstream side O2 sensor 104 in the case of periodically varying the exhaust air-fuel ratio.
Meanwhile, as another example of technologies for the estimating the catalyst purification performance, there exists a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. HEI 6-81635 (patent document 1).
This patent document 1 discloses a technique to the effect that an O2 sensor is provided on each of the upstream and down stream sides of a catalyst and, at the fuel return after the reduction fuel cut, an estimating the degradation of the catalyst is made on the basis of a lag of response time until each of the values measured by these O2 sensors exceeds a fixed value.
The technique disclosed in the patent document 1 also employs a technique similar in principle to the method of estimating the degradation of the catalyst on the basis of the degree of degradation of the OSC adsorbent as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In addition, for enhancing the estimation accuracy, the estimating for the degradation of catalyst is made at the fuel return after the fuel cut.
However, in a case in which the degree of degradation of the three-way catalyst 102 is detected through the use of the method shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, there is a problem in that, if a plurality of three-way catalysts 122, 123 and 124 are disposed in series as shown in FIG. 8, difficulty is experienced in individually detecting the degree of degradation of each of the three-way catalysts 122, 123 and 124.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the first three-way catalyst 122, the second three-way catalyst 123 and the third three-way catalyst 124 are provided in the exhaust passage 121. Moreover, these first to third three-way catalysts 122, 123 and 124 are arranged in the order of the first three-way catalyst 122, the second three-way catalyst 123 and the third three-way catalyst 124 from the upstream side. Each of the first to third three-way catalysts 122, 123 and 124 contains an OSC adsorbent.
In addition, a first O2 sensor 125 is located on the upstream side of the first three-way catalyst 122, and a second O2 sensor is placed on the downstream side of the first three-way catalyst 122 and on the upstream side of the second three-way catalyst 123. Still additionally, a third O2 sensor 127 is provided on the downstream side of the second three-way catalyst 123 and on the upstream side of the third three-way catalyst 124, and a fourth O2 sensor 128 is put on the downstream side of the third three-way catalyst 123.
Accordingly, in the case of varying the exhaust air-fuel ratio periodically, the periodic variation of the exhaust air-fuel ratio is detectable by the first O2 sensor 125 (see mark B1 in FIG. 8).
Moreover, in a case in which the OSC adsorbent of the first three-way catalyst 122 does not fall into a degradation state, the OSC adsorbent of the first three-way catalyst 122 fulfills its function, thereby reducing the air-fuel ratio variation of the exhaust gas discharged from the first three-way catalyst 122 to the downstream side (see mark B2 in FIG. 8). This can reduce the air-fuel ratio variation detected by the second O2 sensor 126, the air-fuel ratio variation by the third O2 sensor 127 and the air-fuel ratio variation by the fourth O2 sensor 128 (see marks B2, B3 and B4 in FIG. 8). This makes it difficult to make a comparison on the difference between the results of detection by these second to fourth O2 sensors 126, 127 and 128.
That is, in a case in which an upstream side catalyst (for example, the first three-way catalyst 122) is not in a degraded condition, a downstream side catalyst (for example, the second three-way catalyst 123 or the third three-way catalyst 124) cannot detect the degradation.
On the other hand, the catalyst includes various types of catalysts, and it can be hardly said that the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document 1 is applicable to all the catalysts. In particular, difficulty is experienced in detecting the degradation of an HC trap catalyst (unburned fuel component adsorption catalyst) capable of adsorbing HC (hydro-carbon) which is an unburned fuel component in the exhaust gas.
That is, the HC in the exhaust gas, adsorbed by the HC trap catalyst, functions as a reductant to discharge oxygen adsorbed by the OSC adsorbent into the exhaust. Therefore, even if the technique disclosed in the patent document 1 is applied intact, it is difficult to estimate the degradation of the HC trap catalyst.

Degradation estimating apparatus for unburned component adsorption catalyst

Abstract: The apparatus includes a degradation estimating unit for making estimation for a degradation of the unburned fuel component adsorption catalyst on the basis of a first term and a second term.

Abstract: The first term is from the cancellation of the fuel supply to detecting a variation of an upstream side air-fuel ratio occurring due to the increase of the reductant quantity in the exhaust gas.

Abstract: The second term is from the cancellation of the fuel supply to detecting of a variation of the downstream side air-fuel ratio due to an increase of the reductant quantity.

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


A card game and method of play is provided. It includes a plurality of game cards and a multifaceted die having a plurality of characters on the faces of said die. A rule set is also provided. It includes a plurality of rules, one of the rules of being that a player identify an adjective that corresponds with one of the plurality of characters on an upturned face of said multifaceted die.

APPLES to APPLES® is a popular card game with children and adults. It combines aspects of chance found in all card games with player intellect and social skills to provide amusement to all players involved.
In one embodiment of the game, each player is dealt seven "red apple" cards. Each of those cards includes a noun or noun phrase printed thereon. One of the players is initially determined to be the judge for the first round. The judge draws a "green apple" card. The "green apple" card includes an adjective printed thereon. The "green apple" card is placed face-up on the playing surface so that every player can see it. Each player, with the exception of the judge, chooses a card from their own seven card hand that they think is the best match for the "green apple" card. Those cards are placed face-down.
The judge then shuffles the "red apple" cards that have been discarded by the players, reads them aloud and/or shows the other players those cards and then decides which noun on the "red apple" cards best matches the adjective shown on the face-up "green apple" card. A match, is simply the noun that is the favorite word to go with the adjective. While the other players may disagree with the choice, the decision is solely that of the judge for the particular hand—and the judge may make his decision on any basis he or she deems appropriate.
The player who submitted the chosen "red apple" card wins the round, and takes the "green apple" card as an indication of the win for that round. Each player then draws a new "red apple" card to replace the card discarded. The judge is rotated is then rotated to another player. The new judge may be the winner of the last round or may simply pass to the next player on a rotational basis.
The winner of the game is the first player to obtain a predetermined number of green apple cards. A more detailed description of related gameplay concepts is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,308, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.


An electronic device which includes a radio wave impermeably cylindrical case, a radio wave permeable cover covering an opening in one end of the case, a radio wave impermeable cover covering an opening in the other end of the case, and a circuit board and an antenna, both arranged between the two covers in the inner space. The antenna is connected to the board and includes an elongated core and a coil wound around an intermediate portion of the core. Magnetic flux introducing portions are provided on both end portions of the core, a radio wave permeable partition plate is arranged between the permeable cover and the antenna in the inner space, and a pair of flat and magnetic members are arranged between the partition plate and the antenna in the inner space and are magnetically connected to the flux introducing portions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna and an electronic device which receive radio waves.
2. Description of the Related Art
A radio-wave clock is known as an electronic device which receives a radio wave (hereinafter referred to as the "standard radio wave") carrying a standard time signal thereon with a built-in antenna and which analyzes time information by a standard radio-wave signal inside the electronic device to correct present timing and precisely keep time. Moreover, as the radio-wave clock which receives such standard radio wave, an electronic watch has broadly spread which automatically receives a standard time radio wave to correct the time.
The antenna for receiving the standard radio wave comprises a magnetic core and a coil wound around this core. Moreover, when a magnetic flux (hereinafter referred to as the "signal magnetic flux") by a magnetic field (hereinafter referred to as the "signal magnetic field") produced by the standard radio wave is passed through this coil, a current is generated in the coil to receive the standard radio wave.
As the antenna which is disposed in such electronic watch to receive the radio wave, an antenna is known which is configured by winding the coil around the core formed of a magnetic material having a satisfactory receiving sensitivity, such as ferrite or amorphous metal.
Especially, the antenna using the amorphous metal as the core is superior to that configured by the ferrite material in impact resistance and temperature characteristic, and has been noted in recent years.
As the antenna of the amorphous metal, an antenna has heretofore been known in which a plurality of thin films of amorphous metals are laminated.
However, since such antenna using the amorphous metal is formed by laminating a plurality of thin films of amorphous metals, it is technically difficult and it requires much cost to work a shape of the core into an arbitrary three-dimensional shape, and manufacture the antenna adapted to a purpose.
It is also known that metals are used in a case, a back lid, and a dial plate of a portable electronic device such as a watch. However, when the metal is used in the case or the like of the electronic device including the built-in antenna, the metal interrupts the radio wave, and the built-in antenna cannot sufficiently receive the radio wave.
To solve the problem, it is known that although the metals are used in the case and the back lid, any metal is not used in the dial plate so that the built-in antenna can receive the radio wave through the dial plate.
However, in such antenna, since a portion of the antenna capable of receiving the radio wave is limited, the radio wave cannot be sufficiently received on a side of the dial plate,
Moreover, when the antenna is enlarged in order to obtain a satisfactory receiving sensitivity, restrictions are imposed on a mounting space in which another component is to be disposed, and it is difficult to miniaturize the device.
Furthermore, the receiving sensitivity of the standard radio wave by the antenna needs to be raised in order to receive the signal carrying the standard time signal thereon securely. Therefore, an antenna is known in which sectional areas of opposite end portions of the core are enlarged so that more signal magnetic fluxes can pass through the coil in order to raise the receiving sensitivity.
However, in this case, when the signal magnetic flux passes through the coil of the antenna, the current flows through the coil in a direction in which the signal magnetic fluxes are inhibited from being changed, and a magnetic flux (hereinafter referred to as the "generated magnetic flux") directed in reverse to the signal magnetic flux is generated by the current. When the generated magnetic flux passes through a metal member positioned in the vicinity of the antenna, a current called an eddy current flows in the form of a concentric circle forming right angles with respect to the magnetic flux. It is known that when the eddy current is generated in the metal member, heat is released by an electric resistance owned by the metal material, and energy is lost. Therefore, the energy is consumed as a heat loss by the eddy current generated in the case of the device when the signal magnetic flux passes through the coil, and the receiving sensitivity of the antenna drops.


An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a photosensitive layer containing a charge generating material, a charge transport material, and a binder resin. The photosensitive layer is a multi-layer type photosensitive layer or a single-layer type photosensitive layer. The multi-layer type photosensitive layer includes a charge generating layer that contains the charge generating material and a charge transport layer that contains the charge transport material and the binder resin, and in which the charge transport layer is located on the charge generating layer. The single-layer type photosensitive layer contains the charge generating material, the charge transport material, and the binder resin. The charge transport material is an enamine derivative represented by general formula (1). In general formula (1), R1, R2, l, m, and n are each as defined in the specification.

The present disclosure rerates to electrophotographic photosensitive members.
Electrophotographic photosensitive members are used as image bearing members in electrophotographic printers and multifunction peripherals. A typical electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer located either directly or indirectly on the conductive substrate. A photosensitive member including a photosensitive layer that contains a charge generating material, a charge transport material, and a resin (organic material) for binding the aforementioned materials is referred to as an organic electrophotographic photosensitive member. An organic electrophotographic photosensitive member in which one layer implements a charge transport function by mainly containing a charge transport material and another layer implements a charge generation function by mainly containing a charge generating material is referred to as a multi-layer electrophotographic photosensitive member. An organic electrophotographic photosensitive member in which one layer includes both a charge transport material and a charge generating material, and thus in which the one layer implements both a charge transport function and a charge generation function, is referred to as a single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive member.
On the other hand, another example of a photosensitive member is an inorganic electrophotographic photosensitive member in which an inorganic material is used (for example, selenium or amorphous silicon). Advantages of organic electrophotographic photosensitive members as compared to inorganic electrophotographic photosensitive members are relatively small environmental effects and ease of photosensitive layer formation and are therefore currently in use in many image forming apparatuses.
Organic electrophotographic photosensitive member in which tris(4-styrylphenyl)amine derivatives are used as charge transport materials are commonly known.


Phone calls between data modems may be transferred without dropping the phone calls. An intermediate modem phone call is established between modems that are not currently involved in a modem call to activate a modem that is to receive a modem call transfer. After the modem that is to receive the transfer is activated, the modem call transfer occurs with the assistance of a switching mechanism, such as an automatic call distributor (ACD). The interruption to the modem caused by the transfer is negligible enough so as to not cause the modem call to be dropped. For some types of modems, a three-way conference call may be established between modems and one of the modems may be dropped to realize the modem call transfer.

The use of modems has increased dramatically in the past few years. A typical modem acts as a modulator/demodulator that modulates/demodulates at least one carrier signal to enable digital data to be carried over the analog telephone network. In a standard data telephony application, an analog carrier signal is modulated at a source modem to code digital information, and the modulated carrier signal is then sent over the analog telephone network to a destination modem that demodulates the analog carrier signal to extract the digital data. The connection between the modems is created by placing a telephone call from the source modem to the destination modem. One of the limitations of such data modem calls is that they cannot be readily transferred without the calls being dropped. With conventional voice telephone calls, the call may readily be transferred from one phone to another. However, attempting to transfer a data modem call from one data modem to another results in the call being dropped due to the interruption of the carrier signal. Data modems include built-in features for dropping a call if the carrier signal is interrupted for more than a negligible amount of time.
One environment in which this inability to transfer data modem calls has proven problematic is in Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) centers. TRS centers are call centers that allow a hearing-impaired person to communicate over telephone lines using a workstation (such as a personal computer) and a modem to communicate with an operator at the TRS center. The operator at the TRS center communicates to the hearing-impaired person via a separate workstation and modem. In addition, the operator at the TRS center communicates with a person who is not earing-impaired via a conventional telephone set. The role of the TRS operator is to translate messages between the modem call with the hearing-impaired person and the voice call with the person who is not hearing impaired.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a typical configuration for a TRS center. The hearing-impaired party 10 communicates with the TRS center 12 in order to communicate with a nonhearing-impaired party 14. The hearing-impaired party has a workstation 22 that is interfaced with a data modem 20. A modem call is established between the modem 20 of the hearing-impaired party 10 and a data modem 30 at an operator station 24 within the TRS center 12. Data 16 is passed between the respective modems 20 and 30 as the modem call progresses. Messages from the hearing-impaired party 10 appear at a display device that is part of the workstation 32 of an operator at the operator station 24. The operator at operator station 24 also has a phone set 34 that is used to place a voice call with the nonhearing-impaired party 14. The nonhearing-impaired party 14 has a conventional telephone 28, and voice signals are transmitted between the nonhearing-impaired party 14 and the operator at the operator station 24.
A difficulty arises at the TRS center 12 when a new operator is required. For example, if the hearing-impaired party 10 or the nonhearing-impaired party 14 communicates in a natural language other than that understood by the operator, a new operator may be required. In conventional systems, this difficulty is handled by having a new operator physically take control of the operator station that is fielding the call. For the example depicted in FIG. 1, the operator at operator station 26 may be required to physically take over the operator station 24 in such a situation. This need for an operator to physically move to a new station is both cumbersome and inefficient. Moreover, this approach may be bothersome to the parties involved in the call because it may take a substantial amount of time.

Method and system for transferring a data modem call


The present invention provides a novel approach to matching personality traits, as determined through observational or self-assessment reporting in combination with specific loci and identifiable variations within an individual's nucleotide sequence in the form of SNPs. The present invention further utilizes an individual's cyber footprint, in combination with SNPs and traditional assessment and self-assessment techniques, to define a testing and reinforcement mechanism for strengthening the interdependence and accuracy of each type of reporting in order to bolster the reliability of each alone and in combination.

Personality, according to the American Psychological Association, refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. And, as most experts agree, differences in an individual's personalities is a mix of both internal (genetic) forces and external (environmental) forces. Unfortunately, to what degree each force influences an individual is amorphous at best and to date has only been described through ill-defined measurements relying on either (1) direct observation or (2) self-reporting, the primary means almost entirely being the latter in the form of subjective self-assessment.
While self-assessment is an invaluable tool for improvement in one's own life and in terms of evaluating an individual's interpersonal and professional life, self-analyzing, through self-assessment testing, yet contains intrinsic conflicts and biases that are inherently incorporated into such testing's diagnostic model. Individuals may fall prey to any number of conscious and subconscious influencers that conflate the results, underrepresent certain factors within the testing model and bring into question these test's validity and reliability.
Yet, despite this variability of results and imprecise mechanics, the dependence upon self-assessment models has experienced no decrease in reliance and use among those individuals and institutions seeking to define and utilize personality assessments in order to direct and influence hiring and placement metrics and to facilitate employee congruence within each particular institution. Indeed, corporations large and small, colleges and governmental entities spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year testing and evaluating their employees, students, and/or job candidates for their motivations, preferences, interests, and styles of interaction in order to more accurately determine each individual's personality type via self-reporting inventories (i.e. questionnaires). This assessment helps the individual and the entities see where individuals may flourish both professionally and/or personally (or both professionally and personally) which in turn manifests as increased job satisfaction and, correspondingly, increased productivity. These tests include, but are not limited to, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), the 16 Personality Factor (PF) test, the Big-Five Factor Markers personality test, and the Birkman Personality and Career Assessment. These tests are executed through questionnaires that are heavily weighted toward an individual's, self-assessment, self-awareness and self-reporting. These individuals and entities, however, have been obliged to accept results of a test that contains highly subjective reporting which, based on the answers provided, has a potentially large degree of rate of error that may create and cause bias in both the test-taker and the test administrator/evaluator. Manifestly, test takers may be influenced to answer the personality assessment questions in a way that they believe will produce a report that is in favor of the position the test taker aspires to hold or influence the test giver in a way favorable to the test taker.
Moreover, these self-reporting inventories carry with themselves a high degree of dependence and reliance by the test giver (or results recipient) that produces results on a limited acceptable range of personality types (typically 5 to 16) with which to make any number of significant decision in the life and/or work of the individual. Clearly, over-dependence and over-reliance by entities on results with such wide variances and set on such a rigid platform invites simultaneous risks for both overinclusion and under inclusion.
Yet, as genetic linkages to personality become more evident and verifiable, so too are these linkages establishing themselves as a valuable tool to attaining a more thorough assessment of personality that is not only producible but also verifiable and reproducible. Correspondingly, as these discrete genomic areas become identifiable, the knowledge and detection of the origins of singular personality traits will allow each individual to pinpoint potential areas of growth and to modify their actions and interactions accordingly. Clearly, advanced or extreme versions of neuroticism, introvertedness, negative emotionality, emotional instability, disagreeableness, negativism, and not being open to new experiences are places that, if identified, may be enhanced or restrained according to desired outcome. In this manner such personality assessments can be used to access both one's strengths and weaknesses thereby accentuating one's positive traits while deemphasizing and modifying the "negative effects" and negative connotations of identified negative traits. By having a clearer idea of what areas necessitating improvement, individuals, schools, and employers can invest in training and environmental changes that may foster growth in these specific areas thus improving individual well-being, productivity and environmental contentment and overall happiness.
With advances in genetic understanding and genetic testing from merely the observational to the scientifically verifiable, genes and gene expression represent a discrete, identifiable and reproducible means to correlate specific genes with certain personality traits. Expressly, genetics has the ability to not only bridge the gap between these well-established, but subjective, personality tests (and the completely human experience of biasing test answers and results) and an individual's personality traits and type, but also to add in detectable and reproducible results in the field of personality psychology.
It has been estimated that a full 30% to 60% of personality can be accurately predicted from a person's genes, which has the potential to operate to (1) dispel, test and/or bolster the legitimacy of self-reported results as a means of accuracy verification, (2) diagnose inconsistencies between self-reporting and genetic predisposition, (3) lead to stronger question sets, (4) allow for the development of targeted testing questions, and (5) provide for a feedback loop that can guide the effective integration of both forms of testing—all leading to an increased reliability and enhanced reliance upon personality tests and their results. Likewise, the interdependence between self-assessment and targeted genetic predispositions has the potential, through a feedback loop described above, to aid in evaluation, understanding and therapy decisions on a more precise scale and via a more scientifically exacting manner that aids both patient and clinician.
Unambiguously, it has only become possible, with the advancement of the mapping of the entire human genome and the ability to analyze large amounts of data (i.e. metadata), that scientist have been able to move from inheritance studies (measuring genetic linkage within familial structures) to vastly more informative genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in which human genomes may be compared between any 2 individuals or between and among a group of individuals or groups of groups to determine the existence and rate of variations in an individual's nucleotide sequence (SNPs) as well as larger variations (e.g. insertions, duplications, and deletions) and the phenotypic consequences of those variations. Manifestly, any of the aforementioned genetic variations and/or "mutations" have the potential to change that individual's phenotypic, observable and appreciable personality traits via discrete changes in that individual's genetic make-up. It is this data that has provided the necessary tools to analyze each human genome (and correspondingly a vast number of human genomes) in terms of consistencies and inconsistencies and the ability to extrapolate these large data sets into appreciable determinates of personality traits and ultimately personality itself.
In addition to assessing one's personality, traditionally through self-assessment questionnaires, and the novel genetic analysis proposed thus far, we can also verify (and possibly determine) personality type using cyber footprint meta-data. A cyber footprint includes any activity by an individual recorded by a technological device including but not limited to, mobile device, computer, and wearable technology. The data which a user inputs on social media, records on their Fitbit, or googles on their desktop are all identifiers into who the individual is and what they are like. Contextualized genetics is the merger of biology and cyber-activity which can create a more accurate assessment of an individual from their genotype (nature) and phenotype (nurture). This invention includes the biological assessment of personalities, with or without combining meta-data, from the individual's cyber footprint to have a truly granular, in-depth analysis of who the individual is predisposed to be (based on genotype) versus how that individual actually is and/or how he or she actually portrays themselves to be. This assessment of personality based on cyber footprint data is at a smaller risk of bias than the above-mentioned questionnaires taken by individuals who may have both conscious or unconscious objectives in the way they act and respond. The language one uses in social media status updates, the amazon products purchased, and the Pinterest categories followed are more authentic and reliable representations of who a person is as opposed to who they appear to be.
While strides have been made to overcome the inadequacies of linking personality traits with genetic variations and digital (cyber) activities as defined and described through various assessment and self-assessment corroborative tools, it remains evident that considerable failings remain in the field. It is the goal of the present invention to remedy these shortcomings as to allow for the identification and prediction of certain personality traits based, individually, on genetic determinations, assessments and digital activity but, more so to rely on all three determinative tools, in combination, to better assist in accurate determinations and for the allowance of each individual tool to increase the predictive capacity and sensitivity of each other contributing tool. It is the further comprehension of the delicate operations and functions within and between determination tool and their interdependence and reliance upon the other that will best serve inventor's invention and method of use.
While inventor has set forth the best mode or modes contemplated of carrying out the invention known to inventor such to enable a person skilled in the art to practice the present invention, the preferred embodiments are, however, not intended to be limiting, but, on the contrary, are included in a non-limiting sense apt to alterations and modifications within the scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims.


The present invention relates to implantable medical devices coated with phosphoryl choline acrylate polymer topcoat layer and their use in the treatment of vascular diseases.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a common procedure for treating heart disease. A problem associated with the PTCA includes the formation of intimal flaps or torn arterial linings which can collapse and occlude the conduit after the balloon is deflated. Moreover, thrombosis and restenosis of the artery may develop over several months after the procedure, which may require another angioplasty procedure or a surgical by-pass operation. To reduce the partial or total occlusion of the artery by the collapse of arterial lining, and to reduce the chance of the development of thrombosis and restenosis, a stent is implanted in the lumen to maintain the vascular patency.
Stents are used not only as a mechanical intervention but also as a vehicle for providing biological therapy. As a mechanical intervention, stents act as scaffoldings, functioning to physically hold open and, if desired, to expand the wall of the passageway. Biological therapy can be achieved by medicating the stents. Medicated stents provide for the local administration of a therapeutic substance at the desired site. Local delivery produces fewer side effects and achieves more favorable results.
However, the use of drug eluting stents (DESs) has resulted in a new problem, late stent thrombosis, the forming of blood clots long after the stent is in place. It was deduced that the formation of blood clots was most likely due to delayed healing which was postulated to be a side-effect of the use of cytostatic drugs.
To address the above situation, stents can be fabricated from materials that are biocompatible, biodegradable and, if desired, bio-absorbable. The goal is for the stent to have a biocompatible coating which demonstrates great safety with regard to stent thrombosis. Ideally, the stent coatings should preferably lower acute and sub-acute thrombosis rates. The coating material selected must not only have sufficient mechanical properties but also show excellent coating integrity. The preceding problem has been at least partially ameliorated by the use of increasingly biocompatible materials and/or biocompatible coating.
What is needed is an implantable medical device that includes a polymer coating which reduces stent thrombosis. While this would be particularly useful with regard to coronary stents, it would also provide substantial benefit to any manner of implantable medical devices. Such implantable medical devices for use as drug delivery systems should also demonstrate excellent mechanical properties when implanted in a patient. The present invention provides such implantable medical devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Implantable medical devices with a topcoat layer of phosphoryl choline acrylate polymer for reduced thrombosis, and improved mechanical properties


A clock recovery system that allows recovery of a clock signal from a high speed, potentially small amplitude data stream. The invention uses a normally avoided property of a non-linear oscillator in the clock recovery system in order to lock the oscillator in phase to an incoming signal. This property relates a characteristic of an oscillator that an oscillator amplifies noise near its inherent frequency; and if the noise is large enough, the oscillator squelches the inherent oscillator frequency signal and outputs a signal locked in frequency and phase to the noise. The clock recovery system comprises a processing circuit, an oscillator, and a control circuit. The processing circuit processes an input data stream to generate a current signal as a first control signal based on data transitions in the input data stream. The first control signal is a "noise signal" to the oscillator. The control circuit outputs a voltage control signal as a second signal to the oscillator based on a difference between an output fed back from the oscillator and a reference frequency signal matching the frequency of the input data stream within a predetermined tolerance range. The second control signal controls the oscillator so that the frequency of the oscillator output is substantially equal to that of the input data stream. Therefore, according to the invention, the oscillator is controlled by the first control signal such that the oscillator output is phase-locked and thus also frequency-locked to the input data stream.

The present invention relates to a clock recovery system, and more particularly to an open loop phase locked clock recovery oscillator circuit for recovering a clock signal from a high speed small amplitude data stream.
High speed, low power clock recovery circuits find wide applications in high performance communications systems. For example, clock recovery circuits have been used at the front-end of fiber-optic receivers. Clock recovery circuits allow recovery of a clock signal from a potentially small amplitude data stream so as to regenerate the data stream at its original frequency. Phase detectors are typically used for clock recovery from a non-return-to-zero (NRZ) data stream.
However, when the speed of the data stream is at the limits of the technology, it is impossible to use conventional phase detectors that rely on a phase difference measurement. At extremely high speeds, recovery circuits can only sample the data at the data transition moment to determine a late or early digital phase sample. This is especially true when the clock recovery is performed in CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) for data rates of 2 Giga-bits per second for example. Additionally, conventional analog techniques require a low pass filter to store a control voltage, which takes up large amounts of area in integrated form and is susceptible to noise coupling. Also conventional analog techniques to perform clock recovery can only achieve recovery bandwidths of around 1/50th or less of the data rate due to stability issues as a result of the loop delay, creating destabilizing phase shift.
Continuous time processing clock recovery circuits for example, LC-tuned filters or quadricorrelators have been explored and hold promise of lower power since the extra high speed clocks and circuitry used solely for sampling the data during potential data transitions are avoided. However, it is extremely difficult to accomplish these methods in mainstream digital CMOS.
One form of nonlinear continuous time processing clock recovery circuit has been proposed by B. Razavi in "A2.5-Gb/s 15 m-mW Clock Recovery Circuit," IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, vol. 31, pp 472-480, April 1996. This article describes the design of a high-speed clock recovery circuit fabricated in a 20 GHz 1-.mu.m BiCMOS technology. However, the design uses a bipolar system, which is not suitable for CMOS technology. Also, the control loop can present stability problems.

Clock recovery system for high speed small amplitude data stream


The present invention is directed to a dynamic range enhancing system for increasing the dynamic range of a transmission link, and also to a process for increasing the dynamic range of a transmission link. An instruction setting process is also provided for defining a set of instructions, for a control device of the system, which detects, at an initial position along the transmission link, the level of a transmit signal adapted to be transmitted over the transmission link. The control device controls a first signal level changing device and a second signal level changing device in response to the detected level. The first and second signal level changing devices, respectively, process the transmit signal level before and after transmission over the link.

Conventional vehicular cellular radio systems have stringent intermodulation and noise figure requirements, particularly for cell site equipment, where a large number of users may share receiver preamplifiers of a single cell site. An example of a conventional system is the AMPS system such as described by EHRLICH, N., et al., in "Cell Site Hardware," Bell System Technical Journal, January, 1979, pages 153-199. The low noise receiver preamplifier subsystem requirements of the original AMPS system included a 2.5 dB noise figure. In addition, with two RF signals of -35 dBm each at the input of the receiver preamplifier, the third-order intermodulation product at the output should be greater than 65 dB down from the level of each of the two input RF signals. This is equivalent to an input third-order intercept of -2.5 dBm, and translates to a spurious-free dynamic range of about 83 dB, assuming a channel bandwidth of 30 kHz.
Modern cell site receiver systems are capable of operating in a vehicular cellular environment characterized by high user density with all available channels loaded during the busy hour for some cells, and thus require cell site receiver preamplifiers and receivers which have high dynamic ranges. As cellular systems gradually adjust to using the U.S. digital cellular standard (US TIA TDMA; Telecommunications Industry Association Time Division Multiple Access, also commonly referred to as Digital AMPS), the overall dynamic range requirements are expected to remain stringent.
The degradation of system performance due to third-order intermodulation effects typically occurs when strong and weak signals are simultaneously amplified by the same preamplifier. Intermodulation products resulting from stronger signals may fall on or near those frequencies at which weaker signals are being received, effectively producing co-channel interference in the desired weak signal. This is particularly likely in cellular systems where the channel spacing among voice channels used in a given cell is uniform.
The input signals particularly handled by a cell site preamplifier include signals received from vehicles located near the base of a tower or building on which the receiving antenna is mounted, as well as signals received from vehicles located several miles from the cell site. Typically, cell site antennas have radiation patterns which do not provide significant antenna gain for locations at ground level and in the immediate vicinity around the cell site. Therefore, signals from vehicles located near the base of the receiving antenna typically do not produce the highest signal levels processed by a cell site preamplifier. Instead, the highest input signal levels typically come from nearby vehicles and portable terminals within the main coverage area of the antenna, such as would be the case for the fourth floor of an adjacent building. The closest distance from a cell site antenna to the nearest user terminal is typically several hundred feet.
Optical fiber cable transmission links have been used to provide low-loss transmission of RF and microwave signals over reasonably long distances. Apparently, the dominant sources of non-linearity (which causes intermodulation distortion) for such systems are optical components such as laser or light-emitting diodes used in converting electrical signals to light signals.
Many of the applications for transmission of satellite down link signals do not require extremely wide overall dynamic ranges for the optical link. Most satellite RF transmission links are ideal candidates for use with fiber-remoting technology, since satellite links are typically not affected by rapid deep fading and do not need to handle a wide range of incoming signal levels from one or more satellites simultaneously. On the other hand, cellular receiving systems must typically handle a wide range of signal levels simultaneously.
The overall dynamic range requirements are even more stringent for possible future systems which may employ low power (e.g., +10 dBm output) hand-held transceivers in a micro-cell environment. This is essentially a result of the potential for the remote antenna to simultaneously receive signals from high-powered vehicular terminals (transmitting up to +35 dBm ERP effective radiated power) and hand-held portable terminals (transmitting up to +28 dBm ERP) near the antenna, while simultaneously receiving a weaker signal from a hand-held +10 dBm output portable located 1500 feet from the antenna and perhaps not directly in a line of sight path.
In another potential scenario, an omni-directional remote antenna unit could be located on a street corner and simultaneously receive two signals from vehicles located 30 feet from the antenna, both transmitting to distant vehicular cellular cell site antennas. These vehicular terminals could be either accessing vehicular cell sites associated with the same system or could be operating in the extended spectrum segment assigned to the alternate cellular carrier and located adjacent to the frequencies utilized by the micro-cell. In this case, the received level at the micro-cell could be as high as -15 dBm for each signal. If, instead, there were two nearby hand-held portables equipped with reverse channel power control, each with an output power of +8 dBm ERP and located 15 feet from the micro-cell, the received level could be as high as -35 dBm for each signal. On the other hand, the desired input signal level coming from a distant hand-held portable user could be about -110 dBm. Based on published propagation models, the portable could actually be located anywhere from 200 to 1000 feet from the antenna. For example, see BERNHARDT, R. C., "The Effect of Path Loss Models on the Simulated Performance of Portable Radio Systems," Proceedings of Globecom '89, November 1989, pages 1356-1360.
Therefore, a spurious-free dynamic input range of greater than about 75 dB is required where two hand-held portables generate intermodulation products, and greater than about 95 dB is required where the two nearby vehicular transmitters are causing intermodulation distortion. For the case where an FM system's performance is determined by the level of co-channel intermodulation noise, the desired incoming or received signal level must be greater than the level of the intermodulation signal by the magnitude of the capture ratio, which is typically about 6 dB.
Many cellular systems employ a limited range adaptive power control for mobile transmitters to ideally utilize the minimum output power required to maintain communication with the cell sites. The typical range of adjustment by the adaptive power control is 28 dB total, with discrete steps approximately 4 dB apart. The primary benefit is reduction of co-channel interference, since the same channels are typically re-used in other vehicular cells and micro-cells within the same local cellular system. A secondary benefit of power control is the overall reduction of the incoming signals and the overall input signal level produced thereby at the cell site, thus easing pre-receiver preamplifier dynamic range requirements.
In the case of the micro-cell environment, transmitters with variable output power under cellular system control are also utilized, and these transmitters would ideally utilize a range of maximum output power levels and range of power adjustments. The reason is that while present hand-held portable units have a maximum output power of 0.6 watts, the apparent demand for a lower battery drain, shirt-pocket size unit is expected to create a market need for lower output power units capable of operating in a micro-cell environment. Also, the mobility of the terminal user allows the transmitter to be located quite close to the micro-cell antenna units. Typically, micro-cell antenna units may be placed within 10 to 30 feet of ground level.
While it is likely impractical or not cost-effective to optimize fiber optic cable antenna-remoting systems to operate in the most difficult signal level range environments, a reasonable level of performance comparable to that obtained for present cell site receiving systems, e.g., equivalent to nearly 85 dB of usable dynamic input range, would be acceptable for many signal level environments.
Early antenna-remoting systems employing intensity-modulated fiber optic cable transmission were designed to obtain a spurious-free dynamic range of 53 to about 73 dB. For example, see MEYER, L. J., "Using Fiber Optic With Analog RF Signals," Proceedings of VTC '89, May 1989, pages 398-400. Recently, a spurious-free dynamic range of about 77 dB has been reported by FYE, D. M., "Design of Fiber Optic Antenna Remoting Links for Cellular Radio Applications," Proceedings of VTC '90, May 1990, pages 622-625.
Linearization techniques have been utilized for laser diodes in laboratory settings to further provide reduction of intermodulation products generated by laser diodes. However, such linearization techniques are costly and complex. Such techniques include active pre-distortion, electro-optical feed-forward, and electro-optical feedback configurations. These active linearization techniques for laser diodes, such as disclosed by DARCIE, T. E. and BODEEP, G. E., "Light Wave Subcarrier CATV Transmission Systems," IEEE Transactions on Micro-wave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 38, No. 5, May 1990, pages 524-533, are apparently not yet feasible for widespread deployment. Due to the reported existence of frequency-dependent and frequency-independent intermodulation processes, the linearization alternative, especially for wide band RF signal transmission, appears impractical. Second-order predistortion has also been employed for transmitting two analog video signals or a 960 voice channel FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexed) noise-loaded test signal over a fiber optic cable utilizing a light-emitting diode, as reported by RAMADAN, M., "Analog Signals Transmission over Optical Fiber Systems," 1985 IEEE MTT-S Digest, June 1985, pages 303-306; but nonetheless, third-order distortion products were not cancelled.
Two antenna remoting systems which do not employ active linearization techniques to cancel laser diode distortion are described by FYE, D. M., "Design of Fiber Optic Antenna Remoting Links for Cellular Radio Applications," Proceedings of VTC '90, May 1990, pages 622-625 and by MEYER, L. J., "Using Fiber Optics With Analog RF Signals," Proceedings of VTC '89, May 1989, pages 398-400. These systems were apparently designed to provide adequate cost-effective performance in the particular environment in which they were required to be operated.
These two systems both use fixed gain RF preamplifiers, the gains of which were set so that the highest expected incoming signal would not over-drive the laser diode utilized by the optical transmission link and cause significant intermodulation noise. Neither of these two systems described in the literature was shown to have an 85 dB usable dynamic input range. It is noted that for a typical cell site application, the fiber optic link output feeds a receiver multi-coupler having one or more integral low-noise amplifiers with an optimum signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-intermodulation noise ratio performance, so as to provide acceptable signal levels to a receiving system.
In one of the above-mentioned systems, described by Meyer of DECIBEL, the FP laser modulator has an input third-order intercept of +24 dBm. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an antenna remoting system described by Fye of GTE. In the GTE system, preamplifier 10 is provided having a noise figure of 2.7 dB and an RF gain of 37 dB. Further, a fiber-optic transmission link 12 is provided having an RF loss of 27 dB. An equivalent amplifier 14 shown in FIG. 1 represents the overall equivalent net gain of the GTE system, which is 10 dB. In the GTE system, the DFB laser modulator apparently has an input third-order intercept of about +27 dBm. The link output noise (due principally to the laser noise) is about -115.5 dBm measured in a 30 kHz band width, with no RF input signal. Therefore, if an RF signal at -125.5 dBm were connected to preamplifier input 16 as shown in FIG. 1, the output response of the system would be about equal to the noise level present at the output of the link with no input signal present at preamplifier input 16. A 37 dB RF gain and 2.7 dB noise figure for preamplifier 10 appear to be well suited for microcell applications, if only the lower end of the preamplifier input dynamic range is considered.
If a composite RF signal comprising two individual signals at -48.5 dBm each were connected to the preamplifier input 16, the level of the resulting two-tone third-order intermodulation product at link output 18 would still be -115.5 dBm, which is equal to the level of the random noise output for a 30 kHz bandwidth when no RF input signal is present. For the system, the input signal range over which the output third-order intermodulation product is at or below the output level of random noise with no input is known as the spurious-free dynamic input range, and for this case is 77 dB, determined by subtracting 48.5 from 125.5. This example also indicates that the link performance may be degraded if two or more input signals having levels greater than -48.5 dBm were connected to preamplifier input 16. Since the preamplifier gain is 37 dB, this translates to a maximum allowable level at laser diode modulator input 20 of -11.5 dBm for each of two signals, giving a two-tone third-order intermodulation product of 77 dB below the level of each of the two high level signals. The composite power at laser diode modulator input 20 for these two signals would be -8.5 dBm.
It is worthwhile to consider the effect of connecting signals to preamplifier input 16 at levels higher than -48.5 dBm each, particularly since it is possible in actual applications for a nearby mobile or portable transmitter to cause an input as high as -15 dBm. In a typical scenario, however, two signals at -35 dBm each are injected at the preamplifier input 16. In this case, the result for the GTE system would be: (a) two high-level signals would appear at transmission link output 18 at a level of -25 dBm each; and (b) two signals due to the third-order intermodulation of the two high-level input signals would be generated within the system and would appear at output 18 of link 12, at about 50 dB below each fundamental signal, corresponding to a power of -75 dBm for each intermodulation product at link output 18, which is equivalent to -85 dBm each referred to preamplifier input 16. These two extra undesired signals may unfortunately fall on the same frequency as a desired voice channel signal, and thus the level of a desired incoming signal falling on the same frequency must, due to capture effect, be at least -79 dBm or greater at preamplifier input 16 in order to capture the receiver at the cell site. Thus, when two higher level input signals at -35 dBm each are input at preamplifier input 16, the effective spurious-free dynamic input range for other input signals is reduced to about 44 dB (about 79-35, which is about 44 dB).
Consequently, using the FIG. 1 system, if a hand-held portable, which may be at some distance from the micro-cell antenna, were only injecting a -110 dBm signal (as was the case for a previous example), the call in progress from the portable would likely be completely disrupted by the intermodulation signals if one intermodulation product fell within the same voice channel as that occupied by the desired -110 dBm input signal. This is obviously quite undesirable.
If two input signals at an even higher level, e.g., -31 dBm for each signal, were instead injected, the fundamental signals at link output 18 would be -21 dBm each, and two-tone third-order intermodulation products would be about 42 dB below the fundamental signals, corresponding to -73 dBm for each intermodulation product referred back to the level at preamplifier input 16, effectively interfering with possible desired input signals at preamplifier input 16. In this case, for an input signal to overcome the intermodulation noise and produce a usable demodulated signal at the FM receiver, it would have to be at a level of at least -67 dBm.
Systems are typically provided to allow system control of output power for mobile and portable terminals to ease the overall dynamic range requirements for micro-cells and antenna remoting links. Unfortunately, as shown in the example above, the benefits provided by controlling the mobile or portable transmitter power would likely not be adequate to provide intermodulation performance for a micro-cell antenna remoting link, which is comparable to that now being offered by conventional cell site equipment. This is particularly true when a nearby transmitter is not controlled by the remote micro-cell antenna of interest, such as when the nearby transmitter is either served by a large vehicular cell or another local cellular system. Another system has been proposed to resolve the high-level signal problem as discussed above by substituting the preamplifier of a remoting system with an AGC (Automatic Gain Controlled) amplifier. See HOWAT, F., "Cell Like Performance Using the Remotely Controlled Cellular Transmitter," Proceedings VTC '89, May 1989, pages 535-541. For a system using a laser diode, the AGC action would ideally limit the output power of the preamplifier, thus preventing high total power levels from over-driving the laser diode. The gain of an AGC amplifier may alternatively be determined by the average of the signal envelope or by the peak thereof. However, this particular remedy also has a number of undesirable effects in resolving the high-level signal problem, which are noted as follows:
(a) If the AGC time constant is too slow, high signal levels may over-drive the laser diode until the loop of the AGC responds. Since the gain of the AGC is highest when the input signal level is low, the first parts of an incoming signal are amplified at maximum gain until the automatic control takes over. Consequently, a sharp peak, or overshoot, may appear at the output of a remoting system utilizing an input AGC preamplifier. PA1 (b) If the AGC time constant is too fast, information transmitted through the use of AM (Amplitude Modulation) signals may be removed due to varied amplification by the AGC amplifier. Also, because of intentional AM on one or more high-level signals, undesirable AM may be impressed on low-level signals without intentional AM. Moreover, wide-band feedback loops typically are more prone to exhibit instabilities. Received TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) bursts may also cause system performance problems. PA1 (c) If the AGC loop stability parameters are not properly defined, the AGC amplifier output may exhibit undesirable ringing, overshoot, or undershoot. This is particular true when sudden large input level changes or transients are encountered. PA1 (d) If the AGC amplifier has excessive AM/PM (Amplitude Modulation/Phase Modulation), the PM generated by the amplifier may degrade the quality of the signals being amplified. PA1 (e) Depending on the specific implementation, AGC amplifiers may exhibit poor noise figure and/or degraded linearity (including excessive compression, expansion or third-order intermodulation effects) at some input levels. PA1 (f) Since most cellular systems employ reverse channel power control, the effect of an AGC amplifier would be to remove the desired effect resulting from a change of transmitter power level. This reduction in overall link gain as the system input power level increases may in turn cause a system performance degradation or transmitter power control instability.
Some of the problems listed above arise as a result of the fact that an AGC amplifier is typically a type of feedback amplifier, which has inherent technical challenges regarding loop timing. For example, a correction is only initiated when it is already "too late," and an error (in the sense of an unduly high or low instantaneous output level) has already been detected at the output.
Another way some systems have attempted to resolve the high-level input problem is by selecting a lower fixed RF gain for the preamplifier, or by installing a fixed attenuator in series with the input and/or output of the preamplifier. These measures effectively reduce the signal-to-noise ratio at the laser diode for the entire input range, and potentially degrade the overall performance at all input signal levels as a trade-off for providing lower intermodulation distortion levels for high system input power conditions.
Another way of addressing the high-level input problem is to utilize a limiting amplifier or a fixed gain amplifier with a low output power capability. In most cases, this approach increases the level of intermodulation products generated by the preamplifier and generally raises the level of intermodulation noise generated by the preamplifier, making it approximately equivalent to the level of the intermodulation products caused by the laser diode or light-emitting diode, and typically doubling the total transmission link intermodulation noise. There is also a large potential for introducing AM/AMdistortion and AM/PM distortion for the system input signals being processed with this approach. Without employing some type of output power compression or limiting capability, the preamplifier would be capable of over-driving the laser or light-emitting diode by about 20 dB or more, potentially introducing a substantial amount of intermodulation noise.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned high-level signal problem may also occur when using free-space optical links, since the laser or light-emitting diode noise and intermodulation characteristics thereof could also potentially limit the overall dynamic range of an RF transmission link using free-space optical transmission.
A further potential remedy for the above-mentioned problem would involve the use of advanced antennas, such as those adaptive phased arrays capable of attenuating signals with too high an input signal level. An additional possibility is the use of a fixed array with reduced capability to receive signals from transmitters located extremely close to and underneath the antenna, for example, if it were mounted to a tall pole or antenna mast.
An additionally related problem which may potentially occur with micro-cell antenna remoting systems relates to the fiber-optic cable and/or free-space optical link used in transmission of signals in the opposite direction, that is, from the cell site toward the remote antenna unit. In the event a single cell site transmitter's power control function misadjusts the output power to an abnormally high level, the laser or light-emitting diode of the optical transmission link may generate excessive intermodulation products and cause the remote unit to no longer meet FCC requirements for spurious radiation. The potential also exists for causing interference to other radio systems using radio channels adjacent to those utilized by the micro-cellular system employing the antenna remoting system. To address this problem, many of the remedies listed above would likely not offer a practical solution.
A technique which is employed in voice processing systems (including those used in cellular networks and satellite transmission systems) is known as companding. This involves a device located at the source end (a compressor) which compresses the dynamic range of a given signal (of a typically low band width) by a given factor before it is transmitted over a limited dynamic range transmission path. At the distant end, a device known as an expander restores the original dynamic range of the complex signal, utilizing the same factor as utilized in the compression process. Such a device is of limited value for most micro-cell antenna remoting applications since it would need to have an extremely wide loop band width (likely about 50 MHz for this application) in order to instantaneously compress and then expand the dynamic range. Further, it is noted that the compressor and expander devices of a companding system both utilize non-linear feedback loops (potentially exhibiting transient response errors and instability) to vary the gain as a function of the instantaneous input or output level, potentially causing undesirable distortion effects due to residual expansion or compression.
The technical literature apparently does not address means typically provided for alarm reporting, self-test, and remote control functions, for fiber optic cable or free-space optical antenna remoting systems. Such systems may employ separate means such as on-site troubleshooting or perhaps direct wired or dial-up alarm reporting facilities. One system described in the literature utilizes a fiber optic cable system to distribute both microwave signals and digital base band signals which are both directly intensity modulated. See HEIM, P. J. and McCLAY, C. P., "Frequency Division Multiplex Microwave and Baseband Digital Optical Fiber Link for Phased Array Antennas," IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 38, No. 5, May 1990, pages 494-500.
One disadvantage of utilizing digital modulation is the inherent phase noise build-up on all microwave signals resulting from the dual-mode (RF and Digital) direct modulation process. As a result, some types of antenna remoting system applications would not permit the use of direct baseband digital modulation for control and alarm reporting functions.
Due to the limited effective dynamic range of existing remote micro-cell antenna units or radio ports, a relatively large quantity of remote radio ports would be required using such existing systems for micro-cell applications in a given geographical area. Thus, a significant amount of hardware and maintenance costs for additional remote radio ports would result if existing systems were used.
The high dynamic range required for a micro-cell radio port has recently been discussed in detail. A radio port with a high dynamic range will potentially provide a greater practical operating distance for many micro-cell applications, so as to potentially reduce the number of radio ports required to cover a given geographical area or indoor facility. If radio ports with low dynamic range are employed, the number of radio ports required to cover a given area would be higher, likely increasing the system cost.
In contrast to the above described existing systems, the dynamic range enhancing system, and the process for increasing the dynamic range of a transmission link, according to the present invention, overcome most if not all of the above-mentioned problems and result in a dynamic range enhancing system which provides a number of advantages.

System for controlling signal level at both ends of a transmission link based on a detected valve

Southwestern Bell Technology Resources, Inc.


A load supporting structure includes a support beam and a lateral brace. The support beam extends along a longitudinal axis and has two outwardly facing side channels. Each side channel is defined by two flanks and a web. Apertures in the web permit the braces to be secured to the support beam. The structure of the support beam and side channels provide a versatile and secure system that may be supported from a vertical upper location.

This invention relates to a support structure with a unique support beam, adjustable support system, and channel support system.
Prior art support structures are used to support items from a vertically upper location such as a ceiling. One common use of such machines. support systems has been to support medical equipment such as x-ray
One known support structure uses a support beam which includes two similarly sized framing channels separated by a thin web. One channel is connected by a support member to a vertically upper location while the other channel carries the supported item. The known support beams are often formed of two separate lateral members welded at the web.
The prior art support beams have typically been mounted at locations generally directly vertically above the support beam. This type of mounting has limitations. For example, it may be desirable to support a support beam at a location laterally displaced from a suitable vertical support location.


A stable, water-thin emulsion is formed by processing a crude emulsion through a high pressure homogenizer at a pressure of about 900 to about 1100 bar. This emulsion contains low levels of emulsifier and contains no post addition stabilizers.

Emulsions that have been homogenized are known in the art. They typically require stabilizing gums or thickeners to maintain the stability of the discrete oil phase within the continuous water phase. The type and concentration of emulsifiers, as well as the viscosity of the emulsion, influence the overall stability of the emulsion. Standard propeller-type mixers or standard homogenizers are typically used to manufacture emulsions.
Emulsions made by high pressure homogenization are also known. These emulsions can range from thick, non-flowing creams to light lotions. The light lotions typically require a post addition after high pressure homogenization of a gum or thickener to stabilize the emulsion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,004 to Bucheler et al. provides, in its discussion of the prior art, the formation of cosmetic emulsions by combining heated oily and aqueous phases, cooling the mixture and dispersing it in a "high-pressure" homogenizer at levels of about 200 bar [col. 1, lines 19-44]. However, no suggestion is made that thickeners or gums can be eliminated, or that lower levels of emulsifiers are effective.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,923 to Weder et al. provides a process for producing a stable nanoemulsion of oil particles, specifically triglyceride or fatty acid esters, in a water phase using 0.1 to 0.4 parts by weight of a lecithin-type amphoteric emulsifier. The emulsifier forms a lamellar liquid-crystalline structure in the aqueous phase. The mixture is then processed into a nanoemulsion in a high-pressure homogenizer, at pressures of 500 to 1000 bar. Moreover, tests have shown that emulsions formed with the emulsifiers taught by this patent are viscous, and are unstable at elevated temperatures.

Water-thin emulsion formed by high pressure homogenization process


A vessel propulsion system includes propulsion apparatuses that are turnably mounted on a stern of a hull in an inclined manner such that a turning center line intersects a hull center line, turning actuators that respectively turn the propulsion apparatuses left and right with respect to the hull, a steering device that outputs a steering command, and a control unit that controls the turning actuators individually according to the steering command. The control unit includes a storage unit that stores a reference angle that the turning center line of each propulsion apparatus defines with respect to the hull center line, and a turning command angle computing unit that determines a turning command angle of each propulsion apparatus. The control unit drives each turning actuator based on each turning command angle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vessel propulsion system including a plurality of propulsion apparatuses to be turnably mounted on a stern of a hull and a vessel including such a vessel propulsion system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 02-179597 discloses a vessel having two outboard motors provided in parallel on a transom portion of the hull. Lateral portions of the transom portion are inclined toward the outside of the hull, and the outboard motors are mounted on the lateral portions via transom boards. In the transom portion of the hull, a link mechanism including a differential lever is arranged. Steering arms of the two outboard motors are coupled to the link mechanism. To the differential lever, an operating force of a steering wheel is transmitted via a steering cable. Thus, when the steering wheel is operated, its operating force is transmitted to the two outboard motors via the link mechanism, and the two outboard motors mechanically interlock to turn. Accordingly, the hull turns according to an operating direction of the steering wheel. As a result of the lateral portions being inclined toward the outside of the hull, the outboard motor arranged on the inner side with respect to the turning direction is increased in turning angle, and turning performance is thereby improved.

Vessel propulsion system and vessel including the same


A rear wheel suspension for a motorcycle can sufficiently ensure the stroke of a rear cushion and can enhance traveling performance of a vehicle by lowering the gravity center of the vehicle. A swing arm includes an upper arm swingably connecting a body frame with the upper portion of a power transmission portion. A lower arm swingably connects the body frame with the lower portion of the power transmission portion. The axial center of the upper end support portion of a rear cushion is swingably supported by the upper arm at a position forward of the axial center of the support portion. The axial center of the lower support portion of the rear cushion can swingably be supported by the lower arm at a position rearward of the axial center of the support portion swingably supporting the lower arm and the body frame with respect to the vehicle.

There have been known respective rear wheel suspensions for a motorcycle in which a rear cushion is laid at the upper portion of a vehicle body so as to extend in the back and forth direction of the vehicle body (see e.g. Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 1-34830) and in which a rear cushion is disposed to extend in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-352209).
In the rear wheel suspension of the motorcycle described in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 1-34830 mentioned above, the rear cushion is disposed horizontally in the back and forth direction. Therefore, the space occupied by a rear cushion mechanism can be reduced and the stroke of the rear cushion is ensured to enhance shock absorption. However, a link member is needed to make an acting direction of shock from a road surface horizontal in the back and forth direction. In addition, since the rear cushion is disposed at the upper portion of the vehicle body, there is a problem in that the gravity center of the vehicle should be lowered.
In the rear wheel suspension of the motorcycle in described Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-352209 mentioned above, the rear cushion is disposed vertically with respect to the vehicle body. Therefore, there is a problem in that such arrangement provides limitation when the stroke of the rear cushion is intended to be increased.
There has also been known a swing arm attachment structure for a motorcycle widthwise gap defined between a body frame and the swing arm by axially moving an adjusting collar fitted to a support shaft (see Japanese Patent No. 2564078).
In the swing arm attachment structure for a motorcycle described in Japanese Patent No. 2564078, a single swing arm is only swingably supported by a body frame but a swing arm attachment structure of a parallel link structure having two arms are not taken into consideration at all.
For the single swing arm, it is only needed that it is merely possible to adjust the vehicle-widthwise gap defined between the body frame and the single swing arm. For the swing arm of the parallel link structure, however, it is needed that the vehicle- widthwise gap between the body frame and two arms can be adjusted while adjusting the vehicle-widthwise relative positions of the two arms. Taking into account the assembly performance of the swing arms, it is desirable that the gap can be adjusted from the lateral side of the vehicle body.

Rear wheel suspension for a motorcycle and swing arm attachment structure for a motorcycle


Under the present invention, control tags are attached to web content at a content source. The control tags are used to control use of the web content on a portal page. Specifically, a first type of control tag that can be attached to be content under the present invention is an exclusionary tag. Once attached, the exclusionary tag prevents the web content from being used on the portal page. A second type of control tag that can be attached to web content under the present invention is a set of grouping tags. The set of grouping tags can be used to require certain sections of the web content to be used/grouped together on the web page.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method, system and program product for controlling web content usage. Specifically, under the present invention, a control tag is attached to web content at a content source to limit use of the web content on a portal page.
2. Related Art
As computer technology continues to advance, computer users are increasingly turning to the World Wide Web for information. To this extent, web portal pages have become an increasingly popular means of delivering aggregated, personalized content to computer users. As known in the art, a portal page includes sections or "visual portlets" that each contain particular web content formatted according to a user's preferences. For example, a user could establish a personalized portal page (e.g., MY.YAHOO.COM) that has sections for news, weather, sports, etc. Typically, a portal page is rendered and delivered to a user from a portal server. A portal program such as WebSphere Portal Server, which is commercially available from International Business Machines Corp. of Armonk, N.Y. is loaded on the portal server to obtain web content from a content source. Once obtained, the portal program will aggregate the web content into a portal page according to the user's preferences. One popular method of obtaining web content from a content source is known as "web clipping." In general, web clipping allows sections of web content to be clipped from a larger body of web content. For example, if a content source has a news article that includes both a bar graph and a textual description, a web clipper within the portal program could allow the bar graph to be clipped from the news article separate from the textual description. Once clipped, the bar graph could be included on the portal page.
One problem with current portal technology is the lack of control a content source can exhibit over use of web content on a portal page. For example, a content source could prefer that the textual description accompany the bar graph so that none of the information is taken out of context. Alternatively, a content source could prefer that a copyright or other legal notice accompany any web content that is clipped. Still yet, a content source could have a set of policies that limits the clipping of web content (e.g., adult material, etc.). In all of these instances, the content sources must rely on the portal server (or administrators thereof) to ensure that such preferences are adhered to. Specifically, there is currently no mechanism for the content sources to effectively control the use of their web content.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a method, system and program product for controlling web content usage. Specifically, a need exists for a system that allows a content source to attach a control tag to web content. A further need exists for a control tag that prevents web content from being used on a portal page. Still yet, a need exists for a control tag that causes multiple sections of web content to be used together on a portal page.

Method, system and program product for controlling web content usage

International Business Machines Corporation


A telecommunications device. The device includes a receiver for receiving an incoming call and a processor in communication with the receiver. The processor has a call hold module for placing the call on hold prior to the call being answered by a user of the telecommunications device.

Telephones and other telecommunications devices have become pervasive in modern society. When a call is placed to a device, it may not always be convenient for the user of the device to answer the call immediately, even though the user desires to communicate with the calling party. For example, a user of a cellular telephone may receive a call while the user is in a place in which it is inconvenient to talk without disturbing others (e.g. in a business meeting or in a public theatre). The user may then either ignore the call or answer the call and ask the calling party to hold the line while the user retreats to a place where the user can take the call without disturbing others.