The invention relates to a gas discharge switch with a low-pressure gas discharge segment, which is provided with an anode and at least one main cathode, and arranged in an ionizable working gas. It is provided with a control unit for flow discharge, which contains a cathode. For the working gas, a gas storage with automatic pressure control is provided. According to the invention, the energy of glow discharge is provided as the setting value for regulating the pressure of the working gas. With this module (30), consisting of the cathode (31) for glow discharge with the gas storage (32), the pressure of the working gas, preferably hydrogen, remains at least approximately constant over a long period of time, in a closed system of this so-called pseudo-spark switch.

The present invention relates to a gas discharge switch and more particularly to such a switch with a low-pressure gas discharge segment which is provided with an anode and at least one main cathode and arranged in an ionizable working gas and to which a control device which contains a cathode is assigned.
The ignition voltage for a predetermined gas discharge segment and its usual graphic representation as a function of the product of the gas pressure p and the electrode distance D in the ignition characteristic curve is known to be formed by taking the ignition probability, an important aid in characterizing electric discharge apparatus, into consideration. In the determination of the electric voltage resistance of the preset gas discharge segment, an infinitely large plate capacitor and its ignition characteristic curve are generally used for a comparison. However, the practical embodiment of such discharge segments has electrodes with finite dimensions. While it is sufficient, in order to determine the right branch of the ignition characteristic curve known as the Paschen curve (i.e., in order to study the so-called far breakdown zone, including the voltage minimum), merely to arrange two flat, rounded-off plates, possibly provided with a so-called Rogowski profile at the edges, parallel to one another, such a design arrangement is not usable to study ignition characteristic lines in the left part of the Paschen curve, i.e., in the so-called post breakdown zone, because then indirect charges can occur. Such indirect discharges can be avoided with an electrode design with flat plate electrodes which are arranged coaxial to one another, and are bent away from one another at their edges, with a small radius of curvature relative to the electrode distance, and guided along the inside cylindrical insulator surface. In this way, a gap is always formed between the bent-away, cylinder-shaped edge zone of the electrodes and the inside wall of the hollow cylinder insulator. Such embodiments of low-pressure gas discharge segments are also suitable for the near breakdown zone.
Low-pressure gas discharge segments are known to be suitable as switches for high currents, for example of about 50 kA to 2 MA, and high voltages up to about 100 kV. These gas discharge switches work with a pressure of the working gas, preferably hydrogen, of less than 1 torr at an electrode gap of less than 1 cm, with a voltage about 10 kV in the left branch of the Paschen curve. Since these switches can only turn a current on, but not off again, they are particularly suited for discharging large capacitors, for example at a voltage of 10 to 100 Kv and currents up to 10 MA, at which several switches are then generally switched in parallel. The discharge switch contains an anode and a main cathode, which are arranged coaxial to one another and are separated at the edge by a ring-shaped insulator (Proc. IEE, Volume 111, Number 1, January 1964, pages 203 to 213).
Such gas discharge switches can be controlled by a pulsed low-pressure gas discharge. The main discharge is initiated by a hollow cathode discharge and ignited by injection of charge carriers. For this purpose, a control device is provided, which contains a cage provided with holes, which surrounds the rear space of the cathode. The discharge segment is separated from the zone of a preionization discharge, which is a flow discharge, by the cage. Between the cage and the zone of the glow discharge, various auxiliary electrodes for shielding and potential control can also be provided as disclosed in Sci. Instr. 19 (1986), The Inst. of Physics, Great Britain, pages 466 to 470.
In this closed system, the pressure of the working gas decreases with an increasing number of switching processes. The reason for this lies in the implantation of charged high-energy particles during the discharge. In order to counteract this, the gas discharge system can be provided with a gas storage for the working gas, which can consist of a metal suitable as a storage or reservoir, for example titanium, zirconium, tantalum, palladium or even lanthane. Furthermore, intermetallic cubic Laves phases, which consist of a compound of iron hydride with one of the rare earth elements are suitable as storage material. This storage material absorbs gas, at a raised temperature, in an atmosphere enriched with the working gas, and this gas is stored in the lattice. In a vacuum or in the working gas of a gas discharge switch, it gives the working gas off again when heated.
To regulate the working gas to a constant pressure, a gas storage with an automatic pressure control can be provided. A known embodiment of such a gas storage consists of two generators, one of which serves as a storage and the other of which serves as a getter. The generator gives off gas when heated, for example by a heating coil, and the storage absorbs gas if too much gas is released and therefore a pressure increase occurs. The distance between the storage metal and the generator sheath is selected so it is not greater than the mean free path length of the working gas, i.e., at most approximately 0.4 mm for hydrogen as disclosed in Sov. Phys. Tech. Phys. Volume 21, Number 4, April 1976, pages 487 to 489.

Method of operating a gas discharge switch and an arrangement for carrying out the method


A continuously operative printing machine and a method of operating the same are disclosed. The printing machine has a plurality of switchable printing units to be used selectively by switching. For continuous printing the printing units are switched alternately by coupling and decoupling first coupling/decoupling means while a continuous printing web is held running. Plate change of stationary printing units is done with independent drive means to be ready for the next printing. Then the stationary printing units are restored to the printing state through synchronous control by rotational control means. Thus plate change printing or the like can be carried out continuously without stopping the printing machine. In addition, high quality printing can be obtained efficiently. Further, it is possible to obtain double side printing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a switching type continuously effective printing machine and a method of operating the same, which are applicable for shop name changes or the like in commercial printing of newspaper insert leaflets, direct mails, etc. with off-set rotary presses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, in the commercial printing of newspaper insert leaflets and handbills, direct mails, catalogs, etc. with offset rotary presses, usually only character spot shop names, dates, prices, etc. are changed while leaving photographic processes or the like without alteration.
Such plate change printing is done by stopping the off-set rotary press, changing only the shop name plate, etc., and then operating the printing press again for duty service.
In addition to such plate change printing method, in which the off-set rotary press is once stopped, there is another plate change printing method, in which an in-printer (continuous printer) is connected to the off-set rotary press for carrying out the plate change printing without stopping the off-set rotary press. FIG. 6 shows an off-set rotary press 930, to which an in-printer 910 is connected.
Shown on the left side in the Figure is an in-feeder 902 for feeding out a continuous printing web 901. Shown on the right side of the Figure is a first color printing unit 931 of a multi-color off-set rotary press 930. An in-printer 910 is installed between the in-feeder 902 and the printing unit 931.
The in-printer 910 internally includes a common pressure cylinder 911, two printing cylinders 912 and 913 disposed above and below the pressure cylinder 911, and inking mechanisms 914 and 915 disposed above and below the plate cylinders 912 and 913 and each having a plurality of ink rollers rotated in contact with one another.
The printing plates of the plate cylinders 912 and 913 are flexographic plates (i.e., relief printing plates made of rubber, a resin, etc.). They are adapted to be secured by double-side adhesive tape, adhesive, etc. to the individual plate cylinders 912 and 913 at plate change positions thereof.
With such off-set rotary press 930 with the in-printer 910 connected thereto, the continuous printing web 901 fed from the in-feeder 902 is pinched between the common pressure cylinder 911 and one of the plate cylinders (for instance plate cylinder 912) for printing a shop name or the like.
During the printing with the printing cylinder 912, plate change of the other printing cylinder 913 is made to make the printing cylinder 913 ready for printing.
Subsequently, the printing cylinder 913 is started to switch the printing cylinders 913 and 912 and have the printing cylinder 913 in a printing state, while stopping the printing cylinder 912 for the next plate change.
After plate change Printing of a shop name or the like has been carded out with the in-printer 910 in this way, the continuous printing web is fed to the downstream off-set rotary press 930 for multi-color printing with plate cylinders 932 and blanket cylinders 933 provided in the off-set rotary press.
However, in the above method, in which the off-set rotary press is once stopped, the plate change operation which is carded out after stopping the press leads to a loss time. In addition, since the off-set rotary press is once stopped, restoration to the printing state requires a time. Therefore, the printing efficiency is inferior.
Further, since the off-set rotary press is once stopped, a great deal of paper loss is inevitable, thus increasing the printing cost.
In the above method, in which the in-printer 910 shown in FIG. 6 is connected, the plate change operation can be carried out without stopping the off-set rotary press 930. In this case, however, it is possible to obtain only single side printing.
The in-printer 910 is an exclusive priming machine for plate change printing of shop names or the like and has no other printing purpose. Therefore, it lacks versatility.
Moreover, since the printing plates of the individual printing cylinders 912 and 913 of the in-printer 910 are flexographic plates, equipment for producing flexographic plates is necessary, thus leading to added cost. Besides, the printing with the flexographic plate is inferior in quality to the printing with the off-set lithographic plate.
An object of the invention is to provide a continuously operative printing machine and a method of operating the same, which permit continuous plate change printing without stopping the printing machine, as well as permitting efficient high quality priming and also double-side printing.

Switching type continuously operative printing machine


A bicycle wheel or pedal crank hub with a bearing preload device in which an axle end cap that is attached to the end of an axle extending through the hub and supported on a bearing assembly is used for preloading the hub bearing assembly together with a split compression ring. For adjusting the preload on the hub bearing assembly, the compression ring is expanded or contracted causing a beveled surface of the compression ring to act on a bevel of either an annular circumferential flange of the axle end cap or a spacer disposed between the compression ring and the circumferential flange of the axle end cap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bicycle hubs and more particularly to a bicycle hub having a bearing preload adjuster which is specially constructed to provide the necessary force to preload the bearing.
2. Description of Related Art
In bicycle hub devices generally, bearings, e.g., ball or roller bearings, are utilized to provide for free rotation between the hub and a part received therein, e.g., a wheel axle or a pedal crank. The bearings are contained in a bearing race and an end cap is secured to the bicycle hub to retain the bearing assembly in place. The end cap, usually threadingly engaged with the hub, is secured in a position to effectuate an axial preloading of the bearings necessary to attainment of proper rotational characteristics.
However, numerous manufacturing tolerances must be taken into account when using the end cap to preload the ball bearings against the bearing race of the hub, particularly since the ball bearings and hub base are often made by separate manufacturers. Therefore, there is a need for a bicycle hub assembly which will allow the ball bearings to be properly preloaded without being affected by large manufacturing tolerances. Additionally, there is a need for a bicycle hub having a bearing preload adjuster which will allow the bearing load to be easily adjusted, both when assembled and after wear and tear on the bicycle hub.

Bicycle hub with bearing preload adjuster


A fixture such as a light fixture includes, for example, a first lower support, and a first cord and a second cord for suspending the first lower support. Lower portions of the first and second cords are attachable to the first lower support. An upper cord support is attachable to upper portions of the first and second cords. The upper cord support is operable to fixedly position the upper portions of the first and second cords over a range of different positions so that the first lower support is fixedly maintainable at different angles relative to the ground. A fixture may include a second lower support and the upper cord support may be operable to independently fixedly position the upper portions of the third and fourth cords over a range of different positions so that the second lower support is fixedly maintainable at different angles relative to the ground.

Chandeliers and pendant lights are lighting devices that hang from a ceiling. Typically, a chandeliers or a pendant light is supported from a ceiling mount by a cord, chain, or pipe with an upper end attached to the ceiling mount, and a lower end attached to the lighting device. The lighting devices often include one or more shades and one or more lights such as one or more light bulbs.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,714,775 issued to Bracher et al. discloses light fixtures, which permit electrical power transmission to light sources, such as LEDs, through the light fixture suspension elements. The light fixtures include a first ring suspended by a plurality of first cords, and a second ring suspended by a plurality of second cords from the first ring. At least one of the first ring and the second ring includes a plurality of light sources. At least one of the plurality of first cords and at least one of the plurality of the second cords are adapted to transmit electrical power to the plurality of light sources.

Adjustably configurable suspended fixtures, lighting fixtures, and method for suspending fixtures and lighting fixtures


A method for determining the occupancy of a transmission channel using a differentially demodulated signal generated at a transmitter-side with the use of PN sequences from a PN sequence set having a first group of first PN sequences and a second group of second PN sequences. The method provides a) at least two subsequences of an initial code sequence, which is assigned to one of the first PN sequences and can be derived from the sequence by logical operations, but is not identical to it, b) the calculation of at least two correlation results by correlating the differentially demodulated signal with each of the at least two subsequences, and c) the evaluation of the correlation results and generation of an output signal to indicate the occupancy of the transmission channel. Also a device for determining the occupancy of a transmission channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for determining an occupancy of a transmission channel by a radio signal. The invention further relates to a transmitting/receiving device and an integrated circuit with such a device.
The invention falls within the field of data transmission. Although it can be used in principle in any digital communication system, the present invention and its underlying problem will be explained below with reference to a "ZigBee" communication system in accordance with IEEE 802.15.4.
2. Description of the Background Art
Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) can be used for wireless transmission of information over relatively short distances (about 10 m). In contrast to Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), WPANS require little or even no infrastructure for data transmission, so that small, simple, power-efficient, and low-cost devices can be implemented for a wide range of applications.
Standard IEEE 802.15.4 specifies low-rate WLANs, which are suitable with raw data rates up to a maximum of 250 kb/s and stationary or mobile devices for applications in industrial monitoring and control, in sensor networks, in automation, and in the field of computer peripherals and for interactive games. In addition to a very simple and cost-effective implementability of the devices, an extremely low power demand of the device is of critical importance for such applications. Thus, an objective of this standard is a battery life of several months to several years.
At the level of the physical layer, in the virtually globally available 2.4 GHz ISM band (industrial, scientific, medical) for raw data rates of fB=250 kb/s, the IEEE standard 802.15.4 specifies a band spread (spreading) with a chip rate of fC=2 Mchip/s and an offset QPSK modulation (quadrature phase shift keying) with a symbol rate of fS=62.5 ksymbol/s.
In an 802.15.4 transmitter for the ISM band, the data stream to be transmitted is first converted to a sequence of PN sequences (pseudo noise) with the use of four databits in each symbol period (TS=1/fS=16 s), in order to select a PN sequence from a sequence set of a total of 16 PN sequences. Each symbol of four databits is assigned in this manner a symbol value-specific PN sequence of 32 PN chips (chip period TC=TS/32 =500 ns=1/fC), which is transmitted instead of the four databits. The sequence set of 16 "quasi-orthogonal" PN sequences, specified in the standard, in this case comprises a first group of eight first PN sequences, which differ from one another only in a cyclic shift of their chip values, and a second group of eight second PN sequences, which also differ from one another only in a cyclic shift of their chip values and from one of the first PN sequences only in an inversion of every second chip value (see IEEE Standard 802.15.4-2003, Chapter 184.108.40.206).
The PN sequences allocated to the successive symbols are linked together and then offset QPSK modulated (quadrature phase shift keying) by modulating, with half-sine pulse shaping, the even-indexed PN chips (0, 2, 4, . . . ) onto the in-phase (I) carrier and the odd-indexed PN chips (1, 3, 5, . . . ) onto the quadrature-phase (Q) carrier. To form an offset, the quadrature-phase chips are delayed by one chip period TC with respect to the in-phase chips (see IEEE Standard 802.15.4-2003, Chapter 22.214.171.124).
The data transmission occurs in principle with the use of frames. Useful data are transmitted in this case in so-called data frames ("data frame," PPDU), which contain in addition to the actual useful data ("data payload," MSDU) also check and control data, such as, e.g., a so-called synchronization header. This synchronization header (SHR), present at the start of each frame, comprises a so-called preamble sequence and a "start of frame delimiter" (SFD), which allows the receiver to synchronize and lock onto the data bit stream, so that the transmitted data can then be correctly detected. The preamble sequence has 32 binary zeros, whereas the following SFD field comprises the bit sequence "1 1 0 0 1 0 1" (see IEEE Standard 802.15.4-2003, Chapters 5.4.3 and 6.3.1).
To assure robust data transmission, various security mechanisms are specified at the level of the MAC layer (medium access control). Thus, every frame has a so-called cyclic redundancy code (CRC) at the end, which allows the receiver to detect bit errors. In addition, successful receipt of a data frame is acknowledged by the return of an optional confirmation frame. Furthermore, access to the transmission channel during the so-called contention access periods (CAP) occurs according to the CSMA-CA process (carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance). In this case, each device that intends to transmit, e.g., a data frame, first waits for a time interval of a randomly selected duration and then checks the channel occupancy. If it is ascertained that the channel is free, the device can subsequently transmit its data. If the channel is occupied, however, the device must wait for another, again randomly selected time interval before it again attempts to access the channel. The use of this CSMA-CA process is intended to avoid collisions if possible, which arise when several devices transmit data simultaneously over the same (frequency) channel. Depending on the network configuration (with or without transmission of a so-called beacon), in this case either a "slotted" CSMA-CA variant directed to a specific time slot or "unslotted CSMA-CA," not bound to a specific time slot, of this security mechanism is used (see IEEE Standard 802.15.4-2003, Chapters 5.4.1-5.4.4 and 7.5.1).
To ascertain whether the channel may be accessed, the device must be able to determine at any time at the request of the MAC layer whether the channel is occupied ("busy"). For this purpose, it is specified at the level of the physical layer that each device must be capable of performing at least one of three CCA processes (clear channel assessment). In CCA mode 1, a channel is regarded as occupied when an energy above a certain threshold is present. In the modes 2 and 3 of interest here, this is to apply when the signal was detected that has the previously described band spread properties and modulation properties (mode 2) or when such a signal was detected and the energy was above the threshold (mode 3). If the requirement to determine the channel occupancy applies during the receipt of a data frame ("data frame," PPDU), the channel is to be classified as occupied regardless of the CCA process mode. The receipt of the data frame is regarded here as having been begun after the "start of frame delimiter" (SFD) was detected, i.e., after the receiver is synchronized (see IEEE Standard 802.15.4-2003, Chapter 6.7.9).
Nevertheless, a problematic case is that in which the requirement of determining channel occupancy applies when an 802.15.4 signal has already arrived at the receiver, but the receiver is not yet synchronized. This case can occur particularly shortly after the turning on of the device or waking from sleep mode, when the device wants to send data and determines the channel occupancy in advance. The applicant is not aware of any solution to this problem in the conventional art.
Both coherent and incoherent approaches are known per se to detect data symbols present in an incoming signal. Whereas in coherent approaches the incoming signal is converted into the complex envelope (baseband) with the use of a carrier wave of the same frequency and phase and obtained from the carrier control circuit, this can be omitted in incoherent approaches. Because of the higher realization cost in coherent approaches, which is also accompanied by an increased power requirement, in the present invention an incoherent receiver is used in which the incoming signal is converted at least not in-phase to the complex envelope and the resulting baseband signal is demodulated differentially.

Method and device for determining the occupancy of a transmission channel


Systems and methods for capturing and monitoring the health, safety, and/or activity of a user are described. In one aspect, the system generates a data usage pattern for the user and monitors the user's current data usage activity to detect data usage deviations from the user's usage pattern. When a deviation is detected, the system may send an alert message to the user or another user indicating that an anomaly may have occurred, permitting the user or another user to respond to the anomaly.

As the global population ages, more and more individuals choose to live independently at home, often without the aid of caregivers, such as family members, who can be there to notice problems when they arise. There remains a need, however, to maintain monitoring even in the absence of a caregiver, or when monitoring and/or oversight are unavailable.


A sealed rectangular battery has a conductive battery case including an external casing and a sealing cap. The external casing encloses a generator element and is sealed by attaching the sealing cap using heat. The battery includes an electrode terminal with an opposite polarity to the battery case, and a safety valve. The safety valve includes a cap that is charged with the same polarity as the battery case and a valving element that covers a vent hole. The electrode terminal and safety valve are provided separately at different positions on the battery case. This construction is simpler than conventional batteries where the safety valve is integrally formed with an electrode terminal, which means that the electrode terminal can be miniaturized. This battery also has improved internal resistance.

This application is based on applications Nos. H11-273933, H11-273934, and H11-310084 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealed rectangular battery and a manufacturing method for the same. In particular, the invention relates to an improvement in the construction of the sealing cap and terminals.
(2) Related Art
A rapid increase in the use of small electronic appliances has been observed in recent years. Such appliances include mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), and need to be capable of relatively long periods of continuous operation. As a result, much research is being conducted into the development of batteries with high energy densities that can be used to power these appliances.
Small electronic appliances tend to be powered by sealed rectangular batteries. Compared to other batteries, rectangular batteries have the advantage of taking up little space. This makes it easy to enclose the battery within the internal space of a portable electronic appliance.
FIG. 8 shows a partial cross-section of the construction of a rectangular nickel-hydroxide battery as one example of a sealed rectangular battery. This nickel-hydroxide battery 10 is mainly composed of an external casing 20, a generator element 200, and a sealing cap 30. In this example, the nickel-hydroxide battery 10 is 35.5 mm high, 17.0 mm wide, and 6.1 mm thick.
The external casing 20 and sealing cap 30 are both press-formed from nickel-plated sheet steel. This means that the nickel-hydroxide battery 10 is enclosed by a metal casing. An electrode terminal 31 (the positive electrode in the illustrated example) is provided on the sealing cap 30, and is square-shaped with sides that are approximately 3.5 mm long. On the inside of the battery, a cylindrical member 313 (see FIG. 9B) is caulked to the positive electrode terminal 31 via the gasket 312. This part forms an airtight seal between the positive electrode terminal 31 and the sealing cap 30. The caulking referred to here is the process of partly deforming metallic members to fix them to one another.
The generator element 200 is composed of positive electrode plates 201, separators 202 and negative electrode plates 203 that are arranged in layers as shown in FIG. 8. This generator element 200 is impregnated with electrolyte and enclosed within the external casing 20. The negative electrode plates 203 are produced by forming a coat of a hydrogen-absorbing alloy (as an active material) on the surface of punching metal made of nickel-plated sheet steel. Conversely, the positive electrode plates 201 are produced by forming a coat of an active material, which has nickel hydroxide as its main constituent, on a surface of punching metal also made of nickel-plated sheet steel.
The positive electrode plates 201 are connected to the electrode terminal 31 via the tabs 2010 and the positive electrode collector 303.
The sealing cap 30 is arranged into an opening 15 of the external casing 20 so that an insulating plate 302 faces a spacer 21. Laser welding is then performed around the edges of the opening 15 and the sealing cap 30 to seal the inner space of the external casing 20.
FIGS. 9A to 9C show the sealing cap 30 in more detail. FIG. 9A shows the sealing cap 30 from above. FIG. 9B shows a partial cross-section of the sealing cap 30 taken along the line A-Axe2x80x2 shown in FIG. 9A. FIG. 9C shows the sealing cap 30 from below. As shown in FIG. 9B, a valving element 316 formed of elastic rubber is enclosed in the terminal cap 310. This valving element 316 normally presses against the periphery of the vent hole 315 to seal the battery airtight. However, when the pressure inside the battery rises to a predetermined value or above, the gas pressure inside the battery forces the valving element 316 upward so that gas that has accumulated within the battery can escape through the air outlets 311. As the gas escapes, the pressure inside the battery falls, so that the valving element 316 returns to its original position.
In addition to improvements in energy density, there are demands for miniaturization of sealed rectangular batteries (in particular for the development of slimmer batteries) and for reductions in internal resistance. Much research is currently being conducted towards these aims.
When developing a rectangular nickel-hydroxide battery, the construction of the positive electrode terminal with its comparatively large number of components places limitations on how slim the battery can be made. Such conventional designs make reductions in the thickness of the battery problematic. There is a further problem in that the complex construction of the positive electrode terminal raises the internal resistance of the battery.
When a battery is made slimmer, little distance is left between the positive electrode terminal and the edges of the sealing cap. These edges of the sealing cap are usually heat-sealed, such as by laser welding, to the edge that surrounds the opening in the external casing. When the resinous parts of the positive electrode terminal, such as the gasket, are located close to the welded parts, there is the risk of the heat generated during the sealing process causing deformation in the resinous parts. If, for example, the area surrounding the cylindrical member 313 of the electrode terminal 31 is exposed to heat, this will lead to deformation of the gasket 312 which can destroy the airtight seal for the battery. In this conventional structure, the electrode terminal 31 is electrically connected to the positive electrode plates 201 by the tab 2010 and the positive electrode collector 303. This makes the construction complex and lengthens the path taken the electrical current, thereby raising the internal resistance of the battery. These problems lead to decreases in battery performance.
As a result, there are demands for slimmer sealed rectangular batteries that do not suffer from decreases in battery performance.
The present invention has a first object of providing a sealed rectangular battery, and a manufacturing method for the same, that can be made slim without affecting the seal of the battery. The invention has a second object of providing a sealed rectangular battery, and a manufacturing method for the same, with reduced internal resistance.
The first object can be achieved by a sealed rectangular battery that has a battery case formed of an external casing and a sealing cap. The sealing cap encloses a generator element and is sealed by attaching the sealing cap using heat. The battery includes an electrode terminal with an opposite polarity to the battery case, and a safety valve. The safety valve is composed of a cap that covers a vent hole which is connected to an inside of the battery composed of (i) a valving element positioned so as to cover a vent hole that is connected to an inside of the sealed rectangular battery, and (ii) a cap provided so as to house the valving element and to become charged with a same polarity as the battery case. The electrode terminal and the safety valve are separately provided at different positions on the battery case.
With the stated construction, the electrode terminal can be made with a simpler construction than a conventional electrode terminal that is integrally formed with a safety valve. This means that the electrode terminal can be made smaller, so that the sealed rectangular battery can be made slimmer.
Since the electrode terminal can be miniaturized, when the sealing cap is attached to the external casing by the application of heat (such as by laser welding), adverse effects due to heat being conducted to the electrode terminal can be suppressed.
The safety valve can be charged with different polarity to the electrode terminal. When this is the case, the electrode terminal can be used as the positive electrode terminal and the safety valve can be used as the negative electrode terminal, for example.
The positive electrode terminal and the safety valve may be provided on a main surface of the sealing cap. With this construction, a battery pack can be produced just by connecting electrode terminals and safety valves on the sealing caps of sealed rectangular batteries without having to arrange adjacent batteries with opposite orientations. This improves the ease with which battery packs can be produced.
An outward cylindrical projection may also be formed on the outside of the battery case, with the shaft of the positive electrode terminal being threaded through an insulating gasket positioned in this projection.
When a positive electrode terminal is constructed in this way, the gasket is positioned far from the edge of the sealing cap. This avoids the conventional problem of deformation in the gasket due the effects of the heat used when attaching the sealing cap over the opening in the external casing. As a result, a sealed rectangular battery can be made slim without affecting the airtight seal.
When compared to a conventional battery where the electrode terminal is integrally formed with a safety valve, the battery of the present invention has a simpler construction connecting the generator element to the electrode terminal. When the electrode terminal is not integrally formed with a safety valve, fewer parts are required, which simplifies the connection and causes a corresponding reduction in the internal resistance of the battery.

Sealed rectangular battery and manufacturing method for the same


An apparatus for actuating a valve includes a housing having an axis, a valve end, a cap end, and a cylindrical sidewall defining an inner diameter surface of the housing. A cap is connected to the cap end of the housing. An inlet is located in one of the cap and the housing. A plate is positioned within the housing, the plate having an outer diameter that slidingly engages the inner diameter surface of the housing. The plate moves between an extended position and a retracted position in response to pressure media from the inlet. A down stop is in contact with the plate. A seal nut has a first end in engagement with the down stop. The seal nut has a second end with an end surface, the end surface being spaced apart from the cap when the plate is in the extended position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates in general to valves for mineral recovery wells, and in particular to actuators to actuate valves.
2. Description of Related Art
A gate valve is a valve having a body and a bore through the body. A gate is positioned transverse to the body, and moves linearly to obstruct flow through the bore or allow flow through the bore. Some gates have an aperture that aligns with the bore to allow flow. The gate can be normally open, and thus the gate is closed when it is moved linearly to push the aperture out of alignment with the bore. Alternatively, a gate can be normally closed, and thus the gate is opened when it is moved linearly to position the aperture in alignment with the bore. Regardless of whether the gate is normally open or normally closed, the gate is moved, or actuated, by a valve actuator.
Actuators can be a hydraulic, piston type actuator, or actuators can be a pneumatic piston or diaphragm type actuator. In conventional diaphragm actuators, a diaphragm is moved in response to pressure media, such as gas or other fluids, urging the diaphragm toward the gate valve. The diaphragm is supported by a support plate. When the diaphragm is urged downward with the pressure media, it urges the support plate downward, which then transfers the downward force via a stem to the gate of the gate valve to open or close the gate valve, as applicable. In current diaphragm actuators a top shaft extends through an opening in the top or cap of the actuator and provides a visual position indication to show if the gate valve is open or closed or in an intermediate position between open and closed. However, actuator failure can be caused by a damaged top shaft. This can happen, for example from improper handling, during shipping, tools being dropped on the top shaft, or from service operations. A damaged top shaft can in turn damage the seals that seal the top shaft to the inner surface of the opening in the cap of the actuator, affecting whether the seals can contain the pressure of the pressure media as designed. This is particularly true if corrosive fluids are used or if the valve is located in a harsh environment.


An intraocular lens includes an optic body and a pair of cantilevered spiral support members or haptics extending outwardly from a peripheral portion of the optic body. The haptics are formed as portions of an elongate cylindrical body. A method of making the haptics is disclosed which allows the haptic to be of variable cross sectional area, to be aplanar, and to include bends and curves, for example, without introducing undesirable molecular level changes or damage into the material of the haptic, which molecular level changes result in conventional haptics undesirably having a memory of their former shape and resulting dimensional changes (creep) of the conventional haptics over time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to intraocular lens. More particularly, the present invention related to intraocular lens having an outwardly extending elongate supporting body, or haptic, which is formed from an elongate cylindrical body. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to such a haptic, and to a method of making the haptic.
2. Related Technology
A conventional intraocular lens includes a principal refractive body, known as the lens optic, and one or more support structures for positioning and retaining the lens optic in a generally centered position within the anterior or posterior chamber of the eye. These support structures are generally elongate, filamentary-like structures, and are commonly referred to as "haptics". The haptics of an intraocular lens may be integral with the lens optic, or more commonly, are manufactured separately of the same or a different material than that which is used to make the lens optic. Commonly, the lens optic is molded about a head portion of the haptic which has securement features designed to mechanically engage with the material of the lens optic in order to provide a permanent and solid attachment of the haptic and optic one to another. Alternatively, a proximal end portion of the haptic may be adhesively secured, heat staked or otherwise fastened into an aperture of the optic body.
An important goal for intraocular lens designs is to minimize trauma to the eye when the lens is inserted through a surgical incision. Accordingly, an effort is made to ensure that the incision in the eye is kept to a small size. Also, biologically inert materials are used for the lens optic and the haptics. Additionally, the physical proportions of the lens and haptics are chosen so that the lens when resident in the eye does not interfere with, irritate, or damage the delicate tissues of the eye. On the other hand, the lens and haptics must be such that the lens optic is well supported and centered in the eye. Shifting about of the lens would be very distracting to the patient, and centration of the lens could be lost were the shifting to be of sufficient magnitude.
However, the characteristics for a material which makes it desirable for a lens optic frequently makes it undesirable for a lens haptic. The converse is also true of material selected for making of the haptics for the most part. Consequently, conventional intraocular lens are frequently made of two different materials. The lens optics are frequently made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). This material is rather rigid, is easily cast or machined to shape, is biologically inert, and has excellent refractive and other optical properties for its function as a lens. Another material which is not rigid, and which is used to form flexible lenses which may be rolled or folded to ease their insertion into the eye via an incision which may be smaller than the size of the unconstrained lens, is silicone. This material has acceptable optical properties and does provide a lens with the possibility of reducing the incision size required for its insertion.
On the other hand, PMMA is rigid and in its ordinary material condition is too brittle and stiff for use in making a haptic. That is, the manipulations, and folding, for example, which a haptic must endure during the surgical insertion of the lens into the eye are too much for this relatively rigid and somewhat brittle material to endure. Moreover, elastomeric materials, such as silicone do not perform well as a haptic because they are too flimsy. Except in a broad flange configuration of lens design, which is not as desirable as the lens designs using cantilevered spiral filamentary haptics, silicone does not provide an acceptable support to the lens optic. In other words, haptics must be simultaneously pliant enough to avoid damage to delicate eye tissue and to allow deformations of the haptics during surgical implantation of the lens, and at the same time be rigid enough to act as a support structure.
The result has been an evolution toward multi-piece lenses with elongate cantilevered spiral filamentary haptics. The material of the haptics is generally polypropylene in a filamentary form. The filamentary polypropylene haptics are staked, bonded, embedded by molding the optic around a head portion of the haptic, or are otherwise secured to the lens optic. Some haptics are formed with various anchor or head features which assist their securement into the lens optic at a peripheral part thereof. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,880,426; 4,8894,062; 4,790,846; 4,888,013; and 4,978,354; disclose lens and haptic designs which are conventional.
Nevertheless, and even in view of the numerous intraocular lens designs with their various optic and haptic designs which are conventional and known, there still exists a desire and a need for improved intraocular lens with improved haptics having better physical properties, improved handling qualities during surgical implantation, decreased costs of manufacture, eased quality control in manufacture, improved flexibility in the design of the haptic resulting from its method of manufacture, and other considerations which bear upon the overall utility of the lens and haptic combination as it is made available to the physician and patient.

Intraocular lens with improved cylindrical haptic


A method and a system to file relayed e-mails is provided. The method includes receiving an e-mail, the e-mail including addressing information in an e-mail header and an the e-mail body. The e-mail is parsed to obtain the addressing information from the e-mail header and the e-mail body, after which the addressing information is extracted from the parsed e-mail. This formation is stored and used to generate a participant list, which is provided to the user. The user relies on this participant list to file e-mails in e-mail folders associated with a participant that the user selects from the participant list. The participant list is presented to a user to enable the user to select a participant from the participant list.

The use of electronic mail or e-mail has increased over the past number of years, in particular due to the use of the Internet and applications such as Microsoft Outlook.
The increase in the e-mails a user receives has necessitated easier means to classify and file e-mails. Many e-mail users feel overwhelmed by the volume of e-mails that arrive in their inboxes, specifically when they do not have enough time to immediately read and act on received e-mails. As the e-mail inbox fills, an undifferentiated mass of e-mails results. Further, certain e-mails of higher importance may become lost in this undifferentiated mass of e-mails.
In order to process and archived e-mails, users of e-mail programs typically create folders (or files) into which they place e-mails. E-mail programs typically provide users with a relatively large degree of flexibility regarding the nature of such folders, and also allow users to create a hierarchy of folders. For example, a user may create folders within which to place the e-mails pertaining to a specific project (e.g., project A) or pertaining to a certain aspect of a work environment (e.g., recruiting). Further, users typically also create folders to prioritize actions with respect to e-mails (e.g., high, medium and low priority response folders).
The categorization and placing of e-mails in appropriate folders becomes a challenge, in and of itself, once a user has created a large number of folders. The problem is exacerbated when the folder structure involves into a hierarchical data structure, with certain folders not being readily visible to a user. Additionally, certain high level employees within a company may employee human assistants that are responsible for the filing of e-mails in appropriate folders within the high level employee's e-mail program. Such an assistant may be faced with the challenge of not being familiar with a folder hierarchy that has been developed by the high level employee.
Certain automated systems to attend to the filing of e-mails in appropriate folders have been suggested in the prior art. Many of these systems, however, tend to be overly simplistic or overly complicated.

Method and system to file relayed e-mails


This invention relates to a method of lubricating an internal combustion engine comprising at least one of a crankcase, a gear and a wet-clutch, said method comprising supplying to said crankcase, gear, and wet-clutch a lubricating composition containing: (a) an oil of lubricating viscosity; and (b) a friction modifying additive which is the reaction product of a hydrocarbyl-substituted succinic anhydride and an acid-functionalized amine compound.

It is known that attempts have been made to produce a lubricant universally compatible with two-stroke and/or four-stroke internal combustion engines. The lubricants generally contain a number of different performance additives that are not necessarily designed for application in e.g., a four-stroke motorcycle engine where crankcase oil viscosity is required whilst also requiring properties compatible with extreme pressures and temperatures associated with a gearbox, transmission or clutch. Consequently, many additives have properties that adversely affect engine performance or fuel economy.
Kasai et al. (2003 JSAE/SAE International Spring Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, Yokohama, Japan, May 19-22, 2003, Paper title Effect of Engine Oil Additives on Motorcycle Clutch System (SAE2003-01-1956 or JSAE 20030105) discloses borated dispersant in combination with detergents or zinc dithiophosphate as being suitable for friction control. Kasai et al. further states that engine oils containing friction modifiers cannot be applied in a 4-stroke motorcycle engine because they decrease clutch capacity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,004 discloses a composition containing a borated hydrocarbyl succinimide dispersant and a phosphorus compound for use in 2-cycle and small engine four-cycle engines.
It would be advantageous to have a method of lubricating an internal combustion engine with at least one of a crankcase, a gear, a transmission system and a wet-clutch while imparting friction control. The present invention provides a method of lubricating an internal combustion engine while imparting friction control.


In a machine having a printing cycle, and including an inking mechanism, there is provided apparatus for controlling operation of the inking mechanism. The control apparatus comprises a latch including a manually operable switch, a pulse generator coupled to the latch and adapted to be enabled thereby to commence generating pulses in response to momentary operation of the switch, a counter for counting a predetermined number of pulses, instrumentalities for providing an inking enabling signal for a predetermined time interval during at least one of the printing cycles, a gate for gating the pulses to the counter during at least one of the aforesaid time intervals, and means for operating the inking mechanism during the time period the predetermined number of pulses are being counted.

As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,793 issued to K. E. Schubert, Sept. 9, 1975, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, it is known in the art to provide a postage meter having a rotatable printing drum, with an inking mechanism of the type which includes an inking roller contacting the printing drum, an ink reservoir having a supply roller immersed therein, and a transfer roller adapted to be intermittently moved into and out of engagement with the inking and supply rollers for transferring ink between the same and thus between the ink reservoir and printing drum. As discussed in the aforesaid patent the transfer roller is normally spring biased out of engagement with the inking and supply rollers and is urged into engagement with the same by means of an intermittently energized solenoid. Also, although not discussed in the patent, there is also provided a manually actuatable switch which is electrically connected to the solenoid energizing the solenoid from a suitable source of supply of power for the time period during which the switch is manually held actuated by the postage meter operator.
With the above described arrangement the individual postage meter operator is free to exercise his own judgement to decide upon the appropriate length of time for holding the inking switch actuated and learns on a hit-or-miss basis to avoid over-saturation of the inking roller and the concomitant problems of transferring an excessive amount of ink to the printing drum during each cycle of operation; rapidly accumulating residual ink sludge on the printing drum; and ink bleeding from the inking roller to the printing drum when the postage meter is not in use. Accordingly:
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved inking mechanism;
Another object is to provide a machine having a printing cycle and printing means including a source of supply of ink, with apparatus for controlling operation of the inking means; and
A further object is to provide apparatus for controlling the operation of roller means operable for inking the indicia imprinting means of a postage meter.


A method and apparatus for identifying and tracking surgical objects is disclosed. More specifically, a method and apparatus for identifying and tracking surgical objects such as needles, scalpels, blades, sponges and instruments in a medical industry using an identifier encoded on a fluorescent paint attached to the surgical object combined with detectors and software capable of retrieving the identifying information on the identifier.

The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and a method for identifying and tracking disposable objects and surgical instruments in surgical operating rooms. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method to identify and count surgical objects such as needles, scalpels, blades have long been used in the medical profession to help and assist doctors and nurses with their medical needs. In some instances, these types of surgical objects have been left unaccounted for and to the detriment of those within an operating theatre, have caused serious injury. Some current methods of manually counting and tracking these potentially dangerous items include utilizing the nurses within the hospitals.
Moreover, other objects such as sponges may be heavily used during surgery and some of these can easily be left behind unaccounted for. Some conventional techniques for tracking sponges have used radio frequency identification (RFID).
A wide array of surgical instruments may be employed during a surgery and these can be left behind in the patient, creating a serious health hazard. One other known technique uses a bar code system on instruments but this may impose tedium as the barcode can sometimes only be read by the detection system if the labeled object is held at a certain angle, and effective detection of the barcode may require more than one pass.
Hence, it can be seen that a need exists for a system and method of for automated tracking of surgical objects used in a surgical theatre.

The Regents of the University of California


An infant toy for drawing a colored picture, capable of carrying out a colorful multi-color display, to thereby be suitable as an intellectual training toy. The toy includes a pair of substrates (12a, 12b) and a multi-cell structure arranged between the substrates and including a number of cells (16), which are previously classified into a desired number of regions 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, . . . ). The toy also includes dispersions (20) encapsulated in the cells of the regions in such a manner that the regions adjacent to each other may exhibit colors different from each other, respectively. The dispersions each include magnetic particles (18) having a respective one of the different colors put thereon, a dispersion medium and a coloring agent constituting a background. Thus, when a surface of one of the substrates is contacted with a magnetic pen (22) over different regions of the regions, the magnetic particles having a corresponding one of the different colors are permitted to be attracted onto the one substrate for every region, so that a trace on the one substrate contacted with the magnetic pen exhibits a multi-color display.

An infant toy for drawing a colored picture which has been conventionally known in the art includes a magnetic migration display panel by way of example, which is so constructed that two substrates or panels are arranged so as to define therebetween a space in which a multi-cell structure including a plurality of cells is arranged. The cells each have a dispersion encapsulated therein, which includes magnetic particles made of a magnetic material such as magnetite, ferrite or the like, a dispersion medium and a coloring agent constituting a background, as well as a thickening agent added as desired.
The thus constructed conventional infant toy for drawing a colored picture is operated in such a manner that when a surface of the substrate on a front side of the magnetic migration display panel is contacted with a magnetic pen, the magnetic pen attracts the magnetic particles by means of magnetic force thereof, so that the magnetic particles may be transferred from an inner surface of the substrate on a rear side of the display panel to a rear surface of the front-side substrate due to migration, resulting in a black and white display or monochrome display being provided due to a difference in contrast between the dispersion and the magnetic particle.
Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a magnetic migration display panel conventionally used for the infant toy for drawing a colored picture is partially illustrated, which toy is generally designated by reference numeral 10. The magnetic migration display panel 10 includes two non-magnetic panels 12a and 12b arranged opposite to each other, which act as a viewer-side panel and a non-viewer-side panel, respectively. The panels 12a and 12b have a number of partitions 14 arranged therebetween, which cooperate with the panels 12a and 12b to provide a number of cells 16 of a honeycomb structure. In general, the viewer-side panel 12a is formed to have a thickness of about 0.2 to 0.3 mm, the partitions 14 are each formed to have a height of about 0.5 to 1.5 mm, the non-viewer-side panel 12b is formed to have a thickness of about 0.1 mm, and the cells 16 are each formed to have a maximum width of about 4 mm.
The cells 16 each have a dispersion 20 encapsulated therein, which includes magnetic particles 18, a dispersion medium and a coloring agent constituting a background, as well as a thickening agent added as desired. Thus, when a surface of the viewer-side panel 12a is scanned or contacted with a magnetic pen 22, the magnetic particles 18 are magnetically attracted by the magnetic pen 22, resulting in the magnetic particles 18 being moved to a rear surface of the viewer-side panel 12a due to migration, so that a character or the like described by contacting with the magnetic pen 22 may be displayed on the surface of the viewer-side panel 12a due to a difference in color or contrast between the coloring agent constituting the background and the magnetic particles. In general, since the magnetic particles 18 each have a black or dark-brown ground color, the coloring agent constituting the background is constructed to exhibit a white color so as to form a monochrome display.
Then, erasure of the character or the like thus displayed is carried out. For this purpose, a permanent magnet 24 for erasure arranged on a rear surface of the non-viewer-side panel 12b is slid along the surface of the panel 12b. This permits the magnetic particles 18 kept attracted on the rear surface of the viewer-side panel 12a to migrate to an inner surface of the non-viewer-side panel 12b, so that the character or the like may be erased. Thus, when the viewer-side panel 12a is viewed from a front side thereof, only the color of the dispersion 20 is seen, resulting in the character or the like being erased. The viewer-side panel 12a is constituted by a light diffusion plate of an opaque color such as, for example, white in order to prevent the color of the magnetic particles 18 from being seen therethrough when the display is not carried out.
Unfortunately, the conventional infant toy for drawing a colored picture adapted to exhibit a monochrome display and constructed as described above causes fickle infants to readily weary of it and become interested in another play when it is attempted to let them to learn characters, numerals or the like by means of the toy. Thus, the conventional infant toy fails to exhibit an appeal sufficient to attract infants without causing a reduction in efficiency. Also, magnetic particles described above made of magnetite, ferrite or the like have a black or dark-brown ground color, to thereby be suitable for a monochrome display. However, coloring of the magnetic particles using a coloring agent causes a color of the coloring agent to be deteriorated by the ground color of the magnetic particles, so that such magnetic particles are not suitable for a color display. In addition, the magnetic particles are generally formed to have a spherical configuration, to thereby fail to permit the coloring agent to exhibit satisfactory coloring properties, resulting in the coloring agent tending to be peeled or removed from the magnetic particles. Further, such magnetic particles fail to exhibit sufficient response to magnetic force.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an infant toy for drawing a colored picture which is capable of carrying out a multi-color display, to thereby be suitable as an intellectual training toy.


A hand tool combination of a knife having a double edged blade for piercing and cutting duct insulation and a wire cutter swingably engaged with the knife for cutting wire embedded in the duct insulation. The hand tool includes two jaws. One jaw forms the double edged blade and includes an anvil. The other jaw includes a wire cutting edge. The jaws are drawn together to operate the wire cutter by squeezing handles engaged with the jaws. The handles are also manipulated to operate the blade.

The present invention relates to hand tools and, more particularly, to a hand tool combination of a knife and wire cutter for cutting a fibrous flexible duct containing a spiral wire coil.
A flexible duct is an insulating duct having a spiral wire rib coil embedded in the duct for supporting the duct and permitting the duct to be flexed or bent to a particular angle such that the flexible duct may be customized to fit different ceilings and walls. As part of such a customized installation, the outer skin, insulation, inner liner, and wire coil of the duct are cut to form a section of duct of desired length.


A barcode device including a barcode scanner to scan barcode labels and provide raw barcode data signals, a processor to receive and process the raw barcode data signals to provide processed barcode data signals and compare at least two of the processed barcode data signals, an indicator to notify a user of barcode data information based on the receipt of barcode data and comparison performed by the processor, and a housing to contain the barcode scanner, the processor, and the indicator, the housing comprising a first end, an opposing second end, and a body extending between the first end and the second end, the housing configured to couple to a back of a glove.

Products often include coded labels, such as barcodes, which are used to identify and track products in shops, supermarkets, warehouses, and other commercial and industrial settings. Stationary or handheld barcode scanners can be used to read the barcode's image data and send the barcode's content out via an output port for analyzing and processing at a processing station.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Ent. Services Development Corporation LP


Vulcanizable tire innerliner compositions are described which are essentially free of halogen atoms or contain a reduced halogen content. The innerliners contain a saturated elastomeric interpolymer of a C.sub.4 -C.sub.7 isomonoolefin, e.g., isobutylene and a para-alkylstyrene e.g., para-methylstyrene, which contains benzylic ester functionality having the structure: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are independently selected from hydrogen or C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 alkyl, and R.sub.4 is selected from hydrogen, C.sub.1, to C.sub.28 alkyl, aryl or C.sub.2 to C.sub.28 alkenyl.. Innerliners of the invention provide excellent impermeability to air, heat aging properties and good adhesion to tire carcass stock required for tire innerliners, and are also essentially free of halogen or contain low halogen content thereby reducing environmental concerns occasioned by the incineration of used tires.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to tire innerliner compositions and vulcanized innerliners made therefrom used as air impermeable layers in the construction of pneumatic tires.
2. Description of Related Art
Butyl rubber, i.e., elastomeric copolymers of isobutylene with up to about 10 wt % of isoprene, possesses excellent resistance to air permeability and good aging properties which render it quite suitable for use as tire inner tubes or innerliner material for the production of tubeless pneumatic tires. The innerliner is composed of a relatively thin sheet of the elastomer formulated with compounding additives and a curing system, which is laminated to the inner surface of a tire carcass layer of an uncured tire as the tire is formed on a tire building drum. Final cure of the composite structure produces a tire having a cured innerliner adhered to the carcass which serves as a barrier to the passage of compressed air through the tire.
Halogenated butyl rubber normally containing from about 0.5 to 3 wt % halogen, e.g., bromine or chlorine, has proven to be a more effective innerliner material because the halogenated polymer exhibits improved adhesion to the tire carcass material and facilitates tire assembly. The halogenated material can be formulated with a curative system, e.g., zinc oxide/sulfur curing agents, which contribute to the development of interfacial crosslinking between the surface of the innerliner layer and the surface of the adjacent carcass layer which normally contains a more highly unsaturated rubber, thereby enhancing adhesion of the innerliner to the carcass. The use of halogenated butyl rubber for tire innerliners is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,664, as well as numerous other patents.
More recently, a new class of halogenated C.sub.4 -C.sub.7 isomonoolefin elastomers have been developed which demonstrate superior heat aging and flex properties as compared with halogenated butyl rubber. These polymers comprise random interpolymers of C.sub.4 -C.sub.7 isomonoolefin, such as isobutylene, with up to about 20 wt % of a para-alkylstyrene, such as para-methylstyrene, containing from about 0.1 to about 5 mole % of halomethylstyrene groups, e.g., bromomethylstyrene groups. These materials are more resistant to heat aging because they are free of olefinic unsaturation and yet they provide the good resistance to air permeability, flex resistance, tensile strength elongation and adhesion properties desired for tire innerliner applications. These polymers may also be cured by facile crosslinking reactions involving the benzylic halogen atom using zinc oxide/sulfur curing systems similar to those used to cure halogenated butyl rubber. These halogenated polymers are further described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,445, and compositions containing these polymers used for the fabrication of tire innerliners are disclosed in PCT published application WO-A-92 01575.
There has developed increased concern in recent years that the disposal of worn out tires by incineration may lead to the development of toxic, halogen-containing gas by-products as the result of thermal decomposition of the innerliner component of such tires. This concern, whether real or unfounded, has led tire manufacturers to seek tire construction components which are essentially free of halogen or have at least a reduced halogen content. In the case of tire innerliner materials, this requires the provision of elastomeric materials which, on the one hand, possess good air impermeability, heat flex, heat aging and tire carcass adhesion properties and which, on the other hand, are also essentially free of halogen or at least contain a significantly reduced halogen content.

Tire innerliner comprising ester-functionalized elastomeric interpolymers of C4-C7 isomonoolefin and para-alkylstyrene


The present invention discloses a system and a method for authenticating a user based upon a spoken password processed though a standard speech recognition engine lacking specialized speaker identification and verification (SIV) capabilities. It should be noted that the standard speech recognition grammar can be capable of acoustically generating speech recognition grammars in accordance with the cross referenced application indicated herein. The invention can prompt a user for a free-form password and can receive a user utterance in response. The utterance can be processed through a speech recognition engine (e.g., during a grammar enrollment operation) to generate an acoustic baseform. Future user utterances can be matched against the acoustic baseform. Results from the future matches can be used to determine whether to grant the user access to a secure resource.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of speech processing, and, more particularly, to spoken free-form passwords for light-weight speaker verification using standard speech recognition engines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional password security systems are generally based on a textual password. A proper password is stored within a security system which is compared against user input. When a successful match is made, the user is authenticated, otherwise user access to a secure resource can be denied. One problem with text based passwords is that unauthorized users (e.g., hackers) are sometimes able to access a security system's password table which grants them access to all associated secured resources. Additionally, numerous malicious programs and electronic devices, such as keyloggers, are specifically designed to capture text based passwords from authorized users.
Many security systems utilize biometric input to enhance security. Biometric input can include distinctive physical or behavioral characteristics of a user which are used to identity or verify a user. A common biometric technology is a speech processing technology referred to as speaker identification and verification (SIV). With SIV, users can be identified and verified utilizing specialized speech engines. SIV technologies require users to participate in a training session so that user-specific vocal tract characteristics can be determined. These characteristics or speech features can be stored for subsequent use. Subsequent to the SIV training, a user can be prompted by a SIV system to speak a system generated phrase. A responsively supplied user utterance can be SIV analyzed by a speech processing system to determine whether speech features extracted from the user utterance match the stored speech features. SIV utilizes specialized speech processing technologies that add a significant cost to a security system, even one already possessing speech recognition capabilities. In many situations, the benefits resulting from including SIV technologies do not justify the associated costs. What is needed is a means for enhancing security, which is resistant to malicious attacks and that does not require costly infrastructure upgrades.

Spoken free-form passwords for light-weight speaker verification using standard speech recognition engines


A password security apparatus, a mousepad and a method of using the same are provided. The apparatus, the mousepad, and the method may include a writing surface contained within the mousepad or apparatus. The writing surface may be disposed between layers of the mousepad, include the bottom surface of the mousepad, or be contained on a slidable tray located between layers. Contained on the writing surface may be a grid having spaces for the addition of information. The information may be related to websites that a computer user may visit on a computer network such as, for example, the Internet. Further, the information such as, for example, user identification information and/or password information that may be related to the websites may be contained thereon and locked in a concealed location by the security apparatus.

The present invention generally relates to a mousepad. More specifically, the present invention relates to a securable mousepad having a hidden writing surface as well as a method of using the same. Further, the present invention relates to a mousepad having a hidden writing surface contained within layers of the mousepad and/or on an internal section separable from a remainder of the mousepad.
It is, of course, generally known to provide mousepads to be used as a surface on which a mouse may be transferred thereon used generally in connection with a computer system. The mousepad may be composed of a layer of rubberized material having a gripping surface on one side for gripping a desk, and a cloth material contained on an opposite side for a computer mouse to be utilized thereon. Generally, the mousepad is comprised of two layers, the rubberized material and the cloth material, both of which are attached to one another via an adhesive. In use, the mousepad generally may be placed atop a desk or a table relatively close to a computer system. A computer mouse, extending from the computer system, may be utilized on the mousepad. Specifically, a smooth surface may allow a rollerball contained with the mouse to roll thereby controlling a cursor or an arrow, for example, on a computer screen.
Further, it is also generally known to utilize a global computer network such as, for example, the Internet on a computer system via a computer mouse utilized on a mousepad. The Internet includes many websites that may require personal information to be entered thereinto. Further, access to many websites is restricted to individuals who have permission to use the website from a website administrator. Access to these restricted websites may generally be achieved by entering a user name and/or an identification and/or a password.
However, often different user identifications or names are used as well as different passwords for each website. Further, for security purposes, the password for any and/or all websites may be changed on a regular basis such as, for example, monthly. Consequently, it may be difficult for an individual to keep track of the multitude of user identifications and passwords that an Internet user must use. Further, the variety of passwords that may be used by a single individual for access to a specific website may be easily confused or forgotten. Further, passwords should be contained in a secure or otherwise secret location to keep the passwords private and inaccessible to other individuals.
A need, therefore, exists for an improved mousepad, a password security apparatus and a method of using the same that overcome the deficiencies noted herein.

Securable mousepad with slidable tray and a method of using same


A storage node to be a lower electrode of a capacitor is electrically connected to a polysilicon columnar conductive body filling a contact hole with a second polysilicon film therebetween. The second polysilicon film covers the inside of an opening portion formed in the first polysilicon film. The polysilicon film columnar conductive body is electrically connected to a source/drain region of an MOS transistor at a contact. Thus, a semiconductor device with good electrical connection between the capacitor and the transistor may be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices and manufacturing methods thereof, and more particularly to a semiconductor device such as Dynamic Random Access Memory (hereinafter referred to as "DRAM") into which a capacitor for accumulating charges as information can be readily formed and a method of manufacturing such a device.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, there is a rapidly increasing demand for semiconductor devices with the remarkable spread of information equipments such as computer devices. From a functional view point, devices having larger storage capacity and capable of high speed operation are in demand. To cope with the demand, technological developments associated with semiconductor devices having higher integration density, faster response and higher reliability have been underway.
Among semiconductor memory devices, the DRAM permits random input/output of storage information. The DRAM generally includes a memory cell array, a storage region for accumulating a plurality of pieces of storage information, and peripheral circuitry necessary for input/output from/to the outside.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a general DRAM. Referring to FIG. 11, a DRAM 150 includes a memory cell array 151 for accumulating a data signal representing storage information, a row and column address buffer 152 for receiving an externally applied address signal to select a memory cell forming a unit storage circuit, a row decoder 153 and a column decoder 154 for designating the memory cell by decoding the address signal, a sense refresh amplifier 155 for amplifying and reading a signal accumulated in the designated memory cell, a data in buffer 156 and a data out buffer 157 for input/output of data, and a clock generator 158 for generating a clock signal. Memory cell array 151 occupying a large area on the semiconductor chip has a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix each accumulating unit storage information.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a circuit equivalent to memory cells for 4 bits in the memory cell array. Referring to FIG. 12, a memory cell includes a bit line 214, an MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) transistor 215, a capacitor 216 having one electrode connected to MOS transistor 215, and a word line 217. Information is accumulated in capacitor 216 as charge. Each memory cell shown in FIG. 12 is a so-called one-transistor-one-capacitor type memory cell formed of a single MOS transistor 215 and a single capacitor 216 connected thereto. The memory cell of this type is advantageous in increasing the integration density of the memory cell array for its simple structure, and is widely used in a DRAM which requires a large capacity.
Meanwhile, higher integration densities of semiconductor devices require a higher integration density of a memory cell array which requires a large area in a semiconductor device as well. In order to shrink the memory cell array, a capacitor forming part of a memory cell should be reduced in size as well. Reducing a capacitor in size however reduces the amount of charge as information to be accumulated in the capacitor (the amount of charge accumulated in a 1 bit memory cell).
If the amount of charge to be accumulated in a 1 bit memory cell is less than a fixed value, the operation of the DRAM as a storage device becomes unstable, resulting in lowered reliability. To this end, attempts to further increase the surface area of the electrode of a capacitor have been considered.
A semiconductor memory device and a manufacturing method thereof disclosed by Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 6-310672 will be described by way of illustration.
FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view showing a memory cell in a DRAM disclosed by the document. Referring to FIG. 13, a pair of n.sup.+ type diffusion layers 112 and 113, the source/drain regions of an NMOS transistor are formed in a p type substrate 111. A field oxide film 119 is formed to electrically isolate the NMOS transistor from another MOS transistor. Formed between the pair of n.sup.+ type diffusion layers 112 and 113 on p substrate 111 is a gate (word line) 115 buried with a polysilicon film via a gate oxide film.
A lower capacitor electrode is formed of polysilicon films 132 and 133, and polysilicon film 133 is electrically connected to n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 112. A polysilicon film 118 to form an upper capacitor electrode is formed on polysilicon film 133 with a thin film 117 having a large dielectric constant interposed therebetween. An insulating film 121 is formed on the substrate including the capacitor. A bit line 122 electrically connected to n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 113 is formed.
In the memory cell as described above, the outer peripheral portion A of polysilicon film 133 which corresponds to the lower electrode of the capacitor and a side surface of a recess D formed in the vicinity of the center of polysilicon film 133 may further increase the surface area of the capacitor electrode. Thus, the capacity to accumulate charge in the capacitor is secured, and the operation of the DRAM may be stabilized.
Now, the semiconductor memory device as described above and a manufacturing method thereof will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to FIG. 14, field oxide film 119, the pair of n.sup.+ type diffusion layers 112 and 113, and word line 115 functioning as a gate electrode are formed on p type substrate 111. Then, an interlayer insulating film 114 of a silicon oxide film about as thick as 3000.ANG. is formed by means of low pressure CVD. Referring to FIG. 15, a silicon nitride film 131 about as thick as 500.ANG. is formed by means of low pressure CVD on interlayer insulating film 114. Referring to FIG. 16, a polysilicon film 132 about as thick as 6000.ANG. is formed on silicon nitride film 131 by means of low pressure CVD. Anisotropic etching is then performed to form a central hole C to expose a surface of silicon nitride film 131.
Referring to FIG. 17, a silicon oxide film about as thick as 3000.ANG. is formed on polysilicon film 132 including central hole C by means of atmospheric pressure CVD. The silicon oxide film is entirely etched back, and a side wall spacer 135 is formed only on the inner wall of central hole C.
Referring to FIG. 18, using side wall spacer 135 and polysilicon film 132 as a mask, a contact hole D is formed by a self-align contact process. Referring to FIG. 19, wet etching with hydrofluoric acid is performed to remove only the side wall spacer with silicon nitride film 131 remaining.
Referring to FIG. 20, polysilicon film 133 as thick as 500.ANG. is formed on polysilicon film 132 by means of low pressure CVD. Then, polysilicon films 132 and 133 are subjected to anisotropic etching to form the lower electrode 116 of the capacitor in a prescribed shape.
Referring to FIG. 13, a silicon nitride film is formed on polysilicon film 133 by means of low pressure CVD. The silicon nitride film is oxidized to form thin film 117 having a large dielectric constant. Polysilicon film 118 to be the upper capacitor electrode is formed over thin film 117. An insulating film 121 is formed to cover polysilicon film 118. Bit line 122 is formed on insulating film 121. Bit line 122 is electrically connected to n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 113. Through these steps, the memory cell in the DRAM is manufactured.
The document discloses that according to the method, contact hole 134 is provided by the self align contact process using as mask side wall spacer 135 and silicon nitride film 131 in the step shown in FIG. 18, and therefore contact hole 134 may be formed at an optimum position.
In recent semiconductor devices, however, even higher integration densities are in demand. To cope with the demand, forming a storage node to be the lower electrode of a capacitor thicker, thereby providing a capacitor with a storage node having an increased side surface area has been proposed. In the semiconductor device having such thick formed storage node (hereinafter referred to as "thick film storage node"), a contact hole with a high aspect ratio must be formed in order to electrically connect an interconnection formed on the thick film storage node and a semiconductor element such as transistor underlying the thick film storage node. More specifically, the ratio of the diameter of the contact hole relative to the depth should be large enough. Forming of such a contact hole is difficult. In order to electrically connect bit line 122 and n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 113 shown in FIG. 13, for example, a deep contact hole should be provided.
In order to avoid this, bit line 122 is formed under the capacitor. Silicon oxide film 114 therefore should be further thicker to bury bit line 122. In this case, in the step shown in FIG. 18, the distance from the upper surface of polysilicon film 132 to the surface of n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 112 is increased. If the contact diameter of contact hole 134 is 0.3 .mu.m, to form an opening from the upper surface of polysilicon film 132 to the surface of n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 112, the aspect ratio of the contact hole should be about 6 or more. Such a contact hole is very difficult to form.
The conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is also encountered with the following problem. In the step shown in FIG. 19, during removing the side wall spacer of a silicon oxide film leaving underlying silicon nitride film 131 by means of wet etching, interlayer insulating film 114 of a silicon oxide film underlying silicon nitride film 131 is sometimes etched. More specifically, although formed according to different processes, the side wall spacer and interlayer insulating film 114 are both formed of a silicon oxide film, interlayer insulating film 114 may be etched simultaneously with the etching of the side wall spacer. In such a case, part of silicon nitride film 114 protrudes just as eaves on the side surface of contact hole. If polysilicon film 133 shown in FIG. 20 is formed in this state, the eaves keeps polysilicon film 133 from covering well the inner surface of contact hole 134, and polysilicon film 133 and n.sup.+ type diffusion layer 112 sometimes cannot be electrically connected well.
The present invention is directed to a solution to such a problem, and it is one object of the invention to provide a semiconductor device with good electrical characteristic by achieving good electrical connection between the capacitor and transistor. Another object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing such a semiconductor device.


An open tubular or capillary chromatographic column made from drawn silica tubing having an exterior coating for protection from abrasion and moisture and means for holding it in a desired configuration.

This invention relates to improvements in capillary or open tubular columns that are used in gas chromatography to cause the constituents of sample material introduced at one end to emerge from the other end at different times.
Glass capillary chromatography columns, as they are used in the present state of the art, are formed by drawing a large diameter glass tube to form a straight stiff glass tube of the desired dimension, being typically 0.25 mm. inside diameter and 0.8 mm. outside diameter. The process is described in an article entitled "Construction of Long Lengths of Coiled Glass Capillary" at page 302 of the 1960 issue of Analytical Chemistry. After the glass column is drawn and has cooled, it is forced through a heated coiling tube which operates at a temperature above the annealing point of the glass and which serves to form the drawn tube into a coil being typically 10 to 15 centimeters in diameter, the tube being from 10 to 100 meters in length. The inside surface of these tubes is first etched with acid and then deactivated with a thin layer of suitable material so as to make it more inert for the particular sample material involved. This deactivating coating is then coated with a thin layer of stationary phase to form a column.
Glass capillary chromatography columns have several disadvantages in use, namely, that they are fragile and are easily broken if overstressed. Because they are relatively inflexible, the ends of the column must be straightened by heating them to the softening point in order to attach them to the injection port and detector fittings of a conventional gas chromatograph. Alternatively, transfer lines must be constructed to which the column can be connected and which are then connected to the injection port and detector fittings in the gas chromatograph.
A greater disadvantage of glass columns is that they distort peak shapes of sample materials that are as acidic as substituted phenols or as basic as aliphatic amines or otherwise reactive such as mercaptans, even if the surface is deactivated with organochlorosilicanes or with oxygenated polymers, such as poly(ethylene oxide) or polysiloxanes. This effect is caused by chemical activity of the glass surface, causing sample materials which are strongly acidic or basic or otherwise chemically reactive to adsorb strongly to the glass surface, causing these sample components not to elute from the column, or to elute with peak shapes seriously distorted from the usual symmetrical shape.
In an article entitled "The Origination, Development and Potentialities of Glass Capillary Columns" at page 452 of the September 1975 issue of Chromatographia, Vol. 8, No. 9, the possibility of silica capillaries is mentioned, but if columns of silica were made in the same way as glass columns, considerable difficulty would be encountered because the softening temperature of silica is much higher than the melting temperature of materials from which the coil forms are generally made. Furthermore, even if a column were made in this manner, softening the ends of the column so that they can be straightened as required to slide into the fittings of the instrument would require special heating means capable of producing high temperatures.
Furthermore, it has been reported that silica is not a suitable support for the stationary phase because silica catalyzes the breakdown of the macromolecules of the stationary phase and causes it to change slowly from a liquid to a quasisolid state. This is noted in an article entitled "The BaCO.sub.3 Procedure for Preparation of Glass Capillary Columns: Further Information and Development" at page 181 of the publication Chromatographia, Vol. 10, No. 4, of April 1977.