Arcuate seal layers conforming with one another are disposed between inner retainer segments and inner rails of nozzle segments of a gas turbine. The layers are secured to the aft axial face of the segments and project radially outwardly to seal against the forward axial faces of the rails. The rear axial faces of the rails have chordal seals for sealing against the forward axial faces of the support rings. The seal layers have radial cuts misaligned with one another in an axial direction to preclude leakage flows through gaps formed by the cuts. Arcuate spacers are staggered circumferentially with the arcuate retainer segments whereby an intermediate pressure plenum is formed between the finger seals and chordal seals.

The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for sealing between the inner retainer segment and an inner platform rail of a nozzle segment in a gas turbine and particularly relates to seal assemblies for increasing sealing and turbine engine efficiencies by reducing leakage between a high pressure region for supplying cooling air to the turbine nozzles and a forward rotor rim cavity including the hot gas path outboard of the rim cavity.
In gas turbines, hot gases of combustion flow from combustors through first stage nozzles and buckets and through follow-on stages. The first stage nozzles typically include an annular array or assemblage of cast nozzle segments each containing one or more nozzle stator vanes per segment. Each nozzle segment also includes inner and outer platforms or bands spaced radially one from the other. Upon assembly of the nozzle segments into the turbine, the stator vanes are circumferentially spaced from one another to form an annular array thereof between annular inner and outer platforms. The outer and inner platforms are secured to an outer casing and an inner support ring respectively. The inner support ring is typically split at the horizontal mid-line of the turbine and is engaged by radially inwardly dependent inner platform rails supporting the nozzle segments against aft axial movement.
The annular array of nozzle segments are sealed one to the other along adjoining circumferential edges by side seals. The side seals seal between the high pressure region radially inwardly of the inner platform, i.e., a region of compressor discharge air at high pressure, and the rotor rim cavity as well as the hot gases of combustion in the hot gas flow path which are at a lower pressure. In a typical gas turbine, the greatest pressure drop in the turbine occurs between this first stage nozzle cooling air supply plenum and the forward rotor rim cavity including the hot gas path outboard of the rim cavity. A seal is also typically provided at the sliding interface between each nozzle rail and the inner support ring to contain this pressure differential. A chordal land seal is conventionally used to seal between these components and comprises a narrow raised land of material integral to the aft face of each rail. The ends of the seal lands between adjacent nozzles align radially forming a full annular land bearing on the forward face of the support ring. The sealing efficiency of nozzle chordal land seals is limited, however, by 1) an uneven sealing load along the seal land length caused by circumferential torque generated by the nozzle; 2) lack of flatness of the seal lands and support ring caused by thermal distortion of the nozzle and support ring as well as seal surface variations resulting from manufacturing limitations; and 3) a lack of smooth surface finish on the chordal seal lands and support ring resulting from surface galling and corrosion during operation.
A number of different types of sealing systems have been proposed to improve the sealing efficiency and hence turbine efficiency between the region of high pressure compressor discharge air and the rotor rim cavity. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,641,144; 6,572,331; 6,637,753; and 6,637,751 disclose various seals supplemental to the chordal seals for this region of the turbine.
In accordance with a preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seal assembly which affords additional reduction in cooling air leakage across the nozzle chordal land seal thereby improving overall turbine efficiency. More particularly, a barrier to the high pressure compressor discharge air is created between the inner retainer segments and the forward face of the nozzle inner rail. Preferably finger seal assemblies form a full annulus and seal along the full circumference of the forward face of the nozzle inner rails. When combined with the inter-segment seals at the first stage inner rail, i.e., the chordal seals, the finger seals form an intermediate pressure plenum upstream of the nozzle aft chordal land seals and which seals in series dramatically increase sealing efficiency and reduce leakage.
In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided a turbine comprising a turbine nozzle segment having at least one stator vane and including an inner platform rail; a turbine nozzle inner support ring in part in axial registration with the rail on one side thereof; an inner retainer segment secured to the inner support ring and in part in axially spaced registration relative to the rail on an axial side of the rail opposite from the support ring; and a seal assembly extending between the inner retainer segment and the rail, the seal assembly including a plurality of seal fingers secured to the inner retainer segment and in engagement with the rail.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided a turbine comprising a plurality of nozzle segments arranged about a turbine axis with each segment having at least one stator vane and an inner platform carrying an inner platform rail; inner nozzle support rings in part in spaced axial registration with the rails and on one axial side of the rails; a plurality of inner retainer segments secured to the inner supporting rings and in part in axial spaced registration relative to the rails on an axial side of the rails from the support rings; and a seal assembly between the inner retainer segments and the rails, the seal assembly including a plurality of circumferentially spaced inner retainer seals each including a plurality of circumferentially spaced seal fingers for sealing engagement with the rails.
In still another preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of installing a seal assembly in a turbine having a plurality of nozzle segments arranged about a turbine axis with each segment having at least one stator vane and an inner platform carrying an inner platform rail and inner nozzle support rings in part in spaced axial registration with the rails and on one axial side of the rails for sealing between high and low pressure regions on opposite sides of the rails, comprising the steps of providing a plurality of inner retainer segments secured to the inner supporting rings and in part in axial spaced registration relative to the rails on an axial side of the rails opposite from the support rings; securing a plurality of circumferentially spaced inner retainer seals each including a plurality of circumferentially spaced seal fingers to the inner retainer segments; and securing the inner retainer segments with the seals secured thereto to the support rings with the seals extending from the segments into sealing engagement with the rails on the axially opposite sides thereof from the support rings.

System for sealing an inner retainer segment and support ring in a gas turbine and methods therefor


The present invention relates to aminosulfonate and aminocarboxylate compositions derived from a mixture of polyfluoroalkylsulfonamido alkyl amines including at least one polyfluoroalkylsulfonamido alkyl amine and its analog, a di(polyfluoroalkylsulfonamido alkyl) amine. The aminosulfonate and aminocarboxylate compositions are useful for many purposes including amphoteric surface-active agents and aqueous film forming foams in fire fighting applications.

Aminosulfonates and aminocarboxylates are conventionally made from polyfluoroalkylsulfonamido alkyl amines which are subjected to N-alkylation with haloalkyl substituted reagents as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,595 and Japanese Publication No. JP59046252. Such aminosulfonates and aminocarboxylates are useful for a variety of purposes and can be particularly useful as amphoteric surface-active agents, and are in particular suitable for fire fighting applications.

Surfactant composition from polyfluoroalkylsulfonamido alkyl amines


The present invention introduces methods and circuits to amplify audio signals for driving speakers. An additional feedback circuit is added in an audio amplifier to couple the amplifier stage and output stage of the audio amplifier. The feedback circuit turned off as long as output voltages of the audio amplifier are not near saturation. The feedback circuit is turned on to reduce audible noises if output voltages of the audio amplifier are near saturation.

Class-D audio amplifiers are often used for audio amplification because of their power efficiency. Typically, the Class D audio amplifier is operated in the switch mode with minimized internal power consumption. It produces a rectangular wave at the output stage that is filtered before delivered to a load. The filtered signal wave is an amplified version of the input signal wave. Class D audio amplifiers are usually used for high power applications. For low power applications, Class A/B amplifiers are still popular.
When the input audio signal exceeds the audio amplifier's linear range, the output of the amplifier saturates. Oscillations at the audible band are often observed when the amplifier enters the saturation condition and exits the saturation condition, as indicated in FIG. 3. This may result in the "clipping" of audible noises. This problem is more severe in the class D audio amplifier because the switching power supply can skip switching cycles due to the minimum on and off time constraints. If the power supply skips sufficient cycles, the effective operation frequency may enter the audible frequency range and induce unexpected audible noises.
There are several known methods to resolve the problem. The first method is to limit the amplitude of the input signal with a clamping circuit. However, without information on the audio source's output impedance, this may not be practical and can degrade the audio signal quality. The second method is to add an automatic gain control (AGC) pre-amplifier before the input of the class-D audio amplifier. This AGC pre-amplifier limits the input signal amplitude to prevent the output saturation, but the implementation is rather complex and adds a significant cost. The limitation may get more severe for low frequency audio signals. The third method is to add a high-pass filter to limit the minimum audio frequency passing into the class-D amplifier, but may not solve the problem completely.
Accordingly, more improvements are needed to reduce audio noise near saturation in the class D audio amplifier.

Method for high efficiency audio amplifier


An apparatus and a concomitant method for rectification and recognition of symbols (e.g., to correct for the effects of perspective distortion, rotation and/or scale) in images of three-dimensional scenes is provided. The present method locates a reference region lying in a common plane with a symbol to be recognized, where the reference region represents an image of a planar object having assumed (e.g., known or standard) geometry and dimensions, along with at least four easily detectable correspondence points within that geometry. An image of the common plane is then rectified in three dimensions in accordance with the assumed dimensions of the reference region in order to produce a transformed (e.g., rectified) image of the symbol, which is significantly easier to recognize than the original imaged appearance of the symbol using existing recognition methods.

Digital still cameras and digital video cameras permit imagery to be stored and displayed for human viewing. However, the captured digital imagery contains information that, if automatically extracted, could be used for other purposes. Information about real-world scenery imaged by the camera, such as text (e.g., words and symbols) appearing in the scene, could then be processed and/or disseminated by new computing-based applications.
For example, automatic characterization of automobiles (e.g., for security purposes) could be enhanced by providing a means of recognizing symbols, such as manufacturer's insignia or logos, in a captured image of an automobile (e.g., in addition to providing automatic recognition of the license plate number). That is, by recognizing symbols in the image, more information about an automobile in question can be obtained (e.g., a description such as, "a white Toyota Corolla with the license plate number XYZ123" provides more information than the description, "a white car with the license plate number XYZ123"). Similarly, symbol recognition could enhance characterization of documents such as business cards or stationery, which may include corporate logos.
Research in text and symbol recognition for both printed documents and other sources of imagery has generally assumed that the text and symbols lie in a plane that is orientated roughly perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera and has also assumed that the text is roughly parallel to the horizontal edge of the imaging frame. However, text and symbols printed on objects such as street signs, license plates, business cards and billboards appearing in captured video imagery often: (a) lie in planes that are orientated at oblique angles; (b) are rotated; and/or (c) are scaled, and therefore may not be recognized very accurately by conventional optical character recognition (OCR) or symbol recognition methods. Therefore, a need exists in the art for an apparatus and method to take advantage of 3-D scene geometry to detect distortions including: (a) the perspective orientations of the planes on which text and symbols are printed; (b) the rotation angles of the text and symbols in those planes; and (c) a scale or zoom factor, thereby improving text and symbol recognition. For the purposes of the present invention, the term "rectification" refers to the removal of the effects of some or all of the distortion factors discussed above from an image or sequence of three-dimensional scene imagery.

Method and apparatus for recognition of symbols in images of three-dimensional scenes


A method, mobile station, and user-based communication system are provided that determine that a mobile station intends to transmit over an uplink, determine whether the mobile station is being operated in a body-worn position, determine an uplink transmit power scale factor, and when the mobile station is being operated in a body-worn position, apply the uplink transmit power scale factor to an uplink transmit power to produce a scaled uplink transmit power. In one embodiment, the user-based communication system includes the mobile station and an audio accessory and determines whether the mobile station is being operated in a body-worn position based on a determination of whether the audio accessory is actively engaged.

Regulatory agencies in most countries have mandated that two-way radios (also called "walkie-talkies") be tested for Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) compliance. Two-way radios operate in simplex communication systems where the radio transmit and receive phases are interleaved in time, whereby radio transmission from the mobile station is typically triggered through the use of a Push-to-Talk (PTT) function and reception is enabled in between transmit phases. The PTT function can be typically triggered by the user pressing a PTT button located on the radio itself, which is typically done when the radio is operated in front of the face, or by pressing a PTT button residing on an audio accessory, such as a chest-worn radio-speaker microphone (RSM) wired to a belt-worn radio.
Accordingly, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62209-2 (2010) SAR testing standard and currently applicable FCC regulations prescribe that SAR tests be conducted in two use-configurations, that is, with the radio in a talk-position "at the face" of a user, and more particularly with the radio placed 2.5 centimeters (cm) from a flat phantom representing the user head, and with the radio in a "body-worn" position placed next to a flat phantom representing the user body, wherein the radio is typically hosted in a carry accessory, for instance a belt-worn leather pouch, and operated by means of a RSM. In current standards and regulations, two exposure tiers are defined for consumer and professional radios, respectively, the latter allowing a larger SAR limit under the stipulation that professional users are aware of and trained on how to control radio frequency (RF) energy exposure (this is why this exposure tier was called "controlled" in past standards). Further, for discontinuous transmission such as PTT operation, SAR is averaged over 6 minutes under the occupational exposure tier. For simplex PTT radios, said time-averaging is implemented by allowing the assumption of 50% transmission duty-cycle (also called "talk-time"). For instance, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a 1.6 watt/kilogram (kg) SAR limits for the general public, applicable to consumer radios, and a 8.0 watt/kg SAR limit for occupational users, applicable to professional radios, therefore the measured SAR for a professional radio needs to be halved (50% talk-time) before comparing it with the 8.0 watt/kg limit.
Unlike cellular phones, which transmit at variable uplink transmit power depending on noise, fading, distance as demanded in real-time by the infrastructure networks they operate in, two-way radios are typically designed to be used in peer-to-peer (for example, radio-to-radio) and trunked (infrastructure-based) modes without real-time power adjustments. Therefore, to maximize communications reliability which are of the essence particularly in mission-critical (public-safety) applications, two-way radios are typically set to transmit at a set power level (typically corresponding to the maximum nominal rated power) whenever the PTT function is triggered. The IEC 62209-2 (2010) standard recommends that body-worn SAR measurements be conducted at the maximum power enabled in each manufacturer-defined intended use condition, which in the case of public safety two-way radios may include the use of carry accessories (for example, carry cases, belt clips) during SAR tests for radios that may be operated at the belt (body-worn position), and require the use of an audio accessory, such as a RSM or a PTT-capable Bluetooth radio, for the user to talk into upon triggering the PTT function.
Because carry accessories may provide smaller than 2.5 cm separation distances from the body and their metal content may support currents excited by the radio that may alter the resulting SAR level and distribution, it has been often observed that SAR levels may be higher in "body-worn" rather than in "at the face" use-configurations. Therefore, developing a two-way radio product to comply with SAR limits for the body-worn use frequently involves significant design efforts. Indeed, for given radio, antenna, audio and carry accessories designs, SAR is linearly dependent on the uplink transmit power averaged over a specified time-window, for instance 6 minutes.
Because standards are frequently revised and updated regulations promulgated, it is important to devise methods that ensure achievable SAR compliance of two-way radios even under shifting regulatory framework scenarios, especially considering that professional radio products can be available in the global marketplace for decades. Regulatory changes seldom occur in a synchronized and harmonized fashion across world regions and countries, rather they typically are implemented by national and regional regulators according to their own specific needs and timelines. Therefore, particular RF energy exposure restrictions are frequently encountered in applicable regulations in different countries or regions. Therefore, it is desirable to devise methods to ensure RF energy exposure compliance even under markedly non-uniform application of particular RF energy exposure requirements across countries and regions.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common and well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.

Method and apparatus for uplink power control in a wireless communication system


A multiple function pillow used for kneeling, sitting, sleeping and traveling which includes a cushion member and a protective cover. A mechanism is for removably inserting the cushion member into the protective cover, to allow a person to rest their head, back, sit and kneel thereon. A mechanism is for securing opposite ends of the protective cover together, wherein the cushion member can be folded into a closed position, so as to be wrapped and retained about a wrist of a person, a handle of a suitcase, a strap of a bag and a strap of a purse for easy transportation thereof. Two non-slip neoprene material pads are used.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pillow, and more particularly, a multiple function pillow. The pillow provides portable padding for use by consumers when kneeling, traveling, or sitting. Its versatile construction and compact size make it beneficial to anyone in need of extra support for their joints, back, neck or head. The pillow is made using a thick foam cushion member for increased comfort which provides enhanced cushioning for the user at any time. The pillow is equipped with a soft protective cover that is removable and washable. The present invention also features hook and loop file fastener Velcro straps that are used to temporally secure the pillow to the consumer's wrist, suitcase, bag or purse for easy transportation and storage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many people who suffer from joint pain and other body aches. In some instances this pain may be caused by a lack of proper padding when an individual is sitting, kneeling or sleeping in an uncomfortable position for an extended duration. Many individuals who suffer from joint pain would prefer to kneel when they pray, however they may find this position to be uncomfortable due to the excessive pressure put on the knee joints. Conventional pillows may be immoderately bulky for a user to bring to church. Travel pillows may be used to comfort the head, however they are typically too small and soft for use with other body parts. A need exists to provide users with an improved, more versatile, and readily transportable pillow to furnish sufficient comfort and padding for its user.
Numerous innovations for cushions have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2003/0019007, Published on Jan. 30, 2003, to Spencer teaches a knee cushion support for placement atop a surface in an area beneath knees of a user comprising a covering that encloses the outer periphery of the cushion support. A pair of depressions formed in the upper surface of the cushion receives and supports the knees of a user while in the kneeling position. A resilient inner core member is enclosed within the outer covering. A convex shaped ridge member is located between a pair of depressions that accommodate the knee of a user. An essentially concave shaped portion formed integral with, and curved upward from the lower surface is aligned on the lower surface beneath the ridge member in an arrangement that will permit stacking of a number of knee cushion supports together in a nesting arrangement. A pair of handles or grips is formed on the first and second end-walls to facilitate grasping and transporting the knee cushion support.
A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,541, Issued on Nov. 2, 2004, to Woods teaches a peanut-shaped cushion that is to be used to enhance the comfort of a person kneeling in prayer. The pillow is constructed from a single piece of thick foam material. The opposite ends of the foam are rounded. The mid-section is narrowed so that the foam piece resembles a peanut. The foam is wrapped with a polyester fiber cover and further disposed in a decorative casing, which casing is zippered for easy removal. The casing has a small pocket on one of its planar sides.
A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,035, Issued on Oct. 4, 2005, to Kinchen et al. teaches a protective cushion which includes an outer shell enclosing a pad comprising high-density foam. The cushion provides protection to a user's knees, such as while praying or meditating. The outer shell of the cushion is water-resistant, stain-resistant, and able to withstand excessive wear and tear. Further, the outer shell comprises designs, pictures, and text to aid the user in prayer or other worship activities. The cushion can be foldable and portable with a carrying handle provided for this purpose.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2006/0200910, Published on Sep. 14, 2006, to Taylor teaches a multi-article and multifunctional travel accessory that enables user-selective employ, either individually or in combination, of various articles of comfort, including a pillow, blanket, lumbar support, hand cozy, foot cozy, and/or seat cushion. The present invention is particularly characterized by its provision of a structurally compact or bundled arrangement of the foregoing listed articles; thereby, facilitating expeditious assembly, disassembly, and carriage of same.
A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,391, Issued on Jul. 24, 2007, to Brown teaches a prayer pillow, or cushion, which has knee pads placed in the interior of the pillow filling, spaced apart and adapted to receive the knees of a user while kneeling. The knee pads provide further cushioning and support for the knees of the user so that kneeling for a protracted time is more comfortable. The pillow has a removable cover that may, in preferred embodiments, incorporate a pleasant design and verses of Biblical scripture. The spacing between the knee pads maybe adjusted by the user.
It is apparent now that numerous innovations for cushions have been provided in the prior art that are adequate for various purposes. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, accordingly, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


A switchable cam follower (1) is proposed which serves to transmit a cam stroke in a variable manner from a cam to valve timing mechanism elements of an internal combustion engine. The cam follower (1) comprises substantially a cylindrical inner part (5) and a cylindrical outer part (2) which can be displaced into one another in the direction of their longitudinal axes and can be locked and unlocked in a relative position by means of coupling means (10) which are preferably actuated by pressure-modulated hydraulic medium, and also comprises at least one spring means (7) which is arranged between the inner part (5) and the outer part (2). The inner part (5) has a run-on surface (16) for the cam at one end side (17) and is radially guided in an inner wall (4) of the outer part (2) by way of an outer circumferential surface (6). The outer part (2) has an outer cylindrical circumferential surface (3), by way of which the cam follower (1) is guided in a housing hole of the internal combustion engine in a longitudinally movable manner, and an outer end face (25) facing away from the cam, as a contact face for valve timing mechanism elements which are operatively connected to the cam follower (1). Here, the outer circumferential surface (3) of the outer part (2) is to have substantially identical diameters in the region of the end face (25) which faces the valve timing mechanism element and in the region of an opening (26) which is oriented toward the inner part (5). At the same time, the spring means (7) is to be arranged within the outer part (2).

A cam follower of this type is apparent from U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,173 which is considered to form the generic type. Here, a switchable cam follower is likewise proposed which transmits an elevation of a cam to a gas exchange valve of the internal combustion engine via housing parts which can be displaced telescopically into one another and can be coupled to one another, depending on the locking state, or is switched off for the purpose of bringing the gas exchange valve to a standstill. Here, an embodiment which is claimed in accordance with FIG. 1 of this document shows an outer part, in the guide hole of which an inner part is guided longitudinally movably with a run-on surface for the cam. Here, the resilient spacing of the outer part to the inner part is effected by a lost motion spring which is arranged on the outer circumference of the cam follower.
In this embodiment, it is a disadvantage that the ratio of the outer guide length to the outer diameter of the outer part is low, with the result that the inner part with a section facing the cam also has to contribute to the guiding of the cam follower in its housing hole in the internal combustion engine. As a consequence, however, the cam follower would have to have a double fit which is unfavorable in terms of manufacturing technology, as the outer part and the inner part have to be arranged sufficiently coaxially both respect to the housing hole and with respect to the mutual guidance.
Moreover, it is to be considered disadvantageous in this solution that there is a large-volume annular space between the outer part and the inner part, which annular space is open toward the housing hole in the internal combustion engine and during operation also feeds hydraulic medium for actuating the coupling means. A dead volume of this type is, however, unfavorable to the extent that, in the case of the usually present hydraulic medium and, in particular, in the case of a high content of gas bubbles in the hydraulic medium, the rigidity of said hydraulic medium is reduced and thus the dynamics, the reproducibility and the reliability of the switchover operation of the coupling means are impaired.
A further disadvantage results from the position of the coupling means within a cam follower of this type relative to the cam of the internal combustion engine. As the coupling means have a radial installation space requirement which is only insubstantially smaller than the outer diameter of the outer part, they are to be arranged on the other side of the lost motion spring, relative to the cam. As a consequence, the length of a sealing gap is very small between an opening in the outer part for supplying hydraulic medium to the coupling means and an opening of the housing hole which is remote from the cam, with the result that, in particular in the region of the maximum stroke of the cam follower, the risk can occur of an undesirably high pressure loss via leakage of the hydraulic medium into the surroundings of the housing hole. Moreover, there is also the risk of carrying along air or gas bubbles from the surroundings of the housing hole and enclosing them in the annular space which is filled with hydraulic medium, which has the abovementioned disadvantageous effect on the rigidity of the hydraulic medium.


A hard sided clamshell suitcase with integrally formed wells in top and bottom side panels is disclosed. The wells include a well periphery having a peripheral shelf upon which a reinforced periphery of a pouch is seated, the pouch being secured to standoff regions within the interior of the well. A wall defining a raised structure with a well floor that is co-planar with the side panel has an upper surface of the wall co-planar with a wheel base plane to provide a stable plane of rest for a suitcase when laid on its bottom. The well in the top side panel is recessed and has a soft cover that is co-planar with the side panel.

In recent decades, commercial airlines have become the principal mode of business travel in the United States and an important mode of business travel in many other industrialized countries of the world. Flight crews and business men and women often travel to distant cities for short periods of time. On such trips, they have a need to carry at least one change of clothing and some toilet articles, but do not require a great deal of luggage capacity.
As the use of commercial air travel has expanded, many passengers, as well as flight crews, have developed a strong preference for "carrying on" their luggage rather than checking same through the airline's baggage checking and claim system. Carry on luggage refers to luggage of the passenger that is carried into the passenger compartment for stowage either under a seat or in an overhead storage compartment. Checked baggage is tagged with a unique identifier and a receipt is given to the passenger. The baggage is then handled by personnel of the airline and, if all the sorting and routing goes well, is stowed in a baggage hold in the aircraft. At each stop, bags designated for removal at that particular destination are removed and routed to a baggage claim area. The popularity of carrying on baggage has grown as an aid to quick exit of the aircraft and the airport by avoiding the delays often associated with retrieving baggage from a baggage claim area at the passenger's destination as well as in response to unfortunate experiences of some passengers with respect to lost or misrouted luggage.
In the United States, regulations of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limit the size and number of carry on articles allowed each passenger. Thus, in the past a significant amount of work has been done in order to provide carry on luggage which can accommodate many traveler's desires to use luggage that may be conveniently and legally carried onto an airplane and stored under a seat or in an overhead storage bin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,487 entitled "Wheeled Suitcase and Luggage Support", which issued to the inventor of the present invention, discloses a conveniently sized suitcase for use as carry on luggage with recessed wheels and a retractable internal handle. The suitcase disclosed in said U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,487 is a soft sided bag with a soft sided externally accessible compartment attached to the back thereof.
In the past, a number of arrangements for providing externally accessible compartments to various forms of luggage have been employed. In addition to the compartment shown in the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,487 to Plath, soft sided luggage with externally accessible separate compartments is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,767 to Pulichino, Jr. et al. A slip over cover for a hard or soft sided case which includes a soft externally accessible pocket is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,460 to Kim.
Independently accessible hard sided compartments are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,552,438 to Kramer and 4,938,326 to Pfeiffer. Kramer shows a hard sided suitcase of essentially conventional design which has attached thereto an integral elongated hard sided segment with a hinged door, which segment is designed for carrying hanging clothes. Pfeiffer U.S. Pat. No. '326 shows a carrying case with a raised portion on one surface thereof, the raised portion being covered by a lid that is disclosed as usable for carrying interchangeable advertising material and the like.
The externally accessible compartment of the soft sided bag shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,487 to Plath is convenient and useful. However, the compartment is pleated and collapsible. Therefore, materials placed within the compartment are susceptible to deformation and compression if the compartment is filled with an excessive amount of material or if it is urged too forcefully under a seat. Alternately, if other passengers place additional luggage on top of the compartment in an overhead storage area, its contents can be subject to damage.
Additionally, because it is a soft sided portion of a soft sided bag, over filling same while the main luggage compartment is substantially full can extend the depth of the luggage so that it becomes difficult to store the bag in a location having the minimum clearances used as design criteria for carry on luggage.
Externally accessible compartments are a desirable feature of luggage for the modern air traveller and a particularly desirable feature for carry on luggage. The user often will store a wallet, passport, and airplane tickets in an externally accessible compartment. Additionally, it is often desirable to keep reading materials, such as magazines and paperback books, in such a compartment so that they may be conveniently retrieved without opening a suitcase or a briefcase and read while a flight is in progress.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need in the art for an improved suitcase preferably of the same general dimensions of the case disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,487 to the present inventor. It is desirable to provide one or more externally accessible compartments on such a suitcase that are sized to conveniently carry the types of materials that air travellers often want to access during flight or while changing planes at an airport without having to open the main body of the bag. It is further desirable to provide such compartments in a configuration which, even when same are filled to capacity, will not distort the dimensions of the bag that allow it to be conveniently stowed under a seat or in an overhead bin in accordance with the regulations of the United States Federal Aviation Administration and similar regulations of like agencies that regulate commercial air travel in other countries.

Hard sided luggage with soft covered externally accessible pouch areas


In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of treating a patterned resist involving the steps of providing the patterned resist having structural features of a first size, the patterned resist containing a polymer having a labile group; contacting a coating containing at least one cleaving compound with the patterned resist to form a thin deprotected resist layer at an interface between the patterned resist and the coating; and removing the coating and the thin deprotected resist layer leaving the patterned resist having structural features of a second size, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size.

The present invention generally relates to improving lithography by using a coating containing a cleaving compound to trim resist features. In particular, the present invention relates to using a coating containing a cleaving compound to controllably decrease the size of developed resist structures.
In the semiconductor industry, there is a continuing trend toward higher device densities. To achieve these high densities there has been and continues to be efforts toward scaling down the device dimensions on semiconductor wafers. In order to accomplish such high device packing density, smaller and smaller features sizes are required. This includes the width and spacing of interconnecting lines and the surface geometry such as corners and edges of various features. Since numerous interconnecting lines are typically present on a semiconductor wafer, the trend toward higher device densities is a notable concern.
The requirement of small features (and close spacing between adjacent features) requires high resolution photolithographic processes. In general, lithography refers to processes for pattern transfer between various media. It is a technique used for integrated circuit fabrication in which a silicon slice, the wafer, is coated uniformly with a radiation-sensitive film, the resist, and an exposing source (such as optical light, X-rays, or an electron beam) illuminates selected areas of the surface through an intervening master template, the photomask, for a particular pattern. The lithographic coating is generally a radiation-sensitized coating suitable for receiving a projected image of the subject pattern. Once the image is projected, it is indelibly formed in the coating. The projected image may be either a negative or a positive of the subject pattern. Exposure of the coating through the photomask causes a chemical transformation in the exposed areas of the coating thereby making the image area either more or less soluble (depending on the coating) in a particular solvent developer. The more soluble areas are removed in the developing process to leave the pattern image in the coating as less soluble polymer.
Projection lithography is a powerful and essential tool for microelectronics processing. However, lithography is not without limitations. Patterning features having dimensions of about 0.25 xcexcm or less with acceptable resolution is difficult at best, and impossible in some circumstances. Patterning small features with a high degree of critical dimension control is also very difficult. Procedures that increase resolution, improved critical dimension control, and provide small features are therefore desired.
The present invention provides chemical trim processes, methods of forming sub-lithographic features, and methods of treating patterned resists. The present invention also provides size reduced resist features that are particularly useful for subsequent semiconductor processing procedures. The methods of forming sub-lithographic features and treating patterned resists are conducted in a controllable manner whereby a specified size of the size reduced resist features may be achieved.
In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of treating a patterned resist involving the steps of providing the patterned resist having structural features of a first size, the patterned resist containing a polymer having a labile group; contacting a coating containing at least one cleaving compound with the patterned resist to form a thin deprotected resist layer at an interface between the patterned resist and the coating; and removing the coating and the thin deprotected resist layer leaving the patterned resist having structural features of a second size, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size.
In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a chemical trim process involving the steps of forming a patterned resist, the patterned resist containing a polymer having an acid labile pendent group; depositing an acid containing coating over the patterned resist, the acid containing coating comprising at least one acid and a coating material, thereby forming a thin deprotected resist layer at an interface between the patterned resist and the acid containing coating; and removing the acid containing coating and the thin deprotected resist layer thereby providing a trimmed patterned resist.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of making a sub-lithographic structure involving patterning a chemically amplified resist so as to have lithographic structures; contacting an acid containing coating with the patterned chemically amplified resist thereby forming a thin deprotected resist layer within the patterned chemically amplified resist; and removing the acid containing coating and the thin deprotected resist layer leaving sub-lithographic structures of the chemically amplified resist.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to a chemical trim process involving the steps of forming a patterned resist, the patterned resist comprising a polymer having a base labile pendent group; depositing a base containing coating over the patterned resist, the base containing coating comprising at least one base and a coating material, thereby forming a thin deprotected resist layer at an interface between the patterned resist and the acid containing coating; and removing the base containing coating and the thin deprotected resist layer thereby providing a trimmed patterned resist.
In still another embodiment, the present invention relates to a chemical trim process involving the steps of forming a patterned resist, the patterned resist containing a polymer having an organic labile pendent group; depositing an organic compound containing coating over the patterned resist, the organic compound containing coating comprising at least one organic compound and a coating material, thereby forming a thin deprotected resist layer at an interface between the patterned resist and the acid containing coating; and removing the organic compound containing coating and the thin deprotected resist layer thereby providing a trimmed patterned resist.


Bubble columns fractionate with vapor-liquid mass transfer efficiencies approaching that of distillation towers when vapor velocities in excess of 50% of jet flood are used. If the vapor velocities are pushed above about 70% of jet flood then the distillation performance of a given column packing becomes similar for both liquid continuous operation (bubble column mode) and vapor continuous operation (ordinary distillation tower mode).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the operation of liquid-continuous distillation columns, in particular bubble columns.
2. Related Information
In its broadest sense a bubble column may be a column of liquid with a stream of gas bubbles passing upward through the liquid. Thus, these systems (excluding the column) are comprised of at least two components, i.e., the liquid and the gas. In these systems, unless it is an esthetic display item such as a lava lamp, there is an interaction between the liquid and the gas. For example, in a fish tank, air bubbling up through a column of water is partially absorbed into the water. In other systems, for example, an impure gaseous mixture may be passed through a liquid wash to remove the impurities or to remove the desirable component into the liquid such as capturing volatile organic compounds (VOC) from air which is washed in countercurrent flow with a suitable VOC solvent.
The present invention is particularly useful to a more specialized form of bubble column wherein there are three phases, the liquid, the gas and solid. Very frequently the solid component is comprised of particles which may be inert or catalytic. The solid component may be internal structures in the column such as heat exchanger tubes, baffles, trays or plates. The column may be relatively open or may be a packed column. The packing may be inert or catalytic. The packing may be fluidized, slurried solids or may contain both slurry and packing structures. Thus, the bubble systems may be used for extraction and/or reaction and extraction.
Extractive distillation may be carried out to fractionate a mixture while a high boiling solvent for a material or impurities is introduced near the top of the column to selectively extract a material or impurity during the distillation. However, there is no liquid level in the column above the kettle, thus vapor continuous and not a bubble column.
Historically bubble columns are operated liquid full with vapor flow rates that promote gross back mixing. Internals are sometimes employed to help promote plug flow of the vapor phase but back mixing of the liquid phase causes conditions where little or no fractionation occurs. The normal recommended vapor velocities are significantly below 50% of the jet flood point. In fact, the term "flood point" is not usually used in bubble column operation and must be defined by ordinary distillation tower operation. A principal industrial use of bubble columns is in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.


A thin-film magnetic head includes a TMR element and a resistor element connected in parallel with the TMR element. A resistance value RTMR of the TMR element itself is RTMR≧240 Ω, a product RA of the resistance value of the TMR element itself and a cross-sectional area of the TMR element is RA≧3 Ω·μm2, and a resistance value RPARA of the resistor element is RPARA≦480Ω.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin-film magnetic head with a tunnel magnetoresistive effect (TMR) element.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been demanded to enhance reading performance of a thin-film magnetic head with increase in a disk recording density of a hard disk drive (HDD). To satisfy such demand of enhancement in the reading performance, widely used is a magnetoresistive effect (MR) head provided with an MR read head element or a giant magnetoresistive effect (GMR) head with a GMR read head element.
In fabricating such MR head or GMR head, since the dimension of the head element namely the MR or GMR element is small whereas the dimension of electrode terminals electrically connected to the MR or GMR element is large, electrostatic discharge may occur to pass electrical charges through the MR or GMR element causing the element to deteriorate or damage.
To prevent such electrostatic damage of the head element, Japanese patent publication No. 10233011A discloses a magnetic head provided with a resistor element of 500Ω to 10 kΩ connected between lead conductors or electrode terminals of an MR element or GMR element for feeding the electrostatic charges there through.
Recently, a TMR head with a TMR element, which can deliver two or more times the MR ratio of the GMR head is aggressively developed. The TMR head has a fundamentally different structure from that of the MR head and the GMR head. For example, in the TMR element, there is an insulation barrier layer and the sense current flows in a direction perpendicular to planes of laminated layers. Thus, the TMR head has considerably different characteristics from that of the MR head and the GMR head. For example, although the MR head and the GMR head have element resistances of about 10–50Ω, the TMR head has a higher element resistance than them by an order of magnitude.
In order to achieve higher recording density, recent magnetic heads are required to have a narrower track width and a lower height causing the element resistance of the TMR element to more increase. With the increase in the element resistance of the TMR element, the cutoff frequency thereof decreases and therefore it is difficult to comply with the high recording density.
It is known that a withstand voltage of the TMR element with the current size (element width and element height) is lower than that of the GMR element with the same size. Therefore, if the element size of the TMR element reduces, not only breakdown of the element may easily occur but also its applicable margin will be lowered due to the reduced current capacity that is caused by increase in the element resistance and by decrease in the breakdown voltage. Furthermore, in case that the element size of the TMR element reduces, resistance variation between the TMR elements will be easily induced even if they are fabricated under the same precision. This variation in element resistance becomes a serious problem in the manufacturing of a TMR head.
For such TMR head, it is impossible to prevent electro-static destruction (ESD) with reliability even if a resistor element with a resistance value of 0.5–10 kΩ is connected in parallel with the TMR element as described in Japanese patent publication No. 10233011A, or a resistor element with a higher resistance value of 5–100 kΩ is connected in parallel with the TMR element. Also, if the resistor element connected in parallel with the TMR element has a high resistance value as described in Japanese patent publication No. 10233011A, an apparent resistance value of the TMR head that is a combined resistance value RTOTAL of a resistance value of the TMR element and a resistance value of the connected resistor element becomes high causing the cutoff frequency of the TMR head to prevent from increasing.

Thin-film magnetic head with tunnel magnetoresistive effect element electrically connected in parallel with a resistor element


This invention relates to a method for preparing cycloaliphatic diamines by hydrogenating an aromatic diamines in the presence of a supported ruthenium catalyst. The catalyst is pre-treated with oxygen or air to increase the rate of the reaction and decrease the amount of higher boiler by-products.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preparing cycloaliphatic diamine by hydrogenating aromatic diamine in the presence of a ruthenium catalyst, in which the ruthenium catalyst is pre-treated with air or oxygen at a temperature of 50 to 200.degree. C., without adding a base.
2. Description of the Related Art
A polyurethane is a polymer having a carbamate group (--NHCOO--), and is prepared by reacting diisocyanate and polyol such as ethylene glycol. The properties of the polyurethane depend on its raw materials or its preparation method, and especially, the structure of a diamine which is a starting material of the diisocyanate. Urethane polymers derived from aromatic diisocyanates undergo slow oxidation in the presence of air and light, causing a discoloration which is unacceptable in some applications. However, urethane prepared from cycloaliphatic diamine is stable against light and air, as well as structurally flexible, which has a better properties compared with urethane prepared from an aromatic diamine.
There are substantial literature in the art with respect to the hydrogenation of aromatic amines, especially, methylenedianiline to produce bis(4-aminocyclohexyl)methane, or 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-phenylenediamine to produce corresponding cyclohexane diamine. U.S. Pat. No. 2,511,028 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,606,924 disclose a method of preparing bis(4-aminocyclohexyl)methane from methylene dianiline under a pressure of 200-1,000 psig and at a temperature of 80-270.degree. C. in the presence of a noble metal such as ruthenium, rhodium, iridium or a mixture thereof or with a platinum or palladium, either as the hydroxide, oxide, or the metal itself on an insert support.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,108, U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,449 disclose a hydrogenation of an aromatic diamine using a ruthenium impregnated upon a support, wherein the activity and efficiency of the catalyst is increased by treating the catalyst and support with an alkali metal hydroxide or alkoxide. According to these disclosures, such alkali moderation of the catalyst could be effected prior to hydrogenation or in situ during the hydrogenation. They also describe that formation of tars, decomposition products and/or condensation products formed during the hydrogenation can be reduced and the catalyst can be used repeatedly without catalyst regeneration.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,635 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,862 disclose a method for hydrogenating an aromatic diamine by pretreating rhodium with NH.sub.4 OH or ammonia. It has been known that, in the early experiment of the hydrogenation of aniline, ammonia suppressed the formation of by-products, but deactivated the catalyst. It has been reported that similar phenomenon also occurs in the presence of an alkali alkoxide or alkali hydroxide such as LiOH or NaOH.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,995 discloses that the hydrogenation reaction should be carried out in an anhydrous state or at least maintained so that water concentration is less than 0.5% by weight to reduce the amount of N-alkylated and higher boiler by-products. In addition, the patent states that lithium salts reduce by-products. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,998 reported that the presence of LiOH increases the production of high molecular weight products.
However, these conventional methods described above are not adequate for industrial processes due to a low yields and the requirement of a corrosive base.
Therefore, the present invention is directed to provide a method for the hydrogenation of aromatic diamine compounds by pre-treating a supported ruthenium catalyst with oxygen or air. By this invention, the hydrogenation reaction time is significantly reduced and the formation of by-products are greatly suppressed.

Korea Institute of Science and Technology


A release device for disengaging a medical implant from an insertion device, in which the implant is releasable by a relative movement between a first insertion element and a second insertion element, comprising a body having a proximal end, which faces toward a user in the usage state, and a distal end, which is remote from the user in the usage state, a toothed rack having a first speed range and a second speed range being provided between the proximal end and the distal end, the toothed rack being provided to generate a targeted relative movement between the first insertion element and the second insertion element of the insertion device. Furthermore, the invention relates to an insertion device having such a release device.

Implants are frequently used in medicine, which must be introduced permanently or at least for a long period of time into an animal and/or human body to fulfill replacement functions. For example, cardiac pacemakers, brain pacemakers for Parkinson patients, cardiac implants, cochlear implants, retinal implants, dental implants, implants for joint replacement, vascular prostheses, or stents are to be mentioned here
Implants are connected to catheters for insertion into the body and must be able to be precisely placed and released in a defined manner at the usage location. For this purpose, releasing the implant through a pushing movement is known, for example.

Release device for disengaging a medical implant from a catheter and catheter having a release device


A semiconductor memory apparatus including a latch unit configured to be driven in response to activation of a reset selection signal and resetting a first node and a second node; and an auxiliary driving unit configured to support a driving force of the latch unit in response to the reset selection signal and a voltage logic level of the first node or the second node, wherein the first node and the second node have substantially opposite voltage logic levels.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory apparatus and a semiconductor memory apparatus including a latch circuit.
2. Related Art
A flash memory apparatus, which is a kind of a nonvolatile memory apparatus, programs or reads data in units of page. To this end, the flash memory apparatus includes a page buffer circuit to process large capacity data for a short time. The page buffer circuit includes a latch circuit in order to temporarily store data when programming (i.e., PGM as seen in FIG. 1) or reading the data.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a general semiconductor memory apparatus including a page buffer.
A semiconductor memory apparatus, such as a flash memory, is classified into a single level cell (SLC) apparatus, a multi-level cell (MLC) apparatus, and a triple level cell (TLC) apparatus according to bits of data storable per one memory cell. Therefore, the number of latch circuits required changes. FIG. 1 illustrates a page buffer in a general case, and mainly illustrates a latch circuit connected to an output data line in a SLC page buffer.
A semiconductor memory apparatus of FIG. 1 includes a memory cell 10, a page buffer 20, and a column selection unit 30.
The page buffer includes transistors N1 to N5 and P1 as well as ground voltage VSS. In a read operation, the page buffer 20 reads data from the memory cell 10 to output nodes QA and QAN. Then, if a column selection signal YI is applied to a corresponding column, the column selection unit 30 transmits the data to data lines DL and DLB.
The above operation will be described in detail as follows. Initially, a data latch section 21 is initialized by a reset signal RESET. If a precharge signal PRECHSO_N is activated, a sensing node SO is precharged at the level of an internal voltage VINT. Then, if a sensing signal PB_SENSE is activated, data transferred through a bit line BL is transferred to the sensing node SO. At this time, a voltage level of the sensing node SO is equal to or lower than a precharge voltage level according to the data value.
If a read command READ is applied, the data latch section 21 drives the output node QA to have the voltage level of the sensing node SO (the other output node QAN has an opposite voltage logic level) and to latch the value. If the column selection signal YI is applied, voltage levels of the output nodes QA and QAN are output to the data lines DL and DLB, respectively.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a data output unit of a general semiconductor memory apparatus including the data latch section 21.
The data output unit of the general semiconductor memory apparatus includes an input/output sense amplifier 40 in order to amplify data of a small signal. When a plurality of data latch units 21_1, 21_2, to 21—n exist according to the number of page buffers and a corresponding column is selected by column selection units 30_1, 30_2, to 30—n, data stored in the data latch units 21_1 to 21—n is transmitted to and amplified by the input/output sense amplifier 40.
For example, when data of the first data latch unit 21_1 is read, the data is transmitted to the input/output sense amplifier 40 by the first column selection unit 30_1, and the input/output sense amplifier 40 senses and amplifies the received data.
When the first data latch unit 21_1 transmits a high voltage logic level to data lines DL and DLB, a precharge voltage level is transmitted as is. Meanwhile, when it is necessary to transmit a low voltage logic level, the precharge voltage level should be driven to a low voltage logic level for transmission. However, since the capacities of transistors N6 and N7 used in the first column selection unit 30_1 are large, inverters IV1 and IV2 included in the first data latch unit 21_1 are heavily loaded when driving low voltage logic level data. Therefore, although a good performing input/output sense amplifier 40 is used, much data detection time is required.
The problem with a data semiconductor memory apparatus due to a log loading time of the latch circuit is not limited only to a page buffer circuit, and may occur in all semiconductor memory apparatuses using a latch circuit.


Graphically displaying the proportion of a total value of a time dependent variable contributed by each of a set of elements. Applicable in a graph environment comprising the steps of displaying the proportion contributed by each element as an area within an ordered set of areas under a line representative of the total value of said time dependent variable. The user is enabled to interactively select one area in the set of areas and perform one of the following operations: hiding the selected area, displaying the selected area or reordering the position of the selected area within said ordered set responsive to said user selection. This implementation is effective in the manipulation of stacked area line graphs by visualizing how the various areas representative of the contributions of the individual elements to the whole time dependent variable affect and coact with the other variables in the set.

Computers and their application programs are used in all aspects of business, industry and academic endeavors. In recent years, there has been a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. This advance has been even further accelerated by the extensive consumer and business involvement in the Internet. As a result of these changes, it seems as if virtually all aspects of human productivity in the industrialized world require human/computer interaction. The computer industry has been a force for bringing about great increases in business and industrial productivity.
In addition, the computer and computer related industries have benefitted from a rapidly increasing availability of data processing functions. Along with this benefit comes the problem of how to present the great number and variety of available elements to the interactive operator or user in display interfaces that are relatively easy to use. For many years, display graphs have been a widely used expedient for helping the user to keep track of and to organize and present operative and available functions and elements on computer controlled display systems. Computer displayed graphs have been used to help the user or the user's audience visualize and comprehend elements, and particularly graphical elements that represent variables, e.g. time dependent variables. For Example, XXX Inc. has sales in Austin, Houston and Dallas over a given period of time. The individual sales in each of the three cities are time dependent variables. The respective sales are elements that, when totalled, provide the total sales of XXX, which is itself a time dependent variable. In another example, the total temperature of a chemical reaction of a given time period is a time dependent variable. If the total temperature is the result of temperatures contributed by three subprocesses, Temps. of A+B+C=T (total) over the time period being measured, then Temps: A, B and C are elements that, when totalled, provide the total time dependent temperature.
Time dependent systems in which a set of individual time dependent variables each contribute to an overall time dependent total are most effectively viewed and presented on displays as stacked area line graphs with the X axis as the baseline along which time is tracked. With such an arrangement, the total of the time dependent variable, e.g. temperature, will be the variable upper line in the graph; and each of the elements (subprocesses) contributing temperature will appear on the stacked area graph as areas or layers, the thickness of which is a visualization of the contribution of the element to the overall total temperature.
While such systems in which the set of elements each contribute to the overall time dependent total may be very effectively presented in the stacked area line graphs as described above, there has not been an effective system or method for manipulating the individual contributing elements as represented by the layers or areas in the stack.

Computer display system for dynamically modifying stacked area line graphs to change the order or presence of a set of stacked areas in the graph respectively representative of the proportions contributed to a total by each of a set of time dependent variables

International Business Machines Corporation


A polishing pad (104) having an annular polishing track (122) and including a plurality of grooves (148) that each traverse the polishing track. Each groove includes a plurality of flow control segments (CS1–CS3) and at least two discontinuities in slope (D1, D2) located within the polishing track.

The present invention generally relates to the field of polishing. In particular, the present invention is directed to a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad having a radially alternating groove segment configuration.
In the fabrication of integrated circuits and other electronic devices, multiple layers of conducting, semiconducting and dielectric materials are deposited onto and etched from a semiconductor wafer. Thin layers of conducting, semiconducting and dielectric materials may be deposited by a number of deposition techniques. Common deposition techniques in modern wafer processing include physical vapor deposition (PVD) (also known as sputtering), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and electrochemical plating. Common etching techniques include wet and dry isotropic and anisotropic etching, among others.
As layers of materials are sequentially deposited and etched, the surface of the wafer becomes non-planar. Because subsequent semiconductor processing (e.g., photolithography) requires the wafer to have a flat surface, the wafer needs to be periodically planarized. Planarization is useful for removing undesired surface topography as well as surface defects, such as rough surfaces, agglomerated materials, crystal lattice damage, scratches and contaminated layers or materials.
Chemical mechanical planarization, or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), is a common technique used to planarize semiconductor wafers and other workpieces. In conventional CMP using a dual-axis rotary polisher, a wafer carrier, or polishing head, is mounted on a carrier assembly. The polishing head holds the wafer and positions it in contact with a polishing layer of a polishing pad within the polisher. The polishing pad has a diameter greater than twice the diameter of the wafer being planarized. During polishing, the polishing pad and wafer are rotated about their respective concentric centers while the wafer is engaged with the polishing layer. The rotational axis of the wafer is offset relative to the rotational axis of the polishing pad by a distance greater than the radius of the wafer such that the rotation of the pad sweeps out an annular "wafer track" on the polishing layer of the pad. When the only movement of the wafer is rotational, the width of the wafer track is equal to the diameter of the wafer. However, in some dual-axis polishers, the wafer is oscillated in a plane perpendicular to its axis of rotation. In this case, the width of the wafer track is wider than the diameter of the wafer by an amount that accounts for the displacement due to the oscillation. The carrier assembly provides a controllable pressure between the wafer and polishing pad. During polishing, a slurry, or other polishing medium, is flowed onto the polishing pad and into the gap between the wafer and polishing layer. The wafer surface is polished and made planar by chemical and mechanical action of the polishing layer and polishing medium on the surface.
The interaction among polishing layers, polishing media and wafer surfaces during CMP is being increasingly studied in an effort to optimize polishing pad designs. Most of the polishing pad developments over the years have been empirical in nature. Much of the design of polishing surfaces, or layers, has focused on providing these layers with various patterns of voids and arrangements of grooves that are claimed to enhance slurry utilization and polishing uniformity. Over the years, quite a few different groove and void patterns and arrangements have been implemented. Prior art groove patterns include radial, concentric circular, Cartesian grid and spiral, among others. Prior art groove configurations include configurations wherein the width and depth of all the grooves are uniform among all grooves and configurations wherein the width or depth of the grooves varies from one groove to another.
Some designers of rotational CMP pads have designed pads having groove configurations that include two or more groove configurations that change from one configuration to another based on one or more radial distances from the center of the pad. These pads are touted as providing superior performance in terms of polishing uniformity and slurry utilization, among other things. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,847 to Osterheld et al., Osterheld et al. disclose several pads having three concentric ring-shaped regions, each containing a configuration of grooves that is different from the configurations of the other two regions. The configurations vary in different ways in different embodiments. Ways in which the configurations vary include variations in number, cross-sectional area, spacing and type of grooves. In another example of prior art CMP pads described in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 1020020022198 to Kim et al., the Kim et al. pad includes a plurality of generally radial non-linear grooves that: (1) curve in the design rotational direction of the pad in a radially inward portion of the pad; (2) reverse curvature within the wafer track and (3) curve in the direction opposite the design rotational direction proximate the outer periphery of the pad. Kim et al. indicate that this groove configuration minimizes defects by rapidly exhausting byproducts of the polishing process.
Although pad designers have heretofore designed CMP pads that include two or more groove configurations that are different from one another or vary in different regions of the polishing layer, these designs do not directly consider benefits that may arise from varying the speed in which the polishing medium flows in the gap between the wafer and the pad across the width of the wafer track. Current research by the present inventor shows that polishing can be improved by permitting the polishing medium to flow relatively rapidly within the pad-wafer gap in one or more regions of the wafer track while inhibiting the flow of the polishing medium in one or more other regions of the wafer track. Consequently, there is a need for CMP polishing pad designs that control, and vary the speed of, the flow of polishing media within the pad-wafer gap.

CMP pad having a radially alternating groove segment configuration

Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials CMP Holdings, Inc.


The invention relates to an apparatus for automatically removing a tail from poultry. An overhead conveyor moves the poultry or part of a bird suspended by the legs, and a guiding device is disposed underneath the overhead conveyor for supporting and guiding the poultry. A cutting device is functionally disposed behind a lead element for the poultry and which is part of the guiding device. The overhead conveyor is designed to convey the poultry with the back facing forward while the guiding device supports and guides the poultry substantially at the side of the back. The cutting device is disposed in or under an effective supporting surface of the guiding device.

An apparatus is known from EP-A-0 159 744, wherein the poultry is carried tail first over a guiding device, and during conveyance a rounded, pressure-applying component of the apparatus moves the poultry into a substantially horizontal position, with the tail directed upward. This enables the activation of a V-shaped cutting device by which the tail can be severed during the conveyance of the poultry.
A disadvantage of the known apparatus is that the pressure-applying component of the apparatus moving the poultry into the horizontal position is susceptible to contamination. Moreover, the functionality of the known apparatus is dependent on the weight and the dimensions of the poultry. This weight, together with the force exerted by the pressure-applying component of the apparatus determine the position of the tail while the same passes the V-shaped knife. As a result, the accuracy with which severing of the tail of the poultry is carried out on successive carcasses cannot be controlled.
Another disadvantage of the known apparatus is that the tails are removed while positioned above the carcass. This may result in contamination of the carcass.
A final important disadvantage of the known apparatus is that it can only be employed at the beginning of a leg-severing module.

Apparatus for automatically removing a tail from poultry


A power transmitter (101) of a wireless power transfer system comprises a resonance including a transmitter coil (103) for generating a power transfer signal for wirelessly transferring power to a power receiver (105). Further, a driver (1303) generates a drive signal for the resonance circuit (201) and a message receiver (1305) is arranged to receive messages from the power receiver (105). A power loop controller (1307) implements a power control loop by adapting the power of the drive signal in response to power control messages received from the power receiver (105). However, the regulation is subject to a constraint of at least one of a current or voltage of the resonance circuit and a power of the drive signal being below a maximum limit. Further, the power transmitter (101) comprises an adapter (1309) which adapts the maximum limit in response to a load indication indicative of a loading of the power transfer signal by the power receiver (105).

Most present day systems require a dedicated electrical contact in order to be powered from an external power supply. However, this tends to be impractical and requires the user to physically insert connectors or otherwise establish a physical electrical contact. Typically, power requirements also differ significantly, and currently most devices are provided with their own dedicated power supply resulting in a typical user having a large number of different power supplies with each power supply being dedicated to a specific device. Although, the use of internal batteries may avoid the need for a wired connection to a power supply during use, this only provides a partial solution as the batteries will need recharging (or replacing). The use of batteries may also add substantially to the weight and potentially cost and size of the devices.
In order to provide a significantly improved user experience, it has been proposed to use a wireless power supply wherein power is inductively transferred from a transmitter coil in a power transmitter device to a receiver coil in the individual devices.
Power transmission via magnetic induction is a well-known concept, mostly applied in transformers having a tight coupling between a primary transmitter coil and a secondary receiver coil. By separating the primary transmitter coil and the secondary receiver coil between two devices, wireless power transfer between these becomes possible based on the principle of a loosely coupled transformer.
Such an arrangement allows a wireless power transfer to the device without requiring any wires or physical electrical connections to be made. Indeed, it may simply allow a device to be placed adjacent to, or on top of, the transmitter coil in order to be recharged or powered externally. For example, power transmitter devices may be arranged with a horizontal surface on which a device can simply be placed in order to be powered.
Furthermore, such wireless power transfer arrangements may advantageously be designed such that the power transmitter device can be used with a range of power receiver devices. In particular, a wireless power transfer approach known as the Qi Specifications has been defined and is currently being developed further. This approach allows power transmitter devices that meet the Qi Specifications to be used with power receiver devices that also meet the Qi Specifications without these having to be from the same manufacturer or having to be dedicated to each other. The Qi Specifications further includes some functionality for allowing the operation to be adapted to the specific power receiver device (e.g. dependent on the specific power drain).
The Qi Specification is developed by the Wireless Power Consortium and more information can e.g. be found on their website: http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/index.html, where in particular the defined Specification documents can be found.
An important aspect of wireless power transmission is the control of operating point for the power transfer and it is in particular important to control the inductive power transfer signal to provide an appropriate power to the power receiver. In order to control the power transfer, systems such as Qi, implement a power control loop wherein the power receiver during the power transfer phase continuously transmits power control messages back to the power transmitter requesting (or not) a change in the power of the power transfer signal. The power transmitter then reacts by increasing or decreasing the power of the power transfer signal in response to the requests from the power receiver. Such an approach may provide an effective power control in many scenarios.
Typically, the power control operation is implemented such that the operating range is restricted to a range which is considered safe. For example, for systems such as Qi, the power of the power transfer signal may be limited to a given maximum value.
However, although such an approach may provide an adaptive system which is capable of adapting to variations in the operating conditions, it may not perform an ideal adaptation in all circumstances. For example, it may in some scenarios not react sufficiently fast to adapt to sudden changes in the operating conditions.
Hence, an improved power transfer approach would be advantageous. In particular, an approach that allows improved operation, improved power transfer, increased flexibility, facilitated implementation, facilitated operation, improved power control, faster response to variations in the power transfer operating characteristics, and/or improved performance would be advantageous.


A method of determining if any usable life remains in a brake component of a brake, the method comprising the steps of using a processor to determine a total number of brake events, and using a processor to determine from the total number of brake events if any usable life remains in the brake component.

Certain components of brakes have a usable life, following which they must be replaced.
Brake pads and brake shoes include friction material which progressively wears away as the brake is used. Electromechanical wear sensors are known which can determine the amount of friction material wear and provide an indication to an operator that the brake pads or shoes require replacement. EP0877872 shows a sensor which monitors the movement of a brake component which moves in proportion to brake pad wear. The sensor outputs an electrical signal indicative of an amount of brake pad wear. Such a system relies on the progressive movement of the internal brake mechanism.
Also certain components of brakes have a fatigue life. By way of explanation, it is known that certain components made from certain materials (for example steel) to which a load is repeatedly applied and then release can "fatigue" whereby fatigue cracks develop within the component. There comes a point when the fatigue cracks are sufficiently large that the component fails by breaking in two.
Certain components of brakes may have a fatigue life and as such must be replaced before fatigue failure occurs.
Thus there is a need to be able to determine if any usable life remains in a brake component so that it can be replaced.

Method of determining usable life of a brake component

Meritor Heavy Vehicle Braking Systems (UK) Limited


An installation (100) for the manufacture of ceramic products comprises a mold (1) divided into at least two parts (2, 3) forming an internal cavity (C) where the ceramic product is formed, and mobile towards and away from each other, under the action of respective drive means (4) acting in both directions along a predetermined clamping line (S), in such a way as to join or detach the parts (2, 3) to/from each other; each part (2, 3) of the mold (1) comprises at least one rear outside surface (2p, 3p) and one lateral outside surface (2s, 3s); at least one of the parts (2, 3) is equipped with means (6) for containing and controlling a fluid and encompassing the rear (2p, 3p) and lateral (2s, 3s) outside surfaces of the mold (1) part (2, 3); the containment means (6) are associated with the part (2, 3) of the mold (1) in such a way that during the product casting cycle the forces (SF) acting on the part (2, 3) of the mold (1) are constantly compensated by correlated forces (FR).

This invention relates to an installation for the manufacture of ceramic products, in particular for the manufacture of ceramic sanitaryware.
As is well known, ceramic sanitaryware (such as washbasins, toilet bowls, bidets, shower trays and the like) is made by casting a fluid mixture (known as "slip" in the jargon of the trade, consisting of a ceramic body in aqueous suspension) in customary molds with a porous structure, made in particular from resins.
These porous molds are composed of at least two parts (usually known as "male" and "female" in the jargon of the trade) which are joined to form an internal cavity where the ceramic product is formed.
The porous surfaces that form the sides of each cavity will hereinafter be referred to as the inside surfaces of the mold.
Each mold part also comprises a rear outside surface or back, on which the forces necessary to keep the two parts together during the casting cycle are exerted, and a lateral outside surface.
At least one of the two outside surfaces is associated with auxiliary elements designed to support and keep the mold in place within the installation.
There are also contact surfaces which generally act as transitions between the lateral outside surfaces and the closing surfaces.
Internally, these porous molds are provided with a drainage system designed to allow the fluids that go through the inside surfaces to be channeled to the outside, or to pump fluids in under pressure in the opposite direction in order to detach the molded product from the mold walls or to recondition the mold part.
The two or more parts of the mold are mounted in suitable installations (that differ according to the type of product to be cast) and comprising at least the following:
a fixed structure which, through passive connecting means, acts as a support for at least one part of the mold;
drive means for moving and positioning at least one part of the mold at least in order to move the mold parts towards each other (so as to close the mold when casting is in progress) and away from each other to allow the cast piece to be extracted;
clamping means for keeping the mold parts in the correctly closed position, overcoming the forces generated inside the cavity during the casting cycle;
cavity service means such as means for feeding the slip into the mold when the mold parts are clamped shut or for injecting air for consolidating the slip and draining out the excess slip during the casting cycle;
service means for the above mentioned drainage system.
Further, one of the well known characteristics of porous resin molds is their good mechanical strength which allows them to be used for high pressure casting, that is to say, for pumping the slip into the mold and subsequently forming the cast wall thickness at high pressure (usually between 3 and 15 bar).
These pressures inside the mold, however, produce forces in directions normal to the inside surfaces of the mold parts, with the risk of deforming the mold: the directions adopted by the force components are not only the direction in which the mold parts are moved together and clamped shut but also the directions at right angles (and hence transversal) to the mold part clamping direction.
These forces must therefore be opposed by suitable devices in order to "contain" the forces in play.
As regards the forces generated in the mold clamping direction, the above mentioned casting installations may (in one prior art solution) comprises a fixed abutment wall operating on the back of one of the mold parts, and a drive cylinder that operates on a mobile wall which in turn operates on the back of the other part of the mold.
As is also known in the trade, the cylinder may apply on the mobile part of the mold force that is constant or variable instant by instant as a function of slip pressure (known in the jargon of the trade as "proportional clamping"). To this must be added the fact that the relative movements of the mold parts towards each other during the casting cycle may be either free and, hence, determined only by the balance of the forces in play and by the deformability characteristics of the resins, or limited to a maximum value thanks to the presence of mechanical stops which absorb the force applied by the piston in excess of the force sufficient to determine the maximum acceptable deformation (known in the jargon of the trade as "controlled deformation clamping").
As regards the forces generated in directions at right angles to the clamping direction, on the other hand, prior art solutions include purely passive mechanical systems that can preload the resin to varying extents with initial compression stresses along said transversal directions and whose reaction to the forces produced inside the cavity during the casting cycle and tending to compress the mold walls and to deform the lateral outside surface towards the containment device depends only on the rigidity of the containment device itself, or active mechanical systems where the reaction of the containment device is controlled over time and as a function, instant by instant, of slip pressure.
For this purpose, the Applicant has devised and produced a device for "containing" the forces (see also patent EP 1.043.132) where one of the half-parts of the mold comprises a frame that delimits a space, between the frame and the half-part, for housing an element expandable by a fluid from the outside and designed to contain the forces generated by the pressure of the slip inside the mold.
This system regulates the pressure of the fluid inside the expandable element, which is correlated constantly with slip pressure, obtaining an improved reaction, eliminating the potential deformation of the mold which leads to undesirable stress on the part being cast and, hence, to possible defects, and controlling elastic contractions of the mold.
In view of the excellent results obtained by this solution in controlling the components of the forces in the directions at right angles (and hence transversal) to the mold part clamping direction, it would be desirable to also be able to control the force in the clamping direction more effectively than has been possible up to now.
At present, the solution involving a proportional force of the clamping cylinder is calibrated in such a way as to apply to all the parts of the mold the same pressure as that applied by the slip.
The crux of the matter, however, is that the hydraulic system, which acts on a flat part which is rigid by its very nature is a system with limited opposing precision, that is to say, with relatively wide tolerances compared to the requirements of the mold and with a considerably lower precision than that of the fluid system for the other components, which adapts the movements of the abutment surface opposing the lateral outside surface of the mold to the compressibility requirements of the resin layer below.

Installation for the manufacture of ceramic products

Sacmi Cooperativa Meccanici Imola Societa' Cooperativa


The present invention relates to a method for creating and managing a local area network including at least one device for reproducing an encrypted data flow and a device for transmitting and re-encrypting all or part of said encrypted data, which devices include security modules. The method includes the steps of connecting a so-called master security module in one of the devices connected to the local area network, causing the master security module to generate a network key, securely transmitting the network key to one or more so-called user security modules, decrypting the data encrypted by the transmission and re-encryption device, re-encrypting the data with said device by means of a local key, transmitting the re-encrypted data to the reproduction device, and holding the reproduction device to perform decryption using the user security module associated therewith and provided with means for locating the local key.

The management of the access to conditional data is well known and has been practiced since a long time particularly in the Pay-TV field.
The user has a decoder for decrypting the encrypted stream by means of keys that are associated to subscription or rights. These keys are generally preferably stored in a removable security module in order to allow the evolution of the functions offered as well as the security.
Most decoders, once the data stream has been decrypted, convert this data into an analogue form to be processed by a visualization device, such as a television screen.
The advent of digital screens has somehow disrupted this scheme. In fact, since the decoder output towards the display is digital, this output can be used in a fraudulent way to produce illegal copies.
For this reason, before digital displays and more generally any apparatus processing this type of data in digital form, such as digital recorders, become widely used, solutions have been proposed with the aim of preventing the dissemination of conditional access data.
Thus, an end-to-end protection of the content has been proposed in order to maintain the content in an encrypted form until it reaches the restitution device (a television set for example).
A source such as a decoder or a DVD reader processes the encrypted content and authorizes access as long as the conditions are fulfilled (according to the user's subscription, for example). The content, before being sent to the user's local network, is encrypted again according to a key associated to this network, so that it can only be accessible in this network. Any use outside this network is impossible given that the key is unique for each domestic network.
The concept of domestic network, although defined in relation to a user, can be vague since a neighbor can easily connect to the same network and thus dispose of the same network key. For this reason the simplest solution is to limit the number of people forming a local network.
To use this type of secure local network, each device must have a security module containing the secret pertaining to this network. These modules are in general either in the form of a removable smart card or a security module directly mounted in the apparatus.
According to a first known solution, this limitation concept has been implemented by the transmission of a parent capacity belonging to the network. For the installation of a local network, a first module contains or is capable of generating the key that serves as a common point in this network. Once this first module has generated a first key, it becomes a parent module and can function on its own. If another module appears in the same network, this parent capacity is transmitted to this second module, allowing the latter to be a part of the same network. The first module loses its parent capacity and this ability is transferred to the second module. Of course, other parameters, such as the number of future modules participating in this network, are also decremented and stored in the new generator module.
The move of the parent capacity meets security criteria because one module can only introduce one other module into the same network. Nevertheless this solution presents certain problems, since the chain can be interrupted through ignorance of the principle, in the case that a user separates one of the elements that precisely had become the parent module. Furthermore, if the apparatus in which this module is present were damaged, the user would take it to a point of sale and exchange it for another apparatus, which results in the interruption of the possibility of extending this network.
The document WO01/67705 describes a system for a secure transfer of data and data management on the Internet network comprising a data transfer and encryption module in a user unit, and a data management module in a server unit. The data transfer is carried out through the moving of the data from a window displayed on a screen associated to the user unit from or to a window associated to the server unit. Each window is associated with a password in such a way that the moving of the data from a window to the other causes the encryption or the re-encryption from one associated password to the other. The system uses symmetric key encryption coupled with the file transfer protocol and allows a secure transfer of large data files which size is 100 Megabytes or more. This data transfer from the server unit to the user unit or vice versa can be carried out an unlimited number of times independently of the network and of the units' locations on the network.

Method for generating and managing a local area network