An illuminative display device for use in an electronic apparatus including a cabinet with a metallic color surface and having at least a main function and a subsidiary function. The display device comprises a light source and a transparent sheet spaced apart therefrom by a predetermined distance, wherein a colored layer composed of a thin film and being the same or substantially the same in color as the metallic color of the cabinet is formed on one side of the transparent sheet opposed to the light source, and a backing layer with cutout characters is formed on one side of the colored layer opposed to the light source, so as to display the characters relative to the subsidiary function. And other display characters relative to the main function are shown on the surface of the transparent sheet at positions not overlapping with the display characters relative to the subsidiary function. The display characters are completely invisible when the illuminating light is turned off, whereby the appearance of the display device is rendered congruous with the metallic or similar color of the surrounding cabinet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illuminative display device for displaying names of operation keys and so forth by utilizing the illuminating light from a light source such as a light emitting diode or the like, and also to an electronic apparatus equipped with such a display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
First, an illuminative display device according to the related art and an electronic apparatus equipped with such a device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.
FIG. 4A is a plan view of an exemplary display device incorporated in a cabinet of a known electronic apparatus and placed in its display state, and FIG. 4B is another plan view thereof in a different state where the displayed items are partially turned off. FIG. 5A is a plan view of another exemplary display device incorporated in a cabinet of a known electronic apparatus and placed in its display state, and FIG. 5B is another plan view thereof in a different state where the displayed items are partially turned off. FIG. 6 is a partly sectional view of a ordinary illuminative display device employed in a known electronic apparatus, and FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the inner surface of a transparent sheet used in the illuminative display device of FIG. 6.
In FIGS. 4A and 4B, reference numeral 20 denotes a cabinet of an electronic apparatus such as a video camera equipped with a video tape recorder (hereinafter referred to simply as video camera). This video camera has both a camera shooting function as a main function and a recording/playback function as a subsidiary function. The video camera is selectively changeable to a camera shooting mode or a recording/playback mode by means of an unshown selector switch, and the selected mode is displayed on a front panel 21 of the cabinet 20 and also on a display plane 11 of an illuminative display device (hereinafter referred to simply as display device) 10 mounted on a front portion of the cabinet 20.
Items 22 to be displayed for the camera shooting function are names of operation keys 23 including start/stop mode switch, AE lock switch button, fader switch button, and backlight correction switch button. The names of these keys are denoted by characters, marks or numerals printed on the front panel 21 of the cabinet 20.
Items 12 to be displayed for the recording/playback function are names of operation keys 13 including recording, playback, stop, fast forward and rewind switches. These names are denoted by characters, marks or numerals on the display plane 11 of the display device 10 in parallel with the aforementioned items 22.
Regarding the items to be displayed in a video camera shown in FIG. 5A and 5B, operation keys 13 of the display items 12 for a recording/playback function and operation keys 23 of the display items 22 for a camera shooting function are shown in parallel on a display plane 11 of a display device 10 in the same manner as in the foregoing case. However, differing from the aforementioned display method shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the display items 22 for the camera shooting function are printed on the surface of the display plane 11 as will be described later, instead of being displayed on the front panel 21 of the cabinet 20.
The device 10 for displaying the names of such operation keys 13 employs a light emitting diode L for example as a light source to emit illuminating light, and has such a structure as shown in FIG. 6. More specifically, it comprises a light emitting diode L mounted on a printed-circuit board 1 and a transparent sheet 2 spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the light emitting diode L. On one side (inner surface) of the transparent sheet 2 opposed to the light emitting diode L, a black-base character-cutout backing layer 3 is formed by printing with the display items 12 which represent the names of operation keys 13 and so forth, as shown in FIG. 7, for the subsidiary or recording/playback function.
According to the display method shown in FIG. 5, display items 22 representing the names of operation keys 23 and so forth for the main or camera shooting function are printed on the surface of the transparent sheet 2 (reverse side with respect to the light emitting diode L) at positions not overlapping with the display items 12 for the recording/playback function.
The transparent sheet 2 may be composed of, for example, transparent polyethylene resin, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, vinyl chloride resin or the like.
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 7 denotes a lens which diffuses the illuminating light from the light emitting diode L while serving also as a switch button. When an upper portion of the lens 7 is depressed, the lens 7 is moved downward to press a switch button 8 disposed above the printed-circuit board 1 in its vicinity, thereby activating each function of the video camera.
In the display device 10 of the above-described structure, normally an unshown selector switch is set to the camera shooting function side, so that the display items 12 on the display plane 11 are turned off as shown in FIG. 4B or 5B to thereby appear as if nothing is existent. The reason for such disappearance resides in that, if the operation keys 13 for the recording/playback function are kept displayed, many keys are always seen to consequently give general users a wrong impression that operating the video camera is very complicated and difficult.
When the video camera is used as a video recording/playback apparatus, first the video camera is switched on to be energized and then an unshown selector switch is changed from the camera shooting function side to the recording/playback function side, whereby the display items 12 in off-state thereof on the display plane 11 as shown in FIG. 4B or 5B are turned on as shown in FIG. 4A or 5A, and thus the display items 12 of the operation keys 13 for the recording/playback function are displayed. In this case, the light emitting diode L is turned on when the unshown selector switch is changed to the recording/playback function side, so that the display items 12 for the recording/playback function are lit and displayed on the transparent sheet 2 through the black-base character-cutout backing layer 3 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A.
In this display device 10, however, cutout characters are seen even when the light emitting diode L is turned off, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5B, and it is impossible to completely eliminate appearance of the display items 12.
If the surface of the cabinet 20 of the video camera, which is one of electronic apparatus, is colored to be metallic or similar thereto such as silvery or golden, the video camera can bring about a high-grade impression. However, since the ground color of the display device 10 is black, when the front panel 21 of the cabinet 20 around the display plane 11 is in any metallic or similar color such as silvery or golden, users may feel some sense of incongruity with regard to such color difference, and consequently there arises a problem that the video camera as a whole presents an odd appearance and fails to bring about a desired high-grade impression.

Illuminative display device and electronic apparatus equipped with same


A single-wire, bi-directional communication protocol is provided in which the sending device transmits its clock frequency and its bit transmission period and data through a predefined waveform pattern or “learning sequence” that is recognizable by the receiving device and in a period of time, as measured in number of sending clock cycles, that is known to the receiving device. By clocking the full length of the predefined waveform pattern using its own internal clock, the receiving device becomes aware of the bit transmission period of the sending device.

Conventional single-wire bi-directional communication systems of the prior art call for an accurate separate clock module to ensure synchronized data transmission between the sending device and the receiving device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,322 to Heberle describes a master with a separate clock generator tc that is used for generating an internal system clock cl. In addition, the clock signal is also sent through the single wire as a segment of periodic timing signal bt during wait state. The Heberle patent specifies that a specific end signal be used in the communication protocol. It would be desirable to have a simple communication protocol that does not require specific end signal.


A device for forming angled wells in an electrophoresis gel slab includes a device having a plurality of projections oriented at an angle with respect to a longitudinal dimension of the device. A method for forming angled wells in a gel places the device in a gel forming material and allows the material to polymerize to form the electrophoresis gel slab. The device can be removed from the gel slab without distorting or tearing the gel and forming a plurality of substantially uniform sample wells oriented at an angle with respect to the edge of the gel slab. The sample wells are dimensioned to contain a liquid sample for electrophoresis separation. The gel slab can be rotated 90xc2x0 so that the sample wells are oriented along a vertical edge of the gel slab with the sample wells retaining the liquid sample therein.

The present invention is directed to a method and device for forming sample wells in an electrophoresis gel slab. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method and device for forming a plurality of angled sample wells along a vertical edge of a gel slab for retaining liquid samples during a first dimension electrophoresis.
The separation of proteins and other macromolecules is often carried out by a slab gel electrophoresis separation in which the sample migrates through the gel slab, to a point determined by the molecular weight of the molecules in the sample. The gel acts as a sieve to separate the molecules according to their molecular weight.
This separation is often performed by a sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis process within a two-dimensional acrylamide gel slab. A gel-forming composition is placed between two glass plates. The glass plates include spacers at opposite side edges to form a uniform gap between the plates. A seal may be placed along the open bottom edge, and the gap is filled with the gel-forming composition or the plates filled while in an enclosing box. The gel forming composition is allowed to set and the sample is placed along the edge of the gel slab. The protein sample may be a spaghetti-like strip of an isoelectric focusing gel that has been removed from a gel tube after a first dimension electrophoresis process. Alternatively, a liquid sample can be placed in a well that is formed in the end of the gel slab.
The open ends of the gel slab are placed in contact with buffer solutions and an electric potential is applied between the ends of the gel slab to cause the molecules to migrate through the gel slab. The gel slabs can be oriented vertically so that the molecules migrate downward through the gel slab.
A suitable apparatus for electrophoresis separation on a gel slab is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,561 to Anderson which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This apparatus contains a tank for supporting a plurality of slab gels supported between glass plates. Non-liquid samples are placed along the side edge of the gel slab so that the molecules migrate from one side edge to the opposite side edge in a horizontal direction. Seals are provided in the tank along the opposite side edges of the glass plates to contain and isolate the respective buffer solution at each end of the gel slab. Electrodes are provided at opposite ends to apply the electric potential between the open ends of the gel slab.
Slab gels are also used for separation of liquid samples that have been prepared by various techniques. Liquid samples are often prepared by centrifuging the protein sample to isolate certain cell fractions based on the separation of layers by the centrifuge or by solubilization of whole tissues or body fluids. Indentations or wells are formed along the edge of the gel slab to receive the liquid sample during the electrophoresis separation. Typically, the sample wells are formed in the end of the gel slab or in the end of an attached stacking gel by inserting a notched device into the end of the gel forming material and allowing the gel to set around the notches. The notches are typically square teeth that are inserted straight into the gel perpendicular to the edge of the gel slab. The device is then removed from the gel to provide the sample wells.
One example of a device, referred to as a comb, for forming wells in a gel slab is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,065 to Bettencourt et al. The comb includes a plurality of sharp teeth extending from a plate. The teeth are inserted into the bottom edge of a gel for forming lanes for separating the samples. The comb is removed from the gel and placed along the top edge of the gel. The spaces between the teeth receive the samples for separation.
The electrophoresis gels are fragile and can stick to the comb or well-forming device as the gel sets. It is often difficult to remove the gel-forming device without damaging or tearing portions of the gel slab. The suction effect caused by removing the teeth from the gel often causes the wells to collapse and distort. The result is a gel slab that has an inconsistent number of sample wells and sample wells that are different shapes and sizes due to the distortion and tearing of the gel. The wells are formed in the edge of the gel slab so that the gel slab cannot be rotated 90xc2x0 without spilling the liquid sample.
In view of the deficiencies of the above-noted devices, there is a continuing need in the industry for an improved device for forming sample wells in an electrophoresis gel slab.
The present invention is directed to a method and device for forming sample wells in the edge of an electrophoresis gel slab. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method and device for forming angled sample wells along a vertical edge of the gel slab for retaining liquid samples in a slab gel electrophoresis separation in which the gel is placed in an orientation such that the electrophoretic movement occurs in a horizontal direction.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a method and device for forming a plurality of spaced-apart sample wells along the vertical edge of a gel slab for containing a plurality of liquid samples.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and device for forming sample wells along the edge of a gel slab substantially without distorting or tearing the gel material.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and device for forming sample wells in gel slabs for use in a DALT electrophoresis system.
A further object of the invention is to provide a sample well-forming device that can be removed from an electrophoresis gel-forming material after the gel has set without tearing the gel or collapsing the sample wells formed in the gel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and device for forming sample wells along the side edge of a gel slab for use in an automated second dimension electrophoresis process where the sample wells are formed to contain a liquid sample.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device for forming sample wells in a gel slab where the device has a plurality of projections that have a rounded tip such that the projections can be removed from the gel material after the gel has polymerized without tearing or distorting the sample wells formed in the gel by the projections.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a device for forming angled sample wells in a gel slab, where the device has a plurality of angled teeth having sides that converge to a rounded tip.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for forming sample wells in a gel slab where the device has a plurality of spaced-apart projections having an axial passage for allowing air into the sample well formed in a gel slab as the projections are removed from the gel slab, thereby preventing collapse of the sample well formed in the gel.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device for forming a plurality of sample wells along the edge of a gel slab where the device has a plurality of projections having an axial passage and a removable pin received in the axial passage of each of the projections that can be removed after the gel has polymerized and before the projections are removed from the gel.
The objects of the invention are basically attained by providing a device for forming a plurality of sample wells in an electrophoresis gel slab. The device comprises a body having a longitudinal edge with a longitudinal dimension, and a plurality of uniformly spaced-apart projections extending from the longitudinal edge of the body at an incline with respect to the longitudinal dimension. The projections are oriented in a row and extend substantially parallel to each other. The projections have a dimension to form a sample well in a side edge of an electrophoresis gel slab.
The objects of the invention are further attained by providing a device for forming angled sample wells along a vertical edge of a gel slab. The device comprises a body having a longitudinal dimension and a longitudinal side edge, and a plurality of projections integrally formed with the body and having a dimension for forming sample wells in a side edge of an electrophoresis gel slab. The projections extend from the longitudinal side edge at an angle of about 30xc2x0 to about 50xc2x0 with respect to the longitudinal dimension. The projections further have a tip and first and second side edges converging to the tip. The first and second side edges are oriented at an angle with respect to each other to enable the projections to be removed from an electrophoresis gel substantially without distortion of the gel.
The objects of the invention are further attained by providing a method of forming an electrophoresis gel slab having a plurality of liquid sample wells. The process comprises the steps of: providing a gel-forming substance between two spaced apart supporting plates having an open side edge and positioning a well-forming device for forming sample wells in the open side edge of the supporting plates and into the gel-forming substance. The device has a body with a longitudinal edge with a longitudinal dimension, and a plurality of uniformly spaced apart projections extending from the body at an incline with respect to the longitudinal dimension. The gel forming substance is solidified to form an electrophoresis gel slab which has a side edge. The well-forming device is removed from the glass plates to form an electrophoresis gel slab between the supporting plates. The gel slab has a plurality of sample wells along the edge of the gel slab. Each of the sample wells is formed at an angle with respect to a longitudinal dimension of the side edge of the gel slab for retaining a liquid sample when the side edge of the gel slab is oriented vertically.
The objects and advantages are also attained by providing a process for separating substances by second dimension electrophoresis. The process comprises the steps of: forming an electrophoresis gel slab having a first longitudinal edge and a plurality of spaced-apart sample wells formed in the gel. The wells have an axial dimension defining a depth. The axial dimension of the wells is oriented at an incline with respect to the longitudinal edge of the gel slab. The gel slab further has a second longitudinal edge. Test liquid samples are placed in each of the sample wells. The gel slab is positioned in a second dimension electrophoresis tank with the longitudinal edge of the gel slab oriented vertically and the sample wells are positioned in the gel slab at an incline with respect to the longitudinal edge to retain the liquid samples in the wells. First and second longitudinal edges of the gel slab are contacted with a buffer solution which is less dense than the liquid samples permitting them to remain in the bottoms of the wells in hydrostatic equilibrium and an electric potential is applied between the first and second longitudinal ends of the gel slab to cause molecules in the samples to migrate through the gel slab.
The objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art in view of the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the annexed drawings which form a part of this original disclosure.

Method and device for forming angled wells in an electrophoresis gel slab


A method is disclosed for fabricating a high density recording head having a narrow, well-defined second pole tip for recording data with an areal density in the range of 5 gigabits. The second pole tip is connected to a mushroom yoke which extends across underlying insulated coils. The second pole tip and yoke are formed at the same time using conventional photolithographic and plating processes. By using a preselected thickness for the photoresist mask layer over the head body region, an aspect ratio for the photolithographic process of less than 4:1 is achieved in the head pole tip region. However, the thickness of the photoresist mask layer in the head body/yoke region will be less than the desired thickness of the second pole piece, which creates a problem of a void beneath mushroomed overhanging edges. By back-filling the void with an insulating material at the time the head is sealed, the void problem is overcome.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to magnetic transducers particularly applicable to magnetic disk drive systems. More particularly, the invention relates to devices and methods of manufacturing thin film inductive heads having a narrow pole tip for high density data transfer in a magnetic disk drive system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thin film magnetic read/write heads are used for reading and writing magnetically coded data stored on a magnetic storage medium such as a magnetic disk or a magnetic tape. There is a continuing strongly-felt need for increasing the data storage density in such media. Most efforts to increase magnetic storage density involve techniques for increasing the areal bit density in the magnetic medium.
In rotating magnetic disk drives, the areal density is the product of the number of flux reversals per millimeter along a data track and the number of tracks available per millimeter of disk radius. Thus, high areal data storage density requires recording heads with high linear resolution and narrow track width.
A thin film recording head includes first and second pole pieces which are magnetically coupled together at a pole tip region and at a back gap. In the pole tip region, the first and second pole pieces provide first and second pole tips which are separated by a thin non-magnetic gap layer. The thickness of the gap layer between the second pole tip and first pole tip and the configuration of the second pole tip are the most crucial elements in thin film write heads. The thickness of the gap layer at the head air bearing surface determines the linear density of the head, namely how many bits per linear unit length along a data track of a magnetic medium the head can write. The width of the second pole tip determines head track width, which establishes how many data tracks across the width of a magnetic medium per unit length can be written by the head. The product of these two factors is areal density. One factor in increasing areal bit density is achieving a narrow track width second pole tip.
In one method of fabrication, a second pole tip is constructed individually and then the remainder of the second pole tip piece is "stitched" to the second pole by ordinary photolithography as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,308 issued Feb. 1, 1994, and assigned to the same assignee as that of the present invention. In another process the second pole tip and the second pole piece are plated simultaneously in the same process step. However, prior art methods of constructing the second pole piece and the second pole tip with the same process steps have not provided a high resolution second pole tip. When the second pole piece and the second pole tip are constructed simultaneously by ordinary photolithography, a photoresist layer is spin-coated over the body portion and the pole tip region of the head to provide a plating mask. The photoresist layer is located above a gap layer in the pole tip region and above a stack of insulation/coil layers in the body, i.e., the coil region of the head. The insulation stack is typically 7-8 microns (.mu.m) thick above the gap layer and has a marked slope as the first insulation layer transitions to its apex or the point where the slope ends. Since photoresist is applied on a wafer by spin-coating, it partially planarizes across the body portion and the pole tip region causing the photoresist over the pole tip region to be considerably thicker than the photoresist over the body portion of the head. The thickness of the photoresist in the body portion of the head is dictated by the desired plated metal thickness of the second pole piece. For example, if the second pole piece in the body portion is to be 4 .mu.m thick, the photoresist layer would have to be approximately 4.5 .mu.m thick to properly encapsulate the entire height of the plated material. With a typical insulation stack height of about 8 .mu.m, this results in a photoresist layer that could be as thick as 12.5 .mu.m in the pole tip region. This photoresist thickness in the pole tip region plus the steep slope of the first insulation layer near the pole tip region makes it very difficult to construct a narrow track width second pole tip with subsequent photolithography steps. After the photoresist layer is deposited, it is patterned by exposure to light in one or more areas which are to be removed by a subsequent step of dissolving the exposed photoresist. Because of the thickness of the photoresist in the pole tip region, the intensity of the light for patterning has to be high in order to penetrate the full depth of the photoresist. When the intensity of the light is high, the narrow slits in the mask employed for patterning miniature features in the photoresist introduce diffraction of the exposure light at the edges of the slits. This results in poor resolution. A more serious problem, however, is the reflection of light into the pole tip region from the sloping insulation layers behind the pole tip region. The reflection causes notching of the photoresist layer resulting in poor definition of the pole tip. Plating after this type of patterning results in a second pole tip with irregularly shaped sidewalls and a poorly defined width.
In a viable manufacturing process for making high resolution thin film heads, the aspect ratio, which is the thickness of the photoresist layer in the pole tip region with respect to the track width (i.e, the width) of the pole tip, should be less than about 4 to 1 using conventional photolithographic processes. Experience indicates that in a data recording head for one gigabit areal density recording, the pole tip width should be 3 .mu.m which limits the photoresist thickness to 12 .mu.m or less. A recording head for two gigabits requires a pole tip width of 1.8 .mu.m with the photoresist thickness less than 7.2 .mu.m. A recording head for 5 gigabits has been found to have a pole tip width of 0.9 .mu.m with a photoresist less than 3.6 .mu.m.
It is apparent that a maximum aspect ratio of 4 to 1 cannot be maintained for high density recording heads in the gigabit range using conventional photolithographic processes when a photoresist layer planarizes to a greater thickness over the second pole tip than over the body region.
Accordingly, a solution for reducing the aspect ratio in a process which constructs the second pole tip at the same time the second pole piece in the body region is constructed is needed which will make available high density recording heads in the gigabit range using conventional photolithic processes.

Method of fabricating a thin film inductive head having a second pole piece having a mushroom yoke portion

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and apparatuses for utilizing switches on the back of the neck of a musical instrument are provided. Multiple switches may be positioned along the length of the back of the neck of a musical instrument to produce tones to accompany the musical instrument. The pitch of the tones generated by activation of the switches may vary depending upon the position of the switches along the back of the neck of the musical instrument. With embodiments of the invention, a musician is able to play both music for an electric guitar and music for a bass guitar at the same time.

The present invention relates to musical instruments. More specifically, the invention relates to utilizing switches on the back of the neck of a musical instrument for producing sounds.
There are many musical instruments that allow the musician to play multiple parts of songs simultaneously. For example, a musician is able to play both the melody and accompanying chords on the piano at the same time. As another example, an organist can play melodies and chords with the hands, and the bass part with the feet. The music produced by these musical instruments is often so full that no other musical accompaniment is necessary.
There are many other musical instruments that by the very nature of the way they are traditionally played makes it difficult, if not impossible, for a musician to play multiple individual parts of a musical piece. For example, stringed instruments such as the guitar generally require both hands to play a musical note. The fingers of one hand hold one or more strings against the fingerboard, while the other hand picks or strums the strings. Thus, musicians of traditional guitars are limited with regard to the number of notes or parts of songs that can be played individually.
There have been attempts to increase the flexibility of traditional stringed instruments by placing switches on the fingerboard of the instrument. When the musician depresses a string to contact the fingerboard, a switch is activated that may produce tones to accompany the music generated by the stringed instrument. Although such techniques may increase the tonal range of the instrument, the musician is still limited to playing a single part of the musical score. In other words, the range of notes produced by the stringed instrument may be increased, but the musician is still limited with regard to the number of individual parts of a song that may be played simultaneously.
Accordingly, there is a need for innovative methods and apparatuses for modifying stringed instruments so that the musician is able to play multiple parts of a musical piece. It would be desirable for these techniques to be inexpensive and non-damaging to the musical instruments so musicians would be able to apply these techniques to the instruments of their choice.

Methods for utilizing switches on the back of the neck of a musical instrument


A valve element is disclosed comprised of a body section, upper guide, lower guide, sealing section and reinforcement section. The reinforcement section is made of materials having a hardness greater than the lower guide and sealing section. The reinforcement section, as well as the sealing section, have a frustoconical outer surface to increase support of the sealing section due to bracing from a mating valve seat annular sealing surface. The frustoconical outer surfaces of the valve element combine to form a uniform frustoconical surface. Two sealing sections may be disposed above and below the reinforcement section. These two sealing sections have frustoconical outer surfaces that cooperate with the frustoconical surface of the reinforcement section to form a continuous, co-extensive frustoconical outer surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to valve elements and, more particularly, to lightweight valve elements having reinforced sealing sections.
2. Description of the Background
Valve elements are found in many pumping mechanisms to control the direction of fluid flow through the pump. The valve element is typically biased to prevent fluid flow by sealing an annular valve seat during one portion of the pumping cycle. The valve element opens with respect to the valve seat to permit fluid flow during another portion of the pumping cycle.
Many deleterious forces act on the valve elements to cause a breakdown in the pump mechanism. For instance, in oil field mud and service pumps, valve elements may encounter reactive liquids at high pressures and temperatures. The liquids pumped in oil field applications include slurries containing various particulates and debris from the well bore that may damage the valve. Such liquids may have a wide range of viscosities. In some cases, highly caustic or acidic liquids may be pumped past the valve element that may score or damage parts of the valve element.
For this reason, most general service valve elements used in oil field pumps in the past have been comprised either substantially or completely of metal. However, the use of substantial amounts of metal in construction of the valve element used in such pumps results in a relatively heavy valve element. A heavy valve element produces a hammering effect each time it engages the valve seat. The excessive pounding of the valve element against the valve seat limits the lifetime of the valve element and the valve seat.
Lighter weight all-plastic valve elements, made of castable type resins of different hardness, have been used to make up the upper guide, body, and lower guide of the valve element (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,457). These valve elements suffer from the disadvantage that they must be made of compatible castable resins. Accordingly, such valve elements may suffer when the fluid media is not compatible with the castable resins used.
Consequently, there remains the need for an improved lightweight valve element that offers greater reliability and dependability of operation at reduced levels of capital investment.


A container support apparatus can include a base body having a first portion, a second portion, and a boundary region between the first and second portions. The apparatus can include a first straight lateral connector member and a second straight lateral connector member, each formed at least in part from the first portion of the base body. The apparatus can include a bottom support member disposed in a coplanar position with the first portion of the base body in an undeployed state. The first and second lateral connector members can undergo downward angular pitching in conjunction with the bottom support member undergoing simultaneous vertical translation and planar rotation relative to the second portion of the base body during transition from the undeployed state to a deployed state, and the bottom support member can maintain a parallel orientation relative to the second portion of the base body during this transition.

Food and beverages a may be available at social gatherings, such as a barbeque, birthday celebration, holiday party or other gatherings where a group of people may be eating or drinking. These people may move from place to place to place during the social gathering bringing food or beverages with them.


A memory circuit includes a latch having a first node and a second node to store data such that a logic level of the first node is an inverse of a logic level of the second node, a MIS transistor having a gate node, a first source/drain node, and a second source/drain node, the first source/drain node coupled to the first node of the latch, and a control circuit configured to control the gate node and second source/drain node of the MIS transistor to make an upward lingering change in a threshold voltage of the MIS transistor in a first operation in response to data stored in the latch and to make a downward lingering change in the threshold voltage in a second operation in response to data stored in the latch.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosures herein generally relate to a memory circuit, and particularly relate to a nonvolatile memory circuit which is capable of retaining stored data in the absence of a power supply voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
PermSRAM is a new type of nonvolatile semiconductor memory device, which uses a MIS (metal-insulating film-semiconductor) transistor as a nonvolatile memory cell (i.e., the basic unit of data storage). The MIS transistor used as a nonvolatile memory cell in PermSRAM has the same structure as ordinary MIS transistors used for conventional transistor functions (e.g., switching function), and do not require a special structure such as a floating gate or a special material such as a ferroelectric material or ferromagnetic material. The absence of such a special structure and special material offers an advantage in cost reduction, PermSRAM was initially disclosed in PCT/JP2003/016143, which was filed on Dec. 17, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The MIS transistor used as a nonvolatile memory cell in PermSRAM is configured to experience an irreversible hot-carrier effect on purpose for storage of one-bit data. Here, the irreversible hot-carrier effect refers to the injection of carriers into the oxide film (insulating film) and/or sidewalls, which causes a change in the transistor's threshold voltage. Whether the threshold voltage has been changed due to a hot-carrier effect represents one-bit data "0" or "1". Such a change in the threshold voltage may be detected by sensing a difference in ON current between the nonvolatile-memory-cell MIS transistor and a reference MIS transistor by using a sensing circuit such as a latch circuit.
Data supplied from an external source to a PermSRAM may be initially written to the latch circuit. A store operation is then performed to transfer the data from the latch circuit to the nonvolatile-memory-cell MIS transistor. Whether the nonvolatile-memory-cell MIS transistor experiences a hot-carrier effect in the store operation depends on whether the data stored in the latch circuit is 0 or 1. A recall operation is subsequently performed to read the data stored in the nonvolatile-memory-cell MIS transistor. If the nonvolatile-memory-cell MIS transistor has experienced a hot-carrier effect in the store operation, an ON current smaller than the ON current of the reference MIS transistor may be detected in the recall operation. If the nonvolatile-memory-cell MIS transistor has not experienced a hot-carrier effect in the store operation, an ON current larger than the reference ON current may be detected in the recall operation. The latch circuit may be used as a sense circuit to sense such difference in ON current, and latches data that is either "0" or "1" depending on whether the ON current of the nonvolatile-memory-cell MIS transistor is larger or smaller than the reference ON current.
Carriers trapped in the oxide film and/or sidewalls of a MIS transistor due to a hot carrier effect include both electrons and holes. In general, an electron having enough kinetic energy in a semiconductor material can knock a bound electron out of its bound state to create an electron-hole pair. This phenomenon is known as impact ionization. In a case of an NMOS transistor, hot electrons having high-kinetic energy flowing through a transistor channel from the source to the drain causes impact ionization to occur at the channel/drain junction to create electron-hole pairs. Such impact ionization also occurs in a PMOS transistor. That is, holes having high-kinetic energy causes impact ionization at the channel/drain junction of a PMOS transistor to create electron-hole pairs. Depending on the condition under which the transistor is driven, either electrons or holes become predominant carriers that are trapped in the oxide film and/or sidewalls of the MIS transistor as the result of a hot carrier effect.
If properly configured, PermSRAM may be able to select either electrons or holes as predominant carriers thereby to control a polarity of change in the threshold voltage.

MIS-transistor-based nonvolatile memory for multilevel data storage


The invention relates to a method for implementing adaptive Tomlinson-Harashima precoding using a digital data communications link. According to the method, the outgoing bit stream is coded into symbols, channel distortion is corrected by precoding (TML) the symbols, the precoded symbols are sent over a data communications channel (2, CHN), in which case the symbols, which have passed through the channel (2, CHN) and signal processing means for the receiver are reconstructed to form a bit stream. According to the invention, updated precoder coefficient parameter values are formed with the aid of an error variable (e), which is dependent on the symbol decisions (S′) of the receiver, the output signal of a decision-feedback equalizer, and a signal (Q) that is formed from the received signal by compensating the effect of the precoder transfer function of the received signal with an inverse precoder transfer functions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for adaptive Tomlinson-Harashima precoding in a digital data communications link.
The invention also relates to an apparatus for adaptive Tomlinson-Harashima precoding in a digital data communications link and for a receiver.
2. Description of Background Art
FIG. 1 shows one solution according to the state of the art. When transmitting data in digital form, i.e. a bit stream, over a data communications channel 2, the bit stream in question is converted in the transmitter (TX) into an analog signal, which can travel in a transmission channel. The transmission channel can be, for example, a radio path, a copper cable, or an optical-fibre cable. In the receiver (RX), the transmitted bit stream is reconstructed as unchanged as possible, on the basis of the incoming analog signal. The reconstruction of the bit stream in the receiver is hampered by the transmission channel's distorting effect on the signal and by the noise accumulating in the signal. These phenomena lead to errors in some of the reconstructed bits (e.g., on average 1 bit in 107 may be erroneous).
Equalizers, located in either the transmitter, or the receiver, or partly in both, are generally used to compensate the transmission channel's distorting effect on the signal. The equalizers can be either fixed or adaptive. The effect of noise is compensated with various coding techniques, such as Reed-Solomon coding, convolution coding, trellis coding, and turbo coding.
The most generally used method for equalizing channel distortion is an adaptive linear equalizer (FFE). However, on certain channels, using a linear equalizer alone is not enough. This situation arises, if transmission zeroes occur on the signal band, thus preventing certain frequencies from passing over the channel 2. A feedback equalizer is used to compensate the distortion caused by the transmission zeroes. Even in systems, in which the channel 2 does not contain transmission zeroes, the use of a feedback equalizer is often preferable, as it improves the noise tolerance of the system. A feedback equalizer located in the receiver is a decision-feedback equalizer (DFE) while one located in the transmitter is a Tomlinson-Harashima precoder (TML). The system can include both a DFE and a TML. A linear equalizer too can be located in either the transmitter, the receiver, or part in the transmitter and part in the receiver.
In the present publication, the following abbreviations are used in the descriptions of both the prior art and the invention:
CAP Carrierless amplitude and phase modulation
DFE Decision-feedback equalizer
FFE Feed forward equalizer
LMS Least mean square
PAM Pulse amplitude modulation
QAM Quadrature amplitude modulation
RX Receiver
TX Transmitter
TML Tomlinson-Harashima precoder
In the following, a digital data communications link is examined in terms of channel distortion compensation. The line code used is either pulse amplitude modulation (PAM), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), or carrierless amplitude and phase modulation (CAP). FIG. 1 shows a model for a system according to the prior art, the receiver 3 of which has an adaptive linear equalizer (FFE) and an adaptive feedback equalizer (DFE) (Lee & Messerschmitt). The channel noise model (CHN) includes fixed filters and possible modulation mechanisms. The bit stream to be transmitted is coded into symbols (S), which are transmitted over the channel 2. In the receiver 3, the output of the channel 2 is processed by equalizers (FFE and DFE), after which symbol decisions (S′) are made from the equalized signal. The symbol decisions (S′) that are made are also referred to as symbols estimated by the receiver. Both adaptive equalizers are adapted to the characteristics of the channel 2 in training performed when a connection is established. In addition, in steady state transmission, the equalizers are also adjusted, to compensate possible variations in the channel 2. The equalizer are adapted and adjusted on the basis of the detection error (e).
FIG. 2 shows a second system according to the prior art (Lee & Messerschmitt). It has an adaptive linear equalizer (FFE) in the receiver 3 and a feedback equalizer (TML) in the transmitter 1. During training, this system too operates like that of FIG. 1, containing a linear equalizer and a decision-feedback equalizer (DFE). Once the training has ended, the values of the coefficient parameters of the decision-feedback equalizer are transmitted, over an auxiliary upstream channel, to the transmitter, where they form a Tomlinson-Harashima precoder (TML). In steady state transmission, the linear equalizer (FFE) is adjusted, but the feedback equalizer of the transmitter (TML) is fixed and is not adjusted.
Tomlinson-Harashima precoding has the advantage over a DFE that, unlike a DFE, precoding does not result in the feedback of the detection error. Particularly if the amplitude response of the channel 2 has a shape that causes large coefficient parameter values to appear in the DFE, feedback of erroneous decisions by the detector is a real problem. In the most serious cases, when using a DFE a single erroneous decision can lead to loss of connection.
Adjustment of the linear equalizer alone is generally sufficient to compensate for the effects of variation in the channel 2. In some cases, the channel 2 includes analog band-stop filters to eliminate, for example, radio interference. The positions of the transmission zeroes of analog band-stop filters may vary when the component values of the filters change with the temperature. Such variation in the characteristics of the channel 2 cannot be compensated by adjusting only the linear equalizer. Another drawback is that the system cannot adapt optimally to changed noise conditions, as the feedback equalizer is not adjusted in steady state transmission.
FIG. 3 shows a method according to the state of the art for solving the problem described above. The system includes a linear equalizer (FFE), a Tomlinson-Harashima precoder (TML), and a decision-feedback equalizer (DFE). Only the FFE and the DFE take part in the training. At the end of the training, the DFE's tap values are transferred to the transmitter, to form the precoder (TML) while the coefficient parameter values of the DFE are reset to zero. In steady state transmission, the FFE and the DFE are adjusted, but the precoder (TML) is not. The advantage of this is that channel and noise-state changes that cannot be handled by adjusting only the linear equalizer are no longer a problem, as the receiver's DFE too is adjusted during steady state transmission. The drawback is the error feedback because of the receiver's DFE. It can be assumed that the coefficient parameter values of the receiver's DFE will remain lower than in the situation according to FIG. 1, because part of the feedback equalization takes place already in the transmitter. Thus the error feedback is also weaker than in FIG. 1. However, the system performance depends essentially on the size of the changes in the characteristics of the channel 2 and in the noise state, compared to the training situation.
The system shown in FIG. 2 or 3 could be directly improved by calculating, in the receiver, the adjustment increments of the coefficient parameters, using the detection error and the symbol decisions, as if adjusting the DFE, but instead to transmit the calculated adjustment increments to the transmitter, over an auxiliary upstream transmission channel. The precoder's coefficient parameter values are updated using the said adjustment increments. The precoder would then also be adjusted in steady state transmission, making the receiver's DFE unnecessary, or allowing the increase in its coefficient parameter values to be limited. However, it can be shown that the adjustment method described above will not work in a general case.
A Tomlinson-Harashima precoder can be updated to correspond to the varying channel characteristics by repeating the following operations: 1) the coefficient parameter values of the feedback equalizer, corresponding to the changed state of the channel, are formed in the receiver, 2) the formed coefficient parameter values, or changes in the coefficient parameter values, are transferred to the Tomlinson-Harashima precoder using, for example, an auxiliary upstream transmission channel.

Method and apparatus for implementing adaptive tomlinson-harashima precoding in a digital data link


A system and method for pipelined data processing emulates multi-tasking pipelined data processing in a single tasking environment. A host application running in the single tasking environment creates a pipeline of linked data processing tasks to process data from the host application and to provide the processed data to an output device. After all tasks of the pipeline are created the host application invokes the pipeline to send data to the output device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to processing an image, comprising an image header and image data, in a single-application environment, by emulating a multi-processing environment. In particular, this invention relates to an object-oriented system employing a library of predefined objects or data structures which can be linked between a host application and a data source or between a host application and a data user to create a stream-oriented data processing structure emulating a UNIX.RTM.-like pipeline data structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of data processing pipelines in true multi-processing environments is well known. Examples of known multi-processing environments include both multiple-processor systems and high level systems where a single processor is able to support true multi-processing. The UNIX.RTM. operating system is often used in such multi-processing systems.
In such multi-processing environments, data processing pipelines are extremely useful for processing large, highly structured data blocks, such as those associated with image processing, database processing, or spreadsheet processing. Such data blocks typically include a header and one or more lines, or sets, of data. The header indicates the type of data, its characteristics, and how many sets of data are in the data block. When working with such data blocks, various data processing operations must be performed on each set of data in the data blocks before the data can be used by a host application. Further, the various data processing operations are performed in a specific order.
In a multi-processing environment, data processing pipelines provide a very efficient method for processing the data blocks. In these data processing pipelines, each separate data processing operation is defined as a section of the pipeline. Each section is linked to one or both of the sections (the upstream and downstream sections) to which it is adjacent. The data processing pipeline thus forms a chain of linked pipeline sections between a data source or between a host application and a data user and a host application. In a computer having a number of independent processors, each pipeline section corresponds to one of the processors. In this case, each processor works independently, and the computer operating system controls the flow of data between processors and the memory allocation. While this efficiently processes the data, the overhead necessary to control the processors and the memory consumes a significant proportion of the system's resources.
Likewise, in a computer having a single processor which can simultaneously run a number of different independent processing operations, or processes, each pipeline section corresponds to one of the independently-running processes. In this case, the operating system allocates the run-time of each process, the flow of data between each process and memory and the memory allocation. The overhead necessary to control the computer in this case consumes an even larger proportion of the system's resources, as each process and its data must be swapped into and out of the processor each time it is run. Additionally, because the processes communicate through the operating system, dynamically altering the pipeline is difficult, if not impossible.
In general, the source of data for the pipeline could include a spreadsheet providing financial information; the records within a database file providing database information; image data generated by a conventional image scanner from an original document; and a computer generated image. The host application could be a graphics program for producing pie charts, bar charts or the like from processed financial data; an inventory, accounting, or merging program which uses processed database data; or an image forming apparatus for forming an image from the processed image data.
Regardless of the particular source of data, or ultimate host application, the first, or upstream-most, section of the data processing pipeline is generally the data source for the pipeline. Alternately, the data source for this first pipeline can be a second pipeline. In this case, a special branching or "fan-out" pipeline section of the second pipeline can be used to supply data to both the first pipeline and the downstream sections of the second pipeline. In either case, the first pipeline section obtains a data element for the pipeline from the source of data and makes the data element available to the immediately downstream, or second, pipeline section. The second pipeline section receives the data element from the first pipeline section, processes the data element, and passes it downstream to the next immediately downstream or third pipeline section.
In a true multi-processing environment, the first pipeline section would obtain the next data element from the source of data and output it to the second pipeline section while the second pipeline section processes the data element received from the first pipeline section and outputs it to the third pipeline section. Accordingly, as each data element is processed by one of the pipeline sections, it is output to the next downstream section until it is output to the host application. The data can be efficiently and quickly processed in the multiprocessing environment by associating one processing operation, or processor, with each section of the pipeline. This ensures that the pipeline is able to process the data block with the data through-put being limited only by the least efficient pipeline section, and the inefficiencies caused by the overhead.
In contrast, in a single-processing environment, although a variety of methods for processing large data blocks are available, each of them is inefficient compared to a multi-processing system. For example, in one method, each data processing operation is applied to every data element of a data block before any other data processing operation is applied to any data element of the data block. That is, every element of the data block must be subjected to a first data processing operation before any elements are subjected to a second data processing operation. The efficiency of the data processing operation in a single-processing environment is proportional to the efficiency of each data processing operation.
Because data elements continually move from one data processing section of a pipeline to another in a multi-processing environment, and because the data processing commands must be continuously swapped into and out of the active memory of the system, the system overhead required to manage a multi-processing system is large in comparison to the overhead requirements of a single-processing environment.

Pipelined image processing system for a single application environment


Various methods and devices are provided for accessing a body cavity. In one embodiment, a surgical access device is provided and includes an elongate member having a proximal support member configured to rest against an external tissue surface, a flexible elongate central portion extending distally from the proximal support member and configured to extend through tissue, and an inflatable distal portion coupled to a distal end of the central portion. The distal portion is movable between an initial configuration, in which the distal portion is configured to be passed through an incision in tissue, and an inflated configuration in which the distal portion is expanded such that the central portion forms a working channel through the tissue for access to a body cavity. The distal portion can include an opening such that gas delivered to the distal portion can flow through the opening to insufflate a body cavity.

Access ports are widely used in medical procedures to gain access to anatomical cavities ranging in size from the abdomen to small blood vessels, such as veins and arteries, epidural, pleural and subarachnoid spaces, heart ventricles, and spinal and synovial cavities. The use of access ports has become more common as they provide minimally invasive techniques for establishing a portal for a number of procedures, such as those involving the abdominal cavity.
Many of these types of procedures involve insufflation of the abdominal cavity with CO2 gas to increase interior space for a surgical procedure. This is often achieved using an additional port to allow gas to be passed into a body cavity to provide pressure therein to maintain insufflation of the cavity. One challenge facing surgeons when using these access ports is achieving initial insertion of the access ports through tissue and into a body cavity, especially in the case of an access port that is flexible. This can be made even more difficult before the body cavity is inflated as there are organs and other vital structures that can be directly adjacent the puncture site where the access port is inserted through the tissue and it is necessary to prevent damage to these organs during insertion of the ports.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and devices for providing access into a body cavity.

Inflatable retractor with insufflation and method


Spatially diverse signals are simultaneously demodulated and error corrected providing statistically independent data. Statistics for the signals are prepared and available for system management and display to users.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of data transmission and more particularly to a method of post-detection selection space diversity for reducing the deleterious effects of fading and multi-path interference in wireless modems..
2. Discussion of Background
Wireless modems are used to interconnect computers or LANs using radio waves. Radio signals have advantages and disadvantages over hardwire systems. The wireless advantages include quick deployment, higher data rates than conventional telephone lines and the ability to serve customers independently of the traditional infrastructure.
The disadvantages of wireless transmission in the range of the MMDS/ITFS (multi-channel multi-point distribution system/instructional television fixed service) channels include the problem that the RF signal requires a line of sight path and strong mechanisms to decrease time lapse due to fading and multi-path.
The present inventors have realized that a space diversity system can be implemented in a wireless hub of a transmission system to reduce the disadvantages mentioned above and improve the performance of a wireless system. The present invention provides an optimized analysis of statistically independent diverse signals that increases the robustness and performance of a wireless hub.
The present invention is embodied as a method of space diversity for broadband wireless access, comprising the steps of, receiving spatially diverse signals, separately demodulating each of the spatially diverse signals, selecting a most correct of the demodulated signals, and forwarding the selected demodulated signal for further processing.
The present invention includes a space diversity device for a wireless hub, comprising, PHY layer equipment, including, a set of at least two antennas for receiving spatially diverse signals, a demodulator connected to each of said antennas, and each demodulator configured to demodulate signals received on the antenna connected to it, and MAC layer equipment comprising a selection mechanism configured to select a demodulated signal having a largest error free transmission.
Both the device and method may be conveniently implemented on a general purpose computer, or networked computers, and the results may be displayed on an output device connected to any of the general purpose, networked computers, or transmitted to a remote device for output or display.

Space diversity method and system for broadband wireless access


A weight determining system is for use with a non-singulated and non-spaced arrangement of items on a conveyor. The system includes an array of load cells, a scanning apparatus, and processors. Each of the items bears upon one or more of the load cells. Each of the load cells bears one or more of the items, and generates load data associated with them. The scanning apparatus generates scan data for the arrangement of the items on the conveyor. Based on the scan data, the processors: apportion the load data from each load cell to the items bearing on it; allocate to each item the load data apportioned from the various load cells; and determine a weight for each item. Also disclosed are a corresponding weight determining method, as well as a computer readable medium containing executable instructions to encode the processors to perform as aforesaid.

In the shipping provider and/or manufacturing industry, weight determining technology may have been used to determine the weights of items on a conveyor for the purpose of revenue recovery. Conveyors (alternately herein referred to as "conveyor systems" and/or "conveying systems") are common pieces of mechanical handling equipment that move materials from one location to another. Many kinds of conveying systems are available, and are used according to the various needs of different industries. Types of conveyor systems, in the prior art, may include (among other things) flexible conveyor systems and heavy duty roller conveyors.
In the prior art, weight determining technology may have included a scale using four load cells arranged at the corners of a solid platform for the determination of item weight. FIGS. 1A and 1B depict plan and side views, respectively, of one such system having a load cell at each corner of the scale wherein the load cells are positioned beneath a conveyor belt. This arrangement of load cells may have calculated item weight by summing and/or averaging the weight determinations from each load cell. Accordingly, this prior art weight determining technology may have only been adapted to determine the weight of a single item, or the average weight of two or more items, at any given time or the weight. In order to determine the weight of a single item, items may have been required to be arranged, with respect to the conveyor's direction of travel, in a singulated (i.e., in single-file and/or in a single row) and spaced manner (i.e., non-abutting and/or with sufficient gaps between items, perhaps so that only one item is on a scale at a given time). FIG. 2 depicts a plan view of items having a singulated and spaced arrangement.
In a shipping provider and/or manufacturing facility, however, items may frequently be received and/or conveyed in a non-singulated arrangement (i.e., not single-file) and/or in a non-spaced arrangement (i.e., abutting or only with very small gaps). The non-singulated arrangement may be either with respect to a direction of travel of the conveyor or a direction that is transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor. FIG. 3 depicts a plan view of items having a non-singulated and non-spaced arrangement. Non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangements of items may have presented challenges to previous weight determining technologies, and attempts to determine item weights may not have yielded useful results for items in such arrangements. For example, prior art weight dimensioning technologies may not have been able to distinguish between the respective weights of various items in a non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangement, in some instances due to an increased chance of there being more than one item on the scale at a given time. This shortcoming may have led to incorrect determination of item weights, to weight-determining errors and/or to an inability to measure item weights. Any previous need for singulated and spaced arrangements may have impaired and/or prevented the ability of a shipping provider to recover revenue, for example, based on weighing and/or reweighing of items and may have required costly manual intervention and/or additional automation. Shipping provider operations that process a high number of items may have been faced with sacrificing any capability to measure items' weights in an effort to achieve targeted clearance times for items. Sacrificing item weight measurement capability may have previously resulted in a loss of revenue.
Customer charges for delivering items may frequently be based on the weights of the items, with greater charges accruing for the delivery of heavier items. In addition, or alternatively, shipping providers may charge customers a premium to deliver overweight items (i.e., items having a weight that is greater than some threshold value). More specifically, for example, previously if a customer provided a courier with an item and declared an item weight less than a threshold value at which premium charges would apply, then the shipping provider may have found it difficult to obtain full payment for shipping the overweight item.
In a disparate though perhaps related field of prior art, dimensioning technologies may have been used to determine dimensions of items on conveyors for the purpose of revenue recovery. While previous dimensioning technologies may have only been capable of determining individual item dimensions for items in a singulated and spaced arrangement, some of prior dimensioning technologies (e.g., the CS5200 or CSN210 MassFlow dimensioners offered by Mettler Toledo of Columbus, Ohio) may have been capable of determining the dimensions of items in a non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangement. The ability to determine the dimensions of items in a non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangement may have provided shipping provider and/or manufacturing operations with the capability of processing increased numbers of items without limiting the collection of item dimension information as, for example, the items do not require sorting (i.e., manipulation to achieve a singulated and spaced arrangement) prior to dimension determination. This previous technology may have (i) facilitated revenue recovery and/or (ii) reduced the time required to clear items from a facility towards targeted clearance times for items.
Notably, however, with respect to items having a non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangement, previous dimensioning technologies may have been limited by a failure to: (i) determine dimensions of items with respect to a conveyor; (ii) determine item dimensions downstream or upstream of the dimensioning apparatus; and/or (iii) interface with weight determining technology so as to also assign individual and accurate weights to single items.
Previous weight determining technologies may have been unable to determine individual weights of items in non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangements. Persons skilled in the art may have failed to appreciate the problems with the prior art, and/or exactly how previous weight determining and dimensioning technologies might be combined to best solve them. One or more possible combinations of such previous technologies may have been ruled out and/or overlooked by skilled persons as impractical or otherwise. For example, while dimensions of items in non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangements might be determined, some may have previously considered it necessary for the items to be manipulated into a singulated and/or spaced arrangement to facilitate the determination of individual item weights. Some combinations of the previous technologies may have used dimensioning devices to assess whether items were in a singulated and spaced arrangement.
What may be needed is a system, method or computer readable medium that overcomes one or more of the limitations or shortcomings associated with the prior art. It may be advantageous to provide a system, method and computer readable medium which facilitates the determination of item weight for items in a non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangement. The ability to measure individual item weight for items in a non-singulated and/or non-spaced arrangement may help to increase the revenue associated with the conveyed items as: (i) there might then be no requirement for the costly manipulation of items, by manual or automated means, into a singulated and/or spaced arrangement; and (ii) the accuracy of customer-declared weight for each of the items may be audited.
It may be an object of one aspect of the present invention to determine the weight of an item.
It may be an object of one aspect of the present invention to determine the weight of an individual item included amongst a group of items (i.e., an item in a mass flow environment).
It may be an object of one aspect of the present invention to determine the individual weight for items regardless of their arrangement (i.e., singulated, non-singulated, spaced, and/or non-spaced).
It may also be an object of one aspect of the present invention to physically store, on a computer readable medium, instructions for execution by one or more processors to implement such a system and/or method.
It may be an object of one aspect of the present invention to provide a system, method and/or computer readable medium adapted for determining the arrangement of items in a mass flow environment relative to other items.
It may be an object of one aspect of the present invention to provide a system, method and/or computer readable medium to facilitate the generation of revenue on an item weight-adjusted basis.
It may be an object of one aspect of the present invention to provide a system, method and/or computer readable medium to facilitate the attribution of dimensions and weights for individual items in a singulated, non-singulated, spaced, and/or non-spaced arrangement.
It may be an object of one aspect of the present invention to provide a system, method and/or computer readable medium adapted for use in parcel delivery and/or postal applications to facilitate the movement of freight, and/or for use in association with the manufacture of items.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages and/or shortcomings associated with the prior art, to provide one of the aforementioned needs or advantages, and/or to achieve one or more of the aforementioned objectives of the invention.

System, method, and computer readable medium for determining the weight of items in a non-singulated and non-spaced arrangement on a conveyor system


An exhaust gas purifying catalyst contains copper oxide, ZSM-5 and/or zeolite β, and an oxide of magnesium and/or calcium is further added thereto. A process for purifying an exhaust gas using such a catalyst is also included. By using the catalyst, NOx in an exhaust gas containing much oxygen such as exhaust gas of diesel engines can be efficiently removed and oxidation of SO2 under high-temperature conditions can be suppressed.

Catalysts produced by depositing a precious metal component, such as Pt, Pd, and Rh, on an activated alumina are generally used for purifying exhaust gases from internal combustion engines. The catalyst can purify hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and NOx simultaneously, and is called as "Three Way Catalyst or TWC".
The TWC is operated effectively under the conditions nearby the theoretical air-fuel ratio (A/F), but has a problem that removal of NOx is insufficient in oxygen rich conditions for example lean condition such as exhaust gases from diesel engines.
Further, the exhaust gas of a diesel engine includes particle matters formed of carbon, a soluble organic fraction (SOF), and sulfates in a large amount, which particles harm human bodies. It, therefore, constitutes one object of the legal control. When the ordinary TWC is used for treating the exhaust gas of a diesel engine, the catalyst used is required to reduce the particle matters therein.
It is well known a copper zeolite catalyst (Cu-ZSM5), in which copper is deposited on a porous zeolite, as the catalyst for purifying NOx under lean conditions (JP-A-60-125250). When the catalyst is used for treating exhaust gases in particular from diesel engines, there are problems that particle matters cannot be reduced, since it causes SO2 to oxidize and form sulfates under high temperatures of above 450° C.

Exhaust gas purifying catalyst and process for purifying exhaust gas


An arrangement for fixing an interface card in an expansion slot includes a guide member fixed transversely across the expansion slot. The guide member includes an elongated slide slot arranged to slidably receive a plurality of sliders. A respective adjustment screw is threaded through each of the sliders, and a clamping plate is threaded onto the end of each of the adjustment screws. Each clamping plate includes a grooved bottom that fits over an interface card to secure it in the expansion slot when the clamping plate is vertically positioned by turning the adjustment screw, and horizontally positioned by sliding the corresponding slider in the slide slot.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus that enables different types of interface cards to be installed in expansion slots of an industrial computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional interface card (B) located in an expansion slot is first inserted into a fixed support (Al) and then fastened by means of a fixture that extends downwardly from the top of the expansion slot. The fixture includes a fixing support (C) with a hole (C1), and is secured to sides of the expansion slot (A). The interface card is fixed by a fixing block (C2) fastened to the fixing support (C) by a pair of screws (C3) extending through the hole (C1) and nuts (C4) threaded onto the screws.
A disadvantage of the structure of fixing block (C2) is that it can only be fixed to a single type of interface card (B). This is because its hole (C1) is made in advance according to the number of interface cards (B) that are to be fixed in the expansion slot. During installation, the interface card (B) is fixed by the fixing block (C2) using the pair of screws (C3), nuts (C4), and hole (C1). Because the position of the fixing block is restricted by the specific number and arrangement of holes, only a single type of interface card (B) can be installed in the expansion slot (A), using a single installation method. As a result, the conventional expansion slot arrangement lacks diversification and multiple functions.
In addition, it is impossible to fix the interface card without opening the slot in advance. If it is necessary to change the interface card (B), the only way is to select the same type of card, resulting in the further problem that the card might be difficult to fix or no longer available, compounding the difficulties in assembling and disassembling.
The invention provides a pressing plate which can easily be modified to accommodate different interface card height specifications.
Another contribution of this invention is to provide a large fixing area for an interface card that makes it easy to fix types and numbers of interface cards in an expansion slot.

Support using guide slider for interface card


A predriver circuit that controls driver elements includes a slope control circuit that separately controls inclination of slope of current from the driver elements, and inclination of slope of voltage from a driver circuit. A controller outputs, to the predriver circuit, a current control signal selected from a plurality of current control signals and a voltage control signal selected from a plurality of voltage control signals, to control the slope of current from the driver elements and the slope of voltage from the driver circuit.

The present disclosure belongs to a technical field of a load drive control device.
A solenoid (load) mounted in a vehicle is generally driven by turning a driver transistor ON/OFF with a pulse width modulation (PWM) control. When the driver transistor is turned ON/OFF, the current and voltage for driving the solenoid need to be switched as quickly as possible in order to reduce switching loss.
However, the high switching speed causes an increase in the induced electromotive force due to a steep current change and the parasitic inductance and an increase in electro magnetic interface (EMI) noise due to high frequency components of the output voltage. Therefore, attempts have been made to reduce both the EMI noise and the switching loss as much as possible.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,258,822 discloses a load drive control device that adjusts the amount of current from a current source for turning ON/OFF the driver transistor to change the inclination of the rising and falling slopes of output voltage for driving a load.