An athletic shoe configured to efficiently attenuate dorsal, anterior, posterior, lateral, medial and plantar loading forces. The shoe toebox or forefoot upper includes a cutout region through what is generally inelastic outer shoe material, across which a panel of increased stretchability extends in juxtaposition with a key shoe-foot impact or pressure engagement area. The stretchable panel forms with the cutout a porous damping ventilating passageway into which a portion of the foot can enter and pass externally of an at-rest outer peripheral surface of the shoe material surrounding the cutout. Key shoe-foot impact or pressure areas include impact areas engaged by toes of a foot sliding forward within the shoe, and pressure areas engaged by bunions and bunionettes moving outward against the sides of the shoe. Upon removal of pressure by the moving foot portion, the stretchable panel retracts, and restores the cutout region back toward its initial configuration.

Athletic shoes are used in a wide array of settings, from casual lifestyle wear to performance wear in athletic activities including, but not limited to: recreational walking, running, cross-training, football, soccer, basketball, tennis, lacrosse, rugby, cross-country, volleyball, running, racquetball, squash, handball and track and field. The athletic shoe segment of the footwear industry encompasses cleated and non-cleated shoes made from a variety of materials including, for example: rubber, plastics, leather, synthetics, composites, woven and non-woven fabrics, foams, gels, and the like—all designed for athletic use or in an athletic style. In general, shoe producers strive to improve the comfort, athletic performance and style of athletic footwear. In addition to social custom, athletic shoes are worn to provide protection to the foot while concurrently providing a competitive advantage by incorporating innovation and performance based technologies specifically tailored for task, terrain and function.
There have been a myriad of various technologies and methodologies that have propelled athletic shoes to their modern day presentations. While many of these developments have made improvements by reducing the weight of the shoe, there have also been advancements directed to its performance and comfort. In face of these improvements, modern athletic shoes still employ insufficient upper and toebox designs that are restrictive and cause agitation to the toes as well as to the sides of the wearer's feet during certain athletic maneuvers or movements, leading to discomfort and injury. Many athletes prefer to wear tight fitting shoes to gain greater control or to garner a better "feel". Unfortunately, in addition to wearing athletic shoe designs that employ insufficient uppers and toeboxes, wearing ill-fitting shoes further contributes to and places an individual at a greater risk for incurring a number of painful and sometimes debilitating injuries. In field sports, risk of injury has further increased with the advent of artificial turf fields and pliable athletic shoe designs, which contribute to the application of higher peak pressure forces to the foot and hallux during athletic performance. This has resulted in a significant increase of foot/toe injuries for athletes in various diverse sports.
There are a number of foot injuries that have plagued athletes, caused wholly or in part to interaction or movement of the foot within the shoe or by constant pressure forces being applied to the medial and lateral sides of the foot when the shoe is worn by the athlete for its intended purpose. Such injuries are particularly prevalent where the foot or toes repeatedly impact or forcibly engage the upper and toebox portions of the shoe as the foot articulates against the shoe and during abrupt athletic footwork movements such as stopping, changing direction or cutting, and due to the use of tight or improperly fitting shoes. This is often caused by the unique size, shape and structure of an individual's foot, as shoe manufacturers are challenged by the prospect of creating a one-size-fits-all shoe design.
One serious injury that may result from an inadequate toebox or ill-fitting shoe is referred to as "turf toe". The term "turf toe" is commonly used to refer to any serious injury to the hallux (big toe). Turf toe is often somewhat an ambiguous medical diagnosis, since as many toe injuries that appear similar in presentation to turf toe are inaccurately deemed as turf toe. The correct epidemiological definition of turf toe is a sprain of the first metatarsophalangeal joint ("MPJ" or "MTP joint"). The MPJ is the joint located at the base of the big toe and is used in pushing off with the foot. Damage to this joint occurs when the MPJ is jammed or hyperextended. Symptoms include: swelling, bruising, loss of range of motion, severe pain and sometimes an inability to bear weight. Turf toe most frequently occurs in athletes who compete on grass or turf playing surfaces when a player lands on the back lower leg of another player who has his/her foot plantar flexed at the angle with the big toe extended. Turf toe can also occur as an impaction injury where the proximal phalanx dorsally jams into the metatarsal head. Such impaction may transpire as a result of a direct blow to the big toe from another player or from a collision of the big toe against the shoe's restrictive toebox. Prolonged use of forefoot-limiting shoes and insoles places one at risk for an increased occurrence of turf toe. Turf toe is a debilitating injury and is often described by patients as being extremely painful and can keep athletes from returning to competition for significant periods of time. It commonly takes from two to six weeks for a turf toe injury to heal to a status such that one can return to a normal functioning level, and generally leaves the affected individual more susceptible to repeat injury. An external view of an inflamed MPJ turf toe injury is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Another common injury that often results from wearing a shoe with an inadequate toebox or improper shoe size is subungual hematoma, often referred to as "runner's toe", "jogger's toe", "tennis toe" or "soccer toe". Subungual hematoma is the collection of blood underneath a toenail, as illustrated in FIG. 2. For distance runners and joggers, subungual hematoma is often caused by the repetitive thrusting of the hallux against the toebox. The friction generated between the toebox and toenail contributes to nail plate separation from the nail bed, which leads to bleeding and pooling of blood. This in turn causes pressure buildup and tissue damage under the toenail. Subungual hematoma is also referred to as "black toenail" since it frequently results in a red/purple-black discoloration of the toenail, a common precursor to the nail itself falling off completely. Subungual hematoma is not only expressed in runners, but is also a common injury for athletes wearing cleated and non-cleated shoes during sport competitions such as football, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, racquetball, squash, tennis, volleyball and basketball—to name a few. During competition, athletes must frequently change direction, jump or come to a sudden stop by way of planting the foot in or on the playing surface. In planting one's foot to run, stop, jump, cut or change direction, the shoe is often momentarily fixed in or to the ground for a time causing the foot and toes to thrust or slide forward within the shoe, thus often abruptly engaging the inner toebox portion of the shoe. Such impact of the toes against the toebox is a likely suspect for subungual hematoma. While the injury does not generally require surgical intervention, it is common for athletes with subungual hematoma to have a physician or athletic trainer perform trephination procedures in an attempt to alleviate pressure buildup beneath the toenail. Subungual hematoma can greatly affect one's athletic performance or even inhibit one from staying active while playing altogether, as it is an extremely painful injury due to tissue damage and intense buildup of pressure under the nail.
Another serious condition that may result from or be exacerbated by an inadequate upper, toebox or ill-fitting shoe is the formation of a bunion (located at the base of the big toe on the medial side of the foot) or a bunionette (located at the base of the little toe on the lateral side of the foot). A bunion, also called a hallux abducto valgus, is a visible bony swelling at the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. Medically speaking, this visible swelling or outwardly projecting knob is due to the medial displacement or misalignment of metatarsal 1 and the lateral displacement of the proximal phalange 1 (big toe or hallux). This causes the big toe to move or point toward and apply pressure to the smaller toes. Bunions form as a result of cartilage erosion, osteophyte formation (calcification or bone spur formation), and joint narrowing. These conditions are primarily caused by individuals wearing ill-fitting shoes, especially shoes with narrow forefront uppers and toeboxes, which place the foot and toes under constant pressure. Bunionettes are similar to bunions, but develop on the outside or lateral side of the foot (little toe or metatarsal 5). Bunions and bunionettes are very painful and cause severe discomfort to a person having them, particularly when wearing shoes. FIG. 19 provides a diagrammatic illustration of a foot having both a bunion and bunionette.
Hammertoe or mallet toe are deformities to the toes that are caused by tight fitting shoes in the toebox region, or by shoes with raised heels. Such deformities are particularly of concern to athletes who choose to wear tight fitting shoes to minimize slippage or sliding of the foot within the shoe when stopping, cutting or changing direction during an athletic maneuver. Hammertoe or mallet toe can be characterized as the shortening and stiffening of the toe's tendons, fixating them in an upward bend at the middle joint of the toe, followed by a downward bend at the head of the toe (see FIG. 4). This results in a toe orientation that resembles that of a hammer-like or claw-like curled shape. Hammertoe can inflict painful corns or calluses simply by wearing shoes since the unnatural bending of the toes may rub or jam against the shoe. As time progresses, the toes will eventually become permanently fixed in the "hammertoe" curled position, at which point surgical intervention may be needed in order to alleviate pain, restore proper flexibility, and appease aesthetic appearance.
Sesamoiditis is another common foot ailment that can be caused from forefoot limiting shoes. The sesamoids are two small bones about the size of jelly beans located in each foot between the first metatarsal bone and the phalanx of the big toe. The sesamoids act as the fulcrum in the foot's important pulley system, assisting the flexor tendons in the flexion of the big toe as well as augmenting the tendons' ability to bear weight (see FIG. 3). Sesamoiditis is defined as the inflammation of the sesamoid bones. Sesamoiditis is most commonly caused by either repetitive and/or exhaustive stress placement on the sesamoid bones during plantar flexion. "Jamming" of the phalanx and first metatarsal bone caused, for example, by repeated sudden impact of the hallux against the toebox of a shoe, may also incite Sesamoiditis. Sesamoiditis is a common form of tendonitis that is very aggravating, not only because of the pain experienced, but also because it is not easily cured.
Ingrown toenails may be induced by a countless number of things, but improper nail trimming and ill-fitting shoes are the most common causes. An ingrown toenail is the encroachment growth along the side or edge of the toenail into the surrounding soft tissue or skin of the toe (see FIG. 5). This injury is caused when extra pressure is placed on the toe which is most frequently exacerbated by poorly fitting shoes. Ingrown toenails are indicated by pain, swelling, redness and infection. Inadequate upper and toebox configurations may also lead to less serious, but still painful and discomforting toe and forefoot injuries such as blisters, corns and callus formation.
The foot and toe injuries outlined above are often caused and intensified by mid and forefoot limiting, tight fitting shoes. The present invention addresses such foot injuries by providing a more strategic shoe upper construction that disperses peak pressure placement on the foot for reducing pressure and impact forces that contribute to such injuries.
A number of techniques and devices have been tried in the past to address the prevention, minimization or treatment of injuries, such as those described above, associated with athletic shoes. One technique has been used to address turf toe injuries has been to simply tape toes together in an effort to distribute the impact forces from the toebox so that a single toe (e.g., the hallux or big toe) does not receive the entire impact force. Other approaches for treating those already affected with turf toe injuries include the use of inserts such as insole inserts for insertion within or as a part of the athletic shoe (U.S. Patent Publication 2012/0240431) and toe brace/splint structures (U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0226737) for immobilizing or restricting movement of the MPJ to reduce pain during rehabilitation. Such devices address post-injury conditions, but do not address reduction or elimination of the causes of turf toe injuries.
A number of athletic shoe innovations have been directed toward restricting forward movement of the foot within the shoe. Some of such innovations have been directed to lacing arrangements and the use of stabilizing members such as reinforcing strips for limiting foot movement. U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,880 is an example of such an arrangement wherein each lacing eyelet ring is connected to a narrow reinforcing strip that extends down the side of the shoe to the margin of the upper. U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,876 discloses an athletic shoe that uses a limited number of reinforcing strips that are not directly associated with each of the lacing eyes. This patent discloses a single reinforcing member surrounding the tongue opening of the upper in zigzag fashion with lacing holes formed therein in like fashion so that alternating pairs of wide set and narrow set holes are disposed along the tongue length. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,413,431 and 4,813,158 describe yet other variations of lacing eyelets containing reinforcement portions and medial and lateral reinforcement portions. Such innovations reduce, but do not prevent movement of the foot toward the toebox of the shoe.
Another approach that departs from conventional athletic shoe design is a configuration referred to as a "minimalist shoe" configuration. Such shoes have gained popularity in the cross-training and running sports. Minimalist shoes do not employ the traditional toebox portion of an athletic shoe, but are configured as slim outlines of the foot itself, with individual receptor slots for each of the toes. These shoes purportedly provide the wearer with the closest footwear option to that of wearing no shoes at all. The popularity surrounding minimalist shoes is largely due to the fact that they capitalize on delivering shoes that offer a desired barefoot sensation and are lightweight. Vibram S.p.A. markets minimalist shoes (FIG. 6) under its FiveFingers™ brand and claims that such shoes influence runners into a more natural running gait, thereby lowering the impact forces on one's body. However, recent studies have concluded that such shoes are not biomechanically fit for everyone and have found that half of the test subjects did not adjust their running form when making the switch to minimalist shoes and as a result, experienced high impact forces that were nearly twice as high as those that would occur when wearing athletic shoes of traditional design.1 1 Parker-Pope, Tura. "Are Barefoot Shoes Really Better?" The New York Times. NY Times.com. 30 Sep. 2011. Web.
One practice or method that athletic shoe wearers have utilized as a turf toe injury prevention measure and as a mechanism to improve the comfort of the more conventionally configured athletic shoes is to personally alter the forefoot of the upper or toebox by making a cut through the toebox material in the vicinity of the forward portion of the big toe, usually in the shape of an "X". Cutting of the toebox provides more room for the big toe, and enables the big toe to move forward into the cut region through and beyond the front face of the toebox, reducing toe jamming and lowering the pressure placed on the foot and toe joints when running, jumping or cutting to change directions. Athletes employing such technique claim to like the open, breathable feel that such cuts provide. Some such practitioners also contend that the cuts make their shoes feel lighter and mimic the feeling of running barefoot. Such personal altering of the toebox has been especially prevalent in the sport of football. While making such personal alteration cuts to the toebox of manufactured athletic shoes may in fact improve the comfortability and toe jamming relief of the shoe, no covering material has been incorporated over the cuts, leaving the toes and interior of the shoe directly exposed to the external environment. Accordingly, undesirable objects such as rocks, sand, dirt, grass, field turf beads, and other miscellaneous foreign objects and debris are able to loosely infiltrate the shoe, causing discomfort and even injury to the wearer. Other problems associated with shoes having self-made cuts formed therein is that the hand made cuts are not necessarily optimally placed for alignment with the big toe as it moves within the shoe, and there are no control mechanisms provided to reclose the cut opening when the foot slides back toward the rear of the shoe or to prevent the cuts from increasing in size and growing too large leading to premature breakdown of the toebox and reduction of the integrity of the toebox.
There are multiple methods that can be employed to reduce the pain caused upon an individual with a bunion or bunionette, but many end up needing to surgically reduce the size of the bony swelling. Pre-surgical options include going barefoot as often as possible, wearing shoes with a wider toebox, stretching the shoe material juxtaposed to the bunion or bunionette, cutting holes through and removing portions of the toebox material juxtaposed to the bunion and bunionette formations (i.e., the MTP joint) on the medial and lateral sides of the shoe upper, skipping eyelets when lacing shoes, and wearing specialty splints or pads. Other common medical remedies including applying heat or ice to the area of discomfort, as well as taking anti-inflammatory or other analgesic drugs such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Often, individuals will be referred to a podiatrist for night splint treatment or for expensive orthotics or specialty fitted shoes. Surgery is often referred to as the last possible option, given the cost of the procedure and associated recovery time, as compared to non-surgical options. Despite the high cost and recovery burdens associated with surgery, it is a frequently utilized treatment and is often cited as the most effective methodology for correcting bunion and bunionette formations.
Most bunion relief innovations addressing ill-fitting shoes have focused on padding the bunion area of the foot with the use of a wearable device such as a brace, sleeve or stick-on pad. These solutions are often very cumbersome, do not fit well within traditional footwear, and the added bulk and mass from the wearable device causes the foot to expand and press the bunion area against the shoe with greater force. This most often causes further discomfort to the user and may lead to increased friction and rubbing of the footwear on other parts of the user's foot. Such pads and braces are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,060 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0168632.
Those bunion relief remedies that physically remove the shoe material overlying the bunion, suffer from the same drawbacks that apply to the cutting of the toebox remedies associated with the previously discussed turf toe injuries. With such remedies, the bunion is unprotected from and directly exposed to the external environment. There are also known shoe material configurations such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,032 that use expandable outer fabric that is fabricated by cutting an array of collinearly arranged columns of slits across and through the fabric, which enable the fabric to generally expand and conform to the shape of the wearer's foot. As with the toebox cutting techniques, when expanded, the slits undesirably directly expose the underlying portions of the foot to the external environment.
European Patent Publication EP2078513 illustrates another innovation that adjusts the structure of the footwear so as to provide more flexible fit for a foot within the toebox, and in particular for reducing pressures applied by the toebox to the sides of the foot. The invention employs an adjustable strap configuration that connects one side of the footwear to the opposite side. The strap may, for example have a Velcro fastener which allows the user to adjust the toebox pressure placed on the medial and lateral sides of the foot.
Running shoes which feature what is referred to as a "bunion window" are known and are purported to provide reduced bunion pressure relief to the wearer. The bunion window is typically a flexible panel of mesh fabric primarily located on the medial forefoot of the upper and is usually surrounded or framed by any of the usual multitude of overlays used in typical shoe construction, such as rubber or other synthetic material. The mesh material used in the bunion window material is generally the same flexible but not expandable mesh used for forming other parts of the upper, not located at the metatarsophalangeal joint area of the foot. While bunion windows may offer some pressure relief to the medial side of the foot, substantial pressure relief or improved fit is not realized due to its mesh composition and to the fact that it is anchored or lasted down to the sole of the shoe, limiting flexibility. Such anchoring to the sole can be problematic for several reasons. First, since the sole is formed from stiffer, inelastic material, it does not offer a gradual transfer or give to pressure applied to the attached mesh. Further, it does not offer site specific pressure distribution.
Besides injury prevention and performance, comfort is an important priority for shoe producers and consumers. There have been a plethora of technologies and choice materials used in the design and creation of more comfortable shoes; however, there is always room for improvement in the comfort of athletic shoes. One such way of enhancing comfort in an athletic shoe is through a significant ventilation system that aids in the breathability of the shoe. The materials selected for the body of the shoe often comprise lightweight wafer or mesh-like breathable fabric that allows for a certain degree of air circulation. In general, however, the forefoot of the upper or toebox portion of athletic shoes, and particularly those with restrictive tight fitting forefoot uppers and toeboxes have not been particularly susceptible to designs for improving ventilation within the toebox. Those techniques that have addressed the ventilation comfort issue have revolved primarily around changes made to the upper material, or to contour adjustments made to the toebox.
There are some athletic shoes on the market that employ lightweight mesh-like material in the toebox area that promotes ventilation. One such biking shoe is the SHR-300 Road Cycling Shoe sold by Shimano, Inc., that has two breathable mesh cutouts on either side of the toebox for ventilation purposes (see FIG. 7). The mesh, however, does not possess any unique stretchability properties that allows for any expansion of the toebox, and such shoe can only be practically used for biking purposes due to its pedal cleats and hard exterior shape which do not readily allow such shoe to be used for recreational use or casual wear.
The present invention addresses the deficiencies and shortcomings associated with prior known athletic shoe design techniques for minimizing and reducing possible foot and toe injuries and for reducing pain to the shoe wearer associated with impact forces and pressures applied through the shoe forefoot upper and toebox to the toes and feet of the person wearing the shoes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Techniques for performing instruction fetch operations are provided. The techniques include determining instruction addresses for a primary branch prediction path; requesting that a level 0 translation lookaside buffer (“TLB”) caches address translations for the primary branch prediction path; determining either or both of alternate control flow path instruction addresses and lookahead control flow path instruction addresses; and requesting that either the level 0 TLB or an alternative level TLB caches address translations for either or both of the alternate control flow path instruction addresses and the lookahead control flow path instruction addresses.

In a microprocessor, instructions are fetched for execution sequentially until a branch occurs. A branch causes a change in the address from which instructions are fetched and may be associated with delays in instruction fetch throughput. For example, branches may need to be evaluated to determine whether to take the branch as well as what the branch destination is. However, branches cannot be evaluated until the branch has entered the instruction execution pipeline. Branch delays are associated with the difference between the time that the branch is fetched and the time that the branch is evaluated to determine the outcome of that branch and thus what instructions need to be fetched next. Branch prediction helps to mitigate this delay by predicting the existence and outcome of a branch instruction based upon instruction address. Improvements to the operation of branch predictors are therefore desirable.

Instruction address translation and caching for primary and alternate branch prediction paths


A computer system includes a control panel having a rotary switch and a plurality of push button switches provided in the front bezel of the computer main body. The rotary switch uses a well-known endless loop type rotatable switch, called xe2x80x9cjog dialxe2x80x9d. The jog dial is used for selecting an application program among a plurality of programs stored in the computer. Also, the button switches are used for performing a specific function relative to the control panel. A microcontroller is provided to produce predefined key scan code data corresponding to each switch signal input from the control panel. The computer system determines whether a key scan code data corresponding to the operation of the control panel is inputted and produces a command for performing a function corresponding to the rotation of the rotary switch or the pressing of the button switches. Provided is a shell program stored in a memory of the system host, for displaying a program selection menu window on the computer monitor when the key scan code data is received by the system host, for executing an application program by the command produced in the computer system. The invention provides an effective user interface since selecting, executing, and ending of a desired application program are possible in a more convenient manner through operation of the control panel. Further, registration of a new program menu item as well as the editing and deleting of the registered program menu are possible through the mouse operation.

This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from an application entitled COMPUTER SYSTEM HAVING JOG DIAL FUNCTION earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on the Dec. 13, 1997, and there duly assigned Serial No. 97-68430, and from an application entitled A USER INTERFACE METHOD OF USING JOG-DIAL FUNCTION earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on the Jul. 14, 1998, and there duly assigned Serial No. 98-28457, copies of which are annexed hereto.
The present invention relates to a computer system, and more particularly to a computer system having a control panel that allows selection of an application program installed in the computer and execution thereof and to a user interface method for the same.
Computer systems are information handling systems that are utilized by many individuals and businesses today. A computer system can be defined as a microcomputer that includes a central processing unit (CPU), a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory such as read only memory (ROM), a display monitor, a keyboard, a mouse or other input device such as a trackball, a floppy diskette drive, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM) drive, a modem, a hard disk storage device, and a printer. A computer system""s main board, which is a printed circuit board known as a motherboard, is used to electrically connect these components together.
The central processing unit is often described as a microprocessor. The microprocessor is an electronic component having internal logic circuitry handling most, if not all, the data processing in the computer system. The internal logic circuitry of microprocessors is typically divided into three functional parts known as the input/output (I/O) unit, the control unit, and the arithmetic-logic unit (ALU). These three functional parts interact together and determine the power and performance of the microprocessor. The combination of the control unit and the arithmetic-logic unit can be referred to as the central processing unit. Also, the combination of the input/output unit, the control unit, and the arithmetic-logic unit can be referred to as the central processing unit.
Computer systems include a basic input output system (BIOS) which is an especially important program stored in read only memory (ROM). The basic input output system (BIOS) tests a computer every time the computer is powered on. The basic input output system (BIOS) can allocate a computer system""s resources automatically, making adjustments needed to accommodate new hardware. Also, the basic input output system (BIOS) governs how system board components interact.
When the computer system is powered on, the basic input output system (BIOS) immediately takes control of the computer system and its components. The first duty of the basic input output system (BIOS) is to perform a series of diagnostic routines called the power on self test (POST) routine, which ensures that every part of the computer system""s hardware is functioning properly.
In the personal computer system, there are many methods of executing a command or an application program depending on the operating system used in a computer system and its user interface method. Operating systems used in state-of-art personal computers adopt so-called graphic user interface (GUI). This graphic user interface has made a great contribution to the computing environment for its convenience in using the computer. For example, in the Windows(R) operating system developed by Microsoft(R) Corporation, an application can be executed by selecting the corresponding icon placed on the Desktop or by exploring the File Manager or Explorer through mouse or keyboard operation. Basically, present operating systems adopting the GUI designate icons relative to every tile or documents and icons are displayed on the monitor screen so that the user may select the desired one and execute it by clicking the mouse button.
In such an operating system, however, if many program icons are placed on the Windows Desktop or a program group window, those icons may cause inconvenience to a user in selecting a desired one among many icons. Further, if an icon corresponding to the desired application program is not presented in the Desktop, it is difficult for a novice to find the desired program in the Windows Explorer and to execute the very program.
Recently, in order to facilitate execution of frequently used application programs, provisions are made to the personal computer such that a control panel, having a plurality of buttons called xe2x80x9cEasy Buttonxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cQ button,xe2x80x9d are provided in the front panel of the computer main body. Such buttons may be the one incorporated into a remote control device of the computer. Each button of the control panel is designated by a particular function of the computer or common application program. By pressing a button, starting or ending of an application program is possible.
However, although the above-noted control panel provides the user with easy and quick access to the computer, the inherent problem is that it has limitation in number of the button. Further, since designation of the functional button has been determined by the computer manufacturer, the computer user could not change the button designation at will. If it is possible to provide more buttons with the front control panel, then too many buttons will cause inconvenience to a user as like many icons registered in the Windows Desktop. Furthermore, the above-noted control panel lacks the ability to choose a main menu or control menu of the selected application program through the button operation.
I have found that a simplified and convenient access apparatus and method for a computer system would be desirable. Efforts have been made to develop devices and methods related to electrical systems and computer systems.
Exemplars of recent efforts in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,926 for METHOD OF GENERATING AN OPERATING BUTTON FOR COMPUTER PROCESSING, METHOD OF RETRIEVING DATA WITH THE OPERATING BUTTON AND METHOD OF DISPLAYING THE OPERATING BUTTON issued to Arita, U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,811 for OPERATOR/CIRCUIT INTERFACE WITH INTEGRATED DISPLAY SCREEN issued to Jaeger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,477 for SYSTEM FOR INTERACTIVELY CREATING ACTION BAR PULL-DOWN WINDOWS OF A USER INTERFACE FOR USE AT PROGRAM RUN TIME issued to Koopmans et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,429 for MULTIFUNCTION SEQUENCE OPERATED INTEGRATED SWITCH-DISPLAY DEVICE issued to Tsuha et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,784 for MANAGEMENT CONTROL TERMINAL METHOD AND APPARATUS issued to Van Bemmelen.
While these recent efforts provide advantages, I note that they fail to adequately provide a simplified and convenient access apparatus and method for a computer system. Thus, there is a need of an improved computer control panel, capable of selecting and executing an application program more efficiently, to improve user interface provided by the computer control panel.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a computer system having an improved user interface which can select and execute a desired application program among many programs, and registration of a new program menu item as well as edition of the registered program menu can be performed by a user.
It is another object of the invention to provide a computer system having a control panel which can select a menu or submenu of an executed program through operation of the control panel.
In accordance with the present invention, the computer system comprises a control panel having a rotary switch and at least one push button switch; a microcontroller in response to input signals fed from the switches of said control panel to produce predefined key scan code data corresponding to each switch signal; a host system for determining whether a key scan code data corresponds to the key operation of the control panel is inputted to produce a command for performing corresponding function as to the rotation of the rotary switch or pressing of the button switches; and a shell program stored in a memory of the host system for being invoked when said key scan code data is received by the system host and for displaying a menu window in a display monitor, through which selective execution of an application program is possible by the command produced in the host system.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the predefined key scan code data is sent to the system host through keyboard data/clock line of a keyboard controller.
Further, the control panel is mounted in the front bezel of the computer main body and the rotary switch includes at least two signal output terminals to produce different pulse signals therefrom as it is rotated either in clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. The control panel further includes other push button switches provided adjacent to the rotary switch for performing a specific function of the system host.
The program selection menu window of this invention has a dial-like form extending along the horizontal side thereof and divided into three sections, each of which are designated by names of an application program (a menu item) that is being registered in the shell program. Further, the menu item is registered in each of program registration sections of the loop type data format provided in the shell program.
According to another aspect of this invention, an interface method for use in a computer system is provided, the computer system includes a control panel which has a rotary switch and at least one push button switch for selectively executing an application program stored in the computer, the method comprises the steps of determining whether an input exists from the control panel; varying contents of a menu window for selecting a command for executing an application in response to rotational direction of the rotary switch, if the control panel input corresponds to the rotary switch; and performing a function designated by the push button switch of the control panel, if the control panel input corresponds to the push button switch, wherein at least one push button switch is designated for execution of the command selected by the rotary switch, and if a menu or submenu of the executed program is selected by the rotary switch the selected menu can be executed by the switch for execution of the command.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising: a panel including at least one switch unit, said at least one switch unit outputting a plurality of switch signals in response to a user switching said at least one switch unit, said plurality of switch signals corresponding to a first operation selected from among a plurality of operations; a processing unit receiving first data corresponding to said switch signals, and outputting a command signal to perform said first operation; a video display conveying varying visual information to the user, said visual information corresponding to said plurality of operations, said first operation, and said switching of said at least one switch unit; and a memory unit being coupled to said processing unit and storing a routine, said routine being performed by said processing unit when said first data is received by said processing unit, and said routine being performed by said processing unit to convey said visual information to the user at said video display.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method, comprising: determining when a signal is output from a panel, said panel including a rotary switch and at least one push button switch; varying visual data displayed at a video display, said varying of said visual data being performed in response to a rotational movement of said rotary switch when said signal corresponds to said rotary switch, said visual data corresponding to a plurality of application programs; performing a function corresponding to said at least one push button switch when said signal corresponds to said at least one push button switch; and said at least one push button switch being designated for execution of a selected application program, said selected application program being selected from among said plurality of application programs by operation of said rotary switch.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method, comprising: determining when a signal is output from a panel of a computer system, said panel including a rotary switch and at least one push button switch; varying visual data of a menu displayed at a video display, said varying of said visual data being performed in response to a rotational movement of said rotary switch when said signal corresponds to said rotary switch, said varying of said visual data being performed to facilitate a user selecting a command from among a plurality of commands for executing an application program stored in said computer system, said visual data of said menu including said plurality of commands; and performing a function corresponding to said at least one push button switch when said signal corresponds to said at least one push button switch, said at least one push button switch being designated for execution of said command selected by the user.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method, comprising: executing an application program utilizing a panel of a computer system, said panel including a rotary switch and at least one push button switch; selecting a first menu item from among a plurality of displayed menu items of a first menu of said executed application program according to a rotational movement of said rotary switch; and executing said first menu item by pressing said at least one push button switch, wherein said at least one push button switch is designated for execution of said first menu item selected by said rotary switch.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.

Computer system with jog dial function and the user interface scheme thereof


A bonding glass containing V2O5: 25 to 50 wt %, TeO2: 20 to 40 wt % and BaO: 5 to 30 wt %, and not containing lead.

As display devices excellent in high brightness and high definition, liquid crystal display devices, plasma display devices, and the like are put in practical use in place of conventional color cathode ray tubes. Moreover, among others, as those allowing for higher brightness, various types of panel type display devices such as an electron emission type display device, an organic electroluminescence display device characterized in low power dissipation, and the like, are put in practical use or are in preliminary stages for practical use.
Patent documents related to the electron emission type display device include Patent Document 1 (JP-A-9-283059), Patent Document 2 (JP-A-2000-21335), Patent Document 3 (JP-A-8-22782), etc. In this type of display device, a back panel in which a plurality of thin film type electron sources are formed in the inner surface of a first glass substrate, and a front panel in which an anode and a fluorescent substance are formed in the inner surface of a second glass substrate, the inner surface of the second glass substrate being opposite to an electron source forming surface of the first glass substrate, are oppositely arranged at a predetermined interval, and the first glass substrate constituting the back panel and the second glass substrate constituting the front panel are bonded together at an outer peripheral inner edge via a sealing frame that is preferably made of glass, thereby constituting an airtight container (also referred to as a vacuum container, in this case).    (Patent Document 1) JP-A-9-283059    (Patent Document 2) JP-A-2000-21335    (Patent Document 3) JP-A-8-22782

Display device and production method thereof


A system, computer program product, and method provide for reason driven data analysis in a web-based system that is configurable to various types of data and environments. The computer program product provides for navigation of a report tree of reports that are hierarchically organized with respect to reasons derived from an analysis of transactional data in a database. A frame based interface provides for easy and flexible navigation and configuration of the reports and other features. A configuration file is used to rapidly develop and customize the web-based system. Case management functionality is included to allow for management of cases being reviewed using the system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to workstations and user interfaces for data mining generally, and more particularly, for analyzing and manipulating the results of predictive models.
2. Background of the Invention
In data mining applications generally, and in applications for analyzing the results of predictive models, it is helpful for users to be able to easily traverse through very complex sets of data describe that describe the relationships between different entities. Conventional data mining tools typically allow for providing complex queries on the data set, but still require the user to sufficiently understand the problem and the data so as to know which queries to construct. This makes it relatively more difficult for the user to explore the data in order to find patterns or relationships of interest, without knowing such relationships ahead of time.
It is further desirable to provide a development platform for a database mining application that allows for rapid development and customization of such applications. Many existing database mining applications are hardcoded, and require customized development by experienced programmers.

Webstation: configurable web-based workstation for reason driven data analysis


A method for operating an internal combustion engine includes the steps of feeding a high-pressurize and super-heated mixture of fuel vapor and water vapor to an injection valve at a cylinder head of a combustion chamber. The mixture is pressurized to at least 350 atm and is super-heated to at least 840.degree. F. Under these conditions at least the fuel vapor is dissociated and is converted into a mixture of organic gases having compositions which differ from the analysis of the original liquid fuel. The advantages of the method are a better fuel economy and a reduction of exhaust emissions of smoke, CO, NO.sub.x. The method also enables combustion of a plurality of energy containing liquids and solid matter, especially synthetic materials. Due to the high pressure and temperature of the vapor mixture, a dissociation of the vapors into small organic basic modules, especially carburetted hydrogen gases, occurs.

The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine comprising at least one combustion chamber, air inlet and gas exhaust valves and an injection valve by which an overheated and pressurized mixture, consisting of fuel vapor and water vapor is injected into the combustion chamber and wherein heating of the mixture is effected by hot exhaust gas leaving the engine.
A method of this kind is known from German patent reference DE 37 34 346-A. According to this method a pump for pressure elevation of the liquid fuel and a second pump for the water is proposed and the mixture is evaporated at a pressure above the maximum compression pressure. The fuel-vapor-water-vapor-mixture is fed to the injection valve at a temperature of substantially 430.degree. F. This reference gives us information on the absolute pressure level of the fuel-vapor-water-vapor-mixture.
German patent reference DE 39 24 013-A describes a similar method, which differs from the aforementioned method, because the pressure of the fuel-vapor-water-vapor-mixture is smaller than the maximum compression pressure in the cylinder at maximum power. In this reference the pumps for water and liquid fuel are designed so that the pressure for entering the evaporator is adjustable between 5 and 20 atm.
The purpose of both references is to create a method to inject fuel vapor and water vapor into an internal combustion engine at the same time to have available the fuel already in vaporized state when it is injected into the combustion chamber and to receive a homogeneous explosive mixture after mixing it with combustion air. It is well known in the art, that water vapor can reduce noxious gaseous components especially NO.sub.x or smoke particles in the exhaust gas and that the specific fuel consumption can be reduced thereby.
In German reference DE 42 18 104 A it is proposed, to inject over-heated water at a temperature of 700.degree. F. and about 223 atm into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine during the expansion cycle. However, the water is not mixed with the fuel, is not pressurized and is not evaporated.
Last but not least a proposal is known, where water and fuel are injected alternately into the combustion chamber during consecutive work phases. This affords two injection valves. The goal is to reach an improved NO.sub.x -binding with condensed water. Proposals such as the aforementioned are described in German references DE 35 17 177-A and DE 31 43 605-A. The problem of operating a combustion engine with spark ignition with a compressed fuel-vapor-water-vapor-mixture is the increasing knock tendency due to auto-ignition. According to German reference DE 40 35 064-A it is proposed to oppose this tendency by cooling the fuel-vapor-water-vapor-mixture before injection to condense at least a part of the fuel vapor and also the water vapor. This suggestion reduces the thermal efficiency of the combustion engine.
All known proposals trace the same goal to reduce exhaust emissions, especially smoke particles, NO or CO by adding atomized water or water vapor. During injection of the fuel-vapor-water-vapor-mixture just-those pressures and temperatures were allowed, which lead to superheating of the vapor mixture, but still hold the knock tendency of the engine within allowed limits.

Method for operating an internal combustion engine and the latter itself


A method and apparatus for performing a L3 handover between CNs in a packet-switched network are provided. When a UE moves from an old RAN to a new RAN, the UE sends a measurement report message including cell information to the old RAN. The old or new RAN determines whether to perform a L3 handover. If the L3 handover is required, a tunnel is established between the new RAN and a new CN. The UE performs a handover from the old RAN to the new RAN, without establishing a tunnel between the new RAN and an old CN. Upon detection of the movement of the UE, the new RAN sends a L2 handover complete message to the old RAN. After moving to the new RAN, the UE acquires a new IP address, performs the L3 handover, and communicates with the new CN through the new RAN.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a packet-switched network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing Layer 3 (L3) handover between Core Network (CN) entities in a packet-switched network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), an asynchronous 3rd Generation (3G) mobile communication system based on European Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) and operating in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), provides a uniform service of sending packet text, digital voice or video, and multimedia data at or above 2 Mbps to mobile users or computer users irrespective of their locations. With an introduction of a concept of virtual access, UMTS enables access to any end point within a network. The virtual access refers to packet-switched connection using a packet protocol like Internet Protocol (IP).
Compared to the UMTS system where network entities are connected in Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and connected to an external packet data network via a gateway node (that is, Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)), Enhanced-UMTS (E-UMTS) offers IP-based connectivity between network entities, thereby reducing the number of intermediate nodes via which a User Equipment (UE) is connected to the packet data network and thus enables fast data transmission.
A typical UMTS system is comprised of radio access networks (RANs) and a CN. A radio access network (RAN) takes charge of Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2) protocols and is wirelessly connected to UEs. The CN takes charge of a L3 protocol and connects the RAN to an external network. The UMTS system provides L2 handover through Serving Radio Network System (SRNS) re-allocation and L3 handover through inter-Serving GPRS Support Node (inter-SGSN) handover.
As the typical UMTS system has evolved toward the packet switching-based 3G mobile communication network, there is a need for supporting fast and seamless handover between RANs belonging to different CN entities.

Method and apparatus for performing handover between core network entities in a packet-switched network


A free wheel assembly with front clutches comprising a hub sleeve rotatable on a hub pin and a cassette rotatable on the hub pin, a first annular body rotatable on the hub pin and comprising a first crown gear, a second annular body associated with the hub sleeve and comprising a matching second crown gear facing the first crown gear. The first annular body is axially movable relative to the second annular body between a motion transmission configuration and a free wheel configuration and coupling members operate between the first annular body and the cassette. In the free wheel configuration, rotation of the cassette relative to the first annular body forces the coupling members to axially translate the first annular body towards the second annular body, and magnetic members active on the first annular body and opposing the rotation of the first annular body with respect to the hub pin.

The motion transmission system of a bicycle comprises a pair of pedal cranks, on which the cyclist exerts a propulsive thrust, one or more driving toothed wheels, set in rotation by direct coupling with the pedal cranks, and a plurality of driven toothed wheels, also called sprockets, of different dimensions, set in rotation by the driving toothed wheels through a transmission chain.
The sprockets are coupled with the rear wheel of the bicycle through a cassette which is rotatably coupled with a hub sleeve. The hub sleeve rotates as a unit with the rim of the bicycle through spokes, and is rotatably fitted onto a hub pin fixed with respect to the frame of the bicycle. The cassette (and therefore the sprockets) is coupled with the hub sleeve through a mechanism called "free wheel" in the technical jargon.
The free wheel allows transmitting the rotation of the sprockets to the rear wheel when the rotation speed of the sprockets is equal to the rotation speed of the rear wheel and allows decoupling the movement between the sprockets and the rear wheel when the rotation speed of the sprockets is different from that of the wheel.
The free wheel thus allows the movement as a unit among sprockets (and cassette) and rear wheel only when the sprockets are set in rotation in the direction of rotation of the rear wheel and at the same speed as the wheel, whereas in the opposite direction or for lower rotation speeds than those of the wheel it does not produce any effect on the rear wheel that continues in its rotation by inertia and does not force the cyclist to keep the legs moving to assist the rotation of the rear wheel.
One type of free wheel provides for an annular body rotating as a unit with the cassette (and thus with the sprockets) and an annular body rotating as a unit with the rear wheel (and thus with the hub sleeve). The two annular bodies rotate around a same rotation axis substantially coinciding with the rotation axis of the hub sleeve of the rear wheel.
In the free wheels with front clutches, the two annular bodies have respective mutually facing axial toothings. Such toothings are shaped so that, when in axial engagement with each other, they transmit a drive torque from the annular body constrained to the cassette to the annular body constrained to the rear wheel when the sprockets rotate in a first angular direction, thus transmitting the rotation of the sprockets to the rear wheel when the cyclist exerts a propulsive action on the pedals. The axial toothings do not transmit any drive torque between the two annular bodies when the rotation speed of the sprockets in the first angular direction is less than the angular speed of the rear wheel or when the sprockets rotate in a second angular direction, thus allowing the free rotation of the rear wheel when the cyclist stops his/her propulsive action on the pedals or when he/she actuates the pedals in the opposite direction to that of propulsion.
Usually, the axial toothings are shaped according to a circumferential path comprising a sequence of inclined planes separated by substantially axial planes, to form a substantially "sawtooth wave" geometry. During rotations in the first angular direction, the axial planes of the annular body fixedly connected to the sprockets are in abutment against the axial planes of the annular body fixedly connected to the rear wheel, transmitting to the rear wheel the motion of the sprockets. During rotations in the second angular direction of the sprockets or when the speed of rotation in the first angular direction of the sprockets is less than the angular speed of the rear wheel, the inclined planes of the annular body fixedly connected to the sprockets slide over the inclined planes of the annular body fixedly connected to the rear wheel, interrupting the transmission of motion between sprockets and rear wheel.
Following the sliding between the inclined planes, the two annular bodies move apart axially and the axial toothings lose contact with each other.
In order to recouple the axial toothings with each other (condition necessary to transmit the motion from the sprockets to the rear wheel), the free wheel usually comprises elastic or magnetic elements arranged in the radial space occupied by one of the annular bodies and that exert a constant or intermittent axial thrusting action on one of the annular bodies towards the other annular body.
Such an axial thrusting action allows recoupling the annular bodies when the cyclist restarts the propulsive action.
Examples of magnetic return members are described in documents US 2014/0062164 and US 2017/0015137.

Free wheel assembly with front clutches for a bicycle


A lamp to produce white light includes an envelope; and a composition disposed in the envelope and including an initiator; a primary halide; and a secondary halide, wherein the primary halide, in a presence of the secondary halide, has a vapor pressure that is greater than a vapor pressure in an absence of the secondary halide, and the composition is configured to emit white light in a presence of an electrical discharge in the envelope.

Gas discharge lamps are used in commercial, industrial, and consumer environments. Some gas discharge lamps suffer from an undesired lumen or color output during an extended initial period until the lamp is sufficiently hot to vaporize certain compounds.
Accordingly, advances in articles and processes for lighting would be advantageous and received favorably in the art.

Lamp having a secondary halide that improves luminous efficiency

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY


Provided is a semiconductor integrated circuit device having pixel regions in a photodiode array region and having, in each of the pixel regions, a waveguide holding hole having a substantially perpendicular sidewall above the photodiode and embedded with a silicon oxide-based sidewall insulating film reaching the bottom surface of the hole and two or more silicon nitride-based insulating films having a higher refractive index on the inner side of the hole. This structure makes it possible to prevent deterioration of pixel characteristics of an imaging device, such as CMOS sensor, which is rapidly decreasing in size.

The present application relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device (or semiconductor device) and can be applied to, for example, a semiconductor integrated circuit device having a solid-state imaging device.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-305690 (Patent Document 1) relates to a solid-state imaging device. It discloses a waveguide having, at a lower end thereof, an anti-reflective film using a silicon nitride film, substantially penetrating through a surface wiring layer, and having a high refractive index at the center portion of the waveguide.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-227510 (Patent Document 2) or U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012-267741 (Patent Document 3) corresponding thereto relates to a solid-state imaging device. The device disclosed herein has an anti-reflective film right above a photodiode and a waveguide extending downward from the vicinity of the upper end of a wiring layer to the middle of the wiring layer and filled with a high refractive index insulating film.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-128383 (Patent Document 4) relates to a CMOS solid-state imaging device. Disclosed herein is a waveguide that is made of an insulating film having a refractive index higher than therearound and is tapered downward.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-305690    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-227510    [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent Application Publication N 2012-267741    [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-128383


A lens power measuring system has a light source and a fiber-optic light delivery system optically coupled to the light source to receive illumination light from the light source. The fiber-optic light delivery system has a transmit/receive end. The lens power measurement system also has a microscope objective optically coupled to the fiber-optic light delivery system through the transmit/receive end of the fiber-optic light delivery system, a movable mirror arranged to intercept at least a portion of light after having passed through the microscope objective, and an optical detection system optically coupled to the fiber-optic light delivery system to receive light after having been reflected from said movable mirror. The optical detection system is constructed to be able to determine a substantially maximum signal of light reflected from the movable mirror in correspondence with a relative position of the movable mirror to a lens to be measured. Methods of measurement include methods using such a lens system.

1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to devices for measuring optical powers of lenses and methods of measuring optical powers of lenses.
2. Discussion of Related Art
All references cited anywhere in this specification, including this background section, are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Since the invention and first implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL) back in 1949 (Apple, D. & Sims, J. Surv. Opthalmol. 40, 279-292 (1996)), the development and use of IOL's has revolutionized refractive cataract surgery. An estimated 20.5 million Americans over age 40 have cataracts in at least one eye and more than 1.5 million cataract surgeries are performed per year. (See, National Eye Institute, Archive of Opthalmology, accessed Jun. 22, 2005, http://www.nei.nih.gov/eyedata/pbd6.asp.) The focal length (or dioptric power) is a fundamental parameter whose precise measurement is of critical importance for characterizing and evaluating the effectiveness and safety of a single focusing optical element or systems such as various positive and negative IOL's, contact lenses, eyeglasses, conventional lenses, objectives, and mirrors. Because of the complexity in accurately locating the principal focal planes that usually lie within the focusing element, various indirect methods for focal length measurement are conventionally used such as image magnification, autocollimation, nodal slide, Bessel's method, moiré deflectometry, and Talbot interferometry. (See, W. Smith, Modern Optical Engineering (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1990); Nakano, Y. & Murata, K. Applied Optics 24, 3162-3166 (1985); Su, D. & Chang, C. Optics Communications 78, 118-122 (1990); Keren, E. et al. Applied Optics 27, 1383-1365 (1988); Tognetto, D. et al, Investigative Opthalmology and Visual Science 45, 2682-2688 (2004); and Norrby, N. et al. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 22, 983-987 (1996).) The effectiveness of most of these methods is often limited in regards to high accuracy, dynamic range over which measurements can be performed (for both positive and negative dioptric powers), spatial sample alignment and subjectively image observation. Recently (Ilev, I. Optics Letters 20, 527-529 (1995); Ilev, I. et al. Applied Optics 35, 716-718 (1996); and Ilev, I. et al. Optical Review 4, 58-60 (1997)), we have demonstrated a fiber-optic based back-reflectance technique for testing focusing optical elements with relatively large numerical apertures and short positive focal lengths. This approach is compatible with high-resolution confocal laser microscopy and the combined fiber-optic confocal imaging systems offer advantages in terms of high spatial resolution, flexibility, miniaturization and scanning potential. (See, B. Flusberg et al. Nature Methods 2, 941-950 (2005).) For at least these and other reasons there is a need for improved devices and methods of measuring optical powers of lenses.

Confocal fiber-optic laser device and method for intraocular lens power measurements

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services


The epoxy resin composition which comprises both components (A) an epoxy compound having at least two epoxy groups in a molecule and (B) a polyphenol compound containing a trisphenol compound represented by general formula (I) described below ##STR1## in which R.sub.1 is a methyl group, n is an integer of 0 to 2, and Ar is a group selected from ##STR2## in which R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are each individually selected from an alkyl group having a carbon number of 1 to 6, an alkoxy group having a carbon number of 1 to 6, or a halogen atom, and m and p are an integer of 0 to 2.

Recently, scientific technologies rapidly progress around electronic industries, and particularly in semiconductor field, fine wiring and thinning of chips are made progress with a high integration of memory, whereby the mounting method is shifted to a surface-mounting. In an automated line for the surface mounting, there are problems that since packaged semiconductors suffer a sudden temperature change when leading wire is soldered, cracks occur in a resin molding product, or a boundary layer between the leading wires and the resin deteriorates, resulting in lowering a moisture resistance in semiconductor packages.
Therefore, as one of materials to be employed for the semiconductors, a curing agent for epoxy resins having an excellent heat resistance and moisture resistance has come to be used. For example, as a phenol-based curing agent having a moisture resistance, a dicyclopentadiene-modified phenol resin is proposed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 62-201922).
However, although the above-mentioned dicyclopentadiene-modified product is excellent in a moisture resistance, it has a defect that heat resistance cannot be satisfactorily obtained because of a low crosslinking density thereof.
Further, there is proposed a method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 7-17887) in which phenol resins obtained by a reaction of a specified diene or triene with phenols are used as a curing agent for epoxy resins. However, although heat resistance is improved in these methods, there are defects that the moisture resistance decrease in a cured product and the viscosity increases in an epoxy resin composition, with a result that workability lowers, high content filler loading becomes difficult, and cracks readily occur in a molded resin product due to increase in water absorption.


Calibrating an ultrasonic transducer can be performed with a reduced number of calculations and testing. A wide-band pulser is connected to an ultrasonic transducer under test to generate ultrasonic waves in a liquid. A single frequency is transmitted to the electrostatic acoustic transducer (ESAT) and the voltage change produced is monitored. Then a broadband ultrasonic pulse is generated by the ultrasonic transducer and received by the ESAT. The output of the ESAT is amplified and input to a digitized oscilloscope for Fast Fourier Transform. The resulting plot is normalized with the monitored signal from the single frequency pulse. The plot is then corrected for characteristics of the membrane and diffraction effects. The transfer function of the final plot is determined. The transfer function gives the final sensitivity of the ultrasonic transducer as a function of frequency. The advantage of the system is the speed of calibrating the transducer by a reduced number of measurements and removal of the membrane and diffraction effects.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in the calibration of broadband ultrasonic transducers. More particularly, this invention calibrates a broadband ultrasonic transducer without using another device as the standard and reduces the number of measurements required to calibrate the transducer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Broadband capacitive electrostatic acoustic transducers are used for absolute amplitude ultrasonic measurements in liquid environments. These transducers are air-tight enclosures with a conductive membrane as part of its outside surface. A central electrode that has a flat end is mounted inside the enclosure so that the flat end is approximately parallel to the conductive membrane. This forms a capacitor.
The frequency response of the electrostatic acoustic transducer (ESAT) has a frequency range from sub-MHz to above 15 MHz depending on the membrane. These ESATs can also be used to measure the absolute amplitudes of ultrasonic compressional waves in liquids. These measurement techniques make the ESAT especially useful in the study of ultrasonic properties of liquids, including liquid-state anharmonicity, ultrasonic dosimetry in medical and biological applications, and also ultrasonic spectral analysis.

Absolute calibration technique for broadband ultrasonic transducers

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A sub-range flash ADC having correction circuits for dealing with conversion errors induced by the coarse comparison in the thermal code format. Fine thermal codes accompanied by extension codes may be used to decide whether a conversion error has happened and what kind of conversion error it is. After determining whether a conversion error has occurred, the coarse thermal codes are shifted right or left by one bit, similar to the addition or subtraction mathematical operation, to obtain corrected coarse thermal codes. In addition, the fine thermal codes (including the extension thermal codes) are shifted left or right by a bit length equal to the fine thermal codes, similar to the subtraction and addition operation, to obtain corrected fine thermal codes. These corrected coarse and fine thermal codes can be directly used for encoding without any further correction process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a sub-range flash-type analog-to-digital converter (hereafter called ADC), more specifically, to a flash analog-to-digital converter employing a thermal code correction scheme for correcting the mismatch between a coarse comparison and a fine comparison.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flash-type ADCs are extremely useful in high-speed applications. Fundamentally, ADCs are devices for converting analog signals to digital signals. In the conventional flash-type ADC, signal representation conversion is implemented by a direct level comparison, thereby decreasing the conversion time.
Basic flash ADCs compare the input analog signal with a set of predefined reference voltages, which are evenly spaced between a top reference voltage and a bottom reference voltage. It is evident that the basic flash ADCs need many comparators to fulfill the conversion operation. More specifically, an n-bit ADC requires 2.sup.n -1 comparators. For example, a 10-bit ADC must include 1023 comparators. Such a large number of comparators produces ADC implementation difficulties, including the need for a large amount of chip size, loading of the input analog signal, and differential and integral errors.
A sub-ranging technique is used to lessen these unwanted phenomena. In a sub-range flash ADC, the analog-to-digital conversion is implemented by two separate smaller sub-ADCs. The first sub-ADC is used to implement a coarse conversion and generates a series of most significant bits (hereafter called MSBs). The second sub-ADCs is used to implement a fine conversion in accordance with the conversion result of the coarse conversion and generates a series of least significant bits (hereafter called LSBs). Note that the total bit number of the MSBs and LSBs are equal to the bit number of the desired output digital signal of the complete ADC. For example, a 10-bit converter may be implemented by 4 MSBs and 6 LSBs, or by 5 MSBs and 5 LSBs. In addition, the total number of the required comparators may be obtained by summing the respective number of the comparators included in both of the separate sub-ADCs. For example, there are (2.sup.5 -1)+(2.sup.5 -1)=62 comparators in a 10-bit converter with 5 MSBs and 5 LSBs. Clearly, this approach help avoid the large quantity of comparators and the inherent drawbacks in the basic ADC.
In sub-range flash ADCs, the cooperation between the MSB sub-ADC and the LSB sub-ADC is a critical issue. U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,029 disclosed a sub-range flash ADC employing an intelligent cooperation scheme. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the block diagram of the disclosed prior art sub-range flash ADC. As shown in FIG. 1, the flash ADC includes reference voltage generator 10, coarse comparing circuit 12, fine comparing circuit 14, multiplexer 16, subtraction/addition circuit 18 and logic circuit 20. Reference voltage generator 10 is used to provide a set of coarse reference voltages VRC evenly spaced between top reference voltage REF+ and bottom reference voltage REF-, and a set of fine reference voltages VRF evenly spaced within a coarse reference voltage range. Usually, reference voltage generator 10 is implemented by many resistors serially connected with each other, wherein top voltage REF+ and bottom voltage REF- are provided at both ends of these resistors. These coarse reference voltages VRC are used for coarse comparison, and, therefore, are provided to coarse comparing circuit 12. After comparing these coarse reference voltages VRC with input analog signal VI, coarse comparing circuit 12 then generates a first group of thermal codes QC representing the comparison result. The thermal codes are in a binary data format, composed of a series of data "0" followed by a series of data "1." In ADCs, each thermal code represents a comparison result of the corresponding comparator. When the corresponding reference voltage is higher than the input analog signal, the corresponding thermal code shows the data "0." When the corresponding reference voltage is below that of the input analog signal, the corresponding thermal code shows the data "1." Therefore, the intersection of the "0" series and the "1" series in the thermal codes QC indicates the coarse level of the input analog signal VI.
Multiplexer 16 and subtraction/addition circuit 18 are used to produce an intermediate analog signal VI', which is applied to fine comparing circuit 14 for fine comparison. Intermediate analog signal VI' is original input signal VI subtracted or added by a selected reference voltage VSEL, which is one of the coarse reference voltages VRC. The selected reference voltage VSEL represents a base voltage for moving input analog signal VI into a voltage range defined by the fine reference voltages VRF. Multiplexer 16 selects reference voltage VSEL from the coarse reference voltages VRC, controlled by the coarse thermal codes QC. Then subtraction/addition circuit 18 moves input analog signal VI into the voltage range defined by the fine reference voltages VRF.
The fine reference voltages VRF are evenly spaced between the voltage range by itself. Fine comparing circuit 14 compares the fine reference voltages VRF with the intermediate input signal VI', respectively, and generates the fine thermal codes QF. Finally, logic circuit 20 interprets the coarse thermal codes QC and the fine thermal codes QF and produces the output digital signal VO corresponding to the input analog signal VI.
Besides the above-indicated sub-range flash ADC, other sub-range flash ADCs may employ a slightly different approach to deal with the fine conversion. For example, in some ADCs, the multiplexer and the subtraction/addition circuit may be omitted and the original input analog signal is directly applied to the fine comparing circuit. In addition, the reference voltage generator may generate many groups of the fine reference voltages, respectively corresponding to one voltage range defined by two adjacent coarse reference voltages. One group of the fine reference voltages is selected in accordance with the coarse comparison and directly fed to the fine comparison circuit for fine conversion. However, such a sub-range flash ADC may require a lot of switching devices.
Further attention must be paid to fine comparing circuit 14 and the fine reference voltages VRF. Typically, some additional fine reference voltages (hereafter called the extension reference voltages) are provided to fine comparing circuit 14 together with the fine reference voltages VRF. These extension reference voltages usually include two portions, one being higher than the fine reference voltages and the other being lower than the fine reference voltages. In addition, fine comparing circuit 14 also includes additional comparators for comparing these extension reference voltages with the intermediate input signal VI'. These extension reference voltages are used to correct the error due to the separate coarse and fine conversion and will be discussed in the following paragraph.
FIG. 2A illustrates the prior art conversion operation of a sub-range flash ADC using the coarse conversion scheme, while FIG. 2B illustrates the fine conversion scheme.
In this simplified example, the coarse reference voltages, denoted by REF+, VRC3, VRC2, VRC1 and REF-, are used to perform a two-bit conversion and the fine reference voltages, denoted by VRC2, VRF3, VRF2, VRF1 and VRC1, are also used to perform a two-bit conversion. Therefore, this ADC is a 4-bit converter. Any input value may be located in one of the four voltage ranges defined by two adjacent coarse reference voltages. As described above, if the input value is located between the voltages REF+ and VRC3, the base voltage for moving the input value to the predefined fine comparison voltage range, denoted by VSEL in the above description, is the reference voltage VRC2. After being subtracted by the reference voltage VRC2, the input value is moved to the voltage range defined between the voltages VRC1 and VRC2. Then, in order to complete the analog-to-digital conversion, the fine comparison is performed by using VRF1, VRF2 and VRF3,. However, a conversion error in a sub-range flash ADC may happen when the input value is close to any coarse reference voltage, such as VRC1, VRC2 or VRC3.
As shown in FIG. 2A, consider an input analog signal VI to be close to the reference voltage VRC2. Assume that the true input analog signal VI is slightly higher than the coarse reference voltage VRC2. This means that the input analog signal VI is located within the voltage range between the reference voltages VRC2 and VRC3. However, if the difference voltage between the voltages VRC2 and VI is very small, for example, less than 2 mV, and the coarse comparator cannot detect such a small voltage, a conversion error happens. In such a situation, extension reference voltages, U1-U2 as seen in FIG. 2B, may be used to detect this kind of error. When the fine comparing circuit detects that the intermediate input signal VI' (same as VI in this case) is located in the voltage range between VRC2 and U1, logic circuit 20 can perform an error correction operation to modify the output digital signal. The extension reference voltages L1 and L2, also shown in FIG. 2B, are used for the same purpose. In summary, the extension reference voltages U1, U2, L1 and L2 expand the voltage range for the fine comparison and are used to ferret out any comparison error that occurs in the coarse comparing circuit.
In the conventional sub-range flash ADCs, coarse thermal codes, fine thermal codes and extension thermal codes are converted to a binary code format by using logic circuit 20 shown in FIG. 1. After conversion, logic circuit 20 also employs an error correction scheme to analyze the fine thermal codes and the extension thermal codes in order to correct the true digital output signal VO. That is, conventional ADCs correct the conversion error in the binary code format, not in the thermal code format. One example of such a correction circuit has been disclosed in IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS, VOL 25, NO. 6, entitled "A 10-b 15 MHz CMOS Recycling Two-Step A/D Converter". In this article, the conversion error is corrected by latches and mathematical operation units. All thermal codes are first transformed into the binary code format, and then are corrected by the mathematical correction scheme. However, it is evident that in the conventional sub-range flash ADC, many hardware devices are needed to perform such an operation. In terms of implementation, a large amount of chip size is required to fabricate this correction circuit.

Sub-range flash analog-to-digital converter


This disclosure relates to avoiding a hard error in memory during write time by shifting data to be programmed to memory to mask the hard error. In one implementation, a method of programming data to a memory array includes obtaining error data corresponding to a selected memory cell, shifting a data pattern such that a value to be stored by the selected memory cell matches a value associated with a hard error, and programming the shifted data pattern to memory array such that the value programmed to the selected memory cell matches the value associated with the hard error.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to electronics, and, in particular, to memory devices.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Certain errors can repeatedly occur when writing data to memory. For instance, memories can encounter "hard errors" in memory cells. A hard error can refer to a repeatable error that consistently returns incorrect data. Some hard errors can result from a memory cell getting stuck in a particular state. As one example, a binary memory cell with a hard error can return a logical 0 value regardless of whether a logical 0 or a logical 1 is written to the memory cell. In this example, the memory cell with the hard error encounters the same failure when reading data from the memory cell. More specifically, a memory cell stuck in a logical 0 state will encounter failures of reading a logical 0 when trying to read a logical 1 written to the memory cell.
Hard errors can occur in various types of memories, such as phase-change memory (PCM), also known as PCRAM or PRAM. PCM is a form of non-volatile memory made from a phase-change material. An example of a phase-change material is Germanium-Antimony-Tellurium (GST). When a cell of GST material is heated beyond its melting point and cools relatively rapidly, the phase-change material of the cell is in an amorphous state and can have a resistance associated with a first state, such as logic 0. When the cell of GST material is heated and is cooled relatively slowly, the phase-change material of the cell is in a crystalline state and can have a resistance associated with a second state, such as logic 1. The cell of GST material can also be heated to a relatively lower temperature, such as a temperature associated with crystallization to achieve the crystalline state. Intermediate states are also possible for multi-level cells.
Accordingly, a need exists for correcting for hard errors in memories, such as PCMs.
To avoid repetition of description, components having the same or similar function may be referenced by the same reference number.

Rearranging programming data to avoid hard errors


An imaging lens consists of five lenses, including: a first lens having a positive refractive power with a convex surface toward the object side, a second lens having a negative refractive power, a third lens having a positive refractive power and a meniscus shape with a convex surface toward the object side, a fourth lens having a negative refractive power and a meniscus shape with a convex surface toward the image side, and a fifth lens having a negative refractive power with a concave surface toward the image side, the image-side surface thereof having at least one inflection point, and the first lens, the second lens, the third lens, the fourth lens, and the fifth lens being disposed in this order from the object side;                wherein, the imaging lens satisfies a predetermined conditional formula.

Technical Field
The present disclosure is related to a fixed focus imaging lens for forming optical images of subjects onto an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The present disclosure is also related to an imaging apparatus provided with the imaging lens that performs photography such as a digital still camera, a cellular telephone with a built in camera, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a smart phone, a tablet type terminal, and a portable gaming device.
Description of the Background Art
Accompanying the recent spread of personal computers in households, digital still cameras capable of inputting image data such as photographed scenes and portraits into personal computers are rapidly becoming available. In addition, many cellular telephones, smart phones, and tablet type terminals are being equipped with camera modules for inputting images. Image sensors such as CCD's and CMOS's are employed in these devices having photography functions. Recently, miniaturization of these image sensors is advancing, and there is demand for miniaturization of the entirety of the photography devices as well as imaging lenses to be mounted thereon. At the same time, the number of pixels in image sensors is increasing, and there is demand for high resolution and high performance of imaging lenses. Performance corresponding to 5 megapixels or greater, and more preferably 8 megapixels or greater, is desired.
In response to such demands, imaging lenses having a five or six lens configuration, which is a comparatively large number of lenses, may be considered. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 (U.S. Pat. No. 8,000,031 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20120087019) propose an imaging lens with a five-lens configuration, including a first lens having a positive refractive power, a second lens having a negative refractive power, a third lens having a positive refractive power, a fourth lens having a negative refractive power, and a fifth lens having a negative refractive power, disposed in this order from the object side.

Imaging lens and imaging apparatus equipped with the imaging lens


An apparatus and a method are provided to facilitate building of a disk stack for inclusion in a magnetic disk drive. A spindle is provided which comprises first and second disk contacts. A mechanism is provided to bias an inner diameter of a stack of plural disks toward both the first disk contact and the second disk contact. The spindle may comprise one or a pair of lateral protrusions. The apex of each such spindle lateral protrusions may comprise one or both of the disk contacts. In addition, or alternatively, the inner diameter of a disk, to be inserted over the spindle, may comprise one or a pair of lateral protrusions. The apexes of such disk lateral protrusions may comprise one or both of the first disk contact and the second disk contact.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetic disk drives, and methods for forming a disk stack assembly with concentrically-aligned disks.
2. Description of Background Information
Magnetic disk drives store data for use by all types of computer systems. A magnetic disk drive typically has a case, enclosing one or more spinning disks (also known as "platters"), arranged one on top of another in a stack. An actuator arm of the hard disk drive responds to commands the drive receives from a host computer, and the actuator arm moves to a proper location on the disk. When the actuator arm arrives at the proper location, a read/write head attached to the actuator arm either reads data from or writes data to the location.
A typical magnetic disk drive comprises a series of aluminum alloy disks. Although some magnetic disk drives use only a single disk, most use a plurality of disks. The disks have a central opening. The disks comprise a substrate material that forms the bulk of the disk, and a magnetic media coating which holds the magnetic pattern that represents the data.
The disks may be mounted on a common central spindle to form a disk stack assembly that spins as one piece. The disk stack assembly may comprise a spacer ring between adjacent disks on the spindle. The spacer ring provides a longitudinal separation between adjacent disks.
It is important to center the disks on the spindle so that they do not cause an imbalance and excessive vibration when rotated at high speeds. An out-of-balance condition in the rotating disk stack assembly can cause erratic speed variations in the movement of the disks in relation to the read/write heads, which may produce read/write errors. Vibrations of the rotating disks can also contribute to head crashes, harming both the disk and read/write head.
There are known processes for centering and balancing disks when securing them to the spindle of a disk stack assembly. In one such stack assembly build process, the inner diameter (ID) of a central opening of each disk is specified to have some value (e.g., two mils) greater than that of the outer diameter (OD) of the spindle. This ID-OD difference between the ID of the disk and the OD of the spindle is chosen to prevent the disk from binding to the spindle even when there is a slight lack of perpendicularity between the disk and the axis of the spindle during assembly. An averaging procedure is employed to cancel offsets of disks against each other. In this process, these parts may be misaligned by up to approximately one mil. For some high-performance products, this misalignment is reduced by employing a dynamic balancing process.

Methods for centering disks in a magnetic disk assembly


According to one aspect, the invention pertains to a ureteral stent that includes a proximal retention structure configured for retaining the proximal portion in the urinary bladder, which contains a balloon reservoir for storing a pressurized fluid that contains a urologically beneficial drug. In another aspect, a ureteral stent is provided that includes a reservoir for storing a pressurized fluid that comprises a urologically beneficial drug and an outlet remote from the reservoir, wherein the outlet includes a hydrogel material that, upon implantation of the ureteral stent, shrinks as the salinity of surrounding urine drops and expands as the salinity of surrounding urine increases. In other aspects, the invention pertains to a system for introducing a urinary stent into the body of a patient. In yet other aspects, the invention pertains to methods for treating patients.

Ureteral stents are used to create a pathway for urinary drainage from the kidney to the bladder in patients with ureteral obstruction or injury or to protect the integrity of the ureter in a variety of surgical manipulations, among other uses. A number of clinical conditions can produce interruption in urine flow including, for example, intrinsic obstruction of the ureter due to tumor growth, stricture or stones, compression of the ureter due to extrinsic tumor growth, stone fragment impaction in the ureter following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), and ureteral procedures such as ureteroscopy and endopyelotomy. Stents may thus be used to treat or prevent obstructions of the ureter that disrupt the flow of urine from the corresponding kidney to the urinary bladder, which obstructions can cause urine to back up into the kidney, threatening renal function.

Ureteral stent with drug delivery reservoir


Various methods and apparatuses are described in which a repair data container may store a concatenated repair signature for multiple memories having one or more redundant components associated with each memory. A processor contains redundancy allocation logic to execute one or more repair algorithms to generate a repair signature for each memory. The repair data container may store actual repair signatures for each memory having one or more defective memory cells detected during fault testing and dummy repair signatures for each memory with no defective memory cells. The processor may contain logic configured to compress an amount of bits making up the concatenated repair signature, to decompress the amount of bits making up the concatenated repair signature, and to compose the concatenated repair signature for all of the memories sharing the repair data container. The repair data container may have an amount of fuses to store the actual repair signatures for an adjustable subset of the multiple memories.

Random defects occurring during the manufacturing of an integrated circuit memory device can render non-redundant elements of an integrated circuit memory device, such as a column of memory cells, row of memory cells, etc., defective. For example, particle contamination during the manufacturing process may cause broken or shorted out columns and bit defects.
Redundant elements in an integrated circuit memory device, such as redundant columns or rows of memory cells, are used to compensate for these random defects. Initial testing of an integrated circuit memory occurs after the manufacturing process. During initial testing of an integrated circuit memory device, defective elements are replaced by non-defective elements referred to as redundant components. Thus, redundant elements of memory cells may be used in a scheme to replace defective non-redundant columns, discovered during initial testing of the integrated circuit memory device. The use of redundant elements is important in increasing the overall yield of an integrated circuit memory device.
Defective cells in a memory are typically replaced by a redundant row or column of memory cells. Typically, one fuse exists per each redundant memory row, and each memory column. These fuses are typically physically located with in the memory block on the chip.
The information stored in the fuses of a fuse box is typically used to repair the memories during field operations. Logic loads the information from the fuse box to the memories. Multiple memories may share the fuse box. Typically, a large percentage of the repair resources remain unused, especially in a system with a large number of memories having a small storage capacity, like register file arrays.
A fuse box containing laser fuses typically occupies a significant area on a system on a chip. Further, the fuses in the fuse box typically provide no other functionality besides to store the control bits allocating redundant components associated with each particular memory. Therefore, some manufacturers would be interested in reducing the physical space taken up by the fuse box on a system on a chip.

Methods and apparatuses that reduce the size of a repair data container for repairable memories