The present invention provides a process for producing 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid through iodination of 2-methylbenzoic acid, the process including, as essential steps, a reaction step of iodinating 2-methylbenzoic acid in the presence of a microporous compound, iodine, an oxidizing agent, and acetic anhydride, and a purification step including sublimation, distillation, crystallization, or a combination of two or more of these. According to the present invention, 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid, which is useful for producing functional chemicals such as drugs, can be produced at high purity and high yield in a simple manner. Since the production process includes a simple reaction step and a simple separation/purification step, the load of purification is mitigated. In addition, the microporous compound such as a zeolite catalyst which has been separated and recovered from the reaction mixture can be repeatedly employed after performing of a simple treatment. Thus, the production process ensures a long service life of catalysts and high efficiency.

There have been known methods for synthesizing 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid, such as a method in which 2-methylbenzoic acid is reacted with iodine in the co-presence of sodium nitrite and fuming sulfuric acid (Journal of the Indian Chemical Society (1930), p. 503 to 504) and a method in which 2-methylbenzoic acid is reacted with potassium iodide in the co-presence of thallium(III) trifluoroacetate (Journal of the Chemical Society. Perkin Transactions I. (1974), p. 2405 to 2409). The former method attains a yield as remarkably low as 18% and employs a large amount of a mixture of sodium nitrite and fuming sulfuric acid, serving as strong oxidizing agents (reaction reagent), requiring safe handling of the mixture. The latter method attains a yield as low as 33% and employs a highly toxic thallium salt, making the method inappropriate for producing 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid on an industrial scale.
Other possible approaches are iodination techniques generally employed for aromatic compounds, such as the Sandmayer process in which an aromatic amine is subjected to diazo removal and iodination (Organic Syntheses, Collective Vol. II (1943), p. 351); the transhalogenation method in which chlorination or bromination is performed, followed by substitution of Cl or Br by I (Organic Syntheses, Collective Vol. V (1973), p. 478); a method employing iodine monochloride (Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry, 34, 7 (1998), p. 997 to 999); and methods in which iodine and sodium periodate are employed in the presence of an acid catalyst (Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, vol. 73 (2000), p. 951 to 956, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2003-12597).
In the case in which 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid is synthesized through the aforementioned Sandmayer process, a multi-step reaction including nitration, reduction, diazotization, and diazo removal-iodination must be performed. Steps such as nitration and diazotization are problematic in safety, making the overall process very cumbersome. The transhalogenation method requires two reaction steps and a purification step, making the overall process cumbersome. In addition, since sodium iodide, potassium iodide, or a similar iodine compound is used in a large, excessive amount for introduction of iodine, such an excessive compound must be separated and collected after completion of reaction through burdensome steps, thereby increasing production cost.
Meanwhile, the above method employing iodine monochloride is a simple method which can be carried out through a single-reaction step. However, when iodine monochloride is reacted with an aromatic compound having an electron-attractive group such as a benzoic acid compound, high reaction efficiency cannot be attained, due to low reactivity. For example, the document disclosing the aforementioned method employing iodine monochloride describes iodination of benzoic acid, with the yield of 3-iodo-benzoic acid as a product being about 43%, which is unsatisfactory. When the method is applied to iodination of 2-methylbenzoic acid, high yield is difficult to attain.
As mentioned above, iodination methods employing iodine and an oxidizing agent such as iodic acid or periodic acid are conventionally known. For example, in the method wherein iodine and sodium periodate are employed in the presence of an acid catalyst (Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, vol. 73 (2000), p. 951 to 956), a comparatively high reaction efficiency can be attained even when an aromatic compound having an electron-attractive group is reacted. However, since the method employs a large amount of sulfuric acid, burdensome treatment of waste sulfuric acid must be performed after reaction. Thus, in practice the iodination methods are not employed on an industrial scale.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2003-12597 discloses a similar iodination method. In the method, 2-methylbenzoic acid is reacted with iodine and periodic acid in the presence of an acid catalyst, to thereby produce a mono-iodated methylbenzoic acid compound. However, product yield described in the Examples is about 52 to 65%, which is unsatisfactory. In addition, purity of the product is as low as about 95%. Thus, in order to obtain high-purity product, an additional purification step is required, making the overall process cumbersome. In this method, a considerable amount of the product still remains dissolved in mother liquor after recovery of the product. Since the mother liquor also contains sulfuric acid serving as a catalyst and other high-boiling-point compounds, separation and recovery of the product is difficult. The above document discloses a technique of recycling the mother liquor in the reaction system, but purity of the product decreases to 90%. Thus, the recycling is not considered appropriate. As described hereinabove, the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2003-12597 includes an improved step, but still has problems in being carried out on an industrial scale, and process cost remains to be improved.
Upon production of 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid, 3-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid, which is an isomer of iodo-methylbenzoic acid, is produced as a by-product. Since this isomer is difficult to separate from 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid, 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid of high purity is difficult to obtain. Thus, product purity and isolation yield are problematically unsatisfactory. The aforementioned conventional techniques do not suggest reduction in amounts of undesired isomers. There have already been known some techniques for site-specific iodination of an aromatic compound; e.g., methods including reacting iodine monochloride with an aromatic compound in the presence of zeolite (Catalysis Letters, 40 (1996), p. 257) and methods including oxyiodination of an aromatic compound in the presence of zeolite (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 59-219241 and Japanese Kohyo Patent Publication No. 1-502819). However, in employment of any of these methods, selectivity of reaction is not always satisfactorily attained. In addition, there are very few reports about such reaction of compounds each having a plurality of substituents and an electron-attractive group (e.g., 2-methylbenzoic acid). Thus, according to conventional techniques, an effective method for producing 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid which attains high selectivity and high yield on the basis of iodine has never been developed.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a high-efficiency industrial means for producing 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid through iodination of 2-methylbenzoic acid serving as a starting material, which means is a simple production process and is able to provide a high-purity product at high yield.

Process for producing 5-iodo-2-methylbenzoic acid


A control of a flash memory includes control for supplying a pulse-shaped voltage to each of non-volatile memory cells until a threshold voltage of the non-volatile memory cell having a first threshold voltage is changed to a second threshold voltage. The control involves a first write mode (coarse write) in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of each non-volatile memory cell, which is varied each time the pulse-shaped voltage is applied, is relatively rendered high, and a second write mode (high-accuracy write) in which the amount of change in threshold voltage thereof is relatively rendered low. As compared with the high-accuracy mode, the number of pulses required to change the threshold voltage of each memory cell is smaller than that in the coarse write mode. Therefore, the number of verify operations at the time that the coarse write mode is used, is small and hence the entire write operation can be speeded up.

This invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device, such as a flash memory or the like, and to a data processing system, such as a digital still camera, in which such a semiconductor integrated circuit device is employed.
An example of a flash memory device has been disclosed in the 1994 Symposium on VLSI Circuits, Digest of Technical Papers, pp. 61-62.
In this flash memory, a state in which the threshold voltage of each of the memory cells included in the flash memory is high, and a state in which the threshold voltage thereof is low, can be defined as, for example, an erased state and a written (programmed) state, respectively. In this case, writing can be performed after erase operations have been performed collectively in word line units, for example. Upon completion of erase and write operations, the application of pulse-shaped voltages and a verify operation are repeatedly performed until a desired threshold voltage is acquired so that a change in threshold voltage is not increased undesirably.
When the application and transition of the voltage from the threshold voltage in the erased state to the threshold voltage in the written state has been completed it is difficult to vary the threshold voltage as the threshold voltage approaches the written state. Therefore, the application of the same pulse width will lead to a state in which only the verify operation is being performed even though the threshold voltage changes very little. Therefore, when it is desired to perform writing using a fixed write voltage level, the pulse width is made long as the threshold voltage approaches the written state. The voltage may be gradually increased as an alternative to the gradual increase in pulse width.
High-accuracy writing has heretofore been realized so that a write level (equivalent to a verify word line voltage at writing) is set as, for example, 1.5V with respect to a power source voltage Vcc of, for example, 3.3V, and a write pulse or the threshold voltage of each memory cell varies over a range from 0.1V to 0.2V.
With respect to a power source voltage of, for example, 3.3V, a write level has heretofore been set practically to, for example, 1.5V, corresponding to about one half the power source voltage. One obtained by adding a difference in threshold voltage, for obtaining a current difference required to detect the voltage using a sense amplifier, to the voltage is defined as the minimum or lowest voltage (Vev) in an erased state. Upon erasing, the application of an erase pulse is controlled by detecting whether or not the threshold voltage of each memory cell has reached above Vev. A low voltage operation and high reliability can be achieved by lowering the write voltage and thereby reducing Vev to as low a level as possible.
However, the actual circumstances or fact is that the characteristic of each memory cell is varied by about three digits in the time required to reach a threshold voltage leading from an erased state to a written state when voltages to be applied upon writing are the same. When the writing of data into the corresponding memory cell is performed under such a condition, there may be cases where the threshold voltage results in 0V or less according to memory cells in the case of normal variations in characteristic of each memory cell unless a change in threshold voltage of the memory cell is set as a write pulse (width or voltage) that reaches 0.2V or less. The 3-digit variation results in about 3V if converted into a variation in equivalent threshold voltage. Thus, since the amount of change in threshold voltage per write pulse is equivalent to a change of 0.2V until the threshold voltage of a memory cell latest in written state reaches a written state, since the threshold voltage of a memory cell shortest in time required to bring it into the written state has led to the written state, it is necessary to apply a pulse 15 times if calculated simply. It is necessary to perform a verify operation for making a decision as to whether the threshold voltage has reached a desired value for each pulse. This has led to a lengthy overhead during the write time.
An object of the present invention is to speed up a write operation made to a non-volatile memory cell.
Another object of the present invention is to make the speeding up of a write operation made to a non-volatile memory cell compatible with a high reliability of data retention.
The above and other objects, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.
Summaries of typical features disclosed in the present application will be described briefly as follows.
Namely, a semiconductor integrated circuit, such as a flash memory device, has a plurality of electrically erasable and programmable non-volatile memory cells and includes a control means for supplying a pulse-shaped voltage to each non-volatile memory cell until a threshold voltage of the non-volatile memory cell having a first threshold voltage is changed to a second threshold voltage. The control means has a first operating mode in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of each non-volatile memory cell, which varies each time the pulse-shaped voltage is applied thereto, is relatively large, and a second operating mode in which the amount of change in threshold voltage thereof is relatively small.
The amount of change in threshold voltage of each memory cell per pulse in a write voltage pulse or write voltage pulse train in a first operating mode (coarse write) and the amount of change in threshold voltage per pulse in a second operating mode (high-accuracy write) are defined as xcex94Vth1 and xcex94Vth2, for example, respectively. considering at this time where the difference (cell window) in voltage between the minimum threshold corresponding to an erased state in a threshold voltage distribution of a non-volatile memory cell and the maximum threshold corresponding to a written state in the threshold voltage distribution is fixed, then the number of pulses required to change the threshold voltage of each memory cell at xcex94Vth1 is smaller than that at xcex94Vth2. Therefore, the number of verify operations at the time that the first operating mode (xcex94Vth1) is used, is smaller than when the second operating mode (xcex94Vth2) is used. The time required to perform writing corresponds to the sum of the time required to change the threshold voltage of each memory cell itself and an overhead time, such as the time required to perform the verify operation. Thus, since a decrease in the number of verify operations results in a reduction in overhead, the write operation is speeded up as a whole.
It is desirable for the level (threshold voltage) to be written into a memory cell in the first operating mode to be higher than that in the second operating mode. Namely, a threshold voltage distribution in a written state, at xcex94Vth1 in which the amount of change in threshold voltage is relatively large, becomes greater than a threshold voltage distribution in a written state at xcex94Vth2 in the second operating mode Thus, doing so is desired to avoid depleting. In other words, it is desired that a write verify voltage in the first operating mode (coarse write) be set higher than a write verify voltage in the second operating mode (high-accuracy write). Even if the cell window in the first operating mode is not set equal to that in the second operating mode, an erase level written into a memory cell in the first operating mode has a tendency to become higher than an erase level written into a memory cell in the second operating mode. Thus, the electric field between a floating gate and a semiconductor substrate of the memory cell written in the second write operating mode is lower than that of the memory cell written in the first operating mode at the time of information retention. Further, the information retention time of the memory cell written in the second write operating mode is longer than that of the memory cell written in the first operating mode. Namely, the memory cell written in the second operating mode exhibits an excellent information retention performance. In this sense, the second operating mode can be placed or defined as a high-accuracy write mode.
The control means can be provided with a rewrite control means for rewriting data written in the first operating mode in the second operating mode. Namely, after the data has been written into each memory cell in the first operating mode of short write time, it is renewed or rewritten in the second operating mode capable of narrowing the distribution-of the threshold voltage of the memory cell. With respect to rewriting, the data is read from the corresponding memory cell and latched in its corresponding sense latch, and the latched data is defined as data to be written in the second operating mode.
The coarse write based on the first operating mode and the high-accuracy write based on the second operating mode can be controlled by switching according to conditions,such as address areas, the number of cumulatings for reprogramming, etc. as well as switching control on the rewriting executed in the first and second operating modes.
A memory mat exclusive to the coarse write and a memory mat exclusive to the high-accuracy write can be also dedicated.
The data to be written in the first operating mode may be set as binary data and the data to be written in the second operating mode may be set as multivalued data. At this time, the rewrite control means is capable of rewriting the binary data written in the first operating mode to the multivalued data in the second operating mode.
A semiconductor integrated circuit is able to have only the coarse write executed in the first operating mode as a writing mode. Namely, the semiconductor integrated circuit has a plurality of electrically erasable and programmable non-volatile memory cells and includes a control means for supplying a pulse-shaped voltage to each non-volatile memory cell until a threshold voltage of the non-volatile memory cell having a first threshold voltage is changed to a second threshold voltage. At this time, the control means controls the second threshold voltage to a voltage that falls within a range lower than or equal to a power source voltage and higher than or equal to one half the power source voltage.
According to another aspect or viewpoint of the semiconductor integrated circuit having only the coarse write mode as a writing mode, the control means controls the second threshold voltage to a voltage ranging from below 3.3V to above 2V when the power source voltage is in the neighborhood of 3.3V.
At this time, the control means can set the amount of change in threshold voltage per pulse-shaped voltage to above 0.4V. According to a further aspect of the semiconductor integrated circuit, the control means can control the amount of change in threshold voltage per pulse-shaped voltage to above one third the difference between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage.
According to a still further aspect of a semiconductor integrated circuit having only a rough or coarse write mode as a writing mode, the semiconductor integrated circuit having a memory array configuration, which is typified by a NAND type, has a plurality of electrically erasable and programmable non-volatile memory cells and a control means for supplying a pulse-shaped voltage to each non-volatile memory cell until a threshold voltage of the non-volatile memory cell having a first threshold voltage is changed to a second threshold voltage, whereby a control voltage for turning on a non-selected non-volatile memory cell is supplied to the non-selected non-volatile memory cell at the time of a read operation. At this time, the control means controls the second threshold voltage so as to reach a voltage lying within a range in which the difference between the second threshold voltage and the control voltage is lower than or equal to the control voltage and is higher than or equal to one half the power source voltage. Alternatively, the control means controls the second threshold voltage so as to reach a voltage that falls within a range in which the difference between the second threshold voltage and the control voltage is lower than or equal to 3.3V and is higher than or equal to 2V.
As described above, the characteristic of each memory cell is varied by about three digits in the time required to reach the threshold voltage leading from the erased state to the written state when the voltages to be applied upon writing are the same. When the writing of data into the corresponding memory cell is performed under such a condition, it is considered that there may be cases where the threshold voltage results in 0V or less according to memory cells in the case of normal variations in characteristic of each memory cell unless a change xcex94Vth1 in threshold voltage of the memory cell is set as a write pulse (width or voltage) that reaches 0.2V or less. In order to write data at high speed at this time, the amount of change xcex94Vth1 per write pulse is increased by making the pulse width long or by raising the voltage. However, the memory cell is apt to deplete due to this increase. The write level is rendered high to avoid this. If the threshold voltage in the written state is set to about 2.0V when the power source voltage is about 3.3V, for example, then xcex94Vth1 can be set to 0.4V. Since the 3-digit variation referred to above is equivalent to a threshold voltage variation of 3V, assuming the existence of the 3-digit variation, the pulse may be applied eight times. Since the number of verify operations is reduced as much, the data can be written at high speed. Namely, the write level was intended to fall below xc2xd the power source voltage in the art, whereas it is set so as to fall above one half the power source voltage herein.
The semiconductor integrated circuit can adopt a trimming means capable of trimming the minimum value (determining a period in which the initial write voltage in the write operation is supplied) of the pulse width of the pulse-shaped voltage. Further, the trimming means is capable of trimming the rate of gradual increase in pulse width of the pulse-shaped voltage. When the initial write voltage is applied to one semiconductor integrated circuit chip in the same pulse width as that in another semiconductor integrated circuit chip, needless write and verify operations in which the threshold voltage substantially remains unchanged virtually, must be done many times, so that the efficiency of writing might be reduced greatly. If the minimum write voltage pulse width can be trimmed, then the differences in characteristic between memory cells due to process variations can be rendered uniform or optimized between semiconductor integrated circuit chips like flash memory chips. Namely, the amounts of shifts of threshold voltages of memory cells are considered to subtly differ from each other due to the process variations or the like even if the write voltages are the same. Allowing adjustments to the difference in such characteristic in an inspection process, such as a wafer process of a semiconductor integrated circuit like a flash memory chip, is important to make high-speed write possible.
Incidentally, a trimming means for trimming or adjusting the minimum value of the pulse-shaped voltage or the rate of gradual increase in pulse-shaped voltage can be adopted according to the form of the memory cell array.
A semiconductor integrated circuit, such as a flash memory device, can be applied to a data processing system used to constitute a digital still camera. Namely, the data processing system includes an image sensing means, the semiconductor integrated circuit, and a mode control means for providing instructions for allowing the semiconductor integrated circuit to sequentially store image data obtained by the image sensing means in a first operating mode and for causing the semiconductor integrated circuit to rewrite the image data stored in the semiconductor integrated circuit in the first operating mode to multivalued data in-a second operating mode, using a period in which an imaging process of the image sensing means is brought to a halt.
A semiconductor integrated circuit, such as a flash memory device, also can be applied to a data processing system for constituting a PC card. Namely, the data processing system for constituting the PC card includes the semiconductor integrated circuit, like a flash memory, and a mode control means for setting a write operation for the semiconductor integrated circuit as a first operating mode upon supply of an external power source to the PC card and allowing the semiconductor integrated circuit to rewrite data written into the semiconductor integrated circuit in the first operating mode to multivalued data in a second operating mode in response to the cutoff of the supply of the external power source to the PC card.
This type of data processing system is capable of implementing the writing of data into each of the non-volatile memory cells of a semiconductor integrated circuit,like a flash memory, at high speed and is capable of improving the reliability of retention of the data stored therein.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and data processing system


The invention relates to a bypass valve, particularly a two-way valve for exhaust gas flows from motor vehicles, having a valve housing and an actuating mechanism with a valve flap and two ports for fluid outlet, which are embodied as alternately sealable by the valve flap, and one port for fluid intake, characterized in that at each of the ports for fluid outlet an adapter and sealing ring is provided, arranged at least partially and fluid-tight in the valve housing, wherein the valve flap can be positioned fluid-tight on the adapter and sealing ring.

Generic valves of this type comprise a housing and an actuating mechanism for the closure element, for example a valve flap. Such valves further comprise a port for fluid intake and two ports for fluid outlet, and are used, for example, as bypass valves for directing the exhaust gas flow from motor vehicles into different fluid routes, based upon requirements.
One example of a use for said generic valves is for either conducting the flow of exhaust gas to the exhaust gas heat exchanger in gasoline and/or diesel engines for the purpose of reducing harmful emissions from diesel engines, increasing the efficiency of gasoline engines, or conducting the exhaust gas flow via a bypass for energy input into the engine coolant in diesel and gasoline engines and in hybrid vehicles.
In the prior art, valves of this type are known in practical implementation as bypass dampers, and are constructed with a cast steel or cast aluminum housing or a stamped sheet metal housing, with a fixedly mounted flap.
In valves in which the valve housing is embodied as a cast component, it is a particular disadvantage that these valves are quite heavy. Moreover, the cost of producing said valves is high, due, among other things, to the correspondingly high cost of tools and expensive individual components.
Cast housings have the further disadvantage of offering poor accessibility to the interior of the valve housing for performing work on the housing.
The stated disadvantages of cast housings have been acknowledged and even overcome in the prior art to some extent by an exhaust gas valve according to German Pat. Appl. Pub. No. DE 103 39 623 A1. German Pat. Appl. Pub. No. DE 103 39 623 A1 discloses a valve which has a sheet metal valve housing. The sheet metal valve housing is embodied as a funnel-shaped or pot-shaped deep-drawn sheet metal part having a housing opening at the narrower end and a larger housing opening at the wider end. The special feature of this design is the separate flange plates mounted at the ports and covering the housing openings, which plates have defined openings and connection options along with separately machinable sealing surfaces for the valve flaps.
Disadvantages of the prior art include, for one, the costly use of cast housings having a complex level of machining, and for another, in the case of bypass dampers having a stamped housing, and problems with internal leakage due to a lack of flexibility of the flap, which impacts the cooling capacity of the exhaust gas heat exchanger.


A backlight module has a light guide plate and a plurality of light sources. The light guide plate includes a light exit surface, a plurality of light entrance surfaces round the light exit surface, and a plurality of light guide portions disposed on the bottom surface opposite to the light exit surface. The light guide portions corresponding to the same imaginary circle center constitute a concentric arc-shaped light guide portion set. The imaginary circle center of each light guide portion set is located at the outer side of the light entrance surfaces. Light rays projected to one of the light entrance surfaces from the imaginary circle center of each light guide portion set are guided to a light exit surface by the light guide portion set. The wavelength of the light ray projected by each light source is not equal to that of the light projected by another light source.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight module, and more particularly, to a backlight module using a light emitting diode for enhancing color saturation of a liquid crystal display (LCD).
2. Related Art
With the tremendous progress of science and technology and high development of network, multimedia technique, image data transmission, the demanding for multimedia displays is greatly increasing. In recent years, LCDs having the advantages of thin thickness, light weight, portability, and low radiation compared with conventional Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays have been widely used in consumable electronic industries, such as monitors, notebooks, and digital cameras, and have gradually become the mainstream display products in the market.
Backlight module is one of key parts of an LCD Module. Since liquid crystals do not project lights by themselves, the backlight module has a light guide function for providing evenly-distributed light sources and sufficient brightness, so as to display images normally. However, the requirement on the brightness of LCDs and the color saturation of images grows increasingly.
Light sources used in the backlight module mainly include cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL), hot cathode fluorescent lamps, light emitting diodes (LED), electro-luminescence (EL) elements, and the like. Due to the advantages of small size, low operating current, low power consumption, and long service life, the LEDs will become the main light source applied in the backlight module.
Some techniques of using LEDs as the light sources for the backlight module have been disclosed in prior arts. However, there are still many problems to be solved. In the prior art, three LEDs including red light, blue light, and green light LEDs are used to project red, blue, and green lights which are the three primary colors of light, and the three colors of lights can be mixed into a white light. However, the LEDs of three colors are packaged into an encapsulated housing, and then the ON/OFF and intensity of the three LEDs are controlled respectively, thus causing troubles in control. The three color light sources must used together with the design of light guide portion on the light guide plate, for example, several light guide portions fabricated on the bottom surface of the light guide plate via a screen printing technique. The light guide portions are rough surface design of the bottom surface of the light guide plate. Based on the diffusion principle, the incident light is diffused by the light guide portion, and then passes through the light guide plate surface. However, as different light colors indicate different wavelengths, the light guide plate generates different reflection ratio and diffusion capability to the light rays with different wavelengths. Therefore, if the light guide structure of the light guide plate is designed directed to the brightness uniformity of the red light, it certainly influences the brightness uniformity of the blue light and the green light. Therefore, if the red, blue, and green LEDs are lit up, the lights of three colors cannot be uniformly mixed into the white light.
In order to uniformly blend the light sources of the backlight module into a white light, a backlight module is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2006/0072339, entitled "Backlight Module", which has a blue light LED as a light source and a light guide plate, and a fluorescent substance is placed between the light source and the light guide plate. The fluorescent substance when irradiated by the blue light is activated and projects a yellow light. It is much easier for the lights of two colors i.e. the blue light and the yellow light to be uniformly mixed into a white light as compared with the lights of three colors, thereby forming a plane light source of the backlight module. At this time, since the yellow light is not one of the three primary colors of light, but the mixture of the red light and the green light. Therefore, the color purities of the red light frequency spectrum and the green light frequency spectrum contained in the yellow light frequency spectrum are not high, so it cannot meet the requirements on the color saturation of LCDs.
In order to solve the above problems, a color filter with high purity can be used for the above color lights to pass through, and the color light passing through the high-purity color filter has a relative high color purity of the light frequency spectrum. Relatively, the high-purity color filter filters out a major part of the light rays beyond required frequency spectrums, thus greatly reducing the transmittance of the light rays which causes the problem of insufficient brightness of the LCDs.
Therefore, in the above technologies, in order to produce LCDs with high color saturation and brightness, high-purity color filters and high-brightness LED must be used or the number of LEDs must be increased, which relatively enhances the manufacturing cost of the backlight module. However, in order to solve the problem of the color purity of light sources, a high-purity color light can be used together with the design of light guide portion on the light guide plate, such that the color light can be uniformly mixed into the white light, thereby enhancing the color saturation of LCDs without reducing the brightness of LCDs, which can be used to solve the problems in the prior art.


The present disclosure provides an array substrate and a display device for reducing the space occupied by the antenna inside the mobile phone, so as to reduce the thickness of the mobile phone and make the mobile phone thinner and lighter. The array substrate according to the present disclosure includes dummy signal lines and a conductive portion. The dummy signal lines and the conductive portion are disposed in different layers. An insulating layer is disposed between the dummy signal lines and the conductive portion. A via is disposed on the insulating layer. The dummy signal line is connected to the conductive portion through the via. The dummy signal line and the conductive portion are used to form an antenna.

The present disclosure relates to the field of display technologies, and in particular, to an array substrate, a driving method, and a display device.
In the communications industry, the mobile phone market is facing fiercest competition. A thin and light mobile phone is a hot trend in today's mobile phone design. Whether the mobile phone can be thin or light has become the most important part of mobile phone design, which directly affects whether mobile phone products produced by mobile phone manufacturers can enter the high-end market.
Nowadays, technologies such as Bluetooth, WIFI, and Near Field Communication (NFC) have been widely used, and, especially for the mobile phones, almost become standard configurations. However, the signal transmission of these communication technologies requires an antenna which however usually occupies a large internal space of the mobile phone, making it difficult to thin the mobile phone.

Array substrate comprising an antenna, driving method and display device

ORDOS YUANSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


In waterslide amusement devices one or more water jets can be directed along the waterslide surface and used to apply a force to riders using the amusement device. In the present approach the operation of such water jet assemblies is adjusted based on the weight of each rider, so that riders of different weights can negotiate the waterslide amusement device safely and with an appropriate degree of excitement. The rider weight is conveniently measured on the waterslide amusement device, for example, using a load cell assembly, and a signal is sent to a controller to adjust the output of one or more downstream water jet assemblies based on the measured rider weight.

Waterslide amusement devices have been popular for decades. In the simplest waterslide, a rider climbs a stairwell located in a tower. The rider then enters an entrance of the waterslide and is propelled by gravity along the waterslide until splashing into a pool located at an end of the waterslide. Water flows down the waterslide along with the rider to decrease friction and enhance the entertainment value of the ride. Thus, a rider coasts along a slippery surface from a higher elevation to a lower elevation, either in a straight line path or on a path that includes curves. One variation of this approach has been to introduce undulations into the waterslide, so that the rider is propelled by gravity along a rollercoaster-like progression of downhill and uphill runs.
The "rider" can be an individual using the waterslide amusement device, for example in a sitting or prone position, or one or more persons using the waterslide amusement device on a mat, raft, tube or other conveyance device designed to slide on the waterslide surface.
Waterslide amusement devices that rely solely or primarily on gravity to propel the rider are expensive to manufacture and construct because they typically require the construction of a large, high tower, and an intricate elevated framework for supporting the waterslide high above the ground. One solution to this problem has been to provide a lift mechanism to raise a rider to a starting height, eliminating the need for the rider to climb stairs to ascend the tower. However, such lift mechanisms generally convey the rider at a constant speed, and add no excitement to the rider's experience. Some waterslide amusement devices include one or more variable speed conveyor belts interfaced with the slide for transporting the rider along uphill sections of the slide path (for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,371,183). The conveyor system may further include a control system having a sensor for sensing the speed of the rider. The control system can be adapted to control the speed of the variable speed conveyor belt based upon the sensed speed of the rider.
Another approach has been to propel the rider up an inclined waterslide surface or accelerate the rider along downhill and uphill segments of the slide using water jets, rather than have the rider propelled by gravity alone (for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,547). A series of water jets may be used to direct high-pressure water along the waterslide surface, and in the process propel the rider along the slide path. Although effective, this approach has certain limitations. If the force of the jets is too low then riders may only be conveyed a short distance along the slide path. If the jets are too powerful and the rider moving too slowly, then the rider may experience a jerky ride. Furthermore, if the force of the water jets propelling the rider is not adjusted then riders of different weights may be accelerated along the waterslide for different distances at different speeds and with different consequences for the rider's experience. Lighter riders may be propelled up a hill too far or too forcefully, at unsafe or undesirably high speeds. Heavier riders may move too slowly to provide sufficient excitement, or even too slowly to reach the crest of a hill. If the rider fails to reach the crest, the rider may slide backwards into the valley between uphill and downhill segments, creating a safety hazard, and requiring intervention to complete or terminate the ride.
Some waterslide amusement devices use rider speed traps, in which the speed of the rider is measured by timing the rider's travel along a slide path between two or more photocells. In some cases, the water volume and flow rate of the water jets are adjusted based on the measured speed of the rider. One problem with this method is that the operation of the photocells can be adversely affected by spray, and can be triggered by other extraneous motion in addition to the passage of the rider. False readings from the photocells can generate errors in the control system and can constitute a safety hazard. Also, measurement of rider speed at a particular location is not necessarily a reliable determinant of the force that will need to be applied to the rider in order for the rider to safely negotiate a downstream portion or feature of the slide path with an appropriate degree of excitement.
The present approach takes into account the inertia of the rider.

Method and apparatus for adjusting rider movement on a waterslide amusement device


An inspection apparatus for inspecting a phase modulated wobble track of an optical disk is provided. A radial push-pull signal (a wobble signal) of an optical disk is supplied to a low pass filter where a phase boundary portion of the wobble signal is smoothed, and then binarized by a binarizer and supplied to a time interval analyzer. The time interval analyzer analyzes a period of the binary wobble signal to extract two peak values T1 and T2 thereof. An operation device computes a difference value of the two periods T1 and T2 and a standard deviation of each peak, and compares each computed value to a threshold value for simultaneously evaluating CNR and a phase shift. The low pass filter and the binarizer may be incorporated into an optical disk apparatus for smoothing the phase boundary portion of the reproduced wobble signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to technology for inspecting an optical disk having a wobble track which has been phase-modulated, and to technology for reproducing data recorded on an optical disk.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a technique for inspecting an optical disk having wobble tracks which are wobbled in accordance with a frequency which is phase-modulated, such as DVD+R and DVD+RW, to determine whether or not the wobble tracks are formed correctly, has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-280878 discloses that a light beam is irradiated onto a wobble track and a wobble signal obtained from light reflected from the wobble track is doubled, whereby the quality of the wobble track is evaluated based on the frequency characteristics of the doubled signal.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the structure of an evaluation device described in the above-described publication. Referring to FIG. 7, a PUH 40 irradiates a light beam onto a wobble track of an optical disk D1. A PD 50 detects light reflected from the wobble track. A radial push-pull signal which is generated from a signal detected by the PD 50, namely a wobble signal, is input to a frequency characteristics measuring section 100.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the structure of the frequency characteristics measuring section 100 in FIG. 7. A low noise eliminator/amplifier 101 eliminates a direct-current component contained in the wobble signal and appropriately amplifies the wobble signal. A band pass filter 102 eliminates excessive frequency components contained in the wobble signal which is supplied thereto. Here, the excessive frequency components refer to frequency components which are sufficiently far from the carrier frequency. A multiplication circuit 103 multiplies the supplied wobble signal to generate a doubled wobble signal. A frequency characteristics measuring circuit 104 measures a doubled NBSNR (Narrow-Band Signal-to-Noise Ratio) (or CNR (Carrier Noise Ratio) to determine whether or not the evaluation result of the doubled wobble signal satisfies a predetermined evaluation target. If a difference between a peak level obtained from the frequency characteristics of the doubled wobble signal and a noise level (i.e. a doubled NBSNR or CNR) is 17 dB or greater, it is determined that the quality of the wobble track is acceptable.
As described above, it is possible to evaluate the frequency characteristics of a doubled wobble signal to thereby evaluate the quality of a wobble track. In phase-modulated wobble tracks, however, evaluation as to whether or not phases are correctly shifted by 180 degrees with respect to each other, in addition to evaluation of the NBSNR (or CNR; hereinafter collectively referred to as CNR) is also required. It is therefore difficult to evaluate a phase shift only by the measurement of CNR of a doubled wobble signal using a spectrum analyzer.

Inspection apparatus for optical disk having phase modulated wobble tracks and optical disk apparatus for driving the optical disk


An exhaust gas heating unit for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine includes a jacket heating conductor element (12) including a jacket (16) and with an electrical heating conductor (14), which extends in the jacket and is enclosed by insulating material (18). A heat transfer surface formation (20) is arranged on, and in heat transfer contact with, an outer side of the jacket. The heat transfer surface formation includes a heat transfer element with a meandering extent along the jacket heating conductor element with a plurality of heat transfer element sections (32), which pass over into one another in bent areas (30) and are arranged following one another in a longitudinal direction of the jacket heating conductor element. Each heat transfer element section in association with the jacket heating conductor element has a passage opening (34), through which the jacket heating conductor element passes.

The increasingly strict requirements imposed on the pollutant emissions of internal combustion engines require special measures, which ensure that the pollutant emission can also be reduced during the cold start of an internal combustion engine when the components of an exhaust system are cold. During such a cold start, especially the catalytic converter units arranged in an exhaust system, for example, a three-way catalytic converter, an oxidation catalytic converter or an SCR catalytic converter, are at a temperature that is generally insufficient for carrying out the catalytic reaction to be carried out in them. To achieve more rapid heating of such catalytic converters and also of particle filters, for example, in diesel internal combustion engines, the fuel injection may take place later or in case of spark-ignition engines, the ignition angle can be set for a delay in order to counteract this problem, but this requires major changes in the engine management.


An anatomical device comprising an unclosed curvilinear frame with distal ends, forming an aperture for receiving a penis. The unclosed curvilinear frame is made of a material with shape memory effect, thus forming a compressing element set to memorize the shape of the curvilinear figure repeating the external contour of a penis base in erected state. The area of the setting shape is by 30-50% less than that of the cross-section of penis base at maximum erection. An anatomical device built as a closed curvilinear frame, containing an unclosed curvilinear frame with connected distal ends, forming an aperture for receiving a penis. The unclosed curvilinear frame is made of a material with shape memory effect, thus forming a compressing element that is set to memorize the shape of the curvilinear figure repeating the external contour of a penis base in erected state. The area of the setting shape is by 30-50% less than that of the cross-section of penis base at maximum erection. In active working state, the closed curvilinear frame forms a loop behind the distal ends, for releasing a urethra.

There is a known anatomic, disposable, compressing device (U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,080, published Oct. 23, 2001, A61F5/00) for the penis which contains a strip of flexible and elastic material in the form of a closed curvilinear figure. This figure is placed in such a manner that the internal surface of the flexible material is located around the penis, forming an aperture. A fastener is used to secure the device around the penis.
There is also known an anatomic device (U.S. Pat. No. 2,115,391, published Jul. 20, 1998, A61F5/41) which represents an orgiastic collar with some elements of sex-correction. This device contains an undulating surface of variable height on its outer side. It also contains a segment with undulating outside and inside faces, thus on an inside face of a segment the undulating surface also has variable height. The orgiastic collar also contains an elastic collar which allows self-regulation for the user.
However, the aforementioned devices lack the ability for self-regulation of the compression by the user while in the act of using the device: adjustment of compression by the user can only be done before the intercourse. Because the stress of the compression can not be changed while the device is in use, injury can result at end of the sexual act or after loss of erection if they're not removed in a timely manner. In addition, constriction of the urethra by said devices makes difficulties for outflow of sperm and prostate gland secretions, resulting in serious physiological impairments over the long-term. Also, the putting on, as well as removal, of the devices does not provide for com-fort and convenience for the user.
Impotence treatment anatomical device (U.S. Pat. No. 1,688,865 of Dec. 30, 1991, A61F5/41) made of wire, containing penis head clamp, penis base clamp, and the intermediate steering clamp, all of those combined by connecting rods. This is a closed-contour device made of the material with two-way shape memory effect that allows for memorizing two states of shape, "hot" and "cold" ones; connecting rods are located in the bottom and top parts of the device. For "hot" condition, the steering clamp is shaped as two closed half-arcs, the base and head penis clamps are shaped as non-closed rings, the connecting rods are closed. For "cold" state, clamps at the head and the base of a penis have horseshoe-shaped form, the steering clamp has an arc-shaped form, and the connecting rods are opened.
The key drawback of this device is the inconveniency patients experience while putting on and removing the device. Besides, since its design does not include use of compressing force at the penis base clamp, effective stimulation and erection maintenance are not achieved.
There exists a patented erection ring device (U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,095 of May 21, 2002, A61F5/41), providing continuous compression in a penis. The ring is made of medical silicon rubber, it provides compressing force equal to 1.5 kg (±0.5 kg) also is capable to change its diameter by over 150%. The ring consists of several parts with different rigidity and/or cross-section, and the part located in the urethral zone has lower rigidity than other parts.
The shortfall of this device is, again, lack of comfort putting it on or off, and continuous compression in a penis can lead to injury if the device is not removed promptly following the sexual intercourse or loss of erection.
Of special interest in the area is the anatomical device (U.S. Pat. No. 2003024536 of Feb. 6, 2003, A61F5/41) built on the basis of a flexible unclosed curvilinear frame. It consists of a top part and two legs, left and right, with distal ends, that form aperture for receiving the penis. The size of the aperture is adjusted by positioning top, left and right leg. For fixation of the device in its closed position, the distal ends are connected by a loop from a rigid material, allowing space for releasing urethra.
This device is the closest prototype to the solution we propose for patenting.
Main drawback of this device is its complex design, resulting in inconvenient manipulations while putting the device in place or removing it, difficult adjustment of compression force (that cannot be changed in working state, thus leading to potential injury should the device not be removed promptly after the intercourse or loss of erection).


A micromechanical rotation rate sensor based on the Coriolis principle includes two plate-like oscillators arranged one above the other in two planes for excitation to oscillate by means of an electrostatic drive. Three elements in each case form an oscillator structure. The oscillators are in each case suspended on opposite side edges by at least one web between an associated plate-like support and an associated drive plate element. The two supports and the two drive plate elements are, in each case, arranged one above the other in layers. A fixed plate element is located between the two drive plate elements so that, in each case, an identical narrow drive gap is defined between the drive plate elements. The drive gap is considerably smaller than the distance between the plate-like oscillators. An intermediate support that fills the intermediate space is inserted between the two plate-like supports and is completely electrically isolated from the surrounding frame to further reduce the respective capacitances to be recharged. The invention reduces the electrodynamic coupling between the drive and the read-out by a factor of about 100 in comparison with known micromechanical rotation rate sensors of like design.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to micromechanical rotation rate sensors based on the Coriolis principle. More particularly, the invention pertains to a sensor, including two oscillators, in the form of plates arranged one above the other in layers in parallel planes, which may be excited to oscillate at right angles to such planes by an electrostatic drive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A micromechanical rotation rate sensor of the above-described type is described in detail in the International patent application published under Serial number WO 96/38710. FIG. 6 (which corresponds to FIG. 9 of the International patent application) illustrates such device. As stated earlier, such a rotation rate sensor comprises two oscillators which are arranged one above the other, aligned in layers. An upper oscillator 60, seen in the perspective view of FIG. 6, and a corresponding lower oscillator arrangement in mirror-image symmetry that cannot be seen in the figure are hinged via a first spring 70 on an electrostatic drive 61 in the form of a plate that is connected via a second spring 69 to a plate-like support 62. The entire arrangement, connected as a row and composed of the oscillator 60, the drive 61 and the support 62, is held in a frame 68 by a cross spring joint 63, 63xe2x80x2. As can be seen from FIG. 6, each element 60, 61, 62, including associated frame 68, has two layers, i.e., it is produced from a composite wafer with the interposition of a thin insulation layer (not shown) composed, for example, of SiO2.
The upper two-layer frame 68 and the lower two-layer frame 68xe2x80x2 thereby enclose an entire oscillator structure produced from four wafer layers, allowing different potentials to be supplied via outer frame connections 64 to 67. FIG. 6 does not illustrate cover and base wafers provided with bushings for electrostatic (capacitive) excitation, signal read-out and reset (in a closed-loop system); such features are illustrated at FIG. 2 of the above-referenced International publication which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The particular advantage of the two-layer oscillator structure as illustrated in FIG. 6 is that no interference with the measured values results from reaction forces caused by oscillator movement, although comparatively large oscillation amplitudes can be achieved with small capacitor drive gaps in the region of the drive 61. Rotation rate read-out is also capacitive via surface electrodes (not shown) on the upper face of the support 62 and on the lower face of the mirror-image support 62xe2x80x2 (also not shown) with corresponding opposing electrodes on the cover or base wafer (not shown). The illustrated cross spring joint 63, 63xe2x80x2 is advantageous in that rotary movements caused by Coriolis forces, and thus capacitance changes, are readily transmitted while, in contrast, horizontal and vertical oscillations in this area are suppressed.
In the oscillator of FIG. 6, electrostatic excitation is considerably simplified, despite relatively large oscillation amplitudes, by the narrow drive gap in the region of the drive 61, and can be produced with comparatively low drive voltages (e.g., a few volts). DC isolation of excitation and read-out can also be readily achieved by skillful use of silicon dioxide layers. For very low rotation rates, however, capacitive coupling combined with electrical resistances (which can only be undershot with difficulty due to design constraints) of the springs 63, 69, 70 can result in the injection of interference signals that are considerably larger than the signal to be measured. Thus, identification and isolation of the rotation rate signal places stringent demands on the electrical complexity.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to reduce electrodynamic coupling between the electrostatic drive and the rotation rate read-out or the rotation rate output.
The preceding and other objects are addressed by the present invention which provides a micromechanical rotation rate sensor based on the Coriolis principle. Such sensor includes two plate-like oscillators arranged one above the other in two planes for excitation via an electrostatic drive to oscillate at right angles to the planes.
The oscillators are suspended in the direction of a rotation axis on opposite side edges via, in each case, at least one narrow spring web between an associated plate-like support lying in the same plane, through which signals are read out, and an associated drive plate element of the electrostatic drive lying in the same plane.
The two supports and the two drive plate elements are, in each case, spaced apart, one above the other, with a fixed plate element inserted therebetween in such a manner that a narrow drive gap to the two drive plate elements is defined in each case. The drive gap is considerably smaller than the distance between the oscillators.
The preceding and additional features of the invention will become further apparent from the detailed description that follows. Such description is accompanied by a set of drawing figures. Numerals of the drawing figures, corresponding to those of the written description, point to the features of the invention with like numerals referring to like features throughout both the drawing figures and the written description.


The present invention is directed to a gas chromatograph having a display screen. The gas chromatograph includes an explosion-proof housing and a transparent panel secured to the housing. The display screen is disposed in the housing and is visible through the transparent panel. A gas chromatograph (GC) assembly is disposed in the housing and includes a column for separating components of the gas and a detector for detecting the components of the gas. An electronics assembly is disposed in the housing and includes a microprocessor and memory. A graphical user interface (GUI) software application is stored in the memory and is executable by the microprocessor to display a plurality of windows on the display screen. The windows contain information about the operation of the gas chromatograph.

The present invention is directed toward gas chromatographs and, more particularly, toward field-mountable gas chromatographs.
Chromatography is the separation of a mixture of compounds (solutes) into separate components. This separation permits the composition of all or part of the mixture to be determined. In gas chromatography, a gas chromatograph (commonly called a "GC") is utilized to separate and determine the quantities of components of a gas mixture. A gas chromatograph performs these functions by taking a sample of the gas mixture to be analyzed and injecting it into a carrier gas stream, such as helium or hydrogen, which then carries the gas sample through one or more tubes (referred to as columns) that are packed with a very fine particulate material. Each of the particles of this material are coated with a film from liquid that controls the rate at which the different components of the gas sample are absorbed and de-absorbed by the particulate material. This rate of absorption and de-absorption also varies relative to each of the different components. Because of this differing rate of absorption and de-absorption, certain gas molecules related to one type or component of gas will exit the column more quickly than some of the other components will. This process of separation of components permits a detector located at the end of the column to quantify the amount of a particular component that is present in the mixture.
Conventional field-mountable gas chromatographs are fairly large and complex devices. The size and complexity of conventional field-mountable gas chromatographs make them difficult to install, operate and service. In addition, a typical field-mountable gas chromatograph does not have an integrated display that permits an operator to view the operation of the gas chromatograph. If a conventional field-mountable gas chromatograph is provided with a display, the display is typically mounted in a housing separate from the housing for the columns and other components of the gas chromatograph.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,514 to Hikosa, et al. discloses a field-mountable gas chromatograph having an integrated display. The gas chromatograph of the Hikosa et al. patent, however, is a large, complex system having multiple housings.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a more compact and user-friendly field-mountable gas chromatograph having a display. The present invention is directed to such a field-mountable gas chromatograph.

Compact field-mountable gas chromatograph with a display screen


An implantable system for the defibrillation or cardioversion of a patient's heart comprises a plurality of electrodes configured for delivering a defibrillation pulse along a predetermined current pathway in the heart. The plurality of electrodes includes a first electrode configured for positioning in the patient's heart. The system includes a power supply and a control circuit. The control circuit is operatively associated with the electrodes and the power supply.

Improving the effectiveness of defibrillation waveforms will allow the size of implantable cardioverter defibrillators to be reduced. Biphasic waveforms were a first step towards improving waveform effectiveness. However, for biphasic waveforms, the optimum strength of the second phase that minimizes the shock strength required for defibrillation is much larger than the optimum strength of the second phase that minimizes the amount of tissue damage caused by the defibrillation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,397 to Jones and Jones, titled "Triphasic Wave Defibrillation", describes one effort to improve upon the biphasic waveform. This patent describes a method and apparatus for the stimulation of cells in arrhythmic myocardial tissues by administering, a triphasic waveform comprising, in sequence, a conditioning pulse, a defibrillating or correcting pulse of opposite polarity to the conditioning pulse, and then a healing pulse with the same polarity as the conditioning pulse. Jones does not suggest any particular implementation for their waveform. Rather, it is simply stated that means for applying the wave to fibrillating myocardial tissue "may comprise any convenient device conventionally used in practicing defibrillation techniques." (see Column 4 line 61 to Column 5 line 9 therein).
Unfortunately, the triphasic waveform suggested by Jones has not been successfully implemented. The problem is summarized in U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,853 to Kroll, which notes at column 2 lines 52-64 that: "the triphasic waveform suggested by Jones et al. has been shown to be no more effective than a traditional biphasic waveform. Manz, M. et al., Can Triphasic Shock Waveforms Improve ICD Therapy in Man? Supplement to Circulation, Vol. 88, No. 4, Part 2, Oct. 1993, Abst. 3193."

Implantable triphasic waveform defibrillator


Digital content files containing entertainment media such as movies, TV shows, and the like are distributed from at least one content source primarily responsible for the original creation of the media to subscribers over a network system. The content source is connected over at least one content source network to a plurality of distribution partners, and each distribution partner is connected with a selected group of subscribers over an access network. A requested digital content file is distributed from the content source to a subscriber in a network distribution path comprising at least the content source network, the distribution partner associated with the subscriber, and the second network. A profile information package containing subscriber preferences is transmitted from the subscriber to the content source by way of a proxy over the network distribution path, and the profile information package is stored at the content source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for distributing digital content, particularly entertainment content such as movies, television, motion pictures or other over a network.
2. Related Art
It is well known that the business of creating and distributing motion pictures has been hugely successful over the last hundred years. Although each year has its share of successes and failures, the motion picture industry as a whole has thrived throughout the 20th century and now into the 21st century.
In the early part of the 20th century, motion picture studios were efficient and well-run factories that produced entertainment products primarily on film and then distributed film prints around the world. These motion picture studios became adept in maximizing the returns on their investment in the United States and also around the world as they learned to localize the film prints (by dubbing or adding subtitles) and then distributing these localized film prints to their intended exhibition houses.
When television came of age, the major motion picture studios adapted themselves by leveraging their facilities and infrastructure to provide short-form motion pictures for network primetime feeds and subsequently through local broadcast means.
In the later decades of the 20th century, new technologies became available that offered some challenges to the motion picture studios. Home recordable video tape (for example Beta-Max and VHS) became widely available and, for the first time, the motion picture studios could no longer control the entire distribution chain. In fact, consumers could make copies of virtually any entertainment asset directed to a TV set and distribute these copies at will. Ultimately the motion picture studios decided to support this paradigm shift by supplying pre-recorded tape-based products to the market. However, a "dent" was made in the armor of the studios in terms of their ability to tightly control the supply chain (end to end). During this period of time, the well known "Blockbuster" chain appeared with its model of overnight tape rentals. The revenues received by the studios for these overnight rentals were significant. At the same time, the degradation from one tape copy to the next made the threat of piracy manageable. Although commercial piracy began to appear around the world, a pristine copy of a VHS could only be obtained by purchasing an original "authorized" copy.
By the close of the 20th century, a more significant threat had arrived on the scene. That new threat revolved around the digitizing of entertainment content for the purpose of providing high-quality product through an entirely digital distribution chain. Through many years of hard work and dedication, the scientific community in coordination with academia created methods and processes that would accurately represent previously analog content material into a digital format. On both the audio and the video sides of the equation, means, methods, and processes were developed that translate the analog source material into a virtually perfect digital representation which suffers little or no degradation however many times it is replicated. This is the point where the armor of the motion picture studios received their second "dent". These digital copies further distanced the studios from the supply chain (due to the fact that digital sources are much easier to manipulate and distribute than analog sources). Although rampant digital piracy began to appear by the closing years of the 20th century, once again the studios prevailed as they could further monetize their assets by distributing optical discs (such as DVDs and VCDs). Those digital copies were, for the most part, too large for most consumers to easily move from one computing platform to another. A number of industry experts began to warn the motion picture community that significant threats to their business models were on the horizon.
In the early 21st century, some cameras used within the production process became digital and, in some cases, analog production media began to disappear completely. At the same time, readily available broadband capacity at the consumer level was increasing at an exponential rate each year. In an effort to defend themselves against further threats of rampant piracy, the studios began a campaign to rigorously tighten security requirements around their digital assets in order to gain better control of the supply chain. In addition, the studios have championed new legislation in the US designed to detect acts of piracy, prevent its proliferation, and establish civil or criminal liability for those involved. The coupling of the new security technologies along with the heightened policing of pirated content has been effective at certain levels; however, piracy continues to be a significant threat in most areas of the world and is virtually out-of-control in others.
By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, another paradigm shift, commonly referred to as High Definition (HD), is likely to be widely adopted. The shift to HD content is considered an enormous opportunity by virtually everyone within the non-theatrical supply chain. The vendors of products and services to the production and post-production communities are able to sell new gear and establish new service offerings. The consumer electronic and information technology vendors also have an opportunity to sell new gear at the retail level. Consumers have the promise of a much better viewing experience. The major studios are also looking forward to the shift to HD as their opportunity to make significant adjustments within the digital supply chain in order to greatly reduce the threat of piracy (casual and professional). The term casual piracy (more precisely termed as "looting") means the ability of a relatively unknowledgeable and inexperienced consumer to make unauthorized copies of content without assistance from a highly skilled engineer. Professional piracy refers to the more knowledgeable individual actively engaged in attempting to steal and re-sell digital content. Studios are motivated in the endeavor to reduce the threat of piracy in their market by the example of music piracy, and the rampant illegal distribution of digital video from DVDs, for which the encryption system was famously compromised soon after DVDs were introduced into the market.
Once the supply chain is filled with HD capable equipment and devices, it is the hope of the studios that people engaged in acts of piracy will be commercial criminals who can be isolated, detected, and effectively prosecuted. At the same time, normal consumers may learn that there is better economy in purchasing content than engaging in acts of looting given the threats of being caught and prosecuted.
For decades, the vast majority of entertainment content delivered through the various supply chains was analog and flowed in a single direction. Terrestrial broadcast and cable television services in the United States are very good examples. Although satellite delivery of content is primarily digital, it is also well known to be a one-way solution.
Current day motion picture studios carry out a number of functions. These include obtaining and reviewing potential projects (treatments and scripts), selecting the projects which appear to have the most promise, making decisions regarding funding of the selected projects, and engaging a production company to create the desired asset in the form of a television show or movie. Authorized copies of the digital assets are made, and then distributed according to license agreements. Focused advertising and promotional campaigns are initiated. At the same time, steps are taken to protect the studio's assets (i.e. the copyright movie or other entertainment media). Currently, most of these steps are routinely carried out using legacy means and processes, and could be more efficient.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that improves the overall process.

Movie studio-based network distribution system and method


The present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions useful in treating hepatitis C infection. The present invention also provides methods of treating hepatitis C infection by administering to a mammal the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a series of anthranilic acid compounds that are useful in the treatment of hepatitis C infection.
2. Related Background Art
Hepatitis C is a common infection that can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) leads to chronic hepatitis in at least 85% of cases. It is the leading reason for liver transplantation, and is responsible for at least 10,000 deaths annually in the United States (Hepatology, 1997, 26 (Suppl. 1), 2S-10S).
The hepatitis C virus is a member of the Flaviviridae family. The genome of HCV is a positive strand, single-stranded linear (Hepatology, 1997, 26 (Suppl. 1), 11S-14S). HCV displays extensive genetic heterogeneity; at least six genotypes and more than 50 subtypes have been identified.
There is currently no effective vaccine to prevent HCV infection. The only therapy currently available is treatment with interferon-α (INF-α or combination therapy of INF-α with the nucleoside analog ribavirin (Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy, 1997, 8, 281-301). However, only about 40% of treated patients develop a sustained response. Thus, there remains a need for more effective anti-HCV therapeutic agents.
Following infection by HCV, the viral RNA is translated into a polyprotein. This approximately 3,000 residue polyprotein is subsequently cleaved into individual proteins by host peptidases, as well as virally encoded proteases. The HCV genome encodes at least 10 structural (required for viral assembly) and nonstructural proteins (required for replication). Some of the nonstructural proteins include: NS2, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and NS5B (J. General Virology, 2000, 81, 1631-1648). NS5B is a RNA dependent RNA polymerase that is essential for viral replication. In positive stranded RNA viruses, such as HCV, RNA is the sole genetic material. Since mammal host cells ordinarily lack RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, the positive stranded RNA viruses encode their own replicative polymerase (NS5B in the case of HCV), which is essential for the production of virion progeny. The inhibition of NS5B activity, therefore, provides choice target for HCV drug design.

Anthranilic acid derivatives useful in treating infection with hepatitis C virus


Systems, devices, and methods for generating an orbital confinement fusion reaction are described. An orbital confinement fusion device can include a cathodic inner electrode defining a longitudinal axis of the device. The inner electrode can include an emitter material. The orbital confinement fusion device can include an anodic outer electrode, concentric with the longitudinal axis and defining a chamber between the inner electrode and the outer electrode. The orbital confinement fusion device can also include a plurality of magnetic field generators disposed in a coaxial arrangement relative to the longitudinal axis. The plurality of magnetic field generators can be configured to form a magnetic field parallel to the longitudinal axis in the chamber.

Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more light atoms combine to form one or more heavier atoms. Due to the mass defect, energy is released when elements lighter than iron-56 or nickel-62 are fused as described by E=mc2. Nuclear fusion begins when two or more nuclei overcome the coulomb barrier created by repulsive electrostatic force between positive nuclei, bringing the nuclei into spatial proximity. Fusion occurs as a result of quantum tunneling, allowing the nuclei to bind into a nuclide fusion product, and is accompanied by a release of fusion energy.
One approach to generating a fusion reaction, referred to as thermonuclear fusion, involves heating fuel atoms beyond ionization temperatures, increasing ion density and thermal kinetic energy of the ions to the point that fuel nuclei will fuse. In contrast, orbital confinement fusion involves accelerating ions to elicit nuclear fusion by increasing the kinetic energies of ions to a point where collisions result in nuclear fusion.
Fusion has long been an attractive source of energy as the reaction does not produce greenhouse gasses, there is no long-lived radioactive waste, there is a low risk of proliferation, there is no risk of meltdown and the elements required are widely available and practically inexhaustible. Despite being a subject of significant research effort and investment since the theoretical formulation of the physics underlying nuclear fusion, methods to initiate, control and maintain fusion reactions to produce useful energy remain elusive. To address limitations imposed by electron collisional losses, fusion research has focused on thermonuclear fusion. Consequently, fusion reactor development has been dominated by plasma confinement technologies to contain "hot" plasmas, describing a plasma where electrons and ions are in thermal equilibrium at average temperatures on the order of 100 million Kelvin. Controlled thermonuclear fusion involves maintaining hot plasmas at densities and for confinement times for long enough to generate a positive net energy output, posing a fundamental challenge to the successful implementation of nuclear fusion.
At the present time, magnetic confinement and inertial confinement are the main targets of research efforts to achieve controlled thermonuclear fusion. Research into both inertial confinement and magnetic confinement methods typically involves international and multi-institutional collaborative research efforts, resulting in large facilities, capital investments exceeding billions of US dollars, and decades-long design cycles. On a technical level, such projects still struggle with plasma instability, material limitations, and low energy yields. No fusion reactor has yet to achieve the break-even condition. For at least these reasons, there is a need for plasma fusion devices that achieve net energy gain, with a smaller footprint, which can be built and maintained by individuals or single entities, rather than organizations at the consortium or government scale.


Plastic fuel tank comprising a noise reduction baffle and interference sections for suppressing tank deformation in the case of application of negative pressure to said tank, the interference sections projecting inward in the tank from an upper surface and a lower surface thereof respectively, and being disposed so as to be substantially opposed with a specified interval between them, one of these sections being part of a fixation device which secures the baffle to the tank wall.

Fuel systems on board vehicles of various types generally comprise a tank for storing fuel, and this tank generally comprises at least one internal accessory. One particular case of such accessories is that of noise reduction baffles, the purpose of which is to absorb the noise ("slosh" noise) associated with the waves which may be generated inside the tank when the vehicle accelerates rapidly, brakes, turns, etc. Such baffles are also known as "anti-slosh baffles" in the automotive field.
In some countries, environmental legislations have forced the use of OBD systems (i.e., On Board Diagnosis systems) to test the leak tightness of the fuel systems of the vehicles. Often, these tests imply putting the tank for some time under negative pressure. Hence, especially in the case of plastic tanks, these have to be designed to withstand these negative pressures.
The process described in Application US 2006/0207991 makes it possible to solve this problem by providing interference sections projecting inward in the fuel tank from an upper surface and a lower surface of the fuel tank, respectively, and being disposed so as to be substantially opposed with a specified interval between them. In a specific embodiment, these sections are molded in the shape of baffles which also act as slosh noise suppressing baffles. However, such a solution offers several drawbacks:                the volume occupied by said baffles is rather important and reduces the inner volume available for the fuel        it increases the overall weight of the tank, each baffle being kind of double walled        it does not offer many possibilities in terms of shape and material since these baffles are molded from the tank wall.

Plastic fuel tank comprising a noise reduction baffle and process for manufacturing it

INERGY AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS RESEARCH (Societe Anonyme)


An ultrasound imaging probe assembly (2) has control cables (13, 14) extending along an inner core (5) of a cable assembly (1), an ultrasound imaging transducer assembly (1') connected with signal transmitting conductors (10) in the inner core (5), the cable assembly (1) having a compression resistant armor (6) slidably receiving the inner core (5), the inner core (5) having respective sheaths (11) receiving the control cables (13, 14) and the signal transmitting conductors (10) in the inner core (5) urge the control cables (14) along respective orthogonal axes centered on a central axis of the cable assembly (1).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,107, describes an ultrasound imaging probe. The probe has a probe assembly that comprises an ultrasonic transducer mounted rotatably on a distal end of a series of articulation links for flexure in different directions. The probe assembly is flexed by a cable drive that has an articulation control cable connected to the articulation links. Tension applied by the cable moves the articulation links to flex the probe assembly. The transducer is connected to signal transmitting electrical conductors to provide a transducer assembly. Ultrasonic waves from the transducer is reflected from a probed area of a medical patient. The transducer converts reflected ultrasonic waves to scanned electrical signals that are channeled along the signal transmitting conductors to apparatus that creates a scanned video image of the probed area. Clarity and definition of the image is increased by increasing the number of signal transmitting conductors, and consequently increasing the number of channels, for transmitting the scanned signals.
Increasing the number of signal transmitting conductors has, in the past, caused a corresponding increase in the size of the transducer assembly and the size of the cable assembly that contains the cable drive and the signal transmitting conductors. Particularly, the cable assembly and the transducer assembly must remain compact in size for non-injurious entry into a human body cavity, for example, an esophageal cavity, defined by human tissue. In the past, an ultrasound imaging probe assembly having both a cable drive and signal transmitting conductors has been difficult to construct in a compact size.
Further, a probe extended along an esophageal cavity is subject to damage by reflexive biting by a medical patient. U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,086 describes a probe according to which articulation control cables are proximate a center axis of a probe to avoid damage to the cables by reflexive biting by a medical patient. A desired probe is one that is adapted to avoid damage to the signal transmitting conductors, as well as to the control cables.


New photosensitive optically variable inks are capable of printing images having improved resistance to water. The inks produce images which can be viewed with both visible and ultraviolet light to have physically coincident positive and negative images. They contain at least two types of colorants and other suitable ingredients to enable preparation for printing. The first colorant comprises a fluorescent dye emitting light within a characteristic emission band when excited by fluorescent-exciting radiation. The second colorant, which comprises a colloidal pigment alone or with a dye, has a light absorption band at longer wavelengths than the characteristic emission band of the first colorant or overlapping the emission wavelength of the first colorant, effectively to result in a dark color. The composition also contains an aqueous liquid vehicle comprising water and a water-soluble vehicle in sufficient amounts to achieve an ink viscosity and surface tension effective for application of the ink to a substrate in a predetermined pattern by ink jet printing.

The invention relates to new photosensitive optically variable (POV) inks, and more particularly, to partially water soluble POV inks capable of printing images having improved resistance to water. The inks provided by the present invention are distinct from both the heterogeneous inks of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0041774 and the homogeneous inks described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0195586. As with the inks described therein, the inks of the invention can produce images which can be viewed with both visible and ultraviolet light to have physically coincident positive and negative images. The inks of the invention, however, are different chemically, physically and functionally.
The POV inks of the invention and those identified above are effective for use with inkjet printing and have a range of applications. They are suitable for producing security markings, which set them apart from other inks. However, because inkjet inks preferably have good water solubility to enable the formation of stable solutions as an ink and discharged from the inkjet printer without separation, the tendency is to produce prints of poor water-fastness. These inks present a significant challenge in providing solution stability and water-fastness in the same ink. It would be desirable to provide inkjet inks having apparently mutually exclusive properties of good operability for the ink and high water-fastness, for the visible print and the fluorescent image.
The inks of the invention are photosensitive optically variable, meaning that they can provide a printed visually black or dark gray machine-readable information-bearing marking that fluoresces in a specific wavelength range when excited with a shorter wavelength light. The printed images exhibit visual light absorption throughout the entire visual spectrum including the red region of the visible spectrum where red inks are invisible to typical automatic scanning systems. These inks will achieve acceptable PCS (Print Contrast Signal) on virtually all conventional substrates, including dark papers such as Kraft or Manila. These inks can be used with automated detectors of various types of information-bearing tickets, tags, labels, postage indicia and similar security markings. It would be an advantage if inks suitable for these purposes could have good water fastness. The term PCS is defined as the ratio of the Print Reflectance Difference (PRD) and the substrate reflectance, and the PRD is the difference between the paper reflectance and ink reflectance.
The inks of the invention can be used for fluorescent security marking using automated detectors. Such detectors are known that are responsive to reflected visible light and fluorescent emissions from security markings resulting from excitation at a shorter wavelength such as ultraviolet (UV) excitation. Most detectors do not verify that the fluorescence and the indicium image are physically coincident, thus limiting the ability of the detector to verify the authenticity of the security marking. The subject inks are, however, capable of forming physically coincident fluorescent and visible images. And, because the inks are also capable of inkjet printing for the provision of easily variable information, they form a very small class of inks adapted for fluorescent security marking that can be implemented with high speed on a wide variety of substrates to provide easily variable security markings capable of high speed verification.
The inks of the invention are eminently suitable for "fluorescent security markings" in that they can provide security markings that fluoresce in a defined region of the spectrum upon exposure to a shorter wavelength excitation light such as UV light. The shift in wavelength between the incident excitation light and the fluorescent emission clearly distinguishes fluorescence from direct reflection. The images are capable of red-fluorescence, which means that they fluoresce in the red region of the spectrum. The POV inks of the invention provide fluorescent security markings that are coincident with visible images, making them very difficult to detect and copy, especially where the inks are subject to controls restricting their availability. Their unique compositions are not readily detectable by a person intending to counterfeit, but will preferably be capable of providing unique "fingerprints" that can be identified and traced forensically.
When an original POV security marking is illuminated with visible light, the image is dark against the relatively bright background of the substrate. When the original security marking image is illuminated with the ultraviolet light source, the image is bright against the low fluorescence background of the paper. Similarly, a copied security marking illuminated with visible light appears dark against a light background. As distinguished from the properties of an image of an original security marking under ultraviolet illumination, a copied security marking printed on a fluorescent background or overprinted with fluorescent material and illuminated with ultraviolet light will show a dark image against the bright fluorescent background.
There is a need for additional POV inks that provide effective security, with unique compositions to yet further enhance the provision of security systems having customizable and traceable properties, and especially inks of this type with improved waterfastness.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Photosensitive optically variable ink compositions useful for ink jet printing


A wind turbine having features for black-starting includes an electric generation system for producing electricity by operation of the wind and comprising an interface for providing the electricity to an electric grid; a control system for controlling components of the wind turbine during start-up of the electric generation system, wherein start-up occurs during a deficient electric signal of the grid; and at least one energy providing element and at least one energy dissipative element for providing a balance between an output of the wind turbine and the electric signal of the grid. Methods and computer program products for operation of the wind turbine call for, among other things, synchronization of electric signals and control of components within the wind turbine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connection of electrical generation equipment to an electrical grid, and in particular, the invention relates to connecting a wind turbine to an electrical grid as a part of a start-up procedure.
2. Description of the Related Art
The stability of electrical distribution grids is of increasing interest. For example, with ongoing de-regulation of electrical power generation and with an increasing share of electrical power generating equipment using renewable sources (such as wind), stability margins in the grid have become increasingly smaller. The reduced margin has led to more frequent grid outages. At least two issues are of considerable interest when considering aspects of grid start-up and making electrical connections.
First, recovery from grid outages requires at least one and perhaps several generating units to be started without the presence of a grid signal (i.e., an active grid). This requirement for "black starting" is imposed upon many types of generators, including wind turbines. Consider that with the increased use of wind turbines as well as increased power output, wind turbines are greater source of electrical power than ever before. Therefore, one skilled in the art will recognize that wind turbines with black start capabilities could be strategically located inside grid segments that are subject to an outage. The black start capable wind turbines may then be relied upon for energizing each grid segment.
In this scenario, it may be considered that each wind turbine would then form an "island" within a larger grid. Island grid operation may be temporary, as during the recovery from a larger grid outage, or permanent as in the case of autonomous grids. Unfortunately, black start capability is a new feature for wind turbines. No solutions or products are known to the inventors of the teachings herein.
Further, many wind turbines are coupled to electric grids by use of long cables. The long cables usually have a large electrical capacitance. Connection of wind turbines having long cables can lead to instantaneous transfer of undesirably high charge currents as well as transient over voltages, particularly if the wind turbine is connected at full voltage.
What are needed are techniques for controlled and safe start-up of wind turbines. Preferably, the techniques provide for energizing connections having large capacitance (as in the case of long cables), as well initiation of grid operation.

Method, apparatus and computer program product for wind turbine start-up and operation without grid power


A locus-recordable portable handwriting device for recording locus of a wireless stylus is provided with function of memory-page scrolling, locus color switching, data clearance, establishment of a built-in power source, etc. The handwriting device comprises a microprocessor, a memory, a power control unit, a display unit, a universal serial bus (USB), a data clearance switch, a memory-page code switching switch, and a locus-color switching switch.

This invention relates to a locus-recordable portable handwriting device, in which a plurality of antennas will receive electromagnetic waves emitted from a wireless stylus on a handwriting tablet and a microcomputer is supposed to scan over all the antennas and calculate the locus of the stylus on surface of the handwriting device and sequentially store the point coordinates of the locus in the memory.
A conventional handwriting device for data input of a wireless stylus is generally an input device with cord, namely, the handwriting device must be connected with a computer to obtain power source and transmit the handwriting data to the computer for procession and display of the results on the computer monitor. Therefore, the conventional handwriting tablet is considered nonportable and incapable of recording locus of the wireless stylus.
The primary object of this invention is to provide a locus-recordable portable handwriting device, which can function to record locus of a wireless stylus, switch memory pages, switch locus colors, clear data, establish a built-in power supply, and enhance portability of the device.
In order to realize abovesaid object, the locus-recordable portable handwriting device of this invention comprises a microprocessor, a memory, a power-control unit, a display unit, a data-clearance switch, a memory-page scrolling switch, and a locus-color switching switch.
For more detailed information regarding advantages or features of this invention, at least an example of preferred embodiment will be elucidated below with reference to the annexed drawings.

Locus-recordable portable handwriting device