When a data write request is received from an application program, the received data write request is issued to a disk (primary) without waiting next check point, and the data write request is issued to a disk (shadow) after obtaining next check point. When restarting a process from obtained preceding check point, data in the disk (primary) is recovered by data in the disk (shadow). As a result, a delay of I/O request by a check point is decreased, thereby remarkably improving system performance in a normal operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an I/O control method and an article of manufacture which are suitable for an application to a computer system having a check point restart function, more specifically, an I/O control method for remarkably improving I/O process in the computer system without waiting all I/O processes in the case of multiplexing a secondary storage unit until obtaining next check point.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a computer system has been remarkably in common use, and thus higher reliability is demanded. In order to improve the reliability of the computer system, a check point restart system exists.
Conventionally, in a computer system having a check point restart system for performing a process while obtaining check points periodically and when a fault in a system occurs, restarting the process from an obtained check point so as to recover a fault, in order to obtain consistency of a memory state and a restarting state of a process with a state of an I/O unit (for example, contents of a disk), it is necessary to execute only a fixed I/O request which is surely issued even after the recovery. For this reason, in general, even if the I/O request is issued, this execution (process) is reserved until a next check point process is started, and the I/O request is executed after the completion of the check point process collectively.
In such a conventional I/O control method, apart from a read operation in which read log is not left when the memory state is recovered, but at least issuance of writing is delayed for a time from the original issuance to obtaining of a check point.
Meanwhile, in the computer system having such a fault tolerant characteristic, a disk is generally multiplexed so that its reliability is improved. In this case, in order to obtain reliability of data, it is necessary to perform I/O request issuance on each multiplexed disk sequentially, not concurrently. The principle of an operations at this time is explained with reference to FIG. 1.
Here, files are managed by a multiplexing method, namely, primary files and shadow files are managed separately. These files may be multiplexed on different disks, or they may be multiplexed in logical partitions of one disk.
If a writing request is issued from an application program ((1) in FIG. 1), a file management system issues an instruction to a device driver so as to write this request to a primary file ((2) in FIG. 1). When the writing completion is informed by the device driver ((3) in FIG. 1), the file management system issues an instruction for writing to a shadow file ((4) in FIG. 1).
When the completion of the writing to the shadow file is informed ((5)in FIG. 1), the file management system informs of the completion of writing to the application program ((6) in FIG. 1).
Therefore, as to the request to write in the system to which the check point mechanism mentioned above is applied and where the file is multiplexed, the issuance waits until the check point, and one logical I/O request is not completed as long as the writing to both the multiplexed files is not completed. For this reason, the whole processing times becomes longer. The operating principle at this time is described with reference to FIG. 2.
For example, if the request to write is issued from the application program ((1) in FIG. 2), the file management system waits for the issuance of this request until next check point is obtained ((2) in FIG. 2). Then, when a check point is obtained ((3) in FIG. 2), the file management system issues an instruction to the device driver so as to write the waiting request to a primary file ((4) in FIG. 2).
The process hereinafter is the same as the process shown in FIG. 1, namely, when the completion of writing is informed from the device driver ((5) in FIG. 2), the file management system issues an instruction to the device driver so as to write to a shadow file ((6) in FIG. 2). When the completion of writing to the shadow file is informed ((7) in FIG. 2), the completion of writing is informed to the application program ((8) in FIG. 2).
In other words, as to the request to write to the secondary storage unit, since the processing time becomes longer by a period shown in (2) of FIG. 2, the response time to the whole system becomes longer.
Japanese Patent Application No. 5-305077/1993 (U.S. Ser. No. 992,219, Date of Application: Dec. 17, 1992, Assignee: IBM) discloses a system for multiplexing remote data and its method. This system is a multiplexing system of DASD, and a secondary side is in a remote position. Input data are directly written to a primary disk, and data are grouped per sequential check point so as to be written to the secondary side. However, the check points in this system corresponds to sequential check point which are processed as a sequential unit after a series of information packets collected as a group, so these check points are different from the check points for recovering the system described in the present invention. In other words, the check points in the system of IBM are used for multiplexing data (in order to obtain matching of sequence of packets transmitted in asynchronous). On the contrary, the check points in the present embodiment are used for matching data in the computer system adopting the check point recovery system. Since the system of IBM does not adopt the check point restarting system, time intervals of check points are longer than the present invention.

I/O device having check recovery function


Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to valves that provide controlled inflation. The valves are designed to allow inflation of one or more inflatable devices and to stop inflation once a desired inflation level has been reached. This can allow the valve to be used with a single inflation source in order to inflate a plurality of inflatable devices. In a specific example, this disclosure provides systems and methods for inflating an ejector bag for door-mounted or fuselage-mounted inflatable evacuation slides or slide/rafts used for evacuating passenger vessels, such as aircraft. Other examples relate to sustaining the inflation of individual tubes that communicate with one another in evacuation slides, evacuation slide/rafts, life rafts and/or other inflatable devices.

Inflatable slides or slide/rafts for evacuation of aircraft or other vessels are well known. Such slides or slide/rafts are typically stowed on-board the aircraft in uninflated states and are mounted on, in, or near exit doors. When the doors are opened for an emergency exit, the slides or slide/rafts are designed to inflate automatically for use by passengers and crew in exiting the aircraft.
In some instances, gravity alone usually supplies sufficient force to position a slide or slide/raft pack clear of the opening door. Conventional evacuation systems have not required additional assistive force to deploy slide packs from their enclosures upon opening of the associated doors. However, in some instances, gravity may not cause the slide packs to fall downward quickly enough to avoid being dragged forward (outward) together with their enclosures. This can cause a jam of the doors or an undesirable twist during slide or slide/raft deployment.
Other slide or slide/raft deployments may occur from within a packboard. The packboard has upper and lower lacing covers that are laced and enclose the folded evacuation slide or slide/raft. One example is illustrated by FIG. 9. For such systems, the packboard is generally mounted to a door. For deployment, as the door moves and as the slide or slide/raft moves out of the packboard, a cable is tensioned (in part due to the weight of the slide or slide/raft as gravity pulls it from the packboard.) This movement activates a release mechanism, which begins the inflation process. The weight from the evacuation slide or slide/raft removes a release mechanism cable, allowing the shaft to freely rotate. Rotation of the shaft releases loops of the lacing cover, allowing the slide or slide/raft unit to exit the packboard. Extension of the girt pulls the inflation system cable and inflates the slide or slide/raft.
In other aircraft designs, an enclosure is provided that more fully encloses or otherwise houses a folded evacuation slide or slide/raft. This example is illustrated by FIGS. 10A and 10B. The enclosure is generally mounted to the outside of an aircraft and houses a folded inflatable evacuation slide or slide/raft. The enclosure may also have a lacing cover to hold the slide or slide/raft in place, as well as a door panel. There are also instances in which a longer slide or slide/raft is to be packed into a standard-sized enclosure. One example of which is illustrated by FIG. 11. In any of these examples, enhanced ejection can be useful in order to provide slide or slide/raft ejection out of the packboard or enclosure.
For example, there may be instances in which the packboard or enclosure are not positioned so that the weight of the slide or slide/raft allows gravity to encourage its release. For example, if the packboard or enclosure are mounted on or near a wing, gravity may not cause the slide or slide/raft to fall from the packboard or enclosure at all. In short, the packboard or enclosure may be in a configuration in which the inflatable does not automatically fall via gravity at all, but for which an ejector bag is useful for release.
In order to furnish gravity-assisting forces to facilitate slide or slide/raft pack deployment (for both gravity release systems that may benefit from a faster release, as well as for systems in which gravity does not cause release of the inflatable at all), an ejector bag can be used to force a slide or slide/raft pack downward, increasing its initial downward velocity. This increased initial downward velocity helps the slide or slide/raft pack clear the enclosure before it can cause jamming of the opening door or otherwise twist or flip the inflatable into an undesirable orientation. Ejector bags are inflated with their own system, which is a system that is separate from the system used to inflate the evacuation slide or slide/raft.
An inflator assembly is generally connected to an ejector bag via flexible tubing. The inflator assembly includes a sealed, high-pressure cartridge of inflation gas, an inflation cable, and a plunger configured to pierce the cartridge. When the inflation cable tenses, the plunger pierces the cartridge, causing inflation gas to flow through the flexible tubing and thereby inflate the ejector bag. Examples of such ejector bags are shown and described by U.S. Pat. No. 9,139,305. However, improvements to ejector bag inflation processes are desired. Accordingly, it is believed that the self-closing valves described herein may find particular use in such improvements.


While testing a software application that is associated with a database during a testing technique, a computer system may take over transaction scopes of transactions with the database so that data generated by the software application during the testing and communicated to the database is not persisted in the database (even though this data may be persisted in the database during normal operation). Furthermore, after the testing is completed, the computer system may restore the database to an initial state prior to the testing by rolling back the data which was not persisted.

The present disclosure relates to techniques for testing a software application associated with a database. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a technique for testing a software application associated with a database without committing data into the database by modifying transaction scopes of transactions with the database.
Many software applications store and retrieve data from associated databases. In order to ensure proper operation when changes to a software application are deployed, it is often necessary to test the software application in conjunction with its associated database. For example, when testing a payroll software application, the associated database may be set up with the data that is needed during the testing, such as the current employees of a company. Then, the test may be performed by running payroll for the company. Moreover, the resulting data in the database may be validated to confirm that it matches what is expected based on business logic associated with the payroll software application. Next, regardless of whether the test succeeded or failed, the data in the database may be cleaned up so that the database can be reused in additional testing.
However, it can be difficult to restore the database to its initial state prior to the testing because the testing may leave the database in a 'bad' state. In particular, after the testing is completed, the data in the database may be very different than the initial state of the database. Correcting all of the changes to the database that occurred during the testing can be time-consuming and expensive.
For example, restarting the database after each test can significantly increase the time needed for testing and, thus, is usually very expensive. Alternatively, the database may be restored by 'undoing' the data that was committed or stored in the database during the testing. However, it can be very difficult to correctly undo changes. This is especially the case when a failure occurred during the testing, which can leave the database in an unknown state, and thus can result in additional test failures that necessitate future cleanup operations.

Modified database transaction scopes during software testing


A service providing system includes an information processing device and provides a service to a service usage device connected via a network. The service providing system includes a storage unit for storing management information, in which service identification information, user identification information, and service usage device identification information are associated; an authentication unit for performing authentication, by using authentication information of the user or the device acquired from the service usage device; a service specification unit for specifying the service associated with the authentication information, based on the authenticated authentication information and the management information; and an execution unit configured to execute a process according to a usage request to use the service, when the usage request specified by the service specification unit is acquired, and to execute control of output, based on contents of an output request from the service usage device instructed by the user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a service providing system and a service providing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a technology for analyzing print contents and performing print control in accordance with analysis results, there is known a method for reducing the load when sorting document data that has been printed. Specifically, the print output of each page is controlled by detecting a keyword set in advance, from character strings expressed by print control data generated as data for printing the document data (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Furthermore, for example, there is known a method of detecting overlapping print jobs, for the purpose of preventing needless print jobs from being printed as a result of a transmission error of a print job by the user, in which the user erroneously sends an execution instruction for the same print job (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2011-186654
Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-129265

Service providing system and service providing method for providing a service to a service usage device connected via a network


Provided is a method of determining the amount of cholesterol in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which comprises reacting an HDL-containing sample with cholesterol esterase and cholesterol oxidase or cholesterol dehydrogenase in the presence of a reagent for aggregating lipoproteins- except HDL, and determining the amount of hydrogen peroxide or reductive co-enzyme formed therein.

It is known that HDL is related to the removal of cholesterol accumulated in cells for receiving cholesterol from tissues including arterial walls, that HDL is a negative risk factor of various types of arteriosclerosis such as coronary arteriosclerosis, and that HDL level in blood is an index useful for the precognition of arteriosclerosis. The conventional method of determining the amount of HDL cholesterol consists of two steps, a fractionation step and a step of determining the amount of cholesterol. Examples of the fractionation include an ultracentrifugation method, an immunochemical method, an electrophoretic method and a precipitation method. In the ultracentrifugation method, HDL is separated through specific gravity using an ultracentrifuge to determine the amount of HDL cholesterol. However, this method is defective in precision in determination, complexity and economical efficiency. The immunochemical method includes an immunoelectrophoretic method, a single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) method, and an Ouchterlony diffusion method. However, these methods are defective in that an apoprotein is recognized but a lipoprotein is not exactly recognized. In the electrophoretic method, a cellulose acetate film or an agarose gel is separated as a support, and the amount of cholesterol is enzymatically determined. This method is defective in simplicity and economical efficiency. In the precipitation method, polyethylene glycol or a polyanion such as heparin, phosphotungstic acid and dextran sulfuric acid, and a divalent cation are bound to an apoprotein B, which is present on surfaces of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and chylomicron (CM) to form an insoluble precipitate, and this insoluble precipitate is removed by centrifugation to determine the amount of HDL cholesterol in the supernatant (Summary of Clinical Investigation Method, 29th edition, Kanai I., Kanehara Shuppan, p. 471, 1983). This method is the simplest. However, this method is not suitable in case of using an autoanalyzer which is often used in the measuring a large number of specimens, for rapid measurement and in clinical investigation, since this method involves centrifugation step by a centrifuge. Further, in the fractionation, a mannual error tends to occur, for example, when the amount of the HDL fraction separated is determined using a measuring pipet. Thus, the complexity of the determination of the amount of HDL cholesterol lies in the fractionation procedure. However, if a serum specimen is directly added to a reagent containing a cholesterol esterase and a cholesterol oxidase without fractionating HDL, this method is not different from a system of determining the total amount of cholesterol, and the amount of HDL cholesterol cannot be specifically determined by this method. Japanese Published Unexamined patent application No. 126,498/1988 describes that a cholic acid is added to increase the specificity. However, in this prior art method, not only HDL but also LDL, VLDL and the like gradually react, and it is difficult to obtain a clear terminal point of the reaction, and thus, the specificity of HDL by the use of this prior art method is not satisfactory.

Method of determining the amount of cholesterol in a high-density lipoprotein


Compounds which have a benzotriazole and a hindered amine moiety in the same molecule are typified by the formula A

Candles have been known for many centuries going back to the eighth century B.C. The nature of candles is described in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Volume A5 at pages 29-30 where it is seen that candles are made from paraffin, beeswax and stearin as basic materials, and where a host of additives may also be present.
It is not surprising that with candles and wax becoming increasingly more important attention was paid as to how to stabilize the said materials. At the National Candle Association Meeting in Houston, 1994, R. van der Vennet presented a paper on "Antioxidants in Wax—Replacement of BHT" touting the use of Vitamin E (tocopherol) as an antioxidant to prevent the yellowing of wax when oxidized. WO 94/13736 describes the same invention.
EP 359,488 A3 and EP 133,964 B1 describe stabilized waxes used in cosmetics where the waxes are the same or similar to those used in candles.
EP 5,922 A1 describes lip cosmetics where the waxes are useful in lipsticks and are related to those useful in candles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,694 describes in detail transparent gel candles both in composition and structure. The use of BHT as an antioxidant is mentioned.
At the National Candle Association Technical Meeting on Apr. 16, 1998, F. A. Ballentine et al., presented a paper entitled "Inhibiting Color Fading of Dyed Candles with CYASORB® Light Absorbers" in which the general theories of thermal oxidation and photodegradation are discussed along with data on the effect of light absorbers on color stability of dyed candle waxes. The light absorbers compared are 4-octyloxy-2-hydroxybenzophenone UV-531; 4-methoxy-2-hydroxybenzophenone UV-9; 2-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole UV-5365; 2-(2-hydroxy-5-tert-octylphenyl-2H-benzotriazole UV-5411 and 2-(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-amylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole UV-2337).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,905 teaches dyed and scented candle gels containing triblock copolymers and a hydrocarbon oil of high flash point. This reference teaches that a light (UV) absorber may be used to improve the shelf stability of the candle color when exposed to visible or ultraviolet light. Two preferred absorbers are ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate (PARSOL® MCX, Roche) and 2-(2-hydroxy-5-tert-octylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole (CYASORB® 5411, Cytec).
WO 00/22037 teaches the stabilization of solid, shaped and colored wax articles, including candles, using a malonate UV absorber which may optionally contain a hindered amine moiety as part of the malonate compound structure. The wax articles are dyed with a variety of oil soluble dyes and pigments. The samples protected by dimethyl p-methoxy-benzylidinemalonate exhibited better resistance to discoloration that did samples stabilized with selected benzotriazole or benzophenone UV absorbers.
Japanese Hei 3-278554 teaches that wax crayons (drawing materials) colored by organic pigments can be stabilized by a hindered amine and/or benzotriazole.
In respect to wax stabilization, the use of selected hindered amines and/or benzotriazole UV absorbers is also known in the prior art as seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,530,084; 4,379,721; 4,616,051 and 5,964,905 and copending application Ser. Nos. 09/495,495, 09/495,496 and 09/741,583.
Selected compounds which contain both a hindered amine moiety and a benzotriazole moiety in the same molecule are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,289,686 and 5,021,478.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,314,933; 4,481,315; 5,278,310; 5,382,588 and 6,166,218; and WO 99/23093 describe other benzotriazole UV absorbers which are related to the instant compounds.
N. Lin et al., Poly. Deg. Stab. 67, 307 (2000) and J. Zakrzewski et al., Poly Deg. Stab. 65, 425 (1999) and ibid, 67, 299 (2000) describe the stabilization of substrates using benzotriazole UV absorbers.
EP 704,560 A1 describes the stabilization of pigmented fibers with a synergistic mixture of hindered amine and UV absorber such as a benzotriazole or s-triazine.
The instant compounds are novel materials and their utility as light stabilizers for thermoset and thermoplastic compositions, for photographic applications and for candle wax is unknown.

Benzotriazole/HALS molecular combinations and compositions stabilized therewith

Abstract: wherein at least one of G2, R1 or R2 contains a hindered amine moiety are extremely effective light stabilizers having both the UV absorbing activity of a benzotriazole and the light stabilizing efficacy of a hindered amine in the same molecule. These compounds are effective stabilizers for thermoset resin compositions, thermoplastic resin compositions, for photographic applications, for pigmented or dyed polypropylene, polyamide or polyester fibers, and for white, dyed, dipped, unscented and/or scented candle wax against discoloration and fading when incorporated therein alone or in combination with an antioxidant.


A method for refining a methylnaphthalene-containing oil includes the steps of azeotropically distilling the methylnaphthalene-containing oil with ethylene glycol to produce a methylnaphthalene fraction having a reduced content of nitrogen compounds; and hydrodesulfurizing the methylnaphthalene fraction in the presence of a catalyst having loaded thereto at least one member selected from molybdenum, cobalt and nickel.

This invention relates to a method for refining a methylnaphthalene-containing oil which is capable of removing sulfur compounds contained in the oil. This invention also relates to a method for refining a methylnaphthalene-containing oil which is capable of removing nitrogen compounds contained in the oil together with the sulfur compounds.
Methylnaphthalene is useful as a solvent, dye carrier, heat medium and the like, and also, as a starting material for synthesizing vitamin K.sub.3, and 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, which is a starting material for various resins such as polyesters. In particular, methylnaphthalene having a low content of the sulfur compound is required for the production of vitamin K.sub.3 and 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid.
Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. 3(1991)-74336 proposes an improved process for refining a methylnaphthalene-containing hydrocarbon oil wherein sulfur compounds are removed from the hydrocarbon oil by hydrodesulfurizing the hydrocarbon oil in the presence of a catalyst containing molybdenum and nickel or molybdenum and cobalt on an aluminum support under the conditions including a pressure of ordinary pressure to 9.9 kg/cm.sup.2.

Method for refining methylnaphthalene-containing oil


An apparatus for applying joint compound is externally powered, preferably using compressed air. The preferred apparatus has a hollow tubular storage body that is connected to a supply of compressed air, and a movable plunger positioned within the hollow tubular storage body. The plunger has a pair of rubber seals that contact the inner wall of the storage body. A supply of joint compound is inserted into the storage body on the side of the plunger opposite the side of the plunger that can be exposed to pressurized air. Pressurized air can be supplied by the user against the plunger to push the supply of joint compound out of the storage body through a mud supply head. An applicator tip is connected to the mud supply head and can be connected to either a flat joint attachment or a corner joint attachment. Alternatively, other attachments can be used such as a texture gun attachment, a fireproofing attachment, or a water cleaning attachment.

Conventional drywall tape is typically made of paper and does not have an adhesive backing. The tape is secured over joints between sheets of drywall with a joint compound, sometimes referred to as "mud". Prior art devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,652,331; 4,086,121; 5,013,389; and 3,960,643 have been developed to contemporaneously apply conventional drywall tape and mud to seal drywall joints. In these devices, tape is coated with mud as the tape is drawn through rollers from a continuous roll of tape. The mud-coated tape is then applied over drywall joints and pressed into place with the rollers. Even with these prior art devices, the process of applying conventional drywall tape with mud is labor intensive and time consuming.
Reinforced adhesive-backed drywall tape, otherwise known as mudless tape, can reduce the amount of labor and time involved in drywalling. Reinforced adhesive-backed drywall tape adheres directly to the drywall over joints between two sheets of drywall. Adhesive-backed mesh tape can also be applied directly over drywall joints. Many devices have been developed to apply mudless tape or mesh tape over drywall joints, including Denkins U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/547,996, filed Oct. 25, 1995. After adhesive-backed tape is applied over a drywall joint, a layer of mud must be subsequently applied over the tape.
While the use of reinforced adhesive-backed drywall tape or mesh tape is typically more time efficient than conventional non-adhesive tape, problems currently exist in applying the finishing layer of mud over adhesive-backed tape or mesh. For example, when applying the finishing layer of mud over mesh or mudless tape the drywaller must be very careful to not rip or tear the mesh. Since the drywaller must apply the finishing mud carefully, the amount of time saved by using mudless tape or mesh is often negated by the additional time needed to apply the finishing layer of mud over the mudless tape or mesh.
It is therefore desirable that an easy to use and efficient apparatus be available for applying mud over mudless tape or mesh in both straight joints and corner joints. The drywaller should be able to apply mud in a quick and easy manner without worrying about ripping or tearing the tape or mesh positioned over the joints between drywall sections.


A machine to convert energy providing positive displacement of a fluid contained in operating chambers. The machine can either increase the pressure of a fluid or extract energy from a pressure differential to a rotating shaft. The machine having desirable balance features about various axis of the rotors. The machine additionally having desirable axial flow characteristics to pass fluids substantially in the axial direction.

The invention relates to positive displacement machines that convert energy, namely positive displacement pumps that have continuous rotation to displace fluid contained in operating chambers. The present invention is particularly advantageous for providing balance about the various axes of the apparatus.
One of the limitations of certain types of fluid pumps is the inconsistent rotational force on the rotors caused by the force of the fluid pressure acting on the rotors as they rotate. In a gear pump, for example, the non-meshing portion of each of the gears is exposed to a consistent fluid pressure at the discharge port, but in the area where the gear teeth mesh together, each tooth on each rotor seals a tooth on the opposing rotor from the pressure of the fluid on the output side of the pump. This creates a rotationally imbalanced situation where each rotor alternates between balanced (with equal surface area exposed to the high pressure fluid on both xe2x80x9csidesxe2x80x9d of their center axis) and imbalance (with one xe2x80x9cside exposed to the high pressure fluid, and one xe2x80x9csidexe2x80x9d sealed from this high pressure fluid by a tooth on the opposing rotor). The term xe2x80x9csidexe2x80x9d refers to one half of the total surface area exposed to the high pressure fluid of the outlet port of a pump, compressor, hydraulic motor, actuator, or other related device.
The problems which result from this hydraulic rotational imbalance are mostly related to an inconsistent rotational contact force between the moving parts. As the parts rotate, the fluid force will act on each of the rotors to cause it to rotate forward or backward relative to the rotation of the other rotor. The xe2x80x9cstiffnessxe2x80x9d of the fluid film between the rotors, the inertia of the rotors themselves, and the viscosity of the fluid, are all factors which determine at what pressure and at what speed a particular pump can operate without breaking through the fluid film and causing rotor to rotor contact.
Rotor to rotor contact can be tolerated to a certain extent depending on materials and other factors, but the intermittent contact that is caused by this hydraulic rotational imbalance can cause damage or wear to the contacting parts at certain pressures and speeds and can cause damage to sensitive fluids (e.g. blood).
The higher the fluid viscosity, the xe2x80x9cstifferxe2x80x9d the fluid film, and the higher the pressure an xe2x80x9cimbalanced pumpxe2x80x9d can tolerate without contact occurring. Speed also increases the fluid film rigidity but speed also has the detrimental effect of increasing the xe2x80x9cimpactxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cshockxe2x80x9d characteristic of the hydraulic rotational imbalance as the pump gears (or rotors) switch back and forth from balanced to imbalanced. For certain pump configurations, it has been found that the beneficial fluid film xe2x80x9cstiffnessxe2x80x9d effects of speed is very closely counteracted by the detrimental effects of speed due to the increased xe2x80x9cimpactxe2x80x9d force.
To the best knowledge of the applicant, gear pumps, for example, are not used in many high pressure, low fluid viscosity applications due to the hydraulic rotational imbalance.
In the case of a pump such as the single face Outland(trademark) CvR(trademark) pump, the effect of any hydraulic rotational imbalance is even greater due to the high volume output and corresponding high surface area which the high pressure fluid acts on.
The most significant characteristic of apparatus of the present invention is the rotational hydraulic balancing of the slave rotor. By allowing fluid to flow past the power rotor tips at xe2x80x9cbottom dead centerxe2x80x9d (BDC) but not past the slave rotor tips at BDC. The surface area of the slave rotor which is exposed to the high pressure is within approximately 5%-10% at xe2x80x9ctop dead centerxe2x80x9d (TDC) as it is at BDC at all times. This is compared to a 100% difference between top and bottom surface areas on a pump such as the Outland(trademark) CvR(trademark) pump as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,196.
The rotational hydraulic imbalance is known to cause rotor to rotor contact between the Outland(trademark) CvR(trademark) rotors at approximately 500 psi with DTE Oil Light. The hydraulic rotational imbalance of the present invention is approximately 2-5% of the hydraulic rotational imbalance of the Outland(trademark) CvR(trademark) pump. This means that the pressure which could cause rotor to rotor contact with this new pump design (with DTE Oil Light) would be greater than 20,000 psi. With thicker fluids this pressure would have to be even greater.
In addition, the remaining imbalance does not occur as the rotors enter and leave the ports, but results from the movement of the contact point around the tip of the slave rotor. This reduces the xe2x80x9cimpactxe2x80x9d characteristic still further and should allow higher fluid pressures and lower fluid viscosity without contact between the rotors.
This hydraulic rotational imbalance has been accomplished by xe2x80x9cunsealingxe2x80x9d the tip of the power rotor at BDC and creating a prolonged seal between the tips of the slave rotor at BDC. This maintains a much more equal surface area between the slave rotor lobes at TDC and BDC at all times, thereby hydraulically balancing the rotors rotationally at all times. The power rotor, with this new pump design, has a consistent torquing force applied thereto as a result of the fluid pressure acting upon the radially extending surface where the full surface area of each lobe is exposed to the high pressure fluid at the outlet port at TDC but not at BDC. This pressure distribution scheme is necessary for output work to be carried out by the pump (or compressor or hydraulic motor or actuator or other related device). The important characteristic of this pump is that the slave rotor xe2x80x9cfloatsxe2x80x9d rotationally and can therefor be positioned rotationally by the fluid film of low xe2x80x9cstiffnessxe2x80x9d between it and the power rotor. Furthermore, if a fluid film does not exist due to operation conditions (drawing a vacuum, for example) the force between the rotors is low enough to be within the allowable xe2x80x9cPVxe2x80x9d value of many available materials. When an incompressible fluid is not present to establish a fluid film, it is likely that either the pressure is low enough to not create the imbalanced shock (i.e. drawing a vacuum). If there is high-pressure while a compressible fluid is present which may not establish the fluid film the presence of a compressible fluid would act as a shock absorber thereby reducing the impact effect.
Creating this hydraulic rotationally balanced characteristic has been accomplished in this new pump design by allowing fluid to flow past the power rotor tips at BDC. This is done by removing material from the slave rotor where it used to seal against the power rotor tip. A seal is maintained between the rotors in this phase of rotation by adding material to the power rotor to allow it to seal against the slave rotor tip as each slave rotor tip enters the sealed zone at BDC. This seal is maintained between each slave rotor Up and the power rotor until each slave rotor tip passes from the output port to the input port at BDC.
Further, the slave rotor can also be used as the drive rotor if a consistent contact force between the rotors is desirable. This might be the case with a single direction pump.
The invention comprises a machine that converts energy such as a pump to increase the pressure of a fluid, or a motor, turbine, or actuator taking a pressure differential in a fluid to create rotary motion about a shaft. The invention comprises a housing that has an inner surface. A first rotor is mounted for rotation in the housing about a first axis and has a first outer surface that is adapted to intimately engaged the inner surface of the housing. There is further a second rotor having a forward portion and a rearward portion and is mounted for rotation and the housing about a second axis that is offset from the first axis and being collinear by an angle a and intersects at a common center of the rotors. The second rotor has a second inner surface that defines at least part of a sphere having a common center with the center of the first rotor. There is a second outer surface that is adapted to engage the inner surface of the housing. The first rotor further has a first contact face that is defined by a locus formed by points on the second rotor as the second rotor rotates about the second axis and the first rotor further has a first contact surface positioned in the forward region of the first rotor.
The second rotor further has a second contact face that is defined by a locus formed by points on the first rotor as the first rotor rotates about the first axis. The second rotor further has a rearward surface that is positioned in the rearward portion of the second rotor. The points of each rotor that define the locus along an outer edge of a common central axis is essentially a radius extending outward from the common centers of the rotor at an angle xcex1/2 from the normal to the axis of the other rotor.
The first contact surface of the first rotor does not come in contact with the rearward surface of the second rotor allowing fluid to pass therein between.

Balanced rotors positive displacement engine and pump method and apparatus


A method is provided to remove volatile liquid contaminates from a contaminated volume of earth, the contaminated volume lying above a noncontaminated layer of earth, the method including the steps of: penetrating the contaminated volume with at least one wellbore so that a wellbore penetrates the contaminated volume and at least one wellbore penetrates the noncontaminated layer; applying heat from the wellbore within the noncontaminated layer to the noncontaminated layer until the temperature of a substantial portion of the noncontaminated layer that is contiguous with the contaminated layer is at least the boiling point temperature of contaminated liquids; and applying heat from the wellbore within the contaminated volume to the contaminated volume wherein the temperature of the contaminated volume rises to the boiling point of contaminated liquids after a substantial portion of the noncontaminated layer that is contiguous with the contaminated layer is about the boiling point of the contaminated liquids.

Thermal desorption methods to remove volatile contaminates from soils in situ are suggested in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,973,811, 5,076,727, 5,152,341, 5,190,405, 5,193,934, 5,221,827, and 5,271,693. Methods of applying heat include microwave and radio frequency electrical power along with resistance heating between electrodes; injection of hot gases, and conduction of electricity through the soil. Conductive heat transfer from heat injection wells are suggested in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,190,405 and 5,271,693. U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,693 suggests a heater well through which vapors are extracted from the formation.
These methods generally rely on maintenance of a low pressure at the surface or at a vapor extraction wellbore to control movement of contaminates from their initial position to a point where they can be recovered. Because of the relatively large pressure differential needed to cause flow of a significant flux of vapors through soil, only low heating rates can be applied by these methods or pressure will be created at the point where vaporized contaminates exist sufficient to cause the vaporized contaminates to move away from the initially contaminated soil in directions other than the direction in which removal of contaminates is provided for. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method to remove contaminates from a contaminated soil by in situ heating wherein the vaporized contaminants do not move downward from the contaminated soil.


A method and system for determining bi-directional sneak current paths of an electrical/electronic circuit. The electrical/electronic circuit is converted into a corresponding schematic having a plurality of components and a plurality of line segments. A segment identifier is then inserted into each of the plurality of line segments. Next, a DC analysis is performed on the electrical/electronic schematic for each possible switch position combination to obtain a current value for each of the plurality of components. Bi-directional sneak current paths are then determined based on the plurality of segment identifiers and the current value for each of the plurality of components.

A sneak circuit is an unexpected path or logic flow within a system which, under certain conditions, can initiate an undesired function or inhibit a desired function. The path may consist of hardware, software, operator actions, or combinations of these elements. Sneak circuits are not the result of hardware failure but are latent conditions inadvertently designed into the system, coded into the software program, or triggered by human error. Also excluded as causative factors are electrostatic, electromagnetic, or leakage paths as well as marginal parametric factors.
Adverse current conditions that can give rise to sneak circuits are mostly a result of external asynchronous inputs uncontrollable and often unforeseeable by the circuit designer. For example, the end-user may unexpectedly operate two switches simultaneously or out of sequence, an adverse current condition which the circuit designer may have never envisioned during the design phase. Another example might be the unexpected loss of one of several power sources in a circuit, possibly giving rise to unintended adverse current paths.
A known prior art method for performing sneak circuit analysis is the Sneak Circuit Analysis Tool (SCAT) developed by SoHar Inc. A user must identify input power sources and power sinks from a list of all ports in the design as well as define current flow directions for each port of each component. For example, a resistor has port A and B, and the current can flow from the port A to the port B and vice versa. A diode also has two ports, but current can only flow from the anode to the cathode. Before searching for bidirectional branches, a switch can be set to either a break-before-make or a make-before-break type, and a capacitor can be set to either open circuit or short circuit. SCAT then attempts to trace all possible paths from a source node to one or more sink nodes as previously defined. From among these paths, SCAT then determines the ones that allow current to flow bi-directionally through one or more of the components located along the path and highlights them accordingly for review by the user. Thus, SCAT requires manual input of current directions for each component by the user prior to performing sneak current analysis. Furthermore, SCAT fails to provide information regarding the amount of current that flows through the bi-directional path, i.e., SCAT performs qualitative sneak analyses only.

Method and system for performing quantitative sneak circuit analysis


A pump unit includes a pump body for discharging compressed air, a communication pipe including an elastic material and having one end fitted into a discharge port, and a pump fixture for fixing part of the communication pipe except for the one end fitted into the discharge port. The pump body is fixed only by the pump fixture.

A liquid crystal projector includes a cooling apparatus for cooling down heat sources such as a light source, a liquid crystal panel and the like. Fans are widely employed as the cooling apparatus. However, the fan-based cooling simply feeds air to overall heat sources, and encounters difficulties in achieving sufficient cooling effects. For achieving large cooling effects in the fan-based cooling, a motor must be rotated at higher speeds to increase an air velocity. However, this is not a preferred option because a higher rotational speed of the motor results in an increase in vibrations and operation noise of the motor. Also, in a heat source which locally generates heat such as a light source, it is preferable that a heat generating spot is locally cooled down, but the fan encounters difficulties in performing such local cooling.
Accordingly, there has been proposed a cooling apparatus which is capable of performing local cooling, using a pressure pump (see JP2005-148624A). This cooling apparatus includes a pressure pump (compressor) for taking in and compressing air, an air tank for storing the air compressed by the pressure pump, and a cooling nozzle for discharging the air within the air tank. The pressure pump and air tank are coupled through a communication pipe. The cooling nozzle is disposed such that its discharge port is oriented to a desired spot of a heat source. Since the compressed air discharged from the cooling nozzle is fed to the desired spot of the heat source, the heat source is locally cooled down.


A process for producing a deposit of an inorganic and amorphous protective coating on an organic polymer substrate, the coating comprising compounds in the form of an oxide, nitride, carbide, or alloys thereof, by photosensitized decomposition in the gas phase, which comprises decomposing a gas medium by photosensitized decomposition, including precursors of the elements constituting the deposit of the inorganic and amorphous protective coating to be produced by photonic excitation of an impurity which has been previously introduced into the medium, said decomposition being adapted for producing an indirect transfer of energy to the molecules of the medium, thereby causing the decomposition and subsequent deposition of the these elements onto the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a deposit of an inorganic and amorphous protective coating on an organic polymer substrate.
2. Description of the Background
It is known that organic polymer materials, in particular materials such as polycarbonates, require for some practical high-scale utilizations, a significant improvement of their mechanical surface properties. As an example, in the automobile industry, polycarbonates are advantageously used to replace glass, for example, in the optics of headlights, since these materials are lighter and are, overall, better adapted for producing the complex, elongated or rounded shapes of automobile accessories. However, these polycarbonates have a relatively poor surface resistance which rapidly leads to notable and apparent deterioration, which is highly undesirable.
It, therefore, is necessary to provide on the polycarbonate used, a deposit of a surface coating which is both transparent and stable under ambient temperatures and also resistant to abrasion, shock, wear, and other chemical or mechanical acts that may take place, and in particular, to the effects of humidity or corrosion, or the actions of detergents, for example.
Thin layer deposits on such substrates of polymeric materials, and in particular, these based on polycarbonates of the type mentioned above, are especially adapted to be used with silicon based compounds, such as oxides, nitrides, carbides, or alloys thereof, such as oxynitrides. Indeed, these coatings have optical and mechanical properties which are quite suited to the requirements of proposed applications, combined with an appreciable mechanical resistance. However, a difficulty remains in obtaining, during the application of the deposit constituting the coating on the substrate, a suitable adhesion with the latter, this deposit additionally having to be stable in the presence of thermal shocks which may occur under conditions of ambient environment, and the coating having to be continuous and non-porous. Indeed, because of the low thermal stability of the organic polymer substrate, the deposit of the coating must generally be produced at a low temperature, lower than 150.degree. C. for polycarbonates, above which the surface of the substrate is degraded by glass transition of the polymer constituting the substrate. Under these conditions, conventional techniques for forming thin deposits on a support, for example, by the action of an ionized gas flux or a plasma of an appropriate inorganic and amorphous compound, which require temperatures much higher than 200.degree. C., are not suitable.
The same is true for conventional processes which consist in producing a deposit by means of a silicon type liquid resin, which is deposited by soaking the substrate in a bath, followed by polymerization of the deposit in situ under hot conditions, quite apart from the fact that the thus obtained coating does not have the mechanical and optical properties of one which is produced from silicon compounds.
Applicant's own French patent application No. 87 05669 of Apr. 22, 1987 illustrates that it is conventional to provide a process for the protection of a polymer substrate by means of a coating based on compounds, for example, of the silicon oxynitride type, and more generally, of compounds of silicon and oxygen and/or nitrogen and/or hydrogen, which process consists of exposing the surface of the substrate to gas precursors of these elements in the presence of a plasma of an auxiliary gas, but at a temperature lower than that of the glass transition of the substrate, the process taking place in a reactor where the pressure is very low (0.5 to 10 torr) and in which the gases containing the necessary elements are capable of freeing the elements in the body of the plasma so that they can thereafter be recombined together directly on the substrate to form the desired inorganic deposit. Thus, it is especially proposed in this application to use monosilane (SiH.sub.4) or polysilanes (Si.sub.n H.sub.2n+2), or halosilanes of the formula (SiX.sub.n H.sub.4-n), to constitute the silicon precursors, the precursors of oxygen and/or nitrogen being selected from among O.sub.2, N.sub.2 O, N.sub.2, or NH.sub.3.
To operate such a process, it is suitable to use conventional means, particularly to produce the plasma and to confine the latter as well as to regulate the flows of the various gas fluxes required. However, such a process still requires the use of a plasma to afford the thin deposit.

Process for producing a deposit of an inorganic and amorphous protective coating on an organic polymer substrate

L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude


A method and apparatus for forming a starter notch along the length of a work-piece for subsequent fatigue testing. The starter notch is formed with a cutting wire such that it will promote fatigue-cracking in the work-piece in one defined direction and avoids cracking in directions other than the length direction of the starter notch. Improved fatigue-testing analysis may therefore be realized.

In order to better evaluate nondestructive inspection (NDI) technologies, it is advantageous to develop real, as opposed to simulated, fatigue-cracks in test structures, such as aircraft test structures, to expedite review of such NDI technologies. However, fatigue-cracks may be understood to be difficult and time consuming to initiate, and prior methods of initiation often do not result in satisfactory results.
In order to initiate a fatigue-crack, a starter notch may be formed in the structure. Saw cuts formed with a blade were initially evaluated for the starter notches, but are too large to be useful, particularly as a starter notch often needs to be on the order of about 0.005 inch in width, and about 0.010 inch penetration into the workpiece.
More recently, a process that is often used to obtain very small starter notches is electric discharge machining (EDM). This approach has been widely used for producing starter notches in aircraft structures such as aluminum, titanium, steel, and other aircraft metal.
However, it has been recently determined that when attempting to produce a very small and tight fatigue-crack using the EDM starter notches, the fatigue-crack grows in directions that are not along the major axis of the EDM starter notch. While not being bound to a particular theory, one explanation for the cause of this phenomenon is that the EDM process creates small micro cracking along the edges of the EDM notch and when fatiguing stress is applied to the EDM notch, the micro cracks grow along the orientation of the micro cracking and not the major axis of the EDM notch. Another theory is that the high temperature of the electrical arc induces a change is the morphology of the metal structure. As such, methods and devices are needed to produce started notches in fatigue test structures which will result in a more natural growing of fatigue-cracks.

Method and apparatus to propagate crack growth in a workpiece


A boom system including a hoist boom pivoted to a machine base; a stick boom having a proximal end pivoted to the hoist boom and a distal end configured to carry a working tool; at least one hydraulic hoist cylinder mounted between the machine base and the hoist boom; a first stick cylinder mounted between the hoist boom and the stick boom; a second stick cylinder mounted similarly and mechanically linked with the first stick cylinder; and a hydraulic circuit for supplying hydraulic fluid to the hoist cylinder and stick cylinders, wherein the hydraulic circuit includes a hydraulic conduit line connecting a base end of the at least one hoist cylinder with a base end of the second stick cylinder to allow hydraulic fluid to shunt between the base ends of the hoist cylinder and the second stick cylinder.

Heavy equipment booms are used in a variety of industries and applications. The boom is a structure extending from a machine base that allows the machine base to move a tool at the end of the boom in at least two dimensions (typically horizontally and vertically or some combination thereof) so that the tool can be used for various purposes such as cutting, digging, or the like. In cases where the boom moves in two dimensions, the machine base can typically swivel to allow movement of the tool in a third dimension.
A boom typically includes a "hoist boom" having a proximal end pivoted to the machine base, and a "stick boom" having a proximal end pivoted to the distal end of the hoist boom. The tool is mounted on the distal end of the stick boom. The boom has one or more hoist hydraulic cylinder(s) typically located below the hoist boom and pinned between the hoist boom and the machine base. One or more stick hydraulic cylinder(s) is typically located below both boom members and pinned to the hoist boom and the stick boom. Cylinders are typically mounted below boom members to be better protected from environmental debris, such as falling trees. Direct pinning without linkages reduces complexity and wearing parts. However, there may be situations where the cylinders are mounted above the boom members and or connected by linkages.
Depending on the particular application, the boom can be involved in raising and lowering the tool, moving the tool horizontally forward and backward, rotating the tool, and in some cases, placing the tool/boom end on the ground to support the base and/or lift and rotate the base. This type of boom with a hoist boom and stick boom is sometimes referred to as a two-member knuckle boom.
A particular concern in some industries, such as the tree harvesting industry, is the amount of diesel fuel that is consumed in some arrangements. Another concern is to improve the machine operator's ability to control tool travel at a controlled velocity, as easily as possible. The technologies described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,443,196, 6,681,818, 6,763,863, 6,997,221, and 7,007,728 provide for a system for hydraulically controlling a boom to reduce fuel usage and also provide horizontal tool movement.
The noted patents describe systems for transferring pressurized fluid directly from the collapsing hoist cylinder working (pressurized, load-supporting) end to the extending cylinder working (pressurized, load-supporting) end (or vice-versa), where the fluid continues to do useful load support work. Thus the load-carrying work is separated from the reach positioning function of the knuckle boom, and is left with the hoist and stick cylinders. In these patents, in some cases, reaching movement is controlled by a reach cylinder. In others, reaching movement is controlled by a pump to control transferring of a slug of pressurized hydraulic fluid between the hoist and stick cylinders, or by other means as described therein.
However, there remains a need for an improved heavy equipment boom system and hydraulic system therefor that improves on or overcomes at least some limitations of prior systems.

Heavy equipment boom system and method and hydraulic circuit therefor


A self-drilling, self-tapping bone screw includes a body having a head at one end and a cutting end at an opposite end, the cutting end having a generally flat cutting surface supporting two symmetrical cutting edges which extend from the longitudinal centerline to diametrically opposed thread start points. A recess is formed in the head for receiving an end of an insertion tool. A dual lead thread extends outwardly from the body in a spiral path from the cutting end towards the head. The dual lead thread pitch is tapered towards the cutting end, and transitions to a straight or slightly tapered thread towards the head.

In certain surgical procedures, such as repairing fractured bones, it is necessary to attach an item, such as a plate, to a bone. For example, in repairing fractures of the facial bones or of the cranial bones, it is common to use a thin metal bone plate to hold the various pieces together. In other systems, other fasteners are used.
To use such bone plates or fasteners, holes are drilled in the various bone pieces and the bone plate or fastener is then secured to the individual bones with bone screws. Disadvantageously, this requires two steps in order to insert the screw. First, the hole must be bored in the bone. Secondly, a self-tapping bone screw is screwed into the hole. While drilling a hole significantly reduces the torque the fastener experiences during insertion, there is a significant risk that fasteners inserted with this technique establish inadequate bone/screw contact to achieve adequate connection.
Although there exists supposedly self-drilling, self-tapping fasteners and screws, it has been found that such lack adequate strength to sustain the necessary torque in such applications, or still require drilling and tapping before inserting the screw into the cranial bone.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a bone screw which can be inserted without the need for drilling or tapping. There is also a need for a bone screw which is stably inserted into the bone and which is self-drilling and self-tapping. What is further needed is a bone screw which has a very strong head to body connection so as to withstand the required torque for such insertion. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method for controlling at least one peripheral device and associated electronic device and control system are provided. The method includes: detecting existence of a first mobile device by checking a wireless connection associated with the first mobile device; and when the existence of the first mobile device is detected, obtaining user data of the first mobile device through the wireless connection, and broadcasting the user data of the first mobile device to the peripheral device(s) for controlling a setting of each peripheral device.

The present invention relates to controlling peripheral devices, and more particularly, to a method for wirelessly controlling at least one peripheral device through an intermediate electronic device.
Wireless entertainment and mobile communications technologies have become more and more important in daily life. Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and Bluetooth techniques are commonly applied in both mobile and household environments. When a user connects an electronic device, such as a smart phone, tablet, or laptop computer, to peripheral devices through a network, it is preferable to make the peripheral devices instantly enter a predetermined mode designated/set by the user based on interest or habits. In order to achieve the desired effect, settings of the peripheral devices must be manually adjusted after the connection between the mobile device and a peripheral device is constructed. More particularly, if more than one peripheral device needs to be adjusted, the manual adjustment becomes inconvenient for the users to do individually, even if the users can wirelessly adjust the peripheral devices by manually operating their mobile devices. The user experience will be lowered due to these cumbersome operations.
Therefore, there is a need for a novel method and electronic device for controlling peripheral devices.

Method and electronic device for controlling peripheral device


A method for providing a cavity structure on a semiconductor device is provided. The method of forming the cavity structure, which may be particularly useful in packaging an image sensor, includes forming a spacer layer over a substrate. The spacer layer may be formed from a photo-sensitive material which may be patterned using photolithography techniques to form cavity walls surrounding dies on the wafer. A packaging layer, such as a substantially transparent layer, may be placed directly upon the cavity walls prior to curing. In another embodiment, the cavity walls are cured, an adhesive is applied to a surface of the cavity walls, and the packaging layer placed upon the adhesive. Thereafter, the wafer may be diced and the individual dies may be packaged for use.

Generally, semiconductor chips used in electronic devices comprise a semiconductor die mounted on a carrier or a substrate. The semiconductor die is manufactured using standard semiconductor fabrication processes and has a series of bond pads that are used to make electrical contact to the integrated circuit formed therein. The die is placed on a carrier or substrate that has electrical leads formed therein to correspond to the bond pads of the die. Solder balls may be used to attach the die to the substrate. The die and the carrier may be enclosed to protect the die from the environment.
In some situations, particularly with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors, it is preferred that a cavity be formed over some of the circuitry. Generally, CMOS image sensors utilize light-sensitive CMOS circuitry to convert light energy into electrical energy. The light-sensitive CMOS circuitry typically comprises a photo-diode formed in a silicon substrate. As the photo-diode is exposed to light, an electrical charge is induced in the photo-diode. The photo-diode is typically coupled to a MOS switching transistor, which is used to sample the charge of the photo-diode. Colors may be determined by placing filters over the light-sensitive CMOS circuitry.
After the CMOS image sensors and related circuitry have been formed, the CMOS image sensors are packaged by placing a packaging layer over the wafer on which the CMOS image sensors are formed. Prior to placing the packaging layer over the wafer, which is typically formed of a transparent material such as glass, a spacer material, such as an epoxy, is formed and patterned on the packaging layer. The packaging layer is then aligned and affixed to the substrate to form a combined substrate. Thereafter, the combined substrate may be diced to separate the individual dies and individually package as required by the particular application requirements. An optical epoxy typically fills any voids between the packaging layer and the wafer.
This method of packaging CMOS image sensors, however, may be difficult to control. In particular, the spacer material formed on the packaging layer must be precisely aligned with the individual die. Any misalignment may cause the device to fail, thereby reducing yields and increasing costs. Accordingly, there is a need for an efficient and effective method to package a semiconductor structure having a cavity.

Cavity structure for semiconductor structures

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A mechanism for automatically generating code, in particular high level source code for remotely accessing functionality running in a remote process is provided. Given a specified set of functionality, which may be defined via an interface, for providing functionality to a local process, the mechanism generates, in source code form, software for remotely accessing the functionality by an application running in another process, that is, for accessing the functionality by an application running a second process. The code may be generated at build time but before the actual build of a software product implementing the functionality.

Modem data processing environments include both distributed processing in which an application running on a first data processing system utilizes the services of a second application running on a second data processing system. One such environment, for example, are web services. For the purposes herein, the application seeking the services, or equivalently, functionality, of the second application may be referred to as the client, and the application providing the functionality (and any communication interface associated therewith) may be referred to as the server.
Alternatively, modem data processing systems are also typically multiprocess environments, in which multiple processes may simultaneously share the competing resources of the system. (A process may be viewed as an instance of an application.) As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the multitasking capability may be effected via the operating system; the system hardware itself may constitute a single central processing unit (CPU). In such a multitasking environment, one process may utilize the services of another, second, process to provide functionality implemented in the second process. Such systems provide a mechanism for interprocess communications whereby the services of the second process may be requested by the first process. These will be discussed further hereinbelow in conjunction with FIG. 1.
To provide for the distribution of tasks among the processes as heretofore discussed, several mechanisms have been provided in the data processing art. For example, the Unix operating system (and derivatives thereof) provide a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) services. Other examples include the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) which is provided in the Java programming environment. Generally, a particular set of functionality in an application requires, in addition to the interface defining the methods of the application, a remote server that listens for requests from a client and a client that communicates with the remote server. In a typical implementation, the functionality that is to be remotely accessible is the same as that functionality provided locally. As changes are made to the functionality, either by adding functionality or removing functionality or both, the corresponding server and client code must be updated accordingly to mirror the changes made to the functional interface that defines the functionality available to the local process. This can be both a time consuming and an error prone process.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for mechanisms for automatically generating the code necessary to implement interprocess communications in distributed data processing system. (For the purposes herein, distributed data processing environments may be understood to refer both to environments including multiple data processing systems connected via a network and to environments in which the data processing systems support concurrent processes.) Additionally, it is advantageous that the architecture of the mechanism defines structures that permit the communication mechanism be substantially hidden from the client software. In other words, the client's software should be substantially transparent to the interprocess communication. That is, from the perspective of the client software, the client appears to be communicating within the local process although it may actually be communicating with a remote server running in a separate process (whether on a different or the same machine).

Method and system for automatic code generation accessing functionality in a remote process

International Business Machines Corporation


An ink jet head includes: a chamber plate having a plurality of pressuring chambers formed therein for storing an ink; a vibrating plate bonded to the chamber plate; a housing having an ink flow path through which an ink is supplied into the pressuring chambers; an orifice through which an ink is ejected from the pressuring chambers; and a longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric element for generating pressure under which an ink droplet is ejected through the orifice. A thickness of the vibration plate is from 5 μm to 10 μm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet head which ejects an ink droplet to perform recording and a droplet ejection device having the ink jet head mounted thereon.
2. Background Art
An ink jet head is normally arranged such that a driving unit such as piezoelectric element and heating resistor is driven to pressurize an ink which has been introduced into a pressurizing chamber through an ink inlet so that the ink is ejected through an orifice. With the recent development of ink jet technique, ink jet head has not only been used in printing on paper but has also reached industrial use as constant amount droplet ejection device, including the production of wiring pattern and color filter for liquid crystal. These uses involve the use of aqueous ink as well as various liquids such as oil-based ink, solvent, strong acid and strong alkali. Therefore, the ink jet head is required to have chemical resistance. In order to meet requirements for drawing of fine pattern, the recent tendency is more ink jet heads to have a higher density for ejection of minute droplet. Thus, a technique of efficiently ejecting droplets from such a small ink chamber has been desired.
In order to eject minute droplets, a thermal ink jet system is advantageous taking into account the configuration. However, this system requires that only an aqueous ink be used as a solution to be ejected and thus cannot be put to the aforementioned industrial uses. On the other hand, a drop-on-demand piezoelectric element type ink jet head which allows deformation of a piezoelectric element to apply external pressure change to an ink chamber from outside the wall thereof so that a droplet is ejected is advantageous in that there are a wide variety of solutions which can be ejected but is disadvantageous in that pressure change can difficultly be given efficiently to the ink chamber, if it is small.
As a method for efficiently deforming the vibration plate of a small ink chamber using a piezoelectric element there has been proposed a method which comprises controlling a vibration system comprising a vibration factor of piezoelectric element and a flow path system connected to each other using a filmy piezoelectric element which undergoes deflection (see, e.g., JP-A-2003-39673).
However, the aforementioned related art technique involves the deflection of the piezoelectric element and thus is disadvantageous in that when the area of the piezoelectric element decreases with the enhancement of the density of the ink chamber, the resulting lack of deflection restricts the driving conditions for ejection of droplets and hence the range of the weight of droplet to be ejected. Referring to ink viscosity, the deflection of the piezoelectric element with respect to a high viscosity solution is inhibited because the piezoelectric element itself is not supported on a structure. In particular, when the piezoelectric element has a reduced area to meet the requirements for higher density, it is also disadvantageous in that this technique normally can difficultly perform ejection of a solution having a viscosity of 5 mPa·s or more.
On the other hand, in the case where a longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric element is used, the vibrator takes no part in the response of the ink flow path because the piezoelectric element is mechanically connected to a structure other than the ink pressurizing chamber. Further, in the system comprising a longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric element, the vibration plate of the ink pressurizing chamber is fixed to another structure with the longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric element. In this arrangement, the acoustic capacity of the ink pressurizing chamber is so small that the response of the ink flow path to external input from the longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric element is high. Moreover, since the piezoelectric element is mechanically connected to a structure, the deformation of the piezoelectric element can be efficiently transferred to a high viscosity solution as well. Accordingly, the range of viscosity of solution to which this mode can apply is wide.

Ink jet head and droplet ejection device having same mounted thereon


A vibratory screening machine having opposite sides with a plurality of stationary aligned tensioning members mounted on one side and a plurality of nut actuated movable tensioning members mounted on the opposite side and a vibratory screening screen mounted on the stationary and movable tensioning members. The tensioning members have upstanding fingers which are received in apertures in the plates of the vibratory screen, and the edge portions of the vibratory screen include screening material which extends all of the way to the extreme edges of the supporting plate and the fingers are below the screening material. Also, the tensioning structure is mounted on the side walls of the vibratory screening machine below the vibratory screen.

The present invention relates to an improved vibratory screening machine and an improved vibratory screen and to an improved tensioning structure for a vibratory screening machine.
In the past, a conventional way of mounting vibratory screens on vibratory screening machines was by utilizing elongated channel members on the sides of the machines which interfitted with channels formed at the side edges of a screening screen. However, this system had certain deficiencies. One deficiency was that the channels formed on the side edges of the screen would distort. Another deficiency was that the tensioning channels had to be moved clear of the channels on the edges of the screens before the screens could be demounted from the machine. This was a time-consuming operation, considering that generally twelve bolts had to be loosened on each side of the machine before screens could be removed and thereafter all twenty-four bolts had to be tightened after new screens had been replaced. In addition, the use of the foregoing channel-type of tensioning structure was especially detrimental when used in conjunction with undulating screening screens because the material to be screened would accumulate in the areas of the channels and thus create turbulent flow of the material to be screened which caused excessive wear on the undulations adjacent the side edges of the screens. Additionally, the foregoing type of tensioning system utilizing channels required the bolts which moved the tensioning channels to pass through apertures in the sides of the machine above the screens. Thus, material to be screened could pass through these apertures and mix with the material which passed through the screens. In addition to the foregoing, since the channels on both sides of the machine had to be loosened in order to remove and replace the screens, both sides of the screening machine had to be placed so that access could be had thereto. In certain instances this required premium floor space, especially on offshore oil drilling rigs. It is with addressing the foregoing deficiencies of the prior art that the present invention is concerned.

Vibratory screening machine and vibratory screen and screen tensioning structure


In one embodiment, a cardiovascular condition is diagnosed by recording a vectorcardiogram for a subject under evaluation, comparing the vectorcardiogram with vectorcardiograms of other subjects, and diagnosing the subject under evaluation based upon the comparison.

Myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, is the leading cause of death in United States. MI occurs due to the occlusion of the coronary arteries. This results in insufficient blood and oxygen supply that lead to damaged cardiac muscle cells and trigger a disease-induced degradation process. The accurate diagnosis of MIs is critical for timely medical intervention and maintaining quality of life.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) contains dynamic information pertinent to space-time cardiac electrical activity. The ECG signal is a temporal recording of cardiac electrical signal that initiates at the sinoatrial (SA) node, is conducted in both atria, and is relayed through the atrioventricular (AV) node to further propagate through the bundle of His and Purkinje fibers to provide ventricular depolarization and repolarization. The ECG signal is typically plotted as a trace that is segmented into a P wave, a QRS complex, and a T wave. Each segment is closely associated with the specific physical activities of the heart chambers. For example, atrial depolarization (and systole) is represented by the P wave, ventricular depolarization (and systole) is represented by the QRS complex, and ventricular repolarization (and diastole) is represented by the T wave.
The time-domain ECG and its features (e.g., Q wave, QT interval, ST elevation or depression, T wave) are often used to identify cardiovascular conditions, such as MI. However, because the ECG trace is a time-domain projection of space-time cardiac electrical activity, the ECG trace diminishes important spatial information of cardiac pathological behaviors. Accordingly, critical medical decisions are made without having all of the relevant information as to the condition of the heart, especially in cases in which there is a lesion in initial stages of growth.
In view of the above discussion, it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have a system and method for diagnosing cardiovascular conditions that fully account for both time- and space-domain information about cardiovascular function.

Systems and methods for diagnosing cardiovascular conditions


A pushing force controlling apparatus for a pedal simulator that includes a simulator cylinder in which a first pipe and a second pipe extending from a master cylinder are connected to a front side and a rear side thereof, respectively. A first solenoid valve and a second solenoid valve are installed in the first pipe and the second pipe, respectively and a first piston and a second piston are disposed at a front side and a rear side of an interior of the simulator cylinder. A buffering member is installed between the first piston and the second piston, and pedal pushing force characteristics are controlled by variably setting a position of the second piston in the simulator cylinder using an amount of fluid provided from the master cylinder during an operation of a pedal.

(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a pedal force controlling apparatus for a brake pedal simulator, and more particularly to an apparatus that controls push force characteristics of a pedal in a brake system employing a pedal simulator.
(b) Background Art
In general, a brake-by-wire system for a vehicle refers to a system which does not include a mechanical connection between a driver and a brake wheel but allows electric calipers disposed within the wheels of the vehicle and controlled by a controller to hold disks disposed within the electric calipers of the wheels to brake the vehicle. Brake-by-wire systems include electromechanical brakes using power of an actuator having a 12 V motor as wheel disk braking power, and electro-wedge brakes having regenerative motor power with a wedge structure for wheel disk braking power to create high braking power.
A brake-by-wire system includes a mechanical apparatus that provides hydraulic pushing force characteristics to allow a driver to feel pressure during a manipulation of a pedal and an electric apparatus that recognizes a pedal intention of the driver, wherein a pedal simulator is used as the electric apparatus. The pedal simulator generally employs a pushing force by a rubber damper or a spring, a magnetic force by a magnet, and a viscosity change of an magentorheological (MR) fluid, and detects pedal force characteristics, for example, of hydraulic pressure while not employing hydraulic pressure, providing an adequate pedal force to the driver.
A known developed technology controls an initial mounting load of a stroke simulator spring with a motor and a controller to change pushing force characteristics of a pedal, and controls pushing force characteristics based on a travel condition of the vehicle with a travel state detection mechanism of the vehicle. Accordingly, the system includes a brake manipulating member; a controller that is configured to change the pushing force/stroke characteristics, detect an operation state/travel environment, and operate a pushing force/stroke based on a travel state of the vehicle.
However, the developed technology requires a motor, a gear, and a screw, and a separate mechanism that controls the motor as well, resulting in an increase in manufacturing costs, an increase in weight, and a complexity of the structure, and a difficulty in packaging.

Pushing force controlling apparatus for pedal simulator


A carpet attachment fixture functions as a common tack strip for securing a carpet edge in place and also as a terminal decorative strip mating with a base board molding, a floor surface, and a raised floor surface. Elements of the fixture are flexible so as to flex in admitting the carpet edge between two opposing edges while compressively gripping the carpet edge so inserted. In one embodiment, a common tack strip is married to a further element, while in a second embodiment, a monolithic unit is molded which provides all of the advantages of the compound version.

1. Field of the Present Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to strip type fastening devices and especially those used for securing the edges of carpets. More particularly this disclosure refers to an improved family of such fixtures that are less expensive and easier to use and which provide enhanced results.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Rhoads, U.S. D417,389, discloses an ornamental design for a tacking strip.
Watson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,051,191, discloses a concealed carpet fastener composed of an elongated metal strip bent longitudinally to constitute a fastener having two parallel sides, the lower side being perforated to permit permanent attachment of the fastener to the floor, and the upper side being provided with teeth or projections over the free edge of which the upper side the margin of the fabric is adapted to be folded, and which teeth or projections are adapted to engage the fabric at its under side, and retain the same against displacement of its aligned margin when the upper side of the fastener is pressed down upon the folded margin of the fabric to clamp the same.
McNicholas, U.S. Pat. No. 2,211,574, discloses a device comprising, a strip of flexible material formed with a lengthwise extending pocket and a coextending side section for abutting engagement with an upright surface, the strip provided with a lower face having adhesive material thereon for securing the strip to the surface of a floor adjacent the upright surface, a filler medium within the pocket, and anchoring elements extending through the pocket and the medium above the strip for securing carpets to the strip in adjusted position over the floor.
Karas, U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,674, discloses a concealed carpet fastener comprising an elongated metal strip having a bend intermediate the edges to provide upper and lower sections, the lower section having apertures therein to receive securing means whereby the fastener may be secured to the floor and the upper section having a smooth uninterrupted free edge about which the margin of the carpet may be folded, the upper section adapted to be located above the floor to receive the margin of the carpet there under, the upper section between the edge and bend being provided with means extending above the upper surface thereof for piercing the underside of the carpet to hold the carpet against relative movement back from the edge.
Jaasund, U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,918, discloses a combined carpet fastener and binder which comprises a boundary strip to be nailed to the floor co-extensive with one edge of the carpet, an elongated bendable U-shaped gripper element having opposed sets of teeth to engage the edge of the carpet, and flexible means supporting the gripper element above the binder strip, the boundary strip being disposed parallel to and at predetermined distance from an adjacent wallboard to provide a recess into which the gripping element and its flexible supporting means may be reversely bent after the carpet edge has been gripped whereby the carpet is fastened and stretched taut over the boundary strip. Brownstein, U.S. Pat. No. 2,634,453, discloses a carpet-securing device an elongated body member comprising two joined adjacent sections in angular relation, one of the sections sloping downwardly in one direction and the other section sloping downwardly in the opposite direction, a plurality of prongs in longitudinally spaced relation along the juncture of the two sections, the prongs being formed from the material from one of the sections and extending upwardly from the other of the sections in a common plane therewith, and a base portion integral with each of the sections and adapted to rest upon a floor surface, the base portions being disposed on opposite sides of the prongs and in laterally spaced relation therewith, whereby the prongs will be held in stable operative position.
Hill, U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,115, discloses a carpet gripper suitable for installation in both long and short strips, the combination of: a long and narrow strip of a relatively light colored material, the strip having an upper surface provided with a longitudinal band adjacent one edge and of a relatively dark color, the upper surface having a shallow groove extending longitudinally there along parallel to an edge of the strip whereby installation nails may be driven through the strip at the groove at any point along the strip; a plurality of spaced nails projecting into the strip through the groove and extending there above, the nails being of a dark color contrasting with the color of the material and a plurality of carpet hooking means having pointed ends projecting upward from the strip.
Goss et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,008,173, discloses a carpet gripper, the combination of: a long, narrow strip of wood having upper and lower sides and outer and inner edges; the lower side of the strip being engagable with a floor and the outer edge thereof being engagable by a down turned edge of carpeting overlying the upper side of the strip; an outer, upper integral flange extending longitudinally of the strip and projecting laterally outwardly from the outer edge thereof and having an upper surface forming an outward extension of the upper side of the strip; an inner, lower integral flange extending longitudinally of the strip and projecting laterally inwardly from the inner edge thereof and having a lower surface forming an inward extension of the lower side of the strip; the upper flange projecting laterally outwardly from the outer edge of the strip and the lower flange projecting laterally inwardly from the inner edge of the strip substantially equal distances so that the strip is substantially symmetrical in cross section and a plurality of carpet hooking elements carried by the strip and projecting upwardly above the upper side of the strip and inclined outwardly toward the outer edge of the strip to secure carpeting overlying the upper side of the strip.
Kyriakos, U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,738. discloses a tack strip of the type formed from a length of flexible, non-resilient metal longitudinally folded to provide first and second angularly disposed flanges, both serrated to provide a series of tabs separated by notches with the first flange to underlie a margin of upholstery material and the second flange provided with a series of projections overlying the first flange and constituting anchoring tacks when the second flange is folded over the driven flat against the material. The invention provides each tab of the first flange with a hole positioned always to receive one projection and the notches of the first flange to receive the other projections unless the strip is so bent as to close them.
Carder, U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,542, discloses carpet securing strips where the strips are designed to be manufactured from relatively thin or light gauge metal or plastic; each having an elongate base section designed to be secured by nails and/or adhesive to a floor, and having an offset carpet-gripping section which in one embodiment is designed in use to be hammered or bent downwardly relative to the base section and over the edge of a section of carpeting to secure the latter in place, and which in a second embodiment has formed in its longitudinal edge a plurality of spaced teeth which imbed in the bottom of a carpet to hold its edge in place. In the second embodiment a plurality of longitudinally spaced scallops or dimples are formed in the strip to increase its structural rigidity; and in each embodiment adhesive strips are used to help secure the carpeting to the strips.
Saotome, U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,889, discloses a carpet retention device or anchor that includes a flat, thin, floor engaging flange having spaced-apart openings for reception of nails to anchor the retention device to the underlying floor. A thin web extends upwardly from one edge of the base flange to a height equal to or less than the height of the carpet pad. A plurality of tacks or pointed projections extend transversely and slightly downwardly from the upper edge of web to engage into the underside of an overlying carpet.
Anderson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,754 discloses an improved synthetic resinous formulation utilized to form a substrate for retention of carpet while securing tack and pre-nail elements in strip form, and with the pre-nails being adapted to secure the substrate in place along the edge surfaces of the floor and with the tack elements being adapted to retain the edge portions of a carpet in place thereon. The substrate is characterized in that it is formed essentially of a filled polyurethane compound which possesses unusual mechanical properties particularly desirable in the formation of carpet retaining strips. These properties include the flexibility to permit the strip to conform to an irregular floor surface, and furthermore can be readily cut and notched to allow it to be bent to conform to an inside or outside corner. Because of the excellent plastic memory, the carpet retaining tacks are held at a desired angle even when subjected to substantial lateral tension caused by the stretched in-place carpet. The formulation of the polyurethane includes a prepolymer comprising a polyetherpolyol (35%-40%), a cross-linking agent (15%-20%), a filler consisting essentially of inert ingredients (10%-36%), a catalyst (10%-15%) and a chemical blowing or frothing agent (mechanical) (3%-5%), and wherein methylene di-isocyanate is added to the prepolymer components blend (component B), the prepolymer consisting of 80% of the blend, balance methylene di-isocyanate (component A) (20%).
Morrow et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,980 discloses a carpet securement that includes a polymeric body with a longitudinally extending groove in its bottom surface. Tacks or other fasteners protrude upwardly through the body. The tack heads or other drive elements of the fasteners may be lodged within the groove and serve as a bearing element to help support that portion of the body bridging the groove. The body may also be provided with a downwardly projecting rib-like support rail inside the groove to help support the body. A groove minimizes the weight of a polymer incorporated in the securement body and further permits flush seating of the fasteners without localized overstressing of the polymer. In an extrusion process useful in making the body or other polymeric elements, sizing dies are provided with devices for maintaining a fluid film between an extrudate passed through the die and the contact surfaces of the die itself.
Latour, U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,874, discloses a carpet fastening system in which a fastening strip is affixed to the back-side of the wall board or the wall baseboard, preferably with the wall engagement portion being substantially flat, presenting either a flat, face-to-face, extended surface interface with the back-side of the wall or at least preferably a continuous or at least substantially extended edge in engagement with the back-side, bottom edge of the wall baseboard. For ease in installation, the fastening strips may be installed either at the same time as the baseboards are installed or even when the wall boards are being installed. As a result of engaging the back-side of the wall the fastening strips are firmly affixed to the wall and provide secure, strong affixation to the wall, securely anchoring the strips and hence the carpet, preventing any migration of the carpet during its typically expected life-time and longer. The embodiments are described, each of which engage and interlock with the backside of the wall, either in a sandwich arrangement or an angled back straight edge engagement with a lip formed between the wall board and the baseboard. However, in all cases, when a force is applied to the fastening strip in a direction tending to pull it away from the wall, the force causes the movement resistance engagement of the strip to proportionately increase due to the interfacing with the back-side of the wall.
Dunne, U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,804 discloses an improved carpet tack strip formed from synthetic chemical and natural materials which include a selective amount of a polyethylene material of between 40% to 60% by weight, which is mixed with a selected amount of polypropylene material having about 1% to 10% by weight and including therein a fine powdered wood material having a selected amount of between 60% to about 40% by weight, wherein the mixture thereof is extruded from an extruding apparatus, thereby producing a continuous elongated homogeneous plastic strip that when cooled is cut in predetermined lengths.
The related art described above discloses a very wide variety of carpet clamping and securing devices. The present disclosure however distinguishes over the prior art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary and detailed description.