An undersea telecommunications cable comprises a buffer tube which protects a plurality of optical fibers disposed therein from externally applied forces. To this end, the buffer tube contains a thixotropic, water blocking gel that has a viscosity and a critical yield shear stress sufficient to couple, upon application of a tensile load capable of producing up to a 0.8% strain in the cable, tensile forces from the buffer tube to the optical fibers to thereby induce strain in the fibers that is proportional to that induced in the tube, without preventing the return of the optical fibers to a substantially unstrained condition upon the removal of such tensile load. Should it become necessary to repair a section of the undersea cable as by retrieving it from the sea bed and inserting a spliced segment, existing sections of the fiber will be sufficiently protected from any damage which might otherwise have been caused during the cable retreival and recovery operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optical fiber communications cables specifically designed for undersea use and, more particularly, to undersea communications cables in which one or more optical fibers are disposed within a centrally located buffer tube.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
Telecommunication systems employing optical fibers as the transmission medium have become widespread because of their wide bandwidth, relatively low optical loss, and the development of optical amplifiers that do not require conversion of the optical signal into the electrical domain for amplification. Certain operating environments, however, pose specific design challenges to those seeking to efficiently utilize the unique properties and advantages of optical fibers. Systems have been specifically designed, for example, to span trans-oceanic distances to accommodate the intercontinental exchange of voice and data traffic at rates approaching 10 gigabits/s over a single optical fiber. In addition to the development of highly sophisticated techniques for transmitting and receiving the optical signals representative of this high-volume traffic, the implementation of undersea telecommunication systems has further required advances in cable design to adequately protect the fibers over a system design life typically in excess of several decades.
In designing a cable suitable for undersea use, one should have an appreciation of the external environmental and operating factors having the potential to affect the transmission carrying ability of the fiber. For example, once a cable has been deployed at the floor of an ocean, it may be subjected to high hydrostatic pressure, low temperatures, as well as the corrosive effects of sea water. One must also take into consideration the possibility of damage to the cable as, for example, might be caused by ships weighing anchor in the area of the cable or conducting commercial fishing operations. In such event, the ingress of water might potentially damage up to several kilometers of fiber in the time it would take to send out a repair vessel to splice in a new section of cable. Moreover, during the cable recovery and repair process itself, the damaged undersea cable might be subjected bending stresses, as well as tensile loads approaching 13,000 to 18,000 pounds depending on the cable type and depth of the affected section. Finally, the design of the cable must be such that it is economically practical to manufacture, with a level of quality and reliability that is repeatable.
An undersea cable design which has met with a fair degree of commercial success is disclosed by Marlier et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,062 entitled UNDERSEA TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE HAVING OPTICAL FIBERS and issued on Jun. 23, 1992. The cable design disclosed by Marlier et al. comprises a centrally located buffer tube within which there is disposed a sealing gel and through which extend a plurality of optical fibers. Marlier et al. indicate that the buffer tube is intended to protect the fibers from the compressive effects of undersea deployment, and that it may be either made of steel or plastic. In the event of a plastic buffer tube, Marlier et al. propose that one or more layers of strength members may be helically wound around the buffer tube so as to enhance the structural integrity of the cable. An electrically conductive tube is swaged over these strength members to carry electricity from a remote source on land to such equipment as pump lasers which disposed in optical amplifier assemblies disposed at intervals along the cable lay. A polyethylene sheath surrounds the structure.
While the Marlier et al. design is relatively easy to manufacture, no attention is given in the patent disclosure to the behavior of the fiber when the cable is placed under tensile load, nor how or whether the fiber returns to a relaxed, i.e., unstressed state after such load is removed. Accordingly, no meaningful guidance is given to the selection of material properties and other design variables so as to achieve a design which is highly robust and reliable over the broad range of operating and environmental conditions, including those to which the cable might be subjected during repair, that might be encountered over the multiple decade design life typically demanded by purchasers of undersea telecommunications systems.
The aforementioned need is addressed and an advance is made in the art, by an undersea telecommunications cable which comprises a buffer tube to protect a plurality of optical fibers disposed therein from externally applied forces. To this end, the buffer tube contains a thixotropic, water blocking gel having a viscosity and a critical yield shear stress sufficient to provide coupling, upon application of a tensile load to the cable producing up to a 0.8% cable strain, of tensile forces from the buffer tube to the optical fibers so as to induce strain in the fibers proportional to the strain induced in the tube without preventing the return of the optical fibers to a substantially unstrained condition upon the removal of such tensile load. Accordingly, should it become necessary to repair a section of the undersea cable as by retrieving it from the sea bed and inserting a spliced segment, existing sections of the fiber will be sufficiently protected from any damage which might otherwise have been caused during the cable retreival and recovery operation.
As used herein, the phrase substantially unstrained condition is intended to refer to an average residual strain in the fiber in the range of from about xe2x88x920.05 to about 0.10, the preferred value being as close to zero as possible. Since the amount of residual strain may not be uniformly distributed along the fiber, however, the condition may alternatively be defined by reference to the increase in attenuation or average loss in the fiber that is attributable to the residual strain therein. For a typical undersea telecommunication system, such average change in attenuation should be substantially close to zero as any appreciable increase, say above 0.002 to 0.005 dB/km may cause a substantial impairment to the overall system power budget.


A turf anchor typically includes an upright and three or four spikes which are insertable into the ground to mount the upright above ground with substantial stability. The turf anchor may be pressed by foot or hammered to force the spikes into the ground and may be used for securing a mailbox or various other outdoor items.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to turf anchors for securing various objects to the ground. More particularly, the present invention relates to a turf anchor for use with a mailbox or the like. Specifically, the present invention relates to a turf anchor which utilizes at least three spikes which are inserted into the ground to provide substantial stability to a post, mailbox, and so forth.
2. Background Information
Although there are a variety of anchoring systems for anchoring a mailbox or above-ground posts to the ground, the installation of some of these systems may be cumbersome and rather time consuming. In addition, many posts are made of wood or treated wood which ultimately rots away so as to require relatively frequent replacements. Other systems utilize one or two spikes which are forced into the ground but which will not provide suitable stability for a mailbox or post mounted items which require greater stability. The present invention addresses these and other concerns in the art.

Turf anchor for use with a mailbox or the like


An image forming apparatus includes a dustproof shutter, a lock lever, a shutter lever and an elastic member. The dustproof shutter is openably/closably supported in a case so as to protect an exposure device. The lock lever is configured to lock a cover openably/closably provided in the case, and to be movable in an opening direction of the cover. The shutter lever is provided at a position coming into contact with the lock lever and the dustproof shutter when the cover is closed. The elastic member biases the shutter lever toward the lock lever. The shutter lever moves between a first position to open the dustproof shutter when the cover is locked and a second position to close the dustproof shutter when the cover is unlocked by moving the lock lever in the opening direction of the cover with assistance from a biasing force of the elastic member.

The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus having a cover openably/closably provided in a case.
There is an image forming apparatus in which a cover is openably/closably provided in a case so as to become possible to carry out maintenance or the like of the inside of the case.
For example, there is a printer including a lock plate pulled to an initial position by a spring on a cover side, an unlock plate biased to a lock plate side by a torsion spring on a case side and a cover spring opening an unlocked cover. This printer has been configured so that when a release button is depressed, a lock is released and the cover is slightly opened by a resilient force of the cover spring. Thus, a user can easily recognize a cover opening direction.
However, in the above-mentioned printer, it is necessary to provide an exclusive cover spring opening the cover. The above-mentioned printer has a problem that the number of parts related to a cover opening/closing structure increases.


In various embodiments, image sensors include output channels enabling high-gain and/or low-gain charge read-out while minimizing charge-conversion noise.

CCD image sensors typically include an array of photosensitive areas (or "pixels") that collect charge carriers in response to illumination. The collected charge is subsequently transferred from the array of pixels and converted to a voltage from which an image may be reconstructed by associated circuitry. FIG. 1A depicts a conventional interline CCD image sensor 10 that contains an array of photodiodes 11 arranged in columns. A vertical CCD (VCCD) 12 is disposed next to each column of photodiodes 11, and the VCCDs 12 are connected to a horizontal CCD (HCCD) 13. Each photodiode 11 along with its corresponding portion of VCCD 12 constitutes a pixel of the image sensor 10. Following an exposure period, charge is transferred from the photodiodes 11 into the VCCDs 12, which subsequently shift the charge, row-by-row in parallel, into the HCCD. The HCCD then transfers the charge serially to output circuitry 14 that includes, e.g., a floating diffusion sense node and an output buffer amplifier. The charge from the HCCD is converted, pixel-by-pixel, into voltage at the output circuitry 14, and the signal is then transferred to additional circuitry (either on-chip or off-chip) for reconstruction into an image.
FIG. 1B illustrates a portion of a conventional output channel for sampling a charge packet with two different gains. The output channel includes a CCD shift register (e.g., an HCCD) and CCD gates 140 and 145. FIG. 1B depicts the CCD shift register as a pseudo-two-phase CCD shift register, but the CCD shift register may be implemented as, e.g., a two-phase, three-phase, or four-phase CCD shift register, details of which are known in the art and therefore not described in detail. The charge packets are transferred from right to left (in the direction of arrow 150) through the CCD shift register by the complementary clocking of CCD gates 140, 145. Each charge packet transfers through an output gate 135 to a sense node 125 at the end of the CCD shift register. The sense node 125 is connected to the gate of a transistor (or an "amplification circuit") 130. Sense node 125 and amplification circuit 130 are implemented, e.g., as a floating diffusion and source follower transistor, respectively.
Current sink 131 is the load for the source node of transistor 130. The drain node of transistor 130 is connected to power supply 133. Output signal line 132 is an output of the amplification circuit 130. Reset transistors 110, 120 control the capacitance of the sense node 125. The two reset transistors allow for two different charge-to-voltage conversion gains (high and low) of the amplification circuit 130.
The charge-sampling technique for high gain holds the reset transistor 110 continuously in the on state. To sample one charge packet, the reset transistor 120 is pulsed on and then off to reset the voltage of the sense node 125. The voltage of the sense node 125 is equal to the voltage of diffusion region 105. A reset level (VRH) is sampled on the output signal line 132 of the amplification circuit 130. Next, a charge packet is transferred from the CCD shift register, through the output gate 135, to the sense node 125. A signal level (VSH) is then sampled on the output signal line 132. The magnitude of the charge packet is represented by the difference between the signal level sampled at high gain and the reset level sampled at high gain (VSH−VRH).
The charge-sampling technique for low gain holds the reset transistor 120 continuously in the on state. When reset transistor 120 is on, the sense node 125 expands to include both diffusion region 115 and sense node 125. This adds capacitance to the amplification circuit 130. The additional capacitance reduces the voltage change caused by transferring a charge packet onto the sense node 125. To sample one charge packet, the reset transistor 110 is pulsed on and then off to reset the voltage of the combined sense node 125 and diffusion region 115. The voltage of the combined sense node 125 and diffusion region 115 is equal to the voltage of the diffusion region 105. A reset level (VRL) is sampled on the output signal line 132 of the amplification circuit 130. Next, a charge packet is transferred from the CCD shift register, through the output gate 135, to the combined sense node 125 and diffusion region 115. A signal level (VSL) is then sampled on the output signal line 132. The magnitude of the charge packet is represented by the different between the signal level sampled at low gain and the reset level sampled at low gain (VSL−VRL).
The capacitance added by diffusion region 115 may be just the diffusion region capacitance itself, or it may include additional capacitance from a capacitor formed by a gate or plates of metal. Such conventional techniques for sampling a charge packet with high or low gain may involve a noise penalty. The amplification circuit 130 has its own gate dimensions, width W and length L, which are typically optimized for lowest noise performance in the high-gain mode. As known to those of skill in the art, the width and length of the gate of the amplification circuit 130 as well as the thickness of the gate oxide have an impact on the noise of the transistor. When the capacitance of diffusion region 115 is added to the capacitance of the sense node 125, charge-to-voltage noise will result unless the transistor 130 gate width, length, and gate oxide thickness are optimized for the additional capacitance—which, typically, they are not. Thus, there is a need for image sensor designs enabling charge sampling at different gains without concomitant conversion-noise penalties.

Charge sensing in image sensors with output channel having multiple-gain output paths

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC


The invention provides novel microfluidic coulometric sensors having a silver (Ag) band electrode longitudinally placed in a microchannel affording visual readout suitable for the naked eye, and methods of fabrication and applications thereof.

Analytical sensors are valuable tools in clinical analysis settings. Microfluidic sensors have gained much attention recently in point-of-care diagnostics because the microfluidic component allows for assays of chemical and biological specimens with fast turnaround times and small sample or reagent volumes. Electrochemical sensors have been integrated with various modalities of sampling, fluidic handling, separation and other detection principles. Besides clinical diagnostics, microfluidic sensing has also gained popularity in electrochemical sensing in the areas of environmental monitoring, and food analysis. (Sia, et al. 2008 Lab Chip 8, 1982-1983; Chin, et al. 2012 Lab Chip, 12, 2118-2134; Sameenoi, et al. 2012 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134, 10562-10568; Hanrahan, et al. 2004 J. Environ. Monit. 6, 657-664; Escarpa, et al. In Agricultural and Food Electroanalysis; John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2015, pp 331-356; Crevillén, et al. 2007 Talanta 74, 342-357; Crevillén, et al. 2007 Anal. Chem. 79, 7408-7415; Nemiroski, et al. 2014 PNAS 111, 11984-11989; Wang, et al. 2008 Sensors 8, 2043.)
In clinical diagnostics, many microfluidic electrochemical sensors have been developed for nucleic acids, proteins, and antibodies using different modes of interactions between recognition elements and analytes, e.g., probe and target nucleic acid binding, antibody and antigen binding, and an enzyme and analyte reaction that consumes or produces an electrochemical species. (Rackus, et al. 2015 Chem. Soc. Rev. 44, 5320-5340; Ronkainen, et al. 2010 Chem. Soc. Rev. 39, 1747-1763.)
Many commercial electrochemical sensors, including biosensors and chemical sensors, are based on amperometric or coulometric measurements because the Faradaic current and charge are in direct correlation with a target analyte concentration. The sensor applies voltage to the target analyte and converts the concentration of the target molecule into Faradaic current, which is then processed via electronic data processing to give a numeric value with an appropriate unit on the front display panel. (Clarke, et al. 2012 Br. J. Biomed. Sci. 69, 83-93; Wang, J. 2008 Chem. Rev. 108, 814-825; Bard, et al. 2001 Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications, 2nd ed.; John & Wiley & Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, N.J.; Wang, J. 2006 Analytical Electrochemistry, 3rd ed.; John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, N.J.; Grieshaber, et al. 2008 Sensors 8, 1400.)
While sensing the target materials and acquiring relevant data from the observed Faradaic currents are typically straightforward, structurally simplifying the sensors and their designs and data processing to meet the need of specific applications and settings have remained challenging.
Thus, there is an ongoing need for novel analytical protocols and constructs, in particular, that allows simple, disposable, yet robust electrochemical sensing without the need for complex electronic systems or data processing capabilities.

Coulometric microfluidic sensors using a silver band electrode, and methods thereof


The present invention discloses a composition of a stable suspension of a poorly water soluble pharmaceutical agent or cosmetic in the form of particles of the pharmaceutical agent or cosmetic suspended in a frozen aqueous matrix and method for its preparation. The composition is stable for a prolonged period of time, preferably six months or longer and is suitable for parenteral, oral, or non-oral routes such as pulmonary (inhalation), ophthalmic, or topical administration.

1. Technical Field
The present invention discloses a composition of a stable suspension of a poorly water soluble compound comprising particles of the compound suspended in a frozen aqueous matrix and method for its preparation. The composition is stable for a prolonged period of time, preferably six months or longer.
2. Background Art
There is an ever increasing number of pharmaceutical compounds being formulated that are poorly soluble or insoluble in aqueous solutions. Such compounds provide challenges to delivering them in an injectable form. Drugs that are insoluble in water can have significant benefits when formulated as a stable suspension of sub-micron particles. Accurate control of particle size is essential for safe and efficacious use of these formulations. Particles must be less than seven microns in diameter to safely pass through capillaries without causing emboli (Allen et al., 1987; Davis and Taube, 1978; Schroeder et al., 1978; Yokel et al., 1981). One solution to this problem is the production of extremely small particles of the insoluble drug candidate and the creation of a microparticulate or nanoparticulate suspension. In this way, drugs that were previously unable to be formulated in an aqueous based system can be made suitable for intravenous administration. Suitability for intravenous administration includes small particle size (<7 μm), low toxicity (as from toxic formulation components or residual solvents), and bioavailability of the drug particles after administration.
Suspensions may also be suitable for oral, intramucscular, pulmonary, topical or subcutaneous administration. When administered by these routes, it may be desirable to have particle size in the range of 5 to 100 microns.
Suspensions may lack sufficient physical and chemical stability when stored for a prolonged period of time. Physical instability occurs when the particles aggregate to form larger particles, which is generally the result of small particle size. Ostwald-Mie ripening may occur due to the small particle radius and attendant increase in surface activity, hence solubility. In particular, nanoparticles have a very high surface-to-volume ratio which enhances their dissolution rate and solubility. As a result, the particles may solubilize in the suspension followed by recrystallization to form large crystals. Aggregation and crystal growth result in suspensions of nanoparticles with larger and varying particle sizes. Suspensions with particles larger than 7 μm are no longer suitable for intravenous administration.
In a suspension, the active ingredient may also undergo degradation and result in reduced activity over time due to interaction with the suspension medium. Even slight dissolution may accelerate the degradation of the active ingredient. The rate of chemical degradation depends on particle size, intrinsic solubility, and the chemical nature of the active ingredient.
It is highly desirable to have a pharmaceutical preparation of an aqueous suspension with a long shelf life, preferably a minimum of six months in terms of both physical and chemical stabilities.
Several methods have been described in the prior art to limit aggregation and crystal growth of nanoparticles in suspension to improve their physical stability and shelf-life. One method includes the step of adding surface stabilizers to the preparations. Suitable surface stabilizers include surfactants, polymers, cloud point modifiers (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,298,262; 5,346,702; and 5,470,583), crystal growth modifiers (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,331), and cryoprotectants (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,401). While such approaches have found success in limiting-particle aggregation and crystal growth, suitable surface-active agents may not be found that would enable extended storage of the suspension in the liquid state, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Or, if stabilizing agents could be found, they may possess undesirable toxicity profiles.
Another approach to inhibiting the aggregation and crystal growth of nanoparticles is to limit the average particle size to a narrow range of from about 150 nm to about 350 nm, as described by Liversidge et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,989. The '989 patent discloses that aggregation and crystal growth are minimized when the particles are within this size range. However, the narrow range of the particle sizes limits its applications. For certain applications, it may be desirable to have nanoparticle suspensions with particle sizes in excess of 400 nm. These applications include, but are not limited to, oral, subcutaneous, or intramuscular administration in which the desirable particle size may be from 5 to 100 microns. In other formulations, the desirable particle size may be smaller than 100 nm. This is true, for example, for particles designed to evade the RES (reticuloendothelial system). Such long-circulating particles can also migrate across loose, fenestrated vasculature such as that associated with certain cancerous tumors. This would facilitate passive targeting of such tumors.
Yiv et al. discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,349 a stable formulation of lipid nanoparticles of lipophilic and amphipathic drugs. The formulation is an oil-in-water microemulsion consisting of phospholipid, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, a surfactant and water. An oil component such as a triglyceride is optional. The components are blended together to form an emulsion. The average particle size should be smaller than 200 nm-for the preparation to be filter sterilized. The composition can be stored either in a concentrated form or a diluted form. The diluted form includes an aqueous buffer and is stable at a temperature range of about −50° C. to about 40° C. In Example 1, the composition was stored at −20° C. for 21 days with no evidence of phase separation, change in particle size, or drug crystallization. The method, however, is limited to oil-in-water dispersions with particle sizes smaller than 200 nm, wherein all components are liquids. Such dispersions are commonly sterilized by filter sterilization which requires the dispersion be passed through filters with a pore size of 220 nm.
The prior art also describes methods of improving the chemical stability of nanoparticle preparations for prolonged storage. The general approach is to remove the aqueous medium by lyophilization and store the nanoparticles in dry, lyophilized form. An example is disclosed in Example 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,187. Dialysis is generally required before lyophilization to remove any unwanted solutes, such as salt, or to prevent the concentration of such solutes during the lyophilization process. The additional steps of dialysis and lyophilization increase production costs since dialysis is a very time consuming process and lyophilization is an energy consuming process. Furthermore, the lyophilized preparation requires reconstitution with an appropriate dispersing medium before administration either by injection (intravenously, intramuscularly, or subcutaneously), or orally. Such requires more labor in administering the pharmaceutical agent as well as introducing potential human errors that can occur during reconstitution.
As part of an effort to develop new methods for stabilization of these suspensions, we have discovered that freezing may circumvent these instability mechanisms by encasing the drug particles in a frozen aqueous matrix. At such low temperatures, drug solubility is reduced and very high viscosity of the aqueous medium disfavors diffusion of solute drug away from the solid particle. This includes nucleation, crystal growth and Ostwald ripening. Lower temperatures also increase chemical stability by slowing down drug degradation in the aqueous medium. Crystallization of water may also occur, for example below the eutectic point of the mixture, thus eliminating the possibility of forming a solution phase containing drug which can undergo secondary nucleation, crystal growth and Ostwald ripening.
The nanoparticles in the invention can be prepared from any of the known methods in the art. One approach centers on reducing the size of the particles that deliver the drug. In one such series of patents, which include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,228,399; 6,086,376; 5,922,355; and 5,660,858, Parikh et al. discloses that sonication may be used to prepare microparticles of the water-insoluble compound. Of these patents, U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,355 discloses an improvement to a method that uses sonication for making smaller particles. The improvement comprises mixing an active pharmacological agent with a phospholipid and surfactants in a single-phase aqueous system and applying energy to the system to produce smaller particles. Stabilization of the suspension by freezing is not disclosed, however.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,188, issued to Haynes, also discloses reducing the size of particles of a pharmacologically active water-insoluble drug and employing a lipid coating on the particles to confer a solid form. The patent is directed to a pharmaceutical composition consisting essentially of an aqueous suspension of solid particles of the drug having a diameter of about 0.05 to about 10 microns. The lipid coating affixed to the surface of the particles acts to stabilize them. The composition is produced by adding the drug to water in the presence of membrane-forming lipid surfactants and then reducing the particle size within the aqueous suspension. However, freezing the suspension is not disclosed as a stabilization method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,410 discloses a pharmaceutical nanosuspension suitable for parenteral administration. The '410 patent discloses subjecting at least one solid therapeutically active compound dispersed in a solvent to high pressure homogenization in a piston-gap homogenizer to form particles having an average diameter, determined by photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) of 10 nm to 1000 nm, the proportion of particles larger than 5 microns in the total population being less than 0.1% (number distribution determined with a Coulter counter), without prior conversion into a melt, wherein the active compound is solid at room temperature and is insoluble, only sparingly soluble or moderately soluble in water, aqueous media and/or organic solvents. The Examples in the '410 patent disclose jet milling prior to homogenization.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,684 discloses another approach to providing nanoparticles of insoluble drugs for parenteral delivery by reducing the size of the particles. The '684 patent discloses the wet milling of an insoluble drug in the presence of a surface modifier to provide a drug particle having an average effective particle size of less than 400 nm. The '684 patent emphasizes the desirability of not using any solvents in its process. The '684 patent discloses the surface modifier is adsorbed on the surface of the drug particle in an amount sufficient to prevent agglomeration into larger particles.
Besides physically reducing the size of drug particles and coating the particles with a surface stabilizer, nanoparticles can also be prepared by the various methods of precipitation. These methods typically involve dissolving the drug in a solvent as a continuous phase followed by changing the conditions of the solution to a non-continuous phase so that fine particles of the drug precipitate out into the non-continuous phase. A coating agent or surface stabilizer is normally used to co-precipitate with the drug to stabilize the particles. Examples of these precipitation methods are solvent and anti-solvent microprecipitation, phase inversion precipitation, pH shift precipitation, supercritical fluid precipitation, and temperature shift precipitation.
Examples of appropriate precipitation techniques include preparing nanoparticle suspensions as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Ser. Nos. 60/258,160; 09/874,799; 09/874,637; 09/874,499; and 09/953,979, which are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof. These applications disclose forming small particles of organic compounds by dissolving the organic compound in a water miscible organic solvent followed by precipitating the organic compounds in an aqueous medium to form a pre-suspension followed by adding energy to the pre-suspension to stabilize a coating of the particle, to alter the lattice structure of the particle or to reduce particle size. The process is preferably used to prepare a suspension of a poorly water-soluble, pharmaceutically active compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,528 discloses a process for preparing nanoparticles by solvent anti-solvent precipitation. The process includes the steps of: (1) preparing a liquid phase of a substance in a solvent or a mixture of solvents to which may be added one or more surfactants, (2) preparing a second liquid phase of a non-solvent or a mixture of non-solvents, the non-solvent is miscible with the solvent or mixture of solvents for the substance, (3) adding together the solutions of (1) and (2) with stirring; and (4) removing of unwanted solvents to produce a colloidal suspension of nanoparticles. The '528 patent discloses that it produces particles of the substance smaller than 500 nm without the supply of energy. In particular, the '528 patent states that it is undesirable to use high energy equipment such as sonicators and homogenizers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,689 discloses a method for making uniformly sized particles from water-insoluble drugs or other organic compounds. First, a suitable solid organic compound is dissolved in an organic solvent, and the solution can be diluted with a non-solvent. Then, an aqueous precipitating liquid is infused, precipitating non-aggregated particles with substantially uniform mean diameter. The particles are then separated from the organic solvent. Depending on the organic compound and the desired particle size, the parameters of temperature, ratio of non-solvent to organic solvent, infusion rate, stir rate, and volume can be varied according to the invention. The '689 patent discloses this process forms a drug in a metastable state which is thermodynamically unstable. The '689 patent discloses trapping the drug in a metastable state by utilizing crystallization inhibitors (e.g., polyvinylpyrrolidinone) and surface-active agents (e.g., poly(oxyethylene)-co-(oxypropylene)) to render the metastable precipitate stable enough to be isolated by centrifugation, membrane filtration or reverse osmosis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,062 discloses a method of preparing small particles of insoluble drugs by (1) dissolving the drug in a water-miscible first solvent, (2) preparing a second solution of a polymer and an amphiphile in an aqueous second solvent in which the drug is substantially insoluble whereby a polymer/amphiphile complex is formed and (3) mixing the solutions from the first and second steps to precipitate an aggregate of the drug and polymer/amphiphile complex.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,454 discloses a method for making uniformly sized particles from solid compounds. The method of the '454 patent includes the steps of dissolving the solid compound in a suitable solvent followed by infusing precipitating liquid thereby precipitating non-aggregated particles with substantially uniform mean diameter. The particles are then separated from the solvent. The '454 patent discourages forming particles in a crystalline state because during the precipitating procedure the crystal can dissolve and recrystallize thereby broadening the particle size distribution range. The '454 patent encourages during the precipitating procedure to trap the particles in a thermodynamically unstable particle state.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,235,224 B1 and 6,143,211, both issued to Mathiowitz et al., disclose the use of phase inversion phenomena to precipitate microencapsulated microparticles. The method includes mixing a polymer and a drug with a solvent. This mixture is introduced into an effective amount of a miscible non-solvent, thereby causing spontaneous formation of the microencapsulated product.
Microprecipitation by pH shifting is another technology used to prepare dispersions of a nanoparticulate pharmaceutical agent. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,766,635; 5,716,642; 5,665,331; 5,662,883; 5,560,932; and 4,608,278. This technology involves dissolving a pharmaceutical compound in an aqueous base having a non-neutral pH that is then neutralized to precipitate the compound in the aqueous base.
In yet another approach, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,635, issued to Spenlenhauer et al., nanoparticles have been prepared by dissolving a poly(ethylene) oxide and/or poly(propylene) oxide/polylactide copolymer in an organic solvent, mixing the organic solution so formed with an aqueous solution to cause nanoparticles to precipitate out of solution, and microfluidizing the suspension without the use of surfactants. Carrier particles consisting of a solid polymer matrix are thus formed, into which a co-precipitated pharmaceutical agent may be incorporated.
Precipitation by supercritical fluid is disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,360,478 and 5,389,263 to Krukonis et al., and WO 97/14407 to Johnston. The technology is similar to the solvent anti-solvent precipitation method. In this case, the supercritical fluid, which can be a gas or liquid at conditions of pressure and temperature above its critical point, acts as the anti-solvent. The addition of the supercritical fluid to a solution of a solute in a solvent causes the solute to attain or approach supersaturated state and to precipitate out as fine particles.
Temperature shift precipitation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,837 to Domb. The method involves adding a thermally stable drug to a polymer. The polymer is often oil-based (e.g., phospholipid, synthetic waxes) and has a low melting point. The drug is heated with the polymer to slightly above the melting point of the polymer to form a warm emulsion of the drug in the molten polymer. The emulsion is then cooled quickly by adding the emulsion to a bath of cold non-solvent, such as water, with vigorous shaking to cause the emulsion to form droplets and to solidify to entrap the active agent in a suspension.
Yet another approach to preparing submicron particles of poorly water soluble organic compounds is the formation of an emulsion of the compound. The organic compound is dissolved in an organic phase. The organic phase forms an emulsion with an aqueous phase. An emulsion evaporation method is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/964,273. The method includes the steps of: (1) providing a multiphase system having an organic phase and an aqueous phase, the organic phase having a pharmaceutically effective compound therein; and (2) sonicating the system to evaporate a portion of the organic phase to cause precipitation of the compound in the aqueous phase and having an average effective particle size of less than about 400 nm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,785 discloses a process for forming nanoamorphous dispersions of photographically useful compounds. The process of forming nanoamorphous dispersions include any known process of emulsification that produces a dispersed phase having amorphous particulates.
Still yet another approach to preparing submicron size nanoparticle suspension of a pharmaceutically active compound is by seeding at some point during a precipitation process to generate crystals of a desired morphology. (see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/035,821). The method comprises the steps of dissolving a first quantity of the pharmaceutically-active compound in the water-miscible first organic solvent to form a first solution. The first solution is then seeded. Alternatively, a second solvent may be seeded. It is also possible to use seed compounds at other points during the precipitation process. The first solution is then mixed with the second solvent. The mixing of the first solution with the second solvent results in the precipitation of the pharmaceutically-active compound in a desired morphological form.
Another approach is directed to the production of suspended particles coated with protein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,596, issued to Desai et al., discloses the application of high shear to a mixture of an organic phase having a pharmacologically active agent dispersed therein and an aqueous medium containing a biocompatible polymer. The mixture is sheared in a high-pressure homogenizer at a pressure in the range of from about 3,000 to 30,000 psi. The '596 patent requires the mixture contain substantially no surfactants because the combined use of a surfactant with a protein results in the formation of large, needle-like crystalline particles that increase in size during storage. See columns 17–18, example 4.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,933, issued to Soon-Shiong et al., discloses the formation of a polymeric shell around the water-insoluble drug for in vivo delivery. The method discloses the application of sonication to a mixture comprising a polymer-containing aqueous medium and a dispersing agent having a substantially water-insoluble drug dispersed therein. In this reference, sonication is used to drive the formation of disulfide bonds in the polymer, causing it to cross-link so as to produce a polymeric shell around the drug. Sonication is conducted for a time sufficient for the disulfide bonds to form.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,383, Grinstaff et al. discloses the application of ultrasound to a single-phase B i.e., an aqueous medium—to encapsulate an immunostimulating agent within a polymeric shell for in vivo delivery. The ultrasound promotes crosslinking of the encapsulating agent by disulfide bonds to form the shell.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,981,719 and 6,268,053 disclose a method of preparing microparticles of macromolecules with particle size of less than 10 microns. Macromolecules are mixed with a soluble polymer or mixture of soluble polymers (e.g., albumin) at a pH near the isoelectric point of the macromolecule in the presence of an energy, preferably heat, for a predetermined length of time. The microparticles formed by this process allow aqueous fluids to enter and solubilized macromolecules and polymers to exit the microparticles and can be made to exhibit short-term or long-term release kinetics, thereby providing either rapid or sustained release of macromolecules.

Compositions of and method for preparing stable particles in a frozen aqueous matrix


In a manufacturing method for an electroluminescent thin film, a base material made of a II-VI group compound semiconductor and a material of an element for an emission center to be included in the base material are provided separately in first and second gas passages provided in a source zone on the upstream side of a reaction tube. The base material is transported to a growth zone on the downstream side thereof through the first gas passage by the use of an inert carrier gas, while the element material is transported through the second gas passage in the form of a halogen compound vapor, so as to grow an electroluminescent thin film on a substrate disposed in the growth zone. A reducing gas is fed to the growth zone through a third gas passage which bypasses the source zone from the upstream side to the downstream side of the reaction tube.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a manufacturing method for an electroluminescent thin film, and more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a light emitting layer of an electroluminescent thin film element to be employed for displays of various electronic devices and of measurement instruments, for terminals of computers and of word processors and so on by using the chemical vapor deposition process.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a material for constituting a light emitting layer of an electroluminescent thin film element, it is known that a semiconductor of II-VI group compound such as ZnS, ZnSe, CaS, SrS is employed as a base material and manganese or rare earth ions such as Tb, Sm, Ce and Eu are added thereto as emission center. Among these materials, the only material currently available for practical use is ZnS:Mn wherein ZnS is employed for the base material and Mn is employed as emission center. In order to grow a ZnS:Mn film, the following two kinds of thin film forming techniques are used:
(1) A vacuum deposition process employing the powders of ZnS and Mn or a mixed sintered material thereof as a evaporation source (for example, Japanese Patent Publication 10358/1977); and PA1 (2) A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) type atomic layer epitaxy process in which Zn, S and Mn are alternately supplied onto a substrate each in the vapor state so as to grow a film in units of atomic layers (Japanese Patent Publication 57-35,158/1982). PA1 (3) A high frequency sputtering technique employing a mixed target of ZnS and Mn; PA1 (4) An organic metal chemical vapor deposition process (MOCVD method) in which an organic compound of II group metal and a hydroxide of VI group metal are thermally decomposed on a substrate; PA1 (5) A Multi-source vapor deposition process in which solid materials of Zn, S and Mn subjected to overheating are supplied from respective evaporation sources under vacuum; and PA1 (6) A halogen transport CVD process in which a hydrogen halide is used as a carrier gas of Mn for emission center.
Besides these methods, the following methods are being investigated in order to improve the quality of an electroluminescent thin film and of making an electroluminescent thin film for multi-color displays:
The applicant of the present invention recently proposed a halogen transport CVD process under low pressure (refer to Japanese Patent laid open Publication 289,091/1989) which is excellent for improving the quality of an electroluminescent film, for enlarging its area and for improving its productivity.
In the halogen transport CVD process, a ZnS source and a metallic Mn source are transported by hydrogen gas (or inert gas) and by hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas, respectively, and a film is grown on a substrate as a result of chemical reaction. A difference of the halogen-transport CVD process at a low pressure from the above-mentioned methods (1) through (5) lies in that the ZnS source gas generated in the source zone (in the upstream side or in a high temperature zone) of the reaction tube is transported to the growth zone (in the downstream side or in a low temperature zone) due to the flow of a carrier gas and the Mn source is transported as a gas of a halogen compound separately. Namely, the ZnS source and Mn source generated according to the following chemical reactions are transported separately to a substrate, so as to grow a film on the substrate due to chemical reaction: EQU ZnS.fwdarw.Zn+(1/2)S.sub.2. (1) EQU Mn+2HCl.fwdarw.MnCl.sub.2 +H.sub.2. (2).
Therefore, the source gases of high purity can be supplied to the substrate, and a film having a close and strong bonding can be grown. Thus, a high quality electroluminescent thin film is obtained.
In the halogen-transport CVD process at a low pressure, the kinds and flow rates of the carrier gases are important factors which affect the film quality and the device characteristics. For example, HCl gas is employed for transport of the Mn source, while a single gas such as H.sub.2 gas or inert gas such as He or Ar is used as the carrier gas of the ZnS source.
As to a practical use of an electroluminescent film, it is demanded to produce an electroluminescent film of better electroluminescent properties with better reproducibility characteristics. In order to obtain better electroluminescent characteristics, it is desired for an electroluminescent film to have a larger concentration of emission center and to have better crystallinity or less crystal defects. The halogen transport CVD process is deficient for these factors.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of an electroluminescent thin film wherein emission center can be doped in a thin film electroluminescent element at a high concentration with good reproducibility characteristics and the crystallinity of a thin film electroluminescent element can be increased to a desirable level.

Manufacturing method for electroluminescent thin film


This disclosure describes cryptographic secure implementation of a Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG) architecture based on existing Fortuna algorithm, but providing improvements thereupon for gathering and measuring entropy. The improvement includes a unique step of initial seeding that is not covered by Fortuna. The solution should be adapted to a variety of computing and communicating devices, including mobile devices.

In modern cryptography, many widely-used and market-mandated algorithm implementations have been already published. Designing secure algorithms does not in itself provide the required security. Security is derived from implementation of the algorithm and the associated key material.
Random data is a cornerstone of cryptographic system design. Cryptographic toolkits leverage random bit generators to provide the basis not only for symmetric/asymmetric keys but also for nonces/salts, password generation, key agreement parameters, and a host of other functions. (A "nonce" is an arbitrary number used in cryptographic communication. A "salt" is random data that are used as additional input to a function that hashes a password.) Random bit generation can be the weak link in the implementation of cryptography. A weak source of random bits can lead to a weak key, which leads insecure data.
The challenge is that generating statistically random bits is difficult. The output should be as unpredictable as possible. From a security perspective, the random bit generation mechanism should be uncontrollable and undecipherable by an adversary.
Further, the unpredictability of the random data generation method should be measured to provide some level of assurance that "true" randomness is achieved. True randomness means there is no discernable or predictable pattern of generated bits, and that each bit generated has no dependency or relationship to the previously generated bit.
In computing, entropy is the randomness collected by an operating system or application for use in cryptography or other uses that require random data. Government standards exist for cryptographic applications, including standards related to entropy. According to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Entropy Source Guidelines SP800-90B, the only way for a seed value to provide real security is for it to contain a sufficient amount of randomness, i.e., from a non-deterministic process referred to as an entropy source. And ideally, it should be measurable.
What is needed is the cryptographic secure implementation of a Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG) architecture based on existing algorithms, but providing improvements thereupon for gathering and measuring entropy. These solutions should be adapted to a variety of computing and communicating devices, including mobile devices.

Managing entropy in computing devices for cryptographic key generation


A communication system (200) comprises a system management function (246) for managing base-site resources and system throughput of data. The system management function (246) defines a number of resources. The system management function (236), such as a radio network controller, comprises a data throughput identification function to identify one or more bottleneck resources from a sub-set of system resources involved in the system's data throughput. A method of reducing power consumption (MIPS) in a system management function (236) and a radio network controller (236) are also provided.

Wireless communication systems, for example cellular telephony or private mobile radio communication systems, typically provide for radio telecommunication links to be arranged between a plurality of base transceiver stations (BTSs) and a plurality of subscriber units, often termed mobile stations (MSs). Base station contollers (BSCs) are provided, each BSC controlling one or more BTS.
Wireless communication systems are distinguished over fixed communication systems, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), principally in that mobile stations move between BTS (and/or different service providers) and in doing so encounter varying radio propagation environments.
In a wireless communication system, each BTS has associated with it a particular geographical coverage area (or cell). A particular range defines the coverage area where the BTS can maintain acceptable communications with MSs operating within its serving cell. Often these cells combine to produce an extensive coverage area.
Present day communications systems, both wireless and wire-line, have a requirement to transfer data between communications units. Data, in this context, includes speech communication. Such data transfer needs to be effectively and efficiently provided for, in order to optimise use of limited communication resources.
One such wireless communication system is the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard supporting wide-band code-division multiple access (WCDMA) relating to the Universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) radio access network (RAN) known as UTRAN. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is defining the 3GPP standard.
Within UMTS nomenclature, the base transceiver station (BTS) is called a node B, and a base station controller (BSC) is called a radio network controller (RNC).
Within the UTRAN, many communication resources need to be managed effectively, for example:                (i) The air interface (i.e. CDMA power and code) resource, with separate air interface resources for, say, each cell.        (ii) The backhaul resource supporting, for example limited capacity E1 links, with separate resources for, say, each Node B.        (iii) Node B hardware/software resources, for example managing the Node B's processing capability (e.g. as defined by the microprocessors, back-plane networking, etc.), may limit the throughput of data that is achievable within a cell.        (iv) RNC Hardware/software resources.
In some conventional systems, the same (or at least a similar) set of QoS management algorithms must be applied to each resource. These QoS management algorithms include:                (i) Admission control: performed when a new call enters the system/cell. Admission control has an objective of determining whether QoS will be maintained for all connections, if the new call is admitted.        (ii) Scheduling: performed every frame. Scheduling has an objective of ensuring that the number of data packets submitted for transmission will not exceed the capacity available over a short time period, such as a 10 msec. frame.        (iii) Overload control: used if the aforementioned admission control and/or scheduling mechanisms fail in their function, in order to rectify the situation. Actions might include 'call pre-emption' in which low priority calls are thrown off the system.        (iv) Flow control: This could be considered a sub-category of overload control, and is at least related to overload control. Flow control causes the source rate to be decreased in order that the system does not become congested.
Running all four of these QoS control mechanisms, for each of the many UTRAN resources, consumes a significant amount of processing power in terms of mega instructions per second (MIPS). The processing impact is felt principally in the radio network controller (RNC) in the 3GPP system, but also in the Node B.
The inventors of the present invention have recognised and appreciated that current QoS management algorithms address all resources with equal regard. Hence, there is no consideration as to their relative importance in limiting the data throughput of the network. It is possible that in some, perhaps even most, instances, a few of the UTRAN resources will be over-dimensioned with respect to the others. For these (relatively speaking) over-dimensioned resources, the MIPS consumed in performing the QoS management functions will be wasted, since other resources will represent a bottleneck in limiting a data throughput performance.
Thus, there exists a need in the field of this invention, to provide an improved QoS management methodology, particularly in cellular base-site resources in a wireless communication system (where transmission delay is a constraint), wherein the abovementioned disadvantages may be alleviated.

Communication system, communication unit and method of power saving therein

Abstract: The identification of a bottleneck resource helps determine whether MIPS could be saved by not performing one or more QoS management algorithms, the benefit from which is reduced due to the bottleneck resource.


A system and method is described for centrally managing private computer networks, each of which has a network element assigned the identical IP address. The networks are mapped into domains which each contains only network elements that have unique IP addresses. A separate virtual or physical interface at a management station is associated with each domain whereby management data is exchanged between the management station and a particular domain through a domain-specific interface that is assigned its own IP address. This IP address is inserted as the source address in data transmitted from the management station to the associated domain, thereby enabling a router to discern the domain to which the data should be routed. This IP address is also inserted as a destination address in data transmitted from a domain to the management station, thereby enabling the management station to discern from which domain the received data originated.

The proliferation of computer networks has made it necessary to have some way of efficiently managing these networks. Many businesses have turned to outside service providers of Managed IP Network Services to manage their networks. Among other tasks, the service providers remotely monitor customers' networks for problems that may arise using a central management server (i.e., the "manager.")
In a network using the Internet Protocol (IP), the manager has a single IP address that is associated with a physical interface at the network element. Outgoing IP data packets ("datagrams") sent from the manager include this IP address as the source IP address. Incoming IP data packets received by the manager include this IP address as the destination IP address.
The managed networks (i.e., "agents" or "customer networks"), which are managed by the service provider, have network elements/devices, such as network servers, routers, switches, hubs, hosts, probes, etc. that each have an IP address identifier. The service provider must be able to address each of the network elements on the managed networks using the IP addresses of these network elements.
Service providers face a challenge in centrally managing multiple IP networks when some of the network elements in the various networks are assigned identical IP addresses. This is because network management applications and the IP protocol stacks on which they run operate under the assumption that IP addresses, are unique for each network element. This assumption is correct with respect to an individual customer's private network in which each machine does have a unique IP address. However, the assumption may be incorrect in a situation where a service provider remotely manages networks for multiple customers. Many of these customers may deploy private networks that each use certain identical ranges of addresses to identify their machines.
The use of duplicate IP addresses results from the IP address scheme. In this scheme, the notation "10.0.0.0" is the standard way of expressing an Internet address. Each of the four numbers in the address is internally stored as an 8 bit value, so each number may have a value from 0 to 255 inclusive. Addresses are generally used in contiguous ranges. The notation "10.0.0.0/8" describes those addresses whose top 8 bits are the number 10, and whose remaining (24) bits can be any other combination of numbers. Another commonly used terminology for such an address range is a "network number": 10.0.0.0/8 is "network 10".
While most Internet addresses are assigned by an international authority, and are only used for one machine in the entire world, several ranges—the 10.0.0.0/8 and 192.0.0.0/24 ranges among them—are explicitly left unassigned; they are generally referred to as private. Addresses in these ranges can be used for any machine, as long as the networks to which those machines are connected are configured so that the addresses do not "escape" to the greater Internet. It is these IP addresses that can be duplicated among networks. The Address Translation Gateways described below were designed to allow machines with addresses of this sort a way to communicate with the greater Internet.
A management application for managing multiple private networks operating in the presence of non-unique IP addresses must be able to recognize the distinct network elements that have duplicate IP addresses. If the network elements that share the same address could not be distinguished, a topology map at the service provider or elsewhere, which maps the network elements on the various networks, will incorrectly show that systems in each of the customer networks are connected, when, in reality, they are totally unrelated. Such phantom connectivity is the result of the systems sharing the same IP network number. As a result, data may be incorrectly routed to an unintended network element or may be unroutable due to the ambiguity in the intended destination.
Additionally, if a network management application polls one of multiple devices that are assigned the same IP address but are in different customer networks, the management application must be able to determine which of the multiple devices actually received the poll and sent a response that is received. The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) (defined in RFC 1157 published by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)), and the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) (RFC 792), are two commonly-used protocols that permit polling.
Moreover, in a protocol, such as SNMP, a network element may send a notification to the network manager about a change in status of the device or about some event that has occurred without the manager first sending a request for this information. In SNMP, such a notification is referred to as an SNMP "trap". A management application must be able to tell which managed network generated a trap when the trap's source address is duplicated by multiple systems in different customer networks.
Managing networks with duplicate IP addresses has been cumbersome. There are two common prior art approaches that service providers have employed: one may be referred to as the "Hardware Method" and the other is the "Address Translation Gateways" method. Both of these approaches are work-arounds that eliminate (or at least minimize) the problem.
The so-called Hardware Method is a brute-force approach that tries to solve the problem with computer hardware. In this method, the service provider deploys multiple hardware platforms at the service provider each running a separate copy of the management application. Customer A's network is managed from one platform, customer B's network from another platform, and so on. Static routes are configured on each platform so that packets from the first hardware platform and management application go to customer A's network and packets from the second hardware platform and management application go to customer B's network.
This approach has two significant disadvantages. First, each new customer that comes online requires a new, dedicated hardware platform which greatly increases the cost. Second, the end result is multiple isolated management applications. This makes it difficult for the service provider to centralize operations management.
Another approach uses Address Translation Gateways to eliminate the address duplication. Using this approach, the service provider provides an address translation table at the gateways to translate the common addresses either to IP addresses assigned exclusively to the service provider, or to non-exclusive IP addresses. In the latter case, the service provider must isolate its management network from the greater Internet in the event that it duplicates someone else's addresses.
As an example of the Address Translation approach, assume customers A and B use the address range 10.1.0.0/16. A software translation table is set up that maps 10.1.0.0/16 for customer A to 220.127.116.11/16, which in this example is an IP address that is unique, i.e. not duplicated, in the managed networks and the management application. A similar table is set up for customer B that maps 10.1.0.0/16 to 22.214.171.124/16, another otherwise unused IP address. In the address translation method, the management application for managing the customer networks is unaware of the real IP addresses of the customer devices. Instead, the management application is told that customer A devices are in the range 22.214.171.124/16, and that customer B's devices are in the range 188.8.131.52/16. Static routes are set up on the management platform to route traffic for network 188.8.131.52/16 to a special-purpose hardware device that has unambiguous connectivity to customer A's network. A similar route to a second device is configured for customer B. The special-purpose hardware device uses the address translation table to translate packets sent to and received from the customer network.
Address translation works well only when the number of addresses that must be translated in any reasonably short interval of time is a small fraction of the potential addresses in the private network. It would be very difficult for a service provider to find enough addresses to "cover" all the addresses used by even a small number of customers with large networks. In fact, one reason to use shared addresses such as 10.0.0.0/8 is that it is difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to get large address range assignments under the IP address scheme that uses a set of four numbers. Additionally, a network management application by its very nature is likely to need to reach a large fraction of all hosts in the managed network on a regular basis. This would make the address translation method difficult to apply for network management even if all other problems could be solved.
These other problems include a requirement for special-purpose hardware platform to implement the address translation, so the address translation method does not eliminate the per customer hardware expenditure. Second, in using the SNMP protocol packet payload translation is required to translate the address from the common IP address contained within the payload of the IP packet. This ensures that no evidence of the customer's real IP addresses are seen by the management application, which may confuse the management application as to the source of the packet.
For example, management information base (MIB) tables at the special-purpose hardware device that performs address translation, like the MIB-2 ipAddrTable, contain keys or row values that represent IP addresses for network elements that are to be managed. The translator must intercept the response from a managed network to any poll for such a MIB variable. The IP address must then be located within the response payload of a packet and properly translated before the response may be sent to the management application. This processing introduces an unwanted run-time overhead that slows down polling. More importantly, the service provider must be aware of all MIB variables accessed by the management application in order to determine if any need to be translated. This creates an undesirable administrative overhead.
Perhaps the most crucial drawback to the address translation method is the fact that the management application is completely unaware of the real addressing scheme of the customer. Therefore, alarms that are generated for network failures or troubles have no meaning to operations staff without even more translation processes that can manipulate the notifications coming out of the management application.
In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, it would be advantageous to have a better solution to managing multiple private networks that use common IP addresses. Such a solution should:                (1) allow a service provider who provides the management application to manage identically addressed customer networks from a single management hardware platform;        (2) not require the service provider to deploy customer-specific hardware elements;        (3) permit the isolation of the customer network topologies, even though they occupy the same IP address space;        (4) report failures using the native addressing of the customer networks; and        (5) permit the use of SNMP and ICMP polling originating from the single hardware platform, as well as the unambiguous processing of incoming traps received on the single hardware platform, without ambiguity due to the overlapping IP addressing.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.

Implementing managed network services for customers with duplicate IP networks


Examples of the method may comprise providing a print media under a printhead of the printing system, obtaining an actual height profile signal, related to a height between the printhead and the print media, based on measurements taken at a plurality of positions across the width of the media during at least one pass, comparing said actual height profile signal to an earlier height profile signal, obtained based on measurements taken at said plurality of positions across the width of the media during at least one earlier pass on the same print media, and determining a media malfunction condition based on said comparison.

A printing system may include a printhead to apply a printing fluid on a substrate or print media in a printing zone, in order to form a plot or image, and a platen to support the print media in the printing zone. The printhead may apply the printing fluid in successive swaths or passes over the print media along a first direction, and the print media may be advanced on the platen between swaths, in a second direction at right angles to the first direction.
The quality of the printed image depends on a number of factors, including the accuracy in the positioning on the printing fluid on the print media. This accuracy in its turn may depend inter alia on the shape of the print media under the printhead, i.e. on the height or distance between the print media and the printhead.

Determining a print media malfunction condition

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.


A single-sided differential pressure sensing chip having a cavity formed in the top surface of a substrate, a deformable diaphragm spanning the cavity, and a pressure passage connecting the top surface of the substrate with the cavity, and a method of making the same are described. A first fluid pressure applied to the top surface of the substrate in the vicinity of the diaphragm exerts a force on the top surface of the diaphragm, and a second fluid pressure applied to the top surface of the substrate near the pressure passage exerts a force on the bottom surface of the diaphragm. The diaphragm deflects in response to the forces exerted upon it, and a sensing element detects the flexing of the diaphragm. The pressure sensing chip can be contained within a housing structure formed of a carrier and a cap. The housing structure forms a first pressure chamber that communicates with the top surface of the diaphragm and a second pressure chamber that communicates with the bottom surface of the diaphragm through the pressure passage. The cap can include a first opening for connecting a first fluid pressure with the first chamber, and a second opening for connecting a second fluid pressure with the second chamber.

One type of semiconductor pressure sensor utilizes a two-wafer construction formed of a flexible silicon diaphragm laminated to a non-deflecting substrate, as disclosed in Knecht et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,192. A sensing element for measuring diaphragm deflection, typically by capacitive or resistive techniques, is secured to the diaphragm. The deflection of the diaphragm, due to pressure variations applied to the diaphragm, causes changes in the electrical characteristics of the sensing element. These changes can be measured and converted into a pressure-responsive electrical signal for further processing.
Pressure sensors can be constructed to measure absolute pressure and to measure differential pressure. In one form of an absolute pressure sensor, a flexible diaphragm spans a sealed cavity in the substrate. As a first fluid pressure external to the sensor varies, the diaphragm deflects and activates the sensing element. In a corresponding form of a differential pressure sensor, a first fluid pressure is applied to the top face of a diaphragm that spans a cavity in the substrate, and the bottom face of the diaphragm is exposed to a second fluid pressure. The bottom face, or underside, of the diaphragm is typically exposed by forming a port through the substrate. The flexible diaphragm in the differential pressure sensor deflects in response to the difference between the external pressures applied to the top of the pressure sensor and to the bottom of the pressure sensor. Accordingly, differential pressure sensors generally are suited to situations where two distinct fluid pressures can be applied to opposing sides of the sensor diaphragm.
Processes used to manufacture differential pressure sensors having semiconductor structures include numerous difficult manufacturing steps. In particular, etching techniques used to form the port through the substrate to the bottom face of the diaphragm are time consuming and expensive. According to one practice of this process: a cavity is formed in the top surface layer of a substrate, an oxide spacer is deposited in the cavity, and a semiconductor layer is applied over the oxide spacer. Thereafter, the oxide spacer is etched from the reverse or backside of the substrate to define a diaphragm that is free-standing over the cavity, i.e., the diaphragm spans across the cavity. This back-side etching process requires numerous processing steps and is relatively complex and costly. Furthermore, difficulties in maintaining the processing steps within the required tolerances create difficulties in forming high yields of semiconductor pressure sensors over time.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a differential pressure sensor which can be manufactured in a cost effective manner with a relatively high yield of acceptable sensors.
An additional object of the invention is to produce a compact pressure sensor that uses only a single semiconductor layer and that does not require alignment between a plurality of layers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pressure sensor capable of measuring the differential between two distinct fluid pressures applied to the same side of the pressure sensor.
Other general and specific objects of this invention will be apparent and evident from the accompanying drawings and the following description.

Single-sided differential pressure sensor


A technique is described for facilitating block level access operations to be performed at a remote volume via a wide area network (WAN). The block level access operations may be initiated by at least one host which is a member of a local area network (LAN). The LAN includes a block cache mechanism configured or designed to cache block data in accordance with a block level protocol. A block level access request is received from a host on the LAN. In response to the block level access request, a portion of block data may be cached in the block cache mechanism using a block level protocol. In at least one implementation, portions of block data in the block cache mechanism may be identified as “dirty” data which has not yet been stored in the remote volume. Block level write operations may be performed over the WAN to cause the identified dirty data in the block cache mechanism to be stored at the remote volume.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer networks, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for consolidating block level access to remote storage.
2. Background of the Invention
With the increasing popularity of Internet commerce and network centric computing, businesses and other organizations are becoming more and more reliant on information. To handle all of this data, wide area file systems such as, for example, the Cisco Wide Area File System (WAFS) (manufactured by Cisco Systems, Inc., of San Jose, Calif.), have become very popular.
The Cisco WAFS file engine eliminates the need for branch office file servers by consolidating remote storage with a data center for file level access via file level access protocols such as the Common Internet File System (CIFS) and Network File System (NFS). However, conventional wide area file systems WAFS do not currently provide a solution for consolidating block level access to a centralized block storage data center.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that there exists a need for mechanisms which provide solutions for consolidating block level access to remote storage.

ISCSI block cache and synchronization technique for WAN edge device


A filter assembly for use in a disk drive assembly is disclosed. The filter assembly is configured to remove contaminants within the drive assembly and to prevent entry of contaminants into the drive assembly. In one implementation the filter assembly includes a housing configured for placement in a disk drive assembly containing a rotating disk, the housing including an air scoop having an entrance configured for placement beneath the rotating disk in the drive assembly; and a major surface having a wall and an opening in the wall, the opening configured for receiving a filter material and being in fluid communication with the entrance to the air scoop. A filter element is positioned within the housing and configured so that a first portion of the element filters air directed from the air scoop, while a second portion of the element filters air from the exterior of the drive assembly, the first and second portions sealed by a common filter material placed over the opening in the major surface.

Hard disk drives and other electronic equipment are often sealed within electronic enclosures to provide a clean environment that is necessary for optimal operation of the equipment. For example, hard disk drives normally contain at least one inflexible platter or disk coated with magnetic material that is positioned within an enclosure. The hard disk is rapidly spun within the enclosure and a magnetic read/write head "flies" a few microns above it in order to access or store data. The magnetic head rides on an air cushion, and it is desirable to position the head as close as possible to the disk without touching it in order to provide a high capacity drive.
Contaminants, including particles, gases, and liquids within the hard disk drive enclosure can act to reduce the efficiency and longevity of the hard drive. These contaminants can gradually damage the drive, cause deterioration in performance, and in certain situations can even cause sudden, complete failure of it. Contaminants can either enter the electronic enclosure from an external source or be generated from within the enclosure during use. Common sources of contaminants in disk drives include leaks, which may or may not be intentional, the manufacturing environment, which can contain certain contaminants, and the materials incorporated into the disk drive which give off particulates and gases.
One particular concern regarding electronic enclosures is that contaminants from outside of the electronic enclosure should be prevented from entering the enclosure. These contaminants can be of particular significance because temperature fluctuations in the enclosure will often cause the exchange of air with the exterior environment. If particulate or chemical contaminants are present in this exchanged air, the interior of the enclosure will become contaminated. Another particular concern regarding electronic enclosures is that organic vapors and other contaminants can be generated inside electronic enclosures during normal operating conditions. For example, when the temperature exceeds 150° F., organic acids and organic vapors can be formed that damage electronic components. Such temperatures can be achieved by simply leaving the computer in the trunk of a car on a hot day. It is important that these contaminants generated within the enclosure be efficiently captured or removed in order to prevent deterioration of the electronic equipment.
Therefore, a need exists for a filter for use in an electronic enclosure, in particular a filter that prevents contaminants from entering the enclosure and also removes contaminants that are present within the enclosure.


A tire includes a pair of axially spaced apart beads. A carcass ply extends between and is secured at axially opposite end portions to a respective one of the beads. A pair of bead fillers is also included. Each of the bead fillers is located radially outward of a respective bead. A flipper partially envelopes the bead and further engages and replaces a part of the bead filler. The flipper further includes a plurality of parallel extending reinforcing members. The flipper has a central portion located radially inward of the bead and a pair of leg portions. Each of the pair of leg portions extends radially outwardly from a bead reference. The radial extent of the leg portions is greater than a flange distance, being the radial extent of a flange of a rim, but less than the radial extent of an apex of the bead filler when the tire is properly mounted on the rim. The carcass ply turnup extends radially to approximately the height of the rim flange. Each flipper reinforcing member is made from a polyamide monofilament or a polymeric multifilament, preferably a multifilament.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a pneumatic vehicle tire. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved flipper structure in the bead area of the tire.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A pneumatic vehicle tire typically includes a pair of axially spaced apart beads. Each bead is substantially inextensible in the circumferential and diametral directions. A bead filler extends radially outwardly from a respective bead. At least one carcass ply extends between the beads. The carcass ply has axially opposite end portions, each of which is turned up around a respective bead and secured thereto. Tread rubber and sidewall rubber is located outwardly of the carcass ply. If the tire is a radial type of pneumatic tire, a belt package is provided and located between the carcass ply and the tread of the tire.
It is known that the automotive industry continually seeks to improve the fuel economy of each vehicle manufactured. In fact, many national governments throughout the world either have or are proposing mandated minimum fuel economy standards. In the United States of America, for example, minimum standards for corporate average fuel economy are constantly increasing. One way that the vehicle manufacturers increase their respective corporate average fuel economy is to reduce the overall resistance of the vehicle to movement.
A portion of the energy to move a vehicle is used to overcome the resistance of the tire to rolling at recommended operating conditions. It is known that approximately one third of a percent reduction in fuel economy is realized in a one percent reduction in rolling resistance for passenger car tires. The rolling resistance of a tire can be decreased by improved tire designs and by making vehicle operational changes. For example, a higher inflation pressure is an operational change that can decrease the rolling resistance of the tire. A design change may be the introduction of new materials having a low hysteresis property. One area of the tire that contributes a substantial amount to the rolling resistance of the tire is the bead area. Structural design changes in the bead area can improve rolling resistance of the tire by reducing stress and strain in the bead area. However, structural changes in the bead area of the tire which reduce the stresses and strains (often through increases in the rigidity of the bead structure) typically tend to decrease ride comfort characteristics. Structural changes in the bead area of the tire have included a variety of approaches.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,285 discloses a bead filler having an anisotropic elasticity. The anisotropic elasticity is accomplished by incorporating short fibers of a thermoplastic material into the rubber composition of the bead filler. The short fibers are oriented in the longitudinal direction during an extrusion operation used to produce the bead filler. When the bead filler is formed radially outward of the bead, the short fibers become oriented in a circumferential direction of the assembled tire.
It is known to provide a flipper surrounding the bead and bead filler made from a square woven cloth. The cloth is typically made of a textile material in which each fiber (thread) has a generally round cross-section. When this known flipper is cured in the tire, the stiffness of the filaments are essentially the same when taken in any direction.
Examples of other flippers are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,493,614 and 3,253,639 which disclose disadvantages associated with the flippers. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,493,614 the ride comfort of a tire is decreased by limiting the "yieldingness" in the sidewalls of the tires. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,639 radial and circumferential deformations of the tire are disclosed. The deformations result in shearing stresses during normal operation of the tire. Circumferential deformations create relatively high shearing stresses between plies and within a ply in the areas of the tire where the flippers overlap the radial carcass ply cords. Limits on the radial turnup extent of the carcass ply cords around the beads are made to locate the ends of the ply where radial deformations of the tire are relatively small. The ends of carcass ply which are turned up around the beads generally do not extend beyond one third of the interior height of the tire measured from the bead to the interior surface of the tire at the crown.
Stresses that reduce energy losses in the bead assembly are frequently accompanied by strains that give less ride comfort. A balance between stresses and strains in the tire is desirable. A balanced design for a reinforced bead assembly of a tire has stress characteristics for increased endurance and reduced energy loss and strain characteristics for adequate ride comfort. Thus, there is a need for a new tire which has decreased rolling resistance without increasing vehicle ride harshness.
An objective of this invention is to provide reinforcement of each bead assembly to help protect the beads from exterior damage and to provide a better balance between stress and strain characteristics in the bead area than prior art tires. The reinforcement shall be designed to have an improved hysteresis property. This objective is to improve the rolling resistance of the tire. Another objective of this invention is to limit the radial extent of the flipper, as well as the carcass ply turnup, to maintain optimum circumferential and radial stiffness properties of the tire. This objective is associated with maintaining vehicle ride comfort.


A coil component including a connection part not excessively welded to a terminal electrode. End portion of a conducting wire of a common mode filter is laser-welded, while being held by a holding piece and a surface of the terminal electrode. A portion melted by laser-welding includes a bulge portion which bulges in a direction away from a core. There is provided a lower insulation covering portion between a foundation and the portion corresponding to the end portion of the conducting wire. For the bulge portion, the lower insulation covering portion is provided only between the foundation and the portion corresponding to the end portion of the conducting wire, thereby preventing excessive welding to a terminal electrode.

The present invention relates to a coil component, and more particularly to a type thereof including terminal electrodes and a conducting wire, in which each end of the conducting wire is electrically connected to respective terminal electrode.
A coil component such as a common mode filter has been known in which a plurality of insulated conducting wires are wound over a drum type core. The drum type core includes a core part and a pair of flange parts each coupled to each axial end of the core part. The plurality of conducting wires, for example, two wires, are each wound over the core part of the drum type core.
A plurality of terminal electrodes, whose number corresponds to the numbers of conducting wires, are provided at each flange part. One end of each conducting wire is electrically connected to each terminal electrode of each flange part. The other end of each conducting wire is electrically connected to each terminal electrode of the other flange part. Each terminal electrode is constituted by a metallic terminal bracket. A portion of the terminal electrode to which each end of each conducting wires is connected will be referred to as a connection part.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-158825 discloses a connection between each end of two conducting wires and each terminal electrode in a coil component in which each end portion of each conducting wire is welded to each terminal electrode without peeling off an insulation layer over the conductive wire. End portion of the conductive wire, the insulation layer, and a part of the terminal electrode are melted together to form a welded part serving as the connection part.
However, in this connection method, excessive welding may occur on the terminal electrode, thereby deforming the terminal electrode. If the terminal electrode is deformed, a satisfactory connection part may not be obtained, thereby degrading the coil component.


A vehicle ramp system of the type connected to a vehicle and moveable from an extended ramp position to a retracted tailgate position is provided. The vehicle ramp system includes a ramp moveably connected to said vehicle, wherein said ramp may be moved from a ramp position, extending between the ground and said vehicle, and a tailgate position in which said ramp is retracted and connected to said vehicle; and an alarm system positioned and connected to said truck in a manner such that when said ramp is retracted and in the tailgate position said alarm is disengaged, and when said ramp is extended said alarm system is activated alerting an operator that said ramp is in the extended position. The ramp may be constructed as a single piece or preferable in sections. The ramp is to be constructed of a material such as carbon steel or stainless steel with dimensions capable of supporting equipment which may be loaded onto the vehicle on which the ramp is connected.

Commonly pickup trucks and other trucks of various dimensions and configurations are used to transport equipment and people. While these vehicles are designed to transport equipment it is often difficult to load and unload equipment onto and from these vehicles. In particular, it is very difficult to load vehicles such as motorcycles, all terrain vehicles, mowers, jet skis and the like into the bed of common pickup trucks.
Heretofore, various vehicles were loaded into pickup trucks by lifting, which often requires more than one person and requires unnecessary use of energy and risk of injury. Additionally, it has been common in the past to use wood planks to form a ramp from the ground to the back of the truck. Obviously, the use of wood planks carries the risk of the plank(s) slipping or breaking under the load, thus increasing the probability of injury and damage to the equipment. The prior art also includes various foldable, and extendable ramp assemblies which are connectable to the tailgate of a truck. Some of these prior art devices require that the ramp be connected to the truck for loading and unloading then stored elsewhere when not in use. The prior art does not disclose a ramp assembly including an alarm to notify an operator of the vehicle that the ramp is in the extended position. It is not uncommon for an operator to unload or load a truck and leave the ramp in an extended position and then driving the vehicle. Moving the vehicle with the ramp in the extended position, especially when the vehicle is loaded, may result in losing the load, damage to the vehicle and/or ramp and injury to a person.
It would be a benefit, therefor, to have a ramp which is connected to the rear of a truck and extendable therefrom for loading and unloading the truck. It would be a further benefit to have a ramp which may be retracted from the extended ramp position and moved to a closed position in which the ramp serves as a tailgate of a truck. It would still be a further benefit to have a tailgate and ramp system wherein if the vehicle is started with the ramp extended an alarm will sound and wherein when the ramp is in the tailgate position the alarm will be disengaged.


Programmable dynamic amplifiers with hysteresis are provided. The hysteretic amplifiers have a first input voltage threshold when the output voltage is at a high voltage and a second input voltage threshold when the output voltage is at a low voltage. A multiplexer controls the hysteretic threshold voltages in response to the output signal of the amplifier. The hysteretic amplifiers can be programmed to have positive or negative hysteresis. When the amplifier is programmed with positive hysteresis, the output voltage transitions after the input voltages have both reached a common voltage value. When the amplifier is programmed with negative hysteresis, the output voltage transitions before the input voltages have both reached a common voltage value.

The present invention relates to programmable amplifiers with hysteresis, and more particularly, to amplifiers with that can be programmed to have positive and negative hysteretic threshold voltages.
Integrated circuits often have input buffers that receive input signals and drive signals to other parts of the integrated circuit. A differential input buffer senses differential input signals, converts the input signals to digital logic, and drives internal and external signals appropriately. One type of differential input buffer can drive input voltages that are generated according to the Low Voltage Differential Signal (LVDS) and Lightning Data Transport (LDT) differential input standards. To support other types of input voltage standards, extra circuitry and control RAM bits need to be added to this type of input buffer.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an input buffer that can support numerous differential input standards without the need for external components or additional internal circuitry. It would also be desirable to provide an input buffer that can sense a wider range of differential input voltages and common mode voltage levels than prior art input buffers. It would also be desirable to provide an input buffer that can be fabricated according to a wide range of semiconductor processes and that can operate within a wide range of supply voltages. It would also be desirable to provide an input buffer with these features and that can be easily maintained at a 50% duty cycle.

Programmable amplifiers with positive and negative hysteresis