Disclosed is a rocker arm shaft for an automobile engine, which is effectively capable of offsetting the length change of the rocker arm shaft, which caused by heat. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a rocker arm shaft can be divided into at least two shafts. An elastic member, such as a coil spring, is positioned between the shafts. When the length change of the shafts is changed by heat, the elastic member offsets the changed length of the shafts. The rocker arm shaft is divided into a hollow first shaft and a hollow second shaft. A one end of the second shaft of the rocker arm shaft forms a receiving groove for inserting the elastic member. With this structure, the rocker arm shaft for an automobile engine does not bend nor get twisted by offsetting the changed length of the shafts by means of the elastic member.

Generally, internal combustion engines, such as multi-cylinder diesel engines, typically include a crankshaft, a camshaft and a rocker arm shaft. The crankshaft is connected with a plurality of piston rods, which in turn are connected with a plurality of corresponding pistons. Reciprocating movement of the pistons within corresponding combustion cylinders causes rotation of the crankshaft.
The crankshaft is typically interconnected with the camshaft via a gear set and thereby rotatably drives the camshaft during operation. The camshaft includes a plurality of cams, with each cam being associated with an inlet valve, and an exhaust valve or a fuel injector valve. More particularly, the rocker arm shaft carries a plurality of rocker arms, with each rocker arm having a roller follower that engages a corresponding cam on the camshaft. Rotation of the camshaft causes oscillatory pivotal movement of the rocker arms around the rocker arm shaft.
The rocker arm shaft is a hollow pipe, and it may be inserted into a plurality of shaft holes formed through the cylinder head. Since fixing caps are threaded into predetermined shaft holes formed at positions adjacent to both ends of the cylinder head, the rocker arm shaft is rigidly fixed to the shaft hole, respectively.
A problem with a conventional rocker arm shaft for the automobile as described above is that the length of the rocker arm shaft may be changed due to thermal expansion. In other words, if a heat is generated during operation of the automobile engine, it is transmitted to the cylinder head, which in turn is transmitted to the rocker arm shaft and thereby the length of the rocker arm shaft is changed. Due to this, the rocker arm shaft may be twisted or be bent within the shaft holes formed at the positions adjacent to the cylinder head. Alternatively, the cylinder head is broken down due to the thermal expansion of the rocker arm shaft, since the rocker arm shaft is fixed in the shaft hole by means of the fixing cap. If thermal expansion of the rocker arm shaft proceeds continuously, both ends of the rocker arm push the fixing caps and thereby the fixing caps may be forcibly released from the shaft holes.

Rocker arm shaft for an automobile engine


A barrier liner for sealing reinforced composite vessels at cryogenic temperatures is provided wherein the barrier liner is composed of a polymeric composition containing a curing agent, such as a methyl bis-methyl anthranilate, and an elastomer adhesive, such as a two-part polyether based urethane adhesive. A method of manufacturing and applying the barrier liner is also provided, including the steps of mixing and degassing the polymeric composition and introducing the polymeric composition between two polyethylene carrier sheets. The two carrier sheets and the intermediate polymeric composition layer are then passed between two sizing rollers set apart at a predetermined distance. The encapsulated polymeric composition is then partially cured to a tacky gel state and cooled to arrest polymerization until application of the gel layer. The gel layer and the two carrier sheets can then be cut into any desired shape such as strips, and applied to the inner surface of a vessel. The interior wall of the vessel may be heated prior to application of the gel layer. To apply the polymeric gel layer, one of the carrier sheets is removed to expose a tacky surface of the polymeric gel layer which is then applied to the vessel wall. When application of the polymeric gel layer is complete, the gel layer may be fully cured at ambient temperature and pressure to form a hardened barrier liner which is capable of maintaining a barrier to fluids at cryogenic temperatures.

In recent years, pressure vessels and particularly pressure vessels which are used under wide temperature ranges, have been constructed of various filament reinforced composites. As a simple example, many pressure vessels are constructed with reinforced plastic composites of epoxy resins and fibrous materials such as glass, boron, carbon or the like. The reinforced plastic composite materials are highly effective in the formation of pressure vessels due to the fact that they have a high strength capable of withstanding large pressure and temperature changes, and they are of significantly lighter weight than pressure vessels formed of metals such as steel, aluminum, or the like. Reinforced composite materials are frequently used for vessels exposed to outer space environments, such as on rockets, and are proposed now for use in space station equipment. The use of a filament wound composite material is also ideal for manufacturing very large vessels, that is, vessels over 10 feet in diameter and vessels of even larger size. However, vessels of this type lack the requisite barrier properties without further treatment or processing.
More particularly, one of the disadvantages of reinforced composite vessels is the existence of a microporosity which becomes pronounced at low temperatures. The microporosity can result during the initial manufacturing operations of fiber compaction and resin curing. Porosity can also result from cyclic pressure loading of the composite structures in service. However, in the minds of most researchers, the thermal properties and the mechanical properties of the fibers which are used and of the resin matrices which are employed are so widely divergent that micro-cracking between the fiber and the matrix is inevitable. When the vessel is used to contain cryogenic fluids, such as hydrogen fuel at -423.degree. F., thermal micro-cracking becomes increasingly problematic. Liquid hydrogen is a particularly difficult substance to contain under low temperature conditions. Due to the fact that the hydrogen molecule is a very small molecule, there is a great tendency for this fluid to weep through the vessel wall, thus resulting in a loss of material.
In order to overcome the microporosity problem, others have attempted to use liners in these reinforced composite pressure vessels. The search for an effective barrier material for filament wound pressure vessels started as early as the 1950's when rubber bladders were used simply to allow the vessel to be hydrostatically proof-tested. Thereafter, others have attempted to use the rubber bladders as a type of liner. Some fabricators in the design of pressure vessels, such as water tanks, used seamless spun aluminum liners that were over-wound with filaments and resin binders and then left in place during service operation. There were many research efforts to find suitable film barrier materials using Mylar, Tedlar, Kapton or acrylonitrile-butadiene to prevent leakage. However, none of the above described materials possesses the required elasticity at cryogenic temperatures, such as -423.degree. F., the liquidation point of hydrogen.
There are many liquid polymeric formulations which can be sprayed in place, rolled on in liquid form, or applied by brush. However, all of these polymers and their application methods result in the inclusion of air bubbles and pinholes in the resultant liner. Most frequently, these air bubbles and pinholes cannot be seen and only appear under the stress of extreme temperature conditions. Further, these liners cannot be sealed air or liquid tight when pressure tested.
In addition, other films have been proposed which use an adhesive B-stage film. These films do not possess sufficiently elastic properties at cryogenic temperatures and also require high temperatures and pressures to fully cure the film. To apply the requisite pressures and temperatures, the structure is usually placed in a high temperature pressurizing device, such as an autoclave. Such an approach is impractical, however, when working with large tank structures, such as those having a diameter of 50 feet or greater, which will not readily fit into an autoclave. In addition, even when using an autoclave, the pressure may not be sufficient to remove air bubbles from beneath the film.
Thus, there is a need for an effective technique for sealing reinforced composite pressure vessels, particularly when subjected to pressure and temperature variations of the type encountered in space applications. There is a need for a barrier liner material for reinforced composite fluid vessels which remains fully sealed, even under pressurized cryogenic conditions. In addition, it would be desirable to provide an easy and effective method of applying the liner to a vessel wall, even for very large tank structures.


A method of measuring a load on a surface produced by a contact force. An elastic film or coating is located on a supporting surface to provide an indication of normal and tangential or shear forces applied to the surface. A thickness measurement, corresponding to a normal displacement, and a tangential displacement of the film, corresponding to a shear displacement, is obtained and input to a response function to reconstruct the normal and shear load components of the contact force on the surface. A differential thickness measurement of the film is detected by an optical method in which a luminescent output from a luminophore in the film is measured. A luminescent output from a reference luminophore located below the film is also measured to provide a measurement system independent of the illumination source used to produce the luminescent output.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to surface-pressure and shear-tension measurements and, more particularly, relates to surface-pressure and shear-tension measurements based on the deformation of an elastic film located in association with the surface of an object or model.
2. Description of Prior Art
Convenient, reliable and inexpensive methods for determining pressure maps of surfaces, particularly on aerodynamic objects, are currently under development. One known approach is to employ pressure taps which are drilled into the surface under study and connected via tubing to multiplexed pressure gages or pressure gage arrays. Hundreds of pressure taps are generally required to get a pressure distribution over an entire surface. Even then, the significant distance between taps usually requires additional sophisticated interpolation procedures. Pressure taps provide information only about the static or normal pressure component acting on the surface. Tangential pressure components or shear stresses should also be measured to fully characterize the forces acting on the surface. Up to now these components have been measured mostly by indirect approaches such as heat flux measurements, by miniature balance systems imbedded into the object or model surface, or by measuring the shear force acting on a floated piece of the model surface.
An additional technique proposed utilizing the oxygen quenching of fluorescent dyes for flow visualization. Since then a substantial effort has gone into the development of the Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) technique which is a quantitative surface pressure measurement method. The PSP technique is based on the oxygen quenching of molecular photoluminescence. A surface under study is covered by an oxygen-permeable thin polymeric layer containing an embedded oxygen sensitive luminophore. Oxygen from the ambient flow can diffuse into the polymeric layer where its concentration is proportional to the static air pressure. Luminescence from the embedded probe molecules is excited with the appropriate light source. Due to the quenching effect of oxygen on molecular photoluminescence, the luminescence intensity from the coated surface is an indicator of the local oxygen concentration and thus represents a method to obtain surface pressure. Oxygen diffusion in the PSP layer determines its response to pressure changes on the surface. The response time can be estimated as τ≈Λ2/D, where Λ is the PSP layer thickness and D is the oxygen diffusion coefficient. For a practical PSP layer thickness of 1–2microns, the response time is between 2–4 ms. Such a slow response time represents a significant barrier to utilizing PSPs for the investigation of transient fluid phenomena.
The PSP technique based on oxygen quenching is essentially an absolute pressure gage. The sensitivity, dIr/dP, for most currently available PSP formulations generally vary in the range of 0.0005 to 0.001%/Pa. Unfortunately, this sensitivity can not be increased significantly due to both the physical and photochemical properties of available formulations. Thus, it is very difficult to utilize PSP in applications with small pressure variations such as measurements at low subsonic velocities (Mach number (Ma) below 0.05). Pressure variation on a model is proportional to the square of the Mach number, thus, the pressure variation range, ΔP, for a flow at Ma=0.05 (V=35 mile/h) is approximately 100 Pa which is substantially less than the pressure variation range, ΔP, for a flow at M=0.5 (V=350 mile/h and ΔP=104 Pa). Since the PSP sensitivity can not be modified to accurately cover this low scale, reliable results can generally only be obtained by increasing the signal to noise ratio of the acquired intensity (typically by averaging many images) and compensating for all possible error sources such as illumination non-stability, model displacement and deformation, and temperature effects. PSP temperature sensitivity varies between 100 Pa/° C. to 1000 Pa/° C. and is comparable with the total pressure variation range for a flow at Ma=0.05. Thus, PSP measurements at flow velocities below Ma=0.05 require significant efforts on the part of the user to obtain quality data.
Mapping of shear stresses has generally been accomplished in the past by using liquid crystals or oil film measurements. A further method of shear stress mapping involved mounting on a model surface a sensing element in the form of a film made of a flexible polymer gel of a small thickness with a known shear modulus. Markers applied to the film and the model surfaces were used to record the shear deformation of the film under aerodynamic loading. Shearing stress in this case is determined using Hooke's law for shear strain. The markers can be in the form of a grating placed both on the model's surface (under the film) and on the film's surface enabling the use of the Moiré technique for recording shear strain. A drawback of this method is the fact that gradients of the normal pressure can also create a shear displacement of the polymer gel and thus this method works best in the absence of normal pressure gradients. On the other hand, the normal film deformation or displacement is not very sensitive to shear force action. Practical flow investigations are characterized by regions with large pressure spikes and pressure gradients, but usually display shear forces and shear gradients that are 10 to 1000 times smaller. This creates a difficult problem in determining shear deformation from normal and shear surface load components.

Method for determining a surface contact force


A system, apparatus, and method are directed to managing automatic sign in to an Instant Messaging (IM) session on mobile device from another computing device, such as a personal computer (PC), over a network. The end-user of the PC may provide an account identifier, password, and the like, and in response, receive a cookie, that may further include the account identifier, encoded string, and the like. The end-user may then request initiation of the IM session using a toolbar selection, a script, applet, form, web page selection, and the like. As part of the request, the cookie may be provided to the server. If the request is authenticated based, in part, on the cookie information, the server uses the account identifier to locate an associated a mobile device identifier. The mobile device identifier is employed to log the end-user automatically into the mobile device.

The use of mobile technologies is steadily on the increase, for both business and personal uses. Mobile phones are a common site today and many people own personal information management (PIM) devices, palmtop computers, and so forth, to manage their schedules, contacts, and to stay connected with friends, family, and work. Employees on the move often appreciate the value of staying connected with their business through their mobile devices.
With such a variety of mobile devices, one can receive email messages, Instant Messaging (IM) messages, and Short Message Service (SMS) text messages, in addition to regular voice calls. With the growing proliferation of such mobile devices, it is becoming ever more important to ensure that employees, friends, and family are able to remain seamlessly connected to each other as they transition from a home or office based stationary computing device to a mobile situation. Therefore, it is with respect to these considerations and others that the present invention has been made.

Method for signing into a mobile device over a network


A digital photographing apparatus and a method of controlling the same. A continuous shooting speed of the digital photographing apparatus may be improved by simultaneously performing a shutter operation and a read out operation of image data. A disclosed method of controlling a digital photographing apparatus includes displaying an image signal input through an image pickup device as a live view image, performing a first operation by driving a shutter, reading data from the image pickup device, and performing a second operation by driving the shutter during a time period overlapping the reading of the data.

1. Field
The invention relates to a digital photographing apparatus and a method of controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, when a focal plane shutter is used in a digital photographing apparatus, a continuous shooting speed of the digital photographing apparatus is directly affected by a shutter operating speed, an operation mechanism, and a read out time of imaging data from an image pickup device.
Here, imaging data can be read out from an image sensor only when the image sensor is completely blocked after exposure of the image sensor. Thus, the imaging data is read out when shutter operation has stopped.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Digital photographing apparatus and method of controlling the same


A prosthetic device comprises stacked column segments. A first one of the column segments comprises a ball surface facing along a column axis. The ball surface has a generally convex shape that is articulable in a mating socket of a second one of the column segments. The first one of the column segments comprises a socket surface facing an opposite direction along the column axis. The socket surface has a generally concave shape that is articulable on a mating ball of a third one of the column segments. Multiple column segments similar to the first column segment are stacked to form the column.

Various types of penile prostheses are currently available to cure or compensate for impotence, two of which include a non-inflatable, semi-rigid implantable prostheses and an inflatable, implantable prostheses. The non-inflatable, semi-rigid prosthesis is implanted within the corpora cavernosa of the penis and provides a generally constant erection. The inflatable prosthesis is also implanted in the corpora cavernosa but is connected to a hydraulic pumping device.
There is a continuous demand for improvements to implantable non-inflatable penile prostheses including, for example, easier construction, improved articulation, quieter articulation and other improvements.
Embodiments of the present invention provide solutions to these and other problems. The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Implantable malleable penile prosthetic device


A cold cathode ion gauge is provided that is suitable for use in a high vacuum and in the presence of contaminating gases. By decreasing the discharge current and, more precisely, decreasing the charge current density received by the gauge electrodes, and using certain type of materials for the gauge electrodes, the mechanism by which insulating films are deposited on surface of the electrodes is attenuated and the life of the gauge is significantly prolonged. The gauge discharge current can be decreased by providing a large resistor in series with the anode, while the charge current density can be decreased by using an electrode with larger surface area, which can be achieved by fabricating grooves or fans on electrodes and by using low electron backscattering and low secondary emission materials, like carbon.

Many industrial applications require processing in a vacuum, from a ultra high vacuum ("UHV"), that is, a very low gas pressure of less than about 10−8 Torr, to a rough vacuum, in which the pressure can be almost as high as atmospheric pressure. The terms "vacuum" and "pressure" are used in opposite senses, in that a "high vacuum" means a "low pressure" and vice versa.
Different types of vacuum gauges are used to measure vacuum in different pressure ranges. For example, a Pirani gauge is suitable for use in a vacuum from 10−5 Torr (1.3×10−3 Pa) to atmospheric pressure; a hot cathode ion gauge (HCIG), is suitable for vacuums from about 10−2 (1.3 Pa) to about 10−10 Torr (1.3×10−8 Pa); and the cold cathode ion gauge (CCIG), is used for vacuum from about 10−2 Torr (1.3 Pa) to about 10−13 Torr (1.3×10−11 Pa). Each type of gauge has advantages and disadvantages.
The Pirani gauge determines pressure by measuring thermal conductivity, which varies with the gas pressure in the vacuum chamber. A Pirani gauge can effectively measure pressure from a low vacuum up to atmosphere, but loses sensitivity in a high vacuum. In HCIGs, thermionically emitted electrons are accelerated and ionize gas molecules, which support a discharge current that varies with the gas pressure. The discharge current is correlated to pressure to measure the vacuum. An HCIG can measure a wide range of vacuums, but the hot filament produces heat, which can cause gases in the vacuum chamber to chemically react to produce compounds that promote contamination and corrosion. The heated filament also "outgases," that is, drives off gases from the filament into the vacuum chamber. In contrast, a CCIG uses a high voltage static electric field and an orthogonal magnetic field to enhance the gas molecule ionization process. The CCIG reduces or eliminates heat-related failures.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show schematically a typical prior art standard CCIG 100, in which a high voltage source 102 supplies a constant high voltage, typically between about 2 kV and about 6 kV, between an anode 104 and a cathode 106 to produce an electric field 108 in the space between the anode and cathode. A magnetic field 110 orthogonal to the electric field is concurrently applied. The magnetic field, which produces a force on charged particles perpendicular to their velocities, causes the charged particles to traverse a meandering path, which increases the probability of collisions with gases in the gauge. Starting from the first stray charged particle, a stable discharge current builds up through various collisions between charged particles and stray gases.
FIG. 1B shows a typical collision sequence in which an electron 120 collides with a gas molecule to generate an ion 122 and additional electrons 124. Ion 122 also generates an electron 126 when it impacts the cathode 106. The movement of charged particles to the anode and cathode constitutes a current, referred to as an "ionization current" or a "discharge current," which is measured by a current meter 112. The discharge current depends sensitively, typically exponentially, on the level of vacuum. At higher vacuums, there are less gas molecules to collide with and generate charges. As the vacuum changes from low to high, the discharge current decreases. The discharge or ionization current of the CCIG is detected, amplified, and used for calibrating the pressure in the vacuum. The discharge current also depends on the type of gases in the vacuum chamber.
In practice, CCIGs are used mainly for measuring vacuums higher than about 10−5 Torr. In a lower vacuum range from about 10−4 Torr to about 10−2 Torr, the greater concentration of gas molecules creates a very large ionization current, which causes excessive heat and sputtering of materials from the electrodes. Attempts have been made to solve the heating and sputtering problem to extend the CCIG measuring range to lower vacuum between about 10−4 Torr and about 10−2 Torr. For example, Klemperer describes in British Patent No. 555 134 for "Improvements in or relating to apparatus for measuring low gas pressure" a CCIG operating in two modes: a constant voltage operation in the high vacuum range at which discharge current is limited by the low gas pressure, and a constant current operation mode for operation in a low vacuum range to reduce the discharge current. U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,157 for a "Method And Circuit For Extending The Range Of A Cold Cathode Discharge Vacuum Gauge" to Peacock describes adding a large series resistor to the anode circuit to reduce the excessive current in low vacuum applications.
While known solutions exist for using CCIGs at low vacuum, in most applications CCIGs operate reliably in a high vacuum with a long lifetime. In some high vacuum applications, however, CCIGs tend to fail after a relatively short period of use. For example, charged particle beam systems, such focused ion beam systems and electron beam systems, used for applications such as circuit edit and photolithography mask repair, often employ metal organic gases and other unfriendly gases for milling and deposition. Although the gas pressure in such application is sufficiently low to avoid excessive heat and sputtering, CCIGs in such applications can still suffer a short average lifetime of about two weeks. Typical failures, which can occur after between two weeks and a few months of operation, are manifested as questionable vacuum readings, unstable vacuum readings, and malfunctions of the gauge.
Prior art efforts to increase the useful life of CCIGs were directed to solving the heating and sputtering problem of CCIGs when used in low vacuums, from about 10−4 Torr to about 10−2 Torr. At higher vacuums, the discharge current is relatively low, so heating and sputtering problems do not occur. The problem of short CCIG lifetimes when operating at high vacuum, such as pressures less than about 10−4 Torr, less than about 10−5 Torr or less than about 10−6 Torr, has not been solved because the mechanism for failure at the low pressures was unknown.

Abstract: Another concept of constant current mode is also proposed in this invention for extending the lifetime of CCIGs that are used for vacuum containing unfriendly gases.


This disclosure relates to drawing within a computer environment using a drawing resource. The computer environment includes a managed code portion and a native code portion. The computer environment compares a draw parameter call value being passed from the managed code portion to the native code portion with a stored drawing resource value stored in the native code portion. If the draw parameter call value is the same as the stored drawing resource value, then the computer environment is configured to draw onto a native drawing surface using the stored drawing resource. If the draw parameter call value is not the same as the drawing resource value, then a new drawing resource is created in the managed code portion. In another aspect, a portion of the drawing resource feature portion that contains data that describes at least one or more parameter of the drawing resource is transmitted between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

When executing code in a virtual machine (VM) environment, a user application program can run on different platforms. In such VM computer environments, native resources are typically allocated using system calls. In many computer-based drawing programs, a new drawing resource (such as a brush or a pen) is produced each time a new drawing object is created. Often, it is easy for developers to neglect the effects on the processor speed of producing a large number of drawing resources in drawing programs.
Managing each drawing resource generates system calls across a VM/native boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion. System calls across this VM/native boundary demand considerable processor effort due to the varied code translations that may be necessary for virtual machines to comply with different computer platforms and languages, as well as the considerable amount of data that precisely describes each drawing resource. The garbage collection associated with removing the large number of drawing resources is considerable since each drawing resource has to be consciously removed individually, or alternately the drawing resources are removed after some prescribed period. If the drawing resources are removed after some period, then there may be a considerable number of drawing resources waiting for their duration to be removed. Storing such a considerable number of drawing resources may make such tasks as drawing programs slow in drawing programs. Additionally, present computer drawing programs typically produce multiple concurrently-saved copies of the drawing resource. For example, as the drawing resource is transferred between the VM, the native OS, and the OS itself, a copy of each drawing object is stored in memory associated with each location.
Drawing programs that run on such computer environments as stand alone computers, networked computer environments, and computer devices typically inefficiently manage such drawing resources, but such inefficiency is typically ignored due to the large processing abilities of these computer environments. Smaller and less powerful, memory constrained and processor constrained devices (i.e. resource constrained devices) such as PDA's, cellular telephones, computer devices, embedded devices, microprocessor devices, and microcomputer devices are becoming increasingly popular. Resource constrained devices rely on more limited software and operating systems than those applied to full size computers. Applying a large number of system calls to resource constrained devices commonly makes the system prohibitively slow to perform many drawing functions. The code transitions necessary for system calls in resource constrained devices that have been produced between the native code portion and the managed code portion in virtual machines (especially for demanding programs as drawing programs) are so processor intensive that the processor and memory resources become highly strained.
It would therefore be beneficial to improve the management of drawing resources within computer environments.


A carrying case includes a frame member to retain a tablet computer and a base member coupled to the frame member. The frame member includes a recess with a protruding lip to receive a first edge of the tablet computer as it is inserted into the carrying case, and a retractable latching mechanism to secure a second, opposite edge of the tablet computer. The retractable latching mechanism can be moved to a retracted position to enable the second edge of the tablet computer to be inserted within the frame member and then released to a non-retracted position to secure the second edge of the tablet computer within the frame member.

A tablet computer is a self-contained computing device which is generally portable and hand-held, and is dominated in its design by its display and associated touch-screen interface. Tablet computers generally lack physical keyboards and when the user wishes to input text, the user activates a software-generated touch-screen keyboard for that activity. This is adequate for small amounts of text but awkward when large amounts of text need to be input.
Since it is not uncommon for tablet computer users to have the intermittent need to input large amounts of text, physical keyboards that are compatible with tablet computers are manufactured and sold. The use of such prior art keyboards with tablet computers is problematic in a number of ways, such as difficulty in carrying the keyboard and tablet computer together conveniently, setting up the combination of keyboard and tablet computer quickly and securely, and providing protection to the tablet computer, particularly its front surface touch screen display, when it is carried together with a keyboard.

Tablet computer carrying case with retractable latch


A noise removing circuit for removing an impulse noise in a signal. An input selector switch receives a first signal and a second signal to selectively output the first and second signals. A polyphase sampling pulse generator outputs polyphase pulse trains. A plurality of sample-and-hold circuits are in cascaded connection to sample and hold the output of the input selector switch. Each of the sample-and-hold circuits is activated by pulses of a corresponding phase of the polyphase pulse trains to sample and hold a signal level being held on a preceding circuit. Each of a plurality of multipliers has a predetermined multiplication coefficient and outputs the signal level on each of sample-and-hold circuits multiplied with said predetermined coefficient. An adder adds up the outputs of the plurality of multipliers to produce the second signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a noise removing circuit for removing impulse noise from a signal.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 7 shows a general construction of a prior art noise removing circuit for removing impulse noise from an input signal. In FIG. 7 when a noise detector 30 detects no impulse noise in an input signal, a switch 31 is closed so that the input signal is directed to an amplifier 33 which outputs an amplified signal. When the noise detector 30 detects an impulse noise in the input signal, the switch 31 is opened so that the voltage of input signal just before the switch 31 is opened is held across a capacitor 32. The amplifier 33 amplifies the voltage across the capacitor 32 and outputs the amplified voltage.
FIG. 6 shows the change in waveform of an input signal passing through the circuit in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 6, the prior art noise removing circuit is such that the voltage of the input signal just before an impulse noise is detected is held across a capacitor and is outputted during noise removing period. Thus, the output signal waveform is different from what would otherwise be present if impulse noise is not contained in the input signal. This causes the output signal to be distorted after impulse noise has been removed therefrom.


An optical strain gage (1) for multi-axis strain measurement includes at least two linear light waveguide sections (2, 3, 4) with Bragg gratings (5). These are arranged next to one another in a prescribed angle (19) of 90° or 45° on a support layer (6) and are supplied with lightwaves by a common infeeding waveguide section (7). All of the light waveguide sections(2, 3, 4, 7) are provided preferably linearly on the support layer (6), and a beam dispersion element (8) is arranged between the infeeding waveguide section (7) and the measuring waveguide sections (2, 3, 4) containing the Bragg grating (5).

Electrical strain gages are frequently utilized for the measurement-technology evaluation of forces or for the monitoring of mechanically loaded structural components. The strain gages detect the strain of structural elements impinged or acted on by force. Such electrical strain gages usually consist of photolithographically produced meander-shaped measuring grids of an electrical resistance material that is applied on a support film of synthetic plastic and is usually covered with a further synthetic plastic protective film for mechanical protection. These electrical strain gages are applied on a deformation body for the detection of a load-dependent strain and convert the strain, through a resistance variation of the measuring grid, into an electrical signal that is proportional to the strain or the force influence.
Normally strain gages that are embodied as so-called rosettes are utilized for the biaxial measurement of strains. In that regard, usually two or three individual measuring grids are arranged on a common support film, which are usually offset from one another at 45°, 60° or 90° angles. Such strain-measuring rosettes are mostly used for measuring the magnitude of the strain or force along and perpendicular to a main axis or to determine the orientation of the main axis. In that regard, T-rosettes with two measuring grids are known, which are arranged offset 90° relative to one another. These are predominantly utilized for this if a biaxial stress condition exists, of which the main direction is known. Rosettes with three measuring grids are mostly used for determining a biaxial stress condition of which the main stress directions are unknown. In that regard, the measuring grids must be arranged as near as possible to one another in order to be able to detect the same strains at the same location, whereby only therewith an exact measurement can be ensured. Therefore, such known rectangular rosettes with three measuring grids are rarely larger than 10×20 mm. However, such electrical strain gages are very sensitive with respect to electromagnetic fields or high voltage related influences and also may not be utilized in areas subject to the danger of explosion.
Such a sensor for the high voltage and electromagnetically insensitive detection of biaxial mechanical stresses is known from the EP 1 129 327 B1, which optically determines the strains to be measured. For that purpose optical waveguides are provided, which consist of optical fibers. So-called Bragg gratings are written or introduced into these optical fibers, and these Bragg gratings produce a reflection wavelength that is proportional to the detected strain. These optical fibers with impressed Bragg gratings are embedded in a support layer of epoxide resin or adhesively bonded onto plates. This support layer can then be secured onto the surface of deformation bodies and thus transmits the strain acting on this support layer onto the strain-measuring Bragg gratings. Due to a strain, the reflected Bragg wavelength varies or changes corresponding to the strain and can be detected. This optical strain sensor is embodied as a rosette for the measurement of a biaxial stress and consists of a light waveguide with at least two or three Bragg gratings that are arranged one behind another, and that are oriented at angles of 45°, 60° or 90° relative to one another, and thereby can detect the strains of deformation bodies like electrical strain gage rosettes. In that regard, the connection sections of the waveguide between the Bragg gratings are guided in a curve or arc shape and may not fall below certain radii of curvature due to the reflection losses. For minimizing the radii of curvature it is additionally suggested to strongly taper the bent or curved connection sections, since thereby the reflection losses can be reduced. However, the connection sections of the waveguides between the Bragg gratings are apparently still considerably longer than the strain-measuring Bragg gratings themselves, which already require a length of approximately 10 mm. Therefore, such rosettes of optical fibers with two or three Bragg gratings on a common support layer, with comparable accuracy, still require a considerably larger application surface than is required with electrical strain gage rosettes.


An amplifier includes: a single-stage or multiple-stage variable gain amplifier that amplifies an input signal with a controlled gain; a AGC control circuit that detects the peak level of a signal outputted from the variable gain amplifier in the final stage, converts the resultant signal to a digital signal, and outputs an AGC control signal for controlling the gain of the variable gain amplifier based on the converted digital signal; an EVR control circuit that outputs an EVR control signal according to a signal of setting an attenuation value or an amplification value for EVR inputted from an electronic variable resistor control terminal; and a gain control circuit that controls the gain of the variable gain amplifier in accordance with at least one of the AGC control signal and the EVR control signal. The occurrence of “popping” sounds caused by differences in DC voltage due to switching between an AGC circuit and an electronic variable resistor circuit can be suppressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amplifier that includes an AGC circuit and an electronic variable resistor circuit as built-in elements, and in particular to an amplifier having a configuration in which a variable gain amplifier is shared for composing the AGC circuit and the electronic variable resistor.
2. Description of Related Art
The miniaturization of electronic components and reduction of the number of components used in portable devices such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras is considered to be of importance in the miniaturization and reduction of weight for such devices.
In an AGC (Automatic Gain Control) circuit used for improving the distortion characteristics of a handled signal, by converting a detection signal obtained by detecting a level of an output signal to a digital signal, it becomes possible to eliminate an external component. On the other hand, there are also many cases where an EVR (Electronic Variable Resistor) function for gain switching is provided in products that handle audio signals.
FIG. 6 illustrates an audio amplifier that has an AGC circuit and an electronic variable resistor circuit, as disclosed in JP H7-34534A. A signal inputted from an input terminal 1 is amplified by a variable gain amplifier 31 and outputted from an output terminal 2. Signals outputted from a gain control circuit 32 and a detection circuit 33 are supplied to the variable gain amplifier 31. A control signal is supplied to the gain control circuit 32 from a control signal input terminal 30 via a switch 34, and the electronic variable resistor circuit is configured thereby. The signal outputted from the variable gain amplifier 31 is supplied to the detection circuit 33 via a switch 35 and a rectifier circuit 36. Furthermore, a smoothing capacitor 37 is connected between the point at which the rectifier circuit 36 and the detection circuit 33 are connected and a ground, and the AGC circuit is configured thereby.
The AGC circuit and the electronic variable resistor circuit are both circuits that realize a function for controlling the gain of the amplifier. When the level of the input signal fluctuates, the AGC circuit detects the output signal level through the detection circuit and adjusts the gain of the variable gain amplifier based on the detected signal so that the output signal achieves a desired level. On the other hand, the electronic variable resistor circuit does not need to control the gain of the variable gain amplifier as long as the set gain is not altered.
For this reason, when an AGC circuit and an electronic variable resistor circuit are included within the same semiconductor integrated circuit, oftentimes they conventionally have been composed of individual elements, which has led to an increase in the scale of the circuit. Moreover, control of the electronic variable resistor circuit has been performed through ON/OFF selection of plural variable gain amplifiers, which, when used in audio applications, has been a cause of "popping" sounds due to DC voltage fluctuations in the output voltage.
Furthermore, in the example of conventional art illustrated in FIG. 6, the amplifier is configured so that the AGC circuit and the electronic variable resistor circuit share the variable gain amplifier, and the amplifier utilizes the smoothing capacitor 37, which is normally implemented as an external component, to detect the signal outputted from the AGC circuit; causing an obstacle in the reduction of the number of components in the system as a whole.


A coil component includes a body, a support substrate embedded in the body, a coil portion including first and second lead-out portions disposed on one surface of a support substrate and spaced apart from each other, slit portions formed along edge portions between both end surfaces of the body, opposing each other, and a first surface of the body, respectively, and exposing the first and second lead-out portions to internal surfaces of the slit portions, respectively, plating prevention portions embedded in the first and second lead-out portions, respectively, and having first surfaces exposed to the internal surfaces of the slit portions, respectively, and first and second external electrodes disposed on the first surface of the body, spaced apart from each other, extending to the internal surfaces of the slit portions, respectively, and connected to the first and second lead-out portions, respectively.

An inductor, a coil component, is a representative passive electronic component used in electronic devices, together with a resistor and a capacitor.
As an electronic device has been designed to have high performance and a reduced size, the number of coil components used in an electronic device has been increased, and the sizes of coil components have been reduced.
Generally, an external electrode of a coil component may be disposed on each of two surfaces of a body opposing each other. In this case, an overall length or an overall width of the coil component may increase due to a thickness of the external electrode. Also, when a coil component is mounted on a mounting substrate, an external electrode of a coil component may be in contact with the other component disposed adjacently to a mounting substrate such that electrical shorts may occur.


A stent deployment system includes a catheter shaft, an expandable member mounted to the catheter shaft, and one or more stents or stent segments slidably positioned on the expandable member. The stent deployment system is adapted for deployment of stents or stent segments in very long lesions and in tapered and curved vessels. The stent deployment system facilitates slidable movement of a stent in a distal direction relative to the expandable member while inhibiting slidable movement in a proximal direction relative to the expandable member.

In coronary artery disease, stenotic plaques form within the coronary arteries, restricting and in some cases completely blocking blood flow to the heart muscle. In recent years, a number of different catheter-based interventions have been developed to treat coronary artery disease, including percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and stenting. PTCA involves the placement of an endovascular catheter into the diseased coronary artery and expanding a balloon within the stenotic lesion to dilate the lumen, thereby improving blood flow through the treated area. One drawback of PTCA has been the tendency in some cases for the coronary artery lumen to "restenose" following dilatation, wherein plaque reforms at the treatment site to narrow or block the lumen. Coronary stenting has been developed in part to address this restenosis problem. In coronary stenting, a tubular stent is positioned within the coronary lesion using an endovascular delivery catheter. The stent is expanded within the lesion and implanted in its expanded state, maintaining the patency of the arterial lumen.
Even after stenting, however, some patients experience restenosis. While the causes of restenosis are not fully understood, a number of different technologies have been developed to reduce restenosis following stenting. One such technology that has shown a great deal of promise is the use of drug-coated stents that gradually elute anti-stenosis agents into the wall of the coronary artery. Another approach is the use of radioactive stents that deter cell proliferation at the treatment site. A further approach involves the optimization stent geometry and maximizing stent flexibility to reduce the vascular response that results in cell proliferation following stent placement.
With these new stent technologies showing promising reductions in restenosis rates, stents may begin to be used in new and different ways. Stents may be used in arteries of shape and size heretofore untreatable, both in the coronary vasculature and in other parts of the body. Stents of substantially greater length may be used to treat longer lesions than has been possible before. Stents may be used to "pave" long sections of diseased or disease-prone arteries. Stents may be deployed in arteries that are much smaller than could be stented before, in highly curved vessels, as well as in more tapered vessels.
Current stents and stent deployment devices, however, are not well-suited to address these new potential applications for stents. For example, current stents are designed for treating relatively short lesions, and often are not suitable for longer lesions through which the vessel may be curved, tapered or have other complex geometries. Likewise, current stent deployment catheters function effectively to deliver stents of relatively short length in shorter vascular lesions, but they do not perform well in treating longer, tapered, and/or curved vessels. For example in tapered vessels, current stent deployment catheters may fail to fully expand the stent at its proximal end, while potentially over-expanding the stent at its distal end. Moreover, current stent and stent delivery technology is limited to deploying stents of predetermined length, requiring advance selection of a stent and associated catheter to match the lesion to be treated. Following introduction of the device, should the user wish to treat a longer section of the vessel, the user must remove the delivery catheter from the body and exchange it for a different catheter having a longer stent, or attempt to deploy multiple stents in close proximity to one another, each requiring introduction of new delivery catheter.
What is needed, therefore, is a stent delivery catheter suitable for deployment of long or short stents in long or short vascular lesions and in curved or tapered vessels. The stent delivery catheter should be further adapted for delivering multiple independent, stents or stent segments simultaneously or serially, as well as for selecting and deploying a stent of desired length without removing the delivery catheter from the body.


This invention relates to a voltage regulator particularly suitable for powering a submicron DRAM. The regulator relies on a feed forward approach in which current to a load is controlled by a differential amplifier which provides a control signal to a current regulating transistor based on the difference in a voltage sensed at the regulator output and a reference voltage. The control signal is also suppied to a current sensing circuit which provides a signal for adaptively biasing the tail current of the differential amplifier during peak current drain periods.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of voltage regulators and more specifically to a method and apparatus for the control of a voltage utilized by a load, such as a DRAM, during periods where the load current fluctuates considerably.
2. Description of Related Art
Voltage regulator circuits are known in which a voltage supply to a load is regulated by regulating the current supplied to the load. One such voltage regulator is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,205.
Typical of such prior art structures is the use of a feedback circuit for sensing the output voltage which is used for comparison with a reference voltage with the difference between the output and reference voltages being used to control the current supplied to a load. With such circuits, when there is a considerable change in the current drawn by the load, the voltage regulator circuit also senses the large current drain and, compensates for it through the use of the negative feedback current sensing circuit to increase the current supplied to the load and thereby maintain the output voltage at a relatively constant level. Although such voltage regulators generally perform an adequate job of voltage regulation, a considerable amount of power and thus heat is drawn because of the use of the negative feedback circuit. In addition, the negative feedback circuit decreases the response time to sharp current fluctuations and also takes up considerable layout area when the voltage regulator is incorporated in an integrated circuit (IC) structure.
An adaptive voltage follower is also known which could be used as a voltage regulator and is shown in the text CMOS Circuit Design, Layout, and Simulation by Baker, R. J. et al at Chapter 26, FIG. 26.25, page 703. This circuit uses a differential amplifier to control an output voltage to a load based on changes to an inut voltage. The differential amplifier compares the output and input voltages and based on variations between the two generates a control signal which is used to control an output current control transistor to thereby control the output voltage. A feed forward current sensor formed by serially connected complementary transistors also receives the control signal and develops another control signal which partially controls the tail current to the differential amplifier. In this feed forward current sensing design, a current source is also required to ensure that an adequate tail current is always supplied to the differential amplifier. Although this curcuit could be adapted for use as a voltage regulator, and avoids the delay problem with a feedback current sensing approach, the differential amplifier used is unbalanced and a separate tail current source is required, making the circuit less accurate and more complex than desired. In addition, the output voltage is directly supplied to one input of the differential amplifier, so that output voltage connot be controlled to within desired limits, less than the limits of the supply voltage.
Additional problems also occur when a voltage regulator is used to regulate the supply voltage to a DRAM. In a DRAM an external voltage must be lowered and regulated during periods of considerable voltage and current fluctuation, for example, a DRAM load current may quickly fluctuate between microamps and milliamps during use. In order to accomodate such large current fluctuations a DRAM power suppy may use two separate power amplifiers for supplying operative power to the DRAM memory array, one of them a low power amplifier used to supply steady state current on the order of microamps, and another higher power amplifier for supplying transitory higher currents when needed on the order of milliamps. Typically the lower power amplifier supplies current during times of low current drain, while the higher power amplifier is switched on and operative only when needed during times of high current comsumption.
In addition, the higher power amplifier may in fact be constructed as a bank of lower power amplifiers, for example ten power amplifiers may be actually used, which are switched on in sequence as the required current to the load increases. That is, as more current is required additional amplifiers are turned on to meet the power demand. The control of multiamplifier power regulator circuits is complex requiring a control circuit for developing the necessary control signals for turning the various power amplifiers on and off on a dynamic basis in accordance with the required DRAM load current.
In addition, such multiamplifier voltage regulators tend to occupy considerable layout area when formed in an integrated circuit structure.

Adaptively baised voltage regulator and operating method


The invention relates to a field effect transistor in which the planar channel region on the upper surface of the elevation is extended in width by means of additional vertical channel regions on the lateral surfaces of the elevation. Said additional vertical channel regions connect directly to the planar channel region (vertical extended channel regions). Said field effect transistor has the advantage that a significant increase in the effective channel width for the current flow ION can be guaranteed relative to conventional transistor structures used up until the present, without having to accept a reduction in the achievable integration density. Said field effect transistor furthermore has a low reverse current IOFF. The above advantages are achieved without the thickness of the gate insulators up to the region of the charge transfer tunnels having to be reduced or a reduced stability.

The characteristic parameters of conventional field-effect transistors, in particular of planar MIS field-effect transistors (MISFET), are increasingly impaired with continual structural miniaturization (scaling) and increasing of the packing density of integrated circuits. Thus, by way of example, with a shortened channel length of the transistor the threshold voltage VT of the transistor decreases. At the same time, with a shortened channel length, the field strength in the channel region and the reverse current IOFF increase (SCE: short channel effect; roll-off). Furthermore, with a reduced channel width, the forward current ION varies in a non-linear manner. In addition, the geometry and doping of the field-effect transistor are modified at the junction between the channel and the insulation. Generally, in the event of scaling, the channel boundaries gain in relative importance with respect to the central channel region (NCE: narrow channel effect, INCE: inverse narrow channel effect).
In order, despite the difficulties mentioned, to be able to ensure an improvement/maintenance of the performance of field-effect transistors in the context of advancing structural miniaturization (scaling), a series of measures are proposed or implemented. Thus, by way of example, a matched scaling of the internal operating voltage levels is effected at the same time as the MISFET scaling. Furthermore, the doping profiles of the well and channel regions and also of the source and drain regions are generally optimized. At the same time, scaling of the gate insulator with regard to thickness and material is usually carried out.
Further improvements result from the use of salicided source and drain regions (S/D) and salicided gate electrodes. A further improvement can be obtained by minimization of the parasitic resistances or capacitances of the connection metallization, for example through the use of copper wiring, and of the intermediate insulators, for example through the use of so-called "low-k" materials. In the case of DRAM memory cells, it is also possible to adapt the read-out logic to the "ON", currents—which decrease with each "shrink"—of the respective array transistors (e.g. reduction of the resistances of the gate tracks).
A further possibility for maintaining or improving the performance of field-effect transistors consists in the use of modified transistor arrangements which, for example, have elevated source/drain regions ("elevated S/D") or which are based on a so-called "silicon on insulator" technology (SOI) or which have a material with a higher carrier mobility, e.g. SiGe, in the channel region. Additional possibilities which result when the operating temperature is lowered are not presented here.
The introduction of the trench field isolation (STI: shallow trench isolation) instead of conventional LOCOS field isolation likewise contributes to improving the situation. If a trench field isolation (STI: shallow trench isolation) is used instead of a conventional LOCOS field isolation, then it is generally necessary to take additional measures to minimize the so-called "inverse narrow channel effect" (INCE). Thus, by way of example, a positive step height of the STI upper edge above the semiconductor surface is set in order to avoid a so-called "wraparound gate". Furthermore, a local doping of the transistor channel at the junction with the field isolation, the so-called "corner region", may be provided in addition to the normal channel doping.
Oxidation of the STI sidewalls during the STI processing may result in the production of a so-called "bird's beak geometry" and edge rounding of the active regions at the junction with the trench isolation. In the process sequence, the terms mentioned here are "corner rounding", "mini LOCOS" or "post CMP oxidation". These measures also serve to counteract the "inverse narrow channel effect" (INCE). This effect can be reinforced by prior lateral etching-back of the pad oxide. Edge rounding of the active regions can also be produced by means of thermal surface transformation. Furthermore a nitride spacer guard ring may be provided. In order to avoid a gate overlap over the corner region, it is possible to provide a self-aligned termination of the gate edge before the field isolation boundary. This may be done for example by joint patterning of poly-gate and active region during the STI patterning.
Despite all these measures, however, it is becoming more and more difficult to ensure adequate forward currents ION above a feature size of about 100 nm, without the risk of tunneling or degradation of the gate oxide stability of the MISFET. Therefore, a series of alternative transistor arrangements have been proposed.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,014 discloses a MOS transistor having a web-type elevation on a semiconductor substrate. The channel of this transistor is arranged along the web-type elevation and has, besides the channel region at the top side of the web-type elevation, two further channel regions at the side walls of the web-type elevation. The transistor in accordance with document U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,014 exhibits a pronounced "corner effect", which is used to produce a large depletion zone.
The document Huang et al. "Sub 50 nm FinFET; PMOS" IEDM 1999 discloses a transistor called "FinFET", which has a dual gate structure at the side walls of the web-type elevation ("Fin"). The FinFET avoids the INCE by means of a thicker insulator layer on the narrow Fin covering surface.
Unfortunately, all of the measures mentioned either have only limited efficacy or they require a high process engineering outlay.

Field effect transistor and method for fabricating it


A system and method of binding a client with a server. Embodiments of the present invention allow a client to receive and maintain a set of “best-fit” server IP addresses. The best fit server IP addresses establish a hierarchy of server addresses that are used by a client to maintain a binding with a server without using the DNS. Communicating the set of best-fit server IP addresses to a specific client is accomplished using extensions to one or more network protocols already used to support client/server communications, thus minimizing the amount of code needed to support the additional information transfer.

The present invention relates generally to implementation of client-server networks. More particularly, the present invention provides systems and methods for maintaining the binding of a client, particularly a client with limited computational and storage resources, with at least one server.
The Internet has had a profound impact on the way society communicates. Today, the Internet is used for personal communications, for business communications, for shopping, for entertainment, for news, and more.
There are many applications that rely on a client being in constant contact with a server in order to perform a task. Typically, this requirement is constrained by several factors:                The client resides on a small specialized computer, with extremely limited computational and storage resources (herein, an "Internet Appliance").        The client to server connection (binding) is mission critical and must be maintained constantly. A tolerable interruption in communications is approximately thirty-seconds within a one-hour interval.        To remove the potential for a "single point of failure" multiple servers must be deployed, geographically separated and independently addressable on the Internet. The number of servers could range into the hundreds.        There are expected to be millions of clients, to reduce the impact of a server failing and to maintain responsiveness of client/server bindings, clients must be distributed across all available servers.        The binding between client and server must be dynamic. There are many potential causes for a client to need to change the server to which it is bound.
The need for a dynamic binding between a client and server is dictated by a number of factors. To insure that combined server resources are being allocated to provide optimal service to all clients, clients are distributed among servers. The distribution takes into account the "routing distance" between a client and the server (the number of Internet hops as well as message delivery latency). As more clients are added, the distribution may become sub-optimum and require adjustment, requiring in turn that some clients be redirected to different servers. Another benefit of dynamic binding between client and server is to provide for continuity of client services in the event a server fails or is pulled off-line for maintenance.
The traditional approach for a client to identify and then bind with a server relies on the Internet Distributed Name Service (DNS), which can associate a static list of Internet IP addresses with a name. While machines respond to IP addresses in the form of number strings, humans are not adept at remembering them. A name server receives a name from a client, associates the name with an IP address, and sends the IP address to a client. The client then communicates with a server via the server's IP address.
The DNS is, however, far from simple. DNS servers receive millions of requests each day. Because a single DNS server may not know the address associated with a particular name, DNS servers must also be able to contact other DNS servers. A name server would start its search for an IP address by contacting one of the root name servers. The root servers know the IP address for all of the name servers that handle the top-level domains. For example, a name server might "ask" a root server for the IP address associated with www.Yahoo.com, and the root might "respond" (assuming no caching), "I don't know the IP address for Yahoo.com, but here's the IP address for the COM name server." One of the keys to making this work is redundancy. There are multiple name servers at every level, so if one fails, there are others to handle the requests.
To speed up the process, name servers cache the IP addresses returned in response to a request. Name servers do not cache forever, though. The caching has a component, called the Time To Live (TTL) that controls how long a server will cache a piece of information. When the server receives an IP address, it receives the TTL with it. The name server will cache the IP address for that period of time (ranging from minutes to days) and then discard it. The TTL allows changes in name servers to propagate.
Not all name servers respect the TTL they receive, however. This means that new information and old information may reside in the DNS at the same time. Sometimes, it takes weeks for a change in an IP address to propagate throughout the Web. Additionally, implementing the DNS protocol on the Internet Appliance requires additional computational, program storage and data storage resources that may not be available or desirable to add.
What would be useful is a system and method for permitting a client running on an Internet Appliance to dynamically bind with at least one server without using DNS.

System and method of binding a client to a server


An electrical socket contact for high-current applications includes a cage-like receptacle housing having two lateral plates on opposite sides. The lateral plates forming an interspace therebetween for holding a complementary plug contact. The socket contact further includes a contact plate insert arranged within the interspace of the lateral plates of the housing. The contact plate insert has a contact plate body extending parallel to the lateral plates of the housing. The contact plate body has a base and first and second contact plates. Each contact plate has first and second ends. The first ends of the contact plates are connected to the base of the contact plate body and the second ends of the contact plates each has a contact zone projecting away from the base of the contact plate body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical socket contact for high-current applications in which the socket contact includes a cage-like receptacle housing formed by two lateral plates on opposite sides and includes a contact plate insert arranged within the housing in which the contact plate insert has a contact plate body extending parallel to the lateral plates and in which contact zones connected to the contact plate body protrude out from the contact plate body.
2. Background Art
An electrical socket (or receptacle) contact is part of an electrical plug-and-socket connector. Plug-and-socket connectors are used, for example, in motor vehicles. Plug-and-socket connectors for high-current applications are larger than plug-and-socket connectors for low-current or electronic applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,316 describes an electrical socket contact for high-current applications. The socket contact includes a cage having a U-shaped cross-section with a U-shaped opening. A contact plate insert inserts into the cage through the opening and electronically connects with the cage. The contact plate insert is also U-shaped and includes two separated contact plate bodies having protruding contact plates. An opening is between the contact plates for holding a plug contact, such as a blade contact, complementary to the socket contact.
The contact plates of each contact plate body are exposed by punching them out to extend from one end at the top edge of the contact plate body to the other end at the lower edge of the contact plate body. Thus, each contact plate body forms a frame for the contact plates which are attached to the contact plate body on both of their ends. The contact plates are stamped to form contact zones which flare out from the contact plate body toward the blade contact to be inserted. The contact plates are bent by a few angular degrees about the axes of their longitudinal extension in the area of their middle section to make them flare out. Such a contact plate insert can have the blade contact pushed into it parallel to the orientation of the contact plates and thus from the top or from the side of them toward which slanting sides of the contact plates point. The contact plate insert can be inserted in the cage in two different orientations to make it possible to make contact with the cage from the top and right or from the top and left depending on the intended user of the contact plate insert. This socket contact has the advantage that it can be mounted to enable contact from different directions using the same elements.
The cage has a cutout made in the area of the U-shaped bend which serves for the engagement of a locking bar or pin associated with a housing to hold the socket contact with the socket contact inserted therein. This locking bar or pin is intended to lock the socket contact within the housing. Thus, when the socket contact is assembled into the housing, it is necessary to make sure that both elements are brought together in the correct position. For this reason it is not possible to make contact with the socket contact from this side of the housing.

High-current terminal blade type connector


A switch apparatus and method according to the invention provides a carrier-class switching platform with a highly optimized data path and distributed signaling stacks to achieve high-density differential voice services. Incoming voice calls of any media type (TDM voice/fax, VoIP, VoATM, VoFR) are packetized and adapted for egress transmission of the same or another media type according to the service plan profile of the parties, and/or the instantaneous availability or cost of bandwidth resources. All calls are switched in an ATM switching core with QoS characteristics that can also be determined based on service plan profile. A call server handles call setup and management functions, as well as call signaling. Advantageously, the call server provides signaling relay functions to further support and enable the media conversion of voice calls. In an exemplary implementation of the invention, up to about 6720 concurrent VoIP calls can be supported in a single platform, with a latency of only about 17 msec ingress and 25 msec egress.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to carrier class switches, and in particular, a method and apparatus for providing high density differential services for voice over packet network applications in an integrated carrier-class switching platform.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the development of the telephone, many different technologies for providing voice (and, more recently, fax and video) communications between two or more remotely situated persons have been developed.
In a basic telephone circuit-mode call (sometimes called "plain old telephone service" or "POTS"), the communications pathway (i.e. a circuit) between two users (102 and 104 in FIG. 1) over the public switched telephone network (PSTN 106) is fixed for the duration of the call and is not shared by other users. Although several users may share one physical line, typically by use of frequency division multiplexing, only one user is assigned to a single voiceband channel at any given time.
In circuit mode, a connection is obtained by establishing a fixed pathway through the network. The route is established after the calling party initiates the call setup procedure by telling the network the address of the called party, i.e., after the user dials the telephone number.
The temporary connection between the parties through the network exists for the duration of the telephone call. During that period, the circuit is equivalent to a physical pair of wires connecting the two users. The physical circuit connection is dedicated to this call and is not shared by other users.
The signaling protocol for such circuit-mode calls is simple. Users signal their desire to place a call by physically lifting the telephone receiver from the switchhook. This places an electrical short on the line, allowing current to flow from the central office (108, 110), where it passes through the winding of a relay in a circuit switch (112, 114). The relay operates and the network "knows" that the user wants to place a call. The network, in turn, transmits a dial tone to the user as a signal that it is ready to receive the called party's number, which the calling party transmits to the network either as a series of dial pulses or tones. The network then determines the physical pathway to the called party and "rings" the called party's telephone. When the called party picks up, the connection is established and exists for the duration of the call.
Telephone service using ISDN has recently become popular, particularly for medium to large sized businesses. Although ISDN uses an out-band signaling protocol such as SS7 (as opposed to the in-band signaling used by POTS wherein the same wire that is used during the call is used by the network to set up and disconnect the call), telephone calls placed via ISDN also use the PSTN 106 and are circuit-mode, though the carrier must provide SS7 functionality (116, 118) in addition to conventional PSTN functionality.
More recently, packet-switched networks have proliferated, led by the popularity of the Internet and other public and private networks. However, because fixed and exclusive "connections" between users communicating via packet-switched networks are not possible because of their design for best-effort traffic only, they have not been thought suitable for carrying voice calls. Nevertheless, many standards have been developed for providing voice-over-the-network (VON). These include voice over IP networks (VoIP), voice over ATM networks (VoATM) and voice over frame relay networks (VoFR). Along with such standards, signaling protocols have been developed for setting up voice calls (e.g. H.323 for VoIP).
Confronted with these burgeoning standards, conventional service carriers have scrambled to keep up. Because supporting each new standard can require a significant outlay in expense and infrastructure, typically, such carriers can provide support for only selected standards. For example, a carrier might choose to support VoIP by providing an IP gateway (120, 122). However, current VoIP gateways can only support a small number of voice ports (typically, a maximum of 96 ports) using a centralized processing scheme. Moreover, current VoIP gateways introduce increased voice latency, thereby reducing the usefulness of the service.
Furthermore, such VoIP gateways can only perform TDM to IP packet over Ethernet conversion, which provides only a signal path VON. They can not perform conversions to other media types such as ATM or FR, and therefore they can't provide differential VON services. Relatedly, conventional VoIP gateways do not support functionality for relaying between the various signaling protocols (e.g. SS7 to H.323). The ability to convert between different types of VON services (i.e. differential or "multipath" VON) in a single switching platform would be particularly useful, for example, for allowing users with any type of voice service to communicate with users having any other type of voice service. Moreover, such conversion functionality would also permit voice services customers to have established service profiles indicating their willingness to pay for more quality of service or preference for more value. Individual incoming or outgoing calls from such customers could then be treated according to their service profiles, in addition to the availability of system resources and their instantaneous cost or capacity.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an integrated switching apparatus that solves the above-mentioned problems. The present invention fulfills this need.

Multipath voice switching method and apparatus


The present invention is directed to a bi-directional optical monitor interconnect. The bi-directional monitor interconnect of the present invention includes an optical conductor with a first and second end. Disposed on the first end of the optical conductor is a first optical communication device and a first optical receiving device. Disposed on the second end of the optical conductor is a second optical communication device and a second optical receiving device. The first and second optical communication devices are capable of transmitting data over an optical connection. The first optical communication device is suitable for communicating via a first wavelength and the second optical communication device is capable of communicating over a second wavelength. The first receiving device is capable converting the second wavelength into electrical signals and the second receiving device is capable of converting the first wavelength into electrical signals.

Increasingly technology is becoming more prevalent in everyday life. As the general level of information handling technology increases, users demand hardware capable of providing high quality output. One such area of user demand is display systems. Users want efficient display systems capable of providing clear images. As information handling technology improves efficient display systems providing high quality output are well received and result in high demand.
In particular, interconnects between information handling systems and display devices cause problems. Output devices, such as monitors, may experience display degradation from electromagnetic interference associated with the interconnect to the information handling system. Display degradation occurs because of high frequency display signals communicated through the wired interconnect. Both analog and digital output signals may cause electromagnetic interference when communicated through wiring such as copper wiring. Electromagnetic interference generated while communicating high frequency output signals through wiring may cause interference resulting in poor image display, particularly for large monitors.
A wired interconnect may experience electromagnetic interference from environmental sources. For example, if an information handling system with a wired interconnect is located in an electromagnetically noisy environment, such as adjacent to high voltage equipment interference may occur resulting in a poor display quality. Display degradation occurs because electromagnetic noise interferes with interconnect communications.
Interconnect communication rates vary. Data communicated from the information handling system to the display device often exceed the rate of communication occurring from the display device to the information handling system. For example, an approximately five gigabit per second communication may occur for a 1600×1200 pixel 32 bit, 85 hertz (Hz) display while communications from the display to the information handling system, such as for providing extended display identification data (EDID), may remain approximately at or below one hundred megabits per second. Because communication between a display and an information handling system may vary depending on the type of communication it is necessary for an interconnect to account for differing bi-directional communication rates.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a bi-directional optical interconnect for a monitor.

Bi-directional optical monitor interconnect


A hand-held multipurpose casing, with a functional tipped device housed within the casing so as to be linearly and reversibly extendible relative to the casing. This casing has a cylinder-type or screw-type actuating unit designed to reversibly extend the functional tipped device. The screw-type actuating unit has two spiral screw engagements, with opposite spiral directions. In an embodiment, the hand-held multipurpose casing has a front barrel, a middle barrel, a rear barrel, and a functional tipped device holder having a functional tipped device at its front tip and housed within the casing. A cap is fixedly mounted to the rear end of the rear barrel, with two holding slots formed on the front end portion of the external surface of the cap at diametrically opposite positions. A screw-type actuating unit movably engages with both the functional tipped device holder and the cap through two spiral screw-type engagements with opposite spiral directions. The above unit thus primarily converts an axial movement of the cap into a rotating action of a rotatable rod and secondarily converts the rotating action of the rotatable rod into an axial movement of the functional tipped device holder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand-held multipurpose casing provided with a unit for reversibly extending a functional tipped device housed within the casing, for example, a ballpoint pen cartridge or a makeup brush, and, more particularly, to a hand-held multipurpose casing having a cylinder-type or screw-type actuating unit capable of reversibly extending such a functional tipped device, the casing also having an automatically operated protective cover for the functional tipped device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of makeup brushes, such as loose powder brushes, fan brushes, lip brushes, mascara brushes, eyeliner brushes, or brow brushes, have been used by women, and actors or other performers.
Most conventional makeup brushes are typically provided with manually removable protective caps for allowing users to conveniently use and store the makeup brushes. Such a conventional makeup brush comprises a hand-held casing, including a threaded rod housed within the casing and reversibly extending a brush from the casing by an action of the threaded bar or the threaded rod relative to the casing.
However, the caps have to be removed from the casings when it is desired to use the makeup brushes, and so it is inconvenient to users. In addition, the caps-may be carelessly lost and force the users to pay money for the purchase of new makeup brushes.
It is thus necessary to provide a structurally improved makeup brush, with a protective cover being set within the casing of the brush so as to save the user from the inconvenience of losing a conventional removable cap.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held multipurpose casing, which is preferably used as a makeup brush casing and has an automatically operated protective cover firmly set within the casing and used for protecting the functional tipped device, for example, a makeup brush, housed within the casing, thus preventing a careless loss of the protective cover and being convenient for a user.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held multipurpose casing, which is designed to be adjustable in its length as desired, thus being more conveniently usable in comparison with conventional makeup brush casings having fixed lengths.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held multipurpose casing, which is designed to have a cylinder-type actuating unit capable of reversibly extending a functional tipped device housed within the casing and reducing the number of parts of the casing, thus simplifying a production process and improving productivity while producing such casings.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held multipurpose casing, which is preferably used as a casing for writing instruments or makeup brushes.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held multipurpose casing, which is preferably used as a casing for painting brushes.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a hand-held multipurpose casing comprising a front barrel, a middle barrel and a rear barrel, with a functional tipped device housed within the casing so as to be linearly and reversibly extendible relative to the casing. The casing has a cylinder-type or screw-type actuating unit designed to reversibly extend the functional tipped device. In such a case, the screw-type actuating unit has two spiral screw engagements, with opposite spiral directions.
In an embodiment, the hand-held multipurpose casing, comprising a front barrel, a middle barrel fixedly fitted into the rear end portion of the front barrel, a rear barrel movably fitted over the rear end portion of the middle barrel so as to be axially movable on the middle barrel, a functional tipped device holder having a functional tipped device at its front tip and housed within the casing so as to be axially movable within the casing in response to an axial movement of the rear barrel, thus extending or retracting the functional tipped device from or into the front opening of the front barrel, further comprising, a cap fixedly mounted to the rear end of the rear barrel, with two holding slots formed on the front end portion of the external surface of the cap at diametrically opposite positions, and a screw-type actuating unit movably engaging with both the functional tipped device holder and the cap through two spiral screw-type engagements with opposite spiral directions, the unit primarily converting an axial movement of the cap into a rotating action of a rotatable rod and secondarily converting the rotating action of the rotatable rod into an axial movement of the functional tipped device holder, thus extending or retracting the functional tipped device from or into the front opening of the front barrel.

Hand-held multipurpose casing with structure for reversibly extending functional tipped device

Ojung-ku, Bucheon-si, Kyunggi-do 421-160


A counter is provided which updates a most-recent counter value to be stored in a non-volatile memory. The counter includes a counter circuit for receiving a series of count pulses defining a count operation and outputting a series of coded binary signals in response thereto. Each one of the series of coded binary signals includes at least first digit data and second digit data. A selecting circuit is coupled to the non-volatile memory and the counter circuit for logically selecting, in response to each respective second digit data, a first select memory cell in the non-volatile memory for which the corresponding first digit data is to be stored. A write control circuit is coupled to the non-volatile memory and the counter circuit for writing a subsequent first digit data over the first select memory cell when a counting operation of the respective digit value has not reached completion, and writing the subsequent first digit data in a different memory cell when a counting operation of the respective digit value has reached completion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-volatile counter, and more precisely, relates to a non-volatile counter in which data is stored in erasable and writable semiconductor non-volatile memory devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A non-volatile counter in which a counter circuit for counting pulses and a non-volatile memory device such as EEPROM or the like are arranged in parallel to each other, wherein when the value of the counter is changed that value is written in the EEPROM, is well known.
The non-volatile counter can be used as an electronic trip meter of a car or a data collecting device in a plant or the like as it can hold data in the memory after the electric power supply thereto is shut off.
The non-volatile counter provided with the non-volatile memory device such as EEPROM or the like, however, has a problem in that a maximum counting value to be counted is necessarily restricted to a certain value, due to a limitation of the number erasing and writing operations of the EEPROM. Note, since the EEPROM has an endurance characteristic, the number of the erasing and writing operations thereof is naturally limited; for example, when a binary counter is used, the number of changes of data is largest in the least significant bit (LSB), and thus the upper limit of the counting value is inherently decided by the capacity to change the number of data per unit time in the least significant bit (LSB).
Further, when a deficit arises in a memory cell and when the bit in which the deficit arises is a higher digit, the data obtained therefrom is completely different to the correct data.
To overcome these problems, a counter in which a plurality of memory cells for memorizing the count value, especially in a lower digit, is provided in the EEPROM, and the count values for the lower digit are sequentially written in one of the memory cells in turn, to thereby improve the upper limitation of the count value, has been proposed, or a counter in which the same counted values are stored in a plurality of the memory cells and one data thereof is selected therefrom by applying a majority logic thereto, to thereby improve a reliability thereof, also has been proposed.
Even when these counters are used, however, the problems above are not necessarily completely resolved.
Note, when these counters are used, other problems arise in that the number of the cells is naturally increased, and moreover, a monitoring operation for checking a number of writing operations of the memory cells or an operation for processing a majority logic to check the reliability of the cells, must be carried out separately.
Further, when performing these operations, a micro-computer for controlling these operations is usually required, to thereby make the construction of the cells complicated, and accordingly, the reliability thereof will be lost.
Further, in this case, when the micro-computer malfunctions, it becomes difficult to read the count value.
Therefore, to overcome these problems, the present invention provides a non-volatile counter having a simple construction which can improve the upper limitation for the counting value, and further, improve the reliability of the memorized counting value.
To attain the above object of the present invention, there is provided a non-volatile counter which updates data stored in erasable and writable non-volatile memory devices based on count data and performs a counting operation, said memory devices being arranged as an array of cells having a predetermined number of bits, wherein said counter is provided with a selecting means for selecting a cell corresponding to a value of a predetermined digit of said count from said cell array and a writing means for writing data corresponding to the value of a digit different from said predetermined digit in said selected cell.
3. Mode of operation
The non-volatile counter used in the present invention carries out a counting operation by updating the data stored in the cell array having a predetermined bit number and forming an erasable and writable non-volatile memory device, based on count data.
Note, in the present invention, a cell corresponding to a value of the predetermined digit of said count from said cell array is selected by the selecting means and data corresponding to the value of a digit different from said predetermined digit is written in the selected cell by the writing means.
Namely, in the present invention, a plurality of cells are not simply provided in the non-volatile memory device for storing the count value but are arranged in a cell array, and thus a specific cell in the cell array can be designated by a value of a predetermined digit of the count value.
Therefore, the number of writing operations for writing data and the erasing operation for erasing same from each of the cells, can be reduced in proportion to the number of cells arranged in the cell array, and further, each cell can carry not only a value of a certain digit which the cell has memorized but also a value of a certain digit with respect to a position thereof in the cell array.
4. Effect of the Invention
According to the non-volatile counter used in this invention, cells comprising an array of a predetermined number of bits, constituting a volatile memory, are selected according to the predetermined digits of the count and data corresponding to the value of another digit is written in the cell, so the numbers of the erasing and writing operations per cell can be remarkably reduced at the lower digits of the conventional simple counter, and thus a superior and improved reliability of the count to be stored is obtained.
Further, each cell comprising the non-volatile memory carries not only information on the value of a certain digit stored by the cell but also information on the value of a predetermined digit obtained by the position of the cell in the array, so the volume of the information stored can be increased compared to the case wherein a plurality of cells is used.

Memory circuit including an EEPROM provided with unique addressing means for storing at selected memory cells frequently incremented count data


Long chain branched syndiotactic vinyl aromatic polymers can be obtained by polymerizing the vinyl aromatic monomer in the presence of a small amount of a multifunctional monomer under conditions such that a syndiotactic vinyl aromatic polymer is produced.

The present invention relates to syndiotactic vinyl aromatic polymers.
Syndiotactic vinyl aromatic polymers such as syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS) are useful polymers having a high melting point and crystallization rate as well as excellent heat and chemical resistance. However, in some applications such as in cast-tenter films and fibers, the melt strength is insufficient at processing temperatures. Additionally, the melt flow rate or melt flowability is insufficient at processing temperatures in applications such as injection molding of thin walled articles.
Syndiotactic copolymers have also been developed having superior heat and chemical resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,402 issued to Funaki et al. utilizes a difunctional monomer to form a syndiotactic copolymer with styrene, however, the polymer fully crosslinks at high temperatures, forming a thermoset and cannot be melt processed.
Therefore, it would be useful to obtain a syndiotactic vinyl aromatic polymer, having good heat and chemical resistance, which is melt processable at high temperatures while maintaining high melt strength and good melt flowability.