The invention relates to the use of a gene of the Argonaute family, a transcript of said gene or the ORF of said gene in order to produce plants that are completely or partially apomictic. The invention can be used to control apomixis in cultivated species having sexual reproduction.

Gametophytic apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction through seeds. It exists in numerous angiosperms, and close to 400 apomictic species have been listed. However, no apomictic plants are found among the main cultivated cereals (corn, wheat or rice), but only in wild plants, a few cultivated fodder species, and certain fruit species. Apomixis is a genetically controlled mechanism. Apomictic plants develop female gametes without prior meiosis. The gametes thus formed contain a genome identical to that of the somatic tissue from which they are derived. The development of the embryo from these gametes takes place without fertilization by a male gamete, i.e. by parthenogenesis. The genome of the embryo thus formed is therefore strictly identical to that of its mother plant, without paternal contribution. Apomixis is therefore a mode of cloning through seeds which ensures that genotypes are perpetuated identically through the generations.
The use of apomixis in a controlled manner in cultivated species offers many potential applications. These applications relate to the propagation of unstable genotypes, the control of pollen contaminations, methods for improving plants, and methods for the commercial production of seeds.
None of these applications can be envisioned in the main cultivated species such as wheat, corn, rice and the like, on the basis of current technologies. No apomictic forms are in fact known in these various species, and no genetic system which makes it possible to induce apomixis in sexual plants is known.
Many laboratories have, over the past years, endeavored to develop apomictic plants, either by attempting to transfer the determinants of apomixis from wild plants to cultivated plants, or by inducing apomictic phenotypes in sexual plants by mutagenesis. Neither of these two approaches has produced an apomictic genotype in a species in which this mode of reproduction did not exist beforehand.
Results recently published in the journal Nature (Ravi, M., Marimuthu, M. P., and Siddiqi, I. (2008). Gamete formation without meiosis in Arabidopsis. Nature 451: 1121-1124.), show, in Arabidopsis, that the inactivation of a gene involved in meiosis, called DYAD, the function of which is to regulate chromatid cohesion during meiosis, makes it possible to produce approximately 0.1% of gametes which escape meiosis. The remainder of the gametes, and therefore 99.9% of the descendants, are sterile. It is even probable that the frequency of non-meiotic gametes is not significantly different, in these mutant plants, than that in sexual plants, and that these gametes in fact become apparent only because the mutation kills, moreover, all the gametes normally derived from sexuality.
Another recent study (Erfurth, I., Jolivet, S., Froger, N., Catrice, O., Novatchkova, M., and Mercier, R. (2009). Turning meiosis into mitosis. PLoS Biol. 7: e1000124), shows that it is possible, in Arabidopsis, to change meiotic division into mitotic division through the simultaneous activation of three genes involved in meiosis (osd1/Atspo11-1/Atrec8). The triple mutant produces functional diploid gametes. However, these gametes are fertilized, the descendants are not therefore apomictic, and it is not known whether this result is transposable to species other than Arabidopsis.
The work by the inventors in the field have shown that it is possible to induce a completely or partially apomictic phenotype in corn by manipulating the expression of particular genes. The seeds produced evade meiotic reproduction and are fertile. These results advantageously apply to other cultivated plants such as rice or wheat.

Means for inducing apoximis in cultivated plants having sexual reproduction and use thereof for the production of completely or partially apomictic plants

INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE POUR LE DEVELOPMENT (IRD)


A network switching device (101) for quantifying available service-level capacity of a network (201) for projected network traffic. The network switching device (101) includes at least one input port (110-1a), at least one output port (110-6a), at least one packet-handling module, and at least one test-packet module. At least one packet-handling module is coupled to an input port (110-1a) and an output port (110-6a). At least one test-packet module is coupled with at least one network switching-device module. The test-packet module is to affect presence of a test packet in the network (201) for quantifying available service-level capacity of the network (201) for projected network traffic. A packet-injection system and method for quantifying available service-level capacity of the network (201) for projected network traffic are also provided.

The burgeoning growth of information transmission creates ever increasing demands on communication networks utilized to transmit such information. In particular, means for transmitting content conveyed by such information reliably to clients attached to such networks has taken on an increasingly more prominent role in satisfying the demands of clients for new content formats.
Scientists engaged in the research and development of high performance communication networks are keenly interested in finding new means for transmitting such content with high reliability at high rates. Thus, research scientists are actively pursuing new approaches for meeting these demands.
The drawings referred to in this description should not be understood as being drawn to scale except if specifically noted.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Network switching device for quantifying available service-level capacity of a network for projected network traffic

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


In the method for structuring at least one area of a solid body surface provided with a ta-C coating, a mask in the homogenous spot of the optical system is used in order to shape the beam in the mask projection technique and then a diaphragm in front of the imaging optics. A structure is applied by means of an excimer laser having pulse durations in the nanosecond range, a number of mask and diaphragm combinations being arranged in a exchanger device and the exchanger device being adapted to place both one of the masks and one of the diaphragms in the beam path of the laser independently of each other, the masks and diaphragms being arranged in holders while being displaceable linearly or rotatively and rotatable about themselves. This method allows the rational manufacture of very complex, extremely fraud-resistant authentication features and/or of esthetically attractive, optical diffraction effective colored patterns.

It is known in the art to use excimer lasers having pulse durations in the nanosecond range and wavelengths in the ultraviolet range for microstructurings. A laser microstructuring of wear-resistant surfaces of solid bodies is mainly required for embossing rollers or embossing dies when these embossing rollers or dies are e.g. intended for embossing fraud-resistant authentication features or particular optical diffraction attractive signs on packaging foils for cigarettes or foods. Such packaging foils are mostly made up of a paper or plastics layer provided with a vapor-deposited or sputtered metal layer, or they are entirely made of metal, mostly aluminum, or entirely of paper or plastics with a surface treatment that produces the optically and optical diffraction effective features and structures. In this respect, masks or diaphragms are preferably used to shape the intensity profile of the laser beam.
WO 2007/012215 to the applicant of the present invention discloses the creation of so-called ripples by means of a femtosecond laser on a workpiece that may be provided with a hard material layer consisting of superhard amorphous carbon having a fraction of more than 50% of diamond-like sp3 bonds known under the designation ta-C, of tungsten carbide, WC, boron carbide, B4C, silicon carbide, SiC, or similar hard materials. As appears from different documents available in the Internet, mainly the superhard amorphous carbon films, ta-C, are very suitable for various applications, more particularly for tribological applications but also for optical diffraction applications.

Method and device for structuring the surface of a hard material coated solid body by means of a laser


An interposer substrate having electrodes on the front surface and on the rear surface thereof, respectively, is prepared, and at least one memory chip having electrodes connected to an internal circuit is prepared. Then, the rear surface of the memory chip is bonded to the front surface of the interposer substrate, and the memory chip is sealed to the front surface of the interposer substrate to constitute an encapsulated capsule type semiconductor package. On the other hand, a logic chip is prepared. Further, a main substrate is prepared in which electrodes are formed on the front surface and on the rear surface, respectively, and desired internal connections are provided between these electrodes. Then, the capsule type semiconductor package and the logic chip are laminated on the main substrate, and desired connections are provided between the electrodes on the rear surface of the interposer substrate of the capsule type semiconductor package, the electrodes of the logic chip and the electrodes on the front surface of the main substrate. The capsule type semiconductor package and the logic chip are sealed to the front surface of the main substrate by a resin to obtain a system-in-package type semiconductor device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system-in-package type semiconductor device incorporating a capsule type semiconductor package.
2. Related Art
For purposes of functional improvement, downsizing and system development of a conventional semiconductor device, a multi-chip package is employed particularly for a memory product type, in which multiple IC chips are perpendicularly laminated and this laminated stack is directly mounted on an interposer substrate using wire bonding. (see for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-231885, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-217367).
According to the conventional technological method as above, test of electric characteristics is conducted after completion of assembly of multiple chips, so that defective products are sometimes found later, and a reduction in their manufacturing costs is difficult. Furthermore, the internal arrangement of wiring is not much free and a multi-layer interposer substrate is required. This results in increases in substrate costs and package size, and the package becomes bulky.
The present invention has been made to solve these problems. According to the present invention, a capsule type semiconductor package, that has been tested and encapsulated in advance, is connected to another semiconductor chip such as a functioning logic chip. As a result, chips having different functions can be combined to cooperate with each other, and system development can be easily accomplished.

Semiconductor device including capsule type semiconductor package and semiconductor chip in stacking manner


A sheet transport apparatus includes a pair of rollers for transporting a sheet and a sheet detection device for detecting the sheet transported by the pair of rollers. The sheet detection device includes a flag that is displaceable when urged by the sheet transported by the pair of rollers and a single-chip acceleration sensor attached to the flag to detect the arrival of the sheet. When the sheet is brought into contact with the flag to rotate the flag, the acceleration sensor detects the roll acceleration of the flag so as to determine the timing of stopping the pair of rollers on the basis of a detection signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet transport apparatus for transporting a sheet and detecting the sheet and to an image forming apparatus having the sheet transport apparatus in the apparatus body.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, known image forming apparatuses for forming an image on a sheet include a sheet transport apparatus that transports a sheet. Examples of the image forming apparatus include a copier, a printer, a facsimile, and a multi-function apparatus combining these functions.
Some sheet transport apparatuses include a sheet detection sensor (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-87115). The sheet detection sensor detects, for example, a transported sheet, the shape of sheet curl, and a sheet skew. An electrophotographic copier, which is an example of the image forming apparatus, detects the transportation of a sheet fed from a sheet cassette using a sheet detection sensor so as to control the operations of an image forming unit and a heat fusing unit disposed downstream of a transport path on the basis of the detected timing of the sheet detection sensor.
Such sheet detection sensors include, for example, a photo interrupter sensor 858 shown in FIG. 14. The photo interrupter sensor 858 includes a rotatable flag 851 disposed for temporarily interrupting the passage of a sheet S and a photo interrupter 853 to detect the interruption of a detection light beam 853a. The flag 851 is brought into contact with a stopper 852b by a spring 852a, and therefore, the rotation of the flag 851 is restricted.
In the photo interrupter sensor 858, when the transported sheet S hits against the flag 851, the flag 851 rotates about a fulcrum 851a. Accordingly, a light interrupting portion 851b interrupts the detection light beam 853a so that the photo interrupter sensor 858 detects the arrival of the sheet S to output an electric signal. The electric signal is sent to a controller (not shown) that carries out overall control of the copier.
In the image forming apparatus, if a sheet is curled, the image quality and the stacking performance of output sheets may deteriorate. Therefore, information whether a sheet is curled or not is significantly important information. To determine the shape of a curl, a method has been proposed in which the passage position (position in a direction perpendicular to the transport surface of the sheet) of the leading edge of the sheet is detected. In this method, a plurality of photo interrupter sensors having flags of different lengths are provided to detect the passage of the sheet S and the shape of a curl of the sheet S. In FIG. 15, three photo interrupter sensors 858a, 858b, and 858c include flags 851c, 851d, and 851e, respectively.
For example, if the three photo interrupter sensors 858a, 858b, and 858c detect a sheet at the same time, it is determined that the sheet S is curled downwards, as shown in FIG. 15. If the photo interrupter sensor 858a, which has the longest flag, detects the sheet S first, it is determined that the sheet S is curled upwards.
Additionally, like the curl of a sheet, the skew of a sheet significantly decreases the image quality. Accordingly, detecting a skew is also an important factor for the image forming apparatus. To detect a skew, as shown in FIG. 16, three photo interrupter sensors 858 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to a sheet feed direction so that the skew of the sheet can be detected from a difference among detection timings of the three photo interrupter sensors 858.
However, as shown in FIG. 17, when only an end portion F at the leading edge of the sheet is curled, the leading edge of the end portion F is located at a position shifted towards the upstream of the sheet feed direction. Accordingly, in the arrangement of the photo interrupter sensors shown in FIG. 16, a curl may be mistakenly detected as a skew. To solve this problem, a plurality of groups including the three photo interrupter sensors 858a, 858b, and 858c having respective flags 851c, 851d, and 851e of different lengths, as shown in FIG. 15, can be provided at positions as shown in FIG. 16.
Although the above-described photo interrupter sensor 858 has a simple structure, the photo interrupter sensor 858 has the following problems:
(1) The photo interrupter sensor 858 that includes the photo interrupter 853 requires a large installation space, and therefore, it is difficult to mount the photo interrupter sensors 858 in some installation areas.
In the photo interrupter sensor 858, the flag 851 needs to be mounted separately from the photo interrupter 853 with a precise spacing therebetween. Therefore, at some installation positions of the photo interrupter sensors 858, there may be no space for the photo interrupter 853. Additionally, when the flag 851 and the photo interrupter 853 are mounted on different parts, it is difficult to ensure the precise spacing therebetween.
(2) A chattering phenomenon tends to occur.
The chattering phenomenon refers to a repetitive motion in which, when the flag 851 pushed down by the sheet S returns to the original position due to a force by the spring 852a, the flag 851 hits against the stopper 852b, bounces back, and hits against the stopper 852b again. When the chattering phenomenon occurs, the photo interrupter sensor 858 unstably interrupts the detection light beam 853a, and therefore, the detection timing of the sheet S becomes inaccurate. In known photo interrupter sensors 858, since the flag 851 has the light interrupting portion 851b, the total weight of the flag 851 increases, and therefore, the chattering phenomenon easily occurs. Increasing the spring force of the spring 852a can prevent this phenomenon. However, the flag 851 does not smoothly rotate when pushed by the sheet S. Consequently, when the sheet S is a thin paper sheet, the leading edge of the sheet S may be damaged.
(3) It is difficult to determine the shape of a curl.
As shown in FIG. 15, the following reason makes it difficult for the three photo interrupter sensors 858a, 858b, and 858c to determine the shape of a curl.
For example, to install a plurality of sets of the three photo interrupter sensors 858a, 858b, and 858c, a large installation space is needed, as described in (1), and therefore, it is difficult to mount the photo interrupter sensors 858 in some areas.
Also, in the photo interrupter sensor 858, a spring force of the spring 852a that returns the flag needs to increase in order to prevent the chattering phenomenon described in (2). If the plurality of photo interrupter sensors 858 is arranged, as shown in FIG. 15, the transportation of a thin paper sheet may be blocked.
(4) When the sheet S is skewed, it is difficult to distinguish the skew from a curl of the sheet S.
As shown in FIG. 16, if a plurality of sets of the photo interrupter sensors shown in FIG. 15 are arranged, a thin paper sheet described in (2) may be damaged.

Sheet transport apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same


Disclosed herein is an orifice plate comprising one or more plates having orifices disposed therein; the orifices being operative to permit the flow of solids from a moving bed heat exchanger to a solids flow control system; where the orifice plate is downstream of a tube bundle of the moving bed heat exchanger and upstream of the solids flow control system and wherein the orifice plate is operative to evenly distribute the flow of solids in the solids flow control system.

In some thermal processes (e.g., processes involved in the generation of energy) or manufacturing processes (e.g., processes involved in the production of metals or plastics) it is desirable to continuously move solids. For example, in the generation of energy, it is desirable to transfer heat from hot solids and/or ashes to a cooling medium in a heat exchanger. In order to do so, the hot solids are transported to a moving bed heat exchanger where they exchange their heat with a cooling medium that comprises water, steam or oil. In the moving bed heat exchanger it is desirable to move and discharge the solids uniformly so that the temperatures across the moving bed heat exchanger are uniform.
If the hot solids and/or ashes in the moving bed heat exchanger are not moved and discharged uniformly, then large temperature differences can be found across the heat exchanger and these large temperature differences lead to inefficiencies in the heat exchanger or to component failure. Solids flow mal-distribution can lead to poor heat transfer performance, ineffective surface utilization, conditions exceeding allowable temperature and/or stress, and possibly steam temperature imbalances.
It is therefore desirable to develop a flow control system for the processes that involve the flow of solids so that solids can be transferred without any mal-distribution or imbalances that lead to an inefficient process.

Orifice plate for controlling solids flow, methods of use thereof and articles comprising the same


The present invention applies to the art of wind sensing using lidar, and in particular to the art of detecting the speed of objects such as air-borne particles and molecules in the atmosphere in order to determine the speed and direction of the wind which is carrying them. The present invention is a beam director for directing a beam transmitted from a lidar at objects to produce backscattered light and for directing the backscattered light into a lidar receiver. The preferred embodiment of the director comprises a rotatable holographic optical element for directing the transmitted beam in various directions, and then through the same rotatable holographic optical element direct backscattered light from various directions into a receiver. In one alternative embodiment of the director, a prism is disposed in the director for directing the transmitted beam. The lidar having the beam director is moved in a vehicle such as a satellite, so that wind characteristics such as wind speed and direction at a number of altitudes and over a large area can be measured.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/003,919, filed Sep. 18, 1995, entitled LIDAR ATMOSPHERIC WIND DETECTOR, and of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/003,926, filed Sep. 18, 1995, entitled HOLOGRAPHIC OPTICAL ELEMENT BEAM DIRECTOR FOR LIDAR.
1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to beam directors in the field of wind sensing using lidar, and particularly the use of lidar in detecting the speed and direction of objects such as air-born particles and molecules in the atmosphere in order to determine the speed and direction of the wind which is carrying them.
2. The Background Art
The advance of new and innovative applications for lasers has pushed forward the development of technologies which support those applications. Atmospheric research using laser technologies in particular has been a growing field among the ever increasing applications of laser light. For purposes of convenience, the term "light" will be used to mean electromagnetic radiation of all frequencies and wavelengths. It has been found that laser light can be used to make both precise and accurate measurements, which is particularly useful in determining atmospheric wind characteristics such as wind speed and direction. Wind speed and direction are important to a number of disciplines, including the scientific fields such as meteorology and atmospheric research as well as applied fields such as military and commercial travel. These disciplines, and others, have demonstrated an ever increasing need for accurate, precise and cost effective information regarding wind; however, such acquisition of information has presented a number of challenges. To this end, a lidar wind detector has been developed.
As the idea of using lidar to determine wind characteristics has emerged, with it there has been a need for simple, effective and sensitive transmitters for transmitting a beam of light at an object to create backscattered light, and receivers for detecting the backscattered light. Lasers, which are the light sources for lidar, transmit beams which strike moving objects in the atmosphere (such as air-borne particles and molecules), wherein the backscattered light has undergone Doppler shifts due to the movement of the objects which can be used to determine the speed and direction of the object, and hence speed and direction of the wind. This backscattered, Doppler shifted, light is then gathered and directed into a receiver wherein it can be analyzed to determine the Doppler shift. There has been a recognized need for improved technology in gathering and directing the backscattered light.
It is advantageous for the lidar laser beam to sweep or scan along a path at an angle to the receiver; however, it has proven difficult not only to transmit, but to gather and direct the backscattered light into a receiving light sensitive element. A number of different approaches have been attempted, primarily using mirrors to vary the direction of the outgoing and incoming backscattered light. Generally, the mirrors are rotated and adjusted to direct the transmitted light beam so that it is backscattered by an object and to direct the backscattered light into the receiver; however, this approach has limitations.
One significant limitation to the use of mirrors arises from their size and mass. High resolution mirrors are required for lidar to provide accurate measurements, particularly where small objects are measured at great distances, as in the present invention. Generally, the resolution of a mirror improves as mirror size increases and high resolution mirrors are rather large. There are also problems in the manufacturing and deployment of large mirrors, particularly where the mirrors are used in satellites. First, there are material limitations, as large glass mirrors may crack or shatter, and large mirrors are awkward and cumbersome to handle. In addition there are production difficulties in producing mirrors within allowable tolerances of curvature and reflection. Finally, high resolution mirrors are further limited by their mass in deployment, as they add to the payload of the deployment vehicle.
Additional challenges are created with satellite deployment of large mirrors. The substantial mass of a high resolution mirror means the mirror has a large moment of inertia and large angular momentum when it is moving or turning. Further limitations arise from the motors and mechanical components required for operation of the mirrors because they must be of sufficient size to handle the inertia of the mirrors but must be very smooth and vibration free in operation as vibrations will adversely effect the resolution of the mirrors. Thus, not only are there technical challenges in producing movable mirrors with minimal mechanical vibration, Newtonian mechanics requires that the satellite include systems such as momentum wheels or gyroscopic stabilizers to compensate for the inertia of the mirrors and maintain satellite stability, otherwise the satellite may tumble. For this reason mirrors require significant amounts of fuel and energy to compensate for necessary mirror movement. Additionally, it is difficult to adjust, replace or repair a large mirror after satellite deployment should defects be discovered or develop. As can be seen, there are substantial costs and economic burdens associated with use of movable mirrors on satellites.
It would therefore be an advantage to have an apparatus or method of gathering backscatter and directing it into a receiver, which requires minimal mechanical elements, is small, easily and cost effectively manufactured, with a minimal mass, moment of inertia and angular momentum, while having substantially high optical clarity and resolution quality. It would also be an advantage if the device or method used components which are relatively easy and inexpensive to maintain, requiring little or no repair. It would be a further advantage to measure wind speed and direction at numerous and various points around earth using a movable vehicle such as a satellite. It would be an additional advantage to make measurements of wind characteristics in an efficient and cost effective manner.


A kind of pen-type mobile telephone. It comprises: housing (1), display (2), button (3, 4, 5), telephone receiver (6), earphone (7), etc. It is characterized in that said pen-type mobile telephone's housing possesses slender rod-form; said display (2) is slender and in longitudinal setting; In said housing (1), also included are: printed circuit board (11), radio frequency module (12), fundamental frequency module (13), and SIM card plug & receptacle (14); said printed circuit board (11) uses more than 6 layer printed circuit board, with its width less than the width of the housing (1); widths of said radio frequency module (12) and fundamental frequency module (13) are also less than the width of the housing; socket (9) inserted with SIM card plug & receptacle is set at the side face of said housing (1), and said SIM card plug & receptacle (14) uses drawer-type SIM plug receptacle. The volume of said housing (1) is less than: length 140 mm×width 35 mm×thickness 23 mm.

In recent years, along with the development of mobile telecommunication technology, mobile telephone is increasingly popularized. The user's demand on the terminal of mobile telephone, namely the mobile telephone, is increasingly higher. Its main point is to demand the design of mobile telephone to develop in the direction of miniaturization. Thus, lighter, thinner and smaller is the target pursued by mobile telephone manufacturers. Therefore, various miniature mobile telephones increasingly come out in succession.
For the direct-holding type mobile telephone, if the length of mobile telephone is too short, it will result in unclear transmitted voice. And the width of display screen can not be make too narrow due to the horizontal arrangement. Both length and width are subject to certain limitation. Thus it is difficult to design a further smaller direct-holding type mobile telephone. At present, the minimum size for the direct-holding type mobile telephone is about 90 mm×45 mm×18 mm.
In order to make mobile telephone exquisite with the earphone and microphone of mobile telephone being within the suitable relation of proportion, the flip-type miniature mobile telephone is invented. However, although the flip type mobile telephone reduces the length, but meanwhile it increases the thickness of mobile telephone. Moreover, the structure of flip type mobile telephone is too complex, and it puts higher requirements on the use performance and reliability. Thus the cost is higher, thus it is expensive. At present, the minimum flip type mobile telephone is 78 mm×42 mm×20 mm.
At the present technical level, it is almost impossible to make mobile telephone smaller. It is an affair daring not to think of making mobile telephone with size similar to that of a pen. Because it is necessary for mobile telephone not only to install display, control button, control key, digit and function key, telephone receiver, and earphone etc., but also to install lot of mobile telephone's wafer and its affiliated circuit, SIM card, cell and other auxiliary elements and parts. In accordance with the conventional circuit design and on the basis of the traditional way of thinking, it is impossible to make mobile telephone smaller.
To sum up, there exist the following shortcomings for the existing miniature mobile telephone:
1. Due to present design in wafer of mobile telephone and the scale of its affiliated circuit, it is impossible for the area of internal circuit to be made smaller.
2. As the digital display of mobile telephone is in horizontal arrangement, at least an 11-bit digit should be arranged for one line. Thus the width of display screen can not be made too narrow. Therefore the width of mobile telephone should be correspondingly wider, limiting the contour of mobile telephone to develop in the direction of being narrower.
3. For traditional mobile telephone, setting SIM locking socket in housing for the installation of SIM leads to the difficulty for conventional mobile telephone to reduce thickness.
4. Moreover external cell is installed at said SIM locking socket to cover this SIM card, and external cell itself must possess plastic housing, therefore, the thickness of conventional mobile telephone further increases.
5. As the digit key of mobile telephone is in horizontal arrangement, therefore mobile telephone can only be operated in vertical direction. The operation mode is single, and sometimes the use is not convenient. Above-mentioned various problems limit mobile telephone to develop in the direction of being in slender form.


When a carriage of the toaster is in a lower position, a switch (21) is closed and power passes through a bridge rectifier circuit (22) to an integrated circuit (19), which, for the normal cooking operation, switches SCR (20) off so that a relay (7) is energised, switching switches (8) and (9) on to energise heating elements (2) and (3). Power is also supplied to a latch (27) to hold the carriage in the lower position. If, however, a fault detection is input from a residual core balance (12) to the integrated circuit (19), SCR (20) is switched on so that power from bridge rectifier (22) is shorted. This causes relay (7) and latch (27) to be de-energised so that the heating elements (2) and (3) are turned off and the carriage is returned to the upper position, causing switch (21) to open.

This invention relates generally to electrical appliances, and more particularly to electric toasters having a movable carriage for receiving bread to be cooked and movable between a lower position in which power is supplied to heating elements in the toaster to cook the bread and an upper position in which power is shut off from the heating elements.
As is well known, such toasters are susceptible to jamming, where the movable carriage remains in the lower position even when it should have moved to the upper position. This results in the power remaining connected to the heating elements, since movement of the carriage causes the disconnection, with the consequent dangers of fire and electrocution if, as often happens a person attempts to "unjam" the carriage using a knife, fork or other metal implement.
In order to try to obviate these dangers, it is known to provide circuit breakers, either within the appliance or as an extra device fitted between the appliance and the power supply, which sense leakage of current from the appliance, for example by,,,being conducted to earth by a person contacting the heating elements using a metal implement, and immediately cut off the power to the appliance.
However, in such a case, or if there occurs a power failure while the carriage is in the lower position, the carriage will remain in that position as its release is controlled by a solenoid. This results in the possibly unexpected energisation of the appliance when the power supply is reconnected.

Electric appliance with safety switching arrangement


A present invention provides a drive unit and an operating apparatus each having a simple structure and therefore having an advantage to be miniaturized, which can obtain a large drive torque. A drive unit 1 of the present invention includes a rotor 4 and a plurality of actuators 5A, 5B for driving the rotor 4. Each of the plurality of actuators 5A, 5B includes an electro-mechanical converting element which applies driving force to the rotor 4 when electric power is applied thereto. In this case, the rotor 4 is driven in a cooperation manner in which the plurality of actuators 5A, 5B are cooperatively driven. Further, the electro-mechanical converting element is a vibrating element 50 containing a piezoelectric element.

So far, a drive unit using an ultrasonic motor as a drive source has been known as a drive unit using for driving a displacing element (driven element) that carries out a linear motion or a rotary motion.
This drive unit is adapted so as to transmit a vibration of a vibrating element which is excited by applying an AC voltage to a driven element, and hereby to displace (move) the driven element along a guide (for example, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI. 11-187678).
However, since the conventional drive unit includes only one ultrasonic motor, it is impossible to obtain enough drive torque.
Further, shakiness easily arises due to backlash or the like at a normal drive time, normal-reverse converting time, or the like, for example. Thus, this may make it impossible to move (displace) the driven element toward a target position accurately.


Apparatus for separating the topmost sheet from a stack of sheets with a suction belt conveyor disposed a short distance above the stack. The suction belt conveyor includes a suction box around which an endless suction belt is trained. In one corner the suction box has a lower resistance to air flow than in the rest of the suction box in order to unroll the top-most sheet by sucking it against the suction box. The lower resistance to air flow is obtained by disposing except in the said corner a plate at a short distance above the perforated base of the suction box. Near the corner of the suction box air is forced against the side of the stack in order to assist the unrolling suction operation. The suction belt is provided with peripheral ribs which deform the applied sheet in order to assist separation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for separating and carrying off the topmost sheet from a stack of sheets. A support is provided for supporting the stack of sheets. A sheet transport member is disposed above the stack and the bottom of the transport member is provided with air passages with different air flow resistances. A positioning member holds the sheet transport member at a short distance above the stack. An air displacement member generates an upwardly directed airstream through the air passages.
2. Description of Background Art
An apparatus of this kind is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,892. The apparatus described therein has a sheet transport path with a suction box surrounded by four porous conveyor belts disposed near one another. The suction box is provided with air passage apertures through which an upwardly directed air stream can take place to suck the topmost sheet against the conveyor belts. In this known apparatus, the air passages in the case of a sheet which is not sucked into contact are closed by a valve at the outermost conveyor belts so that when the air flow is activated the topmost sheet is initially sucked against the middle conveyor belts, so that the negative pressure in the suction box increases and the valves at the outermost air passages open, with the result that parts of the sheet situated next to the part of the sheet which has already been sucked into contact are sucked against the suction box.
A disadvantage of this known apparatus is that a relatively considerable force is required in order to pull the topmost sheet loose first in the middle of the stack. This is produced by the fact that sucking the topmost sheet up results in a strong negative pressure in the middle beneath the topmost sheet, and this necessitates an even stronger upwardly suction force from the sheet transport means in order to pull the topmost sheet loose.
If the negative pressure between the sheets is greater between the topmost sheet and the sheet directly therebeneath than between the sheets under the topmost sheet, then there is a considerable risk that the two topmost sheets will be sucked together against the sheet transport means.
A disadvantage of first sucking a sheet in the middle and only then at its sides, is that the curvature of a sheet in the middle requires an extra high suction force if the sheet for sucking is stiff and/or can slide only with difficulty over the sheet therebeneath.

Apparatus for separating and carrying off the topmost sheet of a stack


A resource manager for a network application, such as an application defined in a Web-browser, is provided. The manager requests resources, the resource type and a priority defined for the resource in the application. The manager is provided in a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions causing a computer to implement certain steps. These may include the steps of: interpreting resource requests from the Web browser based on resources required by a page; and issuing resource requests based on a user specified priority. The steps of interpreting and issuing may occur for all requests to a given domain.

The user experience on the World Wide Web has evolved from viewing static pages of information to more complete interaction with Web-based applications. Most users experience the Web through a Web Browser application such as Internet Explorer, Opera, Netscape or Firefox. Web browsers provide an essentially forms based environment to the developer. Techniques for manipulating browsers, originally designed to display text and presentation information, have included the provision of richer tools and HTML enhancements, including a client side scripting environment-JavaScript-Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and Macromedia Flash.
Web-applications are downloaded via potentially constrained connections to a server. As these applications get more interactive, the size of code and data can grow immensely. There is typically a conflict between providing enriched client interactivity in a Web document while maintaining client performance. As pages increase in interactivity, their size increases, and download speed often decreases. Therefore, a goal of the developers is to remove bottlenecks often associated with adding behaviors. Perceived performance is tightly correlated to rendering speed or how fast the first screen of content is displayed.
Currently, most Web applications request page elements by opening at most two persistent connections between the browser and the server in accordance with The Internet Engineering Task Force RFC 2616-Hypertext Transfer Protocol—HTTP/1.1. While it is possible to modify this parameter in many browsers to increase access to resources, most browser manufactures adhere to the recommendations of RFC 2616. In addition, when Web-pages consisting of many external resources such as images, style sheets, scripts, and xml files, is loaded by the browser and the resources requested from a server, there is generally no defined ordering to the retrieval of such resources. However, in a Web page, some resources, such as images, are often secondary to the overall experience and should not block important operations such as executing a delete item or send mail command.


An integrated circuit includes a processor coupled to a voltage bus of a cable and located within a universal serial bus (USB) compatible power supply device. A current sense amplifier (CSA) is coupled to a sense resistor to monitor a current of the voltage bus. A first comparator is coupled to the CSA and the processor and to trigger in response to detecting that a monitored current value from the CSA is greater than or equal to a first reference value, which includes a hysteresis offset value. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is coupled to the CSA and the processor. In response to detecting trigger of the first comparator, the processor is to trigger the ADC to measure an absolute current value of voltage bus, and cause an additional voltage, equal to a voltage drop across the cable based on the absolute current value, to be supplied to the voltage bus.

In an ideal power connection using a connection cable, a sink receives the same voltage and current as supplied by a power source. Though the power source supplies an expected voltage and current, the voltage received by the sink may be less because of the voltage drop across the connecting cable. The cable drop depends on the cable resistance and current flowing through the cable.

Firmware-controlled cable drop voltage compensation


A bus bar screw jack is useful in the removal, inspection, and reinstallation of bus bars. The end of the screw jack which engages the bus bar comprises a channel with a foam rubber coating to nonslidably receive the bus bar. The foam rubber coating also prevents damage to the insulating coating on the bus bar during installation. The screw jack comprises an externally threaded member, an internally threaded member threaded onto the externally threaded member, a support member on one end of the externally threaded member, and a washer interposed between the support member and internally threaded member.

This invention relates to screw jacks and a method of using the screw jacks.
Large conductors called bus bars are used in the production of electricity. A typical bus bar is fabricated from a copper alloy, has dimensions of 5/8".times.6".times.39", and weighs approximately 100 pounds. It is frequently necessary to remove the bus bars from their position in electrical equipment for routine maintenance and inspection. Because the bus bars are heavy and bulky, the reinstallation of overhead bus bars requires considerable effort to hold the bus bar in position and secure the bus bar in place. Because the rooms in which the bus bars are located are typically small, the task of installing the bus bars is made even more difficult.
To complicate the handling of the bus bar even further, the bus bar may often be coated with a thin layer of high voltage insulation. It is critical that the insulation is not damaged during removal, inspection, and reinstallation of the bus bar. If the insulation is damaged, the bus bar must be reinsulated resulting in additional downtime of the electricity-producing unit.


Systems, methods, and apparatuses for associating digital media with physical device. A method for controlling a hardware state input based on uniform resource locator (URL) data can include identifying URL data associated with a web browser, comparing the identified URL data to stored URL data, identifying stored hardware device data based on the comparison, generating a control signal based on the determined hardware device data, and/or transmitting the control signal to a microcontroller communicatively coupled to a hardware device. The microcontroller can adjust a hardware state of the hardware device based on the received control signal. A method for navigating to a URL location based on hardware device data can include receiving hardware device data from a microcontroller communicatively coupled to a hardware device, comparing the received hardware device data with stored hardware device data, identifying URL data based on the comparison, and causing a browser to navigate to a URL location based on the URL data.

Various systems are available for controlling actions of a hardware device. For example, selectable content on a webpage or a computer program, such as a mobile app, designed to run on a mobile device may permit a user to turn on lights, control a thermostat, or the like. In addition, various systems are also available for controlling data displayed on a webpage. For example, a system can compile real-time temperature data from a thermostat or temperature sensor and can cause a portion of a web-page to continuously update with the real-time temperate.
While the foregoing "Brief Description of the Drawings" references generally various embodiments of the disclosure, an artisan will recognize from the disclosure herein that such embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Rather, the artisan would recognize a myriad of combinations of some or all of such embodiments.

Method and apparatus for bidirectional control connecting hardware device action with URL-based web navigation


The present invention discloses an asynchronous first-in-first-out cell, wherein modified Muller C elements are used to reduce the complexity of the circuit of the asynchronous first-in-first-out cell; the asynchronous first-in-first-out cell of the present invention not only can be reusable, but also can apply to a single-supply-voltage system with a single clock frequency or multiple clock frequencies and a multiple-supply-voltage system with a single clock frequency or multiple clock frequencies. Further, when the asynchronous first-in-first-out cell of the present invention is applied to the interface circuit of a dual-supply-voltage 16-point radix-22 GALS-based FFT architecture, considerable power saving and latency reduction can be achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an asynchronous first-in-first-out cell, particularly to an asynchronous first-in-first-out cell, which not only can apply to a single-supply-voltage system with a single clock frequency or multiple clock frequencies but also can apply to a multiple-supply-voltage system with a single clock frequency or multiple clock frequencies.
2. Description of the Related Art
The principle of SOC (System on a Chip) design is to achieve high throughput and low latency. Although the performance of a chip can be promoted via increasing operation frequency, the power consumption of the entire chip system will rise obviously, and a great amount of heat is also generated thereby. Further, owing to the increasing communication time between chip modules, it is hard to distribute a single synchronous clock to the whole chip system. Therefore, a chip system not only needs a power management function and a DC-DC conversion function but also should be capable of lowering power consumption under different voltages. The GALS (Globally-Asynchronous Locally-Synchronous) system can handle asynchronous clocks, and in this interface, using asynchronous FIFO (first-in-first-out) cells as temporary storage devices can solve the abovementioned chip-system problems.
However, the conventional asynchronous FIFO design is implemented with the burst mode and a CAD tool, which causes not only further higher circuit complexity but also further more power consumption; therefore, it is hard to apply the conventional asynchronous FIFO design to a dual-supply-voltage system. The US Patents No. 20040128413 and No. 20020167336 disclose FIFO technologies, which can apply to the interface having different clock domains, such as synchronous-synchronous clock domains, synchronous-asynchronous clock domains and asynchronous-asynchronous clock domains; it utilizes a token mechanism and FIFO registers to determine the storage device where data is to be stored; in the synchronous clock domain, circular shift registers are used to form the token mechanism, and S-R (set-reset) flip-flops are used to form a state detector; in the asynchronous clock domain, a handshake controller, a CAD tool and the burst mode are used to obtain a put token, a get token and a data validity controller. However, from the overview of the US Patents No. 20040128413 and No. 20020167336, too many logic gates are used therein, which complicates the circuit structure and increases the power consumption.
Accordingly, the present invention proposes an asynchronous first-in-first-out cell, which not only can reduce circuit complexity and power consumption, but also can apply to a single-supply-voltage system with a single clock frequency or multiple clock frequencies and a multiple-supply-voltage system with a single clock frequency or multiple clock frequencies.


Techniques are directed to managing Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage space. One technique involves providing, by RAID circuitry, a storage space request to mapper circuitry; receiving, by the RAID circuitry, a storage space reply from the mapper circuitry in response to the storage space request; and performing, by the RAID circuitry, a follow-up operation based on the storage space reply from the mapper circuitry. Another technique involves, receiving, by mapper circuitry, a storage space request from RAID circuitry; performing, by the mapper circuitry, a storage space management operation in response to the storage space request; and providing, by the mapper circuitry, a storage space reply to the RAID circuitry, the storage space reply identifying a result of the storage space management operation.

Conventional data storage systems store host data in storage drives and retrieve host data from the storage drives on behalf of hosts. Such storage may be filed-based and/or block-based.
Some data storage systems have architectures in which particular functionality is separated into different sections or modules. Along these lines, a particular data storage system may have a mapping section that manages storage capacity (e.g., consumes unused physical capacity for metadata storage and user data storage), a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) section that implements one or more RAID Levels (e.g., reserves spare space for a spare drive and performs data recovery using the spare drive in response to a drive failure), and so on.

Providing coordination between mapper circuitry and redundant array of independent disks (RAID) circuitry to manage RAID storage space


A current monitor is described that indicates a condition of attached electrical equipment. The current monitor can determine a predetermined range in which current being withdrawn by the attached electrical apparatus lies. Based on the determined range, corresponding display electronic elements, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), can be activated. Activated LEDs of a particular color can indicate corresponding conditions of the electrical equipment. The condition of the electrical equipment along with other parameters, such as associated time ranges and other values, can be transmitted via a wired or wireless connection to a software system implemented on a wireless device such that a continuous monitoring and an analysis can be performed remotely. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Electrical equipment requires regular lubrication, airflow and maintenance to ensure an efficient and a safe operation. Such electrical equipment includes gym equipment, such as cardiovascular exercise equipment including treadmills, steppers, ellipticals, exercise bikes, rowing machines, and the like. When a user of the electrical equipment (e.g. the treadmill) starts the electrical equipment and subsequently performs exercise (e.g. walk, jog, or run on the treadmill) on the electrical equipment, stress/load is created with every movement associated with the exercise. When the electrical equipment operates, friction is generated between various components of the electrical equipment. As the stress/load increases, the friction increases, thereby producing undesirable heat. The electrical equipment may be lubricated using a lubrication product. However, as the lubrication wears out, more friction and more stress are caused on the various components of the electrical equipment. This increased stress causes more power to be utilized by the electrical equipment to perform work that is performed using less power when the electrical equipment is well lubricated, is maintained, and/or has a sufficient airflow. An increased power input results in increased current input. The increase in current can increase the amount of heat generated within the electrical equipment. This increased amount of heat can be due to an increased use of the motor within the electrical equipment, or due to other such mechanical reasons. This heat increase can cause a failure or damage of the electrical/electronic circuitry within the electrical equipment or failure or damage of other mechanical parts associated with the electrical equipment. In addition to the repair or replacement of the various components of the electrical equipment and/or the repair or replacement of the circuitry being generally expensive, if the failure and/or damage occurs suddenly when an individual is using the electrical equipment (e.g. treadmill), the sudden failure/damage can cause serious injury to the individual.

Current monitor for indicating condition of attached electrical apparatus


Methods are provided for designing and generating a tool path for three-dimensional printing of a fiber composite part. The method includes defining a three-dimensional domain model and determining a set of boundary conditions for the three-dimensional domain model. The methods include applying a gradient-based algorithm to a predetermined stress state located within the three-dimensional domain model in order to: (1) optimize the three-dimensional domain model for minimum deflection or stress using a structural mechanics algorithm for a composite article, and (2) provide a topologically optimized fiber composite part design and fiber orientation field. The methods include using the topologically optimized fiber composite part design and fiber orientation field as an input to solve Gray-Scott reaction diffusion equations to generate an anisotropic tool path for three-dimensional printing of the fiber composite part.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it may be described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology.
Tool paths may be used with additive manufacturing techniques to generate a pattern useful for the creation of an object. With additive manufacturing techniques that create anisotropic materials for reinforcement, such as continuous fiber printing (CFP) and tailored fiber placement (TFP), the tool path design may become more important in the structural integrity of the created object. In certain aspects, it is useful to have evenly pitched parallel paths with a width of the tooltip to fill the space. The conventional tool paths for CFP and TFP are based on geometrical information, and may be determined by manual design either by engineers or using design rules, such as a concentric rule (tool path is parallel to the outer perimeter) or isotropic (stacking of unidirectional oriented parallel pattern), or may be determined based on a structural analysis result. Alternatively, if one wants to achieve a fiber layout to follow a given vector field with anisotropic topology optimization, the tool paths are manually drawn in order to satisfy two main conditions. First, that there is an evenly pitched parallel space filling condition. Second, that the given orientation distribution is followed as much as possible. The manual optimization is both time consuming and costly. In certain automatic generation cases, conventional algorithms are based on stream line tracing of points that move along with a given direction, which is difficult to control a distance between paths.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide improved, cost effective, and automated methods of tool path generation that can be customized for various design considerations.

Method of tool path generation for additive manufacturing with vector distribution

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


There is disclosed systems and methods for controlling communication of navigation positioning information from a source of said information to another device for tracking purposes. In one embodiment, a user having a communicating device that maintains a record of its present location establishes a communication link to one or more selected targets and then grants permission to his/her device to continually send updates of his/her device's position to said selected other devices. These updated communications can be on a data channel of a voice communication device if desired. In one embodiment, said receiving device can deliver said coordinates (translated into street locations if desired) in an audio fashion, or said receiving device can visually display (perhaps on a grid overlay) said position of said sending device or environmental data from said sending device.

It is now well-know that mobile devices of all types, such as cell phones PDAs, computers and even motor vehicles, have GPS and other navigational systems built into them. Thus, it is possible for such mobile devices to transmit their current location to remotely located devices. Accordingly trucking companies install GPS (or other positional determination systems) in vehicles and have those vehicles continually report their position to a central location. It is also known to plant a tracking device in a car (or on a person) in order to track the movement of the car or person.
Currently, however, there is not a system for allowing a user who has a navigational positioning system to electronically communicate his/her location to a selected other device. Nor is there a system to allow a receiving device or user to provide return navigational assistance to a sending device.

System and method for selective navigation tracking


A connector mechanism for a card, capable of being thinned, and a card adaptor having a connector mechanism for a card. A connector mechanism for a card, having an installation section (2a) in which a card (1) having external connection sections is installed and having a terminal member (9) with which the external connection sections of the card (1) can come into contact. The mechanism further has a lift-up mechanism including a projection section (2b) that once lift a front end section (1a) of the card (1) upward and then causes each of the external connection sections of the card (1) to be in contact with a corresponding one of the terminals (9a-9c) of the terminal member (9).

There are various known types of connector devices equipped with a connector mechanism having a terminal member contactable with an external connection portion of a card, and various known types of card adapters mountable to a connector device and equipped with a connector mechanism having a terminal member contactable with an external connection portion of a card.
Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a card adapter having a connector mechanism, and Patent Document 2 discloses an example of a connector device having a connector mechanism.
As a structure of a terminal member equipped in a connector mechanism, Patent Document 2 discusses a cantilevered terminal member that is supported at its posterior end. To prevent the terminal member from buckling in the course of insertion of the card, this terminal member is designed such that a free end portion thereof proximate to the insertion side of the card is given an angular shape and has a relatively long, flared guide for guiding an anterior end of the card, which is the inserting end.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-40131
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-143816

Card connector mechanism and card adapter having the card connector mechanism


A needle tip protecting device is provided for catheters having an insertion needle. The device is small enough to be stored at the base of the catheter needle prior to and during use. After use it may be slip to cover the needle tip where it automatically self-attaches and becomes non-removable. Various embodiments of mechanisms to achieve this effect are described.

The dangers of infection from accidental contact with the pointed end of used hypodermic needles has long been recognized and is well documented. For example, refer to Jagger, Hunt, Brand-Elnaggar and Pearson, the New England Journal of Medicine, August, 1988. In most procedures, the greatest avoidable risk of accidental needle puncture, or "needle-stick", occurs during handling of the used needle, when it is generally inserted into a protective sheath for disposal. This action usually requires moving the hand which holds the sheath towards the pointed tip of the needle, and any inaccuracy in this operation raises the possibility of a puncture. The risk of this is greatly increased if the operator is working under stress, such as time-pressure or fatigue, or is handicapped by marginal eyesight or unsteady hands.
A number of devices have been developed to deal with the general problem of needle-sticks, and reference may be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,747,835 (Sandhaus); 4,735,618 (Hagen); 4,735,617 (Nelson, Home); 4,731,059 (Wanderer, Sagstretter); 4,725,267 (Vaillancourt); 4,720,285 (Pickhard); 4,623,336 (Pedicano, Kane); 4,430,082 (Schwabacher, et al), and 4,755,170 (Golden).
Some of these, for example Sandhaus, Nelson/Flome, and Pedicano/Kane, provide an enlarged conical entry to the protective sheath, so that the resulting larger target reduces the chance of the operator missing the entry. This may be combined with some non-manual means of holding the sheath assembly, further reducing the risk. All of these devices require the operator to divert his attention from his immediate task and to exercise some measure of care in placing the needle into the sheathing device.
Others of these, for example Hagen and Vaillancourt, aspire to attain the desirable goal of keeping the hands wholly behind the sharpened tip of the needle during the manipulation of the protective device. The Hagen design stores the tip protector around the base of the needle, but in this mode the lateral retaining members are folded in an "arms akimbo" configuration, extending to either side of the needle in a manner which could interfere with the proper manipulation of the syringe and needle during insertion and removal. The Vaillancourt design mounts the tip protector at the distal end of a cylindrical bellows coaxial with the needle, which may be collapsed longitudinally to allow storage of the tip protector at the needle base. This is more compact, but requires care and attention during the needle sheathing action to ensure that the needle is properly located within the protector. Failure to do this could result in the needle becoming exposed again. Both designs appear to offer uncertainty of protection in the event of an impact against the tip of the needle, such as might occur if the latter were dropped. As both designs appear to employ flexed plastic or elastomeric joints or folds for their articulation, operation of the device might encounter significant stiffness, depending upon the desired mechanical strength of this articulation and the length of time over which the device was kept in the stored position prior to use.
Golden provides for a sealing cover to be placed over a needle tip after being slid down the needle from the base. This tip, made of absorbent material that is not normally stored on the needle prior to use, is not of a dimension that would fit conveniently within a storage cover. The positioning of this cover is either by means of eye judgment, relying on a marker on the needle; or by means of a thickened portion formed near the tip of a specially configured needle. This cover does not, however, fasten, clamp or lock onto the needle tip in any way. A needle-stick injury could simply occur by the accidental withdrawal of the cover from the tip.
Against this background, it is the object of this invention to provide a protective guard for hypodermic needles with the following useful functions:
It provides a protective guard which forms an integral part of the needle assembly and which is dimensionally shorter in length than the needle. PA1 The protective guard may be stored prior to use at the base of the needle shaft in a manner which requires a minimum of space and is substantially unobtrusive. PA1 The protective guard may be retained in its storage position by a retention means which allows the ready release of the protective device when it is to be moved into its protecting position. PA1 The protective guard may be moved into its protecting position on the needle tip following needle use in a way which requires no significant training, no manual skills, no visual acuity, or particular level of lighting. PA1 The protective guard may be moved into its protecting position with the hands always behind the needle tip and with the motion of the hands always directed safely away from the needle tip. PA1 The protective guard automatically detects the needle tip to establish its correct protecting position on the needle shaft with no judgement required of the operator. PA1 The protective guard automatically locks itself to the needle shaft with no additional action required of the operator when it has reached the correct axial protecting position. PA1 According to one further arrangement when the protective guard is locked in its protecting position the sharp tip of the needle is automatically covered by a substantial thickness of material to provide a high degree of protection against re-emergence of the needle tip from the protective cover. PA1 When the protective guard is in its protecting position it presents a smooth, substantially unobtrusive surface with no protrusions. PA1 When the protecting guard is in its protecting position the used needle may be handled and disposed of with no more than normal handling precautions than are customary for potentially contaminated medical materials. PA1 When the protecting guard is used in association with an insertion needle within a catheter, the guard is automatically transferred from its storage position to the needle tip by the action of withdrawing the insertion needle from the catheter. PA1 (1) a coaxial spring system wherein the spring grasps the needle shaft in a "constrictor" fashion; PA1 (2) a "push nut" style mechanism wherein the edge at the end of a near-perpendicular leaf of metal is pressed into the side of the needle shaft; PA1 (3) a tapered cavity or "chuck" system wherein a locking element is forced into locking engagement with the needle by jamming the locking element between the narrowing wall of the tapered cavity and the needle shaft; and PA1 (1) a transverse rotatable cylinder is biased to rotate but is restrained from doing so by the presence of the needle shaft passing transversely through the cylinder; PA1 (2) a "lever arm" bears against the needle at one end and is biased to rotate and release the locking mechanism when the needle tip has been drawn past the bearing point; and PA1 (3) a "sensing ball" or "sensing pin" arrangement is provided whereby the withdrawal of the needle tip to within the protective guard allows a sensing element to move into the path vacated by the needle and release the locking system. PA1 (1) a main guard body provided with a passage therethrough capable of enveloping a needle inserted therein, said body having a narrowing interior cavity; PA1 (2) a locking element slideable within said cavity capable of grasping and locking relative movement between said needle and said body in at least one axial direction of said needle; PA1 (3) spring means capable of biasing said locking element to advance into the narrowing interior of said tapered cavity and lockingly engage said needle in at least one axial direction of said needle; PA1 (4) latching means positioned to releaseably restrain said locking element from being advanced into said cavity; PA1 (5) trigger means, positioned to release said latching means when the tip of said needle is withdrawn into said guard body; and PA1 (6) containment means for preventing re-emergence of said needle tip from said body once the needle tip has been withdrawn into said body.
An important area of concern in the disposal of possibly contaminated needles relates to the use of intravenous catheters. In these devices, the needle is usually supplied in a pre-packaged assembly, already inserted inside a flexible, close-fitting catheter tube, the latter having a base with coupling means to allow the subsequent connection of tubing for intravenous infusion or similar procedures. The needle length is such that its point extends slightly beyond the distal end of the catheter, thus acting as a piercing means to allow insertion of the catheter and needle into a blood vessel in the patient. Thus such needles are known as "insertion needles".
Following insertion of the needle and catheter, the needle is withdrawn from inside the catheter and must be disposed of. At this point the operator's attention is taken up with other matters, mainly relating to the attachment of tubing to the catheter and controlling loss of blood, and this makes him significantly more vulnerable to needle stick accidents if he must divert his attention to safe disposal of the needle by conventional means.
By a simple adaptation, the subject protective guard may be attached to the catheter as part of the pre-packaged assembly, with the needle installed first through the guard and then inside the catheter. When the operator withdraws the needle from the catheter after insertion into the patient, the guard remains frictionally attached to the catheter, allowing the needle to slide freely through it in either direction, until the point of the needle is withdrawn inside the body of the guard. At this point the guard locks securely over the tip of the needle, allowing the operator to detach the guard from the catheter by a slight additional withdrawal force. The needle, with the guard in place, may be then disposed of without further attention from the operator.
In this way, no separate action or thought is required of the operator during the needle withdrawal process, since the guard is automatically applied as the needle point exits the catheter during the normal withdrawal sequence, and therefore no training is required in the use of the guard element.
These desirable qualities, as well as other features and characteristics are provided by the subject invention, using the arrangements, construction, components, and steps as described and illustrated hereafter in this disclosure, and which exemplify this invention.


A method of performing a fit test on an actuator unit coupled to a user. The method includes determining a first configuration of the actuator unit generated in response to actuating the actuator unit while the user is performing one or more movements for the fit test; determining a change from the first configuration of the actuator unit while the user is performing the one or more movements for the fit test; determining that the change from the first configuration corresponds to an improper fit of the actuator unit coupled the user; and generating an improper fit indication that indicates improper fit of at least leg actuator units coupled the user.

The performance of a powered exoskeleton device can be directly impacted by how well it is fit to the user. A poorly fit device can significantly underperform a properly fit device. Two conventional options for addressing this issue are professional fitting and extensive training material. Professional fitting is impractical for use in more than very controlled settings, and even with extensive training, a normal user is likely to encounter difficulty with fit. In view of the foregoing, a need exists for an improved device to automatically assess the quality of fit of an exoskeleton device on the user in an effort to maintain high levels of performance without requiring professional fitting.
It should be noted that the figures are not drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiments. The figures do not illustrate every aspect of the described embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Exoskeleton continuous-use fit evaluation system and method


A fish finder includes a transducer that repeatedly transmits ultrasonic pulse signals downward into the water and receives signals from the water, a first signal generating unit that generates a first signal on the basis of a reception signal at an identical depth caused by signals transmitted at least twice, and an interference detecting unit that detects an occurrence of interference on the basis of plural first signals at different depths.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fish finder that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to find a shoal of fish in the water, and, more particularly to a fish finder that detects occurrence of interference caused by other ultrasonic devices and automatically performs interference removal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a fish finder mounted on a fishing boat has a problem of interference caused by ultrasonic waves transmitted by other ultrasonic devices mounted on the fishing boat or other boats operating in sea areas near the fishing boat.
Conventionally, as means for solving this problem, a fish finder having an interference removal function is known. With this interference removal function, the fish finder compares, for each identical depth, reception signals obtained by transmission and reception performed plural times and selects a weakest signal to perform processing for interference removal.
When the interference removal function is used, there is an inconvenience that not only interference signals but also useful echoes including information on a shoal of fish or the like is controlled. Thus, when no interference occurs, the interference removal function should be turned off as much as possible. However, in the conventional apparatus, a user needs to judge at any time whether there exists interference and manually perform on/off operation for the interference removal function. As a result, the user is forced to perform troublesome operation.

Fish finder that transmits ultrasonic waves, receives echo signals, and performs interference removal


An initiator including a housing adapted to be received in an igniter or rocket motor, at least one charge at a distal end of the housing, an electro-explosive device behind the charge for detonating the charge when subject to a voltage HV, and a pressure bulkhead behind the electro-explosive device. An electronic subsystem in the housing is connected to the electro-explosive device through the bulkhead and includes a lead for providing the voltage HV to the electro-explosive device to initiate it, and a switch in the lead which does not conduct if errant voltages are present on the lead to prevent initiation of the electro-explosive device until the correct voltage HV is present.

Initiators are devices including a charge initiated to ignite or begin the burning of a larger main charge or propellant.
Standards such as MIL-STD-1901A include a safety requirement to the effect that an initiator subject to 500 volts due to an errant voltage shall not detonate or deflagrate.
Although various devices for protection against errant voltages are well known, to date those skilled in the art have failed to provide a suitable initiator which meets the 500 volt no deflagration safety requirement. Previous attempts at engineering such a suitable initiator resulted in undue complexity and initiators which are difficult to install or incorporate into existing systems.


The present embodiments provide methods and system for use in irrigating and controlling irrigation. In some embodiments, a method pauses irrigation at a field station when an amount of rain detected exceeds a first threshold, detects an indication of an amount of rain received after the pausing, resumes irrigation, and reduces a station runtime corresponding to the amount of the rain received after pausing. Some methods determine when an amount of rain received exceeds a first threshold and pause irrigation from a field station, and determine when the amount of rain received exceeds a second threshold and stop irrigation from the field station. Some embodiments provide systems that comprise a field station, a rain detector, and a controller that monitors detected rain and pauses irrigation when a first threshold of rain is detected and shuts down irrigation when a second threshold of rain is detected.

Irrigating geographic areas can be very complex. Many systems employ a diverse irrigation program to efficiently supply appropriate amounts or water. Often in implementing irrigation, adjacent areas have very different watering needs adding to the complexity.
Many irrigation systems attempt to optimize the watering efficiency. Further, systems attempt to avoid over watering. Rain, however, often interferes with the optimal watering of plant life already receiving water from an irrigation system. Large amounts of rain along with water delivered from the irrigation system can damage plant life, which can be economically devastating for some irrigated areas such as agriculture, golf courses and other such areas.
Some irrigation systems shut down the irrigation if a predefined amount of rain is detected. These systems, however, do not provide accurate and efficient watering. Further, these systems often waste water because of slow response times.

System and method for use in controlling irrigation and compensating for rain


A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a semiconductor fabrication method. An embodiment comprises forming a MOS device having sidewall spacers. A highly stressed layer is deposited over the device. The stress is selectively adjusted in that portion of the layer over the gate electrode and the sidewall spacers. Preferably, the stress layer over the gate electrode and over the sidewall spacers is adjusted from a first stress to a second stress, wherein the first stress is one of tensile and compressive, and the second stress is the other of tensile and compressive. Preferred embodiments selectively induce a suitable stress within PMOS and NMOS channel regions for improving their respective carrier mobility. Still other embodiments of the invention comprise a field effect transistor (FET) having a overlying stressed layer, the stressed layer being comprised of different stress regions.

Size reduction of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) has enabled the continued improvement in speed performance, density, and cost per unit function of integrated circuits. One way to improve transistor performance is through selective application of stress to the transistor channel region. Stress distorts (i.e., strains) the semiconductor crystal lattice, and the distortion in turn affects the band alignment and charge transport properties of the semiconductor. By controlling the magnitude and distribution of stress in a finished device, manufacturers can increase carrier mobility and improve device performance. There are several existing approaches for applying stress to the transistor channel region.
One conventional approach includes forming an epitaxial, strained silicon layer on a relaxed silicon germanium (SiGe) layer. Since SiGe has a larger lattice constant than Si, the epitaxial Si grown on SiGe will have its lattice stretched in the lateral direction, i.e., it will be under biaxial tensile stress. In this approach, the relaxed SiGe buffer layer is referred to as a stressor that introduces stress in the channel region. The stressor, in this case, is placed below the transistor channel region.
In another approach, stress in the channel region is introduced after the transistor is formed. In this approach, a high-stress film is formed over a completed transistor. The high-stress film distorts the silicon lattice thereby straining the channel region. In this case, the stressor, i.e., the film, is placed above the completed transistor structure.
One problem facing CMOS manufacturing is that NMOS and PMOS devices require different types of stress in order to achieve increased carrier mobility. For example, a biaxial, tensile stress increases NMOS performance approximately twofold. However, for a PMOS device, such a stress yields almost no improvement. With a PMOS device, a tensile stress improves performance when it's perpendicular to the channel, but it has nearly the opposite effect when it is parallel to the channel. Therefore, when a biaxial, tensile film is applied to a PMOS device, the two stress effects almost cancel each other out.
Workers in the art are aware of these problems. Therefore, new CMOS manufacturing techniques selectively address PMOS and NMOS devices. An NMOS fabrication method includes using tensile films to improve carrier mobility. A PMOS fabrication method includes using substrate structures that apply a compression stress to the channel. One PMOS method includes selective application of a SiGe layer into the source/drain regions. Another method uses modified shallow trench isolation (STI) structures that compress the PMOS channel.
The use of additional materials, however, adds further processing steps and complexity to the manufacturing process. Therefore, there remains a need for improving the carrier mobility of both NMOS and PMOS devices without significantly adding to the cost or complexity of the manufacturing process.

Method of forming a locally strained transistor

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A transition trampoline apparatus includes a transition trampoline bed having an elongate configuration that, when mounted on support legs, provides a track for a gymnast that is sufficiently bouncy to ease wear and tear on a gymnast's knees and ankles while not affecting her footwork while running and doing gymnastic maneuvers.

This invention relates generally to gymnastics devices and, more particularly, to a transition trampoline bed apparatus.
Many gymnastics devices such as trampoline apparatus are preceded by a padded or cloth runway so as to relieve tension and reduce injury on the legs of a gymnast. The bed must be stable and secure against inadvertent movement so as not to create a hazard and cause a gymnast to stumble or to alter her step patterns. The present invention allows for a safer training experience by being able to secure matting to the bed in a manner that the matting will not move around while an athlete tumbles toward it. Also, with the added layer on top of the polypropylene it creates a tighter rebound which makes the transition of a tumbling pass from the transition trampoline to the Gymnastics Floor much easier.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a transition trampoline bed that, when mounted on support legs, provides a track for a gymnast that is sufficiently bouncy to ease wear and tear on a gymnast's knees and ankles while not affecting her footwork while running and doing gymnastic maneuvers.


The present invention relates to certain reconstituted wax esters, prepared by the reaction of a silianol polymer and a natural high molecular wax ester selected from the group consisting of beeswax, candelillia, and carnauba wax. These materials are useful in preparation of cosmetic products where their ability to couple organic, silicone and other components into a uniform mass is unsurpassed. One major area for the use of these materials is in lipsticks. In addition they are useful in antiperspirants and other formulations which contain both oils and silicones.

The present invention relates to compositions, which result from the transesterification of a wax ester and any silanol containing silicone compound. Waxy esters derived from the reaction of a fatty acid and hydroxy silicone are known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,843 to O'Lenick, (January 1992) teaches that fatty acids, and triglycerides can be reacted with hydroxy containing silicone compounds to form esters. The products of the referenced O'Lenick patent are different in several regards than the compounds of the present invention. Specifically, the O'Lenick patented products are made from fatty acids, triglycerides or fatty methyl esters. The by-product of such a reaction is water, glycerin, or methanol respectively. As will become clear from reading the disclosure of the present invention, the compounds of the present invention are made by reacting a specific type wax ester which has a long chain acyl moiety, and a long chain alcohol moiety in the ester. The reaction of such a material with a hydroxy silicone results in a "reconstituted" as indicated by the following reaction: EQU R.sup.1 --C(O)--OR.sup.2 +Si--OH.fwdarw.R.sup.1 --C(O)--O--Si+R.sup.2 OH.
We have surprisingly found that the silicone ester in presence of the R.sup.2 OH in the reaction mixture, results in enhanced solubility, compatability and emuslifiability of the product. The present invention differs from the case from which it is a continuation in part in that the present compounds are silanol ester containing a Si--O--C(O)--R bond rather than the carbanol ester which has a --(CH.sub.2).sub.3 --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.x C(O)--R bond in the parent case. Consequently, the compounds of the present invention contain no water loving portions of the molecule. This renders the compositions of the present more compatible with systems that contain only oil and silicone. The former compounds function best in systems in which there is some polar component.


Methods and apparatus are provided for prognosticating system performance in a dynamic system influenced by planned human activities the dynamic system comprising a telemetry subsystem. The apparatus comprises a processor coupled to the telemetry subsystem and configured to acquire data relating to the system state vector, a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containing mission plan data comprising information relating to said planned human activities influencing said dynamic system, and a dynamic system simulation core in said memory and executable on said processor to form a dynamic system simulation incorporating said mission plan data and said state vector data. The method includes parsing human activities into plannable elements.

Complex dynamic systems, such as the International Space Station, have a plurality of dynamic subsystems for providing electrical power, propulsion, life support, interior space utilization, communications bandwidth, attitude control, and orbital control, among others. The use of each subsystem is planned for by particular specialist groups for each subsystem who create hardcopy plans and assemble a master hardcopy plan. These plans sometimes create resource conflicts which are not noticed until they actually occur, potentially causing delays or loss of data. Deconflicting hardcopy plans has proven extremely complex.
Some simulations of dynamic systems are known. For example, simulating orbital motion, given initial position and velocity vectors, masses, and a starting time is accomplished based upon the laws of physics. For further example, simulating battery performance is known, given initial conditions and the equations of state for the battery. Equations of state calculate outputs from inputs. Human activities, such as changing the attitude of the spacecraft, thereby changing the air drag and thereby changing the orbit, may potentially be simulated. However, available simulations do not provide simulation of multiple simultaneous human activities or notices of resource conflicts within or between subsystem plans.
A principle difficulty in creating a simulation that incorporates multiple human activities affecting multiple subsystems is finding a common way to express the wide variety of human activities affecting the wide variety of subsystems. For example, a method for commonly expressing a spacecraft orbital maneuver, a change in battery loading for an on-board experiment, and a change in electrical supply resulting from the orbital maneuver's affects on the solar impingement angle on solar-voltaic arrays is not obvious.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a prognosticator in which the sum of many subsystem human activity plans may be incorporated with system and subsystem dynamics and the effects thereof simulated over a future period of time. It is further desirable to have the prognosticator identify future resource conflicts and provide an easy means for humans to propose resolution said conflicts, and then prognosticate the effects of that proposed resolution. It is further desirable to have the prognosticator identify future undesirable conditions, such as temperatures or flight parameters that exceed predetermined limits. It is further desirable to have the prognosticator identify deviations from a current plan and to incorporate those deviations into the prognostication. In addition, it is desirable to execute said prognosticator periodically, with a period that is preferably short compared to the period of prognostication. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

Method and apparatus for prognosticating performance of a dynamic system influenced by planned human activities


The present invention relates to a cationic compound denoted by the general formula (I). In general formula (I), Ar1 and Ar2 each independently denote an optionally substituted aryl group or aromatic heterocyclic group, L1 denotes a single bond or a divalent linkage group, with at least one from among Ar1, Ar2 and L1 comprising one or more onium cations; R3 and R4 each independently denote a substituent and may form a ring with a benzene ring substituted; m3 and m4 each independently denote an integer ranging from 0 to 4, and plural R3s and R4s may be identical or different from each other when m3 and m4 are an integer ranging from 2 to 4.

The recordable CD (so-called "CD-R") is known as an information recording medium (optical disk) on which information can be recorded just once with a laser beam. It affords an advantage in that smaller quantities of CDs can be provided at more reasonable cost and more rapidly than when manufacturing conventional CDs. Demand for it has increased as personal computers have become widespread. The typical configuration of a CD-R information recording medium comprises a transparent disklike substrate on which are sequentially stacked a recording layer comprised of an organic dye, a reflective layer comprised of a metal such as gold, and a protective layer made of resin. Data are recorded on an optical disk by irradiating a near infrared laser beam (normally, a laser beam with a wavelength in the vicinity of 780 nm) onto the recording layer, causing it to undergo localized thermal deformation. Data are read (reproduced) by irradiating a laser beam of the same wavelength as the laser beam for recording and detecting differences in the reflectance of portions of the recording layer that have been thermally deformed (recorded portions) and portions that have not been deformed (unrecorded portions).
As the performance of personal computers has improved and the speed of the Internet has increased in recent years, image data (particularly animation and the like) comes to be handled, requiring higher capacity information recording media. An optical disk known as a recordable digital variable disk (so-called "DVD-R"), in which a narrowed laser beam of shorter wavelength is used to increase the recording density, is being sold as information recording media of higher recording density. This optical disk is manufactured in a configuration comprising two disks, each of which sequentially comprises a transparent disklike substrate that is 120 mm or 80 mm in diameter, on which are formed pregrooves with a track pitch of 0.8 micrometer, which is narrower than the 1.6 micrometers of a CD-R; a recording layer comprising dye; and, normally, a reflective layer and a protective layer over the recording layer. Alternatively, the configuration may comprise such a disk, adhered by means of adhesive to a disklike protective substrate of roughly identical size, with the recording layer to the inside. Recording and reproduction on a DVD-R are conducted by irradiation with a visible laser beam (normally, a laser beam with a wavelength falling within a range of 600 nm to 700 nm), permitting higher density recording than is possible with a CD-R optical disk. An optical disk with specifications similar to those of the DVD-R is now being sold as the DVD+R.
The recordable DVD information recording medium permits the recording of several times the quantity of data of a conventional CD-R. Since high recording sensitivity and, in particular, the rapid processing of large amounts of information are required, a low error rate is desirable in high-speed recording. The recording layer comprising dye generally has low stability over time to heat or light. Thus, the development of a recording layer capable of maintaining stable performance for extended periods to heat or light is desirable.
In a recordable DVD, the reduction in recording time, that is, the increase in recording speed, is desirable as in a CD-R. There is a need for the recordable DVD to increase the sensitivity and improve the decreasing writing precision (deterioration in the form of jitter) due to increase the writing laser power.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Showa No. 63-209995 [Patent Reference 1] discloses a CD-R information recording medium in which a recording layer comprised of an oxonol dye is provided on a substrate. The use of such a dye compound is described as maintaining stable recording reproduction characteristics for an extended period, and an oxonol dye compound into which ammonium is introduced in the form of a salt is described. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Heisei No. 10-109475 [Patent Reference 2] describes bipyridinium as being effective in enhancing resistance to light as an ammonium introduced in the form of a salt. It is further stated that the dye is not limited to oxonol, and that a variety of dyes are effective. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Heisei No. 10-297103 [Patent Reference 3] describes that an oxonol dye having a biologen-paired salt is effective. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 2000-52658 [Patent Reference 4] and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-249674 [Patent Reference 5] describe oxonol dye compounds exhibiting high resistance to light and durability and providing optical information recording media with good recording characteristics. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 2002-59652 [Patent Reference 6] describes a technique of mixing two dyes of differing sensitivity, with oxonol dyes among them. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 2004-188968 [Patent Reference 7] discloses bis-oxonol dyes of specific structure.

Cationic compound, dye compound and method of using the same, and optical information recording medium