A method of manufacturing a spin valve film, produces a large read out signal. After a completion of a film making process for forming a previous film of two films to be formed successively, but before an initiation of a film making process for forming a succeeding film of the two films, a step of decreasing an anisotropic magnetic field of the spin valve film is introduced by interrupting a film making process. This step may be performed by keeping a substrate within a sputtering vacuum chamber. The interruption can be shortened by exposing the substrate to a plasma, transferring the substrate in a separate vacuum chamber is lower or whose H2O or O2 concentration is higher than that in the sputtering vacuum chamber, conducting a surface treatment with a gas containing H2O or O2, or flowing a process gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a spin valve film including an undercoat film, a first ferromagnetic film, a second ferromagnetic film and an electrically conductive film arranged between the first and second ferromagnetic films, and also relates to a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head comprising such a spin valve film.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with miniaturization of magnetic disk drives, a thin film magnetic head including a magnetoresistive sensor utilizing the magnetoresistive effect has been widely used as a magnetic converting element which is suitable for reading information out of a magnetic record disk having information recorded thereon with a high surface recording density owing to a reason that an output of such a magnetoresistive sensor is not affected by a relative speed between the head and the disk.
In general, as a reading magnetoresistive element, an element utilizing an anisotropic magnetoresistive effect film (hereinafter referred to AMR film) such as a permalloy film has been used so far, but recently there has been further developed a reproducing element utilizing a giant magnetoresistive effect film (referred to GMR film). Particularly, a spin valve film has been mainly utilized as GMR film. Magnetoresistive sensors using spin valve films have been described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication Kokai Hei 4-358310 and "IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS", Vol. 30, No. 6, November 1994. A typical spin valve film includes an undercoat film, a first ferromagnetic film, an electrically conductive film, and a second ferromagnetic film.
The electrically conductive film is sandwiched between the first and second ferromagnetic films. One of the first and second ferromagnetic films serves as a free layer which responds to an external magnetic field, and the other ferromagnetic film acts as a pinned layer having a fixed magnetic orientation.
When the first ferromagnetic film is used as the free layer, the second ferromagnetic film operates as the pinned layer, and when the first ferromagnetic film is used as the pinned layer, the second ferromagnetic film serves as the free layer. A ferromagnetic film utilized as the free layer may be formed by a NiFe film or a stack of Co film and CoFe film. A ferromagnetic film used as the pinned layer may be formed by a Co film or a CoFe film. An antiferromagnetic film is arranged adjacent to a ferromagnetic film serving as the pinned layer, and this ferromagnetic film is magnetized in one direction (being pinned) due to the exchange coupling between the antiferromagnetic film and the ferromagnetic film.
The undercoat film may be made of a suitable material which satisfies a higher magnetoresistive change rate (hereinafter referred to MR change rate), a small diffusion into a ferromagnetic film, and a higher resistance against etching.
When an external magnetic field is applied to the spin valve film, the magnetic orientation of the free layer is rotated in accordance with a magnitude of the external magnetic field. A resistance of the spin valve film is determined by an angle of a direction of magnetic orientation of the free layer with respect to a magnetic orientation of the pinned layer. A resistance of the spin valve film becomes maximum when a magnetic orientation of the free layer becomes opposite to that of the pinned layer and becomes minimum when the free layer and pinned layer have a same magnetic orientation. The external magnetic field can be sensed from a change in resistance.
The above mentioned spin valve film is manufactured by sputtering. Upon manufacturing the spin valve film, a substrate is introduced into a sputtering vacuum chamber, and successive films of the spin valve film are continuously formed by changing targets within the sputtering vacuum chamber, while sputtering is not interrupted for a meaningful or significant time period. When targets are changed, the film formation is temporarily interrupted, but its duration is too short to change a property of sputtered films.
In this known continuous film making method, a spin valve film having a high anisotropic magnetic field Hk as well as a high quality can be manufactured. The anisotropic magnetic field produced in the free layer is influenced by a magnetic field generated in the pinned layer. In the present specification, the anisotropic magnetic field Hk of the spin valve film means the anisotropic field which is magnetically influenced by the pinned layer.
The above mentioned spin valve film may be applied to magnetic sensor and nondestructive magnetic memory, and a most important application is a reading element of a thin film magnetic head. In order to increase an output read out signal from a thin film magnetic head having a spin valve film acting as a reading element, various means have been proposed and practiced.
However, output read out signals from spin valve films are limited as long as the spin valve films are manufactured by the continuous film forming process.


The invention is directed to a turbine having a turbine housing or casing. The turbine housing includes a carrier ring and a ring contour component which is fastened to the carrier ring. The ring contour component has a circumferential flange with which it bears against an annular end face of the carrier ring. At least one hold down is provided which enables the flange of the ring contour component to be releasably fixed against the end face of the carrier ring. The turbine is configured to be part of a micro gas turbine in a combined heat and power cogeneration system.

Combined heat and power cogeneration systems are increasingly being used for the decentralized supply, for example, of companies with electric, thermal and/or mechanical energy, which combined heat and power cogeneration systems are operated by way of an internal combustion engine, in particular in the form of a micro gas turbine. Micro gas turbines of this type are gas turbines of the lower performance class, that is, up to approximately 500 kW nominal output. In addition to the micro gas turbine itself, combined heat and power cogeneration systems of this type also comprise, in a known configuration, a power converter which can be driven by the micro gas turbine, in particular in the form of an electric generator, and a waste heat apparatus for the utilization of the waste heat which is contained in the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine.
A micro gas turbine is typically based on a single shaft system, the compressor, the turbine and the generator being attached on a central shaft. A high degree of fuel utilization is absolutely necessary for satisfactory economic efficiency. As a measure to increase the degree of fuel utilization, the micro gas turbines are provided with a recuperator. The recuperator is a heat exchanger which is as a rule integrated into the system, by the thermal energy of the exhaust gas being transferred to the compressed combustion air. The combustion air which is compressed in the compressor and is preheated as a result is therefore heated further in the recuperator. In the combustion chamber, fuel is added to the compressed and preheated air and is burned, as a result of which the temperature increases further. By way of the expansion of the exhaust gas which is produced in the turbine, the energy is converted into mechanical energy, by way of which the compressor and the generator are driven.
The requirements of a system of this type are not restricted, however, merely to a high degree of fuel utilization. For practical operation, the maintenance complexity has to be kept low, which requires a satisfactory accessibility of the individual components. For example, the turbine has to be capable of being dismantled easily. An easy dismantling capability of this type conflicts, however, with the parallel requirement for high operational reliability under thermal loading. The turbine is namely subject to high and, moreover, fluctuating operating temperatures, which makes a releasable configuration of individual component connections difficult. The conflicting requirement profile relates, in particular, to the casing of a turbine, which casing is exposed directly to the hot exhaust gas stream and therefore to the corresponding thermal loadings.
A turbine casing typically comprises a carrier ring and a ring contour component which is fastened to the carrier ring, the ring contour component enclosing the turbine wheel of the turbine in a flow-guiding manner, by its shape following the contour of the turbine wheel. The fastening of the ring contour component to the carrier ring can take place, for example, by way of a bayonet connection which, following axial plugging on and a rotational movement, is first of all locked in a positively locking manner. In addition, however, an additional positional securing means is required, to which end a spot welded securing ring can be used. Although a connection of this type may withstand the thermal loads, it is complicated to manufacture and, moreover, is not releasable in practice. For maintenance-induced dismantling, the spot welds have to be opened in a complicated manner. It has been shown, moreover, that the bayonet connection tends to fuse to the components at the high operating temperatures, which makes dismantling in accordance with maintenance even more difficult.

Turbine casing and turbine having such a turbine casing


Systems and methods identify and/or detect one or more features of a well casing by utilizing one or more downhole measurements obtainable by a downhole component. The one or more features of the well casing are identifiable and/or detectable from the one or more measurements associated with one or more properties of the one or more features of the well casing. The one or more measurements for indentifying and/or detecting a presence and/or a location of the one or more features of the well casing include sonic measurements, nuclear measurements, gamma ray measurements, photoelectric measurements, resistivity measurements and/or combinations thereof.

Traditionally, a downhole detector is utilized for detecting one or more features of a well casing in a well by utilizing one or more electromagnetic-fields generated by the downhole detector.
Certain downhole oilfield applications, such as, for example, perforating applications, require the ability to be able to position a downhole tool at a particular known position in the well. For example, a wireline tool assembly including one or more instruments is lowered downhole into the well via a wireline such that the wireline tool assembly is positioned at a particular position or depth in the well. A depth counter may be used at the Earth's surface to track a length of dispensed cable to approximate the depth of the wireline tool assembly in the well. However, the depth counter may not precisely indicate the depth of the wireline tool assembly in the well because stretching and/or flexing in the downhole wireline may occur due to the weight of the wireline tool assembly. As a result, other depth determination techniques are necessary to accurately determine the depth of the wireline tool assembly in the well.
Other depth determination techniques include use of a depth control log which is utilized to generate a casing collar locator log for identifying and/or detecting locations of features of the well casing, such as, for example, one or more casing collar joints of the well casing. The casing collar locator log is, typically, generated by ascending and descending a downhole detector in a well to determine locations and depths of one or casing collar joints of the well casing. Casing collar joints are locations in the well casing whereby casing segments are coupled together. Each casing collar joint includes a casing collar coupling two adjacent casing segments together.
The wireline tool assembly may include a casing collar locator. The casing collar locator of the wireline tool assembly is moved downhole and/or uphole via the wireline to collect measurements and/or information associated with well casing. As a result, the casing collar locator may detect and/or identify locations and/or depths of the casing collar joints of the well casing. The measurements and/or information detected by the casing collar locator may be used to generate the depth control log. When the casing collar locator indicates detection of a casing collar joint, a coarse depth that is provided by the depth counter at the Earth's surface is used to locate the corresponding casing collar joint on the depth control log. As a result, the depth of the wireline tool assembly may be determined because the depth control log precisely illustrates the depth of the detected casing collar joint. From this determination, an error compensation factor may be derived. Then, for example, when a perforating gun is positioned downhole, the error compensation factor is used to compensate the reading of the depth counter to precisely position the gun within the well.
Conventionally, the casing collar locator is a passive device that utilizes principles of electromagnetic inductance to detect the casing collar joints of the well casing. The casing collar locator, typically, includes an electrical coil winding through which an electromagnetic flux field is created by one or more permanent magnets passes. When a change occurs in the effective magnetic permeability of the surroundings, such as in the presence of a casing collar joint, a voltage is induced in the coil winding due to the corresponding change or disturbance in the electromagnetic flux field. Therefore, as the casing collar locator passes the casing collar joints, the change in permeability, which is caused by such things as, for example, the presence of the air gap between adjacent well casing segments and the casing collar, causes a change in the electromagnetic flux field to generate or induce a signal across the coil winding. This generated or induced signal may be communicated uphole and/or observed at a surface of the well. Thus, with this technique of detecting casing collar joints, the casing collar locator must be in continual uphole or downhole motion to produce the signal indicating detection of the casing collar joint.
The quality of the signal may be highly dependent on a degree to which the magnetic permeability changes, or is disturbed. For example, the higher the rate of change in the permeability experienced by the electromagnetic flux field, the higher the induced signal. The degree to which the electromagnetic field is disturbed depends on factors such as, for example, distance or gap (hereinafter "stand-off") between the casing collar locator and the well casing, electromagnetic properties, such as, for example, permeability of the surrounding well casing, and a degree of change in geometry or bulk-mass of the casing, such as, for example, an abrupt and/or drastic change causing a sufficient and/or rapid disturbance in the flux field.
If the electromagnetic field is not sufficiently and/or rapidly disturbed, the resulting signal may be too small to be detected at the surface of the well. The signal-to-noise ratio of the signal produced downhole typically places a limit on the degree to which the signal can be boosted, or amplified. As a result, it may be very difficult to detect casing collar joints made from a material having a low magnetic permeability. Likewise, joints having no casing collars are difficult to detect, particularly, if the joints are "flush" and/or without air gaps.
Another difficulty associated with the conventional casing collar locator is associated with a mass and/or a size of the conventional casing collar locator. For example, the conventional casing collar locator may be made up of many different components, such as, for example, two or more permanent magnets, one or more coils, and one or more coil cores, or bobbins. As a result, the combination of the components of the casing collar locator imparts a large mass to the conventional casing collar locator. The resulting large mass of the casing collar locator may cause a significant force to be exerted on the casing collar locator during perforating operations due to high acceleration and/or shock that may affect the resulting large mass. The force exerted on the casing collar locator may damage the casing collar locator if measures are not undertaken to properly pack and/or protect the casing collar locator in the well.
The combination of the components of the casing collar locator often results in the casing collar locator being bulky in size. For example, the casing collar locator may extend from six inches to eighteen inches, not including the pressure housing and connections. As a result, a tool string which may house the casing collar locator may, thus, be long and cumbersome. A length of the tool string is very important, particularly, when the tool string is conveyed on a wireline and/or when working with high well pressure. Having a tool string with a long length can present major operational and safety problems with pressure control equipment, such as, for example, a lubricator and/or a riser pipe. Therefore, it is important to conserve every inch in length of a tool string, particularly, in perforating applications.
Another depth determination technique includes measuring each casing segment at the Earth's surface before the casing segments are coupled together to form the well casing and lowered downhole into the well. By measuring each casing segment at the Earth's surface, a total number of casing segments necessary to insure that formations of interest have casing segments placed or positioned thereon may be determined A length of each casing segment, typically, lies within a variance of tens of inches of each other. Since each casing segment has a unique length, a unique pattern of casing segment lengths are distributed downhole throughout the well and recorded at the Earth's surface.
The casing collar of each casing segment refers to a top end and/or a bottom end of each casing segments which have threads thereon for coupling the casing segments together. Thus, the casing collars of the casing segments have a greater thickness at threads located at the top and bottom ends of each casing segment than the thickness of casing segments between the top and bottom ends of each casing segment. The greater thickness at the ends of each casing segment allows locations of the top end, the bottom end, and the length of each casing segment to be identified and/or detected by, for example, a downhole electromagnetic-field based detector lowered downhole into the well. By identifying the unique pattern of casing segment lengths with the downhole electromagnetic-field based detector, a depth and/or location of the detector, casing segments and/or casing collars within the well may be determined For example, the downhole electromagnetic-field based detector may be utilized for measuring and/or determining formation properties, relative positions of the casing collar joints, formation layers, and/or total depth.
However, the downhole electromagnetic-field based detector must be lowered into the well using the wireline. And as discussed above, the precise depth of the detector may not be identifiable because the wireline may stretch and/or flex due to the weight of the downhole detector. Thus, other depth determination techniques are necessary in order to accurately determine or identify locations and depths associated downhole detectors, downhole wireline tool assemblies and/or features of the well casing.

Identification of casing collars while drilling and post drilling using LWD and wireline measurements


Live rabies virus vaccines comprising a recombinant rabies virus genome which overexpresses the rabies virus G protein increase apoptotic activity in infected cells, and enhance the generation of anti-rabies immunity in a subject.

The rabies virus (RV) is a member of the family Rhabdoviridae. Like most members of this family, RV is a non-segmented, negative stranded RNA virus whose genome codes for five viral proteins: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L); a nucleoprotein (N); a phosphorylated protein (P); a matrix protein (M) located on the inner side of the viral protein envelope; and an external surface glycoprotein (G). Dietzschold B et al. (1991), Crit. Rev. Immunol. 10: 427-439.
Rabies is transmitted through broken skin by the bite or scratch of an animal infected with RV. Upon exposure, RV penetrates unmyelinated peripheral nerve endings, and travels to the nerve cell body by retrograde axonal transport. RV replicates exclusively in the neurons, and finally arrives in the CNS where it causes cellular dysfunction and death of the infected animal. Rupprecht C E et al. (1987), Lab. Invest. 57: 603. As RV spreads directly from cell to cell, it can substantially evade immune recognition. Clark H F et al. (1985), in Comparative Pathology of Viral Disease, Vol. 2, (Olson R G et al., eds.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla. pg. 65.
The major immune effector against rabies is the production of virus neutralizing antibodies (VNA) elicited by RV G protein. The capacity to trigger the production of VNA depends largely on the integrity of RV G protein "spikes" on the encapsulating viral envelope, which are comprised of trimers of RV G. Dietzschold B et al. (1982), J. Virol. 44: 595-602. However, nonhumoral factors such as RV antigen-specific CD4+ T-helper cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells (Cox J H et al. (1977), Infect. Immun. 16: 754-759) and innate defense mechanisms (Hooper D C et al. (1998), J. Virol. 72: 3711-3719) also play an important role in the anti-rabies immune response. As these cellular and innate immune defense mechanisms are triggered by the "internal" L, N and P proteins, optimal protective immunity against rabies is conferred by live RV vaccine.
Antiviral immunity may also be related to factors affecting the pathogenesis of RV. For example, the pathogenicity of a particular RV variant is inversely correlated with RV G expression levels, and increased G protein accumulation is positively correlated with the induction of apoptosis. Galelli A et al. (2000), J. Neuro Virol. 6: 359-372; Morimoto K et al. (1999), J. Virol. 73:510-517. Also, a stronger immune response is generated with non-pathogenic RV strains as compared to pathogenic RV strains. Wiktor T J (1977), P.NA.S. USA 74: 334-338.
Enhanced apoptosis is also known to contribute to the induction of antiviral immune responses to intracellular proteins. For example, the apoptotic death of cells after viral infection can trigger powerful innate and adaptive immune responses against the infecting virus. Restifo N P (2000), Curr. Opin. Immunol. 12: 597-603. Cell injury can also release endogenous adjuvants that stimulate cytotoxic T-cell responses. Shi Y et al. (2000), P.N.A.S. USA 97:14590-14595. Moreover, apoptotic cells can trigger the maturation and antigen-presenting function of dendritic cells, and apoptotic cells are believed to release factors that induce activation of MHC class I- and Il-restricted T cells by mature dendritic cells. Chattergoon M A et al. (2000), Nat. Biotech. 18: 974-979; Rovere P et al. (1998), J. Immunol. 161: 4467-4471. Apoptotic bodies also have the ability to deliver antigens to professional antigen-presenting cells. Sasaki S et al. (2001), Nat. Biotech. 19: 543-547.
The relationship between RV G protein expression, apoptosis and enhanced RV immunity is not clear. The quantity of RV G protein expressed on the cell surface appears to be important for triggering apoptotic pathways. Substantial sequence differences between the G proteins of highly pathogenic RV's, as compared to that of attenuated, pro-apoptotic RV's, suggests that G protein qualitative factors are also important in inducing apoptosis of infected cells.
Effective recombinant live RV vaccines have been produced by replacing the non-neurotropic G protein gene in antigenically conserved, laboratory RV strains with non-pathogenic neurotropic G genes from wild-type "street virus" strains. Such attenuated "street virus" RV vaccines retain the distinct neurotropisms of the wild-type strains, and also show higher replication efficiency and G protein expression levels than the wild-type RV. However, the "street virus" RV vaccines differ greatly in their ability to induce protective immunity. Morimoto J et al. (2000), J. Neuro Virol. 6: 373-381 and WO 01/70932.
Another live attenuated RV vaccine has been produced, in which the RV psi gene is replaced with a non-viral, pro-apoptotic gene such as cytochrome c. This vaccine causes increased apoptosis of infected primary cultured mouse neurons, and mice exposed to this vaccine show an approximately three-fold increase in VNA titers as compared to those vaccinated with control RV vaccine lacking a functional cytochrome c gene. However, these recombinant vaccines rely on expression of the non-viral pro-apoptotic gene, rather than an increase in the production of RV G protein, to enhance anti-viral immunity. See WO 01/70932, supra.
Thus, there is a need for a live, non-pathogenic RV vaccine which imparts enhanced rabies immunity to a subject without the requirement for species-specific neurotropism. Desirably, enhanced immunity should derive from increased apoptosis of infected cells due to an overexpression of RV G protein, and not from the expression of non-viral, pro-apoptotic genes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Recombinant rabies vaccine and methods of preparation and use


In a system for monitoring trash compactors, each monitoring unit associated with a trash compactor comprises a transducer for sensing hydraulic pressure, for generating an analog signal from the sensed pressure, and for converting the analog signal to a frequency signal, and a microprocessor. The microprocessor compares pressure signal values generated from the frequency signal over timed intervals to a specified value indicative of a compaction. The microprocessor also compares the maximum pressure signal value generated therefrom, under certain conditions, to a threshold value indicative of the trash compactor having a substantially empty compactor and to a threshold value indicative of the trash compactor having a substantially full container. Whenever a specified, plural number of substantially empty compactions have been determined and whenever a specified, plural number of substantially full compactions have been determined, status signals are transmitted by the system to a central computer, via a modem.

In shopping malls, office buildings, apartment buildings, and other properties having multiple occupants, it is common to provide a plurality of trash compactors of a type comprising a trash container, a hydraulic ram operative in compacting strokes for compacting trash within the container, and a hydraulic pump operative for advancing and retracting the ram in such manner that hydraulic pressure is capable of being sensed between the pump and the ram. Frequently, arrangements are made for a hauler to empty the containers of specific ones of the trash compactors on a periodic basis, or whenever the hauler is contacted by a manager. Commonly, the hauler charges similar hauling fees whether the containers are filled partially or completely. There is a need, therefore, for managers of such properties to receive current information concerning which of the trash compactors require and do not require emptying.
As exemplified in Clar U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,861, Clar U.S. Pat. No. 3,534,678, Woyden U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,863, and Brown U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,625, it is known to provide a trash compactor with pressure-sensing or other means for determining when the container of the trash compactor is full. The Woyden patent discloses an arrangement of such means wherein telephone lines are used to send an alarm signal to a central office when an abnormal condition is sensed. Various systems have been disclosed for monitoring a plurality of trash compactors of the type noted above from a central location.
An early example of such a system is disclosed in Budoff U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,664. In that system, each trash compactor has a detector including a pressure switch for detecting increased pressure in the hydraulic fluid driving a hydraulic ran in such trash compactor when the container of such trash compactor has become packed. Moreover, when the container of a trash compactor becomes packed, a station selector at a central location deactivates the trash container and activates a trash compactor having an empty container.
Another such system sold and used heretofore includes compactor controllers manufactured by Petro-Vend, Inc., for Waste Management, Inc. In that system, a compactor controller including a microprocessor at each trash compactor is arranged for limiting access to authorized users, for monitoring usage of such trash compactor by each authorized user and by all authorized users, for recording data concerning such usage, and for transmitting data concerning such usage to a computer at a central location, via a modem and telephone connections.
Various embodiments of such a system are disclosed in NeurAann et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,197. In each embodiment, a sensing unit associated with each trash compactor transmits data to a computer at a central location, via telephone lines. The computer determines fullness of each trash compactor from the transmitted data. In one embodiment, the transmitted data include data relating to instantaneous pressures and to actuation of a limit switch. In another embodiment, the transmitted data include sequences of instantaneous pressure data, from which the computer compiles a database for each trash compactor. The computer determines fullness from the database. In other embodiments, the transmitted data include data relating to ram work, changes in pump motor current, or increases in container weight.


A method, system, and computer program product for transmitting print-ready electronic documents to a printer using e-mail as a transport mechanism. Responsive to a user request, a source PC transmits a document in print-ready format, so that there is no need for the printer to run or activate the software application that was used to generate the document. Furthermore, by rendering the document at the source PC, the invention ensures that the user's selected print settings and preferences are preserved. The user need not be concerned with whether the destination printer has the appropriate software or is configured appropriately for the user's document. In alternative embodiments, the user grants permission to print a local document. Subsequently, when a recipient wishes to print the document, the most current version is retrieved from the source PC, so that the printed document reflects any changes that may have been made after the permission was granted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to printing documents, and more particularly to transmitting print-ready electronic documents to a printer using e-mail as a transport mechanism.
2. Description of the Background Art
Document transmission via e-mail is well known in the art, and has become increasingly common as Internet connectivity has become ubiquitous. The most prevalent use of such e-mail transmission is from one computer to another. However, many other types of devices, such as printers, document storage devices, and the like are now configured for Internet protocols and connectivity, so that e-mail transmission among these various types of devices has emerged as an efficient transport mechanism.
For example, a printer may be assigned an e-mail address, and may be configured to print documents that are received at its e-mail address. Such an arrangement provides an easy way to implement network connectivity and accessibility for a printer (or other resource). Users can send documents to the printer from any location that is capable of sending e-mail (subject to security considerations such as firewalls and the like). Typically, this operation is initiated by attaching a document to an e-mail message, specifying the e-mail address of the printer, and sending the e-mail. The document may be in a conventional format, such as a Microsoft Word .doc format (for a word processing document) or a Microsoft Excel .xls format (for a spreadsheet document), or the like.
In order for the printer to be able to properly process incoming documents, it may run an automated script that provides instructions for receiving and processing incoming e-mails. In addition, the printer generally must run some version of the software that was used to create the documents to be printed, or alternatively a specialized software version that is capable of reading and rendering the received documents. For example, if a printer receives a Microsoft Word document for printing, the printer generally cannot print out the document unless it runs some version of Microsoft Word (or another software program that is capable of reading Microsoft Word files and rendering them for printing).
It is often disadvantageous, or even unfeasible, for destination printers to run software applications such as Microsoft Word in order to implement printing via e-mail. One disadvantage is that such software applications typically include many configuration options that are specific to a particular installation. If the software at the printer is not configured the same way as the software at the user's computer, the output may not be what the user expects. In fact, in such a situation the user may not have adequate control over key elements of the printing operation, such as for example the size of paper, orientation of the printout (portrait or landscape), number of copies, whether or not to include hidden text, and the like. Such elements are usually selected by a user via a Print Setup dialog box; however, when a document is e-mailed to a printer for automated printing upon receipt, the user may lose control over such elements.
In addition, full versions of such software applications, which are often quite large and processor-intensive, may make undue demands on the processor time of printers. Running such applications at the printer is an inefficient use of system resources, as the printer is unable to make use of most of the functionality of the software application, but is forced to run the application merely to facilitate printing. Scaled-down versions of such software applications may be a viable option, but such versions are not always available.
Even when scaled-down versions are available, or when the printer is able to run the full versions without detrimental effect, additional disadvantages remain. Since a printer cannot print a document unless some version of the software that created the document is running at the printer, the choice of which printer to use for a particular print job may be limited. Users are required to know which printers are running which applications (and possible even which versions of applications) before they can be confident that a printer is capable of printing a particular document. User may become frustrated at such limitations on flexibility and choice of printing destinations.
Another disadvantage of conventional schemes for sending a document to a printer via e-mail is that the user is required to specify the e-mail address of the printer. If a user wishes to make a printed copy of a document available for a second user, at a printer that is located near the second user, there is generally no mechanism for sending the print job to the appropriate printer, unless the e-mail address of the particular printer is known. The user may instead simply send the document to the second user, and allow the second user to print the document as needed; however, such an approach carries several disadvantages. For example: the document may not print in the same format as was originally intended; the second user may inappropriately modify the document before printing it; the second user may feel burdened by the need to manually open and print the received document.
In addition, if a user sends a document to a second user, and subsequently revises or updates the document, the second user may not be aware that the version of the document he or she received is now out of date. Subsequently, the second user may print the received document and mistakenly assume that the printed version is the most up-to-date version available.
What is needed is a technique for printing a document received at a printer via e-mail, without requiring that the printer run or activate a version of the software that created the document. What is further needed is a technique for sending a print job to a printer via e-mail, while retaining settings and preferences for the document to be printed. What is further needed is a mechanism for transmitting a print-ready document to a printer via e-mail. What is further needed is a technique for a first user to transmit a print-ready document to a printer that is accessible by a second user, without having to specify the e-mail address of the printer. What is further needed is a technique for transmitting a document to a second user for printing, while ensuring that the printed version is the most recent, current version of the document, even if revisions have been made after the document was transmitted.
What is further needed is a technique for sending print jobs to a printer that avoids the limitations described above, minimizes overhead, and improves efficiency.

E-mail transmission of print-ready documents


A device comprises a processor arranged to automatically execute boot code upon start-up or reset. The boot code comprises a code authentication procedure to verify whether additional code is authenticated for execution on the processor. A separate security unit comprises a private unlock key and cryptography logic configured to use the private unlock key to sign a portion of data, thereby generating a signed unlock file for supply to a storage location. The processor is arranged to access the unlock file from the storage location, making it available without requiring connection to the security unit. The boot code further comprises an unlocking authentication procedure configured to check for the unlock file in the storage location, and if available to verify whether the unlock file is authenticated for use on the processor based on its signature, so as to de-restrict the boot authentication procedure on condition of verifying the unlock file.

Public key cryptography involves the generation of an asymmetric key pair, usually referred to as the public and private key. They are so called because the private key is kept secret by the party implementing the cryptography scheme in question, whilst the public key is distributed to one or more other parties (though it need not be "public" in the sense of being freely or indiscriminately available—distribution of the public key in many situations may still be carefully restricted).
As illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, a public and private key pair is typically generated based on a large random number being input to a key generation function 102. The public key K′ and private key K are thus mathematically related to one another by the generation function and the random number, but due to the nature of this function then it is not practically feasible to derive or deduce the private key K from the public key K′. One example of a key generation function is an RSA (Rivest, Shamir and Adleman) algorithm. Details of this and other suitable algorithms for use in a key generation function 102 will be familiar to a person skilled in the art.
Public key cryptography comes in two kinds. The first is public key encryption, whereby a sender encrypts a message using the public key and the recipient decrypts the message using the private key, thus keeping the information content of the message secret from anyone other than the holder of the private key. The second kind is authentication, whereby a supplier of certain information "signs" that information using a private key. Any holder of the public key can then verify that the information did indeed originate from the holder of the private key, and is therefore authentic. The characteristic feature of asymmetric or public key techniques is that the key used to encrypt or sign the information is not the same as the key used to decrypt or authenticate it. The following relates to the latter kind of public key cryptography, for authentication.
As illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, such techniques can be used by a secure boot procedure in order to verify the authenticity of other software to be run on a processor. FIG. 2 shows a processor 204 in the form of an integrated circuit (IC), or "chip". The processor chip 204 comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 206 and a first non-volatile on-chip memory 208, and optionally a second non-volatile on-chip memory 210. Furthermore, the CPU 206 is operably coupled to a non-volatile off-chip memory 212.
The first on-chip memory 208 is the primary boot memory, storing the primary boot code. The CPU 206 is hard-wired so as, upon start-up or reset of the processor, to automatically begin executing the primary boot code from the primary boot memory 208. When executed, the primary boot code performs the basic initialisation of the processor required to get it up and running. The primary boot memory 208 preferably takes the form of a secure Read Only Memory (ROM) which is arranged to be unalterable by customers or users, e.g. a one-time programmable memory in which the data elements are permanently fused once programmed such that the memory cannot be re-written.
The off-chip memory 212 may be used to store secondary boot code. The primary boot code includes a procedure whereby, once it has suitably configured the processor, it automatically instigates execution of the secondary boot code to provide further "soft" boot functionality. The secondary boot code allows some of the boot functionality of the processor 204 to be programmed "in the field" by the customer (e.g. a maker of a user terminal such as a wireless mobile cellular device in which the chip is to be incorporated), whereas the primary boot code comes pre-programmed from the manufacturer of the chip itself, and should not be alterable by the customer or user. The off-chip memory 212 could also be used to store applications for running on the processor, and/or data files. The off-chip memory 212 could for example be an erasable programmable memory (EPROM) such as an external flash memory.
Alternatively or additionally, the secondary on-chip memory 210 could be used to store secondary boot code, other applications, and/or data files. The secondary on-chip memory 210 could for example be an EEPROM such as an on-chip flash memory. Further, applications and data could be retrieved from a magnetic storage medium or even from a network such as the Internet.
A production processor is an instance of the processor supplied to a customer for use in a product such as a user terminal. Production processors are often configured to only authenticate software signed using production keys, locking the device to only run code that has been formally signed using these secure production keys. Particularly, the boot code is configured to verify that other code has been authentically signed before allowing it to be executed. For example, the secondary boot code may be configured to verify that applications have been authentically signed before allowing them to be loaded and executed.
As shown in FIG. 2, the signing process comprises inputting both a private key and the application code into a cryptography function 202, which outputs the code with a cryptographic signature based on the private key. The cryptography function 202 is a one-way function such as a hash function, details of which will be familiar to a person skilled in the art. It is this signed version of the application that is installed on the off-chip memory 212 (or secondary on-ship memory 210). The boot code comprises or has knowledge of the corresponding public key, and is configured to use the public key to verify the authenticity of this signature before allowing the application to be loaded and run on the processor (and to only to do so on condition of the verification). Thus the processor can verify that it is executing software that has been authorised for use on that processor, i.e. originating from a party that holds the private key and is thereby authorised to supply applications for the processor in question (typically the designer or manufacturer of the chip, or an authorised partner of theirs). A similar process could also be used to authenticate data files.
Nonetheless, it may be desirable to be able unlock individual production processors so they can run trial software. This should be done in such a way as to avoid compromising devices that have not been explicitly unlocked.
Conventionally this is often done using a secret back door. However, this approach is flawed since obscurity is not an adequate security measure—the "obscure" secret back door mechanism may become publicly known and if it does then the security of every instance of the processor is compromised.
Otherwise the unlocking feature may not be provided at all, making it impossible to provide trial software to specific devices. In this case, the only way to allow trial software would be to divulge the private production key, which would be expensive due to the security procedures involved, and would also risk comprising the production key and thereby compromising the security of every instance of the processor.
Approaches have been suggested involving secure databases of chip IDs stored when devices are manufactured. However, these databases would be inherently difficult to maintain securely, given the manufacturing environment.
It would be desirable to provide a processor that can be unlocked to run unsigned trial software, but without significantly compromising the security of every instance of the processor.


A vehicle system includes a vehicle communication module in the vehicle, a remote start system in the vehicle, and a vehicle processor. The vehicle processor is configured to determine if the vehicle is in a garage, and further configured to receive an indication of a remote start request from the remote start system, receive a garage door status from a garage door opener using the vehicle communication module, and determine, based on the received garage door status, if a garage door is closed. In response to determining that the garage door is closed, the vehicle systems transmits a remote command to the garage door opener formatted to cause the garage door opener to open the garage door.

The present invention relates to a method that allows 1-way, or preferably 2-way, communication (unidirectional or bidirectional communication) between a first communication module within a vehicle and a second communication module within, for example, a Garage Door Opener (GDO) and/or a home. The present invention also relates to a vehicle and a home-system for allowing such communication and to a GDO that comprises means for 1-way, or preferably 2-way, communication between a vehicle and the GDO, and/or the GDO and a home.


A transmission for self-propelled walking lawn mowers, comprising: a casing 17; an input shaft 5 vertically inserted into the casing 17; an output shaft 10 extending horizontally through the casing 17; a small gear 20 fixed on the input shaft 5; a large gear 21 meshing with the small gear; a supporting shaft fixedly spporting the large gear; and first and second intermediate gears 24 and 25 mounted on the supporting shaft and the output shaft 10, respectively, wherein the input shaft 5 is arranged on the side of the. large gear facing opposite to the supporting shaft and is supported by the top and bottom walls of the casing. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the size of the casing for self-propelled walking lawn mowers, thereby making a lawn mower compact.

One example of this kind of conventional transmission is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 98953/1989. In this transmission, drive power is transmitted from an engine (not shown) to an input shaft 102 via a belt pulley 101 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The input shaft 102 is supported by two superimposed bearings 104 and 105 in the upper portion of the casing 103. A small gear 106 attached at the lower end of the input shaft 102 meshes with a large gear 107. The ends of a supporting shaft 108 supporting the large gear 107 are fitted in and supported by a pair of recesses 103a, 103a that are formed in the casing 103. Drive power is transmitted from the supporting shaft 108 to an output shaft 111 via a speed change gear mechanism 109 and a clutch 110 after the rotational speed having been changed.
However, the above prior art transmission is too bulky with the two bearings being superimposed to stably support the input shaft. Therefore, the belt pulley, which is attached at the end of the input shaft to transmit drive power from the engine, is located distant from the ground. Thus, the prior art transmission could not address the need for a compact walking lawn mower.
In order to solve the above problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transmission wherein the distance between the belt pulley and the ground is reduced by reducing the height dimension of the transmission, thereby making a lawn mower compact.

Transmission for self-propelled walking lawn mowers


To provide a reactor whose number of components is small and that exhibits excellent assemblability. A reactor 1 includes a coil 2 having a pair of coil elements 2a and 2b, and a core unit 3 having a pair of intermediate core portions 30 around which the coil elements 2a and 2b are respectively disposed. The core unit 3 is formed to be annular by a combination of intermediate core pieces 31 that structure intermediate core portions 30, a pair of end core pieces 32 that clamps a pair of intermediate core portions 30 disposed in parallel to each other, and gap members 3g each disposed between each ones of the core pieces. The end core pieces 32 respectively include clamping faces 321 for clamping the intermediate core portions 30, each structured with a single plane. An installed face 320l of each of the end core pieces 32 projects further than the installed face 31l of the intermediate core pieces 31. One gap member 3g is interposed between the end core piece 32 and the intermediate core portion 30, and relative permeability of the gap member 3g is greater than 1. This structure simplifies the shape of the core pieces, and allows the number of components to be small despite the core unit 3 partially projects.

One of the components of a circuit that steps up or steps down voltage is a reactor. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a reactor that is used as a circuit component of a converter installed in a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle. As shown in FIG. 10(A), a reactor 100 includes a coil 102 that has a pair of coil elements 102a and 102b being paralleled such that their respective axes are in parallel to each other, and an annular core unit 103 that has a pair of intermediate core portions 1030 around which the coil elements 102a and 102b are disposed. Note that, in FIG. 10(A), one coil element 102a is shown as being partially cut-out, such that the core pieces can clearly be seen.
The core unit 103 is structured with: a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped shaped intermediate core pieces 1031 that structure corresponding intermediate core portions 1030; a pair of U-shaped core pieces 103u disposed so as to clamp the opposite end faces of the intermediate core portions 1030 disposed in parallel to each other; and a plurality of gap members 103g each interposed between each ones of the core pieces for adjusting the inductance of the reactor 100. The U-shaped core pieces 103u are not provided with the coil 102 except for a pair of leg portions thereof connected to the intermediate core portions 1030, and are in an exposed state.


An ink jetting assembly includes a body, and an ink jet chip attached to the body. The ink jet chip has a mounting surface, a face surface, an ink channel extending to the face surface, and at least one actuator associated with the ink channel. The actuator includes a plurality of electrical contact pads formed on the face surface. A plurality of passageways extends through the ink jet chip from the mounting surface to the face surface. The ink jetting assembly also includes a plurality of electrodes. Each of the plurality of electrodes passes through a respective passageway of the plurality of passageways and is electrically connected to a respective contact pad of the plurality of electrical contact pads at the face surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ink jet printing, and, more particularly, to an ink jetting assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
A traditional ink writing instrument, such as a ball-point ink pen, includes a tubular structure containing a supply of ink in fluid communication with a roller-ball writing tip. More recently, a writing instrument has been developed that includes a liquid ink reservoir for containing liquid ink, and a spray head for spraying the liquid ink. In operation, a detector mechanism sends a signal to a processor unit to activate spraying of the liquid ink.
Traditional ink jet cartridge design and manufacturing processes do not adequately facilitate features that are consistent with a small and compact design, so as to accommodate, for example, a writing instrument application. For example, typical ink jet cartridge designs require internal and external walls around the heater chip in order to hold the thermally cured adhesive that is used for sealing the heater chip to the cartridge body, and require an external folded flexible circuit for electrical interconnection between the heater chip and the driving electronics. Accordingly, current ink jet cartridge design and manufacturing technology would yield a printhead size that is larger than would be expected by and/or acceptable to a typical user for use in a writing instrument.


A double-faced clock having a device for adjusting time difference between two clock part. The double-faced clock comprising a first clock part containing a first gear group for operating hands of clock, a second clock part attached to a rear side of the first clock part which contains a second gear group similar to the first gear group, a driving shaft rotatably supported in the first and second clock parts and driven by a driving source which is mounted with a first driving gear engaging with any gear of the first gear group at its first end and which is mounted with a second driving gear engaging with any gear of the second gear group at its second end, and means for adjusting selectively time of one or both of the first and second clock parts.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a double-faced clock capable of indicating domestic and foreign times different from each other at its both sides, and more particularly to a double-faced clock having two clock parts which has a device adapted to adjust one of the two times while maintaining the other time and which is more slimmed in thickness.
2. Description of The Prior Art
A general clock can indicate a time at its only one side so that it can not show a time to many people simultaneously. In order to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantage, there is well known a clock which indicates a time at its both sides.
The known clock comprises two clock parts which show a time in the opposite directions and which are attached to each other with a central division plate interposed therebetween. One of the two clock parts contains the same gear group as that of the other clock part to rotate the hands of the clock parts. One of the gear groups of clock parts is engaged with and driven by a driving gear. A shaft of the driving gear is extended rearward beyond the central division plate and a driving gear mounted on the other end of the shaft is engaged with and drives the other gear group.
The known clock is driven by rotation of the driving shaft so that the two clock parts show an identical time with each other at the opposite sides. Accordingly, the known clock can not indicate times of two countries different from each other but indicate only one time at its both sides.
Recently, as cultural and economic exchanges and a trip abroad are progressively activated, it is necessary to observe times of two or more countries simultaneously. For that purpose, it is general that user must purchase two or more clocks separately and then observe the clocks alternatively.
In addition, there has been proposed an all nations' clock which has a rotating time displaying disk on which names of a plurality of countries or capitals are printed at its circumference. However, it is difficult to read a time of certain country in the all nations' clock. That is, since a plurality of country's names are arranged on the time displaying disk, it is considerably confused that which of the country's names must be standardized to read a time of given country. Furthermore, since hour, minute and second hands of the clock are entangled with the plurality of country's names and hour marks (i.e., 1, 2, 3, - - - ), it is required great skill to read a given time.

Double-faced clock having a device for adjusting a time difference


There is provided an apparatus having a discriminating circuit to discriminate a magnitude of an occupied area of a single object in a picture plane with respect to a video signal formed by an image pickup element from an object light when a white balance of the video signal is adjusted, wherein by controlling the white balance adjusting operation in accordance with an output of the discriminating circuit, the white balance can be preferably controlled even when the occupied area of the single object is large. Upon macro photographing as well, by making the white balance adjusting operation different from the operation in the ordinary photographing mode, the white balance can be preferably controlled.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image pickup device and, more particularly, to an image pickup device for controlling a white balance by using an image signal obtained by an image pickup element.
2. Related Background Art
An image pickup device such as video camera, electronic still camera, or the like has white balance adjusting means for adjusting so that a reproduced white color becomes the correct white color. In recent years, a TTL (through the taking lens) adjusting method whereby the white balance is automatically adjusted by an output signal of the image pickup element is frequently used.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional image pickup device having the white balance adjusting means of the integrating type (averaging type) TTL method. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a lens; 2 an image pickup element such as a CCD or the like to perform a photoelectric conversion; 3 a luminance signal processing unit to derive a luminance signal Y from an output of the image pickup element 2; 4 a chroma signal processing unit to derive a low frequency component Y.sub.L of the luminance signal, a red signal R, and a blue signal B from the output of the image pickup element 2; 5 and 6 an R gain control unit and a B gain control unit for changing signal levels of the output signals R and B of the chroma signal processing unit 4; 7 and 8 matrix amplifiers to derive color difference signals R-Y and B-Y from the output Y.sub.L of the chroma signal processing unit 4 and outputs R' and B' of the R and B gain control units 5 and 6; and 9 a modulation processing unit for modulating the output Y of the luminance signal processing unit 3 and the outputs R-Y and B-Y of the matrix amplifiers 7 and 8 into specified signals and for enabling those signals to be recorded onto a recording medium or the like (not shown) or an image to be displayed by a monitor. Reference numerals 10 and 11 denote averaging units to average the output signals R-Y and B-Y of the matrix amplifiers 7 and 8 by a few picture planes by integrating them or the like. Reference numeral 32 denotes a control voltage deriving unit for deriving a control voltage suitable for the white balance from outputs of the averaging units 10 and 11 and for controlling the R and B gain control units 5 and 6.
The operation of the above conventional device will now be described hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 1.
An object image formed on the image pickup element 2 is first converted into an electric signal. An output signal of the image pickup element 2 is sent to the luminance signal processing unit 3 and chroma signal processing unit 4. The luminance signal Y is derived from the luminance signal processing unit 3. The low frequency component Y.sub.L of the luminance signal and the red and blue signals R and B are derived from the chroma signal processing unit 4. The signal Y.sub.L is a signal in which the red (R), blue (B), and green (G) components are mixed at a ratio of 0.30 (R): 0.59 (G): 0.11(B). That is, Y.sub.L =0.30R+0.59G+0.11B. The signals R and B among the outputs derived from the chroma signal processing unit 4 are sent to the R and B gain control units 5 and 6, by which their signal levels are changed to adjust the white balance, so that the signals R' and B' are generated. The output Y.sub.L of the chroma signal processing unit 4 and the outputs R' and B' of the R and B gain control units 5 and 6 are sent to the matrix amplifiers 7 and 8, from which the color difference signals R-Y and B-Y are obtained. Wherein, EQU R-Y=0.70R-0.59G-0.11B EQU B-Y=0.89B-0.59G-0.30R
The signals Y, R-Y, and B-Y are sent to the modulation processing unit 9 and are modulated into specified signal formats such as to enable the signals to be recorded onto the recording medium or the like or to enable an image to be displayed onto the monitor and are generated.
The output signals R-Y and B-Y of the matrix amplifiers 7 and 8 are also sent to the averaging units 10 and 11, by which average values of the image signals of one or more picture planes are obtained. The control voltage deriving unit 32 derives control voltages to the R and B gain control units 5 and 6 such that the average signal levels are set to the 0 level (that is, R=B=G), thereby adjusting the white balance.
In the above conventional device, however, in the case of the image pickup of a scene such that a high chroma object occupies almost of the picture plane, there is a problem such that it is difficult to suitably adjust the white balance.
Even in the case of the peak method whereby the color difference signals in the portion where the luminance signal level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value are sampled and the sampled values are used to adjust the white balance without using the average values of the color difference signals as in the conventional device, the signals whose levels are equal to or higher than the predetermined level are not always an achromatic color, so that the white balance cannot be preferably adjusted. Further, a method in which both of the above methods are used in combination is also proposed. Such a method, however, has a problem such that the number of component elements is large and a construction is complicated and a remarkable improvement effect is not obtained.
There is also a problem such that when an ordinary object is photographed, an adequate accuracy is not obtained with respect to the white balance in the case of the peak method.

Image pickup device having white balance control function


An input device includes an input receiving member, a base, a pressure sensor, an actuator, and a flexible member. A pressing input operation is performed on the input receiving member. The input receiving member is attached to the base. The pressure sensor is disposed on the base to be in contact with the input receiving member and configured to detect a pressure exerted on the input receiving member during the pressing input operation. The actuator is disposed at least on the input receiving member and configured to vibrate the input receiving member in a direction perpendicular to a pressing direction in which the pressing input operation is performed. The flexible member is attached to the input pressing member and the base. The flexible member is elastically deformable in the pressing direction and a vibrating direction in which the actuator causes a vibration.

An example of an input device that includes a touchscreen described in Patent Document 1 has been known. The input device described in Patent Document 1 includes a touchscreen, an actuator, and U-shaped springs. The touchscreen is for inputting instructions by touching or pressing an operation surface. The actuator is configured to control the touchscreen to move in at least one direction relative to a reference. The springs are for mechanical connection between the reference and the touch screen.


A heart rate meter and a method thereof are provided. The method is adopted by a sensing circuit of a heart rate meter, wherein the sensing circuit includes a pulse sensor and a proximity sensor. The method includes: determining whether the sensing circuit is close to a neighboring object according to a proximity output signal of the proximity sensor; determining whether the sensing circuit is hung in the air according to a direct current (DC) output signal of the pulse sensor; and when the sensing circuit is close to the neighboring object and is not hung in the air, determining that the measuring circuit can measure an electrocardiographic signal of the neighboring object.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical equipment, and in particular to a heart rate meter and a method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
As an increasing number of people suffer any form of cardiovascular diseases, the market for heart rate meters increases accordingly.
Typically, conventional heart rate meters employ green light lasers and optical sensors to measure pulses on a patient's wrist. This type of pulse sensor integrates a green light laser and an optical sensor into a single package, consequently it cannot identify whether the pulse sensor has already been positioned on the wrist so that it can start sensing the pulses correctly.
Therefore, a heart rate meter and a sensing method are required to accurately identify when a pulse sensor has been placed on a wrist, effectively eliminating noises in calculating pulses and a heart rate and reducing power consumption in the system.


This invention is directed to L5 shuttle phasmids capable of delivering foreign DNA into mycobacteria and to methods of producing L5 shuttle phasmids. In addition, this invention is directed to a method of generating mycobacterial mutations and to a method of producing mycobacterial vaccines.

Tuberculosis (which includes infection caused by M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, BCG and M. africanum) remains the largest cause of human death in the world from a single infectious disease, and is responsible for one in four voidable adult deaths in developing countries. In addition, in 1990, there was a 10% increase in the incidence of tuberculosis in the United States.
In the past, infection with drug-sensitive strains of the M. tuberculosis complex had been cured with certain antibiotics, including isoniazid, rifampicin, ethionamide and pyrazinamide. However, resistance to isoniazid and other antibiotic drugs has developed in many strains of M. tuberculosis. This has resulted in the search for an effective vaccine against M. tuberculosis. Further, this has enhanced the need to develop new drugs which are effective against drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. It is therefore desirable to develop molecular and genetic tools which can be utilized to understand the pathways involved in invasion, survival and persistance of M. tuberculosis and in the development of vaccines and new drugs.
The creation of mutants in M. tuberculosis and BCG is of essential importance in the analysis of M. tuberculosis and BCG gene function. Auxotrophic mutants have been isolated in M. smegmatis by both shuttle mutagenesis and N-methylN'-nitroso-N-nitrosoguanidine treatment followed by isoniazid enrichment. These methods, however, are less effective in the M. tuberculosis complex (M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. miroti and M. africanum) due to current difficulties in performing homologous recombination, which is required by the shuttle mutagenesis procedure. Also, the tendency of mycobacteria to clump limits the use of traditional mutagens and makes positive selection advantageous.
Because the creation of mutants in M. tuberculosis and BCG is of essential importance in the analysis of gene function, it is desirable to develop effective means and methods for delivering foreign DNA into M. tuberculosis and BCG. The insertion of foreign DNA into M. tuberculosis and BCG mycobacteria would provide the necessary tools for understanding the mechanisms by which these mycobacteria survive and replicate. In addition, it would provide valuable tools for the development of vaccines and new drugs effective in the treatment of infection caused by M. tuberculosis and BCG.
It is therefore and object of this invention to provide shuttle phasmids capable of delivering foreign DNA into mycobacteria.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method of producing shuttle phasmids capable of delivering foreign DNA into mycobacteria.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of generating mycobacterial mutations.
It is another object of this invention to provide mycobacterial mutants.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method of producing a mycobacterial vaccine.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University


This application describes a back-lit transmissive display including a transmissive display (620) and a variable index light extraction layer (640) optically coupled to a lightguide (630). The variable index light extraction layer has first regions (140) of nanovoided polymeric material and second regions (130) of the nanovoided polymeric material and an additional material. The first and second regions are disposed such that for light being transported at a supercritical angle in the lightguide, the variable index light extraction layer selectively extracts the light in a predetermined way based on the geometric arrangement of the first and second regions. The transmissive display may be a transmissive display panel or a polymeric film such as a graphic.

Illumination systems or devices, such as those used to illuminate objects or provide illumination in an electronic display system, utilize one or more optical layers for managing light emitted by one or more light sources. Often, the optical layers are required to have a desired optical transmittance, optical haze, optical clarity, or index of refraction. In many applications, the optical layers include a lightguide used in combination with an air layer and a light extraction layer such that light emitted by the light source(s) is transported within the lightguide, and the air layer and the extraction layer manage the light by supporting total internal reflection (TIR) and extraction of the light from the lightguide. A continuing need exists for optical films which are capable of managing light and are suitable for use in thin, flexible systems as well as in bulky systems.

Back-lit transmissive display having variable index light extraction layer


A honeycomb structure is formed integral with a raster output scanning system housing. A constrained layer damper is bonded to the honeycomb structure and the raster output scanning system is mounted on the constrained layer damper. The honeycomb structure and constrained layer damper provide support and reduce vibrations to the raster output scanning system. The cells of the honeycomb structure can be irregular in height, thickness, density or shape to further support and damp vibrations.

The present invention relates to the support platform for a raster output scanning (ROS) system and, more particularly, to a cast honeycomb structure with integral damping to support and reduce vibrations to the ROS system.
Printing systems utilizing a ROS to form images on a photoreceptor surface are well known in the art. Conventionally, the ROS includes a laser for generating a coherent beam of radiation; a modulator for modulating the laser beam in accordance with an input signal; and a multi-faceted polygon mirror for scanning the modulated laser beam line by line across the surface of a photosensitive medium to form a latent image. Also included in the ROS are various optical components to collimate, expand, focus, and align the modulated scanning beam. These optical components are fixedly mounted within a housing frame, which is positioned within a printer machine frame, so that the modulated and shaped scanning beam emerging from a window in the housing is directed along a scan line on the surface of the photosensitive medium. The scan lines will be formed in parallel in a raster pattern across the surface of the photosensitive medium.
As shown in the prior art printing system of FIG. 1, the raster output scanner 10 is positioned in the ROS housing 12 to emit a scanning beam to the exterior photosensitive medium (a photoreceptor) 14.
The raster output scanning system 10 utilizes a laser diode light source 16 to emit a modulated coherent light beam 18. The light beam 18 is collimated by a multi-element optical collimator 20. Mirrors 22 and 24 fold and redirect the light beam 18 within the housing 12. A cross-scan cylindrical lens 26 focuses the light beam 18 in the sagittal or cross scan plane onto a facet 28 of the multi-faceted polygon mirror 30 while maintaining the collimation of the scan portion of the beam. The light beam 18 thus forms a line on the facet 28. Mirror 32 folds and redirects the light beam 18 from the cylindrical lens 26 to the facet 28.
The light beam 18 is reflected from the facet 28. A motor 34 rotates the facet 28 so that the light beam will scan across the photoreceptor 14.
The light beam 18, after reflection from the facet 28, is still collimated in the scan plane and is now diverging in the cross-scan plane. The beam 18 then passes through an f-theta scan lens 36 consisting of a negative plano-spherical lens 38, a positive plano-spherical lens 40 and a cross-scan cylindrical lens 42. This f-theta scan lens configuration converges the beam 18 in the scan axis.
After passing through the f-theta scan lens 36, the light beam 18 is then reflected off a cylindrical wobble correction mirror 44. The mirror 44 is positive and cylindrical in the cross-scan plane and flat in the scan plane. Thus, the wobble mirror converges the previously diverging cross-scan portion of the light beam 18 but allows the converging cross-scan portion of the light beam 18 focused by the f-theta lens 36 to pass through unaffected. The reflected beam 18 is focussed onto a scan line 46 on the photoreceptor 14.
The housing provides physical support for the optical components of the raster output scanning system and positions the scanning system relative to the photosensitive medium. The scanning beam must be properly aligned and focused on the photosensitive medium.
A raster output scanner is usually implemented with the rotating polygon mirror as part of a motor polygon assembly. The motor polygon assembly includes not only the polygon, but also a drive motor, bearings, shafts, mounts, and, possibly, a speed control circuit for the motor. In practice, the motor polygon assembly is usually the largest and heaviest component of the raster output scanner to be supported by the housing. The lens and stationary mirrors of the raster output scanner are smaller and lightweight in comparison.
The laser, polygon mirror and motor, and the lens and mirrors of the ROS are either attached directly to the housing or, more typically, mounted on brackets which are attached directly to the housing. The housing is usually metal or a high density rigid plastic or a reinforced polycarbonate material.
Vibration always poses a problem to the positioning and focusing of the scanning beam. External vibrations can come from any number of sources including the photosensitive medium itself if the medium is a rotating photoreceptor belt. The major source of internal vibration is the rotating polygon mirror and motor.
The high speed rotation of the polygon mirror can cause vibrations which misalign or misfocus the other optical components of the raster scanner, particularly the lightweight lens and mirrors. Contrarily, the rotating polygon mirror itself is sensitive to vibrations which can misfocus or misalign the scanning beam reflected from the revolving facets.
While positioning and focusing the raster output scanner relative to the photoreceptor is difficult in black only printing, with color printing using multiple raster output scanners, proper positioning and proper focusing of the raster output scanners relative to the photoreceptor or photoreceptors becomes even more difficult.
Vibration dampers are well known. External compression springs are used to support and isolate a ROS from vibration in U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,818, commonly assigned as the present application and herein incorporated by reference. Other types of vibration dampers include attaching the ROS optical component mounts inside the housing to elastomeric materials that absorb vibration energy.
The housing for a raster optical scanner must provide a very rigid base for the ROS for meeting the extreme scanning beam position stability requirements of high performance imagers. In addition, it would be advantageous for the housing to be able to damp certain vibration modes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rigid housing to support the optical components of the raster output scanning system and position the scanning system relative to the photosensitive medium and to provide a housing that damps internal and external vibration modes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a honeycomb structure housing with integral damping layers to support and reduce vibrations to the ROS system.
According to the present invention, a honeycomb structure is formed integral with a raster output scanning system housing. A constrained layer damper is bonded to the honeycomb structure and the raster output scanning system is mounted on the constrained layer damper. The honeycomb structure and constrained layer damper provide support and reduce vibrations to the raster output scanning system. The cells of the honeycomb structure can be irregular in height, thickness, density or shape to further support and damp vibrations.
Other objects and attainments together with a fuller understanding of the invention will become apparent and appreciated by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Cast honeycomb structure with integral damping for ROS platform


There are provided a ring oscillator having a plurality of delay circuits to be ring-connected. At least one of the plurality of delay circuits has a delay element formed in a layout region including the same layout shape as the layout shape of an SRAM cell, and a path circuit connected in parallel to the delay element. The delay element outputs an output signal to a delay circuit in the next stage within the plurality of delay circuits in response to one of rise transition and fall transition of a signal input to the input terminal of the delay element from a delay circuit in the previous stage within the plurality of delay circuits. The path circuit outputs an output signal to the delay circuit in the next stage in response to the transition other than the one transition.

It is known to adjust the electrical characteristics of an SRAM cell by changing the body potential of the well of a transistor etc., which is a component of the SRAM cell, or the potential of the word line in order to suppress the influence of manufacturing variations of the semiconductor device on which the SRAM cell is mounted. It is possible to measure the electrical characteristics of the transistor, such as the on-current and the threshold voltage, used when adjusting the electrical characteristics of the SRAM cell as analog signals by using an electric probe, etc. However, in such measurement, analog signals are measured, and therefore, the measurement is vulnerable to various kinds of measurement noises and it is not easy to perform measurement with high precision.
On the other hand, it is known to use a ring oscillator in order to evaluate the speed characteristic of various kinds of elements to be mounted on the semiconductor device. A ring oscillator is formed by ring-connecting a single or a plurality of non-inversion elements and an odd number of inversion elements.
Further, there is known a semiconductor device having a logic part forming a logic circuit and a memory part formed by a plurality of SRAM cells laid out in the form of an array. In such a semiconductor device, various kinds of logic elements of the transistors laid out in the logic part are laid out based on the same layout wiring rules. On the other hand, the SRAM cells laid out in the memory part are laid out, in many cases, based on layout wiring rules different from those of the transistors used in the logic part forming the logic circuit. Since an SRAM cell generally has a six-transistor configuration, layout wiring rules in which the layout intervals are narrowed as much as possible are adopted in order to prevent the layout wiring area from increasing.
It is known to use a ring oscillator formed by ring-connecting a plurality of SRAM cells in order to evaluate the speed of the SRAM cells to be laid out based on layout wiring rules different from those of the logic part. For example, a ring oscillator formed by ring-connecting a plurality of SRAM cells in which the gate and the drain of a pair of transmission transistors are connected to each other is used. By connecting the output terminal of an inverter element inside the SRAM cell and the drain of the transmission transistor of the SRAM cell, delay circuits configured to output an inverted signal are ring-connected.

Ring oscillator and semiconductor device


The method and system allowing for one mobile phone number (MSISDN) to be associated with a plurality of wireless devices is described.

As a whole, the teachings of the prior art demonstrate that it has largely been pre-occupied with other priorities within this niche. For instance, much art is devoted to varied apparatus for allowing one wireless phone to share two (or more) telephone numbers (or SIMs) or conversely for allowing one SIM card to be shared between two masters (as between a cellular radiotelephone and multi-mode satellite radiotelephone as detailed for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,564 to Bruner, et al. entitled: "Method of Sharing a SIM Card Between Two Masters").
And similarly, other art has likewise been devoted to switching between multiple SIM cards within a wireless phone as to maximize time-of-day discounts (consider for instance European Patent Application 1098543 by Fragola, F.), or as to lower roaming costs (consider U.S. patent application publication no. 2002/0154632 by Wang, Yung-Feng et al.) and so forth.
Other inventions, as UK Patent No. 2375261 to Hiltunen, M. entitled: "Transfer of SIM Data Between Mobile Computing Devices", are devoted to 'acquiring' the identification information contained within the SIM card of one mobile phone and transferring it to another, thereby creating a manner of 'virtual' SIM, thereby obviating for physically transferring SIM cards between wireless devices and the corresponding lag and down-time associated with such.
Still further art as U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,804 to Pecen, et al. entitled: "Method and Apparatus for Remote Multiple Access to Subscriber Identity Module", details a method and apparatus for remote multiple access to services of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card by multiple subscriber devices in a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) system. The crux of the subject matter delineated thereof deals with the scenario whereby multiple wireless devices use a single SIM. Whereas the invention of present seeking the protection of Letters Patent effectively enables multiple independent SIMs (e.g. with individual IMSIs) to appear as a single SIM for the purpose of providing telephony services via a macroscopic (GSM) carrier.
Some relevant GSM standards are: (1) GSM 03.40, Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+)—Technical realization of the Short Message Service (SMS); (2) GSM 09.02, Mobile Application Part (MAP) Specification; and (3) GSM 03.90, Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+)—Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)—Stage 2.

Method and system allowing for one mobile phone number (MSISDN) to be associated with a plurality of wireless devices (‘Multi-SIM’)


HTTP responses are accelerated to optimize performance and response time when presenting content in a client/server environment. An optimization technique allows a client to begin requesting additional resources and/or rendering content before the entire response is completed on the server. When a request is received at a proxy device, the proxy device transmits, to the client, links to external resources that will be needed to render the page. This allows the client to begin obtaining external resources before the remaining content is sent to the client, and even before the content has been fully composed by the server, thus improving response time and overall performance.

Conventionally, in client-server network systems, such as the Internet, HTTP clients such as web browsers render HTTP responses including HTML content, such as web pages received from web servers. In rendering a web page or other content, the client requests the HTML content from the web server, and then renders and displays the content for the user.
Often, the initial request and response only supplies a portion of the content, and the client must request additional resources, such as images, script files, and cascading style sheets. Often, the original response from the server specifies what additional resources are needed. If any of these resources are already stored in a local cache at the client (such as the browser cache), then the browser can simply retrieve the needed data from the cache without making an additional request to a server. If some or all of the resources are not available from a local cache, they are retrieved from servers across the network. The process of requesting and receiving these additional resources from servers can add significantly to the time required to render the response, since the browser must wait for the resources to arrive before rendering can take place.

Accelerating HTTP responses in a client/server environment


A fibrous glass binder comprises a polycarboxy polymer, a monomeric trihydric alcohol and catalyst comprising an alkali metal salt of a phosphorous-containing organic acid.

Fibrous glass insulation products generally comprise matted glass fibers bonded together by a cured thermoset polymeric material. Molten streams of glass are drawn into fibers of random lengths and blown into a forming chamber where they are randomly deposited as a mat onto a traveling conveyor. The fibers, while in transit in the forming chamber and while still hot from the drawing operation, are sprayed with an aqueous binder. A phenol-formaldehyde binder is currently used throughout the fibrous glass insulation industry. The residual heat from the glass fibers and the flow of air through the fibrous mat during the forming operation are generally sufficient to volatilize a majority of the water from the binder, thereby leaving the remaining components of the binder on the fibers as a viscous or semi-viscous high-solids liquid. The coated fibrous mat, which is formed in a compressed state due to the tremendous flow of air through the mat in the forming chamber, is then transferred out of the forming chamber to a transfer zone where the mat vertically expands due to the resiliency of the glass fibers. This vertical expansion is extremely important to the successful manufacture of commercially acceptable fibrous glass thermal or acoustical insulation products. Thereafter, the coated mat is transferred to a curing oven where heated air is blown through the mat to cure the binder and rigidly bond the glass fibers together.
Phenol-formaldehyde binders are widely used because they have a low viscosity in the uncured state, yet form a rigid thermoset polymeric matrix for the glass fibers when cured. A low binder viscosity in the uncured state is required to allow the maximum vertical expansion of the coated mat when it exits the forming chamber. A binder which forms a rigid matrix when cured is required so that a finished fibrous glass thermal or acoustical insulation product, when compressed for packaging and shipping, will recover to its as-made vertical dimension when installed in a building.
Insulation manufacturers have long desired an alternative polymeric binder system for fibrous glass products. However, low molecular weight, low viscosity binders which allow maximum vertical expansion of the mat in the transfer zone generally cure to form a non-rigid plastic matrix in the finished product, thereby reducing the attainable vertical height recovery of the finished insulation product when installed. Conversely, high viscosity binders which generally cure to form a rigid matrix in the finished product do not allow maximum vertical expansion of the coated, uncured mat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,798 to Guerro et al. discloses a water soluble binder containing beta-hydroxy urethanes and polyfunctional carboxylic acids.
It would be desirable to prepare a non-phenol formaldehyde binder having a low viscosity when uncured and structural rigidity when cured.


In a mobile radio-telephone system including at least one base station transmitting information to subscriber telephones indicating whether they are being called, a method comprising the steps of dividing a repetitive frame period into a number of sleep-mode slots, determining a sleep-mode slot number to be used for transmitting a call to a particular subscriber telephone using an assigned subscriber telephone number, transmitting a calling message in said determined sleep-mode slot including the assigned subscriber telephone number, repeating transmission of the calling message a number of times as determined by system loading and available capacity to transmit such calls, and transmitting an indication of the number of repeated transmissions capacity and loading currently permits.

The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for reducing the mean standby power consumption of battery operated cordless or radio telephones.
It is known in the prior art that mean power consumption of battery operated portable telephones can be reduced on standby mode, that is, during the time between conversations when waiting for the subscriber to initiate a new call or receive a call from the network. The principal mechanism to reduce standby power consumption is to turn off the transmitter so that only the receiver is operating, listening to a designated network calling channel. However, modern hand-held telephones are so small that the available capacity of the small internal batteries is only sufficient to run the receiver continuously for a few hours. Accordingly, another method has been described in the European Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) digital cellular system standard to further reduce receiver standby power consumption. This method involves pulsing the receiver on and off with a low duty factor, the periods the receiver is on being known to the network in advance for each portable station so that the network can time the sending of messages and call a particular mobile subscriber at those instants.
Portable telephones are, according to the GSM system specification, divided into sleep-mode groups either according to some of the digits of their telephone numbers or as designated by the network operator. As a simple example, those telephones having a number ending in 0 could belong to sleep-mode group 0; those ending in 1 to sleep-mode group 1 and so on. The network calling channel capacity is divided in time into a number of cyclically repeating periods corresponding to the sleep-mode groups. A call to a telephone is then transmitted only in a period corresponding to its sleep-mode group, when it is known to be awake. Upon waking, receiving such a message from the network and detecting that its own telephone number or identification number (ID) is being called, the portable receiver may stop pulsing and remain on continuously to receive further information and the portable transmitter may be activated to reply to the call when the subscriber accepts the call by, for example, pressing an appropriate button.
One limitation of these conventional paging techniques is that a mobile station may miss a call from the network due to temporarily being in a radio shadow from the calling station. Limited radio capacity on the calling channel prevents the network from simply repeating the call indefinitely until answered, or even more than a couple of times. Another limitation of these conventional techniques is that the duty factor of the portable receiver can not be reduced indefinitely during standby due to the consequent delay in placing a call. A certain minimum time is required to transmit sufficient information to identify a particular mobile and the opportunities to call that mobile station arise N times less frequently where N is the number of sleep-mode groups or the reciprocal of the receiver standby duty factor. The minimum time required for transmission is typically at least 40 milliseconds (ms), while the opportunities to call the mobile station typically arise every 40.times.N ms. If N is 50 for example, up to 2 seconds delay is incurred in calling a portable telephone, and if typically two attempts are made, this delay can be as high 4 seconds. Greater delays than these are not desired by subscribers that lead a hectic daily life requiring prompt call placement.

Reduced power sleep modes for mobile telephones