A circuit and method for improving the accuracy of an electrical signal communicated between electrical devices, particularly audio equipment, is disclosed herein. The apparatus includes a circuit that biases a cable to a biased voltage. A signal, analog or digital, is communicated through the biased cable. The present invention has applicability in any cable that is used to send electrical signals between electrical equipment, and particularly equipment for reproducing audio signals, such as high fidelity stereo equipment in order to more closely reproduce the musical qualities of the original recordings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connections between electrical equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to interconnections for audio and video equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Designers of audio equipment and accessories are constantly striving for technical innovations to create better sound quality. One particular area of interest over the past few years has been the cables, or "interconnects", between discrete components of an audio system. A better interconnect can more accurately communicate the electrical signal between electrical devices, thereby providing better sound quality when the electrical signal is transformed into music at the audio speakers. For example, a top quality interconnect can appreciably improve the communication between a compact disk (CD) player and a preamplifier, thereby improving the sound of the music.
Thus, innovations in cable technology have provided more accurate communication between audio components which results in appreciable improvement in sound quality, particularly for the high-end audio industry and the audiophile who spends many thousands of dollars to purchase the components of a high-end audio system. Top quality cables may cost several hundreds of dollars, all for the purpose of more accurately communicating an electrical signal.
It would be an advantage to provide an apparatus and method to better communicate an electrical signal between electrical equipment. Particularly for the audio industry, it would be an advantage if the system were compatible with existing interconnects and electrical devices. Furthermore, it would be an advantage if the apparatus and method could be efficiently installed during the manufacture of electrical equipment, and if it were cost effective to install in average audio components as well as high-end audio components.


A flame-retardant compound, a process for forming a flame-retardant compound, and an article of manufacture are disclosed. The flame-retardant compound includes a tetrazine moiety and at least one organophosphorus moiety. The process includes obtaining starting materials, which include a benzonitrile compound, a phosphorus-based compound, and hydrazine. The process also includes reacting the starting materials to form a tetrazine flame retardant. The article of manufacture includes a polymer and a flame-retardant compound having a tetrazine moiety and at least one organophosphorus moiety.

The present disclosure relates to flame-retardant polymers and, more specifically, organophosphorus flame retardants.
Flame retardants in polymers can be broadly classified as additive or reactive. Additive flame retardants are blended with the polymer, while reactive flame retardants are covalently bound to the polymer chain. Additive flame retardants are mixed into polymers during blending, curing, foaming, extrusion, or other processing techniques. Reactive flame retardants are bound at sites along the polymer chain, incorporated into the chain as comonomers, and/or used as cross-linkers.

International Business Machines Corporation


A signal synchronizer according to embodiments herein uses a delay register that receives a feedback signal. The delay register has many delay circuits, each of which are adapted to delay the feedback signal at different time intervals. A storage register made up of many binary storage devices receives a reference signal. Each storage device is adapted to store a feedback signal state of a corresponding delay circuit. As the feedback signal is delayed the additional time intervals by the successive delay circuits, it will change states (either from high to low, or low to high) and the different storage devices simultaneously store the feedback signal states of each of the delay circuits, as controlled by the reference signal. The change in feedback signal state between adjacent storage devices records a synchronization separation between the feedback signal and the reference signal. A control device synchronizes the feedback signal based on the synchronization separation as recorded by the storage register.

Embodiments herein generally relate to signal phase synchronizer systems and methods. Phase lock loops (PLLs) are conventionally used to synchronize the frequency of signals. Such phase lock loops dynamically lock the frequency of a generated signal to an external repetitive reference signal. Phase lock loops use a phase detector to determine whether a feedback signal edges earlier or later than a reference signal edge. The phased detector logic generates "earlier" and "later" signals that are pulse-width modulated, widening as time separation increases. Though they are digital, those signals cannot immediately be used for control. Analog circuitry must filter and integrate such signals before the phase lock loops can dynamically lock the frequency of the signals. Thus, conventional phase lock loop circuits utilize an analog control voltage that adjusts an oscillator to yield the desired output frequency.


An LED light source using back-reflecting collection optics with a supporting structure and heat sink to block only a small amount of light. A reflector has a front and back side with an LED positioned on the front side of the reflector. A heat conducting body is positioned at least partially between the reflector and the LED. The heat conducting body provides a pathway for heat to flow from the LED toward the back side of the reflector.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a commonly used light source in applications including lighting, signaling, signage, and displays. LEDs have several advantages over incandescent and fluorescent lamps, including high reliability, long lifetime, and high efficiency.
A typical prior art LED system is shown in FIG. 1. An LED is placed on a circuit board, which carries electrical current to and from the LED, and allows heat generated by the LED to flow from the relatively small LED to a larger area, from which the heat then escapes to air. Often a heat sink is added to facilitate the heat flow to air. Light is emitted by the LED in a generally upward direction, with a wide (typically ±60–90°) angle. Many applications, such as f narrower, more collimated emission angle. For this purpose secondary collection optics are usually added to redirect the light rays more narrowly upward. (These optics are called "secondary" to distinguish them from the "primary optics" of the LED itself, such as the dome shown in FIG. 1.)
These secondary optics are shown schematically in FIG. 1. The schematic shows the most common configuration, in which light enters one side of the collection optics at a wide angle, and exits a second side at a narrower angle. Typical secondary optics include lenses and reflectors. The optics can be lenses, Fresnel lenses, parabolic reflectors, conical reflectors, compound parabolic concentrators, light pipes, or many other shapes. FIG. 2 shows example arrays of each, taken from "Application Note 1149-5, Secondary Optics Design Considerations for Super Flux LEDs," by Lumileds, Inc. Note that, regardless of the specific design, the optics are most commonly positioned in between the LED and the desired direction of narrow-beam light emission, with the circuit board and heat sink on the opposite side of the LED.
An alternative approach is to use a mirror to reflect light back in the direction of the light source, as shown in FIG. 3. A large variety of reflector shapes are known using this approach, including paraboloidal, ellipsoidal, spherical, compound conic, and faceted. It is well-known in the art of optical design that this approach has significant advantages. Very wide angles can be collected and collimated, and the overall system can be quite compact. For example, for a light source emitting into ±90°, like an LED, a paraboloidal reflector will have a height-to-diameter less than or equal to 0.5. For the approach shown in FIG. 2, however, the height-to-diameter ratio is typically larger, often 1.0 or more. On the other hand, one disadvantage of the approach shown in FIG. 3 is that the light source blocks a portion of the outgoing light. For very narrow angles (<±10°), and if the physical structure supporting the light source is not much larger than the light source itself, then the reflector is typically much larger than the blocking area and the blocked fraction is minimal (<3–5%).
The back-reflector approach of FIG. 3 has been relatively little used with LEDs, however. One major problem is that the circuit board and heat sink are typically much larger than the light source itself. If the heat sink is positioned in the beam path close to the LED, then an unacceptably high fraction of light would be blocked. If the heat sink and circuit board are remotely positioned on the periphery of the beam, then the thermal path to the heat sink is undesirably long and the thermal resistance (temperature increase divided by power applied to the LED, units of ° C./W) is undesirably high.


The present invention provides field emitter arrays (FEAs) having incorporated with metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) and method for fabricating the same which realizes a simultaneous fabrication of two kinds of devices, namely, the FEA and MOSFETs, by using common processing steps among the processes of fabricating the Si-FEA or the metal FEA and the MOSFETs, wherein the method comprises steps of forming field emission tips and active regions for MOSFETs by oxidizing selected portions of the silicon nitride layer, forming a gate insulating oxide layers for the FEA and field oxide layers for MOSFETs simultaneously by the LOCOS method and connecting gate electrodes(row line) and cathode electrodes(column line) of the FEA to MOSFETs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a field emitter array (FEA) incorporated with metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) and a method for fabricating the same, and more particularly to an FEA which is fabricated on a single substrate together with MOSFETs for driving the FEA, thereby achieving reduction in drive power and improvement in the uniformity of pixels in a field emission display.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, active research and development have been carried out for the field emission display (FED) which is a kind of flat panel displays (FPD).
Generally, such an FED is basically comprised of an FEA to emit electrons and a circuit for driving the FEA. The FEA and its drive circuit are separately fabricated and then interconnected with each other to form a display module.
In order to electrically connect the FEA with its drive circuit, therefore, an additional process is required. This results in increase of the manufacturing cost of the FED.
There is also a difficulty in reducing the drive voltage for the FEA where the FEA and its drive circuit are separately fabricated and then interconnected with each other. Furthermore, it is difficult to obtain the uniformity in coupling pixels of the FED and the MOSFETs. As the result, it is difficult to obtain uniformity of pixels.

Method for fabricating a field emitter array incorporated with metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors

Korea Information & Communication Co., Ltd.,

Department of Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering, Seoul National University


A method for customizing a digital camera for at least one particular user is disclosed. The digital camera includes a reprogrammable memory for storing firmware which controls the operation of the digital camera and a camera graphical user interface responsive to the firmware stored in the reprogrammable memory. The method includes providing customization software executed external to the digital camera which can access a plurality of firmware components having different camera features. A user selects desired camera features to cause the customization software to access the corresponding firmware component(s). The selected corresponding firmware component(s) are provided to the digital camera and the reprogrammable memory is reprogrammed to store the corresponding firmware component(s) to thereby customize the digital camera.

Digital cameras, such as the Kodak DC260 ™ digital camera, sold by the Eastman Kodak Company, enable images to be utilized on a home personal computer (PC), printed locally or remotely, and incorporated into e-mail documents and personal World-Wide-Web home pages which can be accessed via the Internet. The camera's graphic user interface (GUI) enables many different features to be selected, but it is complicated, and thus, very difficult for a first-time user to understand. The camera provides a fixed set of features to the end user. These features can be controlled by Digital Scripts specified by Flashpoint, Inc. Digital Scripts are ASCII text files created with a text editor on a host computer. Such Scripts may be invoked to select particular camera features and to perform a defined sequence of camera operations. For example, a Script may capture an exposure series of still pictures using different exposure settings.
This type of camera design presents several problems, including the fact that any feature that is likely to be demanded by even a small subset of the users must be included in the camera. A consequence of this is that the complexity of digital cameras has increased. This leads to an increase in user anxiety, and therefore, serves as a barrier to market adoption.
The firmware in the DC260™ digital camera, for example, can be replaced via a memory card, as described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,264, entitled "Electronic Imaging System Using A Removable Software-Enhanced Storage Device," the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. Images can be assigned to albums, as described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,678, entitled "Electronic Still Camera For Capturing And Categorizing Images," the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Commonly-assigned U.S. Ser. No. 08/977,382, filed Nov. 24, 1997, entitled "Electronic Camera With Utilization Selection Capability," and U.S. Ser. No. 09/004,046, filed Jan. 7, 1998, entitled "Network Configuration File for Automatically Transmitting Images from an Electronic Still Camera" to Ward et al., the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference, disclose digital cameras which are provided with host software that enables templates, e-mail addresses, and other information to be selected at the host computer, downloaded to the digital camera, and used, for example, to automatically produce prints and e-mail images. Although this enables user-selected information (such as preferred templates and personalized e-mail addresses) to be downloaded to the digital camera, the actual features of the digital camera normally remain the same for all users who have the same camera model.

Methods for configuring a digital camera and for display digital images


A wafer-level package for a MEMS integrated device, envisages: a first body integrating a micromechanical structure; a second body having an active region integrating an electronic circuit, coupled to the micromechanical structure; and a third body defining a covering structure for the first body. The second body defines a base portion of the package and has an inner surface coupled to which is the first body, and an outer surface provided on which are electrical contacts towards the electronic circuit; a routing layer has an inner surface set in contact with the outer surface of the second body and an outer surface that carries electrical contact elements towards the external environment. The third body defines a covering portion for covering the package and is directly coupled to the second body for closing a housing space for the first body.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a wafer-level packaging of an integrated device of a MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical System) type, hereinafter "MEMS integrated device".
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of integrated devices, the need is certainly felt to reduce the dimensions to meet increasingly stringent requirements of miniaturization, in particular, in the field of portable apparatuses, such as, for example, smartphones, tablets, or PDAs.
In a known way, a MEMS integrated device generally comprises a first body (usually defined as "die") including semiconductor material (in particular, silicon), integrating a micromechanical structure, operating, for example, as a sensor for one or more quantities to be detected (for example, for providing a pressure sensor or a microphone) and generating an electrical quantity that is a function of the quantity to be detected (for example, a variation of capacitance, a variation of electrical resistance, etc.). As it is known, the die is the result of an operation of sawing or singulation of a wafer, where a plurality of elementary devices are simultaneously provided during the manufacturing process.
A MEMS integrated device further comprises at least one second die including semiconductor material (in particular, silicon), integrating at least one electronic component or circuit, designed to be electrically coupled to the micromechanical structure so as to functionally cooperate therewith. Typically, the second die integrates an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) electronic circuit, electrically coupled to the micromechanical structure, operating, for example, as a reading circuit for reading the electrical quantity detected by the micromechanical structure in the case where the latter operates as a sensor (for example, for carrying out amplification and filtering operations of the same detected electrical quantity). The ASIC electronic circuit may also have further functions for processing and evaluation of the detected quantities, providing more or less complex integrated systems, so-called SiPs (Systems-in-Package).
A MEMS integrated device also generally includes a package, i.e., a container that surrounds, totally or in part, the dice of the device, ensuring protection thereof from external agents and enabling electrical connection towards the external environment. The assembly of the MEMS integrated device, inside the corresponding package, is usually defined as a whole as "chip", and may, for example, be electrically connected to a printed circuit board of an electronic apparatus in which the MEMS integrated device is to be used.
In particular, when the micromechanical structure has deformable elements, for example, a beam or a membrane, which are designed to undergo deformation as a function of the quantity to be detected, the package includes a covering structure, or cap, defining at least one cavity, provided in a position corresponding to the same deformable elements in such a way as to create an empty space that ensures their freedom of movement and does not alter their deformation. Moreover, an access opening is possibly provided through the covering structure, if a fluidic connection with the outside world is required (for example, for entry of pressure or acoustic waves).
A known package structure, defined as a "wafer-level package", is particularly advantageous in the case of portable applications in so far as it allows achieving resulting dimensions that do not depart significantly from those of the dice that are packaged. In short, the corresponding packaging technique envisages use of standard dice micromachining processes also for obtaining the corresponding package, providing at a wafer level, i.e., before the corresponding singulation operation, also the structures for covering and protecting the dice and the corresponding electrical and/or fluidic connections towards the outside environment, thus simplifying and uniforming the overall manufacturing process.
In the case of membrane micromechanical structures or the like (i.e., including further or different deformable elements), the required presence of a cavity entails that a desired reduction of the resulting package dimensions is, however, difficult to obtain, due, e.g., to the thickness requirements for the walls of the cavity, often provided in a composite substrate of a BT (Bismaleimide Triazine) type, having the function of covering structure. In addition, a marked reduction of the dimensions entails a greater difficulty in the manufacturing steps of the covering structure closing the cavity at the top, and major problems linked to mismatches in the thermal expansion coefficients of the materials used.
In general, problems of reliability and stability of performance may arise as the dimensions of the package decrease, which may jeopardize the operation of the resulting integrated devices.
The need is thus felt in the field to improve and further simplify the packaging techniques of MEMS integrated devices, in particular for the purposes of size reduction in the case where membrane micromechanical structures (or the like) are present.

Wafer-level packaging of a MEMS integrated device and related manufacturing process


A decoder to correct errors in data includes a plurality of cells. Each cell generates a partial syndrome based on data blocks and one or more redundancy blocks. Each cell generates a partial error value based on a portion of an inverse of an error location matrix that identifies locations of any data blocks having errors. A summation logic connected to the plurality of cells generates an error value based on the partial error values generated by the plurality of cells.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application generally relates to error correction of data using error correction codes (e.g., Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH), Reed Solomon codes, and the like), and more particularly to an error correction decoder using cells with partial syndrome generation.
2. Related Art
Error correction of data may be used in various applications, such as data storage devices, telecommunication systems, and the like. For example, in a data storage device, data is stored by writing the data to a storage medium in the storage device. The stored data can be later retrieved from the storage device by reading the data from the storage medium. However, for a number of reasons, an error may exist in the data retrieved from the storage device, meaning that the stored data cannot be retrieved or is different from the data originally stored on the storage medium. For example, a portion of the stored data on the storage medium may degenerate over time such that the portion of the stored data cannot be properly read at a later time.
Conventional error correction techniques include generating or encoding one or more redundancy blocks for data, which can be used in a decoding process to correct errors in the data. Typically the decoding process is performed using specialized hardware, which tends to be complicated and difficult to modify.

Error correction decoder using cells with partial syndrome generation


DNA and recombinant DNA that encode a peptide-forming enzyme, a method for producing a peptide-forming enzyme, and a method for producing a dipeptide are disclosed. A method for producing a dipeptide includes producing a dipeptide from a carboxy component and an amine component by using a culture of a microbe belonging to the genus Sphingobacterium and having the ability to form the dipeptide from the carboxy component and the amine component, a microbial cell separated from the culture, treated microbial cell product of the microbe or a peptide-forming enzyme derived from the microbe.

Peptides are used in the fields of pharmaceuticals, foods and various other fields. For example, since L-alanyl-L-glutamine has higher stability and water-solubility than L-glutamine, it is widely used as a component of fluid infusion and serum-free media.
Chemical synthesis methods, which have been known as methods for producing peptides, are not always easy. Known examples of such methods include a method that uses N-benzyloxycarbonylalanine (hereinafter, "Z-alanine") and protected L-glutamine (see Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 34, 739 (1961), Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 35, 1966 (1962)), a method that uses Z-alanine and protected L-glutamic acid-γ-methyl ester (see Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 37, 200 (1964)), a method that uses Z-alanine ester and unprotected glutamic acid (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. H1-96194), a method that involves synthesis of an N-(2-substituted)-propionyl glutamine derivative as an intermediate from a 2-substituted-propionyl halide as a raw material (see Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. H6-234715).
However, since all these methods require the introduction and elimination of protecting groups or the use of an optically active intermediate, they are not considered to be adequately satisfactory in terms of their industrial advantages.
On the other hand, widely known examples of typical peptide production methods using enzymes consist of a condensation reaction that uses an N-protected and C-unprotected carboxy component and an N-unprotected, C-protected amine component (hereinafter, "Reaction 1"), and a substitution reaction that uses an N-protected, C-protected carboxy component and an N-unprotected, C-protected amine component (hereinafter, "Reaction 2"). An example of Reaction 1 is a method for producing Z-aspartylphenylalanine methyl ester from Z-aspartic acid and phenylalanine methyl ester (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. S53-92729), while an example of Reaction 2 is a method for producing acetylphenylalanylleucine amide from acetylphenylalanine ethyl ester and leucine amide (see Biochemical J., 163, 531 (1977)). There have been reported very few research examples of method that uses an N-unprotected, C-protected carboxy component. An example of a substitution reaction that uses an N-unprotected, C-protected carboxy component and an N-unprotected, C-protected amine component (hereinafter, "Reaction 3") is described in International Patent Publication WO 90/01555. For example, a method for producing arginylleucine amide from arginine ethyl ester and leucine amide may be mentioned of. Examples of substitution reactions that use an N-unprotected, C-protected carboxy component and an N-unprotected, C-unprotected amine component (hereinafter, "Reaction 4") are described in European Patent Publication EP 278787A1 and European Patent Publication EP 359399B1. For example, a method for producing tyrosylalanine from tyrosine ethyl ester and alanine may be mentioned of.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Implementations herein involve control I/O buffer enable circuitry and/or features of saving power in standby mode. In illustrative embodiments, aspects of the present innovations may be directed to providing low standby power consumption, such as providing low standby power consumption in high-speed synchronous SRAM and RLDRAM devices.

1. Field
Aspects of the present innovations are directed, generally, to providing low standby power consumption, and, more specifically, to providing low standby power consumption in high-speed synchronous SRAM and RLDRAM devices.
2. Description of Related Information
A known memory circuit 290 is set forth in a block schematic diagram shown in FIG. 1. Further, a representative operational timing diagram is illustrated in FIG. 2, showing how the control-i/o buffer enable circuit 231 operates and how the standby power is being consumed, respectively. Referring to FIG. 1, a memory circuit 290 may comprises a control-i/o buffer enable circuit 231, a control-peripheral 210A, an i/o-peripheral 210B, an internal-peripheral 230, and an array of memory cells 260. The internal-peripheral 230 may include circuitry such as an internal VDC 250, a DLL GEN 221, an active command 233, and a MRS command 232, among other components. The signal PWRUP1 is a first power up signal going on upon detection of ramp-up external power supply and configured to initialize control-peripheral 210A and internal VDC 250, while signal PWRUP2 is a second power up signal going on upon detection of ramp up of internal power supply and configured to initialize control-i/o buffer enable circuit 231, control-io-peripheral (210A and 210B), and internal-peripheral 230. Further, the signal BSR_RST may be configured for enabling BSCAN function, and other aspects (e.g. ports, and so forth) may be configured to generate various other internal signals.
In various circumstances in the circuits of FIG. 1, however, the signal IBON is held on the high level-state even though the power up initialization procedures are finished, while at the same time signal DBON is held on the low level-state (enabled only active in write command with the high level-state). Accordingly, such memory circuits will consume unnecessary standby power at group 2, group 4, group 5, group 6, and so forth, as viewed by way of illustration in connection with Table 1 below.
As set forth below, one or more aspects of the present inventions may overcome these or other drawbacks and/or otherwise impart innovative features.

Systems and methods involving control-I/O buffer enable circuits and/or features of saving power in standby mode


A waterproof tightening structure for a signal connecter includes a bolt sleeve bored with a through insert hole provided inside with an annular stop edge formed with an annular holding groove and a first engage surface. A tightening connecter is inserted in the insert hole, and has a flange resisting the stop edge of the bolt sleeve and its second engage surface loosely fixed with the first engage surface. A fixing outer sleeve is secured with the annular projection of the tightening connecter. An elastic waterproof washer is received in an annular recess between the annular projection and the second engage surface and resisted by both the annular holding groove of the bolt sleeve and the front end of the fixing outer sleeve. Thus, the waterproof washer is closely and elastically held by the bolt sleeve, the tightening connecter and the fixing outer sleeve, able to block off moisture.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a waterproof tightening structure for a signal connecter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional signal connecter, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a bolt sleeve 1, a tightening connecter 2 and a fixing outer sleeve 3 combined together. The tightening connecter 2 is inserted in the interior of the bolt sleeve 1, having its front end formed with a projecting ring 4 to resist against the inner wall of a stop edge 5 which is annularly disposed around the lower outer circumference of the bolt sleeve 1 and protruding toward the hollow center of the bolt sleeve 1. The fixing outer sleeve 3, to be fitted around the outer circumference of the tightening connecter 2 has its front end axially bored with an inner hole 6 to be tightly fitted with the tightening connecter 2. A slot way 7, preset in width, is defined by the rear inner wall of the fixing outer sleeve 3 and the outer circumference of the tightening connecter 2 for receiving a signal wire 100 therein. The signal wire 100 consists of an insulating layer 101, a wire gauze layer 102 wrapped in the insulating layer 101, a foamed core 103 disposed in the center and a guide wire 104 extending out of the center of the foamed core 103. Further, the tightening connecter 2 has an outer edge at its rear section provided with a plurality of ratchet rings 8 for tightly fixing the signal wire 100. The fixing outer sleeve 3 has its rear outer edge disposed with a plurality of circular rings 9 spaced apart. In assembling, the signal wire 100 is first inserted in the slot way 7 of the signal connecter and firmly fitted on the ratchet rings 8 on the rear outer edge of the tightening connecter 2, and then the circular rings 9 on the rear outer surface of the fixing outer sleeve 3 are clamped and compressed by the clamping head of pliers (not shown) to secure the signal wire 100 on the ratchet rings 8 of the tightening connecter 2. At this time, the fixing outer sleeve 3 has its front end closely resisting the rear outer end of the bolt sleeve 1 and tightly fitted with the tightening connecter 2. Thus, the conventional signal connecter is closely assembled to enable the front end of the bolt sleeve 1 connecting to a signal terminal, such as a TV terminal.
However, after the conventional signal connecter is assembled, the bolt sleeve 1 and the projecting ring of the tightening connecter 2 are fixed together only by resisting of the fixing outer sleeve 3; therefore, the bolt sleeve 1 and the tightening connecter 2 are of a loose fit structure and hence a gap still remains between the bolt sleeve 1 and the tightening connecter 2. Thus, when the bolt sleeve 1 is rotated for connecting to a signal terminal, moisture is easily to permeate into the signal connecter through the gap between the bolt sleeve 1 and the tightening connecter 2 to wet the wire gauze layer 102 in the signal wire 100. This will result in signal loss and fading or cause noise interference. As commonly known, there may be thousands of signal connecters used in a network; therefore, so long as one minute part is designed imperfect, the overall situation of the network will be affected.

Waterproof tightening structure for a signal connector


An apparatus and method for providing labels that are to be inserted into mail trays. A label printer is integrated into a mail sorting machine. Upon a specific bin of the mail sorting machine having sufficient mail pieces to fill a mail tray, the label printer prints a tray label for the mail in such bin. This tray label has printed thereon the zip code to which the mail is to be sent and the bin number in which the mail pieces are located. Upon the printing of such tray label, it is be conveyed by the mail sorter to the appropriate bin and is immediately available to the clerk for insertion into a mail tray.

Field of the Invention
In the processing of mail on the floor of a post office or in the mail room of a mailer, sorters are known that sort mail in accordance with the destination of such mail. The most common form of sorter is a bar code sorter wherein mail is sorted in accordance with a bar code printed thereon, whether such bar code be the postnet bar code or a full size bar code. Sorters have a large number of bins into which mail pieces are placed, for example, as many as three hundred binds, each bin receiving mail pieces for a designated destination. For example, a post office in New York City will have bins which individually will receive mail pieces for a specific zip code within New York City, bins that individually will receive mail pieces of for towns in the area of New York City and bins that will receive mail for mail distribution centers in other parts of the country. The mail in the bins are put into trays or sacks for subsequent processing.


A method of controlling communication includes obtaining a result of comparison between a first feature value of first streaming data and a second feature value of second streaming data and transmitting a first switching signal to a first terminal and a second terminal in the case where the first feature value and the second feature value have a first relation according to the comparison result. The first feature value is of a first streaming data transmitted from the first terminal using the first communication method type. The second feature value is of a second streaming data transmitted from the second terminal using the first communication method type. The first switching signal causes the first terminal and the second terminal to switch from using the first communication method type to using a second communication method type to transmit streaming data between the first terminal and the second terminal.

A technique have been developed in which a plurality of communication bases at which musical instruments are played is connected via a network, thereby enabling an ensemble even at a remote place. Communication delay caused by network connection makes it difficult to ensemble. Therefore, it is desirable to construct an environment in which the communication delay is reduced, but the communication delay cannot be eliminated. Therefore, a technique for reducing the influence of delay on the premise that communication delay is present is disclosed in, for example, Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2005-195982.

Method of controlling communication and communication control device in which a method for transmitting data is switched


A valve system, especially for use in a veterinary syringe, comprises a valve body which is arranged in a valve space formed between a first part having a valve seat and a second part which presses the valve body against the valve seat under influence of spring force. The valve body has, in an area adjacent to the valve seat, projections which are directed radially outwardly. The valve space has, at a bore hole surface, a projection directed radially inwardly and having an inner diameter. The projections of the valve body which are directed outwardly are arranged between the valve seat and the inwardly directed projection of the valve space. The projections of the valve body and the inwardly directed projection of the valve space are constructed elastically. The inner diameter formed by the projection of the valve space is smaller than an outer diameter formed by the projections of the valve body.

a) Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a valve system, especially for use in a veterinary syringe, this valve system comprising a valve body which is arranged in a valve space formed between a first part having a valve seat and a second part which presses the valve body against the valve seat under the influence of spring force.
b) Description of the Related Art
Such valve systems can be provided, for example, between the syringe cylinder and the syringe shoulder of a veterinary syringe as an outlet valve or in the end of the piston rod projecting into the syringe cylinder and the plunger fastened therein as an inlet valve.
When the valve system acting as outlet valve is disassembled, for example, when cleaning the veterinary syringe, the second part of the valve system is also removed from the first part and the valve body arranged between the two parts as well as the spring element provided therein fall out and could get lost, especially when the veterinary syringe is being used outdoors, which is usually the case, and the ground vegetation is dense. It is then almost impossible to find the relatively small valve body again and this causes a loss of time and money for replacing the lost parts.

Valve system, especially for use in veterinary syringes


The parallel virtual directory system can extend the native file system to provide a superior method for organizing a computer system""s physical storage devices or locations. These can include hard disks and removable media or remote storage locations such as on the Internet. Interceptor modules can monitor all file or memory changes such as creations, writes and deletes to the native file system and can pass this information to the parallel virtual directory system. The parallel virtual directory system may be accessed through the native file system methods allowing users to view their file system as it existed at any point in time, including removable media that is no longer present in the system. Further, via the parallel virtal directory system and the Interceptor modules, users can access any file in any of the monitored file systems. The parallel virtual directory system may be implemented using database technology thereby allowing multiple views of the parallel virtual directory system to be offered to the user based on their needs and can thus be used to ease navigation through the file system. Further, a set of information management processes can run at the application level providing data management services such as backup, archiving, recording of digital video programming, or even controlled playback or utilization of that information. The information management processes can configure the parallel virtual directory system to capture the information they require and use the gathered information to efficiently complete their data management functions.

Generally, this invention relates to the field of enhanced organization of computer memory or file information and processes for managing the computer memory or file information at other than simply the application program level. It may be used to overcome the usability barriers associated with He coupling and uncoupling of storage devices to a computer system. Specifically, the invention focuses on methods to gather information about hierarchical directories on physical file storage devices, the organization or manipulation of directory information into a global virtual directory system that can serve as a master directory for a user and processes that more efficiently manage system data, regardless of application, based on information obtained from the virtual directory system.
Over the years, the hierarchical directory system that organize computer system data storage have been enhanced to make them more powerful and easier for the end user to understand. Typically these improvements have focused on a shift from a y oriented system to systems that are graphically oriented (for example, the shift from a DOS type of directory listing to a graphical directory display of files as provided by products like Microsoft(trademark) Windows(trademark) for Workgroups ver. 3.11. This approach has been directed at increasing the user""s understanding of the files available, but has not solved the problems caused by a rigid directory structure nor the difficulty in locating files that have been removed from the system or that are located in the maze of subdirectories.
The hierarchical directory systems are intended to allow users to organize their data in ways that makes it easier for them to understand. This is done by creating directories, or folders, for specific classes of data such as word processing documents or computer programs. Once a directory structure for the storage system is defined it becomes a tedious and difficult task to reorganize the directory structure. Also, files of the same name cannot be stored within the same directory due to the common need for files to be differentiated by unique names even though it is common for users to desire to save copies of the same file at different points in the evolution of the file. For example, it would be very convenient if a writer could keep the same file name for an article and differentiate the various versions of the article by the date and time of creation of each version rather than having to use minor variations on the original name.
Perhaps surprisingly, the concept of flexibly organizing a hierarchical directory system has typically been utilized at only the application level; that is, it has been applied only in separately utilized programs which may act independently of other programs and not as one which applies to all programs. For instance, an application level process which addresses a user need for the ability to easily recognize, filter and search files is identified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,360 which describes an application program that allows the user to filter and categorize the hierarchical directory system to ease finding files. The limitation of this invention is that it is an application program, or file manager, that can be used as a browser by the user but not directly accessed by other programs in the same manner that the native hierarchical directory system can be accessed. Hence, a second application program such as a word processor would not be able to utilize the sorted information only the original application program could. Hence, there is a need for a configurable directory system that can be configured and made accessible at the operating system level such that all application programs can utilize the configured information.
A common constrain of the traditional or conventional directory hierarchy is that it is oriented towards a hierarchical starting point of physical storage device, be it a hard disk, floppy disk, high capacity removable disk, tape, remote network device, or other storage media. Due to the coupling of a physical device to the directory hierarchy the user must organize their data in such a way that it fits the physical parameters of the selected storage medium.
Various methods have been employed to try to decouple the physical nature of the storage device from the directory hierarchy. It is relatively common in network environments to present a file server as a single storage entity even though it is composed of multiple hard disks (disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,088). Or, a new file system can be created as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,315 to create a file system that is based purely on the hierarchy of the directory name space and not that of physical device. Again in the network setting, a method called hierarchical storage management is employed that has the primary purpose of freeing up storage space on a physical device, such as a hard disk by migrating files to another storage device, such as a tape drive, and leaving a place holder for the file so that it appears to the user that the file is still on primary storage. When the place holder file is accessed, the hierarchical management system retrieves the file from secondary storage (disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,037). This same technique has been employed on a desktop computer using the desktop computer""s local storage devices. These techniques allow the user to treat multiple storage devices of dissimilar nature as a single device. Such systems, however, only offer the user limited organizational control over the data. They do not offer the full ability to manipulate the file system information as does the present invention and are often limited to merely migrating data to secondary storage devices.
With the recent advent of low cost, high capacity removable storage, and the ability to store data remotely on the Internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the user to organize their data and to recall where their data is located. A 100 MB removable disk can store hundreds or thousands of data files. Likewise, a remote storage site on the Internet used for archiving might have thousands of a user""s data files. Hence, the sheer volume of files that can exist on individual directories often makes it a very difficult task to find a stored file without traversing through hundreds of subdirectories. In the case of removable disks a user may have ten or more disks each with hundreds of files. Very clearly it becomes difficult to understand what file is stored where. Furthermore, the need for removable storage, or remote storage is increasing rapidly due to the easy availability of data on the Internet and the shift towards digitized video information (e.g., movies stored as digital information that can then be shown on your computer) which consumes great amounts of computer storage. Hence, there is an ever-increasing need for a directory system that can keep track of all of these files on a single database that is accessible to an operating system.
In addition, one characteristic that high capacity removable storage, for example, has is that if the disk is removed from the computer system or if the Internet connection is not active the user may not be able to determine which files are stored on the disconnected device until the disconnected device is reconnected to the computer system. Essentially, these conventional directories are transient in nature since their information is lost to the system when the memory devices are disconnected or removed from the system. Hence, there is a need for a directory system that maintains directory information that a user of a computer system (i.e., a computer operator) can utilize even when the storage media is not coupled to the computer system.
Also, while some large computer systems have been able to enhance file directory capabilities, such capabilities have been sorely lacking for unitary computer systems. Hence, the overwhelming majority of computer users who have standalone personal computers, which might also be connectable to a larger computer system, have had a need for a system that can provide the unique file management and tracking capabilities mentioned.
Several key problems still exist with conventional directory structures. The first of these is the somewhat rigid nature of the directory structure once such a structure is defined; which, for example requires that unique file names be used as the identifier within a directory. A second problem is the somewhat arbitrary organizational barrier that is presented by the coupling of physical storage devices and their related sizes to the hierarchical directory structures commonly used in computer storage; which for example, limits the number of files stored in a directory by the storage size of the physical storage size rather than permitting the user to include additional files whose file data would exceed the physical storage limitations of the physical storage device. A third problem is the transient nature of the hierarchical directory structure encountered when using removable or remote storage; which, for example, is often the result of the directory information for a storage medium only being present when the storage medium is connected to the system. These problems make it difficult for both computer users and data management programs to organize and efficiently work with a computer file system, if at all.
While there have been a number of attempts to solve these problems, in general the attempts have failed to address them from a perspective which present embodiments of the invention realized.
Importantly, the present invention arrives at its solutions in manners which maintain compatibility and accessibility of a native file directory system. The new file system presented by several embodiments of the invention does not necessarily replace the native file system that the end user has selected; but rather, it is capable of working in concert with the native file system. In this manner, it can provide, for example, a file system for use by both the operating system of the computer system and application programs of the computer system.
The present invention includes a variety of aspects which may be selected in different combinations based upon the particular needs being addressed. The first aspect of the invention is that it in no way interferes with the current operation of the computer system""s hierarchical directory structures or coupling to physical file storage devices. The end user may continue to use the file storage system in the same fashion to which they have become accustomed. In addition, application programs may continue to use the file storage system without modification. However, various components of the virtual directory and navigation system can seamlessly link with the operating system of the computer to provide a parallel method for organizing, accessing and maintaining the computer system""s storage. In addition, this capability can be provided for a unitary computer system, such as a personal computer that can operate as a standalone unit.
First, a set of active processes can be used to traverse a native file system""s directory hierarchy and relay the directory information to the virtual directory system for organization and permanent storage (e.g., traversing the directory of the hard drive on a personal computer and copying the directory information to the t directory system). Then, Interceptor modules can be used to link with the native file system""s I/O procedures to passively intercept changes being made to the native file system as those changes occur. This night be done for all physical file storage devices of the computer system and regardless of the application program being run. The Interceptor modules then can relay the changes to the virtual directory system for organization and permanent storage. Using this method the native file system""s hierarchical directory can be maintained at the same time that a parallel virtual directory system is built and updated.
Another feature of the invention is that when a new piece of removable media is inserted into the computer system, or a remote storage site is connected to the computer system, the Interceptor modules can detect the coupling of newly mounted media to the system, actively read the directory structures of the mounted media, and relay the directory structures"" information to the virtal directory system. Changes to the directory information of the mounted media can be detected and transferred to the virtual directory system.
An important benefit of the invention is that the virtual directory system also can connect to the native file system of the computer system in such a way that the virtual directory system appears to be a physical storage device. However, it has the advantage that if a user elected to the virtual directory system could represent all of the files contained on all of the physical file storage devices connected to the computer system. Because the files stored on the physical storage devices can be represented in the virtual directory system and because the virtual directory system has among its characteristics the qualities of a relational database, the file information for the various files can be reorganized, reconfigured, or searched easily. These features allow the user greater flexibility in how files are viewed and how the user finds data. Additionally, the database can overcome the requirement of unique file names, as imposed by traditional hierarchical directory systems. Multiple instances of a given file name can now be presented in the same directory with the uniqueness of the file data determined by the time the file was modified, the media it was stored on, or some other file characteristic.
When a user accesses a file via the virtual directory system the virtual directory system can retrieve the file from the appropriate storage device via the Interceptor modules. If the user accesses through the virtual directory system a file that is not on-line because the media is not mounted (i.e., connected to the computer system) or the network connection is not active, the virtual directory can automatically load the media if it can be done via mechanized means, prompt the user to assist in loading the required media, or even establish a connection to the service having the media. This removes the burden from the user of needing to search multiple pieces of media to find the desired file. Similarly, when a user stores a file via the virtual directory system, the virtual directory system can store the file in a preselected storage location, prompt the user for storage location instructions, or assist, as mentioned above, in coupling the appropriate storage device to the computer system.
Information management processes (IMPs)(3) can provide more efficient execution of storage processes due to their understanding of the virtual directory system""s unique information capabilities. These information management processes can be accomplished as application programs that communicate directly with the virtual directory system""s database through a private interface, such as the local interface in the Microsoft(trademark) Windows(trademark) 95 system. The information management processes benefit from their ability to share a common directory system that spans all media types. For example, this means that an application that specializes in disk grooming processes (removes files to that have not been used for a long period of time) can verify that the system""s backup program has copied one or more instances of the file to be groomed (removed from the hard disk) thereby ensuring that, should the user decide to access the file in the future, that a copy of the file is stored on removable media or a remote storage site.

Multiple attribute file directory manipulation and navigation system


Disclosed is a system and method to aid in these inspections that avoid the disadvantages of the prior art. The system and method are operative to take thickness measurements of, and thus evaluate the condition of, materials including but not limited to refractory materials, operating in frequency bands that result in less loss than previously known technologies, and utilizing a system configuration and signal processing techniques that isolate the reflected signal of interest from other spurious antenna reflections, particularly by creating (through the configuration of the antenna assembly) a time delay between such spurious reflections and the actual reflected signal of interest, thus enabling better isolation of the signal of interest. Still further, the antenna assembly is intrinsically matched to the material to be probed, such as by impedance matching the antenna to the particular material (through knowledge of the dielectric and magnetic properties of the material to be evaluated) to even further suppress spurious reflections.

Various industries in the world use large furnaces to melt and hold their product. Example industries are the glass industry and the steel industry. These furnaces may be as large as small buildings. They are constructed using refractory material with very high melting temperatures and good insulation properties (to contain the heat). During operation of these furnaces, the refractory walls of the furnace will degrade. This degradation takes the form of inner surface erosion, stress cracks, and material incursion into the molten material. At this time, there is no well established method of deterministically measuring the thickness of the walls of such furnaces. Because of this, members of the industry must shut down and replace the furnace walls based on estimates of the expected lifetimes of the furnaces. This is an expensive process, and wasteful if done too soon, but dangerous to human life if delayed for too long. The flow of molten glass at such high temperatures inevitably leads to erosion and degradation in the refractory lining and creates a high risk for molten glass leakage through the wall. Once the molten glass leaks through the gaps and cracks in the furnace walls, it causes significant damage to the capital equipment around the furnace and, most importantly, causes significant production disruption. A major leak may require at least 30 days of production disruption before the furnace can be restored to operating mode because it needs to be cooled down, repaired and fired up again.
Another issue is that the refractory material used to build the furnace walls may have defects not visible by surface inspection. The customer purchasing this material would like to have a means for performing internal inspections during the acceptance process from the manufacturer, or the manufacturer would like to have a means for performing internal inspections during manufacture (either to optimize the process, perhaps in real time, or to classify material to be delivered as "without flaws").
Previous efforts have been made to utilize microwaves to detect thickness of materials such as furnace walls, as described for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,293 to Woskov et al., the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, such prior efforts have met with difficulty. More particularly, while efforts have been made to attempt to determine furnace wall thickness on hot furnaces, those efforts have been generally unsuccessful (it having been discovered by the inventors herein that particularly low frequency bands should be used so as to reduce signal loss and to be able to successfully evaluate the interior condition of such surfaces). Moreover, in placing system components close to the surface to be evaluated, spurious signal reflections have made it quite difficult to isolate what is truly the reflected signal that is of interest, thus further complicating the effort of evaluating the interior condition of such surfaces.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for systems and methods capable of remotely evaluating the condition of such surfaces, such as through reflected microwave measurements, that avoid the problems of such prior art systems.

Microwave probe for furnace refractory material


Disclosed are methods, circuits, devices, systems, and associated computer executable code for providing data connectivity between a mobile communication device communicatively coupled to a mobile communication network and a third party data source. There may be provided a Dynamic Application Data Router (DADR) functionally associated with a wireless access point of a mobile communications network. The DADR may include one or more wireless access point interface circuits adapted to interface with circuits of the wireless access point and to facilitate data communication between said DADR and a mobile device communicatively coupled to the wireless Access Point. The DADR may also include an application data routing module adapted to route upstream application data generated by an application running on the mobile device to a target application engine through a DADR associated gateway.

Remote on-demand access to computer and communication network resources, including Internet access, is widespread. With the Internet becoming increasingly popular, more network users are able to connect to a remote server through any device with an internet connection. Users are able to connect to the Internet from home computers, laptops, tablets, smart phones, e-book readers, and any other mobile Internet device. When connected to the internet, users often download or stream significant amounts of data from various data sources, such as websites, media servers and Application Servers, hosted on servers connected to the internet or any other type of network such as Content Delivery Networks (CDN's).
Data servers, Media Servers and Application Engines connected to a data network, such as the Internet, at one or more network nodes, are typically identifiable and addressable using an Internet Protocol (e.g. IP v4 and v6) address. Websites and other data sources connected to the Internet are, however, typically associated with a server name or domain name. The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities. A Domain Name Service resolves queries for these names into IP addresses for the purpose of locating computer services and devices either on a local network or worldwide on the Internet. By providing a worldwide, distributed keyword-based redirection service, the Domain Name System is an essential component of the functionality of the Internet.
An often-used analogy to explain the Domain Name System is that it serves as the phone book for the Internet by translating human-friendly computer hostnames into IP addresses. For example, the domain name www.example.com translates to the addresses 18.104.22.168 (IPv4) and 2620:0:2d0:200::10 (IPv6). Unlike a phone book, DNS can be quickly updated and these updates are distributed, allowing a service's location on the network to change without affecting the end users, who continue to use the same hostname. Users take advantage of this when they recite meaningful Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and e-mail addresses without having to know how the computer actually locates the services.
The Domain Name System distributes the responsibility of assigning domain names and mapping those names to IP addresses by designating authoritative name servers for each domain. Authoritative name servers are assigned to be responsible for their particular domains, and in turn can assign other authoritative name servers for their sub-domains. This mechanism has made the DNS distributed and fault tolerant and has helped avoid the need for a single central register to be continuously consulted and updated. Additionally, the responsibility for maintaining and updating the master record for the domains is spread among many domain name registrars, who compete for the end-user's, i.e. domain-owner's, business. Domains can be moved from registrar to registrar at any time.
The Domain Name System also specifies the technical functionality of this database service. It defines the DNS protocol, a detailed specification of the data structures and communication exchanges used in DNS, as part of the Internet Protocol Suite.
The Internet maintains two principal namespaces, the domain name hierarchy and the Internet Protocol (IP) address spaces. The Domain Name System maintains the domain name hierarchy and provides translation services between it and the address spaces. Internet name servers and a communication protocol implement the Domain Name System. A DNS name server is a server that stores the DNS records for a domain name, such as address (A) records, name server (NS) records, and mail exchanger (MX) records (see also list of DNS record types); a DNS name server responds with answers to queries against its database.
The growing demand for packet data (e.g. TCP/IP) services over mobile networks, including: (1) mixed and rich content websites, and (2) video and audio content streaming, has fostered enormous bandwidth and data traffic requirements for mobile communication/access networks. A single webpage may include URL's to multiple content sources, static and dynamic, and the loading of a single webpage may typically require between 15 and 20 DNS transactions with a remote DNS server. During peak network traffic hours, these requests may take between 3 and 4 seconds, thereby leading to a long delay in start of service and consequently, to customer frustration.
Additionally, in 2009 the volume of data traffic over mobile network exceeded that of voice traffic, mobile data has more or less tripled each year in volume thus taking over more and more of the mobile traffic in volume. On the profitability side, mobile data opens new revenue possibilities to the MNOs. A major obstacle standing before the MNOs, however, is their inability to connect to the content thus suffering from the Over-The-Top (OTT) syndrome. In addition, many of the applications generate data that imposes inflexible requirements on the way traffic should be served over the network. In order to enable adequate user experience, the data must be supplied to the UE according to strict bit-rate requirements. Any deviations from these requirements automatically lead to lousy experiences and eventually, to the abandonment of the service by consumers.
An additional important factor is the protocol used to pass data over the network—TCP. Wireless networks are characterized by high losses due to radio propagation impairments, high delays, and limited bandwidth. Small scale degradations over the air interface, such as fast fading, induce fluctuations and losses over the air interface are mistakenly taken as congestion over the fixed networks by TCP. Although radio link control mechanisms typically use retransmissions to achieve error free communications over the air interface, these radio retransmissions cause delays that are large compared to TCP timescales, resulting in degradation of end-to-end throughput through the network. A major issue is that TCP misinterprets errors over wireless links as congestions and reacts by retransmitting TCP segments and by reducing the congestion window and thus the overall application throughput. The main factors driving the TCP performance are the TCP roundtrip delay and Packet loss. Reducing the RTT and packet loss can dramatically improve the TCP behavior and thus the way data is passing over the network.

Methods circuits devices systems and associated computer executable code for providing data connectivity between a mobile communication device communicatively coupled to a mobile communication network and a third party data source


A top cover and a guide member form a discharge port. A plurality of guide ribs is provided on an edge portion of the top cover. A plurality of projecting pieces is provided on a guide member at positions not to face to the guide ribs. These guide ribs and projecting pieces are used for guiding a roll sheet to a discharge port. At least one of the guide ribs is provided with an extended portion extending upstream in a feeding direction to prevent the roll sheet 3A from curving in a direction vertical to the feeding direction. Thus, the inability to discharge the roll sheet can be avoided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer capable of smoothly outward discharging a printing medium being transported after printing data requested by a user has been printed thereon and capable of preventing troubles leading to the inability to discharge paper, i.e., jamming, due to curving of the printing medium.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional printer, a printing medium tends to be bent because a leading end of the printing medium comes into contact with an outlet portion of a feeding path when the printing medium is transported to the outside. This would cause the inability to discharge paper (jamming). To prevent such jamming, Japanese patent application laid-open publication No. H6(1994)-13234 discloses a technique for smoothly discharging a printing medium by providing a projecting piece in a feeding path along which the printing medium is moved.
A thermal printer disclosed in the '234 publication includes a paper feeding roller mechanism for feeding a printing medium to between a flat platen and a carriage and a paper discharging roller mechanism for catching and discharging the printing medium having passed between the flat platen and the carriage. On the inside of a cover covering a compartment in which the carriage and other components are housed, between the carriage and the discharging roller mechanism, a plurality of projecting pieces are provided extending downward and spaced at given intervals to come into contact with a leading end of the printing medium. These projecting pieces are arranged so that the leading end of the printing medium comes into contact with a center projecting piece first and then other projecting pieces placed on the periphery. The projecting pieces are designed such that one placed at a position corresponding to the center of the printing medium has a longest downward length and others placed as closer to both side edges of the cover have a shorter length.
By bringing the leading end of the printing medium into contact with the center projecting piece first and then the other peripheral projecting pieces as above, it is possible to smoothly guide the leading end of the printing medium from the carriage to the discharge roller mechanism.


The present invention provides a bio-electrode including an electro-conductive base material and a living body contact layer formed on the electro-conductive base material; wherein the living body contact layer contains a resin layer and particles dispersed in the resin layer, the particles being coated with gold, platinum, silver, or alloy of these metals; a thickness of the resin layer is equal to or thinner than an average particle size of the particles; the resin layer contains a silicon-containing resin and a non-silicon-containing resin; and the silicon-containing resin is localized in the direction of a surface of the resin layer. The bio-electrode of the present invention is superior in electric conductivity and biocompatibility, light in weight, can be manufactured at low cost, and can combine repellency of the resin layer surface and adhesion properties of the resin layer to particles.

In recent years, wearable devices have been developed progressively with the spread of Internet of Things (IoT). Representative examples thereof include a watch and glasses that can be connected with internet. Wearable devices that can always monitor physical conditions are also necessary in a medical field and a sports field, and is expected to be a growth field in the future.
In the medical field, wearable devices have been investigated to monitor organic conditions by sensing a weak current such as an electrocardiogram measurement, which detects heart beats by electric signals. The electrocardiogram is measured by fitting a body with electrodes on which electro-conductive paste is applied, and this measurement is performed only once in a short period of time. On the other hand, the aim of development of the foregoing medical wearable device is to develop devices that monitor health conditions continuously for several weeks. Accordingly, bio-electrodes used for a medical wearable device have to keep the electric conductivity unchanged and not to cause skin allergies even when being used for a long time. In addition to these, it is desirable that the bio-electrode is light in weight and can be manufactured at low cost.
Medical wearable devices include a type in which the device is attached to a body and a type in which the device is incorporated into clothes. As the type in which the device is attached to a body, it has been proposed a bio-electrode using water soluble gel containing water and electrolyte, which are materials of the foregoing electro-conductive paste (Patent Document 1). On the other hand, as the type in which the device is incorporated into clothes, it has been proposed a means to use cloth in which a conductive polymer such as poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT-PSS) or silver paste is incorporated into the fibers for electrodes (Patent Document 2).
When using the foregoing water soluble gel containing water and electrolyte, however, the electric conductivity is lost as the water is lost due to drying. The use of metal with high ionization tendency such as copper has a risk to cause skin allergies to some people. The use of an electro-conductive polymer such as PEDOT-PSS also has a risk of skin allergies due to the strong acidity of the electro-conductive polymer.
As the electrode material, it has been investigated to use metal nanowire, carbon black, and carbon nanotube since they have excellent electric conductivity. The metal nanowire can conduct electricity in a small loading amount since the wires are brought into contact with each other in high probability. The metal nanowire, however, can cause skin allergies since they are thin material with sharp tips. The carbon nanotube cannot be used too, by the same reason. The carbon black is irritative to skin, although the toxicity is lower than the carbon nanotube. As described above, the biocompatibility is sometimes worsened due to the shape and irritation of a material, even though the material itself does not cause an allergic reaction. Accordingly, it has been difficult to combine the electric conductivity and the biocompatibility.
As a means for solving these problems, it has been investigated to use electro-conductive metal particles as an electrode material. Among metals, noble metals such as gold, platinum, and silver, which have lowest ionization tendencies, are hard to cause skin allergies. Accordingly, it is possible to achieve both the electric conductivity and the biocompatibility by using these noble metal particles. When mixing these noble metal particles into a resin, however, electricity is not conducted unless the particles are brought into contact with each other in the resin, which is an insulator. In order to bring the particles into contact with each other, the noble metal particles have to be loaded in a volume ratio of 70% or more. As described above, when using metal particles, it is necessary to load a large amount of expensive noble metal particles, and accordingly, the production cost becomes very high and the weight increases, thereby making it impossible to achieve weight reduction, which is necessary for wearable devices.
It is said that skins show elongation of about 170%. Wearable devices attached to a body have to possess such properties of high elongation and high strength that they can follow the elongation of skins. Urethanes with low crosslink density show high elongation and high strength. Accordingly, stretchable urethanes having acryl based adhesive mass (tackiness agent) are widely used as a wound tape. The urethane base tapes having acryl based adhesive mass, however, makes skins red when they are adhered for a long time. The urethane also has a disadvantage of failing to repel perspiration due to the high hydrophilic nature (i.e., low repellency), which causes lowering of the elongation and strength due to hydrolysis. Meanwhile, silicones have high repellency and hardly irritate skins, and have been increasingly used as a skin adhesive mass thereby. Silicones, however, are inferior to urethane and so on in mechanical strength and in adhesion properties to noble metal particles as a resin to be mixed therewith.

Bio-electrode and method for manufacturing the same


A belt skiver is adapted for forming recesses along a conveyor belt end in preparation for mounting a lacing therein. The belt skiver includes a cutting mechanism movable relative to the conveyor belt end, and having an upper blade positioned to remove an upper surface layer from a top portion of the conveyor belt, and a lower plate positioned to remove a lower surface layer from a bottom portion of the conveyor belt. The belt skiver also includes a drive mechanism shifting the cutting mechanism relative to the belt end laterally along the belt end, and whereby the upper and lower blades contemporaneously sever both the upper surface layer and lower surface layer from the belt end.

The invention relates to a belt skiver apparatus for separating surface layers or strips from the ends of a conveyor belt, and in particular to a belt skiver mechanism that moves relative to the conveyor belt and contemporaneously separates both the upper and lower surface layers of the belt ends using blades.
Belt skivers particularly serve the purpose of reducing the thickness of a conveyor belt at the area of the two ends, so that within the reduced thickness areas or recesses, metallic belt connectors can be positioned and attached. Belt skivers advantageously remove strips from the ends of the conveyor belt, which have a thickness smaller than the thickness of the conveyor belt before separating the surface layers. The belt connectors are positioned in the recesses formed thereby at the opposing ends of the conveyor belt. Some types of belt connectors have plates that span between the opposite ends of the belt, while other types of belt connectors have loops or eyelets that are arranged in an overlapping or intermeshing arrangement, and are interconnected by a rod or pin inserted through the eyelets of the belt connectors to permit the belt to travel in a circular or arcuate pattern at the ends of the conveyor.
Within the spirit of the present invention, the term "surface layer" is to be understood on a broad basis. The surface layers of the conveyor belt typically reference the upper and lower surfaces of the conveyor belt. The thickness of the particular surface layers to be separated is determined by the size and geometry of the metallic belt connectors to be attached to the belt ends.
A mechanism of the type discussed above, which is identified herein as a belt skiver or plane, is disclosed in DE 40 02 116 A1. The mechanical belt skiver described in this prior patent document serves the purpose of separating a surface layer from an end of a conveyor belt clamped on a support mechanism. The belt skiver has a slide movable along the support mechanism, in which a blade and leading pressure shoe are mounted in a vertically adjustable manner that corresponds to the thickness of the surface layer to be cut and/or the thickness of the conveyor belt. The blade is formed as a knife, the free end of which is disposed away from the slide, and is high curved, in order to cut the surface layer both vertically and horizontally. The slide is moved by means of a gear that is able to be operated by a crank handle. Due to the gear reduction ratio of the gearbox, the blade can be moved over the belt with great force or strength. The blade is relatively thick and therefore bend resistant to ensure that a continuous surface layer size is removed over the entire width of the belt.
However, this type of mechanical belt skiver has certain disadvantageous such as, upon the operation of the belt skiver relative to the clamped conveyor belt, the surface layer can be removed only on one side or face of the conveyor belt end. When the surface layer is to be removed on the other side or face of the conveyor belt end, it is necessary to disconnect and remove the clamp holding the conveyor belt, subsequently putting back the belt skiver into the starting position, once again aligning and clamping the turned over conveyor belt on the support mechanism, and subsequently performing the additional separation process. Apart from the additional handling being quite labor-consuming and time-consuming, it also results in the risk that the turned over conveyor belt changes position or is misaligned in the support mechanism relative to the first side, with the consequence being that, upon separating the two surface layers or strips, deviations are experienced. Apart from this, due to the use of only one blade with the belt skiver, this does not facilitate the separating of different geometrical surface layers from the end of a conveyor belt.
Furthermore, another mechanism of the type discussed above is disclosed in WO 96/07517. This mechanism also has a blade for separating the surface layers of the conveyor belt. This mechanism is provided with two mounted rollers pivoting on parallel axles with the full thickness conveyor belt clamped therebetween. One roller is actuated, so that the conveyor belt is conveyed by the rollers. The blade is housed behind the rollers in the direction of the conveyance of the conveyor belt, which thus separates the surface layer from the conveyor belt. The mechanism is free standing, so that it is not necessary to position the conveyor belt in a stationary manner. Rather, the conveyor belt is introduced in the mechanism and transported by means of the rollers through the mechanism and the surface layer is thereby separated.
Also for this mechanism, there is a particular disadvantage insofar as the relative shifting of the mechanism and the conveyor belt results in only one surface layer being separated from the relevant end of the conveyor belt. If two surface layers are to be separated from the conveyor belt end, the procedure must be repeated, with the above-described problems concerning the accuracy of the separated surface layers. This is a prerequisite for the exact positioning of the belt connectors.

MATO Maschinen-und Metallwarenfabrik Curt Matthaei GmbH & Co. KG


A method of writing information securely in a portable information medium fitted with a firmware electronic component. According to the invention, information is written in at least two stages on at least two distinct sites, with information depending on the chosen second site being written in a first step at the first site, and with information necessary for operation of medium being written in a second step at the second site. Application to protecting portable media for electronic transactions against theft.

Numerous electronic transactions systems are known that make use of portable information media The. best known comprise payment systems based on memory cards. Other systems use electronic keys. When appropriately programmed, such portable information media give their holders access to goods or services provided by an operator, such as a pay-phone, electricity, or television.
At present, portable electronic transaction media are manufactured in very large quantities at centralized production sites, and then they are delivered ready for use to an operator or to a distribution center which then passes them on to carriers. Naturally, in the event of theft, said media can be sold beyond the control of the operator.
Various means of providing protection against this risk have been conceived, such as physical protection during transport, which nevertheless turns out to be insufficient since it is expensive, inconvenient, and does not always provide a genuine guarantee.
Identifying stolen media by means of a stop list assumes that reader devices have the capacity to process long lists, and often that is not the case.
Finally, transporting media in small batches does indeed limit the risk, but it makes costs and deadlines unacceptable for large volumes.
Also, for portable information media provided with a firmware electronic component, such as prepaid phone cards, a security technique is known whereby a transport code programmed by the manufacturer of the firmware electronic component makes it possible to ensure that only the manufacturer of media for whom the component is intended will be able to use it.
To extend this service to transport between the manufacturer of the media and the operator-client, it would suffice if the manufacturer did no programming, leaving that to the operator-client. However, such a system would suffer from the major drawback that the transport code could not be given to the operator for reasons of confidentiality unless the media manufacturer were to provide components having different codes as a function of different clients. That solution would lead to very expensive and difficult logistic constraints.

Method of writing information securely in a portable medium


The present invention relates to a liquid crystal light valve comprising: a first substrate where a first polymer layer is formed thereon; a second substrate where a second polymer layer is formed thereon, the first polymer layer is opposite to the second polymer; and a liquid crystal material layer filled in between the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer, wherein the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer have a roughened surface, and the roughened surface is disposed between the first polymer layer and the liquid crystal material layer, or between the second polymer layer and the liquid crystal material layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal light valve and a method for making the liquid crystal light valve thereof, which is an especial liquid crystal light valve adapted for low voltage operation and considerable energy conservation.
2. Description of Related Art
Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) is currently the most dominating application of a scattering light valve, and the operating voltage needed for it ranges approximately between 60 to 70 volts. For the scattering light valve, the liquid crystal light valve is maintained in a light-scattering state so that the light is blocked when there is no interference of externally applied voltage. But when an external voltage is applied on the liquid crystal light valve, the liquid crystal light valve will turn to appear transparent and allow the light to pass through.
For details on the use of liquid crystal light valve, please refer to FIG. 1A-FIG. 1C, which show perspective views of use of liquid crystal light valve. As shown in FIG. 1A, the light cannot pass through the liquid crystal light valve 101 when no external operating voltage is applied onto the liquid crystal light valve 101. Under this condition, it is not possible to see any object through the liquid crystal light valve 101. On the other hand, when an external voltage is applied (e.g. by applying an operating voltage of 30 volts), the liquid crystal light valve 101 will begin to show light transmission. As shown in FIG. 1B, when part of light passes through a liquid crystal light valve 101, the view of the object behind the liquid crystal light valve 101 can be roughly seen.
Moreover, when the operating voltage is increased to about 60˜70 volts, the light transmittance of liquid crystal light valve 101 will be correspondingly increased to its maximum level. Under the situation as shown in FIG. 1C, the liquid crystal light valve 101 can permit more light to pass through, and making the view of the object at the rear of the liquid crystal light valve 101 more clear to be seen.
However, there are still many drawbacks can be found in the abovementioned known liquid crystal light valve 101. For example, liquid crystal light valve 101 of the known art would require exceptionally high operating voltage (for instance, 60 to 70 volts for operating voltage, as described), such undertaking would mean consumption of a great deal of energy to keep the liquid crystal light valve 101 of the known art running. Furthermore, known liquid crystal light valve 101 requires a long response time. That is, when the external operating voltage is adjusted from its original state, the light transmittance of the liquid crystal light valve 101 will not be able to response immediately to the operating voltage that has changed, and adjust itself accordingly. In addition to this, the known liquid crystal light valve 101 also faces a viewing angle related problem, in which the light valve is not suitable for all viewing angels.
In view of the above, although liquid crystal light valve has excellent properties to offer, it is still restricted by numerous drawbacks and cannot find public popularity. As a result, there is a need in the industry for a novel liquid crystal light valve, one such that could improve on the particular disadvantages so as to make the liquid crystal light valve more acceptable for use in application.

Liquid crystal light valve and method for manufacturing the same


Provided are an electronic switching device and a method for manufacturing the same. The electronic switching device includes a fixed unit including a fixed unit body defining an outer appearance thereof and a fixed contact part disposed within the fixed unit body, a movable unit including a movable contact part selectively contacting the fixed contact part to supply current, a moving part provided in the movable unit to guide a movement of the movable contact part toward the fixed contact part, a coil to which power is applied to move the moving part, and an elastic member that is elastically deformable while the moving part moves. At least one of the fixed unit and the moving part has a through hole so that an inner component of the fixed unit or the moving part communicates with the outside to allow a preset signal to pass therethrough.

The present disclosure relates to an electronic switching device and a method for manufacturing the same.
Electronic switching devices may be used for various industrial equipment, machineries, and vehicles as electrical contact switching devices that supply or block current.
In general, such an electronic switching device is configured to switch a contact point by an electrical signal. The electronic switching device includes a coil to which power is applied, a movable part movably disposed by magnetic force generated in the coil, a contact part selectively contacting the movable part according to the movement of the movable part, and an elastic member providing restoring force to the movable part.
Also, the electronic switching device includes a fixed contact part fixed to one position of the contact part and a movable contact part disposed on a side of the fixed contact part to selectively contact the fixed contact part according to the movement of the movable part to supply power.
Performance of the electronic switching device may be determined by at least one of a maximum movement distance (hereinafter, referred to as a stroke) of the movable part, a gap that is a distance between the fixed contact part and the movable contact part, and a compression distance of the elastic member. Thus, after the electronic switching device is manufactured, the stroke, the gap, and the compression distance may be measured (inspected) to determine whether the electronic switching device is faulty.
In the electronic switching device according to the related art, a process for measuring the stroke and a process for measuring the gap may be separated to increase a production time of a product.
For example, in case of the electronic switching device according to the related art, a process for manufacturing (assembling) a first process for assembling portions of components of the electronic switching device and a second process for assembling additional components after the first process is completed. Here, the stroke should be measured in a state where the movable part is capable of being exposed to the outside, i.e., before the second process is performed. Also, after the second process is performed, only the gap may be measured in structure of the device.
That is, in the manufacturing process of the device, the processes for inspecting the performance may be separated so that the processes are performed according to a predetermined order. Thus, the manufacturing process may be complicated, and the performance inspection efficiency may be reduced.
Also, in a case where a portion of the processes is omitted, since the product should be disassembled again to inspect the performance, an error with respect to the performance inspection result may occur. Also, in a case where the inspection process is omitted, the product may increase in failure rate.

Electronic switching device and method for manufacturing the same


A method and arrangement for reducing power consumption in an M row×N column array of processing cells. A row mask register masks individual cells in each row for being enabled. A column mask register masks individual cells in each column for being enabled. The combination of the row mask register signal and column mask register signal enables or disables each cell of the array. Enabled cells are activated to execute an operation or function, while disabled cells a prevented from consuming dynamic power. Depending on the application and enabled cells thereby, power consumption is reduced.

The present invention relates generally to computer processors. More specifically, the present invention relates to power savings with an array structure of processor cells.
A processing cell contains logic elements for executing an operation on data according to an instruction. Increasingly, larger numbers of processing cells are connected together in one processor to accomplish a greater number of more complex processing tasks. For instance, a processor having cells that are arranged in an array of M rows and N columns is capable of processing M×N operations during each clock cycle. Further, each cell in the array can be individually programmed to perform a unique operation, such that the processor could accomplish M×N different operations during a single clock cycle.
In digital systems, dynamic power consumption dominates a system's overall power consumption. Each cell consumes dynamic power in two ways: when its input is changing, and when its internal registers are clocked. Some processing applications require only a portion of the number of cells in a processor to execute a particular function. However, a cell that is not being used for a certain application will still consume dynamic power by having its registers continually clocked while it awaits to be enabled.
Some uses for processors, such as in a handheld computing device or wireless communication device for example, benefit from reduced power consumption. Reduced power consumption allows for a smaller power supply, and thus a more efficient design of such devices. Also, a device with reduced processor power consumption can achieve a longer battery life. Accordingly, there exists a need for a method and arrangement for saving power in a processor.

Power saving method and arrangement for a configurable processor array