A content management system (CMS) includes an autonomic rule generation mechanism that autonomically analyzes existing content and generates rules according to a defined rule generation policy. Autonomically generated rules may include bursting rules, synchronization rules and linking rules. By autonomically generating rules based on the characteristics of content in the repository, the CMS can dramatically improve the ease and efficiency of managing a CMS.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to content management systems, and more specifically relates to a content management system that autonomically generates rules.
2. Background Art
A content management system (CMS) allows many users to efficiently share electronic content such as text, audio files, video files, pictures, graphics, etc. Content management systems typically control access to content in a repository. A user may generate content, and when the content is checked into the repository, the content is checked by the CMS to make sure the content conforms to predefined rules. A user may also check out content from the repository, or link to content in the repository while generating content. The rules in a CMS assure that content to be checked in or linked to meets desired criteria specified in the rules.
Known content management systems check their rules when content is being checked in. If the rule is satisfied, the content is checked into the repository. If the rule is not satisfied, the content is not checked into the repository. Known content management systems may include rules related to bursting, synchronization and linking. Bursting rules govern how a document is bursted, or broken into individual chunks, when the document is checked into the repository. By bursting a document into chunks, the individual chunks may be potentially reused later by a different author. Synchronization rules govern synchronization between content and metadata related to the content. For example, a synchronization rule may specify that whenever a specified CMS attribute is changed, a particular piece of XML in the content should be automatically updated with that attribute's value. Linking rules govern what content in a repository a user may link to in a document that will be subsequently checked into the repository. In a typical CMS, a CMS administrator specifies the rules that apply to documents checked into the repository. As the CMS grows and matures, the CMS administrator typically defines new rules or changes existing rules according to the changes in the CMS. This process of manually generating new rules as conditions in a CMS change is inefficient and prone to human errors. Without a way for a CMS to autonomically generate rules according to content already in the repository, the computer industry will continue to be plagued by the inefficiency of requiring a human CMS administrator to manually specify rules in a CMS.

Autonomic rule generation in a content management system

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention relates to a fast applicable hair piece (1) for obtaining a special esthetical effect like e.g. a colour effect or a hair volume effect having a remarkable high wearing comfort for the user. The hair piece (1) comprises at least one thin, broad and flat hair piece (3) consisting of a number of hairs (20). The hair bundle (3, 3′, 3″) is provided at its free end with a lightweight and thin elongated weaving band (2, 2′, 2″) made from hair or from another suitable material like e.g. cotton or a synthetic material comprising regularly weaving elements (11). This weaving band is characterized by connection opening (4, 4′, 4″, 31) provided at regular mutual distance. A suitable number of basic hairs (9, 9′, 9″) may be passed through said connection openings (4, 4′, 4″, 31). As a result a temporarily, durable however eventually easily removable connection between the hair (1) piece and the basic hair (6) will be formed, in such a way that the hair piece (1) is always reusable. Furthermore the invention relates to a method for attaching a hair piece (1).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fast applicable hair piece for obtaining a special esthetical effect like e.g. a colour effect or a hair volume effect. The hair piece comprises at least one thin, broad and flat hair piece consisting of parallelley oriented hairs, and a lightweight and thin elongated weaving band comprising regular weaving elements made from hair or from another suitable material like e.g. cotton or a synthetic material such that the hair piece may be completely integrated with the basic hair and is easily removable, having a remarkable high wearing comfort for the user. Furthermore the invention relates to a method for attaching the fast applicable hair piece.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hair pieces used in modern hair fashion and hair cosmetics are applied for hair extension or for hair shaping, but also for obtaining a special esthetical effect like e.g. a colour effect, volume effect etc. Hair pieces usually made from artificial hair or natural hair must meet many different requirements. These hair pieces must be easily attachable and also be easily removable and also must provide high wearing comfort to the user. Furthermore the hair pieces must be shape retaining, durable ad weatherproof and also shampoo etc. resistant. It is known to shape a modern hair piece as a relatively thin, broad and flat hair bundle which at the position of the first free end (hair tops) is provided transversely with a known weaving band, firstly for mutual interconnection of the hairs and secondly for obtaining a surface for interconnection with the basic hair. Moreover the weaving band may be made from natural or artificial hair, but also from a strip/sheet shaped flexible plastic strip. Such a hair piece with weaving band which may be easily connected and removed from the basic hair or natural hair of a person is also called a weft. Such a hair piece is attached to the basic hair by conducting a number of basic hairs or a knot of hair through openings in the weaving band and interconnecting these knots of hairs. These openings are provided between the weaving elements connected to the hairs of the hair bundle.
The disadvantage of this type of hair piece with weaving band is that the interconnected knots of basic hair will remain visible because mixing of the hairs of the hair piece with the basic hair is difficult, so that it is easily remarked by other people that a hair piece is used. Camouflaging of the weaving band and the interconnected knots of basic hair is possible, but is labour-intensive and therefore expensive.

Fast applicable hair piece provided with a weaving band completely integrated with basic hair and method for attaching thereof


The subject invention is related to a method for preparing a reflective film, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a first substrate and forming a releasable adhesive layer thereon; (b) applying reflective particles onto the releasable adhesive layer, where the reflective particles are partially embedded in the releasable adhesive layer; (c) applying a pigment onto the reflective particles and the releasable adhesive layer; (d) removing part of the pigment so that the pigment does not completely cover the reflective particles; and (d) forming a reflective layer on the pigment and the reflective particles. The invention further pertains to a method for manufacturing a reflective article by using the reflective film prepared according to the above-mentioned method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preparing a reflective film, and further relates to a method for manufacturing a reflective article, especially, reflective fabric with high reflectivity, by using the prepared reflective film, where the reflective fabric is capable of presenting different colors as required.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional preparation of a reflective article, a reflective agent or fluorescent powder is directly sprayed on a surface of the article. Due to bright colors presented by chemical colorants of the reflective agent itself, or due to chemical properties of the fluorescent powder, people can see dazzling colors with the naked eye. This phenomenon is generally referred to as a "reflective effect." However, the colorant such as the reflective agent is adhered to the surface of the article due to the addition of an adhesive or a hardener, and the sprayed agent is unevenly distributed in thickness. The material of the reflective matter is a soft adhesive layer or paint layer. Therefore, after such a layer is repeatedly wiped and abraded over long-term use, the reflective agent layer gradually attenuates. Moreover, as the reflective agent layer is often exposed to sunlight and moisture, it also gradually fades or deteriorates, resulting in deterioration of the reflective effect. Hence, such a reflective article has a disadvantage of failing to sustain its reflective effect over time.
Small glass particles are also used in the industry to manufacture a reflective surface of a reflective article. Development of and advancements in synthetic resin and technology in other fields have given rise to reflective films manufactured with glass particles, synthetic resin, films with metal, and coating technologies. Reflective fabrics are developed on the basis of oriented reflective films with the development of synthetic resins and according to the demand of developing society.
Serving a role in safety and various practical applications, reflective fabrics are already widely used in outdoor work clothes for special industries such as transportation, sanitation, and public security. Wearing or carrying reflective materials enables workers to be seen by drivers from a long distance due to the retroreflective function of the reflective materials, thereby preventing accidents. The safety of ordinary persons engaging in activities at night can also be enhanced by reflective fabric applied to clothes, shoes, hats, bags, or raingear. The degree to which safety is enhanced is measured according to reflective strength of the reflective fabric. The higher the reflectivity, the more conspicuously visible the article, which thus becomes easier for drivers to spot, and from a longer distance. In addition to its reflective properties, reflective fabric designed for safety and other functional applications in clothing should be designed to feature properties that facilitate long-term use, such as being washable, wear-resistant, and waterproof.
A method for manufacturing a reflective article in the prior art is shown in FIG. 1, in which silver paste 2 is doped and mixed with emulsion, and then the mixture is coated on a substrate 1 (for example, fabric, paper, or a plastic sheet) to be overlaid, and finally, glass particles 3 are directly coated and scattered on the adhesive emulsion, thereby completing the manufacturing. However, the reflective article in the prior art can merely present the color silver.
Therefore, there is still a need to develop a reflective article that is capable of reflecting different colors while featuring desired properties such as being washable, wear-resistant, waterproof, inexpensive to prepare, and applicable to various substrates (especially fabrics).


A programmable integrated circuit may have a memory controller that interfaces between master modules and system memory. The memory controller may receive memory access requests from the masters via ports that have predetermined bit widths. To provide the memory controller with adjustable port widths, a mapping interface may be provided that interfaces between master processing modules and the memory controller. The mapping interface may allocate port resources such as read data ports and write data ports of the memory controller to each master processing module. The mapping interface may assign a desirable number of read data ports and write data ports to each master to accommodate the requirements of that master. The mapping interface may assign a command port to each master that receives memory access requests from that master. The mapping interface may convey write acknowledgements in response to fulfilling write access requests.

Programmable integrated circuits are a type of integrated circuit that can be configured by a user to implement custom logic functions. In a typical scenario, a logic designer uses computer-aided design (CAD) tools to design a custom logic circuit. When the design process is complete, the CAD tools generate configuration data. The configuration data is loaded into a programmable integrated circuit to configure the device to perform desired logic functions.
A programmable integrated circuit can be used to communicate with system memory. This type of programmable integrated circuit often includes a memory controller that serves as an interface between the programmable integrated circuit and system memory. The programmable integrated circuit also includes processing modules configured to access system memory by sending memory access requests to the memory controller (e.g., the memory controller includes multiple ports each of which receives memory access requests from a respective module within the programmable integrated circuit).
Conventional memory controllers have fixed attributes. Each port of a conventional memory controller has a predefined port width. The port width of each memory controller port limits the amount of data that can be conveyed between the memory controller and the different processing modules of the programmable integrated circuit. A conventional memory controller has a predefined number of ports. The number of ports limits how many processing modules can interface with system memory. Each port of a conventional memory controller has predefined directions of data flow (i.e., each port allows either uni-directional data transfers or bi-directional data transfers from system memory).

Memory controller interface with adjustable port widths


Optical media having markings that are non-interfering, or substantially non-interfering with readout of data from the optical media are disclosed. The optical media make use of certain formulations of color forming coatings described herein. Protective coatings used to enhance the color forming coatings are also presented. Methods for incorporating the coatings into the optical media are included. In preferred embodiments, the marking is formed in a photosensitive coating that is applied to the optical media, and then cured with a first light. A second light, having a substantially separate band of wavelengths from the first light, is used to image a marking into the coating. The coating is robust to many external influences, such as ambient environmental conditions, and physical wear.

Optical media, as typically used today, includes a variety of supplementary information that is in addition to the data recorded in the optical media. The supplementary information is frequently presented in elaborate form, consistent with the marketing, advertising or other goals of the manufacturer. The supplementary information may be included in various fashions, such as through the use of stick on labels, inks or through other techniques.
Labeling or markings are typically applied to the "non-read" side of a optical disc, such as a Compact Disc (CD) or a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), for indicating information such as the source of the disc and a listing of the information recorded thereon. The placement of markings on the non-readout side of optical media permits the use of a variety of marking technologies, ranging from simple to complex. Placement of markings on the read-side of optical media, particularly in the area where data is recorded, is a greater challenge, as the markings can interfere with the use of the optical media.
Considering that approximately 1 billion DVDs and more than 4 billion CDs are produced annually (as estimated by the International Recording Media Association), the potential advertising space has been equated to 1 billion magazine advertising pages, 300 million newspaper advertising pages, or 3 million billboards. Accordingly, the value of incorporating markings into optical media, especially the currently unmarked readout side, is very high.
One example of a technique for marking an optical media is disclosed in the International Patent Application Publication No.: WO 99/65696, entitled "Permanent Image Formation," and published on 23 Dec. 1999. The application discloses a method and apparatus for forming a permanent image on a substrate including CD, DVD and packaging (particularly those formed from recycled polycarbonate and/or recycled PET). The application discloses that the printing process therein differs from the prior art in that ink is applied to a substantial portion of a substrate surface, instead of only in the image areas. One skilled in the art will recognize that, in the case of optical media, the ink is limited to providing for images on the non-readout area of the optical media. For example, since pigments used in the ink typically include particles, the ink would likely cause scatter of a readout light (laser), thus inhibiting readout of the data features. Further, the disclosed use of an infrared (IR) laser to impart the image implies the ink would interfere with a normal data readout process since CD and DVD media use near-IR lasers in the readout mechanism.
Prior attempts to place markings on the read side have been made. Reference may be had to U.S. Patents directed towards optical storage systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,953, entitled "Optical Recording Media Having Optically-Variable Security Properties" by Li Li, issued Aug. 27, 1996, discloses a technique to prevent counterfeiting of various substrates through introducing thin film structures having optically variable security properties and encoded optical data. Another U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,160, entitled "Optical Storage Media Having Visible Logos", by Sullivan, et al., issued on Apr. 23, 1996. This patent also discloses a technique to prevent counterfeiting of optical storage media, specifically through producing a visible logo on the read side of the substrate. Although these patents provide for incorporation of markings that may have certain advantages, any advantages are limited. That is, for example, the markings are visible only under certain conditions, and complicated or expensive manufacturing processes are called for to produce finished product. Furthermore, the degree of control, or complexity of the marking may be less than desired for effective advertising or other information bearing schemes.
Other examples involving a coating applied to an optical media can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,298 "Optical Disc Having Protective Films." This patent discloses an optical disc having a protective film, the film having good transmissivity and high hardness against abrasion, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,868 B1 "Use and Manufacturing Applications of Polymer/Dye-Based Thin Layer Coatings for Enhancement of the Quality of Recording On and Readout From the Optical Storage Media," which discloses use of a thin layer coating for the improvement of the quality of the encoded digital information. Another example includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,933 "Methods and Apparatus for Rendering an Optically Encoded Medium Unreadable." This patent discloses including optically activated materials to degrade the reflectivity of a surface.
However, the foregoing patents have not taken advantage of certain advances in materials. For example, reference may be had to International Patent Publication No.: WO 02/101462 A1 "Laser Marking Method" published on 19 Dec. 2002, applied for by Ciba Specialty Chemicals Holding Inc. This publication discloses a method of coloring a polymeric material containing a latent acid, a color former, and optionally further ingredients by irradiation with UV-light. Another International Patent Publication No.: WO 02/100914 A2, applied for by Ciba Specialty Chemicals Holding Inc., is entitled "Polymeric Material, Containing a Latent Acid." This publication discloses a polymeric material containing a latent acid which can be converted to an acid by irradiation by a laser and optionally further ingredients. Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,792 "System for the Visualization of Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation," issued Jul. 2, 1991 to Mullis. This patent discloses photochemical systems for the direct visualization of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, in which a photoacid is formed upon irradiation with ultraviolet light and causes a dye to undergo a visible color change.
Further patents disclose compounds and techniques for applying colorforming materials as a coating. Consider, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,601, "Laser Printing Method and Substrate" issued Jan. 11, 2000; and the Continuation thereof, U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,267, issued Oct. 31, 2000. These patents disclose a method and a substrate for printing information wherein at least one coating is applied to a substrate, the coating containing photosensitive colorforming components. When heated with a laser beam, a chromic change occurs in the at least one coating thereby providing for the printing of information.
Patents disclosing colorforming coatings include U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,830, entitled "Carbonylic Halides as Activators for Phototropic Compositions", issued Nov. 12, 1985 to Reardon et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,885, entitled "Phototropic Photosensitive Compositions Containing Fluoran Colorformer", issued Aug. 10, 1982 to Reardon. Both patents disclose compositions useful for the production of photoresist films for the electronics industry. These compositions are disclosed as containing a polymerizable, crosslinkable or curable component with a photoinitiator, a colorformer, and an activator; where the composition becomes insoluble and change color under the influence of actinic radiation.
It is known to apply radiation sensitive coatings to objects for the visualization of exposure to radiation. Refer to U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,115, entitled "Systems for the Visualization of Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation," issued Jul. 25, 1995. Likewise, invisible fluorescent images may be developed using similar technology and acid sensitive fluorescent dyes, such as those reported in "Positive and Negative Fluorescent Imaging Induced by Naphthalimide Polymers" by He Tian, Jiaan Gan, Kongchang Chen, Jun He, Qun Liang Songb and XiaoYuan Houb, Journal of Materials Chemistry 2002, 12, 1262-1267.
One further example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,746 "Photosensitive Resin Composition, Photosensitive Printing Plate Using the Same and Method of Manufacturing Printing Master Plate," issued Mar. 23, 1999 to Iwai, et al. This patent discloses a photosensitive resin composition comprising a high polymer binder, a monomer, a photopolymerization initiator generating a radical on exposure to visible light, and an optically activated acid generating agent, generating an acid on exposure to wavelengths of 200 nm to 380 nm, with a color former developing color in the presence of an acid. Among other things, this patent discloses use of dispersing agents, which indicate inhomogeneity, a property that would cause laser scatter in an optical media readout system. Also, the initiators disclosed in this patent are sensitive to visible light and require the use of an oxygen barrier layer to affect adequate curing. Use of an oxygen barrier layer is a substantial hindrance to the application of these materials to quantities of optical disc, as manufacturing environments do not typically provide for a dark and/or oxygen free environment. Further such additional steps present economic and production burdens that would serve to limit use of the marking system.
Non-limiting examples of existing embodiments of optical media (prior art) are provided in FIGS. 1-8. In FIG. 1, a prior art optical media 8 is depicted as a compact disc (CD). The CD 8 includes a substrate 17 (typically formed of polycarbonate), a metallized layer 14 (also referred to as a reflecting layer 14), and a protective layer 12. A label is disposed on a label side 7, over the protective layer 12, which is typically formed of a UV curable acrylic. A readout light (as depicted by the upward pointed arrow) penetrates the readout side 2 to provide a readout signal for interpreting data features known as-pits 5 and lands 6. Aspects of other embodiments of optical media 8 are presented in FIGS. 2-8.
Other formats of optical media 8 are presented in order to illustrate variations in architecture. FIG. 2 depicts an optical media 8 as a single sided/single layer embodiment of a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD). In general, DVD 8 includes substrate layers 17, reflective layers 14, and a bonding layer 15. The structure shown in FIG. 2 correlates to aspects of optical media 8 commonly referred to as "DVD-5." FIG. 3 depicts another embodiment of a prior art optical media 8, where a single sided/dual layer embodiment of a DVD is shown. In this embodiment, the reflective layer 14 includes a semi-reflective layer 14-1 and a substantially reflective layer 14-2. The substrate layer 17 includes a first substrate layer 17-1, and a second substrate layer 17-2. This structure correlates to aspects of optical media 8 commonly referred to as "DVD-9." In this embodiment, two layers of data features are provided on the one side of the DVD 8. Other examples of prior art optical media 8 include a dual sided/single layer DVD, as shown in FIG. 4. This structure correlates to aspects of optical media 8 commonly referred to as "DVD-10." A dual sided/dual layer embodiment of a DVD 8 is shown in FIG. 5. This structure correlates to aspects of optical media 8 commonly referred to as "DVD-18." This embodiment of a DVD includes two sides, each with a dual layer format. Both layers of each side are manufactured on a single polycarbonate substrate layer 17, and subsequently bonded together at the bonding layer 15. DVD-18 has the largest capacity of the family but is the most difficult and complex to manufacture. A unique stamper is needed to create each of the four substrate layers 17. DVD-14 is a related format in which only one half of the disc 8 is a dual layer disc 8. This format contains approximately 14 gigabytes of data. DVD-14 is slightly easier to manufacture than a DVD-18, since one side is a DVD-5. Further examples of optical media 8 include a hybrid SACD, as shown in FIG. 6; a hybrid DVD, as shown in FIG. 7; and, a DVD Plus, as shown in FIG. 8.
Combination disc formats, for example combining DVD-ROM on one side with DVD-RAM on the other, are known. Such discs 8 are double sided discs and are read from both sides. Hybrid SACD is a format developed by Philips and Sony and combines a SACD (i.e., physically a DVD layer) with a CD layer. Both layers are read from the same side, which means that the SACD layer must be reflective for a red laser but will transmit an infra red CD laser. Such discs can be played on both a CD player (which will read the CD layer) and a SACD player.
Hybrid DVD is a similar format to the hybrid SACD with a conventional DVD data layer over a CD data layer. DVD Plus refers to a disc comprising a CD bonded to a DVD substrate. The resulting disc allows both DVD and CD data to be read from one disc, like a hybrid DVD, but the disc is read from both sides. Neither format is commonly available as yet.
Each format of optical media 8 is described by certain specifications. For example, for the CD shown in FIG. 1, the specification thickness for the substrate layer 17 is 1.2 mm, while the pits 5 are separated by about 125 nm from the lands 6. In DVD, as shown in FIGS. 2-5, the substrate layers 17 are typically 0.6 mm thick.
This cursory examination of these popular (but few) embodiments of optical media 8 serves to point out that a variety of layers exist within the various formats for optical media 8. These layers each contain a certain amount of material selected for providing certain properties, such as clarity and rigidity. One skilled in the art can surmise that the various layers may be constructed of an assortment of materials, while providing for the functionality of the optical media 8.
The assortment of materials is typically limited by such criteria as for light transmission at a given wavelength, viscosity during application, and other optical properties. Understandably, materials are frequently in development to improve the performance of optical media 8.
Examples of recently developed disc-molding materials include PLEXIGLAS VOD-100 produced by Elf Atochem of North America Inc., Philadelphia, Pa. which is a grade of acrylic thermoplastic specially designed for optical disc manufacturing; a similar material is ACRYLITE DQ501 from CYRO Industries, Rockaway, N.J.; another product is Polycyclohexylethylene (PCHE), from Dow Plastics, Midland, Mich., which is a saturated cyclic hydrocarbon that is derived from styrene monomer, and said to have exceptional optical purity and clarity, with a refractive index of 1.51 and high light transmittance across the full spectrum, including the blue-green range. Further non-limiting examples of disc-molding materials are LEXAN products from General Electric of Pittsfield, Mass., which include models OQ1040L, OQ1050 and OQ1030L.
The wide use of optical media 8 call for advanced marking schemes. This need is growing rapidly with changes in optical media technology and growing demand. For example, the advent of dual sided optical media 8 necessitates the development of a marking scheme that does not interfere, or substantially interfere, with a readout laser.
Such a scheme should provide enhanced marking, identification, authentication and encoding capabilities for optical media. The scheme should provide for rapid production of images, text, or other optically encoded information on the label and/or read side of the optical media. Furthermore, the scheme should further provide for markings that are robust and durable in environments where optical media may be used.

Incorporation of markings in optical media


An apparatus and method for treating a substrate to deposit, clean or etch material on a substrate using a first horizontal chuck to which a plurality of substrates is attached and electrically charged. Spaced closely to the first horizontal chuck is a coextensive horizontal second chuck which receives and showers reaction solution over all portions of each substrate. During the reaction process, both chucks are substantially submerged in reaction solution within a tank. At least one of the chucks is attached and controllable from a control arm. At least one of the chucks is rotated about a vertical axis at a slow speed during the reaction process. The axes of rotation of the two chucks may be coincident, or the axes may be offset from each other, and/or one or both axes may be offset from the chuck centerpoint(s). One of the chucks may also be periodically moved in a vertical direction relative to the other chuck.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for inducing an electrochemical, chemical and/or mechanical reaction on an article. More particularly, the invention pertains to methods and apparatus for treating substrates including electrodeposition of material thereonto, such as through anodizing, etching, polishing, and cleaning.
2. State of the Art
Semiconductor wafers, substrates and printed circuit boards (collectively hereinafter "semiconductor substrates") are often coated with various materials, such as metals which are etched in later semiconductor fabrication processes to form components on the semiconductor substrates. Techniques for coating semiconductor substrates include electrodeposition, electron beam evaporator deposition, chemical vapor deposition, sputter deposition, electroless plating and the like. Electrodeposition has become a commonly used technology.
Electrodeposition or electrolytic deposition is a process which deposits a thin film of material, such as metal or metal alloy, on an article. In electrodeposition, as shown in prior art FIG. 1, an article 10 is placed in a tank 12 containing an appropriate deposition solution, such as an electrolyte solution 14, which contains ions 16 of a metal to be deposited on the article 10. The article 10 forms a cathode or is in electrical contact with a cathode 18 which is immersed in the electrolyte solution 14. The cathode 18 is connected to a negative terminal 20 of a power supply 22. A suitable anode 24 is also immersed in the electrolyte solution 14 and connected to a positive terminal 26 of the power supply 22. The electrical current causes an electrochemical reaction at the surface of the article 10 which results in the metal ions 16 in the electrolyte solution 14 being deposited on the article 10.
With semiconductor devices, it is generally desirable to deposit the metal film with a uniform thickness across the article and with uniformity of composition of the metal(s) and/or other compounds forming the metal film. However, the electrodeposition process is relatively complex and various naturally occurring forces may result in a degradation in the electrodeposition process. The electrical current or flux path between the anode and the cathode should be uniform without undesirable spreading or curving to ensure uniform deposition. Additionally, since the metal ions in the deposition solution are deposited on the article, the deposition solution becomes depleted of metal ions, which degrades the electrodeposition process. Therefore, suitable controls are required to introduce metal ions into the deposition solution in order to maintain consistency.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,412 to Andricacos et al. relates to an electrodeposition cell having a rack for vertically supporting a silicon substrate to be electrodeposited. An opposing wall of the cell comprises an anode. A paddle is disposed within the cell for agitating an electrolytic solution within the cell to maintain a uniform distribution of deposition material within the electrolyte solution. Furthermore, Andricacos et al. teaches that the rack can be designed to be removable for automated handling. Although Andricacos et al. addresses the control issues discussed above, the rack assembly disclosed is not conducive to high-volume manufacturing. Furthermore, Andricacos et al. does not describe, teach, or suggest any means for improving the deposition on the silicon substrate by the movement of either the anode or cathode.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,056 to Okinaka et al. discloses a rotating substrate holder having substrates mounted vertically about a vertical shaft. Periodic reversal of rotation is disclosed. The system relates to electroless autocatalytic plating and is unrelated to electrodeposition.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,832 to Rackus et al. shows apparatus for mounting and electroplating lead frames to obtain greater plate thicknesses at the lead frame ends. Lead frames are mounted radially about a tubular cathodic member which is rotated about a vertical axis while an electrolytic solution is induced to flow downwardly past the rotating mount. There is no positive control over solution movement at the lead frame surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,020 to Sirbola describes the electroplating of computer memory disks wherein disks are mounted on a horizontal spindle and rotated in an electrolyte bath. Coplanar anodes are spaced from each side of the disk and are coplanar to only a portion of the disk.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,592 to Lowery shows an electrolytic plating apparatus having a rotatable vertical shaft carrying a set of anodes. Attached to the vertical shaft is an arm about which a vertical wheel is rotated by contact with a track in the tank floor. A substrate is mounted in a vertical configuration to the wheel and is rotated by wheel rotation as the wheel travels about the vertical shaft. Virtually no control of electrolyte uniformity is exercised.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,987 to Tzanavaras et al., an electroplating cell includes a horizontally rotatable anodic spray head. Electrolyte is sprayed through an intervening collimating ring onto a stationary substrate to create high turbulence at the surface. The spray head is shown with three diametrical rows of spray nozzles which cover less than the entire substrate at any time. Depending upon the location of a die in the substrate, each die may receive either one, two, or six pulses of electrolyte. To compensate, the nozzles are of differing spray design and flow rate. The limited numbers of nozzles are varied. Although not shown, it is stated that the substrate may alternatively be rotated.
Systems which are used for electrodeposition may also be used for electropolishing, electroetching, and the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,550 to Mayer et al. teaches attaching an article to a rotating anode positioned horizontally facedown in a polishing or etching bath. However, Mayer et al. teaches only the motion of the cathode and, since the articles are attached and treated one at a time in the anode, the apparatus of the Mayer et al. is not conductive to high-volume manufacturing.
In most electrodeposition techniques, the wafers are attached to the cathode. The attachment of wafers to the cathode can lead to significant problems, especially as the wafer quantities are increased within a single batch, control of the thickness of plated material may vary from semiconductor die to semiconductor die being manufactured on any wafer. This problem results from uniformity of metal ions and current density in the electrolyte solution adjacent the wafer surface.
It is desirable to provide highly uniform thickness and composition of deposition material on an electrodeposited article or to uniformly polish or etch an article. Furthermore, it is also desirable to do so in an apparatus capable of high-volume manufacturing, preferably using automated handling equipment.


A cannula for minimally invasive surgical tricuspid valve repair, which is constituted by a tube (5). equipped, at its distal end. with a head (2) consisting of a cone-shaped rigid ring (3) and connected to it on the other side of a flexible ring (4). where the flexible ring (4) in the folded state has a disk shape, and on top of the head (2) there is an axial hole (8) leading to the interior of the cannula (1). and where on the whole length of the head (2) and on a part of the tube (5) near the connection to the head (2), from the inside, there is a thin guide sleeve (6) which, on the section of the rigid ring (3) is permanently attached to the surface of its wall, while on its remaining length, it is slidably movable relative to the wall of the tube (5).

Cannulation is a procedure for placing a cannula, i.e. a special tube in the arterial vessel, most often in the aorta or the femoral artery, and in the venous vessel for receiving and feeding blood from a patient to the apparatus providing extracorporeal circulation. For the surgeries on tricuspid valve, it is necessary to selectively cannulate both the superior vena cava (SVC) and the inferior vena cava (IVC) so that blood does not flow through the right atrium, which allows opening thereof and reaching the tricuspid valve undergoing surgery. In the standard procedure of tricuspid valve repair, blood flow to and from the SVC and the IVC is cut off before the blood reaches the right atrium. This procedure is necessary to isolate the right atrium with the tricuspid valve, and at the same time to protect other organs and tissues from death. Method of isolation, i.e. closing, clamping of the main veins around the cannula so that the blood flows only inside the cannula and not through the lumen of the vessel is essential for the cannulation. Clamping from outside by means of so-called snuggers is typical for standard surgeries i.e. by sternotomy. However, it can be very difficult or even impossible in the case of minimally invasive surgeries consisting of accessing the heart and valve by an incision having a few centimetres in the side wall of the chest without affecting the bones and of replacing the valve under the control of an endoscopic camera using special long tools. Such surgeries are associated with a different method of connecting the extracorporeal circulation, with another place of cannulation (vein and femoral artery in the groin) and, therefore, with the need to use completely different cannulas.
On the market, there are venous cannulas for minimally invasive surgery. Adding a balloon or a special collar to the cannula in its distal part, which allows the main vein to be closed somewhat from the inside, gives the same effect as clamping the vein from the outside and, therefore, allows minimally invasive surgery.
Normally, two cannulas are used for minimally invasive tricuspid valve surgery, one for the inferior vena cava, which is inserted into the femoral artery, and the other for the superior vena cava, which is inserted through the jugular vein. However, attempts have been made to develop a cannula design which would drain blood from both veins at the same time.
So, from No. U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,557, a venous cannula is known which is intended to drain the patient's blood during cardiac surgery and has two branches at the end of the main part of the cannula. Around the middle of each branch, there is an occlusive balloon which, after filling, seals the blood vessel from the inside and, thereby, prevents blood flow along the cannula on its outer side.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,375, a cannula and a method of cannulation of blood vessels during heart surgery are known. The cannula is equipped with two occlusive balloons sealing the main vein from the inside.
From patent application No. CN102475556, a cannula for the main vein is known which has an umbrella-shaped ring made of a soft silicone.

Cannula for minimally invasive surgical tricuspid valve repair


Disclosed are a Ti alloy having an excellent hydrogen absorption inhibition effect, a Ti alloy member using the Ti alloy, and a manufacturing thereof. A Ti alloy is characterized in that it contains 0.1 to 5.0% by mass in total of at least one of Zr and Hf, and a residue comprising Ti and impurities.

A Ti alloy is of a light weight and high strength, as well as being excellent in corrosion resistance, as compared with a metallic material such as iron or its alloy. Therefore, the Ti alloy is broadly used as a pipe material, a plate material or a wire material, or as a Ti alloy member produced by secondary working using these materials, for sport and leisure equipments, medical implements, various plant parts and members, and aerospace equipments.
In the meantime, it is known that a metallic material is corroded in an acid solution, and causes hydrogen-embrittlement phenomena by absorbing hydrogen when hydrogen exists therearound at a hydrogen absorbing potential. A Ti alloy, as well as steal, aluminium alloy, copper alloy and nickel alloy are known as metals that are easy to cause hydrogen-embrittlement.
The hydrogen-embrittlement may not only shorten the life of the Ti alloy member in the above field of use of the Ti alloy, but also cause a phenomenon, such as stress corrosion cracking.
In order to address the above, there are hitherto known a method that inhibits hydrogen from being absorbed into the inside of a Ti alloy member by the condition of the forming process, such as surface treatment, of the Ti alloy member, and a method that inhibits the absorption of hydrogen by the composition of a Ti alloy.
As the former method, Patent Document 1 describes that a surface of a Ti alloy member is polished and then an oxide film is formed thereon. Patent Document 2 describes that when forming a Ti alloy member, titanium carbide, titanium nitride or titanium carbonitride is prevented from being formed on a surface thereof. Patent Document 3 describes that a Ti alloy member is formed so as to form an acicular a structure having a given aspect ratio.
As the latter method, Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 5 describe that absorption of hydrogen of a Ti alloy is inhibited by containing a given amount of Al in Ti.
However, none of these methods can produce a satisfactory effect to inhibit a Ti alloy from absorbing hydrogen, and therefore a conventional Ti alloy may cause hydrogen-embrittlement by absorbing hydrogen.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Sho-53-12737
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei-6-2175
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei-10-88258
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-129152
Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-36314

Ti alloy and Ti alloy member having Zr and Hf, or Zr and Nb, or Zr, Hf, and Nb for hydrogen embrittlement resistance

NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION


An improved joystick is disclosed having an actuator that is resistant to undesired rotation stemming from rotation of the handle of the joystick during use.

The present invention relates to joysticks of the type used with electronic equipment, such as video games. More particularly, the present invention relates to a joystick having an improved actuator for reducing wear and improving performance of the joystick.
Joysticks are commonly made up of a shaft extending through, and pivotally mounted in, a base. The base will often have multiple switches disposed about the shaft so that an actuator attached to the end of the shaft will actuate the switches when the shaft is pivoted in the base. The switches are typically configured to generate electrical signals corresponding to a direction of movement of the shaft of the joystick such that the movement of the handle of the joystick is replicated and translated to a desired object or image (for example, a video image in a video game).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,498 discloses one version of a joystick known in the industry. In this particular joystick, an actuator positioned on the end of the shaft adjacent the switches is held onto the shaft by a clip. A spring coaxial with the shaft, and positioned on the opposite side of the actuator, presses the actuator against the clip. A drawback of this design is that the actuator will rotate with rotation of the shaft. Rotation of the actuator may lead to accidental actuation of one or more switches in contrast with an intended actuation based on pivotal movement of the shaft within the base.
One attempt to solve the problem of undesirable rotation of the actuator with the shaft is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,040. This patent discloses a joystick having a separate sleeve positioned over the end of the shaft around which an actuator is mounted. A clip holds the sleeve in an axially fixed position on the end of the shaft. Although the sleeve may provide a lower coefficient of friction for the actuator, the use of an additional sleeve increases the complexity and manufacturing difficulties required in producing the joystick.


The various embodiments relate generally to systems, devices, apparatuses, and methods for providing audio streams to multiple listeners, and more specifically, to a system, a device, and a method for providing independent listener-specific audio streams to multiple listeners using a common audio source, such as a set of loudspeakers, and, optionally, a shared audio stream. In some embodiments, a method includes identifying a first audio stream for reception at a first region to be canceled at a second region, and generating a cancellation signal that is projected in another audio stream destined for the second region. The cancellation signal and the first audio steam are combined at the second region. Further, a compensation signal to reduce the cancellation signal at the first region can be generated.

There exist some conventional approaches to providing individualized audio to co-located listeners so that each listener hears different audio streams. Traditionally, providing multiple audio streams generally requires that each user is associated with an audio output system, such as headphone, together with some degree of isolation from other user's speaker systems. To illustrate, consider that multiple users typically have their own music players and headphones to enable each user to hear their own music without disrupting others' listening activities. Some drawbacks to this approach are that they typically require individualized sets of hardware and equipment which can be costly.
While functional, conventional echo and noise cancellation techniques, as well traditional cross-talk cancellation, are not well-suited to enhance audio produced on an individualized basis when each of multiple listeners are recipients of different audio streams. For example, conventional echo, noise, and cross-talk cancellation techniques are limited to operating on an audio signal (i.e., limited to a signal audio signal) rather than optimizing audio streams systemically.
What is a desired are a system, an apparatus, and a method for providing independent listener-specific audio streams, such as individualized audio streams, to multiple listeners using a common audio source, such as a set of loudspeakers, the common audio source also configured to provide a shared audio stream.

Speaker with multiple independent audio streams


A surgical fastener apparatus includes a handle, a flexible elongate segment and an end effector having a fastener cartridge with a plurality of fasteners and an anvil, an approximator member movable relative to the longitudinal axis to cause relative movement of the fastener cartridge and the anvil between an open condition and an approximated condition, a fastener drive to deploy the fasteners from the fastener cartridge for crimping by the anvil, at least one tissue grasper at least partially extending along the end effector and movable to engage tissue and draw the tissue between the fastener cartridge and the anvil when in the open condition, and at least one manual actuator to actuate at least one of the approximator member, the fastener drive or the at least one tissue grasper.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a surgical fastener apparatus, and, in particular, relates to a surgical fastener apparatus for performing an incisionless fundoplication (TIF) procedure for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
2. Description of Related Art
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common gastroesophageal disorder in which stomach contents leak into the lower esophagus due to a dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter. As a result, patients suffer numerous symptoms including heartburn, pulmonary disorders, and chest pain. Chronic GERD subjects the esophagus to ulcer formation, esophagitis, and numerous other complications. Advances in drug therapy for GERD include histamine receptor blockers (PEPCID™, ZANTAC′, etc.) which reduce stomach acid secretion and OMEPRAZOLE™ which may completely shut off stomach acid (achlorhydria). Although drugs may provide short term relief, drugs do not address the underlying problem of lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction.
Invasive and minimally invasive fundoplication procedures for the treatment of GERD involve gathering, wrapping and suturing the fundus of the stomach around the lower end of the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter to reconstruct the anti-reflux valve. Although these procedures have been relatively successful in preventing acid reflux and reducing symptoms associated therewith, drawbacks include concerns of abdominal surgery and intraoperative risk of perforation of the esophagus and/or of the cardia. More recent transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF) procedures involve introducing an instrument into the esophageal tract through the mouth and reconstructing the lower esophogeal sphincter or anti-reflux valve entirely within the stomach with the instrument. The TIF procedures have proven to be highly effective in treating acid reflux and provide the benefits of eliminating abdominal incisions, preventing scarring and reducing recovery time.


A cosmetic applicator is disclosed which includes an applicator pad, or tip, comprised of a single piece of foam rubber having a substantially uniform thickness. An elongated handle, or wand, having at least one threaded end is positioned inside an opening in the applicator pad. An adhesive, inside the opening of the applicator pad, attaches the applicator pad to the threaded end of the handle. Notably, the adhesive may be inserted into the opening of the applicator pad during the assembly process and, most advantageously, it does not require drying for further handling. The method for making the applicator for applying cosmetics generally comprises placing an applicator tip in tension, forming a cavity in the applicator tip, and inserting a wand into the cavity.

Cosmetic applicators comprising a wand, or handle, formed by injection molding and having a foam tip attached to one end of the handle are known. The tip is usually made of two pieces of foam rubber which are heat sealed together. When the pieces of foam are heat sealed, a hard ridge forms therealong. Disadvantageously, this hard ridge can be irritating to sensitive areas of skin, such as the area around the eyes.
Conventional applicators have other undesirable characteristics in that the handle tends to disconnect from the foam tip, sometimes termed the sponge portion, due to deterioration of the adhesive after use or when it is used in a rough manner. There are generally two types of connecting means which give rise to this problem. In one type of connecting means, adhesive is applied to one end of the handle and then the handle is inserted into an opening between the pair of sponge pieces so that it is adhered to them. In the other type, the applicator may be made by preforming a sponge block then plunging the handle into it. Both types of applicator connecting means are disadvantageous.
Several patents attempt to address the aforementioned deficiencies of the prior art, i.e., the undesirable disconnection of the tip from the wand. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,238 to Levine discloses a handle having helical ribs formed at the handle end. Fibrous material is evenly deposited over the ends and assumes the shape of the ribbed ends. Disadvantageously, the exterior surface of the applicator, where the fibrous material is deposited, is uneven. Thus, the exterior surface is not smooth and the cosmetic medium deposited in the crevasses can not be applied to the intended area and therefore is wasted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,660 to Oohinato et al. discloses a core rod and a sponge portion at an inner end of the core rod. The sponge portion is molded integral with the core rod and then subjected to foaming. The sponge portion is provided with disconnection preventive means at the inner end of the core rod; the disconnection preventive means is coated with a rubber film so that the sponge portion is firmly connected to the core rod via the rubber film. Despite its asserted advantages, the patentee admits that the design is undesirable because the tip portion "is liable to be disconnected from the core rod due to a low magnitude of resistance between the core rod and the sponge portion when it is designed in smaller dimensions as is the case with a . . . small-sized applicator." U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,660, Col. 1, lines 42-46 (emphasis added). The Oohinato et al. method of manufacture is also undesirable if the sponge portion material is prefabricated prior to applicator assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,277 to Borah discloses a moistening device. FIG. 11 illustrates a screw threaded fastener with a central stem having spiral grooves resembling a screw head, which holds the sponge in place and prevents it from becoming displaced from the receptacle while it is being used. In addition, the Borah patent shows that the screw is flat. The Borah patent is disadvantageous, however, because the foam tip does not completely surround the screw; thus, the exposed screw could cause injury if it came into contact with sensitive areas, such as the sensitive skin of the eyes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,491,274 to McNeill discloses an applicator tip made of a single piece of synthetic foam having a non-uniform thickness. Col. 2, lines 50-52; and Col. 3, lines 9-13. The applicator wand has, for example, projections which engage the applicator tip and secure it to the wand. The shape of the McNeil applicator tip and wand, however, could make manufacturing difficult due to the non-uniformity of the tip and the shape of the preferred wand head.
Also a source of difficulty is how to assemble in mass production a cosmetic applicator made from a solid piece of foam. The difficult arises when a cavity in a foam applicator tip is attempted to be created because foam is a flexible material. A foam tip has a tendency to compress when a cutting tool is pressed against the tip which may result in either the creation of a non-uniform cavity or no cavity at all.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,130 to Halford, et al. discloses a swab article having a bore in the body of the swab. The bore is created by a rotating, hollow cylindrical tool. The cylindrical tool may not, however, be effectively used to create an appropriate cavity for a wand end having a flat head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,847 to Melcher et al. discloses a swab and method of manufacturing. Melcher et al. discloses that if the pad portion is formed without a slit, then the slit can be formed with a hand operated knife, a movable blade or burned with a hot electrode. A hand operated knife and a movable blade, however, may have the disadvantage with creating a cavity as described above. Similarly, the use of a hot electrode on a cosmetic applicator tip may be disadvantageous because it may leave unsightly hard ridges.
What is desired, therefore, is an applicator comprising a wand having an attached tip, wherein the tip is reliably secured to the wand without disconnection even after extended and rough use, wherein the tip is made so that it does not have any hard ridges that could irritate the user, wherein the tip completely surrounds one end of the wand, wherein the tip is also attached to the wand by an adhesive which is applied during the assembly process which does not require drying for further handling, wherein the applicator is inexpensive to manufacture and can be quickly and easily assembled.

Method of manufacturing a cosmetic applicator


The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one pharmaceutically acceptable bismuth-containing compound, at least one pharmaceutically acceptable non-clay-derived suspending agent, and water. The suspension exhibits reduced upward pH drift by comparison with an otherwise similar suspension which comprises a clay-derived suspending agent. Such compositions are useful in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and/or disorders.

Bismuth-containing pharmaceutical compositions, particularly pharmaceutical suspensions, are well known for use in treating a variety of gastrointestinal disorders including nausea, heartburn and diarrhea. Illustrative bismuth-containing suspensions currently and/or previously on the market include Pepto-Bismol® of Proctor & Gamble Company, several similar retail branded bismuth-containing suspensions (illustratively including those sold by Walgreen's®, Rite-Aid®, Spartan®, and Meijer®), and Pabizol with Paregoric of Rexall. Bismuth-containing compositions are described generally in Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs, 8th Edition, American Pharmaceutical Association, Washington D.C.; 1986, pages 73–74. In addition to a bismuth-containing compound, many of these products further contain, inter alia, one or more anti-microbial preservatives, magnesium aluminum silicate and other suspending agents, colorant(s), etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,695 to Coveney discloses pharmaceutical compositions suitable for oral administration comprising pharmaceutically-acceptable bismuth-containing agents, pharmaceutically-acceptable non-ionic cellulose ether polymers, and magnesium aluminum silicate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,560 to Stentz discloses microbially stable liquid pharmaceutical suspensions for oral administration comprising a bismuth-containing pharmaceutical agent, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, a suspension system preferably comprising magnesium aluminum silicate, and water, wherein the suspensions have a pH within the range of about 3.0 to about 5.5.
European Patent Application No. 0 217 440 to Gonsalves discloses pharmaceutical compositions for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders comprising 1.5% to 5% of a pharmaceutically-acceptable bismuth salt, 0.3% to 1.3% magnesium aluminum silicate, 0.5% to 0.85% xanthan gum, and water, having a defined ratio of magnesium aluminum silicate to xanthan gum.
Many currently marketed bismuth-containing suspensions exhibit the undesirable characteristic of upward pH drift which is accompanied by several potential adverse consequences. For example, most pharmaceutically acceptable anti-microbial preservatives become less effective at higher pH levels. Therefore, suspensions which exhibit an increase in pH during storage more quickly reach pH levels at which one or more anti-microbial preservatives present in the suspension tend to be less effective or completely ineffective. Consequently, such suspensions more rapidly become susceptible to microbial contamination and have a relatively short shelf life. Additionally, many common pharmaceutical excipients, for example colorants such as indigo carmine and turmeric, are pH sensitive. Suspensions which exhibit pH drift and comprise pH-sensitive excipients tend to change appearance and/or color over time. Such changes are particularly undesirable from a commercial acceptance and product recognition standpoint.
It is well known that suspensions having a low pH tend to taste bitter. Since, as indicated above, many anti-microbial preservatives do not function well at higher pH's (e.g. greater than about 5), suspensions which tend to drift upward in pH must therefore be prepared at a relatively low pH in order to maintain anti-microbial effectiveness while still possessing a suitable shelf life. Consequently, such low-pH suspensions have a bitter taste and/or must utilize elaborate taste-masking systems.
Even where preservatives which are effective at high pH levels are employed, suspensions having a pH greater than about 8 are generally considered to be unpalatable. Therefore, the shelf life of a suspension which exhibits upward drift may also be limited by unpleasant taste properties at higher pH levels.
If a bismuth-containing pharmaceutical composition could be prepared which exhibits reduced upward pH drift, a significant advance in the use of bismuth-containing compositions in treating gastrointestinal disorders would result.

Stable pharmaceutical composition useful for treating gastrointestinal disorders


The present invention provides a Fe—B—Si system amorphous alloy thin strip excellent in high magnetic flux density, thermal stability, amorphous formability improved workability and low core loss. The present invention further provides a Fe—B—Si system amorphous alloy thin strip which has the reduced cost without using high purity iron resources such as an electrolytic iron as iron resources used in an amorphous alloy thin strip, and also has core loss less than 0.10 W/kg at W13/50 in soft magnetic property in alternating-current field. The Fe—B—Si system amorphous alloy thin strip according to the present invention contains an appropriate amounts of N, C, P to improve thermal stability, amorphous formability, workability (brittleness), and core loss without deteriolating magnetic flux density, and contains, in atomic %, B: 5-25%, Si: 1-30%, N: 0.001-0.2%, C: 0.003-10%, P: 0.001-0.2% and the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, and optionally contains Co or Ni substituted to less than 15% of the Fe amount, or Cr at less than 5% substituted to the Fe amount. Further, Mn: 0.15-0.5 mass %, S: 0.004-0.05 mass % can be included.

As methods for quenching an alloy from a molten state so as to continuously produce strip or wire, the centrifugal quenching method, single roll method, twin roll method, etc. are known. These methods eject molten metal from an orifice etc. to the inner circumference or outer circumference of a metal drum rotating at a high speed so as to rapidly solidify the molten metal and produce strip or wire. Further, by suitably selecting the alloy composition, an amorphous alloy similar to liquid metal can be obtained and a material superior in magnetic properties or mechanical properties can be produced.
This amorphous alloy strip is considered promising as an industrial material in numerous applications due to its superior characteristics. In particular, for applications for iron core materials for power transformers, high frequency transformers, etc., due to the low watt loss, high saturated flux density and permeance, and other reasons, Fe-based amorphous alloy strip, for example, Fe—B—Si-based strip, is employed.
As the technical issues involved in use of amorphous alloy strip as the material for iron cores of power transformers, high frequency transformers, etc., there are the greater amount of material used when producing the transformers, for example, the iron core and copper wire, and the higher production costs compared with use of silicon steel plate. This is due to the fact that most amorphous alloy strips are small in saturated magnetizing force and therefore the design flux density of the transformer has to be lowered. As a result, the cross-sectional area of the iron core becomes larger.
Therefore, various studies have been conducted on improving the flux density of amorphous alloy strip. For example, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 03-264654 proposes an amorphous alloy strip comprised of a composition of Fe80B20 wherein a saturated flux density of 1.57 to 1.61 T (Tesla) is obtained and Si and P are added to improve the embrittlement temperature and ductility. Further, in Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 03-500668, a high flux density was confirmed due to the addition of Co in an Fe—B—Si—C-based amorphous alloy strip, but Co is an expensive element, so there are cost difficulties. Therefore, as a system of ingredients able to realize high flux density without use of Co, Hatta et al.: JEEEE Trans. Magnetics MAG-14 (1978) 1013 introduces an Fe—B—C-based amorphous alloy strip. It is reported that with this system of ingredients, a 1.78 T saturated flux density is achieved, but there are the problems that the watt loss is poor compared with an Fe—B—Si—C-based amorphous alloy strip and that the heat stability, as represented by the stability of the magnetic characteristics at the time of annealing and the time of transformer operation, is low in level.
Further, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 09-95760 proposes that the allowable amounts of the contents of S, Mn, and other impurity elements be increased by the addition of a slight amount of P: 0.008 to 0.1 wt %, but the effect on the heat stability and workability (brittleness) accompanying the addition of P is not evaluated. Further, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 62-74050 proposes adding N to an amorphous alloy strip containing Cr so as to raise the hardness of the strip and improve the maximum permeance and watt loss, but the problems of heat stability and workability are still not solved.
Further, when producing Fe—B—Si-based amorphous strip, it had been thought that impurities degraded the watt loss etc., so in the past alloy materials with impurities kept extremely low had been used. That is, as the iron source, electrolytic iron had been used.
As the specifically suppressed impurities, for example, there are P and S. Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 59-16947 limited P to 0.015 wt % or less and S to 0.02 wt % or less. This publication describes P as an element degrading the watt loss and further S as an element promoting brittleness. The composition is prescribed as Fe: 86 to 95 wt %, B: 2 to 4 wt %, Si: 0 to 11 wt %, and C: 0 to 1.5 wt %. If converting these to atm %, wide ranges of Fe: 65.9 to 85.4 atm %, B: 8.3 to 17.6 atm %, Si: 0 to 18.3 atm %, and C: 0 to 6.1 atm % are taken.
Further, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 57-137451 shows the maximum allowable amounts of various impurity elements in FeSiB-based amorphous strip. For example, it prescribes P: 0.008 atm % or less, Mn: 0.12 atm % or less, and S: 0.02 atm % or less. This publication prescribes Fe: over 78.5 atm % to less than 80 atm %, B: 13 atm % to 16 atm %, and Si: 5 atm % to 10 atm %, so if converting the maximum allowable amounts of the impurity elements into wt %, they become P: 0.0053 wt % or less, Mn: 0.14 wt % or less, and S: 0.0136 wt % or less. This publication as well considers the impurity elements to be elements degrading the characteristics.
The allowable amounts of the impurities in the case of producing amorphous alloy strip are considerably small as shown in these Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 59-16947 and Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 57-137451, so it had been thought difficult to use the steels produced by usual steelmaking processes from iron ore for the iron source of amorphous alloy strip. The reason is that these iron sources include more than the allowable amounts of impurities.
That is, in the past, the allowable amounts of the impurity elements were considerably low, so electrolytic iron and other high purity iron sources had to be used. High purity iron sources are expensive, so the strip alloy cost became high. This became a factor raising the cost of production of strip. To promote the broader use of strip as an industrial material, the production cost has to be reduced. For this purpose, it has been strongly desired to reduce the strip alloy costs. Further, in the past, the characteristics varied in the same lot. This became a factor lowering the yield and raising the production costs.
Therefore, the applicant previously proposed in Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 09-202946 an alloy strip exhibiting excellent characteristics without using electrolytic iron or another high purity iron source as the material for the strip alloy, that is, even if using an inexpensive iron source. That is, they proposed an Fe-based amorphous alloy strip consisting of strip comprised of main elements of Fe, B, Si, and C and impurities characterized in that the composition of the main elements is expressed by FeaBbSicCd, where a, b, c, and d are, by atm %, 80<a≦82, 14≦b≦16, 2≦c<5, and 0.02≦d≦4, and by containing as impurities, by wt %, P: 0.008% to 0.1%, Mn: 0.15% to 0.5%, and S: 0.004% to 0.05%.
This invention was made based on the finding that if including a slight amount of P, even if Mn, S, and other impurities are included in greater amounts than the past, the characteristics of the strip will not degrade, so use of a low grade iron source containing a certain extent of impurities becomes possible. In general, low grade iron sources are inexpensive, so the strip alloy costs can be reduced.
Further, in an ingredient system containing slight amounts of P, Mn, and S, by limiting the amounts of Fe, B, Si, and C to limited narrow ranges, strip improved in watt loss and with less variation in characteristics in the same lot can be stably obtained. According to this invention, an improvement in the yield can also be simultaneously realized.
Further, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2001-279387 proposes a matrix alloy for producing rapidly cooled and solidified strip containing P, Mn, and S at the levels shown in Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 09-95760 and containing as component elements, in addition to Fe, B, and Si, Ti, Zr, V, Nb, Cr, Mo, Co, Ni, and Cu, by atm %, 0.1 to 30%. According to this invention, utilization of a broader range of low grade iron sources is realized.
As explained above, use of a low grade iron source containing slight amounts of P, Mn, and S is made possible, so an inexpensive iron source can be used and the cost of the strip alloy can be reduced. Further, by optimizing the range of main elements in the ingredient system containing slight amounts of these impurities, achievement of a stable watt loss characteristic in a lot can be realized. However, there is a great need for improvement of the characteristics of Fe-based amorphous alloy strips. Further improvement of the watt loss is being demanded. In the inventions proposed in the previously mentioned Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 09-202946 and Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2001-279387, the watt loss could for example be improved to 0.12 W/kg or less in terms of the watt loss W13/50 (watt loss at flux density of 1.3 T and frequency of 50 Hz) measured by a single sheet, but it was extremely difficult to stably lower this to 0.10 W/kg or less.


In networks of interconnected router nodes for forwarding data traffic along a predetermined path of the network, a method of and system for imperceptibly upgrading router node software and the like without traffic interruption through a novel preparation of upgraded software in a router while that router continues to forward data under the control of its original software, and then swapping the upgraded software for the original software without disruption.

Under current practice, as in, for example, network routing systems of Cisco and other manufacturers, the upgrading, revising or other changing of the software managing of a router in such a network of interconnected router nodes requires taking the router down, effecting the software upgrade or other change (generally from software memory images), and then restarting, disrupting the routing traffic and interaction with neighboring router nodes. Historically, the problem of network routing reliability has often not been a large issue because of the redundancy of routing paths in the networks, and because of the tolerance of users to a half-minute to several minutes traffic re-routing after a particular router node has been taken out of service for a software upgrade, or has failed. The removal of a router node from the network triggers the reconverging along another path of router nodes. The router is brought down to the level of only configuration management while the software is upgraded or otherwise changed or varied, and then the router is restarted again and reconverges, enabling traffic along the initial router network path. If no alternative path exists, however, a portion of the network will be disconnected during the update.
In environments such as universities and the like, several minutes of disruption for email or the like is tolerable; but if audio or video data is being routed, or interactive interplay is involved, such reconfiguring time presents a deleterious disruption.
Through the novel techniques underlying the present invention, however, a much higher availability router is provided wherein software may be upgraded in the network router path without disrupting or interrupting traffic service therein, and without interruption even if no alternative routing paths are available in the network.

In networks of interconnected router nodes for routing data traffic, a method of and system for imperceptibly upgrading router node software and the like without traffic interruption


An optical fiber having a core with a composition consisting essentially of 48 to 60 mole percent ZrF.sub.4, 15 to 25 mole percent BaF.sub.2, 1 to 5 mole percent LaF.sub.3, 1 to 5 mole percent AlF.sub.3, 15 to 22 mole percent NaF, and 1 to 8 mole percent ThF.sub.4 ; and a cladding having an index of refraction lower than that of the core. The glass of the core can be doped, for example, with rare earths. Built-in casting, rotational casting, casting around a rod, and rod-in-tube methods can be used to produce optical fibers having a composition in accordance with the present invention and having improved resistance to crystallization, as compared to ZBLAN glasses, even in the presence of rare earth dopants.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates primarily to optics, optics systems and generators, and more particularly to optical conductors characterized by the composition of the material. This invention also relates to coherent light generators and amorphous (e.g. glass) optical fibers. More specifically, the present invention includes an improvement to the ZBLAN glass system involving the incorporation of thorium fluoride as a stabilizer against devitrification permitting increased concentrations of rare earth dopants, in making optical fibers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heavy metal halide glasses offer a variety of significant advantages over silicate glass systems. Theoretically, fluoride glasses can have intrinsic absorption losses that are two to three times lower than those of silica. These lower losses make fluoride glasses ideal candidates for telecommunication uses. In addition, these glasses are transparent out to wavelengths of six or seven microns, allowing them to be used in the mid-infra red region of the spectrum for sensing applications and power delivery. The low energy phonon spectra also yield relatively high quantum efficiencies for many rare earth transitions that are quenched in silica glasses. When formulated with a sufficient amount of rare earth ions, these glasses could be attractive hosts for active fibers. A survey of the development of heavy metal fluoride glasses, their properties, and their uses is set forth by Martin G. Drexhage in Chapter 4 of the Treatise of Materials Science and Technology, Vol. 26 (1985), pp. 151-243.
Among the more potentially useful of the heavy metal halide glasses is the ZBLAN, which consists essentially of the fluorides of zirconium, barium, lanthanum, aluminum, and sodium. U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,835, Fluoride Glass Optical Fiber ("MIMURA") (assigned to Kohusai Denshin Denwa Co., Ltd.), filed Aug. 14, 1985, offers a representative formulation of ZBLAN (in mole percent): EQU 50.ltoreq.ZrF.sub.4 .ltoreq.55 EQU 16.ltoreq.BaF.sub.2 .ltoreq.24 EQU 16.ltoreq.NaF.ltoreq.24 EQU 3.ltoreq.LaF.sub.3 .ltoreq.5 EQU 2.ltoreq.AlF.sub.3 .ltoreq.4
provided that ZrF.sub.4 +BaF.sub.2 +NaF+LaF.sub.3 +AlF.sub.3 =100. (Col. 3, lines 27-30.)
Unfortunately, heavy metal fluoride glasses also exhibit certain undesirable properties which, until now, have limited their applications. Heavy metal fluoride glasses have poor resistance to crystallization devitrification, and MIMURA mentions the crystallization problems of ZBLAN and the scattering problems that result therefrom.
The poor resistance to devitrification also creates problem in making large preforms. Crystallization at the interface between the core and cladding during the manufacture of a preform causes problems in the most commonly used methods for making a ZBLAN optical fiber. (See, for example, Danh C. Tran, George H. Sigel, Jr., and Bernard Bendow. "Heavy Metal Fluoride Glasses and Fibers: A Review," Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. LT-2, No. 5, October 1984, pp. 566-586. See also, Y. Ohishi, et al., "Fabrication of Fluoride Glass Single-Mode Fibers," Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. LT2, No. 5, October 1984, and "Advanced Rod-in-Tube Techniques for Fluoride Fiber Fabrication," presented at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Ceramic Society, a symposium on optical materials, held in Cincinnati, Ohio (April 28-May 2, 1991); Tran, et al., "Fluoride Glass Preforms Prepared by a Rotational Casting Process," Electronics Letters, 23nd Vol. 18, No. 15, July 1982; and S. Mitachi, et al., "Preparation of Fluoride Optical Fibers for Transmission in the Mid-infrared," Physics and Chemistry of Glasses, Vol. 23, No. 6, December 1982.) That is, heavy metal halide glasses are prone to inhomogeneous nucleation, consequentially resulting in crystallization at the core and cladding interfaces, particularly during the drawing of a optical fiber. Resulting fibers tend to have serious scattering loss due to the crystals in the fiber.
The problem of crystallization is aggravated when the necessary ions to give the core and cladding different indexes of refraction are added to the glasses. Additional doping, for example with rare earth ions, also tends to reduce the stability of the glass.
Prior to the invention described herein, a satisfactory solution to the problem of poor resistance to devitrification in ZBLAN glass systems has not been discovered.

Fluoride glasses and methods for making optical fibers from the glasses


Methods and apparatus for generating a hard drive write signal are here in disclosed. A disclosed method comprises generating a hard drive write signal on an output of a switch based on an edge of the first control signal and reducing the hard drive write signal based on an edge of a second control signal via a second switch.

A hard drive is a non-volatile storage device that stores digitally encoded data on rotating platters with an associated magnetic surface. As shown in FIG. 1, a hard drive 100 includes a spindle 101 that holds at least one platter 102 having a magnetic surface 104, which spins at a constant speed (e.g., 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm), 7,200 rpm, or 5,400 rpm). To write data onto a rotating platter, a portion of the magnetic surface 104 is magnetized via a magnetic write head 106. The write head 106 is coupled with an actuator arm 108 that moves radially across the spinning platters 102. To create a current pulse to control the write operation, a differential hard drive write system 110 including a hard drive controller 112 is coupled to the write head 106. The hard drive controller 112 is configured to control the read and/or write operations via a hard drive write system 110.
To increase hard drive write speed and capacity, the hard drive write system 110 generates narrow current pulses via a differential control pulse to write information to the magnetic surface 104. However, as the duration of the current pulse decreases to accommodate increased hard drive speed and storage capacity, the current pulse becomes distorted during transmission to the write head 106. To correct the distorted edge of the current pulse, the hard drive write system 110 produces current pulses with an overshoot portion to prevent distortion to the leading edge of the current pulse. The overshoot portion is followed by a sustain portion to write information to the platter for the full duration of the write operation.
FIG. 1B is a schematic illustration of a known prior art circuit that generates current pulses to drive the write head 106 in a hard drive write system 110. The example circuit includes two differential NAND 120 and 122 gates that perform the logic functions to create a pulse. The pulse is conveyed to a differential pair of transistors 130 and 132 to create a current pulse on the differential output. For the purpose of generating a current pulse, differential pair 130 is coupled to a first current source 140 and differential pair 132 is coupled to a second current source 142. The differential pairs 130 and 130 selectively couple their respective current source to either a write head 106 via an output or a low output signal such as a ground. For example, FIG. 1C illustrates an example output response from an example circuit of FIG. 1B.
To generate the current pulse, the differential pair 130 and 132 must uncouple the low output signal and couple the output within a fixed time period. Thus, if the switching rise time at the transistor bases does not occur between the time periods of T1-T2 or T3-T4 as illustrated in FIG. 1C, the example circuit fails to uncouple the low output signal and may not generate a current pulse to drive the write head 106. Additionally, the example circuit may only partially uncouple the low output signal and generate a portion of the current pulse. Thus, the example prior art circuit is sensitive to the rise time of the differential pair 130 and 132, which may result in pulse skipping as illustrated in FIG. 1D. Consequently, the NAND gates 120 and 122 exacerbate the performance of the example circuit by adding additional propagation delay associated with each NAND gate. To overcome the sensitivity to rise times, higher currents are applied to the circuit to slew capacitances of the differential NAND gates 120 and 122.


Apparatus for cleaning flat surfaces comprising a collector (1) for dust and liquid connected to a suction moto-ventilator group (2) and to a suction (3). A reservoir (4) for cleaning liquid is connected to an injection pump group (5), itself connected to a nozzle (6) provided in the suction, as well as an electrical control (7) for the suction group. The injection group, said collector (1) and the reservoir (4) are mounted removably on the upper surface (8) of a base (9) which encloses the suction group (2) and injection group (5). The base (9) comprises an arch (21) which extends above the upper surface (8) of the base (9) in a transverse plane and which comprises two lateral members (23, 26) and a medial member (22) mounted articulately on one of the lateral members. The medial member (22) has at its free end (24) a locking member (25) with the other lateral member ( 26). A retainer immobilizes the collector and the reservoir on the base (9) when the medial member (22) is locked.

In known apparatus of this type, the problem arises of retaining the reservoir and collector on the base. Thus, this retention should be not only convenient and strong because the reservoir generally contains 8 liters of water and the apparatus is reciprocated, but also simple in structure thereby permitting keeping down the price of the apparatus.


A facility is described for managing parallel requests in a communications environment having devices or applications (“request handlers”) that support serial and parallel message processing. In various embodiments, the facility receives messages directed to a recipient from an application and sends a first message to the recipient without sending subsequently received messages to the recipient. Upon receiving a response from the recipient to the first message, the facility determines whether the recipient supports parallel or serial message processing. When the recipient supports parallel message processing, the facility sends the subsequently received messages to the recipient without awaiting a response to a message before sending another message. When the recipient supports serial message processing, the facility sends a subsequent message after receiving a response to a previously sent message.

Participants in networked communications environments sometimes need to communicate with one another, such as to exchange requests and responses containing results of the requests. Participants are applications, users, and generally any entity that uses communications services provided by the networked communications environment. As an example, a client participant (e.g., an application executing on a computing device) may send requests for services to a server participant (e.g., a network service or application executing on another computing device). The server participant may send to the client participant a response containing results of the service request. An endpoint is a device or software that represents a participant in the networked communications environment. Each participant can have multiple endpoints through which it can send and receive communications. As an example, a user or application can use a mobile computer as an endpoint as well as a desktop computer as an endpoint. The participants employ a source endpoint to send communications to a target endpoint and employ a target endpoint to receive communications sent by a source endpoint.
The endpoints may employ various mechanisms to communicate messages containing requests and responses, such as a Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP"). SIP is an application-layer control protocol that endpoints can use to discover one another and to establish, modify, and terminate communications sessions. SIP is an Internet-proposed standard. Its specification, "RFC 3261," is available at the Internet Engineering Task Force's web site (www.ieff.org). This specification is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. An exchange of messages during a SIP session is generally referred to as a dialog. SIP may use lower-level communications layers to transport a dialog's messages, such as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ("TCP/IP"), which are commonly employed transport- and network-layer protocols.
Some participants support parallel requests whereas others support requests serially. When a server participant supports parallel requests, it can receive multiple requests even though it has not serviced (e.g., responded to) an earlier request. In contrast, when a server participant supports requests serially, it needs to respond to an earlier request before processing a subsequent request. Client participants may have insufficient information to determine whether to wait for a response to a request before sending another request or to send all pending requests and await multiple responses. As an example, a client participant provided by a vendor that sends a request to a server participant may need to send multiple requests to a server participant provided by another vendor. When requests can be sent in parallel, responses may be received in a timely manner.

Managing parallel requests in a communications environment supporting serial and parallel request handlers


Disclosed is a method of enhancing exposure therapy including providing an exposure therapy to a patient and stimulating the patient's vagus nerve at the same time as the exposure therapy. Also disclosed is a post-traumatic stress disorder therapy method including providing an exposure event to a patient and stimulating the patient's vagus nerve during the exposure event. Also disclosed is a phobia disorder therapy method including providing an extinction event to a patient and stimulating the patient's vagus nerve during the exposure event. Also disclosed is an obsessive compulsive disorder therapy method including providing a therapy event to a patient and stimulating the patient's vagus nerve during the therapy event. Also disclosed is an addiction disorder therapy method including providing a therapy event to a patient and stimulating the patient's vagus nerve during the therapy event.

Exposure therapy is a recognized treatment for anxiety disorders such as phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, and relapse of drug abuse. Adjunct treatment with memory enhancing drugs has been shown to enhance the efficacy of exposure therapy in the treatment of phobia disorder. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) has been shown to enhance the consolidation of new memories, likely through modulation of brain plasticity. VNS paired precisely with a specific tone induces cortical plasticity and has been used to effectively treat tinnitus in rats. Clinical trials examining tinnitus treatment in humans are currently underway. Enhancement of exposure therapy would have obvious implications for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods for enhancing exposure therapy using pairing with vagus nerve stimulation

THE BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM


Antennas configured to be enclosed within a flip cover of a radiotelephone and to resonate in three frequency bands include a dielectric substrate having opposite first and second faces, and opposite first and second ends. A first radiating element is disposed on the first face adjacent the first end, and a second radiating element is disposed on the dielectric substrate second face adjacent the second end. Each radiating element tapers from a respective end of the substrate to a medial portion of a respective face. Each radiating element also includes a respective meandering electrically conductive path.

Antennas for personal communication devices, such as radiotelephones, may not function adequately when in close proximity to a user during operation, or when a user is moving during operation of a device. Close proximity to objects or movement of a user during operation of a radiotelephone may result in degraded signal quality or fluctuations in signal strength, known as multipath fading. Diversity antennas have been designed to work in conjunction with a radiotelephone's primary antenna to improve signal reception and overcome multipath fading.
Many of the popular hand-held radiotelephones are undergoing miniaturization. Indeed, many of the contemporary models are only 11-12 centimeters in length. Unfortunately, as radiotelephones decrease in size, the amount of internal space therewithin may be reduced correspondingly. A reduced amount of internal space may make it difficult for existing types of diversity antennas to achieve the bandwidth and gain requirements necessary for radiotelephone operation because their size may be correspondingly reduced.
Furthermore, it may be desirable for a radiotelephone antenna to be able to resonate over multiple frequency bands. For example, the Japanese Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) system utilizes two "receive" frequency bands and two "transmit" frequency bands. Accordingly, both primary and diversity antennas within a radiotelephone used in the Japanese PDC system should preferably be able to resonate in each of the two receive frequency bands. Unfortunately, the ability to provide diversity antennas with adequate gain over multiple frequency bands may be presently limited because of size limitations imposed by radiotelephone miniaturization.
The addition of Global Positioning System (GPS) features to radiotelephones may require yet another diversity and primary antenna resonance. Unfortunately, diversity antennas are often too small and have inadequate gain and bandwidth for satisfactory operation in GPS frequency bands. Furthermore, conventional dual-band radiotelephone primary antennas are generally unsatisfactory for operation in GPS frequency bands.


Improved semiconductor reflectance arrangements (e.g., semiconductor devices, systems including semiconductor devices, methods, etc.).

There is a drive toward achieving high quality on-die integration between metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) and ones of liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and SLM (Spatial Light Modulators) technologies, and there is also a drive toward achieving optical devices using standard MOS technology. Some applications (e.g., optical applications) of LCOS, MEMS or SLM may require high reflectance areas (e.g., pixel mirrors) to be formed on a die. Improved reflectance arrangements are desired, and further, it is desirable that improvements be achievable using existing MOS technology, tools and methods, in order to maintain costs within reasonable levels.


An energy storage system includes a pair of rack frames spaced apart from each other and arranged side by side; a plurality of L brackets fastened to the rack frames; a plurality of battery modules respectively placed on a pair of L brackets facing each other to form a plurality of layers along a longitudinal direction of the rack frame; a first heat transfer member interposed between the battery module and the L bracket; and a second heat transfer member interposed between the rack frame and the L bracket.

An existing energy storage system has a cooling system constructed in consideration of a heat generation amount and a safety reference temperature according to the environment in which the energy storage system is used, from the viewpoint of preventing a lifespan from being rapidly shortened due to an increase in temperature during long-term use.
However, in the energy storage system including a plurality of battery modules, despite the presence of the cooling system, some battery modules may cause abnormal heat generation. As described above, when some battery modules cause abnormal heat generation, if the temperature exceeds a certain threshold, a thermal runaway occurs, and thus a safety issue may be generated.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional energy storage system 1 is shown. The conventional energy storage system 1 has a structure in which, for example, when an abnormal heat generation occurs in a battery module 2 located at the center, most of the heat is inevitably concentrated to battery modules 3 adjacent thereto.
In the structure of the conventional energy storage system 1, when a thermal runaway phenomenon occurs in some battery modules, a large amount of heat is propagated to adjacent battery modules within a short period of time, causing a series of thermal runaways, which may lead to a large damage such as large-scale ignition and/or explosion. In particular, if a flame caused by ignition generated in the battery module is discharged to the outside, great human and property damage may occur.
Therefore, it is required to develop an energy storage system having a structure capable of preventing heat from being concentrated in battery modules adjacent to the battery module in which a problem occurs, even though the problem such as thermal runaway caused by abnormal heat generation of some battery modules is generated.

Energy storage system having structure capable of dissipating heat to adjacent battery modules