An optical connection means is provided for connecting an optical docking station to an information handling system and to one or more peripheral devices. The optical connection means comprises two components that are not mechanically attached. The two components are a laptop component that is housed within the information handling system and within the one or more peripheral devices, and a docking station component housed within the optical docking station. The components send and receive information optically (i.e., in the form of light) to each other.

A docking station is a device that is used to connect a portable information handling system to peripheral devices. The peripheral devices include but are not limited to printers, external hard drives, alternate keyboards, video display means (i.e. monitors), and modems. In the typical docking station, the connection means between the portable information handling system and the peripherals is electrical.
The docking station itself is primarily a convenience tool because the peripherals are normally permanently connected to the docking station and the portable information handling system is then removably connected to the docking station. This arrangement avoids the need to plug in several peripherals by consolidating all the interfaces through one connector: the docking station. The docking station, as the single connection point between the portable information handling system and the peripherals, is often very large just to accommodate all the peripheral device types. The larger and more versatile the docking station becomes, the more difficult the connection becomes. The connector between the portable information handling system and the docking station is likely to be in the range of 150 to 300 pins wide. Such a sizable connection has become a problem with users of the portable information handling system for two reasons. One, the large connection requires considerable force to connect and disconnect from the docking station. Two, the connector can be easily damaged by misalignment and repeated use, thus damage to the connector frequently results and is serious because of the large number of pins involved. The connector is expensive to replace due to labor costs. Moreover, damage to the connector could require a replacement of the main electronics board of the laptop computer due to the difficulty of the repair of the connector. The connector itself also is expensive to replace.
In addition, the connector creates burdens in the design of small portable information handling systems. The connector requires that a large flat area be provided on the case of the portable information handling system to accommodate the connector. This impacts the design of the portable information handling system and conflicts with the rounded contours preferred by users of the portable information handling system. Typically each portable information handling system manufacturer designs its own docking station, and neither docking stations nor connectors are compatible with portable information handling systems made by different manufacturers.
Existing docking stations are simply a box with all the necessary connectors and one central connector that interfaces with the portable. The more costly docking stations also contain features for plugging in electronic circuit package cards for personalized expansion of the docking station and/or peripheral features beyond those offered by the portable information handling system itself. These more costly docking stations function by providing bus extension between the portable information handling system and the docking station. That is, the docking stations bring out the portable information handling system's bus via the large connector or provide access to the micro-channel interface. Even the more costly docking stations are still by definition "dumb" devices in that they do not contain any processing capability.


The method of operating a network includes receiving, by an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) proxy of the network, authentication information for user equipment from a first wireless access point, the AAA proxy being a proxy for an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server in a radiocommunication network, transmitting, by the AAA proxy, at least the received authentication information to the radiocommunication network, receiving, by the AAA proxy, first key information from the radiocommunication network, generating, by the AAA proxy, second key information based on the first key information and third key information based on the second key information, storing, by the AAA proxy, the first and second key information, and transmitting, by the AAA proxy, the third key information to the first wireless access point, the third key information allowing the user equipment access to a network via the first wireless access point.

1. Field
One or more example embodiments relate to a method of providing user equipment with access to a network and/or a network configured to provide access to the user equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile devices can connect to a wireless communication network through a plurality of base stations in a radiocommunication network or through wireless access points in a local area network. Typically, mobile devices access the wireless communication network through base stations while roaming. In dense urban areas, these base stations provide access to a large number of mobile devices and the mobile data traffic volume requires a significant amount of resources. Wireless access points can be used to assist in offloading the mobile data traffic volume. However, switching between a first wireless access point and a second wireless access point, with intermediate usage of the radiocommunication network, creates additional signaling during authentication. More efficient methods of accessing the wireless communication network and authenticating the mobile devices are desired.

Method of providing user equipment with access to a network and a network configured to provide access to the user equipment


Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for controlling a toolface of a downhole tool are described. The toolface of the downhole tool, and a toolface setpoint, are determined. Based on the toolface and the toolface setpoint, a toolface error is determined. Based on the toolface error, one or more drilling parameter setpoints are selected from among multiple drilling parameter setpoints. The selected one or more drilling parameter setpoints are adjusted. The adjusted one or more drilling parameter setpoints are inputted to one or more drilling controllers for controlling the toolface of the downhole tool.

During oil and gas drilling, a drill bit located at the end of a drill string is rotated into and through a formation to drill a wellbore. One form of drilling is directional drilling, in which the drill string has a slight bend near its distal end. During directional drilling, it is common practice to alternate between sliding and rotating. When sliding, the drill string is rotated to a particular orientation, and then drilling proceeds with the drill string maintained in this constant orientation, allowing the driller to alter the direction of the wellbore via the bend in the drill string. When rotating, the entire drill string is rotated, allowing the driller to drill forward in a straight line from the last slide. The driller alternates between rotating and sliding, to steer the wellbore as desired.
During the sliding portions of the drilling operation, the driller needs to ensure that the toolface (e.g. the orientation) of a mud motor/bent sub connected to the downhole tool is properly set, to point, using the bend in the mud motor, the drill bit in the desired direction.

Methods, systems and media for controlling a toolface of a downhole tool


A circuit arrangement for executing a reset, in which controlled resetting of a functional computer and a safety module takes place. A reset stage is able to coerce both the functional computer and the safety module into a reset state, while all output stages are switched off for all reset states. The functional computer and the safety module are connected by a serial interface to continually monitor each other and can mutually reset one another in the case of a fault.

Generic circuit arrangements are known. For example, computing units are used in electronic control units in motor vehicles to assume diverse control and/or monitoring functions for electronic and/or electrical equipment units of the motor vehicle. The electronic control unit has output stages which drive the equipment units. Because of the increased equipping of safety-relevant modules of the motor vehicle with electronic components driven via the electronic control unit, the importance of a coordinated reaction, particularly in case of a malfunction, is particularly great. In particular, in the case of a necessary resetting of the computing unit, a controlled re-enabling of the computing unit must take place.

Circuit arrangement for executing a reset


A substantially elongated absorbent article having a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, an absorbent member interposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, and a pair of hydrophobic areas along opposing longitudinal side portions of an upper surface of the absorbent article inwardly from longitudinal side edges of the absorbent article, the hydrophobic areas each having a continuous or discontinuous antileakage groove formed along a respective one of the longitudinal side portions, wherein a width of each of the antileakage grooves is from 0.1 mm to 20 mm, a ratio of a depth of each of the antileakage grooves with respect to a thickness of a portion of the absorbent article where no antileakage groove is formed is from 0.01 to 0.8, and the depth of each of the antileakage grooves is from 0.1 mm to 12 mm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin or an incontinent pad, and more particularly to an absorbent article which exhibits excellent antileakage properties and also provides excellent feeling during use.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin had problems such as (a) discharged body fluids flow on the surface of a topsheet without being absorbed by an absorbent member, (b) discharged body fluids ooze sideways in the absorbent article in the topsheet, and (c) body fluids once absorbed exude to the topsheet of the absorbent article and ooze sideways, thereby leaking from the side portions.
Thus, in order to overcome the above problems, (1) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 64-45801 and Japanese Patent Publication 57-45178 and (2) Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open 2-88625, etc. propose an absorbent article comprising a groove disposed in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article, whereas (3) Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open 3-33622 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 2-277453, etc. propose another absorbent article comprising antileakage walls on side edge portions of the absorbent article.
However, the absorbent articles according to (1), (2) and (3) above do not yet fully overcome the above problems.
In the absorbent articles according to the proposals provided in (1), (2) and (3) above, as long as the absorbent article is worn in an ideal state such that both the grooves and antileakage walls are maintained in the same stable configuration as before being worn, occurrence of side leakage of body fluids can be prevented to some extent by trapping the surface-flowing body fluids by the grooves and antileakage walls. However, with these absorbent articles the distance between the topsheet and the absorbent member must be small, and as a consequence the body fluids once absorbed are readily returned to the topsheet from the absorbent member. The result is that the body fluids which return to the topsheet unfavorably ooze out of the topsheet and leak therefrom.


A coke shield is mounted on a reactor cyclone outlet tube spaced above the roof of the cyclone body so as to protect a vent orifice between the cyclone roof and outlet tube from clogging with debris. The coke shield is also provided with a plurality of apertures to prevent any pressure unbalance in the system.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns means to define a low wear, clogging resistant vent orifice in cyclone apparatus.
2. The Prior Art
Copending patent application Ser. No. 07/811,729, filed Dec. 23, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,411, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference describes an apparatus for rapidly separating catalyst from a cracked hydrocarbon gas in a fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) unit. It also describes a process for withdrawing stripper gas from an FCC reactor vessel. A feature of the disclosed invention is the location of the vent orifice for reactor and stripper gasses in an annular space formed around the reactor cyclone outlet tube and the roof of the reactor cyclone. This location for the vent orifice has been shown to have a unique advantage over systems practiced by others in the operation and pressure balance of direct-connected cyclone systems.
In direct-connected cyclone systems the vent orifice can serve as an expansion connection between a first stage of a reactor cyclone and a second stage or upper cyclone. Therefore, freedom of movement between the reactor cyclone outlet tube and cyclone roof must be maintained. Sizing of the vent orifice and maintenance of the vent orifice clearance is critical to maintaining proper operation of the direct-connected cyclone during an extended run on an FCCU. The tolerances required to maintain the proper pressure may be susceptible to plugging by catalyst and/or coke as a result of its location on the cyclone roof. For example, in one known system, the width of the annular gap of the vent orifice is only about 20 mm.
The process of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) comprises mixing hot regenerated catalyst with a hydrocarbon feedstock in a transfer line riser reactor under catalytic cracking reaction conditions. The feedstock is cracked to yield gasoline boiling range hydrocarbon as well as degradation products, such as coke which deposits on the catalyst causing a reduction in catalytic activity. Hydrocarbon vapor and coked catalyst are passed from the top of the riser reactor directly to a separator vessel, typically a cyclone separator, wherein catalyst is separated from hydrocarbon. In the FCC art, the separator vessel is termed the reactor vessel. The separated catalyst is passed to a stripper wherein it is contacted with a stripping gas to remove volatile hydrocarbon. Stripped catalyst is then passed to a separate regeneration vessel wherein coke is removed from the catalyst by oxidation at a controlled rate. Catalyst, substantially freed of coke, is collected in a vertically oriented regenerated catalyst standpipe. The catalyst is passed from the standpipe to the riser reactor for cyclic reuse in the process.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,446 and 4,737,346 to J. H. Haddad et al teach a closed coupled cyclone separator system in the reactor vessel of a fluid catalytic cracking apparatus. Means is provided for blending stripping gas with cracked hydrocarbon as it flows to a directly coupled riser reactor cyclone separator. As show in FIG. 7 and 8, the riser reactor conduit is modified to comprise an overlapping downstream portion 118 to provide an annulus between the upstream portion 117 and the downstream portion 118. The annulus is covered by a flat metal ring having orifices 125 in open communication with the reactor vessel, enabling stripping gas to pass into the downstream conduit 118. A riser cyclone dipleg is sized, as seen in FIG. 5, to admit at least a portion of stripping gas from the stripping zone to pass countercurrent to catalyst passing downwardly through the dipleg.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,947 to Haddad et al discloses a closed cyclone fluid catalytic cracking catalyst separation method and apparatus. In the closed cyclone, hydrocarbon product and catalyst are passed directly into a cyclone separator from a riser without passing into the atmosphere of the reactor vessel. Avoiding the atmosphere of the reactor vessel reduces both excess catalytic cracking and high temperature thermal cracking.

Coke shield to protect vent orifice in fluid catalytic cracking direct-connected cyclone apparatus


Operations may include obtaining lists of inter-Network-Element connections (inter-NE connections) between connection points of different network elements included in a network and obtaining lists of internal connections of the network elements included in the list of inter-NE connections. The operations may also include generating, based on the lists of inter-NE connections and the lists of internal connections, a global list of connection points that correspond to the inter-NE connections and the internal connections. Moreover, the operations may include generating, based on the global list of connection points, a plurality of upstream connection chains and a plurality of downstream connection chains with respect to the internal connections. In addition, the operations may include generating a list of end-to-end circuits by combining the respective upstream connection chains and the respective downstream connection chains of each respective internal connection.

Optical networks are currently being migrated away from using time division multiplexing (TDM) technologies such as Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) to other technologies. For example, optical networks are being migrated to using wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technologies such as Optical Transport Networks (OTN).
The subject matter claimed in the present disclosure is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some embodiments described in the present disclosure may be practiced.


A sample-and-hold circuit is provided for a switched-mode power supply of the type having a transformer with a primary winding, an auxiliary winding and a secondary winding, with a switching transistor coupled in series with the primary winding and a sample-and-hold capacitor for storing a voltage proportional to an output voltage of the auxiliary winding and coupled to a controlled terminal of the switching transistor in a feedback loop which normally operates in a closed-loop mode for switchably regulating the power supply. To prevent the feedback loop from being driven to an open-loop or "stuck" mode of operation, a discharge capacitor is provided which is switchably coupled in parallel with the sample-and-hold capacitor to discharge excess voltage from the sample-and-hold capacitor and thereby restore the feedback loop to its normal closed-loop operating mode.

The invention is in the field of power supply regulation circuits, and relates more particularly to an improved sample-and-hold circuit for a switched-mode power supply.
Switched-mode power supplies are well known in the art, and are typically used to obtain good regulation (due to switched feedback) as well as efficient and economical filtering, since smaller-value filtering components can be used because of the typically high operating frequency of the switched-mode supply.
One technique used for obtaining good regulation in switched-mode power supplies is to employ a sample-and-hold circuit in a closed-loop feedback mode. One such circuit is disclosed in European Patent Application No. 97200855.1, filed on Mar. 21, 1997, corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/927,831 filed on Sep. 11, 1997 and to be incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It is noted that the foregoing is not deemed to be prior art, but is discussed herein as background in that the present invention provides an improvement thereover. In this sample-and-hold circuit, the voltage on a primary auxiliary winding, which is a representation of the output voltage, is sampled, and the sampled voltage is stored in an off-chip sample-and-hold capacitor. The sampled voltage is used to set the duty cycle of operation for a switching transistor coupled in series with a primary transformer winding by providing a pulse-width modulated signal to the switching transistor.
This type of sample-and-hold regulation scheme provides excellent regulation, but suffers from the serious drawback that at or above a certain voltage level on the capacitor, the duty cycle of the pulse-width-modulation signal can drop to zero and the system can go out of regulation, with the feedback loop open. Such a "stuck" state can occur, for example, if the output voltage of the system rises well beyond its nominal value, such as may occur at startup or during a voltage spike or fault condition.
Once such a condition occurs, the duty cycle of the pulse-width-modulation signal will be driven to zero and no switching regulation will occur. This "stuck" state will continue until the sample-and-hold capacitor discharges to a sufficiently low voltage such that the duty cycle of the pulse-width-modulation signal is greater than zero, whereupon the system will revert to its normal closed-loop feedback mode of operation. Thus, under certain conditions, the foregoing sample-and-hold regulation scheme may effectively become disabled for an indeterminate and possibly an unsatisfactorily long period of time.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a sample-and-hold circuit for a switched-mode power supply in which a "stuck" or open-loop mode of operation can be detected, and in which the normal closed-loop feedback mode of operation can be efficiently restored in a controlled and timely manner.

Sample-and-hold circuit for a switched-mode power supply

Philips Electronics North America Corporation


An imaging apparatus has an image carrier, an exposure unit to irradiate the image carrier; a developing part; a rotator on which a plurality of such developing parts is provided; a color toner replenishing part which moves from a retracted position where light emitted from the exposure unit is not obstructed, to a replenishing position where light emitted from the exposure unit is obstructed, and with which the color toner of the color developing part in the replenishing position is replenished; and a black toner replenishing part which is disposed in a position where light emitted from the exposure unit is not obstructed and with which the black toner is replenished to the black developing part in the replenishing position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an imaging apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that replenishes the toner of a developing unit.
2. Background Information
There are imaging apparatuses that are provided with a rotary developing unit in which a plurality of developing parts is disposed on the external periphery and in which the developing part for the toner color being developed is rotated to a developing position that faces an image carrier for each of the colors being developed, whereby the color is developed while the toner color is changed.
An imaging apparatus disclosed in JP (Kokai) 10-198149 includes such a rotary developing unit. The imaging apparatus is configured so that when the developing parts are in a developing position facing a photosensitive drum, the developing parts will be replenished with toner via a first toner replenishing pipe, and when the developing parts are in a position other than the developing position, the developing parts will be replenished with toner via a second toner replenishing pipe.
An imaging apparatus disclosed in JP (Kokai) 2001-134045 includes such a rotary developing unit in which a plurality of developing parts is disposed across the maximum width in the main scanning direction of an electrostatic latent image and which develop the electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum, wherein the developing part for a toner of the color being developed is rotated to a developing position that faces the photosensitive drum for each of the colors being developed. A cylindrical toner replenishing part having a plurality of toner replenishing openings to replenish the toner of the developing parts is disposed in a position where light emitted from an exposure unit is not obstructed by an end portion of the rotary developing unit. The opening to replenish the toner whose color corresponds to the developing part in the developing position is brought to an upper surface position, whereby the toner whose color corresponds to the developing part in the developing position is replenished from the toner replenishing part. Therefore, the toner can be replenished without the imaging process being interrupted.
An imaging apparatus disclosed in JP (Kokai) 9-185238 similarly includes a rotary developing unit. However, a cylindrical toner replenishing mechanism that stocks four colors of toner is provided to an end portion of the developing unit. The toner replenishing mechanism is similarly disposed in a position where light emitted from the exposure unit is not obstructed, and the toner can therefore be replenished without the imaging process being interrupted.
However, when the toner is replenished in the imaging apparatus disclosed in JP (Kokai) 10-198149, the toner replenishing pipe must be moved from a retracted position, where light emitted from the exposure unit is not obstructed, to a replenishing position that is separated from the retracted position, where light emitted from the exposure unit is obstructed; and the exposure is obstructed while the toner is being replenished. Therefore, a problem is presented in that the imaging process is interrupted each time the toner is replenished. In particular, monochromatic printing having high toner consumption is continuously performed, the number of times that the toner is replenished increases and the number of interruptions in the imaging process increases, which can create irritation on the part of the user.
In the imaging apparatus disclosed in JP (Kokai) 2001-134045, the toner replenishing parts are disposed in a position where light emitted from the exposure unit is not obstructed. The toner can therefore be replenished without the imaging process being interrupted. However, to adopt such a configuration, a long space must be provided in the direction of the rotational axis of the developing unit because the plurality of toner replenishing parts is disposed in a position where light emitted from the exposure unit is not obstructed, and a problem arises in that the size of the apparatus is increased.
In the imaging apparatus disclosed in JP (Kokai) 9-185238 as well, a large cylindrical space must be provided in order to install a toner cartridge in a position where light emitted from the exposure unit is not obstructed by the end portion of the developing unit, and a problem arises in that the size of the apparatus increases.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved imaging apparatus. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


The present invention relates to an improved micro drop culture dish which is comprised of a substantially flat bottom surface portion and a wall portion integrally secured thereto. The bottom surface portion and wall portion are constructed of a rigid, transparent material. A plurality of circular wells having open upper surfaces are embedded into the substantially flat bottom surface portion as integral, concave indentations. These wells may also be cylindrical in shape with one end integrally attached in a perpendicular manner to the bottom surface portion. The wells may be concentrically arranged in a six-around-one manner, or in a variety of other useful patterns. The bottom surface portion may have numerical or alphabetical markings which identify individual wells for tracking purposes. This micro drop culture dish may be fitted with a detachable cover which is about 8 mm deep and of a size and shape which would allow it to cooperatively and circumferentially attach to the wall portion of the dish. The cover may have a plurality of protrusions which allow for slow gas exchange.

The present invention pertains to a new device for in vitro gamete and embryo culture. The present invention is an improvement of existing gamete/embryo micro drop culture dishes, which finds particular utility by providing an innovative, cost-effective, customized means for accomplishing human assisted reproductive technology procedures, i.e., in vitro oocyte insemination and in vitro oocyte and embryo culture. This device may also be suitable for use in a variety of human and non-human embryo-related work, or in any situation that requires small volumes of medium for cell or tissue culture. In the field of culture dishes and appliances, existing devices are not specifically designed for these intended uses. There is therefore a need for a culture dish or appliance which provides small concentrically spaced wells within the confines of a larger vessel (or dish) which function to hold or maintain the integrity of small drops of fluid medium, while allowing maximal exposure to the surface area for the medium.
In a typical laboratory setting, conventional dishes used for micro drop embryo culture are planar or "flat bottomed," and of a standard 60 mm diameter. When used for gamete/embryo culture application, an aqueous medium is usually placed on the bottom of this standard dish in a series of drops, to which mineral oil or other non-aqueous fluid is added until it covers or overlays the drops. When these samples are equilibrated in an incubator, the non-aqueous overlay fluid protects the aqueous medium from potentially marked changes in pH level and temperature, but still allows for slow gas exchange, which is crucial to this process. The drops of sample material usually remain attached to the standard culture dish via surface tension. However, the drops may easily be dislodged during handling of the conventional dishes. As time passes, the drops may become increasingly easy to dislodge. Care must therefore be taken in order to prevent this dislodgement from occurring. Once dislodged, the drops may reattach, but may also move to and combine with existing drops. This corrupts the samples by changing the volume of the remaining drops, and hence the conditions that were originally established. Such an eventuality introduces variability into a procedure which demands predictability and consistency.
Other conventional culture dishes which are used in other applications utilize different methods for segregating a sample from a surrounding medium. For instance, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,930 issued to Saxholm utilizes cylindrical or rectangular supporting elements which constitute self-contained units that are separate from the culture dish. These supporting elements are inserted into an aqueous or gel-like medium so that they rest flush with the bottom of the dish, while their open upper ends extend beyond the surface of the medium. These supporting elements can be selectively inserted, removed or arranged in order to accomplish a desired application. However, the supporting elements suffer from an instability problem due to their unitary structure, which is solved by the Saxholm dish through the use of magnetic metal plates which are mounted to the underside of the supporting elements, and to the base of the dish itself, the mating of which causes the supporting elements to become attached to the dish itself.


A method and apparatus for generating real-time, symbolic descriptions for a navigational system is provided. The method may be employed within a variety of devices, including in-vehicle navigation systems, cellular telephones and PDAs. The method takes geographical coordinates corresponding to an oncoming maneuver, like a right-hand turn at a four-way intersection for example, and transforms them into a set of two-dimensional, planar coordinates. The method then maps these planar coordinates atop a pie-shaped, radial grid, and allocates points to subdivisions of the grid by counting the number of points that fall within the grid. The method then generates a symbolic description of the maneuver to be performed by drawing an arrow running from the beginning of the maneuver to the end of the maneuver atop a predetermined, generic description of the intersection. This real-time, graphical maneuver description is then displayed on a screen to a user. The use of the radial grid eliminates the need of performing complex, angular calculations with a local processor, and further eliminates the need of storing large image files in local memory.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to mobile navigational systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for displaying real-time graphical descriptions of navigational elements on a mobile computational device to assist a user in navigation.
2. Background Art
Navigational systems are becoming more and more popular. Gone are the days of traveling with only the guidance of the stars. Today's traveler has access to sophisticated navigational equipment to help them journey from point A to point B. These systems, be they mounted in a vehicle or simply in a handheld device, employ sophisticated electronics like global positioning system (GPS) sensors to tell travelers who are unfamiliar with the local geography not only exactly where they are, but also how to get from a starting point to a destination point. Additionally, some navigational systems are capable of providing a driver with a visual map.
Prior art navigational systems typically operate as follows: The navigational unit generally has an interactive visual screen or buttons that allows a driver to enter a desired destination location. The navigation unit then turns to a memory or CD drive that keeps map data. A local computer processor generates textual directions (e.g., "Drive for one mile and then turn right . . . ", etc.) based on the map data and desired destination, and displays these directions, in addition to present latitude and longitude coordinates, on the screen.
These "self-contained" navigational systems require large, expensive memories and processors having local map data and map generation capabilities. Such memories and processors are often prohibitively expensive. Another problem with these systems relates to their textual output. A driver who takes the time to read a statement like " . . . . Continue along Peachtree Street for 2.4 miles and then bear left onto Piedmont Road for 0.34 miles . . . " runs the risk of diverting attention from the road, thereby risking having an accident.
Two recent developments in the field of navigational devices attempt to address these issues. The first improvement is that of server-based, networked navigational units. A server-based navigation system typically downloads map information to a navigation unit by a wireless communication, thereby eliminating the need to store detailed map information locally.
The second is that of using pictures instead of textual direction statements. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,010, issued to Berstis for example, teaches using a photographic image taken by a digital camera to represent given locations, like intersections for instance. Rather than displaying several lines of text on a screen, a digital image, either locally stored or downloaded from a server, is displayed on a screen. The prior art suggests that by downloading photographic images, the problems of large local memories and textual readouts may be eliminated.
Problems still remain with these prior art systems, however. The first problem with a photo image, downloading system is that photographic image files are quite large in size. Consequently, the local unit must still be capable of storing multiple, large images to properly update the screen. Additionally, this large amount of downloaded information may conflict with available transmission bandwidth, thereby slowing down the delivery of critical information. (Who wants to miss a turn because the unit is trying to download a large image file?) Finally, such systems still require excessive computations to be done by the navigation unit, increasing the complexity and cost of the navigation unit.
There is a need to reduce the computation complexity in a navigation unit. Reducing the computational complexity of the navigation unit reduces the cost of electronics required to perform vehicle navigation. Additionally, there is a need to decrease or minimize the amount of data transmitted to a navigation unit. Decreasing or minimizing the amount of data transmitted to the navigation unit allows the unit to respond quicker and reduces data usage and cost for the wireless communications. There is thus a need for an improved method and apparatus for generating real-time, graphical descriptions of navigational elements to aid a user in reading information from a navigational unit.

Method and apparatus for generation of real-time graphical descriptions in navigational systems


The present invention provides a method of treating a macrophage related disease comprising administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of an oxidative agent or an immunosuppressive agent. The present invention also provides a method of modulating macrophage accumulation or activation comprising administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of an oxidative agent or an immunosuppressive agent. The oxidative agent can be chlorite or a chlorite containing compound.

Macrophages are white blood cells produced by the division of monocytes. Monocytes and macrophages are phagocytes, and play a role in innate immunity (non-specific immune defenses) as well as helping to initiate adaptive immunity (specific defense mechanisms). These cells phagocytose (engulf and then digest) cellular debris and pathogens either as stationary or as mobile cells. When activated by pathogens or by other mechanisms, macrophages stimulate and recruit lymphocytes and other immune cells to respond to the insult.
Although macrophages play a vital role in host immune defenses, activated macrophages are also involved in the progression of a number of diseases and disorders. Activated macrophages elicit massive leukocyte infiltration and flood the surrounding tissue with inflammatory mediators, pro-apoptotic factors, and matrix degrading proteases. These actions can result in inflammation that can dismantle tissues to the point of inflicting serious injury. Tissue destruction perpetrated by macrophage-induced inflammation has been associated with the development of tumors, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions.
Oxidative agents such as chlorite can return macrophages to their inactivated state. Immunosuppressant agents can mitigate macrophage activation. The present invention provides methods for the treatment of macrophage-related diseases and related conditions with oxidative agents or immunosuppressant agents.

Treatment of macrophage-related disorders

The Regents of the Univerity of California


A method for visualizing a financial relationship on a document involves displaying a first financial component and a second financial component, where the second financial component and the first financial component are related based on a predetermined relationship, generating a visualization associated with the predetermined relationship between the first financial component and the second financial component, and displaying the visualization on the document, where the visualization signifies the predetermined relationship between the first financial component and the second financial component.

Every year millions of financial documents are created for various purposes. The purpose of a financial document (i.e., any document that is related directly or indirectly to financial transactions) is usually to inform a reader about any financial matter relevant to the reader. Examples of financial documents include, but are not limited to, financial reports, budgets, tax reports, bank statements, credit card bills, policy reports, statistical reports, invoices, traffic tickets, inspection reports, appraisal reports, environmental reports, annual business reports, scientific reports, recommendation reports, and/or other types of reports.
Financial documents may include a multitude of components to help express the financial impact of a transaction, such as charts, tables, figures, pictures, fields, summaries, references, footnotes, and abstracts. Different components within a document are often related to each other and/or multiple other components.
For example, an invoice for computer repair includes a total amount owed, which is related to the cost of all the replacement parts used in the computer and the cost of labor for a technician to fix the computer. Certain times, a multitude of charges may not be included in the total amount owed such as when the charge is covered under warranty for the computer repair, waived, or part of a promotion.
In a second example, a budget sheet includes various expenses. Some of the expenses are associated with a project name while other expenses listed on the same budget sheet are associated with other project names or possibly no project names.
To determine how various components found on a financial document are related, a reader must review all the components (e.g., costs, expenses, total, project name, etc.) displayed in the document (e.g., invoice, budget sheet) and analyze each component based on information that may or may not be in the document to determine and understand the relationship to other components.


A method of manufacture of a multilayer ceramic shell mould whereof at least one contact layer out of a wax master pattern or a part to be manufactured, or other similar material, includes a step of preparing a first slip containing ceramic particles and a binder; a step of dipping the master pattern in a first slip; a step of forming the contact layer, and a step of depositing sand particles particles onto the layer and drying the contact layer. The ceramic particles of the slip are mullite particles and the slip includes a texturing agent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacture of parts such as complex geometry metals vanes and shrouds according to the technique known as lost wax moulding.
2. Discussion of the Background
For the manufacture of vanes and shrouds for turbojet engines, such as rotor or stator parts, or structural parts according to this technique, a master pattern is prepared first of all, using wax or any other similar material easily disposable at a later stage. If necessary, several master patterns are gathered into a cluster. A ceramic mould is prepared around this master pattern by dipping in a first slip to form a first layer of material in contact with the surface thereof. The surface of said layer is reinforced by sanding, for easier bonding of the following layer, and the whole is dried, which compose respectively the stuccowork and drying operations. The dipping operation is then repeated in slips of possibly different compositions, an operation always associated with the successive stuccowork and drying operations. A ceramic shell formed of a plurality of layers is then provided. The slips are composed of particles of ceramic materials, notably flour, such as alumina, mullite, zircon or other, with a colloidal mineral binder and admixtures, if necessary, according to the rheology requested. These admixtures enable to control and to stabilise the characteristics of the different types of layers, while breaking free from the different physical-chemical characteristics of the raw materials forming the slips. They may be a wetting agent, a liquefier or a texturing agent relative, for the latter, to the thickness requested for the deposit.
The shell mould is then dewaxed, which is an operation thereby the material forming the original master pattern is disposed of. After disposing of the master pattern, a ceramic mould is obtained whereof the cavity reproduces all the details of the master pattern. The mould is then subjected to high temperature thermal treatment or "baked", which confers the necessary mechanical properties thereto. The shell mould is thus ready for the manufacture of the metal part by casting.
After checking the shell mould for internal and external integrity, the following stage consists in casting a molten metal into the cavity of the mould, then in solidifying said metal therein. In the field of lost wax moulding, several solidification techniques are distinguished currently, hence several casting techniques, according to the nature of the alloy and to the expected properties of the part resulting from the casting operation. It may be a columnar structure oriented solidification (DS), a mono-crystalline structure oriented solidification (SX) or an equiaxed solidification (EX) respectively. Both first families of parts relate to superalloys for parts subjected to high loads, thermal as well as mechanical in the turbojet engine, such as HP turbine vanes.
After casting the alloy, the shell is broken by a shaking-out operation, the manufacture of the metal part is finished.
During the moulding stage, several types of shells may be used via several methods. Each shell should possess specific properties enabling the type of solidification desired.
For example, for equiaxed solidification, several different methods may be implemented one using an ethylsilicate-based binder, another using a colloidal silica-based binder. For oriented solidification, the shells may be realised out of different batches, silica-alumina, silica-zircon or silica based batches.
The first layer for each of these shells plays an essential part. It forms the interface between the shell mould and the cast alloy. It should, in the case of columnar or mono-crystalline structure oriented solidification, be non-reactive with the cast alloy. In the case of equiaxed solidification, it should enable equiaxed germination of the grains. Besides, the integrity of this contact layer determines the final quality of the cast part, in terms of surface condition in particular.
The first layer should indeed meet certain requirements in order to avoid defects such as loss of ceramic cohesion and surface defects.
Loss of contact layer cohesion before or during the casting, may generate detrimental marks on the parts.
Surface defects result from excessive microporosity of the contact layer which generates surpluses forming bulges on the parts.
Major surface defects often result from a surface capillary phenomenon at the interface between the wax master pattern and the first layer. After dipping the first layer, during sprinkling, the grits will form stacks, which exhibit numerous capillaries. Each one acts as a suction cup which causes a depression. The smaller the capillary, the greater the depression. This corresponds to insufficient thickness of the first layer. Depression promotes capillary rising of the slip towards the plaster and so, until the liquid column thus formed restores the differential pressure. This is followed by the formation of a recessed zone with a cavity leading to the formation of surface defects. This phenomenon is worsened by too thin a first layer.
Both these types of defect, major defects in foundry, are associated with contact layer intrinsic antagonistic characteristics. Indeed, to avoid loss of ceramic cohesion, the purpose is to obtain thin and even deposit of the first layer, whereas to avoid surface defects, the deposit of the first layer should be even, but thick.
The properties of the contact layer should therefore enable to find a compromise between said antagonistic characteristics, in order to break free from all defects on the parts.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Lost wax moulding method with contact layer


A semiconductor device may include a substrate having a cell active region. A cell gate electrode may be formed in the cell active region. A cell gate capping layer may be formed on the cell gate electrode. At least two cell epitaxial layers may be formed on the cell active region. One of the at least two cell epitaxial layers may extend to one end of the cell gate capping layer and another one of the at least two cell epitaxial layers may extend to an opposite end of the cell gate capping layer. Cell impurity regions may be disposed in the cell active region. The cell impurity regions may correspond to a respective one of the at least two cell epitaxial layers.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same, for example, a semiconductor device having a buried gate electrode and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of Related Art
As integration density of a semiconductor memory device, for example, a DRAM device, may become increased, an area occupied by a planar type MOS transistor may become gradually reduced. As a result, a length of a channel of the planar type MOS transistor may be reduced, so as to cause a short channel effect. For example, if the short channel effect occurs in a planar type access MOS transistor employed in a planar type memory cell of a DRAM device, a threshold voltage of the planar type access MOS transistor may be reduced and a leakage current may be increased, thereby deteriorating refresh characteristics of the memory cell in DRAM device.
A recess gate MOS transistor has been proposed that may increase the length of the channel relative to the planar type MOS transistor to suppress problems associated with the short channel effect, and which may increase the integration density of the DRAM device. The recess gate MOS transistor may include a recess formed in an active region of a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode formed in the recess, and source/drain regions spaced apart by the recess and formed in the active region at both sides of the gate electrode.
However, although the recess gate MOS transistor may be employed in a DRAM device, there may be a limitation in increasing the integration density of the DRAM device due to difficulty in estimating relative locations of neighboring structures with respect to the recess gate MOS transistor in the memory cell of the DRAM cell. For example, neighboring structures may be a bit line, contacts adjacent to the recess gate MOS transistor, or a capacitor. At the present time, a recess gate MOS transistor may be formed on a smaller area in the memory cell so that sufficient space may remain in the memory cell to form neighboring structures, thereby protecting against an electrical short between the neighboring structures and the recess gate MOS transistor.

DRAM device with cell epitaxial layers partially overlap buried cell gate electrode


Techniques are provided for software license optimization using machine learning-based user clustering. One method comprises obtaining key performance indicators indicating individual usage by a plurality of users of a software product; applying at least one function to the key performance indicators to obtain a plurality of time dependent features; processing the time dependent features using a machine learning model to cluster the users into a plurality of persona clusters; and determining a number of each available license type for the software product for the plurality of users based on the persona clusters. The key performance indicators comprise, for example, user behavioral data with respect to usage of the software product and/or performance data with respect to usage of the software product. One or more policies can be determined for managing an allocation of the available license types for the software product to the plurality of users.

Many software products, such as the Matlab® computing environment and programming language, commercially available from The MathWorks, Inc., use a hybrid license model where you can buy a first type of license, often referred to as a standalone software license, for a single user at one price, or a second type of license for multiple users (but typically only a single user at one time), often referred to as a floating or a flexible software license, typically at a significantly higher cost. It is often challenging for an organization to determine an appropriate number of licenses to acquire of each license type in order to maximize productivity with respect to the particular software product, while also minimizing costs. Determining the appropriate number of each license type is often based on the amount of time that each user spends using the software, among other behavioral measures. If a particular user uses the software more than 20% of his or her work hours, for example, then a standalone software license may be best.
Among other challenges, it is often difficult to determine when the license is in use, as users may remain logged into the software product without actually using the software. A need therefore exists for techniques for evaluating software license usage that generate reliable estimations regarding the needed number of each license type.

Dynamic optimization of software license allocation using machine learning-based user clustering


It has been discovered that a mechanical flotation system (10) having only two cells (18, 20) can be nearly as efficient as one having more cells, yet provide an apparatus with a considerably smaller footprint, significantly reduced capital and operating costs, as well as be resistant to floating oil recovery platform wave effects. The dual-cell mechanical flotation system (10) has, in sequential order, an inlet chamber (16) and two gasification chambers or cells (18, 20), each with at least one gas ingestion and mixing mechanism (32), and a discharge chamber (24). A common primary skim collection channel (40) atop the partition (44) dividing the gasification chambers (18, 20) efficiently channels away the bulk of the floating collected matter. At least one baffle (60) depending from the top of the vessel (12) near the primary skim collection channel (40) helps dampen the action of the fluid containing the suspended matter when the vessel (12) is affected by wave motion against the floating oil production platform. The liquid or froth levels (50, 66, and 76) can be intermittently raised for collection or otherwise lowered during periods of excessive turbulence (e.g. pitch or roll) to prevent clarified liquid from being collected with suspended matter.

In many industries, including oil, paper and pulp, textile, electricity generating and food processing, there is an ever-present problem of contaminated water as a by-product of various processes. In particular, water is often used to aid in the production of oil and gas on offshore platforms. This water is usually pumped into a formation in order to be able to pump oil out. As a result, the water becomes contaminated with oil and solids encountered in the formation, and therefore cannot be disposed of simply by dumping it into the surrounding water. Accordingly, numerous methods and systems have been devised to reduce the contaminant content of this water to a level that allows discharge of the water into the sea.
One such system, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,262, comprises a device that mixes and disperses gas in the form of fine bubbles in liquid in a tank in an attempt to remove contaminants from the liquid flowing through the tank The gas is induced from the upper section of the tank downward into the liquid in the tank via a draft tube. The gas induction occurs as a portion of the liquid contained in the vessel is recirculated back through the individual cells or compartments using a centrifugal pump. The apparatus uses an electrically-driven mechanical skimmer assembly, which serves to remove contaminant-laden froth that accumulates above the liquid level section of the tank. The tank is rectangular-shaped.
The above-mentioned device suffers from various drawbacks. The skimmers are moderate- to high-maintenance items, particularly when used in corrosive environments such as may be encountered in the oil-producing and chemical industries. Also the rectangular tanks, by virtue of their construction, cannot withstand pressures in excess of 2 oz. per square inch (0.8 kPa) internal. This is particularly disadvantageous especially where system pressures upstream of the oil/water separator are prevalent or where noxious or lethal gases such as hydrogen sulfide are present. Furthermore, the rectangular tanks having the skimmers are limited in volumetric capacity because full utilization of the tank is not allowed. In addition, although these tanks are described as "gas tight", gas pressures are maintained by continuously venting to the atmosphere, which is a potentially dangerous practice if lethal or flammable gases are present.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,457, discloses another system for separating suspended matter from fluid. The device comprises a cylindrical tank having an inlet chamber, a plurality of gasification chambers, and a quiescent outlet chamber. A skim trough is disposed near the top of the tank, and extends the length of the gasification chambers into the outlet chamber. Vertical baffles that separate the individual chambers extend downwardly and are spaced from the bottom of the tank, allowing fluid to flow along the bottom of the tank from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber. Each gasification chamber is equipped with an eductor nozzle assembly positioned centrally in the lower portion thereof. The nozzle assembly provides for recirculation of fluid pumped from the outlet chamber.
In operation, fluid enters the tank through the inlet chamber, passes successively through each of the gasification chambers, and into the outlet chamber, where a portion of the fluid is drawn off to be recirculated through the eductor nozzles. The balance of the processed fluid exits the outlet chamber for further treatment, discharge or storage, depending upon the application. The recirculated fluid is pumped through the nozzle assembly, each nozzle being fed by a common header supplied by a recirculation pump, and each nozzle being positioned co-centrically in an eductor throat assembly. Each eductor throat assembly is connected to a gas header, supplied by a gas volume in the upper portion of the tank common to the aeration chambers and the outlet chamber. The passage of the fluid at high velocity through the nozzles educts gas into the gasification chambers and the gas rises in the fluid in the form of small bubbles. The gas bubbles collect oil and/or suspended solid contaminants as they rise, forming a contaminant-laden froth at the top of the gasification chambers.
While this device presents definite advantages over that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,262, such as the elimination of the mechanical skimmer and problems associated therewith, the ability to operate at higher internal pressure, and better utilization of available tank volume, it suffers from some disadvantages. For example, flow out of the tank must be interrupted in order to remove the contaminant-laden froth from the tank. This can be disadvantageous when a continuous flow of fluid is desirable. Also, the skim trough extends through the gasification chambers into the outlet chamber, which permits froth to spill into the quiescent outlet chamber and contaminate the effluent. Furthermore, there is no means for removing contaminants that may accumulate at the top of the inlet chamber, and no means for venting gas, which may have been entrained in the influent, which accumulates in the inlet chamber. In addition, there is no means for retaining gas in the vessel when the skim outlet valve is opened, creating a potentially dangerous situation if noxious, lethal or flammable gases are present in the tank.
Another problem that is often encountered with the baffles terminating a distance above the tank bottom is that some portion of influent tends to pass under the baffles without being directed to a high turbulence area and contacted by gas bubbles.
Additionally, the velocity of flow in the degasification chamber is relatively high, which leads to insufficient final oil/water separation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,789 relates to an induced static flotation (ISF) cell having an inlet chamber, a plurality of gasification chambers, and an outlet chamber. Contaminated liquid enters the inlet chamber, passes through the gasification chambers, and exits through the outlet chamber. Gas bubbles are introduced into the bottom of each gasification chamber and attract suspended contaminants and/or oil as they rise. A contaminantladen froth forms at the top of the cell, and is removed via a first skim trough in the outlet chamber. A liquid level displacement controller maintains the level of fluid in the gasification chambers adjacent and below the top of the first skim trough, the second skim trough being vertically adjustable to account for the difference in specific gravity between the liquid in the outlet chamber and the gasification chambers. A timer pulsing device raises the level periodically to provide additional skimming. Gas is recirculated from the top of the cell for introduction into the bottom of the gasification chambers.
Secondary baffles in the gasification chambers prevent a bypass by the liquid and gas of the turbulent area created by the gas flow above the eductor assemblies that deliver the gas into gasification chambers. By using a pair of baffles in the outlet chamber, the fluid retention time is increased to further improve the liquid/contaminants separation.
An invention related to an apparatus for the removal of suspended matter from a liquid, such as used for treatment of oil-containing water is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,903. A cylindrical, horizontal vessel is divided into a single gasification chamber by a partition that extends through the interior chamber of the vessel and allows fluid communication between the two chambers. A liquid to be treated is introduced through distribution header(s) adjacent a bottom of the vessel and/or an alternative inlet nozzle which is combined with a gas eductor in order to achieve a more intimate mixture of the gas and liquid. The gas eductor has its outlet slightly above the outlet of the distribution headers. The released gas bubbles carry oil and suspended matter towards the upper portion of the vessel, from which the froth is collected through a primary skim collection trough which extends through the gasification chamber and from a vertically adjustable (based on specific gravity) secondary skim collection funnel in the degasification chamber. Skim collection is accomplished through control of the liquid level in the vessel.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,011,597 and 5,080,780 also relate to an apparatus for removing suspended matter from liquid The apparatus has a single cell vertical cylindrical hydraulic flotation vessel that is provided with a separation wall to separate a lower gasification chamber from a middle degasification chamber and an upper gas chamber. A number of alternative arrangements are provided for controlling skim collection through controlling volume of liquid within the vessel and changing the volume of liquid through the use of an adjustable timer which intermittently sends signals to outlet valves of the skim collection outlet or of the treated liquid outlet. The apparatus provides for an alternative arrangement of introducing liquid into the vessel, so as to achieve more intimate mixing of gas and liquid introduced into the vessel.
It would be desirable if an apparatus could be devised to overcome some of the problems in the conventional systems for removing suspended matter from a liquid, particularly in systems used on floating offshore hydrocarbon recovery platforms where the action of the waves upon the apparatus tends to cause the suspended matter to contaminate the recovered water.

Dual-cell mechanical flotation system with intermittent skimming


An optical fiber manifold is provided for coupling light from an illumination source to a plurality of spaced, large diameter output fibers, or "light pipes", which are used for a variety of purposes, such as illuminating pools, spas, hazardous material zones, jail cells, and other applications where direct lighting is dangerous, difficult to maintain, or subject to vandalism. The manifold employs an illumination reflector(s) which has been customized to maximize the efficiency of light transmission between the illumination source, such as an arc lamp, and the cores of the plurality of output fibers. A method of fabricating the customized illumination reflector includes mapping the radiation patterns of the particular illumination source to be utilized, creating a database of those radiation patterns, and utilizing the database to generate an optimal illumination reflector configuration. The computer-generated reflector will virtually always be a non-conic section, because the illumination source is not ideal.

Large diameter fiber optics, often referred to as "flexible light pipes", are well known in the art, and typically comprise a single, solid core fiber which is surrounded by a cladding layer and a sheath or shielding layer. The core is the portion of a light pipe which transmits light, and typically has a diameter of about 2 to 12 mm. It is formed of a very soft, semi-liquid plastic material, such as OPTIFLEX.RTM., which is manufactured by Rohm & Haas Corporation, of Philadelphia, Pa. The cladding layer typically comprises polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or TEFLON.RTM.), or the like, while the outer sheath is fabricated of a material such as polyvinylchloride (PVC). Unlike small diameter optical fibers, which are typically used to transmit information in relatively complex control systems, these large diameter "light pipes" are typically employed in a variety of illumination systems where direct lighting is difficult to maintain, dangerous, or subject to vandalism. Examples include architectural lighting, display cases, pools and spas (to eliminate electrical connections near water), hazardous material zones (to eliminate the need for sealed lighting), or jail cells. They are particularly advantageous in that only a single centralized illumination system must be maintained, rather than a plurality of individual lights.
There are problems, however, in implementing such light pipe illumination systems because of the difficulty of illuminating a plurality of light pipes from a single illumination source. In order to maximize efficiency, the optical fibers must be bundled as closely as possible, to ensure the maximum ratio of core area (the part of each light pipe which actually transmits light) to total area. However, bundling the large diameter light pipes together in order to illuminate them from the single illumination source is difficult to do efficiently. Each of the individual light pipes are round and thus have a great deal of space between them due to the cladding and shielding layers. This problem is illustrated in prior art FIG. 1, wherein a bundle 2 of large diameter optical fibers or light pipes 4 is shown. Each optical fiber 4 comprises a core 6, a cladding layer 7, and a shielding layer or sheath 8, as described above. To obtain maximum efficiency, it is desirable to illuminate only the core 6 of each of the bundled optical fibers 4. Necessarily, if the light from the source of illumination is spread across the array of optical fibers, it will illuminate not only the cores 6 of the optical fibers 4, but also the cladding layers 7 and the shielding layers 8.
Furthermore, the voids 9 between the optical fibers, which are inevitable because of the fibers' round dimensions, also are impacted by the light from the illumination source. All of the light falling upon any element other than the cores 6 is wasted, and becomes an efficiency loss, since it will not be transmitted by the fibers. Additionally, packing the fibers so closely together creates problems such as mechanical difficulties in configuring and accommodating the illumination system and difficulties encountered in attempting to replace one of the individual bundled fibers. This design also typically results in color variation between fibers unless techniques are specifically employed to prevent this problem.
One prior art solution, variations of which have been disclosed in parent application U.S. Ser. No. 08/374,163, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,911, U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,571 to Saadatmanesh et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,793 to Davenport et al., for example, is to illuminate only the core of each output fiber, rather than illuminating the entire optical fiber bundle. Such an approach is advantageous, for example, because by preventing the incidence of light on other optical fiber elements, such as the shielding or cladding layers, as well as voids between fibers, the efficiency and light output of the illumination system is greatly increased. Also, because the whole image of the arc of the lamp is received by each individual fiber, rather than collectively on a bundle of fibers so that each fiber receives a different part of the arc, color variation between fibers is eliminated. Furthermore, using such a concept, it is possible to space the optical fibers, rather than bundling them, which multiplies their versatility in various applications.
One disadvantage of these recent systems, however, is their use of illumination reflectors to transmit light between the source of illumination and the output optical fibers which are based upon classic conic sections; i.e. elliptical or parabolic reflectors. Such reflectors are best for "ideal" light sources; i.e. "point" sources, but for "real world" light sources, light transmission efficiency is reduced.

Optical coupler and method utilizing optimal illumination reflector


Disclosed herein is a phase change memory semiconductor integrated circuit device using a chalcogenide film that solves a problem that the operation temperature capable of ensuring long time memory retention is low due to low phase change temperature is and, at the same time, a problem that power consumption of the device is high since a large current requires to rewrite memory information due to low resistance. A portion of constituent elements for a chalcogenide comprises nitride, oxide or carbide which are formed to the boundary between the chalcogenide film and a metal plug as an underlying electrode and to the grain boundary of chalcogenide crystals thereby increasing the phase change temperature and high Joule heat can be generated even by a small current by increasing the resistance of the film.

The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor integrated circuit device and a manufacturing technique thereof and, more specifically, it relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device including a structural portion formed by stacking a chalcogenide film on a conductive plug, as well as a technique which is effectively applied to the manufacture thereof.
Semiconductor memories include a volatile DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and a non-volatile memory semiconductor integrated circuit device such as a flash memory. An increase in the integration degree for each of the memories requires miniaturization of a memory device (cell) and the technology node (technical generation of design dimension) is going to reach the order of 0.2 to 0.1 μm. Then, along with the increased miniaturization, the amount of storage that can be retained in the cell, for example, the amount of charges accumulated in a DRAM capacitor cell is abruptly decreased. Therefore, the intensity of taken out signals is lowered making it difficult to judge the memory state between 1 and 0. As a countermeasure, technical development has been conducted, for example complication of the cell capacitor structure (provision of unevenness or the like) or tantalum oxide having high dielectric constant and put to practical use. However, the technology node for the next generation has come to a limit only by the complication of the cell or application of high dielectric film along with miniaturization. In the flash memory as the non-volatile memory, since the structure is simple, the cell structure is not so complicated as in the DRAM. However, the film thickness of the tunnel insulative film for retaining charges has been reduced to several nanometer along with miniaturization and control of the film property has resulted in a significant subject. Further, the flash memory has a drawback in that the rewriting rate of storage is lower compared with the DRAM. Under the technical background described above, there has been an increasing expectation for a semiconductor integrated circuit device mounting a new memory that is non-volatile and has a simple structure.
As a new memory semiconductor integrated circuit device capable of satisfying such a demand, development has been progressed for the technique of a semiconductor integrated circuit device using, as a memory device, a chalcogenide film (film comprising an element belonging to group VIb such as tellurium as a main ingredient) used in a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) as an optical writing recording medium. The memory device provides memory information by utilizing a difference in the resistance by from 1 to 3 digits between the amorphous state and the crystalline state of the film. Unlike the DVD, in the memory device, the film is made crystalline or amorphous by utilizing the Joule heat generated by a pulse current. Since the phase change as described above is utilized, it is referred to as a phase change memory. It can be said that the memory is now under the process of technical development, and an alloy film of germanium (Ge), antimony (Sb) and tellurium (Te) is used as the chalcogenide material (hereinafter the alloy film is referred to as GST film). Such a phase change memory is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,758 (Patent Document 1), Stefan Lai, et al. "IEEE IEDM Tech. Dig.", p. 803-806, 2001 (Non-Patent Document 1), or Y. C. Chen, et al. "Proc. IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference" 2003, p. 395-398 (Non-Patent Document 2).
For the manufacture of chalcogenide, examples of the flow rate ratio of nitrogen added to the argon gas are disclosed, for example, in the following documents.
R. Kojima et al, "Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.", Vol. 37, pp. 2098-2103, 1998 (Non-Patent Document 4) discloses that the addition flow rate ratio of nitrogen added to the argon gas is about 30% to 40%. In T. H. Jeong et al, "Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.", Vol. 39, pp. 2775-2779, 2000 (Non-Patent Document 5) discloses the same extent of the addition flow rate ratio of nitrogen added to the argon gas. Further, A. Ebina et al, Vac. Sci. Technol. A", Vol. 17, pp. 3463-3466, 1999 (Non-Patent Document 6) discloses that oxygen is added and the flow rate ratio of the addition gas is about 5% to 10% (Non-Patent Document 6).

Semiconductor integrated circuit device and method of manufacturing the same


The present invention provides a line pipe of, e.g., the API standard X60 to X100 class. The line pipe has an excellent deformability, as well as excellent low temperature toughness and high productivity, a steel plate used as the material of the steel pipe. Methods for producing the steel pipe and the steel plate are also provided. In particular, a high-strength steel plate excellent in the deformability has a ferrite phase is dispersed finely, and accounts for 5% to 40% in area percentage in a low temperature transformation structure mainly composed of a bainite phase. For example, most grain sizes of the ferrite phase are smaller than the average grain size of the bainite phase. A high-strength steel pipe excellent in deformability is also provided, in which a large diameter steel pipe is produced through forming the steel plate into a pipe shape. The steel pipe has the above-referenced structure, and satisfies the conditions that YS/TS is 0.95 or less and YS×uEL is 5,000 or more. Methods for producing such steel plate and steel pipe are also provided.

The importance of pipelines as a way of a long-distance transportation of crude oil and natural gas has increased. However, as the environment in which pipelines are constructed has diversified, problems have arisen in relation to the displacement and bending of pipelines in frozen soil regions caused by seasonal fluctuation of a ground level, the bending of pipelines laid on sea bottoms caused by water current, the displacement of pipelines caused by seismic ground movement, etc. As a consequence, a steel pipe that is excellent in the deformability, and not susceptible to buckling and the like in the case of deformation, has been desired. A large uniform elongation and a large work hardening coefficient are generally regarded as indices of good deformability.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. S63-286517 entitled "Method for Producing Low-yield-ratio, High-tensile Steel" and Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-279700 entitled "Steel Pipe Excellent in Buckling Resistance and Method for Producing the Same", the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, certain methods have been described for lowering a yield ratio (e.g., raising a work hardening coefficient) by rolling and then cooling (in air to the Ar3 transformation temperature or below) to form ferrite, and then performing rapid cooling to form a dual-phase structure. The proposed methods may, however, be unsuitable for a line pipe material of which good low temperature toughness is preferred if not required. Such method may present another problem of low productivity when the process of cooling in air is included. In view of such problem, a line pipe having a good deformability (a large uniform elongation), with high productivity to allow use for long-distance pipelines and low temperature toughness to allow use in cold regions not impaired, has been sought.

High-strength steel sheet and high-strength steel pipe excellent in deformability and method for producing the same


In a mail gateway, a collection part collects, for each specific information contained in a mail entered into a resending queue, statistical information of the specific information. A provisional queue creation part creates a provisional queue based on the collected number of the statistical information. The provisional queue handles a mail which has a possibility of causing congestion. This can prevent a normal queue from entering into a congestion state. Also in the mail gateway, if the congestion state is brought about in the provisional queue which performs a send of a mail containing the specific information, a mail sort part restricts an entry of a mail into the provisional queue. This can limit an influence of the congestion state only to the provisional queue.

The disclosed subject matter relates to a technique of delivering a mail.
A mail gateway has been more and more introduced into a mail system in recent years. The mail gateway has a function of receiving a mail, performing a prescribed processing to the received mail, and sending (relaying) the mail to a mail server as a destination. In this specification, a mail means information containing a message made up of a character, a graph, an image, a sound, a moving image, or the like which is sent or received to and from a personal computer, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistance, and the like, using, for example, a protocol for an email or a protocol for a mail used in a short message service or a multimedia messaging service.
In a mail system of a mobile communications carrier which provides data communication service for mobile phones or personal digital assistances, for example, a mail gateway converts a character code contained in a mail, an image attached thereto, or the like, and transmits the mail subjected to the conversion to a mail server as a destination. Further, in a mail system of a university or a business enterprise, a mail gateway is installed such that all transmitted and received mails pass through the mail gateway, to thereby perform filtering of spam mails or the like in order to improve security of a mail server.
Next is described a specific example of a processing performed by a mail gateway, assuming a case where a mail gateway in a mail system of a mobile communications carrier relays a mail.
The mail gateway receives a mail from a mobile phone as a sender, stores information on the received mail in a queue, and returns normal response information indicating that the mail has been successfully received, to the sender mobile phone. The mail gateway then relays the received mail to a mail transfer server (MTA: Message Transfer Agent) as a destination. If the relay has been successfully performed, the mail gateway deletes the information on the mail stored in the queue and terminates the processing.
A queue of a mail gateway is an area for temporarily storing information on a received mail and is configured by a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a nonvolatile memory such as a magnetic disk or a SSD (Solid State Drive). Such a queue makes it possible for a mail gateway to immediately respond to a mobile phone on a sending side or hold a mail until the mail has been successfully relayed to a mail transfer server.
On the other hand, if the relay has failed, the mail gateway performs a resend processing after an elapse of a prescribed period of time. However, if the mail transfer server as a destination is in a state of congestion because a trouble has occurred therein, or if a congestion occurs somewhere in a communication path to the destination mail transfer server, the mail gateway enters into the congestion state in which a queue is too full of mails waiting for being resent to receive any more new mails.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication No. 2005-269263 (see paragraphs 0048 through 0050) discloses a technique of avoiding such a congestion state. In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication No. 2005-269263, a queue is provided for each of mail servers as destinations of mails, and congestion is controlled for each of the mail servers. With this configuration, if congestion occurs in a specific mail server, a queue which transmits a mail to the specific mail server having been in the congestion state controls reception of mails. From a viewpoint of the overall mail gateway, this makes it possible to limit an influence of the congestion only to a mail associated with the congested mail server.

Mail gateway, mail delivery method, and program


A thermal cooling system in which a clamp assembly clamps a heat dissipating device to a heat generating device in the chassis of an electrical device. The clamp assembly ensures that the heat dissipating device exerts a relatively high, constant, uniform pressure on the heat generating device to ensure maximum heat transfer from the heat generating device to the heat dissipating device.

The disclosures herein relates to a thermal cooling system and method for electronic devices, such as computers.
Many electronic devices, such as computers, contain heat generating devices, such as chips, processors, etc., that are disposed in a crowded area in the chassis of the device and thus cause an excessive amount of heat to accumulate in the chassis, which can cause failure of one or more of the devices.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for dissipating heat from a heat-generating device according to which a heat dissipating device exerts a relatively high, constant, uniform pressure on the heat generating device to ensure maximum heat transfer.
One embodiment, accordingly, provides a clamp assembly that clamps the heat dissipating device to the heat generating device. The clamp assembly ensures that the heat dissipating device exerts a relatively high, constant, uniform pressure on the heat generating device to ensure maximum heat transfer from the heat generating device to the heat dissipating device.

Computer with thermal cooling and a thermal cooling system and method


The method of the present invention is intended to facilitate routing of correspondence to a destination address by automatic mail sorting apparatus comprising the steps:. (a) marking a letter with an easily machine readable first code corresponding to the human readable postal code of the destination address; PA1 (b) stuffing the letter into a window envelope such that the first code is positioned within the window; PA1 (c) machine reading the first code within the window; and PA1 (d) printing a machine readable second code corresponding to the first code and the human readable postal code of the destination address in the location and format utilized by a particular automatic mail sorting apparatus such that the envelope is suitable for processing by the apparatus. The apparatus of the present invention includes a conveyor track for passing window envelopes through a read station and a print station. At the read station, an optical sensor reads the first code, in the form of printed marks signifying the postal code, through the window, the information being passed to a computer. At the print station, the second code, in the form of fluorescent or other marks are placed on the envelope, as instructed by the computer.

It is the practice of postal authorities to print machine-readable markings on envelopes which pass through the postal system, to signify a particular sorting or delivery code.
One common practice is that at the sorting office the envelope passes through a station at which the envelope is visually presented to a clerk; the clerk reads the postal code written by the sender on the outside of the envelope, and then presses the appropriate keys to print a corresponding machine readable code, for example a series of bars, typically of fluorescent ink, on the envelope. In the case of window envelopes, the clerk reads the postal code as written on the item of correspondence that lies inside the envelope, and again presses the keys to print the bars.
Thereafter, the bars can be detected automatically; consequently, once the bars have been printed on the envelope, the envelope need not be handled by post office personnel again until it is actually delivered.
Fluorescent ink, as opposed to ordinary ink, is specified by many national Post offices for the markings that are to be detected automatically, to make sure that only the markings themselves are read by the automatic detectors. In practice, there is generally no way in which spurious fluorescent markings could appear by accident, and be detected, on the envelopes. However, some national Post Offices specify, for example, black ink.
The task of manually reading the postal codes, and manually keying-in the appropriate markings, is tedious, and requires a high degree of concentration on the part of the coding clerk. Also, processing time is relatively slow, such that a large number of clerks are required where mail volumes are high, contributing significantly to post office labour costs. Equipment for the machine-reading of postal codes is in common use, at least where the codes are printed or typewritten. The equipment can respond to ordinary alpha-numeric characters. The degree of accuracy of such equipment however is only fair, and it is still necessary to employ clerks to process the many "rejects" that the equipment cannot read.
With window envelopes, the problem of correctly detecting and reading the characters through the window is worse, and consequently the accuracy to be expected from the traditional equipment falls still further.
It is the high-volume user with which the invention is mainly concerned, in which the user sends out, for example, a million items per month, all of a similar nature. A typical example would be a bank which issues credit card statements. In a number of jurisdictions, savings in postal rates are available if the envelopes in which these statements are sent can be printed, in-house, with the machine-readable code, representative of the particular postal code, as this eliminates a mail processing step at the post office. Although savings per piece of mail may be small, high-volume users may achieve significant savings in postal charges.
Further, the high-volume user, as in the example of a bank which issues credit card statements as described above, desires not to print up the envelope at the time the statement is printed. The high-volume user prefers rather that the envelope be not unique to the particular statement, since attempting to match the envelopes to the letters, especially when other enclosures are required to be inserted into the envelopes in addition to the statements, is difficult. Accordingly, it is preferred to make only the statement unique, and make use of window envelopes. Thus it is not convenient to provide envelopes preprinted with the appropriate machine-readable code.
A number of patent documents were considered in relation to the invention, these patents being listed below:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,220
U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,835
U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,030
U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,347
U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,747
U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,189
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,195
U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,832
U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,504
U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,505
U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,506
U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,869
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,386
United Kingdom Patent No. 2,193,160
United Kingdom Patent No. 1,486,596
United Kingdom Patent No. 550,618
European Patent No. 0,076,972
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,142
U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,817
U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,220 to Nelson et al. is entitled SELECTIVELY ENCODABLE ENVELOPE INSERT AND RELATED APPARATUS, and describes a magnetically readable envelope insert provided with bars of magnetized ink located on detachable portions of the insert. The insert may be read while still inside an envelope. The insert has particular application for insertion in reply envelopes, different portions of the insert being detached to indicate certain orders or different methods of payment. For an illustration of this, see, for example, the chart at the bottom of column 3 of the patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,835, to Miura et al. is entitled ARRANGEMENT FOR DETECTING A WINDOW AREA OF A WINDOW-HAVING MAIL ITEM and describes apparatus for detecting the location of the window area of an envelope using photoelectric detectors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,030 to Berghell, entitled MAILING PACKAGE FOR FACILITATING AUTOMATIC SORTING OF MAIL, relates to the provision of machine readable coded arrays on the exterior of an envelope. The invention has particular application for use with reusable envelopes. When the envelope is sent out, for example from a utility to a customer, the coded arrays are provided by punching apertures corresponding to an address in a sheet and placing a sheet of contrasting colour behind this, such that the contrasting colour of the back sheet is visible through the apertures, and through a window in a containing envelope, and may be read by a sorting machine. When the envelope is returned to the utility, the location of the contrasting sheet of colour is moved such that it lies behind an array of apertures punched in the envelope, such that this array may be read and used to facilitate sorting of the returning mail.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,347 to Clark et al. is entitled SYSTEM FOR PRINTING ENCRYPTED MESSAGES WITH A CHARACTER GENERATOR AND BAR-CODE REPRESENTATION, and relates to a postage meter for use in imprinting various information, including a zip code or bar code, on the exterior of an envelope or the like. The information is entered manually by an operator. The main thrust of the disclosed invention appears to be in the prevention of fraud and forgery involving postal stamps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,747 to Fougere et al. is entitled POSTAGE AND MAILING INFORMATION APPLYING SYSTEM and discloses a system for encoding information on an envelope or other piece of mail. The patent discloses the printing of a bar code on a label, directly on an envelope, or in an insert which is visible through a window.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,189 to Daboub relates to apparatus for coding re-usable envelopes and discloses a system for manually entering bar codes on the outside of an envelope for internal mailing systems.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,821,195, 4,797,832, 4,800,504, 4,800,505, 4,800,506, 4,853,869, and 4,862,388 all relate to bulk mailing systems, in which the information which is printed on the exterior of the envelope is extracted from a data base.
In United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2,193,160, applicant Thorn EMI plc, entitled PRINTER, a unit is disclosed in which means are provided for determining whether an address signal includes a post code. If an post code is detected, an extractor derives the relevant information from a data store, the resultant signal being combined with the address signal at a summer before input to an address writer. The post code is applied to the envelope or label in a phosphor-dot form which is easily machine-readable. The remainder of the address is printed in conventional form. Thus, a multi-mode printer is provided which is capable of printing in alphanumeric script and in machine-readable phosphor-dot code. The printer may be a modified conventional printer and may have an impact printing mechanism (for example, a daisy 5 wheel arrangement) with two ribbons (one for each form of printing), or one ribbon with two bands.
In United Kingdom Patent No. 1,486,596, granted to Hotchkiss Brandt Mecanisation, and entitled CODING HEAD FOR POSTAL ENVELOPES AND A CODING STATION FITTED THEREWITH, discloses apparatus for printing a machine readable postal code on an envelope is disclosed. The system is intended for use in an operation where control signals characteristic of a code marking to be printed are produced as a function of an address read by an operator, who punches into a keyboard the address details and a logic device translates these to the appropriate control signals. The printing head includes an assembly for holding an envelope to be coded in register with a printing ribbon. A plurality of printing bars having parallel printing heads mounted in register with a portion of the inking ribbon are provided, the number of bars being equal to the number of printing coding marks which may be printed. The coding head may be manually fed with individual envelopes by an operator or may be automatically fed to reading position from which the envelope is manually transferred to a coding position.
In United Kingdom Patent No. 550,618, granted to Remington Rand Inc., entitled IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO STATISTICAL MACHINES, a machine which reads the information contained in a punched data card, and then prints this information on the same card. The machine discloses a complex mechanical arrangement for sensing the perforations on a punched card, temporarily retaining this information, decoding the information and printing the decoded information onto the card at a different location in the machine.
In
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,142, to Paup et al, entitled AUTOMATED PROCESSING OF FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS, apparatus for the automatic processing of bank cheques is disclosed. The cheques are encoded with a line of alphanumeric characters and are processed by passing through a first station for generating an item control number unique to each document and a read station for sensing each character in the encoded line to produce a string of data signals for each document. At a print station the control number and other data are imprinted on the back of each document in code form and the control number and other data are imprinted on the face of each document in human readable form. The read station includes an MICR read station, an OCR read station and a bar-code read station. The print station includes a bar code ink jet printer, a bar code indicator, and a dual alphanumeric ink jet printer. The MICR read station serves to read the alphanumeric data encoded in magnetic ink on the bottom of each cheque, while the OCR read station reads the same line of information. This information is merged to produce a single output data stream. The printing of the correct information on each cheque is synchronized by means of a central computer.
In
U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,817 to Alas, entitled BAR CODE PRINTING MECHANISM, there is disclosed the use of two synchronized printing heads, each spaced apart longitudinally for printing one half a bar of, for example, a U.S. postal code. The operation of the forwardmost head is delayed for a period of time sufficient to allow the target object to have moved a distance approximately equal to the spacing between the heads.

System for generating machine readable codes to facilitate routing of correspondence using automatic mail sorting apparatus