When the substrate bias voltage Vbb lowers by the pumping operation of the charge pump circuit, a drain-to-source resistance of the N-transistor becomes high. When a first power supply voltage Vcc is set at high value, a drain-to-source current of the N-transistor increases (I+ΔI1), however the drain-to-source current decreases (I+ΔI1−ΔI2) by the increase of the drain-to-source current owing to the substrate bias effect so that the increase of the potential of the node N34 caused by the increase of the first power supply voltage VCC is restrained. As a result, a reference level of the substrate bias voltage Vbb does not largely lower than the reference level of the substrate bias voltage. Vbb when the first power supply voltage VCC is in a standard level.

Each memory for constituting a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is generally provided with an N-channel transistor (N-transistor) 100 and a capacitor 101, as shown in FIG. 9.
A drain of the N-transistor 100 is connected to a bit line BL, a gate thereof is connected to a word line WL and a source thereof is connected to a node N100. Further, a substrate bias voltage Vbb (e.g. −1.0V) which is outputted from a charge pump circuit (not shown) is applied to a back gate of the N-transistor 100.
The capacitor 101 is formed, e.g. as a parallel flat plate type. One terminal of the capacitor 101 is connected to the node N100 while the other terminal thereof is connected to a node N101. A voltage which is half as much as a first power supply voltage Vcc is applied to the node N101
FIG. 10 shows a sectional view of each memory cell. An N-type well 111 is formed on a P-type substrate 110 and a P-type well 112 is formed inside the N-type well 111. Further, an N+ type impurity region 121 and an N+ type impurity region 122 are formed inside the P-type well 112, which respectively form a source and a drain of the N-transistor 100.
A second power supply voltage Vss (e.g. 0V) is applied to the P-type substrate 110 and the first power supply voltage Vcc is applied to the N-type well 111 while the substrate bias voltage Vbb is applied to the P-type well 112.
Since the substrate bias voltage Vbb is applied to the P-type well 112, even if there is a noise on the word line WL, an electric charge which is charged in the capacitor 101 is not moved toward the N+ type impurity region 122 through the N+ type impurity region 121. That is, it is possible to prevent data stored in each memory from leaking.


Exercise apparatus has a weight stack for opposing a given exercise motion. The weight stack has a first set of a plurality of primary weights vertically stacked on each other, a primary weight selector having a plurality of settings selectively controlling the number of weights to be lifted during the exercise motion, a second set of a plurality of secondary weights, and a secondary weight selector having a plurality of settings selectively controlling the number of secondary weights to be lifted during the exercise motion, the secondary weights providing supplemental incremental weight.

The invention relates to exercise apparatus, and more particularly to a weight stack for providing weight resistance resisting an exercise movement.
Various types of exercise apparatus providing various types of exercise movements are known in the prior art. A weight stack is commonly used for opposing a given exercise motion through a cable and pulley system.
The present invention provides exercise apparatus with a main or primary weight stack, and a secondary or incremental weight stack included for providing different weight settings at smaller increments between larger primary weights. The invention provides a simple user-friendly system.

Exercise apparatus with incremental weight stack


A method of producing a customized environment for a client includes the steps of identifying the psychological profile of the human client as at least one of a plurality of predetermined psychological profile types. A plurality of selectable personal environment types are determined, and a psychological profile type of the human client is correlated to one of the selectable plurality of personal environment types. An arrangement for selecting the customized environment for the human client includes an input arrangement for inputting client information into a computer, a client information memory areas for storing the client information, an environment memory area for storing information relating to a plurality of environment types, each environment type having a respectively associated memory address, and a processor coupled to the client information memory area and the environment memory area, the processor converting the client information into a memory address, such as a database address.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems for customizing personal environments, and more particularly, to a system that will correlate at least one of a plurality of predetermined personal environments with the psychological profile of the intended occupant of the environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is becoming increasingly apparent, particularly in the workplace, that morale and productivity are increased when the worker is situated in an environment that is consistent with the nature of the worker's function and his or her working style. Presently, improvements in worker efficiency, productivity, and morale are sought to be achieved by structuring the work environment to reflect an efficient work throughput, and additionally to include decorative features that include wall and fabric patterns and colors, perhaps selected by the worker who would occupy the environment under consideration.
A similar approach has been used in residential and other environments in an effort to improve the occupant's sense of well-being. More specifically, residential environments generally are tailored to the desires of the residents by the selection of furniture, its style and arrangement, and decorative features of the space in accordance, generally in accordance with the subjective desires of the resident(s). Nevertheless, irrespective of whether the environment in question is a workplace or a residential space in its character, functional and aesthetic considerations are not in and of themselves adequate to fulfill the needs of the occupant that would be mandated by the personality traits or characteristics of the occupant.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a system for correlating the characteristics of an environment to the personality characteristics of the occupant.
It is another object of this invention to provide a system for correlating a plurality of personality characteristics to predetermined environment types.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a system for correlating a plurality of personality characteristics to predetermined office environments.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a system for correlating predetermined office environments to commercially available items of office furniture.
It is additionally an object of this invention to provide a system for correlating a psychological profile to at least one of a plurality of predetermined environment types.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a system for correlating a psychological profile obtained by means of a Web-based psychological testing system to at least one of a plurality of predetermined environment types.
It is also another object of this invention to provide a system for correlating a predetermined office environment to commercially available items of office furniture that correspond to data items stored in a remote computer system.

System for correlating psychological profile to customized environment


An embodiment of the present invention is a Land Grid Array (LGA) socket. A first L-shaped area has a first center, a first outer long side, and a first outer short side. The first L-shaped area contains a first set of contacts oriented in a first direction. A second L-shaped area has a second center, a second outer long side, and a second outer short side and is located symmetrically to the first L-shaped area. The second L-shaped area contains a second set of contacts oriented in a second direction opposite to the first direction such that pressing a device on the first and second sets of contacts results in approximately zero force and moment.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of semiconductor packaging, and more specifically, to sockets.
2. Description of Related Art
Compared to other packaging techniques, Land Grid Array (LGA) packaging technology offers many advantages such as ease of device manufacturing, high I/O density, low inductance, ease of upgrade, less costly, and elimination of pin damage problems as in Pin Grid Array (PGA) packaging. An LGA socket is typically used to attach a LGA device to a printed circuit board (PCB). When a LGA device is installed on a LGA socket, the rotation and pressure of the device on the socket during socket actuation may create a significant friction force that may cause deformation to the socket sidewalls or even breaking them. Existing techniques to reduce the resultant friction force and moment during socket actuation have a number of drawbacks. Most LGA sockets or connectors have the LGA contact wiping in one direction. While this configuration may be acceptable when the number of contacts is a few hundred, the resultant friction force and moment become significant when the number of contacts exceeds 1,000. Another technique lays out the LGA contacts into two diagonal triangular areas on a square socket with a square central cavity. However, when the socket or the central cavity is not square, some amount of moment results in reaction forces on the socket sidewall. In addition, the number of contacts in each row may be different in one area, causing complexities in manufacturing.


A rubber-sprung wheel for rail vehicles includes a wheel tire which is connected to a wheel rim by a rubber insert that is formed by two flat rings that are arranged so as to be essentially vertical in relation to a wheel axle. The two flat rings are held, under considerable axial prestress, between an inner circumferential middle web of the wheel tire and two outer flanges of the wheel rim. At least one of the flanges is seated on the wheel rim with an interference fit that is designed as a conical press fit, such that a cone of the flange in a stress-free state has a lesser conicity than does a cone of the wheel rim, and in a pressed-on state rests on an entire surface against the cone of the wheel rim, at an even surface pressure across an entire width of the interference fit.

Such a rail wheel is known from the literature and from practical application. Rubber-sprung rail wheels have been known for considerably more than half a century and have a successful track record in practical application. In a rubber-sprung rail wheel of which hundreds of thousands have been in use, the rubber insert comprises a plurality of radially highly prestressed rubber pads that are seated in facing annular grooves of the wheel tire and of the wheel rim. When compared to such a rail vehicle wheel, the rail vehicle wheel of the type mentioned in the introduction, which rail vehicle wheel comprises the differently oriented and axially prestressed rubber insert, provides the advantage of greater axial rigidity when subjected to lateral loads such as driving along a curved section of track, and of a lower spring constant when subjected to vertical loads. However, this arrangement is associated with a disadvantage in that when subjected to vertical loads the rubber insert is essentially subjected to shear stress.
In order to be able to cope with such high shear loads, attempts have been made to use the greatest possible volume of rubber and to provide the rubber insert with very considerable axial prestress. In order to generate the very considerable axial prestress, the flanges that rim the rubber insert on the outside are braced to each other by means of screw bolts that lead through the flanges, the rubber insert and the web. While in this way even axial prestress in the rubber insert can be achieved over the diameter, this type of bracing is, however, associated with a loss of rubber volume. However, in various applications, in particular in the case of low-floor carriages, where comparatively small wheel diameters are required, it is not possible to provide a larger radial area in order to accommodate more rubber volume.
From DE 44 30 342 A1 a rubber-sprung rail wheel is known that comprises a wheel rim, a wheel tire and annular rubber inserts. They are exclusively held on both sides of the mid-plane of the wheel in annular spaces that are formed by a web that protrudes radially inwards from the wheel tire, and by flanges that correspondingly protrude radially outwards from the wheel rim, under essentially axial prestress exclusively between supporting surfaces of the web and of the flanges. While one flange is constructed in one piece with the wheel rim body, the other flange with an integrally formed annular joined-on piece of rectangular cross section is placed in a corresponding annular recess that is provided in the wheel rim body and, by means of a screw connection, is directly connected to the wheel rim body, wherein the annular joined-on piece and the annular recess form a cylindrical seat. In this arrangement the axial prestress of the rubber inserts is entirely produced by the screw connection. In order to evenly prestress the rubber inserts across their radial width, a correspondingly rigid construction of flanges and screw connections is required.
In a different type of rubber-sprung rail wheel, known from DE 24 06 206 C3, the annular rubber inserts are held under axial and radial prestress between a cylindrical and a radial supporting surface of a wheel rim ring and a radial supporting surface of a wheel disc on the one hand, and the essentially radial supporting surfaces of a middle web and the flanks of the wheel tire, which flanks are arranged immediately adjacent to said middle web and are essentially cylindrical, on the other hand. In this arrangement the radially slotted wheel rim ring with a conical seat surface rests against a corresponding conical supporting surface of the wheel disc, and is connected to it by way of screw bolts that are arranged outside the rubber insert. As a result of the inclination of the conical surfaces a self-locking seat of the wheel rim ring on the wheel disc is achieved, which wheel rim ring due to the radial slit in the diameter is radially expandable. As a result of this seat, the screw bolts are relieved by the restoring forces of the prestressed rubber insert.

Railway vehicle wheel with elastic rubber suspension


A sewer chimney system for stabilizing and protecting a chimney pipe interconnecting a service pipe and a main sewer line includes a base for bridging a main sewer line, the base having a hole for accommodating the chimney pipe rising from the main sewer line; a hollow casing vertically mounted on the base and having a lower open end aligned with the hole in the base for receiving the chimney pipe; and having an upper open end for receiving fill about the chimney pipe, the case including a lateral hole for receiving a service pipe for interconnection with the chimney pipe, and a device for attaching the hollow casing to the base for securing it during filling of the casing and during backfilling around the casing.

Sewer chimney systems are used to surround and protect the generally vertical chimney pipe which rises from a "wye" or "tee" connection at the generally horizontal main sewer line and interconnects at another "wye" or "tee" with the generally horizontal service pipe from a home or business building. One type of chimney system in current use is comprised of a circular cardboard form which is placed around the chimney pipe into which fresh concrete is poured. The fresh concrete is also placed around the "wye" or "tee" below, thereby creating a solid mass of concrete bearing directly on the sewer main. Concrete weighs about 150 pounds per cubic foot as compared to sand or gravel, which weighs about 100 pounds per cubic foot. Most leaks are found to occur at the chimney locations due to differential settling caused by the differential loading.
Fresh concrete, of course, is obtained by calling a concrete mixing plant to deliver the concrete by truck, or the concrete is mixed on the job site with a portable mixer, or by hand. In either case the process is very time consuming and expensive. Another disadvantage is the fact that no backfilling of earth is permitted around this chimney system until the fresh concrete has hardened, which usually means at least the next day, thus also causing a delay in progress.
A second sewer chimney system currently in use consists of a chimney pipe cast within a precast concrete section. The system consists of a precast base section, precast riser section of two, three or four foot height, and a precast top section which consists of the "wye" or "tee" which receives the sewer service pipe. The sections are stacked on each other and bolted together to prevent leakage and toppling.
Once installed, the system can be backfilled with earth. There are several problems associated with such a system. Several pieces of heavy construction equipment are used for the process. On delivery to the job site a front-end loader with operator and a laborer is needed to unload the concrete sections and deposit them at a storage site. The concrete sections are once again picked up at a later date with a front end loader with an operator, a laborer, and possibly a truck and driver for delivery to the work site. The backhoe, which is generally used to excavate the sewer trench, is then used to lift the concrete sections and place them into position over the "wye" or "tee". The sewer main installation is slowed down considerably because the backhoe which should be digging is now installing the precast chimney. A crew of six to eight men plus the equipment is virtually brought to a halt during this phase.
Leaks are a significant problem with this system due to the integration of the chimney pipe within the concrete sections.
The base portion of this precast system, which supports the riser sections and top section, straddles the sewer main. However, this system is capable of causing failure to the sewer main if settlement of the precast concrete sections occurs. Even though the base section straddles the sewer main and is initially set a few inches above the top of the sewer main, settlement due to the excessive weight can cause forces to be exerted on the "wye" or "tee" which is making direct contact with it.


Provided in one embodiment is an electrochemical cell, comprising: (i) a plurality of electrodes, comprising a fuel electrode that comprises aluminum and an air electrode that absorbs gaseous oxygen, the electrodes being operable in a discharge mode wherein the aluminum is oxidized at the fuel electrode and oxygen is reduced at the air electrode, and (ii) an ionically conductive medium, comprising an organic solvent; wherein during non-use of the cell, the organic solvent promotes formation of a protective interface between the aluminum of the fuel electrode and the ionically conductive medium, and wherein at an onset of the discharge mode, at least some of the protective interface is removed from the aluminum to thereafter permit oxidation of the aluminum during the discharge mode.

Metal-air cells are well-known, and include a metal fuel electrode and an air electrode. During discharge, the metal fuel is oxidized at the metal fuel electrode and oxygen is reduced at the air electrode. In metal-air cells of the rechargeable (a.k.a. "secondary") type, the metal fuel may be reduced on the fuel electrode, and oxygen may be evolved by oxidation at the air electrode or a separate charging electrode.
One of the most promising materials for high-performance batteries is aluminum due to its high volumetric capacity (8043 AhL−1) compared to other typical battery materials, such as zinc (5849 AhL−1) and lithium (2061 AhL−1). Additionally, aluminum is both an abundant and relatively inexpensive material. Usually, it is possible to obtain adequate reduction-oxidation ("redox") behavior of aluminum in a non-aqueous solution using AlCl3 as a source of aluminum ions in chloride ionic liquids and molecular solvents. However, the chloride ions can have significant drawbacks. For example, the main species responsible for the electrochemical behavior of aluminum (Al2Cl7−) is not air stable and easily decomposes in the presence of small quantities of water. The challenges of using aluminum as a battery material are compounded by the extremely rapid formation of an oxide layer on aluminum metal. In a battery, this oxide layer can passivate aluminum electrodes, even in electrolytes with low water concentration. If a constant positive current is applied to an aluminum electrode, the overpotential needed to maintain the current increases with time, thereby drawing an increasing amount of parasitic power.
In order to overcome the inherent challenges presented by the selection of aluminum as an electrode material in a high-performance battery, an electrolytic medium that is able to substantially inhibit the surface passivation of an aluminum electrode and simultaneously allow the redox reactions to take place within the battery is necessary. Specifically, what is needed is:                a. An aluminum chemistry and electrolytic media that is air- and water-stable.        b. An electrolytic media that, under open-circuit conditions, forms a nearly perfect passivating film at the aluminum interface (i.e., does not permit self-discharge to take place at the aluminum electrode).        c. An electrolytic media that, under polarization or discharge conditions, "lites off" (i.e. is removed under electrochemical action) the passivating film at low overpotential and allows sustained faradaic aluminum oxidation to occur (i.e., that enables a power dense, high capacity battery configuration).        d. An electrolytic media that solvates or complexes aluminum ions such that faradaic oxidation results in etching of the aluminum interface as opposed to formation of an anodic oxide film (i.e., that enables flat discharge and high capacity).        e. An electrolytic media that, upon going from an anodic polarization condition to an open-circuit condition, rapidly re-forms the passivating film to prevent self-discharge (i.e., allows for many partial discharge events, and long shelf-life after the first discharge event).        f. An electrolytic media that has a high boiling point and a low melting point so as to efficiently operate in a wide climate spectrum.        g. A system that minimizes parasitic reactions, enabling the highest possible current efficiency.
Several methods of protecting reactive-metal electrodes (e.g. aluminum) from surface passivation have been proposed. Explicitly protective measures that employ ion-selective membranes, fast ion-conducting ceramic membranes, two-phase electrolytic systems, and thick-variant air cathodes are several non-limiting examples. However, all of these methods result in complex cell architectures that remove the majority of the energy density offered by aluminum.
Rather than pursuing explicit protection of the chemistry of an aluminum-air cell, which substantially reduces available energy density, a solution is provided wherein the aluminum-electrolyte interface is implicitly protected and optionally activated. An electrolytic media that protects the electrode surface by preventing passivation is made possible through the use of solution activators, or dissolved metal salts.

ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS FOR AND ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY


Methods, systems, and computer-readable media track a state of communication between a PS/2 device and a PS/2 device driver within an EFI environment. The method involves receiving from an application, a request for data and in response to receiving the request, reading a state machine table within the PS/2 device driver to determine a last known state of communication associated with the PS/2 device. The last known state of communication is stored within the state machine table. The method also involves, based on the last known state stored, utilizing the state machine table to select and execute a routine to send a command, receive a reply from the PS/2 device to a command, change the state of communication when a condition is met, store changes in the last known state of communication, and/or pass control back to the application thereby reducing delay associated with waiting on slow PS/2 device replies.

In most computing systems, low level instruction code is used as an intermediary between the hardware components of the computing system and the operating software and other high-level software executing on the computing system. In some computer systems, this low level instruction code is known as the Basic Input and Output System ("BIOS"). The BIOS provides a set of software routines that allow high level software to interact with the hardware components of the computing system using standard calls.
Because of limitations of the BIOS in many PC-compatible computers, a new specification for creating the firmware that is responsible for booting the computer and for intermediating the communication between the operating system and the hardware has been proposed. The new specification is called the Extensible Firmware Interface ("EFI") specification and is available from INTEL CORPORATION.
The EFI specification describes an interface between the operating system and the system firmware. In particular, the EFI specification defines the interface that platform firmware must implement and the interface that the operating system may use in booting. How the firmware implements the interface is left up to the manufacturer of the firmware. The EFI specification provides protocols for EFI drivers to communicate with each other, and the EFI core provides functions such as allocation of memory, creating events, setting the clock, and many others. This is accomplished through a formal and complete abstract specification of the software-visible interface presented to the operating system by the platform and the firmware.
The EFI is capable of providing services to other applications. Services are implemented by modules that may be loaded by a boot loader when the EFI is started. The services may provide memory management, domain services, driver services, protocol services, and others. PS/2 drivers, such as an EFI mouse driver, must follow a protocol of data exchange during initialization of or while in communication with a PS/2 device, such as a mouse, floppy disk drive, or joy stick. This protocol of data exchange involves sequences of bytes or packets of data read from or exchanged with the PS/2 device. The PS/2 device is slow in comparison to the central processing unit (CPU) of a computing apparatus. The PS/2 device may even be one thousand times slower than the CPU. Thus, after a byte of data is read from the PS/2 device, there is a waiting period before the next byte of data appears at a device controller.
However, waiting on the next byte of data is not always acceptable when a computing system or apparatus has other tasks to perform. For instance, when an application calls a driver to quickly check if there is a change in the mouse position, the application may not be interested in retrieving the data immediately. Thus, when procedures, such as a timer event, cause the application to wait for the data other events are also on hold, which is inefficient. Moreover, some timer events time out in the middle of a sequence and are terminated after a fixed amount of elapsed time. Accordingly, there is a need for a method, system, and apparatus for tracking a state of communication between a PS/2 device and a PS/2 device driver within an EFI environment.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the invention have been made.

Tracking states of communication between PS/2 hardware and hardware drivers within an extensible firmware interface environment


An apparatus for controlling air flow includes a grating having a plurality of air vents, a shutter assembly composed of a shutter fixed plate, having a plurality of first openings, attached to a lower surface of the grating, and a shutter moving plate, having a plurality of second openings corresponding to the first openings, movably disposed between the grating and the fixed plate. An opening-ratio controller moves the moving plate with respect to the fixed plate whereby an opening ratio defined by relative positions of the first openings and the second openings is controlled. The separation between the grating and the shutter fixed plate may be the thickness of the shutter moving plate. The opening-ratio controller may include an opening-ratio controlling screw having a pinion attached to the screw end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling air flow in semiconductor clean rooms for manufacturing semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to an apparatus with a shutter attached to the lower surface of a grating installed in the floor of a semiconductor clean room.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor device production, which is performed in a highly purified, precise and sterile environment, has been made possible by advances in many types of technologies, including cleaning technologies. Cleaning technologies are especially important for improving the quality and efficiency of semiconductor devices.
Cleaning technologies primarily rely on clean rooms to provide a particle-free environment for the production process. Clean rooms are widely used not only in the electronics industries, but also in other industries such as precision instrument manufacturing, chemical production, hospital operations, and food preparation.
The clean rooms used in the semiconductor manufacturing industries are spaces in which the number of particles floating in the air is controlled to be below a predetermined value so that such particles do not contaminate a workpiece. In addition, the temperature, humidity, inner pressure, intensity of illumination, noise, vibration, etc. are also controlled together in clean rooms. To control the number of the particles in the room, clean air is continuously fed into the clean room and waste air is continuously removed through a circulation line. In the circulation line the polluted air removed from the clean room is passed through a filter installed on the inlet of the clean room. In this process, the cleaning may be enhanced by adding a scrubber to the circulation line.
An adequate air flow needs to be maintained to keep the number of particles below the predetermined levels. The proper air flow depends on the capacities of the various filters or cleaning devices installed in the circulating lines, the volume capacity of any pumps, and the volume of the clean room. To control an air flow in the clean room, a grating with a lattice of vents is usually installed in the floor of the clean room and a shutter is attached under the grating.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional apparatus for controlling air flow in semiconductor clean rooms. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the air flow controlling apparatus of FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the conventional air flow controlling apparatus is composed of a grating 10 and a shutter assembly attached to the lower surface of the grating 10. The shutter has a shutter fixed plate 26, and a shutter moving plate 18 disposed between the grating 10 and the shutter fixed plate 26, so that the moving plate 18 can be moved from side to side as shown by the arrow in FIG. 2.
The grating 10 is made of a plastic or ceramic material having a box shape with a square or rectangular top surface. A plurality of air vents 12 are formed in the grating in a matrix, i.e. arranged in rows and columns. Also, a grating through-hole 14, through which the body of an opening-ratio controlling screw 16 passes, is formed at the center of the grating.
The shutter fixed plate 26 has an open box shape of a predetermined volume with upwardly extending sides 26a, and wing parts 26b, each having a predetermined width, extending outwardly from the top of the upwardly extending sides 26a on all four rectangular sides. The sides 26a have a height of about 1 to 1.5 cm.
A plurality of bolt holes 32 are formed on the wing parts 26b, and the wing parts 26b are attached to the bottom of the grating 10 by means of clamping bolts 34 with lengths closely corresponding to the height, or thickness, of the grating 10. A plurality of openings 28 are formed in a matrix on the bottom of the shutter fixed plate 26. Four guide projections 30 protrude up from the bottom of the shutter fixed plate 26.
The shutter moving plate 18 is flat and has openings 20 formed thereon. The openings 20 on the moving plate 18 have the same shape and number as those openings 28 on the fixed plate 26. Also, four guide slots 22 are formed on the moving plate 18 corresponding to the guide projections 30 protruding up from the shutter fixed plate 26.
A rack 24 is attached at the center of the upper surface of the moving plate 18 such that its grooves, or teeth, are perpendicular to the moving plate. The rack 24 is aligned parallel to the direction that the moving plate 18 moves. The moving plate fits within the fixed plate 26 and rests on the bottom of the fixed plate 26.
The opening-ratio controlling screw 16 passing through the grating through-hole 14, has a head with either a linear groove or cross grooves, and has a body with longitudinal threads that engage with the rack 24. As the screw 16 is turned, the rack 24 and the attached moving plate 18 move.
In the conventional air flow controlling apparatus, the assembly and operation are as described below.
As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the shutter fixed plate 26 is bolted to the bottom of the grating 10. The shutter moving plate 18 is placed on the inner bottom of the shutter fixed plate 26 such that the guide projections 30 on the fixed plate 26 fit through the guide slots 22 on the moving plate 18. The moving plate 18 is held in place by its own weight. Then, the opening-ratio controlling screw 16 is inserted into the first through-hole 14 formed on the grating 10 such that its thread engages with the teeth of the rack 24 attached to the moving plate 18.
When the opening-ratio controlling screw 16 is turned, the rack 24 and the attached moving plate 18 moves. At one extreme position of the rack 24, the openings 28 in the fixed plate 26 and the openings 20 in moving plate 18 align, whereby the area of intersection of the two sets of openings is equal to the area of the openings on the fixed plate 26. The ratio of the area of this intersection to the area of the openings on the fixed plate is called the opening ratio. When the openings are aligned as just described, the opening ratio is 100%. At the other extreme position for the rack 24, the openings are fully displaced from each other so that the intersection of the two sets of openings has zero area. In this case the opening ratio is 0%. When the opening ratio is near 100%, the shutter is said to be open; when the opening ratio is near 0%, the shutter is closed.
After the grating with the attached shutter is installed in the floor of the semiconductor clean room, the opening-ratio controlling screw 16 is rotated to control the opening ratio of the shutter so that the air flow in the semiconductor clean room can be properly maintained.
Also installed under the floor of the clean room are structures for supporting the clean room facility, e.g., H-Beams, as well as utility-lines for the facility, various kinds of pumps for circulating the air flow in the semiconductor clean room, blowing fans, ducts and cables, etc. So, when the conventional grating with the attached shutter is being installed in the floor of the clean room, the grating may not fit properly in place because those above-mentioned structures may be in the way. To fit the grating into the correct position, the structures disposed under the floor of the clean room first have to be eliminated, replaced, or shifted.
The problems are a result of the combined height of the shutter fixed plate height and the grating height. Large quantities of time and effort are required for installing and repairing the grating with the attached shutter, which decreases operational capabilities and productivity.
A need exists, therefore, for an apparatus for controlling air flow in a semiconductor clean room that reduces the combined height of the shutter and grating.

Grating and shutter apparatus for controlling air flow


A means for taking pressure readings in a bottom-hole zone of a well without interfering with an operation in which solid material is moving through a tubing string. A pressure recorder is enclosed in a carrier attached to the outer surface of a tubing sub near the end of the tubing string. The carrier walls include ports which expose the pressure recorder to the fluid in the bottom-hole zone. This arrangement allows operations such as sand fracture stimulations and rod pumping to be unimpeded by a pressure recorder.

One of the means of improving oil well production is to increase the permeability of the subterranean formation of interest. The treatment method selected depends upon the type of formation encountered and may involve opening clogged pores, crevices and other flow channels in the formation or fracturing the formation to create cracks which are then propped open with sand or gravel.
In order to fracture stimulate a well, a packer is set above the zone of interest in order to isolate the well casing from extremely high working pressures. Because the packer seals off the annulus between the casing and the tubing string, it is not possible to collect bottom-hole pressure data from the annulus. This leaves two other ways of collecting such data. One is to support a pressure recorder on a wireline and place it in the tubing string near the zone of interest. While this procedure permits collection of bottom-hole pressure data during acid stimulations and during informational or data fracture stimulations in which no sand is introduced, it is not practical during sand fracturing. The pumping of sand proppant at high rates and pressures down the tubing string creates a sandblasting effect which is detrimental to a recorder in the tubing string. Moreover, the presence of a recorder in the tubing string creates a restriction in the tubing, which causes pressure differentials above and below the recorder that can affect the success of the stimulation.
The other way of collecting pressure data is to place the recorder in an isolated joint of the tubing string below a perforated tubing sub. Problems also exist with this method. Collection of bottom-hole pressure data can be carried out during acid stimulations and data fracture stimulations but not during actual fracture stimulations, inasmuch as sand collecting in the dead joint between the recorder and the dead joint interferes with the pressure recording. An added problem is the difficulty in retrieving the recorder through the packed sand after the stimulation operation.
Another area of activity in which it is difficult to collect bottom-hole pressure data is in rod pumping wells, where the use of a pressure recorder on a wireline can interfere with the operation of the pump and movement of the rods.
It would be desirable to be able to collect bottom-hole pressure data in the environments discussed without interfering with the ongoing activity of the operation and without diminishing the accuracy of the pressure recorder. It would also be desirable to accomplish this by relatively simple, economical means which does not require lengthy set-up procedures.

Pressure recorder carrier and method of use


A mobile communication method includes the steps of transmitting a first control signal including an identifier different from a C-RNTI to the mobile station UE#A through a PDCCH by a radio base station PhNB#10 managing a cell #10 formed by linking multiple small cells, transmitting a second control signal including an identifier to the mobile station UE through a PDCCH by a radio base station eNB#1 managing a cell #1 having a coverage area overlapping with a coverage area of the cell #10, and regarding the first control signal as valid by the mobile station UE#A, when it determines that the identifier included in the first control signal and the identifier included in the second control signal match each other.

In LTE (Long Term Evolution) , a radio base station eNB is configured to transmit/receive data to and from a mobile station UE performing communications in a cell under the control thereof, with a C-RNTI (Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identify) allocated to the mobile station UE as illustrated in FIG. 6 (see, non-patent document 1).
The C-RNTI is allocated on a cell-by-cell basis. In LTE, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a same C-RNTI cannot be allocated to a mobile station UE#1 and a mobile station UE#2 which perform communications in a same cell #A, and a same C-RNTI can be allocated to a mobile station UE#1 (or a mobile station UE#2) and a mobile station UE#3 which perform communications in different cells #A/#B.
Here, the C-RNTI is allocated in "Contention based RA (Random Access) Procedure" or a handover procedure.
In addition, the radio base station eNB is configured to assign resources for transmitting downlink data or uplink data by using the C-RNTI allocated to the mobile station UE.
Meanwhile, in the "Rel-12 workshop" of the 3GPP, many proposals on "Small cell enhancement" have been made as topics of FRA (Future Radio Access).
In such proposals, a concept of "Phantom cell" has been discussed.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, unlike a conventional macro cell, a phantom cell can cover a wider area by linking many "small cells" to form one large cell.

Mobile communication method and mobile station


A mobile communications system includes a plurality of mobile communications devices. A direct link communicates information between a communications network and a selected one of the plurality of mobile communications devices. A broadcast link simultaneously broadcasts information from the communications network intended to be receivable by the plurality of mobile communications devices.

Personal communications systems (PCS) devices are based on mobile phone or cellular phone system devices. Mobile or cellular phone devices are currently configured to communicate with one of a plurality of permanently placed ground antennas, which, in turn, are connected to the telephone system: both to standard wired telephones and to other mobile or cellular telephone devices via other such ground antennas. The original cellular phone devices communicated via analog data signals. However, newer cellular phone devices communicate via digital data signals. In either case, there is a direct link between the telephone communications network and the cellular telephone.
Further capabilities are being added to the digital cellular phone devices. For example, digital cellular phone devices are being enhanced to enable them to receive digital data from and transmit digital data to a digital data network, such as the Internet, with which the telephone system is interconnected. Such devices have been termed personal communications systems (PCS) devices. Such enhanced PCS devices can request, receive and display information from the internet such as, for instance: maps, touring information, information on special events, and/or shops or restaurants near the current location of the user. As time goes on further capabilities will be added to digital PCS devices which may involve providing for reception and display of multimedia files such as audio and/or video files.
One problem with such enhanced capabilities is the bandwidth required to transmit the large volume of data associated with such enhanced capabilities from the digital data servers interconnected with the internet to the PCS devices via the direct link. The current cellular phone system uses relatively low bandwidth signaling techniques: on the order of tens of kilobits per second. However, graphical information such as maps and pictures require relatively wide bandwidth to provide reasonable response times. Video and audio files will require even higher bandwidth for reasonable response times. In other words, using the relatively low bandwidth of the current cellular telephone system will require long periods of time to transfer such large amounts of data. These periods of time may be so long as to make the performance unacceptable. Additionally, with the precious spectrum resources, the cost of bandwidth on these networks is relatively high.
Current television signal broadcasting systems provide relatively wide bandwidth capability: approximately 20 Mbps of data throughput for each 6 MHz channel. Terrestrial VHF/UHF frequency bands in the United States include almost 400 MHz of available channels. These channels are receivable in the locale (approximately 70 miles) of the terrestrial television broadcasting station antenna. In addition, current digital direct satellite television broadcasting systems also can provide digital channels which can be used for digital information transmission. Digital data from these channels are receivable over a much wider area: the complete United States, for instance. These channels are not completely used. Thus, there is a vast amount of unused television broadcast spectrum available for other uses.
Some data which will be requested by a user of a PCS device will be unique to that user. For example, a user may request a particular piece of information of interest to that user alone. However, other data will be of simultaneous interest to a large number of users: for example, current weather data, stock market tickers, television or radio program guides, electronic newspapers etc. Yet other information will be of widespread simultaneous interest at only certain times, and of interest only to unique users are other times: for example, traffic maps at rush hour, information related to special events and nearby restaurants and hotels near the time and in the geographical area of the special event; and IRS tax forms and information around tax filing time.
Current bandwidth for cellular phone devices is sufficient to provide unique information to PCS devices as such information is requested. Attempting, however, to provide information of simultaneous widespread interest (e.g. traffic maps) to large numbers of PCS devices at the same time can rapidly use up all available bandwidth of the current PCS system. A PCS communications system which can provide unique information to single requesting PCS devices, and also information of widespread interest simultaneously to large numbers of requesting PCS devices, without overloading available bandwidth of the cellular phone network is desirable.

Mobile communication system having a direct and broadcast link


The invention aids an entity to selectively request additional data about a user to serve the needs of the entity without causing the user to have an adverse reaction. The invention helps an entity to determine the condition under which to request additional data so as to reduce the likelihood of causing the user to have an adverse reaction, e.g., terminate the interaction. One embodiment of the invention concerns customers requesting transactions with on-line merchants. More specifically, this embodiment aids merchants by detecting Internet credit card transactions that are likely to be fraudulent, and providing the merchants with mechanisms for managing a suspected transaction as it occurs to obtain additional information that can be useful to reducing the likelihood of fraud.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the processing of a request for an interaction. In particular, the invention relates to assisting an entity to determine conditions under which to obtain additional information about a user to meet the needs of the entity without causing the user to have an adverse reaction.
2. Background of the Invention
Companies that conduct business on the Internet face challenges in obtaining enough reliable information about a user to meet the needs of the company without causing the user to have an adverse reaction, e.g., to terminate the interaction. For example, typically an on-line merchant wants to obtain enough information about a potential transaction with a customer to reliably indicate that the customer is not acting fraudulently. However, in doing so, the on-line merchant can cause the potential customer to terminate the transaction, for example, by asking for too much information, or for too personal information.
Credit card purchases of goods and services over the Internet are now common. In a typical transaction, a consumer selects one or more items to purchase, provides information identifying himself, such as his name and address, and provides payment information, e.g., credit card information.
Unfortunately, merchants doing business on the Internet face great exposure to credit card fraud. Stolen cards are used in approximately 1.2% of all Internet sales, causing on-line merchants to claim losses due to credit card fraud of more than $200 million in 1999. Currently, about 0.06% to 0.09% of traditional sales are fraudulent, making on-line transactions more than 10 times as likely to involve fraud as traditional retail transactions. At least three factors make on-line sales more susceptible to fraud than sales made at retail shopping venues. For on-line sales, the buyer does not have to 1) be physically present; 2) hand over a credit card, or 3) sign a receipt. As a consequence, on-line merchants presently suffer a variety of fraud-related costs. These costs include:
1) Loss of Payments & Merchandise
On-line fraud results in large revenue losses for Internet merchants. When an Internet merchant is a victim of fraud, it loses both the payment and the merchandise. In contrast, if a cardholder's card is used fraudulently and the merchant has a signed receipt as record of the transaction, the issuer usually absorbs the fraudulent charges.
With Internet commerce, however, the merchant, not the issuer, absorbs the fraudulent purchases. Regulations created by card issuer associations specify that in card-not-present (CNP) situations, merchants assume the full risk of purchases made by credit card, independent of authorizations made by issuing banks. Because CNP transactions are the standard for e-commerce, the current framework shifts the burden of these losses primarily to the merchants. Indeed, for companies that do all of their business over the Internet based on CNP transactions, this loss exposure can be in the tens of millions of dollars.
Beyond use of a stolen credit card or of a fabricated card number, other types of fraud frequently occur in the context of on-line purchasing. Customers more easily dispute valid charges related to on-line purchases as opposed to valid charges related to traditional retail purchases. For example, a husband may make charges to an on-line merchant and deny them to his wife. The wife, in turn, may then call the card issuer and dispute the on-line merchant's bill. Though these charges are valid, the card company may decide in favor of their customer, and the merchant becomes responsible for the chargebacks. A chargeback is a charge levied on a merchant for the amount of a purchase that was charged on a credit card and that the credit card holder successfully disputes. In addition to chargebacks, merchants are responsible for loss from disputed charges when customers claim non-receipt of goods, non-arrival of goods due to incorrect shipping addresses, or goods refused on delivery.
2) Loss from Shipping Charges
The charges for shipping goods are normally paid by consumers. When on-line fraud occurs, however, the on-line merchant must cover the cost of shipping.
3) Loss from Human Intervention
Presently, an on-line merchant can attempt to use parameter-based rules and negative files to determine credit card fraud. Parameter based rules use if/then logic to attempt to identify aberrant behavior based on specific data such as negative file information. Negative files are database files that track negative customer behavior. One can access the negative file database using a key, such as credit card number, or Social Security number. However, using parameter-based rules and negative files often leads to time-consuming fraud investigations. The fraud investigations, in turn, lead to rising administrative costs as a result of the need to increase staff to perform the investigations.
4) Loss of Valued Customers
Poorly managed fraud-control systems can lead to decreased customer satisfaction resulting in lost revenues to retailers. Many on-line retailers burden their customers with lengthy and complex on-line order forms in an attempt to minimize fraud. However, these lengthy forms frustrate and confuse customers potentially reducing the customer's good will toward the retailer. A frustrated and/or confused customer often either abandons their order of defaults to a competitor when initiating a transaction in the future. In the same vein, legitimate customers become insulted when inaccurate fraud control rules reject their orders. Such customers often permanently migrate to other vendors where they find better treatment. Merchants then spend valuable marketing dollars attempting to replace the customers lost as a result of poorly managed fraud-control systems.
5) Loss from Chargeback Fees
As noted above, a chargeback is a charge levied on a merchant for the amount of a purchase that has previously been charged to a payment card, and that has been successfully disputed by a customer. When a chargeback is processed, the merchant typically pays a fee of $15.00 to $25.00. If the merchant disputes the chargeback and wants to re-present, or re-issue, the charge, an equivalent fee is billed to the merchant. If the card issuer again decides in favor of the customer and processes a second chargeback, the merchant is charged yet another fee, and this time the charge cannot be re-presented. The merchant can, however, arbitrate the charge, whereupon the issuing bank can charge an up-front, non-refundable fee of up to $50.00. Thus, for low cost items (e.g., books, clothes, etc.) merchants simply absorb the loss rather than pay the higher chargeback fees.
6) Loss from Chargeback Fines
In addition to paying a fee for each chargeback, issuing banks can levy fines on merchants having too many chargebacks. Typically 1.5-3.0% of the merchant's chargeback volume, such fines can range from a few hundred dollars per month, to $10,000 or even $100,000 per month, with fines escalating higher as chargebacks continue unabated.
7) Loss of Credit Card Privileges
The reputations of credit card brands are damaged when legitimate customers are victimized by fraud, even if they do not absorb the actual financial losses. Rules are thus instituted by the credit card brands to prevent merchants from allowing too many fraudulent transactions to occur. If fraudulent transactions exceed a specified small percentage of a merchant's overall credit-card sales, the merchant can lose the privilege of receiving payment through a credit card issuer altogether. Obviously, the ability to accept credit cards for payment is extremely important to an on-line merchant. Thus, as noted above, out of fear of losing the privilege of accepting credit cards for payment, on-line merchants are responding with generalized, lengthy and complex on-line order forms in an attempt to reduce fraud. These burdensome forms cause the loss of customers. Those on-line merchants that can solve the problem of fraud without using generalized, burdensome order forms stand to gain significant market share.
8) Limitations of Most Fraud-Risk Solutions
On-line retailers have been implementing a range of fraud detection and reduction techniques to combat the problems described above. Typical solutions that on-line merchants have deployed include the use or rule sets and basic checks such as address verification.
a) Rule Sets
Rule sets use if/then logic to attempt to identify aberrant behavior using specified data such as negative file information. A typical rule might read: "IF the transaction amount is over $1000 and the ship-to address is outside North America THEN decline the transaction". Rule-based fraud detection and reduction methods by themselves are limited because they:                Fail to detect an unacceptably large amount of fraud        Result in high false-positive rates (a false-positive result occurs when a fraud detection method flags a valid transaction as potentially fraudulent)        Create a high volume of cases requiring human intervention to investigate transactions identified as potentially fraudulent        Are slow to adapt to new methods of committing fraud, requiring new rules to identify the fraud
b) Address Verification Service (AVS)
AVS attempts to verify that the billing address for a credit card presented by a customer is the same as the customer's address. For example, a customer may provide her address and zip code to a merchant. The merchant then transfers at least part of the address and zip code data along with the credit card number to a server for approval. The server compares the zip code and billing address data with the physical address to which a cardholder's credit card is registered. Once the server compares this information, the server sends the merchant a response to the AVS request indicating the result of the comparison.
AVS was designed for mail and telephone orders and many on-line merchants presently use AVS. However, AVS has no international fraud detection capability, is not designed for on-line transactions, and is available only for certain credit cards. Furthermore, there are many legitimate instances when the shipping address and billing address are different. Such instances include the purchase of a gift using a personal credit card to ship goods to a work address and vice versa or when there is no shipping address at all. There may be no shipping address when companies deliver the purchased goods or services electronically. Items that companies can deliver electronically include software, reference material, subscriptions to an on-line service, and digital images.
9) Other Problems Associated with Obtaining Information from a Customer
As noted above, companies face challenges in obtaining enough reliable information about a customer to meet the needs of the company without causing the customer to have an adverse reaction. A variety of companies in addition to on-line merchants face these challenges. In-bound call centers, e.g., customer service centers or catalog ordering phone centers, as well as out-bound call centers, e.g., telemarketing operations, attempt to obtain information from a customer without causing the customer to have an adverse reaction.
A customer can have a variety of adverse reactions. The customer may terminate her interaction with the merchant or provide false and/or incomplete information to the merchant. In addition, the merchant can lose the customer's goodwill; if a customer faces lengthy, confusing, or inconvenient forms or questions when interacting with the merchant, the customer may default to a competitor of the merchant when initiating transactions in the future.
An entity may collect information from a user for a variety of reasons distinct from preventing fraud. These reasons can include gathering information for marketing or for research. Companies often use registration forms for such purposes. Completion of the registration form is often a prerequisite for gaining access to portions of a site or to desirable content. Such companies do not want to cause the customer to terminate her interaction with the company, provide false or incomplete information, or lose good will toward the company. Thus, there exists a need for a way of determining the conditions under which to request information from users so as to foster the entity/user interaction.


A rain cover (10) to protect bales of hay (200) within a hay enclosure framework (100) having horizontal top (101) and bottom (102) framework segments connected to one another by vertical support struts (103) wherein, the rain cover (10) includes an elongated waterproof cover member (40) having spaced sleeve elements (42) (42) that captively engage the intermediate portion of a plurality of elongated generally C-shaped support arm members (30) (30) the opposite ends of which are captively and slidably associated with a pair of U-bolt members (20) mounted on the top framework segment (101) of the hay enclosure framework (100).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cover arrangements for hay bales in general and in particular to a retractable rain cover for hay enclosures.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,671,551; 4,488,565; 4,521,997; and, 4,248,343, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse cover arrangements for hay bales.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical rain cover for hay enclosure frameworks having top and bottom horizontal framework segments connected to one another by a plurality of vertically oriented support struts.
As anyone who has livestock such as horses and cattle is all too well aware, once a hay bale has been soaked by rain, the animals will stop feeding on the hay until it has been replaced by a fresh quantity of dry hay that has not been exposed to moisture.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among owners of livestock for a new and improved rain cover for hay enclosures that is simple to install and only requires a single person to retract the cover from the hay enclosure; and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.


A silver powder is produced by reducing silver carboxylate and a particle size distribution of primary particles comprises a first peak of a particle size in a range of 20 nm to 70 nm and a second peak of a particle size in a range of 200 nm to 500 nm, organic matters are decomposed in an extent of 50 mass % or more at 150° C., gases generated in heating at 100° C. are: gaseous carbon dioxide; evaporated acetone; and evaporated water.

Conventionally, a synthetic method of metal nanoparticles for producing the metal nanoparticles is disclosed (for example, refer Patent Literature 1 (PTL 1)). In the method, the metal salt aqueous solution A is prepared by dissolving a metal salt; the carboxylate aqueous solution is prepared by dissolving a compound such as glycolic acid and citric acid; and the reducing agent aqueous solution is prepared. Then, the carboxylate solution B is mixed with one of the metal salt aqueous solution A and the reducing agent aqueous solution to form a mixed solution. Then, other of the metal salt aqueous solution A and the reducing agent aqueous solution is added to the mixed solution to be mixed further to produce the metal nanoparticles. In this synthetic method of metal nanoparticles, 75 mass % or more of silver is included in the metal salt as the metal element; and the mixing with the reducing agent aqueous solution is done by stirring at a temperature of 25° C. or more and 95° C. or less. In addition, the reducing agent is one or more compounds selected from a group consisting of hydrazine; ascorbic acid; oxalic acid; formic acid; and salts thereof.
Specifically, the above-mentioned PTL 1 describes the following. First, the carboxylic acid aqueous solution B is mixed with the aqueous metal salt solution. The degree of mixing at this time is preferably such that the total amount of carboxylic acid, carboxylate or carboxylic acid and carboxylate contained in the carboxylic acid aqueous solution B is 0.3 to 3.0 moles per 1 mole of the metal element contained in the metal salt aqueous solution A. In addition, it is preferable to perform the mixing at a temperature range of 25° C. to 95° C. under atmospheric pressure. Next, after the suspension in which the carboxylate is precipitated is obtained, an aqueous solution of the reducing agent is added to the suspension, which is the mixture, and further mixed. The degree of mixing at this time is preferably such that the reducing agent contained in the reducing agent aqueous solution A is from 0.1 to 3.0 moles per 1 mole of the metal element which is the raw material of the suspension. In addition, it is preferable to perform the mixing at a temperature range of 25° C. to 95° C. under atmospheric pressure.
In the synthetic method of metal nanoparticles configured as described above, all are made of CHNO except for the raw material metal as the raw material, since the metal nanoparticles are formed by forming the mixed solution by mixing the carboxylate aqueous solution B with one of the metal salt aqueous solution A and the reducing agent aqueous solution C; adding other of the metal salt aqueous solution A and the reducing agent aqueous solution C to the mixed solution; and further mixing the mixed solution. Therefore, it does not contain corrosive substances. Because of this, metal nanoparticles, which are suitable for used as a conductive material and do not contain corrosive substances, can be obtained even though the metal nanoparticles are produced from insoluble metal salts.

Silver powder, paste composition, and method of producing silver powder


A device for preventing inadvertent pressing of push button keys of an article, including an upper cover means, a turning axle means, and a pivot joint means. When an upper cover plate of the upper cover means is lifted, pointed portions of two curved projections of a relay axle of the turning axle means will displace along end recesses to pointed portions of two curved ends, so that the relay axle presses a retractable spring and displace radially in a transverse direction, so that its end wings extend into a wing chamber while two side wings extend into an end chamber. When the pointed portions of the two curved projections pass over the pointed portions of the two curved ends, since the pointed portions of the curved projections lose support thereof, they turn axially along the end recesses by means of the resilience of the spring until being positioned. Hence, the upper cover plate can automatically be uplifted about a certain angle to facilitate pressing of the push button keys.

(a) Field of the Invention
With the progress of technologies, life is becoming more and more convenient. Most of the household electrical appliances, such as television, stereo sets, video recorders, compact disk players, etc., are equipped with remote controllers. By pressing push button keys on the remote controllers, the corresponding electrical appliance will be actuated to perform the designated function. For telecommunication equipment, such as the telephones, mobile phones, facsimile machines, etc., they are mostly controlled by means of push button keys as well. With the development of integrated circuits, in order to save time in flipping through telephone directories or name cards, telephones and facsimile machines, for instance, have speed dialing and repeat functions, etc. The user only needs to pre-set telephone or facsimile numbers in the equipment, and can then press a certain key or certain keys to accomplish automatic dialing. This is indeed convenient and saves time.
However, as telephone and facsimile numbers are often difficult to memorize, if the wrong key is pressed and the wrong pre-set numbers are automatically dialed, it will be a waste of time and an increase in telephone and facsimile expenses. For facsimile machines, children may play with the push buttons and trigger the automatic dialing function. For mobile phones, the wrong key may be pressed when held in the hand since a little pressure on the key will trigger the designated function. Therefore, it is desirable to have a device that can prevent inadvertent pressing of push button keys of equipment as mentioned above.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Some existing mobile phones are provided with a liftable or slidable cover. However, as such a cover has to be completely lifted to allow access to the push buttons, and is connected to both sides of the bottom portion of the phone body by hinges or cooperating coupling members, after a period of use, the connection between the phone body and the cover will become loosened due to constant friction. Therefore, most of the existing mobile phones are not equipped with liftable or slidable covers, and the problem of inadvertent pressing the push button keys remains unsolved.

Device for preventing inadvertent pressing of push button keys


A system and method for reducing microwelding of a piston ring installed in a circumferential groove of a piston, wherein the ring has at least one piston groove engaging surface which is coated with a polyaryletherketone polymer. This composition provides critical lubrication during the piston and piston ring break-in period and prevents localized high pressure, and high temperature areas that promote microwelding.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lubricant compositions and more particularly to lubricant compositions for use in coating piston rings installed in internal combustion engines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Great strides have been made in extending the useful life of the internal combustion engine. Many of these improvements have been made possible by utilizing materials which reduce the friction between moving components used within the internal combustion engine. For example, coating the cylinder wall engaging surface of a piston ring with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or a composition of a thermoset resin, polytetrafluoroethylene, and molydisulfide to reduce the sliding friction between the piston ring and the cylinder wall is a known technique for reducing engine friction. It is also known to deposit PTFE or the composition of the thermoset resin, polytetrafluoroethylene, and molydisulfide between the rod bearings and the respective crank journal faces of an internal combustion engine to minimize friction.
In spite of these advancements, there still remains several friction intense areas of conventional engine designs which have not been adequately solved using even the most advanced friction reducing coatings. One such problem area relates to the interface between pistons and piston rings of internal combustion engines.
In the vast majority of internal combustion engines which use reciprocating pistons, the pistons are surrounded by piston rings to create a relatively efficient gas seal between the piston and the cylinder wall. Thus, when a charge within the engine cylinder is ignited, creating high combustion chamber pressures, the expanding gasses which are formed during the burning process are confined to the combustion chamber. The confined gases exert a downward force on the piston and are not permitted to escape between the piston and the cylinder wall. Although the piston ring is typically captured within a groove which is cut along an outside circumferential surface of the piston, the ring is sized relative to the groove so that is free to move within the groove. It is important that the piston ring be movable (axially, radially, and circumferentially) with respect to the groove because its relative movement enables proper sealing to the cylinder bore as the piston moves axially and radially, and as the ring traverses distortion in the cylinder wall.
There is a critical time period for new engines known as the break-in period during which the moving surfaces of joined components adjust to matingly conform to one another. During this break-in period the piston/piston ring interface is particularly susceptible to a condition known as microwelding, wherein there is a propensity for the piston aluminum to transfer to the sides (typically the lower flank of the piston ring.
If during break-in, the piston ring can be kept free to move relative to the walls of the piston groove, and localized contact pressure reduced by merit of a relatively elastic material, the piston groove/piston ring will mate uniformly and microwelding will not occur.


Methods and systems are described herein for high-speed observation and recognition of objects or persons within a controlled area using 3D image data and tomography, stereo-photogrammetry, range finding and/or structured illumination. A wide area security system may comprise multiple pairs of 3D sensors surrounding a controlled area. Using at least two pairs of 3D sensors and a first 3D data collection technique such as tomography, a zone of interest within the controlled area is detected. Using at least one pair of 3D sensors and a second 3D data collection technique such as structured illumination, more 3D image data related to an object of interest is collected. The 3D image data may be compared to data representing known objects and used to identify an object of interest. Methods for fast processing of 3D data and recognition of objects of interest are also described.

In today's world, security and access control systems for protecting secure or restricted areas, such as airports, government defense facilities, or corporate sites containing confidential proprietary information, are in high demand. To be effective, security systems for these types of areas must first of all be accurate, that is, a security system must accurately determine both objects or persons who are authorized to enter as well as those objects or persons who must not be granted access. Effective security systems for high volume areas, such as airports, must be fast and easy-to-use. Systems that further add to delay at airports or require a traveler to carry something would further inconvenience the traveler and therefore be unacceptable.
For these reasons, many conventional security systems use biometric data, such as fingerprints, retinal eye patterns, or hand geometry, to identify a person. The captured biometric data is compared to a database of biometric data representing known persons. If the acquired data matches the profile data of an individual from the database, the person may be granted access to a secure facility or identified as someone who should not be granted access. These conventional security systems, however, typically require cooperation of a target, such as a person, and therefore are not designed for "non-cooperative" scenarios, wherein biometric data often must be acquired passively, that is, without requiring any special action, effort or participation of the target to be identified.
Biometric identification systems which do not require a target's cooperation are enjoying great popularity and demand among authorities and companies where security is or is becoming important, such as airports, banks, workplaces and other secure or restricted places. For instance, systems employing biometric facial recognition, unlike security systems that require target cooperation (e.g., fingerprint recognition, iris recognition, etc.), require no human cooperation, awareness, or contact, work passively at a distance in real time environment, and can be easily integrated into existing security systems. Consequently, biometric facial recognition systems are suitable for non-intrusive security checks at high-risk public sites (airports, borders, etc.), and for passive identification and monitoring of known criminals and terrorists.
Conventional systems and methods for biometric facial recognition typically use two-dimensional ("2D") images of a person's face, similar to images received from video or photo cameras. Although 2D image data is easy to collect, it is not uniquely distinctive and the quality of the acquired data is dependent on a variety of conditions, such as ambient light conditions, view angle, etc. Consequently, the reliability of 2D biometric facial recognition systems lags behind many conventional security systems that use biometric data, such as fingerprints, retinal eye patterns, or hand geometry, to identify a person.
Some conventional systems, such as those only capable of capturing 2D image data, experience difficulty in isolating a target image, such as a person's face from other objects, and consequently experience difficulty in identifying the target image. Such systems also experience accuracy problems because the quality of the acquired data is negatively affected by shadows on, the angle of, or movement by the person or object to be identified. In addition, these systems experience difficulties in making assumptions about the target image based on the target's shape because they do not have 3D image data and therefore do not have distance measurements. Furthermore, many of these systems do not reject corrupted image data, further increasing their probability of error.
Other conventional security systems, though capable of capturing 3D image data for target identification, require cooperation of a target for capturing image data and therefore have the same disadvantages as conventional security systems that require target cooperation, e.g., fingerprint recognition, iris recognition, etc. For instance, in conventional 3D image recognition systems, a person may have to knowingly stay in or move through a designated area armed with cameras, such as a portal or doorway, to facilitate image data capture. Some security systems using 3D data do not require cooperation of the target; however, they experience difficulties isolating a target image from a sea of unwanted images, such as trying to isolate one person from a crowd of people in an airport. In addition, speed, accuracy, and portability have been recurrent and difficult to goals to achieve simultaneously for devices that scan, measure or otherwise collect geometric data about 3D objects for identification and recognition.
Still other methods and systems that collect 3D image data are limited by the way the 3D image data is collected. For example, single dot optical scanning systems determines the location of the 3D object based on the angle of reflection of a single point of reflected light. Such systems can digitize only a single point at a time and therefore are relatively slow in collecting a full set of points to describe an object and are further limited by the precision of the movement and positioning of the laser beam. Scan line systems that employ a two-dimensional ("2D") imager, such as a charge coupled device ("CCD") camera, for signal detection projects a light plane (i.e., a laser stripe) instead of just one dot and reads the reflection of multiple points depicting the contour of an object at a location that is at a distance from the CCD camera and from which the position can be triangulated. Such systems typically use a bulky, high-precision mechanical system for moving the scanner and are further limited because the laser stripe stays at a fixed angle relative to the camera and the system makes its calculations based on the cylindrical coordinates of its rotating platform. The mathematical simplicity in such a projection system complicates the hardware portion of these devices as they typically depend on the rotational platform mentioned. Also, the simplified geometry does not generally allow for extremely refined reproduction of topologically nontrivial objects, such as objects with holes in them (e.g., a tea pot with a handle). Full realization of triangulation scanning with a non-restrictive geometry has not been achieved in the available devices.
Deficiencies in still other known methods and systems for three-dimensional identification and recognition occur in the matching process. Methods and systems that collect too much data on the acquired person or object or attempt to increase accuracy by increasing the number of attributes compared may suffer performance problems, that is, recognition of the person or object may take too long for practical application. This deficiency must be balanced against collecting too little information or comparing too few features thereby resulting in a system that is so inaccurate as to not be useful.

Methods and systems for detecting and recognizing objects in a controlled wide area


This patent specification describes a novel optical information recording method for recording mark and space information. The method for recording optical information comprises the steps of generating a peak level current waveform having a high level, generating a bias level current waveform having a low level generating a normal boost level current waveform and a low boost level current waveform, driving a laser light source with the normal boost level current waveform superimposed on the low level current waveform in a normal boost level light emission and switching a drive current waveform for the laser light source to the low boost level current waveform superimposed on the low level current waveform in a peak level sampling operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording optical information, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for recording optical information capable of precisely controlling emission of laser light for recording.
2. Discussion of the Background
According to a recent spread usage of multimedia, optical readable disks and their associated recording and playback apparatus have been developed rapidly in addition to an increase use of those dedicated to playback mediums such as music CDs, CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. More specifically, write-once optical disks using a dye recording medium and phase-change optical disks using phase-change medium have been developed. In these apparatuses, a semiconductor laser light (LD) is commonly used to playback and record.
FIG. 1 illustrates a signal set of a channel clock, recording data and a LD waveform generated through a recording operation performed by a background optical information recording apparatus.
One example recording waveform for applying power to the LD to record information on the dye recording medium is a single pulse waveform created based on eight-to-fourteen Modulation (EFM), as shown in FIG. 1. The single pulse waveform, however, is apt to generate distortions such that recorded marks are rounded due to accumulated heat during a time of recording. Consequently, the recording quality is decreased by these unsharpened recorded marks.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of another signal set of a channel clock, a modulation signal and a light waveform to explain advanced waveforms. This signal set represents one example waveform strategy for LD emission to record information on the dye recording medium. Such waveform strategy uses multi pulses based on recording data with eight-to-sixteen (8-16) modulation code to form marks. Recently, faster linear velocity for recording has been required and, as a result, it becomes increasingly difficult to make the LD responds to such a high speed operation as the multi pulse laser light emission. For this reason, a so-called "Castle write Strategy" waveform is proposed. The so-called "Castle write Strategy" waveform includes peak levels at both rising and failing edges of a pulse to emphasize the mark edges. The peak levels are generated by superimposing a power having a predetermined level on a single pulse at its rising and failing edges. A resultant superimposed peak level is called as a boost level.
FIG. 3 is an illustration to explain changes of the emission power due to changes of the LD drive current. When the dye recording medium and the phase-change optical medium are recorded, a control of a light emission power is precisely needed because characteristics of drive current versus light emission power (i.e., an I-L curve) may drift with heat generated by the LD itself. To make the light emission power stable, a method called automatic power control (APC) is widely used. In the APC, a part of a laser beam emitted from the LD is detected by a photo detector (PD) and then the LD drive current is controlled by a monitor current generated by the PD, which is proportional to the LD emission power.
In a playback operation, a high frequency current is generally superimposed on the LD drive current to reduce electric noises. In this case, a simple configuration of a feedback loop circuit of a low band path can be used to implement the APC because the high frequency current is substantially constant from a viewpoint of a DC current. However, the LD emission power for recording, which changes at an extremely high frequency to form mark/space, needs to be adjusted in a more accurate manner, when the APC is implemented in a recording operation. Therefore, further improvements on the control sequence are strongly requested. The LD drive current can be controlled to some degree with a relatively simple circuit configuration using a fact that a digital sum value (DSV) becomes zero in CDs and DVDs. However, it is almost not possible to precisely control the recording power by such a relatively simple circuit configuration.
For example, when a longest data length, i.e., 11-T mark and space is recorded on a CD-R medium with the writing strategy shown in FIG. 1, a sample hold circuit may be used to keep emission power. Using the sample hold circuit, a few MHz of frequency band may be enough to control even if a rotating speed of the recording medium increases up to four times faster. Thus, the relatively cheap circuit may be able to control the recording power.
During the recording operation, a laser wave length and a sensitivity at the position of the recording disk surface may change due to the increase of temperature in the apparatus and the changes affect suitable recording power of the LD. Therefore, a so-called Running OPC (Running Optimum Power Calibration) is used to adjust recording power in accordance with a level of reflected light (i.e., RF signal) detected during the recording operation.
FIG. 4 is an illustration to explain a problem caused when the reflected light is detected. A reflection rate of the reflected light at a recorded spot rapidly decreases soon after the spot is exposed by the laser beam. The RF signal is high at the rising edge of the pulse and is decreasing to low at falling edge of the pulse, as shown in FIG. 4. To detect the RF signal properly, sampling may be performed at the last part of the pulse where the pulse becomes relatively stable.
However, in a case of a high speed recording on the dye type DVD medium with the so-called "Castle write Strategy" waveform, it is difficult to perform sampling of a peak level at a center of the pulse using a relatively simple sample hold circuit. More specifically, a photo detecting mechanism and assistant circuits following to the photo detecting mechanism need to have very high performance with respect to a control band. Accordingly, the cost of the circuits is high.

Method and apparatus for optical information recording capable of precisely controlling laser light emission


A tappet for the valve drive of an internal combustion engine, includes a cup-shaped housing (1) and an insert which is arranged inside the housing (1) and has an outer sleeve (4), which bears upon the cylinder wall, and an inner guide tube (5). Displaceably guided in the guide tube (5) is a hydraulic clearance compensation element (7), with the insert forming with the cylinder wall (2) of the housing (1) an oil channel (17) which extends from a bottom-distant inlet opening (18) of the cylinder wall (2) to a port adjacent an oil chamber (13, 15) and neighboring the bottom (3). In accordance with the invention, the oil channel (19) on the insert is designed as a helical groove formed in the outer sleeve (4). When the tappet is secured against rotation inside the cylinder head bore and so arranged with inclined longitudinal axis that the port (20) is always at the highest point, hydraulic oil is prevented from flowing from the filling chamber (13, 15) into the oil channel (19) and thus is prevented from flowing out of the oil chamber (13, 15) when the internal combustion engine is shut down.

Hydraulic cup-shaped tappets with valve clearance compensation elements and inserts for restriction of the oil amount and maintaining the required oil reservoir in the compensation element are known. Document EP 0 443 146 B1 shows a tappet having an insert formed in one piece with the cylinder wall of the cup-shaped housing, resulting in a complicated structure and assembly.
Document DE 36 38 202 A1 discloses a tappet having a hydraulic clearance compensation element and provided with an anti-rotation device by means of a needle roller which partially projects out of the tappet housing and snugly fits in a groove of the machine part that surrounds the tappet and has a bore for guiding the tappet for displacement in an axial direction. This arrangement is however not directed to a cup-shaped tappet but to a differently designed roller tappet.
Document EP 0 187 217 B1 shows a cup-shaped tappet of the afore-stated type which slightly rotates about its longitudinal axis during reciprocating movement in the cylinder head bore. When this tappet is so arranged in the cylinder head that its longitudinal axis is inclined with respect to the vertical, the inlet opening for the hydraulic oil may migrate between a highest position and a lowest position. Even when the inlet opening has reached its lowest position, the inner oil reservoir of the clearance compensation element remains completely filled with a minimum amount when the combustion engine is shut down because the transfer opening, which connects the inner oil reservoir with the outer oil reservoir, is located at its highest point since in this design the port of the oil channel and the transfer opening oppose each other diametrically.
Thus, in view of the fact that the transfer opening as outlet of the inner reservoir occupies its highest point when the inlet opening is at its lowest point, oil is prevented from flowing out of the inner reservoir. However, in this disposition, the hydraulic oil may flow back at least partially from the outer oil reservoir, which surrounds the inner oil reservoir, via the port, the oil channel and the inlet opening into the supply conduit of the cylinder head. When the internal combustion engine is started again, the partially emptied outer oil reservoir of each cup-shaped tappet must therefore be filled first before the tappet exhibits its even operating behavior.

Pushrod for operating the valve gear mechanism of an internal combustion engine


The object is to provide a filter element extracting jig which facilitates the extracting operation of a filter element from a housing of a filter device and prevents its contamination.

A filter cartridge is typically constituted by a gastight housing that accommodates a cylindrical filter element having an inner passage and a gastight head that is integrally connected to the housing. In the case of a disposable type, the housing and the head are integrally connected to each other to form one filter cartridge as a whole. In the case of a replaceable type, the head is detachably connected to the housing by fastening means having seal means and the filter element is replaced before a filtration life limit.
Although usually there are a convoluted type filter element and a pleated type filter element, the latter filter element has become mainstream because of its large filtration area. As shown in FIG. 2, a pleated type filter element 10 is constituted by a filter medium 22, which is fabricated by folding in pleats a superimposed body that is obtained by attaching a pair of porous supporting sheets to both surfaces of a thermoplastic filtration film and by sealing both sides edges together, an inner cylinder 21 having a large number of apertures 24 and an outer cylinder 23 having a large number of apertures 25, which support the filter medium from both surfaces, and top and bottom covers, which are fusion bonded to the top and bottom ends of the filter medium 22 to hermetically seal the filter medium, (only the top cover 28 is shown in FIG. 2).
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in a filter device comprising a housing 12 which is pivoted to a supporting frame 15 and a head 11 which is fixed to the supporting frame 15, an inlet for a liquid to be treated is usually provided in the lower part or head of the housing (in this example, in the head) and an outlet for a filtered liquid is usually provided in the lower part or head of the housing (in this example, in the head). Furthermore, in some cases, a gas vent port to vent gas bubbles generated from gases dissolved in a liquid to be treated or a filtered liquid may sometimes be provided in the head (in this example, this gas vent port is not used).
In FIG. 2, FIGS. 5 and 6, a liquid to be treated is introduced from an inlet for a liquid to be treated which is provided at the head 11 to between a filter element 10 and the housing 12, and the liquid to be treated permeates a filter medium 22 from the multi-aperture outer cylinder 23. Particles or solid contamination are trapped to the outer surface of the filter medium 22, and the filtered liquid which has permeated the filter medium 22 flows from an inner passage of a multi-aperture inner cylinder 21 via an outlet leading for a filtered liquid 27 to a filtered liquid discharge outlet which is provided at the head 11. Incidentally, a stepped portion 26 which serves as a finger engaging portion during the extraction is formed in the outlet leading 27.
Filters each using a cartridge are classified into a type in which a cartridge to be used is integral with a housing portion and a type in which a cartridge is replaceable. The present invention provides a jig for replacing a filter element in a replaceable cartridge filter.

Abstract: A filter element extracting jig is formed from an elastic plate and comprising a supporting portion, a spring portion extending at an acute angle with the supporting portion, a hook portion extending toward the supporting portion, and an operating portion extending from the hook portion at substantially right angles, which are constructed by bending at bent portions substantially parallel to each other in that order.