A method for solidification or encapsulation of compositions containing a substantially continuous aqueous phase comprising uniformly incorporating into said compositions core-shell polymer particles and subsequently neutralizing said polymer particles by incorporating into said compositions an organic or inorganic base. The neutralized polymer particles swell and absorb substantially all of said aqueous phase.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of solidification or encapsulation of aqueous-containing compositions. The compositions can be any containing a continuous aqueous phase such as slurries of ion exchange resins, cements, clays, pigments and other dissolved or suspended materials. These aqueous-containing compositions can be completely solidified by the present invention for effective disposal. The invention also has utility in encapsulating biologically-active and chemically-active materials for controlled release of same. The invention has further utility as a drying agent for aqueous-based coatings and adhesives.
II. Relevant Art
Processes for solidifying wastes are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,901 discloses a method for encapsulating liquid or finely-divided solid waste by uniformly dispersing the waste in a liquid thermosettable polymer composition and thereafter curing the waste/polymer under thermal and catalytic conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,560 discloses a method of treating radioactive waste by introducing the waste solution in a hot, inert, liquid carrier, flashing off the volatile solvents, and coalescing the solid waste particles with a polymeric binder which cures at ambient or elevated temperatures. U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,026 describes a process for encapsulating radioactive organic liquids by contact with insoluble, swellable polymer particles and subsequently a curable liquid resin which is cured to a solid state. U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,723 teaches a method of encapsulation of ion exchange resins by mixing with 1) boric acid or nitrate or sulfate salts, 2) a fouling agent and basic accelerator, and 3) cement. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,783 describes solidification of radioactive wastes using a composition comprising unsaturated polyesters. All of the above methods are greatly limited in the amount of liquid material which can be solidified or encapsulated by a given amount of solidifier or encapsulant (i.e. typically in the range of about 1:1 to about 2:1 parts by weight liquid material to solidifier or encapsulant).
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,427,836 and 4,468,498 disclose core-sheath polymers which are swellable by bases and useful as opacifying or thickening agents in water-based coating compositions. Applicants have surprisingly discovered that polymer particles similar to those described in the U.S. Pat. No. '836 and U.S. Pat. No. '498 patents can be used to solidify aqueous-containing compositions, such as waste products, and to encapsulate biologically-active or chemically-active materials for controlled release.

Method for solidification and encapsulation using core-shell polymer particles


A waveform generator digitally synthesizes a waveform having a plurality of successive portions that can each be as short as one mono-cycle of the waveform, or a part of one mono-cycle. The waveform generator changes at least one of a frequency, a phase and an amplitude of the waveform between each successive pair of the portions thereof. A method includes digitally synthesizing a waveform having a plurality of successive portions that can each be as short as one mono-cycle of the waveform, or a part of one mono-cycle, including changing at least one of a frequency, a phase and an amplitude of the waveform between each successive pair of the portions thereof.

Over the years, a variety of types of waveform generators have been developed. One type of waveform generator is configured to generate a waveform in which the frequency, phase and/or amplitude changes from mono-cycle to mono-cycle, or even within a single mono-cycle. Existing waveform generators of this type have been implemented using analog circuitry, where phase and/or amplitude changes are often made using microwave phase shifters and attenuators, and frequency changes are often made using a signal generator having a degree of capability for frequency variation. While analog circuits of this type have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been satisfactory in all respects.
In this regard, an analog waveform generator of this type is relatively complex and expensive, and is usually hardwired to produce a particular waveform. Consequently, the typical analog generator has little or no flexibility to permit variation of the waveform that it generates. When an analog waveform generator of this type is constructed in mass quantities, there will tend to be operational variations from unit to unit, due to analog considerations such as mismatch and drift of radio-frequency (RF) components within the analog circuitry. In addition, even for a single unit, accurate and dependable operation is difficult to obtain across all desired operating conditions, including temperature variations, due to factors such as the mismatch and drift of the RF components.

Method and apparatus for generation of arbitrary mono-cycle waveforms


An optical position-measuring device is described, that includes a scale and a scanning unit movable relative thereto, a light source, one or more scanning graduations, at least one opto-electronic detector element and a mirror lens arranged downstream of the light source. The mirror lens includes a plane reflector surface and two partial surface areas having different radii of curvature. The beams entering through a first partial surface area impinge on the reflector surface and are reflected from the reflector surface in the direction of the second partial surface area. A collimated beam exists subsequent to exiting the second partial surface area.

Conventional optical position-measuring devices usually include a measuring graduation as well as a scanning unit, which is movable relative thereto in the measuring direction. On the side of the scanning unit, there is generally a light source, collimator optics, one or a plurality of scanning graduations as well as one or a plurality of opto-electronic detector elements. The position-measuring devices, in particular the scanning unit, are often required to be as compact as possible. These requirements can be fulfilled by guiding the scanning beam in an appropriate manner. In particular, folded scanning beam paths are advantageous, which, in addition to the components described above, further include one or a plurality of deflector or reflector elements disposed on the side of the scanning unit.
German Patent 26 15 676 describes an optical position-measuring device having a folded scanning beam path. The collimator optics and a deflector element are integrated in a single optical component. The component having the optical double function in the scanning beam path can be a mirror lens. However, details of the mirror lens, in particular with respect to its manufacture, are not described in this patent. According to this patent, the proposed mirror lens provides deflection and collimation of the beams of light, but has a relatively large unit volume. Also, due to the proposed optical path in the mirror lens, light cannot be prevented from reaching the collimator optics directly from the light source, without any previous deflection of these beams of rays. Consequently, a desired pupil separation is not guaranteed when using this component for folding the scanning beam path.
A similar mirror lens in the folded scanning beam path of an optical position-measuring device is also known from German Patent 36 09 211 A1. A disadvantage of this design of a mirror lens is// that two reflector surfaces are required to produce the desired deflection. However, highly exact reflector surfaces require a considerable effort during manufacture, similar to the manufacture of two spatially separated, curved lens surfaces via which the scanning beam enters and exits.
The present invention is an optical position-measuring device which includes a scanning unit having a compact design. The optical components in the scanning beam path ensure a good signal quality of the resulting scanning signals, and also can be manufactured in a simple manner.
In one embodiment, the invention is an optical position-measuring device having a scale and a scanning unit movable relative thereto, comprising a light source, a plurality of scanning graduations, at least one opto-electronic detector element, a mirror lens disposed downstream of the light source, and a single plane reflector surface formed on the mirror lens. The invention also includes a first and a second partial surface portion of the mirror lens, the first partial surface portion having a different curvature than the second partial surface, disposed opposite of the single plane reflector surface such that beams of light entering the mirror lens through the first partial surface portion impinge on the reflector surface and are reflected towards the second partial surface portion. The curvatures of the first and second partial surface portions are selected such that a collimated beam of light exits the second partial surface area, and that optical axes of the first and second partial surface portions intersect one another in a plane of the reflector surface.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the scanning unit includes a mirror lens which, in addition to the optical collimation effect, allows the scanning beam path to be deflected or folded. The exemplary mirror lens has only a single plane reflector surface, opposite of which two partial surface areas having differently curved surfaces are arranged. In each case, one optically active partial surface area is allocated to the incident beams, and the other to the emergent beams. The different partial surface areas are preferably designed as optically active or imaging asphere, which results in a larger usable image field angle.
Due to the folding of the scanning beam path according to the present invention, the desired compact design of the optical position-measuring device is obtained. The mirror lens required for this design is easy to manufacture, which results from the approximated piano-convex shape of the mirror lens which ensures a simple moldability of the two partial areas having different optical properties. The mirror lens can be manufactured both from glass or from plastic. The mirror lens is preferably manufactured by one-sided glass pressing, i.e., the convex side of the mirror lens having the two differently curved partial areas is pressed, whereas the plane side having the reflector surface is polished. During manufacture, it is thus possible to form the reflecting plane surface markedly more precisely, or truer in shape, than the convex lens surface.
The design of the mirror lens also guarantees a good quality of the scanning beam, in particular a good collimation of the beam.
Further advantages and details of the present invention are revealed by the following description of an exemplary embodiment of an optical position-measuring device, on the basis of the enclosed drawings.


An electronic voting system includes an optical-disk cartridge adapted to store election data and ballots therein, a plurality of precinct computing units corresponding to geographical precincts in an election, and a headquarter computing unit remote from the precinct computing unit and corresponding to a geographical county in an election. The precinct and headquarter computing units include optical disk drives for receiving and accessing the optical-disk cartridge. The precinct computing unit is connected to a display for transmitting the election data to the voters and for receiving the ballots cast by the voters. The optical-disk cartridge is transportable between the precinct computing unit and the headquarter computing unit to communicate the election data and ballots therebetween.

This invention relates in general to electronic voting systems and more specifically to an electronic voting system including an electronic optical medium for storing data thereon.
Until recently, elections for public office have been typically carried out using a plurality of mechanical voting machines which incremented mechanical counters corresponding to the candidates for office as voters cast their ballots. As a result, running totals were maintained at each machine corresponding to each candidate, and at the end of the election the counters from the various machines were manually read and tabulated to determine an election outcome. With recent advances in electronics, electronic voting machines have been proposed which do away with the cumbersome tabulations common with the mechanical voting machines.
Prior devices which have been developed in an attempt to automate voting by incorporating advances in electronics include De Phillipo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,106, Narey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,780, and Moldovan, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,353. De Phillipo discloses a microprocessor based electronic voting machine with a scratch pad memory for storing data and contemplates a permanent memory of the conventional magnetic variety for storing the contents of the scratch pad memory. De Phillipo also appears to contemplate optical links in place of telephone lines for connecting a plurality of districts to a central polling station. Narey et al. describes a ballot tallying system employing a series of memories, including a digital ballot image memory and a digital totals memory. An opto-electronic sensor is employed for sensing ballot cards. Moldovan, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,353, discloses a microcomputer based electronic voting machine employing magnetic tapes for permanently recording ballots cast by voters.
Other electronic voting devices which have incorporated various security features to prevent voting fraud include Boram, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,641,240 and 4,641,241, Carson, U. S. Pat. No. 4,649,264, and Luther, U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,643. Boram '240 and '241 disclose a memory cartridge for an electronic voting system which includes electrically erasable read only memory (EEROM) and non-electrically erasable read only memory (EPROM). To prevent alteration of data contained in the EPROM, the EPROM contains a fuse which is blown at the end of the election. Carson describes a portable self-contained electronic voting machine which permanently stores data on an EPROM cartridge by "burning" the data onto the EPROM. Luther discloses an electronic voting machine which stores data in a computer memory and utilizes a locking mechanism to prevent voting fraud.
Hice and Narey, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,578,572 and 4,813,708 respectively, describe generally reading devices. Hice discloses a microprocessor-based code printing and reading system used for voter registration. Narey discloses a ballot for use with a scanning device.
Nevertheless, problems common to both mechanical and electronic voting machines still remain, including perhaps the most pervasive problem of preventing unauthorized access and tampering with votes recorded by the voting machines. Further, magnetically recorded data have relatively short shelf lives, often requiring copying to new tapes every three years. Magnetic media are also susceptible to electromagnetic radiation and are inherently fragile. For example, if the surface of a floppy disk is marred or its magnetic coating worn away, data can be irretrievably lost. Also, stretching and abrasion of magnetic tape surfaces can likewise result in lost data. Similarly, EPROM recorded data can be erased by exposing the EPROM to ultraviolet light, therefore requiring sealing of the EPROM in a light-opaque case to assure the contents of the EPROM can only be written to once. Magnetic media and the like are often relatively low density, therefore increasing the physical size and resulting in long access times when storing large amounts of data.
A need therefore exists for an improved voting system which can store large amounts of data on a comparatively small media. Also desired is an improved voting system which can store data in a secure manner, wherein the data storage media is unerasable once written thereto. The data storage media should have a long shelf life and be highly resistant to damage. Additionally, the data storage media should be immune to electromagnetic interference.


A passive shimming system for a superconducting magnet to improve bore magnetic homogeneity includes a plurality of axially extending non-magnetic drawers each including a plurality of pockets along the drawer with a securable cover for each pocket to enclose the selected ferromagnetic shim disks and compressible spring material to enable individual access and shimming of selected pockets.

This invention relates to a superconducting magnet assembly for a magnetic resonance imaging system (hereinafter called "MRI"), and more particularly to an improved and simplified passive shimming arrangements in such an assembly.
As is well known, a superconducting magnet can be made superconducting by placing it in an extremely cold environment, such as by enclosing it in a cryostat or pressure vessel containing liquid helium or other cryogen. The extreme cold ensures that the magnet coils are superconducting, such that when a power source is initially connected to the coil for a short period of time to introduce a current flow through the coils, the current will continue to flow through the coils even after power is removed due to the absence of resistance, thereby maintaining a strong magnetic field. Superconducting magnets find wide application in the field of MRI.
In order to compensate for the inhomogeneities in MRI magnets, various arrangements including correction coils and passive ferromagnetic shim materials have been used.
Open architecture MRI magnets tend to produce increased field inhomogeneity due to increased coil deformation and coil misalignment. Prior art superconducting magnet designs are directed at minimizing such inhomogeneity during the design stage, and then add passive shim systems to reduce the inhomogeneity that remains after the manufacturing cycle due to manufacturing tolerances and design restrictions.
The shimming frequently utilizes a combination of correction coils and passive ferromagnetic shims with the superconducting magnet adjusted at the factory to provide a homogeneous magnetic field in the imaging bore of the magnet. Since the passive shims are positioned between the warm imaging bore and the gradient coil it is difficult with current designs to access and adjust or change the passive shims after the gradient coil is installed and while minimizing the profile or space occupied by the shim assembly. However, due to magnetic material in the vicinity of the magnet at the installation site, it is frequently necessary to reshim the magnet to provide the required field homogeneity.
Because of the difficulty in adjusting the configuration of the passive shims, the on-site adjustment has frequently been to vary the current through the correction coils. Since the correction coils associated circuitry and leads are extremely expensive a magnet which minimizes or eliminates the need for such a correction coil assembly is highly desirable.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to be able to do the rough shimming at the on-site and the fine shimming at the installation site without disturbing the gradient coils while providing the ability to readily access particular shim members without disturbing other shim members.

Magnetic resonance imaging passively shimmed superconducting magnet assembly


The apparatus and method implements, manages, and tracks on-line digital transactions via an escrow, including opening, servicing, real-time or near-real time status of the broker, title company, lender, vendor, buyer and seller, and closing of an escrow via a medium such as the internet. Multiple access methods are employed. The present invention provides computerization and internet type process implementation for escrow processes including, but not limited to, digital transaction coordination, digital status coordinators, seamless escrow transactions, on-line digital signatures, video signature authentication, digital certificate authentication, signature authentication, satellite and other wireless transmission of escrow transactions, voice digital instruction, the merging of voice with digital data transactions, set-top/webTV digital escrow transmission, global digital escrow networking, and the like. The system includes appropriate data, application, and servers along with supporting LAN or WAN-based application to perform escrow services.

(5.1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer programs and, more specifically to a method and apparatus for processing escrow transactions and a method of doing business in escrow transactions using computers and computer network technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computerized method and apparatus for escrow transactions and a method of doing business in escrow transaction management, preferably using the Internet.
(5.2) Description of Related Art
(5.2.1) Glossary
The following terms and definitions are provided for the convenience of the reader; no limitation on the scope of the invention is intended by this GLOSSARY nor should any be implied therefrom.
"Client-Server": A model of interaction in a distributed computer network system in which a program at one site sends a request to another site and then waits for a response. The requesting program is called the "client," and the program which responds to the request is called the "server." In the context of the World Wide Web ("www" or "web" defined hereinafter), the client is a "browser;" i.e., a program which runs on a computer of an end-user. A program and network computer which responds to a browser request by serving web pages and the like, is referred to as a "server." Specialized servers, such as dedicated electronic mail (defined hereinafter) servers are also known in the art.
"Electronic Mail" ("e-mail"): The process and software for sending and receiving of textual information and attachments thereto between end-users over a distributed computer network such as the internet; internet access providers often include e-mail service to its customers as part of the access software that allows the end user to dial into the internet.
"Hypertext Mark-up Language" ("HTML"): A standard coding convention and set of codes for attaching presentation and linking attributes to informational content within documents; the primary standard used for generating web documents. During a document authoring stage, the HTML codes (referred to as "tags") are embedded within the informational content of the document; when the document is subsequently transferred from a server to a client, the codes are interpreted by the browser and used to parse and display the document. In specifying how the browser is to display the document, HTML tags can be used to create hyperlinks to other web documents.
"HyperText Transport Protocol" ("HTTP"): The standard Internet (infra) client-server protocol used for the exchange of information such as HTML documents and client requests for such documents between a browser and the server. HTTP—or HML or the like—includes a number of different types of messages which can be sent from the client to the server to request different types of server actions. For example, a "get" message which has the format GET<URL> (defined hereinafter) causes the server to return the document or file located at the specified URL.
"Internet": A generic term for a collection of distributed, interconnected networks (ARPANET, DARPANET, World Wide Web, or the like) that are linked together by a set of industry standard protocols and the like to form a global, distributed network.
Web "Site": A computer system that serves informational content over a network using standard protocols of the web. Typically, a web site corresponds to a particular internet domain name, such as WIDGET.COM", and includes the content associated with a particular organization such as Widget Company. The term is generally intended to encompass both (1) the hardware/software server components that serve the informational content over the network, and (2) the "back-end" hardware-software components, including any non-standard or specialized components that interact with the server component to perform service for web site users.
"World Wide Web" (WWW or simply "web"): Refers generally to both (1) a distributed collection of interlinked, user-viewable hypertext documents ("web documents" or "web pages") that are accessible via the internet, and (2) the client and server software components which provide user access to such documents using standardized internet protocols. Currently, the primary standard protocol for allowing applications to locate and acquire web documents is HTTP, and the web pages are encoded using HTML. However, the terms "web" and WWW or "world wide web" as used herein are intended to encompass future mark-up languages and transport protocols which may be used.
(5.2.2.) Background of the Invention
In the main, an escrow is a third party to a transaction between a seller and a buyer (the buyer and seller are collectively referred to as the "principals"). A deed, a bond, money, a piece of property, or other valuable, is delivered to the third party—hereinafter referred to as the "escrow officer"—to be delivered by the officer to the grantee only upon the fulfillment of all the conditions precedent which are imposed upon the principals and are usually of the express terms and conditions of a purchase and sale agreement (also referred to more simply as the "sales contract" hereinafter). In essence, the property is placed in trust in an escrow account.
Escrow transactions can be for both personal and real property. Some states (e.g. California) provide for the use of licensed escrow agents when a sale of real estate is being transacted. For the purpose of describing the present invention, an exemplary escrow transaction for real estate is considered; no limitation on the scope of the invention is intended by the inventor nor should any be implied therefrom.
While computers are important tools for the buyers and sellers of a valuable property (jointly referred to as the "principals"), in the main, the use of actual purchase agreements, escrow services and associated contracts, such as loan agreements, are handled manually since the true identity of the principals and their agreement by signatur on the assorted contracts and documents involved is a critical, personal factor. Notarization on the more important documents is often required. The coordination of the various entities involved with the transfer of a real estate property—namely the principals, agents, real estate brokers, attorneys, lending institutions such as banks or other mortgage related institutions, insurance companies, government and quasi-governmental entities (such as county clerk offices, local real estate boards, state deed recording and tax departments, and the like), vendors (e.g., title companies, property inspectors, property assessors, home owners associations, and the like), and any and all other entities involved in the transaction to be escrowed, is assigned to a licensed escrow agent. In turn, the escrow agent usually must involve the aid of administrative assistants to track all of the required paperwork and transfer of funds necessary to complete the transaction. As can be imagined, the number of such real estate transactions in a single California county on a daily basis is enormous. Moreover, commercial realty transactions involve even more complex service involving even more service providers.
With the advent of the so-called computer age, lending institution have devised methods and apparatus for processing mortgages and other loans. Mortgages and other transactions involving banks and credit-loan associations have been the subject of computerization for many years. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,648, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING AND ADMINISTERING A MORTGAGE PLAN;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,084, NEGOTIATED MATCHING SYSTEM;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,776, LENDER DIRECT CREDIT EVALUATION AND LOAN PROCESSING SYSTEM;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,811, CLOSED LOOP FINANCIAL TRANSACTION METHOD AND APPARATUS;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,206, COMPUTER SYSTEM AND COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTING A MORTGAGE PARTNERSHIP;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,699, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONDUCTING LOAN AUCTION OVER COMPUTER NETWORK;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,745, REVERSE MORTGAGE LOAN CALCULATION SYSTEM AND PROCESS;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,947, INTERACTIVE MORTGAGE AND LOAN INFORMATION AND REAL-TIME TRADING SYSTEM;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,047, REVERSE MORTGAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,482, ENHANCED COLLATERALIZED FUNDING PROCESSOR; and
U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,149, LENDER DIRECT CREDIT EVALUATION AND LOAN PROCESSING SYSTEM.
Buyers are often "pre-qualified" by a lending institution for a particular loan amount even before seeking the right property. As a result, one of the problems of the marketplace is that the cause of delays experienced in valuable property exchange escrow transactions have shifted from the lending institution to the escrow agent. In some states, e.g., California, real estate transactions are regularly conducted via an escrow.
With the establishment of the internet, the world wide web, and the like, the emergence of e-commerce has generated a need for a computerized method and apparatus for processing escrow transactions and a method of managing escrows using such tools.

Method and apparatus for processing escrow transactions


A modular frame for use in air purification devices is described. In one aspect of the invention, a plurality of frame members are arranged in a linked stack to form a housing for components of an air purification device. The frame members are arranged to define a flow channel through which a fluid stream passes and to support components of the air purification device that receive the fluid stream. In another aspect of the invention, a plurality of rods are arranged to pass through the frame member stack. A first one of the rods serves as an electrical power source at a first potential and a second one of the rods serves as an electrical power source at a second potential. Electrical connectors are provided to electrically couple electrodes on selected components of the air purification device to their associated rods. In devices that utilize electrostatic filters, the electrodes that are connected to the rods may include the electrodes of the electrostatic filters. In devices that include ionizers or plasma chambers, the electrodes connected to the rods may include the discharge and/or receptor electrodes.

The present invention relates generally to modular frames suitable for use in air purification devices.
There are currently a wide range of technologies that are used to purify and/or filter air. One such technology is the electrostatic filter. Generally electrostatic filters include a porous dielectric material that is positioned between a pair of electrodes. A fluid stream (e.g., air) is arranged to pass through the dielectric material. In an active electrostatic filter, a significant potential difference is applied across the electrodes in order to induce an electrostatic field in the dielectric material that is sufficient to cause particulates within the air stream passing through the filter to adhere to the dielectric.
More recently, ion enhanced electrostatic filters have been developed. An ion enhanced electrostatic filter contemplates placing an ion source in front of the electrostatic filter to impart an electric charge to some of the particulates carried by air passing through the filter. The charges imparted to the particulates by the ionizer tend to help their collection within the dielectric.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,600, which is owned by the assignee of the present application, discloses an apparatus for the biological purification and filtration of air. Generally, the '600 patent discloses a system which utilizes a course electrostatic filter 1, a cylindrical or polygonal ionizer 5 and a fine electrostatic filter 10 that are all arranged in series. In some of the described embodiments, a pair of ionizers that impart opposite charges are arranged in series between the course and fine electrostatic filters. The system is arranged to inactivate (i.e. kill) biological objects (e.g., microorganisms and viruses) that are carried in the air stream and to filter particulates from the stream.
Commercial embodiments of this type of air purification and filtration system have been successfully used in the MIR space station and in hospitals to purify, filter and decontaminate air. A representative commercial embodiment of such a system is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 8. As seen therein, the system 20 include an electrostatic pre-filter 22, a positive plasma generator 24 that is arranged in series with a negative plasma generator 26 and a series of four electrostatic filters 28 that are arranged downstream of the negative plasma generator 26. Each D.C. plasma generator 24, 26 is composed of a plurality of cylindrical plasma cylinders (e.g., 6 cells) arranged in parallel. In various embodiments it may be desirable to vary the nature, number and placement of the various components (e.g., the filters and the plasma generators) and/or to add components (such as catalysts) to the systems. By way of example, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/751,497 (which is incorporated herein by reference) describes a variety of different reactor designs. Although the described system works well, there are continuing efforts to provide improved and/or more cost effective purification and/or filtering device designs that can meet the needs of various applications.

Modular frame for air purification devices


The present invention relates to the macroporous manganese oxide material having ferromagnetic property and a method of preparing the same, more particularly to the macroporous ferromagnetic manganese oxide having three-dimensionally ordered nanopores, which is prepared by aligning colloidal polymer particles with an average diameter of a few hundred nanometers in 3D, infiltrating a solution of the precursor compound capable of forming manganese oxide represented by the following Chemical Formula 1 into interstices of the colloidal template and heating in an oxygen atmosphere to decompose and remove the polymer template, and a method for preparing the same:La1-xCax-ySryMnO3   (1)                wherein 0.25<x<0.35 and 0<y≦0.35.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the macroporous manganese oxide having ferromagnetic property and a method of preparing the same, more particularly to the macroporous ferromagnetic manganese oxide having three-dimensionally-ordered nanopores, which is prepared by aligning polymer colloidal particles with an average diameter of a few hundred nanometers, infiltrating a solution of the precursor compound capable of forming the manganese oxide represented by the following Chemical Formula 1 into interstices of the colloidal template, heating in an oxygen atmosphere to decompose and remove the polymer particles, and a method for preparing the same:La1-xCax-ySryMnO3 (1)
wherein 0.25<x<0.35 and 0<y≦0.35.
2. Description of Related Art
Only iron and a few other metals such as cobalt, nickel, and gadolinium can be made into strong magnets. These materials are said to be ferromagnetic. In addition, various iron oxides have also been known to have ferromagnetism from the ancient times. Accordingly, the ferromagnetic materials have been used as compasses and other useful tools. Ferromagnetism is not limited to iron-containing metal oxides, and is also found in other transition metal oxides with unpaired electrons. For example, a manganese oxide with perovskite structure shows ferromagnetism and also has conducting property. Heating a magnet can cause a loss in magnetism, for raising the temperature increases the random thermal motion of the atoms that tends to randomize the domains. Above a certain temperature known as the Curie temperature, a magnet cannot be made at all. The Curie temperature depends on the kind of metal. Generally, compounds containing iron have high Curie temperature. Iron oxide shows a ferromagnetic transition typically over 400 K and also has large saturated magnetic moment.
Since the ferrites have ferromagnetism but are insulating, their applications are limited to microwave devices or permanent magnets. On the contrary, the manganese oxides with perovskite structure show metal-insulator transition around the Curie temperature. They have metallic property in the ferromagnetism range while they are insulating in the paramagnetic region, namely above the Curie temperature. The Mn-based perovskite oxide is known to be colossal magneto resistance (CMR) material, which shows rapid decrease in resistance near the Curie temperature upon applying a magnetic field. Accordingly, researches on the manganese oxides have been focused until now on industrial application of this magneto resistance property. In this regard, many researches have been conducted to develop devices like magneto resistance sensors.
On the other hand, there have been few researches on application of the manganese oxides in magnetic filters or photonic devices. It is largely because manganese oxides are not hard enough to maintain their framework and also it is difficult to form pores inside the materials. If we can make such a strong manganese oxide, it can be used as magnetic filters or photonic devices. Because filters currently used are primarily made of silicon oxide or aluminum oxide, they cannot capture magnetic nanoparticles effectively. If the manganese oxide material is used with ferromagnetism as a filter, it can remove magnetic ions completely. Moreover, if pores having a diameter of several nanometers are highly ordered, it can be useful for photonic devices.

Macroporous perovskite manganese oxides with highly ordered nano-pores and method of preparing the same

Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science


A timepiece having a face member with a face surface that displays indicia that is representative of a sports player and the associated sports player sports environment; time hands that represent at least a seconds hand that has a rotatable position about a center axis of the face member; an object that is carried by a distal portion of the seconds hand; the face member depicting a net disposed at a predetermined location on the face surface with the object positioned so that it passes through the net as the seconds hand rotates.

There presently exists several different types of watches that contain images of sports players. However, any existing watches do not show an interaction between the sports player and an object associated with the sports player.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved watch face for a timepiece in which there is a relationship between the sports player, an object handled by the sports player and a net through which the object is to pass.


An input amplifier for input signals with steep edges has a MOS transistor, whose source or drain is connected to a node connected to an output stage. The output signal is fed back into the amplifier which prevents the MOS transistor from being turned off by steep edge input signals. The node is pulled up to the operating voltage as soon as the input signal is present.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an input amplifier for input signals with steep edges (in particular "high-low" edges) which has at least one transistor with an electrode connected to an output.
CMOS input amplifiers have been known for a relatively long time. They are used for the most manifold purposes in circuitry. For instance, an input amplifier of the above type is described in the textbook "CMOS Analog Circuit Design" by P. E. Allen and D. R. Holberg, p. 381.
A prior art amplifier of that type is illustrated in FIG. 1, which will be described in detail below.
Possible uses of such prior art input amplifiers are for instance LVTTL circuits (LVTTL stands for low voltage transistor-to-transistor logic) and SSTL logic circuits (SSTL stands for stub series terminated logic). In LVTTL logic circuits, leading and trailing voltage edges of approximately 0.8 V to 2.0 V occur, while the SSTL logic circuits have corresponding leading and trailing edges of approximately 400 mV about a reference value.
In both logic circuits, that is, the LVTTL logic circuits and the SSTL logic circuits, the trailing voltage edges are very steep, so that the input edges are correspondingly fast. If numerous input amplifiers are provided on a chip, then in a current-saving operating mode as many of them as possible should be deactivated so that they will not consume current. It is moreover desirable to put the input receivers that have remained active into a current-free state by means of the input signals. In any case, only those circuits that are being driven should actually be active.
However, it has been found that in the case of steep edges of the input signals, the input amplifier enters a current-free final state much too quickly, thereby preventing switching of the output signal.
This problem has been previously attacked by employing asymmetrical input amplifiers. This renders the switching operation fast enough so as to be concluded before the final state is reached. As a consequence of this dimensioning, however, in the least favorable case the DC current consumption is increased ("worst-case DC consumption").

Input amplifier for input signals with steep edges


A system and method for video assisted percutaneous needle cricothyrotomy and tracheostomy to assist physicians in quickly intubating patients suffering from respiratory distress when oral or nasal intubation is not possible or contraindicated. The system and method includes a display monitor, a percutaneous needle assembly including a connection hub having a syringe port for removably attaching a syringe, a needle port for attaching a hollow needle, and a stylet port in communication with the needle port for receiving a fiber optic stylet that extends through the hollow needle. The fiber optic stylet includes one or more illuminators, and a camera for capturing and transmitting anatomical images for display on the display monitor to visually assist physicians in locating a patient's trachea lumen. The fiber optic stylet is positioned within the trachea lumen, and used as a guide wire to insert a dilator and cannula for ventilating the patient.

There are emergent circumstances in which individuals need ventilation or respiratory support because of respiratory failure attributed to inadequate levels of arterial oxygen or elevated levels of carbon dioxide, or both. Various causes that lead to respiratory distress include, for example, hypoxemia, which involves insufficient or low levels of oxygen in the blood that are often associated with certain medical conditions such as anemia, pneumonia, or pulmonary edema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), asthma, drug overdoses, allergic reactions due to insect bites or foods, or as a result of exposure to various medications or dyes associated with certain medical procedures such as dye-contrast stress tests, or magnetic resonance imaging tests. In emergencies where patients suffer from respiratory failure, it is vital for the patient to be quickly and adequately oxygenated and ventilated as time is of the essence to mitigate damage because of the patient having low oxygen levels. There are circumstances when patients suffering from respiratory failure are timely admitted in a hospital emergency, however, unpredictable situations often lead to moments where there is absolutely no time to transport patients to a hospital, or emergency care center, because the patient must be oxygenated or ventilated quickly to sustain life.
The standard protocols used in oxygenating and ventilating individuals who suffer from respiratory failure typically include non-invasive or invasive oxygen or ventilation therapy. Non-invasive therapy typically involves giving patients prescribed concentrations of oxygen using bag-valve mask ventilation, nasal air prongs, or continuous positive airway pressure machines. Such conventional methods often comprise the first steps to treat patients in need of ventilation support but who do not suffer from profound respiratory failure. If non-invasive steps taken to create a patient airway are unsuccessful, then efforts are directed to invasive ventilation support that is needed to manage a patient's airway and satisfy the imminent need of oxygen because of the heighted concern of respiratory distress. Invasive approaches often entail ventilation strategies that involve laryngeal mask, endotracheal, or nasotracheal intubation. Intubation generally involves inserting a flexible plastic tube, having a designated diameter, within a patient's mouth or nose, and positioning the tube within the patient's trachea to maintain an open airway for introducing oxygen, or medical drugs into the patient. The tube provides a conduit to deliver oxygenated air to the person's lungs. Correctly inserting the intubation tube is of critical importance, and often requires the attending physician to determine whether the traditional intubation method will benefit the patient in pulmonary distress, and whether the patient's anatomical condition is conducive for sustaining intubation. For example, the patient may have a difficult anatomy, may be obese, may have limited neck mobility or a thick neck, may have a physical obstruction such as a mass or object that is present in the person's airway, may have facial trauma, may have a hematoma, or may have excessive secretion making it difficult or near impossible for successfully intubate the patient. As such, a patient's restrictive anatomical condition will often require a more invasive surgical procedure to secure an open airway. Performing a surgical airway on a patient is preferably the last resort in managing a patient's respiratory failure when previous attempts to intubate or ventilate the patient using traditional methods such as bag-valve, laryngeal mask ventilation, or endotracheal/nasotracheal intubation, were either not possible, unsuccessful, ineffective, or contraindicated.
At the point of reaching invasive medical intervention, the patient has likely risen to a critical stage where the patient is hypoxic with oxygen saturation levels dropping. It is imperative at this stage that a surgical airway procedure be done quickly and correctly or the patient will suffer severe brain damage, or even death. The surgical airway procedure is by far more intensive, very stressful, and riddled with anxiety as compared to conventional non-invasive respiratory therapies, or intubation. In practice, the surgical airway procedure known as surgical cricothyrotomy involves properly locating and identifying the patient's cricothyroid membrane, which is anatomically located between the thyroid and cricoid cartilage, making the necessary incision through the membrane, and subsequently inserting a hollow tube, such as an air cannula, through the cricothyroid membrane and into the patient's trachea to properly ventilate the patient while being performed at a fast pace, and in a short period of time. Determining the correct anatomical location to place the air cannula in the patient is the most critical aspect of the procedure. In conventional practice, practitioners often rely on anatomical landmarks to assist them in accurately locating and identifying the cricothyroid membrane and tracheal ring in an effort to insert the air cannula in the correct position. The procedure generally requires palpating the region of the patient's neck to properly locate the cricothyroid membrane or notch, sometimes even marking the target puncture site with a marker or pen in order to visually identify the exact area on the patient's neck to make an incision. Relying on anatomical landmarks to locate the cricothyroid membrane is difficult and challenging even to the most experienced physicians. Difficulty in determining the cricothyroid membrane is compounded with patients who are obese, or have short or thick necks. Such anatomical challenges are a primary reason for failed endotracheal intubation in the first place. The procedure is very intense because during the process, the patient is severely struggling for air with every minute that passes, and any failed or delayed surgical airway management can lead to permanent disability, brain damage, or death. Successful placement of an air cannula, during cricothyrotomy or tracheostomy procedures, depends highly on the accurate and rapid identification of anatomical landmarks of the cricothyroid membrane and the patient's trachea.
Various instruments or tools have been developed to better assist physicians in performing surgical airway procedures on patients in hospital emergencies, intensive care units, operating rooms, in ambulances, or directly in the field. One practice involves replacing the traditional use of a scalpel used to make an incision, with a needle to allow physicians to pass a catheter or dilator over the needle to insert the dilator into the patient's trachea to ventilate the patient. Such approach has shown to cause less damage and trauma to patients, and provide a mechanism for introducing an air cannula having a larger diameter through the small incision with ease. Still, use of a needle alone has proven challenging because physicians must often have to re-stick patients as a result of incorrectly locating the correct anatomical region needed to ventilate patients, resulting in loss of time, and greater discomfort and damage caused to patients.
Advanced developments have made improvements to various tools and devices commonly used by doctors when performing such surgical airway procedures. For example, some prior art devices have improved functionality of needles by providing depth penetration indicators to assist physicians in determining how far a needle should be inserted within a patient, other improvements have redesigned needles to mitigate tissue damage when piercing a patient's skin, and some have provided instruments with ergonomic handles designed to better handle and manipulate the tool during use. Unfortunately, such improvements have not abated the difficulty physician's face in properly identifying and locating the correct anatomical regions of a patient when needing to insert an air cannula quickly and efficiently during emergency surgical airway procedures. Unsuccessful attempts at placing a cuffed or regular cannula in the cricoid membrane is often due to the fact that the cannula is simply not positioned correctly in the trachea, the cannula shifts or flips out of position during use, or the tip of the cannula rests on soft tissue around the neck when the physician believes the cannula is in the tracheal lumen. Removing and attempting to reposition the air cannula causes excessive bleeding or tissue damage, punctures blood vessels, causes damage to anatomical structures of the patient's neck, causes loss of precious time, and renders the procedure difficult to re-do a second time around because of tissue damage and bleeding. The time wasted in making repeated attempts at correctly locating the position to insert the air cannula can result in a patient's disability or death. The use of conventional devices that include structural improvements, or provide limited benefits, do not provide the proper and effective guidance needed in locating a patient's trachea for optimally performing emergency cricothyrotomy.
Still, as a result of deficiencies in improvements, more advanced system and devices have been introduced to assist medically trained individuals in performing surgical airway procedures. Visual positioning medical appliances such as tubes or cannulas is often accomplished using ultrasound systems, video laryngoscopes, endoscopes, or endotracheal devices that are electrically coupled to an image-capturing device. However, very little technology is currently available, or has been developed, to better assist physicians in efficiently and correctly locating and identifying anatomical regions, such as a person's trachea when undergoing emergent cricothyrotomy. Although some prior art systems employ image-capturing devices, such devices generally include an imaging probe that is used solely for visual navigation through a patient's nose, throat, ears, or arteries, and provides no other functional benefit but to capture images. Further, many image capturing devices are used with patients where the exact anatomical location for inserting an air cannula has already been identified in a previous surgical setting, thus eliminating the urgent need for correctly identifying and locating anatomical region during emergent circumstances without the benefit of prior identification of anatomical regions. In addition, most image capturing devices on the market are large in size, bulky, awkward to use, and are not adapted for use with over-needle installation of air cannula/dilator procedures.
Accordingly, there is an established need for a solution to at least one of the aforementioned problems. There remains a need for a system and method for video assisted percutaneous needle cricothyrotomy and tracheostomy that allows physicians to view displayed images of a patient's tracheal lumen to quickly intubate and ventilate patients during emergent surgical airway procedures. There also remains a need for a system and method for video assisted percutaneous needle cricothyrotomy that allows physicians to efficiently insert an air cannula, in a patient's trachea, where the patient has restricting, anatomical features while making less damage to the patient's neck, tissue, and blood vessels to effectively ventilate and oxygenate patients.

System and method for video assisted percutaneous needle cricothyrotomy and tracheostomy


The present invention relates to a high capacity gas filter system. The metal filter of the system includes a visible indicator which indicates when the filter is spent. The indicator is preferably a non-reactive glass tube with indicator material therein. The glass tube can be protected to maintain gas flow integrity in case the glass tube breaks. The filter is attachable to or removable from its connecting base using a cooperating threaded knob and threaded bolt such that the filter is pulled tightly onto the base and forced off of the base depending on how the knob is rotated.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high capacity gas filter system, the filter having a visible indicator showing when the filter is spent.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In previously known large capacity filters, the filter is generally made of metal and the filter does not include any indicator as part of the filter to know when the filter is spent.

High capacity gas filter system with indicator


A brake support assembly for a vehicle including a stamped metal spider having a planar mounting portion and a pair of diametrically opposed support portions. A first support portion includes a first pair of ribs extending along opposite edges thereof as involuted ribs. A second support portion includes a second pair of ribs extending along opposite edges thereof to form flanges. A bracket extends across and connects the first pair of ribs. The bracket and the first support portion of the spider include laterally spaced apertures which receive press fit sleeve-type bushings. Anchor pins disposed in said sleeve-type bushings carry one end of a pair of brake shoes each comprised of a pair of spaced generally parallel webs secured to a table. The opposite end of the brake shoes is supported by cam follower rollers. Springs bias the brake shoes into contact with a cam actuator which may be rotated to displace the brake shoes. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first pair of reinforcing ribs is terminated at a transition section extending from the planar first support portion as a rib of decreasing length to a total transition. The second pair of reinforcing ribs includes a termination section extending from the second support portion to the mounting portion as a flange having an orthogonally extending portion of decreasing length such that the termination section is completed when the radially extending portion of the flanges is coplanar to the plane of the mounting portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a vehicle brake support assembly for an internally expanding drum brake assembly and, more specifically, to a vehicle brake support assembly for a drum brake which is utilized in heavy duty trucks which include a pair of dual web brake shoes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heavy duty truck brakes usually include a pair of brake shoes having adjacent ends seated for pivotal movement on a cylindrical surface of a pair of anchor pins mounted to a support plate, often referred to as a "spider" which in turn is secured to a vehicle axle or axle housing. The support plate is usually of elongate form. A rotatable actuating cam and shaft is mounted to the support plate at the end opposite the anchor pins with the cam disposed between the other ends of the brake shoes. During actuation, rotary movement of the cam causes each of the brake shoes to overcome the biasing force of a return spring and to pivot outwardly about the anchor pins into contact with the radially inwardly facing friction surface of a brake drum secured for rotation with a vehicle wheel. The support plate or spider serves as the foundation of the brake assembly and is subject to substantial stress under dynamic braking conditions.
Support plates have therefore traditionally been formed as heavy cast and/or forged members with appropriate areas machined and bored to accommodate the anchor pins and the actuating shaft, and for mounting the support plate to the axle. Such traditional support plates have therefore been expensive to manufacture because of the mass of metal and machining operations required and increased the weight of the vehicles thereby reducing the economics of operation thereof.


A toner crushing wire is disposed in a cleansing housing so as to extend along a rotating shaft of the cleaning roller. The toner crushing wire is allowed to swing along a cleaning housing inner wall facing the peripheral surface of the cleaning roller in non-contact with the cleaning housing inner wall. In this way, remaining toner scraped off from the peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum by a cleaning blade is crushed by the toner crushing wire.

The technology of the present disclosure relates to a cleaning device used in an image forming apparatus.
In this type of cleaning device, remaining toner remaining on the peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum after transfer is scraped off using a cleaning blade, and the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum is abraded by an abrasive included in the scraped-off remaining toner by using a cleaning roller. Furthermore, the scraped-off remaining toner is discharged outside a cleaning housing by using a discharge screw as waste toner.
There has been proposed a technology in which a toner crushing member is provided to the discharge screw, and a flexible plate of the toner crushing member is allowed to abut fins of the discharge screw to crush remaining toner, so that the remaining toner is smoothly supplied to the screw.

Cleaning device and image forming apparatus


A crt optical filter device includes a transparent plastic sheet and a transparent glass panel, each of which is provided with a transparent conductive circuit layer and a pair of conductors. The outer surface of the glass panel is disposed adjacent to the inner surface of the transparent plastic sheet, while the inner surface thereof is to be disposed adjacent to a screen of a computer monitor. A plurality of spacers, which are made of an insulative material, normally space apart the conductive circuit layers of the transparent plastic sheet and the glass panel. An interface card is connected electrically to the conductors and is to be connected electrically to a computer. The interface card receives analog X and Y signals that correspond to a selected part of the transparent plastic sheet from the conductors when the conductive circuit layers are brought into electrical contact due to application of pressure on the selected part of the transparent plastic sheet. The interface card processes the analog X and Y signals into corresponding digital signals for controlling the computer to move a cursor on the screen of the computer monitor so as to coincide with the selected part of the transparent plastic sheet and for controlling the computer to accomplish predetermined functions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cathode ray tube (crt) optical filter device, more particularly to a crt optical filter device with cursor pointing function.
2. Description of the Related Art
A crt optical filter is usually installed on a screen of a computer monitor in order to absorb partially the harmful electromagnetic radiation generated thereby. A separate cursor pointing device, such as a computer keyboard or a computer mouse, is installed to control the movement of a cursor on the screen.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a crt optical filter device with cursor pointing function.

Cathode ray tube optical filter device with cursor pointing function


A rotary animal repelling device, including: a housing, which includes a fixed body part and a head above the body part, and a mounting disc is fixedly provided on an inner periphery of a cavity of the head. A motor is located on the mounting disc, a rotating shaft extends through the mounting disc and is fixed to a side of the body part facing the head. The mounting disc has a sounder and a laser light, and the sounder and the laser light are coupled to the motor by transmission line, respectively. The laser light extends to outside of the head, the mounting disc has a radar sensor to detect an approach of animals and a control main board communicatively coupled to the radar sensor, the control main board is communicatively coupled to the motor, and the control main board has a control switch extending outside of the housing.

A conventional animal repelling device is mounted in an owl-shaped housing, and the owl-shaped housing is divided into a head and a body part. A motor driving the rotation of the owl-shaped housing is mounted in the body part of the owl-shaped housing, a sounder, a radar sensor, and a laser light are all provided in the head of the housing, the motor is coupled to the sounder and the laser light through two transmission lines, respectively, and the radar sensor is communicatively coupled to the motor through a control main board. When the radar sensor detects that a rat is approaching, the radar sensor feeds back information, to the control main board, which controls the motor to start, and the rotating shaft of the motor controls the head of the owl to rotate, the sounder emits an owl's call, and the laser light emits a laser ray in order to drive rodents and birds away. However, since the motor has relatively large distances between the sounder and the laser light, when the head of the owl-shaped housing is rotating, the transmission lines are twisted along with the rotation of the head of the owl-shaped housing. After long-term twisting, the transmission lines are susceptible to being twisted and broken, which shortens the service life of the transmission line.


Processing a purge request is disclosed. The purge request is received. Based on the purge request, a purge instruction is generated for each content distribution node of a group of one or more content distribution nodes. Each content distribution node of the group is verified has either completed processing the purge instruction or is determined to be unavailable. Despite at least one content distribution node of the group determined to be unavailable having not completed processing the purge instruction, an indication is authorized that the purge request has been completed.

Traditionally, purging (e.g., removing or modifying) stored content served by a content delivery network (CDN) can often take up to 24 hours. In order to confirm that an indicated content has been purged across the entire CDN, a purge request must be propagated out to the entire CDN network and a confirmation of completion of the purge request (e.g., confirmation that the indicated content of the purge request has been removed from the local storage/cache of the node) must be received from every content delivery node of the CDN. In CDNs with a large number of nodes, it is likely that some of the nodes are temporarily unreachable for a few seconds to a few hours at various different times due to maintenance, upgrades, and/or errors. If a node is unavailable, the desired content purge cannot be completed and confirmed until the node becomes available again to process the purge request. Often other processes and services cannot proceed until a confirmation of the desired content purge is received. Therefore, there exists a need to reduce the amount of time required to confirm a purge of desired content.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

First cache purge optimization handling of unavailable nodes


A method for acquiring PET images with reduced time coincidence window limits includes obtaining a preliminary image of a patient within a radiation field of view (FOV), determining the spatial location of the patient within the FOV based on the preliminary image, calculating a different time coincidence window based on the spatial location of the patient for each possible pair of oppositely disposed detectors, scanning the patient with a PET scanning system to detect a pair of gamma photons produced by an annihilation event, determining whether the detection of the pair of gamma photons occurs within the time coincidence window, accepting the detected event only if the detection of the gamma photons occurs within the time coincidence window, calculating the spatial location of accepted annihilation event, and adding the calculated spatial location of the annihilation event to a stored distribution of calculated annihilation event spatial locations representing the distribution of radioactivity in the patient.

Nuclear medicine is a unique medical specialty wherein radiation is used to acquire images which show the function and anatomy of organs, bones or tissues of the body. Radiopharmaceuticals are introduced into the body, either by injection or ingestion, and are attracted to specific organs, bones or tissues of interest. Such radiopharmaceuticals produce gamma photon emissions which emanate from the body and are captured by a scintillation crystal, with which the photons interact to produce flashes of light or "events." Events are detected by an array of photodetectors, such as photomultiplier tubes, and their spatial locations or positions are calculated and stored. In this way, an image of the organ or tissue under study is created from detection of the distribution of the radioisotopes in the body.
One particular nuclear medicine imaging technique is known as Positron Emission Tomography, or PET. PET is used to produce three-dimensional images for diagnosing the biochemistry or physiology in a specific organ, tumor or other metabolically active site. In PET events are detected from the decay or annihilation of positrons and electrons. When a positron is annihilated by an electron, two 511 keV gamma photons are simultaneously produced and travel in approximately opposite directions. Gamma photons produced by an annihilation event can be detected by a pair of oppositely disposed scintillating detectors capable of producing a signal in response to the interaction of the gamma photons with a crystal of the scintillating detectors. Annihilation events are typically identified by a time coincidence between the detection of the two 511 keV gamma photons in the two oppositely disposed detectors, i.e., the gamma photon emissions are detected virtually simultaneously by each detector. When two oppositely disposed gamma photons each strike an oppositely disposed detector to produce a time coincidence, they also identify a line of response, or LOR, along which the annihilation event has occurred. An example of a PET method and apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,858,847, which patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The number of time coincidences detected within a field of view (FOV) of a detector is the count rate of the detector. The count rate at each of two oppositely disposed detectors, A and B, can be referred to as singles counts, or singles, SA and SB. The time required for a gamma photon to travel from its point of origin to a point of detection can be referred to as the time of flight, or TOF, of the gamma photon. TOF is dependent upon the speed of light c and the distance traveled.
A time coincidence, or coincidence event, is identified if the time difference between the arrival of signals in a pair of oppositely disposed detectors is less than a time coincidence window τ. The number of coincidence events per second registered is commonly referred to as prompt coincidences P, or prompts. Prompt coincidences P include true coincidences T, or trues and random coincidences R, or randoms. True coincidences T are those physically correlated time coincidences, i.e., two gamma photons emitted in the process of annihilation or photons produced from the two primary gamma photons. Random coincidences R are those time coincidences that are not correlated, but randomly occur within τ. The randoms from a pair of detectors are usually proportional to the time coincidence window τ according to the following formula: R=τ·SA·SB.
In the case of a system composed of a plurality of detectors, the total randoms can be estimated as R=k·τ·S2, where S is the average single count rate per detector and k is a proportionality constant. The prompt coincidences P, which are used to reconstruct an image of the distribution of activity in the patient, are therefore the sum of true and random coincidences, (P=T+R). The presence and detection of randoms is problematic as they degrade the quality of the image and limit the rate of true data throughput. Consequently, given data transmission limits, the rejection of randoms at their origin increases the count rate capabilities for true coincidences. The primary method for reducing the number, or fraction, of randoms in the data stream has been to reduce the time coincidence window τ. However, two factors have limited the reduction of the time coincidence window τ; the time resolution of the system and the size of the field of view (FOV). While the time resolution of PET systems is consistently improving as a result of improvements in detector technology and electronics, the time coincidence window τ is generally limited by the size of the FOV, i.e. the time window τ must be large enough to accept coincidence photons from anywhere in the FOV, as explained in the following.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, if an annihilation event occurs at the center of a FOV, the TOF of the gamma photon detected in detector A (TA) is equal to the time of flight of the gamma photon detected in detector B (TB). If an annihilation event occurs at a distance Δx from the center of the FOV, the difference between TA and TB is Δt=2Δx/c, where c is the speed of light. If r is the radius of the FOV, the TOF difference Δt could take any value from −2r/c to +2r/c, depending on the location of the event. Because a source, or location, of an annihilation event is unknown, a priori, the time coincidence window τ must be great enough to accept all true coincidence events occurring within the FOV, so τ must be greater than 4r/c. The number of randoms that a conventional PET system can reject is, thus, limited by the required size of the time coincidence window τ.
What is needed then is a method for performing PET such that randoms may be rejected beyond the above described time coincidence window limits.

Method for reducing an electronic time coincidence window in positron emission tomography


A navigation light system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, such as a multicopter type unmanned aerial vehicle, includes: a plurality of light emission units. E of the plurality of light emission units has a unit-specific light emission direction and is configured to provide a light output around the unit-specific light emission direction. Each of the plurality of light emission units includes a multi-color light source capable of emitting red light, green light, and white light. The plurality of light emission units are arranged to jointly provide a navigation light pattern around the unmanned aerial vehicle and wherein the light outputs of adjacent light emission units have an overlap the navigation light system is configured to operate each of the plurality of light emission units depending on a relation between a momentary flight direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the respective unit-specific light emission direction.

Recently, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles/drones has increased significantly. Advances in the control and coordination of multiple rotors have made multicopters, in particular unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of this kind, significantly more accessible and more reliable. A particularly popular kind of an unmanned aerial vehicle of the multicopter type is a quadrocopter. Various types of unmanned aerial vehicles have been developed, e.g. for recreational purposes, for carrying cameras, etc. Multicopters are further envisioned for the delivery of goods, for other kinds of courier services, and even for transporting people. With the envisioned increase in unmanned/un-piloted aerial vehicle traffic, flight safety is likely to become an increasing concern.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a method and a system for increasing the flight safety of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Navigation light system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle, and method of operating a navigation light system of an unmanned aerial vehicle


An addition-curable silicone composition is provided. The composition includes (A) a resin structure organopolysiloxane and (B) a platinum group metal-based catalyst. The component (A) has silicon-bonded alkenyl groups and hydrosilyl groups, and includes a structure in which R22SiO units, wherein R2 is a methyl group, etc., are connected together in a continuous repeating sequence, and the number of units in the continuous repeating sequence is within a range from 5 to 300. The composition can be prepared in a solid or semisolid form, and hence is suitable conventional molding apparatus such as a transfer molding apparatus, and upon curing, forms a hard resin cured product that exhibits excellent flexibility and minimal surface tack.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an addition-curable silicone composition, and relates particularly to an addition-curable silicone composition that yields a cured product with minimal surface tack and favorable strength properties, and a cured product of such a composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Addition-curable silicone rubber compositions form cured products that exhibit excellent properties of weather resistance and heat resistance and the like, as well as superior rubber-like properties such as hardness and elongation, and they are therefore used as coating materials and the like in a wide variety of applications (see Patent Document 1). However, because the resulting cured products also exhibit surface tack, dust adhesion becomes a problem when these compositions are used as coating agents or the like for electrical or electronic components.
Cured products formed from hard resins obtained from silicone varnishes exhibit minimal surface tack, meaning the problem of dust adhesion does not arise, but such cured products suffer from a different problem in that because they lack adequate shock resistance, they tend to be prone to cracking, and particularly to cracking caused by thermal shocks. Accordingly, in the field of electrical and electronic component packaging, there is considerable demand for a silicone composition capable of forming a cured product that does not suffer from dust adhesion to the cured product surface, and exhibits excellent levels of crack resistance and shock resistance. Furthermore, a composition that can be cured using conventional molding apparatus, and is a solid (specifically, a plastically deformable solid) or semisolid (i.e., a liquid with a very high viscosity) at room temperature is required.
It is known that adding a resin-form organopolysiloxane component to an addition-curable silicone rubber composition can improve the strength of the cured product. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses an improvement in the strength of the cured product by using a branched (in other words, resin-form) organopolysiloxane as the alkenyl group-containing organopolysiloxane that is subjected to an addition reaction with an organohydrogensiloxane. However, even in those cases where the strength of the cured product is increased by using a resin-form organopolysiloxane, surface tack and dust adhesion remain problems.
It is known that adding a resin-form organopolysiloxane component to an addition-curable silicone rubber composition can generally improve the strength of the cured product. However, even in those cases where the strength of the cured product is increased by using a resin-form organopolysiloxane, surface tack and dust adhesion remain problems. Furthermore, if a hard resin is used, then the shock resistance of the cured product is inadequate, and in particular, a significant problem arises in that the cured product is prone to cracking during thermal shock testing.
In an attempt to address these problems, an addition-curable silicone composition and a cured product thereof have been proposed in which the composition forms a cured product that is a hard resin and yet exhibits excellent flexibility and minimal surface tack, and can be easily molded using a conventional molding apparatus such as a transfer molding, compression molding or injection molding apparatus (Patent Document 3). Furthermore, a silicone lens formed using such a composition and an addition-curable silicone resin composition that is ideal for lens molding have also been proposed (Patent Document 4). Moreover, addition-curable silicone resin compositions that can be used favorably for encapsulating LED elements and the like have also been proposed (Patent Document 5 and Patent Document 6).
However, even with these addition-curable silicone resin compositions, the conventional technique wherein the vinyl group-containing silicone resin and the hydrosilyl group-containing silicone resin are synthesized separately and then combined is not only complex in terms of the steps required, but also suffers various other problems. For example, hydrosilyl group-containing silicone resins are almost always liquid, and the composition obtained upon combining the hydrosilyl group-containing silicone resin with the vinyl group-containing silicone resin is also liquid, which makes the composition difficult to handle as a molding resin.    [Patent Document 1] US2004/0214966A1    [Patent Document 2] JP2005-76003A    [Patent Document 3] US2007/0129508A1    [Patent Document 4] US2007/0249790A1    [Patent Document 5] US2007/0293623A1    [Patent Document 6] US2008/0021136A1

Addition-curable silicone composition and cured product thereof


A direct current (DC) offset canceling circuit of a trans-impedance amplifier and an automatic gain control trans-impedance amplifier is provided, including: a trans-impedance amplifier for receiving an input current and converting the input current into a first voltage signal, while the trans-impedance amplifier is provided with a plurality of inverters connected in series, wherein a sample node is defined between each inverter; a DC detector for retrieving and comparing the signals at any sample node, thereby generating a trigger signal according to the comparison; a DC eliminator for providing a path to the DC component of the input current in response to the triggering by the signal trigger, to eliminate the DC component; a reference voltage unit for outputting a reference voltage value; and a voltage output amplifier for comparing the reference voltage and the first voltage signal, to amplify the output of a second voltage signal.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a direct current offset canceling circuit, particularly to a direct current offset canceling circuit of trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) and an automatic gain control trans-impedance amplifier thereof.
2. Related Art
The main function of a trans-impedance amplifier is to convert a photocurrent signal into a voltage signal and amplify it, and the input photocurrent signal includes a direct current (DC) component and an alternating current (AC) component, wherein the DC component part will influence the operation of the trans-impedance amplifier, therefore, it is necessary to design a circuit for canceling the DC component such that the trans-impedance amplifier can be operated normally. The circuit architecture of a general trans-impedance amplifier is shown in FIG. 1, which includes a trans-impedance amplifier 10, a reference voltage unit 40 and a voltage output amplifier 50. The trans-impedance amplifier 10 further includes an operational amplifier 10a and a resistor 10b, wherein the both ends of the resistor 10b are connected respectively to the input and output of the operational amplifier 10a. And the reference voltage unit 40 further includes an operational amplifier 40a and a resistor 40b, wherein the both ends of the resistor 40b are connected respectively to the input and output of the operational amplifier 40a. When the input photocurrent signal includes a DC component, the DC component part will influence the operation of the trans-impedance amplifier 10.
In recent trans-impedance amplifier direct current offset canceling circuit techniques, the related arts of U.S. Pat. No. 6,774,728 and No. 6,833,762 disclose respectively a trans-impedance amplifier DC offset canceling circuit and a trans-impedance amplifier DC offset canceling circuit having an automatic gain control, which mainly for retrieving signals in the input and output of the trans-impedance amplifier to obtain its DC offset amount and eliminate it correspondingly, to solve the problem of the DC component influence to the trans-impedance amplifier operation.
Therefore, one of the tasks to be addressed by the researchers is how to provide a DC offset canceling circuit of trans-impedance amplifier.

Direct current offset canceling circuit of trans-impedance amplifier and automatic gain control trans-impedance amplifier thereof

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A frame for pictures and the like is assembled from pieces that are routed to have divergent channels in mutual communication. The divergent paths produce increasing levels of force upon the parallel engagement portions of the fastening peg as it is inserted more deeply into the common recess, and thereby generate increasing levels of compressive force across the joint between the frame pieces.

It is common practice to join component pieces for constructing picture frames and the like by inserting connecting pegs, wedges, or other fasteners into cooperating channels formed into contiguous end portions of the frame pieces. Exemplary of the prior art in this field are the following U.S. patents:
__________________________________________________________________________ Linscott U.S. Pat. No. 111,128 Snitzer et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,371 Fulghum et al U.S. Pat. No. 497,915 Logan U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,578 Lobo U.S. Pat. No. 1,061,855 Wallace U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,583 Cordes U.S. Pat. No. 1,165,155 Wright U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,160 Jensen U.S. Pat. No. 1,537,678 Wright U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,415 Scianna U.S. Pat. No. 2,455,097 Hehr et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,856 Purviance U.S. Pat. No. 2,735,146 Wright U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,664 Miller U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,689 Wright U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,360 Agee U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,721 Cox U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,835 Jungers et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,342 Rapayelian U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,236 Bowen et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,972 Cox Des. U.S. Pat No. 309,985 __________________________________________________________________________
In so constructing frames, it is a matter of fundamental concern to eliminate, or to at least minimize, the presence of gaps between adjacent frame pieces, which are unsightly and tend to compromise the strength of the frame. Numerous channel and fastener designs and structures have been proposed in an effort to achieve a tight and secure joint between frame members; nevertheless, the need has not been satisfied adequately.


System and methods for audio editing are provided. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method is provided. The computer-implemented method includes presenting a visual representation of digital audio data as a frequency spectrum including a first visual region corresponding to a first time period and a first frequency range in the digital audio data. A first user input identifies a second visual region within the first visual region and corresponding to a second time period and a second frequency range. A second user input specifies one or more frequency modifications to the second visual region. The second time period and the second frequency range corresponding to the second visual region are modified creating a modified second visual region. The modified second visual region is mixed into the first visual region creating edited digital audio data.

Different visual representations of audio data are commonly used to display different features of the audio data. For example, a frequency spectrogram shows a representation of frequencies of the audio data in the time-domain (e.g., a graphical display with time on the x-axis and frequency on the y-axis). Audio data can be edited. For example, the audio data can include noise or other unwanted components (e.g., one or more incorrect pitches).
A pitch is the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. While the actual fundamental frequency can be precisely determined through physical measurement, it may differ from the perceived pitch because of overtones, or partials, in the sound. Perceived pitch can depend on the amplitude of the sound, especially at low frequencies. For instance, a low bass note will sound lower in pitch if it is louder. Frequency is the measurement of the number of occurrences of a repeated event per unit of time. To calculate the frequency of the event, the number of occurrences of the event within a fixed time interval are counted, and then divided by the length of the time interval. For example, the frequency of the standard pitch A above middle C is usually defined as 440 Hz (440 cycles per second). An occurrence of the standard pitch A above middle C at 450 Hz (450 cycles per second), would then likely sound out of tune (e.g., sharp) to the listener. Similarly, an occurrence of the standard pitch A above middle C at 430 Hz (430 cycles per second), would also likely sound out of tune (e.g., flat) to the listener.
Removing or editing unwanted audio components improves audio quality (i.e., the removal of noise components provides a clearer audio signal, and the removal of incorrect pitches provides a more accurate and pleasing audio signal). Alternatively, a user may apply different processing operations (e.g., edits), to portions of the audio data to generate particular audio effects.
Audio editing by frequency, for example, typically involves pitch shifting an entire selected frequency range by the same ratio. Pitch shifting is a sound recording technique, in which the normal pitch or tone of a sound is altered (e.g., shifted), for effect or for other purposes (e.g., to tune an out-of-tune pitch). Pitch shifting may be done both in analog and in digital recording and usually involves no more than a half-step (semitone) or possibly whole step (whole tone) change to the pitch. In digital recording, pitch shifting is accomplished through digital signal processing.
To apply a pitch shifting effect on a particular frequency, for example, an entire frequency range is selected. The entire frequency range is then copied into a new (e.g., blank), file and pitch shifted. Current pitch shifting algorithms are not designed to be implemented on specific frequency ranges (e.g., a range of 100 Hz to 200 Hz), and thus the entire selected frequency range is edited (e.g., shifted) by the same ratio.


A semiconductor package having conductive bumps on a chip and a fabrication method thereof are provided. A plurality of the conductive bumps are deposited respectively on bond pads of the chip. An encapsulation body encapsulates the chip and conductive bumps while exposing ends of the conductive bumps. A plurality of conductive traces are formed on the encapsulation body and electrically connected to the exposed ends of the conductive bumps. A solder mask layer is applied over the conductive traces and formed with openings for exposing predetermined portions of the conductive traces. The exposed portions of the conductive traces are connected to a plurality of solder balls respectively. The conductive bumps on the bond pads of the chip allow easy positional recognition of the bond pads, making the conductive traces well electrically connected to the bond pads through the conductive bumps and assuring the quality and reliability of the semiconductor package.

A semiconductor package is used to accommodate at least one integrated circuit component such as semiconductor chip and preferably made compact in size. To achieve this goal, there is a type of small scale semiconductor package, named chip scale package (CSP), which has a size substantially equal or slightly larger than that of the chip incorporated therein.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,892,179, 6,103,552, 6,287,893, 6,350,668 and 6,433,427 disclose a CSP structure which directly fabricates build-up layers on a chip and utilizes a RDL (redistribution layer) technique to redistribute bond pads of the chip to predetermined positions, while not requiring a chip carrier such as substrate or lead frame. As shown in FIG. 5, such a CSP structure has a plurality of build-up layers formed on an active surface 100 of the chip 10, including: a dielectric layer 11 disposed over the active surface 100 of the chip 10 and formed with a plurality of vias 110 for exposing bond pads 101 of the chip 10; and a plurality of conductive traces 12 formed on the dielectric layer 11 and electrically connected to the exposed bond pads 101 of the chip 10. A solder mask layer 13 is applied over the conductive traces 12 and formed with a plurality of openings 130, allowing predetermined portions of the conductive traces 12 to be exposed via the openings 130 and bonded to solder balls 14 which serve as input/output (I/O) connections for electrically connecting the chip 10 to an external device such as printed circuit board (not shown). Therefore, the bond pads 101 of the chip 10 are redistributed via the conductive traces 12 to the positions bonded with the solder balls 14 and thus electrically connected to the solder balls 14. In other words, if bond pads formed on a chip are located at peripheral area or arranged by uneven pitches, they can be redistributed using the RDL technique by means of conductive traces to array-arranged positions predetermined for bonding solder balls, and thus a ball grid array or array-arranged solder balls can be subsequently disposed on the predetermined positions to be electrical connected to the bond pads via the conductive traces.
The above CSP structure, however, is defective in that the use of RDL technique or the arrangement of conductive traces is limited in accordance with the chip size or area of the active surface of the chip. Especially with increase in the chip integration and reduction of the chip size, the chip usually cannot provide sufficient surface area for accommodating relatively more solder balls desirably required for the external electrical connection.
Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,469 discloses another package structure which forms build-up layers on a chip and provides additional or more surface area for carrying solder balls or I/O connections. As shown in FIG. 6, this package structure uses an encapsulation body 15 to encapsulate a non-active surface 102 and side surfaces 103 of the chip 10, with the active surface 100 of the chip 10 exposed outside and flush with a surface 150 of the encapsulation body 15. A first dielectric layer 16 is applied over the active surface 100 of the chip 10 and the surface 150 of the encapsulation body 15, the first dielectric layer 16 having a plurality of vias 160 formed by a laser drilling technique for exposing the bond pads 101 of the chip 10. A plurality of conductive traces 12 (hereinafter referred to as "first conductive traces") are formed on the first dielectric layer 16 and electrically connected to the exposed bond pads 101. Then, a second dielectric layer 17 is disposed over the first conductive traces 12 and formed with a plurality of vias 170 for exposing predetermined portions of the first conductive traces 12. A plurality of second conductive traces 18 are formed on the second dielectric layer 17 and electrically connected to the exposed portions of the first conductive traces 12. Finally, the solder mask layer 13 is applied over the second conductive traces 18, allowing predetermined portions of the second conductive traces 18 to be exposed via the openings 130 of the solder mask layer 13 and bonded to the solder balls 14. Therefore, the surface 150 of the encapsulation body 15 that encapsulates the chip 10 provides more surface area than the active surface 100 of the chip 10 and can be mounted with more solder balls 14 for external electrical connection.
However, a significant drawback incurred by the above package structure is that when the laser drilling technique is employed to form vias through the first dielectric layer for exposing the bond pads on the chip, the bond pads covered by the first dielectric layer cannot be easily and precisely recognized by laser in position, making the vias not able to accurately correspond to the positions of the bond pads. As a result, the bond pads on the chip fail to be completely exposed, and electrical connection between the conductive traces and the incompletely-exposed bond pads is degraded, thereby damaging yield and reliability of the fabricated packages. Moreover, the provision of first dielectric layer on the chip and encapsulation body and the use of laser drilling technique would undesirably increase fabrication costs and process complexity. Besides, since the first dielectric layer has a different coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) from the chip and encapsulation body, under a high temperature environment or in a thermal cycle, delamination may easily occur at interface between the first dielectric layer and the chip or encapsulation body due to different thermal stresses produced therefrom, making the quality and reliability of the fabricated products degraded.
Therefore, the problem to be solved herein is to provide a semiconductor package which can assure electrical connection between conductive traces and bond pads formed on the chip and improve the production yield and reliability of the semiconductor package.

Method for fabricating semiconductor package having conductive bumps on chip

Siliconware Precision Industrial Co., Ltd.