A data terminal is coupled to a local area network and a public switched telephone network. The controller performs a first operation each time an instruction is received for transmitting facsimile image information to a facsimile terminal connected to the public switched telephone network. The controller further performs a second operation each time a request with a specific password for browsing information is received from a different data terminal connected to the local area network. During the first operation, the controller requests a user entry of a password and links the password to the facsimile image information upon receiving a password. Further, the controller generates a communication history file including information associated with a transmission of the facsimile image information and the linked password, and stores the communication history file. During the second operation, the controller searches the specific communication history file by verifying a password included in each of the plurality of communication history files against the specific password. Further, the controller sends a specific communication history file to the different data terminal upon finding the specific communication history file which includes a password identical to the specific password sent from the different data terminal with the request.

1. Field
The disclosed method and system relates to a network facsimile apparatus, and more particularly to a network facsimile apparatus which is capable of performing an information providing operation with information security measures.
2. Description of the Related Arts
There has been developed a so-called network facsimile machine that is capable of exchanging E-mail (electronic mail) with other data terminals via a local area network and the Internet, as well as exchanging facsimile data with other facsimile machines via a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Such a network facsimile machine is capable of transmitting image information to both users of data terminals such as PCs (personal computers) on the local area network and to facsimile machines connected to the public switched telephone network. Also, the network facsimile machine may transmit image information to data terminals connected to other local area networks when the local area network of the network facsimile machine is connected to other local area networks through the Internet.
Moreover, users can transmit image information from a facsimile machine to data terminals on a local area network via the network facsimile machine. The network facsimile machine can also relay information to other network facsimile machines across local area networks. Accordingly, users can benefit from such convenient connections between networks of the facsimile machines and the data terminals.
However, the above-described network facsimile apparatus raises a problem of confidentiality. That is, the above-described network facsimile apparatus is configured to maintain various kinds of communication history information of each workstation connected to the local area network that can be communicated with, for the purpose of conveniently providing such information to the users. Such communication history information typically includes a sender""s name, transmission date and time, a destination of the transmission, the image information transmitted to the destination, and so forth. Under such a circumstance, users can easily read any piece of communication history information, even a piece of information belonging to another user, stored in the network facsimile apparatus on the workstations connected to the local area network. Thereby, the communication history information can be leaked through the network facsimile apparatus and the security of information in the local area network can be broken easily.
The present application provides a data terminal that can be coupled to a local area network and a public switched telephone network. In one embodiment, the data terminal includes a first communications device, a second communications device, a memory, a data entry mechanism, and a controller. The first communications device transmits and receives electronic mail through the local area network. The second communications device transmits and receives facsimile image information through the public switched telephone network. The data entry mechanism allows alphanumeric data entry. The controller performs a first operation each time when receiving an instruction for transmitting facsimile image information to a facsimile terminal connected to the public switched telephone network through the second communications device. The controller further performs a second operation each time when receiving through the first communication device from a different data terminal connected to the local area network a request with a specific password for browsing information stored in the memory. During the first operation, the controller requests a user entry of a password through the data entry mechanism, links the password to the facsimile image information upon receiving the user entry of a password. Further, the controller generates a communication history file including information associated with a transmission of the facsimile image information and the password linked to the facsimile image information, and stores the communication history file into the memory. During the second operation, the controller searches the specific communication history file by verifying a password included in each of the plurality of communication history files stored in the memory against the specific password. Further, the controller sends a specific communication history file from the memory to the different data terminal through the first communication device upon finding in the memory the specific communication history file which includes a password identical to the specific password sent from the different data terminal with the request.
The password may represent an identification of a user who sends the request from the different data terminal to the data terminal.
The password may represent an identification of a facsimile terminal connected to the public switched telephone network and to which the facsimile image information is sent.
The information included in the communication history file may include transmission date and time, a transmission mode, a destination terminal number, a transmission result, and an image information file number.
During the first operation, the controller may request a user entry of a password through the data entry mechanism, and link the password to the facsimile image information upon receiving the user entry of a password. Further, the controller may generate an image profile file including information associated with the facsimile image information and the password linked to the facsimile image information, and store the image profile file and the facsimile image information into the memory. During the second operation, the controller may search the specific facsimile image information by verifying a password included in each of a plurality of image profile files stored in the memory against the specific password, and read a specific facsimile image information from the memory through the link between an image profile file and the specific facsimile image information upon finding in the memory the image profile file which includes a password identical to the specific password sent from the different data terminal with the request. Further, the controller may send the specific facsimile image information from the memory to the different data terminal through the first communication device.
The information included in the image profile file may include an image information file number, an image mode, and an image mapping information.
The second communication device may perform a facsimile transmission according to a Group 3 facsimile communications procedure.
The controller may exchange data with the different data terminal during the second operation in accordance with a point-to-point communications method.
The present application also provides an information providing method for a data terminal that can be coupled to a local area network and a public telephone network. In one embodiment, an information providing method includes the steps of receiving, requesting, linking, generating, storing, receiving, researching, and sending. The receiving step receives an instruction for transmitting facsimile image information to a facsimile terminal connected to the public switched telephone network. The requesting step requests a user entry of a password. The linking step links the password to the facsimile image information upon receiving the user entry of a password. The generating step generates a communication history file including information associated with a transmission of the facsimile image information and the password linked to the facsimile image information. The storing step stores the communication history file into a memory. The receiving step receives from a different data terminal connected to the local area network a request with a specific password for browsing information stored in the memory. The researching step researches the specific communication history file by verifying a password included in each of the plurality of communication history files stored in the memory against the specific password. The sending step sends a specific communication history file from the memory to the different data terminal upon finding in the memory the specific communication history file which includes a password identical to the specific password sent from the different data terminal with the request.

Method and apparatus capable of performing information providing operation with information security measures


A vertical-type CMOS image sensor and a fabricating method thereof by which capacitance between an upper line and a dark shield layer can be effectively reduced. The vertical-type CMOS image sensor can include an inter-metal dielectric layer having a plurality of metal lines formed over a semiconductor substrate; a passivation oxide layer formed over the inter-metal dielectric layer, wherein the uppermost surface of the passivation oxide layer includes an inclined portion between a lower portion and an upper portion corresponding to a portion of the inter-metal dielectric layer having a plurality of the metal lines; a dark shield layer formed over the upper portion of the passivation oxide layer; and a nitride layer formed over the semiconductor substrate including the dark shield layer.

An image sensor is a device for converting an optical image to an electric signal. Image sensors may be categorized into a complementary metal-oxide-silicon (CMOS) image sensor and a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor.
The CCD image sensor is considered superior to the CMOS image sensor in characteristics of photosensitivity and noise but has difficulty in achieving highly integrated density and reducing its high power consumption. On the contrary, the CMOS image sensor has simpler processes than those of the CCD image sensor and may be more suitable for achieving highly integrated density and reducing its power consumption.
As semiconductor device fabricating technology has become more highly developed, efforts are actively made to research and develop the CMOS image sensor due to improved fabricating technology and characteristics of CMOS image sensors.
A pixel of a CMOS image sensor may include a plurality of photodiodes for receiving light and CMOS devices for controlling the received light. Electron-hole pairs may be generated in the photodiodes according to wavelength and intensity of red, green and blue rays incident via a color filter. As an output signal varies according to a quantity of the generated electrons, an image can be sensed.
An image sensor such as a CMOS image sensor may include a pixel area for accommodating a photocharge converting unit such as a photodiode and a peripheral circuit area for detecting signals output from the pixel area. In particular, the peripheral circuit area may be provided to surround the pixel area.
As illustrated in example FIG. 1, a device provided with the above-configured CMOS image sensor may use a metal such as tungsten (W) and the like as dark shield layer 4 for cutoff and anti-reflection of light in a visible ray area. Dark shield layer 4 formed of a thin layer of tungsten may be advantageous in blocking the light transmittance effectively. If so, however, interactive capacitance may increase between upper metal line 2 and dark shield layer 4.
A process for forming dark shield layer 4 may be difficult in performing alignment for defining the dark shield layer. Moreover, upper metal line 2 and dark shield layer 4 may be formed spatially too close to each other, whereby parasitic capacitance increases.

Vertical type CMOS image sensor and fabricating method thereof


A foldable table includes a tabletop and two leg frames for supporting the tabletop, each of the leg frames having a transverse member pivotally attached to a underside of the tabletop and a standing leg extended from the transverse member and pivotally moveable with respect to the tabletop. A retaining element having a first end pivotally attached to the transverse member and a second end pivotally attached to the standing leg of the other transverse member. The retaining element has an adjustable length adapted for lengthening to become longer than a distance between the transverse members of the leg frames as the leg frame is erected, thereby providing lateral support for the erected leg frame.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable table, and more particularly to a foldable table having a light weight retaining mechanism for supporting the legs without damaging the structural integrity of the tabletop.
2. Description of Related Arts
Foldable tables are useful and convenient for individuals or a group of people in certain occasions. This is particularly true when the occasions are temporarily held in a place of limited space. A foldable table can be folded to minimize its occupying space and to stack as a pile, such that many can be stored in a small room. The foldable tables are of light weight, so that they can be easily carried to another room where they are unfolded for certain purposes. Due to the flexible configuration and light weight, foldable tables are often used for serving food or receiving attendants in a conference or banquet.
Foldable tables are suitable not only for indoor use, but also outdoor activities. A foldable table can be easily loaded in a truck or bigger-sized vehicles and transported to an outdoor place, such as a park and campground. The foldable table can be then erected for various purposes. For example, in a rescue action of emergency, a working table may be needed for placing tools or paper works.
Conventionally, a foldable table includes a tabletop, table legs pivotally attached to the underside of the tabletop, and retaining elements for supporting and maintaining the table legs in an erected manner. The tabletop can be found as in various shapes, such as round, triangle, rectangle and polygonal, among which rectangle is the most-often-seen shape of tabletop. The table legs are so attached to the underside of the tabletop that its mass center falls in the inner area defined by the table legs for keeping the tabletop in balance thereon. The table legs are capable of pivotally moving about the tabletop, such that they may be folded under the tabletop and unfolded to an erected position. The retaining elements have certain mechanism that is able to hold the erected table legs in place and prevent them from folding back causing the tabletop collapsed.
Much attention has been directed to improvement of the retaining elements. One conventional design may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,585 entitled "Folding Banquet Table," issued to Daniel R. Pinch on Mar. 7, 2000, wherein a support strut is pivotally attached to a cross member of leg with its one end and sidably mounted to a channel member of the tabletop with its another end, such that the erected leg, support strut and the tabletop constitute a triangle that keeps the erected leg in its position.
A drawback of the above-mentioned type of foldable table is that the channel member may adversely affect the structural integrity of the tabletop. The channel member is mounted to the tabletop by means of bolts or screws drilled into the central portion of its underside. Usually, the central portion of the tabletop is most susceptible to downward deformation, especially for the areas drilled of bolts and screws because of the concentration of stress. Moreover, this type of foldable table requires an additional part, i.e. the channel member, for assembling the support strut, therefore complicating the manufacturing process and incurring an additional cost.
Another conventional design of the retaining element may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,674 entitled "Portable Folding Utility Table with Center Support Assembly," issued to Carl R. Stanford on Sep. 5, 2000, wherein a pair of support pedestals are pivotally attached to a frame, through the middle of which a cross-brace member runs, and a pair of pivotal support braces foldably and pivotally connect the cross-brace member and support pedestals, respectively, in order to maintain the support pedestals in an erected position. In this patent, the support pedestals, cross-brace member and pivotal support braces are assembled with the frame as a unit apart from the tabletop, such that the number of bolts and screws sued on the tabletop can be reduced for keeping its structural integrity.
A shortcoming of the above type of foldable table is its heaviness. In order to avoid having bolts and screws drilled on the underside of the tabletop, it adopts a cross-brace member running through the middle of the frame to which the pivotal support brace is pivotally attached. The cross-brace member is made of rigid material to support the weight of the tabletop in the middle portion. Thus, the cross-brace member adds additional weight to the foldable and reduces its mobility.
As such, what is needed is a foldable table that has retaining mechanism adapted for keeping the table legs in an erected position, without substantially adding weight to the foldable table and substantially avoiding adversely affecting the structural integrity of the tabletop.


An apparatus for use with a switch-mode rectifier for minimizing DC bus voltage without causing current distortion, the apparatus monitoring rectifier saturation and decreasing DC bus voltage until the rectifier is near a saturation point and then maintaining the DC bus voltage at that point.

The present invention relates to power converters and more particularly to a control system for use with a voltage rectifier for minimizing voltage on a DC bus without distorting utility grid AC voltages and currents.
To illustrate the effects of distorting currents on a utility power grid, consider FIG. 11 wherein a utility source 10 is shown connected at a point of common coupling (PCC) (i.e., a utility-customer connection point) to a load 12 (e.g., a first utility customer) and other loads (e.g., other utility customers) represented collectively by numeral 14. The utility source 10 includes a finite internal impedance L.sub.s. Due to the internal impedance L.sub.s, when load 12 draws a non-sinusoidal current from the source 10, the waveform at the PCC becomes distorted with harmonic currents which can cause machinery and equipment connected at the other loads 14 to malfunction.
In addition to voltage waveform distortion at the PCC, other problems related to harmonic currents include additional heating and possibly over voltages in utility distribution and transmission equipment, errors in metering and malfunctioning of utility relays, interference with communication and control signals and equipment damage from voltage spikes created by high frequency resonances.
Unfortunately, harmonic or non-linear loads comprise an ever increasing portion of the total load for a typical industrial plant. In fact, by 1992, harmonic loads had become such a pervasive problem that the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) recommended stringent harmonics standards, including strict utilities limitations, in a document referred to in the industry as IEEE Standard 519 which has generally been accepted in North America. Standard 519 was written with the general understanding that harmonics should be within a reasonable limit at the PCC and therefore puts limits on individual and total (i.e., distortion from all loads connected at a PCC) harmonic distortion.
One potential source of utility grid distortion includes power electronics required to modify utility voltages for driving motors. Generally, power electronic systems for receiving and converting utility voltages into AC voltages suitable for driving an AC motor include two converter stages, the first converter stage being a rectifier stage and the second converter stage being an inverter stage. The rectifier stage receives and converts the AC utility voltages to DC voltage and provides the DC voltage across positive and negative DC buses. The inverter stage receives and converts the DC voltage to AC voltages, usually at a different frequency and amplitude than the utility voltages, and provides the converted AC voltages to motor terminals to drive a motor.
To convert the AC utility voltage to DC voltage, a common rectifier configuration includes at least six diodes arranged to form three parallel rectifier legs between the positive and negative DC buses, each leg including a pair of series connected diodes. Each utility AC input line is connected to one of the legs between an associated diode pair. A charging bus capacitor is linked between the positive and negative DC buses. The diodes cooperate to pass each positive half cycle of AC voltage to the DC bus and to invert and pass each negative half cycle of AC voltage to the DC bus. The result is that an essentially DC current is provided on the DC bus and the bus capacitor charges to a DC voltage V.sub.dc.
To convert the DC voltage V.sub.dc to AC voltage and control both frequency and amplitude, the inverter stage typically includes at least six switching devices (e.g. IGBT, BJT, etc.) arranged to form parallel legs between the positive and negative DC buses, each leg including a pair of series connected devices. A node between each pair of inverter switches is linked to a separate one of the motor stator windings at a motor terminal.
The inverter devices in each leg are alternately turned on and off such that a series of high frequency voltage pulses are provided at an associated terminal. The devices are turned on and off such that the fundamental value of the resulting high frequency pulses is a low frequency alternating voltage at the terminal. To generate device trigger signals for turning the devices on and off three modulating signals, a separate modulating signal corresponding to each of the inverter legs, are provided for comparison to a high frequency triangle carrier signal. When a modulating signal is greater than the carrier signal, a trigger signal causes an associated lower device to turn off and an associated upper device to turn on thereby connecting an associated supply line to the positive DC bus. When a modulating signal is less than the carrier signal, the trigger signal causes an associated upper device to turn off and an associated lower device to turn on thereby connecting an associated supply line to the negative DC bus.
A modulation index Mi is the ratio of the peak value of a modulating signal and a peak value of the triangle carrier signal. Typically the low frequency alternating voltage changes linearly with the modulating signal up to a value of one for M.sub.i. As index Mi is increased above one, while the alternating voltage will still increase, it increases at a fraction of the index M.sub.i rate. Therefore, where index Mi is between zero and one, the inverter is said to be operating in a linear region of operation.
The low frequency alternating voltages at the terminals cooperate to drive the motor as is well known in the art. When an inverter is used to drive a motor the inverter is said to be operating in a motoring mode.
In addition to driving the motor in a motoring mode, an inverter can also be used in a "braking" mode to reduce motor speed. During braking, the terminal voltages are provided at a speed which is less than a motor rotor's mechanical speed. In this case, instead of providing current to the motor stator windings, the motor operates as a generator providing current back through the inverter to the DC bus. In essence, the inverter acts as a rectifier during braking tending, like the rectifier connected to the utility grid, to charge the bus capacitor.
With a diode bridge the current direction from the grid to the bus capacitor cannot be reversed. Therefore, some mechanism must be provided to dissipate energy returned to the DC bus during braking, otherwise the voltage across the bus capacitor can reach destructive levels. One common way to dissipate braking current is to provide a switch in series with a braking resistor in parallel with the bus capacitor. If capacitor charge exceeds a threshold voltage level, the switch is closed so that the braking resistor dissipates braking energy.
As well known in the art, during steady state motoring at light load the DC voltage V.sub.dc using a diode bridge rectifier is approximately .sqroot.2 times the line-to-line utility voltage VII. For example, if the line-to-line utility voltage VII is 460 volts, voltage Vdc is approximately 650 volts. If VII increases to 504 volts (i.e. a 10% increase), Vdc increases to 715 volts. During braking the DC voltage Vdc reaches the threshold voltage at which a resistor brake is turned on. In many rectifier configurations, the threshold voltage at which the resistor is switched in parallel with the charging capacitor to discharge braking energy is approximately 750 volts. Thus, with a diode bridge rectifier, the DC bus voltage often fluctuates during operation (e.g. between 650 and 750 volts).
While diode bridge rectifiers are relatively simple, inexpensive, easy to operate and do not cause appreciable utility grid distortion, they have at least two important shortcomings. First, because DC voltage Vdc changes as a function of line-to-line utility voltage VII, operating characteristics of other equipment linked to the utility can be disadvantageously affected by utility voltage fluctuations. For example, if voltage VII is initially at 480 volts so that the DC voltage Vdc is 678 volts, the motor terminal high frequency voltage pulses alternate between +339 and -339 volts and a first maximum speed is achievable. However, if voltage VII is reduced from 480 volts to 460 volts such that the DC voltage Vdc is reduced from 678 volts to 650 volts, the high frequency voltage pulses at the motor terminals fluctuate between +325 and -325 volts and a second maximum speed which is less than the first maximum speed is achievable.
Second, because a braking resistor is used to dissipate braking current, diode bridge rectifiers waste energy and are relatively inefficient. This is particularly true in applications where braking is performed frequently.
One way to overcome the shortcomings associated with a diode bridge rectifier has been to construct a controllable regenerative rectifier, also referred to herein and within the industry as a switch-mode rectifier. Like a typical inverter, a regenerative rectifier includes at least six switching devices arranged to form three parallel legs between the positive and negative DC buses, each leg including two series connected switching devices. Six separate diodes are arranged in inverse parallel relationship with the switching devices, a separate diode connected to each switching device. A DC bus capacitor is positioned between the positive and negative DC buses. A separate one of the three utility AC lines is connected to a node between an associated pair of series devices via an input reactor or inductor. For simplicity, utility line voltages will be referred to hereinafter as utility AC voltages and rectifier input voltages will be referred to as rectifier AC voltages.
In operation, initially the switching devices are turned off and the inverse parallel diodes operate as a diode bridge rectifier to charge the DC bus capacitor during an initial charging period. After the initial charging period and during a motoring operation, the switching devices are controlled like an inverter to generate rectifier AC voltages on the rectifier inputs which lag the utility AC voltages and have a slightly smaller amplitude. Where the rectifier AC voltages are in phase with and slightly less than the utility AC voltages, currents pass through the input reactors from the AC to the DC sides of the rectifier thereby providing currents to charge the bus capacitor and drive the motor.
To generate the rectifier AC voltages the rectifier is controlled in a manner similar to control of the inverter. To this end, rectifier devices in each leg are alternately turned on and off such that a series of high frequency voltage pulses are generated at an associated rectifier input. The fundamental value of the resulting high frequency voltage pulses is a low frequency alternating voltage at the rectifier input. By controlling the high frequency pulses, the desired low frequency fundamental alternating voltage can be generated.
In addition to being used during motoring, regenerative switch mode rectifiers can be used during braking to return energy recovered from motor inertia to the utility grid, hence the term "regenerative". During regeneration, as during motoring, rectifier switches are turned on and off to generate high frequency voltage pulses on the utility lines, the fundamental values of which result in low frequency alternating voltages on the utility lines which are preferably in phase with the rectifier AC voltages. However, instead of having amplitudes which are slightly less than the amplitudes of the utility AC voltages and phases which lag the utility AC voltages, the low frequency alternating voltages during regeneration have amplitudes which are slightly larger than the amplitudes of the utility AC voltages and have phases which lead the utility AC voltages so that current passes from the DC to the AC sides of the rectifier. In this manner, braking power is returned to the utility grid.
Drawing current from and returning current to the utility grid can distort utility AC voltages and currents if the DC bus voltage is insufficient to generate low frequency alternating voltages at the rectifier inputs which are in phase and slightly greater than the utility supplied rectifier input voltages during regeneration and slightly less than the utility supplied rectifier input voltages during motoring.
To ensure required rectifier input voltages and minimize utility harmonics, DC bus voltage Vdc must be of a sufficiently large magnitude that voltage Vdc covers the line-to-line utility AC voltage VII plus any voltage drop across rectifier input reactors. To this end DC voltage Vdc is often chosen to be: ##EQU1##
The factor 1.15 accounts for possible voltage drop across rectifier input reactors and for utility line voltage fluctuations (e.g. .+-.10%). In this case a utility AC voltage of 460 volts requires voltage Vdc of at least 748 volts.
Regenerative controllable rectifiers can be controlled to maintain a desired DC bus voltage independent of fluctuations in the utility AC voltage. To this end, a regenerative rectifier can be controlled as a function of utility AC voltages to alter the widths of the high frequency voltage pulses provided at the rectifier inputs. For example, assuming line-to-line utility voltage VII of 460 volts which is controlled to provide 748 volts Vdc, if the line-to-line utility voltage increases to 480 volts, DC voltage Vdc can be maintained at 748 volts by modifying high frequency pulse widths so that, despite change in utility line voltages, the currents drawn from the utility lines remain the same. Similarly, if regeneration provides charging current to the bus capacitor tending to increase Vdc, the regenerative rectifier can be controlled to modify the high frequency pulse widths to a suitable degree to maintain an essentially constant DC bus voltage Vdc.
Thus regenerative rectifiers are both more efficient than non-regenerative rectifiers and can be controlled to provide a constant DC bus voltage which does not fluctuate with utility voltage fluctuations and motor braking.
Unfortunately, regenerative rectifiers also have at least one important shortcoming. During inverter switching to convert DC bus voltage Vdc to AC voltage for driving the motor, switching losses are directly related to DC bus voltage level. Switching losses increase and less efficient switching occurs as DC bus voltage Vdc increases. Thus, higher DC bus voltages Vdc associated with regenerative rectifiers result in greater switching losses than non-regenerative rectifiers. In addition, increased DC bus voltage Vdc also increases overvoltages on the motor due to reflections on long supply lines.


Methods for reducing, and in some cases eliminating, fluorescence in pulp and paper, as well as the resulting articles, are provided. The methods destroy fluorescent activity of agents (e.g., whitening agents) which may be present in the pulp during processing. The methods are particularly applicable to recycling processes that use paper that includes fluorescent whitening agents. The methods may be used to produce recycled pulp and paper that, for example, may be suitably used in food grade applications which require no, or minimal, amount of fluorescence. In some cases, the methods also advantageously enable production of recycled pulp and paper that has reduced amounts of phosphorescence.

Paper may be formed from short, flexible fibers that are processed, for example, to form sheets. During processing, many chemicals and materials may be added to improve the properties of paper for a particular use. For example, whitening agents may be added during processing to increase the whiteness and/or brightness of the resulting paper.
Certain common whitening agents function by making use a phenomenon known as fluorescence. For example, "fluorescent whitening agents" (FWA's) can absorb light having relatively short wavelengths (e.g., ultra-violet or near ultra-violet light) and emit light having a longer wavelength (e.g., visible light). This effect leads to an increase in the apparent whiteness and/or brightness of the resulting paper. Examples of common fluorescent whitening agents include diaminostilbene compounds.
However, fluorescent whitening agents are characterized as being poisonous and/or deleterious substances by the Food and Drug Administration, in part, because they can potentially cause health problems in humans if absorbed into the body. If food is packaged with paper that includes fluorescent whitening agents, it is possible for the agents to pass from the paper to the food. As a result, federal regulations limit the content of fluorescent agents in paper products intended for contact with food (i.e., food grade paper).
The safety concerns and regulations have, in particular, limited the ability to use recycled paper in food grade applications. Recycled paper typically is processed using waste paper produced from multiple sources, many of which oftentimes include fluorescent whitening agents. Thus, it is difficult (or impossible) to prevent the presence of such whitening agents during the processing of recycled waste paper. If not eliminated, such whitening agents are incorporated into the final paper product which, as noted above, renders the product unsuitable for food grade applications.

Methods for reducing fluorescence in pulp and paper


Provided is a pulse generator. The pulse generator includes: a pulse generation unit receiving an analog signal and generating a first pulse signal in response to a comparison result of a voltage level applied to a first node and a reference voltage according to the received analog signal; a pulse amplification unit generating a second pulse signal having a wider pulse width than the first pulse signal according to a comparison result of a voltage level applied to a second node and a ground voltage, in response to the first pulse signal; and a gate logic outputting a final pulse signal as a signal for digital conversion by performing a logic operation on the first and second pulse signals.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to an analog-digital (A/D) converter, and more particularly, to a pulse generator amplifying a pulse width about an analog signal and an A/D converter including the same.
An A/D converter is a device or circuit for converting an analog signal into a digital signal. Recently, the A/D converter is used for a mobile phone, a digital camera, and a semiconductor chip.
As an existing A/D converter, a double integral A/D converter using an operational amplifier (OP-AMP) has been used. In order to implement an existing A/D converter with a semiconductor chip, the capacity of a capacitor used for integral needs to be set larger. However, if the capacity of a capacitor becomes larger, the area of a semiconductor chip becomes larger also. Accordingly, a high-resolution pulse generator with a capacitor having a small capacity is required.

Pulse generator and analog-digital converter including the same

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


Upon a triggering event, a delay chain shifts data out at a higher rate than incoming packets and a processor controls bypassing circuitry to reduce the latency of hardware implementations of, for example, 802.11a OFDM receivers, with long delay chains. The signal processing algorithms used to recover symbol timing need a large number of samples stored in a delay chain, often consisting of pipelined registers. Such a delay chain introduces a large lag between the time samples have been acquired by the data converters and the time they are processed. This delay makes it difficult for higher level network layer implementations to meet the deadlines of 802.11a WLAN protocol. The proposed scheme implements dynamic reduction in the depth of the delay chain once timing recovery has been performed. A multi-step scheme achieves exponential reduction in the number of elements in the delay chain in every step.

The IEEE standard 802.11a pertains to wireless local area networks (WLAN), and adopts Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). OFDM is a technology that transmits data as multiple signals simultaneously over a single transmission path. OFDM spreads the data over a large number of carriers that are spaced apart at precise frequencies. Typically, a transmitter transforms frequency based data into the time-domain using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) algorithm prior to transmission. A receiver then transforms a received packet back to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm. The total number of sub-carriers translates into the number of points of the IFFT/FFT. In a wireless networking environment, OFDM has inherent advantages over a signal carrier system in a frequency-selective fading channel, such as high spectral efficiency, resiliency to RF interference, and lower multi-path distortion.
Under 802.11a, packets are mapped into a framing format suitable for sending and receiving user data and management information between two or more stations. This format includes a preamble field that is comprised of a preamble of short symbols (short preamble) and a preamble of long symbols (long preamble). Subsequent to the preambles is a signal field, followed by multiple data fields. At a receiver, incoming packets are sampled, and the samples are entered into a delay chain or delay line for processing to locate the field boundaries.
A standard 802.11a timing recovery algorithm uses a long delay chain, typically comprised of a plurality of pipelined registers, to store a large number of data samples. In general, a register pipeline can be useful for applications in digital signal processing and wireless telecommunications systems. With respect to timing acquisition of a 802.11a packet, samples are often tapped from registers in the delay chain for use in computations.

Method and system for dynamically reducing length of a delay chain


The status (`paid` or `not yet paid`) of each ticket to be validated is stored in the main memory of a computer, and a flag indicating whether the ticket is valid, the ticket amount and information necessary to locate the status information for the ticket is encoded into a validation number which is printed on each ticket. When the ticket is presented for validation, the encoded information on the ticket is read, forwarded to the computer and decoded into a status flag, the ticket amount and the status location. The status flag is then checked to determine if the ticket is valid; if it is, the decoded information regarding the status is used to locate the status information in the computer memory and change the status to `paid` so that the ticket cannot be cashed again.

"Instant win" lottery tickets are now in widespread use in many areas. These tickets consist of a game card that has a game play area printed thereon with a number of predetermined spot that are covered with thin, opaque latex coatings. The card usually contains a separate area on which a back-up verification code is printed, which area is also covered by a latex coating. This latter area is usually marked "VOID IF REMOVED" and the card will not be honored if any part of the overlying coating has been removed prior to redemption.
The cards are sold over the counter in retail establishments and the purchaser selectively removes some of the coatings with a coin or other implement to reveal the underlying information. Depending on the game mechanics, the purchaser must match or "beat" other printed areas on the card to determine whether the card is a "winner". If the card is a winner, it can be immediately cashed by presentation to an agent in an establishment that sells the cards to obtain a predetermined cash award.
In many prior art cases, validation of winners was performed manually. After the card was presented for cashing, the agent followed the game mechanics to determine the winning value. Usually, in such cards, the amount of the win is printed somewhere on the face of the card. Next, the agent obtained a verification code generally located under one of the latex coatings in the game play area to verify the prize amount. The agent then removed the latex coating in the "VOID IF REMOVED" area of the ticket to reveal the backup verification code, and, if the backup code matched the verification code, the ticket was deemed validated. In some cases, for example, for relatively large cash prizes, the agent was also required to telephone a central lottery administration office and provide the ticket validation number, in order to obtain final authorization to pay the prize.
Once a ticket had been cashed, it had to be returned to the lottery administration so that a final validation could be made and the agent given final credit for the prize payment. Accordingly, it was common practice for an agent to accumulate paid winning cards and separate them by prize amounts. The number of winners for each amount was tallied and entered on a settlement sheet. Bundles of paid winning tickets were then placed in a settlement bag and the bag number was entered on the settlement sheet. At the selling establishment, a lottery field representative checked a settlement sheet and locked the settlement bag to prevent fraud. A courier hired by the lottery then transported the locked settlement bag to the central lottery office for validation. After being validated, the paid tickets were then destroyed.
Although the aforementioned system worked, there were significant accounting and ticket handling burdens for the selling agents and the system was prone to clerical errors. In addition, there were potential problems with illegal activities including cashing of altered tickets, theft of paid tickets from the selling establishments, and the cashing of stolen tickets.
Accordingly, computerized cashing apparatus was developed so that tickets could be validated by a central computer. In this scheme, each ticket selling establishment has a remote computer terminal connected to the central computer. In addition to the regular information described above a computer-readable code was printed on the lottery tickets, which code that identified each ticket uniquely to the computer. Usually this code was in a bar-code form and bar code scanners attached to the remote terminal were used to read the code, the information in the code was then forwarded to the central computer for validation.
With such a system, information required to validate a ticket was stored in the central computer on a disk memory. Therefore, when a ticket was redeemed, the ticket could be marked as paid in the central computer and the ticket could not be cashed again. Further, the ticket did not need to be physically returned to the central lottery location to be destroyed. This latter system removed the incentive for attempting to cash altered or stolen tickets and for stealing paid tickets from the selling locations in order to cash them again. It also reduced clerical errors, improved agent controls and significantly reduced the accounting and handling burden for the selling agents. The computerized records also provided the lottery with more timely and accurate information relating to winners.
However, problems remained with system response time. In many lottery systems, the total number of tickets processed by the system can be thousands to hundreds of thousands of tickets per day. In some systems, information for each ticket was stored in a large disk file and the remote terminal at the agent's location was used to access the disk at the time of ticket redemption while the winning purchaser waited so that the ticket could be marked in the computer disk file as paid. Consequently, each ticket validation required an on line access to the disk file to determine if the ticket was a winner and whether it had already been paid. If the ticket was an unpaid winner, a subsequent disk access had to be made to mark the winning ticket as paid. With this type of system, the large volume of disk transactions caused long delays in response resulting in selling agent and ticket purchaser frustration and in consequent loss of ticket sales.
In order to improve response time, other prior art systems stored information regarding tickets in the main memory of the central computer. In this latter system, the validation number on the ticket is used to access the main memory locations so that no disk accesses are necessary to validate a ticket. However, the main memory necessary to accommodate information for all of the tickets quickly becomes prohibitively large for any reasonably-sized lottery system.
Still other prior art systems store information in the computer main memory for only those winning tickets which have small awards. In these latter systems, the lottery tickets are printed in numbered packs or books and the book number is encoded into the validation number printed onto each ticket in the book. The validation number is read off the ticket during the validation procedure and forwarded to the central computer, where the validation number is decoded to determine the location in the main memory at which the winning ticket information is located. However, it was still necessary to access a disk file to determine the prize value in the case of small amount winning tickets or to determine if a non-small amount winning ticket was a large amount winning ticket. Consequently, disk accesses were necessary for each ticket scanned into the system. Nevertheless, this system reduced the number of disk accesses required to process a winning ticket because, after a ticket was determined to be a winning ticket, the ticket could be marked as paid without the necessity of a further disk access. Therefore, system response time was reduced, but when a large number of tickets were being cashed, the system response was still slow.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ticket validating apparatus and method which minimizes the time taken to validate a ticket.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a ticket validating apparatus and method in which most tickets can be validated without accessing a disk file.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a ticket validating apparatus and method in which sufficient information to validate most tickets is encoded into the ticket validation number.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a ticket validating apparatus and method which is suitable for cashing instant-win lottery tickets and which can accommodate various lottery ticket structures.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a ticket validation apparatus and method which can disable stolen tickets and prevent them from being validated.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a ticket validation apparatus and method which can quickly check for agent fraud.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a ticket validation apparatus and method which greatly reduces selling agent and central administration accounting burdens.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a ticket validation apparatus and method which eliminates the need to return paid tickets to the central location for destruction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a ticket validation apparatus and method which improves the overall accounting of ticket validation by providing accurate reports and analyses.

Method and apparatus for validating instant-win lottery tickets


A CMOS LC-tank oscillator includes a pair of symmetric inductors and a differential pair of transistors. The inductors have a first one of their terminals interconnected at a supply node to which a voltage supply is applied through a supply resistor and a second terminal connected to the drain of a respective one of the transistors. The transistors have their sources interconnected at a tail node which is connected to ground through a tail resistor. A current control loop controls a core current between the supply and tail nodes so as to keep a voltage drop across the tail resistor at a level determined by a reference voltage. The current control loop keeps the core current between the supply and tail nodes at the required level so that a resistor may replace the upstream supply voltage regulator and another resistor may replace the downstream bias regulator. Consequently, sources of noise injected into the LC-tank type oscillator are eliminated.

For many applications in high speed communication technology stable clock signals are needed that show random jitter contents below limits specified in the applying standards. Examples for these applications are clock and data recovery circuits and synthesizers for wireless communication links.
To meet the jitter requirements of the applying standards oscillator circuits are needed that generate clock signals which containing the least possible amount of phase noise. Furthermore it is desirable to implement all necessary functionality as a monolithic integrated circuit (IC) to lower the power dissipation, the part count and the space needed for the circuitry (and thus reducing costs).
Therefore efforts have been made to integrate LC-tank type oscillators on monolithic integrated circuits. This type of oscillator shows a significantly better phase noise performance than so called ring oscillators, which are widely used for integrated circuits. This is due to the properties of the LC-tank, which offers a steep phase response versus frequency at its resonant frequency and therefore supports a stable oscillation. However, the supporting circuitry such as bias and supply voltage regulators have to be carefully designed, since noise injected into the LC-tank type oscillator by this circuitry can significantly degrade the phase noise performance.


The present invention provides a method for preventing and treating gastrointestinal diseases such as dyspepsia, irritable bowel disease and chemotherapy-associated nausea by administering an antagonist or partial agonist of 5HT1a receptors.

Dyspepsia is a common symptom ranging in prevalence from 26% in the United States to 41% in England (1). Whilst only 1 in 4 patients seek medical help (2) the condition results in significant health care costs (3) and an organic cause is found in only 40% of patients. The Rome criteria for diagnosing idiopathic or nonulcer dyspepsia (NUD) were put forward in 1991 and consist of chronic or recurrent upper abdominal pain or discomfort in the absence of obvious pathology (4). The Rome group suggested subcategorising NUD into ulcer-like, reflux-like, dysmotility-like and non-specific dyspepsia. This classification has been questioned on the grounds that there is a marked overlap of symptoms and an overlap between the symptoms and those of the irritable bowel syndrome (5).
Conventional diagnosne evaluation (endoscopy, ultrasonography, 24 h ambulatory pH monitoring) does not reveal a structural or biochemical abnormality to explain NUD. Attempts at elucidating the pathophysiology of the condition have produced inconsistent findings (6) and a wide array of theories are currently put forward (7).
Serotonin (5HT) is a neurotransmitter both in the enteric nervous system (8) and in the brain (9). It plays a key role in regulating gut physiology, including peristalsis and intestinal tone (10). Animal studies have shown that intracerebroventricular injection of fenfluramine (a serotonin releasing agent) inhibits gastric emptying (11). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as fluoxetine and sertraline, are widely used in the treatment of depression and produce a transient syndrome similar to NUD in up to 30% of patients treated (I2).
Studies indicate that a central 5HT1a receptor hypersensitivity may be involved in the pathophysiology of NUD (13,14). The release of prolactin from the anterior pituitary is under dopamine inhibition and under 5HT stimulation, probably at the level of the hypothalamus (15). Buspirone is an azaspirodecanedione, which acts as a partial agonist at the 5HT1a receptor (16) and stimulates prolactin release, We have established that prolactin release following buspirone challenge is enhanced in NUD indicating 5HT1a receptor supersensitivity in this condition.
We have demonstrated this in a clinical study that extends our previous findings reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,848.
A total of 109 subjects, 50 NUD patients (39 female/11 male) and 59 healthy comparison subjects (32 female/28 male) gave fully informed consent to take part in the study, which had Ethics Committee approval. The mean±SD age of the patients was 35.6±12.2 years (Range 20-62) and of the comparison group 27.2±7.6 years (Range 20-52). At 0830 h subjects had a cannula inserted in a forearm vein. Buspirone (30mg) or, matching placebo was administered orally at 0900 h (Time 0). Blood was taken at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min. Prolactin levels rose in all subjects challenged with buspirone. The mean±SD AUC in patients was 46±35 and in healthy subjects 24±35. A 2-way repeated measures ANOVA yields a significant group X time interaction with differences significant at 60 min (p<0.05), 90 min (p<0.01) and 120 min (p<0.05). Prolactin concentration at 90 min provided the best discrimination between the two groups.
According to the present invention, what is required to treat non-ulcerative dyspepsia is the administration of effective amounts of a substance that reduces the sensitivity of 5HT1a receptors and we have discovered that pindolol, which has affinity for 5HT1a receptors has beneficial effects in subjects suffering from non-ulcerative dyspepsia.

Treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal disease using antagonists of partial agonists of 5HT1a receptors


Apparatus and method for detecting defective servo frames in a disc drive, the defective servo frames including anomalous position field patterns which generate burst signals of insufficient relative magnitude to facilitate proper servo control. Burst signals are generated from the position field patterns of a selected servo frame and a combination term is determined as a selected combination of the magnitudes of the burst signals. The combination term is compared to a predetermined threshold and the servo frame is identified as being defective when the combination term falls below the predetermined threshold. The combination term is preferably generated from the magnitudes of burst signals generated from three burst patterns: a first burst pattern extending from a first track boundary to a second, adjacent track boundary, a second burst pattern extending from a track centerline to the first track boundary and a third burst pattern extending from the track centerline to the second track boundary.

Modern hard disc drives comprise one or more rigid discs that are coated with a magnetizable medium and mounted on the hub of a spindle motor for rotation at a constant high speed. Information is stored on the discs in a plurality of concentric circular tracks by an array of transducers ("heads") mounted to a radial actuator for movement of the heads relative to the discs.
Typically, such radial actuators employ a voice coil motor to position the heads with respect to the disc surfaces. The heads are mounted via flexures at the ends of a plurality of arms which project radially outward from an actuator body. The actuator body pivots about a shaft mounted to the disc drive housing at a position closely adjacent the outer extreme of the discs. The pivot shaft is parallel with the axis of rotation of the spindle motor and the discs, so that the heads move in a plane parallel with the surfaces of the discs.
The actuator voice coil motor includes a coil mounted on the side of the actuator body opposite the head arms so as to be immersed in the magnetic field of a magnetic circuit comprising one or more permanent magnets and magnetically permeable pole pieces. When controlled DC current is passed through the coil, an electromagnetic field is set up which interacts with the magnetic field of the magnetic circuit to cause the coil to move in accordance with the well-known Lorentz relationship. As the coil moves, the actuator body pivots about the pivot shaft and the heads move across the disc surfaces.
Control of the position of the heads is typically achieved with a closed loop servo system such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,907 entitled HARD DISC DRIVE WITH IMPROVED SERVO SYSTEM, issued to Duffy et al., assigned to the assignee of the present invention. A typical servo system utilizes servo information that is written to the discs during the disc drive manufacturing process to detect and control the position of the heads through the generation of a position error signal (PES) which is indicative of the position of the head with respect to a selected track. More particularly, during track following in which the head is caused to follow a selected track, the servo system generates the PES from the received servo information and then uses the PES to generate a correction signal which is provided to a power amplifier to control the amount of current through the actuator coil, in order to adjust the position of the head accordingly.
Typically, the PES is presented as a position dependent signal having a magnitude indicative of the relative distance between the head and the center of a track and a polarity indicative of the direction of the head with respect to the track center. Thus, it is common for the PES to have normalized values corresponding to a range of, for example -1.0 to +1.0, as the head is swept across a selected track and to have a value corresponding to a value of 0 when the head is positioned over the center of the track. As will be recognized, modern servo systems typically generate the PES as a sequence of digital samples which generally correspond to the above analog range.
The PES is generated by the servo system by comparing the relative signal strengths of burst signals generated from precisely located magnetized servo fields in the servo information on the disc surface. The servo fields are generally arranged in an "offset checkerboard" pattern so that, through manipulation of the magnitudes of the burst signals provided to the servo system as the servo fields are read, the relative position of the head to a particular track center can be determined and controlled. More particularly, digital representations of the analog burst signals are typically provided to a servo loop microprocessor (or digital signal processor), which obtains a digital representation of the value of the PES from a selected combination of the input digital representations of the analog burst signals. The microprocessor then compares the value of the PES to a desired value indicative of the desired position of the head to the selected track and issues a digital correction signal to the power amplifier, which in turn provides an analog current to the actuator coil to adjust the position of the actuator accordingly.
The servo information, including the servo fields, are written to the discs during the manufacturing process using a highly precise servo track writer. Although methodologies vary in the writing of the servo information, typically the disc drive is mounted on the servo track writer and the appropriate write signals are provided to the heads of the disc drive to write the servo information while the discs are rotated by the disc drive spindle motor. A mechanical pusher arm is used to incrementally advance the heads over the surfaces of the discs while a closed loop positional control system ensures the heads are properly located relative to the discs. Depending upon a particular configuration, each servo field is typically written using a plurality of rotations of the disc, with a portion of the servo field being written during each rotation of the disc.
Although servo track writers have proven to be highly precise and reliable (sufficient to support disc drive data storage areal densities exceeding 1 Gbit/in.sup.2), errors have been found to occasionally occur during servo track writing operations. For example, it is common for a servo track writer to write a selected servo field using a sinusoidal write signal of selected magnitude and phase over a plurality of passes of the head so that a portion of the field is written during each pass. If during one of the passes the servo track writer erroneously uses a sinusoidal write signal that is out of phase, the resulting servo field, though precisely located on the disc, will produce a burst signal having a reduced magnitude. Because the servo system relies upon the relative magnitudes of the servo fields, such reduction in magnitude can adversely affect the ability of the servo system to discern the location of the head with respect to the track and control the position of the head.
Moreover, localized anomalies in the media can prevent the generation of burst signals having the proper relative magnitudes, even when the servo fields have been otherwise properly formed during the servo track write operation.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved approach to detecting the defective servo frames including anomalous position field patterns which generate burst signals of insufficient relative magnitude to facilitate proper servo control.

Servo frame defect mapping in a hard disc drive


A method and device for authenticating a MS has an R-UIM by using CAVE Algorithm are provided. The hardware structure of the device includes a cdma2000/HRPD dual-mode chip, a User Identity Module supporting the CAVE algorithm. The dual-mode terminal forms the NAI value with the domain name stored in a memory of the dual-mode terminal in advance by the IMSI. The dual-mode terminal extracts a RAND that is necessary for the calculation of an authentication parameter1 from the Random values included in a Chap Challenge message, instructs the R-UIM card to use the CAVE algorithm to calculate the authentication parameter1 with the RAND and an existing SSD_A in the R-UIM card, and bears the authentication parameter1 by the Result domain of a Chap Response message. With the present invention, the wastes caused by the replacement of R-UIM cards can be avoided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (hereinafter referred to as cdma2000) and High Rate Packet Data (hereinafter referred to as HRPD) dual-mode terminals, especially to a method and device for authenticating mobile station with Removable User Identity Module (hereinafter referred to as R-UIM) by using Cellular Authentication and Voice Encryption (hereinafter referred to as CAVE) algorithm.
2. Description of the Related Art
The cdma2000 network has been widely applied commercially all over the world. In this kind of network, a Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (hereinafter referred to as CHAP) based on the CAVE algorithm has been adopted to verify the legitimacy of the access terminals. This authentication system has perfect methods on illegal attack-protecting. A Mobile Station's (hereinafter referred to as MS) privacy key (A-key) and the CAVE algorithm are stored in the MS and the cdma2000 network's Authentication Centre (hereinafter referred to as AuC) respectively. The authentication process mainly includes such two procedures as the update of Shared Secret Data (SSD) and the implementation of authentication. Part A of the Shared Secret Data (SSD_A) is used for access authentication. According to specific conditions, the network sends a message including a segment of random values to the MS and the AuC respectively to update the SSD_A data. After this message is received by the MS and the AuC respectively, the included random values, the A-key and other parameters are together input into the "SSD_GENEREATION PROCEDURE" to generate an SSD_A through calculation. After confirming the correctness, the old SSD_A is replaced with the new one which will be used as the key for the access authentication. When an authentication is needed to be done on a terminal, the network sends an authentication request message to the MS and the AuC, including a segment of random values. After this message is received by the MS and the AuC respectively, the authentication results are calculated in the MS and the AuC by the random values included in the message, the SSD_A and other parameters according to the CAVE algorithm. The MS sends the authentication result to the AuC. By comparing the differences between the authentication results, the MS can be authenticated to be valid or not. In cdma 2000 network's practice, the A-key can be stored in two modes. One is that it is stored in the MS, and the corresponding CAVE algorithm is also implemented in the MS and in this case, the MS has no an R-UIM. The other is that the A-key is stored in an R-UIM, and the corresponding CAVE algorithm is also implemented in the R-UIM card. In this case, the MS is called a MS has an R-UIM. High Rate Packet Data (hereinafter referred to as HRPD) network is an upgrade of cdma2000 network and has been gradually adopted in commercial application all over the world. As prescribed in the corresponding standard of the 3G Partnership Project 2 (hereinafter referred to as 3GPP2), if the access authentication is adopted by the HRPD network, the authentication mode should also be the CHAP authentication, but no detailed encryption algorithm is specified explicitly, which can be specified by the particular operator. Both HRPD network and the cdma2000 network are independent of each other, and no information exchanges between them. The subscribers can share the services through the dual-mode terminals that support both the cdma2000 network and the HRPD network, and this category of subscriber is the main cluster of HRPD network subscribers. In the following sections, except specifically pointed out, the dual-mode terminals refer to the cdma2000/HRPD ones.
At present, the operations carried out by the R-UIM card mainly includes SSD management, authentication calculation and so on. The SSD is used for the calculations of all authentication and the generation of the subsequent privacy keys. The SSD is derived from the "A-key" in the R-UIM card. When the network sends an UPDATE SSD command (which contains a RANDSSD parameter), the SSD update process starts. The network that the relevant subscriber belongs to is the unique entity to update the subscriber's SSD, as shown in FIG. 3. When the network initiates an SSD update process to a certain subscriber, the subscriber's MS firstly stores a RANDSSD parameter and then generates a random values RANDSeed. The MS transfers the RANDSeed parameter to the R-UIM card and starts to perform the Base Station Challenge function. Then, the R-UIM card generates a RANDBS parameter. The relationship between the RANDBS and the RANDSeed is prescribed by the distributor of the R-UIM card. For instance, in the R-UIM card, the RANDBS can be set to equal to the RANDSeed. The RANDBS parameter can be derived by implementing the pseudorandom process to the RANDSeed, or generated individually without respect to the RANDSeed. A Base Station Challenge command cause the R-UIM card to transmit the RANDBS parameter to the MS and in turn to the network.
In succession, the MS sends the command including the RANDSSD parameter to the R-UIM card to implement the SSD update process, as shown in FIG. 4. Then, a SSD value and a RANDBS response value AUTHBS are calculated by the R-UIM card. Here, the choices of ESN and UIMID (identity of UIM) for the calculations have been determined in advance according to corresponding indications when the R-UIM is inserted into a terminal.
In the network side, the RANDSSD parameter is used to generate a new SSD value for the selected R-UIM card. After receiving the RANDBS parameter from the MS, the network calculates the AUTHBS with the new SSD, and then sends the AUTHBS to the MS. The MS regards the received AUTHBS as the parameter of the Confirm SSD command and sends it to the R-UIM card. The R-UIM card compares the received AUTHBS with that calculated by itself, and if they are just the same, the SSD update process succeeds, then the SSD will be stored in the R-UIM card's semi-permanent memory for after coming authentication calculations. If the two AUTHBS values are different, the R-UIM discards the new SSD but remains the original one, as shown in FIG. 5.
The authentication process is the process of a terminal's legitimacy verification. Its basic operations are illustrated in FIG. 6:
The AuC sends a Chap Challenge message to an MS, including a 32-bit long random values RAND. The MS takes the RAND and the SSD_A as the inputs of the CAVE algorithm to calculate an 18-bit long authentication parameter1, then the MS sends this parameter1 to the AuC by an Authentication Challenge Response message, and the AuC compares the authentication parameter1 with the parameter2 calculated by itself with the same method. If they are just the same, the authentication passes, otherwise, the MS is rejected to access the network.
(2) The message flow of the existing HRPD network on access authentication
The HRPD network's access authentication includes the following message flow (as shown in FIG. 7):
an access network (AN) sends the Chap Challenge message to an access terminal(AT), including the random values; 701
The access terminal receives the Chap Challenge message, and then calculates the authentication parameter 1 with the received Random values. In the figure, the encryption algorithm MD5 is taken as an example to make further explanations; 702
The terminal sends a Chap Response message to the AN, including information of AT's Network Access ID (NAI), random values, the authentication parameter 1 and so on; 703
After receiving the Chap Response message from the AT, the AN sends a Radius Access Request message to AN-AAA, including the three parameters included in the Chap Response message; 704
The AN-AAA regards the Random values and the local Password (AN-AAA Password and the AT's Password are just the same) as input value to calculate the authentication parameter 2 using the MD5 algorithm; 705
The AN-AAA compares the authentication parameter 1 with the authentication parameter 2; 706
If they are equal to, it sends a Radius Access Accept message to the AN, indicating that the authentication passes the; 707
If the authentication parameter 1 is not the same as the authentication parameter 2, the AN-AAA sends a Radius Access Reject message to the AN to reject the access of the terminal; 708
After receiving the Radius Access Accept message, the AN sends a Chap Success message to the terminal, indicating that the authentication process is successful; 709
And after receiving the Radius Access Reject message, the AN sends the Chap Failure message to AT, indicating that the authentication process failure. 710
In practice, the voice service is normally provided by means of the cdma2000 network and the high rate data service is normally provided by means of the HRPD network. Therefore, the dual-mode terminals that support not only the cdma2000 network but also the HRPD network will take up a sizable share. Because the cdma2000 network is generally established ahead of the HRPD network, some subscribers of the HRPD network are upgraded from that of the cdma2000 network.
The existing R-UIM cards only support the CAVE algorithm. For a cdma2000/HRPD dual-mode terminals has an R-UIM, the R-UIM card is the unique identifier of subscriber's legitimacy. Therefore, as the cdma2000 network has been launched into operation and holds a lot of subscribers, how to realize the HRDP network's access authentication by reusing the existing R-UIM cards' cdma2000/HRPD dual-mode terminal is a challenge to the HRPD network construction.

Method and device for authenticating MS that has an R-UIM by using CAVE algorithm


A coupling (10) for receiving and retaining the end of a conduit. The coupling (10) includes a leading body part (12), a grab ring (14), a sealing ring (16), a trailing body part (18) and a sleeve (11). The trailing body part (18) has an outer surface portion (46) which is inclined to diverge outwardly and a rear face (20) that extends from a trailing end of the outer surface (46), and that faces axially. The sleeve (11) extends circumferentially around the leading body part (12), the grab ring (14), the sealing ring (16) and the trailing body part (18). The sleeve (11) includes a forward end (24) for engaging the leading body part (12) a first axial portion (23) which extends from the forward end (24), an inclined portion (22) which extends from the axial portion (23) and which is inclined complimentary to the outer surface portion (46). The sleeve (11) further includes a trailing end portion (21) that extends from the inclined portion (22) to overlie the rear face (20) of the trailing body part (18) in close facing relationship. The sleeve (11) is operable to resist movement of the leading and trailing body parts (12, 18) axially away from each other.

A reference herein to a patent document or other matter which is given as prior art is not to be taken as an admission that that document or matter was known or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims.
Couplings are used to connect pipes to pipes, or pipes to fittings such as valves or meters. Couplings can thus facilitate end-to-end connection of pipe sections, or they can route the pipe sections at particular angles. For example, couplings can be employed to change the direction of piping, such as by 45° or 90°. In addition, couplings can be employed to branch or split piping in different directions. For example, a single pipe section can be connected by a T-fitting or a Y-fitting, each of which branches that pipe section into two separate pipe sections. Other fittings can branch a single pipe section into more than two separate pipe sections.
Couplings preferably are easy and quick to use and are relatively inexpensive. Moreover, the couplings typically need to provide a watertight or airtight fitting. The couplings of the present invention could be used in piping installations which convey liquids or liquid slurries, i.e. sewerage for example, and they can also be used for piping gases. The couplings should also provide secure connection to the ends of the pipe sections or other fittings to which they are connected.
Couplings are usually exposed to the fluid carried within the piping installations to which the couplings are fitted. Moreover, the pipe couplings are often exposed to external conditions such as wind and rain, dust and grime etc. Accordingly, in the past, some pipe couplings have been manufactured from non-ferrous metal to prevent rusting and corrosion. Brass has been one metal employed for that purpose. While the use of brass for the manufacture of pipe couplings has been effective in resisting rust and corrosion, a drawback with brass is that it is both relatively heavy and in more recent times, expensive. The weight of brass does not affect the actual performance of a brass coupling or cause difficulties in installation, but rather, the weight adds cost when the couplings are transported in bulk. Combined with the increasing cost of brass metal, the cost of brass fittings is becoming prohibitive.
Moreover, when a pipe coupling is employed in piping installations that carry drinking water, the exposure of that water to the brass material can taint the flavour of the water unacceptably. In addition, it has been recognised that metals can contain potentially harmful agents such as lead, which can leech from the metal into the fluid carried within the piping installation. Because of this, certain countries have introduced regulations limiting the content of such agents in the materials used in pipe couplings. As a result, in order to satisfy the regulations, more expensive metal fittings have become necessary.
The present invention aims to provide a pipe coupling, which provides advantages over certain types of couplings in present use. Applicant is hopeful that the present invention can provide cost and weight savings compared to some pipe couplings in use presently, and/or potentially can also reduce the likelihood of the flavour of drinking water being tainted as described above, and/or reduce the likelihood of potentially harmful agents leeching into the fluid carried within the piping installation.

RELIANCE WORLDWIDE CORPORATION (AUST.) PTY. LTD.


A method includes accumulating optical pump power in a first laser gain medium during a first period of time, where the first laser gain medium is optically located within a resonator. The method also includes providing at least some of the accumulated optical pump power as a first laser output with a feedback-controlled waveform from the first laser gain medium to a second laser gain medium during a second period of time, where the second period of time is substantially shorter than the first period of time. The method further includes generating a second laser output having a burst of laser pulses using the second laser gain medium as a power amplifier. The first and second laser outputs have higher power levels during the second period of time compared to a power level of the optical pump power during the first period of time.

Various systems use lasers to generate rapid sequences of laser pulses. These rapid sequences of laser pulses are often described as having a "pulse burst" waveform. As an example, some conventional high-performance laser detection and ranging (LADAR) systems may require transmitters that can generate a rapid sequence of short high peak-power laser pulses followed by a period having no pulses, where this on-off pattern is repeated periodically. Such transmitters are often pumped using low average-power light sources, such as laser diodes. To achieve this burst mode, lasers would typically require a very high pump-power level during the pulse burst. Rough estimates for a representative pulse-burst format show that the pump power during the burst could easily reach 20 kW or more, which is comparable to power levels that might be produced by low-end high-energy laser (HEL) systems. Unfortunately, even low-end HEL systems are often unable to satisfy size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) requirements in various applications.

Method and apparatus for temporally concentrating pump power to support generation of high peak-power pulse bursts or other time-varying laser output waveforms


An electrode for electrolysis comprising an electrode base material and an electrode substance having an electrically conductive diamond structure covering the surface of the electrode base material. The electrode substance having an electrically conductive diamond structure may be a diamond containing an impurity selected from boron, phosphorus and graphite. Alternatively, the electrode substance having an electrically conductive diamond structure may comprise a composite of a diamond and an electrically conductive material. In a preferred embodiment, the electrode further comprises an interlayer comprising at least one of the carbide of a valve metal and silicon carbide disposed between the electrode base material and the electrode substance having an electrically conductive diamond structure. Also disclosed is an electrolytic cell having two chambers including an anode chamber and a cathode chamber partitioned by an ion-exchange membrane. At least one of the anode placed in the anode chamber and a cathode placed in the cathode chamber is an electrode comprising an electrode base material and an electrode substance having an electrically conductive diamond structure covering the surface of the electrode base material. An electrolytic cell having three chambers is also disclosed, including an anode chamber, an intermediate chamber and a cathode chamber partitioned by ion-exchange membranes. At least one of an anode placed in the anode chamber and a cathode placed in the cathode chamber is an electrode comprising an electrode base material and an electrode substance having an electrically conductive diamond structure covering the surface of the electrode base material.

Electrolytic methods of producing various kinds of useful materials by electrolyzing water or by electrolyzing an electrolytic solution obtained by dissolving an electrolyte in water hitherto have been widely practiced. The development of these electrolytic methods has largely changed the production steps of some conventional products.
For example, for the washing step in the production of semiconductor devices or liquid crystal panels, hitherto, an organic solvent such as trichloroethane, tetrachloromethane, etc., an inorganic solvent such as hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, etc., or an oxidizing agent such as ozone water, hydrogen peroxide water, etc., was frequently used. However, these chemicals are not only dangerous to use, but there also are problems in that an organic solvent can cause environmental pollution such as disruption of the ozone layer, etc. In the case of an inorganic acid or a salt, many problems and costs are associated with the treatment of the waste water. Furthermore, the semiconductor devices or the liquid crystal panels which are subjected to a washing treatment using these chemicals require a large amount of super-pure water for removing chemical residues therefrom.
Moreover, besides the above mentioned semiconductor devices and liquid crystal panels, in medical treatment, food industries, etc., there are problems in that a large amount of detergent is used for sterilizing and washing. Thereafter, the detergent must be washed off with large amounts of water.
For solving these problems, a method has recently been proposed which comprises electrolyzing water or an aqueous solution containing a small amount of hydrochloric acid and a salt such as sodium chloride, ammonium chloride, etc., in an electrolytic cell partitioned with a diaphragm into an anode chamber and a cathode chamber. An aqueous solution having a high oxidation reduction potential (ORP), that is, a very high oxidative property and also a slightly acidic property is formed in the cathode chamber. On the other hard, an aqueous solution having a low ORP, that is, a very strong reductive property and also a slightly basic property is formed in the cathode chamber. These solutions are used for washing semiconductor devices, liquid crystal panels, etc., as described above.
When electrolysis is carried out by adding a small amount of sodium chloride to an electrolytic solution, acidic water having a strong sterilizing action is obtained. The sterilizing action of the acidic water is utilized in food production and for medical treatment. However, the ORP of the acidic water is high, which indicates that the chloride ion in the liquid is converted to hypochlorous acid. The hypochlorous acid can induce the formation of an organic chloride. Thus, there is a possibility of causing secondary pollution, although the possibility is very low. When the foregoing acidic water is used for washing semiconductor devices or liquid crystal panels, there is a possibility of secondary pollution as described above.
Titanium electrodes covered with platinum are usually used in this type of electrolysis. The electrodes are consumed at a rate of from about 1 to 10 .mu.g/AH, and when these electrodes are used in an electrolytic solution for electrolysis, from 1 to 10 ppb of platinum is dissolved and mixed in the electrolytic solution. Also, when an aqueous solution of about 100 ppm of hypochlorous acid is prepared by electrolysis, an oxide electrode such as iridium oxide, etc. is used, and the electrode is consumed at a rate of about 1/10 that of platinum.
The amount of the dissolved metal causes no problem in food production and in medical treatment, but is detrimental for washing semiconductors such that removing the metal becomes a large problem.
The inventors have previously succeeded in reducing the consumption of an electrode substance by a factor of about 1/10 by carrying out electrolysis using an ion exchange membrane as a solid electrolyte and closely attaching an electrode to the membrane. However, even in this case, dissolution of a metal which becomes electrically conductive when dissolved in a liquid is a problem although the dissolution amount thereof is slight.
The use of ozone water has been proposed for avoiding this problem. Ozone is widely used as a strong oxidizing agent in various fields such as water treatment for washing semiconductor devices and liquid crystal panels, medical treatment, and in the food industry as described above. Ozone is mainly produced by an electrolytic method which can produce ozone at a high concentration. Also, by the development of quality electrode materials, electrolytic conditions, etc., ozone is produced with good efficiency as described, e.g., in S. Stuck et al., Journal of Electrochemical Society, Vol. 132, No. 2, p. 3382 et seq. (1985), U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,989, and JP-B2-44908 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined published Japanese patent application"). However, even in electrolytic ozone production, there are problems in that when a metal electrode is used, the metal is dissolved. Furthermore, when a carbon electrode is used, the electrode consumption is severe, which is unsuitable for operation over a long period of time.
To avoid contamination by the dissolved metal from a metal electrode, a non-metal type electrode may be used. Carbon is one such material that is capable of being used as a non-metal electrode.
However, because a carbon electrode is usually porous, the destruction and dissolution of the electrode tend to occur with the progress of the electrolysis. Also, when a carbon electrode is used as an anode, part of the electrode is oxidized to form a carbonic acid gas such that consumption of the electrode is accelerated. Also, even when a carbon electrode is used as a cathode, there is a problem in that the size of the hydrogen bubbles thus formed is smaller than that of oxygen at the anode side. Consequently, the electrode tends to be destroyed even though the electrode is not consumed as a carbonic acid gas. To prevent destruction of the electrode, a large electric current cannot be passed therethrough which inevitably causes a problem in that a large ORP is not obtained.
Besides the electrode for producing acidic water and alkaline water by electrolysis and further the electrode for producing ozone by an electrolysis as described above, there are metal electrodes which can be used in a corrosive atmosphere such as sodium chloride electrolysis, etc. In particular, a dimentionally stable electrode or anode (hereinafter abbreviated as DSE or DSA) is prepared by applying an electrode substance containing a platinum-group metal oxide such as ruthenium oxide onto the surface of a valve metal mainly composed of titanium. The DSE was first practically used for sodium chloride electrolysis and at present, almost all electrodes for sodium chloride electrolysis have been replaced with DSE electrodes throughout the world.
Also, DSE electrodes are useful in the field of high-speed plating, etc., which is accompanied by the generation of oxygen. Because the DSE is stable and does not deform, this electrode can be used at a reduced distance between electrodes. Also, because its overvoltage is low, and furthermore because it can hardly cause environmental pollution, the DSE electrode has been widely used in place of a conventional lead electrode. Besides these uses, the foregoing DSE has been used for waste water treatment by removing COD, the synthesis of organic or inorganic compounds by electrolytic oxidation, etc.
The foregoing DSE electrode can attain a remarkable improvement in electrolytic efficiency. However, the same characteristics which improve electrolytic efficiency can cause other problems. That is, a DSE electrode comprises a corrosion resisting valve metal base material. The valve metal base material does not corrode in many electrolytic solutions and can stably function. However, it sometimes occurs that a part of the base material is not sufficiently stable. That is, the foregoing DSE is usually produced by a thermal decomposition method. It sometimes occurs that the surface of the above-described base material is insufficiently covered with a substance, which is decomposed and attaches to the surface of the base material. An electrolytic solution which contacts the base material through the electrode substance causes a reaction, such that dissolution of the base material is not sufficiently restrained.
For example, when the forgoing DSE is disposed as an anode in an electrolytic bath filled with an organic compound such as methanol, ethanol, etc., and an electric film is applied, titanium, which is the base material metal, is corroded and the electrode substance is released. Also, when the electrolytic bath contains a halogen such as fluorine, bromine, etc., anodic polarization occurs which causes a so-called pitting corrosion or activated dissolution, such that the electrode life becomes very short.
As a counterplan, niobium or tantalum valve metals having a higher corrosion resistance than titanium are used as the base material metal. However, there metals are very expensive and hard to work, the surface thereof is very easily oxidized, and further a surface oxide tends to release from the metal. Thus, in DSE electrodes produced by forming an electrode substance on the surface of the base material metal by thermal decomposition, the treatment condition is largely restricted and at present the use range thereof is very limited.
DSE electrodes are excellent in view of energy savings, the overvoltage for generating chlorine is almost zero, and the overvoltage for generating oxygen is 500 mV or lower. Thus, when using a DSE, chlorine and oxygen tend to evolve, but the reactivity for electrolytic oxidation to a specific material and a decomposition reaction by electrolysis is weak due to the low electrolytic voltage. Therefore, a DSE is scarcely used for practical anodic oxidation.
As a counterplan, a platinum-plated electrode is partially used, but there are problems in that the electrode is very expensive and the life thereof is not always sufficient.
As another electrode, a lead oxide electrode which is scarcely consumed depending on the electrolysis conditions and having excellent oxidative power is also used. However, the lead oxide electrode is disadvantageous in that the electrode must always be anodically polarized in an electrolytic solution. This gives rise to a maintenance problem. Also, in an aqueous solution containing a halide ion, the electrode does not always show good durability.
Furthermore, as a high-overvoltage electrode particularly for electrolyzing an organic compound, a tin oxide electrode has been proposed. Because this electrode is reported to have a very high oxygen-generating overvoltage, the decomposition of an organic compound by anodic oxidation in an aqueous solution is possible, and the electrode is particularly suitable for decomposing a benzene nucleus. However, there are problems in that the electric conductivity of tin oxide itself is relatively low, such that a large current density cannot be obtained. Also, because the electrode is produced by a sintering method, a metal which becomes the core material is hard to set.
Recently, a diamond imparted with electric conductivity has been developed. Since the diamond has excellent heat conductivity, optical transmittance, and durability to high temperatures and oxidation, and in particular because the electrical conductivity can be controlled by doping, the diamond is promising as a semiconductor device and as an energy-conversion element. However, use of the diamond as an electrode for electrolysis has been scarcely reported. Swain et al. reported the stability of diamond in an acidic electrolytic solution and suggested that diamond was far excellent as compared with other carbon materials as described in Journal of Electrochemical Society, Vol. 141, 3382.sup..about. (1994). Also, Fujishima et al., considered the application of diamond as an electrode for a reduction reaction in view of its wide band gap of 5.5 eV as described in Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Vol. 396, 233.sup..about. (1995) and Denkikagaku (Electrochemistry), Vol. 60, No. 7, 569.sup..about. (1992). Furthermore, a humidity sensor utilizing the change in surface resistance of diamond with a change in humidity was also reported in Denkiron (Electric Theory), Vol. 114, No. 5, 413.sup..about. (1994).
However, the industrial utilization of diamond in a high-potential region capable of generating oxygen and capable of generating chlorine in the case of high current density has not yet been reported.

Electrode for electrolysis and electrolytic cell using the electrode