The present invention provides a method for purifying follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from biological samples, for example, from human pituitary glands or human postmenopausal urine, wherein the FSH is contaminated with other proteins, by use of dye-ligand affinity chromatography (DAC). This process may be used to generate affinity pure FSH suitable for therapeutic applications.

FSH is a pituitary heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone synthesized and released from gonadotrope cells of the anterior pituitary gland. As a circulating hormone, FSH interacts with high affinity with receptor molecules on the surface of granulosa cells in the ovary. This interaction evokes a series of intracellular events, including a cyclic AMP second message and elicitation of a steroidogenic response by the granulosa cells resulting in estrogen production. Local estrogen and FSH stimulation promote the growth and maturation of ovarian follicles.
The amount of circulating FSH is dependent upon several other endocrine and neural factors. Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) is a peptide elaborated by neurons of hypothalamus. Released GnRH interacts with receptors on pituitary gonadotrope cells to control the synthesis and release of FSH and LH from the anterior pituitary gland. FSH secretion is also effected by circulating levels of steroid hormones. The steroidogenic response of granulosa cells to FSH results in gradually increasing estradiol levels. When serum estradiol reaches a critical level, it triggers a large increase in the rate of LH and FSH release from the anterior pituitary. The resultant LH surge induces ovulation and luteinization of granulosa cells. Progesterone is released from the corpus luteum following ovulation and this steroid prepares the uterus for implantation of the fertilized ovum. Elevated levels of estrogens and progesterone exert a negative feedback inhibition at hypothalamic sites to lower FSH and LH synthesis and release. Hence, the effects of steroids on gonadotropin release depend on the circulating levels; at low levels of estrogen, FSH and LH are positively regulated while higher levels result in negative feedback inhibition.
In males, FSH induces spermatogenesis through a proliferative effect on spermatocytes. Sperm production also requires testosterone, which is under positive regulatory control by LH.
An apparent paradox of the above-described hormonal control process is the production of both LH and FSH by the gonadotrope cell while GnRH serves as a positive regulatory agent for both hormones. Work within the last 10 years suggests that the peptides, activin, follistatin and inhibin selectively regulate FSH secretion from the anterior pituitary gland. FSH synthesis and release is activated by activin while inhibin and follistatin have negative feedback effects. The inhibitory effect of follistatin is thought to be mediated by its high-affinity binding to activin and blockage of its biological activity. There is evidence for both autocrine and paracrine local regulatory effects of these peptides and for feedback effects of inhibin released from gonadal tissue. Both inhibin and activin are structurally related and are members of the diverse transforming growth factor beta family of peptides. Study of the physiological roles of activin, follistatin and inhibin is a current area of active research (Reviewed by Knight, 1996).
FSH has been used extensively as a drug to treat human infertility by induction of follicular development in females. Earlier products were crude preparations of LH and FSH, i.e., Pergonal.RTM.. Products that are more recent have been purer FSH preparations. Metrodin.RTM., has low levels of LH and the FSH specific activity is about 100 IU/Mg. This drug requires intramuscular injections every day for 5 to 7 days, followed by a single injection of hCG to induce ovulation. A recent advance is Fertinex.RTM. which is affinity pure FSH, purified from hMG. This product exhibits a potency of 8500 to 13,500 IU/Mg at 95% purity. The high purity of Fertinex.RTM. allows delivery by subcutaneous injection, which can be administered at home. Following administration of Fertinex.RTM., hCG is used for induction of ovulation. Depending on the dosage of FSH administered, it may be used to promote in vivo fertility or, at higher dosages, it may be used to induce multiple oocyte formation for in vitro fertilization procedures. Recombinant forms of FSH (Puregon.RTM. and Gonal.RTM.) also are used as fertility drugs.
FSH has been purified from pituitary glands, human postmenopausal urine and from culture media collected from genetically engineered cells. FSH purification has been an active area of research over the past 30 years. Older methods rely on procedures such as ion exchange chromatography, size exclusion chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and chromatography on hydroxylapatite. In the method of Roos (1968) a FSH preparation of 14,000 IUs biological activity/Mg was obtained from fresh frozen human pituitary glands with an overall recovery of activity of 5.0%. A similar procedure applied to urinary FSH resulted in a preparation of 780 IU/Mg at a 7.7% overall yield. Because of the similar physicochemical properties of FSH and LH, i.e., similar molecular weight and overlapping isoelectric profiles, affinity chromatography methods have been employed to improve the separation of LH and FSH. In addition, affinity methods afford the possibility of high purification in a single step (up to 100-fold) thereby reducing the number of steps in a purification method and improving overall yield. The latter is a critical factor in the commercial production of FSH as overall yield is a major determinant of cost. Group specific affinity adsorbents such as the lectin Concanavalin A or chitosan (Japanese patent number 8,027,181) bind glycoproteins via specific carbohydrate groups. While these ligands are ineffective in the separation of two glycoproteins such as FSH and LH, Concanavalin A has been used to characterize microheterogeneity of purified FSH preparations (e.g., Chappel, et.al., 1983).
Immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) relies upon the specificity of mono- or polyclonal antibodies for capture of specific protein antigens from crude mixtures. Antibodies may first be screened for use in IAC (Bonde, et.al., 1991). The selected antibodies are coupled to a chromatographic solid phase, e.g., cross-linked agarose, through covalent bonds, e.g., cyanogen bromide (CNBr) or other coupling chemistries targeting surface amino, hydroxyl, carboxyl or sulfhydryl groups of immunoglobulins to form a solid matrix. Recent coupling methods attempt site-directed immobilization of antibodies in an effort to optimize antigen-binding efficiencies, which are typically low, using classical coupling chemistries. One method of site-directed coupling is through carbohydrate groups of the F.sub.c immunoglobulin region to hydrazide-activated solid supports (e.g., Hoffman and O'Shannessy (1988)). The solid phase coupled to antibody is then packed in a chromatography column and equilibrated with buffer for binding to antigen. Mixtures of target protein and contaminants are equilibrated with binding buffer and then applied to the column. Non-adsorbed contaminants are removed by washout with various buffers. Elution occurs by use of chaotropic agents, extremes of pH, changes in ionic strength, etc. Elution is a critical aspect of IAC since the elution conditions may alter the biological activity of the immobilized antibody or the eluted antigen or both (reviewed by Jack, 1994).
IAC may be used to remove specific contaminants from a crude mixture. This mode was first applied to FSH purification using antibodies to hCG, which through cross reactivity to LH, effectively reduced LH contamination levels (Donini, et.al., 1966). Jack, et.al., (1987) and Great Britain patent number 8,510,177, utilized monoclonal antibody specific to FSH for IAC. The antibody was coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B. Samples were applied in 0.05M borate buffer, 0.5 M NaCl at pH 8.5 and non-adsorbed contaminants were eluted from the column with 0.05 M borate at pH 8.5. The bound FSH was eluted using 0.1M glycine, 0.5 M NaCl at pH 3.5. When using a sample containing the glycoprotein-enriched fraction from a side-fraction of human growth hormone obtained from frozen pituitaries, 47% of the applied FSH was recovered from the IAC procedure. The FSH was recovered at a specific immunological activity of 10,000 IU/mg (Biological specific activity=1.2.times. immunological). It contained 0.0014 IU LH per IU FSH and 0.93 .mu.IUs TSH/IU FSH (Jack, et.al., 1987). Another IAC method for FSH is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,453. This method relies on a monoclonal antibody to FSH that is coupled to Sepharose 4B by divinylsulphone. The column and sample was equilibrated with 0.1M Tris, 0.3 M NaCl at pH 7.5 and the IAC procedure was performed at 4.degree. C. In this case, partially purified urinary FSH (hMG) was used as a sample. The sample was applied in the equilibration buffer and nonadsorbed materials were removed by continued elution with this buffer. Elution was accomplished by use of alkaline buffers, e.g., 1M ammonia and other eluent of pH>11 and of ionic molarity higher than 0.8 M. The product of IAC was then subject to reverse phase HPLC on a C18 column to generate the final product. While the yield of FSH activity from the IAC step was not given, the final product had a specific biological activity of 6200 IU/Mg and had undetectable levels of LH contamination by RIA measurement. No other protein contaminants were detected by SDS-PAGE analysis. Other researchers have recently reported the use of dye affinity chromatography (DAC) in the purification of FSH from the bushtail possum. Their purification involved several steps including the use of Green A Matrix gel and Red A Matrix gel (Amicon, Inc.) for two sequential DAC procedures. The overall yield of their method was 12% (Moore, et.al., 1997).


A haymaking machine including a frame carrying at least one pair of rotors connected to carrying arms that may be moved from a working position, in which they are substantially horizontal, to a transport position, in which they are substantially vertical, and vice-versa. The carrying arms of at least one pair of rotors include a latching mechanism that connects them together and locks them with regard to one another in the transport position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a haymaking machine, particularly for windrowing forage, comprising a frame carrying at least one pair of windrowing rotors that can be driven in rotation about substantially vertical supporting axes, which rotors are connected to carrying arms which are situated substantially in one and the same plane perpendicular to the direction of travel, the one on the right and the other on the left of the frame and which are articulated on said frame by means of axes of articulation about which they can be moved from a working position, in which they are substantially horizontal, to a transport position, in which they are substantially vertical, and vice-versa, by means of hydraulic jacks.
Placing the carrying arms and the rotors in a substantially vertical position makes it possible to considerably reduce the width of the machine. This allows it to be easily moved on public roads. In this position, it is however necessary to immobilize said arms in order to prevent them accidentally returning to the working position.
2. Background Art
On a known machine, the carrying arms are immobilized in transport position by means of latches which are situated on the frame and which are hooked onto said arms close to their axes of articulation on said frame. These latches then connect the carrying arms to the frame. When the machine travels over unevennesses, they are subject to intense stresses due to the forces exerted on them by the carrying arms with considerable lever arms. These latches therefore have to be particularly strong, which makes them bulky and difficult to maneuver. In addition, they suffer heavy wear which can rapidly compromise safety during travel.


A multistage amplifying circuit includes a first amplifying circuit that either samples a first analog voltage input or amplifies a difference between the first analog voltage and a first digital voltage converted from the first analog voltage, in response to a control signal. A second amplifying circuit either samples a second analog voltage input or amplifies a difference between the second analog voltage and a second digital voltage converted from the second analog voltage, in response to the control signal. A common amplifier receives output voltages of the first amplifying circuit and the second amplifying circuit and either resets the output voltage of the first amplifying circuit and determines an output voltage by using the second amplifying circuit, or resets the output voltage of the second amplifying circuit and determines an output voltage by using the first amplifying circuit, in response to the control signal.

The present disclosure relates to amplifiers, and, more particularly, to a multistage amplifying circuit connected to a plurality of amplifying circuits.
Limiter amplifiers of a frequency modulation (FM) radio receiver, or intermediate frequency (IF) amplifiers of an amplitude modulation (AM) radio receiver typically use multistage amplifying circuits to achieve a high gain by amplifying minute input signals, and can achieve a high gain ratio by dependently connecting a plurality of amplifying circuits in various stages. A need exists for multistage amplifying circuits which can output through a common amplifier a plurality of analog input voltages.


According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a piston mounted on and fixedly fastened to a ball screw nut, the nut threaded onto a ball screw. By mechanically rotating the piston and preventing the ball screw from rotating, the balls screw nut rotates, thereby raising or lowering the ball screw, thereby raising or lowering the piston, thereby raising or lowering a casing, for example a bollard, mounted on the piston. The casing may be raised or lowered by attaching a handle to the piston and rotating the handle.

The present invention, in some embodiments, thereof, relates to an actuator for raising and lowering an object and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a hand powered mechanism for raising and lowering a bollard.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,794,865 appears to disclose, "A telescoping bollard assembly is provided. The bollard assembly includes a threaded shaft and a shaft housing structure containing a lubricant source in fluid communication with the shaft threads. A lubricant is positioned in the lubricant source in contact with the threaded portion of the shaft. A funnel portion is in fluid communication with the lubricant source, and a shaft guide portion is in fluid communication with the funnel portion. A portion of the shaft projects to an exterior of the housing through a shaft exit portion. The shaft exit portion is in fluid communication with the shaft guide portion and defines a flow path for the lubricant to the lubricant source. Rotation of the shaft urges lubricant from the lubricant source sequentially into the funnel portion, the shaft guide portion, and the shaft exit portion, whereby the lubricant is returned to the lubricant source."
U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,075 appears to disclose "a bollard assembly 1 containing an elongated housing 4. A bollard 2 is spaced radially inward of the housing 4 and is axially displaceable therein. A threaded drive shaft receiver 32 is centrally fixed within the housing 4 for threaded reception of a threaded drive shaft 30. The threaded drive shaft 30 is thereby suspended within the housing 4 and threadedly received by the receiver 32. Upon activation of the drive shaft 30 operably connected to the bollard 2, rotation of the drive shaft 30 establishes simultaneous vertical displacement of the drive shaft 30 and the bollard 2."
U.S. Pat. No. 9,133,589 appears to disclose, "A bollard apparatus comprising an outer bollard member (3) comprising a bore, an inner bollard member (5) at least a part of which is located within said bore and is moveable along the bore from a retracted state in which at least some of the inner bollard member is located within the bore to an extended state in which less of the inner bollard member is located within the bore. At least one urging member (19) is arranged to exert an urging force upon the inner bollard member to urge the inner bollard member towards the extended state. A lifting apparatus (12) is coupled to the inner bollard member and operable to exert a lifting force thereupon sufficient to lift the inner bollard to the extended state when also subject to the urging force."
British Patent Application no. GB2372065 appears to disclose, "The security post, for use in car parks, town centers etc., comprises a tubular post 1 accommodated in a close fitting sleeve 2 for movement between a first extended position and a second retracted position, where it is located within the sleeve which itself is located below ground level. The sleeve is fixed to a base plate 3 to which a flanged tube 4 is also secured and to which, in turn, a nut element 6 is secured. A leadscrew 5 extends vertically through the nut and is rotatably secured to the post via a bearing assembly. The leadscrew is formed from a twisted bar with a cornered cross-section and the leadscrew and nut mechanism is designed so that it is non-self-sustaining, with the margin by which the mating threads exceed the minimum criteria for being self-sustaining being at least 50%. The post may be locked in the raised position by a lock pin that engages an end plate fixed to the end of the leadscrew, with the release of the lock pin allowing the post to fall to its retracted position under the effect of gravity."


A communication system is provided which is capable of easily setting a transmission speed between a signal transmitter and a signal receiver to carry out information communication. A transmitting device transmits one frame of measuring data which contains a start bit to be added to a head of the data and a stop bit to be added to an end of the data and which is used for a signal receiver to measure a transmission speed. A framing error detector in a receiving device receives the measuring data for detection, at every measuring point, of a framing error which occurs when a transmission speed of the signal transmitter does not coincide with a transmission speed of the signal receiver and normal detection of a stop bit is impossible and generates information about detection of a framing error. A transmission speed measurer measures a transmission speed of the transmitting device based on information about detection of a framing error and measuring point interval time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system, and particularly to a communication system which carries out communication by setting a transmission speed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to transfer information in computer devices being connected via a network or the like, serial communication is widely used. Serial communication method is a method in which a signal transmitter transmits one bit of digital data of 0s and 1s at one time at regular intervals in a sequentially repeated manner to a signal receiver and the signal receiver restores the received data to its original state. A synchronization method for serial communication includes a synchronous communication method and an asynchronous (start-stop synchronization) communication method. In the synchronous communication method, a signal transmitter transmits a clock in addition to data to a signal receiver and the signal receiver reads out the received data with timing of receiving the clock for synchronization. In the asynchronous communication method, a signal transmitter does not transmit a clock to be used for synchronization but adds a start bit representing a start of data transmission to a head of data and a stop bit representing completion of the data transmission to an end of the data and the signal receiver recognizes a data interval from the start bit and stop bit and reads out the data for synchronization. Data transmission speed in the asynchronous communication method is low when compared with a transmission speed in the synchronous communication due to the step of addition of a start bit and a stop bit. However, the asynchronous communication method is excellent in scalability and/or availability and, therefore, is mainly used in general personal computer communication.
Moreover, when asynchronous communication is carried out between two communication devices, matching for a transmission speed between the two devices is required. Transmission speed denotes the number of bits that can be transmitted in one second and is expressed as bps (bit/second). FIG. 7 shows a conventional method for setting a transmission speed.
(Step S11) A communication device 30 transmits data to a communication device 40 at a transmission speed set by the communication device 30 itself.
(Step S12) The communication device 40 checks to see whether or not the transmission speed set by the communication device 30 is equal to a transmission speed set by the communication device 40.
(Step S13) The communication device 40, when the transmission speed set by the communication device 40 is different from the transmission speed set by the communication device 30, transmits a signal informing occurrence of an error to the communication device 30.
(Step S14) The communication device 30 transmits data at another transmission speed set by the communication device 30 to the communication device 40. The above steps S11 to S14 are repeated until matching for the transmission speed between the communication devices 30 and 40 is achieved.
(Step S15) The communication between the devices 30 and 40 is started when matching for the transmission speed between the devices 30 and 40 is achieved.
A conventional asynchronous communication technology is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 7-170253 [see Paragraph number (0007) to (0009), FIG. 1] in which, when incorrect synchronization occurs, a signal receiver makes a framing error signal be generated to detect the incorrect synchronization and achieves correct synchronization when receiving a subsequent frame. However, the conventional method for setting a communication speed as shown in FIG. 7 has a problem in that both the two communication devices continue to exchange information about a transmission speed until both the two devices come to have the same set transmission speed, which, as a result, causes a transmission speed value that can be set to be limited to a certain predetermined value.
Moreover, the aim of the conventional technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 07-170253 is to restore normal synchronization when a transmitting device and a receiving device go out of synchronization with one another and incorrect synchronization occurs in a state where matching for a transmission speed between the transmitting and receiving devices is established in advance and is not to intend to do automatical setting of a transmission speed.


A micro solder pot includes a dielectric substrate having at least one hole formed therein, a conductive coating coupled to the interior of the hole, and at least one heat transfer pad spaced from the hole in thermal communication with the conductive coating of the hole. When the heat transfer pad is exposed to a heat source, the conductive coating inside the hole is heated. The micro solder pot may also include a thermally activated conductive material disposed within the hole. When the heat transfer pad is exposed to a heat source, the thermally activated conductive material becomes liquidus such that a component can be inserted into the liquidus material. When the heat source is removed, the thermally activated conductive material cools to couple the component to the conductive coating in the hole.

One of the most common methods of wire termination in connectors is hand soldering wires to a solder cup. Solder cups can be formed to match a specific wire size and are almost always formed as part of a contact pin, saving space inside a cramped connector. Unfortunately, solder cups require very careful hand soldering by skilled workers, because the heating of one cup can unsolder its neighbors. Solder cups also must be carefully arranged in the connector so as to keep their openings always facing outwards from their center. It is also very difficult to prepare solder cups in advance for termination. The assembly process requires starting in the middle of a connector and soldering the wires to the center solder cups first and slowly working out toward the outer concentric circles of solder cups. If there are any problems with joints in the middle, the rework process is very difficult. It is extraordinarily difficult to produce high quality hand soldered joints under these constraints. In addition, these carefully crafted joints must be cleaned with solvents and often mechanically brushed to remove flux residue. This leads to mechanical stress on the wires and solder joints and often causes electrical failures.
As the wires used in interconnections get smaller, the difficulties involved with using solder cups increases greatly. For example, hand soldering wires which are 0.002 inch in diameter (smaller than the diameter of a human hair) in very soft metallic materials, such as silver or copper, leads to many failures. Burned flux, oxidation, and other contaminants from soldering irons also often migrate into the joints and contaminate them. In addition, the mechanical leverage of applying a soldering iron is large and this also can lead to breakage of the fine wires during assembly. The mechanical and solvent cleaning processes also lead to breakage.


A monitoring system for monitoring one or more packaging material conversion machines includes one or more sensors for monitoring one or more operating characteristics of the one or more conversion machines. The system also includes a controller in communication with the one or more sensors. The controller evaluates the one or more operating characteristics of the one or more conversion machines to thereby provide diagnostic, inventory and machine usage information. In addition, a method of monitoring one or more packaging material conversion machines includes sensing an operating characteristic of the one or more conversion machines and evaluating the operating characteristic of the one or more conversion machines. The sensed operating characteristics may be evaluated either local to the conversion machines or at a remote site, thereby providing a substantial amount of flexibility.

Styrofoam pellets or peanuts are commonly used within the wholesale and retail industries as bulk packaging material. The peanuts are used to position a product away from the interior sides of a container and fill the empty space located therebetween. The peanuts are intended to protect the packaged product against the impact of a blow or other mistreatment.
Dispensing styrofoam peanuts does not require a great degree of sophistication. The peanuts are simply gravity fed from large retainer bins into the empty spaces within a packaging container. Use of styrofoam peanuts, however, has many drawbacks. For example, if styrofoam peanuts are used to protect a heavy object placed within a container, and such package is jostled or shaken, the object usually gravitates toward the bottom of the container and the peanuts float upward. Eventually the object comes to rest against the base or side of the container and damage to the object may occur. The light weight of the styrofoam peanuts also allows them to be easily blown by the wind and scattered. The styrofoam peanuts also create static electricity, causing the peanuts to cling to the protected articles after the articles are removed from their containers. Further, the peanuts may create an electrostatic discharge (ESD) which can cause damage to sensitive electronic components.
Of particular concern, styrofoam peanuts are extemely difficult to dispose of and destroy after use. In fact, because of the extensive use of this nonbiodegradable product, which emits toxic gases if burned, styrofoam peanuts present a major threat to the environment and are being banned from an increasing number of communities. Styrofoam peanuts are also dangerous to children and to wildlife who often mistake them as food and consequently ingest them. Styrofoam peanuts are not digestible and are a major source of tracheal blockage in children.
Other packaging filler materials, such as shredded paper, have also been used. Shredded paper, however, usually lays flat within the container and a large amount of paper is required to provide the bulk needed to fill the voids and to protect the contained object. To provide such a large amount of shredded paper is often cost prohibitive and, following its use, such voluminous amounts of paper must be disposed. In addition, the shock absorbency of flat, shredded paper is minimal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,259, which is hereby incorporated by reference, is directed toward an apparatus and method for rapidly producing large quantities of bulk packaging material comprising folded and crimped, interlocking strips of sheet material which may be used as resilient padding to cushion and prevent heavier objects from gravitating toward the bottom or sides of a container. The apparatus and method provides for the production of selectable lengths, the smaller lengths capable of being gravity fed into containers to fill voids and larger lengths capable of being wrapped around a product to provide a secure, protective cushion. The method and apparatus is also operable to produce such folded and crimped, interlocking strips of sheet material in selectable colors and/or controlled color combinations for decorative and aesthetic purposes. Furthermore the apparatus and method allows for the manufacture of such strips from biodegradable material, such as pulp material (i.e., paper, cardboard, or the like).
Due to the increased popularity of paper protective packaging material, additional, automated control mechanisms to operate and/or monitor such packaging material construction, would be desirable. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a single controller which could monitor a variety of machine types without substantial adjustments or modifications to the controller. It would also be desirable for a controller to collect and to store diagnostic information and to perform enhanced and automated packaging functions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Packing material product and method and apparatus for making, monitoring and controlling the same


A converter coupled to a DC voltage input and connectable to a load, includes a signal responsive switch coupled between a first circuit point and a second circuit point. Current flow is directed by the switch, when in a closed state, to the second circuit point to bypass the load. A regulator circuit has an output coupled to a control input of the switch. The regulator circuit has a first input for receiving a sensed load parameter, a second input for receiving a sensed current level signal at the second circuit point when the switch is in its closed state, and a third input for receiving a sensed current level signal at the second circuit point, measured directly, when the switch is in an open state. A fixed minimum time is set for the switch to be in the open state. The third input inhibits re-closing of the switch, providing current limit protection for the switch.

A conventional step-up DC/DC converter is illustrated in FIG. 1. Inductor 10 and diode 12 are connected in series between input (VIN) and output (VOUT) terminals. The input terminal is typically connected to a DC source, the controlled output connected to a load. Capacitor 14 is connected between the output terminal and ground. Signal responsive switch 16 and resistor 18 are connected in series between the inductor/diode junction and ground. The switch is represented by a transistor having a base connected to the output of latch 20 through switch driver circuit 22. A set terminal of the latch is connected to the output of AND gate 24. Delay circuit 26 has an input connected to the reset output of the latch and an output connected to a first input of the AND gate. A second input of the AND gate is connected to the output of comparator 28. A first input of the comparator receives a feedback signal related to an output parameter. The output parameter may be the voltage at the output, the feedback signal derived through a feedback circuit 30, the feedback appropriately scaled for comparison with a reference voltage 32 applied to a second input of the comparator. The reset terminal of the latch 20 is connected to the output of a second comparator 34. A first input of comparator 34 is connected to the junction between switch 16 and resistor 18. A second input of comparator 34 is connected to reference voltage circuit 36.
In operation, when switch 16 is in the on, or closed, state, current flows from source VIN through inductor 10 and resistor 18 to ground. Resistor 18 is a sensing element that provides an indication of the current level through the switch when the switch is closed. When the current through the switch increases to the threshold level of reference voltage 36, comparator 34 outputs a signal to reset the latch 20, thereby turning off switch 16. When the switch is turned off, energy stored in the inductor is transferred to the capacitor 14. Delay circuit 26 ensures that the high latch reset output signal is not applied to the input of AND gate 24 until a minimum time interval has occurred. Turn-on of switch 16 is thus delayed accordingly. Thereafter, the switch will again be turned on when the feedback level exceeds the reference input to comparator 28.
In the particular conventional circuit illustrated, commonly known as a boost regulator, regulated voltage output VOUT has a voltage level higher in magnitude than the voltage input VIN and of the same polarity. Known converters, for example, are Linear Technology LT3463 and LT3464 converters. With appropriate arrangement of inductor and capacitive elements, a boost regulator output voltage can be provided with a polarity opposite to that of the input voltage.
In the boost converter configuration, input current through inductor 10 is continuous, flowing either through switch 16 or diode 12. With a fixed minimum off-time of the switch 16, the current in the inductor can exceed the maximum current capability of the switch. Such situation can occur, for example, during a short circuit of the output to ground, during the charging of the capacitor 14 immediately after power is applied to the circuit, or any such charging of other circuit capacitors upon initial operation. The switch must turn on for a finite time to sample the inductor current before it can be determined by means of comparator 34 that the current exceeds the current limit threshold of reference 36. During the off-time of the switch, the inductor current does not ramp down as much as it increased during the short on-time because of the small reverse voltage across the inductor. Excessive switch current thus can occur and cause damage or destruction to the regulator as well as the switch.
Prior methods of dealing with the possibility of excessive inductor current have been known in general as frequency foldback provisions. These methods sense a low output feedback condition and accordingly increase an oscillator period in the control circuit of the switch, or increase the delay period, to lengthen the switch off-time by a fixed amount. Frequency foldback methods are disadvantageous in that the increased off-time may not be sufficient to prevent switch current runaway. Because of the uncertainty about external element values, the set off-time may be made too long, thereby unnecessarily (VIN) constraining output current capability during normal operation.
The need thus exists for improved implementation for protection against overcurrent conditions in regulator circuits.

DC/DC converter with current limit protection


Systems and methods for providing personalized internet protocol (IP) services to an IP enabled device residing on a local area network (LAN) are disclosed. The systems and methods utilize an access device in communication with an access provider network, and involve communicating a first IP address to the access device, the first address allowing the access device to communicate with a first plurality of IP service devices through an Internet service provider (ISP), and communicating a second IP address to the access device, the second address allowing the access device to communicate with a second plurality of IP service devices in the access provider network. When the access device receives IP traffic from the IP enabled device it determines whether the IP traffic is addressed to one of the second IP service devices. If yes, the IP traffic is forwarded to the one of the second IP service devices with the second address as a return address. Otherwise, the IP traffic is forwarded to the ISP with the first address as the return address.

A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of network design, and more particularly to systems and methods for providing access to one or more network(s) and various services without being served exclusively by a single Internet service provider.
B. Description of the Related Art
The service model for receiving Internet Service Provider (ISP) based services from sources on the Internet today assumes the exclusive use of an Internet access session by a single device or IP client in a one to one correspondence with a single ISP. In some topologies, typically business, one or more devices can be manually configured to access one or more service providers using a router and multiple access sessions at the same time. Dial-up access also can allow switching the access session on demand among service providers that attach to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) in some instances. That is, today's service model assumes that each connection to a service provider using an access device, be it a dial-up modem connection, DSL modem connection, cable modem connection, or other type of access session will be utilized by a single IP enabled device. FIG. 1 shows an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) Internet access architecture 100 typical of that encountered today. In order for an IP enabled device (e.g., personal computer 103 in home 102a) to establish a service session with a source on the Internet 115, the IP enabled device must first establish an access session with an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model layer 2/3 communications element (e.g., router 114) in an Internet service provider (ISP) network (e.g., ISP network 113) through an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) infrastructure based access provider network (e.g., Access Provider Network 101) with an Internet access device (e.g., DSL modem 104). A private virtual circuit (PVC) is established at layer 2 between the DSL modem and the ISP layer 2/3 communications element (e.g., PVCa 118a between DSL Modem 104 and router 114) through the access provider network. An IP client (not shown) on the IP enabled device (e.g., personal computer 103) secures an IP address from the ISP using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) from a DHCP server (not shown) in communication with the ISP's router. The DHCP server temporarily allocates or leases a unique IP address to the IP client. The IP client may now obtain IP based services available on the ISP network and beyond by sending and receiving packets to and from the ISP's router over the PVC. Sources on the Internet 115 can be reached by also utilizing a communications link between the ISP network and the Internet 115 (e.g., communications link 117).
Referring still to FIG. 1, note that for each IP enabled device (e.g., devices in homes 102b–102n) seeking to establish an Internet access session with the ISP network a separate layer 2 PVC (e.g., PVCb–n 118b–n) is established between each of the ADSL modems and the router in the ISP network. This leads to an ATM network that scales PVCs on the order of subscribers, and because the PVCs are "permanent" virtual circuits, they occupy network resources providing "always on" connections whether the subscribers are actively using them or not. Furthermore, the average bitrate on a given PVC is exceptionally low, partly because of the always on effect, and partly because Internet browsing allows for a great deal of statistical multiplexing. Because ATM infrastructure based access provider networks were not designed with this type of connection in mind though, establishing Internet access sessions with architecture 100 leads to numerous layer 2 PVCs of very limited bandwidth and eventually exhaustion of the ability to create any further layer 2 PVCs—long before the throughput capacity of the ATM switches is reached. In other words, the ATM switches in an ADSL architecture are VC constrained. Moreover, because of the single PVC extending from the IP enabled device to the ISP there is no opportunity for the operator of the access provider network to offer alternate destinations or additional services to the IP enabled devices in architecture 100. In an effort to overcome these limitations and others (such as the security risks associated with DHCP based IP address distribution) inherent in architecture 100 and support a larger number of IP enabled devices and Internet access sessions, the assignee of the present invention developed Internet access architecture 200 depicted in FIG. 2.
In addition to the layer 2 communications elements (e.g., asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switches 108 and 109) utilized in the access provider network 101 of Internet access architecture 100, layer 2/3 communications elements have been added to form access provider network 201 in Internet access architecture 200. Specifically, a plurality of layer 2/3 communications elements (e.g., ingress broadband gateways 202a–n) have been placed after various layer 2 communications elements (e.g., ATM Switch 108) lying near ingress points for access device IP traffic (e.g., IP traffic from personal computer 103), and a plurality of layer 2/3 communications elements (e.g., egress broadband gateway 203a) have been added after layer 2 communications elements (e.g., ATM Switch 109) lying near egress points for access device IP traffic destined for ISP networks (e.g., ISP network 113) linked to access provider network 201. In a preferred embodiment of the invention ATM switch 108 comprises a Lucent CBX 500 multiservice WAN switch, ATM switch 109 comprises a Lucent GX 550 multiservice WAN switch, DSLAM 107 comprises an Alcatel 7300 DSL Access Line Multiplexer, and ingress and egress broadband gateways 202, 203 comprise Nortel 5000 Broadband Service Nodes.
Each of the new layer 2/3 communications elements in access provider network 201 support the creation of layer 3 communications sessions between various communications elements within and without access provider network 201 using layer 3 protocols such as IP. The new layer 2/3 communications elements also support the creation of virtual layer 2 communications sessions or "virtual PVCs" as they were used in network 100, using one or more of the following protocols: Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) over Ethernet (PPPoE), PPP over ATM (PPPoA), Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), and/or Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS) Interface Protocol (SIP). Thus, rather than having a single layer 2 PVC (e.g., PVCa 118a) extending from an access device to an ISP through the access provider network as in architecture 100, with architecture 200 a series of three layer 2 virtual PVCs (e.g., PVC1a 207a, PVC2a 208a, and PVC3a 209a) extend from an access device (e.g., ADSL modem 104) to an ISP (e.g., ISP network 113) through access provider network 201.
The first layer 2 PVC (e.g., PVC1a 207a) extends from an access device (e.g., ADSL modem 103) to one of the added ingress layer 2/3 communications elements (e.g., ingress broadband gateway 202a), and is the only PVC devoted exclusively to a single IP subscriber. Typically the first layer 2 PVC is a user authenticated PPP session. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the first layer 2 PVC is a user authenticated PPPoE session where the IP enabled device (or the operator thereof) supplies a username and domain (e.g., "user1@domain1"). Based on the domain provided, the first layer 2/3 communications element establishes a virtual layer 2 connection using L2TP over the remaining two layer 2 PVCs to reach the appropriate ISP and the ISP provides the IP enabled device an IP address for obtaining IP based services from. This model allows for the creation of access sessions with different ISPs depending on the domain provided by the IP enabled device, albeit not with more than one ISP at the same time. This model also allows IP services to be billed to a particular user on a per access session basis.
The second PVC (e.g., PVC2a 208a) extends from the foregoing ingress layer 2/3 communications element (e.g., Ingress Broadband Gateway 202a) to one of the added egress layer 2/3 communications elements (e.g., Egress Broadband Gateway 203a). Through the use of a tunneling protocol such as L2TP, PPP aggregation occurs at the layer 2/3 ingress communications element and the multiple PPP communications sessions between access devices (e.g., access devices in homes 102b–n) served by the ingress layer 2/3 communications element are funneled into the second PVC. The third PVC (e.g., PVC3a 209a) extends from the foregoing egress layer 2/3 communications element (e.g., Egress Broadband Gateway 203a) to the layer 2/3 communications element in the ISP network. In this embodiment of the invention the layer 2/3 communications element in the ISP network is an LNS capable router (e.g., layer 2/3 communications element 114). Again, through the use of a tunneling protocol such as L2TP, PPP aggregation occurs at the egress layer 2/3 communications element and the multiple PPP communications sessions from multiple L2TP IBG tunnels are concentrated onto a single L2TP tunnel by the egress broadband gateway and are funneled into the third PVC. The third PVC delivers a large (doubly aggregated) L2TP tunnel to the LNS router 114 where the PPP sessions are terminated and IP packets are once again routed normally.
As stated above, the service model for receiving personalized IP based services from sources on the Internet today assumes the exclusive use of an Internet access session by a single user or IP enabled device. This assumption however is increasingly erroneous, particularly in the broadband access space, as more and more homes and other points of access utilize a single Internet access device to support a plurality of IP enabled devices. For instance, many homes and small businesses now have a plurality of IP enabled devices residing on a local area network (LAN) that are supported by a single Internet access device such as a DSL router/modem. It therefore will not be long before each of the IP enabled devices residing on these LANs (and or the users thereof) will seek to secure IP services from more than one source simultaneously, and most likely with differing quality of service (QoS) requirements, over a single network access arrangement. With today's ATM infrastructure based access provider networks (e.g., access provider network 101) and home or small business networking technologies, the latter of which rely on sharing a single IP address and assume routed or layer 3 access provider networks, providing IP services from different ISP sources to different IP enabled devices simultaneously over a single connection to access provider network is not possible. Furthermore, many of the IP enabled devices residing on access point LANs in the future will likely be low function devices (i.e., won't have the ability to run their own PPP stacks, but rather will have firmware that support DHCP based IP address configuration only). Thus, a need exists for systems and methods of providing individualized IP services to a plurality of IP enabled devices, including low function IP enabled devices, simultaneously over a single connection to an access provider network.

System and method for providing network and service access independent of an internet service provider

BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation


A USB flash disk includes a metal head with a cavity, a support received in the cavity and a USB flash disk chip disposed on the support. The support includes an upper support and a lower support. One end of the upper support is connected to an end of the lower support. The upper support and the lower support form a receiving cavity therebetween to receive the USB flash disk chip. The upper support is provided with a latching structure with an opening on an outer surface thereof. The opening is defined at one end of the upper support connected to the lower support. The latching structure includes an inclined block located in a middle portion thereof and a latching groove defined on the latching structure away from the end of the upper support connecting to the lower support. An inner wall of the cavity is provided with a latching block latched in the latching groove. The USB flash disk chip includes an integrated circuit packaged inside configured for storing, the USB flash disk chip is provided with a first set of metal contacts on a surface thereof compliant with the USB interface protocol. The users can independently choose the characteristics of each component of the USB flash disk and then complete the USB flash disk assembly according to their own preferences.

USB flash disk is a portable storage device, due to the feature of plug and play of the USB interface, the USB flash disk has become a necessity in people's daily life.
In the prior art, the final assembly of the USB flash disk is completed in the factory by a specific tool, so users can only choose the type of the USB flash disk that manufacturers assembled for sale, for example, the users can only choose the USB flash disk of a fixed capacity, color, etc., and they can not choose their favorite shell according to their preferences, or can not choose the capacity of the USB flash disk according to their own use, that is, the users can not make the final assembly of the USB flash disk.

USB flash disk and assembly method thereof


An exact distance between the rotating knives and the stationary die plate of a pelletizer can be set and maintained during the entire pelletizing process. The drive shaft for the cutting beams and cutting knives can be heated or cooled and is supported on the knife side in a mobile bearing. As a result of the heating/cooling of the shaft, the shaft is allowed to extend through the mobile bearing in the direction of the knife head, whereby the distance between the die plate and the cutting knives rotating above the plate can be adjusted precisely and within the My range.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,425 discloses a pelletizer in which the plastic material to be pelletized is plasticized by means of an extruder, and thereafter extruded in the form of strands through a die plate. After leaving the die plate, the strands are cut into short pieces by means of rotating cutting knives arranged parallel to the die plate and cooled by means of air or a water bath in order to prevent the pellets from sticking together.
The cutting knives rotating in front of the die plate are mounted on one or several cutting beams. The cutting beams are fixed on a single central shaft that is rotated by means of a motor so that the cutting knives rotate in front of the die plate at a very small distance therefrom and cut and/or pelletize the strands leaving the die plate.
The distance between the rotating cutting, knives and the die plate must not exceed 50-150 My (0.001 mm) in order to obtain a smooth cut. If the distance is greater, the cut pellets will have beards and/or small threads that destroy the free-flowing properties and thus the possibility of metering the pellets, thus rendering a further processing of the pellets more difficult.
When the distance is too great, threads are formed at the pellets, and when it is too small, the wear of the rotating cutting knives is increased to an extent which cannot be tolerated.


A urine bag includes a bag body made of a urine impermeable paper and an absorbing body made of an absorbent material which can absorb urine. The bag body has an open upper end and a middle folding line along which the paper is folded so as to define a front sheet and a back sheet on both sides of the middle folding line. Two sides of the front sheet are coupled with two sides of the back sheet so as to define an accommodating chamber between the front and back sheets. Each of the front and back sheets has a curved end edge and a curved cover folding line between which a generally olive-shaped cover portion is defined. The olive-shaped cover portions of the front and back sheets can be folded to overlap each other so as to close the open upper end of the bag body.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a urine bag, more particularly to a disposable urine bag which can easily corrode after it is thrown away so as not to cause environmental pollution.
2. Description of the Related Art
The improvement of this invention is directed to the conventional urine bag shown in FIG. 1. As illustrated, the conventional urine bag (1) has a urine impermeable bag body (11) made of a soft plastic, a support (12) made of a hard plastic, and an absorbing body (13) made of an absorbent material which can absorb urine. The bag body (11) has an accommodating chamber (111) and an open upper end (112) hot sealed on the support (12). The support (12) has a central hole (121) formed therethrough and is communicated with the accommodating chamber (111). The absorbing body (13) is received in the accommodating chamber (111) of the bag body (11).
Referring to FIG. 2, in use, the support (12) is brought into contact with the user so that urine can flow into the accommodating chamber (111) through the central hole (121) of the support (12). The absorbing body (13) absorbs the urine in the accommodating chamber (111).
The urine bag (1) suffers from the following drawbacks:
(1) Because the urine bag (1) is inexpensive, it is normally thrown away after use. However, it is difficult for the plastic urine bag (1) to corrode, causing inevitable environmental pollution.
(2) After use, if the urine bag (1) is not put in an upright position, the urine flows from the bag body (11). This situation requires improvement from a hygienic standpoint.

Liu-An, Liu-An Li, Chia-Li Chen, Tainen Hsien


A contact toaster has a housing with a product inlet, product outlet and at least one toasting chamber defined in the housing. A heated platen is mounted in the housing and has a platen surface arranged for toasting the food products. A flexible endless belt, which when rotated, is arranged to pass the food products in a toasting path along the platen between the belt and the platen. An infinite controller acts to selectively displace the belt to adjust the distance between the belt and the platen to any value between minimum and maximum distance limits to accommodate food products of different widths. A guide is situated between the belt and the infinite controller so that the controller is in contact with at least one area of the guide. The infinite controller includes a variable distance element with a cam surface which is settable to any selected point of the cam surface between minimum and maximum cam radial limits to move the guide and belt to any belt to a selected platen distance that can have any value equal to or intermediate the maximum and minimum distance limits.

Prior art contact toasters are characterized by one or more toasting chambers, each adapted to receive and transport a food product along a heated platen. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,276, for example, the toaster employs a rotating endless belt in spaced relation to the platen. Food products are inserted in the space between the belt and the platen and transported in a press fit relationship along the platen surface. To achieve the press fit, a guide plate is situated behind the belt. To accommodate food products of different widths, an adjustable abutment member is typically used to adjust the position of the guide plate and hence the distance between the belt and the platen. The adjustable abutment member is a frame mounted on a rod that is rotatable to four distinct positions (as illustrated in FIG. 6) corresponding to four distinct belt to platen distances or food product widths.
Though adequate for some applications, the utility of the four distinct position adjuster disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,276 is limited to food products having a width that is consistent with at least one of the four distinct position adjustments permitted by the abutment member. The problem with this is that it substantially restricts the food products for which the contact toaster may be used.
The present inventors have developed a novel belt platen adjusting mechanism which allows infinite adjustment thereto, thereby allowing the contact toaster to be used for a variety of food products having virtually any reasonable width, e.g., buns made by different manufacturers.
The present invention provides a novel and improved toaster having infinite control between minimum and maximum toaster belt to platen distances.
The toaster embodying the present invention also maintains a selected distance substantially uniformly over the belt area that faces the platen.

Contact toaster with infinite adjustment


An exhaust filtration system that captures dust particles in water is provided. The filtration system removes a substantial part of the dust that is normally discharged into the environment with the air. The system includes: (a) device for filtering contaminated air to substantially remove debris therefrom and to thereby generate an initially filtered air with dust entrained therein; (b) an exhaust filtration system comprising a chamber having an air inlet to admit the initially filtered air into the chamber wherein the chamber contains water; (c) device for causing the initially filtered air to come into contact with the water to trap at least a portion of the dust from the initially filtered air to produce substantially dust-free air; and (d) device for discharging the dust-free air into the atmosphere.

Vacuum cleaners include a variety of types ranging from heavy duty shop-type vacuum cleaners used in, for instance, basements, work rooms, and garages, and canisters and uprights used for medium to heavy-duty cleaning floors and floor coverings, furniture, and draperies, to the so-called stick-type vacuum cleaners which are used for light-duty dirt pick-up such as kitchen floors, and some light carpet cleaning.
Typically in conventional vacuum cleaners the air in the cleaner casing is discharged by a motor fan, so that the pressure in the casing is lower than atmospheric pressure. A high speed air stream is formed by this air pressure differential, causing the corrupt air including dust to be inhaled through a dust in-let plate and flexible hose with an air suction hole, and passed to a filter unit with a solid filter of paper or cloth. As the fine pores of the air filter are clogged by dust, the intake air power of the machine declines rapidly. Most of the large particles of dust are intercepted by the filter but micro particles are passed through the filter with the air and returned to diffuse back into the room. Thus, the room air becomes more turbid and harmful to health.

Exhaust filtration system for vacuum cleaners


One aspect relates to saving and retrieving view-specific information that facilitates views to be saved and retrieved within an interface of a computer system. View-relevant information associated with a visual context of the computer system is saved in memory or other medium, allowing the information to be retrieved in an easy manner. In one embodiment, a computer system displays a thumbnail representation of a specific graphical view, and permits the user to select the representation, causing the system to navigate to the specific graphical view. In this way, the visual context of the computer system can be restored.

There exist many applications that save references, commonly referred to as "bookmarks" to content, such as files, documents, video, and web pages, among others. Such bookmarks are generally text-based references to the content, such as a title or filename of a document or other content, that when selected by a user, permits the application to load or otherwise access the selected document or other content. Such bookmarks may exist, for example, in commonly-known applications such as the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser application, which allows "favorite" bookmarks to Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) to be stored by a user and retrieved at a later time. Such URLs are addresses that identify a location of a Web page or other content. Further, other applications may use a similar bookmarking feature that saves references to various contents. For instance, word processing packages such as the well-known Microsoft Word word processing package may allow users to open documents recently opened by selecting a name of a previously-accessed file within a dialog box displayed in a window displayed by the application, or by accessing the previously-accessed file from a file menu.
Graphical modeling languages may be used to graphically describe and program a system. Such languages are various, and may include, for example, graphical modeling environments such as those provided by the Simulink® software product. In particular, the Simulink product may assist in simplifying the process of designing, simulating, and implementing dynamic systems. Tools provided in such software environments generally permit a user to create a graphical representation of a system, such as statistical diagrams, timing diagrams, and other similar graphical elements that can be used to describe system behavior.

Method and apparatus for performing viewmarking


A processor that includes an execution pipeline that executes a programmed flow of instructions is provided. The processor also includes an instruction pointer generator configured to generate an instruction pointer. Furthermore, the processor includes a branch prediction circuit configured to receive the instruction pointer. In response to the instruction pointer, the branch prediction circuit is configured to determine if an instruction corresponding to the instruction pointer includes a branch that is predicted taken and if so to provide to said execution pipeline a target instruction corresponding to said instruction. The branch prediction circuit provides to the execution pipeline at least one target instruction corresponding to the instruction corresponding to the instruction pointer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of microprocessors. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for performing branch predictions in a microprocessor.
2. Description of Related Art
State-of-the-art microprocessors often employ pipelining to enhance performance. Within a pipelined microprocessor, functional units necessary for executing different stages of an instruction are operated simultaneously on multiple instructions to achieve a degree of parallelism leading to performance increases over non-pipelined microprocessors. As an example, an instruction fetch unit, an instruction decode unit and an instruction execution unit of a pipelined microprocessor may operate simultaneously. During one clock cycle, the instruction execution unit executes a first instruction while the instruction decode unit decodes a second instruction and the fetch unit fetches a third instruction. During a next clock cycle, the execution unit executes the newly decoded instruction while the instruction decode unit decodes the newly fetched instruction and the fetch unit fetches yet another instruction. In this manner, neither the fetch unit nor the decode unit need wait for the execution unit to execute the last instruction before processing new instructions. In state-of-the-art microprocessors, the steps necessary to fetch and execute an instruction are sub-divided into a larger number of stages to achieve a deeper degree of pipelining.
A pipelined microprocessor operates most efficiently when instructions are executed in the sequence in which the instructions appear in memory. However, such is typically not the case. Rather, computer programs typically include a large number of branch instructions which, upon execution, may cause instructions to be executed in a sequence other than as the sequence set forth in memory. More specifically, when a branch instruction is executed, execution continues either with the next sequential instruction from memory or execution jumps to an instruction specified at a "branch target" address. The branch specified by the instruction is said to be "Taken" if execution jumps and "Not Taken" if execution continues with the next sequential instruction from memory.
Branch instructions are either unconditional or conditional. An unconditional branch is Taken every time the instruction is executed. A conditional branch instruction is Taken or Not Taken depending upon resolution of a condition such as a logic statement. Instructions to be executed following a conditional branch are not known with certainty until the condition upon which the branch depends has been resolved. However, rather than wait until the condition is resolved, state-of-the-art microprocessors perform branch prediction whereby the microprocessor tries to determine whether the branch will be Taken or Not Taken and, if Taken, to predict or otherwise determine the target address for the branch. If the branch is predicted to be Not Taken, the microprocessor fetches and speculatively executes the next instruction in memory. If the branch is predicted to be Taken, the microprocessor fetches and speculatively executes the instruction found at the predicted branch target address. The instructions executed following the branch prediction are "speculative" because the microprocessor does not yet know whether the prediction will be correct or not. Accordingly, any operations caused to be performed by the speculative instructions cannot be fully completed. For example, if a memory write operation is performed speculatively, the write operation cannot be forwarded to external memory until all previous branch conditions are resolved otherwise the instruction may improperly alter the contents of the memory based on a mispredicted branch.
If the branch prediction is ultimately determined to be correct, the speculatively executed instructions are retired or otherwise committed. For the example of a memory write retired, the write operation is forwarded to external memory. If the branch prediction is ultimately found to be incorrect, then any speculatively executed instructions following the mispredicted branch are typically flushed from the system. For the memory write example, the write is not forwarded to external memory but rather is discarded.
To expedite branch prediction, some state-of-the-art microprocessors include a branch prediction table (BPT) which provides a cache of the most recently predicted branches along with corresponding prediction information such as a brief history of previous executions and/or predictions for that branch and the success thereof. In one embodiment of a pipelined microprocessor that has a branch prediction circuit that incorporates a BPT, an Instruction Pointer Generator (IPG) generates an instruction pointer specifying a new instruction to BPT and to an Instruction Cache (IC) which stores instructions. In many implementations of pipeline microprocessors, the BPT is accessed using a tag value provided within the instruction pointer and corresponding to tag values employed by the IC for identifying cache lines therein.
The branch prediction circuit may also include a Target Address Cache (TAC) which includes addresses of target instructions where a branch may be taken if the BPT predicts that a branch is taken. The IPG also drives the instruction pointer to the TAC. If a branch is determined to be taken, the TAC drives an address of a target instruction (target address) to the instruction pointer generator (IPG). The target address driven by the TAC to the IPG is decoded and then used as a regular instruction pointer to fetch a corresponding target instruction from the IC. In such a way, a fetch unit that may include the IC, restarts fetching instructions from the new target address.
However, for microprocessors operating at higher speeds "pipeline bubbles" may occur due to the fact that the speed of the microprocessor does not afford the fetching of a target instruction in the next pipeline stage after the issuance of the instruction pointer and the propagation time of the target address through the IPG. In the example described herein, the instruction pointer is generated in the first stage and a result of a determination of "branch taken" is generated during the second stage due to the time it takes to determine whether a branch is taken. A "pipeline bubble" is defined as a pipeline stage during which the result of the operation of a functional unit of the pipeline is later discarded (flushed) by the microprocessor as not being meaningful.
A "pipeline bubble," for example, may occur if the IPG does not timely receive information from the BPT, indicating that a branch is taken, before the beginning of the second pipeline stage to redirect the instruction stream to the target instruction in the second pipeline stage. In conventional microprocessors, the IPG generates a new instruction pointer in the second pipeline stage, by incrementing the previous instruction pointer. The instruction pointer generated by the IPG in the second pipeline stage is meaningless for the sequence of instructions the microprocessor executes, as the correct instruction's pointer should point to the target instruction and not to an instruction following the instruction the pointer therewith was generated in the first stage. A "pipeline bubble" thus occurs at the instruction pointer generation stage in the second stage. In the third pipeline stage, the bubble propagates to the IC as the instruction fetched from the IC in the third pipeline stage, most likely, is not the target instruction. Only in a fourth pipeline stage a target instruction fetched from the IC is made available to a pipeline execution circuit.
The introduction of a one-cycle "pipeline bubble" into the pipeline causes a one-cycle penalty for every branch correctly predicted taken. Hence, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for providing a target instruction to an execution pipeline circuit without incurring a one-cycle penalty for every branch correctly predicted taken due to the introduction of a pipeline "bubble" in the pipeline stages when a branch is predicted taken.


A method of fabricating a rechargeable battery having an electrode assembly, a PCB and a battery case, wherein the electrode assembly is connected to the PCB, the method including preparing a PCB having a first surface with an external contact terminal formed thereon and having a second surface with a conductive feature formed thereon, wherein the conductive feature is electrically connected to the external contact terminal through a conductive trace, and plating the external contact terminal by electrically connecting a plating electrode to the conductive feature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rechargeable battery. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rechargeable battery, a printed circuit board for the same and a method of fabricating the rechargeable battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, many types of high-capacity rechargeable batteries have been developed. Representative examples of widely-used rechargeable batteries include, e.g., nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, lithium (Li) polymer batteries, and lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries. Rechargeable batteries are formed of a bare cell, or multiple bare cells, encased in a battery case, wherein each bare cell has electrodes, e.g., an anode and a cathode, and an electrolyte.
Rechargeable batteries may store a large amount of energy when in a charged state. Further, the rechargeable batteries may be capable of delivering the stored charge rapidly, i.e., they may be capable of a high current output. While desirable for the intended use, the presence of this large amount of stored energy may prove hazardous if the battery is mishandled or malfunctions.
During charging, the rechargeable battery is typically charged with energy from an external energy source, e.g., an external electrical supply. The external energy source may be capable of delivering large amounts of energy to the rechargeable battery in a short period of time. Thus, the recharging operation has the potential to generate hazardous conditions under certain circumstances. For example, if a charged rechargeable battery is short-circuited, or a short circuit occurs during charging, a large amount of the stored energy of the rechargeable battery may be output abruptly and rapidly. This can result in hazards such as fires or explosions.
In order to reduce the risk of such hazards, various safety devices may be provided for the rechargeable battery. When an abnormal current or voltage of the rechargeable battery is detected, e.g., due to an increase in temperature, excessive charging or discharging, etc., the safety devices can block the output of abnormal current from the rechargeable battery or otherwise prevent the development of dangerous conditions. As one type of the safety device, a separator or a vent may be provided to the bare cell of the rechargeable battery. Other types of safety devices may also be provided, external to the bare cell. For instance, a protective circuit may be provided external to the bare cell.
The protective circuit may be connected to at least one electrode terminal of the bare cell via one or more conductive members. The protective circuit may be configured to detect abnormal current or voltage and block the abnormal current or voltage, in order to prevent excessive charging or discharging of the battery. Other types of safety devices may also be provided, e.g., positive temperature coefficient (PTC) devices, fuses, bimetallic members, etc., which operate by reacting to excessive heat caused by abnormal current.
The bare cell and the safety device(s) may be enclosed in a case to complete the rechargeable battery. In some instances, the safety devices may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), which may also include various other active and passive devices related to battery charging, monitoring, status, etc. The PCB may be physically bonded to the bare cell using, e.g., a resin, which is known as a hot melt method.
The PCB may be a multi-layered PCB, having the two major exterior surfaces formed of conductive layers and one or more interior conductive layers interleaved with a plurality of insulating layers. Conductive traces may be formed from the interior conductive layer, and conductive features such as contact terminals, bonding terminals, and conductive traces may be formed on the two exterior conductive layers. The contact terminals may be used for, e.g., making reversible contact between the board and an external charging apparatus, a portable electronic device, test probes, etc. The bonding terminals may be used for soldering various components to the PCB, e.g., wires, integrated circuit chips (ICs) and other active devices, passive devices such as resistors, etc. The bonding terminals may also be provided on the interior conductive layer, with the components being soldered thereto using through holes or blind vias.
Further details of a typical protective circuit and associated PCB will now be described. In general, an external contact terminal may be formed on an outer surface of the PCB. The external contact terminal may be exposed to the outside of the rechargeable battery case and may be used to, e.g., reversibly electrically connect the battery to an external energy source, e.g., an electric supply, electronic battery charger, etc., in order to charge the battery. The external contact terminal may be formed on a first surface of the PCB, i.e., an outer or exposed surface. The protective circuit may be mounted to a second surface of the PCB, i.e., an internal surface, so as to be enclosed in the battery case.
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic plan view of an outer surface of a conventional rechargeable battery PCB, and FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic plan view of an opposite or inner surface of the PCB of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 the outer surface of the PCB 10 may include one or more exposed external contact terminals 20, which, as noted above, may be used to couple the battery to a charging apparatus. Referring to FIG. 2, the inner surface of the PCB 10 may include conductive features 30 and 40. Conductive features 40 may be, e.g., bonding terminals.
The external contact terminal 20 may be disposed on the outer surface of the PCB and may be exposed to the exterior of the rechargeable battery. To reduce the contact resistance between the external contact terminal 20 and an external apparatus in contact therewith, the external contact terminal 20 may be plated with, e.g., with gold or silver.
In order to plate the external contact terminal 20, a plating electrode of a plating power supply may be connected to the external contact terminal 20. However, if the plating electrode is placed in direct contact with the external contact terminal 20, a portion of the external contact terminal 20 under the plating electrode may not get plated, or uniform plating may be difficult to attain. Therefore, the conventional PCB 10 may utilize a plating lead-in line 22, which may extend across the outer surface of the PCB 10 from the external contact terminal 20. The plating electrode may then be coupled to the plating lead-in line 22 at some distance from the external contact terminal 20, thereby providing the necessary electrical connection to the external contact terminal 20 while avoiding marring the plating thereof.
In detail, a plurality of the plating lead-in lines 22 may be provided, each of which is connected to an external contact terminal 20. The plating lead-in lines 22 may be formed in a branch or tree pattern. That is, a main plating lead-in line may be provided for connection with the plating electrode, and the main plating lead-in line may then split or branch into a plurality of plating lead-in lines 22, each individually connected to an individual external contact terminal 20. The main plating lead-in line may be located in on a region of the surface of the PCB 10 that allows for connection with the plating electrode without affecting the plating of the external contact terminal 20. Additionally, before the plating process, some portions of the PCB 10 may be excluded from plating by covering them with a solder mask, such that they are protected from the plating solution, while the external contact terminal 20 and at least some of the plating lead-in line 22 is exposed, so as to be plated.
After the plating is complete, the plating lead-in line 22 tree structure may be sectioned by removing, e.g., cutting off, a portion of the PCB 10 that carries the lead-in lines. At least some portion of the tree structure may have to be removed in order to eliminate conductive pathways between the external contact terminals 20. Otherwise, short circuits will result from the plating lead-in lines 22 tying together multiple external contact terminals 20.
Finally, the resulting PCB 10 and the bare cell may be assembled and enclosed in the battery case. The PCB 10 and bare cell may be molded in the battery case so as to expose the external contact terminal 20.
A problem with the above-described approach is that portions of the plating lead-in lines 22 may not be completely removed. That is, referring to FIG. 1, portions of the plating lead-in lines 22 may not be completely removed from the PCB 10 and may remain around the external contact terminals 20. These remaining portions may give the external contact terminals 20 a defective appearance and/or cause short-circuits with adjacent conductive elements.
For example, in forming the rechargeable battery so that the external contact terminal 20 is exposed, the PCB 10 may be misaligned and some portions of the plating lead-in lines 22 may be exposed. Additionally, the portions of the plating lead-in lines 22 may be disposed next to the edge of the PCB 10, making them susceptible to short-circuits with conductive elements disposed adjacent to the PCB 10.

Rechargeable battery, printed circuit board therefor, and method of fabricating the same


Disclosed is a composition comprising, consisting essentially of, consisting of, or produced from polyvinyl chloride, filler, and an impact strength-retaining amount of a modifier wherein the modifier includes is or an ethylene copolymer, an acid anhydride- or acid monoester-modified polyolefin, or combinations thereof. Also disclosed is a process comprising combining an impact strength-retaining amount of a modifier to a blend that comprises or is produced by combining a rigid PVC and one or more fillers. The combining is carried out under a condition sufficient to prevent or minimize the reduction of impact strength of the blend, to reduce the molten viscosity of the blend, or to minimize the loss in stiffness (flexural modulus) of the blend, in comparison to the unmodified blend.

Almost all PVC that is used in extruded profiles (windows, siding, and doors) is impact-modified to some extent. Recently there has been an increased interest in composition of wood and PVC, particularly for use in home siding applications. Such composites are highly desirable because they resemble traditional wood siding. Moreover, such composition raises the sag temperature of PVC and thus permits the use of dark colors in the composite siding. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,011,091, 6,103,791, and 6,066,680, and US Patent Application 2003/0229160.
To broaden markets and opportunities for PVC, various reinforcing fillers such as fiberglass or minerals are compounded into rigid PVC formulations in order to increase the stiffness (flexural modulus) of the polymer. Unfortunately, other physical properties are degraded by the addition of the reinforcing filler, usually in direct proportion to the amount of such filler that is added. Consequently, end users of the rigid PVC formulations are constantly searching for additives that prevent or minimize the reduction of such desirable properties. It is also desirable to prevent or minimize the loss of impact properties of the PVC, to improve or reduce the molten viscosity, or to minimize the loss in stiffness of PVC (as compared to the unmodified PVC).

Composition comprising polyvinyl chloride and ethylene copolymer


A golf cub comprising a head, a shaft assembly and a shaft attachment assembly. The head includes a body which includes a face and a back. The shaft assembly includes a shaft member. The shaft attachment assembly includes a primary plug assembly. The primary plug assembly includes a primary plug to which the shaft member is attached, and, a member which facilitates rotatably positioning of the primary plug relative to the back of the head, to, in turn, vary the angle of the shaft member relative to the back of the head.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed primarily to the sport of golf, and, more particularly to golf clubs associated with the sport. The particular club disclosed and claimed pertains to one that has an adjustable shaft angle such that the golf club can be adjusted and tuned for a particular user. The invention is shown primarily with respect to putters, however, the principles of the invention may be applied to other clubs.
2. Background Art
Golf clubs, and, in particular, putters have long been known in the art. Countless designs for golf clubs have been developed to provide certain advantages. Among other features, it has been found that a proper fitting club is highly advantageous to a golfer. Inasmuch as different players have different heights, arm lengths, postures, etc., to provide a custom club, a user must have access to machinery or a large number of different configurations (i.e., a large inventory).
It would be highly advantageous if a club had a range of adjustment so that a single club could be modified (i.e., adjusted) to a number of different orientations. In turn, a single set of components could be suitable for a number of differently shaped and sized golfers. As a result, the quantity of specialized parts and the inventory that would be maintained by a golf club fitter could be greatly reduced.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a golf club which includes components which permit a certain amount of adjustment, to, in turn, provide a perfect fit for a number of golfers having differing measurements.
It is another object of the invention to provide a custom golf club fit with components that fit a wide variety of users of different measurements.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims, and drawings.

Golf club having an adjustable shaft angle


A method and an apparatus for encoding a polar code concatenated with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), where M bits are selected from K bits in the sequence to perform CRC encoding. The M bits are determined based on reliability of K polarized subchannels on which the K bits are placed and/or row weights of K rows, in a first matrix, corresponding to the K polarized subchannels on which the K bits are placed. The first matrix is an encoding matrix of polar encoding. Polar encoding is performed on the K bits and obtained CRC check bits. An encoded codeword is output.

As a most fundamental radio access technology, channel encoding plays a critical role in ensuring reliable data transmission. In an existing wireless communications system, channel encoding is usually performed using a turbo code, a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code, and a polar code. The polar code (which is also referred to as a polarization code) is an encoding scheme based on channel polarization. The polar code is the first and the only well-proved channel encoding method currently that can "reach" a channel capacity. In a case of different code lengths, particularly for a finite code, performance of the polar code is far better than that of the turbo code and the LDPC code. In addition, the polar code has relatively low computational complexity in terms of encoding and decoding. These advantages enable the polar code to have great development and application prospects in the communications field. However, with rapid evolution of a wireless communications system, these communication scenarios have a higher requirement on the performance of the polar code.

Method and apparatus for encoding polar code concatenated with CRC code


A light source package includes a light source, a lens for collimating the light from the light source, and a support member for supporting the light source and the lens so that the optical axis of the lens is set to a desired position relative to the light source. The support member includes a compensating device for compensating the lens for deviation of the optical axis of the lens resulting from a difference in the coefficients of linear thermal expansion between the lens and the support member when the ambient temperature changes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light source package used in such optical systems as a photocopier, a laser printer, or similar image forming apparatus, and to an image forming apparatus using the light source package.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional image forming apparatus have a light source and a lens supported by a lens support member in the housing and compensate the lens for changes in focal length and refractive index resulting from the thermal expansion and contraction of the lens by utilizing the thermal expansion and contraction of the housing. Examples of such packages are disclosed in Japanese laid-open Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. Hei 3(1991)-179420 and Hei 3(1991)-179421.
However, while such conventional apparatus compensate the lens for changes in the focal length and refractive index of the lens when an ambient temperature changes, the ambient temperature change also causes the optical axis of the lens to deviate from the normal optical axis position if the lens and the lens support member are made from materials with different thermal expansion coefficients. Such a deviation in optical axis prevents images from being properly formed.
This is particularly a problem in a multi-beam image forming apparatus in which optical beams from plural laser sources are converted into optical beams for image formation by using corresponding lenses so that the plural laser beams simultaneously scan the object in parallel. When the optical axis of each lens becomes offset from the axis of the light source, the scanned positions on the object tend to move close to or apart from each other, and normal image formation is thus prevented.

Light source package incorporating thermal expansion compensating device and image forming apparatus using the same


The subject lighting system (1) generally comprises a fixture body assembly (10); a face assembly (5) coupled to the fixture body assembly (10) to extend at least partially over a channel (15) defined thereby; a flexible reflective member (20) disposed in the channel (15) formed by the fixture body assembly (10) to define a reflective surface; and, a light source (60) disposed adjacent a base portion of the reflective surface. The fixture body assembly (10) includes a longitudinally extended inside base surface (14) and at least a pair of laterally opposed inner side surfaces (13) transversely oriented relative to the inside base surface (14), such that the inner side and inside base surfaces define the longitudinally extended channel (15). The face assembly (5) extends at least partially over the channel (15), and includes a light transmissive portion (72). The reflective member (20) is defectively retained by the face and fixture body assemblies (5, 10) to define a reflective surface concavely arcuate in sectional contour, with the base portion of its reflective surface being supported by the fixture body assembly's inside base surface (14). The light emitted by the light source (60) in this system (1) is directed in a substantially wide angle illumination pattern through the light transmissive portion (72) of the face assembly (5).

1. Field of the Invention
The subject lighted sign fixture having reflective surface is generally directed to a lighting system capable of visually presenting a bright, visually crisp, and contrasting wide angle illumination pattern through a light transmissive portion of a given sign. More specifically, the lighted sign fixture is one whose simple structure permits easy and convenient fabrication while maintaining a quadratic curvature in its reflective surface. The lighted sign for the fixture provides a simple retentive structure for maintaining a flexible reflective member in this manner.
2. Prior Art
Lamp lighting systems are known in the art, as are lighted sign fixtures having reflective surfaces. One such lighting system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,223, issued Apr. 23, 1996 to Applicant. The lighting system disclosed in that Patent is highly effective in providing a substantially constant illumination density for a brightly visible emission of light through a sign member. For ease and economy of manufacture, as well as for optimum reconfigurability and serviceability in the field, there is still a need for a simpler lighting fixture which provides such structural advantages while preserving the brightness of sign illumination.
A proper contour must be preserved for the lamp system's reflective surface if the proper illumination effect is to be generated and consistently maintained. In known lighting systems, the reflective member is formed of a material pre-formed with the required surface contour. Alternatively, the reflective surface is formed by a coating or other laminate applied to a rigid backing having such pre-formed contour. The need to pre-form and/or pre-assemble the reflective surface contour in each of these cases not only burdens manufacturability and cost, but the fixed nature of the structural components impedes the ready maintenance and repair of such lighting fixture.
Hence, there remains a need in the art for a lighting system wherein the arcuate reflective surface contour required for a given application may be conveniently and quickly realized, even without the need for pre-shaping, pre-forming, or pre-assembly of reflective surface components.

Lighted sign fixture having reflective surface


A method is disclosed for fabricating an LED The method includes providing an LED chip having an epitaxial region comprising at least a p-type layer and an n-type layer, an ohmic contact formed on at least one of the p-type layer or the n-type layer, and a bond pad formed on the ohmic contact. The bond pad has a total volume less than about 3×10−5 mm3. The LED chip is bonded to a submount via thermocompression or thermosonic bonding.

The present invention relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to light emitting diodes mounted to a submount in a junction-down configuration.
GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) typically comprise an insulating or semiconducting substrate such as SiC or sapphire on which a plurality of GaN-based epitaxial layers are deposited. The epitaxial layers comprise an active region having a p-n junction that emits light when energized. A typical LED is mounted substrate side down onto a submount, also called a package or lead frame (hereinafter referred to as a "submount"). FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a conventional LED having an n-type SiC substrate 10, an active region 12 comprising an n-GaN-based layer 14 and a p-GaN-based layer 16 grown on the substrate and patterned into a mesa. A metal p-electrode 18 is deposited on the p-GaN layer 16 and a wire bond connection 28 is made to a bond pad 20 on the p-electrode 18. An n-electrode 22 on the conductive substrate is attached to metallic submount 24 using a conductive epoxy 26. In the conventional process, the conductive epoxy 26 (usually silver epoxy) is deposited on the submount and the LED is pressed into the epoxy 26. The epoxy is then heat cured which causes it to harden, providing a stable and electrically conductive mount for the LED chip. A substantial amount of the light generated in the active region 12 may be transmitted into the substrate and absorbed by the epoxy 26.
Junction-down (or "flip-chip") mounting of LEDs involves mounting the LED onto the submount substrate side up. Light is then extracted and emitted through the transparent substrate. Junction-down mounting may be an especially desirable technique for mounting SiC-based LEDs. Since SiC has a higher index of refraction than GaN, light generated in the active region does not internally reflect (i.e. reflect back into the GaN-based layers) at the GaN/SiC interface. Junction-down mounting of SiC-based LEDs may improve the effect of certain chip-shaping techniques known in the art. Junction-down packaging of SiC LEDs may have other benefits as well, such as improved heat dissipation, which may be desirable depending on the particular application for the chip.
One problem with junction-down mounting is illustrated in FIG. 5. Namely, when a chip is mounted junction-down on a conductive submount or package using conventional techniques, a conductive die attach material 26 is deposited on the chip and/or on the submount 24, and the chip is pressed into the submount 24. Alternatively, the conductive die attach material 26 may comprise a solder such as Sn or Au/Sn in which case the chip is bonded to the submount 24 by thermocompression bonding.
Thermocompression bonding is a technique whereby a device is mounted to a substrate or submount using heat and pressure, thereby creating a conductive bond between the device and the submount. Typically, a vacuum collet is used to pick up the device and physically place it in contact with a submount that is formed of a material with which the solder used may form an alloy. Once the device is in contact with the submount, force is applied to the device through the collet. Through a combination of heat and pressure, the solder becomes alloyed with the submount and the device is welded in place. In order to form such a bond, the device must include a metal pad layer made of a metal such as Sn that will form an alloy bond with the submount when heat and pressure are applied. Other metals and alloys having a sufficiently low melting point are Au/Sn, Pb/Sn, and Ag/Sn may be used. Some suitable submount materials are silver and gold.
Typical thermocompression processes utilize a minimum force of about 30 to 50 g to cause the die to become bonded to the submount. However, this force may cause some of the molten bond metal to squeeze out and form a shunt circuit between the n-type substrate and the submount around the p-n junction, degrading the device operation.
Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the conductive die attach material 26 can squeeze out and make contact with the n-type layers 14 and 10 in the device, thereby forming a Schottky diode connection that short-circuits the p-n junction in the active region with predictably undesirable results. Thus, improvements in the design of LEDs may be desirable for improved junction-down mounting.

LED bonding structures and methods of fabricating LED bonding structures