A turbine airfoil such as a turbine stator vane used in an industrial gas turbine engine, the vane including a trailing edge region having a thin wall cooling channel arrangement of mini cooling channels formed by a series of rows of elongated flow blockers that form the mini cooling channels between adjacent flow blockers. The adjacent row of flow blockers are offset from the each other such that the inlet and the outlet flow of cooling air is discharged directly onto the flow blocker in order to produce impingement cooling. The mini cooling channels have a spacing to hydraulic diameter ratio of less than 4.0 and a mini channel length to hydraulic diameter ratio of 5.0 of less in order to maintain a high flow velocity within the mini channels. In one embodiment, the flow blockers have a progressively decreasing length in the flow direction of the cooling air.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid reaction surfaces, and more specifically to a turbine airfoil with trailing edge cooling channels.
2. Description of the Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
A gas turbine engine, especially an industrial gas turbine engine, includes a turbine section with multiple stages of turbine blades and stator guide vanes to convert the energy from a hot gas flow into mechanical energy to drive the rotor shaft. The efficiency of the engine can be increased by passing a higher gas flow temperature into the turbine. However, the highest temperature that the turbine can be exposed to is related to the material characteristics of the vanes and blades in the first stage. The higher the inlet temperature to the turbine, the higher will be the engine efficiency.
In order to allow for higher gas flow temperatures into the turbine, the turbine airfoils include complex internal cooling circuits to provide cooling for the airfoils. The engine efficiency is also increased by passing less cooling air through the airfoils for cooling. Since the cooling air used in the turbine airfoils is typically pressurized cooling air from the compressor of the engine, using less bleed off air from the compressor will also increase the engine efficiency.
A turbine rotor blade must be designed to not only have adequate cooling, but also be capable of withstanding the high centrifugal forces that develop on the blade from the rotation during operation. Also, the turbine rotor blades are subject to high temperatures that lower the material strength of the blades and can lead to creep problems from long exposure to strain. Erosion is also a problem in turbine airfoils if hot spots develop on portions of the airfoil that is not adequately cooled. Thus, it is desirable to provide for a turbine airfoil such as a turbine rotor blade with a minimum amount of material to reduce weight, and to provide for a maximum amount of cooling using a minimum amount of cooling air.
It is known in the art of turbine airfoil cooling that cooling efficiency can be improved by a reduction of the cooling channel wall thickness. However, for a low cooling flow design, as the airfoil wall thickness is reduced the internal cooling channel cross sectional flow area will increase. This will reduce the internal flow Mach number and through flow velocity, and thus reduce the cooling flow channel internal heat transfer coefficient as well as the channel convective performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,189,060 issued to Liang (the same inventor of the present application) on Mar. 13, 2007 and entitled COOLING SYSTEM INCLUDING MINI CHANNELS WITHIN A TURBINE BLADE OF A TURBINE ENGINE discloses a turbine blade with mini channels formed within the cooling channels along the blade spanwise direction of the serpentine flow cooling circuit. The channels are formed by ribs that have the same length throughout the channel from near the platform to near the tip. The mini channels of the present invention are formed in the trailing edge region of the blade in which the width of the blade decreases. The mini channels in the trailing edge of the blade of the present invention have different structure than the mini channels in the earlier Liang patent.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a turbine airfoil with a thin wall convection cooling channel along the trailing edge of the airfoil in order to improve the cooling of the trailing edge region.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a turbine airfoil with a trailing edge cooling channel that will increase the cooling effectiveness without increasing the internal cooling channel air flow area so that the cooling effectiveness is increased.

Turbine airfoil with trailing edge cooling channels


In order to carry out a handover procedure, in which a radio link between a mobile station and a radio communications system, which is set up via a first transmitting/receiving unit, is switched to a second transmitting/receiving unit, the mobile station sends a handover signaling message to the second transmitting/receiving unit in order to set up a connection to the second transmitting/receiving unit. The handover signaling message contains as the handover procedure identifier a code word, whose value matches a handover code which is reserved for handover procedures in the radio communications system, and on the basis of which further transmitting/receiving units in the radio communications system which receive the handover signaling message identify it as a handover signaling message.

Radio communications systems are used for transmitting information, voice or data, by electromagnetic waves via a radio interface between a transmitting radio station and a receiving radio station. One example of a radio communications system is the known GSM mobile radio network, whose architecture is described, for example, in B. Walke, "Mobilfunknetze und ihre Protokolle" (Mobile radio networks and their protocols), Volume 1, Teubner Verlag Stuttgart, 1998, pages 139 to 151. In this case, a channel formed by a narrow frequency band and a time slot is provided for transmitting each subscriber signal. Since a subscriber signal in one channel differs in frequency and time from the other subscriber signals, the receiving radio station can detect the data from the subscriber signal. In more recent radio communications systems, such as the UMTS system, the individual subscribers are furthermore distinguished by different spread codes.
A radio communications system, for example a GSM mobile radio network, has a large number of mobile switching centers which are networked to one another and provide access to a landline network. Furthermore, the mobile switching centers are each connected to one or more base station controllers. The base station controller allows a connection to at least one base station, and manages the radio resources of the connected base stations. Such a base station is a transmitting/receiving unit, which can set up a radio link to mobile stations via a radio interface, which is also referred to as an air interface.
A region which is covered by a radio communications system is subdivided into individual radio zones, which are also referred to as cells. A cell is in this case controlled by one of the base stations, via which radio links are set up from mobile stations which are located in this cell. In order to avoid interference with radio links in adjacent cells, each cell is assigned a subset of physical channels which are available in the radio communications system. Directly adjacent cells use different physical channels, via which radio links are set up between a mobile station and the base station. Physical channels are reused only when two cells are at a certain distance from one another.
If a mobile station moves from the region of one cell to another cell, then an automatic handover procedure is carried out during the course of the radio link, so that an active radio link can be maintained even beyond cell boundaries. In the handover procedure, the radio link between the mobile station and the radio communications system, which is set up via a first transmitting/receiving unit, is switched to a second transmitting/receiving unit. The need for such a handover procedure is identified by the radio communications system.
It has been found that handover procedures can lead to overload messages at the operation and maintenance center with regard to the connection between the base station and the base station controller and to use of all the channels which are required to set up new radio links via a base station. The latter situation leads to requests for setting up a new radio link being rejected.

Method for carrying out a handover procedure in a radio communications system having a number of transmitting/receiving units


A management application can automatically coordinate the decommissioning of ports in a switch, ensuring that ports are gracefully taken out of service without unnecessary interruption of service and triggering of automatic recovery functionality that may occur during manual decommissioning of ports. Embodiments may provide for decommissioning of F_ports only, E_ports only, or both F_ports and E_ports. Where link aggregation is provided for in the fabric, decommissioning of a port in a link aggregation group may be performed if there are other operational links in the group. Decommissioning of a non-aggregated port (or the last operational port in a link aggregation group) may be performed if there is a redundant path available.

Storage area networks (SANs) are typically implemented to interconnect data storage devices and data servers or hosts, using network switches to provide interconnectivity across the SAN. SANs may be complex systems with many interconnected computers, switches, and storage devices. The switches are typically configured into a switch fabric, and the hosts and storage devices connected to the switch fabric through ports of the network switches that comprise the switch fabric. Most commonly, Fibre Channel (FC) protocols are used for data communication across the switch fabric, as well as for the setup and teardown of connections to and across the fabric, although these protocols may be implemented on top of Ethernet or Internet Protocol (IP) networks.
Typically, hosts and storage devices (generically, devices) connect to switches through a link between the device and the switch, with a node port (N_port) of the device connected to one end of the link and a fabric port (F_port) of a switch connected to the other end of the link. The N_port describes the capability of the port as an associated device to participate in the fabric topology. Similarly, the F_port describes the capability of the port as an associated switch.
Over time, SANs have become more complex, with fabrics involving multiple switches that use inter-switch links (ISLs) connected to switch ports (E_ports) on the switches. In some SANs, a core group of switches may provide backbone switching for fabric interconnectivity, with few or no devices directly connected to the core switches, while a number of edge switches provide connection points for the devices or devices of the SAN. Additional layers of switches may also exist between the edge switches and the core switches.
The increasing complexity of enterprise data centers has complicated switch maintenance operations, which require coordination between several administrators in order to complete. The simple act of blocking a port of a network switch to perform a service action can require multiple teams of users to update their operations in order to avoid using the target port. Often the procedures involved with this kind of effort are manual and prone to error.
Some environments are especially sensitive to administrative errors that activate the automated recovery systems. Such systems include call home, device recovery, logical path recovery, and application recovery systems. Thus, errors in coordination of switch maintenance operations that trigger these automated recovery systems create delays and escalations in production environments that enterprise data center managers would like to avoid.


An optical disk apparatus includes a light source that emits a light flux. A light source drive circuit causes the light source to emit the light flux. An optical base has an optical system disposed thereon. The optical system includes an objective lens for guiding the light flux emitted from the light source to a disk-shaped recording medium. A moving mechanism moves the optical base. A first heat radiation member is connected to the light source, and a second heat radiation member is connected to the light source drive circuit and is different from the first heat radiation member. The first heat radiation member and the second heat radiation member are provided so as to face the disk-shaped recording medium. The first heat radiation member is disposed on the disk-shaped recording medium side with respect to the second heat radiation member, and the first heat radiation member has a hole provided therein, for exposing the second heat radiation member to the disk-shaped recording medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser in an information recording/reproducing apparatus using an optical disk, and to a countermeasure for heat radiation for a drive circuit of a semiconductor laser.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor laser (hereafter, simply referred to as an "LD"), which is a light source of an optical disk apparatus, is well known for posing various problems due to temperature rise, such as shortening of lifetime, degradation of signal quality involved in an increase of quantum noise, and lowering of a slope efficiency showing a relation between a drive current and an emission efficiency.
Further, an LD and a driver for driving an LD (hereafter, simply referred to as an "LDD") are connected to each other on an electrical circuit board, and are generally subjected to an influence of an electrical noise as the distance therebetween becomes larger, whereby the degradation of the signal quality occurs. As a result, in order to improve the signal quality, it is necessary to dispose the LD and the LDD as close to each other as possible, on an optical pickup to be described later.
However, on the optical pickup, an LD and an LDD are main heat generating sources. Therefore, when the LD and the LDD are disposed close to each other, heat is transferred therebetween to thereby accelerate the temperature rise of each of the components.
Furthermore, in recent years, it has been necessary to reduce the size and the thickness of the optical disk apparatus. This requirement is especially remarkable in the field of mobile applications, such as disk camcorders that have been commercialized recently, in which components, such as an optical disk apparatus and an electrical board, are accommodated in an outer package of a product at a high density. Accordingly, the temperature rise of the optical disk apparatus is prompted, whereby a temperature rise of the LD is generated.
Furthermore, the components themselves must be reduced in the size and thickness thereof, which causes degradation of the heat radiation performance, involved in the lowering in the heat capacity of the components.
As described above, temperature environments surrounding an LD have become worse and worse. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the conflicting functions described above of "taking a countermeasure against electrical noise and reducing a thermal influence between heat generating sources" and of "reducing the sizes of components themselves and improving the heat radiation performance" at the same time.
As the technology for accomplishing the tasks described above, two conventional technologies are exemplified as follows.

Optical disk apparatus and optical pickup


A theft monitoring apparatus does not require any complicated synchronous relationship for the signals received from a plurality of antennas, permits easier installation and maintenance and inspection, and does not adversely affect the appearance of a shop where it is installed. A plurality of antennas (1, 2) send out transmitter signals composed of burst signals (A, B) which continue in predetermined cycles (T1, T2). The transmitter signal from one antenna (antenna 2) except other antenna (antenna 1) is provided with a pause period (D) during which no burst signal (B) is issued. During the pause period (D), the burst signal (A) is issued from the antenna (1).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a theft monitoring apparatus for protecting merchandise displayed in a shop from shoplifters.
2. Description of Related Art
This type of theft monitoring apparatus includes an antenna for transmitting signals of a specific frequency which is installed at the vicinity of a doorway of a shop, and a receiver for receiving the signals of the specific frequency from the antenna. The receiver, which is referred to as a "tag," is attached beforehand to the merchandise displayed in the shop; if a shoplifter attempts to carry any commodity with the tag out of the shop, then the receiver attached to the commodity detects the signals from the antenna and activates an alarm buzzer or the like to issue warning sound when the shoplifter passes through the doorway. This type of theft monitoring apparatus, however, has been posing a problem in that, if the displayed merchandise includes television sets, personal computers, etc., then the noises emitted from television sets or personal computers unwantedly trigger the receivers attached to the merchandise. To solve the problem, the level of the signal transmitted from the antenna has been set to a relatively higher value than that of the noises, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio.
In recent years, the size of the doorways of shops has been increasing with the increasing size of the shops themselves. With this trend, a plurality of antennas have been installed to cope with the need for expanded areas at the doorways where the commodities can be detected. There is limitation in coping the aforesaid problem by improving the signal-to-noise ratio because the intensity or the like of the signals to be transmitted is limited. There has been proposed a method for measuring the frequency of the signal to be transmitted. A conventional theft monitoring apparatus which includes a plurality of antennas installed to detect the frequency of a transmitted signal will be explained in conjunction with FIG. 5 through FIG. 9.
FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the transmitting unit of a conventional theft monitoring apparatus; FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a transmitter; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the waveform of a signal transmitted from an antenna of the transmitting unit; FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a receiver; and FIG. 9 is another conceptual diagram illustrating the transmitting unit. In this example, a case wherein two antennas are installed will be explained.
In FIG. 5, antennas 1 and 2 of the transmitting unit are installed, for example, at both sides of a doorway of a shop. Transmitters 3 and 4 are connected to the feeders, not shown, of the antennas 1 and 2, respectively. The transmitters 3 and 4 share the same configuration; they have a signal generator 5, a timing controller 6, and a driver 7 as shown in FIG. 6. The signal generator 5 has a sine wave oscillator circuit (not shown) which oscillates at a frequency of 64 kHz (hereinafter referred to as "carrier wave"). The oscillation signal issued from the signal generator 5 is supplied intermittently to the driver 7 by a control signal generated by the timing controller 6, then it is amplified as necessary by the driver 7 before it is emitted through the antenna 1 or 2. The control signal generated by the timing controller 6 is composed of, for example, successive pulses which have a nominal repetition frequency of 1000 Hz and which turn ON/OFF at a 50% duty cycle (hereinafter referred to as "modulated wave"); during the ON period, the carrier wave issued from the signal generator 5 is supplied to the driver 7 and emitted in a burst mode through the antennas 1 or 2, whereas during the OFF period, the carrier wave is not applied to the driver 7, so that it is not emitted through the antennas 1 or 2. The carrier wave of 64 kHz radiated through the antennas during the ON period of the modulated wave is referred to as a "burst signal."
FIG. 7A illustrates the waveform of the signal which is, for example, transmitted from the antenna 1, and FIG. 7B illustrates the waveform of the signal transmitted from the antenna 2. In this diagram, T1 indicates the period of time of one cycle which is determined by the repetition frequency 1000 Hz of the modulated wave; in a half cycle (T1/2), the carrier wave is radiated for about 16 cycles and turns into the burst signal A. The period during which the burst signal A is radiated corresponds to the ON period of the modulated wave. Likewise, in the case shown in FIG. 7B, a burst signal B is radiated in a half cycle (T2/2). Thus, the burst signal A or B is transmitted in succession in the cycle T1 or T2; however, since the transmitters 3 and 4 are provided separately, the cycles T1 and T2 do not necessarily fully coincide, and the frequencies of the carrier wave (64 kHz) in the burst signals A and B do not necessarily fully coincide, either. Furthermore, times ts1 and ts2 at which the burst signals A and B rise or start, respectively, do not completely agree; there is usually a time difference ts.
The receiver is constituted by a receiving antenna 8 making up a resonance circuit, a detector 9, a waveform shaper 10, a determiner 11, and an alarm 12 as shown in FIG. 8. The receiving antenna 8 receives the transmitter signals shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, and amplifies them as necessary before detecting them so as to envelope-detect the carrier waves of the burst signals A and B shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, thereby extracting the modulated wave of the 1000 Hz repetition frequency. The modulated wave is then supplied to the waveform shaper 10 which shapes it into complete pulses. The determiner 11 determines that the received signal is the modulated wave of the 1000 Hz repetition frequency from the half cycle (T1/2) or (T2/2) during the ON period of the pulse, thereby actuating the alarm 12 to issue the warning sound.
FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmitting unit of another conventional example which has only one transmitter. The transmitter signals sent from the antennas 1 and 2 have only the waveform illustrated in FIG. 7A, and the frequencies and phases (accordingly the cycles) of the carrier waves and the modulated waves are completely identical. There is no difference in the rising time of the burst signals; however, a cable 12 is required to interconnect the antennas 1 and 2.
In the case of the theft monitoring apparatus shown in FIG. 5, the burst signal A or B present in the period of the half cycle (T1/2) or (T2/2) is received, and the transmitter signals sent out from the antennas 1 and 2 are set at a high level; therefore, the theft monitoring apparatus is unlikely to be accidentally actuated by the noises of personal computers, etc. Further, if a commodity with a tag attached thereto is passed in the vicinity of either the antenna 1 or 2, e.g. the antenna 1, then the transmitter signal level of the other antenna, e.g. the antenna 2, which is farther from the commodity is lower, enabling only the transmitter signal of a higher level transmitted from the nearby antenna 1 to be received; hence, no problem arises.
If, however, the commodity with the tag thereon is passed at the midpoint between the two antennas 1 and 2, then the receiver receives the transmitter signals of approximately the same level from the two antennas 1 and 2. In such a case, the carrier waves received by the receiver are likely to interfere with each other to cancel their levels and disable the tag, because the transmitter signals sent out from the antennas 1 and 2 do not necessarily coincide phase-wise as mentioned above, that is, the cycles T1 and T2, the half cycles (T1/2) and (T2/2) during which the burst signals A and B are present, the start time ts1 and ts2, and the frequencies of the carrier waves in the burst signals A and B do not always agree. If the burst signal A from the antenna 1 is fully shifted by a half cycle time-wise from the burst signal B from the antenna 2 and the carrier waves are radiated in succession, then even if the carrier waves are received by the receiver, the determiner will not be able to identify the modulated wave of the 512 Hz repetition frequency after detecting them.
The problem mentioned above would be solved by making the carrier wave and the modulated wave of the transmitter 3 connected to the antenna 1 completely synchronized with the carrier wave and the modulated wave of the transmitter 4 connected to the antenna 2; however, doing so would complicate the configuration of the transmitters and add to the cost of the entire apparatus. The system shown in FIG. 9 does not have such a problem since it has only one transmitter 3; however, it would require the cable 12 for connecting the antennas 1 and 2 to be extended in a large shop, making it disadvantageous in the aspect of the installation of the system, the appearance, or the maintenance and inspection after installation.


A surgical isolation apparatus suitable for use in a variety of surgical procedures completely isolates operating personnel from the patent's blood, body fluids and contaminated irrigation fluids, while providing manual access to the operating area and permitting use of optical instruments such as endoscopes. The preferred embodiment of the invention is especially designed for transurethral prostatectomies, and can be fabricated simply and inexpensively from two sheets of transparent plastic.

I. Field of the Invention
Many surgical procedures expose operating personnel to the patient's blood and other body fluids, as well as to water and other liquids used for irrigation purposes during some surgical procedures. Such "operating fluids" may carry contagious diseases, such as the AIDS virus.
This invention relates to a disposable surgical isolation apparatus that completely protects operating personnel from contact with contaminated operating fluids, while providing full access to the patient for the hands of the operating personnel and for optical surgical instruments such as endoscopes. This invention eliminates the need for operating personnel to wear facemasks or cumbersome full-body protective clothing. Embodiments of the invention include provisions for sampling and collecting operating fluids during the surgical procedure; and for safe disposal the entire surgical isolation apparatus, together with any collected operating fluids, following the surgical procedure. The preferred embodiment is simply constructed of two sheets of transparent plastic, heat-sealed at the edges, to provide an economical device that can be disposed of after it has been contaminated.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The most popular current approach to management of operating fluids during operations like transurethral prostatectomies is simply to channel the fluids down the exterior of a surgical drape into a collection bag, which in turn may empty into a hose leading to a floor drain. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. describe variants on that approach: 4,414,968 (Amin); 4,462,396 (Wichman); 4,489,720 (Morris, et al.); 4,890,628 (Jackson); 4,378,794 (Collins); 4,471,769 (Lockhart); 4,570,628 (Neal); 4,596,245 (Morris), and 4,974,604 (Morris). Only in combination with full-body protective garments such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,481 (Ruth-Larson, et al.) and protective face shields like those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,834,068 (Gottesman) and 4,848,322 (Dash, et al.) can the foregoing arrangements provide any protection from contaminated operating fluids for the operating personnel. And even combined with such measures, protection is far from complete because operating fluids may still spatter or spill, contaminating the operating room environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,710 (Jessamine, et al.) discloses a drape of that attaches to the legs and feet of a patient in the lithotomy position, screening the patient's genital area from the physician and enclosing the working area at the back (i.e., facing away from the patient) and sides only (not at the front facing toward the patient, or at the top) by means of panels attached to the patient's lower legs (as shown in Jessamine's FIG. 5). Operating fluids that do not spatter or spill outside the partial enclosure formed by the drape can be channeled into a bucket (as shown in Jessamine's FIG. 3). There is no provision for collection of all operating fluids, and Jessamine's drape provides only partial protection for operating personnel standing in certain positions during the operation--for example, anyone standing near the patient's head would be unprotected. And, since Jessamine depends upon the patient's legs to support the drape, it is only usable for surgical procedures in which the patient is in the lithotomy position.
The purpose of the invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,882 (Lawrence) is to isolate the skull or ribcage of a cadaver from a person performing an autopsy, while providing an instrument port 24 to accommodate the shaft of an oscillating bone saw. When a craniotomy is to be performed, an adhesive strip 24 seals the bag around the shoulders of the cadaver; to remove the spinal chord a pair of adhesive strips are used, one around the neck 121 and the other just below the waist 122. Stiffening ribs 34, arranged in a cruciform pattern with its center at instrument port 24, spread the drape and hold it away from the working area while the sawing operation is being performed, but once the saw is withdrawn there is no provision for continued support of the drape. Nor is there need for such provision, since as Lawrence explains there is no flowing blood or other fluid in an autopsy, and the main reason any protection is needed is because the bone saw tends to disperse quiescent fluids into the air as an aerosol, a phenomenon that stops at the conclusion of the sawing operation. Thus, Lawrence does not provide any manual access through the shield to the working area. Lawrence also makes no provision for collecting operating fluids, and would be unusable for procedures requiring much irrigation even if it could be adapted for use on live patients.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,720 (Morris, et al.) discloses a drape intended for use during Cesarean deliveries. According to Morris, ordinary fluid management devices (in which the blood and other fluids run down the outside or upper surface of the drape and are channeled into a bag or receptacle attached to, or formed on the outer surface of the drape) are inappropriate for Cesarean deliveries because the patient lies too flat, or on one side, apparently providing insufficient slope to drain fluids into a bag attached outside the drape. Morris attempts to solve the problem by attaching the bag 19 to the inner surface of the drape, so it hangs down between the patient's legs. Fluids enter the bag through a fenestration 21 communicating between the upper surface of the drape and the bag 19. A flap 22, fitted with an adhesive strip 23, allows the bag to be sealed after the operation to prevent spilling of fluid as the sheet is removed. (Col. 3, line 64 through col. 4, line 5).
The resulting arrangement, however, is a complex multi-piece construction. And it is specifically adapted to a particular procedure: a Cesarean delivery. Most importantly, it does not provide any protection for the physician from contaminated blood and body fluids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,769 (Lockhart) discloses a drape having one hammock-shaped member 8 that can be attached to the physician's chest by means of an adhesive strip 40, forming a concave surface with a drain hole 38 at its bottom. Again, however, contaminated operating fluids flow down an open trough directly in front of the physician's face, with no protection for the physician or other operating personnel.
There is a need for a surgical isolation apparatus that can accommodate a variety of surgical procedures, and that ensures complete isolation and containment of contaminated operating fluids while providing access to the operating area for the hands of the operating personnel, and for optical instruments such as endoscopes.


An Interworking Gateway enabled to provide continuous conversion of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) of any one of a provisioned set of transport protocols to any other member of the set is disclosed. Each transport protocol is associated with at least one transport protocol unit comprising at least one signaling port, at least one receive path, and at least one transmit path. Receive paths are adapted to convert PDUs of respective transport protocols into a base format, and transmit paths are adapted to convert a stream of base format data into PDUs of respective transport protocols. Transport protocol units are autonomous modules. The Interworking Gateway permits telephone services to extend across different broadband telephony networks in today's telecommunications system of networks.

Modem telecommunications systems have evolved with and around the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the Common Channel Signaling (CCS) network. Although the PSTN is an integrated, highly reliable network that is well adapted for voice service, it is expensive to construct and maintain. Furthermore, the bandwidth capacity of the circuit-switched PSTN is limited to 64 kb/s per circuit and any unused capacity of a circuit cannot be shared. The steady increase in demand for telecommunications services has taxed resources in the PSTN. Consequently, packet networks, which offer higher bandwidth capacity and resource sharing have been adapted for use in supplementing the PSTN. Recent telecommunications system configurations have incorporated Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and/or Internet Protocol (IP) networks for payload transport, with interfaces to the circuit-switched PSTN. ATM and IP networks that perform payload transport are referred to as broadband transport networks.
As the use of broadband transport networks has increased to satisfy the demand for telecommunications services, so has the number of interfaces to the PSTN. Each transport network has an associated set of transport protocols that govern the format of data units transferred through the network. Generally, a protocol data unit (PDU) for one transport protocol cannot be transferred through a transport or telephone network that uses a different transport protocol. For this reason, edge-connecting two or more broadband transport networks, and expanding addressing capabilities of respective network elements, does not necessarily enable the interworking of the two or more networks. Two networks are said to interwork when the content of PDUs of one of the two networks can be forwarded through the other of the two networks, and vice versa, and can be processed by edge equipment. Generally, an interface is provided between the two networks that performs a protocol conversion without losing or corrupting payload data. Several such interfaces have been developed to permit the interworking of the PSTN with various broadband networks. Examples of such devices are described in Applicant's co-pending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 09/158,855 which was filed on Sep. 23, 1998 and is entitled TRANSIT TRUNK SUBNETWORK; and, 09/213,769 which was filed on Dec. 17, 1998 and is entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPLETING TELEPHONE CALLS BETWEEN SUBNETS.
Since interfaces to the PSTN exist for some broadband transport networks, it is common to provide interworking between incompatible broadband networks by routing through the PSTN. Consequently, each of the broadband transport networks interwork with the CCS network to convey call control messaging, and each is edge connected to the PSTN. However, using the PSTN as a bridge between broadband transport networks is inefficient as each conversion back and forth from packet to PSTN results in additional transmission delays and requires more equipment.
Accordingly, a method and apparatus that enables the direct interworking of different broadband transport networks for the provision of telephone services remains highly desirable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Interworking of dissimilar packet networks for telephony communications


A composition for etching a double metal layer, a method of fabricating an array substrate using the composition, and a method of forming a double metal line using the composition are provided. The composition includes about 63.5% to about 64.5% by weight of a phosphoric acid; about 8% to about 9% by weight of a nitric acid; about 8% to about 12% by weight of an acetic acid; and an anionic additive.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composition for etching a double metal layer, and more particularly, to a composition for etching a double metal layer, a method of fabricating an array substrate, and a method of forming a double metal line for a liquid crystal display device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A size of a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) device scales with a length of a metal line transmitting signals in a TFT-LCD device. Accordingly, a resistance of the metal line increases with increased TFT-LCD device size, and the increased resistance causes signal delay. To prevent the signal delay, a metallic material having a relatively low resistance has been suggested for the metal line. For example, aluminum (Al) alloy, molybdenum (Mo), molybdenum (Mo) alloy, copper (Cu), copper (Cu) alloy, silver (Ag) and silver (Ag) alloy have been suggested and researched.
A metal line in a TFT-LCD device is obtained by depositing a metallic material and patterning the deposited metal layer. The patterning step can be performed by a dry etching method or a wet etching method. In general, the metal layer is patterned by a wet etching method. In a wet etching method, a metal layer is patterned using an etching solution referred to as an etchant. The kind of etchant to be used is determined according to a metallic material for the metal layer.
Aluminum (Al) alloy is widely used due to its low resistance. However, aluminum (Al) alloy has a relatively low tolerance to chemicals, such as etchants. Moreover, since aluminum (Al) alloy has a low melting temperature, defects—such as hillocks—are generated in subsequent high temperature processes. Accordingly, a double metal layer including aluminum neodymium (AlNd) and molybdenum (Mo) has been suggested instead of a single metal layer of aluminum (Al) alloy.
A double metal layer of aluminum neodymium (AlNd) and molybdenum (Mo) may be etched using a single etchant to obtain a double metal line of aluminum neodymium (AlNd) and molybdenum (Mo). However, since an etch rate of molybdenum (Mo) is different than an etch rate of aluminum neodymium (AlNd), it is difficult to obtain a double metal line of aluminum neodymium (AlNd) and molybdenum (Mo) having a uniform profile. For example, when a double metal line of molybdenum/aluminum neodymium (Mo/AlNd) is formed from a double metal layer having a molybdenum (Mo) layer formed on an aluminum neodymium (AlNd) layer, the double metal line may have an overhang structure in places where the aluminum neodymium (AlNd) layer does not exist under some portion of the molybdenum (Mo) layer because of over-etching of the aluminum neodymium (AlNd) layer. The overhang structure causes an electrical short or an electrical opening of upper and lower metal lines in a subsequent process. To improve the overhang structure problem, an additional dry etching process is required. In addition, when aluminum neodymium (AlNd) has poor wettability a single etchant, aluminum neodymium (AlNd) residues may be left behind.
When a double metal layer is formed having a structure with an aluminum neodymium (AlNd) layer formed on a molybdenum (Mo) layer, a tail of molybdenum (Mo) remains at a periphery of a double metal line of aluminum neodymium/molybdenum (AlNd/Mo) formed from such a double metal layer because of under-etch of the molybdenum (Mo) layer.
FIG. 1 is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showing a double metal line obtained through an etching process according to the related art. While fabrication steps are not shown in FIG. 1, a double metal line of molybdenum/aluminum neodymium (Mo/AlNd) is formed by etching a double metal layer of a lower molybdenum (Mo) and an upper aluminum neodymium (AlNd). After the molybdenum (Mo) layer and the aluminum neodymium (AlNd) layer are sequentially formed on a substrate, a photoresist (PR) pattern is formed on the aluminum neodymium (AlNd) layer. The double metal layer is etched using the PR pattern as an etch mask to form the double metal line, and then the PR pattern is removed. FIG. 1 shows the double metal line after removing the PR pattern. In FIG. 1, the lower molybdenum (Mo) layer remains at a peripheral region "A" of the double metal line to form a molybdenum (Mo) tail. When such a double metal line is used for a display device, the molybdenum (Mo) tail causes a stain in displayed images of the display device.

Composition for etching double metal layer, method of fabricating array substrate using the composition, and method of forming double metal line using the composition


Apparatus and method for peeling the husk from produce such as garlic cloves in which cup means are provided with circumferentially spaced, inwardly biased prongs that converge toward an exit end, the prongs having gripping members adjacent the exit end. A plunger is provided for pushing the garlic meat relative to the husk while the husk is being held by the gripping members. In the method, the husk is held and gripped at the circumferentially spaced locations while the meat is pressed axially of the husk relative to the husk while the husk is being gripped. Preferably, the husk is simultaneously scored or cut as it is gripped to split the husk.

Equipment for removing the inedible outer layers of garlic cloves has generally been unsatisfactory. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,254 attempts to remove the inedible skin by using pressurized air. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,672 uses an abrasive rotary disk. In general, however, particularly for manually removing the skin from a clove of garlic, the conventional technique is to use a knife to cut open the skin and peel the skin off the firm meat.

Method and apparatus for peeling produce such as garlic


When a rotary-actuator voice coil type disk drive is powered down the actuator arm is moved to a parking position against an I.D. stop by a disk spindle motor back EMF, resulting from the spinning down of the spindle motor. Current is applied by the back EMF through a delay circuit to a latch arm voice coil on one end of a latch arm and forming part of a magnetic circuit including a drive permanent magnet on a ferrous base plate and a ferrous upper plate. Resultant movement of the latch arm overcomes a spring bias of a torsion spring extending between the base plate and pivoted latch arm normally keeping the latch arm in an unlatched position. A latch permanent magnet extends from the other end of the latch arm and is brought into spaced proximity, but not contact, with a ferrous member extending from the actuator arm so that the magnetic force therebetween holds the actuator arm against the I.D. stop in latched position to withstand high shock loadings. Powering the rotary actuator voice coil motor up overcomes the magnetic force and allows the biased torsion spring to move the latch arm to the unlatched position without resultant loss of data storage area.

This invention pertains to shock protection of disk drives. More particularly the invention is directed to an apparatus and method of effectively locking a disk drive actuator in a parking position so that the actuator is immovable when subjected to relatively high shock loadings.
The present invention particularly finds utility in magnetic memory storage disk drives utilizing a voice coil motor-driven rotary actuator having read/write transducers accessing one or more disks, normally on both surfaces of the disk. Upon powering down of the actuator, the actuator and its attached read/write transducers is driven to a parking position or landing zone normally at the I.D. of the circular memory storage "tracks" on the disk. When the power is shut down, the actuator when subjected to jars, shocks or vibrations, may pivot damaging the tranducer heads and the magnetic surfaces on the adjacent disk(s). While the invention is described in terms of magnetic data storage disks, optical transducer(s) may also be incorporated in the actuator and the actuator appropriately parked and locked using the invention.
Various systems for moving a rotary actuator to a parking position and locking the actuator at that position have been employed. It is known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,102) to employ the back EMF of a disk-driving spindle motor as it spins down to drive a stepper motor so that the stepper motor moves the actuator to the parking position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,735 describes latch elements including detents for holding the actuator and its transducer heads latched in an inoperative landing position against a stop. Triggering of the latch has been accomplished by use of a charged capacitor energizing the coil of a voice-coil motor or by a coil current (back EMF) generated by a spindle motor coasting to a half whenever the power thereto is purposely or inadvertently shut off. An over-center toggle spring has been employed with a spring force chosen so that the latching force is great enough not to be overcome by jolts or shocks of some force but small enough to be overcome by the forces in the voice coil motor when it is energized to move during normal head-positioning operation. The '735 patent also describes that the spring urges the latch to a latched position.
A magnet as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,627 has also been employed to magnetically attach a bobbin of a voice-coil linear motor to a limit stop with the linear motor upon start-up having sufficient power to overcome the magnetic attraction of the contacting magnet and stop. U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,595 describes the use of a solenoid to move a locking position lever into a locking upon the turning-off of a disk drive actuator.
Specifications for a disk drive using the present invention include a requirement that the drive withstand an operating shock loading of 10 G's and non-operating (latched position) shock load from dropping or jarring of 300 G's plus angular accelerations of from about 10,000 to 20,000 radians per second per second from dropping on a corner of the drive or computer. Miniaturization of disk drives have compounded the latch problem faced by design engineers. For example, the above specifications further recite an overall disk drive envelope size of 70 mm long, 50.0 mm wide and 12.5 mm thick which accommodates one 1.8 inch diameter disk [48 mm] providing up to 40 Mb of magnetic storage. The foot print of the disk drive actually is smaller than a business card.
With few exceptions the prior art constructions have used a so-called "passive" latch where two magnetic parts or other latch such as a solenoid-operated latch lever are brought into physical contact--magnet-to-pole piece or lever finger-to-detent.
FIG. 13 schematically illustrates the effect of having a high actuator torque required to disengage a prior art latch, e.g. a magnet-to-pole piece contacting or nearly contacting latch, on start-up of the drive. The latch torque L.sub.T is plotted against the angle .theta. motion of the rotary actuator. The distance LZ represents the landing zone or parking position of the actuator and the distance DZ represents the essentially radial data zone of the disk. The desired track of the actuator across the disk data storage tracks is shown by the closed loop A which is effected by normal bias forces due to friction in the actuator bearings, bias from the flexing of the flex circuit, and windage. If one employs a high latching torque H, the application of the approximate square law for the force decrease versus the distance between the latching elements would mean that the actuator heads would intersect the loop A approximately at point B resulting in lost disk space. Thus in prior art devices the designer in order to save the data storage area and minimize the landing zone LZ generally will accept the use of a low latching torque L so that the plot intersects loop A at point C.

Active magnetic latch for disk drive and method


The present invention provides (R)-3-Amino-1-butanol (D)-tartarate (IIb); process for its preparation and its conversion to Dolutegravir. The present invention also provides an improved process for the preparation of Dolutegravir (I) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts wherein compound (XVI) is reacted with an optically active acid addition salt of (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (IIa).

Dolutegravir (I) is chemically known as (4R,12aS)—N-[(2,4-difluorophenyl)methyl]-3,4,6,8,12,12a-hexahydro-7-hydroxy-4-methyl-6,8-dioxo-2H-pyrido[1′,2′:4,5]pyrazino[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine-9-carboxamide.
Dolutegravir is a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Dolutegravir is being marketed under the trade name Tivicay®.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,129,385 disclosed Dolutegravir or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
US '385 also discloses a process for the preparation of Dolutegravir (I). The process involves the condensation of 5-benzyloxy-4-hydroxy-6-hydroxymethyl nicotinic acid (III) with 2,4-difluorobenzylamine (IV) to produce 5-benzyloxy-N-(2,4-difluorobenzyl)-4-hydroxy-6-hydroxymethyl nicotinic acid amide (V), which is further under goes oxidation using manganese dioxide (MnO2) to produce 5-benzyloxy-N-(2,4-difluorobenzyl)-6-formyl-4-hydroxy-nicotinic acid amide (VI). This amide compound (VI) is reacted with sodium chlorite (NaClO2) to produce 3-benzyloxy-5-(2,4-difluorobenzylcarbamoyl)-4-hydroxy-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid (VII), which is further treated with methanol (MeOH) to produce 3-benzyloxy-5-(2,4-difluorobenzyl)-4-hydroxy-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester (VIII). The methyl ester compound (VIII) is reacted with 3-bromopropene to produce 1-allyl-3-benzyloxy-5-(2,4-difluorobenzyl)-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyridine-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester (IX), which is further reacted with potassium osmate dihydrate (K2OsO4.2H2O) to produce 3-benzyloxy-5-(2,4-difluorobenzylcarbamoyl)-4-oxo-1-(2-oxo-ethyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester (X). The compound (X) is reacted with (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II) to produce benzyloxy Dolutegravir (XI), which is deprotected by treating with TFA to produce Dolutegravir (I).
The Process is as Shown in Scheme-I Below:

The major disadvantage with the above prior-art process is that it involves large no of steps and tedious work-up procedures to isolate the required product. This results a longer period of time cycle is required to produce Dolutegravir (I), which in turn renders the process more costly and less eco friendly. Further the above processes are low yielding and with less purity.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,217,034 discloses variant process for the preparation of Dolutegravir. This process involves the reaction of methyl 1-(2,2-dihydroxyethyl)-4-oxo-3-[(phenylmethyl)oxy]-1,4-dihydro-2-pyridine carboxylate (XII) with (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II) to produce (4R,12aS)-4-methyl-7-[(phenylmethyl)oxy]-3,4,12,12a-tetrahydro-2H-pyrido[1′,2′,4,5]pyrazino[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine-6,8-dione (XIII), which further undergoes bromination using NBS to produce (4R,12aS)-9-bromo-4-methyl-7-[(phenylmethyl)oxy]-3,4,12,12a-tetrahydro-2H-pyrido[1′,2′:4,5]pyrazino[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine-6,8-dione (XIV). The bromo Compound (XIV) is condensed with 2,4-difluorobenzylamine (IV) in the presence of Tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium (Pd(PPh3)4) to produce benzyloxy Dolutegravir (XI), which is hydrogenated in the presence of Pd/C to produce Dolutegravir (I).
The Process is as Shown in Scheme-II Below:

The major disadvantage with the above prior art process of preparing Dolutegravir is the use of expensive reagent tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium (Pd(PPh3)4) in coupling step. Use of this reagent on industrial scale is not preferred, which makes the process more expensive.
WO 2011/119566 discloses another variant process for the preparation of Dolutegravir. This process involves the reaction of 1-(2,2-dimethoxyethyl)-5-methoxy-6-(methoxycarbonyl)-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyridine-3-carboxylic acid (XV) with acetic acid in presence of methane sulfonic acid to produce 5-methoxy-6-(methoxycarbonyl)-4-oxo-1-(2-oxoethyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine-3-carboxylic acid (XVI), which is further condensed with (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II) to produce (4R,12aS)-7-methoxy-4-methyl-6,8-dioxo-3,4,6,8,12,12a-hexahydro-2H-pyrido[1′,2′:4,5]pyrazino[2,1-b][1,3]-oxazine-9-carboxylic acid (XVII). This acid Compound XVII is acylated with 2,4-difluorobenzylamine (IV) in the presence of carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) to produce methoxy Dolutegravir (XVIII), which is demethylated in the presence of lithium bromide (LiBr) to produce Dolutegravir (I).
The Process is as Shown in Scheme-III Below:

The major disadvantage of the above prior art process of preparing Dolutegravir is the use of expensive and highly moisture sensitive reagent, 1,1-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), during acylation. Use of this reagent on industrial scale is not preferred due to anhydrous conditions required in the process.
(R)-3-Amino-1-butanol (II) is a key precursor used in the preparation of Dolutegravir (I).
Journal of Organic Chemistry 1977, 42(9), 1650-1652 reported a process for the preparation of (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II) by reacting ethyl crotonate (XIX) with (−)-1-(S)-phenylethylamine (XX) to produce ethyl-3(R)—N-[1(S)-methylbenzyl]amino butyrate (XXI), which is further undergoes reduction with LiAlH4 to produce 3(R)—N-[1(S)-methylbenzyl]aminobutan-1-ol (XXII). Compound (XXII) is further hydrogenating with Pd/C in ethanol to produce (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II).
The Process is as Shown in Scheme-IV Below:

The major disadvantage of above process is that it involves large number of steps for the manufacture of (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II). In the chemical synthesis, the number of steps is not advisable for the commercialization of the product. The number of steps is more in a chemical process means the lowering of the overall yield and the time cycle of the production is more. This does not make the suitable chemical process.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,288,575 discloses a process for the preparation of (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II), wherein methyl (R)-3-aminobutanoate (XXIII) is hydrogenated using ruthenium complex in a solvent.
The Process is as Shown in Scheme-V Below:

The major disadvantage with the above process is that the sensitivity and the use of more expensive catalyst such as ruthenium complex, which is not easier to handle on commercial scale, and this process is not suitable for commercial scale production of (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II).
US 2011/0275855 A1 discloses a process for the resolution of (R,S)-3-amino-1-butanol (XXV), wherein racemic 3-amino-1-butanol undergoes resolution with (S)-mandelic acid in the presence of an acid different from (S)-mandelic acid to produce (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (S)-mandelic acid salt (IIc), which is further neutralized to produce (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II).
The Process is as Shown in Scheme-VI Below:

The major disadvantage with the above process is that it involves longer process time, low product yields.
However, there is always a need for alternative preparative routes, which for example, involve fewer steps, use reagents that are less expensive and/or easier to handle, consume smaller amounts of reagents, provide a higher yield of product, have smaller and/or more eco-friendly waste products, and/or provide a product of higher purity.
The present invention is related to a process for the preparation of pure Dolutegravir (I), wherein optically active acid addition salt of (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II) is directly condensed with 5-methoxy-6-(methoxycarbonyl)-4-oxo-1-(2-oxoethyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine-3-carboxylic acid (XVI) instead of condensing with free base of (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II).
The present invention is also related to a process for the preparation of pure Dolutegravir (I), wherein, inexpensive and easily handling condensing reagents in the condensation of (4R,12aS)-7-methoxy-4-methyl-6,8-dioxo-3,4,6,8,12,12a-hexahydro-2H-pyrido[1′,2′:4,5]pyrazino[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine-9-carboxylic acid (XVII) with 2,4-difluorobenzylamine (IV).
The present invention is also relates to a process for the preparation of pure (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II), wherein 4-hydroxy-2-butanone oxime (XXIV) is subjected to hydrogenation to produce (R,S)-3-amino-1-butanol (XXV), which is further undergoes resolution using D-tartaric acid, followed by de-salting to produce (R)-3-amino-1-butanol (II).

Process for the preparation of Dolutegravir


The present disclosure relates to a composition that includes a repeat unit defined by

Organic chromophores undergoing singlet fission (SF), wherein a photoexcited singlet exciton splits into a pair of triplet excitons, have garnered attention in the last decade as promising active materials in optoelectronic devices, having the potential to raise power conversion efficiencies of photovoltaic devices beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit of 40%. However, strategic material design is essential for advancement of these compounds toward applications. Thus, there remains a need for improved chromophores.

Molecules and oligomers for endothermic singlet fission

Abstract: where each of R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8 includes at least one of a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, and/or a first hydrocarbon chain having between 1 and 20 carbon atoms, inclusively, where each of A1, A2, A3 and A4 are either a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, when A1 is a nitrogen atom, A2 is a carbon atom, when A2 is a nitrogen atom, A1 is a carbon atom, when A3 is a nitrogen atom, A4 is a carbon atom, when A4 is a nitrogen atom, A3 is a carbon atom, either A1 or A2 form a covalent bond, x, with a carbon atom, a, either A3 or A4 form a covalent bond, y, with a carbon atom, b, L is a linker group that includes an aromatic ring, and n is between 1 and 20, inclusively.


An exemplary circuit embodiment includes a depletion-mode transistor and an enhancement-mode transistor. The circuit also includes a circuit portion coupled to a gate region of the depletion-mode transistor and to a gate region of the enhancement-mode transistor. In this embodiment, the circuit portion is configured to provide a reference voltage at an output node, wherein the reference voltage is associated with a difference between a voltage at the gate region of the depletion-mode transistor and a voltage at the gate region of the enhancement-mode transistor.

A wide variety of electronic devices includes components that operate using a reference voltage. For example, mobile phones and other wireless devices often comprise components, such as power amplifiers, that rely on a reference voltage for proper operation. Generally speaking, the reference voltage in a system should be as stable as possible, as fluctuations in the voltage can impact the overall performance of the system. Mobile devices pose a particular challenge in this regard because of the wide range of temperatures in which they operate. The reference voltage in such systems should also be relatively insensitive to variations in the supply voltage from which the reference voltage is derived.
Reference voltage circuits have traditionally used Zener diode, bipolar transistor, or junction field effect transistor (JFETs) designs. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,838,192 and 5,973,550 describe a reference voltage circuit that uses a pair of JFETs having different channel doping densities. JFETs are formed from a doped semiconductor material (for example, n-type silicon) that defines a channel situated between a source contact and a drain contact. An opposite dopant (for example, p-type doping of n-type silicon) is diffused into a side of the channel and forms a gate region. The interface between the two oppositely doped regions thus forms a p-n junction. As known in the art, a depletion region surrounding the p-n junction can be modulated by reverse-biasing the gate region. Thus, by varying the voltage applied to a gate contact attached to the gate region, the size of the depletion region and therefore the size of a conductive region in the channel can be controlled. Further, because the oppositely doped gate region is diffused into the channel during JFET formation, the p-n junction formed is a homojunction with no band gap difference.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,838,192 and 5,973,550, one of the JFETs in the pair has an extra ion implantation in its channel, increasing the doping in the channel and raising the pinchoff voltage for that JFET. The reference voltage circuits described use the difference in gate-to-source voltages between the pair of JFETs to provide a reference voltage. The described circuits, however, are limited to JFET transistors, wherein one of the JFETs in the pair has an extra ion implantation. Further, the described pairs of JETS are of the same type—either both JFETs are depletion-mode type devices or both JETs are enhancement-mode type devices. Moreover, these reference voltage circuits are based on particular JFET constructions, and are not suited for integration into systems using other types of transistor technologies, such as high-speed devices with high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). For example, the described reference voltage circuits are not well-suited for implementation on the same chip as an electronic component using HEMT transistors, such as, for example, pseudomorphic HEMTs.

Producing reference voltages using transistors


A scheduler is adapted to schedule packets or other data blocks for transmission from a plurality of transmission elements in timeslots of a frame in a communication system. In scheduling for a given frame, the scheduler determines eligible numbers for respective ones of the transmission elements that are eligible to transmit one or more data blocks in a given frame. The eligible numbers are initialized using a common designated integer value n, where n is a finite value greater than or equal to two. The scheduler selects from those of the transmission elements having eligible numbers within a particular range at least one of the transmission elements for scheduling in a next available timeslot. The scheduler then adjusts the eligible number(s) of the selected transmission element(s), and repeats the selecting and adjusting operations for one or more remaining timeslots of the given frame. The scheduler in an illustrative embodiment may be implemented in a network processor integrated circuit or other processing device of the communication system.

In many telecommunications applications, a scheduler is used to resolve contention among multiple tasks competing for a limited resource. For example, such a scheduler is commonly used in a network processor to schedule multiple traffic flows for transmission over a specific transmission bandwidth.
A network processor generally controls the flow of data between a physical transmission medium, such as a physical layer portion of a network, and a switch fabric in a router or other type of switch. An important function of a network processor involves the scheduling of cells, packets or other data blocks, associated with the multiple traffic flows, for transmission to the switch fabric from the physical transmission medium of the network and vice versa. The network processor scheduler performs this function.
An efficient and flexible scheduler architecture capable of supporting multiple scheduling algorithms is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/722,933, filed Nov. 26, 2003 in the name of inventors Asif Q. Khan et al. and entitled "Processor with Scheduler Architecture Supporting Multiple Distinct Scheduling Algorithms," which is commonly assigned herewith and incorporated by reference herein.
It is often desirable for a given scheduling algorithm implemented in a network processor or other processing device to be both simple and fair. Simplicity is important because the processing device hardware typically does not have a large amount of time to make a given scheduling decision, particularly in a high data rate environment. A good scheduler should also be fair. For example, it may allocate the bandwidth according to the weights of the users, with the higher-priority users getting more bandwidth than lower-priority users.
An example of a simple and fair scheduling algorithm is the Weighted Round-Robin (WRR) scheduling algorithm. Assume that in a given telecommunications application there is a number of users competing for one resource, which can process one data block in each timeslot. The scheduler must decide which user can send one data block to the server in each timeslot. Each user has a weight to indicate its priority. The user with larger weight has higher priority. Under ideal conditions, the services received by the users should be proportional to their weights. A WRR scheduler serves the users in proportion to their weights in a round-robin fashion.
A problem with WRR is that it may cause long periods of burstiness. This is clearly not desirable in telecommunication systems, because long burstiness could overflow the buffers of user communication devices. Such burstiness becomes increasingly problematic in those practical applications in which the total number of users may be several hundreds or more.
Alternative scheduling algorithms are known which overcome the burstiness problem of WRR. These include, by way of example, Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ) and Worst-case Fair Weighted Fair Queueing (WF2Q). Unfortunately, these alternative algorithms are typically considerably more complex than WRR, and therefore may be difficult to implement in network processors and other processing devices operating in high data rate environments.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,954, filed Jul. 30, 2004 in the name of inventors Jinhui Li et al. and entitled "Frame Mapping Scheduler," which is commonly assigned herewith and incorporated by reference herein, discloses in an illustrative embodiment a frame mapping scheduler that provides simplicity and fairness comparable to that of WRR, but without the burstiness problem commonly associated with WRR. More specifically, a frame mapping scheduler in the illustrative embodiment described therein comprises scheduling circuitry which utilizes a weight table and a mapping table. The weight table comprises a plurality of entries, with each of the entries identifying a particular one of the transmission elements. The mapping table comprises at least one entry specifying a mapping between a particular timeslot of a frame and an entry of the weight table. The scheduling circuitry determines a particular transmission element to be scheduled in a given timeslot by accessing a corresponding mapping table entry and utilizing a resultant value to access the weight table. The mapping table entries may be predetermined in accordance with a golden ratio policy, or other type of policy.
However, in schedulers which utilize a golden ratio policy, or more generally any policy that requires a stored mapping table, the mapping table may be large and therefore require substantial amounts of memory. It is usually preferred that such mapping table memory be arranged "on-chip," that is, on the same integrated circuit as the scheduler, so as to reduce access times. For example, such an arrangement is beneficial in network processing applications in which data blocks may need to be processed substantially in real time.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/998,686, filed Nov. 29, 2004 in the name of inventors Jinhui Li et al. and entitled "Frame Mapping Scheduler with Compressed Mapping Table," discloses techniques for compressing the mapping table in order to reduce the amount of memory required to store the table, thereby facilitating its implementation in a network processor integrated circuit or other device comprising a frame mapping scheduler.
The known arrangements described above can be utilized in a wide variety of telecommunications applications, including applications involving wireless networks. However, scheduling in the wireless network context can be particularly challenging because channel capacities in a wireless network are typically time varying and difficult to predict. It is important in such situations that the wireless network scheduler provides not only fairness, but also sufficient throughput.
Examples of scheduling algorithms utilized in the wireless network context include the above-described WRR scheduling algorithm and its unweighted counterpart round robin (RR), maximum carrier-to-interference ratio (Max C/I), Proportional Fairness (PF) and Modified Largest Weighted Delay First (M-LWDF).
A drawback of the RR scheduling algorithm is that it does not consider the channel conditions. Instead, the RR scheduling algorithm simply schedules backlogged users one by one, with the first user being assigned to the first timeslot, the second user being assigned to the second timeslot, and so on, regardless of their respective channel capacities. Such an approach is fair, because in a given set of N timeslots, each of N users has exactly one chance to be served. However, the throughput of the RR algorithm is poor, because it does not check the channel capacities before it makes the scheduling decisions. The WRR scheduling algorithm similarly fails to take channel capacities into account in its scheduling decisions.
The Max C/I scheduling algorithm selects for a given timeslot the user that has the best channel capacity. Although this approach can achieve the maximum overall throughput, its fairness performance is very poor. For example, if the wireless link of a given mobile user is constantly weak, that user is not likely to be scheduled.
The PF scheduling algorithm selects the user that has the maximum ri/Ri, where ri is the channel capacity of user i and Ri is the average rate received by user i. The algorithm updates Ri adaptively. Thus, mobile users with weak wireless links will have opportunities to be scheduled. Additional details regarding the PF scheduling algorithm can be found in, for example, A. Jalali et al., "Data throughput of CDMA-HDR a high efficiency high data rate personal communication wireless system," in Proc. of IEEE VTC 2000, pp. 1854-1858, May 2000. The fairness of the PF scheduling algorithm is better than that of the Max C/I scheduling algorithm, but not as good as that of the RR or WRR scheduling algorithms. Also, the PF scheduling algorithm cannot provide guaranteed fairness.
The M-LWDF scheduling algorithm gives higher priorities to the users that have longer waiting times. However, like the above-described PF scheduling algorithm, it fails to provide guaranteed fairness.
Accordingly, the Max C/I, PP and M-LWDF scheduling algorithms provide better throughput than the RR and WRR scheduling algorithms in the wireless context by sacrificing fairness.
The above-cited U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/415,546 provides improved scheduling algorithms which exhibit a better balance between throughput and fairness, particularly in wireless network applications. In an illustrative embodiment, the algorithm is referred to as a Wireless RR (WiRR) scheduling algorithm. In this embodiment, all transmission elements are initially designated as eligible for service in a given frame, but once a particular transmission element is served in a timeslot of the given frame, it is considered ineligible for service in any subsequent timeslots of that frame. The process is repeated for additional frames, and for each new frame the transmission elements are all initially designated as eligible to transmit one or more data blocks in that frame.
Further improvements are provided in the above-cited U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/415,831, which overcomes certain disadvantages of the conventional M-LWDF scheduling algorithm. For example, the M-LWDF algorithm generally has a queue length which, although bounded under admissible arrivals, may be quite large, and therefore the queues may be difficult to implement in network processor integrated circuits or other types of hardware. The cited application discloses scheduling algorithms that can be implemented using shorter queues, and thus with reduced amounts of memory and other hardware resources, relative to conventional scheduling algorithms such as M-LWDF.
Despite these advances, a need remains for further improvements in scheduling algorithms, particularly in the wireless context. For example, although WiRR has guaranteed fairness and higher throughput than RR, it would be desirable if techniques were available that could further enhance the throughput of WiRR and similar scheduling algorithms.

High-throughput scheduler with integer-based eligible number initialization


A selective call receiver device (10) having a processor readable medium of instructions (100) for setting markers (32) in a text message for automatically tabbing to the markers (32) and including a processor (50), message marking and incrementing system (36) and a plurality of tactile keys (30, 22, 24) for manipulating the code (100), and a method for operating the device (10) and for setting markers (32) at selected locations within text messages to facilitate direct access to the portions of the text message marked.

Selective call receivers, such as portable pagers data on information receivers, cellular telephones, personal communicators, and selectively addressed two-way radio receivers, are devices which can receive, and in some instances temporarily store and display, electronic alpha-numeric messages, also called pages or selective call signals, transmitted over the airway. Electronic messages come in various forms, including personal messages and mail drop messages. Mail drop messages are electronic data updates resulting from pre-registered services programmed into the device for receiving information on breaking news, sports including scores and statistics, or stock updates. Even more sophisticated selective call receivers are able to receive electronic mail messages from personal computers which may also be classified as mail drop messages.
Conventional selective call receivers store personal and mail drop messages in different areas of memory when received as determined by its management systems. The selective call receiver demodulates, decodes and processes the electronic message received to generate a user readable message on a conventional display screen. Once the electronic message is received, the selective call receiver stores the message and the user is prompted with an audible alert. The user may then retrieve the message from memory for display on the display screen at any desired time until it is deleted by the user. The display screen also facilitates the viewing of options when prompted by user inputs. In conventional devices, the display screen provides at least one line of display for message viewing and includes message icons on a startup screen to indicate the number of messages presently being stored and icons for deleting or locking (presents deletion) messages. When a message icon is activated, the selective call receiver retrieves the message corresponding to the icon from memory.
Messages are retrieved from memory and advanced for reading by buttons or keys. For example, "MENU" and "READ" keys, or the like, assist in finding, pulling up, or deleting the message while horizontal and vertical arrow keys, or scroll keys, advance through a message, messages or menu options in any direction as indicated by the key indicia. Typically, a message is retrieved by advancing a cursor across the screen with the horizontal scroll key until it highlights the desired message icon and pressing the READ key to retrieve the corresponding message for display on the screen. Once the message is activated, the user typically scrolls through the message one line at a time by actuating the vertical/line scroll keys repeatedly to read the message or to reach pertinent information in the message. If the user frequently references particular information in a message, they must scroll through the message in this manner each time. This may require many tedious keystrokes for particularly long messages. The user may advance through the message more quickly going screen-by-screen by activating the horizontal/screen scroll keys, or similar keys, repeatedly, but may miss the data they are looking for if the display screen provides more than one line of display.
The READ and MENU keys, or keys for activating similar options, are used for interrogating messages and manipulating messages, respectively, based on the menu option selected. When a READ, or READ-like, key is activated, the message corresponding to the highlighted message icon is retrieved from memory and displayed via the status screen for interrogating. While some selective call receivers have a preset message display feature that automatically advances the screens at predetermined time intervals, the READ key may also be used to interrupt this feature to stop the automatic scrolling. When the MENU or MENU-like key is actuated, a list of available options is indicated on the status screen with identification icons. The options made available usually include saving or deleting a message, and "locking" or "unlocking" a message to prevent or facilitate deleting, respectively.
It is common today to preprogram a pager with a message preview feature. This feature displays the first line or screen of a stored message on the startup screen when the corresponding message icon is highlighted by the cursor. The message preview feature, however, is usually useless for electronic and mail drop messages since these messages typically have standard headers with no valuable information in the first line or screen of the message to identify the message. If the message is not identifiable by the preview message on the startup screen, then the user must activate the message and scroll through it to identify the message and its source, thus defeating the purpose of the message preview.
Finally, selective call receiver memory/tier capacity for receiving and storing messages is becoming increasingly sophisticated for storing longer messages such as electronic mail, mail drops, and files. Consequently, message preview features are becoming obsolete and referencing messages for particular data is now less convenient. For instance, new high tier alpha-numeric pagers are projected to be capable of storing thousands of characters as personal messages and as mail drop messages. However, portable devices are limited in the number of characters they may display per screen (80 characters per screen for the typical pager). Therefore, a user may have to scroll through many screens before reading an entire message or finding needed data within the message. Since scrolling through the message is done by hitting a line scroll or screen scroll key, many keystrokes are normally required to advance a message to a target point. This is especially common for mail drop messages or electronic mail messages having hundreds or even thousands of characters and standard headers preceding the relevant information. Message preview features are also being rendered useless by standard headers, since headers usually take up the first screen of a message without revealing any valuable information for identifying the message. Moreover, many users repeatedly reference certain types of information in a message, such as, identification data including names, addresses and phone numbers, stock information, sports scores, etc., and would welcome a device that could automatically advance to commonly used data. Accordingly, even though selective call receivers, such as portable paging devices, are becoming increasingly sophisticated, these high tier alpha-numeric products are making it burdensome for their users to read messages and quickly reference common areas of interest within a message, and are rendering message preview features obsolete.
Since many service providers will continue to use standard headers for their mail drop pages, and since the size of messages being transmitted to selective call receivers will continue to increase, a more efficient means and friendlier selective call receiver for reading and scanning messages is needed. As current selective call receiver products do not provide enhanced features for quickly referencing information in a message on a repeated basis, an automatic message marking, tabbing and advancing feature for sorting through messages and directly advancing to marked areas of a message would be well received.

Method and apparatus for marking messages in selective call receivers


An adjustable support structure for temporary sign displays formed from a vertically oriented rigid panel having a plurality of length and angle adjustable support arms. Each arm has a distal end thumb screw attachment to a T-nut on the sign. The arm is adjustably anchored to the panel by a bolt extending from the panel through a longitudinal oval slot in the arm to engage a wingnut. Additional hardware prevents loss of movable parts. Sign stiffening battens are tethered to the panel. A stiffening tray parallely spaced apart from the back of the panel further bears against and secures the support arms.

Referring now to FIG. 1, fast food restaurants have long employed permanent outdoor order stands 1 typically having back-lighted displays 2 indicating various items for sale and their prices in combination with a microphone and speaker assembly 3 for taking orders from customers. Periodically, fast food restaurants have found it advantageous to run limited duration promotional campaigns for new products, prize give-aways or other items of marketing interest to their customers. The promotional campaigns often include the display of temporary signs 4 carrying information about the campaign. It is useful to display such temporary signs in prominent locations where customers will have frequent view of them. One such high customer traffic area is the order stand. Typically, the sign is supported atop the stand using a holder 5 formed by a vertical rigid panel 6 attached along an orthogonal base 7. The panel has a number of screw holes 8 for allowing the temporary attachment of the sign thereto.
There are drawbacks to this type of existing sign support device. First, the frequently used large, bulky or odd-shaped signs are not adequately supported for wind and other weather occurrences which may bend the sign at its extremities. Further, the deployment and taking-down of the sign is a time consuming process requiring an adequate level of skill to properly align holes in the sign with holes on the panel. Sometimes, holes must be drilled through the sign on site during deployment and located according to available holes in the panel, leading to potentially unsightly placement of fasteners which interfere with the content of the sign. For example, if the sign content displayed an image of a human model, a fastener might appear on the nose of the model, or on some other, more distracting location. Lastly, fastener hardware such as nuts and bolts often become lost or misplaced between the frequent change-overs of the signs.
Existing temporary signs are typically made from a pair of semi-rigid plastic sheets sandwiching a reinforcing corrugated plastic structure between.


A mobile terminal is suitable for use with a control terminal in a wireless communications network. The control terminal is configured with switching control identification data that are associated with predetermined ring tones parameters such that the control terminal is capable of outputting a control signal based on the number or duration of ring tones received thereby from an authorized caller. Upon receipt of control code data via a user input unit, a processor unit of the mobile terminal enables establishing of a communications link with the control terminal with reference to a call data code portion of the control code data, and terminates automatically the communications link after a duration corresponding to a termination control code portion of the control code data.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a mobile terminal, more particularly to a mobile terminal for use with a control terminal in a wireless communications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, it is possible to control a switch device using a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone, in a wireless communications network, such as a public land mobile phone network (PLMN). A conventional method of controlling a switch device using a mobile terminal in a wireless communications network is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004-0082310A1. In this Patent Publication, the number or duration of ring tones that is associated with an authorized incoming call received by the mobile terminal for controlling the switch device is under the control of a caller who placed the incoming call. Specifically, the caller terminates the communications link with the mobile terminal based on the number of returned ring tones heard by the caller. Therefore, improper control of the switch device is likely to occur when the caller establishes the communications link with the mobile terminal while in a noisy environment.
The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004-0082310A1 is incorporated herein by reference.

Mobile terminal for use with a control terminal in a wireless communications network


Process for smelting a titanium steel according to which a liquid steel containing more than 0.003% of nitrogen and not containing titanium is smelted and then more than 0.005% of titanium is introduced into the liquid steel by progressive diffusion from an oxidized phase containing titanium and the steel is solidified. Steel obtained by the process.

The addition of titanium to steel in general, and to low-alloy steels in particular, is a well-known means for controlling the high temperature austenitic grain, for example in the heat-affected zones during welding, and, where appropriate, to harden the structure obtained after heat or thermomechanical treatment. In order to manufacture these steels, liquid steel free of titanium is smelted, the liquid steel is vigorously deoxidized, for example by the addition of aluminum, and then blocks of ferro-titanium are added which progressively dissolve.
While the ferro-titanium blocks are dissolving, the titanium reacts with the nitrogen present in the steel and forms relatively coarse precipitates having a size on the order of 1 .mu.m or more. It is these precipitates which, after the steel has solidified, prevent austenitic grain growth. However, these precipitates have several drawbacks because they are sharp-angled, relatively coarse and consequently relatively few in number; their effect on the hardening and refining of the microstructure is limited and they degrade the fracture toughness of the steel.
It has been proposed, especially in EP 0,177,851, to manufacture low alloy titanium steels, having a very low aluminum content, in which the titanium is in the form of oxides. These oxides act as preferred sites for nucleation of ferrite during transformations from austenite to ferrite/pearlite; they thus result in a refinement of the ferrito-pearlistic structures, which improves the toughness, especially of welded joints, very considerably. However, this technique has several drawbacks: it requires a very low aluminum content, which is prejudicial to controlling the austenitic grain during heat treatments and requires a very short casting time and a very short solidification time, which complicates manufacture, and it only has an effect on the ferrito-pearlistic structures.

Process for smelting a titanium steel and steel obtained


A handheld electronic device useful for wireless communication has a keyboard including a plurality of externally accessible keys, of which at least a portion have multiple letters associated therewith. The keys can be disabled (i.e. the keyboard can be locked) to prevent accidental actuation thereof by using the navigation tool which has a depressible rolling member. Thus, for example, depression of the rolling member twice in succession or pressing and holding the rolling member down temporarily enables the keyboard lock. The lock can be disabled simply by depressing the rolling member and at least one other key.

Portable handheld communication devices of the types intimated above typically have integrated keyboards that are often exposed on an exterior surface of the device. By the nature of this configuration, the exposed keyboards can be easily unintentionally actuated by "bumps" into the device, and even by lighter brushings up against the device when the keyboard is designed to be especially sensitive.
Today such devices (portable telephones, PDAs and other multi-mode wireless handheld communicators) are being designed smaller and more lightweight so that they can be easily carried along in a pocket, briefcase or handbag. These types of devices typically have the keypad for inputting data into the device, but other types of auxiliary user inputs such as thumb wheels, joysticks and the like are also often included which can also be susceptible to bumps and brushings that cause unintentional actuations. It has been found that such devices and their inputs are particularly vulnerable when carried on a belt or in a pocket of the user. Inadvertent actuations can easily lead to undesired activity such as switching off the device or repeating a last dialed call with an expensive result. It is also possible that the user himself inadvertently presses a key when setting the device to be recharged or when otherwise handling.
Several different arrangements have been suggested in order to eliminate the harmful effects of inadvertent keystrokes in portable handheld communication devices. One example includes a device provided with a pivotally mounted lid, i.e. a 'flip' element, which is meant to cover the keypad when not in use. The flip element hinge also includes a switch that prevents the registration of keystrokes when the lid is closed with an object in between the cover and the keypad which would otherwise potentially actuate the keys. A pivotally mounted flip cover is however a mechanical solution which in the long run deteriorates due to wear and getting dirty.
Therefore, a need exists for a handheld electronic device that is useful for wireless communication and which provides an easy to use "on-the-fly" program-based keyboard lock that avoids inadvertent actuation of keys of the keyboard (or an auxiliary input such as a trackball working in conjunction with the keyboard) which can otherwise enable power consuming features that cause an unnecessary drain on the battery or other detrimental effect.

Lockable keyboard for a handheld communication device having a reduced alphabetic keyboard


A method and apparatus for detecting surface defects and artifacts on a transmissive image in an optical image scanner and correcting the resulting scanned image. In one scan, the image is scanned normally. Surface defects and artifacts such as dust, scratches and finger prints are detected by providing a separate scan using infrared light or by measuring light (white or infrared) that is scattered or diffracted by the defects and artifacts. Separate optical paths for illumination may be used, or separate optical paths for intensity measurement may be used. Image processing may then be used to correct areas in the normal scan corresponding to defects identified in the separate scan.

Electronic image scanners convert an optical image into an electronic form suitable for storage, transmission or printing. Film scanners are used, for example, for X-ray films, developed negative film strips, and slide film (also called reversal film or "chrome" film). In a typical image scanner, light from an image is focused onto linear arrays of photosensors for scanning one line at a time. A two dimensional image is scanned by providing relative movement between the linear sensor arrays and the original image. For gray-scale scanning there may be only a single linear array of photosensors. In general, a color scanner measures the intensity of at least three relatively narrow bands of wavelengths of visible light, for example, bands of red, green and blue. A color scanner may sequentially present multiple bands of wavelengths to a single row of sensor elements by sequentially moving color filters into the light path or by sequentially activating different colored light sources. For higher speed, a color scanner may simultaneously present multiple bands of wavelengths to multiple rows of sensor elements.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical color scanning assembly for an image scanner or copier using filters. For a film scanner, light is provided by a white light source 101 and is transmitted through a transmissive film 100. An optics assembly 102 focuses light from three separate lines on the film 100, through color filters 104, and onto a three-line photosensor array 106. Typically, the light path is folded by mirrors (not illustrated). An entire image is scanned by providing relative movement between the film 100 and the photosensor array 106 (relative movement in the Y-dimension as illustrated by the arrow 108).
FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative color scanning assembly using a beam splitter. Light is provided by a white light source 201 and is transmitted through a transmissive image 200. An optics assembly 202 focuses light from a single line on film 200, through a beam splitter 204 that splits the light into three relatively narrow bands of wavelengths, each band focused onto a different linear array on a three line photosensor array 206. For additional general background, see for example, K. Douglas Gennetten and Michael J. Steinle, "Designing a Scanner with Color Vision," Hewlett-Packard Journal, August, 1993, pp 52-58.
For the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, for any one line on the film 100, intensity of one color is measured, then at a later time intensity of a second color is measured, and then at a later time intensity of a third color is measured. Therefore, in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, memory is required to buffer intensity measurements for a line on the scanned image until the final measurements are completed for that line. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, for any one line on the film 200, intensity measurements for all colors are made simultaneously, thereby eliminating the requirement for buffer memory for multiple scans of a single line.
For film scanners, the digitized image may be degraded by the presence of artifacts on the surface of the film being scanned, such as dust and fingerprints, or defects in the surface of the film being scanned, such as scratches. This is particularly a problem on smaller film formats such as 35 mm film, since the image area is small. For most uses, the image must be magnified, which magnifies the surface artifacts and defects as well. An operator must be meticulous in storing and handling film in order to minimize these artifacts and defects. Various methods of cleaning or repairing the surface of the film have been used by photo professionals, but they are time consuming and difficult, and only partially successful.
When film is scanned electronically, it is possible to use image processing algorithms to try to reduce or eliminate artifacts and defects in the scanned digital image. However, in general, it is very difficult to distinguish a dust particle or scratch from the desired image. Typically, a human operator must identify the artifact or defect in the digital image to be corrected. This is a time consuming and costly process. Some fully automatic algorithms have been tried, but most of these tend to blur the entire image.
There is a need for automatically uniquely distinguishing surface artifacts and defects from features defined in the image on the film and for automatically correcting identified artifacts in digitized images.

Film scanner with dust and scratch correction by use of dark-field illumination


Methods performed by a User Equipment (UE) are provided for transmission of one or more Transport Control Protocol (TCP) Acknowledgement (ACK) packets including reserving one or more Sequence Numbers (SNs) in at least one of a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) SN space or a Radio Link Control (RLC) SN space, allocating the one or more reserved SNs, to the one or more TCP ACK packets, and sending the one or more TCP ACK packets.

Packets received by a Communication Processor (CP) are allocated Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) and Radio Link Control (RLC) Sequence Numbers (SN) in a sequential manner. According to Transport Control Protocol (TCP), an ACK packet is sent to ensure successful delivery of a single packet and or plurality of packets. For example, a User Equipment (UE) that receives a specific packet from a server (e.g., an Evolved Node B (eNB)/Next Generation Node B (gNB)) transmits a TCP ACK packet to the server to confirm receipt of the packet. The server re-transmits the specific packet to the UE if the server does not receive a TCP ACK packet within a counter timeout period.

Methods and systems for transmission of TCP ACK packets