A label dispensing sheet includes a backing sheet having a layer of a pressure sensitive adhesive releasing material on one face and having a weakened line across its width, a row of adhesive labels releasably disposed on the backing sheet overlying the weakened line, and a release strip releasably disposed on the backing overlying the weakened line. The release strip has a weakened line at a position offset from the weakened line in the backing. This permits a user to grasp and pull away the release strip, exposing the ends of the labels for easy removal. The labels may, for example, be thin, plastic index tabs for labelling book pages.

Books are usually subdivided into a series of chapters or similar parts which a reader may desire to individually reference. Where the chapters of such a book are titled as a sequence of numbers, e.g. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc., conventional tabs may be mounted at the outside margin of the page at the start of each such part to allow the reader to find that part quickly. Each tab bears a number corresponding to the number of the part or chapter marked. The tabs are commonly set in rows along the outside edge of the book, with each successive tab set beneath and to one side of the preceding tab.
Problems arise using such tabs with large books in which the chapters or parts have names or titles which are commonly referred to by readers in lieu of numbers. One such book is the bible, which in its Protestant version has 66 parts (called books) and in its Catholic version has 73 books. Numbering these books in sequence from 1-66 or 1-73 is of little help because few readers can remember which book has which number, and the reference system in common use for the bible utilizes the names of the books, together with chapter and verse, for example, II Timothy 2:15.
A variety of bible indexing systems have been used to improve ease of reference to the bible. Such systems generally include a series of adhesive tabs which can be secured to the outer margin of the page corresponding to the start of each book of the bible. Each tab has the appropriate book name on it, in full or abbreviated form. This allows the user to turn to the desired book after scanning the row of tabs to find the right name. Such indexing systems are useful, but still require the user to scan a series of names or titles to find the desired title. Moreover, the book names on the tabs are not in any systematic order, such as alphabetical order. Presently available bible indexing systems are thus of limited usefulness.
The tabs used in known bible indexing systems also have certain drawbacks. The pages of very large books such as the bible tend to be quite thin. Ordinary tabs when mounted on such pages are likely to cause the page to tear upon repeated use. Installation of such tabs is also difficult. The tabs are mounted initially on a peel-off backing sheet. The user must start the peel-off operation manually by picking at the sheet until the backing starts to separate from the tab label. This is a tedious and cumbersome process.
The user must then install the tabs in orderly rows. Present bible indexing systems provide no means for laying out and spacing the tabs, or provide a measuring strip which is little more than an ordinary ruler, and is only a fraction of the total length of all of the rows of tabs. It is most convenient to install the tabs in reverse order, starting with the last tab near the end of the book and working forward. Using conventional bible indexing systems, it is difficult to install the tabs in this manner and still ensure that the first tab will appear near the upper top corner of the book One system for addressing this type of problem involves providing the release paper backing of a tab sheet with a marginal scale for ensuring accurate manual placement of the tabs. See, for example, Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,982, issued Mar. 12, 1974. This system involves the use of a long tab strip, which may become inconvenient when the number of tabs becomes large.
The table of contents in a bible frequently provides a list of the books of the bible in alphabetical order, together with the starting page number for that book. The table of contents might also include a reference to the number of chapters within the book, and an indication of whether the book is in the New Testament or the Old Testament. This type of index, while useful, still requires the reader to page through the book looking for the page number.
Various indexing systems have been proposed for books generally. Some such systems involve the use of built-in index dividers, in the form of recesses in page edges, projections which extend beyond the outer margin of a page, or tabs which clip onto a page. See, for example, Valencia U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,147, issued Feb. 9, 1971, Friedman U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,587, issued Dec. 31, 1974, Friedman U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,909, issued Jan. 7, 1975, Friedman U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,729, issued Apr. 15, 1975, Mathis U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,389, issued Dec. 7, 1976, and Feng U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,900, issued Sep. 29, 1981. Systems have also been proposed wherein a series of adhesively mountable tabs or markers having indicia such as numbers or colors are provided together with an adhesive backed index page which can be permanently mounted in the book. The index page includes a series of numbered blanks in which the reader is intended to write down the subject matter to be marked by the tab. Horn U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,777 issued Nov. 27, 1979, and Remmey, III U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,816 issued May 25, 1976 exemplify such systems.
Index tabs have been constructed in many different ways. Most such tabs suitable for use in book indexing systems include a portion which folds over a page edge and a portion coated with an adhesive for permanently securing the tab to the page. See, for example, Turner U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,403, issued May 6, 1980, Levi U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,672, issued Dec. 27, 1983, Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,144, issued Jul. 7, 1959, Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 3,070,482, issued Dec. 25, 1962, Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,324, issued Oct. 24, 1967, Stanton U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,759, issued Apr. 26, 1977, and Leach U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,522, issued Mar. 2, 1971. A disc-shaped, adhesively backed transparent tab having identifying matter thereon has also been proposed. See, e.g. Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,515, issued Aug. 26, 1969. Laminated tabs having successive layers of flexible film, adhesive, face stock, and a second adhesive are also known. See, for example, Jeter U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,055, issued May 28, 1985.
Adhesive tabs or labels are frequently manufactured in rows on sheets of release paper backing. See, e.g., Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,426 issued Apr. 23, 1974. To facilitate removal of such tabs or labels, such sheets have been provided with slits in the backing near one end of the labels (see Kendrick U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,044 issued Apr. 21, 1959) or with cuts that define stripping tabs (see, e.g. Bishop U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,928 issued Jun. 1, 1954.) These means for aiding peeling off the labels may not always provide for easy, selective removal of one label at a time, as may be needed when applying adhesive tabs to a bible.
The present invention addresses the foregoing problems with known indexing systems and provides an improved book indexing system which is especially suitable for providing a tabbed, indexed bible.


Human aesthetic evaluation of a finished painted surface, such as an automotive body, is automatically simulated by analyzing a distorted reflected test pattern from the finished surface. Fourier power spectra of the distorted test pattern are generated to form a parameterization of the reflected distorted test pattern. A correlation is statistically made to reference Fourier power spectra, each of which has been associated with a specific human aesthetic evaluation, such as wetness, dullness, softness, brightness, and the like. The Fourier power spectra of the distorted reflected image are automatically generated through a digitized two dimensional pixel map, which are mapped into functions of the edge direction and edge intensity of the pixels. The functions are then Fourier transformed into Fourier power spectra and correlated with reference reflected patterns. Alternatively, the Fourier power spectrum of the distorted reflected pattern is optically generated by use of collimated coherent light in a Fourier transform lens. After that, the necessary parameterization is extracted from the optical Fourier transform plane and correlated to previously recorded aesthetic human evaluation. A segmentation parameter is also used for correlation with a reference segmentation indicator.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of quality control of finished painted surfaces and in particular to inspection and evaluation of the quality of a painted surface, such as a painted automobile surface.
2. Description of Prior Art
The purchasing decision made with respect to a private automobile is typically heavily influenced by the aesthetic appearance of the automobile. Among the factors that constitute the aesthetic appearance of an automobile is the finished quality of the painted surface. The colors, lusters and finishes that are popular depend in part on fashion, but a deep lustrous finish having a liquid or wet deep mirror-like appearance is generally thought attractive and desirable by the purchaser.
In the prior art, a panel of persons representing a random sample of purchasers views and subjectively evaluates the quality of the painted surface. The panel rates the quality of the paint finish based on several criteria as set forth in a questionnaire. Scores from the panel are then averaged to obtain an average evaluation of the quality of the painted surface. The prior process of using human panels for finish evaluation is extremely time consuming and expensive. At best, such evaluation can only be done periodically. There is also a statistical variation among the panels since truly random samples of human subjects cannot always be practically obtained.
Although the prior art has devised various types of apparatus by which various aspects of a painted surface can be measured, such as a distinctness of image (DOI) meter or a gloss meter, readings from neither one of these prior art apparatus correlates well with the subjective judgments of human panels evaluating the same painted surface.
Therefore, an apparatus and methodology is needed to replace the current paint finish evaluation technique, of periodically using a statistically random group of purchasers or potential purchasers to evaluate quality of the painted finish surface.

Automated evaluation of painted surface quality


The suction lavage system of this invention incorporates a pulsatile water lavage in combination with a suction system to improve the interface between a prosthesis, such as a hip replacement, and the interdigitating network of cancellous bone in which it is secured with acrylic cement. The water lavage effectively evacuates the medullary fat and hematopoietic tissue from the trabecular interstices of cancellous bone.. The suction irrigation system comprises a probe having two configurations which assist in impinging water on cancellous bone for evacuating fat and tissue along with water to improve the interface between the bone and cement. It has been found that weakening of the interface through stress may result in loosening of a prosthesis. The probe consists of a water conduit generally located on the outside of a suction conduit. The suction opening is located below the aperture for the pulsatile jet a distance large enough to insure that the apertures are not immersed in irrigating fluid; the apertures may be displaced to the side or down, or some combination of the two. The water jet pulses at about 2100 pulses per minute. In order to operate to maximum advantage, the pulsatile jet must function in an air environment. This is insured by the fact that the suction outflow is greater than the fluid inflow.. The method of this invention, then, relates to preparing cancellous bone to secure a prosthesis, which is achieved by reaming out of the cancellous bone to fit the prosthesis; suction lavaging the cavity with a probe which includes a pulsatile jet of water to evacuate the water, fat and tissue; and securing the acrylic bone cement to the prepared cancellous surface. In the method of this invention, it is possible to increase the interface shear strength of the lavaged preparation by 162%, which is significant in terms of a control which normally uses saline solution.

The bone-cement interface is the key to prosthetic fixation. This bond is a mechanical linkage comprised of an interdigitating network of cancellous bone and cement. Present techniques call for saline treatment of the bone prior to fixation.
Generally in the treatment of wounds, lavage is known as well as suction to remove lavage solutions. In certain ultrasonic surgical practices, such as, for example in Banko U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,787, it has been known to use ultrasonic treatment together with irrigation fluid and/or suction, such as taught in Nehring U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,947, Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,322, and Wallach U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,866. Further, it has been known to provide pulsed jets of water to a wound as taught in the Stryker lavage systems.


A method for determining the growing degree units (GDUs) accumulated at a particular farm site throughout the growing season, the amount that such accumulation is above or below the average historical GDU accumulation that occurred at the farm site, and a GDU meter for obtaining and displaying such information. The GDU meter measures and stores the temperatures that occur at a farm site throughout every 24-hour period of the growing season and calculates and stores the accumulated GDUs that impinge on the site year to date. The GDU meter compares the GDUs accumulated year to date (year to date GDUs) to the average GDUs accumulated in previous years at the same site (historical GDUs) and calculates how much the year to date GDUs are above or below the historical GDUs. The GDU meter of the present invention displays year to date GDUs and the amount that it is above or below the historical GDUs. Optionally, the GDU meter of the present invention displays the date, time, and temperature. The GDU meter may be connected to the Internet for transfer of the GDU data contained in the GDU meter to a website accessible to the farmer.

Physiological development in plants is impacted by environmental conditions, with moisture and heat being of primary importance. Economically important crops such as corn and soybeans are categorized and evaluated on the basis of the amount of heat required to reach various development stages. For example, a specific corn hybrid requires a certain amount of heat to emerge, flower and reach physiological maturity (black layer). A different hybrid may require more or less heat for similar development. The warmer the average temperature, up to a maximum, the faster corn grows. The amount of heat accumulated during the growing season is measured as "growing degree units" (GDUs).
Growing degree units are used in the industry to describe and predict stages of corn growth from planting to harvest. It is also a common practice in the industry to develop various GDU requirements for particular hybrid products. The majority of all seed companies use GDUs as part of their product description and the GDU calculation set forth below is an industry standard. These GDU ratings are used by seed professionals and growers to select their product portfolio, and are used to assist growers to spread their production risks. For example, selecting hybrids with different flowering/silking GDU requirements will offer some protection during an unexpected midsummer period of high heat. GDUs are also used in seed production to determine inbred split planting times. Weeds and insect pest cycles are also impacted by GDUs.
Knowing how much heat has accumulated on a daily basis helps growers monitor their crop development and make management decisions that optimize crop performance. Traditionally, farmers obtain accumulated GDU data calculated from temperature readings taken at a site located in a region where the farmers' fields or growing sites are located and compare the GDU data to the historical GDU data for that region. Farmers obtain the GDUs accumulated year to date for a particular region from the local newspaper, television, and/or radio. Typically, this information includes whether the accumulated GDUs are ahead or behind a "normal" year for region in which the farm site is located. A farmer may use this regional information to determine crop management strategies at his particular fields for that particular growing season. In the U.S. Midwest, accumulation of GDUs typically begins on April 1st and ends on October 1st.
The GDU data available to the farmer from public sources are likely calculated based on a start date that is different from the date farmers plant their fields. A farmer located in the northern portion of a region may experience significantly more rain than farmers located in the southern portion, causing that farmer to delay planting by two weeks compared to his or her southern counterparts. Thus, the GDU data available from the newspaper, radio, etc. in many cases will not accurately reflect the GDUs that actually impinge on a farmer's particular field.
Furthermore, regardless of the differences between data collection start dates, GDUs vary significantly within a county or region and among different farm sites in a region. Thus, the GDU data available from the newspaper, radio, etc. will not likely reflect the GDU accumulation at a farmer's local site. Variations in GDU accumulation can have a significant effect on crop performance and, therefore, crop management strategies. Inaccurate GDU data may lead the farmer to apply incorrect or sub-optimum crop management strategies.
Therefore, there is a need to take temperature readings at a farmer's field, accurately calculate the actual accumulated GDUs that impinge on a farmer's crops, and to compare current accumulated growing season GDUs at the particular site with historical data from the same site. There is also a need to provide a small, reliable and inexpensive GDU meter for placement in or adjacent to a farm site for this purpose. There is a further need to provide accurate crop management strategies to the farmer based upon the amount of GDUs accumulated at a particular site.


Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatically selecting a video output from among several video input sources. In one method, one or more audio sensors are associated with each video input source. Preferably, an audio sensor is positioned to receive audio signals from directions that receive favorable coverage in the field of view of the associated video source. An autoselector calculates audio scores for each of the audio sensors over short (e.g., 0.5 seconds) examination intervals. At each examination interval, the potential exists for a different video source to be selected as the video output. The autoselector selects a video source based on the audio scores for an examination interval, as well as the recent time-history of video source selection. For instance, if a new video source has just been selected, selection of a different source may be disabled for a few seconds. The time-history is also used to increase the probability that source selection varies in a seemingly-natural manner.

This present invention relates generally to multi-camera video systems, and more particularly to an automatic multi-camera video composition system and method for its operation.
In the general field of video transmission and recording, it is common to concurrently capture video from multiple viewpoints or locations. One common example is sports broadcasting: a baseball game, for example, may use five or more cameras to capture the action from multiple viewing angles. One or more technicians switch between the cameras to provide a television signal that consists, hopefully, of the best view of whatever is happening in the game at that moment. Another example is a movie. Movie editing, however, takes place long after the events are recorded, with most scenes using a variety of camera shots in a selected composition sequence.
Although perhaps less exciting than a sports contest or a movie, many other applications of multi-camera video data exist. For instance, a selection of camera angles can provide a much richer record of almost any taped or broadcast event, whether that event is a meeting, a presentation, a videoconference, or an electronic classroom, to mention a few examples.
One pair of researchers has proposed an automated camera switching strategy for a videoconferencing application, based on speaker behavioural patterns. See F. Canavesio and G. Castagneri, xe2x80x9cStrategies for Automated Camera Switching Versus Behavioural Patterns in Videoconferencingxe2x80x9d, in Proc. IEEE Global Telecommunications Conf., pp. 313-18, Nov. 26-29 1984. The system described in this paper has one microphone and one camera for each of six videoconference participants. Two additional cameras provide input for a split-screen overview that shows all participants. A microprocessor periodically performs an xe2x80x9cactivity talker identification processxe2x80x9d that detects who among all of the participants is talking and creates a binary activity pattern consisting of six xe2x80x9ctalk/no talkxe2x80x9d values.
A number of time-based thresholds are entered into the system. The microprocessor implements a voice-switching algorithm that decides which of the seven camera views (six individual plus one overview) will be used for each binary activity pattern. In essence, the algorithm decides which camera view to use for a new evaluation interval based on who is speaking, which camera is currently selected, and whether the currently-selected camera view has been held for a minimum amount of time. If more than one simultaneous speaker is detected or no one speaks, the system will switch to the conference overview after a preset amount of time. And generally, when one speaker is detected, the system will continuously select the close-up view of that speaker as long as they continue to talk or take only short pauses.

Automatic multi-camera video composition


An embodiment of the present disclosure provide a key protection method, via setting that each core of the multi-core process may have one symmetric master key, dynamically obtaining the plaintext private key of the asymmetric algorithm via a decryption operation and using the Intel TSX, it may be ensured that the private key and the intermediate variables used in the computation process may be stored in the cache occupied by the operation core only in terms of the hardware level, which may prevent the attackers from stealing the private key from the physical memory and ensure the security of the implementation of the public-key cryptographic algorithm in the computer system.

In a computer system, private data are protected with cryptography. In a public-key cryptographic algorithm, keys are generated in pairs. Each pair of keys consist of a private key and a public key. The private key is kept only by the owner. The premise for protecting private data with a public-key cryptographic algorithm is ensuring confidentiality of the private key.
Normally, in the computer system, the private key is stored and operated in a memory. However, system intrusions and physical attacks severely threaten the security of the computer system. The system intrusions utilize a software bug of the system and directly obtain the private key via memory access instructions. The physical attacks, such as a cold boot attack, may obtain an image of the whole Random-Access Memory (RAM) chip while there is a physical access with a target computer. In order to prevent the cold boot attack, a general practice is storing the key with resources in the CPU, rather than resources in the RAM. These schemes may be classified into two categories. One kind of scheme is utilizing a register. Since the capacity of the register is limited, this scheme may only support a symmetric cryptographic algorithm and a simple asymmetric cryptographic algorithm, in which length of the key is limited. The other kind of scheme is applicable to a multi-core processor and stores the key and intermediate variables in an on-chip cache of the CPU. This kind of scheme utilizes a write back mode of the cache to clear up contents, which are newly written into the memory, before the contents are synchronized to the RAM chip and only computation results are reserved. Meanwhile, in order to eliminate influence of cache sharing, when the cryptographic computation is performed, all cores, which share the cache with the cryptographic computation core, need to be configured as a no-fill mode. In the no-fill mode, a memory access operation, which is a read miss or a write miss, does not incur replacement of the cache. It can be seen that in a situation that an L3 cache is shared by all cores of the multi-core processor, this kind of scheme supports only one core in performing the cryptographic operation at the same time. Further, when one core performs the cryptographic operation, other cores are configured as the no-fill mode, so that the processor is inefficient. Besides, as for this kind of configuration, if the Operating System (OS) has a bug, malicious processes still may directly read the keys stored in the memory via the bug, resulting in invalidity of the protection mechanism.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

DATA ASSURANCE AND COMMUNICATION SECURITY RESEARCH CENTER, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES


A device for the projection printing of the masks of a mask set onto a semiconductor substrate comprising a projection lens for imaging the patterns of said masks on photosensitive layers of said substrate. Alignment patterns are disposed said masks and alignment targets on said substrate. Said alignment patterns of at least one of said masks and said alignment targets of said substrate are positioned in non-conjugated areas in respect of the projection lens, i.e. in areas which cannot be imaged into one another by means of said projection lens. For the alignment process between said mask and said substrate auxiliary optical means are provided, said alignment targets of said substrate and said alignment patterns of said mask being imaged into one another by means of said auxiliary optical means.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for the projection printing of the masks of a mask set onto a workpiece, particularly onto a semiconductor substrate for the manufacture of integrated circuits.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the production of integrated circuits it is necessary to subsequently image a number of masks having different circuit patterns on exactly the same area of the substrate. After development the photosensitive layer being exposed on the substrate serves for covering the substrate at desired points during chemical and physical process cycless, e.g. etching- and diffusing processes, carried out between the concsecutive images. In the manufacture of integrated circuits high demands are made to accuracy. Tolerable deviations of the consecutive images of the circuit patterns are, for example, less than 1 .mu.m (0.039 mil.)
In order to obtain such accuracy the circuit patterns on the mask are usually imaged on the substrate by means of a projection lens, e.g. reduced by the factor 10. Before exposing a substrate or a portion of said substrate which has already been provided with circuit elements it is necessary to align alignment patterns of the mask with repetitive accuracy and relative to alignment targets marked on the substrate by aligning the masks, or, if required, the substrate, in order to obtain the desired covering of the successive circuit patterns.
In a first processing cycle of a prior art method alignment targets are produced on the virgin substrate for each chip by means of a mask and subsequent etching or by means of a laser, the masks required for the subsequent images of the individual circuit patterns being aligned to said alignment targets. In this step and repeat method each chip is exposed individually.
It is also known in the art to image the circuit patterns for a majority of or for all chips to be produced together on the substrate.
For the alignment process the respective alignment target portions on the substrate and the areas on the mask defining the alignment patterns are imaged into one another by means of the projection lens, the relative deviation being visually or metrologically determined. Positioning commands for the alignment mechanism, e.g. for the coordinate stage, are deduced from the deviation. In the aligned position the alignment targets and the alignment patterns are conjugated to one another.
It is a common problem to both methods that the alignment patterns of the mask are projected on the substrate during exposure and expose on the substrate the photosensitive layer in the area of the alignment targets. When the exposed or unexposed, photosensitive layer portions have been developed and removed, a portion on the substrate corresponding to the alignment pattern is uncovered and the alignment target usually becomes useless or is entirely etched away during a subsequent etching process. The target cannot be used for the alignment of the following mask.
When a negative, photosensitive layer is used on the substrate it has become known to prevent the optical printing of the alignment pattern by pre-exposing the area of the alignment target on the substrate.
When, however, a positive, photosensitive layer is used, the exposed layer is removed after processing, and the alignment pattern is destroyed during etching. When imaging a mask, a new alignment target for the next mask must be printed on the substrate. Thereby a disadvantageous addition of errors of alignment of the individual masks is caused.

Device for the projection printing of the masks of a mask set onto a semiconductor substrate


An optical inspection system or tool can be configured to inspect objects using dynamic illumination where one or more characteristics of the illumination is/are adjusted to meet the inspection needs of different areas. For example, the illumination intensity may be increased or decreased as the tool inspects areas of memory and periphery features in a wafer die. In some embodiments, the adjustment can be based on data obtained during a pre-inspection setup sequence in which images taken based on illumination with varying characteristics are evaluated for suitability in the remainder of the inspection process.

Optical inspection allows for rapid and effective identification of defects in semiconductor objects, which include (but are not limited to) semiconductor wafers, reticles, mask patterns, and other items that are the result of or are used in fabrication of miniaturized electronic devices.
Various illumination and imaging systems have been proposed for optical inspection tools. For example, some systems use lamps or lasers to illuminate the object under inspection, with a detector or an array of detectors used to image areas of interest on the object. The detector output can be analyzed in any number of ways to determine whether a defect exists in the area. However, a semiconductor object oftentimes will comprise areas of different types.
As an example, FIG. 1A shows an example of a wafer die 110 comprising a periphery 112 at the die edges, with an array area 114 in the interior. Wafer die 110 may comprise one of many dies formed on a semiconductor wafer. Periphery 112 may represent logic and I/O circuitry, while array area 114 comprises memory. It should be noted that other dies may have other distributions and types of area, and so this discussion is for purposes of example only.
FIG. 1B shows an array 116 of frames. Some (but not all) inspection tools may logically divide a die or other area of a semiconductor object into a plurality of areas for inspection purposes. "Frames" are one example of such areas. Generally, a "frame" may be a unit imaging area of a tool. For two-dimensional detectors, a frame will comprise an area imaged at a given time (by one or more detectors), while for one-dimensional or point detectors, a frame will comprise cumulative acquired data over a given time period.
In this particular example, array 116 comprises several rectangular frames of the same size and shape. Other tools may use frames of different shape, number, and/or configuration. FIG. 1C shows array 116 overlaid on die 110.
Some inspection tools may comprise one or more detectors, and may inspect an object on a frame-by-frame basis. For example, a tool may image one or more frames of the object and then change its view of the object to image additional frames of different parts of the object. For example, the object may be moved while the tool components remain stationary, the object may remain stationary while some tool components are repositioned, and/or both the position of the object and tool may be adjusted.
Regardless of the underlying inspection methodology, however, the different properties of areas of a semiconductor object may lead to difficulties in inspection. For example, FIGS. 2A and 2B show an example of signal diagrams representing dark-field illumination as reflected from a part of a wafer containing an array and periphery, with defects in both areas. Each diagram also includes an indicator of the saturation limit of the detector, which represents the upper boundary of the detector's dynamic range.
Diagram 120 of FIG. 2A shows the case of illumination that is sufficient to illuminate a defect in the array area, with the defect represented by the signal variance indicated at 124. The defect in the periphery area is represented at 126. In FIG. 2A, the periphery defect 126 (and other periphery signal) is above the saturation limit 122 of the detector. This is because the intensity of reflected light from the periphery area is much higher than the intensity of the reflected light from the array area. In a typical wafer, the ratio between the intensities may reach orders of magnitude.
Diagram 128 of FIG. 2B shows the case of illumination that is set to bring a periphery defect 132 into the dynamic range of the detector (i.e. so that signals from the periphery are below the saturation limit 122). In this case, though, the signal of defect 130 in the array area is much smaller. Thus, the array defect may be difficult or impossible to detect.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide for optical inspections using sufficient light to view defects without sacrificing inspection quality for other defects.

Dynamic illumination in optical inspection systems

Applied Materials South East Asia Pte Ltd.


Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, computer-storage media, mechanisms, and means associated with determining and distributing routing paths for nodes in a network. For each route computational node of multiple route computational nodes in a network: a tree of paths between itself and each of multiple nodes in the network is determined. A particular tree of paths is determined for a particular node of these multiple nodes to the other nodes based on at least two of the determined trees of paths for the route computational nodes. The particular node then sends a packet towards a destination based on the particular tree of paths determined for the particular node.

The communications industry is rapidly changing to adjust to emerging technologies and ever increasing customer demand. This customer demand for new applications and increased performance of existing applications is driving communications network and system providers to employ networks and systems having greater speed and capacity (e.g., greater bandwidth). In trying to achieve these goals, a common approach taken by many communications providers is to use packet switching technology. In order to efficiently send packets through a network, devices typically need routing information describing how to send and/or forward packets to a next device based on the destination of a packet.

Determining and distributing routing paths for nodes in a network


An improved T.sub.3 uptake test procedure characterized in that the separating agent employed therein comprises precipitated nylon 6, precipitated nylon 66, or mixtures thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to T.sub.3 uptake test procedures and to a novel separating agent for use therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As early as 1939 (1), Treverrow reported that hormonal iodine compounds such as thyroxine constitute the major portion of the total serum iodine. Furthermore, these iodinated organic compounds could be distinguished from serum inorganic iodide because they are bound to serum protein. Since iodine constitutes 65 percent by weight of the thyroxine molecule, serum protein-bound iodine (PBI) was employed as an index of serum thyroxine (T.sub.4). This indirect measurement of serum thyroxine was believed to be a good indicator of the thyrometabolic status of an individual (2,3,4). The normal range of PBI values was found to be 4-8 ug/100 ml; values below 4 ug/100 ml were consistent with hypothyroidism whereas values above 8 ug/100 ml were indicative of thyrotoxicosis (hyperthyroidism).
A major pitfall of the PBI test is its inherent lack of specificity since high levels of inorganic iodide, radio-opaque dyes and certain drugs give abnormally high values. In b 1964, Murphy and Pattee (5) introduced their competitive protein binding analysis (CPB) for serum thyroxine which solved most of the nonspecificity problems associated with the PBI test. Due to the fact that CPB tests for serum thyroxine also required an extraction of the T.sub.4 from the remainder of the serum components, recovery variability has lead to problems both in accuracy and precision.
Recently, radioimmunoassay (RIA) has become the method of choice for measuring serum thyroxine (6). The RIA technique can be run directly on serum without extraction and therefore yields a simple and yet highly specific test. In general, results from RIA are from 5 to 25 percent higher than those from CPB tests.
Although the direct measurement of serum thyroxine is not influenced by exogenous iodine, the value obtained will be influenced by the level of the circulating thyroxine binding proteins. A number of states which are totally unrelated to thyroid disease may cause abnormal serum levels of thyroxine. Changes in the serum level of circulating thyroxine binding proteins may cause the serum thyroxine level to be high or low even in the presence of normal thyroid function. Although the primary protein involved is thyroxine binding globulin (TBG), both thyroxine binding prealbumin (TBPA) and albumin also bind T.sub.4. Normally T.sub.4 is distributed as follows: 65% on TBG, 25% on TBPA, and 10% on albumin (7). In general, changes in the TBG concentrations correlate much better with anomalies in thyroid function tests, such as the PBI or total thyroxine than do changes in TBPA (8).
Estrogen is one of the most important factors influencing the level of TBG, its effect being most notable in individuals receiving oral contraceptives or during pregnancy. In both cases TBG concentrations are markedly elevated and consequently due to the increased binding sites, the serum T.sub.4 or PBI are elevated above normal
High serum thyroxine values are also found in euthyroid subjects who have increased levels of TBG (idiopathic increase of TBG) or hage hyperprotenemia. Androgens have an opposite effect to estrogens in that they lower the TBG concentration and lead to falsely low serum T.sub.4 or PBI values. Other situations where the TBG concentration is below normal include an idiopathic decrease of TBG, the nephrotic syndrome and other hypoproteinimic states. Finally, a number of drugs such as diphenylhydantoin and salicylates, compete with thyroxine for binding sites on TBG, displace T.sub.4 from the TBG and thus result in fasely low serum values.
Although the most accurate method to measure TBG concentrations involves the electrophoretic method of Orsorio et al. (9), the technique is too cumbersome for routine use. The method of choice which has been used for this purpose is one of the many variations of the triiodothyronine (T.sub.3) uptake test. Hamolsky et al. (10) first performed this type of test and used red cells as the inert binder of T.sub.3. All T.sub.3 uptake tests are designed to assess the unsaturated binding capacity of serum proteins most notably TBG. The test is based on the fact that TBG binds T.sub.3 less firmly than T.sub.4 and therefore should not upset the equilibrium set-up between T.sub.4 and TBG and, further, T.sub.3 is not normally bound to TBPA.
In the T.sub.3 uptake test an equilibrium is developed between the patient's serum, added labeled T.sub.3 and an inert exogenous binder (separating agent) of the labeled T.sub.3. One must add a sufficient amount of labeled T.sub.3, e.g., .sup.125 I-labeled T.sub.3, to saturate the binding sites on the TBG after which the labeled T.sub.3 that is unbound is adsorbed by the separating agent and counted. Therefore, when the endogenous thyroxine level is increased, as in hyperthyroidism, serum TBG is relatively saturated and the T.sub.3 uptake will be high. Conversely in the hypothyroid state where thyroxine output is low, the labeled exogenous T.sub.3 will bind to the relatigely unsaturated TBG yielding a low T.sub.3 uptake.
The major variations in T.sub.3 uptake methodology today are centered around the chemical nature of the separating agent. Ion exchange resins (11, 12, 13) hemoglobin saturated charcoal (14), Sephadex G-25 (15), inorganic crystalline materials such as magnesium silicate and aluminum silicate (16), triiodothyronine antibody immobilized on the walls of polypropylene test tubes (17), insolubilized collodial suspension of bound serum albumin (18), and covalently bound serum albumin (19), all have been used as inert binders of labeled T.sub.3.

T.sub.3 Uptake test employing a precipitated nylon separating agent


An organic light emitting display device is provided. The organic light emitting display device includes at least two or more light emitting parts each having a light emitting layer and an electron transport layer; and a charge generation layer between the at least two or more light emitting parts. The charge generation layer comprises a compound that includes a core with two nitrogen atoms and a functional group having crystallinity.

Field
The present disclosure relates to an organic light emitting display device, and more particularly, to an organic light emitting display device with improved operating voltage, light emission efficiency, external quantum efficiency, and lifetime characteristics.
Discussion of the Related Art
Image displays used for displaying a variety of information on the screen are one of the core technologies of the information and communication era. Such image displays have been developed to be thinner, lighter, and more portable, and furthermore to have high performance. With the development of the information society, various demands for display devices are on the rise. To meet these demands, research on panel displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCD), plasma display panels (PDP), electroluminescent displays (ELD), field emission displays (FED), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), etc is actively under way.
Among these types of flat panel displays, the OLED devices are advantageous in that they can be fabricated on a flexible substrate such as plastic, operate at a low voltage of 10 V or less, have lower power consumption, and deliver vivid color reproduction, as compared with plasma display panels or inorganic light emitting displays. Especially, white OLED devices are used for various purposes in lighting, thin light sources, backlights for liquid crystal displays, or full-color displays employing color filters.
In the development of white OLED devices, high efficiency, long lifetime, color purity, color stability against current and voltage variations, ease of manufacture, etc are important, so research and development are being done depending on which of these features should be taken into account. White OLED device structures may be roughly classified into a single-layer emitting structure and a multilayer emitting structure. Of these structures, the multilayer emitting structure having a blue fluorescent emitting layer and a yellow phosphorescent emitting layer stacked in tandem is mainly employed to realize white OLED devices with long lifetime.
Specifically, a stack structure of first and second light emitting parts is used, with the first light emitting part using a blue fluorescent diode as a light emitting layer, and the second light emitting part using a yellow phosphorescent diode as a light emitting layer. Such a white OLED device produces white light by mixing blue light emitted from the blue fluorescent diode and yellow light emitted from the yellow phosphorescent diode. A charge generation layer is formed between the first light emitting part and the second light emitting part to double the efficiency of current generated in the light emitting layers and facilitate charge distribution. The charge generation layer is a layer that generates a charge, i.e., electrons and holes, in it. The charge generation layer can prevent a rise in operating voltage because it doubles the efficiency of current generated in the light emitting layers and facilitates charge distribution.
However, the charge generation layer has a PN junction structure consisting of an N-type charge generation layer and a P-type charge generation layer. The difference in energy level between the P-type charge generation layer and the N-type charge generation layer deteriorates the property of injecting electrons generated at the interface between the P-type charge generation layer and an adjacent injection transport layer into the N-type charge generation layer. Also, if the N-type charge generation layer is doped with a dopant such as an alkali metal, the dopant is diffused into the P-type charge generation layer, thus leading to a decrease in the lifetime of the device.


A screen printing machine comprises a frame in which one or more stencils are supported for printing a web of material fixed on a supporting belt. The stencils are each directly connected by means of a rigid coupling to the rotor of a corresponding rotary drive device. An elongated squeegee, supported near the ends of the stencil, is provided in the interior of each stencil. The drive device is provided with a central through hole running in the axial direction, for allowing through at least the end of the squeegee with radial play.

This invention relates to a screen printing machine, comprising a frame in which one or more rotary, cylinder-surface-shaped stencils are supported for printing a web of material fixed on a supporting belt, which stencils are detachably connected to corresponding rotary drive devices with a stationary stator securely fixed to the frame, and a rotor which is connected to the corresponding stencil and rotates relative to the stator, while an elongated squeegee, supported near the ends of the stencil, is provided in the interior of each stencil.

Stencil drive for a screen printing machine


A fuel cell system includes an exhaust pipe through which anode purge gas is discharged into the atmosphere, a heat medium passage through which heat medium is flowed, a circulation pump for circulating the heat medium through the heat medium passage, a heat exchanger provided in the heat medium passage, a heat exchanger fan for generating airflow through the heat exchanger, and a guide by which the airflow is guided so as to diffuse the anode purge gas. The circulation pump and the heat exchanger fan are operated during anode purge in such a way that the heat exchanger fan is operated regardless of the heat medium temperature, and a flow rate of the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage is zero or lower than a flow rate when output of a fuel cell is maximum.

The present invention relates to a fuel cell system, and more particularly to a fuel cell system and method of controlling the same that allows a reduced hydrogen concentration in anode purge gas discharged during anode purge at the start of the fuel cell system.
As a power source that helps to prevent global warming due to exhaust gas, there has been developed a fuel cell that produces electric energy through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. In a system with a fuel cell, generally, the cathode is not directly supplied with oxygen but supplied with air containing oxygen. In such fuel cell system, part of the water produced in the cathode and part of the nitrogen contained in the air supplied to the cathode are diffused back through the electrolyte membrane from cathode to anode. Thus, when the fuel cell is started after an interval of time in hours or days, or when the fuel cell is continued to operate, the concentration of hydrogen as anode gas may be decreased relatively due to the increased concentration of water and nitrogen in the anode, which may result in reduced efficiency of electric power generation. To prevent this, generally, purging of the anode (hereinafter referred to as anode purge) is carried out by discharging water and nitrogen in the anode with hydrogen as anode gas. In such anode purge, anode purge gas is diluted with cathode off-gas or using a diluter before being discharged into the atmosphere so that hydrogen concentration in the anode purge gas is decreased to a safe level.
In a conventional fuel sell system disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-99989, a hydrogen exhaust passage, a hydrogen purge valve and a hydrogen dilution fan are provided on the anode outlet side. In the anode purge when the fuel cell is started or stopped, the hydrogen purge valve is intermittently opened for a short time, and the hydrogen dilution fan is operated depending on the hydrogen concentration in the anode purge gas discharged from the hydrogen exhaust passage so as to diffuse and dilute the anode purge gas with air. As a result, the hydrogen concentration in the anode purge gas is decreased below a predetermined level.
In another conventional fuel cell system disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-235205, anode purge gas is discharged into the atmosphere through a diluter and an exhaust pipe provided on the anode outlet side. The diluter is connected to a cathode off-gas passage through which cathode off-gas (air) is supplied to the diluter. The fuel cell system further includes a heat medium passage through which cooling water for maintaining the fuel cell at an appropriate temperature is circulated, a radiator provided in the heat medium passage, and a radiator fan for blowing air through the radiator. Airflow generated by the radiator fan is delivered to a position adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust pipe. Thus, the airflow from the radiator fan forces the anode purge gas diluted with the cathode off-gas and discharged from the exhaust pipe into the atmosphere to be diffused, resulting in reduction of hydrogen concentration in the anode purge gas below a predetermined level.
In the fuel cell system disclosed in the publication No. 2006-99989, however, the hydrogen dilution fan additionally provided results in increased size of the system and increased number of parts of the system. On the other hand, in the fuel cell system disclosed in the publication No. 2008-235205, though the use of existing radiator fan helps to prevent increased size of the system and increased number of parts of the system, diffusion of anode purge gas into the atmosphere may not be accomplished sufficiently in the anode purge at the start of the fuel cell. This is because, in general, the radiator fan is started to operate when the cooling water reaches a given temperature and, therefore, the radiator fan is at a stop or operated at a low speed in a condition that only a short time has elapsed after the start of the fuel cell and the amount of heat generated in the fuel cell is still small. In addition, the cathode off-gas (air) for diluting anode purge gas is not supplied sufficiently just after the start of the fuel cell, which may result in insufficient dilution of anode purge gas with the cathode off-gas.
The present invention is directed to providing a fuel cell system that allows hydrogen concentration in anode purge gas to be reduced efficiently and sufficiently during anode purge at a start of the fuel cell system.

Fuel cell system and method of controlling the same


The invention concerns compounds having formula: ##STR1## or a salt thereof, wherein E represents hydrogen, lower alkyl or a group Ar.sup.1 --A.sup.1 --; Ar and Ar.sup.1 are the same or different aryl groups (including heteroaryl) which are optionally substituted, eg by one or more substituents commonly used in pharmaceutical chemistry; A and A.sup.1 are the same or different alkylene groups having one or two carbon atoms linking Ar or Ar.sup.1 to N and optionally substituted by lower alkyl and/or optionally substituted aryl, B is an alkylene group of 3 or 4 carbon atoms, which may be substituted by lower alkyl; D.sup.1 represents halogen, CH.sub.3, CR.sup.1 R.sup.2 NH.sub.2, SO.sub.3 H or SO.sub.2 NR.sup.6 R.sup.7 where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl and R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 are each hydrogen, lower alkyl or aralkyl of 7 to 12 carbon atoms or R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached represent a 5 or 6 membered ring, which compounds are useful, for treating depression or cerebral insufficiency or dementias in animals.

In the UK the annual referral rate for depression is around 300-400 per 10.sup.5 population of whom 10-15% require hospitalisation. At present the most effective and safe treatment for severe depression involves electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) where the patient receives a series of controlled electric shocks. However such treatment understandably engenders an atavistic fear and apprehension in many patients. It also has undesirable side-effects, notably disturbance of memory.
ECT is also expensive and time-consuming to administer, requiring the presence of specialist doctors such as psychiatrists and anaesthetists. As an alternative to ECT, drug therapy provides a more acceptable treatment for the patient but at the present time such therapy has not displaced ECT as the optimal treatment in severe cases because it is not always effective. There is therefore a need for new drugs for the treatment of depression, especially drugs having new modes of action mimicking ECT.
The mode of action of ECT remains unknown but in recent years much has been learnt about the biological effects of electroconvulsive shock (ECS) in animals. In particular; repeated ECS, given in ways closely mimicking those used to administer ECT clinically, elicits in rodents changes in monoamine functions.
These include: increased 5-HT-mediated behaviour, increased dopaminergic behaviour and depressed beta-adrenoceptor binding and sensitivity of the coupled adenylate cyclase. The last is also seen following chronic treatment with a number of antidepressant drugs.
The effects of repeated ECS are presumably a response or adaptation to the acute effects of the seizures. Among these acute effects are a marked change in the release, synthesis and level of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain.--see Green A. R. et al, British J. Pharmacol., 92, 5-11 and 13-18 (1987) and Bowdler et al, ibid, 76: 291-298 (1982).
GABA is one of the most widespread and abundant transmitters in the mammalian central nervous system and plays a major role in the control of brain excitability. It is similarly implicated in the benzodiazepine-mediated relief of anxiety. Recently evidence has come to light which suggests that GABA transmission may also be involved in the therapeutic effects of some antidepressant treatments. In particular, new compounds designed as GABA agonists (eg. fengabine and progabide) have been shown i n preliminary clinical trials to have antidepressant activity (vide infra). Taken together, these findings suggest that interventions directed specifically at GABA transmission may provide the basis of novel therapies for the treatment of affective disorders.
At present three GABA receptors have been identified in the central nervous system. These are (1) a GABA.sub.A -receptor known to be mainly postsynaptic and mediating inhibition of neuronal firing--see for example Stephenson, F. A. Biochem, J., 249 pp 21-32 (1988); (2) a GABA.sub.B receptor located presynaptically and mediating the inhibition of release of a number of neuro-transmitters; eq. noradrenaline and aspartec acid; but not GABA--see for example Bowery, N. G. et al, Nature, 283, 92-94 (1980); and (3) a GABA autoreceptor which modulates the release of GABA from neurones--see for example Mitchell, P. R., and Martin, I. L. Nature, 274 904-905 (1978); Arbilla, So Kanal, J. L. and Langer, S. Z. Eur. J. Pharmac., 57, 211-217 (1979) and Brennan M. J. W. et al, Molec. Pharmac., 19, 27-30 (1981).
The pharmacological importance of these receptors is currently a subject of investigation with a major part of the work involving the search for anticonvulsant drugs with a mode of action involving GABA.sub.A receptors. Two drugs acting on GABA receptors, progabide and fengabine, have also been shown to possess antidepressant effects in preliminary clinical trials--see P. L. Morselli et al, L.E.R.S. Vol 4 (1986) pp 119-126 and B. Scatton et al. Journal of Pharm. and Exp. Therapeutics., 241, 251-257 (1987 ). The latter workers showed that fengabine possessed a biochemical mode of action different from that of conventional antidepressants but that the mechanism whereby fengabine exerted its antidepressant actions was not yet clear. It was thought to derive from a GABAergic action, most likely at GABA.sub.A receptors.
In the case of progabide, Morselli et al also attributed the antidepressant effect to an increased GABAergic transmission.
In UK Patent No 2233558 evidence is provided that the antidepressant effect of progabide and fengabine is in fact due to their agonist action at the GABA autoreceptor. The GABA autoreceptor is capable of regulating the release of GABA from GABAergic neurons which means an agonist at the autoreceptor would decrease the GABA release hence decreasing GABA function ie. an action opposite to that of GABA.sub.A agonists. Previously the autoreceptor was believed to have the same pharmacology as the GABA.sub.A site--see Molec. Pharm, 19, 27-30 (1981). We have found that the GABA autoreceptor has its own distinct pharmacology and that there are compounds having selective agonist activity at the GABA autoreceptor. These compounds have valuable medical uses.
There is also evidence that compounds acting at the benzodiazepine receptor as inverse agonists decrease (GABA function in the brain and thus increase acetylcholine transmission. In addition, probably as a consequence of these actions, they facilitate memory in animals and man (see Sarter. M. et al. Trends in Neuroscience, 11 13-17, 1988). Compounds acting selectively as GABA autoreceptor agonists are believed to have similar actions such as nootropic activity (eg increased vigilance and cognition) and are therefore useful in the treatment of cerebral insufficiency disorders and dementias.
Secondary or tertiary (N-heteroaryl)methylamines structurally related to certain of those of formula Ia of the present application are disclosed in the literature.
G. Ruckdeschel et al., in Pharmazie, 1976, 31(6) pages 374-381 describe benzylamines of formula ##STR2## wherein R.sup.1 can be butyl and also the compounds: (92) Benzyl NMe-Bu
(94) Pyrid-3-ylmethyl NH-Bu
The benzylamines of this publication are stated to have tuberculostatic activity. However on page 377 of this publication it is stated (in German):
"Methylation of N-butylbenzylamine to the tertiary compound 92 results in a loss of activity. The replacement of phenyl by pyridyl to give compound 94 results in reduction of activity". R W Brimblescombe et al., in Br. J. Pharmacol. 1964, 23, 43-54 disclose the following compounds (Table 2 on page 45): PA1 9. 3-indolyl-CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 N-nC.sub.4 H.sub.9 PA1 10. 3-indolyl-CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 N-(nC.sub.4 H.sub.9).sub.2
There is no disclosure of the pharmaceutical uses of or related to those of the present application.
EP Publication No 177078 (Duphar) discloses spasmolytically active tertiary amines of the formula ##STR3## wherein, among others, A can be a 5- or 6- membered heteroaromatic group containing 1 or 2 of the following heteroatoms: oxygen and/or nitrogen and/or sulphur, R.sup.1 -R.sup.3 can be hydrogen or alkyl or alkoxy, n can be O, X can be SO.sub.2, R.sup.6 can be alkylene of 3 carbon atoms, R.sup.5 can be lower alkyl,
R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 can be a 5- or 6- membered ring.

Composition for treating depression with (N-heteroaryl)alkylamines


A yellow warning light indicator that is located at the rear of a lead vehicle to be visible by a tailing vehicle and wherein the yellow warning light is lit when the driver of the lead vehicle releases his foot from the accelerator pedal so as to warn the driver of the trailing vehicle that the lead vehicle is slowing down.

The invention relates to a yellow warning light indicator that is located at the rear of a lead vehicle to be visible by a tailing vehicle and wherein the yellow warning light is lit when the driver of the lead vehicle releases his foot from the accelerator pedal so as to warn the driver of the trailing vehicle that the lead vehicle is slowing down.
It is known to provide brake warning lights on vehicles which are energized when the brakes are applied to alert drivers in trailing vehicles to the fact that the vehicle ahead of them is slowing down by virtue of the driver applying the brakes. However, such a red warning signal is only applied when the brakes are applied. Drivers quite often slow down by just releasing the accelerator pedal. Under this condition of vehicle slow down, a driver in a trailing vehicle will have no advanced warning of the release of the accelerator pedal by the driver of a leading vehicle.
It is an object of this invention to warn the driver of a trailing vehicle when a leading vehicle is slowing down.
The invention contemplates providing a yellow coasting warning light adjacent the red braking lights situated at the rear of motor vehicles.
The yellow coasting light can be energized by either a release of the accelerator pedal, or a sudden easing of the accelerator pedal.
While the preferred control would involve both a pedal position and a sudden easing of the accelerator pedal control, only an accelerator pedal release signal could be used.
The invention contemplates that the circuit for the yellow coasting warning lamp would have two switches in series. The first switch being connected to a vehicle transmission or gear shift lever and being opened when the gear shift is in a "park," "reverse", or "neutrals" condition. The second switch would be activated by the accelerator pedal. Thus the vehicle would have to be in a forward gear before the yellow warning light could be activated.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1833 New Hampshire Ave., NW. Apartment #510


The present invention discloses a method for producing brake drum, wherein three different metallic materials are used for the three-layer construction; and two layers made of different molten metallic materials are cast based upon the prefabricated steel shell (with steel or gray iron for the structural layer and the Mo-containing, abrasion-resistant alloy cast iron for the braking friction layer) so that atoms from these two adjacent but different metallic layers inter-diffuse across the interface to form a solid fusant or an inter-metallic compound, thereby generating a very strong metallurgical bond. The present invention also provides a brake drum, comprising a brake drum shell, a structural layer inside the brake drum shell, and a friction layer inside the brake drum structural layer and for braking.

Braking system is an important component of automotives. Currently, conventional one-piece-cast drum-type brake is widely applied in vehicles.
In the prior art, a typical drum-type brake comprises a brake drum and brake shoes that will get into contact with the inner side surface of the brake drum. The brake drum is rotating when the vehicle is being driven. Should braking be needed, brake shoes will press against the brake drum under the brake force and convert the kinetic energy of moving vehicle into heat energy by making use of the frictional resistance against the brake drum, thus slowing down or even stopping a moving vehicle to ensure driving safety.
When a vehicle is loaded and driving at a high speed, particularly on a long downward road or a steep slope, the need for a greater brake force and continual braking actions to control the vehicle will increase the temperature on the interior wall of the brake drum drastically, giving rise to an increased difference in temperature inside and outside the brake drum and crippling subsequently the mechanical properties of materials at high temperature. As a traditional material for one-piece cast brake drum, gray cast iron is characterized by low strength and brittleness. In order to alleviate the negative impact of these characteristics in this case, the wall of a brake drum must be thick enough so that the brake drum can have a higher structural strength as a whole. However, the thicker the wall of the brake drum is, the greater the temperature difference will be when the brake drum is braking. An increased temperature difference will give rise to a thermal stress, which plus deteriorated mechanical properties of the material at high temperature will often lead to a cracked interior wall of the drum from longitudinal micro-cracks, then a cracked drum, and even final break. Therefore, a traditional one-piece cast brake drum usually has a relatively short life and poor safety performance.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,782,324 and 6,196,363 (Wall) propose a composite brake drum and method of making a brake drum consisting of two layers: a one-piece mounting flange and shell and a liner cast integrally in the shell. This structure is disadvantageous.
In summary, how to improve the structural strength, thermal conductivity, life and safety of the brake drum has become a problem needed to be solved.

Method for producing brake drum and a brake drum


An electrical connecting device is described that is designed to indicate a geometrical orientation of a connection between this connecting device and a complementary connecting device when the two connecting devices are connected to one another. The connecting device comprises at least one terminal for contacting by the complementary connecting device, whereby the terminal comprises a plurality of contact regions. Differing electrical parameters are assigned to the contact region, so that in the event of a contacting of the terminal by the complementary connecting device a resultant parameter is assigned to the contacting of the terminal, which indicates in which contact region (or in which group of contact regions) the contacting exists.

When constructing electrical or electronic systems, separate components or assemblies are often provided which in subsequent working steps have to be functionally connected to one another. For this purpose a plurality of differing electrical connecting devices are known. In this case, multi-core ribbon cables have proved their worth, in particular for a connection for signal transmission between communicating electrical or electronic components.
A miniaturisation of conventional ribbon cables, which finds application in particular in the field of printed circuit boards, is represented by so-called flexible printed circuits (FPCs). With these, instead of wire strands parallel conductor tracks are applied directly on a flexible tape-like insulator. By this means, particularly small conductor diameters and also a dense arrangement of conductor tracks within the lead are possible. For the purpose of connecting pcb components, for example, use is made, as a rule, of flexible printed circuits having a conductor density of one or two conductors per millimetre in the case of a width of the flexible printed circuit of up to several centimetres. For a connection of such flexible printed circuits, the sensitive ends of the conductor tracks are often clipped onto special plug-in connectors which require only a slight contact pressure, so-called zero-insertion-force connectors or ZIF connectors.
Above all in the field of the series production of consumer electronics or vehicle electronics an automated processing of flexible printed circuits is often desirable. In this case, however, besides the mechanical sensitivity of the thin ends of the conductors a particular difficulty consists in the fact that the quality of the connection between flexible printed circuit and plug-in connector depends sensitively on a correct geometrical orientation of the connecting parts. For example, just a slight offset or a tilting of the connecting parts relative to one another may result in an inadequate mechanical stability of the connection and also in a faulty contacting of one or more terminals.
At the same time, within the scope of an automated processing procedure the quality of the connection, or, to be more exact, the geometrical orientation of the connecting parts, can only be registered with difficulty and often not with sufficient precision. For instance, although it is known that differing types of wrong connections can be registered and displayed by video surveillance of the plug-in procedure, such a surveillance has proved to be relatively elaborate and, in addition, often not sufficiently reliable.


A composition of an absorbable polymer and a filler to increase the stiffness of the polymer is disclosed. The filler is a poly[succinimide], which is a bioabsorbable polymer that degrades into a nontoxic, simple amino acid. The composition can be melt processed to prepare medical and surgical devices, particularly those devices which are designed to penetrate bodily tissue or to withstand heavy loads. Typical surgical devices which can be made from the composition include surgical staples and ligating clips.

This invention relates to compositions of absorbable polymers containing a bioabsorbable filler. More specifically, it relates to absorbable polymer compositions containing a reinforcing filler which enhances the stiffness of the polymer composition, yet decomposes into components which are biocompatible with bodily tissue.
The need to replace surgical and medical devices made of metallic components continues to grow as surgical procedures become more intricate and complex. The driving force for the replacement of such metallic devices is the need for devices composed of materials which are capable of being absorbed by the body. Bioabsorbable materials obviously represent a significant advantage over metallic materials, in that bioabsorbable materials do not need to be removed after their surgical function has been accomplished. In contrast, metallic devices remain in the body and often require removal when the surgical repair is completed to prevent possible adverse reactions occurring due to the prolonged contact of the metallic device and the surrounding bodily tissue or due to the byproducts of the corrosion of the metal.
As a result of the burgeoning need for bioabsorbable materials in surgery and for other medical applications, a body of art has been developed which utilizes bioabsorbable polymers as the structural component of these devices. In this manner, once the device has performed its function, the bioabsorbable polymer from which it is composed readily breaks down into nontoxic segments which can be metabolized or passed through bodily tissue. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,988 describes preparing absorbable surgical devices from polymers of 1,4-dioxanone and 1,4-dioxepan-2-one. The devices which can be prepared from these absorbable polymers include sutures, tubular implants, surgical meshes, staples, and cylindrical pins, rods or screws. The properties of the polymers from which the devices are made can be changed by copolymerizing 1,4-dioxanone or 1,4-dioxepan-2-one with other lactone monomers, such as lactide or glycolide, or by forming mixtures of the homopolymers with other absorbable polymers.
Other examples exist of the use of bioabsorbable polymers as the main component for surgical devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,337 describes surgical fasteners, particularly staples, composed of a polymeric blend derived from homopolymers and copolymers of lactide and glycolide. The blending of the polymers is optimized to yield fasteners which can retain their strength in vivo for prolonged time periods, yet become impalpable shortly thereafter.
Another example of surgical devices made from absorbable polymers can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,741. This patent describes surgical fasteners made from polymeric blends. The blends contain a copolymer of lactide and glycolide and a homopolymer of 1,4-dioxanone. Once again, the proportion of polymers in the blend is carefully controlled to achieve the optimum properties for the fastener.
While absorbable, polymeric surgical and medical devices represent an advantage over metallic devices because the polymeric devices do not need to be removed from the body, such polymeric devices often have a major drawback which has limited their applications. Specifically, absorbable polymers typically lack the strength and stiffness of metallic components. Strength is an important asset for devices designed to penetrate bodily tissue or to withstand heavy loads. For these applications, the absorbable polymers must be stiff enough to withstand the penetration forces or the load placed on them. With respect to this important attribute of stiffness, absorbable polymers are usually incapable of matching the performance characteristics of metals and metal alloys used for surgical devices.
Accordingly, attempts have been made to increase the stiffness of bioabsorbable polymers from which surgical and medical devices are made. U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,670 describes preparing absorbable polymers containing finely divided sodium chloride or potassium chloride for surgical devices such as ligating clips and staples. The salt filler enhances certain properties of the polymer, most notably its stiffness. The absorbable polymers which can be used include homopolymers and copolymers of lactide, glycolide, and 1,4-dioxanone. In a similar manner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,923 discloses another example of using a filler to increase the stiffness of an absorbable polymer. In this case, an absorbable glass is used as the filler.
Unfortunately, the use of bioabsorbable glasses or inorganic salts as fillers for bioabsorbable polymers has certain disadvantages. First, since the absorbable polymer matrix is organic material, and the fillers described in these patents are inorganic compounds, the adhesion between the absorbable polymer matrix and the filler may be less than desirable for adequate performance. That is, a lack of adhesion between the filler and the polymer matrix will tend to reduce the synergistic effects of their combination, and significant improvements in stiffness may not be realized. Second, the use of an absorbable glass filler may cause the calcification of soft tissue when the device from which the glass filled polymer degrades inside the body.
In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, what is needed is a bioabsorbable filler for absorbable polymers in which the filler can readily break down into biocompatible segments. In addition, and most importantly, what is also needed is an organic compound that is used as a reinforcing filler and is compatible with the absorbable polymer matrix so that good adhesion and blending can be established for the optimum improvement in the properties, especially the stiffness of the polymer.


Conventional decoding systems for scrambled audio-visual signals are improved by providing a dual-side local oscillator that functions as a high-side oscillator if the incoming RF signal is unscrambled and as a low-side oscillator if the incoming RF signal is scrambled. The result is that the unscrambled signal is reversed from an audio-over-video transmission configuration to an IF signal with a video-over-audio configuration, and a scrambled signal is maintained in a video-over-audio configuration, the video-over-audio configuration being the configuration required for proper reception and use of the signal by a television set. To function as both a high- and low-side oscillator, the dual-side oscillator has independent voltage control and does not follow the tracking filter associated with the tuner.

The present invention relates to the field of audio-visual signal transmission and reception. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for scrambling an audio-visual signal during transmission in order to control reception and use of the signal.
Cable and pay-per-view television programming are extremely popular and widely available in modern society. Those firms providing such programming are frequently lucrative and successful. This success comes from the ability to prevent those who have not purchased the service from receiving and using the audio-visual signals transmitted by the service provider.
In general, it is common for a cable company or other service provider to scramble its signals to prevent their use by unauthorized parties. This scrambling is intended to make the signals unintelligible to typical television sets which are not authorized to receive and use the scrambled signal. When the signal is scrambled, a conventional television will not recognize the signal, or at best, display a distorted image from the signal.
Cable companies which provide a number of channels over a cable connection may only scramble certain channels so that cable subscribers can be required to pay additional fees for receiving these xe2x80x9cpremiumxe2x80x9d channels. The premium channels are typically movie or adult channels.
Those subscribers who have paid the service provider for reception of the scrambled signal will be given equipment for use with their television sets which unscrambles the signal. With this equipment, the authorized user can unscramble and receive the service provider""s signals and view the programming contained in the transmission.
A well-known conventional method of scrambling a signal to prevent its unauthorized reception is to reverse the spectral positions of the audio and video portions of the signal. Typically, an audio-visual signal will have an audio carrier signal at a first frequency and a video carrier signal at a second frequency. The carrier signals are modulated to carry the respective video and audio data of the transmitted programming.
If, however, the audio carrier signal is transmitted at the second (video carrier) frequency, and the video carrier signal is transmitted at the first (audio carrier) frequency, the signal is scrambled. A television tuner will be attempting to receive the audio signal at the first frequency and the video signal at the second frequency, and will be unable to receive the reversed signal properly.
This method of scrambling an audio-visual signal is not wholly satisfactory, however, for the following reasons. The 4.5 Mhz audio beat may still be received by the unauthorized television. Then, if the television set is fine tuned, it may be possible to receive the picture portion of the signal. The picture will most likely be stripped of its color information and appear in black and white, but the unauthorized user may in this way obtain limited use of the scrambled signal. If the picture signal contains adult programming, even this limited visibility may be a problem under federal regulation.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a low-cost, but more effective means and method of scrambling an audio-visual signal.
It is an object of the present invention to meet the above-described needs and others. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and device for scrambling an audio-visual signal and for receiving the scrambled signal that is both effective and inexpensive.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows or may be learned by those skilled in the art through reading these materials or practicing the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be achieved through the means recited in the attached claims.
To achieve these stated and other objects, the present invention may be embodied as an audio-visual signal reception system for receiving both scrambled and unscrambled signals which includes: a tuner for receiving an incoming signal that may or may not be scrambled; a dual-side local oscillator providing an oscillations signal in response to whether the incoming signal is scrambled or unscrambled; and a mixer for receiving the incoming signal and the oscillation signal and outputting an intermediate frequency signal.
If the incoming signal is scrambled, the dual-side oscillator functions as a low-side oscillator and provides the oscillation signal at a frequency lower than a frequency of the incoming signal. The mixer then subtracts the oscillation signal from the incoming signal to produce the intermediate frequency signal.
If the incoming signal is unscrambled, the dual-side oscillator functions as a high-side oscillator and provides the oscillation signal at a frequency higher than a frequency of the incoming signal. The mixer then subtracts the incoming signal from the oscillation signal to produce the intermediate frequency signal.
The voltage supplied to the dual-side local oscillator is provided and regulated by an independent voltage controller. The voltage input to the oscillator is determined in response to whether the incoming signal is scrambled or unscrambled.
After the intermediate frequency signal is produced, an intermediate frequency signal to baseband signal processor converts the intermediate frequency signal to a baseband signal. The baseband signal can then be displayed by the television set.
The present invention also encompasses a method of receiving scrambled audio-visual signals. The method includes the steps of: receiving an incoming signal (which may be scrambled or unscrambled) with a tuner; providing an oscillation signal with a dual-side local oscillator in response to whether the incoming signal is scrambled or unscrambled; and mixing the incoming signal and the oscillation signal with a mixer and outputting a resulting intermediate frequency signal.
If the incoming signal is scrambled, the method proceeds by (1) providing, with the dual-side oscillator, the oscillation signal at a frequency lower than the frequency of the incoming signal, and (2) subtracting, with the mixer, the oscillation signal from the incoming signal to produce the intermediate frequency signal.
If the incoming signal is unscrambled, the method proceeds by (1) providing, with the dual-side oscillator, the oscillation signal at a frequency higher than the frequency of the incoming signal, and (2) subtracting, with the mixer, the incoming signal from the oscillation signal to produce the intermediate frequency signal.
Preferably, the method of the present invention also includes independently controlling the voltage input to the dual-side oscillator with an independent voltage controller in response to whether the incoming signal is scrambled or unscrambled. Finally, the method may include converting the intermediate frequency signal to a baseband signal.

Video/audio scrambling with single conversion tuners


The present invention provides a database system having a database in which data to be processed by an application program are stored (hierarchical node database). A table (hierarchical link table) in which mainly relationship data (e.g., a pointer) for the database are entered is prepared for a corresponding application program. The individual application programs can refer to the corresponding hierarchical link tables and can access desired hierarchical node databases. When the hierarchical data structure is to be changed, such as by the addition of an application due to a new request, a corresponding alteration need only be reflected in the hierarchical link table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a database system that is accessed by an application program that executes a specific operation, and relates in particular to a database system that can flexibly cope with an addition to or a change in the application contents or in relationships among data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since an application program that executes a specific operation handles a large amount of data, normally, such data are stored and managed by a database system. This database system is generally constructed as follows. First, databases (also called entities) required for all the application programs, and data entries for the pertinent databases (also called attributes of the individual entities) are obtained. Then, the relationship between the databases (the hierarchical structure, such as a parent-child relationship) and the relationship between the data entries for each database are defined or determined, so that processing can be efficiently performed by all possible application programs. These relationships that are determined can be represented as an ER diagram (Entity Relationship diagram). An ER diagram is defined as an actual database for which the function of a database management system (DBMS) is used. For example, a relational database is defined using a language such as SQL. As a result, in each database, relationship data (e.g., a pointer) pointing to a record identifier for a related database is generated in a record (a key area or a column) in which the actual values and the contents (instances) of individual data are stored. Actually, the relationship data (e.g., pointers) tend to be generated by an application program as a part of a normal application.
When the contents of an application are changed or a new application is added, or when a database is added or changed, the relationship/hierarchical structure of the databases is modified accordingly (for example, the parent-child relationship is canceled/added/reversed). In this case, an alteration operation must be performed by which the databases are again related with each other in the above described manner, and the obtained hierarchical structure is stored in a database using the function for the database management system (DBMS). Further, relationship data, such as pointers, that are present in a record (column) in each conventional database must be changed. Specifically, a program for changing the database is prepared, and is then used to alter the database.
When such a change is made, all the application programs that employ the modified database (which read and process data entries, or which write and update data) must be examined to confirm that the contents have been changed in accordance with the hierarchical structure of the database, and that the modification has had no adverse affect. As a part of a normal application, a process could be performed by which, while there is no change in the relationship of the databases, i.e., in the database hierarchical structure, the relationship of a record in a database to a record in another related database would be changed (e.g., a parent-child relationship or a positional relationship is modified at a so-called instance level, such as a case wherein a client A gives a specific telephone number to another person). An application program will handle this change process.
For a specific application program, the relationship and the hierarchical structure required for the processing are present in a group of databases that are employed by the program. Since this relationship/hierarchical structure constitutes a part (a subset) of the relationship existing among all the databases, a different relationship/hierarchical structure for the pertinent application program need not be prepared. That is, by navigating through those relationship data, such as pointers, that represent the relationship among all the databases, a required database can be reached. However, while taking working efficiency into account, the relationship/hierarchical structure of a pertinent application program is normally prepared using a function of the database management system (DBMS) called the view function. Using this function, an application program can access a pertinent database group by referring to the view.
When an operational database used for applications is viewed in another way, generally, the actual value/contents (instances) of the latest data are stored in individual records in each database, and only the latest data can be employed. The "latest" here is a value (results of a nighttime batch process) obtained when a nighttime process was completed for the preceding day, or the latest state (results of a real time process) obtained by adding/updating data each time a transaction occurs. When an application program performs a process for each specific period, for example, when an application program totals at the end of a month the records stored during that month, the pertinent application program accesses the database at the end of the pertinent month and performs a predetermined process based on all the latest data records that are stored in the database. However, a case exists wherein the relationship among databases or data records is changed at a specific time in the middle of a month (e.g., a case wherein the parent-child relationship (or belonging relationship) is changed at a so-called instance level, such as when client A gives (actually, sells) a specific telephone number to another person). In this case, data representing the period during which the pertinent relationship was effective are not included in conventional relationship data (e.g., a pointer). As a result, when the change of the relationship occurs, the pertinent application program must be temporarily initiated based on the latest recorded data and the relationship data, and at the end of the month in which the relationship was changed, that application program must again be executed based on the latest recorded data, i.e., the changed data and the relationship data.

Database system including hierarchical link table

International Business Machines Corporation


A device for at least one of inputting or outputting one or a plurality of security documents includes a security container for keeping available the documents, a first input/output interface and a second input/output interface, and a head unit which is mounted so as to be displaceable to a plurality of positions relative to the container. The head unit is configured to, in a first position of the plurality of positions, by means of the first input/output interface, transfer one or a plurality of security documents into or out of the device, in a second position of the plurality of positions, by means of the second input/output interface, transfer one or a plurality of security documents into or out of the device, and, in a third position of the plurality of positions, transfer one or a plurality of security documents between the head unit and the container.

In general, there is a need in the economy for cycles of various types in which security documents such as, for example, cash, circulate, change owners, and/or are temporarily stored. Most of these cycles require a financial institute as an intermediary, which withdraws cash from a cycle and re-supplies said cash according to fixed rules, thus functioning as a cash reservoir.
For example, department stores accept more cash than they spend, which is why the accrued excess of cash is conventionally transported to a financial institute (for example, to a bank) so as to securely store the profit. The cash temporarily stored at said financial institute by way of automatic tellers of the financial institute is then fed back into the cycle in that said cash is dispensed to customers of the financial institute. In order to facilitate the access of users to the automatic tellers, the latter are often disposed not only at the financial institute per se but also at locations, for example at a distance from the financial institute, where many potential customers assemble. Therefore, the cash in this part of the cycle has to be transported from the financial institute to the automatic tellers.
A significant effort is conventionally invested in order for the transport of the security documents to be protected against unauthorized access by third parties in the various parts of the cycle. For example, the frequency of the transports is increased in order to reduce the value per transport, and in order for said transport to be rendered unattractive. Alternatively or additionally, high levels of security measures are taken in order to avert any access by third parties.

Device, assembly, and method for inputting and/or outputting one or a plurality of security documents


An image detection system for a car arranged such that only when the drive angle of a wiper of the car resides within a predetermined image pickup angle range or a predetermined image pickup angle range corrected according to the pan angle of a TV camera unit, a change-over switch is controlled to change over to the side of an image storage from which static image data are provided as outputs. Alternatively, it can be arranged such that a masking range the wiper crosses in all of the scanning lines, of an image in front of the wiper, perpendicular to the moving direction of the wiper is determined from a drive angle of the wiper and only the image of the scanning lines for the wiper is masked and substituted by blank data or static update data.

The present invention relates to an image detection system for a car, and in particular to a system for detecting and processing an image of a TV camera mounted on a car.
Heretofore, a system has been researched and developed in which a TV camera is mounted on a car as image detection means in order to find out obstacles on the road forward or backward of the car wherein an alarm is given to a driver, or a brake or a steering gear is automatically operated.
In this system, the TV camera can be mounted outside a car on one hand or inside a car on the other hand.
In the former case, it is disadvantageous in that raindrops in case of rain etc. or dust adhere to the surface of the lens of the TV camera, thereby disturbing a clear image.
A system for removing raindrops or dust which thus adheres to the surface of the lens of the TV camera is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 59-25528. However, this system is disadvantageous in that the lens of the TV camera should be rotated every time one desires to clean up raindrops or dust on the lens, which consumes time and disables an image taken meanwhile to be used.
Moreover, in the latter case where the TV camera is mounted outside a car, the TV camera per se is exposed to raindrops or dust so that the function thereof is easily deteriorated, resulting in a short life.
Therefore, the TV camera mounted inside a car is preferably to the one mounted outside a car.
However, it is also disadvantageous in that the image of a wiper for removing raindrops or dust intrudes into images detected by the TV camera. Therefore, if image processing is carried out as it is, a screen including the wiper image has no context with the adjacent screens so that the wiper image is to be detected as the nearest obstacle.
Thus, useless image processing with such an unavailable image, is carried out so as to cause the car erroneously to run in an automatic chase for an object.

Image detection system for a car with adjustment for wiper image