Pins of an IC under test are classified into pin groups according to the delay time to be set for a test clock for each pin, and a table of pin group data, which has, at a bit position corresponding to each bit, a "1" "0" which indicates that the pin belongs to each pin group, is stored in a pin group table memory. The bit positions of the logical values "1", indicating that the pins belong to the pin group, in each pin group data read out from the pin group table memory are sequentially encoded by a priority encoder in an ascending (or descending) order and the delay data is provided to a delay data memory. The delay time data common to all the pins belonging to the pin group provided from a tester processor is written into sequentially specified addresses, by which the delay time data for all of the pins can be written into the delay data memory from the tester processor in a short time.

The present invention relates to a delay data setting circuit and method whereby a delay time for a timing rate pulse of a test clock for each pin of an IC (a semiconductor integrated circuit) is set in a timing generator of an IC tester.
IC testers have been used for testing ICs to reject defective ICs or to analyze the defects in ICs. Such an IC tester generates test pattern data from a pattern generator, based on clocks from a timing generator, derives a signal waveform from pattern data contained in the test pattern data, based on the clocks from the timing generator, and converts the signal waveform into a signal voltage of an ECL or TTL level, which is supplied to corresponding one of pins of an IC under test. A response signal voltage obtained at each pin of the IC in this instance is subjected to a logical decision by comparison with a corresponding reference voltage and the logic thus decided is subjected to a logical comparison with expected value pattern data contained in the above-mentioned test pattern data, based on a clock from the timing generator. Thus it is necessary to obtain various test clocks from the timing generator.
The test clock is usually generated, based on a timing rate pulse, and the delay times of circuit elements and transmission lines to the IC tester are not always the same for each pin of the IC under test; therefore, test clocks for respective pins are set so that they are delayed for times .tau..sub.1, .tau..sub.2, . . . behind the timing rate pulse, respectively.
Conventionally, the setting of delay times is performed by a method which sequentially writes pieces of delay time data for respective pins into a delay data memory while sequentially specifying addresses therefor.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a device which implements the conventional setting method mentioned above. In this case, the number of pins of an IC (not shown) for which the delay times are to be set is 32 (hereinafter identified by P1, P2, P3, . . . , P32) and the delay time data is 32-bit.
A tester processor 10 and a delay data setting circuit 20, which forms an interface of a timing generator, are interconnected via an 8-bit data bus 30, a clock line 31 and a control line 32, and the delay data setting circuit 20 includes latch circuits 21 and 22, a sequence control circuit 20C and a delay data memory 23. The latch circuit 21 is made up of, for example, two 8-bit latches, which fetch data from the data bus 30, based on interface clocks CK1 and CK2, respectively. The latch circuit 22 is made up of, for example, four 8-bit latches, which fetch data from the data bus 30, based on interface clocks CK3, CK4, CK5 and CK6, respectively. The sequence control circuit 20C responds to a test start signal TS from the tester processor 10 to generate, in synchronization with a tester clock TCK, the interface clocks CK1 through CK6 and a write enable signal WE in a predetermined sequential order at a predetermined timing. The delay data memory 23 is a memory in which delay time data of 32 bits can be written at each of 32=2.sup.5 addresses.
As shown in FIG. 2, the sequence control circuit 20C responds to the test start signal TS to generate the interface clocks CK1 and CK2 in this order, by which 8-bit address data A1 and A2 from the tester processor 10 are sequentially fetched into the latch circuit 21. Of a total of 16 output bits from the latch circuit 21, five predetermined bits are provided, as address data for the pin P1, to an address terminal ADR of the delay data memory 23. The other output bits from the latch circuit 21 are used for the generation of a control signal in the delay data setting circuit 20, but this is a matter of design and hence will not be described. Next, delay time data of a total of 32 bits, for the pin P1, is transferred by the interface clocks CK1, CK2, CK3 and CK4, as 8-bit pieces of data D1, D2, D3 and D4 from the tester processor 10 to the latch circuit 22. The 32-bit delay time data is supplied to a data input terminal Di of the delay data memory 23. The time Tx for the transfer of the address data Al and A2 and the delay time data D1 through D4 from the tester processor 10 to the delay data memory 23 will hereinafter be referred to as a data fetch period. After completion of the data fetch period Tx the 32-bit delay data for the pin P1 is written into the delay data memory 23 at the address corresponding to the pin P1, by the write enable signal WE which is applied from the sequence control circuit 20C to a write enable terminal WE of the delay data memory 23 at predetermined timing. The time for this write will hereinafter be referred to as a data write period Ty. After writing of the data for the pin P1 into the memory 23, the tester processor 10 sends out the address data Al and A2 and the delay time data D1 through D4 for the pin P2, which are fetched into the latch circuits 21 and 22 by the interface clocks CK1 and CK2 and CK3 through CK6, respectively, and the delay time data thus fetched is written by the write enable signal WE into the memory 23 at the address corresponding to the pin P2. Thereafter pieces of delay time data for the pins P3, . . . P32 are similarly written into the delay data memory 23 at the addresses corresponding thereto.
Though not shown, the pieces of delay time data for the pins P1, P2, P3, . . . , P32, thus written into the delay data memory 23, are read out therefrom at its data output terminal Do. Based on the delay time data, test clocks for the pins P1, P2, P3, . . . , P32 are generated.
However, the above-described conventional method sequentially writes the pieces of delay time data for respective pins into the delay data memory 23 while sequentially specifying the addresses therefor, and hence takes much time for setting the delay time. Letting the time for fetching the address data and the delay time data from the tester processor 10 into the latch circuits 21 and 22 for each pin, the time for writing the delay time data into the delay data memory 23 for each pin and the total number of pins for which the delay times are to be set are represented by Tx, Ty and N, respectively, a period of time, N(Tx+Ty), is needed for setting the delay times in the memory 23 for all the pins.


Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of tools and techniques for facilitating decoding of protected media information using a secure operating system. According to one exemplary technique, encoded media information that is encrypted is received at a secure process of a secure operating system of a computing system. At least a portion of the encoded media information that is encrypted is decrypted in the secure process. The portion of the encoded media information includes header information. Additionally, the header information is sent from the secure operating system to a software decoder for control of decoding hardware. The software decoder is included in a process for an application. Also, the decoding hardware is securely provided access to the encoded media information for decoding of the encoded media information to produce decoded media information.

As the use of digital video has become more prevalent, various device or digital rights management (DRM) systems have been developed to protect video content. Some traditional DRM systems have been developed to use media pipelines which decode video content protected with an encryption. These traditional DRM systems have media pipelines with processing components that decrypt encrypted compressed video content and other processing components with complex software code for parsing the compressed video content. Although these traditional DRM systems have been developed to protect video content, these traditional DRM systems have limitations.

Protected media decoding using a secure operating system


A user wearable device may be implemented with a light source to provide illumination to an area of interest. In one example, the light source may be selectively operated by switches, physical displacement (e.g., movement) of the device, or other approaches. In another example, the device may be implemented as a wristwatch to display time, date, or related information to a user. In another example, the device may be implemented with appropriate processing or communication components to perform other tasks. In other embodiments, various methods of using, operating, or manufacturing such devices are provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure generally relates to lighting devices and more particularly to wearable lighting devices.
2. Related Art
Various types of lighting devices may be used to illuminate areas of interest. For example, portable lighting devices are often used by law enforcement, military personnel, emergency/medical personnel, divers, hikers, search/rescue teams, and other users.
However, many existing portable lighting devices are cumbersome to use, especially in urgent circumstances. For example, flashlights require a user to dedicate one hand to holding and pointing the flashlight in order to provide illumination. As a result, flashlights encumber the user and are especially difficult to handle when the user desires to simultaneously perform other activities such as operating a weapon or other equipment, providing hand or arm signals, taking offensive or defensive actions, or other activities. Indeed, certain flashlights may require the user to hold the flashlight in one hand and operate a switch of the flashlight with the other hand. In such cases, both of the user's hands may be at least temporarily occupied by the flashlight and are thus not available to perform other activities.
Headlamps are another type of portable lighting device. Although headlamps need not be held in the user's hand, they may still be cumbersome to wear and may require time to locate and install on the user's head. Such implementations may be inconvenient and impractical when illumination is needed quickly and unexpectedly. Moreover, headlamps may still require the user to use one or more hands to operate a switch during use.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved lighting device that overcomes one or more of the deficiencies discussed above.


A plasma display device capable of reducing an electromagnetic interference wave due to a driving current flowing in a plasma display panel is provided. The plasma display device includes a plasma display panel having electrodes that are parallel to each other, a driver circuit board for applying a voltage to the electrodes, a chassis conductor holding the plasma display panel and to which a ground of the driver circuit board is connected, and a first additional conductor plate provided to the chassis conductor via an insulating layer and to which grounds of at least one circuit board in circuit boards other than the driver circuit board are attached.

1. Technical Field
The technical field relates to a plasma display device that is known as a thin large-screen display device.
2. Background Art
Spontaneous light-emitting type display devices such as a plasma display device and a CRT display (Cathode-Ray Tube display) device are widely used since they do not have a viewing angle dependency and can display natural images. In particular, a plasma display device is thin and suitable for forming a large screen, and therefore is rapidly becoming widespread.
Conventionally, a plasma display device mainly includes a plasma display module section having a plasma display panel, a chassis conductor holding the plasma display panel, and various circuit boards attached to the chassis conductor, and a shield case surrounding the module.
This plasma display panel excites a phosphor provided in each discharge cell by an ultraviolet ray generated by gas discharge so as to emit visible light as display light. The plasma display panel includes a plurality of electrodes (scan-sustain electrode pairs and address electrodes) which are arranged in a lattice. By emitting light selectively in a discharge cell that is an intersection portion of the electrodes, an image is formed. With this principle, since a large current for driving flows in electrodes, an electromagnetic field is generated from a plasma display module due to this current.
Furthermore, a plasma display device is provided with various signal processing circuit boards for processing an image signal to be transmitted to a plasma display panel. An undesirable electromagnetic field due to a clock signal and the like used in these circuit boards may be generated.
A shield case for shielding from generated electromagnetic fields has a configuration in which, for example, a front glass to which a conductive filter is attached and a conductive back cover at the rear surface side are connected to each other by using a conductive member so as to surround a plasma display module. Thus, the plasma display module is electromagnetically shielded from generated electromagnetic fields.
However, with the increase in driving electric power due to recent improvements in image quality it has been difficult to reliably reduce an electromagnetic field by a conventional shield case. In particular, in low-frequency regions of not higher than several tens MHz, such an electromagnetic field cannot be sufficiently reduced by a conventional shield case and may be radiated to the outside as a noise.
In order to solve such a problem, the following proposition has been made. That is to say, an adjacent conductive cylinder is provided to a ground-return conductor plate connecting between a driving board provided at one end of a plasma display device and a driving board provided at the other end, in which inductance of the ground-return conductor plate is cancelled by an eddy current generated in this adjacent conductive cylinder. Such a proposition is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2001-83909.
Furthermore, a method for individually shielding by surrounding a board generating noise by a conductor has been proposed. Such a proposition is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H10-17081.
Furthermore, a plasma display device having a configuration, in which shielding is carried out by connecting a chassis conductor holding a plasma display panel to a back cover so as to surround a driver circuit board, has been also proposed. Such a proposition is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H10-282896.
However, in the plasma display device described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2001-83909, when an adjacent conductive cylinder having a size such that a reducing effect for cancelling inductance can be expected is inserted inside the panel and the ground-return conductor plate, an entire area of the loop of a flowing current is enlarged. As a result, electromagnetic fields themselves to be reduced are increased, thus deteriorating the effect of reducing electromagnetic fields.
Furthermore, in a conventional plasma display device, a driving current for driving a plasma display panel flows in a chassis conductor. Therefore, by a cable and the like extending to the outside of the shield case via various circuit boards connected to the chassis conductor, noise caused by the driving current is emitted from the outer side of the shield case. However, it is difficult to reduce this noise.
Furthermore, in plasma display devices disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Nos. H10-17081 and H10-282896, the shielding effect for signal processing circuit board and driver circuit board themselves is increased. However, it is difficult to reduce an electromagnetic field generated by a current flowing between the plasma display panel and the chassis conductor. Furthermore, it is difficult to reduce noise emitted from the outer side of the shield via a cable and the like.


In various embodiments, a radiating cell of an antenna array can comprise a compacted hybrid as part of a stripline feed network, a radiating element having slots rotated with respect to the compacted hybrid, and a feed circuit layer in communication with the stripline feed network. The radiating cell radius can be a ½ wavelength or less. Furthermore, the compacted hybrid has two input ports and two output ports, where the input and output ports of the compacted hybrid are non-orthogonal and non-parallel to the slots of the radiating element. A radiating cell can comprise a ground plane with a first side and a second side, where the ground plane comprises a slot. The slot can be non-orthogonal and non-parallel to the two output ports of the feed network.

Many existing and future mobile vehicular applications require high data rate broadcasting systems ensuring full continental coverage. With respect to terrestrial networks, satellite broadcasting facilitates having such continuous and trans-national coverage of a continent, including rural areas. Among existing satellite systems, Ku-band and Ka-Band capacity is widely available in Europe, North America and most of the other regions in the world and can easily handle, at a low cost, fast and high-capacity communications services for commercial, military and entertainment applications.
The application of Ku/Ka-band to mobile terminals typically requires the use of automatic tracking antennas that are able to steer the beam in azimuth, elevation and polarization to follow the satellite position while the vehicle is in motion. Moreover, the antenna should be "low-profile", small and lightweight, thereby fulfilling the stringent aerodynamic and mass constraints encountered in the typical mounting of antennas in airborne and automotive environments.
Typical approaches for beam steering are: full mechanical scan or hybrid mechanical electronic scan. The main disadvantages of the first approach for mobile terminals is the bulkiness of the structure (size and weight of mechanical parts), the reduced reliability (mechanical moving parts are more subject to wear and tear than electronic components) and high assembling costs (less suitable for mass production). The main drawback of hybrid electronic steering is that the antenna still requires mechanical pointing; partially maintaining the drawbacks of mechanical scan antennas.
An advantageous approach is to use a full electronic steerable beam antenna, where, in azimuth and in elevation, the scan is performed electronically. This approach doesn't require mechanical rotation. These characteristics facilitate a reduction in the size and the "height" of the antenna that is important in airborne and automotive applications, and facilitate a better reliability factor than a mechanical approach due to the lack of mechanical parts.
In fully electronic phased arrays, the integration of the electronic components within the antenna aperture represents a big challenge due to the high number of components required. Often, this aspect drives the antenna design (element spacing, array lattice, element rotation) leading to a decrease of the antenna performance. The ideal configuration would consist in a radiating element integrating all the electronics in a surface area not larger than a patch antenna of the radiating element. In this way, the complete array would be designed around the radiating element only and optimized for its radiating performance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for a compact modular phased array element


A motor includes inner-peripheral and outer-peripheral rotors which rotate coaxially and have permanent magnets along a circumference of each rotor; and a phase varying device for relatively rotating the rotors so as to vary a relative phase therebetween. The device has a forward-angle working chamber for relatively rotating the inner-peripheral rotor forward with respect to the outer-peripheral rotor, by using pressure of supplied working fluid; a backward-angle working chamber for relatively rotating the inner-peripheral rotor backward with respect to the outer-peripheral rotor, by using pressure of supplied working fluid; a passage switching valve for performing distribution with respect to supply and drainage of the working fluid between the working chambers in accordance with the position of a spur; and an electromagnetic pressure control valve for controlling pressure of the working fluid, and for controlling the position of the spur in the passage switching valve based on the controlled pressure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an (electric) motor having permanent magnets in a rotor, in particular, to a motor in which magnetic-field characteristics of the permanent magnets in the rotor are variable.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-176296, filed Jun. 27, 2006, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known example of such a motor, an inner-peripheral rotor and an outer-peripheral rotor, each individually having permanent magnets, are arranged coaxially, and they are relatively rotated along a circumferential direction (i.e., the relative phase between the rotors is changed), so that the magnetic-field characteristics of the whole rotor are variable (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-204541).
In this motor, in order to vary the relative phase between the inner-peripheral and outer-peripheral rotors in accordance with the rotation speed of the motor, one of the rotors is rotated with respect to the other along the circumferential direction, by using a member which is displaced along a radial direction due to centrifugal force. On the other hand, in order to vary the relative phase between the inner-peripheral and outer-peripheral rotors in accordance with the rotation speed of the rotational magnetic field generated in a stator, relative positions of the rotors along the circumferential direction are changed by applying a control current to stator windings while each rotor maintains the relevant rotation speed by means of inertia.
In the above-described motor, when the permanent magnets of the outer-peripheral and inner-peripheral rotors are made to face each other in a manner such that opposite poles (i.e., N-pole and S-pole) face each other (i.e., each rotor has the same pole-position setting), the magnetic field of the whole rotor is strengthened, and induced voltage is increased. In contrast with this, when the permanent magnets of the outer-peripheral and inner-peripheral rotors are made to face each other in a manner such that the same poles (i.e., N-poles or S-poles) face each other (i.e., opposite pole-position settings are selected), the magnetic field of the whole rotor is weakened, and induced voltage is decreased.
However, in the above conventional motor, conditions for varying the relative phase between the outer-peripheral and inner-peripheral rotors are limited, and it is impossible to freely vary the relative phase when the motor is stopped or involuntarily rotated. In particular, when such a motor is used for driving a hybrid vehicle or an electrically-driven vehicle, it is required to instantly change the characteristics of the motor, in accordance with the driving state of the vehicle, to desired ones. In order to satisfy such a requirement, it is important to improve the degree of freedom in the control for varying the relative phase.

Motor using working fluid distributed into chambers, which are provided for rotating rotors in opposite relative rotation directions


A buffing ball is formed by compressing a stack of generally circular buffing pads along a central axis. The individual pads have a generally wave-like outer peripheral surface having valleys and mounds. When compressed together, the mounds form small knobs that are ideal for buffing or cleaning intricate surfaces.

Buffing balls are formed from compressed pads of a buffing material. The pads are compressed on a drive post of a buffing apparatus or drill. Buffing balls are used to clean and polish various surfaces.
Generally, these buffing balls are formed from circular disks. Some of these buffing balls are formed with disks that have radial slits through the peripheral surface to form a plurality of segmented portions along the edge of the buffing pad. This creates a somewhat irregular surface. However, the individual segments tend to break off.


A system includes a clamp network coupled between an input and an output and configured to clamp a voltage between the input and the output to a first clamp voltage based on the presence of a trigger signal and to a second clamp voltage based on the absence of the trigger signal. The second clamp voltage is greater than the first clamp voltage and the first clamp voltage is less than a breakdown voltage of the power transistor device. A detector circuit is coupled to the input and the output. A power transistor device may also be coupled between the input and the output. The detector circuit is configured to detect a pulse signal at the input or the output while the power transistor device is off and to generate the trigger signal for a time interval based on detecting the pulse signal.

Switch devices, such as power metal oxide field effect transistors (MOSFETs), are used for a wide range of applications. In automotive and other applications, the switch devices are subjected to a wide range of voltage supplies and even a wider range of transient electrical disturbances, such as may occur when disconnecting inductive loads, sudden power cutoffs, switch bouncing or the like. As one example, electrical transients occur across a switch device when a vehicle battery is suddenly disconnected while being charged (e.g., by an alternator or during a jump-start). Thus, clamping circuitry is utilized to protect the switch devices against these and other transient electrical disturbances. In many applications, the clamping needs to satisfy a variety of industry standards, such as those established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).


Certain embodiments provide a hearing testing system. The hearing testing system includes a transducer and an environmental sensor coupled with an acoustic channel. The environmental sensor is configured to measure environmental conditions of the acoustic channel. The hearing testing system includes a processor. The processor is configured to receive the environmental conditions from the environmental sensor. The processor is configured to apply, based on the measure environmental conditions, correction data to a transducer response to generate a corrected transducer response. In certain embodiments, the processor is configured to control a heating element based on a measured temperature to maintain a pre-defined temperature, or range of temperatures, at a testing probe.

The present invention relates generally to hearing testing probes placed within ear canals that are coupled to an instrument that monitors the condition within the ears. More specifically, the present invention provides a hearing testing probe with integrated sensor(s) configured to measure environmental conditions. The present invention further provides a hearing testing probe with integrated heating element(s) configured to provide active temperature control.
Hearing test devices that monitor the condition within a human ear are known. Such test devices generally require that the person performing the test (the "operator") place a test probe of the device within the ear canal of a test subject. Once the probe is placed properly within the ear canal, the operator activates the device, usually by pressing a button or the like. The device then emits test signals into the subject's ear through the probe in the ear canal. In response to the test signals emitted, the device receives response signals from the ear, likewise through the probe in the ear canal. Such response signals received are then used to determine whether the ear is functioning properly.
Audiological testing for hearing impairment commonly requires an acoustic, air pressure, and/or vibratory stimulus to be presented to the test subject. Several of the methods for hearing evaluation require the use of a probe to generate and couple the stimulus directly to the subject's ear canal. Examples of hearing tests using these probes include optoacoustic emissions, acoustic immittance, acoustic reflex, reflectance, and, in some cases, auditory brainstem response. For each of these tests, certain characteristics of the stimulations need to be applied accurately in order to provide an accurate evaluation of the results.
In order to provide an accurate evaluation of the results, frequency response, magnitude, distortion, and other characteristics of the stimulus should be presented appropriately and measured accurately. However, environmental conditions, such as varying humidity levels, temperatures, and barometric pressures, for example, typically found in human ear canals can cause performance changes in microphone and speaker components commonly used in hearing testing probes.
An exemplary problem encountered when using existing hearing probes is the stability of the pressure response relative to the environmental humidity. The materials typically used in the diaphragms of certain types of microphones are hydroscopic, causing a shift in pressure sensitivity corresponding to changes in humidity. The change in sensitivity is often in the range of 0.02 to 0.06 dB per percent change in humidity. The change in sensitivity creates a difference between the calibrated and measured acoustic levels indicated by the microphone. This error adds a degree of uncertainty to the measurements.
Another problem encountered when using existing hearing probes is the risk of condensation on the internal components of the transducer(s). The high humidity levels commonly found in the ear canal can cause condensation to develop on the colder probe elements. This condensation may cause minerals or dirt to be irrecoverably deposited and cause a permanent and degrading change in performance of the transducer.
Barometric pressure at a given location typically changes no more than 3% from day to day. However, a system calibrated at one altitude and then put into service at a location of a different altitude may not provide the intended or indicated stimulus or measurement. The barometric pressure difference between sea level and a high-altitude location, such as La Paz, Columbia at roughly 12,000 ft. above sea level, can result in an apparent increase in the volume of the ear canal, as measured by the probe, by as much as 60%. This apparent change in volume could cause a 4 dB reduction in stimulus and measurement levels if a correction is not applied.
Hearing tests commonly rely on the coupling of stimulus into the inner ear, and some hearing tests also require a measurement of corresponding emissions from the ear to make proper diagnostic determinations. A seal to the ear canal is typically desired or required to properly perform the test function. During the insertion of the eartip to the ear canal, the air in the ear canal may be compressed. This pressure differential may cause a shift in the apparent stiffness of the tympanic membrane, causing a change in the conduction of the stimulus and emissions from the middle ear to the ear canal, adversely affecting the accuracy of the hearing test.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application.

Hearing testing probe with integrated temperature and humidity sensors and active temperature control


A sealing element includes a molded part including a tubular segment having a wall, a slit extending in the wall in a longitudinal direction of the tubular segment and recesses formed on the first longitudinal edge of the slit. The sealing element further includes tabs that keep the slit from gaping apart after unmolding the molded part.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sealing element for forming a seal, particularly on doors or covers of a vehicle body. The element comprises a molded part produced from elastomer material or/and thermoplastic material, by means of injection-molding, having a tubular segment and an unmolding opening, which opening has a slit that extends in the longitudinal direction or/and transverse direction of the segment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In such known seals, the injection-molded part forms a corner segment of a seal on a vehicle door, for example, wherein the corner segment is injection-molded onto two strand segments that stand at an angle relative to one another. These strand segments make unmolding of the molded part difficult after injection-molding. In particular, it would hardly be possible to remove a core part of the injection-molding tool that forms the tubular segment on the inside, if the unmolding slit were not provided.
In order to prevent the unmolding slit from gaping apart after the molded part has been removed from the mold, the longitudinal edges of the unmolding slit, which lie opposite one another, are glued to one another in a complicated method.

Sealing element having an injection-molded part


A package for like articles, especially elongated articles, such as drill bits and the like, is provided with a plurality of compartments or sectioned off regions, for the containment of an individual article for substantially unfettered visual inspection; for the containment of a further plurality of articles identical to the exposed visual article, and for indicia as required by the manufacturer and/or required by law. The package is configured to be presented in a hanging manner from retail display shelving.

1. The Technical Field
The present invention is directed to packaging for grouped similar items, including elongated items such as drill bits or the like, and further including packaging adapted to be hung from retail shelving.
2. The Prior Art
There are many ways to package and present in a retail environment, elongated items, such as drill bits, jigsaw blades and the like, including skin cards, clamshell blister packs, plastic bags, and molded or stamped boxes. Such elongated items may be sold in a variety of basic ways: the single article (or at most 2–3 if small) in a package; a quantity of, e.g. 5–10 identical articles in a package; an organized set of different, but related articles (e.g., a set of an indeterminate number of articles of varying size, grade, etc.).
Presenting a single article in a package may be advantageous, in that in a transparent package, e.g., a bag or skin card, all or substantially all of the surface of the individual article may be exposed for visual inspection or even (in a thin bag or wrapper) tactile inspection.
However, single article packaging can be problematic in that it can occupy more storage and shipping volume that a comparable number of like articles packaged in bunches. Furthermore, if a customer is purchasing a large quantity of single articles, there can be more checkout time involved.
However, plural article packaging can be problematic as well, for elongated articles such as drill bits and the like. Such packaging may typically may be fabricated from plastic or paper. Plastic may be difficult to affix identifying and marketing indicia, consumer information and the like in a manner which does not obscure the visibility of the products inside. Paper may permit indicia placement but likewise typically obscures visibility of the articles being presented.
It would be desirable to provide a method for packaging plural identical articles, such as elongated articles like drill bits, which has the advantages of single article packaging, such as enabling visual inspection of the articles.
It would also be desirable to provide a method for packaging of plural identical articles, which provides for the placement of such indicia as may be desired by the manufacturer or required by law, while still permitting visual inspection.
These and other desirable characteristics of the present invention will become apparent in view of the present specification, including claims, and drawings.

Packaging for grouped similar items, including elongated items such as drill bits and the like


A sensing apparatus for detecting fluid quality change using signals obtained from a fluid quality sensor for exposure to a fluid and a reference sensor positioned in a reference sensing means having a fluid trap section holding a part of the fluid. Sensing values obtained from the fluid quality sensor and the reference sensor are compared in determining an aging factor. An application of the sensing apparatus is an apparatus for detecting engine oil quality change in an engine system. With the sensing apparatus, a first aging factor can be calculated after an engine cold soak and a second one can be obtained during engine operation. With these two aging factors, in addition to oil quality change, failures in the engine system and sensors, and oil change events can also be detected. Additionally, since reference sensing values are provided by the reference sensor, power disconnections have least effects.

In a fluid system, to have an adequate fluid replacement maintenance schedule for minimizing maintenance costs and system downtime, and to detect changes in fluid properties and issues in the fluid system, fluid quality needs to be monitored. One example of such a fluid system is an internal combustion engine system, in which engine oil is used for dissipating heat generated by friction of mechanical components and lubricating the movement of the mechanical components. During engine operations, soot particles and water generated in fuel combustion, water in ambient environment, water and glycols in engine coolant, metallic particles produced in the movement of pistons in cylinders, and fuel released in post-injections (in diesel engines) may enter the engine oil, dissolved or suspended therein. In addition, some oil additives, such as viscosity improvers and anti-oxidants breaks down during engine operation, especially at high temperature and in the presence of water and metallic particles, making the engine oil more acidic.
When the engine oil deteriorates to a certain level, it must be replaced. However, too frequent replacement of the engine oil increases the down time and operation cost of the engine, while if the engine oil exceeds its useful life, the engine could be damaged. To have an appropriate maintenance schedule, a condition-based maintenance is used, in which engine oil maintenance is based on knowledge of oil deterioration status, e.g., the difference between fresh oil and aged oil, and an oil quality sensor is used for detecting the oil deteriorations status.
In addition to facilitating the engine oil maintenance, some advanced engine control strategies, such as cam phasing VVT, variable displacement, and two-step valve actuation also require having knowledge of oil status, e.g., oil quality status and oil change events, to adaptively adjust controls. And to avoid sensor issues from causing control failures, the detection of issues in the oil quality sensors is required. Furthermore, in the engine oil system, oil quality sensors can also be used to detect failures in other components, such as oil filters. For example, when an oil filter lost its capability in removing debris in the engine oil, the concentration of contaminants would rise rapidly, causing a sudden change in the sensing values obtained from the oil quality sensors. Thereby by using changing rate the sensing values, oil filter failures can be detected.
A variety of sensing technologies can be used for detecting changes in fluid quality. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,995 describes an oil quality sensing apparatus based on permittivity measurement. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,504,835, a method for measuring impedance of an oil quality sensor is disclosed. An oil viscosity sensing means is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,127,597. However, in examining fluid quality, it is difficult to determine a reference value to compare with due to the sensitivity to fluid types. For example, in impedance sensing, the impedance obtained from a capacitive sensor changes with fluid type, fluid temperature, and impurities in fluid, which the sensor is used to detect. The effect of fluid temperature can be compensated by using a temperature sensor, while that of fluid type is difficult to compensate, since the sensing for fluid type itself needs a quality sensor, and fluid quality changes with time.
To exclude the effect of fluid type in obtaining a reference value, a method is using a memory to store sensing values obtained from different fluids and identify the fluid type in a measurement (e.g. a method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,995). Theoretically, after a fluid type is identified, the effect of fluid type can be compensated. However, in practice, normally it is difficult to measure all available fluids, since in addition to large number of fluid types, a new fluid can be easily created by mixing different type of fluids. Furthermore, due to the effects of impurity and temperature, the moment for the identification is difficult to determine, and the content saved in memory may be lost in applications with power disconnected after operations.
Fluid change events normally cannot be detected by using a fluid quality sensor due to the difficulties in distinguishing sensing value changes caused by a fluid change event and a fluid failure. However, using other means for detecting fluid change may have issues. For example, in an engine system, a commonly used method for detecting oil change is using a switch button. When engine oil is changed, the operator needs to press the switch button to change a signal state which is then detected by an ECU (Engine Control Unit) as an indication of oil change. If the operator forgets to press the button or mistakenly presses the button, a false oil change event is detected. Using a fluid level sensor is able to automatically detect a fluid change. However, both of fluid slosh and tiltedly positioned fluid container create issues to the detection.
When sensing values obtained from fluid quality sensors are used in system controls, sensor failures may cause problems in the fluid system. For example, when oil quality is used in the variable displacement control of an engine system, false sensing values may create control and OBD issues. To avoid these problems from happening, sensor rationality needs to be examined. The rationality examination for a quality sensor is challenging since the sensing value obtained from the quality sensor needs to be compared with an independent sensing value, and it is difficult to have the independent sensing value.
To have a reliable reference value for examining fluid quality, it is then an objective of the present invention to provide a reference sensing means that is able to generate a reference sensing value for a fluid quality sensor. The reference sensing value is obtained for a reference fluid the same type as a system fluid sensed by the fluid quality sensor, and the reference fluid is automatically refreshed to the system fluid during a fluid change.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a reliable sensing means and method using fluid quality sensors to automatically detect fluid change events. This sensing means and method is able to distinguish fluid change events from fluid failures and at the same time is insensitive to fluid slosh and the inclination angle of a fluid container.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a reliable sensing means least affected by power disconnections.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for detecting sensor rationality issues in a fluid quality sensing means including a reference sensor and a fluid quality sensor.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for detecting changes in fluid quality using impedance obtained from a capacitive reference sensor and a capacitive fluid quality sensor.

Fluid quality sensing means with reference sensor


A master-slave flip-flop has two switches that control the flow of data into and through the master and slave stages. The switches are controlled by a three-phase clock signal that is designed to address the problem of data shoot-through. Implementations of the flip-flop rely on weak feedback techniques that allow the flip-flops to be implemented using weak keeper devices in the feedback paths of the master and slave stages and without switches in those feedback paths. The flip-flop enables fast and reliable flip-flops to be implemented with minimal layout area and power consumption.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical circuits, and, in particular, to master-slave flip-flops.
2. Description of the Related Art
A master-slave flip-flop is an electrical device that temporarily stores data, where the data is transferred into and within the device on the edges of clocking signals. The master stage of such a flip-flop stores data (received from an input stream) during one phase of a two-phase clock, and the slave stage stores data (received from the master stage) and presents that stored data as the output from the master-slave flip-flop, on the opposite phase of that clock.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of a prior-art implementation of a master-slave flip-flop 100 that relies on switched feedback techniques to retain data. Flip-flop 100 comprises inverters INV1-INV4 and switches S1-S4 arranged and operated to move data through flip-flop 100 in a particular manner. Switches S1-S4 are controlled by the levels of a two-phase clock, such that switches S1 and S4 are opened when switches S2 and S3 are closed, and vice versa. When S1 and S4 are opened and S2 and S3 are closed, the master stage receives a data signal from input node D. When S1 and S4 are closed and S2 and S3 are opened, data stored in the master stage is passed to the slave stage. When S1 and S4 are opened again and S2 and S3 are closed again, the data received by the slave stage from the master stage is stored in the slave stage, while the master stage receives a new data signal from node D. In this way, master-slave flip-flop 100 temporarily stores data received from an input data stream.
Flip-flops such as flip-flop 100 of FIG. 1 have certain disadvantages. In particular, the most basic design requires four switches and four inverters, which utilize layout area as well as power.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic drawing of a prior-art implementation of a master-slave flip-flop 200 that relies on weak feedback techniques to retain data. In flip-flop 200, inverters INV2 and INV4 are weak inverters that are designed to have a very small drive. As such, INV2 and INV4 are almost negligible under normal operating conditions, but will provide enough positive feedback during standby (i.e., when switches S1 and S2, respectively, are opened) to retain information in the flip-flop. Since INV2 and INV4 have very small drives, flip-flop 200 can be designed without switches (such as S2 and S4 of FIG. 1) in the feedback paths of the master and slave stages, since the input signals received at nodes I4 and I1 from nodes I2 and D, respectively, will be sufficiently large to control the state of inverters INV1 and INV3, no matter what signals are received from weak inverters INV2 and INV4, respectively.
Flip-flop 200 has certain advantages over flip-flop 100 of FIG. 1. First of all, flip-flop 200 has two fewer switches than flip-flop 100. Moreover, flip-flop 200 replaces two of the strong inverters of flip-flop 100 with two weak inverters. As such, flip-flop 200 has a smaller layout area and lower power dissipation than flip-flop 100.
Flip-flop 200 is not without problems, however. One important problem with flip-flop 200 relates to data shoot-through. As with flip-flop 100, switches S1 and S2 of flip-flop 200 are typically controlled by a two-phase clock. Since S1 and S2 need to be out of phase with one another (i.e., S1 is opened when S2 is closed, and vice versa), one standard technique is to use a received clock signal CK and an inverted version of the received clock signal (CKX) to control the states of the switches. In a simple implementation, the inverted clock signal CKX is generated by inverting the received clock signal CK using a standard inverter gate.
Because the inverter gate used to generate the inverted clock signal CKX is not an infinitely fast device, there will be a delay between the time when the received clock signal CK changes from one state to another (e.g., from low to high) and the time when the inverted clock signal CKX changes from one state to another (e.g., from high to low). During this delay period, depending upon the previous phase of the flip-flop, switches S1 and S2 may be either both opened or both closed for a short period of time. When switches S1 and S2 are both temporarily opened, there is no adverse impact to the operation of the flip-flop. However, when switches S1 and S2 are both temporarily closed, there is a possibility that the data received by the master stage will prematurely shoot through into the slave stage, thereby potentially corrupting the data generated at the output node Q.
This data shoot-through problem can be solved by adding relatively sophisticated circuitry to control very precisely the states of switches S1 and S2 to avoid the situation where switches S1 and S2 are both closed for too long a period of time. Such sophisticated circuitry adds to, rather than subtracts from, both layout area and power requirements. Moreover, such circuitry can adversely affect the speed of the flip-flop (i.e., slow it down).


A spreader (10) for lifting an intermodal transport container (22) comprises a main beam (24) extending in a longitudinal direction (L), the main beam formed of a first, upper C-beam of a relatively thicker material thickness and a second, lower C-beam of a relatively thinner material thickness; and an indicator configured to provide an indication if a distance in a transversal direction (T) between a pair of twist-locks (18) is set in a wide-body position when lowered onto respective lifting castings (20) provided with top openings (50) separated by a transversal distance corresponding to a standard position.

WO2011093768A1 discloses an exemplary spreader for lifting intermodal containers. An intermodal container is a standardized shipping container which can be used across and transferred between different modes of transport, such as rail, truck and ship, without unloading and reloading the cargo inside the container.
Containers and other types of rigid load carriers of different standard dimensions are normally handled with the aid of a container spreader or yoke, which may typically be carried by a truck or a crane. The spreader attaches to a container at lifting castings, which are often called corner castings as they are typically arranged in all corners of a standard 20- or 40-foot container. For the purpose, the spreader is provided with a plurality of twist-locks, which are known in the art. Often, the spreader is telescopic so as to allow changing the distance between twist-locks along a longitudinal axis of the container, in order to accommodate for containers of different standard lengths. Containers having lengths other than 20 or 40 feet, such as 45-, 48- and 53-foot containers, often have a set of lifting castings separated by a standardized distance corresponding to the corner castings of a 20- or 40-foot container. Standards for intermodal containers are specified by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO, e.g. in the standards ISO 668:2013 and ISO 1496-1:2013.
It will be understood that container spreaders are used for handling large and heavy loads, and are exposed to high levels of stress. Such stress may lead to material fatigue, and if overweight containers are handled or service intervals are not respected, even fractures in critical components of the spreader. Needless to say, a container dropped to the ground may cause substantial damage. Hence, there is an incessant strive to increase the safety and reliability of container handling. At the same time, there are also other requirements that need to be met by a spreader. By way of example, it should be possible to produce and operate at a reasonable cost, and it should be easy and convenient to operate.

Spreader for lifting intermodal container


A top emission type organic EL device is disclosed that contains, as a cathode, a transparent electrode that has low reflectivity over a broad wavelength region. The organic EL device has at least lower electrodes, an organic EL layer and an upper electrode formed sequentially on a supporting substrate. The upper electrode is formed from a plurality of transparent electrode layers having different refractive indices to one another. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing such an organic EL device.

The present invention relates to an organic EL device used in a color television, a personal computer, a pachinko machine or the like, and a method of manufacturing the organic EL device. In particular, the present invention relates to a top emission type organic EL device in which the upper electrode has special features, and a method of manufacturing the organic EL device.
Ever since the announcement by C. W. Tang et al. of the Eastman Kodak Company of a high-efficiency organic EL device, which had a two-layer structure, in 1987 (see Tang and Van Slyke, Appl. Phys. Lett., 51, 913 (1987)), various organic EL devices have been developed, and some have been commercialized. In the development of organic EL devices, improving the efficiency of the device is a very important issue from the viewpoint of practical application.
With an organic EL device, light from a light-emitting layer is divided into light that travels directly to the outside, and light that travels to the outside after being reflected. To improve the light emission efficiency, it is necessary to use the reflected waves efficiently. With a so-called 'bottom emission' type organic EL device 100 as shown in FIG. 1, the light is extracted from the side of transparent substrate 102. In such a device aluminum, which has a low work function, is often used as cathode 108. Aluminum has high reflectivity and is thus a very suitable metal, and hence the light from the organic EL layer can be reflected and extracted from the side of transparent substrate 102 efficiently. In FIG. 1, the anode is represented by reference numeral 104, and the organic EL layer is represented by reference numeral 106. FIG. 1 shows a situation in which organic EL layer 106 comprises hole injection layer 110, hole transport layer 112, organic light-emitting layer 114, electron transport layer 116, and electron injection layer 118.
In recent years, development of active matrix type devices for organic EL displays has been pursued vigorously. With a bottom emission type active matrix type organic EL display, a TFT substrate is used, and a light-emitting part including the organic EL layer is formed thereon. However, the current state of the art is that there is much fluctuation in the properties of the TFTs and organic EL layer, and various driving circuitry must be added to correct for this fluctuation. This results in complex circuitry. With more complex circuitry, the number of TFTs required to drive each pixel of the organic EL display increases. This increase in the number of TFTs results in an increase in the proportion of the area of the transparent part of the lower electrode that is occupied by the TFTs, which results in a drop in the area for extraction of light. For this reason, a 'top emission' type in which the light is extracted from the side of the upper electrode, i.e., the opposite side to the substrate, is advantageous compared with the bottom emission type (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-176660). Such a top emission type organic EL device is shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 have been used for corresponding elements. Organic EL device 200 of FIG. 2 has reflective film 202, transparent anode 104, organic EL layer 106 comprising a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer and an electron injection layer, and transparent cathode 208, on transparent substrate 102. With the top emission type organic EL device, the light is extracted from the side of transparent cathode 208. As shown in FIG. 2, part 204 of the light emitted from the organic EL layer 106 is extracted to the outside from the side of transparent cathode 208 directly, and part 206 of the light is extracted from the side of transparent cathode 208 after having been reflected by reflective film 202.
With such a top emission type organic EL device, because the light is extracted from the side of the cathode, the cathode must be made of an electrode material that has good electrical conductivity and transparency, and also a low work function. Examples of materials having good electrical conductivity and transparency are indium-tin oxide (ITO) and indium-zinc oxide (IZO), but these materials have a high work function. The idea of depositing a thin layer of an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or rare earth metal having a low work function as an electron injection layer on the electron transport layer has thus been disclosed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-52878). In the situation where such a transparent oxide electrode and electron injection layer are adjacent to one another, atomic diffusion occurs at the interface between the two, which leads to an increase in the interface resistance and a resultant drop in the efficiency.
More recently, a cathode comprising an electron injector having a two-layer cathode with a metal layer having a work function of less than 4 eV or a thin inner layer made of a metal fluoride or a metal oxide and an Al outer layer, an electrically conductive semi-transparent metal layer that augments the electrical conductivity of the electron injector, and a transparent layer having a refractive index of at least 1.2, and also a surface light-emitting organic light-emitting diode using the cathode have been reported (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.10-74586). This report discloses a cathode in which a material having high transmissivity is laminated onto an electrically conductive metal film having low transmissivity. With such a cathode, the transmissivity can be improved for only a specific wavelength and wavelength in the vicinity thereof, but the transmissivity drops for other wavelength regions.
As described above, with a top emission type organic EL device in which the upper electrode is made to be a cathode, there is a problem that the efficiency of light extraction from the organic EL layer is low.

Organic el device having upper electrode including plurality of transparent electrode layers and method for manufacturing the same


Ultrasound image recognition systems and methods, and artificial intelligence training networks for such systems and methods, are provided. An ultrasound data information system includes an ultrasound image recognition training network that is configured to receive ultrasound training images and to develop ultrasound image knowledge based on the received ultrasound training images. An ultrasound imaging device acquires ultrasound images of a patient, and the device includes an ultrasound image recognition module. The ultrasound image recognition module is configured to receive the ultrasound image knowledge, receive the acquired ultrasound images from the ultrasound imaging device, and determine, based on the ultrasound image knowledge, whether the received ultrasound images represent a clinically desirable view of an organ or whether the clinically desirable views indicate normal function or a particular pathology. The received ultrasound images are transmitted to the ultrasound image recognition training network for further training and development of updated ultrasound image knowledge.

Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to ultrasound imaging systems and methods and, more particularly, to artificial intelligence based networks for ultrasound imaging and evaluation of ultrasound images, and systems and methods for determining whether acquired ultrasound images represent a clinically desirable view of one or more organs in a patient.
Description of the Related Art
Ultrasound imaging is typically performed in a clinical setting, by trained ultrasound experts. For diagnostic ultrasound imaging, particular views of an organ or other tissue or body feature (such as fluids, bones, joints or the like) are clinically significant. Such views may be prescribed by clinical standards as views that should be captured by the ultrasound technician, depending on the target organ, diagnostic purpose or the like. Ultrasound technicians generally require specialized training to properly operate ultrasound imaging equipment, and to recognize when an acquired image or view of an organ or other tissue or body feature of a patient adequately represents a clinically desirable view. Nonetheless, ultrasound images captured by an ultrasound technician are typically reviewed by a physician to determine whether the captured images sufficiently represent the clinically desirable or standard views.
While conventional ultrasound imaging systems may be suitable for most patients in a hospital or similar clinical setting, such systems require significant training to operate and to adequately capture clinically desirable views. This adds to the overall cost of such ultrasound imaging and further limits the availability of ultrasound imaging to patients, as only well-trained professionals can properly operate conventional ultrasound imaging devices.

Ultrasound image recognition systems and methods utilizing an artificial intelligence network


The receptacle permits selected ones of the ferrules to be withdrawn from the receptacle without disconnecting the fiber optic connector from the receptacle and without disassembling the receptacle. As such, the ferrule that is withdrawn from the receptacle can be disconnected from the corresponding ferrule of the fiber optic connector assembly without disconnecting the other ferrules from the corresponding ferrules of the fiber optic connector assembly.

Optical fibers are used in an increasing number and variety of applications, such as a wide variety of telecommunications and data transmission applications. As a result, fiber optic networks must include an ever increasing number of enclosures in which one or more of the optical fibers are interconnected or otherwise terminated. For example, fiber optic networks, such as cable television (CATV) networks, may include a number of optical network units (ONUs) in which the optical signals propagating along the optical fibers are converted to respective electrical signals. In addition, telephone and CATV networks can include a number of network interface devices (NIDs), one of which is associated with each subscriber. Upon receiving the incoming optical signals, the NID splits and routes the signals to predetermined locations, such as to various telephone or CATV outlets. Like an ONU, the NID can also convert the incoming optical signals to electrical signals, if necessary. Fiber optic networks can also include a number of splice closures in which various ones of the optical fibers are spliced or optically connected.
These enclosures protect the optical fibers, such as from moisture or other forms of environmental degradation. These enclosures also isolate or otherwise protect the optical fibers within the enclosure from strain or torque imparted to a portion of the fiber optic cable outside of the enclosure in order to maintain proper alignment and spacing between the spliced optical fibers and to prevent undesirable signal attenuation.
These enclosures, such as ONUs, NIDs and splice closures, typically include a number of receptacles in which the individual optical fibers of a fiber optic cable are connected to respective optical fibers within the enclosure. The optical fibers within the enclosure can then be interconnected or otherwise terminated as desired. Conventionally, receptacles have included an externally threaded sleeve fixed to and extending outward from the enclosure. In order to provide for interconnection of the optical fibers, a ferrule holder can be disposed within the externally threaded sleeve. The ferrule holder defines one or more openings for receiving respective ferrules and for maintaining the ferrules in a predetermined position relative thereto. The ferrules are, in turn, mounted upon the end portions of one or more optical fibers which extend into the interior of the enclosure.
In order to mate with the receptacle of a conventional enclosure, a fiber optic connector assembly, typically referred to as a plug, is mounted upon the end portion of a fiber optic cable. Typically, the plug includes a generally cylindrical housing and a ferrule holder disposed within the cylindrical housing. The ferrule holder of the plug also defines one or more openings for receiving respective ferrules and for maintaining the ferrule in a predetermined position relative thereto. The ferrules are, in turn, connected to one or more optical fibers of the fiber optic cable such that mating of the plug and the receptacle will align or connect the optical fibers of the fiber optic cable with respective optical fibers within the enclosure.
Following the connection of a plug with a receptacle, it is sometimes desirable to remove certain ones of the ferrules. For example, a ferrule or the optical fibers upon which a ferrule is mounted may be damaged and may need to be replaced. Alternatively, a ferrule may need to be removed in order to clean the ferrule and, more particularly, to clean the end faces of the optical fibers upon which the ferrule is mounted. In instances in which the receptacle was not fully populated with ferrules, it may be desirable to insert additional ferrules into the receptacle so as to establish additional optical connections following connection of the plug with the receptacle.
In order to remove a ferrule or to insert an additional ferrule following the connection of a plug with a conventional receptacle, the plug must first be disconnected, thereby optically disconnecting all of the optical fibers. The receptacle must then be at least partially disassembled in order to access the individual ferrules. Only after disconnecting the plug from the receptacle and at least partially disassembling the receptacle can a technician access one or more of the ferrules in order to make the necessary repair or replacement or to insert an additional ferrule into the receptacle. As will be apparent, the disconnection of the plug from the receptacle and the attendant disconnection of each of the optical fibers can create significant problems in instances in which the optical signals carried by the optical fibers are of vital importance. Even if the optical signals are not of vital importance, the disconnection of all of the optical fibers significantly delays the optical communications including the optical communications supported by the optical fibers that are not being repaired or replaced.

Receptacle and associated method for permitting the selective withdrawal of a ferrule


Adaptive image optimization is provided in induced wave ultrasound imaging. The values for various transmit and receive parameters may be set adaptively. Based on feedback from use with a given patient, the values are set to better optimize signal-to-noise ratio, off-time, tracking accuracy or other consideration. Transmit frequency, F-number, line spacing, tracking pulse repetition frequency, line sampling count, and/or push pulse amplitude values may adapt.

The present embodiments relate to induced wave ultrasound imaging. In particular, ultrasound shear wave and/or acoustic radiation force imaging may be improved.
Acoustic radiation force imaging (ARFI) generates a longitudinal wave in tissue with acoustic energy. Characteristics of the wave propagation indicate tissue characteristics, such as elasticity. Similarly, shear wave velocity information may be useful for diagnosis. Rather than a longitudinal wave, the shear wave generated by acoustic energy is monitored. Shear wave information may indicate tissue characteristics in addition to acoustic impedance (e.g., B-mode) and Doppler (e.g., flow mode) imaging. However, acoustic wave induced imaging is hampered by limitations on transducer and tissue heating, causing down-time during imaging. These acoustic wave induced imaging techniques may provide less information than is available due to configuration limitations.

Adaptive image optimization in induced wave ultrasound imaging


A transfer medium is provided for receiving images formed on the medium by inks or toners comprising thermally diffusible colorants, including disperse dye and sublimation dye, and methods of using the medium to present images on substrates. The medium provides an opaque layer that allows transfer of the image from the medium to a substrate, and provides a background for the image when the image is transferred to a dark colored substrate, so that the dark colored substrate does not obscure the image.

Transfer printing processes involve physically transferring an image from one substrate to another. Transfer media are receivers for print media from which an image is subsequently transferred. Transfer media are commonly rectangular sheets in sizes such as A and A4 upon which one or more materials are coated. The transfer media may include a release layer that encourages release of the image to the substrate during transfer. The materials coated on the transfer media may be binder materials that bond the image to the final substrate upon which the image is to appear, which may be a textile.
Sublimation transfer technologies are widely used in digital printing applications. However, these applications are limited to substrates that comprise a synthetic component, such as polyester materials. Due to the characteristics of the sublimation colorants, full color sublimation transfer technology has been mainly used for white or pastel substrates. Furthermore, sublimation printing process requires relatively low to medium energy sublimation colorants, and fastness properties, especially light fastness, have been an issue for these applications.
Attempts have been made to print images on dark substrates, such as dark colored textile materials. For instance, peelable white transfer papers have been used in combination of sublimation inks. This method requires a relatively thick coating structure in order to allow mechanical separations of transfer film from supporting paper. Such a thick structure creates a heavy, and undesirable, 'hand' on textile substrates. In addition, film peeled from a supporting paper after imaging the film becomes dimensionally unstable, resulting in image distortion.
Sublimation printing with other forms of white transfer paper has also been used in dark fabric material printing. However, the heavy use of white pigment in the transfer layers, with the binders having high affinity to sublimation dyes, yields poor penetration and transfer efficiency, as well as low image resolution by large dot-gain, making the final product undesirable for apparel and delicate textiles when high quality or photographic quality images are required. The spread of sublimation dyes through the entire pigmented layers consumes unnecessary amount of colorants.

Image receiver media and printing process


A block copolymer comprising two or more blocks and having fluorescence in the solid state, wherein blocks thereof may be the same or different, and in each of the blocks, one or more kinds of repeating units are bonded through conjugated bonds, and bonding between the blocks is made by junction unit having conjugated bond, and the polystyrene reduced number average molecular weight of at least one block is 1×103 to 1×108.

Unlike a low molecular weight light-emitting material, a polymer light-emitting material (polymeric fluorescent substance) is soluble in a solvent, and a light emitting layer in a light-emitting device can be formed by a coating method, and it has been variously studied.
For example, polyarylene type polymeric fluorescent substances are disclosed, such as, a polyfluorene (Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. volume 30, page L1941 (1991)), and a poly para-phenylene derivative (Adv. Mater. volume 4, page 36 (1992)).
As a block copolymer having fluorescence in the solid state used as a polymeric fluorescent substance, for example, JP-W-8-505167 discloses a block copolymer comprising blocks in which polythiophene are bonded not through π—π conjugated bonds, and JP-W-11-60660 discloses a block copolymer comprising blocks in which polyethylene main chains have substituents of carbazole group and blocks which have substituents containing oxadiazole groups.
JP-A-2000-159846 discloses a block copolymer which is obtained by copolymerizing a block in which monomers having hole transportation property and electron transporting property are alternatively copolymerized, with a block in which monomers having hole transportation property are polymerized. Furthermore, JP-W-8-510483 discloses a copolymer of phenylene vinylene (PPV).
However, a block copolymer in which blocks are bonded through conjugated bond has not been known.
As the above conventional manufacture method of block copolymer, there have been known are: a process which is complicated such that functional groups are introduced after polymerizing block parts, and then the functional groups are reacted with other block parts (JP-W-8-505167); and a process which seems difficult to reliably construct block portions (JP-W-11-60660, JP-W-8-510483, JP-A-2000-159846). Anyway, there has been a problem that they are complicated.
An object of the present invention is to provide a new block copolymer having fluorescence in the solid state, and the blocks are bonded through conjugated bonds, and a polymer light-emitting device (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "polymer LED").

Block copolymer and polymeric luminescent element


A composite of at least two flat elements that includes a first support substrate having a first solder pad, and a second support substrate having a second solder pad that is soldered together with the first solder pad. Strip conductor structures are applied to the first support substrate and the second support substrate and a link area that connects a solder shunting area with the first solder pad, wherein the link area is narrower than the first solder pad and the solder shunting area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite of flat conducter elements having solder shunting areas. The present invention also relates to the use of this composite in sensor elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
The composite of flat conductor elements, for example of printed circuit boards or conductor foils, is employed in large numbers in many areas of electronics. In connection with sensor elements in particular it is quite often necessary to connect the actual sensor to the electronic evaluating device by such a composite. Often the sensor structures are embodied as strip conductors on printed circuit boards which can be made, for example, of glass. The connection with the electronic evaluating device then often is made via strip conductors on a flexible conductor foil. The printed circuit board and the conductor foil are then usually connected by a contact soldering method, in particular the smoothing solder method, in such a way that the respective strip conductors are in electrical contact with each other.
In order to satisfy the tendencies for miniaturization in the electronic field, the strip conductors, or the so-called solder pads, are arranged at continuously shrinking distances from each other. Solder pads are the areas in which the contact faces of the strip conductors of the respective solder partners are arranged. The smoothing solder method often is employed for contacting strip conductors arranged on two flat printed circuit boards, or conductor foils, as already mentioned above. In the course of this a solder deposit is placed on a solder pad of at least one of the two solder partners, wherein the volume of the solder deposit, i.e. the amount of solder, can naturally only be applied with limited accuracy within the range of definite tolerance values. Even with a galvanically applied solder deposit the actual volume of the solder deposit can fluctuate by up to 50%.
Depending on the type of application and technical realization capability, the solder deposit is often provided on only one of the solder partners. For achieving a high quality solder connection, the volume of the solder deposit must be applied, defined as accurately as possible, as a solder coating to the respective solder pad. After the solder deposit has been applied to the solder pads of at least one of the two solder partners, the two solder partners are placed on top of each other in exact positions. Thereafter, in accordance with the smoothing solder method, the solder depots are melted by a hot soldering plunger while the solder partners are pressed together. If now, because of process-related fluctuations, the volume of the applied solder is too large, the excess solder will exit the area of the solder pads, which can lead to the formation of short circuits between the strip conductors, so that the entire composite becomes unusable. Therefore the distances between the solder pads cannot be arbitrarily reduced.
Strip conductor arrangements are disclosed in Utility Model DE 295 17 067 U1, which have enlarged surfaces for receiving the excess solder.
The reduction of the distances between the strip conductors in such a composite is also limited in Utility Model DE 295 17 067 U1 because the shunting area for excess solder is arranged transversely to the strip conductors, i.e. in the direction of the distance which is to be minimized. Furthermore, in the embodiment of Utility Model DE 295 17 067 U1 the solder can spread unhampered transversely over the entire surface of the solder pad, even if the volume of the applied solder is relatively small within the tolerances, for example. In this case there is a tendency of too little solder material being available on the actual contact face.

Composite comprised of flat conductor elements


A spark arrester is mounted in a tail pipe of an exhaust pipe of an engine, in particular a 2-strokecycle engine, and prevents sparks from being emitted. The spark arrester includes a sack-like member of a wire mesh and a cylindrical member secured to open end of the sack-like member. The cylindrical member received in the tail pipe is retained therein by a resilient retainer in a groove formed in the inner peripheral wall of the tail pipe.

The present invention relates to an exhaust silencer for an internal combustion engine, in particular a 2-stroke cycle engine and, more particularly, to an improvement in the construction of a spark arrester which is attached to the tail pipe of an exhaust silencer and which prevents exhaust sparks from being emitted from the silencer.
Japanese Utility Model Publication Nos. 3-50254 and 3-50255 disclose exhaust silencers having spark arresters.
More specifically, the exhaust silencer disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-50254 has, as shown in FIG. 6 of the present application, a spark arrester c comprising a wire mesh screen a and a pipe b. The spark arrester c is attached to a tail pipe d of the exhaust silencer by means of a screw e extending laterally through the wall of the tail pipe d. Referring now to FIG. 7 of this application, the exhaust silencer disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-50255 has a spark arrester g inserted into an exhaust pipe f. A sleeve-like member h is elastically fitted over the outer surface of the exhaust pipe f so that the spark arrester g is elastically retained in the exhaust pipe f.
The spark arrester c shown in FIG. 6 is disadvantageous in that it is not easy to set or remove the screw e through the exhaust opening in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the tail pipe d, although insertion and withdrawal of the spark arrester c can be done without difficulty. The known spark arrester of the type shown in FIG. 7 also is disadvantageous in that the construction is complicated due to the use of the sleeve-like member adapted to be fitted over the outer surface of the exhaust pipe h and high degree of dimensional precision is required to realize a tight fit between the spark arrester g and the exhaust pipe f. In addition, stick tends to occur due to corrosion between the sleeve-like member h and the exhaust pipe f and between the spark arrester g and the exhaust pipe f, making it difficult to detach the spark arrester g from the exhaust pipe f. In addition, the described support structure for supporting the spark arrester of the type shown in FIG. 7 cannot provide stable and constant force required for retaining the spark arrester in the exhaust pipe.


A seal for a container opening includes a seal layer for connecting to and covering an opening of the container. A pull-tab forming layer is bonded to the seal layer. The pull-tab forming layer has a heat resistant surface joined to the seal layer, and a hinge disposed near the center of the seal. A portion of the pull-tab forming layer defines a pair of opposed pull-tabs extending from the hinge, in which the heat resistant surface covers a top surface of each of the pull-tabs, a surface of the pull-tabs opposite the top surface, and a portion of the pull-tab forming layer facing the surface of the pull-tabs opposite the top surface. A method of forming the seal and a material blank for forming a plurality of the seals are also described.

The present invention relates generally to containers having a sealed opening, and more particularly to a closure seal for sealing an opening of a container.
Packaging for certain types of products, and for bottled liquid products in particular, often require a seal that is both peelable (i.e., easy one-piece removal) and leak-proof and that retains the freshness of the contents of the container. Once opened, the freshness seal will be broken. It is, therefore, desirable that the seal be adequately and securely retained over the opening of the container prior to removal. However, it is also highly desirable that the seal be easily removable by the consumer of the product.
Many different types of closure seals are known that adequately perform the peeling, leak prevention and freshness seal objectives. Some of these closure seal designs also incorporate some form of structure or device that assists in removal of the seal. Many simple closure seal designs include a tab extending from a peripheral edge of the seal that can be grasped by a user to remove the closure seal from the container. However, it is often difficult for an individual to grip and hold the tab. Moreover, such a tab also requires special die punch equipment to cut the protruding tab. Yet further, the peripherally extending tab can interfere with good sealing due to the need to accommodate the tab in a cap, e.g., by folding over the tab during capping.
More sophisticated examples of pull-tabs are also known.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,992 discloses a seal construction wherein a multi-layer seal is formed with each of the layers adhering to one another. However, a portion of the seal includes a non-adhered section to between two layers. The exposed upper portion of this section of the seal acts as a pull-tab that can be gripped by the user to release the seal from the container.
Selig Sealing Products' own U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,015 discloses a closure seal that also has a pull-tab extending from an upper surface of the seal. The seal disclosed in this patent is formed having a first layer and a second layer of the same material that are co-extruded so as to form a single layer with a portion of the layer forming a pull tab. One advantage of this structure is the elimination of possible environmentally sensitive chemicals used in providing adhesive to secure a second layer to for the pull tab as is down in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,992.
One problem with many of these closure seals and pull-tabs are that the pull-tabs are thin and difficult to grasp. Formation of a thicker pull-tab would improve the removability characteristics of the closure seal. However, it is desirable not to increase the number of material layers in order to accomplish this objective because of material and manufacturing cost concerns. Another drawback associated with many pull-tab constructions is that, during the manufacturing process, adhesives and/or other bonding techniques must be applied to the sheet or blank of material intermittently over specified areas in order to accomplish formation of the pull-tab. These specific and precise manufacturing techniques add expense to the manufacturing and design processes. A further drawback of many pull-tab designs is that only one pull-tab is available for the consumer to grasp. The pull-tab may be inadvertently partly adhered to another portion of the seal and difficult to initially lift and grasp, or may at least initially be difficult to detect.

Method of making a closure seal for a container


An axially stable tubular braided fabric comprising a longitudinal set of yarns extending longitudinally of the fabric, a first set of yarns arranged substantially along a first cylindrical plane and at an angle relative to the longitudinal yarns and a second set of yarns arranged substantially along a second cylindrical plane and transversely of the first set of yarns. The yarns of the longitudinal set are passed consecutively over one and under the other of the yarns of the first and second sets interlocking these yarns together in an axially stable position with the yarns of the first set predominating the outer surface and the yarns of the second set predominating the inner surface.

This invention relates to the method of forming and a braided fabric having exceptional longitudinal stability. The fabric may be produced by hand, on a machine as described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/008,455, filed Jan. 16, 1998, or by other known braiding machines.
Tubular braided fabrics are well known as braiding is one of the oldest forms of fabric making. Braided fabrics constructed for longitudinal stability are also well known. Known tubular braided structures which incorporate longitudinal yarns are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,497 to Shobert; No. 4,741,087 and No. 4,777,859 to Plummer; and No. 5,197,370 to Sladfelter. In each of these patents, the angularly and transversely disposed yarns are moved in an over and under relationship across the fabric. To arrange these yarns in this manner requires machinery capable of extensive manipulations. The process places portions of both yarns on each surface of the fabric which limits design capabilities and does not significantly improve stability.
Similar structures have been woven flat on triaxial looms. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,251 the yarns Y and Z are weft yarns which are moved in successive passes across and through warp yarns X in an over and under relationship for the construction of flat triaxial woven fabrics. This fabric is not formed of continuous yarns in a continuous motion along a longitudinal axis and is not formed as a tubular fabric.
It is an object of the instant invention to overcome these short comings of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to form a braided structure bound together with only the longitudinal yarns.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tubular braided fabric with at least certain of its forming yarn groups restricted to a single fabric side.
It is another object of the invention to provide a braided fabric with selected longitudinal elongation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a braided fabric with exceptional longitudinal strength.
It is another object of the invention to provide a braided fabric having selectible crimp, which allows for the control of longitudinal elongation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of forming a fabric with the above qualities.


A method, computer program product, and computing system for assigning a first set of interrupts for exclusive processing by a first set of central processing units (CPU) cores. A second set of interrupts may be assigned for processing by a second set of CPU cores. The first set of interrupts may be processed using the first set of CPU cores. The second set of interrupts may be converted to a set of polling operations, thus defining a set of converted polling operations. The set of converted polling operations may be processed using the second set of CPU cores.

Storing and safeguarding electronic content may be beneficial in modern business and elsewhere. Accordingly, various methodologies may be employed to communicate data to and from storage arrays more efficiently.
For example, Fibre Channel is a data transfer protocol for computing devices that utilizes interrupts for the processing of storage commands to reduce latency. Typical Fibre Channel configurations include the rigid allocation of CPU cores between storage application(s) and Fibre Channel interrupt processing. For example, a storage application is usually not flexible enough to support soft CPU core assignment, so hard assignment is required. Since the storage logic is implemented by the storage application, the tendency is to assign as many CPU cores to the storage application and just-as-needed for processing Fibre Channel interrupts. However, Fibre Channel interrupts may compete with storage application-based polling for CPU cycles. As such, unmanaged competition between processing polling operations and interrupts decreases the efficiency of CPU utilization.

System and method for polling-based storage command processing


Described herein are tissue closure devices and methods for ligating a target tissue, such as the left atrial appendage. The tissue closure devices may have an elongate body, a snare at least partially housed within the elongate body, a suture at least partially housed within the elongate body, and a tightening element coupled to the suture. The suture may have a suture loop, and the tightening element may be configured to decrease the size of the suture loop when the area of a tissue within the suture loop decreases.

Atrial fibrillation is a common problem that afflicts millions of patients. Unfortunately, atrial fibrillation often results in the formation of a thrombus, or clot, in the appendage of the left atrium. This presents a problem, inasmuch as the thrombus can dislodge and embolize to distant organs, resulting in adverse events such as a stroke. For this reason, most patients with atrial fibrillation are treated with a blood thinner to help prevent the formation of a thrombus. Blood thinners, however, can present health risks (e.g., bleeding), particularly in the elderly, and often also require that the user make significant lifestyle changes.
Several methods have been developed to address the potential problem of thrombus formation in the left atrial appendage. One such method is suturing along the base, or ostial neck of the appendage, where it joins the atrial chamber. In this way, blood flow into the atrial appendage is cut-off, eliminating the risk of thrombus formation therein. This is typically done through open-heart surgery, making the availability of the procedure available to only those who are otherwise undergoing an open-heart procedure, or who are at particularly high risk. In addition, open-heart surgery requires general anesthesia and has a number of well-known risks, making it less desirable. Furthermore, after the left atrial appendage has been sutured, the tissue may remodel and shrink. Through this process, an area that was tightly closed at the time of suturing may develop leaks over time.
Other methods have also been investigated, including methods of stapling the base of the appendage and methods of filling the appendage with a space occupying or occluding member. However, stapling is not a preferred method given the fragility of the appendage and the likelihood of its rupture. Occlusion devices may not effectively prevent all blood flow into the appendage, leaving areas of potential thrombus formation.
Additional devices and methods for closing the left atrial appendage would therefore be desirable. In particular, devices and methods for closing the left atrial appendage using minimally invasive, intravascular, or a combination of these techniques, would be desirable in order to avoid the need for opening the chest. Of course, additional devices for use in open surgical procedures are desirable as well, especially when those devices offer additional advantages over standard devices.

Tissue ligation devices and methods therefor


There is disclosed a method to inhibit the corrosion of metals by sodium chloride and calcium chloride solutions by incorporating in the solutions a mixture of mono- and di-hydrogen orthophosphates. Sodium chloride solutions which contain calcium chloride, e.g., rock salt solutions, are inhibited against corrosion when the percentage of dihydrogen orthophosphate is from 10 to 60 percent of the mixture of di- and mono-hydrogen orthophosphates. Calcium chloride solutions are inhibited against corrosion when the percentage of dihydrogen orthophosphate is from 50 to 100 percent of the mixture of di- and mono-hydrogen orthophosphates.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method and composition for inhibiting the corrosion of sodium and calcium chlorides and, in particular, to a method and composition ideally suited for treatment of rock salt used for deicing roads and highways.
2. Background of the Invention
Sodium and calcium chloride are widely used industrial chemicals. Perhaps the most commonly observed application of sodium and calcium chlorides is the use of these salts as a road cover in freezing climates, where their high solubility depresses the freezing point of water, thereby melting ice and snow on the surfaces to which it is applied. Other applications of significant volume are the use of calcium chloride as a curing accelerator in concrete, as an additive in drilling muds to control density and clay flocculation, as a drainage aid in paper mills, as a high density liquid used as ballast in tractor tires, and as a desiccant in refrigeration plants.
A common problem experienced in the various applications of sodium and calcium chloride is that the salts promote corrosive attack on metal surfaces. The corrosiveness of sodium and calcium chloride brines is particularly troublesome in the road cover applications where the brine which is splashed on the undersurfaces of cars can cause rapid corrosion and deterioration of the under panels and rocker panels of a car. Since modern car manufacturing techniques have almost universally adopted unitized construction for weight and manufacturing efficiencies, any corrosive attack of brines on the undersurfaces of automobiles is particularly troublesome as the deterioration of such surfaces by corrosion is often not economically repairable. Furthermore, the salts added to roads adversely affects roadside vegetation and has been observed to have killed roadside trees. These salts are frequently transported as saturated brine solutions in pipeline, and their corrosiveness to steel presents a significant problem to such handling.
The use of calcium chloride brines in other applications such as concrete curing accelerators or as additives to drilling muds also creates serious corrosion problems. Most construction concrete is reinforced with steel bars which are embedded in the concrete and the presence of calcium chloride in the concrete accelerates corrosive attack of the reinforcing steel. The calcium chloride in drilling muds causes an accelerated corrosion of well tubing and equipment used in oil drilling applications. The use of calcium chloride as a drainage aid in the paper industry has been limited by the corrosive nature of its solutions.
The problem of accelerated corrosion by sodium and calcium chloride brines is thus a problem which has not, heretofore, been adequately addressed by the prior art. Some solutions to the problem have included the substitution of other salts such as calcium or magnesium acetates or chromates for the road cover applications. These substitutions are not satisfactory because of a prohibitively high cost and because of potentially adverse effects on the environment.
Ideally, any corrosion inhibitor used with sodium and calcium chlorides should be effective at extremely low concentrations to minimize environmental problems and should be colorless to avoid staining or discoloring of metal surfaces, wearing apparel and the like which come in contact with brine solutions of sodium or calcium chloride. The inhibitor should be effective over a very wide range of concentrations, particularly when applied for inhibiting corrosion of brines used in road covers since the brines which are formed by melting of ice and snow in the presence of sodium and calcium chloride can be expected to have an extremely wide range of concentration of the sodium and calcium chloride. The inhibitor should also be soluble over the wide range of concentrations anticipated in its application.

Method and composition for inhibiting corrosion by sodium and calcium chloride