A method for storing data in a data storage area of a computer that utilizes hashing functions to avoid collision of data records. A first hash function attempts to place a new data record in a home address in the data table. If a data record already exists in that slot, a collision occurs, and a second hash function is applied on each of the new data record and the stored data record to determine a new target slot. Application of each second hash function results in an increment advancement amount for the new data record and an incremental advancement amount for the stored data record. The new data record is stored in the new target slot, where the new target slot is determined based on one or both of the incremental advancement amount for the new data record and the incremental advancement amount for the stored data record.

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The present invention relates to data storage and retrieval systems and more particularly to a method and system for relocating records that hash to the same location in a data table and storing said relocated records in an optimal and efficient manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storing records in a data table is a common task. Applications are designed to retrieve banking records, credit records, employee records, student records or any other type of record using various search algorithms. Many common techniques employ search algorithms to search through the data table in order to place records in empty slots or "buckets". Serial search algorithms and hashing algorithms are a few examples.
A serial or linear search algorithm searches through the data table one slot at a time until an available slot is discovered. Thus, starting at the beginning of the table, each slot is examined until an empty slot is found. Of course, this may be very time consuming if the next available slot for a 1,000-location data table is 600 slots away, since 599 slots will have to be checked before an available slot is found.
Hashing is a method that stores data in a data table such that storing, searching, retrieving, and inserting and deleting data can be done much faster than by traditional linear search methods. Hashing is very useful in scenarios where data record keys do not map directly into data table locations. As an example, if 100 student ID numbers all fall within a particular value range, e.g., 0 to 99, it would be simple to map each data record into a corresponding slot in the data table. Student ID Number 1 would be mapped into data slot number 1, etc. Thus, each data record, identified by a "key" value, is mapped directly to a corresponding slot, so retrieving the record at a later date would be immediate. However, if the student ID numbers do not range from 0 to 99, but instead range from 0 through 9999, a different situation is presented. A data table comprised of 10,000 slots could be constructed, but this is wasteful since only a small fraction of the table (one-tenth) would be used to store 100 data records.
In the above example, a hash function can be created to store the 100 records in an array of a much smaller size in order to efficiently store, and later retrieve, each of the records. For example, if the student ID numbers (each ID number is a "key" that identifies each record) were known to be multiples of 100, e.g., 0, 100, 200, . . . 9800, 9900, a hash function could be constructed to store each record in an array comprised of only 100 slots. Therefore, an array called data can store a record with a student ID number "x" at index data [x/100] (where only the quotient is used and not the remainder). Thus, information relating to a student with ID number 600 can be stored in array slot with index number 6, i.e. data [6].
The result above represents the ideal situation where every key, when hashed, produces a unique index. This is known as perfect hashing and is very difficult to achieve unless the database designer has every record before them prior to creating the data table. The common scenario is when two or more records hash to the identical physical location, (i.e., the record's "home address") in the data table. This is known as a "collision". In the above example, a collision would occur if the student ID number is not 400, but is instead 399. The record with student ID number 300 is stored in index number 3 (300/100=3), but so is the record corresponding to student ID number 399 (399/100=3), which has the identical quotient. Two or more records that hash to the identical home address represent what is known as a "chain". A mechanism is needed to relocate records to available slots in the data table and to link pieces of the chain together.
There are a number of hashing functions that attempt to relocate records of a particular chain. However, each has its drawbacks. A method of measuring the effectiveness of these methods is to compare how many probes (a probe is a physical access of a location in the data table) is needed on average in order to retrieve each record once. For example, a chain of three records that are linked in a simple way so that each probe also identifies the exact location of the next record in the chain would require one probe for the first record, two probes for the second record (a "stop" at the first record before going to the second) and three probes for the third record. This provides an average of two probes (6 probes/3 records) to reach each record once.
Another way to compare hashing methods is to examine the amount of extra storage that is required in the table in order to link the chains. As an example of storage for a link field, the table below has seven locations (0-6).
047123323520456
In the table above, three records were inserted in the following order: 23, 52 and 47. All three records are assumed to hash to the same home address of "1". The table shows that to get to record 47, you must first go to location 1, the target home address for record 47, find that it is not a match for record 47 and then follow the link field (indicated by "3) to location 3. This process continues until a matching record is found or a blank for the link is found and a conclusion is made that this search was unsuccessful. In the case illustrated below, the extra storage for the link field is three bits since a link of "6" (i.e. binary digits 110) may have to be stored. For a larger table, many more bits would be needed for the link.
A third method of comparing hashing functions is to examine the ease of insertion of the new records into the data table. A method that relocates records in the chain away from their home addresses will cause those records to occupy positions in the table that can, in turn, be the home locations for other records. This can result in two or more chains being interlinked, which is referred to as "coalescing". Coalescing can cause the number of probes to increase, since a search would not only have to traverse a chain of common "home" records, but also the records of another chain that are interspersed with the first chain. Methods for eliminating coalesced chains require that records which were previously inserted need to be moved every time two chains are about to coalesce.
Double hashing methods utilize two hash functions. The first hash function produces the home address of the record to be inserted into the data table. A typical algorithm used to determine the home address of the record to be inserted is: HOME=key mod P, where P is the number of positions in the data table and must be a prime number. The second hash function is used to create a variable increment, which is used to skip a number of positions in the data table in an attempt to find an empty slot.
One double hashing technique known as the Linear Quotient method can use the following algorithm to determine the variable increment: INC=1+key mod (P−2). If a new key collides with a key already at its home address, an increment is computed using this function applied to the new key that is to be inserted. This results in a "jump" of a number of positions corresponding to the increment as many times as necessary until an opening in the data table is found. The data table is considered to be circular so that once the bottom of the table is reached, the count wraps around to the top of the table. The Linear Quotient method does not require any link fields but does allow chains to coalesce. On the average, this method requires a high number of probes.
Another hashing technique commonly used is the Computed Chaining method. This method can use algorithm INC above, but applied to the key already stored at a location, and uses that increment to jump as many times as necessary to find an empty location in which to place the key. The multiplier of the increment is then stored in the table as a "number of offsets" field. That field normally requires six bits for a table size of approximately 1,000 records. However, this field can be limited to any number of bits by requiring more intermediate probes. Coalesced chains are resolved by moving keys that are in the way of the new key and that are not at their home addresses. However, this requires movement of all the records that followed the moved key in the chain.
Because of the obvious drawbacks of the two aforementioned techniques, it is desirable to have a double hashing data storage system and method that results in the an optimal data record retrieval performance by lowering the number of average probes and employing a much more efficient method of inserting new keys into the data table.

International Business Machines Corporation


A light guide plate includes a plate body and a supporting unit. The plate body has a light-exiting face and a lateral side, wherein the supporting unit is disposed along the lateral side. The supporting unit has a top surface and an outer lateral surface, the top surface is above the light-exiting face, the lateral surface protrudes from an end surface of the lateral side of the plate body, wherein a portion of the end surface away from the light-exiting face is exposed to form a recess. A backlight module includes the light guide plate mentioned above and a back plate having the light guide plate disposed thereon. A periphery of the back plate has a side wall formed thereon and extending into the recess. A display device includes the above light guide plate and a display panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a design of light guide plate. Particularly, the present invention relates to a light guide plate having a supporting unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Liquid crystal display devices have been extensively applied to various electrical products including computer, television, and communication devices. In general, the liquid crystal display device has a backlight module as a light source. The backlight module includes a light guide plate, which has functions of guiding light, improving luminance of the backlight module, and controlling brightness uniformity. On the other hand, the display device is becoming smaller, thinner, and/or lighter due to technology improvement and life demand. As a result, inner components of the display device or other electronic products having display function may be required to have the same or even better performance under a limited volume thereof or a limited space in the device.
As the display device 9a shown in FIG. 1A, which uses a backlight module including a conventional light guide plate 6a, a plastic frame 4, and a back plate 5a, wherein the plastic frame 4 has a function of supporting a display panel 8. The display device 9b shown in FIG. 1B, however, uses a backlight module without a plastic frame but a light guide plate 6b incorporated with a supporting rib 3 for supporting the display panel to achieve the function provided by the plastic frame. As a result, the backlight module shown in FIG. 1B, on one hand, has a simplified structure and, on the other hand, creates more space for some components such as the light guide plate. However, when it comes to slim border design for display device, there may still be large-angle light leakage resulted from a narrower light-blocking area 82 due to the slim border design and the lack of a light-shielding tape 7.

Light guide plate and backlight module and display module using the same


A silicon epitaxial layer 2 is grown in vapor phase on a silicon single crystal substrate 1 manufactured by the Czochralski method, and doped with boron so as to adjust the resistivity to 0.02 Ω·cm or below, oxygen precipitation nuclei 11 are formed in the silicon single crystal substrate 1, by carrying out annealing at 450° C. to 750° C., in an oxidizing atmosphere, for a duration of time allowing formation of a silicon oxide film only to as thick as 2 nm or below on the silicon epitaxial layer 2 as a result of the annealing, and thus-formed silicon oxide film 3 is etched as the first cleaning after the low-temperature annealing, using a cleaning solution. By this process, the final residual thickness of the silicon oxide film can be suppressed only to a level equivalent to native oxide film, without relying upon the hydrofluoric acid cleaning.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a silicon epitaxial wafer having a silicon epitaxial layer formed by vapor phase growth on a silicon single crystal substrate doped with a relatively high concentration of boron.
2. Description of the Related Art
Silicon epitaxial wafers, having a silicon epitaxial layer grown in vapor phase on a silicon single crystal substrate manufactured by the Czochralski method (simply referred to as the CZ method, hereinafter), while being doped with a high concentration of boron so as to adjust the resistivity to as low as 0.02 Ω·cm or below (referred to as p+CZ substrate, hereinafter), have widely been used, for example, for the purpose of preventing latch-up, and of eliminating any defects from a device forming region.
The p+CZ substrate has a large number of oxygen precipitation nuclei formed in a crystal pulling process over a period from solidification of the crystal to cooling down to room temperature. Size of the oxygen precipitation nuclei is generally as very small as 1 nm or below. The oxygen precipitation nuclei can grow up to oxygen precipitate, if the nuclei are kept at a temperature not lower than a nuclei forming temperature and not higher than a certain critical temperature relevant to re-solid solubility into the bulk of silicon single crystal. The oxygen precipitate is a sort of BMD (bulk micro-defect) causative of deterioration of withstand voltage and current leakage, so that it is desired to be formed as less as possible in the device forming region. The oxygen precipitate can, however, effectively be used as a getter for heavy metal components in a device manufacturing process, in regions of the substrate not destined for device formation, so that it has been a general practice to intentionally form the oxygen precipitate in the silicon single crystal used for growth in the manufacture of silicon epitaxial wafers, only to a degree not causative of nonconformities such as warping. The effect of gettering heavy metals by the oxygen precipitate is one of so-called IG (intrinsic gettering) effects.
By the way, the oxygen precipitation nuclei are known to re-solid-solubilize themselves into the bulk of silicon single crystal and disappear, if the substrate is kept at a temperature higher than the above-described critical temperature. As for the silicon epitaxial wafers, vapor phase growth process of the silicon epitaxial layer corresponds to high temperature annealing at 1,100° C. or above where the nuclei disappear, and this means that the oxygen precipitation nuclei, resided abundantly before the vapor phase growth, can largely be reduced due to thermal history during the vapor phase growth. Reduction in the oxygen precipitation nuclei suppresses formation of the oxygen precipitate in the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices, even if the initial oxygen concentration in the adopted silicon single crystal substrate is high, and achieving the IG effect is less hopeful.
Aiming at solving this problem, there is proposed a method of subjecting a silicon epitaxial wafer to low temperature annealing at 450° C. to 750° C., both ends inclusive, so as to newly produce the oxygen precipitation nuclei in the p+CZ substrate, and then to middle-temperature annealing (a temperature range between those for low-temperature annealing and high-temperature annealing) to thereby grow the oxygen precipitate (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. H9-283529, H10-270455, and International Patent Disclosure WO01/056071).
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H9-283529 describes, in the section titled "Preferred Embodiments of the Invention", that low-temperature annealing aimed at forming the oxygen precipitation nuclei in an oxygen atmosphere results in formation of silicon oxide film on the surface of the silicon epitaxial wafer. Thus-formed unnecessary silicon oxide film can be removed by hydrofluoric acid cleaning, as is well known in the art. Removal of the silicon oxide film by the hydrofluoric acid cleaning, however, raises the particle level on the surface of the silicon epitaxial wafer after the cleaning. Adoption of the hydrofluoric acid cleaning aimed at removing the silicon oxide film after the low-temperature annealing also increases the number of process steps, and consequently increases costs for manufacturing the silicon epitaxial wafers.
It is therefore a subject of this invention to provide a method of manufacturing a silicon epitaxial wafer, on the premise that annealing for forming oxygen precipitation nuclei is carried out in an oxidizing atmosphere, capable of suppressing the final residual thickness of the silicon oxide film formed during the annealing to a level equivalent to that of native oxide film without adopting hydrofluoric acid cleaning, and furthermore suppressing increase in the particles after the cleaning.

Method of manufacturing silicon epitaxial wafer


There discloses a reel spring used in a magnetic tape of a video tape cassette comprising a base portion having apertures for installing a reel spring in an upper housing of a tape cassette and a pair of end portions extending at a certain angle to the plane of the base portion wherein first embossments are made longitudinally to improve a spring tension and second embossments are made to hold protruding pivots of tape reels between tips of the reel spring, spacing from the first embossments. The size of the second embossments is formed to be broad enough for the pivots' running smoothly and the second embossments project in a contrary direction to the bend of the end portions.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reel spring of a video tape cassette. In particular, the present invention relates to a reel spring having embossed guide grooves for supporting pivots of a tape reel, the guide grooves being formed formed on end portions of the reel spring without the increase in materials or decrease in tension whereby the pivots are not alienated from the end portion even though the width of a reel spring is narrow.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A reel spring which is installed in an upper housing is a part for smoothing the drive of a reel by pressing the reel with a given resilience.
The technique relating to such a reel spring has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,367 to William M. Carroll. This Patent is for a reel spring which has a substantially diamond-like configuration and provides a structure suitable for mass-producing and minimizing material loss.
In order to obtain the above object, the structure of this patent has the function of reel springs comprising an elongated strip of resilient material formed in a generally rectangular configuration. More particularly, this structure is achieved by a base portion having apertures for mounting the reel spring on an upper cassette housing; transition sections extending at a first angle to the plane of the base portion; and end portions extending at a second angle to the plane of the transition sections.
In such conventional spring, the end portions contacting protruding pivots of the reel are formed flatly, and the width of the end portions of the reel spring must be broad in order not to be alienated from the end portions when the pivots run. Otherwise at the time of the drive of the tape the pivots run and may be alienated from the end portions. Making the width of the end portions broadly enough to prevent the above problem causes a greater amount of material waste compared to a reel spring of an elongated strip having the same width, and therefore it is hard to reduce the manufacturing cost.
Another prior art technology for solving these problems is disclosed in Korean Publication No. 89-7595. The structure relating to end portions of the above conventional reel spring is shown in FIG. 6. A reel spring 4 shown in FIG. 6 has embossed guide grooves 6 on its end portions 5. The size of these embossed guide grooves 6 is formed to be substantially the same as that of the circumference of protruding pivots 3.
In consequence there is no space where the pivots 3 can run in the guide grooves 6, and when the reel 2 is driven, the pivots come to run into the inside wall of the guide grooves 6.
Accordingly an excessive force presses upon the drive of the tape and when high speed driving the pivots come into contact with one side of the guide grooves thereby causes a disadvantage that the pivots of plastics are deformed by friction.


The invention relates to an ultrasonic measuring unit for attaching to a measuring instrument. The measuring instrument is designed in such a way that the measuring instrument can be arranged on a movement axis of a machine. When the ultrasonic measuring unit is arranged on the measuring instrument, an ultrasonic measurement can be carried out by means of the ultrasonic measuring unit. The ultrasonic measuring unit comprises a tubular sleeve and an elastic carrier element. The tubular sleeve surrounds the elastic carrier element. The elastic carrier element consists of a material that conducts ultrasonic waves. At a first end of the tubular sleeve, the elastic carrier element protrudes beyond an outer edge of the tubular sleeve. The tubular sleeve and the elastic carrier element are intended to contact, in particular directly, the surface to be measured, during a probing process of the measuring instrument.

Measuring devices having an ultrasonic measuring head are known.
A known measuring device comprises a robotic arm on which an ultrasonic measuring head is mounted. The ultrasonic measuring head can be moved to defined positions by means of the robotic arm in order to carry out a measurement by means of the ultrasonic measuring head at the defined position.
A disadvantage of the known measuring device is that a position to be measured initially needs to be defined. That is to say, that the workpiece to be measured initially has to be surveyed with a further measuring mechanism so that the robotic arm can move the ultrasonic measuring head to the position to be surveyed, in such a way that an ultrasonic measurement can be carried out. Measurements with the measuring device are, therefore, on the one hand relatively time-intensive, and on the other hand also relatively unreliable and cost-intensive since the ultrasonic measuring head is possibly moved too far away from or too close to the surface to be measured.

Karl Deutsch Prüf—und Messgerätebau GmbH + Co KG


A carbonate spring bath system includes a supplying device of a CO.sub.2 gas, a dissolving device of the CO.sub.2 gas into a bath water, and a bathtub. The supplying device of the CO.sub.2 gas comprises a combustor for obtaining a combustion gas including the CO.sub.2 gas, a CO.sub.2 adsorption tower connected to the combustor through a gas feed line and connected to the dissolving device through a supply line, a cooler for cooling the combustion gas prior to being fed to the CO.sub.2 adsorption tower and a heater for heating an adsorbent filled in the CO.sub.2 adsorption tower for desorbing the CO.sub.2 gas therefrom. The adsorbent capable of adsorbing the CO.sub.2 gas from the combustion gas at a relatively low adsorption temperature and of desorbing the CO.sub.2 gas therefrom at a relatively high desorption temperature. As the CO.sub.2 gas in the combustion gas is adsorbed in the CO.sub.2 adsorption tower in accordance with a thermal swing adsorption method, the CO.sub.2 adsorption tower heated at the desorption temperature for desorbing the CO.sub.2 gas therefrom must be cooled prior to adsorbing the CO.sub.2 gas therein again. The supplying device is controlled so as to form a closed loop which is defined by a portion of the gas feed line and a cooling line extending from the CO.sub.2 adsorption tower and terminating in the gas feed line upstream of the CO.sub.2 adsorption tower. The adsorbent is cooled by a residual gas circulating in the closed loop. The residual gas is cooled by the cooler.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a device of supplying a concentrated CO.sub.2 gas in a carbonate spring bath system which is capable of cooling, at an improved cooling rate, a CO.sub.2 gas adsorption tower for supplying the concentrated CO.sub.2 gas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When a bath water including a CO.sub.2 gas is used in a bath, it is known that blood circulation in human a body is improved by taking the bath and fatigue is relieved. Japanese Patent Early Publication [KOKAI] No. 3-131259 describes a carbonate spring bath system, as illustrated below. Such bath system includes a combustor for supplying a combustion gas carrying the CO.sub.2 gas, a CO.sub.2 gas adsorption tower and a vacuum pump for desorbing a concentrated CO.sub.2 gas from the adsorption tower and sending it to a bathtub. Stream included in the combustion gas is removed by a dehumidifier prior to sending the combustion gas to the CO.sub.2 adsorption tower. However, as a desorption amount of the CO.sub.2 gas is controlled by the vacuum pump, it is difficult to stably supply the concentrated CO.sub.2 gas to the bathtub. On the other hand, the Japanese Patent Early Publication [KOKAI] NO. 3-131259 also describes another carbonate spring bath system, as illustrated below. That is, such bath system includes the combustor, a pair of steam adsorption towers for adsorbing the steam from the combustion gas and a separation film for separating the CO.sub.2 gas from the combustion gas. The steam adsorption towers are arranged between the combustor and the separation film. As the steam adsorption towers is used alternately to adsorb the steam, the bath system is effectively operated. However, because the CO.sub.2 gas is not stored in the separation film, it is difficult to increase a concentration of the CO.sub.2 gas. Moreover, as a plurality of air pumps and the adsorption tower are used in the bath system, the bath system becomes an expensive system having a complex structure.

Device of supplying a concentrated CO.sub.2 gas in a carbonate spring bath system


An exhaust gas purification catalytic material for purifying exhaust gas from an engine includes ZrLaY composite oxide containing ZrO2 as a main component, 2% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less of La2O3, and 2% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less of Y2O3, and Rh is loaded on the composite oxide.

In vehicles such as automobiles, an exhaust system of an engine employs an exhaust gas purification catalyst in order to purify exhaust gas containing air contaminants such as hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxide (NOx). The exhaust gas purification catalyst is used to oxidize HC and CO for purification and reduce NOx for purification.
Such an exhaust gas purification catalyst is typically an exhaust gas purification catalytic material in which a catalytic metal such as Pd or Rh is loaded on the surface of a catalyst substrate of, for example, alumina with a high specific surface area or a CeZr-based composite oxide (complex oxide) having an oxygen storage/release capacity in a highly dispersed state. This exhaust gas purification catalyst is used for purifying exhaust gas.
Patent Document 1, for example, shows an exhaust gas purification catalyst including an Rh-containing upper catalyst layer and a Pd-containing lower catalyst layer on a catalyst substrate. In this exhaust gas purification catalyst, the upper catalyst layer includes CeZrNdM composite oxide particles containing Ce, Zr, Nd, and an alkali earth metal M and ZrLa-alumina particles in which ZrLa composite oxide containing Zr and La is loaded on the surface of alumina particles, and Rh is dispersed and loaded on the CeZrNdM composite oxide particles and the ZrLa-alumina particles.


A two-component adhesive system pumps a first adhesive component and a second adhesive component into a replaceable mixing unit that can be periodically replaced when the adhesive has cured in the mixing unit. The adhesive system may have a robotic arm coupled to a gripper unit which has an open configuration and a closed configuration. In the open configuration, the gripper unit releases the mixing unit allowing the mixing unit to be replaced. The robotic arm may moves the gripper unit to install a replacement mixing unit. The gripper unit can be moved to the closed configuration and the adhesive can be pumped through the mixing unit.

Two-component adhesives are an example of a two-component preparation and are also known as reactive adhesives or structural adhesives. They are characterized by the fact that they cure not because a substance such as a solvent, for example water, evaporates, but because of a chemical reaction between two-components of the adhesive. It is important for the two required components to be dosed in the correct mixing ratio and for them to be evenly mixed to create a homogeneous mixture. Two-component adhesives are preferably solvent-free.
FIG. 1 illustrates a two-component adhesive cartridge dispenser 171 and mixing nozzle 107. The adhesive dispenser 171 includes two cylinders 155, 157 and two pistons 159, 161 coupled to a plunger 169. A first adhesive component is stored in the first cylinder 155 and a second adhesive component is stored in the second cylinder 157. The inlet 165 of the mixing nozzle 107 is screwed onto an outlet 143 of the adhesive dispenser 171. When the plunger 171 is pressed into the cylinders 155, 157, the pistons 159, 161 compress the two adhesive components driving them through the outlet 143 and into the mixing nozzle 107. The mixing nozzle 107 has internal mixing features which can mix the two adhesive components together before the mixed adhesive exits the mixing nozzle 107. The mixing of the two adhesive components will result in a chemical reaction and the mixture will begin to harden. Once the adhesive hardens within the mixing nozzle 107 it is necessary to replace the mixing nozzle 107. Thus, the mixing nozzle 107 is a single use device that is no longer functioning or usable once the adhesive cures.
In industrial or commercial two-component adhesive dispenser systems, larger volumes of adhesive components can be used for assembly line applications. However, a problem with these known systems is that the mixing nozzle must be replaced each time the glue hardens within the mixing nozzle. In automated manufacturing systems, a robot determines that the mixing nozzle must be replaced. A mixing nozzle replacement notification is sent to the operator who then has to walk to the robot. The operator must then manually detach the used static mixing nozzle from an adhesive application head and throw the used static mixing nozzle into a waste container. The operator must then manually clean the adhesive mixing area on the adhesive application head. Once cleaned, the operator must remove the new static mixing nozzle from its packaging and install the new static mixing nozzle on the adhesive application head of the adhesive dispenser. The operator then sends a signal to the adhesive dispenser to resume operation so that the production line processing can continue.
On average, the time between mixing nozzle replacements can vary from about 10 to 20 minutes. The replacement of the mixing nozzle can require worker time to perform, which can interrupt or postpone the industrial production. When the mixing nozzle is removed, the glue components may also leak from the system when the mixing nozzle is removed from the system. What is needed is an improved system for replacing the mixing nozzle in order to minimize the down time of a gluing system used in a production process.

Two-component adhesive dispenser with mixing unit replacement system


Systems and methods for centralized configuration and monitoring of a distributed computing cluster are disclosed. One embodiment of the disclose technology enables deployment and central operation a complete Hadoop stack. The application automates the installation process and reduces deployment time from weeks to minutes. One embodiment further provides a cluster-wide, real time view of the services running and the status of the host machines in a cluster via a single, central place to enact configuration changes across the computing cluster which further incorporates reporting and diagnostic tools to optimize cluster performance and utilization.

As powerful and useful as Apache Hadoop is, anyone who has setup up a cluster from scratch is well aware of how challenging it can be: every machine has to have the right packages installed and correctly configured so that they can all work together, and if something goes wrong in that process, it can be even harder to nail down the problem. This is and has been be a serious barrier to adoption of Hadoop as deployment and ongoing administration of a Hadoop stack can be difficult and time consuming.
In addition, deciding which components and versions to deploy based on use cases; assigning roles for nodes; effectively configuring, starting and managing services across the cluster; and performing diagnostics to optimize cluster performance requires significant expertise in modifying service installations and continuously ensuring that all the machines in a cluster are correctly and consistently configured

Centralized configuration and monitoring of a distributed computing cluster


A system for distributing network traffic to multiple traffic management devices. A distributor receives each packet from a network and may act as a layer 2 switch, a router, or distribute the packet to one of a group of traffic management devices. The distributor may receive packets from servers that the traffic management devices are managing communications to. When distributing packets to traffic management devices, information such as source and destination addresses may be used to determine which traffic management device each packet should be sent to. The distributor causes packets that are part of a flow to be delivered to the same traffic management device. Many configurations are possible for connecting the distributor to the traffic management devices, including connecting each traffic management device to a physical or virtual port on the distributor, connecting the traffic management devices to the distributor using a virtual local area network, and connecting the traffic management devices to a layer 2 switch.

The Internet's core bandwidth continues to double every year. Some of this additional bandwidth is consumed as more and more users access the Internet. Other additional bandwidth is consumed as existing users increase their use of the Internet. This increase of Internet use translates into an increase in traffic directed to and from World Wide Web (WWW) servers and other Internet servers.
Replacing a WWW server with a WWW server of twice the capacity is a costly undertaking. Adding additional WWW servers is less costly but generally requires a load-balancing mechanism to balance workload so that each virtual server performs work proportional to its capacity and the number of servers available to the traffic management device that is performing the load balancing.
Traffic across the Internet typically comes in the form of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) packets. TCP/IP has many layers for addressing packets. Managing TCP/IP packet traffic using lower layers typically requires less processing than managing packets using higher layers. As a result, lower layer traffic management may often be done in hardware with its attendant speed. Unfortunately, managing packet traffic based on lower layer information is typically not flexible enough for many applications using the Internet. For example, when a user is shopping for items on a WWW server and filling a "shopping cart," a traffic management device that sends one of packets from the user to one WWW server and another packet from the user to another WWW server may cause shopping cart information to be lost. As a result, a traffic management device may be required to store state information about connections and look at higher TCP/IP layers to maintain connections between servers and users.
This requirement for more sophisticated traffic management requires more processing. With a sufficient rate of requests, eventually a traffic management device may not be able to process traffic in a timely manner.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for scaling network traffic managers


Collating apparatus for stacking generally flat articles comprises a chute on opposite sides of which are two pairs of conveyor bands carrying supports for the articles. The conveyor bands are driven as two diagonally opposite pairs so that the stack builds on the supports of one pair of bands while a preceding stack built on the supports of the other pair of bands is discharged from the chute. The supports carried by the bands also comprise members which act on the completed stack to compress it before it is discharged.

The present invention relates to collating apparatus for forming a stack or row of similar articles, especially articles having a generally flat configuration.
Continuous processes producing a series of individual articles at a high rate usually require means for collating the articles at the end of the production line in an orderly manner prior to packaging them for distribution. EP-A-0059840 and DE-A-3708604 for example, disclose collators which collect flat packets of uniform size in stacks having a specified number of packets.
Thus, in DE-A-3708604 a collator has a chute provided with cantilevered platforms which travel downwards past the end of the horizontal conveyor belt from which the articles tip onto the platforms. The rate of delivery of the products is synchronised with the speed of descent of the platforms. A horizontal pusher below the conveyor belt has its movement coordinated with the movement of the platforms to clear the stack which has been completed on each platform as its descends to the level of the pusher. Such an arrangement is limited in its rate of operation, especially in handling flat products, e.g. because the rate of delivery of the product must not exceed the capacity of the pusher to move the stacks stably without obstructing the regular delivery of further articles to the collator.
In DE-A-3736868 the stack of articles is built on a chute, similarly provided with cantilevered support platforms. In one arrangement the stack is built on such platforms which are mounted on circulatory bands that progressively lower the platforms to maintain the top of the building stack at a constant height, and a corresponding second set of platforms on circulating bands is disposed below the first. As it is completed the stack of articles is dropped from the first set of platforms to the second set and the second set then lower the stack to a position in which an extractor device can be inserted into the chute to expel the stack. The second set of platforms acts as a buffer to hold the completed stack while the next stack begins to build.
This arrangement is also limited in its speed of operation and has a number of other significant disadvantages. The transfer of the completed stack and the return of the first set of platforms to a stack-building position takes a certain amount of time and this must not exceed the rate of delivery of the articles. Furthermore, this time period will increase with the height of the stack. The stack must then fall under gravity onto the second set of supports without disruption and this can pose an even more severe limitation on the height of the stack.
In all these chute-like arrangements for forming a stack there is also the problem that the articles will often be easily deformable and if packed as a free-standing stack they will move in the container, becoming disordered and even being damaged. It is therefore desirable to pack the stacks in a slightly compressed state, but an additional operation is needed for this, after the stack has left the collating apparatus.

Thomas J. Lipton Co., Division of Conopco, Inc.


A system for detecting wood-destroying insects by sensing acoustic emissions generated by the insects as they feed. The system comprises two acoustic emission sensors, an amplification section, a signal processing section and an indicator section. The system comes into mechanical contact with the wood to be inspected through the use of a bolt which is inserted into the wood and attaches to an acoustic emission sensor or through the use of an adhesive layer which directly attaches an acoustic emission sensor to the wood. The acoustic emission sensors are electrically connected to the amplification section which is electrically connected to the signal processing section. The signal processing section is capable of distinguishing between insect-caused acoustic emissions and noise-caused acoustic emissions detected by the acoustic emission sensors. The results of the signal processing section are sent to the indicator section.

The present invention relates to a system for detecting wood-destroying insects in wood and, in particular, to a system that senses the acoustic emissions generated by wood-destroying insects to detect and indicate their presence.
When any of several wood-destroying insects, such as termites, carpenter ants or powder-post beatles, enter a structure constructed partly or wholly of wood, they can cause considerable damage. Preventative measures such as impregnating structural wood with a poison and the application of pesticides to the foundation of a structure have been questioned, and some have even been discontinued, due to environmental concerns. For this reason, the detection and elimination of wood-destroying insects has been a focus of attention in an effort to reduce the damage caused by the insects. The early detection of infestations has become increasingly important as many environmentally safe eradication methods depend upon early detection of an infestation.
The most common method of detecting infestations of wood-destroying insects is visual inspection by a trained professional. Human inspectors must be highly trained and a visual inspection usually reveals an infestation only in its latter stages. In addition, periodic inspections are needed and each inspection is limited to the areas that the inspector can reach or see.
Visual inspection may be supplemented through the use of trained dogs, which detect insects through a combination of smell and sound, sensitive microphones to listen for insect activity, and special purpose gas chromatographs to detect gases given off by insects. However, each of these methods has the drawback of a high cost and an inability to reliably detect a wood-destroying insect infestation.

System for detecting wood-destroying insect infestations in wood


The present technology relates to a pad for forming a seal forming structure against a user's skin for use with a patient interface, the pad comprising, a base layer, a fibre layer comprising a plurality of fibers for contacting a patient's skin, and a connection layer for connecting the fibers to the base material, wherein the base layer and/or the fibre layer is/are adapted to act as a reservoir for substances. Furthermore, it relates to a set of pads, a kit and a patient interface.

1.1 Field of the Technology
The present technology relates to one or more of the detection, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and amelioration of respiratory-related disorders. The present technology also relates to medical devices or apparatus, and their use. In particular, the present technology relates to parts of a patient interface and an interface including such parts or components being for sealed delivery of a flow of air at a continuously positive pressure with respect to ambient air pressure to an entrance to the patient's airways including at least entrance of a patient's nares. The component and the patient interface are particularly configured to maintain a therapy pressure in a range of about 4 cmH2O to about 30 cmH2O above ambient air pressure in use, throughout the patient's respiratory cycle, while the patient is sleeping, to ameliorate sleep disordered breathing. Particular fields of the present technology, as further discussed below, relate to non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPY) therapy such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy.
1.1.1 Human Respiratory System and its Disorders
The respiratory system of the body facilitates gas exchange. The nose and mouth form the entrance to the airways of a patient.
The airways include a series of branching tubes, which become narrower, shorter and more numerous as they penetrate deeper into the lung. The prime function of the lung is gas exchange, allowing oxygen to move from the air into the venous blood and carbon dioxide to move out. The trachea divides into right and left main bronchi, which further divide eventually into terminal bronchioles. The bronchi make up the conducting airways, and do not take part in gas exchange. Further divisions of the airways lead to the respiratory bronchioles, and eventually to the alveoli. The alveolated region of the lung is where the gas exchange takes place, and is referred to as the respiratory zone. See "Respiratory Physiology", by John B. West, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 9th edition published 2011.
A range of respiratory disorders exist. Certain disorders may be characterised by particular events, e.g. apneas, hypopneas, and hyperpneas.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a form of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB), is characterized by events including occlusion or obstruction of the upper air passage during sleep. It results from a combination of an abnormally small upper airway and the normal loss of muscle tone in the region of the tongue, soft palate and posterior oropharyngeal wall during sleep. The condition causes the affected patient to stop breathing for periods typically of 30 to 120 seconds in duration, sometimes 200 to 300 times per night. It often causes excessive daytime somnolence, and it may cause cardiovascular disease and brain damage. The syndrome is a common disorder, particularly in middle aged overweight males, although a person affected may have no awareness of the problem. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,310 (Sullivan).
Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR) is another form of sleep disordered breathing. CSR is a disorder of a patient's respiratory controller in which there are rhythmic alternating periods of waxing and waning ventilation known as CSR cycles. CSR is characterised by repetitive de-oxygenation and re-oxygenation of the arterial blood. It is possible that CSR is harmful because of the repetitive hypoxia. In some patients CSR is associated with repetitive arousal from sleep, which causes severe sleep disruption, increased sympathetic activity, and increased afterload. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,959 (Berthon-Jones).
Obesity Hyperventilation Syndrome (OHS) is defined as the combination of severe obesity and awake chronic hypercapnia, in the absence of other known causes for hypoventilation. Symptoms include dyspnea, morning headache and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) encompasses any of a group of lower airway diseases that have certain characteristics in common. These include increased resistance to air movement, extended expiratory phase of respiration, and loss of the normal elasticity of the lung. Examples of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD is caused by chronic tobacco smoking (primary risk factor), occupational exposures, air pollution and genetic factors. Symptoms include: dyspnea on exertion, chronic cough and sputum production.
Neuromuscular Disease (NMD) is a broad term that encompasses many diseases and ailments that impair the functioning of the muscles either directly via intrinsic muscle pathology, or indirectly via nerve pathology. Some NMD patients are characterised by progressive muscular impairment leading to loss of ambulation, being wheelchair-bound, swallowing difficulties, respiratory muscle weakness and, eventually, death from respiratory failure. Neuromuscular disorders can be divided into rapidly progressive and slowly progressive: (i) Rapidly progressive disorders: Characterised by muscle impairment that worsens over months and results in death within a few years (e.g. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in teenagers); (ii) Variable or slowly progressive disorders: Characterised by muscle impairment that worsens over years and only mildly reduces life expectancy (e.g. Limb girdle, Facioscapulohumeral and Myotonic muscular dystrophy). Symptoms of respiratory failure in NMD include: increasing generalised weakness, dysphagia, dyspnea on exertion and at rest, fatigue, sleepiness, morning headache, and difficulties with concentration and mood changes.
Chest wall disorders are a group of thoracic deformities that result in inefficient coupling between the respiratory muscles and the thoracic cage. The disorders are usually characterised by a restrictive defect and share the potential of long term hypercapnic respiratory failure. Scoliosis and/or kyphoscoliosis may cause severe respiratory failure. Symptoms of respiratory failure include: dyspnea on exertion, peripheral oedema, orthopnea, repeated chest infections, morning headaches, fatigue, poor sleep quality and loss of appetite.
A range of therapies have been used to treat or ameliorate such conditions. Furthermore, otherwise healthy individuals may take advantage of such therapies to prevent respiratory disorders from arising. However, these have a number of shortcomings.
1.1.2 Therapy
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy has been used to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The hypothesis is that continuous positive airway pressure acts as a pneumatic splint and may prevent upper airway occlusion by pushing the soft palate and tongue forward and away from the posterior oropharyngeal wall. Treatment of OSA by CPAP therapy may be voluntary, and hence patients may elect not to comply with therapy if they find devices used to provide such therapy one or more of: uncomfortable, difficult to use, expensive and aesthetically unappealing.
Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) provides ventilatory support to a patient through the upper airways to assist the patient in taking a full breath and/or maintain adequate oxygen levels in the body by doing some or all of the work of breathing. The ventilatory support is provided via a patient interface. NIV has been used to treat CSR, OHS, COPD, MD and Chest Wall disorders. In some forms, the comfort and effectiveness of these therapies may be improved.
188.8.131.52 Patient Interface
A patient interface may be used to interface respiratory equipment to its wearer, for example by providing a flow of air to an entrance to the airways. The flow of air may be provided via a mask to the nose and/or mouth, a tube to the mouth or a tracheostomy tube to the trachea of a patient. Depending upon the therapy to be applied, the patient interface may form a seal, e.g., with a region of the patient's face, to facilitate the delivery of gas at a pressure at sufficient variance with ambient pressure to effect therapy, e.g., at a positive pressure of about 10 cmH2O relative to ambient pressure. For other forms of therapy, such as the delivery of oxygen, the patient interface may not include a seal sufficient to facilitate delivery to the airways of a supply of gas at a positive pressure of about 10 cmH2O.
The design of a patient interface presents a number of challenges. The face has a complex three-dimensional shape. The size and shape of noses varies considerably between individuals. Since the head includes bone, cartilage and soft tissue, different regions of the face respond differently to mechanical forces. The jaw or mandible may move relative to other bones of the skull. The whole head may move during the course of a period of respiratory therapy.
As a consequence of these challenges, some masks suffer from being one or more of obtrusive, aesthetically undesirable, costly, poorly fitting, difficult to use, and uncomfortable especially when worn for long periods of time or when a patient is unfamiliar with a system. For example, masks designed solely for aviators, masks designed as part of personal protection equipment (e.g. filter masks), SCUBA masks, or for the administration of anaesthetics may be tolerable for their original application, but nevertheless such masks may be undesirably uncomfortable to be worn for extended periods of time, e.g., several hours. This discomfort may lead to a reduction in patient compliance with therapy. This is even more so if the mask is to be worn during sleep.
CPAP therapy is highly effective to treat certain respiratory disorders, provided patients comply with therapy. If a mask is uncomfortable, or difficult to use a patient may not comply with therapy. Since it is often recommended that a patient regularly wash their mask, if a mask is difficult to clean (e.g., difficult to assemble or disassemble), patients may not clean their mask and this may impact on patient compliance.
While a mask for other applications (e.g. aviators) may not be suitable for use in treating sleep disordered breathing, a mask designed for use in treating sleep disordered breathing may be suitable for other applications.
For these reasons, patient interfaces for delivery of CPAP during sleep form a distinct field.
126.96.36.199.1 Seal-Forming Portion
Patient interfaces may include a seal-forming portion. Since it is in direct contact with the patient's face, the shape and configuration of the seal-forming portion can have a direct impact the effectiveness and comfort of the patient interface.
A patient interface may be partly characterised according to the design intent of where the seal-forming portion is to engage with the face in use. In one form of patient interface, a seal-forming portion may comprise two sub-portions to engage with respective left and right nares. In one form of patient interface, a seal-forming portion may comprise a single element that surrounds both nares in use. Such single element may be designed to for example overlay an upper lip region and a nasal bridge region of a face. In one form of patient interface a seal-forming portion may comprise an element that surrounds a mouth region in use, e.g. by forming a seal on a lower lip region of a face. In one form of patient interface, a seal-forming portion may comprise a single element that surrounds both nares and a mouth region in use. These different types of patient interfaces may be known by a variety of names by their manufacturer including nasal masks, full-face masks, nasal pillows, nasal puffs and oro-nasal masks.
A seal-forming portion that may be effective in one region of a patient's face may be inappropriate in another region, e.g. because of the different shape, structure, variability and sensitivity regions of the patient's face. For example, a seal on swimming goggles that overlays a patient's forehead may not be appropriate to use on a patient's nose.
Certain seal-forming portions may be designed for mass manufacture such that one design fit and be comfortable and effective for a wide range of different face shapes and sizes. To the extent to which there is a mismatch between the shape of the patient's face, and the seal-forming portion of the mass-manufactured patient interface, one or both must adapt in order for a seal to form.
One type of seal-forming portion extends around the periphery of the patient interface, and is intended to seal against the patient's face when force is applied to the patient interface with the seal-forming portion in confronting engagement with the patient's face. The seal-forming portion may include an air or fluid filled cushion, or a moulded or formed surface of a resilient seal element made of an elastomer such as a rubber. With this type of seal-forming portion, if the fit is not adequate, there will be gaps between the seal-forming portion and the face, and additional force will be required to force the patient interface against the face in order to achieve a seal.
Another type of seal-forming portion incorporates a flap seal of thin material positioned about the periphery of the mask so as to provide a self-sealing action against the face of the patient when positive pressure is applied within the mask. Like the previous style of seal forming portion, if the match between the face and the mask is not good, additional force may be required to achieve a seal, or the mask may leak. Furthermore, if the shape of the seal-forming portion does not match that of the patient, it may crease or buckle in use, giving rise to leaks.
Another type of seal-forming portion may comprise a friction-fit element, e.g. for insertion into a naris, however some patients find these uncomfortable.
Another form of seal-forming portion may use adhesive to achieve a seal. Some patients may find it inconvenient to constantly apply and remove an adhesive to their face.
A range of patient interface seal-forming portion technologies are disclosed in the following patent applications, assigned to ResMed Limited: WO 1998/004,310; WO 2006/074,513; WO 2010/135,785.
One form of nasal pillow is found in the Adam Circuit manufactured by Puritan Bennett. Another nasal pillow, or nasal puff is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,832 (Trimble et al.), assigned to Puritan-Bennett Corporation.
ResMed Limited has manufactured the following products that incorporate nasal pillows: SWIFT™ nasal pillows mask, SWIFT™ II nasal pillows mask, SWIFT™ LT nasal pillows mask, SWIFT™ FX nasal pillows mask and MIRAGE LIBERTY™ full-face mask. The following patent applications, assigned to ResMed Limited, describe examples of nasal pillows masks: International Patent Application WO2004/073,778 (describing amongst other things aspects of the ResMed Limited SWIFT™ nasal pillows), US Patent Application 2009/0044808 (describing amongst other things aspects of the ResMed Limited SWIFT™ LT nasal pillows); International Patent Applications WO 2005/063,328 and WO 2006/130,903 (describing amongst other things aspects of the ResMed Limited MIRAGE LIBERTY™ full-face mask); International Patent Application WO 2009/052,560 (describing amongst other things aspects of the ResMed Limited SWIFT™ FX nasal pillows).
18.104.22.168.2 Positioning and Stabilising
A seal-forming portion of a patient interface used for positive air pressure therapy is subject to the corresponding force of the air pressure to disrupt a seal. Thus a variety of techniques have been used to position the seal-forming portion, and to maintain it in sealing relation with the appropriate portion of the face.
One technique is the use of adhesives. See for example US Patent Application Publication No. US 2010/0000534. However, the use of adhesives may be uncomfortable for some.
Another technique is the use of one or more straps and/or stabilising harnesses. Many such harnesses suffer from being one or more of ill-fitting, bulky, uncomfortable and awkward to use.
EP 2691058 EP relates to a Mask cushion for a breathing mask adapted to be used in treatment of sleep disordered breathing, the mask cushion being for contacting the skin of a patient during use, wherein said mask cushion is made of silicone and is adapted to exude a silicone oil contained in the silicone mask cushion release the substances to the patient's skin during use.


Third-party apps on a mobile device can expose their content, such as audio content, video content, music stations, audio books, and so forth, to an in-vehicle computing device via a standardized format for content items that is decoupled from the user interfaces of the third-party apps. In this way, the in-vehicle computing device can display the content items in an in-vehicle user interface without granting providers of the content items access to the in-vehicle user interface. This system can present the content items in a different, independent user interface, even though the content items are associated with a third-party app having its own user interface. Content items encapsulate metadata describing the media, such as a title, subtitle, artwork, playback progress, a content item type, whether the content item is playable, whether the content item is a container item, and so forth.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to dynamic user interfaces and more specifically to adapting a user interface for a specific environment using content items provided by a back-end independent of formatting of the content items or a structure of the back-end.
2. Introduction
With the proliferation of personal computing devices and the advancement of their capabilities, many users expect similar functionality in different environments, such as an electronic car control system. Many of these systems are difficult to navigate or extremely limited in their capabilities. Existing approaches to car interfaces fail to expose content in an appealing or safe way, or fail to expose or provide adequate access to resources users desire. Further, users desire access to many different types and sources of content, which are often stored in multiple different file types, formats, or are accessible via different application programming interfaces (APIs).
For example, a user of a smartphone may wish to access different types of content available through the smartphone, but while driving. The user interface of the phone, as well as the user interface of the various mobile apps on the phone which provide access to the different content vary widely. Different sources and types of content items can also vary widely. The array of different types of content sources and user interfaces are all distractions from operating a vehicle, but can also be confusing to many users even outside of the scenario of driving.

Generating a dynamic user interface representing an arbitrary content provider back-end