A composition comprising at least one dispersed fatty phase, and at least one continuous aqueous phase, and comprising: a) at least one hydrophobic gelling agent selected from ester of dextrin and fatty acid; b) at least one amphiphilic crosslinked copolymer; c) at least one anionic terpolymer, linear or branched, of at least one monomer (1) carrying an acid function in free form, partially or totally salified by a nonionic monomer (2) selected from N,N-dimethylacrylamide and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, and at least one monomer (3) polyoxethylenated alkyl acrylate of formula (III) wherein in formula (III): R1 represents a hydrogen atom, R represents a linear or branched C8-C16 alkyl radical, n is an integer ranging from 1 to 10; and d) at least one hydrophobic particles chosen from hydrophobic silicas, hydrophobic cellulose, starch, talc, silicone resin powders, hollow hemispherical silicone particles, polyamide powders, hydrophobic pigments, or a mixture thereof.

Two-phase compositions which appeal to consumers on account of their aesthetic nature exist currently on the market. These compositions consist of two mutually immiscible phases, either are comprised of fatty phase dispersing in an aqueous phase in form of oil droplets, or are mixed together extemporaneously by shaking before use.
Pickering emulsion, due to its aesthetic nature and surfactant-free property, is of great interest of the consumers and widely used in the cosmetic products. To form a Pickering emulsion, finely divided solid particles are adsorbed at the interface between the oil and the homogeneous mixture, and serve to stabilize the oil droplets.
However, these emulsions have a tendency to become destabilized on storage over time. The sedimentation of the solid particles or even phase separation is observed, leading to an appearance that consumers find unappealing. In order to improve the stability, FR1160798 disclosed a Pickering emulsion comprising apolar hydrocarbon-based oil, C1-C4 monoalcohol, and hydrophobic silica aerogel particles. However, due to the existing of a relatively high amount of alcohol, which is necessary for improving the stability of the Pickering emulsion, a discomfort after application of the emulsion is observed by the consumers.
Efforts have been made to formulate a Pickering emulsion, which is stable over time, with low amount of alcohol.
However, the stability is still to be improved during scaling up process, during which a product undergoes shearing forces at least once, In particular, the stability is to be improved during scaling up, for example at a high quantity, such as greater than or equal to 40 kg.
The inventors found it difficult to formulate a Pickering emulsion with an improved scaling up stability by simply increasing the viscosity of the fatty phase and/or aqueous phase. In some cases, visible oil droplets are not formed; in other cases, oil droplets do not appear to be circular shapes as expected, due to the change of viscosity. Moreover, the oil droplets coalescent during and immediately after scaling up process, this is not expected.
There is thus a need for developing a composition of Pickering emulsion type, wherein the oil droplets are visible, and that has improved scaling up stability.
Meanwhile, such a composition maintains good stabilities such as stability under different temperatures, during two months.
There is also a need for formulating a composition with above mentioned property, and having a good aesthetic nature, in particular, the oil droplets are in form of globules or circular shape.
Additionally, such a composition also has a good stability during routine use by the consumers. The appearance of the mutually immiscible phases remains as expected after shaking.
Moreover, there is a need for formulating a composition with above mentioned properties, and meanwhile having a good sensory after application.


The present invention relates to compounds of formula I:

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), the most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter, activates both ionotropic GABAA/C and metabotropic GABAB receptors (Hill and Bowery, Nature, 290, 149-152, 1981). GABAB receptors that are present in most regions of the mammalian brain on presynaptic terminals and postsynaptic neurons are involved in the fine-tuning of inhibitory synaptic transmission. Presynaptic GABAB receptors through modulation of high-voltage activated Ca2+ channels (P/Q- and N-type) inhibit the release of many neurotransmitters. Postsynaptic GABAB receptor activates G-protein coupled inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channel and regulates adenylyl cyclase (Billinton et al., Trends Neurosci., 24, 277-282, 2001; Bowery et al., Pharmacol. Rev. 54, 247-264, 2002). Because the GABAB receptors are strategically located to modulate the activity of various neurotransmitter systems, GABAB receptor ligands hence could have potential therapeutics in the treatment of anxiety, depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia and cognitive disorders (Vacher and Bettler, Curr. Drug Target, CNS Neurol. Disord. 2, 248-259, 2003; Bettler et al., Physiol Rev. 84, 835-867, 2004). Moreover, the presence of GABAB receptors has been confirmed in organs such as spleen, lung, liver, intestine, stomach, esophagus and urinary bladder (Calver et al., Neuroscience, 100, 155-170, 2000; Schwarz et al., J Biol Chem 275, 32174-32181, 2000; Uezono et al., J Pharmacol Sci, 94, 211-213, 2004). Therefore, GABAB receptor ligands might also have potential therapeutic application in the peripheral nervous system.
Native GABAB receptors are heteromeric structures composed of two types of subunits, GABABR1 and GABABR2 subunits (Kaupmann et al., Nature, 386, 239-246, 1997; Nature, 396, 683-687, 1998). The structures of GABABR1 and R2 show that they belong to a family of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) called family 3. Other members of the family 3 GPCRs include the metabotropic glutamate (mGlu1-8), calcium-sensing, vomeronasal, pheromone and putative taste receptors (Pin et al., Pharmaco. Ther. 98, 325-354, 2003). The family 3 receptors (including GABAB receptors) are characterized by two distinctly separated topological domains: an exceptionally long extracellular amino-terminal domain (ATD, 500-600 amino acids), which contains a venus flytrap module for the agonist binding (orthosteric site) (Galvez et al., J. Biol. Chem., 275, 41166-41174, 2000) and the 7TM helical segments plus intracellular carboxyl-terminal domain that is involved in receptor activation and G-protein coupling. The mechanism of receptor activation by agonist in GABABR1R2 heterodimer is unique among the GPCRs. In the heteromer, only GABABR1 subunit binds to GABA, while the GABABR2 is responsible for coupling and activation of G-protein (Havlickova et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 62, 343-350, 2002; Kniazeffet al., J. Neurosci., 22, 7352-7361, 2002).
Schuler et al., Neuron, 31, 47-58, 2001 have demonstrated that the GABABR1 knock-out (KO) mice exhibit spontaneous seizures and hyperalgesia. These KO mice have lost all the biochemical and electrophysiological GABAB responses. Interestingly, the GABABR1 KO mice were more anxious in two anxiety paradigm, namely the light-dark box (decreased time in light) and staircase tests (decreased rears and steps climbed). They showed a clear impairment of passive avoidance performance model indicating impaired memory processes. The GABABR1 KO also displayed increased hyperlocomotion and hyperactivity in new environment. Gassmann et al., J Neurosci. 24, 6086-6097, 2004 has shown that GABABR2KO mice suffer from spontaneous seizures, hyperalgesia, hyperlocomotor activity and severe memory impairment, comparable to GABABR1KO mice. Moreover, altered anxiety and depression behavior was observed in GABABR2KO mice (Mombereau et al., Neuroreport, 16, 307-310, 2005) Therefore, heteromeric GABAB R1R2 receptors are responsible for these phenotypes. The GABABR1 gene is mapped to chromosome 6p21.3, which is within the HLA class I, a region with linkage for schizophrenia, epilepsy and dyslexia (Peters et al., Neurogenetics, 2, 47-54, 1998). Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); the A-7265G (promoter region), C10497G (intron 9), Ser-491-Ser (T to C, exon 12), Phe-659-Phe (A to G, exon 16) and A33795G (3′-UTR) have been found in the GABABR1 gene. The association of A-7265G polymorphism of GABABR1 gene with schizophrenia (Zai et al., Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 15, 347-52, 2005) and Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (Zai et al., Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 134, 25-29. 2005) have been recently reported.
Baclofen (Lioresalθ, β-chlorophenyl GABA), a selective GABAB receptor agonist with EC50=210 nM at native receptor, is the only ligand, which has been used since 1972 in clinical study for the treatment of spasticity and skeletal muscle rigidity in patients following spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy. Most of the preclinical and clinical studies conducted with baclofen and GABAB receptor agonists were for the treatment of neuropathic pain and alleviating the craving associated with cocaine and nicotine (Misgeld et al., Prog. Neurobiol. 46, 423-462, 1995; Enna et al., Life Sci, 62, 1525-1530, 1998; McCarson and Enna, Neuropharmacology, 38, 1767-1773, 1999; Brebner et al., Neuropharmacology, 38, 1797-1804, 1999; Paterson et al., Psychopharmacology, 172, 179-186, 2004; Paterson et al., Neuropsychopharmacology, 30, 119-128, 2005). In panic disorder patients, Baclofen was shown to be significantly effective in reducing the number of panic attacks and symptoms of anxiety as assessed with the Hamilton anxiety scale, Zung anxiety scale and Katz-R nervousness subscale (Breslow et al., Am. J. Psychiatry, 146, 353-356, 1989). In a study with a small group of veterans with chronic, combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), baclofen was found to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment. It resulted in significant improvements in the overall symptoms of PTSD, most notably the avoidance, emotional numbing and hyperarousal symptoms and also in reduced accompanying anxiety and depression (Drake et al., Ann. Pharmacother. 37, 1177-1181, 2003). In preclinical study, baclofen was able to reverse the reduction in prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response induced by dizocilpine, but not by apomorphine in rat PPI model of psychosis (Bortolato et al., Psychopharmacology, 171, 322-330, 2004). Therefore, GABAB receptor agonist has a potential in the pharmacological therapy of psychotic disorders. Because of presence of GABAB receptors in PNS, preclinical and clinical studies with baclofen have demonstrated therapeutic potential of GABAB receptor agonist for bladder dysfunction, intestinal and pulmonary disorders such as overactive bladder (bladder function is under tonic GABAB control), gastroesophageal reflux disease and heartburn, cough and asthma (Bolser et al., Br J Pharmacol, 113, 1344-1348, 1994; Dicpinigaitis et al., J Clin Pharmacol, 38, 364-367, 1998; Dicpinigaitis et al., Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 81, 921-923, 2000; Cange et al., Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 16, 869-873, 2002; Lehmann et al., Eur J Pharmacol, 448, 67-70, 2002; Pehrson et al., J Urol, 168, 2700-2705, 2002; Sanger et al., Auton Autacoid Pharmacol, 22, 147-154, 2002; Symonds et al., Eur J Pharmacol, 470, 95-97, 2003; Piqueras et al., Br J Pharmacol, 142, 1038-48, 2004). Unfortunately, Baclofen has a number of side-effects including poor blood-brain-barrier penetration, very short duration of action and narrow therapeutic window (muscle relaxation, sedation and tolerance) that limit its utility.
Urwyler et al., Mol. Pharmacol., 60, 963-971, 2001 have reported on a novel class of GABAB receptor ligands, called positive allosteric modulators, CGP7930 [2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(3-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-propyl)-phenol] and its aldehyde analogue CGP13501. These ligands have no effect on their own at GABAB receptors, but in concert with endogenous GABA, they increase both the potency and maximal efficacy of GABA at the GABABR1R2 (Pin et al., Mol. Pharmacol., 60, 881-884, 2001). Interestingly, this enhancement of the GABA effect by CGP7930 was further corroborated in an in vivo mechanism-based paradigm, in which pretreatment with CGP7930 resulted in a potentiation of the baclofen-induced loss of righting reflex in DBA mice; this combined effect can be blocked by GABAB antagonist (Carai et al., Eur J Pharmacol, 504, 213-216, 2004). A recent study with CGP7930 (Binet et al., J Biol Chem., 279, 29085-29091, 2004) has shown that this positive modulator activates directly the seven transmembrane domains (7TMD) of GABABR2 subunit. Mombereau et al., Neuropsychopharmacology, 1-13, 2004 have recently reported on the anxiolytic effects of acute and chronic treatment with the GABAB receptor positive modulator, GS39783 (N,N_-dicyclopentyl-2-methylsulfanyl-5-nitro-pyrimidine-4,6-diamine) (Urwyler et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 307, 322-330, 2003) in the light-dark box and elevated zero maze test models of anxiety. No tolerance after chronic treatment (21 days) with GS39783 (10 mg/kg, P.O., once daily) was observed. Because the GABAB enhancers have no effect on receptor activity in the absence of GABA, but do enhance allosterically the affinity of the GABAB receptor for the endogenous GABA, it is expected that these ligands should have an improved side effect profile as compared to baclofen. Indeed, GS39783 at 0.1-200 mg/kg, PO had no effect on spontaneous locomotor activity, rotarod, body temperature and traction test in comparison to baclofen, which showed these side effects at 2.5-15 mg/kg, PO. GS39783 did not have any effect on cognition performance as assessed by passive avoidance behavioral test in mice and rats. Furthermore, GS39783 exhibited anxiolytic-like effects in the elevated plus maze (rat), elevated zero maze (mice and rats), and the stress-induced hyperthermia (mice) test paradigms. Therefore, GS39783 represents a novel anxiolytic without side-effects associated with baclofen or benzodiazepines (Cryan et al., J Pharmacol Exp Ther., 310, 952-963, 2004). The preclinical investigation with the CGP7930 and GS39783 has shown that both compounds were effective at decreasing cocaine self-administration in rats (Smith et al., Psychopharmacology, 173, 105-111, 2004). The positive modulator, CGP7930 has also been preclinically studied for the treatment of Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and was found to be effective (WO 03/090731, use of GABAB receptor positive modulators in gastro-intestinal disorders).
Positive allosteric modulators have been reported for other family 3 GPCRs including mGlu1 receptor (Knoflach et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 98, 13402-13407, 2001; Wichmann et al., Farmaco, 57, 989-992, 2002), calcium-sensing receptor (NPS R-467 and NPS R-568) (Hammerland et al., Mol. Pharmacol., 53, 1083-1088, 1998) (U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,146), mGlu2 receptor [LY487379, N-(4-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-phenyl-N-(2,2,2-trifluoroethylsulfonyl)-pyrid-3-ylmethylamine and its analogs] (WO 01/56990, Potentiators of glutamate receptors) and mGlu5 receptor (CPPHA, N-{4-chloro-2-[(1,3-dioxo-1,3-dihydro-2H-isoindol-2-yl)methyl]phenyl}-2-hydroxybenzamide) (O'Brien et al., J. Pharmaco. Exp. Ther., 27, Jan. 27, 2004). Interestingly, it has been demonstrated that these positive modulators bind to a novel allosteric site located within the 7TMD region, thereby enhancing the agonist affinity by stabilizing the active state of the 7TMD region (Knoflach et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 98, 13402-13407, 2001; Schaffhauser et al., Mol. Pharmacol., 64, 798-810, 2003). Moreover, the NPS R-467, NPS R-568 (Tecalcet) and related compounds represent the first positive allosteric modulators that have entered the clinical trails due to their allosteric mode of action. Sensipar™ (a potentiator of Ca2+-sensing receptor, cinacalcet by Amgen-NPS) is the 1st positive allosteric modulator of a GPCR approved by the FDA in 2004.
Dyachenko, V. I et al. in Steric effects of ortho substituents in reactions of phenols and phenolates with polyfluoro ketones, Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya (1989), (4), 923-8 already disclosed (RS)-5,7-Di-tert-butyl-3-hydroxy-3-trifluoromethyl-3H-benzofuran-2-one. Nevertheless Dyachenko, V. I et al. belongs to pure chemistry literature and neither teach nor suggests that said compound may have an activity at the GABA-B receptor.

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 are as defined in the specification and claims, which compounds are active on the GABAB receptor and are useful in the control or prevention of CNS illnesses, especially of illnesses and disorders comprising anxiety, depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and cognitive disorders.


Hydroalcoholic compositions and methods of preparation are provided. The composition includes a lower alcohol and water in a weight ratio of at least about 20:80 and a thickener system comprising a complex of at least one charged polymer and at least one oppositely charged surfactant.

Control of nosocomial infection and exposure to infectious disease is of paramount concern to doctors, nurses, and clinicians who work in hospitals and surgery centers. One of the most effective methods for controlling infection is regimented hand disinfection before and possibly after each patient contact and particularly before and after each surgical procedure. Hand disinfection is generally accomplished using antimicrobial soaps with water. These soaps are usually formulated to include either povidone-iodine (usually 7.5% by weight) or chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG) (usually 2% or 4% by weight) as the active antimicrobial agent. In addition, these formulated soaps may contain surfactants and possibly low levels of humectants such as glycerin.
Hand disinfection is also accomplished using presurgical scrub replacements. These are used instead of the soap and water scrub. Presurgical scrub replacements ideally achieve bacterial kill equal to or better than a traditional soap and water scrub and in a shorter period of time. Additionally, they maintain or improve the skin's natural barrier to microbial and chemical contamination while providing acceptable tactile properties. Examples of presurgical scrub replacements include hydroalcoholic gels which generally include high levels of either ethanol or isopropanol as the disinfecting agent and also include a thickener and optionally a humectant (e.g., glycerin). To date, thickeners used in hydroalcoholic gels have been based on anionic polymers such as polyacrylic acid (sold under the tradename "CARBOPOL" by BF Goodrich Specialty Polymers and Chemicals Division of Cleveland, Ohio). U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,934 (Tomlinson) discloses the use of CHG-containing antiseptic foams based on hydroalcoholic solvents, a fatty alcohol, and a surfactant. The surfactant is selected from the group of ethoxylated sorbitan alkylates, ethoxylated fatty alcohols, and ethoxylated nonyl phenols.
Formulating stable viscous hydroalcoholic emulsions is difficult for two reasons. First, addition of short chain alcohols (such as ethanol) to an aqueous system decreases the surface tension dramatically. For example, 40% by weight ethanol in water has a surface tension of approximately 31 dynes/cm compared to pure water which has a surface tension of about 72 dynes/cm at 20.degree. C. A hydroalcoholic solution at 60% by weight ethanol has a dramatically decreased surface tension as compared to water. Such a composition has a surface tension of approximately 27 dynes/cm at 20.degree. C. Second, many surfactants typically used in cosmetic emulsions become completely or partially soluble in hydroalcoholic systems.
In bulletin 51-0001-259 regarding skin care, Specialty Chemicals of ICI America of Wilmington, Del. state that although ethanol can provide several benefits to skin care emulsions, formulators often avoid ethanol because it is difficult to prepare stable emulsions in its presence. In fact, the bulletin also states that ethanol is often used to break emulsions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,170 (Lee) discloses a hydroalcoholic skin moisturizing/conditioning antimicrobial gel. The gel comprises 60-75% by weight ethanol and 0.4-2% by weight of an anionic carbomer polymeric thickening agent. The formulations also comprise polyethoxylated nonionic surfactants/emulsifiers to stabilize the added emollient oils in addition to a fatty alcohol. U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,950 (Lins) discloses an antimicrobial aerosol mousse having a high alcohol content. The mousse comprises alcohol, water, a polymeric gelling agent and a surfactant system comprising a C16-C22 alcohol, aerosol propellant, and a nonionic polyethoxylated surfactant. These systems are based on neutralized polymeric acrylic acids, which are anionic and therefore incompatible with positively charged molecules such as chlorhexidine digluconate. Furthermore, these systems, while cosmetically acceptable, do not shear thin readily and can feel heavy with a somewhat tacky feel under gloves.
Novel Gelling Agents Based on Polymer/Surfactant Systems, E. D. Goodard et. al., J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., 42, 19-34 (Jan/Feb. 1991) discloses polymer/surfactant thickener systems for completely aqueous systems based on quaternary polymers in combination with anionic surfactants. These thickener systems, however, are not effective in hydroalcoholic solvent systems.
In other hydroalcoholic systems, such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08/493,714 and 08/493,695 (both of which were filed on Jun. 22, 1995 and assigned to 3M Company), nonionic, anionic, cationic, or zwitterionic emulsifiers are used as thickeners, without the need for a polymeric thickener such as polyacrylic acid. Although these systems are highly desirable, other high viscosity hydroalcoholic compositions useful as an antimicrobial lotion, for example, are still needed.

Hydroalcoholic compositions thickened using surfactant/polymer complexes

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


Acyloxysilanes are prepared by the anhydrous reaction of stoichiometric amounts of a carboxylic acid with a mixture of a halosilane and a silazane in an aprotic solvent, such as diethyl ether, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran or toluene, in an inert gas atmosphere. In a preferred embodiment the silazane is prepared in situ by the reaction of the corresponding halosilane and ammonia. No catalyst is necessary and the reaction preferably is performed at a temperature of -5.degree. C. to 45.degree. C.

Acyloxysilanes have been prepared by the reaction of an alkylchlorosilane with a carboxylic acid. The reaction is reversible and is brought to completion by removing the by-product HCl either by addition of a proton acceptor or by distilling it off at high temperature. The reaction mechanism can be represented as follows: EQU R.sub.n SiCl.sub.4-n +(4-n)CH.sub.3 COOH.fwdarw.R.sub.n Si(OCOCH.sub.3).sub.4-n +(4-n)HCl (I)
where R is an alkyl radical and n is an integer from 0 to 3.
The reaction scheme of (I) is the subject of various methods for improving the yield of the desired end product, including the addition of an iron complexing agent, (U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,198); conducting the reaction under reflux conditions using pentane as a solvent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,391); conducting the reaction in the vapor phase in a counter-current column (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,329,484 and 4,332,956); and refluxing the reactants in carbon tetrachloride as a solvent (Japanese patent document 80,154,983 (1980)).
These reaction schemes have the disadvantages of requiring either (1) additional reactants to neutralize or otherwise remove the HCl, or (2) additional utilities and equipment to conduct the reaction and to remove the HCl from the reactor in order to drive the reaction to completion.
Alkylacyloxsilanes have also been obtained by the reaction of a carboxylic acid anhydride with an alkylchlorosilane: EQU R.sub.n SiCl.sub.4-n +(4-n)(CH.sub.3 CO).sub.2 O.fwdarw.R.sub.n Si(OCOCH.sub.3).sub.4-n +(4-n)CH.sub.3 COCl (II)
where R is an alkyl radical and n is an integer from 0 to 3.
This reaction (II) is brought to completion by distilling off the acetyl chloride formed. Acetyl chloride is corrosive, toxic, a strong irritant and presents a significant fire risk. It must be handled carefully and disposed of properly. A modification of this process is disclosed in European patent EP 509,213.
The technical literature also discloses other processes relating to specific acyloxysilanes. For example, Hengge, E. and Starz, E. (Montash. Chem. 102(3) 741-6 1971; CA 75, 88066) reported the preparation of triacetoxysilane (11.8% yield) by treating trichlorosilane with sodium acetate in pentane at room temperature. Kohma S. and Matsumoto, S. (Kagaku To Kogyo (Osaka) 48(8) 308-10 1974; CA 82 57798) improved the yield (48-64%) in the preparation of alkylacetoxysilanes by refluxing the chlorosilanes with magnesium acetate in benzene. The use of a metal salt of the acid in these processes results in production of a metal chloride, either NaCl or MgCl.sub.2, which requires additional washing steps for product recovery.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved one-step process for the production of acyloxysilanes by reacting a halosilane with other relatively inexpensive reactants.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved process for producing acyloxysilanes at moderate temperatures in the range from about -5.degree. C. to about 50.degree..
Another object of this invention is to provide a process for the production of acyloxysilanes that does not require a catalyst.
A further object of this invention is to provide a process for the production of acyloxysilanes that does not require a high-temperature distillation process and that can be carried out in conventional reactors.
It is also an important object of the invention to provide a process in which the acyloxysilanes are obtained in yields exceeding at least 75%, and up to 95%.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the production of acyloxysilanes in which the by-products are non-hazardous and can readily be disposed of in accordance with existing environmental regulations.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing acyloxysilanes in which the solvent can be recycled, and where the acyloxysilane remaining in the reaction vessel after removal of the solvent is sufficiently pure so that it can be used without further purification.


The present specification discloses an immunomodulatory composition comprising lactobacillus-derived extracellular vesicles as an active ingredient. The lactobacillus may be Lactobacillus plantarum. The composition has the effects of inducing differentiation into M2-type macrophages and reducing expression of at least one member selected from the group consisting of CCR2, SOCS3 and HLA-DRα, which are M1-type macrophage differentiation markers.

Most animal cells have the ability to secrete extracellular vesicles of intracellular origin with varying sizes and components, and these extracellular vesicles are found in all biological fluids including blood, urine, saliva and cell culture. Prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells are also known to secrete extracellular vesicles.
Extracellular vesicles are membrane structure vesicles with diameters ranging from about 20 nm to about 5 μm. They differ in sizes and components, and include various different species, such as exosomes (about 20-100 nm), ectosomes, microvesicles (about 100-1,000 nm), microparticles, apoptotic bodies (about 1-5 μm), etc.
The different types of extracellular vesicles are distinguished based on their origin, diameter, density in sucrose, shape, precipitation speed, lipid composition, protein marker, secretion type (i.e., induced by signals (inductive) or naturally produced (constitutional)), etc. For example, the microvesicles are membrane vesicles with a size of about 100-1,000 nm and irregular shape and are known to bud toward the outside of the plasma membrane (derived from the plasma membrane) and have markers including integrin, selectin, CD40 ligand, etc. and phospholipids including phosphatidylserine. Meanwhile, the exosomes are the smallest membrane vesicles with a size of about 20-100 nm (<200 nm) and a cup shape and are known to bud from inside the late endosomes and contain, in general, markers including CD63 and CD9 tetraspanins, TSG101 and ESCRT, and lipids including cholesterol, sphingomyelin, ceramide and phosphatidylserine.
The extracellular vesicles reflect the state of the cells (donor cells) from which they are secreted, exhibit various biological activities depending on the cells from which they are secreted, and play an important role in intercellular interaction (cell-to-cell communication) as they transfer genetic materials and proteins between cells.
Lactic acid bacterium, which is the most beneficial microorganism to the human body, is a bacterium which produces organic acids such as lactic acid or acetic acid by degrading sugars such as glucose or lactose. Although the lactic acid bacterium is used to prepare fermented food such as fermented milk, cheese or butter through a fermentation process to produce organic acids from sugars, nothing is known about the immunomodulatory effect of an extracellular vesicle derived from the lactic acid bacterium.

Immunomodulatory composition comprising lactobacillus-derived extracellular vesicles


A filter element useful for filtering intake air for internal combustion engines includes a first filter media separated by an air space from a second filter media. The second filter media has a greater air permeability than the first filter media, but is electrostatically charged. As a result of this arrangement, the capacity of the filter element is enhanced because large particles are trapped by the first filter media and smaller particles are trapped by the second filter media. As a result, the filter element has a longer life because, for a given contaminant condition of an air stream, unacceptable clogging of the filter element takes longer.

Air filters are well known devices in which an air stream is drawn or forced into a housing and caused to pass through a filter media configured to remove dirt, dust and other particles entrained in the air stream. The air stream cleaned by the filter is thereafter used in devices such as internal combustion engines.
The filter element is disposed in a filter retainer or housing between an air inlet and air outlet. Generally, the seal is positioned to seal the air inlet from the air outlet so that all air passing out of the outlet has been passed through the filter element. For most automotive applications, the filter element is conveniently constructed of pleated paper with pleats facing upstream toward the air stream inlet and downstream toward the air stream outlet. These filters may be of a panel, radial or frusto-conical configuration. Many light duty air filters used in automotive applications to filter inlet air for internal combustion engines are configured as rectangular panels to filter the high velocity air consumed by the engines.
There is a continuing effort to improve the performance and efficiency of air filters by reducing restriction to air flow so as to enhance fuel consumption and engine power while encouraging laminar air flow and increasing capacity and thus the useful life of air filters.

Dual Media air filter with electrostatic charge


A dumping insert for use with a truck. The dumping insert features a dumping body rotatably attached to a base. The base includes a pair of tracks mutually attached at one end by a forward brace and at the other by a rear brace. Springs urge the dumping body into retraction, and track outer wall slots in which traveler pins reciprocate prevent dumping body over-extension. A pulley arrangement is disclosed which increases dumping capacity, and a skirt is hingeadly attached to a rear of the dumping body which helps prevent access to the winch and cable area. Quick-install/removal features include forward brace arms attached at opposite ends of the forward brace, a dumping body downlock strap, low-friction glides attached to the tracks, and an upper hitch assembly attached to the base, a lower hitch assembly adjustably attached to the upper hitch assembly, and a receptacle for attachment to a truck.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dumping mechanisms, and in particular to a dumping insert for truck.
2. Background of the Invention
Large dedicated dump trucks for transport and dumping of materials are old and well-known in the art. These are generally large, complex, and expensive.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a smaller, less expensive alternative to the traditional dump truck for jobs which do not require the capacity and expense of using a dedicated traditional dump truck.
One solution has been the retrofit of existent pickup trucks with dumping inserts. While these provide a less expensive dumping solution, they also have presented a number of problems. Most of these designs require drilling of dumping insert mounting holes through the truck bed, thus rendering installation of the dumping insert laborious and time-consuming. In addition, if the holes are not properly protected from the elements (such as rain water, melting snow, etc.), then these drilled mounting holes may become a source of corrosion.
Existing Designs
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,357 was granted Day for a flat-bottomed dumping container pivotally affixed to a T-shaped bracing structure, which in turn was attached to a truck bed with bolts. A hydraulic ram was pivotally connected between the bracing structure and the underside of the dumping container, which upon extension inclined the dumping container to empty its contents. However, holes had to be drilled into the truck bed to receive the bolts of the bracing structure, leaving visible holes when the bracing structure was detached from the truck bed. Furthermore, it was difficult to work to align, tighten, and loosen the bolts.
Panciocco was granted U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,045 for a flat-bottomed dumping container that slid on channels welded or bolted to the upright sides of a truck bed. To dump its contents, the container was rolled rearwardly and pivoted. After dumping, the container was returned to its initial position. Wright was granted U.S. Pat. No. 1,942,319 for a flat-bottomed dumping container that was pivotally attached to a pair of beams that were in turn attached to a supporting frame on a truck bed. One end of each arm was connected to rollers located on the beams, and the other end of each arm was attached to the flat-bottomed dumping container. A rotatable drum was connected by cable to the rollers. Rotating the drum pulled the rollers along the pair of beams to incline the dumping container about its pivot point to empty its contents. Panciocco's teaching of welding or bolting the channels to the walls of the truck bed, and Wright's teaching of mounting the dumping container to a supporting frame both resulted in dumping containers that were not readily detachable from a truck. In addition, the drilled mounting holes caused the same problems as mentioned previously in connection with the Day '357 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,361 was granted Phillips for a portable dumping insert for a pickup truck. While the Phillips '361 patent overcame many of the problems associated with the prior art dumping inserts by avoiding the necessity of drilling holes in the truck bed, the installation and removal of the dumping insert still took longer than necessary. Accordingly, the improvements over the Phillips '361 patent taught in the instant patent application are intended to render the installation and removal of the instant dumping insert even faster than that made possible by use of the Phillips '361 invention. In addition, certain other features are disclosed in the instant application which contribute towards improving the performance and utility of the Phillips '361 design.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an easily attachable and detachable dumping insert which may be widely used with lighter duty trucks such as pickup trucks without modifications to the truck bed, and that is of a sufficiently universal design to permit its use on a wide variety of different trucks. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a dumping insert which is more quickly and easily installed and removed from conventional truck beds than has been disclosed to date within the art.


An identification sequence issuing device comprising a code converter portion for converting an identification sequence character string that may include letters, numerals, and the like, into a string of character codes having one-to-one correspondence to the characters in the character string, and a check and selection portion for selecting as an identification sequence the character string corresponding to a character code string that is determined to meet a Reed-Solomon code rule with each character code being a symbol of the Reed-Solomon code and the character code string length being the length of the Reed-Solomon code. The identification sequence is issued based on the Reed-Solomon code of a generating polynomial having a plurality of initial elements as roots, and for additional issuing, identification sequences are issued based on the Reed-Solomon code with the number of roots of the generating polynomial reduced by 1.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an identification sequence issuing device for an identification sequence that is issued for the verification of the identity of an individual and an identification sequence verification device that verifies the identification sequence, and the present invention particularly considers error detection and error correction at the input of the identification sequence without giving a sense of unnaturalness in operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
The identification sequence method is an indispensable method to recognize a particular user in a card system, a payment system or the like, and finds applications in a diversity of fields.
In the card system, identification sequence information is written on a card, and is authenticated by an identification sequence a user can easily remember. On the other hand, in a payment system in which service is provided to a particular user, authentication is typically performed by transmitting to the user an identification sequence for verifying the identity of the user, and by allowing the user to input the identification number or identification sequence.
The identification sequence used in the payment system requires a larger-number of digits than the card system. To help the user remember the identification sequence, it may include letters, such as ABC and the like, in addition to numbers.
When the user inputs the identification sequence, a system conventionally performs an all-number search for the identification sequences issued to determine whether the input identification sequence agrees with any of the issued identification sequences.
If the identification sequence has a large number of digits, it is subject to an error in transmission, and the user is likely to input an erroneous number. For this reason, when an identification sequence issued, a redundancy is provided to the identification sequence.
As an example of the prior art, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-40128 uses an identification sequence that is made of an increment identification sequence with a redundancy bit added.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a device that generates such a prior art identification sequence with a redundancy added, in which there is shown an increment ID sequence generating means 14 for generating an increment identification sequence, for example, using a counter or the like, and a redundancy bit generating means 15 for adding a redundancy bit to the increment identification sequence generated by the increment ID sequence generating means 14.
The prior art identification sequence having a redundancy comprises an original identification sequence portion and a redundancy portion added thereto. For example, the prior art redundancy bit generating means 15 can provide for the correction an error of 1 bit in the identification sequence by generating a check bit of the systematic code of a Hamming code of a generating polynomial g(x)=x.sup.3 +x+1.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the method of generating identification sequences with redundancy represented by sets, in which the number of elements of increment identification sequences that are a source corresponds to the number of identification sequences with redundancy added.
The authentication is conventionally performed as above, and has the following problems.
Firstly, since the prior art adds a redundancy bit to an increment identification sequence, the identification sequence is in principle expressed by a bit format or a number only. This makes an identification sequence difficult for a user to remember.
Secondly, since, in the prior art, the identification sequence is of fixed length and the increment identification sequence length and redundancy bit length of the increment ID sequence generating means are fixed, then error detection and correction capabilities are fixed regardless of the number of issued identification sequences. A identification sequences greater length than the length of identification sequences generated by the increment ID sequence generating means 14 cannot be issued.

Identification sequence issuing device and identification sequence verification device


A electrical power plant with a gas turbine engine that drives two electric high speed generators connected on the two ends of the engine rotor shaft in a direct drive relation without the need for a gear box. The high speed generators can be of the same or different power rating and connected in series such that the total power output can easily be changed without the need to redesign larger high speed generators. Because the generators use permanent magnets, they can be operated as motors to drive two or more compressors. A turbine can be used to drive two or more high speed generators connected in series. Since the high speed generator/motors have thrust bearings, the thrust bearing in the turbomachine can be eliminated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical power production, and more specifically to a small gas turbine engine driving a number of small generators.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Electric power is produced in a large power plant using a large industrial gas turbine engine to drive a large electric generator to produce power in the megawatt and higher range. This type of electric power plant is good for providing electricity to a large number of houses but not practicable for small scale use. In some situations, a small electric generator is required to provide electrical power to a single user in the range of less than one megawatt. Diesel engines are used to drive a standby electrical generator to provide power in the case of an emergency, for example, to a hospital or a grocery store when the main source of power has been interrupted.
Because of the recent increase in the price of fuel, diesel engines are beginning to be replaced by small gas turbine engines. A gas turbine engine has about twice the efficiency of the diesel engine. However, a small gas turbine engine rotates at very high speeds compared to a diesel engine. For this reason, a typical electric generator requires a reduction gear box to step down the rotation speed from the engine to the generator in order to meet the generator speed rating. The addition of a reduction gear box not only requires oil for lubrication but also reduces the overall efficiency of the power plant because of the loss through the gears.
Small electric generator of the 400 kW range that operates at very high speeds (greater than 3,600 rpm) is known in the art of electric generators. Regular generators operate at 3,600 rpm in order to produce 60 hertz electrical current without the need of a reduction gear box. These high speed generators are used with a direct drive that eliminates the need for a gearbox and oil lubrication system. These high speed generators uses efficient permanent magnet motor/generator in which the generator can also operate as a motor. Because of the type of magnet used, the generator/motor can be used in close proximity to a high temperature device, thus making these high speed generators ideal for use with a small gas turbine engine for electric power production. Also, these prior art generators are designed to operate at a certain high speed in order to generate the maximum amount of electric power. Some high speed generator/motors might be designed to produce 200 kW while others might be designed to pro duce 300 kW or 400 kW of electric power and all are designed to operate at the same high rotation speed.
The high speed generators are a complex machine designed for a specific power level such as in the 400 kW range. The problem is, when higher power is required, a new generator must be designed for this higher power output. For example, when the situation requires 600 kW, the 400 kW generator is not large enough. Therefore, a new design of the generator is required in which 600 kW will be delivered. This is very costly and time consuming.
Also, a compressor can be driven by an electric motor to produce compressed gas. And, a turbine can drive an electric generator to produce electric power. In each of these cases, the compressor and the turbine requires a thrust bearing assembly to counteract the resulting axial force developed from the compression or the expansion of the gas. The prior art high speed motor/generator unit described above includes a magnetic bearing assembly for dynamic force compensation, flux command, inertial balance and magnetic balance.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,066,209 issued to Ljungstrom on Jul. 1, 1913 and entitled TURBINE GENERATOR shows a steam turbine connected to two electric generators located on the ends of the turbine that provide support for the turbine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,140 issued to Bratt on Oct. 7, 1986 and entitled SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR CONVERSION OF SOLAR RADIATION INTO ELECTRIC POWER shows a solar collector mirror with a hot gas engine driven by heat reflected off of the mirror and two generators connected on the ends of the engine. U.S. Pat. No. 2,110,142 issued to Wilkinson on Mar. 8, 1938 and entitled POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FOR WELL DRILLING AND THE LIKE shows a prime mover connected to two generators on each side to produce electric power. In each of the above inventions, the generator is not designed to be easily fitted to the driving motor and the generator does not have the capability to connect to an additional generator on the side opposite to the driving motor.


A hollow core door comprises a perimeter frame, and first and second molded skins. Each skin has an exterior surface and an interior surface secured to opposing sides of the frame. At least one of the skins has an outer planar area, an inner planar area, and an asymmetric profile surrounding the inner planar area and interconnecting and integral with the outer planar area and the inner planar area. The asymmetric profile area has a convex portion extending outwardly from and relative to the plane of the outer planar area.

Man-made boards, such as fiberboard, e.g., medium density fiberboard; hardboard; chipboard; oriented strand board-fiberboard composites; particle board; oriented strand board-particle board composites; and the like, may be formed into articles having contoured portions simulating stiles, rails, panels, or other desired features. Such articles may be formed to include one or more interior depressions or raised contours simulating panels or other decorative features. Such formed depressions and contoured portions may replicate a natural wood paneled door.
With respect to conventional doors, molded door skins may be adhesively secured to a wood frame support structure to produce a finished door. Rails and stiles may also be used to provide additional structural support for the door. Such doors are well known in the art, and provide consumers with an aesthetically appealing, yet cost efficient alternative to traditional, solid wood doors.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,055 to Crittenden discloses an asymmetrically formed door and a method of making the door. The asymmetry allows the door portion inwardly from its perimeter frame to warp in response to temperature and humidity conditions without warping the perimeter frame. Accordingly, the door perimeter frame remains in its original planar configuration. The disclosed door comprises a pair of asymmetrically configured skins secured to a perimeter frame, with a foam disposed between the skins. Generally, the door is used as an exterior door. U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,087 to Green discloses a door having a composite construction with a conventional perimeter frame and a pair of molded fiberglass skins secured to the perimeter frame. Within the skins and the perimeter frame is a plastic foam core. U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,808 to Costello discloses a door having a perimeter frame, which is sandwiched between formed metal stampings or body panels. Wood panels or veneers may then be adhesively secured to the metal stampings to provide a wood appearance. Several different exterior configurations are disclosed.
The present invention provides a door comprising a conventional perimeter frame and a pair of reverse molded wood composite skins. The molded skins include asymmetrical configurations and fill elements between selected portions of the skins. The fill portions are disposed adjacent to the asymmetrical elements so as not to interfere with any warping of the asymmetrical elements due to temperature or humidity conditions.


Method and apparatus for removing drill cuttings from a deviated wellbore drilled with coiled tubing, and more particularly method and apparatus for removing "cuttings beds" from a significantly horizontal wellbore drilled with a downhole motor by creating flow of fluid in the wellbore at a critical flow rate, above a flow rate range designed for the drilling.

"Deviated" and/or "horizontal" wells, or portions of wells, are frequently drilled using a downhole motor run on coiled tubing. Coiled tubing offers advantages when underbalanced drilling, when drilling through slim boreholes and when drilling through completions. The term "deviated" as used herein refers to any well with a significant deviation from the vertical, such that gravity can create a "cuttings bed" problem of any dimension.
A downhole drilling motor is typically powered by drilling fluid pumped down the drill string. The drilling fluid is pumped through the motor, which thereby powers a drilling element or bit, and out through the bit to cool the bit and to remove drill cuttings by recirculation uphole.
Drilling deviated and especially "horizontal" wells can result in a "cuttings bed" problem. This "cuttings bed" problem is not encountered in this form in vertical wellbores. Cuttings in deviated or horizontal wells, even though carried by the drilling fluid away from the bit tend to settle eventually beneath the drill string in a deviated or horizontal segment. This problem is largely avoided with a surface drive drill string by the constant turning of the drill pipe in the hole. The cuttings removal process is further enhanced with tubulars by the flex of jointed pipe between the joints during rotation.
Cuttings form what is referred to as "cuttings beds" on the lower side of non-rotating drill string in deviated portions of a wellbore. Buildup of "cuttings beds" leads to undesirable friction and possibly to the sticking of the drill string. In coiled tubing drilling, to illustrate the problem, a typical horizontal well may have a diameter of 43/4 inches. A coiled tubing drill string may have a typical outside diameter of 27/8 inches. There is not, therefore, a great expanse of area in which a cuttings bed can freely collect without obstructing the freedom of movement needed for the drill string. Thus, any cuttings bed should periodically be removed when drilling deviated wells with coiled tubing.
When drilling fluid is used to power a downhole drilling motor, the motor itself places limits on the permissible range of fluid flow rates therethrough. Excessive flow rates could damage the motor. The flow rate limits, thus, of a downhole drilling motor are generally considered to place one set of limits on the maximum fluid flow rate permissible down the drill string.
More importantly, with coiled tubing used as the drill string, the surface pressure used for pumping fluid down the tubing if the tubing is being reeled and unreeled places a second, perhaps more significant, set of limits on the maximum fluid flow rate desirable down the drill string.
Tubing suitable for drilling, coiled on a reel of approximately 10 feet in diameter, has been plastically deformed beyond its "yield point". Reeling and unreeling require bending the tubing. Bending shortens the tubings' useful life. Reeling coiled tubing under a significant pressure differential aggreviates the effects of bending on the "fatigue life" of the tubing. The greater the pressure differential the greater the adverse effect on fatigue life. This reduced fatigue life is reflected, in turn, in the cost for a job. The higher the differential pressure under which the tubing will be bent, the significantly shorter the overall useful life of the string. An operation that significantly reduces the lifetime of the tubing will be directly reflected in increased costs. As a consequence, significantly increasing internal coiled tubing pressure at surface, while simultaneously reeling the tubing, as in drilling, may improve fluid flow rate downhole, and may improve cuttings return, but can have a significantly adverse effect upon the cost of a job.
Given the above considerations, the present practice in the industry to cure the "cuttings bed" problems in "horizontal" wells is to perform "wiper trips". For a "wiper trip" the drill string is pulled back along the well, pulling the bit through the horizontal section of the well. Dragging the bit stirs up cuttings from any "bed" and permits the drilling fluid to transport the cuttings up the well. However, dragging the bit can damage its gauge side and dragging the bit while rotating further reams the hole. And although wiper trips can cure a "cuttings bed" problem, they are expensive in the time and equipment they consume. In some wells wiper trips can consume 50% or more of the time of drilling. At a cost of up to $40,000 per day for a coiled tubing drilling rig and associated equipment, this is a significant expense. Alternate solutions are valuable.
The use of muds with special viscosifiers is also practiced in the industry to enhance a "cuttings transport" characteristic of a drilling fluid. However even with specially viscosified drilling fluids, cuttings still settle to form a "cuttings bed" in horizontal wells drilled with a downhole motor. Wiper trips are still required. Thus, although improving the cuttings carrying characteristics of a drilling fluid can delay the settling rate of cuttings, it will not eliminate a cuttings bed from forming in time.
To add a further complicating factor, the use of such special viscosifiers may not always be possible. Horizontal drilling may be performed "under-balanced". Although drilling is typically performed "over-balanced," where a drilling fluid is selected such that the hydrostatic head from the fluid "over-balances" the pressures expected from any downhole formations, "under-balanced" drilling is a growing practice, particularly in horizontal wells because it can be less damaging to sensitive formations. In "under-balanced" drilling the hydrostatic head of the drilling fluid is designed to be exceeded by the pressures expected from the formations downhole. Under-balanced drilling is typically achieved by adding a gas such as nitrogen to a drilling fluid such as water. Drilling under "under-balanced" conditions further limits the ability to maximize a cuttings transport characteristic of a drilling fluid by adding viscosifiers.
A key aspect of the present invention includes establishing, and using apparatus to establish, in a wellbore for a significant period of time a high enough fluid flow rate to create a "critical level" of flow for fluids transporting cuttings through at least a deviated or horizontal portion of the wellbore. Study of cuttings beds problems shows that if a fluid transporting cuttings achieves what is referred to as a "critical" level of flow, a flow that may for instance exhibit a critical level of momentum transfer, especially if this critical level of flow occurs while further cuttings are not being created, then essentially all of a "cuttings bed" can be cleared from a horizontal wellbore in quite a competitive period of time. It has been estimated, for instance, that a removal rate of approximately one foot per second (or sixty feet per minute) can be achieved by "critical flow" without drilling. Ceasing drilling during this period of critical level of flow is compatible both with not creating further cuttings and with not reeling coiled tubing when it is placed under quite high deferential pressure at surface.
Pulling a drill string for a wiper trip typically does not proceed at a rate greater than fifty feet per minute, and usually proceeds slower. Also further time is consumed with wiper trips in returning the string to the drilling position. Hence, removing cuttings using a critical-level-of-flow method offers the promise of saving valuable time. Further, using a critical-level-of-flow method offers the advantage of avoiding wear and tear on the drill string and bit occasioned by pulling in and out with wiper trips, and offers the advantage of not reducing further the lifetime of the coiled tubing by reeling it in and out in a wiper trip, at whatever differential pressure.
Indications are that a "critical level" of flow for drilling fluid in a horizontal well typically occurs at a rate of 3 to 5 feet-per-second. Such a flow rate raises three problems which the instant invention addresses. This critical level of flow is frequently above the maximum flow rate prescribed for fluid flow through a downhole motor. Establishing the critical level of flow may exceed the capacity of the drilling fluid pump. And most importantly, the critical level of flow typically requires surface pressures that would significantly shorten the normal lifetime of coiled tubing if applied while unreeling the tubing.
The instant invention includes, therefore, in preferred embodiments, a downhole circulating valve of adequate size for bypassing at least a portion of the fluid pumped downhole around the drilling motor, preferably into the region of the wellbore proximate the motor. The instant invention also includes holding coiled tubing stationary during periods of increased fluid flow rate. In such cases, all or a majority, of the fluid would be preferably directed to bypass the drill motor. The apparatus also includes in a preferred embodiment being prepared to use at least two pumps located at the surface connected to the coiled tubing such that surface pressure on the drilling fluid can be increased at least two-fold. (The relationship of surface pressure to wellbore fluid flow rate is discussed subsequently.) By so significantly increasing the pressure on the drilling fluid at the surface, and by diverting at least a portion if not all, of the fluid flow downhole from or around the drill motor, and, in addition by avoiding unreeling the coiled tubing during periods of unusually high surface pressure used to achieve the elevated flow rate downhole, circulating fluid can be used effectively to remove cuttings beds.
Studies indicate that if fluids of either the same composition as the drilling fluid or of an alternative composition, are pumped in a deviated or horizontal portion of a wellbore at at least 120% of the fluid flow rate typically used for drilling, such pumping produces wellbore flow rates at a "critical" level. Such flow rates result in a comparatively rapid removal of "cuttings beds" from a horizontal wellbore, especially if drilling is discontinued and no new cuttings are being created. Not only can "cuttings beds" thereby be removed without wiper trips but also the rate of removal of the beds can exceed that of wiper trips, e.g. approximate a linear foot a second. Studies indicate that increasing the flow rate of fluid into the wellbore from 20% to 50% of the normal drilling flow rate will increase the rate of removal of cuttings beds from 2 fold to 4 fold.
Coiled tubing drillers will likely provide and have on hand a primary drilling fluid pump with horsepower and pumping ranges that comfortably exceed anticipated drilling needs. A back up pump should also be on site. The present invention anticipates the possibility of mobilizing both of these pumps in order to achieve the heightened pumping rates on surface necessary to generate a critical flow of drilling fluids in a deviated or horizontal portion of a wellbore. As a rough rule of thumb, increasing flow rate in a horizontal portion of a wellbore by a multiple of X should require an X.sup.2 increase of pump pressure on surface and an X.sup.3 increase of horsepower in the pump. Thus, raising a downhole flow rate from R to 3/2R may require raising the pressure of the drilling fluid on surface from P to 9/4P, or to 2.25P, which may require a pump horsepower of 27/8 HP, or about 3.4 HP, where HP is the normal horsepower used for drilling (e.g. used for producing pressure P and flow rate R). The availability and mobilization of larger than normal pumps and/or multiple pumps, thus, comprises an aspect of the apparatus disclosed herein.
A coiled tubing drill string when drilling a horizontal portion of a well will likely predominatly lie, due to gravity, on the lower side of the horizontal wellbore. During drilling the weight of the coiled tubing will be "held" at surface and "managed" to maximize drilling performance, or rate of penetration. Only partial weight, typically, is "set down" on the bit while drilling. While not drilling, the weight-on-bit can be managed to enhance cuttings bed removal. Cuttings bed removal in a horizontal portion of a wellbore may be enhanced if the string is encouraged to helix in the wellbore rather than to lie predominantly on the lower side of the wellbore. Helixing of coiled tubing in the wellbore may be encouraged by managing the weight-on-bit, and in particular by likely setting down more weight. One aspect of the present invention involves managing the weight-on-bit to enhance cuttings bed removal.

Method for removal of cuttings from a deviated wellbore drilled with coiled tubing


A spread illumination apparatus includes: a light source; and a light guide plate having a light entrance surface on which the light source is disposed, and a light exit surface through which light introduced from the light entrance surface is emitted, wherein the light guide plate includes a light entrance wedge portion which has an inclined surface and of which thickness is thinner from the light entrance surface side toward the light exit surface side, the inclined surface includes a first, a second, and a third inclined surface portions, and an average inclination angle of the second inclined surface portion at an arbitrary cross section perpendicular to the light entrance surface and the light exit surface along the light entrance surface in a longitudinal direction is configured to be larger than average inclination angles of the first inclined surface portion and the third inclined surface portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sidelight-type spread illumination apparatus including a light source and a light guide plate. The light source is arranged on the light entrance end surface of the light guide plate, and planar illumination light exits from the light exit portion of the light guide plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the illuminating units of a liquid crystal display panel, there is a sidelight-type spread illumination apparatus (backlight) with small LEDs having excellent environmental compatibility which are arranged along the side end surface of a light guide plate. This type of the spread illumination apparatus has been widely adopted especially in the fields of small portable information devices, for example, portable phones. Recently, for achieving further thin small portable information devices, there is provided a light guide plate whose light entrance wedge portion is arranged between the light entrance surface and a light exit portion, the light entrance wedge portion being configured as that its thickness gradually decreases as moving away from a side end surface (or the light entrance surface) on which LEDs are arranged. In use of such a light guide plate, the light exit portion of the light guide plate becomes thin, regardless of the thickness of the LED (see, for example, JP 2007-287550 A and JP 2008-170739 A).
Request for the thin liquid crystal display device however has become more intense. Consequently, a spread illumination apparatus used for the backlight of the liquid crystal display device needs to be further thin. Here, when the thickness of applied LEDs and the length of the light entrance wedge portion in a light guide direction are fixed, to achieve further thinned light exit portion, it is necessary to increase inclination angle of an inclined surface of the light entrance wedge portion. If however the inclination angle increases, light leakage from the light entrance wedge portion and the vicinity thereof on the light exit portion increase, which degrades luminance of light emitted from the light exit portion used as illumination light, and deteriorates the luminance distribution of illumination light.


A method and apparatus for natural language interpretation are described. The invention includes a schema and apparatus for storing, in digital, analog, or other machine-readable format, a network of propositions formed of a plurality of text and/or non-text objects, and the steps of retrieving a string of input text, and locating all associated propositions in the network for each word in the input string. Embodiments of the invention also include optimization steps for locating said propositions, and specialized structures for storing them in a ready access storage area simulating human short-term memory. The schema and steps may also include structures and processes for obtaining and adjusting the weights of said propositions to determine posterior probabilities representing the intended meaning. Embodiments of the invention also include an apparatus designed to apply an automated interpretation algorithm to automated voice response systems and portable knowledge appliance devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to natural language understanding and more specifically to knowledge-based methods for determining which of all possible meanings is intended by the speaker or writer of any portion of text in English or another natural language. As both words and phrases can often have multiple meanings, the problem is significant and many prior approaches have failed to yield satisfactory results. In order to achieve a high level of accuracy in natural language meaning interpretation, a knowledge base of information similar in breadth and depth to the knowledge of a human being is needed. Using digital or other automated strategies to represent and process this quantity of knowledge must be highly optimized to achieve satisfactory performance.
2. Description of Related Art
Under the general field of automated data processing, natural language processing falls under the specific category of artificial intelligence or, more recently, knowledge-based systems. Over the course of time, many of the trends and new developments in artificial intelligence have lead to new approaches for natural language processing. One such trend is "rules-based" systems applying production rules to perform forward-chaining or backward-chaining inference. The typical failing of these systems has been that the number of rules required to express the complexity of language has been extremely high and the sequential processing of these rules has lead to unacceptably long processing times.
An earlier trend involved list-based approaches using the LISP programming language. LISP provides an elegant computational mechanism of lists for processing many rules as constraints for interpreting text. Unfortunately, as the lists proliferate, list management becomes impractical and correlation of related constraints in different lists or even at opposite ends of the same list consumed too much computational effort and took too long. Those efforts were followed by logic-based approaches using the PROLOG programming language. This was a special syntax or structure for production rule type systems as described above and performance problems made these approaches equally impractical.
Some developers have used neural network approaches with connectionist and other neural networks to attempt to understand language. The model is appealing because the formulas, algorithms, and structures seem to mimic the brain. Neural networks have proven very good for two-dimensional and some three-dimensional problems such as automated character recognition and voice recognition. Neural networks appear to be good representations of the parts of the brain responsible for these tasks with limited dimensionality. Unfortunately, they require an inordinate amount of training time to "learn" about each new object. Furthermore, language understanding involves multiple dimensions, and the parts of the brain responsible for these functions appear to have more complex structures and processes. Therefore, a new approach is needed.
Most language analysis approaches, including those described above, have used different parsing techniques where the sentence is scanned from left to right, or right to left, and the syntactic structure determined based on patterns or rules. Newer approaches have added semantic constraint resolution to the syntactic analysis to improve the accuracy and usefulness of the results. These have introduced incremental advances in capabilities, but without the full analysis of context, they have not significantly increased the accuracy of language interpretation. Syntax is an important dimension of language understanding, and adding the dimension of semantics is important. But without the dimension of context, the accuracy will never approach human competency in language comprehension.
There have been various approaches that use genetic or evolutionary algorithms, semantic networks, conceptual schema and, most recently, Bayesian networks that seek to add the dimension of context. Though these approaches hold the promise of much higher accuracy, the proliferation of nodes in the semantic and Bayesian networks have made it impossible to achieve sufficient speeds to process language without unacceptable delays. Specifically, as these networks increase in size beyond dozens or hundreds of nodes, the processing times required to perform language analysis increases exponentially. When they attempt to include syntactic, semantic, and contextual information in these networks, the combinatorial explosion of processing time renders these systems useless.
3. Definitions of Terms
Activation
The spread of positive and negative electrical potential in the brain from neuron to neuron is called activation. Positive activation is called excitation and negative activation is called inhibition. In the multi-dimensional interpreter's knowledge network activation spreads from node to node based on associative links. This activation is a means of stochastic or fuzzy recognition used in the genetic selection algorithm.
Activation Wave
This expression represents the serial flow of excitation and/or inhibition triggered by a single input in a natural or artificial neural network. Natural and artificial neural networks can exhibit directional or chaotic flow of activation. An example of directional activation flow in a natural system is the human visual cortex which has multiple layers and through which activation flows sequentially from the back to the front, then on into the correlation and interpretation centers of the brain. Consequently, the deconstruction of the image in the brain's visual center is an output of a relatively directional wave of activation flow.
Once in the correlation and interpretation centers, the flow becomes much less directional or more chaotic. Activation flows in parallel to many specialized areas of the brain. These processing centers respond by sending back activation patterns that contribute to the emergent phenomena of recognition and interpretation that go on to support all cognitive functions. Whether directional or not, the path of any activation flow in a neural system can be traced backward from the point (neuron or node) where the flow stops to the point where it began, no matter how much it spreads or branches out in the process. The collection of all such serial paths triggered by a single input constitutes what we call a wave.
The complexity of the input may be arbitrary, but the more complex the input, the more complex the wave will be, hence the more difficult to trace. The science of tracing activation waves in the brain is not yet mature enough to trace the entire path of activation flow either backward or forward from neuron to neuron for a given input. Artificial systems, however, can be traced. Mimicking human activation flow patterns is one of the key objectives of many artificial neural systems.
Consciousness
In humans, consciousness is an emergent cognitive phenomenon usually active whenever one or more of the senses is perceptually active. Other cognitive phenomena, such as attention, derive from consciousness and may be described as "heightened states of consciousness". In the multi-dimensional interpreter, consciousness is a state of accepting and processing input while maintaining a broader map of the spatial, temporal, commercial, and social context associated with its primary user.
Context
Context is a snapshot of the universe from a specific point of view to a specific depth. If the viewpoint is that of an astronomer at work, it could begin at her desk and include a radius of many thousands of light years. If the viewpoint is that of an electron in an inert substance, the context would encompass a very small distance. Context includes locations in space, points in time, activities, ideas, intentions, communications, motion, change, stasis, and any describable thing associated with the person, place, or thing to which the context applies.
Counterfactual
A counterfactual is a proposition that states that a certain associative proposition or causal link is unlikely, thus it spreads negative or inhibitory activation.
Disambiguation
Disambiguation is the process of resolving ambiguity, especially in words, symbols, or phrases that carry multiple possible meanings (polysemy). This is necessary for accurate interpretation of input human language text or utterances. Context is needed to disambiguate polysemous input.
Doping
In a genetic algorithm, doping is the process of introducing random or quasi-random variables into the equation, population or gene pool to affect the process, the output, or both. In this context quasi-random may mean; based on a random number generator, based on random selection of targets to which to apply variables, or based on non-random variables applied in a non-random way, but in which the variables have no describable association with the core interpretive processes or the targets to which the variables are applied.
Emergence
The term "emergent behavior" has been applied to the human brain and other complex systems whose internal behavior involves non-deterministic functionality or is so complex, or involves the interaction of so many pieces, that tracing the process from beginning to end is not possible or not feasible. Because of the power of computers and their ability to track internal activity, it is not possible to produce 100% untraceable processes just as it is not possible to produce a random number generator that is actually random and not ostensibly random. Information is said to "emerge" because it cannot be traced back to its source. In the context of the multi-dimensional interpreter, emergence is a computational behavior that mimics the inventor's understanding of the behavior of the human brain processes used to interpret human language.
Encoding Scheme
A way of representing something using a tightly specified symbol or object set. ASCII and EBCDIC are encoding schemes for symbol systems for alphabetic and numeric symbols. In this document, encoding scheme refers to a specific design for structuring language knowledge facts and real-world knowledge facts in the form of words and other human and machine readable symbols into conceptually relevant associations that can support automated or computerized access and processing. Human languages are such encoding schemes, but their irregularities make it difficult for use in their normal form for automated processing. Well-formed syllogisms or other logical statements with a finite set of connectors and operators are a more regular encoding scheme for knowledge of facts.
Expectation
Expectation is a concept that is relatively foreign to computing but essential to achieving high accuracy in natural language interpretation. Expectation is an a-priori set of contextual markers that describe a world familiar to the multi-dimensional interpreter system based on the world familiar to the human user. The more the system knows about the primary users and their surroundings, the better it will be able to determine the users' intentions based on the words they submit to the system.
Fitness
Fitness is a characteristic of a candidate solution or a part thereof. In a genetic selection process, survival-of-the-fittest is used to differentiate possible solutions and enable the one or more fittest solutions to emerge victorious.
Genetic Selection
Genetic Selection is a process of survival-of-the-fittest in which fitness algorithms are applied to multiple possible solutions and only the best survive each generation. Unlike winner-take-all processes in which only the single best candidate solution emerges, genetic selection can yield multiple surviving solutions in each generation. Then, as successive generations are processed, survivors from previous generations may die off if the succeeding generations are more fit.
Inference
For the purpose of this invention inference involves correlating multiple constraints contained in input and derived from other sources, and drawing conclusions based on testing the relative truth of multiple propositions affecting each constraint. Inference is what humans constantly do with our brains. Based on perceptions, humans make inferences about meaning, about the state of things, about consequences of actions, and about life, the universe, and everything. Inference involves applying logic to new information derived from our senses and remembered information stored somehow in the brain to form conclusions. Forming conclusions is important because the conclusions form a basis for correct interpretation and appropriate further processing. A characteristic of the conclusions drawn by the multi-dimensional interpreter is that it can abandon one quickly if newer information prompts it to do so.
Knowledge
For the purpose of this invention, the term knowledge means correlated information. This definition is part of a larger continuum in which everything interpretable can be assigned to some point on the continuum. The position of knowledge in this continuum can be described in terms of its complexity relative to other things in the environment that are interpretable. The level of facts that we can learn and describe in simple phrases is called existential knowledge or data. Data is the kind of knowledge expressed in almanacs. At the complex end of the knowledge continuum is one or more levels of meta-knowledge or knowledge about knowledge.
The term "noise" is borrowed from radio wave theory to describe interpretable things that interfere with the interpretation of or acquisition of knowledge. Noise, the simplest of all interpretable things, is made up of things in the perceptual environment or input that are less meaningful than data. An interpretation system must be able to process noise because it is omnipresent. Thus, a system must have knowledge that enables it to sort out the noise from the salient data, though this may be more of an attention function than actual knowledge. Once the noise in the environment is filtered out, all that remains is data, which can be correlated to constitute knowledge.
Data elements that humans process are input in the form of perceptual stimuli to the five senses. The specific types of data available are tactile sensations, tastes, smells, sounds and images. These perceptual inputs are processed in specialized areas of the brain, correlated in parallel, then used as the basis for cognitive processing. The multi-dimensional interpreter algorithms are primarily designed to interpret human language, but are also able to be generalized to interpret the other forms of sensory input described above.
Knowledge Base
The multi-dimensional interpreter uses a knowledge base that contains the basic information about things in the world and the way they are interrelated.
Knowledge Network
A massively interconnected network of information about how linguistic and real-world objects relate to one another.
Lexicon
Lexicon is a list of words, letters, numbers, and/or phrases used in a natural language, such as English, that express meaning or facts or represent objects or phenomena. The lexicon consists of a list of lexical items or objects, each a word or symbol or combination thereof. In the multi-dimensional interpreter the lexicon is part of the Knowledge Base.
Multi-Dimensional Processing
In this document, multi-dimensional processing refers to an approach of using an automated device or computer to analyze a string of input data, such as a sentence in English, from more than one perspective. Perspectives or dimensions include, for example, grammar or syntax, semantics, pragmatics, context, and morphology.
Mutation
A genetic algorithm mutation is a process of altering the characteristics of a candidate solution or a part thereof during the course of processing. The mutated result then can compete with other results for fitness as a solution.
Natural Language Processing
Natural language processing means using computers to analyze natural language input, such as English sentences, for the purpose of interpretation, paraphrasing, or translation.
Neural
Of, resembling, or having to do with the processing components and functions of the brain and/or its cells. Perceptual, inquisitive, communicative, interpretive, creative, and decisive cognitive processes occur in the brain through the functioning of its network of neuron cells. Those processes are neural, and automated processes designed to resemble the structure and/or functions of these processes are often characterized as neural.
Object
An object is a discreet string of one or more symbols or characters that has a beginning and an end and an unchanging content. If the content were to change through the addition, subtraction, or modification of one or more of its characters, it would become a different object.
Object Base
A set of lists of objects in which each list contains a collection of like objects. One such list is the lexicon whose constituent objects are all lexical items. Another such list is the sound base, which contains a list of sounds as machine-readable representations such as .wav files. The object base may also contain an image base holding a collection of images such as .gif and .jpeg files. Other lists, such as video, aroma, and tactile object lists can also be stored as object bases. The object bases are part of the knowledge base.
Polysemy
The linguistic phenomenon of multiple meanings applying to a single word, symbol, or phrase.
Real-World Knowledge
Real world knowledge includes facts about phenomena and things. In this document, real-world knowledge refers to information or data associated with other information or data in a meaningful or expressive way to represent facts in the world. Some facts describe the hierarchical relations between classes and subclasses of objects in the real world such as "a dog is Canine in the animal kingdom". Other facts describe causal relations such as "gravity pulls physical objects toward each other", and yet others describe constructive relations such as "a knob is part of a door".
Stochastic
Non-deterministic or "fuzzy" processing techniques and encoding approaches that deliver output from a process that is virtually impossible to determine based on the inputs because of the sheer number of permutations and/or the complexity of the weighting mechanisms and processes to adjust weights during the course of the process and prior to the output.

Multi-dimensional method and apparatus for automated language interpretation


The invention relates to a light source (10, 12) comprising a light emitter (20) arranged inside a translucent outer envelope (30, 32). The light emitter comprising a light emitting device (40) and comprising a translucent inner envelope (50) at least partially surrounding the light emitting device, the translucent inner envelope comprising a diffuser. A diameter (di) of the translucent inner envelope is smaller than a diameter (do) of the translucent outer envelope. The translucent outer envelope is connected to a base (60) not being translucent. The translucent outer envelope further comprises a symmetry axis (S). An imaginary base-plane (P) is defined substantially perpendicular to the symmetry axis (S) and intersects with a connection point (C) being part of the translucent outer envelope. The connection point is a light transmitting part of the translucent outer envelope at an interface between the translucent outer envelope and the base at a furthest distance from a center (M) of the translucent outer envelope.

Light sources comprising a light emitter inside an outer envelope are known per se and include, for example, ancient and well known incandescent light sources. These incandescent light sources are still used extensively as they are relatively easy to manufacture and because many optical systems of, for example, luminaires are designed and optimized to use the light distribution coming from these incandescent light sources. A well known drawback of the incandescent light sources is that they have a relatively low efficiency as they emit a large part of their energy in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. As such, many replacement light sources have been developed for replacing the incandescent light sources, for example, the compact fluorescent light sources, and, more recently, light sources comprising light emitting diode devices. These replacement light sources clearly have improved efficiency compared to incandescent light sources.
An example of a retrofit lamp comprising light emitting diode devices as light emitter may be found in the non-prepublished patent application "Illumination device with LED and a transmissive support comprising a luminescent material" of the current applicant, attorney docket PH009408, incorporated herein by reference. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 of the cited patent application the retrofit lamp is shown in which a light emitting diode is arranged inside a transmissive support which again is arranged inside a translucent exit window. A disadvantage of the above-mentioned retrofit lamp is that the emission profile in a plane perpendicular to the base of the LED is not wide enough.

Light source comprising a light emitter arranged inside a translucent outer envelope


A system and method are disclosed for time-domain wavelength interleaved networking that reduce the need for complex time-slot scheduling and reduce the routing complexity. Substantially all communications in the time-domain wavelength interleaved network pass through a hub node. In addition, interior nodes in the time-domain wavelength interleaved network will forward substantially all communications received from the hub node that are destined for another node on all branches outward from the hub node. The central hub node can impose a timing reference. Thus, the transmission and reception of a message can be synchronized such that a message sent in a time-slot k by a node Ni will be received by a node Nj in the time-slot k. Further, the hub node can recover from a link failure by shifting transmission times of all nodes that are separated from the hub node by the failed link.

Optical communication systems increasingly employ wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) techniques to transmit multiple information signals on the same fiber, and differentiate each user sub-channel by modulating a unique wavelength of light. WDM techniques are being used to meet the increasing demands for improved speed and bandwidth in optical transmission applications. For each ordered pair (Ni, Nj) of nodes in a wavelength division multiplexing network, one could assign a wavelength λij so that data sent from node Ni to node Nj is always sent on the λij wavelength along some path from node Ni to node Nj. Distinct wavelengths can be assigned to each such communicating pair of nodes, if there are a sufficient number of wavelengths available, or the same wavelength could be assigned to a number of such node pairs, provided that the paths used are disjoint. In general, however, the number of wavelengths needed is quadratic with the number of network nodes. The capacity of a wavelength, however, far exceeds the typical communication load between nodes. Thus, it would be advantageous if the capacity of a wavelength could be shared in some way.
I. Widjaja et al., "Light Core and Intelligent Edge for a Flexible, Thin-Layered and Cost-Effective Optical Transport Network," IEEE Optical Communications, S30-36 (May, 3003) incorporated by reference herein, proposed a network architecture, referred to as Time-domain Wavelength Interleaved Networking (TWIN), that combines wavelength division multiplexing and time division multiplexing techniques. Generally, according to the TWIN architecture, each node Ni is assigned a distinct wavelength λi and all other nodes send signals to Ni using λ1 in a time-shared manner. Thus, the number of wavelengths required is equal to the number of nodes rather than quadratic in the number of nodes. Each node can then be assigned time-slot(s) in which the node is permitted to send data to node Ni with the time-slots chosen so that no two nodes send signals to node Ni in the same time slot. In addition, a node can transmit a signal to at most one node during a given time slot. Scheduling time-slots in this manner is often challenging. TWIN also requires nodes in the network to function essentially as routers where the wavelength of a signal determines the outbound link for the signal.
A need therefore exists for a system and method for time-domain wavelength interleaved networking that reduce the need for complex time-slot scheduling and reduce the routing complexity.

Time-domain wavelength interleaved network with communications via hub node


Some novel features pertain to a substrate that includes a first core layer, a second core layer laterally located to the first core layer in the substrate, a first inorganic core layer (e.g., glass, silicon, ceramic) laterally positioned between the first core layer and the second core layer, the first inorganic core layer configured to be vertically aligned with a die configured to be coupled to the substrate, and a dielectric layer covering the first core layer, the second core layer and the first inorganic core layer. In some implementations, the first inorganic core layer has a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), the die has a second coefficient of thermal expansion, and the first core layer has a third coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). The first CTE of the first inorganic core layer closely matches the second CTE of the die in order to reduce the likelihood of warpage.

1. Field
Various features relate to a substrate that includes inorganic material that lowers the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and reduces warpage.
2. Background
A substrate is typically made of a central core layer and multiple dielectric layers on either side of the central core layer. Copper or other conductive material is used on the surface of the core and dielectric layers to route signals from the active component of an integrated circuit (IC)/die to the motherboard and other components in a device. The core layer includes a cured dielectric layer with metal (e.g., copper) foil bonded on both sides of the cured dielectric layer (e.g., resin). The buildup dielectric layer is often referred to as a prepreg (pre-impregnated) layer or buildup epoxy and may be laminated or pressed on top of the core during manufacturing.
FIG. 1 illustrates a die that is coupled (e.g., mounted) on a conventional substrate. Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates a substrate 100 on which a die 102 is mounted. The substrate 100 is a package substrate. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate 100 includes a core layer 104, a first dielectric layer 106, a first solder resist layer 110, a second solder resist layer 112, a first set of traces 114, a second set of traces 116, a first set of pads 120, a second set of pads 122, a first via 124, a second via 126, and a third via 128.
The substrate 100 also includes a first set of solder balls 130 and a second set of solder balls 132. The die 102 is coupled (e.g., mounted) to the substrate 100 through the first set of solder balls 130. The second set of solder balls 132 is configured to be coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB).
One major issue and concern that manufacturers of substrates face is the warpage of the substrate during IC/die/chip and/or board mount, which can lead to surface mount yield issues. These high temperature warpage problems are related to material properties including the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the materials comprising the substrate. In essence, the IC/die (that is mounted on a substrate) is made of material that typically has a CTE that is substantially different than the CTE of the substrate. Typically, the substrate has a CTE that is greater than the CTE of the IC/die. This is because the substrate includes more metal material than the IC/die. The metal material (e.g., copper) has a CTE that is much greater than the material of the IC/die. The difference in the CTEs of the IC and the substrate is was causes the warpage issue during the IC/die mounting on the substrate, as the IC will expand and contract differently than the substrate. In FIG. 1 the core layer 104 has a CTE that is different than the CTE of the die 102. This difference in CTE may cause warpage issue and thus result in a defective die package.
Therefore there is need for a substrate that has a CTE that is closer to the CTE of the IC/die, in order to reduce warpage issues during the mounting of the IC/die on the substrate and thus increasing the surface mount yield of dies that are mounted on a substrate.

Substrate comprising inorganic material that lowers the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and reduces warpage


Systems and methods are provided for sending caller ID information including a PTT signal up to a user interface module quickly, instead of first sending an incoming call alert or an incoming call alert and caller ID information without PTT information, and later sending the PTT information. A bypass alert message may be included with the caller ID information relating to the incoming call message sent from the main control task to the user interface module.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to wireless communications and more particularly to call processing in wireless communications.
2. Background
Consumers are increasingly demanding push to talk (PTT) functionality on wireless communication devices. Dedicated PTT wireless communication infrastructure is expensive. Consumers want an inexpensive PTT solution. A way to perform PTT calls over a voice network is needed.
Changing network infrastructure is expensive, even if the change is only a software change. It would be preferable, if possible, to implement PTT over a voice network without modifying the network very much, if at all.
A problem with PTT calls over a voice channel is that the wireless communication device may react as if a standard voice call has been received in response to the PTT call. This may result in several possible problems. First, the wireless communication device may ring. The wireless communication device is not supposed to ring in a PTT call. Second, the wireless communication device may not be able to "take the floor" in the PTT session. "Taking the floor" means making one's wireless communication device the sender, such as, for example, the speaker, while one has "the floor". Typically, only one PTT device in a PTT session (call) can be the sender at a time.
Moreover, delay in setting up a PTT session is another problem. Users want to be able to speak to the recipient of a PTT call as quickly as possible after they initiate the call. For some users, delay in call set-up time amounts to wasted time on the job. Alternatively, for some users, delay in call set-up time amounts to wasted time when they want to communication with someone personally.