There is proposed an optical amplifier apparatus particularly for use in networks distributing signals by optical fibers, comprising first and second parallel optical branches (1, 2), the first optical branch (1) including optical amplifier means (5, 6) for amplifying digital signals and the second optical branch including optical amplifier means (7) for amplifying analogue signals, the optical amplifier means (5, 6) of the first optical path (1) being adapted to amplify bidirectional digital signals and the optical amplifier means (7) of the second optical branch (2) being adapted to amplify unidirectional analogue signals.

The present invention relates to a new type of optical amplifier apparatus especially, but not exclusively, optical amplifier apparatus intended for use in an optical fiber networks.
Optical fiber is penetrating rapidly in subscriber access networks for distribution of CATV (cable television) services. Today""s CATV headend stations feed distributive services to large numbers of subscribers ( greater than 1000) in networks with abundant splitting in the fiber part as well as in the coaxial part. The present demand for interactive services, like teleworking and high quality videotelephony, is increasing but it requires a high-bandwidth and bi-directional link between servers and customers. To implement such interactive services in CATV networks, it is necessary to develop high definition wave division multiplexing (HDWDM) techniques and devices. One of these essential devices is a bi-directional multiwavelength optical amplifier which has to compensate for the propagation and the splitting losses along the link for both upstream and downstream signals. No such device is currently available.
The present invention provides a new optical amplifier architecture having two parallel optical branches, one for amplifying digital signals and the other for amplifying analogue signals. These optical branches are parallel in the sense that they are connected in parallel such that certain signals pass through one of the branches while others pass, possibly simultaneously, through the other. Preferred embodiments of this optical amplifier apparatus enable simultaneous amplification of an analogue CATV signal and a plurality of multiplexed bi-directional digital signals, compensating the propagation and splitting losses along the link for both upstream and downstream signals.
It is particularly preferred that the optical amplifier apparatus of the present invention should make use of erbium doped fibber amplifier (EDFA) elements. Typically, the wavelengths handled by the digital path in the optical amplifier apparatus will be in the shorter wavelength region (e.g. 1530-1545 nm) of the EDFA gain spectrum whereas the wavelengths handled by the analogue path of the optical amplifier will be in the longer wavelength region (1550-1560 nm). The frequency modulation of the analogue signal often results in a frequency variation of the transmitting laser. The use of the 1550-1560 nm band for the amplification of the analogue signal enables distortion of the analogue signal, due to this frequency variation of the transmitter laser, to be reduced thanks to the fact that the gain slope of the EDFA element is gentler in this part of the spectrum.
In one embodiment of the invention, the optical branch handling the digital signals has first and second amplifying portions (advantageously, embodied as respective EDFA coils) and a gain flattening filter arranged between these two amplifying portions. With this arrangement, the position of the gain flattening filter can be selected such that the best compromise can be reached between low noise and optimal output power for both upstream and downstream channels.
It is also preferred that two lasers should be used to drive the amplifying means in the parallel analogue and digital paths. In this way, the gain of each path can be controlled independently of the other. It is particularly preferred that each of the lasers should drive a respective amplifying means in the digital path whereas only one of the lasers drives the amplifying means in the analogue path.
Preferably the parallel digital and analogue paths are joined together at their ends by wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer devices. Not only do such devices enable the digital and analogue signals to be separated and recombined as desired, but also they reduce multiple path interference induced cross-talk and improve the noise figures of both analogue and digital sections by filtering the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). It is also desirable that an optical isolator be included in the analogue branch, when the latter handles unidirectional signals.
In order to promote compactness of the overall apparatus, it can be useful to integrate with the optical amplifier apparatus of the present invention, the first signal splitter of the distributive network.


A mount for calotte bearings in which a ring of an elastomer or of felt is disposed between the calotte bearing and a bearing support element and the calotte bearing and bearing support element are provided with grooves in the region of this ring. The calotte bearing mount is particularly useful in pumps with canned motors for delivery of electrolyte liquid in fuel cell units.

This invention relates to bearing mounts in general and more particularly to a mount for calotte bearings.
In a manner similar to other bearings, calotte bearings are used for the suspension of shafts, in particular for suspending the shafts of motors and transmissions. In contrast to other bearings such as cylindrical bearings, which are rigidly installed in bearing support elements, such as housing bores, by pressing, gluing or crimping, calotte bearings are movable within the mount and and thus can adapt themselves to the position of the shaft. To this end, the housing for the seating of the calotte is made spherical or conical, so that bearing then lies with one ball half in the housing depression. By means of a spring element, a so-called clamping stay, the calotte bearing is held in its position. The clamping stay may be secured to the housing by riveting or crimping, or it may be fastened by screws or with a lock ring.
The clamping stay, which rests on the side of the calotte bearing away from the housing, spring-supported and force-locking, has the function, in addition to the axial fixation of the bearing, of preventing co-rotation of the bearing when the shaft is driven because of its force-locking contact with the bearing. At the same time, however, the ability of the bearing to rotate in aligned adjustment to the axis must be preserved. The force for the parallel adjustment of the bearing bore to the shaft must not exceed a certain value, because harmful edge forces between shaft and bearing otherwise would occur. Adjustability and hence the operation of calotte bearings therefore depends very essentially on the force exerted on the calotte by the clamping stay, which axially secures the bearing which is fitted loosely in the seating bore of equipment such as motors and pumps and prevents co-rotation and, also, in the case of electric motors reduces noise. In the practice, the adjustment of the magnitude of this force is possibly only by maintaining narrow tolerances on the spring element, on the bearing contour, and on the seating bore. Moreover, the bearing adjustment force or bearing adjustment couple must be checked regularly after installation. In addition, in the known calotte bearing mounts, for a low bearing adjustment couple, a surface of low peak-to-valley height, i.e., a smooth surface, is required at the calotte and at the seating bore. The above stated dual function of the clamping stays thus requires an exact matching and adjustment of the spring tension for which purpose a high precision clamping stay and exact housing and bearing dimensions and surfaces of little roughness are required.


A command and control bar for a kite sail associated with two front cables connected to a user and two rear cables connected to the bar. The cables are connected at one end to the sail. An adjustment element to shorten/extend the rear cables is incorporated into the bar and can be controlled by the user without releasing the bar. A deflection system can be displaced parallel to the axis of the bar and is connected to a return element. The bar includes a locking element to lock/release the position of the deflection system along the bar, depending on the traction forces applied on the cables. The locking element is accessible to the user from outside the bar.

It is known that kite sails are made up of one or more soft sails, generally elliptical or semi-elliptical in shape, flat or semi-flat, where the concave side is designed to be placed in the wind to create a means of traction, and possibly movement, by a user or other, connected to the sail by cables called lines.
Such sails have many possible applications, particularly in sports involving sliding on land, water or snow, and used, for instance for kitesurfing, mountain boarding, snowkiting, kite buggying, all of which are powered by a traction kite. These sails are used to power all kinds of nautical or land equipment, sliding or rolling, but are also used in electricity generation systems that use the force generated by such sails.
Such a sail generally comprises a leading edge (front) and a trailing edge (rear).
The sail further comprises:                two lines that manage steering and power, known as rear lines, connected to the left and right-hand side rear ends of the sail;        two lines known as front lines, connected to the leading edge of the sail;        a fifth line known as the safety line, connected to the user by a dropping system and fixed directly or indirectly via optional bridling to the leading edge of the sail or one of the four front and rear lines.
The ends of the four rear and front lines opposite the sail are connected to the user through a control bar; more precisely, the ends of the two front lines are connected to a central end going through the bar, while the ends of the rear lines are fixed to the left and right ends of the bar.
The central part of the bar is connected to the user by a dropping system connected to a harness worn by the user or the like. The bar is held by the user in their two hands.
Depending on the wind force, the user adjusts the traction power of the sail by varying its inclination along a variable plane demarcated by the fastening points of the front and rear lines, by shortening or lengthening the distance between the fastening point and the harness.
Depending on the wind force, the user can vary the traction power of the sail by varying its inclination using the sliding bar connected to the rear lines (steering and power) in relation to the front lines (traction).
If the wind force is too high or not high enough for the user, the user can also adjust the power of the sail and thus extend its range of use thanks to a central adjustment and deflection system that most generally connects the two front lines. That operation modifies the adjustment of the incidence of the sail.
In a known manner, this maneuver is carried out via a central adjustment and deflection system that most generally connects the two front lines centrally, and slides perpendicularly through or close to the bar. Said system makes it possible to adjust the incident inclination of the sail, by reducing or extending the distance between the rear trailing edge and the fastening point to the front harness. The same system or its equivalent may also be made from the rear lines.
Thus, by pushing or pulling the bar, the incidence of the sail can be decreased or increased, which decreases or increases the tension in the (front and rear) lines by aerodynamic effect.
To control the central deflection system, the user must release one hand, and the bar is then held in only one hand.
That creates a major drawback in terms of controlling the sail, which is all the more disadvantageous because the user precisely needs to better control the bar when the wind force and/or direction changes.
In the French patent application 1361291 filed by the applicant, a bar was proposed with a central winder on the bar that can be controlled by a single hand and associated with a deflection mechanism (internal to the bar) connected to the two ends of the rear cables.
Even though this system makes an advantageous improvement to prior bars, it can be improved in view of speed and responsiveness, the effort to be made by the user and the traction power on the cables.
Further, known mechanisms are not totally sealed, and the presence of sand affects their working and reliability.


The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for tracking, monitoring, and standardizing molecular and diagnostic testing products and services. A claim for payment, corresponding to a testing product or service, may be received, and a de-identification may be performed on the claim to remove personal identifiers from the claim to create a de-identified claim file. From the de-identified claim file, a unified representation of the claim may be created to form a structured payment claim object. The claim object may be matched to a specific testing product and/or a bin.

The present disclosure generally relates to testing products and services such as genetic testing products provided by hundreds or even thousands of providers (e.g., laboratories) worldwide. Numerous laboratories are producing an increasing number of genetic tests, and each laboratory provides different information about their specific tests. As a result, laboratories, hospitals, clinicians, and payers have no consistent identifiers for products across the industry. This inconsistency and lack of transparency results in numerous issues. For laboratories, since it is often difficult to tell if a test is "medically necessary", there is slow reimbursement from insurers. For hospitals and healthcare providers, there are significant administrative burdens and wasted time and effort attempting to determine an appropriate test, let alone the best test for the patient and the hospital. For patients, there are often long wait times and wasted co-pays as a result of mis-ordered tests. As a result, there is an efficiency loss resulting in higher health care costs and the increased possibility of fraud, waste, and abuse surrounding diagnostics. Inherent within the healthcare system, there is also a variety of mechanisms that require information around testing products to be structured and applied. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the various embodiments described below are presented.

Systems and methods for tracking, monitoring, and standardizing molecular and diagnostic testing products and services


Electrical systems and related methods are disclosed. An electrical system includes a wearable mobile electronic device including cellular voice equipment configured to enable a user to participate in cellular voice calls, cellular data equipment configured to enable the wearable mobile electronic device to communicate through a cellular data network, one or more biometric sensors, and at least one audio speaker. A method includes selecting audio media based, at least in part on biometric information, and providing, with a remote server, data corresponding to the selected audio media to the wearable mobile electronic device through a cellular data network. An electrical system includes a wearable mobile electronic device including control circuitry configured to interact with a remote server to together provide smart mobile electronic device features to a user through the wearable mobile electronic device, wherein the control circuitry is alone insufficient to provide the smart mobile electronic device features.

Some conventional mobile electronic devices include handsets (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.) including a screen (e.g., a liquid crystal display), relatively powerful processing circuitry (e.g., executing mobile operating systems and software applications ("apps") stored in digital storage), and user input/output interfaces (e.g., a touch screen interface). Many people use digital media players executed by the processing circuitry of these handsets, along with peripheral electronics (e.g., headphones, speakers, etc.) to listen to audio digital media (e.g., music, podcasts, etc.).
Current trends for these types of mobile electronic devices are for larger and larger screens, and for faster and more powerful processing. As a result, the physical size of handsets has trended toward larger overall size (e.g., to accommodate for the larger screens, and associated battery for powering the larger screens and more powerful processing). The increase in size of mobile electronic devices may be inconvenient for some users. For example, for users that desire to use the mobile electronic devices to play audio digital media during physical activity (e.g. exercise), it may be difficult to fit large mobile electronic devices in a pocket, or to strap mobile electronic devices to their bodies. If the trend for larger mobile electronic devices continues, this problem may become more severe. Other problems and disadvantages may exist in the prior art.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that do not have the limitations and disadvantages described above.

Electrical systems and related methods for providing smart mobile electronic device features to a user of a wearable device


A dual stage combustion furnace has primary and secondary combustion chambers. The primary combustion chamber contains a solid fuel, such as wood or coal. The secondary combustion chamber is formed adjacent to and in communication with the primary combustion chamber for containing and igniting volatile combustion gases produced in the primary chamber. A plurality of hollow members, which provide a grate, extend through the primary chamber, and into the secondary chamber. Volatile gases given off in the primary combustion chamber are then ignited and burned in the secondary combustion chamber upon combination with heated air passing through the hollow grate members.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in solid fuel burning stoves and furnaces and, more particularly, to stoves and furnaces wherein gaseous volatiles given off by primary combustion are themselves ignited and burned in a secondary combustion chamber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous attempts have been made in the past to provide a stove or furnace which efficiently burns solid fuels, such as coal or wood. When burning such solid fuels, coal in particular, some form of support, such as a grate, must be provided upon which the fuel rests. Further, an outside air intake must be situated below or above the grate. Air is drawn in through the intake and passes up the grate and existing spaces in the fuel, thereby providing oxygen necessary to support combustion. The resulting fire in the combustion chamber provides the heat to warm living or working quarters. However, in previously known solid fuel stoves and furnaces a great deal of the heat potential is lost up the chimney without ever being efficiently converted to heat. In many instances, the byproducts caused by initial combustion are given off as gases which rise up the chimney where they cool and form deposits, commonly known when burning wood, as creosote. The deposits on the chimney can be quite dangerous as they may themselves be ignited resulting in a chimney fire.
Examples of various types of prior furnaces such as described above, may be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 163,009; 229,684; 707,364; 1,484,908; 1,485,545; and 2,070,536.


The present invention is a disposable apparatus for the rapid, low-volume solid phase extraction of analytes from a variety of sources. The apparatus of the present invention is configured as a pipette tip and contains a loosely confined stationary phase. The mobility of the stationary phase particles enables rapid mixing and equilibration with a sample solution during agitation. The analyte may thereby be extracted in less time with less solvent, removing the need for a separate concentration step.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for rapid, disposable, low volume solid phase extraction and to a method for using such an apparatus.
Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) has become popular in sample preparation. The main advantage of SPE is that less solvent is required as compared to traditional liquid extraction. In SPE, a cartridge composed of plastic is used to store the adsorptive particle of stationary phase as well as to provide a sample reservoir. The cartridge is placed on a vacuum manifold, and the vacuum is used to pull sample and solvent through the stationary phase. The stationary phase is first washed and activated by addition of various solvents (approximately 1-3 mL each) in a conditioning step. The conditioning step is also essential to prevent channeling, a process in which the sample components pass though the stationary phase packing without actually interacting with the adsorptive particles of the stationary phase in a chemically-meaningful manner.
The sample matrix is subsequently added to the cartridge, and the matrix is passed slowly though the stationary phase to allow the analyte to interact with the stationary phase. Several types of analyte-stationary phase interactions are possible, such as adsorption and partitioning. After the sample matrix has passed through the cartridge to waste, a wash step is performed to remove compounds of the sample matrix. The final step is elution of the analytes. A clean test tube is first placed under the SPE cartridge, then elution solvent (1-2 mL) is added to remove the analytes from the stationary phase.
After the extraction procedure, a concentration step is performed to improve the sensitivity of analysis. The solvent from the extract (1-2 mL) is evaporated using nitrogen gas flow and heat. A small volume of solvent (0.10-0.20 mL) is then added to the test tube, and the test tube is vortexed to dissolve the extracted analytes. The solution is subsequently transferred to a clean vial for analysis by gas chromatography (GC) or high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
Although SPE has helped to make sample preparation faster and easier, the concentration step by itself takes several minutes to perform, with the entire extraction time taking over 20 minutes. Another drawback to SPE is that significant solvent volumes are still required (at least 5 mL total). An extraction procedure that significantly reduces the extraction time and reduces solvent volume will have a significant impact in analytical preparation methods.
There have been numerous attempts to remedy the foregoing deficiencies in SPE. A notable modification of this technology is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,457 issued to Kopaciewicz et al. This patent discloses a method of SPE that uses a polymer-matrix bound sorbent material. In one embodiment, a porous polymer matrix entraps particles of adsorbent material and is cast-in-place inside a pipette tip. In a contrasting example, sorbent particles are immobilized between two porous frits. This invention provides an effective platform for micromass handling. Unfortunately, the matrix-bound particles are unable to achieve maximum contact with the sample solution due to minimal exposed surface area and severely restricted mobility of the particles. As a result, the efficiency of the solid-liquid equilibrium leaves much room for improvement.
Therefore, there still exists a substantial need for a chemical extraction device that adequately overcomes the problems existing in preparing chemical samples for chromatographic separation techniques.
According to its major aspects and broadly stated, the present invention is a device for rapid, disposable, low-volume solid phase extraction of analytes from various fluids to be tested. The term fluid refers to liquids and to semi-liquids. In particular, the present invention relates to a pipette tip which contains adsorptive particles of a solid stationary phase that are loosely confined inside the tip. An attached pipettetor draws the sample into the pipette tip. The present invention is also a method for using the foregoing pipette tip to extract an analyte. Maximum contact and thorough mixing between the stationary phase and the analyte solution is accomplished by agitating them (shaking, inverting repeatedly, vortexing or by drawing air into the pipette). Agitation insures rapid equilibration and, thus, efficient and rapid adsorption of the analyte.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment accompanied by the following drawings.


An application archive is searched for an existing translation for a text string in an application to be localized. The text string is associated with context information that identifies a location of the text string in the application. If an existing translation is found that matches the text string, and all, or alternately part of, the context information, the existing translation is logically linked to the text string. In one aspect, the existing translation is selected from multiple matches based on number of occurrences. In another aspect, the existing translation is submitted to a manual validation process.

Interactive computer applications typically use pre-defined text, such as titles, captions, and the like, to guide a user through the applications. The pre-defined text is written in a human language, usually the native language of the country of the developer or a common language, such as English. When the application is destined for use in other countries, typically the text is manually translated into the various local languages as part of a process commonly referred to as "localization." Because localization must be performed for each new version of the application, the cost of localizing an application into many languages can be very high. Previous translations may be reused but may not be accurate, particularly if multiple translations for the same text exist.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A catalytic process is provided for converting a feed containing a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 monohydric alcohol by contact of said alcohol, under conversion conditions, with a catalyst comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite having a crystal size of at least about 1 micron, a silica to alumina ratio of at least about 12 and a constraint index, as hereinafter defined, within the approximate range of 1 to 12. The zeolite contains a Group 2B and a Group 8 metal or metal compound plus magnesium, either per se or in compound form.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a specified crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite catalyst characterized by a crystal size of at least about 1 micron. It has associated with it a Group 2B metal, a Group 8 metal and magnesium. The invention also relates to a method of making the catalyst.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A remarkable growth in the production of synthetic fibers, plastics and rubber has taken place in recent decades. This growth, to a very large extent, has been supported and encouraged by an expanding supply of inexpensive petrochemical raw materials such as ethylene, benzene, toluene and xylenes.
Increasing demand for olefins, e.g. C.sub.2 -C.sub.3 olefins has, from time to time, led to periods of shortage, either due to a diminished supply of suitable feedstocks or to limited processing capacity. In any event, it is desirable to provide efficient means for converting raw materials other than petroleum to olefins.
Understandably, there has been considerable effort made to find new ways to produce certain olefin hydrocarbons. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,571 discloses the conversion of a feed of alcohols, ethers and mixtures thereof to hydrocarbons rich in C.sub.2 - and C.sub.3 hydrocarbons and certain aromatics by passing the feed over the specified zeolites.


A carton having upper and lower end flaps and which is movable along a path of movement is manipulated by a machine having upper and lower rotatable flap folders mountable in either a fixed primary or a movable secondary location. The secondary location being movable in an upstream fashion relative to the direction of carton flow. A driving element and a driving mechanism that moves the secondary folder and rotates it to retain a timed relation with the path of movement of the cartons.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,421, issued Nov. 6, 1984 discloses a flap sealer which responds to a stoppage of a conveyor with glue applied to flaps by shifting the stationary plow and glue nozzles upstream to complete the glue application if necessary and to close the flaps.
According to present practice open ended cartons which are loaded and then closed at their ends with end flaps are manipulated in such a way as to close either the upper end flaps or the lower end flaps initially and then to close the remaining flaps.
According to the prior art, converting a machine adapted to close the carton lower end flaps before closing carton upper end flaps into a machine for folding the upper end flaps before folding the lower end flaps is both expensive and time consuming.


Techniques for dielectric isolation in bulk nanosheet devices are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a nanosheet device structure with dielectric isolation includes the steps of: optionally implanting at least one dopant into a top portion of a bulk semiconductor wafer, wherein the at least one dopant is configured to increase an oxidation rate of the top portion of the bulk semiconductor wafer; forming a plurality of nanosheets as a stack on the bulk semiconductor wafer; patterning the nanosheets to form one or more nanowire stacks and one or more trenches between the nanowire stacks; forming spacers covering sidewalls of the nanowire stacks; and oxidizing the top portion of the bulk semiconductor wafer through the trenches, wherein the oxidizing step forms a dielectric isolation region in the top portion of the bulk semiconductor wafer. A nanowire FET and method for formation thereof are also provided.

Nanosheet process flows usually begin with an silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,422,273 issued to Chang et al., entitled "Nanowire Mesh FET with Multiple Threshold Voltages" (hereinafter "U.S. Pat. No. 8,422,273"). With an SOI wafer, isolation between adjacent devices is provided by way of the buried insulator (often an oxide referred to as a buried oxide or BOX). For instance, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,422,273, the SOI layer present on the BOX serves as the first layer in a nanosheet stack. SOI technology however requires additional processing steps such as wafer bonding or oxygen implantation to create the buried insulator beneath the SOI layer.
Thus, for ease and efficiency of manufacture, improved techniques for nanosheet isolation would be desirable.

Bulk nanosheet with dielectric isolation

International Business Machines Corporation


A heat sink retention assembly including a spring, a spring retainer, and a spring displacement limiter. The spring retainer maintains the spring in a compressed state in which a contact portion of the spring applies a force to the heat sink. The compressed state is characterized by a predetermined spring displacement and exerted force. The spring displacement limiting mechanism prevents displacement of the compressed spring substantially beyond the predetermined spring displacement. The displacement limiting mechanism may comprise a separate component such as a spacer structure or may be integrated into the configuration of the spring itself. In one spacer structure embodiment, the spacer has a vertical dimension that is determined by the difference between the total spring displacement possible and the predetermined spring displacement required to deliver the predetermined force to the heat sink. When the spacer is placed between a bowed portion of the spring and the heat sink, it contacts both the spring and the heat sink when the spring is in the compressed state thereby preventing additional displacement. Alternatively, the spacer may be sized to leave a small gap between the spacer and the heatsink when the spring is in the compressed state to permit slight movement of the heatsink under mechanical shock.

1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of heat dissipation in data processing systems and more particularly to an assembly for maintaining a heat sink in contact with an electronic device such as an integrated circuit module.
2. History of Related Art
In many data processing systems (computers) having one or more socketed processors, heat is transferred from the processor to a directly attached heat sink to cool the device. A spring is typically used to press the flat surface of the heat sink base against the flat top surface of the processor to facilitate thermal dissipation away from the processor and to hold the assembly in place. As size and weight of heat sinks continue to increase with increases in processor speed and power, maintaining adequate contact force between the chip and the heat sink has become a design challenge. With large heat sinks already in the 300 to 800 gram range, it has become increasingly difficult to satisfy minimum system fragility requirements while also maintaining the contact force below the chip manufacturer specified limits. Improved heat sink to chip retention is needed to avoid a dramatic increase in fragility-related failures such as clip failures, heat sinks falling off processors, and the like.
The problems identified above are in large: part addressed by a heat sink retention assembly for maintaining a heat sink in contact with an electronic component such as microprocessor or other integrated circuit module. The assembly includes a spring, a spring retainer, and a spring displacement limiter. The spring retainer maintains the spring in a compressed state in which a contact portion of the spring applies a force to the heat sink. The compressed state is characterized by a predetermined spring displacement and exerted force. The spring displacement limiter prevents spring displacement significantly beyond the. predetermined spring displacement. The displacement limiter may comprise a separate component such as a spacer structure or may be integrated into the configuration of the spring itself. In one spacer structure embodiment, the spacer has a vertical dimension that is determined by the difference between the total spring displacement possible and the predetermined spring displacement required to deliver the predetermined force to the heat sink. When the spacer is placed between a bowed portion of the spring and the heat sink, it contacts both the spring and the heat sink when the spring is in the compressed state thereby preventing additional displacement. Alternatively, the spacer may be sized to leave a small gap between the spacer and the heatsink when the spacer is in contact with the bowed portion of the spring and the spring is in the compressed state. This small gap would permit slight, temporary movement of the heatsink in the event of mechanical shock.

International Business Machines Corporation


An encoder includes a processor and a memory. The encoder generates a first plurality of levels of detail (LODs) and associated first type of vertex split records, each of the first type of vertex split records associated with an LOD of the first plurality of LODs is generated using a first type of collapse operator. The encoder initiates a switch from using the first type of collapse operator to a second type of collapse operator in response to a switching condition being satisfied. The encode further a second plurality of LODs and associated second type of vertex split records, each of the second type of vertex split records associated with a LOD of the second plurality of LODs is generated using the second type of collapse operator.

Progressive mesh compression is the encoding of mesh geometry in stages with each stage generating an improved precision related to mesh connectivity, positions, and other attributes. As each stage results in a better level of detail (LOD) of the compressed model, encoding of the next level takes advantage of the information already contained in the previous level. This is relevant for transmitting high resolution models via the Internet as the user on the receiving end (e.g., a client, a client device, or an application) does not have to wait until the entire model is received from the server. The client can quickly display lower resolution levels of the model before all the information is received at the client device.

Techniques for improved progressive mesh compression


An isolated and purified enzyme exhibiting protease activity at a pH of 4-7 which exhibits protease in 5% hydrogen peroxide and which is encoded by a DNA sequence which hybridizes to a DNA sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2. Methods are described for using the protease compositions in reducing vescosity, cleaning contact lenses, baking, and preparing animal feed.

Proteases are enzymes capable of cleaving peptide bonds. Acid proteases (i.e. proteases having an acidic pH optimum) have been found to be produced by a number of different organism including mammals and microbes. For instance, microbial acid proteases have been found to be produced by bacterial strains such as strains of Bacillus sp. (JP 01240184), fungal strains, e.g. of Rizopus sp. (EP 72978), Schytalidium sp. (JP 48091273), Sulpholobus sp. and Thermoplasma sp. (WO90 10072) and Aspergillus sp. (JP 50121486, EP 82 395).
JP 3058794 discloses the cloning of a gene encoding an acid protease from R. niveus and the recombinant expression thereof. The cloning and expression of a gene from Cryphonectira parasitica encoding an aspartic protease is described by Choi et al. (1993). Takahashi et al. (1991), Inoue et al. (1991), and JP 407 5586 discloses the cloning of a gene from Aspergillus niger encoding an acid proteinase (Protease A).
Berka et al. (1990) disclose a gene encoding the aspartic proteinase aspergillopepsin A from Aspergillus awamori. The cloning of a gene encoding the aspartic proteinase aspergillopepsin O from Aspergillus oryzae is described by Berka et al. (1993). The cloning of a gene encoding the acid protease (PEPA) from Aspergillus oryzae is disclosed by Gomi et al. (1993).
Acid proteases are widely used industrially, e.g. in the preparation of food and feed, in the leather industry (e.g. to dehair hides), in the production of protein hydrolysates and in the wine making and brewing industry.
There is a need for single-component acid proteases for many different applications, especially in the food and feed industry.

H.o slashed.je Gladsaxe 61, 7. th. DK-2860 S.o slashed.borg


A hand scanner employs either uniformly or variably frosted scan windows to control illumination. For scanning color documents including books and magazines, a hand scanner employs a fluorescent tube mounted a certain distance above the lower surface of the scanner housing. At the fluorescent tube ends, corresponding to the illumination "dead space" of the fluorescent tube, the underlying portion of the scanner housing is recessed towards the tube.

This invention relates generally to image scanners. More specifically, one aspect of the present invention relates to an improved scan window in a scanner, and another aspect of the present invention relates to an improved configuration for scanners employing a fluorescent tube.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an existing hand-held scanner 100. It includes a housing 102 with a scan window 104. An LED bar 106, a reflective element 108, a lens assembly 110 and a sensor 112 provide the scanning mechanism for the scanner 100. A medium to be scanned, typically a sheet of paper 120 having a surface 122 upon which an image resides, lies beneath the scan window 104.
In operation, the LED bar 106 emits light. The emitted light passes through a first facet 130 of the scan window 104, strikes the surface 122 of the medium 120 and is reflected. Some of the reflected radiation passes through a second facet 132 of the scan window 104 and strikes the reflective element 108. The reflective element 108 directs the reflected light passing through the second facet 132 to the sensor 112 after passing it through the lens assembly 110. An image on the surface 122 of the medium 120 is detected by the sensor 112 through variations in reflected light intensity as the sensor is moved in the direction indicated by arrow 140, as is well known in the art.
The hand scanner 100 has a number of disadvantages. One difficulty with hand scanner 100 is that the lens assembly does not have a uniform responsiveness across a scan width. The scanner 100 typically scans about four inches at one time. The LED bar 106 has a plurality of LED elements arrayed along this width, each emitting light. The lens assembly 110 tends to be more responsive to reflected light in the middle of the scan than towards the edges of a scan, meaning that images are both artificially brighter in the middle and artificially darker at the edges. This is not desirable in scans producing gray scale or color equivalents of an image. One solution to this problem has been to tailor an output profile of the LED bar 106 to compensate for the response of the lens assembly 110. First, the transmission profile of the lens assembly, such as shown in FIG. 2A, is determined. Next, a desired LED output profile is computed as the inverse of the lens assembly transmission profile, such as shown in FIG. 2B. The LED bar 106 output is then tailored to the computed profile by use of resistors, for example.
One important consideration in image scanning is to achieve maximum intensity of incident light to provide sufficient contrast for image development. For this reason, the first facet 130 and the second facet are made transparent to reduce attenuation of the light from the LED bar 106. However, foreign deposits on the scan window can obscure the image. The second facet 132 is raised from the area of the medium surface 122 being scanned. This can be alleviated, as shown in FIG. 1, by the shape of the scan window 104. The lens assembly 110 has a focal point at the surface 122. The raised position of the second facet 132, placing it outside the focal point, decreases incidences of false images due to foreign matter deposited on the scan window 104.
Another potential source of image degradation is from the individual LEDs elements of the LED bar 106. FIG. 3 is a view of the LED bar 106 comprising several LEDs 150. As shown, each LED 150 has a light-emitting element 152 encased in a protective lens 154. Each LED 150 emits light in a conic illumination field 160. As a distance from the LED bar 106 extends outward, the conic illumination fields 160 from the several LEDs 150 begin to converge and overlap. Desirably the paper surface is positioned at that distance from the LED bar 106 where the illumination fields begin to overlap, as shown at position 200 in FIG. 3. If the paper surface 122 is too close, position 202, or too far away, position 204, image artifacts can be produced. The artifacts develop from the variation of the incident radiation on the image. It is difficult to accurately position and maintain the paper surface at the desirable distance from the LED bar 106.
Another drawback to the use of LEDs arises in the scanning of color images. Because LEDs generally produce monochromatic light, a scanner employing LEDs for illumination will be partially "colorblind". To avoid this problem, some scanners illuminate the matter to be scanned by fluorescent tubes, which produce light having a broadband frequency distribution.
Not without their drawbacks as well, though, fluorescent tubes require a socket at each end, creating an illumination "dead space" at either end of the tube, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Additionally, the illumination provided by a fluorescent tube is dim in the regions adjacent the sockets. This increases the effective illumination dead space, which necessitates the scanning device being wider than the image field to be illuminated. These problems with fluorescent tubes can be particularly problematic when scanning materials such as books. When scanning a page on one side of a book, the pages on the other side typically arc upwards, and for a scanner wider than its field of illumination, can prevent the scanner from properly scanning the centermost edge of text. Prior art techniques for minimizing this problem typically involve attempting the minimize the width of the fluorescent tube sockets. However, the technical limits to this approach make it an unsatisfactory solution for the physical drawbacks of fluorescent tubes.

Scanner with a wing-shaped fluorescent tube housing and dual-faceted scan window


In a catheter connector assembly the catheter tube is secured within a resilient sleeve valve. The sleeve valve acts as the hub of the catheter connector for reception of male connector tube while simultaneously sealing the catheter tube against retrograde blood flow until the male connector is fully inserted.

Intravascular catheters are widely used in the medical field as they provide advantages over the various types of needles which were previously used. In particular, where medical treatment requires either continuous or else quick and easy access to an intravascular site the use of a catheter is often the preferred mode of treatment.
While catheters provide many advantages for vascular access, one significant problem remains. The primary problem with catheters is the fact that the removal of the inner needle creates an open passageway for the retrograde flow of blood out through the catheter and its hub.
The procedure for removing the needle from the catheter requires the physician, or other health personnel, to withdraw the needle with one hand while the other hand stabilizes and/or further inserts the catheter in the vessel, usually by holding the hub. Thus, the physician must withdraw the needle, put it down and seize the male connector of the tube, syringe or similar item, which will be secured within the hub of the catheter, and make the connection. Up until the time the connection is made it is common to experience retrograde blood flow out of the catheter. The greatest concern relative to this blood flow is of course the possibility of transmitting diseases such as hepatitis or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) to the attending health personnel. Of a lesser, though still significant degree, is the extremely detrimental effect that seeing this loss of blood has upon the patient. Depending upon the emotional stability of the patient and their experiences in this area the range of emotions can go anywhere from mild annoyance to virtual hysteria which, depending upon the patient's other conditions, could cause a severe reaction. Of a less severe nature is the fact that the blood often stains the patient's clothing, bedding and the like which requires the patient to be moved as these items are changed.
In an attempt to avoid these problems many physicians will attempt to hold the male connector in the same hand which is being used during the withdrawal of the needle to accomplish a quicker insertion of the male adapter into the catheter hub. The practice of this procedure will generally enable the physician to accomplish this transfer with only a small loss of blood due to retrograde flow, however, even a small loss of blood can be dangerous if the blood is contaminated. Specifically, the needle which is withdrawn, and perhaps contaminated, is secured between two fingers, most commonly the ring finger and middle finger, while the sterile connector which is to be inserted into the catheter hub, is held between the thumb and forefinger. As is readily recognizable, minimal control is had over the needle and while attention is being paid to maintaining the connector in a sterile condition and inserting it into the hub, the catheter needle is exposed and being moved which greatly increases the possibility of sticking either the physician or perhaps an attendant nurse who could be restraining the patient or otherwise required to be in close proximity to the treatment site.
Some physicians will remove the needle from the catheter and quickly place it at bed side, or hand it to an attending nurse for disposal, before trying to secure the connector in place. While this method may be preferable to the single handed method discussed above, whatever methods are employed there is always the danger of needle injury while one is connecting the male connector to the catheter.
Clearly, the safest approach is to remove the needle from the catheter and then dispose of it before uncovering the sterile tip of the connector and inserting it into the catheter hub. Such an approach however, is of course not possible unless there is a valve mechanism which will prevent the retrograde flow of blood. To accomplish this, a valve mechanism accommodating both the inner needle and the male connector is required. To fabricate such a valve two important criteria must be considered.
First, size requirements of a catheter make it difficult to fabricate a proper valve mechanism. For example, a valve mechanism would normally be placed within the plastic hub of the catheter the size of which is determined by connectors which are inserted therein. Since the hub is a rather small opening, the valve mechanism is limited in size.
Second, the valve must accommodate an inner needle which is passed through the hub and catheter with the distal end of the needle extending out of the catheter end for insertion into a blood vessel. Then, after the inner needle is removed, the valve must easily accommodate the insertion of a male connector.
Presently available valves, such as cylindrical shaped plugs, ball-ring valves, collapsible tube segment, diaphragm etc. do not meet the above two requirements. Presently only a septum valve could be considered as meeting these requirements. However, the use of a septum as a valve causes other problems.
First, if the septum is not thick enough, upon withdrawal of the needle, the bevel of the needle which is at the distal end, will span the distance from one side of the septum to the other, thus providing an outlet for retrograde blood flow. Furthermore, the septum must be located in the hub in such a way that it can be secured in place. However, securing the septum within the hub by a hinged connection causes a dead space between the septum and the proximal end of the catheter tubing. Upon injection, air caught in the dead space is injected into the person's blood stream which may cause an air embolism depending upon the amount of air and the injection site. Even when the injected air is not dangerous it is discomforting to the patient. Also, whenever a needle is required to pierce a substance, there is the possibility that part of the septum could be cut off and lodged in the bore of the needle. This is especially true if the needle has to be put through the septum more than once as may be the case if the needle is not aligned exactly enough to slide into the catheter tubing.
Compounded with the above difficulties is the fact that after the needle is removed, the valve mechanism must be movable to an open position upon insertion of the male connector from the tube or other device which is to be secured within the hub of the catheter. Since these male connectors are not designed to pierce the septum, the septum must be moved out of the way by some other mechanism.
Thus, these septum valves are generally 2-way, hinged along one side so they open upon insertion of the male connector. Therefor these septums require an additional device such as a plug to prevent the septum from opening in an outward direction due to blood pressure. Furthermore, often, while a catheter is in place, tubes must be changed and the constant insertion and withdrawal of the male connector can loosen the valve, if not secured properly within the hub, thus causing leakage around the sides of the septum or in the worst case, complete removal of the septum upon the withdrawal of the male connector.


Disclosed herein is a training fin for assisting a wide variety of swimmers to gain a superior cardiovascular workout with minimal risk of injury. The fin has a proximal end and a distal end. Additionally, the fin has a dorsal section and a plantar section and defines an opening for insertion of a user's foot adjacent the proximal end. The dorsal section has proximal and distal ends aligned with the proximal and distal ends of the fin. The dorsal section is solid from the proximal to distal ends. The dorsal section has side sections. The plantar section has proximal and distal ends aligned with the proximal and distal ends of the fin and dorsal section. The dorsal and plantar sections are joined, at least, at the proximal and side sections. The dorsal surface includes a fluid separator for increasing hydrodynamic design and function. In an exemplary embodiment, the fin defines a boot, made from pliable material. The pliable material being of varying thicknesses. The boot has a foot pocket and a blade portion. The foot pocket is sized and shaped for removable attachment to the foot. The blade portion is sized and shaped for swim training purposes and for transmitting propulsive forces created by a swimmer's leg to the foot and fin. The blade portion has a defined thickness. And, the foot pocket has a constant thickness and being thinner than the thickness of the blade portion.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to exercise devices for humans and, more particularly to a swim training devices, wherein the user wears the footwear of this invention to increase and maintain their cardiovascular condition and to train competitively for swimming events. The swimming fin of the instant invention provides a swim training fin similar in theory to the earlier and highly successful swim training fins of the '385 patent and the '328 patent, referenced above. However, this device uses a novel and aesthetically pleasing hydrodynamic streamlined design for increasing human efficiency and providing superior training and cardiovascular results.
2. Previous Art
As noted above, this inventor's, Dr. Hull's, prior devices have been highly successful in aiding and facilitating swimming and cardiovascular training. Dr. Hull's above two fins represent major breakthrough in swim training and, in fact created a whole new category of fin, called a swim "training fin". Not only was the fin successful from a training point of view, but also it has been a commercial success.
The fins of the above referenced patents made possible the practicing of swimming at race pace without having to endure the potential injury producing stresses experienced at race pace. This is especially important in preserving the shoulder joints and muscle of swimmers while enabling them to establish the necessary coordination and superior levels of cardiovascular conditioning. The fins of the above referenced patents are instrumental in assisting and facilitating many swimmers, including world class and Olympians, to achieve their personal best, including world records.
Through observation, it has been found that ankle range of motion is a primary determiner of the proficiency of a swimmer. The average person does not swim proficiently because of this lack of ankle range of motion. The average person is substantially less proficient at swimming as compared with walking or running. Ordinarily, a person's legs develop primarily for use on land, i.e. walking or running. Most people are not able to effectively transfer to the water the abundant leg power they enjoy on land. The ability to transfer leg power to the water is dependent on the ability of the foot to deflect or displace water off the end of the foot in a rearward direction. This ability is dependent on the forward range of motion of the foot at the ankle (plantar flexion).
If all other attributes are equal (i.e. foot size, foot shape, leg length and strength), an ankle range of motion of less than 60° results in an average level of swimming proficiency. The farther this range is below 60°, the less proficient the individual will be.
Almost without fail, an individual who posses ankle range of motion of at least 60° will be an above average swimmer. An ankle range of motion of 60° or more is not common. The dorsal surface of this swimmer's foot with this ankle range of motion will deflect water backward during a substantial portion of the kicking movement.
An elite swimmer will have an ankle range of motion past 60°. Typically, there are few who possess ankle range of motion as much as 70° to 75°. These individuals are able to achieve world record status. Previous swim training fins were found to work well for the uncommon person possessing an ankle range of motion of at least 60°.
A training fin is a fin which includes a boot portion and compared with other fins, a shorter blade. The training fin is characterized by its ability to enable a user to practice swimming at steady fast pace, such as a race pace without having to endure the potential injury producing stresses experienced at race pace. Also, a fin to be categorized as a swim training fin must allow the user to get an advantage by its use. For example, if a fin, even though having a short blade does not provide the user with an advantage for its use then it is not a true swim training fin. A training fin must in more technical terms provide for a net gain between propulsion versus the drag created by the fin and its usage.
By definition a swim fin must have a certain amount of hydrodynamic structure to it. Early fin structures, such as the inventor's herein, provided a substantial number of swimmers with an advantage for its use. Thus, for these swimmers, the earlier fins provided a net increase in propulsion as a result of its use.
To derive optimum benefit from the earlier fins, the suggested range of ankle motion was 60° or more. Through observation it has been noted that the earlier fins were not as effective for swimmers having ankle range of motion of less than 60°. As a result of the success of the earlier fins, the desire to make the fins more usable for more users became stronger. The clear problem was that while the fin design worked extremely well for the category of swimmers having an ankle range of motion of at least 60°, a large portion of those desiring such a device could not use the earlier fins successfully or generate the desired efficiency. Thus, the inventor was faced with changing the design of a highly effective and popular fin to accommodate for persons with less range of ankle motion. However, it would be unacceptable to do this at the cost of the popularity for the training fin's initial audience. A complete redesign was necessary, while preserving the principles set forth above.


An argon (Ar.sup.+) laser has a resonator. A reaction chamber is integrally formed in the resonator. A voltage is applied to electrodes, which discharge electricity to excite argon atoms in the resonator to produce a laser beam. The laser beam is continuously oscillated between total reflection mirrors disposed at opposite ends of the resonator. A substrate is disposed in the reaction chamber into which a material gas is introduced. The material gas absorbs the laser beam, to decompose and deposit as a thin film over the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus used for producing semiconductors, and particularly to a vapor deposition apparatus for efficiently producing a thin film or particles with use of light energy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An optical CVD method uses light energy of a laser beam or of light of a lamp to form a thin film on a substrate.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional vapor deposition apparatus employing the optical CVD method.
This apparatus comprises a reaction tube 100. The reaction tube 100 incorporates a substrate 101, a substrate holder 102 for holding the substrate 101, and a high-frequency coil 103 for heating the substrate 101 and substrate holder 102. A gas inlet 100a is formed at the top of the reaction tube 100, to introduce a material gas of, for example, Si.sub.2 H.sub.6 and a carrier gas of, for example, H.sub.2 into the reaction tube 100. An outlet 100b is formed at the bottom of the reaction tube 100, to discharge an unreacted gas, etc., outside the reaction tube 100.
A transparent window 104 made of, for example, quartz, is formed at a side face of the reaction tube 100 between the gas inlet 100a and the substrate 101. An optical system 105 and a laser 106 serving as a light source are disposed outside the window 104.
The material gas is introduced into the reaction tube 100 through the gas inlet 100a. The laser 106 emits a laser beam, which enters the reaction tube 100 through the optical system 105 and window 104 and irradiates the material gas. The material gas absorbs the laser beam and decomposes to deposit as a thin film on the substrate 101.
Since the laser 106, i.e., a laser resonator of this conventional vapor deposition apparatus is outside the reaction tube 100, energy of the laser beam entered into the reaction tube 100 through the window 104 drastically attenuates to about one hundredth of that of the laser beam produced inside the laser resonator. In this way, energy of a laser beam extremely attenuates once it comes out of the laser resonator.
In addition, the diameter of the laser beam is too small to decompose the material gas to form a quality thin film.


The present disclosure discloses a program interaction method. In the disclosed method, a backend server receives interaction information of a program from a program provider client and program information of a currently watched program from a program viewer client. After receiving the interaction information and the program information, the backend server determines the interaction information that corresponds to the program information and sends the interaction information and a resource gifting interface to the program viewer client. The program viewer client subsequently sends a resource gifting instruction through the resource gifting interface to the backend server to transfer a resource to a performer of the program.

In order to make users more enthusiastic when watching a TV program, listening to a radio program, or attending a live show, interaction activities with the users can be carried out during the program, so that the users are really involved in the program.
A program interaction method provided in a related technology includes: a TV station that publishes an SMS (Short Message Service) message-based participation approach of an interaction activity when broadcasting a live show, and a user that can send an SMS message to participate in the interaction activity and pay an amount of money to a performer of the program by paying an expensive SMS fee. For example, if a participation approach of an interaction activity in a program is "For China Mobile users, please send a text message "10" to 12345", a user can open an SMS application in a terminal, edit a new text message "10", set "12345" as the receiver of the text message, and send the text message, to participate in the interaction activity.
When participating in an interaction activity by sending a text message, a user needs to manually input content of the text message, which makes it difficult to participate in the interaction activity.

Program interaction system, method, client, and backend server

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A fiber reinforced glass composite article is disclosed. The article comprises from about 20 volume percent to about 50 volume percent of a glass or glass ceramic matrix, from about 5 volume percent to about 50 volume percent monofilament fiber reinforcement and from about 15 volume percent to about 50 percent yarn fiber reinforcement. The monofilament fiber reinforcement and yarn fiber reinforcement are selectively distributed in the glass matrix to provide a fiber reinforced composite article which exhibits high tensile strength, high elastic modulus, high fracture toughness.

It has been widely recognized, particularly within the aerospace and automotive industries, that the selective use of fiber reinforced composite materials to replace metals can result in significant performance benefits. These benefits flow from the exceptional combination of high stiffness, high strength and low density that typically characterize fiber reinforced composite materials and from the ability to tailor the properties of a particular composite article to fit the demands of a particular application.
Fiber reinforced glass matrix and fiber reinforced glass ceramic matrix composites have been developed for high temperature applications. These materials exhibit high strength, high modulus, and high fracture toughness at temperatures which exceed 1,000.degree. F.
There is a constant and intensive effort to improve the room temperature physical properties of such materials and to increase the maximum use temperature and the environmental stability of such materials.


This invention provides a water craft hull having an air chamber, wherein the sidewalls of the air chamber extend lower than the fore wall and the aft wall of the air chamber, and wherein the hull comprises at least one air injector configured to deliver pressurized air to the air chamber. Optionally, a hull of the invention has a high aspect ratio air chamber defined by a stable fore wall, a stable aft wall, and stable sidewalls, is a non-planing hull, has a wave-piercing bow, and has elongated keel fins (e.g. inner keel fins and/or outer keel fins). Optionally, the air chamber is configured for recirculating air flow.

Water displacement and water friction of marine vessels accounts for some of the biggest costs and power uses required to drive a vessel through water. Various strategies to reduce water displacement have included planning surface areas and V-shaped hulls. One of the first improvements over displacement hulls is the design of planing hulls. Planing hulls work well for light weight crafts in smooth water or water with very small waves. Most planing hulls are designed to plane at cruising speeds. If the water waves are large the boat tends to bounce up and down and bang into oncoming large waves causing a very uncomfortable and unsafe riding condition. Planing hulls generally only work in lightweight high-speed boat designs used over fairly smooth water. Large cargo ships traveling in the open-ocean with large waves do not fit these criteria. By design, these strategies use large water-hull interface, which increases water friction on the vessel.
One strategy to reduce water friction has is to provide an air cavity under the hull, which reduces the hull-to water-contact area. Certain strategies have also been attempted to use air cavities to reduce water displacement such as hover crafts and surface effect ships. However, while thin air cavities have been successfully used to reduce water friction, the use of vessels having air cavities that provide a substantial reduction in water displacement has been met with many challenges, in-part due to the limited acceptable environments for vessel, namely calm and flat sea.
Air cavity hull technology has been in development for more than 50 years. In spite of its history, few implementations have been deemed practical and made into the marine vessel industry. Air cavity hulls add a layer of sophistication and complication as well as additional cost to boat construction. However a properly designed and built air cavity hull boat can add many advantages and cost saving. Innovations to boat hull design can reduce the water displacement.
The term air cavity has the nomenclature of a long shallow flat cavity at the bottom of a boat hull. In sea conditions that present waves, vessels with air cavities that substantially reduce water displacement (rather than merely configured for—friction reduction) often rapidly lose air, e.g. when wave undulation causes a portion of the hull become to airborne. Attempts to overcome this issue have included providing such vessels with retractable walls that give way to an oncoming wave and remain in contact with the water surface. Another strategy has been to provide non-retractable walls, using a step aft of the bow to form a recessed cavity, which tapers thinner to the stern to reduce the cross-sectional area and air volume at the stern to reduce air escape. Although these vessels may reduce instances of total air loss in very small waves, these instances of total air loss are traded for a more gradual loss of air from under the walls that skim across the water surface. Further, these air cavities offer negligible capacity for shock absorption and still experience rapid air loss in larger waves.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,710 (Lang et al.) describes a ship hull which includes air cavities, stabilizing fins and canard fins. The air cavities are very short and wide, configured to reduce drag from water friction. Lang et al. do not teach a deep air chamber (e.g. a high aspect ratio chamber) configured to reduce water displacement and provide shock absorption. Further Lang et al. do not teach fins extending from the side walls of an air cavity or air chamber such as inner fins or outer fins. Further, Lang et al. do not teach elongated fins. Further, Lang et al. do not teach a wave piercing bow. Further, Lang et al. do not teach a recirculating air chamber,
U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,826 (Maloney et al.) describers an air chamber hull having retractable bow and stern air cushion seals that raise from the impact of water to maintain an air seal and comprising forward mounted foils. Among features, Maloney et al. do not teach a deep air chamber (e.g. a high aspect ratio chamber), stable fore and aft air chamber walls, elongated fins, fins extending laterally from the sidewalls, neutral fins, a recirculating air chamber, or a wave-piercing bow.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,496 (Burg) describes a gas cushion vessel having elongated knife shaped bows that slice into waves having an aft wall that tapers to reduce the cross sectional area at the stern. Among features, Burg does not teach a deep air chamber (e.g. a high aspect ratio chamber), a recirculating air chamber, or fins extending laterally from side walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,179 (Dize) describes a twin-hull catamaran comprising hydrodynamic lifting V-shaped hulls with mid-span recess that receives air. The recess tapers along the aft wall. Among features, Dize does not teach a deep air chamber (e.g. a high aspect ratio chamber), a recirculating air chamber, a wave-piercing bow, a non-planing hull, or fins extending laterally from side walls.
What is needed in the art is a deep air chamber hull that that provides substantial shock-absorption, depth stabilization, resistance to wave undulation, recirculation of air chamber air, wave-piercing capabilities to traverse large waves, and accommodation for surface propellers.


Disclosed is an inspection machine provided with an imaging device that capture a close-up image of the imaging target portion of the printed circuit board on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted, by coming close to a printed circuit board. The inspection machine has a sensor unit that detects the heights of the electronic components on the printed circuit board by irradiation light in a first direction that is along the surface of the printed circuit board. Control means of the inspection machine sets a limit distance to a position above the highest electronic component among heights detected from the electronic components. The control means also restricts a facing distance by which the imaging device is accepted to approach the printed circuit board, to be the limit distance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inspection machine for a printed circuit board, and more particularly to an inspection machine for a printed circuit board including an imaging device having a function (or close-up function) to capture a high resolution image by coming close to the printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Background Art
For example, an inspection machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H02-52246 has an imaging device in the form of an X-ray irradiation unit and an X-ray camera which face each other with respect to a printed circuit board therebetween.
The X-ray irradiation unit irradiates an X-ray onto the printed circuit board. The X-ray camera receives the X-ray transmitted through the printed circuit board, and captures an image of an inspection target portion of the printed circuit board. Here the resolution of the image captured by the X-ray camera depends on the ratio of a distance from a light source of the X-ray irradiation unit to the printed circuit board (hereafter called "irradiation distance"), and a distance from the printed circuit board to the X-ray camera (hereafter called "transmission distance"). If the so-called close-up function is needed, the X-ray irradiation unit approaches the printed circuit board so that the irradiation distance becomes relatively shorter than the transmission distance.
Recently a close-up function with high resolution is demanded. To meet this demand, it is necessary to move the X-ray irradiation unit close to the printed circuit board so as to minimize the irradiation distance. Therefore, the electronic components mounted on the printed circuit board and the X-ray irradiation unit tends to easily interfere with each other when close-up imaging, that requires high resolution, is performed. A possible method to prevent this interference is measuring the height of each electronic component from a point above the printed circuit board using a distance detection means which measures the distance between the printed circuit board and the X-ray irradiation unit. However, many electronic components are usually dispersed on the printed circuit board. This means that measurement is required for so many measurement points, and therefore measuring the height of each electronic component from a point above the printed circuit board is not practical.
Another possible method is registering data in a server for each printed circuit board to be manufactured, supplying the registered data to an inspection machine and restricting the height to approach each printed circuit board (or each item number). In this case, however, it is possible that the data and actual product may mismatch due to incidents such as data input error, communication error, change of transporting sequence, and due to the state of components mounted irregularly (e.g. part of the components is delicately-mounted on the same point). In other words, data management alone is insufficient solve interference.

Inspection machine for printed circuit board


A first exoskeleton is in communication with a central server or a peripheral device. The first exoskeleton collects first data and transmits the first data to the central server or peripheral device. The central server or peripheral device generates second data using the first data and transmits the second data to the first exoskeleton or a second exoskeleton.

Wearable exoskeletons have been designed for medical, commercial, and military applications. Medical exoskeleton devices restore and rehabilitate proper muscle function for patients with disorders affecting muscle control. Medical exoskeleton devices have systems of motorized braces that can apply forces to a wearer's appendages. In a rehabilitation setting, medical exoskeletons are controlled by a physical therapist who uses one of a plurality of possible input means to command an exoskeleton control system. In turn, the exoskeleton control system actuates the position of the motorized braces, resulting in the application of force to, and typically movement of, the body of the wearer. Medical exoskeletons can also be used outside of a therapeutic setting to grant improved mobility to a disabled individual. Commercial and military exoskeletons are used to alleviate loads supported by workers or soldiers during their labor or other activities, thereby preventing injuries and increasing the stamina and strength of these workers or soldiers. Tool-holding exoskeletons are outfitted with tool-holding arms that support the weight of a tool, reducing user fatigue by providing tool-holding assistance. Each tool-holding arm transfers the vertical force required to hold the tool through the legs of the exoskeleton rather than through the wearer's arms and body. Similarly, weight-bearing exoskeletons transfer the weight of an exoskeleton load through the legs of the exoskeleton rather than through the wearer's legs. In some cases, weight-bearing exoskeletons are designed to carry a specific load, such as a heavy backpack. In other cases, military weight-bearing exoskeletons support the weight of armor. Commercial and military exoskeletons can have actuated joints that augment the strength of a wearer, with these actuated joints being controlled by an exoskeleton control system, and the wearer using any of a plurality of possible input means to command the exoskeleton control system.
In powered exoskeletons, exoskeleton control systems prescribe and control trajectories in the joints of the exoskeleton, resulting in movement of the exoskeleton. These trajectories can be prescribed as position-based, force-based, or a combination of both methodologies, such as those seen in impedance controllers. Position-based control systems can be modified directly through modification of the prescribed positions. Similarly, force-based control systems can be modified directly through modification of the prescribed force profiles. Complicated exoskeleton movements, such as walking in an ambulatory medical exoskeleton, are commanded by an exoskeleton control system through the use of a series of exoskeleton trajectories, with increasingly complicated exoskeleton movements requiring an increasingly complicated series of exoskeleton trajectories. These series of trajectories can be cyclic, such as the exoskeleton taking a series of steps with each leg, or they can be discrete, such as an exoskeleton rising from a seated position into a standing position. In the case of an ambulatory exoskeleton, during a rehabilitation session and/or over the course of rehabilitation, it is highly beneficial for the physical therapist to have the ability to modify the prescribed positions and/or the prescribed force profiles depending on the particular physiology or rehabilitation stage of a patient. However, it is complex and difficult to construct an exoskeleton control interface that enables the full range of modification desired by the physical therapist during rehabilitation. In addition, it is important that the control interface not only allow the full range of modification that may be desired by the physical therapist but also that the interface with the physical therapist be intuitive to the physical therapist, who may not be highly technically oriented. As exoskeleton wearers are each differently proportioned, variously adjusted or customized powered exoskeletons will fit each wearer somewhat differently, requiring that the exoskeleton control system take into account these differences in wearer proportion, exoskeleton configuration/customization, and exoskeleton-wearer fit, resulting in changes to prescribed exoskeleton trajectories.
Methods have previously been developed that allow current exoskeletons to transmit exoskeleton diagnostic data to a central server. An example of this type of system is EKSO PULSE™, in which an exoskeleton sends state information, such as time of use or the occurrence of a fall, to a central server. However, the development of a system that allows for the transmission of a range of data from a central server to an exoskeleton control system would also be beneficial. In such a system, the data transmitted to the exoskeleton could be presented to the exoskeleton wearer, used for some function by the exoskeleton control system or both. It would also be useful for the exoskeleton to transmit additional types of data to the central server, allowing for various types of interaction between the exoskeleton control system and the central server. Such a system, in which data is communicated both from an exoskeleton to a central server and from a central server to an exoskeleton, could allow for many applications that would be useful to the exoskeleton wearer, the exoskeleton manufacturer or to third parties.
Based on the above, there exists a need in the art for devices and methods that allow for the transmission of data from a central server to an exoskeleton control system, with the devices and methods also allowing for two-way communication between the exoskeleton control system and the central server in real-time. There also exists a need in the art for devices and methods that allow an exoskeleton wearer to make use of such a communication linkage for applications that increase the usefulness of the exoskeleton to the exoskeleton wearer, including but not limited to applications such as monitoring exoskeleton maintenance needs, monitoring the state of the exoskeleton wearer, receiving alerts, receiving medical or technical support from a virtual or human assistant or navigation of the exoskeleton.
In addition, there exists a need for devices and methods that allow a central server to make use of such a communication linkage for analytic functions that are of value to the central server operator or the exoskeleton wearer, including but not limited to the identification of specific exoskeleton wearers or the use of various data analytics to determine optimal actions for recurring situations and fall mitigation or to determine which therapeutic strategies yield the best outcomes.
Furthermore, there exists a need for devices and methods that allow peripheral devices, including but not limited to crutches, tools, vehicles, replaceable batteries, smartphones, computers or other exoskeletons, to communicate with and be networked to an exoskeleton control system that is in communication with a central server through a data link. There also exists a need for devices and methods that allow an exoskeleton wearer who is not wearing an exoskeleton to communicate with the exoskeleton and/or a central server through use of a peripheral device.

Methods of exoskeleton communication and control


A method and apparatus for sending protected data from a sender unit to a receiver unit via an intermediate unit. A Transfer Init message that contains a ticket associated with the receiver unit is sent from the intermediate unit to the sender unit. The intermediate unit then receives a transfer response message from the sender unit, and also data which has been protected using at least one security key associated with the ticket and obtained from a Key Management Server. A message is sent to the receiver unit, the message including information required for security processing of the protected data. The protected data is then sent to the receiver unit, allowing the receiver unit to access the protected data.

The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is the technology defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to provide IP Multimedia services over mobile and fixed communication networks. IP Multimedia services provide a dynamic combination of voice, video, messaging, data, etc. within the same session.
The IMS makes use of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to set up and control calls or sessions between user terminals. The Session Description Protocol (SDP), carried by SIP signals, is used to describe and negotiate the media components of the session. Whilst SIP was created as a user-to-user protocol, the IMS allows operators and service providers to control user access to services and to charge users accordingly.
FIG. 1 illustrates schematically how the IMS fits into the mobile network architecture in the case of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) access network. As shown in FIG. 1 control of communications occurs at three layers (or planes). The lowest layer is the Connectivity Layer 1, also referred to as the bearer plane and through which signals are directed to/from user equipment, UE, accessing the network. The entities within the connectivity layer 1 that connect an IMS subscriber to IMS services form a network that is referred to as the IP-Connectivity Access Network, IP-CAN. The GPRS network includes various GPRS Support Nodes (GSNs). A gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) 2a acts as an interface between the GPRS backbone network and other networks (radio network and the IMS network). The middle layer is the Control Layer 4, and at the top is the Application Layer 6.
The IMS 3 includes a core network 3a, which operates over the Control Layer 4 and the Connectivity Layer 1, and a Service Network 3b. The IMS core network 3a includes nodes that send/receive signals to/from the GPRS network via the GGSN 2a at the Connectivity Layer 1 and network nodes that include Call/Session Control Functions (CSCFs) 5, which operate as SIP proxies within the IMS in the, Control Layer 4. The 3GPP architecture defines three types of CSCFs: the Proxy CSCF (P-CSCF) which is the first point of contact within the IMS for a SIP terminal; the Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) which provides services to the user that the user is subscribed to; and the Interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) whose role is to identify the correct S-CSCF and to forward to that 5-CSCF a request received from a SIP terminal via a P-CSCF. The top, Application Layer 6 includes the IMS service network 3b. Application Servers (ASs) 7 are provided for implementing IMS service functionality.
IMS networks are capable of providing many different services, from basic telephony to much more sophisticated multimedia services. For some services, it is desirable to introduce an intermediate node between the sender and the receiver. Examples of such situations include the use of store-and-forward mailboxes, network answering machines, and caching of IPTV content for more efficient, local access to content.
In this case, the intermediate node must be able to resend received data using an independent session using new session parameters. In cases where the data is encrypted or otherwise protected, the intermediate node should not have access to the plaintext data, although it should be able to check the integrity of each packet of the data in order not to waste storage space on non-authentic content. In order to establish an independent session using new session parameters, the intermediate node would normally need to decrypt and re-encrypt each packet of the data, and this is unacceptable from a security point of view.
IMS media plane security has been standardized in 3GPP, TS 33.328. For high security end-to-end protection in 3GPP, a Ticket based key management system MIKEY-TICKET is introduced, as described in RFC 3711. However, there is no key management solution for store-and-forward applications in an IMS media plane which is based on MIKEY-TICKET.

Sending protected data in a communication network


A separator includes a housing, a feeder mounted in the housing for feeding documents along a feed path and a retard mechanism mounted in the housing along the feed path and opposite to the feeder. The retard mechanism includes a body and a pad attached to the body. The body is mounted at first and second pivot points such that the body and pad can rotate around the first and second pivot points.

The instant invention relates to separator devices used in document handling systems for separating individual documents from a stack of documents. More particularly, the instant invention pertains to a separator device mounted for movement in a manner that increases surface contact between the retard mechanism of the separator and the processed documents thereby ensuring more effective separation of individual documents from the stack.
The processing and handling of documents automatically and reliably at high speeds is very important for many business organizations. For example, in a typical corporation large volumes of mailpieces may be generated and received on a daily basis. These mailpieces may include single sheets, envelopes, flats, booklets, magazines, catalogues, advertisements and postcards; all of which may have a different size, thickness, weight, and material characteristic. Whether these mailpieces are being sent out or inducted at a mailroom facility, they are all typically collected, sorted, and processed prior to delivery to their final destination. Since many of these mailpieces may be critical to the organization (i.e. payments received) the reliable and timely delivery of mailpieces is quite important.
High-speed mailing and sorting machines have been developed with the capability to some extent of processing mixed types of mailpieces. Typically these high-speed devices have an input hopper into which a stack of mixed mail is placed. The stack of mixed mail is fed, often in shingled form, to a separator, which has the critical function of separating individual mailpieces from the stack so that the individual mailpieces are fed seriatim downstream in the high-speed device for subsequent processing. The conventional separator accomplishes the separating function primarily through the use of two major components, a retard mechanism and a feeder. The feeder applies a feed force to the stack tending to move the stack downstream while the retard mechanism applies a retard force in opposition to the feed force. In a properly functioning separator, the fine-tuning of these forces results in effective mailpiece separation.
Unfortunately, the fine-tuning of the above-discussed forces becomes increasingly complex when mixed types of mail are being processed. That is, the necessary retard force needed to separate and feed thick mailpieces may result in damage to very thin mailpieces. Conversely, if the retard force is set too low, multiple documents may be fed through the separator at the same time. Due to the above problems, operators of these high-speed devices often perform a manual presort of the mailpieces to create more uniform stacks of mailpieces for processing. As each stack is processed, manual adjustments are made to the separator to obtain the force profile required for the effective separation of the type of mailpieces in each stack. Naturally, the presorting and manual adjustment requirements slow down the processing of the mailpieces considerably.
Further, in many separators the retard mechanism is an active device such as a plurality of belts driven in opposition to the drive direction of the feeder. These active retard mechanisms require a drive system, which adds additional cost and complexity to the retard mechanism.
Therefore, what is needed is a separator that effectively separates individual mailpieces from a stack of uniform or mixed types of mail. Further, the separator should have a passive retard mechanism and be self-adjusting to accommodate various thickness mailpieces.
A separator includes a housing, a feeder mounted in the housing for feeding documents along a feed path and a retard mechanism mounted in the housing along the feed path and opposite to the feeder. The retard mechanism includes a body and a pad attached to the body. The body is mounted at first and second pivot points such that the body and pad can rotate around the first and second pivot points.


A pentagonal mirror unit of a single lens reflex camera including a hollow pentagonal mirror, a mirror sheet which is secured to a camera body and which has a recess in which the pentagonal mirror is fitted, a plurality of positioning projections which project downwardly from the lower end of the hollow pentagonal mirror, and a plurality of positioning holes provided on the bottom of the mirror sheet recess, so that the positioning projections can be fitted in the corresponding positioning holes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pentagonal mirror unit of a single lens reflex camera.
2. Description of Related Art
In a known finder of a single lens reflex camera, an object image (light) transmitted through a taking lens and reflected by a quick return mirror (first mirror) is focused on a focusing plate and is then reflected by upper roof surfaces of a pentagonal prism (pentagonal roof prism) and a third reflecting surface (front surface) thereof. The object image (light) is then made incident upon a magnifying lens (eyepiece) to obtain an erect image.
However, the finder using the pentagonal prism has drawbacks in that the pentagonal prism is expensive and heavy. To eliminate the drawbacks, it is known to use a hollow pentagonal mirror having reflecting mirrors corresponding to the roof surfaces and the third reflecting surface, in place of the conventional solid pentagonal prism. The hollow pentagonal mirror is lighter and less expensive than the solid pentagonal prism, since the glass body portion of the solid pentagonal prism is replaced with a cavity.
The hollow pentagonal mirror is usually secured to the camera body through a mirror sheet. In a conventional apparatus, the hollow pentagonal mirror is provided with an elastically deformable leg having an engaging pawl outwardly projecting at the free end of the elastically deformable leg. The mirror sheet can be provided with an engaging hole in which the engaging pawl of the elastically deformable leg is engaged to secure the hollow pentagonal mirror to the mirror sheet. Upon securing the pentagonal mirror to the mirror sheet, the elastically deformable leg of the pentagonal mirror is elastically deformed to be inserted in the mirror sheet to engage the engaging pawl in the corresponding engaging hole.
However, in the conventional apparatus, the elastic deformation of the elastically deformable leg causes the side surface of the pentagonal mirror and the roof surfaces thereof to deform which results in an adverse influence on the optical efficiency of the assembled pentagonal mirror. Furthermore, since the elastically deformable leg and the engaging pawl extend downwardly from the lower end of the pentagonal mirror, the injection molding dies, which are used to make the pentagonal mirror, are complicated and expensive.

Pentagonal mirror unit of single lens reflex camera


A photovoltaic device includes an i-type amorphous silicon thin film and a p-type amorphous silicon thin film arranged on portions of an n-type crystalline silicon substrate, a collecting electrode arranged on the amorphous silicon thin film, and an insulating layer arranged around the portions where the amorphous silicon thin film is formed. Thus, a pin junction is formed only below the collecting electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a photovoltaic device, and more particularly, to a photovoltaic device having a heterojunction formed by combining a crystalline semiconductor and an amorphous semiconductor.
2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In recent years, solar cells using polycrystalline silicon have been extensively studied as photovoltaic devices. Of the solar cells, a solar cell having a heterojunction formed by combining amorphous silicon and polycrystalline silicon has, received attention because it is low in cost and high in conversion efficiency.
In the above described solar cell having the heterojunction, a large number of interfacial states may often be formed in the vicinity of the junction interface of amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon. Therefore, even if light is incident on the junction to generate a large number of carriers, the carriers disappear at recombination centers due to the above described interfacial states, resulting in a reduced conversion efficiency.
In order to decrease the number of interfacial states in the vicinity of the heterojunction interface to improve junction characteristics, a photovoltaic device having an intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layer disposed in the heterojunction interface has been proposed, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 4-130671 (1992) and 4-199750 (1992).
However, the structure having the intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layer in the heterojunction interface is not different from the structure without the intrinsic amorphous layer, in that semiconductors, having different forbidden band widths in the vicinity of the junction interface are coupled to each other. Consequently, energy barriers against photo-generated carriers still exist, so that the collection efficiency of the carriers is still insufficient.
Furthermore, the amorphous semiconductor layer is relatively high in electrical resistance, thereby making it difficult for the carriers to move smoothly moved in the amorphous semiconductor layer. As a result, the loss at the interface of the crystalline semiconductor and the amorphous semiconductor cannot be ignored.