A frequency domain multiplexed signal receiving method which decodes received signals that are multiplexed in a frequency domain, includes: a digital signal acquisition step of acquiring digital signals from the received signals that are multiplexed in the frequency domain; an offset discrete Fourier transform step of applying an offset discrete Fourier transform to odd discrete point numbers based on the acquired digital signals; and a decode step of decoding frequency domain digital signals in the frequency domain obtained by the offset discrete Fourier transform, and that are the frequency domain digital signals of one or more frequency channels.

In the field of wireless and optical communication, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system (OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is proposed for multiplexing transmitted signals in the frequency domain (for example, refer to Non-Patent Document 1).
In OFDM, there is an advantage in that the sampling frequency of an analog to digital converter (ADC: Analog Digital Converter) for discretizing received signals can be set to a frequency lower than a frequency of twice the baud rate of the received signals. Therefore, for example in a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) applied to IEEE802.11a, it is known that a band of approximately 16.6 MHz in a signal band of 20 MHz (megahertz) is used for data signals.
On the other hand, in single carrier transmission, an ADC is required that can be adapted to a sampling frequency of approximately twice the frequency band of a signal. Therefore the advantage of being able to set a frequency lower than the frequency of twice the baud rate in OFDM is that signals can be transmitted efficiently by an ADC with a low sampling frequency, especially in optical communication in which the application is limited by the sampling frequency of the ADC and high frequency wireless communication.
Moreover, in OFDM, the higher the number of frequency channels is increased, the easier the setting of the guard interval becomes, so that it can be assumed that flat fading will occur in each of the frequency channels. As a result, in a practical wireless system, a frequency channel number of approximately 64 to 1024 is selected. Furthermore, in general, in an OFDM system, the frequency at a receiving device is "0", that is, it has a frequency channel corresponding to a DC component. In a frequency channel corresponding to a DC component, the characteristics deteriorate due to the influence of interference between signals and noise. Therefore, frequency channels corresponding to these are not generally used.
In the fields of wireless communication and optical communication, a frequency division multiplexing system (FDM: Frequency Division Multiplexing) and an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system (OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) for multiplexing transmitted signals in the frequency domain are proposed. In communication systems in which signals are multiplexed in the frequency domain, on the receiving side, it is possible to extract and decode corresponding frequency domains using analog filters and Fourier transforms (for example, refer to Non-Patent Document 3).

Method for receiving frequency domain multiplexed signal and device for receiving frequency domain multiplexed signal

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


Disclosed is an electronic device. An electronic device according to one embodiment may comprise: a communication module; a sensor module which acquires movement information of the electronic device and image information of the place where the electronic device is moving; a memory which stores space information corresponding to the place where the electronic device is moving; and a processor which uses the movement information and space information to determine a plurality of first candidate locations, within the place, corresponding to the electronic device, and then, on the basis of the image information and the plurality of first candidate locations, determines whether the location accuracy corresponding to the plurality of first candidate locations is smaller than a valid value, and, on the basis of the result of the determination, uses the electronic device or an external server to acquire at least one second candidate location from among the plurality of first candidate locations, and uses the acquired at least one second candidate location to determine an estimated location for the electronic device.

Recently, techniques for robot apparatuses capable of performing preset functions while moving indoors independently and without a user's special manipulation with respect to them have been disclosed.
In this case, a robot apparatus moves indoors by using a wheel provided therewith, by statistically/stochastically estimating its location in an indoor space continuously while moving, and by building a map of the indoor space using indoor information about the periphery of the estimated location.
As such, a simultaneous localization and map-building (SLAM) technique has been proposed by which the robot apparatus estimates its location in real time while moving indoors independently and builds a map of the indoor space including the estimated location.

Electronic device, external server, and method for controlling same


An adhesive for a circuit material, comprises a blend of a cure system; and a solid epoxy resin and a nitrile rubber functionalized with epoxy-reactive groups, wherein the solid epoxy resin and the nitrile rubber are reacted to form an adduct prior to blending with the cure system. The adhesive has low dendritic growth and improved solder resistance.

This invention relates to adhesive materials useful in the formation of circuit materials, circuits, and multi-layer circuits.
As used herein, a circuit material is an article used in the manufacture of circuits and multi-layer circuits, and includes circuit laminates, bond plies, resin coated conductive layers, free films, and cover films. Circuit materials are formed from dielectric materials that can include thermosetting and thermoplastic polymers. The polymers may be combined with fillers such as silica to adjust the dielectric or other properties of the polymers. The adhesive layer in a circuit laminate, bond ply, build-up film, resin covered conductive layer, free film, or cover film is designed to soften or flow during manufacture of the circuit laminate or multi-layer circuit but not in use of the circuit. Dielectric substrate materials that are not reinforced with a fibrous web are often referred to as "flexible," and are used to make flexible (sometimes referred to as "flex") circuit materials and circuits. Flexible circuit materials are thinner, and are used in a wide variety of advanced electronic applications.
A circuit laminate is a type of circuit material that has a conductive layer fixedly bound to a dielectric substrate layer. Double clad laminates have two conductive layers, one on each side of the dielectric substrate. Patterning a conductive layer of a laminate, for example by etching, provides a circuit layer, and thus a circuit. Multi-layer circuits comprise a plurality of conductive layers, at least one of which contains a conductive wiring pattern. Typically, multi-layer circuits are formed by laminating one or more circuits together using bond plies, free films and, in some cases, adhesive-coated conductive layers, in proper alignment using heat and/or pressure. The bond plies or free films are used to provide adhesion between circuits and/or between a circuit and a conductive layer, or between two conductive layers. In place of a conductive layer bonded to a circuit with a bond ply, the multi-layer circuit may include a resin coated conductive layer bonded directly to the outer layer of a circuit. In such multi-layer structures, after lamination, known hole forming and plating technologies may be used to produce useful electrical pathways between conductive layers.
Epoxy-based adhesive systems are commonly used in circuit laminates, bond plies, free films, resin covered conductive layers, and cover films for flexible and rigid-flex circuits as well as for build-up layers in device packaging applications. Epoxy-based adhesive systems (hereinafter "epoxy adhesives") generally contain an epoxy resin, a nitrile rubber, one or more flame retardants, and small amounts of other resins, additives, and cure agents. Use of a rubber additive, in particular a nitrile rubber, is essential to provide both flexibility and sufficient bond to the copper conductive layers. Nitrile rubbers are copolymers of acrylonitrile and one or more conjugated diolefin monomers having 3 to 5 carbon atoms, for example 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, 1,3-pentadiene and the like. Nitrile rubbers are preferred because they have excellent compatibility with epoxy, as well as other beneficial properties such as good thermal and chemical resistance, high polarity, and the like. The nitrile rubbers often have functional terminal groups, including carboxyl terminations (CTBN), amine terminations (ATBN), and epoxy terminations (ETBN), to allow crosslinking with the epoxy, thereby providing enhanced thermal and chemical resistance.
High molecular weight grade rubbers (such as Nipol 1072 from Zeon Chemicals) are preferred because the lower flow prevents displacement from the stack ("squeezing out") during the lamination process. However, it has been found by the inventors hereof that the combination of epoxy resin and nitrile rubber leads to certain problems associated with manufacture and use of the circuit materials and the circuits produced therefrom. One such problem is the potential for dendritic growth to occur under DC (direct current) bias at elevated temperature and humidity levels. Minimizing such dendritic growth would provide flexible circuit materials, circuits, and multi-layer circuits with even greater stability under conditions of high heat and humidity.
Another drawback of current epoxy adhesives used for flex circuits is their relatively short shelf life. During storage over time the flow characteristics of the partially cured ("B-staged") epoxy adhesive changes. This requires circuit fabricators to manage their inventory of materials carefully. One of the primary causes of the short shelf life is reaction between the carboxyl group on the high molecular weight nitrile rubber and the epoxy resins. This reaction occurs slowly at room temperature, but because of the high molecular weight of the rubber, even a small number of crosslinks will significantly reduce flow of the adhesive, which can cause problems during circuit fabrication. Extending the shelf life of the adhesive by eliminating the epoxy-carboxyl reaction in the adhesive would greatly enhance the usefulness of the products made using this adhesive.
In addition, the worldwide trend to eliminate hazardous materials in the construction of electronic devices has necessitated the removal of lead (Pb) from solder. The Pb-free solders currently in use melt at temperatures 30 to 40° C. higher than the standard tin-lead (Sn—Pb) solder they replace. Actual Pb-free solder reflow processes expose the circuits to temperatures as high as 260° C., and material qualification testing often stresses the materials at 288° C. Increasing the ability of the material systems to survive the higher temperature processes requires an adhesive with superior thermal resistance.
There accordingly remains a need in the art for epoxy adhesive systems for flexible circuits that have one or more of lower dendritic growth under conditions of high heat and humidity, are capable of surviving thermal exposures required for Pb-free solder processes, and/or are more stable as a b-staged adhesive. All of these attributes are preferably present without comprising the other advantageous properties of the epoxy systems, such as good adhesion and good processability.

Adhesive compositions for flexible circuit materials, circuits, multi-layer circuits, and methods of manufacture thereof


A laser intensity monitoring and control apparatus and method. One or more laser diodes emit laser light at an intensity depending upon a supplied drive current. A collimating lens collimates the emitted laser light. An aperture clips portions of the collimated laser light striking the aperture outside the predetermined beam contour and reflects part or all of the clipped portion of the collimated laser light to a focusing lens. A monitoring detector senses the focused laser light and generates an electrical signal depending on the intensity of the focused laser light, wherein a feedback circuit monitors the electrical signal and adjusts the drive current of the laser diode as necessary to maintain a predetermined laser light intensity. A ROS scanner optics system receives and images the beam contour.

The present application relates generally to the monitoring of output power from a semiconductor laser diode, and more particularly to the monitoring of output power from a vertical cavity surfacing emitting laser (VCSEL) as used in a raster output scanning (ROS) system.
It is well known in the scanning art to use laser diodes to generate a coherent laser beam which is then optically shaped for use as a scanning beam in a ROS system. It is also known to use multiple laser diodes to create multiple beams with each individual beam being independently modulated by video signals and scanned onto the recording or image surface as modulated beams. For these multiple beam applications, it has been found advantageous to use the rays with closely spaced laser diodes. Typically, the laser diodes in a multiple beam system are individually addressable. Individually addressable diodes require that each diode have a separate current source that drives or modulates the diodes. In operation, each driver sends a current through the diodes sufficient to induce emission of laser light, and the amount of current the driver produces is determined, in part, by the physical input data driving the particular lasing element. Because different laser diodes have different types of power characteristics in response to a given driving current, it is also desirable to monitor the amount of output power from each laser diode individually.
In systems utilizing diodes having a front (main) facet and a back facet, it may be possible to monitor light escaping from the back facet of the diode. This approach makes it possible to monitor the light output of the diode without interfering or disturbing the useful light being emitted out of the front facet of the diode. An example of a method and apparatus for controlling the power output of multiple laser diodes utilizing radiation from the back facet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,126, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Typically, however, back facet monitoring is accomplished using an internal photodiode rather than an external photodiode as disclosed in this patent.
However, many systems now use a VCSEL diode or an array of VCSEL diodes. These diodes do not emit light from a back facet, but rather only emit light from one surface or facet of the diode. Therefore, it is not possible to take advantage of light being emitted from a back facet. Typically, the VCSEL diode laser output is diverging and, therefore, requires the use of a collimating lens. The beam is then sent through an aperture for shaping, and is imaged by scanner optics. One option to monitor and control the output from a VCSEL diode is to place a beam splitter directly in the beam path and reflect a portion of the beam back onto a photodiode used for measuring and monitoring the VCSEL diode output. An example of a ROS system which reflects a portion of the collimated light outputs to impinge on one or two photodiodes configured to monitor and control the output of the VCSEL diodes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,414, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a prior art ROS system which reflects a portion of a collimated beam for purposes of controlling VCSEL diodes. In this embodiment, an array 10 is comprised of laser diodes 12, 14. Two photodiodes 16, 18 are mounted on a front face of a heat sink 20 for sensing light impinging on the photodiodes. Output beams 22, 24 are collimated by a collimating lens 26. Positioned between the collimating lens 26 and a ROS optical system (not shown) is a partially reflecting beam splitter mirror 28. The mirror 28 is tilted at an appropriate angle to reflect part of the collimated beam back through the collimating lens 26 so as to reimage a portion of the light from the laser diodes 12, 14 onto the photodiodes 16, 18. Signals from the photodiodes 16, 18, which vary according to the intensity of the reflected light, are coupled to a feedback circuit 30, used to control the output of laser diodes 12, 14, thereby maintaining the output intensity at a predetermined level.
An aspect of the prior art embodiment is that the arrangement collects an appreciable fraction of the emitted light from laser diodes 12, 14 which could otherwise be beneficially used by the ROS scanning optic system. Also a large two-dimensional diode laser array and its associated integrated circuit chip restrict or prohibit the placement of photodiodes in close proximity in order to be able to collect sufficient back-reflected light as depicted in FIG. 5.

Method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling laser intensity in a ROS scanning system


An air-driven generator for generating electric power from movement of a working fluid. Upper ends of buoyancy conduits are in fluidic communication with an upper end of a gravitational distribution conduit, and a lower end of the gravitational distribution conduit is in fluidic communication with lower ends of the buoyancy conduits. An air injection system injects air into the buoyancy conduits. A closed fluid loop is formed with working fluid flowing from the gravitational distribution conduit driving a fluid turbine system that is interposed between the lower ends of the gravitational distribution conduit and the buoyancy conduits. Flow of working fluid can be induced by an injection of air into working fluid disposed in the buoyancy conduits to achieve a generation of power by actuation of the fluid turbine system. An upper chamber can remove entrained air. A Rankin Cycle Generator can receive and be actuated by exhausted air.

The need for alternative sources of energy is well-recognized and ever-increasing. Innumerable skilled inventors have contributed to advances in alternative energy power generation. Systems and methods have been disclosed for harvesting energy from the Sun, from the wind, and from the movement of rivers and other bodies of water. With each advance in alternative energy, the need for fossil fuels is reduced and humankind's negative impact on the environment diminished.
It is further known to attempt to harvest energy by introducing a gas into a column of liquid to induce entrained movement of the liquid with the upward movement of the gas due to its buoyancy and then to harness the kinetic and potential energy of the moving liquid, such as through a fluid turbine. For instance, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0303282 of Ziegenfuss, a water cycling system is taught wherein an air compressor is used as a motive force and a turbine is used for electric power generation. A water piping subsystem establishes a circuitous loop with one upward flowing side and one downward flowing side. The air compressor injects air into a lower portion of the upward flowing side to induce entrained flow of the water, and a turbine disposed in the downward flowing side receives flowing water to convert the kinetic energy therein to electric power. In a similar vein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,062 to Bervig discloses disposing an electrical generating device within the flow of a U-shaped conduit with an injector for injecting a lower density substance into fluid within one leg of the U-shaped conduit to produce a flow of the fluid. The flow of the fluid actuates the electrical generating device so that the energy within the moving fluid is harvested into electric power. Still further, International Publication No. WO2014110160 of Markie et al. is directed to a System for Generating Electricity wherein a first fluid within a holding tank receives a less dense second fluid to induce an upward flow of the first fluid within an elongate housing. The flow of the first fluid induces rotation of a turbine thereby yielding electrical energy. While the foregoing advances in alternative energy are useful, they do suffer from a number of limitations and critical disadvantages. For instance, without the Sun, photovoltaics are of little effect. Wind turbines operate only in sufficient winds, are prone to malfunction, and are expensive to maintain. Still further, wave power generators and river turbines can be installed and operated only where the body of water exists and are themselves dependent on the flow and movement of naturally moving water.
Still further, prior art cyclical power generation systems induced into operation by the injection of a buoyant fluid within a working fluid have exhibited limitations in effectiveness and operation that have heretofore prevented widespread adoption. Many such motive fluid power generators exhibit high losses in power and are highly inefficient. Such previously disclosed motive fluid power generation systems are limited by, among other things, the reliance on a single column of working fluid to be induced into cyclical movement. Furthermore, motive fluid power generation systems of the prior art have demonstrated little ability or recognition of the need for enhancing the density of the working fluid prior to downward cyclical movement of the same by actively removing entrained buoyancy fluid. Additionally, many prior art motive fluid power generation systems are highly complex in structure and operation and are entirely reliant on a single flow path. Accordingly, failure or required maintenance of components of the system are common and result in a complete system shutdown.
In view of the foregoing, it will be recognized that, despite the useful efforts of many skilled inventors, there remains a need in the art for an alternative energy power generation system that does not rely on any outside factors, that can be installed and continuously operated in widely varied locations, and that is sufficiently efficient in operation to represent an advance in humankind's ability to generate available electric power.


An iron-type golf club head which can elongate a travelling distance of balls for a long iron, and enable the better controlling of balls for a short iron. A head body 8, having a face 3, is formed from one material, while a hosel 7 formed from another material having the different specific gravity than that of the head body 8. For long irons, the material of the hosel 7 is thinner than that of the head body 8, while for short irons, the material of the head body 8 is denser than that of the hosel 7.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an iron-type golf club and a production method therefor,
(b) Description of Prior Art
Generally, a golf club is comprised of a head and a shaft, classified into three types, i.e., wood, iron and putter.
Iron golf club is further classified according to an angle of loft (loft angle). Iron golf club having a smaller loft angle (e.g., 20 to 30 degrees) is designated long iron, while iron golf club head having a larger loft angle (e.g., 40 to 50 degrees) designated short iron. In general, iron golf club is numbered, beginning at short iron toward long iron, such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, PW (pitching wedge) and LW (lob wedge) or the like.
Conventionally, there are two types of iron golf club heads in terms of its structure, one is so-called cavity back iron, having a face for striking balls and a back, the other so-called solid-back iron, having a smoothed back. Such golf club heads have one of the most important attributes thereof or so-called a sweet spot in a certain area on the face.
In the past, there has been proposed an iron golf club head, in FIG. 1 of Japanese patent Appln Laid-Open No.7-144029, wherein the weight in the outer periphery of the head is adjusted so that the center of gravity of the head may be consistent with the geometrical center on the face or the position at which balls are expected to be struck.
Whereas, for an iron golf club head, contradictory performances are required, i.e., allowing balls to travel a longer distance and at the same time permitting of the better-controlling of the travelling thereof. Long iron is for such longer-distance travelling, while short iron for better control of balls. According to the prior iron golf club head, there has been proposed the change of the configuration of the cavity, which, however, would set limit to satisfy the desired performances.

Iron-type golf club head production method therefor


A cell selection device (D) is dedicated to a piece of wireless communication equipment (MS) arranged to establish radio communications with a radio communication network comprising radio communication cells and to receive data representative of the cell environment and of service capabilities of each cell of this environment from the network. This device (D) comprises a control means (CM) arranged, when its equipment (MS) needs to access a chosen network service, to access the data received by the equipment (MS) and representative of the cell environment and the corresponding cell service capabilities, to determine whether there is at least one cell in this environment that allows to access the network service, and to order the equipment (MS) either to pursue or to establish a radio communication with the network via a selected one of these determined cells if the selected cell allows at least one chosen radio parameter criterion to be satisfied.

Wireless communication equipment is here meant to be understood as a type of equipment arranged to establish radio communications with a radio communication network, and notably the mobile phones and the personal digital assistants (PDAs) or laptops that are provided with a radio communication device. These pieces of equipment are often named mobile station (MS) or user equipment (UE).
Nowadays more and more communication standards coexist or are about to coexist in a same network or in networks that are connected to one another. Among these standards may notably be cited the 2 G standard (such as GSM), the 2.5 G standard (such as GPRS), the 2.75 G standard (such as EDGE), and the 3 G standard (such as UMTS).
The transition from one standard to another may be an "easy" task when equivalent technologies are concerned. This is notably the case of the transition from the 2 G standard to the 2.5 G standard. These standards effectively use a same type of modulation (GMSK) so that the transition mainly requires to update the base stations (of the radio access network) with a new software release.
But when a new standard uses either a new modulation (such as the 8 PSK in case of EDGE) or a new radio access mode (as it is the case in UMTS), the transition is much more complex and costly. For instance the transition from GPRS to EDGE requires to update the base stations (BTSs) and the base station controllers (BSCs) of the radio access network both with new software and hardware releases. Therefore, the update of a whole network can take several years during which the cells which are associated with a GPRS base station will not be able to offer the radio access to the network services (for instance high throughput or high data bit rate) which is offered by the cells associated with an EDGE base station to the pieces of wireless communication equipment connected to them. The transition from GPRS or EDGE to UMTS is still more complex because it requires a new network deployment.
This situation penalizes the users of pieces of wireless communication equipment which offer a multimode working such as GSM/GPRS/EDGE modes or even GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS modes (through two radio communication sub-systems).
Effectively, as is known by the man skilled in the art, a piece of wireless communication equipment is arranged to select the cell through which it accesses a network depending on the level of a radio parameter of the downlink signals (generally the BCCH carrier) it receives from the surrounding cells. In other words, a piece of wireless communication equipment selects the cell which momentarily offers the highest radio parameter level in order to reliably decode downlink signals and have the highest probability of uplink communication. Therefore, an EDGE or UMTS cell may be "hidden" by a GPRS cell which momentarily offers a better radio parameter level, thus forbidding equipment users to access the EDGE or UMTS network services.
So, the object of this invention is to improve the situation.

Cell selection device for wireless communication equipment


Systems and methods for generating and displaying an electrophysiology (EP) map are provided. A system includes a device including at least one sensor configured to collect a set of location data points, and a computer-based model construction system coupled to the device and configured to generate a geometry surface model from the set of location data points, associate an EP parameter with each of a plurality of points on the geometry surface model to generate an EP map, calculate a confidence metric for the EP parameter associated with each point, and display the EP map based on the calculated confidence metrics.

The human heart muscle routinely experiences electrical currents traversing its many surfaces and ventricles, including the endocardial surfaces. Just prior to each heart contraction, the heart muscle is said to "depolarize" and "repolarize," as electrical currents spread across the heart and throughout the body. In a healthy heart, the surfaces and ventricles of the heart will experience an orderly progression of a depolarization wave. In an unhealthy heart, such as those experiencing atrial arrhythmia, including for example, ectopic atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter, the progression of the depolarization wave may not be so orderly. Arrhythmias may persist as a result of scar tissue or other obstacles to rapid and uniform depolarization. These obstacles may cause depolarization waves to repeat a circuit around some part of the heart. Atrial arrhythmia can create a variety of dangerous conditions, including irregular heart rates, loss of synchronous atrioventricular contractions, and stasis of blood flow, all of which can lead to a variety of ailments and even death.
Medical devices, such as, for example, mapping, electroporation, and/or electrophysiology catheters, are used in a variety of diagnostic and/or therapeutic medical procedures to treat such heart arrhythmias. Typically in a procedure, a catheter is manipulated through a patient's vasculature to a patient's heart, for example, and carries one or more electrodes that may be used for mapping, ablation, diagnosis, and/or to perform other functions.
As three-dimensional mapping techniques incorporate increasingly sophisticated interpretations of physiology, there may be uncertainties in acquired electrophysiology parameters used to generate electrophysiology maps. To aid physicians, it would be useful to indicate a confidence metric associated with such parameters (i.e., a metric indicating how likely it is that the associated electrophysiology measurement is reliable). However, generating such a metric may be challenging, particularly when dealing with in vivo data that does not have a known correct value.

Systems and methods for displaying EP maps using confidence metrics

St. Jude Medical, Cardiology Division, Inc.


A radio paging selective receiver determines that a received message is unread based on the time difference between the message reception time and the current time being larger that some predetermined value of time, and the paging selective receiver provides an indication of the unread message by displaying the reception time of the unread message in a second fashion which is visibly different from a first fashion normally used to display the current time.

The present invention generally relates to a radio paging selective receiver (hereafter sometimes "pager") with a display function, and particularly, to a pager including a memory for storing a received message and a display for displaying a read message from the memory and notifying a presence of an unread message in the memory.

Radio paging selective receiver with display for notifying presence of unread message based on time of receipt


A computer-implemented method includes receiving a request to provision a set of storage volumes for a server cluster, wherein the request includes an identifier for the server cluster and generating a provisioning work ticket for each storage volume in the set of storage volumes, each provisioning work ticket including the identifier for the server cluster. The provisioning work tickets are provided to a message broker. Multiple volume provisioning instances are executed such that at least two of the volume provisioning instances operate in parallel with each other and such that each volume provisioning instance receives a respective provisioning work ticket from the message broker and attempts to provision a respective storage volume of the set of storage volumes for the server cluster in response to receiving the volume provisioning work ticket.

A server cluster is a collection of compute providers that are each configured to execute the same software. There are different types of compute providers including containers, virtual machines and physical devices. In general, multiple containers and virtual machines can be executed on a single physical device. Each compute provider is referred to as an instance of the software and the software is generally referred to as an application.
In order to make an application available for use, the application's developer must request the creation of a server cluster and then must deploy their application to each compute provider in the server cluster. In addition, for applications that require that the compute provider have access to persistent storage such as found in a disc drive or solid-state memory, the application's developer must provision persistent storage for each compute provider in the cluster.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.


A package for at least one laser diode includes: leads configured to be electrically connected to the at least one laser diode; a base including a mounting surface on which the at least one laser diode is to be mounted and a lateral wall located around the mounting surface so as to surround the at least one laser diode, the lateral wall defining first through-holes and including a light-transmissive part configured to transmit a laser beam emitted from the at least one laser diode; and a lead holding member bonded to the lateral wall of the base and defining second through-holes. The leads are disposed through the first through-holes and the second through-holes. At least a central portion of each of the leads is made of copper.

The present disclosure relates to a package, a light-emitting device, and a laser device.
A high-power laser beam is used to perform machining processes, such as cutting, boring and marking, on a wide variety of materials, and to weld metal materials. In recent years, with the increase in the output power of a semiconductor laser element (laser diode), it has been considered to use a light-emitting device including a laser diode as a high-power laser device for machining materials. Such a light-emitting device includes a package housing a laser diode, and can be used in various applications such as a projector or an illumination light source, as well as machining applications.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-016784 describes an example of a configuration of a package housing a light-emitting element such as a laser diode.

Package, light-emitting device, and laser device


A base for a heat-dissipating fan motor includes a plate member made of metal, a coupling barrel made of plastic, and an outer case made of plastic. The plate member is formed with at least one positioning leg and at least one air inlet hole. The plate member has a motor-confronting side, and the positioning leg extends inclinedly and protrudes from the motor-confronting side. The coupling barrel is adapted for coupling with the heat-dissipating fan motor, and has a closed-barrel end that has the positioning leg embedded therein, and an open-barrel end opposite to the closed barrel end. The outer case is connected to the plate member, cooperates with the coupling barrel to form a motor-receiving space, and is formed with an air outlet hole.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a base for a motor, more particularly to a base for a heat-dissipating fan motor used in portable electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional base 6 for a heat-dissipating fan motor 6 used in portable electronic devices, such as a notebook computer, includes an outer case 61 made of plastic and formed by injection molding, and a coupling barrel 62 made of metal, riveted to the outer case 61, and adapted for coupling with the heat-dissipating fan motor. The outer case 61 includes a base plate 611 riveted to the coupling barrel 62 and formed with a plurality of air inlet holes 612, and a case body 613 which extends integrally from the base plate 611 and which cooperates with the base plate 611 to define an air outlet holes 610. The coupling barrel 62 is shaped using a lathe (not shown).
Some of the disadvantages of the conventional base 6 for a heat-dissipating fan motor are as follows:
1. Because the coupling barrel 62 and the outer case 61 are interconnected by riveting, connection between the coupling barrel 62 and the outer case 61 is prone to loosen after a period of use.
2. Since a lathe is required to machine the coupling barrel 62, the manufacturing cost of the base 6 is relatively high.
3. In order for the base plate 611 of the outer case 61 to have sufficient strength, the thickness of the base plate 611 must be at least 1.2 millimeters, thereby resulting in a relatively large volume of the base 6, which in turn results in a corresponding increase in the volume of the portable electronic device that incorporates the base 6 for a heat-dissipating fan motor.


A segregation disk and method of separately storing items in a collapsible, tubular container uses segregation disks for segregating the collapsible container into multiple chambers of user-selectable size. The segregation disks are generally planar disks having a diameter slightly greater than the interior diameter of the container, and formed of a flexible material that have a plurality of radial slits extending inwardly from their periphery to form a plurality of flexible wedges. At the terminus of each radial slit is a tear break, generally a circular hole. An integral pull tab extends from a peripheral region of one of the flexible wedges to facilitate removal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to containers and, more specifically, to a disk for a collapsible container composed of a bendable material having a plurality of radial slits that form flexible wedges around its periphery, that are designed to flex independently inwardly or outwardly while being pushed into place within a tube, or pulled out of place via a pull tab. At the terminating end of each radial slit a "tear break" is provided by means of a hole that prevents the slits from tearing during flexure in or out of a container. The segregation disks of the present invention have a structure that is easily insertable and securable to a desired location within a tube, while allowing for easy removal of a placed and secured disk by action of pulling a pull tab. Additionally the present invention is made of a single body construction whereby the provided pull tab is an integral component of a wedge portion of the present invention.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other storage devices designed for similar purposes. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 1,048,935 issued to Brady on Dec. 31, 1912.
Another patent was issued to Wiswell on Dec. 6, 1938 as U.S. Pat. No. 2,139,143. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 2,685,316 was issued to Krasno on Aug. 3, 1954 and still yet another was issued on May 12, 1959 to Davison as U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,084. Another U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,110 was issued to Parker on Aug. 11, 1959.
Another patent was issued to Stracey on Nov. 3, 1964 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,281. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,459 was issued to Gahm on Nov. 15, 1966. Another was issued to Santelli on Jan. 31, 1967 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,293 and still yet another was issued on Mar. 25, 1969 to Valtri et al. as U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,589.
Another patent was issued to Markowitz on Sep. 3, 1974 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,154. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,887 was issued to Scarnato on Feb. 24, 1976. Another was issued to Martin et al, on Aug. 30, 1977 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,836 and still yet another was issued on May 27, 1980 to Graves as U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,611.
Another patent was issued to Keffeler on Feb. 8, 1983 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,445. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,059 was issued to Schuman on Apr. 26, 1983. Another was issued to Hollenbeck on Jul. 26, 1983 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,906 and still yet another was issued on Jan. 8, 1985 to Touzani as U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,313.
Another patent was issued to Keffeler on Apr. 5, 1988 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,318. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,085 was issued to Denney on Jun. 7, 1988. Another was issued to Halbich on Dec. 27, 1988 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,492 and still yet another was issued on Mar. 7, 1989 to Albright as U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,877.
Another patent was issued to Dirksing et al, on Oct. 10, 1989 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,100. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,576 was issued to Torgrimson et al. on Oct. 24, 1989. Another was issued to Hornstein on Jul. 10, 1990 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,138 and still yet another was issued on Sep. 11, 1990 to Touzani as U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,493.
Another patent was issued to Touzani on Mar. 26, 1991 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,193. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,438 was issued to Norwood on Apr. 13, 1993. Another was issued to Osbakk on Aug. 31, 1993 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,130 and still yet another was issued on Dec. 14, 1993 to Gilbert as U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,428.
Another patent was issued to Crowther on Jun. 21, 1994 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,166. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,213 was issued to Robbins et al. on Aug. 27, 1996. Another was issued to Weiss et al. on Jul. 21, 1998 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,372 and still yet another was issued on Aug. 22, 2000 to Mazda as U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,815.
Another patent was issued to Kogen on Oct. 3, 2000 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,010. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,224 was issued to Freeman on Mar. 20, 2001. Another was issued to Holmberg on Sep. 25, 2001 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,403 and still yet another was issued on May 18, 2004 to Stewart-Stand as U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,285.
Another patent was issued to Weder on May 31, 2005 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,899. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,324 was issued to Delorio on Feb. 28, 2006. Another was issued to Hutt on Jul. 20, 1928 as UK Patent No. GB 294,187 and still yet another was issued on Dec. 8, 1943 to Coomber as UK Patent No. GB 557,857. Another was issued to Gahm on Aug. 28, 1968 as UK Patent No. GB 1,125,488 and still yet another was issued on Dec. 31, 2002 to Miller as UK Patent No. GB 2,376,877.                U.S. Pat. No. 1,048,935        Inventor: John F. Brady        Issued: Dec. 31, 1912
A drinking cup embodying a base plate with a marginal bead, a collapsible cup on said base plate, a housing member inclosing the cup and comprising a body portion with a side provided near its marginal edge with a resilient internal curved flange forming a seat for said bead, and means for releasing said bead from its seat comprising a spring plate having a portion secured to the inner face of said body and a releasing wedge movable with said spring plate and having a portion projecting through the side wall of the housing.                U.S. Pat. No. 2,139,143        Inventor: Norman N. Wiswell        Issued: Dec. 6, 1938
A container having a foldable side wall of readily bendable and collapsible material creased over substantially the entire length of the container with a plurality of substantially parallel fold initiating creases extending around the side wall, said creases having a plurality of intermissions which occur at several points about the circumference of the wall, all in such manner that the container may be substantially collapsed by endwise pressure, with the side wall material between said parallel creases, and also at the intermissions in each crease, bending reversely to the direction of deformation of said fold initiating creases.                U.S. Pat. No. 2,685,316        Inventor: Louis R. Krasno        Issued: Aug. 3, 1954
A container for perishable products comprising a body including a bottom wall, spaced parallel side walls, and connecting flexible end walls, a flexible filling neck carried by the upper ends of the side and end walls, and a removable sealing closure for the neck, and connecting end walls being provided with vertically extending accordion pleats running from the bottom wall to the neck, whereby the connecting end walls can be collapsed upon pressure being applied to the side walls for bringing said side walls toward one another.                U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,084        Inventor: Delphine L. Davison        Issued: May 12, 1959
A portable container including a base, a top, and an upright accordion-like wall structure of pliable, moisture-proof material connected at its lower end to the base and at the upper end to said top, the wall structure including an accordion-like inner wall and a similar outer wall in a spaced relation to said inner wall, coil spring means in the space between the inner wall and the outer wall, the spring means bearing at the lower end against said base and bearing at the upper end against said top, and urging the top in a direction away from the base, the top being provided with a central aperture opening into the space surrounded by the inner wall, air valve means in the top for passage of air into or out of the space between the outer wall and the inner wall, and a removable closure for the aperture in said top, the accordion-like wall structure being adapted to be collapsed against the resistance of the spring means by manual pressure upon the top towards the base.                U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,110        Inventor: Carol Parker        Issued: Aug. 11, 1959
A dispensing container comprising a generally circular top, a generally circular bottom and a generally conical side wall of flexible resilient material connecting the peripheral portions of said top and bottom, said side walls comprising a plurality of side by side integrally formed pleats, each of said pleats consisting of an inwardly and upwardly sloping upper strip wall and an inwardly and downwardly sloping lower strip walls of each pleat intersecting to define an outwardly projecting hinged connection, and the inner edges of the strip walls of said pleats intersecting to define an inwardly projecting hinged connection, said strip walls being approximately flat in transverse direction and being adapted to be brought into close face to face relation by the action of said hinged connections without exceeding the elastic limit thereof in response to collapsing movement applied to said top and bottom the degree of conicity of said walls being sufficient to permit said inwardly projecting hinged connections to substantially contact said bottom when said container is collapsed.                U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,281        Inventor: John Stracey        Issued: Nov. 3, 1964
A novel container for powders, pastes, and liquids, comprising a main chamber having a substantially flexible resilient wall member in the form of a continuous helical bellows biased to expand position by the inherent resiliency of said wall member, a base open at the top and having an inner side wall having a larger diameter than said wall member, a closed bottom and internal threads on said base spaced upwardly from said bottom and spaced inwardly from said inner side wall, said internal threads cooperating with the lower end of said resilient wall member to connect said base to said wall member, said wall member being adapted to be screwed into and thereby collapsed within said base, the upper end of said chamber being provided with means for dispensing the contents of said chamber.                U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,459        Inventor: Wilbert J. Gahm        Issued: Nov. 15, 1966
In a collapsible multicompartment container, the combination comprising: a base member, a vertically oriented circumferential wall extending upwardly from said base at right angles thereto to define a cup-shaped portion, a second wall attached to said base within said circumferential wall and coaxial therewith, said second wall extending angularly upwardly and outwardly from said base and defining a second cup-shaped portion, a plurality of rings of progressively larger diameter than said second wall at its point of interconnection with said base which may be elevated progressively to engage each other and said second wall to define a receptacle of increasing diameter, a complementary cover for said container including a top portion and downwardly extending side wall portions, frictionally cooperable with said circumferential wall on said base to define a container therewith, said cover portion further including a second wall extending vertically downwardly from said top in parallel relation to said side wall portions to define an inverted container within said cover, a closure member for said cover container including an upwardly directed side wall portion adapted to frictionally embrace said second wall of said cover container, said closure member having a diameter greater than the inner diameter of said second cup-shaped portion in said base at the point of interconnection of said second wall and said base but lesser than the inner diameter of said second cup-shaped portion at its uppermost extremity, whereby said closure member will be retained in position on said wall of said cover container by said wall of said second cup-shaped portion in said base when said cover and said base are interconnected, and indicating indicia on said closure member and said wall of said cover container to indicate times for use of materials contained within said cover container.                U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,293        Inventor: Thomas R. Santelli        Issued: Jan. 31, 1967
A collapsible container comprising opposite top and bottom walls and a flexible side wall interconnecting said top and bottom walls to enclose a space, said side wall having a plurality of longitudinally spaced bellows-like pleats each defined by a ridge and outwardly extending wall portions converging at the ridge, and interlocking means formed on a number of adjacent pairs of said pleats for retaining the container in any selected one of a plurality of collapsed positions,                U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,589        Inventor: Frank J. Valtri et al.        Issued: Mar. 25, 1969
A throw-away personal-use container of resilient plastic material comprising a compressible-expandable cup; said cup having a bottom, an annular wall, and a removable cap; said cup having a bottom, an annular wall, and a removable cap; said annular wall alternately decreasing and increasing diametrically, forming accordion-like folds; said bottom being provided with a pair of individual wells each of a size and shape adapted for receiving with clearance an individual tablet or pellet; said cap, when said cup is fully compressed, closing each well to retain the tablet therein; and means retaining said cup in fully compressed condition pending use of said tablets.                U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,154        Inventor: Isral J. Markowitz        Issued: Sep. 3, 1974
A collapsible dispensing container wherein a container body is provided with an opening having a discharge member engaged over the opening, and in the opening is a one-way valve resiliently biased to permit fluent material movement outwardly upon collapse of the container body and prevent fluent material entry to the body.                U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,887        Inventor: Thomas J. Scarnato        Issued: Feb. 24, 1976
A self-expandable, foldable and reusable container made of elastic material which is adapted to be collapsed progressively from top to bottom to a volumetric dimension substantially equal to the substance contained therein to minimize air space in the container. An air tight closure is tightened about an access opening in said container while the same is held in collapsed condition. The folds of said container are formed with sections of different geometry to effect progressive flexibility from the top to the bottom thereof.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,836        Inventor: Edward J. Martin        Issued: Aug. 30, 1977
A dispenser for dry powders, and in particular for fire extinguishing powders, formed as a container having a handle/nozzle section to be gripped by one hand, a hand gripping section to be gripped by the other hand, and a central bellows section for alternate axial compression and expansion to pump the powder from the container and thereby to discharge it in repeated cloud-like bursts. By regulating the quantity of powder in the dispenser and the powder dispensing opening it is possible to repeatedly discharge fire extinguishing effective amounts of a fire extinguishing powder. In one preferred embodiment the handle/nozzle section is configured as an elongated conical member.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,611        Inventor: Joel S. Graves        Issued: May 27, 1980
A product dispenser for dispensing products, such as tablets, on a time related schedule, or randomly as desired, comprising a generally cylindrical product receiving magazine having a plurality of axially spaced groups of circumferentially spaced, radially outwardly opening, product receiving pockets which are generally in axial alignment with the pockets of adjacent groups to form circumferentially spaced rows of pockets; a plurality of product retaining rotatable rings mounted on the magazine in radial alignment with the pockets for retaining the tablets in the pockets; each ring including a tablet dispensing aperture therethrough adapted to be moved into alignment with a selected one of the pockets; a plurality of axially spaced indicia, representing the days of the week, lying in the planes of the groups of pockets; and circumferentially spaced indicia, representing different time periods throughout the day, generally longitudinally aligned with the rows of pockets.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,445        Inventor: Paul J. Keffeler        Issued: Feb. 8, 1983
A medication dispenser includes a container defining a plurality of open topped medication compartments adapted to be closed by a compartment cover assembly including a plurality of individual covers connected together by fracturable links. Each cover includes an integral fracturable tab depending from one end and coacting means on the container and tabs for securing the tabs in snap-fit relation when the cover is positioned to close its respective compartment. Thus each tab is independently secured relative to the container and fractured from its respective cover in response to upward movement of the opposite end of the cover to open the compartment.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,059        Inventor: Edwin A. Schuman        Issued: Apr. 26, 1983
Easy opening article storing and dispensing containers and method in which puzzle-like locking means secure against access to the container contents by very young children by obscuring the mode of opening it. The annular container shell has closable dispensing aperture means opening through the shell side wall. Locking means at one or more ends of the shell optionally prevents or permits opening and closing of the container by alignment or offset of release means with respect to a sliding means. Pills or other units may be segregated in separate amounts or dosages within the container and dispensed in predetermined sequence from a plurality of rings of radially openable compartments forming a stack in which rows of compartments around the container axis can be rotated to sequentially register with the aperture means and compartments of each row sequentially opened.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,906        Inventor: John C. Hollenbeck        Issued: Jul. 26, 1983
Food container/holder formed from foamed polymer and having a body portion of ascending corrugated bands for extruding food under hand pressure.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,313        Inventor: William Touzani        Issued: Jan. 8, 1985
A collapsible or foldable plastic bottle of circular bellows like configuration capable of manufacture on current plastic bottle manufacturing equipment with current plastic materials approved for contact with foods and beverages. The bellows over center and fold to retain the folded condition without external assistance thus providing a self-latching feature. In particular, the bellows of the bottle, when fully folded, cause the bottle to substantially fit within a cup fastened to the base of the bottle. The cup is generally formed by further extending the cup upward and increasing the diameter slightly in comparison with the reinforcing cup on current soda pop bottles.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,318        Inventor: Paul J. Keffeler        Issued: Apr. 5, 1988
A medication dispenser includes a reusable container adapted to receive one or more disposable multicompartment liners for sanitary storage of medication out of contact with the reusable container. The open-topped compartments of the liners are closed by individual covers which are locked onto the container with a fracturable tab which must be broken to open a compartment. Each cover has a depending peripheral flange adapted for insertion into a peripheral channel around each compartment of the liner to form an air-tight seal for tamper-proof sanitary airtight storage of a patient's medication.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,085        Inventor: James D. Denney        Issued: Jun. 7, 1988
A rectangular, open-top shallow tray with enclosing side walls has markings designating each day of the week equally spaced across the top and a set of individual compartments or pill boxes for each day of the week resting in the tray in line with each of the designated days of the week and frictionally and removably held in place in the tray so that each of the set of pill boxes can be separately and individually removed from the tray whereby the user can conveniently carry prescribed medication for a given day separate from the other days of the week.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,492        Inventor: Frank Halbich        Issued: Mar. 7, 1989
An improved homecare pillbox containing a plurality of compartments for pills or the like arranged, indexed and differentiated in units for use over a selected period of time such as a week, and for providing proper medication in accurate doses to patients, whether supervised or unsupervised; readily releasable means for securing together any number of such units for holding several types of medication to be taken at different times during the day; and cover means for easy opening and access and for storing and protecting medication.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,877        Inventor: Marie O. Albright        Issued: Mar. 7, 1989
A device for dispensing medicament capsules is set forth which includes a housing within which are disposed a plurality of vertically spaced and substantially parallel transverse dispensing gates. Each dispensing gate has a like number of apertures extending vertically through the gate and spaced at different radial distances from the housing axis where the radial distances are of equal length in each one of the plurality of gates. Those apertures located at equal radial distances in successive dispensing gates are spaced in a radial sequence of equal angles. Between each successive dispensing gate a removable and reloadable carriage member is located which is contiguous with the dispensing gate and each carriage member has a multiplicity of radially spaced slots extending vertically through the carriage member for storage of medicament capsules. The slots are sequentially located concentrically about the vertical axis at radial distances equal to those radial distances locating a dispensing gate aperture. The carriage members are connected together to permit vertical alignment of the carriage member slots such that upon rotation of the carriage members, the slots remain in vertical alignment. A programmable motor is also provided to index or rotate the carriage members whereby upon open alignment of any carriage member slot with a dispensing gate aperture the capsules contained in the slot will pass downwardly through the dispensing gate.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,100        Inventor: Robert S. Dirksing et al.        Issued: Oct. 10, 1989
A bistable expandable bottle preferably including a concentrated material to be diluted, said bottle being comprised of convex shaped bellows when in its expanded condition, said bottle also including opposed handle means for facilitating the extension of the bottle from its collapsed to its expanded condition. In a preferred embodiment a self-venting closure is also employed to seal the orifice in said bottle to permit extension of the bottle from its collapsed to its expanded condition without loosening or removing of the closure.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,576        Inventor: Lee A. Torgrimson et al.        Issued: Oct. 24, 1989
A mixing kit for beverages or other mixtures is disclosed. Such a kit includes a predetermined volume of a first substantially non-gaseous mixture component. The first mixture component is adapted for combination with a second liquid mixture component in a predetermined mixture ratio. A volume expandable enclosure is included for retaining the mixture components. The enclosure defines a predetermined condensed enclosure volume sufficient to retain the volume of the first mixture component, and a predetermined expanded enclosure mixture volume. The mixture volume is sufficient to retain both the first and second mixture components in the desired predetermined ratio.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,138        Inventor: Allan S. Hornstein        Issued: Jul. 10, 1990
A cylindrical tube having a removable end closure at a first end and a collapsible drinking cup inserted in a second end is provided as a storage container for miscellaneous items such as first aid components. In its collapsed state, the collapsible drinking cup functions as an end plug for the container and in its extended state, it is a liquid tight cup for use with the container contents.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,493        Inventor: William N. Touzani        Issued: Sep. 11, 1990
A collapsible plastic hollow article having a top and a base joined by a substantially cylindrical side wall integral therewith and an aperture in the top, comprising a plurality of substantially circular bellows formed by conical sections integrally joined to create at least a portion of the side wall, the conical sections comprising alternating short portions and long portions, said short portions being at a greater angle to the bottle axis than said long portions, and the lesser diameter junctures of the long portions with the short portions being formed to create fold rings for the substantially circular bellows, wherein means for connecting a suction cup to said base.                U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,193        Inventor: William N. Touzani        Issued: Mar. 26, 1991
A collapsible, expansible, plastic hollow article having a top and a base joined by a substantially cylindrical side wall integral therewith and an aperture in the top, comprising a plurality of substantially circular bellows formed by conical sections integrally joined to create at least a portion of the article side wall, the conical sections comprising alternating short portions and long portions, said short portions being at a greater angle to the article axis than said long portions, and the lesser diameter junctures of the long portions with the short portions being formed to create fold rings for said substantially circular bellows. A handle means comprising a clip snugly fits in between adjacent conical sections joined by a lesser diameter juncture, and a grip having a further support at a lower point of the side wall. Thus the hollow article can be held in a straight configuration.                U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,438        Inventor: Peter M. Norwood        Issued: Apr. 13, 1993
A multi-faceted collapsible container has a sidewall of joined-together rings comprised of pyramidal segments having peaks extending outwardly. Each segment is comprised of four polygonal facets; the upper pair of facets is longer than the lower pair. Sufficient vertical force causes the smaller lower facets to fold under the longer upper facets, collapsing the rings and the sidewall of the container.                U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,130        Inventor: Georg Osbakk        Issued: Aug. 31, 1993
A compressible body comprising a container and a flexible annular wall member, and the container, in turn, includes a cylindrical side wall and a prestressed locking member. The side wall of the container forms an upper edge and defines a cylindrical space having a given circumference, and the locking member of the container is mounted on the upper edge of the side wall and is inherently biased radially inwardly toward a position inward of that given circumference. The wall member of the bottle is mounted inside the container of the bottle, and that wall member has extended and compressed positions. In the extended position, the wall member extends upward from the container; and in the compressed position, the wall member is at least substantially contained within the container and the upper portion of the wall member is below the locking member of the container. Moreover, when the wall member is compressed into its compressed position, the locking member moves radially inwardly, due to is inherent resiliency, to a locking position in which the locking member extends directly over the upper portion of the wall member and locks that wall member inside the container.                U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,428        Inventor: Neil Y. Gilbert        Issued: Dec. 14, 1993
A collapsible container having at least one helical preferential fold region that enables a user to gradually and fixedly increase or decrease the internal volume of the container. A cup section is used to act on the collapsible container to cause folding or unfolding of the collapsible container's side wall.                U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,166        Inventor: Jonathan M. Crowther        Issued: Jun. 21, 1994
A pill storage and dispensing container has a lower storage unit with a plurality of radially arranged individual pill storage compartments. An upper storage unit positioned directly above and nestled within the lower unit also has a plurality of similarly arranged storage compartments as well as one bottomless compartment. A top cover is positioned directly above the upper storage unit, and a dispensing opening in the cover is arranged to communicate with the various compartments in the upper unit as well as with the bottomless compartment and the various compartments of the lower storage unit as the cover is rotated relative to the storage units. A hub shaft releasably interconnects the upper and lower storage units and the top cover while allowing the storage units and cover to rotate relative to on another. Twenty eight individual storage compartments are provided in a compact container which enables pills to be dispensed four times per day over a seven day period.                U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,213        Inventor: Edward S. Robbins III et al.        Issued: Aug. 27, 1996
A container and associated cap assembly includes a container body having an open upper end defined by an annular rim, the rim having a substantially horizontal uppermost edge surface and a radially outwardly and downwardly extending bevelled surface. The cap has a top wall, a radially outer depending skirt portion and a radially inner depending skirt portion. The skirt portions are connected radially by an internal cap surface which includes a first substantially horizontal surface portion extending radially away from the radially inner skirt; a second downwardly and outwardly inclined sealing surface portion, and a third radiused surface portion connected to the radially outer skirt. The second downwardly and outwardly inclined sealing surface is sealingly engageable with the bevelled surface of the annular rim such that the substantially horizontal uppermost edge surface is axially spaced from the cap top wall upon full threaded engagement between said cap and said container body.                U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,372        Inventor: Marla Weiss et al.        Issued: Jul. 21, 1998
A carrying case which can be opened or collapsed is disclosed. The carrying case has at least a first nestable module and a second nestable module. The first module has a bottom portion which has an inward projection. A side portion of the first module has a compartment which can be withdrawn from the first module. A second module has a top portion which has an outward projection and a side portion of the second module has a compartment which can be withdrawn from the second module, wherein the outward and inward projections of the first and second modules cooperate as a stop means for controlling the opening of the carrying case. The first and second modules are nestable within one another and are adapted to slidably collapse into one another and slidably open into a position to provide access to the compartments.                U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,815        Inventor: Masayosi Mazda        Issued: Aug. 22, 2000
A port closure is a combination which includes a tank, a closure member and an actuator. The tank has defining walls, an exterior surface, an interior surface, an interior cavity and an access port. The closure member is disposed within the interior cavity of the tank. The closure member has an access port engaging face that is larger than a cross-sectional area of the access port. The actuator is coupled with the closure member and moves the closure member between a first position in which the access port engaging face closes the access port and a second position laterally spaced from the access port.                U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,010        Inventor: Robert A. Kogen        Issued: Oct. 3, 2000
A combination pill dispenser and collapsible drinking cup unit. The unit includes an elongated hollow body, a first removable cap member, a second removable cap member, a pill organizer, and a collapsible cup. The hollow body has an outer wall including opposed first and second ends and an end wall located adjacent the first forming a hollow chamber in which the pill organizer is located. A first removable cap is provided to close the chamber in which the organizer is located. The organizer includes a plurality of wedge-shaped compartments formed by plural wall panels radiating outward from a central post. The post projects upward from a circular, planar base member. A circular, planar cover is rotatably mounted on the post and includes a wedge shaped opening in its periphery. The opening is arranged to selectively communicate with a respective one of the compartments when the cover is rotated to a desired orientation. The second cap member has an end wall and a peripheral flange, and is arranged for releasable securement to the first end of the hollow body. The collapsible cup is located on the end wall of the second cap member and within the bounds of the peripheral flange. The collapsible cup is formed of plural conical shaped sections which are nested together and arranged to be moved from the nested position to an extended position to form a leak-proof cup.                U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,224        Inventor: Ronald A. Freeman        Issued: Mar. 20, 2001
A portable container for disposing of liquid waste products is disclosed having an expandable container into which an impermeable liner is inserted. The liner is secured to the container to prevent spillage and leaks. Furthermore, a water soluble gel pack is placed in the liner such that when a liquid waste product is deposited into the liner, the water soluble gel pack dissolves and the gel powder contained therein reacts with the liquid waste product thereby transforming it into a gel form, a solidified waste product, for easy disposal. The liner containing the solidified waste product is removed from the expandable container and disposed of by conventional means, enabling in the expandable container to be reused with a new liner and water soluble gel pack.                U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,403        Inventor: Douglas A. Holmberg        Issued: Sep. 25, 2001
A system to organize, store and dispense a plurality of tablets in a predetermined therapeutic regime comprising a plurality of sets of separate packets corresponding to the days of the week or the dates of the month configured to store at least one tablet therein wherein each set of separate packets comprises a subset of the packets corresponding to the time of day or date the plurality tablets for the corresponding day or date are to be administered and a packet organizer to arrange the sets and subsets of packets sequentially by day or date and time of day or date for each corresponding day or date for selectively dispensing and consumption of the appropriate tablet or tablets at the proper time and day or date.                U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,285        Inventor: Theo A. Stewart-Stand        Issued: May 18, 2004
A floral container sized to contain a flower pot or a growing medium and a plant, the floral container having a base and a detachable upper portion constructed in the configuration of an accordion fold which can be expanded vertically. The floral container may optionally have a skirt portion.                U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,899        Inventor: Donald E. Weder        Issued: May 31, 2005
A floral container sized to contain a flower pot or a growing medium and a plant, the floral container having a base and a detachable upper portion constructed in the configuration of an accordion fold which can be expanded vertically. The floral container may optionally have a skirt portion.                U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,324        Inventor: Lorraine Delorio        Issued: Feb. 28, 2006
A multi-compartment pill container constructed to hold a week's worth of medication for a user. The container has a housing having a top surface, a number of removable compartments held within the rectangular openings in the top surface of the housing, and a lid attached to the housing and extending over the compartments. Each compartment is divided into chambers by separation walls. Each chamber has a chamber cover on which indicia is printed. The indicia includes abbreviations for the days of the week for each of the compartments, as well as times of the day for each of the chambers. At the correct time, the user ingests the medication from the appropriate chamber. The container also includes a telescopic drinking cup to aid in the taking of medication and a timer to notify the user to take the medication. Each compartment may be completely removed from the housing to allow the user to carry the compartment separate from the entire container.                U.K. Patent Number GB 294,187        Inventor: Arthur Cyril Hutt        Issued: Jul. 20, 1928
Collapsible tubes or containers of the kind which are provided with a stiff outer casing, in order to avoid the shapeless and unsightly appearance of the container when partially empty. The container is of annular cross-section, having a rigid outer wall and a collapsible inner wall, between which the material is enclosed. The inner wall is corrugated longitudinally, and can be distended outwardly towards the outer wall by means of a follower, in order to expel the material. A container of this form, having both walls collapsible, may be held in a stiff outer casing, formed with a bulge, into which the outer wall of the container is forced when pressure is applied, so as to lock the two parts of the device together. A collapsible container, of bellows form is provided with a deformable rib, which can be pressed into a groove at the upper end of a stiff outer casing. The container may comprise a flanged body part, and a separate end-member, which can rest upon a shoulder on a stiff outer casing. The rim of the casing is then turned over, so as to clamp the parts together. The collapsible container may be of telescopic form.                U.K. Patent Number GB 557,857        Inventor: Cyril Everard Renton Coomber        Issued: Dec. 8, 1943
A collapsible container for liquids comprises a flexible collapsible body portion of rubber or rubberized canvas afforded by strip connected by bands, end members of similar but stiffer material, one of them being provided with filling and vent openings, detachable stay members adapted to be housed in sockets and engaged by rings attached to the corrugations to hold the container in distended condition and to be disposed together in a pair of similar sockets provided on the end, to serve as a handle for the collapsed container, straps being provided to hold the container in the collapsed condition.                U.K. Patent Number GB 1,125,488        Inventor: Wilbert Joseph Gahm        Issued: Aug. 28, 1968
A collapsible container comprises a base member to the base of which is secured a collapsible container made up of telescoping rings which extend to form a cup, and a cover comprising a cup-shaped receptacle portion, closable by a cover and in which pills may be kept. The cover is marked to cooperate with an index mark on the wall of the receptacle to indicate for example the time for taking the next pill.                U.K. Patent Number GB 2,376,877        Inventor: Austen Charles Miller        Issued: Dec. 31, 2002
A container is formed from end pieces rotated at 90 degrees relative to each other, spaced apart by six resilient rods of carbon- or glass-fibre reinforced material. Textile panels interpose the rods, and alternate panels are a gauze fabric to allow air movement. The rods are located in pockets stitched on the hexagonal end pieces. Pushing the end pieces together in a twisting motion collapses the container into a planar configuration. The textile panels are wider at the middle than the ends, and form a skewed parallelogram. The hems between the panels are stitched with pockets for the rods. A loop can be provided to hang the container, and a hook within can be used to hang items stored inside. A closure allows access to the interior. When extended, the container has a twisted bowed shape.
While these containers may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.

Segregation disk for a collapsible container


An apparatus for positioning a magnetic head includes a servo signal detection circuit for detecting a servo signal recorded on a magnetic disk in a predetermined first period, an acceleration measuring portion which is fitted to a part of a mechanism for mounting a magnetic head, outputs an acceleration signal in a direction of positioning the magnetic head, and samples the acceleration signal in a second period shorter than the first period, a comparison processing portion for comparing a deviation value computed from at least either one of the acceleration signal and the servo signal with a predetermined value, a write inhibit signal generating portion for generating a signal inhibiting write of data on a magnetic disk in accordance with the result of comparison in the comparison processing portion, and a manipulated variable compensation portion for generating manipulated variable for adjusting the position of the magnetic head from at least either one of the servo signal and the acceleration signal and a target value of the position of the magnetic head, whereby to prevent erroneous write operation of data onto a magnetic disk due to unsteady positioning error of the magnetic head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotating storage device, and more particularly to a technique effective in detecting of an abnormality such as off-track positioning, data protection or the like in an information storage device such as a magnetic disk unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In JP-A-63-213176, there is disclosed a method in which an accelerometer is installed on a cabinet body or a base, a cover, a circuit substrate or the like of a device, so that a vibration or a shock from the outside of the device is detected thereby to suspend data recording, or so that reaction force against a seek driving force is detected thereby to feed back the reaction force to a control system.
Further, in JP-A-60-136972, a technique for performing state feedback control by installing an accelerometer on a head slider is disclosed. In JP-A-63-42073, a technique that an accelerometer is fitted to a carriage portion and state feedback is made in order to remove mechanical resonance of a pivot portion of a rotary carriage is disclosed. Further, in JP-A-2-226560, a technique that a sensor for detecting bending vibration of an arm portion and an actuator are provided so as to improve rigidity of the arm portion in point of control. Furthermore, in JP-A-3-76064 and JP-A-3-192585, an accelerometer is provided in the vicinity of a carriage or a head so as to constitute an analog minor loop in a sector servo system.

Apparatus for positioning magnetic head and method of the same


A self-clearing extension set comprising a first shunt flow pathway for direct delivery of liquid from a source of pressurized liquid to a patient catheter and a second shunt flow pathway wherein injected fluid is cleared from an add-site to the patient catheter by selectively diverted flow from the source. Two methods and associated apparatus for injecting biologically active liquid and clearing the injected liquid through a smaller lumen of a dual lumen extension tube are disclosed. Two methods for occluding one flow pathway while providing a patent flow pathway through the other flow pathway are also disclosed. Each add-site sealingly accepts a syringe needle which is used to inject biologically active liquid into the second shunt flow pathway. Each add-site comprises a low geometric dead space such that no meaningful quantity of injected liquid remains in the add-site after the rest of the injected bolus of liquid has been cleared to the patient catheter. Novel methods and apparatus for connecting to the dual lumen extension tube, and particularly for connecting to the smaller lumen of the extension tube, are disclosed.

In modern medical practice, it is common to infuse more than one medicating liquid into a patient at the same or nearly the same time. For this purpose, multi-lumen IV infusion devices are frequently used so that a single patient infusion site may be employed. Most multi-lumen systems are of the type wherein the multiple lumen feature is incorporated within the intravascular catheter itself, and are usually used for more invasive IV approaches as subclavian, internal jugular, or for venous access via a cut down procedure. Some existing multiple lumen IV devices require an entire IV system to be set up for each of the infusion channels being used. The set up includes an IV fluid bag, the IV administration tubing set, and, if extra length is desired, an extension set for each channel as well.
One system, available from Abbott Laboratories, Inc., does allow a two channel infusion into one venipuncture, with the double channel being external to the patient. However, the Abbott system requires a duplicate set of fluid bags, administration sets, and extension tubing.
One method of infusing of a plurality of medications externally into a single lumen catheter is through the use of an extension set. Use of various kinds of extension sets are known in the art. Extension sets are available in the art for continuous and intermittent delivery of medications through an IV tube to an indwelling patient catheter. For such purposes, "Y" connections are provided at an upstream site in the extension set where injection is made. Often a hypodermic syringe is used to pierce a self-sealing diaphragm at the end of one branch of the "Y" connection to introduce a medication into a single orifice extending tube of the extension set.
A significant problem of introducing such medications at an upstream site to flow therefrom to an indwellng infusion catheter through such a single orifice tube is mixing which occurs with other fluids resident in the tube and a resultant dilution of the medicant which occurs prior to reaching the indwelling patient catheter. Such mixing and dilution changes the time course and concentration of the administered drug and the ensuing patient response.
Some IV infused drugs are powerful in very small amounts, such as Nitroglycerine, Nitroprusside, Xylocaine, Dopamine, and Isuprel. During administration of such drugs, it often becomes necessary to rapidly slow down or quickly halt the drug infusion rate due to an exaggerated response of the patient. In IV tubing systems where there is any upstream mixing, all infusion must be stopped entirely to quickly halt the drug infusion. A common complication of stopping all IV flow is clotting which can result in a lost IV infusion site. Recovery of the IV infusion site raises the risk that a new IV bottle and administration set may be used, but the same extension set may be retained whereupon the new IV fluid is "flushed in" through the extension set containing a portion of the drug previously stopped. The previously stopped drug is then flushed through to cause an undesired patient response.
An example of a drug administered by IV which requires a precise titration to a patient is IV Dopamine, a commonly given IV medication for hypotension. The administration of Dopamine is often complicated by a need to rapidly infuse a large volume of fluid concurrent with the Dopamine infusion to augment blood pressure.
The above cited examples of problems associated with very potent medications demonstrate the need for carefully controlling administration rates and delivering some medications separately from other IV infused liquids. For these purposes and to provide a haltable medication delivery pathway, a dual lumen extension set having one smaller lumen and one larger lumen is used. Such medication is normally delivered through the smaller lumen while the larger lumen is used to maintain a second, and perhaps greater, liquid infusion rate.
One of the major problems associated with infusion of drugs into extension sets upstream from an indwelling catheter is dead space. Dead space may be considered to be of two types, geometric and dynamic. Geometric dead space is defined as the space within a device which is not functionally useful, such as a portion of the space within a device which receives a bolus of liquid but from which the share of liquid received by the dead space does not evacuate immediately when the rest of the liquid is washed therefrom. Most often liquid captured in a geometric dead space washes out over a relatively long period of time thereby diluting and distorting the downstream effect of the liquid medication injected as a single bolus into the device. Dynamic dead space is defined as space which is completely cleared by a single wash, but only after a primary injecting function is completed and a subsequent clearing wash function is later performed. Any delay in performing the clearing function also distorts the downstream effect of an injected bolus of medication.
Clinicians frequently increase a cleansing flow of saline or other high volume wash fluid through a known geometric dead space containing device to a "wide open" state for a brief period to wash out the liquid retained in the geometric dead space. Such a "wide open" state of flow into any indwelling catheter is potentially hazardous if left open for too long a time. Bedside processes involved in correcting for inherent geometric dead space are therefore both detrimental to efficiently providing patient IV care and, in some circumstances, life threatening.
A proposed solution to the problems of geometric dead space and dilution of an administered medication through an extension set is advanced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,435 which discloses a dual lumen extension tube and a "Y" connection wherein a bolus of medication is delivered by a syringe needle inserted through a sealable membrane into one lumen of the extension tube which is described as being substantially smaller than the other lumen. Flow from both lumens is delivered to a common distal site near the influent port of the patient catheter.
While the medication is sent through the smaller lumen of the extension tube toward the influent port of the patient catheter in a substantially undiluted state, a significant portion of the injected liquid medication remains upstream in the smaller lumen at the end of the syringe needle injection. In order for the total bolus of medication to be delivered to the indwelling patient catheter, an injection of wash liquid must be delivered by a second injection procedure. This second procedure may be time consuming and involve an undesirably delay.
As a result, delivery of the total medication is provided in two discreet time periods. A first partial bolus of the medication is delivered to the patient substantially simultaneously with the syringe injection. Later, a second remaining bolus of medication is delivered at a time dependent upon the speed and dexterity of the technician in removing the syringe and injecting a wash solution with a second syringe. Thus, even though a very small geometric dead space is inherent in the smaller lumen, the delay in washing out the second remaining bolus appears as a dynamic dead space in the delivery of the total medication to the patient.

Self-clearing extension set apparatus and methods


The disclosed embodiments provide a system that suppresses interrupts to facilitate efficient use of a processor in a computer system. The system includes a node that transmits a first interrupt to the processor upon receiving a first packet for processing at the processor and disables subsequent interrupts to the processor during an interrupt-suppression state in the processor. The system also includes the processor, which processes the first packet upon receiving the first interrupt and transmits a first acknowledgment of the first packet to the node to enable the interrupt-suppression state.

Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to techniques for facilitating interactions involving interrupts in computer systems. More specifically, the disclosed embodiments relate to techniques for coordinating and suppressing interrupts in network interfaces and/or computer systems.
Related Art
On busy networks, interrupting the host processor (e.g., a central-processing unit (CPU)) immediately for every received packet increases power consumption by forcing the processor to exit low-power states to handle the packet. This is especially wasteful when the packet in question turns out not to be relevant to the receiving host or turns out not to require immediate processing, as is often the case with broadcast and multicast packets. One approach to solve this has been to place some or all of the packet-processing intelligence in the network interface hardware, but this can be error prone, and requires the network interface hardware to be more capable, increasing the power requirements of that subsystem.
Another approach has been to delay interrupting the processor in the expectation that further packets will arrive, so that a batch of packets can be delivered with a single interrupt, but this also has problems. On relatively idle networks, no further packets may arrive during the delay period, with the result that after the delay expires, the interrupt still delivers only a single packet. Moreover, the enforced wait can adversely affect handling of packets that are time-sensitive. As a result, the delay may cause degradation in overall performance and user experience without yielding any beneficial energy savings. Delaying the completion of a sequence of network operations may also increase the overall energy consumption for a given task, because other system components (e.g., screen and backlighting) continue to consume full power while waiting for the artificially slowed network operations to complete.
Hence, what is needed is a mechanism for interrupting processors in computer systems without the limitations described above.


A heatable external rearview mirror including a mirror housing for attachment to the vehicle and a mirror pane with a reflecting surface carried in the housing. A heating element is located adjacent the mirror pane for heating the pane to remove precipitation. A thermochromic heating indicator is provided in heat conducting contact with at least one of the heating element and the mirror pane that reacts to temperature changes for detecting heating of the mirror pane by the heating element and providing a visual indication of the operation of the heating element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automotive mirror assemblies, and more specifically, to a heatable external rearview mirror for motor vehicles that includes a thermochromic heating indicator for detecting heating of the mirror pane by a heating element and providing a visual indication of the operation of the heating element.
2. Description of Related Art
To design external rearview mirrors for motor vehicles so as to be heatable is known, so that condensate, frost, snow, ice, etc. may be removed by heating the mirror pane by means of a heating element in order to obtain an unobstructed field of vision to the rear through the mirror. Typically, the heating elements are made of surface heating elements extending essentially all across the expanse of the mirror pane at its back side with a mirror housing. It is also known to actuate the heating element in heatable rearview mirrors by means of a thermostatic switch, i.e. that the thermostatic switch closes the power circuit going to the heating element so as to actuate it when a predetermined outside temperature has been reached.
As a result of the mirror heating system or the heating element being switched on and off automatically by the thermostatic switch, the driver of a vehicle equipped with one or several of these mirrors may often find it difficult to recognize whether the mirror heating system has already been automatically switched on or not. What often occurs is that the mirror pane becomes "blind" due to condensation, etc., while the thermostatic switch has however not yet switched on because the temperature for this may not yet be low enough for it. Also, the thermostatic switch may have switched on just before checking the visibility of the mirror but no result is yet visible in the short time since the moment of being switched on because the mirror pane could not yet be heated up sufficiently. In such cases the mirror heating system is then usually switched on manually by the driver, but this additional action by the driver is often unnecessary in instances when the thermostatic switch has switched on just before checking the visibility conditions of the mirror, while no results are yet visible because the mirror pane could not yet be heated up sufficiently.
For the driver of a motor vehicle equipped with one or several heatable rearview mirrors it is therefore desirable to know whether the automatic mirror heating system on a condensation-covered or "blind" mirror has already switched on for the removal of this condensation or not, so that he may override the thermostatic switch if necessary and switch on the heating element by means of a separate switch. Especially on commercial vehicles it is also customary for the mirror heating system to be actuated and de-actuated only manually.
It is known to provide optical heating indicators to avoid overheating of the mirror surface and any resulting damage to the mirror or injury to persons touching the overheated mirror. In this context DE 19922778 discloses the installation of a heating indicator in the form of an LED within the heating circuit that is visible in the mirror. In this manner the operation of the mirror heating system is displayed optically. The disadvantage of this is that the LED must be built into the heating circuit. Because of different heating currents when using PTC elements as heating system, this results in excessively different influences on the LED and thereby different degrees of lightness. In addition, this LED does not indicate the effectiveness of the mirror heating system but merely its operation. In cases of a short-circuit in the surface heating element, the LED lights up even thought the functionality of the mirror heating system is insufficient. In addition, retrofitting existing mirror systems with such technology is difficult.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a heatable external mirror with a heating indicator, in particular a heatable rearview mirror for motor vehicles which displays the function and effectiveness of the mirror heating system.

Heatable external mirror for motor vehicles