The present invention relates to monoclonal antibodies that define Oncostatin M, a novel cytokine. The monoclonal antibodies of the invention are capable of binding to Oncostatin M, inhibiting Oncostatin M receptor binding, and/or inhibiting Oncostatin M bioactivity. Such antibodies may be used to detect the presence at Oncostatin M and/or to modulate Oncostatin M bioactivities in an in vivo or in vitro system.

It is now well recognized that somatic cell hybrids are an important source of specific cellular products that cannot be obtained from short-term primary cultures. The best example of this is the system developed by Milstein and others for the production of hybrid myelomas making monoclonal antibody against an antigen of choice (Kohler and Milstein, 1975, Nature (London) 256:495; Galfre et al., 1977, Nature (London) 266:550). Such hybrids provide a constant supply of monoclonal antibody against specific antigens. These antibodies can be used as reagents for any procedures for which antibodies were previously used, but with the added advantage of higher levels of discrimination, lower background and a continuous available supply of the antibodies.
The production of monoclonal antibodies in general first involves immunization, removal of immune response cells, fusion of these cells, in for example polyethylene glycol, with constantly dividing tumor cells ("immortal") selected for their inability to secrete an immunoglobin. The resulting cells (hybridomas) are distinguished by growth in, for example, HAT (hypoxanthine, aminopterin, thymidine). Each hybridoma is the fusion product of a single-forming antibody cell and a tumor cell having the ability of the former cell to secrete a single species of antibody and the immortality of the latter cell enabling it to proliferate continuously, and provide cell progeny with an unending supply of antibody with a single specificity.


The present disclosure relates to a defibrillating simulator comprising an apparatus for adapting a defibrillator for training. The apparatus for adapting a defibrillator for training comprises a pair of electrode covers to be mounted on electrodes of the defibrillator for receiving an electrical discharge generated by the defibrillator. The apparatus further comprises an impedance connected to the pair of electrode covers, the impedance absorbing some of the received electrical discharge and generates an electrically reduced electrical discharge. The apparatus comprises an analyzer for analyzing the electrically reduced electrical discharge and providing analysis data representative of the electrical discharge. The defibrillating simulator further comprises a scenario unit providing a training scenario comprising physiological data. The defibrillating simulator further comprises a processing unit for correlating the analysis data with the training scenario to generate training results.

Defibrillators are medical devices widely used for treatment of cardiac dysrhythmias and ventricular fibrillation. The treatment applied consists in applying an electrical current to the heart.
Defibrillators are classified as manual or automated defibrillators. Manual defibrillators are designed for medical professionals, while automated defibrillators, also called Automated External Defibrillators (AED), are designed for use by the general public.
Defibrillating simulators have been developed for training users to practice defibrillating procedures. Defibrillating simulators are typically provided with a mannequin simulating a human body and having predetermined contacts areas for receiving defibrillator electrodes (i.e. paddles and/or sticks), and receiving the electrical discharge generated by the defibrillator delivered through the electrodes. Current defibrillating simulators lack realism because of the visible contact areas and restricted defibrillator electrodes positioning on predetermined contact areas that cannot be changed for simulating different human anatomical characteristics. Moreover, current defibrillating simulators require to be used with specifically configured mannequins, thus portability between different platforms is not possible. The mannequins used in connection with defibrillating simulators are typically provided with electrical circuits mounted therein for collecting the electrical discharge delivered through the electrodes of the defibrillating simulators. Mannequins embedding additional simulated patients' functions like a breathing function and breathing movements, the visible contact areas and corresponding electrical circuits required to receive the electrical discharge generated by the defibrillating simulators lead to increased risks of electrical shocks and electronic interferences with other electrical and electronic components within the mannequin.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved defibrillating simulator that would reduce at least one of the above-mentioned drawbacks of current defibrillating simulators.


Finite impulse response filters are commonly used in high speed data communications electronics for reducing error rates in multilevel symbol encoding schemes. Schemes such as pulse amplitude modulation and quadrature amplitude modulation may have higher error rates for symbols with low signal to noise ratios. By selectively updating the tap coefficients of the filter based on the symbols received, a more robust, accurate filter can be built.

Finite impulse response (FIR) filters are commonly used in high speed data communications electronics for reducing error rates in multilevel symbol encoding schemes. Schemes such as pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) may have higher error rates for symbols with low signal to noise ratios. A symbol refers to a data pulse on a line. The symbol may have several bits of information encoded within the voltage level and polarity (PAN for example). By using high levels of bit encoding in symbols, lower symbol rates can be used. Lower symbol rates are desirable because of their lower levels of noise.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a symbol pulse. The symbol pulse 102 shows the analog voltage vs. time response of the symbol being driven on the line. In an ideal world, the symbol pulse 102 would look like a square wave. Unfortunately, real pulses have profiles like that shown in FIG. 1. The line is driven so that at time t0 the amplitude of the pulse 102 is about h0. As the pulse 102 is driven back to zero, it still has an amplitude of h1 at time t1. The spacing of times t0 and t1 corresponds with the symbol rate. Thus, the receiver might confuse the pulse 102 amplitude at time t1 with a symbol meant to be valid at time t1, when it was simply the tail end of the pulse 102 meant to be valid at time t0.
FIG. 2 shows an example of two successive four level PAM symbols. Four level PAM usually has an encoding scheme with four different voltage levels: +3, +1, −1, and −3 volts. This scheme gives two bits of encoding. Two successive symbols are shown with their possible waveforms for each pulse, one intended to be valid at time t0 and one at t1. The first symbol has possible pulses peaking at time t0 and has the following possibilities: a +3 pulse 202, a +1 pulse 204, a −1 pulse 206, or a −3 pulse 208. Similarly, the second symbol has possible pulses peaking at time t1 and has the following possibilities: a +3 pulse 210, a +1 pulse 212, a −1 pulse 214, or a −3 pulse 216. One can see that a +3 pulse 202 looks like +3 volts at time t0 and +1 volt at time t1.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a one tap FIR filter. The filter 302 provides a method of determining how much of first symbols tail needs to be removed from the apparent head of a second symbol. Data 303, which may be digital decoded, passes through a delay block 304. The delay block 304 delays the propagation of the data 303 for one period corresponding to the symbol rate. The data 303 then goes into the pulse block 306, where the sign of the data 303 is determined. It is also possible to determine the sign of the data 303 before the pulse block 306 and simply feed the sign of the data to the pulse block 306. The pulse block 306 also receives the sign of the error 308, which is determined by the difference between a symbol pulse and its decoded data at a given clock edge.
The output of a prior art pulse block 306 is the sign of the data 303 multiplied by the sign of the error 308. This output in the up/down pulse, and it is fed into an integrator 310. The integrator multiplies the up/down pulse by a small constant μ and adds that value to the previous filter coefficient to create a new coefficient. The following equation summarizes this:hi+1=hi+(μ*sign(data)*sign(error))Thus, the coefficient of the filter 302 constantly changes based on the sign of the error 308 and the sign of the data 303. The coefficient output of the integrator 310 is multiplied by the delayed data 303 at a multiplier 312. The result is a correction signal 314 that, when added to the symbol signal, ideally cancels any signal portions of previous symbols from a current symbol before the current symbol is decoded. Actual filters 302 may employ more than one tap in order to achieve the desired results.
FIG. 4 shows a chart of a prior art up/down pulse determination scheme. The sign of the data multiplied by the sign of the error determines the sign of the up/down pulse. Unfortunately, this prior art scheme does not work very well for noisy systems and symbols with small signals.
FIG. 5 shows an example of amplitude error and noise for symbols. The symbols 3, 1, −1, and −3 508, 506, 504, 502 respectively each have error distributions in their amplitudes. Also shown is a noise 510 distribution. For symbols with low signal to noise ratios, like symbol 1 506 and symbol −1 504, the noise 510 in the system may disrupt the accuracy of the up/down pulse. This, in turn, may erroneously affect the modification of filter coefficients.
Thus, there is a need for a FIR filter that accounts for low signal to noise ratio symbols when updating filter coefficients.


An exposure system for exposing a substrate to radiation is disclosed. The system comprises an exposure unit configured to expose the substrate to radiation, an exposure chamber configured to accommodate the exposure unit, an alignment measurement unit arranged outside the exposure chamber and configured to measure a position of an alignment mark on the substrate, and a load-lock chamber arranged between the exposure chamber and the alignment measurement unit.

An exposure apparatus used to manufacture a device such as a semiconductor device comprises an exposure unit, alignment measurement unit, substrate stage, and the like. The exposure unit includes an exposure light source, illumination system and projection optical system. An exposure beam containing pattern information is generated by an exposure light from the light source illuminating an original plate having a pattern. The projection system projects the exposure beam containing the pattern information of the original plate onto a substrate. The alignment measurement unit measures the position of an alignment mark formed on the substrate before exposure. The substrate stage moves the substrate before exposure to an alignment measurement position immediately under the alignment measurement unit, and the substrate after alignment to an exposure position immediately under the exposure unit.
Conventionally, the illuminance of the light source of the exposure unit has been increased to improve the throughput of the exposure apparatus. The performances of the respective units have been improved such as pursuing an alignment measurement unit that performs a measurement process within a shorter period of time or a substrate stage that moves at higher speed. Furthermore, an exposure apparatus has been put into practical use in which two substrate stages are provided and, while one substrate stage is used as an exposure stage, the other substrate stage is used as an alignment measurement stage, to perform exposure operation and alignment operation in a parallel manner.
In order to form a small latent image pattern on a substrate, as an exposure beam, a short-wavelength exposure beam has been introduced into practical use, e.g., a charged particle beam such as an electron beam, an F2 laser beam, or an EUV beam. To use such an exposure beam, the optical path of the exposure beam from the exposure light source to the substrate must be arranged in a space held at a predetermined vacuum degree or a nitrogen space with a predetermined concentration depending on the type of exposure light source. For this purpose, various types of units in the exposure apparatus, e.g., the exposure unit, alignment measurement unit, substrate stage, and the like are arranged in a chamber, and the interior of the chamber is maintained at a reduced-pressure environment or nitrogen atmosphere.
When the exposure apparatus is configured to comprise a single substrate stage, it cannot perform the exposure operation and alignment measurement apparatus simultaneously. When the exposure apparatus comprises two stages, it can perform the exposure operation and alignment measurement operation simultaneously, but the size of its stage arrangement becomes inevitably large. To cope with the trend a larger wafer size, both the exposure apparatus comprising the single stage and the exposure apparatus comprising the two stages tend to have larger sizes.
When the stage arrangement size becomes large in this manner, if the exposure apparatus uses a short-wavelength exposure beam, e.g., a charged particle beam such as an electron beam, an F2 laser beam, or an EUV beam, the size of the chamber which accommodates the units such as the exposure unit, alignment measurement unit, and substrate stage and isolates its inner environment from the outer environment (atmosphere) becomes large. An increase in chamber size leads to a bulky vacuum device or purge device which maintains the inner space of the chamber at a predetermined vacuum degree or atmosphere.
In addition, an increase in chamber size increases the time required to change the inner space of the chamber from the atmospheric environment to a predetermined reduced-pressure environment or atmosphere when the exposure apparatus is started.
To suppress the capacity of the chamber, it is effective to arrange the alignment measurement unit outside the exposure chamber and perform alignment measurement in the atmosphere, as proposed in this application. With this scheme, to transport a substrate after alignment measurement into the exposure chamber, typically, a load-lock chamber which substitutes the outer atmosphere in the substrate transport path by the atmosphere in the exposure chamber is arranged adjacent to the exposure chamber.
In this case, note that when the load-lock chamber in an atmospheric state is to be exhausted to a predetermined vacuum degree, the substrate is deprived of heat due to adiabatic expansion, so the substrate temperature decreases and the substrate shrinks. If the substrate size changes, a value obtained by alignment measurement in the atmosphere may include an error in the exposure chamber. Even when the load-lock chamber is purged with a gas such as nitrogen, if the atmospheric temperature and the gas temperature differ, the substrate size changes in accordance with the temperature difference between them.


The present invention provides a haptic steering wheel switch device and a haptic steering wheel switch system including the same. The haptic steering wheel switch device comprises: a housing mounted in a steering wheel; a printed circuit board disposed inside of the housing; and a haptic rotary switch unit including a haptic rotary switch driver disposed in the housing and adapted to generate a rotational force in response to an electrical signal, a haptic rotary switching power transfer unit adapted to transfer the rotational force generated from the haptic rotary switch driver, and a haptic rotary switch knob exposed outside of the housing and connected to the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit to receive the rotational force from the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit.

Haptics is a field of research which enables information to be transferred to a user based on sense of touch or tactile sensation. The transfer of information has been mostly performed through the sense of sight (or the visible sensation) and the sense of hearing (or auditory sensation). But the researches on the haptics are in rapid progress due to an increase in the needs of a user for another sensory information along with the development of a computer interface of a virtual environment
The application range of a typical haptic device is abruptly extended to cellular phones and the like beyond simulators. Meanwhile, a motor vehicle is additionally equipped with a variety of accessories enabling a comfortable driving environment for a driver or occupants in the motor vehicle. Such accessories provide convenience in driving to the driver or occupants, and simultaneously involve a serious problem in that the driver's driving concentration is reduced to obstruct the safety driving. For this reason, various switch devices are intensively mounted on a steering wheel of the motor vehicle. However, as the number of convenience equipments mounted at the vehicle is increased, the number of switches mounted on the steering wheel is also increased, resulting in an ironic situation where a driver divert his or her attention onto the steering wheel of the vehicle so as to manipulate the switches. Therefore, there is a need for a switch having a structure which can secure both integration of the switches and safety driving of a vehicle as well as enables rapid manipulation and sensory recognition of whether or not the switches are manipulated.

Haptic steering wheel switch device and haptic steering wheel switch system including the same


A motor device having a hollow casing in which a mechanism for converting continuous rotational motion of a rotating member which is rotated by a motor into reciprocating oscillatory motion and reversibly rotates the output shaft in the forward rotational direction and in the reverse rotation direction. This motor device includes a gear wheel fixed to the output shaft. Furthermore, it includes a driving force conversion member comprising a meshing portion which is meshed with the gear wheel, which converts continuous rotational motion of the rotating member into oscillatory motion around the output shaft as a center for oscillation, and which reversibly rotates the gear wheel in the forward rotational direction and in the reverse rotational direction. It further includes a pair of holding members which support the meshing state of the gear wheel and the meshing portion of the driving force conversion member in the thickness direction, and which oscillate around the output shaft as a center for oscillation. This driving force conversion member includes a fixed shaft which supports and enables the pair of holding members to oscillate and which lies upon an oscillation path around the output shaft as a center for oscillation. And a one of the pair of holding members which confronts an inner wall of the hollow casing comprises a contacting portion which slides on the inner wall of the hallow casing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor device, and in particular relates to a wiper motor for an automotive vehicle.
2. Prior Art
A typical known such motor device is, for example, the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,219 (corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-292244). This device is shown in FIG. 4.
Referring to this Figure, a worm 102 is housed within a hollow casing 100 and is rotated along with the turning of a motor by being connected to a motor shaft thereof. A worm wheel 104, for which a rotational shaft 104a functions as a central axis, is meshed with this worm 102 and is rotated thereby at a reduced rotational speed. Further, a crank pin 106a is formed integrally with this worm wheel 104. A linking rod system 106 is connected to this crank pin 106a and converts the continuous rotational motion of the crank pin 106a into reversible rotational motion of an output shaft 112a.
Further, this linking rod system 106 comprises a sector shaped gear 112 which is connected to the output shaft 112a. Moreover, it comprises a crank arm 110 which functions as a sector rod, one end of which is meshed with the sector shaped gear 112 and the other end of which is supported on the crank pin 106a so as to be rotatable around the axis thereof.
Furthermore, a pair of link plates 114 and 116 which support the region of meshing in the thickness direction are included. The one ends of these link plates 114 and 116 are supported by a shaft 118 while their other ends are supported on the output shaft 112a, and together with the shaft 118 these link plates 114 and 116 execute oscillatory motion to and from around the output shaft 112a.
Furthermore, a thickened portion 120 is formed upon an inner wall of a cover 101 of the hollow casing 100, so as to be in contact with the linking rod system 106. In this construction, this thickened portion 120 is mainly formed over the entire circular path over which the crank pin 106a is moved and over a circular shaped region concentric to and surrounding the output shaft 112a.
However, the following problems arise in connection with the above described prior art motor device.
(1) Except for the region over which the crank pin 106a is rotated and the region around the end of the output shaft 112a, the thickened portion 120 is not formed over the regions adjoining the shaft 118 (and in particular over the aforementioned meshing region which is supported by the link plates 114 and 116), and accordingly an empty space 122 is left between the cover 101 and the link plate 114 and the shaft 118.
Because of this, the sector shaped gear 112 is subjected via the output shaft 112a to a considerable load in the direction shown in FIG. 4 by the arrow Z when a windshield and a wiper fitted to the output shaft 112a which are not shown in the figures are in contact and the wiper is pressed against the windshield. This causes a force (an offset load) to be imparted to the link plates 114 and 116 which tends to break the meshing engagement between the crank arm 110 and the sector shaped gear 112, and because of this the rotation of the rotation shaft 104a is not satisfactorily transmitted to the output shaft 112a. Because of the above described load, the crank arm, the sector shaped gear and so on vibrate and cannot rotate smoothly, and cannot execute stable motion, and noise is generated by this vibration.
Further, even if the thickened portion 120 is formed on the cover 101 over the region thereof above the link plate 114, then a new problem arises that the thickened portion 120 need to be made correspondingly thick and also large to have enough strength. Additionally, the requirement to provide this new dedicated member means that the number of parts is increased and the cost is higher.
(2) Except for the worm wheel 104, all of the parts are made from steel, and thus the sliding action between the parts which mutually slide against one another--in particular between the rotation shaft 104a and its bearing (not shown in the figure), between the crank arm 110 and the crank pin 106a, between the output shaft 112a and its bearing (not shown in the figure), and so on--is metal to metal sliding motion, and accordingly undue noise is caused during operation by vibration.
(3) Furthermore it might be contemplated, as a measure for solution of the above described problem (2), to fit wave washers or fixing rings for preventing detachment to the above-described portions which are in mutual sliding motion, but it would be necessary to provide a large number of such members as described above, and it is considered that this would increase the number of parts in the construction and would unduly increase the cost.
(4) The end portion 113 of the output shaft 112a is in contact with inner wall of the cover 101, and the end portion 107 of the crank pin 106a is in contact with the thickened portion 120 of the cover 101. Accordingly, there is the problem that if the paths are pursued in sliding motion over a long time period in a small contact area then the cover 101, which is made of resin, will become grooved by the sliding motion between the metallic output shaft 112a and itself and by the sliding motion between the crank pin 106a and itself.
Yet further, although for example related motor devices such as that disclosed in German Patent DE3247421 and the like have been proposed, since in these exemplary prior arts as well a space is present above the output shaft and the meshing portion, they do not solve the problem described above under
(1). In addition, although various motor devices have been proposed in German Utility Model DEG8001379, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 5-52421, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 4-69358, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 4-127061, and the like, none of these prior art proposals mentions the above problems (1) to (4) at all.


A multi-purpose cap adapted to fit onto fluid ports of different sizes and configurations of medical devices used for purifying or concentrating biological samples, wherein the cap is adapted to press fit onto diverse fluid ports on dialyzers and other blood treatment devices.

Medical devices used for the treatment of biological liquids such as blood commonly have a semipermeable membrane structure contained inside a housing. Normally, the biological liquid to be treated is passed into the housing so as to contact one side of the membrane, and, depending on the function of the device, the other side of the membrane may be simultaneously contacted by another liquid passed into the housing. The membrane effects selective transfer of certain liquids and solutes from one liquid to the other liquid or membrane side through the membrane. Medical devices of these types include, for example, dialyzers, hemofilters, hemodiafilters, and hemoconcentrators. These medical devices may be used in extracorporeal blood treatment systems or other types of biological liquid treatment systems.
Fluid ports are required in order to effect introduction and discharge of liquids into and out of such medical devices. A dialyzer, for example, is a filter device which can be used by patients with kidney failure who suffer from the adverse effects of waste and fluid build-up in their blood that are normally eliminated by the kidneys. A conventional dialyzer, such as a hemodialysis dialyzer, has blood ports and dialysate ports. The blood ports are used for introduction and discharge of blood flow from the dialyzer device during a dialysis treatment. Blood can be passed through the membrane structure, such as hollow fiber bundles or other membranes, arranged within a hollow cylindrical-shaped tube portion of the dialyzer between the blood introduction and discharge ports. The dialysate ports are used for introduction and discharge of dialysate fluid to and from the same device. Dialyzers and components thereof of these types are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,691,068, 4,324,662, and 6,830,685, all of which are incorporated in their entireties by reference herein. In dialyzer arrangements such as shown in these patents, the blood ports are located at opposite ends of the tube portion, and ports used for the dialysate fluid are arranged to extend from the sidewall of the tube portion near the opposite ends of the device.
Hemafilters have been used, among other things, to filter molecules of molecular weights associated with toxins across a membrane for removal of the toxins from blood. Hemafilters can also have a bundle of hollow fibers or other membrane structure encapsulated in a housing, wherein passage of another fluid through the device is provided on the opposite side of the membrane from blood side, so the devices typically include introduction and discharge ports for each side of the membrane. Examples of hemafilters are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,412, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. Hemoconcentrators have been used as an ultrafiltration system to remove excess fluid from blood as part of cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. A hemoconcentrator can also have a bundle of hollow fibers or other membrane structure encapsulated in a housing which has blood ports at opposite ends of the device, and includes at least one additional device port for discharge of ultrafiltered fluid collected on the opposite side of the membrane in the device. A vacuum line may be coupled to the discharge port(s) to assist removal of the ultrafiltered fluid from the device. Examples of hemoconcentrators are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,858,238 and 7,063,816, which are incorporated in their entireties by reference herein.
The blood ports and the dialysate ports or other kinds of ports on such blood treatment devices generally have male configurations extending from the device housing or ends thereof. For safety, e.g., to prevent accidental misconnections, blood ports typically have different geometrical profiles from the dialysate ports or other kinds of ports on the same blood treatment devices.
After their manufacture, dialyzers typically are sterilized. Sterilization of these devices by steam, irradiation or chemicals can be used. The blood side in particular of the dialyzer needs to be kept sterile until the device is used. Removable disposable closure caps have been used to cover the blood ports of the sterilized dialyzers. Further, a used dialyzer can contain residual fluid, and closure caps can be used to cover blood ports, dialyzer ports, or both of a used dialyzer for disposal safety, such as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publ. No. 2014/0263018 A1, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
Contemporary caps for blood treatment devices are typically made of a molded plastic material suitable for medical applications, but typically are designed to cover only one type of port, e.g., either a blood port or a dialysate port of a dialyzer. A multi-purpose cap for hydraulic ports on a medical device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,957, wherein the cap includes external lugs used to thread into a female threaded collar of a DIN blood port using manual twisting.
There is a need for a medical device cap capable of fitting on ports of different geometries on the same dialyzer or other blood treatment device, which can be readily and securely press fit onto any of the different device ports on the same device to provide a sealed closure of any of the ports.

Multi-purpose cap for fluid ports on a medical device


Disclosed are anthra[2,1-c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-6,11-dione compounds and pharmaceutical composition thereof. The compounds of the invention have been demonstrated as having analgesic effects and therefore may be applicable for use as a novel agent in relieving acute or chronic pain.

It is known that anthra[2,1-c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-6,11-dione (Formula I), a kind of anthraquinone derivative containing a heterocyclic group, is a cyclic compound produced by the reaction of 1,2-diaminoanthraquinone and thionyl chloride via catalyzation by triethylamine. It is disclosed in Taiwan Patent application number 097112087 that the compound was evaluated in the full panel of human tumor cell lines derived from different cancer cell types such as leukemia, non-small cell lung cancer, colon cancer, etc. at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and shows anti-proliferative activity against human cancer cell lines.

The known tricyclic anthraquinone derivatives, for example, the 2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline compounds disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. 1378792; Taiwan Patent No. 1402066; Taiwan Publication No. 201249792 and Taiwan Publication No. 200840582 can be used for the treatment of the excessive growth of cancer cells and the formation of the vessels accompanying the cells. In addition to the effects mentioned above, the compounds disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. 1245036 not only inhibit tumor cell lines, but also have anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties as well. However, existing literature does not disclose whether anthraquinone derivatives can ease pain or can be applied to pharmaceutical use as an analgesic.
In order to overcome the drawbacks in the prior art, an indication of anthra[2,1,c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-6,11-dione compound for alleviating pain is disclosed. The particular design in the present invention not only solves the problems described above, but is also easy to implement. Thus, the present invention has substantial utility for the industry.

Indication of anthra[2,1,c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-6,11-dione compound in alleviating pain


A vehicle seat having a bladder with more than two inflatable chambers and an integral control flap, all of one piece, integral construction. To maximize inflatable volume of each chamber, each chamber preferably has a sidewall portion that is generally perpendicular. The control flap has passages in communication with the chambers and valving for selectively controlling inflation of the chambers. Valving preferably includes pinch valves having a generally T-shaped body with legs that pinch passages in the control flap to retain gas in a chamber and selectively inflate or deflate the chamber. The bladder is connected to a gas supply having a pump in communication with a reservoir for storing a charge of pressurized gas in the reservoir so that the pump need not immediately operate when gas is needed to inflate a chamber. To maintain a charge of gas in the reservoir, the gas supply preferably includes a pressure switch for energizing the pump when the reservoir pressure drops below a lower threshold and deenergizing the pump when pressure rises above an upper threshold. A preferred bladder has a chamber for cushioning the thighs of a seat occupant, a chamber for cushioning the buttocks and can have a chamber for providing lumbar support. A bladder of this invention can be assembled as part of a motorcycle seat having a bladder for the driver and a bladder for the passenger. The bladder also can be used in automotive and off road vehicle seating applications.

Often people spend a great deal of time seated each day, whether it be in an office chair, in a car, in a truck, or riding a motorcycle. Often, the seats have virtually no way of being adjusted so that they can be made more comfortable to a person sitting in the seat. As a result, seats with little or no adjustability can be very uncomfortable to sit in, particularly for long periods of time. Additionally, such seating can contribute to fatigue or can improperly support body parts of the person sitting in the seat, such as, for example, resulting in poor lumbar support to the lower back of the seat occupant, which can undesirably increase fatigue by making the body part sore or stiff. Moreover, lack of adjustability can result in a seat occupant being poorly positioned relative to another object, such as the steering wheel of an automobile or the handlebars of a motorcycle. Finally, since people come in many different shapes, sizes, and weights, a seat lacking adequate adjustability may not properly fit a particular type or size of person, also making it very uncomfortable for that person to remain seated for long periods of time without experiencing discomfort or fatigue.
In light of all of these difficulties, seating designers have attempted to design seats which are adjustable in many different ways to improve comfort, decrease fatigue, properly position the seat occupant, and comfortably fit people of a wide variety of sizes, shapes and weights. However, seat design can be very complicated, particularly for vehicle seating designers. For example, it is known by vehicle seat designers that comfort to a seat occupant can be extremely important to the safety of the seat occupant. Therefore, vehicle seat designers attempt to design seats such that occupants having different body dimensions do not suffer driving fatigue, which can be detrimental to safety.
There are other factors that a seat designer must contend with as well. For example, it is desirable that a vehicle seat provide proper support to individual body areas by controlling how the pressure of the seat against a seat occupant is distributed. Additionally, it is preferred that a seat provide adequate lateral support to a seat occupant when the vehicle is turning while enabling the occupant to relatively freely adjust their sitting position without needing to readjust the seat.
Moreover, the components responsible for enabling seat adjustment must not adversely affect the vibrational and damping characteristics of the seat by preventing the natural frequency of the seat from falling within a range of excitation frequencies that are likely to be encountered during operation. Therefore, the distribution of the spring rates in the areas of the seat cushion and backrest where the adjustable components are located, as well as the overall spring rate and dampening capacity of the seat, must not be adversely affected by the use and operation of the adjustable components. Finally, all of the components which enable seat adjustability must be conveniently packaged within the seat while also not undesirably affecting the appearance of the seat.
To enhance seat occupant comfort, overlays or cushions have been developed that have one or more inflatable chambers. One such seat overlay, in the form of a seat cushion, is disclosed in Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,776. These overlays are typically placed over a seat and inflated before the seat occupant sits down to enhance the comfort of the seat occupant. Unfortunately, these overlays are not specifically designed to maximize comfort for a specific seat contour but rather are designed to be used with any type of seat. As a result, these overlays can be more effective at preventing discomfort and fatigue when used with some types of seats and not with other types of seats.
Moreover, these overlay cushions are not particularly well suited for use in automotive vehicles because they can slip and slide around making them difficult to properly position for maximum comfort and because they can be easily damaged during use. Additionally, these overlays typically must be manually inflated and will leak over time, undesirably requiring periodic and time consuming manual reinflation.
Finally, the amount of cushioning provided by such an overlay is also limited because each chamber typically has a generally rounded "pillow" shaped construction which limits the inflated volume of the chamber thereby also limiting how deeply each chamber can be compressed during cushioning a seat occupant during use and operation of the overlay. To achieve greater cushioning, the surface area of a "pillow" shaped inflatable chamber can be increased to enable it to expand outwardly a greater distance when fully inflated. Unfortunately, such a larger, "pillow" shaped inflatable chamber requires a greater volume of air to inflate, which can be time consuming. Additionally, a "pillow" shaped chamber may not always uniformly apply pressure to the desired body part of the seat occupant thereby possibly reducing the amount of comfort that can be achieved.
The use of an air bladder having such a "pillow" inflatable chamber construction is less desirable for use with motorcycle seats because their seats are smaller, reducing the amount of cushioning that a "pillow" shaped inflatable chamber can provide because of the limited surface area available on the motorcycle seat limiting its maximum inflatable volume. Finally, it is virtually impossible to produce an inflatable overlay or bladder with individual inflatable chambers having the "pillow" construction because of the limited surface area reducing the surface area available for each chamber limiting the maximum cushioning available for a multi-chamber motorcycle seat overlay or built in inflatable bladder.
In other instances, inflatable bladders that are built into the seat have been used to provide adjustment to increase comfort and reduce fatigue. Examples of such built-in bladders are found in Flajole, U.S. Pat. No. 2,938,570, Isono et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,588, and Ishida, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,931. These types of bladders cannot be easily manually inflated and typically require some source of air, such as from a hand bulb pump or another type of pressurized air supply, to inflate the bladder. For bladders which have more than one inflatable chamber, rather elaborate and complicated valving and air distribution arrangements have been developed, the assembly and installation of which are not cost effective particularly in light of the competitive economic climate that exists today in the automotive and off-road vehicle industries.
For example, Isono, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,588 discloses a vehicle seat having separate independently inflatable bladders received in compartments within the seat and underneath the seat cover. Unfortunately, each bladder is of separate and independent construction from every other bladder and requires separate insertion of each bladder into its compartment during assembly undesirably increasing the number of assembly steps as well as the cost to assemble a vehicle seat of the disclosed construction. Moreover, as a result of each bladder being independent of every other bladder, conduit or piping must be attached to each bladder and manually routed to an air supply which can even further undesirably increase assembly costs.


Immunophilin ligands act by binding to receptor proteins, immunophilins, which in turn can bind to and regulate the Ca.sup.2+ dependent phosphatase, calcineurin, and the Ca.sup.2+ release channel, the ryanodine receptor. Immunophilin ligands have been discovered to enhance neurite outgrowth in neuronal cell systems by increasing sensitivity to neurotrophic factors. The effects of the immunophilin ligands are detected at subnanomolar concentrations indicating therapeutic application in diseases involving neural degeneration.

The immunosuppressant drugs cyclosporin A and FK506 are thought to exert their therapeutic effects by binding to receptor proteins, designated cyclophilins and FK506 binding proteins (FKBP) respectively. When complexed to the immunosuppressant drugs, these binding proteins, designated immunophilins, bind to the Ca.sup.2+ activated phosphatase, calcineurin, to inhibit its activity and increase levels of phosphorylated calcineurin substrate proteins (1-9). Concentrations of the immunophilins are far higher in the brain and peripheral nervous system than in immune tissues, and FKBP is co-localized with calcineurin throughout the brain, suggesting an important functional relationship (4).
We recently showed that cyclosporin A and FK506 block the neurotoxicity elicited by glutamate acting at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in cerebral cortical cultures (10). The mechanism for the neuroprotective effects of these drugs appears to be inhibition of calcineurin with an augmentation of phosphorylated levels of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) (10). Since phosphorylation of NOS inhibits its catalytic activity (11), the immunosuppressants effectively reduce nitric oxide (NO) formation, preventing the neurotoxic effects of NMDA in these cultures (12,13).
GAP43 is a prominent protein in neuronal processes associated with neurite extension and is also a major calcineurin substrate (14). Regeneration of damaged facial and sciatic nerves is associated with a marked augmentation of GAP43 mRNA levels (15-18).
There is a need in the art for methods of stimulating neuronal cells growth, especially in the case of nerve damage by physical injury or disease. Stimulation of neuronal growth allows a quicker and more complete recovery of damaged nerves.

Direct influences on nerve growth of agents that interact with immunophilins in combination with neurotrophic factors


A magnetic recording device includes a composite magnetic head, which includes a recording head and a reproduction head, and a magnetic recording medium. The magnetic recording medium includes a data region for recording data using the recording head, a mask pattern region in which an area in which servo information can be magnetically recorded and an area in which information cannot be magnetically recorded are formed in a predetermined pattern, and an initial positioning region in which a magnetic area and a nonmagnetic area that record information for positioning one of the recording head and the reproduction head in the mask pattern region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording device that includes a magnetic storage medium that stores therein servo information, a magnetic recording medium, and a servo information recording method.
2. Description of the Related Art
To cope-up with the requirement of increasing the recording capacity of a computer, recently there has been a trend to increase the storage capacity of a magnetic recording device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) used in the computer. Higher storage capacity can be achieved by increasing the recording density of a magnetic recording device. To increasing the recording density, one approach is to reduce the size of the recording magnetic domain on a magnetic recording layer generated by a signal magnetic field using a magnetic head. As a recording method of this type, there is conventionally known the perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR).
The PMR is a method of recording information by magnetizing a magnetic material in a direction perpendicular to a recording surface of the recording layer of the magnetic recording medium. In the PMR, however, if information is recorded at ultra-high density equal to or higher than 100 Gbit/in2, side fringes on side edges of a magnetic head, which records information on the magnetic recording medium, cause the magnetic head to wrongly perform a write operation on a track adjacent to the target track, resulting in a recording defect and a reproducing defect.
To take care of this issue, there has been proposed the discrete track recording (DTR) based on the PMR. In the DTR, magnetic regions and nonmagnetic regions are alternately formed on the recording layer in the direction perpendicular to the direction of radius of the magnetic recording medium. The magnetic regions are formed with a magnetic material, and data is recorded in the magnetic regions. The nonmagnetic regions are formed with a nonmagnetic material, and no data is recorded in the nonmagnetic regions. A nonmagnetic region is sandwiched between adjacent tracks. The DTR prevents data from being erroneously written on a track adjacent to the target track, and realize good recording and reproducing characteristics.
Meanwhile, there have been proposed a magnetic recording device that employs a composite head that includes two heads. The composite head includes a recording head and a reproduction head. A thin-film inductive head is employed as the recording head for writing data on the magnetic recording medium. A magnetoresistive head (MR head) is employed as the reproduction head for reading the data from the magnetic recording medium. In a magnetic recording device having a rotary drive structure, the composite head is supported on a tip end of a head actuator, and the composite head is controlled to be moved in a diameter direction of the composite head, i.e., a direction of traversing tracks of the magnetic recording medium so as to be positioned in a desired sector. A data region including the magnetic recording regions and the nonmagnetic regions, and a servo region are provided on the recording surface of the magnetic recording medium. In the servo region, position information such as track positions and sector positions is recorded at predetermined intervals in a track direction.
The data region of the magnetic recording medium includes first area and second areas. A surface of each of the first area is effective as a magnetic recording region. On the other hand, a surface of each of the second area is ineffective as a magnetic recording region. Each of the first area is convex, has a magnetic film on its surface, and serves as the magnetic region for recording information. Each of the second area is concave and serves as the nonmagnetic region in which no information is recorded. Namely, the second areas are constituted as the nonmagnetic regions because of their concave shape, although sometimes a magnetic film is formed on the surface of the second areas.
To record and reproduce information with high precision on and from a track of the data region of such a recording medium that can realize high-density recording, it is necessary to position the head on the track of the data region at high precision. This means that it is necessary to record servo information in the servo region at high precision. With the conventional technique, the servo information is recorded in the servo region using a servo information recording apparatus. Similarly to the data region, if the servo information is recorded at high precision and high density, side fringes are disadvantageously generated. As a result, it has become difficult to further narrow the pattern width.
As a conventional technique for recording the servo information at high precision, there is known a servo information recording technique as disclosed in JP-A H7-65363 (KOKAI). In this technique, an information region for follow-up control over the mask pattern (hereinafter, "follow-up control information region") is formed in the servo region that includes the magnetic film formed on a substrate. In the follow-up control information region, pits serving as the nonmagnetic regions are arranged in a direction of a track width of the data region. The servo information is recorded in a region between the adjacent pits. Due to such a structure, the influence of the side fringes can be lessened.
In the conventional technique, the mask pattern of the follow-up control information region is formed by, for example, irradiating a laser beam onto a base material, on which a photoresist is applied, to cut off the pattern into tracks using a cutting machine. Due to this, the tracks on the mask pattern depend on the properties of the cutting machine. To magnetically record the servo information into the mask pattern, it is necessary to appropriately position a recording head on the mask pattern while following up the form of tracks each formed by the cutting machine.
With the conventional technique, therefore, if tracks of the servo region are eccentrically fixed, it is necessary to employ a dedicated servo information recording apparatus that includes a fine-movement actuator such as a piezoelectric element that causes the recording head to make a fine movement so as to follow up the mask pattern.
If each track formed into the mask pattern by the cutting machine is in the form of a true circle, it is easy to move the recording head to follow up the mask pattern using the fine-movement actuator. However, if vibrations occur during cutting the pattern into the tracks using the laser beam, tracks with irregular shapes are formed. With the tracks having irregular shapes, it is difficult to move the recording head to follow up the mask pattern.
Furthermore, if the servo information is to be recorded on one recording medium, the servo information recording apparatus becomes busy for a long time. Moreover, if the recording density is high, the number of tracks considerably increases so that it takes still longer time to record the servo information using the servo information recording apparatus. To reduce processing time for manufacturing process of the recording medium, it is disadvantageously necessary to provide a plurality of servo information recording apparatuses.
Moreover, if a track pitch of the recording medium is narrower, the mask pattern is smaller. If so, higher positioning precision is required for positioning the recording head on the mask pattern using the servo information recording apparatus. This makes it further difficult to realize the servo information recording apparatus.
In this manner, with the servo information recording technique for the conventional magnetic recording medium, a plurality of dedicated or high-precision servo information recording apparatuses are often required to record the servo information with high precision.

Magnetic recording device and medium having mask pattern


A shaft coupling device for coupling a first shaft and a second shaft together includes a grip unit to be attached to the first shaft and including a grip portion configured to grip the second shaft, the grip portion having an end with notches of a length being parallel with an axial direction of the first shaft. The shaft coupling device also includes a grip force acting unit to be attached to the second shaft and configured to cause a grip force for gripping the second shaft to act on the grip portion by moving the grip portion in a radial direction of the second shaft.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for coupling a shaft to another shaft.
2) Description of the Related Art
In image formation apparatuses, it is required to rotate with high-precision a photosensitive member (a rotating member) carrying an image to obtain images of high-quality. In particular, rotation of high-precision is important in the tandem type full color image formation apparatus. The tandem type full color image formation apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive members each onto which an image of a different color is formed. Each of the images formed on the photosensitive members are then transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt or a transfer sheet directly with the images being superimposed onto one another to obtain a full color image. Therefore, the rotation of high-precision is required to prevent the full color image from being out of color registration.
A motor of high-precision may be used to improve the precision of rotation of the rotating member in the tandem type full color image formation apparatus. However, even if the motor of high-precision is used, if the central axes of the rotating shaft of the motor and the shaft supporting the photosensitive member are displaced from each other at a position in which the shafts are coupled, the rotation of the photosensitive member becomes non-uniform. As a result, deterioration in image quality caused by unevenness of the image called banding or a positional deviation in a sub-scanning direction of the photosensitive member on the surface of the photosensitive member is caused.
A conventional shaft coupling device for coupling a rotating shaft supporting a photosensitive member and a shaft of a motor rotating the rotating shaft is described in a Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-357986 (see page 4 and FIGS. 7 to 9). A motor is fixed to an image formation apparatus by the shaft coupling device. That is, a flange is attached to the rotating shaft of the photosensitive body. A drum coupling unit having a notch is attached to the shaft of the motor. A spring pin is fixed to the rotating shaft such that the spring pin protrudes from the rotating shaft in a radial direction of the rotating shaft. The flange is fitted with the drum coupling unit and the spring pin with the notch of the drum coupling unit. Screws are then inserted into four holes provided on the motor to fix the motor to the image formation apparatus.
According to the shaft coupling device, the rotating shaft of the photosensitive member and the shaft of the motor are coupled to each other by fitting of the spring pin attached to the rotating shaft into the notch of the drum coupling unit. In other words, the coupling between the shafts is not highly precise because the rotating shaft of the photosensitive member and the shaft of the motor are not completely integrated with each other. Consequently, there is a possibility that the central axes of the coupled shafts may be displaced from each other.

Device for and method of coupling shafts, image formation apparatus, process cartridge, and belt unit


Water penetration into a siliceous subterranean hydrocarbon fluid-bearing formation is inhibited by introducing into the formation organosiloxane possessing at least one alkoxy group directly bonded to a silicon atom.

The present invention relates to a method for treating subterranean formations. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method for inhibiting water penetration into oil- and gas-producing formations.
Penetration or seepage of water from water-bearing sections within or adjacent to hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formations can negatively affect the recovery of hydrocarbons (gas and oil) therefrom. The production of water can significantly increase the cost of recovery due to the expense of separating the water from the hydrocarbons.
The problem of water production can be particularly acute where a subterranean formation contains significant quantities of soluble salts and minerals, for example, halides, which can dissolve in water that has penetrated into the gas/oil-producing formation. Upon evaporation of the water, salts will settle out and deposit within fissures, fractures and porous structures within the formation, thereby reducing its permeability and increasing its resistance to the flow of hydrocarbon fluids.
A variety of approaches have been proposed to deal with the problem of water penetration into oil and gas formations. Such approaches may involve water shut-off treatment and/or alteration of the permeability of the formation. Several related procedures center around the introduction of organic polymers of various kinds into a subterranean formation whereby its permeation characteristics are beneficially modified. Other methods utilize water shut-off (WSO) compositions or gels to minimize or decrease the flow of water from nearby water-producing layers, sections or zones. However, challenges remain with these approaches due to thermal and/or chemical decomposition of the treatment materials, their pH sensitivity, susceptibility to syneresis, incompatibility with rock surfaces and/or other factors tending to militate against their practical implementation.

Method of inhibiting water penetration into oil- and gas-producing formations


A method and apparatus for determining time-of-day in a mobile receiver is described. In one example, expected pseudoranges to a plurality of satellites are obtained. The expected pseudoranges are based on an initial position of the mobile receiver and an initial time-of-day. Expected line-of-sight data to said plurality of satellites is also obtained. Pseudoranges from said mobile receiver to said plurality of satellites are measured. Update data for the initial time-of-day is computed using a mathematical model relating the pseudoranges, the expected pseudoranges, and the expected line-of-sight data. The expected pseudoranges and the expected line-of-sight data may be obtained from acquisition assistance data transmitted to the mobile receiver by a server. Alternatively, the expected pseudoranges may be obtained from acquisition assistance data, and the expected line-of-sight data may be computed by the mobile receiver using stored satellite trajectory data, such as almanac data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to satellite position location systems and, more particularly, to determining absolute time-of-day in a mobile-assisted satellite positioning system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers use measurements from several satellites to compute position. GPS receivers normally determine their position by computing time delays between transmission and reception of signals transmitted from satellites and received by the receiver on or near the surface of the earth. The time delays multiplied by the speed of light provide the distance from the receiver to each of the satellites that are in view of the receiver.
More specifically, each GPS signal available for commercial use utilizes a direct sequence spreading signal defined by a unique pseudo-random noise (PN) code (referred to as the coarse acquisition (C/A) code) having a 1.023 MHz spread rate. Each PN code bi-phase modulates a 1575.42 MHz carrier signal (referred to as the L1 carrier) and uniquely identifies a particular satellite. The PN code sequence length is 1023 chips, corresponding to a one millisecond time period. One cycle of 1023 chips is called a PN frame or epoch.
GPS receivers determine the time delays between transmission and reception of the signals by comparing time shifts between the received PN code signal sequence and internally generated PN signal sequences. These measured time delays are referred to as "sub-millisecond pseudoranges", since they are known modulo the 1 millisecond PN frame boundaries. By resolving the integer number of milliseconds associated with each delay to each satellite, then one has true, unambiguous, pseudoranges. A set of four pseudoranges together with a knowledge of absolute times of transmission of the GPS signals and satellite positions in relation to these absolute times is sufficient to solve for the position of the GPS receiver. The absolute times of transmission (or reception) are needed in order to determine the positions of the GPS satellites at the times of transmission and hence to compute the position of the GPS receiver.
Accordingly, each of the GPS satellites broadcasts a model of satellite orbit and clock data known as the satellite navigation message. The satellite navigation message is a 50 bit-per-second (bps) data stream that is modulo-2 added to the PN code with bit boundaries aligned with the beginning of a PN frame. There are exactly 20 PN frames per data bit period (20 milliseconds). The satellite navigation message includes satellite-positioning data, known as "ephemeris" data, which identifies the satellites and their orbits, as well as absolute time information (also referred to herein as "GPS time" or "time-of-day") associated with the satellite signal. The absolute time information is in the form of a second of the week signal, referred to as time-of-week (TOW). This absolute time signal allows the receiver to unambiguously determine a time tag for when each received signal was transmitted by each satellite.
GPS satellites move at approximately 3.9 km/s, and thus the range of the satellite, observed from the earth, changes at a rate of at most ±800 m/s. Absolute timing errors result in range errors of up to 0.8 m for each millisecond of timing error. These range errors produce a similarly sized error in the GPS receiver position. Hence, absolute time accuracy of 10 ms is sufficient for position accuracy of approximately 10 m. Absolute timing errors of much more than 10 ms will result in large position errors, and so typical GPS receivers have required absolute time to approximately 10 milliseconds accuracy or better.
Another time parameter closely associated with GPS positioning is the sub-millisecond offset in the time reference used to measure the sub-millisecond pseudorange. This offset affects all the measurements equally, and for this reason it is known as the "common mode error". The common mode error should not be confused with the absolute time error. As discussed above, an absolute time error of 1 millisecond leads to range errors of up to 0.8 meters while an absolute time error of 1 microsecond would cause an almost unobservable range error of less than 1 millimeter. A common mode error of 1 microsecond, however, results in a pseudorange error of 1 microsecond multiplied by the speed of light (i.e., 300 meters). Common mode errors have a large effect on pseudorange computations, and it is, in practice, very difficult to calibrate the common mode error. As such, traditional GPS receivers treat the common mode error as an unknown that must be solved for, along with position, once a sufficient number of pseudoranges have been measured at a particular receiver.
In some GPS applications, the signal strengths of the satellite signals are so low that either the received signals cannot be processed, or the time required to process the signals is excessive. As such, to improve the signal processing, a GPS receiver may receive assistance data from a network to assist in satellite signal acquisition and/or processing. For example, the GPS receiver may be integrated within a cellular telephone and may receive the assistance data from a server using a wireless communication network. This technique of providing assistance data to a remote receiver has become known as "Assisted-GPS" or A-GPS.
One type of assistance data that may be provided to a GPS receiver is referred to in the art as "acquisition assistance data." The acquisition assistance data is configured to aid the GPS receiver in acquiring satellite signals. The acquisition assistance data typically includes estimated range and range derivative data from satellites to the GPS receiver. The acquisition assistance data is valid for an assumed position of the GPS receiver at an assumed time-of-day. An exemplary format for acquisition assistance data for use within location services of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network is described in ETSI TS 101 527 (referred to as GSM 4.31), which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Typically, the assumed position of the GPS receiver is known only at the entity providing the acquisition assistance data, and not at the GPS receiver itself.
In some A-GPS systems, the wireless communication network is not synchronized to GPS time. Such non-synchronized networks include time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, such as GSM networks, universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) networks, North American TDMA networks (e.g., IS-136), and personal digital cellular (PDC) networks. In such systems, the GPS receiver cannot compute time-of-day to the necessary accuracy without receiving and decoding TOW information from the satellites signals. In low signal-to-noise ratio environments, TOW information is difficult, if not impossible, to decode. Without accurate time-of-day information, the GPS receiver cannot provide an accurate time-tag for its measurements, thereby deleteriously affecting the accuracy of the position computed by the network.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a method and apparatus that determines time-of-day using acquisition-assistance data without receiving absolute time information from the satellite signals and without initial position information from the provider of the acquisition assistance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for determining absolute time-of-day in a mobile-assisted satellite positioning system


A Swan universal receiver sleeve attached to the top of a firearm upper receiver and extended forward above the firearm barrel to a position just short of the firearm front sight. The underside of the rear portion of the sleeve is fixedly attached to the receiver top. The underside of the forward portion of the sleeve has an upper handguard piece attached thereto. A bottom handguard piece is fitted about the bottom of the gun barrel and is attached to the upper handguard piece. The handguard pieces are not physically connected in any way to the gun barrel. The sleeve is self supported by the connection of the rear portion underside to the receiver top.

This invention relates to integration means, and more particularly to a device added to a firearm for incorporating ancillary equipment.
As the field of combat and commercial weaponry expands, numerous add-on enhancements have become available for attachment to standard firearms thereby significantly upgrading the capability of the firearm. Various methods and means have been developed for interfacing the various add-on enhancements to firearms. Applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,871, discloses a quickly detachable interface means for modular enhancements. Applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,806 discloses a universal receiver sleeve having an upper interface portion with standard, universal dimensions regardless of the firearm and having a lower interface portion specific to a particular firearm. Applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,650 discloses an extended rigid interface frame with upper and lower rails joined to a firearm receiver and extending forward about the firearm""s barrel to a head assembly replacing the firearm""s normal front sight. A weaver type interface return portion is provided below the barrel from the head assembly to the receiver. A yoke braces the extended rigid frame receiver sleeve of the present invention to the forward portion of the firearm""s receiver. The distal end of the extended rigid frame receiver sleeve terminates in a front sight housing which connects the upper and lower rails and provides a housing for advanced laser and sensor components, and the standard front sight bead. The front sight housing is self-supported by the connection of the upper and lower rails running back to the yoke and secured to the top of the receiver. The barrel of the rifle is free floating in that it does not touch the extended rigid frame receiver sleeve in any manner. This permits greater shooting accuracy and protects sensitive electrical components within the front sight housing by isolating the front sight housing from the heat generated from the barrel. Protective spring-loaded handguards are incorporated into the extended rigid frame receiver sleeve, thereby protecting a user""s hands from a hot barrel, eliminating any pressure on the barrel, and providing quick access to the barrel area.
Although the principles of the above identified patented devices are generally applicable to all firearms, the specific firearm example identified in each patent was the U.S. military M16 rifle and carbine. The M16 has been in service for a number of years and will continue to be a popular rifle both in the U.S. military and foreign military for the foreseeable future. However, with the increasing development and refinement of laser technology, it has become highly desirable to integrate laser technology capabilities onto and into firearms.
The problem with integrating laser technology to firearms is the inherent conflict between a gun barrel""s physical functioning and the rigid environment required for laser operations. For maximum results, a gun barrel should be physically isolated, i.e., xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d. It is preferred that nothing be attached to the gun barrel, thereby isolating the barrel physically and eliminating bending and xe2x80x9cdroopxe2x80x9d along the barrel""s longitudinal axis. The ideal arrangement for lasers and ancillary optics and electronics is one of complete isolation from the gun barrel. The temperature of a gun barrel in use can rise to 900xc2x0 F. This type of heat, as well as the physical shock on the gun barrel from firing, will quickly destroy lasers and ancillary optics and electronics.
The heat generated by the gun barrel transfers directly to any devices touching it thereby directly transferring enough heat to burn hands and destroy attached electrical devices. Further compounding this problem is the requirement that gun barrels be extra heavy to support the added weight attached by means of the collars. This in turn means more cantilevered stress on the barrel where it is joined with the M-16""s aluminum receiver. The combination of heat and barrel weight tend to pull the barrel chamber out of alignment with the bolt lead, thereby causing bolt lug and extractor failure.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a modular receiver sleeving system. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved interface means for firearms which will isolate the gun barrel while providing various capabilities for mounting and integrating optics, lasers and sensors. Included in the invention capabilities are integral fastening fixtures and special contouring to facilitate internal fastening of laser housings adapted to plug into electrical sockets contained in the invention. This reduces size and eliminates exposed cables.
To attain this, the present invention extends the Swan universal receiver sleeve forward above the firearm barrel to a position just short of the firearm front sight. A weaver type interface return portion may be provided on the underside of the sleeve, or left solid over the barrel in front of the receiver to accommodate solid handguards or modular, dovetailed handguards. The underside of the rear portion of the sleeve is fixedly attached to the receiver top. The underside of the forward portion of the sleeve has an upper handguard piece attached thereto. A bottom handguard piece is fitted about the bottom of the gun barrel and is attached to the upper handguard piece via a unique channel and track system. The handguard pieces are not physically connected in any way to the gun barrel. The sleeve is self supported by the connection of the rear portion underside to the receiver top. Laser, electronics and optics modules may optionally be attached to the sleeve top side or to the upper handguard piece via special male and female dovetail track devices. The barrel of the rifle is essentially free floating. This permits greater shooting accuracy and protects sensitive electrical components integrated into and onto the firearm via the invention. Lighter weight barrels can be utilized as they are no longer deflected by outside pressure and direct transfer of heat to the hand is also eliminated.
Specifically, the present invention is a modular sleeve for interfacing modular enhancements to a firearm, said firearm having minimally a receiver with a stock and barrel attached thereto, said barrel defining the forward portion of the firearm and said stock defining the rearward portion of the firearm, said firearm longitudinal axis being defined as horizontal and running from said stock through said receiver to said barrel, said receiver having a forward portion, a top and a rearward portion, said barrel being joined to the forward portion of the receiver, said stock being joined to the rearward portion of the receiver. The modular sleeve is made up of a universal receiver sleeve having a top side, an underside and two opposite sides connecting said top side with said underside, said universal receiver sleeve being further defined as having a forward portion and a rear portion, the underside of the rear portion of the universal receiver sleeve being fixedly attached to the firearm receiver top, said receiver sleeve forward portion extended forward above the firearm barrel. The modular sleeve has an upper handguard piece with a front, rear, top, open bottom, opposing sides, outer side surfaces and inner side surfaces, said top, sides and bottom defining a hollow interior, said front and rear defining an upper handguard piece longitudinal axis, said upper handguard piece top being joined to the underside of the forward portion of the receiver sleeve. The modular sleeve also has a bottom handguard piece having a front, rear, open top, bottom, opposing sides, outer side surfaces and inner side surfaces, said bottom, sides and top defining a hollow interior, said front and rear defining a bottom handguard piece longitudinal axis, said bottom handguard piece being removably attached to the upper handguard piece. The upper handguard piece and attached bottom handguard piece surround the firearm barrel without touching said barrel.
The present invention provides a foundation for integrated laser fire control devices, sensors, communications, and a vast array of quickly attached ancillary devices, such as standard night vision, thermal, shot guns, grenade launchers, and other special systems.
The extra heavy barrels required on conventional rifles and carbines are no longer required with the present invention. A standard heavy or light weight barrel can be utilized because the present invention isolates and prevents hand, sling, and bipod pressure from deflecting the barrel. With the present invention, barrel handguards are not attached to the hot barrels, and provide a much cooler grip for the shooter. Weight reductions of at least one-half pound can be accomplished by use of a light weight barrel and the elimination of conventional solid aluminum and/or plastic handguards and their barrel hardware.
The modular sleeve is attached to the firearm upper receiver in a manner that provides a solid system, attachable or removable by a qualified armorer or a trained soldier. Greater accuracy is accomplished because the firearm has a free floating barrel with the instant invention and thereby no outside forces deflecting point of aim.
Although the invention accepts conventional laser attachments, the invention""s unique integral laser housings replace the bulkiness of conventional laser housings.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.


A nickel silicide layer is formed on a semiconductor device having a crystalline silicon source/drain region doped with arsenic. Arsenic is doped into the crystalline silicon, by implantation, for example, so that the concentration of arsenic is slightly below the surface of the silicon. Annealing restores the crystalline structure of the silicon after implantation of the arsenic. Amorphous silicon is selectively deposited over the source/drain regions and over the top of the gate electrode. Nickel is deposited over the entire semiconductor device and a second anneal reacts the nickel with the amorphous silicon. The second anneal is timed so that the nickel reacts with the amorphous silicon, and does not substantially react with the silicon source/drain regions containing arsenic. Preventing the nickel from substantially reacting with the silicon source/drain regions containing arsenic provides a smooth interface between the resulting nickel silicide and the silicon source/drain regions doped with arsenic.

The present invention relates to semiconductor fabrication, and in particular to self-aligned silicide (salicide) technology utilizing nickel silicide (NiSi).
Salicide technology is improving the performance characteristics of semiconductor devices, and is becoming an essential component of semiconductor device fabrication. As gate electrode lengths are scaled down, the source/drain junctions and polycrystalline line width must also be scaled down. However, scaling down the source/drain junctions and polycrystalline line width increases parasitic resistance in the source/drain diffusion layers and gate electrode diffusion layer, and also increases the sheet and contact resistance of the gate electrode and source/drain regions. Salicide technology reduces parasitic, sheet, and contact resistance in the source/drain diffusion layers and gate electrode diffusion layer that results from scaling down the source/drain junctions and polycrystalline line width. Salicide technology comprises forming silicide layers on the source/drain regions and/or on the gate electrode in a self-aligned manner.
Silicides are typically formed by reacting a metal with crystallized silicon (Si) within a specified temperature range for a specific period of time. Silicide layers may be self-aligned by different techniques. For example, selectively depositing the metal on the top of the gate electrode and on the source/drain regions of a semiconductor device prior to an annealing process causes only the Si of the source/drain regions and the top of the gate electrode to form silicide upon annealing. Alternatively, sidewall spacers on the sides of the gate electrode constructed of a material that does not react with the metal layer allow a blanket layer of metal to be deposited over a semiconductor device while restricting silicide formation to the exposed source/drain regions and the top of the gate electrode during an annealing process. During the annealing process, the semiconductor device is heated to a reaction temperature, and held at the reaction temperature for a period of time, causing the metal layer to react with the crystallized Si that the metal contacts, thus forming a silicide layer interfacing with the remaining crystallized Si substrate of the source/drain regions and/or the gate electrode. Multiple annealing steps may be employed. Various metals react with Si to form a silicide, however, titanium (Ti) and cobalt (Co) are currently the most common metals used to create silicides when manufacturing semiconductor devices utilizing salicide technology.
Use of a TiSi2 layer imposes limitations on the manufacture of semiconductor devices. A significant limitation is that the sheet resistance for lines narrower than 0.35 micrometers is high, i.e., as TiSi2 is formed in a narrower and narrower line, the resistance increases. Another significant limitation is that TiSi2 initially forms a high resistivity phase (C49), and transformation from C49 to a low resistivity phase (C54) is nucleation limited, i.e., a high temperature is required to affect the phase change.
Cobalt silicide, unlike TiSi2, exhibits less linewidth dependence of sheet resistance. However, CoSi2 consumes significant amounts of Si during formation, which increases the difficulty of forming shallow junctions. Large Si consumption is also a concern where the amount of Si present is limited, for example, with Si on insulator (SIO) substrates. Without enough Si to react with Co to form CoSi2, a thin layer of CoSi2 results. The thickness of the silicide layer is an important parameter because a thin silicide layer is more resistive than a thicker silicide layer of the same material, thus a thicker silicide layer increases semiconductor device speed, while a thin silicide layer reduces device speed.
Recently, attention has turned towards using nickel to form NiSi utilizing salicide technology. Using NiSi is advantageous over using TiSi2 and CoSi2 because many limitations associated with TiSi2 and CoSi2 are avoided. When forming NiSi, a low resistivity phase is the first phase to form, and does so at a relatively low temperature. Additionally, nickel (Ni), like Co, diffuses through the film into Si, unlike Ti where the Si diffuses into the metal layer. Diffusion of Ni, and Co, through the film into Si prevents bridging between the silicide layer on the gate electrode and the silicide layer over the sink/drain regions. The reaction that forms NiSi requires less Si than when TiSi2 and CoSi2 are formed. Nickel silicide exhibits almost no linewidth dependence of sheet resistance. Nickel silicide is normally annealed in a one step process, versus a process requiring an anneal, an etch, and a second anneal, as is normal for TiSi2 and CoSi2. Nickel silicide also exhibits low film stress, i.e., causes less wafer distortion.
Although the use of NiSi in salicide technology has certain advantages over utilizing TiSi2 and CoSi2, there are problems using NiSi in certain situations. Forming NiSi on doped, crystallized Si usually produces a smooth interface between the NiSi layer and the doped, crystallized Si layer. However, when crystallized Si is doped with arsenic (As), a rough interface between the NiSi and the doped, crystallized Si forms, which leads to certain problems.
Salicide technology employing NiSi has proven problematic because of interface roughness. A rough interface increases junction leakage, creates the possibility of spiking, and limits the thickness to which the silicide layer can be grown. Spiking occurs when the silicide layer interface is rough enough for spikes to form in the interface between the silicide layer and the crystallized Si comprising the source/drain region. For example, FIG. 1 depicts a prior art silicide layer 130 formed on semiconductor device 150. The interface 112 between the silicide 130 and the source/drain region 115 is rough and contains spikes 120. If a spike 120 is large enough to reach the bottom 125 of the source/drain region 115 increased junction leakage will occur.
FIGS. 2 and 3 depict a prior art method of forming a semiconductor device 150 with a NiSi layer 205 over an As doped source/drain 115. In FIG. 2, a Si substrate 102 has a gate dielectric layer 110 formed on it. A poly-silicon gate 100 is provided on a gate dielectric layer 110. Sidewalls 105 are formed on the sides of the poly-silicon gate 100 and are comprised of a material that does not react with Ni. The Si substrate 102 is doped with As, i.e., by implantation. Arsenic ions are implanted into the Si substrate 102, as well as into the poly-silicon gate 100 to form, source/drain regions 115. An annealing process recrystallizes the substrate 102, which is often amorphized during the As ion implantation. The annealing process also activates the As that has been implanted as a dopant. A layer of Ni 120 is then deposited over the semiconductor device 150. Heat is again applied to the semiconductor device during a second annealing process in order to react the layer of Ni 120 with the Si substrate 102 and with the poly-silicon gate 100. Un-reacted Ni is removed by a selective etching process, for example. FIG. 3 depicts the prior art semiconductor device 150 after the second annealing process, and the un-reacted metal has been removed. Because of the reaction between the As ions in the substrate 102 and the Ni atoms diffused from the Ni layer 120, a rough interface 200 is formed between the NiSi layer 205 and the As doped source/drain regions 115.
Several problems, as noted previously, are associated with a rough interface between the NiSi layer and the Si substrate. A rough interface increases junction leakage, and creates the possibility of spike formation. A rough interface also limits the thickness to which a silicide layer can be grown, thus limiting how low the resistivity of the silicide layer is.
There exists a need for salicide technology that enables a reduction in the parasitic sheet resistance without generating a high leakage current for As doped Si substrates. There exists a particular need for salicide technology permitting NiSi to interface with As doped Si without generating a high leakage current, and without limiting the thickness to which the NiSi is grown.
These and other needs are met by embodiments of the present invention, which provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising: forming a crystalline Si substrate; forming a gate electrode on the Si substrate having an upper surface and side surfaces; forming source/drain regions containing As in the crystallized Si substrate; heating the semiconductor device to recrystallize the Si substrate and the top of the gate electrode; selectively depositing a layer of amorphous Si on top of the gate electrode and on the exposed portions of the source/drain regions; depositing a Ni layer over the semiconductor device; and heating the semiconductor device to react the Ni layer with the layers of amorphous Si to form a NiSi layer on the exposed portions of the source/drain regions and on the top of the gate electrode.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a semiconductor device. A semiconductor device comprises a crystalline, Si substrate having source/drain regions containing As. A gate dielectric layer on the Si substrate lies over the source/drain regions. A gate electrode is on the gate dielectric layer, and sidewall spacers are formed on the side surfaces of the gate electrode. A NiSi layer overlies each source/drain region, and a smooth substantially planar interface exists between the NiSi layer and each source/drain region containing As.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of forming silicide, the method comprising: implanting As into a Si substrate to form active regions; and forming a NiSi on the Si substrate such that an interface between the formed NiSi and the active regions with implanted As is substantially a smooth interface.
One of the advantages of the present invention is the smooth interface formed between the NiSi and the underlying crystallized Si, in spite of the use of As as a dopant in the source/drain regions. This smooth interface reduces junction leakage and the risk of spike formation. A thicker silicide layer may therefore be grown using the methods of the present invention.
Additional advantages and other features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the present invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Selective deposition of amorphous silicon for formation of nickel silicide with smooth interface on N-doped substrate


During manufacture and testing of a memory device, a memory test is performed to determine which, if any, memory blocks are defective. A memory map of the defective blocks is stored in one of the defect-free memory blocks so that it can be read later by a controller during normal operation of the memory device. In one embodiment, the memory test is for a programmability test to determine if the memory block can be programmed. An indication of programmability is stored in each block in a predetermined location.

Memory devices are typically internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computers or other electronic devices. There are many different types of memory including random-access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and flash memory.
Flash memory devices have developed into a popular source of non-volatile memory for a wide range of electronic applications. Flash memory devices typically use a one-transistor memory cell that allows for high memory densities, high reliability, and low power consumption. Common uses for flash memory include personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, and cellular telephones. Program code and system data such as a basic input/output system (BIOS) are typically stored in flash memory devices for use in personal computer systems.
Unlike most semiconductor memory, flash memory devices can be sold with a limited quantity of defective memory blocks. Flash memory devices typically have a scheme to communicate the locations of the defective blocks to a controller or processor.
One such scheme employs markers at specific locations in the defective memory block. The markers are generated during the manufacturing and testing process before being sold to the user. When the user powers-up the memory device, the memory controller would go through these specific locations in memory and track the defective blocks. Since there can be over 2000 memory blocks in a typical memory device, this is considerable overhead for the controller to handle.
In another error detection scheme, the memory controller reads the memory cells in a memory block and if the data is anything but FFH it would consider that block as a bad block. The controller then moves on to the next block. When all of the block's memory locations are read as FFH, the controller considers that block as good and starts to extract the information that it expected to see in block 0.
However, if the memory defect is such that the controller is incapable of writing to any location in that block, the FFH data could not be altered from the initial erased condition. In this case, the controller would assume that the block is good since it read an FFH. Upon trying to write desired data into this block, the system would not allow it due to the write defect.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for an improved method for handling defective memory locations with minimal controller overhead.

Defective memory block identification in a memory device


A system for multi-mode autobrake control may comprise a wheel speed sensor and a BCU electrically coupled to the wheel speed sensor. A tangible, non-transitory memory may be configured to communicate with the BCU and may have instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the BCU, cause the BCU to perform operations comprising receiving a wheel speed signal from the wheel speed sensor, inputting the wheel speed signal into an antiskid filter and a nominal filter, calculating an estimated aircraft deceleration rate, and determining an autobrake pressure command based on the estimated aircraft deceleration rate.

Aircraft typically include a braking system operatively coupled to the wheels of the aircraft for slowing the wheels and the aircraft during, for example, landing or a rejected takeoff. Aircraft braking systems tend to utilize aircraft brake controllers to control various aspects of the braking system. For example, during a braking operation, the brake controllers may switch between a pressure controller and an antiskid controller. In this regard, during braking, a brake command may be issued from the cockpit and the pressure or force applied to the brake is increased, in accordance with the command, to decelerate the wheels and aircraft. If the pressure/force exceeds the braking condition supported by the tire/runway friction, the antiskid controller may become dominant, such that the antiskid controller controls the brake pressure/braking force to prevent or reduce skidding.
Various brake control methodologies are currently designed to operate during a skid condition. These methodologies generally employ increased filtering of the brake pressure and/or wheel speed signals which tend to exhibit increased variation in amplitude during a skid condition (i.e., when the skid controller is dominant). This increased filtering tends to slow the speed and responsiveness of the braking system, particularly, during non-skid conditions when increased filtering may not be needed.

Systems and methods for antiskid tolerant multi-mode autobrake control


A novel method or convention of tracking and displaying the passage of time can be implemented in a variety of decorative and interesting timepiece configurations. Three groups of indicators are used. Each group of indicators is distinguishable from the other two groups. Each indicator is capable of displaying one of two states and can be readily switched between the two states. The first group consists of twelve indicators with the number of indicators in one of the two states being indicative of the hour. The second group consists of five indicators with the number of indicators in one of the two states being indicative of the passage of a multiple of ten minutes. The third group consists of nine indicators with the number of indicators in one of the two states being indicative of the passage of a minute. In this manner, the current time is indicated.

Throughout history, a wide variety of devices have been used to measure and mark the passage of time. Sundials, hourglasses, analog clocks, digital watches, ball clocks, water clocks and atomic clocks are some examples of devices that are and have been used to track and display the passage of time.
In today's world, timepieces are ubiquitous. Most people wear a wristwatch so as to be constantly apprised of the time. Additionally, most rooms at home or in the workplace have a wall clock or some other timepiece. Our computers, televisions, VCRs and microwave ovens typically incorporate a clock and display the time.
Because keeping track of the time is so important for most people and because timepieces are so universal, there is a constant need for novel, interesting and creative methods and decorative devices for keeping and displaying the time.

Method and timepiece for displaying time using grouped binary indicators