A continuous processing trap apparatus is capable of increasing the trapping efficiency while maintaining conductance required by a vacuum chamber. The trap apparatus includes an exhaust passage for evacuating a hermetically sealed chamber by a vacuum pump, a hermetically sealed trapping and regenerating casing extending across the exhaust passage and a regenerating passage adjacent to the exhaust passage, and a trap unit movably housed in the trapping and regenerating casing for selective movement between a trapping position connected to the exhaust passage and a regenerating position connected to the regenerating passage. The trap apparatus further includes valve bodies disposed one on each side of the trap unit and supporting seals on outer circumferential surfaces thereof for sealing the exhaust passage and the regenerating passage from each other, and a monitoring mechanism for monitoring whether the seals are functioning normally.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trap apparatus for use in an evacuating system for evacuating a vacuum chamber in a semiconductor fabrication apparatus or the like, and more particularly to a continuous processing trap apparatus having trap units disposed to switch between an exhaust path and a regeneration path.
2. Description of the Related Art
One conventional evacuating system will be described below with reference to FIG. 14 of the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 14, a vacuum chamber 121 serves as a process chamber for use in a semiconductor fabrication process that is carried out by an etching apparatus, a chemical vapor deposition apparatus (CVD), or the like. The vacuum chamber 121 is connected to a vacuum pump 123 by a pipe 122. The vacuum pump 123 serves to increase the pressure of a process exhaust gas from the vacuum chamber 121 to the atmospheric pressure. The vacuum pump 123 has heretofore been composed of an oil rotary pump, but mainly comprises a dry pump at present.
If the level of vacuum required by the vacuum chamber 121 is higher than the level of vacuum that can be achieved by the vacuum pump 121, then an ultrahigh vacuum pump such as a turbo-molecular pump or the like is disposed upstream of the vacuum pump 123. An exhaust gas processing apparatus 124 is disposed downstream of the vacuum pump 123, and gas components that cannot be directly discharged into the atmosphere because of their toxicity and explosibility depending on the process are treated by a process such as adsorption, decomposition, absorption by the exhaust gas processing apparatus 124, from which only harmless gases are discharged into the atmosphere. Necessary values are provided at appropriate positions of the pipe 122.
The conventional evacuating system is disadvantageous in that if a substance having a high sublimation temperature is contained in the reaction by-products contained in the exhaust gas, then the gas is solidified while its pressure is being increased, and deposited in the vacuum pump, thus tending to cause a failure of the vacuum pump.
For example, if BCl3 or Cl2 which is a typical process gas for aluminum etching is used, then the remainder of the process gas of BCl3 or Cl2 and a reaction by-product of AlCl3 are discharged from the process chamber by the vacuum pump. AlCl3 is not deposited in the suction side of the vacuum pump because its partial pressure is low. However, while AlCl3 is being discharged under pressure, its partial pressure rises, and it is deposited, solidified, and attached to the inner pump wall, resulting in a failure of the vacuum pump. The same problem occurs with reaction by-products of (NH4)2SiF6 and NH4Cl that are produced from a CVD apparatus for depositing films of SiN.
It has heretofore been attempted to heat the vacuum pump in its entirety to pass the reaction by-products in a gaseous state through the vacuum pump so that no solid substance is deposited in the vacuum pump. This attempt has been effective to prevent a solid substance from being deposited in the vacuum pump, but has been problematic in that a solid substance is deposited in the exhaust gas processing apparatus disposed downstream of the vacuum pump, thereby clogging a filled layer in the exhaust gas processing apparatus.
One solution is to install a trap apparatus upstream or downstream of the vacuum pump for trapping products for removal of components which will generate solid substances for thereby protecting various devices provided at the discharge path. The conventional trap apparatuses generally have such a poor trapping efficiency that about 60% of the components of the exhaust gas flows through the trap apparatus without being deposited in the trap unit. Those components flowing through the trap apparatus are deposited in downstream pipes and various devices. The reasons for the poor trapping efficiency are considered to be the fact that the exhaust gas flows in regions where the trapping efficiency is poor between an inner wall surface of the casing and the trap unit in the trap apparatus, and is unprocessed and discharged therefrom.


A plate-type valve and method of using same to control fluid flow are disclosed, wherein the plate-type valve contains:. a first valve plate having a first channel formed therein;. a second valve plate having a second channel formed therein and a valve seating portion;. a flexible member having a movable free end and being disposed between the first channel and the second channel, the movable free end of the flexible member being disposed for movement onto and off of the valve seating portion by means of an actuating force such that movement of the movable free end onto the valve seating portion prevents fluid flow between the first channel and the second channel and movement of the movable free end off of the valve seating portion allows fluid flow between the first channel and the second channel.

This invention relates to a valve. More particularly, this invention relates to a plate-type valve and a method of using same to control the flow of fluid.
Generally, on/off and volume control of fluid flow between channels is accomplished by means of valve systems having a complex configuration requiring precisely machined connections between a valve seat and a movable valve stem. Fluid flow valves having a plate-like configuration, on the other hand, have also been used to control fluid flow and are believed to have a simpler structure than the conventional valves with precisely machined parts. However, present plate-type valves can also contain relatively complex structures and, as such, can be expensive and time-consuming to make, clean, inspect, re-use and/or replace, and, thus, not offer sufficient advantages over the conventional seat/stem configured valves. It is therefore continually desirable to simplify the structure of plate-type valve systems.
Fluid-control plate-type valve systems are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,176,359; 5,065,978; 5,029,805; 5,228,468; 4,923,169; 5,096,643; 4,768,751; 3,057,376; and 5,144,982.
The valves disclosed in the foregoing references tend to be overly complicated structures containing numerous separately made parts. The manufacture of each part followed by the combining of the parts into the final valve structure can be both time-consuming and expensive. The frequently bulky nature of the prior plate-type valves can make cleaning, inspecting and re-using the valve difficult and time-consuming. Unfortunately, the costs associated with manufacturing such plate-type valves make disposal and/or replacement of the valves unattractive alternatives. In addition, the conglomerate nature of the prior plate-type valves tends to cause undesired wearing of the individual parts, thus requiring replacement of the worn parts. Furthermore, none of the references cited hereinabove discloses a plate-type valve which is capable of being actuated by a plurality of forces, e.g., fluid pressure, magnetic force and temperature change.
An object of the present invention is to provide a plate-type valve composed of parts which can be formed from one or two basic bodies.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a plate-type valve which is less bulky and less expensive to manufacture, inspect, clean, re-use and replace than prior valves.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a plate-type valve which is capable of being actuated by a plurality of forces.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a plate-type valve which can be actuated by means of fluid pressure, magnetic force, or temperature change.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling fluid flow by means of a plate-type valve having the characteristics set forth in the preceding objects.
These and other objects which are achieved according to the present invention can be readily discerned from the following description.


A method of applying a color-plus-clear composite coating to a substrate is provided comprising: applying to the substrate a colored film-forming composition to form a base coat and applying to the base coat a clear film-forming composition to form a transparent top coat over the base coat. Prior to application to the base coat, the clear film-forming composition is heated to a temperature and for a time sufficient to lower its viscosity such that the composition can be atomized and applied as a smooth continuous film. At a temperature of 20-25.degree. C., the clear film-forming composition has a high viscosity such that it cannot be atomized and applied as a smooth continuous film. The clear film-forming composition comprises (1) about 65 to about 85 percent by weight, based on the total weight of resin solids in the clear film-forming composition, of a hydroxyl functional acrylic polymer having a weight average molecular weight of about 5000 to about 25,000 as determined by gel permeation chromatography using a polystyrene standard, and having a glass transition temperature of at least about 10.degree. C.; and (2) about 15 to about 35 percent by weight, based on the total weight of resin solids in the clear film-forming composition, of an aminoplast crosslinking agent.

Color-plus-clear composite coating systems involving the application of a colored or pigmented base coat to a substrate followed by the application of a transparent or clear topcoat to the base coat have become conventional as original finishes for automobiles. The color-plus-clear systems have outstanding gloss and distinctness of image, due in large part to the clear coat.
Coating systems containing hydroxyl functional polymers cured with aminoplasts are also well known and provide many excellent coating properties. They are inexpensive, durable, and attractive. However, it is widely recognized that such coatings, particularly clear coats, have poor resistance to etching by acid.
It has been found that acid etch resistance of such coatings can be improved by using high molecular weight, hydroxyl functional polymers having relatively high glass transition temperatures in combination with relatively low levels of aminoplast. However, such coating compositions have viscosities that are too high for conventional spraying techniques. The viscosity may be lowered by dilution with a solvent or diluent, but dilution adds volatile components which must be disposed of or recovered, adding to the cost of the coating system. The diluted coating composition also typically suffers from appearance problems upon application such as drips, sags, solvent popping, and the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of applying a color-plus-clear composite coating composition to a substrate, wherein the clear coating component of the composition is based on hydroxyl functional polymers and aminoplast curing agents, and the cured composition demonstrates a high level of acid etch resistance and excellent appearance properties without requiring high levels of solvents in the formulations.

Method for applying a color-plus-clear composite coating to a substrate


A substrate cleaning apparatus, comprises a process tank that holds a mixture containing a hydrogen peroxide solution and sulfuric acid and is used for cleaning a substrate immersed in said mixture; circulation piping that extends between a primary side of said process tank on which said mixture is injected into said process tank and a secondary side of said process tank on which said mixture is discharged from said process tank and has a pump for causing circulation of said mixture; a heater disposed in said circulation piping configured to heat said mixture to a predetermined temperature; a chemical injection pipe configured to inject a hydrogen peroxide solution into said circulation piping at a position between the primary side of said process tank and a secondary side, which is a downstream side, of said heater; and a filter disposed in said circulation piping configured to remove particles in said mixture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method that clean a substrate, in particular, a semiconductor wafer.
2. Background of the Invention
Typically, a resist on a semiconductor wafer substrate is removed (cleaned off) by immersing the semiconductor wafer in a chemical (resist remover) in a remover tank of a substrate cleaning apparatus.
In a conventional cleaning technique, for example, an SPM (sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide mixture) resist removing process, a mixture (SPM cleaning fluid) containing sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide in a certain proportion is first produced. Typically, to improve the resist removing capability, the SPM cleaning fluid serving as a remover is kept at a high temperature equal to or higher than 100 degrees Celsius, for example. Generally, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) thermally decomposes into water (H2O) and oxygen (O2). In addition, hydrogen peroxide has a boiling point of 150 degrees Celsius and evaporates when heated to such a high temperature. Hydrogen peroxide tends to thermally decompose and evaporate at high temperatures in this way, so that the oxidation capability (resist removing capability) of the SPM cleaning fluid is lowered on the time passes.
According to an existing measure against this, before introduction of a semiconductor wafer or the concentration of the SPM cleaning fluid is managed, a predetermined amount of hydrogen peroxide solution is additionally injected into an inner tank (wafer process tank) or an outer tank (overflow receiving tank) of a process tank at desired intervals, thereby maintaining the oxidation capability of the SPM cleaning fluid.
A method of managing the hydrogen peroxide concentration uses a concentration monitor. However, since the concentration has to be always kept constant, the amount of usage of the hydrogen peroxide solution and sulfuric acid increases substantially.
According to the method in which the hydrogen peroxide solution is introduced before introduction of the semiconductor wafer described above, it takes long before the hydrogen peroxide solution is sufficiently mixed with the circulating mixture to form a uniform SPM mixture containing the hydrogen peroxide solution and sulfuric acid.
In the case where the hydrogen peroxide solution is introduced into the inner tank as described above, the hydrogen peroxide solution having a low specific gravity cannot be effectively mixed with sulfuric acid and overflows into the outer tank, and thus, a desired resist removing capability cannot be obtained.
Similarly, in the case where the hydrogen peroxide solution is introduced into the outer tank, since the hydrogen peroxide solution is not effectively mixed, the hydrogen peroxide solution having a low specific gravity is not mixed with the sulfuric acid and remains separated in the upper part of the outer tank. Thus, it takes a predetermined time before a uniform mixture of sulfuric acid and the hydrogen peroxide solution is formed, or it is difficult to feed all the introduced hydrogen peroxide solution to a circulation piping because some of the hydrogen peroxide solution is discharged from the overflow pipe rather than being fed to the circulation piping.
Furthermore, for example, a conventional substrate cleaning apparatus using the SPM cleaning fluid has a process tank that holds a mixture containing a hydrogen peroxide solution and sulfuric acid and is used for cleaning a substrate immersed in the mixture, circulation piping that extends between a primary side of the process tank on which the mixture is injected into the process tank and a secondary side of the process tank on which the mixture is discharged from the process tank and has a pump for causing circulation of the mixture, a filter disposed in the circulation piping for removing particles in the mixture, a chemical tank for additionally injecting a mixture of a hydrogen peroxide solution and sulfuric acid into the process tank, and a heater for heating the mixture in the chemical tank (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-342780, for example).
However, in the conventional substrate cleaning apparatus, the mixture is heated by the heater to a temperature higher than a temperature required in the process tank before the mixture is injected into the process tank. Thus, the SPM cleaning fluid heated to the high temperature thermally decomposes and evaporates, so that the hydrogen peroxide concentration of the SPM cleaning fluid decreases. As a result, a desired SPM cleaning fluid cannot be obtained in the process tank.
As described above, the conventional technique described above has a problem that the SPM cleaning fluid cannot have a required resist removing capability, and the amount of the hydrogen peroxide solution additionally injected into the SPM cleaning fluid cannot be optimized.

Substrate cleaning apparatus and substrate cleaning method


A mobile device includes an orientation sensor configured to detect an orientation of the mobile device and at least two speakers, each configured to output sound according to an audio signal. The mobile device further includes a processing device configured to group at least two of the speakers into a speaker pair based on the orientation detected by the orientation sensor.

Certain screen images presented on some mobile devices can change as the orientation of the device changes. A user may orient the mobile device according to the content presented to make viewing the content easier. For example, the user may hold the mobile device in a portrait orientation when the content is text from, e.g., an email, an article on a webpage, or an e-book, and in a landscape orientation when the content is a video presented in, e.g., a 4:3 or 16:9 format. Changing the screen orientation with the orientation of the mobile device allows the user to decide the best orientation for viewing the content.

Dynamically adjusted stereo for portable devices


A method adaptively encodes a sequence of frames including video objects to provide a compressed video signal. The encoding is via a buffer having a ariable input rate and a constant output rate. The encoding uses a discrete cosine transform to produce coefficients that are quantized to generate image-representative code bits at a variable rate and texture, and motion and shape information for each video object stored in the buffer. The content of the buffer is restricted by adjusting quantization parameters with respect to a reference value and a quadratic rate distortion model to increase or decrease the number of bits stored in the buffer. Furthermore, the target number of bits for encoding each video object is estimated in accordance with a function of relative motion and size. The encoding bit rate is set to avoid buffer overflow.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods of coding video signals for digital storage and/or transmission of such signals using joint rate control for multiple video objects based on a quadratic rate-distortion model.
More particularly, this invention relates to a method of encoding video employing a joint rate control algorithm for multiple video object coding. The algorithm is based on the VM7 rate control scheme as described in the MPEG-4 Video Verification Model V7.0 ISO/ICC JTCI/SC29/WG11, Coding of Moving Picture and Associated Audio MPEG 97/N1642. April 1997, Bristol, U.K.
The method follows a similar framework as that proposed previously by the current inventors in their parent application, with a change in the method of target distribution and introduction of a tool to take into account object shape in the rate control process. These modifications contribute to more homogeneous quality among video objects and better buffer regulation. As a whole, the method provides an effective means of coding multiple video objects so that the buffer is well-regulated and bits are appropriately distributed; yet it is flexible in deciding the necessary compromise between spatial and temporal quality.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A basic method for compressing the bandwidth of digital color video signals which has been adopted by the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) utilizes Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) techniques. In addition, the MPEG approach employs motion compensation techniques.
The MPEG standard achieves high data compression rates by developing information for a full frame of the image only every so often. The full image frames, or intra-coded pictures are called "I-frames", and contain the full frame information independent of any other frames. Between the I-frames, there are so-called B-frames and P-frames which store only image differences which occur relative to reference anchor frames.
More specifically, each frame of video sequence is partitioned into smaller blocks of pixel data and each block is subjected to the discrete cosine transformation function to convert the statistically dependent spatial domain picture elements (pixels) into independent frequency domain DCT coefficients.
That is, the blocks of data, encoded according to intraframe coding (I-frames) , consist of matrices of Discrete Cosine Coefficients. Respective 8.times.8 or 16.times.16 blocks of pixels are subjected to a Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) to provide a coded signal. The coefficients are subjected to adaptive quantization, and then are run-length and variable-length encoded. Hence, respective blocks of transmitted data may include fewer than an 8.times.8 matrix of codewords. Macroblocks of intraframe encoded data will include, in addition to the DCT coefficients, information such as the level of quantization employed, a macroblock address or location indicator, and a macroblock type, the latter information being referred to as "header" or "overhead" information.
Blocks of data encoded according to P or B interframe coding also consist of matrices of Discrete Cosine Coefficients. In this instance however, the coefficients represent residues or differences between a predicted 8.times.8 pixel matrix and the actual 8.times.8 pixel matrix. These coefficients are subjected to quantization and run- and variable-length coding. In the frame sequence, I and P frames are designated anchor frames. Each P frame is predicted from the lastmost occurring anchor frame. Each B frame is predicted from one or both of the anchor frames between which it is disposed. The predictive coding process involves generating displacement vectors which indicate which block of an anchor frame most closely matches the block of the predicted frame currently being coded. The pixel data of the matched block in the anchor frame is subtracted, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, from the block of the frame being encoded, to develop the residues. The transformed residues and the vectors comprise the coded data for the predictive frames. As with intraframe coded frames, the macroblocks include quantization, address and type information.
The results are usually energy concentrated so that a few of the coefficients in a block contain the main part of the picture information. The coefficients are quantized in a known manner to effectively limit the dynamic range of the coefficients and the results are then run-length and variable-length encoded for application to a transmission medium.
In a recent proposal for implementing the latest coding verification model (VM), which is described in "MPEG-4 Video Verification Model Version 5.0", distributed by Adhoc group on MPEG-4 video VM editing to its members under the designation ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11 MPEG 96/N1469, November 1996, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, representatives of the David Sarnoff Research Center proposed "A New Rate Control Scheme Using Quadratic Rate Distortion Model". The MPEG-4 video coding format will produce a variable bit rate stream at the encoder from frame to frame (as was the case with prior schemes). Since the variable bit rate stream is to be transmitted over a fixed rate channel, a channel buffer is employed to smooth out the bit stream. In order to prevent the buffer from overflowing or underflowing, rate control of the encoding process is required.
In the recent Sarnoff proposal, before the encoding process begins for a given set of frames (picture) a target bit rate for each frame is calculated to accommodate the fact that the output bit rate from the output of the encoder is constrained to a fixed bit rate while the bit rate resulting from picture encoding can vary over a relatively wide range (if left uncorrected), depending on the content of the image frame. According to the proposal, the distortion measure associated with each frame is assumed to be the average quantization scale of the frame and the rate distortion function is modeled as a second order function of the inverse of the distortion measure. Before the actual encoding process begins the target bit rate of the image is estimated by the number of bits left for coding the group of images, as well as the number of frames still to be encoded. The authors mention implementing their scheme at the picture level and also note a possibility for extending their scheme to the macroblock level.
It has also been known that when a block (macroblock) contains an edge boundary of an object, the energy in that block after transformation, as represented by the DCT coefficients, includes a relatively large DC coefficient (top left corner of matrix) and randomly distributed AC coefficients throughout the matrix. A non-edge block, on the other hand, usually is characterized by a similar large DC coefficient (top left corner) and a few (e.g. two) adjacent AC coefficients which are substantially larger than other coefficients associated with that block. This information relates to image changes in the spatial domain and, when combined with image difference information obtained from comparing successive frames (i.e. temporal differences) factors are available for distinguishing one video object (VO) from another.
As shown in FIG. 1 (a sample video scene), one or more video objects (VO.sub.1, VO.sub.2, VO.sub.i) may be contained in an image frame or plane (VOP) and, in each successive frame, the relative positioning of video objects may be expected to change, denoting motion. At the same time, this motion assists in defining the objects.
Under the MPEG-4 VM, additional objectives of content-based manipulation and independent bit stream coding have been imposed to provide added functionality at the decoder end of the system. The MPEG-4 objective complicates and imposes additional processing requirements on the process of predicting target bit rates for each frame as a result of the added overhead information such as the coding of shape information within the MPEG-4 encoder. The foregoing characteristics of the MPEG-4 VM, as well as information regarding identification of individual VO's is explained in greater detail in the above-referenced manual.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an adaptive video coding method which is particularly suitable for MPEG-4 encoder and other encoding schemes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adaptive video coding method for use in accordance with MPEG-4 VM wherein individual video objects (VO's) are taken into account in providing an improved bit rate control system making use of relative motion, size, variance and shape of each VO.

Mitsubishi Electric Information Technology Center America, Inc.


Systems and methods for the detection of motions of a pointed object upon a writing surface such as a touchpad is disclosed. The motions will be detected and converted in a multiplexing analog-to-digital converter to digital codes representing the location of the pointed object and the pressure of the pointed object upon the touchpad. The location and the pressure will be translated into a pen detect signal indicating the presence of the pointed object upon the touchpad. The digital codes will be averaged to minimize noise created by vibrations and variations in the motions of the pointed object held by the human hand and formed into an absolute coordinate digital code. The absolute coordinate digital code, the pressure digital code, and the pen detect signal will be converted to a touchpad-computer interface protocol for transmission to a computer system for further processing. The pen detect signal will be sense to determine if the pointed object has not been in contact with the touchpad for a long period of time and remove power from the circuitry controlling the touchpad. For battery power operations, a battery sense line will be connected to the multiplexing analog-to-digital converter to create a battery power set of digital codes which are manipulated in a battery gauge circuit to create a battery condition set of digital codes which are transmitted to the computer system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer system input devices such as a digitizers referred to as touchpads and more particularly to the systems and methods necessary to acquire signals from such input devices and to convert the acquired signals to digital codes that are transmitted to the computer system.
2. Description of Related Art
Touchpads are small digitizer based devices that are pen input devices to allow a person to write or draw upon the surface of the touchpad and have the signals and codes from a controller to be interpreted by a computer system. The touchpad digitizers may be of three types, capacitive, resistive and electromagnetic.
Referring to FIG. 1, the surface 12 of the touchpad becomes a "writing surface" for capturing the position of an pointed object 10 such as a finger, pen or stylus upon the touchpad. The touchpad signals are analog signals that will be captured by a touchpad interface circuit 28 and translated to digital codes that will be transferred to a computer system 32 on an interface 30. The interface 30 may be an industry standard serial interface, an industry standard parallel interface, or a custom interface requiring special adapter circuitry within the computer system 32 to accept the digital codes from the touchpad interface 28.
An example of a resistive touchpad is shown in FIG. 1. The resistive touchpad is made up of multiple layers of resistive films and protective layers. The protective hard coating 12 is the surface onto which the pointed object 10 is pressed upon during the writing and drawing. A first layer of resistive film 14 is attached to the protective hard coating 12 on the surface opposite the writing surface. This first layer of resistive film forms the Y-plane of the touchpad. Attached to the surface of the Y-plane resistive film 14 opposite the surface attached to the hard protective coating 12 is a second resistive film 16. This second resistive film 16 forms the X-plane of the touchpad. Finally attached to the side of the X-plane resistive film 16 is a supporting back layer 18. This back layer provides protection and mechanical support for the for the X-plane and Y-plane resistive films 14 and 16.
The touchpad interface 28 is connected through the touchpad interface lines 20, 22, 24, and 26. Each line will provide a stimulus such as a current or voltage to the periphery of the X-plane resistive film 16 and the Y-plane resistive film 14. As shown in FIG. 2, as the pointed object 10 is pressed 40 on the touchpad surface 12, the Y-plane resistive film 12 will deform and touch the X-plane resistive film 14. The X-plane resistive film can not deform because it is supported by the supporting back layer 18. This causes the Y-plane resistive film 14 and the X-plane resistive film 16 to come into contact with each other. This will cause a response in the form a change in voltage or current depending upon whether the stimulus from the touchpad interface 28 of FIG. 1 is a constant voltage or a constant current. If the stimulus from the touchpad interface 28 of FIG. 1 is a constant voltage the currents through the touchpad interface lines 20, 22, 24, and 26 will be modified according the position of the pointed object 10 on the touchpad surface 12. However, if the stimulus from the touchpad interface 28 of FIG. 1 is a constant current the voltages between the touchpad interface lines 20, 22, 24, and 26 will be modified according to the position of the pointed object 10 on the touchpad surface 12.
Referring back to FIG. 1, the touchpad interface 28 will have multiple analog to digital converters that will sense the change in the analog responses from the touchpad interface lines 20, 22, 24, and 26 and convert them to digital codes indicating the absolute position of the pointed object 10 upon the touchpad surface 12. The digital codes may be transmitted directly to the computer system across the interface 30 and translated to absolute coordinates within the computer system or the touchpad interface 28 may determine the absolute coordinates and transmit them directly to the computer system 32. For the computer system 32 to use the absolute coordinates generated by the touchpad interface 28 to control the movement of the cursor 36 upon the display screen 34.
Touchpads such as described in FIG. 1 have applications to mobile, portable, or lap top computing systems which are self contained and are powered by a battery power source. The amount of energy remaining in the a battery and the amount of energy consumed by the components of the computer system such as the touchpad and the touchpad interface are factors that must be continuously monitored and regulated to maximize the operation time of these mobile computer systems.
A class of mobile or portable computer systems are known as personal digital assistants. The personal digital assistant uses a touchpad as the primary human input interface. Handwriting must be interpreted to text and drawings to create commands and data to operate the personal digital assistant.
To interpret the hand writing accurately information regarding the pressure of the pen or stylus upon the touchpad and whether the pen is in contact with the touchpad to determine an end of a stroke for the formation of a character. Handwriting interpreting algorithms as currently applied, have only a series of recent history of the absolute coordinates of the location of the pointed object 10 of FIG. 1 upon the touchpad. From these coordinates the handwriting must be interpreted to commands and characters. If the pressure and stroke information is available handwriting interpretation could be more accurate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,750 (Yatsuzuka) discloses a tablet input device and circuitry for providing stimulating voltages to the tablet input device and for sensing the response voltages from the tablet input device when the tablet input device is being pressed. The circuitry provides an OFF state wherein power to the tablet is minimized during a waiting period.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,409 (Neoh) assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, discloses a circuit for the implementation of the detection of a pointed object upon a touchpad and technique for the removal of power form the circuitry when the pointed object has not been detected upon the touchpad.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,121 (Louis, et al.) discloses a graphics input device where a stylus is used on a mechanism resembling a joy stick to provide horizontal graphics signals to a graphics processor and a feature within the mechanism to sense pressure upon the stylus to generate vertical graphics information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,719 (Gervais) discusses a pressure activated pointing device for mobile or portable computing systems, where the output signals are proportional to the pressure on the pointing device.
The use of multiplexes within an analog-to-digital converter circuit is well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,371 (Eccleston, et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,120 (Yunus), U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,481 (Hiller), U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,585 (Stephenson), U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,325 (Heckenbach, et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,358 (Conover, et al.) describe various applications of analog and digital multiplexing circuits for use within analog-to-digital converters.

Tritech Microelectronics International Ltd.


System, method, and computer program product to perform an operation, the operation comprising publishing a content according to a content class ratio and a content impact on each of a plurality of metrics.

The present disclosure relates to computer software, and more specifically, to computer software to optimize follower and search relevancy of social media posts.
Entities publishing content in the age of social media must be mindful of the impact their publications have on their audience. A balance exists between publishing content that is important to the entity and content that is preferred by the audience. An imperfect balance may lead to the entity losing audience members as well as a reduction in the search engine ranking of business content published by the entity. Many entities use automated programs to periodically publish content on various social media sites. Therefore, there is a need to manage the ratio and timing these programs use to publish business content and non-business content.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Optimize follower and search relevancy ratio

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A selective switch includes a switch housing, and a button cap with two opposite side portions. A contact assembly includes first, second and third conductive members which are all fixed in the switch housing. A helical spring is mounted in the switch housing, and has an outer end portion to support the button cap thereon and an inner end portion adjacent to the contact assembly. A flexible mandrel has an inner end portion and an outer end portion which is integrally formed with the outer end portion of the helical spring. The helical spring extends around the flexible mandrel. A movable contact member is in electrical contact with and is carried on the inner end portion of the flexible mandrel to move between a first position in which the contact member is in electrical contact with the first and second conductive members in response to depression of one of the side portions of the button cap, and a second position in which the contact member is in electrical contact with the second and third conductive members in response to depression of the other one of the side portions of the button cap.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a selective switch, more particularly to a selective switch which has a unitary spring member for rapid change between two different connecting states.
2. Description of the Related Art
Selective switches are usually employed in electric appliances to control the operation of the latter in two different operating states. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional selective switch is shown to include a button cap 10 which is mounted on a switch housing and which has an annular flange to form a receiving space 16. A rigid rod 11 is received in the receiving space 16 and extends downward for coupling with a contact plate 12. The contact plate 12 can be driven by the rod 11 to move between a first position in which the contact plate 12 is in contact with first and second conductive members 13, 14 in response to depression of one side of the button cap 10, and a second position in which the contact plate 12 is in contact with first and third conductive members 13, 15 in response to depression of the other side of the button cap 10. A spring 17 surrounds tightly the rigid rod 11 and biases the contact plate 12 for contact with appropriate ones of the conductive members 13, 14, 15. The drawbacks of the conventional selective switch are as follows:
1. A strong pushing force must be applied on the button cap 10 when changing switching states since the rigid rod 11 is used to move the contact plate 12. Moreover, the switching action is relatively slow. PA1 2. A clearance is formed between the contact plate 12 and the conductive members 14, 15 during movement of the contact plate 12 between the first and second positions, thereby resulting in an electric arc which can burn down and destroy the selective switch. PA1 3. The size of the selective switch cannot be reduced because of the presence of the rigid rod 11.


A binding unit binds sheets with a binder having an electric heater and electrodes for supplying electric current to the electric heater. The binding unit includes a container and an inner lid. The container has an insertion opening at one end through which the binder is inserted, and electrode terminals at the opposite end which come into contact with the electrodes of the binder. The inner lid is openable and provided in the container between the insertion opening and the electrode terminals. It assumes a closed position covering the electrode terminals when no binder is loaded in the container, and an open position allowing the electrodes of the binder to come into contact with the electrode terminals and at the same time supporting one side of the binder when loaded in the container. Consequently, when no binding operation is underway, the inner lid serves to prevent foreign material from dropping down onto the electrode terminals; and, when a binding operation is carried out, the binder is stably positioned in the container by the support of the inner lid, ensuring that the electrodes of the binder are securely in contact with the electrode terminals.

The present invention relates generally to a binding unit which binds a plurality of sheets in adherence to a binder.
FIGS. 23 and 24 show a conventional binding unit. The binder 40 used in this binding unit 46 includes an electric heater 42 and an adhesive layer 43 covering the heater 42 over the inner surface of its spine 41. Electrodes 44 of a pair are provided on either end of the electric heater 42, and are exposed on the outer surface (the lower surface in the figures) of the spine 41.
The binding unit 46 includes a container 47 into which the binder 40 is loaded. A pair of electrode terminals 48 which come into contact with the electrodes 44 of the binder 40 is provided on the inner surface of the bottom of the container 47 whereby electric current is supplied to the electric heater 42 through the electrode terminals 48.
In order to bind sheets, the binder 40 is loaded into the container 47, and electric current is supplied to the electric heater 42 through the terminals 48 and electrodes 44. As a result, the adhesive layer 43 heats and melts, and one side of the stack of sheets 45 is adhered to the binder 40, whereby the stack of sheets 45 is bound.
For the purpose of sufficiently heating and melting the adhesive layer 43 in the conventional binding unit 46, it is important that the electrodes 44 of the binder 40 and the electrode terminals 48 be securely in contact with each other when the binder 40 is loaded in the container 47. Should foreign material such as dust or paper powder, however, enter the container 47 through the insertion opening for the binder and stick to the electrode terminals 48, defective contact might occur between the electrodes 44 of the binder 40 and the electrode terminals 48, leading to uneven or insufficient heating of the adhesive layer 43.
Particularly, when the binding unit 46 is provided in a copying machine and has the insertion opening directed upward, foreign material is liable to enter the binding unit 46 through the opening. Such foreign material remaining inside the binding unit 46 is impractical to remove.
Furthermore, a binding unit provided in a copying machine as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 41261/1986 or Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 121456/1986, is not allowed sufficient space for suitable mounting due to its positional relation to other elements, such as a sorter, or vent holes provided in a side wall of the machine body. Stable support of large-size sheets in the binder unit 46 is difficult in consequence, and an operator is left to support the sheets by hand in order to bind them reliably.

Binding unit for binding sheets in adherence to a binder


In a substrate power supply cell, a portion of a substrate power supply wiring is exposed by forming a power supply wiring in a U-shape, and a connection portion to an upper-layer wiring is provided at a boundary portion of the substrate power supply cell. Thereby, a leakage current is reduced without a decrease in signal wiring efficiency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a layout configuration of a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a configuration of wirings and contacts for providing substrate power supply or normal power supply to a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as a semiconductor device has been further miniaturized, an increase in power consumption has become more significant due to an increase in leakage current. Therefore, in order to suppress the increase of the leakage current, the well substrate potential of a semiconductor device is changed to a value that is different from a power supply voltage so that a threshold voltage with respect to the power supply voltage is increased, thereby reducing the leakage current. This is a well-known technique.
Here, a configuration for supplying a potential different from a power supply voltage to a well substrate in a layout configuration of a semiconductor device in which standard cells are arranged side by side, will be described with reference to the following two conventional techniques.
(First Conventional Technique)
FIG. 13A is a plan view showing a layout configuration of a substrate power supply cell 1300 according to a first conventional technique. The substrate power supply cell 1300 has a power supply wiring 1310, a ground wiring 1315, and a substrate power supply wiring 1320. The substrate power supply wiring 1320 is connected to an upper-layer wiring at a substrate power supply connection portion 1330.
FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of FIG. 13A. The power supply wiring 1310 is provided in a layer higher than the substrate power supply wiring 1320. The power supply wiring 1310 is not electrically connected to the substrate power supply wiring 1320 within the substrate power supply cell 1300.
FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a semiconductor device 1400 in which the substrate power supply cell 1300 and standard cells 1410 are arranged. The standard cell 1410 has a power supply wiring 1420, a ground wiring 1425, and a substrate power supply wiring 1430 as in the substrate power supply cell 1300, which are arranged side by side so that their power supply wirings or substrate power supply wirings are connected to each other. The power supply wiring 1420 is connected to the source of a transistor of the standard cell 1410, and the substrate power supply wiring 1430 is connected to the substrate of the transistor of the standard cell 1410. The standard cell 1410 also has at least one pair of input and output terminals. The standard cells 1410 are connected to each other via their input and output terminals. In FIG. 14, an output terminal 1440 and an input terminal 1450 are connected via a wiring and contacts. With this configuration, a potential different from a power supply voltage can be supplied to the substrate, thereby reducing a leakage current (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-309178).
(Second Conventional Technique)
FIG. 15A is a plan view showing a semiconductor device 1500 according to a second conventional technique in which standard cells 1510 are arranged side by side. FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view taken along F-F of FIG. 15A. Here, a power supply wiring 1520 and a substrate power supply wiring 1530 are connected via a contact 1540 to an upper-layer wiring. The power supply wiring 1520 and the substrate power supply wiring 1530 are also disposed at a boundary between cell rows, and are shared by adjacent standard cells 1510. The power supply wiring 1520 is connected to the source of a transistor of the standard cell 1510, and the substrate power supply wiring 1530 is connected to the substrate of the transistor of the standard cell 1510. With this configuration, a potential different from a power supply voltage can be supplied to the substrate, thereby reducing a leakage current (see, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0181309).
The first conventional technique has the following problems. Specifically, the input and output terminals of the standard cell 1410 are disposed between the power supply wiring 1420 and the ground wiring 1425. As shown in FIG. 14, when the output terminal 1440 and the input terminal 1450 of adjacent standard cells are connected, a wiring connecting the output terminal 1440 and the input terminal 1450 needs to make a detour since the substrate power supply connection portion 1330 of the substrate power supply cell 1300 is disposed therebetween, though the output terminal 1440 and the input terminal 1450 have the same wiring track position. The detour wiring may pass through an upper wiring layer using contacts as shown in FIG. 14, or alternatively, may pass through the same wiring layer as shown in FIG. 16. In either case, a wiring resistance increases and therefore a wiring delay increases. In addition, the wiring detour deteriorates wiring efficiency in the vicinity of the substrate power supply cell 1300, leading to an increase in wiring delay of other wirings. If the substrate power supply wiring 1320 has a high resistance, and therefore, the substrate power supply cells 1300 should be spaced from each other by a short distance, the wiring detour frequently occurs, so that the timing design of the semiconductor device is adversely affected.
The second conventional technique has the following problem. Specifically, the power supply wiring 1520 has a narrow width at a connection portion in which the substrate power supply wiring 1530 is connected to the upper-layer wiring. In a miniaturization process, the resistance of the substrate power supply wiring 1530 increases, so that a large number of connection portions in which the substrate power supply wiring 1530 is connected to the upper-layer wiring need to be provided. In this case, the power supply wiring 1520 has a narrow width at a large number of portions. As the number of portions in which the power supply wiring 1520 has a narrow width increases, the wiring resistance of the power supply wiring 1520 increases, so that a voltage drop is more likely to occur during an operation of the semiconductor device, leading to an erroneous operation of the semiconductor device.


An individually packaged absorbent article is disclosed. The individually packaged absorbent article comprises an absorbent article and a wrapper. The absorbent article extends in a longitudinal direction and includes a main body portion having a pair of longitudinal side edges, a pair of end edges, a garment surface, and a body surface. The garment surface of the main body portion has a main fastener. The wrapper for the absorbent article has a main wrapper sheet and a main fastener cover. The body surface of the main body portion is disposed to face the main wrapper sheet. The main fastener of the main body portion is covered by the main fastener cover. The main fastener cover is joined to the main wrapper sheet. The main body portion and the wrapper are folded as a unit at least about one transverse axis such that the garment surface is oriented inwardly with respect to the folded unit. At least a part of the main fastener is exposed when the wrapper is opened.

This invention relates to an individually packaged absorbent article.
Absorbent articles which are used to absorb body exudates, such as disposable diapers, adult incontinence products or sanitary napkins are well known. Such absorbent articles typically have a body surface which may include a liquid permeable topsheet, a garment surface which may include a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent therebetween. When the absorbent article is used, the body surface of the absorbent article is placed facing the wearer""s body and the garment surface is placed against the wearer""s undergarment. The body surface of the absorbent article must be kept hygienic prior to use of the absorbent article because the body surface directly touches the wearer""s body. Typically, an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin is individually wrapped by a wrapper to protect the absorbent article from contamination. Such individually packaged absorbent articles are disclosed in, for example, JP Utility Model Laid-open publication 95/39820 published on Jul. 18, 1995, JP Utility Model Laid-open publication 94/75446 published on Oct. 25, 1994, and JP Patent Laid-open publication 91/176376 published on Jul. 31, 1991. In certain known designs, an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin is folded into three portions such that the body surface of the sanitary napkin is oriented inwardly to the folded sanitary napkin and the garment surface is wrapped by a wrapper. The garment surface of the sanitary napkin also includes a main fastener, which is covered by the wrapper, to secure the sanitary napkin to the undergarment. In these absorbent articles, the body surface is protected from contact by the wearer""s hands before the sanitary napkin is unfolded for application to the wearer""s undergarment. However, the wearer must open and remove the wrapper from the sanitary napkin and unfold the sanitary napkin when applying the sanitary napkin to the wearer""s undergarment. In the configuration where the wrapper and the sanitary napkin are opened, the main fastener of the sanitary napkin is still covered by the wrapper and is not exposed while the body surface of the sanitary napkin is exposed. Therefore, the wearer must remove the wrapper from the sanitary napkin to expose the main fastener. During this process, the wearer may touch the body surface of the sanitary napkin. This causes body surface contamination. In addition, while the wearer applies the sanitary napkin to the undergarment after removing the wrapper, the wearer tends to apply the sanitary napkin by touching the body surface and/or by pushing the body surface of the sanitary napkin toward the undergarment to secure the main fastener provided on the garment surface to the undergarment. This also causes body surface contamination. Thus, there is no convenient means to protect the body surface of the sanitary napkin while the wearer removes the wrapper from the sanitary napkin and applies the sanitary napkin to the undergarment.
Attempts to protect the body surface of the sanitary napkin during the application of the sanitary napkin to the undergarment have been made. For example, JP Patent Laid-open publication 96/56989 discloses an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin having a surface cover sheet covering the body surface of the main body portion of the sanitary napkin. This sanitary napkin also has a release paper covering adhesive provided on the garment surface of the sanitary napkin. The wearer must remove the release paper covering the adhesive of the garment surface before the wearer applies the sanitary napkin to the undergarment. It is quite inconvenient for the wearer.
Base on the foregoing, there is a need for an absorbent article individually packaged by a wrapper having a main wrapper sheet wherein the body surface of the absorbent article remains protected from, e.g., the wearer""s hands during unwrapping and application. None of the existing art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the present invention.
The present invention provides an individually packaged absorbent article. The individually packaged absorbent article comprises an absorbent article and a wrapper. The absorbent article extends in a longitudinal direction and includes a main body portion having a pair of longitudinal side edges, a pair of end edges, a garment surface, and a body surface. The garment surface of the main body portion has a main fastener. The wrapper for the absorbent article has a main wrapper sheet and a main fastener cover. The body surface of the main body portion is disposed to face the main wrapper sheet. The main fastener of the main body portion is covered by the main fastener cover. The main fastener cover is joined to the main wrapper sheet. The main body portion and the wrapper are folded as a unit at least about one transverse axis such that the garment surface is oriented inwardly with respect to the folded unit. At least a part of the main fastener is exposed when the wrapper is opened.


In an optical transmission system, a multiplexer frequency-division-multiplexes a plurality of signals, and outputs the resultant signal to an FM modulator. The FM modulator converts the frequency-division-multiplexed signal into an FM modulated signal through frequency modulation using the frequency-division-multiplexed signal as an original signal. A frequency-divider converts the FM modulated signal into a frequency-divided FM modulated signal whose frequency is ½n (n is an integer of not less than 1) the frequency of the FM modulated signal. An optical modulator has a predetermined input-voltage vs. output-optical-power characteristic, and is biased at the minimum point (voltage) about the output optical power. The optical modulator modulates an unmodulated light fed from a light source with the applied frequency-divided FM modulated signal to produce an optical signal whose optical carrier component is suppressed, and sends the optical signal to an optical transmission line. An optical receiver receives the optical signal, and square-law detects the signal to convert into an FM modulated signal. A FM demodulator demodulates the FM modulated signal to reproduce the original frequency-division-multiplexed signal. This configuration makes it possible to narrow the bandwidth of an FM modulated signal while increasing the frequency deviation thereof, and realize high-quality signal transmission as a result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical transmission systems, and more particularly to a system that optically transmits a frequency-division-multiplexed signal obtained by frequency-division-multiplexing a plurality of signals.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 11 is a block diagram exemplarily showing the configuration of a conventional optical transmission system for transmitting a frequency-division-multiplexed signal. As will be known from FIG. 11, this optical transmission system comprises a multiplexer 1100, an FM modulator 1101, an optical transmitter 1104, an optical receiver 1106, and an FM demodulator 1107. In the optical transmission system, an electrical transmission line 1102 connects the FM modulator 1101 and the optical transmitter 1104 to each other, and an optical transmission line 1105 connects the optical transmitter 1104 and the optical receiver 1106 to each other.
The operation of the conventional optical transmission system in the above configuration will be described below. The multiplexer 1100 frequency-division-multiplexes a plurality of signals, and outputs the resultant signal to the FM modulator 1101. The FM modulator 1101 converts the frequency-division-multiplexed signal into a frequency-modulated signal (hereinafter, referred to as "FM modulated signal") having a predetermined frequency deviation through frequency modulation. After that, the FM modulator 1101 outputs the FM modulated signal to the electrical transmission line 1102. The optical transmitter 1104 receives the FM modulated signal through the electrical transmission line 1102, then converts the signal into an optical signal, and sends the optical signal to the optical transmission line 1105. The optical receiver 1106 receives the optical signal through the optical transmission line 1105, then converts the signal into an FM modulated signal which is an electrical signal, and outputs the FM modulated signal to the FM demodulator 1107. The FM demodulator 1107 demodulates the FM modulated signal to reproduce the original frequency-division-multiplexed signal.
The optical transmission system in the above configuration is described in detail in "Optical Super Wide-Band FM Modulation Scheme and Its Application to Multi-Channel AM Video Transmission Systems" by K. Kikushima et al. (IOOC'95 Technical Digest, Vol. 5 PD2-7, pp.33-34), and other documents. The optical transmission system converts a frequency-division-multiplexed signal into an FM modulated signal, and then optically transmits and demodulates the FM modulated signal to reproduce the original frequency-division-multiplexed signal. The optical transmission system utilizes an FM gain in the FM transmission to improve the signal-to-noise power ratio (SNR) of the demodulated signal (i.e., the frequency-division-multiplexed signal), thereby enabling high-quality signal transmission.
Thus, the above-described optical transmission system can realize high-quality multi-channel signal transmission with an optical fiber.
However, the above-described system for optically transmitting an FM modulated signal has the following specific problems due to the properties of the FM modulated signal and the nonlinearity of an optical fiber.

System for optically transmitting frequency-division-multiplexed signal and transmitter therefor

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A short-range communication tag includes a transmitter, a clock circuit providing a clock value and a memory containing a unique identification value. The tag further includes a processor which generates encryption keys with a period of K seconds and combines the unique identification value with the encryption key, according to a predetermined encryption method, to generate an obfuscated unique identification value. The tag further includes a short-range transmitter to transmit the tag identification value.

The present invention concerns beacon transmission systems and, in particular, systems and methods for enabling encryption and decryption of transmitted beacon identifiers.
Short-range beacons using technologies such as infrared, ultrasonics, near-field communications (NFC) and Bluetooth® have been used to determine proximity between a mobile listening device and a beacon. In an example system, a beacon transmitter broadcasts a signal containing its identifier (ID) and a mobile device, proximate to the beacon receives the signal and determines the proximity of the mobile device to the beacon based on characteristics of the received signal. The beacon ID may be a Bluetooth® beacon transmitted by a first device, for example a mobile telephone, that desirably maintains a close proximate relationship with a second device, for example a Bluetooth headset even when not in use. When these devices are separated, for example because the user has inadvertently left the phone on a restaurant table, the headset may emit an alarm.

Apparatus and method for securing beacons

QUALCOMM Technologies International, LTD.


A bias generator that automatically adjusts its slew rate is disclosed to generate an output bias current and adjust the output bias current according to the frequency of a clock signal. The slew rate of the amplifier is thus controlled to save power. It includes: a current mirror for receiving a feedback voltage and generating an output bias current; a storage capacitor with a first end and a second end and the latter being coupled to the ground; a charging switch coupled between the output of the current mirror and the first end of the storage capacitor; a discharging switch coupled between the first end of the storage capacitor and the ground; a comparator whose input is coupled to the first end of the storage capacitor and a reference voltage; and a feedback unit coupled to the output of the comparator for outputting a feedback voltage to the current mirror.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a bias generator and, in particular, to a bias generator that automatically adjusts its slew rate.
2. Related Art
A unit gain buffer in the prior art shown in FIG. 1 includes an amplifier and a feedback circuit. The amplifier has a positive input end, a negative input end, and an output end. The positive input end is coupled to an input voltage Vin, the negative input end is coupled to the output end to obtain an output voltage Vout.
FIG. 2 shows the comparison between the input voltage and the output voltage of the unit gain buffer in the prior art. Its gain is one, meaning that the output voltage is equal to the input voltage theoretically. In practice, the input voltage is a step voltage. The uprising slope of the output voltage is not infinite. Therefore, it takes certain time T1 to reach a stable ratio. This period of time T1 is called the slew time. After the conversion stage, the increase of the output voltage becomes less significant. It takes some time T2 to settle. This period of time is called the settling time.
The slew rate SR is the uprising slope of the output voltage Vout with respect to time during the slew time. The slew rate SR is obtained by taking the derivative of the output voltage Vout with respect to time:SR=dVout/dt.
To perform sampling and holding actions, the pipeline analog analog-to-digital converter (ADC) has to wait for the slew time and the settling time before obtaining a fixed voltage.
FIG. 3 shows a conventional differential amplifier and its input voltage and output voltage. The input voltage Vin of the differential amplifier is a step voltage. When the input voltage Vin is small, the output voltage Vout changes with the step height of the input voltage. If the input voltage Vin becomes too large, the control switch M2 of the differential amplifier shuts down. The output voltage Vout depends only on a tail current Iss and a load capacitance CL:SR=Iss/CL.
Since the differential amplifier in the prior art has a fixed slew rate, there often are problems in over designs and power waste.
Take a differential amplifier operating between 20 MHz and 60MHz as an example. One often uses the highest frequency 60 MHz to design the optimal value of the slew rate. For low-frequency signals of 20 MHz or 40 MHz, the high slew rate cannot increase the reaction efficiency and simply wastes power.

Bias generator that automatically adjusts its slew rate

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A lifting bail adapted to be made integral with a machine having a center of gravity includes a lift eye plate located substantially near the machine center of gravity, a first locator member having openings for locating the lift eye plate substantially near the machine center of gravity and a second locator member having openings for locating the lift eye plates substantially near the machine center of gravity. The openings for locating the lift eye plate relative to the center of gravity are oriented along the first and second locator members so that when the first and second locator members are made integral with the machine, the openings are aligned and thereby provide the location for the lift eye plates substantially near the machine center of gravity.

The invention generally relates to a lifting bail and more particularly, the invention relates to an adjustable lifting bail for a fluid compressor where at least one dimension of the lifting bail may be altered to locate the lifting bail lifting aperture substantially near the center of gravity for the fluid compressor. As a result, the lifting bail of the present invention may be used in combination with a variety of different compressors.
In order to transfer heavy equipment or machinery during assembly or shipment, such heavy equipment or machinery such as air compressors and generators, for example typically include a single point lifting bail for conveniently handling the machinery using overhead hoists or cranes. It is beneficial to locate the single point lifting bail at or substantially near the center of gravity of the machine so that the machine is maintained at a level attitude during lifting. Additionally, if the single point lifting bail is located off the machine's center of gravity, undesirable stresses may be imparted to the machine components during lifting.
Conventional lifting bails are typically fixed to the machine frame and include means for receiving a hook or other connection member connected to the end of the hoist or crane. Such a conventional lifting bail is designed so that the hook receiving means is located at or above the corresponding center of gravity or center of mass for a particular machine. Because each machine or piece of equipment has a unique center of gravity, each lifting bail must be custom designed specifically for use in combination with a single particular machine.
Custom designing a lifting bail for each piece of equipment has the following associated shortcomings. First, valuable engineering time is spent: designing each of the lifting bails, building and analyzing prototypes of each lifting bail, and testing and qualifying each lifting bail design. Additionally, because unique lifting bails are required for each piece of machinery, a number of different lifting bails must be available for use and as a result, the required lifting bail parts inventory may be quite large.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present lifting bails for machinery. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide a lifting bail that overcomes these limitations. Accordingly, a suitable alternative lifting bail is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

Adjustable lifting bail for fluid compressor


A canceling exciting coil is supported by a coil supporting member of electrically insulating material fitted to an arch core. A canceling current Ic of opposite phase to a main current I flowing in the magnetic field generation circuit of the exciting coil by means of an exciting circuit is made to flow in a canceling magnetic field generation circuit provided with a canceling exciting coil, and generates canceling flux Mc. The idle component of the AC voltage generated in the canceling exciting coil is minimized by changing the number of turns n, coil inner area, and winding distribution of the canceling exciting coil, and adjusting canceling current Ic.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shielding method and shielding apparatus that shield leakage flux leaking from a magnetic circuit that generates alternating flux.
2. Description of the Related Art
One heating method is the IH (induction heating) method, whereby a body to be heated is induction-heated by a high-frequency magnetic field generated by causing a high-frequency current to flow in an exciting coil of a magnetic field generation circuit. A fixing apparatus that uses an induction heating apparatus employing this IH method as the heating means of the toner fixing section in an image forming apparatus is currently known (for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No.2001-5315).
The fixing apparatus described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No.2001-5315 is configured, for example, so that the exciting coil of a magnetic field generation circuit is located in the vicinity of a fixing belt or fixing roller, a high-frequency current is caused to flow in this exciting coil, and the surface of the aforementioned fixing belt or fixing roller is induction-heated. Compared with a fixing apparatus in which the heating unit comprises a halogen lamp, a fixing apparatus that uses an induction heating apparatus employing this IH method as a heating unit has the advantages of higher thermal efficiency and lower energy loss, making possible rapid heating at low power consumption.
In an induction heating apparatus employing this IH method, there is generally a requirement for shielding of leakage flux leaking from the magnetic circuit that generates the alternating flux. As such a leakage flux shielding method, a method is currently known whereby a doughnut-shaped shielding ring of a conductive material such as aluminum is fitted around the exciting coil that is the source of leakage flux generation (for example, Examined Japanese Patent Publication No.SHO 58-37676).
In the method described in Examined Japanese Patent Publication No.SHO 58-37676, leakage flux is reduced based on the following principle. Namely, when an exciting coil provided in the magnetic field generation circuit of an induction heating apparatus is energized, a magnetic field is formed due to this energization, and an induction current is generated in the aforementioned shielding ring. Then, according to Lentz's law, when the flux linkage passing through the shielding ring changes, electromotive force arises in the direction preventing flux change, and an induction current flows in the shielding ring. The magnetic field generated from the shielding ring by this induction current is a magnetic field opposite in direction to the magnetic field generated from the exciting coil. Consequently, the magnetic field generated from the shielding ring and the magnetic field generated from the exciting coil cancel each other out, and generation of the aforementioned leakage flux is reduced.
The lower the resistance value of the shielding ring, the larger is the current that flows in the shielding ring, and the greater is the leakage flux reduction effect. However, making this shielding ring resistance value zero is difficult in practice. Therefore, with a conventional shielding method using this kind of shielding ring, it has not been possible to completely shield the above-described leakage flux.
Also, a characteristic of a high-frequency current is that, due to the skin effect, current does not flow deep within the conductor of the shielding ring, but mostly flows in the surface of the conductor. As a result, a problem with the above-described conventional shielding method is that, because of this skin effect phenomenon the induction current flowing in the shielding ring does not increase very much, and the leakage flux reduction effect does not improve, even if the thickness of the shielding ring is increased beyond a certain point.

Shielding method and shielding apparatus


A dryer (10, 200) is provided for use in drying freshly printed substrates such as corrugated sheets (14). A plurality of infrared heating lamps (28) are positioned below the travel path (16) of the corrugated sheets (14) and the heat lamps are physically separated from the corrugated sheets by glass panels (108, 110). Provisions are made for cooling the heat lamps by air flow. A plurality of air bars (40) are also provided with pressurized air to discharge air through ports (42) in the upper surfaces thereof for discharge against the corrugated sheet. Air discharged against the corrugated sheet and used to cool the heat lamps is collected and removed by a vacuum pump (48). This pump (48) is also used to remove moisture laden air which has been dislodged from the sheets by the combination of infrared heat and high pressure air.

In the printing industry, a number of manufacturers, such as United Container Machinery of Glen Arm, Md. and Hycorr Machinery Corp. of Kalamazoo, Mich. manufacture large printing presses of the type suitable for printing material on corrugated sheets of the type used to make boxes and displays. These presses can have a width of 110 inches or more to accommodate the size of corrugated box materials printed.
In the printing process, which may involve a number of printing stations to print different color inks, or apply different coatings, a problem exists in drying the just applied ink or coating sufficiently so that it is not marred or otherwise disturbed as the corrugated sheet moves from one printing station to the next and particularly before entering an in-line die cutter where the box is cut. Devices have been developed for drying the freshly printed substrates. However, drying has continued to be a problem, particularly as faster press speeds are desired.

Infrared heating apparatus and method for a printing press


A voice messaging system includes an input device to accept a destination electronic messaging address, a voice-to-text converter to convert or transcribe a received voice message into a converted text message, and a processor to operate an electronic messaging program and to prepare the text message for automatic electronic transmission to the destination electronic messaging address. A method is also provided to convert a voice message into a text message and to transmit the same to a destination electronic messaging address. The method includes inputting a destination electronic messaging address. A received voice message is converted or transcribed into a text message and prepared as a text file. The prepared text file is automatically transmitted to the destination electronic messaging address. A log file including the text of the voice messages may be maintained with updates at a predetermined time interval. A database of the converted text messages may be generated and maintained to provide a searchable mechanism of archived messages.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a voice messaging system. More particularly, it relates to transcription of a voice message into a text file and transmission of the same to a remote location.
2. Description of Related Art
Today, many people use a digital or tape answering machine or voice mail system to receive and play back voice messages. A digital answering machine stores messages in solid state memory. A tape answering machine stores messages on magnetic tape. A voice messaging system is typically used in conjunction with a private branch exchange (PBX) to provide voice messaging capability to a plurality of users.
Currently, the conventional way to listen to a voice message recorded on a voice messaging system is to play the message directly from the answering machine or to dial in to the answering machine or voice messaging system to hear the message over the telephone when the user is away from the voice messaging system.
FIG. 6 illustrates a conventional voice messaging system 308 such as a digital answering machine which generally includes a processor 402 connected to a read-only memory (ROM) 418 and random-access memory (RAM) 420 which may be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), or other suitable memory. A digital signal processor (DSP) 408 is connected to a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter 410 and an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 412. A telephone line interface 414 interfaces the voice messaging system 308 to a telephone line 114 from a telephone company central office. The DSP 408 is also connected to ROM 404 and RAM 406 which may be DRAM, SRAM, or other suitable memory. The A/D converter 412 and/or D/A converter 410 may be integrated within the DSP 408. The digital answering machine 308 may be controlled by keypad entries entered on a telephone keypad (not shown) or by dual tone, multiple frequency (DTMF) tones received from remote locations over telephone line 114.
Together with other components shown in FIG. 6, the DSP 408 converts an input analog signal to digital data, converts digital data to an output analog signal, and converts DTMF tones to digital control data.
To reduce the physical memory requirements in the digital answering machine 308, DSP 408 compresses voice message data for storage in RAM 406 and decompresses the voice message data for playback. Conventional voice compression and decompression techniques include linear predictive coding (LPC), code-excited linear predictive (CELP) coding, and vector sum excited linear predictive (VSELP) coding. These compression and decompression algorithms minimize the amount of data required to represent a voice message. The DSP 408 operates in response to a predetermined program of instructions stored in ROM 404. The DSP 408 also includes a tone generator algorithm to provide DTMF tones to the telephone line 114 and a DTMF detector algorithm to detect DTMF tones.
To store an incoming voice message in voice messaging system 308, an input voice message is conveyed over the telephone line 114 to the telephone line interface 414, which in turn conveys the incoming voice message to the A/D converter 412. The A/D converter receives the analog signal from the telephone line 114, converts the electrical signals representative of the voice message to digital data, and conveys the digital data to the DSP 408. The ROM 404 stores instructions for controlling the DSP 408 including implementation of the compression algorithm. RAM 406 receives and stores the compressed voice message. Using clock generator 416, the DSP 408 may also provide a time and date stamp with the stored digital voice message in RAM 406.
To operate the voice messaging system 308 in a remote message playback and DTMF detection mode, the user listens to a recorded message from a remote telephone 302 over telephone lines 114, 502 as shown in FIG. 7. To playback the stored voice message, the user typically inputs DTMF tones to remotely control the voice messaging system 308 such that the voice messages are played back audibly at the remote telephone 302. The A/D converter 412 and DSP 408 receive the DTMF tones representing control signals which instruct voice message playback of voice messages stored in RAM 406, under the control of the processor 402. In response to control signals from the processor 402, the DSP 408 retrieves compressed voice messages from RAM 406 and conveys digital voice message data to the D/A converter 410. D/A converter 410 converts the digital voice message data to analog signals representative of an audible output and provides the analog signals to the telephone line 114 via telephone line interface 414.
FIG. 7 shows a remote connection to the voice messaging system 308. A user calls in to the voice messaging system 308 using a remote telephone 302 over telephone line 502 and public switched telephone network (PSTN) 306. The user calls in to determine if any voice messages have been left, and if so, the user plays back the voice messages stored at the voice messaging system 308 over the telephone 302. However, the user must repeatedly call in to the voice messaging system 308, whether or not a voice message exists, to determine if a voice message does in fact exist. Needless to say, this is very inconvenient for the user. Although the user may determine that no voice messages exist without completing a call, e.g., based on the number of rings allowed by the voice messaging system 308, the user must still call in repeatedly to the voice messaging system 308 to determine whether any voice messages have been left.
The conventional digital voice messaging system 308 does not, however, automatically inform a remote user of an incoming voice message. Repeated remote access to the voice messaging system 308 from remote telephone 302 is very inconvenient for the user. Moreover, remote access requires audible playback of the message which often takes more time to hear than it would to read if the message were transcribed. Additionally, access fees and other telephone company charges may apply for the remote access to the voice messaging system 308.
A conventional answering machine which allows a user to transcribe a recorded voice message is known. For instance, as shown in FIG. 8 herein, U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,783 to Assis teaches an answering machine 700 that is connected to a printer 712 via printer cable 708 and to a computer 714 via computer cable 710. The computer 714 may also be connected to printer 712 via cable 718. A user local to the answering machine 700 may generate a written transaction of a recorded message by printing out a journal of all the caller voice messages on printer 712 and/or by displaying the caller voice messages on the computer monitor 716 and thereafter tagging selected caller voice messages which may then be printed on printer 712. While such a system allows printing of a transcribed message, it does not alleviate the need for a remote user to repeatedly call in to determine whether or not a voice message has been received.
There is a need for a voice messaging system which accumulates transcribed voice messages over time, and for a voice messaging system which automatically transmits transcribed voice messages to a remote location for reading rather than for listening.

Automatic transmission of voice-to-text converted voice message


The invention provides an improved bubble leak tester, and associated method for performing a leak test and operating the leak tester, to test for leaks in a test part. The apparatus and methods of the invention allow for simple, inexpensive, quick and accurate testing of the test part, provides a visual indication of a leak, and eliminates the part damage and clean-up associated with conventional water immersion tests. Further, the apparatus and methods in accordance with the invention control liquid backflow, so that contamination and damage to the device is reduced. In one embodiment in accordance with the invention, a leak tester is provided that is connectable to a reference volume and a test volume for determining the presence of a leak in the test volume. The leak tester comprises a reference port for connection to the reference volume, a test port for connection to the test volume, a bubble chamber connected between the reference port and the test port, and apparatus for selectively controlling flow between the reference port and the bubble chamber and between the test port and the bubble chamber.

A leak test is typically performed on a part that is intended to hold a pressurized volume of gas therein, either under a positive pressure or a negative pressure, in order to test for a leak in the part. A known form of leak testing is a water immersion test where the part, while pressurized, is immersed into a body of water. The presence of bubbles in the water, or the ingress of water into the part, would indicate the presence of a leak in the part.
This type of leak test however requires that every part that is to be tested get wet as well as subsequently dried, thereby requiring a large amount of time and space, as well as increasing costs. Further, since the part is immersed, the part can corrode due to the water and harmful contaminants within the water can come into contact with the part.
An alternative to water immersion leak testing are bubble leak detection devices. In these devices, a bubble chamber is connected to the part to be tested and to a secondary volume. A source of pressure is used to pressurize the part and the secondary volume, and once pressurization is complete, the pressure source is disconnected. If there is a leak in the test part, bubbles will appear in the bubble chamber due to a resulting pressure difference between the test part and the secondary volume. Examples of such bubble leak detection devices include United States Statutory Invention Registration No. H1045 to Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,883 to Gelston, II, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,399 to Thompson.
A problem with these conventional bubble leak detection devices is that a sudden large change in pressure between the test part and the secondary volume, which can be caused during disconnection of the secondary volume, can cause liquid in the bubble chamber to backflow into the flow passage and into the secondary volume and/or out of the device, due to the resulting large pressure difference between the test part and the other side of the bubble chamber. Backflow of the liquid can cause a delay in further testing as the liquid takes a period of time to flow back into the bubble chamber, so that the bubble chamber will not show a leak immediately during the next test.
Further examples of devices for detecting leaks include U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,922, U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,522, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,427, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,426.
There is a continuing need however for an improved bubble leak detection apparatus and method that is simple to use and results in extremely accurate tests.


A wood-type golf club head comprising toe, heel, top, and sole portions, a front face bounded by the toe, heel, top and sole portions, and a rear wall bounded by the toe, heel, top and sole portions, a peripheral wall depending from the periphery of the sole portion to define a sole cavity in the sole portion, and two struts extending from a portion of the peripheral wall adjacent the front face to a portion of the peripheral wall adjacent the rear wall, the struts being substantially parallel to each other and defining therebetween and in cooperation with the portion of the peripheral wall adjacent the front face, a central portion of the sole cavity, the peripheral wall being interrupted adjacent the rear wall, such that the central portion of the sole cavity is open to the rear of the club head.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to golf clubs and is directed more particularly to a wood-type golf club head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to be beneficial to provide on the sole portion of drivers strut members which extend from the bottom of the club and are elongated and disposed generally normal to the impact face of the club. The strut members reduce the drag experienced by the club head as it moves on or adjacent to the playing surface in approaching the ball. Typically, such struts are attached to the club by way of forming part of a plate which is attached, as by screws, to the sole of the club.
U.S Pat. No. 3,068,011, issued Dec. 11, 1962, to Naojiro Sano, illustrates such prior art practices. In Sano, a plate having two or three fingers extending from a common bar portion is screwed onto the bottom of a club head such that the bar portion is disposed adjacent the impact face of the club head and the fingers extend rearwardly therefrom, forming front-to-rear struts.
The addition of metal plates, and the like, to the sole portion of drivers tends to acerbate the already prevalent problem of the center of gravity for such clubs being disposed low in the club, removed from the geometric center of the club.
It is beneficial to the golfer to have available a driver, or fairway wood-type club, provided with struts on the sole of the club as an integral part of the club, the club being designed in such manner as to permit location of the center of gravity nearer the geometric center of the club.