Systems and methods are provided for measuring the mechanical properties of ocular tissue, such as the lens or corneal tissue, for diagnosis as well as treatment monitoring purposes. A laser locking feedback system is provided to achieve frequency accuracy and sensitivity that facilitates operations and diagnosis with great sensitivity and accuracy. Differential comparisons between eye tissue regions of a patient, either on the same eye or a fellow eye, can further facilitate early diagnosis and monitoring.

The present disclosure relates to imaging of tissues. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to improved systems and methods for Brillouin spectroscopy and/or Brillouin microscopy.
The normal, healthy cornea typically has uniform elasticity throughout the volume of the corneal tissue. Corneal ectasia refers to a bulging of the cornea, occurring when it is not strong enough mechanically to withstand the intraocular pressure. Ectasia is one of the rare but serious adverse outcomes after LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) surgery, resulting in corneal thinning or weakening. Relatedly, pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD) is typically characterized by a thinning in the inferior and peripheral region of the cornea of one or both eyes. Similarly, keratoconus is a disorder characterized by thinning of the cornea. These and other conditions can be associated with local weakening or thinning of ocular tissue, and local differences in biomechanical properties such as elasticity. Biomechanical properties of ocular tissue may be an appropriate target for diagnosis and monitoring of onset and progression of cataract and presbyopia as well as corneal pathologies and treatments.
As evidenced by the above, the biomechanical properties of ocular tissues are implicated with several diseases and refractive treatments. Hence, various techniques have been developed for evaluating the biomechanical properties of ocular tissues.
However, the sensitivity and specificity of biomechanical measurements are often compromised by confounding factors. For example, the accuracy and sensitivity of air-puff based measurement of the corneal stiffness, using Scheimpflug topography or optical coherence tomography, can be substantially degraded by the influence of intraocular pressure (IOP), and in turn accurate measurement of IOP can be compromised by the coupling between IOP measurement and corneal stiffness.
In Brillouin imaging, the Brillouin scattering properties of tissue can be sensitive to the hydration level of the tissue. This can cause ambiguity in the interpretation of measured Brillouin shifts to the tissue's stiffness, as the diurnal variations and person-person difference in corneal hydration can lead to large variability that confuses clinical interpretation. The temperature of tissue is another confounding factor in Brillouin light spectroscopy. The Brillouin frequency shift from tissue can vary with the temperature. Therefore, Brillouin measurements conducted at a specific body temperature can give different values as compared with measurements at a different body temperature (e.g. due to fever), and this can lead to misinterpretation. For example, the temperature dependence of a tissue's Brillouin frequency shift can be about 7.45 MHz/° C. for an optical wavelength of 780 nm.
Of further concern, a Brillouin frequency sensitivity and accuracy of +/−10 MHz or better is required to distinguish subtle changes in the biomechanical properties of tissues or to detect abnormality in the early stage of disease. The accuracy of traditional Brillouin spectroscopy or microscopy systems can be significantly compromised by frequency drifts of freely running laser sources or temperature changes of the environment, which causes thermal mechanical shifts of components. For example, the frequency drift of a typical external-cavity semiconductor laser is about 100 MHz for a duration of 10 min even in a temperature-regulated room. Typically, the laser output contains a high level (−50 to −55 dB) of spontaneous background light relative to the stimulated emission laser line. This background noise is particularly a problem in Brillouin microscopy because back-reflected light from optical components or the tissue surface is configured to enter the Brillouin spectrometer and because of its broadband nature is difficult to separate from the weak Brillouin signal.
Hence, although currently existing biomechanical measurement techniques and systems can provide useful and valuable information for evaluating tissue in a patient, further improvements are desirable.

Systems and methods for Brillouin spectroscopy and imaging of tissues


The invention relates to compositions containing a polynucleotide encoding for a reporter gene, a selectable marker and a regulatory element, that provide a method for imaging cells in vivo.

The paradigm of modern drug discovery is centered on the development of therapies directed against specific pathological cell types or specific molecular targets, particularly components of cell signaling pathways. Anticancer drug discovery, for example, has turned away from searches for non-specific cytotoxic agents, and instead is focused on finding therapies directed against cancer-specific molecular targets, which are often components of complex cell signaling pathways. With this paradigm shift arises the need for new methods of validating the efficacy of these therapeutics against the cellular and molecular targets for which they were developed, and for model systems capable of dissecting the complex molecular interactions occuring in multifactorial signaling pathways.

Composition and method for imaging cells


An electronic device according to various embodiments may include: a housing; a display panel exposed through part of the housing; a display driver Integrated Circuit (IC) for driving the display panel; a processor located inside the housing and operatively coupled to the display panel and the display driver IC; and a memory located inside the housing and operatively coupled to the processor and the display driver IC. The memory may store instructions, when executed, causing the processor to display a first screen through the display panel, identify whether there is a request for entering a low power state, generate information on a second screen including at least part of the first screen and write the information in the memory, in response to the request for entering the low power state, enter the low power state in response to writing the information, and causing the display driver IC to display the second screen through the display panel, based on the information, written in the memory, on the second screen, while the processor is in the low power state.

An electronic device such as a smartphone, a table Personal Computer (PC), a smart watch, or the like may visually provide a variety of content such as an image, a text, or the like to a user through a display panel. For example, the electronic device may include a display panel for displaying the content and a Display Driver IC (DDI) for driving the display panel.

Electronic device for displaying screen through display in low-power mode and operating method thereof


An intelligent virtual service agent implemented on a computer platform is assigned a responsibility to automatically interact with different users across a communication network when a predetermined characteristic of content provided by the different users is identified. Content provided by a user over the communication network is analyzed to determine whether the content provided by the user possesses the predetermined characteristic. When the content possesses the predetermined characteristic, account data of the user for an account specific to the user is obtained, and the account data specific to the user is analyzed. The intelligent virtual service agent is assigned to automatically interact with the user based on the account data specific to the user and based on determining that the content possesses the predetermined characteristic.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to intelligent virtual service agents. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to networked intelligent virtual service agents for providing personalized information to users via user interfaces upon request or other form of notification from users, third parties, sensors or networked system elements.
2. Background Information
Companies provide traditional communications mechanisms such as account managers, customer service representatives, subject matter experts, interactive voice response (IVR) units, websites and email to handle user communications such as comments, inquiries, complaints, recommendations and clarifications. Recently, online mechanisms such as blogs, communities, wiki and forums, have been provided for user communications. Analytic mechanisms already used for traditional communications mechanisms can help the companies identify user concerns for the online mechanisms. For example, analytic tools are used to analyze sentiment and recommend remedies for both traditional communications mechanisms and social communications mechanisms.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Implementing a network of intelligent virtual service agents to provide personalized automated responses


A water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion ink which is suitable for use in inkjet printing and is low in viscosity and superior in storage stability is provided. The ink comprises an oil phase and a water phase emulsified in the oil phase using a nonionic surfactant, in which the water phase contains a salt of at least one metal selected from potassium or calcium. The metal salt is preferably a calcium salt, and particular preferably calcium chloride. The nonionic surfactant is preferably a polyglycerin fatty acid ester, and particularly preferably an esterification product of a polyglycerin and a hydroxy fatty acid. Preferably, the ink comprises 40-99 mass % of the oil phase and 60-1 mass % of the water phase, and contains a polyglycerin fatty acid ester in an amount of 0.5-40 mass % based on the total of the ink.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion ink which is suitable for use in inkjet printing and is low in viscosity and superior in storage stability.
(2) Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Inkjet printing is characterized by ejecting ink droplets from fine nozzles so as to perform non-contact printing. Companies have carried out R & D for inks for inkjet printing, aiming at making ink droplets finer and making printing speed faster and printing area larger.
As an ink used for inkjet printing (referred to as "ink for inkjet" in the present application), an aqueous pigment or dye ink is generally used for personal and office uses. Because the aqueous pigment or dye ink is easy to be absorbed into paper fibers, it is high in printing density and low in strike through which is a printing density looked from the backside of prints. On the other hand, since paper is dried under pressure during production, hydrogen bonds between the paper fibers are cut and cause curl when water contacts the paper. This curl is so remarkable as to influence accuracy of positioning of ink droplets and conveyance of paper when cut sheets of paper are used. It is prerequisite to eliminate the curl in order to achieve high speed printing.
As a technique for eliminating the curl, reducing the water content of the ink or removing water from the ink may be employed. In other words, oil based inks can be used to eliminate the curl, which are also suited for high speed printing.
Business printers which adopt a line head type inkjet system are noticed since they have the head fixed so as to produce a large amount of prints at high speed and are available at low price. An oil based ink is usually used for this high speed inkjet printer. However, the ink permeates into the backside of paper after printing, and thus the resulting prints are low in printing density with lots of strike through, compared to printers adopting other systems.
Emulsification of ink is one of the methods for solving this problem (refer to patent document 1). Although emulsification of ink for inkjet can increase printing density and decrease strike through, ink becomes too thick to be ejected from nozzles as droplets when a percentage of a water phase is increased. Moreover, when the ink is inferior in storage stability, it affects ejection of ink so that printing cannot be performed even though the ink viscosity is controlled to be low.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2006-56931


A temperature compensation module for use with battery charger/rectifier units. The compensation module is used to vary the battery charger output voltage as a function of temperature. This is done by controlling the series impedance of the charger's voltage sense leads. The impedance is controlled to produce a voltage offset in series with the sense leads. Thus, the charger's output voltage is equal to its adjusted output voltage plus the offset voltage.

Batteries as principal or back-up power sources have numerous applications in such industries as computer technology and telecommunications. In these applications it is important that the battery be maintained at a fully charged condition in order to function properly.
One particular application for batteries is as an emergency power source for telecommunication equipment located outdoors. If the regular power supplied by an a.c. source fails, the battery must be able to provide the necessary voltage until such time as the a.c. power is restored. It is common in such applications that a battery charger be connected across the batteries such that they are constantly maintained at the proper voltage levels.
It is known that the resistance of batteries varies as a function of ambient temperature conditions such that charging levels, if kept constant, would either provide insufficient or excessive charging or float voltage. This can result either in an under-charged battery if a low float voltage is provided, or possibly a damaged battery if excessive voltage is applied. It is therefore a requirement to control the float voltage in response to changes in ambient temperature.

Battery charger/rectifier voltage temperature compensation circuit including protection and diagnostic scheme


A method for detecting a lift condition from an illuminated surface portion of an optical motion sensing device. According to a first embodiment, two different “loss-of-focus” thresholds are used. A first threshold is used when the optical pointing device is not moving, and a second threshold greater than the first one is used when the optical pointing device is moving. The optical device further requires means for detecting whether it is moving or not. According to a second embodiment, a dynamical loss-of-focus threshold depending on an average number of motion features that the surface exhibits to the sensor of the optical pointing device is used.

Such optical pointing devices are already known in the art, International Patent Application No. WO 03/049018 A1, filed in the name of the same Assignee and enclosed herewith by way of reference, describes a motion detection device for detecting relative motion with respect to an illuminated portion of a surface.
As illustrated on FIG. 5, this motion detection device comprises a photodetector array 120 including a plurality of pixels aligned along first and second axes for detecting a light intensity pattern of illuminated portion surface S by means of light source 110. Comparator means 115 are coupled to photodetector array 120 for comparing light intensity between pixels of the photodetector array along both axes and for outputting edge direction data from the detected light intensity pattern. This data is descriptive of light intensity differences between the compared pixels and includes a first edge condition, or positive edge, defined as a condition wherein the light intensity of a first pixel is less than the light intensity of a second pixel and a second edge condition, or negative edge, defined as a condition wherein the light intensity of the first pixel is greater than the light intensity of the second pixel.
The motion detection device further comprises processing means 100 for extracting edge inflection data from the edge direction data. This edge inflection data is descriptive of the succession of positive and negative edges along one of the two axes of the photodetector array and includes a first inflection condition, or peak, defined as the succession, along one axis, of a positive edge followed by a negative edge and a second inflection condition, or null, defined as the succession of a negative edge followed by a positive edge.
Processing means 100 further comprises means for comparing locations of the inflection conditions with previous locations of the inflection conditions, means for determining the direction of motion of the inflection conditions along both axes based on the result of the location comparison and means for computing an overall displacement measurement from the determined direction of motion of the inflection conditions. This motion detection method is called "Peak/Null Motion Detection".
With "Peak/Null Motion Detection", the number of inflections "seen" by the photodetector is dependent on the sensor focus. In particular, the inflection count will decrease substantially if the sensor is out of focus (the sensor "sees" less features). This property can therefore be exploited in order to provide "loss-of-focus" information. This can easily be implemented by counting the total number of X inflections and Y inflections and comparing either count (X or Y inflections) with a pre-determined threshold. If this count is less than the predetermined threshold, a "loss-of-focus" condition will be detected and reported as a warning signal to an external controller 200. This "loss-of-focus" information may be used for lift detection of the optical sensor.
A reliable detection of optical pointing device lift condition is essential for low power applications (e.g. wireless mouse). In fact, once the optical pointing device is lifted, the optical system as mentioned before "goes out of focus" and "sees" less motion features. The motion features seen by the sensor become "blurry", and noise becomes more dominant, the signal-to-noise ratio being strongly decreased. This results in a spurious motion detected by the sensor even if the optical pointing device is not moving (e.g. one side of the optical pointing device is resting on an object taller than the surface in such a manner that the optical pointing device is inclined). This spurious motion will not allow the optical pointing device to enter a so-called "Sleep Mode", i.e. low consumption mode, since the processing means interpret reported motion from the sensor as an indication that the optical pointing device is being used, and thus would result in a significant power cost.
In the International Patent Application No. WO 03/049018 A1, the lift detection mechanism uses a "hard" or predetermined threshold of number of motion features, for instance the number of edge inflection data, also called hereafter loss-of-focus threshold (LoFth). Once this LoFth threshold is crossed, i.e. number of motion features seen by the sensor is lower than the LoFth threshold, a lift condition is detected.
Since different surfaces present a different average number of motion features to the sensor, for example for a 30×30 pixel array, the average number of motion features is in the range of 90 to 400, therefore no predetermined value can fit in order to obtain both a good sensing motion and a good lift condition detection. If the loss-of-focus threshold is set low, then lift condition will not be detected for surfaces, which exhibit a large amount of motion features to the sensor. In contrast, if the loss-of-focus threshold is set high, then lift condition will be detected even when the mouse is not lifted on surfaces, which exhibit a small amount of motion features to the sensor. This false lift detection will interrupt the normal motion detection of the sensor, which is not user convenient.
That is why the solution presented in the International Patent Application No. WO 03/049018 A1 is either not reliable enough for detecting a lift condition if the LoFth value is set low or not enough sensitive to motion if the LoFth is set high and anyway is not optimum in term of power savings.

Lift detection mechanism for optical mouse sensor


To incorporate water into a chocolate, chocolate and an emulsion or dispersion of a thickening or gelling substance in water, particularly a dispersion of microcrystalline cellulose in water, are introduced into an extruder and mixed and passed to an extruder nozzle so that the chocolate mass extrudate from the nozzle has a temperature of from 0.degree. C. to 28.degree. C.

The invention relates to the preparation of chocolate products with the incorporation of water.
Chocolate is composed of a fatty phase, e.g., cocoa butter and if necessary, lactic fat, and contains essentially solid compounds, for example, cellulose fibres, sugar crystals and dispersed proteins. In the preparation of chocolate, finely ground or refined cocoa powder is converted to a fluid suspension of sugar, cocoa and if necessary, milk powder in the fatty phase by the operation of conching. The water content of a chocolate is approximately 1 wt. % before conching and <1% after this operation which causes evaporation of the water.
In the field of confectionery/chocolate-making, there is considerable interest in increasing the heat resistance of chocolate and reducing its calorie content. Various methods have been proposed for achieving these results.
One method involved the direct incorporation of water or humectants, for example, glycerol. This method of incorporation gives rise to a considerable and rapid increase in the viscosity, due to the fact that said compounds react with the sugar, which is dispersed in the lipid phase of the chocolate, to form agglomerates. The chocolate thus transformed is practically impossible to handle and produces a coarse, sandy sensation in the mouth. Even the subsequent removal of the water does not alter this degraded texture.
Other methods involved adding hydrated substances, foams, syrups, gels, or water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsions. An example of such an approach is provided by the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,760, according to which an emulsion of a solution of carbohydrate and a fat is prepared in the presence of an emulsifier, after which the emulsion is mixed with a tempered mass of chocolate.

Treatment of chocolate so that the chocolate treated contains added water


A MOS capacitor receiving a clock signal complementary to a sampling clock signal is provided at an input of a clocked inverter that is activated after sampling an input signal to perform level conversion. A charge pump operation of the MOS capacitor is performed in parallel with the activation of the clocked inverter. The power consumption of and the area occupied by a level conversion circuit converting a voltage amplitude of the input signal are reduced without deteriorating a high-speed operating characteristics.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a level conversion circuit using insulated gate field effect transistors (MOS transistors). In particular, the present invention relates to a level shift circuit having a latch function and used for display devices formed using, for example, liquid-crystal elements or organic electroluminescence (EL) elements. More specifically, the present invention relates to a circuit configuration for latching and level-shifting a pixel data signal applied to a display pixel.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a display device using liquid-crystal elements or organic EL (electroluminescence) elements as display pixel elements, a level conversion circuit is employed for enlarging a signal amplitude. For example, in order to accurately drive the display pixel elements in accordance with a display signal, for achieving gradational display, the amplitude of an image data signal is enlarged to generate the display signal and supply the display signal to the pixel element.
For such a display device, it is generally required to reduce power consumption for preventing heat generation, and to reduce the power consumption in an application such as mobile equipment having a battery as a power source. Prior art document 1 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-115758) discloses a configuration of a level conversion circuit aiming to reduce power consumption.
In the configuration disclosed in the prior art document 1, an input signal is held in a first capacitance element in accordance with a sampling pulse. After this sampling is completed, a MOS drive stage having level conversion function is driven in accordance with the voltage held in the first capacitance element. In accordance with an output signal of the MOS drive stage, a second capacitance element is charged to generate a level-converted signal. With the configuration disclosed in the prior art document 1, it is intended to perform level conversion on the input signal with a smaller number of elements, in addition to reduction in power consumption.
Prior art document 2 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-358055) also discloses a level conversion circuit with an intention to reduce power consumption. In the level conversion circuit disclosed in the prior art document 2, a current-mirror type input buffer circuit for comparing an input signal with a reference voltage is activated for an activation period of a vertical scan start instruction signal, and an output signal of the current-mirror type input buffer circuit is latched by a latch circuit having level conversion function when the vertical scan start instruction signal is inactivated. The current-mirror type input buffer circuit is operated for a minimum necessary period of time, thereafter the output signal thereof is latched by the latch circuit and level conversion is performed by this latch circuit so as to reduce power consumption.
Moreover, prior art document 3 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-320268) discloses a level conversion circuit with the purpose of achieving a high-speed operation in addition to reduction of power consumption. In a configuration disclosed in the prior art document 3, an amplitude-limited control signal is generated in accordance with an input clock signal, and an output drive stage is driven in accordance with the amplitude-limited control signal. In limiting the amplitude, threshold voltage drop of a MOS transistor (insulated gate field effect transistor) is utilized, the output drive stage is constituted of a CMOS inverter, and one of the drive transistors is set to a strongly-on state while the other is set to a weakly-on state. The degree of the on state of the output drive transistors is simply controlled to achieve high-speed operation. Further, a transition period of the potential level on an output node is shortened to reduce the period in which a through current flows and thereby to reduce power consumption.
In addition, the prior art document 4 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-251174) discloses a configuration with the purpose of reducing power consumption of a level conversion circuit for enlarging a signal amplitude in an image display device. In the configuration disclosed in the prior art document 4, an output transistor has a gate clamped by diode-connected a MOS transistor, and further supplied with an input signal via a capacitance element. The gate potential of this output drive transistor is varied through capacitive coupling by the capacitance element and the output drive transistor is driven to an on/off state at a high speed, so that the through current is reduced and power consumption is reduced.
In a display device such as liquid-crystal display device, a thin-film transistor (TFT) is used as a MOS transistor. In this case, in order to prevent deterioration in characteristics of display pixel elements, a low-temperature polysilicon TFT is employed. Such a low-temperature polysilicon TFT is merely subject to annealing or heat treatment at a low temperature. Thus, as compared with a MOS transistor using single-crystal silicon, the crystal quality of the low-temperature polysilicon TFT is inferior. Therefore, in such TFTs, threshold voltage varies to a greater degree for different transistors and the channel resistance (ON resistance) in a conductive state is large.
In the configuration disclosed in the prior art document 1, in a level-converting operation, the output drive transistor is driven, in accordance with the input signal of small amplitude that is held in the first capacitance element, to discharge the voltage held in the second capacitance element. Therefore, the current drivability of the output drive transistor is small, and a level-converted signal of a large amplitude that is held in the second capacitance element cannot be discharged at a high speed, resulting in a problem that a high-speed operation is not ensured.
In the configuration disclosed in the prior art document 2, the current-mirror type buffer circuit is used for identifying the voltage level of the input signal. The input signal is compared with the reference voltage to generate the internal signal according to the result of this comparison, and the internal signal is latched by the latch circuit. Accordingly, the input buffer circuit has a large number of transistor elements, resulting in a problem that the occupied area cannot be reduced. In addition, if the transistor elements have greatly-varied threshold voltages, offset in a comparison stage of the current-mirror type input buffer circuit cannot be compensated for, resulting in a problem that an accurate input signal cannot be generated.
In the configuration disclosed in the prior art document 3, the gate potential of the transistor of the output drive stage for performing level conversion is level-shifted by the diode-connected MOS transistor. The degree of the ON state of the output drive transistors is changed in accordance with the input signal. Accordingly, in the output drive stage, both of charging and discharging drive transistors are in an ON state, resulting in a problem that a through current flows all the time.
In the configuration disclosed in the prior art document 4, the gate potential of the level-converting output drive transistor is clamped by the diode-connected MOS transistor. Through the capacitive coupling of the input signal, the gate potential of the drive transistors is changed. Accordingly, it is required to provide capacitance elements respectively for the high-side drive transistor and the low-side transistor on the node receiving the input signal, resulting in a problem that the load of the input signal increases. Further, the prior art document 4 disclosed a further configuration for driving an internal output node through capacitive coupling of an input signal. Specifically, between the gate of a first drive transistor and the internal output node, a capacitance element receiving the input signal is connected. The internal output node is further coupled to the input signal via a second drive transistor in accordance with an inverted signal of the input signal. Thus, if a skew occurs between the complementary input signals, the signal on the internal output node is coupled via the second drive transistor to the input signal, resulting in a problem that the internal output node cannot sufficiently charged and thus an accurately level-converted signal cannot be generated.

Level conversion circuit and serial/parallel conversion circuit with level conversion function


Films of high T.sub.c Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor have been prepared by MOCVD using volatile metal organic precursors and water vapor. The metal organic precursors are volatized along with a bismuth source, such as Bi(C.sub.6 H.sub.5).sub.3, deposited on a heated substrate to form a film, and annealed.

This application relates to a method for forming superconducting materials through the use of chemical vapor deposition and more specifically, it involves a preparation of superconducting films through the use of metal organic chemical vapor deposition of volatile metal organic complexes.
The recent discovery of metal oxide ceramic materials with relatively high superconducting transition temperatures gives rise to a large number potential applications in advanced materials based technologies. However, appropriate practical synthesis and processing methodologies for forming the superconductive ceramics are required for the use of superconducting materials in microelectronics and optoelectronics. Particularly desirable superconductors are [TlO.sub.m Ba.sub.2 Ca.sub.n-1 Cu.sub.n O.sub.2n+2 ; m=1,2; n=1 ,2,3] and [(BiO).sub.2 Sr.sub.2 Ca.sub.n-1 Cu.sub.n O.sub.x n=1,2,3]. In general, such superconductive ceramics may be formed as high-quality thin films which are deposited from the gas phase. These thin films have in the past been deposited by physical vapor deposition techniques (ion-sputtering, electron beam, plasma, laser) which employ metal and metal oxide sources. All of these vapor deposition techniques require expensive and/or energy-intensive equipment, must be carried out at high temperatures and do not provide consistently good quality films.
Metal organic chemical vapor deposition has been used for depositing thin films from a vaporizable material. When using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for depositing metal oxide films on substrates, volatile metal organic precursors must be used. Metal organic precursors for the preparation of the known superconductive ceramic materials which are stable in the gas phase are not generally available. However, the chemical vapor deposition technique does potentially offer the advantage, when compared to the physical methods of film preparation, of higher quality, smoother and more crystalline films produced at lower temperatures and amenability to large scale deposition.
In order to use metal organic chemical vapor deposition, the metal precursor compounds must be sufficiently volatile to transport the compound as a gas to the substrate site. In addition, the metal precursor compound must be relatively stable in the gaseous state. Coordination number and coordinative saturation appear to play a major role in determining the Volatility of neutrally charged metal organics. In general, in low oxidation states, a metal complex with non-bulky ligands will attempt to expand its coordination number by coordinating additional ligands, or, when these are unavailable, by forming ligand bridging bonds to neighboring ions. Such bridging bonds lead to polymeric structures, high lattice energies, and low volatility. Two approaches can be used to circumvent this problem. In higher oxidation states, the metal will have a smaller ionic radius, hence a smaller desired coordination number, and generally more non-bridging ligands per metal ion. This usually leads to higher volatility. Another way to reduce intermolecular interactions is by employing sterically bulky and/or fluorinated ligands. Also important, but apparently less critical, is keeping the molecular weight as low as possible.
The compounds selected for use in metal organic chemical vapor deposition must be stable to the thermal conditions necessary to volatilize them. In general, many of the properties which impart volatility additionally afford some resistance to thermal degradation, and therefore, the approaches which should foster higher volatility are also reasonable initial approaches to enhance thermal stability.
As a result, the optimum manner for rendering metal complexes volatile should be complexation by bulky and/or multidentate non-polar hydrocarbon ligands, which saturate the coordination sphere and prevent oligomerization. Ligand fluorination further enhances volatility.
Among the currently known classes of high T.sub.c superconductors, Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O materials [TlO.sub.m Ba.sub.2 Ca.sub.n-1 Cu.sub.n O.sub.2n+2 ; m=1,2; n=1,2,3] and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O materials [(BiO).sub.2 Sr.sub.2 Ca.sub.n-1 Cu.sub.n O.sub.x n=1,2,3] exhibit a multiplicity of superconducting phases, high environmental stability, ease of synthesis, and T.sub.c values as high as 122K. Such valuable characteristics have stimulated efforts to prepare high quality Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thin films, and to date activity has largely centered on physical vapor deposition techniques such as sputtering, multi-layer thermal evaporation, and electron beam evaporation. If appropriate molecular precursors and deposition chemistry could be developed, metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) would offer an attractive alternative approach and the potential advantages of simplified deposition apparatus, high deposition rates, efficiency in coating complex shapes, excellent film uniformity, and adaptability to deposition under highly oxidizing conditions.

CVD method for forming B.sub.i -containing oxide superconducting films


A light source of coaxially stacked volumetric light cells that can be used either in a lamp or a display. Each light cell is composed of high quantum yield nanocrystals in a silica aerogel matrix that is excited by a controlled ultraviolet light source. From these stacked cell assemblies visible light is emitted of a desired color or color temperature and brightness.

There are many sources of artificial lighting, from the very old arc and incandescent lamps, the middle-aged fluorescent lamps, to the new-aged laser and solid state lamps. While each of the these lamps may be suitable for many uses and application, none is very good for many uses. Carbon arcs are becoming almost non-existent, incandescent use is dropping, fluorescent is gaining, and solid state growing very fast. Even with all of this change we have not achieved a revolution in lighting. Incandescent lamps are good at one brightness, but they cannot be dimmed without radically changing color temperature. Most fluorescent lights have poor color rendering and with most white LEDs color rendering is no better. What is needed is a lamp whose color and/or color temperature is tunable in power spectral density and brightness.
Lamps using this advance in the state of art would have many uses from the scientific, medical, personal, and studio lights for film or video production, or for entertainment. These lamps, if put into arrays, could be used for lighting panels.
Large arrays of these lamps might be used for video displays in theaters or for outdoor displays. They can be used anywhere a repeatable controlled variable color or color temperature light is needed.
The most basic lamp is composed of a cell containing one phosphor in a supporting matrix that is illuminated by an exciting energy, in this case, ultraviolet (UV) light. The outer edges of the device are surrounded by a UV light source and this light source is covered by a housing which keeps the UV light in, and external light out. When the UV source is on it causes the phosphors in the matrix to fluoresce. Units so comprised would give a fixes spectral output, of that one phosphor. Furthermore its intensity (brightness) would also be fixed if the UV illumination level was fixed, thus it is not tunable. A lamp unit designed like this would be very similar to the volumetric light source described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,445 which is herein incorporated by reference. Reed, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,445 "Inorganic volumetric light source excited by ultraviolet light" is the keystone patent to this disclosure. Without the methods taught within it, the new embodiments disclosed here would not be possible. reed, et al. used—and I will also use—silica aerogel as support matrix for the Q-particle phosphors. If it were not for recent advances in research, and in the art of the manufacturing of Q-particle phosphors, now commonly called quantum dots, this advance would not be possible.
The preferred phosphors are t hose whose spectral curve is almost gaussian and have a half width at half maximum (hwhm) bandwidths of around 20-30 nm, cover the full visible spectrum, and are composed of cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide. With careful selection and blending one can make up almost any visible power spectrum one wants. These nanocrystalline materials go by many names: nanoparticles, Q-particles, quantum dots, quantum nanodots, or nanocrystallites. There are two researchers who have companies that sell quantum dots that have utility: Nanoco, 48 Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9XX, UK and Paul O'Brien was issued the U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,635, which is herein incorporated by reference, for a "Process for preparing a nanocrystalline material." The other is Nanomaterials and Nanofabrication Laboratories (NN-Labs) PO Box 2168/and Peng, et al. was issued a U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,545, which is herein incorporated by reference.
The first electrical fluorescent lamp patent was granted to Edison in 1907, U.S. Pat. No. 865,367, and is used x-rays to energize a phosphor. Since then many fluorescent lamps have been disclosed which advanced the art, but the color rendering from these lights was poor, and the search was on for a lamp with a high-color rendering index(CRI). That changed with the development of three-bank fluorescent lamps using UV light from the excitation of mercury vapor. The phosphors employed in these lamps have three different spectral distributions and the perceived color each distribution colors would be red, green, and blue. Among the first U.S. patents issued that advanced the art in this direction are: U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,517 issued to Haft in 1973 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,082 issued to Thornton in 1974. The art of fluorescent lamps was advanced again in U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,532. It was issued to Piper in 1987 and it demonstrates a two-band fluorescent lamp using phosphors that have a narrow "blue" emission spectrum, and a broad "yellow" emission spectrum to give white light. The art of a two-band fluorescent lamp was developed giving a less expensive bulb but poorer color rendering than the three-band bulbs, but better than a conventional one. U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,758 was issued to Thornton in 1971 and it illustrates a method for making a two-phosphor layer fluorescent lamp. This is achieved by coating a substrate with one layer of phosphors of one type, and putting another layer of different phosphors on top of that. UV light from a mercury discharge illuminates the first layer causing that layer to fluoresce and subsequently through the second causing that layer to fluoresce also and exit the lamp. By using this method, it enables the spectral power emissions of the two phosphors to be summed, giving a spectral power curve that neither alone could give. This method increased the efficiency of the phosphors, but color rendering was not very good. Hybrids of this process and the three-band method made a higher CRI bulb that is cheaper than a pure three-band bulb.
All of the fluorescent mercury discharge lamps mentioned above use one or more of the following types of phosphors: halophosphate phosphors, phosphate phosphors, silicate phosphors, aluminate phosphors, or tungstate phosphors. These phosphors have properties that allow them to work well in the environment of a mercury discharge arc. Most of these phosphors have multiple peaks or wider spectral bandwidth than phosphors used in cathode ray tubes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,052 was issued to Maya in 1997 for a "Variable color temperature fluorescent lamp" and it teaches a method of making a fluorescent lamp having at least two phosphor coatings on the surface of the sealed lamp bulb. there is variable driving means which preferentially activates one phosphor and not the other phosphors. This allows the user to change the color temperature of the lamp by controlling parameters of the electrical driving signal, thus changing the light output to be more or less blue or red, or to balance the longer wavelengths perceived against the shorter wavelengths perceived. A real advance in the art was made by this patent: it is able to shift its color temperature by an electronic control unit. However, the color rendering in not as high as the more advanced three-band fluorescent lamps.
Florescent lamps have developed greatly over the years but there is no lamp that has a very high CRI and that is variable in color, temperature and brightness. Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) use different types of phosphors than conventional fluorescent lights. A CRTs CRT's phosphor functions by a electron beam, in vacuum, hitting a phosphor layer on a coated transparent substrate. Black and white CRTs that are used for television are composed of a mixture of blue and yellow phosphors to give a "white" light. The typical compositions for the blue emitter is a silver-activated zinc sulfide and the yellow emitter is silver-activated zinc-cadmium sulfide. Color CRTs use red green and blue phosphors and the composition of the typical phosphors are: for red in old pre-1966 tubes was gold-activated zinc-cadmium sulfide and common currently is an europium-activated yttrium oxysulfide; for green it is a copper-aluminum-activated zinc sulfide; for blue it is a gold-activated zinc sulfide. These phosphors have to work in the environment of a vacuum and in the presence of an electron beam. These phosphors have a relatively narrow spectral band width and are typically metal sulfides.
The difference between the phosphors for displays and lights is quite great. With displays you want a narrow bandwidth so you can more accurately portray saturated colors. With displays you are not trying to make a white light with a high CRI because you are not interested in the reflected light, but transmitted light. With lights, for illumination, the goal is to make a lamp that will render the environment accurately and not have problems with metamerism, and you are dealing with reflected light.
The colors of two objects are generally designated as being metameric if these objects have a different reflection spectrum, but nevertheless give the same color impression under a given kind of light, for example in daylight. Then if under another kind of light, for example an incandescent lamp, the color impression of these objects is different. This improved embodiment of a fluorescent lamp that I have developed overcomes many of these problems of color rendering and metamerism by having the ability to change the spectral power curve (color temperature) and/or brightness. A lot of lamps are good at color rendering but only at one brightness; others can be dimmed but have color rendering problems at different brightnesses.
There are many process that have been used in prior art in varying the power output of lamps: (1) by physical some methods using some sort of shutter that chops the light or partially obscures the lamps source: U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,897; by optical methods optically variable or transmissive or reflective filters: U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,322, U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,096; (2) by electronic methods that are analogous the physical and optical methods; (3) by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) which is analogous to a variable physical light chopping shutter. The power source is either on or off and the ratio on to off determines the power output. To use PWM with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) one must use current limiting in order to operate the devices with a margin of safety: U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,663; (4) by controlling the parameters of the voltage and/or current flowing through the device. Some precautions must be taken when using LEDs because they can be destroyed by passing too much current through them; and (5) by having a plurality of lamps wired in parallel that can be switched on or off independently. Thus the optical power output is the sum of the lights that are turned on.
What I will use to power and control the lamps are devices like Silicon Laboratories programmable digital power controllers which provide closed-loop feedback control, system protection, and power management functions for switch mode power systems. The Si825x architecture combines a dedicated DSP-based control loop processor with an in-system programmable system management processor. With these smart power supplies the power output of each light can be programmed.
The teaching about a variable color RGB LED display is in U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,481 issued to Have in 1989 "Continuosly variable color display device." He made the device to control the color on a readout display and this was accomplished by a PCM of power to and RGB LED display. Another teachings about a variable color RGB LED light unit is in U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,038 issued to Mueller, et al. in 2000 "Multicolored LED lighting method and apparatus", the PWM method of controlling the power to the LEDs which may be computer controlled. The problem with these LED lamps is that they are not very good at illumination. The bandwidth of the R, G. B, source LED is too narrow to give a good color rendering, but it works very well if you want saturated colored light. The possible amount of colors is limited to the areas within the CIE triangle. The advantages of lamps that use LED is that they have a long life and are quite efficient, and therefore do not produce a lot of heat.
Other methods of lighting have been developed to give very high illumination with variable color and brightness. These systems have the same color space problems because they are using the three primaries: red, green, and blue.
A remote-controlled high-brightness projection using RGB tricolor mixing, but it uses conventional optics. The teaching about it is in U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,321 issued to Bornhorst in 1986 "Light source having automatically variable hue, saturation and beam divergence."
Computerized high brightness projection and/or lighting systems using RGB tricolor mixing have developed recently: Constructed with conventional optics: U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,444 issued to Shields in 1992 "Computer controlled light with continuously variable color temperature, color, magnification, focus, and position." Constructed with digital micromirror device (DMD), U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,440 issued to Yamamoto in 2002 "Illumination apparatus and projection type display apparatus using the same." Constructed with LCD light gates: U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,144 issued to Bornhorst in 2003 "High intensity lighting projectors."

Color-tuned volumetric light using high quantum yield nanocrystals


Disclosed are methods for determining the redox condition of cementitious materials. The methods are leaching methods that utilize a redox active transition metal indicator that is present in the cementitious material and exhibits variable solubility depending upon the oxidation state of the indicator. When the leaching process is carried out under anaerobic conditions, the presence or absence of the indicator in the leachate can be utilized to determine the redox condition of and location of the oxidation front in the material that has been subjected to the leaching process.

Reprocessing is commonly used to recover plutonium, uranium, and other useful materials from spent nuclear fuel. The current standard method for reprocessing is the PUREX method, which is a liquid-liquid extraction method that can extract both uranium and plutonium independently of each other and from other fission products. Reprocessing methods generate liquid waste that includes both high activity waste (also referred to a high level waste), which carries many of the fission products and transuranic elements generated in the core, and low activity waste (also referred to a low level waste), which carries low activity fission products, actinides, and a plurality of different salts. The low activity waste is further treated to remove actinides and fission products to produce a decontaminated salt solution that, while exhibiting low activity levels, must be properly treated and stored to prevent release of contaminants.
Treatment of the decontaminated salt solution includes mixing it with a blend of cementitious materials to form a grout mixture. Upon curing of the grout mixture through hydration reactions a hardened monolithic cementitious waste form known as saltstone is formed. This particular treatment process is carried out at the Savannah River Site nuclear reservation in South Carolina, USA.
Some contaminants contained in such waste forms (e.g. chromium and technetium in saltstone, which are precipitated as very insoluble compounds under alkaline reducing conditions and are soluble under alkaline oxidizing conditions) exhibit a variable solubility depending upon their oxidation state, with the reduced form of the contaminants showing lower solubility. As such, reducing conditions are created in the waste form to slow and/or prevent release of contaminants. For instance, blast furnace slag is utilized in combination with a calcium silicate-based cement (e.g., Portland cement) in forming the saltstone waste form. Blast furnace slag significantly lowers the Eh, or redox potential, relative to traditional cements and thus serves to increase reducing conditions of the saltstone.
Desirably, the reduction capacity of the saltstone will persist over an extended performance period (e.g., 10,000 years) with rates of contaminant release dominated by slow changes in physiochemical properties. Even so, over time the chemical properties of the saltstone will vary as the result of exposure to air, groundwater, and other environmental factors. As a result the pH will decrease and the Eh potential will increase, as the saltstone oxidizes. For example, the rate of oxidation of the cement-slag based waste form, saltstone, has been calculated to be less than 0.5 millimeters per year based on oxygen diffusion models where diffusion rates change as a function of the square root of time. Models have considered liquid phase transport and a diffusion dominated process independent of flow through a fractured network and a shrinking core model.
Unfortunately, models are theoretical in nature, and require experimental data for verification. What are needed in the art are testing methods that can determine the rate of oxidation of cured cementitious materials. More specifically, what are needed are methods that can trace the location of an oxidation front in cementitious materials. Such methods would be of great use to verify modeling assumptions for long-term performance of materials such as saltstone, for long-term storage and disposal unit design, as well as to provide a basis for potential processing changes, such as clean cap installation criteria based on maximum allowable saltstone atmospheric exposure time.

Method for characterization of the rate of movement of an oxidation front in cementitious materials


The present concept is a bristle extruding toothbrush and the method of the bristle extruding toothbrush replacing its own bristles. Polymer is stored in a reservoir in the body of the toothbrush before being heated and urged into an extrusion cavity by a screw housed in the reservoir. Molten polymer is extruded through bristle apertures on the extrusion face found on the brush head to form bristles by the action of an extrusion mold plunger.

Toothbrushes that are currently on the market include disposable toothbrushes which are discarded once the bristles on the head of the toothbrush have worn past the point of usability. There are also other toothbrushes on the market which allow one to replace the head of the toothbrush which disconnects from the handle of the brush roughly at the neck of the brush. In this manner the top portion including the bristles on the head can be removed and discarded and the handle is kept.
There are yet further brushes which are electrically activated namely they provide brushing action through a series of motors which provide a reciprocating and/or a rotating action of the head thereby aiding in the brushing action of the toothbrush.
There are yet other toothbrushes which include some toothpaste within the body of the handle which can be selectively discharged as required thereby effectively combining a toothbrush and the toothpaste tube into one unit.
With all of these toothbrushes there is still is the issue of ecological waste which ends up in landfill sites. Whether it is the traditional brush which is discarded when worn out or whether it is the brush with replaceable heads, there is still significant amount of waste that goes into landfill sites with the replacement components of these devices.
Therefore there is a need for a toothbrush which can regenerate its bristles without the need for disposable replacement parts.


A flying toy spacecraft having one or more low pressure channels acting as the primary lift mechanism. Each of the low pressure channels has a bottom member, two sidewalls, and an optional top member. The interior of the channel can be fitted with an airfoil or a trailing reflexed edge. In embodiments having two or more low pressure channels, the channels are spaced apart, thereby forming an inverted channel that stabilizes the flying toy spacecraft against undesired yawing motions.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of remote controlled flying toys, and more particularly, to a flying or gliding toy spacecraft having a low pressure channel as the main lift element.
2. Description of Related Art
Radio controlled (RC) flying toys have been used for many years as an enjoyable source of entertainment. However, proper functionality of these toys demands a precise balance between weight, lift, and power. The weight of the toy depends on its size, shape, and construction. The lift of the toy depends on the size, shape, and orientation of the wings. Adding more wings or larger wings to increase lift causes a corresponding increase in weight, thus requiring more lift for the toy to function properly.
Although there are many flying toy airplanes and gliders, the development of more fanciful flying toys has been limited by the problem of the weight/lift balance. Fanciful toys such as spacecraft do not always have pronounced wings in a manner similar to that of airplanes. Some toy spacecraft could fly with increased power provided by the propulsion system. However, larger motors or larger, more powerful power supplies (such as batteries) also add weight to the toy, thereby demanding more lift for proper functionality.
The present invention seeks to overcome these problems by providing a low pressure channel as a lift mechanism, thereby enabling controlled flight of the radio controlled toy spacecraft.


A system for optimizing the manner in which a listing of files is displayed to a user. In various embodiments, the system is configured to display the files based at least in part on a number of times the user has shared the files with other users of the system. In other embodiments, the system is configured to display the files based at least in part on the number of times the user has accessed the files or the number of times users with whom the files have been shared have accessed the files. In particular embodiments, the system displays files based at least in part on an amount of time that the user has accessed the files, that any user of the system has accessed the files, or that other users with whom that user has shared the files have accessed the files.

When accessing files on a computer, users typically wish to locate their most important files as quickly as possible. Typical content management programs merely organize files for display to a user by name, date, time, or file size. However, this approach may not result in the most important files being displayed to the user in a prioritized manner. Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems for optimizing the manner in which file managers display files and folders to a user.

Systems and methods for optimizing file display for users


Additional information is transmitted by means of assigning a code to a particular scanning line in a VBI (vertical blanking interval). An initial value of a CRCC (Cyclic Redundancy Check Code) or a formula used to generate a CRCC is switched depending upon the type of additional information inserted in a data frame so that a difference in the initial value causes additional information other than CGMS-A (Copy Generation Management System-Analog) to be regarded as invalid, and thus the additional information does not cause an erroneous operation. However, CGMS-A has to be transmitted in the same manner in any country. To meet this requirement, the same initial value is used when CGMS-A is transmitted. This makes it possible to transmit data in a peculiar format without causing a problem regardless of a country in which transmission is performed. Besides, it is possible to transmit CGMS-A in the same manner regardless of the country.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of transmitting a video signal including a plurality of scanning lines, and more particularly to a method of transmitting a video signal in which additional information other than a video signal is transmitted using a vertical blanking interval (VBI) corresponding to an ineffective area of an image.
Specifically, the present invention relates to a video signal transmission method in which particular additional information such as copy management information or copyright protection information is transmitted using a particular scanning line in a VBI. More specifically, the present invention relates to a video signal transmission method in which a code is assigned to a particular scanning line in a VBI for transmission of additional information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the art of information processing and information communication, it is known to insert additional information other than a content such as an image and a voice/sound into content data in such a manner that the inserted additional information does not cause impairment of the quality of the content.
An example of additional information embedded in a content is content copy management information or copyright protection information. In recent years, great advances have been made in the digital signal processing technology, the data storage technology, and the data transmission technology. As a result, recording/playback apparatuses and recording media with very small sizes have become available, and it has become possible to perform extremely high-quality data processing using an inexpensive apparatus. Accordingly, there is a great need for a technique of protecting copyright of contents.
In the case of a video content, additional information can be embedded in a non-image part such as a vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a video signal. Several techniques of embedding various kinds of additional information in a VBI of a video signal have been proposed, and some of them are practically used. Specific examples include techniques described in EIAJ-CPR1204 (video ID signal transmission method using a VBI), IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)-61880, EDTV2, VPS, PDC, and XDS. In recent years, a technique of transmitting CGMS-A (Copy Generation Management System-Analog) describing copy management information by means of inserting it into a VBI has put to practical use. In particular, copyright protection and copyright management are important for content distributors, and thus insertion of copy management information has higher priority form them than other additional information.
Techniques of transmitting additional information by means of embedding it in an HDTV signal such as a 750P signal (noninterlaced 60-frame 750-line signal) or a 1125i signal (interlaced 60-frame 1125-line signal) are being discussed toward standardization independently in the USA and Japan.
In Japan, in preparation for starting BS digital broadcasting, specifications have been established under the leadership of EIAJ (Electronic Industries Association of Japan) and disclosed in a technical report CPR1204-2 (Video ID Signal Transmission Using a VBI). A recommendation of bit assignment associated with CGMS-A has been made by ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses).
In the USA, a similar activity to that in Japan is being performed by EIA (Electronic Industries Association). However, the standard proposed by EIA is different from that proposed in Japan. It is required that at least specifications associated with transmission of CGMS-A should be common between the USA and Japan to ensure protection of copyright of broadcasting contents in these two countries. To achieve the above requirement, the discussion is directed toward establishment of a common waveform and common assignment of CGMS-A. However, assignment associated with items other than CGMS-A will become different between the USA and Japan because of different requirements in these countries.
Even if common bit assignment associated with CGMS-A is established, a difference in assignment of the other bits may cause an erroneous operation when two devices one of which is based on the USA standard and the other on the Japanese standard are connected to each other.
The problems will be discussed in further detail below for the case of television broadcasting according to the current NTSC standard in which 525-line interlaced scanning is used.
In the NTSC standard, as is known, a period from 1st to 21st scanning lines and a period from 264th to 284th scanning lines of a video signal (more specifically, of a luminance signal) are respectively assigned to vertical blanking intervals (VBI). FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate examples of bit assignment in the respective VBIs. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the 20th scanning line and the 283rd scanning line are assigned to locations where CGMS-A is inserted. Basically, the same information is transmitted in the 20th and 283rd scanning lines.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a signal waveform transmitted in the 20th and 283rd lines. As can be seen from FIG. 3, each of these scanning lines includes an identification signal consisting of 20 bits following a reference bit.
In the Japanese standard, the first 2 bits of the 20-bit identification signal are assigned to WORD0, the following 4 bits to WORD1, the next 8 bits to WORD2, and the remaining 6 bits to CRCC (Cyclic Redundancy, Check Code, refer to FIG. 4). WORD0 is used to describe information about an aspect ratio, WORD1 is used to describe header information, and WORD2 is used to describe a body of data. According to the Japanese standard, when CGMS-A is described in WORD2, "0000" is described in the header or WORD1 to indicate that CGMS-A is described in WORD2.
According to the USA standard being under discussion, the first 6 bits of the 20-bit identification signal are assigned to a single word. However, to achieve compatibility associated with the bit assignment of CGMS-A, when "XX0000" is written in the first 6 bits, a word of 8 bits immediately after the first 6 bits is used to describe CGMS-A.
In the case where the 20th and 283rd lines are used to describe CGMS-A, when a video signal is produced and distributed according to the Japanese CPR-1204 standard, an aspect ration is described in the first 2 bits of the identification signal, and the first 2 bits of the identification signal are regarded, by a video playback apparatus designed and produced according to the CPR-1204 standard, as representing the aspect ratio. On the other hand, in the case where a video signal is produced and distributed according to the EIA-805 standard of the USA, information other than the aspect ratio is described in the first 2 bits of the identification signal, and video playback apparatuses designed and produced according to the EIA-8085 standard regard the first 2 bits of the identification signal as representing information other than the aspect ration. Note that the term "video playback apparatus" is used to describe a wide variety of apparatuses such as a BS digital set top box (STB), a DVD player, a video recorder, and the like.
When a video playback apparatus produced in Japan according to the CPR-1204 standard is exported to the USA and it is used to play back a video content produced or distributed in the USA, the video playback apparatus produced in Japan will treat, as the aspect ratio information, the first 2 bits of an identification signal indicating information other than the aspect ratio. As a result, an erroneous operation occurs. Conversely, when a video playback apparatus produced in the USA according to the EIA-805 standard is imported to Japan and it is used to play back a video content produced or distributed in Japan, the video playback apparatus produced in the USA will regard the aspect ration information as information other that the aspect ratio, and thus an erroneous operation occurs.

Method and apparatus for transmitting a signal, method and apparatus for receiving a signal, VBI signal generating apparatus, video signal transmitting apparatus, video signal processing apparatus, video signal receiving apparatus, decoding apparatus, and recording medium for recording a video signal


A variable cam timing phaser for an internal combustion engine having at least one camshaft comprising a housing, a rotor, a spool valve, and a recirculation check valve. The housing and the rotor define at least one vane which separate chambers, advanced and retard. The spool valve comprises a spool having a plurality of lands mounted within a bore in the rotor. The spool is slidable from an advance position through a holding position to a retard position. The phaser also has an advance exhaust passage, a retard exhaust passage, and a return passage to route operating fluid to the chambers. The recirculation check valve is in the return passage and only allows flow of fluid from the advance chamber into the return passage when the spool is in the retard position and fluid from the retard chamber into the return passage when the spool is in the advance position.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of variable camshaft timing systems. More particularly, the invention pertains to a cam torque actuated phaser having a single recirculation valve.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,023 describes a VCT system within the field of the invention in which the system hydraulics includes a pair of oppositely acting hydraulic cylinders with appropriate hydraulic flow elements to selectively transfer hydraulic fluid from one of the cylinders to the other, or vice versa, to thereby advance or retard the circumferential position on of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft. The control system utilizes a control valve in which the exhaustion of hydraulic fluid from one or another of the oppositely acting cylinders is permitted by moving a spool within the valve one way or another from its centered or null position. The movement of the spool occurs in response to an increase or decrease in control hydraulic pressure, PC, on one end of the spool and the relationship between the hydraulic force on such end and an oppositely direct mechanical force on the other end which results from a compression spring that acts thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,804 describes an alternate type of VCT system within the field of the invention in which the system hydraulics include a vane having lobes within an enclosed housing which replace the oppositely acting cylinders disclosed by the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,023. The vane is oscillatable with respect to the housing, with appropriate hydraulic flow elements to transfer hydraulic fluid within the housing from one side of a lobe to the other, or vice versa, to thereby oscillate the vane with respect to the housing in one direction or the other, an action which is effective to advance or retard the position of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft. The control system of this VCT system is identical to that divulged in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,023, using the same type of spool valve responding to the same type of forces acting thereon.

Phaser with a single recirculation check valve and inlet valve


A communication multiplexer device is provided. The multiplexer device includes a legacy port adapted to communicate a legacy data frame format having at least one major data frame. The legacy major data frame includes overhead fields which may include a sync field. The legacy major data frame also includes three minor frame groups, where each of the minor frame group includes minor frames having subframe formats. The multiplexer also includes a contemporary port adapted to communicate a contemporary data frame format; and a translator coupled between the legacy port and the contemporary port for translation between the legacy data frame format and contemporary data fame format.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to communications between new equipment and legacy equipment; and, more particularly, to new framing formats that are backwards compatible with the legacy equipment.
2. Prior Art
New communication multiplexer framing devices and multiplexer software applications are continuously being developed and produced to operate within the higher data rates and bandwidths provided by improved technology. However, due to an incompatibility between data formats, older devices and software applications (often referred to as legacy systems) are not generally capable of communicating with newer communication multiplexer framing devices and multiplexer software applications. Thus, a new robust data format that is able to exploit higher data rate capacity must also be backwards compatible with the legacy systems.
It is therefore desirable to provide a multiplexer framing format system and method with backwards compatibility with legacy systems.

High bandwidth legacy compatible multiplexer framing formats


One illustrative integrated circuit product disclosed herein includes a metal-1 metallization layer positioned above a semiconducting substrate, a capacitor positioned between a surface of the substrate and a bottom of the metal-1 metallization layer, wherein the capacitor includes a plurality of conductive plates that are oriented in a direction that is substantially normal relative to the surface of the substrate, and at least one region of insulating material positioned between the plurality of conductive plates.

1. Field of the Disclosure
Generally, the present disclosure relates to sophisticated integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to various embodiments of a capacitor structure positioned at the device level of an integrated circuit product, and various methods of making such capacitors and products.
2. Description of the Related Art
The fabrication of advanced integrated circuits, such as CPUs, storage devices, ASICs (application specific integrated circuits) and the like, requires a large number of circuit elements, such as transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc., to be formed on a given chip area according to a specified circuit layout. During the fabrication of complex integrated circuits using, for instance, MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) technology, millions of transistors, e.g., N-channel transistors (NFETs) and/or P-channel transistors (PFETs), are formed on a substrate including a crystalline semiconductor layer. A field effect transistor, irrespective of whether an NFET transistor or a PFET transistor is considered, typically includes doped source and drain regions that are formed in a semiconducting substrate and separated by a channel region. A gate insulation layer is positioned above the channel region and a conductive gate electrode is positioned above the gate insulation layer. By applying an appropriate voltage to the gate electrode, the channel region becomes conductive and current is allowed to flow from the source region to the drain region.
FIG. 1 is a simplified view of an illustrative prior art transistor device 10 that is formed above a semiconducting substrate 12. The device 10 is formed in and above an active region 13 that is defined in the substrate 10 by an illustrative trench isolation structure 14. The transistor 10 includes a schematically depicted gate electrode structure 20 (that typically includes a gate insulation layer 20A and a gate electrode 20B), a plurality of source/drain regions 22, sidewall spacers 26, and a plurality of metal silicide regions 24. Also depicted in FIG. 1 are a plurality of conductive contact structures that are conductively coupled to the source/drain regions 22 and the gate electrode 20B. Such conductive contact structures are formed in layers of insulating material 29A, 29B, e.g., silicon dioxide, and the conductive contact structures may take a variety of forms. In the depicted example, the source/drain regions 22 are contacted by so-called source/drain interconnects 28 that contact so-called trench silicide regions (not shown) in the source/drain regions 22. Illustrative source/drain contacts 30 contact the source/drain interconnects 28. The gate electrode 20B is electrically contacted by a gate contact 34. The illustrative source/drain regions 22 depicted in FIG. 1 have an upper surface that is approximately level with the upper surface of the substrate 12. Transistors with so-called raised source/drain regions are also known in the art.
The various structures and regions of the transistor 10 depicted in FIG. 1 may be formed by performing well-known semiconductor manufacturing processes. For example, the gate structure 20 may be formed by depositing various layers of material and thereafter performing one or more etching process to define the basic layer stack of the gate structure 20. The sidewall spacers 26 may be formed by depositing a layer of spacer material, such as silicon nitride, and thereafter performing an anisotropic etching process on the layer of spacer material. The source/drain regions 22 may be formed using known ion implantation techniques using the appropriate dopant materials, i.e., N-type dopants or P-type dopants, depending upon the device under construction. The metal silicide regions 24 may be formed by performing traditional silicidation processes, i.e., depositing a layer of refractory metal, performing a heating process causing the refractory metal to react with underlying silicon-containing material, removing unreacted portions of the layer of refractory metal (e.g., nickel, platinum or combinations thereof), followed perhaps by performing an additional heating process. The conductive structures 28, 30, 34 that provide electrical connection to the source/drain regions 22 and the gate electrode 20B may be formed using well-known processes.
Although not depicted in FIG. 1, a plurality of so-called metallization layers are formed above the device 10, e.g., 7-14 metallization layers. The metallization layers are comprised of conductive lines and/or conductive vias that are positioned in a layer of insulating material. In general, the conductive lines and vias in the metallization layers constitute the "wiring" pattern that connects various semiconductor devices, e.g., transistors, capacitors, resistors, together in a desired configuration to create a working integrated circuit product. As to terminology, the transistor 10 is generally formed at what is known as the "device level" of an integrated circuit product, as that is the level at which discrete devices, e.g., transistors, resistors, are formed in the semiconducting substrate 10. So-called "front end-of-line" ("FEOL") processes generally refer to all to the processing from wafer start through final contact window processing. FEOL processes include formation of the gate structure 20, the isolation region 14, the source/drain regions 22, etc., including the activation anneal of the source/drain regions 22. So-called "back end-of-line" ("BEOL") processes generally refer to the process steps after formation of the conductive contact structures shown in FIG. 1 through completion of the wafer prior to wafer electrical test, i.e., BEOL processing is typically considered to begin with the formation of the first general "wiring" layer for the device, the so-called "metal-1 " layer, formed on the wafer.
In modern, ultra-high density integrated circuits, device features have been steadily decreased in size to enhance the performance of the semiconductor device and the overall functionality of the circuit. For example, the gate length (the distance between the source and drain regions) on modern transistor devices may be approximately 20-50 nm and further scaling (reduction in size) is anticipated in the future. This ongoing and continuing decrease in the channel length of transistor devices has improved the operating speed of the transistors and integrated circuits that are formed using such transistors. However, there are certain problems that arise with the ongoing shrinkage of feature sizes that may at least partially offset the advantages obtained by such feature size reduction. For example, as the channel length is decreased, the pitch between adjacent transistors likewise decreases, thereby increasing the density of transistors per unit area. This scaling also limits the size of the conductive contact elements and structures, which has the effect of increasing their electrical resistance. In general, the reduction in feature size and increased packing density makes everything more crowded on modern integrated circuit devices, at both the device level and within the various metallization layers.
Improving the functionality and performance capability of various metallization systems has also become an important aspect of designing modern semiconductor devices. One example of such improvements is reflected in the increased use of copper metallization systems in integrated circuit devices and the use of so-called "low-k" dielectric materials (materials having a dielectric constant less than about 3) in such devices. Copper metallization systems exhibit improved electrical conductivity as compared to, for example, prior metallization systems that used tungsten or aluminum for the conductive lines and vias. The use of low-k dielectric materials tends to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio) by reducing crosstalk as compared to other dielectric materials with higher dielectric constants. However, the use of such low-k dielectric materials may be problematic as they tend to be less resistant to metal migration and tend to be weaker mechanically as compared to some other dielectric materials with higher k values.
Additionally, in many products, various capacitor structures (not shown in FIG. 1) are formed above the transistor device 10 in the various BEOL metallization layers. Such on-chip capacitors are critical components in modern integrated circuit products. Such capacitors are used for a variety of purposes, e.g., coupling/decoupling, bypass and capacitive matching, etc. The capacitors typically come in three distinct forms: MIMCAPs (metalinsulator-metal capacitors), MCAPs (metal capacitors) and VNCAPs (vertical natural capacitors). MIMCAPs are formed by parallel plates of metal at or near the very top of the BEOL metallization layers. MCAPs and VNCAPs are formed by various different types of comb structures that are replicated at multiple levels of the metallization layers. VNCAPs differ from MCAPs in that VNCAPs include connecting vias in the metal comb stacks which results in the VNCAPs having a greater capacitance density.
As noted previously, all of the above-identified capacitor structures are formed in the BEOL metallization layers, where lower k value dielectric materials are normally used to reduce parasitic capacitance and signal-to-noise ratios (S/N ratio). Unfortunately, such lower-k dielectric materials are less than ideal as it relates to the ability to store charge in the capacitor devices. The amount of charge that a capacitor may store is directly related to dielectric constant ('k") of the insulating material used in making the capacitors. Thus, while the use of low-k dielectric materials may reduce parasitic capacitance and signal-to-noise ratios, such low-k material causes problems as it relates to the formation of capacitor structures. For example, the effect of using such low-k materials in the BEOL metallization layers is that the physical size of the capacitor structures formed in such low-k material layers must be increased, as compared to the size of such capacitors if a dielectric material with a higher k-value were used in the BEOL metallization layers. However, the use of a higher k-value dielectric material would offset the advantages achieved by using low-k material in the BEOL metallization layers, such as reducing parasitic capacitance and signal-to-noise ratios, as discussed above.
The present disclosure relates to methods and devices for avoiding or at least reducing the effects of one or more of the problems identified above.

Capacitors positioned at the device level in an integrated circuit product and methods of making such capacitors


The gear machine according to the invention includes a driving gear wheel (1) and a driven gear wheel (2) having meshing gear teeth (21,22) having a special novel shape designed to provide improved gear wheel kinematics as well as minimal volume flow rate fluctuations. A correction of the gear teeth side geometry is performed by local limited adjustment of the basic transmission function i for eliminating volume flow rate fluctuations so that a discontinuity-free transmission is attained which results in an improved motion of the driven gear wheel with reduced acceleration changes. In order to accomplish this improvement in kinematics, the shape of the flanks or sides (25,26) of the engaging or meshing gear teeth (21,22) is such that the transmission function i depends on a spacing (g.sub..alpha.y) of an instantaneous contact point (Y) from a pitch point (C) of the two gear wheels (1,2) and changes continuously with a continuous derivative with a zero derivative at a gear tooth engagement change point occurring at a maximum value of that spacing (g.sub..alpha.y).

The present invention relates to gear machines with improved kinmeatics, especially to gear pumps or motors, comprising two gear wheels rotatably mounted in a housing, whose gear teeth are engaged or mesh with each other and which separate a pressurized chamber and a lower pressure or outflow chamber from each other, whereby an instantaneous volume flow rate dV/d.phi..sub.1 of hydraulic medium is produced and the gear teeth meshing with each other have a transmission function or gear ratio i=d.phi..sub.1 /d.phi..sub.2.
Hydrostatic drive systems are used in many engineering fields. Displacement machines of various structural types are used for conversion of hydraulic energy. For continuous or constant pumping the gear pumps and especially the exteriorly toothed gear pumps have been most widely used. The principle reason for this is their simple structure. This leads to high efficiency and high reliability, even with difficult operating conditions, and allows economical mass production. Moreover the exteriorly toothed gear pump has the advantages of comparatively low weight and compactness because of the high energy density.
Gear machines are generally built with at least one pair of gear wheels which comprise two exteriorly toothed gear wheels (exteriorly toothed gear pump, e.g. as in FIG. 1 here) or an exteriorly and internally toothed gear wheel (internally toothed gear pump). An externally toothed gear wheel is driven and its rotary motion is translated or converted by the second exteriorly or internally toothed gear wheel. The front and rear sides of the gear teeth of the gear wheel differ according to the rotation direction. The front sides transfer the rotary motion from the driving to the driven gear wheel. In a gear pump the medium to be fed is supplied in a known way through the gear teeth gaps from the lower pressure chamber into the higher pressure or pressurized chamber. The gear teeth flanks or sides coming into engagement with each other prevent the reverse flow of the medium from the pressurized chamber into the lower pressure chamber. Since the position of engagement, i.e. the instantaneous contact point of both tooth flanks or gear teeth sides changes constantly during the engagement of the gear teeth in relation to the locally fixed housing, volume flow variations occur and, as a result, pressure fluctuations in the pressurized space or chamber occur in synchronization with the gear teeth engagement frequency.
The applications for exteriorly toothed gear pumps are frequently more limited, because of their undesirable noise properties in comparison to internally toothed gear pumps. This is particularly disadvantageously noticeable in combination with other hydraulic equipment. Besides the running noise produce by the meshing gear teeth the volume flow fluctuations called for by the periodic gear teeth engagement stimulate or excite pressure fluctuations and noise in the entire closed hydraulic system. Thus an effective reduction of its noise generation is necessary for maintaining and especially for increasing the applicability of exteriorly toothed gear pumps. A start has been made by definite reduction of the volume flow pulsations occurring in operation. Suitable experiments in past years utilize parameter optimization of involute gear teeth and lead to solutions such as the introduction of play-free gear toothing or use of two gear wheel pairs displaced relative to each other in a Duo-pump.
As constant as possible volume flow rate is provided for noise reduction in gear pumps described in German Patent Document DE 4022500 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,230 and in European Patent Document EP 0539396 B1. The instantaneous volume flow rate, dV/d.phi..sub.1 of hydraulic medium of the gear pump or gear motor is given by the following general formula I: ##EQU1## wherein .phi..sub.1 and .phi..sub.2 are the angular positions of the driving and driven gear wheels respectively, r.sub.a1 and r.sub.a2 are the crown circle radii of the driving and driven gear wheels respectively, b is the gear tooth width of the gear teeth of gear wheels 1 and 2 respectively, and i=d.phi..sub.1 /d.phi..sub.2, the transmission function or gear ratio between the driving gear wheel 1 and the driven gear wheel 2, r.sub.w1 is the drive wheel radius of the driving wheel 1 and g.sub..alpha.y is the spacing of the instantaneous contact point Y from the pitch point C. The spacing g.sub..alpha.y depends on the angular position .phi..sub.1 of the driving wheel.
If one substitutes the relationship between the drive wheel radius r.sub.w1 and the center distance a.sub.w between the gear wheels in the formula I above for the instantaneous volume flow rate, one obtains the following formula II of the instantaneous volume flow rate ##EQU2##
The crown circle radii r.sub.a1 and r.sub.a2, the gear tooth width b and the center distance a.sub.w between the gear wheels in this formula II are geometric variables describing the gear structure. The spacing gay is the spacing of the instantaneous contact point Y from the pitch point C fluctuates between two extreme values in synchronization with the gear teeth engagement frequency. In order to compensate for the volume flow fluctuations the gear teeth should be designed according to the disclosure in German Patent Document DE 4022500 A1 and in European Patent Document EP 0539396 B1 so that the dependence of the remaining variable, namely the transmission function i, during the engagement of the gear teeth according to the spacing g.sub..alpha.y is set or determined so that the resulting volume flow rate fluctuations are null or zero. This is accomplished by setting equation II above constant.
However difficulties can result during actual operation with the gear teeth shape calculated with these relationships. The resulting gear teeth flank or side geometry leads to a transmission behavior with this special gear wheel teeth structure which has a discontinuity at the gear tooth engagement change point. This has the consequence that the angular acceleration of the driven gear wheel instantly and discontinuously changes from a positive to a negative value. The occurring force change, especially unloading, at the contact point of the gear teeth sides can have a negative effect on the feed behavior and the noise behavior of the gear device at predetermined operating points.


An electronic device interconnection system includes a plug connector (200) and a receptacle connector (100) mating with the plug connector. The plug connector includes a metal housing (1′) defining a roomage, a printed circuit board (2′) received in the roomage, at least one cable (7′) electrically connecting with the printed circuit board, a latch mechanism (3′) includes a latch member (31′) assembled to the metal housing. The receptacle connector (100) comprises an insulated housing (1) defining a receiving passage, a plurality of terminals (2) received in the insulated housing, a metal shell (3) for receiving the insulated housing and the metal shell defining a loop-guiding portion (304) with a chamfer (31) and a planar-guiding portion (303) for mating the plug connector easily and correctly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electronic device interconnection system, and more particularly to a plug connector mating with a receptacle connector easily and reliably.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, low profile connectors, such as those used in SFP (Small Form Factor Pluggable) and SFP-like applications are desired in electronic devices in which space is a premium. U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0019525 A1 discloses a plug connector for engaging with a receptacle connector arranged on a circuit board. The receptacle connector has a metal shell encompasses an insulated housing and the metal shell defines an entrance through which the plug connector may be inserted. However, as smaller the spaces and sizes of the entrance are, it is difficult to ensure that the plug connector can mate with the receptacle connector easily and correctly.
Hence, an improved electronic interconnection system are provided in the present invention to address the problems mentioned above and meet the current trend.

Electronic device interconnection system