This invention presents a magnetic recording disk where an anisotropy-allowing layer to allow magnetic anisotropy to a magnetic recording layer is provided between a substrate and the magnetic recording layer. This invention also presents a magnetic-recording-disk manufacturing method comprising a step to prepare an anisotropy-allowing layer to allow magnetic anisotropy to a magnetic recording layer, prior to a step to prepare the magnetic recording layer. This invention also presents a magnetic-recording-disk manufacturing system comprising an anisotropy-allowing-layer preparation chamber, in which an anisotropy-allowing layer to allow magnetic anisotropy to a magnetic recording layer is prepared on a substrate, prior to preparation of the magnetic recording layer. In this invention, the anisotropy-allowing layer is made of; nitride of niobium, tantalum, niobium alloy or tantalum alloy, or nitride-including niobium, tantalum, niobium alloy or tantalum alloy.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to magnetic recording disks widely used as storage media in computers, such as hard disks. This invention also relates to manufacture of such magnetic recording disks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic recording disks such as hard disks and flexible disks are widely used as storage media in computers. A magnetic recording disks have a basic structure where a magnetic recording layer is provided on a disk-shaped substrate.
Manufacture of a magnetic recording disk is described as follows, taking a hard disk as an example. Conventionally, a substrate made of aluminum is employed in manufacturing a hard disk. A NiP (nickel phosphide) film is deposited on the aluminum-made substrate. On the NiP film, such a film as CoCr film is deposited as an underlying layer. On the underlying layer, such a film as CoCrTa film is deposited as a magnetic film for the magnetic recording layer. On the magnetic recording layer, a carbon film having a structure similar to diamond, which is called "diamond-like-carbon (DLC) film", is deposited as a protection layer called "overcoat".
In manufacture of magnetic recording disks, several limitations are foreseen from the point of view increasing recording density. This point is described as follows. Recent recording density in magnetic recording disks has been soaring remarkably. Currently it is reaching 35 gigabit/inch2, supposedly 100 gigabit/inch2 in the future. For higher recording density, it is necessary to make magnetic domains shorter and track width narrower in the longitudinal recording that is generally adopted. For making magnetic domains shorter and track width narrower, it is required to reduce distance between a magnetic head, which is for write-and-readout of information, and a magnetic recording layer. This distance is often called "spacing" in this field. The length of each magnetic domain is often called "bit length". If spacing is wider at shorter bit length and narrower track width, write-and-readout errors would take place because magnetic flux cannot be captured sufficiently by the magnetic head.
Factor of magnetization-transition region is also important in increasing recording density. In the longitudinal recording, magnetic domains are magnetized alternatively to opposite directions along a track. Each boundary of the magnetic domains does not demonstrate clear linearity in width of the track. This is because the magnetic film is collectively made of fine crystal grains. Each boundary is formed of outlines of crystal grains. Therefore, each boundary is zigzag-shaped. Boundary of magnetic domains is called "magnetization-transition region" because it is the place where magnetization is inverted. Because each boundary is zigzag-shaped, magnetization transition averaged in track width is not sharp but gentle. This means magnetization-transition region is wider. When magnetization-transition region is wider, the number of magnetic domains capable of being provided in limited length of a track is smaller. Therefore, factor of magnetization-transition region lies as a bottleneck in enhancing recording density.
To narrow magnetization transition region, it is required to deposit a magnetic film of smaller crystal grains. For making grains smaller, making a magnetic film thinner is one solution. However, when grains are made smaller, the problem of thermal decay of magnetization becomes more serious. This point is described as follows.
When a magnetic domain is magnetized, theoretically the magnetization is sustained unless the inverse magnetic field is applied to it. Practically, however, the magnetization is dissolved slightly and slightly from the thermal decay as time passes. Therefore, permanent sustenance of the magnetization is impossible unless the magnetic domain is cooled at the absolute zero temperature. If the problem of the thermal decay appears extreme, recorded information may vanish partially after several years pass. Such a result is greatly serious in case that the magnetic recording disk is used for semipermanent information storage.
The thermal decay is a phenomenon of thermal magnetic relaxation that a magnetized particle is magnetized inversely by its thermal oscillation. Particularly, magnetized particles adjacent to a magnetization-transition region have high possibility of the thermal relaxation, i.e. inverse magnetization, from influence of the inverse field by a neighboring magnetic domain. In magnetic films for magnetic recording, such the thermal decay may take place easily when the grains are made smaller, because each grain becomes thermally unstable. Therefore, unless the problem of the thermal decay is solved, to make magnetization-transition shaper by making grains smaller may suffer difficulty.

Magnetic recording disk, magnetic recording disk manufacturing method and magnetic recording disk manufacturing system


A method of accurately placing an object with a pick and place machine provides raw material. A desired surface topography is created in the raw material. The raw material is diced into parts using a bevel cut so that each of the parts has bevel surfaces. A fixture is provided that has a plurality of spaced cavities with each cavity having bevel surfaces constructed and arranged to mate with the bevel surfaces of an associated part. A pick and place machine picks and places each part into an associated cavity such that the bevel surfaces of the part mates with the bevel surfaces of the cavity.

Conventional pick and place machines are used to pick and place parts of an assembly. Currently, there are no conventional component type pick and place machines used in making semiconductors that can place an object within a few microns, with the object staying in that precise location.
There is a need to be able to use conventional pick and place machines to pick and place raw material with high speed and an accuracy of a few microns.


The present invention relates to a plant clip, and more particularly to a plant clip having a pair of mutually opposed arcuate plates, a band transversely and securely connected with each one of the arcuate plates, two reinforced ribs respectively formed on distal ends of the band and a pair of side wings integrally and respectively formed on distal ends of the respective reinforced ribs. A space is defined between an outer periphery of the arcuate plate and an inner face of the side wing. Therefore, a peduncle of a plant and a stick for providing support to the peduncle are able to be securely held by the plant clip via a space between the two arcuate plates and the space between the outer periphery of the arcuate plate and the inner face of the side wing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plant clip, and more particularly to a plant clip which is able to evenly support the bud and peduncle of flowers or any other kinds of plants.
2. Background
It is well known in the art that when a flower bud begins to grow, due to the peduncle being soft and very vulnerable, a tenderer will use a stick which is axially tied up with the peduncle and wires which is loosely around the peduncle to support the flower to grow in a desired direction and manner. However, when the stick is used to straighten the peduncle, in order to secure the engagement between the stick and the peduncle, a user will have to use wires or any other suitable securing device to tie the stick and the peduncle together. As time goes by, the wires and/or the securing device will become rusty and the rusty surface of the securing device will impede the growth of the plant. Furthermore, due to the application of wires, the peduncle will not be able to have sufficient support in every parts and the tenderer will have to tender the plant in the aspect of providing sufficient support from time to time. Sometimes, the wire will even cut off the water transmission from the surface of the plant because of wrong engagement between the wires and the peduncle of the plant. It is noted that the stick-wire supporting manner applied the plant is not suitable and not satisfied to the needs of users, thus improvement and/or alternation thereof is necessary.
The present invention provides an improved plant clip to obviate and/or mitigate the aforementioned problems.


This invention provides a golf club head comprising a plurality of score lines formed in its face. Letting θ be the angle of the side wall of the scoreline with respect to the face, Cp be the center point of a virtual circle which has a radius of 0.254 mm and is inscribed in both the side wall and the face, F be the point of contact between the virtual circle and the face, G be the point of contact between the virtual circle and the side wall, P be a point farthest from the center point Cp in the segment from the point of contact F to the point of contact G in the edge portion of the scoreline, and D (mm) be the length from the center point Cp to the point P, the golf club head satisfies 56°≦θ≦80° and 0.270≦D≦0.287.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head and, more particularly, to scorelines in the face.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a plurality of linear grooves are formed in the face of a golf club head so as to run parallel to each other in the toe-to-heel direction (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 10-248974 and 2005-169129). These grooves are called, for example, scorelines, marking lines, or face lines (these grooves will be referred to as scorelines in this specification). These scorelines have the effect of increasing the amount of backspin on a struck golf ball, or suppressing a significant decrease in the amount of backspin on a struck golf ball upon a shot in rainy weather or that from the rough.
A rule concerning the scorelines of an athletic golf club head stipulates that the edge of a scoreline must fall within a virtual circle which has a radius of 0.011 inches and is concentric with a virtual circle which has a radius of 0.010 inches and is inscribed in both the side wall of the scoreline and the face (to be referred to as the "two-circle rule" hereinafter). This two-circle rule admits, as an exception, a scoreline which has its edge falling outside a virtual circle with a radius of 0.011 inches but which satisfies the condition in which the included angle between two segments which connect the center of the virtual circle and two intersections between the virtual circle and the contour of the edge of the scoreline falling outside the virtual circle is 10° or less (to be referred to as the "maximum angle rule" hereinafter). However, the edge of the scoreline is prohibited from projecting in excess of 0.0113 inches (0.287 mm) from the center of the virtual circle (to be referred to as the "maximum projection rule" hereinafter).
To satisfy the two-circle rule, it is basically inevitable to set a relatively narrow angle of the side wall of a scoreline with respect to the face. This decreases the amount of spin on a struck golf ball. Conversely, when the angle of the side wall of a scoreline with respect to the face is set relatively wide, this leads to violation of the two-circle rule unless a measure involved is taken.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The plastic snap buckle is provided with a safety latch slidably mounted to an elongated bar of the male plug of the buckle. The latch member is generally rectangular shape having a length equal to the distance between two arcuate portions formed in the free end portion of two flexible arms of the male plug. The latch member may be slidably to locate between the arcuate portion of the flexible arm so as to prevent the flexible arms to be operated inadvertently or forcefully to release the engagement between the male plug and the female receptacle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to plastic snap buckles and more specifically relates to a snap buckle with a safety latch to prevent it from accidental release.
2. Background of the Invention
Plastic snap buckles are widely used for securing mounting belts for a large variety of bags and harnesses. Such snap buckle consists of a male plug and a female receptacle. The male plug is mounted to the end of one belt and the female receptacle is mounted to the end of the other belt such that the male plug and the female receptacle may be slidably engaged with one another to secure the two belts together. The male plug has two flexible arms which will engage with two side openings in the female receptacle when the male plug is slidably inserted into the female receptacle. To release the engagement, the flexible arms are pushed and held inwards towards one another while pulling the male plug away from the female receptacle. The engagement and release may be executed easily and quickly. Such plastic buckles are convenient to use and may be produced with relatively low cost. However, the buckle may become released accidentally when the flexible arms of the male plug are pushed in inadvertently either by hand or by abutting to other objects. More often, due to wear and tear in use, the engagement of the two components becomes less positive and it may be disengaged by a slight force exerted to the flexible arms of the male plug. Furthermore, when such buckle is used on the securing belt of a waist bag or wallet, the latter may be easily removed by some one forcibly gripping the flexible arms of the male plug to release the buckle to remove the worn bag. Thus, it becomes rather unsafe to use the buckle for such purposes. To prevent such forcible release and removal, safety latch may be provided in the buckle. However, theretofore, the safety latch constructions are rather complex in structure and are difficult to operate or the safety latch may itself be accidentally unlatched.


A method for producing a low-hysteresis magnetoelastic element comprising applying a magnetoelastic material onto a metal substrate. After the magnetoelastic element is securely bonded to the underlying shaft, a reduction in the outside diameter of the shaft draws the magnetoelastic element radially inward causing it to occupy a smaller volume. This process provides the magnetic anistropy required for the sensor to operate properly, and also results in a densification of the magnetoelastic element making it inherently stable. Several methods of reducing the outside diameter of the shaft to draw the magnetoelastic element radially inward have been devised. Prior to deposition of the magnetoelastic material, the outside diameter of a hollow shaft is elastically expanded by applying force to its inside diameter. This is accomplished by using an expanding insert, by pressurizing the cavity within the shaft, or by inducing a managed thermal expansion of the shaft prior to material deposition. Post-deposition operation can also be implemented to reduce the shaft diameter, such as drawing the shaft axially until it yields. Any process that results in a shaft reduction after the magnetoelastic active material is deposited on the shaft can be used in the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to torque sensors, and in particular to non-compliant torque sensors utilizing a magnetoelastic element and a non-contacting magnetometer for sensing magnetic field changes that correspond to changing torque values in a rotatable shaft.
2. Related Art
Sensing the torque of rotating shafts is desirable in many applications, such as determining steering wheel effort measurements in electronic power steering systems, determining transmission output torque for electronically controlled shifting, determining power tool output torque, and the like. Torque sensors have been produced in many varieties, and can be generally classified in two categories: "compliant" and "non-compliant." In compliant torque sensors, a sensor is attached directly to an elastic beam section of a torque-producing shaft to measure the mechanical twist of the shaft. Often, in compliant sensors, the shaft twists up to about eight degrees over the full measurement range.
In one example of a compliant torque sensor, a strain gauge is used to measure perceivable twisting of the elastic beam section of the shaft. When torque is applied to the elastic beam section, the strain gauge is deflected, which causes a resistance change in the strain gauge. This change of resistance in the strain gauge indicates a change in torque. However, due to the rotating nature of the beam section to which the strain gauge is attached, connecting wires to the strain gauge for transmission of signals is impractical. Thus, torque sensors that use a strain gauge require a wireless transmitting device, such as a radio-frequency transmitter, to transmit resistance changes in the strain gauge to a receiver, which interprets these signals as torque values. Alternatively, a signal transference scheme utilizing slip rings, brushes and commutators could be used in a compliant torque sensing system. Other compliant torque sensors may include rotary encoders or potentiometers that are attached to the shaft to measure the mechanical twist of the shaft, and the mechanical twist is then converted to a torque value.
However, such compliant torque sensing systems present numerous problems. For instance, because the strain gauges are attached directly to an elastic beam, torque limiters must be included on the rotating shaft to protect the beam and strain gauges from being deflected beyond their elastic range. Unfortunately, such precautions inherently interfere with the transmission of energy through the shaft, and, in the instance of a steering wheel shaft, provide a "soft feel" to the user. Additionally, such torque sensors are of limited reliability due to the direct contact with the rotating shaft, and are very expensive. Torque sensors that use a strain gauge also require frequent calibration.
To overcome these problems, non-compliant torque sensors have been developed, whereby a sensor monitors shaft torque changes in a non-contacting manner, thus obviating the need for torque limiters. Normally, such torque sensors utilize a magnetoelastic element intimately attached to a rotating shaft, whereby the torque sensor operates on the principle of inverse-magnetostriction.
Magnetostriction is well known in the art and describes a structural property of matter that defines a material's dimensional changes as a result of a changing magnetic field. In essence, magnetostriction is caused when the atoms that constitute a material reorient to align their magnetic moments with an external magnetic field. This effect is quantified for a specific material by its saturation magnetostriction constant, which is a value that describes a material's maximum change per unit length.
In contrast, inverse-magnetostriction defines changes in a material's magnetic properties in response to applied mechanical forces. Torque sensors that utilize inverse-magnetostriction operate on the premise that stresses and strains that are transmitted through the rotating shaft to the magnetoelastic element by the application of torque cause measurable changes in the magnetic field of the magnetoelastic element. Thus, the magnetic field strength produced from the magnetoelastic element is a direct function of the magnitude of the torque applied. A torque sensor utilizing such a magnetoelastic element also has a magnetometer that translates the magnetic field strength emanating from the magnetoelastic element into an analog voltage signal, thereby performing a torque-to-voltage transducer function.
It is known in non-compliant torque sensors to attach a ring of magnetoelastic material to a rotating shaft using interference fitting, such as a pressure fit or shrink fit, using an inter-engaging mechanism such as mating splines or teeth, using a chemical such as an adhesive, using a thermal connection such as thermal spraying, or any other method of attaching that is known in the art. In practice, under any of the above attaching methods, the attachment of the magnetoelastic element to the shaft has proven to be of the utmost importance. Indeed, defects in the boundary between the magnetoelastic element and the torque carrying member will result in aberrant coupling of stress and strains into the magnetic element, which adversely affect torque measurements. Boundary defects can include imperfections such as voids, contaminates, and lateral shearing.
It is also known to endow the magnetoelastic element with the magnetic attributes required by imparting the element with circumferentially directed stress (also known as hoop stress). The present state of the art uses tensile stress to achieve hoop stress. Tensile stress in the magnetoelastic element acts to stretch the material, which can result in increased porosity. The increased porosity advances a phenomenon known as corrosion cracking, which is the propagation of microscopic fissures in the structure. As a result of corrosion cracking, the material can eventually lose its tensile stress component causing a degradation of its magnetic properties, possibly even causing a complete failure of the sensor.
Further, practical requirements for torque sensors include design tolerance limits on the accuracy and linearity of the in-range voltage output and the amount of hysteresis, also known as "zero shift," after a "yield torque" or "over-torque" is applied to the shaft. Such "over-torque" conditions can exist, for example, in steering systems during curb push-away situations, and can be experienced in transmission applications during drastic torque reversals. Hysteresis may occur because after the over-torque condition is relaxed, the resulting breakdown or slippage at the shaft/magnetoelastic element interface causes a mechanical bias in the magnetoelastic element. Consequently, a corresponding magnetic bias is produced, thereby negatively affecting future torque measurements.
There are a number of potential causes for the formation of the magnetic bias that affects future torque measurements and causes zero shift. For example, if the underlying shaft yields upon the application of a large torque, the shaft will not return to its quiescent state, and the measurement consequently will not return to zero. Alternatively, if a large torque causes the magnetoelastic element to yield, but does not cause the shaft to yield, then the magnetoelastic element will be stressed in the opposite direction when the torque is removed. Thus, the sensor will return to a position past zero, and the zero-shift in such a situation is negative. In sum, a zero shift in torque sensors can occur as a result of any of a combination of factors.
Further, if the breakdown of the shaft/magnetoelastic element interface is localized, the result may be a magnetic incongruity that manifests as a variance in torque measurements with respect to the angular position of the shaft. While such breakdown between the shaft and magnetoelastic element is normally not a problem where the magnetoelastic element is thermally sprayed, hysteresis still occurs in thermal sprayed magnetoelastic elements due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion between the shaft and magnetoelastic element, as will be explained in more detail herein.
For example, in an automotive steering column torque sensor, it is preferred that there be a full range torque measurement of +/−6 ft-lb, and a hysteresis requirement +/−1.5% of full scale after application of a 100 ft-lb yield torque. However, currently used thermal sprayed magnetic elements will exhibit hysteresis well over the acceptable limits even when a yield torque of only 15 ft-lb. is applied.
Thus, there is a need for a torque sensor that will exhibit low hysteresis after a yield torque is applied. Further, there is a need for a method of producing such a low hysteresis torque sensor.
Other needs will become apparent upon a further reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

Imparting compressive hoop stress into a bonded magnetoelastic element by means of diameter reduction of the underlying shaft


Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, transmitting a first message to a first network node, wherein the first message identifies a total count of resources available to a processing system across a plurality of carriers, transmitting a second message to a second network node that causes the second network node to obtain the total count of resources from the first network node, connecting the processing system to the first network node to receive first services in accordance with a first portion of the total count of resources, and connecting the processing system to the second network node to receive second services in accordance with a second portion of the total count of resources. Other embodiments are disclosed.

As the world becomes increasingly connected, there are opportunities to enhance a user experience with respect to a user equipment (UE). For example, a UE may be capable of simultaneous connectivity with respect to more than one network, such that traffic (e.g., data) can be simultaneously transmitted or received over links associated with each of the networks. In terms of scheduling resources for deployment in/across the networks, it would be advantageous for network infrastructure to have knowledge of the UE's total resource capability. However, at least some information regarding the UE resource capability is not available in multi-network environments.

Apparatus and method to identify total communication device resources


According to an embodiment, a storage battery management device includes: a memory configured to store therein storage battery characteristics of a storage battery unit as a storage battery characteristics table; and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The one or more processors are configured to: acquire the storage battery characteristics based on storage battery information output from the storage battery unit; update the storage battery characteristics table based on the acquired storage battery characteristics; and estimate SOC of the storage battery unit by referring to the updated storage battery characteristics table.

Introduction of storage battery systems for the purpose of fluctuation suppression in a power system has advanced. In such a storage battery system, long-term operation over 15 to 20 years and high operating rates are required.
However, temporal deterioration progress is inevitable in storage batteries, and hence storage battery characteristics tables (a state-of-charge (SOC) and temperature characteristics table of open circuit voltage (OCV) and an SOC and temperature characteristics table of internal resistance) used to estimate the state of charge (SOC) of a storage battery needs to be updated in accordance with deterioration.

Storage battery management device and method

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation


A flat-panel display device is disclosed which comprises m column electrodes, n row electrodes, a column electrode driver for driving the m column electrodes in response to pixel data, and a row electrode driver for driving the n row electrodes by a one-line-at-a-time scanning methode, the column electrode driver comprising a detector for checking whether or not the number of turned-on column electrodes among the m column electrodes is greater than a predetermined number and an on-time varying unit for shortening the on-time of the column electrodes in response to the output of the detector. The device has an effect of reducing power consumed by varying the on-time of the electrodes when more than the predetermined number of pixels are on.

The present invention relates to a flat-panel display device, and more particularly to a driver for the flat-panel display device.
Cathode ray tubes are thick and heavy for the large-screen televisions now being actively researched. This requires the development of a flat-panel display devices which, are better suited to the cathode ray tubes.
Among flat-panel display devices, plasma display devices have good display quality but consume a great amount of power. To overcome this disadvantage, conventionally, a current-limiting resistor is replaced with a constant current source which reduces the power consumed when using the current-limiting resistor. But, the reduced amount of power is not significant for a laptop computer which employs the flat-panel display device and is driven by a battery. Further, when many pixels are turned on, the total current flowing through the pixels increases which reduces voltage by increasing the voltage drop across a resistor, so that the potential difference between anode and cathode electrodes of each pixel decreases. When this happens, the current as well as the luminance of the pixels also decreases.
Thus, according to a conventional driver regardless of whether power is consumed by a luminance-limiting resistor, the pixel luminance reduces to suppress the rise in temperature of the pixels. However, this driver is ineffective in reducing the overall power consumption.


Techniques to optimize messages sent to a user of a social networking system. In one embodiment, information about the user may be collected by the social networking system. The information may be applied to train a model for determining likelihood of a desired action by the user in response to candidate messages that may be provided for the user. The social networking system may provide to the user a message from the candidate messages with a selected likelihood of causing the desired action.

Social networking websites provide a dynamic environment in which members can connect to and communicate with other members. These websites may commonly provide online mechanisms allowing members to interact within their preexisting social networks, as well as create new social networks. Members may include any individual or entity, such as an organization or business. Among other attributes, social networking websites allow members to effectively and efficiently communicate relevant information to their social networks.
A member of a social network may highlight or share personal information, news stories, relationship activities, music, and any other content of interest to areas of the website dedicated to the member. Other members of the social network may access the shared content by browsing member profiles or performing dedicated searches. Upon access to and consideration of the content, the other members may react by taking one or more responsive actions, such as providing an opinion about the content, or other feedback. The ability of members to interact in this manner fosters communications among them and helps to realize the goals of social networking websites.
In order to increase engagement of users, social networking websites may send messages to users to encourage them to engage in activity of the social networking website. These messages may expressly or impliedly suggest that the user visit the social networking website or take a particular action in connection with the social networking website. However, if the messages are received by the user at an inopportune time, or if the message includes content that does not interest the user, the message may be ignored by the user, or otherwise may not be effective in encouraging the user to use the social networking website.

Optimizing messages to users of a social network using a prediction model that determines likelihood of user performing desired activity


An ink fusion transfer paper having a recording layer comprising at least one layer on a support, this paper being characterized in that the uppermost layer of the recording layer consist of at least 100 parts by weight of a pigment and 10-50 parts by weight of a binder, the layer being applied to one or both sides of the support at a rate of 5-50 g/m, per side in terms of dry solids, 30-100 weight percent of the aforesaid pigment consist of a synthetic silica having a specific surface of 20-600 m.sup.2 /g, and the 75 degree gloss of the aforesaid uppermost layer of the paper is no less than 50%.

Smooth, high grade recording paper which has been treated by a Super Calendar or the like is used in ink fusion transfer type thermal printers or copiers as it is known to give a clear image. This is particularly true if the recording surface has a smoothness of 100 seconds or more. By making the paper smoother so that there is better contact between the paper and the ink ribbon, more ink is transferred to the paper surface. As a result, reproduction of full tone images is improved, however reproduction of half tone images is unsatisfactory.
At present, coated paper having a high smoothness and gloss is generally not used in ink fusion transfer type thermal printers and copiers. The reason for this is that although the paper is extremely smooth so that there is uniform contact with the ink ribbon, which might be expected to give a good ink copy, transfer of ink actually takes place unevenly and image reproduction is poor.
Non-uniform transfer of ink is particularly evident in the case of smooth, high gloss art paper for printing and in the case of cast-coated paper. This is due to the fact that, as there are very few surface imperfections or cavities, molten ink does not easily stay on the paper and may be retransferred from the paper back to the ink ribbon.
Therefore, although coated paper for printing is designed to be adequate for ordinary printing applications, it is not suitable for ink fusion transfer type thermal printers and copiers.
If these problems inherent in coated printing paper could be resolved, it would be possible to use it for such printers and copiers, and images of higher quality than ever before might be obtained.
In general, in order to confer high surface smoothness on coated paper, the surface is flattened under high pressure using a Super Calendar or similar device. This paper is not as tough as high grade paper, and since it is very dense, it lacks the feeling of volume. In addition, the paper has a low gloss so that there is a very poor balance with the gloss of the image area, and a high image quality comparable to that of ordinary offset printing cannot be obtained.
The Inventors, after performing various studies aimed at resolving the aforesaid problems, found that by incorporating a minimum amount of a synthetic silica having a predetermined specific surface in the paper, good results could be achieved with coated paper manufactured by cast coating.

Paper suitable for ink fusion transfer type thermal printer and copiers, and a manufacturing method thereof


A method of encoding information in a document using a plurality of marks (104), the information comprising first data and second data, the method comprising the steps of encoding the first data using a first plurality of arrays of modulated marks disposed in a corresponding first plurality of tiles (610) spaced apart from each other at a first repeat rate (660); and encoding the second data using a second plurality of arrays of modulated marks disposed in a corresponding second plurality of tiles (680) spaced apart from each other at a second repeat rate (670); wherein: the second repeat rate is different to the first repeat rate; and the second plurality of tiles are embedded within the first plurality of tiles.

Computer readable marks on printed pages are commonplace, with some varieties such as the common bar code being widely used, this approach offering 30 to 60 bits of data storage. The common barcode also consumes a not insignificant amount of space on a document page. Furthermore, the common bar code is typically clearly visible to a person looking at the page.


A device and method for eliminating narrow-band interference by windowing in a spread spectrum system are disclosed. The method comprises extracting N sampling points of data to perform frequency spectrum transform each time and obtaining N points of data; updating control information, comparing the energy values of the N points with the threshold within the set time period to determine the number of narrow-band interference as well as the width and location of the interference; determining the corresponding frequency domain adjusting window based on the width and location of the narrow band interference, obtaining the points within the window and the adjusted values of those points; with regard to the transformed N points during interference elimination process, setting the energy values of the points within the window during the current time period and the last period as the corresponding adjusted values, outputting the points after frequency spectrum inverse transform.

Spread spectrum communication system is widely used nowadays. The spread spectrum or the pseudo-random (PN) code modulation can reduce the interference from other users and wireless signals. During the cross-correlation process of received signals and PN sequence, when the interference is narrow-band signals, the interference signals will spread to the entire band and thus weaken the impact of the interference. As a result, the spread spectrum signals can weaken the narrow-band interference to some extend.
A typical spectrum of a spread spectrum signal (e.g. performing spread spectrum from PN sequence) is submerged in the noise as shown in FIG. 1. An ideal signal is the signal energy that is actually sent out by the mobile station and the noise is the additive interference. Obviously, the ideal signal energy of the spread spectrum is usually less than the noise energy. "Strong interference" generally refers to the blocking signals or the signals that are sent by TV, wireless station and nearby communication equipments. "Typical interference" refers to the signals sent by those low-power sources, such as amateur radio. Processing gain represents the interference signal levels tolerable by the spread signals in mobile stations. The spread signals can still be recovered when they are affected by the typical interference, but they will never be recovered when the strong interference shows up. What's more, even with the typical interference, the signals can be recovered but the system performance will degrade.
Before utilizing CDMA communication system, the frequency band will be swept in order to protect the CDMA signals from the interference of narrow-band signals. However, since some burst signals are hard to be fully forbidden due to the burst characteristic, the narrow-band interference will present disorder and randomicity. The narrow-band interference will increase the congestion rate and call-dropping rate in a CDMA system, as well as overload the radio-frequency power control system, increase the power consumption of mobile station, and reduce base station coverage. Under extreme situation, the high-power interference will even block the entire cell, and thus the normal communication will stop. As a result, we must find a good solution in order to eliminate the impact of the narrow-band interference signals pushing on the CDMA signals and guarantee a good communication quality.
Generally, the methods for dealing with narrow-band interference are divided into two categories:
The first category is to make the signal (usually under analog processing) pass through a narrow-band notch filter or a filter group. This method is usually realized by the surface acoustic technology, which makes estimation for the frequency of interference signals and places the narrow-band notch filter wherever the narrow-band interference signals exist based on the estimation result. (PLL (Phase Locked Loop) can also be used to track the narrow-band interference signals). However, the analog technology has its own limitations, and usually lacks flexibility.
Another category is frequency domain elimination which is generally realized through digital processing. Signals are first digitized and then transformed into frequency domain through Fourier Transform. These data will be processed in the frequency domain and finally be transformed back into the time domain to be output through inverse-Fourier Transform. The methods for processing interference signals in the frequency domain can be concluded into two categories: the first method is to filter out the interference impact through the filter on the frequency domain data and this method is suitable to the case that the bandwidth and location of the interference are already known, but this method will have a certain limitation when the location of the interference in the frequency domain, the bandwidth and the number of the interference are hard to identify, since there is a certain degree of difficulty in designing a fully adaptive filter.
Another method is to compute the signal amplitude on each frequency point and then compare them with a threshold value. The signals exceeding the threshold values will be set as zero or be degraded to noise level. This method can adaptively process multiple narrow-band interferences, multiple interference bandwidths and interference frequency changes. However this method only processes the data that exceed the threshold, and in a practical system, the part of the frequency spectrum with interference will leak to the neighbor frequency points because of some factors such as the selection for the number of the points of Fourier Transform. If the impact of spectrum leakage on the capability for suppressing narrow-band interference is totally ignored, as the result, the capability for suppressing narrow-band interference can not meet the requirements of the system.

Method and apparatus for eliminating narrow band interference by means of windowing processing in spread spectrum system


The present invention concerns coupling agents having the following general formula:

Coupling agents are useful in the area of diagnosis, in particular to detect reactions of ligand-anti-ligand type such as antigen-antibody or protein-protein, since they allow the direct coupling of a molecule of biological interest, such as an antigen, with a detecting molecule such as an enzyme. The binding of the molecule of biological interest to another molecule such as an antibody is evidenced by means of the detecting molecule.
For this purpose, coupling agents must be bifunctional having both a chemical function enabling their coupling with said molecule of biological interest and a further chemical function enabling their coupling with said detecting molecule, and must also have a spacer arm allowing sufficient distancing of the coupled molecules.
Various heterobifunctional coupling agents are known from the prior art. These coupling agents, found in the PIERCE catalogue for example, essentially have a maleimide function, a hydrazone function and a spacer arm of saturated or aromatic alkyl type. These coupling agents are used for coupling molecules having free thiol functions and also for coupling molecules having aldehyde or ketone functions. However, these coupling agents have the disadvantage of being scarcely soluble in aqueous media in particular on account of the hydrophobic nature of the spacer arm, and often require the use of organic co-solvents when used, in particular to prepare conjugates. In addition, the proteins coupled to these coupling agents have a tendency to precipitate during marking.
Mikolajczyk S. et al. (Bioconjugate Chemical, 1994, 5(6), 636–646) describe the use of a coupling agent having a maleimide function, an aminooxyalkylene function and a relatively short spacer arm containing L-lysine in particular. This coupling agent is used for coupling two modified proteins, β-lactamase and the Fab murine peptide fragment. The disadvantages of this coupling agent are that it has a short spacer arm not allowing sufficient distancing of the molecules coupled to the coupling agent, and its synthesis method is long. Also a stability problem of the coupling agent may arise on account of the presence of the lysine —COOH function which could react with the alcoxyamine function known to be highly reactive.

Coupling agents, the active intermediates and the conjugates thereof and the use of said conjugates in diagnostic methods

Abstract: activated intermediates consisting of a coupling agent such as defined above with either a molecule having on its surface at least one aldehyde and/or ketone function before conjugation, or with one to eight molecules having on their surface at least one free thiol function before conjugation, conjugates consisting of a coupling agent such as defined above, of a molecule having on its surface at least one aldehyde and/or ketone function and of one to eight molecules having on their surface at least one free thiol function, and the use of said conjugates for in vitro diagnostic methods of diseases involving recognition of a ligand-anti-ligand pair.


A card fixer is suitable to assist a card to be fixed in a slot of an electronic device. The card fixer includes a body and a clipping structure, wherein the body has a first side and a second side parallel to the first side. A hook is disposed on the first side of the body. The clipping structure extends out of the second side of the body for clipping the card thereon. When the clipping structure of the card fixer clips the card and the assembly of the card fixer with the card is inserted into the slot, the hook is locked on an inside wall of the slot.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fixer, and more particularly, to a card fixer for assisting a card to be fixed in a slot of an electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with the progresses of science and technologies, electronic devices are more and more widespread in numerous applications, for example, served as a laptop computer. Differently from a general electronic device, in order to conveniently carry a laptop computer, the product dimensions thereof are usually designed in pursuit of light-slim-short-small tendency so as to provide a user with handiness.
Usually, a laptop computer is equipped only with board cards required for basic functions therein so as to compact the size and carry conveniently. Therefore as a general rule, at least an expansion socket is disposed on the body of an expansion laptop computer to expand the functions thereof. For example, an express card can be used and inserted into the expansion slot to enhance the functions of a laptop computer.
Note that an expansion card has different sizes depending on different functions thereof; for example, the above-mentioned express card has two kinds of interfaces based on PCI Express standard and USB 2.0 standard respectively, and has two sizes of 34 mm and 54 mm. A general laptop computer has at least an expansion slot, which is able to accommodate the above-mentioned express card with two different sizes. However, when an expansion card with the smaller size is inserted into the slot by a user, the dimension of the card does not match the accommodating space of the slot. Thus, the expansion card may get loosened, detached or displaced from the slot during moving the laptop computer or due to shaking, which results in poor contact between the expansion card and the slot. In particular, when an expansion card with the small size is externally connected to a transmission cable, the cable is easily pulled and dragged by an improper external force, which may further result in that the expansion card with the small size connected to the transmission cable is detached from the slot and thereby affect the operation efficiency of a laptop computer.


The invention relates to a method for operating a measuring device, especially a flowmeter. The aim of the invention is to simplify inspection if the sensors have been correctly installed. For this purpose, the installation state is detected by the sensors themselves, i.e. by sensing a corresponding sensor value and comparing it with characteristic data. The result of comparison is electronically evaluated and automatically estimated whether the characteristic data obtained match the comparative data within at least a defined tolerance.

The invention relates to a method for operating a measuring device, especially a flowmeter.
Measuring devices in general are provided with sensors which are arranged within a metering device and, via an appropriate physical effect, determine the measuring effect which they utilize in a causal manner. During the fabrication of measuring devices, it is basically a matter that the sensors are arranged within the measuring device at the points predetermined by the design. It is still possible to indicate tolerances in the positioning of the sensors. However, the sensors have to be arranged and fixed physically within the tolerances. Usually, following the mounting of measuring devices, the same are checked in a test run, so that a satisfactory function can be ensured. Such a test run, which then relates only to the verification of the correct installation of the sensors, is time-consuming.

Method of testing the installation of a measuring device


A torque distribution-controlling apparatus, by which a torque from a driving power source is distributed to vehicle right and left wheels via right and left axles, includes a differential having a first torque transmitting system and a second torque transmitting system, the first torque-transmitting system which transmits the torque from the driving power source to the vehicle right and left axles, and allows differentiation between these right and left axles, and the second torque-transmitting system which is structured to be symmetric to the first torque-transmitting system, transmits the torque from the driving power source to the right and left axles, and allows differentiation between these right and left axles; a left clutch controlling transmission of the torque from the first torque-transmitting system to the left axle; and a right clutch controlling transmission of the torque from the second torque-transmitting system to the right axle.

A torque distribution-controlling apparatus has been conventionally known, the apparatus which actively controls, on the basis of a vehicle driving condition, distribution of torque to right and left axles of a vehicle. For example, according to a torque distribution-controlling apparatus, which is disclosed in an examined patent publication JP07-025267A, a pair of clutches are provided at an input side of this apparatus, in which one of the pair of clutches controls torque transmission to a left axle of a vehicle, while the other one of the pair of clutches controls torque transmission to a right axle of the vehicle. Herein, each clutch can be operated independently. Therefore, it is possible to adjust, on the basis of a vehicle driving condition, a degree of torque, which is to be transmitted to the left axle of the vehicle, and a degree of torque, which is to be transmitted to the right axle of the vehicle.
However, in this torque distribution-controlling apparatus described above, a dual shaft structure is employed at an output side of this apparatus, the structure in which two output shafts are provided for the purpose of obtaining torque which have been transmitted to the pair of clutches at the input side. Therefore, an engagement portion between a gear, which is provided for the output shaft of the one of the pair of clutches, and a gear, which is directly linked to the left axle, is displaced or deviated back and forth from a connecting portion between a gear, which is provided for the output shaft of the other one of the pair of clutches, and a gear, which is directly linked to the right axle. As a result, for example when a vehicle is turning, a vehicle behavior may on occasions become different between the vehicle right and left sides. Moreover, according to this dual shaft structure, a torque transmission control, which is performed by each clutch, may become complicated, wherein it is on occasions difficult to finely adjust a degree of torque, which is transmitted to the right and left axles of the vehicle, in response to a vehicle driving condition.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a torque distribution-controlling apparatus, according to which a driving force transmitting system for a right wheel of a vehicle is structured in a symmetric manner to a driving force transmitting system for a left wheel of a vehicle, and it is possible to finely control a distribution ratio of torque, which is distributed to the right and left wheels of a vehicle, in response to a vehicle driving condition.


A system and method directed for a dispenser designed to have interchangeable components including a reservoir base for holding a liquid with an ergonomic handle, a detachable applicator compartment for holding an applicator, and a removable top cover and hook for hanging or for storage purposes.

Conventional dispensers and applicators rely on outdated methods of application on the skin or other substances. For instance the method may involve the utilization of the applicator in itself such as a bar soap, but this causes erosion or degradation of the product over time which is expedited when the applicator comes into contact with another substance such as water. Eventually the applicator becomes too small to use and must be discarded. Another method is where the applicator is a carrier for the fluid being applied to the user or another substance such as a sponge or loofah. These types of carriers often have built up soap residue and mold and prone to odor. Other methods include dispensers that deliver the fluid from an internal reservoir to the applicator but these also have soap residue build up and mold, are not easy to interchange and replace, as well as secondary fluids or debris from the target surface are pulled into or toward the internal reservoir. Thus exists a need for an improved system and method for a dispenser.


A precursor solution composition is provided for making highly pure, fine barium-containing silicate glass powders and specifically barium aluminoborosilicate (BABS) glass powders. An atomized precursor solution containing colloidal silica, a water soluble source of barium, boric acid, and aluminum nitrate is used to make the powders. After mixing, the liquid precursor solution is formed into fine droplets, classified for size, and pyrolyzed into fine powders. The resulting spherical particles of the BABS glass is in the 0.1 to 10 micrometer size range.

Barium containing silicate glasses exhibit excellent strength and a high refractive index as well as particularly desirable density, refractive index, and stability for dental composites. In a typical dental procedure, glass powder (usually .ltoreq.1 .mu.m and appropriate refractive index) and liquid monomer are mixed to prepare a thick paste. This paste is then molded into a desired shape, and the monomer exposed to ultraviolet or visible radiation. The result is a durable dental surface with an optical appearance that corresponds with the surrounding tooth surfaces.
One early method for preparing barium-containing silicate powders is by grinding a bulk mixture of oxides and carbonates. Unfortunately, the resulting powder is irregular in shape with a broad particle size distribution. The grinding process also can lead to undesirable contamination. The art looked for ways to produce spherical glass powders economically and in quantity.
Spherical powder is much preferred over irregular particles. The first is flow: the uncured pastes made with spherical particles flow better than those made using irregular particles of same weight fraction glass. As a result, the solids content of the mixture may be increased while retaining comparable flow properties.
Pyrolysis of an atomized liquid spray of precursor solution was one useful method for producing generally spherical particles. In such a process, a precursor solution containing the elements desired in the final glass is atomized to produce an aerosol (or a mist). The aerosol particles are then dried by evaporation of the solvent and heated to a temperature sufficiently high to convert the precursor compounds to the product glass particles. The particle size distribution of the resulting powder was controlled by a combination of aerosol size distribution, the solute content and by mechanical separators. Glass powders of regular, generally spherical shape could be produced with particle sizes in the micron and submicron range. The need for further grinding was eliminated with the corresponding source of potential contamination.
Spray pyrolysis processes require a stable source of liquid precursor solution. In addition, the cost of the precursor solution must be within certain limits for economic production, and the precursor should be reasonably safe to handle. These competing requirements have posed certain obstacles for the production of barium-containing silicate glass powders by spray pyrolysis and for barium aluminoborosilicate (BABS) glass powders in particular.
Previous attempts to produce a stable precursor of BABS solution have included various combinations of acetates, nitrate, or chlorides. Such solutions were hampered by precipitation of one or more components leading to cloudy particles that exhibited a gritty internal structure which was unsuitable for use in dental composites. Later attempts required use of silicon alkoxide and barium perchlorate. Unfortunately, silicon alkoxide is an expensive source of silica and is flammable. The barium perchlorate is also expensive and not readily available.
It would be desirable to have a precursor solution for BABS powders that was mote cost effective, nonflammable, and more commercially available than the previous silicon alkoxide/barium perchlorate system.
It is desirable for the preparation of BABS powders that the particle size of the final powder be in the range of 0.1-2 .mu.m. This final size range dictates that the droplet size be within the range of 0.3-9 .mu.m, i.e., 3-4 times the final glass particle size. Conventional atomization techniques for producing droplets in such a size range require the use of pneumatically assisted nozzles.
But not all pneumatically assisted nozzles are commercially practical. Pneumatic nebulizers that are often used in respiratory therapy require large volumes of carrier gas and require an aerodynamic separator such as an impactor or a cyclone to remove droplets larger than 8 .mu.m. A more advantageous ratio of droplet volume to carrier gas volume is needed to minimize energy costs associated with heating large volumes of carrier gas.
Other options for producing small droplets include high frequency (about 1-3 MHz) ultrasonic nebulizers and very high pressure jets. No gas is used in atomization, but only as a carrier to transport the droplets to the reactor. Ultrasonic and other such acoustic nebulizers are commercially available that can reach droplet concentrations as high as 10.sup.7 particles/cm.sup.3.
Another method is discussed in Aksay et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,682). This patent describes a method to produce mixed oxide particles in the micrometer size range. Conventional spray nozzles are used to produce the spray containing the precursor compounds in solution with an ignitable compound. The combustion of the ignitable compound shatters the larger (>10 mm) solution droplets into smaller particles. Unfortunately, this method poses a real potential to contaminate the product with combustion byproducts and lacks direct control over the resulting particle size.

Process for making barium containing silicate glass powders


Switched-mode power supplies require a power factor correction circuit in order to comply with anticipated regulations for the harmonic load on the line network. In its second current path, which produces a connection between a rectifier element and a tap on the primary winding of a transformer, the switched-mode power supply contains a capacitor which produces current limiting for an inductance in this current path. When the switching transistor is in the switching mode the inductance is charged, when the switching transistor is switched on, in the sense of an energy store until the capacitor is charged. When the switching transistor is switched off, the inductance and the capacitor are discharged via a diode in the direction of an energy-storage capacitor.

The invention is based on a switched-mode power supply having a power factor correction. A switched-mode power supply of this type has been disclosed in DE 196 10 762 A1.
Switched-mode power supplies produce a severely pulsed load on the line network, which leads to harmonic currents on the line network. This load occurs in particular at the voltage peaks of the sinusoidal network voltage, at which points an energy-storage capacitor in the switched-mode power supply is recharged. In order to limit this load from harmonic currents, an increasing number of international regulations are being produced for switched-mode power supplies whose aim is to design future switched-mode power supplies to achieve a more sinusoidal current consumption. The harmonic load on the line network can also be quoted in terms of a so-called power factor.
Another switched-mode power supply with a reduced harmonic load on the line network is disclosed in EP 0 700 145 A2. This switched-mode power supply likewise contains a second current path on the primary side, which has an inductance and a diode and produces a connection between a charge capacitor downstream of the rectifier on the network side and a tap on the primary winding of the transformer. The inductance acts as an energy store which is charged in the phase when the switching transistor is switched on and subsequently emits its energy, in the phase when the switching transistor is switched off, via the diode and the primary winding to the energy-storage capacitor. This charging and discharging process leads to a current drawn from the line network over the entire 360.degree. phase range of the line network, since an unfiltered half-wave sinusoidal voltage of constant polarity is present across the charging capacitor.
EP 0 598 197 A2 discloses a switched-mode power supply having a sinusoidal current consumption, which contains a current pump with a capacitor which is charged via the network rectifier during the phase when the switching transistor is switched on, and emits this stored energy to an energy-storage capacitor when the switching transistor is switched off.
The object of the present invention is to specify a switched-mode power supply of the type mentioned initially, which operates reliably over a wide input voltage range.

Switched-mode power supply with power factor correction


Methods for depositing a ruthenium metal layer on a dielectric substrate are provided. The methods involve, for instance, exposing the dielectric substrate to an amine-containing compound, followed by exposing the substrate to a ruthenium precursor and an optional co-reactant such that the amine-containing compound facilitates the nucleation on the dielectric surface.

As device geometries continue to shrink, one of the challenges facing the semiconductor industry is the deposition of thin, continuous films for use as copper diffusion barriers and as seeds for electroplating. The inability to grow thin, continuous metal films by chemical vapor deposition or pulsed layer deposition is often due to the inability of the metal films to nucleate on the dielectric surface. This has been found to be especially true for depositing ruthenium on SiO2 It is believed that the process involves the chemisorption of a continuous layer of the nucleation catalyst on the dielectric surface followed by chemical deposition of the ruthenium films. This layer will be referred to throughout this application as a "catalytic nucleation layer". It is believed that the presence of the amine ligand enhances the reactivity of the substrate towards ruthenocene molecules thereby allowing nucleation and coalescence of the ruthenium films to proceed more rapidly. The phenomenon is not well understood, but it is likely a combination of enhanced chemical reactivity of the treated surface towards the precursor module and a higher energy barrier to surface diffusion of the precursor molecule on the treated surface. This results in smaller and more densely populated nuclei in the early deposition stage. This also leads to reduced activation energy, which in turn leads to reduced deposition temperature.
Thus, one area of particular concern is efficient nucleation of deposited metal layers. "Nucleation" refers to the initial formation of metal nuclei on a substrate such as a dielectric layer. Often the process conditions present a kinetic barrier to formation of such nuclei. In such cases, there may be a delay in deposition between the time when the substrate is exposed to metal precursor and the time when the metal actually begins to form on the surface. The problem may also be manifested by higher substrate temperatures required to initiate nucleation during the process.
Additionally, current methods for the deposition of ruthenium on SiO2 form rough, non-uniform films, often with incomplete coverage.
What is needed, therefore, is a process for allowing a reduction in nucleation delay and improvement of morphology of ruthenium films.

Method for enhancing the nucleation and morphology of ruthenium films on dielectric substrates using amine containing compounds


The invention is a hard-disk-drive (HDD) assembly that includes a flame having the exterior dimensions of a particular form-factor HDD, an HDD with a form-factor smaller than the frame, a pair of mount assemblies that support the HDD entirely within the larger form-factor frame, and an electrical cable located entirely within the frame and having one end connected to the HDD and the other end exposed to the frame exterior at the position determined by the specifications of the larger form-factor. The HDD assembly thus presents a smaller form-factor HDD as a fully plug-compatible alternative to a larger form-factor HDD. The mount assemblies have spring-like cantilever arms in contact with damping material to provide a highly-damped nonlinear spring system that provides mechanical-shock resistance for the HDD in a direction normal to the planes of the disks and high stiffness in a direction parallel to the planes of the disks.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to hard disk drives (HDDs), and more particularly to a system for mounting and supporting an HDD in an assembly that can be attached to a host system, such as a notebook computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic recording hard disk drives (HDDs) are used for data storage in a wide range of host systems, including desktop and portable or notebook computers, servers, and electronic consumer devices, such as digital video recorder (DVRs) and portable MP3 players. All HDDs fall into one or more general size categories, based roughly on the diameter of the disk or disks inside the HDD. The most common HDD sizes in use today are 3.5 in., 2.5 in., 1.8 in., and 1 in. HDDs. In addition, most HDDs are manufactured to "form-factor" specifications or standards set by one or more industry-standards organizations. These specifications define the dimensions, mounting hole locations, and type and location of the electrical connector. For example, the most common form-factor in use today for 2.5 in. HDDs is the ANSI/EIA-720 form-factor standard established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Electronics Industry Association (EIA). Some HDD sizes may have more than one form-factor. For example, the 1.8 in. HDD has an ANSI/EIA form-factor as well as a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) form-factor. In addition, some HDD manufacturers may design HDDs for specialized applications that generally meet the requirements of a form-factor, such as the exterior dimensions, but have specialized features that deviate from the standard, such as the type or location of the connector.
Manufacturers of notebook computers, MP3 players and other host systems must work with these form-factor specifications when designing the method and location for attachment of the HDD to their system. Once a particular form-factor HDD has been chosen for use in the host system, it can be costly and time-consuming to re-design the host system to accommodate a smaller form-factor HDD. However, there are reasons a host system manufacturer may later want to use a smaller form-factor HDD, or may want to initially provide a system with different form-factor options for the consumer. For example, some MP3 players use a 1.8 in. HDD with a storage capacity of 40 gigabytes (GB). This capacity may be significantly more than some consumers need, so the manufacturer may want to provide the same MP3 player with a 4 GB HDD. However, HDDs with this smaller capacity are available only in a 1 in. form-factor. In another example, most notebook computers are designed for 2.5 in. HDDs. As the capacity and availability of 1.8 in HDDs increase and their cost decreases, notebook manufactures may want to switch to this smaller form-factor HDD but do not want to redesign their computers. In addition, the host system manufacturer may desire that the smaller form-factor HDD be significantly resistant to damage from extreme mechanical shock, such as may occur if the host system is dropped.
What is needed is an HDD assembly that enables an HDD with one form-factor to meet the specifications of a larger form-factor and that provides the HDD with mechanical-shock resistance.

Hard disk drive (HDD) assembly of small form-factor HDD shock-mounted in frame having dimensions of larger form-factor HDD

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


Residual direct-current charges may be accumulated and distributed non-uniformly on the built-in color filters in a displaying panel such as the liquid-crystal-on-silicon displaying device, and thus results in the non-uniformity of the internal electric field that controls the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules. To reduce residual direct-current charges so as to cause the internal electric field to be substantially uniform, the present invention provides a structure of the display panel including a plurality of shields for respectively enclosing a plurality of color filters, wherein each shield is connected to a corresponding pixel electrode by a conductive wire.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a display panel, and more particularly to a structure of a liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Residual direct current (DC) charges are a problem to be solved in liquid crystal displaying devices, wherein the residual DC charge results from the accumulation of ions on pixels of the liquid crystal displaying devices. For example, in the conventional twisted-nematic-type liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, DC charges are accumulated in the interface of the alignment layer of each pixel. The resultant residual DC voltage causes liquid crystal disposed across the region between the pixels and the transparent electrodes to result in the after-image phenomenon. Methods for solving this problem such as using a low-resistance alignment layer have been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-54631.
For liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) displaying devices, the problem of DC charges may become more serious than that of the twisted-nematic-type LCD devices. The ions are easily accumulated on the pixels due to the different work functions of the different kinds of electrode, e.g., indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrode and aluminum (Al) reflective electrode. In particular, when pixelized color filters (i.e. patterning color filters on the chip) are performed in the LCoS panel, DC charges may be non-uniformly distributed on the built-in color filters (CFs) so as to lead to the non-uniformity of an internal electric field and thus cause the liquid crystal molecules to be incompletely rotated. The situation leads to defects such as mura.
FIG. 1 shows a part of structure of a conventional LCoS panel 10. The LCoS panel 10 includes a silicon (Si) substrate 12, a glass substrate 14, a liquid crystal layer 16 and a plurality of CFs 18, wherein DC charges may be distributed non-uniformly on the CFs 18 due to the accumulation of ions. As shown in FIG. 1, the CFs 18 are respectively disposed over a plurality of sub-pixels 20 which are corresponding to the CFs 18 respectively and disposed over the Si substrate 12. Each sub-pixel 20 includes a metal interconnection layer 22, a reflective mirror 24, a protective layer 26 and an anti-reflective layer 28, wherein the metal interconnection layer 22, the reflective mirror 24, the protective layer 26 and the anti-reflective layer 28 and the corresponding CF 18 are disposed on the Si substrate 12 in sequence. FIG. 1 also shows that an insulating layer 30 is disposed on the CFs 18; a plurality of spacing layers 32 are formed between the adjacent sub-pixels 20 and between the adjacent CFs 18; an alignment layer 34 is disposed between the liquid crystal layer 16 and the insulating layer 30; and a plurality of transparent electrodes 36 (only one transparent electrode is viewed in this cross-section shown in FIG. 1) are disposed between the glass substrate 14 and the liquid crystal layer 16.
Nowadays, the LCoS technology integrates an LCD technology with single-crystal Si-based very-large-scale-integration (VLSI) circuits. Compared with the LCD device manufactured by a thin-film transistor (TFT) technology, the LCoS displaying devices is cost-effective. Accordingly, it is worthy to have an innovation on the reduction of the residual DC charges on the CFs in the LCoS displaying devices.


A mask arranges a predetermined pattern and an auxiliary pattern smaller than the predetermined pattern so that where a virtual lattice is assumed which has a lattice point located at a center of the predetermined pattern, a center of the auxiliary pattern is offset from the lattice point of the virtual lattice.

The present invention relates generally to exposure, and more particularly to a mask used to fabricate various devices including semiconductor chips such as ICs and LSIs, display devices such as liquid crystal panels, sensing devices such as magnetic heads, and image pick-up devices such as CCDs, and micromechanics, and a mask manufacturing method, and an exposure method, a device fabricating method. The exposure apparatus and method are. The micromechanics, as used herein, is technology for applying the semiconductor IC fabricating technique for fabrications of fine structures, thereby creating an enhanced mechanical system that may operate at a level of micron.
The fabrication of a device using the lithography technique has employed a projection exposure apparatus that uses a projection optical system to project a pattern drawn on a mask or reticle onto a wafer, thereby transferring the pattern. The projection optical system enables diffracted beams from the pattern to interfere on a wafer and forms an image. The normal exposure enables 0-th order and ±1st order diffracted beams (namely, three beams) to interfere with each other.
Mask patterns include an adjacent and periodic line and space (L & S) pattern, a line of contact holes that are adjacent and periodic (i.e., arranged at the same interval as the hole diameter), isolated contact holes that are non-adjacent and isolated, other isolated patterns, etc., and a transfer of a pattern with high resolution requires a selection of optimal exposure conditions (such as illumination conditions, exposure light amount, etc.) in accordance with kinds of patterns.
The resolution R of a projection exposure apparatus is given in the following Rayleigh equation:R=k1(λ/NA)  (1)where λ is a wavelength of a light source, NA is a numerical aperture of the projection optical system, k1 is a constant determined by a development process and others. In a normal exposure case, k1 is approximately 0.5–0.7.
The recent demand for highly integrated devices have increasingly required more fine patterns to be transferred or higher resolution. Although the above equation reveals that the higher numerical aperture NA and reduced wavelength λ would effectively achieve the higher resolution, improvements of these factors have already reached the limit at the current stage. Thus, it is difficult for the normal exposure to form a pattern of 0.15 μm or less onto a wafer. Accordingly, it has been suggested to employ the phase shift mask technology that enables two beams out of those diffracted beams, which have passed through a pattern, to interfere with each other, thus forming an image. See, for example, U.S. patent application Publication No. 2002/177048. The phase shift mask reverses, by 180°, phases of adjacent light-transmitting portions on it, and cancels out the 0-th order diffracted beam, thus enabling two ±1st order diffracted beams to interfere with each other and forming an image. Use of this technique would reduce k1 in the above equation down to substantially 0.25, thus improving the resolution R and forming a pattern of 0.15 μm or less onto a wafer.
However, when adjacent phases are altered by 180° for fine contact holes near the resolution limit, light is diffracted at a wide angle from the optical axis, i.e., in a direction of 45° on the pupil plane and, and deviates from the pupil in the projection system. As a result, the diffracted light can neither pass the pupil in the projection lens nor resolve. What can resolve is, at best, a fine pattern down to square root 2 times a marginal critical dimension in the L & S.
Moreover, the recent semiconductor industry has been shifting its production to system chips that include highly value-added and various types of patterns, and thus it has become necessary to form more than one kind of contact hole pattern on a mask. Therefore, a contact line of holes (or contact holes array) has been demanded to have resolution equivalent to that of the L & S pattern. However, a prior art phase shift mask has not yet sufficiently exposed, at one time with high resolution, a contact hole pattern blended with a contact hole line and an isolated contact hole. It is, on the other hand, conceivable to use the double exposure (or multiple exposure) with two or more masks to expose different kinds of patterns separately, but the conventional double exposure requires two masks and incurs many practical disadvantages: That is, this approach results in an increased cost and lowered throughput because of two exposure steps, as well as requiring high overlay accuracy for two mask exchanges.

Mask and its manufacturing method, exposure, and device fabrication method


A removable, expansion sealing plug has an annular seal formed of an elastic material, which seal is expanded by a fruste-conical expansion member when the expansion member is drawn into a retention member, the retention member having an outer surface with screw threads, and the expansion member being rotationally fixed, but axially movable, relative to the retention member. When installed, retention member screw threads fix the plug in position and prevent forcible expulsion from the installation hole and the expansion of the seal causes compression of the seal between the wall of the installation hole and the expansion member and frictional interference between the seal and the installation hole and between the seal and the expansion member, thereby preventing the rotation of the plug within the installation hole.

A. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to sealing plugs and more particularly to a new and improved sealing plug for removably sealing access holes and other bores in metal castings, metal forgings and other metal parts, particularly those exposed to high pressure and/or vibration.
B. Description of Related Art
A variety of types of plugs have been designed for sealing hydraulic and other fluid systems, including simple expansion plugs as well as relatively complex plugs. High system pressures frequently require positive means of retaining the plugs, particularly when the opening to be plugged is large. A large opening results in an increased expelling force exerted on the plug, as a greater surface area is exposed to the system pressure. A commonly used design feature of plugs designed to seal large openings under high pressure is to mate male screw threads on the exterior of the plug with female screw threads in the interior of the installation site. The relatively high retentive force provided by the mated threads provides the ability to use large plugs that resist expulsion by high system pressures. A difficulty of the use of threaded plugs is that the plugs tend to loosen, allowing the plug to rotate and eventually back out, when the plug and/or the installation site are subjected to vibration. One method of design intended to prevent the unscrewing of threaded plugs includes using glues, plastics or other binding agents on the threads. Using permanent glues hinders removal and other types of binding agents that allow removal frequently are not reusable or have limited reusability. Another design used to prevent unscrewing is the locking ring type plug, similar in principle to the fitting shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,707 to Rosan. Rosan describes the use of a ring that slides over, but is rotationally fixed relative to the fitting body. The Rosan ring has a serrated outer surface and inner surfaces with outer splines that are inserted into matching serrations in the boss of the installation site and inner splines that are to be inserted into matching serrations in the fitting body. The body also has screw threads that seal and secure the body within the opening to be plugged. The inner ring splines prevent rotation of the body relative to the locking ring and the outer ring splines prevent the ring from rotating in the installation site. A disadvantage of the locking ring type plug is the requirement of an adaption of the opening by the relatively complicated and time consuming formation of the serrations at the mouth of the installation boss which must be relatively large as a result. Since the locking ring is driven into the installation opening, the ring itself may back out of locking position and therefore a means of locking the locking ring is required. In addition, the installation of a locking ring type of plug requires that the plug body serrations, and the installation boss serrations must exactly line up to engage the ring splines. For this reason it is necessary to adjust the rotational position of the plug until a proper alignment is achieved, a somewhat time consuming and delicate process. A further disadvantage of the locking ring type design is that the necessity of locking the ring in place makes it difficult to make a plug that is flush or nearly flush with the surface of the installation site. Plugs of this type also frequently employ elastomeric seals that have limited useful lives and limited usefulness in some temperature conditions or applications involving incompatible substances.
Therefore, what is desired is a plug that is reusable, economic to manufacture, easy to install, useful in a wide range of conditions and that resists the influence of extraneous vibration and can be configured to be flush with the surface of the installation site when installed, without unnecessary weight.


A system for determining a communication mode utilized by a transmitting node to transmit a data packet in a mesh network is provided. For example, a receiving node operates in a base communication mode to detect a pilot prefix of a data packet. The pilot prefix contains a signal with a predetermined frequency. In response to determining that the pilot prefix is detected, the receiving node detects a communication mode used to transmit the data packet based on preamble signals that are contained in a preamble of the data packet and are received after the detected pilot prefix. Once the communication mode is detected, the receiving node receives and processes the remaining portion of the data packet using the detected communication mode.

In a network, infrastructure nodes (or simply "nodes"), such as meters, gateways, or routers, constantly communicate with each other to, for example, exchange messages or transmit data. Different nodes, however, may have different hardware and software configurations and thus may support different communication modes. In addition, each node may support multiple communication modes. For example, some nodes might be configured to support certain communication modes of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing ("OFDM") while other nodes might be configured to support another set of OFDM communication modes. Some nodes might also be configured to support various communication modes based on frequency-shift keying ("FSK") in addition to OFDM. As such, when transmitting data, a transmitting node selects a communication mode among the multiple supported communication modes so that the data can be transmitted to the receiving node reliably and efficiently.
In order for the receiving node to correctly receive and decode the received data, the receiving node needs to identify the communication mode used for transmitting the data and to switch to the correct communication mode. One current mode switching mechanism relies on a mode switch header attached to a data packet to indicate the mode used by the transmitting node. Because the mode switch header is typically communicated in the base mode having a low data rate, transmitting the mode switch header can significantly reduce the efficiency of the transmission, especially for a communication mode that has a high data rate.

Multi-PHY synchronized diversity receiver


A torsional vibration damper for a bridging clutch of a hydrodynamic clutch arrangement is provided with a drive-side transmission element and a takeoff-side transmission element, which can be deflected around a certain angle of rotation relative to the drive-side element against the action of energy storage devices, where at least one driver element with an actuating function is assigned to each energy storage device. To realize a multi-stage action of the energy storage device, at least some of these driver elements arrive in working connection with an assigned final turn of the corresponding energy storage device only after using up a predetermined clearance gap in the circumferential direction. For this purpose, at least one transmission element has openings to accommodate energy storage devices, and at least one circumferential boundary of each opening is provided as a driver element for the assigned energy storage device. In the absence of any relative rotational deflection of the transmission elements, at least one of the circumferential boundaries of some of the openings is separated from the adjacent final turn of the assigned energy storage device by a predetermined angular gap. The predetermined angular gap is used up only after the transmission elements have rotated a predetermined relative distance, at which point the corresponding circumferential boundary acts as the driver element on the adjacent final turn of the assigned energy storage device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a torsional vibration damper for a bridging clutch of a hydrodynamic clutch arrangement with a drive-side transmission element and a takeoff side transmission element, wherein the takeoff side element is rotatable by a limited amount relative to the drive side element under the action of energy storage devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A torsional vibration damper assigned to the piston of a bridging clutch of a hydrodynamic clutch arrangement such as a torque converter, the damper being equipped with a drive-side transmission element attached to a piston of a bridging clutch, with an intermediate transmission element, and with a takeoff-side transmission element attached nonrotatably to a turbine wheel, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,354, where the drive-side transmission element and the takeoff-side transmission element position the intermediate element between them by means of a plurality of energy storage devices. According to FIG. 3, the intermediate element has not only openings for drive elements of both the drive-side transmission element and the takeoff-side transmission element but also its own drive element, which engages between two energy storage devices, where the openings of the intermediate element are larger in the circumferential direction than the associated drive element. As a result, a first stage of spring action is in effect in a first direction R1 of relative rotational deflection along a first travel path s1 until the drive element of the drive-side transmission element has used up the associated opening of the intermediate transmission element and comes into direct contact with a stop of the latter. When the relative rotational deflection between the two transmission elements becomes even larger, a second stage of spring action goes into effect under the effect of the drive element of the intermediate transmission element along a second travel path s2 until the intermediate transmission element has arrived in direct contact with a stop of the takeoff-side transmission element. In the opposite direction R2 of relative rotational deflection, this process takes place in a comparable manner, although, because the dimensions of the openings of the intermediate transmission element are different, different travel paths s1, s2 are predefined for the action of the individual spring stages. As a result, the torsional vibration damper operates differently during phases in pull mode than it does during phases in push mode. In sum, because there are two different stages of spring action in each of the two directions R1, R2 of relative rotational deflection, what is obtained is a low degree of spring stiffness at small relative rotational deflections and a high degree of spring stiffness at large relative rotational deflections.
Although it is possible with this torsional vibration damper to adapt the spring stiffness with considerable sensitivity to the degree of relative rotational deflection between the two transmission elements and also to adapt that stiffness optimally to operational phases in pull and push mode, energy storage devices are used which are very long in the circumferential direction, for which reason these devices must be guided along their entire radially outer circumferential dimension by suitable circumferential supports in such a way that they can resist the action of the centrifugal forces caused by the rotation of the damper. Nevertheless, under the action of centrifugal force, strong frictional forces develop between the individual turns of the spring and the circumferential support, and, as the degree of the relative rotational deflection of the transmission elements increases, these forces lead to a considerable reduction in the ability of the energy storage devices to deform and, as a result, to a considerable deterioration in the quality with which vibrations can be isolated. The energy storage devices which are situated in the radially outer area and thus have considerable length in the circumferential direction, furthermore, require a great deal of work to manufacture and are therefore expensive.
A torsional vibration damper of simpler design and lower cost is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,138, which discloses a drive-side transmission element, a takeoff-side transmission element, and energy storage devices installed functionally between them. This torsional vibration damper, too, is assigned to the piston of a bridging clutch of a hydrodynamic clutch arrangement such as a torque converter and is for this purpose connected nonrotatably by its drive-side transmission element to the piston of the bridging clutch, whereas the takeoff-side transmission element is attached to a sleeve connected nonrotatably to a gearbox input shaft.
The energy storage devices in this torsional vibration damper are arranged in specially provided openings in the transmission elements and are thus located on a relatively small radius around the axis of rotation. As a result, the energy storage devices are very short in the circumferential direction, so that, under the action of centrifugal force, they are bent radially outward to only a very limited extent. Nevertheless, this torsional vibration damper, regardless of the angle of relative rotational deflection at the moment in question, can react only with the one stage of spring action, nor does it have the capacity to operate under push-mode conditions differently than it does under pull-mode conditions. It is therefore to be considered especially suitable for small torsional vibration dampers with only moderate vibrational isolation quality.