A laser printer having two sheet feed trays mounted in the top of its case, enabling two different sizes of sheet to be loaded in the printer or increasing the sheet capacity of the printing device by providing the same type of sheet in both trays. The first tray nearest to the back end of the printer extends only a short distance over the end of the printer case so that the printer occupies little space, and the overall height of the case need not be increased. The second tray can be removed to reveal a sheet conveying path from the first tray, facilitating the removal of jammed sheet.

The present invention relates to a printing device, and more particularly, to a printing device provided with two sheet feed trays on a top surface of a body case, which trays are capable of feeding sheet into a printing mechanism.
Conventionally, printing devices are provided with a fixed sheet feed tray or a removable sheet feed tray, usually called a sheet feed cartridge, for feeding each one of sheets to be printed into a printing region. Since printing devices are required to have a more compact structure than photocopying devices and since a sheet conveying mechanism and a printing mechanism inside the printing device must operate in interlocking relation with each other during the printing operation, conventional printing devices have been equipped with only one fixed or removable sheet feed tray for feeding sheet. Thus, conventional printing devices can provide only one type of sheet during a printing process. Moreover, when using removable sheet feed trays with conventional printing devices, only one tray of a plurality of feed trays, each containing a different size of printing sheet, is selectively mounted in the printing device.
Since only one sheet feed tray is mounted in conventional printing devices, such inconvenient operations as exchanging sheet or removable sheet feed trays are frequently necessary when printing on different sizes of sheet. Further, the sheet supply in the trays must be frequently replenished because the number of sheets that can be contained in the trays is limited.
Further, conventional removable sheet feed trays are mounted horizontally in a mounting section on the front or back surface of a body case so that about one-half the length of the sheet feed tray is extending out of the body case. Therefore, the overall front-to-back length of the printing device is large, and the printing device occupies much space.
In another aspect, conventional fixed sheet feed trays include a sheet receiving unit for receiving and guiding numerous sheets of sheet, and a slider for regulating the sheet width. On the other hand, conventional removable sheet feed trays include a box-shaped cassette case, a sheet receiving plate provided on the bottom portion of the cassette case for receiving sheet, and a cover plate detachably mounted on the top surface of the cassette case. Sheet feed rollers are not mounted in the removable sheet feed trays. Instead, sheet conveying mechanism including a set of sheet feed rollers is fixedly mounted in the body case of the conventional printing devices.
Since the sheet conveying mechanism including the set of sheet feed rollers is fixedly mounted in the body case, it is difficult to mount a plurality of sheet feed trays in the body case. In other words, since the sheet feed trays must be positioned near the set of sheet feed rollers in order for the rollers to feed sheet from the trays, it is not remotely possible to configure the printing device so that one set of sheet feed rollers can supply sheet from a plurality of sheet feed trays. In addition, the configuration of the printing device must be such that sheet becoming jammed in the sheet feed passage can be removed. However, this is difficult when supplying sheet from a plurality of trays because of restrictions on the structure of the sheet feed passage.
Japanese Patent Application Kokai (OPI) No. HEI-2-53340 discloses a copying machine in which a plurality of removable sheet feed trays are mounted in a body case, and feed rollers corresponding to these sheet feed trays are provided inside the body case, enabling sheet to be alternatively fed from any of the plurality of sheet feed trays. However, the mounting sections for the plurality of sheet feed trays are provided at a plurality of levels, increasing the overall height of the body case.
If this arrangement is applied into a printer, a body case of the printer becomes bulky so as to install a plurality of sheet feed trays arrayed in a vertical direction. Intricate sheet feed mechanism and its driving system result.
In still another aspect, the sheet feed mechanism of the printer is provided for feeding the sheet fed from the sheet feed tray to the printing mechanism. The sheet feed mechanism includes a register roller and a sheet detection mechanism positioned upstream of the register roller for detecting a leading edge of the sheet. The sheet detection mechanism detects the leading edge of the sheet, and the leading end of the detected sheet is brought into abutment with the register roller so as to control sheet feeding amount after the abutment. The sheet detection mechanism includes a detection piece pivotally movable toward and away from the sheet feed passage, one or a plurality of lever members positioned at one widthwise side of the sheet feed passage and movable in interlocking relation with the detection piece, and a sensor for detecting the movement of the lever members. Therefore, if a plurality of sheet feed trays are installed on the body case, a plurality of detecting pieces must be provided and therefore, a plurality of sensors must be correspondingly required. This may be costly due to the increase in electrical components and complexity in a control arrangement.
Further, if a plurality of sheet feed trays are installed on the body case of the printing device, complex sheet feed passages result, since the plurality of sheet feed passages from the plurality of sheet feed trays reach the common register roller. Furthermore, one sheet feed passage may become excessively long or may be hidden behind other mechanism. As a result, it becomes difficult to provide a wide open space over the sheet feed passage so as to deal with sheet jamming.
Moreover, it becomes difficult to position the sheet detection piece of the sheet detection mechanism in the vicinity of the register roller in such a complicated sheet feed passages. Further, the sheet detection piece must be located at a place capable of facilitating inspection and maintenance thereof. However, the sheet detecting mechanism requires large installation space. Accordingly, it would be extremely difficult to dispose a plurality of sheet detection mechanisms in the body case. If the detection piece is positioned remote from the register roller, sheet feeding accuracy may be lowered.

Printing device having dual sheet feed trays


Methods and systems for managing profiles for electronic content. The methods and systems may involve profiles for a plurality of electronic content items. If a user interaction with an electronic content item of the plurality of electronic content items meets an event definition, the user interaction may be identified as an event associated with the electronic content and recorded in the profile.

Electronic devices may display electronic content as text, images, audio, video or a combination thereof, to a user. One example of an electronic device is an electronic reading device. One example of electronic content is an electronic publication. An electronic publication may also be referred to as an "e-book" or a digital book, and is a digital publication that includes text, images, audio, video or a combination thereof. An electronic publication may be produced by, published by, accessed by, stored by, or readable on electronic reading devices. Electronic publications may be digitized versions of printed materials or may not have a printed equivalent.
Electronic reading devices that are specifically designed for accessing, storing, or displaying electronic publications for a user to read may be referred to as "e-readers", "e-book readers", "e-book devices", and so on. Other computing devices such as personal computers, smart phones, mobile phones, tablet computers, and so on, can also access, store or display electronic publications and other electronic content for a user. Some e-readers use electronic ink, or "e-ink", technology to display an electronic publication to a user in a manner that is preferred by some readers. E-readers may include wired or wireless network connectivity in order to access copies of electronic content, such as electronic books, for display to a user.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for managing profiles


A contact spring connector that contains a holding strip, from which a contact spring leaf and a clamping leaf alternatingly extend in rows. A contact spring leaf has a contact leg, which is spread away from the holding strip and is connected with the holding strip via a cap area. A clamping leaf has a clamping leg connected with the holding strip by spring bands and from which a clamping element is spread away from between the spring bands. The decoupling of the contact spring leaf from the clamping leaf in particular results in ruggedness in respect to mechanical effects.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a contact spring connector for attaching components of and associated with plug-in printed circuit board assemblies.
1. Description of Related Art
A mounting rack is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,641. It makes module location slots available in an interior, which can be equipped with pluggable or plug-in printed board assemblies, which can be placed vertically and parallel next to each other. Each printed circuit board has a front panel on a front, which, for achieving electromagnetic shielding, has strips on both linear sides, each of which projects toward the pluggable printed board assembly. One of the strips is used as a holding element for a contact socket connector, while the other strip is used as a counter-contact element for the contact socket connector located on the front panel of an adjoining printed circuit board. If the module location slots of one mounting rack are completely equipped with pluggable printed board assemblies, then the front panels of the pluggable printed board assemblies located next to each other completely cover the respective plug-in side of the mounting rack. The gaps between the front panels are completely shielded in an electromagnetically sealing manner by the contact socket connectors.
A module for being plugged into HF-sealed housings of electronic apparatus is taught by German Patent Reference DE 41 10 800 C1. The module also has a front panel with a U-shaped cross-sectional profile, wherein a socket connector, which has a plurality of spring elements following each other in a chain-like manner, is placed on one of the two linear strips on one side of the front panel. Here, a spring element has two identically embodied contact springs, each with one spring leaf, as well as a spring clamp with a clamping leaf. The spring elements extend from a common, flat rear leaf in such a way that the socket connector has an approximately U-shaped cross-sectional shape and can be pushed onto one of the two linear strips of the front panel in a clamping manner such that the rear leaf rests on the inside of the linear strip, the clamping leaves rest on the outside of the linear strip and the spring leaves are spread away from exterior of the latter.
Finally, a contact socket connector for plugging on holding strips, in particular on the front panels of shielded mounting racks and having a plurality of contact springs, which are connected in a chain-like manner, is known from PCT International Application WO 96/39017. Each contact spring contains a cap area, which extends around a head area of the holding strip, a spring leaf which, starting at the cap area on the front of the holding strip, spreads outward from a bent edge, and two latching claws which, starting at the cap area, are spread out on the front side of the holding strip at the bent edge and are relief-cut and lie on both sides next to the spring leaf. Each of the latching claws has a holding lug with a latching edge spread away and upward toward the head area. Finally, the contact socket connector has a holding leaf, which extends, starting in the cap area, to the back of the holding strip. At least one holding lug is cut out of the holding leaf and is spread away in the direction toward the rear of the holding strip.
Socket connectors used for contacting in the above mentioned applications must satisfy numerous demands and are subjected to different stresses, in particular mechanical type stresses. Besides the requirement of providing a contacting force which is as evenly strong and continuous as possible over the entire length of the contact socket connector, the mechanical resistance of the contact socket connector against external influences is often of particular importance. For one, the latching of the contact socket connector on a holding strip, or a linear strip of a front panel, must be possible without resulting damage. The contact socket connector must withstand any mechanical stresses.
The latter can occur when a pluggable printed board assembly having a front panel and contact socket connector is pushed into the assigned module location slot in a mounting rack, or is pulled out. The deformations occurring because of the frictional movement along an adjoining front panel of a pluggable printed board assembly positioned next to it must not cause permanent damage to the associated contact socket connector, either when it is being pushed in or pulled out.
Furthermore, a contact socket connector must also be designed so that no damages occur even if, for example, an adjoining pluggable printed board assembly equipped with projecting elements, for example electrical components, heat sinks, pointed pins, wires and many others, is pushed into or pulled out of a module location slot. If during movement of the pluggable printed board assembly the contact socket connector at the front panel of an adjoining stationary pluggable printed board assembly should be brushed by the elements conducted past it, then no damage can be caused to the contact socket connector, in particular when hooked by projecting elements.
One object of this invention is to provide a contact socket connector of the above mentioned type in such a way that neither flat nor pointed objects which are passed by the contact socket connector can cause damage. This object is achieved with a contact socket connector, the claims and specification of which describe advantageous embodiment forms of the contact socket connector and a contact element used as a support for the contact socket connector.

Contact spring strip for attaching to a holding strip and contact part with a contact spring strip and a holding strip, especially a front panel of a printed circuit module

Rittal Electronic System GmbH and Co. KG


The invention is a tablet crusher including a linkage that is operable to bring to bear a force on a platen so as to urge it against an anvil, wherein platen and anvil are shaped so as to bring about a crushing force upon a tablet disposed therebetween. The device comprises: (1) a base; (2) an anvil integrally fixed to the base, the anvil having a concave crushing face; (3) a platen having a convex crushing face, coupled at a pivot to the base so as to be moveable against the anvil; (4) a screw actuator for facilitating movement of the platen against the anvil, the screw actuator having a handle; whereby movement of the handle produces movement of the platen relative to the anvil, for crushing a tablet between the anvil and the platen.

The present invention is an improvement in tablet crushing devices of the prior art, including the tablet crusher described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,637, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention provides a tablet crushing device that may be constructed with fewer and less complicated parts, while providing a smooth and quiet crushing action, while providing all of the other advantages of earlier devices such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,637.
These other advantages include effective crushing of the tablet into small particle size, relatively easy hand operation of the device through the use of mechanical advantage, the ability to crush tablets of various size and shape, the elimination of the need for use of impact forces, and the reduction of risk of cross contamination from different medications.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the mechanism is designed to be simpler and to avoid any undue strain on load bearing parts. In this regard, the tablet crusher described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,637 uses a complex linkage that may be strained by excessive force.
Finally, it remains desirable to provide a tablet crusher that is more compact than those of the prior art, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,637 and U.S. Design Pat. No. D502,267.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a tablet crusher that is effective, efficient and relatively quiet in operation, and which offers all of the same advantages of prior art devices while eliminating some of the remaining disadvantages.


In a computer system according to the present invention, a switch-source OS controller unit includes: a OS switch request receiver unit configured to receive an OS switch request for requesting that the switch-destination OS in a suspend status becomes the OS in the active status; a switch event notifying unit configured to notify event information to the switch-destination OS or an application on the switch-destination OS, the event information being included in the received OS switch request, and requesting the switch-destination OS or the application on the switch-destination OS to perform a process; and a switch controller unit configured to call the OS switching function, by using the event information as an argument, so that the switch-destination OS becomes the OS in the active status.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operating system switching control device provided in a computer system comprising an operating system switching function of exclusively switching an operating system in an active status from one operating system (called a switch-source operating system) to another operating system (called a switch-destination operating system).
In addition, the present invention further relates to a computer system which includes a plurality of operating systems each exclusively becoming an operating system in an active status, or a plurality of virtual operating systems provided by a single operating system with a plurality of setting modes, and in which an operating system switching function exclusively switches an operating system in the active status from a switch-source operating system to a switch-destination operating system
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a configuration in which a plurality of operating systems (hereinafter referred to as OSs) is installed on a computer system (terminal) so that an OS in an active status can be switched between the OSs.
In the above-mentioned configuration, a suspend/resume function of OS is utilized, and a first OS in the active status becomes in a suspend status (a paused status), and thereafter a second OS in the suspend status is resumed, so that the OS in the active status is exclusively switched.
In other words, if one OS (a first OS) is in the active status, the other OS (a second OS) is in the suspend status (an inactive status).
With the application of the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to built a computer system with two (or more) execution environments (also referred to as domains) having different usages or OS types.
For example, it is possible to build a computer system in which executable public and private domains coexist by switching an OS in the active status between a first OS used for process on private information and a second OS used for process on business information.
In addition, it is possible to build a computer system by using "Linux OS (registered trademark)" for the first OS and "Windows Mobile (registered trademark)" for the second OS.
In the above-mentioned configuration, each of the plurality of OSs exclusively becomes in the active status, and therefore an OS in the suspend status (an inactive OS) needs to be switched to become in the active status in order to perform a process.
Here, a possible trigger for switching the inactive OS to become in the active status is an event (a switch event) such as "an push of a switch button by a user", "a reception of a telephone call or data call whose destination is the inactive OS", "a request for executing a function on the inactive OS", or "an expiration of a timer registered by the inactive OS".
Accordingly, in the above-mentioned configuration, there is a challenge that, when an OS in the active status is switched from a switch-source OS to a switch-destination OS in response to an occurrence of the above-mentioned switch event, it is necessary to notify such switch event to the switch-destination OS, and to perform a suitable process for the switch event in the switch-destination OS.
In particular, a switch-destination OS is required to promptly perform a process for an urgent event (a switch event) such as reception of an incoming telephone call. For this reason, there is a need to reduce a time required for switching from a switch-source OS to a switch-destination OS.
Furthermore, a first challenge in the above-mentioned technique is to prevent a critical process from being interrupted by switching an OS in the active status.
More specifically, there is a problem that, since it is desired to reject or suspend the switching of the OS in the active status during executing the critical process such as process for a telephone call which is not desirable to be interrupted, even if a switch event occurs, it is necessary to lock the switching of the OS in the active status during executing the critical process.
A second challenge is to improve failure tolerance in the switching an OS in the active status.
Specifically, when means for locking the switching of the OS in the active status is used in order to achieve the first challenge, there is a possibility that the lock is not properly unlocked due to a failure, and that the switching of the OS in the active status becomes impossible. For this reason, it is necessary to achieve the second challenge to maintain the function of switching an OS in the active status even if a failure occurs.

Operating system switching control device and computer system


The present invention provides a substrate for a flexible printed wiring board including an adhesive layer containing an epoxy resin composition, insulating layers respectively stacked on both sides of the adhesive layer and formed with a pair of films containing a nonthermoplastic polyimide resin, and conductor layers respectively disposed on the outer surfaces of the films. The total thickness of the insulating layers respectively stacked on both sides of the adhesive layer is 10 to 100 μm and 2 to 10 times the thickness of the adhesive layer. The mutual adhesion strength between the insulating layers through the intermediary of the adhesive layer is 7.0 N/cm or more.

Known substrates for flexible printed wiring boards are manufactured by bonding an insulator made of a nonthermoplastic polyimide film and a conductor to each other through the intermediary of an epoxy resin adhesive, an acrylic resin adhesive or the like. Known among such substrates are a substrate for a three layer-structured single-sided flexible printed wiring board (hereinafter referred to as "single-sided substrate") in which substrate a conductor is disposed on one side of an insulator through the intermediary of an adhesive layer, and a substrate for a five layer-structured doubled-sided flexible printed wiring board (hereinafter referred to as a "double-sided substrate") in which substrate two conductors are each stacked on one of both sides of an insulator through the intermediary of an adhesive.
However, the known substrates for flexible printed wiring boards have problems in that in both the single-sided substrate and the double-sided substrate, an adhesive layer is present between a conductor and an insulator, and hence the heat resistance, flame retardancy, electric properties and the like are degraded. Additionally, there is a problem that the rate of dimensional change is large when the conductor is etched and the substrate is subjected to some type of heat treatment, leading to troubles caused in the subsequent processes.
For the purpose of solving the above described problems, as for the single-sided substrate, there has been developed a method in which the nonthermoplastic polyimide resin layer is formed directly on the conductor without any adhesive layer between the conductor and the insulator (for example, JP-A-60-157286, JP-A-1-245586, JP-A-4-274382 and JP-A-8-250860).
On the other hand, as for the double-sided substrate, there has been proposed a method in which the above described problems are intended to solve by using a thermoplastic polyimide capable of thermocompression bonding for an adhesive layer for the purpose of adhering the nonthermoplastic polyimide film and the conductor to each other (for example, JP-A-2000-103010, JP-A-2001-270033, JP-A-2001-270034, JP-A-2001-270035, JP-A-2001-270037 and JP-A-2001-270039).
However, in the configuration, it is not the nonthermoplastic polyimide but the thermoplastic polymer that is directly in contact with the conductors, so that the rate of dimensional change becomes large when the substrate is subjected to some type of heat treatment, and consequently the configuration cannot sufficiently solve the above described problems.

Substrate for flexible printed wiring board and method for manufacturing the same


A method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus for context switching between a first thread and a second thread. The method includes detecting an exception, wherein the exception is generated in response to receiving a packet of information directed to one of the first thread and the second thread, and in response to detecting the exception, invoking an exception handler. The exception handler is configured to execute one or more instructions removing access to at least a portion of a processor cache. The portion of the processor cache contains cached information for the first thread using a first address translation. Removing access to the portion of the processor cache prevents the second thread using a second address translation from accessing the cached information in the processor cache. The exception handler is also configured to branch to at least one of the first thread and the second thread.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to computer processors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern computer systems typically include a processor which may access a volatile memory and other memory devices such as a hard drive. For example, the hard drive may provide relatively slow access to larger amounts of information while the volatile memory may provide relatively fast access to smaller amounts of information. Thus, the volatile memory may be used to temporarily store and access a portion of the information stored on the hard drive. In order to further increase the speed with which memory is accessed, a portion of the information accessed by the processor may also be stored within a cache within the processor. The cache may be smaller than the volatile memory while providing relatively faster access to the information stored therein.
In order to allow a thread executed by the processor to access the large amount of information stored on the hard drive using the relatively smaller cache, the computer system may provide address translation to translate between an effective address used by the thread and a virtual address space. The virtual address space may be large enough to address the entire range of memory addresses in the computer system. The virtual address may in turn be translated to a real address in order to use the real address to access the processor cache.
In some cases, the processor may also be configured to execute multiple threads simultaneously (referred to as multithreading). Also, each thread may use different mappings between effective, virtual, and real addresses. For example, during execution of a first thread, the first thread may use a first virtual address to load information from the hard drive into a first real address within the processor cache. The processor may then begin executing a second thread. The second thread may use a second virtual address which maps to different information from the hard drive. In some cases, the second virtual address may also map to the same real address (the first real address) used by the first thread to store information in the processor cache.
Thus, when the second thread begins execution, the processor cache may appear to contain information corresponding to the second virtual address when, in fact, the information in the cache, previously fetched for the first thread, is incorrect and outdated (e.g., stale). Because the processor cache may contain incorrect information with respect to the second virtual address requested by the second thread, execution of the second thread using the incorrect information may result in an error.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus for executing threads in a computer system.

International Business Machines Corporation


An apparatus body is provided with a sensor face in which a plurality of sensor electrodes for detecting electrostatic capacitance are disposed. A recognition pattern formed by connecting a plurality of conductive spots through conductive lines is provided in an identification body. When the recognition pattern of the identification body is made to face the sensor face of the apparatus body, the plurality of sensor electrodes are electrically connected to one another through the recognition pattern to thereby generate a change of electrostatic capacitance so that the apparatus body can identify the recognition pattern based on the change of electrostatic capacitance. Thus, it is possible to provide an identification apparatus which can be manufactured inexpensively without use of an expensive apparatus such as an RFID system.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an identification apparatus which can identify an ID of an identification body such as a top or a card.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the background art, there has been known a toy in which an ID is given to an identification body such as a top or a card so that an identification apparatus can identify the ID so as to execute a predetermined action.
For example, in JP-A-2013-000581, there has been described a configuration in which corresponding pieces of identification information are given to toy bodies such as trading cards, figures and plastic models so that a game apparatus can read each piece of identification information so as to output a predetermined sound or display. Incidentally, in JP-A-2013-000581, there has been description that bar codes or RFIDs are used as the identification information to be read.
As described above, bar codes or RFIDs are typically used in the background-art identification apparatus.
However, the bar codes have a fault in weakness to water or abrasion. In addition, there is another problem that the outer appearance may be affected by a region which must be allocated for printing the bar codes.
In this respect, the problem caused by the bar codes cannot occur if the RFIDs are used. However, since the apparatus using the RFIDs is expensive, a more inexpensive identification apparatus is required in the fields of toys etc. having lots of restrictions on manufacturing cost.


Input of image signals to part of a plurality of pixels included in a particular region of a pixel portion and supply of light to part of another plurality of pixels which is different from the part are performed concurrently. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a period in which light is supplied to all of the plurality of pixels included in the region after the image signals are input thereto. In other words, it is possible to start input of the next image signals to all of the plurality of pixels included in the region just after the image signals are input thereto. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the input frequency of the image signals. As a result, it is possible to suppress deteriorations of display caused in the field-sequential liquid crystal display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for driving a liquid crystal display device. In particular, the present invention relates to a driving method of a field-sequential liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A color filter method and a field sequential method are known as display methods for liquid crystal display devices. In a color-filter liquid crystal display device, a plurality of subpixels which has color filters for transmitting only light with a given wavelength is provided in each pixel. A desired color is produced in such a manner that transmission of white light is controlled in each subpixel and a plurality of colors is mixed in each pixel. In contrast, in a field-sequential liquid crystal display device, a plurality of light sources that emit light of different colors is provided. A desired color is produced in such a manner that lighting of the plurality of light sources is controlled independently and transmission of light of each color is controlled in each pixel. In other words, a desired color is produced by dividing the area of one pixel by lights of given colors in a color filter method, whereas a desired color is produced by dividing a display period by lights of given colors in a field sequential method.
The field-sequential liquid crystal display device has the following advantages over the color-filter liquid crystal display device. First, in the field-sequential liquid crystal display device, it is not necessary to provide subpixels in a pixel. Thus, the aperture ratio can be increased or the number of pixels can be increased. In addition, in the field-sequential liquid crystal display device, it is not necessary to provide a color filter. In other words, light loss caused by light absorption in color filters does not occur. Therefore, transmittance can be improved and power consumption can be reduced.
Patent Document 1 discloses a field-sequential liquid crystal display device. Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid crystal display device in which pixels each include a transistor for controlling input of an image signal, a signal storage capacitor for holding the image signal, and a transistor for controlling transfer of electric charge from the signal storage capacitor to a display pixel capacitor. In the liquid crystal display device having this structure, input of an image signal to the signal storage capacitor and display corresponding to electric charge held in the display pixel capacitor can be performed concurrently.

Driving method of field sequential liquid crystal display device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


In a fuel injection system for a multicylinder internal combustion engine, particularly a V8 engine, including a high pressure fuel pump supplying high pressure fuel to a high pressure fuel supply duct serving as a high pressure fuel storage (common rail) from which high pressure fuel distribution lines extend to magnetic valve-controlled fuel injectors associated with the various cylinders of the engine, the distribution lines have an inner diameter of at least 2.99 mm and a length of less than 122 mm with an inner diameter to length ratio of between 1:36 and about 1:41 to reduce pressure oscillations in the fuel system.

The invention relates to a fuel injection system for a multicylinder internal combustion engine, particularly an eight cylinder engine, including a high pressure pump for supplying the fuel to a common supply line serving as a pressurized fuel storage structure (common rail) from which fuel injection lines extend to magnetic valve controlled fuel injectors.
Such a fuel injection system for multicylinder internal combustion engines is known form DE 43 35 171 C1, wherein a common supply line is provided for the cylinders of each cylinder bank of the internal combustion engine. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the reference relate to eight cylinder engines including two cylinder banks with a firing order by which subsequent ignitions occur at least once in one of the two cylinder banks.
With the particular injection procedures, undesirably high pressure oscillations occur in all injection lines particularly in eight cylinder internal combustion engines. These pressure oscillations are not attenuated during the short ignition interval of 90.degree.. As a result, the injection volume varies excessively with negative effects particularly in injection systems employing pre-injection with a subsequent injection of the main fuel injection volume.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an injection system with a high pressure fuel storage structure wherein, with simple measures, pressure oscillations in any of the fuel distribution lines extending from the high pressure fuel storage structure to the various fuel injectors do not detrimentally affect the injection process through other fuel distribution lines.

Fuel injection for a multicylinder internal combustion engine


An ATE system is described for testing one or more DFT testing blocks contained in one or more DUTs when coupled to the ATE system. The ATE system includes hardware resources and software processes under the control of a DPK (Distributed Processing Kernel). The DPK couples the hardware resources and software processes as needed for a first DFT testing block to be enabled for testing only when such resources and processes are available and locked for the first DFT testing block. The DPK is coupled to the first DFT testing blocks via data channels and control channels that are selected as needed for having the first DFT testing block enabled for testing. The channels are under the control of an DUTs-ATE interface which is directed by the DPK for connecting the first DFT testing block to the locked hardware resource and the locked software processes. Each set up process corresponding to any subsequent DFT testing block requesting any hardware resource and any software processes that are already locked for use is paused until such locked resource and locked software processes are unlocked and assigned for having that subsequent DFT testing block enabled for testing.

The present invention relates to testing of Integrated Circuits (ICs) and semiconductor devices by Automated Test Equipment (ATE).
During typical semiconductor manufacturing processes, ICs are tested to assure proper operation. The ATEs perform the necessary tests to ensure the quality, with ICs being the Device Under Test (DUT). Complex ICs these days are typically tested with the help of on-chip DFT (Designed for Test) including BIST (Built In Self Test) as well as some Built off Self Test structures (all hereinafter known as DFT structures) in conjunction with readily available ATE. Those DFT structures include various testing blocks for performing prescribed test processes. Devices with DFT structures can be classified into three categories:
1. Fully autonomous where the DUT just needs one or more power supplies and one or more clocks to have the testing enabled and subsequent data captured without further attention of the tester (operator) and/or the ATE.
2. Semi-autonomous where the DUT may need initial set up to start the test and may need subsequent attention of the tester (operator) and/or the ATE to receive the testing results. There may also be other intermediate actions arising from prescribed activity and requiring attention before testing is fully completed.
3. Non-autonomous, where the DUT needs constant attention of the tester (operator) and/or the ATE at regular intervals in order for the testing to be enabled, completed and the generated data captured.
In the currently known ATE architectures used in the test and measurement industry, test channels and needed ATE hardware and software are dedicated to the testing block under test for the entire test session of the block test via device pins. The resource allocation is defined before the test program is executed. The ATE software is designed to allow this kind of allocation of the test channels to the block via the device pins. As will be explained subsequently, this kind of ATE architecture leads to inefficient testing of DFT-oriented devices in terms: of lower ATE resource utilization, need for higher number of ATE resources, limiting efficient data collection, and inability to test certain types of devices concurrently with other devices.
The ever increasing pressure to reduce test cost demands reduction in the cost associated with ATE, which makes a significant portion of the overall test cost. The conventional ATE architectures are functionally capable of performing the necessary tests, however, their efficiency for testing DFT oriented devices is low as mentioned above. As will be explained, there are disadvantages for having the ATE resources constantly tied to the testing block under test until the testing block finishes its tests. The ATE resources include ATE hardware, ATE channels, ATE software for monitoring and/or controlling channel activity and for having prescribed test processes conducted and all other associated equipment and circuitry for having testing blocks operated for testing. In conventional ATE systems, the ATE resources are set up to have access via ATE data and ATE control channels to the ATE hardware and ATE software resources needed for monitoring and conducting all the testing activities for each testing block in the DUT, during the entire test session for that block.
FIG. 1 depicts a conventional test flow diagram 10 of activity blocks and steps for a conventional ATE system well known in the prior art for having a DUT enabled for testing. In conventional ATE systems, all of the testing blocks are prescheduled for testing. Briefly described, the ATE system begins at a Block 11 (marked with START) and moves to a Block 12 where set up is arranged (automatically, by an operator or a combination of both) for a first selected testing block. The ATE resources needed for that first selected testing block are assigned. The ATE system then moves to a Block 13 where the entire set up for having the selected testing block enabled for testing is arranged using the assigned ATE resources. The ATE system then moves to a Block 14 where the actual test is conducted for the testing block. The test results are subsequently collected (i.e., captured) as part of the activities in a Block 15. In some cases, e.g., scan test, the results collection can happen simultaneously with the stimulus application. Subsequently, the ATE system moves to a decision Block 16, where a check is made to determine if another prescheduled testing block is to be enabled for testing. If there is another prescheduled testing block, the ATE system moves along a path 20 (marked with a Y meaning Yes) to a Block 17 where that next scheduled testing block is selected. The ATE system then moves to the Block 12 and continues through the subsequent blocks as was done for the first selected testing block. This process is reiterated until all the testing activity for all the testing blocks have been completed which results in the ATE system moving along a path 21 (marked N meaning No) from the decision Block 16 to a Block 18 (marked DONE) where the ATE system stops its testing activities. In the conventional ATEs, the sequence in which the blocks are selected for testing with a set of associated resources is decided before the test execution begins.
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary and more detailed ATE system 30 known in the prior art and a graph 31 that depicts the corresponding test time impact. For ease of understanding and not for limitation, the ATE system 30 for this description is described with specifically limited features. The ATE system 30 is coupled to a DUT 32 which has four testing Blocks 33a-33d each having autonomous DFT structures that allow parallel testing of these blocks with each testing block running independently after set up. The DUT 32 can be a single IC die being tested or one die on a wafer containing many dice each containing DFT structures. For this description all the test Blocks 33a-33d require the same ATE hardware resources 34a-34d and applicable software resources 35 so that the ATE system 30 operates in accordance with the test flow diagram 10 shown in FIG. 1 for having each of the test Blocks 33a-33d enabled for testing.
If the testing is done one testing block at a time using conventional architectures, the total test time is:Total test time=s1+t1+r1+s2+t2+r2+s3+t3+r3+s4+t4+r4Where each # references the corresponding numbered testing block, the test set up time is s# for that testing block, the test time is t# for that testing block, and the time to read results is r# for that testing block.
In contrast, if each testing block was allowed to run in parallel after set up the total test times can be reduced to:Total test time=s1+s2+s3+s4+max(t1,t2,t3,t4)+r1+r2+r3+r4In this case setup and results collection are still sequential due to shared access to the block from the pins. However, after the setup the autonomous blocks can run the tests in parallel.
The parallel concept also applies to the multi-site case where, for example, each die (having one or more testing blocks) on a semiconductor wafer may not need the attention of the ATE system 30 all the time. However, for the conventional ATE architectures, the multi-site case still needs replication of ATE hardware and software resources (which increases the overall cost) even if the attention of the ATE system 30 is needed only a fraction of the total test time. Whereas in the present invention this is not the case, so long as the infrastructure exits to connect ATE resources dynamically to different blocks and/or dice during the test flow.
It is known in the prior art to make an infrastructure for connecting ATE hardware and software resources dynamically to multiple dies at different instances of time via associated data and control channels. So it is generally desirable to test a number of dice in parallel. Testing techniques have been proposed that enable parallel testing of multiple dice of a wafer with a single probe. Examples of such parallel schemes include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,426,904, entitled "Structures for Wafer Level Test and Burn-In" to Barth, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,051, entitled "Segmented Architecture for Wafer Test and Burn-In" to Bachelder, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,685, entitled "Package Parallel Test Method and Apparatus" to Spano, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,040, entitled "Configurable Probe Pads to Facilitate Parallel Testing of Integrated Circuit Devices" to Brannigan, et al.
However, in the above disclosures, the DUTs must be analyzed to determine a priori to identify which blocks may be tested in parallel since there may be blocks that are not suitable for parallel testing due to either device or ATE constraints. For example, even though the digital test blocks can be tested in parallel, if there are analog test blocks (such as for testing for radio frequency mutual interference), then those test blocks must be tested serially if analog resources are scarce. In addition, the conventional ATEs also require the resources to remain allocated to the block under test for the entire duration of the test of that block. As a result, the conventional architectures do not exploit the autonomous nature of DFT blocks to leverage the full potential of parallel testing.

ATE architecture and method for DFT oriented testing


An application may be modeled as a collection of resource usage. The model allows the application to be elastic so that additional resource usage can be added when needed. Items may be added to and/or removed from applications at any time without regard to the state of the application. Existing items in the application may also be altered at any time regardless of the application state. A set of interfaces are used to manage the resources. The interface allow for the provisioning, configuration, deployment, monitoring and diagnostics of resources in a consistent way.

Most computer applications are managed separately from resources that are used by the applications. For example, an SQL database is created and managed from a different toolset than the web application that uses the SQL database. This leads to increased management complexity and cost. Existing management tools tend to assume that applications are designed, built and deployed as a unit. In actual practice, most applications are built incrementally. Current management tools and models are ill suited to handle the elastic nature of application development and deployment.

Runtime-agnostic management of applications


Ink containing a pigment, an alcohol alkoxylate-based surfactant, a water-soluble organic solvent, water, and a dispersion agent represented by the following chemical structure 1, wherein the ink has a dynamic surface tension of 36 mN/m or less when the life of foam at 25° C. as measured by the maximum bubble pressure technique is 15 msec:

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to ink for inkjet recording, an inkjet recording method using the ink, and an ink cartridge that accommodates the ink.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the field of ink for use in inkjet recording, in which a pigment is dispersed by using a surfactant type dispersion agent, a method is known which improves the quality of images by adding an alcohol alkoxylate-based surfactant to the ink (for example, refer to Japanese patent application publication number 2009-161726 (JP-2009-161726-A)). However, images produced with ink containing such a surfactant have a low density and the viscosity stability of the ink is insufficient when stored for an extended period of time under high-temperature conditions.

Ink for inkjet recording, inkjet recording method using the ink, and ink cartridge that accommodates the ink

Abstract: where R1 represents an alkyl group having one to four carbon atoms, an aryl group, and an aralkyl group having one to eight carbon atoms, L represents zero or an integer of from 1 to 7, and n represents an integer of from 20 to 80.


A handle substrate having at least one metallization region is provided on a stressor layer that is located above a base substrate such that the at least one metallization region is in contact with a surface of the stressor layer. An upper portion of the base substrate is spalled, i.e., removed, to provide a structure comprising, from bottom to top, a spalled material portion of the base substrate, the stressor layer and the handle substrate containing the at least one metallization region in contact with the surface of the stressor layer.

The present application relates to semiconductor manufacturing. More particularly, the present application relates to a method of removing a material portion of a base substrate utilizing a controlled spalling process in which a handle substrate is used that contains metallization regions. The present application also relates to a structure that can be formed from such a method.
Devices such as, for example, photovoltaic and electro-optical, that can be produced in thin-film form have three clear advantages over their bulk counterparts. First, by virtue of less material used, thin-film devices ameliorate the materials cost associated with device production. Second, low device weight is a definite advantage that motivates industrial-level effort for a wide range of thin-film applications. Third, if dimensions are small enough, devices can exhibit mechanical flexibility in their thin-film form. Furthermore, if a device layer is removed from a substrate that can be reused, additional fabrication cost reduction can be achieved.
Efforts to (i) create thin-film substrates from bulk materials (i.e., semiconductors) and (ii) form thin-film device layers by removing device layers from the underlying bulk substrates on which they were formed are ongoing. The recent development, see, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0311250 A1 to Bedell et al., of a novel layer transfer method referred to as 'controlled spalling technology' has permitted the fabrication of low-cost, thin-film, high quality substrates by removing a surface layer from a base substrate. The thin-film substrate layers that can be removed by this controlled spalling technology can be used to 1) increase the cost per Watt value of conventional photovoltaic technology or 2) permit fabrication of novel, high-efficiency photovoltaic, electronic and opto-electronic materials that are flexible and can be used to produce new products.
Recent advancements in the area of high-efficiency, lightweight, flexible photovoltaic (PV) devices has opened the door to a new class of solar energy products. The controlled spalling process mentioned above can be used for transferring thin layers of III-V compound semiconductor materials from a rigid host substrate to a lightweight flexible substrate.
When multiple PV devices are integrated into a single flexible substrate, it is important that the electrical connections that link these devices do not deleteriously affect the performance of the multi-device module. In early prototypes of these flexible modules, it was found that high series resistance resulting from the use of commercially available flexible conductors (such as, for example, Ag-based inks) severely limited the performance of the module. As such, there is a need to provide a PV module design that can maximize mechanical flexibility, minimize weight and allow for low electrical resistance contact between adjacent PV devices.

Patterned metallization handle layer for controlled spalling

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology


A method for emulating and debugging a microcontroller. In one embodiment, an event thread is executed on an emulator that operates in lock-step with the microcontroller. Event information is sampled at selected points. Trace information is also recorded at the selected points. As such, the event information and trace information are effectively pre-filtered. Accordingly, it is not incumbent on a designer to read and understand the event and trace information and sort out the information that is of interest. Instead, this task is essentially done automatically, helping the designer and reducing the probability of error. Furthermore, because only selected event and trace information is recorded, the resources of the in-circuit emulator system are not taxed.

In-circuit emulators have been used for a number of years by software and hardware developers to help diagnose and debug hardware and software. In-circuit emulation is commonly used to analyze and debug the behavior of complex devices such as microcontrollers and microprocessors that have internal structures too complex to be modeled using simulation software.
A typical arrangement for in-circuit emulation includes a host computer system that is coupled to the microcontroller to be tested through some type of debug logic block. Instructions from the host computer system are loaded to the microcontroller through the debug logic block, which monitors the performance of the microcontroller as the instructions are executed by the microcontroller. As the microcontroller steps through the execution, the debug logic block collects information about the various components of the microcontroller (referred to herein as event information) and feeds that information back to the host computer system. Also, trace information (such as time stamps, register values, data memory content, etc.) may also be logged and fed back to the host computer system.
Thus, a plethora of information is available to the person doing the debugging (e.g., a designer). Oftentimes, an oscilloscope or logic analyzer, coupled to the host computer system or to the debug logic block, is used to present (display) selected event and trace information to the designer. Generally speaking, a logic analyzer is akin to an oscilloscope. Using an oscilloscope or logic analyzer, the designer can view multiple waveforms representing the event and trace information of particular interest.
Sometimes, instead of using an oscilloscope or logic analyzer, the designer reviews the event and trace information recorded by the host computer, and extracts portions of that information that are of interest. The designer can transfer the extracted information to one or more files in a format suitable for graphing software. The graphing software can then plot the data as a waveform that can then be viewed by the designer.
Each of the approaches described above has its disadvantages. The use of oscilloscopes and logic analyzers means that additional equipment must be purchased and maintained, and designers have to be trained in their use. Logic analyzers in particular are relatively expensive pieces of equipment. In addition, it is often difficult and sometimes virtually impossible for a logic analyzer or oscilloscope to have access to points (e.g., registers) and information internal to the device under test (e.g., the microcontroller). For example, the device under test may not be configured to output certain of its internal information to an external device such as an oscilloscope or logic analyzer.
The other approach requires the designer to read and understand the event and trace information, sort out the information that is of interest, and then transfer the information in a suitable format to software that can plot the information as a waveform. The act of filtering out the information of interest is burdensome and prone to error. For example, trace information is generally interspersed with other microcontroller instructions and calls; the designer would therefore have to sort through the entire set of information, separate out the trace information of interest, and arrange it in the proper sequence. Because the event and trace information are typically plotted versus time, the designer also needs to exercise care in selecting instances of event and trace information that will result in proper scaling of the waveform; that is, the shape of the waveform is greatly influenced by the choice of points to be plotted.
Another problem with the latter approach is that essentially the entire event and trace information is collected before the designer can filter out the information that is not of interest. The amount of event and trace information may be substantial and so may consume a significant portion of available memory resources. Conversely, if not enough memory is available, information may be lost.
Therefore, what is needed is a method that can be used for emulating and debugging devices such as microcontrollers, but that does not incur the hardware, maintenance and training costs associated with oscilloscopes and logic analyzers. In addition, what is needed is a method that can satisfy the above need and that can allow access to information that generally is difficult to access or cannot be accessed by conventional logic analyzers and oscilloscopes. What is also needed is a method that can satisfy the above needs but without placing undue burdens on the designer and on available computational (e.g., memory) resources. The present invention provides a novel solution to these needs.

Method for integrating event-related information and trace information


The invention relates to sealable squib connectors, in particular for airbag ignition systems. The connector including a connector housing with a plug-in projection, which plug-in projection has a mating face at its distal end; a seal expansion element; and a resilient sealing ring provided at the mating face of the plug-in projection between the mating face and the seal expansion element. The seal expansion element is being movable against the mating direction towards the mating face from an open position to a closed position thereby expanding the sealing ring.

The squib connectors according to the prior art are commonly formed of injection molded plastic parts and usually consist of a plug connector and a corresponding female counter connector. In many applications it is necessary to protect the electrical connection between a connector and its counter connector against moisture and/or dust. This is in particular true for electrical connections having important safety functions, like for example the electrical connections between a squib connector and the counter connector of an airbag ignition system. The sealing of the connection respectively of these two connectors parts has to be reliable on the one hand and should on the other hand not impair the assembly of the two connectors.
Sealable squib connectors according to the prior art consist for example of a plug connector and a corresponding connector receptacle. The seal, like for example a sealing ring, is arranged around the top rim of the connector receptacle, such that when the plug-connector is inserted into the receptacle the sealing element is firmly compressed between the upper rim of the receptacle and a correspondingly shaped sealing surface provided on the plug-connector. However, this arrangement has several disadvantages. For one, the scaling ring is very often exposed to the environment and therefore subjected to mechanical, chemical or physical stresses, like for example exposure to light and UV-radiation. Further, the sealing acts against the plug-in direction of the connectors thereby increasing the necessary insertion force. Further, such a sealing arrangement produces a biasing force in coupled condition which acts to urge the plug connector out of the receptacle of the counter connector. This biasing force of the seal can lead over time to a weakening of the mechanical connection of plug and counter connector ultimately leading to an unsatisfactory sealing effect.
As a result, there exists a need in the art for an improved scalable squib connector, which offers a reliable sealing action which at the same time does not or barely affect the connecting process. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sealable connector, in particular for airbag ignition systems, which reduces or minimizes at least one of the above described problems and/or disadvantages.


According to an exemplary implementation, an electronic ballast includes an input filter coupled to a resonant tank. The resonant tank is configured to generate a resonant current. The input filter is configured to receive an AC input voltage and to generate an AC input current from the resonant current by smoothing the resonant current. The electronic ballast also includes a half-bridge configured to feed the resonant tank so as to generate the resonant current and to receive a supply voltage that is in phase with the AC input voltage. The electronic ballast can also include a controller configured to control a power factor of the electronic ballast by switching the half-bridge. The controller can be configured to adjust a shape of the AC input current by adjusting switching of the half-bridge to thereby adjust a power factor of the electronic ballast.

Electronic ballasts can be utilized to limit current in a circuit. For example, electronic ballasts are commonly utilized to limit current through a fluorescent lamp. By limiting current through the fluorescent lamp, an electronic ballast can prevent the current from rising to levels that may otherwise destroy the fluorescent lamp. Many electronic ballasts require power factor correction (PFC) so that a load, connected to an output of the electronic ballast, appears more like a resistive load (i.e. the electronic ballast has a high power factor).
In order to achieve a high power factor for the electronic ballast, alternating current (AC) input current of the electronic ballast should be substantially in phase with and substantially match a shape of AC input voltage of the electronic ballast. Thus, the PFC may correct for the AC input current being shifted substantially out of phase with the AC input voltage. Furthermore, the PFC may shape the AC input current so as to substantially match a shape of the AC input voltage. PFC is typically achieved in electronic ballasts by utilizing a PFC circuit. The PFC circuit often includes large and expensive power components, which may include diodes, capacitors, and/or transistors.

Electronic ballast with power factor correction


An embodiment of the invention comprises a retractor for use with a depth finder unit. The retractor includes a depth probe on a length of cord, a winding mechanism, a ratcheting slip ring assembly, and a housing.

While ice fishing, it is often desirable to utilize a depth finder to assist in identifying the presence of fish. A typical depth finder includes a depth probe on a cord that is lowered through the fishing hole cut in the ice.
Upon receiving a fish hit on the hook, an angler will desire to remove the depth probe so that it will not interfere with completing the catch and bringing in the fish. Time is often a premium when the angler is attempting to secure the fish, and the depth probe cord is hurriedly pulled up by the angler. The result is that the depth probe cord will be strewn about the area around the fishing hole, and the angler wastes time pulling up the probe.
A need exists, therefore, for a depth finder retractor for ice fishing that quickly and neatly pulls the depth finder up out of the water and out of the way of the fishing line.


Methods of packaging integrated circuits are described. One method relates to attaching a singulated device wafer to a substrate. The singulated device wafer includes a multiplicity of integrated circuit dice arranged in a first configuration. The method also involves a substrate, which includes a sacrificial semiconductor wafer having device areas with metalized contacts. The device areas on the substrate may be arranged in a configuration matching that of the dice on the device wafer. The method also entails aligning the singulated device wafer as a whole with the substrate so that the dice of the device wafer are positioned substantially simultaneously over associated device areas on the substrate. The method also involves attaching the dice from the singulated wafer as a whole substantially simultaneously to the substrate such that each die of the device wafer is attached to an associated device area of the substrate.

There are a number of conventional processes for packaging integrated circuit (IC) dice. By way of example, many IC packages utilize a metallic leadframe that has been stamped or etched from a metal sheet to provide electrical interconnects to external devices. The die may be electrically connected to the leadframe by means of bonding wires, solder bumps or other suitable electrical connections. In general, the die and portions of the leadframe are encapsulated with a molding material to protect the delicate electrical components on the active side of the die while leaving selected portions of the leadframe exposed to facilitate electrical connection to external devices.
Although existing techniques for fabricating leadframes and for packaging integrated circuits using leadframe technology work well, there are continuing efforts to develop even more efficient designs and methods for packaging integrated circuits.

Methods and systems for packaging integrated circuits


The proposed solution relates to a method and an apparatus in a communication system. The solution comprises creating (400) a bearer for user terminal communication; transmitting (402) a credit control request message to Online Charging System, storing (404) the message to a transmission buffer, receiving (406) a credit control answer message as a reply to the request message and, if the credit control answer message comprises an error code: opening (412) a charging data record and timestamping the opening with the time the bearer was created, copying (414) the message from the transmission buffer to the charging data record, adding (416) information regarding rating groups affected by the error to the charging data record as containers and closing the containers and updating (418) result code-field of the charging data record according to the error code.

Modern telecommunication systems such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) radio access network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), long term evolution (LTE, known also as E-UTRA), long term evolution advanced (LTE-A), comprise a charging architecture which is used for charging of different services. The architecture comprises two different kinds of mechanisms, offline charging and online charging. Offline charging utilises Charging Collection Function (CCF) and online charging utilises an Online Charging System (OCS). The mechanism used may depend on the service. Offline changing and online charging typically operate independently. However, there has been developed some interworking mechanisms between different changing methods, namely tight interworking online offline charging and independent interworking online offline charging. The latter is mandatory for operators of communication systems to support while the first is optional.
In normal operation situations, the above solutions work well. However, if there is an error in charging, the present solutions may disclose problems due to which some information regarding charging may be lost.

Apparatus and method for the generation of charging information


A trailer which can be used to tow a vehicle and which can be towed by the same vehicle while that vehicle is inside the trailer and lowered down to ground level.

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/161,932, filed Jun. 4, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference.
This apllication claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/355,446, filed on Feb. 7, 2002.
The present invention relates to trailers, and, in particular to a trailer intended to carry a vehicle.
There are many types of vehicles, such as golf carts, tracked vehicles, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), that are not intended to be driven on the open road. In order to get these vehicles from one place to another, they typically are carried in a trailer. However, loading the vehicle onto the trailer and aligning the towing vehicle with the trailer are time-consuming tasks which make it undesirable to use the vehicles. For example, a hunter may leave his ATV at home if he is only going for a half-day trip, since the tasks associated with taking the ATV along are too time consuming.
It is known in the art to provide a trailer with a platform that can be lowered down to allow a vehicle to be driven onto the trailer and can then be raised to tow the vehicle. Such trailers are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,131 "Behr" and U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,544 "Wellman", which are hereby incorporated by reference. These trailers may even provide a mechanism for securing the vehicle to the trailer, as, for example, the Wellman reference has tie-down eyelets 39. However, these trailers are not made in a manner that permits the towed vehicle to drive the trailer while it is inside the trailer. Both in the raised and in the lowered positions, the tires or other driving feet of the vehicle are unable to contact the ground in a manner that would permit them to drive the trailer.
Other trailers are made to raise and lower to help lift freight to be carried on the trailer. Examples of these are U.S. Pat. No. 2,495,449 "Francis" and U.S. Pat. No. 2,487,508 "Anderson", which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Unitec Go Jak is a dolly with a jack that can be used to lift and manually move a vehicle on caster wheels. The vehicle tires do not drive the dolly. This dolly is not a trailer, does not have any type of towing tongue, and is not intended to be towed behind a vehicle.
There are also driver training tools, which can be used to help a driver simulate skid conditions while driving an automobile. Such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,798 "Johansson" and U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,594 "Orloski", which are hereby incorporated by reference. These devices are not trailers, and they have no type of towing tongue to permit them to be connected to a towing vehicle. Instead, they are secured onto the frame of the vehicle and travel with the vehicle. The instructor can use the hydraulic lifts in these devices to raise and lower the vehicle in order to simulate skid conditions.


An accurate direct current to 1 MHz (or more) analog information channel with 7.5 kV input to output isolation is provided using a commercially available opto-electronic isolator. The relatively slow response, (limited bandwidth) of the LED portion of the opto-electronic isolator is overcome by providing a frequency compensated negative feedback loop around the servo photodetector in the opto-electronic isolator. The feedback loop includes proper frequency compensation for the phase lag properties of both the LED and the servo photodetector, thus extending the bandwidth well beyond the 200 KHz typical of such opto-electronic isolators.

1 Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a high bandwidth information channel for carrying analog signals with electrical isolation provided by an optocoupler, and specifically to such an information channel with frequency compensation to overcome the low bandwidth characteristic of the optocoupler LED.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art in the field of wideband low noise information channels includes the well-known opto-electronic isolators (optocouplers), wherein a photo-detector receives a light signal from a light emitting diode (LED). Such prior art devices have the significant disadvantage of electronic drift, i.e., performance varies with ambient humidity, temperature and time. In addition, the opto-electronic isolation technology is inherently non-linear and has limited bandwidth, so that such devices typically are able to carry signals having a maximum frequency of about 200 to 300 KHz.
It is also well known to use other techniques such as a conventional electrical transformer isolator with a V/F (voltage to frequency) converter for information channels. Such devices also have limited bandwidth and cannot carry signals with a frequency as high as 1 MHz.
Also well-known are pulse width modulators which accept an input signal and transform it into a constant frequency (i.e. A.C.) signal but with a duty factor proportional to the input signal. This constant frequency signal from the PWM is put to a conventional transformer or opto-electronic isolator, and then through a discriminator, i.e. demodulator to recover the input signal. However this device cannot carry an input signal having a frequency equal to the modulating frequency; the maximum bandwidth is about 1/3 or 1/4 of the modulating frequency, which is a significant disadvantage for carrying high frequency signals, since providing a 3 or 4 MHz modulating frequency is difficult.
The use of opto-electronic isolators is considered especially beneficial since such devices are relatively inexpensive. However, as stated above they are generally thought to provide only very limited bandwidth, i.e. have a low upper frequency limit for carrying signals. For instance, the photoconductive isolation amplifier of FIG. 1a accepts an analog input signal V.sub.in provided to the positive (non-inverting) terminal of a first operational amplifier Al, the output of which is then provided to the LED via resistor R2. The LED transmits light signals to the matched photodiode pair PD1, PD2. Photodiode PD2 provides a current output signal to output amplifier A2 which provides the output voltage signal V.sub.out. Photodetector PDI is the feedback photodiode and provides the feedback signal I.sub.PD1 back to the negative (inverting) terminal of input amplifier Ai. This feedback signal corrects for problems such as degradation of the photodetectors or degradation of the insulating medium, linearizes the LED output signal, and eliminates the time and temperature drift which is otherwise a problem with the LED. Electrical isolation is provided between the input side and output side since the only communication therebetween is light signals.
Such a circuit wherein the LED and the two photodiodes are included within a single optocoupler device (such as a Siemens IL300 optocoupler) are often considered to have a maximum bandwidth of 100 KHz, even using the frequency compensated 741-type op amp (operational amplifier) for amplifiers A1 and A2. Such prior art frequency compensated op amps "roll off" the frequency response curve well below the frequency at which the LED-induced phase lag might cause undesirable feedback oscillations. The bandwidth is therefore limited due to the inherently relatively slow response time (phase lag) of the LED.
Another similar prior art circuit shown in FIG. 1b is a photovoltaic isolation amplifier including similar components as in FIG. 1a but connected somewhat differently to provide a voltage output signal as the input signal to output amplifier A2. It is generally thought that the photoconductive photodiode operation of FIG. 1a provides the largest coupled frequency bandwidth for such optocouplers, but this is still limited to about 200 KHz maximum. Such a low bandwidth is undesirable in many applications, such as those requiring for instance an accurate direct current to 1 MHz analog information bandwidth with high input-to-output isolation. Such isolation (typically 7.5 Kilovolts) is often required for safety reasons for use in particular types of instrumentation. For instance, one application is a user interface to a switching power supply where isolation is needed between the user interface and the power supply voltage itself.
One prior art solution not using an optocoupler is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,229 issued Mar. 17, 1992 to Charles 0. Forge. This discloses an analog direct current to 1 MHz information channel with high accuracy and having input/output isolation. However this patent uses a special transformer combined with a number of other components to provide the electrical isolation, and hence is relatively expensive. It would be desirable to have a circuit providing similar performances as that described in the above-referenced patent but using an opto-electronic isolator instead of a transformer.

High bandwidth information channel with optocoupling isolation


A Hall element that exhibits an anomalous Hall effect includes a substrate and a thin film as a magneto-sensitive layer on the substrate, the thin film having a composition of FexSn1-x, where 0.5≤x<0.9. The thin film may be made of an alloy of Fe and Sn, and a dopant element. The dopant element may be a transition metal element that modulates spin-orbit coupling or magnetism. The dopant element may be a main-group element that has a different number of valence electrons from Sn and modulates carrier density. The dopant element may be a main-group element that modulates density of states.

When a magnetic field is applied to a substance perpendicularly to an electric current flowing in the substance, an electromotive force is generated in a direction transverse to both the electric current and the magnetic field. This phenomenon is called the Hall effect. A non-contact magnetic sensor uses the Hall effect to detect a magnetic field induced by an electric current, an earth's magnetic field, or a small magnetic field from a biological body, convert the detected magnetic field into an electrical signal, and output the electrical signal. Such a magnetic sensor is called a Hall element (refer to Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, for example). The Hall element is built in an electronic device such as a mobile phone, a notebook PC, and a digital camera. In recent years, there is a growing demand for Hall elements.
However, the conventional high-sensitive Hall elements are made of a material such as GaAs, InAs, or InSb, containing toxic arsenic (As) or rare metal indium (In), which requires a careful handling. The conventional Hall elements use the above-mentioned ordinary Hall effect derived from the Lorentz force to detect magnetic fields. In addition, as shown in a sensitivity index described below, the implementation of high mobility materials is essential by controlling crystalline quality or purity of a sample, which imposes a limitation on a sample fabrication method to satisfy such conditions. Specifically, it is necessary to integrate a single-crystalline thin film onto a single-crystalline substrate at high temperature, which leads to higher costs and makes it difficult to add mechanical flexibility to the Hall element. Further, as sensitivity of the Hall element increases, the temperature dependence of the device characteristics is degraded. That is, there is a trade-off relationship between the sensitivity and temperature stability and thus, an IC is required to compensate a sensitivity variation.
Meanwhile, thin films made of iron (Fe) and tin (Sn) that are inexpensive and easily available have been characterized, and the Hall effect of an Fe—Sn alloy has been studied (refer to Non Patent Literature 1 and Non Patent Literature 2).


Aspects of the present invention include methods and compositions related to the modulation of molecules regulating the regenerative potential of cells and tissues in the embryonic state and the loss thereof in later fetal and adult stages of development. Said methods and compositions have uses in research in stem cell biology and in increasing regenerative potential in fetal and adult tissues otherwise incapable of regeneration.

Advances in stem cell technology, such as the isolation and propagation in vitro of primordial stem (PS) cells, including embryonic stem cells ("ES" cells including human ES cells ("hES" cells)) and related primordial stem cells including but not limited to, iPS, EG, EC, ICM, epiblast, or ED cells (including human iPS, EG, EC, ICM, epiblast, or ED cells), constitute an important new area of medical research. PS cells have a demonstrated potential to be propagated in the undifferentiated state and then to be induced subsequently to differentiate into any and all of the cell types in the human body, including complex tissues. Many of these PS cells are naturally telomerase positive in the undifferentiated state, thereby allowing the cells to be expanded extensively and subsequently genetically modified and clonally expanded. The telomere length of many of these cells is comparable to that observed in sperm DNA (approximately 10-18 kb TRF length). Differentiated cells derived from these immortal lines begin to show repression of the expression of the catalytic component of telomerase (TERT) as they differentiate, but nonetheless still display a long initial telomere length providing the cells with a long replicative capacity compared to fetal or adult-derived tissue. This has led, for example, to the prediction that many diseases resulting from the dysfunction of cells may be amenable to treatment by the administration of hES-derived cells of various differentiated types (Thomson et al., Science 282:1145-1147 (1998)).
Nuclear transfer studies have demonstrated that it is possible to transform a somatic differentiated cell back to a PS cell-like state such as that of embryonic stem ("ES") cells (Cibelli et al., Nature Biotech 16:642-646 (1998)) or embryo-derived ("ED") cells. The development of technologies to reprogram somatic cells back to a totipotent ES cell-like state, such as by the transfer of the genome of the somatic cell to an enucleated oocyte and the subsequent culture of the reconstructed embryo to yield ES-like cells, often referred to as somatic cell nuclear transfer ("SCNT") or through analytical reprogramming technology wherein somatic cells are reprogrammed using transcriptional regulators (see PCT application Ser. No. PCT/US2006/030632 filed on Aug. 3, 2006 and titled "Improved Methods of Reprogramming Animal Somatic Cells", incorporated herein by reference) has been described. These methods offer potential methods to transplant primordial-derived somatic cells with a nuclear genotype of the patient (Lanza et al., Nature Medicine 5:975-977 (1999)). Potentially this technology could address the issue of transplant rejection.
In addition to SCNT and analytical reprogramming technologies, other techniques exist to address the problem of transplant rejection, including the use of gynogenesis and androgenesis (see U.S. application No. 60/161,987, filed Oct. 28, 1999; Ser. No. 09/697,297, filed Oct. 27, 2000; Ser. No. 09/995,659, filed Nov. 29, 2001; Ser. No. 10/374,512, filed Feb. 27, 2003; PCT application no. PCT/US00/29551, filed Oct. 27, 2000; the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety). In the case of a type of gynogenesis designated parthenogenesis, pluripotent stem cells may be manufactured without antigens foreign to the gamete donor and therefore useful in manufacturing cells that can be transplanted without rejection. In addition, parthenogenic stem cell lines can be assembled into a bank of cell lines homozygous in the HLA region (or corresponding MHC region of nonhuman animals) to reduce the complexity of a stem cell bank in regard to HLA haplotypes.
In addition, cell lines or a bank of said cell lines can be produced that are hemizygous in the HLA region (or corresponding MHC region of nonhuman animals; see PCT application Ser. No. PCT/US2006/040985 filed Oct. 20, 2006 entitled "Totipotent, Nearly Totipotent or Pluripotent Mammalian Cells Homozygous or Hemizygous for One or More Histocompatibility Antigen Genes", incorporated herein by reference). A bank of hemizygous cell lines provides the advantage of not only reducing the complexity inherent in the normal mammalian MHC gene pool, but it also reduces the gene dosage of the antigens to reduce the expression of said antigens without eliminating their expression entirely, thereby not stimulating a natural killer response.
In regard to differentiating PS cells into desired cell types, the potential to clonally isolate lines of human embryonic progenitor cell lines provides a means to propagate novel highly purified cell lineages with a prenatal pattern of gene expression useful for regenerating tissues such as skin in a scarless manner. Such cell types have important applications in research, and for the manufacture of cell-based therapies (see PCT application Ser. No. PCT/US2006/013519 filed on Apr. 11, 2006 and titled "Novel Uses of Cells With Prenatal Patterns of Gene Expression"; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/604,047 filed on Nov. 21, 2006 and titled "Methods to Accelerate the Isolation of Novel Cell Strains from Pluripotent Stem Cells and Cells Obtained Thereby"; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/504,630 filed on Jul. 16, 2009 and titled "Methods to Accelerate the Isolation of Novel Cell Strains from Pluripotent Stem Cells and Cells Obtained Thereby", each incorporated herein by reference). Nevertheless, there remains a need for improved methods to regenerate tissues in mammals wherein the administration of exogenous cells is not effective.
In contrast to mammalian species, some animal species show a profound innate capability for tissue regeneration (TR). In the case of metazoans such as planaria, sea stars, and some amphibian species such as axolotls, a profound regenerative potential exists within the animals such that many injuries that do not lead to the immediate death of the organism have the potential to be repaired by regeneration of the target tissue from the remaining cells of the tissue, typically in a scarless, or relatively scarless manner, even if the tissue is composed largely of post-mitotic cells such as those of the brain or heart muscle. The molecular mechanisms that allow such regeneration to occur in some animals while not in the normal mammalian species including humans are not currently known. The identification of such molecular mechanisms would facilitate the invention of novel methods for introducing the molecular mechanisms into cells and tissue in vivo, thereby causing an "induced tissue regeneration" (iTR) which could facilitate the repair of tissues afflicted with trauma or degenerative disease, including but not limited to age-related degenerative disease, as well as facilitate research in tissue regeneration. Contemplated are mammalian animal models in which the effects of iTR are studied in the context of tissue damage and regeneration, as well as transgenic mammalian animal models using diverse genetic backgrounds, including mutant genetic backgrounds that lead to diverse disease models in the animals into which methods of iTR can be applied to study the potential of iTR as a therapeutic strategy for said disease.

Compositions and methods for induced tissue regeneration in mammalian species


Broadband light source systems, devices, and methods with a tunable spectrum are described by multiplexing a plurality of light sources, such as LEDs, with thin-film filters or diffraction gratings. A plurality of light sources with different or same wavelengths are multiplexed together to construct a combined broadband light source. A diffraction grating diffracts light beams from the plurality of light sources to a slit-shaped aperture, depending on selected light sources, the relative positions of the light sources to the slit-shaped aperture, and the type of grating to produce a tunable spectrum.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to broadband light sources, and more particularly, to the creation of broadband light sources with tunable spectrum.
2. Description of Related Art
Broadband light sources are used in a wide variety of fields including optical applications, industrial applications, medical applications, life science applications and other applications. A broadband light source, such as a light-emitting diode (LED), emits a broad range of wavelengths at a wide frequency. The recent development of LEDs increasingly provides broader wavelength coverage and high brightness.
A conventional solution for transmitting a broadband light signal is to use multiple modulators. This prior design starts with a broadband light source. The broadband light source is separated into individual narrow bands. Each of the modulators then modulates a narrow band respectively, which then the collection of narrow bands are recombined to produce the output broadband light signal. One shortcoming of the prior solution is the costs associated with separating, modulating individual narrow band, and recombining the narrow bands into the broadband light signal.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide broadband light source devices and methods that produce a tunable spectrum with light-emitting diodes and optics for operation with different applications.

Systems, devices and methods of broadband light sources with tunable spectrum


A new and distinct early flowering Salvia plant with deep violet colored flowers and dwarf growth habit suitable for potting.

Salvia nemorosa L.
The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Salvia nemorosa L. plant known by the varietal name xe2x80x98Haeumanarcxe2x80x99. The new variety was discovered as a naturally occurring mutation of xe2x80x98Ostfrieslandxe2x80x99 (unpatented) in a bed of sage plants in Stuttgart, Germany in the summer of 1998. The new variety is smaller than its parent at 20-30 cm high compared to typical height of about 40 cm for Salvia nemorosa L. and has deeper violet colored flowers than its parent. The growth rate is slower for the new variety at about 8 cm per month compared to about 10-12 cm per month for its parent. The lateral branches length of 20 cm and inflorescence height of 7 cm of the new variety are less than those of the parent at about 30 cm and over 15 cm, respectively. The new variety was first asexually reproduced in 1999 by cuttings in Stuttgart, Germany. The new variety has been trial and field tested at Stuttgart and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics and remain true to type through successive propagations.
The following traits in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Haeumanarcxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Dwarf growth making it useful as a potted plant or for borders in gardens.
2. Deep violet flower color.

Variety of salvia plant named xe2x80x98Haeumanarcxe2x80x99


A system and method for forwarding URL's to one or more recipients using a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) network is provided. A mobile user views web pages on his WAP enabled wireless device, such as a mobile telephone or PDA. When the mobile user locates a web page that he prefers to view later or wants to send to another user, the mobile user invokes redirect software which composes a redirect request that includes one or more redirect entries. Each redirect entry corresponds to a redirect address and a URL. When the user finishes with selecting one or more redirect addresses, the mobile device sends the redirect request to a WAP gateway. The WAP gateway receives the redirect requests and forwards the redirect entries to the corresponding redirect addresses over a computer network, such as the Internet.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for redirecting a web page in a wireless environment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for using a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) gateway to forward a selected URL to a user's account for viewing at a later time.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet includes a vast amount of information for a user to access. The user may want to access the information when he is not at a computer terminal. For example, the user may want to know the location of restaurants or gas stations in close proximity to him while he is in his automobile.
Wireless technologies, such as Wireless Access Protocol (WAP), are being implemented to provide Internet access to mobile devices, such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). WAP is a standard protocol for the transmission of data over low bandwidth wireless networks which allows a mobile device to browse the Internet. WAP is implemented using two key components, a WAP gateway and a microbrowser (i.e. mobile device software application). Together, these components enable mobile devices to access information on the Internet.
The WAP gateway converts HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) formatted data to Wireless Mark-up Language (WML) formatted data and visa versa. WML is format which includes text information corresponding to web page selections. WML minimizes wireless bandwidth use because graphics are typically omitted. The WAP gateway may also provide additional information about the microbrowser device through HTTP headers, such as the user's cell phone number, its mobile (i.e., cellular) identifier, and location of the mobile device.
The microbrowser is a software application on a mobile device which receives WML formatted data from the WAP gateway and displays it on the mobile device's screen for the user to view. The microbrowser also sends WML information to the WAP gateway corresponding to the user's selection, such as an address of a web page that the user wishes access.
A challenge found with viewing a web page using a mobile device is the display size of the mobile device. Even with WAP, a web page may include too much information for the mobile device to effectively display. For example, a web page may include multiple options for a user to choose in which a limited number of those options are displayed at one time based upon the number of lines a mobile device is able to display.
A mobile Internet user occasionally locates a web page that appears to be interesting or useful. Due to the challenges described above, the user may not be able to effectively comprehend the content of the web page. Therefore, the user may want to revisit the web page at a later time in an environment offering suitable rendering characteristics (i.e. a computer monitor). A challenge found with revisiting the web page at a later time is remembering the address of the web page. What is needed, therefore, is a way to forward the address corresponding to a web page to a different location allowing the user to revisit the web page at a later time in an environment offering suitable rendering characteristics.

System and method for redirecting network addresses for deferred rendering