A cellular communications system permits handover of a group of mobile stations (15) having like characteristics from a base station (13) operating in one type of network e.g. UMTS to a base station (16) operating in a different type of network e.g. GSM, or from a first carrier frequency to a second carrier frequency both being supported by the same base station, thereby relieving congestion in an overloaded cell by handing over a group of calls to an under-loaded one. The invention has the benefits of enabling such a handover with the minimum of signalling overhead.

This invention relates to cellular communications systems and particularly to group handover procedures for reducing congestion in a cellular network.
Cellular radio telecommunications networks generally include mobile services switching centres (MSC) coupled to a public switched telephone network (PSTN), base transceiver stations (BTS) and radio telephone subscriber units often referred to as mobile stations.
Each of a plurality of base transceiver stations generally defines a geographic region or cell proximate to the BTS to produce coverage areas. Cell sizes range typically from 200 metres in diameter in urban areas to 60 kilometres in rural areas. Each BTS comprises the radio frequency components and the antenna for communicating with the mobile stations. The communication link from a BTS to a mobile station is called the downlink. Conversely, the communication link from the mobile station to the BTS is referred to as the uplink. Usually, several base transceiver stations are under the control of a base station controller (BSC) which in turn communicates directly by a land line or microwave link with an MSC. Several base station controllers may report to one MSC.
Multiple access techniques permit the simultaneous transmissions from several mobile stations to a single BTS. The GSM system (global system for mobile communications) uses time division multiple access (TDMA), in which a communications channel consists of a time slot in a periodic train of time intervals over the same frequency. Each mobile station is allocated one specific time slot for communication with a BTS in a repeating time frame. Another type of multiple access technique, and one proposed for the third generation universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) is known as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) which employs spread spectrum signaling. Individual users in the CDMA communications network use the same RF carrier frequency, but are separated by the use of individual spreading codes. Hence, multiple communications channels are allocated using a plurality of spreading codes within the portion of radio spectrum, each code being uniquely assigned to a mobile station. Further schemes involve combinations of both TDMA and CDMA.
By means of the aforementioned network components, a cellular network is able to (amongst other things) monitor the number of calls made by a mobile station, control the handover of the communications link from the mobile station to the base transceiver stations as it moves from one cell to another, calculate the round trip time (often referred to as the timing advance) of the communications link between the mobile station and the BTS and track a mobile station""s location within the network by means of a location update sequence.
As the mobile station moves from one cell to the next, in a GSM network, for example, the communication link is transferred from its current BTS to a neighbouring BTS using a procedure known as handover or handoff. The need for handover is usually determined on the basis of one or more criteria. Commonly used criteria are received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the mobile station at the BTS, the distance from the current BTS as determined by the round trip time for signals to and from the mobile station and the bit error rate (BER).
There is a variety of methods by which a handover process can be initiated. Firstly, processes for initiating handover may make measurements on the uplink and downlink between the mobile station and the BTS and initiate handover when received signal levels, received quality levels or the timing advance (based on the round trip time) values separately exceed thresholds. Alternatively, processes for initiating handover may compare measurements of received signal strength with received quality to deduce that bad quality may be the result of interference. Further, processes for initiating handover may additionally make measurements from a number of neighbour cells and initiate handover based on the relative level of the signal received from the serving cell and from the neighbour cells. There is a finite limit to the number of mobile stations that a single BTS can support at any given time. Sometimes the demand can exceed this limit and the cell supported by the BTS then becomes congested.
A handover can also be initiated even when the mobile station is not moving between cells. This type of handover is referred to as a traffic handover and occurs when a serving cell is congested and a neighbouring cell is not. If the neighbour cell""s coverage overlaps with the serving cell""s, then handing over some individual calls from the congested cell to a less congested cell improves the situation temporarily in the congested one.
In a third scenario, a mobile station may be moving out of a cell controlled by a TDMA-operated network into a cell controlled by a CDMA-operated network, thereby requiring handover between two different multiple-access systems. One example of an arrangement for handing over an individual call between two such systems is described in the Applicant""s co-pending Application WO-A-9623369.
If many mobile stations have to perform a handover during a short period of time, in order to de-congest an overloaded cell, for example, using one of the known aforementioned methods has a disadvantage of requiring a large signaling overhead. Further, in order not to degrade communications quality, the handover processes should be time-offset, therefore, the entire process takes a significant amount of time to complete. In the particular case of simultaneous multiple handovers from a UMTS to GSM system, many users would need to switch to a slotted mode of operation, consequently needing to increase their transmit power, thereby increasing battery power consumption and their contribution to interference to other users.
This invention aims to provide a mechanism for handing over a group of calls in progress so that congestion can be relieved in a given cell.
The invention further aims to facilitate handover between cells operating within the same network, e.g. GSM or between cells operating within different networks e.g. GSM and UMTS.
The invention also aims to facilitate a handover mechanism that can be implemented whether an individual mobile station or group of mobile stations is in motion or not.
The invention also aims to provide a group handover mechanism in which the signaling overhead is kept to a minimum.
Accordingly, the present invention consists of a radio telecommunications system including a base station serving a cell and for communicating with a plurality of mobile stations located within the cell, in which the system further includes;
means for monitoring a characteristic of transmissions between the base station and each mobile station,
means for clustering into a group those mobile stations whose monitored characteristic meets a pre-determined first criterion,
means for establishing a first communications link between the base station and all the mobile stations comprising the group,
means for monitoring the cell parameter and for detecting when the parameter meets a predetermined second criterion,
means for transmitting a handover signal when the cell parameter meets the second criterion,
and means for establishing a second communications link and severing the first communications link in response to the handover signal.
The base station may comprise a BTS as previously described.
The means for monitoring a characteristic of transmissions may be located in a mobile station and/or in a BSC, a BTS or an MSC.
The means for monitoring a cell parameter may be located in a BTS, a BSC or an MSC.
The means for clustering may be located at a BTS, a BSC or an MSC.
The cell parameter may be the loading of the cell, the amount of resource available, available capacity or interference levels for example. If, for instance, the cell becomes congested to a point where the loading reaches a pre-set threshold, then a group handover is triggered.
The characteristic of the monitored transmissions between the base station and the mobile station may be, for example, the strength of a transmitted or received signal, signal quality, quality of service, bit error rate or timing advance or can relate to whether the transmissions are speech or some other form of data such as facsimile for example.
Mobile stations may be grouped according to whether they lie within a particular region of the cell, the region being defined by signal power measurements, for example. Alternatively, those mobile stations which are transmitting and receiving speech rather than some other form of data are clustered into the same group.
Some or all of the mobile stations may effect a handover from the first communications link to the second, depending on network status and requirements.
The invention supports both intra-system group handover and inter-system group handover. For example, if the base station has been configured to support communication on two frequencies, the invention allows group handover from one frequency to the other. Further, the invention allows all mobile stations in a group to be handed over to another base station which may form part of the same or even a different network. Thus, the second communications link may be a new link with the base station on a different frequency or it may be a link with a different base station. For example, the invention can enable handovers between TDD and FDD (frequency division duplex) systems and TDD and GSM systems.
Advantageously, the invention allows group handover to occur with the minimum of signaling by virtue of the grouping procedure and the transmission of a single handover instruction to all mobile stations.
The invention can be utilised for simultaneously handing over a group of mobile stations which are in a common transportation platform such as a train.
The invention enables populations of MS""s to be exchanged between resources. This feature can be of a great benefit to network planners. For example, say an operator controls GSM and UMTS in FDD (frequency division duplex) mode. In certain circumstances, it may be beneficial to move, simultaneously, many mobile stations from one system to another in order to admit further calls. For instance if many voice callers are present on the UMTS FDD system, it can be useful to switch them over to GSM. The invention permits this with the minimum of signaling and time delay.
In one embodiment, the handover procedure is governed entirely by the base station which sends a handover signal to only those mobile stations in the clustered group.
In an alternative embodiment, all mobile stations within the cell receive a handover command from the base station and each mobile station plays a more active role by identifying whether or not it falls into the clustered group.
The clustered group may be confined between two threshold values. For example, the group could comprise those mobile stations whose received (uplink) power transmissions lie between two preset levels.

Group handover in a cellular communications network


Automated analysis of user search behavior is provided. Data on user searches is maintained in a user search database. Relevance factors are determined for each search result included in a given search session where the relevance factors provide an indication of user satisfaction with particular search results included in the session. The relevance factors for each search result are analyzed by a relevance classification module for classifying each search result in terms of its relevance to an associated search query. The result of the relevance classification may assign a relevance classification and associated confidence level to each analyzed search result as to whether the search result is acceptable, unacceptable or partially acceptable relative to the search query that resulted in the search result. Relevance classifications for each analyzed search result may be stored for future use, for example, for diagnostic analysis of the operation of a given search mechanism.

With the advent of search functions across distributed computing networks, such as the Internet, a variety of searchable assets, for example, web pages, websites, and associated content, are available to searching users. Providers of such content and providers of search mechanisms, such as Internet browsing applications, often desire user feedback on how acceptable or useful a given web asset is in relation to an associated search query. For example, a developer of a web browsing application may desire user feedback on the acceptability and quality of search results provided in response to associated search queries so that the developer may improve the search functionality of the web browsing application. Prior systems have relied on explicit feedback from searching users, but unfortunately, a very small number of users typically respond to requests for explicit feedback, and thus, the small quantity of feedback responses may cause the reliability of such feedback to be suspect. Prior systems have also relied on click-through information, including information on whether a user actually selects a given search result and/or selects additional items in a given search result, but whether a user selects a given search result and any additional items in a given search result may not be indicative of satisfaction with the selected search result.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.


An electronic interface is provided and includes a shield having a first shield element, a second shield element, and a connection section. The second shield element is spaced apart from the first shield element along a length of the shield and has a width different than a width of the first shield element. The connection section electrically connects the first shield element and the second shield element.

A large number of electronic connectors are known in electrical engineering and electronics that are used to transmit electrical signals or voltages and optionally electrical currents with the largest possible range of voltages, data rates or frequencies and optionally electrical currents. In particular, in the automotive sector, electronic interfaces for such connections must permanently ensure correct transmission of electronic signals or data and optionally electrical power with significant temperature loading in a passenger compartment with a large number of insertion cycles.
Such known electronic interfaces can be fitted to an electronic cable or to/in an electronic device, generally a printed circuit board or a card, of an electrical, electronic or electro-optical device. If the interface is located on a cable, it is usually referred to as a (floating) plug type and/or socket connector, or a connector or a coupling; if the interface is located on/in an electronic device of an apparatus, it is usually referred to as a flush type contact device or a flush type socket, also referred to as a header.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaces are currently popular. Accordingly, reference is made to USB connectors, for example, the increasingly popular mini-USB or micro-USB connectors or interfaces. Furthermore, other interfaces such as, for example, DVI, SDI, DisplayPort, etcetera, are naturally known.
Attempts have been made to improve USB interfaces or connectors and, in particular, USB interfaces or connectors having greater electromagnetic shielding. For example, mini-USB and micro-USB interfaces have a greater dimension in at least one transverse direction than an interface region of the same interface in the same transverse direction owing to an increase in spacings between the contact elements in a base region. Accordingly, such a design results in two-part shielding. Other known shielding techniques, which shielding that are connected along one side between the base region and the interface region. In both known designs, a significant empty space, generally a slot, of approximately 270° in a peripheral direction exists between the base region and the interface region of the shielding, which has a negative effect on shielding quality and consequently a negative effect on a data transmission rate of the interface.


In a battery cooling device for cooling a battery with cooling air from a cooling unit, such as a cooling fan, the cooling fan is not to be driven more than necessary. A cooling air flow control unit calculates a battery temperature change rate indicating an amount of change in battery temperature over a predetermined time based on the battery temperature, and if the calculated battery temperature change rate satisfies a predetermined suppression control condition, the cooling air flow of the cooling fan is suppressed regardless of whether or not the battery temperature is at or below a reference temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for cooling a battery by blowing air, such as from a cooling fan.
2. Description of the Related Art
Batteries are known to generate Joule heat when being charged or discharged. To prevent an excessive rise in battery temperature due to Joule heat, known battery cooling devices cool batteries by blowing cooling air from a cooling fan.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-92347 discloses a battery cooling device for controlling the drive of a cooling fan on the basis of an estimated internal temperature by estimating the internal temperature of a battery on the basis of the surface temperature of the battery and the calorific value of the battery. The battery cooling device in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-92347 continues to drive the cooling fan until the internal temperature of the battery drops to a predetermined temperature.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-64598 discloses a battery cooling device for controlling a cooling fan on the basis of the battery temperature and the battery temperature time change rate. As shown in the cooling fan control maps in FIGS. 4, 8 and 13 in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-64598, the battery control device in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-64598 continues to drive the cooling fan if the battery temperature is high even with a low battery temperature time change rate. That is, the battery cooling device in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-64598 also continues to drive the cooling fan unless the battery temperature drops to a predetermined temperature.
In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-63689 discloses a battery cooling control device for controlling a cooling fan on the basis of the battery temperature and the cooling air temperature. The battery cooling control device in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-63689 prevents the battery from being cooled more than necessary by reducing the air flow of the cooling fan in the case when the difference between the battery temperature and the cooling air temperature is large and the cooling air temperature is low. However, the battery cooling control device in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-63689 also continues to drive the cooling fan unless the battery temperature drops to a predetermined temperature.
Thus, the devices disclosed in the patent documents continue to drive the cooling fan unless the battery temperature drops to a predetermined temperature.

Battery cooling device, battery cooling air flow control device, and computer readable medium


The present invention relates to an exhaust denitration device for a diesel engine, which can sufficiently clean NOx under a wide-range of engine operating conditions. To this end, a diesel engine fuel is used as a reducing agent, and a plurality of supply means (5, 6) for supplying the reducing agent fuel are provided at locations between the cylinders of the diesel engine (1) and a catalyst bed (4). In addition, in the case of the diesel engine (1) with an exhaust turbocharger, the first supply means (5) is disposed between an exhaust valve of the diesel engine (1) and an inlet of a turbine (3) of the exhaust turbocharger, and the second supply means (6) is disposed between an outlet of the turbine (3) and the catalyst bed (4).

Hitherto, in reducing NOx from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine, a method has been adopted in which the exhaust gas temperature is increased to the range of 300 to 400.degree. C., ammonia and urea each having the same number of moles as that of NOx are added to the exhaust gas, and after the addition, the NOx is brought into contact with a vanadium/titania catalyst and a zeolite catalyst so as to be reduced and decomposed to N.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O. This method, however, requires an additional preparation of ammonia or urea, and may cause secondary environmental pollution if too much ammonia or urea is added. Thus, to solve such problems, a method has been developed in which the hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas are forcibly enriched, and then the NOx in the exhaust gas is reduced and removed by transition metal-supporting metallosilicate catalysts including a copper/zeolite catalyst, or by transition metal-supporting alumina series composite oxide catalysts including a copper/alumina catalyst.
As methods of enriching the hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas, a method of adding a fuel into a suction pipe of an engine (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-358715), a method in which the timing of the main fuel injection is shifted and a small amount of the fuel is separately injected into the engine cylinders (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-253713), and a method of directly adding fuel or a special hydrocarbon into an exhaust pipe are included. In addition, as techniques for removing NOx by adding a hydrocarbon, which becomes a reducing agent, into the exhaust pipe, a method in which the hydrocarbon-added exhaust gas is guided to a catalyst bed so as to be reduced (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-358716), and a method in which a reducing agent hydrocarbon-added exhaust gas is cooled and guided to the catalyst bed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-44445), etc., have been known.
However, in the case of a catalytic reaction in which NOx is cleaned by using a hydrocarbon as a reducing agent, the catalyst operating temperature is limited to the range of approximately 300 to 500.degree. C., although it varies with the type of catalyst and reducing agent. Particularly, if the catalyst and the reducing agent hydrocarbon used are limited to one type, respectively, the temperature range is further narrowed.
Thus, to extend the operating temperature range of the catalyst, various methods have been devised. One of them is a method, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-146870, in which a plurality of catalysts having different operating temperature ranges are disposed in series, and a cooling gas is injected over the catalysts so as to control the exhaust gas temperature to be in a range of high reduction efficiency. However, this exhaust gas cleaning device is not practical, because it encounters problems in that the volume of the catalyst and the pressure loss increase. In addition, a method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-108825) has been known in which a hydrocarbon, which is a fuel, is used as a reducing agent, and is previously decomposed and modified by a cracking catalyst, etc., and then added to the exhaust gas. This method, however, encounters problems of bad decomposition performance of the cracking catalyst, and of bad follow-up properties to variations in the engine load. Further, a method of cooling and controlling the exhaust gas temperature using a heat exchanger (the above-described Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-44445) is not practical because it encounters a problem in that soot adheres to a cooling water pipe to block the exhaust pipe, and requires frequent cleaning.
As described above, in cleaning NOx under an extension of the catalyst operating temperature range, i.e., under a wide-range of engine operating conditions, there are many outstanding problems.

Exhaust denitration device for diesel engine


A switching controller of power converter according to the present invention comprises a PWM circuit and a burst-mode management circuit to reduce the power loss and the acoustic noise of the power converter at light-load. The PWM circuit generates a PWM signal. The burst-mode management circuit receives the PWM signal to generate a switching signal for generating a switching current and regulating the output of the power converter. The burst-mode management circuit further generates a current-limit signal in response to the output of the power converter to limit the switching current for reducing the power loss and the acoustic noise of the power converter when the power converter is at light-load.

1. Filed of Invention
The present invention relates to power converters, and more particularly, to the control of power converters.
2. Description of Related Art
The switching controller is an integrated circuit used in the power converter to control and regulate the switching duty-cycle. Being subject to environmental regulations, the power system design of computers and other electrical products have been required to meet the power management and energy conservation standards. For the power management application in the power converter, how to reduce the power loss and acoustic noise in light-load and no-load condition is a main concern.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power converter. The power converter comprises a transformer 10 having a primary winding NP and a secondary winding NS. The primary winding NP is coupled to an input voltage VIN. The secondary winding NS generates an output voltage VO via an output rectifier 40 and an output capacitor 45. The output rectifier 40 is coupled to a first terminal of the secondary winding NS. The output capacitor 45 is coupled to a second terminal of the secondary winding NS and the output rectifier 40. In order to regulate the output voltage VO, a switching controller 100 generates a switching signal SOUT at an output terminal OUT to switch the transformer 10 via a power switch 20. The power switch 20 is coupled to the primary winding NP. When the power switch 20 is turned on, the input voltage VIN is applied to magnetize the transformer 10. A switching current IS therefore flows through the primary winding NP of the transformer 10 and the power switch 20. Through a current-sense device 30, the switching current IS is converted to a current signal VI coupled to a current sense terminal VS of the switching controller 100. The current-sense device 30 is coupled between the power switch 20 and a ground.
A feedback voltage VFB coupled to a feedback terminal FB of the switching controller 100 is derived from an output of an optical-coupler 60. An input of the optical-coupler 60 is connected to the output voltage VO of the power converter through a resistor 51 and a zener diode 50 to form a voltage feedback loop. Once the switching signal SOUT is disabled and the power switch 20 is turned off, the demagnetizing of the transformer 10 is started. The energy stored into the transformer 10 is delivered to the secondary winding NS during the demagnetizing of the transformer 10. Decreasing the switching frequency or stopping (burst) the switching of the power converter will reduce the power loss at the light-load of power converter. However, the transformer 10 of the power converter might generate acoustic noise if the switching frequency of the power converter falls into the audio band. Following equation shows a magnetic force F generated by the switching current IS in the transformer 10.F=B×l×N×IS where B: flux density; l: conductor length; N: winding-turns.Refer to the above equation, we can find limiting the switching current IS can limit the magnetic force F and reduce the acoustic noise.

Switching controller with burst mode management circuit to reduce power loss and acoustic noise of power converter


A risk assessment and managed security system for network users provides security services for dealing with formidable cyber threats, malware creations and phishing techniques. Automated solutions in combination with human-driven solutions establish an always-alert positioning for incident anticipation, mitigation, discovery and response. A proactive, intelligence-driven and customized approach is taken to protect network users. Assessments of threats are made before and after a breach. Cyber threats are identified in advance of a resulting network problem, and automated analysis locates the threats and stops them from having an adverse effect. Humans can focus on the high-level view, instead of looking at every single potential problem area. Troubling patterns may be reviewed within the network environment to identify issues. Cyber analysis is conducted to provide a baseline over time via statistically proven, predictive models that anticipate vulnerabilities brought on by social-media usage, Web surfing and other behaviors that invite risk.

As is well known in the art, Internet users and organizations must keep up with today's increasingly formidable cyber threats, as a dizzying array of malware creations and phishing techniques continue to grow in sophistication and sheer numbers. There is a need for a combination of automated and human-driven solutions to establish always-alert positioning for incident anticipation, mitigation, discovery and response. While nearly all Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) look only for red lights and then simply pass this information along to customers, it is desirable to have systems and methods that take a proactive, intelligence-driven and customized approach to protect network users from even the most intricately conceived threats.

Automated internet threat detection and mitigation system and associated methods


A water-soluble film which comprises a saceharide component and a vinyl alcohol resin component, where the vinyl alcohol resin may include functional comonomer units such as sulfonic acid functional groups or salts thereof. Preferred are polyvinyl alcohol/2-methylacrylamido-2 methyl propane sulfonic acid resins (PVOH/AMPS) which may be purchased commercially with relatively higher or relatively lower characteristic viscosity. The films exhibit superior resistance to aggressive oxidizing chemicals and remain soluble in water after prolonged exposure thereto. The films are particularly useful for unit-dose packaging of chlorine-containing pool chemicals, such as trichloroisocyanuric acid.

It is known in the art to package chemical agents in water soluble unit dose packages, whereby a package is thrown into water so that the contents disperse in the water as the packaging film dissolves. Water soluble unit dose packaging is advantageous in applications which employ hazardous chemicals as are found in, for example, agrochemicals, bleaching agents, laundry detergents, industrial chemicals, pool chemicals, and the like. Water soluble packaging allows a user to employ the hazardous substances without coming into direct contact with dangerous chemicals. Additionally, unit dose packaging obviates the need for the user to measure the chemicals since each dose is pre-packaged.
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) films have been used in the art to form unit dose packages, because the films exhibit good strength, impact resistance, and are soluble in water. Unfortunately, however, the solubility of PVOH films rapidly decreases when they are exposed to certain chemicals such as oxidizing chemicals, acid chemicals, akali chemicals, chlorine-containing substances, salts with polyvalent metals, boric acid, polyamines, insecticides, herbicides, among others. Thus, in applications which employ these types of chemicals, the use of PVOH packaging is impractical as the effective shelf-lifes of the unit dose products are limited by their solubility in water.
Various approaches to improve the chemical resistance of PVOH films are described in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,956,070 to Fujiwara et al. entitled "Water-Soluble Film and Package Using the Same," describes a water-soluble polymer film for use as unit dose packaging where the film includes a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer which contains N-vinylamide monomer units in amounts of from 1 to 10 mol percent. The PVOH copolymer may further include carboxyl functional groups or alkali metal salts thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,608,121 to Isozaki et al. entitled "Water-Soluble Resin Composition and Water-Soluble Film" discloses a PVOH based film for unit dose packaging, where the PVOH resin is formulated with a plasticizer and a starch component. The films in Isozaki et al. are reported to exhibit good physical properties and have acceptable water solubility after prolonged exposure to alkali substances.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,117 to Miyazaki entitled "Water-Soluble Film" relates to a film for packaging chemical substances, where the film includes a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer which contains sulfonic acid functional monomer units, which are typically acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate (AMPS) units. The film further includes gallic acid or salts of gallic acid. According to Miyazaki, the water-solubility of the films does not diminish with prolonged exposure to acidic chemicals, chlorine-containing chemicals, or agricultural chemicals.
A similar approach is disclosed in Japanese Abstract 7-118407 to Miyazki entitled "Agricultural Packaging Film" which discloses water-soluble unit dose packaging which includes a polyvinyl alcohol resin that is modified with sulfonic acid containing monomers. The sulfonic acid units are preferably AMPS monomers or salts thereof, and may be included in the copolymer in amounts of from 0.1 to 20 mole percent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,512 to Verrall et al. entitled "Water-Soluble Copolymer Film Packet," relates to a water-soluble film which includes a vinyl alcohol copolymer. The copolymers in Verrall et al. may include either carboxylate functional units or sulfonate functional units, and the films are stated to be useful as unit dose packaging for liquid laundry detergents.
The use of sulfonic acid modified PVOH films for packaging hypochlorite salts and harsh acids is described in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/147,910 to Vicari entitled "Vinyl Alcohol Copolymers for Use in Aqueous Dispersions and Melt Extruded Articles" (US Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0222355). According to that application, the modified PVOH copolymer is generally produced according to a unique process which allows for a high content of polymerized AMPS in the polymer backbone.
Other references of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,821,590 and 7,005,168, both to Verrall et al.
While the above noted approaches provide improved films for use with certain chemicals, the present Applicants have discovered that many of the modified films still exhibit a rapid reduction in solubility when exposed to aggressive oxidizing agents, and in particular chemicals that are useful for chlorinating water such as chlorinated isocyanurates. When exposed to these types of compounds, most PVOH film formulations (including those with PVOH copolymers) show a significant decline in water solubility, in some cases becoming effectively insoluble in less than a week. This is unacceptable for most unit dosing applications, where shelf-lifes of two months or more may be desired. Accordingly, there exists a need for a polymeric film which has excellent water solubility even after prolonged exposure to aggressive oxidizing agents. Further, the film should exhibit good strength properties and should resist discoloration over time.

Polyvinyl alcohol films with improved resistance to oxidizing chemicals

Sekisui Specialty Chemicals America, LLC


The present invention intends to provide a receiver for a disk in which a disk can be easily attached or detached and a light weight and low costs can be realized because the structure is simple and which is convenient to be held and carried because of being not bulky. According to the invention, the receiver for the storage medium disk is formed in such a manner that as an adhesive layer having adhesive properties, for example, a silicone resin layer whose surface is smooth is laminated onto one or both surfaces of a base plate, thereby forming a disk receiving portion and the storage medium disk is closely adhered to the disk receiving portion so as to be held. It is desired that the silicone resin layer is made of a silicone resin having a hardness of 20 to 70 degrees via a primer. A lid portion whose size is almost equal to that of the base plate can be also connected to the disk receiving portion. When two or more disk receiving portions are arranged, it is preferable to structure the disk receiving portions so as to be foldable.

The invention relates to a receiver for a storage medium disk which is suitable for selling and holding a storage medium disk for computer or music such as compact disk, mini disk, CD-ROM, digital video disk, and laser disk.
Hitherto, as a case for selling and holding a compact disk or the like, a case having a structure constructed in such a manner that a main body and a lid which have been generally formed by synthetic resin are movably connected and a tray for receiving a disk is fitted on the inside of the main body has been used. FIG. 8 shows an example of a conventional case for receiving a compact disk. A case 1 for receiving comprises: a main body 3; a lid 5 which is movably connected to the main body 3 by a hinge mechanism; and a tray 7 for receiving a disk which is fitted into the main body 3. The main body 3 is formed by providing a side wall 10 on a rim of a plate portion 9. As for the side wall 10, the side wall which vertically intersects the hinge mechanism is provided so as to be deviated inside from a side surface 11 of the plate portion 9, so that the side wall 10 is fitted into the inside of the lid 5. A plurality of notches 13 are provided in the upper portion of the side wall 10.
The lid 5 is formed by setting side walls 17 so as to stand on edges of a plate portion 15. End portions of the side walls 17 on the side of the plate portion 9 are formed so as to be projected from the plate portion 15. Projections 19 provided on the inside of the side walls 17 are movably fitted into holes provided in the side wall 10, thereby assembling the case. The hinge mechanism is constructed by movably inserting the projections 19 into the holes of the side wall 10, so that the main body 3 and the lid 5 can be moved by using the projections 19 as axes. A folded portion 20 is provided on an edge of the lid 5 on the side of the main body 3. Tabs 21 are provided so as to be projected in the internal surfaces of the side walls 17. Printed papers displaying a title, explanations, and the like are held by the folded portion 20 and the tabs 21.
In the tray 7 for receiving the disk , a disk holding portion 25 is provided so as to be projected on the center portion of a concave portion 23 for receiving a disk. The disk holding portion 25 is fitted into a hole of a disk, thereby fixing the disk. The portion 25 also keeps a recording surface of the disk to be out of contact in a floating state. The tray 7 for receiving the disk with the foregoing construction is fitted into the main body 3, so that they are assembled so as to be united.
As mentioned above, in the conventional case for receiving a compact disk, since the disk holding portion 25 for fixing the disk is provided so as to be projected, the thickness of main body 3 becomes thicker by only the height of disk holding portion 25. Although a case having a structure constructed in such a manner that the main body 3 and the tray 7 for receiving the disk are united has been known, a thickness as much as the height of disk holding portion 25 is needed. Therefore, when the disk is sold or held, a large space is needed and it is inconvenient for carrying.
When the disk holding portion 25 is broken, it cannot be used as a case.
There is a problem such that since the case is made of synthetic resin, when the user carelessly drops it, it is easily broken.
Further, in addition to the above-mentioned case, a bag has also been used to receive a disk. Although the bag is cheap, it is inconvenient for taking the disk in and out. Further, there is also a fear that dusts and rubbish are adhered to the recording surface of the disk. Since the bag cannot hold the disk in a fixing state, the recording surface of the disk is in contact with the bag, so that the disk cannot be held in a desirable state.


To form in a batch manner a thin-film wiring pattern in high precision over an entire region of a ceramics multilayer wiring board containing distortion and deformation, a correction amount of the ceramics multilayer wiring board (rotation angle and movement amount of position of this ceramics multilayer wiring board) is calculated in a computer by applying, for instance, the least squares method to positional coordinate values of each of the LSI mounting areas of the ceramics multilayer board and also to positional coordinate values corresponding thereto on a photomask. A support apparatus for supporting the multilayer wiring board is controlled based upon the calculated correction amount, so that the multilayer wiring board can be aligned with respect to the photomask.

The present invention generally relates to a method for manufacturing a multilayer wiring board, and a wiring pattern forming apparatus. More specifically, the present invention is directed to such a method for manufacturing a multilayer wiring board and a wiring pattern forming apparatus such that when a large number of LSI mounting areas are provided on a ceramics multilayer wiring board, desirable thin-film wiring patterns are formed by being exposed in a batch mode.
As one of the current attractive LSI mounting (packing) techniques, multilayer wiring boards are utilized on which a large number of LSIs are mounted. In particular, ceramics materials with a supreme thermal (heat) conductivity are employed as board materials, and ceramics multilayer wiring boards constituted by stacking several tens of circuit wiring layers are used (e.g., see Japanese magazine "THIN-FILM HANDBOOK" issued by Ohm publishing firm on May 30, 1988).
Now, a description will be made of a method for manufacturing a ceramics multilayer wiring board.
Either oxide such as alumina powder, murite powder, and glass powder, or a mixture of carbide powder and nitride powder is mixed with an organic polymer material together with a solving agent and plasticizer to thereby form slurry.
Subsequently, after the slurry is defoamed and the viscosity coefficient thereof is adjusted under reduced pressure, the resultant slurry is processed by a sheet forming apparatus so as to have a predetermined thickness and a predetermined width, and the solving agent is vaporized by way of a drying process, so that a flexible ceramics green sheet is formed.
A through hole is formed in the formed ceramics green sheet by using a punch, or laser. Thick-film paste made of metal powder and a viscosity fluid is printed on this through hole and a surface of the ceramics green sheet by employing a printing screen having a desirable opening. A conductive material is filled into the through hole, and a circuit pattern of a conductive film is formed on the surface of the ceramics green sheet.
Several tens of sheets are stacked in accordance with the patterns of the circuit layers to be stacked.
Pressure is applied to the above-described sheet-stacked layer, and then this sheet-stacked layer is heated at temperatures from 100.degree. C. to 200.degree. C., so that the sheets are adhered to each other by utilizing thermoplasticity of the organic polymer material contained in the sheets, and thus a sheet crimp member is manufactured.
Thereafter, the sheet crimp member is further heated at high temperatures from 900.degree. C. to 1,700.degree. C. so as to vaporize the organic polymer materials for constituting the sheet material and the film pattern material, and also the solving agent. Also, the ceramics powder for constituting the sheet material, and the metal powder for constituting the film pattern are sintered to thereby constitute the ceramics multilayer wiring board.
Then, after a desirable thin-film outer wiring pattern has been formed on the surface of this ceramics multilayer wiring board, a large number of LSI chips are arranged on this board and is mounted in high density. These LSI chips are mutually connected by the multilayer wiring patterns formed inside the board, and the outer wiring patterns formed on the surface of the board.
When a thin-film wiring pattern is formed, after photoresist is coated on the multilayer wiring board, the photoresist-coated multilayer wiring board is exposed in a photomask pattern shape by utilizing a photomask having a predetermined opening portion, and then the photoresist of the exposed portion is removed to thereby form an organic insulating film. Under such a circumstance, to form the external wiring pattern in higher precision, the photomask must be correctly aligned with respect to the multilayer wiring board. In general, when this sort of alignment is carried out, through holes formed in two corners, or four corners of an outer edge of a board are used as target marks, and these target marks are aligned with target marks of a photomask.
In the ceramics sintering step, unwanted distortion or unwanted deformation will occur in the fabricated multilayer wiring board. As a consequence, in accordance with the conventional alignment method, although positional shifts of the patterns located near the alignment through holes for the board are small, positional shifts of the patterns located apart from the through holes are large. It is practically difficult to eliminate the large positional shifts.
On the other hand, this sort of problem may be avoided by employing the split exposure method, and the step exposure method. In this split exposure method, the board is split into a plurality of regions, the alignment process operations are carried out with respect to each of these split regions, and then the photomask patterns are exposed. In the step exposure method, the photomask patterns are successively exposed in a predetermined pitch. However, these conventional exposure methods own such problems that since the manufacturing steps are considerably increased, higher cost is necessarily required.

Method for manufacturing multilayer wiring board and wiring pattern forming apparatus


A portable device repair machine may be configured to receive portable devices, identify the portable device, diagnose, repair and/or upgrade the portable device, collect payment for the service and return the portable device to the payee. The portable device repair machine may include an audio/video interface for interaction with a portable device user as well as a mechanized connection, inspection, diagnostic and upgrade system. The mechanized connection, inspection, diagnostic and upgrade system may comprise a conveyance mechanism for conveying the portable device among multiple stations such as a physical inspection station, device connection mechanism station, diagnostic, repair and upgrade station, and a physical upgrade station. Various mechanical devices, such as robotic arms may interact with the portable device, based in part on feedback obtained via various image sensors within the portable device repair machine.

Non-mobile phones have been disposable items that do not warrant repair. That is, for some time now, if a non-mobile phone stopped working, it was less expensive and much more expedient to purchase another non-mobile phone than to have the non-mobile phone repaired.
Somewhat similarly, the most basic mobile phones have also become relatively disposable. On the other hand, smart phones and other higher-end portable multifunction devices remain relatively expensive to replace wholesale. However, custom, manual repair work for such devices can also be expensive as well as time consuming and inconvenient. What is needed is a convenient, less expensive, automated service for today's portable multifunction devices.
While embodiments are described herein by way of example for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words "include," "including," and "includes" mean including, but not limited to.

Device for mechanized automation of diagnostics and upgrades for portable multifunction devices


A flexible intramedullary nail is disclosed that is manufactured from a biocompatible rigid material and having a substantially cylindrical hollow body, a leading segment with an entry hole at a distal end and at least one securing means and a trailing segment having a trailing edge and an attachment mechanism. The body has at least one flexible center section, each having at least one slot to provide flexibility. In one embodiment the at least one slot follows a sinuous, serpentine path to form a plurality of interlocking teeth that can follow a helical or a concentric path. Each of the slots has a proximal end and a distal end, with the proximal end being spaced from the trailing segment and the distal end being spaced from the leading segment. When multiple slots are incorporated, the proximal end of a slot is spaced from a distal end of a subsequent slot. The first of the at least one flexible center section and a second of the at least one flexible center section can be separated by a non-slotted section. The nail can be used with a flexible insertion shaft or a locking shaft.

Long bones are those greatly elongated bones such as the femur or tibia that are found in a human or in an animal. When a long bone is fractured, the surgeon immobilizes the various bone segments relative to one another to promote healing of the fracture. The immobilization or fixation of the segments is accomplished by the use of one or more rigid devices that span the fracture site and are located either external to the body or internally on the bone surface or inside the bone canal.
This invention of a flexible intramedullary fixation device was first proposed and submitted to the National Institutes of Health as a Small Business Innovation Research proposal "Retrograde Femoral Reconstruction Fixation System" on Aug. 14, 1997 and assigned Application Number 1 R43 AR45345-01. A revised application, #1R43 AR45345-01A1 was resubmitted on Apr. 14, 1998. The applications describe a flexible intramedullary nail that is inserted into the medullary canal of a long bone to align and stabilize the fracture by providing proximal and distal locking.
External fixation devices are typically located outside of the body, with the only components that enter the body and bone being metal pins. One such external device is known as a Hoffmann device. Another such device is known as a Brooker frame. Both are characterized by plural pins lodged in each bone segment. The pins are oriented transversely to the bone and exit the body. Frames that are exterior to the body connect the pins together. External devices not only prohibit movement of the bone segments relative to one another, but they also provide longitudinal compressive force on the bone segments, causing the segments to contact one another at the fracture site. Such compressive contact between the bone segments is desirable because it creates a physiological stimulus to unite the bone segments. However, external devices have many problems. External devices are difficult to manipulate to achieve the desired compressive force. Also, once the devices are set in the desired position, they can be inadvertently manipulated. Furthermore, external devices are inconvenient for the patient and present an increased chance of infection along the metal pins that penetrate the skin and underlying tissue.
Internal fixation devices include either cortical plates which are located on the exterior of the bone cortex or intramedullary nails which are located in the bone's intramedullary canal. The cortical plates are implanted surgically in a single operation and usually require an extensive operative procedure and exposure of the bone. Cortical plates, which are fastened to the bone cortex by screws, can apply slight compression to the bone segments. However, cortical plates are applied at the fracture site, carry the risk of infection and excessive blood loss and require extensive surgical exposure. Intramedullary nails are stainless steel or titanium rods that are inserted within the central, medullary canal of the bone, span the fracture site and are locked in place above and below using screws. The nail can be either driven from the proximal end to the distal end (antegrade) or from the distal end to the proximal end (retrograde). Prior art nails include Schneider nails, Kuntscher nails and Ender nails. Schneider nails are longitudinally fluted rods with small teeth on the ends. The teeth allow a trough to be cut as the nail is driven down the canal. Kuntscher nails are hollow rods with longitudinal flutes. Intramedullary nails range in diameter from 9 to 16 millimeters in diameter. Ender nails are flexible rods 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter or diamond shaped rods that may be curved. Intramedullary nails reduce the risk of infection since there is no continued penetration of the skin and are inserted away from the fracture site. Intramedullary nails also prevent inadvertent manipulation. However, prior art intramedullary nails fail to provide compressive force along the length of the bone.
The use of intramedullary nails or rods has become the standard method for the treatment of fractures, malunions and non-unions of long bones, i.e., the femur and tibia in the lower extremities and the humerus, radius and ulna in the upper extremities. The typical surgical procedure for such treatment involves the insertion or implantation of a nail or rod into the intramedullary canal of the subject bones such that the nail spans the fracture(s) and/or non-union or malunion. Interlocking screws are then placed through bores or apertures within the intramedullary nail, interlocking with the nail and extending through the bone on both sides of the treatment site. As such, the bone and/or bone fragments are stabilized and immobilized against rotational and lateral movement in order to allow the bone to properly set and heal, and to prevent displacement of the fracture during the healing process.
Moreover, intramedullary nails have consisted of relatively rigid structures inserted into relatively curved bones such as the femur, tibia, humerus and radius. These fixation rods have relationships between their bending and torsional rigidities that are substantially different from those of the intended intact long bone. This can result in shielding the fracture from the natural loading stresses and inhibiting callus formation. In addition, the intramedullary nails are manufactured in a pre-bent configuration to supposedly to match the curvature of the intended long bone but variation of natural curvature and there is typically a double curvature to the long bone cause a mis-match in curvature. This mis-match in curvature can cause great difficulty for the surgeon to insert the nail down the intramedullary canal or causes the bone to conform the curvature of the nail leading to malreduction or unsatisfactory positioning of the fracture fragments.
Retrograde intramedullary nailing, first described by Harris in 1980, has become common recently. For critical patients with multiple injuries, femoral shaft fractures can be stabilized quickly and efficiently, and bilateral lower extremity injuries can be treated simultaneously in the supine position. Although the absolute indications for the use of retrograde nails are still the subject of some debate, relative indications include morbid obesity, multisystem trauma, ipsilateral floating knee and/or tibia injuries, bilateral femur fractures, ipsilateral acetabulum and/or femoral neck fractures, uncontaminated traumatic knee arthrotomies, through-knee amputations, pelvic ring injuries, pregnancy, gross contamination around the insertion point for antegrade nailing, unstable spine injuries, and multiple fractures. For properly selected cases, limited use of retrograde nailing is recommended by most researchers. Retrograde insertion of a reamed intramedullary titanium nail through an intercondylar approach within the knee joint is used for femoral shaft fractures in most applications. The nail is introduced along an *inserted guide pin and countersunk under the intercondylar notch to preclude the possibility of damage to the patellofemoral joint or other articular structures and resultant late degenerative joint disease. Potential complications associated with retrograde nailing, including knee stiffness or impaired function, quadriceps atrophy, articular or cruciate ligament damage, and septic joint. Researchers have concluded that antegrade and retrograde nailing appear to be comparable as far as union rates and bony fusion latency are concerned.
One of the methods of fixation is fixation with locking retrograde intramedullary nail. It is used in intertrochanteric fractures, FIG. 2. Longer locking retrograde intramedullary nail can be used to fixate complex fractures, combined of distal and middle femoral fractures, or in fractures of the middle and lower parts of the femur, where access with a locking antegrade intramedullary nail is not possible (e.g. in patients with total hip arthroplasty, in non-union proximal femur fractures with implanted osteosynthetic material). The method is very good for fixation of fractures in older patients with a weak bone structure, in cases of pathological factures, and in poly-traumatized patients whose condition allows complete treatment. Locking retrograde intramedullary nail is also used for fixation of corrective supracondylar osteothomy and for fixation of supracondylar fractures in patients with total knee arthroplasty.


A ski guard constructed of high impact absorbing compressible foam shaped into a seamless tubular housing with an elongated substantially flat end plug disposed in one end of the housing. The size of the housing conforming to the shape of the ski, the resiliency of the foam providing necessary expansion for skis providing a skin tight cover to prevent internal sliding and provide an impact cushion area. A housing is placed over the tip and tail portion of the ski providing an impact cushion layer to protect the skis' edges and finish from impacts, scratches, and quick thermal expansion. A binding guard is formed by placement of foam within a fabric bag, the fabric bag fastening the binding guard about the ski bindings by use of a zipper with sealing straps. Two additional ski straps allow the skis to be carried as package in conjunction with a set of ski poles.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to snow skis and, more particularly, to a ski guard that covers and protects snow skis against impact and thermal shock.
2. Background Information
Snow skiing has evolved from rudimentary board sliding to a very technologically advanced recreational and professional sport. Each advancement in safety within the field nearly causes the existing equipment to become obsolete. For instance, evolution has displaced the use of wood skis with the latest in high technology composite materials. Contact surfaces utilize fiberglass composites that eliminate hot waxing providing a near frictionless sliding surface with the snow. The bottom of the skis are edged in steel for superior turning ability. The top of the skis are painted and/or laminated with graphics for consumer appeal. Even the bindings that attach to a skiers foot have improved so quickly that ski bindings over five years old are considered dangerous to the skier's safety.
Despite the current progression in the field, skis are far from disposable as each of the above improvements have accelerated the price of skis as quickly as the technology. For this reason many skiers may keep a set of skis longer the bindings. However, the longevity of the skis is directly dependant upon the care of the skis with most damage occurring during transportation and is the subject of numerous patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,017 issued to Vandagriff discloses a ski caddy having pockets for covering of the ski ends and tips. U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,104 issued to Wirth discloses a ski carrier in the form of a two piece rigid tube. U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,921 issued to Becker provides a flexible bag that can cover and carry skis with the boots mounted thereon as well as the poles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,509 issued to Owen discloses a ski bag having a pleat for protecting the ski edges from touching. U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,073 issued to Jacober discloses a ski carrier for the covering and locking of bindings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,159 issued to Webb discloses a combination container having an individual ski compartment for placement of skis and boots. U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,416 issued to Horne discloses a two piece ski cover to encompass an individual ski including the bindings and boots fastened thereto. U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,233 issued to McKay discloses a flexible cover for each ski having a tip and tail cover and means for fastening the covers together. U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,302 issued to Kohls discloses a foldable ski cover made of flexible material designed to fold upon itself. U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,981 issued to Purple discloses a disposable one piece bag having three pockets, two of which house the skis and a third for ski poles.
All of the above prior art patents cover the skis for transportation purposes in one manner or another. The covers protect skis from salt and moisture by the use of fabric or hard covers. The benefits of a fabric cover include a low cost device that has the ability to accommodate a range of ski sizes and store in a small area when not in use, however the fabric cover provides no impact protection. Conversely, the rigid cover provides superior impact protection, but is limited in accommodating size, cannot be folded into a small storage area, and is prohibitively expensive. The ability of a hard cover to provide impact protection is extremely important as the exotic materials used in present skis have of tendency of masking damage. If a ski is damaged during shipping, the flaw is likely to arise when the skier has placed the ski in a high stress position, placing both life and limb in peril. Damage may arise from any situation where the skis are subject to adverse handling, leaving the fabric cover suitable only for shielding the skis from moisture.
The main problem with hard covers is their inability to be stored or accommodate a range of ski lengths. For example, a 220 cm downhill ski will not fit in a cover designed for 160 cm freestyle ski. Even a 5 cm difference in ski length versus ski cover may render the hard cover useless. Placement of a shorter ski within a larger cover presents a volume of space that may allow the skis to slide internally and the increased size leads to additional problems in storage.
Another problem with the prior art is a result of the skis' use in frigid temperatures while ski storage is typically indoors. The problem arises in the expansion and contraction of dissimilar materials utilized in construction of a ski i.e. metal screws to hold the bindings to a composite ski. When the ski is taken indoors, the composite materials will warm up faster than the metal edging or binding attachment screws. The result is a high stress on the joining sections that may cause premature failure.
Thus what is needed in the art is a low cost soft foldable cover that provides impact resistance of a hard cover and a means to allow for a gradual warming or cooling of the ski equipment to prevent thermal shock. While the prior art sets forth various methodologies for covering skis, no prior is known that provides, either separately or in combination, the teaching, suggestion, or incentive to make a low cost ski guard that is an aesthetically pleasing functional cover that provides the functional impact protection of a hard cover, the flexibility of a soft fabric cover, and the ability to provide thermal shock protection.


The present invention provides a 2-amino-5-heteroaryl-5-phenylimidazolone compound of formula I

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/695,353, filed Jun. 30, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
β-Amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles are two major pathologic characterizations associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Clinically, AD is characterized by the of loss of memory, cognition, reasoning, judgment, and orientation. Also affected, as the disease progresses, are motor, sensory, and linguistic abilities until global impairment of multiple cognitive functions occurs. These cognitive losses take place gradually, but typically lead to severe impairment and eventual death in 4-12 years.
Amyloidogenic plaques and vascular amyloid angiopathy also characterize the brains of patients with Trisomy 21 (Down's Syndrome), Hereditary Cerebral Hemorrhage with Amyloidosis of the Dutch-type (HCHWA-D), and other neurodegenerative disorders. Neurofibrillary tangles also occur in other neurodegenerative disorders including dementia-inducing disorders (Varghese, J., et al, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2003, 46, 4625-4630).
β-amyloid deposits are predominately an aggregate of Aβ peptide, which in turn is a product of the proteolysis of amyloid precursor protein (APP). More specifically, Aβ peptide results from the cleavage of APP at the C-terminus by one or more γ-secretases, and at the N-terminus by β-secretase enzyme (BACE), also known as aspartyl protease, as part of the β-amyloidogenic pathway.
BACE activity is correlated directly to the generation of Aβ peptide from APP (Sinha, et al, Nature, 1999, 402, 537-540), and studies increasingly indicate that the inhibition of BACE inhibits the production of Aβ peptide (Roberds, S. L., et al, Human Molecular Genetics, 2001, 10, 1317-1324).
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide compounds which are inhibitors of β-secretase and are useful as therapeutic agents in the treatment, prevention or amelioration of a disease or disorder characterized by elevated β-amyloid deposits or β-amyloid levels in a patient.
It is another object of this invention to provide therapeutic methods and pharmaceutical compositions useful for the treatment, prevention or amelioration of a disease or disorder characterized by elevated β-amyloid deposits or β-amyloid levels in a patient.
It is a feature of this invention that the compounds provided may also be useful to further study and elucidate the β-secretase enzyme.
These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent by the detailed description set forth hereinbelow.

Amino-5-(5-membered)hetero-arylimidazolone compounds and the use thereof for β-secretase modulation

Abstract: The present invention also provides methods for the use thereof to inhibit β-secretase (BACE) and treat β-amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles.


The present invention discloses a circuitry for adjusting output voltage, which is set between an input voltage source and an internal device, and the circuitry comprises an output voltage converter, a signal controller, and first and second switching transistors. Wherein, the output voltage converter comprises an input coil, a first output coil and a second output coil that are connected in series. The first switching transistor is coupled to the first output coil and the internal device. The second switching transistor is coupled to the second output coil and the internal device. The signal controller is coupled to the internal device, and is further coupled to the first and the second switching transistors. The invention satisfies usage requirement between different internal devices of which the output voltages are greatly different without changing voltage output mode, and the objects to have output voltage with wide range, and lower cost of design.

Because the direct current voltages used in devices inside the electronic equipment, such as television, display, audio, computer, etc., may be different, the input direct current voltage of an electronic equipment is converted to different output voltages for usage of different devices inside the electronic equipment.
Nowadays, a fixed voltage output mode is usually applied for converting the input direct current voltage into output voltage in order to satisfy the usage of specific internal device of the electronic equipment. The drawback is: when the internal device connected to the output voltage is changed and the output voltage for the current internal device is greatly away from the output voltage for the previous internal device such that the voltage output mode cannot satisfy the usage requirement of the current internal device, it is necessary to re-design a voltage output converting mode and therefore the design cost and design period are increased.

Circuitry and method for adjusting output voltage

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd


The invention relates to an attenuation or termination element comprising at least one resistance part which is mounted in an outer conductor and has at least one connection to an inner conductor part. The resistance part is produced from at least two separately produced plate-shaped parts which are desirably provided with a central slit enabling them to be fitted together. The attenuation or termination element can be economically produced and has high heat dissipation.

The invention relates to an attenuation or termination element having a coaxial structure for radiofrequency electromagnetic waves, having at least one resistive part, which is positioned in the outer conductor and has at least one connection to an inner conductor part. Such attenuation elements have long been known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,975 shows an attenuation element for the non-adjustable attenuation of electromagnetic waves which has a dielectric, plate-like carrier which is arranged in a cylindrical outer conductor. This dielectric carrier is located between two inner conductor parts. A film of resistive material is applied to the carrier. One difficulty associated with such an attenuation element is the dissipation of the heat from the resistive part. In particular at high powers, high temperatures may in this case result which are undesirable. In addition, the production costs are relatively high, in particular if a high degree of precision is required.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,971 has disclosed an attenuation element in which a part is provided as the carrier for the resistor which has, in cross section, the form of a wheel and has a hub in the form of a roll which likewise forms a carrier for resistive areas. The production of such a carrier and, in particular, the application of the resistors is in this case relatively complex. In particular, it is barely possible in this case to apply the resistors by means of screen printing or photolithography, as is in many cases desirable and favorable in terms of costs.

Attenuation or termination element having a coaxial structure for radio frequency electromagnetic waves


A separator for a rechargeable lithium battery includes a porous substrate; and a coating layer disposed on one or more sides of the porous substrate, the coating layer including organic particles and a binder polymer, wherein the organic particles include a material different from that of the binder polymer and the binder polymer is included in the coating layer in an amount in a range of 50 to 99 wt % based on the total amount of the coating layer, and a rechargeable lithium battery including the same.

1. Field
This disclosure relates to a separator for a rechargeable lithium battery and a rechargeable lithium battery including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional rechargeable lithium battery includes a separator made of a porous insulating film interposed between positive and negative electrodes. The pores of the film are impregnated by an electrolyte solution including a lithium salt dissolved therein. The non-aqueous rechargeable lithium battery has excellent high-capacity and high energy density characteristics.
However, when the positive and negative electrodes therein are repetitively contracted and expanded during the charge and discharge cycles, they may react with a separator or an electrolyte solution. As a result, the non-aqueous rechargeable lithium battery may be easily deteriorated, have internal and external short circuits, and rapidly become hot. When the battery rapidly becomes hot as aforementioned, the separator is fused and is then rapidly contracted or destroyed and thus, short-circuited again.
In order to prevent (or reduce) this problem, a conventional separator is widely formed of a porous polyethylene film having excellent shutdown characteristic, is easily handled, and has low cost. Herein, the shutdown indicates that a separator is partly fused, which closes the pores and cuts off the current when the battery is heated up due to overcharge, external or internal short circuit, and the like.
In addition, an attempt has been made to improve safety of the rechargeable lithium battery by improving heat resistance of the electrode material for the separator and the like and in particular, to secure safety even when the separator therein is sharply contracted or destroyed.

Separator for rechargeable lithium battery and rechargeable lithium battery including the same


A hard disk drive apparatus is disclosed which utilizes at least a pair of actuator assemblies each of which includes a plurality of separate actuator arms and spacers stacked on a tubular sleeve which is bearing supported on a stationary actuator shaft. The arms and spacers are preferably ceramic with head leads and preamplifiers carried on the arm. Each actuator stack has heads oriented in only one direction to minimize the spacing between the hard disks.. The head disk assembly is built up on the baseplate by installation of layers of actuator arms, spacers and hard disks. The assembled head disk assembly is enclosed between the generally flat baseplate and a top plate by a peripheral housing therearound.. The disks are rotated by a dual stator motor located between the baseplate and the top plate with one stator mounted to the baseplate and the other stator mounted to the top plate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to data storage devices and more particularly to a fixed disk drive system employing a plurality of hard disks carrying magnetically stored data in magnetic media on the disk surfaces and a plurality of rotatable head positioning actuator assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fixed disk data storage devices typically are magnetic disk devices which utilize a head disk assembly enclosed within a sealed volume with its associated electronics circuitry located adjacent, above or below the sealed head disk assembly or "IDA". The head disk assembly typically includes one or more planar disks stacked on a rotating hub of an included spindle drive motor. Each disk has a magnetic media on its upper and lower surfaces. One or more actuator assemblies for positioning magnetic transducers (heads) over the upper and lower surfaces of the disks is positioned adjacent the stack of disks and includes a rotary motor means such as a voice coil motor for rotating arms, which carry the heads, back and forth over the disk surfaces in order to read and write information from and to the disks.
Main frame computers, high-end file servers, and high performance work stations all require high capacity and extremely high data transfer rates between the computers and data storage devices such as tape drives, hard disk drives or storage modules.
Rotating media storage systems require a certain finite time interval for the read/write head positioning actuator to seek and position the heads accurately over each particular data track. Therefore, there are two general data retrieval schemes in use. The first is serial transfer. In the serial transfer scheme, the actuator first positions the read/write heads over a particular track, data is then read or written with one head at a time in serial by bit mode, then the data stream is interrupted while the actuator moves the heads to a new track location. The second scheme is parallel computing transfer. The parallel computing scheme typically requires two or more separate storage modules, each having a separate head/actuator assembly so that one actuator may seek a new data location while the other actuator is retrieving or writing data. Data is read or written with eight heads simultaneously in parallel by byte mode. The overall data transfer rate is much faster in parallel computing since data transfer does not have to be halted while the actuator seeks out the desired track as is the case with serial transfer.
With the current trend of main frame computer technology and high end file servers to smaller and smaller size, and the concurrent demand for more and more storage space in the lower end machines, there remains an ever increasing need for more data storage capacity in a standard given volume. This is also true in high performance storage systems. However, there are physical limits on the availability of such space. For example, most desktop and tower file servers and personal computer cases are sized to receive peripheral components having a 51/4 inch form factor or smaller.
Most of the conventional disk drives available today contain a single stack of disks and a single voice coil motor operated actuator assembly which utilizes a moving coil attached to the actuator itself. The actuator has the same number of heads as surfaces on the disks. However, the inner actuator arms typically carry two opposing heads, one for the lower surface of the disk immediately above and one for the upper surface of the immediately adjacent lower disk.
There have been a number of attempts to increase the capacity of hard disk drives. One approach has been to reduce the distance between disks so that more disks may be installed in a given height drive. This can be done, for example, by making the disks thinner, making the actuator arms and heads thinner, and/or by providing side-by-side heads on the intermediate actuator arms. Examples of the latter approach are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,496 to Kaczeus and in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,345.
One can also provide multiple actuator assemblies in the HDA with each being operable on one set of surfaces, i.e., "volume", of the stack of disks. An example of this approach is provided in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,347. Another approach is to provide multiple actuators and multiple sets of heads to simultaneously access different areas of the disks. Some examples of this approach are provided in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,347 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,993.
The assembly methods conventionally used are complex, cumbersome and prone to error and therefore require meticulous attention to detail. For example, the actuators are typically machine formed from a single block of metal, such as aluminum or magnesium, into an "E-block" shape. In other words, the actuator has a cylindrical body portion with a plurality of radially and parallel projecting arms extending at a given angle from the body portion. The cylindrical body portion typically has a central axial bore for receiving a top and bottom bearing assembly therein. The cylindrical body portion rotatably mounted on a stationary spindle mounted to a baseplate via these bearing assemblies. The E-block also typically carries a voice coil motor coil typically extending in a direction opposite that of the arms. This coil fits between a pair of stationary permanent magnet sets mounted in the drive housing so that the actuator coil is free to rotate back and forth in the space between the magnet sets through a limited arc. The coil mass offsets the head arm mass thus the actuator is balanced. Current fed through the voice coil produces a reactive torque on the actuator commensurate with the magnitude and direction of current to rotate the actuator to and from a desired position.
Each actuator arm carries either one or two gimbal mounted read/write heads. The heads are carried at one end of a flexure. The other end of the flexure is ball staked to the actuator arm. The flexure with a head mounted thereto is often called a "head gimbal assembly" or "HGA". Conventional actuator arms of the E-block are joined with their head gimbal assemblies by staking all of the HGAs to their respective arms in a single operation. For example, an actuator E-block having 8 actuator arms has to have 14 HGAs held in position on the ends of the arms while a metal ball is shot through the matched aligning holes in the ends of the HGAs and through the ends of the E-block actuator arms. Passage of the ball spreads the metal of the flexure against the walls of the holes in the actuator arms to stake the HGAs in place. This staking operation is extremely prone to error. Error rates increase as the number of actuator areas of the E-block increases. It is extremely difficult to ensure that each of the HGAs is securely fastened to its actuator arm with this method. In addition, if one of the HGAs is not securely fastened to its actuator arm of the E-block, the entire E-block with 14 heads (HGAs) could be discarded. This can get very expensive. Therefore, there is a need for a more uniform assembly technique of HGAs to actuator arms that reduces the likelihood and consequence of defects in manufacturing and assembly.
Another problem with current hard disk drive construction techniques is that although the stack of hard disks is sequentially assembled on the drive motor hub, the actuator is separately assembled as a unit apart from the disk stack with all of the HGAs attached to the actuator arms. A spreader comb must then be inserted between the HGAs to allow the arms and HGAs to be inserted as a unit with the arms between the stacked disks. The comb is then removed and the actuator assembly installed or fastened to the frame of the drive apparatus. With present head and disk media assembly technology the release of the heads from the comb has to occur in the inner diameter of the disk. This operation is extremely delicate and often results in failed heads due to misalignment problems during installation.
Fixed disk data storage devices typically are magnetic disk devices which utilize a head disk assembly enclosed within a sealed volume with its associated electronics circuitry located adjacent, above or below the sealed head disk assembly or "HDA". The head disk assembly typically includes one or more planar disks stacked on a rotating hub of an included spindle drive motor. Each disk has a magnetic media on its upper and lower surfaces. One or more actuator assemblies for positioning magnetic transducers (heads) over the upper and lower surfaces of the disks is positioned adjacent the stack of disks and includes a rotary motor means such as a voice coil motor for rotating arms, which carry the heads, back and forth over the disk surfaces in order to read and write information from and to the disks.
Main frame computers, high-end file servers, and high performance work stations all require high capacity and extremely high data transfer rates between the computers and data storage devices such as tape drives, hard disk drives or storage modules.
Rotating media storage systems require a certain finite time interval for the read/write head positioning actuator to seek and position the heads accurately over each particular data track. Therefore, there are two general data retrieval schemes in use. The first is serial transfer. In the serial transfer scheme, the actuator first positions the read/write heads over a particular track, data is then read or written with one head at a time in serial by bit mode, then the data stream is interrupted while the actuator moves the heads to a new track location. The second scheme is parallel computing transfer. The parallel computing scheme typically requires two or more separate storage modules, each having a separate head/actuator assembly so that one actuator may seek a new data location while the other actuator is retrieving or writing data. Data is read or written with eight heads simultaneously in parallel by byte mode. The overall data transfer rate is much faster in parallel computing since data transfer does not have to be halted while the actuator seeks out the desired track as is the case with serial transfer.
With the current trend of main frame computer technology and high end file servers to smaller and smaller size, and the concurrent demand for more and more storage space in the lower end machines, there remains an ever increasing need for more data storage capacity in a standard given volume. This is also true in high performance storage systems. However, there are physical limits on the availability of such space. For example, most desktop and tower file servers and personal computer cases are sized to receive peripheral components having a 51/4 inch form factor or smaller.
Most of the conventional disk drives available today contain a single stack of disks and a single voice coil motor operated actuator assembly which utilizes a moving coil attached to the actuator itself. The actuator has the same number of heads as surfaces on the disks. However, the inner actuator arms typically carry two opposing heads, one for the lower surface of the disk immediately above and one for the upper surface of the immediately adjacent lower disk.
There have been a number of attempts to increase the capacity of hard disk drives. One approach has been to reduce the distance between disks so that more disks may be installed in a given height drive. This can be done, for example, by making the disks thinner, making the actuator arms and heads thinner, and/or by providing side-by-side heads on the intermediate actuator arms. Examples of the latter approach are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,496 to Kaczeus and in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,345.
One can also provide multiple actuator assemblies in the HDA with each being operable on one set of surfaces, i.e., "volume", of the stack of disks. An example of this approach is provided in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,347. Another approach is to provide multiple actuators and multiple sets of heads to simultaneously access different areas of the disks. Some examples of this approach are provided in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,347 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,993.
The assembly methods conventionally used are complex, cumbersome and prone to error and therefore require meticulous attention to detail. For example, the actuators are typically machine formed from a single block of metal, such as aluminum or magnesium, into an "E-block" shape. In other words, the actuator has a cylindrical body portion with a plurality of radially and parallel projecting arms extending at a given angle from the body portion. The cylindrical body portion typically has a central axial bore for receiving a top and bottom bearing assembly therein. The cylindrical body portion rotatably mounted on a stationary spindle mounted to a baseplate via these bearing assemblies. The E-block also typically carries a voice coil motor coil typically extending in a direction opposite that of the arms. This coil fits between a pair of stationary permanent magnet sets mounted in the drive housing so that the actuator coil is free to rotate back and forth in the space between the magnet sets through a limited arc. The coil mass offsets the head arm mass thus the actuator is balanced. Current fed through the voice coil produces a reactive torque on the actuator commensurate with the magnitude and direction of current to rotate the actuator to and from a desired position.
Each actuator arm carries either one or two gimbal mounted read/write heads. The heads are carried at one end of a flexure. The other end of the flexure is ball staked to the actuator arm. The flexure with a head mounted thereto is often called a "head gimbal assembly" or "HGA". Conventional actuator arms of the E-block are joined with their head gimbal assemblies by staking all of the HGAs to their respective arms in a single operation. For example, an actuator E-block having 8 actuator arms has to have 14 HGAs held in position on the ends of the arms while a metal ball is shot through the matched aligning holes in the ends of the HGAs and through the ends of the E-block actuator arms. Passage of the ball spreads the metal of the flexure against the walls of the holes in the actuator arms to stake the HGAs in place. This staking operation is extremely prone to error. Error rates increase as the number of actuator areas of the E-block increases. It is extremely difficult to ensure that each of the HGAs is securely fastened to its actuator arm with this method. In addition, if one of the HGAs is not securely fastened to its actuator arm of the E-block, the entire E-block with 14 heads (HGAs) could be discarded. This can get very expensive. Therefore, there is a need for a more uniform assembly technique of HGAs to actuator arms that reduces the likelihood and consequence of defects in manufacturing and assembly.
Another problem with current hard disk drive construction techniques is that although the stack of hard disks is sequentially assembled on the drive motor hub, the actuator is separately assembled as a unit apart from the disk stack with all of the HGAs attached to the actuator arms. A spreader comb must then be inserted between the HGAs to allow the arms and HGAs to be inserted as a unit with the arms between the stacked disks. The comb is then removed and the actuator assembly installed or fastened to the frame of the drive apparatus. With present head and disk media assembly technology the release of the heads from the comb has to occur in the inner diameter of the disk. This operation is extremely delicate and often results in failed heads due to misalignment problems during installation.
Therefore there is a need for a more efficient and compact moving magnet actuator design for high performance hard disk drive systems that can be easily and accurately assembled and disassembled. In addition, there is a need for a high capacity high performance disk drive module having higher disk capacity in a more compact and efficient package.

High capacity disk drive with two stator windings


If a first control valve 71 is arranged so as to change between a flow position A and a throttling position C by a fluid for switching purpose guided through a pilot channel 77, the flow area of a first intermediate channel can be changed in two steps. As a result, the injection-valve opening pressure and time of a first relief valve 48 change between two types of values, whereby the physical shock occurring when a crawler vehicle stops can be switched between two types of shock.

The present invention relates to a relief mechanism which, when pressure in one of a pair of supply/discharge channels connecting a hydraulic actuator to a changeover valve becomes high, permits fluid to escape from the channel to the other channel, as well as to a hydraulic circuit equipped with such a relief-mechanism.
For example, a relief mechanism such as that disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Hei-5-94504 (filed by the applicant of the present invention) has been known as an existing relief mechanism. As shown in FIG. 3, the existing relief mechanism comprises a pair of supply/discharge channels 13, 14 connecting a hydraulic motor 11 to a changeover valve 12; a connection channel 15 connecting together the supply/discharge channels 13, 14; a first relief valve 17 provided at some point in the connection channel 15; a second relief valve 20 provided at some point in the connection channel 15 in shunt with the first relief valve 17; and a cylinder 22. More specifically, for example, when the internal pressure of the supply/discharge channel 13 reaches a relief pressure level, the first relief valve 17 is opened and permits fluid to escape from the supply/discharge channel 13 to the other supply/discharge channel 14. In contrast, when the internal pressure of the supply/discharge channel 14 decreases to a given pressure level lower than-the relief pressure level, the first relief valve 17 is opened only during the time period over which the fluid is flowing to a first intermediate channel 16 from the supply/discharge channel 14, to thereby permit fluid to escape from the supply/discharge channel 14 to the supply/discharge channel 13. When the internal pressure of the supply/discharge channel 14 reaches the relief pressure level, the second relief valve 20 is opened, to thereby permit fluid to escape from the supply/discharge channel 14 to the supply/discharge channel 13. In contrast, when the internal pressure of the supply/discharge channel 13 decreases to a given pressure level lower than the relief pressure level, the second relief valve 20 is opened only during the time period over which fluid is flowing to the supply/discharge channel 14 from the supply/discharge channel 13. The cylinder 22 connects the first intermediate channel 16 to a second intermediate channel 19. When a piston 21 housed therein is moved to a stroke end as a result of being pressed by the fluid flowed from the first and second intermediate channels 16, 19, the cylinder 22 stops the influx of the fluid from the first and second intermediate channels 16, 19.
However, since the flow area of the first and second intermediate channels 16, 19 and the displacement of the cylinder 22 is constant in the foregoing existing relief mechanism, the injection-valve opening pressure and the injection-valve opening time of the first and second relief valves 17, 20 are limited to constant values.

Relief mechanism and hydraulic circuit equipped with relief mechanism