A configurable controller, comprising a configurable digital unit having a synchronization control module; a plurality of signal acquisition modules connected with said synchronization control module for receiving reference control data therefrom; and a control logic connected with said plurality of signal acquisition modules; a plurality of identical input cells respectively connected with said plurality of signal acquisition modules, each input cell additionally connected with a respective input pin of said controller; and a synchronizing signal generator connected with said synchronization control module and with said plurality of input cells, for sending synchronization signals to said input cells, wherein each input cell is operable to convert input signal parameters to time-based parameters; and wherein each signal acquisition module is configured to convert said time-based parameters to a required digital form.

Modern technologies may include many processes that need to be controlled and automated. Using the example of CTP systems, these processes may comprise, for example: plate loading, plate unloading, conveying, centering and punching, drum balancing, etc. Electronic controllers are used to control these tasks.
A number of electronic controllers in use today are based on microprocessors that use software for defining the operation of the system. However, because of the different sensor types with different signal conditioning hardware or different loads with different driver types, use of the same controller board in different machines is often not feasible through changes in software only. Therefore, in present designs, the desired control functions are achieved by modifying the design and providing new circuitry for each model. This implies that a control system made for one type of sensor or load will not work with another one without requiring significant changes to the hardware.
An additional constraint of existing electronic controllers, which are programmed to perform desired control actions, is that microprocessors are limited in terms of interfaces. This limitation is caused by the fact that the architecture of microprocessors is computer-oriented rather than control-oriented. The actual environment of a control application typically involves the processing of a significant number of signals and devices (e.g. sensors, switches, motors, etc.), some of which are analog in nature. Consequently, a significant amount of circuitry is required in addition to the microprocessor, such as buffers, decoders, drivers, latches, multiplexers, analog-to-digital and digital-to analog converters, signal conditioning circuitry, etc.
FIG. 1 shows an example of typical hardware solutions needed to provide acquisition of different signal types.
The solution for motor encoder 10 logic signals includes filtering by filter 70 and buffering by logic input buffer 130 (Low pass Filter 70 should have a relatively high cut-off frequency to pass the encoder signals).
To receive the signals of slotted optical switches 20 with open collector output, a pull-up resistor 80 and a buffer 140 are needed. Also, a low pass filter (not shown) can be inserted.
For interlock door switches 30, usually used in standard 12V or 24V voltage supply safety loop, a voltage divider 90 is needed to reduce the input voltage signal to the level of logic supply (generally 5 or 3.3V), low pass filter 150 is needed to reduce bouncing and external noises (the cut off frequency of such a filter is different from the cut off frequency of filter 70 and buffer 160 is needed for fitting the signal to the configurable logic of digital unit 200.
One of the options for transferring analog signals, for example two pressure sensor signals 40 and 50, includes multiplexer 100, connected to ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) 170.
Some applications utilize reed switches with built-in LED indicator 60 e.g. NORGREN magnetically operated switch type QM/34. In this case, the solution may be based on a filter 110 and voltage comparator 190 using reference 180 as a threshold.
If the machine has a modular architecture, for example a manual machine, which by providing additional controlled subsystems can be upgraded to semiautomatic or fully automatic, the automation process may be realized either by a single multi I/O controller intended for all possible machine configurations or by three different smaller controllers, each dedicated to the manual, semiautomatic or fully automated configuration of the machine, respectively.
The drawback of the single multi I/O controller is in its inefficient utilization, especially in manual machines, since the controller hardware intended for semiautomatic and automatic modules is not used.
The drawback of three different dedicated controllers is in their higher service expenses and relatively high cost.
Let us assume that the target is to design a controller for a manual CTP machine (minimum automation level) comprising plate position detection, plate loading and plate unloading subsystems. The required subsystems include one motor encoder, ten slotted optical sensors with open collector output and six door interlock switches.
The proper hardware solution for signals acquisition according to FIG. 1 will be the following:
For the motor encoder (signals ENCODER A and ENCODER B)—two filters 70 and two logic input buffers 130 are needed.
For ten slotted optical sensors with open collector output—ten pull up resistors 80 and ten logic input buffers 140 are suitable. Also, ten low pass filters (not shown) could be inserted.
For six door interlock switches—six voltage dividers 90, six filters 150 and six logic input buffers 160 are needed.
In order to be upgraded to semiautomatic, the CTP machine will need additional hardware, to provide signal acquisition and control for the new plate centering and plate punching automation subsystems containing, for example, three DC motors with encoders, eight slotted switches, two analog pressure sensors and two proximity sensors.
In this case, the controller should support six (3×2) encoder inputs instead of the two for the manual machine, eight slotted switches inputs instead of 10 and should have circuitry for supporting two analog and two plate short sensors, which were not used in the manual machine.
FIG. 2 shows an example of typical hardware solutions needed to provide control of different load types.
A possible solution for driving stepper motor 55 may be implemented by integrated stepper motor controller 120 (e.g. L297 stepper motor controller of SGS-thomson microelectronics), connected to the outputs of the configurable digital unit 200 and driver 145 (e.g. L298—dual full bridge driver of SGS-Thomson Microelectronics), connected between stepper motor controller 120 and stepper motor 55. Such stepper motor control dedicated hardware can not be utilized for DC motor or valve control, which may be needed for different control environments of another model, for example for semiautomatic or fully automatic machines.
Similarly, the DC motor driver 115 (e.g. DMOS full-bridge PWM motor driver 3948 of ALLEGRO MicroSystems, Inc) connected between the configurable digital unit 200 and the DC motor 50, can not be used for separate valves or relay control, and the low drivers 155 (e.g. 6810 Latched Source Driver of ALLEGRO MicroSystems, Inc), controlled by configurable digital unit 200 and driving the 20 mA valves 60, can not be used for high current control solenoid driving application because of low current capability.
As can be seen, the controller hardware chosen for the manual machine cannot be used for controlling the subsystems of the semiautomatic machine, because of the differences in hardware solutions for acquisition of different sensor types and for controlling the different types of loads.
A similar situation occurs when upgrading from semiautomatic to fully automatic, or when trying to use the controller for a different family of machines.
Published U.S. Patent Applications Nos. US2001/0015918 and US2001/0039190 attempt to improve the above-mentioned shortcomings by providing a configurable electronic controller, comprising control circuitry for providing control functions, input interface, output interface, user interface, power interface and a non-volatile memory unit connected to the control circuitry and to all the above interface units, in order to configure them.
However, there are some barriers to the use of this solution in more complex machines, such as Computer to Plate (CTP):                1. The inputs of microcontrollers are not yet universal. This means that an analog sensor can not be connected to the digital input of the controller;        2. The digital inputs of a microcontroller can not provide the input hysteresis adjustment and input threshold control which are required for accepting input from sensors with different low and high logic levels, (for example, the low logic level of NORGREN magnetically operated switch type QM/34 is in the range of 2V, because of a built-in LED indicator. At the same time, the minimum input HIGH voltage of digital input buffer MOTOROLA SN74LS240 is 2V. Such difference in voltage levels can cause a faulty signal acquisition of QM34).        3. The provided solution involves hardware redundancy on the controller board; the controller architecture needs to include all possible functional blocks, configured by NV memory, to cover the different sensors' acquisition and, depending on the configuration, some of the functional blocks will not be used.        4. The provided solution provides a relatively low range of control. For example, the multiplexed signal acquisition of the controller leads to decrease in the controller response time. This disadvantage may become critical when dealing with e.g. CTP device controller, possibly handling over 100 sensors.        5. Using one fixed type of switch connected to one side of the load limits the load connection options (if the switch is high-side type, then the other side of the load should be connected to the common (ground) and if the switch is low-side type, then the other side of the load should be connected to the supplied voltage source. Generally, both load connections (to common and to voltage source) are used, but the mentioned Patent Applications can only support one kind of load connections.        6. No possibility to change current direction of loads needed, for example, for reversing DC motors.
Thus, there is a need for a universal, flexible controller architecture to enable improved upgradeability and serviceability and facilitate adaptation of an existing controller to a new machine.


Disclosed is a method for preserving an adhesive tape or an article using the same which comprises enclosing an adhesive tape or an article using the same in a container having a gas barrier property, substantially capable of removing both oxygen and moisture, and then, sealing the container to remove substantially both oxygen and moisture from the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preserving an adhesive tape and a method for preserving an article to which the same has been applied (hereinafter, referred to as "article using the same"), and more particularly to a method for preserving which comprises enclosing an adhesive tape (or an article using the same) together with an oxygen absorbent and a drying agent in a container having a gas barrier property and then sealing the container.
2. Prior Art
In adhesive tapes, adhesives including rubber adhesives, acrylic adhesives, vinylic adhesives, silicone adhesives etc., are used depending upon the characteristics of the adhesive. The adhesives applied to the tapes are degraded due to environmental causes such as oxygen, heat, light, ozone, moisture, etc. Thus, an unused roll-wound adhesive tape during storage or an adhesive tape attached to articles during use is degraded often causing various troubles.
In order to inhibit degradation of an adhesive tape, adhesives with degradation-inhibitor added are used. The degradation of an adhesive is mostly due to oxidation. It is known that as degradation-inhibitors, usually aldehydes, amines, phenols, etc., are suitable in the same manner as in rubber products. However, since most of them have contaminative property, uncontaminative substances need to be selected in a transparent or white tape. Furthermore, even when a degradation-inhibitor has been added, it is not always perfect. Also in an adhesive tape wherein a degradation-inhibitor has been added, when the adhesive tape or an article using the same was preserved for a long time or exposed to severe environments of high temperature and high humidity even for a short time, in some cases a release paper became difficult to peel off, and stringiness occurred and furthermore durability disappeared due to deterioration of adhesive force.
Although recently, processes using chip-form electronic parts attached to a carrier tape, to continuously mount the chip-form electronic parts on the surface of printed circuit boards while peeling them from the carrier tape by means of an automatic mounting machine have become common in the electronics industry, ageing of the carrier tape to which the chip-form electronic parts are attached has become problem. It is troublesome if the carrier tape on which chip-form electronic parts are loaded is degraded and its adhesion is reduced during transportation or storage, resulting in the release of the electronic parts from the carrier tape. It is also undesirable for peel strength to increase. Still more, when stringiness occurs, continuous mounting of electronic parts may be disturbed and products may be contaminated.
In order to inhibit degradation of an adhesive tape, drying agents including silica gel, etc., have been used for preservation of adhesive tape and an article using the same. When moisture was merely removed to provide dry atmosphere, the effects of preservation were insufficient because deterioration of function always occurred due to deterioration of adhesion. Thus, although application of a drying agent together with an oxygen absorbent has been attempted using, for example, already known oxygen absorbents containing metals and metal salts including, typically, iron powders and iron salts and organic compounds including, typically, catechol and ascorbic acid as the main ingredients, good preservation has not yet been secured. Thus, under the present situation, no simple and easy method for preserving an adhesive tape or an article using the same has yet been found.

Method for preserving adhesive tape and method for preserving article using the same


The present invention relates to a developer carrying member for carrying a developer having at least a substrate and a resin-coated layer formed on the surface of the substrate. The developer carrying member is the one which carries a one-component developer to visualize the electrostatic latent image carried by the electrostatic latent image carrying member, the resin-coated layer contains at least a binder resin, graphitized particles and roughing particles, the graphitized particles has 0.20 to 0.95 of graphitization degree (p (002)), and wherein in the surface configuration of the resin-coated layer as measured by use of focusing optical laser, the volume (B) of a microtopographical region defined by a certain area (A) of the microtopographical region without convexity formed by the roughing particles meets the following relationship 4.5≦B/A≦6.5, and the resin-coated layer has 0.9 to 2.5 μm of arithmetic mean roughness (Ra).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developer carrying member used in a developing apparatus to form a toner image by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrying member such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member or electrostatic recording dielectric. The invention also relates to a developing method using the above described developer carrying member.
2. Related Background Art
Electrophotography conventionally forms an electrostatic latent image on the support thereof (photosensitive drum) by various measures using a photoconductive material, then develops the electrostatic latent image by a developer (toner) to form the toner image and transfer the toner image on a transfer material, such as paper, if appropriate, followed by fixation of the toner image on the transfer material by application of heat, pressure or both heat and pressure to obtain the print or copy.
Developing systems in the electrophotography are principally classified into the one-component and two-component developing systems. Recently, since there are needs of miniaturization of the developing apparatus part aiming at a lightweight and miniaturized electrophotographic apparatus, the one-component developing system is often used.
Since the one-component developing system does not require the carrier particles as the two-component developing system does, the developing apparatus itself can be miniaturized and light. On the other hand, the two-component developing system requires the constant toner density to be kept in the developer, therefore needed is the apparatus for detecting the toner density and supplying the needed amount of toner, accordingly, the developing apparatus will be larger and heavier. Since the one-component developing system does not need such an apparatus, it can be smaller and lighter.
In the developing apparatus using the one-component developing system, the electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum as a carrying member of the electrostatic latent image, and provide the toner with positive or negative friction charge through friction between the developer carrying member carrying member (developing sleeve) and toner and/or friction between the member regulating the thickness of the developer layer and toner. Then the toner electrified is applied thin on the developing sleeve which is conveyed to the developing region where the photosensitive drum is opposed to the developing sleeve. In the developing region, the toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum to develop and form the toner image.
When using such a one-component developing system, homogenized toner charge and sufficient endurance stability are needed.
Particularly, the charge-up phenomenon is likely to occur particularly under low humidity where the charge amount of the toner coated on the developing sleeve becomes excessively high owing to the contact with the developing sleeve during repeated rotation of the developing sleeve, resulting in immobilization of the toner on the developing sleeve by drawing between the toner and the reflection force on the developing sleeve failing in transfer of the toner from the developing sleeve to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum that is charge-up phenomenon. When the charge-up phenomenon occurs, it becomes difficult for the toner in the upper layer to charge resulting in reduction of developing amount of the toner. Consequently, there sometimes occur problems such as thinning of the line image and lowering of image density of the solid image. Further, the toner which has failed in appropriate charging owing-to the charge-up phenomenon may flow on the developing sleeve off the control to make spotty or wavy unevenness that is the blotching phenomenon.
Furthermore, a sleeve ghost phenomenon, indicating a visible trace of solid image likely to occur on the image when the position where the solid image once developed with high image density on the developing sleeve comes to the developing position at the following rotation of the developing sleeve to develop the half-tone image.
Recently, reduction of the particles size and fine-granulation of the toner have been attempted for digitization of the electrophotography apparatus and for higher image quality. For example, the toner which has about 5 to 12 μm of the weight average particles size is used in general in order to enhance the resolution and sharpness of letters reproducing the constant electrostatic latent image.
Further, in view of saving energy and space of office, miniaturization of the printer is required. Consequently, miniaturization of the container storing the toner in the printer is also required and the low consumption toner which enables printing out a large number of sheets by small amount of the toner should be used. As a low consumption toner, the toner wherein the form of the toner particles is approximated spherical has been used.
Furthermore, the tendency is decrease of a fixation temperature for the purpose of time reduction for fast copying and saving electric power.
In such situations, the toner, particularly under a low temperature and low humidity is more likely to attach electrostatistically on the developing sleeve because of increased charge per unit weight, while under high temperature and high humidity, blotching and melt-adhesion by the toner are likely to occur on the developing sleeve.
As a method to solve such phenomena, in publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-276174, proposed is using in the developing apparatus a developing sleeve wherein a resin-coated layer with an electroconductive fine powder such as crystalline graphite or carbon dispersed in the resin is set on a metal substrate. By using this developing sleeve, substantial reduction of the above phenomena is noted.
In this developing sleeve, however, when adding much amount of electroconductive fine powder, appropriate electrification to the toner is decreased leading to difficulty of obtaining high image density particularly in the environment of high temperature and high humidity, though the case is good for charge-up and sleeve ghost. Further, when adding much amount of electroconductive fine powder, the resin-coated layer becomes friable being easy to be scraped as well as configuration of the surface is likely to be uneven, and when advancing endurance for a large number of sheets, surface roughness and surface composition of the resin-coated layer is altered resulting in frequent occurrence of poor conveyance of the toner and inhomogeneous electrification to the toner.
In publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-276174, proposed is a developing apparatus having a developing sleeve which uses a coated layer with crystalline graphite particles dispersed. The crystalline graphite particles used there are those comprised of artificial graphite, which is obtained by burning a shaped aggregate, such as coke bound by tar pitch at about 1,000 to 1,300° C., and then graphitizing it at about 2,500 to 3,000° C., or natural graphite. Accordingly, the crystalline graphite has lubricity caused by the scaly structure which exerts effect against charge-up and sleeve ghost. However, the crystalline graphite particles are scaly and indeterminate in shape, and in addition, when they are dispersed in the resin-coated layer, it is difficult for the particles to be smaller and dispersed evenly, resulting in an uneven surface of the resin-coated layer. Such an uneven surface formed by the crystalline graphite may cause melt-adhesion of the toner thereto.
Further, owing to the low hardness of the above crystalline graphite, abrasion and elimination of the crystalline graphite particles themselves are likely to occur on the surface of the resin-coated layer. Accordingly, the surface roughness and surface composition of the resin-coated layer are likely to change when advancing endurance for a large number of sheets which leads to frequent occurrence of the toner melt-adhesion, consequently, poor conveyance of the toner and inhomogeneous electrification to the toner are likely to occur. On the other hand, when adding small amount of electroconductive fine powder such as carbon to the resin-coated layer formed on the metal substrate of the developing sleeve, the effect of the crystalline graphite particles and electroconductive fine powder is weak, accordingly, charge-up and sleeve ghost may occur.
In publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-200986, proposed is a developing apparatus having a developing sleeve wherein on the metal substrate, electrically conductive resin-coated layer is set with electroconductive fine powder such as crystalline graphite and carbon dispersed in the resin. In this developing sleeve, abrasion resistance of the resin-coated layer is improved as well as the surface of the resin-coated layer is made more even, leading to a relatively little change in surface roughness caused by a large number of sheet transfers, which in turn stabilize more the state of the toner coated on the developing sleeve and makes the charge of the toner more uniform. Consequently, problems including sleeve ghost, image density and unevenness of the image density are reduced and the image quality tends to be steadier. Even in this developing sleeve, however, a rapid control for homogeneous charge and stabilization of appropriate electrification to the toner should be preferably improved further more. In addition, for abrasion resistance, change of surface roughness and unevenness of roughness of the resin-coated layer caused by abrasion and elimination of spherical particles or crystalline graphite of the resin in the developing sleeve during use of longer period as well as accompanying toner blotting and toner melt-adhesion of the resin-coated layer are likely to occur. These cases make toner charge unstable often causing poor image including reduction of image density, unevenness of density, fogging and image streaks.
In publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-240981, proposed is a developing apparatus having the developing sleeve wherein homogeneous electrification to the toner is improved by homogenizing abrasion resistance and conductivity of the surface of the resin-coated layer caused by homogeneous dispersion of electroconductive spherical particles in the electroconductive resin-coated layer owing to that the spherical particles dispersed in the electroconductive resin-coated layer have lower specific gravity and electroconductivity as well as toner blotting and toner melt-adhesion can be controlled even when the resin-coated layer is worn down to some degree. In this developing sleeve, however, there are matters to be improved regarding rapid and homogeneous electrification to the toner and appropriate electrification to the toner. Further, for endurable use for long time, electroconductive particles such as crystalline graphite are likely to be worn down or eliminated because configuration of the part on the surface of the resin-coated layer without the electroconductive spherical particles is uneven as well as abrasion resistance of the above described part is poor. From such parts which have been worn down and eliminated or from parts of uneven configuration, abrasion of the resin-coated layer and toner blotting as well as toner melt-adhesion occurs which often leads to unstable charge of the toner.
In publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-84558, publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-229268, publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-1766 and publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-102862, proposed is a toner in spherical form or the form approximated to the spheriacal. The developing sleeve and developing apparatus effective for reduction of consumption of the toner and stabilization of development of the toner through endurance has been awaited.
In publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-87157, publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-97095, publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-149176 and publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-202557, proposed is a toner which the toner particle shape and surface properties are modified by thermal or mechanical impact of the toner particles synthesized by pulverization method. The developing sleeve and developing apparatus effective for reduction of consumption of the toner and stabilization of development of the toner through endurance has been awaited.

Developer carrying member and developing method by using thereof


The disclosure relates to a digital asset storage, search and retrieval system. Each digital asset may comprise one or more versions and properties. The system may access stored digital assets using hierarchical classifications under a taxonomy based on the properties. The digital assets may be assigned conditions governing usage of the assets. Via relationship networks, the digital assets may “inherit” the conditions from other digital assets.

A "digital asset" is a data object that carries marketable information content. Thus, the term covers various multimedia files, including image files, audio files (e.g., music), audio-video files and the like. The term also may cover text files or data files, such as product reports, analyses, recommendations, etc.
Digital asset management systems, as their name implies, are computer systems that permit asset owners to manage their assets. For example, a digital asset management system may permit consumer product manufacturers (who manufacture an array of products) to manage their retailers' or advertisers' use of product images throughout advertisements and other commercial notices regarding the products themselves.
In known digital asset management systems, consumers' user experiences in browsing through and retrieving digital assets may be awkward and non-intuitive. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a digital asset management system that is easy to use.
There is further a need for protection of the intellectual property that digital assets represent. Digital assets may, for example, be sold among various participants in a market. The assets typically are sold in contracts that limit ways in which a purchasing party may use the digital asset. The rights associated with the aspect of digital assets as property must be protected, and the agreements that govern such rights need to be administered and observed.

Integration of digital asset management with intellectual property management


A pneumatic tire having an outer surface of a tread portion divided into a tread pattern by grooves, in which each of the grooves has an intersect portion and an angle of an island portion surrounded by said intersect portion is different from that of another part at the same island portion. In such a tire, running performances on dry road are improved by making a distance in radial direction from an outer surface of the tread portion to a bottom of the groove at the intersect portion larger as the angle becomes smaller.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pneumatic tire having a tread pattern of an outer surface of a tread defined by grooves.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a tread pattern of the pneumatic tire, there have hitherto been known a so-called rib type pattern in which plural main grooves extending zigzag in the circumferential direction are formed on the outer surface of the tread portion to form plural ribs located between adjoining main grooves and between the main groove and the tread end, or a so-called block type pattern in which plural main grooves extending in the circumferential direction and plural transverse grooves extending substantially extending in the axial direction and crossing with the main grooves are formed on the outer surface of the tread portion to form many polygonal blocks.
In the conventional pneumatic tire, however, maximum cornering force largely lowers at a large steering angle to degrade running performances of the tire on dry road.

Pneumatic tires with varying block height


Embodiments of mechanisms for forming a micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) device are provided. The MEMS device includes a substrate and a MEMS sensor over the substrate. The MEMS sensor includes a floating heater disposed over the substrate. The MEMS sensor further includes a heat sink disposed over the substrate and at a side of the floating heater, and the heat sink has an air gap with the floating heater. The MEMS sensor further includes a first plurality of vias formed through the heat sink and thermally connected to the first substrate.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometric size (i.e., the smallest component that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. Such advances have increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs. For these advances, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed.
MEMS (microelectromechanical system) devices, such as accelerometers, pressure sensors, gyroscopes, etc, have found widespread use in many modern day electronic devices. For example, MEMS accelerometers are commonly found in automobiles (e.g., in airbag deployment systems), tablet computers, and in smart phones.
In recent years, it is increasingly common for MEMS devices to be incorporated into integrated chips formed by a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The incorporation of MEMS (e.g., sensors, integrated optics, biochips, etc.) into a CMOS process allows for widespread use of MEMS.

Mechanisms for forming micro-electro mechanical device

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD


A method for carrying out an application with the help of a portable data carrier, wherein the data carrier includes two separated communication interfaces. According to the method, a user transmits via a first terminal specified input data for processing by the application to a server via a first data connection between the first terminal and the server. Then, authentication data for authenticating the application based on the input data of the server are transmitted via a second data connection between the server and the data carrier which is connected via the first communication interface with the first terminal. The authentication data are then transmitted from the data carrier via a third data connection to the second terminal. The third data connection is realized by means of the second communication interface. Finally, upon confirmation of the authentication data by the user via the first or second terminal confirmation data to the server are transmitted via at least the first or second data connection, whereupon the server executes the application.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for carrying out an application with the help of a portable data carrier as well as a corresponding portable data carrier.
2. Related Art
Personal portable data carriers are more and more used to make it possible for users to carry out software-based useful applications with the help of software to which the user has only limited access. The target of software-based useful applications typically is to change a data stock which is managed by a third party. An example of such software-based useful applications is in particular the carrying out of electronic transactions, such as banking transactions, via the Internet. Upon carrying out software-based useful applications, hereinafter referred to as applications, with interposition of a communication between a terminal and a server, there is the need of protecting the corresponding communication connections from manipulations by third parties. This plays a role in particular upon carrying out applications in the form of electronic transactions via the Internet.
From the prior art there are known various methods for protecting transactions against manipulations. Upon electronically carrying out banking transactions, there is used in particular the PIN/TAN method in various forms. Here, a user logs in with a PIN by means of his browser to the banking server of his bank and inputs via a corresponding data connection, which preferably is cryptographically secured, the transaction data of the transaction to be carried out. In the case of the simple TAN method, the user has received a list of multi-digit TAN numbers before, while the TAN numbers are also stored on the bank server. For completing a transaction, the user must input a corresponding yet unused TAN number from the list. The bank server then checks whether the TAN is valid, i.e. comes from the user's list and has not yet been used by the user. If so, the corresponding banking transaction is finally executed by the server.
In a further development of the above TAN method, the so-called iTAN method, the user's list of TAN numbers is indexed. In order to increase the security, for completing the transaction the user is prompted to input a TAN with a specific index number. An attacker having a TAN number from the list thus possibly has to make a multiplicity of attempts for carrying out a transaction, until the server finally requests the TAN with the index which the fraudster has at the disposal. By appropriately limiting the number of misentries, the security can be suitably increased.
In a further embodiment of an electronic TAN method, the so-called mTAN method, the TAN to be inputted has not been sent to the user before in the form of a list, but the server sends the TAN as an SMS message to a personal mobile phone of the user. For confirming the transaction, the user inputs the TAN transmitted to his mobile phone, which is shown to him on the display of this device, via the user interface of the computer on which he carries out the Internet banking. This method has further advantages, since an attacker has to obtain, by means of corresponding malicious software, control of both the computer on which the Internet banking is carried out and of the user's mobile phone. This method, however, has the disadvantage that upon inputting the TAN there occur delays which are caused by the sending of the TAN SMS to the mobile phone. In addition, for the user there arise additional costs from the transmission of the TAN SMS, because the fees for sending the SMS normally are charged to the user.
DE 10 2004046847A1 discloses a method for carrying out a transaction, which is executed by means of a chip card, a PC and a server. Starting out from the PC, transaction data are transmitted via a first data connection to a server, on the one hand, and passed on via a second data connection to the chip card, on the other hand. Via a third data connection the server furthermore sends authentication data to the chip card. The chip card carries out security checks with the data obtained and effects that data contained in the authentication data are displayed for checking by a user. The method has a high security, but requires an absolutely trustworthy display. Such can be provided in a suitable card-reader device, but then causes corresponding additional expenses. In a variant, the server sends the authentication data partly to a mobile phone, on the display of which there are represented data contained in the authentication data for checking by a user. In the no-error case, the user transmits authentication information contained in the authentication data via the PC to the chip card. Since a mobile phone display can be regarded as trustworthy, the variant further increases the security. However, it requires availability and use of a mobile phone network. Thus, the applicability of the method is limited, on the one hand, and the use of the mobile phone network causes effort and costs, on the other hand.
In the document WO 2008/046575 A1 there is described a method for carrying out an application with the help of a portable data carrier, in which the application is carried out with the help of a first and second terminal with interposition of the data carrier. The method can also be used in particular for executing electronic banking transactions. The communication carried out thereby always takes place with interposition of the portable data carrier. In the method, transaction data are first inputted via the first terminal, said first terminal being in particular a personal computer. Then the data are transmitted to the portable data carrier, which forwards these to a second terminal, e.g. to a mobile phone. The transaction must then be released by a user by means of an input at the second terminal, whereupon the transaction data are transmitted from the data carrier to a server which executes the transaction.
In the document US 2003/0087601 A1 there is described the use of a security token having two interfaces for the secured data transmission between a mobile phone and a PC. The token here communicates via a contactless interface, for example based on Bluetooth or infrared, with the mobile phone and via a contact-type interface with the PC.

Method for carrying out an application with the aid of a portable data storage medium


The straightening jaw comprises a cubical chuck with a plane face end. The face end has an intake element and an exit element of a straightening groove. Between them is an opening arranged perpendicular to the face end. A straightening insert made of hard metal is inserted into the opening loosely but insured against twisting. On the face end, the straightening insert has a of saddle-shaped straightening indentation that connects the intake and exit elements. Because of this structure, long service lives of the straightening jaw and shorter down times of the straightening device causing low production costs are achieved.

Known straightening devices for straightening wire have as working parts a plurality of replaceable straightening jaws across which the wire is drawn. Depending on the type of wire to be drawn, the straightening jaws consist of different materials. For straightening wires made of reinforcing steel, for example, straightening jaws made of gray cast iron are used. The jaws wear out relatively quickly, however, particularly if the wire to be straightened has a profile that protrudes outward. This results in a short service life for the straightening jaws.

Straightening jaws for a straightening device for straightening wire


A high carbon cold-rolled steel sheet having both excellent stretch-flange formability and excellent homogeneity of hardness in the sheet thickness direction is provided by a manufacturing method having the steps of: hot-rolling a steel containing 0.2 to 0.7% C by mass at finishing temperatures of (Ar3 transformation point −20° C.) or above to prepare a hot-rolled sheet; cooling the hot-rolled sheet to temperatures of 650° C. or below at cooling rates from 60° C./s or larger to smaller than 120° C./s; coiling the hot-rolled sheet after cooling at coiling temperatures of 600° C. or below; cold-rolling the coiled hot-rolled sheet at rolling reductions of 30% or more to prepare a cold-rolled sheet; and annealing the cold-rolled sheet at annealing temperatures from 600° C. or larger to Ac1 transformation point or lower.

Users of high carbon steel sheets as tools, automotive parts (gear and transmission), and the like request excellent workability because these steel sheets are formed in various complex shapes. In recent years, on the other hand, requirement of reduction in the cost for manufacturing parts increases. Responding to the requirement, some working processes are eliminated and working methods are changed. For example, as the forming technology of automobile driving system parts using high carbon steel sheets, there was developed a double-acting forming technique which allows applying thickness-additive forming process and realizes significant shortening of manufacturing process, and the technique has been brought into practical applications in a part of industries, (for example, refer to Journal of the JSTP, 44, pp. 409-413, (2003)).
Along with that movement, the high carbon steel sheets face ever-increasing request of workability to attain higher ductility than ever. Since some of the parts are often subjected to hole-expansion (burring) treatment after punching, they are wanted to have excellent stretch-flange formability.
Furthermore, from the viewpoint of cost reduction accompanied with increase in the product yield, these steel sheets are strongly requested to have homogeneous mechanical properties. In particular, the homogeneity of hardness in the sheet thickness direction is keenly desired because large differences of hardness in the steel sheet thickness direction between the surface portion and the central portion significantly deteriorate the punching tool during punching.
To answer these requests, several technologies were studied to improve the workability and homogeneous mechanical properties of high carbon steel sheets.
For example, JP-A-9-157758, (the term "JP-A" referred to herein signifies the "Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication")), proposed a method for manufacturing high carbon cold-rolled workable steel strip having improved workability by the steps of:                hot-rolling a high carbon steel having a specified chemical composition, followed by descaling therefrom;        annealing the steel in a hydrogen atmosphere (95% or more of hydrogen by volume) while specifying heating rate, soaking temperature (Ac1 transformation point or above), and soaking time depending on the chemical composition;        cooling the annealed steel at cooling rates of 100° C./hr or smaller to prepare a hot-rolled workable steel strip having excellent structural homogeneity and workability (ductility);        cold-rolling the steel strip at rolling reductions from 20 to 90%; and        finish-annealing the steel at temperatures from 600° C. to 720° C. in a nitrogen-atmosphere furnace or the like.
Furthermore, for example, JP-A-5-9588 proposed a method for manufacturing high carbon cold-rolled steel thin sheet having good workability by the steps of:                rolling a steel at finishing temperatures of (Ac1 transformation point +30° C.) or above to prepare a steel sheet;        cooling the steel sheet to temperatures from 20° C. to 500° C. at cooling rates from 10 to 100° C./s;        holding the steel sheet for 1 to 10 seconds;        reheating the steel sheet to temperatures from 500° C. to (Ac1 transformation point +30° C.), followed by coiling the steel sheet;        soaking the steel sheet, at need, at temperatures from 650° C. to (Ac1 transformation point +30° C.) for 1 hour or more; and        applying a cycle of cold-rolling and annealing at temperatures from 650° C. to (Ac1 transformation point +30° C.) for 1 hour or more, at least once.
Other than above, as the hot-rolled steel sheets, JP-A-3-174909, for example, proposed a method for manufacturing stably a high carbon hot-rolled steel strip having excellent homogeneous mechanical properties in the longitudinal direction of coil by the steps of:                dividing a hot-run table (or run-out table) into an accelerated cooling zone and an air-cooling zone;        applying accelerated cooling to a finish-rolled steel strip to a specific temperature or below determined by the length of cooling zone, the transfer speed of steel sheet, the chemical composition of the steel, and the like; and then        applying air-cooling to the steel strip.
The cooling rate in the accelerated cooling zone according to JP-A-3-174909 is about 20 to about 30° C./s suggested by FIG. 3 in the disclosure.
In addition, for example, JP-A-2003-13145 proposed a method for manufacturing high carbon hot-rolled steel sheet having excellent stretch-flanging formability by the steps of:                using a steel containing 0.2 to 0.7% C by mass;        hot-rolling the steel at finishing temperatures of (Ar3 transformation point −20° C.) or above;        cooling the steel sheet at cooling rates of higher than 120° C./s and at cooling-stop temperatures of not higher than 650° C.;        coiling the steel sheet at temperatures of 600° C. or below; and then        annealing the steel sheet at temperatures from 640° C. or larger to Ac1 transformation point or lower.
Although the object does not agree with that of above examples, JP-A-2003-73742 disclosed a technology for manufacturing high carbon hot-rolled steel sheet which satisfies the above requirements except for selecting the cooling-stop temperature of 620° C. or below. In addition, JP-A-2003-73740 disclosed a technology for manufacturing high carbon cold-rolled steel sheet which satisfies the above requirements except for selecting the cooling-stop temperatures of 620° C. or below and applying the annealing after cold-rolling at rolling reductions of 30% or more.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of manufacturing high carbon cold-rolled steel sheet


System and method for analyzing position data and fuel injector data from a vehicle equipped with a geographical position system (GPS) and fuel injector sensors to enable fuel use patterns of the vehicle to be analyzed. Data defining a flow of fuel through the vehicle's fuel injectors is combined with temporal data and GPS data to produce fuel use encoded GPS data that is transmitted to a remote computer. The fuel use encoded GPS data can be analyzed to determine how much fuel was used by the vehicle during off road use to enable proper fuel tax computations to be performed. The data can also be used to evaluate the mechanical condition of a vehicle. By monitoring fuel use for a trip repeated numerous times, a decrease in fuel efficiency may indicate a mechanical problem (dirty injectors, fouled spark plugs, etc).

As the cost of sensors, communications systems and navigational systems has dropped, operators of commercial and fleet vehicles now have the ability to collect a tremendous amount of data about the vehicles that they operate, including geographical position data (generally referred to herein as GPS data, noting that position data can be collected by systems related to but distinct from the well known Global Positioning System) collected during the operation of the vehicle.
Vehicle fleet operators often operate vehicles along predefined and generally invariant routes. For example, buses frequently operate on predefined routes, according to a predefined time schedule (for example, along a route that is geographically, as well as temporally defined). It would be desirable to provide new techniques for analyzing data collected from vehicles transiting such predefined routes over time, to aid in identifying vehicle performance problems requiring servicing.
Vehicle fleet operators often operate vehicles both on road and off road. Significantly, fuel tax is calculated differently for on road and off road use. It would be desirable to provide new techniques for analyzing data collected from vehicles operating both on road and off road, to enable fuel tax calculations to be performed more accurately.

Method and apparatus to encode fuel use data with GPS data and to analyze such data


Calibration of measuring instruments resides in measuring external references which themselves have been measured with other devices and contain positioning errors. A method/system/apparatus is disclosed for calibration of a measuring instrument using at least two partial systems, one having structural elements that can be imaged on a detecting component to calibrate the instrument without the use of external references.

A quality feature of sensors or measuring instruments is the distribution of errors with which the measured values produced by them are associated: typically, it is required that the measurement errors lie with a specified probability within the specified limits or their mean value and their standard deviation lie within specified limits. In the production of measuring instruments, it may be technically or economically advantageous to ignore the accuracy specification and subsequently to determine the systematic measurement errors consciously accepted thereby by a suitable method—referred to below as calibration—and to reduce said errors computationally or by adjustments of the measuring instrument to such an extent that the accuracy specifications are fulfilled in subsequent measurements.
Calibration of measuring instruments, for example of angle-measuring instruments of the type described in CH 658 514 A5, consists in measuring, with the still uncalibrated instrument, a number of known measurement positions—referred to below as reference positions—and declaring the difference between measured positions and reference positions as measurement errors at the measured points and interpolating these, by a mathematical model describing their dominant components, over the total measuring range of the measuring instrument and processing them numerically and storing them in such a way that they can be computationally compensated in all subsequent measurements, the apparatus correction of the measuring instrument by adjusting devices provided for this purpose representing in principle an alternative. A characteristic feature of the calibration of background art is that it is based on external measurement (for measuring the reference positions).
The use of external systems/methods of measurement for calibrating measuring instruments gives rise to two difficulties, a fundamental one and a technical one. The common cause of both difficulties is the fact that knowledge of the reference positions is also incomplete: incorrect measurements are "corrected" on the basis of other incorrect measurements. This can be effected only by dividing the differences between the two measurements into an instrument error and a reference error. In accordance with background art to date, this division is effected on the basis of a statistical estimation procedure which in turn is based on statistical assumptions relating to the correlation of the errors of the two measurements. The credibility and reliability of these assumptions can be established only by further measurements, with the result that a further calibration problem arises. The basically endless cascade of calibration which begins in this way—the fundamental difficulty mentioned—is ended in practice by ensuring that the accuracy of the knowledge of the reference positions is much higher than the accuracy of measurement required by the calibrated measuring instrument. This gives rise to a technical difficulty that a more accurate measurement procedure has to be provided for the reference positions for each measuring instrument to be calibrated, which, for example in the case of angle measurements with accuracies of angular measurement in the sub-angular second range, is technically complicated and hence uneconomical. Moreover, owing to the technical requirements with respect to the reference positions, calibration methods of background art are generally carried out by the manufacturer, which makes it more difficult to effect continuous calibration of the measuring instrument for compensation of environmental influences and wear and aging processes.
The problems inherent to background art to date can be solved only by eliminating their cause, i.e. effecting the calibration without the use of external measuring systems/methods.

Method for calibrating a measuring instrument


A wall-mounted storage system comprises a generally elongated mounting channel having upper and lower rows or hook-receiving openings defined thereby. The system further includes a plurality of storage attachments which are selectively removably positionable on the mounting channel. Each of the attachments includes at least one pair of vertically-spaced, downwardly opening hook-elements. Each pair of hook-elements can be selectively positioned in a respective pair of vertically aligned ones of the hook-receiving openings in the mounting channel, with the variously configured storage attachments providing a highly versatile and easily customized storage system.

The present invention relates generally to storage racks and like devices for holding tools, gardening implements, and other articles, and more particularly to a wall-mounted storage system which includes a mounting channel, and a variety of different attachments which can be selectively secured to the mounting channel to customize the storage system for holding a wide variety of different articles.
Various types of storage arrangements are known in the prior art for storing tools, gardening implements, recreational equipment, and like articles on a wall or other mounting surface. Such arrangements may include hooks or racks which are secured to the wall, such as with suitable mechanical fasteners. The use of so-called pegboard, comprising an array of holes into which hooks or other racks can be selectively mounted, is also known, with this arrangement permitting the removable hooks or like support elements to be positioned as desired for the particular articles to be stored.
Unfortunately, storage devices such as noted above do not always provide sufficiently secure and versatile storage of articles. Because articles to be stored may vary greatly in size and weight, not all racks or hooks can be readily employed for a wide variety of articles. In the case of pegboard storage arrangements, the typical hooks or racks which are mounted in the board are generally secured therein under the influence of gravity, and can be easily dislodged, thus detracting from convenient and secure use.
It is therefore desirable to provide a storage arrangement for articles which is versatile in use, while still providing convenient, yet secure adjustment for different types of articles.
A wall-mounted storage system embodying the principles of the present invention has been particularly configured for highly versatile and convenient use by consumers, while permitting secure and stable interengagement of the components of the system. The system comprises a wall-mounted mounting channel which can be conveniently and securely mounted in a garage, workshop, closet, or other area where articles are stored. The system further includes a variety of differently configured storage attachments which can be selectively removably mounted on the mounting channel. The various attachments permit the present system to be readily configured for holding and storing a wide variety of differently sized and shaped articles. Notably, the system is specifically configured to permit the various attachments to be securely, yet removably, mounted on the mounting channel. A highly versatile, yet stable, storage system is thus provided.
In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the present storage system includes an elongated mounting channel having a generally U-shaped cross-section, including upper and lower leg portions, and a forwardly facing web portion extending between the leg portions. The web portion defines upper and lower rows of laterally spaced, hook-receiving openings, with each of the hook-receiving openings being generally vertically elongated. Respective ones of the openings of the upper and lower rows are vertically aligned with each other to facilitate selective mounting of various storage attachments thereon.
The system further includes a plurality of storage attachments which are selectively, removably positionable on the mounting channel. Each of the attachments includes at least one pair of vertically-spaced, downwardly opening hook-elements. Each of the hook-elements defines an upwardly converging opening, whereby each pair of the hook-elements of each of the attachments can be selectively positioned in a respective pair of vertically aligned ones of the hook-receiving openings in the upper and lower rows of openings in the mounting channel.
Highly stable and secure mounting of the storage attachments on the mounting channel is achieved by configuring each of the hook-elements to resiliently receive the web portion of the mounting rail which is positioned beneath the respective one of the hook-receiving openings. Resilient deformation of the web portion acts to secure each of the storage attachments to the mounting channel, yet permits each of the storage attachments to be removed from the channel as may be required.
Versatility of the present system is enhanced by providing at least the upper leg portion of the mounting channel with a plurality of laterally spaced, article receiving openings. Preferably, both the upper and lower leg portions of the mounting channel define a plurality of laterally spaced openings, thus permitting insertion of tools, or other articles through the mounting channel for storage in addition to that provided by the storage attachments.
The present invention contemplates the provision of a wide variety of different storage attachments. One form of attachment comprises an outwardly extending rack extension. This type of attachment comprises a vertical plate portion having one of the pairs of vertically-spaced hook-elements at the rear thereof, and a horizontal plate portion extending from the vertical plate portion. The horizontal plate portion defines a plurality of spaced apart openings for receiving articles therein. In one illustrated embodiment of the rack extension, the extension includes a laterally spaced pair of the vertical plate portions, with the horizontal plate portion extending therebetween. The vertical plate portions each define a plurality of spaced apart, hook-like article-receiving openings, thus permitting a set of wrenches, for example, to be carried by the rack extension.
Other ones of the attachments comprise one-piece (i.e., unitary) storage compartments which comprise a pair of laterally spaced sidewalls, each of which include a pair of the vertically-spaced hook-elements at the rear thereof. These compartments comprise a floor extending integrally between the side walls, and front and rear walls extending integrally from the floor.
Another one of the attachments is provided in the form of a shelf support bracket, comprising a vertical plate portion having the pair of vertically-spaced hook-elements at the rear thereof. The vertical plate portion includes upper and lower rearward extensions respectively positioned above and below the hook-elements for respective positioning above and below the mounting channel when the shelf support bracket is mounted thereon. The shelf support bracket further includes a horizontal support flange at an upper edge of the vertical plate portion. By this configuration, an associated shelf member can be positioned on top of the horizontal flanges of a laterally spaced pair of the shelf support brackets when the brackets are mounted on the mounting channel.
A number of the attachments comprise a generally U-shaped mounting portion having a pair of laterally spaced side legs, each of which has a pair of the vertically spaced hook-elements at the rear thereof. These attachments provide highly secure and stable mounting on the mounting channel, by virtue of each having two pairs of the hook-elements. One of these attachments comprises a magnetic mounting element secured at the front of the U-shaped mounting portion, while other ones comprise a support rod extending outwardly from between the side legs of the mounting portion. In one embodiment, vertically spaced, upper and lower U-shaped support rods respectively extend outwardly from above and below the U-shaped mounting portion, with the U-shaped support rods thus configured to receive a power tool or like article.
Other embodiments of the attachments include a rear plate portion having a pair of vertically spaced hook-elements at the rear thereof. These attachments include a support arm which extends outwardly from the rear plate portion for receiving an article to be stored. In one embodiment, the support arm of the attachment is configured to receive an elongated article, such as a fishing rod, with the present system including a support tray positionable beneath the mounting channel to support the lower end of the elongated article.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.


An auto-play apparatus has a ROM which pre-stores arpeggio pattern data including a sequence pattern, a trigger pattern, and a gater pattern, and a tone signal generation circuit for generating tones on the basis of these arpeggio pattern data. The apparatus can execute, in addition to a basic, monophonic arpeggio play according to depression of a keyboard unit, arpeggio plays in various play modes such as a polyphonic arpeggio play allowing to simultaneously produce two or more tones of those that form a chord, an arpeggio play allowing to simultaneously produce all the tones corresponding to ON keys, an arpeggio play allowing to gradually change the volume in a single pitch, and the like, thus broadening expression amplitude of performance.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an auto-play apparatus for automatically playing an arpeggio in response to key operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional electronic musical instruments such as an electronic piano, electronic keyboard, synthesizer, and the like can be played by operating keys on a keyboard unit. During the play, the tone colors, volumes, effects, and the like of tones produced by the electronic musical instrument are controlled in accordance with preset tone parameter data.
That is, when a player operates keys on the keyboard unit, corresponding tone waveform data are read out from a waveform data memory on the basis of key data representing the key operation states, and tone parameter data including the tone colors, volumes, effects, and the like set by operation members on a control panel unit. The readout tone waveform data are modified to produce desired tones.
Some of such electronic musical instruments comprise an automatic arpeggio play apparatus (arpeggiator). An arpeggio is a broken chord, notes of which are arranged in a broken pattern, and also means technique of such performance. For example, when C, E, and G keys are simultaneously pressed on the keyboard, the arpeggiator controls the play to produce the corresponding tones in turn one by one like C, E, G, C, E, G, . . . while the keys are kept pressed.
Normally, the arpeggiator has some play patterns such as an up pattern (C, E,G, C, E, G, . . . ), a down pattern (G, E, C, G, E, C, . . . ), a random pattern, and the like, and can also control the range, speed, and the like. The arpeggio pattern data are programmed as preset data, and the arpeggio play is controlled by reading out the preset data in correspondence with ON key events and supplying the readout data to a tone generation circuit.
However, the conventional arpeggiator can only play a basic, monophonic arpeggio that produces only one tone at one time. For this reason, although two tones composing a chord are often produced simultaneously in actual arpeggio performance, the conventional arpeggiator cannot play such arpeggio. Furthermore, the conventional arpeggiator cannot simultaneously produce tones corresponding to ON keys.
Moreover, since tones are switched by turning on/off notes, if a tone whose tone color changes in a single pitch is to be obtained, the generated tones sound discontinuous due to the note ON/OFF sequence.
The conventional arpeggiator does not allow the user to edit the pattern data prepared as preset data, and does not allow the user to create his or her desired arpeggio patterns.


A method, system and computer program product for handling an electronic message in a data processing system are disclosed. The method comprises receiving an electronic message and storing the electronic message in a message store. An address of the electronic message is stored in a primary queue and the address of the electronic message is stored in one or more configured shadow queues. Responsive to successful completion of one or more tasks related to the electronic message, the address of the electronic message is deleted from the associated queue, and responsive to completion of all tasks related to the electronic message, the electronic message is deleted from the message store.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to system message transmission and in particular to message queuing in a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system, method and computer program product for implementing shadow queues for recovery of messages.
2. Description of the Related Art
In distributed computing environments, the performance of tasks is driven by the routing of incoming messages into and out of a queue. The handling of queues for performance frequently damages queue reliability by removing data prematurely. An example of a system driven by incoming events is present in the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE).
In such a system, particularly for enterprise applications, a messaging queue is present, which contains a table of addresses of messages in a message store and routes messages to components at an appropriate time based on queuing rules. Components "listen to the queue" by receiving and processing incoming messages. Users of Java 2 Enterprise Edition refer to this mechanism as the java messaging service (JMS).
In some systems, queuing behavior is specified by programming constructs. In Java 2 Enterprise Edition, a message-driven bean (MDB) is a construct that specifies the queuing behavior of messages. Users of such message constructs implement an "onMessage" component to the message, in which the programmer deals specifically with the content of the incoming message while the underlying MDB infrastructure handles the system details, such as message queueing and routing, and communication details, such as Domain Name Server behavior, in a user-transparent fashion.
Specifically, incoming messages in a Java 2 Enterprise Edition environment are received and stored onto a message database. The lifetime of a message stored in the message database is equivalent to the receiving MDB's transaction lifetime (i.e. until the next asynchronous hop). However the lifetime of a J2EE application transaction can exceed an MDB's transaction lifetime, thus requiring the availability of actual messages beyond the J2EE transaction lifetime. Recovery purposes represent a common use of message stores and therefore consume a significant portion of system resources.
Systems such as those described above are designed to provide transactional support. As a result, if there are multiple tasks within a transaction, they typically exhibit "all or nothing" behavior. If any of them fails, then all are classified as having failed together. The "all or nothing" behavior is provided by the fact that, at the end of any transaction, the system will check all internal tasks within the transaction. If any component transaction fails, then all component transactions are rolled back to their original state.
Normally, transactions end upon a shift to another queue or another thread, when the originating MDB completes its invocation and arrives at the back end of the transaction, ending the transaction. Subsequently, as a part of a message database cleanup, the message is cleaned from the queue. However, if the application is an event-driven system with multiple asynchronous hops, such behavior will lead to premature message deletion before all the asynchronous hops are completed, a state which hinders features such as failure recovery.
The prior art method used to circumvent such problems is to store the incoming message in a separate persistent store (a database or a persistent queue) which is associated with an application's transaction lifetime as opposed to a J2EE component's transaction lifetime. This method excessively consumes system resources and inhibits performance. A solution is needed that addresses the resource consumption problems associated with the prior art. What is needed is a system, method and computer program product for implementing shadow queues for recovery of messages.

International Business Machines Corporation


A multi-wavelength laser device includes at least two of a blue laser diode, a red laser diode, and an infrared laser diode, which are arranged in the same direction on the same base. One laser light emission point is arranged behind another in increasing order of wavelengths of the laser diodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical pickup device compatible with plural kinds of optical disks, and more particularly to a multi-wavelength laser device capable of emitting laser beams with a plurality of wavelengths.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, it has been actively tried to develop record media with increased record density and also recording and reproducing devices therefor. Digital versatile disks (DVD), for example, are being widely used in a variety of fields as record media for images and are expected to be in increased demand in the future. Therefore, there is a growing demand for developing an optical pickup compatible with a conventional compact disk (CD), a recordable and reproducible CD (CD-R, CD-RW), and a DVD.
At present, a semiconductor laser diode (LD) with a 650 nm wavelength band is used as a light source for reproduction of DVDs. An LD with a 780 nm wavelength band is used for CDs and CD-Rs. An LD with a 410 nm wavelength band is to be used for the next generation DVDs. There are differences between recording and reproducing standards on the CD, CD-R/RW and DVD, and it is impossible for only one type of an LD to cover such different standards. Thus, it is desired to install a pickup or pickups capable of reading and writing with laser beams of different kinds of wavelengths in order to ensure the recording and reproducing compatibility between various devices.
In this case, three pickups corresponding to respective wavelengths may be installed in a recording and reproducing device. However, installing as many as three pickups in a recording and reproducing device inevitably increases the size of the recording and reproducing device and also causes increase in costs. Therefore, it is preferable that one pickup enables reading and writing for three kinds of media. To this end, it becomes necessary to use a multi-wavelength laser device capable of emitting three wavelengths for an optical pickup. Specifically, it is desired to provide a semiconductor laser device in which an infrared semiconductor LD with a wavelength of 780 nm, a red semiconductor LD with a wavelength of 650 nm and a blue semiconductor LD with a wavelength of 410 nm are arranged proximate to each other.
A schematic perspective view in FIG. 18 shows an exemplary multi-wavelength semiconductor laser device formed by integrating three kinds of semiconductor LDs with emission wavelengths different from each other (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-174398). The device of FIG. 18 is a so-called hybrid-type multi-wavelength laser device in which LDs as separately fabricated are integrated together. More specifically, along a flat side surface of a heat sink 131, semiconductor LDs 132, 133 and 134 respectively having infrared, red and blue emission wavelengths are mounted in this order such that emission directions of their laser beams are substantially parallel to each other. Wires 135, 136 and 137 are connected to these LDs 132, 133 and 134, respectively, so that each LD can operate independently. Such a hybrid-type multi-wavelength laser device is advantageous in that a defective LD can be replaced with a normal LD, thereby preventing reduction in yields of the multi-wavelength laser devices.
On the other hand, it has not been considered how to arrange three or more LDs having emission wavelengths different from each other when they are integrated together. According to thought of the inventors, however, in the case of integrating a plurality of LDs for use, relation between the arrangement of a plurality of LDs and the optical system of the optical pickup should be taken into consideration and it is important to arrange a plurality of LDs appropriately.
Ideally, it is desirable to prepare one optical system corresponding to one wavelength of the laser, similarly as in the case where three pickups are installed in one recording and reproducing device. This, however, does not bring about the advantage of integrating a plurality of LDs in one pickup. Similarly as in a pickup equipped with an LD of only one emission wavelength, therefore, a single optical system is to be preferably used even in a pickup including a plurality of LDs. In the laser device with a plurality of LDs integrated, on the other hand, it is physically impossible to coincidently position the emission points of those LDs at one point. Therefore, it is difficult for a single optical system to perform the functions of a plurality of optical systems that are optimum for respective LDs with respective wavelengths.


When an electric motor is rotated normally, a left-hand driving wheel is rotated normally by a drive gear through a large gear, a left-hand small gear, and a left-hand driven gear, and a right-hand driving wheel is also rotated normally through a right-hand small gear, a swing gear, an intermediate gear, and a right-hand driven gear, thereby causing the vehicle toy to run straight. When the electric motor is switched to a reverse rotation, the left-hand driving wheel is rotated reversely, and the swing gear is brought into engagement directly with the right-hand driven gear to rotate the right-hand driving wheel normally. As a result, the vehicle toy makes a continuous turn at a small radius of rotation. Since the swing gear is turnably attached to a switch arm which is capable of turning about a gear shaft of the large gear, the swing gear is moved in accordance with the normal rotation and reverse rotation of the right-hand small gear, and brought into engagement with either of the intermediate gear and the right-hand driven gear.

This invention relates to a drive apparatus for a vehicle toy having a pair of driving wheels such as an automatic vehicle toy.
There is known a drive apparatus for a vehicle toy, in which a pair of driving wheels are rotated in a same direction by an electric motor mounted on a body of the vehicle toy through a transmission unit in order to run the vehicle toy straight, and in which one of the driving wheels is rotated by the electric motor while keeping the other wheel stopped in order to cause the vehicle toy to make a continuous turn or a U-turn.
However, the above conventional drive apparatus for a vehicle toy has the shortcoming that since the vehicle toy is caused to make a continuous turn or a U-turn by rotating one of the driving wheels and keeping the other stopped, a radius of rotation of the vehicle toy becomes large.


A pump for pumping viscous liquid. The pump includes a body, an elongate core, and a tube surrounding the core. A stepper or servo motor mounted on the body has a selectively rotatable output shaft. A transmission operatively connecting the motor output shaft and the elongate tube reciprocates the tube between a raised position and a lowered position. An inlet check valve defining an expansible lower chamber is oriented to open during each downward pumping stroke so liquid enters the lower chamber. The pump includes a pump chamber and a feed passage connecting the lower chamber to the pump chamber. The passage has a check valve oriented to open during each upward stroke to deliver liquid from the lower chamber to the pump chamber. An outlet passage connected to the pump chamber permits liquid to flow from the pump chamber to an outlet on each upward and downward stroke.

The pump of this invention is in the same field as the pumps shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,187,684; 2,636,441; 2,787,225; 3,469,532; 3,502,029; 3,945,772; 4,487,340; 4,762,474; and 6,102,676, the latter of which is directed to a lance pump sold by Lincoln Industrial Corporation of St. Louis, Mo., under the trademark Flow Master®. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/331,249 describes another pump in the same general field as the pump of this invention. Although lance pumps such as those identified above have been commercially successful, there is a need for a pump that provides a selectively variable output pressure and reduces a need for complicated reduction gearing.

Lance pump having horizontally mounted stepper/servo motor


A microswitch is provided near each end of each grooved roller. The microswitch has a rod-shaped contact shoe, and is operated if a wire derailed from the grooved roller contacts the contact shoe. An operational signal is sent from the microswitch to a control apparatus, and the control apparatus receives the operational signal so as to detect that the wire is derailed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire derailment detecting apparatus of a wire saw, and more particularly to a wire derailment detecting apparatus of a wire saw which slices a workpiece such as a semiconductor ingot into a number of wafers by a running wire.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a wire saw, a wire, which runs at a high speed between a pair of wire reels, is wound on a plurality of grooved rollers to form a wire row. The workpiece is pressed against the wire row supplied with manufacturing solution including abrasive grains. As a result, the workpiece can be sliced into a number of wafers by lapping action of the abrasive grains.
In the wire saw, the wire must be prevented from snapping while the workpiece is being sliced. The wire is snapped mainly because the wire is derailed from the grooved rollers forming the wire row, and because the wire is derailed from the guide roller guiding the running wire.
In order to detect whether the wire is derailed, there is a method in that a pair of the wire reels are electrically insulated from a body of the wire saw, and a constant voltage is applied between the wire reels. Then, when a drop in the voltage is detected, then it is determined that the wire is derailed. This method is based on the following facts. That is, many of the grooved rollers and the guide rollers are made of resin such as rubber, polyurethane, polyethylene, or the like. If the wire is normally wound on the rollers, there is a constant difference in voltage between the wire reels. If the wire is derailed, the wire contacts the body of the wire saw, and the voltage is dropped.
The current manufacturing solution of the wire saw is usually oil-based. The oil-based manufacturing solution is faced with problems in which the sliced wafer cannot be cleansed sufficiently, the user becomes stained with the solution, and the environment is polluted. Therefore, a water-based manufacturing solution has been recently developed to an extent that it can be put to practical use.
However, if the conventional method of electrically detecting the derailment is applied to the wire saw performing the slicing by means of the water-based manufacturing solution, the manufacturing solution conducts electricity. Thus, there are disadvantages in that the operation is incorrect and the detection is delayed.

Wire derailment detecting apparatus of wire saw


A method for visualizing a position of a vehicle configured for navigating a pipe within the pipe on a display device wherein the visualization on the display device is at least partially performed based on a virtual representation and the pipe is graphically represented at least in sections and preferably in a form of lines defining its enveloping surfaces on the display device, wherein the vehicle and preferably its movement is also represented on the display device thus within the pipe.

When work is done in a closed pipe, robots are typically being used which are configured to inspect the pipe and also perform work on the pipe. In particular for doing work on the pipe, robots of this type which are typically configured as vehicles include at least one tool.
A special operating area for vehicles of this type is repairing damaged pipes which are damaged in particular through leaks in a wall of the pipe. In order to repair damages of this type, a so-called liner is inserted into the respective pipe. The liner is a hose shaped elongated structure which is applied from an inside of the pipe circumferentially to an inner wall of the pipe and which forms a new pipe wall which covers and seals the damaged locations. A liner of this type, however, in addition to covering undesirable damages, also covers areas which have been kept open intentionally. These are in particular inlets of other pipes which should certainly be kept open after a repair.
The vehicle or robot recited of the general type supra is used to process those openings in the pipe wall which have been closed by the liner unintentionally, wherein for example the recited tool is used. Through this tool, the wall formed by the liner can be locally milled open or bored open in order to relieve the desired opening in the original pipe wall again. In practical applications, there are in particular two problems.
On the one hand side, after inserting the liner, positions of the inlets which were previously easily identifiable for example by a camera are not optically detectable anymore. In order to still move the vehicle to the correct locations along the pipe after inserting the liner and in order to mill the liner open at the correct locations through the tool, a map is typically produced by running the vehicle through the pipe according to the known technique, wherein the map subsequently facilitates correctly positioning the vehicle and the tool.
This method has problems in that it is prone to many errors, which makes it very likely that the pipe or the liner is processed in a faulty manner. Thus, it occurs frequently that some of these inlets are omitted when inlets that are closed by the liner are being milled open, drilling is performed at the wrong locations, inlets cannot be found anymore, and similar. In particular, known devices that are available to operators are typically insufficient to provide low error proneness.
On the other hand side, dust and contaminants are generated while processing the inserted liner with the tool of the robot. Devices for providing orientation within the pipe which are based on transmitting images of a camera or similar are thus typically unusable for the operator since the contamination typically blocks a clear view of the respectively processed location. Accordingly, the operator does not have any detailed information regarding the orientation of the tool, work progress and similar, during the processing. Instead, the operator has to perform the processing in steps, this means interrupted over and over again and wait until the dust created during processing has settled and a clear view of the pipe wall is reestablished. The required time is very detrimental, because relieving the inlet is particularly time critical. The inlets must not be locked too long, since otherwise water flowing for example from a connected dwelling backs up in the branch pipe and can cause damages. Furthermore, the processing time for the finished liner should be kept as short as possible for cost reasons.
For example, DE 10 2010 044 465 A1 illustrates a vehicle which is configured with sensors. These sensors capture data, among other things regarding a position of the tool of the vehicle and forward the data to a processing unit which is in turn connected with a display unit. On this display unit, for example, the inclination of the robot, with respect to its longitudinal axis and transversal axis, is illustrated. Information of this type can be very useful during processing; however, it is not suited to solve the problems recited supra.

Method for visualizing a position of a vehicle navigating a pipe


The present invention is designed such that, when a user terminal performs radio communication using a plurality of serving cells of different component carriers, it is possible to flexibly report aperiodic channel state information of a serving cell required on the network side among the plurality of serving cells. A radio base station apparatus transmits an uplink scheduling grant, which includes an identification field that identifies an uplink serving cell where an uplink shared channel is allocated among a plurality of uplink serving cells and a request field that requests reporting of aperiodic channel state information from a user terminal, to the user terminal, via a downlink control channel, and the user terminal reports aperiodic channel state information of a downlink serving cell that is designated by a combination of the identification field and the request field, to the radio base station apparatus, via the uplink shared channel.

In the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network, for the purposes of further increasing high-speed data rates, providing low delay and so on, long-term evolution (LTE) has been under study (Non-Patent Literature 1). In LTE, as multiplexing schemes, a scheme that is based on OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) is used on the downlink, and a scheme that is based on SC-FDMA (Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access) is used on the uplink.
In the LTE system, uplink signals are mapped to adequate radio resources and transmitted from a user terminal to a radio base station apparatus. To be more specific, uplink user data is transmitted using an uplink shared channel (PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel). Also, the PUSCH is used when uplink control information (UCI) is transmitted with uplink user data, and an uplink control channel (PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel) is used when uplink control information alone is transmitted.
In uplink control information (UCI), a delivery acknowledgment (ACK/NACK) in response to a downlink shared channel (PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel)), a scheduling request, channel state information (CSI) and so on are included (see, for example, non-patent literature 2). The channel state information (hereinafter referred to as "CSI") is information that is based on the instantaneous downlink channel state, and includes, for example, channel quality information (CQI), the precoding matrix indicator (PMI), the rank indicator (RI) and so on. This CSI is reported from the user terminal to the radio base station apparatus periodically or aperiodically.
In response to a trigger from the radio base station apparatus, aperiodic channel state information (aperiodic CSI) is reported from the user terminal to that radio base station. This trigger (aperiodic CSI triggering) is included in an uplink scheduling grant (hereinafter referred to as "UL (uplink) grant") (DCI format 0/4) that is transmitted in a downlink control channel (PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel). The user terminal reports the aperiodic channel state information (hereinafter referred to as "A-CSI") using the PUSCH designated by the UL grant, in accordance with the trigger included in the UL grant. Such reporting of A-CSI is also referred to as "aperiodic channel state information reporting" (aperiodic CSI (CQI/PMI/RI) reporting).

Aperiodic channel state information reporting method, radio base station apparatus and user terminal


A chambered electric guitar body according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes at least five contiguous closed chambers enclosed in the assembled monolithic top and bottom parts comprised of a generally solid material such as a metal. The autonomous dimensions of the chambers, cubic volumes, and thickness as well as the density of the material, allow customization of shape and guitar performance. This is accomplished by using the method provided to produce the monolithic structures using digital technology, CAD and CNC machining to achieve desired specifications.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to stringed musical instruments. The present invention relates more particularly to an electric guitar having a solid body based on monolithic construction that is configured so as to endow the guitar with custom performance characteristics achieved by precision manufacturing to desired specifications.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
This invention relates to stringed musical instruments, such as guitars, and to methods for making such stringed instruments. Stringed instruments traditionally have been constructed of wood, but also have been fabricated from other materials such as plastics, molded composite materials, and combinations of such materials. In many conventional stringed instruments, the various components are constructed separately, and then joined to form a finished instrument. Because the structural integrity of a stringed instrument affects the tonal quality and sound output of the instrument, stringed instruments made from separately joined parts experience some loss in sound quality. A musical instrument is known by its tone; in fact, tone is everything. There are numerous guitar designs, each producing a slightly different tone. Guitars vary widely not only to accommodate the various types of sound qualities desired, but also to display aesthetic qualities that reflect the user's particular style or personality. Generally there are two basic types of guitar, a hollow-bodied, thin shell, resonant guitar, such as the classic Spanish guitar, and a solid-bodied guitar, such as an electric guitar. The hollow-bodied guitar depends largely for its tone and volume on the resonance within and of the hollow body produced by the vibrating strings. The electric guitar, on the other hand, depends largely for its tone and volume upon the interaction of the vibrating strings with the magnetic field produced by a pickup positioned under the strings. Generally the hollow-bodied guitar produces a softer, mellower tone, whereas the solid body electric guitar produces a crisper, brighter tone, one of longer duration.
Over the centuries stringed musical instruments have experimented with the shape, size, and materials of construction for the main body. This has led to the familiar sounds produced by violins, guitars, cellos and basses, the sound of each being determined by the materials and design characteristics.
Wood, an organic material, has been the material of choice to produce these instruments. The selections of wood cuts (encompassing all varieties of woods), have been used to obtain the variations of tone and pitch within each class of instrument. The manufacturers of these instruments are continually striving to produce the sound desired by the player and further attempting to replicate the desired instruments' characteristics during manufacture of same.
Wood, being subject to vagaries of nature, has many distinct disadvantages which result in defects and undesirable tonal variations. These variations result from changes in the wood due to environmental growing conditions, the most prominent being temperature and humidity. These parameters can result in the swelling or shrinking of the wood resulting in unwanted tonal variations.
Lot to lot fluctuations in wood characteristics can also affect the final instrument body. These fluctuations include differing grain patterns and wood densities between trees. Differing techniques in cutting and drying procedures between mills also contribute to lot differences.
These disadvantages have led to the development of alternative materials of construction for stringed instrument bodies. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,990, disclosing an invention for a graphite fiber/epoxy resin body and U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,219, describing a stringed musical instrument body constructed from polyurethane. Other constructions have also made use of metal in all metal or composite designs using a hybrid of metal and other materials such as wood. These inventions attempt to resolve several of the problems associated with wood, but produce a sound unique to their construction which may or may not be desirable to the trained observer.
Also there have been many structural designs which attempt to reduce weight and retain the rigidity of a solid body. However, these designs also introduce new drawbacks such as panel vibrations or interference by feedback sound effects. These panel vibrations or lack of the vibrations contribute to the tonality of the various instrument bodies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,238 describes a semi-hollow guitar apparatus.
Although innovative, none of the above mentioned efforts to develop an alternative construction material for stringed instruments offer the sound and adjustability of the present invention. A dual, top and bottom, monolithic structured, chambered metal body guitar construction eliminates many of the problems associated with variation problems in wood and shortcomings of wood itself since metal stock is produced following strict quality control procedures as in the aircraft manufacturing industry.
The method of monolithic structures has been used in the aircraft industry since the 1960's with the advent of CNC machining. This method enables complex structures, with a high strength-to-weight ratio, to maintain a rigid structure. This is usually unattainable by conventional wood and/or metal built-up design type constructions. This method is outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,815 B2, describing monolithic parts and U.S. Pat. No. 7,610,669, describing integrated monolithic aluminum structure and aluminum product machined from that structure.
The production method of the present invention allows for exact reproduction of the instrument body via digital means, CAD and CNC machining. This ensures replication of the tonal qualities of the instrument body from instrument to instrument, overcoming the variations of wood and/or other composite materials.
The historical disadvantage to an all-metal guitar body is the weight of the metal. Excessive weight results in an undesirable product. This drawback has also been overcome with the present invention by means of the internal chambering methods.
Another pervasive disadvantage to an all-metal guitar body is the thin panel vibrations and resonances. These are suppressed by the addition of damping material inside the closed chambers.
These disadvantages have also been overcome with the present invention.

Multiple contiguous closed-chambered monolithic structure guitar body