A data card display package and method for displaying a data card having coded data disposed thereon are provided. The data package comprises a front cover, a back cover, and a center layer attached to each other. The data card is associated with the center layer between front and back covers with the coded data concealed. The data card is selectively movable between a first position concealed by the front and back covers and a second position in which at least a portion of the data card is extended exterior of said front and back covers without exposing the coded data on the data card.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to packaging and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved data card package for advertising a data card having coded data disposed thereon as well as a method of displaying the data card having coded data thereon.
2. Description of Related Art including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The purchase and usage of data or information cards continue to increase to the point that the sale of data cards is a multibillion dollar industry. There are all different types of such cards. An example is a prepaid calling card that provides a set dollar amount of long distance telephone calls that can be made with the card. The account is accessed and debited by using an account number that is provided on the calling card.
Because the card has an account number thereon, and because the cards are becoming increasingly popular and are found at check-out stands, and found on display racks, for example, the cards have to be manufactured so as to prevent someone from accessing the account number without purchasing the card. To this end, the prior art has provided improved security packaging for displaying a data card having coded data disposed thereon at the point of purchase. It is necessary and desirable, however, to not only provide the adequate security but to provide an attractive package for merchandising the data cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,253 discloses a data package in which the data card is disposed on one side of the backing with the coded data positioned against the backing and the covering laminated to a portion of the backing and the data card so as to seal the data card between the covering and the backing and mask the coded data on the data card. This leads to the data card being exposed on the package under the thin laminated transparent covering and consumes advertising space.
In like manner as shown in FIG. 1, a prior art display package includes a package 10 having a prepaid card 12 attached thereto with a transparent thin laminated film 14 so that the bottom portion of the card that has a magnetic stripe 16 thereon extends below the package and can be accessed for activating the card. Some type of an orifice 18 is used for hanging the package on a display rack so that the advertising 20 can be seen. By enabling the prepaid card 12 to extend partially below the package 10, more advertising space 20 is provided. However, it does detract from the attractiveness of the package and could allow someone to lift up the card 12 from the backing 10 so as to attempt to see the PIN number of the card that is concealed thereunder.

Data card display package and method for displaying a data card


A pharmaceutical cart for retaining a plurality of dispensing bins on shelves is provided with cooperating horizontal and vertical locking bars to provide easy access to each of the individual bins and a simplified locking mechanism which prevents bins from being removed when in a locked position. The cart is equipped with a plurality of cassettes, each having a pair of spaced-apart parallel shelves, and a plurality of dispensing bins disposed side-by-side on the shelves and slidably removable from the front of the cart. The horizontally extending locking bar, which has an elongated cross section, extends frontally to the lower part of bins on the upper shelf and the upper part of bins on the lower shelf. The locking bar is pivotally attached to the walls of the cassette and may be rotated to a horizontal position for removal of individual ones of the bins. The vertical locking bar is hingedly attached to one side of the cart and in its locking position extends in front of the cassettes to prevent their removal and engages the horizontal locking bar of each of the cassettes to prevent their rotation. In this manner, operation of the vertical locking bar to its locked position locks each of the cassettes and each of the bins individually.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to pharmaceutical cabinets and particularly to lockable pharmaceutical cabinets comprising a plurality of medication bins.
2. Prior Art
Lockable pharmaceutical cabinets and carts are widely used in hospitals and other medical care facilities. Keeping pharmaceutical products secure from unauthorized access is a matter of major concern in the medical care facilities, not only to protect against theft and misuse of the pharmaceuticals but also to comply with legal requirements concerning controlled substances. Security of pharmaceutical carts used for delivering and dispensing pharmaceutical substances are of particular concern since the carts are of necessity used in areas where they are within easy reach of patients and other non-medical personnel. It is a general requirement in hospitals and the like that pharmaceutical carts be locked when not attended by an authorized person. It is therefore desirable to provide a cabinet or cart which may be readily locked and unlocked and which provides convenient storage and access for preselected pharmaceuticals to be dispensed. Pharmaceuticals to be dispensed may be contained within individual dispensing bins to be removed from the pharmaceutical cart or cabinet, one at a time. It is therefore desirable to provide an arrangement in which an individual dispensing bin may be conveniently removed and the remaining bins may be made secure in a convenient manner.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,890 to J. M. Romick (issued Oct. 14, 1986) discloses a medication cart including cassettes of medication bins. Each cassette includes a plurality of stacked drawers slidably contained within a cabinet frame and a plurality of medication bins contained within each of the drawers. The several drawers of a cassette may be locked by means of a single locking bar internal to the cabinet frame and extending vertically along one side thereof. The locking bar engages each drawer individually and is operable in the vertical direction by means of a key lock.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,740 to W. G. England (issued Jul. 8, 1975) discloses a multiple drawer cabinet having a lockable vertically extending locking bar external to the cabinet and pivotally attached to one edge thereof. The locking bar, in its locked position, extends along the front of several drawers to obstruct opening movement. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,603 to J. D. Wilson (issued Sep. 2, 1975) discloses a similarly positioned drawer retaining bar.
A disadvantage of the arrangement disclosed in the Romick patent is that the bins for containing the substances to be dispensed are contained within drawers. When such a cart is used for dispensing pharmaceuticals, a drawer containing several bins has to be at least partially withdrawn from the cabinet frame to gain access to any one of the bins. Closing the drawer each time after removal of a bin is inconvenient, but an open drawer detracts from a secure environment. The prior art arrangement does not provide for a secure and convenient access to individual bins and makes no provision for retaining or locking individually removable bins, not contained within a drawer. Similar disadvantages obtain with respect to other known prior art arrangements.
A further disadvantage of prior art pharmaceutical dispensing arrangements using removable cassettes for retaining a plurality of medicine dispensing bins is that the handling of the cassettes is made difficult by the weight of the cassette and a structure providing a lightweight cassette for medicine bins is desirable.

Pharmaceutical cabinet locking arrangement


A system and method for controlling a slave processor from a master processor in which the slave processor is instructed to await the occurrence of a particular event and the arrival of a number of data words before processing additional requests. A wait request from the master processor includes identification of an event which must occur before processing is to resume. The master processor provides a number to a register accessible to the slave processor to indicate how many data words to await. The slave processor discontinues processing upon receiving the wait request. The slave processor detects the occurrence of the event and the arrival of the data words and then resumes processing. The register may include an indicator or flag that indicates when the number of data words set by the master processor has been received.

The present invention is directed to a method for controlling a slave processor in the processing of a variable amount of information upon occurrence of a predetermined event. In particular, the present invention relates to controlling a graphics processor to complete a series of requests upon initiation of a particular time, while placing a minimum burden on the master or controlling processor.
In computing, there is a class of operations which must be performed from start to finish within a fixed real time interval. For scan based graphics display devices, one such interval is the vertical retrace interval. Operations which must be done during this vertical retrace period are those which affect the display, and are not to be seen until they are completed. It may be undesirable to have a partially completed operation displayed.
In order to avoid partial completion of the processing, the processing must begin within a certain time after the beginning of the interval. Thus a sufficient time within the interval is allotted to the processor to complete processing. In order that an operation can be completed, it is necessary that the data associated with that operation all be available to the processor. The processor itself must have an adequate bandwidth to process the required amount of data within the time interval.
One way for a master to write some number of data words to a slave processor and have the processing completed within a given time interval shall now be described. The master processor may wait until the slave processor goes idle so that it is in a known state. The master then stops the slave processor so that it will not process any data it receives until started again by the master. The master sends the slave all data to be processed during the given time interval. The master then detects the beginning of the interval by either polling or an interrupt. The master then explicitly starts the slave processor to process the data. The slave processes the data at its maximum rate because it has available all the data necessary upon starting the processing. As such, the processing may be accomplished within the time interval.

System and method for controlling a slave processor


An example game system includes a game apparatus and a terminal device capable of communicating with the game apparatus. The terminal device transmits a pickup image obtained by an image pickup section to the game apparatus. The game apparatus receives the pickup image, and generates a first image by synthesizing the pickup image at least in part with an image of a predetermined virtual space as viewed from a first virtual camera. The first image is outputted and displayed on a predetermined display device. In addition, the game apparatus generates a second image of the virtual space as viewed from a second virtual camera different from the first virtual camera. The second image is outputted and displayed on the terminal device.

There is a conventional technology in which pickup images obtained by a camera or suchlike are used in a game. For example, a game apparatus provided with a camera can use a pickup image obtained by a camera as a portion of a game image. In the game apparatus, for example, the camera picks up an image of the game player's face, and then uses the pickup image in game processing as a game input, or displays the pickup image after the game. Accordingly, the player can use the pickup image in a game operation or, following the game, enjoy viewing the expression on the face captured during the game.
While conventionally, pickup images are used as game images, the real space as represented by the pickup images is not displayed in good association with a virtual space constructed by the game apparatus. For example, while conventionally, pickup images are displayed with objects or suchlike synthesized thereon, it is not possible to allow the player to have a feeling as if the virtual space displayed on the screen actually existed in depth beyond the screen, and therefore, in some cases, the virtual space might not appear sufficiently real.
Therefore, the game systems, game apparatuses, storage media having game programs stored therein, and image generation methods as disclosed herein are intended to allow a virtual space displayed on the screen to appear more real.
(1) An example game system described herein includes a game apparatus and a terminal device capable of communicating with the game apparatus.
The terminal device includes an image pickup unit, a transmission unit, and a display unit. The transmission unit transmits a pickup image obtained by the image pickup unit to the game apparatus. The display unit displays an image outputted by the game apparatus.
The game apparatus includes a reception unit, a first image generation unit, a first image output unit, a second image generation unit, and a second image output unit. The reception unit receives the pickup image. The first image generation unit generates a first image by synthesizing the pickup image at least in part with an image of a predetermined virtual space as viewed from a first virtual camera. The first image output unit outputs the first image to a predetermined display device. The second image generation unit generates a second image of the virtual space as viewed from a second virtual camera different from the first virtual camera. The second image output unit outputs the second image to the terminal device.
The "game apparatus" may be any apparatus capable of performing the processing of each of the aforementioned units. For example, the game apparatus may be an information processing apparatus exclusively intended for game use or may be a multipurpose information processing apparatus such as a general personal computer.
The "terminal device" is a device including an image pickup unit and a display unit and being capable of communicating with the game apparatus, and may have the function of an operating device as does a terminal device 7 in an example embodiment to be described later.
The "game system" includes an operating device and an information processing apparatus, and may or may not include the "predetermined display device" for displaying the first image. That is, the game system may or may not be provided in a form including the predetermined display device.
The "first image" may be generated arbitrarily so long as it includes an image representing a virtual space and at least a part of a pickup image. The "first image" may be perceived as if the real space represented by the pickup image were connected to the virtual space, e.g., the first image has the pickup image (at least in part) arranged in the virtual space. Here, the "image having the pickup image arranged in the virtual space" may be generated arbitrarily so long as the pickup image appears to exist in the virtual space. The "first image" may or may not have a virtual space object displayed on (or in front of) the pickup image.
The "second image" represents the virtual space as viewed from the second virtual camera different from the first virtual camera. That is, the "second image" represents the virtual space viewed from a different viewpoint from the first image.
According to the above configuration (1), the first image to be displayed on the predetermined display device is an image obtained by synthesizing an image of the virtual space and a pickup image, and therefore, the first image represents the real space as viewed from the virtual space. On the other hand, the second image to be displayed on the terminal device is an image of the virtual space viewed from a different viewpoint from the first image, and therefore, the second image represents the virtual space as viewed from the real space. As a result, the predetermined display device displays an image of the real space as viewed from the virtual space, and the terminal device displays an image of the virtual space as viewed from the real space. Thus, by viewing these two images, the player holding the terminal device can feel as if the virtual space were connected to the real space and actually existed. The player can clearly feel as if the virtual space spread beyond the screen of the terminal device, and can perceive the virtual space to be more real. Thus, according to the above configuration (1), the terminal device displays a virtual space, and the predetermined display device displays an image obtained by synthesizing a pickup image with an image representing the virtual space, so the virtual space can appear more real.
(2) The game apparatus may further include a virtual camera setting unit. The virtual camera setting unit sets the first virtual camera and the second virtual camera such that the first and second virtual cameras are directed from opposite sides toward a predetermined plane within the virtual space.
The "predetermined plane" is a concept used for specifying the positional relationship between two virtual cameras, and the actual game processing does not include arranging an object corresponding to the predetermined plane or calculating the position and/or the attitude of the predetermined plane. That is, the virtual camera setting unit sets two virtual cameras, and may or may not perform the processing for arranging the predetermined plane.
According to the above configuration (2), the second image is an image of the virtual space representing the predetermined plane as viewed from one side, and the first image is an image of the virtual space representing the predetermined plane as viewed from the other side and including a pickup image within the virtual space. In this case, the line-of-sight direction in the second image is from the front side of the screen of the terminal device to the rear, and is the same as the player's line-of-sight direction. On the other hand, with reference to the virtual space displayed on the terminal device, the line-of-sight direction in the first image is from the rear side of the terminal device's screen toward the front, and is approximately opposite to the player's line-of-sight direction. That is, the first image is provided as an image as viewed from the rear side of the terminal device's screen toward the player. Thus, according to the above configuration (2), the terminal device displays an image with the line-of-sight direction from the front of the terminal device's screen toward the rear, and the predetermined display device displays an image with the line-of-sight direction from the rear of the screen toward the front, so the virtual space represented by each image can appear more real.
(3) The first image generation unit may generate a first image with the pickup image being displayed at least in part at a position of the predetermined plane.
According to the above configuration (3), the pickup image is displayed at the position of the predetermined plane, and therefore, the player has a perception as if the virtual space existed on the side of the first virtual camera with respect to the predetermined plane, and as if the real space were on the side of the second virtual camera. Thus, the player can feel as if the virtual space were connected to the real space via the predetermined plane, so the virtual space can appear more real.
(4) The game apparatus may further include a plane arrangement unit for arranging a rendering plane within the virtual space, the plane having at least apart of the pickup image rendered thereon. In this case, the first image generation unit generates a first image which represents the virtual space including the rendering plane.
The "rendering plane" is an arbitrary plane within the virtual space, and may have any arbitrary shape, e.g., a curved shape, or a rectangular plane as in the example embodiment to be described later. Moreover, the pickup image may be rendered on the whole or part of the rendering plane.
The above configuration (4) makes it possible to readily generate a first image which can appear as if (at least a part of) the pickup image existed in the virtual space.
(5) The game apparatus may further include a first camera setting unit for setting a position and an attitude of the first virtual camera such that the rendering plane is viewed from a side on which the pickup image is rendered.
According to the above configuration (5), the first virtual camera has the virtual space including the rendering plane placed within its field-of-view range, making it possible to readily generate a first image by synthesizing an image of the virtual space with a pickup image. Moreover, the first image can be viewed as if the virtual space were connected to the real space represented by the pickup image, so the virtual space can appear more real.
(6) The game apparatus may further include a second camera setting unit for setting a position and an attitude of the second virtual camera such that the rendering plane is viewed from an opposite side to a side on which the pickup image is rendered.
The above configuration (6) makes it possible to readily generate a second image of the virtual space not including a pickup image. Particularly, in the case where the above configuration (6) is used in combination with the above configuration (5), the first and second virtual cameras are set so as to face approximately opposite directions with respect to the rendering plane in the virtual space. Thus, as in the above configuration (2), the terminal device displays an image with the line-of-sight direction from the front of the screen toward the rear, and the predetermined display device displays an image with the line-of-sight direction from the rear of the screen toward the front, so the virtual space represented by each image can appear more real.
(7) The game system may further include a game processing unit for executing predetermined game processing on the basis of an action of a predetermined object arranged in the virtual space and the pickup image rendered on the rendering plane.
According to the above configuration (7), when the predetermined object takes some action toward the pickup image, the player can perceive the object in the virtual space affecting the real space represented by the pickup image. Thus, the player can strongly feel as if the virtual space were connected to the real space, so the virtual space can appear more real.
(8) The game system may further include an operating device capable of communicating with the game apparatus. In this case, the game processing unit controls the action of the predetermined object in accordance with an operation on the operating device.
The above configuration (8) allows a player different from the player holding the terminal device to play the game using the operating device. By manipulating the predetermined object using the operating device, the player can perceive the object in the virtual space affecting the real space represented by the pickup image.
(9) The game apparatus may further include a recognition processing unit and a game control processing unit. The recognition processing unit performs image recognition processing on the pickup image. The game control processing unit performs game control processing to add a change to the virtual space on the basis of the result for the image recognition processing.
According to the above configuration (9), the virtual space is changed on the basis of the result for the image recognition processing performed on the pickup image. Accordingly, the player can perform a game operation by changing the content of a pickup image to be obtained by the image pickup unit. For example, the player can perform a game operation by changing the expression on the face or by changing the position of the face. Here, the pickup image is displayed on the predetermined display device, along with an image of the virtual space, and therefore, the player's game operation is reflected in the virtual space displayed on the predetermined display device. That is, the above configuration (9) allows the player's action in the real space to be reflected in the displayed image, thereby changing the virtual space in accordance with the player's action, so the virtual space can appear more real.
(10) The terminal device may further include a microphone. In this case, the transmission unit transmits data for sound detected by the microphone to the game apparatus. Moreover, the game apparatus further includes a game control processing unit for performing game control processing to add a change to the virtual space on the basis of the sound data.
According to the above configuration (10), the virtual space is changed on the basis of sound detected by the microphone. Thus, the player can perform a game operation by providing an input to the microphone.
(11) The transmission unit may transmit operation data representing a player's operation on the terminal device to the game apparatus. In this case, the game apparatus further includes a game control processing unit for performing game control processing to add a change to the virtual space on the basis of the operation data.
The above configuration (11) allows the player to readily perform a game operation while holding the terminal device.
(12) The terminal device may further include a sensor unit for outputting motion data representing information about motion of the terminal device. In this case, the transmission unit transmits operation data including the motion data to the game apparatus.
The above configuration (12) allows the player to perform a game operation by moving the terminal device, making it possible to play the game with intuitive and easy operation.
(13) The terminal device may further include a position detection unit capable of detecting an input position on a screen of the display unit. In this case, the transmission unit transmits operation data including data for the position detected by the position detection unit to the game apparatus.
The above configuration (13) allows a game operation to be performed by directly touching the virtual space displayed on the screen of the terminal device, making it possible to play the game with intuitive and easy operation.
(14) The terminal device may further include at least one operation member. In this case, the transmission unit transmits operation data representing the player's operation on the operation member to the game apparatus.
The above configuration (14) allows the player to readily perform a game operation while holding the terminal device.
Note that disclosed herein are examples of the game apparatus included in the game system and the storage medium having stored therein a game program for causing a computer to function as means equivalent to the aforementioned units of the game apparatus (excluding the reception unit and the image output units). Also disclosed herein is an example of the image generation method to be executed in the game system or apparatus. Further disclosed herein are examples of the information processing system, apparatus, and program intended for purposes including, but not limited to, game use, and the image generation method to be executed by the information processing system or apparatus.
In the game system, game apparatus, game program, and image generation method as mentioned above, the predetermined display device displays a first image obtained by synthesizing an image of the virtual space as viewed from the first virtual camera with at least a part of a pickup image obtained by the terminal device, and the terminal device displays a second image of the virtual space as viewed from the second virtual camera different from the first virtual camera. Thus, the player can feel as if the virtual space were connected to the real space represented by the pickup image, so the virtual space can appear more real.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Game system, game apparatus, storage medium having game program stored therein, and image generation method


A preparative electrophoresis device having a pair of spaced apart plates, a pre-cast electrophoretic gel between the plates, and a semipermeable membrane sealably connected to ends of the plates to define with the plates a collection channel for receiving molecules that have traveled through the gel. Also disclosed are close spacing (less than 2.0 mm) of the plates, an inlet tube and an outlet tube connected to the two plates and communicating with opposite ends of the collection channel, an elongated divider between the plates to divide the gel into a purification region and an indicating region that is not as wide as the purification region and receives marker molecules of known molecular weight to indicate the location in the indicating region of molecules of interest, and pumping electrophoretic buffer into the collection channel at the same rate that it is pumped out.

The invention relates to a preparative electrophoresis device and methods of using it.
Electrophoresis involves the use of an electric field to cause different charged molecules in a sample to migrate through a gel at different rates, resulting in separation of the different molecules. Separation is based on charge and/or size differences between different molecules. Molecules with higher charge migrate faster than molecules with lower charge, and lower molecular weight molecules migrate faster than the higher molecular weight molecules.
Because of the high resolving power of electrophoresis, it is widely used to separate proteins or peptides and polynucleotides, both as an analytical technique (in which molecules remain in the gel) and as a preparative tool (in which molecules are recovered). The gel can be cylindrical in a tubular chamber, or it can be flat in the form of a slab between two plates. Some commercially available analytical slab devices use disposable prepoured gels with thicknesses ranging between 0.5 and 1.5 mm, and plates generally about 8 cm high and about 10 cm wide; these are generally known as "mini-gel" systems. Some larger analytical gels employ spacers 1.5 mm thick with plates generally about 15 cm high and 18 cm wide.
The molecules separated by electrophoresis can be recovered from the gel by slicing the gel or by electrophoretic transfer onto a membrane support. Further processing is usually required to remove the molecules from the gel or membrane support for further purification procedures. This preparative procedure is known as zone excision extraction.
The separated molecules can also be recovered by having them pass from the gel into a collection channel and flushing the channel with a buffer. Because different molecules enter the channel at different times they will be eluted separately. This preparative procedure is known as successive zone elution and requires the use of a special gel construction to provide a collection channel. These systems are typically of the tube gel type, and often employ a cooling system to dissipate the heat that is generated and can otherwise affect electrophoresis owing to increased temperature. The Model 491 system available from Bio-Rad Laboratories is an example of such a system. Chen U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,510 describes a cylindrical electrophoretic column that has a chamber defined by a porous plate and a semi-permeable membrane thereunder for receiving and removing molecules from the bottom of the column; electrophoretic buffer passes through the membrane into the porous plate and carries the molecules with it when it is pumped out.
Slab systems have also been used for successive zone elution preparative electrophoresis. Carpenter, H. P. et al., "A Device for Preparative Elution Electrophoresis Using a Polyacrylamide Gel Slab", Electrophoresis, Vol. 7, pp. 221-226 (1986) describes a device that is clipped on to the end of a 3 mm thick polyacrylamide slab gel and employs two paper membranes impregnated with polyacrylamide and separated by a 0.5 mm gap. The top membrane has 4% polyacrylamide, and the lower one has 25% polyacrylamide, permitting proteins of M.sub.r 10,000 to 1,000,000, to pass through the top membrane to the space between them, but to not pass through the lower membrane. Electrode buffer passes through the chamber to remove molecules migrating from the bottom of the gel into the compartment. This device is also described in UK Published Patent Application No. 2177211A and U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,233. Groschup, M. H., et al., "A Convenient Gel Holder for Preparative Electrophoretic Separation of Aggregated Bacterial Proteins", Electrophoresis. Vol. 12, pp. 90-91 (1991) describes a slab electrophoresis device having a transverse horizontal channel formed in the middle of the gel to collect proteins; inlet and outlet tubes are connected to the channel via threaded fittings.

Preparative electrophoresis device and method


A light emitting device wafer is fabricated, having a light emitting layer section, composed of AlGaInP, based on a double heterostructure and a GaP light extraction layer disposed on the light emitting layer portion, having a first main surface thereof appearing on the first main surface of the wafer, so as that a P-rich off-angled {100} surface, having a higher existence rate of P atoms than an exact {100} surface, appears on the first main surface the GaP light extraction layer. The main first surface of the GaP light extraction layer is etched with an etching solution FEA so as to form surface roughening projections. Therefore, it provides a method of fabricating a light emitting device capable of applying surface roughening easily to the GaP light extraction surface having the {100} surface, off-angled to be P-rich, as a main surface thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of fabricating a light emitting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-218383
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-209283
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2780744
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H8-115893
[Patent Document 5] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H5-167101
[Patent Document 6] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H8-102548
Light emitting device having a light emitting layer section thereof composed of an (AlxGa1-x)yIn1-yP alloy (where, 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1; simply referred to as AlGaInP alloy, or more simply as AlGaInP, hereinafter) can be realized as a high-luminance device over a wide wavelength range typically from green region to red region, by adopting a double heterostructure in which a thin AlGaInP active layer is sandwiched between an n-type AlGaInP cladding layer and a p-type AlGaInP cladding layer, both having a larger band gap than the active layer. Current is supplied to the light emitting layer section through a metal electrode formed on the surface of the device. The metal electrode acts as a light interceptor, so that it is formed, for example, so as to cover only the center portion of a main surface (that is defined as a first main surface hereinafter) as a light extraction side of the light emitting layer section, to thereby extract light from the peripheral region having no electrode formed thereon.
In this case, a smaller area of the metal electrode is advantageous in terms of improving the light extraction efficiency, because it can ensure a larger area for the light extraction region formed around the electrode. Conventional efforts have been made on increasing the amount of light extraction by effectively spreading current within the device through consideration on geometry of the electrode, but increase in the electrode area is inevitable anyhow in this case, having been fallen in a dilemma that a smaller light extraction area results in a limited amount of light extraction. Another problem resides in that the current is less likely to spread in the in-plane direction, because the dopant carrier concentration, and consequently the conductivity, of the cladding layer is suppressed to a slightly lower level in order to optimize emissive recombination of carriers in the active layer. This results in concentration of the current into the region covered by the electrode, and consequently lowers the substantial amount of light extraction from the light extraction region. There has been adopted a method of forming, between the cladding layer and the electrode, a low-resistivity current spreading layer having a dopant concentration larger than that of the cladding layer. The current spreading layer, formed as a light extraction layer increased in the thickness to a certain degree, is not only successful in improving the in-plane current spreading effect, but also in increasing extractable amount of light from the side faces of the layer to thereby raise the light extraction efficiency. It is necessary for the light extraction layer to be formed using a compound semiconductor having a band gap energy larger than a light quantum energy of the beam of emitted light, for the purpose of efficient transmission of the beam of emitted light and raising the light extraction efficiency. In particular, GaP is widely used for composing the light extraction layer of AlGaInP-base light emitting device, by virtue of its large band gap energy and small absorption of the beam of emitted light.
In thus-configured light emitting device using the peripheral region of the metal electrode on the first main surface of the light extraction layer as the light extraction area, not all components of the emitted light directed from inside of the device towards the light extraction area can be extracted, because some components incident on the light extraction area at an angle (angle of incidence herein means an angle of the direction of incidence of beam away from the normal line on the area) larger than the critical angle returns back inside the device by total reflection. The Patent Documents 1-3 disclose techniques of roughening (also referred to as frosting) the first main surface of the light extraction layer using an appropriate etching solution so as to form fine irregularities, aiming at reducing probability of incidence of the beam of emitted light at large angles and at consequently raising the light extraction efficiency. Also, as another technique, the Patent Documents 5 and 6 disclose a technique of epitaxially growing, on a current spreading layer, a light scattering layer composed of compound semiconductor having a different lattice constant from that of the current spreading layer, so as to form irregularities on the light scattering layer resulting from lattice mismatching of the both layers.
The Patent document 1, however, discloses that the surface roughening using the etching solution can roughen some surfaces but cannot roughen other surfaces depending on orientation of the exposed surface, and upper surface roughening is therefore not always successfully done, so that improvement in the light extraction efficiency is achievable only to a limited degree, and further improvement in the luminance is not easy. The Patent document 2 more specifically discloses that "the main surface of semiconductor substrate generally shows the {100} surface or a surface several degrees off-angled from the {100} surface, so that the surface of any of the individual semiconductor layers grown thereon has also the {100} surface or a surface several degrees off-angled from the {100} surface, wherein it is difficult to roughen the {100} surface and the surface several degrees off-angled from the {100} surface". The light extraction layer disclosed in the Patent documents 2 and 3 is a GaAlAs layer, whereas the Patent document 1 discloses a GaP light extraction layer, having again the {100} surface exposed on the first main surface thereof.
Putting all aspects disclosed in the Patent documents 1-3 together, it is obvious that the GaP light extraction layer having the {100} surface on the first main surface thereof cannot be roughened simply by immersing it into the etching solution, so far as any publicly-known etching solution for GaP (hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide or mixed solutions of these components, according to paragraph 0026 in the Patent document 1) is used as the etching solution, and that it is difficult to form the irregularities capable of improving the light extraction efficiency to a sufficient degree.
Also, GaP is III-V compound semiconductor having a zincblende structure, and has a crystal structure having closest packing surfaces of Ga and closest packing surfaces of P stacked alternately in the <111> direction. In this case, GaP single crystal having a principal axis orientation adjusted to exact <100> has the equal existence rate of Ga atoms and P atoms on the two main surfaces, however in a case of an off-angled {100} surface, the existence rate becomes unbalanced, so as that it is rich in Ga on the one main surface and rich in P on the other. The present inventors have studied and found that in the case of an off-angled {100} surface, surface roughening by chemical etching is especially difficult on the P-rich side.
The Patent Document 1 discloses a method of etching the {100} main surface of the GaP light extraction layer, after covering it with a finely-patterned resin mask. Although the document also formally suggests wet etching (chemical etching) as the etching method, all specific disclosures including the embodiments are made only on dry etching based on RIE (reactive ion etching). Dry etching costs high, and is disadvantageous in terms of its extremely low process efficiency, because only a small area of substrate can be processed at a time. Also, there is no specific method disclosed for effective surface roughening by chemical etching on a {100} surface off-angled so as to be rich in P.
On the other hand, the Patent Documents 2 and 3 give no specific information on the formation of the irregularities by etching the {100} main surface of the GaP light extraction layer, because the light extraction surface herein is composed of GaAlAs. A method adopted herein is such as forming a macroscopic secondary trench pattern having a triangle section by mechanical processing so as to expose the {111} surface allowing the etching to proceed thereon more easily, and subjecting the surface of the secondary pattern to chemical etching. The method is, however, disadvantageous in that the number of process steps increases corresponding to necessity of the mechanical processing for forming the grooves.
The light emitting device having the GaP light extraction layer can increase the amount of light extractable from the side faces of the GaP light extraction layer, if the layer is thickened. Therefore the light extraction efficiency of the device as a whole can further be increased by roughening also the side faces of thus-thickened GaP light extraction layer. The methods of surface roughening described in the Patent Documents 1-3, however, essentially need process steps of forming the mask and the trenches, which are permissible only on the main surface of the wafer, and this consequently raises a critical disadvantage in that the surface roughening is not adoptable to the side faces of the chip which appear only after the wafer is diced. In particular in the dry etching such as RIE as described in the Patent Document 1, it may be absolutely impossible to etch the side faces by allowing the etching beam, directed straightforward to the main surface of the layer, to come round onto the side faces, due to strong directionality of the etching beam. Further, the methods of surface roughening using epitaxial growth described in the Patent Documents 5 and 6 have a disadvantage that it is difficult to conduct surface roughening producing distinguished irregularities, comparing to methods by etching, and also that surface roughening to side faces of a chip is almost impossible. In these documents, there is no specific method disclosed for effective surface roughening by chemical etching on a {100} surface off-angled so as to be rich in P.
It is therefore a subject of this invention to provide a fabricating method of a light emitting device, allowing surface roughening to be easily applied to a GaP light extraction layer having a {100} surface, off-angled so as to be rich in P, as a main surface.

Method of fabricating light emitting device


A new and distinct Chamelaucium cultivar named ‘EARLY OFIR’ is disclosed, characterized by short, dark colored leaves and medium sized white colored flowers. The new variety is early blooming. The new variety is a Chamelaucium, normally producing cut flower stems, or as a garden or container plant.

The new Chamelaucium cultivar is a product of chance discover by the inventor, Nitzan Nir, in Kfar Hess, Israel. The new variety was discovered as a seedling growing in a field of various Chamelaucium uncinatum varieties during January of 2009, at a commercial nursery in Kfar Hess, Israel. As the variety was discovered as a chance seedling, the parents are unknown.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar has been performed by vegetative cuttings. This was first performed at a commercial nursery in Kfar Hess, Israel in November of 2009 and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A rotary plate is rotatably supported with respect to a stationary base using an R-guide, and the weight of the rotary plate and a mold mounted to the rotary plate is also supported by the R-guide in addition to a bearing. Therefore, a moment and a vertical downward load acting on the bearing of the rotary plate can be reduced. A block of the R-guide is fixed with respect to the rotary plate side through a disc spring. Therefore, while the rotary plate is rotating, the elastic force of the disc spring causes the rotary plate to separate from the stationary base by a space, which reduces the rotational resistance of the rotary plate. During mold clamping, respective pressure-receiving surfaces of the rotary plate and the stationary base contact each other against the elastic force of the disc spring, which enables reliable transfer of a mold clamping load to the stationary base.

An injection molding machine provided with a rotary plate that can be mounted with a plurality of molds has conventionally been used as an injection molding machine for a two-color molding formed from a base material and a covering material that covers the base material. This injection molding machine performs injection molding by mounting two types of core-side molds, one for forming the base material portion and one for forming the covering material, and rotating the rotary plate with respect to a cavity-side mold to exchange the core-side molds. Accordingly, two-color molding can be achieved using one molding machine. It should be noted that a vertical injection molding machine is widely used, which is structured such that the rotary shaft of the rotary plate is oriented in the vertical direction and the mold clamping direction is the vertical direction (see Patent Documents 1 to 3, for example).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-S61-182914    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-H06-198528    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-H06-71690


A memory card connector includes a front receptacle area communicating with an interior cavity for receiving a memory card. The connector has an L-shaped insulating housing which includes a rear terminal-mounting section extending transversely across a rear of the cavity, and a longitudinal side wall section extending forwardly of one end of the rear section defining one side of the cavity. A plurality of terminals are mounted in a side-by-side array along the rear terminal-mounting section of the housing and have contact portions at a rear of the cavity for engaging contacts on the memory card. A metal shell covers at least a portion of the insulating housing and includes a cover plate defining a top of the cavity and a longitudinal side wall plate depending from the cover plate and defining a side of the cavity opposite said side defined by the longitudinal side wall section of the housing.

Memory cards are known in the art and contain intelligence in the form of a memory circuit or other electronic program. Some form of card reader reads the information or memory stored on the card. Such cards are used in many applications in today's electronic society, including video cameras, digital still cameras, smartphones, music players, ATMs, cable television decoders, toys, games, PC adapters, multi-media cards and other electronic applications. Typically, a memory card includes a contact or terminal array for connection through a card connector to a card reader system and then to external equipment. The connector readily accommodates insertion and removal of the card to provide quick access to the information and program on the card. The card connector includes terminals for yieldingly engaging the contact array of the memory card. Ejecting devices often are provided for facilitating inserting and ejecting the memory card to and from the card connector.
A typical memory card connector includes a U-shaped insulating housing structure having a lateral terminal-mounting section across the rear of the connector. The contacts or terminals of the connector are mounted on this lateral section. Two legs project at right angles forwardly from opposite sides of the rear lateral section to define longitudinal opposite sides of a cavity for receiving a memory card. An overlying shell substantially covers the insulating housing and includes a cover plate defining a top of the cavity and a pair of side walls overlying the side legs of the housing. Examples of such a memory card connector are shown in Japan Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2001-6777 and 2002-83651.
With the typical prior art memory card connectors as described above, the card-receiving cavity, in essence, is defined by the rear lateral section and the opposite side legs of the U-shaped housing as well as the top cover plate of the metal shell. The opposite longitudinal side legs of the housing cannot be reduced in lateral size and weight below certain limits because of the necessary resistive forces required for guiding the memory card in its movement into and out of the cavity. The present invention is directed to solving this problem by providing a connector which is reduced both in size and weight.


A system is provided comprising a switching device and a response module. The switching device has a critical switch and a plurality of non-critical switches. The switching device generates an analog output voltage based on a switching state of the critical switch and each of the non-critical switches. The response module monitors the analog output voltage. The response module detects when the critical switch is closed, regardless of whether any non-critical switch is closed or any non-critical switch is open.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Electronic devices, including consumer electronic devices, appliances, and the like, often include a switching device such as a push-button keyboard input device. The keyboard may include electrical switches connected to a series of resistors and an input voltage. Depression of a keyboard push-button or "key" may close one of the switches, thereby generating an analog output voltage. The analog output voltage may be a fraction of the input voltage, depending on the configuration of the switches and resistors. An analog-to-digital converter may convert the analog output voltage to a digital output that corresponds to the depressed key.
Traditionally, switching devices are biased either at the input voltage or at the circuit's ground. Thus, when no keys are pressed, the output of the switching device is either the input voltage or zero volts. When a push-button is pressed, a switch is closed causing an output between zero volts and the input voltage. Control and response circuitry may receive the output and recognize the output voltage as corresponding to the pressed key. The control and response circuitry may include and analog-to-digital converter and/or a control module for controlling a controlled device in response to the voltage output.
Push-buttons, or keyboard keys, may become stuck. In the traditional system, the switching device becomes inoperable when a key is stuck as the output of the switching device also becomes stuck. Pressing another key of the keyboard may cause the switching device to output an analog output voltage that does not correspond to either the pressed key or the stuck key.
Such a switching device may be implemented on an integrated circuit board (IC). The IC hosting the switching device may also host a user display, such as an LED display or an LCD panel. Control and/or response circuitry for the electronic device may be hosted on a separate IC electrically connected to the IC that is hosting the user input switching device and user display.
During use of the electronic device, the two IC's may become disconnected. In the traditional system, the control circuitry is not able to detect the malfunction. When the two IC's are disconnected, the analog output voltage may simply be zero volts or the input voltage, and the control circuitry may simply read the analog output voltage as having received no user input. Thus, the control and/or response circuitry may simply proceed as if no user input has been received and no key has been depressed. In such case, the user is not able to input key presses to the control circuitry to pause operation of the controlled device or to shut down or power-off the controlled device.

Switching device with critical switch detection


A fluorocopolymer having a tetrafluoroethylene-derived constituent unit as essential unit, and hexafluoropropylene-derived constituent unit and/or perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether)-derived constituent unit, wherein, when the fluorocopolymer is molded into a film, the film has not more than 10000 fisheyes capable of enclosing a square with a side length of 44 μm and incapable of enclosing a square with a side length of 178 μm per 100 g and not more than 1000 fisheyes capable of enclosing a square with a side length of 178 μm per 100 g.

Personal computers, mobile phones, video cameras, GPS devices and other information and telecommunication devices as well as endoscopes and other medical devices are becoming smaller with the advances in technology and, accordingly, electric wires used therein are always required to be made thinner and, for example, thin wires, such as AWG 40 and thinner wires, are currently required. For use in wiring in parts subject to bending in notebook-size personal computers and mobile phones, in particular, they are required to have performance characteristics enabling them to be used in severer environments.
With the reduction in electric wire thickness, electric wire coating/covering molding becomes difficult and, therefore, fluororesin coating materials are required to have improved moldability, and novel tasks are imposed on products after electric wire covering as well. The problems encountered on the occasion of electric wire covering molding, among others, are the roughness of the covering surface due to small protrusions appearing on the covering surface and the melt fracture occurring on the occasion of drawing the resin onto the conductor. These not only lower the yield in electric wire covering molding but also impair the quality of final products. As regards the products after electric wire covering, there are problems about crack resistance and about stripping properties of the covering which are required on the occasion of wiring. As the conducting wire becomes thinner, these problems become severer.
Concerning the prevention of melt fracture, a fluororesin which will not cause covering breakage when core wires with a diameter of 0.05 to 0.07 mm are coated under specific conditions has been proposed (cf. e.g. Patent Document 1).
Tetrafluoroethylene [TFE]- and perfluoro (alkyl vinyl ether) [PAVE]-based TFE copolymers containing 10 to 100 unstable terminal groups per 106 carbon atoms have been proposed as fluorocopolymers improved in crack resistance (cf. e.g. Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).
A TFE/PAVE copolymer showing a volume flow rate of 0.5 to 100 (mm3/second) (cf. e.g. Patent Document 4) and a TFE/PAVE copolymer showing a melt flow rate within the range of 35 to 60 g/10 minutes (cf. e.g. Patent Document 5) have been proposed as fluorocopolymers capable of giving moldings excellent in surface smoothness and crack resistance.
Patent Document 1: International Publication WO 2005/052015
Patent Document 2: Japanese Kokai Publication 2005-298659
Patent Document 3: Japanese Kokai Publication 2005-320497
Patent Document 4: Japanese Kokai Publication H08-109225
Patent Document 5: Japanese Kokai Publication 2002-53620

Fluorinated copolymer, electric wire, and method for production of the electric wire


A method of training a robot system for manipulation of objects, the robot system being able to perform a set of skills, wherein each skill is learned as a skill model, the method comprising: receiving physical input from a human trainer, regarding the skill to be learned by the robot; determining for the skill model a set of task parameters including determining for each task parameter of the set of task parameters if a task parameter is an attached task parameter, which is related to an object being part of said kinesthetic demonstration or if a task parameter is a free task parameter, which is not related to a physical object; obtaining data for each task parameter of the set of task parameters from the set of kinesthetic demonstrations, and training the skill model with the set of task parameters and the data obtained for each task parameter.

Robot systems are used for manipulation of objects
Robot manipulation skills such as picking, inserting, and dropping are often hard-coded for a particular task. This however results in poor flexibility and re-usability in case of new scenarios such as different workspaces or varying conditions.
Further, it is conventional to train a robot system with demonstration. Simply recording and replaying a demonstrated trajectory is often insufficient, because changes in the environment, such as varying robot and/or object poses, would render any attempt unsuccessful.

Method and device for training manipulation skills of a robot system


Upon receipt of a read command or a write command from an external device, a disk apparatus stores an obtained address as a primary address and a secondary address in an address storing unit, increments a counter value of the secondary address, and selects the secondary address of which the counter value indicates the largest number. Upon receipt of the read command for the primary address, the disk apparatus reads data specified by the primary address from a disk and stores it in a buffer memory in advance. Upon receipt of the read command, the disk apparatus sends the data from the buffer to the external device.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a disc apparatus that reads data from a disk and writes data in the disk based on a command from an external device and to an advance data reading method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A general disk apparatus reads data from a disk in the disk apparatus and writes data in the disk based on a command issued from an external device, such as a host computer. The disk apparatus performs a single reading or writing process per command.
The reading or writing process performed by the general disk apparatus is explained below with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10D. For example, as shown in FIG. 10A, even if a data item consists of α successive bytes on a file, the data item is divided by a maximum frame size of x bytes as long as α is larger than x (α=x+x+x+y).
As shown in FIG. 10B, upon receipt of a read command from the host computer, the disk apparatus reads the data based on Startaddress (hereinafter, "Sadd") indicative of a start point of the frame and Endaddress (hereinafter, "Eadd") indicative of an end point of the frame, which are included in the read command.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10C, upon receipt of a write command from the host computer, the disk apparatus writes the data based on the Sadd and the Eadd, which are included in the write command.
The disk stores therein frames specified by the addresses Sadd1/Eadd1, Sadd2/Eadd2, Sadd3/Eadd3, and Sadd4/Eadd4. Even though the four frames originally formed a single data item, the disk apparatus does not always store the frames successively; the frames can be stored separately as shown in FIG. 10D. FIGS. 10A to 10D are schematic diagrams for explaining a process of reading and writing data in a disk apparatus according to a conventional technology.
A process performed by the above disk apparatus is explained below with reference to FIG. 11. Upon receipt of the read command from the host computer (see (1) in FIG. 11), the disk apparatus determines whether a requested data item is stored in a buffer (see (2) in FIG. 11).
If the requested data item is not stored in the buffer, the disk apparatus reads the requested data item in the disk and stores it in the buffer (see (3) and (4) in FIG. 11). The disk apparatus then sends the data item from the buffer to the host computer (see (5) in FIG. 11). On the other hand, if the requested data item is stored in the buffer, the disk apparatus immediately sends the data item from the buffer to the host computer. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a process performed by a configuration of the disk apparatus according to the conventional technology.
With the disk apparatus described above, because the disk apparatus accesses the disk after receiving the read command, it takes a certain time to read the data item. Therefore, to reduce an access time for reading the data, various technologies have been disclosed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-14109 discloses a disk apparatus that classifies the weight of significance of data items read from a storing medium such as a disk, and that stores the data items in a buffer in the descending order of the weight. Upon receipt of the read command from the host computer, the disk apparatus reads the requested data item from the storing medium, and sends the data item to the host computer. In other words, in the anticipation that the addresses of the requested read command are stored successively, the disk apparatus reads data and store the data in the buffer in advance, and sends the data from the buffer if the addresses are actually successive, thereby increasing throughput rate of the data reading.
However, the disk apparatus described above still requires time to access the data. Specifically, if the continuous frames of the requested data item are not stored at successive addresses, the disc apparatus needs to receive the read command from the host computer before acquiring the data item, and therefore the disk apparatus described above still takes the time to access the data.

Disk apparatus and advance data reading method


The present invention is directed to a superconductor component 1 suitable as fault current limiter comprising a superconductor body 2 provided with a shunt coil 3 and an electrical contact 4 on at least one end of the superconductor body 2 wherein the superconductor component 2 is provided with means for reducing currents 6 induced within the electrical contacts 4.

Fault current limiters serve to prevent unacceptable large current surges in modern power systems, in particular high power systems, due to any fault event such as short circuits etc and, thus, protect the power systems from damage.
Superconductors, in particular ceramic oxide high temperatures superconductors, offer a great potential as fault current limiters which enable rapid and effective current limitation, automatic recovery, negligible impedance during normal operation and application at high voltage.
Current limiters based on high temperature superconductor materials make use of the property of such superconductor materials to switch from their superconducting state with essentially no resistance at normal operation conditions to a resistive state if at least one of its critical temperature (Tc), critical magnetic field (Hc) or critical current (Ic) is exceeded.
For example, in case of fault the current flowing through a superconductor material exceeds the critical current of the superconductor material due to large surge current and the superconducting material undergoes transition from the superconducting to the non-superconducting state with resistance. This transition is also termed "quenching".
However, in practice, the material of superconductor bodies shows inhomogeneities causing non-uniform quenching wherein some regions of the superconductor body becomes resistive before other regions of the body. In this case the already quenched part of the superconductor body is overheated and may burn out leading to destruction of the superconductor body.
For solving the problem of local overheating and for obtaining a fast and uniform transition of the superconductor to the non-superconducting resistive state it is known to provide the superconductor body with a shunt of normal conductive material the resistance of which being lower than the resistance of the superconducting material in its normal conducting state. In case of a sudden temperature increase during quench the current is bypassed to the shunt and heat is dissipated from the superconductor body.
Furthermore, for avoiding local burn out triggering techniques are known promoting fast and uniform transition of the superconductor material from its superconducting state to the non-superconducting state.
One of these techniques makes use of the fact that the critical current density of a given superconductor material decreases if an applied magnetic field increases. According to this triggering technique an external magnetic field is applied to the superconductor body in case of fault event. By that magnetic field the critical current density is reduced which, in turn, promotes quenching.
A superconductor component particularly suitable as fault current limiter with magnetic field assisted quenching is disclosed in EP 1 524 748 A, which is included herein by reference.
The superconductor component of said patent application comprises a superconductor body of low inductive shape such as a rod, tube or plate, preferably a rod or tube with essentially round cross-sectional geometry. Around that superconductor body a coil is wound being made of a normal conductive material, such as a metal. That coil is electrically connected in parallel to the superconductor body wherein the ends of the coil are usually fixed to the respective end sections of the superconductor body.
In fault event, i.e. when the critical current is exceeded, the superconductor material starts to quench. Resistance and corresponding voltage (flux flow) are built up which causes that a part of the current is bypassed automatically to the parallel connected coil without any external control.
Due to the current now flowing through the coil a magnetic field is built up which, in turn, reduces the critical current density of the superconductor material. In the consequence the fault current limiter of this patent application has a so-called self-triggering design triggering the quench automatically without external control.
In practice a plurality of such superconductor components is connected in series for forming a fault current limiter.
In order to connect the fault current limiter with a power system or with each other electrical contacts are provided at the ends of the superconductor component.
As is clear from the above such superconductor components have to withstand high mechanical, thermal and magnetic forces especially during fault events.
For example, it has been observed that in known high temperature fault current limiters of a design as set out above with a superconductor body with a shunt coil wound around its outside diameter the superconductor body is liable to be broken or weakened in the region of connection of the superconductor body with the electrical contacts, that is at the end section.
It is this end section where the coil ends. That is, the electrical contacts are located at the region of the ends of the coil.
Considering the shape of the magnetic field of a current carrying coil this field is uniform at the middle part of the coil whereas at the coil ends, in particular at the exit site of the magnetic field from the coil interior, the field becomes non-uniform and especially has components parallel to the radius ("radial components").
As set out in more detail in the following, it is believed by the present inventor that the reason for the observed damages are forces generated by currents induced in the electrical contact by the magnetic field and the interaction of these currents with the radial components of the magnetic field.
For the present invention the term "non-uniformity" of the magnetic field relates to the radial components of this field.

Superconductor component with improved electrical contact


Methods and apparatus for eliminating the effects of electrosurgical interference on continuous, heat-based cardiac output measurements employing several procedures, including the steps of (1) supplying power via an isolation transformer and carrier frequency to a catheter-mounted heating element; (2) measuring the voltage and current on the primary side of the isolation transformer; (3) determining the voltage and current on the secondary side of the transformer on the basis of the measured primary side voltage and current; and (4) calculating the power delivered to and resistance of the catheter-mounted heater on the basis of the secondary voltage and current. A heater power waveform generated with this process will be substantially free of electrical interference due to electrosurgical devices. Then, a system transfer function may be produced via signal processing techniques which involve cross-correlating the heater power waveform with the blood temperature waveform. The system transfer function will be uncorrupted, even if the blood temperature waveform contains moderate electrical interference, since the heater power waveform is free of any correlated electrical interference.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of electronic noise rejection, and more particularly, relates to methods and apparatus for minimizing the effects of electromagnetic interference on physiological measurements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electronic monitors are currently used to measure various physiological parameters (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, EKG, temperature) of patients during surgical procedures in the operating room (OR) and during care in intensive care units (ICUs). However, other electronic equipment in use in the OR or ICU (e.g., electrocautery or electrosurgical devices) can generate electrical interference which corrupts the measured signals and invalidates the displayed numeric readings and waveforms. Present monitors incorporate various means for minimizing this interference in EKG and blood pressure waveforms, but systems used to measure temperature and cardiac output remain susceptible to this type of interference.
A known method for performing cardiac output (CO) measurements employs heat and pulmonary artery catheters and relies upon the continuous measurement of pulmonary artery temperature and heater power to accurately compute cardiac output. For example, such a method is described by Yelderman in U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,974 and McKown et al. in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 510,897, filed Apr. 18, 1990. The delicate CO measurements made by such instruments must be free of corruption by electrical interference if these instruments are to be used reliably in the clinical setting. Unfortunately, since the most common source of electrical interference (electrocautery devices) can be used for prolonged periods of time and in an unpredictable fashion in the OR or ICU, the clinician cannot obtain reliable measurements at critical times without asking the surgeon to stop his or her procedure to allow the measurements to stabilize. Since time is of the essence in these procedures, interference of this type must be compensated or eliminated if the aforementioned CO measurement devices are to provide accurate measurements. The present invention has been provided to reject such electrical interference.

Method for rejecting electrical interference from physiological measurements


A bidirectional submarine transmission using unidirectional amplification transmits first and second communication signals bidirectional to each other over a repeater path with common end-to-end points, the repeater path includes a single unidirectional amplifier, the repeater path has a first branch path for the first communication signal through the single amplifier and a second branch path for the second communication signal through the single unidirectional amplifier, the first and second communication signals originating and leaving opposite ends of the repeater path, respectively.

The present invention relates generally to optics, and more particularly, to a bidirectional submarine repeater using unidirectional amplification.
To cope with continuous network capacity demand growth, the network service providers must have a clear roadmap on increasing network capacity in next 5-10 years. In the fiber communication systems, to further boost fiber capacity using the same fiber cable deployment requires the deployed fiber to carry more capacity. Packing optical channels more tightly together in the available C-band spectrum is one approach to increase fiber capacity. Expanding the optical band could be another. Employing a single optical band can provide less than 5 THz useable bandwidth. Expanding from one band to two bands, such as C+L bands, the useable bandwidth can be increased to 8 THz or more. In Submarine transmission systems, the major cost comes from fibers and repeaters. For a 6600 km Atlantic link, the cost, including one fiber cable and repeaters, is close to 1.3 million dollars. A low cost solution for large capacity, and long distance transmission systems in submarine applications is desirable.
In order to have a large capacity transmission, packing the channels in the C and L band is one of the solutions. However, to deliver C-band and L-band signals at the same time in co-propagation will reduce the signal performance due to the Raman gain shifting. The energy from the C-band will transfer to the L-band, which will not only degrade the performance in the C-band, but it will also provide more nonlinearity in the L-band. In order to have two directional transmission (eastbound to westbound and westbound to eastbound), the solution so far has been using one link set (including one fiber cable and repeaters) for eastbound traffic and another link for westbound traffic. However, the additional fiber cable and double repeaters required double the cost to 2.6 million dollars.
Accordingly, there is a need for a bi-directional submarine transmission system that overcomes limitations of existing solutions.

Bidirectional submarine repeater using unidirectional amplification


The present invention relates to the use of a pneumovirus NS1 protein and/or NS2 protein or a nucleic acid encoding pneumovirus NS1 protein and/or NS2 protein for the preparation of a pharmaceutical formulation for reducing the immune response mediated by interferon (IFN). The invention further relates to recombinant pneumoviruses, in particular respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV), having an increased, reduced, or lacking a resistance to the interferon (IFN) mediated immune response, recombinant viruses having an increased resistance to the interferon (IFN) mediated immune response, and the use of the viruses in pharmaceutical applications, e.g. as vaccines.

The present invention relates to the use of a pneumovirus NS1 protein and/or NS2 protein or a nucleic acid encoding pneumovirus NS1 protein and/or NS2 protein for the preparation of a pharmaceutical formulation for reducing the immune response mediated by interferon (IFN). The invention further relates to recombinant pneumoviruses, in particular respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV), having an increased, reduced, or lacking a resistance to the interferon (IFN) mediated immune response of the host, recombinant viruses having an increased resistance to the interferon (IFN) mediated immune response, and the use of these viruses in pharmaceutical formulations, e.g. as vaccines.

Pneumovirus NS proteins antagonize the interferon IFN response


An electrical gateway and a communication method of the electrical gateway are disclosed. The electrical gateway includes: an uplink communication module, a downlink communication module and a control unit; the uplink communication module is configured to communicate with an uplink network element; the downlink communication module is configured to communicate with a terminal device; and the control unit, connecting the uplink communication module and the downlink communication module, is configured to, when it is determined that downlink data sent by the uplink network element is obtaining terminal device information, transmit the terminal device information to the uplink communication module if the terminal device information is stored in the electrical gateway, and transmit the obtaining the terminal device information to the downlink communication module if the terminal device information is not stored in the electrical gateway. Therefore, data communication is achieved.

With an electric power communication system, it is very convenient for an electricity supplier to manage and control a home electric meter, at the same time, the electricity supplier may obtain the current operating situation of the electric meter in time, and therefore, the electricity supplier does not need to go a user's home for obtaining electric meter information.
The conventional electric power communication system includes an electric meter and a primary station, a communication module in the electric meter may report operation parameters of the electric meter to the primary station, and the primary station may deliver a command to control and manage the electric meter.

Electrical gateway and communication method of electrical gateway


A method and apparatus for providing write pre-compensation using a read timing path is disclosed. The present invention generates a first phase clock signal having a first phase and being synchronized with a read signal of a read path, generates a second phase clock signal having a second phase at a predetermined phase difference with the first clock signal and uses the first and second clock signals to shift write data to achieve write data comprising a first desired pre-compensation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to data processing, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for a method and apparatus for providing write pre-compensation using a read timing path.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently developed data storage devices, such as magnetic disk drive devices (i.e., hard disk drives), have increased storage capacity and increased data access speed. With these advantages, magnetic disk drive devices have become widely used as auxiliary memory devices for computer systems. More generally, developments in pulse communications related to these improvements in disk drive technology have recently provided increased speed and reliability in a wide range of pulse communications systems. The present invention will be described in detail in the context of magnetic disk drive devices, but persons skilled in the pulse communications arts will readily apprehend that this invention provides an improved method for data pulse detection in a wide variety of pulse communication contexts.
The primary features of a magnetic disk drive device that affect storage capacity and access speed are the head, the recording medium, the servo mechanism, the signal processing technique used in the read/write channel, and the like. Among these, signal processing techniques utilizing PRML (Partial Response Maximum Likelihood) detection have greatly contributed to the increased storage capacities and high access speeds seen in modern magnetic disk drive devices.
A read channel circuit in a generic read/write channel circuit of a magnetic disk drive device includes components for initial processing of the analog read signal generated by the read/write head of the device. This processing provides automatic gain control (AGC) amplification, filtering, and equalization, as well as analog-to-digital conversion.
In a magnetic disk or tape data storage device, data is commonly stored on a magnetic medium by saturation recording in which each portion of the medium is magnetized to the point of saturation in one of two directions. The data to be stored is typically encoded to satisfy certain constraints and the encoded data is used to modulate the direction of magnetization. In a coded representation known as NRZI, each "one" bit of the encoded data causes a transition in the direction of magnetization, while each "zero" bit of the encoded data causes the magnetization direction to remain unchanged. A clock signal is used to write a sequence of encoded NRZI bits as a recording head moves along a track on the medium such that one bit is written at each clock tick. In NRZ, there are no neutral or rest condition, such as a zero amplitude in amplitude modulation (AM), zero phase shift in phase-shift keying (PSK), or mid-frequency in frequency-shift keying (FSK). Note: For a given data signaling rate, i.e., bit rate, the NRZ code requires only one-half the bandwidth required by Manchester coding. With NRZ coding, 1's may be used to indicate magnet polarity change of, while 0's may be used to indicate no change in polarity change.
When a read head is passed over the recorded data track, a voltage pulse is produced at each transition in magnetization. Successive voltage pulses have opposite polarity since successive magnetic transitions are in opposite directions. The written NRZI data sequence may be reconstructed from the resulting voltage waveform by associating a "one" bit with every clock tick at which a pulse occurs and a "zero" bit with every clock tick at which no pulse occurs. The original user data may then be decoded from the NRZI data.
To recover the written or transmitted data sequence, the receiver requires a clock signal synchronized with the received waveform. At each tick of this synchronized clock signal the receiver or read circuitry generates one bit of the NRZI data sequence by processing the surrounding waveform. It is often impossible or at least undesirable to store or transmit a separate synchronized clock signal with the data waveform. Instead, constraints are applied to the encoded NRZI data sequence to ensure that timing information may be extracted from the data waveform itself and used to "recover" a synchronized clock signal. Such a system is referred to as "self clocking".
Nonlinear bit shift (NLBS) in magnetic recording is the shift in position of a written transition due to the proximity effect of a preceding transition. In PRML, the readback waveform is synchronously sampled at regular intervals. Sample values depend on the position of written transitions. Therefore an unwanted shift, such as a nonlinear bit shift, leads to error in sample values that, in turn, degrades the performance of the PRML channel.
Write pre-compensation is a method to shift the write data timing in a direction to aid in pre-equalizing the signal. This optimizes the eventual readback signal; i.e., write signal modified based on prediction of what write signal will produce the cleanest readback signal using an understanding of physical/magnetic properties, i.e., predicting effects of distortion from bits before/after that location before writing data on magnetic media. As bits are written on a disk media, close bits can partially erase each other as unwanted signal timing shift. Write pre-compensation can aid in fixing this problem. The media bits may require substantial amounts of write pre-compensation based on adjacent bits. Even if bits are two or three bits apart (1 0 0 1), the partial erasure influence could be significant enough to affect read back performance.
However, known methods for measuring the NLBS and adjusting the write pre-compensation add complexity to the PRML channel. Today's high-density recording demands require greater flexibility in write pre-compensation. Currently, write pre-compensation methods rely on a stand-alone circuit that requires extra design time.
It can be seen then that there is a need for pre-compensation that utilizes existing circuits for read signal processing and minimizes design time, but provides effective write pre-compensation using a read timing path.

Method and apparatus for providing write pre-compensation using a read timing path

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


An injection molding machine comprises a stationary platen 46 and a movable platen 40. The stationary platen 46 and movable platen 40 may be supported on a base frame 10. A mold clamping frame 56 comprises a first member 54 joined to the stationary platen 46, a second member 24 joined to the movable platen 40, and connecting members 78 and 80 for connecting the first member 54 and the second member 24 at their approximate centers. A mold clamping cylinder 50 is disposed between the first member 54 and the stationary platen 46 or between the second member 24 and the movable platen 40. The stationary platen 46 and the first member 54 are joined in a flexible manner, and the movable platen 40 and the second member 24 are similarly joined in a flexible manner.

In an injection molding machine, mold clamping force is usually exerted between a stationary platen and a movable platen during the clamping operation of the stationary mold and the movable mold, and a mold clamping frame receives reactive force of this mold clamping force. A known mold clamping frame (a so-called C-type frame) comprises a first member, a second member facing the first member, and a connecting member that links a lower end of the first member with a lower end of the second member. The first member is connected to a stationary platen, and the second member is connected to a movable platen. In this type of mold clamping frame, the reactive force of the mold clamping force is exerted on the first member and the second member, and bending moment is exerted on the connecting member. The connecting member bends due to the bending moment, and the first member and the second member are pushed open. It is consequently not possible to maintain the parallelism between the stationary platen and the movable platen. As a result, burrs are formed in the molded part.
Conventionally, the method of solving this problem has been to increase the rigidity of the connecting member and to suppress its bending deformation to a level that is not problematic. However, the problem with this method is that the mold clamping frame becomes larger and heavier. To deal with this, an injection molding machine has been developed to prevent the connecting member from bending without increasing the rigidity of the connecting member (e.g., Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 8-294949).
A mold clamping frame of this injection molding machine has a first member, a second member facing the first member, and a connecting member connecting the center of the first member to the center of the second member (i.e. the mold locking frame is a so-called H-type frame). A stationary platen is fixed to an upper end of the first member, and a first cylinder is fixed to an upper end of the second member. A movable platen is fixed to a piston rod of the first cylinder. The movable platen is mounted such that it can slide on top of the connecting member. The first cylinder can cause the movable platen to advance or retreat with respect to the stationary platen. By contrast, a second cylinder is fixed to a lower end of the first member. A lower end of the second member is fixed to a piston rod of the second cylinder.
In this injection molding machine, the first cylinder exerts a mold clamping force between a movable mold and a stationary mold, and the second cylinder simultaneously exerts a balancing force on the first member and the second member. As a result, a reactive force to the mold clamping force is exerted on the upper ends of the first and second members, and the balancing force is exerted on the lower ends of the first and second members. Consequently, the bending moment that occurs in the connecting member due to the reactive force to the mold clamping force is cancelled out by the bending moment that occurs in the connecting member due to the balancing force. It is thus possible to prevent bending of the connecting member during the clamping operation of the stationary mold and the movable mold.
Although it is possible to prevent bending moment from being exerted on the connecting member in this conventional injection molding machine, bending moment is exerted on the first and second members, which causes bending deformation thereof. Compared to the bending deformation of the connecting member, the bending deformation of the first and second members has a smaller effect on the parallelism between the stationary platen and the movable platen, but cannot be ignored if the mold clamping force is greater. Further, there has been a demand in recent years for a smaller mold clamping frame and increased lightness in injection molding machines. When a mold clamping frame is made smaller and lighter, the bending rigidity of the first and second members consequently decreases, causing the bending deformation of the first and second members to become more severe. In the conventional injection molding machine, it becomes impossible to maintain the parallelism between the stationary platen and the movable platen when the bending deformation of the first and second members becomes more severe. Consequently, burrs are formed on the molded part.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an injection molding machine capable of maintaining parallelism between two mold platens even if there is bending deformation of first and second members on which a reactive force to a mold clamping force is exerted.


An oscillator circuit for use in integrated circuits. The oscillator circuit includes a delay generation circuit having a current mirror with at least a first current mirror branch and a second current mirror branch, a current source coupled to the first current mirror branch, a capacitive element coupled to the first current mirror branch; and a resistive element coupled to the second current mirror branch. The oscillator circuit further includes a plurality of inverting elements coupled in series with one another and a transconducting element coupled to an output of the plurality of inverting elements. The transconducting element is configured to discharge the capacitive element. A latching element is coupled to latch to an output signal of the plurality of inverting elements.

Currently, the most common way to design an integrated oscillator is to use the ubiquitous ring oscillator circuit. As described below, the ring oscillator cell uses an odd number of CMOS inverters. However, a generated frequency of the typical ring oscillator circuit is strongly dependent not only upon the number of CMOS inverters used in the circuit, but upon a temperature of the integrated circuit itself.
In integrated circuit devices, the resistance of load devices is highly temperature sensitive. Variations in resistance are due primarily to changes in surface carrier mobility with temperature. However, integrated circuit capacitors are essentially temperature invariant. When a time constant generating circuit is constructed on an integrated circuit using a resistive load device and an ordinarily constructed integrated circuit capacitor, the RC time constant varies significantly with changes in temperature. The variation in the time constant based on temperature variation thus creates significant problems in stabilizing the oscillator frequency.
The conventional ring oscillator comprises an odd number of inverter stages serially connected in a ring. In a conventional CMOS transistor ring oscillator, each stage comprises a p-channel transistor and an n-channel transistor pair serially connected between first and second voltage potentials, typically a positive supply voltage and ground. The common terminal of the transistors is an output of the stage and is connected to gates of a subsequent transistor pair. Capacitive means shunts an output terminal to ground.
This circuit configuration makes the frequency of the oscillator dependent not only on the number of stages in the ring, but also on the supply voltage, VCC, for the circuit. As VCC increases, the frequency of oscillation increases. Conversely, as VCC decreases, the frequency of oscillation decreases.
With reference to FIG. 1, a prior art ring oscillator circuit 100 includes a plurality of serially connected inverter circuits 101. Each of the plurality of inverter circuits 101 includes a CMOS transistor pair consisting of a PMOS transistor 103 serially connected to an NMOS transistor 105. Each of the plurality of inverter circuits 101 comprises one stage of the ring oscillator 100. To function, the ring oscillator circuit 100 always contains an odd number of stages. The odd number of stages insures an inherent instability of the ring oscillator circuit 100 whereby each of the stages sequentially change state. A capacitive means 107 is associated with the output of each stage. The capacitive means 107 shunts the output of each stage to ground and provides a delay in the changing of states between sequential stages.
With continued reference to FIG. 1, a skilled artisan immediately recognizes that an application of a "zero" (i.e., ground) to the input of one stage causes conduction of the PMOS transistor 103 in that stage. The conducting state of the PMOS transistor 103 charges the capacitive means 107 to a level of the supply voltage, VCC. The charge on the capacitive means 107 thus provides a bias voltage for both the PMOS transistor 103 and the NMOS transistor 105 in the subsequent stage. In such an arrangement, the discharge of each capacitive means 107 through the NMOS transistor 105 of the preceding stage is dependent on the gate bias voltage, VCC. Accordingly, a frequency of oscillation of the ring oscillator circuit 100 depends not only on the number of stages in the ring but also on the voltage level of the supply voltage VCC. Consequently, as VCC increases in voltage, the frequency of oscillation increases. Conversely, when the voltage level of VCC decreases, the frequency of oscillation decreases due to the reduced discharge of each of the plurality of capacitive means 107.
The graph 200 of FIG. 2 indicates the relationship of frequency as a function of temperature. As temperature increases, the frequency decreases, thus illustrating the high temperature coefficient variation that can occur in integrated circuit oscillator devices.
Another prior art approach (not shown) utilizes a simple RC circuit in which a resistor and capacitor are connected in parallel. The capacitor is charged through the resistor until a specified threshold voltage is reached. When the threshold voltage is reached, the capacitor is discharged to a lower voltage threshold. The capacitor in such a circuit is frequently connected to a comparator in which a comparator output is used as an oscillator reference clock. Such a circuit still suffers from the drawbacks described with reference to FIG. 2.
In another prior art approach, shown with reference to FIG. 3, a bandgap reference-based oscillator circuit 300 includes a bandgap reference cell 301, a current reference source 303, a voltage comparator 305, and a capacitor 307. The bandgap reference cell 301 is known in the art to generate a voltage which has a very low temperature variation coefficient. In the bandgap reference-based oscillator circuit 300, the current reference source 303 generates a reference current. The current, in turn, linearly charges the capacitor 307. The voltage comparator 305 uses the bandgap reference cell 301 as a threshold reference. When a voltage level of the capacitor 307 reaches the bandgap voltage, the capacitor 307 is discharged and the charge/discharge sequence is repeated. The bandgap reference-based oscillator circuit 300 thus achieves a stable output frequency based upon the very low temperature variation coefficient of the bandgap reference cell 301 to generate voltages and currents. However, a major disadvantage of the bandgap reference-based oscillator circuit 300 is that it requires both significant power consumption and silicon area thereby driving up both the cost of fabrication and the cost of operation.
Therefore, what is needed is a simple and inexpensive oscillator circuit. The oscillator circuit will additionally have low power consumption, require little layout area, and not be dependent upon voltage and temperature variations. Such a circuit should be able to be readily integrated with other integrated circuit devices in a fabrication environment.