In an exemplary embodiment, the interference signals can occur as a mixture consisting of narrow interference pulse peaks of high amplitude and interference hum. It is desirable that such interference peaks and interference hum in a useful signal be suppressed without mutual influencing. To this end, an occurring useful signal having possibly superimposed interference signals is supplied to an interference hum filter. The filtered-out interference hum component is opposingly superimposed on the original signal for the purpose of compensation of the interference hum. This applies only for such a length of time as there are no interference pulse peaks recognized by a recognition installation. If such an interference pulse peak is recognized, the filter is disconnected from the input signal and switched over to self-oscillation operation. An artificial oscillation with an amplitude and frequency equal to that of the previously selected interference hum component is then generated without a phase jump and superimposed on the useful signal. The interference pulse peak is simultaneously blanked out. The exemplary embodiment can be particularly utilized in the case of electrocardiogram processing for the purpose of suppression of pacemaker pulses and power supply hum.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the suppression of interference signals in a useful signal, wherein the interference signals can occur as a mixture of narrow interference pulses having a high amplitude and interference hum, and whereby the presence of interference pulse peaks and/or interference hum can be separately recognized by means of interference peak and interference hum recognition installations, and, with said recognition, suppressor installations for suppressing the interference pulse peaks and the interference hum in the useful signal are activated.
Particularly in medical technology, wherein e.g. physiological signals are tapped from a patient, interference voltages, such as base line fluctuations, interference voltage peaks resulting from muscle spasms or muscle tremblings, or resulting from artificially supplied stimulation pulses, and mains (or power supply) frequency interferences are frequently observed in the signal derivation as higher-frequency interference hum. Specifically in the case of derivation of an electrocardiogram, pacemaker pulses of a heart pacemaker can also be superimposed on the EKG-signal, in addition to a power supply hum. This applies, in particular, always to those patients who, in order to support their cardiac activity, wear a heart pacemaker. Pacemaker pulses in the EKG are not in every instance an undesired interference voltage; since they are carriers of the information regarding an effected stimulation of the heart, in special instances, it may be desirable, for the purpose of specific evaluation (or analysis), to reproduce EKG-signals together with heart pacemaker pulses. In the normal case; i.e., in common practical application, such as heart frequency measurement, EKG recording or display, etc., however, the presence of pacemaker pulses has a considerably interfering (or disturbing) effect; through the pacemaker pulses, namely, the information content of the EKG signal is generally altered to such an extent that its evaluation (or analysis), whether it be visually by means of the eye, or automatically by means of a suitable evaluation (or analysis) unit, is rendered difficult or even becomes impossible. In these instances, the peak interference voltage; e.g. the pacemaker pulse, must be suppressed in the useful signal.
In general, such an interference peak suppression presents no difficulties insofar as additional interference components such as e.g. the power supply hum are not to be also simultaneously suppressed. An apparatus which permits a suppression of interference pulse peaks in a useful signal; i.e., specifically also of heart pacemaker pulses in an electrocardiogram, is prior knowledge from the British Pat. No. 1,450,081. The suppression of the interference pulse amplitudes however, occurs therein without the simultaneous suppression of an interference hum component. Correspondingly, e.g. the apparatus of the German-AS 2,558,126 also permits only the suppression of power supply hum in the EKG without the presence and simultaneous suppression of interference peaks, such as pacemaker pulses or the like. An apparatus which renders possible a suppression of interference pulse peaks as well as interference hum in a common circuit arrangement is, indeed, already prior knowledge from the U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,694; however, precisely in the case of such a circuit arrangement, reactions of the blanking out of interference amplitude peaks on the suppression of the power supply hum cannot with certainty be precluded in advance. Thus, the danger exists that, during the period of suppression of an interference peak amplitude, the recognition installation, or also the suppression installation for the interference hum may be affected in an uncontrollable manner due to the interruptions occurring, or also due to the jumps in the signal pattern (or progression, or curve). Conversely, however, a useful signal which has not yet, or only insufficiently, been refined of the interference hum has an unfavorable effect in terms of the recognition of interference pulse peaks and their suppression. In the case of heart pacemaker pulses, there then result e.g. difficulties in the compensation particularly of the pacemaker overshoot, since it is hardly possible to convert an EKG with hum interferences into an e-function curve or to derive from the EKG such an e-function curve which is necessary for the exact compensation of the overshoot. In addition, unusually high hum amplitudes can be falsely evaluated as interference pulse peaks by the interference pulse peak-recognition installation, so that this can lead to unnecessary signal suppressions and possibly even signal suppressions which falsify the test result.

Method and apparatus for the suppression of interference signals in a useful signal


A bar code reader is provided which is designed to read a bar code carrying information according to a combination of lengths of bars of the code. The bar code reader includes a light source for radiating light onto the bar code, a light gathering system for gathering the light reflected from the bar code to compress the gathered light at a preselected rate in a lengthwise direction of the bars, a photoelectric converter, responsive to the light compressed by the light gathering system, for providing a signal having a level corresponding to a degree of intensity of the compressed light, and a bar code information reading unit, responsive to the signal from the photoelectric converter, for reading the information carried by the bar code. With this arrangement, the bar code may be read in a one-time scanning operation completely regardless of a type of image sensor: one-dimensional or two dimensional sensors.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a bar code reading apparatus, and more particularly to an improved bar code reading apparatus which is operable to optically compress a bar code carrying information provided with a combination of lengths of bars of the code. This apparatus therefore allows the compressed bar code to be read completely in a one-time scanning operation.
2. Background Art
A postal bar code, as shown in FIG. 2, which is commonly employed in a U.S. post office network system is well known. This postal bar code 1 is designed to carry information formed with a combination of different lengths of a plurality of bars. The widths and spaces of the bars do not carry information at all.
For reading such a bar code, a bar code reader, as shown in FIG. 15, has been proposed in the art. This bar code reader includes a one-dimensional photoelectric converter 30 (i.g., a CCD linear image sensor) with an array of photosensitive elements being oriented parallel to the length of the bar of the code and an image-forming lens 2 operable to image the bar code on the photoelectric converter 30. When reading bar code Information, by carrying either an object such as mail on which the bar code is printed or sweeping the bar code reader in a width direction of the bar code, the photoelectric converter 30 receives light reflected from each bar to determine the length of the bar based on the degree of intensity of the reflected light.
Another bar code reader such as shown in FIG. 16 is also well known. This bar code reader includes a two-dimensional photoelectric converter 31 (i.g., a CCD area image sensor) which receives the entire bar code image to determine a combination of the lengths of the bars.
The above former prior art bar code reader, however, encounters a drawback in that in order to read the entire image of the bar code, it is necessary to move either the object disposing thereon the bar code or the photoelectric converter 30, resulting in an increased readout period of time.
Additionally, in the latter prior art bar code reader, although a time period required for reading the bar code completely is short, an expensive device such as the two-dimensional photoelectric converter 31 is necessary. Such a device increases the manufacturing costs of the whole system.

Bar code reading apparatus capable of reading bar codes having long and short bars


The throttle valve control device of the present invention comprises a structural body 24 in which a throttle valve 21, a throttle shaft 22 and a throttle lever 23 are integrally connected, a return spring 26, one end of which is latched to the structural body 24, and which urges the throttle valve so as to rotate in the closing direction, a free lever 25 which is engaged with the other end of the return spring, and which can contact and move away from the structural body, and an actuator 30 which drives the free lever. The driving of the free lever by the actuator causes the structural body to pivot, so that the throttle valve is opened and closed in a specified range, thus controlling the idle speed. As a result, a throttle valve control device which has a simple structure and which can be made compact is provided.

1. Technical Field
The present invention particularly relates to a throttle valve control device which is capable of fine control of the amount of intake air required for idling operation in an internal combustion engine.
2. Background Art
In internal combustion engines used in automobiles, the idling operation in particular requires fine control of the amount of intake air in accordance with the temperature conditions of the environment and equipment, and in accordance with the conditions of use of peripheral equipment such as air conditioning and the like. In the past, various proposals have been made regarding such control.
For example, there is a method in which a bypass air passage is formed parallel to the throttle valve, a flow rate control valve is installed at an intermediate point in this bypass air passage, and the amount of air that flows through the bypass air passage is controlled by this valve.
However, in the case of this control method, a safety measure is taken in which the inflow into the bypass air passage is restricted by a temperature-sensing element utilizing the temperature during engine warm-up in order to prevent an unnecessarily large amount of intake air from being supplied to the engine as a result of trouble with the actuator that drives the flow rate control valve. As a result, the structure of the apparatus is complicated.
Accordingly, a method has been devised in which the throttle valve is directly driven by a DC motor or the like in the low-opening region of the throttle valve, i.e., the so-called idle speed control (ISC) region (hereafter referred to as the ISC region).
FIG. 5 shows a universally known example of such a throttle valve control device; this figure is a diagram which shows the construction of the device in schematic form. The throttle valve 1 is mounted inside the bore of a throttle body (not shown in the figures) by means of a throttle shaft 2, so that the throttle valve 1 can rotate in either the opening or closing direction as indicated by the arrows(while the arrows are linear in the drawings in the application, it is understood that the movement represented in the schematic drawings of this application is rotational). A first lever 3 and second lever 4 are attached to respective ends of the throttle shaft 2.
The second lever 4 is loosely mounted inside a space between walls 5a and 5b formed in a throttle lever 5. The first lever 3 contacts a free lever 6, and the free lever 6 is integrally connected to a DC motor 7 via a gear speed-reduction device (not shown in the figures).
One end of a first spring 9 and one end of a second spring 10 are connected to the throttle body 8. The other end of the first spring 9 is anchored on the free lever 6, and the other and of the second spring 10 is anchored on the second lever 4.
The fully open position of the throttle lever 5 is regulated by a xe2x80x9cfully-openxe2x80x9d stopper 11, and the initial position of idling (when no electric power is applied) is determined by an idling stopper 12. Furthermore, the upper limit position of ISC is regulated by an ISC stopper 13, and the ISC stopper 13 is disposed in a position located at a far lower degree of opening than the xe2x80x9cfully-openxe2x80x9d stopper 11.
The idling stopper 12 has a spring 12a inside, and the initial position of idling can be adjusted by adjusting a movable stopper 12b by means of a screw or the like (not shown in the figures). Furthermore, the internal spring 12a is set at a value that is equal to or greater than the synthesized value of the first return spring 9 and second return spring 10, so that when the DC motor 7 is not powered, the degree of opening of the throttle valve is determined by the position that is set by the movable stopper 12b of the idling stopper 12.
The operation of the accelerator pedal during normal operation (of the vehicle) is transmitted to the throttle lever 5 via a throttle link. When the throttle lever 5 moves in the opening direction, the wall 5a quickly contacts the second lever 4, thus moving the second lever 4 against the driving force of the second spring 10, and this movement acts on the throttle valve 1 via the throttle shaft 2 so that the valve opens. With the throttle valve 1 open, an operation by means of the accelerator pedal can be performed until the throttle lever 5 contacts the xe2x80x9cfully-openxe2x80x9d stopper 11.
When the depression of the accelerator pedal is relaxed from the fully open position of the throttle valve 1, the throttle valve 1 is pulled back by the second return spring 10 in a state in which the wall Sa of the throttle lever 5 and the second lever 4 are in contact, so that the throttle valve 1 moves in the closing direction. The first lever 3 then quickly contacts the free lever 6 and stops. The throttle lever 5 is caused to remain static by a link (not shown in the figures), and even if the movable stopper 12b is displaced, the second lever 4 is between the walls 5a and 5b, so that the position of the throttle lever 5 does not change.
In ISC, the DC motor 7 is driven so that the first lever 3 is driven in the opening or closing direction via a gear train. Since the driving force of the DC motor 7 is greater than the force of the internal spring 12a of the idling stopper 12, the throttle valve can also be set at a degree of opening that is less than that of the movable stopper 12b. Movement in the opening direction is limited by the ISC stopper 13.
As a result of the abovementioned construction, the degree of opening can be freely adjusted by the DC motor 7 between the idling stopper 12 and the ISC stopper 13. Outside this range, the degree of opening of the throttle valve is determined by the accelerator pedal operation of the driver.
In the abovementioned conventional example, the degree of opening of the throttle valve 1 when power is not applied is ensured, and the throttle valve can be directly controlled by the DC motor in the low-opening region in a range of L1. Accordingly, a bypass air passage is unnecessary.
However, in the abovementioned example, two return springs are needed, i.e., a first return spring and a second return spring, as opposed to a single return spring in a conventional device. As a result, the structure of the throttle body is complicated.
Furthermore, when the free lever 6 is moved by the DC motor, the driving forces of the two return springs or the internal spring 12a increase in accordance with the amount of movement, so that a variation occurs in which the driving forces are different in the opening and closing directions. As a result, control of the degree of throttle opening by the motor current is difficult, and the control circuit becomes complicated. Moreover, the motor must have a large output in order to overcome the driving force of the springs, and this leads to the problems of increased size and increased cost of the apparatus.
The present invention solves the abovementioned problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a throttle valve control device which has a simple structure, and which can be made compact.
In order to achieve the abovementioned object, the throttle valve control device of the present invention comprises a structural body in which a throttle valve which is disposed inside the bore of a throttle body, a throttle shaft which supports the throttle valve so that this throttle valve is free to pivot, and a throttle lever that pivots the throttle shaft, are integrally connected. A return spring has one end anchored to the structural body and urges the throttle valve so that the throttle valve rotates in the closing direction. A free lever is supported on the throttle shaft so that this free lever is free to pivot, anchors the other end of the return spring, and can contact and move away from the structural body. An actuator drives the free lever. The driving of the free lever by the actuator causes the structural body to pivot, so that the throttle valve is opened and closed.
A construction may be used in which the actuator opens and closes the throttle valve within the ISC region.
Furthermore, a construction may be used in which the actuator has a stator including a magnetic flux generating part, around which an electromagnetic coil is wound so that magnetic flux is generated, and a magnetic field forming part which has three magnetic pole pieces on more or less the same straight line, and which distributes the magnetic flux so that two magnetic field regions are formed. A slider advances and retracts parallel to a line connecting the magnetic pole pieces in accordance with the magnetic field regions, and is equipped with magnetic members that have two magnetic surfaces of mutually different polarities in the advance and retraction direction, and a magnetic path member.


Embodiments of the disclosure enable permission to be obtained using nonvisual communication. A system receives a request for authorization of a transaction, identifies an account based on user identifier data included in the request, establishes a communication link with a user device associated with the user account, generates a prompt message identifying a merchant and a transaction amount associated with merchant identifier data and transaction data included in the request, analyze the prompt message to generate a prompt audibly perceivable at the user device, analyze a speech reply received from the user device to generate a feedback message, and analyze the feedback message to determine whether permission to authorize the transaction is obtained. Aspects of the disclosure provide for authorizing a transaction in a secure and user-friendly manner.

Financial transaction cards have made great gains as a means to attract financial accounts to financial institutions and, in the case of credit cards, as a medium to create small loans and generate interest income for financial institutions. However, fraudulent financial transactions involving credit cards and other similar payment mechanisms may result in huge losses for cardholders, merchants, banks, and other financial institutions. Known fraud detection methods and systems identify potentially fraudulent financial transactions to facilitate mitigating such losses.
Financial institutions are well-situated to identify fraudulent transactions. For example, financial institutions may analyze cardholder transaction histories to identify patterns in the cardholder transaction histories. A deviation from such patterns, for example, may be indicative of a potentially fraudulent financial transaction. In at least some situations, however, a cardholder may be better-situated to identify a fraudulent financial transaction.

Systems and methods for using nonvisual communication to obtain permission for authorizing a transaction


Methods of delivering cromolyn to a patient in need thereof, methods of treating amyloid-associated conditions and inflammatory or allergic lung diseases, and blister packs and kits comprising cromolyn are described.

Cromolyn (also known as cromoglicic acid, cromoglycate, or cromoglicate) has been approved previously for use in asthma. Its approved form is available as a disodium salt form, cromolyn sodium (also known as disodium cromoglycate or DSCG). Cromolyn demonstrates poor oral absorption. Delivery of cromolyn via inhalation has proven inefficient and difficult due, at least in part, to the hygroscopic nature of cromolyn sodium. For example, micronized powders containing cromolyn sodium particles spontaneously absorb water, forming clumps that impair efficient delivery of the cromolyn powder. See Keller et al. Expert Opin. Drug Deliv. 8, 1-17 (2011) Additionally, the performance and the efficiency of previously used inhalers are highly dependent upon a patient's inspiratory flow rate, leading to a wide variability in the amount of cromolyn sodium that is delivered to a patient. See Richards et al., Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 241, 1028-1032 (1987),
The present invention provides improved methods and compositions for delivering cromolyn via inhalation, efficiently and consistently over a range of inspiratory flow rates.


A system and method control an operation of a built-in self-test (BIST) of memory devices of an integrated circuit. The method includes generating count values using a program counter, and providing a first burst of instructions to the memory devices. The method also includes controlling a chip enable signal associated with each of the memory devices according to the count values during a wait period following the providing the first burst of instructions until a second burst of instructions is provided to the memory devices. The chip enable signal of each of the memory devices defines clock cycles at which the memory device is operated and clock cycles at which the memory device is idle.

The present invention relates to integrated circuit verification, and more specifically, to a programmable counter to control the memory built in self-test.
A variety of tests are implemented on integrated circuits or chips in order to verify that different aspects of the chips function properly for use by the ultimate customers. One aspect of chip functionality that is tested is the memory. Generally, a built in self-test (BIST) architecture is used and includes a BIST controller and a BIST engine to generate instructions that are implemented on the chip. A functional clock is used to clock the applied BIST instructions to be as close to the memory clock speed as possible.

Programmable counter to control memory built in self-test

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A novel process for molding articles from superplastic metals. The process is characterized by a fast-cycle utilizing a cooling and high-speed reject steps.

This invention relates to a novel process for molding superplastic metals and apparatus useful in carrying out said process.
Superplastic metals are known in the art as materials that provide some of the advantages of both metals and plastics. Although there are a substantial number of metal alloys that exhibit superplastic character under some conditions, some superplastic metals are readily susceptible to commercial exploitation as such. Among these are those such as the zinc alloys available commercially from New Jersey Zinc Company and others. In this invention, the term superplastic metal is limited to those useful in molding operations in which the superplastic properties are utilized. It has been known to mold various articles from such alloys, and it has been particularly advantageous to mold complex forms from such alloys. Thus, for example, such objects as print wheels and metal molds to be used in subsequent injection molding of plastics are known uses for superplastic alloys.
One relatively undesirable feature of the superplastic alloys has been the time required for the molding cycle. This molding cycle time reflects the fact that superplastic materials exhibit substantial strain rate sensitivity and must be formed at carefully controlled rates. Even after the molded item is formed, it is important to exert extreme care in getting it out of the mold. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,511, heating the superplastic metal above the critical superplastic forming temperature is recommended as a way to impart a molded article sufficient increased strength to enable its immediate removal from the die in which it has been formed. However, the necessity of heating the metal above the molding temperature is itself a time-consuming and an energy-consuming procedure.
Hence it has remained a problem to obtain rapid economic cycling of molding operations in which articles of superplastic metals are formed.


A one-trip system for placement and setting a downhole packer or plug is disclosed. The packer is settable in a variety of ways, including hydraulically, acoustically by pressure pulse signals, or some combination. Use of hydraulic pressure triggers a pressure-creating reaction to initiate the setting of the packer. The setting mechanism for the packer breaks clear of the packer upon setting and allows the tubing-conveyed perforating gun, which is already preassembled as part of the string, to be accurately positioned and fired.

In the past, packers or bridge plugs have been run into the wellbore on wireline to facilitate rapid positioning and setting. While use of an electric line or wireline packer or plug allows for rapid placement and deployment of such equipment, it requires the use of wireline equipment at the surface which is costly and which creates logistical concerns, particularly in offshore applications.
According to methods used in the past, after running and setting the packer with a wireline, a separate trip has to be made into the wellbore with the tubing-conveyed perforating gun. The need to run the perforating gun on rigid or coiled tubing has, in the past, necessitated this two-trip system when used in combination with packers which are run in on wireline.
Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a simple system to run in one trip a packer and tubing-conveyed perforating gun. The packer can be easily set in the preferred manner hydraulically such that the setting mechanism releases from the packer, which in turn allows for simple positioning of the perforating gun for subsequent actuation.
Various signaling mechanisms for actuation of downhole tools have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,494 indicates a signaling method using pressure-induced strains in tubing suspending a downhole tool to trigger an electronic circuit to actuate the tool. U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,963 also relates to measuring pressure-induced strain in the conveying tubing to trigger the operation of a downhole tool. Yet other devices have been developed that use acoustical signals or pressure pulses transmitted downhole which are received and converted to an electrical signal to actuate a downhole tool.
Creation of a motive pressure force to drive downhole components by initiating a chemical reaction is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,951.
The prior techniques have not approached the simplicity and reliability of the present invention, which facilitates a one-trip operation and allows for considerable savings of rig time and surface equipment.

One-trip conveying method for packer/plug and perforating gun


A tilt-away system for front seats of vehicles for permitting the entire front seat to be moved as far as possible out of the entry and exit region of the vehicle includes a seat frame front support assembly including a support stand which supports the front portion of the seat frame, a seat frame rear support assembly including link arms on each side of the seat frame, the link arms having forward ends pivotally secured to travellers which are displaceably mounted in rails and rearward ends connected to the rearward portion of the seat frame and being locked in a use position for the seat by a link arm locking mechanism, the link arms being adapted to be pivoted forwardly and upwardly to tilt the seat forwardly after it has been moved forwardly on the rails to a position intermediate the use and access positions, and a release mechanism for releasing the front portion of the seat frame from the support stand and the link arm locking mechanism in one operation so that the front seat can be moved forward to the intermediate position and then tilted forwardly and upwardly to the access position.

It is known to tilt the backrests of the front seats of two-door passenger cars right forward, possibly as far as the seat, to enable persons to get into and out of the back seats, and if necessary to move the whole seat forward by means of the adjusting means. However, this operation requires considerable effort, since the seat and the backrest also have to be moved back into the desired position.
In addition, the distance the seat can be moved forward is generally too short for comfort in getting into and out of the back seats. It generally amounts to about 200 mm, and cannot be increased because the seats can only be moved forward parallel to the floor. In the case of two-door vehicles space for getting in and out is above all particularly limited in the foot region. To increase the amount of travel the lower outer adjusting rails would have to be made longer, but as metal parts they would then be felt to get in the way of the feet of the persons seated both in the front and in the back.
This is generally remedied by extending the doors of such two-door vehicles farther back, in the interest of improved access to the back seats, than would be necessary only for access to the back seats. However, this object is only partly achieved, since limits are set to the increase in size of these doors on grounds of manufacture, strength and appearance. If, as is generally the case, there is a choice of availability of a particular type of vehicle with either two or four doors, there is the further disadvantage that two different front doors have to be manufactured for the same basic model, with corresponding differences in the bodywork, which increases the expense.
The invention aims to solve the problem of enabling the seats, preferably so-called three-legged seats, of a two-door passenger car with two rows of seating to be moved in a simple manner so far forward that getting into and out of the back seats is facilitated by larger clearances even without increasing the door size, so that there is enough room, particularly in the foot region, for the persons getting in and out.
Particular advantages obtained through the invention are that both getting into and out of, and also loading and unloading of, the back seats of two-door passenger cars with two rows of seating are facilitated at little cost in apparatus and operating effort without the front doors having to be made larger for the two-door version in the case of types of vehicle that are available with two or four doors, since the necessary free space is provided by the displacement of the seats by tilting in the way proposed. It is particularly beneficial that through the large forward displacement and tilting up of the front seat the space for getting into the back seats is markedly increased over the whole body region and not just for the feet. If on grounds of comfort the size of the access region of the front doors is further increased, getting into and out of the back seats of the two-door, two-row seating embodiments becomes particularly easy and the back seats are easier to load and unload.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention are set forth in the claims.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and will now be described more fully.

Naue/Johnson Controls Engineering GmbH & Co., KG


A water heater (10) including a tank (12) adapted for mounting with its longitudinal axis substantially vertical and a duct (32) adapted for mounting with its longitudinal axis substantially vertical. The duct (32) is positioned within the tank (12) and extends through at least most of the height of the tank (12). The duct (32) defines a first volume (34) within the duct interior and a second volume (36) between the duct exterior and the tank interior. The first volume (34) being smaller than the second volume (36). The duct (32) has at least one upper opening (38) at or near the top of the duct (32) and at least one lower opening (40) at or near the bottom of the duct (32). The heater (10) also has a heating element (44) within, or forming all or part of, the duct (32). The element (44) extends at least substantially through the upper half of the duct (32). The heater (10) also has an inlet (24) at or near the bottom of the tank (12) and an outlet (22) at or near the top of the tank (12). In use, energising the heater element (44) causes water to flow from the first volume (34) to the second volume (36) through the upper opening(s) (38) and water to flow the second volume (36) to the first volume (34) through the lower opening(s) (40).

Known domestic, electric water heaters have a water tank with a cold water inlet near the bottom of the tank and a hot water outlet near the top of the tank. An internal heating element is positioned near the bottom of the tank. This arrangement has several disadvantages.
Firstly, the entire volume of water in the tank must be heated from bottom to top in order to provide hot water at the outlet, which is not energy efficient.
Secondly, much care must be taken when admitting fresh cold water to the tank so as not to disturb the rising segments of heated water. This normally requires the use of, for example, diffusers to slow the rate of cold water entering the tank, which adds to the complexity and cost of the water heater. This problem is exacerbated if, for example, the electric water heater tank is connected in parallel with a solar water heater.
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the prior art deficiencies.

Water heater and a method of operating same


A first aspect of the invention relates to a compound of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, complex or pro-drug thereof,

Proteinases form a substantial group of biological molecules which to date constitute approximately 2% of all the gene products identified following analysis of several completed genome sequencing programmes. Proteinases have evolved to participate in an enormous range of biological processes, mediating their effect by cleavage of peptide amide bonds within the myriad of proteins found in nature. This hydrolytic action is performed by initially recognising, then binding to, particular three-dimensional electronic surfaces displayed by a protein, which align the bond for cleavage precisely within the proteinase catalytic site. Catalytic hydrolysis then commences through nucleophilic attack of the amide bond to be cleaved either via an amino acid side-chain of the proteinase itself, or through the action of a water molecule that is bound to and activated by the proteinase. Proteinases in which the attacking nucleophile is the thiol side-chain of a Cys residue are known as cysteine proteinases. The general classification of 'cysteine proteinase' contains many members found in a wide range of organisms from viruses, bacteria, protozoa, plants and fungi to mammals. Cathepsins S and K and indeed many other crucial mammalian proteinases belong to the papain-like CAC1 family (see Barrett, A. J et al, in 'Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes', Eds. Barrett, A. J., Rawlings, N. D., and Woessner, J. F. Publ. Academic Press, 1998, for a thorough discussion).
To date, cysteine proteinases have been classified into five clans, CA, CB, CC, CD and CE (Barrett, A. J. et al, 1998). A proteinase from the tropical papaya fruit 'papain' forms the foundation of clan CA, which currently contains over 80 distinct and complete entries in various sequence databases, with many more expected from the current genome sequencing efforts. Proteinases of clan CA/family C1 have been implicated in a multitude of house-keeping roles and disease processes. e.g. human proteinases such as cathepsin K (osteoporosis, osteoarthritis), cathepsin S (multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disorders), cathepsin L (metastases), cathepsin B (metastases, arthritis), cathepsin F (antigen processing), cathepsin V (T-cell selection), dipeptidyl peptidase I (granulocyte serine proteinase activation) or parasitic proteinases such as falcipain (malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum) and cruzipain (Trypanosoma cruzi infection).
There currently exists a major unmet need for safe orally administered medications for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease, which exhibit significant damage and remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM). Destruction of the ECM is brought about through proteolysis of its elastin, collagen and proteoglycan constituents, which provide structure, elasticity and tensile strength to materials such as cartilage, bone, lung and vascular tissue. The proteolytic enzymes cathepsin S and cathepsin K are up-regulated under inflammatory conditions and have been implicated in the degradation of ECM components.
Cathepsins K and S are found over-expressed in rheumatoid and osteoarthritic synovium and have been shown to degrade collagen type-I and type-II, as well as aggrecan (a multidomain proteoglycan component of articular cartilage) respectively (see Hou, W. S. et al., Arthritis & rheumatism, 46 (3). 663-674, 2002; Hou, W. S. et al., Biol Chem, 384. 891-897, 2003 & Yasuda, Y. et al., Adv Drug Del Rev, 57. 973-993, 2005 and references cited herein). In addition, transgenic mice overexpressing cathepsin K, show spontaneous development of synovitis and cartilage degeneration (see Morko, J. et al., Arthritis & rheumatism, 52 (12). 3713-3717, 2005). Cathepsin S is also known to play a role in auto-antigen presentation in rheumatoid arthritis, helping prime the immune system to attack self-tissues in susceptible joints (e.g. see Podolin, P. L., et al., inflamm Res, 50:S159.2001).
As well as destruction of articular cartilage, cathepsin S and cathepsin K demonstrate potent elastinolytic activity and are involved in a broad spectrum of pathological conditions associated with elastin degradation, such as COPD and cardiovascular disease. Both enzymes are readily secreted by macrophages and smooth muscle cells and have been shown to degrade elastins from bovine aorta and lung tissue. Furthermore, in a murine model of COPD/emphysema, induced by IL-13, Cathepsin S and K were shown to be present in the diseased lung tissue and infiltrating macrophage and disease symptoms were abrogated by cysteine proteinase inhibitors (see Wolters, P. J. and Chapman, H. A., Respir Res, 1. 170-177, 2000; Novinec, M. et al., J Biol Chem, 282 (11). 7893-7902, 2007; Zheng, T. et al., J Clin Invest, 106. 1081-1093, 2000). Cathepsins S and K are also responsible for the vascular tissue damage associated with chronic cardiovascular disease and vascular injury. In murine models of atherosclerosis, Cathepsin S has been found in abundance, in atherosclerotic plaques (secreted from infiltrating macrophage) and induces plaque rupture (see Rodgers, K. J. et al., Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 26 (4):851-856, 2006). Cathepsin K and cathepsin S have been associated with vascular remodeling and causing ECM damage during the development of atherosclerosis and vascular injury-induced neointimal formation (see Cheng, X. W. et al., Am J Pathol, 164 (1). 243-251, 2004). While both enzymes are involved in the growth and rupture of abdominal aortic aaneurysms (see Abdul-Hussien, H. et al., Am J Pathol, 170 (3). 809-817, 2007).
Thus inhibition of cathepsins K and S offer an attractive approach to prevent the underlying tissue destruction which occurs in chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, COPD and cardiovascular disease.
In the prior art, the development of cysteine proteinase inhibitors for human use has recently been an area of intense activity (e.g. see Deaton, D. N. and Kumar, S., Prog. Med. Chem. 42, 245-375, 2004; Bromme, D. and Kaleta, J., Curr. Pharm. Des., 8, 1639-1658, 2002; Kim, W. and Kang, K., Expert Opin. Ther. Patents, 12 (3), 419-432, 2002; Leung-Toung, R. et al. Curr. Med. Chem., 9, 979-1002, 2002; Lecaille, F. et al., Chem. Rev., 102, 4459-4488, 2002; Hernandez, A. A. and Roush, W. R., Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol., 6, 459-465, 2002; Link, J. O. and Zipfel, S. Curr. Opin. Drug Discov. Dev., 9 (4), 471-482, 2006). Considering the CAC1 family members, particular emphasis has been placed upon the development of inhibitors of human cathepsins, primarily cathepsin K (osteoporosis) and cathepsin S (autoimmune disorders) through the use of covalent-bound but reversible peptide and peptidomimetic nitriles (e.g. see Bekkali, Y. et al, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 17 (9), 2465-2469, 2007; WO-A-07137738, WO-A-07003056), linear and cyclic peptide and peptidomimetic ketones (e.g. see Veber, D. F. and Thompson, S. K., Curr. Opin. Drug Discovery Dev., 3 (4), 362-369, 2000; WO-A-02057270, WO-A-04007501, WO-A-06064286, WO-A-05066180, WO-A-0069855), ketoheterocycles (e.g. see Palmer, J. T. et al, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 16 (11), 2909-2914, 2006, WO-A-04000838), α-ketoamides (e.g. see WO-A-06102243), cyanamides (WO-A-01077073, WO-A-01068645) and arylnitriles (e.g. see WO-A-07080191, WO-A-07039470, WO-A-06018284, WO-A-05121106, WO-A-04000843). Inhibition of CAC1 proteases by non-covalent bound compounds has been extensively described in the literature. Particular emphasis has been placed upon inhibition of cathepsin K and cathepsin S by arylaminoethylamides (e.g. see Altmann, E., et al, J. Med. Chem., 45 (12), 2352-2354, 2002; Chatterjee, A. K. et al, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 17 (10), 2899-2903, 2007; US-20050113356, US-20050107368, US-20050118568) and substituted pyrazoles or piperidines (e.g. see Wei, J., et al, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 17 (20), 5525-5528, 2007; US-2007117785, US-2003073672, WO-A-02020013).
Thus the extensive prior art describes potent in vitro inhibitors of either cathepsin S or cathepsin K and inhibitors showing efficacy in numerous animal models of disease. However, since these enzymes appear to work in tandem and both are present in many chronic inflammatory diseases, a single compound possessing dual inhibitory activity would be a distinct advantage. There are presently no human therapeutic dual inhibitors of cathepsin K and S.
Recently, Quibell, M. (WO-A-02057270) described a new motif for the general inhibition of CAC1 proteinases based upon a cis-5,5-bicyclic ketone (1).

Based upon this motif, highly potent and selective inhibitors of cathepsin K were discovered (see WO-A-0807109, WO-A-0807103, WO-A-0807130, WO-A-0807114, WO-A-0807127, WO-A-0807107, WO-A-0807112). The present inventors have now discovered a small genus of 6-(S)-chlorotetrahydrofuro[3,2-b]pyrrol-3-ones that exhibit potent dual inhibition versus human cathepsins S and K.

Abstract: wherein:        R3 is selected from cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl;        R9 is a substituted 5 or 6-membered aryl or heteroaryl group or a 6,5- or 6,6-fused biaryl or heterobiaryl group.

Abstract: Compounds of formula (I) exhibit surprisingly high dual efficacies for human cathepsin S and K and are useful for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases which exhibit significant damage and remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) and chronic pain.


Apparatus for imparting spiral motion to material flowing in a tube comprising a relatively short spiral member anchored to prevent movement relative to the tube. The spiral member has a maximum length shorter than the tube and is capable of imparting spiral motion to the entire amount of material flowing in the tube.

This invention relates to improving the heat transfer to or from materials flowing in a tube. A typical application for this invention is the high-pressure polymerization of olefins in presence of free-radical-generating initiators in a tubular reactor comprising a series of discrete tubes connected in series.
When materials of high viscosity, such as partially polymerized ethylene, flow through an elongated tubular polymerization reactor, it is difficult to transfer heat to or from them. This difficulty is believed to be caused by fouling of the tube walls with layers of material. A method of improving heat transfer by imparting spiral motion to at least part of the material flowing in the tube is disclosed by U.S. Application Ser. No. 093,017, filed of even date herewith, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, it is difficult to inexpensively construct means for imparting spiral motion capable of withstanding the very high forces exerted by materials flowing at high pressure differentials. Furthermore, the force of material flowing past spiral-motion-imparting devices tends to move the devices downstream relative to the tube, away from their original location.
Other difficulties encountered with spiral-flow-imparting device installed within a tube are:
(a) it is not easy to install and remove the devices, which may be necessary to obtain optimum reactor performance under different conditions; PA1 (b) such devices are relatively expensive; PA1 (c) such devices may become part of the tube and, therefore, need to be replaced every time the tube is replaced. PA1 (d) such devices are adversely affected by irregularities in the tube such as eccentricity, varying diameter and lack of straightness; PA1 (e) such devices may be subject to deformation during installation, and, therefore, are incapable of imparting spiral motion in a desired predetermined pattern. PA1 (a) supplying monomer at pressure of at least 15,000 psig to an inlet of a tubular reactor having a length to diameter ratio of at least 500 to 1; PA1 (b) polymerizing said monomer in presence of free-radical-generating initiator at temperature of at least 100.degree. C.; PA1 (c) imparting spiral motion to material flowing through said reactor by flowing the material past a spiral member, said spiral member having maximum length shorter than said tube; and PA1 (d) removing polymer and unpolymerized monomer from an outlet of said reactor. PA1 (a) a spiral member having two ends and a central portion, wherein said central portion has diameter exceeding that of said ends; PA1 (b) a hollow housing snugly fitting over said spiral member, said housing comprising: PA1 (1) The devices are easy to install and remove, allowing ability to adapt to changing reactor conditions caused by, for example, changing products. PA1 (2) The devices are relatively inexpensive to install and remove. PA1 (3) The devices do not become part of the reactor tubing, and hence do not need to be replaced on the relatively frequent occasions when reactor tubing must be replaced. PA1 (4) The performance of the devices is not adversely affected by irregularities in the reactor tubing. PA1 (5) The devices do not change shape during installation, hence they are capable of imparting predetermined spiral motion. PA1 (6) By installing devices of varying configuration, varying degrees of spiral motion may be imparted at different regions along the reactor.


A method and apparatus for depth compensating the amplitudes of echo signals in an ultrasonic measuring device to compensate for virtually unlimited depth measurements using an amplifier adjustment curve supplied in real time which is triggered with every radiated pulse, and using the time-synchronous clock steps of a clock pulse generator converted to an analogue output signal through a D/A-converter.

The invention relates to a method for depth compensation of amplitudes of echo-signals in an ultrasonic measuring device which uses the pulse-echo-technique, in the course of which as a first step ultrasonic pulses are sent from the probe of said ultrasonic measuring device into a trial object containing several, as far as possible identical, flaws in known distances from the surface and lined up in depth reflecting the pulses, such that they return into the same or another probe of the ultrasonic measuring device, where they arrive in a temporal order corresponding to the spatial order in depth and give rise to electrical signals with different amplitudes at the output of the receiver unit of the ultrasonic measuring device, the electrical signals being available as so-called nodes of interpolation with their amplitude and time values, and a digital correction signal being obtained from the deviation of the signal amplitudes at every single node of interpolation from a corresponding reference amplitude, the correction signal being stored and used, after conversion to an analogue correction signal, to control an adjustable amplifier, so that in a subsequent measurement of the same material flaws of the same kind will yield equally high amplitudes of echo signals irrespective of depth.
In high-quality ultrasonic devices, particularly in ultrasonic devices intended for nondestructive testing of materials, a depth compensation function is provided to compensate for the dependence of echo amplitudes on depth. In the method previously known from DE 26 23 522 C2, the material to be tested is divided into digital depth intervals, and for every digital depth interval a corresponding digital signal correction value is calculated. These signal correction values are stored. During the measurement proper the signal correction values are converted into analogue values which are used to correct the values of the ultrasonic signal received. A method with analogue storage of the correction values is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,033,029.
The method described in DE 26 23 522 C2 which is representative for its class is disadvantageous in its necessity to store one amplitude value for each depth interval, and hence for each time increment. This leads to high storage requirements. The required storage size is calculated as the ratio of the depth range and the measure in depth of one depth interval. The potential penetration depth range is predetermined by the storage size. Finally, it is disadvantageous that the nodes of interpolation must be fitted into the given grid of depth intervals, and preferably nodes of interpolation must be equidistant.

Method for depth compensation of amplitudes of echo-signals in an ultrasonic measuring device which uses the pulse-echo-technique


The invention concerns a displacement device comprising a transmission 2 driven by an electric motor 1, guide rails 5, a displacement slider 6, a transmission housing 8 and a closure cover 7, characterized in that an externally threaded nut (4) is arranged longitudinally slidably on a profile bar (3) between the transmission (2) and said externally threaded nut (4) and said externally threaded nut (4) is mounted rotatably in a displacement slider (6) in such a way that said externally threaded nut (4) is longitudinally displaced upon rotation by the transmission (2) which is driven by the drive motor (1) and the profile bar (3) in the thread profile segments of the guide rails (5) and is displaced along the guide rails (5) by way of the end run-on surfaces (9) of the displacement slider (6).

Linear drives are known which perform longitudinal movements without threaded spindles. They use rack-and-pinion transmissions in which a rack is longitudinally displaced by means of an electric motor by way of transmissions and gears. Drives are also known in which a motor-transmission unit is longitudinally displaced by way of gears on threaded spindles. Coarse-threaded drives are also known in which the longitudinal movements are produced by rotation of a threaded tube. All those drives are very complicated and expensive in terms of structure and require expensive drive components.


A method for processing data, includes: acquiring data packets having respective serial numbers and transmitted between a first microcontroller unit (MCU) and a second MCU of a smart device, the second MCU being provided in a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) module of the smart device; and processing and displaying the acquired data packets based on the respective serial numbers so as to debug the second MCU.

With the development of wireless communication technologies such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth and the like, a Wi-Fi module may be provided in a smart device, such that the smart device can communicate with a cloud server and can be controlled by a terminal. For example, the Wi-Fi module may usually consist of a Wi-Fi chip and a microcontroller unit (MCU), wherein the Wi-Fi chip is configured to communicate with other devices, and the MCU is configured to work with a built-in MCU of the smart device to control the smart device.
In the relevant prior art, the built-in MCU and the Wi-Fi module in the smart device communicate with each other via two serial lines. Two debugging tools for serial port will be required to check data transmitted on the two serial lines, which is inconvenient to determine data receiving and sending sequences and may cause great difficulty in debugging.
Specifically, since data streams rather than data packets are transmitted on the serial lines, general serial debugging tools has no time-dependent information, which is inconvenient to determine receiving and sending sequences of the data transmitted on the serial lines, and thus causing great difficulty in debugging. For example, a serial debugging tool 1 acquires data A1, A2 and A3, and a serial debugging tool 2 acquires data B1, B2 and B3. In this case, sequences of A1 and B1, A2 and B2 as well as A3 and B3 are unable to be determined. According to network protocols, there may even be a case in which receiving and sending sequences of two data packets are opposite.

Data processing method, data processing device, terminal and smart device


A server implemented method for processing data for rendering on a wireless device. A request to execute a generic application may be received. The server identifies a custom configuration for the generic application based on the wireless device access attributes, e.g., time zone, location, date, time zone, season, user's habit, user's interaction, user's interest, etc., wherein the custom configuration is operable to tailor the appearance of the generic application. The server configures the generic application based on the identified custom configuration to generate a customized application. The customized application may be executed on the server to generate a renderable customized application that is operable for rendering by the wireless device. The renderable customized application may be provided for transmission to the wireless device. The renderable customized application may be transmitted to the wireless device for rendering.

Popularity of wireless devices has increased tremendously in recent years. For example, the use of cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), PalmPilots, BlackBerrys, laptops, IPods, IPhones, etc., have become prevalent in the market. The increase in the number of wireless devices has also increased the demand for various applications and content to run and be rendered on various wireless devices.
Unfortunately, applications and content are usually rendered generically on wireless devices. As a result, applications and content are generally rendered without considering various user attributes. For example, the appearance, look and feel of a requested application/content rendered is generic and the same regardless of the identity of the user, the location, the time, the date, the time zone and the user's habit, to name a few. Thus, the application/content rendered fails to impact the user as effectively as it would have if the appearance, the look and feel of application/content were to be tailored based on the wireless device attributes that includes user attributes. For example, tailoring application/content rendered to have an automobile theme would have a stronger impact on a user who is passionate about automobiles in comparison to rendering the application/content in a generic and bland manner.
Unfortunately, with growing use of wireless devices and ever increasing number of users, tailoring the appearance and customizing the look and feel of application/content for each user has become a daunting task. Moreover, the increase in the number of applications and the need to tailor the appearance of each application to a given user has increased the cost of developing applications/content.
Generally in today's global society, the same content/application may be accessed by different users in different locations and in different time zones. For example, an application/content may be accessed by a user in the United States while the same application/content may be accessed by another user in Australia. Accordingly, even though the time zone, the time, the location and the date that the application/content is accessed is different the same generic application/content is rendered for each user.
Rendering generic application/content without customizing the appearance, look and feel of the application/content is undesirable because it fails to consider various factors such as the season. For example, the appearance, look and feel of an application/content that is accessed by a user in the United States during winter is the same as the appearance, look and feel of the same application/content that is accessed by a user in Australia even though it is summer time in Australia. As a result, a fresh cooling appearance that may be appealing to a user in the midst of the summer in Australia would not be desirable for a user in the cold winter days of Chicago for example.
Similarly, rendering generic application/content without customizing the appearance, look and feel of the application/content based on the time of the day the request is made is undesirable. For example, the appearance, look and feel of the application/content in the morning cannot be customized to have an up tempo feel to it, energizing the user to take on user's daily life without considering the time of the day. Similarly, the appearance, look and feel of the application/content in the evening cannot be customized to have a relaxing and soothing feel to enable the user to unwind without considering the time. Accordingly, not considering the time limits the content/application provider to generically render content/application. Thus, content/application providers fall short of fully impacting the user and further fail to positively impact the user's experience.
Under similar rationale, rendering generic application/content without considering the time zone is undesirable. For example, a user in the United States may request to access an application/content while a user in Australia may request to access the same application/content at the same time. It may be day time in the United States and night time in Australia. Thus, not considering the time zone fails to enable the content/application provider to customize the appearance, look and feel of the application/content to have a full impact on the user's experience, as discussed and presented above.
Furthermore, rendering generic application/content without considering the date is undesirable because the appearance of an application/content cannot be customized to have a conforming theme based on a particular date. For example, during Halloween, content/application cannot be customized to have a conforming appearance, look and feel of Halloween without considering the date. Similarly, during Christmas, content/application cannot be customized to have a conforming appearance, look and feel of Christmas without considering the date. Thus, content/application providers fall short of providing the user with a positive and full impact of a particular date.
Moreover, rendering generic application/content without considering the location of the user is undesirable because the appearance of an application/content cannot be customized to have a conforming theme based on the location. For example, on the Fourth of July, an application/content provider may wish to customize the appearance, look and feel of content/application to have a patriotic theme whereas such a theme would be unnecessary elsewhere in the world. Thus, content/application providers are unable to automatically customize the appearance, look and feel of content/application to be rendered by users in different location without considering the location of the user.
In general, wide mass advertising without considering attributes of a user is ineffective with a very low success rate at best. In general, factors such as time, time zone, location, season, user's behavior, user's interest, etc. are not considered by application/content providers to customize offerings to the wireless device user, thereby resulting in a low success rate and ineffective advertising. For example, ignoring that it is morning and that a user is near a coffee shop, results in a lost opportunity to send a coupon for a cup of coffee when the user is accessing an application/content on a wireless device. Similarly, ignoring that it is evening and that a user is at home and have previously searched for movie rentals, results in a lost opportunity to send a coupon for renting a movie when the user is accessing an application/content on a wireless device. Thus, advertisers are unable to tailor their advertisings to target users using an application/content based on a wireless device access attributes, e.g., location, time, user's behavior, time zone, date, etc.
Moreover, customizing content/application by a wireless device is undesirable because it places a drain on a limited processing power of a wireless device. Moreover, customizing content/application by a wireless device places a drain on the battery power of a wireless device. Furthermore, the entire library of attributes needed to customize a generic application/content to provide it with a certain appearance, look and feel cannot be stored on a wireless device due to limited storage availability on a wireless device.

Method and system for customizing content on a server for rendering on a wireless device


A wordprocessing device having a keyboard which can input characters having a plurality of attributes. The character string can be modified when output such that all the characters have a common attribute, while the original character string data remains unmodified, stored in a memory, for further use. The modified character string can then be output by a printer onto a recording medium such as a tape.

Conventional tape printing devices, provided with a dot print type printing mechanism include a keyboard for inputting characters having attributes such as upper case, lower case, boldfacing etc., a display unit, and a control unit comprising a character generator and text memory means. The character generator and text memory means store the dot pattern data for the alphanumeric characters. This allows characters input from the keyboard to be printed on a recording medium by the printing means.
In the conventional art, the control unit consists of an index table in which the character codes are stored. The dot pattern data for characters having one or more attributes are stored in the index table. Thus, for example, the upper case characters input from the keyboard will address the upper case dot pattern data stored in the index table. Similarly the lower case characters will address the lower case dot pattern data stored in the index table. Thus a character string consisting of characters having a first attribute arid characters having a second attribute will address the dot pattern data stored in the index table corresponding to the characters having the respective attributes. In other words, a character string consisting of lower case and upper case characters will address both the lower case and upper case dot pattern data stored in the index table. This data is then read out, and transferred to the printing means to produce the output on the recording medium.
In the conventional tape printing device, after a character string consisting of characters having more than one attribute has been input, there may be the need to modify the string such that all of the characters to be output have the same attribute. However, since the input characters address their respective dot pattern data, a change to another attribute requires that the original character be deleted and the new character be input. Thus, for example, if a character string having lower and upper case characters has been input, there may be the need to modify the string such that all of the characters are either upper case or lower case. However, since the input characters address their respective dot pattern data, a change to the opposite ease requires that the original character be deleted and the new character be input.
Also, the original character string must be separately stored in the memory if it is to be used later. Therefore, in the conventional tape printing device, changing a character string consisting of characters having more than one attribute, to a character string having only one attribute is a time consuming and inefficient process.


The present invention provides a method and apparatus for handling a dismissed dialogue box that displays an animation in which the dialogue box moves to an off-screen space beyond the perimeter of a computer display. Based on a later user request to view the dismissed dialogue box, the present invention provides a further animation that brings the off-screen space and the dialogue box into view. Under some embodiments, multiple dismissed dialogue boxes are stored in the off-screen space and the user can manipulate the boxes when viewing the off-screen space. In some embodiments, the off-screen space is brought into view by rotating the space into the user""s current view. In other embodiments, the user""s current view is rotated to show the space.

The present invention relates to computer interfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to computer interfaces that utilize dialogue boxes.
Many computer systems display images produced by different applications within different windows on a computer monitor. Examples of operating systems that generate such windows include Windows 95(copyright), Windows 98(copyright), Windows NT(copyright), and Windows(copyright) 2000 from Microsoft Corporation. In such systems, users are able to interact with multiple applications. For example, a user may have one window open for Word 97 from Microsoft Corporation and a second window open for Excel from Microsoft Corporation.
Each application, and the operating system itself, is able to generate dialogue windows or boxes in which the application or operating system provides error or status information to the user. Such dialogue boxes usually require that the user press the xe2x80x9cENTERxe2x80x9d key on the keyboard or activate a button within the dialogue box in order to dismiss the dialogue box. Typically, dialogue boxes prevent the user from performing any other task on the computer until the dialogue box has been dismissed.
Although dialogue boxes can contain important information, users often dismiss the boxes before they have read or understood the contents of the boxes. Under current systems, once the dialogue box is dismissed, the user has no means to recall the dialogue box to review its contents.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for handling a dismissed dialogue box that displays an animation in which the dialogue box moves to an off-screen space beyond the perimeter of a computer display. Based on a later user request to view the dismissed dialogue box, the present invention provides a further animation that brings the off-screen space and the dialogue box into view. Under some embodiments, multiple dismissed dialogue boxes are stored in the off-screen space and the user can manipulate the boxes when viewing the off-screen space.
In some embodiments, the off-screen space is brought into view by rotating the space into the user""s current view. In other embodiments, the user""s current view is rotated to show the space.

Method and apparatus for handling dismissed dialogue boxes


A method for stripping a supporting plate from a circuit-formed surface of a substrate to which it is bonded with an adhesive by using a plate which has a first penetrating hole formed in a substantially central portion thereof in the thickness direction, a second penetrating hole formed in a peripheral portion thereof in the thickness direction, and a hole for attracting the supporting plate formed between the first penetrating hole and the second penetrating hole in the radial direction of the plate. The method involves supplying a solvent from outside to the first penetrating hole of the plate and to an associated first penetrating hole formed in a substantially central portion of the supporting plate; distributing the solvent from the first penetrating hole of the supporting plate through grooves formed on a surface of the supporting plate in contact with the adhesive and connecting with the first penetrating hole of the supporting plate; dissolving the adhesive with the solvent; and draining the solvent from a second penetrating hole connecting with the grooves and formed in a peripheral portion of the supporting plate and the second penetrating hole formed in the plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a supporting plate which is used when a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is thinned, and also relates to an apparatus and a method for stripping the supporting plate from the semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Background Art
There is a continuing need to make IC cards and cell phones thinner, smaller, and lighter. In order to satisfy this need, semiconductor chips to be incorporated therein must be thin. Although at present the thickness of a wafer which forms a semiconductor chip is 125-150 μm, it is expected that the thickness of a semiconductor wafer must be 25-50 μm for a next generation of chips.
An example of a conventional method for thinning a semiconductor wafer is shown in FIG. 8. Specifically, a protecting tape is attached to a surface (A-surface) of a semiconductor wafer on which a circuit (element) has been formed. The wafer is turned over, and the rear surface (B-surface) of the semiconductor wafer is ground by a grinder to make the wafer thinner. The B surface of the semiconductor wafer which has been thinned is fixed onto a dicing tape retained by a dicing frame, and the protecting tape covering the surface (A-surface) of the semiconductor wafer on which a circuit (element) has been formed is stripped in this state. Next, the wafer is cut into each chip by a dicing device.
The above-mentioned method has been disclosed in Document 1. According to Document 1, the heat-resistant protecting tape is stripped from the thinned semiconductor wafer by using a strong adhesive tape bonded to one end of the protecting tape.
Document 2 has disclosed that a protecting base obtained by immersing a ladder-type silicone oligomer in an aluminum nitride-boron nitride porous sintered material is used instead of a protecting tape, and the protecting base and a semiconductor wafer are bonded by using a thermoplastic film. Document 2 also mentions that they are immersed in pure water at 80° C. for 3 hours before stripping.
Document 3 has disclosed that a protecting base is made of a material having the same thermal expansion coefficient as a semiconductor wafer such as alumina, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, or silicon carbide.
Also, Document 3 has proposed a method in which the protecting base and the semiconductor wafer are bonded by using a thermoplastic resin such as polyimide, the semiconductor wafer is thinned by a grinder, and thereafter stripping is performed by immersing in water, amine, or a mixed solution of water and amine, or by using steam.    [Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-270676    [Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-203821    [Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-77304
In the above-mentioned techniques, since it is difficult for a solvent to enter between the supporting plate (protecting tape) and the semiconductor wafer when the supporting plate (protecting tape) is stripped from the semiconductor wafer, it takes too much time to strip the supporting plate from the semiconductor wafer.
Also, the thermoplastic film bonding the support plate (protecting tape) and the semiconductor wafer often fails to completely dissolve, and tends to be left in a state of sticking to either the support plate or the semiconductor wafer.
If an adhesive is left as described above, cracking or chipping of the semiconductor wafer easily occurs at the time of stripping.
In order to solve the above problem, the present applicant has proposed a supporting plate in which a plurality of penetrating holes are provided in the thickness direction of the supporting plate. FIG. 9 explains a method for stripping this supporting plate.
According to this method, a solvent supplying plate 102 is laid onto the upper surface of a supporting plate 100 via an O-ring 101. Next, a solvent is supplied from a solvent supplying pipe 103 to a space S surrounded by the supporting plate 100, the O-ring 101 and the solvent supplying plate 102. The solvent passes through penetrating holes 104 formed in the supporting plate 100, dissolves and removes an adhesive layer 105.
With the method of using a supporting plate in which a plurality of penetrating holes are provided, it is possible to securely remove an adhesive in a short period of time. However, another problem arises.
As shown in FIG. 10, the solvent leaks from the periphery of the supporting plate to the outside, and the solvent drops onto the dicing tape, which results in a deterioration of the dicing tape in a short period of time.
Further, efficiency of stripping is bad because part of a new solvent supplied to the space S is withdrawn without being utilized.
Furthermore, even if the adhesive is completely dissolved, if a finger or the like is used as a device for stripping the semiconductor wafer from the supporting plate, there is a strong likelihood that the circuit-formed surface of the semiconductor wafer will be damaged.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a supporting plate which makes it possible to easily strip the supporting plate from a substrate in a short period of time after thinning the substrate, and an apparatus and a method for stripping the supporting plate.

Supporting plate, apparatus and method for stripping supporting plate


A radio resource allocation method and a radio network controller. The method includes obtaining transmission rate information of a plurality of links at time points t1, t2, . . . , and tn, overall traffic volume information of the plurality of links in time periods T1, T2, . . . , and Tm, and radio resource use information of each wireless transmission unit (WTU) in the plurality of WTUs, predicting a first transmission rate of a first link at a time point tn+1 in a time period Tm+1 according to the transmission rate information of the plurality of links at t1, t2, . . . , and tn and the overall traffic volume information of the plurality of links in T1, T2, . . . , and Tm, and determining a path that can satisfy a transmission rate requirement of the first link, and allocating a radio resource of the first link.

A wireless technology is applied to a data center network (DCN) and is used to resolve an inherent problem in a wired data center. However, the wireless technology has disadvantages such as rapid attenuation of a high frequency signal and strong interference in a channel rate. Therefore, a related radio resource allocation method is required. A radio resource herein refers to a channel (a frequency) that can be used by an antenna in each direction.
In other approaches, a link establishment method in which a frequency resource is dynamically allocated, a frequency of an idle link is recycled, and a shortest path is found based on an antenna and a frequency usage is proposed. However, according to the method, a link rate requirement cannot be estimated in advance when a radio resource is being allocated, and can be adjusted only after congestion occurs, and the link rate requirement is not considered when a path is being selected or a radio resource is being allocated.

Radio resource allocation method and radio network controller


An electronic starter for a fluorescent lamp comprises a power switch, controlled at its gate by a gate-control circuit and an auxiliary supply circuit that gives the necessary logic supply voltage to the gate-control circuit on a terminal of a capacitor. The gate-control circuit comprises a comparator with two voltage references to measure a duration of preheating of the lamp, the input of this comparator receiving the logic voltage given by the capacitor, the output of the comparator being used to command the closing or the opening of the switch. In one improvement, there is provided a preheating current measurement circuit to detect the optimum current for lighting up the lamp once the necessary preheating time has elapsed.

The present invention relates to an electronic starter circuit for a fluorescent lamp.
Fluorescent light control differs from many electronics applications in that very high reliability is necessary, and low cost is also a very important objective.
The electrical behavior of the fluorescent lamps that contain pressurized gases (such as neon or argon) is similar to that of an avalanche zener diode with a resistance in the gas that becomes very low and negative after the breakdown.
A starter is needed to obtain the breakdown of the gas in the lamp: what has to be done is to prompt a surge voltage at the terminals of the lamp to ionize the gas. Thus it is usual to use an inductor and a device to short circuit the lamp and make the current flow. When the device is opened, the energy stored in the inductor gets converted into a surge voltage that causes the breakdown of the gas.
It is also preferable to preheat the filaments of the lamp in order to carry them to a temperature at which they easily emit electrons.
In practice, the duration of the short circuit is standardized depending on the category of lamp considered. For example, it is about 1.5 seconds for low-pressure fluorescent lamps. Standardization means that a lamp made by a given manufacturer can be used with a starter made by another manufacturer.
One type of commonly used starter is a two-strip starter (with a parallel-connected anti-parasitic capacitor). This low-cost electromechanical device enables a short circuit to be held for the fairly lengthy preheating time needed. (1.5 seconds), and then the opening of the short circuit to break down the gas.
However, the lamp does not always come on. So long as it is not lit (namely so long as the breakdown has not taken place), the two-strip device will continue to cycle. There is then a permanent flicker of the lamp that is particularly bothersome. Furthermore, the two-strip device may be damaged. Finally, the two-strip device opens for any current whatsoever. It may therefore open when the current is almost zero: the energy is then far too small to be efficient. It may also open at a time when the current is excessively high: then the lamp itself may be damaged.
To overcome these drawbacks, it has been sought to use electronic circuits, using in general a triac or a thyristor as a power device and a counter to limit the number of attempts made in order to light up the lamp.
These proposed circuits consume a great deal of current. They require very high capacitance for the capacitor used to hold the logic voltage needed to control the electronic power device (triac) and for the counting throughout the duration of the short circuit.
Furthermore, these circuits must measure the duration of the short circuit in order to then activate the opening of the electronic power device. Now this preheating time is relatively lengthy. It has been seen, in one example, that it had a standardized value of 1.5 seconds (for a low-pressure fluorescent lamp). It is not desirable to use a slow RC circuit to measure a period of such length. In particular, this is because it becomes necessary, in this case, to use a high resistance (of 1 megohm, for example) that reduces immunity to noise (with high input impedance).
It is preferred to use a fairly fast RC circuit followed by a high-capacity counter to measure the desired duration.
However, these electronic circuits consume a great deal of current and, in practice, they require an electrochemical type of high-capacitance capacitor to maintain the logic voltage, i.e. a capacitor with a capacitance of 100 or 1000 microfarads for example. This furthermore makes the circuits more fragile owing to the limited lifetime of these capacitors.
The present application discloses inventions which are intended to overcome these different drawbacks. The inventions relate to an electronic starter of a fluorescent lamp comprising a power switch parallel-connected with the lamp and supplied at high voltage, a gate-control circuit of said switch comprising a circuit for the measurement of a determined preheating time, and a auxiliary supply circuit parallel-connected with said switch and comprising a capacitor to give a logic supply voltage to the gate-control circuit on a terminal of said capacitor.
According to the invention, the preheating time measurement circuit comprises a comparator with two voltage references, a first voltage reference greater than a second voltage reference, the comparator having one input connected to the terminal of the capacitor and one output connected to a logic circuit to switch the first voltage reference over to the comparator when the high voltage is turned on, and so that:
upon the detection of an input voltage corresponding to the first voltage reference, it will deliver a start-of-preheating detection signal to activate the closing of the power switch and switch the second voltage reference over to the comparator, PA0 upon the detection of an input voltage corresponding to the second voltage reference, it will deliver an end-of-preheating detection signal to activate the opening of the power switch.
Advantageously, the gate-control circuit furthermore comprises a preheating current measurement circuit to deliver a signal to activate the opening of the switch after reception of the end-of-preheating detection signal, upon the detection of an optimum preheating current in the lamp.
According to another characteristic of the invention, to reduce the consumption current during the measurement of the preheating time, the gate-control circuit comprises a gate circuit that is placed between the logic supply voltage and the current measurement circuit and controlled by the logic circuit to turn the current measurement circuit off upon detection of the first voltage reference and turn it on upon detection of the second voltage reference.

Electronic starter circuit for fluorescent lamp


A series of laser pulse bundles or bursts are used for micromachining target structures. Each burst includes short laser pulses with temporal pulse widths that are less than approximately 1 nanosecond. A laser micromachining method includes generating a burst of laser pulses and adjusting an envelope of the burst of laser pulses for processing target locations. The method includes adjusting the burst envelope by selectively adjusting one or more first laser pulses within the burst to a first amplitude based on processing characteristics of a first feature at a target location, and selectively adjusting one or more second laser pulses within the burst to a second amplitude based on processing characteristics of a second feature at the target location. The method further includes directing the amplitude adjusted burst of laser pulses to the target location.

Laser micromachining processes include, for example, semiconductor memory link processing, material trimming, wafer/panel scribing, wafer/panel dicing, and via drilling. Generally, laser micromachining may use laser pulses having wavelengths of, for example, 1.3 μm, 1.064 μm, 1.053 μm, or 1.047 μm, and their harmonics, and pulse widths in a nanosecond range (e.g., between a few nanoseconds and approximately 200 nanoseconds), depending on the particular materials and target structure to be processed, the laser sources used, and the pulse repetition rates used. Laser micromachining processes such as wafer dicing, for example, may use mode-locked laser pulses with pulse widths that are less than approximately 1 nanosecond and pulse repetition rates that are between a few Hz and approximately 300 kHz or higher.
After manufacture of a semiconductor memory array chip is complete, integrated circuit (IC) patterns on an exposed surface of the chip are generally sealed with an electrically insulating layer of passivating material. Typical passivating materials include resins or thermoplastic polymers such as, for example, polyimide, SiO2, or SiN. The purpose of this final "passivation" layer is to prevent the surface of the chip from reacting chemically with ambient moisture, to protect the surface from environmental particulates, and to absorb mechanical stress. Following passivation, the chip is mounted in an electronic package embedded with metal interconnects that allow probing and functional testing of the memory cells. When one of many memory cells is determined to be faulty, the cell is disabled by severing the conductive interconnects, or wires, linking that cell to its neighbors in the array. Wires to one of a plurality of "redundant" memory cells may also be severed to activate the redundant memory cell for replacement of the faulty cell. Disabling and/or activating individual memory cells by "link processing" or "link blowing" is accomplished by laser micromachining equipment that is capable of directing laser beam energy so as to selectively remove the link material in a highly localized region without imparting damage to the materials adjacent to, below, or above the target. Selectively processing a designated link may be achieved by varying the laser beam wavelength, spot size, pulse repetition rate, pulse shape, or other spatial or temporal beam parameters that influence the interaction of the target with the delivered laser energy.
Laser micromachining processes that entail post-processing of electrically conductive links in memory arrays or other types of IC chips use sharp pulses with a fast rising front edge (e.g., with a 0.1 to 10 nanosecond rise time) to achieve desired quality, yield, and reliability. To cleanly sever a link, the laser pulse penetrates the overlying passivation layer before cutting through the metal interconnect. The rising edge of a typical pulse from an existing solid-state laser varies with pulse width. Use of a traditional Gaussian-shaped laser pulse having a 5-20 nanosecond pulse width and a sloped, gradually rising front edge in link processing tends to cause an "over crater" in the passivation layer, especially if its thickness is too large or is uneven. Over cratering reduces the reliability of IC chips.
Rupture behavior of overlying passivation layers has been well analyzed by Yunlong Sun in his PhD dissertation entitled, "Laser processing optimization of semiconductor based devices" (Oregon Graduate Institute, 1997). Because passivation layer thickness is an important parameter, the optimal thickness of a particular passivation layer material may be determined by simulations based on Sun's analysis. Difficulty in maintaining wafer-level process control of the passivation layer during IC fabrication may result in non-optimal thickness and poor cross-wafer or wafer-to-wafer thickness uniformity. Therefore, optimizing characteristics of laser pulses used in post-processing may help to compensate for mis-targeted dimensions and sources of variation in the passivation layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,471 of Smart proposes using substantially square-shaped laser pulses for link processing. Such a sharp-edged pulse may be generated by coupling a master oscillator laser with a fiber amplifier (MOPA). This low power master oscillator employs a diode laser that is capable of generating a square-shaped pulse with a fast rise time. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 7,348,516 of Yunlong Sun et al., which patent is assigned to the assignee of this patent application, states that, despite a vertical rising edge, a substantially square-shaped laser pulse is not the best laser pulse shape for link processing. Instead, Sun, et al. describes use of a specially tailored laser pulse shape that, in one embodiment, resembles a chair, with a fast rising peak or multiple peaks to most effectively process links, followed by a drop-off in signal strength that remains relatively flat at a lower power level before shutting off. Such a tailored laser pulse, with high peak power but low average power, has been successfully generated by what is called pulse slicing technology, which can be implemented by either electro-optical modulation (EOM) or acousto-optical modulation (AOM). For example, a conventional active Q-switched solid-state laser provides nanosecond seed pulses with high intensity and high pulse energy, and then a light-loop slicing device transforms a standard laser pulse into a desired tailored pulse shape.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/057,264, of Xiaoyuan Peng et al., which application is assigned to the assignee of the present patent application, teaches a light-loop slicing scheme implemented, for example, in an ultraviolet (UV) laser system for semiconductor link processing. Alternatively, a specially tailored laser pulse may be generated by a MOPA (Master Oscillator, Power Amplifier) that employs a gain fiber as the power amplifier. Using a MOPA is advantageous in that it constitutes a stable signal source at a specified constant frequency.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0159138 of Pascal Deladurantaye describes a shaped-pulse laser in which two modulators shape a continuous wave (CW) light beam to generate various shaped pulses. However, generating a pulsed laser from a CW light beam is fairly inefficient, and thus requires more amplification. Because such a low peak-power signal may be influenced by noise, which causes pulse-to-pulse instability, the two modulators are preferably synchronized to maintain pulse stability and energy stability, thereby adding further complexity and cost.
The above systems and methods generally use laser pulses with pulse widths in the nanosecond range. However, laser pulses with pulse widths in the nanosecond range have disadvantages. As has been discussed in detail by Yunlong Sun, "Laser Processing Optimization for Semiconductor Based Devices" (unpublished doctoral thesis, Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, 1997), conventional laser link processing with nanosecond pulse width may rely on heating, melting, and evaporating the link, and creating a mechanical stress build-up to explosively open the overlying passivation layer with a single laser pulse. Such a conventional link processing laser pulse creates a large heat affected zone (HAZ) that could deteriorate the quality of the device that includes the severed link. For example, when the link is relatively thick or the link material is too reflective to absorb an adequate amount of the laser pulse energy, more energy per laser pulse is used to sever the link. Increased laser pulse energy increases the damage risk to the IC chip, including irregular or over sized opening in the overlying passivation layer, cracking in the underlying passivation layer, damage to the neighboring link structure and damage to the silicon (Si) substrate. However, using laser pulse energy within a risk-free range on thick links often results in incomplete link severing.
Thus, investigations have been performed for using ultrafast lasers (either picosecond or femtosecond lasers) to process semiconductor materials such as links in IC chips. However, the high peak power of a single ultrafast pulse may easily damage the underlying Si substrate, which is unacceptable in many applications. One solution to the problem of high peak power substrate damage caused by ultrafast lasers is to use a burst or train of ultrafast pulses with smaller peak powers. A pulse train with low peak intensity also has the effect of producing a smaller effective spot size in the material. A problem with using a train of ultrafast pulses is that many commercially available ultrafast lasers that use a pulse picker have pulse repetition rates in the 1 kHz to 200 kHz range. Without the pulse picker, a mode-locked laser runs at a fixed repetition rate that is typically in the tens of megahertz range. Such a repetition rate may be difficult to be directly applied to links because stage movement, typically approximately 400 mm/s, is too slow to move the "next" laser pulse to the "next" link within the laser pulse interval time of a few tens of nanoseconds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,250 issued to Yunlong Sun et al., which patent is assigned to the assignee of the present patent application, uses bursts of ultrashort laser pulses to sever conductive links. The pulse width of each laser pulse within a burst may be between 25 picoseconds and 100 femtoseconds. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0199927, of Bo Gu et al., uses a laser with at least one pulse having a pulse duration in a range between approximately 10 picoseconds and less than approximately 1 nanosecond. Achim Nebel et al. from Lumera Laser GmbH have demonstrated a passively mode-locked laser that uses digital timing control to generate sequences or groups of pulses. See, "Generation of Tailored Picosecond-Pulse-Trains for Micro-Machining," Photonics West 2006, LASE Conference: Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers VI Paper No. 6108-37. The system taught by Achim Nebel et al. is based on a "double-switch" scheme generated by high-voltage electro-optical (EO) pulse-picker that drives a voltage passing a half wave of a Pockels cell and generates two HV pulses in one cycle. The delay time between groups of pulses is changeable.

Laser micromachining with tailored bursts of short laser pulses


In a press-in type terminal member for a single core cable, a temporary holding space is formed between contact arms and above a conductor press-in slot, to temporarily hold the cable before press-in operation. The terminal member may have an outward projection which forms another temporary holding space in cooperation with an adjacent terminal member, to hold another cable for a second row of terminals which is staggered from the first row of terminals.

The invention relates to an electric contact terminal member having at least one pair of contact arms which forms a conductor press-in slot therebetween for a single core cable.
When a connector has many conductor press-in type contact terminal members, each specific cable must be pressed in each conductor press-in slot of a specific terminal member. Thus the operation is tedious and time consuming. To press-in some of the cables, a special jig must be prepared to arrange and temporarily hold necessary cables. In this case, the jig must be removed from the completed connector, and when the holding of the jig is stable, the removing operation is not easy. Unstable cables tend to drop off or cause positioning errors.