Methods and apparatus for the repair of sliding hiatal hernias through laparoscopic techniques comprising a tubular sleeve; a conically shaped guide with an essentially pointed forward end positionable within the sleeve; a prosthesis coupled to the guide; and means for securing the prosthesis around the esophagus of a patient immediately beneath the patient's diaphragm whereby the prosthesis assumes a generally torus shape. The prosthesis may be pre-inflated and wherein the sleeve is axially splitable after the initiation of insertion of the guide. The prosthesis may be inflatable and further including a hose to inflate the prosthesis after positioning.

1. Summary Of The Invention
This invention relates to a medical apparatus and methods for treating sliding hiatal hernias and, more particularly, to the treatment of an upwardly sliding stomach and esophagus to above the diaphragm with a laparoscopic approach and an associated inflatable, torus-shaped prosthesis.
2. Summary Of The Background Art
Gastroesophageal reflux is a significant problem for a large number of the population. The main cause of this is a sliding hiatal hernia. There are two types of hiatal hernia, a sliding and a paraesophageal. By far the majority, approximately 95%, of hiatal hernias are of the sliding variety. A sliding hiatal hernia occurs where the gastroesophageal junction and a proximal portion of the stomach displaces superiorly in to the mediastinum. The esophagus and the stomach slide into an opening of the diaphragm. The other type of hiatal hernia is a paraesophageal hiatal hernia where the gastroesophageal junction remains in its normal position but the main body or fundus of the stomach herniates through the hiatus to the left of the esophagus. With time, increasing amounts of the stomach move into the chest. This represents a life threatening situation and needs to be operated upon.
The sliding type of hiatal hernia often results in gastroesophageal reflux and reflux esophagitis. While this defect is present in a large portion of the general population, actual reflux esophagitis or discomfort is less common. Obesity, increasing weakness of the fascial attachments, chronic coughing, among others lead to this. A number of pharmaceutical agents can increase the risk of reflux.
The symptoms of sliding hiatal hernia are not caused by the hiatal hernia per se but are from the reflux that is present. Normally reflux is prevented by mechanical effects of a segment of the lower esophagus which remains intra abdominal and the lower esophageal sphincter. With increasing abdominal pressure, pressure is transmitted to the distal esophagus and thus reflux is prevented in the normal situation. When the sphincter is incompetent or the distal esophagus is not intraabdominal then reflux can occur. The long-term effects of gastroesophageal reflux is reflux esophagitis with esophogeal stricture and the possibility of carinoma of the esophagus. In addition with severe reflux multiple aspiration pneumonias are possible and even death.
Medical treatment is directed at weight loss, antacids and other anti reflux medications. Very often these are inadequate to alleviate the symptomology. The surgical treatment in the past has required a large abdominal or thoracic incision to correct the problem. Three common proceedures are a Hill gastopexi, a Nissen fundoplication and a Belsi Mark IV fundic wrap. Each of these basically accomplishes a restoration of a segment of intraabdominal esophagus generally four centimeters in length and also provides some means of securing the gastroesophageal junction in an appropriate position to prevent reflux. Another procedure which has been found to be effective is the placement of a prosthesis about the esophagus to maintain an intraabdominal segment. This prosthesis is called an Angelchik prosthesis manufactured by Mentor Corporation of Goleta, Calif. This procedure is a less invasive procedure, does require a large intraabdominal incision but requires less in the way of dissection about the esophagus.
Although common, the standard operational procedures for repair ofsliding hiatal hernias is undesireable, lengthy, and consequently costly. Such procedures also require a large incision with excessive dissection of normal tissue, cause excessive pain and discomfort to the patient, involve unacceptably long recovery and work disability time.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for the repair of sliding hiatal hernias through laparoscopic techniques comprising a tubular sleeve; a conically shaped guide with an essentially pointed forward end positionable within the sleeve; a prosthesis coupled to the guide; and means for securing the prosthesis around the esophagus of a patient immediately beneath the patient's diaphragm whereby the prosthesis assumes a generally torus shape wherein the prosthesis may be pre-inflated or inflatable and wherein the sleeve is axially splitable after the initiation of insertion of the guide or wherein the prosthesis may be inflatable and further including a hose to inflate the prosthesis after positioning.
It is the further object of the present invention to employ laparoscopic techniques for the repair of sliding hiatal hernias.
It is a further object of the invention to reduce the length of the incision, along with the unnecessary disection of normal tissue, for the repair of sliding hiatal hernias.
It is a further object of the present invention to minimize the time and cost of sliding hiatal hernia operations along with the patient's pain, discomfort and recovery time associated therewith.
It is the further object of the present invention to abate sliding hiatal hernias.
It is a further object of the invention to utilize a sleeve to introduce an inflatable prosthesis for the repair of sliding hiatal hernias.
It is a further object of the invention to utilize an axially splitable sleeve to introduce a pre-filled or inflatable or other prosthesis for the repair of sliding hiatal hernias and other intraabdominal procedures.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Medical apparatus and methods for treating sliding hiatal hernias


A chip-scale packaged integrated circuit and fabrication method are disclosed in which a semiconductor die and a rigid carrier of substantially identical geometric shape and size are aligned to form a packaged IC in which the die and carrier have a substantially 1:1 area ratio. A narrow gap between the die and carrier is bridged by the contact interconnections. An underfill material filling the gap and bonded to the die and carrier faces to relieve thermal expansion mismatch stresses. A fillet on one or more sides of the package is generally T-shaped in cross-section and nearly flat to the aligned side faces of the die and carrier. A fixture to facilitate fabrication of the package has a cavity with beveled sidewalls and seal which hold the die and carrier and form a narrow trough along the gap to receive and hold the underfill material adjacent the gap. The seal and cavity sidewalls have a surface to which the underfill material is nonadherent.

This invention relates to integrated circuit packages and more particularly to chip scale packages.
Chip scale packages (CSP) represent a new miniature type of semiconductor packaging used to address the issue of I/O densification and size in electronic products, especially for consumer type products such as telephones, pagers, video cameras, etc. With the trend moving to packing more and more features into decreasing product envelopes, utilizing ever smaller electronic components to improve upon size and feature densification is a constant formidable challenge for manufacturers of consumer and related articles.
Typically, in the electronic component world, integrated circuits (IC) are fabricated on a semiconductor substrate, known as a chip or die and most commonly made of silicon. This silicon IC chip or die is then typically mounted into a larger container (package) which serves 1) to provide effective enlargement of the distance (pitch) between the I/O contacts of the silicon suitable for attachment to printed circuit boards (PCB) in real world applications and 2) as a hermetic container to protect the IC from handling abuse.
Although recently the semiconductor industry has introduced reduced package sizes, such as those in area array format vs. most typical peripheral attach of the input and output (I/O) terminals such as in lead frame construction, the area on the PCB occupied by the package is much larger than the area occupied in the package by the silicon.
Many companies today are trying to solve the problems of utilizing the IC chip or die directly to the PCB, i.e., flip chip, without the use of an intermediate package. After all, the silicon chip represents the smallest size possible for the IC package. Although some manufacturers are using this technology with varying degrees of success in a few products today, numerous technical challenges not yet overcome effectively block the widespread use of flip chip.
Chip scale packages were invented to provide an alternative solution to flip chip. They are not hindered by most of the problems facing flip chip. Although not yet defined as a semiconductor industry standard, a chip scale package is currently loosely defined as a package that is within 20% larger than the IC itself, thus approaching the smallest size possible for a package (the IC chip).
Trade publications such as "Known Good Die and Chip Scale Packaging" published in the U.K. by BPA (1995 and 1996), have identified approximately 20 companies that are currently preparing to manufacture their own configuration of CSPs. Over 25 different configurations are represented.
The 25 or so different CSP types can be placed into several distinct categories. One category of interest for the applicants is the Rigid substrate type. Rigid substrates are typically characterized by the attachment of the silicon IC die to a rigid carrier or substrate (e.g., ceramic (organic types), and FR4, BT (inorganic, laminate types)) using a high temperature solder attach process which is well known in the industry. The carrier contains the appropriate electrical traces which route the I/O points on the IC to the opposite side of the rigid carrier (from the IC attachment side). The traces are run to appropriate I/O points (typically solder balls) on this opposite, or backside, of the carrier. The opposite side solder balls are then used in the solder attachment of the IC/carrier package to a matching electrical site (e.g., to a ball pattern) on the product PCB. This solder attach method is also well known in the industry.
Because the material of the IC and the carrier are different and expand at different rates when heated (when power is applied to the IC), severe stress is introduced to the solder connections between the silicon and the carrier. The stress caused by the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch as power to the IC is cycled on and off typically causes mechanical failure at one or more of the solder joints, in turn causing electrical failure of the product. To alleviate this problem and distribute the stresses, a polymeric filler or underencapsulant is introduced in liquid form by capillary action into the typical 2-mil to 4-mil gap or standoff between the circuit side of the chip and the contact side of the substrate. The "underfill" completely fills the volume under the IC around all the solder joints. It cures to a rigid form via time, temperature, ultraviolet exposure, or some combination of these or other variables.
To insure proper coverage of the area under the IC, enough underfill is supplied so that it runs out along the perimeter of the silicon. In the construction of the rigid substrate CSPs, the carrier is slightly (typically approaching 20%) larger in size in the plane of the IC than the IC chip itself. A reason for this is that the underfill material needs a "ledge" to sit on during application (as it flows into the gap). A second reason is that the underfill material does not cure perpendicular to the parallel planes of the IC and the carrier at the perimeter of the IC; instead, it forms a fillet at the perimeter, which is asymmetric about the gap. A properly formed fillet is believed to be important to the reliability enhancement added by the underencapsulant. With the orientation of the package during construction having the IC on the topside, the fillet is typically directly attached to the underside of the IC at its edge and then extending downward, attaching itself onto the rigid carrier, but extending a small distance outward from the area on the carrier defined by the IC chip. A cross-section would reveal that the fillet creates a smooth curve from top to bottom, being slightly concave inward. Thus, for this type of chip scale package, the area ratio between the silicon chip and the carrier is less than 1:1, caused by the additional carrier or substrate area required.
Only one of the technologies described in the literature and known to applicants have a construction in which the package and IC chip are the same size. This technology offered by Tessera, of San Jose, Calif., provides a nearly 1:1 package by mounting the chip on a flexible polyimide tape. Although this size package is advantageous, it is very expensive to make due to the specialized tape required and the complexity of construction using a flexible carrier. Applicants are unaware of any other attempts to provide a 1:1 silicon/package CSP in a type different than that offered by Tessera.
Accordingly, a need remains for a simpler, smaller and less expensive chip scale package design and method of making.


An exposure control apparatus of a camera, in which at least one of a pair of exposure factors that include a shutter speed and a diaphragm value is variable. An exposure factor setting device sets at least one variable exposure factor, while a limit value setting device varies and sets at least one upper and lower limit value of the exposure factor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure control apparatus of a camera, having a plurality of exposure modes, such as a program exposure mode, a shutter speed priority exposure mode, and a diaphragm priority exposure mode, etc., and more precisely, it relates to an exposure control apparatus in which a photographer can set upper and lower limits of the shutter speed and the diaphragm value.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional camera having a plurality of exposure modes, a photographer can select a desired exposure mode from a plurality of exposure modes by actuating an associated switch or button, etc.
In a recent camera having modes other than the exposure modes, such as a continuous shot mode, etc., the mode selection is effected by actuating a plurality of switches in combination.
However, ordinary photographers do not frequently use all of the exposure modes. Namely, only a few specific exposure modes are used. Therefore, for ordinary photographers, the need to actuate several switches in combination to select a mode is troublesome and complicated.
Furthermore, in a program exposure mode of a known camera, a shutter speed and a diaphragm value are automatically determined in a certain relationship (combination). Accordingly, it is impossible for the photographer to set optional shutter speed and diaphragm value which do not satisfy the predetermined relationship in the same mode. In particular, if the photographer wants to set a diaphragm value, within a specific range of diaphragm values, or a shutter speed within a specific range of shutter speeds, it is impossible for the photographer to optionally determine the specific diaphragm value or shutter speed.
The primary object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of a known exposure control system having a plurality of exposure modes including program, shutter priority, diaphragm priority and bulb exposure modes etc., by providing a simple exposure control apparatus in which a photographer can easily and optionally set a desired diaphragm range or shutter speed range.

Exposure control apparatus of camera including exposure factor limit value setting means


A process for producing a planar thin film magnetic head wherein a sacrificial layer is introduced to provide control of the gap planarization procedure. Unbounded planar layers of lower pole-tip material and nonmagnetic gap material are first deposited and covered with a sacrificial layer that may be selectively removed by solvent. A critical layer island is then formed by etching the excess, thereby ensuring ideal planar characteristics at the edges of the critical gap layer. Following island formation, the entire assembly is covered with a nonmagnetic insulating layer and lapped or etched smooth. This planarization process is adjusted to end in the sacrificial layer. The remaining sacrificial layer material is then removed by solvent, a step that not only ensures the integrity of the underlying critical gap and pole layers but also creates the upper step needed for staggered pole-tip and conformal pole-tip head configurations.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to thin film magnetic head fabrication processes and, more specifically, to a sacrificial layer process for fabricating a narrow inductive head having a submicron track width.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Thin film magnetic read/write heads are used for reading and writing magnetically coded data stored on a magnetic storage medium such as a magnetic disk or magnetic tape. There is a continuing strongly-felt need for increasing the data storage density in such media. Most efforts to increase magnetic data storage density involve techniques for increasing the areal bit density in the magnetic medium.
In rotating magnetic disk drives, the areal density is equivalent to the product of the number of flux reversals per millimeter and the number to tracks available per millimeter of disk radius. Thus, high areal data storage density requires recording heads with high linear resolution and narrow track-width. The linear resolution of a two-pole inductive head is related to the gap between the pole-tips at the air bearing surface (ABS). In the present art, submicron gaps are commonly available. Recent improvements in magnetoresistive (MR) sensor fabrication have led to development of the dual element head, which combines MR read and inductive write elements. This dual element approach solves the low read-back signal sensitivity problem associated with narrow inductive heads. Thus, increased linear recording is now obtainable without incurring unnecessary penalties in lost signal sensitivity.
In pushing the areal density limit in magnetic recording using the dual MR-inductive element approach, the problems associated with fabricating narrow-track inductive write heads are now more limiting than the problems associated with fabricating narrow-track MR read heads. Experimental and mathematical modeling results confirm that further substantial increases in areal recording density must come from reductions in track width rather than from increases in linear flux transition densities in the recording media.
The major barrier to narrower track widths imposed by conventional thin film inductive head fabrication techniques is the topographical variation confronted when defining the upper pole-tip width. Because of this varied topography, conventional thin film techniques require the narrow upper pole-tip to be deposited at the bottom of a 15-18 micron photoresist groove. Unreliable results are well-known for attempted deposition of a layer width of one to three microns at the bottom of a 15-20 micron groove depth. Several new pole-tip fabrication approaches have been proposed to address this problem.
One such is the "staggered" pole-tip magnetic head design, which is inherently different from the thin film inductive head designs of the earlier art. As used herein, "staggered" pole-tips means pole-tips that are overlapped to form a narrow gap in the overlap region. The gap width is often much narrower than either of the overlapping pole-tips. Po-Kang Wang, et al ("Thin Film Head With Staggered Pole-tips", IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 27, No. 6, November 1991, pp. 4710-4712) propose a cost-effective longitudinal staggered pole-tip configuration and an alternative transverse staggered pole-tip configuration both suitable for submicron track-widths. Wang, et al report that both configurations should be suitable for narrow track applications but they found that conventional process variations provided low-yield fabrication of staggered pole-tips in the transverse configuration and they were unable to reliably fabricate any submicron track-widths in the longitudinal configuration. Because of the particular problems imposed by the conventional process employed, a slanted and uneven ABS gap was obtained (e.g., FIGS. 2 and 3).
Other practitioners avoid the track-width limitations of variable topography by using a "stitched" upper pole concept that defines the upper pole-tip immediately following the deposition of the insulating gap defining material. As used herein, a "stitched" pole is a pole formed in two or more separate steps, such as where a pole-tip is first deposited and a pole-yoke later deposited and joined (stitched) to the existing pole-tip. For instance, T. Kawabe, et al ("Fabrication of Thin Film Inductive Heads With Top Core Separated Structure", IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 24, No. 6, November 1991, pp. 4936-4938) discusses a pole-tip stitching method where the upper pole-tip is formed at an early point in the fabrication process when a shallow photoresist layer can still be used as a pole-tip mask. However, Kawabe, et al neither teach nor suggest a method for ensuring proper formation of the junction between the pole-tip and the pole-yoke portions of the upper pole.
The "self-aligning" pole-tip fabrication methods known in the art may also result in improved yield of narrow-track heads, as can be understood with reference to three typical disclosures. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,593, John R. Osborne, et al disclose a self-aligned pole-tip fabrication method for precisely aligning the pole-tips of a thin film magnetic head. Osborne, et al teach the use of the upper pole as a mask for etching the lower pole, thereby insuring pole-tip alignment at a narrow gap region. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,901, Beat Keel, et al teach a self-aligning method for fabricating magnetic poles using a sacrificial mask layer. Keel, et al use a sacrificial mask to protect the upper pole-tip while removing the exposed non-aligned portions of the gap-forming material and lower pole-tip. They first deposit the upper pole and sacrificial mask layers in a hole cut away from a thick photoresist mask layer and then use these built-up elements as a mask for etching away the excess in the lower layers. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,924, Jean-Pierre Lazzari teahes a process for the production of a planar thin film magnetic head where a recessed slot is etched in a substrate and filled with a magnetic film. Thus, like Keel et al, Lazzari teaches a process of first etching a defined hole in a substrate, next filling the hole with material, and finally using the material thus deposited as a mask for further etching in the layers below the deposited material. This procedure is now well-known and generally accepted as the preferred method for depositing narrow layers of thin film materials.
Although the stitched pole concept, the staggered pole concept and the self-aligning pole-tip concept all appear useful for fabricating inductive write heads having track widths under three microns, existing thin film fabrication procedures do not provide acceptable yields. For instance, submicron track widths can be fabricated using the staggered head approach without encountering lithographic resolution or aspect ratio problems but founder on problems of planarization control. Both staggered head and stitched head designs require well-controlled planarization processes and the staggered head requires a method for adding a precise step on each pole-tip to reduce side-writing effects.
Unfortunately, conventional methods do not ensure uniform planar gap regions in inductive heads having track widths under three microns. FIG. 2 shows an outline of a photomicrograph of the ABS aspect of a 2.5 micron staggered pole head. Note the extreme curvature and bleeding effects where the two pole-tips P.sub.1 and P.sub.2 abut the nonmagnetic insulating wall 10 defining the stepped edge of the staggered pole recording (flux-sensing) gap 12. Note the skewing of recording gap 12 with respect to the gap centerline 14. Similarly, FIG. 3 shows the ABS aspect view of a 0.5 micron staggered inductive head having a gap 16 that is almost entirely tilted with respect to the gap centerline 18 because of similar edge deposition effects at the insulating wall 20. There is a clearly felt need in the art for a fabrication method that reliably produces submicron gap widths in thin film staggered-pole heads. The related unresolved problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by this invention in the manner described below.

Sacrificial layer planarization process for fabricating a narrow thin film inductive head

International Business Machines Corporation


A process to treat bamboo comprises splitting a bamboo shoot lengthwise into at least two separate bamboo lengths, and removing any internal membranes and external nodes from the bamboo lengths. The split bamboo lengths are treated to remove substantially all sugars present in said lengths, following which they are dried to a moisture content of less than about 3%. The bamboo lengths are then rehumidified to a predetermined moisture content of greater than about 3%. Then, optionally, a first plurality of the bamboo lengths suitable to form a core for a laminated bamboo article may be uniformly sized, and a second plurality of the bamboo lengths suitable to form an outer surface for a laminated bamboo article may be uniformly sized. A core may then be formed with a uniform first plurality of the lengths by laminating the first plurality of lengths together, and at least one outer surface layer may be formed with a uniform second plurality of the lengths by laminating the second plurality of lengths together. Finally, the outer surface layer may be laminated to the core so that the grain direction of the first plurality of lengths is substantially parallel to the grain direction of the second plurality of lengths.

It has long been desired to produce articles of manufacture from bamboo as an alternative to wood. Wood, particularly hard wood, although a renewable resource, typically takes between 20 and 80 years from the time it is planted until it is ready to be harvested. Further, harvesting of the world's old growth rain forests is a destruction of nature which takes many centuries to renew.
It is therefore desirable to develop an alternative to wood based products, which still have the advantages of wood products. These include being able to cut the products to size, staining or otherwise finishing, and being durable.
Bamboo is a grass product, and is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. A bamboo plant reaches maturity in approximately two to three years from the time it is planted. Further, bamboo is an extremely abundant plant in many of the world's regions, particularly in developing countries. As such it would be desirable to utilize bamboo as an alternative to hardwood. There have been many attempts to process bamboo so that it may be used as an alternative to hardwood in construction, flooring, and articles of furniture.
However, these attempts have been largely unsuccessful, for several reasons. Firstly, bamboo stalks are cylindrical in shape, and have a hollow core, which is undesirable. Secondly, bamboo has a high sugar content, which may lead to insect infestation, causing a deterioration in the integrity of the bamboo, and a short useful life. Additionally, there may be problems associated with discolouration of the bamboo over time, and cracking or warping of bamboo products when exposed to variations in temperature and humidity.
While there have been several attempts to produce articles of furniture, flooring, and other items from laminated strips of bamboo, these attempts have been largely unsuccessful in overcoming the above described problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,551 to Chu discloses a laminated bamboo board, having a number of longitudinal layers and a number of lateral layers. Each of the layers is formed separately by aligning bamboo strips in parallel relation, and bonding together with an adhesive. Subsequently the longitudinal layers and the lateral layers are bonded together in overlapping relating, to form a laminated bamboo board.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,818,321 and 4,968,549 to Shimizu disclose a method of making a laminated material from annual ligno-cellulosic stalks. The stalks are cut open in the direction of the stalk's fibre. The stalks are then flattened with a roller press and arranged in parallel relation to form a number of sheets. The sheets are then bonded together with a resin and heat is applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,197 to Plaehn discloses a method of forming a laminated bamboo beam, which is prepared by splitting and drying the bamboo stalks, applying adhesive to the stalks and arranging randomly in parallel relation, and compressing the stalks under high pressure to form a laminated bamboo beam.
Despite each of the foregoing attempts, there is still a need to develop a laminated bamboo article which is useful to make furniture, flooring, and other products which could otherwise be made from wood. A laminated bamboo product is required which will not deteriorate due to insect infestation, will not crack when exposed to variations in humidity and temperature, and which may be worked with in a manner similar to hardwood.

Process for treating bamboo and articles made by the process


An extrusion-based injection molding system is designed for use in food processing applications. Interior surfaces, such as the barrel exit line and/or fill line, of the system may be coated with a friction-reducing agent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to combined extrusion and injection processing systems that convert powder and liquid mixtures into molded products. More particularly, the combined extrusion and injection processing systems are used to make molded food products.
2. Description of the Related Art
Extrusion systems that are used in the plastics industry commonly operate on stable plastic pellets that are fed into the screw or screws in the extruder barrel. The turning screws typically shear and heat the pellets, along with other materials, to form a modified plastic in melt form, which is forced through a die to form a wide variety of plastic products, including materials for use in injection molding. In the case of plastics, injection molding is accomplished by injecting plastic into a mold and subjecting it to heat and pressure, thereby producing a plastic object that mirrors the shape of the mold.
Extrusion and injection molding are commonly carried out in different machines at different times. However, there exists a class of unitary machines that perform extrusion and injection molding in one pass. The extrusion section of the machine takes in plastic pellets, and optional compounds if desired, melts them by the shearing and heating action of the screws, and feeds the resultant melt directly into the receiving facility of the injection-molding section of the machine. The melt is then injected into a mold pursuant to the usual procedures and formed into a desired shape.
In the plastics industry, the pelletized feed source is generally prepared in a separate extrusion process, either with or without compounding. This two-step process allows for the production of plastic pellets by a chemical company or compounders, who may supply the pellets to a manufacturer of plastic products. Relatively speaking, the pellets are chemically and physically stable. They are eminently suitable for use in conventional injection molding machines.
This is rarely true for most food products. First, it is not always possible to make pellets that can be easily handled for later injection molding. Second, where pellets can be made, they are not typically chemically or physically stable. Among other things, they age and dry out. Care must be taken in their packaging, storage environment and transportation, both to and on site. Failure to do so can render the pellets difficult or impossible to melt in an extruder. Beyond this, food pellets are sensitive to even small deviations in extrusion conditions. For example, the amount of liquid in the formulation may be such that the pellets either do not form cohesively or form into a monolithic mass that is difficult to process. Excessive pressures develop in the extruder, and the food mixture can be easily overworked. In short, pelletizing of foods, especially foods containing flour or starch, is usually not practical or cost effective.
The problems discussed above with reference to pelletized feeds, as well as the formation of excessive pressures and overworking of food ingredients, significantly if not completely limits the utility of unitary extrusion-molding systems in the food industry. This is disappointment in view of the benefits offered by these systems in other industries, including the plastics industries.

Injection apparatus for producing molded food products


An improved tibial prosthesis is provided for a prosthetic knee wherein the tibial prosthesis includes a mobile bearing member designed to better accommodate a natural range of flex knee motion and force loads applied to the knee joint. The improved tibial prosthesis comprises a tibial component defining a support tray for receiving and supporting a bearing member which in turn defines upwardly presented medial and lateral condylar recesses for respective seated engagement with medial and lateral condyles of a femoral prosthesis. A short lock rim of part-circular shape projects upwardly from the periphery of the tibial support tray, at the medial end thereof, to engage and constrain the bearing member for rotation within the lock rim through a short arcuate path of motion relative to a center axis defined by the geometry of the lock rim, thereby permitting a small degree of anterior-posterior movement of the bearing member lateral end relative to the tibial tray. The range of permissible bearing member displacement can be limited by a stop post projecting upwardly from the tibial tray and received into an elongated guide slot formed in the bearing member.

This is a Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/012,172 filed Feb. 23, 1996.
This invention relates generally to improvements in prosthetic devices used for reconstruction of the human knee joint. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved tibial prosthesis for a prosthetic knee, including a mobile bearing component adapted to better accommodate a natural range of flex knee motion and force loads applied to the knee joint.
Prosthetic knee joints are generally known in the art and typically comprise matingly configured tibial and femoral prostheses adapted respectively for implantation onto the upper end of a resected tibia and the lower end of a resected femur. The tibial prosthesis incorporates a plastic meniscal bearing member which defines upwardly presented medial and lateral condylar recesses for respective seated engagement of convexly curved medial and lateral condyles on the femoral component. In this regard, the overall geometry of the tibial and femoral prostheses, particularly with respect to the condylar recesses and related femoral condyles, generally resembles the physiology of the natural human knee joint. Desirably, the femoral condyles are retained in seated bearing engagement with the meniscal bearing member throughout a range of natural knee flexion and loading by means of the natural connective tissues including the ligament and tendon structures of the knee joint.
However, the complex mechanical structure of the human knee joint has made it extremely difficult to design an optimum prosthetic joint. More specifically, within a normal range of knee flexion, the natural knee encounters a combination of rolling and sliding motion such that the pivot axis and related contact points between the femur and tibia shift with the degree of knee flexion. This complex motion has made it extremely difficult to design an optimum prosthetic knee capable of emulating natural knee motion while withstanding the relatively high force loads to which the knee joint can be subjected.
One approach for a purportedly improved knee prosthesis involves mounting of the tibial bearing member to permit at least some shifting movement thereof relative to the tibial component which is anchored to patient bone. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,438. This concept involves a pin or post projecting downwardly from the bearing member, at a location beneath the medial condylar recess, for reception into a shallow recess formed in the tibial component. The post and recess are designed to permit a degree of anterior-posterior displacement of the bearing member, relative to the tibial component, to better accommodate natural knee motion with minimum bearing component wear. Unfortunately, however, this concept has suffered from an unacceptable frequency of dislocation and thus has not achieved any widespread acceptance or use.
The present invention pertains to an improved tibial prosthesis of the type having a mobile bearing component, but wherein the mobile bearing component is mounted and constrained in a manner that reduces the likelihood of undesirable dislocation of the prosthesis components.

Tibial prosthesis with mobile bearing member


A method for providing computer services is disclosed. The method includes a printer receiving an expected size of print data from a computer system during a printing operation, the printer receiving the print data, determining if the size of the print data is less than the expected size of the print data and aborting the printing operation if the size of the print data is less than the expected size of the print data.

Printers receive and print data files (print jobs) that are submitted by host computer systems. Whenever a print job includes an error, a printer typically receives and prints the data from the beginning of the print job up to the point of the error. This behavior is common for a number of reasons (e.g., it is easy to implement, it may not be possible or practical to withhold printing a job until the complete job is received and processed, and a typical print policy is to print as much of a job as possible, even if the job contains an error).
In the case of a high speed production printer it may be desirable to avoid printing any part of a job when the job is known to include errors. By not printing a job that includes an error, waste production is avoided, as well as time required to implement a recovery process of printing a portion of the job. One particular type of error that may occur is a short print job, otherwise referred to as a "short job". A short job occurs when the amount of data that the printer receives for a print job is less than the complete job.
A short job may occur due to a network error, or premature termination of the transfer by the host system. The early termination of a file transfer due to a transmission problem is typically not detectable by the printer. However, in some systems the printer is capable of detecting the correct size of a complete print job in advance.
Accordingly, a mechanism to discontinue processing a short job at a printer is desired.

Automatic print job cancellation mechanism


Disclosed herein is a composition for the oxidation dyeing of keratin fibers, for example of human keratin fibers, such as the hair, containing, in a medium that is suitable for dyeing, a) at least one oxidation dye, b) at least one associative polymer, and c) at least one aminosilicone, wherein the at least one aminosilicone/at least one associative polymer weight ratio is greater than or equal to 1.

Dyeing keratin fibers, and for example human hair, with dye compositions containing oxidation dye precursors, generally known as "oxidation bases", for example ortho- or para-phenylenediamines, ortho- or para-aminophenols, and heterocyclic bases is known.
Oxidation dye precursors are compounds that are initially uncolored or only weakly colored, which develop their dyeing power on the hair in the presence of oxidizing agents, leading to the formation of colored compounds. The formation of these colored compounds may result either from an oxidative condensation of the "oxidation bases" with themselves or from an oxidative condensation of the "oxidation bases" with coloration modifiers, or "couplers", which are generally present in the dye compositions used in oxidation dyeing and are can be chosen, for example, from meta-phenylenediamines, meta-aminophenols and meta-diphenols, and certain heterocyclic compounds.
The variety of molecules used, which comprise on one hand "oxidation bases" and on the other hand "couplers", allows a wide range of colors to be obtained.
An oxidative dye composition may generally also comprise at least one cationic polymer which improves the cosmetic properties of the composition. It, however, has been noted that dye compositions comprising these cationic polymers may be unstable, may have unsatisfactory cosmetic properties, and may not remain in the hair after shampooing.

Composition for the oxidation dyeing of keratin fibers, comprising at least one oxidation dye, at least one associative polymer, and at least one aminosilicone


Electronic displays are physically reshaped and/or resized to meet custom specifications for special applications such as avionics, where Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are not typically used. Customization includes cutting the physical display to specified dimensions to fit into a target opening, and resealing the display to preserve proper cell spacing and assure basic functionality. The sealing process may include improving the original seal, and/or providing additional seals.

Electronic displays are commonly used to portray data in the forms of visual text and/or other images, so the data may be interpreted and/or acted upon. Typically, the operator of equipment associated with the display will control the equipment based in part on the interpretation of the data displayed. A simple example is an airplane pilot who views a control panel display representing surrounding air traffic, and who then controls the airplane to avoid the traffic.
The displays and their associated bezels (face plates) and frames (interfacing and supporting hardware) are typically built to demanding specifications for durability, reliability, and operating life, due to industry requirements, and the resulting displays have relatively complex electrical, chemical, optical, and physical characteristics. Each particular application, for example, may require specific performance characteristics from the display, such as the ability to accommodate or withstand varying conditions of temperature, humidity, radiation, ambient light, shock, vibration, impact, chemicals, salt spray, water and fluid condensation, immersion, or other environmental, electrical, physical, and/or other conditions. Due to the high costs associated with such varying and demanding specifications, for any particular application it is thus economically necessary for manufacturers to produce a common design in high production volume, resulting in COTS displays all having substantially the same characteristics for a variety of physical sizes. The sizes vary, but the shapes are generally rectangular with an aspect ratio of approximately three to four. Common television and computer displays typically have an aspect ratio of approximately three to four, and are typically square. HDTV displays typically have an aspect ratio of nine to sixteen.
For specialized applications where the market may not be large enough for COTS manufacturers to enter, buyers of displays are required to have displays custom-built to fit their size and shape requirements, at a cost up to ten times greater than the cost of a COTS display having identical functionality. Alternatively, buyers may choose to incorporate a COTS display into an existing control panel or dashboard opening by physically altering the size and/or shape of the control panel opening to match the size and/or shape of the COTS display. For most applications, however, such modifications cannot be made without disturbing the surrounding instruments, controls, and displays already incorporated into the control panel. Such is the case, for example, on an airplane control panel or other vehicle control panel where large numbers of instruments and controls are tightly and efficiently packed into a relatively small area to begin with. And even if the appropriate modifications could be made, they are typically cost-prohibitive.
To overcome the above-referenced drawbacks in the prior art, it would thus be desirable to provide systems and methods for customizing a COTS display to meet the size and shape requirements of a target control panel opening, such that the purchaser of the COTS display may avoid paying the extra costs associated with having a display custom-built from scratch. Such systems and methods would be advantageous for displays that have relatively high tooling costs and relatively low volume production associated therewith.
A particular industry where high-cost custom-built displays are used is the avionics industry, which traditionally used square panel openings to house mechanical control devices. To retrofit airplane control panels with electronic displays, the industry began manufacturing square displays, at a relatively high cost and relatively low volume compared to the COTS non-square displays which are commercially used in a wide variety of applications. In fact, the control panels in newly-built airplanes designed to use electronic displays, are still often made with square panel openings, despite the COTS displays being non-square, in order to maintain the well-established and familiar control panel configurations.
Since a completed electronic display is delicate and relatively complex, most experts in the filed would not expect that customization of the displays as desired could be accomplished by physically cutting an original display, changing its size and/or shape, and resealing it, while maintaining its same basic functionality. For example, most experts would not expect that a display designed to be a four-inch by six-inch display with 480 rows by 640 columns of picture elements (pixels) could be cut down to the size of a four-inch by four-inch display with 480 rows by 480 columns, and still operate successfully.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Customized electronic displays and methods of customizing the physical size and/or shape thereof


A connector assembly (1) used to interconnect a primary circuit board (4) to an intermediate circuit board (5) includes a one-piece insulated housing (2) and an outer shell (3) partially enclosing outside of the housing (2). The housing (2) has a space (20) formed from a mounting side of the housing (2) to the primary circuit board (4) and a face (22) formed at another mounting side of the housing (2) to the intermediate circuit board (5). A plurality of conductors (25) is retained in the housing and extends from the space (20) to the face (22) and each conductor (25) has one tail portion (251) to be press-fit on the intermediate circuit board (5) and another tail portion to be engaged with a corresponding hole (41) on the primary circuit board (4). The one-piece housing and fewer interfaces are used, and the mounting method and mechanism of the conductors is simplified to reduce the cost of manufacturing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a connector assembly having contacts with high density arrangement so as to interconnect two printed circuit boards or modularized circuit board assemblies, especially to a connector assembly having a simple and facilely assembled mounting interface for connecting daughter board assembly to a motherboard.
2. Description of Prior Arts
In a specialized backplane assembly of a computation or communication device, a primary circuit board is used to connect other intermediate circuit boards or extension cards to achieve different electronic functions or performance. In most situations, more extension cards are needed to connect to the primary circuit board via one of the intermediate (secondary) circuit boards/extension cards in order to provide repeated electronic function. It is understood that high density interconnection between the primary circuit board and the one intermediate circuit board will become necessary so that all the extension cards mounted on the one intermediate circuit board can effectively and efficiently communicate with the primary circuit board via the high density interconnection. Conventionally, a set of plug and receptacle connectors is considerable to be adapted for connecting the primary circuit board and the one intermediate circuit board. At least three interfaces have to be considered in this interconnection, a mating interface between the plug and receptacle connectors and two mounting interfaces for the plug and receptacle connectors respectively to circuit boards where they are seated. Czeschka U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,959,024 and 6,129,591, Niitsu et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,696 and Wang U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,063 all show different interfaces of a plug connector and a receptacle connector for mating and mounting. Obviously, both plug and receptacle connectors have contacts with a specialized shape of their own. To guarantee the reliable engagement between the mating plug contact and receptacle contact, enough engaging area and interaction force should be provided by the contacts when the connectors are mated. And a reliable mounting joint, usually a soldered one, between ever plug or receptacle contact and circuit board is very important too for better electrical performance. To sum up, interconnection of two separate connectors, including a plug and a receptacle, needs twice the manufacturing and assembly processes to make the component connectors and double the processes to mount them onto the corresponding circuit boards. Therefore, the conventional connector designs will have a high cost for the type of application.
Additionally, in the compact arrangement of the intermediate circuit board, limited space is available to receive electronic components and smaller pitches between contacts restrain possible variations of size and shape of the connectors of their parts, especially the intermediate circuit board having lots of extension cards installed thereon. Thus, simplified connector parts are preferred to reduce the occupied space of the connectors. Obviously, complicated mating of mounting mechanism the conventional plug and receptacle connectors have is not the best choice for a compact arranged intermediate circuit board.

Connector assembly for printed circuit board interconnection


Apparatus and method for freezing food products including a first freezer section utilizing a liquid or solid cryogen and a second freezer section which utilizes cryogenic vapor from the first freezer section to complete the freezing operation, the first and second freezer sections being in a vertical arrangement to minimize floor space and improve cooling efficiency.

The commercial freezing of food products, especially soft food products such as shrimp, scallops, vegetables, meat and the like is often carried out rapidly to minimize water loss and damage to the product. Quick freezing may be carried out using cryogenic substances such as liquid nitrogen and solid carbon dioxide.
Among the more common cryogenic quick freezing techniques are those employing either a freezing tunnel or an immersion bath. Freezing tunnels are elongated chambers which may contain spaced apart nozzles that are used to spray the cryogenic substance on top of the food product as it passes through the tunnel on a conveyor. Heat exchange between the food product and the cryogenic substance produces cryogenic vapor which is circulated by fans to improve cooling efficiency.
The liquid cryogen immersion bath system provides for a vessel containing a liquid cryogen (e.g. liquid nitrogen) and a conveyor passing there through to thereby immerse the food product in the liquid cryogen. The immersion bath system is advantageous over tunnel systems because freezing is faster. However, the efficiency of the immersion bath system is generally no better than most tunnel systems, typically because the cryogenic vapor generated in the immersion bath is not effectively utilized.
In an effort to improve the efficiency of quick freezing, systems have been developed that utilize the combination of a liquid immersion bath and a freezer tunnel. In such systems the unfrozen product is introduced into the liquid immersion bath and moved along the bath on a conveyor. The immersion bath provides the first stage of cooling. A cryogenic vapor is produced via heat exchange between the food product and the liquid cryogen. The food product which emerges from the bath is passed into a freezing tunnel which is typically positioned downstream of the immersion bath. The cryogenic vapor is drawn into the tunnel by fans to complete the freezing process. Such systems are disclosed, for example, in R.C. Webster et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,055; I. Rasovich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,479; L. Tyree, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,972; P. Gibson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,840; A. Acharya et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,358; I. Rasovich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,445; E. Kiczek et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,723; E. Kiczek et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,802; E. Kiczek et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,803; and R. Howells, U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,490.
The combination of a liquid immersion bath and a downstream freezer tunnel, particularly those using circulated cryogenic vapor provide improved cooling efficiency over systems using the immersion bath alone or the freezer tunnel alone. However, the combined system suffers from a number of disadvantages. Since the freezer tunnel extends horizontally from the immersion bath, the combined system occupies a large amount of floor space and is relatively expensive to construct. Furthermore, high energy fans are needed to draw the cryogenic vapor from the immersion bath into and through the elongated freezer tunnel, thereby increasing the cost of operating the combined system.
In addition, the combined systems of the prior art typically have an entrance leading into the immersion bath and an exhaust outlet at the remote end of the freezer tunnel. In this type of arrangement it is difficult to control the flow of cryogenic vapor within the freezing apparatus and also difficult to prevent loss of the same.
It would therefore be a significant advance in the art of freezing food products if a combined freezer system, utilizing both an immersion bath and a freezer tunnel could be made more compact, less costly and operate more efficiently than present combined freezer systems.

Method and apparatus for freezing food products


A computer-implemented system and method that prescreens the qualifications of clinical monitors, and quickly and efficiently matches qualified monitors with corresponding qualified clinical sponsors for work on a project. The system and method provide a secure platform for storage and searching of monitor profiles that may be continuously updated by the monitors. The system and method also checks the qualifications provided by monitors in their profiles to ensure that only qualified monitors are capable of being searched by the sponsors. The system and method also provides a secure platform for sponsors to post their clinical projects, and enables the sponsors to select the monitors they wish to view the project details. The system and method then provides the details of the project to the selected monitors, and the ones who are interested may be subsequently interviewed and selected by the sponsors. The system and method also provides a mechanism so that the sponsors and monitors may enter a contract regarding the project. The system and method dramatically reduces the time searching for qualified monitors needed to conduct studies, reduces costs for sponsors, and enables studies to be organized and started more efficiently.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the clinical research field, and, more particularly to a computer-implemented system and method for matching clinical research monitors with clinical trial sponsors.
B. Description of the Related Art
Clinical research monitors (hereinafter referred to as "clinical monitors," "CRMs," or "monitors") are responsible for auditing clinical trials that are conducted to evaluate new drug candidates. The job of the monitor is to ensure that clinical trial sponsors (e.g., clinical research organizations ("CROs"), pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, medical device companies, etc., hereinafter referred to as "clinical sponsors" or "sponsors"), primarily doctors and medical researchers, adhere to the study protocols approved by the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"). Monitors play a key role in the drug development process, where a single lost day can translate into $1 million in missed product revenues.
Once a sponsor is ready to begin a clinical study, they will typically look to hire independent contractors to serve as monitors. Finding qualified monitors typically is a laborious and time-consuming task, which does not fit well in an industry where research and development productivity thrives on a sponsor's ability to get trials up and running quickly. In the typical process of staffing a project with monitors, the sponsor contacts a staffing agency that represents a select group of monitors, and provides a list of qualifications needed for monitors for the project. The staffing agency will then search through its list of monitors and locate qualified monitors for the project. Often, however, the staffing company will contact the list of qualified monitors, and find that some or all of them are unavailable for project. Using this traditional method, generally requires four to six weeks to fully staff a project, depending upon the size of the project and the number of monitors required.
In some instances, the staffing agency fails to properly prescreen the credentials of the monitors it is representing and offering to sponsors. Failure to prescreen monitors may result in unqualified monitor(s) being selected for a project by a sponsor. The inadequacies of such unqualified monitors may not be readily evident to the sponsor, which may result in improper clinical trials being performed. Once the inadequacies of the unqualified monitor are discovered, the sponsor will need to replace the unqualified monitor and may lose valuable time while trying to complete the clinical trials.
The traditional method of matching monitors with sponsors costs sponsors significant time and money. This is unacceptable in the highly-competitive industry of drug development where a single lost day of clinical research may cost a sponsor significant sums of revenue.
Thus there is a need in the art to provide a secure mechanism for quickly and efficiently matching prescreened, qualified monitors with corresponding sponsors

Computer-implemented system and method for matching clinical research monitors with clinical trial sponsors


Methods and systems for applying biometric data to an interactive program executed by a portable device are provided. According to embodiments of the invention, raw bio-signal data is captured and filtered so as to determine the bio-signal of the user of the interactive program. The bio-signal is analyzed so as to determine biometrics of the user, which are applied as input to the interactive program. A setting or state of the interactive program is modified based on the biometrics. An updated state of the interactive program is rendered to the user, reflecting the modification of the setting or state of the interactive program.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and systems for enabling an augmented reality character to maintain and exhibit awareness of an observer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A growing segment of the video game industry involves the use of portable hand-held devices. Examples of such portable devices include dedicated gaming devices, such as those manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and others, as well as other types of portable devices such as smartphones, PDA's, digital multimedia players, etc. As the computing power of such portable devices has increased, so has the ability of the portable devices to handle increasingly complex programs and tasks.
For example, today's portable devices may include several different types of hardware integrated into a single device. Many such devices may include a color display, a camera, speakers, and an input mechanism such as buttons, a touchscreen or a stylus.
It is in this context that embodiments of the invention arise.

Biometric interface for a handheld device


The liquid droplet ejection head has a plurality of nozzles arranged in a fixed arrangement pattern two-dimensionally in a first direction and a direction oblique to the first direction. The nozzles compose a projected nozzle row in the first direction when supposing that the nozzles are projected so as to align in the first direction; first one of the nozzles and second one of the nozzles are located in a juncture region; a distance in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction between the first and second nozzles is larger than a distance in the second direction between other two of the nozzles that are located in a region other than the juncture region and sequenced in the projected nozzle row; third at least one of the nozzles lies substantially halfway between the first and second nozzles; and the first, third and second nozzles are sequenced in the projected nozzle row.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid droplet ejection head, a liquid droplet ejection apparatus, and an image recording method, and more particularly, to a liquid droplet ejection head, a liquid droplet ejection apparatus and an image recording method in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a matrix configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, inkjet recording apparatuses have come to be used widely as data output apparatuses for outputting images, documents, or the like. In an inkjet recording apparatus, a desired image is formed on a recording medium by ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles in a print head (liquid droplet ejection head).
The print head used in an inkjet recording apparatus may be a full line head having one or more than one nozzle row of a length corresponding to the full width of the recording medium, or a serial head which forms dot rows in a main scanning direction by scanning a short head, which has a shorter length than the full width of the recording medium, in the breadthways direction of the recording medium (main scanning direction). A full line head is able to print onto the full area of the printable region of the recording medium by scanning the recording medium once, by moving the head and the recording medium relatively to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to the breadthways direction of the recording medium (sub-scanning direction). Therefore, it is able to print at higher speed than a serial head.
A print head (matrix type head) is commonly known in which a plurality of nozzle are arranged in a matrix configuration (two-dimensionally) in order to achieve high quality in the image formed by the inkjet recording apparatus. For example, as shown in FIG. 30, there is a head in which a plurality of nozzles 51 are arranged in a matrix configuration, on the basis of a fixed arrangement pattern aligned in a row direction following the main scanning direction, which is perpendicular to the relative conveyance direction of the recording medium (the paper conveyance direction), and an oblique column direction which is not perpendicular to the main scanning direction. By constituting a print head of this kind as a full line head, it is possible to treat the nozzle rows when projected so as to align in the main scanning direction as a linear arrangement of nozzles, and it is possible to form a dot row of a single line in the main scanning direction of the recording medium, by driving the nozzles in a prescribed sequence, while moving the print head and the recording medium relatively with respect to each other. However, in the case of full line heads, there is a problem in that density non-uniformity tends to become more conspicuous in a prescribed direction, such as the main scanning direction on the recording medium, due to variation in the ejection characteristics, such as the volume and speed of flight of the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles. In particular, in the case of a matrix type head in which the nozzles are arranged in a matrix configuration, the spatial separation between the nozzles which are mutually adjacent in the main scanning direction is an additional factor which makes density non-uniformity become more conspicuous.
Therefore, technology has been proposed for reducing the visibility of the density non-uniformity which is liable to occur in a print head in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a matrix configuration in this fashion (namely, a matrix type head) (see Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004-90504 and 2004-167982).
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-90504 discloses a nozzle arrangement in which, in a dot row formed in the sub-scanning direction while moving a print head relatively in the main scanning direction, a dot of a different dot diameter is positioned between two mutually adjacent dots of the same dot diameter.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-167982 discloses a nozzle arrangement in which the size of the dot diameter is varied in a dot row formed in the sub-scanning direction while moving the print head relatively in the main scanning direction.
In both Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004-90504 and 2004-167982, rather than increasing or decreasing the dot diameter in the dot row formed in the sub-scanning direction in a linear fashion, large and small dots are combined in the sub-scanning direction and hence the visibility of the density non-uniformity in the sub-scanning direction is reduced.
Problems of the following kinds occur in a matrix type head in the related art shown in FIG. 30.
In FIG. 30, P0 is taken to be the pitch of the nozzles in the main scanning direction, P1 is taken to be the pitch of the nozzles that are mutually adjacent in the main scanning direction (in other words, the pitch of the nozzles that eject droplets at the same timing), P2 is taken to be the pitch of the nozzles in the main scanning direction in the juncture region (the junction section between nozzle rows), P3 is taken to be the pitch of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction (the paper feed direction), and P4 is taken to be the pitch of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction in the juncture region (the junction section between nozzle rows).
The juncture region (nozzle row junction section) is the boundary (junction section) between one nozzle row extending in an oblique column direction and another nozzle row which is adjacent to same in the main scanning direction. Furthermore, a nozzle at the end of a nozzle row in the oblique column direction, in a juncture region, is called a "juncture region nozzle". For example, there is a juncture region between the nozzle row 51A-1 constituted by the seven nozzles 51-11 to 51-17 which are aligned in the oblique column direction, and the nozzle row 51A-2 which is adjacent to the nozzle row 51A-1 in the main scanning direction, where the juncture region nozzles are nozzle 51-17 and nozzle 51-21. In the juncture regions, the nozzle pitch in the sub-scanning direction (in other words, the nozzle pitch in the sub-scanning direction between the juncture region nozzles) P4, is greater than the nozzle pitch P3 in the sub-scanning direction in the other regions.
In a matrix type head in the related art, if the head is accurately installed in such a manner that it forms a prescribed angle with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording paper (the paper freed direction), (for example, if the lengthwise direction of the head is perpendicular to the paper feed direction), then the nozzle pitch P2 in the main scanning direction in the juncture regions is equal to the nozzle pitch P0 in the main scanning direction in the other regions (in other words, P2=P0), and the nozzle row projected to the main scanning direction (projected nozzle row) has a uniform nozzle pitch of P0 (=P2). Therefore, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 30, a dot row is formed in which dots are arranged at regular intervals in the main scanning direction of the recording medium, at a dot pitch P that is equal to the nozzle pitch P0 (=P2).
However, if the print head is removed and reinstalled in a head maintenance operation, or the like, then a slight deviation may arise in the angle of the print head with respect to the paper feed direction. In cases of this kind, the nozzle pitch P2 in the main scanning direction in the juncture regions becomes different to the nozzle pitch P0 in the main scanning direction in the other regions (in other words, P2≠P0), and hence portions of high density and portions of low density appear in the dot row formed in the main scanning direction, and this may give rise to visible density non-uniformity in the main scanning direction.
For example, if the print head is installed in a state where it has been rotated in the direction of the arrow A1 in FIG. 30, then the nozzle pitch P0 in regions other than the juncture regions becomes slightly smaller, whereas the nozzle pitch P2 in the main scanning direction in the juncture regions becomes larger. Therefore the nozzle pitch P2 becomes greater than the nozzle pitch P0 in the main scanning direction in the other regions. Consequently, even in an ideal state where there is absolutely no error in the ejection volume or ejection direction of any of the nozzles, the dot row formed in the main scanning direction of the recording medium has a larger dot pitch in the portions corresponding to the juncture regions, and hence the density becomes lower in these portions. On the other hand, if the print head is installed in a state where it has been rotated in the direction of arrow A2 in FIG. 30, then conversely to the situation described in the previous example, the nozzle pitch P2 in the main scanning direction in the juncture regions becomes smaller than the nozzle pitch P0 in the main scanning direction in the other regions. Therefore, even if all of the nozzles are in an ideal state, a dot row formed in the main scanning direction on the recording paper has a smaller dot pitch in the portions corresponding to the juncture regions, and hence the density becomes higher in these portions. In this way, in the case of a matrix head, portions of different density are visible at the intervals of the nozzle pitch P1 between nozzles that are mutually adjacent in the main scanning direction.
In a matrix type head in the related art of this kind, since the nozzle pitch P4 in the sub-scanning direction in the juncture regions is greater than the nozzle pitch P3 in the sub-scanning direction in the other regions, and since the nozzle pitch P2 in the main scanning direction in the juncture regions changes conversely to the nozzle pitch P0 in the main scanning direction in the other regions when the head is rotated, then any slight deviation in the angle of the head with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording medium (the head angle) causes the nozzle pitch P2 in the main scanning direction in the juncture regions to greatly differ from the nozzle pitch P0 in the main scanning direction in the other regions. This gives rise to highly conspicuous density non-uniformity in the main scanning direction on the recording medium.
Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004-90504 and 2004-167982 do not take any account of density non-uniformity occurring in the juncture regions, and hence they cannot effectively reduce the visibility of density non-uniformity occurring in the juncture regions of a matrix type head of this kind.

Liquid droplet ejection head, liquid droplet ejection apparatus and image recording method


A method for controlling a transmitting power of a mobile station radio communicating with a base station is disclosed including the step of: adjusting the transmitting power of the mobile station by use of an average value of a power strength received over a predetermined period during communication, a transmitting power of the base station analyzed from a packet which is transmitted from the base station, and a transmitting power determined by a desired receiving power of the base station.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile station radio-communicating with a base station and, more particularly, to a method for controlling a transmitting power of the mobile station.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional mobile station, even though the strength of a receiving power varies according to a moving position, a transmitting power determined during initial subscription procedure is maintained. Therefore, the conventional mobile station has a problem in that optimal communication can not be done.

Method for controlling transmitting power of a mobile station


A socket supports a plurality of integrated circuit chips in a vertical stack and interconnects the chips to circuit traces on a substrate. The socket includes a dielectric base having a top surface and a bottom surface. The base holds a plurality of electrical contacts. Each of the contacts has a foot portion which extends below the bottom surface for electrical connection with one of the traces, and a main body portion which extends above the top surface for electrical connection with respective electrical leads extending from the chips. Each of the main body portions has a solder coating on one side. The contacts are arranged such that the solder coated sides abut their respective leads, and the contacts are electrically connectable with the leads by reflow of the solder coating.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a socket for electrically interconnecting a stack of integrated circuit chips in a single package.
2. Prior Art
Sockets are known for multi-level stacking of integrated circuit packages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,026 to Gianni discloses a socket for stacking dual in-line packages (DIP's) to provide an increased memory capacity without increasing the area covered on a printed circuit board. These dual in-line packages comprise an integrated circuit chip interconnected to a thin metal strip, or leadframe, having a network of wires which define leads for the integrated circuit chip. The chip is totally enclosed in an overmolded dielectric body, and leads of the leadframe are partially enclosed within the body and extend therefrom. The dielectric body generally includes top and bottom surfaces, and .side and end walls. The leads extend outwardly from the side walls and bend downwardly. The socket taught by Gianni has metallic contact members that receive the leads from the DIP's that are stacked within the socket. The contact members extend from a bottom of the socket and engage an associated printed circuit board to which they are soldered. In the socket taught by Gianni, the contact members are retained individually in the socket, thus causing manufacturing and handling difficulties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,525 to Coller et al. discloses a socket for stacking integrated circuit packages wherein the contact members of the socket are formed in a leadframe and the socket housing is overmolded around the leadframe, thus taking advantage of leadframe technology to simplify manufacture of the socket. The socket is particularly adapted for stackably interconnecting two small outline J-lead (SOJ) integrated circuit packages. However, Coller et al. do not teach a .socket for stackably interconnecting more than two integrated circuit packages.
Other sockets for stackably interconnecting integrated circuit packages are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,116,519 (Grabbe et al.); 4,312,555 (Donaher et al.); 4,398,235 Lutz et al.); and 4,406,508 (Sadigh-Behzadi). Each of these patents discloses a socket for stacking standard chip carrier configurations such as DIP, SOIC, SOJ, and square packages.
The electronics industry experiences constant demand for further miniaturization of electronic components and their associated packaging. While each of the above references solves problems associated with stacking of chip carriers in order to reduce area required on a printed circuit board, further miniaturization requires that height of the stacked integrated circuit chips be reduced as well. The prior art stacking devices are adapted for stacking standard chip carriers, and the resulting package of stacked chip carriers has a minimum height which is equal to the sum of the heights of all of the chip carriers in the stack. There is a need for a device which will enable stacking of individual integrated circuit chips in a vertical array in order to provide a memory chip package having reduced overally height while maintaining the same memory capacity as the prior art devices.
Further, the chip carriers are typically retained in the prior art sockets by frictional engagement of the leads extending from the chip carriers. The leads must be of sufficient size and strength to withstand the frictional engagement without permanent deformation or breakage. For the DIP, SOIC, and SOJ chip carriers, the leads extend downwardly to below the overmolded body of the chip carrier. It would be advantageous for reduction of stacked height if the leads could be fashioned as thin strips extending outwardly from side edges of the chip and parallel to the chip. The prior art sockets are not suitable for electrically interconnecting chips having such leads. The present invention provides a socket for stacking a plurality of individual integrated circuit chips in a vertical array when the chips are attached to leadframes which define thin leads extending outwardly in a plane.

Socket for stacking integrated circuit chips


A versatile portable keyboard musical instrument has a number of separable portions including a first keyboard portion detachable from a second supporting base portion for use alone, or the second supporting base portion may be removed from a support stand and the first portion to enable the musical instrument to be easily transported and played by a musician in any desired manner or position, such as vertically, horizontally, at an angle, or while standing, sitting down or moving across a stage or floor. The keyboard musical instrument includes cavities for insertion of a wireless MIDI device, various finger control devices, an electrical power source or adapters to be connected to a power source, to enable the instrument to be used without cables. Each of the different portions is sized and shaped with open areas or spaces for artistic appearance, to lessen the weight thereof and to serve as carrying handles.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to musical instruments and, more particularly, to an improved portable keyboard musical instrument having separable keyboard playing and supporting base portions removably held in a support stand, as well as one or more carrying handles in a uniquely designed device that allow it to be readily supported or transported and easily played in a various positions, wired or wirelessly, to provide a variety of sounds limited only by the players ability and any electronics utilized through MIDI wired and wireless interfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently available keyboard musical instruments have generally oval or rectangular housings, are not easily supported or held while moving, nor do they provide an attractive appearance. Additionally, some of the available keyboard musical instruments have keyboards that may be folded or rolled for storage and/or transport, but which must be unfolded or unrolled and placed on a flat supporting stand or surface before they may be played.
Moreover, for many reasons, including the fact that they are not attractive or easy to transport or use, the available keyboards are widely rejected by musicians and others in the music industry, or are too expensive for many musicians.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a portable keyboard musical instrument that is attractive, easy to transport and which may be used in a number of ways and substantially any position, such as vertically or horizontally, any place on a stage or within a defined area to add to the stage presence and versatility of a performer or a performance, while producing a full variety of sounds.


A process for suppressing total echoes comprising a plurality of partial echoes in telecommunications (TK) equipment such as terminals, transmission systems, or switching equipment by means of adaptive FIR (=Finite Impulse Response) filters that simulate the total echo and subtract it from the echo-affected useful signal transmitted to the respective TK equipment, whereby n partial FIR filters are provided, which respectively simulate a partial echo, is characterized in that m parallel, mutually independent TK channels are provided with an echo suppression function and that for this purpose a variable sub-quantity of the partial FIR filters is assigned to a TK channel to be operated, respectively, as required depending on the number of partial echoes and the size of the occurring delay times between signal and echo. This permits effective echo suppression without significant memory space and computational effort even for a large number of m parallel, mutually independent TK channels, such as must be processed in switching equipment or gateways.

The invention relates to a process for suppressing total echoes comprised of a plurality of partial echoes in telecommunications (TK) equipment such as terminals, transmission systems, or switching equipment by means of adaptive FIR (=Finite Impulse Response) filters that simulate the total echo and subtract it from the echo-affected useful signal transmitted to the respective TK equipment, whereby n partial FIR filters are provided, which respectively simulate a partial echo.
When voice signals are transmitted on telecommunication lines, acoustic echoes can form, on the one hand, at the xe2x80x9cnear endxe2x80x9d of the sending user due to the direct sound transmission from the loudspeaker to the microphone of the terminal. Particularly if several terminals are arranged in close spatial proximity to each other, for example, in an office or conference room with many telephone connections, the near echo problem is significantly increased since there is a coupling from each loudspeaker signal to each microphone. A multi-channel echo suppression process proposed in EP 0 627 825 A2 and the associated electronic circuitry is intended to provide a remedy. However, in addition to the near acoustic echo, an electric line echo, possibly composed of a variable number of partial echoes, also forms due to the reflections of the sent voice signals at variably remote points in the transmission channel, e.g. with 2-4 wire hybrids (terminating sets) in the terminal or in the witching equipment and gateways. A distinction is typically drawn between so-called xe2x80x9cnear echoesxe2x80x9d that are reflected back to the speaker within a time interval of up to 128 ms and far echoes, which return to the speaker within a time frame of 640 ms, the large skew of which is particularly disturbing since the speaker has already made noticeable progress in his speech by the time his own reflected voice signal comes back to him. Such delayed far echoes occur, for example, in intercontinental calls transmitted via deep-sea cables or satellites. The network operators maintaining the corresponding long-distance networks therefore aim to suppress, as effectively as possible, particularly the far echoes with a large skew as well as the near echoes, which may be reflected back with greater intensity.
EP 0 792 029 A2, for example, proposes an echo suppression device with an adaptive filter comprised of a coarse and fine detector for near-end voice signals arranged on both sides of the echo suppression device to permit monitoring of the incoming signal before and after echo suppression. During speech pauses from the near end, this is to permit an adaptation to the reflected echo value.
The initially cited DE 44 30 189 A1 proposes a cost-effective process which can be used under different acoustic conditions and which uses a FIR filter whose filter coefficients are determined based on the NMLS algorithm. For echo suppression in a TK network with many parallel channels, this method uses such an echo suppressor with an adaptive FIR filter implemented in software in a digital signal processor for each channel. For this purpose, the adaptive FIR filter is to simulate the total echo to be expected, possibly comprising several individual echoes, and to subtract the echo-affected useful signal transmitted to the TK terminal.
In contrast, the object of the present invention is to further develop a process of the initially described type, which permits effective echo suppression without requiring excessive memory space and computation effort, even if there is a very large number of m parallel, mutually independent TK channels, such as must be processed, for example, in switching equipment or network hybrids.
This object is attained by the invention in that m parallel, mutually independent TK channels are provided with an echo suppression function and that a variable sub-quantity of the partial FIR filters is assigned, respectively, to a TK channel to be operated as required, depending on the number of partial echoes and the size of the occurring delay times between signal and echo.
This flexible assignment of the partial FIR filters per processed TK channel as a function of the number of individual echoes and the size of the occurring delay times between signal and echo makes it possible, despite the very high number of m channels, to design the system for implementing the process in a compact manner and to utilize it to a high degree.
Particularly preferred is an embodiment of the process according to the invention, wherein the m independent TK channels are operated in time division multiplexing with echo suppression functions. This permits an even-compacter hardware or software design to implement the process, since many functional elements, e.g. partial FIR filters, can be used simultaneously for several TK channels. In a further advantageous embodiment, the adaptive FIR filters are implemented by a computer program that calculates the partial echoes to be simulated in real time. On the one hand, this minimizes the hardware for the system for implementing the process according to the invention and, on the other hand, permits system changes in a simple manner through modification or replacement of the computer program. In a further development of this embodiment, the computer program comprises same-type subroutines that run independently and synchronously to each other, whereby each of these subroutines acts as a partial FIR filter and can simulate a partial echo. Such a modular program is particularly simple to create and, in practice, can be expanded to any number of parallel running subroutines of the same type and thus to a corresponding number of partial FIR filters.
An alternative embodiment to the above described software solution provides that n same-type partial FIR filters capable of simulating partial echoes, respectively, are implemented in a single ASIC (=Application Specific Integrated Circuit); that the partial echoes to be simulated are calculated in real time in the ASIC; and that a digital signal processor is provided to control the ASIC and adjust the filter settings, particularly after calculation of the coefficients required for echo simulation and time delays in the ASIC.
The high integration density of an ASIC keeps a device for implementing the process according to the invention particularly compact. Since the digital signal processor is significantly relieved by integrating the FIR filters into the ASIC, many more parallel TK channels can be operated with effective echo suppression at a processor effort that remains constant. This permits processing of even larger echo delay times (e.g. up to 640 ms), many individual echoes per total echo, and many parallel channels ( greater than 2000) at minimum cost. Advantageously, a number of partial FIR filters are operated in cascaded manner to simulate a total echo. Currently, TK network operators require three to five partial echoes to be suppressed per channel. This number may further increase in the future.
An advantageous further development is distinguished by the fact that, for each partial FIR filter, a macrocell is provided in the ASIC comprising a shift register of suitable length for intermediate storage of the sampled voice signals, a demultiplexer unit for adjusting the effective shift register length, and a summing unit for adding the sampling values weighted with the corresponding coefficients. The macrocells can be identically configured to simplify production and thus reduce the cost of an ASIC with many same-type partial FIR filters.
In particular, cascading of a plurality of macrocells is easily possible, which permits any desired, flexible interconnection, e.g. for simulating a total echo, and thus a particularly high utilization of the macrocells.
A further variant of the process for echo suppression according to the invention is distinguished in that a Dirac impulse is sent to the corresponding TK channel, the echo answer thereto is detected, and suitable coefficients for simulating the total echo are calculated and stored for the corresponding FIR filter.
Instead of the Dirac impulse, other process variants send a defined analog noise signal sequence to the corresponding TK channel, detect the echo answer thereto, and calculate and store suitable coefficients for simulating the total echo. The send duration of the noise signal sequence is typically less than one second.
Particularly preferred is a further development of this process variant, in which the analog noise signal sequence comprises a Gaussian noise signal that is preferably limited to the bandwidth of the TK channel to be operated.
A further alternative process variant is distinguished in that a synthetic, preferably ternary pseudo noise sequence is sent to the corresponding TK channel, the echo answer thereto is detected, and suitable coefficients for simulating the total echo are calculated and stored. As a rule, the pseudo noise sequence is selected such that only the main value of the sequence has a correlation value q, while the subvalues have the correlation value 0.
It is particularly preferred to obtain the coefficients for echo simulation by correlating the sent signals with the received echo signals.
Also preferred is a further development of the process according to the invention, in which a NLMS (=Normalized Least Mean Square) algorithm is used for calculating the coefficients from the received echo signals acknowledging the sent signals. This minimizes the required computing time and computing capacity to achieve a satisfactory result. In this case, the length of the noise sequence is advantageously matched to the length of the FIR filter.
In a further preferred process variant, the transmission of non-voice signals on a TK channel is additionally detected and, particularly if modem or fax signals are identified, the echo suppression function on the corresponding TK channel is automatically switched off. This increases connection reliability for fax or modem connections.
In a further development of this process variant, a discrete Fourier transformation (=DFT), particularly a Goertzel algorithm, is used for detecting non-voice signals. As a result, this additional function requires very little memory space and computing capacity and detection is very fast and reliable.
In addition, in a further advantageous process variant, a compander function may also be provided for combined suppression and masking of line echoes by sending the receive level on the corresponding TK channel during speech pauses. This further enhances echo suppression and thus increases the comfort for the end subscriber.
The compander function can also be implemented as a computer program or in the form of hardware in an ASIC, preferably the same ASIC as the partial FIR filters. In this case, the hardware units are particularly compact and inexpensive to manufacture.

Process for echo suppression with adaptive fir filters


A method and system for allowing access to an exchange by a casual user without compromising exchange security. The present invention allows a casual user to provide required input and complete simple business transactions without becoming a registered member of the exchange. The system knows what information to provide to or to collect from the casual user and provides him with a context sensitive personal identification number (CS-PIN) to allow access for that purpose. The method of the invention comprises: receiving a request from an external application; generating and transmitting an external message to the casual user containing information on accessing said casual access application; generating a context sensitive personal identification number upon access of the casual access application by the casual user using the information contained in the external message; storing the CS-PIN in a CS-PIN holder accessible to the casual user; and completing the request upon access by the casual user using the CS-PIN.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to user authentication in an exchange environment. Specifically the invention is directed to a method and system for allowing access to an exchange by a casual user without compromising exchange security.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to have an electronic exchange configured such that various buyers and sellers of goods and/or services can come together and conduct business. In such an exchange, several applications may be running in a protected environment. To participate in the exchange and to have full access to the exchange applications one must be a registered member. Registration requires completion of a complex procedure in which a prospective member must submit a large quantity of information which then must be validated before membership is authorized. This complex procedure deters casual users from participating in the exchange and thus prevents the exchange from obtaining necessary information from such casual users. A casual user is defined as one who may not need full access to the exchange and its applications, but may only need to complete simple business transactions. For example, an organization may be a member of the exchange via the membership of its procurement employee. Under that organization's policies, the procurement employee is authorized to make purchases on behalf of the organization for under a certain amount. If the cost of a purchase is over that certain amount, it is necessary for that procurement employee to get additional authorization from his or her manager. This manager, however, may not be registered to participate in the electronic exchange or to use its applications. In order to complete the transaction, that manager's authorization is necessary. Thus, it is desirable to allow the manager to have access as a casual user for the limited purpose of providing the necessary authorization.
In addition to reducing the complexity of authorization when allowing access to casual users, it is also important to maintain the exchange's security and to avoid possible breaches. Therefore, the inventors have determined that there is a need for a simple yet secure way to provide access to casual users on an electronic exchange.

Casual access application with context sensitive pin authentication