The present invention relates to mixtures of polysaccharides derived from heparin having a mean molecular weight of 1500 to 3000 Daltons and an anti-Xa/anti-IIa ratio greater than 30, their method of preparation and pharmaceutical compositions containing them.

Heparin is a mixture of sulfated mucopolysaccharides of animal origin which is used in particular for its anticoagulant and antithrombotic properties.
Heparin nevertheless has disadvantages which limit the conditions for its use. In particular, its high anticoagulant activity (anti-IIa activity) can cause hemorrhages.
Low-molecular-weight heparins obtained by basic depolymerization of heparin esters have been proposed (EP40144); however, these products still have a high anti-IIa (aIIa) activity.
Very-low-molecular-weight heparins have also been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,021. However, the anti-Xa (aXa) activity values obtained in the examples described do not exceed 120 IU, and the anti-Xa/anti-IIa ratio obtained is between 15 and 50.
In WO-0208295, very-low-molecular-weight heparins are prepared by a method different from that of U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,021 and exhibit an activity between 100 and 150 IU, with anti-Xa/anti-IIa ratios which are also very high for certain examples of application.
A constant need however exists in this class of medicament to improve the anti-Xa activities, in particular, in obtaining activities greater than 150 IU/mg, as well as the anti-Xa/anti-IIa ratio; and therefore to develop novel generations of heparin derivatives.

Mixtures of polysaccharides derived from heparin, their preparation and pharmaceutical compositions containing them


A magnetic switch assembly (100) for electrically coupling with an electrical circuit of an alarm system (16) and for detecting relative movement between a first, stationary member (102) and a second, moveable member (104) is disclosed. The switch assembly includes a switch means (106) adapted for mounting within the first stationary member and a corresponding electromagnet assembly (108) having an electromagnet (120). The switch means includes a housing (110), a pair of spaced switch elements (112,114) supported in the housing that are electrically coupled with an alarm device or system, a ferromagnetic body (116) such as a ball positioned within the housing and moveable between the switch elements, and a ferromagnetic core (118) positioned above or adjacent one of the switch elements for biasing the body to either its closed or opened position. The electromagnet (120) is coupled with a suitable source of electricity and is switchable between on and off states. When the electromagnet is on and the first and second members are generally adjacent one another, the electromagnet retains the body in its non-alarmed position against the bias of the ferromagnetic core. The electromagnet can be momentarily switched off when the first and second members are adjacent one another. This removes the magnetic force exerted by the electromagnet and therefore permits the body to move to its alarmed position for testing purposes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetic switch assemblies for detecting unauthorized entry through doors or windows. More particularly, the invention relates to such a switch assembly that more effectively defeats magnetic manipulation by an intruder's magnet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic switch assemblies for use with alarm systems are known in the art. One common switch assembly includes a magnetic reed switch mounted in a door or window frame and a magnet carried by the adjacent openable door or window. The magnet holds the reed switch in its opened or closed position (depending on whether the switch is of the normally opened or normally closed type) when the door or window is closed, and permits the reed switch to switch to its other position when the door or window is opened. The reed switch is typically interposed in an electrical circuit of an alarm system so that upon unauthorized opening of the door or window, the switch operation generates an alarm signal.
Unfortunately such reed-type switch assemblies can be readily defeated by simply placing an external magnet adjacent the door or window frame in proximity to the reed switch. The external magnet holds the reed switch in its non-alarm position and thus allows the door or window to be opened without triggering the alarm.
Improved magnetic switch assemblies have been developed to prevent such magnetic defeating of an alarm. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,332,992 and 5,530,428, hereby incorporated by reference, each disclose a magnetic switch assembly including a ball-type switch that is normally mounted in the door or window frame and magnet that is normally mounted in the corresponding door or window. The ball switch is held in one switch position by the door magnet and is shifted to the other switch position whenever the door is opened or when an intruder's magnet is placed in the vicinity of the switch assembly. This allows the switch to both detect the opening of the door or window and to prevent magnetic manipulation of the switch by an intruder's magnet.
Applicant has discovered that the switch assemblies disclosed in the '992 and '428 patents can be disarmed under certain circumstances. Specifically, when an alarm system is temporarily turned off to allow a person to pass through a door, the person could secure a thin magnet directly under the ball switch in the door frame to emulate the door magnet. The magnet would fit between the space between the door and frame and therefore be concealed from view.
Thereafter, when the alarm system is turned back on, the magnet will hold the ball switch in its non-alarmed position regardless of the position of the door. Thus, the intruder's magnet would permit the door to be opened without triggering the alarm.
An intruder could therefore enter a house or building under false pretenses during the day when the alarm system is off and disarm the switch assembly so that he or she could later return undetected. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although low-security installations would not likely be subject to such sophisticated attempts of entry, high-security installations such as military, government and business buildings could be.
Prior art magnetic switch assemblies also cannot be tested from a central control center, but instead must be individually and manually tested by moving their associated doors or windows while their alarm systems are on to verify that the switches move to their alarmed states. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such manual testing is time consuming, especially in large installations having many switch assemblies.
Another limitation of many prior art magnetic switch assemblies is that they must be formed with a sloped lower surface or include a small spring between the ball and one of the switch elements to bias or push the ball from its normally opened or closed position when the door or window is opened. Such biasing techniques increase the cost and complexity of switch assemblies and require more precise alignment of the switches in their door or window frame during installation. Moreover, such biasing techniques occasionally fail to bias a ball off its normally opened or closed position when its door is opened because of arc welds formed between the ball and one or both of the switch elements. Thus, prior art magnetic switches occasionally fail to detect the opening of the door or window and thus fail to trigger an alarm.

Magnetic switch assembly for detecting unauthorized opening of doors or windows


The present invention provides a system and method for archiving data that reduces the time needed for archiving by performing one or more preliminary comparisons of administrative data to preset criteria. Exemplary administrative data may include a resubmission date of a data element that is determined by processing of a rule set and stored with the data element so that it can be used for archiving. The first step of the archiving process may be to compare the resubmission date to the current date. If the resubmission date is less than or equal to the current date, the archiving process continues. Otherwise, the archiving process does not proceed and the application database continues to maintain the data element. Because the resubmission date is stored with the data element to be archived, the data element need only be retrieved from the database to perform the initial check. Only data elements having a administrative data that meet the initial criteria are processed to determine if they should be archived. This provides an efficient archiving process that reduces the overall time needed to archive a database freeing up computer resources for other purposes.

Businesses often rely on data that is stored using computer technology. For example, computers often store data in databases, which are sets of files that can store digital data. Database administrators manage databases to ensure that data is correctly added, deleted or modified. The time and effort required to administer a database depends on its size. Database size may also affect the performance of retrieving data from a database. Freeing the database of "old" data may reduce the administrative burden and improve the performance of the database. "Old data" may include data that has been stored or has not been used for a specified period of time. Old data may also include data belonging to closed business transactions that is no longer needed for day-to-day operations.
Simply deleting such data from the database is often not feasible since it may still be needed due to legal or business requirements. Instead this data may be "archived" by copying it to archive files and then deleting it from the database. Archiving allows the database to remain manageable and the archived data can still be accessed if the need arises. Additionally, archiving allows for faster backup and recovery and more efficient use of resources.
For businesses that store large amounts of data, archiving can be a lengthy process. Since businesses want to use their computing systems for day-to-day business transactions, it is desirable to run archiving processes as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, archiving programs must process many data elements to identify old data that requires archiving. A two-step process may be used that involves first archiving data by performing some preprocessing and then deleting data from the database after performing the full checks required. Since a primary benefit of archiving is to relieve databases of old data, this two-step process may still require significant time for archiving.


A joint comprising first and second abutting components, and an adjustable strap assembly bridging the abutting components, the strap assembly including a first strap part attached to one of the components, and a second strap part attached to the other component, the first and second strap parts having mating inclined faces for adjustment of the second strap part with respect to the first strap part such that the position of the second strap part is adjustable with respect to the first strap part in the direction of the incline. Also, a method of forming the joint, comprising attaching the first strap part to the first component, providing the second strap part such that the inclined faces of the first and second strap parts are in mating engagement, adjusting the second strap part with respect to the first strap part in the direction of the incline to position the second strap part in a desired relationship with respect to the first strap part, and attaching the second strap part to the second component.

Conventional aircraft wings comprise a wing box with front and rear spars. Upper and lower wing covers are attached to the spars and extend between them to form the upper and lower boundaries of the wing box. Leading and trailing edge structures, such as panels or D-nose covers, are typically attached to the upper and lower covers with butt-straps. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate conventional butt-strap arrangements.
An upper wing cover 1 is attached to a fixed leading edge structure 2 with a butt-strap 3, a pair of bolts 4, 5 and nuts 9, 10. The butt-strap 3 comprises upper and lower horizontal portions 7, 6 which are joined by a vertical portion 8. The lower portion 6 engages with the internal surface of the cover 1, while the upper portion 7 engages with the internal surface of the fixed leading edge structure 2.
To achieve a smooth aerodynamic surface, the external surface of the structure 2 and the external surface of the cover 1 must be aligned with each other within a strict tolerance range. Outside of this range, the step created in the external surface across the joint leads to drag and increased fuel burn, and also issues with erosion of the edge of the structure 2. To ensure that the alignment criteria are met, a packer 12 may be added between the internal surface of the structure 2 and the upper portion 7 of the butt-strap, as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, a packer 11 may be added between the internal surface of the cover 1 and the lower portion 6 of the butt-strap. However, as the butt-straps 3 are typically fitted in various strips across the whole span of the wing, this process can be difficult and time consuming. It may also be necessary to hand fettle the structure 2 to match the cover 1 during assembly. This adds further complexity to the process.
The problems with conventional butt-straps are particularly evident when used to join composite components, which typically have higher dimensional tolerance than their metallic counterparts.


The invention provides a device and method for dispensing fluid materials from a product reservoir onto a substrate. The device includes at least one dispensing nozzle having at least one inner conduit leading to an exit port and adaptable to be in fluid communication with a supply source for the fluid dispensable material. The nozzle further comprises an end portion defining the exit port such that a ribbon of fluid dispensable material can be applied to the substrate. The nozzle is mountable on means that effect substantially perpendicular free movement of the nozzle relative to the substrate, such that the end portion of the nozzle maintains contact with the fluid material applied to the substrate. During dispensing, movement towards the substrate is effected by an applied force and movement away from the substrate is effected by a thrust exerted by the dispensed fluid material against said end portion of the nozzle and the dispensable material in the exit port.

The invention relates to a dispensing device and method for dispensing fluid materials including liquids and pastes, especially for use with liquid gasketing materials, particularly for the automotive industry.
Anaerobic adhesives are used widely in industry for many applications. One particular application is the use of such adhesives as sealants in the provision of gaskets on flanges for use in the combination of parts in the automotive industry. Traditionally, there are two ways to apply a liquid gasketing material in the automotive industry, robotic application or screen printing. Robotic application includes the incorporation of a nozzle onto a programmed automated arm which then moves the nozzle about a substrate in a predetermined manner. Robotic applicators have the advantage over screen printing that as the adhesive is dispensed directly from a single nozzle to the substrate, there is no large surface of adhesive which results in the applicator being more flexible and cleaner. In comparison, as screen printing involves placing a screen over the substrate it only requires the same amount of time for the application of adhesive regardless of the complexity of the dispensed pattern geometry. As a result of advantages of robotic application, there has been a trend towards robotic dispensing but it is desirable to improve the speed and quality of application in such dispensing.
The conventional dispensing equipment uses a needle which is usually positioned 2-3 mm above the substrate to which the adhesive is to be applied. Desirably the substrate is presented at the same height each time, such that the adhesive is applied to a substantially planar substrate. The substrate is desirably mated with stops to ensure consistent substrate height. However, this is not always possible.
In the provision of liquid gasketing materials it is common to use anaerobic adhesives. These adhesives are so called because they do not cure in the presence of air. As such the adhesives are typically supplied in mechanically sealed permeable containers with air contained therein The nature of the constituents of the adhesive, and the fact that it is the absence of air that facilitates curing means it is essential for the adhesive to contact air during storage and prior to application. Otherwise, the shelf life of the adhesive becomes compromised.
As such, it is not uncommon for these products have air bubbles contained therein. The presence of the air bubbles in the adhesive tends to cause breaks in the flow from the container. After the passage of a bubble out of the dispensing tip, normal adhesive is dispensed again, which re-establishes the continuity of the adhesive bead. The height of the nozzle from the substrate and the speed of the robotic dispensing arm affect the quality of adhesive bead being dispensed. If a break occurs and the nozzle is at a large distance away from the substrate then the length of the break as seen on the substrate will be large; similarly it will be understood that the greater the nozzle speed, the larger the break on the substrate.
In commercial application of adhesives to form gaskets on flanges it is not always possible to present the flange substrate to the dispensing nozzle in a consistent planar manner. In such situations the substrate can be presented at varying heights and angles to the robotic dispensing arm. Although it is possible to program the robot to accurately manoeuvre around obstacles on a well presented flange, it is difficult to compensate for fluctuations arising from a badly presented flange. The inability of the robotic dispensing arm to compensate for such fluctuation may result in poorly-applied gasketing materials.
In common applications the smallest adhesive beads that should be dispensed are of approximately 2 g/m2, which is recommended in industry practice to be achieved using a nozzle having a port diameter of 0.8 mm. This preferred port diameter is calculated from a relationship that exists between the cross sectional area of the nozzle port and velocity of fluid product exiting said port and the area of the dispensed bead on the substrate and the velocity of the robot arm. To ensure that an adequate area of adhesive is dispensed using predetermined recommended relationships between the robot and product speed it is calculated that a port diameter of 0.8 mm is sufficient. Depending on the viscosity of the adhesive, the dispensed adhesive bead may be dispensed in a generally semi-circular/circular section on the substrate. It is preferable to achieve the adhesive velocity in the nozzle of approximately twice that of the robotic dispensing arm speed. This minimises the effect of air bubbles entrained in the adhesive. Depending on the application one can tolerate a break of up to about 16 mm in the dispensed bead of adhesive as the adhesive will flow when the substrates are brought together. In the range of about 16-22 mm one observes necking, which although it will heal itself, may form a gasket which is not constant across the width of the substrate. At a gap greater than about 22 mm one may observe a complete break, which results in an incomplete seal when the substrates are brought together and the joint may leak and will either have to be reassembled or repaired.
When the adhesive is applied as a gasketing material to a flange, it is common to use vision inspection systems to ensure quality of application of the adhesive bead, especially when considering the cost of visual inspection as opposed to the cost of reassembly or repair resulting from poorly applied gasketing material. If the vision inspection systems detect any break in the applied bead it is common practice to manually apply additional adhesive at the point of breakage. Additional tests that may be incorporated include the xe2x80x9cblow-outxe2x80x9d test, which involves the integrity testing of two mated and thereby sealed flanges. After complete assembly the unit is pressurised to approximately xc2xd bar, the ability of the unit to maintain the pressure being indicative of an adequate seal.
There have been proposals to alter the adhesive product so as to minimise the possibility of breaks occurring in the dispensed bead. This may be achieved by reducing the amount of air within the adhesive product, however, as noted, this comes with a cost of a reduction of shelf life. By refrigeration it is possible to counteract the shelf life reduction somewhat but even so the shortened shelf-life is an added expense and results in problems for manufacturers. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a dispensing system which allows for a bead of a liquid product to be applied to a surface with little to no interruption in the bead from air entrained in the liquid product.
The present invention provides a dispensing device and a process for using said device which allows for the application of high quality beading, in particular in the application of anaerobic adhesives or sealants to form gaskets. The invention is also applicable to other fluid dispensable materials.
In one aspect the invention provides a device suitable for the dispensing of a fluid dispensable material in ribbon form to a substrate. The device includes
at least one dispensing nozzle having at least one inner conduit leading to an exit port and adaptable to be in fluid communication with a supply source for the fluid dispensable material, the nozzle having an end portion defining the exit port such that a ribbon of fluid dispensable material can be applied to the substrate, and
means for mounting the nozzle for substantially perpendicular free movement relative to the substrate such that the end portion of the nozzle maintains contact with the fluid material applied to the substrate, movement towards the substrate being effected by an applied force and movement away from the substrate being effected by a thrust exerted by the dispensed fluid material against said end portion of the nozzle and the dispensable material in the exit port.
The invention also provides an apparatus for dispensing a fluid product onto a substrate, the apparatus comprising a nozzle and means for mounting the nozzle with at least one degree of freedom allowing movement of the nozzle relative to the substrate with movement towards the substrate being effected by a substantially constant force and movement away from the substrate being effected by a force related to the pressure exerted by the dispensed fluid on the nozzle.
The invention also provides a method for dispensing a fluid dispensable material to a substrate comprising the steps of
mounting a dispensing nozzle in a manner which allows substantially perpendicular free movement of the nozzle relative to the substrate,
facilitating the application of an applied force on the dispensing nozzle to effect movement of the nozzle in a direction towards the substrate,
supplying the fluid dispensable material to an exit port which is defined by an end portion of the nozzle, applying the material to the substrate, and controlling the applied force in relation to a thrust exerted by the dispensed fluid material on the end portion of the nozzle and the dispensable material therein such that the end portion of the nozzle maintains contact with the dispensed material applied to the substrate.

Device and method for dispensing fluid materials


A visor assembly includes a visor portion for blocking sunlight, a front portion coupled to the visor portion, a first elastic band coupled to both sides of the front portion to encircle a head, and second elastic bands coupled to a portion of the first elastic band. The second elastic bands have elasticity different from that of the first elastic band. As the elasticity of the first elastic band is different from that of the second elastic bands, the bands exerts resultant elasticity that allows the band to stretch for various head sizes and the contracting force at the overlapping portions of the first and second elastic bands is enhanced, thereby improving the wearing comfort. Furthermore, the first elastic band may be enclosed by a cover in order to satisfy a variety of consumer desires.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a visor, and more particularly, to a visor assembly that is designed to be used regardless of head size and that can provide an advertising effect without affecting its function.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, a visor assembly is used for shading or protecting the face from light. The visor assembly comprises a headband for fixing on the head and a visor portion projecting from the headband to shade and protect the face from sunlight. The headband is generally formed of elastic material so that it can be worn regardless of the size of the head. Furthermore, letters, logos, or trademarks may be embroidered on the headband to obtain an advertisement effect.
In the above-described visor assembly, although the elastic headband can be fitted on any size of head, since there is a sharp difference in the head size between children and adults, visors having a different size from each other should be manufactured, resulting in deterioration in productivity and increase in stock. Furthermore, when several users having different head sizes alternately use one visor assembly, the elasticity of the elastic band is deteriorated and then the visor assembly provides the users with uncomfortable wearing.
In addition, the elasticity of the headband is achieved by forming a strip in a wrinkle-shape. This wrinkle-shape causes the user discomfort, as the headband directly contacts the head.
Specifically, when the letters or trademarks for an advertisement are embroidered on the headband, the elasticity of the headband as well as wearing comfort sharply deteriorates.


A slide drive device for a press changes a slide stroke without a changing either a top or bottom dead center position of a slide. The slide drive device allows stroke adjustment without a loss of left-right balance in the slide drive device. An adjusting mechanism is driven by an eccentric part and a crank shaft. The adjusting mechanism is adaptable to fix either the top or bottom dead center position. A linear guide mechanism, is driven by the adjusting mechanism, and transfers adjustments in slope angle into changes in stroke relative to either the top or bottom dead center position without requiring a change in the dead center position. Alternate embodiments allow positioning and adjustment for convenience and economy.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide drive device for a press. The slide drive device provides a stroke adjusting function in which a dead center position is fixed and a slide strike is adjustable. The dead center position may be either a top or bottom dead center position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication Numbers 7-132400,11-77398, and 11-197888 are examples of slide drive devices for presses that use links equipped with a stroke adjusting function.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Number 7-132400, the slide stroke can be changed with an adjustment at one position. Making a stroke correction is difficult in this device since the adjustment position is at a branching point for a left and right drive. When the stroke is changed, the bottom dead center position also changes. When the stroke is lengthened, mechanical acceleration at the top dead center is greatly increased.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Number 11-77398, the left and right slides have separate slide stroke adjustment mechanism. Each mechanism must be adjusted separately. During use, there is a loss of precision due to operational backlash. During adjustment, each slide must be adjusted individually. Since each mechanism is separate there may be a loss of left-right balance. Further, although the bottom dead center position does not change with the change in the stroke, the pitch between the points cannot be narrowed by the adjusting mechanism disclosed.
As in the previous device, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Number 11-197888, a slide stroke is similarly adjusted between separate left and right slides. When the precision of the adjustment mechanism deteriorates, there is the possibility of a breakdown of balance between the left and right side.


A method for determining the name of a calling party where the calling party's name and corresponding telephone number are found in a remote database. The method first identifies whether the calling party's telephone number is contained within the local database. When it is determined that the telephone number is not within the local database, the method attempts to locate the telephone number in a remote database. A query is formed according to a basic signal transmission protocol to ensure that a database which receives the query will be able to respond to it. The query requesting the name associated with the telephone number is sent across a network. The method receives a response to the inquiry and checks to ensure that a name was returned to the local database before delivering the name to the called party.

Local telephone service providers offer a variety of optional services to their customers. The services can be broadly categorized as originating services and terminating services. Originating services are controlled by the originating or calling party's central office when the calling party places a call. In comparison, terminating services are controlled by the terminating or called party's central office when an attempt to terminate a call occurs.
One example of a terminating service is "caller identification." Caller identification provides the called party with the name and telephone number of the calling party. Caller identification is typically provided to a subscriber by its local central office. In particular, each central office ordinarily has access to a local database containing telephone numbers and the corresponding names of people within its local area. Prior to terminating a call to the called party, the central office searches its database for the telephone number of the calling party. If the telephone number is found within the database, the name corresponding to that number will be accessed and are delivered to the called party by the central office.
If the telephone number and name are not within the database, the service cannot provide a name to the called party. When a service cannot identify a name corresponding to the number, it typically delivers a message indicating that the calling party's name is unavailable. Accordingly, a local database containing only a small quantity of numbers and corresponding names will generate a large number of "unavailable" messages.
An indication of unavailability provides the customer with no information about who is calling or where the call originated from. This is an undesirable result for a customer who is paying for a service that is designed to provide them with information about the person who is calling them.
The present embodiment of the invention addresses the problem of providing no information regarding a calling party when the called party's local database does not contain information about the calling party. The present embodiment provides for access to remote databases containing telephone numbers and corresponding names which are not contained in a local database. This results in a larger quantity of telephone numbers and corresponding names to search in an attempt to identify a calling party. In turn, there are fewer instances where the service is forced to provide a customer with an "unavailable" caller name message.

Method and system for providing calling name identification requery


A method for processing a control message sent by a terminal is provided according to the present invention. The method includes determining whether or not to trigger a shortcut key analysis when the control message is sent from the terminal and accomplishing various extended control operations by a shortcut key analysis. A message processor, a media server, and a media service system are also provided. With the method of the present invention, the terminal may utilize the existing keys to send a series of control messages in accordance with a transmission sequence mechanism recognized by the server. The server may interpret the control message according to a predetermined rule and thus the purpose of extending the service control functions at the terminal side can be accomplished. Accordingly, no modification is needed to the software or hardware of the existing terminal, which bring convenience to the users.

With the improvement of wireless network infrastructure, mobile application services based on various wireless network schemas develop rapidly. Generally, a mobile station may conduct a simple control over an application service process on a network server by sending a control message.
Usually, there is an one-to-one correspondence between the content of a control message sent by the mobile station and a key on the mobile station (of course, a key can be shared in a case where the contents of the control messages appear in turn, for instance, the play key and the pause key for controlling the media can be shared. When this key is pressed consecutively, the key alternately sends a control message with different content). Therefore, due to the limitation of the size of the generic mobile station, there are not sufficient keys for service control, limiting thereby the service control functions provided by the mobile station to the user.
For instance, in terms of a mobile streaming media service which provides a mobile multimedia broadcast service to the user, since a user terminal is typically provided with four navigation keys only, the user may use those four keys to realize a basic control over the streaming media including forward, backward, pause/play, stop. Assume the mobile streaming media service adopts a Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP). An example of a forward operation during playing is described below, which illustrates a process of a terminal providing a service control function to the user.
1. A streaming media service utilizes an RTSP protocol to play a streaming media to a terminal.
2. When playing up to the tenth second, the user presses the forward key. The terminal sends a PLAY message in the RTSP protocol to the streaming media server and inserts, in a RANGE field of the PLAY message, information of a time point where the user wants to skip to. Usually, the intended time point is determined by adding a fixed value set internally by the terminal (assume 15 sec) to the current time (10th sec), which is 25 sec for the value of RANGE in the PLAY message transmitted by the terminal. This indicates that the terminal wants the streaming media server to start playing program at the 25th second.
3. After the streaming media server receives the control message PLAY, the server analyzes parameters of the message and returns a success message to the terminal, indicating that the server accepts this command and broadcasts the program starting from the 25th second.
At the user end, it appears that the user presses a forward key at the 10th second and the user is then presented with the content starting from the 25th second. The user considers that the forwarding function is accomplished.
The backward operation is similar to the above mentioned forward operation, except that the value of RANGE in the PLAY message transmitted from the terminal is obtained by subtracting an internal fixed value from the current time.
Generally, the default values for forward and backward are set by the terminal software and they can not be modified through an interface. Therefore, the user can only forward or backward the streaming media program with a fixed time interval when pressing the forward or backward key of the navigation keys. When the program is long, for instance, 10 minutes, and if the user needs to move forward to a specified time, e.g., the 6th minute, based on the above assumption the user may probably need to press the forward key for 24 times to achieve the effect, which is inconvenient for the user.
In practice, the RTSP protocol also provides richer control functions such as "double rate forward" and "double rate backward". That is, a dedicated SCALE field can be employed in the PLAY message to carry a parameter indicating the scale of the play speed, e.g., 2, 0.1, −4 may indicate 2× forward rate, 0.1× forward rate, 4× backward rate, etc. However, considering the mechanism of implementation of the existing control function, in order to provide these extended functions, the terminal needs to be provided with additional dedicated keys for the operation of the corresponding n× forward rate and n× backward rate. Accordingly, major modifications to the existing key arrangement and control software of the terminal, etc., are required, which is not conducive to the promotion and application of the services.

Method for processing a control message and a message processor, a media service, a media service system


A stack damper control apparatus for positioning a stack damper and controlling a fuel source in response to closing of a temperature sensitive switch. Limit switches comprising drop cams are coupled to the drive shaft of the damper. In response to a call for heat, a motor turns the damper, coupling a source of energy to a fuel source when the damper is open and the limit switches transfer. A relay coil is energized to hold open a switch providing a parallel energization path for the motor. When the call for heat has been met and the temperature sensitive switch opens, the relay de-energizes closing the parallel energizing path and allowing the motor to close the damper. Provision is made for a safety interlock to ensure the fuel source is not activated when the damper is closed. Provision is also made for interface to a blocked vent shutoff system.

The present invention relates generally to a stack damper control apparatus adapted for use with a damper in an exhaust stack of a fuel-burning temperature conditioning system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for opening and closing a stack damper and coupling an energy source to a source of fuel in response to a signal from a temperature switch.
Fuel-burning temperature control systems such as gas fired furnaces require a vent stack to carry products of combustion from the burner. Vent stacks typically include a damper. When the burner is not in operation, the damper moves to a closed position in which the damper substantially closes off the vent stack to prevent heat loss. When the burner is in operation, the damper moves to an open position in which the vent stack is substantially clear. For safe operation, the damper must be in its open position before the burner is ignited. Accordingly, systems for controlling dampers typically include an interlock mechanism to ensure that the damper is fully open before the burner operates.
U S. Pat. No. 4,087,045, issued to Matthews on May 2, 1978 is representative of the prior art. It describes a system for controlling damper positioning which includes a safety interlock between the stack damper and fuel supply to prevent operation of the fuel supply whenever the damper is in other than its fully open position. The damper activates the interlock circuit by means of limit switches operated by cams located on the damper shaft. The interlock also prevents operation of the burner in the event of a failure of he control apparatus which may be caused by, for example, the welding of the switch contacts together or the shifting of the cams employed in cam-operated switches. The interlock also prevents lock out of the system during momentary power operation.
While the interlock described in Matthews generally provides a way of ensuring safe operation of a damper and fuel supply in a temperature conditioning system, it does exhibit several shortcomings. For example, it requires three relays for implementation, one of which being a three tap relay. The relays employed are expensive to use and require many circuit component connections. In addition, the cam-operated limit switches are of the type having lobes which deflect the contact arms of the limit switches. Such limit switches require calibration to assure that contact is made or broken at the appropriate angular location when the damper is in its fully open or fully closed position. Calibration of the limit switches adds to manufacturing cost. Also, no provision is made for any visually discernable indication of damper position which would be important during the performance of operational safety checks and maintenance on the damper actuator system. Further, modern safety standards require gas burning appliances to have a blocked vent shutoff system which automatically shuts off the fuel supply when a blocked vent condition is sensed. Matthews makes no provision for such a system.
Accordingly, a need exists for improvements in a damper actuator system which accommodates a blocked vent shutoff system as well as a visual indicator of damper position. Also, a need exists for a damper actuator system which is simpler and less costly to construct and which does not require calibration of limit switches.


A server system is provided that includes a plurality of servers, each server including at least one hardware acceleration device and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the hardware acceleration device by an internal data bus and executing a host server instance, the host server instances of the plurality of servers collectively providing a software plane, and the hardware acceleration devices of the plurality of servers collectively providing a hardware acceleration plane that implements a plurality of hardware accelerated services, wherein each hardware acceleration device maintains in memory a data structure that contains load data indicating a load of each of a plurality of target hardware acceleration devices, and wherein a requesting hardware acceleration device routes the request to a target hardware acceleration device that is indicated by the load data in the data structure to have a lower load than other of the target hardware acceleration devices.

Server systems use load balancing processes to direct requests to less-loaded servers in the server system to improve efficiency in handling a large amount of requests. Many current load balancing solutions are software-driven, and perform load balancing processes with relatively stale load data. Thus, when a request is routed to a server according to these load balancing processes, by the time the request reaches that server, the load on that server may have already increased beyond what was calculated by the software driven load balancer based on stale load data, causing that server to be unable to timely service that request.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate includes a semi-insulating compound semiconductor, the semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate being configured such that, on a major plane having a plane orientation of (100), a standard deviation/average value of specific resistance measured at intervals of 0.1 mm along equivalent four directions in a <110> direction from a center of the major plane, and a standard deviation/average value of specific resistance measured at intervals of 0.1 mm along equivalent four directions in a <100> direction from the center of the major plane are each not more than 0.1.

In the technical field of wireless communication, optical communication and the like, a semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate has been conventionally widely used as a material of a device responsible for transmission and reception, signal processing and the like. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 02-107598 (PTL 1), Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-291900 (PTL 2), Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 02-192500 (PTL 3), NPL 1, NPL 2 and the like describe the technique of suppressing variations in electrical properties in a plane of the above-described substrate for the purpose of enhancing the quality and yield of this type of device.

Semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate and semi-insulating compound semiconductor single crystal


A CCD sensor device has columns and rows of masked pixels that form a charge storage matrix. A singular column of photosensitive pixels form a photosensitive region and are directly connected to the first column of the charge storage matrix. Photons received in the pixels of the photosensitive region are converted to an electrical charge over an integration period and are then shifted from the photosensitive region to the first column of the charge storage matrix. After a second integration period the integrated charge in the photosensitive region is shifted to the first column and the charges previously stored in the first column are shifted to the second column of the matrix. This process is repeated until all the columns of the storage region are full of charges at which time the charges are read out by a serial shift register.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to devices used to measure the distance to an object. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a class of laser radar sensors known as "flash" ladar sensors.
Conventional flash radar sensors use a single laser pulse to measure range to multiple spatial positions. In the present invention, the time delay of light reflected from a succession of laser pulses is measured. The laser pulses are generated at different intervals of an azimuth angle with each pulse lasting for a predetermined interval of time. By processing the signals received during each laser pulse, the range, elevation and angle of an object can be quantified in real time. The present invention uses established charge coupled device (CCD) imaging technology in a novel architecture that improves the speed of pure scanning ladar sensors at a considerable reduction in cost and complexity.
2. Background of the Invention
Ordinarily, the term "Flash Ladar Sensor" refers to an electronic sensor that generates a three-dimensional range profile from the scattered light of a single transmitted laser pulse.
To date, work has been focused on generating a full two-dimensional range image of a region of interest by flood illuminating the region with a single laser pulse and optically capturing the reflected energy on a two-dimensional photosensitive pixel array. These prior art photosensitive pixel arrays require time delay measurement circuitry for each pixel of the array. Considering the already high level of circuit integration that had been used with imaging arrays, the addition of time delay measurement circuitry on a pixel by pixel basis has led to a host of design and manufacturing complexities. Still further, prior art flash ladar designs require very high energy laser pulses in order to flood illuminate a relatively large volume of space.
Instead of building time delay measurement circuitry into each unit cell of the array, the sensor of the present invention uses similar technology and circuitry to that employed with conventional full frame transfer CCD imaging chips.
The pixel array of the full-frame CCD consists of a photosensitive parallel shift register onto which images are optically projected by means of a camera lens. In the full-frame CCD, all of the photodiodes in the two dimensional pixel array collectively act as the image plane and are available for detecting photons during the exposure period. The information contained in each pixel element of the full-frame CCD represents a small portion of the total projected image. For color imaging, each of the pixel elements would contain four photodiodes masked with red, green and blue colored filters.
For monochrome imaging, a single photodiode is used.
After photons composing the image have been collected by the pixel elements and converted into electrical potential, the CCD undergoes readout by shifting rows of image information in a parallel fashion, one row at a time, to a serial shift register. The serial register then sequentially shifts each row of image information to an output amplifier as a serial data stream. The entire process is repeated until all rows of image data are transferred to the output amplifier and off the chip to an analog to digital signal converter integrated circuit. Reconstruction of the image in a digital format yields the final photograph.
The present invention does not pertain to imaging photography; it is concerned with ascertaining the range of an object from the sensor. Unlike the conventional CCD imaging chip that requires all of its pixels to be photosensitive, in the present invention the pixels of CCD pixel array are all masked except for one column of photosensitive pixels. The masked pixels are used as a charge storage memory area.
In the conventional CCD imaging chip, all of the pixels are used to integrate photo-charge for a relatively long integration period (greater than 1 micro second) after which a shutter is closed and the charge from the entire array is read out. By contrast, the present invention does not utilize a shutter and the charge is transferred at a very fast rate (on the order of 10 nanoseconds) while photo-charge is continually integrated on the photosensitive portion of the array. This chip architecture allows the charge storage region of the present invention to retain a time history profile of reflected light.
A high speed imaging device made by DRS Hadland, LTD used for ballistic imaging uses a dimensional imaging array in which only one pixel is unmasked out of a combined pixel group or superpixel (i.e., each superpixel may consist of a 4×4 pixel section of the array). In this type of camera, a fast succession of images is taken by shifting the charge from each photosensitive pixel within the other pixels of its superpixel group so that images of a high speed event are captured. The DRS Hadland, LTD device employs the concept of shifting charge in a masked pixel for producing a two-dimensional image but cannot be used to determine the range of an object.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A method of correcting an error in user input is described. The method includes monitoring for an occurrence of a shake in a user equipment, detecting a shake, comparing the detected shake with a threshold value, evaluating characters within a pre-determined distance of a character entered by the user during the shake, selecting a replacement character from the evaluated characters and replacing the entered character with the replacement character.

The adaption and use of mobile devices is well known. Early devices were primarily capable of and used for making and receiving phone calls. The early devices typically included a keypad similar to a traditional telephone (i.e. numerical keys 0-9). The next generation of mobile devices provided the additional functionality of sending and receiving data such as text messages, SMS, etc. While some of these devices with texting functionality used the letters corresponding to each of the numeric keys for composing text messages, others used an alpha numeric keypad (including the keys for letters of the alphabet in addition to the numeric keys) for composing text messages.
The capabilities of mobile devices have also evolved from a basic phone to devices having memory for storing data such as contact information, calendars, etc. Other functionalities that were added include audio and video capability such as capturing digital images, capturing video, recording audio, playing back audio and video clips, etc.
Currently, mobile devices are functioning as "lite" computing devices. They provide, among other features, positioning information, navigation, accessing and browsing networks including the internet. They are also being used for sending and receiving e-mail messages. As the functionality has increased, a need for a more robust input mechanism has risen. Some devices include a full keyboard similar to that found in a portable computing device such as a laptop.
More recently, an onscreen keypad has become a part of the mobile device. Such an onscreen keypad utilizes all or a part of the existing display screen of the device for example. An onscreen keyboard also reduces the footprint of the device.
Since the onscreen keypad appears on the display portion, the "keys" are not defined as they are on a traditional keypad such as those found on a laptop for example. Therefore, accuracy in touching or pressing a portion of the display corresponding to a particular number, letter or character (on the onscreen keyboard) is highly dependent on maintaining the device (as well as the user's finger) in a stable position.
Mobile devices, by their nature, cannot maintain such a stable position unless they are stationary. Such instability increases the chances of an accidental entry of an incorrect letter, number or character by the user.
A mechanism for overcoming or minimizing such erroneous entries stemming from instability of the mobile device is highly desirable.

Input precision method for minimizing erroneous entries stemming from instability of a mobile device using an accelerometer and apparatus to detect a shake and apparatus and computer program thereof


A waterproof connector for a vehicle includes a front holder mounted on a front side of a main housing via a front seal for watertight, and having terminal-connecting holes. The front seal and the front holder are disposed inside the first mounting hole sequentially. An inner housing with a terminal is mounted to a rear side of the main housing and has terminal insertion holes. A subcover is disposed at a rear side of the inner housing. Each terminal has a connector portion disposed inside a terminal-connecting hole of the front holder, and a wire-welding portion is disposed inside a terminal insertion hole of the inner housing. Watertight and vibration-absorbing materials are attached to a lower side of an upper cover and an upper side of a lower cover of the subcover to protect the wire-welding portions of the terminals.

(a) Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a waterproof connector for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a waterproof connector for a vehicle to improve waterproof and vibration resistant performance of a flexible flat cable (FFC) connector for connecting various electronic and electric devices.
(b) Background Art
In general, a connector for a vehicle is provided to connect various electronic and electric devices that are installed in the vehicle.
There are some risks involved with the connector, such as terminals being easily separated from their positions according to vibrations or travelling conditions of the vehicle, which results in a bad connection. Moisture may get in from surroundings which results in corrosion and a short.
The connector for a vehicle is manufactured with various structures such as a structure for maintaining the connections from vibrations and shocks of the vehicle, a structure for preventing water penetration, and the like.
For example, Korean Patent Publication No. 2011-0120745 (Nov. 4, 2011) discloses a waterproof connector including a waterproof seal mounted therein and a protector cover for protecting the waterproof seal.
There is another example of existing waterproof connector for a vehicle, such as a waterproof connector in which a waterproof seal is easily inserted into a housing (Korean Registered Utility Model No. 20-0429694 (Oct. 19, 2006)).
Such existing waterproof connectors for a vehicle have a simple structure provided with a waterproof seal to block water penetration. However, durability thereof becomes inferior for a long time use, and the waterproof performance of connected portions between components may be deteriorated.


A system and method for distributed audio/video bridging for conferencing endpoints are disclosed. In one embodiment, a plurality of endpoints are connected to a modified video communication terminal (MVCT) via a communication network. The MVCT is an endpoint including an audio/video bridging module (AVBM). Further, one of the plurality of endpoints capable of holding audio video bridging is determined by the AVBM. Furthermore, the connection of one or more remaining endpoints is transferred to the determined endpoint by the AVBM for load balancing. Also, audio and/or video bridging of the endpoints and the MVCT is enabled by the AVBM and the determined endpoint based on connectivity information of the remaining endpoints with the MVCT and the determined endpoint for conferencing participants.

Generally, audio and/or video conferencing is a tool for communication and collaboration between multiple (typically 3 or more) participants at different locations. Further, audio and/or video conferencing facilitates audio and/or video communication between geographically distributed teams in global organizations and helps improve productivity and reduce costs for the global organizations.
Existing audio and/or video conferencing system includes a plurality of endpoints and a dedicated bridge (e.g., a multipoint control unit (MCU)) connected to the endpoints. Exemplary endpoints include any terminals capable of video and/or audio communication including desktop video phones, mobile or cell phones, video conferencing units and the like. In the existing audio and/or video conferencing system, participants use the endpoints to call into a common number or an address that is assigned to the dedicated bridge. The dedicated bridge may then enable bridging of audio and/or video streams coming from the endpoints for conferencing the participants. Thus, the conferencing between the participants is dependent on the availability of the dedicated bridge. This may limit the ability to conference with multiple people as and when required. Also, the number of participants in the conferencing may depend on audio/video processing capacity of the dedicated bridge.
In another existing audio and/or videoconferencing system, one of the endpoints participating in the conference can act as a bridge. In this conferencing system, the endpoints that want to communicate among themselves, call into or are called by, the endpoint capable of acting as the bridge. Further, the endpoint acting as the bridge receives audio and/or video streams from the connected endpoints, but may decode the video stream of an active participant and sends back the processed stream to all the participants. Furthermore, the endpoint acting as the bridge mixes audio streams, such that each participant receives audio streams of all participants except its own. However, a number of participants that can be supported by the endpoint acting as the bridge may be limited by audio processing capabilities of the bridge. In other words, the number of participants that can be supported by the endpoint acting as the bridge may be limited by a number of audio decodes the endpoint acting as the bridge can perform.
Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

Distributed audio/video bridging for conferencing endpoints


A flow of objects, such as text, on a page may be analyzed by generating an initial determination of whether a portion of an object is continued from one page to another based on a cue in an area of the object. The initial determination may be visually represented on a page. The initial determination may be corrected by an editor to create an editor determination when the initial determination is not a correct continuation status of the portion of the object. In some aspects, the initial determination may include a statistical confidence interval, a reason display, and/or a magnification of portions of the object which may be included in a continuation. In other aspects, heuristics may learn from the editor changes to improve a subsequent initial determination.

Content is increasingly being distributed in electronic form to an array of users for use on computing devices. Content may include traditional media such as books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, manuals, guides, references, articles, reports, documents, etc. The content may initially exist in print and/or in electronic form, and in the case of the print form, may be transformed from print to an electronic form through the use of an imaging device. Additionally, as more content is transformed from print to electronic form, more digital images of content are becoming available. In some instances, electronic content may be formatted to replicate a page of content as it appeared or would appear in print.
Content that is transformed from print to electronic form often includes formatting which is difficult or impossible to detect even by complex computer algorithms. For example, content may include an intended or correct association of sections or symbols, which may seem obvious or intuitive to a human reader, but which are unable to be consistently detected by an algorithm. For example, text that continues from a first page to a second page may have intended correct association (e.g., a continuation of a paragraph) which is not easily detectable by a computer algorithm.
In some instances, human editors may be needed to assist in formatting content during the transformation from print to electronic form. For example, a human editor may review each page of a scanned book to verify an assigned format, which may be a time consuming and tedious editing process. However, it is desirable to minimize human interaction during an editing process to increase efficiency while maximizing accuracy of a formatting process.

Detecting continuation of flow of a page


An airbag 10 includes at least one panel 12 defining an interior 104/102 of the airbag, and a divider 100 positioned in the interior so as to divide the interior into an upper chamber 102 and a lower chamber 104. A valve mechanism 200 is operatively coupled to the divider 100 for restricting a flow of gases from the lower chamber 104 into the upper chamber 102. The valve mechanism 200 includes one or more valves 200 with a desired aggregate opening(s) and located in predetermined location(s) thereby affecting a designed inflation profile. The divider 100 has an arcuate length Ld, measured between two divider airbag attachment points 100d and 100a, greater than a corresponding linear horizontal airbag length La, measured between the same two attachment points. The passenger side airbag 10 for each unique vehicle is designed by iteratively reconciling the requirements of FMVSS208 with the present airbag design.

The present invention relates a passenger airbag, which is filled with gas during an emergency situation such as, for example, a frontal or side impact.
Current airbag cushion designs may include multiple chambers and may incorporate an inter-chamber venting system that allows gas to flow from one chamber to another. These cushions are configured to rapidly contact a vehicle occupant when inflated, to limit movement of the passenger head, neck and thoracic regions. However, these cushion designs do not differentiate between these different regions with regard to the stiffness or resistance of the various portions of the airbag to contact with each region.
Research has shown that the masses of the various body portions contacting an airbag differ greatly. For example, the mass ratio of the Thorax to Head & Neck regions may range from between 5:1 to 8:1, depending on the sex of the individual. Due to the differences in body part masses and the dynamics of contact between the occupant and the cushion, it has proven difficult to design a multi-chamber airbag which provides optimum protection for each portion of the body contacting the airbag.
Thus, a need exists for an airbag design which permits the stiffness or resistance to occupant impact provided by each portion of the airbag to be adjusted according to the time elapsed since the initiation of airbag deployment, the size of the occupant, and/or the masses of different portions of the occupant's body contacting an associated portion of the airbag. Stated another way, a need exists to protect a broad spectrum of occupants as represented by the H (or "Hybrid") anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) such as the H-III 50th percentile Male anthropomorphic test device (ATD), the H-III 5 percentile Female ATD, and the H-III 3-year old or H-III 6-year old ATD.


An infant care apparatus includes a standing frame, and an infant resting support connected with the support frame and having a plurality of bearing surfaces. The infant resting support is rotatable relative to the standing frame to position any of the bearing surfaces facing upward for receiving a child thereon, and the infant resting support is further slidable vertically relative to the standing frame to adjust a height of the infant resting support.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to infant care apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, baby changer products typically include stationary changing tables, and play yards with a top mounted changer station. The stationary changing tables usually have a great storage in the form of shelves and/or drawers. However, owing to large and bulky dimensions, the stationary changing tables offer limited options for placement in a room.
Removable diaper changing stations may be purchased with a play yard as an add-on device. The primary use of the play yard is to provide an environment for sleeping a child, and the diaper changing station mounted on the top rail of the play yard is an added secondary device that has no convenient storage capabilities. In addition, like the stationary changing table, the play yard usually has no height adjustment and is large in dimensions, which may limit its placement amongst existing furniture.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved design that can be more flexible in use, and can address at least the foregoing issues.


An oral-hygiene implement having a housing, a first carrier on which at least one first oral-treatment element is mounted, a second carrier on which at least one second oral-treatment element is mounted, wherein at least the first carrier element is mounted for driven oscillatory movement with a peak amplitude value relative to the housing and wherein the first and second oral-treatment elements are arranged such that the first oral-treatment element contacts the second oral-treatment element at least once during each oscillation period of the first carrier at a contact amplitude value smaller than the peak amplitude value and moves the second oral-treatment element out of its initial position until the peak amplitude value is reached.

It is known that an oral-hygiene implement such as a toothbrush head has cleaning elements for cleaning the teeth and/or for massaging and stimulating soft tissue (e.g. the gums). Toothbrush heads are known, where a cleaning element carrier is mounted for driven oscillating rotation, where bristle tufts as well as elastomeric elements are mounted on the carrier (e.g. the Oral-B® FlossAction™ brush head, where the elastomeric elements are further pivotably mounted on the carrier so that they can pivot due to acceleration forces acting on the elastomeric elements). Other toothbrush heads are known that have cleaning elements mounted on a carrier that is intended for driven movement and further cleaning elements that are mounted on a further carrier that is intended to remain static with respect to the toothbrush head housing (e.g. the Oral-B® TriZone/Deep Sweep brush head).
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an oral-hygiene implement that provides additional function over the known brush heads.

Oral-hygiene implement and oral-hygiene device comprising an oral-hygiene implement


An electro-optical device includes: a first substrate having an end edge; a second substrate that has an edge crossing the end edge and a plurality of first wiring lines crossing the end edge, the second substrate having flexibility and being connected to the first substrate so as to overlap the end edge; and first reinforcing members provided on the second substrate so as to cross the end edge, in a region between the plurality of first wiring lines and a portion where the end edge and the edge cross each other.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a mounting structure having a flexible substrate, to an electro-optical device including the substrate, and to an electronic apparatus having the electro-optical device.
2. Related Art
In the related art, liquid crystal display devices have been used as a display device of an electronic apparatus such as a personal computer and a mobile phone. The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystal is sealed between a pair of substrates facing each other, and a flexible substrate overlapping an extending portion of one of the substrates extending from the other substrate. On the flexible substrate, wiring lines connected to electric wiring lines on the substrate of the liquid crystal panel are provided, and the flexible substrate is properly bent to be housed in a frame or the like which supports the liquid crystal panel. There is disclosed a technique in which dummy wiring lines are provided on a bending portion of a flexible substrate so as to prevent the flexible substrate and the wiring lines from being broken, when an external force is applied to the bent flexible substrate (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-324255 (paragraph Nos. [0022], [0023], and [0024] and FIG. 1)).
However, in a case in which only the dummy wiring lines are provided on the bending portion of the flexible substrate, when an external force is applied to the flexible substrate, the flexible substrate and the wiring lines are broken at the portion (end edge) where the flexible substrate comes in contact with the substrate of the liquid crystal panel and the frame, because the substrate of the liquid crystal panel and the frame are hard.
In addition, in the above-described technique, dummy wiring lines are not provided so as to bridge the end edge of the substrate, between the wiring lines and the boundary between the flexible substrate and the side where the flexible substrate does not exist in the bending portion of the flexible substrate. Therefore, it is difficult to prevent the flexible substrate from being broken at the fragile boundary.
Further, when an opening is formed in the bending portion of the flexible substrate, the vicinity of the corner portions of the opening is not reinforced so as to bridge the end edge of the substrate in the above-described technique. Therefore, there is a problem in that the flexible substrate is broken at the corner portions of the opening causing the wiring lines on the flexible substrate to be easily broken.

Mounting structure, electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus


An acoustic receiver comprises means for converting an input audio signal into an acoustic signal. The receiver has a housing having a plurality of sides that surround the converting means. One of the sides include an output port for broadcasting the acoustic signal. A jacket fits around the housing and has sections for engaging the sides. The sections are generally flat. The jacket may also form a gap with a corresponding side surface of the housing. A printed circuit board can be located within the gap. The printed circuit board including electronics for processing said input audio signal.

A conventional hearing aid or listening device can include both a microphone and a telecoil for receiving inputs. The microphone picks up acoustic sound waves and converts the acoustic sound waves to an audio signal. That signal is then processed (e.g., amplified) and sent to the receiver (or "speaker") of the hearing aid or listening device. The speaker then converts the processed signal to an acoustic signal that is broadcast toward the eardrum.
On the other hand, the telecoil picks up electromagnetic signals. The telecoil produces a voltage over its terminals when placed within an electromagnetic field, which is created by an alternating current of an audio signal moving through a wire. When the telecoil is placed near the wire carrying the current of the audio signal, an equivalent audio signal is induced in the telecoil. The signal in the telecoil is then processed (e.g. amplified) and sent to the receiver (or "speaker") of the hearing aid for conversion to an acoustic signal.
Similarly, a typical telecommunication system consists of a combination of a receiver and a microphone in one housing. The signal from the microphone to the receiver is amplified before the receiver broadcasts the acoustic signal toward the eardrum.
In a typical balanced armature receiver, the housing is made of a soft magnetic material, such as a nickel-iron alloy. The housing serves several functions. First, the housing provides some level of sturdiness. Second, the housing also provides a structure for supporting the electrical connections. Third, the housing provides both magnetic and electrical shielding. Lastly, the housing may provide acoustical and vibrational isolation to the rest of the hearing aid.
In either a telecommunication system or a hearing aid, the gain introduced between the microphone and the receiver may result in feedback problems. The vibration or acoustical radiation of the receiver creates an undesirable feedback signal that is received by the microphone. Furthermore, in a hearing aid with a telecoil, a magnetic feedback signal may create feedback problems.
In both hearing aids and telecommunication devices, it is important for the receiver to be configured to withstand the forces associated with handling without damaging the housing. These forces can arise through the assembly of the receiver within a hearing aid, such as when a receiver is grasped with tweezers while it is being positioned or when force is placed on the housing when electrical connections are being made. Disfiguring the housing can easily occur because the housing material is thin and has a low hardness. One common type of damage is a simple dent that can occur in the housing. Dents can affect not only the electronics within the housing, but they can affect the performance of the acoustical chambers within the receiver. Because the housing of a receiver is typically made of a case and a cover that are made by a drawing technique, dents near the interface of the case and cover can also lead to acoustic leaks at the interface. Because of the minimal thickness of the material in the housing and a minimal size of the receiver, magnetic and acoustical isolation are limited.
Thus, a need exists for a receiver having small dimensions, but which has enhanced structural integrity and electromagnetic shielding.

Acoustical receiver housing for hearing aids


The invention disclosed is a circuit for regulating optical power levels. Electrooptic attenuators are used to control optical output intensity by means of feedback loops from the outputs of the attenuators to the electrodes of the attenuators which determine the amount of light going to the outputs. The attenuators may be used in combination with an optical switch array in a wavelength division multiplexing system.

Optical networks employing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) are now receiving a great deal of attention due to their ability to carry enormous amounts of information over a single optical fiber. Such networks typically require the monitoring and adjustment of the power levels of each wavelength component in order to produce a balanced performance. This automatic power control is usually performed by discrete mechanical attenuators in the optical cross-connects or in other network nodes where the signals are demultiplexed into separate waveguides.
The mechanically controlled attenuators tend to be large and expensive. In addition, they are usually too slow to remove (compensate) rapid fluctuations in the optical power which result, for example, from polarization-dependent insertion loss in the optical components of the transmission line (including the optical switch) and random variations in the state of polarization of the optical signals. Such fluctuations might also occur in optically amplified WDM transmission systems when one or several wavelength channels are added or dropped.


The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tool electrode for the electrochemical machining of workpieces, particularly for components for fluid bearings with the following processing steps: (a) Providing an electrode body made of a conductive base material which has an essentially smooth surface; (b) Coating the surface of the electrode body with an insulating material; (c) Removing the insulating material from locations on the surface of the electrode body that correspond to a pattern which is to be formed on the surface of the piece by means of electromechanical machining.

Hydrodynamic fluid bearings are being increasingly used, for example, in rapidly rotating hard disk drives instead of roller bearings, due among other things to their low-noise level and shock resistance. Hydrodynamic fluid bearings, also called fluid dynamic or hydrodynamic bearings (or journal bearings), consist of at least one stationary and one rotating component whose active surfaces are separated from each other by a space filled with a lubricant, preferably oil.
To build up hydrodynamic pressure in the bearing space, at least one of the bearing surfaces has a groove or trench-like pattern formed in it. Due to the relative rotary movement of the component surfaces affecting each other, a kind of pump effect is created allowing a uniformly thick and homogeneous film of lubricant to be formed which is stabilized by appropriate zones of hydrodynamic pressure.
By means of such hydrodynamic bearings, for whose manufacture the invention finds application, the extremely precise rotation of a moving rotor, driven by an electric motor and with a high speed compared to a stationary stator, can be achieved.
In one embodiment, such a fluid bearing consists of a shaft with a thrust plate, a sleeve surrounding the shaft, a counter plate built up as a counter bearing attached to the sleeve. Depending on whether the shaft is stationary or moves, at least one of the surfaces of the thrust and/or counter plate and of the shaft or the sleeve has an appropriate grooved or trench-like pattern which can be formed by the electrode used in the present invention through electrochemical machining.
In the prior art it was previously known to form the groove pattern by mechanically removing material from the precision pre-machined surface of the bearing or by plastic deformation of the surface. In both methods, the material along the groove or other feature is removed and displaced using a mechanical process. The disadvantage of this mechanical machining process is that the removal or displacement of the material results in small eruptions of material along the edges of the feature which finally have to be removed in a relatively costly and difficult finishing process.
Here it should be noted that the grooves in hydrodynamic fluid bearings are very small and filigree and have to be formed with extreme precision, in the range of 1 to 2 μm.
Alongside the viscosity of the lubricant and the thickness of the lubricating film, the formation of these grooves are significant for the stiffness of the hydrodynamic bearing. Any variations in dimensions due to a lack of precision in forming the groove pattern result in pressure differences or pressure deviations and directly impair the precise running of the motor.
To achieve the highest possible bearing stiffness, efforts are made to minimize the thickness of the lubricating film. This leads to the requirement that the bearing space, that is the distance between the opposing bearing surfaces, be as small as possible. It is therefore absolutely essential that the grooves are formed with the utmost precision and with the lowest possible tolerances and in particular without the pile up of any material along the edges.
As well as describing the mechanical machining of the surfaces of hydrodynamic fluid bearings, DE 199 50 463 A1 also describes an alternative kind of machining in which the surface of a fluid bearing is coated and the desired features are formed in the coating by a beam of energy, in particular a laser beam.
An electrochemical method of forming grooves on the surface of a hydrodynamic fluid bearing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,869 B1. This document is based on a prior art in which the structured surface of a hydrodynamic bearing is formed by electrochemical etching whereby the electrode and the bearing surface are immersed in a salt solution, a difference in potential is created and the movement of the electrode defines the desired features and, in the way of a paintbrush, forms the surface. Although this process avoids the problem of material pile up along the edges of the grooves, it is still very slow and costly.
Consequently, U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,869 B1 suggests the use of a wide-coverage electrode that essentially covers the entire surface of the fluid bearing and which has appropriate grooves formed in it which mirror the grooves to be formed in the bearing surface. The workpiece and electrode are placed in a container filled with electrolyte and set at a precisely defined distance to each other.
By setting up a potential difference whereby the workpiece is connected as an anode and the tool electrode as a cathode, an electrochemical etching process is created.
While the electrolyte flows between the two electrodes, atom by atom is dissolved from the surface of the workpiece in accordance with Faraday's Law. Here, the weight of the dissolved metal is equivalent to the amount of electricity exchanged between cathode and anode.
With this method, described in the industry by such companies as "Extrude Hone", Irwin, Pa., USA or "Loadpoint Ltd." from Swindon, Wiltshire, UK, as ECM (Electro Chemical Machining) or EMM (Electro Micro Machining), the complete set of grooves on the surface of a shaft, sleeve or counter plate etc. can be formed in one processing step by fashioning the desired groove pattern, which is to be formed on the bearing surface, on the surface of the tool electrode.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,869 B1 it is described that the tool electrode can be formed by mechanical machining and although the problem of material pile up can again occur here, due to the repeated use of the electrode the cost of post-machining can be relativized. After mechanical machining, the tool electrode is embedded in an insulating plastic substance, for example in a two-component resin, to ensure that the transport of electrical charges only takes place in the area of the "active", that is the free electrode surface, otherwise the surrounding surfaces could be undesirably etched due to parasitic charge exchange.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,869 B1 particularly to the extent that it applies to the use of the electrode in forming the bearing surfaces.
In the method described above for manufacturing a tool electrode to form grooves on a hydrodynamic fluid bearing, the problem still exists that the manufacture of such electrodes is time consuming and cost intensive, particularly when microfeatures are to be formed with high precision and the surface of the electrode is curved. The risk of damaging such electrodes is very high even with careful handling. The structured electrode surface is made of e.g. copper, brass, aluminum or nickel which are relatively soft and thus easy to damage mechanically. Due to the high electrical current the electrolyte heats up to 80° C. to 100° C. which can place considerable thermal strain on the electrode, and due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the metallic electrode material and the insulating plastic, a loosening of the bond and final breaking or splitting of the insulation occur.
With an electrode of the said art, as a rule no more than about 50,000 surfaces can be machined which corresponds to less than one day's production. According to its nature, each electrode is unique and due to the mechanical machining of the electrode surface, the duplication of its surface structure is only possible within specific work tolerances.
Consequently, it is the object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing an electrode of the art described above as well as an appropriate electrode, which overcomes the problems described and particularly by which an electrode can be manufactured with high precision and reproducibility at a low cost.

Method for manufacturing an electrode for the electrochemical machining of a workpiece and an electrode manufactured according to this method


A noise filter providing a simplified construction and capable of being used regardless of a diameter of a cable or a numbers of cables. The noise filter includes a core-holding section for holding a core, first and second cable-guiding sections, and two coupling sections coupling the first and second cable-guiding sections to ends of the core-holding section. The first and second cable-guiding section have truncated conical shape, and each divided into the four parts by a first to fourth slits arrayed in cruciform shape whose crossing position is coincident with an imaginary apex of the cable-guiding section. The coupling section has first to fourth circumferential elongated slots in communication with the proximal ends of the first to fourth slits.

The present invention relates to a noise filter including a case and a tubular core assembled therein.
Hitherto, in noise filters, a magnetic core is disposed over an outer circumferential surface of an electric cable, thus absorbing noise current flowing through the electric cable. The core is brittle because it was made by baking or sintering. A case composed of two complementary halves is used for protecting the core and for mounting the core at a desired position of the electric cable.
In a conventional noise filter, a cable retaining segment is provided in the case. The cable retaining segment nips the electric cable. In this case, however, the case is inevitably complicated in shape. Consequently, a metal mold for molding the case is complex in shape. This lowers the productivity of the noise filter.
Laid-open Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-193316 discloses a noise filter, in which a cable retaining segment is provided for respective halves of the case. The cable retaining segments nip the electric cable in the direction that is substantially perpendicular to parting faces of the complementary halves. Then, the electric cable contacts the cable retaining segments only at two points. In this case, an excessive pressure will be applied to the cable at one point if nipping force is to be increased. This may degrade durability of the electric cable.
To hold the electric cable by solely cable retaining segments in the opposite directions, sufficient rigidity is required in the cable retaining segments. In the latter case, however, such cable retaining segments do not provide sufficient nipping for an electric cable having relatively large diameter. Hence, the case with the rigid cable retaining segments is not available for holding various kinds of electric cables having various outer diameters.
A noise filter may be attached to an electric cable that is would once or a few times in a loop fashion, forming a bundle. If two cable retaining segments are used to hold the bundle of electric cable from the opposite directions, the electric cable, thus bundled, can hardly be held appropriately in its entirety.

Noise filter having case and core assembled therein


A method of manufacturing an obliquely stretched long film includes an oblique stretching step and a tension application step. In the oblique stretching step, a long film is stretched in an oblique direction with respect to a width direction into a stretched film (F). In the tension application step, while the stretched film (F) is being drawn along a longitudinal direction, a tension in a drawing direction is applied to the stretched film (F). Here, in the tension application step, the tension in the drawing direction of the stretched film (F) is changed in the width direction, and thus the stretched film (F) is drawn.

Stretched films obtained by stretching resin are used as optical films that achieve various optical functions in various types of display devices, utilizing their optical anisotropy. For example, it is known that in a liquid crystal display device, the stretched film is used as an optical compensation film such as for optical compensation such as coloring prevention and wide viewing angle, and that the stretched film is adhered to a polarizer, and thus the stretched film is used as a retardation film which also functions as a polarizing plate protective film.
On the other hand, in recent years, as a new type of display device, much attention has been focused on self-luminous display devices such as an organic EL (electroluminescence) display device. In the self-luminous display device, there is a room for reduction of power consumption as compared with a liquid crystal display device in which a backlight is constantly on. Furthermore, in the self-luminous display device, such as the organic EL display device, in which light sources corresponding to individual colors are individually turned on, since it is not necessary to provide a color filter that is a factor for reducing a contrast, it is possible to further increase the contrast.
However, since in the organic EL display device, in order to increase the efficiency of taking out light, a reflective member such as an aluminum plate is provided on the back surface side of a display, external light entering the display is reflected off the reflective member, with the result that an image contrast is disadvantageously reduced.
Hence, it is known that in order to enhance a light and dark contrast through external light reflection prevention, the stretched film is adhered to a polarizer to form a circular polarizing plate, and the circular polarizing plate is used on the surface side of the display. Here, the circular polarizing plate is formed by adhering the polarizer to the stretched film such that the in-plane slow axis of the stretched film is inclined at a desired angle with respect to the transmission axis of the polarizer.
However, a general polarizer (polarizing film) is obtained by being stretched at high magnification in a transport direction, and its transmission axis is aligned with a width direction. Thus, a conventional retardation film is manufactured by vertical stretching or lateral stretching and, in principle, the in-plane slow axis is pointed in a direction at 0° or 90° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the film. Hence, in order to incline, at a desired angle, the transmission axis of the polarizer and the slow axis of the stretched film as described above, there is no choice but to adopt a batch method of cutting a long polarizing film and/or a stretched film into film pieces at a particular angle and of adhering the film pieces one by one. This disadvantageously results in poor productivity and low product yield due to attachment of shavings or the like.
In order to overcome this problem, there are proposed various methods for manufacturing a long retardation film that allows a film to be stretched in a direction at a desired angle (in an oblique direction) with respect to the longitudinal direction and that allows the direction of the slow axis to be controlled to be an arbitrary direction neither at 0° nor at 90° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the film. For example, in the manufacturing method disclosed in patent document 1, a resin film is fed out from a direction different from the winding direction of the film after the stretching of the resin film, and is transported with both end portions of the resin film held with a pair of holding members. The transport direction of the resin film is changed partway and thus the resin film is stretched in an oblique direction. In this way, a long stretched film is manufactured that has a slow axis at a desired angle more than 0° but less than 90° with respect to the longitudinal direction.
By use of such a stretched film having the slow axis inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction, it is possible to manufacture a circular polarizing plate by adhering a long polarizing film and a stretched film on a roll to roll basis instead of adhereing by a conventional batch method. Consequently, the productivity of the circular polarizing plate is dramatically enhanced, and its yield is significantly improved.
However, when the film obliquely stretched as described above is applied to a circular polarizing plate for external light reflection prevention in an image display device with a significantly high contrast such as a large organic EL television (OLED (organic light-emitting diode)-TV), it is found that when a black display is produced, the level of light leakage of external light reflected light in the circular polarizing plate varies depending on the position of a display screen, that is, so-called variations in the amount of reflected light occur. This is probably because the oblique stretching causes variations in orientation angle in the width direction of the film, and consequently, it is impossible to obtain satisfactory optical properties over the entire film. The orientation angle refers to an angle formed between the direction of the slow axis of molecules of the film and the width direction of the film.
In this point, in the manufacturing method disclosed in patent document 1, a tension in a direction in which the stretched film is drawn is controlled to fall within a given range, and thus variations in the thickness of the film in the width direction are reduced, with the result that the film with little variation in the optical properties attempts to be manufactured. However, in the manufacturing method disclosed in patent document 1, since the tension in the drawing direction of the film is drawn is constant in the width direction of the film, it is impossible to reduce variations in the orientation angle in the width direction, with the result that it is impossible to obtain satisfactory optical properties over the entire film.
Hence, in order to reduce variations in the amount of reflected light when a black display is produced as described above, it is necessary that the orientation angle of the stretched film can be adjusted in the width direction and that variations in the orientation angle in the width direction caused by stretching can be reduced.

Method and device for manufacturing obliquely stretched long film


In a flywheel (1) for an internal combustion engine which is provided on a side face with bore holes (4, 6) with bridges (7) between them and a sensor located above them to determine the position of the flywheel, and thus of the crankshaft, to avoid siren-like whistling noises from the flywheel an annular groove (5) is formed in such a way that it intersects the bore holes (4, 6) so that there is a connection between the bore holes (4, 6) and the groove (5).

The purpose of the bore holes is to produce uniform bridges between the bore holes. These are counted by a sensor and converted into data about the angular position of the flywheel, and hence of the crankshaft. For this it is of course necessary for the angular position of the flywheel relative to the crankshaft to be definitely fixed.
Flywheels of this kind are in use in large numbers, but have the disadvantage that as a result of the arrangement of bore holes at the circumference of the disk and the material remaining between the bore holes, also in cooperation with the sensor, noises which are characterised as a siren-effect occur, mostly within specific engine speed ranges, dependent on the particular design. Such noises are very annoying and can impair the comfort of occupants of the vehicle when an internal combustion engine with such a flywheel is used.
Means for damping this phenomenon are costly, and moreover do not have the desired technical effect.

Flywheel for internal combustion engines