A method and apparatus for treating skin includes applying pulsed light to the skin to heat and shrinking collagen within the skin, thereby reviving the elasticity of the collagen and of the skin. The epidermis and outer layers of the skin may be protected by cooling with a transparent substance, such as ice or gel, to the skin. The temperature distribution within the skin is controlled by controlling the delay between the time the coolant is applied, and the time the light is applied, by controlling the pulse duration and applying multiple pulses, and by filtering the light and controlling the radiation spectrum, preferably, the spectrum includes light having a wavelength in the range of 600-1200 nm. The pulsed light may be incoherent, such as that produced by a flashlamp, or coherent, such as that produced by a Nd(Yag) laser or a ruby laser, and may be directed to the skin using a flexible or rigid light guide. Also, a method and apparatus for cutaneous resurfacing including directing Er:YAG laser light to the skin. The light may be pulsed, preferably with a delay of about 0.5-10 msec between pulses. In one embodiment the pulses have energy fluences of preferably about 100 J/cm.sup.2.

There is a strong desire today to obtain and/or maintain a youthful appearance. One manner of doing so is to remove (or reduce) wrinkles. Additionally it is desirable to rejuvenate the skin by removing an outer layer of skin. There are known techniques for removing wrinkles by peeling the skin. Also, there are known methods for rejuvenating the skin. Unfortunately, all known techniques suffer from lack of efficacy and risk to the patient.
One known method of skin rejuvenation includes injection of collagen underneath the skin. This has been performed using a bovine collagen injection. For example, microfine collagen has been injected into periocular lines. Some of the problems with collagen injection include, allergy to collagen and lack of longevity. Also, often there is only partial eradication of the wrinkles.
Peeling most or all of the outer layer of the skin is another known method of rejuvenating the skin. Peeling can be achieved chemically, mechanically or photothermally. Chemical peeling is often carried out using trichloroacetic acid and phenol. An inability to control the depth of the peeling, possible pigmentary change and risk of scarring are among the problems associated with chemical peeling.
The mechanical method is called transcutaneous blepharoplasty and involves shaving off the outer layer of skin. Skin resection during lower lid blepharoplasty frequently results in undesirable side effects, especially ectropion and scleral show. Moreover, transcutaneous blepharoplasty rarely eradicates all of the wrinkle lines.
Pulsed carbon dioxide laser treatment is a known photothermal method of removing of periocular wrinkles. However, laser light is heavily absorbed in water and has a very short range in the epidermis. Thus, a high fluence with short pulse durations will evaporate the outer layer of the skin and peels most or all of the epidermis.
The use of CO.sub.2 laser light for skin rejuvenation also has undesirable side effects. For example, CO.sub.2 lasers have small spot size (3 mm or less), and thus their use causes valleys and ridges, particularly when resurfacing large areas. Also, it is difficult to control heat diffusion, and thus the resultant necrosis is difficult to predict and control. Additionally, scar tissue absorbs CO.sub.2 laser light differently than normal skin and thus may adversely impact such a treatment.
Thus, it is apparent there is a need for a new method and device with which it is possible to produce efficient wrinkle removal and skin rejuvenation. This apparatus would preferably be able to control the treatment parameters according to characteristics of the tissue, and be easily tunable. The new method and device would preferably provide efficient wrinkle smoothing and skin rejuvenation with minimal side effects.

Method and apparatus for skin rejuvenation and wrinkle smoothing


A remote diagnostic system (RDS) data security device and method are provided, in which an interface unit receives an RDS command from a host, a storage unit stores a security setting for RDS data, and a control unit performs an operation for the RDS data according to the RDS command and the security setting, wherein the result obtained by the performance is selectively transmitted externally. Accordingly, since the reading and writing operations of RDS data are performed according to an RDS command received from the host and previously stored security setting, and the result obtained by the reading and writing operations is displayed, data collected in the RDS can be prevented from being transmitted to the server without permission, and data allowed to an authorized user can be transmitted to the server.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote diagnostic system (RDS) data security method and apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and device for securing RDS data by performing an RDS operation according to an RDS command and a security setting, and displaying a result obtained from the performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Remote diagnostic systems (RDSs) allow a seller or a management company to diagnose a user's product remotely without visiting a user. RDSs receive a command from a host or a web, diagnose the state of a printer, change a state value of the printer, or inform a user of an error. RDSs are classified into an RDS client module included in a product and an RDS server module that collects RDS information. An RDS client comprises a customer replaceable unit monitor (CRUM), a toner level, an input/out (I/O) interface, a finisher, a scanner, a duplex automatic document feeder (DADF), an automatic document feeder (ADF), and a memory. The I/O interface comprises a fax, a USB, a parallel, and a network. Furthermore, RDSs include a software module for performing various functions, printer user record, and a printer error record.
When the RDS client receives a diagnosis event, the RDS diagnoses each of the modules and transmits the diagnostic results to an RDS server.
The diagnostic results transmitted from the RDS to the RDS server may include business information of the user or delicate information that is not intended to be disclosed. RDS data reading and writing may be classified in terms of the data importance. For example, in a printer, since RDS data such as kinds of paper, a setting, a manager's name, a system date, and a department using the printer have a lower importance, both reading and writing can be performed on the RDS data. However, since a printer access log record, a printer IP address, a job list stored in a printer hard disk, a list of data processed by the printer, and the like are very important data in operating and securing the printer, the writing is not allowed.
The conventional RDSs transmit any collected information to the RDS server. That is, the RDS does not transmit RDS data selected by the user but RDS data selected by a service provider. Information collected in an environment of a particular company or office may include confidential information that is restricted and is not to be transmitted externally. In this case, a network manager may block the RDS data using a firewall. However, using a firewall is costly. Thus, there is a need for a method of selectively transmitting the RDS data according to a security policy without the firewall.


A nozzle for a fuel injector is disclosed. The nozzle may have a body having a base end, a tip end, and a central bore extending from the base end to the tip end. The nozzle may also have a sac located within the central bore at the tip end. Further, the nozzle may have an orifice located within the tip end and in communication with the sac. The orifice may be skewed at an azimuthal angle relative to a radial direction of the central bore.

Internal combustion engines such as diesel engines, gasoline engines, and gaseous fuel powered engines use injectors to introduce fuel at high pressure into combustion chambers of the engines. Each of these fuel injectors includes a nozzle having one or more orifices that direct the pressurized fuel radially outward from the nozzle into the associated combustion chamber.
During injection, however, air entering an engine's combustion chamber naturally swirls in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. Spraying fuel radially outward from the nozzle in the presence of such swirl can cause incomplete atomization or improper mixing of the fuel with the air. This may result in decreased performance of the fuel injector, which may be manifested through reduced engine efficiency, increased soot formation, and increased fuel consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,921 B2 to Shimizu et al. ("the '921 patent") describes a fuel injector for an internal combustion engine in which fuel is injected from a single orifice of the fuel injector into a combustion chamber. The orifice is slanted at a predetermined angle with respect to a central axis. The orifice also has a step which induces swirl in the fuel sprayed into the combustion chamber to improve atomization of the fuel.
Although the '921 patent discloses a fuel injector which induces swirl in the fuel spray, the disclosed fuel injector does not account for the effects of swirling air entering the combustion chamber and may still cause incomplete atomization and improper mixing of fuel with air.
The nozzle of the present disclosure solves one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.


Positioning accuracy of a scanning stage is improved as a result of reducing error by reducing a non-uniformity in the temperature of air on an optical path of length measurement of the stage. An apparatus for measuring the position of a reticle stage and adjusting the position of the stage based upon the results of measurement includes a reflecting mirror secured to the stage, an interferometer for measuring the distance between a reference position and the reflecting mirror using light, and an air conditioner for supplying a temperature-regulated air stream to an optical path of length measurement connecting the reference position and the reflecting mirror, the air stream being supplied at a speed higher than the speed at which the stage is scanned.

This invention relates to a positioning apparatus, an exposure apparatus and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. More particularly, the invention relates to a positioning apparatus for measuring the position of a stage very accurately using light, and adjusting the position of the stage highly precisely based upon the results of measurement, an exposure apparatus having this positioning apparatus, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using these apparatus.
The higher degree of integration applied to semiconductor integrated circuits has been accompanied by greater demand for the formation of ultrafine patterns, and this has led to demand for greater positioning accuracy of reticles and wafers. For this reason, it is required that a scanning-type exposure apparatus have a high positioning accuracy of 0.01 .mu.m or less for a reticle stage which supports a reticle or for a wafer stage on which a wafer is placed for scanning the wafer relative to a projection optical system. A laser interferometer is used to achieve this highly precise measurement.
In measurement of length performed by an interferometer, a fluctuation in the refractive index of air on the optical path of length measurement is a cause of error. The refractive index of air varies depending upon temperature, and the rate of this change is about 1 ppm/.degree.C. Accordingly, in order to make the measurement error less than 0.01 .mu.m when the measured distance is 300 mm, it is required that the variation in the temperature of air be held below 0.03.degree. C.
To achieve this, an XY positioning apparatus for positioning a wafer in the X and Y directions in a step-and-repeat reduced-projection exposure apparatus (stepper) is equipped with an air conditioner. A variation in the temperature of the air on the optical path of length measurement is reduced by air conditioner down-flow from above (the Z direction) or air conditioner side-flow from the side (the X or Y direction).
The down-flow scheme is ideal. However, in a semiconductor exposure apparatus or reticle coordinate measurement apparatus, a projection lens, microscope, focus sensor and other devices are disposed in close proximity to the top table of the XY positioning apparatus. As a result, the down-flow scheme is difficult to realize owing to design limitations. Consequently, the side-flow method is widely employed.
Such an XY positioning apparatus, however, includes a source of heat such as a motor for drive in the X and Y directions. As a consequence, the temperature of the positioning apparatus becomes higher than the temperature of the air flow from the air conditioner. It is known that this causes the air flow to develop an uneven temperature distribution (see the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-129720, and Ishida: O plus E, 1995, October, pp. 84.about.89). If the temperature of the air flow becomes non-uniform, an error in measurement of length occurs. The same problem arises in a scanning-type exposure apparatus.

Positioning apparatus, exposure apparatus and method of manufacturing semiconductor device


Method of utilizing a nanochannel in combination with at least one magnetic sensor for detecting (e.g., identifying) molecules, cells, and other analytes. Particularly, the method includes bringing molecules, labeled with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), in close proximity to the magnetic sensor to identify the molecules via an output signal from the magnetic sensor. The method is particularly suited for identifying nucleotides of DNA and RNA strands.

Numerous methods are known for molecule identification. These methods, however, have limitations in, e.g., sensitivity and run time. A higher sensitivity or signal/noise ratio would improve sequencing accuracy in long reads. Run times are long due to the need to pause after each base incorporation to obtain an optical signal and/or remove tags. Run times and sensitivity could be improved with the use of real-time sequencing using a non-optical system.

Nanochannel with magnetic sensor for the detection of molecules


A method of monitoring, and a system to perform the method of monitoring, a mobile network, the method including generating detail records of information transactions in the mobile network; correlating dissimilar detail records from different ones of the monitoring points according to one or more common attributes of the dissimilar detail records, and aggregating at least a portion of the correlated detail records into a single group; and presenting the aggregated detail records in a high level presentation in a graphical user interface.

Telecommunications networks are widely used to link various types of nodes, such as personal computers, servers, gateways, network telephones, and so forth. Networks may include private networks, such as local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WAN), and public networks, such as the Internet. Such networks can also be circuit-switched networks in which network resources are dedicated for the entire duration of a data call, and/or packet-switch networks, such as Internet Protocol (IP) networks in which network resources are shared and data in the form of packets or cells are routed independently across the networks along with other user traffic to a destination. Examples of packet-switched networks include Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks, Ethernet or Frame Relay, which are based on a virtual circuit model. Popular forms of communications across such networks include electronic mail, file transfer, web browsing, and other exchange of digital data including audio (e.g., voice) and multimedia (e.g., audio and video).
Modern telecommunications networks typically include two related but separate network infrastructures: a bearer or transmission network for carrying end-user voice and data traffic, and a signaling network for controlling the setup and release of bearer channels through the bearer network in accordance with control signals transferred through the signaling network. In practice, such signaling networks comprise high-speed computers interconnected by signaling links, and computer programs implemented to provide a set of operational and signaling functions in accordance with a standardized protocol, such as, for example, the Signalling System No. 7 (SS7) which is being extensively deployed for control of mobile telephony and other data transmission networks. The signaling links are used for passing signaling information (e.g., messages) between nodes in the signaling networks. The signaling information (e.g., messages) can be captured to generate detail records, such as Call Detail Records (CDRs) or Transaction Detail Records (TDRs), for storage in a database system which can be subsequently monitored and analyzed for a wide variety of applications, including, for example, quality of service applications and business intelligence applications. In addition to the detail records, other related information-sent between nodes, switches or devices in such mobile networks can also be used for authentication, equipment identification and roaming enablement.
Commercially available tools for mobile telephony networks may be used for monitoring the performance (or quality) of a network based on the detail records stored in the database system to observe possible obstacles and track performance statistics in the network. Typically, such monitoring tools are based on monitoring the network for malfunctions at the level of network elements, such as switches or interfaces, for traffic-related information. However, such actions will result in the collection of vast amounts of data, which makes it difficult and time consuming for an end user attempting to identify problems in the network and perform analysis of the collected data, especially when the detail records are being viewed in real time. The detail records, such as Call Detail Records (CDRs), may be dissimilar, i.e., may have different types of criteria used regarding values captured for the particular CDRs, according to several factors such as the monitoring point in the network at which the respective detail records are captured, the different protocols being used to set up and transport voice and data calls in the network, different types and brands of equipment used to transport the voice and data calls, etc. Therefore, with the different protocols and equipment and the plurality of different monitoring points in the network at which this information is captured, as well as the vast amount of detail records that may be captured at each of these monitoring points, the information quickly becomes overwhelming, at least partly due to the fact that there are dissimilar detail records, i.e., detail records having different attributes, captured.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved tools, systems and methods for the management and analysis of detail records in such networks, including the ability to provide a user with a way to view the various dissimilar CDRs on an aggregated basis, wherein the CDRs may be presented in a high level view in a simplified format according to attributes that are common to all the dissimilar CDRs.

Method and system of correlating dissimilar call records to a high level aggregated view


A method, a transmitter, a receiver, and a power management apparatus are provided for wireless charging. The method may include: acquiring, in response to an establishment of a connection from the wireless charging transmitter to a charger, voltage and current capability information of the charger; determining, in response to fast wireless charge identification information received from a wireless charging receiver, acknowledgment information corresponding to the fast wireless charge identification information according to the voltage and current capability information of the charger; sending the acknowledgment information to the wireless charging receiver; and requesting, in response to a charging request including desired voltage information and desired current information received from the wireless charging receiver, the charger for a voltage and a current corresponding to the desired voltage information and the desired current information, respectively.

Wireless charging technologies, especially wireless charging technologies of Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), are increasingly used in mobile terminals. For example, wearable devices have widely used the wireless charging technologies, and some phones also use the WPC wireless charging technology for charging. The USB PD (Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery) protocol is a protocol standardized by the USB Association to support more powerful charging. With the USB PD protocol and the Type C interface increasingly used in the mobile terminals, the chargers supporting the USB PD also become more and more popular.
In the related art, some wireless charging technologies support a charger with a Dedicated Charge Port (DCP). In such case, the wireless charging transmitter and the charger need to perform a Battery Charging Specification 1.2 (BC1.2) protocol detection, and the input voltage supported by BC1.2 is only 5V. When using the voltage of 5V for charging, the charging power is limited. Some of the other wireless charging technologies support fixed voltage inputs, such as 9V or 12V. There are also some wireless charging technologies in which an encrypted authentication is performed between the wireless charging receiver (Rx) and the wireless charging transmitter, and fast wireless charging starts if the encryption authentication is passed. However, a large number of chargers on the market do not support the method of using a fixed voltage or using an encryption.

Method for wireless charging, transmitter, receiver and power management apparatus

Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd.


An optical switch configured to switch optical beams between one or more first ports and two or more second ports includes a wavelength independent beam splitter that simultaneously splits the optical beams from each of the first ports into a plurality of separate sub beams. A reflective wavelength independent switching unit selectively reflectively direct each the sub beam along respective predetermined trajectories such that predetermined sub beams are coupled between the first and second ports. The switching unit includes one independently switchable reflective element corresponding to each second port where each switchable reflective element is switchable between a plurality of preselected switching states and each switching state defines a trajectory of each of the sub beam. The beam splitter and the switching unit are configured to direct the sub beams along substantially free space trajectories unconfined to waveguides.

Any discussion of the background art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Optical or photonic switches are central components in optical networks and provide routing of optical signals from a source to a destination in the purely optical domain. Optical switches can be divided broadly into two main categories: wavelength selective switches and wavelength independent switches.
Wavelength selective switches provide capability for switching specific wavelength channels within wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) signals and are generally more complex and expensive devices. A specific type of wavelength selective switch is a Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (ROADM), which is capable of multiplexing and demultiplexing a WDM signal to dynamically add or drop particular wavelength channels.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,082 to Zhao and Lin, entitled "Solid-State optical wavelength switches" discloses a solid-state polarization-rotation based optical switch that has wavelength selective functionality. Wavelength selectivity is achieved by passing light through a birefringent crystal filter, which selectively rotates the polarization of one wavelength of light by 90° with respect to another wavelength, thereby providing separate routing of the wavelengths. Zhao and Lin is a passive type switch wherein the beams are split and routed to the output ports without active switching to select a specific output port. Further, Zhao and Lin is limited to a 1×2 type switch.
Another known types of wavelength selective switch include those disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2009/0180779 A1 to Boduch and Papakos, entitled "Methods and apparatus for performing directionless wavelength addition and subtraction within a ROADM based optical node" and Maher and Deogun, "Cost-Effective Implementation of Multicasting in Wavelength-Routed Networks", Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 18, No. 12, December 2000. The former discloses a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer, while the latter proposes a wavelength selective multicast type optical cross connect at an architectural level.
These and other known wavelength selective switches involve demultiplexing wavelength channels of predetermined spectral dimensions and subsequently switching those individual channels. Therefore, these types of switch are not capable of switching signals having variable or arbitrary channel plans.
Wavelength independent switches, on the other hand, provide more flexible routing of optical signals between nodes of a network where knowledge of individual channel spectral dimensions is not required. For example, where groups of channels are concurrently routed. US Patent Application Publication 2011/0164876 A1 to Fujita et al. entitled "Directionless Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer" (assigned to Enablence USA Technologies Inc.) discloses an N×M optical switch system including a generic optical splitter coupled to each of the N input fibers for splitting each of the N input signals into M or fewer sub signals. The M sub signals are received by M generic optical N×1 switches, which are each capable of selecting one of the N input signals for output. In the case of multiplexed input signals, the signals output from the switches are passed through filters to produce demultiplexed, single-wavelength output signals.
While Fujita et al. discloses a general architecture for providing N×M switching, it is cast at a functional level and does not provide component level implementation details. As such, important factors such as polarization independence, switching extinction, manufacturing complexity and cost are not considered. Further, Fujita et al. require the components to be "optically connected". In the illustrated architectures, components such as optical filters, amplifiers and the like are included, which would likely limit the optical connections to physical waveguides such as optical fibers. This restriction, which is common to many wavelength selective and wavelength independent designs, has particular performance drawbacks and requires each input fiber to have a corresponding beam splitter and individual N×1 optical switches.
Therefore, there is a general desire for low cost non-complex optical switches.


A bonding apparatus including, on a supporting stand 12, two linear motors 130 and 140 and a bonding head supporting stage 114 which supports the bonding head 120 by means of fluid pressure so that the bonding head 120 is movable in the horizontal plane. The linear motors 130 and 140 respectively include driving sections 132 and 142 and movable coil assemblies 134 and 144. An arm 136 extending from the movable coil assembly 134 of the first linear motor 130 is fastened to the bonding head 120, and an arm 146 extending from the movable coil assembly 144 of the second linear motor 140 is engaged with the bonding head 120. A driving force aimed at the center of gravity of the bonding head 120 is applied to the bonding head 120 via the arms 136 and 146, so that the bonding head 120 is moved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bonding apparatus, and more particularly relates to a bonding apparatus equipped with a moving mechanism which moves the bonding part that performs bonding work to arbitrary positions.
2. Prior Art
In wire bonders or wire boding apparatus, a plurality of bonding pads disposed on a die such as a semiconductor chip, etc. are connected to bonding leads on a circuit board, etc. with slender metal wires, etc. In order to perform bonding with a slender metal wire, etc. by way of correctly positioning the wire in specified positions of the bonding pads and bonding leads, a mechanism that moves the bonding head on which a bonding tool (through which the metal wire is passed and held) and positioning camera are mounted is required.
FIG. 15 shows, in a top view, the moving mechanism of a bonding head 20 in a conventional wire bonder 10.
In this mechanism, known as a so-called XY table mechanism as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 2002-329772, an X table 16 and a Y table 18 are both provided in a stacked fashion on a table holding stand 14 which is on a supporting stand 12 of the wire bonder 10, and the bonding head 20 is fastened to the Y table 18. A bonding tool 22, which has (on its tip end) a capillary that holds a metal wire passing through this capillary, and a position detection camera 24, are attached to the bonding head 20. A circuit board conveying path 50 is provided on the supporting stand 12, and circuit boards are conveyed thereon so that the circuit boards are positioned in a bonding work region 52 that is located more or less directly beneath the bonding tool 22.
The bonding head 20 is moved to arbitrary positions in the XY plane by moving the X table 16 in the X direction and moving the Y table 18 in the Y direction on this X table 16; then, the position detection camera 24 detects the position of the bonding head 20, and the bonding tool 22 is moved into the desired position based upon this position detection. Then, bonding work is performed by moving the bonding tool in the Z direction by means of a Z direction moving mechanism which is not shown in the drawings.
Here, the X table 16 is driven by an X direction linear motor 30, and it is moved in the X direction on the table holding stand 14 while being guided by a linear guide not shown in the drawings. More specifically, the X direction linear motor 30 includes a drive section 32 and a movable coil 34; and the drive section 32 generates a driving magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the coil, and the movable coil 34 through which a coil current is caused to flow receives the X direction driving force from the driving magnetic field. The movable coil 34 is connected to the X table 16 via an arm 36.
The Y table 18 is driven by a Y direction linear motor 40, and can be moved in the Y direction on the X table 16 while being guided by a linear guide (not shown). The Y direction linear motor 40 includes a drive section 42 and a movable coil 44; and the drive section 42 generates a driving magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the XY plane, and the movable coil 44 through which a coil current is caused to flow receives the Y direction driving force from the driving magnetic field as a result of the X direction component current. The movable coil 44 is connected to the Y table 18 via an arm 46.
By way of using the XY table mechanism as described above, the bonding head is moved to arbitrary positions and bonding work is performed. However, this mechanism has several problems.                1. Since the bonding head is mounted on an X table and Y table that are superimposed in two tiers, the mass that must be driven for movement is not the mass of the bonding head alone; and the masses of the X table and Y table are also added. Thus, a heavy mass must be driven, and it is difficult to have a high moving speed bonding head.        2. Since the Y table and bonding head are moved in the Y direction on the X table, an offset or positional discrepancy generates between the driving direction of the X direction driving motor and the position of the center of gravity of the Y table and bonding head. As a result, a rotational force is generated with respect to the bonding head by this X direction driving force; and in order to prevent this, it is necessary to increase the rigidity of the guide mechanism such as the linear guides, etc. As a result, the mass increases even further, and this hinders any increase in the moving speed of the bonding head.        3. There are limits to how far the precision of the straightness of the linear guides that determines the movement precision in the X direction and the movement precision in the Y direction can be improved; and thus, it is difficult to achieve a further improvement in the positioning precision.        4. When the X table is moved, the Y table on top of the X table is also moved. In other words, the movable coil of the Y direction actuator is moved not only in the Y direction but also moved in the X direction. Accordingly, the magnet that is used to generate the driving magnetic field of the Y direction actuator is required to be increased in size in order to cover the movement range of this movable coil, and the cost of the apparatus increases.
In order to solve the problems, an expedient of forming the coil shape as a circular arc shape centered on the center of gravity of the bonding head has been proposed so as to reduce the offset between the direction of the driving force and the center of gravity. However, this results in more complicated structure. Furthermore, though a structure that accomplishes the connection between the Y direction actuator and the Y table by means of a joint connection instead of an arm can be used in order to reduce the size of the magnet, this causes a corresponding increase in the mass that must be driven. As a result, the size of the Y direction motor becomes larger in order to increase the Y direction driving force. Moreover, since a joint connection is used, a high rigidity cannot be obtained in these members. Furthermore, since the X table is moved, the center of the propulsion force of the Y direction actuator and the center of the load are offset, and it is difficult to increase the speed.


The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for detecting reflected pulses from multiple targets in a field of view such that range to each target can be detected with high resolution, even when the targets are located over a relatively wide measurement range. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can provide real-time acquisition of ranging data, and can be implemented in a practical cost-effective manner suitable for reconfiguration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to measuring a time delay of an event relative to a reference time for providing the range to a target. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring time delays between a reflected pulse from each of multiple targets relative to a reference pulse.
2. State of the Art
Devices for measuring a time delay using, for example, opto-electronic, electronic and ultrasonic range finders are known. Opto-electronic range finders, such as laser range finders, measure a time-of-flight of a transmitted laser pulse; that is, the time between transmission of the pulse and detection of a reflected laser return pulse from a target. To determine a time-of-flight of the transmitted laser pulse, a counter is typically started upon the emission of the laser pulse, and is then stopped upon receipt of the reflected pulse.
In addition, where multiple targets in the field of view are to be detected, devices have been developed to measure the time-of-flight to the additional targets. For example, a known opto-electronic range finder includes a counter which is started upon emission of a light pulse, and then stopped upon receipt of a reflected pulse. Once the counter has been stopped, the count information is transferred from the counter to an intermediate storage location. The counter then continues to count until the next reflected pulse is received.
Despite an ability to detect multiple reflected pulses, such devices suffer significant drawbacks. For example, the range finder device must be capable of transferring data from the counter to the intermediate storage in a time interval which is less than the resolution of the counter. That is, data must be transferred to the intermediate storage within one clock cycle so that the counter output does not change state during the transfer of data. Any practical implementation of such a range finder therefore requires use of a synchronous counter. However, it is difficult to implement a synchronous counter with a data width of 8 bits or more, and with counter resolutions on the order of 500 picoseconds.
Another known opto-electronic range finding device includes multiple counters. Each of the counters is started upon the emission of a light pulse, and each counter is stopped in sequence as multiple reflected pulses are received. However, this device suffers the drawback of requiring multiple counters, each having a wide data width and high resolution. The large area and very high power dissipation required for the use of multiple counters limits the number of targets which can be detected in a practical embodiment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,228 (Geiss et al) discloses another known apparatus for detecting a range to multiple targets in a field of view. This patent describes dividing a predetermined measurement cycle into multiple time intervals. A sequence of distances is associated with the round-trip transit time receivable within each time interval, and a digital memory is used to store the presence or absence of a target at each interval. A disadvantage of this device is that its maximum resolution is a function of the time required to write information to the digital memory. In addition, this device is limited to a measurement cycle which must detect the presence or absence of a reflected target pulse within every designated time interval. Consequently, when the number of time intervals in the measurement cycle is increased to improve range or resolution, the number of locations in the storage device must be increased linearly. For example, increasing the measurement cycle by a factor of two, requires an attendant increase in the size of the digital memory by a factor of two. Accordingly, this device is impractical when high resolution (that is, a short time interval) and/or a large measurement cycle are required. Further, because this device stores an entire history of reflected target pulses for a given measurement cycle before any information is read out to a signal evaluation device, it is unsuited for real-time operation.
Other conventional range finding devices are premised on the use of range gating, wherein a counter is enabled for only a small interval of time. For example, to locate a first target which is expected to be within ten meters from the transmitter, the counter is enabled to detect a reflected pulse within a period of time which corresponds to a distance of ten meters. If no target is detected within this range, then the counter is enabled to detect reflected pulses from a target within a range of 10-20 meters. This process continues for each gated range, until all designated ranges have been examined. A disadvantage of range gating is that an increase in resolution can significantly increase the time required to perform a single measurement cycle. For example, if each specified interval possesses one meter resolution, then a measurement sequence for a range of 2000 meters would require 2000 separate measurements. Such operation can be extremely timely, inefficient and unsuitable for real-time data acquisition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,184 (Endo) discloses a range finding device which suffers drawbacks similar to those described with respect to range gating. Here, a scanning laser is used to detect targets across an entire field of view. To achieve high resolution, each segmented portion of the field of view is relatively small. Because the time required to scan the entire field of view increases in proportion to the resolution desired, the disclosed device is unsuitable for achieving high resolution in real-time.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for determining ranges to multiple targets, in real-time, using a system having high resolution over a large maximum range. In so doing, it would be desirable to provide a practical, cost-effective system which can be easily reconfigured by the user.

Method and apparatus for multiple target ranging


In a virtual environment implemented using multiple hosts, a first host maintains records identifying virtual objects and entities which control the virtual objects. When a second host receives a request of a first entity acquiring the control of a virtual object from a second entity, the second host instructs the first host to: update a first record to remove the virtual object from a view simulation of the virtual world servicing the second entity; and adding a second record associating the first entity with the virtual object but having an indicator that prevents the rendering of the virtual object for the first entity. At the time for the completion of the control transfer to the first entity, the second host instructs the first host to update the second record to remove the indicator and thus allow the virtual object to be rendered in the view simulation servicing the first entity.

Virtual worlds allow a large number of users to interact with one another in a shared virtual environment. SECOND LIFE® by LINDEN LAB® is one example of a virtual world. Users control avatars and explore a virtual environment, meeting other users, socializing, participating in individual and group activities, and creating objects and services. Moreover, users can interact by buying or exchanging objects. In some cases, real world currency is used to purchase virtual currency which is used in the virtual environment. Such virtual currency creates incentives for users to create new and interesting objects and services. The virtual environment thus can provide a sophisticated marketplace in which users exchange valuable resources with one another to enhance their in world experience and even to make a real world profit. However, with the increasing importance of such marketplaces, there is a need to ensure the integrity of transactions in the virtual environment.

Scalable systems and methods to transfer control of virtual objects of a virtual world implemented on multiple hosts


This disclosure relates to athletic shorts, such as those that can be worn while playing tennis, with moisture protection features and including readily accessible pockets, such as pockets that hold tennis balls in a manner that makes those balls readily accessible during a tennis match. An example pair of shorts includes a pocket accessible via an opening, and a rib biased toward a centerline of the opening and configured to direct fluid away from the opening. This disclosure also relates to a corresponding method.

Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. Shorts are typically worn in warm weather or in an environment where comfort and air flow are more important than the protection of the legs. Individuals engaging in athletic activities often wear sport-specific shorts. Tennis shorts, for example, typically include pockets which are sized and configured to hold one or more tennis balls such that a player may access those balls throughout a match.

Athletic shorts with moisture protection features and readily accessible pockets


A device for dampening the vibration of a rotating disc during the machining of the faces thereof has a spring member having a wide base portion and two arms extending from the ends of the base. At the face end of each arm is a pad mounted to pivot about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the arm. A dampening device in accordance with this invention has eye shields without requiring that the eye shield be removed.

Disc brakes for automobiles and other vehicles include a metallic disc or rotor on the axle of the vehicle positioned adjacent the wheel mounting, the faces of which are gripped by a friction material to brake the rotation of the wheel. After periods of excessive use, disc brake rotors wear unevenly such that annular ridges are worn into the surface of the metal around the perimeter of the rotor. The ridges detract from the proper operation of the brakes and, therefore, when the wear has become excessive, the faces of the rotor are subjected to a machining operation which removes metal and leaves the faces smooth and parallel to each other. The machining process may be accomplished by removing the rotor from the vehicle and attaching it to a rotatable member. A pair of tools securely mounted adjacent the edge of the rotor are then moved along the two faces of the rotor while it is rotating to shave off sufficient metal to leave the remaining surfaces smooth. As an alternative, mountings are available which hold the tools adjacent the opposite sides of the rotor while the rotor is mounted on the vehicle. A separate motor rotates the rotor such that the rotor can be machined without removing it from the vehicle.
In either of the two processes described above, the rotor and tools have a tendency to vibrate during the machining operation and such vibrations can be extremely noisy, and the vibration may result in unevenness of the surface of the faces of the rotor after machining and thereby reduce the effectiveness of the machining operation. To reduce such vibration, it has become common to attach to the support mechanism holding the tools, a vibration dampening device, typical examples of which are shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,661 and 4,531,434.
Prior art dampening devices have generally provided arms which attach to the tool mounting element, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,661 or as an alternative, consist of two long arms which are retained in position by resting them against the tool mounting mechanism as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,434. In many cases, however, the tool supporting member is not adapted to attach a dampening device such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,661. Also, prior art dampening devices having a pair of long arms which rest upon the upper surfaces of the tool mount and therefore are not physically adaptable for use with certain machines intended to resurface rotors mounted on the vehicle and also block the positioning of a protective shield provided certain machines which are intended to prevent shavings from being tossed into the face of an operator. As a result, none of the existing dampening devices can be sold as original equipment for certain machines because the machines cannot be operated safely with the dampener attached and the use of the dampener would violate certain United States safety standards under the existing federal laws.
The present invention is intended to provide a dampening device which can be used with many existing lathes, including those which machine the surfaces of rotors while on the vehicle and those which machine the surfaces of a rotor removed from a vehicle without interfering with the use of the protective shield adaptable for use with such machines.


A press-contacting terminal includes a bottom plate, and press-contacting blades each projecting from the bottom plate and having a wire insertion portion formed therein. When a wire is forced into the wire insertion portion, the press-contacting terminal cuts a sheath of the wire, and is electrically connected to an exposed conductor of the wire. A chamfered portion is formed at an outer side portion of each press-contacting blade, and when the wire is forced into the wire insertion portion, the chamfered portion mainly receives a stress from the wire so as to prevent the press-contacting blade from tiling outwardly.

This invention relates to a press-contacting terminal having press-contacting blades that are electrically connected to a conductor of a wire when the wire is pressed into the press-contacting blades.
There is known one related press-contacting terminal, in which when wires are mounted on a housing, an interconnecting portion and wire holding projections receive a stress, acting on the wire, so that the stress will not act directly on a press-contacting portion of the press-contacting terminal (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
In the press-contacting terminal disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the wires are interconnected by the interconnecting portion, and the wire holding projections on a cover are fitted respectively in openings formed in the interconnecting portion, and with this construction a stress tending to pull the wire from a press-contacting connector, is received by the wire holding projections and the interconnecting portion, and therefore will not act directly on the press-contacting portion.
There is known another related press-contacting terminal in which an escape recess, corresponding to a wire installation path, is formed in a first press-contacting terminal clamp (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).
In the press-contacting terminal disclosed in Patent Literature 2, wires are press-contacted with predetermined press-contacting blades, and therefore are connected together by the press-contacting terminal in a predetermined pattern. In the press-contacting operation, first, one of two wires, jointly forming a first twisted wire, is press-contacted to an upper press-contacting blade of a first press-contacting terminal, and also the other wire is press-contacted with an upper press-contacting blade of a second press-contacting terminal. At this time, the first press-contacting terminal is disposed across a wire installation path that is to be connected to the second press-contacting terminal. However, an escape recess, corresponding to the wire installation path, is formed in the first press-contacting terminal, and therefore the wire, press-contacted with the second press-contacting terminal, will not interfere with the first press-contacting terminal.
There is known a further related press-contacting terminal in which tilt prevention projections are formed respectively at opposite sides of a press-contacting blade, and the press-contacting blade is kept spaced from its adjoining press-contacting blade, and is prevented from tilting into contact with the adjoining press-contacting blade.
There is known a still further related press-contacting terminal in which an inner portion of a press-contacting blade is chamfered, thereby preventing the press-contacting blade from tilting.    Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2000-067942 (Pages 3 to 5, FIG. 19)    Patent Literature 2: JP-A-2001-155796 (Pages 3 to 4, FIG. 1)
However, in the above Patent Literature 1, the wire holding projections on the cover prevent a stress from acting directly on the press-contacting portion, and therefore the cover is complicated in construction.
In the above second Patent Literature 2, the escape recess is formed in the press-contacting terminal, and this terminal is complicated in construction.
In the case where the tilt prevention projections are formed at the opposite sides of the press-contacting blade, this construction is against a space-saving design because of the provision of these tilt prevention projections, and therefore it is difficult to achieve a compact design.
In the case where the inner portion of the press-contacting blade is chamfered, it is necessary to provide tilt prevention projections, and besides for example, in the case where a flat cable is press-contacted with the press-contacting terminal, a bridge portion of the flat cable must be stamped, and therefore the efficiency of the operation is low.
FIG. 5 shows the case where a front (in FIG. 5) press-contact terminal 80 is disposed close to a rear (in FIG. 5) press-contacting terminal 81, and when two wires 83 and 84 of a flat cable 82 are to be press-contacted respectively with the two press-contacting terminals 80 and 81, the flat cable 82 is moved downward, and a press-contacting blade 85 of the front press-contacting terminal 80 is deformed inwardly by a stress from one wire 83, while a press-contacting blade 86 of the rear press-contacting terminal 81 is deformed inwardly by a stress from the other wire 84. Therefore, there is a fear that the two press-contacting blades 85 and 86 contact each other, so that the short-circuiting occurs therebetween.


A method and apparatus for repairing a memory device through a selective domain redundancy replacement (SDRR) arrangement, following the manufacture and test of the memory device. A redundancy array supporting the primary arrays forming the memory includes a plurality of redundancy groups, at least one of which contains two redundancy units. A redundancy replacement is hierarchically realized by a domain that includes a faulty element within the redundancy group, and by a redundancy unit that repairs the fault within the selected domain. SDRR allows a domain to customize the optimum number and size redundancy units according to existing fault distributions, while achieving a substantially saving in real estate, particularly over the conventional flexible redundancy replacement, in term of the number of fuses (10-20%). By combining several types of redundancy groups, each having a different number of redundancy elements, full flexible redundancy replacement can also be achieved. Consequently, this approach compensates for the drawback of existing intra-block replacements, flexible redundancy replacements, and variable domain redundancy replacements, while improving repairability irrespective of the fault distribution within the memory device.

CMOS technology has evolved such that the computer market has rapidly opened to a wide range of consumers. Today's multi-media requires at least 16 MB and preferably even 32 MB memories, which increases the relative cost of the memory system within a computer. In the near future, it is likely that computers having 64 MB and 128 MB memory will become commonplace, suggesting a potential demand for 256 Mb DRAMs and beyond. In spite of the ever increasing array sizes and lithographic difficulties that ensue, it is more important than ever to increase the yield of the semiconductor memory manufacturing process. Process engineers are constantly attempting to reduce and ultimately, eliminate or at least, mask defects. Faults that inevitably remain in the chip are generally overcome using special circuit designs, and more specifically, redundancy replacement configurations.
Conventional redundancy configurations typically revolve about a Fixed Domain Redundancy Replacement (FDRR) architecture, wherein redundancy elements are used to replace defective elements within a fixed size domain for each row and column redundancy.
Various configurations within the FDRR architecture have been successfully implemented over the years. A typical FDRR configuration, which is commonly used for low density DRAMs, is shown in FIG. 1a. Therein are depicted a plurality of spares used for replacing defective elements within the fixed size domain and which are appended to each sub-array forming the memory. Each redundancy unit (RU) includes a plurality of redundancy elements (REs), (e.g., two REs per RU are illustrated therein) which are used to repair existing faults (labeled X) within the corresponding sub-array. This scheme, labeled intra-block replacement, increases the redundancy area overhead as the number of sub-arrays increases for high density memories, since each physical sub-array is a fixed domain for replacement purposes, and domains in different sub-arrays are mutually exclusive of each other. This requires at least one or preferably two RUs in each sub-array. Thus, the efficiency of the RUs is rather poor in view of its inflexibility, which reduces the chip yield substantially when faults are clustered in a given sub-array. The above mentioned concept is embodied in a configuration described in the article by T. Kirihata et al., entitled "A 14 ns 4 Mb DRAM with 300 mW Active Power", published in the IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Vol. 27, pp. 1222-1228, September 1992.
Another FDRR redundancy replacement arrangement, known as a flexible redundancy replacement configuration is shown in FIG. 1b, wherein a memory is depicted having a single array to selectively replace failing elements anywhere in the memory. In this configuration, REs within the RU can repair faults (labeled X) located in any sub-array within the memory. The advantage of this arrangement over the previously described intra-block replacement is that one section, namely, a redundancy array, having a certain number of RUs may advantageously be used to service any number of sub-arrays forming the memory. This translates into a substantial saving of real estate over the previous scheme, although it requires a substantial amount of additional control circuitry, in particular, more fuses over the previous intra-block replacement, to properly service all the sub-arrays forming the memory. More details regarding the above configurations and the various trade-off may be found in an article by T. Kirihata et al., "A Fault-Tolerant Design for 256 Mb DRAMs", published in the Digest of Technical Papers of the 1995 Symposium on VLSI Circuits, pp. 107-108; in an article by T. Sugibayashi et al., "A 30 ns 256 Mb DRAM with Multi-divided Array Structure", published in the IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Vol. 28, pp. 1092-1098, November 1993; and in an article by H. L. Kalter et al., "A 50 ns 16 Mb DRAM with a 10 ns Data Rate and On-Chip ECC", published in the IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Vol. 25, pp. 1118-1128, October 1990.
The Variable Domain Redundancy Replacement (VDRR) is a statistical approach that reduces the total number of fuses, while keeping good repairability. Unlike FDDR, RUs are assigned to at least two variable domains, some portions of which are mutually inclusive. FIG. 1c shows a typical arrangement for the VDDR, where a domain (C) includes four domains (B), each of which is further subdivided into even smaller sub-domains (A). When 64 faults are randomly distributed in a domain (C) which includes sixteen domains (A) and four domains (B), the probability of not finding faults in domain (A) is negligibly small. Each of the domains (A) statistically has at least one fault. The probability of less than eight faults in domain (B) that includes four domains (A) is also small. Each of the domains (B) statistically has at least eight faults. These facts imply that 32 of 64 faults within domain (C) can be effectively repaired with the combination of variable domains (A) and (B), in which 1 and 4 faults are repaired, respectively. The remaining 32 of 64 faults can be repaired using a fully flexible redundancy replacement in domain (C).
This variable domain redundancy replacement substantially reduces the redundancy overhead, in particular the number of fuses, by reducing the domain size (A) over domain (B), and domain (B) over domain (C). A potential drawback, however, exists if the faults are clustered in a non-statistical distribution. By way of example, when 64 faults are clustered within a specific domain (A), no known mechanism exists to repair them. A major drawback of this technique lies in the actual assignment of valuable real estate within the integrated circuit chip to implement the plurality of variable domains A, B and C mentioned above.
More details regarding the variable domain redundancy replacement is found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/895,061, entitled "Variable Domain Redundancy Replacement Configuration for a Memory Device", filed on Jul. 16, 1997, and of common assignee.
Other related redundancy configurations, including some related to the categories listed above, are described in the following references:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,664 to Phelan, issued Feb. 13, 1996, describes the implementation of a flexible redundancy memory block elements in a divided array architecture scheme. This configuration has both, the memory and the redundant memory blocks, coupled to a read bus to allow the redundancy memory in one memory sub-array to be shared by a second sub-array.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,648 to Fujiwara, issued Dec. 12, 1995, in which a memory having a redundancy configuration is described such that when an appropriate address signal agrees with the address of a defective cell, a spare cell provided by the redundant configuration is activated to replace the failing one.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,587 to Seung-Cheol Oh, issued Oct. 24, 1995, in which a row redundancy circuit is used in conjunction with two other spare row decoders, wherein by a judicious use of fuse boxes, signal generated by a row redundancy control circuit make it possible to replace failing rows with spare ones.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,690 to Rieger at al., issued Oct. 17, 1995, describes a memory with a redundant arrangement that, in the presence of normal word lines servicing defective memory cells, enables faulty memory cells to be replaced with redundant cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,679 to Hiltebeitel et al., issued Jul. 4, 1995, describes a fuse download system for programming decoders for redundancy purposes. The fuse sets can be dynamically assigned to the redundant decoders, allowing a multi-dimensional assignment of faulty rows/column within the memory.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,101 to Stephens, Jr. et al., issued Mar. 15, 1994, describes a two level redundancy arrangement for replacing faulty sub-arrays with appropriate redundancy elements.
Practitioners of the art will readily recognize that each of the above solutions described above suffer from a major drawback, i.e., they all require setting aside a substantial amount of chip real estate to provide the redundancies necessary to repair faults within the memory. Each of the aforementioned techniques reserves one or several blocks (or units) containing each either a fixed or a variable number of redundancy elements. Sometimes these units are assigned to each primary array in the memory, sometimes the units are not yet assigned and are clustered at the bottom of the chip, requiring in turn a substantial amount of control circuitry to manage the assignment of the units to the individual memory arrays forming the memory device. In all instances, though, these redundancy groups, units, elements, and the like are built in the IC chip alongside with the memory device(s).
Practitioners of the art will further recognize that the prior art previously discussed has been described mainly in terms of DRAMs (Dynamic Random Access Memory), although the above configurations and/or architectures are equally applicable to other types of memory devices, such as SRAMs, ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, Flash RAMs, CAMs, and the like. However, in addition to memory devices, today's chips may also contain only logic, or a mixture of logic and memory (i.e., embedded arrays). Since all types of integrated circuits are constantly designed with an ever increasing density, the presence of faults is a universal problem which affects all types of integrated circuit chips: logic, memory, programmable logic arrays (PLAs), ASICs, etc.

Repairable semiconductor integrated circuit memory by selective assignment of groups of redundancy elements to domains

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention provides a light source (1, 200), especially a portable light source (1, 200) used to illuminate a medical or precision mechanical working area, with a casing (2), with a light diode (4) held by the casing (2), with a primary focusing lens (6, 6a) held by the casing (2) in the direction of emissions (2a) from the light emitting diode (4), with a secondary focusing lens (8) held by the casing (2) positioned behind the primary focusing lens (6, 6a) in the direction of emissions (2a) from the light emitting diode (4), and that has a largely cylindrical recess (10), with the characteristic that a floor (12) of the recess (10) facing the primary focusing lens (6, 6a) is curved in the direction of the primary focusing lens (6, 6a).

Specialized light sources are currently available for precision work. For example, lamps have been developed that are compact and lightweight such as those used or mounted on a user's head or helmet. In the medical field, such lamps are used during operations or other procedures in addition to operating theater lamps. This second light source provides increased illumination of the precision work area. The intensity of the light provided to the precision work area is extremely important.
Previously, two types of lamps were primarily used. First, optical fiber technology has been used to provide illumination to these precision work areas. These lamps may provide relatively intense localized light. However, a disadvantage associated with optical fiber technology is that in order to provide a relatively intense field of illumination, the lamp itself may be a heavy unit that is too cumbersome to be carried by the user. Additionally, the cables and optical fibers associated with this lamp restrict the freedom of movement of the user.
Another solution essentially provides a portable flashlight held in place, for example, on the head, by means of a strap. Such a lamp is equipped with a light bulb and, when powered by batteries, provides a relatively easy and portable solution with which to provide illumination to a precision work area. The disadvantage associated with this solution is that within normal light bulbs, 80 percent of the energy is transformed into heat while only 20 percent of the energy actually illuminates the work area. Therefore, such a solution typically uses oversized batteries or provides less intense light than expected to illuminate the precision work area or medical treatment area. In order to further increase the illumination in the work area, such conventional lights often become too hot causing discomfort for the user as well as negatively impacting the work area. This is because the increase in light intensity not only increases the visible light but also increases the 80 percent of the lamp's output that is converted to heat.
Another solution to increasing the light intensity involves the use of halogen lamps, however, this type of lamp also becomes too hot for use in a treatment field and can negatively impact the precision workspace, as well as causing discomfort to the user.


Radial block copolymers characterized by the formulas: (1) (pS-pI).sub.n X and (2) (pS-pI-pB).sub.n X where pS is polystyrene, pI is polyisoprene, pB is butadiene, X is a residue of a multifunctional coupling agent used in the production of the radial block copolymer, and n is a number greater than 2 representative of the number of branches appended to X; hot-melt adhesive compositions constituted of said radial block copolymers, and articles of manufacture produced therefrom. These copolymers possess blocks of high average molecular weight polystyrene (10,000 to 25,000) and an overall average molecular weight (90,000 to 380,000) such that when blended in requisite proportions with a compatible tackifier resin, preferably also a secondary tackifying resin or plasticizing oil, and stabilizer, superior hot-melt adhesive compositions can be formed. The hot-melt adhesive compositions possess, inter alia, superior heat resistance, superior static time to failure with low viscosity, good peel adhesion, good tack, and high ability to bond to a polyethylene or polypropylene substrate at temperatures below that which may damage the substrate.

It is known to prepare hot-melt adhesive compositions from polystyrene-polyisoprene-polystyrene and polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene block copolymers. Linear polystyrene-polyisoprene-polystyrene block copolymers, hot melt adhesive compositions based on these block copolymers, articles produced from these adhesives, are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 393,545, supra. The linear polystyrene-polyisoprene-polystyrene block copolymer, or linear, pS-pI-pS block copolymer, disclosed by this application is characterized by any of the formulas: (1) pI-(pS-pI).sub.n, where n is 2, or greater than 2; (2) pS-(pI-pS).sub.n, where n is 1, or greater than 1; or (3) (pS-pI).sub.n, where n is 2, or greater than 2; wherein, is any of formulas (1), (2) or (3), pS is a polystyrene block having an average molecular weight ranging from about 12,000 to about 20,000, preferably from about 14,000 to about 19,000, pI is a polyisoprene block having an average molecular weight ranging from about 30,000 to about 70,000, preferably from about 35,000 to about 60,000, the overall molecular weight of the block copolymer ranges from about 60,000 to about 110,000, preferably from about 70,000 to about 95,000, and the polystyrene block pS components are present in an amount of at least about 27 parts to about 50 parts, preferably from about 35 parts to about 45 parts, per 100 parts by weight of the block copolymer. The pS-pI-pS block copolymer, in all embodiments is characterized by the presence of a pI block, or polyisoprene block, located between two pS blocks, or polystyrene blocks which may or may not be terminal endblocks. The pS-pI-pS block copolymer can thus be either a triblock or multi-block copolymer, though the triblock copolymer is preferred.
The hot melt adhesive composition is constituted of the pS-pI-pS block copolymer, a compatible primary tackifier resin, preferably also a secondary tackifier or plasticizing resin or plasticizing oil, and stabilizer. These block copolymers, when blended in the requisite proportions with these components, produce adhesives with high shear holding power and shear adhesion failure temperature, and a low overall molecular weight sufficient to provide low viscosity. These adhesives have, inter alia, been found admirably suitable for the construction of disposable articles wherein the adhesive is applied as a continuous or discontinuous phase between members, e.g., via brushing, spraying or air-extrusion, between members to be bound together, particularly disposable articles of multi-line construction wherein the adhesive is supplied as fine parallel longitudinal strips, or as a multi-dot pattern of adhesive droplets, to bond together a moisture impervious outer polyethylene or polypropylene sheet and an inner moisture adsorbent sheet, or tissue, as used in diaper constructions. They have also been found suitable for use in the construction of sanitary napkins, bed pads, and with or without the addition of other materials, are useful for packaging and carton sealing, magazine and book lining, or book binding, or as elastic glues generally.
Adhesives formed from this type of pS-pI-pS block copolymer has been found admirably suitable, e.g., in the production of "multi-line" (or multi-dot) constructions. Hot-melt adhesives applied in the form of fine parallel longitudinal strips (or as patterns of dots) have been found to possess sufficient adhesive and cohesive strength to provide high bond strength values so that when subjected to stress the constructions cannot be easily separated. Moreover, the adhesives can withstand high mixing and application temperatures without thermal degradation and loss of adhesive properties, and have good heat and oxidation resistance on aging. The adhesives also perform well at moderate temperatures, which is required since the disposable articles are worn at body temperature; and they also perform well at higher temperatures, which is also required since the constructed articles must also be exposed to elevated temperatures during warehousing and shipping. Furthermore, these hot-melt adhesives have low adhesive viscosity such that they can be applied at low temperature in order to avoid distortion of the polyethylene or polypropylene substrates to which the adhesive is applied. Nonetheless, there remains a need for hot-melt adhesives useful in magazine and book binding, elastic gluing operations generally, hot-melt adhesive compositions useful in the assembly of multi-line constructions, and disposable articles of multi-line construction formed from improved hot-melt adhesive compositions.

Radial block copolymers containing butadiene endblock


A fluorescent lamp tube catcher formed of bent wire can be detachably engaged with a light fixture, with the central portion of the lamp tube catcher positioned below fluorescent tubes in the light fixture during use. In the event that a fluorescent lamp tube inadvertently becomes loose in the light fixture, the fluorescent lamp tube catcher can stop the loose fluorescent lamp tube from falling. The fluorescent lamp tube catcher can be loosely retained on the light fixture, for example while replacing a fluorescent lamp tube that has failed.

Fluorescent light fixtures, for example of the sort described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,396, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, include one or more fluorescent lamps formed as elongated tubes. For a variety of reasons, these elongated fluorescent lamp tubes can become loose and drop out of the light fixture. This can present a hazard to persons and property below.
What is needed is an elegant and cost-effective device to catch a fluorescent lamp which becomes loose before it falls out of a light fixture. What is further needed is such a device to catch a fluorescent lamp, where the device can be applied to or removed from the light fixture without the use of tools. What is further needed is such a device to catch a fluorescent lamp, where the device can be unmounted from the light fixture while still loosely retained by the light fixture, for example to prevent the device from falling when replacing the fluorescent lamp tube.

Fluorescent light fixture with lamp catcher


A routing screen is presented on an electronic device by a user interface application in response to receiving a notification that an external audio device is connected to the electronic device. The routing screen displays representations of an internal audio device and the external audio device. In one aspect, the representations are buttons. In another aspect, the representations are entries in a list. If a user selects one of representations, the user interface application causes the audio signals to be routed to the audio device represented by the selection. An application control screen having a set of objects that represent functions for an audio application may also be displayed. One of the objects on the application control screen is modified in response status changes in the external audio device. A user may select this object to access the routing screen when the external audio device is connected.

The present inventions relate in general to routing audio signals in an electronic device and in particular to routing audio signals among multiple audio devices.
Electronic devices, such as computer systems or wireless cellular telephones or other data processing systems, may often be used with peripheral devices. A peripheral device, such as a wired or wireless headset or a wireless or wired keyboard or a wired or wireless cursor control device, is coupled to the electronic device which may be referred to as a host system. The peripheral typically provides input and/or output capabilities to the electronic device.
The peripheral may also be configured to operate with only one particular electronic device or host. For example, a wireless headset peripheral may be paired with a designated wireless cellular telephone so that it communicates with that designated wireless cellular telephone rather than other wireless cellular telephones which are within radio range of the wireless headset. This allows a user to operate the wireless headset with its designated wireless cellular telephone even though it may be surrounded by other wireless cellular telephones which are within the radio range of the wireless headset. Thus, the wireless headset in this case includes some intelligence or data which allows it to selectively operate with a designated host system, but there is no further processing or sensing capability in the wireless headset. A Bluetooth pairing or partnership is an example of a relationship created between a peripheral and a host. It is created by the user in order to exchange information in a secure manner. Creating a Bluetooth partnership between two devices involves entering the same personal identification number (PIN) or passkey on both devices; creating such a partnership is a one-time process. Once a partnership is created, the devices can recognize the partnership and exchange information without entering a PIN again.
Routing audio signals in an electronic device having only two internal audio devices, such as an earpiece and a speaker, requires switching between the two devices. However, if the electronic device also is connected to an audio peripheral, the routing of audio signals becomes ambiguous. Thus, the electronic device should determine how to route audio signals among the multiple audio devices. Typically, the routing choice is left to the user. However, prior art electronic devices do not allow the user to easily select an audio device when an audio application is initiated. Moreover, prior art electronic devices do not allow the user to easily select a newly connected audio peripheral while an audio application is executing.

Dynamic routing of audio among multiple audio devices


A supported strap twist device reorients a strap along a strap path. The device includes an inlet, an outlet and a reorienting section. The reorienting section includes a body having entrance and exit ends and a transition section therebetween. The transition section has a through-bore having a varying cross-sectional shape defining a race. The race has, at a first end, an opposed inwardly pinched circular profile defining a gap. The circular profile thins along the race toward an hourglass profile, and has, at a second end, an elongated shape. The gap has a substantially constant width along the race. The strap enters the first end at an angle relative to the second end and is reoriented to a desired orientation at the second end. The strap is supported by the race as it traverses therethrough.

Strapping machines are in widespread use for securing straps around loads. In one exemplary type of strapping machine, a feed head is positioned at a strap dispenser, located remotely from the sealing head, strap chute and load. That is, portions of the strapping system are separated from one another, rather than incorporated into a unitary machine. One example of such a strapping machine is commercially available from ITW Signode, under the product designation of GCU SmartFlex™. In such an arrangement, the strap dispenser and feed head can be located a significant distance, for example, more than 10 feet, from the sealing head.
In order to assure that the strap is properly conveyed between the feed head and the sealing head, a strap guide extends between these components. The strap guide can be formed as a rectangular tube through which the strap traverses. Such strap guides can be formed from flexible, e.g. polymeric material, to permit relative movement of the sealing head and feed head.
While such strap guides function well, there are situations in which the orientation or direction of the strap must be changed between the feed head and the sealing head. This change in orientation or direction can be particularly problematic when the dispenser/feed head may have to be relocated due to, for example, space or other shop floor constraints.
To carry out the change in orientation or direction of strap, Kasel, U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,565, incorporated herein in its entirety, discloses a twist neck that allows a material, such as strap entering a device in one orientation to be reoriented into a second orientation. For example, the strap can enter the twist neck oriented in a horizontal plane and be reoriented into a vertical plane.
While the twist neck functions well when the strap is being drawn or pulled through the device it has its drawbacks when strap is being conveyed into or pushed through the device. That is, strap can be damaged or can buckle due to the pushing load on the strap. Moreover, the twist neck can only reorient the strap within a certain range of angles.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that reorients strap through a wide range of orientations and angles. Desirably, such a device can reorient strap when drawn through (i.e., pulled) or conveyed into (i.e., pushed through) the device. More desirably still, such as device can be configured in sections so that a desired reorientation can be carried out gradually, allowing a material to be reoriented without buckling or bending.


Mpl ligand analogs having one or more changed glycosylation sites as compared to a naturally occurring mpl ligand sequence of a corresponding number of amino acids are disclosed. The invention also relates to DNA sequences encoding mpl ligand analogs, recombinant plasmids and host cells for analog expression, and therapeutic compositions including such analogs.

MGDF, or megakaryocyte growth and development factor, is a recently cloned cytokine that appears to be the major regulator of circulating platelet levels. See Bartley, T. D. et al., Cell 77: 1117-1124 (1994); Lok, S. et al., Nature 369: 565-568 (1994); de Sauvage, F. J. et al., Nature 369: 533-538 (1994); Miyazake, H. et al., Exp. Hematol. 22: 838 (1994); and Kuter, D. J. et al., PNAS USA, 91: 11104-11108 (1994). MGDF as described in Bartley, T. D. et al., Cell 77: 1117-1124 (1994), is also referred to as thrombopoietin (TPO), mpl ligand, and megapoietin. Herein, the term "mpl ligand" will be used generically to refer to all polypeptides that activate the mpl receptor, including TPO and MGDF. The mpl receptor is a cell surface protein that, upon activation, leads to production and/or development of megakaryocytes and platelets. See WO 92/07074.
"Mpl ligand analogs" are polypeptides that differ from native sequences in a way that affects the number, location or type of carbohydrate linkage sites. Such polypeptides are one aspect of the present invention. Mature native human mpl ligand is a protein having 332 amino acids in total. The sequence of this protein (attached to a 21-amino acid long leader sequence) and the corresponding cDNA are shown in FIGS. 1A-1C herein (SEQ. ID NOs.: 1 and 2).
Recombinant mpl ligand produced in both Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) and E. coli cells has been demonstrated to have a biological activity of specifically stimulating or increasing megakaryocytes and/or platelets in vivo in mice, rats and monkeys. See e.g., Hunt, P. et al., Blood 84(10): 390A (1994). Human mpl ligand molecules that have been truncated (as compared to the 332 amino acid protein encoded by the cDNA in humans) so that they extend at least 151 amino acids, starting from amino acid position 22 in FIG. 1A, retain biological activity in vivo. FIGS. 2A-2B (SEQ. ID NOs.: 3 and 4) shows one example of a truncated mpl ligand molecule which, in mature form, has 174 amino acids and has biological activity. In FIG. 2A, the 174 amino acid long protein is shown attached to a 21 amino acid N-terminal leader sequence. This molecule was used to create some of the mpl ligand analogs in the examples section below. Other analogs are based on amino acids 1-199, 1-191, and 1-183 of FIG. 1A-1C. It is also possible to remove up to the first six amino acids at the N-terminus of the mature human sequence mpl ligand protein and retain biological activity. Therefore, it appears that biological activity is retained within amino acids 7 to 151 (inclusive) of the mature amino acid sequence of human mpl ligand shown in FIG. 1A-1C.
In general, many cell surface and secretory proteins produced by eukaryotic cells are modified with one or more oligosaccharide groups. This modification, referred to as glycosylation, can dramatically affect the physical properties of proteins and can also be important in protein stability, secretion, and subcellular localization. Proper glycosylation can be essential for biological activity. In fact, some genes from eukaryotic organisms, when expressed in bacteria (e.g., E. coli) which lack cellular processes for glycosylating proteins, yield proteins that are recovered with little or no activity by virtue of their lack of glycosylation.
Glycosylation occurs at specific locations or sites along the polypeptide backbone and is usually of two types: O-linked oligosaccharides are attached to serine (Ser) or threonine (Thr) residues while N-linked oligosaccharides (chains) are attached to asparagine (Asn) residues when they are part of the sequence Asn-X-Ser/Thr, where x can be any amino acid except proline. X is preferably one of the 19 naturally occurring amino acids not counting proline. The structures of N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides and the sugar residues found in each type are different. One type of sugar that is commonly found on both is N-acetylneuraminic acid (hereafter referred to as sialic acid). Sialic acid is usually the terminal residue of both N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides and, by virtue of its negative charge, may confer acidic properties to the glycoprotein.
As used herein glycosylation "sites" are amino acid residues that are structurally able to link to glycosyl residues, although such sites may or may not be actually linked to a glycosyl residue. As noted above, O-linked sites are either Ser or Thr residues, whereas N-linked sites are either Asn-X-Ser or Asn-X-Thr, where X is defined as any amino acid other than Pro (preferably one of the 19 naturally-occurring amino acids, excluding Pro). Whether a given site is glycosylated with a glycosyl chain is determined by the host cell in which the molecule is expressed, the amino acids neighboring the site, and other factors.
As used herein, the number of "chains" attached to a given mpl ligand analog will be the average number of carbohydrate (i.e., glycosyl) chains attached to a given mpl ligand molecule expressed by a particular host cell. Notably, the glycosylation sites for natural and corresponding recombinant mpl ligand will generally be the same, whereas the number of chains will possibly vary depending upon whether the particular host cell used for recombinant expression attaches glycosyl chains to the same sites or not, as compared to the natural source. Herein, whenever a comparison is made between recombinant and natural mpl ligand analogs, the same number of amino acids will be compared, regardless of whether the natural source actually produces an mpl ligand molecule having that length. Thus, "natural" refers to the sequence employed in a particular species (such as human) rather than the length of the molecule actually expressed in such natural source.
Naturally occurring mpl ligand is a glycosylated molecule. The glycosylation pattern of natural mpl ligand is related to two key domains that have been found in mpl ligand. The sequence of the first approximately 151 amino acids of mature human mpl ligand, corresponding to an active portion of the molecule, bears notable homology to erythropoietin (EPO), a cytokine capable of stimulating production of erythrocytes, and is referred to as the "EPO-like" domain of human mpl ligand. The remaining amino acids of the mature protein make up a so-called "N-linked carbohydrate" domain, since they include most if not all of the natural sites for N-linked glycosylation. In human mpl ligand, there are six N-linked glycosylation sites all contained in the N-linked glycosylation domain. Both domains contain O-linked glycosylation sites. There are an estimated 12-14 O-linked glycosylation chains in the molecule. Experimental evidence with human mpl ligand DNA expressed recombinantly in CHO cells reveals that in the EPO-like domain at least two O-linked sites are glycosylated, at positions 1 (Ser) and 37 (Thr).
Glycoproteins such as mpl ligand can be separated into different charged forms using techniques such as isoelectric focusing (IEF). For example, several parties have reported IEF studies of crude and partially purified erythropoietin preparations (Lukowsky et al., J. Biochem. 50: 909 (1972); Shelton et al., Biochem. Med. 12: 45 (1975); Fuhr et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 98: 930 (1981)).
In spite of the above information on glycosylation of mpl ligand molecules, there remains a need to obtain mpl ligand molecules having a different glycosylation pattern and which retain or have improved biological activity.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide novel glycosylated mpl ligand molecules, referred to as mpl ligand analogs. It is a further object of this invention to provide pharmaceutical compositions containing such molecules and methods of treating conditions treatable by mpl ligand with the mpl ligand analogs of this invention.


It is an object to provide a plate-shaped work piece transporting apparatus provided with a blowing mechanism for contactlessly supporting a plate-shaped work piece that is transported, where the blowing mechanism is provided with a dust-removal filter and a blowing mechanism for sending air to the lower surface of the plate-shaped work piece via the dust-removal filter. In a first embodiment, a driving mechanism for contacting the plate-shaped work piece and moving it in the transporting direction is provided.

The present invention relates to apparatuses for transporting plate-shaped work piece which are provided with an air-supplying-type support means that supplies filtered air toward a lower surface of a plate-shaped work piece that is transported so as to contactlessly support the plate-shaped work piece.
Such apparatuses for transporting plate-shaped work piece are used to transport plate-shaped work pieces such as liquid crystal glass substrates. Conventional apparatuses are provided with a drive force application means that applies a drive force in a transporting direction in order to transport a plate-shaped work piece in a horizontal or substantially horizontal orientation. The drive force application means is provided with drive rotors that support both end portions of the plate-shaped work piece in a contacting manner while applying a drive force. The plate-shaped work piece is transported in a horizontal or substantially horizontal orientation, with an intermediate portion thereof supported by the air-supplying-type support means and both end portions of the plate-shaped work piece supported in a contacting manner by the drive rotors. The air-supplying-type support means is provided with numerous air ejection holes provided at a predetermined spacing along the route over which the plate-shaped work piece is transported, and an air supply source including a compression pump, for example, and the supply source and the air ejection portions are connected by a supply duct such that compressed air from the supply source is distributively supplied to the numerous air ejection portions. Moreover, the air-supplying-type support means was designed such that compressed air ejected from the air ejection portions is supplied onto an intermediate portion located between the end portions of the plate-shaped work piece so as to contactlessly support the intermediate portion of the plate-shaped work piece (for example, see JP 2002-321820A).
In an apparatus for transporting a plate-shaped work piece in a vertical or near vertical orientation, the drive force application means applying drive force in the transporting direction is provided with a drive rotor for supporting a lower end portion of the plate-shaped work piece in a contacting manner while applying a drive force, and the lower end portion is supported in a contacting manner by the drive force application means, whereas an intermediate portion of the plate-shaped work piece transported in a vertical or near vertical orientation is supported by the air-supplying-type support means. The air-supplying-type support means is provided with numerous air ejection portions provided at a predetermined spacing along the route over which the plate-shaped work piece is transported, and an air supply source including an air blower, for example, and the supply source and the air ejection portions are connected by supply ducts such that compressed air from the supply source is distributed and supplied to the numerous air ejection portions, and the air-supplying-type support means is configured such that compressed air that is ejected from the air ejection portions is supplied to the intermediate portion of the plate-shaped work piece so as to contactlessly support the intermediate portion of the plate-shaped work piece(for example, see JP 2002-308423A).
With conventional plate-shaped work piece transporting apparatuses, the air-supplying-type support means is designed so that the air supply source and the numerous air ejection portions lined up in the transporting direction are connected by a supply duct, and this necessitated the complex task of connecting the supply source and the numerous air ejection portions so that compressed air does not leak out, making fabrication of the plate-shaped work piece transporting apparatus complicated.
When the route over which the plate-shaped work piece is transported is long, the number of air ejection portions that are provided at a predetermined spacing in the transporting direction increases, and thus, supply sources also are provided at a predetermined spacing in the transporting direction and compressed air is independently supplied to the numerous air ejection portions by the plurality of supply sources. Providing a plurality of supply sources in this manner makes the structure accordingly complicated, and leads to the disadvantage that space for disposing the plurality of supply sources becomes necessary, for example.
Also, with conventional technologies, the amount of air that the air-supplying-type support means supplies toward the lower surface portion of the transported object is constant, and thus the air-supplying-type support means is used only for contactlessly supporting the transported object. Consequently, conventional transporting apparatuses do not allow the transported object to be contactlessly supported and transported at the same time, and thus cannot be adopted to handle different circumstances.
Moreover, with conventional technologies, the air-supplying-type support means is located below the plate-shaped work piece that is transported, and thus the route that passes between the plate-shaped work piece and the air-supplying-type support means and discharges to the side of the air-supplying-type support means is the only discharge route for the filtered air that is supplied onto the lower surface of the plate-shaped work piece, and since the filtered air is not easily discharged it easily pools below an intermediate portion of the plate-shaped work piece. Due to this pooling of air, the plate-shaped work piece is transported in a deformed state in which its intermediate portion bulges upward, and thus a large burden is placed on the plate-shaped work piece.

Apparatus for transporting plate-shaped work piece