Disclosed is a display device for a thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker capable to display a phase deficiency occurred on a line to a user such that the user rapidly deals with the phase deficiency and prevents loss caused by over-heating generated due to the phase deficiency. The thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker has a bimetal, which is bendable when heat is applied thereto, and a shifter coupled to an upper end of the bimetal and horizontally moved corresponding to a bending degree of the bimetal when over-current is applied thereto. The display device includes a power source for supplying electric power, a display for displaying the phase deficiency of the thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker by receiving power from the power source, a stationary contactor electrically connected to the power source and having a stationary contact, and a movable contactor electrically connected to the display and having a movable contact. The movable contactor vertically moves and forms a circuit together with the power source section and the display for displaying the phase deficiency state when the movable contact contacts with the stationary contact. A interlock lever rotates according to a horizontal movement of the shifter. A connection bar makes contact with both shifter and interlock lever so as to transfer horizontal moving force of the shifter to the interlock lever. A latch lever is installed adjacent to the interlock lever in order to restrict a movement of the movable contactor when normal current is applied and to release a restriction of the movable contactor when the phase deficiency occurs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a phase deficiency display device of a thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker for protecting lines and electric load devices in an electric power system by breaking a fault current, such as overload, short circuit current and electrical leakage when fault current is generated on the power lines, and more particularly to the phase deficiency display device for the thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker capable of displaying a phase deficiency generated on the power lines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As generally known in the art, a molded case circuit breaker is installed in a power distributing board of power receiving and distributing equipment provided in factories and buildings. In a no-load state, the molded case circuit breaker acts as a switching device for supplying or breaking electric power to a electrical load. In a load state, the molded case circuit breaker acts as an electric power breaker for breaking electric power supplied to the load from a power source so as to protect a cables of an electric circuit and devices of the load if large current exceeding rated load current flows due to fault on a load line.
Therefore, various kinds of molded case circuit breakers having various frame sizes, poles and operating manners are fabricated. Basically, the molded case circuit breakers have various elements including a mold case, a contact, a trip device, a switching mechanism, an arc chamber, and a terminal.
Hereinafter, the above elements of the molded case circuit breakers will be described.
The mold case includes a case and a cover, which are made of insulating material. The mold case forms a container in order to receive various elements in such a manner that elements installed in the case and each element of phases (so called pole) is insulated from each other. The mold case protects persons from an electric shock derived from internal elements in the mold case and has a structure capable of preventing impurities from penetrating into the mold case.
The contactor includes a movable contactor and a stationary contactor. The contactor is installed for each pole so as to open or close an electric circuit.
The trip device trips the switching mechanism when the device detects over-current or short circuit current.
The switching mechanism drives the movable contactor when the trip device trips the switching mechanism. In addition, it is possible to manually drive the movable contactor by using the switching mechanism. The switching mechanism can automatically perform a switching operation.
The arc chamber extinguishes arc created between the movable contactor and the fixed contactor.
The terminal is assembled into each pole of a power source part and a load part so as to connect an external electric wire or an external conductor to an internal conductor.
Tripping device is installed in the molded case circuit breaker so as to detect over-current The trip device is classified into a hydraulic-magnetic type trip device using viscosity of silicon oil, a thermal magnetic type trip device using a bending characteristic of a bimetal and having fixed and movable cores, and an electronic type trip device using a semiconductor device.
The thermal magnetic type trip device performs a time-delay trip, in which a heater generates heat caused by over-current and the bimetal is bent due to the heat, thereby automatically breaks the electrical circuit, and an instantaneous trip, in which the fixed core attracts the movable core when relatively great over-current is applied, thereby automatically shutting off the electric circuit. That is, according to the time-delay trip, the molded case circuit breaker is operated to a breaking position due to a bending action of the bimetal. In addition, in case of instantaneous trip, the fixed core attracts the movable core based on the principle of an electromagnetic suction, thereby the molded case circuit breaker is operated to a brealing position.
As shown in FIG. 1, such conventional thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker includes a mold case 1, a bimetal 2, which is bent in proportion to a heat of a heater 3 when current is applied thereto, first and second shifters 4 and 5, which are coupled to an upper end of the bimetal 2 and horizontally movable in proportion to a bending degree of the bimetal 2 when over-current is applied thereto, and a shifter lever 6 inserted into through holes formed in the first and second shifters 4 and 5 by interposing protrusions therebetween in such a manner that the shifter lever 6 is rotated at a predetermined angle according to the movement of the first and second shifters 4 and 5, thereby rotating a latch of a driving section (not shown) so as to shut off electric power. Reference numerals 14 and 7 represent a connection bar and an auxiliary device frame, respectively.
Hereinafter, an operation of the conventional thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker will be described.
Firstly, when rated current is applied, the heater 3 generates heat, causing the bimetal 2 to bend.
At this time, the first and second shifters 4 and 5 coupled to the upper end of the bimetal 2 are horizontally moved in a same direction as a bending direction of the bimetal 2.
As mentioned above, the first and second shifters 4 and 5 are formed with through holes, and the protrusions of the shifter lever 6 are inserted into the through holes.
When normal current is applied, the bimetal 2, which has been bent at a predetermined degree due to heat generated from the heater 3, moves the first and second shifters 4 and 5 in the bending direction of the bimetal 2 corresponding to a bending distance thereof.
At this time, if the phase deficiency occurs at one phase current of three phases (R, S and T phases) alternating currents, electric current flows to concentrate the remaining two phases, so over-current occurs, thereby causing damage to a load connected to the conventional thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker.
In addition, since current does not flow through the phase occurred phase deficiency, the heater 3 for the phase cannot generate heat so that the bimetal 2, which has been bent, recovers its initial shape. At this time, if the bimetal 2 is developed in a direction opposite to the bending direction thereof in order to recover its initial shape, the shifter 5 also moves in the direction opposite to the bending direction of the bimetal 2. In addition, the shifter lever 6 is rotated in the bending direction due to the movement of the shifter 5 so that an end portion of the shift lever 6 rotates the latch of the driving section (not shown), thereby breaks the circuit.
In addition, an accessory device is coupled to a body of the conventional thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker. When an error occurs in a load or a power source part due to fault current, a detecting section and a switching mechanism are operated so as to perform a trip operation for disconnecting a contact of a contact section. At this time, the accessory device is operated together with the detecting section and the switching mechanism, thereby displaying a signal to an exterior.
However, although the conventional thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker having the above structure can display the trip operation caused by fault current, such as over-current and instantaneous current, to the exterior, the conventional thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker has no display function for the trip operation caused by the phase deficiency.
When the phase deficiency occurs at one of three phases (R, S and T phases), heat is generated from lines of the load part, causing a remarkable loss of the lines. However, according to the conventional thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker, it is difficult to recognize the reason of the trip operation. That is, it is difficult to know whether the trip operation is derived from fault current, such as over-current and instantaneous current, or from the phase deficiency, so it is impossible to rapidly deal with the phase deficiency

Phase deficiency display device for thermal magnetic type molded case circuit breaker


Apparatus and methods for evaluating leakage currents of capacitances are described. Capacitances having excessive leakage currents may be disabled from use. An example apparatus includes a leakage detection circuit configured to be coupled to a capacitance block. The leakage detection circuit is configured to determine whether a leakage current of a capacitance of the capacitance block exceeds a current limit and is further configured to provide an output indicative of a status of the capacitance. A detection controller is coupled to the leakage detection circuit and a register, and the detection controller is configured to store data in the register indicative of the status of the capacitance based at least in part on the signal from the leakage detection circuit.

Semiconductor memories are used to store information for electronic systems, such as data, commands, and other types of information. Memories may be non-volatile, which are memories capable of storing information even when power is not provided to the memory, and may be volatile, which are memories capable of storing information when power is provided to the memory. The stored information may be read from the memories by the electronic system for use at a later time. In order for the memories to be effective in this role, the memories need to operate reliably and perform as expected. That is, the memory space in which the information is stored must accurately retain the information. Additionally, memory circuitry that is used to carry out various memory operations must be reliable as well or the memory may operate incorrectly or not operate at all.
In many memories, an example of memory circuitry are voltage generators that are used to generate internal voltages for the various memory operations. A voltage pump is an example of a voltage generator that may be used to generate a pumped voltage, that is, a voltage that is greater than a supply voltage. Capacitance may be used in generating the pumped voltage. For example, the capacitances may be used as ripple capacitances by the voltage pump to smooth the pumped voltage output. In cases where the capacitance becomes inoperable, for example, the capacitance oxide breaks down and excessive leakage current result, the reliability of the entire memory may compromised and its performance degraded. Where the capacitance becomes inoperable in the field, an entire device to which includes the now unreliable memory may need to be replaced.

Capacitance evaluation apparatuses and methods


The invention relates to compositions for treating dandruff comprising compounds that are non-polymeric and/or have a weight average molecular weight of less than about 1000. These compounds, when used at a concentration of about 0.001% or less, inhibit the activity of any Malassezia globosa lipase by at least 50%. The invention also relates to the use of these compounds for inhibiting lipase activity.

Various types of lipase enzymes are present on our skin, including enzymes from micro-organisms, enzymes derived from our diet and enzymes produced by the body. It is known that some of these enzymes can have undesirable effects. For example, enzymes are believed to cause skin rashes and possibly infections of the body. This problem is encountered by the users of articles which are in contact with the skin (and the lipase enzymes thereon), such as bandages, plaster, diapers, incontinence articles, sanitary towels, training pants etc. It is also believed that the some of these enzymes can be responsible for the development of dandruff.
Manufacturers of skin and health care products have developed products over the past decades which help reduce the occurrence of problems caused by enzymes, in particular skin rash. The main focus of these products has been to reduce the exposure of the skin to the enzymes.
There is evidence in the literature of skin disease linked to lipase enzymes created by microorganisms on the skin. These skin diseases include acne and dandruff. The lipase enzymes create fatty acids from triglycerides. The fatty acids are somehow related to the etiology of the diseases. One approach to relieving the condition is to block the activity of the lipase enzymes.
Various lipase enzyme inhibitors are known in the art. For example, antibodies which are specific to certain lipase enzymes are used, such as described in WO 95/24896 and WO 95/01155. EP 0117632-B relates to disposable articles which comprise lipase inhibiting agents, preferably zinc containing components, and a vehicle material. U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,241 relates to the use of triacetin in tampons to inhibit lipase enzyme activity. U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,486 teaches the use of adipic acid to reduce the lipase enzyme activity and to reduce the skin rash. Also, WO 99/48471 discloses certain copolymeric lipase inhibitors.
However, none of the above-mentioned inhibitors have been shown to be particularly effective at treating dandruff in shampoo applications. Dandruff is believed to be caused and/or exacerbated by the presence of fungus on the scalp and the products generated by the lipase enzymes created by the fungus. Therefore, a need still exists for compounds directed towards inhibiting dandruff-causing lipase enzymes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention relates to encoding apparatuses which allow encoding to be performed such that the occurrence of pre-echo and post-echo is suppressed. A predetermined waveform analysis is applied to a low-frequency-component input time-sequential signal which includes a high-frequency component occurring at a specific time, and a low-frequency-component time-sequential signal like that shown in FIG. 9A is generated according to a result of the analysis. The low-frequency-component time-sequential signal is removed from the input time-sequential signal to generate a residual time-sequential signal like that shown in FIG. 9B. An amplitude control process is applied such that the amplitude of the residual time-sequential signal is made almost constant in a block which serves as a unit of encoding to generate a time-sequential signal to be quantized, like that shown in FIG. 9C. The time-sequential signal to be quantized is quantized and encoded. The present invention can be applied to audio recording and reproduction apparatuses.

FIG. 1 shows example structures of a conventional encoding apparatus 1 and a conventional decoding apparatus 2.
An acoustic time-sequential signal SS sent to the encoding apparatus 1 is input to an amplitude control process section 11.
The amplitude control process section 11 divides the input acoustic time-sequential signal SS into blocks (having a fixed length) each of which serves as an encoding unit, further divides each block into a plurality of sub-blocks, and analyzes the amplitude of the acoustic time-sequential signal SS in each sub-block. According to the result of the amplitude analysis, the amplitude control process section 11 generates amplitude control process information G used in an amplitude control process for making an amplitude almost constant in a block. When the acoustic time-sequential signal SS in a block includes a high-frequency component locally generated, as shown in FIG. 2A, for example, the amplitude control process section 11 recognizes that the amplitude changed from an amplitude H1 to an amplitude H2 at a time t0, and from the amplitude H2 to the amplitude H1 at a time t1, and generates amplitude control process information G indicating the state.
The amplitude control process section 11 outputs the generated amplitude control process information G to a code-string generation section 14, and processes the amplitude of the acoustic time-sequential signal SS in each sub-block according to the amplitude control process information G. Specifically, the amplitude control process section 11 generates a time-sequential signal GS having an almost constant amplitude in each block, and sends it to a spectrum conversion section 12.
In a case shown in FIG. 2, the process process section 11 applies an amplitude control process to the acoustic time-sequential signal SS in a block shown in FIG. 2A so as to amplify the amplitude H1 until the time t0 and the amplitude H1 after the time t1 to the amplitude H2, and outputs the time-sequential signal GS obtained as a result, like that shown in FIG. 2B, and having an almost constant amplitude in the block, to the spectrum conversion section 12.
The spectrum conversion section 12 decomposes the time-sequential signal GS sent from the amplitude control process section 11 into a spectrum F formed of frequency components according to MDCT (modified discrete cosine transform) or others, and outputs the spectrum F to a normalization/quantization section 13.
The normalization/quantization section 13 analyzes the spectrum F sent from the spectrum conversion section 12 to generate normalization information N. The normalization/quantization section 13 outputs the generated normalization information N to the code-string generation section 14, and normalizes the spectrum F according to the normalization information N.
The normalization/quantization section 13 also outputs predetermined quantization information Q to the code-string generation section 14, quantizes the normalized spectrum F according to the quantization information Q, and outputs spectrum information QF obtained as a result to the code-string generation section 14.
The code-string generation section 14 encodes the amplitude-control process information G sent from the amplitude control process section 11 and the normalization information N, the quantization information Q, and the spectrum information QF sent from the normalization/quantization section 13 to generate a code string CD. The generated code string is sent to the decoding apparatus 2.
The code string CD sent to the decoding apparatus 2 is input to a code-string decomposition section 21.
The code-string decomposition section 21 decomposes the input code string CD into the spectrum information QF, the quantization information Q, the normalization information N, and the amplitude control process information G, and outputs the spectrum information QF, the quantization information Q, and the normalization information N to a dequantization/denormalization section 21, and the amplitude control process information G to an inverse amplitude control process section 24.
The dequantization/denormalization section 22 dequantizes the spectrum information QF input from the code-string decomposition section 21 according to the quantization information Q, then, denormalizes it according to the normalization information N, and outputs a spectrum F′ obtained as a result and corresponding to the spectrum F generated in the encoding apparatus 1 (spectrum conversion section 12) to an inverse spectrum conversion section 23.
The inverse spectrum conversion section 23 applies inverse spectrum conversion to the spectrum F′ sent from the dequantization/denormalization section 22, according to IMDCT (inverse MDCT: inverse modified discrete cosine transform) to generate a time-sequential signal, and outputs the time-sequential signal GS′ obtained as a result and corresponding to the time-sequential signal GS generated by the encoding apparatus 1 (amplitude control process section 11), to the inverse amplitude control process section 24.
For example, the time-sequential signal GS′ corresponding to the time-sequential signal GS shown in FIG. 2B is generated, and output to the inverse amplitude control process section 24.
The inverse amplitude control process section 24 applies an amplitude control process based on the amplitude control process information G sent from the code-string decomposition section 21, that is, an amplitude control process for processing an amplitude inversely to the amplitude control process performed in the encoding apparatus 1 (amplitude control process section 11), to the time-sequential signal GS′ sent from the inverse spectrum conversion section 23, and outputs an acoustic time-sequential signal SS′ obtained as a result and corresponding to the acoustic time-sequential signal SS input to the encoding apparatus 1, to the outside.
For example, the acoustic time-sequential signal SS′ corresponding to the acoustic time-sequential signal SS shown in FIG. 2A is generated and output to the outside.
As described above, since a portion having a small amplitude (such as portions having the amplitude H1 in the acoustic time-sequential signal SS shown in FIG. 2A) in the acoustic time-sequential signal SS is amplified, and encoded after the amplitude control process (such as that shown in FIG. 2B) for making an amplitude almost constant in a block is performed, in the encoding apparatus 1, and the amplitude control process for making the amplified portion to the original state is performed and a code string is decoded in the decoding apparatus 2, the occurrence of pre-echo and post-echo, which can be heard when quantization noise is not masked by a small-amplitude signal, is suppressed.
When the acoustic time-sequential signal SS in a block is a low-frequency-component time-sequential signal having a large amplitude H11, like that shown in FIG. 3A, which includes a high-frequency component occurring at a partial time, like that shown in FIG. 3B, for example, the encoding apparatus 1 (amplitude control process section 11) recognizes that the amplitude in the block is constant at the amplitude H11 by amplitude analysis applied to the acoustic time-sequential signal SS.
More specifically, since the amplitude control process for amplifying a portion having a small amplitude is not performed, and a time-sequential signal GS similar to the acoustic time-sequential signal SS (shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C) is generated, spectrum-converted, normalized, quantized, and encoded in the encoding apparatus 1, and the amplitude control process for making the amplitude back to the original state is not performed and a code string is decoded in the decoding apparatus 2, an acoustic time-sequential signal SS′ like that shown in FIG. 3C, including a diffused high-frequency-component quantization noise like that shown in FIG. 3D, is generated, and pre-echo and post-echo are heard at portions enclosed by dotted lines in FIG. 3C, for example, without being masked.
As described above, the conventional encoding apparatus 1 or the conventional decoding apparatus 2 does not appropriately suppress pre-echo or post-echo.

Encoding apparatus and decoding apparatus


A thermal assembly for cooling an electronics module is described. The assembly includes a compressible thermal pad, a thermal plate, and a clip. The thermal plate attaches to a heat sink. The clip urges the thermal pad against a surface of the thermal plate. Heat generated by electronics components in the pluggable electronics module is conducted to the heat sink through a thermal path defined by the thermal plate, the compressible thermal pad, and the clip.

Electronic component manufacturers often work together to develop multi-source agreements (MSA) that describe guidelines for manufacturing various electronics modules. For example, there exists an MSA for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) pluggable transceiver modules and for XFP (10 gigabit small form factor pluggable module) devices. With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a pluggable transceiver module 10 constructed for DWDM communications includes a top module body 14, a bottom module body 18, a transmit port 22, a receive port 26, and a plurality of heat transfer fins 30. Electronic components, which are enclosed by the top module body 14 and bottom module body 18, can include optical transmitters, optical receivers, and various other electronic circuits which provide the functionality of the pluggable transceiver module 10. The transmit port 22 and the receive port 26 facilitate optical communication between the module 10 and other modules and components of a communications system. The ports 22, 26 are coupled through optical communication paths to the enclosed electronic components. During operation, the electronic components generate heat, which is removed through top module body 14 to permit normal operation of the transceiver module 10. The heat transfer fins 30 extending from the top module body 14 help to dissipate the heat generated by the electronic components. In other transceiver modules, the heat transfer fins 30 are not present. Instead, the top module body 14 is relatively flat in the region where the heat transfer fins 30 are typically located.
In some communications applications, multiple pluggable modules 10 are grouped together in an enclosure. The enclosure typically includes printed circuit boards (PCBs), circuitry, and various devices, which are part of an optical communications system. The top surface of the enclosure often is a heat sink. As the modules 10 are inserted into the enclosure, the heat transfer fins 30 of the pluggable modules 10 make contact with the underside of the heat sink to establish a thermal path to help dissipate the heat generated by the enclosed electronic components. Friction between the heat transfer fins 30 and the underside of the heat sink during insertion is undesirable because it increases the force necessary to insert and remove the pluggable modules 10.
Alternatively, a gap can be maintained between the underside of the heat sink and the heat transfer fins 30. The gap eliminates the friction between the heat transfer fins 30 and the underside of the heat sink module; however, the gap also creates a break in the thermal path between the module 10 the heat sink, resulting in increased component temperature and possibly degraded operation of the module 10.
What is needed is a thermal assembly that reduces friction during insertion and provides a thermal path between the module and the heat sink.

Thermal assembly for cooling an electronics module


The non-axial force exerted on a pneumatic tool by a non-axial air supply is balanced to allow for uniformly radially distributed compliance forces on the tool. An annular air ring is disposed around the pneumatic tool, covering an air inlet port. Air is supplied by any route to a first air passage that supplies the air to the interior of the annular air ring, exerting a force on the annular air ring. Air flows in the annular space of the air ring, entering the tool air inlet port to drive the pneumatic tool. One or more second air passages are connected to the annular air ring in an even radial distribution. Each second air passage is connected to the air source, or terminates in an air blockage, creating a column of pressurized air that exerts a force on the annular air ring equal to the first air passage. The forces exerted on the air ring are thus balanced with respect to the axis of the tool.

The present invention relates generally to the field of pneumatic equipment and in particular to an air supply that does not induce side forces on a pneumatic tool.
Pneumatic tool assemblies (comprising a pneumatic tool, a housing, and various support functions such as air supply and regulation) are commonly deployed on robots, computerized numerical control (CNC) equipment, and the like, to perform routine and repetitive tasks. One such task is the deburring of the edges of machined or cast parts. In a typical deburring operation, a deburring tool is directed along a path around the edge of a part or object that is to be deburred.
For several reasons, robotically or numerically controlled deburring tools require some displacement compliance. The programmed path of the robotic arm or numeric equipment may not exactly coincide with the shape or contours of the surface to be deburred. Additionally, the edge or surface of the part being deburred may include cavities or protrusions that deviate from the anticipated path of the tool. Another factor requiring compliance in the deburring tool is variation in the fixtures, or structures that hold the parts while they are being deburred. Fixture variations may result in the surfaces of the parts to be deburred being misaligned with the programmed path of the deburring tool.
Ideally, the compliance force of a deburring tool should be the same in all directions. In practice, uniform compliance is difficult to achieve. For example the weight of a tool, its housing and possibly the actuating arm or member to which it is attached, results in a different compliance response to the same force exerted on the tool from the top and the bottom. The compliance force of a deburring tool may be largely decoupled from its housing and support by, for example, gimbal-mounting the tool within its housing or supporting it by other means, preferably at or near the center of gravity of the tool. A two-axis gimbal allows the tool to move freely in any radial direction, and mounting the gimbal at the tool's center of gravity largely obviates the weight of the tool as a compliance force factor.
However, another factor that adversely affects compliance uniformity is the supply of pressurized air to drive the pneumatic tool. If the air is supplied to the tool at any non-axially-aligned point, it induces a force on the tool that must be countered to maintain the axial alignment of the tool within its housing. This compensation causes a non-uniform compliance response to forces in that direction, with respect to any other direction. Supplying the air axially, such as at the rear of the tool assembly, is impossible in many applications, as this is the preferred mounting point of the tool assembly to a robot arm or numerically controlled equipment, which may not be configured to supply the air.

Force-balanced air supply for pneumatic tools


Methods and systems for more efficiently providing telecommunications services are provided. A menu of options may be presented to a user upon detecting that the user has attempted to connect a call to a recipient. If the user selects an option before a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the actions associated with that option may be performed instead of setting up a call between the user and the recipient. If the predetermined amount of time elapses without the user making a selection of an option or if the user has explicitly indicated a desire to establish the call, the call may be established.

A fundamental value of a mobile network is its ability to deliver value to a user whenever and wherever the user may desire or need it. As such, the mobile network's value to a subscriber, and any event which creates value for the network, is time limited where "value" is inversely proportional to time from the perspective of both the subscriber and the network. Subscribers typically want to communicate as quickly as possible for the lowest cost. Mobile network operators typically want subscribers to spend money using the network and return for additional services.
The value of an event often must be realized within a window of time, referred to herein as an "event window". An event window may be further defined as the time incurred by any request for service that results in value being created for the subscriber of a mobile network, the mobile network, or both. Direct dial calls, and the attempts to make such calls, over a mobile network are typically the most prevalent service request from a subscriber and occur frequently in an event window. Completed direct dial calls also deliver a significant portion of a mobile network operator's revenues. Such calls are a prime example of, but not the only, service requests that may occur in an event window from a network operator's perspective.
However, up to 50% or more of requests for direct dialed calls do not result in completed calls within the event window. Other than the small percentage of uncompleted call attempts that can be attributed to service problems such as, but not limited to, network connectivity or dialed party unavailability, the balance of uncompleted dialed calls reflect the inefficiency and ambiguity of current Service Request Resolution Practices (SRRP). Current SRRP fail in many cases to result in value for the subscriber or the network within the event window. Numerous methods have been deployed and utilized to deliver services that subscribers may desire or need as a result of a dialed call event that was not completed. For a significant portion of these uncompleted calls there is possibly that a subscriber had no intention of completing them (i.e., intentionally dropped call). In many cases the actual service desired by a subscriber can be triggered by the subscriber outside of (i.e., before or after) the dialed call event window. However, such services may not be capable of being triggered during the event window, which is precisely when the best opportunity to create value from such other services is most optimal due to the increased convenience and efficiencies that could be achieved for the subscriber and the network.
One example of less convenient and less efficient SRRP utilized by those skilled in the current art are Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) services that require a user to memorize and then type different character sequences than those used for a normal call. Some examples of USSD services and the character sequences that may be required to initiate such services are shown in FIG. 1. These character sequences may include non-numeric characters, such as the '*' or '#' characters on a normal mobile device keypad, and create what may be referred to as Symbolic Numeric Character Sequences (SNCS), where a string of symbols and numeric characters uniquely identify each type of SNCS that could trigger a service request. An example of this could be a call-me service. When using such a service, a SNCS of "*123#4564567890#" may be used, where "4564567890" would be the Party B number from which SNCS-sending Party A would like a call back (i.e., "4564567890" is the numeric character string (NCS) that Party A would otherwise call directly). The call-me service may then transmit a message to Party B that Party A would like to receive a call from Party B.
From a behavioral standpoint, SNCSs are less convenient to use than NCSs. For example, if a subscriber were to use five different services, the subscriber would have to memorize five unique SNCS. Since, in the call-me service example, a subscriber could, rather than using the call-me service with an SNCS, simply make an intentionally dropped call which deposited the subscriber's caller ID on the Party B mobile device and achieved the same results, without memorizing and/or entering any additional characters, or needing to remember the precise character sequence required, the subscriber is likely to not use the call-me service as it is less convenient than the simpler practice of merely calling the recipient and hanging up. There are numerous examples of such services, where a similar, but unique character string will launch any number of services that can only be triggered before or after a voice call event window, as the mobile device is in a dedicated "voice call session", which must be terminated before a subscriber could enter a SNCS to trigger the USSD service. An important consideration is that during an NCS event, a subscriber is unable to use a USSD service because the NCS session would have to be terminated to allow the USSD SNCS to be entered by the subscriber, so a subscriber can essentially be in an NCS event or request a USSD service, but cannot do both within the event window.

Methods and systems for providing efficient telecommunications services


A method and apparatus for storing and rewriting programs in an IC card. The system provides for storing programs in subdivided portions identified by attribute information including a program number, size and address. The system enables the rewriting of constituent elements of programs without the need for rewriting larger portions. The information identifying the programs parts is stored in an attribute information table in which said sub-area discrimination information and said management information are stored in combination.

The present invention relates to an IC card and a method for rewriting its program, and more particularly to a down-loadable IC card which is capable of rewriting its program quickly and a method for rewriting its processing program.
`IC cards` are now being used in a wide variety of applications. The IC cards used to process several kinds of transactions store individual data contents to be processed by different processing procedures. Therefore, the processing programs for the IC cards are unique to the terminals or host computers (hereinafter represented by terminals) in which they are employed.
For this reason, there has been proposed `down-load processing` IC cards in which processing programs may be written to the IC card the terminals corresponding to several transactions including bank transactions.
These IC cards include a rewritable non-volatile memory in an information memory portion portion for storing a processing program; and thus if the operation of an IC card is desired to be changed, its program can be rewritten.
However, such a system has the following problem. In writing or rewriting a program for the IC card belonging to the above class, the IC card has instructions dedicated to effecting a high speed transfer for programs of about 1 to 8 K bytes. In the block transfer, blocks of about 10 to 80 bytes are transferred creating a long overhead time. And also, even if the program is to be partially rewritten, the IC card is adapted so that the program has to be wholly rewritten, which takes a comparatively longer time than rewriting only the portion to be changed.
The program may include an application program and some parameters necessary for execution thereof. The parameter include constants, identification codes of the card and a user. Moreover, since a large amount of data must be transferred at a high speed in order to rewrite the program, the transfer error detection system also becomes complicated.

Method for rewriting partial program data in an IC card and apparatus therefor


A data processing apparatus comprises first and second processing circuitry. A conditional instruction executed by the second processing circuitry may have an outcome which is dependent on one of a plurality of sets of condition information maintained by the first processing circuitry. A first forwarding path can forward the sets of condition information from the first processing circuitry to a predetermined pipeline stage of a processing pipeline of the second processing circuitry. A request path can transmit a request signal from the second processing circuitry to the first processing circuitry, the request signal indicating a requested set of condition information which was not yet valid when a conditional instruction was at the predetermined pipeline stage. A second forwarding path may forward the requested set of condition information to a subsequent pipeline stage when the information becomes valid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of data processing. In particular, the invention relates to forwarding condition information from first processing circuitry to second processing circuitry.
2. Background to the Invention
A data processing apparatus may comprise first processing circuitry and second processing circuitry. For example, the second processing circuitry may provide auxiliary processing functions which are not available in the first processing circuitry. Sometimes, the outcome of an instruction being executed by the second processing circuitry may be dependent on the outcome of an instruction executed by the first processing circuitry. For example, the second processing circuitry may execute a conditional instruction whose outcome is dependent on condition information maintained by the first processing circuitry, the condition information indicating various properties of the outcome of a program instruction executed by the first processing circuitry. To allow the conditional instruction to be executed correctly, condition information may be sent from the first processing circuitry to the second processing circuitry. The circuitry for forwarding the condition information can be complex, and so the present invention seeks to reduce the complexity of this circuitry and improve the efficiency of forwarding of condition information from first processing circuitry to second processing circuitry.

Forwarding condition information from first processing circuitry to second processing circuitry


A carbon coated metal powder depositable by thermal spray techniques to form a metal coating is disclosed. The carbon coated metal powder has a composition comprising a metal powder and carbon adhered to the metal powder. The metal powder is coated with carbon to form a carbon coated metal powder. The carbon coated metal powder, after being thermally sprayed on to a substrate and after being formed into a metal coating on the substrate, has an oxygen content at least 20% by weight less than the oxygen content in the carbon coated metal powder prior to being thermally sprayed.

Thermal spray techniques are used to deposit wear resistant or thermally insulating coatings from metal and/or ceramic powders, on various components. For example, ceramic powders are thermally sprayed on the face of engine piston crowns and valves to deposit thermal barrier coatings on these components. In other instances, metal powders are thermally sprayed on various engine components to alter the thermal conductivity and/or wear characteristics of such components.
Metal coatings deposited by thermal spray techniques generally have a high oxygen content when compared to the oxygen content in the wrought metal. It is important to reduce the amount of oxygen present in the metal coating in order to improve the formability of the coating, to make the coating less brittle, and to improve corrosion resistance.
Various methods for reducing the oxygen content in thermally sprayed metal coatings are known to those skilled in the art. One such method is to thermally spray the metal powder in a chamber filled with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, for example. Another method is to use an inert gas shroud to protect the molten powder from oxidation during the thermal spray process.
One common problem encountered in the thermal spray process is the susceptibility of the sprayed metal powder to oxidation. This problem becomes more severe when one uses metal powders that have been prepared by water atomization methods. Commercially available water atomized metal powders are about half the cost of gas atomized metal powders and hence the use of gas atomized metal powders represents a waste of labor and resources. However, water atomized metal powders contain about five to ten times greater oxygen than gas atomized metal powders. Typically, water atomized metal powders contain about 10,000 ppm to about 20,000 ppm of oxygen by weight whereas gas atomized metal powders contain 100 ppm to 500 ppm oxygen by weight. Even water atomized metal powders that have been annealed contain about 1,000 ppm to 5,000 ppm oxygen by weight.
None of the heretofore mentioned thermal spray methods facilitate the lowering of oxygen content in the sprayed metal coating to ultra-low levels, such as equal to or less than 500 ppm, or 0.05% oxygen by weight. A technical article titled "Sprayforming by High-Power High-Velocity Plasma Spraying" by M. Scholl, P. Clayton, E. Elmore and J. Wooten, published in the proceedings of the Fourth National Thermal Spray Conference, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.A., May 4-10 1991, pages 281-288 further illustrates this problem. In that technical publication, the authors reported the problem of a six-fold increase in the oxygen content of the sprayed deposit as compared to the oxygen content in the metal wire.
A process for reducing the oxygen content in metal articles formed by powder metal pressing (PMP) is known to those skilled in the art. This process involves the addition of carbon to a metal powder prior to pressing. One drawback with this process is the requirement of an additional step of annealing. After pressing the powder metal into a desired shape, the pressed metal article must be annealed to reduce the oxides. This additional step of annealing represents a waste of time, labor and resources.
It has been desirable to have a method of depositing high quality metal coatings by thermal spray methods which result in the metal coating having a lower oxygen level as compared to the metal powder being sprayed, without requiring the additional step of annealing. It has further been desirable to have a metal mixture which can be thermally sprayable to form a metal coating having an ultra-low oxygen content without the requirement of annealing the coating. It has still further been desirable to have a thermally sprayed metal coating having low oxygen content after thermal spray deposition without requiring additional annealing. It has yet further been desirable to achieve comparably low levels of oxygen in a resultant metal coating thermally sprayed using gas or water atomized metal powders, without employing the labor intensive additional step of annealing the metal coating after thermal spray deposition.
The present invention is directed to overcome one or more problems of heretofore utilized methods for reducing oxygen content in metal coatings which are deposited by thermal spray techniques.

Carbon coated metal powder depositable by thermal spray techniques


A method of making a golf club shaft with a bent angular tip using a main shaft body mandrel and a secondary tip mandrel disposed at an angle therewith and a mandrel apparatus for the same.

The present invention relates to composite golf shafts and in particular to a combination of methods for molding the tip of a golf shaft at a precise angle.
Traditionally golf club shafts have been made straight tapering from a butt section to a narrower tip section which is inserted into the hosel of a golf club head. Typically the butt section includes a grip to enable a golfer to swing the golf club. With the advent of sophisticated molding techniques, it is no longer necessary for the golf club shaft to be at a straight angle. For example, it is well known for putters to have the tip portion of the shaft bent at a precise angle in order to position a golfers hands in a desired location. Similarly, in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,741, a hosel-less golf club is disclosed using a single bent shaft, the bend being such that the shaft may enter the club face at various locations and vary between a minimum of five degrees to a maximum of 180 degrees depending in part upon the loft angle of the golf club head.
Other patents of interest are U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,320 to Onions and U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,914 to Schroder, both of which show a wood type golf club head with a hosel and having a bent steel shaft tip which is angularly offset from the main elongated shaft portion of the club.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,959 to Cheng relates to a golf club shaft made of a composite material such as carbon graphite fiber and having a bent front section connected to a bent shaft section using a uniform diameter link to couple the parts together. The bent section is formed by wrapping a core with carbon fiber fabric and then thermally pressing it to form the desired shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,220 to Lombardo shows a putter type golf club head having a bent shaft with the tip offset approximately 20 degrees from the main portion of the shaft. The patent discloses the shaft as being a metal tube substantially hollow between its ends.
The present invention relates to a carbon fiber graphite composite shaft having a bent tip and to a method of making the same. Carbon fiber graphite composite golf shafts are known to be manufactured using a variety of fibers including carbon fiber, fiberglass, Kevlar and the like with carbon fiber being the predominate fiber used. The material is commonly called prepreg or prepreg composite. In a preferred embodiment of manufacturing a bent composite shaft for golf clubs, a mold is fabricated having dimensions specified by the size of the shaft. Two mandrels, a tip mandrel and a main body mandrel, are used with a conventional bladder. The tip mandrel is inserted into the tip end of the bladder at the desired angle, and the main body mandrel is inserted into the opposite end of the bladder, allowing approximately a two inch gap separating the two mandrels inside the bladder at the point where the angle is to be molded in the shaft. The prepreg composite material is then wrapped over the entire bladder and mandrel assembly. The material wrapped over the bend angle area preferably is an intermediate modulus high strain prepreg material or other high strain material such as glass fiber for added strength in this section where additional stresses will occur when a golf ball is struck. All of the wrapped assembly is placed in the mold and compression molded to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 7-10 minutes or up to 2.5 hours at 250 degrees F. The formed shaft is removed from the press and the mandrels removed. The shaft surface is prepared for finishing, light sanding or other abrasive treatments, as required. Additionally paint may be applied.
An alternate method of producing a composite bent shaft uses a single long one piece flexible mandrel which may be made of flexible silicone or rubberized material, flexible round spiral metal or flexible solid metal. Alternately the above two methods may eliminate the use of an intermediate bladder. When the bladder is not used, the prepreg material is wrapped directly over the mandrels. A mandrel puller will be required to assist in removing mandrels if a bladder is not used.
Still another method contemplates using a permanent elbow connection such as a plastic or rubberized piece that would fit between the two separate tip and main body mandrels which fills the gap between the two mandrels. This elbow connection used without a bladder, permanently remains inside the shaft after the mandrels are removed.
Still other alternate methods includes a mechanical connection between the two mandrels including a screw or mortise and tenon connection for holding the mandrels together.
Still another method is to butt the two ends of the two mandrels up against each other at the desired angle.
Still another method uses a scrim wrap to connect a solid or flexible tip mandrel to a main body mandrel.
An object of the present invention is the provision of a composite golf club shaft having a bent or angular tip section and methods of making the same.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain embodiments of the invention.


An electronic device has a rack accommodating a mother board and a first and a second printed circuit board (PCB) group mounted on the mother board. The PCBs belonging to one of the first and second groups are mounted on the mother board in an upper half of the rack while having the surfaces thereof positioned substantially parallel to the side walls of the rack. The PCBs belonging to the other group are mounted on the mother board in a lower half of the rack while having the surfaces thereof held substantially horizontal. If necessary, a third group of PCBs are positioned above one of the first and second PCB groups and mounted on the mother board with their surfaces held substantially horizontal. The wiring network between the first and second (and third) PCB groups is formed on the surface of the mother board by printing. Two electric fans may be respectively located between the first and second PCB groups and between the third and first (or second) PCB groups.

The present invention relates to the structure of an electronic device including a number of printed circuit boards (PCBs) each being loaded with a number of LSIs or similar electronic parts. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with the structure of an electronic device having a layered switch circuit group e.g., a cross connect switch device constituting a node of an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) transmission network.
Generally, a cross connect switch device has a group of input switch circuits, a group of output switch circuits, and a wiring network connecting the two groups of switch circuits to each other. A group of intermediate switch circuits are interposed between the input and output switch circuit groups, depending on the required cross connecting function. In such a case, the above-mentioned wiring network is formed between the input switch circuit group and the intermediate switch circuit group and between the intermediate switch circuit group and the output switch circuit group. LSIs and other numerous electronic parts consisting of the input, intermediate and output switch circuit networks are mounted on a plurality of PCBs. The PCBs are, in turn, respectively inserted in a number of PCB connectors mounted on a single mother board. The wiring network is formed on the surface of the mother board and connected to the contacts of the PCB connectors.
The input and output switch circuit groups each has a number of unit switch circuits. Specifically, b unit switch circuits constituting the input switch circuit group each receives an input signal on any one of a input terminals and produces it on any one of c output terminals. Likewise, each of c unit switch circuits constituting the output switch circuit group receives the output signal of the input switch circuit group on any one of b input terminals and produces it on any one of d output terminals. The wiring network between the c.times.b output terminals of the b unit switch circuits of the input switch circuit network and the b.times.c input terminals of the unit switch circuits of the output switch circuit group are implemented by a number of unit wirings each connecting the n-th output terminal of the m-th unit switch of the former to the m-th input terminal of the n-th unit switch circuit of the latter. As a result, switch circuit networks having the wiring network therebetween are formed in a layered configuration.
Such a layered connection of switch circuit networks can be implemented as a simple bidimensional arrangement of the unit switch circuits and unit wirings. It follows that the layered connection is achievable if the input switch circuit group and the output switch circuit group are respectively formed on a first and a second PCB group, and then the PCB groups are mounted on a mother board on which a wiring network is printed beforehand.
In one of conventional structures of the above-described type of communication device, the mother board constitutes the back of a rack and, in this sense, it is often called a back wire board. The first and second PCB groups implementing the input and output switch circuit groups are respectively mounted on an upper half and a lower half of the mother board with the surfaces of the PCBs positioned parallel to the side walls of the rack. An electric fan is located between the two groups of PCBs for forcibly cooling them. Since the PCBs extend parallel to the side walls of the rack, i.e., parallel to the length of the mother board and, in addition, perpendicular to the surface of the mother board, the surfaces of the PCBs are free from deformation and, moreover, excessive stresses are prevented from acting on the portions of the PCBs which are connected to the mother board. In addition, the cooling effect available with the fan is enhanced since the PCBs are so oriented as to minimize the resistance to the flow of cooling air. However, since the PCB groups constituting the input and output switch circuit groups are oriented in the same direction on the mother board, the printed wiring provided on the mother board for forming the wiring network between the two switch circuit groups is complicated in configuration and, therefore, makes it difficult to realize the wiring network with a single layer printed wiring.
Another conventional structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,765. In this structure, two mother boards are arranged in a horizontal position in a rack. A first and a third PCB group are arranged one above another and in a horizontal position in a rack. The first and third PCB groups are respectively mounted on the upper mother board and the lower surface of the lower mother board and parallel to the side walls of the rack. A second PCB group is located between the two mother boards in parallel to the back of the rack. In such a structure, since the second PCB group is mounted on the mother boards in a position perpendicular to the first and third PCB groups, the configuration of the wirings on the mother boards is simple enough to implement the wiring network with a single layer printed wiring. However, this conventional scheme has a problem that it needs two mother boards and, in addition, makes it impossible for the operator to replace the PCBs at the front of the rack. The three PCB groups are each parallel to the side ealls or the back of the rack, i.e., perpendicular to the ground. Although such an arrangement is desirable from the cooling standpoint, the mother board intervening between the first and second PCB groups and the mother board intervening between the second and PCB groups not only reduce the cooling effect but also obstruct the arrangement of an electric fan for forced cooling.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a structure of a cross connect switch or similar electronic device having a number of PCBs and a mother board on which the PCBs are mounted, which structure simplifies the configuration of a printed wiring on the mother board without degrading the cooling effect on electronic parts mounted on the PCBs or the ease of maintenance and repair at the front of a rack.
An electronic device of the present invention has a rack accommodating a mother board and a first and a second PCB group mounted on the mother board. One of the first and second PCB groups is mounted on the mother board in an upper half of the rack such that the surfaces of the individual PCBs extend substantially parallel to the side walls of the rack. The other PCB group is mounted on a lower half of the rack such that the surfaces of the individual PCBs extend substantially in the horizontal direction. A third PCB group may be disposed above one of the first and second PCB groups, if necessary. Then, the PCBs of the third PCB group are mounted on the mother board with their surfaces held substantially in the horizontal position. A wiring network between the first and second (and third) PCB groups is formed on the surface of the mother board by printing. Two fans may be respectively interposed between the first and second PCB groups and between the third and first (or second) PCB groups, as needed.
With the above construction, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the wiring network on the mother board without affecting the cooling effect on the electronic parts of the PCBs or degrading the ease of maintenance and repair at the front of the rack.

Structure of an electronic device including a number of printed circuit boards


A scoring table for use at sporting includes a table top, a front section adapted to support the forward portion of the table top, and legs adapted to support the rear portion of the table top. The legs are formed with upper and lower leg members. Each lower leg member is hinged to the respective upper leg member for movement between (1) a first position aligned with and extending downwardly from the upper leg member for supporting the rear portion of the table top from the floor and (2) a second position extending upwardly from the hinge and generally adjacent the upper leg member to allow the upper leg members to support the rear portion of the table top from a generally horizontal surface which is at a height above the floor such as a bleacher seat.

This invention relates generally to scoring tables for use at sporting events by game personnel such as a timekeeper, a statistician, and a scorer.
More particularly, the invention relates to scoring tables of the type having a front panel section for supporting the front portion of the table and rear legs adapted to support the rear portion of the table.
Prior scoring tables of this type are typically adapted to be either free-standing, to enable the personnel to work at the table while sitting on chairs, or to be at least partially supported on bleachers, to enable the personnel to work at the table while sitting on the bleachers. The rear legs of bleacher-mounted scoring tables are adapted to rest on and support the rear portion of the table from either the first or second bleacher seat while the front section rests on either the floor or a bleacher seat forwardly of the rear legs.
One prior known scoring table is adapted to be convertible between free-standing and bleacher-mounted. In this instance, the rear legs sized to normally rest on the floor and are adapted to be removed, folded, or otherwise moved to an "out of the way" position such as extending laterally along the back of the front section, and additional "adapter" leg supports are secured to the table for supporting the rear portion of the table top on a seat of the bleachers.
Such prior convertible scoring tables require additional parts, usually supplied in a kit, including the adapter legs and typically fastening hardware such as nuts and bolts to secure the added supports to the table.
Unfortunately, these additional parts must be stored and may be lost when not installed onto the table. And converting one of these prior tables between bleacher-mounted and free-standing typically requires tools and the aid of, for example, maintenance personnel.
To reduce the space needed for storage of the scoring table, the rear legs of the scoring table and the rear portion of the table top are often adapted to fold into a storage position. For example, the legs may be adapted to fold into a position along the back of the front section and the rear portion of the table top may be adapted to fold downwardly adjacent and rearwardly of the folded legs. As a result, the overall width of the scoring table is substantially reduced.
In such collapsible scoring tables, however, the adapter legs of prior convertible tables must typically be removed from the table before the table can be folded and put into storage, and the supports and associated hardware must then be transported separately between the storage area and the location where the table is to be setup.
Thus, there is a need for a scoring table that is easily converted between free-standing and bleacher-mounted without the need for additional adapter supports, and that is also quickly and easily collapsible for storage.


An information processing device updates its own secret key according to an update request including request order information, the information processing device being provided with: a storage unit that stores, in a nonvolatile manner, a master secret key, a secret key, and order comparison information that enables comparison of the request order of the update request; and an update unit that, in a case where the update request has been made, compares the request order information and the order comparison information, and in a case where it has been determined that the order of the update request is authorized, updates the order comparison information to information corresponding to the request order information before update processing of the secret key is performed by using the master secret key.

Conventionally, a side-channel attack is known as an attack method in which by observing, by various physical means, an operation state of an information processing device such as a microcomputer that functions as an encryption processing device, secret information (for example, secret key information) in the device is obtained.
Specifically, for example, timing attacks aiming at processing time, power analysis attacks aiming at power consumption, and electromagnetic wave analysis attacks aiming at electromagnetic waves leaking from the device are known. Side channel attacks aim to extract the secret key for use in encryption or decryption processing.
As measures against these attacks, there are proposed, for example, a technique in which the power consumption per one encryption computation and the amount of information leakage caused by an electromagnetic wave are reduced to force an attacker to try a large number of times, and a technique in which a risk of key leakage is reduced by frequently updating a secret key.
However, the former technique results in a remarkable increase in hardware scale and a remarkable increase in throughput overhead, and the latter technique causes a problem that it is difficult to apply the technique to a system, such as a vehicle-mounted system, in which a secret key is not frequently updated.
An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device that suppresses an increase in hardware scale, that can be applied to various kinds of systems, and that is easily capable of taking measures against a side-channel attack, and to provide an information processing system, and a method for controlling the information processing device.

Information processing device, information processing system, and method for controlling information processing device including comparing request order information and order comparison information

TOSHIBA ELECTRONIC DEVICES & STORAGE CORPORATION


A method, apparatus, and system for modeling interactions of a group of users with a computing system includes monitoring passive and active interaction data of multiple users and discovering common interests among the users based on the interaction data. Collective contextual user models may be dynamically formed based on the common interests. Such models have many useful applications that can benefit the group or the individual members of the group.

In a typical, traditional computing system environment, users interact with multiple different software applications, e.g. email, Internet browsers, word processing, calendars, and so on. The semantic meaning of each interaction with each application may be implicitly known by the particular application. For example, an email application may be aware of particular high-level functions (such as sending a message) performed by the user within that application. However, the computing system generally does not maintain a collective, semantic model of all of the meaningful activities the user has performed or is performing, across multiple different applications. In other words, the computing system may be aware that an email application and a calendar application are both currently executing, and may be aware of system-level calls that those applications make, but the system does not know what the user is functionally doing within each of those applications, and thus is unable to communicate that information in a form that is understandable to the user. Rather, that level of semantic awareness typically remains confined within the individual applications. This issue is compounded in the context of a collaborative group of users: as a traditional computing system is not aware at a high-level of what each of the individual users is doing across various applications, it is all the more unaware of the significance of those actions for the group.

Method, apparatus, and system for modeling interactions of a group of users with a computing system


Methods and systems for estimating the position of an object such (as a vehicle) are disclosed. The method comprises transmitting a first V2X message from the object to a plurality of spaced apart units; and receiving a set of V2X response messages from at least two units in response to the first V2X message. Each response message comprises an identifier of the object, an identifier of the unit from which the response message was sent, and temporal information associated with the times of receiving a previous V2X message at the unit and transmitting a previous V2X response message from the unit. The position of the object is estimated based on the information contained in the set of V2X response messages and the times of transmitting the previous V2X message from the object and receiving the previous set of V2X response messages at the object.

An accurate position of an object such as a vehicle is required in many applications. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is an example of a positioning system which uses geostationary satellites to determine the position of an object at any given time. The GNSS positioning system suffers from multi-path extensions caused by urban canyons. Multi-path extensions are the multiple paths taken by GNSS signals as they bounce off buildings and other infrastructural elements. In addition, GNSS based systems do not work in undercover scenarios, for example in underground car parks, homes, tunnels, and any other compromised sky view. This is because objects located in undercover scenarios may not be able to connect with enough satellites to calculate the object's position. The GNSS system is generally augmented with inertial sensors to provide a dead reckoning solution in these challenging scenarios. These augmentations, unless corrected, can accumulate errors over time and will lead to an increase in measurement errors. Therefore, in many cases the GNSS, even assisted by dead-reckoning sensors and atmospheric corrections, fail to provide accurate position estimation. Accurate position estimation may not be required in every scenario however it is critical in certain situations and applications, for example, in the case of autonomous vehicle systems. Accurate and continuous position estimation of such vehicles is absolutely crucial to ensure the safety of these systems.
Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgment or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be combined with any other prior art by a skilled person in the art.

Method for estimating the position of an object


An information processing device is disclosed. The information processing device includes an inclination detection unit configured to generate a first signal regarding inclination of the device. The information processing device also includes a display processing unit configured to, based on the first signal, generate a second signal to initiate a change in orientation of a display of content, and generate a third signal to cancel the change in orientation in response to receipt of a CANCEL command after initiation of the change.

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a computer program which can rotate a screen layout depending on a physical rotation of a device.
With a diversification of use of a device, it is demanded to present information to be displayed on a display unit of the device so as to be easily seen by a user depending on how the device is used. For example, a convertible type tablet PC 10 including a display side housing 11 and a body side housing 14 shown in FIG. 13 has a structure in which the display side housing 11 is rotatable by 180 degrees in a state in which the display side housing 11 is opened with respect to the body side housing 14 (see US Patent Application No. 2008/0129666 specification).
The tablet PC 10 can be used as an ordinary notebook PC through an operation for an input unit 15 by causing a surface 11a on the display 12 side in the display side housing 11 to be opposed to the body side housing 14 in a PC use mode (a state (a)). On the other hand, by rotating a coupling unit 13 of the tablet PC 10 (a state (b)) and to fold a back face 11b of the display side housing 11 up so as to be superposed on the body side housing 14 opposite to each other (a state (c)), it is possible to set a tablet use mode (a state (d)). In the tablet use mode, the tablet PC 10 can be used by an operation for a touch panel input unit.
Thus, the tablet PC 10 shown in FIG. 13 can change a direction of the display 12 depending on how a user uses the tablet PC.
In recent years, there is widely used a graphical user interface (GUI) for calculating an inclination of a device based on a result of a detection which is obtained by an acceleration sensor provided on the device and automatically rotating a screen layout to be displayed on a display unit of the device corresponding to the inclination of the device. As an example of the GUI for automatically rotating the screen layout or the like corresponding to the inclination of the device, for instance, FIG. 14 shows the case in which a screen layout of a device 20 is automatically rotated when a rectangular screen provided on the device 20 is vertically long and when the screen is horizontally long.
Referring to the device 20 in FIG. 14, a screen layout A is displayed when it is decided that the device 20 is used with the screen being vertically long, and a screen layout B is displayed when it is decided that the device 20 is used with the screen being horizontally long. It is assumed that the device 20 is used in the vertically long state of the screen of the device 20 and the device 20 is physically rotated in such a manner that the screen is horizontally long in a state in which the screen layout A is displayed on the screen. Consequently, it is decided that the device 20 is used with the screen in the horizontally long state based on a result of a detection obtained by an acceleration sensor, and the display of the screen is automatically changed from the screen layout A to the screen layout B.
Thus, the inclination of the device 20 is detected to automatically change the screen layout. Consequently, it is possible to present information to be easily seen by a user without changing the screen layout by the user.
However, an automatic change in a screen layout corresponding to an inclination of a device shown in FIG. 14 causes deterioration in a convenience in the case in which a user wants to maintain a direction of the screen which is displayed. The inclination of the device 20 is determined based on a gravitational acceleration through an acceleration sensor. For this reason, the screen layout is changed automatically in such a manner that an upper end of the screen layout is typically provided in a reverse direction to gravity.
On the other hand, in a situation in which the user uses the device 20 while changing a posture over a bed as shown in FIG. 15, for example, an inclination of a head portion of the user is changed depending on the posture. For example, when the user is watching the screen in a position on his or her elbows, using palms to support his or her cheeks, in a state in which the device 20 is disposed with the screen set to be vertically long, the head portion of the user is rarely inclined with respect to a direction of the gravity. Accordingly, the user can see information in a screen layout which can easily be seen.
In this state, it is assumed that the user presses the head portion onto the bed with an inclination of approximately 90 degrees with respect to the direction of the gravity, thereby changing the posture. At this time, if the device 20 is also inclined by approximately 90 degrees in order to see information in the screen layout A in the same manner as the situation before the change of the posture, switching from the screen layout A to the screen layout B is automatically carried out corresponding to the inclination of the device 20. For this reason, it is difficult to see the information in a screen layout that the user wants to see. Such situation appears particularly in the case in which the screen layout is greatly varied depending on whether a 2-screen device 30 having two screens 30a and 30b shown in FIG. 16 is turned vertically long or horizontally long.
On the other hand, for example, by providing a hardware button for locking the screen layout to the device, it is possible to offer a function for preventing a change in the screen layout of the device from being carried out. If setting of the hardware button or the like is changed every change in a context to be used by the user, however, the convenience of the device is deteriorated. Therefore, it is desirable that the screen layout can be changed depending on the inclination of the device without the deterioration in the convenience of the device, and furthermore, the screen layout can be changed.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method and computer program for determining rotation of a device


A multiband RF power amplifier includes a first band RF amplifier circuit, a second band RF amplifier circuit and a second band power detection circuit. The second band RF amplifier circuit subjects an RF input signal having a frequency band to power amplification and generates an RF amplifier output signal. The input terminal of the second band power detection circuit is coupled to the output of the second band RF amplifier circuit. The second band power detection circuit detects a harmonic component that is a whole number multiple of a fundamental wave component of the RF amplifier output signal, and generates a detected signal indicating the fundamental wave component. The second band power detection circuit includes an input circuit, which detects the harmonic component, and an output circuit, which generates the detected signal.

The present invention relates to an RF power amplifier and an operating method thereof, and particularly relates to a technology effective for reducing the size of a power detection circuit.
Cell phones, which provide mobile communications, have progressed from the second generation (2G) represented by the GSM standard to the third generation (3G) represented by the W-CDMA and CDMA2000 standards. The cell phones have further progressed to the LTE standard, which is intermediate between the third generation (3G) and the forthcoming fourth generation (4G). GSM is an acronym for Global System for Mobile Communications. W-CDMA is an acronym for Wideband Code Multiplex Access. LTE is an acronym for Long Term Evolution.
The GSM standard, which is the second generation (2G), includes four standards: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, and PCS1900. The GSM850, which is widespread mainly in North America, uses radio frequencies (RF) between 824 MHz and 915 MHz for the transmission (uplink) from a cell phone terminal to a base station. The GSM900, which is widespread mainly in Asia, Africa, Oceania, Europe, and Latin America, uses radio frequencies (RF) between 880 MHz and 915 MHz for the transmission (uplink) from a cell phone terminal to a base station. The DCS1800, which is also widespread mainly in Asia, Africa, Oceania, Europe, and Latin America, uses radio frequencies (RF) between 1710 MHz and 1785 MHz for the transmission (uplink) from a cell phone terminal to a base station. The PCS1900, which is widespread mainly in North America and Latin America, uses radio frequencies (RF) between 1850 MHz and 1910 MHz for the transmission (uplink) from a cell phone terminal to a base station. The GSM850 and GSM900 standards are generally called low-band GSM standards, whereas the DCS1800 and PCS1900 standards are generally called high-band GSM standards.
According to technical specifications for the LTE standard, which are prepared by the 3GPP, an extremely large number of frequency bands are available. Typically, band 1, band 2, band 4, band 5, and band 8 are available. For the transmission (uplink) from a band 1 cell phone terminal to a base station, radio frequencies (RF) between 1920 MHz and 1980 MHz are used. For the transmission (uplink) from a band 2 cell phone terminal to a base station, radio frequencies (RF) between 1850 MHz and 1910 MHz are used. For the transmission (uplink) from a band 4 cell phone terminal to a base station, radio frequencies (RF) between 1710 MHz and 1785 MHz are used. For the transmission (uplink) from a band 5 cell phone terminal to a base station, radio frequencies (RF) between 824 MHz and 915 MHz are used. For the transmission (uplink) from a band 8 cell phone terminal to a base station, radio frequencies (RF) between 880 MHz and 915 MHz are used. 3GPP is an acronym for Third Generation Partnership Project.
Meanwhile, using a directional coupler for providing power control of an RF power amplifier is described in "Accurate Power Control Technique for Handset PA Modules with Integrated Directional Couplers" (Jelena Madic et al., 2003 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium, pp. 715-718). According to this document, the power generated from the RF power amplifier is supplied to a main line for a directional coupler. One end of an auxiliary line for the directional coupler is coupled to a ground potential through a terminating resistor. A voltage detected at the other end of the auxiliary line for the directional coupler and a control voltage are supplied to a controller. The RF power amplifier is controlled in accordance with an output from the controller. The detected voltage is determined by adding the vector of a coupled voltage of a traveling-wave signal, which is generated from the RF power amplifier, to the vector of a coupled voltage of a reflected-wave signal, which is reflected from a load.
Further, exercising power control called AC sensing is described in "A VSWR-Protected Silicon Bipolar RF Power Amplifier with Soft-Slope Power Control" (Angelo Scuderi et al., IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 40, No. 3, March 2005, pp. 611-621) in addition to using a directional coupler for providing power control of an RF power amplifier, as is the case with "Accurate Power Control Technique for Handset PA Modules with Integrated Directional Couplers" (Jelena Madic et al., 2003 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium, pp. 715-718). In AC sensing, the collector voltage of an output transistor at the final stage of the RF power amplifier is supplied to an input terminal of an envelope detector through a coupling capacitor. An error amplifier compares a voltage detected by the envelope detector to a reference voltage. A driving stage for driving the output transistor at the final stage is controlled in accordance with an output from the error amplifier.
Power control called current sensing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,364 B1 in addition to power control exercised while a directional coupler formed by a pair of transmission lines is coupled to the collector of an RF amplifying transistor of an RF power amplifier through an output matching circuit. For purposes of current sensing, the base of a small RF signal sensing transistor is coupled to the base of the RF amplifying transistor through two bias resistors. A common bias voltage is supplied to these transistor bases through the two bias resistors. Further, a common RF input signal is supplied through two coupling capacitors. As the element size of the RF signal sensing transistor is set to be physically smaller than that of the RF amplifying transistor, the RF amplification signal of the RF signal sensing transistor is smaller than the RF amplification signal of the RF amplifying transistor.

RF power amplifier and operating method thereof


The present invention relates to an antireflective composition comprising a polymer, a thermal acid generator and optionally a crosslinking agent, where the polymer comprises at least one hydrophobic unit (1), at least one chromophore unit (2), at least one unit with a crosslinking site (3) and optionally a unit capable of crosslinking the polymer,

Photoresist compositions are used in microlithography processes for making miniaturized electronic components such as in the fabrication of computer chips and integrated circuits. Generally, in these processes, a thin coating of film of a photoresist composition is first applied to a substrate material, such as silicon based wafers used for making integrated circuits. The coated substrate is then baked to evaporate any solvent in the photoresist composition and to fix the coating onto the substrate. The baked coated surface of the substrate is next subjected to an image-wise exposure to radiation.
This radiation exposure causes a chemical transformation in the exposed areas of the coated surface. Visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, electron beam and X-ray radiant energy are radiation types commonly used today in microlithographic processes. After this image-wise exposure, the coated substrate is treated with a developer solution to dissolve and remove either the radiation-exposed or the unexposed areas of the photoresist.
The trend towards the miniaturization of semiconductor devices has led to the use of new photoresists that are sensitive to lower and lower wavelengths of radiation and has also led to the use of sophisticated multilevel systems to overcome difficulties associated with such miniaturization.
Absorbing antireflective coatings and underlayers in photolithography are used to diminish problems that result from back reflection of light from highly reflective substrates. Two major disadvantages of back reflectivity are thin film interference effects and reflective notching. Thin film interference, or standing waves, result in changes in critical line width dimensions caused by variations in the total light intensity in the photoresist film as the thickness of the photoresist changes or interference of reflected and incident exposure radiation can cause standing wave effects that distort the uniformity of the radiation through the thickness. Reflective notching becomes severe as the photoresist is patterned over reflective substrates containing topographical features, which scatter light through the photoresist film, leading to line width variations, and in the extreme case, forming regions with complete photoresist loss. An antireflective coating coated beneath a photoresist and above a reflective substrate provides significant improvement in lithographic performance of the photoresist. Typically, the bottom antireflective coating is applied on the substrate and then a layer of photoresist is applied on top of the antireflective coating. The antireflective coating is cured to prevent intermixing between the antireflective coating and the photoresist. The photoresist is exposed imagewise and developed. The antireflective coating in the exposed area is then typically dry etched using various etching gases, and the photoresist pattern is thus transferred to the substrate.
In order to further improve the resolution and depth of focus of photoresists, immersion lithography is a technique that has been used to extend the resolution limits of deep uv lithography imaging. In the traditional process of dry lithography imaging, air or some other low refractive index gas, lies between the lens and the wafer plane. This abrupt change in refractive index causes rays at the edge of the lens to undergo total internal reflection and not propagate to the wafer. In immersion lithography a fluid is present between the objective lens and the wafer to enable higher orders of light to participate in image formation at the wafer plane. In this manner the effective numerical aperture of the optical lens (NA) can be increased to greater than 1, where NAwet=ni sin θ, where NAwet is the numerical aperture with immersion lithography, ni is refractive index of liquid of immersion and sin θ is the angular aperture of the lens. Increasing the refractive index of the medium between the lens and the photoresist allows for greater resolution power and depth of focus. This in turn gives rise to greater process latitudes in the manufacturing of IC devices. The process of immersion lithography is described in 'Immersion liquids for lithography in deep ultraviolet' Switkes et al. Vol. 5040, pages 690-699, Proceedings of SPIE
The present novel antireflective coating composition is useful for immersion lithography where the antireflective coating has a surface contact angle closely matching that of the photoresist used in immersion lithography. The developed photoresist has good lithographic performance, being free of scum and defects.

Antireflective coating composition and process thereof

Abstract: where, R1 to R8 are independently selected from hydrogen and C1-C4 alkyl, W1 is a fully or partially fluorinated alkylene group, X is selected from F, H and OH; W2 comprises a chromophore group, and W3 Y comprises a crosslinking site. The invention also relates to a process for using the antireflective coating composition.


A framework for quantitative evaluation of time-varying data. In accordance with one aspect, the framework delineates a volume of interest in a four-dimensional (4D) Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) dataset (204). The framework then extracts a centerline of the volume of interest (206). In response to receiving one or more user-selected points along the centerline (208), the framework determines at least one blood dynamics measure associated with the one or more user-selected points (210), and generates a visualization based on the blood dynamics measure (212).

Angiography is a common method used to represent blood vessels based on diagnostic imaging methods, such as X-ray or Magnetic Resonance Tomography (MRT). For an improved representation of the vessels under examination, Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) has been developed. DSA is an angiography technique used in interventional radiology to clearly visualize blood vessels in a bony or dense soft tissue environment. Images are produced by subtracting a 'pre-contrast image' or the mask from subsequent images acquired after the contrast medium has been introduced into a structure or tissue of interest. These images can be used to provide time-resolved or time-varying information that shows the development of the structure or tissue of interest over time.
In current clinical practice, time-resolved information is generally only available in two dimensions. Typically, the surgeon has to perform a two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) mental conversion from the 2D projection images to 3D anatomy in order to assess and diagnose vascular pathologies and blood flow abnormalities. The filling of the vasculature changes from frame to frame, leaving the surgeon with the difficult task of interpreting 3D filling from varying 2D snapshots. Regardless of acquisition/viewing angle, vessel segments that are overlapping and/or obscured may therefore be compromised, leading to potentially missing image information or incorrect diagnosis. Problems include, for example, vessel overlap or vessels running orthogonal to the detector plane.
Recent years have seen the introduction of methodologies for 3D DSA. In one method, a mask projection image sequence is first acquired during a rotational scan of the angiographic device, followed by a sequence of rotational fill projection images acquired after the introduction of contrast agent. The mask projection images are subtracted from the fill projection images to generate projection image data that displays a subject's vascular anatomy acquired at different viewing angles. Using 3D reconstruction techniques, a volumetric DSA dataset of a subject's vasculature can be created. Alternatively, a reconstructed mask volume can be subtracted from a reconstructed (contrast-enhanced) fill volume in order to generate a 3D DSA.
The last years have seen the introduction of a reconstruction method called 4D DSA that is aimed at reproducing the contrast dynamics visible in the projection images in a 3D volume, effectively creating a time-resolved 3D dataset. Methods for reconstructing datasets derived from a single C-Arm system have been formulated.

Quantitative evaluation of time-varying data


The interference suppression filter and lightning current diverter device (1) comprises an inner conductor (3) and a housing (2) disposed approximately coaxially with it. At both ends of the housing (2) connectors (7, 8) are provided for the connection of coaxial lines. Coaxially with the inner conductor (3) is disposed in a hollow space (32) at least one pair of two lines (5, 6), which form a connection between inner conductor (3) and housing (2). The two lines (5, 6) are disposed parallel and spaced apart from one another, the directions of flow of the currents in the two lines (5, 6) being directed counter to one another. This configuration permits the improved diversion of interference pulses or interference signals to ground, and residual voltages and residual energies are largely eliminated.

The invention relates to an interference suppression filter and lightning current diverter device in a coaxial line for transmitting high-frequency signals, comprising a housing with two connectors, the housing forming an outer conductor connected to ground, and an inner conductor guided through the housing, as well as a connection between inner conductor and housing.
Interference suppression filter and lightning current diverter devices of this type are known. They serve for the purpose of protecting assemblies, apparatus or installations connected to lines, for example coaxial lines of telecommunication devices, against electromagnetic pulses, overvoltages and/or lightning currents. Electromagnetic pulses of artificial type can be generated for example by motors, switches, clocked power supply units or also in connection with nuclear events, and pulses of natural origin can be formed, for example, as a consequence of direct or indirect lightning strikes. The known protective circuits are therein disposed on the input side of the assemblies, apparatus or installation, and these circuits can be diverting or reflecting systems.
An EMP diverter of this type is disclosed in EP 938 166. This EMP diverter comprises a housing serving as outer conductor and connected to ground. In a first portion of this housing, which extends in the direction of introduction axis of a coaxial cable, is carried an inner conductor. In a second housing portion, which projects at right angles from the first housing portion, is disposed a connection in the form of a λ/4 shortcircuit line, which connects the inner conductor with the housing. With this known T-configuration it is already possible to attain with suitable known geometric configurations and implementations very good protection of the connected apparatus, assemblies or installations. EMP diverters of this type must meet international standards and fulfill for example the test conditions according to the IEC Standard (International Electronic Commission).
In spite of the good effectiveness, diverters of this type have the disadvantage that a residual voltage, and therewith also a residual energy, is still delivered via the inner conductor to the connected assemblies, apparatus or installations. Since only one contact point of the shortcircuit line to the housing exists, the current carrying capacity is also limited. A further disadvantage comprises that the housing portion, incorporation the λ/4 shortcircuit conductor and arranged at right angles to the inner conductors, is relatively large and leads to a bulky constructional size of this diverter. The installation of such diverters often presents considerable difficulties due to the λ/4 shortcircuit conductor projecting at right angles, and appropriate distances between adjacent structural elements must also be maintained. This structural shape can also not be covered with shrinkable tubing against environmental effects, but rather, in practice, corrosion protection tape is wound around it. This leads to increased costs.
A diverter in a more compact mode of constructing is disclosed in DE 199 36 869. In this apparatus on the housing a chamber is attached, which is disposed in a tangential plane at a radial spacing and approximately parallel to the inner conductor. As a connection between inner conductor and housing, a shortcircuit conductor of specific length is located in this chamber in a circular or spiral configuration.
This implementation leads to a reduction of the radial structural dimensions of the apparatus. With this solution there is also the disadvantage that, due to the line inductance, residual voltage, and therewith also a residual energy, is transferred or is conducted further via the inner conductor. Since also only one contact point exists between shortcircuit conductor and housing, the capacity for carrying current is also limited.

Interference filter and lightning conductor device