An automatic heating apparatus for uniformly cooking foods which rapidly cools the cooked foods to reduce spoilage. Food packages are placed on trays and the trays are inserted in a transportable rack. The rack is loaded into a cooking tank. A pump continuously circulates hot water through a conduit from a heat exchanger to the tank to cook the food and returns the water back to the heat exchanger. A control mechanism determines and controls the temperature of the water and monitors the temperature of the food to control the length of time the heated water is applied. After the food has been properly cooked and pasteurized, cold water is rapidly supplied to the tank to quickly cool the cooked products. The continuous circulation of water during the heating mode provides uniform cooking with precise temperature control and the circulation during the cooling mode provides for rapid cooling so as to reduce spoilage.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic heating and cooling tank system for heating and cooling food.
2. Description of the Previously Published Art
Food products have been sterilized by heating them with steam in hermetically sealed containers. The high temperatures of the sterilization kill bacteria, but these same high temperatures also have an adverse effect on the food quality. The food, in effect, becomes "overcooked". Examples of these sterilization devices are disclosed in several U.S. Patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,538 relates to the sterilization of food products packaged in hermetically sealed containers. Fluid heat radiant means are used in an autoclave to balance the pressure increase within the containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,444 relates to the application of a fluid medium to food containers in a tank. A closed loop recirculating fluid system is used. The containers are prevented from becoming immersed within the bath formed in the tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,590. A plurality of spaced food containers are submitted to heat exchange by means of introduction of the spaced containers into a tank adapted with inlet and outlet means for a heat exchange fluid passing through said tank. The tank is maintained at higher than ambient pressure. The containers may be pouches (col. 3, line 62).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,053 relates to a food product cooker having compartments through which steam is introduced and withdrawn. A constant and uniform heating temperature is maintained.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,278 relates to an apparatus for steam sterilization of edible material containing pouches. In column 1 provision is made to apply a uniform temperature distribution. A predetermined pressure is maintained at all times.
Food products have also been cooked in a container where hot and cold water are supplied from storage tanks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,192 relates to a cooker in which a number of cooking tanks are connected to central hot and cold water storage tanks and a piping and control system is provided such that the hot or cold water is repetitively fed and drained from the cooking tanks during the cooking process in a cyclic fashion. When hams are cooked in moulds they are contacted with heat carrying fluid for a relatively short period of time, then the fluid is removed for a relatively long period of time. This cycle is reproduced a certain number of times until the desired temperature is attained at the heart of the product.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,471 relates to a water bath cooker in which central hot and cold water storage tanks are disposed above a plurality of cooking tanks and are connected to the cooking tanks by a complex system of headers, pipes and valves.
Other devices for heating food include heated air as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,443 where packages containing precooked food are reheated in a rack over which heated air is passed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,490 food, such as hams, is conveyed through a heating unit where heated water in a basin is raised up to immerse the hams and cook them for a period of time. Then the hams move through a series of heating zones with each maintained at different temperatures where they are further heated in warm air.
In World Patent Publication 90/04928 a heating device moves the food along a conveyer and heated water is sprayed on one side.
3. Context of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for the batch cooking of packaged foods to pasteurization temperatures, followed by rapid cooling to 38.degree. F. min., thus providing refrigerated products with an extended shelf life suitable for shipment, rethermalization, and consumption.
The overall process is known as sous vide--French for "under vacuum" meaning the products are packaged prior to cooking using a Form-Fill-Seal (FFS) machine. This machine utilizes roll stock to produce pouches of a seven layer structure with ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) making up the barrier layer. Pouch package sizes range from about 2 oz. to 10 lbs. net weight. After forming, the pouch is filled with product and advances to the next sequence where it is vacuumized, heat sealed, and each individual pouch is cut-out and trimmed to size. Vacuumizing eliminates oxygen, which has a detrimetal effect on food product quality and reduces a product's shelf life.
Organoleptic considerations and sensory perceptions of taste, texture, aroma, and mouthfeel all require the products to be pasteurized, but not overcooked. Thus temperature sensing, control, and recording are critical in the process. Both the cooking temperature and time will vary depending on the product(s) as diverse as a 6 oz. chicken breast to an 8 lb. pouch of beef stroganoff. Thus there is a correlation in the environmental (process) water temperature with respect to the final internal (core) food temperature and the total heating/cooling curve.
It is of paramount importance to maintain a complete and unbroken record, through the thermal process, of both time and temperature. This begins with the ambient temperature of the food product, through the pasteurizing cooking cycle, and finally through the quick cooling cycle. After the food has been cooked it is necessary to prevent and reduce any chance of bacteria propagation by quickly reducing the temperature of the cooked food product to at least 38.degree. F. and preferably lower. This quick cooling is done prior to removal of the product from the cook/cool tank and into the final refrigerated storage. The cooling sequence is an integral step following the cooking/pasteurizing cycle as it stops the cooking process, prevents over processing, and restricts bacterial growth. Once the product has been heated to the proper internal temperature, and for the required time period, it is important to minimize any opportunity for the growth of micro-organisms in the +120.degree. F. to +60.degree. F. range. Thus, quick cooling of the product down to refrigeration temperature of 35.degree.-40.degree. F. results in restriction of microbial growth and prevents autolytic changes in the product.
Other methods of processing usually require moving the product from one container to another such as from an oven to a cold box. However, in that prior art method the recording of both time and temperature cannot be continuously maintained.
4. Objects of the Invention
It is the object of this invention to automatically cook food in packages, using heated water, so as to reach the pasteurization temperature at the core of the food without overheating or overcooking.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a water heated cook tank which maintains a uniform temperature in the tank within 0.2.degree. C.
It is a further object of this invention to start the cooling sequence immediately following the cooking/pasteurizing cycle as the cooling stops the cooking process, prevents overprocessing, and restricts bacterial growth.
It is a further object of this invention to cook and rapidly cool the cooked product while the food product remains in the same container.
It is a further object of this invention to maintain a complete and unbroken record through the thermal heating and cooling process of both the time and temperature so as to insure that complete cooking has taken place and the cooking cycle has been successful.
It is a further object of this invention to process various sizes of vacuumized and sealed pouches containing food product servings from several ounces to about 8.5 to 10 pounds.
It is a further object of this invention to utilize only "3A-dairy" type sanitary fittings and components allowing quick and manual disassembly for cleaning without requiring tools.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a pouch/package transport and holding system which protects and isolates each pouch or package while allowing full exposure of each to the process water.
It is a further object of this invention to use custom made thermocouple probes and a self sealing membrane as a means of monitoring the food core temperature.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a micro-processor to control all of the mechanical and electrical functions required in the thermal processes.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a temperature and time control utilizing a software program (F-Valve) which determines a predictable means of bacterial destruction.
It is a further object of this invention to use an integrated food thermal processing apparatus and method which retains the organoleptic properties of the food and extends the refrigerated shelf life of the food.
These and further objects of the invention will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

Method for heating and cooling sealed food product pouches


Inter-operability of products connected together to form an industrial control system is determined by defining each product as a set of services describing points of interface between the products and by determining complementary services necessary for inter-operability from a table listing complementary services. A new product may be evaluated for inter-operability by comparing its services to services of products with which inter-operability is desired. In one mode of operation after definition of the products in which inter-operability is desired, a necessary list of services is compiled from a database and translated by a relationship map to complementary services which define a virtual product having the desired inter-operability. Inter-operability of an entire control system may be thus modeled prior to construction.

Industrial controllers are special purpose computers used for controlling industrial processes or manufacturing equipment.
Under the direction of a stored program, the industrial controller examines a series of inputs reflecting the status of the controlled process and changes outputs affecting control of the process. The inputs and outputs are most simply binary, that is "on" or "off"; however, analog inputs and outputs, taking on a continuous range of values, are also used.
The various components of an industrial controller may be spatially distributed about a factory or manufacturing facility to be interconnected by one or more communication links. A number of different communication links are commonly used in industrial controllers including proprietary links defined and used by a particular manufacturer and open links such as ControlNet, DeviceNet and Ethernet whose specifications are published and may be used broadly by a number of manufacturers and suppliers. The communication links differ in physical aspects, for example, the type of media (e.g., co-axial cable, twisted pair, light fiber, etc.) as well as the electrical details of its operation, (e.g., baud rate, number of channels, word transmission size, etc.). At a higher level, the communication links differ in how messages are formatted and in the designation of the meaning of standardized messages.
These components of the industrial controller that are interconnected by the communication links may include a central controller together with remote input or output (I/O) modules accepting data for the central controller from the controlled process or machine and providing data from the central controller as outputs to various actuators on the controlled process or machine. Other components may include graphic displays or specialized secondary controllers such as for motors or the like.
This natural division of the industrial controller along communication links allows many different products to be developed that may be attached to the industrial controller to configure it for different applications. Normally a product will be designed based on a marketing specification that suggests certain functions to be provided by the product. The marketing specification may request that the product work with certain other products on a particular network, however what this entails is not well defined. Further, there is little ability to assess whether a product developed in this context will be inter-operable with other products not considered at the time of its development.

Computer-aided design of inter-operable products


A circuit component tester includes a portable casing and a circuit provided within the casing. A plurality of leads are provided to electrically connect the circuit to a gate and two terminals of a circuit component under test. A test switch provided on the casing initiates application of test voltage to at least one of the two terminals of the circuit component under test. A gate switch provided on the casing initiates application of gate voltage to the gate of the circuit component under test. At least one of the test switch and the gate switch are operable to verify functionality of the circuit component under test.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to testing circuit components. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a device for conveniently testing circuit components such as silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs) and Triacs.
2. Background Information
A thyristor or silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) is a solid-state semiconductor device that can be used to function as a switch. The construction of an SCR includes four layers of semiconductor material arranged in alternating N-type and P-type layers. The Anode is provided at the outer P layer, the Gate is provided at the inner P layer, and the Cathode is provided at the outer N layer. SCRs are typically designed to be turned on only when a voltage pulse is applied to the Gate.
A Triac is essentially two SCRs joined back to back in parallel. A Triac can also be used to function as a switch. As individual SCRs are generally more flexible, they are more commonly used in complex, high-power circuits, whereas Triacs are more commonly used in simple, low-power circuits.
There are numerous models of SCRs and Triacs available on the market, and they are used for a wide variety of purposes. For example, SCRs may be used for direct current (DC) power plants. However, for a variety of reasons, testing of SCR and Triac functionality is typically performed, if at all, by building a circuit by hand to apply an appropriate voltage to the Gate and ensure the SCR or Triac is performing at design specifications. This process is time consuming and difficult for an inexperienced technician. However, some models of SCRs and Triacs are relatively expensive, such that great cost may be incurred if such SCRs and Triacs are not tested before being installed in the field. An entity that uses numerous SCRs and Triacs suffers great expense even in testing such components individually using hand-built testing circuits. However, even greater cost is incurred if untested SCRs and Triacs are used in field equipment where they ultimately fail to perform as expected.
Ohm-meters have been used to test SCRs and Triacs for functionality. However, simple ohm-meters are not capable of testing the full functionality of SCRs and Triacs. Further, as explained above, it is inefficient to continually build and modify circuits to test functionality of SCRs and Triacs.


Aspartame having particles smaller than 100 .mu.m can be deposited on an edible supporting material, by mixing in a dry form, in amounts that clearly exceed 10 wt. %, if the aspartame has a free bulk density of 350 kg/m.sup.3 or lower, and is obtained through, successively, crystallisation from an aqueous medium with forced convection, granulation and subsequent mechanical reduction, the mixing being effected in a weight ratio of aspartame and supporting material of at most 1:1, but not less than 1:30.

The invention relates to a method for depositing on an edible supporting material .alpha.-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-methyl ester having a particle size that is in the main smaller than 100 .mu.m, by mixing the .alpha.-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-methyl ester and the supporting material in a dry form.
Such a method is known from JP-B-93007983. This Japanese patent describes that fine, powdered .alpha.-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-methyl ester (which compound will hereinafter also be referred to as aspartame or as APM) can be homogeneously deposited on the surface of granular sucrose (cane sugar) by mixing the APM and the granular cane sugar. As is apparent from this patent, the APM and granular cane sugar to be used must have particle sizes of less than 100 .mu.m (APM) and in the range of 0.01 to 3 mm (cane sugar), respectively.
The method is however absolutely unsuitable for depositing more than 10 wt. % APM on the cane sugar and is preferably recommended for making products that contain only 0.5 to 5 wt. % APM. In the case of higher APM concentrations in the compositions obtained, a considerable proportion of the APM remains in the composition in a free form. This may be detrimental to the composition's homogeneity and flow properties, which is expressed in a poor angle of repose, and it may also cause dusting problems. Excessive adhesion of APM particles to the walls of the equipment employed and/or packaging materials is also frequently encountered and free APM particles may agglomerate, which has an adverse effect on the dissolution time of the APM in the composition obtained.
.alpha.-L-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-methyl ester (aspartame; APM) is a dipeptide sweetener with a sweetening power that is about 200.times. that of sugar. Aspartame is widely used as a sweetener in a wide diversity of edible products, soft drinks, confectionery, medicines and in table sweeteners and the like. APM is often used in the form of dry blends, such as instant powdered drinks and instant dessert products and the like.
The use of APM (and/or of blends thereof with a different sweetener), in particular of powdered APM, is often hampered in terms of handling by the fact that the products in question are insufficiently free of dust (i.e. they contain too many fines), show poor flow behaviour (which may be partly caused by slight electrostatic charging of the products), or have a relatively long dissolution time, for example owing to the formation of agglomerates. Consequently, drawbacks are often experienced in the use of APM in terms of dusting behaviour, undesired adhesion to surfaces of the equipment employed and poor dissolution time of the APM.
To reduce those problems in, for example, the foodstuffs industry efforts have been made to find methods for transforming APM and edible supporting materials (for example citric acid, maltodextrins, etc.) into compositions. According to the above-referenced Japanese paten application, its method proves to be more or less limited in terms of the APM concentrations realisable in the composition (generally to at most 5 wt. %, but to 10 wt. % at the very most). Besides the method from the aforesaid Japanese patent publication, no simple methods for preparing such compositions, or compositions having higher APM concentrations, which do not involve auxiliaries, for example wetting agents, or laborious process steps, have been described or are otherwise known. For example, several publications are known in which compositions of APM and other substances are prepared, also with APM concentrations that are higher than 10 wt. %. According to several of such publications, the greater part of the APM in the resulting product is however not deposited on the supporting material, and hence usually less than 50 wt. % of the APM, but often even less than 15 wt. % of the APM, is bound to the surface of the supporting material, and/or the method involves the use of additives or laborious steps. The following methods can be quoted as examples:
spray drying, or spraying the supporting material with a concentrated APM solution, followed by drying (ZA-9205142); PA1 freeze-drying (U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,369); PA1 mixing with wetting, followed by drying (U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,726); PA1 mixing in the presence of binders, with wetting, followed by drying (JP-A-59059173); PA1 so-called `high-shear mixing`, also known as micro-mixing, i.e. mixing with a high energy input and pulverising conditions (JP-B-89016142); this patent describes that the APM may be homogeneously distributed among the other component or a part thereof, optionally before the high-shear treatment, by mixing in for example a tumbler mixer (becoming surrounded by particles of the other material in the process, so to speak), so as to prevent agglomeration of the APM; however, in this method the APM is certainly not deposited on supporting material, but a physical powder blend is obtained; in spite of claims to the contrary in this patent, segregation problems, etc. remain inherent; PA1 grinding of a blend to obtain a mixed product with a homogeneous particle size distribution (p.s.d.) (NL-A-7404428).
Such methods often require specific equipment or special process control devices and laborious steps and/or steps involving extra risks of decomposition of the thermally relatively sensitive APM. Mixing with high energy input is usually disadvantageous, not only because of the dusting and drifting problems presented by the end products obtained, but also because of the energy consumption involved. Neither do a number of the above methods result in advantages in terms of reduction in the adhesion of the APM to walls and the like.
There is hence a need for a simple and efficient method for converting APM and edible supporting materials, via mixing involving little energy, into a composition in which all or a sufficient amount of the APM, or almost all, that is, at least 50% (a sufficient amount), but preferably at least 85% (almost all), is deposited on the supporting material in amounts that may clearly exceed 10 wt. %, resulting in a homogeneous product with good dissolution and handling properties. It is assumed to be particularly advantageous if the method in question can also be carried out under very dry conditions, for example at a relative humidity of 70% or lower, or using very dry, non-hygroscopic supporting materials.

Method for depositing aspartame on an edible support


A ribbon routing assembly for routing a single length of ribbon around and securing the ribbon to an object. The ribbon has a first end and a second end. The ribbon routing assembly includes a body with a void. The body includes a first leg configured for securing to the first end of the ribbon and a second leg configured for securing to the second end of the ribbon. The void includes a routing edge that defines a first acute angle relative to the first leg and a second acute angle relative to the second leg. The first and second acute angles are approximately forty-five degrees. The body has a first surface and a second surface that define a thickness therebetween, the first leg defines a first length and the second leg defines a second length. A lid is configured for mounting to the body in a mounted configuration.

Briefly stated, preferred embodiments of the invention relate to an innovative apparatus, assembly, and method to route a single length of flexible ribbon around a package or object, or group thereof, in a crossed configuration at both the top and bottom faces of the package(s) or object(s).
Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a pre-configured assembly, comprised of a routing apparatus or body, some preferred embodiments including a functional housing for the body, a pre-determined length of ribbon routed through and attached/attachable to the routing apparatus, and a decorative and/or functional item (such as a decorative bow or dry erase writing surface) affixed to the top of the routing apparatus' functional housing. With this pre-configured assembly, individuals may decorate packages, greeting card envelopes, or objects with a traditional bow and crossed ribbon, but without the time, skill, or tools that previously were required to accomplish an attractive and professional-looking decoration. In addition, individuals may use this pre-configured assembly to bind together groups of packages or objects (such as books).
Currently, an individual desiring to decorate a gift with a traditional bow and crossed ribbon ordinarily must purchase a roll of commercially-available decorative ribbon, measure and cut two lengths of ribbon, one for each direction around the package, and attach the four ends of ribbon together in some way, typically by stapling, taping, or tying the ends together. Then, the individual can either craft a bow from scratch using the rolled ribbon or affix a commercially-available, pre-made bow over the intersection of the four ribbon ends, provided that the pre-made bow matches, or at least aesthetically complements, the ribbon used.
A single length of ribbon may be used, but with functional and aesthetic sacrifices, and with a moderate level of skill and time required to accomplish the task. An individual may place the center of the length of ribbon at the center of the top face of the package, pull each end of the ribbon in opposite directions around opposing side faces and under the bottom face. On the bottom face, the two ends of the ribbon are crossed and folded over each other at a right angle to their original direction of travel, and pulled up over the remaining opposing side faces back to the center of the top face of the package. There, the two ends of the ribbon are tied together in a decorative bow, or may have a pre-made bow placed over the knot that secures the ribbon. Because the ribbon is folded over itself, without any routing apparatus, the ribbon is unattractively pinched and creates a bulky protrusion on the bottom face that prevents the package from sitting flat on hard surfaces. The pinching of the ribbon and the protrusion on the bottom face limits this method to minimal ribbon thicknesses and widths, such as one-quarter inch acetate, and generally is not aesthetically pleasing.
Another method, used primarily in commercial packaging, uses hook and loop pairings attached on opposite ends of the ribbon. With this method, the ribbon must be thick enough to hold the hook and loop pads and the ribbon must be pre-cut to a specific length.
The preferred apparatus, assembly, and method of the present application provides for routing a single length of flexible ribbon or strap around a package in a crossed configuration on two opposing faces, in which the ribbon is adjustable within a wide range of overall package dimensions and sizes.

Apparatus and assembly for routing single length of flexible ribbon around package in crossed configuration, with apparatuses for securing and cutting ribbon


Oscillation in which unwanted vibration (B mode) is surely suppressed while stable oscillation by principal vibration (C mode) is obtained is obtained. In a Colpitts oscillator including a piezoelectric vibrator, a transistor, and a first and second divided capacitive components, by inserting a feedback circuit formed by connecting a third capacitive component and a first inductor in series between a connection midpoint between the first capacitive component and the second capacitive component and an emitter of the transistor, inserting a second inductor in parallel with the second capacitive component, and setting the parallel resonance frequency of the second capacitive component and the second inductor in the vicinity of the oscillation frequency of the oscillator, the frequency band in which the negative resistance of the circuit side seen from the piezoelectric vibrator appears is set to a narrow band containing only a desired frequency to suppress unwanted vibration of the oscillator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric oscillator, for example, with crystalline quartz as a piezoelectric vibrator, and particularly relates to a Colpitts oscillator which oscillates stably by principal vibration and suppresses unwanted vibration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Piezoelectric oscillators are used for many electronic devices including a mobile communication base station because of their high stability of frequency. When an SC-cut quartz vibrator or an IT-cut quartz vibrator is used as a piezoelectric vibrator of the piezoelectric oscillator, the stress sensitivity characteristic, shock resistance characteristic, and so on are superior to those when an AT-cut quartz vibrator is used, so that the SC-cut quartz vibrator or the IT-cut quartz vibrator has been used a lot in recent years.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a resonance characteristic of the SC-cut vibrator. The horizontal axis represents the frequency, and the vertical axis represents the reactance. As is clear from this figure, in addition to a C mode (thickness shear vibration) as principal vibration, an A mode (thickness extensional vibration) and a B mode (thickness twist vibration) exist. In particular, the B mode adjacent to the C mode as the principal vibration lies closer to the high frequency side than the C mode by about 9%, and is sometimes more stressed than the C mode as the principal vibration.
Therefore, in the oscillator, oscillation in the B mode as unwanted vibration becomes a problem, or a frequency jump in which the oscillation frequency changes from that of the C mode as the principal vibration to that of the B mode as the unwanted vibration becomes a problem.
Various oscillators to solve this problem are proposed (See Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example). In an oscillator in Patent Document 1, as FIG. 8 shows a circuit configuration, in addition to an oscillating quartz vibrator X1 of a Colpitts oscillator, an AT-cut quartz vibrator X2 is inserted between a midpoint (division point) of a series circuit of divided capacitive components C1 and C2 and a connection point between an emitter of a transistor Q1 and a feedback resistance R3, and the series resonance frequency of the quartz vibrator X2 is set to substantially coincide with the oscillation frequency of the principal vibration (C mode). As a modified example thereof, as FIG. 9 shows a circuit configuration, in place of the quartz vibrator X2, a feedback circuit composed of a series circuit of an inductor L1 and a capacitive component C3 is provided. FIG. 10 shows a negative resistance characteristic in the configuration of FIG. 9.
In an oscillator in Patent Document 2, as FIG. 11 shows a circuit configuration, as a feedback circuit, divided capacitive components C3 and C4 are provided in parallel with a feedback resistance R4, and an inductor L1 and a variable reactance Z are provided from a connection point between the divided capacitive components C3 and C4. FIG. 12 shows a negative resistance characteristic in the configuration of FIG. 11.
(Patent Document 1)
Patent Publication No. 3268726
(Patent Document 2)
Patent Publication No. 3283493
An oscillator circuit in Patent Document 1 shown in FIG. 8 has a problem that it is expensive because it needs the B mode suppressing quartz vibrator X2 in addition to the oscillating quartz vibrator X1, that is, it needs two quartz vibrators.
In this regard, in an oscillator circuit shown in FIG. 9 (modified example of Patent Document 1), the B mode suppressing quartz vibrator X2 becomes unnecessary. However, when the series circuit of the capacitive component C3 and the inductor L1 is provided, it becomes difficult to obtain a characteristic equal to a frequency selection characteristic of the quartz vibrator X2 since its resonance characteristic is not so steep as that of the quartz vibrator. When the frequency of the principal vibration is high, the steepness of the resonance characteristic does not become a problem since the difference between a frequency corresponding to the C mode and a frequency corresponding to the B mode is large, but when the frequency of the principal vibration is low, the steepness of the resonance characteristic of the resonance circuit for frequency selection becomes a problem since the difference between the frequency corresponding to the C mode and the frequency corresponding to the B mode is small. In the case of this circuit configuration, as FIG. 10 shows the negative resistance characteristic, relative to a negative resistance value at the principal vibration (C mode) frequency, the same level of negative resistance value is shown even at the unwanted vibration (B mode) frequency, so that the suppression of the unwanted vibration cannot be expected.
An oscillator circuit in Patent Document 2 shown in FIG. 11 is designed so that by inserting the feedback circuit composed of the divided capacitive components C3 and C4 and the inductance (L1+Z) in a basic circuit of the Colpitts oscillator, the feedback circuit becomes a path at the frequency of the C mode and it is attenuated at the frequency of the B mode. As shown in FIG. 12, the negative resistance characteristic in this configuration exhibits an improvement in the negative resistance value at the frequency of the B mode as compared with that in FIG. 10.
However, in the example in FIG. 12, even at the frequency of the B mode, the negative resistance value is "−45Ω" which is a relatively high value, and hence there is a possibility that this negative resistance value causes the unwanted vibration of the B mode depending on the difference of the piezoelectric characteristic of the used quartz vibrator X1 and the mounting structure of the oscillator circuit.
Furthermore, in FIG. 11, the variable reactance Z can reduce the negative resistance value of the B mode by allowing oscillation frequency drift to be adjustable with respect to the occurrence of a constant error between circuit elements at the time of mounting, and besides by setting the peak of the negative resistance value to a frequency lower than that of the C mode by the adjustment by the reactance. However, in this frequency adjustment method, the negative resistance value of the C mode also reduces and it is difficult to increase the negative resistance value of the B mode to a positive value, so that the unwanted vibration cannot be surely suppressed.


A system and method are provided for delivering data including graphical components to user terminals through a communications network, e.g., a cable TV network. In one embodiment, multiple versions of a graphical component of a program guide, each formatted for a respective aspect ratio of a user's TV, are generated. On the other hand, a single version of non-graphical program guide data may also be generated. A data stream containing the non-graphical data and the multiple versions of the graphical component is transmitted to set-top terminals in the network via a transmission channel. If a graphical component is desired, the set-top terminal retrieves from the data stream a selected version of the graphical component that is compatible with the aspect ratio of the TV to which it is connected.

As digital television technology becomes more readily available to an increasing number of consumers, many cable operators have made efforts to offer programming content formatted according to digital television standards. However, these cable operators face a mixture of competing demands—while an increasing number of users have televisions capable of displaying pictures based on high definition television (HDTV) standards, other users have televisions that display pictures based on the older, standard definition television (SDTV) standard.
The standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), which include digital HDTV and SDTV, specify technologies for the transport, format, compression, and transmission of digital television in the United States. HDTV provides a very high quality display, with a vertical resolution display from 720p to 1080i and higher, and an aspect ratio (the width to height ratio of the screen) of 16:9. For example, one common HDTV format specifies a display having 1920×1080 pixels. SDTV has a range of lower resolutions and commonly provides a 4:3 aspect ratio. For example, one common SDTV format specifies a display having 640×480 pixels. The ratios "4:3" and 16:9" are used herein as adjectives to describe an image, such as an icon, a video frame, or a group of pixels, that is formatted for a respective aspect ratio. For example, an icon defined for a 4:3 aspect ratio is referred to as a "4:3 icon."
In a typical cable television network, a digital television signal transmitted from a cable operator's headend is received and processed at a user's home by a set-top terminal. A set-top terminal receives, from the cable network, encoded signals containing programming content and other data, decodes the signals, and converts them into signals displayable by the television. A set-top terminal also accepts commands from the user relating to the user's choices for programming and services.
Several techniques exist for displaying a 4:3 image on an HDTV display. One common reformatting technique defines a 4:3 frame in the middle of the television screen, leaving bars of unused space on both sides. The resulting display is unsatisfactory from a technical standpoint because it does not fully utilize the television screen. Additionally, some viewers find the appearance of the bars on the screen to be aesthetically displeasing.
A second approach applies image processing techniques to "stretch" a 4:3 image to create a 16:9 image. This may be achieved, for example, by upsampling the 4:3 image data. The resulting image fills the television screen; however, the "stretched" image may appear distorted. Because each pixel in the 4:3 image is defined to appear square when displayed on a 4:3 screen, "stretching" such a pixel for a 16:9 screen causes the pixel to appear rectangular or another shape. As a result, the reformatted image as a whole may appear distorted. For example, circular objects may appear elliptical in the 16:9 image.
A third approach used by some cable operators is to broadcast two versions of a given program to set-top terminals in the cable network. According to this method, a first signal is formatted for a 4:3 display and is transmitted via a carrier on a first transmission channel; a second signal is formatted for a 16:9 display and is transmitted via a carrier on a second transmission channel. Some existing set-top terminals have the capability to determine the aspect ratio of a television set and, in response, tune to the appropriate transmission channel to receive the signal, corresponding to the display characteristics of the television. This technique has the disadvantage of doubling the required amount of transmission bandwidth.
The conflicting HDTV and SDTV formats affect not only the programming content offered by cable operators, but also any other material of a graphical nature that is provided to users. For example, in addition to programming content, many cable operators provide program guide data to the set-top terminals in the network from time to time. Program guide data may be used, for example, in an interactive program guide ("IPG") application to provide to users information concerning available programs. Program guide data typically contains time and channel information concerning each program to be broadcast within a predetermined period. After receiving the program guide data from the cable network, a set-top terminal stores it in memory. This stored data is updated from time to time to provide the latest program guide information.
In addition to time and channel information, program guide data often includes data pertaining to one or more graphical images such as video clips, individual video frames, icons, etc. Such graphical images may be used, for example, in a graphical user interface for presenting the time and channel information to the user. A data file, or a set of data files, within the program guide data that represents a single graphical image or a set of related graphical images is referred to as a "graphical component." Thus, a graphical component may comprise, for example, data representing a single video frame, a series of video frames, or an icon.

Technique for delivering via a communications network data for image display with a desired aspect ratio


An object locating method, wherein a server may obtain a correspondence relationship between an object and an object storage device and a correspondence relationship between an object storage device and a prompt device, and after the server receives a request for a sought target object, determining an object storage device corresponding to the target object based on a first correspondence relationship, determining a prompt device corresponding to the object storage device based on a second correspondence relationship, and transmitting a control signal to the prompt device, to control directing the prompt device to output prompt information. With the correspondence relationship between the prompt device and the object storage device reflecting the setup locations of both, after a user confirms a prompt device outputting prompt information, the location of a storage device storing the target object may be determined based on the location of the prompt device. The provided method may assist a user to quickly find a target object, improving user experience. Moreover, the present disclosure provides a related object locating apparatus, ensuring the implementation of the method in actual applications.

A self-service store is a new kind of product that may reduce manual labor. A self-service store has minimal or no sales personnel, and customers may perform self-service activities such as self-selection and self-payment in the store. Self-service stores have greater floor space and increased product selection, and thus due to the absence of service personnel such as sales personnel, customers often need more time to find a desired product, reducing user experience quality.
Consequently, a scheme for locating objects is needed, to assist a customer to quickly find a desired product.

Object locating method and related apparatus


A computer aided diagnostic system and automated method classify a brain through modeling and analyzing the shape of a brain cortex, e.g., to detect a brain cortex that is indicative of a developmental disorder such as ADHD, autism or dyslexia. A model used in such analysis describes the shape of brain cortices in terms of spherical harmonics required to delineate a unit sphere corresponding to the brain cortex to a model of the brain cortex.

Developmental brain disorders are among the most interesting and challenging research areas in modern neuroscience. Dyslexia is an extremely complicated example of such disorders that severely impairs the learning abilities of children. It is characterized by substandard reading skills which remain unaccounted for after considering an individual's age, overall intelligence, and education. Similarly, autism is another example of a brain disorder that is characterized by qualitative abnormalities in behavior and higher cognitive functions. It typically appears during the first three years of life and can severely impact the development of social interaction and communication skills.
Conventionally, identifying individuals having such brain disorders required observation by a trained professional to identify one or more characteristics typical of the disorder. For example, with respect to autism conventional autism diagnostics rely on recording patient reactions to varied stimuli through periodic screening interviews. Early observations by parents can greatly reduce the false positive rate and circumvent unnecessary referrals. However, the diagnosis is subject to human observational and perceptional errors because autism has many forms and personality traits that may be difficult to detect. A more objective computer aided diagnosis (CAD) is a prime necessity in this field.
Advances in neuro-imaging provide some possibilities for non-invasive methods for automatic dyslexia and/or autism detection by revealing differences between quantitative characteristics of normal, autistic and dyslexic brains. Studies have shown a relation between the cerebral white matter (CWM) volume and anatomy in dyslexic and autistic brains as compared to normal brains (see, e.g., M. Casanova et al., "Reduced brain size and gyrification in the brains of dyslexic patients," Journal of Child Neurology, 2004, vol. 9, issue 4, pp. 275-281 M. Klingberg et al., "Microstructure of Temporo-Parietal White Matter as a Basis for Reading Ability: Evidence from Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging," Neuron, 2000, vol. 25, pp. 493-500; S. Niogi and B. McCandliss, "Left lateralized white matter microstructure accounts for individual differences in reading ability and disability," Neuropsychologia, 2006, vol. 44, pp. 2178-2188; E. Aylward et al., "Effects of age on brain volume and head circumference in autism," Neurology, 2002, vol. 59, issue 2, pp. 175-183; and E. Courchesne et al., "Evidence of brain overgrowth in the first year of life in autism," Journal of American Medical Association, 2003, vol. 290, pp. 337-344).
Particularly, the CWM structural differences may generally be related to the volume of the CWM, where an autistic brain is reported as having a larger volume than a normal brain and a dyslexic brain is reported as having a smaller volume than a normal brain. Some conventional computer aided diagnoses systems utilize a volumetric analysis to classify a brain as autistic or dyslexic. However, a volumetric approach fails to account for other factors including, for example, age and gender. Thus, while volume has been linked to autism and dyslexia, computer aided analysis utilizing volume as a discriminating factor is not particularly accurate because of brain volume differences due to age and gender.
Therefore, a need continues to exist in the art for an improved image processing techniques for use in analyzing medical images of the brain.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Computer aided diagnostic system incorporating 3D shape analysis of the brain for identifying developmental brain disorders

University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc.


A method of manufacturing a dynamic groove bearing (45, 71, 111) with an external bearing part (17, 61, 91) and an internal bearing part (47, 67, 113) which are rotatable relative to one another and which have cooperating bearing surfaces (39, 53), (63, 69), (103, 121) with groove patterns (41, 65, 105). According to the invention, the bearing surface (39, 63, 103) of one of the bearing parts (17, 61, 91) is formed and simultaneously provided with the groove pattern (41, 65, 105) through plastic deformation of a ductile material (36, 100) by means of a press tool (37, 101) and a die (1, 55, 73) with a die pattern (13, 59, 83) which corresponds to the groove pattern (41, 65, 105). The ductile material (36, 100) is, for example, a tin alloy such as white metal or Babbitt's metal. The die (1, 55, 73) can be repeatedly used so that large numbers of dynamic groove bearings (45, 71, 111) according to the invention can be manufactured in a comparatively simple manner. The method is used in the manufacture of a rotatable scanning unit (123) for reading or writing a magnetic tape (125) in a magnetic tape device (157). The method is also used for the manufacture of a dynamic groove bearing (233, 235) by means of which a rotatable information disc (213) is supported in a compact, cassette-shaped data storage unit (209).

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a dynamic groove bearing having an internal bearing part which is arranged coaxially relative to an external bearing part, which bearing parts are rotatable relative to one another and experience at least an axial bearing force during this, by which method the bearing parts are provided with cooperating bearing surfaces, the bearing surface of one of the bearing parts being provided by means of a press tool and one of the bearing surfaces being provided with a pattern of grooves.
The invention also relates to a die suitable for use in a method according to the invention.
The invention also relates to a housing manufactured by a method according to the invention.
The invention also relates to a bearing part manufactured by a method according to the invention.
The invention also relates to a data storage unit comprising an information disc and a scanning unit for cooperating with the information disc, which disc is rotatably supported in a cassette-shaped housing by means of two dynamic groove bearings manufactured by a method according to the invention.
The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a rotatable scanning unit with a base drum which has an outer wall with a helical magnetic tape guide and a scanning drum which is rotatable relative to the base drum and which has at least one magnetic head, which scanning unit is provided with dynamic groove bearing by a method according to the invention.
Finally, the invention also relates to a magnetic tape device provided with a rotatable scanning unit manufactured by a method according to the invention.
A method of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph for manufacturing a dynamic groove bearing is known from German Patent Application 22 09 712. In the known method, the press tool comprises a smooth press ball by which a smooth bearing surface with the shape of a sphere segment is pressed into the external bearing part. The internal bearing part is provided with a metal bearing ball, the difference between the radius of the press ball and the radius of the bearing ball being equal to a desired bearing gap height. An accurate bearing gap height is thus provided. The pattern of grooves is provided on the bearing ball in a manner not described in the said Patent Application.
A disadvantage of the known method is that the application of an accurate pattern of grooves on the bearing ball used in the groove bearing by means of, for example, a machining operation or an etching process is time-consuming. As a result, the manufacture of large numbers of groove bearings by the known method is laborious. In addition, the press ball used in the known method must be replaced already after the manufacture of one single groove bearing.

Method of manufacturing a dynamic groove bearing, die suitable for use in such a method, and housing and bearing part manufactured by such a method


A switching power converter includes a phase operable to deliver a phase current to a load through an inductor. The phase current has an expected sawtooth or triangular ripple pattern. The switching power converter further includes a measuring unit operable to measure the phase current at two or more different points of a switching cycle during which the phase is turned on over a first interval of the switching cycle and turned off over a second interval of the switching cycle. The switching power converter also includes an analysis unit operable to determine whether the phase is faulty based on the phase current measurements taken at the two or more different points of the switching cycle. A corresponding method of detecting a phase fault in a switching power converter is also provided.

Switching power converters are widely used in a variety of applications and power levels because of their high efficiency and small amount of area/volume consumed. Widely accepted switching power converters include buck, boost, buck-boost, forward, flyback, half-bridge, full-bridge, and SEPIC topologies. Multiphase buck converters are particularly well suited for providing high current at low voltages needed by high-performance integrated circuits such as microprocessors, graphics processors, and network processors. Buck converters are implemented with active components such as a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller IC (integrated circuit), driver circuitry, one or more phases including power MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors), and passive components such as inductors, transformers or coupled inductors, capacitors, and resistors. Multiple phases can be connected in parallel to meet high output current requirements.
The large number of components included in switching power converters and the typically high output current and power of such systems make it desirable to detect any component or connection failures in order to verify the full functionality of these systems and ensure that the switching power converters operates properly over its entire operating range. Voltage, current, power and temperature monitoring are commonly implemented to ensure proper operation under varying, unpredictable and unforeseen operating conditions. High-performance integrated circuits such as microprocessors, graphics processors, and network processors require several protection mechanisms to guard against voltage and current variations. Phase fault detection (PFD) is one protection mechanism that protects the load and also provides an effective diagnostic guidance for the user. An efficient, reliable and low-cost PFD scheme is highly desirable.

Phase fault detection in switching power converters


A method of fabricating a non-volatile memory is described. A substrate having a tunneling layer and a floating gate layer thereon is provided. A mask layer is formed on the floating gate. The mask layer has openings that expose a portion of the floating gate layer. Then, a portion of the floating gate layer is removed from the openings to form sunken regions on the surface of the floating gate layer. An inter-gate dielectric layer is formed on the floating gate layer. A control gate layer is formed on the inter-gate dielectric layer. After that, the mask layer and the floating gate layer under the mask layer are removed to form another opening. A select gate layer is formed inside the opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a memory device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a non-volatile memory structure and a method of fabricating a non-volatile memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Non-volatile memory is a type of writable and erasable data that can be retained even after power to the device is cut off. In addition, non-volatile memory occupies a small volume and has a fast accessing speed with low power consumption. Moreover, since the data can be erased in a block-by-block mode, the operating speed is fast. Therefore, non-volatile memory has become one of the most popular memory devices in personal computers and other electronic equipment.
A typical non-volatile memory comprises a plurality of memory cells. Each memory cell has a tunneling layer, a floating gate, an inter-gate dielectric layer and a control gate layer sequentially stacked over each other. In general, the larger the gate coupling ratio (GCR) between the control gate layer and the floating gate layer, the lower the operating voltage needed to operate the memory. Consequently, manufacturers are striving hard to increase the capacitance of the inter-gate dielectric layer so that the gate coupling ratio can be increased. One way of increasing the capacitance of the inter-gate dielectric layer is to increase the overlapping area between the control gate layer and the floating gate layer. However, as the level of integration continues to increase, line width of the devices is getting smaller. Since there is very little space for increasing the overlapping area between the control gate layer and the floating gate layer, the performance of the memory device is ultimately affected.

Non-volatile memory structure and method of fabricating non-volatile memory


An apparatus, system, and method for distributing authority for data objects. Each of the data objects in a replication set is stored at a different data storage site and comprises a copy of a content. An edit authority is assigned to only one of the data storage sites at a time using an edit authority object corresponding to the replication set that is transferable between the data storage sites. Responsive to a change to the content of a data object located at a particular data storage site having the edit authority, an update is propagated to a remaining portion of the data storage sites to affect eventual consistency of the replication set. Usability of the data objects at the remaining portion of the data storage sites is maintained until the update is received and processed to thereby reduce a time and expense associated with maintaining data consistency.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to managing data and, in particular, to managing data that is distributed over multiple data storage sites. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method, apparatus, and system for distributing authority to manage data objects stored at multiple data storage sites to reduce a time and an expense associated with maintaining data consistency.
2. Background
Certain types of data management systems involve storing duplicate data files at different locations. Maintaining consistency among these duplicate data files using currently available methods may be more time-intensive and expensive than desired. For example, some currently available methods use a single master hierarchy to maintain data consistency and synchronize data content. With a single master hierarchy, a single master repository tracks and controls all operations that involve the creating, editing, or removing of data content across the different data files.
In one example of a single master hierarchy, a master repository at a particular location may store a master data file. Duplicates of this master data file may be stored in other secondary repositories at other locations. With a single master hierarchy, the duplicate data files must reference the master data file. The master data file and the duplicate data files share the same data content. When a user at the location of one of the secondary repositories wants to change the data content, the data content is retrieved from the master data file as a temporary data file. Changes are then made to the data content in the temporary data file and the temporary data file is submitted for approval.
If the changes are not approved, no changes are made to the master data file. If the changes are approved, the temporary data file replaces the master data file in the master repository as the new master data file. In some cases, the changes that were made to the data content are then propagated to the secondary repositories such that the same changes are made to the duplicate data files. In other cases, the new master data file is duplicated and sent to replace the old duplicate files at the secondary repositories. Other currently available methods for maintaining data consistency and synchronizing data content may include other steps in addition to or in place of the ones described above. However, these methods may also rely on the single master hierarchy.
These types of methods may be much more time-intensive and expensive than desired. In particular, some types of methods may require strong consistency. Strong consistency requires that before changes to a master data file can be made, all of the duplicates of the data file need to be synchronized. This type of synchronization may be time-intensive and expensive. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.


The invention provides a rapid approach for combinatorial synthesis and screening of libraries of imidazol-pyrido-indole and imidazol-pyrido-benzothiophene compounds. The present invention further provides methods of preparing the libraries and the individual compounds made by the combinatorial synthesis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the combinatorial synthesis of imidazol-pyrido-indole and imidazol-pyrido-benzothiophene derivatives. More specifically, the invention provides novel imidazol-pyrido-indole and imidazol-pyrido-benzothiophene derivatives as well as novel combinatorial libraries comprised of many such compounds, and methods of synthesizing the libraries.
2. Background Information
The process of discovering new therapeutically active compounds for a given indication involves the screening of all compounds from available compound collections. From the compounds tested one or more structure(s) is selected as a promising lead. A large number of related analogs are then synthesized in order to develop a structure-activity relationship and select one or more optimal compounds. With traditional one-at-a-time synthesis and biological testing of analogs, this optimization process is long and labor intensive. Adding significant numbers of new structures to the compound collections used in the initial screening step of the discovery and optimization process cannot be accomplished with traditional one-at-a-time synthesis methods, except over a time frame of months or even years. Faster methods are needed that allow for the preparation of up to thousands of related compounds in a matter of days or a few weeks. This need is particularly evident when it comes to synthesizing more complex compounds, such as the imidazol-pyrido-indole and imidazol-pyrido-benzothiophene compounds of the present invention.
Solid-phase techniques for the synthesis of peptides have been extensively developed and combinatorial libraries of peptides have been generated with great success. During the past four years there has been substantial development of chemically synthesized combinatorial libraries (SCLs) made up of peptides. The preparation and use of synthetic peptide combinatorial libraries has been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,367,053 by Dooley, and 5,182,366 by Huebner, Appel et al. in WO PCT 92/09300, Geysen in published European Patent Application 0 138 855 and Pirrung in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,854. Such SCLs provide the efficient synthesis of an extraordinary number of various peptides in such libraries and the rapid screening of the library which identifies lead pharmaceutical peptides.
Peptides have been, and remain, attractive targets for drug discovery. Their high affinities and specificities toward biological receptors as well as the ease with which large peptide libraries can be combinatorially synthesized make them attractive drug targets. The screening of peptide libraries has led to the identification of many biologically-active lead compounds. However, the therapeutic application of peptides is limited by their poor stability and bioavailability in vivo. Therefore, there is a need to synthesize and screen compounds which can maintain high affinity and specificity toward biological receptors but which have improved pharmacological properties relative to peptides.
Combinatorial approaches have recently been extended to "organic," or non-peptide, libraries. The organic libraries to the present, however, are of limited diversity and generally relate to peptidomimetic compounds; in other words, organic molecules that retain peptide chain pharmacophore groups similar to those present in the corresponding peptide. Although the present invention is principally derived from the synthesis of dipeptides, the dipeptides are substantially modified. In short, they are chemically modified through acylation and cyclization into the subject imidazol-pyrido-indoles and imidazol-pyrido-benzothiophenes, thus providing mixtures and individual compounds of substantial diversity.
The classical organic synthesis of variously substituted imidazol-pyrido-indoles is known. For example, as described in Konaoka et al., Tetrahedron, 24:2591 (1968), imidazol-pyrido-indoles can be obtained from the Bischler-Napieralski cyclization of tryptophan-containing derivatives. However, the current synthesis and study of imidazol-pyrido-indoles is a slow process. Each imidazole must be individually synthesized and separately tested. There exists a need to more efficiently synthesize and test various imidazol-pyrido-indole of substantial diversity.
Combinatorial technology has been used for the solid-phase synthesis of relatively small libraries of .beta.-carbolines. Such synthesis involves the condensation of a polymer bound tryptophan and an aldehyde or ketone component as described, for example, in Mayer et al., Tet. Lett., 37:5633 (1996), Yang and Guo, Tet. Lett., 37:5041 (1996) and Kaljuste and Unde'n, Tet. Lett., 36:9211 (1995). However, there remains a need to apply combinatorial technology to more complex molecules such as imidazol-pyrido-indoles, and to libraries of greater diversity.
This invention satisfies these needs and provides related advantages as well. The present invention overcomes the known limitations to classical organic synthesis of imidazol-pyrido-indoles as well as the shortcomings of combinatorial chemistry with small organics or peptidomimetics. Moreover, the present invention provides a large array of diverse imidazol-pyrido-indole which can be screened for biological activity, and as described below, are biologically active.

Combinatorial libraries of imidazol-pyrido-indole and imidazol-pyrido-benzothiophene derivatives, methods of making the libraries and compounds therein


The invention provides a handheld power tool, which comprises a handle assembly, a power mechanism connected with the handle assembly, and a working mechanism connected with the power mechanism. The power mechanism comprises a main housing, an inner housing, and a motor disposed in the inner housing. The main housing comprises a first air inlet at a side wall thereof, the inner housing comprises an opening. An airflow channel is located between the main housing and the inner housing, and in communication with the first air inlet, the opening and an inside of the inner housing. The handheld power tool of the present invention not only has good heat dissipation effect, but also has waterproof and dustproof effects, and can work in rainy days and humid areas without affecting the performance of the whole machine.

The handheld power tool, such as the electric hedge trimmer or the chain saw, is a cutting tool in garden, which is used for trimming various outdoor plants such as bushes, hedges and green plants. The handheld power tool is prone to generate a lot of heat during use and is not suitable for long-term continuous work. To this end, a special ventilation structure is required to dissipate heats from the motor, gear box and PCB of the handheld power tool. In addition, sometimes workers would use the handheld power tool in rainy and humid areas in order to rush the work. When the handheld power tool works in the rainy weather or the handheld power tool is used in a humid area, the water is easy to enter the inside of the machine through the ventilation structure, causing short circuit or burning of the PCB, motor and other parts, thus affecting the work progress and increasing the cost. Because wood chips and dust are often generated when the handheld power tool is in operation, and they may enter into the inside of the handheld power tool through the ventilation structure, which will affect the operation of the motor.
In view of this, it is indeed necessary to improve the existing handheld power tool in order to solve the above problems.


A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for a three dimensional presentation of defects in a system. In response to a request to present a set of defects using a three dimensional presentation, information is retrieved for the set of defects from a database, wherein the information includes an identification of a defect and a location of the defect in the system. A three dimensional model of the system is retrieved in which the defects are located. The defects are placed in the three dimensional model of the system to generate a modified three dimensional model. The modified three dimensional model is presented on a graphical user interface.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for processing data. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for providing a three dimensional presentation of defects.
2. Background
A defect is a failure of a component or a part of a system to conform to a specification. For example, when a mechanic on the shop floor assembles a part, the part could be dropped or mislocated. Additionally, the part may be attached incorrectly or if a hole is made in the part, the hole may be of the incorrect size. These different situations may result in a particular part or assembly not meeting the specification for the part or assembly. These different incidents are called nonconformances. These nonconformances are also referred to as defects.
Currently, defects or nonconformances are documented by placing a tag at the location of the defect. For example, a tag may be placed in the bay of an aircraft to identify a hole that does not conform to the specifications. After the different defects or nonconformances are identified, an engineer or a team of engineers may work through the different nonconformances that have been marked on the aircraft.
In addition to placing a tag on the aircraft, the nonconformance or defect may be recorded in a database. An entry is typically created containing an identification of the nonconformance, as well as details of the nonconformance.
Currently, these defects may be associated with a two dimensional drawing. An engineer may look at the different nonconformances located on a particular two dimensional drawing and use this mapping of defects to analyze nonconformances. For example, an entry in a database for a nonconformance may have an identifier that matches the tag on the aircraft. Further, the entry also may include an identification of the location of the defect on the aircraft. For example, the entry may state that an oversized hole is present in bay five in the upper shelf.
Later, the engineer or other user that desires to locate the defect using the entry in the database, looks at the engineering definitions to locate the upper shelf in bay five. The entry may be used in conjunction with a two dimensional drawing to help identify the location of the defect. The user may need to look at various two dimensional drawings to find the appropriate drawing.


A personal computer system is provided which includes a CPU, with the CPU being operable by a BIOS including initialization or booting instructions. The system includes a local bus and a peripheral bus. A bus interface chip, including a memory controller/peripheral bus host bridge (MC/PBHB) interconnects the local bus and the peripheral bus, and includes a latch which includes as its input clock cycles generated by the CPU. The initialization instructions of the BIOS are contained in a non-volatile ROM module located to write onto either the local bus or the peripheral bus. The MC/PBHB unit is able to decode and handle ROM cycles and is configured to either pass or not pass ROM read cycles depending upon certain control states that identify whether the ROM is located on the local bus or the peripheral bus. Logic is provided to detect during the first ROM CPU cycle whether the ROM is on the peripheral bus or on the local bus, and the MC/PBHB will then either pass the signal to the peripheral bus if that is where the ROM is located, or will not pass it--in which case the local bus controller will take over and read the ROM which must be located on the local bus since it is not located on the peripheral bus.

Personal computer systems are well known in the art. Personal computer systems in general, and IBM Personal Computers in particular, have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. Personal computers can typically be defined as a desktop, floor-standing, or portable microcomputer that is comprised of a system unit having a single central processing unit (CPU) and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, including all RAM and BIOS ROM, a system monitor, a keyboard, one or more flexible diskette drives, a fixed disk storage device, and an optional printer. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a mother board or system planar to electrically connect these components together. These systems are designed primarily to give independent computing power to a single user and are inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or small business. Examples of such personal computer systems are IBM's PERSONAL COMPUTER AT and IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2.
In computer systems, the components communicate via electrical signals. These electrical signals are typically carried by electrical connections between the system components. Typical types of electrical connections include metal traces on a printed circuit board, vias, plated through holes, plugs, and individual wires wrapped from pin to pin of system components. Typically groups of electrical signals and groups of electrical connections that carry the electrical signals are referred to as a "bus." Thus, a reference to a "bus" can indicate a reference to a group of electrical signals, a group of electrical connections that carry the electrical signals, or a reference to both a group of electrical signals that form a protocol and a group of electrical connections that carry the electrical signals. Systems can be said to have a variety of buses. A "local bus" is a bus which is, in general, synchronous with the microprocessor and designed to optimize the performance of the microprocessor. Most systems also have a "peripheral bus," which is either synchronous or asynchronous and may pass data at a slower frequency than the local bus. Peripheral buses typically have a number of interface slots, which are connectors that allow peripheral device cards to be pluggably connected to the peripheral bus. A typical peripheral bus is the peripheral controller interconnect (PCI) bus. Typically the peripheral bus is interfaced to the system local bus with a bus interface circuit (BIC). The BIC interfaces between the system local bus and the peripheral bus, handling any differences in bandwidth, managing control of the buses between busmasters, etc.
Additionally, more than one peripheral bus may be connected to each other.
Many systems also include one or more expansion buses, connected to the peripheral bus. These may also be either synchronous or asynchronous, and typically operate at a slower speed and narrower bandwidth than the peripheral bus. Examples of such expansion buses are IBM Micro Channel bus and ISA bus.
Personal computer systems are typically used to execute software to perform such diverse activities as word processing, manipulation of data via spread-sheets, collection and relation of data in databases, displays of graphics, design of electrical or mechanical systems using system design software, etc.
In these personal computer systems, read only memory (ROM), which is a type of non-volatile data storage device, is used for storing system initialization and boot code. ROM, or as it is sometimes referred to as read only storage (ROS), is a solid state device that allows preprogrammed data or machine code instructions to be retained while the computer is in a power off state and which allows a straight-forward and rapid access to the code once power is applied. For this reason, ROMs are used to store code sequences for the first access of a system processor. These code sequences are then used to test and initialize other portions of a computer system such as main memory, and then allow other programs such as operating systems, etc., to begin execution. This is normally referred to as booting or boot sequences. (It should be noted that ROMs are also sometimes used in other applications within a typical personal computer systems. However, the present invention is related to the use of ROMs that contain the processor's initialization or boot code. EPROM's and EEPROM's can also be used. Thus, unless the context dictates otherwise, the term "ROM" as used herein denotes the ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM containing the initialization code.)
In the early days of personal computer systems, architecture was relative simple and the location of the ROM chips containing the initialization code was dictated by the architecture and thus was located on the expansion local bus. At this point it should be noted that while the initialization code is stored in ROM, it is conventional practice to read the ROM into system memory which is volatile memory, often referred to as random access memory (RAM), since RAMs can operate at a much greater speed than ROMs for the execution of the code. However, as personal computer systems have become more complicated, especially in the IBM Personal System/1 and IBM Personal System/2 family, there is a multiplication of bus systems as indicated above with a multiplication of possible locations for the ROM containing the initialization instructions to be stored. For example, it is possible for the ROM to be located on the CPU local bus, or the ROM could be located directly on the peripheral bus or, as a third possibility, the ROM could be located on the expansion bus. It is the designer of the system who makes the choice as to where the ROM is to be located, and it will be located at only one of these locations. However, it is desirable that a single CPU configuration, programming and memory controller be usable irrespective of where the designer of a particular system chooses to locate the ROM.
There are advantages and disadvantages for the ROM containing the initialization instructions to be located at each of these various places, and hence there is a trade-off of advantages and disadvantages which is made by the system designer when determining where to locate the ROM containing the initialization code. The system designer for one system might choose to locate the ROM in one location, while for another system which is of a similar configuration but with different requirements, he or she may choose another location. As indicated above, there are advantages and disadvantages to each location.
For example, the ROM could be attached directly to the main system processor on the local bus. This would be desirable for a high reliability system such as a server which might use this location for ROM. This location would be chosen because the CPU local bus to ROM connection is the most direct, there being few or no devices between the ROM and the CPU. Thus, the ROM code will be accessible to the CPU even in the event of one or more failures elsewhere in the system. Hence, the CPU in executing the ROM code can diagnose and report almost any device failure within the system. However, there are some disadvantages to locating the ROM on the CPU local bus. One such disadvantage is that the highest performance processors now operate with bus speeds as high as 66 Mhz. ROMs typically do not operate at these speeds; therefore some amount of extra logic is usually required between the ROM and the local bus to compensate for this speed difference. Moreover, any attachments on such a high speed bus will tend to degrade system performance due to the increased number of loads on the high speed bus. Another disadvantage is that modern CPUs employ local bus data widths of 64 bits, while ROMs are typically 8 or 16 data bit widths. This requires even more logic to attach to the ROM.
The designer may choose to connect the ROM to the PCI or other intermediate peripheral bus. This choice might be beneficial for a system which is to be used as a desktop system. This attachment relieves some of the problems associated with attaching to the CPU local bus. For example, the PCI bus operates at a maximum of 33 Mhz, thus being less sensitive to performance degradation from additional attachments. Moreover, the PCI bus is typically limited to 32 bits data widths, thus reducing the amount of ROM interface logic required. The advantage of this attachment is that it still affords some degree of isolation of the CPU from the ROM since the PCI bus is not widely used for general purpose or customer-installed option attachments when there is one or more expansion bus. However, the disadvantage of this attachment is similar to that of the CPU local bus, except that the degree of the problem is reduced.
Lastly, the ROM can be located on the expansion bus, which generally may be Micro Channel architecture of the type used in certain IBM personal computers, namely, the IBM Personal System, PC's or an ISA bus. This connection is desirable to be used in the lowest cost personal computers since the ROM interface can be the simplest. This is because the ISA or Micro Channel bus both support 8-bit or 16-bit data widths directly and since the expansion bus speeds typically closely match the average speed of the low cost ROM devices. The disadvantage to this connection, of course, is that the ROM is furthest removed from the main processor, thus being susceptible to the failure of a large number of system components which would prevent its operation.
The problem presented to the architect of the memory controller is to allow the system to place the ROM in any one of these locations without having to provide a custom program or special hardware control for each location or require operator intervention for location selection. Expressed another way, the problem confronting the memory control architect is to provide a single CPU protocol or system which will allow the ROM chip having the initialization instructions to be located at any one of these three locations, i.e., on the local bus, on the PCI or equivalent bus or on the expansion bus, without having to modify the memory controller or the CPU.

Computer system for detecting and accessing BIOS ROM on the local or peripheral bus

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of predictive control for a single input, single output (SISO) system, including modeling the SISO system with model factors, detecting output from the SISO system, estimating a filtered disturbance from the output, determining a steady state target state from the filtered disturbance and a steady state target output, populating a dynamic optimization solution table using the model factors and a main tuning parameter, and determining an optimum input from the dynamic optimization solution table. Determining an optimum input includes determining a time varying parameter, determining a potential optimum input from the time varying parameter, and checking whether the potential optimum input is the optimum input.

Systems can be defined generally as an object in which signals interact to produce an observable output signal. The system can be a physical entity, such as a chemical process, an electrical circuit, or an engine. The system can also be an abstract entity, such as the stock market or a financial system.
One important type of system is the single input, single output (SISO) system. As the name suggests, a SISO system has a single input and a single output. This is in contrast to multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) systems. SISO systems are commonly controlled using proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers, while MIMO systems are commonly controlled using model-based control methods, such as linear quadratic (LQ) control or model predictive control (MPC).
PID controllers are used in essentially every industrial facility using feedback control. The historic use of analog PID controllers led to the use of digital PID controllers. Yet, PID controllers have a number of limitations. PID controllers are difficult to tune, because the proportional, integral, and derivative settings are set independently, but interact to determine the control behavior. PID controllers also fall short in setpoint tracking accuracy and disturbance rejection. When the system and the model of the system are mismatched, PID control is not very robust. PID control also has difficulty handling system constraints, such as valve motion limits.
Model-based control methods are used for complex systems, such as MIMO systems, but are seldom used for the simpler systems, such as SISO systems. Model-based control systems use a model of the system and make control decisions based on the model. Model-based control systems are popular for complex systems because they can control complex systems, optimize control behavior, and account for system constraints. In spite of these benefits, existing model-based control systems are too complex for general use with SISO systems. Model-based control systems running on simple computing hardware take too long to run. Run time can be reduced by using more sophisticated computing hardware, but such hardware is too expensive for use in the many SISO systems. Tuning model-based control systems is also complex, time consuming, and expensive.
It would be desirable to have an SISO model predictive controller that would overcome the above disadvantages.


Wax-free masterbatch compositions and methods of formulation thereof for use in the production of various end-use plastic products. The wax-free masterbatch compositions may comprise at least titanium dioxide and propylene-ethylene copolymer, and optionally, a carrier resin. The propylene-ethylene copolymer may have about 6% to about 20% by weight ethylene content.

Raw material compositions for use in forming end-use plastic products are often in the form of a masterbatch (MB), although some liquid concentrates at room temperature (RT) do exist. Masterbatches are concentrated mixtures of pigments and/or other additives encapsulated in a pelletized carrier resin. Masterbatches may be used to allow manufactures to perform large-scale production (e.g., large processors, extruders, and the like) at lower cost, permit ease of blending with other materials (e.g., resins), ensure uniform color realization, reduce potential health risks associated with powder pigments as they are dust- and dirt-free, reduce manufacturing waste, and the like.
Conventional masterbatch formulations comprise at least one polymer acting as the carrier resin, at least one pigment and/or other additive, and typically a processing wax acting as a processing aid and dispersing agent. The components of the formulation are generally melt-blended (or compounded) in an extruder (e.g., a twin-screw extruder) and pelletized to form the masterbatch, which is then packaged for commercialization or used in direct formation of an end-use product. The carrier resin is typically selected based on the particular let-down resin (or "host polymer") selected for the end-use product, although one or more universal carriers may additionally be available which are designed to be compatible with an assortment of let-down resins. The processing wax is a low viscosity, low molecular weight wax conventionally included in masterbatch compositions to reduce clogging of filter materials and lower the melt pressure for masterbatch formation, permitting a less cost-intensive and more stable compounding operation. These processing waxes may be polyethylene waxes, polypropylene waxes, oxidized waxes, grafted waxes, and the like, with viscosities of less than about 450 Pa·s at 190° C. and molecular weights of less than about 8,000 gram per mole (g/mol).
The processing waxes traditionally found in masterbatches are often more expensive than the carrier resin itself and introduce an additional component to the masterbatch that can affect the physical properties of a final end-use product. It is desirable to minimize non-compatible materials forming the masterbatch so as to minimize the potential of the masterbatch being incompatible with the let-down resin and thus minimize the impact on the physical properties of the end-use product. These low viscosity, low molecular weight processing waxes may further impact the end-use product due to the limited structural integrity of the molecules forming the processing wax or may migrate to the surface of an end-use product affecting, for example, surface finishing or printing.

Masterbatch compositions having titanium dioxide and propylene-ethylene copolymer


A single-pin furniture hinge of the box type comprises a first (11) and a second (12) fastening element designed to be fastened to two furniture parts to be hinged together and an arm (15) provided at one end with the first fastening element (11) and at the other end with hinging elements (16) for hinging it to the second fastening element (12) to achieve the articulation of the hinge. The arm (15) is composed of a first (19) and a second (20) part which reciprocally slide upon operation of adjusting screw (31) to enable adjustment of the reciprocal position of the two fastening elements (11, 12). The adjusting screw (31) having its axis coinciding with the direction of adjustment of the hinge and cooperating with said first (19) and second (20) part to achieve their reciprocal sliding upon rotation of the screw.

This invention refers to a furniture hinge of the box type with a single journal, provided with a device for the lateral adjustment of the door with respect to the side panel of the furniture unit.
Single-pin hinges, of the type known as "frame hinges", are widely used. In their simplest and most inexpensive form of embodiment, they consist of four main components: a fixed part or wing (designed to be integrally secured to the side panel of the furniture unit), a movable part or box (designed to be integrally secured to the door), a journal and a spring to ensure their automatic closure. These simple hinges do not allow for any reciprocal adjustment between the fixed part and the movable part. To be able to achieve adjustment of the coverage of the side panel by the door, single-pin hinges have been produced in which the wing is made in two pieces, one of which bears the means for fastening it to the side panel and the other bears the means for hinging it to the box. The two pieces are connected together by means of a screw screwed into one of them and fitting with its shank, perpendicular to the adjusting direction, into a slot provided in the other piece. By loosening the fastening screw, the two pieces can slide reciprocally, thereby permitting adjustment. The pieces are subsequently locked into the desired position by tightening the screw.
An adjustment of ths kind, however, is difficult and inaccurate, due to the fact that when the screw is loosened the two parts are free to slide along the entire adjusting stroke permitted by the length of the slot. The difficulties are amplified by the fact that the hinge is obliged to bear the weight of the door, which tends to make the two parts slide inconveniently as soon as the fastening screw is loosened. The desired amount of coverage of the side panel can thus only be found by trial and error.
Moreover, when the hinge is closed, the head of the screw protrudes inside the box in a central position, creating a hindrance which could prove critical in housing the closing mechanism of the hinge. It is obvious that, unlike the conventional hinges, in the "frame"-type hinges, in which the free space between the closing mechanism and the walls of the box is extremely limited, it is essential to have a lateral adjustment device which is of limited overall dimensions and is easily accessible.
The general scope of this invention is to obviate the aforementioned problems by providing a single-pin hinge of the box type with extremely precise and easy to use lateral adjustment, in which the adjusting device is of very limited overall dimensions.

One-pin furniture hinge with adjusting system


A process for thermal oxidation of silicon or cleaning of furnace tubes used in semiconductor manufacturing by exposing the silicon or tube to temperatures above 700.degree. C. while flowing a carrier gas containing oxygen and a chlorohydrocarbon having a general formula C.sub.x H.sub.x Cl.sub.x where x is 2, 3, or 4 over the silicon or tube. The chlorohydrocarbon is selected to readily and completely oxidize at temperature.

In the manufacture of integrated circuits, thermal oxidation of silicon is one of the key process steps. Modern processes utilize a small amount of chlorine-bearing vapor (HCl or Cl.sub.2, etc.) along with the oxidant in a carrier gas to enhance the properties of the oxide. The chlorine species getters metallic species (e.g. Na, Fe) in the environment by conversion to a chloride which is carried out as a vapor in the carrier gas exiting the furnace or forms chloride in the oxide thus preventing migration of metallic species. This stabilizes electrical properties of the oxide. Chlorine addition also changes the growth kinetics of the oxide.
One of the more widely used chlorine sources for this process is 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) packaged and sold by the Schumacher unit of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Carlsbad, CA. The TCA chlorine source is flowed into a manufacturing furnace in a carrier gas such as nitrogen together with an oxygen source. The silicon article is heated to a temperature in excess of 800.degree. C. to oxidize the hydrocarbon to form high purity hydrogen chloride according to the equation: EQU C.sub.2 H.sub.3 Cl.sub.3+ XO.sub.2.fwdarw. 3HCl=2CO.sub.2= (x-2)O.sub.2
An excess amount of oxygen is used to prevent formation of carbon by conversion of the carbon to carbon dioxide. Using an excess of oxygen prevents the starvation of the reaction for oxygen thereby converting all of the TCA to HCl and CO.sub.2. This also prevents chance formation of phosgene, a dangerous gas. Argon may be used in place of nitrogen as the carrier gas.
The TCA can be used in a like manner to clean furnace tubes used in the production of semiconductor devices. Here the quartz tube is held at an elevated temperature with oxygen or steam and a chlorine source flowed through the tube. The chlorine generated reacts with metal contaminates producing volatile metal chlorides and these chlorides are exhausted from the tube with the gas flow. If such metals were allowed to remain in the tube during silicon oxidation, they may create significant defects in the silicon. This result is similar to that in silicon oxidation where such contaminants on or near the surface of the silicon wafers are volatilized or made immobile in the growing oxide. Chlorine sources used in the more critical silicon oxidation are suitable for the less demanding tube cleaning.
TCA has replaced HCl gas since the latter is highly corrosive and has caused extensive damage to facilities and to device yields. TCA produces the same reaction products in the same proportions as HCl gas in a hot oxidizing environment. This is critical to the silicon oxidation process since it allows substitution of TCA for HCl gas without extensive experimentation.
Other chlorine sources have been evaluated. Dichloroethane and, especially, 1,1,2 trichloroethylene have been described in the art as sources of HCl for the chloroxidation of silicon (e.g. R. G. Cosway, S. Wu J. Electronics Soc., 1985, 132, p. 151; C. L. Claeys et al J. Appl. Phys., 1980, 51, p. 6183; and T. Hattori, Solid State Tech, 1982, July p.83) but, as taught by E. J. Janssens, G. J. Declerck, (d. Electrochem Soc, 1978, 125, 1697), the performance of the precursors is best for compounds where the number of hydrogens equals the number of chlorines. The trichloroethylene, for example, generates an excess of diatomic chorine when it decomposes, resulting in excessive etching of the silicon substrate during the oxidation. In addition, 1,1,2 trichloroethylene is highly toxic as is carbon tetrachloride a source for Cl.sub.2 described by C. M. Osborn (J. Electrochem, Soc., 1974, 121, p. 809). danssens et al go on to cite methylene chloride, 1,1,2 trichloroethane and 1,1,1 trichloroethane as possible precursors where the number of hydrogens equals the number of chlorines. However, they conclude on the basis of comparative volatilities, chemical stability, commercial availability, and toxicity that the 1,1,1 trichloroethane is the best candidate. Both the 1,1,2 trichloroethane (tlv 10 ppm) and methylene chloride are regarded as toxic and carcinogenic in animal tests. In addition we have found no significant performance advantage of dichloromethane relative to 1,1,1 trichloroethane in chloroxidation experiments on silicon substrates.
The use of TCA as an HCl source and its application is widely practiced in the semiconductor industry. The typical process is similar to that described in S. Wolf, R. N. Tauber, Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era, Volume I, Lattice Press 1986, p 215-216, where the temperature would be greater than or equal to 850.degree. C. The thermodynamic studies of Janssens et al have demonstrated that oxidation of TCA should be complete even at 700.degree. C., however, it has been reported that the gas phase composition of TCA at 800.degree. C. is not at the equilibrium composition under conditions similar to those practiced in the chloroxidation process (J. R. Flemish, R. E. Tressler, J. R. Monkowski J. Electrochem Soc., 1988, 135, 1192).
Current oxidations are carried out at temperatures greater than 800.degree. C. The need for more demanding control over the thickness and quality of thermally grown oxides requires a reduction in the temperature under which the reaction is carried out. The high stability of TCA becomes a disadvantage as the temperature declines, because of the risk of incomplete combustion resulting in the incorporation of carbon in the growing oxide films.
Although TCA has been a useful additive for both chloroxidations and tube cleaning, new trends in processing conditions towards lower temperatures as well as environmental concerns have turned the high chemical stability of TCA into a disadvantage. The high stability of the compound upon environmental exposure is advantageous in the handling of the material, but ensures that the compound is able to reach the upper atmosphere before it decomposes. Breakdown results in the generation of free chlorine radicals which can destroy the earth's protective ozone layer. TCA is currently being phased out for all nonfeedstock commercial applications in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency.