An arrangement for coding digital symbols and transmitting them through at least two antennas. A coder reads at least two symbols belonging to the same transmission block and forms channel symbols of the symbols of the transmission block by means of a block code. The coder multiplies at least one symbol belonging to the transmission block by a first nonzero weighting coefficient and at least one symbol belonging to the transmission block by a second nonzero weighting coefficient, and the division ratio of the first and second weighting coefficients differs from values ±1, ±j and ±1/sqrt(2). The thus formed channel symbols are transmitted to the radio path through the antennas.

As is well known, the transmission path used for the transmission of signals in telecommunications connections causes interference to telecommunications. This occurs regardless of the physical form of the transmission path, whether it is a radio link, optical fibre or copper cable. Especially in radio communications, there are often situations, in which the quality of the transmission path varies from one connection to another and even during a connection. Fading of the radio path is one typical phenomenon that causes changes in the transmission channel. Other simultaneous connections can also cause interference that may change with time and location. In a typical radio communications environment, signals between a transmitter and receiver propagate along several routes. This multipath propagation occurs mainly due to the fact that the signal reflects from the surrounding surfaces. The signals that have propagated along different routes arrive at the receiver at different times due to their different propagation delays. Different methods have been developed to compensate for the fading caused by multipath propagation.
One of the most effective ways to compensate for the fading on the radio path is controlling the transmission power of the transmitter. If the properties of the radio path are known, the power of the transmitter can be controlled in such a manner that the effect of the fading can be eliminated. In practice, such a solution is, however, very difficult to implement, because firstly, the transmitter should know the quality of the channel, and transmitting this information to the transmitter in real time is difficult. Secondly, transmission power restrictions set on transmitters and the dynamic range of transmitters set their own limitations. In addition, power control in itself may lead to ineffective transmission by increasing power to a high level in fading dips. A second solution to the problem is using diversity in the transmitter. Time diversity employs interleaving and coding to provide temporal diversity to the transmitted signal. However, this has the drawback that it causes delays in the transmission especially when the channel is a slow-fading one. In frequency diversity, the signal is transmitted on several frequencies at the same time. This is, however, an ineffective method when the coherence bandwidth of the channel is wide.
In transmission antenna diversity, the same signal or different parts of the same signal are transmitted to the receiver by using two or more antennas. The signal components that multipath-propagated through different channels will then probably not suffer from interference from a simultaneous fading. Publication WO 99/14871 discloses a diversity method especially suited for two antennas, in which the symbols to be transmitted that are made up of bits are coded in blocks of given lengths and in which each block is coded to contain a given number of channel symbols according to formula (1).
                              C          Ala                →                  (                                                                      z                  1                                                                              z                  2                                                                                -                                      z                    2                    *                                                                                z                  1                  *                                                              )                                    (        1        )
In the formula, the horizontal lines of the matrix show transmission time instants so that the upper horizontal line shows information transmitted at time instant t and the lower horizontal line shows information transmitted at time instant t+T, wherein T refers to a symbol cycle. The vertical lines of the matrix in turn show antennas so that the first vertical line shows information transmitted through antenna 1 and the second vertical line shows information transmitted through antenna 2. However, a block code of complex modulation as shown in formula (1) only exists for a maximum of two antennas. A maximum data transmission rate, i.e. coding rate, transmitted to more than two antennas is calculated according to formula (2), where N is the number of transmission antennas and the square brackets indicate the smallest integer that is greater than or equal to the expression in brackets. It should be noted that herein the coding rate refers to a symbol-coding rate, i.e. the number of symbols transmitted during a symbol cycle T. For a third and fourth antenna, the maximum coding rate for an orthogonal code is ¾.
                    Rate        =                                            [                                                log                  2                                                N                            ]                        +            1                                2                          [                                                log                  2                                                N                            ]                                                          (        2        )
Publication Tirkkonen, Boariu, Hottinen, IEEE 6th Symposium on Spread-Spectrum Tech. & Appli., NJIT, New Jersey, USA, September 2000, discloses some solutions of a full coding rate 1. The publication describes a coding method, in which a non-orthogonal block code according to formula (3) having four antennas is formed by utilizing an orthogonal Alamout matrix according to formula (1).
                              (                                    z              1                        ,                          z              2                        ,                          z              3                        ,                          z              4                                )                →                  (                                                                      z                  1                                                                              z                  2                                                                              z                  3                                                                              z                  4                                                                                -                                      z                    2                    *                                                                                z                  1                  *                                                                              -                                      z                    4                    *                                                                                z                  3                  *                                                                                z                  3                                                                              z                  4                                                                              z                  1                                                                              z                  2                                                                                -                                      z                    4                    *                                                                                z                  3                  *                                                                              -                                      z                    2                    *                                                                                z                  1                  *                                                              )                                    (        3        )
The matrix is of form ABBA according to presentation method (4), in which the A matrix follows the Alamout matrix for symbols z1 and z2, whereas B follows the Alamout matrix for symbols z3 and z4.
                    (                                            A                                      B                                                          B                                      A                                      )                            (        4        )
Known non-orthogonal block codes do, however, contain a significant drawback. Said block codes do not have full diversity, i.e. the number of independently decoded channels is smaller than the number of antennas, whereby transmission capacity provided by the antennas is lost. The diversity of the block code is the smallest number of nonzero eigenvalues.Hce=DceHDce,  (5)where Dce is defined by formula (6).Dce=Cc−Ce  (6)
In the above, Cc is a transmitted code matrix and Ce a detected defective code matrix. In the case of a channel symbol pair, in which the same error Δ occurs with symbols z1 and z3 and no error occurs with symbols z2 and z4, a matrix according to formula (7) is obtained as the difference matrix Dce.
                              D          ce                =                  (                                                    Δ                                            0                                            Δ                                            0                                                                    0                                                              Δ                  *                                                            0                                                              Δ                  *                                                                                Δ                                            0                                            Δ                                            0                                                                    0                                                              Δ                  *                                                            0                                                              Δ                  *                                                              )                                    (        7        )
The matrix according to formula (7) is singular, i.e. the matrix does not have an inverse matrix. The matrix has only two nonzero eigenvalues, 2Δ and 2Δ*. Thus, the diversity degree of the ABBA block code according to formula (3) is only 2. Low diversity begins to show in the coding performance as a decreasing bit error rate when the bit energy to interference level ratio exceeds 5 dB.


An amplifier (unit) linked via a daisy type serial bus sends a transmission start signal SC and then sends the local data DATAn. If data from an amplifier at the downstream side is not received before transmission of the local data DATAn is completed, the delimit of the data from each amplifier is changed by adding an idle time data TIDD.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data transmission/reception between units connected via a serial bus based on a daisy chain method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A data transmission/reception system linking a plurality of units via a daisy chain type serial bus to transmit/receive data among the units is known.
For example, in machine tools controlled by a numerical controller, a system where the numerical controller and a servo amplifier of a servo motor for driving each feed shaft are connected via a serial bus, and the position of a feed shaft and velocity data detected by each servo amplifier are sent to the numerical controller by the daisy chain method, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-13394 (hereafter referred to as Patent Document 1).
FIG. 1 shows an example of a data transmission/reception system of which units (servo amplifiers) are linked by a daisy chain type serial bus, as disclosed in the patent document 1.
The numerical controller 1 and a plurality of (three in this case) servo amplifiers (hereafter just referred to as amplifier) A1, A2 and A3 are connected in a daisy chain method via a serial bus cable 2. Each amplifier A1, A2 and A3 simultaneously sends data of each amplifier, such as the current value of the motor and the position/velocity information fed back from the position/velocity detector installed in the motor, to a unit (an amplifier or numerical controller) at the upstream side following a transmission start code, from a respective second connector C2 to a cable 2 of the serial bus on the side of the numerical controller 1 (or at the upstream side), so as to send the local data to the numerical controller 1. The amplifier data that each amplifier A1, A2 and A3 received from a unit (amplifier) at the downstream side via the first connector C1 is sent to a unit at the upstream side after the local amplifier data, and finally the numerical controller 1 receives data from all the amplifiers A1, A2 and A3 connected via the daisy chain method.
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a portion related to the data transmission/reception according to the present invention in the conventional amplifiers A1, A2 and A3. From a first connector C1, which is connected with a servo amplifier at a position most distant (downstream) from the numerical controller 1 via the serial bus cable 2, the amplifier data from the amplifier at the downstream side is received after the transmission start code. When the transmission start code is detected by a transmission code detection circuit 10, a transmission start code receive timing is notified to a receive control circuit 11, the receive control circuit 11 determines the delimit of the data based on a bit position from the transmission start code, and the data from the amplifier at the downstream side is delimited using this delimit of the data, and a receive buffer 12 is instructed to store this data.
From a second connector C2, on the other hand, transmission is started to a servo amplifier or the numerical controller 1 at the upstream side. Transmission is controlled by a transmission control circuit 15, and data to be sent is selected by a selector 14. The selector 14 first selects a transmission start code, then selects the data of an amplifier to be stored in an amplifier data storage section 13, and then selects data of other amplifiers stored in the receive buffer 12. A transmission circuit 16 sends the transmission start code and the amplifier data according to this selection sequence. The transmission start timing is simultaneous for each servo amplifier.
FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting serial data to be sent to the serial bus cable 2, and shows an example of serial data which is sent from an n-th amplifier An, counted from the side closer to the numerical controller 1 (upstream), to the serial bus cable 2. A transmission start code SC, which is a code to indicate the start of transmission, and each amplifier data DATAn, DATAn+1 and DATAn+2, are determined by the bit positions. In the example in FIG. 3, the transmission start code SC is delimited at 60 bits, and the amplifier data is delimited in 70 bit units. The amplifier data is delimited by 70 bits from the bit position next to the receive timing of the transmission start code SC, so that local amplifier data DATAn, and then DATAn+1 and DATAn+2 which were sent from the servo amplifiers at the downstream side, are sent.
When the serial data sent from the servo amplifier at the downstream side is received via the first connector C1, and the transmission code detection circuit 10 detects the reception of the transmission start code SC, the receive control circuit 11 loads the amplifier data, delimited by 70 bits received after the 60-bit transmission start code SC, into the receive buffer 12.
FIG. 4 shows an example of the system shown in FIG. 1, and indicates the serial data which is output from each amplifier A1, A2 and A3 to the upstream side, where after the local amplifier data DATAn is sent, the amplifier data DATAn+1 and DATAn+2, received from the amplifiers at the downstream side of the local amplifier, are sent. The amplifier A3 sends the transmission start code SC and then the local amplifier data DATA3 to be stored in the amplifier data storage section 13 of the amplifier A3. The amplifier A2 sends the transmission start code SC, the local amplifier data DATA2 to be stored in the amplifier data storage section 13, and then the amplifier data DATA3 received from the amplifier A3 at the downstream side, which is stored in the receive buffer 12. The amplifier A1 sends the transmission start code SC, the amplifier data DATA1 to be stored in the amplifier data storage section 13 of the local amplifier A2, and then the amplifier data DATA2 and DATA3 of the amplifiers at the downstream side sent from the amplifiers at the downstream side, which are stored in the receive buffer 12, in this sequence delimited by 70 bits. Each amplifier can smoothly send receive data from downstream to upstream by matching the transmission start timing.
The data transmitted from the amplifier A1 is data to be received by the numerical controller 1, and the numerical controller 1 as well receives the transmission start code SC and the subsequent amplifier data DATA1 to DATA3 from the amplifier at the downstream side, via a connector C1, which is equivalent to the first connector of the amplifier. The numerical controller 1, however, does not have a connector equivalent to the second connector C2 of the amplifiers, since no servo amplifier or numerical controller exists upstream.
FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of a portion related to the receive circuit to receive the serial data in the conventional numerical controller 1. The transmission start code SC, and then the amplifier data DATA1 to DATA3 from the amplifiers at the downstream side are received from the first connector C1. When the transmission start code SC is detected by a transmission code detection circuit 20, the receive timing of the transmission start code is notified to a receive control circuit 21. The receive control circuit 21 determines the delimits of the data based on the bit position from the transmission start code, and instructs a receive buffer 22 to store the result. By delimiting the receive amplifier data, the amplifier data is caused to correspond to the amplifier.
The data stored in the receive buffer 22 is transferred to a memory, which a control processors for respective axes can refer to, via a data transmission circuit 23, so that the axial control processor for controlling the servo motor driven by each amplifier can be used. At this transfer, a parameter setting storage section 24, which stores parameters indicating a relationship of the sequence of the received amplifier data DATA1 to DATA3 (servo amplifiers) and processors for respective axes, is referred to. Based on the relationship of the sequence of the amplifier data DATA1 to DATA3 (servo amplifiers) and processors for respective axes, which is set by parameter, data is sent to the processors. The example of the parameter setting storage section 24 in FIG. 5 shows that the received data DATA1 from the amplifier A1, which was received first, is transferred to the processor P1, the receive data DATA2 from the amplifier A2, which was received second, is transferred to the processor P2, and the receive data DATA3 from the amplifier A3, which was received third, is transferred to the processor P3.
The example in FIG. 4 shows an ideal state where there is no propagation delay due to the cable 2 between each amplifier. But actually a propagation delay due to the cable 2 does exist, so if this delay time due to the cable 2 is considered, the serial data to be transferred among each amplifier A1, A2 and A3, and between the amplifier A1 and the numerical controller 1, are as shown in FIG. 6.
From each amplifier A1 to A3, the serial data is transmitted at the same transmission start timing. The serial data, which is output from the amplifier A3, is received by the amplifier A2 with a propagation delay due to the cable 2 of the serial bus. The amplifier A2 can transmit the local amplifier data DATA2 and the amplifier data DATA3 of the amplifier A3 at the downstream side, as shown in FIG. 6, if reception of the amplifier data DATA3 from the amplifier A3 at the downstream side is started before completing transmission of the local amplifier data DATA2 after transmission of the transmission start code SC. In the same way, the amplifier A1 can transmit the local amplifier data DATA1 and then the amplifier data DATA2 and DATA3 of the amplifiers A2 and A3, if reception of the amplifier data DATA2 and DATA3 from the amplifier A2 at the downstream side is started before completing transmission of the local amplifier data DATA1.
In this way, the numerical controller 1 sequentially receives the amplifier data DATA1, DATA2 and DATA3 after the transmission start code SC, as shown in FIG. 6.
As described above, according to the prior art, the cable length of the serial bus between the numerical controller and an amplifier and between an amplifier and amplifier, that is between units which transmit/receive data to/from each other, is restricted to be short, so that the delay propagation thereof is small, and data can be transmitted/received normally.
If a propagation delay due to the cable 2 of the serial bus is small, the numerical controller can receive amplifier data from each servo amplifier connected by the daisy chain method, as mentioned above.
But if the cable between each amplifier is long, the delay time, until data transmitted by each amplifier is received by an amplifier or the numerical controller at the upstream side, becomes long, and the data receive timing is sequentially shifted behind, with the result that finally an amplifier which transmitted the local amplifier data cannot make it in time to send the amplifier data of the amplifiers at the downstream side.
FIG. 7 shows an example of serial data transmission/reception timing when the cable between amplifier A1 and amplifier A2 is too long to make it in time to send amplifier data DATA2 and DATA3 of the amplifiers A2 and A3 at the downstream side from the second connector C2 of the amplifier A1 at the upstream side to the numerical controller 1.
The amplifier A1 has not started reception of the amplifier data DATA2 and DATA3 from the amplifier A2 at the downstream side even if transmission of the transmission start code SC and the local amplifier data DATA1 has been completed, because the receive timing of the serial data from the amplifier A2 at the downstream side is too slow, and the amplifier data DATA2 and DATA3 have not been input into the receive buffer 12. Therefore the amplifier data DATA2 and DATA3 of the amplifiers A2 and A3 at the downstream side cannot be transmitted.


A silverware basket for use in a dishwashing machine, the basket having a bottom wall disposed along the basket bottom. The bottom wall being an offset grid type structure formed by a plurality of parallel longitudinal ribs extending lengthwise across the basket bottom in a first plane and a plurality of parallel, transverse ribs extending across the width of the basket bottom in second plane spaced a predetermined distance below and parallel to the first plane. A plurality of connecting ribs connect the longitudinal ribs and the transverse ribs at the projected intersection points between the longitudinal ribs and the transverse ribs. A plurality of projections extend from the transverse ribs downwardly away from the longitudinal ribs for providing drip off tips for the bottom wall. The plurality of projections align with the plurality of connecting ribs and each of the projections comprise a generally inverted frustoconical body having a fully radiused bottom tip.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of dishwashers and more particularly to silverware baskets for dishwashers.
2. Description of Related Art
Silverware in a dishwasher is generally more difficult to dry than other items. This difficulty is due, at least in part, to the retention of washing liquid on the peripheral walls of the silverware basket such as on ledges, in pockets or by bridging of the side and bottom wall openings. The wash liquid retained on the basket walls readily contacts the silverware supported in the silverware basket and blocks the openings and air movement through the bottomed wall of the silverware basket preventing the silverware from being thoroughly and completely dried.
Various efforts have been made to improve drainage of wash liquid from the walls of a silverware basket. U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,432 discloses a silverware basket having side and end walls which include vertical and diagonal intersecting ribs forming a lattice-work of perforations which promotes natural, gravitational drainage of washing fluid from the walls. U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,145 discloses a silverware basket having a bottom wall which includes first and second pluralities of elongated ribs disposed in two generally parallel but spaced apart planes. The ribs are joined at the projected rib intersections and thus form an offset grid having non-planar openings which resist bridging by washing fluid.
While these past efforts have resulted in improved liquid drainage from the walls of a silverware basket, there still exists a need for additional improvements as silverware drying performance remains a point of customer dissatisfaction.

Wall construction for a silverware basket


Arranging a pair of temperature control units on both sides of gel 1 and arranging light-transmitting slit 134 on one of the elements, irradiation of an excitation beam over the gel 1 and signal detection are practiced through the slit 134. Introducing dry air onto the slit part, mildew occurrence is prevented on the detecting part. Detecting the power level applied to the gel and calculating the temperature of the temperature control units so that the gel temperature might be a predetermined temperature, on the basis of the detected power level, thereafter carrying out the feedback control of the power level, the gel temperature can be controlled appropriately and strictly during electrophoresis in an automatic fluorescent electrophoresis system, so that high-speed analysis can be done highly reproducibly at a higher voltage applied even by SSCP.

The present invention relates to a gel electrophoresis system for separating and analyzing a biological sample.
Electrophoresis is a method for separating samples, by utilizing the difference in the mobility of the samples in a separation medium, depending on the nucleotide sequence or nucleotide length of a nucleic acid sample or the charge or molecular weight of a biological protein sample. The method is useful as a separation technique in the field of biochemistry. Among them, some of nucleic acid separation is for the purpose of electrophoresis for DNA sequencing or for the purpose of identification of an amplified product after PCR reaction. In this case, the electrophoresis frequently uses slab gel. Essentially, the system of slab gel electrophoresis comprises a gel for separating a sample, glass plates for supporting the gel from both sides thereof, and a pair of electrodes and a power source for applying an electric field through a buffer solution to the gel.
So as to carry out electrophoretic analysis with high resolution at high reproducibility, electrophoretic conditions such as applied voltage and gel composition should be maintained constant, but the gel temperature during electrophoresis is one of difficult-to-control conditions with serious effects on sample separation. The temperature control then has two significant meanings; the gel temperature should be retained uniformly and the gel should be retained at an appropriate temperature.
As to the former one, firstly, non-uniform temperature distribution readily develops in the gel, and therefore, a phenomenon has been remarked problematically such that even the same sample shows a different profile of mobility in some case. The phenomenon is generally called as "smiling", and this problem of non-uniform temperature distribution in the gel occurs because the Joule's heat generated via the passing of elecric current in the gel is not uniformly radiated. It is generally supposed that the reason why the temperature then affects the sample mobility resides in that the viscosity of the buffer solution in the gel varies depending on the temperature.
The latter necessity to control the gel temperature at an appropriate temperature is significant when the electrophoretic temperature for optimum separation varies depending on the sample or the separation method. For example, electrophoresis should be carried out satisfactorily at a temperature of 45 to 55.degree. C. for DNA sequencing; for the SSCP method described in Genomics, Vol. 5, pp. 874-879, 1989, alternatively, the temperature should be retained generally at a predetermined temperature from 4 to 40.degree. C.
Because the SSCP method is a separation method based on the phenomenon that a single-stranded DNA forms a conformation depending on the nucleotide sequence and the mobility during electrophoresis varies depending on the resulting conformation, the method requires that the hydrogen bonding between the nucleotides to maintain the conformation functions in a stable manner. On the contrary, separation methods without utilizing such conformation require a temperature at which not any such conformation is formed.
The SSCP method will now be described in detail below. The optimum temperature for good separation varies depending on the nucleotide length and nucleotide sequence of a sample to be separated, and therefore, the temperature for electrophoresis largely influences the separation outcome. Hence, it is very important to control appropriately and strictly the temperature during electrophoresis.
Another reason requiring the temperature control lies in the demand toward high-speed separation. Following the recent technological progress, the increase of the number of genes to be analyzed demands to shorten the analysis time, which is very readily attained by the high applied voltage for electrophoresis. However, such high-voltage application increases the generation of Joule's heat, thereby raising the gel temperature, which means that more efficient cooling and more precise temperature control will be inevitable than has been attained conventionally.
As has been described above, temperature control of the gel during electrophoresis is a very significant issue from the respect of the demands toward separation at high resolution and high speed. So as to overcome the problem, a means of cooling a slab gel during electrophoresis should be arranged additionally on the essential structure of the system. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. Sho 57-163861 and 61-57848, conventionally, a number of methods by means of thermostat plate have been invented.

Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.


A control system and method of selectively enabling an auto-shutoff feature of a control system for an aviation headset includes a power switch. The power switch is toggled and if the control system is in a powered down state, a startup sequence for the control system is initiated. During the startup sequence, a bias voltage detector checks for a bias voltage on a signal line of the headset. If a bias voltage is detected during the startup sequence, the auto-shutoff feature is enabled. The auto-shutoff feature periodically checks for a bias voltage and powers down the control system if no bias voltage is detected for a predetermined time interval. If no bias voltage is detected during startup, the auto-shutoff feature is disabled.

Electronic noise attenuating headsets most often use batteries to power the noise cancelling circuit. There is an electronics controller in line with the communications cable running from the headset to the aircraft communications panel. Historically, pilots would turn on the battery-powered noise cancelling before a flight and then often forget to turn it off after the flight, which led to the draining of the batteries before the next flight. The industry introduced auto-shutoff control systems to address this problem. Currently, auto-shutoff control systems work by checking for the presence of a microphone bias voltage on the microphone line connecting the communications panel and headset. If the microphone bias voltage is not seen by the controller for a prescribed period of time, the controller will assume the aircraft power is turned off or the headset is unplugged, which indicates the flight is complete, and will power down the electronic noise cancelling control system, thus saving the batteries from draining before the next flight.
However, there are some aircraft that do not have microphone bias on the line on a consistent basis. This can then cause the shutdown of the headset before the end of the flight, since the headset controller doesn't see the microphone bias voltage. To address this problem, some conventional headsets with an auto-shutoff feature also have the ability to disable this feature via a switch available to the user. A drawback of this capability of manually disabling the auto-shutoff, is that if the auto-shutoff feature is not enabled, the user may forget to shut off the headset control system, and the batteries are inadvertently drained, which, of course, is the original problem such control systems were intended to prevent.

Apparatus and method for automatic shutoff of aviation headsets


A method, system and apparatus for managing variable information in a line information database (LIDB). In summary, a LIDB which has been configured in accordance with the present invention and which further has been disposed within a public switched telephone network (PSTN) can include a first collection of invariant data persisted in individual records in the LIDB. Each of the records can have an association with a subscriber in the PSTN. A second collection of variable data can be persisted in the individual records in the LIDB. Specifically, the variable data can have been produced in an application deployed outside of the PSTN in a data communications network. Finally, a query interface can be included in the LIDB (or in association with the LIDB) to retrieve the variable data therein and to persist variable data therein.

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of intelligent networks, and more particularly to the use of a line information database (LIDB) disposed within an intelligent network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The intelligent network of today bears little semblance to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) of old. In fact, the term "intelligence" has little to do with the operation of the conventional PSTN. Rather, the conventional PSTN of old incorporates a massive complex of switching matrices and transport trunks that, through the electronic equivalent of "brute force", forge the interconnections necessary to call completion. More particularly, for decades for every call processed the PSTN relied upon each successive switch to route a voice signal to the next. Still, the modern volume of calls processed within the conventional PSTN demands a faster, more streamlined approach to call routing.
To overcome the elements of the brute force aspect of the conventional PSTN, physically separate signaling networks have been grafted upon the transport and switching PSTN elements to oversee call set-up and billing. These "out-of-band" adjuncts speed routing data and commands directly to the switches involved, establishing all the necessary links prior to the actual transmission of a call. Consequently, with "out-of-band" signaling the PSTN has become "conscious" of the operations it is to perform prior to their execution. As a result, the PSTN has become a more flexible beast, capable even of substantial logic.
The development of the "out-of-band" protocol, Signaling System 7 (SS7), has led to the widespread deployment of intelligent network technology. In SS7, signaling links transmit routing packets between switches. Consequently, specialized SS7 Signaling Transfer Points (STPs) appeared to shepherd routing messages from local switches onto a high-capacity packet switches for distribution to other switches, STPs and call-related databases, such as the Line Information Database (LIDB), Toll Free Calling database and other databases containing customer information or additional call routing instructions. And, so, the agility of high-speed computer networking began exerting control over the raw power of the PSTN.
The marriage of convenience between SS7 and the PSTN soon produced the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN)—an architecture where centralized databases control call processing. Logic ported via STPs to select switches now have become widely distributed throughout the network. AIN-capable switches also have begun to function as interactive signaling-platforms. Equipped with resident software triggers, AIN capable switches now can halt a call in progress long enough to query Service Control Points (SCPs), databases containing service logic and subscriber information which can provide instruction as to how to route, monitor, or terminate the call. The PSTN of today now effectively includes long-term memory as well as intelligence. Accordingly, the modern local exchange carrier holds the means to deploy such advanced telecommunications features such as telephone number portability, wireless roaming, call waiting and a host of other subscriber options.
The LIDB is a database configured for coupling to the PSTN through an SCP. The LIDB typically includes amorphous records arranged to store information regarding telephone callers, such as the business name of the caller, the address of the caller, billing information for the caller, and the like. By storing invariable information regarding the caller, such as the name, address and billing method, many intelligent telephonic services can be provided over the PSTN through a simple query to the LIDB. In this regard, several local exchange carriers have deployed independent LIDB access services to facilitate the deployment of intelligent telephonic services which can exploit the invariant information stored within the LIDB.
LIDB access can provide significant advantages in call processing where the invariant information provided through LIDB access need not be collected independently subsequent to the completion of a call. In this regard, basic information regarding the caller, including billing information, can be provided prior to the completion of the call circuit—which can be particularly effective in the context of fraud prevention. Yet, despite the new frontier of intelligent services afforded through LIDB access, invariant information alone cannot suffice for a truly effective call processing. Rather, it would be preferable to access variable state data for a call, as well.

Managing variable data through line information database (LIDB) access in a public switched telephone network (PSTN)

International Business Machines Corporation


A cradle assembly for a motor vehicle comprises a pair of spaced side frame members, a front cross frame member and a rear cross frame member. The front cross frame member is connected with front ends of the side frame members. The rear cross frame member extends between rear ends of the side frame members. The frame members are formed from tubular metal blanks by a hydroforming process in which each blank has fluid pressure provided internally thereto and thereby radially expanded so that the frame members have a peripheral configuration modified with respect to an original peripheral configuration of the associated blanks. The side frame members have the amount of metal per unit length varied during the hydroforming thereof so as to present at least one longitudinal area at which i) a transverse cross-section defined by the modified peripheral configuration is increased by more than 5% of an original cross-section and ii) the amount of metal per unit length is greater than at least some other areas of the side frame members. The side frame members each have a rigid suspension mount structure constructed and arranged to mount a vehicle suspension member to the associated side frame member thereof. The rigid suspension mount is rigidly secured to the associated side frame member at the at least one longitudinal area having the transverse cross-section defined by the modified peripheral configuration increased by more than 5% of the original cross-section.

The present invention relates to engine cradle assemblies for motor vehicles and a method for forming the same.
Typical motor vehicle frames are constructed as a ladder frame assembly or as a uni-body type. For a description of a recent advancement in ladder frame assemblies, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,902, hereby incorporated by reference. The present invention relates to an engine cradle assembly, which is to be secured to a forward portion of a uni-body vehicle frame. The engine cradle is typically provided beneath the vehicle engine and is adapted to have the engine mounted thereon. The engine cradle is also adapted to mount the vehicle front end suspension, steering hydraulics and any other vehicle components deemed appropriate.
The cradle assembly must be of a sturdy construction as it is exposed to large mechanical stresses due to the weight of the engine and the entire weight of the vehicle (and transport load) transferred through the cradle assembly to the front end suspension. The cradle assembly is typically made from a pair of spaced side frame members having front and rear ends, a front cross frame member connected across the front ends of the side frame members, and a rear cross frame member extending between the rear ends of the side frame members. A suspension mount structure is typically mounted on the spaced side frame members and is adapted to mount the vehicle front end suspension. Because of the aforementioned mechanical stresses, especially at the portion of the cradle assembly at which the vehicle suspension is to be mounted, it is desirable to manufacture the cradle assembly with particular "strong points" to accommodate for such large localized stresses.
While it is important to manufacture the cradle assembly with sufficient strength, it is equally important that the cradle assembly not be made from excessive amounts of metal, otherwise material costs and the vehicle weight will be unnecessarily high. Thus, for the most part, the frame members of the cradle assembly are hollow (tubular) in form.
The patent literature discloses that one way to manufacture tubular vehicle frame members is to utilize a hydroforming technique. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,667 discloses a hydroforming method in which a round tubular blank is placed in a hydroforming mold and then radially expanded by about 5% to form a frame member with a generally box-shaped cross sectional configuration. The process disclosed in this patent forms a completed frame member that has its wall thickness uniformly thinned and not strengthened at any particular location by increasing the amount of metal per unit length thereat. A hydroforming technique is also discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,775, which discloses a method of manufacturing certain portions of a hydroformed member stronger than others by providing plural tubular blank portions of different wall thicknesses welded end-to-end, so that the completed hydroformed member will have a greater wall thickness at desired locations. The method disclosed in this patent is rather tedious and does not produce hydroformed frame member by modifying a tubular blank during hydroforming process in which the amount of metal per unit length is varied so as to strengthen certain portions of the completed frame member relative to others. Moreover, none of the related art discloses the use of hydroforming to form a engine cradle assembly or that such an assembly should be strengthened by providing relatively more metal per unit length at a position which is to have a suspension mount structure secured thereat so as to accommodate the localized stresses thereat.
There is thus a need to manufacture a cradle assembly which overcomes the limitations noted above. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cradle assembly which satisfies this need. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, there is provided a cradle assembly for a motor vehicle comprising a pair of spaced side frame members, a front cross frame member and a rear cross frame member. The side frame members have front and rear ends, and the front cross frame member is connected with the front ends of the side frame members. The rear cross frame member extends between the rear ends of the side frame members. The frame members are formed from tubular metal blanks by a hydroforming process in which each blank has fluid pressure provided internally thereto and thereby radially expanded so that the frame members have a peripheral configuration modified with respect to an original peripheral configuration of the associated blanks. The side frame members have the amount of metal per unit length varied during the hydroforming thereof so as to present at least one longitudinal area at which i) a transverse cross-section defined by the modified peripheral configuration is increased by more than 5% of an original cross-section and ii) the amount of metal per unit length is greater than at least some other areas of the side frame members. The side frame members each have a rigid suspension mount structure constructed and arranged to mount a vehicle suspension member to the associated side frame member thereof. The rigid suspension mount is rigidly secured to the associated side frame member at the at least one longitudinal area having the transverse cross-section defined by the modified peripheral configuration increased by more than 5% of the original cross-section.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a cradle assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The method according to the present invention comprises forming a pair of side frame members, a front cross-frame member and a rear cross-frame member. The frame members are formed from associated metallic tubular blanks in a hydroforming process in which each blank is formed by placing the metallic tubular blank into a cavity of a die mold, the die mold having an interior surface defining a shape of the cavity, and providing a fluid internally to the metallic tubular blank with sufficient pressure so as to expand the blank outwardly so that an exterior surface thereof is moved into peripheral surface engagement with the interior surface of the die mold to substantially conform the blank to the shape of the cavity, and so that the frame members have a peripheral configuration modified with respect to an original peripheral configuration of the associated tubular metal blanks. The side frame members have the amount of metal per unit length varied during the hydroforming thereof so as to present at least one longitudinal area at which i) a transverse cross-section defined by the modified peripheral configuration is increased by more than 5% of an original cross-section, and ii) the amount of metal per unit length is greater than that of the remainder of the side frame members. The method further comprises securing a suspension mount to each side frame member at the at least one longitudinal area thereof having the transverse cross-section defined by the modified peripheral configuration increased by more than 5% of the original cross-section; and connecting the front cross-frame member with forward ends of the side frame members, and the rear cross-frame member with rearward ends of the side frame members.
The present invention also relates to the connection between frame members, for example, the connection between the rear cross frame member and the respective rear ends of the side frame members in the instance in which the rear cross frame member and side frame members are not provided as an integrally formed assembly. Such a connection is typically accomplished with particular frame connectors which prohibit the exterior surfaces of the frame portions which are to be connected from establishing surface-to-surface contact. More particularly, each frame member is typically defined by a substantially rectangular transverse cross-section defined by two pairs of spaced opposite walls. Each of the walls includes an interior and exterior surface, and the frame member has fastener receptacles which enable it to be fastened with another frame member. The fastener receptacle is defined by aligned openings in the spaced opposite walls of at least one of the pairs of walls and a sleeve member extending through the aligned openings. The sleeve member serves as reinforcement for the aligned openings and has opposite ends thereof extending radially outwardly to define opposite flange portions engaging the exterior surface of each of the opposite walls. It can be appreciated that when another frame member is positioned to have the fastener receptacle thereof aligned with the fastener receptacle of the first frame member for securement therebetween with a fastener, flange portions of each receptacle are brought into engagement. This engagement creates a slight gap between the exterior facing surfaces of the flange members to be secured at the areas to be joined. This results in an inherent weakness in the joint, and thus in the entire cradle assembly or vehicle frame incorporating such type of connections.
It is thus a further object of the present invention to provide a cradle assembly which overcomes the aforementioned problem. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, there is provided a cradle assembly for a motor vehicle comprising a pair of spaced side frame members having front and rear ends, a front cross frame member connected with the front ends of the side frame members, and a rear cross frame member extending between the rear ends of the side frame members. The rear cross frame member and the side frame members each have a substantially rectangular transverse cross-section defined by a pair of spaced horizontal walls and a pair of spaced vertical walls, each of the walls including an interior and exterior surface. The rear cross frame member have fastener receptacles extending through the spaced horizontal walls thereof at opposite ends thereof, and the side frame members have fastener receptacles extending through the spaced horizontal walls thereof at the rear ends thereof. The fastener receptacles at the opposite ends of the rear cross frame member are aligned with respective fastener receptacles at the rear ends of the side frame members. Fasteners each extend through the respective aligned fastener receptacles at the opposite ends of the rear cross frame member and the rear ends of the side frame members. The fasteners fasten each of the opposite ends of the rear cross frame member with the respective rear ends of the side frame members. The rear cross frame member have the exterior surface of one the horizontal walls thereof disposed in surface-to-surface engagement at each opposite end thereof with the exterior surface of the respective rear end of one of the side frame members.
It can be appreciated that the development of the particular frame structure which permits this surface-to-surface engagement is also an important object of the present invention. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a frame structure for use in a motor vehicle frame structure, such as a cradle assembly. The frame structure comprises an elongate frame member having a substantially rectangular transverse cross-section defined by two pairs of spaced opposite walls. Each of the walls includes an interior and exterior surface. The frame member has aligned openings in the spaced opposite walls of at least one of the pairs of walls. In addition, a sleeve member extends between the aligned openings and has one end thereof annularly welded to the interior surface of one of the walls within the at least one pair about the opening therein. The sleeve member includes an intermediate portion extending from the one end through the interior of the frame member and outwardly from the interior of the frame member through the aligned opening in the other of the walls within the at least one pair. The sleeve member has an opposite end extending radially outwardly so as to define a flange portion engaging the exterior surface of the other of the walls about said aligned opening therein.
The principles of the present invention will best be understood by reference to the following description and the appended claims.


A ski holding and storage device comprising a first wall mounted member for vertically supporting skis and a second member pivotally mounted to the wall mounted member for retaining skis on said first member. The wall mounted member has short support lugs extending therefrom to provide support for the skis on the upwardly curved leading tips of the skis. The pivotal retaining member retains the skis on the support lugs and provides facility for supporting other equipment such as ski poles.

Storage of skis and ski equipment when not in use has been recognized as a concern, if not a problem. This had led to the suggestion of many wall mounted racks, clips or slings which include a base or mounting affixed to a wall with horizontally projecting supports which engage and support a pair of skis in bottom-to-bottom contact.
Skis, by inherent design, include an upwardly arc or arcuate leading or front tip portion which contribute to placement and support of a pair of skis in bottom-to-bottom relationship by the horizontally projecting supports engaging the skis in the arcuate leading portion. The projecting supports are spaced to engage and support the skis by engaging the skis above the point of tangency where the arcuate portion of the front tip begins. Examples of such ski holders are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,956,812; 4,793,496; 5,193,694; and 5,417,335.
It is further general practice to secure a pair of skis together in bottom-to-bottom relationship by interlocking the ski brakes intermediate the ends of the skis as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,793,496 and 5,193,694. This securing method is almost general practice no matter how the skis are stored.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,800 discloses a wall mounted ski holder where a retaining element is bent upwardly from a base to receive and support skis at the upper arcuate leading tips from the outside (with respect to a wall) edges of the skis.
Ski holders of the type described present a problem in that the outward projecting support members extend from the mounting wall at substantially eye or facial level and may present a hazard to a person working near the mounting wall.
Additionally, the ski holder of U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,800 requires that the rear ends of the skis engage a lower support surface. Also, the holding element which is integral with the mounting is subject to fatigue and cracking from repeated bending to receive a pair of skis.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a new and improved holding device for mounting on a wall which extends only a minimal distance from a wall and includes a retaining member pivotally mounted to a wall support member which engages the outside edges of a pair of skis to retain them on small support lugs extending from the wall support member. This construction provides positive support of the skis on the lugs and retention of the skis on the lugs. When not in use, the retaining member pivots flush against the mounting wall. A device embodying completely supports and retains skis without a lower support device or floor mounting and, therefore, may be wall mounted above normal facial and head level.
An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved wall mounted device for supporting skis.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved ski holding device of the type described which is easily installed, has a long life and which may be wall mounted above normal head level.
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved ski holding device of the type described which also has facility for holding ski poles.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved ski holding device of the type described which mounts flush to a wall and has minimal extension from the wall when not in use.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved wall mounted ski holding device of the type described which requires no bottom support for the skis.


A delay circuit. The delay circuit includes a first circuit, a falling edge delay circuit and a rising edge delay circuit. The first circuit includes a circuit input for receiving a reference signal and a circuit output for outputting a delayed signal. The falling edge delay circuit is coupled to the first circuit to control delay of a falling edge of the reference signal. The rising edge delay circuit is coupled to the first circuit to control delay of a rising edge of the reference signal.

Within most integrated circuits ("ICs") there is usually one data path that requires more time to propagate valid data than all other data paths. The data path that requires the longest propagation time before it may be sampled or is resolved is known as the critical path of the IC. A circuit path may be slow due, for example, to a greater number of device delays within the critical path or a greater signal travel distance.
The maximum speed at which the IC may operate is limited by the critical path of the IC. The reason for this is that the critical path presents the longest delay path and the clock rate cannot be increased beyond the point at which the clock cycle time is equal to the propagation delay of signals traveling along the critical path.
Since the maximum clock speed of an IC is limited by its critical path, locating the critical path (LCP) is an important design task. Once the critical path has been identified, the design may be optimized to reduce the time it takes a signal to propagate along the critical path. LCP and design optimizations may be repetitive tasks. Each time the design is optimized to reduce the delay length of a critical path, a new critical path may arise. Large scale IC design is complicated by the millions of possible critical paths. LCP becomes the task of locating the proverbial needle in a haystack. As such, sophisticated design and testing tools are required.


An aircraft cabin includes a longitudinal cabin wall, seats, transversal accesses, and at least one storage space. The seats are disposed in rows that are transversal relative to a longitudinal aisle. The transversal accesses permit access to the seats of the transversal rows closest to the cabin wall. At least one storage space is disposed in an immediate proximity of the longitudinal cabin wall and at a dead end of one of the transversal accesses. The dead end of the one of the transversal accesses is not entered by passengers of the aircraft cabin.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aircraft cabin interior arrangement and to storage units intended for such a cabin.
II. Description of Related Art
To attract more passengers, the airline companies are tending to increase the comfort offered to passengers during an airplane trip. In general, this increase in comfort means on the one hand that a larger individual space is reserved for each passenger and on the other hand that the passenger can carry more baggage with him into the aircraft cabin. Travelers often carry a garment such as a jacket, overcoat or similar item with them, and travel seated without it. It is therefore appropriate to provide a storage space, a coat rack for the jackets and other items of the travelers. The airline companies are demanding that the aircraft manufacturers provide a minimal wardrobe space per traveler, especially for business-class and first-class travelers.
In the known aircraft cabins, a wardrobe is therefore provided in addition to the other storage units at one end of the zone of the aircraft designed to accommodate the business-class and/or first-class passengers. This wardrobe is of fairly large size, because it must be able to hold at least one jacket per traveler in the zone in question. The space occupied by this wardrobe is large and makes it necessary to eliminate one half row or even one entire row of seats. In this case, the increase in comfort of the passengers is achieved at the sacrifice of the number of passengers who can travel.

Aircraft cabin arrangement and storage unit


An adjustable actuator cable assembly has cable support member supported in an outer sleeve. A securing member is radially movable in an opening of the outer sleeve between an unlocking position permitting axial adjustment of the cable support member in the sleeve and a locking position locking the cable support member and sleeve against relative axial movement. The securing member includes radially extending teeth engageable into a softer material of the cable support member to plastically deform the surface of the cable support member when moved to the locking position.

This application claims the priority of Italian application TO 96 A 000244 filed Mar. 29, 1996 in Italy.
The invention relates to an adjustable axial fastening device for an actuating cable, which comprises an actuating covering and a core, at least one of these two actuating members being provided at the end with an adjustable axial fastening device.
With actuating cables it is necessary to adjust them during assembly and possibly to carry out a further (subsequent) adjustment at a later time. In this case it is usual to set the axial distance between the actuating covering and the core. For this purpose an adjustable axial fastening device is provided at the end of at least one of these two components. Generally known adjustable axial fastening devices comprise a threaded part for example, on which a stop is formed by means of two nuts locked against each other. It is likewise generally known to screw a threaded part of this type firmly in a holding means and to secure it by a lock nut. In addition it is generally known, for throttle cables for internal-combustion engines for example, to provide a fastening device with a plurality of grooves arranged in succession and to insert a retaining spring into one of these grooves, the retaining spring then acting as a stop on a retaining plate.
In contrast, an object of the invention is to provide an adjustable axial fastening device for an actuating cable, which can be precisely adjusted and is easy to assemble.
In order to attain this object, it is proposed according to the invention to use a securing member for an adjustable axial fastening device, the securing member being movable radially with respect to the actuating cable and being provided on the inside with a radial set of teeth in an area which embraces the attachment part. A rapid and precisely adjustable axial fixing is now possible in an advantageous manner. Since a rotational movement is not necessary in this case, it is also no longer necessary--in contrast to the known solutions--to support the attachment member during adjustment, so that the rotational movement required for fastening known securing members is not transmitted to the attachment member.
Advantageous further features of preferred embodiments of the invention are set out below.
In preferred embodiments, it is proposed to give the set of teeth of the securing member a pitch. This makes it possible to alter the axial adjustment subsequently, without the securing member having to be released. Although it is now necessary to rotate the attachment part for this subsequent adjustment, the above-mentioned advantage of the initial assembly without rotation is retained.
For the area of the attachment part which cooperates with the securing member, it is provided, in preferred embodiments that it is given a corresponding set of teeth.
Alteratively, for the area cooperating with the securing member it is proposed in an alternative embodiment to make the area in the attachment part softer than the securing member in the area of its set of teeth and to make it at least partially plastically deformable. With this embodiment the set of teeth of the securing member bites into the soft area of the attachment part during assembly and produces a corresponding toothing here.
For the securing member it is proposed, according to certain preferred embodiments that the attachment part has an aperture into which the securing member can be inserted and in which catching means cooperating with the securing member are provided in order to lock the securing member in the end position thereof. In a further development of these embodiments, it is proposed to construct the catching means with two steps and additionally to provide a locking in an assembly position before the locking in the end position. In this way, it is made possible for the securing member to be pre-assembled on the attachment part in such a way as to prevent its loss and for the assembly and adjustment procedure of the actuating cable to be simplified.
Finally, it is proposed for certain preferred embodiments to form the contour of the securing member in such a way that it is inserted flush into the outer contour of the attachment part in the end position. This step improves the fastening of the axial adjustment, since the securing member now no longer has any engagement surfaces for inadvertent detachment.

Adjustable axial fastening device for an actuating cable


A deflecting module has deflecting elements that are displaceable relative to one another. The deflecting elements are mutually supported, wherein at each side the outermost deflecting element is carried by a bearing plate. Each deflecting element has a housing which carries an axle and, for the mutual displaceability, has on one side a groove and on the other side a cog. A deflecting roller is rotatably arranged on the axle for guiding and deflecting elevator car and counterweight support elements, for example a flat belt, and producing a change of direction of the support elements.

The present invention relates to a deflecting module for an elevator for deflection of support means supporting an elevator car and a counterweight, wherein the support means are guided by way of deflecting rollers producing a change in direction of the support means.
A deflecting module with two deflecting rollers is shown in the published German specification DE 23 33 120, wherein each roller deflects a flat support means supporting an elevator car and a counterweight. One roller is fixedly connected with a rotatable axle carried by a bracket. The other roller is rotatably arranged at the axle.
A disadvantage of this known equipment is that in the case of several rollers arranged adjacent to one another the deflecting module has a very wide construction and is not usable in every case when there are narrow shaft conditions.


A method and apparatus for managing heating of a window system. The apparatus comprises a dimmable window panel and a heating system. The dimmable window panel has an inner portion and an outer portion around the inner portion. The heating system is thermally connected to the outer portion of the dimmable window panel.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and, in particular, to dimmable window systems in aircraft. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for increasing the reliability of dimmable window systems in aircraft.
2. Background
As part of the flying experience in aircraft, passengers may enjoy expansive views of the environment around the aircraft through windows in the passenger cabin. At other times, passengers may wish to reduce the light entering the passenger cabin.
For example, during takeoff, landing, or flight over landmarks, a passenger may wish to see these and other views around the aircraft through the passenger windows. When the passenger wishes to rest or when a movie is played, the passenger may desire to reduce the amount of light entering a window next to the passenger. As another example, the passenger may wish to reduce the amount of light entering a window to reduce heat inside the cabin caused by infrared radiation and ultraviolet radiation in the light.
The amount of light entering the cabin through the passenger window is controlled through a light blocking mechanism such as a window shade. Many aircraft employ mechanical shades that may be lifted up or down to either allow light to enter the cabin or block light from entering the cabin through a window.
With increasing frequency, mechanical shades are being replaced with dimmable windows. A dimmable window panel may be controlled by a passenger to change the amount of light entering passenger cabin.
A dimmable window panel typically changes the light transmission properties of the dimmable window panel when voltage or heat is applied to the window. For example, a dimmable window panel may be transparent, opaque, or may have some intermediate setting between being transparent and opaque. The dimmable window panel may also be referred to as smart glass.
The use of a dimmable window panel enables aircraft manufacturers to reduce weight on the airplane and, at the same time, greatly enhance passengers' flying experience by having the ability to control the amount of light entering into the cabin. For the operator of the aircraft, the maintenance cost is greatly reduced due to a reduction in moving parts. Further, the dimmable window panel may be installed in windows in the aircraft during upgrades or refurbishment of an aircraft. However, the maintenance for aircraft windows employing dimmable window panels may still be more than desired. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.


Devices and methods permit dilation of a track of a body to any of a plurality of diameters using a single integrated device that can reach any of a plurality of expanded diameters upon actuation by a user of an actuating mechanism which directs and controls the dilation of a dilating element to which it is connected by a dial and transmission mechanism. A variety of dials, transmission mechanisms and dilating elements are disclosed which may be combined in a variety of ways.

Current procedures for forming a track in a patient involve first piercing the flank of the patient and, for example, the kidney with a small needle for initial access. Proper imaging verifies the correct placement. The track is then opened to a desired size by any of a variety of methods.
In a first method, a balloon catheter, back loaded with a sheath, is inflated to an appropriate pressure. This pressure provides the radial force to dilate the track. After the track is dilated, a sheath is passed over the balloon to maintain the track opening. For different track sizes, an array of balloons of varying sizes are needed because the maximum dilation force is obtained only when the balloon is fully inflated. For each different size balloon catheter, a different sized sheath must be used. This method of dilation, however, as opposed to the second method of renal dilators and sheaths, provides equal radial force around the circumference of the balloon and along its length (so called "continuous dilation"). It is generally preferred for this reason and because it minimizes trauma to the patient. However, balloons are prone to inflate with irregularities when the resistance of the surrounding tissues is irregular such as encountered with segments of scar tissues. The weakest area of the tissue is dilated faster forming a waist, the remaining tissue is dilated as the inflation pressure is increased, but at a slower rate. This phenomenon is referred to as "waisting."
A second currently used method of dilation involves the use of several passive renal dilator and sheaths. The renal dilator shears tissue as it is introduced into the track. The passive dilator is a plastic tube with a bullet tip; the passive sheath is a hollow tube. Both dilators and sheaths have specific preset diameters. For example, the size of renal dilators range in diameter from 8F to 30F in increments of about 2F (F refers to "French," a unit of measurement of diameter, where 1F=0.013 inch). An 8F dilator is first used to dilate the track, followed by substitution of incrementally larger dilators until the desired track size is obtained. Thus, multiple exchanges of dilators are necessary. This method causes undesirable shearing of tissue.
In a third method, an elongate tube made of elastic material such as rubber is mounted and stretched longitudinally onto a rod, thus decreasing the radial size of the tube. The mounted tube is inserted into a track opening and released from the rod, thus increasing the radial size of the tube to its original size. Using this system, one needs a series of tubes having varying radial sizes to fit the desired track opening. Selection of the desired size tube permits the dilation of a track opening in one step. However once a tube is selected and positioned, the size of the track cannot be modified.
In a fourth method, the dilators have a tapered distal end formed by a compacted slit tube or a series of foil wrapped onto one another to form a cone which may be gradually expanded by manual insertion of a rod within the interior of the dilator until the wall of the dilator's distal end have become parallel.
In yet another method, a mesh tube is introduced percutaneously in the body using a needle and stylet. Once placed into the body, the needle and the stylet are removed from the mesh and a passive dilator is inserted manually to expand the radius of the mesh tube. Using this system, still several passive dilators are needed to gradually reached the desired track size.
A major inconvenience of these methods is that for each desired track diameter, one must use a specific dilator or balloon and a specific sheath. The limited availability of sizes for these components limits the availability of track sizes that maybe obtained. Further, once these components are inserted, the track size cannot be constricted.


A building having a plurality of floors, a plurality of detectors, such as smoke detectors, located on the floors, and an elevator system usable for moving building occupants between floors during an emergency condition, such as a building fire. The elevator system includes a control unit that controls movement of an elevator car between selected floors within an emergency evacuation zone for evacuation of building occupants to a designated evacuation assistance floor. The vertical movement of the elevator car is controlled relative to the detection of smoke within the building to increase the efficiency of emergency evacuation. The elevator and smoke detection systems are equipped with an emergency power source for operation in the event of a power outage.

The Americans with Disabilities Act passed into law assuring all people an equal opportunity to gain access to all buildings used by the general public. Even with the adoption of this law, non-ambulatory people are generally afforded ingress to all buildings but not necessarily given a protected means of egress from the building during emergency circumstances. During a building emergency, such as a fire, ambulatory and non-ambulatory building occupants, even those who are clear thinking people under normal circumstances, can panic or make irrational decisions, which can result in injury to themselves and others.
Faced with a difficult emergency situation, people many times revert to their most comfortable behavior. In terms of leaving a multi-story building during non-emergency conditions, this means using the elevator. People normally arrive at and depart from the upper floors of the building via the elevator, and most never have used the emergency stair system. Given a typical response to an emergency situation, people will retrace their most familiar path of travel, which usually includes passing in front of the elevators as they attempt to find an escape route from the building.
During an emergency situation, elevators are usually taken out of service except for controlled use by the fire department. Accordingly, the building occupants cannot currently use the elevator as a safe and reliable means of egress during the emergency situation, such as a fire. They must therefore attempt either to use an unfamiliar stairway or wait within the building to be rescued. Non-ambulatory and disabled people unable to use stairs have no choice but to await help.
In multiple level buildings it is difficult to evacuate building occupants via the stairs. Generally, there are two classifications of buildings relative to fire and life safety: high-rise buildings and mid-rise buildings. The major distinction is that a standard hook and ladder type fire apparatus can only reach the point of a building about 75 feet or 6 floors above the ground, so "high-rise" buildings, those above about 6 floors, must be evacuated from within the building.
In mid-rise buildings, fire departments use the stairs to transport personnel and equipment to the fire floor, which drastically interferes with the designed egress capacity of the exit stair system. In high-rise buildings, the difficulties with occupant evacuation are compounded. Although the elevator cars can be used by the fire department to transport personnel to a selected staging floor below the fire floor, many times smoke is present in the hoistway shaft by the time of their arrival to the staging floor. Stack effect pressures within the building move large volumes of air through the vertical hoistway shafts. The shafts quickly become smoke filled chimneys and are often capable of transporting smoke throughout the building in a matter of minutes.
Since the fire department cannot reach the building's upper floors from outside the building, the building's occupants are forced to either use an exit stairway to evacuate or remain in the burning building until rescued by the fire department. As the fire department personnel uses one stairway to advance on the fire, the stairway doors are typically propped open with fire hoses, thereby allowing smoke from the fire floor to enter the stairway. Accordingly, that stairway is not suitable for evacuation of the building occupants during an emergency.
The evacuation of people is the primary responsibility of the fire department. The fire department personnel do not begin a fire attack until the building occupants are safe. Conventional evacuation of building occupants, however, is a very time consuming process. During a fire, the chaotic environment increases the complexity and danger of an evacuation procedure, which also usually increases the time required to evacuate the building. It is even more difficult and time consuming to evacuate the non-ambulatory, injured, and disabled occupants.
Even if available for use, conventional elevator systems are an unreliable method of escaping a building fire, and under current regulations, can only be used by the fire department under a narrow range of conditions. For example, the elevator system is not used when there is a high risk of a power outage, because such a power outage will shut the elevator system down and potentially trap passengers between floors. The conventional elevator control system is also easily short circuited by water that enters either the machine room or the hoistway shaft. Smoke is easily drawn into the hoistway shaft by naturally occurring stack effect pressures, and the smoke can quickly fill the hoistway, thereby creating an unsafe environment for people without self-contained breathing devices.
Therefore, the elevators are not usable for building occupants as a reliable means of egress during a building fire. Placards stating "Do not use Elevators during a Fire" are commonly placed next to the hall call stations to notify the occupants of the proper emergency exiting strategy. Ambulatory occupants are therefore forced to use exit stairways to escape a building fire, even from the top floors of mega high-rise buildings.

Multiple level building with an elevator system operable as a means of emergency egress and evacuation during a fire incident


The present invention relates to transgenic non-human mammals comprising a polynucleotide encoding a human or humanized C5aR. The invention also relates to use of the transgenic non-human mammals in methods of screening for agonists, inverse agonists and antagonists of human C5aR and for testing efficacy of C5aR agonists, inverse agonists and antagonists in various animal models of disease.

Proteolysis of each of the complement proteins C3-C5 gives rise to aminoterminal cationic fragments with signalling molecules called anaphylatoxins. The most potent of these, C5a, elicits the broadest responses. Considering the components of the inflammatory response as margination and infiltration of leukocytes, release of granule-bound proteolytic enzymes, production of activated oxygen and nitrogen-derived radicals, changes in blood flow and capillary leakage, along with the ability to contract smooth muscle, the C5a molecule is the "complete" pro-inflammatory mediator. At sub-nanomolar to nanomolar levels, the C5a molecule elicits chemotaxis of all myeloid lineages (neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils, macrophages and monocytes), and causes vascular permeability which is markedly potentiated by prostaglandins and circulating leukocytes. Higher nanomolar concentrations elicit degranulation and activation of NADPH oxidase. This breadth of bioactivity contrasts with other inflammatory mediators. C5a has been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, sepsis, reperfusion injury, and adult respiratory distress syndrome.
The activities of C5a are mediated by the binding of the C5a to its receptor (C5aR). C5aR belongs to the family of seven transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptors. C5aR is a high affinity receptor for C5a, with a Kd of ˜1 nM, and is located on a number of different cell types including leukocytes. The number of receptors per cell is extremely high, up to 200,000 sites per leukocyte. Biological activation of the receptor occurs over the range that saturates binding.
C5aR comprises an extended N-terminal extracellular domain. This large N-terminal domain is typical of G-protein coupled receptors which bind peptides including the IL-8 and fMet-Leu-Phe (FMLP) receptor families. The C5aR structure conforms to the seven transmembrane receptor family, with the extracellular N-terminus being followed by seven transmembrane helices connected by interhelical domains alternating as intracellular and extracellular loops, and ending with an intracellular C-terminal domain.
Agonists of C5aR are useful for therapeutic purposes, for example, in defence against bacterial infection, to stimulate immunoregulatory effects of C5a, and to treat cancers, immunodeficiency diseases and severe infections.
Antagonists of C5aR are also useful therapeutic agents, for example for treating inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders. For example, antagonists of C5aR are useful in the treatment of asthma, bronchial allergy, chronic inflammation, systemic lupus erythematosis, vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, some auto-allergic diseases, transplant rejection, inflammatory bowel disease (for example, ulcerative colitis), in certain shock states, myocardial infarction, and post-viral encephalopathies. To this end, C5aR peptide antagonists and anti-C5a receptor antibodies have been previously described. For example, WO95/00164 describes antibodies directed against an N-terminal peptide (residues 9-29) of the C5a receptor.
Currently, alternative and/or improved C5aR antagonists and antagonists are desirable, as are improved methods of screening for C5aR antagonists and antagonists.
In vitro screening methods for detecting of C5aR agonists/antagonists are known in the art. For example, chemotaxis assays can be used to assess the ability of an antibody or functional fragment thereof to block binding of a ligand to C5aR and/or inhibit function associated with binding of the ligand to the receptor. These assays are based on the functional migration of cells in vitro induced by a compound. Chemotaxis can be assessed by any suitable means, such as in an assay utilizing a 96-well chemotaxis plate, or using other art-recognized methods for assessing chemotaxis. For example, the use of an in vitro transendothelial chemotaxis assay is described by Springer et al. (Springer et al., WO 94/20142, published Sep. 15, 1994; see also Berman et al., Immunol. Invest. 17: 625-677 (1988)). Migration across endothelium into collagen gels has also been described (Kavanaugh et al., J. Immunol., 146: 4149-4156 (1991)).
A critical requirement in the drug discovery process is the demonstration in relevant animal models that new therapeutic agents identified by in vitro screening methods are safe and effective. Moreover, it is often desirable to compare the in vivo efficacy of numerous agents to select for desirable properties including pharmacokinetic properties, efficacy in affecting disease outcome and lack of adverse side effects. One of the main obstacles to drug development is moving drug candidates from in vitro assays to demonstration of in vivo efficacy. Often this is because many drug candidates are species-specific. For instance, an antagonist developed to a human chemoattractant receptor, such as C5aR, might antagonise only human C5aR and not C5aR from mouse, rabbit or even higher primates. The inability of many drugs candidates to "work" across species is a major reason for attrition in the preclinical phase.
Improved screening methods that allow identification and/or testing of human C5aR agonists, inverse agonists and antagonists in an in vivo environment are therefore desirable.

Transgenic mouse comprising a polynucleotide encoding human or humanized C5aR and methods of production and use


A communication system is made up of a number of LMR and IP bearers including LTE and P25. The information flowing over the integrated system is managed according to the situational context of the user. A policy driven approach is described that uses user context as its inputs and converts this into actions that preferentially improves the communication for the user particularly as they move between the available networks.

Public safety agencies around the world typically use relatively narrow band, LMR technologies such as P25 to communicate voice information and some data traffic. Characteristics of this technology are long range and high quality voice. Newer non LMR technologies such as LTE are capable of high rate data enabling mobile data applications. This form of technology is relatively short range. In a move to capture the benefit of both technologies, methods of integration are being considered.
LMR networks are generally circuit mode such as P25 (APCO 25), Tetra, DMR (Digital Mobile Radio), or analogue LMR (Land Mobile Radio). Non LMR networks are often packet mode such as LTE (3GPP Long Term Evolution) or Wifi. Older forms of non LMR network may also be circuit mode such as GSM or WCDMA. Non LMR technologies of interest generally involve IP (internet protocol) based networks. Mobile terminals in these networks may be operated by human users or machine users.
Previous methods of managing the behaviour of terminal equipment carried by a user alter the quality of service offered to that user according to the subscription (or payment) made for that service. This applies also to the network behaviour. Examples from the commercial networks might include the allocation of certain data rates or data caps according to the profile of a particular user. These may be fixed policy setting according to a user subscription or may even be dynamic according to specific demand such as wishing to download a particular video quickly. These methods are commonly implemented using a Policy and Charging Resource Function (PCRF) as is the case in an LTE network.

Policy implementation over LMR and IP networks


A method for forming a solder bump pad (22), and more particularly converting a wire bond pad (12) of a surface-mount IC device (10) to a flip chip solder bump pad (22), such that the IC device (10) can be flip-chip mounted to a substrate. The process generally entails an aluminum wire bond pad (12) on a substrate, with at least a portion of the wire bond pad (12) being exposed through a dielectric layer (16) on the substrate. A nickel layer (24) is then deposited on the portion of the wire bond pad (12) exposed through the dielectric layer (16). The nickel layer (24) is selectively deposited on the exposed portion of the wire bond pad (12) without use of a masking operation, such as by an electroless deposition technique. The nickel layer (24) completely overlies the aluminum wire bond pad (12), and therefore protects the bond pad (12) from oxidation due to exposure. Thereafter, the solder bump pad (22) is formed by depositing a solderable material on the nickel layer (24). The solder bump pad (22) is formed to cover only a limited portion of the nickel layer (24), and its shape is tailored to achieve the required geometric characteristics for a solder bump (26) subsequently formed on the solder bump pad (22).

A flip chip is generally a monolithic semiconductor device, such as an integrated circuit (IC), having bead-like terminals formed on one of its surfaces. The terminals, usually in the form of solder bumps, serve to both secure the flip chip to a circuit board and electrically interconnect the chip circuitry to a conductor pattern formed on the circuit board. Flip chip technology is compatible with a variety of circuit board types, including ceramic substrates, printed wiring boards, flexible circuits, and silicon substrates. The solder bumps are typically located at the perimeter of the flip chip on electrically conductive bond pads that are electrically interconnected with the circuitry on the flip chip. Due to the numerous functions typically performed by the microcircuitry of a flip chip, a relatively large number of solder bumps are often required. The size of a flip chip is typically on the order of about thirteen millimeters per side, resulting in the solder bumps being crowded along the perimeter of the flip chip. As a result, flip chip conductor patterns are typically composed of numerous individual conductors that are often spaced apart about 0.1 millimeter or less.
Flip chips are widely used in the electronics industry as a result of their compact size and their characteristic of being directly attached to substrates without additional packaging. Another process for directly attaching an IC device to a substrate is by the wire bonding process. Such an IC device has a number of bond pads that are wire bonded to bond pads of a complementary conductor pattern on the substrate to which the device is being attached. The bond pads on the IC device are typically aluminum or an aluminum-base alloy for various known processing and performance-related reasons. The wire is often gold, which will bond well with the aluminum bond pad if the bonding operation is properly performed.
Though wire-bonded ICs are widely used, flip chips are generally smaller, less expensive to mount, and more versatile, being suitable for a wider variety of electronic products than are chip-and-wire ICs. Consequently, there has evolved a demand for flip chip bumping and attachment of surface-mount devices that were originally designed for attachment by wire bonding. Several alternatives have been contemplated for this conversion process. One example is illustrated in FIGS. 1A through 1C, which show an IC device 10 on which a wire bond pad 12 has been formed. The bond pad 12 is conventionally formed of aluminum or an aluminum-base alloy, and is therefore susceptible to corrosion if left exposed. Consequently, a passivation layer 16 overlies the surface of the device 10, with a square-shaped opening 14 being formed in the passivation layer 16 to expose an interior region of the bond pad 12. However, the exposed region of the bond pad 12 is too large for forming a solder bump for flip-chip mounting the device 10. In particular, any attempt to form a solder bump on the exposed region of the bond pad 12 would yield a solder bump having inadequate height and a tendency to short with adjacent solder bumps.
Therefore, the process of FIGS. 1A-1C further entails depositing a second passivation layer 18 on the bond pad 12 and the original passivation layer 16, and then developing a circular-shaped opening 20 in the second passivation layer 18, as shown in FIG. 1B. This step generally can be performed by spinning an organic dielectric material on the substrate 10, photolithographically developing the opening 20 using known methods, and then curing the dielectric material. The opening 20 shown in FIG. 1B is sized and shaped to enable the deposition of a controlled amount of solderable material 22 on that portion of the bond pad 12 re-exposed by the opening 20, the result of which is illustrated in FIG. 1C. The solderable material 22 forms a bond pad that enables solder to be deposited and reflowed to form a suitable solder bump (not shown).
Though the process represented in FIG. 1A through 1C yields a suitable bond pad for a flip chip solder bump, the requirement for an additional passivation layer 18 and a masking operation to form the opening 20 represent a significant impact on processing costs and scheduling.
In view of the above, it would be desirable if a process were available that enabled wire bond pads to be converted to flip chip solder bump pads, but that avoided the cost and processing disadvantages of additional masking operations.

Process for converting a wire bond pad to a flip chip solder bump pad and pad formed thereby