A fuel cell system having a thermally integrated isothermal CO-cleansing subsystem including a water-gas-shift reactor, a preferential oxidation reactor, at least one system heat exchanger, and a closed-loop heat transfer circuit dedicated to that subsystem. The heat transfer circuit utilizes a heat transfer medium which has a high specific heat and is circulated through the circuit at a sufficiently high rate as to thermally dominate the gas stream components communicating with the circuit.

This invention relates to a PEM fuel cell system having a substantially isothermal, thermally integrated CO-cleansing subsystem to optimize efficiency and reaction control.
PEM fuel cells have been proposed for many applications including electrical power plants to replace internal combustion engines. PEM fuel cells are well known in the art and include a xe2x80x9cmembrane electrode assemblyxe2x80x9d (a.k.a. MEA) comprising a thin, proton transmissive, solid polymer membrane-electrolyte having an anode on one of its faces and a cathode on the opposite face. The solid polymer electrolytes are typically made from ion exchange resins such as perfluoronated sulfonic acid. The anode/cathode typically comprise finely divided catalytic particles (often supported on carbon particles) admixed with proton conductive resin. The MEA is sandwiched between a pair of electrically conductive elements which (1) serve as current collectors for the anode and cathode, and (2) contain channels for distributing the fuel cell""s gaseous reactants over the surfaces of the respective anode and cathode. In PEM fuel cells, hydrogen is the anode reactant (i.e. fuel) and oxygen is the cathode reactant (i.e. oxidant).
For vehicular applications it is desirable to use a carbon-bound hydrogenous fuel (e.g. methane, gasoline, methanol, etc.). Liquid such fuels are particularly desirable as the source of the hydrogen used by the fuel cell owing to their ease of on board storage and the existence of a nationwide infrastructure of service stations that can conveniently supply such liquids. These fuels must be dissociated to release their hydrogen content for fueling the fuel cell. The dissociation reaction is accomplished in a so-called xe2x80x9cprimary reactorxe2x80x9d. One known such primary reactor for gasoline, for example, is a two stage chemical reactor often referred to as an xe2x80x9cautothermal reformerxe2x80x9d. In an autothermal reformer, gasoline and water vapor (i.e. steam) are mixed with air and pass sequentially through two reaction sections i.e. a first xe2x80x9cpartial oxidationxe2x80x9d (POX) section, and a second steam reforming (SR) section. In the POX section, and with or without a catalyst, the gasoline reacts exothermically with a substoichiometric amount of air to produce carbon monoxide, hydrogen and lower hydrocarbons such as methane. The hot POX reaction products, along with the steam introduced with the gasoline, pass into a SR section where the lower hydrocarbons react and a fraction of the carbon monoxide react with the steam to produce a reformate gas comprising principally hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and carbon monoxide. The SR reaction is endothermic, but obtains its required heat either from the heat that is generated in the exothermic POX section and carried forward into the SR section by the POX section effluent, or from other parts of the fuel cell system (e.g. from a combustor). One such autothermal reformer is described in International Patent Publication Number WO 98/08771 published Mar. 5, 1998.
The carbon monoxide contained in the SR effluent must be removed, or at least reduced to very low concentrations (i.e. less than about 20 ppm) that are non-toxic to the anode catalyst in the fuel cell. It is known to cleanse the SR effluent of CO by subjecting it to a so-called xe2x80x9cwater-gas-shiftxe2x80x9d reaction (WGS) which takes place in a water-gas-shift reactor located downstream of the SR reactor. In the water-gas-shift reaction, water (i.e. steam) reacts exothermically with the carbon monoxide in the SR effluent according to the following ideal shift reaction:
CO+H2Oxe2x86x92CO2+H2
None-the-less, some CO still survives the water-gas-shift reaction and needs to be reduced further (i.e. to below about 20 ppm) before the reformate can be supplied to the fuel cell. It is known to further reduce the CO content of H2-rich reformate exiting a water-gas-shift reactor by reacting it with oxygen (i.e. as air) in a so-called xe2x80x9cPrOxxe2x80x9d reaction (i.e. preferential oxidation) carried out in a catalytic PrOx reactor. The PrOx reaction is exothermic and proceeds as follows:
CO+1/202xe2x86x92CO2
The PrOx reactor effluent (i.e. CO-cleansed, H2-rich reformate) is then supplied to the fuel cell. The PrOx reaction is also known as SelOx (i.e. selective oxidation).
Typical such fuel cell systems are thermally complex having a plurality of system components and working fluids (i.e. reactant streams such as fuel, air, reformate, etc.) all operating at different temperatures. Accordingly, such systems are often complex to control and slow to start-up after they have cooled down following a shutdown. The present invention simplifies the thermal management and start-up of PEM fuel cells fueled by hydrogen derived from carbon-bound hydrogenous fuels.
The present invention contemplates a PEM fuel cell system having an independent, substantially isothermal, heat transfer subsystem that communicates, and substantially thermally dominates, selected components of the fuel cell system. The isothermal heat transfer subsystem contemplated by this invention: (1) thermally integrates PrOx and water-gas-shift reactors that are designed to operate at substantially the same temperature, as well as other system components (e.g. heat exchangers) that operate at about that same temperature; (2) facilitates start-up of the PrOx and shift reactors without concern for over-heating or damaging the reactors"" catalysts; and (3) simplifies control of the reactors by imposing a reaction temperature thereon that is not appreciably affected by the heat generated by the reactions. By xe2x80x9cthermally dominatexe2x80x9d a component is meant a condition wherein the combination of the flow rate and the specific heat of the heat transfer medium used in the heat transfer circuit is such that the heat transfer circuit is the dominant or controlling factor effecting the operating temperature of that component.
According to a preferred embodiment, this invention involves a PEM fuel cell system that comprises a primary reactor that converts a carbon-bound hydrogenous fuel (e.g. gasoline) into a H2-rich reformate gas for fueling the fuel cell. The processor has (1) a first POX section in which the gasoline is reacted with a substoichiometric amount of oxygen to form a gas stream containing lower hydrocarbons (e.g. methane) and first concentrations of CO and H2, and (2) a second SR section, downstream of the first POX section, in which the gas stream exiting the POX section is catalytically reacted with steam to form a reformate gas having a second CO concentration that is less than the first CO concentration and a second H2 concentration that is greater than the first H2 concentration. The system also includes at least one water-gas-shift reactor downstream of the primary reactor that reacts a portion of the CO in the reformate gas exiting the primary reactor with steam to reduce the CO concentration in the fuel gas to a third CO concentration below the second CO concentration in the SR reactor effluent, and to increase the H2 concentration above the second H2 concentration in the SR reactor effluent. Multiple water-gas-shift reactors operating at different temperatures may be used in lieu of a single water-gas-shift reactor. Still further the system includes a PrOx reactor that selectively reacts some of the CO in the reform ate gas exiting the water-gas-shift reactor with oxygen (i.e. from air) to reduce the CO concentration in the reformate gas below the third CO concentration, and yield a CO-lean gas in which the CO concentration is non-toxic to the fuel cell.
The present invention contemplates such a PEM fuel cell system wherein: (1) the PrOx reactor is an isothermal reactor whose catalyst is selected to effect the selective oxidation of CO at a particular temperature; (2) the water-gas-shift reactor is also an isothermal reactor whose catalyst is selected to effect the water-gas-shift reaction at substantially the same temperature as the PrOx reaction occurs; (3) there is at least one heat exchanger that transfers heat either to or from at least one of the system""s working fluids; (4) there is a closed-loop heat transfer circuit that communicates with the water-gas-shift reactor, the PrOx reactor, and the heat exchanger(s); (5) there is a heat transfer liquid having a relatively high specific heat that circulates in the circuit through the water-gas-shift reactor, the PrOx reactor, and the heat exchanger (s); and (6) there is a pump that circulates the heat transfer liquid at a sufficiently high rate throughout the circuit as to maintain the water-gas-shift reactor, the preferential oxidation reactor, and the heat exchanger all at substantially the operating temperature selected for the PrOx reactor. For purposes of this application, the term xe2x80x9csubstantially the operating temperature of the PrOx reactorxe2x80x9d, as used herein, means a temperature that falls within about 20xc2x0 C.xc2x1 degrees of the operating temperature of the PrOx reactor. Other operating temperatures may be selected to optimize the over all volume and mass of the components in the heat transfer circuit. In one embodiment of the invention, the heat exchanger is a vaporizer that serves to vaporize (1) a carbon-bound hydrogenous liquid fuel (e.g. gasoline) before it is introduced into the fuel processor, or (2) water before it is introduced into either the primary reactor or the water-gas-shift reactor. In another embodiment, the heat exchanger is a heater for preheating the oxygen before it is introduced into the fuel processor. In a further embodiment, the heat exchanger is a cooler for cooling the reformate gas before it is introduced into the water-gas-shift reactor. In still another embodiment, the heat exchanger is a by-passable cooler (e.g. a radiator) for cooling the heat transfer liquid if its temperature is substantially greater than the operating temperature of the PrOx reactor. If the temperature of the heat transfer liquid is within acceptable limits (i.e. does not require cooling), this cooler may be bypassed using appropriate plumbing. In yet another embodiment, the heat exchanger is a heater that heats (e.g. with heat from a combustor) the heat transfer liquid if its temperature is substantially less than the operating temperature of the PrOx reactor.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heat transfer circuit will contain a plurality of heat exchangers each performing one or more of the heating/cooling functions set forth above. Most preferably, the heat transfer circuit will contain all of the heat exchangers set forth above.

Fuel cell system having thermally integrated, isothermal co-cleansing subsystem


A method of determining the effect that changes in input variables have on changes in the output of a time series model, between two instances of time, produces variable attributions that satisfy the Shapley fairness properties of efficiency, symmetry, linearity, and null player.

Data analysis is becoming increasingly important as a driver of economic growth and a tool for addressing highly complex systems that are beyond the capacity of human minds to understand. The ability to predict outcomes in a world saturated with data increasingly depends on our ability to create and interpret models of the real world. Models may be used to simplify and predict the output of complex systems. The usefulness of a model depends both on the model's accuracy and interpretability.
However, as more data become available, and the relationships between data inputs and outputs become increasingly complex, simple models may not be able to make accurate, and therefore useful, predictions. Machine learning models may be used to predict complex systems with higher accuracy, but this increased accuracy comes with decreased interpretability. Even when a model is highly accurate, if it cannot be interpreted, it becomes difficult to determine what inputs should be adjusted in order to achieve a desired result in the real world. In order to be useful, a model must be able to show not only what happens in a system, but why it happens. Interpretability relates to how clearly that "why?" question is answered. Interpretability is key to validating machine learning models, ensures models are generating the correct answers for the correct reasons, and offers insights into debugging the models and engineering new features.
Modern neural network machine learning models may have thousands of inputs, and hidden layers between the inputs and outputs, making it difficult to determine why changes in certain inputs produce corresponding changes in the outputs. Highly complex models, including neural networks, may be viewed as a "black box" for which the inputs and outputs are visible but the internal details are a mystery. Therefore, simpler and less accurate models are often used, even when more accurate models are available, because they are easier to interpret. While machine learning algorithms have progressed significantly, there is not yet a solidified industry approach for unlocking the black box.

Determining variable attribution between instances of discrete series models


The invention provides a drill head for deep hole machining capable of raising circularity and straightness of a hole and improving precision of hole machining. In the drill head for deep hole machining constituted by fixing a cutting blade to a tip surface of a head body and fixing guide pads to a periphery of a tip of the head body, the length Lm of a margin, which is formed at a tip side of a periphery of the cutting blade in a drill rotating direction, in an axis direction is made substantially the same as the length Lp of the guide pads in the axis direction, and a top end and rear end of the margin are substantially aligned with a top end and rear end of the guide pads, respectively, in a circumference direction.

As a deep hole machining system, three systems, a gun drill system, RTA system and ejecting system, have been generally known. In a drill head used in the gun drill system, a V-groove for swarf ejection is formed throughout the whole length of a head body. In this system, high-pressure cutting oil is fed to a tip of a cutting blade through the inside of a shank of a drill, the swarf generated by the cutting blade is broken by the high-pressure cutting oil, and the broken swarf is forcibly ejected through the V-groove.
A drill head used in the BTA system is constituted by fixing a cutting blade to a tip surface of a head body attached to a tip of a pipe-shaped boring bar and fixing guide pads to a periphery of a tip of the head body. In this system, a casing in which a guide bush is built is arranged adjacently to an end surface of a material to be cut. Further, when cutting oil is pressurized and fed from an oil feeding port with end surfaces of the guide bush and the casing sealed with a sealing material, the cutting oil reaches the cutting blade from a gap between the boring bar and the guide bush through a gap between a cutting hole of the material to be cut and a peripheral surface of the drill head, flows into the boring bar from the cutting blade via a center through hole of the drill head, sweeps the swarf generated by the cutting blade away, and ejects the swarf from an ejecting port.
Additionally, a drill head used in the ejecting system is constituted by fixing the cutting blade to the tip surface of the head body attached to a tip of a shank constituted by a double tube which forms a cutting oil feeding path between an outer tube and an inner tube, and by fixing the guide pads to the periphery of the tip of the head body, and an opening which communicates with a hollow part of the inner tube is formed in the head body. In this ejecting system, most of the cutting oil fed from the oil feeding port of the casing during cutting goes out from an oil hole through the cutting oil feeding path between the outer tube and the inner tube, reaches the cutting blade through the gap between the cutting hole of the material to be cut and the peripheral surface of the drill head, flows into the inner tube from the opening, and a part of the cutting oil directly flows into the inner tube. Then, the inner pressure of the inner tube becomes negative, a pressure difference is generated, and an absorbing force is generated. Swarf is absorbed by a vacuum effect of the absorbing force and ejected from the ejecting port.
FIG. 3(a) is a side view showing a conventional drill head used in the BTA system and ejecting system, and FIG. 3(b) is an end view thereof. In FIG. 3, the reference symbol 1 denotes a hollow-shaped head body, a cutting blade 12 constituted by a single blade is fixed to the tip surface of the head body 1, guide pads 13 and 14 are fixed to the periphery of the tip of the head body 1, and the reference symbol 5 denotes a hole for ejecting swarf and cutting oil. FIG. 4(a) is a side view showing another conventional drill head similarly used in the BTA system and ejecting system, and FIG. 4(b) is an end view thereof. In FIG. 4, cutting blades 12a, 12b, and 12c, which constitute a divided blade, are fixed to the tip surface of the head body 1, and the guide pads 13 and 14 are fixed to the periphery of the tip of the head body 1.


An on-line VBI printing system that includes one or more cryptographic modules and a central database. The cryptographic modules are capable of implementing a variety of required security standards. A client system provides a user friendly GUI for facilitating the interface of the user to the system. The GUI system includes wizards that help the user step-by-step with processes of registration, logging into the system, and printing the VBI. In one aspect, the invention describes an on-line system for securely printing an advertisement on a VBI.

A considerable percentage of the United States Postal Service (USPS) revenue is from metered postage. Metered postage is generated by utilizing postage meters that print a special mark, also known as postal indicia, on mail pieces. Generally, printing postage and any VBI can be carried out by using mechanical meters or computer-based systems.
With respect to computer-based postage processing systems, the USPS under the Information-Based Indicia Program (IBIP) has published specifications for IBIP postage meters that identify a special purpose hardware device, known as a Postal Security Device (PSD) that is generally located at a user's site. The PSD, in conjunction with the user's personal computer and printer, functions as the IBIP postage meter. The USPS has published a number of documents describing the PSD specifications, the indicia specifications and other related and relevant information. There are also security standards for printing other types of VBIs, such as coupons, tickets, gift certificates, currency, voucher and the like.
A significant drawback of existing hardware-based systems is that a new PSD must be locally provided to each new user, which involves significant cost. Furthermore, if the additional PSD breaks down, service calls must be made to the user location. In light of the drawbacks in hardware-based postage metering systems, a software-based system has been developed that does not require specialized hardware for each user. The software-based system meets the IBIP specifications for a PSD, using a centralized server-based implementation of PSDs utilizing one or more cryptographic modules. The system also includes a database for all users' information. The software-based system, however, has brought about new challenges.
The system should also be able to handle minor and catastrophic database failures without impacting the integrity of the on-line VBI system and provide for recovery of the database to minimize or eliminate the loss of data. In a hardware-based system, security is generally handled by the local hardware piece, that is unique to each user and includes a cryptographic module that encrypts that user's information. System recovery can generally be handled by replacing the corrupted local hardware pieces for each user that stores that user's information, however, data specific to that user may be lost. Nevertheless, for a software-based system, the system need to be configured to handle such database failures without sacrificing a major data loss and system security.
Therefore, there is a need for a new method and apparatus for implementation of VBI printing via a user friendly GUI with a variety of selectable options.

Method and apparatus for digitally signing an advertisement area next to a value-bearing item


A pet gate and method of operating thereof. The gate including a frame including first and second vertical side members; a door pivotally mounted to the second vertical side member. The door includes a pole extending between upper and a lower door crossbars, wherein the door pivots between an open position and a closed position. A foot actuator is mounted to the door and is vertically slidable between a raised position and a lowered position. A first channel in the foot actuator aligns with the pole and receives a drive that passes through the pole. The drive is raise-able by the foot actuator. A retractable bar is slidably provided in the upper door crossbar. The drive engages the retractable bar when the drive is raised. An upper retracting pin extends from the retractable bar and is receivable in a upper catch provided in the first vertical member.

Barriers are often used to keep pets, or their owners, safe by preventing pets from being exposed to or creating hazards. For example, if a pet has a tendency to get into a trash bin a barrier may be erected to keep the pet away from the trash bin. Or, if a pet has a tendency to knock over a toddler or the toddler has a tendency to pull at the pet, the pet and toddler may be kept in separate areas by erecting a barrier between the pet and the toddler.
Gates are commonly used as barriers within a home. Gates provide a barrier that is not as obstructive as a door and requires relatively little effort to position within a passageway as compared to erecting a wall or a door. A gate may generally include a frame that mounts the gate in a passageway. A door is mounted in the gate frame allowing access through the passageway. Often the door is unlatched from the frame using a hand operated actuator. However, this arrangement may not be convenient if one needs to pass through the gate carrying a number of items in their hands. Accordingly, room remains for improvement in the structure and operation of a gate to allow one passing through a gate to conveniently open the gate without the use of their hands.


A system, method and mobile device for initiating a voice call from the mobile device is provided. An expiration time is determined based on a time reference synchronized with a mobile call server. The mobile device transmits to the mobile call server a session initiation protocol (SIP) call initiation request including a destination number and the expiration time. A second call initiation request to a secondary contact number is initiated to establish the voice call to the destination number, when a response to the SIP call initiation request is not received from the mobile call server prior to the expiration time enabling reliable establishment of the voice call when the first attempt is unsuccessful. The mobile device does not have to wait on the mobile call server to determine a call failure and ensure that subsequent call initiation by the mobile device does not result in a call establishment collision with the mobile call server.

Mobile phones capable of establishing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls can provide additional features to users. VoIP calls are generally established by transmitting a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message, namely a SIP INVITE message, to a SIP server. The SIP server can then process the initiation message, which may include sending the INVITE message to a destination device. The destination device and the mobile device can then exchange information for exchanging media streams, which effectively establish the call.
The SIP server may also provide additional functionality, such as allowing a mobile device to establish a call from within a local network. The mobile device can send an initiation request to the SIP server, which may then cooperate with a private branch exchange (PBX) device to establish the call. The PBX may contact the mobile device to establish a first call leg, and contact the destination number to establish a second call leg. The PBX may then connect the two call legs to establish the call. For the called party, the call can appear to originate from PBX as opposed to the mobile device, which can allow the mobile phone to place a call that appears to come from a different number, such as a work number, while using their mobile device.
However, the use of SIP to establish a call from the mobile device may result in a prolonged call setup time, which may be undesirable. If the SIP INVITE message, which will cause the PBX to contact the mobile phone, is delayed in transit due to poor network connections or a congested network, the mobile device will have to wait until the INVITE message is received and the PBX contacts the mobile device. One attempted solution to improve the call setup time is to have the mobile device attempt to establish the call by contacting the PBX if it has not received a response to the initiation request for a predetermined period of time.
Attempting to contact the PBX if no response has been received for a period of time may provide a shorter call setup time, however, if the INVITE message is eventually received and the PBX attempts to contact the mobile device as the mobile device is attempting to contact the PBX causing a possible call establishment collision on the cellular network. Therefore there is a need for an improved call establishment procedure for mobile devices.

System, apparatus and method for establishing a call from a mobile device


A load cup for transferring a substrate in a chemical mechanical polishing system is provided. In one embodiment, a load cup for transferring substrates in a chemical mechanical polishing system includes a substrate support having a first side adapted to support a substrate thereon and at least one actuator coupled to the substrate support and adapted to move the substrate support laterally. In another embodiment, a method for transferring a substrate between a polishing head and a load cup includes sensing a position of the polishing head relative to the load cup and automatically aligning the load cup and polishing head in response to the sensed relative position.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to a load cup for transferring substrates in a chemical mechanical polishing system.
2. Background of the Related Art
Chemical mechanical polishing generally removes material from a semiconductor substrate through a chemical or a combined chemical and mechanical process. In a typical chemical mechanical polishing system, a wafer is held by a polishing head in a feature side down orientation above a polishing surface. The polishing head is lowered to place the substrate in contact with the polishing surface. The substrate and polishing surface are removed relative to one another in a predefined polishing motion. A polishing fluid is typically provided on the polishing surface to drive the chemical portion of the polishing activity. Some polishing fluids may include abrasives to mechanically assist in the removal of material from the substrate.
A wafer transfer mechanism, commonly referred to as a load cup, is utilized to transfer the substrate into the polishing head in a feature side down orientation. As the feature side of the substrate faces the load cup while the substrate is retained therein, care must be taken to avoid damage to the feature side of the substrate through contact with the load cup. For example, the feature side of the substrate may be scratched by surfaces of the load cup that supports the substrate or moves the substrate during the transfer process with the polishing head. Additionally, particulates generated during the substrate transfer or generated by contact of the substrate to the load cup may be carried on the substrate's surface to the polishing surface. During polishing, these particulates may cause substrate scratching, which results in non-uniform polishing and device defects. Therefore, it would be advantageous to minimize substrate to load cup contact.
Particulate and substrate damage may also result from misalignment between the load cup and the polishing head. Typically, the load cup and the polishing head are positioned relative to each other with close tolerances to ensure trouble-free operation. However, over the course of multiple substrate transfers, the polishing head and load cup may become misaligned relative to one another, resulting in undesirable substrate contact with the load cup and/or the polishing head. Moreover, as some polishing systems include multiple polishing heads that are loaded by a single load cup, maintaining the positional tolerances of all of the polishing heads relative to a single load cup is difficult, and the potential for load cup to polishing head misalignment and subsequent substrate damage is great.
Therefore, there is a need for a load cup that minimizes substrate damage and/or contamination during the transfer of a substrate with a polishing head.

Load cup for chemical mechanical polishing


A valve according to an example of the present disclosure includes a poppet head configured to move with respect to a valve outlet of the valve. A first spring is configured to be compressed with a force generated by fluid flow through the valve, and compression of the first spring allows the poppet head to move towards the valve outlet. A second spring is configured to allow the poppet head to move toward the valve outlet when compressed. A method for controlling fluid flow is also disclosed.

This application relates generally to a poppet valve.
Engines, and in particular gas turbine engines such as for aircraft, have pneumatic, hydraulic, and/or fueldraulic systems that require controlling fluid flow for operation. Fluid flow control is accomplished by various valves. One example type of valve is a poppet valve. Poppet valves generally include an aperture and a poppet head that seats against the aperture to control fluid flow through the aperture. The poppet head is moved with respect to the aperture, typically moved via a solenoid valve, servo-valve, or torque/electric motor, that applies a force to the plug to bring it to a desired location.


A ball release mechanism is mounted near the intended seat. The ball or balls are kept out of the circulating stream. High circulation rates followed by curtailment of circulation places an outlet port in position to allow the ball or balls to be pushed out by a spring. The spring or one of the balls prevents the return of an ejected ball back into the protected pocket. The ball is delivered to the seat without circulation.

Most prior ball release devices store the ball in the fluid stream and use circulation to transport it to the seat. Several problems can occur with this design. The ball may not release because the carrier gets clogged with debris from the mud. The carrier can become worn resulting in premature release of the ball. The ball is released during high circulation. It can slam against a seat and create high pressure spikes that can damage other equipment. The high circulation rates around the ball can erode parts of it causing it to not hold pressure even if it lands on the ball seat. Some examples of prior designs that have the ball in the circulating path are U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,390,200; 6,220,360; and 5,960,881. U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,019 shows a cement float shoe with a ball in a side pocket such that it can be displaced against a ball seat if the flow direction reverses. Balls have been used to fix a range of motion of a sleeve valve member, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,335.
What the prior devices lacked is addressed by the present invention. The ball is retained near its intended seat near the bottom of the hole. It is retained out of the flowing stream. The ball discharge procedure is such that ball release occurs after circulation is stopped and not during circulation. Once the ball is released it is prevented from reentering its original storage location. These and other benefits of the present invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the description of the preferred embodiment and the claims, which appear below.


An ink jet printer has an ink jet record head, an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the ink jet record head, the ink cartridge having a semiconductor storage system storing at least the data defining the effectively usable period since the ink cartridge was placed in the printer, and a control system consisting of a CPU, RAM, and ROM for controlling the ink jet record head in response to print data. The control system calculates the effectively usable period based on the elapsed time since the ink cartridge was placed in the printer and the effectively usable a period and updates the effectively usable period stored in the storage system.

This invention relates to a print system, an ink jet printer and a cartridge, and in particular to a technology for managing a cartridge.
An ink cartridge is installed in a printer to supply ink via a line to an ink jet record head. A brand-new ink cartridge is contained in a highly airtight bag or a sealed container. In a state in which the ink cartridge is placed in the printer, an ink solvent evaporates through an atmospheric open hole for aiding the flowing-out of ink, a container made of a polymeric material forming a part of the ink cartridge, the line, the record head, etc., and the viscosity of ink rises with time, hindering the record operation.
Accordingly, it is important to manage the ink cartridge based on a time period for which the ink cartridge is placed in the printer.
JP-A-4-33866 and JP-A-3-278963 propose the following: A microcomputer having a timer function is attached to an ink cartridge, and if the elapsed time since the ink cartridge was placed in a printer exceeds the effectively usable time, a warning is indicated.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer, a printer system and/or an ink cartridge used with the printer and/or the printer system, by which data management regarding the use of the ink cartridge can be conducted more positively.
It is another object of the invention to provide a printer, a printer system and/or an ink cartridge used with the printer and/or the printer system, by which an effectively usable period of the ink cartridge can be managed without complicating the structure of the ink cartridge.
It is yet another object of the present invention is to provide a printer, a printer system and/or an ink cartridge used with the printer and/or the printer system, by which an effectively usable period of the ink cartridge can be correctly managed even if the ink cartridge is used with a plurality of different printers.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a timer system provided in a printer or a host device connected to the printer is used to manage the ink cartridge.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, data concerning management of an ink cartridge are modified depending on the use of the ink cartridge.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, data concerning management of an ink cartridge are stored in a data storage system provided in the ink cartridge.
The present invention provides, for example, an ink jet printer comprising an ink jet record head, an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the ink jet record head, the ink cartridge to which a writable or rewritable storage system storing effectively usable period information defining an effectively usable period since the ink cartridge was placed in the printer or a printer is attached, and a control system for controlling the ink jet record head in response to print data. The control system calculates the effectively usable period based on the elapsed time since the ink cartridge was placed in the printer and the effectively usable period, and updates the effective usable period stored in the storage system.
Since the effective usable period is simply stored in the storage system, a timing microcomputer and power supply become unnecessary.
The present invention further provides, for example, the following: A time period data recording system and a time period expiration determining system are provided in a printer or a host device. The time period recording system calculates a time period or a time length for which an ink cartridge is placed in the printer, and records data relating to the time period or time length in a storage medium mounted on the ink cartridge. The time period expiration determining system recognizes an elapsed time period from a time point at which the brand-new ink cartridge is initially placed in the printer or a printer, or a time point at which a package for the brand-new ink cartridge is broken or opened, based on data recorded in the storage medium of the ink cartridge, and determines whether or not an effectively usable period expires based on the elapsed time period.
With this technology, even if the ink cartridge is used with a plurality of printers, or even if absolute date and time setting is different timer by timer, the elapsed time period can be recognized as a summed-up value of the time periods for which the ink cartridge is placed in respective printers, and consequently the determination can be made as to whether or not the effectively usable period expires.
In a preferred embodiment, the time period data recording system and the time period expiration determining system are provided to the printer, but these systems may be provided to the host device. The function of each of these systems may be dividingly distributed to and cooperatively executed by the printer and the host device.
In the preferred embodiment, the time period data recording system adds the time period for which the ink cartridge is placed in the printer to the previous elapsed time period stored in the recording medium of the ink cartridge to obtain a new elapsed time period, and records the new elapsed time period in the recording medium of the cartridge again. The time period expiration determining system reads this new elapsed time period from the recording medium of the cartridge, and determines whether or not the effectively usable time period expires based on this new elapsed time period.
In the preferred embodiment, the printer has a timer activated continuously regardless of whether power for the printer is turned on or off, a second storage medium, and a controller for controlling operation of the printer. This controller serves as the time period data recording system and the time period expiration determining system. That is, the controller performs the following operations 1) to 6):
1) When the ink cartridge is newly placed in the printer, that is, immediately after the ink cartridge replacement, the placement date and time is obtained from the timer, and recorded into the storage medium provided in the printer.
2) Periodically, or at the time of turning off the power or immediately before the ink cartridge is replaced, a time difference between a current date and time obtained from the timer and the placement date and time recorded in the storage medium in the printer is calculated.
3) This time difference is added to the elapsed time period already recorded in the storage medium of the cartridge.
4) The elapsed time period obtained by this addition is over-written on the storage medium of the cartridge.
5) Immediately after the ink cartridge replacement, periodically, immediately after the power turning on, or immediately before the start of print, the elapsed time period is read from the storage medium of the ink cartridge, and whether or not the effectively usable time period expires is checked.
6) If the effectively usable time period expires, this fact is informed to the user through a user interface of the printer or a host device.
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter contained in Japanese patent application Nos. Hei. 11-244276 (filed on Aug. 31, 1999) and Hei. 11-293616 (filed on Oct. 15, 1999), which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Print system, ink jet printer and ink cartridge


A medical retrieval device has a multi-prong retrieval assembly. The multi-prong retrieval assembly has a first position, in which the retrieval assembly extends from the distal end of the sheath to form an open ended grasping device, and a second position, in which the retrieval assembly extends from the distal end of the sheath to form a substantially close ended basket-type retrieval device. When the retrieval assembly is used as a basket-type retrieval device, the distal ends of the prongs of the retrieval assembly that form the basket are not connected to each other. Thus, captured objects may be released by the operator, or by applying sufficient force to separate one or more of the prongs.

Blockages or obstructions, such as stones or calculi can develop in certain parts of the body, including the kidneys, pancreas, esophagus, and gallbladder. Minimally invasive surgical procedures, typically involving percutaneous insertion of a retrieval device through an endoscope or laparoscope, may be used to break up and remove such blockages. For example, currently available medical retrieval devices provide physicians with the ability to retrieve stones that are in easily accessible areas of the urinary tract.
One type of retrieval device, known as a "basket" retrieval device, typically is formed of a wire assembly that surrounds a captured stone or calculi during retrieval. Many known basket-type devices collapse into the distal end of a catheter during insertion, and are extended from the end of the catheter when deployed. Basket-type retrieval devices typically require a physician to advance the device past the stone mass, deploy the retrieval device, and then pull it back toward the stone to capture the stone.
Difficulties can arise when using such a basket device when, for example, a stone becomes stuck or wedged during removal. In such a situation, damage to surrounding tissue or tissue lining may result if the physician forces the basket and stone through an area in which the stone has become stuck or wedged. To avoid such damage, it may be necessary to release the stone and break it into smaller fragments. Unfortunately, typical basket retrieval devices do not allow the physician to release easily the stone and continue breaking it up before removal is again attempted.
To address these difficulties, stone removal can be accomplished using a grasper, instead of a basket device. Typically, a grasper is a device having three or four prongs that are manipulated to capture a stone from the front side of the stone, by grasping it. When a stone becomes stuck or wedged during removal, such graspers are able to release the stone. Unfortunately, graspers typically do not hold on to stones as well as baskets. It may be difficult to capture a stone using a grasper, and once captured, it is easy for the stone to be released inadvertently.
Over the course of a procedure, a physician may need to use both graspers and basket-type devices to manipulate a stone, break up the stone, and remove fragments of the stone. Using current graspers and baskets, a physician may need to switch devices during the procedure. Switching devices typically requires withdrawal of one device and insertion of another.


A three-dimensional data storing method for storing three-dimensional (3-D) data on cubical vertices belonging to a cube, the method includes the steps of: index-numbering each vertex of the three-dimensional data so that cubical vertices on the surface belonging commonly to two neighboring cubes have the same index number; classifying the 3-D data according to each index number; and storing the classified 3-D data in a plurality of memories corresponding to each index number, whereby the three-dimensional data can be accessed in parallel.

The present invention relates to a 3-D data storing method, and more particularly to a 3-D data storing method capable of accessing the data of eight cubical vertices belonging to a cube during a memory access cycle.
The term 3-D data refers to data groups which are arranged in a mesh structure. This arrangement is chiefly used for color correction in a color television. For interpolating a color value of a point around a known point in the color space expressed by the three primary colors, i.e. red, green and blue, the color values of the known point and eight cubical vertices surrounding the known point should be known.
According to a conventional method, the 3-D data is sequentially stored in a single memory, thus requiring eight memory accessing operations for reading the color values of the eight cubical vertices. That is, to acquire the data of the cubical vertices of a cube, eight memory accessing operations are required. Such a conventional method limits the operating speed of a system for processing 3-D data, thus making real-time processing difficult.

Three-dimensional data storing method for parallel access of vertex data


The invention provides an olefin-olefinic alcohol copolymer and a preparation method thereof, said copolymer comprising a spherical and/or spherical-like polymer. The copolymer provided by the invention exhibits a good morphology and has good prospects in industrial use.

Polyolefin products are inexpensive, have excellent performance, and have a wide range of applications. Under the condition that original excellent physical and chemical properties of polyolefin are retained, the introduction of polar groups into the molecular chain of polyolefin through a chemical synthesis method can improve chemical inertness, the dyeing property, wettability, and compatibility with other materials thereof, giving new characteristics that raw materials do not have thereto. At present, high-pressure radical polymerization is mostly used in the industry to promote the direct copolymerization of an olefin and a polar monomer. For example, this method is used for all of ethylene-vinyl acetate, ethylene-methyl methacrylate, and ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers. Although copolymerized polar monomers can be directly introduced into the polyolefin chain by using high-pressure radical copolymerization, this method requires high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, high energy consumption, and expensive equipment costs.
Ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH or EVAL) copolymer, a new-type polymer material that combines the processability of ethylene polymers and the gas barrier property of vinyl alcohol polymers, is one of the three major barrier resins industrially produced in the world, and is widely used for packaging food, medical solutions and other products. Since vinyl alcohol cannot exist independently as a monomer, it is usually produced by a process in which ethylene-vinyl acetate is subjected to a free radical polymerization to form a copolymer, and the copolymer is subjected to an alcoholysis reaction. However, the alcoholysis process requires a large amount of solvent. Moreover, the final saponified products contain a large amount of impurities such as acetic acid and alkali metal salts, and a large amount of water is required for washing.
Coordination catalysis copolymerization, as a polymer preparation technology at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, has received widespread attention for its significant role in reducing energy consumption and improving reaction efficiency. The participation of the catalyst in the reaction process greatly reduces the activation energy of the copolymerization reaction of olefin monomers and polar monomers, which is conducive to obtaining functional polymers having a higher molecular weight at lower temperatures and pressures. Currently, only a small amount of literature reports the use of transition metal complexes to catalyze the copolymerization of an olefin and an unsaturated alcohol. However, in the existing technologies, no matter which method is used for the polymerization, the obtained polymer is a thick sticky lumpy solid, which is easy to scale in the polymerization equipment, causing difficulties in polymer transportation, solvent removal, and granulation.

Olefin-olefinic alcohol copolymer, and preparation method therefor

CHINA PETROLEUM & CHEMICAL CORPORATION BEIJING RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY


A liquid crystal display (LCD) device according to an embodiment includes a liquid crystal panel; a first polarization plate on the liquid crystal panel; a backlight unit under the liquid crystal panel; and a quantum rod sheet disposed between the liquid crystal panel and the backlight unit.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and more particularly, to an LCD device having a high transmissivity.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, LCD devices have become widely used as a technology-intensive and value-added next generation device of due to its low power consumption, thin profile, and portability. Since the LCD devices including a thin film transistor (TFT) as a switching element, referred to as an active matrix LCD (AM-LCD) devices, have excellent characteristics of high resolution and display of moving images, the AM-LCD devices have come to be widely used.
In general, an LCD device is fabricated through an array process, a color filter process and a cell process. In the array process, array elements such as a TFT and a pixel electrode are formed on a first substrate. In the color filter process, color filter elements such as a color filter layer and a common electrode are formed on a second substrate. In the cell process, a liquid crystal layer is interposed between the first and second substrates.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a related art LCD device. Referring to FIG. 1, the LCD device 1 includes a first substrate 10, a second substrate 20 and a liquid crystal layer 30 therebetween.
On the first substrate 10, a gate line and a data line are formed. The gate and data lines cross each other to define a pixel region P. A TFT Tr is formed at a crossing portion of the gate and data lines, and a pixel electrode 18, which is disposed in the pixel region P, is connected to the TFT Tr.
On the second substrate 20, a black matrix 25 including an opening, and shielding the gate line, the data line and the TFT Tr is formed. In other words, the black matrix 25 has a lattice shape. A color filter layer 26 including red, green and blue color filter patterns 26a, 26b and 26c are formed on the second substrate 20. The red, green and blue color filter patterns 26a, 26b and 26c are disposed in the opening of the black matrix 25 to correspond to the pixel region P. A common electrode 28 is formed on an entire surface over the black matrix 25 and the color filter layer 26.
The first and second substrates 10 and 20 with the liquid crystal layer 30 therebetween are combined such that the common electrode 28 faces the pixel electrode 18 to obtain a liquid crystal panel 40. A seal pattern for preventing a leakage of the liquid crystal layer 30 is formed at edges of the first and second substrates 10 and 20. In addition, first and second alignment layers for determining an initial arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 30 are formed.
First and second polarization plates 50 and 52 are formed at outer sides of the liquid crystal panel 40, respectively. Namely, the first polarization plate 50 is formed at an outer side of the first substrate 10, and the second polarization plate 52 is formed at an outer side of the second substrate 20. A backlight unit BLU for providing light toward the first substrate 10 is disposed under the first polarization plate 50.
Accordingly, when a signal of the data line is provided into the pixel electrode 18 through the turned-on TFT Tr, an electric field is generated between the pixel electrode 18 and the common electrode 28. The liquid crystal molecules are driven by the electric field, and the transmissivity of light from the backlight unit BLU is changed such that images are displayed.
As mentioned above, the first and second polarization plates 50 and 52, which are disposed at the outer sides of the liquid crystal panel 40, have perpendicular transmittance axes. The light from the backlight unit BLU is polarized into a first linearly-polarized light by the first polarization plate 50, and the first polarization light is changed into a second linearly-polarization light by the liquid crystal layer 30. The second linearly-polarized light passes through the second polarization plate 52 such that the light is incident to eyes of the user.
However, the light incident to the eyes of the user is about 5 to 6% of the light from the backlight unit of the LCD device 1. Namely, a light efficiency of the LCD device 1 is very low.
FIG. 2 shows polarization conditions of lights from the backlight unit and the first polarization plate in the related art LCD device. Referring to FIG. 2, in the related art LCD device, the light is emitted from the backlight unit BLU and passes through the first polarization plate 50. Since the backlight unit BLE emits a non-polarized light, about 50% light of the non-polarized light can be transmitted through the second polarization plate 50, which has a transmission axis to only transmit light parallel to the transmission axis. As a result, a transmissivity is reduced through the first polarization plate 50 by about 50%.
Accordingly, the light incident to the eyes of the user is about 5 to 6% of the light from the backlight unit of the LCD device 1. As a result, the LCD device requires high power consumption to produce a predetermined brightness.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method and apparatus of cutting and cleaning wafers in a wire saw is disclosed. In one embodiment, a wire sawing apparatus includes a horizontal ingot feeding wire slicing apparatus which includes a vertical wire web, in which sawing wires of the vertical wire web are located substantially in a vertical plane and move in a substantially vertical direction, a first top outlet and a second top outlet located in a top position with respect to a work piece for applying fluids during sawing, and at least one chute located substantially below the work piece for receiving the fluids, wherein the work piece is impelled against the vertical wire web by horizontal movement and the fluids flow in a vertical direction against and into the work piece for slicing and cleaning wafers.

Wire saws are extensively used to slice silicon for solar and micro-electronics applications. The wire saws are also used for slicing a variety of other materials including sapphire, gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), silicon carbide (SiC), glass, lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) Z-cut crystals, lithium niobate (LiNbO3), lithium triborate (LiB3O5), quartz crystals, ceramics like aluminum nitride (ALN) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT), magnetic materials/parts, optical parts and the like material. The wire saws typically use a 120-180 micron diameter steel wire, which is several hundred kilometers long (FIG. 1). The wire is wound around a supply spool 110, a set of rollers called "wire guides" 130 to make a bed of parallel moving wire, often called "wire web" 140, and a take-up spool 120 as shown in FIG. 1. The wire guides 130 have equally spaced grooves on their outer surface to control spacing between the wires as it goes around the wire guides 130. The distance between the grooves, called pitch, eventually decides thickness of the wafers.
The work piece or the ingot 150, which needs to be sliced, is first glued to a plate 160 and then mounted on the wire saw. Then the ingot 150 is pressed with a vertical motion (top to bottom or bottom to top) against the horizontally moving wire web 140. The wire travels at a speed of about 15 meters/sec (or even higher) during slicing of wafers. Abrasive slurry, mainly made up of silicon carbide grains and a lubricant (e.g., polyethylene glycol or mineral oil), is introduced over the wire web 140. The abrasive slurry 210 coats the wire and travels to the cutting zone as shown in FIG. 2.
Also, it can be seen in FIG. 2 that, the abrasive slurry 210 tends to flow downwardly and away from the slicing zone, thereby significantly reducing the efficiency of slicing during the sawing operation. Further, it can be seen that a significant amount of abrasive slurry 210 is wasted by not being used in the slicing operation as the abrasive slurry 210 tends to flow downwardly and away from the cutting zone. Furthermore, it can be seen in FIG. 2 that, the abrasive slurry 210 flows perpendicular to direction of the horizontally moving wire web 140 (FIG. 2). Also, it can be seen in FIG. 2 that, majority of the abrasive slurry 210 does not pass through the ingot 150 and instead falls to the ground (bottom) of the wire saw. Further, in the conventional system using low viscosity slurries, risk of particles separating out of the abrasive slurry 210 is high.
Typically, slicing is achieved by slowly pushing the ingot 150 against the wire web 140. Furthermore, as cutting progresses, very fine silicon particles are loaded into the slurry. These particles in the slurry can increasingly adhere to the wafer surface as a function of time during the process. This is particularly true for very thin wafers, which require a much longer time to cut. Therefore, prompt cleaning is essential in all wire saw operations.
Slicing is completed when the ingot 150 completely passes through the wire web 140. At this point, the wafer stack which is held to the plate 160 is slowly pulled out of the wire web 140. After completing slicing and removing the stack of wafers from the wire saw the wafers are then cleaned immediately with water and other solvents to remove the abrasive slurry 210, otherwise the abrasive slurry 210 may stain the wafers thereby making them unusable in downstream processes. Further, the slurry remaining between the wafers needs to be removed quickly otherwise the slurry between the wafer can harden and hold the wafers together tightly and can make it difficult to remove and in some instances can break the wafers.
The current wire saws generate heat during slicing. Further, as the wafers become thinner, the cutting surface area increases significantly and as a result this can significantly increase the amount of heat generated during slicing. Also, the current wire saws cannot dissipate such heat generated during slicing. Further, lesser area is generally available for heat dissipation by radiation during slicing due to the slurry getting loaded between the wafers. This can lead to significant thermal stress in the wafers. Furthermore, the heat generated during slicing can soften the glue holding the stack of wafers to the plate 160. This can result in wafers dislodging from the plate 160 and breaking during slicing.
Further, as the silicon wafers are manufactured to thinner specifications, the sensitivity of these thinner wafers to any stress is significantly increased and these wafers can readily break. Currently, the standard for the solar industry is wafers sliced to a thickness of about 200 micrometers (microns; μm).

Method and apparatus for cutting and cleaning wafers in a wire saw


A sound detecting mechanism is provided which forms a diaphragm with a required thickness by thickness control and yet restrains distortion of the diaphragm to provide high sensitivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sound detecting mechanism comprising a pair of electrodes forming a capacitor on a substrate, in which one of the electrodes is a back electrode forming perforations therein corresponding to acoustic holes and the other of the electrodes is a diaphragm.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, condenser microphones are frequently used in mobile phones, for example. A typical construction of condenser microphones is shown in FIG. 6. This condenser microphone comprises a metal capsule 100 including a plurality of perforations "h" corresponding to acoustic holes formed therein, a fixed electrode 300 and a diaphragm 500 provided inside the capsule to be opposed to each other with a spacer 400 therebetween to maintain a predetermined gap, a substrate 600 fixed and fitted to a rear opening of the capsule 100, and an impedance converting element 700 made of J-FET or the like and mounted to the substrate 600. With this type of condenser microphone, a high voltage is applied to a dielectric material formed on the fixed electrode 300 or the diaphragm 500 to be heated to generate electric polarization and produce an electret membrane allowing a residual electric charge to remain on a surface thereof (an electret membrane 510 is formed in a diaphragm body 520 made of metal or conductive film which constitutes the diaphragm 500 in FIG. 6), thereby to provide a construction that requires no bias voltage. When the diaphragm 500 is vibrated by sound pressure signals of a sound, a distance between the diaphragm 500 and the fixed electrode 300 is changed to vary capacitance. The variation of capacitance is outputted through the impedance converting element 700.
Another conventional sound detecting mechanism has the following construction. This sound detecting mechanism comprises a substrate (110) constituting a diaphragm and a substrate (108) constituting a back face plate (103) (corresponding to the back electrode of the present invention), both substrates being superimposed through an adhesive layer (109) and then adhered to each other through heat treatment. Then, the substrate (108) acting as the back face plate is ground to obtain a desired thickness. After an etching mask (112) is formed on each of the substrates (108) and (109), the substrates are treated with an alkali etching liquid thereby to obtain the diaphragm (101) and the back face plate (103). Next, the back face plate (103) is reticulated (corresponding to the perforations of the present invention). An insulating layer (111) is etched with hydrofluoric acid, with the back face plate (103) acting as an etching mask, thereby to form a void layer (104) (see Patent Document 1, for example: the reference numbers are quoted from the cited document.)
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-27595 (paragraph [0030] through [0035], FIG. 1 and FIG. 3).
In order to increase output (improve sensitivity) of the conventional microphone shown in FIG. 6, it is required to increase the capacitance between the fixed electrode 300 and the diaphragm 500. In order to increase the capacitance, an area of superimposition of the fixed electrode 300 and the diaphragm 500 should be increased. Alternatively, it will be effective to reduce the gap between the fixed electrode 300 and the diaphragm 500. However, an increase in the area of superimposition of the fixed electrode 300 and the diaphragm 500 would lead to an enlargement of the microphone per se. On the other hand, in the construction having the spacer 400 noted above, there is a limitation in reducing the distance between the fixed electrode 300 and the diaphragm 500.
Also, the electret condenser microphones often utilize a high polymeric organic substance such as FEP (Fluoro Ethylene Propylene) or the like in order to produce a permanent electric polarization. The microphone using such a high polymeric organic substance has poor heat resistance, and thus is hardly capable of enduring the heat in time of re-flow treatment when mounted on a printed board, for example. The microphone, therefore, cannot be given re-flow treatment when mounted on the printed board or the like.
In view of the above, as described in Patent Document 1, it is conceivable to employ a construction including a back electrode and a diaphragm formed on a silicon substrate by micro fabrication technique. A sound detecting mechanism having such a construction is compact and yet is capable of enhancing sensitivity by reducing the distance between the back electrode and the diaphragm. Further, the mechanism can undergo re-flow treatment while requiring a bias supply. However, according to the technique set forth in Patent Document 1, the diaphragm is formed by etching a monocrystal silicon substrate with an alkali etching liquid, which makes it difficult to control the thickness of the diaphragm. As a result, it is difficult to obtain a required thickness for the diaphragm.
In considering control of the thickness of the diaphragm here, it is effective to utilize a single crystal silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer to improve the controllability of the thickness of the diaphragm in the process of forming the diaphragm by etching the silicon substrate with the alkali etching liquid. More particularly, according to this method, a built-in oxide film of the SOI wafer can be utilized as a stop layer for etching with the alkali etching liquid, thereby to control the thickness of the diaphragm by selecting the thickness of an active layer of the SOI wafer.
As a different method to the above, it is conceivable to utilize, instead of using the SOI wafer, an SOI structure wafer in which silicon oxide film or silicon nitride film is formed on the monocrystal silicon substrate as an etching stop layer to function as a stop layer in time of etching with the alkali etching liquid, and polycrystal silicon is formed on the etching stop layer. With this SOI structure wafer, it becomes possible to stop etching with the etching stop layer when the silicon substrate is etched with the alkali etching liquid, thereby to enhance the controllability of the thickness of the diaphragm.
However, in the method utilizing the SOI wafer or the method utilizing the SOI structure wafer, the sound detecting mechanism has a construction with a plurality of materials (films or layers) laminated on monocrystal silicon acting as a base. Thus, while a relatively thin diaphragm can be formed with high accuracy by stopping etching with the etching stop layer to form the diaphragm, the diaphragm is distorted by an inner stress caused by a difference between coefficients of thermal expansion of the plurality of materials laminated on the monocrystal silicon, which might lead to a disadvantage of deteriorating the vibration characteristic to hamper vibrations faithful to sound pressure signals when the diaphragm contacts the back electrode or even when the diaphragm does not contact the back electrode.

Abstract: The sound detecting mechanism comprises a pair of electrodes forming a capacitor on a substrate A in which one of the electrodes is a back electrode C forming perforations Ca therein corresponding to acoustic holes and the other of the electrodes is a diaphragm B. The diaphragm B is mounted on the substrate A while the back electrode C is mounted in a position opposed to the diaphragm B across a void F to be supported by the substrate A, the back electrode C being formed by polycrystal silicon of 5 μm to 20 μm in thickness.


A heat shrinkable film package and a method for packaging food and non-food products is disclosed which includes a valve through which the package is evacuated during the heat shrinking step of the packaging process. Employing the valve of the present invention precludes the need for puncturing the film prior to heat shrinking. Thus, a wide variety of food products may be packaged in a manner more typically reserved for non-food products.

The present invention is directed to heat shrinkable film packages, and specifically to a one-way valve for evacuating such packages during the heat shrinking step of the packaging operation.
Heat shrinkable films are employed in packaging a wide variety of food and non-food items. Generally, most food products require a package which completely encloses the product. While some foods require packaging materials having oxygen barrier properties, nearly all foods require a complete, coherent covering which protects the underlying product from environmental contaminants.
Conversely, many non-food products are not particularly sensitive to exterior contamination. For non-food products such as games, compact discs, textiles, etc., the outer film overwrap merely serves as a dust cover or, as is particularly the case for software, evidence that the package has not yet been opened. In non-food products packaged in a heat shrinkable film, a hole or perforation is often provided in the film. The hole is formed in the film either prior to or during the packaging process to allow air trapped within the sealed film to escape during the heat shrinking step.
With a few minor exceptions, the presence of such perforation in food packages is not acceptable. Thus, food products must be packaged in a more complex shrink film packaging operation than that employed for packaging non-food products. Typically, food products require that the heat shrinkable packaging film is first formed into a pouch or bag into which the product is placed. The bag or pouch is then evacuated prior to sealing and heat shrinking. In addition to increased expense, such additional packaging steps provide an increased opportunity for film waste and packaging failure.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method which will allow for the packaging of food products in a simplified manner, similar to that employed in the packaging of non-food products, without leaving an opening which may result in contamination of the food and without leaving any void or opening that exposes the underlying portions of the food product to the atmosphere.
The present invention is directed to a shrink film package which includes a product, at least one web of a shrink film wrapped about the product, at least one seal defined in the shrink film enclosing the product, and a polymeric valve sealed to the film at the seal. The valve is comprised of a tube of film having a first end extending into the package, a second end extending out of the package, and an intermediate portion within the seal. The valve further includes an exterior surface and an interior surface, wherein the exterior surface comprises a sealable polymeric material whereby the intermediate portion of the exterior surface is sealed to the shrink film at the at least one seal and wherein the interior surface comprises a nonsealable material at least at the first end and the intermediate portion thereof.
The present invention is also directed to a method for packaging a product which includes the steps of
a) wrapping the product in at least one web of a heat shrinkable film;
b) subsequently sealing the heat shrinkable film thereby enclosing the product;
c) providing a polymeric valve comprising a tube of film sealed to the heat shrinkable film at a sealed portion of the heat shrinkable film such that a first end of the valve extends into the area enclosing the product, a second end extends out from the heat shrinkable film, and an intermediate portion is contained within the sealed portion of the heat shrinkable film, the valve further comprising an exterior surface and an interior surface, the valve being sealed to the heat shrinkable film at the intermediate portion of the exterior surface thereof and the interior surface comprising a nonsealable material at least at the first end and the intermediate portion thereof; and
d) heating the heat shrinkable film thereby shrinking the film about the product,
whereby simultaneously with the heat shrinking step, air surrounding the product is vented through the polymeric valve.

Method and apparatus for evacuating shrink film packages


The invention provides a flash device. In one embodiment, the flash device comprises a first NAND flash integrated circuit, a second NAND flash integrated circuit, and a control integrated circuit. The control integrated circuit generates a plurality of first access signals with first timings to access the first NAND flash IC, and generates a plurality of second access signals with second timings to access the second NAND flash IC, wherein the first timings are different from the second timings. The first NAND flash integrated circuit then accesses data stored therein according to the first access signals. The second NAND flash integrated circuit then accesses data stored therein according to the second access signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to flash memories, and more particularly to control integrated circuits of flash memories.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flash memory is a non-volatile memory that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. Flash memories are primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives for general storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products. Flash memory costs far less than EEPROM and therefore has become a dominant memory device. Examples of applications include Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) and laptop computers, digital audio players, digital cameras and mobile phones.
A flash device comprises a control integrated circuit (hereinafter, control IC) and at least one flash integrated circuit (hereinafter, flash IC). The flash IC stores data, and the control IC sends access signals to the flash IC to direct the flash IC to access data. Referring to FIG. 1A, a block diagram of a NAND flash integrated circuit (hereinafter, NAND flash IC) 100 is shown. The NAND flash IC 100 comprises an input/output control circuit 102, an input/output circuit 104, a control core circuit 106, a page buffer 108, and a flash core circuit 110. The I/O control circuit 102 receives a plurality of access signals from a control IC (not shown). In one embodiment, the access signals comprise a chip enable signal CE#, a command latch enable signal CLE, an address latch enable signal ALE, a write enable signal WE#, and a read enable signal RE#. The I/O circuit 104 then latches commands CMD and addresses sent by the control IC according to instructions of the I/O control circuit 102, and directs the flash core circuit 110 to access data stored therein according to the latched addresses. Data output by the flash core circuit 110 is stored in the page buffer 108 and then delivered to the I/O circuit 104, and the I/O circuit 104 sends the data to the control IC via an I/O bus (such as the bus I/O[7:0]). FIGS. 1B and 1C respectively show timings of the access signals CE#, CLE, ALE, WE#, and an I/O bus for directing the NAND flash IC 100 to receive commands and addresses from a control IC. FIG. ID shows timings of the access signals CE#, CLE, ALE, WE#, and the I/O bus for directing the NAND flash IC 100 to receive data written thereto, and FIG. 1E shows timings of the access signals CE#, CLE, ALE, RE#, and the I/O bus for directing the flash IC 100 to read data written therefrom.
A control IC of a flash device may control data access of more than one NAND flash IC. The different NAND flash ICs may have different routing lengths and different routing loads, and therefore require different access timings. Thus, performance of the different NAND flash ICs is therefore degraded. A flash device mitigating the aforementioned disadvantages is therefore required.

Flash device and method for improving performance of flash device


An activity monitor, comprises housing for attachment to a person; at least one accelerometer disposed within the housing; and a processor disposed within the housing, for processing signals from the accelerometer to assess activity of the person. A method assesses activity of a person, including: sensing acceleration at a first location on the person; processing the acceleration, over time, to assess activity of the person; and wirelessly communicating information indicative of the activity to a second location.

It is well known that many skiers enjoy high speeds and jumping motions while traveling down the slope. High speeds refer to the greater and greater velocities which skiers attempt in navigating the slope successfully (and sometimes unsuccessfully). The jumping motions, on the other hand, include movements which loft the skier into the air. Generally, the greater the skier's speed, the higher the skier's loft into the air.
The interest in high speed skiing is apparent simply by observing the velocity of skiers descending the mountain. The interest in the loft motion is less apparent; although it is known that certain enthusiastic skiers regularly exclaim "let's catch some air" and other assorted remarks when referring to the amount and altitude of the lofting motion.
The sensations of speed and jumping are also readily achieved in other sporting activities, such as in mountain biking. Many mountain bikers, like the aforementioned skiers, also crave greater speeds and "air" time.
However, persons in such sporting activities typically only have a qualitative sense as to speed and loft or "air" time. For example, a typical snowboarding person might regularly exclaim after a jump that she "caught" some "big sky," "big air" or "phat air" without ever quantitatively knowing how much time really elapsed in the air.
There are also other factors that persons sometimes assess qualitatively. For example, suppose a snowboarder goes down a double-diamond ski slope while a friend goes down a green, easy slope. When they both reach the bottom, the double-diamond snowboarder will have expended more energy than the other, generally, and will have worked up a sweat; while the green snowboarder will have had a relatively inactive ride down the slope. Currently, they cannot quantitatively compare how rough their journeys were relative to one another.
It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide apparatus and methods for determining the "air" time of participants in sporting activities such as skiing and mountain biking.
It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus and methods for determining the speed of participants in sporting activities such as skiing and mountain biking.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide improvements to sporting devices which are ridden by sporting participants, and which provide a determination of speed and/or loft time of the device.
Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus and methods for determining the amount of "power" or energy absorbed by a person during sporting activities.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in the description which follows.


A printhead assembly including an ink cartridge body made of a material selected from the group of materials consisting of: nylon, polyethersulfone, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyoxymethylene and other materials that are compatible with ketone, acetate and alcohol based inks, an ink reservoir disposed within the ink cartridge body and adapted to receive and contain ink, and a printhead chip provided on the ink cartridge body and in fluid communication with the ink reservoir so as to receive ink from the ink reservoir for ejection of the ink onto a print medium.

An ink jet printer typically includes a printhead and a carrier. The ink jet printhead can comprise a printhead body, nozzles, and corresponding ink ejection actuators, such as heaters on a printhead chip. The actuators cause ink to be ejected from the nozzles onto a print medium at selected ink dot locations within an image area. The carrier moves the printhead relative to the medium, while the ink dots are jetted onto selected pixel locations, such as by heating the ink at the nozzles.
In some such systems, the ink reservoir comprises a removable or separable tank, such that the tank can be separated from the printhead, and replaced or refilled, when the ink is low. The printhead components can then be re-used. In such ink tank systems, a separable fluid connection between the tank and the printhead body is needed, in contrast to systems where the printhead body is integral with the ink reservoir. The connection permits ink to flow to the nozzles from the tank, but is separable such that the ink tank can be removed when empty. The printhead assembly can also include a filter within an ink passageway leading from the ink reservoir to the nozzles, for isolating any contaminants or debris from the ejectors and nozzles.
In the industrial market, the proliferation of digital printing is underway. This proliferation provides a unique opportunity for thermal inkjet technology, due to low cost points associated with the bill of materials (BOM) and manufacturing of thermal inkjet printers. The printhead requirements for the industrial market is different and more challenging due to the non-traditional inks being used. The ink chemistries, which are solvent UV curable and latex based, are formulated to wet, penetrate and adhere to non-porous medias (examples of the various substrates are mentioned above). Solvents that are typically used generally have lower surface tension compared to water and will wet lower surface energy surfaces/substrates. Another property that the solvent system provides is the ability of the solvent to cause interfacial diffusion of ink into the substrate allowing for improved adhesion and durability. This is critical due to the non-porous nature of the various substrates used in the industry and the fact that the printed media will be subjected to various environments. Ketones and acetates such as methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) or ethyl acetate are some of the most aggressive solvents used in solvent ink formulations. Currently MEK based inks provide a significant advantage over alcohol-based inks because of its ability to wet and adhere to various plastic (polyolefin base substrates) in a variety of packaging applications/markets.


An insulating seal member adapted for use in association with a pair of beverage cups including an annular body, wherein the annular body includes: an upper region having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a top surface; a lower region having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a bottom surface; and an intermediate region positioned between the upper and lower regions; wherein the top surface of the upper region is adapted to sealingly engage a bottom surface of an annular rim of a first beverage cup; and wherein at least one of a lower surface of the intermediate region and the bottom surface of the lower region is adapted to sealingly engage a top surface of an annular rim of a second beverage cup positioned below the first beverage cup.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a seal member, and more particularly, to an insulating seal member for use in association with a plurality of beverage cups which cooperatively facilitate maintaining associated cold and warm beverages (e.g., water, pop, soda, beer, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etcetera) below and above ambient temperatures, respectively, for extended periods of time.
2. Background Art
Insulators and seal members for use in association with beverage cups and associated assemblies have been known in the art for years and are the subject of numerous patents, including, but not limited to: U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,810 entitled "DOUBLE WALLED BEVERAGE CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME;" U.S. Pat. No. 8,056,757 entitled "HOT BEVERAGE CUP SLEEVE;" U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,498 entitled "THERMALLY INSULATED CONTAINERS FOR LIQUIDS;" U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,862 entitled "CUP STRUCTURE WITH HEAT ISOLATION EFFECT;" U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,493 entitled "COMPOSITE CONTAINER FOR VACUUM PACKAGING OF PRODUCTS;" U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,529 entitled "COLLAPSIBLE INSULATED RECEPTACLE FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINERS;" U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,580 entitled "INSULATED BEVERAGE CONTAINER;" U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,507 entitled "HOLDER FOR A CONTAINER;" U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,424 entitled "INSULATED CAN HOLDER;" and U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,391 entitled "BEVERAGE INSULATOR WITH ADVERTISING PANEL"—all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including all references cited therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,810 appears to disclose a double walled container for insulating a beverage. An outer insulating shell or container is secured to the inner container that holds the beverage. A gap exists between the outer container and inner container and the air in the gap acts as an insulating barrier. The inner container is preferably a standard aluminum container. The outer container is preferably made from aluminum or a plastic polymer. The outer container may have annular or longitudinal grooves that assist in securing the outer container to the inner container, and the grooves may also provide an enhanced gripping surface as well as a visually pleasing aesthetic design. The outer container may include a base, or the base may be eliminated in favor of a sleeve configuration for the outer container.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,056,757 appears to disclose a hot beverage cup and sleeve which bring together two modes of heat transfer, conduction and radiation. The sleeve has an inner face with a plurality of high reflectivity surfaces for radiating heat back to the cup. The sleeve also has a plurality of insulating members for containing insulating air. Each of the insulating members is positioned to space the high reflectivity surfaces away from the cup. A low emissivity film can be adhered to the cup without touching the insulating members. The film can also be attached to the sleeve facing but spaced from the high reflectivity surfaces. This cup and sleeve arrangement minimizes thermal contact and reduces heat transfer. Thus, the hot beverage cup and sleeve protect a person's hand as well as extend the time of keeping the beverage hot.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,498 appears to disclose containers for liquids, commonly dispensed for consumption at a temperature below ambient (such as chilled soft drink cans) that can be maintained for extended periods below ambient, after they have been dispensed from a refrigerated container, by providing a lining member formed from a plastic material having closed cells and providing insulating properties. The lining member may, for instance, have large cells and be dimensioned to fit within the shell of the container, or can be formed as a layer on the internal surface of the shell of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,862 appears to disclose a cup structure with a heat isolation effect, thereby, if two cups according to the present invention are overlapped, the combined cups have a preferred heat isolation effect. The bottom of the cups are installed with respective isolation elements. When the user overlaps two cups, he (or she) can rotate the inner cup with an angle, so that the isolation element of the inner cup can rest against the isolation element of the outer cup. Therefore, by shielding the isolation element of the outer cup, the bottom of the inner cup cannot rest against the bottom of the outer cup, thus a space is formed therebetween. Especially, the handle on the lateral side of the cup has a preferred effect. Therefore, if a hot food is filled into the cup, because of the isolation of the space, the hot temperature of the inner cup cannot be transferred to the outer cup and thus the heat isolation effect is attained.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,493 appears to disclose a composite container for vacuum packaging of products which is constructed, as follows. A hollow body portion defines a desired shape for the container and has an inside surface. A liner layer is in a superimposed position within the body portion and covers the inside surface for receiving the product inside the liner layer and the body portion of the container. An elastic material is positioned between the body portion and the liner layer for movably attaching the liner layer to the body portion in the superimposed position while allowing the liner layer to constrict and move away from the body portion by stretching of the elastic material when a vacuum is formed on the product packaged in the container and then allowing the liner layer to move back into the superimposed position within the body portion of the container by retraction of the elastic material when the container is opened and the vacuum on the product is removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,529 appears to disclose a collapsible insulated receptacle for beverage containers which is constructed of material which is light weight, sturdy, recyclable, biodegradable, and provides a suitable medium for high quality color separation printing. The receptacle embraces the beverage container such that the consumer can maneuver the beverage container by maneuvering the receptacle. The receptacle is collapsible to a size which is easily and efficiently transported before sales or distribution and able to be transported by the consumer in a clothes pocket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,580 appears to disclose a container organization including an exterior wall spaced from an interior wall defining a conical body formed with a reinforced rib at its upper end and a floor at its lower end. The body includes an insulated medium therebetween. The insulated medium includes circumferentially equally spaced ribs there along either alone or in association with a sinusoidal corrugating medium wherein the corrugating medium may be mounted directly to the ribs or spaced therefrom by an intermediate wall. A plurality of insulated mediums may be utilized offset relative to one another by one-half amplitude relative to one another to effect adhesive contact between upper and lower peaks of respective lower and upper sinusoidal corrugating mediums. Further, a single sinusoidal medium may be utilized spaced from the interior and exterior walls by offset ribs adhesively mounted to alternating upper and lower peaks of the corrugating medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,507 appears to disclose a molded container for a bottle, the container is of double wall construction so as to provide good thermal insulation and the bottom of the container has a castellated opening or recess into which the crown seal of a bottle can be inserted for facilitating removal of the crown seal of the bottle. Also disclosed is an injection molding die for forming a double walled container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,424 appears to disclose an insulated can holder defined by an outer shell of a moldable, resilient plastic material and an inner, removable insulating liner inside of the outer shell. The shell carries at least one flat, indicia bearing and integral portion whose interior surface bears against the insulating liner to thereby define a non-circular cross section of the holder and thereby increase the contact and friction between a can and the liner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,391 appears to disclose a one-piece plastic insulated beverage receptacle holder having longitudinal side panels, one of which is wider than the remainder and recessed to accommodate ad copy or the like.
While insulators and seal members for use in association with beverage containers are commercially available, problems associated with simplicity, portability, cost, and beverage temperature regulation remain problematic.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an insulating seal member for use in association with a plurality of beverage cups which remedies the detriments and/or complications associated with conventional seals, insulators and/or insulating configurations known in the art.
It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide an insulating seal member assembly in combination with a pair of cups which remedies the detriments and/or complications associated with conventional seals, insulators and/or insulating configurations known in the art.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims, and drawings.

Beverage cup insulating seal member and associated insulated beverage cup assembly


New lock modes are based on the concept of neighborhoods and are applied to spaces in indexes. The new lock modes include a Read, or shared, neighborhood (Snei) lock mode and a Write neighborhood (Xnei) that enhance concurrency among non-serializable transactions.

A database management system (DBMS) supports transactions to access data items stored in a database. Before actually accessing the items, a transaction acquires locks on the data items that it wishes to access. Typically, a read only or read/write access may be requested on the data item. Generally, this is termed as shared and exclusive access in the literature. Thus locks are requested in a pair <resource, lock mode>, where the lock mode indicates the kind of access the transaction needs on the resource. Typically these modes are denoted as S or X lock modes. If a transaction owns an X lock on a given resource, no other transaction can own any lock in any mode on that resource. This is generally known as a lock conflict. Thus X conflicts with all other modes, and S conflicts with X mode. However, S is compatible with another S mode lock on the resource.
In the interest of performance, often it is useful to define structure on data. For example, data in a typical database can be classified into tables and records in a table. An X lock on a table can be considered as an X lock on all rows in the table. This technique is termed as hierarchical locking. Only using X and S locks are inadequate in supporting hierarchical locking, and therefore a typical DBMS supports many more lock modes, to enhance transaction concurrency.
For example, most DBMSs use IS, S, IX, X, SIX and U lock modes for controlling concurrent accesses to data items. The IS mode refers to intention shared (obtained on the table), intention to take S locks on underlying rows. The IX mode refers to intention exclusive (obtained on the table), intention to take X locks on underlying rows. The S mode refers to shared, if obtained on the table, implies an S lock on all underlying rows. The SIX mode refers to shared intention exclusive, a combination of S and IX, obtained on the table. The U mode refers to update lock (can be obtained on the table), it means that a X lock may requested on the data item in the future.
Typically a database consists of isolated transactions. The degree of isolation may vary among transactions. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has defined various degrees of isolation from strict SERIALIZABLE to DIRTY READ. Existing lock modes may be sufficient to synchronize data access among serializable transactions. But, the lock modes described above are too restrictive in terms of avoidable conflicts as per the semantics of non-serializable transactions.

Neighboring locking technique for increasing concurrency among transactions


An electrical stimulation device is provided. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electrical stimulation device for applying an electrical stimulation to the skin of a user comprises: a patch layer, which is a single patch layer and makes contact with the skin of the user when the electrical stimulation device is worn by or attached to the user; and a plurality of patch segments formed to be spaced apart from each other on the patch layer and transmitting current to the patch layer.

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to an electrical stimulation device, and more particularly, relate to an electrical stimulation device for monitoring voltage or current supplied to a user if electrical stimulation is provided to the user using the electrical stimulation device.
It has been known that technology for brain electrical stimulation using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is effective to increase cognitive abilities and treat mental diseases such as depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Therefore, if the technology for brain electrical stimulation is used in everyday life, brain functions may be improved. Mental disorders may be cured by continuously stimulating or suppressing connections between nerves.
However, a conventional electrical stimulation device may only stimulate a head of a user based on voltage or current set for brain stimulation. It may fail to be prepared for a case where electrical stimulation progresses using voltage or current which is higher than set voltage or current since a problem is encountered in the electrical stimulation device. Therefore, if the user uses the conventional electrical stimulation device, there are fears that burns will occur on skin of the user due to unexpected high voltage or current.