A system and method for the automatic remote activation of the cellular telephone with the carrier, includes a central processing unit containing and operating in accord with a control program. The central processing unit has, in a memory, a plurality of hardware and firmware drivers having, respectively, the operating circuitry and commands necessary for controlling a selected cellular telephone. The control program operates to select a desired one pair of hardware and firmware drivers for activation programming of the cellular telephone. An input device is connected to the central processing unit, for manually entering data thereinto. A cable connects the central processing unit to the Input/Output data interface bus port of the cellular telephone unit for transferring data therebetween. A modem connects the central processing unit with the authorizing computer of the selected carrier for transferring data therebetween. The control program is adapted to transfer data received manually from the input device and from the cellular telephone to the authorizing computer of the selected carrier, and for receiving data from the authorizing computer of the selected carrier and transferring the received data to the cellular telephone in accord with the selected pair of hardware and firmware drivers for activation programming of the cellular telephone.

1. General and Particular Scope of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a data transmission system and a method which can be used to interface a cellular telephone with the activation computer of a selected carrier for the programming of a cellular telephone for activation on a carrier.
2. Known Prior Art
Cellular telephone use in the United States has dramatically increased over the past few years. When cellular telephones were first introduced in 1983, they were mainly large, vehicle installed units. The units were sold through specialty dealers and small shops specializing in the installation and activation of cellular telephones.
In recent years, the size of the cellular telephone units have shrunk, and portable and handheld units have become commonplace. Mass retailers have replaced the specialty dealers and the former distribution and installation systems. The mass retailer concentrates on selling the consumer a cellular telephone and prefers to spend less time installing or "activating" the purchased cellular telephones, as their time can be spent elsewhere at a greater profit.
Currently, the activation process of a cellular telephone occurs as follows: The cellular telephone unit arrives at the retailer's store from the factory without the information necessary for its activation, since the cellular telephone units are being sold in areas serviced local carriers having different and sometimes conflicting activation requirements. One such area and carrier specific requirement is generally a telephone number (Mobile Identification Number MIN) installed in the memory of the cellular telephone which is assigned by a local telephone carrier company and must be programmed after purchase and authorization by the local carrier into the cellular telephone in order to activate it.
The local carrier also requires some information from the cellular telephone unit itself that identifies the particular cellular unit to the local carrier's equipment in order to effect the right service (protocol selection specific to the manufacturer of the cellular unit) and correct billing (call cost accounting).
The complete process of exchanging this required information that will enable the cellular telephone to operate with its selected local carrier is called activation.
Currently activation is a long process starting with a sale of the cellular telephone by the retailer. The buyer then fills out an application for service on a form supplied by the selected local carrier. The application requests, in addition to identifying subscriber (buyer) information, some information about the particular cellular telephone for the local carrier's information, e.g., the manufacturer of the particular unit, its required protocol, its electronic serial number (ESN). Once the application is completed, the retailer then sends the application to the selected local carrier where it is reviewed for credit worthiness. If approved, the cellular telephone information is entered into the local carrier's equipment and the carrier issues the MIN that works in conjunction with the particular cellular telephone to identify and grant access to the local carrier's system. The carrier then notifies the retailer of the assigned MIN. Now it is the responsibility of the retailer to "program" the MIN and any other necessary information into the cellular telephone unit to complete the activation process.
In a majority of the cases, this final programming of the cellular telephone unit is manually done by the retailer's technician or even sales clerk, with the aid of a manual through the dial key pad of the cellular telephone. A correct sequence of numbers and codes must be entered in order to program the cellular telephone. A small mistake can cause a failure of service, render the cellular unit inoperable or even damage it. In spite of the need for accuracy and knowledge in performing this activation process, many of the individuals charged with performing this activation are either untrained or unfamiliar with the proper process due to either lack of interest or the need to continue selling on commission and not engage in such unproductive work. Currently, approximately 30% of the post-sale activation programming fails, causing the consumer to return to the place of purchase for reprogramming with not only unit down-time, but the inconvenience of having to return and spend time while the unit is once again programmed.
The present invention not only greatly reduces the time required for programming or for activation, but it insures a correct exchange of activation programming information by automating the process, thus eliminating programming errors.
Most cellular telephones have an Input/Output data interface port or bus for accessing their central processing units. The central processing unit of the cellular telephone processes all the information contained in the various parts of the cellular telephone and directs them to different destinations as required for the operation of the cellular telephone. The communication is done according to a certain proprietary "protocol." Knowing this protocol and using a separate central processing unit, one can read information stored in the cellular telephone and store other information as needed.
This invention includes a central processing unit having a read only memory and a random access memory containing and operating in accord with a data program. A bus connector and other components
The novel features of construction and operation of the invention will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device of the invention and wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the drawings.

System and method for automatic activation of cellular telephones


A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a semiconductor fin connected to the substrate, an epitaxial layer disposed over the semiconductor fin, and a silicide feature over and in contact with the epitaxial layer. The epitaxial layer including silicon germanium (SiGe) and further includes gallium (Ga) in an upper portion of the epitaxial layer that is in contact with the silicide feature.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs. Such scaling down has also increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advancements to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed.
For example, when the scaling down continues beyond 32 nm or smaller, source/drain (S/D) contact resistance becomes more and more dominant in overall transistor resistance. Methods and structures for reducing S/D contact resistance are highly desired.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for forming source/drain contacts

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


An optical module capable of connecting signal lines to an external substrate easily without causing any degradation of the transmission characteristic is disclosed. The optical module comprises an optical element mounting block having an optical element mounting section and an optical fiber guide, and a wiring lead integrated resin substrate having a ferrule holding section, an optical element mounting block housing section, and wiring leads, where at least a part of the wiring leads are provided by signal lines in a coplanar guide structure entirely formed on the wiring lead integrated resin substrate such that a characteristic impedance does not change when the wiring leads are electrically connected to external wirings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical module to be used in fields of optical communications and optical information processing, for example, and more particularly, to an optical module for converting optical/electric signals into electric/optical signals by optically connecting an optical element having electric wirings with an optical fiber held by a ferrule and having a tip end portion without jacketing layers that is projecting from the ferrule.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, in conjunction with a drastic increase in the amount of data communications, there is an increasing demand for a photo-detecting or light-emitting optical module for handling high speed optical signals with the optical signal speed of over Gbit/sec (Gbps), for example, and its realization at a cheaper cost. In view of this demand, there are many reports of a method for realizing an optical axis alignment of an optical element and an optical fiber by a mechanical positioning alone (the passive alignment method) by providing a V-groove on a silicon substrate. There are also reports of a technique for molding this optical element mounted silicon substrate together with lead frames.
In the conventional passive alignment method, in the case of processing high speed signals with the optical signal speed over 10 Gbps, it is known that the use of materials having a lower dielectric constant than silicon is advantageous because of the decrease of the parasitic capacity. However, this in turn requires signal line wirings with very minute intervals so that there is a problem that it becomes difficult to manufacture a mold package using lead frames which is advantageous for realization of low cost.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a structure of a conventional optical module. This optical module is a photo-detecting optical module using an ordinary resin package with metallic lead frames, which is manufactured by mounting a photo-diode having an equivalent frequency characteristic as that of a photo-detecting optical module of the present invention shown in FIG. 7 to be described below and a pre-amplifier IC on a package made of a uniform resin material and having a shape in which metallic leads are independently projected into the lateral directions. Namely, in this conventional optical module, a frame 92 is attached on a plastic substrate 91 to enclose its surrounding, and a quartz glass V-groove substrate 93 is provided at an approximate center of the plastic substrate 91 inside this frame 92. A photo-diode 11 is implemented on this quartz glass V-groove substrate 93, and this photo-diode 11 and an optical fiber 5 are optically connected as a tip end portion 5a without jacketing layers of the optical fiber 5 abuts against this photo-diode 11.
The optical fiber 5 is fixed by being set in a V-groove 93a that is formed on the quartz glass V-groove substrate 93 along the optical fiber 5 underneath the optical fiber 5, and a portion projecting out from the quartz glass V-groove substrate 93 is held by a ferrule 7, where this ferrule 7 is fixedly held at a notch section 92a formed on the frame 92.
Also, a pre-amplifier IC 9 is provided adjacent to one end of the quartz glass V-groove substrate 93 on the plastic substrate 91, and this pre-amplifier IC 9 is electrically connected to the photo-diode 11 by bonding wires.
In addition, metallic lead frames 94 for pre-amplifier IC and metallic lead frames 95 for signals are provided on the plastic substrate 91, and one ends of these metallic lead frames 94 and 95 are electrically connected to the pre-amplifier IC 9 by bonding wires while the other ends are projected outside the plastic substrate 91.
In order to evaluate a receiving bandwidth of the conventional optical module in the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, this optical module was mounted on a glass epoxy frequency characteristic evaluation substrate 51 on which a plurality of electrode pads 52, signal lines 53 in a coplanar guide structure, and an SMA type high frequency connector 54 are formed, and they were electrically connected. Then, the receiving characteristic of the conventional optical module shown in FIG. 1 was evaluated in this connection configuration, to obtain the receiving bandwidth measurement result as shown in FIG. 3.
As can be seen in the receiving bandwidth evaluation result shown in FIG. 3, for this conventional optical module, large ripples which are probably caused by electrical reflections were appearing, and a large degradation of the frequency characteristic was observed. In this type of optical module, a characteristic impedance changes at a portion where the signal transmission leads are projected from inside the package to outside, so that the electrical reflections or resonances can occur easily and these electrical reflections or resonances can cause the degradation of the high frequency characteristic. In practice, an effort to prevent the degradation of the high frequency characteristic is made by cutting the signal line leads short and carefully implementing the optical module such that no gap is formed between a package of the optical module and the glass epoxy frequency characteristic evaluation substrate 51.
However, the wiring pattern of the glass epoxy frequency characteristic evaluation substrate 51 is usually formed at approximately 1 mm inner side of the edge as indicated by xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d in FIG. 2, so that this gap of 1 mm remains as a cause of the electrical reflections. For this reason, the large ripples that are probably caused by the electrical reflections were appearing and the large degradation of the frequency characteristic was observed as shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 4 shows the conventional optical module of FIG. 1 implemented on an optical signal received waveform evaluation substrate which is manufactured by mounting a main amplifier IC 82 on a glass epoxy substrate 81 similar to the glass epoxy frequency characteristic evaluation substrate 51 of FIG. 2, in order to carry out the 10 Gbps optical signal received waveform evaluation with respect to a photo-detecting optical module using a resin package with metallic lead frames in a form of the conventional optical module of FIG. 1. Note that the main amplifier IC 82 is an amplifier having an automatic gain control (AGC) function of the operation frequency bandwidth approximately equal to 10 GHz, which outputs signals having a constant amplitude by uniformly amplifying the received signals as amplified by the pre-amplifier IC 9 used in the conventional optical module of FIG. 1. Using such an optical signal received waveform evaluation substrate, it is possible to output electric signals suitable for the bit error rate characteristic evaluation that is often used for the received waveform observation and the transmission characteristic evaluation.
FIG. 5 shows the evaluation result for the conventional optical module of FIG. 1 obtained by using the optical signal received waveform evaluation substrate of FIG. 4. In this evaluation, the received waveform outputted from the main amplifier IC 82 at a time of receiving optical signals modulated by 10 Gbps pseudo-random pattern (NRZ223xe2x88x921) with an average power of xe2x88x9210 dBm was observed using a wide bandwidth oscilloscope having a bandwidth of 20 GHz. FIG. 5 shows the observed waveform, which is a largely degraded waveform compared with the correct eye pattern. Also, when the bit error rate characteristic was evaluated in a vicinity of the average power of xe2x88x9210 dBm using the optical signal received waveform evaluation substrate of FIG. 4, it was impossible to realize a completely error free operation without any code recognition error.
Thus the conventional optical module package is associated with a problem that the implementation to connect signal line leads to an external substrate requires considerable cares in order to transmit the high speed signals with the optical signal speed over 10 Gbps to the external substrate without causing any degradation.
Also, the conventional optical module has a problem the characteristic impedance changes at a portion where the signal transmission leads are projected from inside the packet to outside, so that the electrical reflections or resonances can occur easily to cause the degradation of the high frequency characteristic, as can be seen from the received bandwidth evaluation result described above.
Also, the conventional optical module has a problem that it is impossible to realize a completely error free operation without any code recognition error as can be seen from the bit error rate characteristic evaluation in the optical signal received waveform evaluation described above.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an optical module capable of connecting signal lines to an external substrate easily without causing any degradation of the transmission characteristic, and an optical module on which very minute wiring pattern can be realized.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an optical module for converting optical/electric signals into electric/optical signals by optically connecting an optical element having electric wirings with an optical fiber held by a ferrule and having a tip end portion without jacketing layers that is projecting from the ferrule, the optical module comprising: an optical element mounting block having an optical element mounting section for mounting the optical element, and an optical fiber guide for guiding the optical fiber to align optical axes of the optical fiber and the optical element, such that the optical fiber is optically connected with the optical element while maintaining a state in which optical axes of the optical fiber and the optical element are aligned; and a wiring lead integrated resin substrate having a ferrule holding section for holding the ferrule, an optical element mounting block housing section for housing the optical element mounting block, and wiring leads to which the optical element is electrically wired; wherein at least a part of the wiring leads are provided by signal lines in a coplanar guide structure entirely formed on the wiring lead integrated resin substrate such that a characteristic impedance does not change when the wiring leads are electrically connected to external wirings.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Optical module using wiring lead integrated resin substrate

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


The present invention relates to a method and related apparatus useful to electrodialytically convert salt to acid and/or base of improved purity. The apparatus comprises an electrodialytic water splitting apparatus comprised of at least one unit cell. Each cell comprises at least two means for splitting water. An intermediate compartment is between the two adjacent means for splitting water. At least one ion selective means is adjacent to at least one of the means for splitting water. An acid or base product compartment is between the ion selective means and the means for splitting water. There is an aqueous salt feed compartment, the ion selective means being between the salt feed compartment and the water splitting means.

Electrodialysis uses direct current as a means to cause the movement of ions in solutions. Electrodialysis processes are well known in the art and are typically carried out in a stack arrangement comprising a plurality of flat sheet membranes. The stack consists of electrodes (anode and cathode) at either end and a series of membranes and gaskets which are open in the middle to form a multiplicity of compartments separated by the membranes. Usually, a separate solution is supplied to the compartments containing the electrodes. Special membranes may be placed next to the electrode containing compartments in order to prevent mixing of the process streams with the electrode streams. The majority of the stack between the electrode compartments comprises a repeating series of units of different membranes with solution compartments between adjacent membranes. This repeating unit is called the unit cell, or simply, a cell. Solution is typically supplied to the compartments by internal manifolds formed as part of the gaskets or by a combination of internal and external manifolds. The stacks can include more than one type of unit cell. Streams may be fed from one stack to another in order to optimize process efficiency. Usually the change in composition of a stream after one pass through the stack is relatively small and the solutions can be recycled by being pumped to and from recycle tanks. Addition of fresh solution to and withdrawal of product from the recycle loop can be made either continuously or periodically in order to control the concentration of products in a desired range.
Treatment of aqueous salt streams by electrodialysis to form acid and/or base from the salt is known. The aqueous salt stream is fed to an electrodialytic water splitting apparatus which comprises an electrodialysis stack and a means for electrodialytically splitting water. The electrodialytic splitting of water is distinct from electrolytic water splitting. The former process only separates the H.sup.+ and OH.sup.- ions of the water molecule while the latter process which occurs at the surface of electrodes is accompanied by other reactions involving oxidation and reduction. A useful apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,281. A useful means to split water to (H.sup.+) and (OH.sup.-) is a bipolar membrane such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,161. The bipolar membrane is comprised of anion selective and cation selective layers of ion exchange material In order for the membrane to function as a water splitter, the layers must be arranged so that the anion layer of each membrane is closer to the anode than the cation layer. A direct current passed through the membrane in this configuration will cause water splitting with hydroxyl ions being produced on the anode side and a corresponding number of hydrogen ions being produced on the cathode side of the membrane.
Electrodialytic water-splitting in a two-compartment cell has been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,680 relating to the generation of strongly acidified sodium chloride and aqueous sodium hydroxide from aqueous sodium chloride U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,141 discloses a multi-chamber two-compartment electrodialytic water splitter and a method for using the same for basification of aqueous soluble salts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,269 disclose a multi-chamber two-compartment electrodialytic water splitter and a method for using the same for acidification of aqueous soluble salts. These two patents review the use of two-compartment electrodialytic water splitters to treat salts.
Three-compartment electrodialytic water splitters are disclosed to be comprised of alternating bipolar, anion and cation-exchange membranes thereby forming alternating acid, salt and base compartments (S/B). U.S. Ser. No. 135,562 discloses three-compartment electrodialytic water splitters. U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,281 discloses the recovery of acids from materials comprising acid and salt using an electrodialysis apparatus to concentrate the acid followed by the use of an electrodialytic three-compartment water splitter to separate the acid from the salt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,219 discloses a three-compartment electrodialysis cell in which there is a special ion-exchange membrane to form an acid and alkali at high acid concentrations at a high current efficiency. The electrodialysis cell consists of two types of bipolar membranes and an anion exchange membrane. One bipolar membrane is a high cation-exchange group bipolar membrane and the second is a neutral bipolar membrane The equivalent ratio of anion exchange group to cation-exchange group in the high cation-exchange membrane is from 0.01 to 0.05 and preferably from 0.05 to 0.3. The second bipolar membrane is a neutral bipolar membrane having an equivalent ratio of anion exchange group to cation-exchange group of from 0.6:1 to 1.0:0.6, preferably from 0.9:1 to 1:0.9. The high cation bipolar membrane is disclosed to be used in place of a cation membrane. The high cation bipolar membrane functions to permit the cations to migrate upon application of a direct current to the cell. The high cation bipolar membrane is not disclosed to electrodialytically split water. Water is split at the neutral bipolar membrane.
The purity of the acids and bases produced from salts by water-splitting is sometimes inadequate. A major source of contamination of the acid and base results of the transport of anions from the acid to the base and cations from the base to the acid. These processes are described in Sirkar et al., Editors, New Membrane Materials and Processes for Separation; Chlanda et al., Water Splitting Efficiency of Bipolar Membranes, AIChE Symposium Series 1988 and the presentation of T. A. Davis, "Coion Transport in Bipolar Membranes", American Chemical Society, 1986 Southwest Regional Meeting, Nov. 20, 1986. The problem becomes even more severe when weakly ionized acids and bases are being produced. These transport processes which result in contamination of the acid and/or base are illustrated in FIG. 1.
Means to purify acids and bases by the use of bipolar membranes have been described in U.S. application Ser. No. 278,062, filed Dec. 1, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,838. These processes are general to acids and bases obtained from any sources, including the water-splitting operation.

Apparatus and method for electrodialytic treatment of salts to produce acid and/or base of improved purity


A method of and system for incorporating a source code change made in a first branch of a source code configuration into a second branch of the source code configuration is carried out by detecting that the change was made to the first branch, identifying the second branch as a branch of the source code configuration that does not include the change, automatically incorporating the change into the second branch, determining if the automatic incorporation of the change was successful, and notifying an individual if the automatic incorporation was unsuccessful such that manual incorporation may be performed.

Complex software codes generally go through a validation and deployment process before they are finally released. During this process, there may be instances when a released, or soon-to-be released version of the software code requires last minute changes. As there may be multiple groups and developers working on the code, these changes may be made in different versions of the software code. For example, a developer may make a change to a version of the code undergoing deployment. However, unless this change is incorporated back to a master version, future versions of the code may not include this change. Furthermore, any versions of the code that were branched off of the master before the change is incorporated may also not include the change. This can cause problems and inconsistencies between the different versions of the code.
Traditionally, keeping track of changes that need to be incorporated to various branches of the software code has been done manually by one or more administrators or project managers. Alternatively, a developer who makes a change may have been designated as being responsible for ensuring the change is incorporated into all relevant branches. This is a cumbersome and inefficient process as many last-minute changes may be made to various versions of a software code. Moreover, the process is error-prone as it relies on one or more individuals to keep track of all required changes.
Hence, there is a need for an improved method and system for incorporating software code changes into proper software branches.

Mechanism for automatically incorporating software code changes into proper channels


A method performed in a client device for setting up a connection with a server device is disclosed. The client device and the server device support a Light Weight Machine to Machine, LWM2M protocol. The method comprises setting up one of a Datagram Transport Layer Security, DTLS, and a Transport Layer Security, TLS, connection with a bootstrap server; performing a bootstrapping procedure with the bootstrap server; receiving, from the bootstrap server, a session ticket and a session key; and setting up the connection to the server device as one of a DTLS and TLS session resumption procedure using the received session ticket and session key. A method in a bootstrap server is also provided, and client device, bootstrap server, computer programs and computer program products are also disclosed.

Machine to machine (M2M) is a concept encompassing devices, such as for instance sensors and so-called smart devices, using a network for communicating with remote applications of e.g. a server of Internet. Such communication may for instance be for the purpose of monitoring and control. Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of objects ("things") with network connectivity, and M2M may be considered an integral part of IoT. Together M2M/IoT covers a huge set of devices that communicate with each other directly and across networks based on various communication or access media, using short range technologies (e.g. Bluetooth or WiFi) as well as long range technologies (e.g. radio access such as 3G or 4G).
LightweightM2M (LWM2M) is a new standard from the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) that is focused on constrained cellular devices and other M2M devices. The standard defines an efficient device-server interface based on open Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards, i.e. Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS). The LWM2M enabler includes device management and service enablement for LWM2M devices, and uses a light and compact protocol as well as an efficient resource data model to fit on constrained LWM2M devices.
When a new LWM2M client requests to register to the network, a DTLS connection may be established between the LWM2M client and the bootstrap server, after which a bootstrapping procedure is performed. In the bootstrapping procedure the LWM2M client is configured with required parameters such as security credentials, e.g. private keys, certificates or pre-shared key. Next, the LWM2M client establishes a DTLS connection with the LWM2M server and is then registered to the network and ready to e.g. report measurement values.
LWM2M clients typically have limited processing and storage capabilities and also a limited or very limited power source. The power consumption of the LWM2M client is hence an issue and needs to be considered so as to keep the device functional as long as possible without maintenance. In view of this, there is a need to make the LWM2M client registration to the network as efficient as possible.

Method for setting up a secure connection between LWM2M devices


A vascular occlusion device includes a braided filament mesh structure defining a longitudinal axis. The mesh structure has a relaxed configuration in which it has an axial array of radially-extending occlusion regions, each of which has a proximal side and a distal side meeting at a peripheral edge, the sides of each occlusion region forming a first angle relative to the longitudinal axis. Each occlusion region is axially separated from the adjacent occlusion region by a reduced-diameter connecting region. The mesh structure is radially compressible to a compressed state in which it is deployed intravascularly to a target site through a catheter. Upon deployment, the device radially expands to a constrained configuration in which the peripheral edges of the occlusion regions engage the vascular wall, and the sides of the occlusion regions form a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis that is smaller than the first angle.

This disclosure relates to devices for closing a passageway in a body. The passageway may be a natural defect, one having occurred due to disease or trauma, or a healthy, but undesirable passageway. The subject matter of this disclosure includes methods for closing an opening in tissue, a body lumen, blood vessel, a hollow organ, or other body cavity. The disclosure also relates to occlusion devices and methods for minimally invasive implantation, in particular, percutaneous implantation, of expandable braided occlusion devices for closing passageways in the cardiovascular system.
The cardiovascular system is part of the larger circulatory system, which circulates fluids throughout the body. The circulatory system includes both the cardiovascular system and the lymphatic system. The cardiovascular system moves blood throughout the body, and the lymphatic system moves lymph, which is a clear fluid that is similar to the plasma in blood. The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries). It delivers oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and carries waste products to the organs responsible for elimination. The arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body, and the veins carry blood back to the heart.
Initially open, and subsequently minimally invasive, surgical procedures were used to occlude vessels and lumens, particularly when symptoms were significant and drug therapy inadequate. These techniques, although often successful, were hampered by less than desirable morbidity and mortality rates, and many patients were excluded due to the severity and risks associated with these procedures. In clinical practice today, occlusion devices are generally delivered, in a collapsed state, percutaneously with a catheter through leg or arm vessels to the target vascular site or defect under fluoroscopic or ultrasonic guidance. Upon placement at the target site, the devices are allowed to expand, in situ, to an expanded state for implantation. Reduced morbidity and mortality risks have been observed using these percutaneously-delivered occlusion devices. Nevertheless, these devices may still suffer from potential drawbacks, including navigation difficulty through the catheter when collapsed, maintenance of device delivery flexibility sufficient to reliably navigate blood vessels through small diameter introducers, insufficient sealing of the vessel or defect, inadequate fixation of the device, subsequent reopening of initially occluded vessels, and inadequate provision for natural tissue ingrowth and healing following implantation. These drawbacks and others provide the impetus for the subject matter of this disclosure.


Neutron absorbing glass compositions comprise SiO.sub.2, .sup.6 Li.sub.2 O and optionally Al.sub.2 O.sub.3. The compositions may further include PbO. The compositions provide neutron absorption without release of gamma rays.

Materials which strongly absorb low energy thermal neutrons are used in various applications, for example, for general radiological shielding, as shielding for neutron detectors, for shielding components of an instrument from neutrons, and to define the collimation of a neutron beam. Boron-containing compounds, gadolinium-containing compounds and cadmium-containing compounds are often used for thermal neutron shielding. However, many of these materials are disadvantageous in that energy which is generated in the materials from the thermal neutron absorption is released from the materials in the form of gamma rays. Thus, additional shielding may be required to reduce the gamma-ray radiation field.
Lithium-6 (.sup.6 Li) containing materials have also been used in thermal neutron absorbing applications. These materials are advantageous because the excess energy which is generated by the thermal neutron capture results, not in gamma radiation, but in charged particles which generally exhibit no radiological problems. Generally lithium-6 shielding material contains the lithium-6 in the form of either lithium metal or lithium carbonate. However, these materials require encapsulation of the lithium-6, thus restricting use of the material in many applications.
German reference No. DE 3,635,834 discloses radiation shielding glasses comprising cerium-doped alkali metal lead silicate materials. The compositions may contain .sup.6 Li for absorption of neutrons. German reference No. 1,301,449 discloses neutron-absorbing glass materials containing B.sub.2 O.sub.3, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, CaO and Li.sub.2 O. This reference also discloses that the Li.sub.2 O may consist of an oxide enriched with .sup.6 Li.sub.2 O. The Reade U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,199 and the Tiede U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,714 disclose alumina silicate glass compositions further containing an alkali metal oxide such as Li.sub.2 O and PbO. The Speit et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,115 and the Omori U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,154 disclose alkali metal silicate glass compositions which may further contain additional oxide materials. The Lee et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,890 discloses glass laser compositions containing SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Li.sub.2 O. Additional silica glass compositions also including Li.sub.2 O and/or Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 are disclosed in the Bishop et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,808, the Dalton et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,961 and Chemical Abstract No. 107:63418r. The Hall et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,387 discloses radiation-shielding cementitious materials which may contain .sup.6 Li for thermal neutron capture.
Owing to increasing requirements for radiation shielding devices of various shapes and sizes for use in many different applications, there is a continuing need for new and improved radiation shielding materials.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce


A steplessly adjustable hydrostatic-mechanical composite transmission in which an input shaft is connected to one shaft of a multishaft summing transmission and to one unit of a hydrostatic transmission whose two units are connected in a hydraulic circuit. One of the hydrostatic units is of the variable displacement type while the other is of the constant displacement type and can be connected by selective actuation of respective clutches to two other input elements of the multishaft planetary summing transmission. The latter has, in accordance with the invention, two output members, each of which is connected to a respective input shaft of an after transmission which can be of the planetary or fixed gear pair type. The latter transmission can also be used to effect reversing of the output shaft which is driven thereby.

In composite transmissions of the above-described type, it is a common practice to provide a hydrostatic branch which comprises two hydrostatic machines or units, usually of the axial-piston type, which can be connected in a closed hydraulic circuit to form a hydraulic transmission which may provide the variable speeds or transmission ratios over each of the selected ranges of the transmission. Selection between ranges may be effected in the mechanical branch of the transmission which usually comprises a multistep or plural step summing transmission of the planetary gear type. Clutches or brakes can select the speed ranges of the mechanical transmission and, within each speed or ratio range the hydrostatic transmission can be adjustable in a stepless manner to that the overall transmission system, i.e. the composite transmission is steplessly variable from a minimum transmission ratio to a maximum.
In such systems, moreover, the clutches for speed selection may connect the second unit of the hydrostatic transmission to one or more members of the planetary-gear summing transmission and the second hydrostatic unit can be of a constant displacement type. In this case, of course, the first hydrostatic unit is of the variable displacement type. The term "displacement" is used here to refer to the fluid displacement per revolution and, naturally, the displacement represents the transmission ratio of the hydrostatic transmission or the hydrostatic branch of the composite transmission. The variable displacement unit can be shifted from a zero displacement state in opposite directions to opposite limits, referred to as the positive machine displacement and negative machine displacement, respectively, representing opposite senses of rotation of the shaft of the second or constant-displacement unit. The term "negative" is here used in the sense of a reverse rotation of the shaft or drive of the system in the reverse sense (as contrasted with forward or "positive" drive).
A composite transmission having a hydrostatic branch and a multi-shaft planetary transmission forming a summing transmission, is described, for example, in German Pat. 2,415,002 corresponding in part to U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,325.
The mechanical transmission branch is provided with a reversing transmission at its input side so that in reversing of the setting of this transmission, all of the parts of the mechanical branch connected with the input shaft must be driven even for reverse operation of the load or vehicle in which the transmission is provided. This has been found to be a significant disadvantage of this transmission since all of the rotary masses must be entrained in senses opposite their normal rotation, thereby contributing significantly to the wear of the system and to the inertia thereof.
In addition, such an arrangement requires a simultaneous compensation of the throughputs of the two hydrostatic units so that the variable-displacement hydrostatic units must be shifted from one limiting setting to the opposite limiting setting whenever the directions change is effected.
The system also operates with a jaw-type clutch which has also been found to be disadvantageous since its operation must be synchronized with the opening of both of the range-selection clutches to minimize wear of the noise and stress upon the transmission. Such transmissions have been found not to be fully effective for reversible equipment (vehicles).

Steplessly adjustable variable-speed hydrostatic-mechanical composite transmission


An upconverter for converting IF television signals to VHF or UHF signals prior to broadcast is configured to process either analog or digital television signals. The upconverter identifies the type of incoming television signal and generates an appropriate reference signal depending on whether the incoming television signal is digital or analog. In an analog format, the reference signal is used by the modulator generating the IF signal to synchronize phase with the signals output by various other upconverters. In a digital format, the reference signal is used, for example, as a test signal for the upconversion circuit.

The present invention relates to the field of television signal broadcasting via over-the-air waves or through a cable network. More particularly, the present invention relates to an upconverter for processing a television signal prior to broadcast where the upconverter is configured to process either analog or digital television signals.
Television signals, comprising an audio signal component and a video signal component, are broadcast over-the-air, via satellite or through cable networks. These signals are then received by television sets which display the signals as intelligible television programming.
When television signals are originally generated, they are typically generated as intermediate frequency (IF) signals with a frequency around 45 MHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. In order for television signals to be broadcast, either over-the-air or through a cable network, and used by standard television sets, the television signals must be converted to higher frequency signals in the very high frequency (VHF) band or the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band.
This conversion is accomplished by a device known as an upconverter. The upconverter is located at the headend station where the television signals originate. The upconverter takes the IF television signal, converts it to a VHF or UHF signal, and provides the converted signal for broadcast. At a television signal headend, an upconverter or a separate upconversion circuit is used for each channel being broadcast by the service provider.
An example of an upconverter is illustrated in FIG. 1. The upconverter (100) receives an input IF television signal (101) which is provided to the conversion circuit (104). The conversion circuit (104) performs the upconversion. The resulting VHF or UHF signal (102) is output by the upconverter (100).
Traditionally, television signals have been analog signals. An analog television signal is based on a carrier wave (CW) at a specific frequency. Changes in the amplitude of the carrier wave, called modulations, are then made to convey the information of the television program encoded in the signal. Television sets respond to these modulations to generate the display of the television program being broadcast.
More recently, a trend has developed-to replace analog television signals with digital television signals. Digital signals can more quickly carry a greater volume of information. Consequently, the quality of the resulting picture and audio provided on a digital television set is significantly improved.
The problem with the shift to a digital format for television signal broadcasting is the need to replace existing analog broadcasting equipment and analog television sets with digital equipment. Consequently, there is a need in the art for an upconverter which can readily process both digital and analog television signals prior to broadcast. Such a capability eases the transition from an analog to a digital signal format.
One particular problem with providing such a dualmode upconverter is the difference in the carrier frequency band between the analog and digital broadcasting formats. For example, in the analog format, television signals are carried by amplitude modulating a base carrier wave. In North America the base analog carrier wave has a frequency of 45.75 MHz.
An upconverter operating in the analog format is shown in FIG. 1. This upconverter (100) includes an oscillator (103) that outputs a reference signal of 45.75 MHz. When a number of upconverters are being operated simultaneously to process various television channel signals being broadcast in the analog format, the phase of the various analog channel signals is preferably synchronized. This is known as Harmonically Related Carrier Operation (xe2x80x9cHRCxe2x80x9d).
In order to synchronize the phase of the channel signals, each upconverter (100) includes an identical oscillator (103) that may be synchronized to an external master reference. The oscillator (103) outputs the reference signal (105) with a frequency of 45.75 MHz to the modulator (106) that is generating the input IF television signal (101). The upconverters for all the channels being broadcast are typically interconnected by a control bus so as to coordinate their operation. Consequently, the phase the output RF television signals from the various upconverters can be coordinated.
Unfortunately, this reference frequency required for HRC in the analog format (45.75 MHz) has no special meaning in the digital format. Digital signals are not merely amplitude modulated, as analog signals are, but use modulation systems such as quadrature amplitude modulation (xe2x80x9cQAMxe2x80x9d) in which both amplitude and phase are modulated. In such a system, the analog reference frequency (45.75 MHz) is useless as a reference frequency for the modulator 106. Consequently, if the upconverter (100) is designed to process both analog and digital television signals, the output of the oscillator (103) will be required for HRC operation in the analog format, but will be useless or bothersome in the digital format.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for an upconverter and method of making and using the same which more readily allows the upconverter to properly process analog or digital television signals.
It is an object of the present invention to meet the above-described needs and others. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide an upconverter and a method of making and using the same which can process digital or analog television signals and output an useful reference signal in either format.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows or may be learned by those skilled in the art through reading these materials or practicing the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be achieved through the means recited in the attached claims.
To achieve these stated and other objects, the present invention may be embodied and described as an upconverter for converting an IF television signal to a VHF or UHF signal that processes either digital or analog television signals with equal effectiveness. The upconverter of the present invention may include an upconversion circuit for receiving an input television signal and outputting a converted television signal; and a reference signal circuit for supplying a reference signal to a modulator external to the upconversion circuit. The reference signal circuit provides a first reference signal if the input television signal is an analog signal and provides a second reference signal if the input television signal is a digital signal. Preferably, the first reference signal has a frequency of 45.75 MHz and the second reference signal has a frequency of 44 MHz.
The reference signal circuit preferably includes a voltage controlled oscillator with an output range including both the first and second reference signals. A phase locked loop circuit is used for controlling the oscillator to output either the first reference signal or the second reference signal.
A control circuit may automatically determine whether the input television signal is a digital or analog signal and configure the phase locked loop circuit accordingly to produce either the first or second reference signal. The control circuit may sample the input television signal to determine whether the input television signal is analog or digital. Alternatively, the control circuit may receive a control signal indicating whether the input television signal is a digital or analog signal.
The present invention also encompasses a method of upconverting an IF television signal to a VHF or UHF signal including outputting a first reference signal if the input television signal is an analog signal and a second reference signal if the input television signal is a digital signal. The method may also include determining with a control circuit whether the input television signal is a digital or analog signal and selectively providing the first or second reference signal in response.
The method of the present invention preferably further includes the steps of selectively generating the first or the second reference signal with a voltage controlled oscillator, controlling the oscillator with a phase locked loop circuit, and configuring the phase locked loop circuit according to whether the input television signal is a digital or analog signal with a control circuit.

Upconverter for a television signal headend distribution center handling analog and digital signals and method of making and using the same


A high capacity dry separation apparatus with air-heavy medium fluidized bed having a separation chamber (3) with a fluidized bed above an air distributor (4), a scraper conveyer (2) in the separation chamber (3) having a double-scraper structure made up of two columns of scrapers moving side by side, and a sink discharge outlet (8) at one end of the separation chamber. An up-floating materials discharge outlet (11) and a feed inlet (12) are arranged on opposite sides of the separation chamber (3). An inclined inner circulator (7) for heavy medium is provided in the separation chamber and includes an air inlet tube (13), a cone-shaped buffer chamber (14), a sieve layer (15), a multilayer fabric (16) and a sintered metal plate (17).

The conventional coal separation is mainly wet processing in which medium is water. The wet processing method causes much water consumption and high investment and serious environmental pollution. In addition, coal separation is difficult with this method in arid areas.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,971 and China Patent No. CN87101056A have disclosed respectively a dry separation apparatus with fluidized bed. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,971 is based on the principle of chemical engineering reactor. The particulate material forms a fluidized bed in an elongated, horizontally extending container, and the moveable scrapers are arranged inside the container. The endless motion of the scrapers compels the lighter material floating on the upper portion of the bed to move and to concentrate to one end, while the heavier material to the other end according to the principle of chemical engineering reactor. So the materials are separated. In the separation process the heavy medium fed into the bed is removed from the bed along with the heavier material. The main disadvantages of this kind of apparatus are:
1. The separation apparatus designed according to the principle of chemical engineering reactor can not meet the needs of industrial applications, as the float on the upper bed layer is scrapped out by the scrapers while the sink is removed by flowing on its own, which limits the handling capacity of the apparatus seriously.
2. The material is fed from the top middle of the bed and lighter and heavier material move in counter-current, which greatly reduces the stability of the fluidized bed and separation precision.
3. The apparatus uses scrapers without holes to scrape the float on the upper bed layer, which not only makes the upper portion of the bed disturbed seriously, but also limits the height and the velocity of the scraper. Therefore, the separation precision and the capacity are reduced.
4. The heavy medium is removed and recovered outside the bed, which makes it very difficult to run the apparatus continuously under certain special conditions.
It's known from China Patent No. CN 87101056A "Coal Dry Cleaning Method and Apparatus with Fluidized Bed" that the apparatus which separates materials on their different densities is mainly composed of the output system with anchorchain-scraper, the medium recovering device, the housing of the fluidized bed and the air distributor. The raw coal fed by the feeder stratifies according to the density in the fluidized bed which is formed by mixed air and fine particulate material with a certain uniformly distributed density and then the anchorchain-scrapers immersed in the bed scrape the lighter material i.e. the float and the heavier material i.e. the sink towards the two ends of the bed respectively to realize the separation. In this patent the raw coal and the heavy medium are fed from the top to the middle part of the separation section, which reduces the stability of the middle portion of the fluidized bed, the length of the separation section and the effective period of separation, and the separation precision is also greatly decreased. Anchorchain-scraper output system is immersed entirely in the fluidized bed, which limits the height of the scraper and the handling capacity of the separator. If the moving velocity of scraper exceeds a limit value, the stability and the homogeneity of fluidized bed will be destroyed, which will result in the chaos of the fluidized bed. So the clean coal and the waste rock in the separation section will confuse each other. Therefore the separation precision will be reduced. In addition, in the anchorchain-scraper output system, holeless single chain boards with reinforced ribs are used, which makes coal and waste rock mixed up on the ribs. Linked with ring chains, the scrapers are liable to sink and touch the air distributor, which makes the distributor easily damaged. The factors mentioned above result in the disadvantages of the apparatus such as low separation precision and capacity, etc.
The aim of this invention is to overcome the disadvantages existing in the prior art separation apparatus with the fluidized bed mentioned above and to improve the separation precision and the capacity to meet the needs of industrial applications.

High capacity dry separation apparatus with air-heavy medium fluidized bed

China University of Mining and Technology


An improved plug assembly for seating against a valve seat, the plug assembly being usable in a movable plug valve which controls the flow of the fluid through a conduit. The plug assembly includes an arm member, a plug member and biasing means. The arm member is adapted to be mounted for movement in the conduit and has an enlarged head. The plug member has a first face for sealingly engaging the valve seat and a rear face. The plug member further includes a recessed opening in one of the front and rear faces for receiving and retaining the enlarged head of the arm member for relative movement with respect thereto. The biasing means is disposed in the recessed opening and normally urges the enlarged arm head and the plug member into tight engagement with one another.

The present invention relates to movable plug valves for controlling the flow of fluid through a conduit, and more particularly to rotary plug valves used to control the flow rate of fluid in pipe lines.
Rotary plug valves generally include a hollow tubular body which is inserted between two sections of pipe or other conduit. The closure mechanism of the valves generally comprises a valve seat or seat ring in one end of the body that cooperates with a spherical plug to seal or close the valve. The plug is attached to an arm which is connected to an input shaft which is arranged transversely to the pipe center line so that as the shaft is rotated by an external means, the plug swings toward or away from the valve seat to modulate the flow rate. The input shaft centerline is usually offset from the valve seat centerline so that the plug will tend to pull away from the seat during opening to thereby reduce the tendency of the part to rub and wear.
A basic problem in the design of rotary plug valves is that the plug must be aligned precisely with the valve seat when the two parts are brought together in order to produce low fluid leakage. That is, when the input shaft is rotated to move the plug towards the valve seat and into engagement therewith, the spherical seating surface of the plug must be capable of being aligned precisely with the peripheral seating surface of the seat to completely close off the flow with minimal leakage.
One type of prior art arrangement for accomplishing this alignment included designing the arm, plug, or seat to bend or flex to allow the parts to be forced into alignment by the input mechanism. With such prior art arrangements, it was desirable to have the parts flex into alignment with a minimum force input in order to utilize smaller, less expensive actuators. This in turn required that the spring rate of the flexing parts be low. However, low spring rates can in turn lead to vibrations of the parts in the open position as a result of fluid turbulence which thus could compromise the reliability of the assembly. Furthermore, designing parts to be flexible also reduced the capability of the parts to carry the required loads, which thus tended to increase the probability of fatigue failure.
Other prior art arrangements for accomplishing the alignment of the spherical plug with the valve seat included machining parts to very close tolerances and/or adjustment of the position of the parts at assembly. However, such prior art arrangements are also disadvantageous in that they are expensive and complicate remachining of worn parts. Furthermore, they do not take into account or compensate for possible dimensional changes due to temperature and/or wear which otherwise might cause leakage.
Further, while other prior art valve arrangements disclose flexible coupling arrangements for joining or coupling the components together, these prior art arrangements introduce additional problems into the design of the plug valves. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,487,815 entitled "Poppet Valve", issued Mar. 25, 1924, discloses a poppet valve having a valve head capable of tilting movement in relation to the valve stem so that when the valve is forced into place upon its valve seat, the head will automatically adjust itself to properly seat or align itself with the valve seat. However, that arrangement introduces an additional fluid leakage path through the coupling mounting (i.e., between the valve head and the valve stem) which thus is unacceptable in systems where it is desired to minimize the fluid leakage when the valve is in its closed position.


A method and apparatus for dispensing a solution of highly viscous polymeric material and gas includes a dispenser connected to a pressure regulator which is adapted to connect to a source of a pressurized polymer/gas solution. Minimal pressure drop due to line losses occurs in the course of transmitting the solution from the pressure regulator into the dispenser because of their close proximity, and the solution is maintained under controlled pressure throughout passage to the discharge outlet of a nozzle carried by the dispenser so that the gas is maintained in solution in the polymeric material until it is discharged from the nozzle to atmosphere. The flow rate of solution through the dispenser is variable by operation of adjustable valve structure associated with the dispenser and/or by operation of the pressure regulator.

The assignee of this invention has pioneered the development and application of methods and apparatus for foaming polymeric materials such as hot melt thermoplastic adhesives, polymeric coatings, paints and other thermoplastic and/or thermosetting materials. In the case of hot melt adhesives, for example, it has been discovered that the strength of an adhesive bond achieved with a given volume of selected hot melt adhesive can be appreciably improved if the adhesive is applied as a foam rather than as a conventional non-foamed adhesive.
As disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,059,466 and 4,059,714 to Scholl et al, initial attempts at "foaming" polymeric materials involved the mixture of hot melt thermoplastic adhesive and a blowing agent wherein a polymer/gas adhesive solution is formed and transmitted under pressure to and through a dispenser. Upon emerging from the nozzle of the dispenser into atmospheric pressure, the gas evolves from the solution in the form of small bubbles causing the adhesive to expand volumetrically. The resultant adhesive in an uncompressed state sets up as a homogeneous solid foam having gas cells substantially evenly distributed throughout the adhesive.
This technology has been extended to polymeric materials having a much higher viscosity than hot melt thermoplastic adhesives, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,631 to Cobbs, Jr., which is owned by the assignee of this invention. Whereas hot melt adhesives have a viscosity typically in the range of about 2,200 cps to 20,000-35,000 cps, "high" viscosity polymeric material such as thermoset materials used as adhesives, seals and gasketing material have viscosities in the range of about 50,000 cps to about 1,000,000 cps. As disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,631 to Cobbs, Jr. et al, in order to form a solution of "high" viscosity polymeric material and gas, a low energy input disc mixer is employed to force the gas into solution with the polymeric material. When the solution is released to atmosphere, a homogeneous foam is formed wherein the gas is released from solution and becomes entrapped in the polymer.
It has been found that a number of practical problems are created in the application of high viscosity, foamed polymeric materials in a production environment. Because of the extremely high viscosity of such polymeric materials, dispensing systems must "dead end" at the dispenser, i.e., the material cannot be efficiently recirculated from the source, through the dispenser and back to the source because of the excessive amount of energy needed to move such material and the bulk of the conduit required. If the high viscosity material is dead-ended or stopped within the dispenser, unsatisfactory variations in the amount of material discharged from the dispenser can occur, particularly when the dispenser is operated intermittently. Each opening and closing of the valves associated with the dispenser to obtain intermittent discharge of material can result in pump surges and pressure fluctuations which, in turn, cause wide flow variations of the polymeric material discharged from the dispensers. Excessive application of material can result in a messy or sloppy appearance where the polymer is applied as a seam sealer, and/or can result in the formation of a gasket having an uneven profile. Wide pressure fluctuations also can result in the premature formation of foam within the dispenser if the pressure falls below the level required to maintain the gas in solution, or the formation of poor quality foam if the pressure is too high within the dispenser and the gas is not readily permitted to leave solution.
The problems associated with intermittent application of high viscosity polymeric materials have been addressed to some extent in the prior art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,852 to Price, owned by the assignee of this invention, a dispenser is provided with a servo-actuator including an electro-pneumatic servo-valve which operates a double-acting piston actuator for a variable fluid metering valve. A pressure sensor at the nozzle of the dispenser generates a pressure signal which is correlated to the instantaneous flow rate of the dispensed fluid to obtain precise control of the amount of fluid dispensed even when the dispenser is operated intermittently. While the system disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,852 operates effectively, it is relatively expensive because of the rather sophisticated control systems which are required to monitor and control the fluid flow.
Another problem with many systems of the type disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,852 is that they are not designed for use with "foamed" polymeric materials, i.e., a pressurized polymer/gas solution such as a highly viscous polymeric adhesive, sealant and/or gasketing material in which gas is contained in solution with such material. In order for a system to effectively dispense foamed polymeric material, the gas must remain in solution throughout its passage to and through the dispenser. The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,852, for example, employs a dispenser having a relatively large cavity between the discharge outlet of the dispenser and its flow control valve within which the adhesive could be permitted to foam when the valve is closed creating a potential problem of drool or leakage of the foamed adhesive out of the cavity. Apparatus of this type may be unacceptable for use in connection with pressurized solutions of polymeric material and gas.
It has been observed that another practical problem often occurs in the course of dispensing highly viscoelastic polymeric materials such as adhesives, sealants and gasketing materials, particularly in automated applications wherein a robot arm or the like manipulates a dispenser in a non-linear flow path with respect to a substrate. In the application of a gasketing material onto a substrate, for example, a dispenser typically discharges material at a constant flow rate while the robot arm moves in an essentially straight path with respect to the substrate. When the dispenser is moved in a non-linear path, however, such as around a corner, the highly viscoelastic polymeric material tends to be pulled away from the corner if the dispenser continues to operate at the same flow rate. There has therefore been a need to provide automatically manipulated dispensers with the capability of varying the flow rate at which polymeric material is dispensed therefrom, without substantially adding to the expense of the dispenser and/or the controllers associated with the dispenser.

Method and apparatus for dispensing high viscosity fluid materials


Disclosed is an optical fiber including a plasmonic optical filter with a closed curved shape provided at, at least portion thereof. A method of manufacturing the plasmonic optical filter includes a step of exposing a core, a step of forming a thin metal film on the core through physical vapor deposition while rotating the core in a circumferential direction after changing a rotation axis of the core, and a step of patterning nanopatterns on the cylinder-shaped thin metal film using focused ion beam technique assisted with endpoint detection method. Due to such constitutions, an active area to generate an optical signal for optical sensor can be increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber, an optical sensor including optical fiber, a method of manufacturing the optical fiber, and a deposition apparatus for them, and more particularly to metallic structures on the side of an optical fiber for increasing an optical signal generation area, an optical sensor including optical fiber, a method of manufacturing the optical fiber, and a deposition apparatus for them.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, fiber-optic refractive index sensors utilizing surface plasmon resonance have been developed. Optical fibers have a superior electromagnetic interference shielding characteristic, fast response time, and ability to achieve long-distance transmission, but the sizes thereof are small. Accordingly, such optical fibers are used as platforms of biological/chemical sensors in various fields, e.g., microenvironments, such as blood vessels, carbon dioxide geologic storage facilities, and the like.
Meanwhile, existing refractive index sensors using the optical fibers have optical filter, which includes plasmonic structures, at end faces of the fibers. By the way, since an area of the optical filter is limited to a small area of the end face, a small amount of optical signals are disadvantageously generated. Accordingly, research into an optical fiber for increasing the amount of optical signals and a sensor using the optical fiber is underway.

Optical fiber, optical sensor including optical fiber, method of manufacturing optical fiber, and deposition apparatus therefor

INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION, YONSEI UNIVERSITY


An outdoor light string support system for supporting and organizing string lights beneath an eave of a building. The outdoor light string support system, includes a support member having a first member, a second member extending downwardly from an edge of the first member, a third member traversely extending from the second member, and a plurality of apertures within the third member for receiving a plurality of bulbs or branch wires from a light string. The first member is formed to be frictionally received between the lower edge of the fascia and the soffit of a building eave. The plurality of bulbs are sufficiently exposed from within the apertures to be seen from the front of the building with the main wire of the light string hidden behind the second member. In an alternative embodiment, an S-shaped hook member is attached to each of the apertures for supporting the light string a finite distance below the third member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to string light support devices and more specifically it relates to an outdoor light string support system for supporting and organizing light strings beneath an eave of a building.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Examples of patented devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,136 to Byers; U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,192 to Stratton; U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,882 to Garrett; U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,703 to Herbert; U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,644 to Mosseau; U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,088 to Contigiani; U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,028 to Carlin; U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,440 to Palmer.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for conveniently supporting and organizing light strings beneath an eave of a building. Conventional light string support devices are difficult to install and do not provide a consistent appearance for the light strings.
In these respects, the outdoor light string support system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of supporting and organizing light strings beneath an eave of a building.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of light string support devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new outdoor light string support system construction wherein the same can be utilized for supporting and organizing light strings beneath an eave of a building.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new outdoor light string support system that has many of the advantages of the lights string support devices mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new outdoor light string support system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art light string support devices, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a support member having a first member, a second member extending downwardly from an edge of the first member, a third member traversely extending from the second member, and a plurality of apertures within the third member for receiving a plurality of bulbs or branch wires from a light string. The first member is formed to be frictionally received between the lower edge of the fascia and the soffit of a building eave. The plurality of bulbs are sufficiently exposed from within the apertures to be seen from the front of the building with the main wire of the light string hidden behind the second member. In an alternative embodiment, an S-shaped hook member is attached to each of the apertures for supporting the light string a finite distance below the third member.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an outdoor light string support system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
A second object is to provide an outdoor light string support system for supporting and organizing light strings beneath an pave of a building.
Another object is to provide an outdoor light string support system that provides a straight and consistent appearance to light strings.
A further object is to provide an outdoor light string support system that easily and conveniently attaches between the lower portion of the fascia and the soffit of an eave of a building.
An additional object is to provide an outdoor light string support system that are easy to install and effectively reduce installation time for light strings.
A further object is to provide an outdoor light string support system that may remain attached to the building without adversely affecting the building structure""s integrity or appearance.
Another object is to provide an outdoor light string support system that provide a convenient means for storing the light strings when removed from the building.
A further object is to provide an outdoor light string support system that may be utilized upon various types of building structures.
A further object is to provide an outdoor light string support system that effectively hides the main line of the light string from viewing by third-parties thereby increasing the aesthetics of a building structure.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.


A computed tomography (CT) scanning apparatus is provided. The CT scanning apparatus includes an energy storage component disposed in a stationary portion of the CT scanning apparatus, wherein the energy storage component is configured to receive electrical power from an external source and to store the electrical power. The CT scanning apparatus also includes an energy storage management system coupled to the energy storage component and configured to regulate both storage of the electrical power on the energy storage component and utilization of the electrical power stored on the energy storage component by the CT scanning apparatus. The energy storage component is configured to serve as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for the CT scanning apparatus and to provide peak power shaving during peak power operation of the CT scanning apparatus.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to computed tomography (CT) imaging systems or any X-ray system and, more particularly, to CT imaging systems configured to peak shave and/or having a built-in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and stabilizer.
Medical CT systems utilize a large amount of power (e.g., peak power) for a short period of time (e.g., during emission of X-rays from the X-ray tube). Usually, a three-phase power source is utilized because the amount of electrical power needed during peak power operation by the CT system cannot be provided by a standard single phase power source. However, certain portions of the world do not have accessible three-phase power available and/or have to invest significant costs in to providing a suitable power infrastructure. In certain embodiments, an external UPS may be utilized to meet the peak power needs of the CT system. However, these external UPS systems may take up large amounts of space and be expensive. Therefore, there is a need for a CT system with improved power requirements.

Peak shave enabled computed tomography system with built-in uninterruptible power supply and stabilizer


A process for producing a copper-clad laminate using a copper foil obtained by subjecting the surface of the copper foil to chemical oxidation thereby to form, on the surface, a fine roughness constituted by a copper oxide of a brown to black color and then reducing the copper oxide constituting the fine roughness in an atmosphere in which a reducing gas is present.

Single-side or double-side copper-clad laminates are usually being manufactured by a process in which an electrodeposited or rolled copper foil which has undergone a surface treatment for adhesion is superposed on prepregs obtained by impregnating a base material such as a woven glass fiber fabric or the like with ah epoxy resin or the like as a matrix resin and drying the impregnated base material, or such prepregs are sandwiched between two such copper foils, and the resulting assembly is lamination molded. Multilayered printed circuit boards having an inner-layer printed circuit are manufactured by a process in which the above copper-clad laminate is combined with an inner-layer board having formed thereon a printed circuit for inner layer use and further with prepregs and either a copper foil or a single-side copper-clad laminate and the resulting assembly is subjected to lamination molding to give a multilayered board both sides of which are constituted by a copper foil, and this multilayered board is subjected to processing steps such as steps for forming through-holes, outer-layer printed circuits, etc.
The most conventional method of the surface treatment for bonding of copper foils is to impart surface roughness by an electrolytic technique. The surfaces of the copper foils thus surface-treated normally have a roughness height of about 3 to 9 .mu.m, but such a roughness is not preferable particularly from the standpoint of high-frequency characteristics. In addition, there has been a drawback that the adhesive strength of the roughened surfaces is reduced as the roughness height is lowered.
On the other hand, copper foils, particularly rolled copper foils, which have a finely roughened surface layer formed by treatment of the surface with an aqueous solution of an oxidizing agent and is composed of a copper oxide of a black to brown color are known. Since these copper foils have a small surface roughness height, they are suitable for high-frequency uses and other applications. However, they have a drawback that the finely roughened surface layer composed of a black to brown copper oxide is brittle and tend to easily dissolve in acidic aqueous solutions such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and the like. Because of this, there is a problem that in the case where multilayered boards produced by lamination molding are processed to form through-holes therein and then subjected to through-hole plating, electroless plating, or subsequent electroplating, the acidic solution penetrates into the copper oxide layer from exposed parts of the layer in the through-hole walls and attacks the copper oxide layer to cause so-called "harrow" or "pink ring", which may impair insulating and other properties, resulting in final printed circuit boards with poor reliability. In addition, there is another drawback that great care should be taken in transporting or handling the surface-roughened copper foils, because of the brittleness of the copper-oxide surface layer.

Process for producing copper clad laminate


Method and apparatus for registering selected new magnetic data on magnetic stripe cards for use in a vending machine account control system, such as is employed with a photocopy machine. Specifically, card author is provided which consists of a keyboard with data entry and operation control keys, keyboard scanning means, an input/output storage port and a bus connector which can be coupled directly to a duplicator controller. Upon connection of the card author to the duplicator controller, and with the duplicator controller in a card author mode, the duplicator controller initiates interactive operation with the card author in order to request certain information not normally accessible to manual manipulation as by a key operator. Through its display, the duplicator controller requests entry of at least three different types of values, a value representing worth of a card to be authored, an account number, and a delimiter value. The delimiter value restricts field of use to specific machines and time periods and may be an expiration date, a department number, a system identification number, or any combination of the above. A specific protocol for use of the card author assures proper encoding of magnetic cards.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to vending machine account control systems, and particularly relates to use of cards with a magnetically encodeable stripe as a medium of exchange. The invention has particular application to use wth photocopy machines in institutions where exact accounting of machine use is desired without actual exchange of cash. Specifically, the invention relates to method and means for registering fresh accounting information on the magnetic card stripe using a duplication controller on a vending machine so equipped without allowing a normal card user access to the accounting data. A duplication controller, for example, a microcomputer-based duplication controller made by Glendale Manufacturing Corporation of San Mateo, Calif. and distributed through its COPICO vending machine operation, normally has capabilities limited only to automatic generation of information in response to machine operation. In particular, the duplication controller reads the account information on the magnetic stripe of a card inserted therein, activates the vending machine, and then registers on the magnetic stripe information indicating the number of copies or the value chargeable against the card. The card is initially encoded with a maximum amount which the machine replaces with a decremented value depending upon the amount of usage.
The operation of the machine calls for the card user to be issued or to purchase a card having a magnetic stripe with encoded information. Typically, the cards are encoded in standard amounts at the factory. Spent cards are returned to the factory for reencoding. At the factory, special equipment used by operators with detailed knowledge of the encoding equipment and encoding scheme are employed to encode or "author" usable cards.
What is needed is an apparatus which is capable of acting as a complete system for authoring new cards in conjunction with a duplicator controller. In this manner a key operator or central office at an institution can author cards for internal bookkeeping purposes without allowing normal card users unauthorized access and control of card functions but without the need to return the cards to the factory. The method of use must be such as to be functional without detailed knowledge of the system operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic stripe card vending machine control systems are known in public transit operations such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). The BART ticket system employs a coin-operated card dispenser and a separate fare box. The machinery is relatively large and cumbersome and does not have the capability to author cards in the environment of an institution or with the special limitations and needs of an institution such as a university, a large office, or a company, where cash, coins, and counter-freed devices are not suited to internal bookkeeping.
Numerous inventions relate to automatic fare collection systems. A representative patent in U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,213 which describes a credit card reader for use in a retail store. Other patents of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,939,933; 3,989,930; 4,024,379; 3,748,441; 3,602,695; and 3,356,021.
Inventions are also known for devices for issuing magnetic stripe cards having a predetermined monetary value. A representative patent describing such an invention is U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,660.


A boot pull including a frame with convergent side pieces and a pair of boot gripping members pivotably attached to the frame. The heel portion of a boot is received between the gripping members and, when the boot is lifted, the gripping members move inwardly toward each other as they pivot upwardly. In this way, the boot is grasped between the gripping members so that is is held firmly against continued upward movement. The boot pull can be held in position by placing one foot in the frame while a boot is removed from the other foot of the user.

The present invention relates to a new and improved device for use as an aid in removing boots.
It is often difficult for the wearer of boots to remove them without the help of another person, particularly when the boots are of a high and close fitting style such as western or military boots. As an aid in removing boots, a boot pull is often used. Conventionally, this device is nothing more than a board in which a V-shaped notch has been cut. The boot is kicked backwardly into the notch so that the sides of the notch pinch the boot just above the rigid portion of the heel. The wearer's foot can then be lifted upwardly within the boot while boot movement is retrained by the boot pull.
Conventional boot pulls are disadvantageous in many respects. Often the boot will be held securely only if it is kicked into the notch with considerable force. If sufficient force is used, the boot can be scuffed or otherwise damaged and the foot may be bruised. Even then, the boot can easily slip out of the notch.
Another disadvantage of a conventional boot pull is that it is not portable. It must be part of a stationary structure that will not be lifted with the boot.
A principal objective of the present invention is to provide an improved boot pull that is easily and conveniently used without damaging the boot or bruising the foot. Another objective is to provide a boot pull that lends itself to portable construction.


The control accuracy equal with the case controlled according to a reference signal with a high clock frequency when the electric power is converted is obtained according to a reference signal with a low clock frequency. The quantity of signal S3 of the time that corresponds to the difference of EO in the output voltage to reference voltage EREF by circuit 12 of the generation of quantity of signal of time is generated synchronizing with reference timing signal S1. The phase generates the class of the phase-shift signal of n piece for which only [Cycle of S0/]/n is late one by one by phase-shift signal generation circuit 13, counter circuit 14, and digital addition circuit 15, these numbers are counted respectively, and the count value of n piece is added. The control signal S5that corresponds to TON between when adding value ADD is input with decision circuit 16 of on time of the switch element and control signal generation circuit 17 and it turns it on is generated.

Digital LSI including the microprocessor is being used for the electric power conversion control circuit (in this detailed statement, it is said, "electric power conversion control circuit") such as the DC/DC converter for the following reasons.
(1)The influence by the temperature change is a little. (2) Various parameters can be set to programmable.

Signal generation circuit, electric power conversion control circuit and LSI for electric power conversion control

Nagasaki University, National University Corporation


A coating method that is capable of rapid curtain coating without causing "sagging" at high flow rates exceeding 4 cm.sup.3 /cm.sec. One or more layers of a coating solution are formed on a sliding surface, and a free falling curtain of the coating solution is allowed to impinge against a continuously running web. The web has a surface roughness of at least 0.3 .mu.m, the tip of the sliding surface forms an angle of 45.degree. to 120.degree. with respect to the horizontal, and the viscosity of the coating solution is adjusted to at least 90 cps for low shear rate, with the average for all layers formed being at least 80 cps.

The present invention relates to a method by which various liquid compositions are curtain-coated onto a continuously running support in strip form (which is hereinafter referred to as a "web") in the manufacture of photographic films, photographic papers, magnetic recording tapes, adhesive tapes, pressure-sensitive recording papers, offset printing plates, etc.
The basic technology of curtain coating is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,508,947 and 3,632,374. In "AIChE Winter National Meeting" (1982), S. F. Kistler disclosed the theory of curtain coating, focusing on the following three phenomena which he considered would govern the rate of application by curtain coating:
(1) incorporation of tiny air bubbles between the web and the coating solution (which phenomenon is hereinafter referred to as "air entrainment"); PA1 (2) formation of a liquid deposit along the line where the coating solution contacts the web (which phenomenon, hereinafter referred to as "heel", is common with large coating weights); and PA1 (3) the coating solution is not adequately deposited but will bounce off the web being coated (which phenomenon, hereinafter referred to as "sagging", is caused by "heel with air entrainment" and is also common with large coating weights ). PA1 (1) replacing the web-entrained air layer with carbon dioxide to suppress the phenomenon of "air entrainment" (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,900); PA1 (2) applying a static electric field between the web and the coating solution, whereby the adhesion of the latter is enhanced to suppress the phenomenon of "air entrainment" (see Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 197176/1987); and PA1 (3) stabilizing the deposition of the free falling curtain on the web by specifying the shape of the tip of the sliding surface and the angle at which the free falling curtain is deposited on the web (see Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 51170/1989). PA1 (4) suppressing the phenomenon of "heel" by properly adjusting the viscosity between the lower and upper layers of coating solution (see Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 131549/1989).
According to Kistler, curtain coating is no longer possible if one or more of these phenomena occur.
Various attempts have been made to increase the curtain coating speed limited by the aforementioned phenomena. They include:
In fact, however, as modern coating plants adopt application speeds of 250 m/min and higher with the curtain of coating solution flowing down in higher rates, the limitation of coating speeds by "heel" and "sagging" has become a greater concern than the limitation by "air entrainment". A method that has been proposed for dealing with this problem is:
The techniques described in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Nos. 51170/1989 and 131549/1989 are such that the flow rate of coating solution is in the range of 1.0-4.0 cm.sup.3 /cm.sec (the unit length of the coating width being expressed in centimeters). These techniques are effective at flow rates within the specified range, but no study has been conducted to determine whether they are effective in suppressing the phenomenon of "sagging" in flow quantities exceeding 4 cm.sup.3 /cm.sec.

Curtain coating method for eliminating sagging at high flow rates