A method for determining the quality of the formation of a reel or roll of a paper or board web and controlling the reel or roll formation or subsequent processing of the reel or roll based on the determined quality of the formation of the reel or roll. An oscillation signal produced by impulses formed in a web reel or roll during reeling or winding and arising from relative movements of web layers and/or from damaging of the web is measured and optionally stored. The measured signal is stored in electrical form as a function of time, reel/roll diameter, or the length of the web. The stored values are used in the control of the formation of reel or roll or in subsequent unwinding, reeling or winding of the reel or roll.

In reeling or winding of paper or other, equivalent web-like material, in the forming of machine reels, a so-called Pope-type reel-up is commonly employed. In a Pope-type reel-up, the paper reel is formed by loading the reel against a Pope drum.
On the other hand, in slitter-winders, in which customer rolls are formed, winders of the drum winder type are commonly used. In a drum winder, there are two winding drums, on whose support the paper roll is formed. The paper roll that is being formed is loaded by means of rider rolls which are brought into contact with the top face of the paper roll. From the drum winder, a winder with a set of belt rolls has been developed further, in which one of the winding drums has been substituted for by two smaller rolls which are surrounded by an endless carrier belt that supports the paper roll. In slitter winders, a center-drive winder is also employed, in which the roll is formed on support of one winding drum so that the roll is constantly supported from its center by means of an adjustable hydraulic support.
When a paper web or equivalent is reeled or wound, it is the primary objective that the web that is formed should be reeled or wound onto the reel or roll as evenly as possible in order that the reel or roll should have a uniform quality in view of enabling and improving further processing. In order that this objective could be achieved, a number of different methods and apparatus have been suggested for controlling the reeling or winding process. In practice, the reeling or winding process can, however, not be controlled completely and in reeling or winding, defects unavoidably arise in some reels or rolls. Since such defects cause problems in the subsequent processing of the reeled or wound material, it would be advantageous if the defective reel or roll, the location of the defect in the reel or roll, and the nature of the defect could be identified right in the stage of reeling or winding.
Predicting a deficiency in the structure arising from reeling or winding and the presence of damage arising from this deficiency in the web is, however, not reliably possible today. For this reason, if it is suspected that, for example, in a line of paper manufacture, in a machine reel, there is bottom damage or other damage, in the unwinding taking place in the next process stage, a sufficiently large bottom portion is allowed to remain so as to be on the safe side. Since bottom damage that results in web breaks generally does not occur systematically in every machine reel, as a result of such a procedure, unnecessary broke, and thus also unnecessary economic losses, arise. Similarly, web damage in customer rolls causes web breaks in the printing machine, which is an undesirable situation from the point of view of the printing operator, because it lowers the efficiency of the printing machine.
Methods of NDT (Non-destructive testing) of machine reels and rolls in general have not been developed very actively, in spite of the necessity of availability of such methods. Research has been carried out, among other things, into tomography and into thermographic analysis. Experiments have provided promising results, but the methods still require a large amount of further development before they are able to be utilized for predicting structural defects in a reel or roll. In particular, for analysis of a machine reel, there are not sufficiently large tomographic apparatus, and the cost would probably constitute an obstacle for development of such apparatus. Thermography is restrictive in the sense that the examination is carried out by depicting the surface or the end of the reel or roll. In such a case, the results are based on observation of the difference in temperature arising from movements between layers of paper and produced by friction heat, which does not state very precisely where and what sorts of reeling or winding defects have arisen. Further, the stability of the emission coefficient of the paper, for example, in situations of pressing, is not known.
With respect to thermographic analysis, reference is made to International Publication No. WO 95/27676, in which a method is described by whose means the higher temperature of a defective point in a reel or roll is measured by means of a thermograph. Thus, thermal radiation is measured here. Thermal radiation, i.e., infrared radiation, is electromagnetic radiation, which is transmitted by every object whose temperature is above the absolute zero point. Thermal rays move at the speed of light. The intensity of the radiation depends on the temperature of the object and on the wave length of the radiation. With the exception of a fully black object, every object also reflects and absorbs radiation coming from other sources. Defects in a reeling or winding process are converted to heat, for example, by the effect of friction, which slows down, equalizes and weakens the interdependence between the impulse and the signal and thus, makes the method deficient.
When a customer roll or a machine reel becomes larger, in the reeling or winding situation various bangs and creaks are often heard, which arise from relative movements of layers of paper in the roll or reel. These sounds are also observed in situations of braking and acceleration of a roll or reel. The human ear cannot detect from where the sounds arise and what is more precisely taking place in the interior of the roll or reel. Sounds arising from life in the reel are indicative of changes taking place in the structure of the machine reel. Sounds in a certain frequency range indicate the formation of a detrimental reeling or winding defect.

Method for determining the quality of reeling or winding and for controlling the reeling or winding


A strength training apparatus that includes a base frame configured to rest on a surface, first and second main support arms each extending from the base frame, and a user's platform armrest configured to be releasably secured to distal ends of the first and second main support arms and span therebetween. The apparatus may be used in combination with a weight bench to support a user's arms during supine triceps extensions. The user may lie on the weight bench below the user's platform armrest, hold a free weight with one or both hands, locate and maintain one or both upper arms against a first side of the user's platform armrest, and perform an exercise by repeatedly extending and bending one or both arms at the elbows while their arm(s) are against the user's platform armrest.

The present invention generally relates to exercise equipment. The invention particularly relates to an apparatus for use in weight training upper arm muscles.
There are many ways to train the upper arm muscles. For example, in order to train triceps gym lifters commonly utilize dumbbells and barbells to perform overhead seated or lying triceps extension exercises. Another form of training the triceps in gyms is the use of a pulley system attached to a weight stack to perform standing triceps cable extensions. As gym equipment have become more popular, numerous elaborate machines have been developed to train the triceps. Some of these machines are plate-selectorized utilizing a weight stack and pin to adjust the amount of resistance, while others are plate-loaded utilizing weight plates to adjust the loads. These machines include various seated versions in which a person extends (straightens) their arms against loads as well as devices that allow a person to perform a dip motion against a load.
All of the above mentioned elaborate machines designed to train the triceps are expensive and are mostly reserved for commercial gym use. Also, even in gyms that have many triceps training machines, people still perform free weight lying triceps extensions (commonly called "skull crushers") with dumbbells or barbells to supplement their arm training. Many forms of lying triceps extension exercises require the user to hold and maintain their arms in a desired/optimal position that isolates the triceps while the user is lying on their back (i.e., supine). However, what is lacking are apparatuses that are commercially available to consumers and configured to assist in establishing and maintaining the proper upper arm position while performing these exercises.
In regards to training the biceps, many elaborate plate-selectorized or plate-loaded machines are available in gyms to train the biceps. Even with these machines available, people still perform free weight biceps curls using barbells and dumbbells just as they still opt to do free weight exercises for their triceps. For biceps, two tools are available and well known to increase the efficacy of biceps free weight exercises: the Preacher Curl bench and the self-wearing "Arm Blaster" platform, which both serve to fixate the upper arm during the curling motion. There is no known comparable device or means to increase the efficacy of free weight lying triceps extension exercises. Trainers may use their hands to hold a person's arms in the proper position during lying triceps extension exercises. However, this method does not necessarily provide proper support to the upper arm, and it may hinder the ability of the trainer to provide good, finessed assistance and spotting throughout the movement. Furthermore, without a trainer present, a person is left without an option for arm support.
In view of the above, it can be appreciated that there are certain problems, shortcomings or disadvantages associated with the prior art, and that it would be desirable if an apparatus were available that was capable of supporting a user's arms in a proper position for performing free weight triceps extensions while a user lies on their back (e.g., skull crushers).


A current cell matrix type of digital-to-analog (D/A) converter to prevent deterioration of a.c. characteristics on a current path for digital-to-analog conversion includes a array of current source cells arranged in a matrix configuration. Each current source cell includes a current source transistor to generate the cell current. During the regular operation, the cell current is flowed on output lines via a first transistor connected in cascode to the current source transistor. During the calibration operation, the cell current is flowed into a current comparator via a second transistor connected in cascode to the current source transistor. This prevents parasitic capacitance from being additively caused in switches for the first transistor and in another switch for the second transistor to prevent deterioration of a.c. characteristics on the current path.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter, and more particularly to a current cell matrix type of D/A converter for calibrating the current value of a current source cell.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there is a type of digital-to-analog (D/A) converter having a plurality of current source cells arranged in a matrix to receive digital data to be converted to analog data through a row decoder and a column decoder. This type of D/A converter is able to convert the current value, differential-outputted from each current source cell, to an output voltage by output end resistors to deliver the resultant output voltage as an analog output.
The current source cells operate as current sources to generate cell currents in proportion to a preset bias voltage and to differential-output the resultant cell currents in response to the input codes derived from digital data. Each current source cell includes a transistor, operating as a current source, and two current source switches, respectively controlling the positive and negative outputs of the cell current. These switches are actuated in accordance with the input codes.
Thus, the amount of current flowing through the output end resistors of the D/A converter is varied by the current source switch of each current source cell.
The transistors for each current source cell may involve unevenness caused by variation in manufacturing process to generate the current value involving an error. Such an error of the current should be corrected. For example, Hsin-Hung Chen, et al., "A 14-b 150MS/s CMOS DAC with Digital Background Calibration" 2006 Symposium on VLSI Circuits Digest of Technical Papers, proposes a digital background self-calibration scheme of the CMOS DAC (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Digital-to-Analog Converter). In this scheme, a current source for correction, such as a dummy current source cell (CAL_DAC), is provided in a current source cell, such as a digital background calibrating current source cell, to adjust the cell current.
In this scheme, the D/A converter carries out calibration for determining the correction value of the current source for correction. During the process of the calibration, each current source cell generates current to output the resultant current via a calibration switch provided on the correction path. In the D/A converter, the current value in each current source cell is converted to a corresponding analog voltage value by a resistive current-to-voltage converter. The analog voltage value is converted to corresponding digital data by a ΔΣ modulator and a digital counter. On the basis of the result of the digital-conversion, a calibration decision circuit calculates a digital value to be delivered to the current source for correction, i.e. the correction value, and causes the calculated correction value to be stored in a memory.
A D/A converter disclosed by Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 289450/1997 operates in accordance with a segment system in which D/A converted outputs of upper bit segments equalized in current value are summed to D/A converted outputs of lower bit segments weighted in current to produce an resultant analog output. To the upper bit segments, a least one segment is added, the voltage value for switching which and the region for outputting the lower bits are controlled to correct an error in that segment.
Such conventional D/A converters use the calibration technique for ameliorating its accuracy to correct the current value of the current source cells. However, the effect brought by the connections for calibration, i.e. circuit paths for correction, is not taken into account.
For example, in the constitution for calibration as disclosed by the above Hsin-Hung Chen, et al., the CMOS DAC is provided with two switches for current source outputting and one switch for calibration for a transistor operating as a current source. However, the switches thus connected in the CMOS DAC cause the capacitance additive in a node of the switch for the current source to be increased. For example, when the switch for calibration is turned on in operation for calibration and off in regular operation, the parasitic capacitance by the switch for calibration is additively caused in the course of regular operation.
Thus, in a current source cell, when large parasitic capacitance is caused additively on the node of the switch for the current source, the effect of capacitance mismatch between the cells increases to deteriorate alternating current characteristics of the D/A converter.
If the number of switches in the current source cell is increased in order to prevent deterioration of the alternating current characteristics of the D/A converter, then the circuit is increased in size.

Digital-to-analog converter carrying out calibration operation for current source cells


A power supply maintains a rectifier circuit in a non-doubler mode configuration when the power supply is attached to a 110-120 volt AC power source, until bulk capacitors in the rectifying circuit are charged to a combined potential of (.sqroot.2)*110-120 volts. The power supply then switches to a doubler mode configuration and the capacitors charge separately to a combined potential of (.sqroot.2)*220-240 volts. The two step charging procedure reduces the inrush current, over that developed in charging the capacitors from a zero volt potential to a combined potential of (.sqroot.2)*240 volts. It thus limits the current through a switch which configures the power supply in the doubler mode. If the power supply operates only with a 110-120 volt AC power source, which is common in high power industrial applications smaller diodes may be used in the rectifier circuitry since the inrush current is reduced. In such high power industrial applications, a reduction of the inrush currents means that fuses and circuit breakers in the power supply may be selected in accordance with the current levels associated with the steady state operation of the supply, rather than the inrush current levels.

Throughout most of the world, electrical power is supplied to consumers as either 110-120 volts or 220-240 volts AC. A power supply in a consumer device rectifies the supplied AC input to produce a DC voltage, which it then uses to operate a connected device. The device may include separate power supplies, one dedicated to the 110-120 volt range and the other dedicated to the 220-240 volt range. Alternatively, to avoid manufacture of separate power supplies for each of the voltage ranges, a power supply may include a rectifying circuit which operates in one mode for a 220-240 volt AC input and in a second, or "doubler" mode, for a 110-120 volt AC input, such that it produces a predetermined DC voltage, for example, a DC voltage of (.sqroot.2)*220-240 volts, in response to either range AC input. The rectifying circuit includes a switch which, as discussed below, configures the circuit for the appropriate mode of operation.
If the AC input is 240 volts, the switch is set to configure the rectifying circuit in a non-doubler mode. In this mode, the rectifiers in the circuit are connected as a full-wave rectifying bridge and two bulk, or filter, capacitors in series across the bridge output terminals. .The bridge circuit charges the two capacitors in series during the peak portions of each half-cycle of the AC input and thus produces an output voltage which is equal to (.sqroot.2)*AC input. If the capacitors are of equal capacitance, each one charges to a potential of one-half of the output voltage.
If the input is 120 volts AC, the switch is set to configure the rectifying circuit in the doubler mode. In this mode, only part of the rectifying bridge passes current, such that the bridge charges one capacitor during each of the positive half-cycles of the AC input and the other capacitor during the negative half-cycles. Each capacitor charges to a potential equal to (.sqroot.2)*AC input, and a potential of twice that value is obtained across the two capacitors. The rectifying circuit thus produces, for an AC input of 110-120 volts, a DC output of (.sqroot.2)*220-240 volts.
As stated above, a switch typically controls the configuration of the rectifying circuit. The switch may be operated manually, and thus, set to the correct state by the manufacturer before shipment. Alternatively, the switch may be controlled automatically, such that it switches essentially instantaneously to the doubler mode configuration or the non-doubler mode configuration, as appropriate, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,538 to Lethellier.
As soon as the rectifier circuit is connected to an AC power source, i.e., plugged into a power outlet, the circuit draws a relatively large current to charge the bulk capacitors. This current, which is referred to as an "inrush" current, can be substantially larger than the current associated with steady state operation of the power supply. Accordingly, the power supply components must be capable of withstanding this large current.
A "soft start" circuit may be added between the power supply and the AC power source, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,459 to McLeod, Jr. The soft start circuit essentially operates a switch to allow increasingly larger portions of the supplied AC input to pass from the AC power source to the power supply while the capacitors are charging. This enables the capacitors to charge gradually, and they thus draw less inrush current. The soft start circuitry, which is dedicated circuitry which must be added to the power supply, increases the cost of the associated consumer device. What is needed is a mechanism to control inrush current which can be incorporated directly into the power supply circuitry, and which utilizes components already included in the power supply.


The invention generally relates to interlocking closure devices including two closure elements arranged to be interlocked over a predetermined length. The closure elements permit the venting of fluids when the closure elements are in their occluded vented position. The closure elements have an occluded closed position which creates a seal and prevents fluids from passing between the interlocking closure elements. The closure fastening device may be utilized with a flexible container and is advantageous in permitting a user to vent excess air from the interior of the flexible container prior to sealing the container.

The use of fastening devices for the closure of containers, including plastic bag bodies, is generally known. Furthermore, the manufacture of closure fastening devices made of plastic materials is generally known to those skilled in the art relating to closure fastening devices as demonstrated by the numerous patents in this area.
A particularly well-known use for closure fastening devices is in connection with a flexible container, e.g., bag bodies. The closure fastening device and the associated container may be formed from thermoplastic materials. In addition, the closure fastening device and side walls of the container can be integrally formed by extrusion as a single piece, or may be formed as separate pieces and then connected by heat sealing or other suitable means.
The flexible containers are widely used to store and preserve food. The closure fastening devices allow the food to be stored in the air-tight flexible container. Although air-tight closure devices are preferred to preserve the food, it is difficult to exhaust air from the flexible container upon closure as noted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,652. In order to vent the air from the flexible container, the user must coordinate his or her movements. First, the flexible container which is filled with food is substantially, but not completely, closed. Second, the air is exhausted by pressing on the side walls of the bag. Finally, the bag is completely closed before a substantial amount of air reenters the bag. The movements required are cumbersome and are not easily performed by those lacking a high degree of dexterity and coordination. In addition, the bag is not sufficiently vented of the air which decreases the ability of the sealed bag to maintain food freshness.
Some storage bags have utilized a valve such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,652, or a venting structure such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,554, to allow air inside the bag to escape to the exterior of the bag. However, such devices are not able to permit the user to seal the bag in order to prevent further air from exiting or entering the bag, are more complicated and are more expensive to manufacture.


Techniques for sharpening an image using local spatial adaptation and/or patch-based image processing. An image can be sharpened by creating a high-frequency image and then combining that high frequency image with the image. This process can be applied iteratively by using the output of one iteration, i.e., the sharpened image, as the input to the next iteration. Using local spatial adaptation and/or patch-based techniques can provide various advantages. How to change the intensity at a given position in the image can be calculated from more than just information about that same position in the input image and the blurred image. By using information about neighboring positions an improved high frequency image can be determined that, when combined with the input image, reduces ringing and halo artifacts, suppresses noise boosting, and/or generates results with sharper and cleaner edges and details.

Static or video images captured under low-light conditions and other circumstances are often noisy and blurry due to their camera sensor limitations and the hand-held nature of the camera. Various computer-implemented techniques are used to improve the appearance of such images. For example, algorithms used within image editing software can be used to change the color, brightness, etc. of the pixels of an image. Image editors use algorithms to add or remove noise from an image, remove unwanted elements, selectively change colors, change image orientation, distort or transform the shape of an image, correct images for lens distortions, make the image lighter or darker, change contrast, apply filters, merge images, change color depth, change contrast and brightness, etc.
Image editors can sharpen images in a number of ways. Image sharpening can involve reducing uniform blur or motion blur, increasing local contrast, and/or boosting image details. Uniform blur is typically Gaussian or lens blurs which is represented as 2D symmetric point spread functions (PSF). Motion blurs are typically caused by either camera shake and/or independent moving objects (e.g. people) which is represented by a 2D non-symmetric, sparse PSF.
One existing image sharpening technique is known as unsharp masking. The unsharp masking technique is used by many image processing software applications. Unsharp masking involves blurring an input image, computing a high-frequency image by subtracting the blurred image from the original image, and combining the high-frequency image linearly based on a weight (i.e., a sharpen strength) with the original image. These operations are performed globally on the image as a whole and generally improve contrast in the image. However, halo artifacts and ringing can occur as a result of the unsharp masking techniques. Another existing image sharpening technique is known as smart sharpen. Smart sharpen is an iterative extension of unsharp masking that involves feeding the result of each sharpen iteration to the input of the next iteration. This can make the sharpen result more accurate. However, it can exacerbate halo and ringing artifact and increase noise in the image. Unsharp masking and smart sharpen are applied globally and have no noise suppression capability. These techniques often bring up compression artifacts and noise with the sharpening results, and create halo and ringing artifacts around edges even if the input blur kernel is correct.

Patch-based, locally content-adaptive image and video sharpening


A phase change memory device comprises an insulating layer and a phase change layer formed on the insulating layer. A phase change layer has a pad portion. The pad portion is formed with at least one slit.

This invention relates to a phase change memory device and a method of manufacturing the phase change memory device.
A phase change memory device is disclosed in, for example, JP-A 2004-22653A, the document being incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
There is a need for a phase change memory device that has a phase change layer which is formed on an insulator layer and which does not easily peeled off or removed from the insulating layer during a heating process.


An optical signal processor includes a first sub-wavelength grating having a first grating period and a second sub-wavelength grating having a second grating period that is different than the first grating period of the first sub-wavelength grating.

Light can be used to obtain a read out of physical parameters. Some applications of this principle are used in resonant transmission of infra-red, terahertz (THz) radiation for communication or optical cavities or interferometers. However, present applications use metallic and dielectric gratings to leverage these optical effects.
Another option is to use gratings. Gratings are optical periodic elements with properties of dispersing and diffracting light. When the period of the grating is below the wavelength of normally incident light, diffraction orders are non-existent, but non-propagating evanescent waves exist parallel to the grating surface. However, these evanescent waves are not detectable by traditional optics because the energy decays exponentially to a negligible level within a micron from the grating surface. Thus, the use of a single grating presents challenges for using light to obtain read out of physical parameters.

Twin sub-wavelength grating optical signal processor


A method is for the polishing of semiconductor wafers, which are mounted on a front side of a support plate and one side face of which is pressed anst a polishing plate, which is covered with a polishing cloth, with a specific polishing pressure and polished. A device is provided which is suitable for carrying out the method. The method includes a) applying a specific pressure to at least one of a plurality of pressure chambers prior to the polishing of the semiconductor wafers, and b) during the polishing of the semiconductor wafers, transmitting the polishing pressure to a rear side of the support plate via elastic bearing surfaces of the pressure chambers to which pressure has been applied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for polishing semiconductor wafers, which are mounted on a front side of a support plate and one side face of which wafer is pressed, by means of a polishing head, against a polishing plate, which is covered with a polishing cloth. A specific polishing pressure is applied and the wafer is polished. The present invention also relates to a device which is suitable for carrying out the method.
2. The Prior Art
Making a semiconductor wafer planar by means of a chemical/mechanical polishing method forms an important processing step in the process sequence to produce a flat, defect-free and smooth semiconductor wafer. In many production sequences, this polishing step constitutes the last shaping step. Hence, this step decisively determines the surface properties of the wafer, prior to the further use of the semiconductor wafer as starting material for the production of electrical, electronic and microelectronic components. An objective of the polishing method includes, in particular, the achieving of a very high degree of evenness and parallelism of the two wafer sides. Other objectives include the removing of surface layers which have been damaged by pretreatments ("damage removal") and reducing the microroughness of the semiconductor wafer.
Single side and double side polishing methods are usually employed. The present invention relates to the single side polishing of a batch of a plurality of semiconductor wafers ("single side batch polishing"). In this method, one side of each semiconductor wafer is mounted on the front side of a support plate. This mounting is by producing a positive and force-fitting connection between the wafer side and the support plate, for example by means of adhesion, bonding, cementing or the application of a vacuum. Generally, the semiconductor wafers are mounted on the support plate in such a way that they form a pattern of concentric rings. Following the mounting, the free wafer sides are pressed against a polishing plate, over which a polishing cloth is stretched. Then a supply of a polishing abrasive is provided at a specific polishing pressure and the free wafer sides are polished. In the process, the support plate and the polishing plate are usually rotated at different speeds. The polishing pressure required is transmitted to the rear side of the support plate by a pressure punch, which is referred to below as a polishing head. A multiplicity of the polishing machines used are designed such that they have a plurality of polishing heads at their disposal and accordingly are able to accommodate a plurality of support plates.
A number of factors make it difficult to achieve the desired evenness and parallelism of the semiconductor wafers, hereinafter called the desired wafer geometry. The wafer geometry is unsatisfactory particularly for polished semiconductor wafers whose sides are not parallel to one another but rather assume the shape of a wedge. For example, deviations from the desired wafer geometry are already caused by slight unevenness on the rear side of the support plate. This unevenness results in an increased or reduced polishing abrasion on the semiconductor wafer lying opposite the unevenness. Even a wedge shape of a semiconductor wafer caused by the polishing is ultimately the result of a polishing pressure acting inhomogeneously on the semiconductor wafer and of a material abrasion which as a result is necessarily uneven. Therefore, the polishing pressure frequently does not act uniformly on the semiconductor wafer. This is because the support plate is deformed radially during the polishing by its own weight or has a certain production-related, radial wedge shape. With polishing heads of identical design, it is possible for there to be differences in the transmission of the polishing pressure. This has the effect that the polishing head used also makes its presence felt in the polishing result. On some occasions, incipient wear of the polishing cloth is also a cause of the wafer geometry deteriorating during the course of a plurality of polishing passes.
To ameliorate the above-mentioned problems during attempts to achieve the desired wafer geometry, it is proposed in EP-4033 A1 to insert intermediate layers comprising soft, elastic bodies between the polishing head and the rear side of the support plate. This method cannot be automated and is susceptible to errors. This is because its success is largely dependent on the experience and watchfulness of the operating staff, who have to select and insert the intermediate layers on the basis of their width. However, even if no errors are made in doing this, the wedge shape of the polished semiconductor wafers remains above a specific limit value.

Method and device for polishing semiconductor wafers

Wacker Siltronic Gesellschaft fur Halbleitermaterialien AG


A laser-induced breakdown spectroscope according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a laser head which emits a laser beam; a focusing lens which focuses the laser beam on a target specimen; a plasma reactor unit which amplifies first plasma, which is generated on the target specimen positioned at a focal point of the laser beam passing through the focusing lens, by controlling electron density and electron energy of the first plasma; a collection lens which focuses second plasma amplified by the plasma reactor unit; and a spectrophotometer which analyzes the second plasma focused by the collection lens.

General laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a type of atomic emission spectroscopy, and is similar to inductively coupled plasma (ICP).
In the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, when a high-output laser beam is focused on a target specimen, plasma, which emits bright light such as breakdown, is formed at a focal point, and a high temperature is maintained.
The target specimen is vaporized, atomized, and ionized in the plasma, and atoms and ions may be present in an excited state by absorbed energy.
When predetermined time has elapsed, the atoms and the ions in the excited state emit energy and return back to the ground state. In this case, the emitted energy shows inherent wavelengths in accordance with the type of element and the excited state.
By analyzing spectrums of the wavelengths by using a spectrophotometer (UV-vis spectroscope), it is possible to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the target specimen. Therefore, in the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, it is important to precisely measure a plasma signal generated from the target specimen. Specifically, analysis sensitivity in respect to the generated plasma signal is important.
That is, the developmental direction of the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is to increase a detection limit for each element in respect to the target specimen while minimizing damage to the target specimen by using a smaller amount of laser energy.
The plasma signal, which is generated from the target specimen as the target specimen is subjected to laser, is maintained for several microseconds (μs), and then immediately disappears. Therefore, under a condition that requires high sensitivity or a condition in which it is difficult to receive a signal, the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy may emit laser twice or several times at several nanosecond (ns) to microsecond (μs) time intervals.
Meanwhile, since the aforementioned laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy may analyze element components of a target material in real time, the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is required to be utilized in a medical field such as a disease diagnosis.
As an example, recently, auxiliary imaging devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), are utilized for a cancer diagnosis. However, the imaging devices cannot provide chemical information about tissue, and merely provide auxiliary information about shapes of tissue, and as a result, the cancer diagnosis depends on a physician's experiential judgement.
A biopsy, which is performed for two hours to several days, is required for a perfect cancer diagnosis, and even though whether the tissue excised from the body has cancer is determined, it is impossible to recognize how the cancer is spread in the tissue present in the body. Therefore, it is very difficult to calculate a range of the body tissue to be excised and removed, and a laparotomy is required for the purpose of the treatment.
Therefore, it is necessary to perform the cancer diagnosis on the body tissue in real time, and determine whether the tissue has a malignant or benign disease while rarely damaging the body tissue. That is, it is necessary to perform the cancer diagnosis without excessively excising or removing normal tissues from the body tissues.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscope and medical diagnostic device using the same

KOREA INSTITUTE OF MACHINERY & MATERIALS


A handle operated flow control valve has a body that defines first and second spaced inlet passages that extend from spaced first and second inlets and join in the vicinity of a first flow control valve for ducting pressurized flows of fluid from one or both of the inlets into an outlet passage for discharge through a nozzle. The first flow control valve has a first valve stem that moves in response to operation of a trigger handle. When the trigger handle is operated relatively gently within an initial range of movement, only the valve stem of the first flow control valve is moved out of its closed position, whereby a controlled flow of a first fluid such as pressurized water is ducted from the first inlet passage into the outlet passage for discharge. When the trigger handle is more forcefully operated so as to pass through the range of movement that is needed to establish a maximum normal rate of flow of the first fluid through the outlet passage, applying added force to the trigger handle causes the first valve stem to engage and move a second valve stem of a second valve to admit a flow of a second fluid such as pressurized air into the second inlet passage for combination with the flow of the first fluid and for discharge through the outlet passage and through the discharge nozzle. In preferred practice, a check valve is provided to prevent a pressurized flow of the first fluid from backflowing through the second valve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trigger handle operated valve for combining a flow of liquid such as pressurized water with a flow of gas such as pressurized air for discharge through a nozzle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a handle operated flow control valve unit that has aligned first and second valve stems, with the first valve stem being movable in response to handle movement within a first range of motion to establish a controlled flow of a first fluid such as pressurized water, and with the second valve stem being moved by the first valve stem in response to handle movement within a second range of motion to add a flow of a second fluid such as pressurized air to provide a desirably enhanced discharge.
2. Prior Art
Handle operated flow control valves having generally L-shaped bodies that mount spring-biased valve stems for selectively communicating inlet and outlet passages in response to movements of trigger-shaped operating handles are known. Exemplary valves of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,072,555, 2,293,390, 3,632,046, 3,711,028, 3,727,841, 3,756,273, 4,035,004 and 4,449,696 (referred to hereinafter as the "Flow Control Valve Patents"), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Handle operated flow control valves that employ body-carried wire-formed rings to embrace and releasably retain operating handles in "operated" positions are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,072,555 and 2,293,390. The use of body-carried wire-formed rings both for releasably retaining a handle in an "operated" position and for hanging the valve body from an external support is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,696.
Handle operated flow control valves that employ reversible, interiorly threaded discharge nozzles for selectively presenting concave and convex screens to cause discharging flows to diverge as a gentle spray or to converge as a forceful single stream are known. Exemplary valves of this type are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,072,555 and 3,711,028.
While the majority of the patents identified above disclose the use of generally L-shaped bodies that have plug-closed openings through which valve components such as valve stems and springs are installed during assembly of the valves, the use of such an assembly opening to provide an inlet for fluid such as pressurized air is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,004. Other uses to which such assembly openings can be put, for example to mount a pressure gauge, are depicted in Design U.S. Pat. Nos. 308,094 and 318,316, the disclosures of which also are incorporated herein by reference.
A need that is not satisfactorily addressed by the prior art is the provision of a handle operated flow control valve that provides a "single/dual" capability for being used either to provide a controlled discharge of only a single fluid such as pressurized water, or to provide a controlled combined discharge of two fluids that are introduced into the valve body through separate inlets, such as pressurized water and pressurized air. Nor does the prior art satisfactorily address the need that exists for a single/dual flow control valve that permits, by selective manipulation of a single operating handle, the selection of a controlled discharge of a single fluid such as pressurized water, or the combined discharge of a two fluids such as pressurized water and pressurized air.


At a timing after a target application is installed, in a case where a usage amount of a resource used at a predetermined timing by the target application exceeds a declaration of a maximum value of the usage amount of the resource described in an application file corresponding to the target application, a framework is instructed to stop the target application.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus that can install and execute an application, a control method, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an image forming apparatus, as typified by Multifunctional Embedded Application Platform (MEAP) (trademark of Canon Inc.), has been provided in which an application execution environment is installed, and an application can be installed and executed. Applications that can be installed into the MEAP include an authentication application for performing authentication of the image forming apparatus, in addition to normal applications.
In such an image forming apparatus, a size of a persistent storage area (non-volatile storage area such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a flash read only memory (ROM)) that can be used by the application is previously determined, and each application uses the persistent storage area within a predetermined range.
In the MEAP, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-338268, a predetermined management file in each application declares a usage amount of the persistent storage area used by each application. In addition, a mechanism is also discussed in which, the application can be installed only when a total sum of sizes declared by each application does not exceed a range of a maximum usable size predetermined by the image forming apparatus.
On the other hand, as a solution when resources are depleted, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-134871 discusses an information processing apparatus that notifies a user of resource depletion information.
However, under a specific condition, due to an operation difficulty of the application, a case may occur where the application uses the storage area more than the declared amount. For example, when an operation log of the application is accumulated and stored, recording is performed over the upper limit of the log size.
If such a situation is left unsolved, the resource of the image processing apparatus is depleted, and thus the image processing apparatus may not continue the operation normally. As another issue, if a function of performing notification after the resource has been depleted is provided, the image forming apparatus may be already in an unusable state when it is notified, and thus a user's work may be stopped for long hours.
In addition, the following issue is also conceivable. As a type of the application that can be installed into the image forming apparatus, in addition to the normal applications, an authentication application for performing user authentication for allowing a user to use the image forming apparatus is provided.
Since the authentication application is used to protect the entire image forming apparatus, the authentication application needs to be more appropriately operated compared with the normal applications. To prevent the image forming apparatus from being wrongly used, the authentication application needs to be differently operated from the normal applications.
The present invention is directed to provide an image forming apparatus that can solve at least one the issues described above.

Apparatus, control method, and storage medium to instruct a framework to stop a target application based on a usage amount of a resource and a type of the target application


A filter includes a cross-coupling link which includes a crossbar, a first vertical support attached to one end of the crossbar, a second vertical support attached to another end of the crossbar, a first coupling arm attached to the first vertical support, a second coupling arm attached to the second vertical support, a first adjustable support attached to the first coupling arm at one end and grounded at another end, and a second adjustable support attached to the second coupling arm at one end and grounded at another end.

Many modern conveniences, such as radio, television, mobile telephones, and mobile data services, depend on reliable wireless communication technology. Since multiple services must co-exist within the same environment, it is critically important that the industrial high-power radio frequency broadcasting equipment supporting these services only transmit radio frequency energy within its appropriate allocated frequency band. A failure in RF broadcasting equipment to constrain its output frequencies could disrupt other wireless services, creating a major public inconvenience and resulting in potential consequences for the equipment operator.
This issue becomes more critical as the quantity of services crowding the common airwaves increases. Furthermore, since broadcasting equipment uses large quantities of energy, some types of failures can possibly result in physical damage, fire, explosions, and injury to nearby personnel.
It is common practice in the industry to use cross-coupling resonant filters, which provide a restrictive link conveying only the desired frequency bands. Energy in other undesired frequency bands is either not passed across the link, or is absorbed by the link and converted to heat. Multiple capacitors of appropriate values limit high frequencies from passing, while inductors limit low frequencies. Meanwhile, any remaining unwanted high frequency energy is dissipated as heat, and a central parallel inductive grounded loop dissipates unwanted low frequency energy. The interaction of these effects creates a narrowly defined range of frequencies that can make it through. The rate of energy loss of a filter is known as the quality factor or "Q" of the filter. If a larger "Q," i.e., a lower rate of energy loss, is desired, without otherwise changing the behavior of the filter, in general the values of all the elemental components should be increased by the same factor. For example, you can double the size of the inductors and the capacitors. Unfortunately, doubling the sizes requires more physical space, which can be a problem, especially in devices where small size is important, such as mobile telephones.
Many variations of this concept exist, and it is well-known how to calculate the exact behavior of these devices in response to signals of various frequencies, using equations that consider the arrangement of the constituent elemental devices and their values. Some factors that must be taken into account when designing such filter include the quality factor needed, the amount of phase that can be shifted, and how much signal loss is permitted. However, conventional filters are not capable of handling high power applications while maintaining a desired coupling bandwidth. Further, conventional filters do not have adjustable cross-coupling and good thermal conduction while reducing high potential voltage.
Accordingly, there is a need and desire to provide a filter for handling high power applications with adjustable cross-coupling and good thermal conduction while reducing high potential voltage and maintaining desired coupling bandwidth.


A mining shovel includes a dipper having an inner surface, and a removable liner assembly coupled to the dipper and adjacent to the inner surface of the dipper. The removable liner assembly includes a first rail coupled to the dipper, a first liner segment disposed on the first rail and covering at least a portion of the first rail, and a second liner segment removably coupled to the first rail and covering at least one of a portion of the first liner segment and a portion of the first rail. The first rail is substantially covered by at least one of the first and second liner segments.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Mining shovels or excavators use a dipper to scoop earth or other material. The dipper is typically subjected to abrasive materials and used under arduous conditions. For instance, the dipper may be used to dig, cut, and/or lift dirt, rock, concrete, metal, or other abrasive materials which wear against and abrade the surface of the dipper. When the surface of the dipper becomes sufficiently worn, the dipper must be replaced, which can be expensive and time-consuming.
Some excavating machines may include a wear assembly for protecting a digging edge. An example of such a wear assembly can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,024,874, issued Sep. 27, 2011, for "Wear Assembly for Excavating Machines," which discloses a wear assembly for protecting a digging edge of an excavating machine, "such as the lip of an excavating bucket." This wear assembly protects only the lip of the excavating bucket. Also, this wear assembly is welded to the excavating bucket and removable only by a significant amount of cutting and/or heating of the assembly.


Aspects of the invention relate to a method for facilitating the reduction of carbon monoxide emissions during part load operation of a turbine engine by holding high combustor temperatures. The combustor section of the turbine engine includes a plurality of combustors, each combustor having a pilot nozzle, a plurality of main nozzles circumferentially surrounding the pilot nozzle, and a premix ring. According to one aspects of the invention, a first pair of combustors are selected. Fuel can be substantially restricted from being supplied to the main nozzles and the premix ring of the selected combustors, while fuel continues to be supplied to the pilot nozzles of the selected combustors. Additional combustors can be selected and the supply of fuel can be selectively restricted as described above. The process can continue until there is substantially zero net power out of the engine.

Turbine engines, such as single shaft industrial turbine engines, are designed to operate at a constant design turbine inlet temperature under any ambient air temperature (i.e., the compressor inlet temperature). This design turbine inlet temperature allows the engine to produce maximum possible power, known as base load. Any reduction from the maximum possible base load power is referred to as part load operation. In other words, part load entails all engine operation from 0% to 99.9% of base load power.
Part load operation may result in the production of high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) during combustion. One known method for reducing part load CO emissions is to bring the combustor exit temperature or the turbine inlet temperature near that of the base load design temperature. It should be noted that, for purposes of this disclosure, the terms combustor exit temperature and turbine inlet temperature are used interchangeably. In actuality, there can be from about 30 to about 80 degrees Fahrenheit difference between these two temperatures due to, among other things, cooling and leakage effects occurring at the transition/turbine junction. However, with respect to aspects of the present invention, this temperature difference is insubstantial.
To bring the combustor exit temperature closer to the base load design temperature, mass flow of air through the gas turbine can be restricted by closing the compressor inlet guide vanes (IGV), which act as a throttle at the inlet of the compressor. When the IGVs are closed, the trailing edges of the vanes rotate closer to the surface of an adjacent vane, thereby effectively reducing the available throat area. Reducing throat area reduces the flow of air which the first row of rotating blades can draw into the compressor. Lower flow to the compressor leads to a lower compressor pressure ratio being established by the turbine. As a result, less power can be extracted from the gas passing through the turbine, causing the turbine exhaust gases to become hotter at the turbine exit.
However, there is an exhaust temperature limit that the turbine components in the exhaust path, such as the exhaust manifold and diffuser, can withstand before degrading. For example, the exhaust temperature limit can be from about 1160 degrees Fahrenheit to about 1180 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the exhaust temperature limit is reached, combustion temperature must be dropped as load is further reduced. Thus, the goal of holding high combustor temperatures is thwarted by the exit temperature limit as load is reduced.


On the back sheet side, back-side recessed portions recessed toward the top sheet are provided in a surface of the absorber of the disposable diaper. The back-side recessed portions include multiple grooves, which are continuous in the longitudinal direction L of the absorber. The back-side recessed portions is visible from an outside of the back sheet in a state before the disposable diaper is used, and when the absorber absorbs liquid, the depth D of the back-side recessed portions is made smaller than that before the absorber absorbs liquid. When the hydrophilic fiber and the particulate SAP swells, and thereby the absorber expands in at least the thickness direction thereof, the back-side recessed portions seems to disappear from the outside.

Conventionally, there has been known a disposable diaper having an indicator visible from the outside of a back sheet to indicate the presence or the spreading of urine, excrement and the like (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-341020 (FIG. 1, p5, and the like), for example). The indicator is a coating agent obtained by mixing a certain element with a hot melt adhesive, the element changing its color according to the hydrogen ion concentration index (PH), the hot melt adhesive joining an absorber and the liquid-impermeable back sheet to each other. The indicator is applied onto the garment side of the absorber in a predetermined region.


A method is used for managing degraded storage elements in data storage systems. A storage element experiencing degradation is identified where the storage element is a member of a first RAID group of storage elements. A first slice of data associated with the storage element is identified. The first slice of data is copied to a second RAID group of storage elements.

1. Technical Field
This application relates to managing degraded storage elements in data storage systems.
2. Description of Related Art
A traditional storage array (herein also referred to as a "data storage system", "disk storage array", "storage array", "disk array", or simply "array") is a collection of hard disk drives operating together logically as a unified storage device. Storage arrays are designed to store large quantities of data. Storage arrays typically include one or more storage array processors (SPs), for handling requests for allocation and input/output (I/O) requests. An SP is the controller for and primary interface to the storage array.
Storage arrays are typically used to provide storage space for one or more computer file systems, databases, applications, and the like. For this and other reasons, it is common for storage arrays to logically partition a set of disk drives into chunks of storage space, called logical units, or LUs. This enables a unified storage array to provide the storage space as a collection of separate file systems, network drives, and/or Logical Units.
Performance of a storage array may be characterized by the array's total capacity, response time, and throughput. The capacity of a storage array is the maximum total amount of data that can be stored on the array. The response time of an array is the amount of time that it takes to read data from or write data to the array. The throughput of an array is a measure of the amount of data that can be transferred into or out of (i.e., written to or read from) the array over a given period of time.
The administrator of a storage array may desire to operate the array in a manner that maximizes throughput and minimizes response time. In general, performance of a storage array may be constrained by both physical and temporal constraints. Examples of physical constraints include bus occupancy and availability, excessive disk arm movement, and uneven distribution of load across disks. Examples of temporal constraints include bus bandwidth, bus speed, spindle rotational speed, serial versus parallel access to multiple read/write heads, and the size of data transfer buffers.
One factor that may limit the performance of a storage array is the performance of each individual storage component. For example, the read access time of a disk storage array is constrained by the access time of the disk drive from which the data is being read. Read access time may be affected by physical characteristics of the disk drive, such as the number of revolutions per minute of the spindle: the faster the spin, the less time it takes for the sector being read to come around to the read/write head. The placement of the data on the platter also affects access time, because it takes time for the arm to move to, detect, and properly orient itself over the proper track (or cylinder, for multihead/multiplatter drives). Reducing the read/write arm swing reduces the access time. Finally, the type of drive interface may have a significant impact on overall disk array storage. For example, a multihead drive that supports reads or writes on all heads in parallel will have a much greater throughput than a multihead drive that allows only one head at a time to read or write data.
Furthermore, even if a disk storage array uses the fastest disks available, the performance of the array may be unnecessarily limited if only one of those disks may be accessed at a time. In other words, performance of a storage array, whether it is an array of disks, tapes, flash drives, or other storage entities, may also be limited by system constraints, such the number of data transfer buses available in the system and the density of traffic on each bus.
Large storage arrays today manage many disks that are not identical. Storage arrays use different types of disks and group the like kinds of disks into tiers based on the performance characteristics of the disks. A group of fast but small disks may be a fast tier (also referred to as "higher tier" or "high tier"). A group of slow but large disks may be a slow tier (also referred to as "lower tier" or "low tier"). It may be possible to have different tiers with different properties or constructed from a mix of different types of physical disks to achieve a performance or price goal. Storing often referenced, or hot, data on the fast tier and less often referenced, or cold, data on the slow tier may create a more favorable customer cost/performance profile than storing all data on a single kind of disk.
A storage tier may be made up of different types of disks, i.e., disks with different RAID (Redundant Array of Independent or Inexpensive Disks) levels, performance and cost characteristics. Several levels of RAID systems have been defined in the industry. RAID parity schemes may be utilized to provide error detection during the transfer and retrieval of data across a storage system. The first level, RAID-0, combines two or more drives to create a larger virtual disk. In a dual drive RAID-0 system one disk contains the low numbered sectors or blocks and the other disk contains the high numbered sectors or blocks, forming one complete storage space. RAID-0 systems generally interleave the sectors of the virtual disk across the component drives, thereby improving the bandwidth of the combined virtual disk. Interleaving the data in that fashion is referred to as striping. RAID-0 systems provide no redundancy of data, so if a drive fails or data becomes corrupted, no recovery is possible short of backups made prior to the failure.
RAID-1 systems include one or more disks that provide redundancy of the virtual disk. One disk is required to contain the data of the virtual disk, as if it were the only disk of the array. One or more additional disks contain the same data as the first disk, providing a "mirror" of the data of the virtual disk. A RAID-1 system will contain at least two disks, the virtual disk being the size of the smallest of the component disks. A disadvantage of RAID-1 systems is that a write operation must be performed for each mirror disk, reducing the bandwidth of the overall array. In a dual drive RAID-1 system, the first disk and the second disk contain the same sectors or blocks, each disk holding exactly the same data.
RAID-2 systems provide for error correction through hamming codes. The component drives each contain a particular bit of a word, or an error correction bit of that word. RAID-2 systems automatically and transparently detect and correct single-bit defects, or single drive failures, while the array is running. Although RAID-2 systems improve the reliability of the array over other RAID types, they are less popular than some other systems due to the expense of the additional drives, and redundant onboard hardware error correction.
RAID-4 systems are similar to RAID-0 systems, in that data is striped over multiple drives. For example, the storage spaces of two disks are added together in interleaved fashion, while a third disk contains the parity of the first two disks. RAID-4 systems are unique in that they include an additional disk containing parity. For each byte of data at the same position on the striped drives, parity is computed over the bytes of all the drives and stored to the parity disk. The XOR operation is used to compute parity, providing a fast and symmetric operation that can regenerate the data of a single drive, given that the data of the remaining drives remains intact.
RAID-3 systems are essentially RAID-4 systems with the data striped at byte boundaries, and for that reason RAID-3 systems are generally slower than RAID-4 systems in most applications. RAID-4 and RAID-3 systems therefore are useful to provide virtual disks with redundancy, and additionally to provide large virtual drives, both with only one additional disk drive for the parity information. They have the disadvantage that the data throughput is limited by the throughput of the drive containing the parity information, which must be accessed for every read and write operation to the array.
RAID-5 systems are similar to RAID-4 systems, with the difference that the parity information is striped over all the disks with the data. For example, first, second, and third disks may each contain data and parity in interleaved fashion. Distributing the parity data generally increases the throughput of the array as compared to a RAID-4 system. RAID-5 systems may continue to operate though one of the disks has failed. RAID-6 systems are like RAID-5 systems, except that dual parity is kept to provide for normal operation if up to two drives fail.
Combinations of RAID systems are also possible. For example, a four disk RAID 1+0 system provides a concatenated file system that is also redundant. The first and second disks are mirrored, as are the third and fourth disks. The combination of the mirrored sets forms a storage space that is twice the size of one individual drive, assuming that all four are of equal size. Many other combinations of RAID systems are possible.
A storage array may be thought of as a system for managing a large amount of a resource, i.e., a large number of disk drives. Management of the resource may include allocation of a portion of the resource in response to allocation requests. In the storage array example, portions of the storage array may be allocated to, i.e., exclusively used by, entities that request such allocation. One issue that may be considered during allocation of a resource is the selection process—namely, how to determine which unallocated portion of the collection of resources is to be allocated to the requesting entity.
Conventionally, all resources of the same type are treated the same because it was assumed that the performance of components within the data storage array performed similarly and data would be stored and accessed evenly across the array. Initially, this assumption may be valid because any performance differences between resources of the same type and any asymmetries in data usage are unknown. However, as the data storage array fills up and the stored data is accessed, some resources may be more heavily utilized than other resources of the same type and/or resources of the same type may begin to perform differently. For example, two identical 7,200 rpm disks may initially be assumed to have identical performance and share data storage and processing loads equally because the client initially stores 10 gigabytes (GB) on each disk. However, at some later point in time, the client may either delete or rarely access the data stored on the second disk while constantly updating the files stored on the first disk. As a result, the first disk may operate with slower performance. While the client may have previously been able to observe this inefficiency, the client was unable to correct it because the client had no input or control regarding how slices were allocated or re-allocated in a logical volume created on a disk. For example, no mechanism currently exists for allocating slices for a logical volume from different performance tiers or other resource constraints specified by the client in a slice allocation request for the logical volume.
Conventional data storage systems may be configured in one or more various types of RAID configuration as described above. Depending on the particular RAID configuration, data on one storage device is typically backed-up on one or more other storage devices using conventional schemes such as parity information, data mirroring, and the like.
Storage elements, such as hard disk drives, have a typical lifetime rating after which time they will invariably fail. When a storage device in the data storage system fails, a conventional restore and repair process, such as that shown in FIG. 1, may be employed. For example, when one of a RAID's hard disk drive fails, data stored on the failed drive is reconstructed using parity information stored on the RAID's other remaining hard disk drives. In this case, data is read, in a physically linear fashion, starting at logical block address 0 and continuing to the last logical block on the drive. Data is reconstructed, and then written to a "hot spare" so configured for that particular RAID group. The hot spare is the same type of hard disk drive and has a capacity equal to that of the largest drive in the RAID group. Thus, drives are mapped on a one-to-one basis and cannot be different types (e.g., cannot migrate from SAS RAID-5 to EFD RAID-6). The failed hard disk drive is replaced, and the restored data is copied from the hot spare back onto the newly replaced, equivalent type drive. Then, the hot spare is once again made available as a hot spare for its associated RAID group.
During the rebuild time, the data storage system's performance is degraded. For example, the amount of time it takes for an application to retrieve data during the rebuild process can increase significantly, in part because they data storage system is trying to satisfy at least two tasks: rebuilding the failed drive's data and servicing application data requests (data which may also need to be reconstructed). Furthermore, some system architectures may cause data to become unavailable the moment the storage system becomes degraded (e.g., as required under certain data service level agreements).
The likelihood of irretrievable data loss is also increased during the rebuild time. For example, depending in the RAID type, should a second drive fail, parity data necessary for reconstructing data stored on the first failed drive will be lost, thereby preventing total data recovery resulting in permanent data loss.
Storage capacity of various storage elements continues to grow at an ever increasing rate. For example, 3 Terabyte hard disk drives are common place today, and larger drives have been announced or are under development. The time it takes the restoration process to complete is directly proportional to the size of the storage element, and, thus, rebuild time increased as well. Consequently, as storage capacity increases so too does the time a RAID group remains in a degraded mode as well as the amount of time data remains as risk.

Managing degraded storage elements in data storage systems


A system and method for creating and supporting multiple customized versions of a software application within a web-based environment is disclosed. Customized code is created for a user of the software application. This code is invoked by inserting code hooks such as subroutine calls into the software application. The file containing the customized code is moved to a respective physical directory created for the user. An association is then created between this physical directory and a virtual directory of the type supported by IIS and other similar web servers. Finally, the virtual directory and the customized code file are identified by a reference provided with the software application. When a run-time version of the code is generated for the user, this reference along with the association created between the virtual and physical directories result in generation of a user-specific version of the software application.

Software packages can be obtained to perform many day-to-day tasks. For example, banking, tax preparation, bill paying, grocery shopping, and financial planning are just some of the many activities that can be performed with the aid of software programs.
Many of the commodity software packages that are commercially available today are intended to be loaded onto a user's computer system and executed "as is". In other words, the software licensor and/or vendor are not in the business of customizing the software for a particular customer. In the large majority of cases involving such software packages, this type of customization is not necessary, since the "off-the-shelf" functionality will satisfy the needs of most users. Moreover, customization of this type of commodity product would not be economically viable, and would present daunting support issues.
The foregoing is not true in instances involving large, complex software systems of the type that may control banking or transportation applications, however. For example, consider a cargo management system employed to schedule the transport of cargo on airplane flights. Such a system must generally take into consideration particularities associated with a particular user such as an airline carrier. For instance, it may be necessary or even mandatory that the system conforms to the airline's safety and business requirements. The system may also be required to reflect the type of equipment and aircraft that will be used to transport the cargo. It may also be desirable to make the system conform to the "look and feel" of the other tools used by the specific airlines so that the system is more user-friendly to employees.
Large complex systems of the type discussed above are not generally considered commodity products. They are developed for a small, specialized group of customers that are willing to finance the customization activities. If this is the case, the software developer may create a specialized version of the software that includes functionality that is needed by a specific customer and is only provided to that customer. Another version may be developed for another client, and so on.
If multiple versions of a particular software product are developed in the foregoing manner, support issues become problematic. When a common function is added to the system, each of the versions must be updated separately to incorporate the new code. A similar problem exists when a coding error is discovered in one of the common functions. The problem must be fixed by updating each of the software versions independently. Additionally, revision control becomes more complicated, since code levels must be tracked for each code version.
One way to solve the foregoing problem is to maintain the functionality for all customers within a single integrated version of the code. User-specific functionality is selected using conditional logic. For example, a variable is assigned a value that corresponds to customer identification. When a function containing user-specific code is called, the variable is tested to determine how the function should be completed. In this manner, only a single version of the code must be supported. Additionally, revision control is simplified.
While the foregoing mechanism may make code support more efficient, it results in a software application that may be much larger than if the conditional logic and user-specific functionality were not included. Since all functionality is integrated into a single package, the amount of memory required to load and execute the software will increase. This increase may become prohibitive. Additionally, when an update is entered for one customer, the entire software package may have to be recompiled. This can be very time consuming.
In addition to the above-described challenges, more of today's software applications are adapted to be accessed via the Internet or worldwide web. In this type of environment, user requests are generally issued by a client system to a server. In response to such a request, a server may initiate some type of data processing activity or perform a database query, then return requested data to the client system. This type of scenario is very common in many of today's e-commerce applications, for example. A flexible mechanism is needed to support multiple versions of a software application that is adapted for use in this type of a web-based environment.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved system and method for addressing the foregoing problems and challenges.

System and method for implementing code hooks in a web-based environment


A cryptographic method and systems using a keyed one-way function. A sending device uses the keyed one-way function to authenticate one or more receiving devices prerequisite to communication. A multidimensional hypercube is generated, from which is formed a multidimensional vector by randomly selecting one corner of the multidimensional hypercube. The keyed one-way function is computed using the multidimensional vector.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of communications and, more specifically, to secure communications systems and methods.
2. Description of Related Art
Communications systems and methods that are secure from eavesdropping are highly desirable. Such secure communications systems encourage the use of communication systems because users may be assured that the information they exchange will remain private. Various cryptographic techniques have been developed to address secure communications. Such techniques often require estimation of arbitrary or random functions. However, the complexity and processing bandwidth required to estimate arbitrary functions increases exponentially as the dimension of the sample space grows.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods to address these limitations as well as others readily discernable from review of this disclosure.

Cryptographic system and methods using a one way multidimensional function


A photographing method is disclosed that uses a mobile communication terminal having a camera, with the method including steps of entering a remote-control photographing mode, receiving a predetermined call, determining whether or not a telephone number of the predetermined call corresponds to a telephone number stored in a memory, and operating the camera to take a photograph when the telephone number of the predetermined call corresponds to the telephone number stored in the memory. The photographing is carried out by remote-controlling the camera accommodated in the mobile communication terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly to a mobile communication terminal having a camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, mobile communication terminals have been equipped with a high-speed data transmitting function as well as a voice communication function. For example, if an IMT-2000 mobile communication network is realized, high-speed data communication as well as voice communication will be attained by using a mobile communication terminal. In addition, a camera or a TV receiver can be added to the mobile communication terminal to display a moving picture. A mobile communication terminal equipped with the camera can display the moving picture and a still picture by taking a photograph of an object, and can also transmit a photographed image to other mobile communication terminals.
However, when taking a photograph by using the camera of the mobile communication terminal, a user must manually push a button on the camera body to activate a camera shutter. Therefore, if a user wants to take a photograph of himself/herself by using the camera of the mobile communication terminal, the user will have to stretch and extend his/her hand that is gripping the mobile communication terminal to a proper camera range and push the camera shutter activation button. Accordingly, although the user can take a photograph of his or her face or other body part, it is impossible to photograph the user's entire body when the user takes a photograph of himself/herself using the camera of the mobile communication terminal.

Mobile communication terminal having remote-controlled camera and photographing method using the same


This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to alternating current (AC) mitigation. An AC mitigation system may comprise a conductive portion of the pipeline, wherein the conductive portion of the pipeline is adjacent to a high voltage AC power transmission line. The AC mitigation system may comprise a ground wire connected to the conductive portion of the pipeline. The AC mitigation system may comprise a circuit electrically connected to the ground wire. The AC mitigation system may comprise a means for the conductive portion of the pipeline to route AC power through the circuit.

Pipelines are commonly found adjacent to high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission lines in order to maximize the use of right of way. However, these pipelines are subjected to undesired effects from the collocated HVAC transmission lines. The HVAC transmission lines may result in interference with the pipeline, which can contribute to corrosion in the pipeline, and safety and health hazards to: operators, maintenance workers, and the general public. The subject of HVAC transmission lines interference has been a growing concern across multiple industries in recent decades due to congestion of right of way resulting in an increase in incidents in pipelines.

Mitigation of alternating current in pipelines


A carrier for a flatpack integrated circuit component. The carrier includes a square frame formed of a conductive plastic and a series of electrically isolating comb inserts for supporting terminals from a flat pack integrated circuit component. Elongated slots at each of the corners of the frame support linearly reciprocal slide tabs that move between first and second positions. In the first position a finger from each slide tab overlies the frame member; in a second position the finger overlies either a portion of the component housing or a portion of the comb inserts and at least one terminal from the integrated circuit in the comb at each corner thereby to retain the component in the carrier.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to component carriers and more specifically to a system for facilitating the handling of flatpack integrated circuit components during the production of electrical devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Semiconductor devices have matured from simple circuit elements into complex components provided in a variety of integrated circuit packages. This maturation has been accompanied by an increase in the complexity of handling these components during assembly and testing operations. It has become necessary to protect these devices from various sources of mechanical and electrical damage during manufacture and to provide a means for testing individual circuit components during assembly operations.
These needs have led to the development of chip carriers that are special enclosures or packages for housing and protecting an integrated circuit or the like during processing, production, testing and assembly operations. Generally chip carriers orient an integrated circuit during the production process, assure proper placement and alignment of terminals for testing and for insertion into a printed circuit board. Chip carriers eliminate stress from the terminals and seals found in such integrated circuits. Moreover they must now protect a component from mechanical and electrical damage and provide access to all terminals to facilitate component testing.
As the number of circuit designs and packages have proliferated, so have the number of chip carrier configurations. Indeed there are now different chip carrier structures for different integrated circuit packages, including chip carriers exclusively for flatpack integrated circuit components. Flatpack integrated circuit components are characterized by comprising a planar rectangular housing and at least two or four sets of spread, coplanar terminal pins extending from the edges of the housing essentially in the plane of the housing. For example the following patents disclose chip carriers for flatpack electronic circuits that include two or more retention arms:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,505 (1983) Alemanni PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,053 (1986) Alemanni PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,557 (1971) Cedrone PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,974 (1971) Tems PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,733 (1983) Alemanni PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,887 (1985) Egawa PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,145 (1985) Putnam PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,714 (1991) Clatanoff PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,303 (1991) Matsuoka et al PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,651 (1985) Alemanni PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,632 (1986) Alemanni PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,483 (1988) Grabbe PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,984 (1988) Bakker PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,483 to Grabbe discloses a carrier for receiving a flatpack integrated circuit component. A stamped metal securing member comprising three spaced, essentially parallel legs secures the integrated circuit component in the carrier. The securing members are separate components that are loaded into the carrier and over the corners of the legs. The middle legs of these securing members and bases of the outer legs are welded to the frame. As a result a force applied a base of each clip produces a stress that pivots the tips of the outer legs about weld points to open the carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,505 to Alemanni discloses a one-piece integrated circuit carrier including a base with a central opening bounded on opposite ends by walls having a plurality of narrow grooves for receiving the leads of an integrated circuit flatpack component. Resilient retaining fingers at the corners of the central opening extend diagonally into the opening. Each finger has a tip with a flange for fitting over the outermost leads of the flatpack component. The bottoms of the resilient fingers are displaced upward by vertical forces to spread them apart sufficiently and allow a flatpack electronic circuit component to be inserted in the opening. When the force is released, the retaining fingers return to their normal position and extend over the tops of the outermost leads to capture the flatpack package.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,053 issued to Alemanni discloses a one-piece circuit carrier including a base with a central opening bounded at opposite ends by walls having narrow parallel elongated grooves for receiving the leads of an integrated circuit. A pair of elongated resilient retaining fingers extend along opposite edges of the opening for connecting to the four outermost leads of the flatpack component to hold it in the carrier. A flatpack component is inserted by pushing generally horizontally outward on the tips of the retaining fingers to spread them apart and allow the flatpack to be inserted. When this horizontal force is removed, restoring forces in the fingers return them to their normal positions extending over and frictionally contacting the outermost leads of the flatpack component.
It has also been proposed to utilize biased pivoted arms to engage other portions of flatpack electronic components as, for example in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,557 to Cedrone discloses a carrier for small objects including flatpack electronic components formed as a distortable parallelogram. When the structure is oriented in a capture position, rabbets overlie a component housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,974 to Tems discloses a module carrier that includes overlying retaining elements that capture the housing of the electronic circuit component.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,733 to Alemanni discloses a carrier for a flatpack component. Upstanding arms deflect pivotally about a horizontal axis to an open position to allow the flatpack to be inserted. When the arms are released, they pivot to the vertical position and lugs at the ends of the arms overlie and engage the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,887 to Egawa discloses a carrier for flatpack integrated circuits that includes a receiving section with lead-accommodating grooves for supporting the various leads from the integrated circuit. A pair of pivotally supported latch members with arms that retain the integrated circuit package in the carrier by providing a stable support at each corner of the integrated circuit package. A detent-like mechanism retains the arms in a locked position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,145 to Putnam discloses a one-piece flatpack chip carrier including a pair cantilevered arms having tapered heads for holding chips of varying thicknesses. The arms extend into a carrier central aperture from the top and bottom side of the aperture respectfully Longitudinally offset stops mounted on the arms stabilize a small chip laterally and longitudinally. Chips of varying widths may be held between the heads of the arms up to the width of the central aperture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,714 to Clatanoff discloses a carrier device with a central opening and a pair of beams extending into the opening. Each beam has hooks to grasp a component. A series of interconnected bars join to the beams to allow flexing whereby the carrier is enabled to accept a component between the hooks and to bias the beams toward each other to contain the component.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,303 to Matsuoka et al discloses a flatpack integrated circuit carrier. Diagonally disposed, movable flexible arms with engaging claws at an upper free end of each arm engage at upper edge of the corner portion of the integrated circuit housing. .The arms retract or move outwardly along the diagonal lines to enable the insertion and removal of the integrated circuit component.
Somewhat similar structures embodying flexible arms or capture structures for engaging an integrated circuit housing have been proposed for pin grid array integrated circuits. These structures are disclosed in:
The use of flexible or pivoted arms or retaining fingers that rely on the inherent resilience of a molding material can limit the useful life of the carrier. When the material is stressed by bending a finger, the finger does not return to its original position on release. The amount by which a finger fails to return to its original position increases with use. Eventually the finger will not return to a positive locking position whereupon the carrier is no longer useful.
Each of the foregoing patents provides a structure that requires special tooling for use. For example, each requires tools for applying a horizontal or vertical fores to move the retention means to an "open" position to allow the insertion or removal of the component. Such tooling must extend past the same position at which the insertion or removal occurs. Otherwise the bias of the restoring forces in the retention mechanism would close the opening and prevent removal or insertion
Other mechanisms for engaging integrated circuit components include those discussed in:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,984 to Bakker discloses a carrier for a flatpack integrated circuit component that supports the leads. A diagonal slot at each corner of the carrier receives an arm that pivots about an horizontal axis at right angles to a the slot between open and closed positions without introducing any return bias. Thus this structure enables assembly apparatus to open the arms at one location that is remote from a component insertion or removal position. However, the force moving the arm is applied vertically or at right angles to the plane of carrier. Consequently carrier motion must be interrupted to allow the arm to pivot.
Structures involving discrete components such as shown in the Baker and Grabbe patents tend to overcome the limited life of carriers with resilient arms. However, the locking structures require an application of force at right angles to the direction of normal chip carrier motion. This force is not readily applied while the chip carrier is in motion, so the chip carrier must stop along the assembly line to enable the appropriate apparatus to open or close the retaining structure.

Slide tab carrier for flatpack electronic component carriers