A system is provided that includes a hardware forwarding engine that routes data packets. The system also comprises a processor coupled to the hardware forwarding engine, the processor having a software forwarding engine that routes data packets. If data packets are forwarded from the hardware forwarding engine to the software forwarding engine, the hardware forwarding engine provides route lookup results for at least some of the data packets forwarded to the software forwarding engine.

Modern communication networks are tasked with transferring large amounts of data between different computers such as servers and clients. To transfer the data, communication parameters are established such as the format of the data to be transferred, the speed and bandwidth with which the data is sent, the source of the data, and the destination of the data. By the time the data has been transferred from its source location to its destination, the data may have passed through several routers and may have changed its format several times. The speed with which routers are able to process and forward the data affects the overall data transfer rate of a communication network. Typically, a higher data transfer rate is preferred by industry and consumers.

Methods and systems for routing packets with a hardware forwarding engine and a software forwarding engine


A spray tube for a pressurized dispenser is secured within an orifice of a spray nozzle using a coiled retention member which is selectively rotated about the spray nozzle to engage the spray tube between spaced turns of the coiled member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to pressurized dispensers of the type which include a spray nozzle which is normally depressed to activate a valve to allow contents to be dispensed under pressure from a container and wherein an extension spray tube is secured within the orifice of the spray nozzle to ensure that the spray tube does not become dislodged or re-oriented when the dispenser is in use. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a retention member in the form of a resilient coil having a plurality of turns wherein the coil may be rotated about the spray nozzle to selectively engage a spray tube and thereby retain the spray tube within the orifice of the nozzle during the use of the pressurized dispenser.
2. History of the Related Art
Extension spray tubes have commonly been used with dispensers in order to allow the contents of the dispenser to be directed to a particular point of application. Extension spray tubes are most conventionally used with pressurized spray containers which include a valve assembly having a valve nozzle with a spray orifice. Such valve nozzles are operable by depressing the nozzles relative to the container to thereby release the contents of the container under pressure.
Spray tubes are conventionally designed to frictionally engaged within orifices of spray nozzles and once the nozzles are open to the pressurized fluids within containers, such extension tubes are frequently dislodged from within the orifices of the spray nozzles. Even if the spray tubes are not initially dislodged by the fluid contents under pressure, the spray tubes can become misaligned during use thus allowing the pressurized contents of dispensers to be improperly discharged.
In an effort to overcome the accidental displacement of extension spray tubes relative to spray nozzles for use with pressurized dispensers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,750 to Moral disclosed a modified spray nozzle having a stepped orifice allowing increasing frictional engagement of a spray tube within the orifice. Unfortunately, this type of structure does not completely eliminate the possibility of the spray tube becoming dislodged either by the pressurized contents of the dispenser or by accidental movement of the spray tube during use.
Another type of device for securing a spray tube within an orifice of a spray nozzle for pressurized dispensers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,704 to Stollmeyer. This device discloses a strap-like member having a plurality of spaced openings therein. The spray tube is extended through a pair of spaced openings in the strap member and an end of the strap member is engaged over a back portion of the nozzle remote from the orifice. With this type of arrangement, the spray nozzle is retained somewhat more securely, however, still can become accidentally dislodged if the outer end of the spray tube is accidentally abutted against an object. Further, the amount of retaining force provided by the strap member is somewhat limited as the spray tube can be axially shifted relative to the openings formed in the strap member under the force of the contents of the fluid dispenser during use.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to provide retention devices for use with spray tubes for nozzles of pressurized dispensing containers which can be easily utilized to positively secure spray tubes in a securely mounted position relative to the orifice of spray nozzles during use.

Spray tube retention device for pressurized dispensers


The present disclosure provides a method and a device for acquiring dynamic map data, and a storage medium. The method includes: acquiring, by a road operation device having a network access capacity, dynamic map data of a road work site where the road operation device is located; and providing, by the road operation device having the network access capacity, the dynamic map data to a map service system through a dynamic map data acquisition system, such that the map service system reflects content of the dynamic map data in a predetermined product form.

A map is a product relies heavily on data, and the quality of the data will directly affect the service provided by the map to users.
At present, China's infrastructure construction is developing rapidly. Dynamic map data (such as road construction, accidents, temporary traffic control, etc.) is frequently changed, and it is a big problem for map products to accurately and efficiently obtain dynamic map data and provide users with a better map service experience.
Regarding the above problems, there are following solutions in the related art.
1) Map users actively report the dynamic map data. In actual practice, the users can actively report the road scene that he/she observed through a map client product. However, since it is difficult for users to accurately judge the nature and duration of road operation, the dynamic map data acquired may be inaccurate.
2) Government management department provides relevant information to map service provider. In actual practice, the dynamic map data is provided offline, and the dynamic map data acquired in this way is accurate and authoritative. However, the timeliness and stability of acquiring the data are difficult to guarantee, making it difficult to promote on a large scale.

Method and device for acquiring dynamic map data, and storage medium

BAIDU ONLINE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.


A reel pressure button assembly is used in a magnetic tape reel cassette for applying pressure to a tape reel. The reel pressure button assembly includes a substantially cylindrical reel pressure button and a portion of the cassette housing. The reel pressure button is formed as an integral, one-piece member and includes a central horizontal portion which is disposed within an opening in the cassette housing portion. A cylindrical portion of the button has a plurality of recesses and terminates in a flange. The housing portion includes a plurality of tabs which are received in respective recesses to secure the reel pressure button to the housing portion. A compression spring is mounted between the housing portion and the reel pressure button flange.

Magnetic tape cassettes used in video cassette recorders include a pair of tape reels mounted in the cassette housing. Typically, these cassettes include a device which places a downward axial force on the tape reels to maintain proper position and rotation of the tape reels, particularly as the cassette is loaded into the recorder. Some cartridges use reel springs mounted on the upper housing of the cassette and other cassettes use axial pressure buttons mounted in the upper housing of the cassette. Betacam-L type cassettes, for example, use pressure buttons.
FIG. 1 illustrates a known hold-down or reel pressure button assembly. This button assembly requires a plurality of components. The button assembly 10 is mounted within an opening 12 in the window 14 of the cassette upper housing wall. The button assembly 10 is mounted over the axial center of a tape reel 16 with an inner button 18 contacting the tape reel 16. The inner button 18 includes a central horizontal portion 20 on which a cylindrical upwardly extending portion 22 is mounted. Two opposing openings 24 are formed in the central horizontal portion 20 inside of the cylindrical upwardly extending portion 22. Two opposing recesses 26 are formed in the inside surface of the cylindrical upwardly extending portion 22 adjacent the openings 24. A cylindrical downwardly extending portion 28 is formed on the lower surface of the central horizontal portion 20 and has a larger diameter than the upwardly extending portion 22. The downwardly extending portion 28 terminates in a circular horizontal flange 30.
A wear pad 32 can be mounted to the tape reel 16 to provide a contact surface with the inner button 18. The wear pad 32 provides a surface of high lubricity and wear resistance. A button cap 34 is mounted within the cylindrical upwardly extending portion 22 and includes two downwardly extending legs 36 which extend through the two openings 24 in the central horizontal portion 20 of the inner button 18. Each leg 36 terminates in an outwardly facing tab 38 which is received in a respective recess 26 in the inner button 18 to frictionally lock the button cap 34 to the inner button 18. A coil spring 40 is mounted around the inner button 18 and between the window 14 and the circular horizontal flange 30 of the inner button 18.
While this configuration adequately performs its intended purpose, it has numerous drawbacks. The multiple part assembly is relatively complex in design and is difficult and expensive to manufacture and assemble. The button cap 34 can relatively easily disengage from the inner button 18 and damage the assembly 10. Moreover, in the event of failure of the frictional lock between the button cap tabs 38 and the inner button recesses 26, the disengaged button cap 34 can damage the cassette recorder or create a flying missile safety hazard if it disengages while the cassette is being handled.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


Detection of fake antivirus includes classifying text content of a user interface of an application program and scanning files associated with the application program for suspicious code. The user interface may be a graphical user interface (GUI) window of the application program. The text content may be obtained from a painted portion of the GUI window and by intercepting text changing operations performed on the GUI window. The text content may be input to a learning model to determine whether or not the application program belongs to the antivirus category. The application program is deemed to be fake antivirus when the application program is classified as belonging to the antivirus category and has a file with suspicious code.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer security, and more particularly but not exclusively to methods and apparatus for detecting fake antivirus in computers.
2. Description of the Background Art
Computer viruses, worms, Trojans, rootkits, and spyware are examples of malicious codes that have plagued computer systems throughout the world. Although there are technical differences between each type of malicious code, technology for detecting malicious codes is also generally referred to as "antivirus." Malicious codes have become so widespread that experienced computer users have some form of antivirus in their computers.
Fake antivirus, also referred to simply as "Fake AV," comprises malicious code disguised as an antivirus. Fake antivirus typically mirrors the layout and behavior of legitimate (i.e., non-malicious) antivirus, and is relatively difficult to detect using conventional antivirus technology. For example, conventional pattern matching algorithms may be employed to detect program icons and keywords in program shortcuts, registry, and files employed by fake antivirus. However, icons and keywords are easily changed by fake antivirus programmers, making fake antivirus difficult to detect by conventional pattern matching. Worse, fake antivirus may also be packed (i.e., compressed) as an executable file and use a legitimate-looking graphical user interface (GUI).

Detection of fake antivirus in computers


A free loop oscillator system including a set of successive delay elements connected in series forming a free running loop oscillator, a set of taps disposed between the delay elements, a circuit for determining the speed of the free-running loop oscillator, and circuit for choosing a given tap in response to the speed of the free-running loop oscillator. Such a system may be implemented as a part of interval timer, a printer controller, a frequency synthesizer, an FM modulator, a digital-to-analog converter, or any other device which requires the availability of finely addressable signals since the taps disposed between the delay elements present signals much finer than any presently available clock.

There are many instances where it would be desirable to inexpensively divide units of time or units of distance into smaller units. For example, in a range detector, the time elapsed between the outgoing signal and the incoming signal may be very short, on the order of nanoseconds, and the use of a standard reference clock to count the time elapsed would yield an inaccurate count resulting in inaccurate distance calculations.
In another example, in laser printers, it is often desirable to provide a transition from white-to-black (or vice versa) at various distances within a given line cell for high resolution. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,283 incorporated herein by this reference. A white-to-black or black-to-white signal, however, clocked at the printer's pixel clock rate of 10 MHz, is not resolved finely enough at the printer's laser diode to accurately phase transitions within a given cell (print pixel). Faster clocks are too expensive and/or not available to reference the black-to-white or white-to-black transitions at the resolution of one nanosecond corresponding to print cell distances on the order of microns required for high resolution graphic images.


The invention relates to a liquid pharmaceutical formulation comprising an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, cyclodextrin and methionine. In addition, it relates to a method for reducing precipitation of an antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof in a liquid pharmaceutical formulation through addition of methionine and cyclodextrin. In particular, the liquid pharmaceutical formulations comprises an anti-sclerostin antibody, hydroxypropyl-gamma cyclodextrin and methionine and may be used in the treatment of a bone disorder associated with at least one of low bone formation, low bone mineral density, low bone mineral content, low bone mass, low bone quality and low bone strength, and especially for treating osteoporosis. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of reducing inflammation at injection site in a mammalian subject comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a liquid pharmaceutical formulation comprising an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, cyclodextrin and methionine.

Antibodies are large and complex molecules and are inherently chemically and physically instable when stored over a period of time at high concentration. Typical chemical instability may result in deamidation, hydrolysis, oxidation, beta-elimination or disulfide exchanges. Physical instability can result in denaturation, aggregation or precipitation.
Antibodies can be formulated in freeze-dried, i.e. lyophilized form for reconstitution in a solvent shortly before administration. Freeze-dried formulations of antibodies tend to be more stable than liquid water-based formulation as water is either a reactant or facilitates the transfer of reactants and is thus critical to chemical degradation and protein instability. Despite being less stable, interest has recently focused on liquid formulations of antibodies. These formulations are easier and more convenient for the patient and the healthcare professional to handle and administer in comparison to freeze-dried formulations. Liquid formulations do not need to be reconstituted and can be administered with minimal preparation. However, the stabilization of proteins in liquid formulations to avoid or minimize aggregation, precipitation or degradation remains a particular challenge. Aggregation, with the formation of insoluble matter or precipitate, is a particular problem. This may cause various problems. Firstly aggregate formation may result in the antibody being less or no longer active; aggregate may provoke undesired and unexpected immunological reactions upon administration and finally aggregates may prevent proper administration of the pharmaceutical formulation e.g. by blocking syringes or pumps. These problems are even more evident in liquid formulations for subcutaneous administration where antibodies are present at high concentrations in much smaller volumes than intravenous infusions.
A typical strategy for preventing aggregation is to add stabilizers to the antibody formulation. Commonly used stabilizers include sugars, salts, free amino acids, polyols, polyethylene glycols (PEGs), and other polymers, such as polysorbates or poloxamers that may reduce protein-protein interactions.
Cyclodextrins (sometimes called cycloamyloses) are a family of compounds made up of sugar molecules bound together in a ring (cyclic oligosaccharides). Cyclodextrins are produced from starch by means of enzymatic conversion. They are considered safe and are widely used in food, pharmaceutical drug delivery, and chemical industries, as well as agriculture and environmental engineering. Cyclodextrins are composed of 5 or more α-D-glucopyranoside units linked 1→4, as in amylose. Typical cyclodextrins contain 6 (alpha-cyclodextrin), 7 (beta-cyclodextrin) or 8 (gamma-cyclodextrin) glucose monomers units in a ring, creating a cone shape where the interior is hydrophobic and the exterior is hydrophilic. The hydrophobic cavity provides an environment into which non-polar compounds, e.g. non-polar amino acids can be included and form complexes.
WO2010057107 describes using cyclodextrins (CDs) for reducing aggregation under physiological conditions. Furthermore, cyclodextrins and its derivatives have been used as solubilizers for poorly water soluble drugs. Currently available drug products that contain cyclodextrin in liquid formulations include Sporanox™ (Janssen, Belgium), Prostavasin (Ono, Japan; Schwarz, Germany), Prostandin 500 (Ono, Japan), Geodon™ (Pfizer, USA), VFEND™ (Pfizer, USA), MitoExtra Mitozytrex™ (Novartis, Switzerland), and Voltaren Optha™ (Novartis, Switzerland) (Szejtli J., Pure Appl. Chem. 76:1825-1845 (2004); Loftsson T. et al, Expert Opin. Drug Deliv. 2, 335-351 (2005)). Most of these formulations are for small molecule compounds. Maximum benefit is usually obtained at low cyclodextrin concentrations, and the benefits are often only partially concentration dependent. For example, aggregation of IL-2 was optimally inhibited by 0.5% HP-beta-cyclodextrin. (Loftsson T. and Brewster M. E., J Pharm Sci 85: 1017-1025 (1996)). The solubility of human growth hormone was improved by CDs present at about 2-6%, with alpha and gamma cyclodextrins found to be several-fold less effective than beta cyclodextrins. (Otzen, D. E. et al., Protein Sci. 11:1779-1787 (2002)).
Whilst the primary sequence of an antibody define its pI and it's intrinsically responsible of its tendency to precipitate upon administration (e.g. pH shift), the formulation composition will additionally affect this behavior and also influence other properties, including viscosity and osmolality. Altered interactions between the excipients and the active ingredients in the formulation may affect its long term stability. This is particularly relevant for antibody formulations developed for subcutaneous administration, where a high protein concentration meets a lower administration volume and protein aggregation and precipitation become even more apparent and potentially responsible for injection side effects.
Given the above, there remains a need in the art to provide further improved liquid pharmaceutical formulations of antibodies with reduced protein aggregation and precipitation, especially for formulations for subcutaneous route of administration.


A glove fabricated of a polyethylene has a distal portion in a shape to accommodate a hand. A proximal portion of the glove formed as an extension of the distal portion has a length between 150 percent and 175 percent of the length of the distal portion. A polyethylene tab and a strap form a seal on the proximal portion of the glove. The tab is integrally formed with the glove. The strap is fabricated of elastic bandage material and has an attached end coupled to the tab with a semi-adhesive property for removably coupling the strap to itself.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shower glove protector system and more particularly pertains to protecting the hand and arm of a patient with at least one site of interest during showering and bathing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of protector systems of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, protector systems of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of protecting a user through known methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,244,871 issued Jun. 10, 1941 to Guinzburg relates to a Waterproof Protective Device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,204 issued Aug. 9, 1994 to Matys relates to a Protective Cover for an Infusion Device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,953 issued Jan. 14, 1997 to Delao relates to a Tubular Sleeve with Elasticized Sealing Means. U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,115 issued Jul. 31, 2001 to Marshel relates to an Intravenous Protecting Device. U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,365 issued Aug. 21, 2001 to Warner relates to a Protective Sleeve for a Chronically Implanted Intravenous Site. U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,735 issued May 17, 2005 to Clinton relates to an IV Sleeve. U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,992 issued Apr. 7, 1998 to Ross relates to a Protective Hand and Arm Covering Article. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,275 issued Feb. 29, 2000 to De Prado relates to a Protective Glove for Use with Nylon Sotckings and Other Snag Prone Garments.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a shower glove protector system that protects the hand and arm of a patient with at least one site of interest during showering and bathing.
In this respect, the shower glove protector system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of protecting the hand and arm of a patient with at least one site of interest during showering and bathing.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved shower glove protector system which can be used for protecting the hand and arm of a patient with at least one site of interest during showering and bathing. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A frequency detection circuit and method of detecting the frequency of a clock signal, and a latency signal generation circuit for a semiconductor memory device that includes the frequency detection circuit. The frequency detection circuit includes a frequency detector and an output controller, which determines whether or not the frequency of the clock signal is higher than a predetermined value. Embodiments of the invention have an increased accuracy, increased efficiency, and a reduced current consumption over conventional art.

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-40326, filed on Jun. 3, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field
The disclosure relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, to a frequency detection circuit to detect the frequency of a clock signal and a latency signal generation circuit having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) reads data from a memory cell or writes data in to the memory cell in response to an external read command or write command that is received in synchronization with an external clock signal. For example, data is transmitted between the SDRAM and a memory controller through an input/output (I/O) interface in which data is synchronized with a clock signal and transmitted. As transmission frequency increases, it becomes more important to precisely synchronize data with the clock signal. To precisely synchronize data with the clock signal, a conventional SDRAM includes an internal clock signal generator, which generates an internal clock signal and provides the internal clock signal to individual components. The foregoing conventional SDRAM is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,210.
After receiving the read command, the SDRAM outputs data read from the memory cell after a predetermined number of clock cycles. The predetermined number of clock cycles is typically referred to as a latency number. The latency number can be determined according to the operating frequency of the SDRAM. For example, the latency number of an SDRAM having a high operating frequency is set to a higher value than the latency number of an SDRAM having a low operating frequency. Also, the SDRAM includes a latency signal generation circuit, which generates a latency signal. An enabling period of the latency signal is determined according to the predetermined latency number and the length of data to be output (i.e., burst length), and the operation of a data output circuit is controlled by the latency signal. That is, the data output circuit outputs data during the enabling period of the latency signal.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a data output circuit 10 of a conventional semiconductor memory device.
Referring to FIG. 1, the data output circuit 10 includes a latency signal generation circuit 20, an output controller 30 and an output buffer circuit 40. The output buffer circuit 40 includes an inverter 41, a NAND gate 42, a NOR gate 43, a PMOS transistor 44, and an NMOS transistor 45.
The latency signal generation circuit 20 receives column address strobe (CAS) latency control signals CL1, CL3, and CL4, a read control signal COS, a write control signal PWR, a first internal clock signal DCLK, and a second internal clock signal PCLK, and generates a latency signal LAT. The output controller 30 outputs an output control signal PTRST in response to the latency signal LAT and the first internal clock signal DCLK. The output buffer circuit 40 receives an internal data signal DI and outputs an output data signal DQ in response to the output control signal PTRST.
FIG. 2 is a detailed circuit diagram of the conventional latency signal generation circuit 20 shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, the latency signal generation circuit 20 includes an input logic circuit 21, an input latch circuit 22, a first switching circuit 23, a second switching circuit 24, a first delay latch circuit 25, a second delay latch circuit 26, and an output logic circuit 27. The first and second switching circuits 23 and 24 are turned on or off in response to the CAS latency control signals CL4 and CL3, respectively. The input latch circuit 22 operates in response to the second internal clock signal PCLK, and the first and second delay latch circuits 25 and 26 operate in response to the first internal clock signal DCLK. That is, the input latch circuit 22 operates only when it receives the second internal clock signal PCLK, and the first and second delay latch circuits 25 and 26 operate only when they receive the first internal clock signal DCLK.
The first internal clock signal DCLK and the second internal clock signal PCLK are generated by a first internal clock signal generator (not shown) and a second internal clock signal generator (not shown), respectively. The first internal clock signal generator is synchronized with an external clock signal EXCLK and sequentially generates the first internal clock signal DCLK while the semiconductor memory device is being enabled. On the other hand, the second internal clock signal generator is synchronized with the external clock signal EXCLK and generates the second internal clock signal PCLK only when the semiconductor memory device externally receives a read command READ. Accordingly, when the semiconductor memory device does not receive the read command READ, the second internal clock signal PCLK is not generated, and the input latch circuit 22 stops operating. At this time, even if the first and second delay latch circuits 25 and 26 receive the first internal clock signal DCLK, since the first and second switching circuits 23 and 24 are turned off, the first and second delay latch circuits 25 and 26 cannot receive any signals and thus, also stop operating. As a result, since the operation of the latency signal generation circuit 20 is stopped while the read command READ is not received, the current used by the latency signal generation circuit 20 may be reduced. The latency signal generation circuit 20, which is embodied so that the input latch circuit 22 operates in response to the second internal clock signal PCLK, operates more preferably when the frequency of the external clock signal EXCLK is reduced. However, as the frequency of the external clock signal EXCLK increases, the likelihood of malfunction of the latency signal generation circuit 20 increases. More specifically, as the frequency of the external clock signal EXCLK increases, the operating speed of the latency signal generation circuit 20 should be increased in proportion to the frequency of the external clock signal EXCLK. However, since the second internal clock signal PCLK is generated after the read command READ is received, the input latch circuit 22 cannot operate at the same time as when the read command READ is received. Thus, the latency signal generation circuit 20 generates a wrong latency signal LAT.
This phenomenon will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3, which is a timing chart showing input and output signals of the latency signal generation circuit 20 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 exemplarily illustrates a case where the CAS latency control signal CL4 is enabled and the first switching circuit 23 is turned on. The input latch circuit 22 latches an initial input signal LAT0 during a low level period of the second internal clock signal PCLK and outputs the initial input signal LAT0 as a latch signal LAT3 in synchronization with a rising edge of the second internal clock signal PCLK. Similarly, the first delay latch circuit 25 latches the latch signal LAT3 during a low level period of the first internal clock signal DCLK and outputs the latch signal LAT3 as a latch signal LAT4 in synchronization with a rising edge of the first internal clock signal DCLK. Also, the second delay latch circuit 26 latches the latch signal LAT4 during a low level period of the first internal clock signal DCLK and outputs the latch signal LAT4 as a latch signal LATB in synchronization with a rising edge of the first internal clock signal DCLK. However, since the second internal clock signal PCLK is generated after the read command READ is generated, a time margin E from when the first delay latch circuit 25 latches the latch signal LAT3 until the first delay latch circuit 25 outputs the latch signal LAT4 is reduced. As a result, the first delay latch circuit 25 is likely to latch a wrong signal. Referring to FIG. 3, the time margin E required for the latch operation of the first delay latch circuit 25 is even smaller than a time margin D required for the latch operation of the input latch circuit 22 or a time margin F required for the latch operation of the second delay latch circuit 26. This phenomenon becomes more serious with an increase in the frequency of the external clock signal EXCLK.
Meanwhile, to solve these problems, the latency signal generation circuit 20 may be embodied so that all of the input latch circuit 22 and the first and second delay latch circuits 25 and 26 operate in response to the first internal clock signal DCLK. However, in this case, since the input latch circuit 22 sequentially operates during the enabling of the semiconductor memory device irrespective of generation of the read command READ, the current used by the input latch circuit 22 increases. Also, when the latency signal generation circuit 20 operates only in response to the first internal clock signal DCLK when the frequency of the external clock signal EXCLK is low, current is wasted and efficiency is reduced. Therefore, it is required to detect the frequency of the external clock signal EXCLK beforehand so that the latency signal generation circuit can generate a latency signal in response to the result.

Circuit and method for detecting frequency of clock signal and latency signal generation circuit of semiconductor memory device with the circuit


The disk-chucking apparatus comprises a chuck base having a fitting hole formed through the center thereof for allowing a driving shaft of the motor, and a plurality of first and second disposition parts formed at the outer surface. A plurality of chuck pins are disposed in the first disposition parts of the chuck base such that the chuck pins can be moved inward and outward, respectively. The chuck pins are resiliently supported outward by means of spring members each having one end connected to the chuck base. A plurality of resilient pieces are provided at the second disposition parts, respectively. Each of the resilient pieces comprises a curved part, formed between a horizontal resilient part and a vertical resilient part, having first and second inner curved sections such that outer surfaces of the resilient pieces resiliently contact the inner circumference of the center hole of the disk.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk-chucking apparatus for disk drives, and more particularly to a disk-chucking apparatus for disk drives wherein the distance from the center of a disk to the rotational center of a driving shaft is minimized, and the assembly of a motor and a chuck base is easily and rapidly carried out without using a bonding agent.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a disk drive comprises: a deck base forming a main body of the disk drive; means for loading/unloading a disk to/from the deck base; means for rotating the disk loaded to the deck base by means of the loading/unloading means at a predetermined speed; and means for reading/writing information from/to a recording surface of the disk while the reading/writing means moves in the radial direction of the disk rotated by the rotating means. The disk may be loaded or unloaded while being placed on a tray. Also, the disk may be introduced into or withdrawn from the inside of the deck base while being received in a caddy or a cartridge.
A spindle motor is usually used as the disk rotating means, and a pick-up unit is usually used as the reading/writing means.
The disk drive as described above further comprises a disk-chucking apparatus that prevents the disk from being separated from the spindle motor when the motor is rotated at a predetermined speed while being rotated along with the disk for assuring safety of the disk rotated in one direction by means of a rotary force of the motor. The chucking performance of the disk-chucking apparatus is a critical aspect of disk drive technology.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a conventional disk-chucking apparatus 1 for disk drives. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional disk-chucking apparatus 1 comprises: a chuck base 2 fixedly mounted to the upper surface of a turntable or a rotary case 9 rotatable by means of a driving force of a motor (not shown) such that a disk D can be fitted on the chuck base 2 through a center hole C of the disk D; a plurality of chuck pins 3 disposed in a plurality of disposition parts 2a formed at the outer surface of the chuck base 2 while being uniformly spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the chuck base 2, respectively, while being movable inward and outward; a plurality of resilient pieces 4 formed at the chuck base 2 between the disposition parts 2a of the chuck base 2 for resiliently supporting the disk D fitted on the chuck base 2 at the inner circumference of the center hole C of the disk D; and a plurality of spring members 5 disposed in the disposition parts 2a of the chuck base 2 for resiliently pushing the chuck pins outward. Unexplained reference numeral 8 indicates a board on which the motor is mounted.
A method for chucking the disk D by means of the conventional disk-chucking apparatus 1 as described above will now be described. When the disk D is pushed downward onto the chuck base 2, the lower edge of the inner circumference of the center hole C of the disk D comes into contact with the chuck pins 3, respectively, since the outer diameter of the chuck base 2 is slightly less than the inner diameter of the center hole C of the disk D while the outer parts of the chuck pins 3 disposed in the disposition parts 2a of the chuck base 2 are slightly protruded outward.
The outer parts of the chuck pins 3 are tapered such that the upper surfaces of the outer parts of the chuck pins 3 are gently inclined downward, respectively. Consequently, the chuck pins 3 are withdrawn inward while compressing the corresponding spring members 5 by means of a fitting force vertically applied to the disk D. At the same time, the resilient pieces 4 are also withdrawn inward.
When the disk D comes into contact with a rubber ring disposed at the upper surface of the rotary case 9, the disk D is maintained while being fitted on the chuck base 2 through the cooperation of the chuck pins 3 pushed outward by a resilient restoring force generated when the spring members 5 are compressed and the resilient pieces 4 having their own resilient restoring forces.
The fitting force required to fit the disk D onto the chuck base 2 of the disk-chucking apparatus 1 is determined depending upon the resilient forces of the spring members 4 that resiliently support the chuck pins 3 outward. The spring members 5 disposed in the respective disposition parts 2a of the chuck base 2 while corresponding to the chuck pins 3, respectively, preferably have the same resilient force. In fact, however, it is difficult to manufacture the spring members 5 such that the spring members 5 have the same resilient force.
When the spring members 5 do not have the same resilient force, and thus when even one of the chuck pins 3 disposed in the disposition parts 2a of the chuck base 2 while being pushed outward by means of the spring members has a relatively large resilient force, the disk D is eccentrically moved toward the chuck pin(s) 3. As a result, the center of the disk D does not exactly correspond to the rotational center of the motor. Specifically, the distance from the center of the disk D to the rotational center of the motor is increased.
When the distance from the center of the disk D to the rotational center of the motor is small, an optical pick-up unit smoothly reads or writes data from or to the disk D with a low error rate. Consequently, decreasing the distance from the center of the disk D to the rotational center of the motor, i.e., aligning the center of the disk D with the rotational center of the motor is very important for the ODD motor.
FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a chuck base of the conventional disk-chucking apparatus for disk drives shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a longitudinal sectional view showing the chuck base of the conventional disk-chucking apparatus for disk drives shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the resilient pieces 4 are formed, in large numbers, at the chuck base 2 between the disposition parts 2a of the chuck base 2 where the corresponding chuck pins 3 are disposed for generating resilient forces outward to minimize the distance from the center of the disk D to the rotational center of the motor.
When the resilient forces of the spring members are increased to prevent the disk D from being separated from or slipping off the chuck base 2, and thus the detaching force required to detach the disk D from the chuck base 2 is increased, automatic aligning function of the resilient pieces 4 to align the center of the disk D with the rotational center of the motor may be deteriorated or lost, since the resilient forces generated from the resilient pieces 4 each having a curved part 18 formed, with predetermined outer and inner curvatures 18a and 18b, at the interface between a horizontal resilient part 14a and a vertical resilient part 14b is less than those of the spring members 5. As a result, errors may frequently occur when the pick-up unit reads or writes information from or to the recording surface of the disk D.
When the distance from the center of the disk D to the rotational center of the motor is increased, the moved amount of the pick-up unit is increased, and thus the consumed amount of electric current, necessary to move the pick-up unit, is also increased.
The inner curvature 18b of the curved part 18, which is formed at the inner edge of each of the resilient pieces 4, is equal to or less than the outer curvature 18a of the curved part 18, which is formed at the outer edge of each of the resilient pieces 4. Consequently, the thickness of the vertical resilient part 14b is decreased as the center C1 of the inner curvature 18b approaches each of the resilient pieces 4 with the result that the resilient force of each of the resilient pieces 4 is decreased, and thus the resilient pieces 4 may be easily broken by an external force.
The radius of curvature of each resilient piece 4, the outer surface of which contacts the inner circumference of the center hole C of the disk D, is equal to that of the center hole C of the disk D. Consequently, a large frictional force occurs as the outer surface of each resilient piece 4 comes into contact with the inner circumference of the center hole C of the disk D with the result that it is very difficult to smoothly fit the disk D onto the chuck base 2 or detach the disk D from the chuck base 2.
In order to fit a driving shaft 20 of the motor into a fitting hole 15 formed through the center of the chuck base 2, a bonding agent is applied to the inner circumference of the fitting hole 15 of the chuck base 2 or the outer circumference of the driving shaft 20 of the motor, and then the driving shaft 20 is inserted into the fitting hole 15. As a result, the driving shaft is fixedly attached to the chuck base 2 by means of the bonding agent.
As described above, a bonding agent is applied to the inner circumference of the fitting hole 15 of the chuck base 2 or the outer circumference of the driving shaft 20 of the motor in order to fit the driving shaft 20 of the motor into the fitting hole 15 of the chuck base 2. Consequently, the assembly of the conventional disk-chucking apparatus is complicated and troublesome, and the cost of manufacturing the conventional disk-chucking apparatus is increased.
The bonding force of the bonding agent applied between the fitting hole 15 and the driving shaft 20 is easily decreased due to external temperature variation or external impact. Also, the chuck base 2 is easily separated from the driving shaft 20 of the motor as the disk D is repetitively fitted onto the chuck base 2 and detached from the chuck base 2.
Furthermore, the disk D is eccentrically moved due to the bonding agent applied to the gap between the fitting hole 15 and the driving shaft 20. As a result, the distance from the center of the disk D to the rotational center of the driving shaft 20 is increased, whereby errors frequently occur during reading/writing data from/to the disk D. Also, the moved amount of the pick-up unit is increased.
At the lower edge of the chuck base 2 are formed thin flanges 17, which extend outward. Each of the flanges 17 is provided at the inner side thereof with a pin-supporting member 13 for supporting the lower end of the corresponding chuck pin 3, which is pushed downward when the disk D is fitted onto the chuck base 2.
However, an external vertical downward force, which is generated as the chuck pins 3 come into contact with the pin-supporting members 13 when the disk D is fitted onto the chuck base 2, is focused on connection regions between the pin-supporting members 13 and the flanges 17, by which the connection regions are broken.


A new and improved contamination-control mat assembly which has a plurality of adhesive-coated sheets disposed upon the upper surface portion of the contamination-control mat assembly, and a new and improved polystyrene frame member, having an acrylic-rubber anti-slip backing member applied thereto, disposed upon the undersurface portion of the contamination-control mat assembly, wherein the polystyrene frame member and the acrylic-rubber anti-slip backing member are integrally affixed together by means of a coextrusion process.

Adhesive-coated, contamination-control mats, commonly known or referred to as tacky mats, are well-known devices or implements which have been conventionally used to remove dirt, dust, and other contaminants from the soles of shoes, from the wheels of gurneys, carts, or other transportable apparatus, or from other objects, prior to the entrance of such objects or devices into "clean room" facilities in order to in fact maintain such "clean room" facilities in their desirably clean condition. Such "clean room" facilities may comprise, for example, hospital operating rooms, emergency rooms, critical patient care areas, or the like, or alternatively, laboratory or similar facilities within which microcircuitry and other delicate or sophisticated instrumentation is manufactured or assembled. Examples of such adhesive-coated contamination-control or tacky mats are disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,250 which issued to Paige on Dec. 17, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,102 which issued to Amos on Jan. 15, 1974, U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,897 which issued to Amos et al. on Feb. 27, 1973, U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,797 which issued to Nappi on Mar. 24, 1970, U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,421 which issued to Nappi et al. on Sep. 10, 1968, U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,393 which issued to Nappi on Apr. 2, 1963, and United Kingdom Patent Specification 1,340,636 which was published on Dec. 12, 1973 in the name of Nappi.
Conventional or PRIOR ART adhesive-coated, contamination-control mats have conventionally comprised two basic constructions. The first embodiment or type of adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat essentially comprises a relatively thick, single member or single layer mat fabricated, for example, from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), whereas the second embodiment or type of adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat essentially comprises a multi-layer laminated stack of adhesive-coated plastic film sheets. More particularly, as a result of the fabrication of the first embodiment or type of adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat as a relatively thick, single member or single layer mat, the weight and inertial mass of the mat enables the same to be simply disposed upon the underlying floor support structure without the need for adhesively bonding, for example, the undersurface portion of the mat to the underlying floor support structure. In addition, while the upper surface portion of the single member or single layer adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat is characterized by means of an adhesive layer which exhibits a relatively low-level of adhesiveness or tackiness so as to effectively remove dirt or dust either from the shoes of facility personnel, or from the wheels of gurneys, carts, or other transportable apparatus, while obviously not impeding the traversal of the same by facility personnel, or the movement thereacross of the transportable apparatus, it has been noted that when the upper surface portion of the single member or single layer adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat becomes soiled as a result of the accumulation of dirt and dust thereon, its effectiveness rapidly deteriorates.
Accordingly, such upper surface portion of the single member or single layer adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat must then be subjected to a water washing process or procedure, and appropriately dried so as to once again be capable of being used for its intended purposes. In addition to such cleaning process or procedure being time-consuming, the upper, adhesive-coated surface portion of the single member or single layer adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat tends to become eroded or worn as a result of being subjected to the repetitive cleaning processes or procedures. Still further, it is noted that the single member or single layer adhesive-coated, contamination control mat must either be replaced with another single member or single layer adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat, while the original single member or single layer adhesive-coated, contamination control mat undergoes its refurbishing or cleaning process or procedure, so as to permit the "clean-room" facility to be used continuously, or else the "clean-room" facility must be temporarily closed until the original single member or single layer adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat can again be used. Still further, since this particular adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat is characterized by means of a single member or single layer structure which has a relatively large thickness dimension, this embodiment or type of contamination-control mat often presents a trip hazard to facility personnel, or an obstacle over which the transportable apparatus must be forcefully moved. This embodiment or type of contamination-control mat has therefore not proven to be particularly desirable or viable.
The second embodiment or type of adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat assembly is disclosed within FIGS. 1 and 2, is generally indicated by the reference character 10, and is seen to comprise a multi-layer, laminated stack of adhesive-coated plastic film sheets 12, such as, for example, approximately thirty or sixty adhesive-coated plastic film sheets, which are disposed upon an underlying frame or substrate member 14. The adhesive-coated surface 16 of each one of the plastic film sheets 12 faces upwardly, and accordingly, when the external, upwardly disposed surface of the uppermost one of the plurality of adhesive-coated plastic film sheets 12 becomes soiled, such as, for example, when dirt and dust, as exemplified by means of the footprints 18, accumulate thereon to such a degree that the dirt and dust removal properties of such uppermost one of the plurality of adhesive-coated plastic film sheets 12 is no longer adequately effective, then such uppermost one of the plurality of adhesive-coated plastic film sheets 12 is simply removed from the laminated stack of adhesive-coated plastic film sheets so as to effectively uncover the next one of the plurality of adhesive-coated plastic film sheets 12 which is obviously clean and therefore ready for immediate use. Since this embodiment or type of adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat assembly 10 obviously does not require any washing or cleaning, the operational drawbacks or disadvantages, characteristic of the first embodiment or type of adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat, are effectively overcome or eliminated.
It is noted, however, that, in view of the fact that the uppermost ones of the adhesive-coated plastic film sheets 12 are being continually removed from the laminated stack of adhesive-coated plastic film sheets, when it is so required in order to maintain the adhesive properties of the adhesive-coated, contamination-control mat assembly 10 effective, the entire contamination-control mat assembly 10 need not be normally removed from the underlying floor support structure for cleaning and washing purposes, and therefore, it is desired to maintain the contamination-control mat assembly 10 at a fixed position with respect to the entrance-way into the "clean room" facility, other than when the supply of the adhesive-coated plastic film sheets 12 is exhausted, thereby necessitating the replacement of the entire contamination-control mat assembly 10 with a new contamination-control mat assembly. Therefore, suitable means must be provided upon the undersurface portion of the contamination-control mat assembly 10 so as to in fact maintain the contamination-control mat assembly 10 at its designated position with respect to the entranceway into the "clean room" facility. Accordingly, one means for ensuring the fact that the disposition of the contamination-control mat assembly 10 is in fact properly maintained upon the underlying floor support structure at the entranceway to the "clean room" facility resides in providing the undersurface portion of the substrate or frame member 14 of the contamination-control mat assembly 10 with suitable backing structure which has anti-slip properties.
More particularly, as may best be appreciated from FIG. 2, the substrate or frame member 14, which may be fabricated from a suitable polystyrene material, has an upper surface portion 20 of an anchor film 22, which may be fabricated from polyethylene, adhesively bonded to the undersurface portion 24 of the substrate or frame member 14 while a rubberized rug-lock fabric material 26 is suitably adhesively bonded to the undersurface portion of the anchor film 22. While this contamination-control mat assembly 10 is obviously satisfactory from an operational point of view in that the same adequately achieves its objectives of removing dirt, dust, and other contaminants from the soles of shoes, from the wheels of gurneys, carts, or other transportable apparatus, or from other objects, prior to the entrance of such objects or devices into "clean room" facilities in order to in fact maintain such "clean room" facilities in their desirably clean condition, the multiple-step fabrication process comprising, for example, the extrusion of the polystyrene substrate or frame member 14, the application of the anchor film 22 to the undersurface portion 24 of the polystyrene substrate or frame member 14, and the application of the rubberized rug-lock fabric material 26 to the undersurface portion of the anchor film 22 is time-consuming and costly to implement. In addition, there is the possibility that the anchor film 22 can partially or completely detach from the undersurface portion 24 of the polystyrene substrate or frame member 14, or alternatively, that the rubberized rug-lock fabric material 26 can partially or completely detach from the anchor film 22, either one of such scenarios presenting a hazardous condition within the particular environment.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved contamination-control mat assembly which comprises a plurality of adhesive-coated sheets disposed upon a substrate or frame member, and wherein an anti-slip backing member is fabricated with the substrate or frame member by means of a one-step process such that the substrate and anti-slip backing member are integrally affixed together so as to form a composite polystyrene substrate or frame member and acrylic-rubber anti-slip backing member assembly.

Contamination-control mat assembly with adhesive-coated sheets and composite polystyrene frame member and anti-slip backing member, and a process for fabricating the same


A disposable prostrate treatment template and a separate mounting frame to mount the template to a seed implant device is provided. The template includes a template body having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough; fasteners for removably securing said template to said mounting frame; suture wings extending from said template body to facilitate suturing of said template to a patient; and belt loops sized to receive a belt to secure the template to a patient. The template body is made from a rigid body frame and a polymer portion molded to said body frame. The body frame includes at least a pair of spaced apart legs and a cross-member extending between and connecting the legs to define a center area of the body in which the apertures are positioned. The apertures include at least one detent in the aperture and a flared entrance to the aperture. To align the template on the frame, the frame includes pins, and the template includes holes (preferably in the body frame) through which the pins extend.

Not Applicable.
This invention relates in general to prostate implanting devices, and more specifically to a disposable guide that can be used alone or in conjunction with other seed stabilization devices, for treatment of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy of the male genitourinary tract. In 1998, the number of cases of prostate cancer in the United States, alone, was estimated to be 184,500, with approximately 39,200 men dying of the disease annually. (Landis, S. H., Murray T., Bolden, S., et al: Cancer Statistics 1998. CA Cancem J. Clin 48:6-29, 1998).
The various methods for treatment include surgical intervention, external radiotherapy, brachytherapy seed implants, high dose rate brachytherapy, cryotherapy (freezing) and RF (heat) therapy.
Surgical intervention and external radiotherapy are widely known. The latter treatment method involves two basic steps:
1. Guide interventional device(s) into the prostate gland under ultrasound guidance, either with or without a stabilizing device.
2. Kill tissue by delivering energy, or in the case of cryotherapy, by taking away energy.
Brachytherapy is defined as the use of permanent implants or radioactive materials at the site. Brachytherapy has been successfully used in the treatment of prostate cancer. This is especially true when performed with the aid of implant stabilization devices, such as the AccuSeed, designed and manufactured by Tayman Medical, Inc., located in Chesterfield, Mo. The Tayman Medical AccuSeed stabilization device cradles the ultrasound probe so that the prostate gland can be viewed in real-time while inserting interventional devices through bores in the template to facilitate therapy. The bores in the template simply guide needles, etc. through the perineum and into the prostate gland.
High Dose Rate Brachytherapy involves temporary insertion of radioactive wires. The term radiation refers to energy propagated through space to destroy tissue. Cryotherapy is defined as the use of a very low temperature instrument to freeze tissue. RF therapy is defined as the use of electric current to heat tissue via an instrument that is in contact with the tissue.
Disadvantages associated with surgical intervention include impotence and incontinence due to damage of tissues in close proximity to the prostate, such as seminal vesicles and essential nerve bundles. External radiation can also have deleterious effects on surrounding normal tissues (e.g., seminal vesicles, essential nerve bundles, bladder, rectum, and the urethra). With permanent brachytherapy seed implants there is a potential for radiation exposure to hospital staff and family members because the radioactive seeds leave the facility with the patient. High dose brachytherapy has the disadvantage that it also involves radioactivity, although no radioactive materials leave with the patient. Researchers in cryotherapy and RF therapy are challenged to accurately predict heat transfer in the very complex system comprised of the prostate and surrounding tissues.
Advantages of high dose rate brachytherapy include higher confidence in dose calculations because treatment planning is done using actual needle positions after needle placement. This technique can reduce exposure to surrounding tissues such as the bladder and rectum. The short treatment time adds to the patient""s comfort, and no residual radioactive materials or tissue remain in the patient when the procedure is over. Some of the above advantages, as well as the procedures and techniques, are pointed out in Rodriguez, et al, High Dose Rate Brachytherapy In Treatment Of Prostate Cancer 13(3) pp. 503-523, 1999, HematologylOncology Clinics of North America.
Brachytherapy is defined as the use of permanent implants or radioactive materials at the site. Two forms of brachytherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer are seed implantation and high dose rate brachytherapy:
Seed Implantation is performed on an out-patient basis under spinal anesthesia. The transrectal ultrasound probe is re-positioned to accurately reproduce the conformational plan format. Disposable implant needles that have been preloaded with radioactive seeds and absorbable spacers are then introduced through the appropriate needle guide holes in a template as indicated in the plan. Each needle is guided through the perineum to its predetermined position within the prostate under direct ultrasound visualization of the needle position within the prostate. The specified number of seeds are then implanted by withdrawing the needle while holding the stylet against the stylet stop. The seeds are pushed out as the needle is withdrawn by the stationary stylet. The AccuSeed Stepper, from Endocare, Irving, Calif., is used to position and stabilize the ultrasound probe and the implant needles.
The high dose radiation procedure is performed in the operating room using a spinal or general anesthesia. The patient is positioned in lithotomy position. The AccuSeed stepper is setup, and a high dose radiation template is mounted to the base and set up adjacent to the perineal area of the patient. The TRUS is utilized for the identification of the prostate gland. With the use of TRUS and fluoroscopic guidance, the implant needles are carefully inserted through the skin surface to the prostate gland. X-rays verify needle position. The template is then sutured at all four corners to the perineum. The catheters remain in place as the AccuSeed stepper is taken down and away from the patient. X-rays are utilized to optimize a specific treatment plan. When the dose is finalized the HDR remote afterloader is programmed with your individual treatment. The patient is then taken to the radiation oncology department. The implant catheters are connected to an HDR machine, to enable a radiation source to deliver treatment. The number of HDR treatments depends on the individual""s prescription.
Cryotherapy is defined as the application of extreme cold to destroy tissue.
The cryotherapy procedure is performed with a local or spinal anesthesia. The patient is placed in lithotomy position and prepped and draped. The AccuSeed is set up and the cryotherapy template is mounted on the stepper to assist in holding the TRUS and placement of the cryotherapy probes. The prostate gland is measured with TRUS and the plan is evaluated for placement of the cryotherapy probes. The guide wires and dilators are then inserted under ultrasound at planned locations. A urethral warmer and thermocouples are placed in delineated areas to measure and protect surrounding tissues. A first freeze is accomplished with liquified argon gas. This gas creates ice balls as the tip of the cryoprobes encompassing the entire prostate gland. Extreme cold temperatures destroy all the prostate tissue including cancerous cells. After a thawing period of about thirty minutes, a second freeze is done to ensure effective treatment has been accomplished.
The most prevalent use of the current invention will be in high dose rate brachytherapy due to the need for the template to remain attached to the patient for extended periods, and that the treatment methods inherently include safety, efficacy, and popularity of its usage due to elimination of the inconvenience that occurs in the standard type of treatments as explained above.
This invention principally relates to a prostate implanting device, and more specifically provides for the very accurate seeding of a prostate malignancy at the exact site of its determined location, through the usage of the treatment template of this invention.
The present invention is a disposable template (also called a guide or a grid) to be used either freehand or in conjunction with the AccuSeed(trademark) Stepper and Stabilizer, currently available from Tayman Medical, Inc., of Chesterfield, Mo. Although designed for use with the AccuSeed stepper and stabilizer, the template could be modified for use with other stepper/stabilizers.
The template of this invention provides a guiding and anchoring means for interventional devices associated with brachytherapy seed implants, high dose rate brachytherapy, cyrotherapy, and RF therapy, such as needles and catheters. This template may be used free hand, in conjunction with the treatment of a patient suffering from prostate cancer.
This prostate treatment template is generally used in conjunction with a medical seeding device, as the type as previously identified, and is designed to be attached to the seeding device, and registered relative thereto, such that when assembled, the calibration tank or stabilization device accurately mates the entire assembly together, to make it highly accurate in the seeding of an implant at a precise location within the prostate, during treatment.
As shown in the drawings, the template and the interface optionally contain a sensing means (such as a proximity sensor, by way of example only) that detects templates and may prevent future electronic/motorized stepper/stabilizers from operating in the presence of counterfeit templates.
The interface facilitates docking and undocking of the template in a convenient way that is consistent with clinical procedures. For instance, during high dose brachytherapy procedures, the interface allows the stepper/stabilizer to undock from the template, leaving the template behind with the patient without disturbing the interventional devices that have been inserted. Further, the interface is of an open design, which would allow it to be removed even if those interventional devices are connected to external equipment, such as a high dose brachytherapy afterloader. The interface also uniquely allows the template to be reconnected to the stepper/stabilizer regardless of what interventional devices are connected to the template, and for whatever reason.
It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide for the combination of a template, for support within its interface holder, to furnish very accurate seeding of high dose rate means for brachytherapy treatment, etc., of malignancy within the prostate.
Another object of this invention is to provide for a template which when located within its holder is precisely in registration with the seeding instrument with which it is used.
Another object of this invention is to provide for a treatment template that has various other accessories that add to the convenience of usage of the device, when used for implanting a seed for treatment of prostate cancer.
These and other objects may become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the summary of the invention as provided herein, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment, in view of the drawings.
Some of the are unique features of the new product include:
1. A disposable or reusable polymer template insert molded to a metal frame, with portions of either exposed, and portions of either encapsulated in the other.
2. A frame that facilitates registration/calibration and adds physical strength.
3. A template with belt loops to accommodate a support belt.
4. A template with suture wings for support during the extended time the template remains with the patient.
5. A template with finger grip areas for hand manipulation.
6. A template with finger grip areas that double as clearance for monitoring components during calibration or when not used in an handheld mode.
7. A template with unique instrument alignment bores composed of a hole for directional guidance and one or more detents to control device insertion/removal force.
8. A template and template interface that mate together and with the Tayman Stepper/Stabilizer, according to a proprietary design.
9. An interface that registers the template to the stepper/stabilizer, guaranteeing calibration without re-calibration for each template used.
10. An interface that is of an open design.


A device configured to retrieve a markup language file; identify, based on the markup language file, an item to be used on a web page, address information for retrieving an object for the item, and an object type corresponding to the object; retrieve an evaluation result for the object; identify the object as an object to be used based on the evaluation result; identify address information of the object; and retrieve and execute the object based on the address information.

The present disclosure relates to a device, a medium, and a method for retrieving an object to be used in a client device.
These days, a variety of contents is provided to users who use computer devices such as smart phones. Such contents are often provided by means of web pages. Such web pages are written in a markup language such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language).
Some standards that can provide various media content such as audio and video on a web page have also been disclosed. For example, refer to "HTML5 A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML W3C Candidate Recommendation 4 Feb. 2014" by The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). By this standard, content resources of various codecs can be specified by a source element such as an audio element and a video element. This source element has "src," "type," and "media" as content attributes. The "src" attribute provides an address of a media resource (URL). The "type" attribute indicates a MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) type of resource. The "media" attribute indicates a media type serving as a target of the media resource. Based on the "type" attribute and the "media" attribute, whether the media resource can be played back can be determined before retrieving the media resource.

Device, medium, and method for retrieving object


A catheter system includes a shaft main body including an elongated hollow outer tube and an inner tube accommodated in the inside of the elongated hollow outer tube. The hollow inside of the inner tube is suctioned from the proximal end side thereof. The outer tube has an opening formed in a circumferential surface thereof and an attaching portion provided therein on the distal end side with respect to the opening. The inner tube can move in an axial direction with respect to the outer tube, and at least a distal end side end portion thereof can move back and forth between a proximal end side position with respect to the opening and the attaching portion. The inner tube has a cutting unit provided in the hollow inside of the distal end side end portion thereof and is capable of attaching to the attaching portion

If a thrombus is generated in a body lumen, then it is necessary to quickly remove the thrombus. Deep venous thrombosis, in which a thrombus is generated in a vein existing in a deep part of the body such as, for example, a femoral vein or a popliteal vein, is conceivably a symptom of a thrombus having been generated in a body lumen. As a treatment method for deep venous thrombosis, a method is known in which a shaft main body of a catheter system is inserted into a blood vessel and then an agent such as a thrombolytic agent is injected into an embolus portion to thereby dissolve and remove the thrombus.
Since a side effect such as bleeding is involved in a known method in which an agent is injected in order to remove a thrombus, a treatment has been proposed in which a thrombus is mechanically broken and is suctioned out and removed by a shaft main body inserted in a blood vessel. By this treatment, it is possible to eliminate the use of the agent or reduce the amount of the agent to be used. As a catheter system for use for such a treatment as just described, for example, such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,751.
When a thrombus is mechanically broken and suctioned out through a shaft main body, since the shaft main body has a tube body of a small diameter, there is the possibility that an intermediate location of the shaft main body may be clogged by the thrombus. If an intermediate location of the shaft main body is clogged by the thrombus, then it becomes difficult to suction out the thrombus. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress clogging of the shaft main body by the thrombus.


A frequency conversion system with improved performance. In one embodiment an image reject mixer is used to perform frequency conversion providing an initial degree of suppression of the image and local oscillator leakage signals, and a signal to noise enhancer (SNE) is used to further suppress the image and local oscillator signals, the signal to noise enhancer being a nonlinear passive device that attenuates low-power signals while transmitting high power signals with little loss. The signal to noise enhancer may be fabricated as a thin film of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) epitaxially grown on a gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) substrate, the GGG substrate secured to a microwave transmission line from the input to the output of the signal to noise enhancer, such that the thin film of yttrium iron garnet is close to the transmission line.

1. Field
One or more aspects of embodiments according to the present invention relate to frequency conversion, and more particularly to a system for suppressing an image signal and local oscillator leakage in a frequency conversion system.
2. Description of Related Art
Systems transmitting radio frequency (RF) or microwave signals are on occasion deployed sufficiently near each other that the potential exists for transmissions from a first system to interfere with the reception, in a second system, of signals transmitted by a third system, and intended for the second system. For example, the signal transmitted by the first system may be a single-sideband suppressed carrier signal or another signal that is formed by frequency conversion of a baseband or intermediate frequency signal by mixing with a local oscillator, to form a transmitted signal with a single, relatively narrow band, principal frequency component. Such a signal may, as a result of its formation, include undesired image frequency components or local oscillator leakage, which increase the potential for interference with other signals.
Thus, there is a need for a system for reducing image frequency components and local oscillator leakage.

Frequency conversion system with improved spurious response and frequency agility


Disclosed is a fully automated system capable of producing high quality real-time S-parameter images. It is a useful and versatile tool in Material Science and Solid State Technology for determining the location of subsurface defect types and concentrations in bulk-materials as well as thin-films. The system is also useful in locating top surface metallizations and structures in solid state devices. This imaging system operates by scanning the sample surface with either a small positron source (22Na) or a focused positron beam. The system also possesses another two major parts, namely electronic instrumentation and stand-alone imaging software. In the system, the processing time and use of system resources are constantly monitored and optimized for producing high resolution S-parameter image of the sample in real time with a general purpose personal computer. The system software possesses special features with its embedded specialized algorithms and techniques that provide the user with adequate freedom for analyzing various aspects of the image in order to obtain a clear inference of the defect profile while at the same time keeping automatic track on the instrumentation and hardware settings. The system is useful for semiconductor and metal samples, giving excellent quality images of the subsurface defect profile and has applications for biological samples.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital imaging, and more specifically, creating high-quality S-parameter images in real-time.
2. Background
Positrons are known for their sensitivity to vacancy type defects in solids. Using Doppler broadening spectroscopy, the shape of the 511 keV annihilation line, as represented through the S-parameter, provides a helpful measure of neutral and negatively charged vacancy defects. S-parameter imaging of a wafer surface by laterally scanning a point source of positrons across the wafer surface can provide useful information regarding the density of bulk defects in the wafer. Such scans have been made in the past by moving a radioactive source or a positron beam across a wafer. In this method, the beam or radioactive source is kept fixed and one point on the sample is exposed to that radiation for some fixed time and all annihilation events are then recorded for that point before moving on to the next point. The next point is then exposed to the positron radiation and so on until the whole sample surface has been scanned. The whole data set is finally processed off-line as per the requirement and is finally plotted in the form of an S-parameter graph using plotting software.


The invention relates to a method of distributing communications established by radio-communication terminals, within a geographic cell of a radio-communication network, the geographic cell being sub-divided into at least two geographic sectors.

1. Field of Invention
The field of invention is that of radio-communications.
More precisely, the invention relates to the problem of saturation of the radio-communication cells, linked to the 5 number of channels available within the cell and to the maximum transmission power of the base station associated with each cell of the network.
2. Description of the Related Art
It will be recalled that cellular telecommunications networks are constituted by a meshing of their area of coverage into geographic areas of smaller size called cells. These cells themselves are generally sub-divided into geographic sectors. Traditionally, as shown in FIG. 1, a cell 10 is divided into three sectors 111 to 113, each with an angular aperture approximately equal to 120°.
Each cell 10 corresponds to the geographic area covered by a base station 12, which transmits and/or receives signals to and/or from radio-communication terminals 13 present in the cell.
An important problem inherent to radio-communication networks is that the number of communications that can be established, in one cell, between a base station and the various radio-communication terminals present in the cell, is limited. This limitation is linked, on the one hand, to the maximum number of available channels in the cell, and, on the other hand, to the maximum power that the base station can transmit.
According to one known technique, a predetermined number of communication channels is generally attributed to each of the sectors of a cell. A disadvantage of this technique of the prior art is that, as soon as all the channels attributed to a sector are used, any new request for a terminal present in the sector and wishing to establish a communication, is refused.
Consideration has been given to allocating distinct levels of priority to the radio-communication terminals. In this way, when a terminal with a high level of priority transmits a request to open communication, it can have access to channel of communication at the expense of a low priority terminal, which is then compelled to put an end to its communication.
A disadvantage of this technique from the prior art is therefore that within a sector, one can only satisfy a limited number of requests to open communication, even if communication channels are available in other sectors of the cell.
In addition, the number of communications that can be set up in one cell is also limited by the maximum power that the base station can transmit, because of an interference phenomenon.
At present, two sources of interference can be distinguished.
On the one hand, the signals transmitted within a sector, by the radio-communication terminals or by the base station are propagated partially into adjacent sectors, belonging to the cell under consideration, or into a neighboring cell. Within a given sector, interfering signals coming from adjacent sectors are therefore added to the wanted signals in the form of inter-sector interference.
On the other hand, within a given sector, a radio-communication terminal represents a potential source of interference for the neighboring terminals, since the signals intended for a particular terminal are also received by all the neighboring terminals, and thereby constitute inter-sector interference.
It is therefore clearly apparent that, the greater the number of terminals in communication in a cell, the more important are the inter-sector and intra-sector interference phenomena. Indeed, in order to compensate for these interference phenomena and to maintain a good signal to noise ratio for all the communications within a cell, it is necessary to increase the transmission power of the base station of the cell under consideration. When the interference is too great, which is particularly frequent in the case of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), the transmission power required at the base station to obtain a signal to noise ratio that is adequate for reception, can become too great and can therefore lead to saturation of the base station.
Therefore, another disadvantage of techniques of the prior art is that, because of an interference phenomenon, the number of communications that can be established within one sector is limited, even if communication channels remain available within the sector.

Method of distributing communications within a cell of a radio-communication network, and a corresponding device and base station

Abstract: According to this invention, the method comprises a step of modifying, by rotation, the orientation of the sectors within said cell.


A portable device with a touch screen display detects a finger-in-contact event at a first position on the touch screen display and identifies a user interface object associated with the first position. The portable device determines whether the identified user interface object is moveable across the touch screen display. For an identified object that is determined to be moveable across the touch screen display, the portable device detects a sequence of one or more first finger-dragging, a first finger-out-of-contact, one or more second finger-dragging, and a first finger-out-of-range events and performs a first operation associated with the identified moveable user interface object at least in part in accordance with the first and second finger-dragging events. For an identified not moveable object, the portable device detects a second finger-out-of-contact event and performs a second operation, different from the first operation in response to a second finger-out-of-contact event.

As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increase, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device. This challenge is particular significant for handheld portable devices, which have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop computers. This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including user attempts to access a device's features, tools, and functions. Some portable communication devices (e.g., mobile telephones, sometimes called mobile phones, cell phones, cellular telephones, and the like) have resorted to adding more pushbuttons, increasing the density of push buttons, overloading the functions of pushbuttons, or using complex menu systems to allow a user to access, store and manipulate data. These conventional user interfaces often result in complicated key sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user.
Many conventional user interfaces, such as those that include physical pushbuttons, are also inflexible. This is unfortunate because it may prevent a user interface from being configured and/or adapted by either an application running on the portable device or by users. When coupled with the time consuming requirement to memorize multiple key sequences and menu hierarchies, and the difficulty in activating a desired pushbutton, such inflexibility is frustrating to most users.
A touch-sensitive screen is often used by a portable device because the screen can render different types of virtual service control objects such as virtual push buttons associated with different services. A user can activate these virtual service control objects through different types of finger contacts with the touch screen such as finger tap gestures and finger swipe gestures. For example, a finger tap gesture on an alphanumeric key icon enters the user-selected character into a specific field on the touch screen and a finger swipe gesture may move a slider icon from one position to another position by a specific distance.
Unfortunately, conventional approaches fail to recognize and/or use differences between finger tap gestures and finger swipe gestures on the touch screen display that can be used to make the device respond more efficiently to such gestures (e.g., responding faster to tap gestures and moving a slider icon by a distance that more accurately reflects the touch gesture). Accordingly, there is a need for portable devices with touch screen displays that respond more accurately and efficiently to touch input by a user.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Portable multifunction device, method, and graphical user interface for interpreting a finger gesture


Filter media are provided having improved conductivity to enhance filtration efficiency and/or dissipate static charge, and methods for making the same. In one exemplary embodiment, the filter media can include a filtration substrate, and at least one conductive coating disposed on at least a portion of the filtration substrate. In use, the conductive coating is coupled to an energy source and it is effective to emit ions when energy is delivered thereto to increase the efficiency of the filtration substrate and/or to dissipate or eliminate static charge generated during filtration.

It is well known that charged particles are more readily captured by a filter media than are neutral particles. One of the most common ionizing air filters is a precipitator type air filter, which is an electronic air filter having ionizing wires of about 0.005 inches diameter, charged at about 7 Kilovolts, placed between grounded plates to generate a corona and charge the dust particles passing therethrough. Further down the airflow path, alternating charged and grounded plates collect the charged particles of dust. The disadvantage of precipitator type filters is that they are difficult to maintain, requiring regular cleaning of the collector plates, which get loaded with fine dust. Cleaning often requires using very strong detergents. Another disadvantage of the precipitator type filter is that they produce a significant amount of ozone. This occurs because the charging wires are placed near grounded surfaces. This arrangement generates corona all along the length of the wires, which can be seen glowing in the dark. Moreover, in some liquid filtration applications, such as filtrating of hydraulic fluid, a static charge can build up on the surface of the filter, potentially causing an explosion or fire hazard.
Accordingly, there remains a need for filter media having improved conductivity to enhance filtration efficiency and/or static electricity dissipation, and to methods for making the same.


A cw-laser source transmits low-noise, narrow-linewidth optical power via an optical fiber to a bias-free electro-optic phase modulator at a remote site, where an antenna or an RF sensor is located. The RF electrical signal modulates the phase modulator at the remote site, converting an electrical signal into an optical signal. The phase-modulated optical signal is fed back via the optical fiber to an optical filter whose filter transfer characteristics can be tuned and reconfigured to cancel the intermodulation distortion terms, particularly the dominant 3rd order intermodulation, as well as the 2nd order. The filtered optical signal is converted to the RF signal at the photodetector. The optical filter is used to effectively “linearize” the signal at the receiver end, rather than at the modulator end.

Analog RF (Radio Frequency) and microwave Fiber-Optic Links are commonly used in the transmission of signals from antennas and electrical sensors from remote locations.
The analog RF electrical signal is first converted into optical signal using an electro-optic modulator. Then the optical signal is transmitted through the optical fiber to another location where the optical receiver converts the optical signal back to an electrical signal.
There are many ways to implement an analog fiber-optic link. One of the most basic analog fiber-optic link employs a laser source, an electro-optic modulator for converting the electrical signal into optical signal, optical fibers as the transmission medium and a photo-detector for converting the optical signal back to an electrical signal. The electrical signal, with frequencies ranging from DC to >100 GHz, can be converted to optical signal using an electro-optic modulator.
Modulated analog fiber-optic links are widely used. The most common analog RF fiber-optic link uses an electro-optic intensity modulator to convert the electrical signal into an optical signal. There are several types of intensity modulators. The most commonly-employed intensity modulators for that application are Mach-Zehnder (MZ) Interferometric modulators, based on lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro-optic waveguide technology. There is ample literature on this type of analog RF fiber optic links using MZ modulators.
An MZ interferometric intensity modulator is a simple device in which the optical transmission characteristic, as a function of the applied input voltage to the device, is in form of a sinusoidal function. In general, the MZ modulator needs to be biased with a DC voltage to set the operating point at half-power transmission point of the sinusoidal transfer function. This half-power operating point is where the optical transmission vs. applied voltage is at maximum linearity, and the second order derivative is zero. This MZ intensity modulation fiber-optic link, with MZ biased at this half-power point, is commonly used for wideband (multi-octave) RF analog signal transmission.
However, the performance of an MZ-based fiber-optic link is limited by issues associated with the operating point/DC bias voltage stability, which can be affected by many factors including environmental conditions such as changes in temperature. If the operating point is not exactly at the half-power point, the linear transfer characteristic is affected. This will result in degradation in the performance of the fiber-optic link, particularly the spurious-free dynamic-range, due to intermodulation signal distortion (2nd, 3rd order and etc.). There is ample literature on this subject.
Since the electro-optic modulator needs to be right at the RF sensor or antenna at the remote site, the modulator is typically subjected to greater temperature variation and other environment factors. A DC bias voltage is required to be applied to the modulator, and the proper bias voltage also needs to be adjusted and tracked so that the operating point of the MZ modulator remains at the maximum linearity point. The need for the DC bias voltage and tracking electronics means electrical power is needed at the remote site. This requirement is undesirable for many applications, and tracking electronics can also adversely affect the performance of the overall fiber-optic link.
In addition, even with the operating point maintained at the half-power, 2nd derivative null point, the spurious-free dynamic range of a MZ intensity modulated link is still limited by the 3rd order intermodulation distortion caused by the limited linearity of the sinusoidal transfer function of the MZ modulator. This is typically the main limiting factor in the spurious-free dynamic-range of a MZ-based analog fiber-optic link.
In order to achieve higher dynamic-range, another type of modulator with enhanced linearity is required. However, these "enhanced linearity" modulators are very difficult to achieve in practice without some performance trade-offs. In addition, an enhanced linearity modulator often means more complex operating point control and feedback electronics. To apply such a device in a remote location has proved to be difficult and impractical.
Phase-modulated analog fiber-optic links can be used. Instead of using a MZ intensity modulator, a phase modulator and a simple optical delay-line filter can be used to construct a bias-free phase-modulated analog fiber optic link. The approach is described in literature.
The benefit of such implementation is that the electro-optic phase modulator does not require any DC bias voltage and, thus, can be placed at the antenna/RF sensor site without the need for any control bias electronics. The optical delay-line filter can be placed far away from the phase modulator via the optical fiber transmission line at the receiver site. In general, the receiver site can be located anywhere and therefore can be located in a controlled environment, in contrast to the antenna which is typically in an open environment exposed to various elements.
It has been shown that the phase modulated link using a phase modulator and a simple delay-line filter can achieve performance similar to that of the MZ link, using suitable design parameters as described in literature. Unfortunately, the spurious-free dynamic-range of this bias-free phase modulated link using a single delay-line optical filter also is limited by the 3rd order intermodulation, similar to that of the MZ link.
Problems which need solutions continue to exist. This limitation on the spurious-free dynamic range of a typical Analog Fiber-Optic link due to this 3rd order intermodulation distortion makes the link, based on either MZ intensity modulation or Phase modulated link with delay-line filter, not adequate for many higher performance systems, in which much higher spurious-free dynamic range is required.
There is a critical need to develop a higher performance Analog RF Fiber-optic link that can achieve a much greater dynamic-range, yet is simple to implement and operate.

High-dynamic-range analog fiber-optic link using phase modulation and tunable optical filter


A coupling and method of coupling of a self-aligning self-tightening nature is obtained by providing a nipple with a hose receiving end and a coupling end. An annular hose abutment flange directed outwardly is formed on the nipple remote from the hose receiving end. An annular pressure ramp is formed on the nipple intermediate the hose receiving end and the hose abutment flange. A plurality of grip segments having a hose receiving end and a coupling end are provided with at least one annular node and an inwardly directed alignment flange. A hose is slid over the hose receiving end of the nipple toward the abutment flange, and the grip segments are placed over the hose with the inwardly directed annular alignment flange located between the outward abutment flange and the coupling end of the nipple. The grip segments are tightened on the hose and nipple, thus forcing the grip segments toward the coupling end by squeezing the hose between the ramp and the node. It will be appreciated that under pressure or tension after the coupling is assembled, the nipple relationship between the hose and segments changes, causing increased hose retention, and again better tightening properties.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self-aligning and self-tightening hose coupling and method therefor, and more particularly to a coupling for use with flexible hose or tubing.
2. Related Art
There is a large volume of prior art for coupling and securing various types of hoses. The hose coupling can be tightened into the hose wherein, by means of sufficient pressure, the hose coupling will exert sufficient force on the hose, deforming same, to create a tight seal between the hose and the article to which it is clamped. Essentially, it is the inner resilience of the hose against the nipple to which it is pressed which performs the sealing.
Nodes or the like often positioned on the nipple in combination with annular ridges on the coupling provide hose resistance causing the coupling from parting from the hose when subjected to internal pressure and/or external end loading.
The term "hose" and "tubing" used throughout the application are interchangeable and designate thin-walled flexible articles primarily of non-metallic material.

Self-aligning and self-tightening hose coupling and method therefor