Embodiments of the invention provide a method of processing natural rubber latex using an extruder including a plurality of process zones by processing coagulant with latex to produce a coagulum and serum. In some embodiments, the coagulant can include an acid, a metal salt, or a mixture of both. Some embodiments can include a coagulum wash stage, and a deresination step. In some embodiments, the extruder can be operated to move coagulum through the extruder to remove at least some fraction of water to form a substantially dewatered coagulum, and a drying step to form a dried coagulum. In some embodiments, a stabilizer such as an antioxidant can be introduced into the extruder, and processed to remain in some fraction in the dried coagulum. Some alternative embodiments include a latex processing method of providing a flow of coagulant, and combining latex with the flowing using an emulsion dispensing bar.

Natural Rubber is a polymer of isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene), and is one of the world's best known natural polymers. Plant-derived natural rubber, is predominately comprised of cis-1,4 polyisoprene which forms a milky suspension or dispersion in water (latex), and is found in the sap of a variety of plant species such as guayule (Parthenium argentatum), gopher plant (Euphorbia lathyris), mariola (Parthenium incanum), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca, speciosa, subulata, et al), goldenrods (Solidago altissima, graminifolia, rigida, et al), pale Indian plantain (Cacalia atripilcifolia), Russian dandelion (Taraxacum Kok-Saghyz), mountain mint (pycnanthemum incanum), American germander (Teucreum canadense) and tall bell flower (Campanula Americana), amongst others.
Some plant species, such as guayule, thrive in arid and semi-arid regions such as those present in the southwestern deserts of the United States. This potentially provides an opportunity to greatly expand domestic production of natural rubber using land that would otherwise lie dormant. Natural rubber can be extracted from plants, including guayule, in the form of a latex using waterborne processes such as those detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,923,039 (herein the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference).
In general, the rubber latex that is derived from plants contains a few percent of other materials (proteins, fatty acids, resins and inorganic materials). In order to meet certain standards (such as those developed and administered by ASTM International), as well as market requirements and consumer preferences, it is desirable to convert the plant-derived latex into a block rubber product that is essentially free of resin and other contaminants. The conventional processes used for making Hevea block rubber, such as coagulation with dilute acids such as formic and acetic acid, tend not to completely coagulate the latex. In addition, the rubber tends to thermally and oxidatively degrade rapidly during the drying processes forming chemical groups which can create color centers in the polymer. Natural rubber that has been extracted and processed into film or block rubber also tends to degrade during storage. If present in sufficient concentration, these color centers can substantially discolor the rubber. Some end-user applications, such as those requiring use in medical, and health related applications, require a natural rubber product to meet certain chemical and physical parameters. This includes having a visual appearance requiring the material to be essentially free of color centers. In some applications, it is desirable to extract natural rubber from rubber latex that contains some proportion of antioxidant or other stabilizer product. More preferably, the antioxidant or other stabilizer should not itself substantially discolor the natural rubber product to any significant degree. Furthermore, as latex generally contains a high percentage of water, using processes designed to produce block and film rubber tends to take extended process times, or require inefficient use of energy to produce a dried product. Furthermore, direct conversion of latex to a film or block rubber product inherently produces a material with undesirable concentrations of resin and other contaminants. In certain applications where the guayule resin is considered detrimental to user-performance, it is often desirable to remove substantially all of the resins, or some of the resins. Therefore it is often desirable to remove substantially all the acetone extractable components in the rubber, other than any added stabilizer, including, without limitation, antioxidants.

Process for preparing guayule natural rubber


A printing device provided with a conveyer roller pair for holding sheet paper drawn out from a recording paper roll to feed the sheet paper forward or backward. The device includes a feeding roller pair disposed between the recording paper roll and the conveyer roller pair for drawing out the recording paper and feeding it to the conveyer roller pair and a color recording unit disposed downstream of the conveyer roller pair in the direction of conveyance of the recording paper for recording a color image on the recording paper that is being moved backward. A guide unit with pivotable guide member is disposed between the feeding roller pair and the conveyer roller pair for bending and guides the recording paper in an arc-shape at an acute angle. A reservation space is provided outside of the arc-shaped recording paper guiding path for accommodating the sagged recording paper therein.

In the conventional color thermal printer, each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M) and cyan (C) is successively recorded on recording paper which is being alternatively conveyed back and forth to juxtapose the three colors to form a full color image.
Among many processes proposed to control conveying of recording paper in recording, there is a process for realizing both precision conveying and reducing the margins at the front and rear ends of the recording paper, in which a conveying roller pair for conveying the recording paper is disposed in the vicinity of the thermal head and upstream of a length of the recording paper feeding direction, and in which the recording paper fed from a recording paper roll is fed backward while being image-recorded by the thermal head, and in which the recording paper is cut into separate image frames by a cutter after the completion of the recording.
In this case, in the backward conveying operation in which the recording paper fed from the recording paper roll is to be drawn backward, since the bight portion of the recording paper is brought into contact with the recording paper conveying path and generates a fold in the recording paper, it was necessary that the recording paper roll be driven in the direction of drawing backward so that the supplied recording paper be taken up.
In order to solve this problem, a process is proposed to provide a loop formation portion between the recording paper roll and the conveyor roller pair for stocking the recording paper in the form of a loop and the recording paper is accommodated within the loop formation portion when the recording paper is to be drawn backward. Also, in addition to the above, a proposition is made to provide brake means for applying a braking force on the recording paper and a dancer roller for making a loop of the returned recording paper by a spring action so that, when the recording paper is to be fed backward, the recording paper roll is held by the brake means not to be rotated, whereby the dancer roller maintains the recording paper in a loop-shape within the loop formation portion (patent document 1).
[patent document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-45669, FIG. 2

Printer for recording images on a recording paper and feeding the paper backwards


A developing device includes: a developer bearing body for bearing liquid developer, the liquid developer bore by the developer bearing body being used by the developing device to develop a latent image bore by an image bearing body; a developer supplying member that has depressions in its surface and whose surface is pressed in contact with the developer bearing body for supplying the liquid developer retained in the depressions to the developer bearing body; and a restricting section for restricting the amount of the liquid developer on the developer supplying member, wherein the amount of the liquid developer, which is retained in the depressions and whose amount has been restricted by the restricting section, before being supplied to the developer bearing body is smaller than the volumetric capacity of the depressions that retain the liquid developer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to developing devices, image forming apparatuses, image forming systems, and restriction members.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known image forming apparatuses that include, for example, a photoconductor that serves as an example of an image bearing body for bearing a latent image, and a developing device for developing the latent image bore by the photoconductor with liquid developer (which is also referred to simply as "developer" below). When such a type of image forming apparatus receives image signals etc. from external devices such as host computers, it forms a latent image on the photoconductor. Then, with the rotation of the photoconductor, the latent image formed on and bore by the photoconductor reaches a developing position where it is developed by the developing device, and thus a developer image is formed on the photoconductor.
One type of developing device is provided with a developing roller that serves as an example of a developer bearing body for bearing developer to achieve the above-mentioned function of developing the latent image formed on the photoconductor, a developer supplying roller that serves as an example of a developer supplying member having depressions in its surface and whose surface is pressed in contact with the developing roller for supplying the developer retained in the depressions to the developing roller, and a restriction blade that serves as an example of a restricting section for restricting the amount of developer on the developer supplying roller.
In this type of developing device, the amount of developer on the developer supplying roller is restricted by the restriction blade, and the developer whose amount has been restricted is transferred from the developer supplying roller to the developing roller. The developer transferred to the developing roller is then used for developing the latent image. (See, for example, JP 11-84886A.)
Another type of developing device is provided with a developing roller that has an elastic section and that serves as an example of a developer bearing body for bearing developer to achieve the above-mentioned function of developing the latent image formed on the photoconductor, a developer supplying roller that serves as an example of a developer supplying member having depressions in its surface and whose surface is pressed in contact with the elastic section of the developing roller for supplying the developer retained in the depressions to the developing roller, and a restriction blade that serves as an example of a restriction member for restricting the amount of developer on the developer supplying roller by abutting against the surface of the developer supplying roller.
In this type of developing device, the amount of developer on the developer supplying roller is restricted by the restriction blade, and the developer whose amount has been restricted is transferred from the developer supplying roller to the developing roller. The developer transferred to the developing roller is then used for developing the latent image. (See, for example, JP 9-185265A.)
As described above, the developer whose amount has been restricted by the restriction blade is transferred from the developer supplying roller to the developing roller. There are cases, however, in which rivulets (mottled patterns such as bold streaks) appear in the developer that has been transferred to the developing roller. If the developer that has formed rivulets is used for developing the latent image bore by the photoconductor to form an image, then the image quality will deteriorate.

Developing device, image forming apparatus, image forming system, and restriction member


A device for maintaining antisepsis of embedded devices with a body is provided. The device comprises a housing having a first active surface and a second active surface with the housing being sized and shaped for being received within the body. The first active surface and the second active surface are contactable with the tissue and bodily fluids. A metal antimicrobial substance is attached to at least a portion of the first active surface and the second active surface. A control system is electrically connected to the first active surface and the second active surface of the housing for creating an electric field between the first active surface and the second active surface through the body with the electric field ionizing the antimicrobial substance thereby profusing the substance into the tissue.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a treatment device for medical application to body tissue for maintaining antisepsis in long-term indwelling medical devices and, more particularly, it relates to a treatment device which electrolytically infuses silver ions from the surface of an indwelling device into the surrounding tissues under remote control and power delivery from an external source thereby providing an means of long-term antisepsis which is active and controlled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been attempts in the past to develop hydrophilic or lubricious coatings, thrombo-resistant coatings, antibiotic coatings, and even metallic coatings for long-term indwelling medical devices. These attempts have been in an effort to deal with the pervasive issue of sepsis in indwelling medical devices caused primarily by the surface colonization of biofilms. Biofilms are layers or colonies of bacteria which adhere to a foreign surface and protect themselves with a slime layer rendering the bacteria that breed within the slime thousands of times more resistant to known antibacterial agents.
The hydrophilic and lubricious coatings seek to stop the adhering of these films and thus thwart the development of the colonies. The thrombo-resistant coatings seek to resist the protein layer build-ups that can host the colonies. The metallic coatings and antibiotic coatings seek to kill the bacteria as they attach. Unfortunately, the coatings have quite clearly failed for various reasons to provide sufficient protection by any of those means. Sepsis of indwelling devices (catheters, ports, prosthetic joints, meshes, and shunts) still range from 5% to 15%.
The failure of these techniques rests in part on the fact that these techniques are all passive. That is to say, the techniques do not force interaction between the surface and the bacteria. A silver coated surface elutes too slowly to repel or effectively inhibit the colonizing bacteria. While special silver coatings have been developed which have high rates of elution, the silver coatings exhaust their capability frivolously in a few days by continuously eluting at rates that cannot be sustained. Antibiotic coatings effectively kill the layer of colonizing bacteria that adhere to the surface. Ironically, this activity is its own un-doing as the dead bacteria serve as an insulating layer to protect and facilitate adherence of the next layer. None of the existing systems offer any means for effectively penetrating the biofilm layer that protects the bacterial colonies and hence offers extremely limited effectivity.
Additionally, since the release of agent from these existing technologies is dependant upon the interstitial environment, the dose over time changes in some unknown manner varying with the person, with time, and with the adherence of proteins. As a fibrin sheath builds up on the surface and the material elutes in rates determined by the physiology of the particular surrounding tissue and individual, the actual dose, rate, and effectiveness diminish and become unknown. This renders the present techniques quite ineffective and difficult or impossible to clinically verify.
The present invention is a device for maintaining antisepsis of tissue of a body. The device comprises at least a first active surface contactable with the tissue and at least a second active surface contactable with the tissue. A control system is electrically connected to the first active surface and the second active surface with the control system creating an electric field between the first active surface and the second active surface through the body. Silver, an antimicrobial substance, is on or comprised of at least a portion of the first active surface with the substance being ionized upon application of the electric field thereby profusing the substance into the tissue.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the device further comprises using a bipolar field at low frequencies allowing both the first active surface and the second active surface to act as anodes. Preferably, the device further comprises using a bipolar field at low frequencies to maintain a surface only distribution of the substance.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises providing an embedded microcontroller or other control circuitry for controlling the delivery rate of the substance, dose of the substance, and selected active surfaces.
In these embodiments, the therapeutic protocol administered by the embedded microcontroller is controller by embedded firmware within the implanted device. Alternately, the therapeutic protocol is modified or communicated entirely through the modulation of the applied electromagnetic signal. The electromagnetic signal serves to allow communication to the embedded microcontroller, which is controlling the administration of silver ions, and to provide power for the operation of the system. This is accomplished by modulating the RF electromagnetic field, which is being applied to the system transcutaneously. The modulation of the applied field is detected by the circuitry of the system and then de-coded by the microcontroller. The modulation could be amplitude based, frequency shift keying based, phase shift keying or any other modulation technique known to one skilled in the art.
The system of the present invention derives power from this applied RF electromagnetic field, an internal battery, or any other power source. The system then generates the higher voltages necessary to force the ionization of silver from the active surface surfaces and the penetration into the surrounding tissue or biofilms by means of a controllable DC-to-DC converter. The converter is operated by the embedded microcontroller and can be adjusted in real-time to produce the required waveforms.
In the case of a battery operated system, the system is pre-programmed to come out of a stand-by mode (wake-up) and operate, treating the surrounding tissue according to the protocol required for the particular application. After treatment (typically five (5) to fifteen (15) minutes) the system goes back to sleep (stand-by) thus conserving battery power and surface silver until it is required to operate again. This can be daily, or weekly depending on the expected re-colonization rate of the device.


The invention generally provides processes and intermediate compounds useful for the production of (+) nal morphinan compounds. In particular, the process encompasses synthetic routes for the production of (+) nal morphinan compounds or derivatives of (+) nal morphinan compounds from (+)-morphinan substrates such as (+)-hydrocodone, (+)-norhydrocodone or derivatives of either compound.

"(−)-Nal" morphinan compounds, such as naltrexone, naloxone, nalmefene, and nalbuphine, are used in therapeutic applications as analgesics and antagonists. Recently, the (+)-nal morphinan enantiomers have been shown to have important bioactivities that differ from their (−) counterparts. In order to explore the possible benefits of these compounds, there is a need in the art for processes to prepare (+)-nal morphinan compounds.

Processes for the production of (+)- “Nal” morphinan compounds


A rotary tool may include a main body having a bar-shape. The main body may include a cutting edge part at a first end, and a shank part at a second end. The cutting edge part may include a base member including a plurality of ridges, and a coating layer located on at least the ridges. The coating layer may include a layer containing SixM1-x(C1-yNy) (where M is at least one kind selected from Ti, Al, Cr, W, Mo, Ta, Hf, Nb, Zr, and Y, 0.01≤x≤0.55, and 0≤y≤1). A first region of the coating layer is closer to the first end than a second region of the coating layer, which is further away from the first end than the first region, and a content ratio of Si in the first region is lower than a content ratio of Si in the second region.

As an example of rotary tools, such as drills, end mills, and reamers, a rotary tool has been known which has an elongated shape including a rotation axis and includes a base member and a coating layer that coats a surface of the base member. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-48107 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-170303 (Patent Document 2) respectively discuss TiAlSiN layers as a coating layer.
When a cutting process is carried out using a rotary tool, the rotary tool needs high durability and high machining accuracy.


A method and apparatus for detecting shorts between accessible and inaccessible signal nodes (e.g., integrated circuit pins) of an electrical device (e.g., an integrated circuit), using capacitive lead frame technology is presented. In accordance with the method of the invention, an accessible node under test is stimulated with a known source signal. A capacitive sense plate is capacitively coupled to at least one of the accessible node and inaccessible node of the electrical device, and a measuring device coupled to the capacitive sense plate capacitively senses a signal present on the at least one of the accessible node and inaccessible node of the electrical device. Based on the value of the capacitively sensed signal, a known expected “defect-free” capacitively sensed signal measurement and/or a known expected “shorted” capacitively sensed signal measurement, one can determine whether a short fault exists between the accessible node and inaccessible node of the electrical device.

The present invention relates generally to integrated circuit testing, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for non-contact testing and diagnosing of inaccessible shorted integrated circuit connections.
During the manufacture of circuit assemblies such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), multi-chip modules (MCMs), or other packaging hierarchies, testing for interconnection defects such as open and shorted joints or interconnects is performed. Well-known capacitance lead-frame sensing technologies exist that can detect opens between the pins of an integrated circuit (IC) and the mounting substrate (typically a printed circuit board). Typical implementation of capacitive probe assemblies that implement a capacitive sensor may be found in the following references, each of which is incorporated herein by reference for all that it teaches: U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,964, to Kerschner et al., entitled "Capacitive Electrode System for Detecting Open Solder Joints in Printed Circuit Assemblies", U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,660 to Cilingiroglu, entitled "Identification of Pin-Open Faults By Capacitive Coupling Through the Integrated Circuit Package", U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,953 to Crook et al., entitled "Identification of Pin-Open Faults By Capacitive Coupling Through the Integrated Circuit Package", and U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,209 to Crook et al., entitled "Identification of Pin-Open Faults By Capacitive Coupling Through the Integrated Circuit Package".
U.S. patent application Ser. No. UNKNOWN, entitled "Methods And Apparatus For Non-Contact Testing And Diagnosing Open Connections" to Parker et al., filed on Apr. 28, 2004, and assigned to the assignee of interest herein provides a method for testing for open power and ground connections in connectors and sockets, by making use of the inherently available coupling capacitors that exist between connector pins. When a signal pin is tested that is coupled to a nearby ground pin, an open on that ground pin will cause the signal pin measurement to rise in value.
For better understanding of the invention, a brief introduction to capacitive lead frame testing techniques is now presented. Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1A is a cross-cut side view of a basic test setup 10a for testing for open signal pins on an integrated circuit using conventional capacitive lead-frame testing techniques. As shown in FIG. 1, the test setup 10a includes a signal source 22, which supplies an alternating current (AC) signal, typically eight kiloHertz (8 KHz) at one hundred twenty millivolts (120 mV). The output of signal source 22 is connected to a tester probe 21a which connects to a node 41a of a printed circuit board 40. When a joint under test 35a is properly electrically connected to the node 41a of the printed circuit board 40, as shown in FIG. 1A, the output of the signal source 22 will also be electrically connected to the joint under test 35a. To reduce the effects of stray capacitive coupling between the joint under test 35a and respective neighboring joints, which interferes with the measurement of the joint under test, all neighboring joints 35b, 35c, 35d not being currently tested are preferably guarded by grounding them to the circuit ground 23.
The tester 20 includes a measuring device 24, such as an ammeter, a voltmeter, or other computing means which can be used to compute effective capacitance. The measuring device 24 is connected to a capacitive test probe 28 which comprises a receiver buffer 25 electrically coupled to a sense plate 26 of the capacitive test probe 28. The capacitive test probe 28 is placed on top of the integrated circuit package 31. A thin dielectric (not shown) may be placed between the integrated circuit package 31 and the sense plate 26 of the capacitive test probe 28. The capacitive test probe 28 is connected to a measuring device 24, such as an ammeter, a voltmeter or computing means to compute the effective capacitance.
When the test is performed, the signal source 22 is activated and applied to node 41a on the printed circuit board 40 which should be attached to the integrated circuit lead 34a by joint under test 35a. The source signal should then pass from the joint under test 35a to the lead 34a of the integrated circuit package 31. Through capacitive coupling between the lead 34a (which forms a plate) and sense plate 26 of the capacitive test probe 28, the signal is passed to the receiver buffer 25 of the capacitive test probe 28 and then to the measuring device 24. If the measured parameter falls within predetermined limits, then the joint under test 35a is connected to the node 41a of the printed circuit board 40. If the joint under test 35a is not connected to the node 41a of the printed circuit board 40 or if the conductive path between the output of the signal source 22 and node 41a is broken, a smaller signal will be conducted to the capacitive test probe 28 and the threshold level of the signal will not be measured by the measuring device 24, indicating that an open fault is present.
FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating the equivalent circuit 10b of the test setup 10a of FIG. 1A. As shown therein, the signal source 22 and measuring device 24 are commonly connected to a circuit ground 23. A sense capacitance (Csensor) is formed between the sense plate 26 of the capacitive test probe 28 and the lead frame 34a to which the joint under test 35a is connected. If the joint under test 35a is not properly connected to the node 41a of the printed circuit board 40 (as represented in the model 10a with switch 12 open), a joint capacitance Cjoint is formed between the lead frame 34a and node 41a. If, however, the joint under test 35a is properly electrically connected to the node 41a (as represented in the model 10a with switch 12 closed), no joint capacitance Cjoint is formed.
It can be determined from the equivalent circuit model 10b that the measured capacitance for a properly soldered (i.e., "good") joint (where switch 12 is closed) is given by:CGOOD—JOINT=CSENSE,
and the measured capacitance for an open (i.e., "bad") joint (where switch 12 is open) is given by:COPEN—JOINT=CSENSE*CJOINT/(CSENSE+CJOINT).
The difference between CGOOD—JOINT and COPEN—JOINT is measurable and the values of the calculated parameters CGOOD—JOINT and COPEN—JOINT can be used to classify joints as open or closed based on actual capacitively sensed measurements obtained from a device under test.
The above approaches focus on detection of open conditions between nodes of an integrated circuit device. However, defects that short nodes such as integrated circuit pins together are not typical applications of capacitive lead-frame testing. Most such defects are detected using standard shorts tests or Boundary-Scan approaches. However, it would be desirable to apply capacitive lead-frame technology to detection of shorts between nodes of an integrated circuit device when some of the nodes are inaccessible.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and apparatus for non-contact testing and diagnosing of inaccessible shorted connections


A linear drive system has an actuator (10), which can be moved in a translatory manner by an electric drive (12) and which is coupled to a mechanical energy storage (16) in the form of a spring (32). In the event of a loss of energy at the electric drive (12) or in an emergency operation, the actuator (10) travels to a predeterminable position and in so doing exerts an actuating force. One free end of the spring (32) is supported at the free end of the spindle housing (20), and the other free end of the spring (32) is supported at a closing part (36) of the actuator (10) or at the actuator (10) itself and is tensioned in every travel position of the actuator (10).

From DE 20 2014 104 735 U1, an electric cylinder is known as a linear drive system, comprising a linear actuator and an electric motor, connected to the actuator, for driving the actuator. The actuator comprises a housing, in which a translatory movable piston rod is mounted. The housing comprises a rear head assembly, closer to and connected to the electric motor, an intermediate element or a sleeve, and a front head assembly, spaced further apart from the electric motor. At the head assembly, the tip of the piston rod exits from the housing. A spindle drive, comprising a spindle and a spindle nut, is disposed between the electric motor and the piston rod. Accordingly, in the known solution, the spindle drive converts the rotary motion of the electric motor into a linear motion.
WO 2011/130863 A2 shows a linear drive system having an effective hybrid cylinder, which can be driven by an electric motor and which has a hollow spindle and a hollow-bored piston rod as an actuator. The piston rod is arranged such that it can be moved linearly on the hollow spindle. A gas spring is integrated into the effective hybrid cylinder, one end of which gas spring is supported by a base bearing of the hollow spindle and the other end is supported by the piston rod.
The gas spring serves as a supporting element for raising the thrust of the effective hybrid cylinder without changing the overall mechanics of the electric cylinder and, at the same time, can perform an emergency function, in which the piston rod is moved to a predefinable "homing" position and held there by force in the event of a failure of the system, for example in the event of a power failure.
With the known solution, gas losses can occur in relation to the gas spring, which changes its spring characteristics, and the refilling of the operating medium in the form of the working gas during maintenance work results in the shutdown of the assigned system and generates related effort. Because the working gas used in the gas spring is a compressible medium, the system reacts to changes in ambient temperature, which also results in a change in the spring characteristics, which can affect overall operational reliability.


A generally C-shaped body for hand protection and grip enhancement includes a finger receiving pocket at a first end of the body and a thumb receiving pocket at a second end of the body. The fingers of a user are placed in the finger receiving pocket, while the thumb is placed in the thumb receiving pocket. This causes the user's palm to rest on a convex hinge portion. The finger receiving pocket and the thumb receiving pocket helps the user bend the finger receiving pocket and the thumb receiving pocket for gripping objects.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to hand protectors and grip enhancers and more specifically to pot and pan holders. In particular, the present invention relates to a C-shaped body which increases the ability of a user to grasp objects securely and protect the user's hand from heated surfaces.
2. Description of Related Art
The gripping of objects could be considered an important aspect of everyday life due to the simple fact that people use their hands to grip objects all the time during the course of the day. Oven mitts, pot holders, and dish holders are most commonly used for holding heated kitchen utensils used during cooking. Since oven mitts are usually large and clumsy, a user may find it difficult to securely grasp the object and further may need help from their other hand to put on the oven mitt. Pot holders do not cover the area to be held very well and can easily slip. Thus, the user's hand is susceptible to the heated utensils unless extra caution is exercised by the user while using oven mitts and pot holders. Hence, neither oven mitts nor pot holders provide a safe and convenient mechanism for handling cooking utensils.
Moreover, due to the conventional size and shape of oven mitts and pot holders, the oven mitts and pot holders themselves are at risk of getting burned when used for cooking purposes. In addition, the food in the cooking utensils may come in contact with the oven mitts and pot holders and become contaminated.
In another approach, gloves are frequently used to protect hands from heated surfaces and enhance gripping. Gloves used for such purposes may suffer from bunching of the material from which they are constructed, causing discomfort. In addition, gloves are prone to deterioration and can be unhygienic when used repeatedly. Furthermore, gloves must be sized to exactly fit the user's hand to provide the user with grip enhancing capabilities and protection from heat.
None of the prevalent prior art solutions provide an effective means for gripping and protecting a user's hand during cooking processes or other activities, especially in situations where the user needs to quickly lift a pot lid, move a pot from a stove, or hold a pot handle with one hand while performing other activities with their other hand.
Therefore, there is a need for a flexible heat resistant grip enhancer that is comfortable and easily bendable for gripping objects along with being simple and inexpensive to manufacture.


A thin film magnetic head assembly is provided which includes a plurality of thin film heads situated atop a common substrate. An insulative main body is built up layer by layer on the substrate. A plurality of magnetic yokes exhibiting different geometries are situated on the substrate and within the main body. The magnetic yokes are built up layer by layer at the same time that the insulative main body is fabricated. A plurality of coil structures are situated within the main body and are magnetically coupled to respective magnetic yokes. The head assembly also includes a pedestal of insulative material situated atop the main body and exhibiting a lateral dimension less than that of the main body. The pedestal protrudes upwardly away from the main body and substrate. The magnetic yokes each include a pole piece pair situated atop the pedestal, each pole piece pair including first and second magnetic pole pieces. Each pole piece pair exhibits a different geometry than another pole piece pair. Each pole piece pair forms a head which is adapted to reading/writing a track on a magnetic medium, the tracks of which are compatible with the geometry of that pole piece pair.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to magnetic recording and playback heads and, more particularly, to thin film magnetic recording and playback heads.
2. Description of Related Art
In the continuing drive for increased storage density in magnetic media storage devices, thin film magnetic heads have been developed. As opposed to earlier types of magnetic heads, the fabrication of which involves significant piecework and manual handling of individual parts, thin film magnetic heads take advantage of semiconductor fabrication processes to form a large number of heads simultaneously on a common substrate or wafer.
One such head which is formed by a, semiconductor thin film process is disclosed in the article, "A New Thin Film Head Generation IC Head" by J. P. Lazzari et al., IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 25, No. 5, September 1989. A cross-sectional view of the Lazzari head is illustrated in FIG. 1 as head 10. Head 10 is fabricated within a recess 15 in a silicon substrate 20. A gap 25 is shown in the uppermost portion of a magnetic layer or yoke 30 situated within recess 15. Head 10 is shown positioned adjacent magnetic recording media 35. A magnetic coil 40 is wound around magnetic yoke 30. A plurality of sliders with respective heads 10 thereon are fabricated from a common silicon wafer substrate using semiconductor thin film processes. The sliders are then diced up into individual slider assemblies.
The gap width, L.sub.G, is defined to be the distance between the magnetic pole pieces which form the gap of a thin film head. The gap length of a particular head is generally related to the track width of the magnetic media on which the head records and plays back. In other words, the narrower the gap length of the head, the narrower the track width of the media becomes.
In recent times, the trend has been toward magnetic media exhibiting smaller and smaller track widths. This trend has been necessary in order to increase the storage density of data on magnetic media. Each magnetic medium of a particular track density has a corresponding magnetic head with a particular gap width. Unfortunately, a thin film head made for one track width tends not be compatible with media of another track width. This limitation has generally meant that a recording/playback device using a particular thin film head can only use media having a track width corresponding to that head.

Thin magnetic film including multiple geometry gap structures on a common substrate


A cover tape comprising at least a substrate layer and a heat sealing layer, wherein (1) an antistatic layer containing an antistatic agent and an anticorrosive agent, is formed on the heat sealing layer, or (2) the heat sealing layer side has an average surface roughness (Ra) of from 0.3 to 1.0 μm, and has an antistatic agent applied thereon to form an antistatic layer.

A carrier tape is commonly used for transporting electronic components such as IC. Namely, such electronic components are inserted in recesses for accommodating the electronic components, formed at prescribed distances on a carrier tape, and a cover tape having a readily peelable adhesive layer on a substrate, is heat-sealed on the upper side of the carrier tape thereby to seal in the electronic components, followed by being wound up and transported in a reel state. Such a cover tape is required to be transparent to such an extent that such electronic components can be inspected, and it is required to be easily and smoothly peeled from the carrier tape. Further, in a case where such electronic components are components susceptible to dielectric breakdown by static electricity, antistatic treatment is applied to one side or both sides of the cover tape to prevent deposition of dust or to protect the contents from static electricity, or to prevent such a trouble that when the cover tape is peeled from the carrier tape, such electronic components pop out as adhered to the cover tape.
For such antistatic treatment, a method may be employed wherein an antistatic agent is incorporated to a resin constituting the surface to be provided with an antistatic property, or a method wherein an antistatic agent is applied to such a surface. One having an antistatic agent applied to the surface of an adhesive layer is disclosed, for example, in Patent Documents 1 to 4.
By such methods, it is possible to obtain an antistatic effect. However, if a large amount of an antistatic agent is applied in order to obtain a sufficient effect, the sealing strength to the carrier tape tends to be unstable. Further, if left in a high temperature and high humidity environment, a metal portion of e.g. IC as the content is likely to be corroded. If a non-ionic antistatic agent is employed as the antistatic agent, the above-mentioned corrosion of the metal portion may decrease, but even in such a case, a very small amount of ions will be present, and depending upon the environmental conditions, corrosion of the metal portion tends to result, and an improvement in this respect has been desired.
On the other hand, a method has also been proposed wherein as the adhesive layer, fine particles of conductive metal are mixed to a thermally adhesive resin (e.g. Patent Documents 5 and 6). However, by such a method, the transparency of the cover tape deteriorates, thus leading to a problem that it becomes difficult to identify the shape, etc. of the content. Especially in a method of inspecting electronic components such as IC in recent years in which a defect such as a deformation of a pin of IC is photographed by a CCD camera from above the cover tape, followed by image analysis for its detection, the requirement for the transparency of the cover tape is increasingly high.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent 2901857
Patent Document 2: JP-A-11-115088
Patent document 3: JP-A-7-172463
Patent Document 4: JP-A-2001-171727
Patent Document 5: JP-A-7-251860


Systems and methods are provided for monitoring and detecting intrusions and authenticating messages on a communication network of a vehicle. A plurality of signals transmitted over communications network between an electronic control module and a remote electronic module are monitored. Reflectometry feature sets are extracted from the plurality of signals and compared to a repository of predetermined communication network feature sets to generate a mismatch value. The mismatch value is compared to a predetermined threshold range and an authenticated event occurs when the mismatch value is within the predetermined threshold range. When the mismatch value is outside the predetermined threshold range, a flagged event occurs and is recorded.

Most vehicles, such as automobiles, contain communication networks to facilitate electrical communication between various vehicle systems. For instance, communication networks allow electronic control modules, devices, vehicle actuators, or similar devices on the communication network to communicate with one another within a vehicle without a host computer. In addition, multiple independent vehicle subsystems such as transmission, airbags, antilock brakes, cruise control, power steering, power windows, or power locks may also be in communication with one another over a common communication network. As more and more vehicle subsystems are interconnected over communication networks, the reliability and security of these communication networks becomes essential.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for monitoring and detecting intrusions on vehicle communication networks. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Method and system for reflectometry based communication network monitoring, intrusion detection, and message authentication


A heat dissipator accessory for a notebook computer, which is concealed in an expansion slot of a notebook computer to effectively dissipate heat generated by the computer, is disclosed. The external heat dissipator for a notebook computer comprises a cooling module inserted into an expansion slot of the notebook computer. The cooling module includes a flat body having a connector electrically connected with a signal socket disposed in the expansion slot of the notebook, a cover disposed on the flat body and an air duct attached on the cover and mounted to the flat body. The flat body defines therein a chamber for receiving a fan and an air passage in communication with the chamber. The air passage has an air deflector transversely mounted at an end thereof for changing the direction of horizontal air flow. The cover defines a hole aligning with the fan chamber of the flat body and forming thereon a beveled portion corresponding to the air deflector. The beveled portion defines a plurality of openings for directing air from the flat body outside. The air duct defines therein a plurality of slits extending to an edge of the air duct and corresponding to the hole of the cover to allow air to be introduced to the chamber of the flat body via the hole of the cover.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an external heat dissipator accessory for a notebook computer, and more particularly to a heat dissipator accessary which is concealed in an expansion slot of a notebook computer to effectively dissipate heat generated by the computer.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, it is necessary to equip a CPU on a computer host with an individual heat-dissipating device, no matter what type the computer is, because the more rapid the CPU processes, the higher the operation temperature of the CPU is. However, other elements on the computer host other than the CPU also generate heat during operation. In a desktop personal computer, a large internal volume allows the heat generated by elements in the computer host to be naturally dissipated. However, in a portable notebook computer, the elements are compactly disposed. As a result, heat from the notebook computer can not be naturally dissipated well in such a little internal space. To ensure the computer can be operated at an appropriate temperature, it is necessary to develop a heat dissipator which can effectively dissipate heat generated by the notebook computer, without occupying significant internal space thereof.
The present invention provides an improved external heat dissipator for a notebook computer to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.

External heat dissipator accessory for a notebook computer


Anti-lock brake system including a controller for controlling at least one solenoid-operated valve device for controlling braking pressures in a rear right and a rear left brake cylinder such that if two different control modes which would be selected for the rear brake cylinders independently of each other include pressure decrease mode, this pressure decrease mode is determined as effective control mode for one of the rear brake cylinders, while one of control modes which is not selected for the other rear brake cylinder and which causes lower braking pressure in the other rear brake cylinder than when the normally selected mode is determined as the effective control mode is determined as the effective control mode for that other rear brake cylinder, and wherein the normally selected different control modes are determined as the effective control modes for the rear brake cylinders if the normally selected control modes consist of pressure hold mode selected for one of the rear brake cylinders and pressure increase mode selected for the other rear brake cylinder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an anti-lock or anti-skid braking system of a motor vehicle, and more particularly to techniques for suitably controlling braking pressures for rear right and left wheels of the vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
There is known a braking system of diagonal or X-crossing type, which is used for four-wheel motor vehicle having front right and left wheels and rear right and left wheels. This diagonal type braking system has two pressure application sub-systems connected to respective two mutually independent fluid pressurizing chambers of a master cylinder. One of the sub-systems includes a front left wheel brake cylinder and a rear right wheel brake cylinder, while the other sub-system includes a front right wheel brake cylinder and a rear left wheel brake cylinder. Each pressure application sub-system further includes a reservoir, a pump for pressurizing the fluid received from the reservoir, and at least one solenoid-operated valve device each of which is disposed in a fluid passage connected to at least one of the pressurizing chambers, wheel brake cylinders, reservoir and pump, so that the fluid pressure in each wheel brake cylinder is controlled. The pressure application sub-system is constructed such that a decrease in the fluid pressure in the front wheel brake cylinder will necessarily cause a decrease in the fluid pressure in the rear wheel brake cylinder. A controller is provided to control each solenoid-operated valve device for suitably controlling the fluid pressure (I.e., braking pressure) in each of the wheel brake cylinders, in an anti-lock fashion so as to prevent an excessive amount of slip of each wheel during braking of the vehicle.
An example of an anti-lock braking system of the type described above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,334 to Kushi et al., which corresponds to JP-A-7-223529.
In the braking system disclosed in the above-identified U.S. Patent, each of the two pressure application sub-systems has a front brake cylinder passage connecting one of the pressurizing chambers of the master cylinder to the front wheel brake cylinder, and a rear brake cylinder passage which is connected at one end thereof to the front brake cylinder passage and at the other end to the rear wheel brake cylinder. A first solenoid-operated valve device is disposed in a portion of the front brake cylinder passage between the master cylinder and a point of connection between the front and rear brake cylinder passages, and a second solenoid-operated valve device is disposed in the rear brake cylinder passage. Further, a reservoir passage is connected at one end thereof to a portion of the rear brake cylinder passage between the second solenoid-operated valve device and the rear wheel brake cylinder, and at the other end to the reservoir. A third solenoid-operated valve device is disposed in this reservoir passage. In addition, a pump passage is connected at one end thereof to the reservoir, and at the other end to the front brake cylinder passage or a portion of the rear brake cylinder passage between the second solenoid-operated valve device and the point of connection to the front brake cylinder passage. The pump is disposed in the pump passage. To lower the braking pressure in the front wheel brake cylinder in each pressure application sub-system of this braking system, both of the second and third solenoid-operated valve devices must be simultaneously opened for fluid communication of the front wheel brake cylinder with the reservoir. As a result, the braking pressure in the rear wheel brake cylinder of the same pressure application sub-system is necessarily communicated with the reservoir and is consequently lowered.
In the braking system of the type described above, the controller generally includes control mode selecting means and solenoid valve control means for controlling the braking pressures in the brake cylinders of the rear right and left wheels. The control mode selecting means is adapted to select one of a plurality of pressure control modes, for each rear wheel brake cylinder. The pressure control modes include a pressure decrease mode, a pressure hold mode and a pressure increase mode. The solenoid valve control means is adapted to control at least one solenoid-operated valve device so as to establish the selected pressure control mode for each of the rear wheels.
The braking pressures in the brake cylinders of the rear right and left wheels are usually controlled according to a so-called "Select Low Control", which is formulated to assure a high level of running stability of the vehicle during braking on a road surface which has different values of friction coefficient in its right and left areas on which the right and left wheels are running. According to the "Select Low Control", the same pressure control mode is established for both of the rear right and left wheels, even if the different pressure control modes are normally selected according to a normal "Independent Control" in which the pressure control modes for the two rear wheels are selected independently of each other. That is, where the pressure control modes normally selected for the rear right and left wheels are different from each other, one of these two control modes which causes a large amount of decrease of the rear braking pressure than the other control mode is used for both of the rear wheels. This "Select Low Control" of the rear wheel braking pressures results in a decrease in the rear braking forces, but assures an increase in the maximum lateral forces acting on the rear wheels, making it possible to reduce lateral movements of the rear portion of the vehicle during braking. That is, the vehicle running stability during braking is improved at the sacrifice of the rear braking forces, according to the "Select Low Control" of the rear braking pressures.
Described more specifically, if the pressure decrease mode or pressure hold mode is normally selected for one of the rear right and left wheels according to the "Independent Control" while the pressure increase mode is normally selected for the other rear wheel according to the "Independent Control", the braking pressure for this other rear wheel is also controlled in the pressure decrease or hold mode selected for the above-indicated one rear wheel. In this case, the braking pressures of the two rear wheels are lowered or remain unchanged. Similarly, if the pressure decrease mode is normally selected for one of the rear wheels while the pressure hold mode is normally selected for the other rear wheel, the braking pressure for the other rear wheel is also controlled in the pressure decrease mode selected for the above-indicated one rear wheel. In this case, the braking pressures of the two rear wheels are lowered.
As a result of research on a vehicle anti-lock braking system of diagonal type adapted to control the braking pressures of the rear wheel brake cylinders according to the "Select Low Control", the present inventor recognized a need of improvement in such a braking system regarding the control of the rear wheel brake cylinder pressures.
As described above, the "Select Low" control of the braking pressures of the rear wheels aims at improving the running stability of the vehicle during braking, at the sacrifice of the rear braking forces. To attain a satisfactory level of compromise between the reduction of the required braking distance of the vehicle and the running stability, it is important to prevent an excessively large amount of reduction of the rear braking forces. In this respect, it is noted that the braking system of the diagonal or X-crossing type is constructed such that the braking pressure in the rear wheel in each pressure application sub-system is necessarily reduced upon reduction of the braking pressure in the front wheel in the same sub-system, as described above, even when the reduction of the rear wheel braking pressure is not required. Therefore, the practicing the "Select Low Control" as originally intended may cause an unnecessarily large amount of reduction of the rear wheel brake cylinder pressure, and an accordingly large amount of reduction of the rear wheel braking forces, which is unnecessary to assure a satisfactory degree of the vehicle running stability during braking.

Vehicle anti-lock braking system adapted to determine pressure control mode of one of rear brake cylinders depending upon that of the other rear brake cylinder


Binding polypeptides that specifically bind B lymphocyte stimulator protein or B lymphocyte stimulator-like polypeptides can be used in methods of the invention for detecting, diagnosing, or prognosing a disease or disorder associated with aberrant B lymphocyte stimulator or B lymphocyte stimulator receptor expression or inappropriate function of B lymphocyte stimulator or B lymphocyte stimulator receptor, comprising B lymphocyte stimulator binding polypeptides or fragments or variants thereof, that specifically bind to B lymphocyte stimulator. The present invention further relates to methods and compositions for preventing, treating or ameliorating a disease or disorder associated with aberrant B lymphocyte stimulator or B lymphocyte stimulator receptor expression or inappropriate B lymphocyte stimulator function or B lymphocyte stimulator receptor function, comprising administering to an animal, preferably a human, an effective amount of one or more B lymphocyte stimulator binding polypeptides or fragments or variants thereof, that specifically bind to B lymphocyte stimulator.

B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS™) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor ("TNF") superfamily that induces both in vivo and in vitro B cell proliferation and differentiation (Moore et al., Science, 285: 260-263 (1999)). B lymphocyte stimulator is distinguishable from other B cell growth and differentiation factors such as IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-13, IL-15, CD40L, or CD27L (CD70) by its monocyte-specific gene and protein expression pattern and its specific receptor distribution and biological activity on B lymphocytes. B lymphocyte stimulator expression is not detected on natural killer ("NK") cells, T cells or B cells, but is restricted to cells of myeloid origin. B lymphocyte stimulator expression on resting monocytes is upregulated by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). The gene encoding B lymphocyte stimulator has been mapped to chromosome 13q34.
B lymphocyte stimulator is expressed as a 285 amino acid type II membrane-bound polypeptide and a soluble 152 amino acid polypeptide (Moore et al., 1999, supra). The membrane-bound form of B lymphocyte stimulator has a predicted transmembrane spanning domain between amino acid residues 47 and 73. The NH2-terminus of the soluble form of B lymphocyte stimulator begins at Ala134 of the membrane-bound form of B lymphocyte stimulator. Both the soluble and membrane-bound forms of the protein form homotrimers. Soluble recombinant B lymphocyte stimulator has been shown to induce in vitro proliferation of murine splenic B cells and to bind to a cell-surface receptor on these cells (Moore et al., 1999, supra). Soluble B lymphocyte stimulator administration to mice has been shown to result in an increase in the proportion of CD45Rdull, Ly6Dbright (also known as ThB) B cells and an increase in serum IgM and IgA levels (Moore et al., 1999, supra). Thus, B lymphocyte stimulator displays a B cell tropism in both its receptor distribution and biological activity.
Based on its expression pattern and biological activity, B lymphocyte stimulator has been suggested to be involved in the exchange of signals between B cells and monocytes or their differentiated progeny. The restricted expression patterns of B lymphocyte stimulator receptor and ligand suggest that B lymphocyte stimulator may function as a regulator of T cell-independent responses in a manner analogous to that of CD40 and CD40L in T cell-dependent antigen activation.
Accordingly, molecules that specifically bind B lymphocyte stimulator would find a variety of uses in the study of the B lymphocyte stimulator cytokine, in the manufacture and purification of B lymphocyte stimulator in commercial and medically pure quantities, and in the development new therapeutic or diagnostic reagents. B lymphocyte stimulator binding polypeptides may also find medical utility in, for example, the treatment of B cell and/or monocyte disorders associated with autoimmunity, neoplasia, or immunodeficiency syndromes.

B-lymphocyte stimulator binding polypeptides and methods based thereon


A system for validating service bills includes a first monitoring subsystem associated with and under the control of a service user for determining user generated fee values associated with the amount due a service entity for service usage over a predetermined billing period. A second monitoring subsystem communicating with the first monitoring subsystem is associated with and under the control of the service entity for determining service generated fee values associated with the amount due the service entity for the service usage over the predetermined billing period. One of the monitoring subsystems compares the user and service generated fee values and thereupon validates the amount due determined by one of the user and service generated fee values if such fee values are within a predetermined threshold amount.

Small and medium size business and households regularly pay utility bills, such as for telephone, Internet connection, electricity, gas and water services. The process of payment in the United States typically involves the user or customer examining the utility bill issued and sent (normally by mail) by a utility service provider or company (utility) for correctness and thereupon issuing and sending a check in a courtesy reply envelope to a remittance center of the utility company. The check is received, processed and sent to a dearing process at the end of which the amount of the check is transferred from the user's account in the user's bank to the utility's account in its bank. In European countries, utilities frequently enter into an agreement with their customers which allow them to deduct the amount of the bill directly from the customer's bank account. Customers typically have ten days after receipt of the notification to dispute the validity of the bill. In either case, however, the process frequently includes complex and costly dispute resolution concerning the amount owed the utility by the consumer.
The cost of operating the utility payment system represents a significant portion of the total cost of operating the utility. The cost of operating the payment system is defined as combined cost incurred by the user (customer) and utility company in the process of accounting for the charges and the transfer of payment from customer to the utility service provider. This cost has increased relative to other costs in the last twenty years, particularly in the telephone industry. The reason for the increase is that because of technological improvements all fundamental operations of the telephone network have been cost-reduced and streamlined while the payment system has essentially remained the same.
It is difficult to establish a "good" economically effective payment system. The customer (payer) and the utility (payee) have an adversarial relationship in the context of a payment system. The payer desires to pay a minimum amount and the payee desires to be paid a maximum amount. In order for the payment system to be effective it should be as free as possible from dispute over the bill amount. To minimize such disputes, the payer and payee should have confidence and trust in the accounting process of the payment system such that the payer and payee have a simple, effective way of reaching an agreement on the amount to be paid. The majority of utilities today use only one source of information for billing provided by the utility which does not give confidence to the customer that the billing procedure is correct.
In the instance of usage-based charges the task of bill audit and verification by customers is frequently time consuming, and in the case of discrepancies between the received and expected bill—real or perceived—the results can be a potentially difficult and time consuming dispute resolution process with the utility. This is the case for disputes over the amount of telephone bills which is aggravated by the complexity of rates, fees and charges. Presently—particularly in the United States—telephone companies which generally operate in a commodity market attempt to favorably distinguish their services from competitors by introducing new and more complex charge plans which may include several variables such as distance (local, interstate, international) and time of day (day and night time charges) variables. Frequently businesses and households in order to minimize expenses use several different utility service providers causing even more time consuming and difficult bill auditing and verification procedures.
From a utilities viewpoint the billing and revenue collection is the single, largest expense, the efficiency of which determines profit margins and the ability of utilities to compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Constraints on global economic efficiency demand that the overall revenue collection system for utilities, defined as combined costs incurred in the process of payment/revenue collection by customers and utility service providers, be minimized.
Many payment applications have requirements for tracking and documentation of the charges. For example, the most common application of this type is a business expense report. In this application, an employee who incurred expenses on behalf of the employer or for the business of the employer must keep accurate records of all qualified charges. This includes purchases, entertainment, lodging and meal expenses. Typically, paper records of all qualified expenses are kept by the employee, and then at the end of a predetermined period of time data from the paper records is entered into a computer application such as a spread sheet. Then the paper receipts are attached and a printed expense report with the summary of all charges is submitted to accounts payable. All records at accounts payable are manually verified and then the employee is reimbursed. There are multiple variations of this scheme, when, for example, an employee is given a corporate credit card he or she can use for charges. In all variations, however, the entire process is essentially manual because there are no easily available computerized records of the charges. The process as it exists today is also very costly, labor intensive and prone to errors.
Other costly and inefficient areas encountered in verifying and paying bills includes tax accounting, other accounts payable, insurance and other popular healthcare accounts. In the case of healthcare accounts, the account holder is required to maintain accurate records of all healthcare expenditures. Another example of an ineffective payment management process includes an insured needing to keep track of all deductibles when collecting from the insurance provider.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome these and other drawbacks and disadvantages associated with the revenue collection system of usage-based utility industries or other verification and payment of bills, and provide a set of intelligent features in the case when usage-based payment applications employ credit/debit cards.

System and method for trusted self-billing and payment for utilities including audit, verification, reconciliation and dispute resolution


A mechanism is provided for identifying failed components during data collection. For each data source combination in a plurality of data sources, a determination is made as to whether a standard deviation (σ) for an estimated collection interval of the data source is above a predetermined standard deviation threshold (σth). Responsive to the standard deviation (σ) for the estimated collection interval of the data source being above the predetermined standard deviation threshold (σth), an error signal is generated indicating an error in data collection with the data source.

The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for identifying failed components during data collection.
Analytics is the discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data. Especially valuable in areas rich with recorded information, analytics relies on the simultaneous application of statistics, computer programming, and operations research to quantify performance. Analytics often favors data visualization to communicate insight.
Firms may commonly apply analytics to business data, to describe, predict, and improve business performance. Specifically, arenas within analytics include enterprise decision management, retail analytics, store assortment and Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) optimization, marketing optimization and marketing mix analytics, web analytics, sales force sizing and optimization, price and promotion modeling, predictive science, credit risk analysis, and fraud analytics. Since analytics can require extensive computation, the algorithms and software used for analytics harness the most current methods in computer science, statistics, and mathematics.

Identify failed components during data collection

International Business Machines Corporation


A picking system enables a user to easily know when an article that has been placed is different from an article originally scheduled to be placed in a particular position. The picking system includes a picking robot, an ID reader, an encoder, a comparing unit, and a terminal screen. The picking robot picks a workpiece from a first predetermined position and places the article in a second predetermined position. The ID reader acquires identification information of the workpiece picked by the picking robot. The comparing unit compares the identification information acquired by the ID reader with identification information of a workpiece scheduled to be picked. The terminal screen indicates, based on a result of the comparison executed by the comparing unit, a placement position of a workpiece whose identification information does not match the identification information of the workpiece scheduled to be picked.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a picking system and a picking method used for managing articles in a physical distribution route.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an article delivery system, labels having barcodes printed on them, for example, are attached to articles. A computer manages various delivery conditions of articles based on identification information read from the barcodes.
For example, WO2006/059676 discloses an automated warehouse equipped with a picking system arranged to manage articles having an IC tag attached. The picking system has a picking robot arranged to extract articles from a carrier or the like one at a time and place them in a predetermined position. A hand of the picking robot is installed with an ID reader for reading data from an IC tag attached to an article. Each time the hand places an article, the ID reader reads the ID of the article. As a result, a computer can accurately recognize the IDs and positional relationships of the articles placed by the hand.
A problem occurring with a conventional picking system will now be explained. After the articles are placed, the computer can accurately manage the articles based on the positions and ID information. However, if an article other than a scheduled article is placed in a particular position, the computer will not recognize that an incorrect article is in that position. Consequently, a user cannot easily learn about the incorrect article placement.


There is provided a method, system, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for controlling an eye tracking system (200) to obtain a first image (500) captured under active illumination by at least one infrared, IR, illuminator (112, 113) associated with the eye tracking system (200) and at a current exposure setting, using the image sensor device (110); and, if at least one eye (100, 120) is depicted in the first image (500): define at least one region of interest, ROI, (501, 502, 503, 504) from the first image (500) comprising a group of pixels in the first image (500) representing at least a part of the depicted at least one eye (100, 120); determine a respective intensity value for each of the at least one ROI (501, 502, 503, 504); determine a second exposure setting by adjusting at least one exposure parameter of the image sensor device (110) based on the determined intensity value, or values, for the at least one ROI (501, 502, 503, 504); and set the current exposure setting to the second exposure setting.

Several different eye tracking systems are known in the art. Such systems may for example be employed to allow a user to indicate a location at a computer display by looking at that point. The eye tracking system may capture images of the user's face, and then employ image processing to extract key features from the user's face, such as a pupil center and glints from illuminators illuminating the user's face. The extracted features may then be employed to determine where at the display the user is looking. Naturally, factors such as accuracy, speed, and reliability/robustness of the eye tracking are desirable to achieve a positive user experience. Therefore, several schemes have been proposed for mitigating the negative effects of different types of errors or inaccuracies that may occur in eye tracking systems.
When performing eye tracking, the first step is to determine the position of one or both eyes in the image. Determination of eye position may be done using image processing methods, using a neural network trained on similar images, a combination of the two, or any other suitable eye detection method known in the art. Irrespective of which eye detection method is used, the accuracy of the result will at least in part depend on the quality of the images in which the eye detection is performed. Of course, if the eye tracking system cannot perform eye detection reliably, it will not be possible to perform robust eye tracking, and the user experience will be suffering.
Hence, there is a need for solutions that aim at optimizing the images captured by an image sensor associated with an eye tracking system for eye tracking purposes.
It would therefore be desirable to provide further systems and methods addressing this issue.

Method and system for controlling an eye tracking system


A drive arrangement for a motor vehicle door or hatch which can be moved by a motor with a planet gear and a brake device with a brake. The brake device has a brake drive which is separate from the drive which drives the drive shaft and the brake is able to be moved at least from one of two positions into the other of the two positions by the brake drive. The brake can be an arc-shaped clip pivotally supported by a pivot axle with an inner periphery which is matched to an outer periphery of an element of the planet gear. The brake can be combined with the brake drive as an eddy current brake or can be operated by a further gearing or use of a permanent magnet with which an electromagnet is able to interact.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a drive arrangement for a motor vehicle door or hatch which can be moved by a motor with a planet gear and a brake device with a brake, the planet gear having a drive shaft, a driven shaft, a sun wheel, a planet carrier with planet wheels and a ring gear, the drive shaft being able to be driven by the motor and the driven shaft being coupled to the motor vehicle door or hatch. One of the elements which include the sun wheel, planet carrier and ring gear being coupled to the drive shaft, a second of the elements which include the sun wheel, planet carrier and ring gear being coupled to the driven shaft and the third of the elements which include the sun wheel, planet carrier and ring gear being able to be braked or blocked by means of the brake. The third of the elements which include the sun wheel, planet carrier and ring gear is not braked or blocked in the first position of the brake—released position—and in this position, the motor vehicle door or hatch is movable by hand, unhindered by the drive arrangement and the third of the elements which include the sun wheel, planet carrier and ring gear being braked or blocked in the second position of the brake—braking position—and thus, the drive shaft is coupled to the driven shaft so that, in this position, the motor vehicle door or hatch is able to be moved by a motor. The brake device has a brake drive which is separate from the drive which drives the drive shaft and the brake being able to be moved at least from one of the two positions into the other of the two positions by means of the brake drive.
The expression "motor vehicle door" should be understood here to be not only the side door of a motor vehicle, but also a sliding door or the like of a motor vehicle. The term "motor vehicle hatch" is defined as a rear hatch, trunk lid, optionally also the hood, etc.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior art discloses a motor vehicle lock (DE 199 35 589 A1) in which a planet gear is used as the gearing for driving an actuating lever which is coupled to a ratchet. The planet gear in this respect is part of an opening aid. The planet gear is made such that the actuating lever can be driven by two different actuating elements, specifically a normal actuating element and an emergency actuating element. The different actuating elements are used for force transmission which is matched to the respective purpose. The planet gear enables the respective actuation by the drive to be operated with a direction of rotation which differs in each case. The planet gear yields a compact construction.
Furthermore, the prior art discloses a drive device (International Application publication WO 00/36259 A1 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,551) which is used to actuate a motor vehicle hatch by motor, therefore to open and close it. To do this, on each side of the motor vehicle hatch there is a respective motor with a gearing assigned to the motor, with which the motor vehicle hatch can be actuated. In order to also enable manual actuation of the motor vehicle hatch, the motor and gearing are made such that the motor is not blocked, but concomitantly turned when the motor vehicle hatch is manually actuated.
Conversely, another known drive device (published German Patent Application DE 40 41 480 A1) allows manual and motorized actuation of functional parts, especially of a motor vehicle door or hatch, without the motor being concomitantly moved when the motor vehicle door or hatch is manually actuated. There is a planet gear with a ring gear that can be driven by a motor. The driven shaft of the planet gear which is coupled to the motor vehicle door or hatch is rigidly coupled to the planet carrier. Moreover, there is a brake device which blocks the sun wheel during the motorized actuation of the ring gear so that the motion of the ring gear is transferred to the planet wheels, and thus, to the planet carrier so that, ultimately, the motor vehicle door or hatch is actuated.
For manual actuation of the motor vehicle door or hatch the sun wheel is driven by means of a crank arm. The ring gear is blocked in doing so by the coupling to the motorized drive which is designed to be self-locking, so that the torque of the sun wheel is transferred to the planet carrier, and thus, to the driven shaft. If, with the drive motor stationary, the motor vehicle door or hatch itself is moved by hand, this motion is also possible because, then, the crank arm is simply entrained as it turns backwards.
The brake device is actuated in the above described drive device by the same drive which also drives the ring gear. For this reason, rapid decoupling between the drive shaft and the driven shaft in an emergency, for example, when a hand is pinched in a sliding door, is not possible. First of all, the drive must be brought completely to rest before the action of the force on the drive shaft is stopped and manual or motorized actuation of the functional part in the opposite direction is possible. Moreover, the braking action in this configuration of the drive device is not optimum.
Another known drive device (German Patent Application DE 101 17 934 A1 and corresponding to U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0097318 A1), upon which the present invention is based, is used for motorized actuation of the rear hatch of a motor vehicle. The drive device has a motor and a planet gear which is assigned to the motor. The driven shaft of the planet gear is coupled to the rear hatch. In order to be able to ensure easy manual actuation in addition to motorized actuation, the planet gear is also used here as a clutch. For this reason, there is a brake device which allows braking of the ring gear for motorized actuation and which allows release of the ring gear for manual actuation. The brake device has a brake and a brake drive, the brake being adjustable by means of the brake drive between a braking position and a released position. To move the brake into the braking position, the brake is moved towards the ring gear until it engages the ring gear, positively or nonpositively, and accordingly, brakes or blocks it.
The disadvantage in the known braking arrangement with the described braking concept is the fact that the braking action can only be ensured especially for heavy rear hatches when the brake drive is made accordingly strong. This leads to high demands for installation space and to high costs.
It should be pointed out that there are also similar drive arrangements for use in sliding doors (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,125,586 and 6,460,295). In these drive arrangements, there is a braking device which allows braking of the sun wheel to implement the clutch action.

Drive arrangement for a motor vehicle door or hatch which can be moved by a motor


A hand held marking device including two independent fluid reservoirs for holding liquids to be applied. The two independent refillable liquid reservoirs are in a back to back relationship with respect to one another.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for applying liquids, and more particularly, to hand held devices for applying and coating a surface with a liquid.
2. Prior Art
Presently, hand held markers are used to apply a liquid on a surface, and are then discarded when the supply of liquid is exhausted. Also, present markers have only one source of the liquid therein, which requires the use of numerous markers to provide for a variety of different colors.
Thus, there is presently a great need for a nondisposable hand held marking device which provides the user with a number of different liquid sources, and also permits the user to refill the marking devices whenever the liquid supply becomes exhausted.


In a semiconductor island structure with passive side isolation, a method and structure for reducing corner breakdown where a device conductor crosses the edge of the island. The decrease in the field strength at the island edge between the conductor and the adjacent conducting region may be achieved by increasing the depth of the insulator beneath the conductor where it crosses the island edge without the necessity for increasing the thickness of the layer of insulation applied directly to the surface of the island by the use of a second or higher level interconnect, e.g., the conventional deposition of one or more additional layers of insulation over the device terminal to increase the spacing between the conductor and the surface of the island. In this way the process by which the device is constructed may remain unchanged. The decrease in the field strength at the island edge may alternatively or in addition be achieved by increasing the thickness of the insulator providing lateral isolation without increasing the thickness of the substrate isolation by the use of lateral trench isolation formed independently of the substrate isolation.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and method of manufacture in which the terminal voltages of the structures formed in passively isolated islands therein may be increased by the reduction in corner breakdown.
Corner breakdown is a known mechanism in dielectrically isolated ("DI") island structures and is described, for example, in Weston et al "Monolithic High Voltage Gated Diode Array IC", IDEM 82, pp. 86-87, as being due to the electric field resulting from the potential difference between an island interconnect and the substrate immediately adjacent the lateral edge of the island when the substrate is biased to fully deplete the corner region by a remote reverse biased PN junction. As described, this problem may be attacked by increasing the uniform thickness of the dielectric to about 5 microns (a) between the island and the biased substrate and (b) overlying the island surface. The high field which passes through the extreme (i.e., within a few microns) lateral edge or corner of the semiconductor island at the point where the interconnect crosses the island edge may cause the generation of hole-electron pairs by avalanche. The collection of such pairs by a remote reverse biased PN junction in the island will thus limit the voltage which can be applied to the PN junction before conduction occurs.
However, the corner breakdown problem occurs not only where the conductor crosses the lateral edge of the island, but where the conductor approaches the island edge. In addition, the 5 micron thickness of the dielectric is generally unacceptable elsewhere in the island, either overlying the island surface or between the island and the substrate. Not only is it rare that the remote bias of a remote PN junction totally depletes the corner region of the island, but the high bias of the substrate required for such depletion exacerbates the corner breakdown problem. Finally, the geometry of the IC may be such that the offending field is between the interconnect and conducting material other than the substrate.
One way to reduce corner breakdown and thus increase maximum terminal voltage, and at the same time to avoid the problems associated with an uniformly thick dielectric, is to increase the thickness of the dielectric only between the conductor and the surface of the island. However, and as earlier explained, an increase in the thickness of the oxide applied to the surface of the island is undesirable for other reasons such as increased stress and increased thermal resistance. Further, such initial thickness undesirably increases the ultimate thickness of the IC where second or higher level island interconnects are used and additional thicknesses of insulation must be applied for each conducting layer. Finally, an increase in the thickness of the insulation overlying the surface of the island increases the difficulty in making the necessary connections between the conductors and the surface, particularly where small contacts are desired e.g., the size and profile of the etch of the insulator and step coverage or thinning of the conductor metal.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel integrated circuit and method of increasing the maximum terminal voltage of a semiconductor device which avoids the problems of uniformly thicker insulation in DI and which is broader in its application to other types of island isolation.
In one aspect, only the thickness of the insulator layer between the conductor and the surface of the island is increased thereby avoiding the problems of thick insulation between the island and the substrate. Further, the thickness may be increased by the use of additional thin insulating layers without the disadvantages associated with a single thick insulating layer.
Another way to reduce corner breakdown and thus increase maximum terminal voltage is to increase only the thickness of the dielectric between the side of the island and the adjacent conducting region to thereby avoid the problems associated with a thick surface layer. As indicated above, and where as is common in DI and SOI isolated islands, the oxide which provides vertical isolation of the island from the underlying substrate and which provides lateral isolation is deposited in the same step and has the same thickness, an increase in the thickness of the oxide is undesirable because of increased stress and defects and increased thermal resistance; in some instances, necessitating a significant increase in the size of the circuit.
It is accordingly another object of the present invention to provide a novel integrated circuit and method of increasing the maximum terminal voltage of a semiconductor device by increasing the effective thickness of the insulator layer between the conductor and the adjacent conducting region without the disadvantages associated with a uniformly thick insulator for the island. Further, the thickness of the lateral insulation may be varied around the perimeter of the island to accommodate the location of interconnects and other circuit elements.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel integrated circuit and method of increasing the maximum terminal voltage of a semiconductor device without the uniform bias requirements of the prior art. In one aspect, the invention effects electrical separation of the vertical and lateral substrates, thus permitting separate biasing.
These and many other objects and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the claims and from a perusal of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.

Semiconductor device with increased maximum terminal voltage


In a servo apparatus which comprises a motor, a shaft angle detecting unit and a controlling unit, and performs standard control of an angle position by a torque controlling method, it enables to perform driving control corresponding to a fraction multiple of a predetermined angular unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a servo apparatus which generates a driving instruction for driving a motor based on an input indicated angle, and provides the generated driving instruction to the motor to drive and control the motor, and relates to a controlling method of the servo apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, for example, in a robotic cell apparatus which is equipped with a plurality of multi-joint robots and works just like a human, the number of the multi-joint robots tends to increase, and thus a small and inexpensive servo apparatus is required as the servo apparatus to be used for each joint of the multi-joint robot. For this reason, in the industrial multi-joint robot, a servo apparatus which has been developed from a servo apparatus for the purpose of hobby is often used as the servo apparatus for driving the joint of the robot.
The servo apparatus (e.g., "RS405CB" manufactured by Futaba Corporation) for the robot comprises, e.g., a brushless DC (direct current) motor, a potentiometer for detecting output rotation of the DC motor, and a controlling unit. More specifically, if an indicated angle is input by a serial signal according to the RS-485 (recommended standard 485) or the like, the controlling unit of the servo apparatus performs feedback control to the motor based on the detected angle from the potentiometer, and concurrently controls the angle position of the motor by a torque controlling (elastic controlling) method. Incidentally, the potentiometer detects a voltage change of a resistor in an analog manner, and performs AD (analog-to-digital) conversion to convert the detected voltage change (analog signal) into a digital signal with, e.g., 12 bits (4096 stages), thereby achieving resolution of 0.1 degrees (3600 stages).
Incidentally, to increase resolution of a shaft angle (also called shaft angle resolution, hereinafter), it is considered to also increase resolution of the AD conversion. However, even if the resolution of the AD conversion is further increased, it is impossible to increase the shaft angle resolution because the detected value is unreliable due to noises. Under the circumstances, it is hard to further increase the shaft angle resolution as long as noise reduction in the AD conversion is not remarkably improved.
On another front, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-165493 proposes a stepping motor which enables micro-step driving. In this case, the stepping motor can perform position control of a shaft angle between full steps by changing over adjacent two full-step excitation states based on time ratio.
As for the relation between the indicated angle and the torque in the servo apparatus such as RS405CB manufactured by Futaba Corporation, it is impossible to perform the torque control of the angle position which is less than the resolution. On another front, in recent years, there is a case where it is required to mount a camera to the tip of the multi-joint robot and minutely move the tip position of the multi-joint robot based on the image taken by the camera during work or the like. For example, an image which was taken by the camera having 2048×1536 pixels at a distance of 50 mm has the pixel pitch of about 28 μm. However, for example, in a case where the distance of the joint moving at the tip position of the multi-joint robot is 200 mm from the tip position, if control is performed at the angle position of 0.1 mm, then the moving resolution thereof is about 350 μm. Therefore, even if the resolution in image recognition is two to three pixel pitches, it is required to set the resolution of the angle position control of the servo apparatus to at least ¼ or less.
On another front, since the stepping motor performs driving with angles obtained by equally dividing a mechanical angle (shaft angle) by an electrical angle, there is a problem that the stepping motor is not appropriate for a high-speed rotation operation. In this connection, in a case where the stepping motor which is difficult to perform the high-speed rotation operation is intended to be used for the industrial multi-joint robot, if a speed reducer lies therein, the driving speed of the stepping motor decreases as a whole, whereby production speed decreases resultingly. In order not to use the speed reducer to prevent such inconvenience, it is necessary to increase the output torque of the stepping motor. In such a case, when the stepping motor is mounted for the joint of the multi-joint robot, it is necessary to enlarge the size of the stepping motor itself in consideration of output performance, prevention of step out, and the like. Consequently, it is difficult to adopt the stepping motor from the aspect of mountability.

Servo apparatus, and controlling method of servo apparatus