With respect to the selective ratio in the etching process, it is an object to give design freedom in size of an LDD overlapped with a gate electrode, which is formed in a self-aligning manner, by performing an etching process under an etching condition that has a high selective ratio between a mask pattern and metal such as titanium in forming a first conductive layer pattern. A laminated structure comprising a lower first conductive layer and an upper second conductive layer is formed over a semiconductor layer with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween, a mask pattern is formed on the laminated structure, a condition that an etching rate of the mask pattern is fast is used and the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer are etched to form a tapered first conductive layer pattern, and the second conductive layer in the first conductive layer pattern is selectively etched in accordance with the left mask pattern to form a second conductive layer pattern in which a width of the first conductive layer is longer than that of the second conductive layer.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an insulated gate field-effect transistor. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which can be applied to a thin film transistor (TFT) with a gate overlapping structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a display device using a liquid crystal, a part with a large-screen over 20 inches, which is typified in a liquid crystal display TV, has been put to practical use. In recent years, a liquid crystal display device integrated with a driving circuit has been realized with a TFT in which a polycrystalline silicon film is used as an active layer.
However, a defect is pointed out that a TFT using a polycrystalline silicon film has a low withstanding pressure in drain junction to increase junction leak current (hereinafter, OFF-leak current). It is known that it is effective to form a lightly doped drain (LDD: Lightly Doped Drain) structure as measures for the defect.
The phenomenon is pointed out as a problem that high electric field is generated in the vicinity of the drain region, then, a generated hot carrier is trapped by a gate insulating film on the LDD region, and then, device characteristics such as threshold voltage are greatly fluctuated and lowered. In order to prevent the deterioration due to hot carriers, a TFT in which a gate electrode is overlapped with an LDD region is disclosed (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-294787). The TFT with the gate overlapped LDD structure has higher current driving ability compared to a TFT with a normal LDD structure, and effectively eases the high electric field in the vicinity of the drain region to suppress the deterioration due to hot carriers.
However, in the case of the TFT with the gate overlapped LDD structure disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, after an impurity region for forming an LDD region is formed in a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode is overlapped with the LDD region. Accordingly, the portion overlapping with the gate electrode cannot be accurately formed along with the miniaturization of design rule.
On the other hand, as a method for manufacturing a TFT with a gate overlapping LDD structure in a self-aligning manner, the technique is disclosed that a conductive layer that has at least two layer laminated is subjected to exposure once and etching plural times to make the upper layer and the lower layer have different sizes, and then, ion doping is conducted with utilizing the differences in size and thickness to form an LDD region overlapped with a gate electrode in self-aligning manner (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-14337).
Of course, it is necessary that a length of the LDD (a length with respect to the channel length) is optimized in accordance with a driving voltage of the TFT in order to maximally show the function of the LDD overlapped with the gate electrode as measures against the deterioration due to hot carriers. Namely, there is an optimum length for effectively easing the high electric field in the vicinity of the drain region.
The technique disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 has two steps; the first step of etching a conductive layer that has two laminated layers into a tapered shape and the second step of selectively subjecting only the upper layer of the conductive layer in the tapered shape to anisotropic etching, and is characterized in that a taper angle is controlled to enable controlling the length of the LDD.
3. Problem Solved by the Invention
For not only the gate electrode but also an edge portion or a sidewall portion of a film, it makes an etching process into a tapered-shape in accordance with a mask pattern possible that dry etching is used to etch the object to be processed while recessing a width of the mask pattern at the same time. For that purpose, the selection of a kind of gas for etching, the regulation of bias voltage, and the selective ratio of the film to a material of the mask pattern are important matters.
In the conventional technique using a gate electrode that has a laminated structure of at least two layers, it is necessary that a taper angle (an angle with a surface) of an edge be decreased in the stage of processing the gate electrode in order to control a length of the LDD. For that purpose, the mask pattern needs to be largely recessed. It is necessary to make the film thickness thicker to leave a margin since etching is performed to recess the mask pattern, which results in a problem that a microscopic mask pattern cannot be formed.
With respect to an issue concerning the selective ratio in the etching process, the relationship between etching gas and a material of the object to be processed needs to be considered.
In order to drive a TFT with a channel length on the order of 10 μm at 10 to 20 V, the TFT needs to have an LDD with a length (a length of a portion overlapping with a gate electrode) at least 1 μm (preferably, at least 1.5 μm). In this case, it is necessary to form a taper angle of approximately 20° with respect to a titanium film with 0.5 μm in thickness according to the above-mentioned conventional technique. However, since titanium is hard to be subjected to taper processing, such small taper angle cannot be formed by dry etching.
The present invention uses inexpensive titanium instead of expensive tungsten, and a gate electrode comprises a laminate that has a first conductive layer comprising tantalum nitride and a second conductive layer comprising titanium or one of an alloy and a compound including titanium as its main component. Alternatively, there is a case where titanium nitride is further laminated on the second conductive layer as a third conductive layer.
With respect to the selective ratio in the etching process, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for giving design freedom in size of an LDD overlapped with a gate electrode, which is formed in a self-aligning manner, and in particular, for manufacturing with a TFT that have excellent resistance to hot carriers with high repeatability by performing an etching process under an etching condition that has a high selective ratio between a mask pattern and one of titanium, an alloy including titanium as its main component, a compound including titanium as its main component, and titanium nitride (mask pattern/conductive layer) in forming a first conductive layer pattern.

Manufacturing method for semiconductor device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A selectively actuatable one-way clutch is controlled to brake or release a generator such that a powersplit hybrid powertrain enters or exits a parallel mode of operation. To brake the generator and enter the parallel mode, the clutch is activated while overrunning the generator before the generator is slowed to engage the clutch. To release the generator and exit the parallel mode, the generator is controlled to overrun the clutch before deactivating the clutch and returning the generator to a base speed control.

The present invention relates to a method of controlling an automotive powertrain and in particular to using a selectively actuatable one-way clutch to enter and exit a parallel mode of operation for a powersplit powertrain.
An automotive vehicle may use a powersplit hybrid electric powertrain. Included in the powersplit powertrain is an electric generator, which may also alternatively operate as an electric motor. The powersplit powertrain may be operated in a plurality of modes, including negative powersplit, positive powersplit, and parallel modes. In the positive powersplit mode the generator operates and produces electrical power. In the negative powersplit mode the generator consumes electrical power and produces a torque to propel the vehicle. In the parallel mode the generator neither produces nor consumes electrical power, which allows the vehicle to be propelled by a combined torque produced by the engine, a second electric motor, and braking of the generator. Typically, a friction clutch is used to brake the generator so that the powertrain may enter the parallel mode.
However, time required to brake the generator to enter the parallel mode reduces fuel efficiency for the powersplit powertrain. The friction clutch may require a hydraulic system with a pump to maintain pressure to keep the friction clutch braking the generator. The pump creates an additional load on the powertrain and may further reduce fuel efficiency.

Clutch control to enter powersplit hybrid powertrain parallel mode


A partition construction includes a partition frame having a frame member. A cover panel covers a side of the partition frame. The partition includes a connection system on the cover panel that releasable attaches the cover panel to the partition frame. The connection system includes a plurality of top clips on the cover panel adjacent an upper edge that positively engage the partition frame. The connection system further includes a plurality of bottom fingers extending below a lower edge of the cover panel and engaging at least a selected one of a lower cover panel and a frame member located below the cover panel in a juxtaposed relationship.

The present invention relates to an office partition panel system with removable decorative covers that have movable fingers adjacent their lower edge for retaining the covers to the panel frame.
Modern offices and work environments use partition panels to subdivide work space. The partition panels often include vertically slotted posts and frames configured to support hang-on accessories and furniture, such as work surfaces, shelves, overhead cabinets and the like. Further, they include cover panels shaped to cover the frames but to allow access to the slots in the frames. Sometimes, the cover panels are removable so that utilities carried in the frames can be accessed. A problem with removable covers is that they must be tightly secured so that they do not rattle or exhibit looseness. Also, the show surfaces of the cover panels must be held flush to adjacent cover panels to provide a good appearance, even if the cover panels are slightly warped or bowed. At the same time, the cover panels must be readily removable or they defeat the purpose of being removable.
Another problem is that it is difficult to install cover panels having clips, hooks or projections since these connecting features must be accurately aligned with holes in partition frames for connection. However, since the connecting features are on a back side of the cover panel, the alignment and connection process is a blind connection process. This problem is aggravated by normal dimensional variations in partition frames and cover panels, which dimensional variations cause misalignment and difficult attachment. A cover panel connection system is desired that compensates for these significant dimensional variations in the partition frames and cover panels. Further, a cover panel connection system is desired that is secured, but that permits ready assembly and disassembly of the cover panels from their respective frames, and in particular which captures edges of the cover panels to closely control the flushness relative to adjacent cover panels. This is particularly true of vertically adjacent cover panels, since differences in flushness where a lower panel is outboard of an upper panel creates a ledge that is visually unexceptable to consumers.
Recently, a novel partition system was conceived where the partition frame incorporated a plurality of horizontal frame members with horizontally slotted faces. Advantageously, the slots provide regularly spaced point specific attachment locations, allowing furniture components and accessories to be attached at selected horizontal locations for optimal efficiency. The point specific attachment locations also allow the furniture components and accessories to be installed with great accuracy, but without the need for any measuring by installers. Basically, the installers (or users) count the number of slots to the desired attachment location, and then install their component in an optimal location. A problem can occur if the clips of the cover panel connection system interfere with selecting a particular slot, since this would prevent using the selected slot for the attachment purpose. A cover panel is desired that does not interfere with selection of a particular attachment location. Presently available cover panels are not compatible with partition frames having horizontal rows of slots for supportive hang-on accessory units since the presently available cover panels have fixed clips and connectors that may interfere with the mounting of hang-on accessory units.
Accordingly, a system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Partition system with removable cover panels


A processing system for a charge coupled device (CCD) or CMOS imaging system includes a correlated double sample (CDS) circuit for receiving data from an imager, a variable gain amplifier (VGA) having amplifiers of selectable current level to enable reduced data resolution in a preview display, a low power mode analog-to-digital converter (ADC) having a selectable narrow bit-width output and coupled to said VGA circuit, and a gain circuit coupled to said ADC. The single chip low-power analog front end produces digitized CCD data in either 13-bit, 12-bit or 10-bit formats at a first current level and 9-bit, 8-bit, or 6-bit formats at a second current level. The VGA amplifier includes symmetrical subcircuits which are independently actuable to enable full or reduced data resolution levels respectively for still image capture operation and video previewing on a separate preview screen.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to analog and digital processors and methods, and more particularly to preview mode low resolution output systems and methods for charge coupled devices (CCDs), CMOS imagers, and cameras.
2. Description of the Related Art
Camera systems using charge coupled devices (CCDs) and imagers of many kinds are well-known for capturing signals according to many different CCD output formats and pixel configurations. According to one such format, in order to obtain a still image with acceptable resolution and contrast from a CCD, a minimum of 10 bits of resolution is desired. To practically capture a CCD image, the data read-out time from the CCD is very limited. Accordingly, one such front end interface which accepts CCD data for conversion into digital form operations typically up to 16 MHz with a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter. A camera using this front-end can produce a digital still image with up to 8 k×8 k pixels. The feature set available in known CCD camera system is increasing to include more functionality, as well as extended dynamic range. Such extended functionality comes at a price in terms of electronic complexity and power consumption. For example, some current camera systems include a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen to enable viewing of images in a real-time viewfinder. This requires the CCD and associated processing chips to run in a video mode and to remain powered up while the screen is in use. This can dissipate a large amount of power that tends to shorten battery life. In such an operational mode, front end circuitry is operated at a resolution level which is unnecessary for driving the relatively low resolution LCD display, thereby consuming power needlessly.
Accordingly, there is a need to enable low power operation of the analog and digital subsystems in CCD camera and imager systems that convert analog data into digital signal forms for user applications. It is desirable to achieve lower power even at a sacrifice in resolution in the front end system.

Preview mode low resolution output system and method


The invention provides a handheld electronic gauge that is configured to obtain measurement data for an object, such as a wheel, rail, axle, or the like. The gauge includes one or more position sensors that automatically determine when the gauge is in a measurement position. The invention also provides a handheld computing device that can automatically determine when a gauge is in the measurement position and automatically obtain measurement data using the gauge. As a result, the invention provides a solution for measuring an object, such as a railway wheel, that is portable and capable of repeatedly providing various desired measurements, irrespective of the operator.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to wheel measurement, and more particularly, to an electronic gauge for obtaining reliable measurements of an object, such as transportation objects (e.g., railway wheel, rail, axle, vehicle wheel, etc.).
2. Background Art
During use, a wheel's profile wears due to friction and the like. Additionally, a wheel may become damaged due to poor conditions and/or one or more foreign objects. The wear and/or damage can render the wheel unsafe for operation. Similar problems can occur with rails, axles, and other transportation objects being used over time. As a result, it is important to periodically inspect each transportation object that is in use and/or slated for use.
For example, the profile of a railway wheel and/or rail are periodically inspected. To this extent, important attributes of the wheel profile include a rim thickness, a flange thickness, and a flange height. During normal wear due to contact between the railway wheel and rail, the rim thickness and flange thickness will decrease and the flange height will increase. An accurate determination of each of these attributes is important to ensure that sufficient metal remains on the railway wheel for safe operation. Such a measurement is typically performed in a train yard or a train shop. Similarly, when truing (e.g., re-cutting) a railway wheel to restore a desired wheel profile in a train shop, these attributes, as well as the wheel diameter, are determined to ensure that the railway wheel is safe for operation. Additionally, a wheel manufacturer may measure one or more attributes of the railway wheel profile to perform quality control or the like on a newly manufactured railway wheel.
Historically, the measurement of one or more attributes of a railway wheel and/or rail profile has been taken using a mechanical caliper. To this extent, an operator obtains the measurement directly from the mechanical caliper while it is placed on the railway wheel/rail and manually records the measurement for later reference. However, this solution has several drawbacks. For example, when the railway wheel is installed, other mechanical parts, such as a braking system, a shock absorber, axle support, etc., limit the space in which to obtain the measurement. Additionally, other factors, such as poor lighting, manual recording errors, keypunch errors, etc., can introduce errors in the measurement process. Measurement errors can lead to an unacceptable/unsafe railway wheel remaining in operation, the premature condemnation of a railway wheel when it could have been trued, the inclusion of a railway wheel for truing when it should have been condemned, and the like. As a result, each year, accidents occur due to the use of excessively worn railway wheels and money is lost due to the inaccurate truing/condemnation classification of railway wheels. Further, the mechanical caliper does not yield measurements that can be automatically provided to a computerized wheel management system frequently used to manage the wheel maintenance process.
To address this situation, several proposals have been made for performing electronic railway wheel/rail measurement. However, each of these proposals includes one or more limitations. For example, some proposals only measure a subset of the required attributes, such as a rim profile. Additionally, some proposals are not portable, require additional computing capability and/or cannot provide data to a remote system.
To this extent, a need exists for a portable electronic measurement solution that helps ensure the accurate measurement of all attributes of an object, such as a railway wheel, rail, axle, or the like, that may be desired for a particular application and/or communicate the measured attributes to a remote system for further processing without requiring data entry by an operator.

International Electronic Machines Corporation


A foldable ball net frame includes a main pipe, a foldable net frame, a stop ring, support poles, and a net. The foldable net frame includes an upper collar and a lower collar. One end of a main support arm of the foldable net frame is hingedly connected to the upper collar, and another end is hingedly connected to one end of a secondary support arm. Another end of the secondary support arm is hingedly connected to the lower collar. The stop ring is disposed between the upper nest and the lower nest and locked on the main pipe. The support poles and the main support arms are coaxially structured. The support poles are disposed at the distal ends of the main support arms, respectively. The net has buttonholes and is detachably connected to the distal ends of the support poles therethrough.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sporting recreation apparatus, and more particularly to a foldable ball net frame for the users to pick up balls conveniently for ball games and amusements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional rebound device or a rebound net is developed for football training, ball games and the like. By using the rebound device or rebound net, balls rebound for the user to pick up the balls conveniently. In general, the rebound device or rebound net comprises a net frame and an elastic net. The elastic net is connected to the net frame. For convenient carrying and storage, an assembled net frame is developed accordingly. The net frame is assembled by connecting a plurality of pipes. This structure is not convenient for use and its rebound effect is not good. When the ball hits the net, the net frame may displace, topple or loosen.
U.S. early Publication No. US20100081513A1 discloses a golf hitting device. The device comprises a plurality of foldable support arms between an open position and a closed position. Each support arm has a front end and a rear end. The front end of each support arm has a front end surface at the open position. The device further comprises a shaft which is connected to the support arms and extends toward the rear ends of the support arms. When the shaft is pushed forward, the support arms are folded. When the shaft is pushed rearward, the support arms are unfolded. The device further comprises a net which is installed on the support arms and can be folded along with the support arms. When the support arms are unfolded, the net forms a concave at the front end for balls to pass therethrough.
The aforesaid device adopts a reverse umbrella-shaped structure to enhance the strength of the support and is more convenient for use. However, because the reverse umbrella-shaped structure is different from the normal use habit, it can't provide enough rebound force subject to the folding structure. Therefore, it is still inconvenient for use and also has the problems of displacement, collapse or looseness when the ball hits the net.
Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has devoted himself based on his many years of practical experiences to solve this problem.


Embodiments herein provide a method for managing an incoming notification. The method includes displaying, on a secondary display of a wearable device, an indication of the incoming notification, wherein the secondary display is located on a strap of the wearable device. The method includes receiving, by the wearable device, an input on the indication of the incoming notification displayed on the secondary display. The method includes performing, on a primary display of the wearable device, at least one action associated with the incoming notification based on the input.

Electronic devices such as a Smart phone receives various notifications such as a Short Message Service (SMS), an email, and calendar alerts when the notifications are pushed from a service provider. As a result, a user may be presented with a stack or a burst of notifications on the electronic devices. Further, the user may use other electronic devices such as a wearable device to receive the notifications. For example, the user may use the wearable device to receive and view the notifications received on the Smart phone.
Different systems and methods are proposed to categorize and display the notifications on various electronic devices of the user. In one mechanism, the notifications are simply pushed and then displayed on the electronic devices as it comes. Such a burst of the notifications in some scenarios could be intrusive to the user. In some scenarios, the notifications may not be useful to the user at that instance and are required to be viewed later. Further, an urgent or critical notification may get missed by the user while viewing a burst of notifications.
In another mechanism, the notifications are displayed on various electronic devices of the user. In some instances, an individual other than the user of the electronic devices may be able to view the notifications or corresponding information. More particularly, when a notification on the wearable device such as a Smart Watch is received then an individual (other than the user using the wearable device) may be able to view the notifications or corresponding information displayed on the wearable device, resulting in a potential privacy concern for the user of the wearable device.
Further, the conventional systems and methods allow an option to silent the notifications entirely or per application basis on the wearable device. Such option may result in missing critical notifications such as an emergency notification by the user. Other options can be using privacy filter on viewing screens for protecting or hiding the notification. Specifically, a privacy filter is used to darken side viewing of the display to prevent other users from reading or viewing the notification or corresponding information. The privacy filters, however, are often bulky and cumbersome such that they are not incorporated on the wearable devices.
The above information is presented as background information only to help the reader to understand the present invention. Applicants have made no determination and make no assertion as to whether any of the above might be applicable as Prior Art with regard to the present application.

Method and system for managing incoming notifications


A pass-thru illumination apparatus and method for illuminating an object associated with a portable electronic or computing device. The apparatus includes a first plug and one or more ports, a body connected to the first plug, and one or more illumination devices attached to the body. The method includes plugging the first plug of the apparatus into the first port of the device and plugging one or more plugs of one or more peripherals into the one or more ports of the apparatus to accomplish at least one of powering the one or more peripherals and communicating the one or more peripherals with the device.

The present invention is in the field of lighting devices for portable electronic or computing devices.
Compact electronic devices with a viewing screen or keypads have become very common and quite popular. Such devices have been popular for a number of years in connection with hand-held, portable, battery-powered gaming devices. A well-known example of such a device, that has sold millions of units, is the GAME BOY(trademark) device sold by Nintendo. More recently, other electronic devices have also included viewing screens, such as portable video cameras and cellular phones. And, of course, portable computers have long had viewing screens. Although the complexity and cost of such devices can vary greatly, it is common for such devices to use a generally flat, liquid crystal display screen.
Flat, liquid crystal display screens work very well in a well-lit area. However, when such devices are used in dimly lit areas, or at night, it can be difficult, if not impossible, for a user to see anything in the viewing screen. This problem is magnified when such a screen is used in a device that is meant to be portable, and especially when it is a small device.
If a portable device is sufficiently complex, and generally more expensive, such as a portable laptop computer, the device can include lighting within the actual device. An example of such lighting is a portable laptop computer with a backlit screen. However, this solution is not always economically practical, nor does it necessarily solve the problem in smaller devices. Also, if an electronic device does not have a viewing screen, then this option is not even available.
To solve this problem, especially in connection with hand-held, portable, battery-powered gaming devices, a number of different solutions have been proposed. Such solutions have typically included add-on devices with their own source of electrical power. These devices can be designed to fit onto the electronic device or be designed for use in connection with the electronic device. However, because such devices use their own source of electrical power, they tend to be rather bulky and heavy. In addition, the second source of electrical power increases cost and creates the possibility of another source of power failure.
Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a simple, economical, device that can illuminate portable electronic or computing devices without the drawbacks associated with prior illumination devices.
A need also exists for a pass-thru illumination apparatus that not only illuminates objects associated with the portable electronic or computing device such as the screen, keyboard, paperwork, etc. but also allows peripherals to be attached to the portable electronic or computing device through the illumination apparatus.
An aspect of the invention involves a method of illuminating an object associated with a portable electronic or computing device with a pass-thru illumination apparatus. The method includes providing a pass-thru illumination apparatus including a first plug and one or more ports, a body connected to the first plug, and one or more illumination devices attached to the body; plugging the first plug of the pass-thru illumination apparatus into a first port of the electronic or computing device; and plugging one or more plugs of one or more peripherals into the one or more ports of the pass-thru illumination apparatus to accomplish at least one of powering the one or more peripherals and communicating the one or more peripherals with the electronic or computing device.
One or more implementations of the aspect of the invention described immediately above may include one or more of the following. The pass-thru illumination apparatus includes one or power sources to power at least one of the one or more illumination devices and the one or more peripherals. The one or more power sources include a member from the group consisting of one or more rechargeable batteries, one or more disposable batteries, an AC adapter and power cord, a DC adapter and power cord, and one or more fuel cells. The step of plugging the first plug of the pass-thru illumination apparatus into the first port of the electronic or computing device causes at least one of powering of the one or more illumination devices with the power source of the electronic or computing device to illuminate an object associated with the electronic or computing device and powering of the one or more peripherals. The step of plugging the first plug of the pass-thru illumination apparatus into the first port of the electronic or computing device secures the pass-thru illumination apparatus with the portable electronic or computing device without providing an electrical connection between the one or more illumination devices and the power source of the electronic or computing device. The one or more illumination devices include one or more LEDs or white LEDs.
Another aspect of the invention involves a pass-thru illumination apparatus for illuminating an object associated with a portable electronic or computing device. The pass-thru illumination apparatus includes a first plug to plug the pass-thru illumination apparatus into the first port of the electronic or computing device, one or more ports to receive one or more plugs of one or more peripherals to at least one of power the one or more peripherals and communicate the one or more peripherals with the electronic or computing device, a body connected to the first plug, and one or more illumination devices carried by the body for illuminating an object associated with the electronic or computing device.
One or more implementations of the aspect of the invention described immediately above may include one or more of the following. The pass-thru illumination apparatus includes one or more power sources to power at least one of the one or more illumination devices and the one or more peripherals. The one or more power sources include a member from the group consisting of one or more rechargeable batteries, one or more disposable batteries, an AC adapter and power cord, a DC adapter and power cord, and one or more fuel cells. At least one of the one or more illumination devices and the one or more peripherals are powered by the power source of the electronic or computing device. The pass-thru illumination apparatus is secured to the portable electronic or computing device through the first plug and first port without providing an electrical connection between the one or more illumination devices and the power source of the electronic or computing device. The one or more illumination devices include one or more LEDs or white LEDs.

Pass-thru apparatus for use with a portable electronic or computing device


An encoding apparatus for encoding video data captured by a plurality of imaging units by a predetermined data unit, includes an encoding unit configured to refer to a first data unit included in video data captured by a first imaging unit to encode a second data unit included in the video data captured by the first imaging unit, and refer to a third data unit included in video data captured by a second imaging unit to encode a fourth data unit included in the video data captured by the first imaging unit.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an encoding apparatus, an encoding method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
H.264/MVC (Multi-view Video Coding) is known as a technique for encoding multi-viewpoint video data. According to H.264/MVC, it is possible to efficiently compress video data by not only referring to another frame captured by the same imaging unit (motion prediction) but also referring to a frame captured at another viewpoint (parallax prediction).
Video transmission using an IP (Internet Protocol) network such as the Internet has become widespread. RTP (A Transport Protocol for Real-Time Application, RFC 3550, IETF) as a protocol for transmitting encoded data of audio or a moving image in real time has been used for such video transmission. RTP assumes the use of UDP (User Datagram Protocol) with a high transfer rate in the transport layer. Although the transfer rate of UDP is high, UDP has no solution to a packet loss or does not ensure a transmission time. It is, therefore, necessary to deal with a communication error in a layer higher than UDP. If an error occurs in a video data packet encoded by not only referring to other frames but also referring to frames captured at other viewpoints, disturbance in the video due to the error propagates in the time direction at other viewpoints.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-506530 discloses, as a method of preventing error propagation, an intra-refresh technique of periodically inserting an intra-prediction encoded intra-frame, and a technique of alternately applying the intra-refresh technique to videos of a plurality of viewpoints.
In the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-506530, however, if an error occurs in the first half of a cycle in which an intra-frame is inserted, it is impossible to recover from video disturbance due to error propagation for a long time.
There is provided a method of shortening the cycle to frequently insert an intra-frame in order to quickly recover from video disturbance due to error propagation. However, with this method, the data amount of the intra-frame is large, and frequent insertion of such intra-frame increases the transmission data amount. This, therefore, causes a further packet loss due to network congestion.
The present invention provides a multi-viewpoint video data encoding technique which allows early recovery from error propagation. Alternatively, the present invention provides a multi-viewpoint video data encoding technique which enables to reduce the transmission data amount.

Encoding apparatus, encoding method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium


The invention is a method of communicating between a caller device and an executor device wherein the executor device comprises a memory having a layout which defines formats and addresses used for storing data in the memory. The executor device comprises an application including a service and the method comprises the steps of:                providing the caller device with the layout and an indicator reflecting the service during the handshake phase,        sending to the executor device a data block corresponding to a command targeting the service, wherein the data block complies with the layout and is devoid of metadata,        sending to the caller device a response block which complies with the layout and which corresponds to a result generated by execution of the command.

Many devices have the capability to deliver one or several services to another connected machine. Such devices may have either limited functions or limited resources. They may require to be controlled by complex applications run on a computer or on dedicated control circuits. Such devices may be deployed in the domain of the Internet of Things or in the domain of Machine-To-Machine (M2M). There is a great heterogeneity in the technologies used for these domains. For example devices may use different transport protocols (e.g. TCP/IP, Bluetooth, HTTP or Zigbee), different network topologies (e.g. with or without gateway) and different business patterns which depend on the kind of provided service (e.g. metering, video surveillance, weather measurement or home automation). Thus, the deployment of such devices remains complex and is not as wide as it could be.
There is a need for improving the way to manage communication between devices deployed in these domains.

Method of communicating between two devices


Technology for grouping, consolidating, and pairing individual playback devices with network capability (players) to stimulate a multi-channel listening environment is disclosed. An example method includes receiving an audio signal containing a range of audio frequencies; amplifying, according to a gain parameter, the audio signal to be reproduced by at least one speaker. The example method includes automatically increasing the gain parameter to a higher gain parameter responsive to a determination that no more than a subset of the range of audio frequencies is to be reproduced by the at least one speaker. The example method includes amplifying, according to the higher gain parameter, the audio signal containing no more than the subset of the range of audio frequencies to be reproduced by the at least one speaker.

The presently described technology is directed towards technology for use in the area of consumer electronics. In particular, certain embodiments are directed to multi-channel pairing in a media system.
Music is very much a part of our everyday lives. And thanks to the advancement of technology, music content is now more accessible than ever. The same can be said of other types of media, such as television, movies, and other audio and video content. In fact, now a user can even access the content over the Internet through an online store, an Internet radio station, online music service, online movie service, and the like, in addition to the more traditional means of accessing audio and video content.
The demand for such audio and video content continues to surge. Given the high demand over the years, technology used to access and play such content has likewise improved. Even still, technology used in accessing the content and the playback of such content can be significantly improved or developed in ways that the market or end users may not anticipate.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A video gaming system and related network interfaces with an online fantasy sports game. The video game play is enhanced using various features of a fantasy sports game. Similarly, the fantasy sports game can be enhanced using various features of the video game play. In one aspect of the invention the video game system acquires a team roster of the fantasy sport game and the team roster is used to define the sports video game team. The sports video game also acquires sports video game parameters that are associated with real-life attributes of video game team members that are associated with the real-life team members. The video game play changes frequently over a sports season due to the changing video game parameters and fantasy sports settings being used to define video game play.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to video gaming systems and related networks, video gaming software, and online fantasy sports.
2. Related Technology
Fantasy sports leagues have become of increased popularity and are associated with virtually every sport played, not only in the United States, but also internationally. A fantasy sport (also known as rotisserie, roto, or fairy-tale sport; or owner simulation) is a game where fantasy owners build a fantasy team that competes against other fantasy teams managed by real-life fantasy team owners based on the statistics generated by individual real-life athletes, such as professional or collegiate athletes, or real-life teams of a real-life professional sport. Probably the most common variant converts statistical performance of real-life athletes into points that are compiled and totaled according to fantasy settings. Typically a fantasy team owner manages a fantasy roster listing real-life sport athletes selected, which are selected by the fantasy team owner in a fantasy draft. These point systems are typically simple enough to be manually calculated by a "league commissioner", but more commonly use computer accounting of real-life athlete statistics that occur in actual real-life professional or collegiate sports. In fantasy sports there is typically the ability for each fantasy team owner to trade, cut, and resign players, like a real-life sports team owner. In such fantasy leagues the fantasy owner is typically not an athlete or actual team manager, but rather, creates a fantasy team of real-life athletes and competes against the athlete selections of other fantasy team owners in the same fantasy league.
It is estimated by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) that 16 million adults in the U.S., age 18 to 55, play fantasy sports. Fantasy sports is also popular throughout the world with leagues for professional, regional, and collegiate football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, soccer, auto racing, wrestling, cricket, and other sports. Both professional and collegiate level sports have fantasy leagues associated thereto. Several examples of various fantasy formats are illustrated in Appendix A of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/869,831. As illustrated in the examples of Appendix A of the '831 provisional application, the rules of play may be customized, in some instances, by members of a league, such as a league manager.
An example of a football format is also illustrated by the following FSTA example:
How to Play Fantasy Football                When they devised the term "armchair quarterback" they certainly had the game of fantasy football in mind.        As the general manager, the fantasy football league owner assembles his team of stars and scrubs, making sure he has the right mix of passing, rushing and kicking. In some leagues, the fantasy general manager even has to assemble a defense. Then as the team's coach, the fantasy league owner has to pick the right starting lineup for that week's games, making sure that his best players aren't sitting on the bench. For anyone interested in starting a league, all you need are a few basic rules to get going. The beauty of fantasy football is that there really isn't any set guideline you MUST follow. It's your fantasy league, so fantasize any way you want. The main thing is to enjoy NFL games and enjoy them the best way you know how.
And that way is through a fantasy football league.
Okay, now let's take it step by step and get you started.
Step 1                Assemble a league of football owners who are willing to wheel and deal throughout the course of the NFL season. There is no set number, mind you, but 12 teams is great and 16 teams is better. You can certainly form leagues that are bigger and smaller than that, but make sure that you have an even-number of teams because each week you go head-to-head with another team.
Step 2                Elect a commissioner. The commissioner should be somebody who every team owner respects—you know, someone you'd let date your sister. The commissioner, who most likely also owns a team in the league, is responsible for the league constitution, bylaws and all final decisions.
Step 3                Setting the rules for your league is very important. There are many variations to the game and scoring systems for fantasy football are as different as the NFL and the CFL. Make sure all rules are set in stone before the draft is held. Some leagues give six points to any player who scores a touchdown, whether it be from rushing, passing or receiving. In that scenario, the quarterback and the wide receiver each get six points for a touchdown pass, making it ideal to have both Brett Favre and Antonio Freeman on your fantasy team. Other leagues give six points for a rushing touchdown and just three to the QB and three to the wide receiver on a touchdown pass. Some leagues also give bonus points for individual statistics, like three points for 100-yards rushing, 100-yards receiving or 300-yards passing. Bonus points can also be given for the length of a run, pass, catch or kick. The size of rosters also varies from league to league. Most leagues have rosters of 15 to 17 players: Three quarterbacks, four to five running backs, four to five wide receivers, two tight ends and two kickers. Most leagues start just seven players each week: One QB, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end and one kicker. The accumulative points of one team's starters are matched up against the points of another team and the end result is either a victory or a loss. There are no weighted statistics in fantasy football, just head-to-head records. Some leagues also use defense in their scoring system, drafting either one defensive player and starting him each week or drafting an entire defensive team and getting scoring from that team for any defensive touchdown or safety. Head coaches or teams can also be figured in the mix of things, with teams drafting one head coach and getting anywhere from one to three points for each victory that coach attains during the year.
Step 4                Have a draft. Players are usually acquired by using a draft, similar to what the NFL does. In the draft, team owners select any player they want and draft for 15-17 rounds to fill out their rosters. However, unlike the NFL, the draft is held in reverse order for the even-number rounds to make the league more balanced. For instance, in a 10-team league the draft order would be 1 through 10, with the 10th team having the first pick of the second round and going back up in reverse order. In that scenario, the first team to pick wouldn't select again until the 20th pick, but would then start the third round with the 21st selection. Some leagues also like to draft their players the same way they do in Rotisserie Baseball. With that in mind, players are acquired by using a bidding system where players are acquired for a dollar amount. Each team would have an imaginary $260 budget (or other fake cash figure) and players would be acquired by using that salary cap. In that scenario, Terrell Davis could go for $80.
Step 5                Set the schedule. League schedules are set up so that every team plays every other team at least once, and divisions are set up according to the league size. In leagues of 10 teams, only two divisions are needed and the top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. In leagues of 12 or more, three or four divisions are needed. Either way, the playoffs usually consist of the top four teams, with those teams meeting during Week 16 of the regular season. The Super Bowl is then held on the final week of the regular season—Week 17 this year—so that all of the NFL players are eligible for the fantasy football teams. Check out our schedule page in this issue for more help.
Step 6                Compile scores. Fantasy football is the one fantasy game in which you can actually count up your own scores; you wouldn't dare try that in baseball or basketball (or shouldn't, anyway). There are also several free services on the Internet that will run your league in exchange for the traffic your league will provide. Also, there are a number of software products that will help you run your league.
Step 7                Transactions. Teams can continue to trade throughout the season and teams can also pick up free agents anytime during the year. Leagues will need to form some type of setup so that the teams with the worst record get first shot at the free agents. Otherwise it's a first-come, first-serve basis. Some leagues have unlimited transactions, while others assign points for transactions, and you bid on free agents. The high bid gets the player, but you have to be careful not to use up your points too early in the season.
Step 8                Have fun. That's what it's all about.The FSTA also provides the following example of a baseball fantasy league:
How to Play Fantasy Baseball                Every day, more and more sports fans are becoming familiar with the rules and regulations of fantasy baseball. For anyone interested in starting a league, it's as easy as one-two-three. All you have to do is follow a few flexible rules and take it from there. The beauty of fantasy baseball is that there really isn't any set guideline you MUST follow. It's your fantasy league, so fantasize any way you want. The main thing is to enjoy baseball and enjoy fantasy baseball. That's it. OK, let's take it step by step and get you started.
Step 1                Assemble a handful of baseball fanatics who are willing to wheel and deal throughout the course of the baseball season. There is no set number, mind you, but 10 teams is great and 12 teams is perfect. Anything less than eight makes it a league filled with all-stars, while anything more than 12 is pushing the impossible. Make sure you find guys who are just as nuts about baseball as you are, and it will help immensely if a couple of the players have been in a fantasy league before.
Step 2                Elect a commissioner. He or she will be responsible for compiling weekly statistics of every team, and can be called the High Exalted Commissioner for Life or something of that ilk. The commissioner should be somebody that every team owner respects because he/she will be responsible for the league constitution, bylaws and all final decisions. One of the commissioner's responsibilities is writing the league newsletter, which goes out every week or two with complete standings and statistics, or typing into the computer if it's an on-line league.
Step 3                One of your first big decisions will be to decide whether to mix players from the American and National leagues or to compete with players from just one league. If you mix leagues, the number of teams can be greater than 10 or 12. Using just one league has the advantage of making every owner use stars, backups and scrubs. Mixing the leagues, of course, provides enough superstars for every team.
Step 4                Each team is composed of 23 players taken from the active rosters of the NL and/or AL teams. Each team's roster usually consists of two catchers, one first baseman, one second baseman, one shortstop, one third baseman, one middle infielder (second baseman or shortstop), one corner infielder (first baseman or third baseman), one designated hitter (for AL leagues, or call him a utility player for NL leagues), five outfielders and nine pitchers. The pitching breakdown is usually five starters and four relievers, although that isn't written in stone.
Step 5                Players are acquired in one of two ways—and here's one of the slight differences between Rotisserie baseball and fantasy baseball. Generally, fantasy baseball uses a draft to select teams, much like the NFL does. Each team is responsible for filling its 23 roster positions, but the owners can pick any player at any position whenever their turn in the draft comes up. Some leagues hold drafts in January and February and draft as many as 40 players per team, and then cut down to 23 by Opening Day. Other leagues pick after Opening Day and fill their 23-man roster through the draft, using only players that made major-league rosters. To pick the draft order for an inaugural season, cut cards, draw straws or do something equally scientific. Rotisserie baseball is different in that teams are formed using an open auction to select players. Each team is assigned $260 to allocate for player salaries. Unlike the first method of drafting, the order of auctioning players doesn't matter. The minimum first bid is $1. Bidding then proceeds around the room at minimum increments of $1 until the player is purchased by one team owner. The process is repeated until every team has a full complement of 23 position players. With this method, each team has to stay within its budget.
Step 6                Team rankings are tabulated using four or more offensive categories and four pitching categories. The offensive statistics most often used are composite team batting average, total home runs, total runs batted in and total stolen bases, with runs scored the fifth-most popular choice. The pitching categories are usually composite team earned-run average, total wins, total saves and composite team WHIP Ratio (walks plus hits divided by number of innings pitched), and strikeouts are also often used.
Step 7                Know your rules. For instance, if you're in a 10-team league, the team that finished first in a category earns 10 points, the second-place team gets nine points, third place eight points and so forth down to the last-place team getting one point. So the team with the most home runs by its 14 offensive players receives 10 points, while the team with the least number of home runs gets just one point. This system works for all categories, each of which have equal value, so the most points a team in a 10-team league with eight categories could receive if it won every category is 80 points.
Step 8                The biggest headache for the commissioner used to be compiling team statistics. That was before the Internet, that is, and the development of stats services. Very few leagues currently compile their own stats. Your best bet is to search on-line or check out the ads in this magazine. You'll find that because of competition, the price can be very reasonable, or even free.
Step 9                Transaction deadlines must be set. It used to be that leagues would use USA Today for their stats, so the week would run from the time USA Today ran its stats for each league on Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, most stat services run on a Monday through Sunday week, and many on-line services are flexible enough to allow you to determine when your weekly transactions must be made. Most often, it's Monday afternoon.
Step 10                A player is eligible to be drafted at any position at which he appeared in 20 games or more during the preceding year. Because of this rule, Fantasy Sports Magazine includes games played at each position for every player who is analyzed in this issue.
Step 11                If one of your players is put on the disabled list, sent to the minors or released, he may be replaced by a player who is unprotected by any other team. If Carlos Lee gets hurt or somehow gets sent back to the minors midway through the season and is replaced by Jeff Abbott, you could put Lee on your protected list and pick up Abbott as a free agent. But when Lee returns from the minors or the DL, you have to cut one of them for good.
Step 12                Each league has to make decisions on how they want to play and for what price. We do not recommend you play for money; think of the $260 figure as a form of Monopoly money. But a league traveling trophy is a good idea, so that at least you have something concrete to play for.
Step 13                Don't get too complicated with your rules. For starters, we recommend that you don't include any more statistics than the eight proposed, although runs and strikeouts are also used in many leagues across the country. Those eight categories will give you a clear indication of the better team.        Another bit of advice—if you want to play fantasy sports in the future, plan on being on the Internet. That's where the game is headed, although many services provided stats that can be faxed or mailed, and those leagues can be just as fun. Finally, keep it simple and have fun. That's the entire groundwork you'll need to start a fantasy baseball league. We hope this will help you get a league started. Soon you'll find out what more than 4 million fantasy baseball fanatics have been enjoying for the last decade.
Other sports and fantasy formats including various fantasy settings, such as those set forth above, are described herein, disclosed in the Background section of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/869,831, and/or are known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Video games including real-life attributes and/or fantasy settings


The present disclosure discloses an iris lens assembly including, sequentially from an object side to an image side along an optical axis, a first lens and at least one subsequent lens. Wherein an object-side surface of an lens closest to the image side and having optical power among the at least one subsequent lens is a concave surface. The iris lens further includes an optical filter disposed between the object side and the lens closest to the image side and having optical power, and a band-pass wavelength of the optical filter is from 700 nm to 900 nm.

In recent years, as the science and technology develops, portable electronic products are gradually emerging and portable electronic products with camera functions are increasingly liked. Therefore, the market demand for camera lens assembly applicable to the portable electronic products is gradually increasing. At present, the commonly used photosensitive components for camera lens assembly are CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). As the semiconductor processing technology improves, the optical systems tend to have higher pixels, and the pixel sizes on the chips become smaller and smaller, which puts forward higher requirements both on the high image quality and the miniaturization of the lenses.
As technologies advance by leaps and bounds, iris recognition technology as one of the biometric technologies is increasingly valued by the market. User identity confirmation is an important part in the information security, both the accuracy and the adaptability to the environment are of extremely importance, thus the requirements on iris recognition technology are raised accordingly. As the disclosure range of the iris recognition technology becomes wider, the lens assemblies used in this technology also need to meet the higher performance requirements, at the same time the production process performance needs to be improved and the interference needs to be reduced.
Accordingly, a miniaturized iris lens assembly with low interference and high image quality is needed.


Wireless power transfer between power transmitters and power receivers may be established by a digital ping phase during which the wireless power transmitter applies a power signal and waits for a valid response message from the power receiver. The response message may include an identification code and a checksum byte used by the power transmitter to validate the identification code. When a valid response is received, the power transmitter transitions to a power transfer phase.

The proliferation of mobile devices such as mobile handsets, media players, tablet computers and laptops/notebooks/netbooks and ultra-books increases user demand for access to power points at which they may power or charge mobile devices while out and about or on the move.
There is a need for systems that conveniently provide the opportunity to power or charge the mobile devices in public spaces, in which the user of the mobile spaces may remain for extended periods of time, say more than a few minutes or so. Amongst others, such public settings may include restaurants, coffee shops, airport lounges, trains, buses, taxis, sports stadia, auditoria, theatres, cinemas or the like. Further, there is a need for such systems to enable tracking of individual mobile devices, in order to provide a platform for monitoring system usage and arranging payment for the charging/powering service.
The disclosure below addressed the above-described needs.

System and method for providing and controlling inductive power charging


A foreign matter removal mechanism for removing foreign matter on a power-supplying coil that wirelessly supplies power to a parked vehicle from below, including: a movable unit that is pushed by the vehicle to move horizontally; and a movable cleaning unit that is coupled to the movable unit and moves, in conjunction with a movement of the movable unit, along an upper surface of the power-supplying coil.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a wireless power-supplying system wherein an insulating separation material is provided in the space between a power-receiving unit provided in a bottom surface of a vehicle and a power-supplying unit buried in a parking space, wherein the separation material is stored under ground except when electric power is supplied, and wherein, when electric power is supplied, the separation material is moved to the space between the power-receiving unit and the power-supplying unit by use of a movable unit, to thereby prevent foreign matter from intruding into the space between the power-receiving unit and the power-supplying unit. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 below discloses a charging device for a vehicle that is provided with a foreign matter removal mechanism made of: a cone section provided on a power-supplying coil; a through-hole that discharges the garbage sliding down on the slope of the cone; and a motor that vibrates the cone.


A crown molding cutting aid apparatus includes a panel that has a top side, a bottom side, a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge and a second side edge. The panel has a slot therein extending into the back edge. The back edge has a first notch and a second notch extending therein. The first and second notches are positioned on opposite sides of the slot. The notches are each angled away from the slot. The panel has a plurality of elongated apertures extending therethrough. Each of a plurality of fasteners is removably positionable through one of the apertures and into a table of a miter saw so that the panel is releasably secured to the table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cutting aid devices and more particularly pertains to a new cutting aid device for supporting a portion of crown molding while it is being cut by a miter saw.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of cutting aid devices is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,320 describes a device for holding a portion of crown molding as it is being cut. Another type of cutting aid device is U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,399 having a bracket which is removably attachable to a miter saw table and for holding a portion of crown molding at an angle while being cut. A vice assembly for holding an item to a miter saw table is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,323. Still yet another such device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,123.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a device that is removably attachable to a miter saw table and which is adapted for holding a large or small portion of crown molding in a stable manner and at a constant relative angle so that the crown molding may easily be cut along selectable angles.


A segmented bipolar transistor includes a p-base in a semiconductor surface including at least one p-base finger having a base metal/silicide stack including a base metal line that contacts a silicide layer on the semiconductor surface of the p-base finger. An n+ buried layer is under the p-base. A collector includes an n+ sinker extending from the semiconductor surface to the n+ buried layer including a collector finger having a collector metal/silicide stack including a collector metal line that contacts a silicide layer on the semiconductor surface of the collector finger. An n+ emitter has at least one emitter finger including an emitter metal/silicide stack that contacts the silicide layer on the semiconductor surface of the emitter finger. The emitter metal/silicide stack and/or collector metal/silicide stack include segmentation with a gap which cuts a metal line and/or the silicide layer of the stack.

Bipolar junction transistors are active semiconductor devices formed by a pair of P-N junctions, including an emitter-base junction and a collector-base junction. An NPN bipolar junction transistor has a thin region of p-type material providing the base region between two regions of n-type material providing the emitter and collector regions. A PNP bipolar junction transistor has a thin region of n-type material providing the base region between two regions of p-type material constituting the emitter and collector regions. The movement of electrical charge carriers which produces electrical current flow between the collector region and the emitter region is controlled by an applied voltage across the emitter-base junction.
Conventional vertical NPN bipolar devices used for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection of other devices typically include an n+ buried layer (NBL) together with a n+ sinker diffusion as collectors in each device stripe (or finger) to provide a low resistance-path to carry ESD strike induced current back to the top surface of the substrate (e.g., a top silicon surface). In BiCMOS technologies, it is a common practice to use vertical NPN transistors with an NBL as the collector and a deep n+ sinker diffusion to form the current return path for the ESD protection circuitry.

Segmented NPN vertical bipolar transistor


A ratio-logic system having an input sensing device and a resetable delay device is disclosed. The input sensing device receives an input having a first logic state and a second input having a second logic state. The input sensing device then asynchronously outputs a first state-change signal if the first logic state differs from the logic state of a previous input, and a second state-change signal if the second logic state differs from the first logic state. The resetable delay device receives the first and second state-change signals and asynchronously outputs a power-up signal to a ratio-logic device for a predetermined amount of time after the first state-change signal is received. The resetable delay device then powers-down the ratio-logic device after the predetermined amount of time is over. The predetermined amount of time is reset if the input sensing device receives the second state-change signal before the predetermined amount of time is over.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to ratio-logic systems, and more specifically, to input sensing circuits for low power ratio-logic systems.
2. Background Art
Ratio-logic circuits, such as Programmable Logic Arrays (PLA) or custom control paths, are used in microprocessor design for several reasons. Two reasons include: ratio-logic circuits perform logic functions at a high speed; and ratio-logic circuits provide circuitry that may be used in a compact layout. One disadvantage, though, of using ratio-logic circuits in any device is the large amount of power consumed, which is caused by the DC current paths that exist in the circuit.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,667, "Demand Powered Programmable Logic Array", issued to Devine et al. on Nov. 11, 1980, static PLA power is reduced by synchronously decoding the logical inputs to determine if the PLA is required to perform a computation. If certain sections of the PLA do not need to perform any computations, those sections are powered down. Although PLA power is reduced in the above-mentioned patent, the PLA cannot be completely powered down, because only certain sections of the PLA are disabled. Furthermore, the delay that occurs by first clocking and then decoding the logical inputs could impede the performance of the circuit. In addition, the power-reducing elements of the aforementioned circuit are not self-contained and therefore are not conducive to other PLA or ratio-logic designs.
Other examples of ratio-logic systems with power reducing circuits include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,017, "Programmable Logic Array with Reduced Power Consumption", issued to Taniai et al. in July 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,079, "Low Power, High Performance PLA", issued to Ditlow et al. in May 1994. Although different techniques are discussed for reducing power in PLAs, the aforementioned patents either use power reduction devices that clock their inputs, and/or do not allow for a complete evaluation of all inputs by the ratio-logic circuit.
Accordingly, a need has developed in the art for a low power ratio-logic system that provides asynchronous input sensing circuitry for reducing power in a variety of ratio-logic circuits and provides complete evaluation of all the inputs by the ratio-logic circuit.

Self-timed low power ratio-logic system having an input sensing circuit

International Business Machines Corporation


A cable holding device for accelerator pedals, allowing a driver to easily and conveniently drive a vehicle at a constant speed without continuously putting his foot down on an accelerator pedal, is disclosed. In the device, an accelerator cable connects an accelerator pedal to an engine's injection pump. A rod is provided at an end of the cable for connecting the injection pump and has a plurality of grooves on the outer surface. A cable holding unit selectively holds the rod so as to hold the cable at a previous state, thus allowing the vehicle to run at a constant speed when a pressure force is removed from the pedal. The device also has an actuating unit, which selectively actuates the cable holding unit so as to hold the cable by the cable holding unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to accelerator pedals of vehicles and, more particularly, to a cable holding device used with such an accelerator pedal so as to keep an accelerator cable connected to an injection pump without allowing the cable to be returned from the pump when a driver removes a pressure force from the pedal after the driver puts his foot down on the pedal, thus maintaining a previously depressed state of the pedal and allowing the driver to operate the vehicle at a constant speed without continuously putting his foot down on the pedal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, an accelerator pedal, which is used for controlling the running speed of a vehicle, is typically installed in the lower corner under the dashboard in front of a driver's seat in a cabin. Such an accelerator pedal is connected to an injection pump of an internal combustion engine through an accelerator cable and is designed to selectively pull the cable and increase the amount of fuel injected from the pump into the engine when a driver's foot is put down on the pedal. It is thus possible to selectively increase or reduce the running speed of a vehicle by controlling the pressure force on the accelerator pedal.
However, such a typical accelerator pedal is problematic in that the pedal cannot maintain a constant speed of a vehicle when a pressure force is removed from the pedal and so the typical accelerator pedal has to be steadily depressed by a driver when it is necessary to maintain the running speed of a vehicle at a constant speed. Therefore, such typical accelerator pedals cause drivers to be fatigued in their feet and legs in the event of a long-distance drive, thus being inconvenient to the users.

Cable holding device for accelerator pedals


A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate including a first surface; a body region positioned in the semiconductor substrate and positioned to be in contact with the first surface; a gate insulating film positioned to be in contact with the body region on the first surface; a gate electrode positioned on the gate insulating film; a first insulator film covering at least a portion of a side surface of the gate electrode; a contact region positioned to be in contact with the first surface at a position different from that of the gate electrode, in a plan view relative to the first surface, in the body region; and a second insulator film including a material different from that of the first insulator film, positioned on the body region, the gate electrode, and the first insulator film, and including a contact hole on the contact region.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method therefore.
2. Related Art
As MOS transistors that handle a large amount of power, DMOS (Double diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistors have been known.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0061368 (Patent Document 1) discloses a DMOS transistor including a gate oxide film and a gate electrode that are positioned on a first surface of a semiconductor substrate and an n-type source contact region and a p-type body contact region that are positioned to be in contact with the first surface at positions different from a position of the gate electrode in a plan view relative to the first surface of the semiconductor substrate. In Patent Document 1, a sidewall oxide film is formed on a side surface of the gate electrode. In an inter-layer insulating film covering the semiconductor substrate and the gate electrode, contact holes for connecting to the n-type source contact region and the p-type body contact region are formed.
In the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to design the layout of the gate electrode and the contact hole taking the processing accuracy of the gate electrode and the processing accuracy of the contact hole into consideration for preventing the occurrence of leakage current between the gate electrode and the contact hole. For this reason, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce an element area.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method therefor


A method is provided for allowing the transmission of digital video segments along a number of transmission channels, with the line speed, or rate of transmission in bits per second, being variable during a transmission. For each transmission channel, video data segments are stored in a data buffer, along with data segments known as Write Control Blocks (WCBs). Each WCB includes a pointer to the video data segment with which it is associated and a line speed code indicating the preferred rate of data transmission. The addresses of the WCBs are stored in a FIFO buffer which is established for each transmission channel. When coded information within a WCB indicates that a speed change is needed, a run-time subroutine executing in a co-processor sets bits within a channel control word forming a portion of each WCB to stop a DMA process and to issue an interrupt when the corresponding video segment is to be transmitted. An interrupt handler determines the new line speed and sets a variable speed clock accordingly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to providing an ability to vary the data rate at which compressed video information is transmitted, and, more particularly, to varying such a rate in a manner providing the smooth display of video images.
2. Background Information
The playing of motion pictures and other forms of video is generally accomplished using a rather old technology, in which the primary storage media is video tape on which a television signal is recorded in an analog format. This type of storage is used in devices ranging from VHS.RTM. VCRs (Video Cassette Recorders) for the home market to the D1 VTRs (Video Tape Recorders), used by television studios and broadcasters, which cost $75,000 to $150,000. In the broadcasting industry, a particular limitation of such expensive equipment arises from the fact that it can only be used to perform one function at a time. Furthermore, the efficiency of the tape process is limited by the labor required to load and unload tapes, and by the accumulation of wear in tape transport units, tape heads, and in the tapes themselves. In particular, analog video tape is difficult to use when a tape has to be edited, as when two or more sources of programming, such as a motion picture and a number of commercials, are to be combined in sequence.
Video, or multimedia, data is generally delivered to end users either by broadcast industry methods or by computer industry methods. Broadcast industry methods generally include the storage of data in the form of analog or digitally recorded tape. Computer industry methods generally provide storage on disks, or on disks augmented by tape, with data being recorded in a compressed digital format.
An important example of such a compressed digital format is found in the MPEG video compression standards, which have been developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group to facilitate the recording of video data on CD-ROM disks and the playback of such data to either a standard television set or a computer system. Without compression, the demands of digital video in terms of video bandwidth and storage capacity are enormous. In an example described by Jan Ozer in Video Compression for Multimedia, AP Professional, p. 8, a typical uncompressed video file has a resolution of 320.times.240, providing 76,800 pixels in each frame. Thus, to capture each frame with a system using 24-bit color requires about 230 kB (killobytes) or 1.84 Mb (megabits). If this data is captured at a rate of 15 frames per second, which is half the standard rate at which television frame are transmitted, the bandwidth required is 3.456 MBs (megabytes per second) or 27.7 Mbs (megabits per second). However, a double speed CD-ROM drive transfers only about 300 kBs, less that a tenth of the bandwidth required.
As further described by Jan Ozer, ibid., pp. 364-365, a first MPEG standard, now known as MPEG-1, was introduced by the MPEG committee in 1991, with a video standard being built around the Standard Image Format (SIF) of 325.times.240 pixels at 30 frames per second, with a data rate of 1.5 Mbs (megabits per second). A second MPEG standard, known as MPEG-2, adopted in the spring of 1994, is a broadcast standard specifying playback at 60 frames per second, with data rates ranging from 4 to 16 Mbs. Even when the MPEG-1 standard is otherwise used, the data rate can be varied, with data being transmitted, for example, at 1.544 Mbs, 2.048 Mbs, and 3.0 Mbs. Lower data rates favor the use of a more simple systems for transmitting and decompressing the data, while higher data rates favor use of the system in connection with larger display areas, requiring more pixels of data, with motion picture sequences involving faster and more complex movement, and in applications requiring higher picture quality.
One application for video data compressed according to the MPEG standard, which is becoming increasingly important, is the use of a computer system as a video server providing movies in an MPEG format to a cable television system, which may extend, for example, into rooms throughout a hotel facility or into homes within a residential area. Each television set is connected to such a cable system through a "set-top" box, which may be placed atop the set. Each set-top box converts data received in the MPEG format into a format that can be received by a standard television set, such as the NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) format of North America, Central America, and Japan, the PAL (Phase Alternation Line) format of most of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America, or the SECAM (Sequentiel Couleurs a Memoire) format of France, Russia, and parts of Africa.
One limitation on the use of MPEG data is the expense of its generation, or "capture." According to David Moskowitz and David Kerr, et al., in OS/2 Warp, Unleashed, Sams Publishing, pp. 752-753, the adapter hardware to capture MPEG images costs from $10,000 to $20,000, and service shops typically charge $100 per minute of video to generate MPEG data. This complexity in the generation of MPEG data implies that, while video segments recorded using the MPEG format can be readily joined with one another in an editing process, once a segment has been generated, its format cannot be readily changed, for example, for transmission at another data rate. Thus, a problem is developed whenever there is a need to join sequentially video segments which have been recorded using the MPEG format at differing data rates. That is, while a communication card for use in a computing system has a capability of transmitting MPEG data at various data rates, and while a set-top box receiving such data has a capability of receiving at several data rates, what is needed is a way to transmit segments at different rates sequentially in a manner which appears to be "seamless" or smooth to a person viewing the television monitor associated with the set top box.

Method for the sequential transmission of compressed video information at varying data rates


For the transportation of articles or of groups of articles between a fixed, predetermined receiving position (20) and a likewise predetermined, fixed set-down position (19), in particular within a folding carton (11) which is open at the top, use is made of a lifting conveyor (21) which transports a lifting head (18) back and forth exclusively along a predetermined inverted U-shaped movement path. The movement path is provided by: two upright vertical movement legs, namely in the set-down position (19), on the one hand, and on the other hand, in the receiving position (20); and a top, horizontal conveying section which interconnects the top of the two vertical movement legs and which is of unchangeable horizontal length.

The invention relates to an apparatus for handling articles by receiving, transporting and setting down the same, in particular for filling containers--cartons--with articles or groups of articles, it being possible for a lifting head for gripping and retaining one or more articles to be moved by a conveyor.
Various designs of apparatuses for the automatic filling of containers, in particular (folding) cartons, are known. Such apparatuses are primarily used for receiving relatively small packs, for example, those containing foodstuffs or luxury foods, from a pallet or an incoming feed conveyor and transferring these packs in layers to the carton. For this purpose, widespread use has been made to date of robots with articulated arms of complex design for carrying out the movement sequence for receiving, transporting and setting down the articles.


A computer enclosure includes a front panel having a ventilation area. The disclosure provides a fan mounting apparatus. The fan mounting apparatus is mounted on an inner wall of the front panel. The fan mounting apparatus includes four mounting frames respectively mounted on four cover of the ventilation area of the front panel. A number of screw holes are defined in the four mounting frames for mounting a plurality of types of fans. The fan mounting apparatus further includes four first blocking beams each interference fitted into the two top ends of two corresponding mounting frames and four second blocking beams each embed in a corresponding first blocking beam, and capable of being slid in the corresponding first blocking beam.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to computer enclosures and, particularly, to a computer enclosure and a mounting apparatus for mounting a fan on the computer enclosure.
2. Description of Related Art
A system fan is typically secured to a panel of a computer enclosure by screws engaging in mounting holes around a ventilation area of the panel, to dissipate heat so as to assure electrical components in the computer enclosure run within a desired temperature range.
When the electrical components are changed, a different sized fan may be required. However, it is hard to attach the new fan to the panel by screws engaging in the original mounting holes. Furthermore, even if the new fan is successfully attached to the panel, the original ventilation holes may not properly align with the new fan and cause turbulent airflow.

Computer enclosure and fan mounting apparatus thereof

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen( Co., Ltd.


A signal measurement method for a mobile communication apparatus supporting multiple transmission interfaces to perform communication transmission in a heterogeneous network environment, system and a recording medium thereof. Changes in the signal strength of an active network transmission interface are employed to adjust signal measurement periods of other non-active network transmission interfaces, thereby reducing the signal measurement frequency of these non-active network transmission interfaces. Moreover, as for the situation that a specific transmission interface periodically reports the signal measurement result to a remote network server, the signal measurement time during the report can also be reduced. By solving the power consumption problem caused by frequently activating the signal measurement of the mobile communication apparatus, the efficacies of saving power and improving the standby time and talk time can be achieved.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for measuring a heterogeneous network signal and a recording medium thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for adjusting a signal measurement period of other non-active network transmission interfaces applied to a mobile communication apparatus supporting multiple transmission interfaces, according to changes in the signal strength of the active network transmission interface.
2. Related Art
Communication transmission networks constructed based on various transmission interface standards are continuously developed with coming era of mobile communication transmission. As each transmission interface has different transmission property specifications in the standard (such as coverage, data rate, and mobility), usually different applications have different transmission interfaces correspond to the requirements.
Recently, some system operators begin to construct a so-called "heterogeneous network" in order to provide better service. The "heterogeneous network" refers to a communication transmission network architecture using multiple transmission interfaces to provide high quality communication transmission service. Transmission interfaces can be switched according to the quality or the cost under this architecture to meet the user's requirements. For the operators, the "heterogeneous network" can not only provide better services for their users, but also reduce the cost of building networks.
For the user, "heterogeneous network" is that the user can not only enjoy various applications and better services by different transmission interfaces in the "heterogeneous network", but also the user can save their cost by using the suitable transmission interface for different situation. In order to enjoy the advantages of the "heterogeneous network", the user has to use the mobile communication apparatus supporting multiple transmission interfaces to perform communication transmission, i.e., the so-called "multi-mode" mobile communication apparatus. Recently, most of the common "multi-mode" mobile communication apparatuses provide at least one transmission interface applicable to a cellular network, for example, general packet radio service (GPRS), and at least one IP-based mobile access network, for example, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi). In order to make sure that the "multi-mode" transmission interface in the mobile communication apparatus keeps operating normally when required, most of the transmission interface specification requires measuring the quality of the signal periodically to handle the status of each transmission interfaces.
Therefore, no matter for an active network transmission interface or a non-active network transmission interface in the mobile communication apparatus, according to the transmission interface specification, when a certain periodic time is reached, the signal measurement operation is activated. As each signal measurement involves the operation of mobile communication apparatus software/hardware, it is quite power-consuming. Especially, when the mobile communication apparatus supports more and more transmission interfaces, the periodic signal measurement of different transmission interfaces may greatly consume the power of the mobile communication apparatus. If the situation that a specific transmission interface needs to report the signal measurement result to the network server of the remote communication transmission network periodically, the standby time and talk time of the mobile communication apparatus is greatly reduced.

System and method of measuring heterogeneous network mobile communication apparatus and recording medium thereof


A tub-like member is recessed below floor surface level in a pit and carries therein an extendable and retractable lifting mechanism. The tub includes a horizontal outwardly extending flange essentially at floor surface level, and overlying the floor surface, which a loader/unloader may easily manipulate with foot pressure to rotate the tub and stacked articles on a pallet carried on the lifting mechanism within the tub-like member. Easily operable controls are provided for the loader/unloader to incrementally raise and lower the lifting mechanism to present the top article of a stack on a pallet at a comfortable lifting height. Also included is a new and improved mechanism for supporting a pallet for manual rotation and incrementally controlled vertical movement.

It is common practice to load articles in stacks on a pallet and also unload stacked articles on pallets. The pallets are commonly lifted and transferred from a loading point to a vehicle or may be transferred from a vehicle to an unloading point. Pallet loading and unloading is commonly done manually where each palletized article is lifted from or placed on a pallet from heights varying from just above floor level, i.e. the height of the pallet, to a height which requires substantial upper body strength to manage. This requires repetitive bending over of the person loading a pallet and also lifting above waist level as the stack of articles grows in height. The reverse motions occur as a pallet is unloaded. This is true even though the article is lifted from a conveyor or deposited on a conveyor. In many environments articles to be loaded may be presented by a conveyor at a comfortable height for lifting, but the loading person must initially bend over to deposit articles on a pallet and then lift substantially above waist level as the stack of articles on the pallet increases in height. The reverse is true when unloading from a pallet to a conveyor. Additionally, where plural stacks are to be loaded on or unloaded from a pallet the loader or unloader must move around the pallet to reach all of the stacks.
These manual lifting and depositing operations place severe strains on a person's back, and it is not unusual to lead to back injuries and long term disability.
Additionally, continuous stooping and lifting as well as high lifting and unloading can be very fatiguing and leads to slowing of loading/unloading efforts.
The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus for facilitating the loading and unloading of stacks of articles on a pallet where the person always has the top article on a pallet presented at a comfortable removal height. Similarly, the invention permits the loading of stacks of articles always at a comfortable height, which may be also referred to as an ergonomic height, even as the height of the stack increases. Moreover, the invention permits the pallet to be rotated to facilitate access to plural stacks of articles thereon.
An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for loading articles on a pallet and also to present articles for unloading, from a pallet, at an ergonomic height.
Another object of this invention is to provide such an apparatus which is easily rotatable to present one of a plurality of stacks of articles on a pallet to an unloader at a comfortable height and location, and at a predetermined loading or unloading point.
Another object of this invention is to provide such an apparatus which a pallet loader/unloader may easily and safely manipulate for height and angular position.
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus to facilitate rotation of a table bearing a pallet with plural stacks of articles and also vertically adjust the table to present the top article of a stack at an ergonomic height.

Apparatus for facilitating unloading and loading of articles on pallets


A system and method for effectively managing operating power for an electronic device may include a battery pack coupled to the electronic device for supplying operating power to the electronic device. A battery controller may be configured as a single integrated-circuit device to alternately manage the battery pack either in a single-cell implementation or in a dual-cell implementation. The battery controller may include a charge pump device to provide an internal controller power supply for operating the battery controller in the single-cell implementation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to techniques for managing operating power of electronic devices, and relates more particularly to a system and method for effectively implementing a battery controller for an electronic device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Implementing efficient methods for managing operating power is a significant consideration for designers and manufacturers of contemporary electronic devices. However, effectively managing operating power for electronic devices may create substantial challenges for system designers. For example, enhanced demands for increased power management functionality and performance may require more system processing power and require additional hardware resources. An increase in processing or hardware requirements may also result in a corresponding detrimental economic impact due to increased production costs and operational inefficiencies.
Furthermore, enhanced system capability to perform various advanced power management operations may provide additional benefits to a system user, but may also place increased demands on the control and management of various system components. For example, an enhanced power management system that effectively monitors currently remaining operating power for an electronic device may benefit from an effective implementation because of the importance of accurately indicating the currently-remaining available operating time for electronic device to a device user.
In certain operational environments that involve portable electronics devices, knowing in advance when a given battery pack will become fully-discharged is an issue of some importance to a device user. For example, when using a digital camera device to capture image data, failure to provide sufficient operating power to the digital camera device may temporarily prevent capture of additional image data at a critical point in time.
Due to growing demands on system resources and the importance of successfully and accurately providing sufficient operating power to electronic devices, it is apparent that developing new techniques for managing operating power is a matter of concern for related electronic technologies. Therefore, for all the foregoing reasons, developing efficient systems for managing operating power remains a significant consideration for designers, manufacturers, and users of contemporary electronic devices.

System and method for efficiently implementing a battery controller for an electronic device