Apparatus for inhibiting the transmission of solar energy above a predetermined temperature range, but permitting transmission of said energy below that range, is disclosed. A layer of material is provided which undergoes a reversable, macroscopically non-mechanical change affecting the transmissivity of the material to solar energy in the desired temperature range. Because of such change, the material is at least 50% less transmissive to solar energy above the transition temperature range than below the range. This layer of material is mounted so that its physical configuration is substantially maintained.

The present invention relates to apparatus for inhibiting the transmission of solar energy above a predetermined temperature range but permitting transmission of said energy transmission of said energy below the range.
To utilize solar energy for heating and other purposes, it is usually desirable that the solar energy be collected within a spatial volume, such as within a dwelling, solar collector or a greenhouse, and that the influx of solar energy be maximized. However, particularly with respect to dwellings, excessive influx of solar energy which would raise the temperature within the dwelling to a non-acceptable level is undesirable. Accordingly, when the temperature inside the dwelling or other type of collector reaches a certain level, it is advantageous to stop the influx of solar energy, but to maximize the influx of solar energy until that temperature level is reached.
At the present time, control over the influx of solar energy is achieved in a mechanical fashion by interposing a non-transmissive layer. This non-transmissive layer can consist simply of drapes, shades, venetian blinds, and the like, and where the utilization of solar energy is to be maximized, the operation of such devices is often mechanized, as illustrated in the patent to Telkes, U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,905. However, such mechanical devices are generally cumbersome, expensive and often unsightly, and the necessity of their use represents a severe impediment to the efficient utilization of solar energy, particularly for home heating.


The invention provides an elongated lighting element (200) for attachment to a building part (10) selected from the group consisting of a wall (11), a ceiling (12) and a floor (13), wherein the building part (10) comprises a first attachment unit (131) and a first electrical power connector (141), wherein the elongated lighting element has a front side (210) and at the other side of the front side (210) (i) a second attachment unit (231) for forming with the first attachment unit (131) said attachment to said building part (10), (ii) a second electrical power connector (241) for forming an electrical connection with the first electrical power connector (141), and (iii) a plurality of solid state based light sources (250) configured to provide light source light (251) and functionally connected with the second electrical power connector (241).

The use of wall washing lighting is known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,543, for instance, describes a fluorescent indirect lighting fixture having its light source concealed from normal view by locating the lamps in a partially wrapped-around region to one side of an offset reflector, which is shaped in a special concave curvature to produce uniform "wall wash" illumination. A producible high quality reflective surface with required curvature maintained by a rigid accurate reflector assembly is achieved by utilizing a thin flexible reflective lining of high purity aluminum conformally laminated against a rigid extruded aluminum reflector body of required curvature. Two-piece end plates provide lamp socket mountings, integral wiring conduits, reflective inner end surfaces, decorative trim at light-exit window ends and reflector body reinforcement. The complete reflector module including ballasts and AC power plug is easily installed, without tools, into a recessed builder's housing, firmly held with no exposed screw heads or other fastenings yet readily removable for service due to a novel torsion spring retaining system. With the fixture in place, only the reflector surfaces and coordinated reflective trim, framing the light-exit window, are presented to normal view. Direct light, extraneous light and lamp images are virtually eliminated.
US20040105264A1 discloses an elongated lighting element for attachment to a building part, wherein the building part comprises an attachment unit and an electrical power connector for mechanical connection respectively functional, electrical connection with the lighting element, the lighting element comprising a plurality of solid state light sources.

Baseboard luminaire for ambient lighting


A smart device is provided with a main remote control application that may be configured using information obtained from a QR code. The main remote control application may present images of original remote controls corresponding to devices which are controllable by the configured main remote control application. In connection with a presented image of an original remote control, the display may present icons that are representative of a subset of the buttons of the original remote control. The user interface also allows a user to select amongst the images of the original remote controls to change which appliances are to be controlled via the user interface. A pop-up remote control widget may also be provided which may be invoked without switching to the main remote control application provisioned on the smart device.

Personal communication, productivity, and entertainment devices such as tablet computers, smart phones, portable email devices, e-books, hand-held games and/or game controllers, portable media players, etc. (all referred to hereafter as "smart devices") are known to include features such as graphical user interfaces on color touch screens, wireless Internet capability, and support for ancillary applications (sometimes referred to as "apps") such as, for example, calendars, email, maps and navigation, etc. Such ancillary applications may be pre-installed in a smart device or may be made available for download by a user. Certain such apps may comprise an ability to issue commands to entertainment and other appliances, for example to offer the features and functionality of a universal remote control, to operate in conjunction with a TV guide display to enable channel selection, etc. Typically such remote control apps may be provisioned with a library of command data and protocols suitable for controlling a plurality of appliances of different type and/or manufacture (a so-called "universal remote"). Such a command library and the hardware necessary to transmit operational commands to appliances may be incorporated into or made available to the smart device itself, or may take the form of a separate external device which is placed in communication with the smart device (i.e., a relay device or so-called "blaster"). After initial installation and configuration of such a smart device app, a GUI may be provided by means of which a user may be enabled to issue operational commands to the configured appliances. Disclosed herein are user-friendly and convenient GUI methods for facilitating command input and for transferring configuration data between smart devices.

Graphical user interface and data transfer methods in a controlling device


Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can detect a trigger to initiate at least one of a pixelation animation or a depixelation animation for a media content item. A set of pixelated images can be generated based on a source image associated with the media content item. Variable durations for presenting the set of pixelated images can be determined. The set of pixelated images can be presented, based on the variable durations, to produce the at least one of the pixelation animation or the depixelation animation.

Today, people utilize computing devices (or systems) for various purposes. Users of computing devices can interact with one another, access content, share content, and create content. Users can use their computing devices, for example, to send messages to one another, browse web sites, access online resources, interact with social networks, and create media content, such as by taking pictures and recording videos.
In some instances, a user can access a camera on his or her computing device. In one example, the user can launch a camera application (i.e., app) on the computing device. Under conventional approaches, when the user switches between a front-facing camera mode and a rear-facing camera mode in the camera application, a display of the computing device will often fade or change into a live camera view in a substantially straightforward manner. In another example, when the user creates media content to be transmitted, the transmission of the media content generally appears to occur in a straightforward manner under conventional approaches. In a further example, in accordance with conventional approaches, when the user causes media content to be provided in a thumbnail preview, the thumbnail preview is provided in an overall straightforward manner. However, such conventional approaches can often times be uninteresting, monotonous, and lackluster. These and other concerns associated with conventional approaches can create challenges for or reduce the overall user experience associated with processing or interacting with media content.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for providing pixelation and depixelation animations for media content


A pedicle screw assembly includes a fastener having an expandable head. The expandable head has an outer surface including a convex portion, a recess having an inner surface and defining an inner dimension, and at least one slot extending between the inner and outer surfaces thereof. The assembly also has an insert positionable at least partially in the recess having an outer surface defining an outer dimension that is greater than the inner dimension of the recess. The assembly includes a coupling element including a rod receiving opening, a bore for the fastener, and a seat for receiving the head of the fastener and allowing the fastener and coupling element to pivot relative to one another before being locked in place. After an orthopedic rod is positioned within the coupling element, a locking element associated with the coupling element locks the orthopedic rod in the rod-receiving opening. The locking element applies a force onto the rod to in turn force the insert into the recess of the expandable head for expanding the outer surface of the head against the seat of the coupling element and locking the coupling element and fastener from further pivotal movement relative to one another.

The present invention relates to spinal fixation devices and more specifically relates to a pedicle screw assembly having a pedicle screw with an expandable head In a preferred embodiment, the assembly includes a coupling element having a seat for receiving the head of the screw and allowing polyaxial movement of the screw relative to the coupling element, and an insert for expanding the head of the pedicle screw against the seat of the coupling element so as to prevent movement of the coupling element and pedicle screw relative to one another.
The spinal column is a highly complex system of bones and connective tissues that provides support for the body and protects the delicate spinal column and nerves. The spinal column includes a series of vertebrae stacked one atop the other, whereby each vertebral body includes a relatively strong bone portion forming the outside surface of the body (cortical) and a relatively weak bone portion forming the center of the body (cancellous). Situated between each vertebral body is an intervertebral disc that provides for cushioning and dampening of compressive forces applied to the spinal column. The vertebral canal containing the delicate spinal cords and nerves is located just posterior to the vertebral bodies.
Various types of spinal column disorders are known and include scoliosis (abnormal lateral curvature of the spine), kyphosis (abnormal forward curvature of the spine, usually in the thoracic spine), excess lordosis (abnormal backward curvature of the spine, usually in the lumbar spine), spondylolisthesis (forward displacement of one vertebra over another, usually in a lumbar or cervical spine) and other disorders caused by abnormalities, disease or trauma, such as ruptured or slipped discs, degenerative disc disease, fractured vertebra, and the like. Patients that suffer from such conditions usually experience extreme and debilitating pain as well as diminished nerve function.
The present invention involves a technique commonly referred to as spinal fixation whereby surgical implants are used for fusing together and/or mechanically immobilizing adjacent vertebrae of the spine. Spinal fixation may also be used to alter the alignment of the adjacent vertebrae relative to one another so as to alter the overall alignment of the spine. Such techniques have been used effectively to treat the above-described conditions and, in most cases, to relieve pain suffered by the patient. However, as will be set forth in more detail below, there are some disadvantages associated with current fixation devices.
One particular spinal fixation technique includes immobilizing the spine by using orthopedic rods, commonly referred to as spine rods, that run generally parallel to the spine. This is accomplished by exposing the spine posteriorly and fastening bone screws to the pedicles of the appropriate vertebrae. The pedicle screws are generally placed two per vertebra, one at each pedicle on either side of the spinous process, and serve as anchor points for the spine rods. Clamping elements adapted for receiving a spine rod therethrough are then used to join the spine rods to the screws. The aligning influence of the rods forces the spine to conform to a more desirable shape. In certain instances, the spine rods may be bent to achieve the desired curvature of the spinal column.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,388 to Vignaud et al. discloses a spinal fixation device including a pedicle screw having a U-shaped head rigidly connected to the screw. The U-shaped head includes a U-shaped channel for receiving a spine rod therein. The U-shaped head is internally threaded so that a set screw having external threads may be screwed therein. After the pedicle screw has been inserted into bone and the spine rod is positioned in the U-shaped channel, the set screw is threaded into the internal threads of the coupling element for securing the spine rod in the U-shaped channel and blocking relative movement between the spine rod and the pedicle screw. The fixation device also includes a cap covering an upper portion of the U-shaped element to prevent the arms of the U-shaped element from spreading upon threading the set screw into the U-shaped head.
Surgeons have frequently encountered considerable difficulty when attempting to insert spinal fixation devices such as those disclosed in the above-mentioned ""388 patent. For example, surgeons have frequently been unable to efficiently and adequately place the spine rod into the U-shaped heads of the bone screws. This is because the U-shaped heads of the screws are often not aligned with one another due to curvature in spines and the different orientations of the pedicles being instrumented. The spine rods are often bent in multiple planes in order to couple the pedicle screws to the rod, which may lead to weaker connections with the rod. These problems also result in significantly longer operations, thereby increasing the likelihood of complications associated with surgery.
In response to the problems noted in the ""388 patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,286 to Errico et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,176 to Biedermann et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,464 to Metz-Stavenhagen disclose polyaxial spinal fixation devices wherein the anchoring element fixed to the bone has a spherically-shaped head. The fixation devices in the subject patents also have orthopedic rod capturing assemblies for securing orthopedic rods in the capturing assemblies and connecting the rods with the anchoring elements. The spherically shaped heads of the anchoring elements permit movement of the anchoring elements relative to the orthopedic rod capturing assemblies. However, the above-mentioned patents do not solve all of the deficiencies noted in the Vignaud ""388 patent because the respective spinal fixation devices may shift following insertion. This is due primarily to the fact that there is insufficient surface area contact between the spherically-shaped heads of the anchoring elements and the rod capturing assemblies. In addition, the devices are complex and are difficult to manufacture.
Other polyaxial bone fixation devices are taught in International Patent Publication WO 88/03781. This publication describes a device for securing bone screws in openings in an osteosynthesis plate. The head of the bone screw is provided with longitudinal grooves that enable the head to expand after being positioned in one of the openings in the plate. After a screw has been inserted through one of the openings, an adjusting screw is threaded into a bore at the top of the head for expanding the head. The outer surface of the expanded head presses against the opening in the plate so as to secure the screw to the plate. U.S. Pat. No 4,484,570 also discloses a bone screw used in conjunction with a plate wherein the screw has a head with a central opening and slots that subdivide the head into tongues. An expander having a conical surface is inserted into the central opening of the head for expanding the head and locking the screw in relation to the plate. However, the WO 88/03781 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,570 references concern bone plates and not spinal fixation devices using orthopedic rods.
In spite of the above-mentioned devices, there remains room for improvement of prior art spinal fixation devices in the manner of locking the screw head, the complexity of use, difficulty in properly positioning the orthopedic rod and the rod-capturing assemblies, the required manipulation of the many parts associated with some complex devices and post-operative movement of the rod-capturing assemblies relative to the bone anchoring elements due to the weak interfaces between the two.
In accordance with certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, a pedicle screw assembly includes a fastener having a tip end for insertion into bone and an expandable head at the opposite end thereof. The head may be expandable by virtue of the material of which it is made or its design. One preferred design for an expandable head includes a head having one or more slots formed therein. In this embodiment, the expandable head preferably has an outer surface including a convex portion, a recess defining an inner surface having an inner dimension, and at least one slot extending between the inner and outer surfaces thereof for allowing expansion of the head. The assembly also includes an insert that can be positioned at least partially in the recess of the head. The insert desirably has an outer surface including an outer dimension that is greater than the inner dimension of the recess. In certain embodiments, the insert may be rotatable with the recess of the head.
The pedicle screw assembly also has a coupling element for coupling the pedicle screw to an orthopedic rod. The coupling element preferably includes a bore extending therethrough for receiving the fastener, and a seat for receiving the head of the fastener. The seat may include a concave portion for receiving the convex portion of the head and for allowing the fastener and the coupling element to pivot relative to one another before being locked to prevent further pivotal movement. The assembly may also include a locking element associated with the coupling element for locking the orthopedic rod in the coupling element after the rod has been positioned therein. The locking element is desirably adapted for forcing the insert into the recess of the head so that the outer dimension of the insert bears against the inner dimension of the head, whereby the head expands against the seat of the coupling element for preventing further pivotal movement of the coupling element relative to the fastener.
The expandable head of the fastener provides for an improved level of surface contact between the head and the seat of the coupling element. This increased level of surface contact results in a more secure locking force being generated. In addition, the locking force is increased by the friction force, which acts at the interface between the head of the fastener and the coupling element. This friction force is proportional to the normal force of the head of the fastener on the seat of the coupling element and thus increases as the insert acts to expand the head of the fastener. As a result, the likelihood of post-operative shifting and/or movement of a spine rod or coupling element relative to one or more of the bone fasteners is significantly reduced. Thus, the present invention provides for a more reliable spinal fixation device and overcomes the post-operative shifting problems seen in prior art devices. Moreover, the pedicle screw assembly of the present invention has fewer parts. As a result, implantation operations are greatly simplified and the possibility of a component being dropped inside a patient""s body greatly reduced.
In certain preferred embodiments, the fastener is a pedicle bone screw having external threads extending from a tip end of the screw toward the head. The fastener may have one or more holes in the threaded portion therein for receiving bone graft material as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,570 to Sutter. Instead of using a screw for securing the screw to bone, in other preferred embodiments the fastener may includes a hook-shaped anchoring element as disclosed in above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,464 to Metz-Stavenhagen. The fastener may also be a structure having barbs on an outer surface thereof, whereby the fastener is forced into bone and the barbs prevent the fastener from being withdrawn from the bone. The fastener preferably includes a neck between the head and the tip end, the neck desirably being located adjacent the head. The neck includes a concave surface and has a diameter that is generally smaller than the diameter of the threaded portion of the fastener. The head of the fastener preferably includes a recess defining an inner surface having an inner dimension. The head also includes a plurality of slots extending between the inner and outer surfaces of the head. The fastener preferably has a longitudinal axis extending from the tip end to the head with the recess and the inner and outer surfaces thereof being centered on the longitudinal axis. The slots generally commence at the top surface of the head and extend toward the tip end of the fastener in directions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The plurality of slots generally subdivide the head into two or more flexible arms at the upper end of the fastener. In one preferred embodiment, the head has six slots formed therein for subdividing the head into six flexible arms. The flexible arms are desirably adapted for flexing away from the longitudinal axis for expanding the outer surface of the head. The flexible arms are also capable of flexing toward the longitudinal axis for compressing the head, so as to reduce the outer dimension of the head and allow for assembly of the fastener into the coupling element.
The expandable head also preferably includes at least one tab extending into the recess for at least partially securing the insert in the recess. The tabs are preferably formed at upper ends of the flexible arms, whereby each flexible arm desirably includes one tab. The flexible arms are generally arranged in a substantially annular configuration around the circumference of the recess with the tabs extending into the recess for securing the insert.
The insert preferably has an upper end and a lower end and a longitudinal axis extending between the upper and lower ends. The insert also preferably has an outer surface and a flange extending around the outer surface, between the upper and lower ends thereof. In preferred embodiments, the flange lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the insert. The flange preferably defines the outer dimension of the insert, i.e., the section of the insert having the largest diameter. In other words, the flange provides the largest diameter portion of the insert. When viewed from the side or in a cross-sectional side view, the outer surface of the insert tapers inwardly from the flange toward the lower end thereof. In certain embodiments, the lower end of the insert is substantially spherical in shape. However, in other preferred embodiments, the lower end of the insert is substantially flat. The upper end of the insert preferably has a radial surface that is adapted for engaging the orthopedic rod. The radial surface of the upper end insures good surface contact between the rod and the insert, regardless of the angle of the insert relative to the rod. When the insert has been positioned at least partially in the recess of the expandable head, the upper end of the insert extends beyond the top of the head for, inter alia, preventing a rod from contacting the head of the fastener.
In other preferred embodiments, the insert includes at least one radial projection, and preferably a plurality of radial projections extending outwardly from the periphery of the insert. The radial projections are preferably provided at the upper end of the insert, whereby each projection is sized to extend into one of the slots formed in the expandable head when the insert is at least partially positioned in the recess. The insert has a radial flange preferably located immediately below the radial projections and a socket formed at the upper end thereof. The socket is adapted for receiving a driver, such as a screwdriver, a hexagonal wrench or the like. In this embodiment, the fastener is attached to bone by inserting a driver into the socket of the insert, and then turning the driver to rotate the insert in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. In turn, the insert transmits the driving torque from the driver to the fastener. The driving torque is transmitted from the insert to the fastener at the radial projection/slot interface.
In other preferred embodiments the insert does not have a socket, but has an axial bore extending therethrough. In these particular embodiments, the recessed portion of the head has a socket formed therein that is sized to receive the driver. When the insert is positioned at least partially in the recess, the bore extending through the insert is substantially aligned with the socket formed in the head so that a driver can be passed through the bore to reach the socket. The driver is then rotated to rotate the fastener in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction for anchoring the fastener in the bone.
The coupling element preferably includes a substantially U-shaped element having an upper end and a lower end and a longitudinal axis extending between the upper and lower ends. The coupling element has an interior surface defining a bore extending in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof and an exterior surface. The interior surface of the coupling element defines the shape of the bore that receives the fastener. In certain embodiments, the bore extends in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coupling element. The coupling element preferably includes threads adapted for being threadably engaged with the locking element. In one embodiment, the threads are formed on the interior surface of the coupling element and the locking element includes a set screw having external threads for threadably engaging the internal threads of the coupling element. However, in other preferred embodiments, the threads may be formed on the external surface of the coupling element, whereby the locking element includes a locking nut having internal threads adapted for threadably engaging the external surface threads of the coupling element. The coupling element may also have one or more impressions or grooves formed therein for receiving a controlling device, such as a persuader instrument for seating the rod in the coupling element. In some embodiments, the impressions or grooves generally extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the coupling element.
The interior surface of the coupling element at the lower end thereof preferably defines the seat including a concave portion for receiving the convex portion of the head and allowing the head to pivot relative to the coupling element before being locked in place. The seat is preferably provided adjacent the lower end of the coupling element in an expansion cavity. The expansion cavity preferably has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the internal threads.
During assembly of the above-mentioned pedicle screw device, the tip end of the fastener is passed through the bore of the coupling element until the expandable head is positioned within the expansion cavity, with the convex outer surface of the head in contact with the concave seat of the coupling element. In certain preferred embodiments, this is accomplished by passing the tip end of the fastener through the upper end of the coupling element toward the lower end thereof. As the tip end and the threaded portion of the fastener passes toward the lower end of the coupling element, the head must be compressed so that it may pass by a small diameter portion of the bore of the coupling element because the outer surface of the head has a diameter that is greater than the smallest diameter of the bore. In one preferred embodiment, the smallest diameter portion of the bore is defined by the internal threads of the coupling element. However, in other embodiments, the smallest diameter portion may be an inwardly extending projection, such as an annular ring. As a result, the flexible arms of the head must flex inwardly for compressing the head, whereupon the head may pass through the small diameter portion of the coupling element. The head continues to pass through the coupling element in a compressed state until the head reaches the expansion cavity, whereupon the flexible arms are free to return to their original, unflexed position.
Once the insert has been positioned in the recess, the flexible arms are incapable of flexing inwardly because the outer dimension of the insert abuts against the inner dimension of the recessed portion of the head. As such, the head can no longer be compressed. Moreover, the fastener cannot be removed from the coupling element as long as the insert remains secured in the recessed portion of the head.
During a spinal fixation operation, after the fastener has been screwed into bone, the coupling element is free to pivot relative to the fastener and the insert secured thereto. The neck portion of the fastener, preferably having a concave surface with a diameter less than the diameter of the threaded portion of the fastener, enables the coupling element to pivot through a broader range of angles relative to the longitudinal axis of the fastener. Thus, a spine rod may be more easily positioned within the rod receiving opening of the coupling element. After the rod has been positioned within the rod receiving opening, the rod is then locked in place by threading the locking element into the threads of the coupling element. As the locking element tightens down upon the rod, the rod, in turn, exerts a downward force on the insert. In turn, the insert moves further into the recess for forcing the flexible arms to move away from one another for expanding the head of the fastener. As the head expands, an increased area of the head engages the seat of the coupling element and the normal force the head exerts on the seat increases. The friction force acting along the interface between the head and the coupling element therefore also increases, since it is proportional to the normal force. The enhanced surface area contact between the head and the coupling element and the higher friction force improve the locking force therebetween and prevents further pivotal movement of the coupling element relative to the fastener. As a result, the likelihood of post-operative shifting and/or moving of the pedicle screw assembly is greatly reduced, thereby minimizing the occurrence of post-operative complications for spinal implant patients. In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the coupling element secures the orthopedic rod directly above the head of the fastener. However, in other preferred embodiments, the coupling element may be structured to hold the orthopedic rod offset from the longitudinal axis of the pedicle screw as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,422 to Frigg and U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,831 to McKay.
The present invention also preferably includes a tool for securing the fastener in bone. The tool is preferably a driver having a rotatable shaft and one or more prongs extending from an end of the shaft for engaging the slots. In preferred embodiments the driver has one prong for each slot in the head of the fastener. The driver may also have external threads at a lower end of the shaft. The external threads are preferably adapted for engaging the internal threads of the coupling element when a fastener is being driven into bone. The engagement of the external threads of the driver and the internal threads of the coupling element generally stabilizes the pedicle screw assembly when the fastener is secured to bone. Specifically, the engagement of the threads prevents the coupling element from moving relative to the fastener when driving the fastener into bone, thereby simplifying installation of the fasteners.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments set forth below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A trailing end regulating device is slidably and rotatably supported by a bottom plate of a sheet cassette so as to regulate trailing ends of sheets supported on an intermediate plate in the sheet cassette. The trailing end regulating device is supported to be orthogonal to a sheet supporting surface of the intermediate plate by a guide which is mounted on the intermediate plate. Thus, the trailing end regulating device can constantly be maintained in an orthogonal state even if the intermediate plate rotates due to a change in the amount of sheets loaded, and the trailing end position of the sheets can appropriately be regulated. It is thus possible to maintain a constant amount of engagement between the sheets and separation claws used to separated the sheets from each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet loading device mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile or the like, and particularly to a sheet loading device for separating and feeding sheets one by one from sheet containing means containing a plurality of sheets loaded therein. Transfer paper, photosensitive paper, thermosensitive paper, electrostatic recording paper, printing paper, originals, cards, cut sheets such as envelopes and so on can be used as sheets, and the material of the sheets is not limited to paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile or the like is equipped with a sheet loading device which contains a plurality of sheets loaded in a container, and which is detachably fitted to the body of the apparatus. When the sheet loading device uses a housing-like feeding cassette, an intermediate plate that serves as sheet loading means for loading sheets is provided at the bottom of the cassette. The intermediate plate is provided so as to be vertically rotatable around an axis provided at the rear end thereof. The intermediate plate is also upwardly urged from the lower side thereof by pressure means such as a coil spring so as to press a stack of sheets loaded on the intermediate plate with a predetermined pressure against feeding means such as a feeding roller. The feeding means is driven to separate and feed the sheets one by one to the next processing area.
In the feeding operation, a claw separation method is generally widely used for preventing multiple feeding of sheets. In this method, separation claws are respectively provided at both edges of the cassette on the front end thereof in the direction of feeding of a stack of sheets. In feeding a sheet, the top sheet is separated from the other sheets by the operation of passing the top sheet over the claws while forming a small flexural loop at the leading end thereof to feed only one sheet.
FIG. 12 illustrates a principal portion of a feeding cassette which employs the claw separation method. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 51 denotes an intermediate plate for loading sheets thereon, and reference numeral 52 denotes springs for upwardly urging the intermediate plate 51 from the lower side thereof. Sheets P (cut sheets or paper) having a predetermined size are loaded on the intermediate plate 51. Reference numeral 53 denotes feeding rollers which press the upper surface of a stack of the sheets loaded on the intermediate plate 51 at a position near the leading ends of the sheets in the direction of feeding due to the lifting force of the springs 52. Reference numeral 54 denotes separation claws provided at the right and left corners on the upper surface of the feeding cassette at the leading end thereof in the direction of feeding of the sheets. The separation claws 54 are respectively mounted so as to be vertically rotatable around shafts 54a and gravitationally fitted to both corners at the leading end of the sheets.
When the feeding rollers 53 are rotated in the direction of arrows R, the top sheet P of a stack of the sheets is sent in the direction of the arrows X by frictional force. At this time, although the top sheet P is apt to move forward, both corners at the leading end thereof collide with the separation claws 54 to inhibit the movement of the sheet P. As a result, a flexure A is formed in the top sheet p between the separation claws 54 and the rollers 53 due to rotation of the feeding rollers 53.
If the size of the flexure A is greater than a given level, both corners of the sheet P, which are held by the separation claws 54, naturally escape from the lower sides of the separation claws 54 to the upper sides thereof by the repulsive force that tends to return the sheet P to the original form, and pass over the separation claws 54. Namely, only the top sheet P of a stack of the sheets is released from the restriction by the claws 54 by formation of the flexure A.
In such a claw separation method, the amount of engagement between the sheets P and the separation claws 54 must be kept constant for maintaining high separation performance. In other words, the amount of engagement between the sheets P and the separation claws 54 is constant during the time from loading of the sheets P to feeding of the last sheet P regardless of the number of sheets P contained in the cassette.
However, demands for increasing the sheet capacity have recently increased because of an increase in the typical volume of communication conducted, and thus attempts have vigorously been made to increase the capacity of the cassette. The cassette case thus has a shape increased in depth. In such a feeding cassette, the rotational axis of the intermediate plate is provided at substantially the center of the depth of the cassette in consideration of the condition that the forward and backward movement of the intermediate plate caused by rotation of the front end thereof is suppressed as much as possible. However, the range of rotation of the intermediate plate becomes wider because of the large depth of the cassette, and thus it is difficult to keep the amount of engagement between the sheets and the separation claws constant.
FIGS. 13(a) to (c) illustrate full loading, medium loading and small loading states, respectively, of the sheets P in the cassette where the amount of engagement between the sheets P and the separation claws 54 is kept constant. Reference characters Pu(a), Pu(b) and Pu(c) indicate the trailing ends of the sheets in the cassette in the full loading, medium loading and small loading states, respectively. In a small-capacity cassette, a method is generally employed in which trailing end regulating means such as a trailing end regulating plate for regulating the position of the trailing ends of the sheets is fixed to the cassette case. When this method is applied to a large-capacity cassette, the trailing end regulating plate must be fixed at a sheet trailing end position b of the sheets in the full loading state, and a gap a thus occurs between the position of the sheet trailing ends of the sheets in the middle loading and small loading states, as shown in FIGS. 13(b) and (c), respectively. In addition, since the range of rotation of the intermediate plate 51 becomes wider, the inclination of the intermediate plate 51 in the small loading state of the sheets is increased, and the sheets P slip downward to the side of the trailing ends in an amount of the gap a. In a cassette having a capacity of about 500 sheets, the maximum gap a is about 5 to 6 mm. Thus, the amount of engagement between the sheets P and the separation claws 54 at the leading ends of the sheets cannot be uniformly maintained, thereby causing poor separation and thus the possibility of deterioration in separation performance.
The techniques proposed for solving the above problems are as follows:
(1) A technique in which a trailing end regulating plate 56 is rotatably pivoted to the bottom of a cassette case 55 containing the intermediate plate 51 so as to pass through a cut hole 51a formed in the intermediate plate 51, as shown in FIG. 14(a). When the intermediate plate 51 rotates around the rotational axis 51b in accordance with the amount of the sheets loaded, one widthwise side of the cut hole 51a is accompanied by the trailing end regulating plate 56, thereby preventing deviation from occurring between the respective sheets due to a change in the amount of sheets P loaded.
(2) Another technique in which a trailing end regulating plate 57 is provided so as to be slidable in the lengthwise direction of the sheets P contained in the cassette 58, as shown in FIG. 15(a). When an intermediate plate 59 is upwardly rotated around a rotational axis 59a by pressure means (not shown), the intermediate plate 59 is connected to the trailing end regulating plate 57 by a connecting member 60 to slide the trailing end regulating plate 57 in linkage with the rotation of the intermediate plate 59, thereby preventing the gap produced at the trailing ends of the sheets.
However, there have recently been demands for increasing the capacity of the cassette and making the cassette universally suitable for different sheet sizes. It is thus necessary that the trailing end regulating plate satisfies the same function as that in a regular state regardless of the position of the trailing end regulating plate.
In technique (1), although the angle of the trailing end regulating plate 56 with respect to the intermediate plate 51 is determined by one side of the cut hole 51a for guiding the trailing end regulating plate 56, since the lower end of the trailing end regulating plate 56 is pivoted to the cassette case 55, the rotational axis 51b must be set at the lowermost position, i.e., the bottom, of the cassette case 55, to ensure an appropriate rotation range of the intermediate plate 51. However, as described above, in a large-capacity cassette, in order to prevent, as much as possible, forward and backward displacement of the front end of the intermediate plate 51, it is effective for maintaining the separation performance to set the rotational axis 51b of the intermediate plate 51 at substantially the vertical center of the cassette case 55. When the rotational fulcrum 51b is then set at substantially the vertical center of the cassette case 55, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the trailing end regulating plate 56 is pushed forward by one lengthwise side of the cut hole 51a and is therefore caused to be inclined by upward rotation of the intermediate plate 51. Thus, the sheets P are excessively pushed forward by the upper portion of the trailing end regulating plate 56, and the sheets P collide with the separation claws and interfere with the free vertical movement of the separation claws, thereby causing the possibility of poor feeding. In addition, the upward movement of the sheets P is interrupted by the collision with the front side of the cassette case 55, and the top sheet P idles without contacting the feeding rollers, thereby causing the possibility of no feeding.
Although conventional technique (2) is effective for the case where the trailing end regulating plate 57 is near the rotational axis 59a of the intermediate plate 59, when the trailing end regulating plate 57 is in front of the rotational axis 59a, e.g., when the sheets have a short size such as A5 size or the like, the trailing end regulating plate 57 is excessively moved forward from the sheet trailing ends. Namely, the trailing ends of the sheets are excessively pushed by the trailing end regulating plate 57, thereby causing the possibility of poor feeding or no feeding, as in conventional technique (1).
In order to solve the above problems, a degree of play may be permitted in the operation of the trailing end regulating plate. However, this brings about a degree of variation of the amount of engagement between the sheets and the separation claws, and the initial purpose of the trailing end regulating plate cannot be thus achieved.

Sheet loading device with sheet position regulator


A constant velocity joint including an outer race having inner and outer surfaces, the inner surface including a plurality of outer bail tracks. The constant velocity joint also includes an inner race having a plurality of inner ball tracks which correspond to the outer ball tracks, a ball cage disposed between the outer race and the inner race, a plurality of balls arranged within the ball cage and contacting the outer ball tracks and the inner ball tracks. A damping assembly is connected to the outer race.

In a power transmission system, the torques generated by the rotating parts may not be smooth, or the component being driven may not react to the torque smoothly. Further, the components transmitting the torque may generate non-smooth or alternating torques. This results in a torsional resonance which is transmitted throughout the system. Such torsional resonance can result in undesirable conditions, such as driveline rattle, noise, vibration and harshness, among others.
Thus, there exists a need for a torsional damper which can absorb such torsional resonance transmitted throughout the system, and reduce the amount of driveline rattle, noise, vibration and harshness experienced by the system.

Constant velocity joint torsional damper


In a Mobile Services Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (MSC/VLR), requests (made by a mobile station (MS)) for supplementary services may require processing only by the MSC/VLR, or they may require processing by a Home Location Register (HLR). A method of managing supplementary service procedures that are processed by an HLR includes supplying the MSC/VLR with a list containing only those supplementary service operations that shall be terminated in the MSC/VLR. In the MSC/VLR, a forward direction message is received from an MS, the forward direction message including an intended supplementary service operation. Then, the intended supplementary service operation is compared with the list of supplementary service operations. If the intended supplementary service operation is contained in the list of supplementary service operations, then the intended operation is terminated in the MSC/VLR. However, if the intended supplementary service operation is not contained in the list of supplementary service operations, then the forward direction message is forwarded, unaltered, to the HLR.

The present invention generally relates to cellular mobile radio systems based upon the so called GSM standard (GSM--Global System for Mobile communication) and more particularly to a method of managing supplementary service procedures.
A GSM network basically comprises at least one base station system BSS including a base station controller BSC and base station transceivers BTS. The GSM network furthermore includes a mobile services switching centre MSC, a home location register HLR and a visitors location register VLR.
Each subscribing mobile station MS belongs to a HLR in a home network, wherein permanent subscriber data is stored. When a mobile station is registered in a MSC/VLR as a new visitor, that mobile station's HLR sends a copy of the relevant subscriber data to MSC/VLR.
Supplementary service procedures are those procedures that are used by an MS (Mobile Station) in the GSM-system either to change supplementary service data or to question the network about current supplementary service data. This procedure may, for instance, involve activating a supplementary service, registering data for a supplementary service, inquiring about data for a given supplementary service, etc.
In a GSM-network, subscriber data is stored permanently in HLR as indicated above. This implies that procedures used by an MS to request changes in subscriber service data will preferably be terminated in HLR, which is responsible for such data. The MSC/VLR responsible for signalling with MS store only copies of the supplementary service data. This data is received in MSC/VLR from HLR in conjunction with a report from MS that the mobile is a new "visitor" in MSC/VLR.
Since it is MSC/VLR that communicates directly with MS in conjunction with supplementary service procedures, it is MSC/VLR that terminates these procedures as seen from MSC. However, as mentioned, the GSM-network is distributed so that, in the main, it is the HLR which is the actual recipient or target of these procedures. MSC/VLR merely constitutes a procedure transfer point. This is an exception rather than a rule however, since certain procedures are terminated in MSC/VLR and not all of the procedures are transferred to HLR. An example in this respect is found in a query which concerns data that is applicable at that time for a given supplementary service, this query being terminated in MSC/VLR and not in HLR. This applies, however, only to those services that are controlled by MSC/VLR. When signalling between MS and MSC/VLR, the supplementary service procedures are implemented purely in protocol fashion with the aid of rules that are in accord with the ROSE-concept (Remote Operations Service Element--specified in CCITT X.219 and X.220). This means that all procedures are specified in a protocol fashion as operations. These operations are descriptions of the configuration of the forward and backward messages included in the actual procedure from the aspect of their protocol content. The forward and backward messages included in an operation are called components.
CCITT #7 TCAP (Translation Capabilities Application Part--specified in CCITT Q.771-Q.775) is utilized when signalling between MSC/VLR and HLR. TCAP is also based on ROSE. This enables operations that are used in signalling between MSC/VLR and MS to be "imported" and used also when signalling between MSC/VLR and HLR.
EP 295,678 describes a radio telephony system in which a "radio connector" sends an ID-number for the radio zone in which it is located. The radio telephone compares the received radio-zone ID-number with the number stored in a memory. If the ID-numbers do not mutually coincide, the radio-telephone ID-number and the received radio-zone ID-number are sent as a position entry signal to a radio control unit, via a "radio connector". The radio-channel control unit registers the two ID-numbers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,340 discloses essentially a general picture of the standpoint of techniques with regard to mobile telephony, where mobiles are located in foreign areas outside their home service area.

Method of managing supplementary service procedures in GSM/VLR towards HLR


A computer-system includes a memory bus, a connector and a controller. The connector is configured to receive a memory module and prevent removal of the memory module from the connector in a first state. The connector allows removal of the memory module from the connector in a second state. The controller is configured to change a connection status between the connector and the memory bus in response to the connector changing from one of the states to the other state. A central processing unit of the computer system is configured to use the memory bus to store data in the memory module.

The invention relates to installation and removal of components of a computer.
A typical computer system has memory that stores programs and data. Quite often, the memory is formed from several dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) memory semiconductor packages, or chips. To aid in the removal or addition of several memory chips at once, groups of memory chips typically are packaged together to form a memory board, or memory module (e.g., a SIMM or a DIMM).
The memory module typically includes several memory chips which are mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB has circuitry that electrically connects the memory chips together, and the PCB is constructed to plug into memory module connector slot of the system and electrically connect the memory chips to the connector slot.
Typically, to replace a memory module of a computer system, the power to the computer system must be turned off and the computer must be rebooted. As a result, operations (e.g., executing software programs) on the system typically must be shut down to install or remove memory modules.
Accordingly, a system is needed wherein memory modules can be added to or replaced within a computer system without interrupting power and without requiring rebooting.
To remedy the deficiencies of existing systems and methods, the present invention provides, among other things, a device and a method for adding memory to a computer system. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a method comprising the steps of: determining if a memory module has been added to a connector; responsive to the determination that the memory module has been added to the connector, determining whether the addition was a hot add; and responsive to the addition being a hot add, initializing the memory module. The step of initializing the memory module can include dynamic initialization and may not require rebooting.
In another embodiment, a method of the present invention can include the step of determining if the added memory module is compatible with a memory configuration of the computer system. Additionally, the present invention can include the step of setting a status bit, the status bit indicating that the memory module has been added. In yet another embodiment, the present invention can include the step of responsive to the determination that the memory module has been added to the connector, generating an interrupt.
One skilled in the art can recognize that the present invention can also include an apparatus or computer system for performing any combination of the steps described herein.

Installation and removal of components of a computer

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method of configuring a channel detection sub-frame for a terminal and a device with a base station function that includes setting, in a frame structure in a time division duplex mode, a downlink channel detection sub-frame used for periodically detecting whether a downlink channel of an unlicensed frequency band is idle and sending an uplink channel detection sub-frame configuration command to a terminal according to a configuration mode of the downlink channel detection sub-frame. According to the uplink channel detection sub-frame configuration command, an uplink channel detection sub-frame is set for periodically detecting whether an uplink channel of the unlicensed frequency band is idle. The uplink channel detection sub-frame is located in the same sub-frame as a downlink channel detection sub-frame.

With the rapid increase in communications traffic, authorized spectrums of the 3rd Generation Partner Project (3GPP) are increasingly insufficient to provide higher network capacity, such as an LTE network. In order to further improve the utilization of spectrum resources, 3GPP is discussing how to use unauthorized spectrums such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band with the help of authorized spectrums. The unauthorized spectrum is currently mainly used for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radar, medical systems, and the like.
However, in the LTE network, the interference level is ensured by good orthogonality, and uplink/downlink transmission between a base station and a user does not have to consider whether there are other base stations or other users in the transmission of data. If the LTE operates in the unlicensed frequency band without considering whether there are other devices using the unlicensed frequency band, it will bring great interference to Wi-Fi devices. In LTE system, transmission will be performed as long as there is a service and there is no monitoring rules, therefore, a Wi-Fi device cannot perform transmission if the LTE system has service to transmit, and data can only be transmitted by the Wi-Fi device when it is detected that channel is idle after the service transmission of the LTE system is finished.
Therefore, how to prevent a LTE system operating in an unlicensed frequency band from causing great interference to other systems while ensuring normal operation of the LTE system in the unlicensed frequency band has become a technical problem to be solved urgently.

Data transmission method, data transmission system, control method, control system, and device

Nanchang Coolpad Intelligent Technology Company Limited


A quasi-differential amplifier with an input port and an output port. The amplifier has a phase shifter network with a first port connected to the input port, a second port, and a third port. A first amplifier has an input connected to the second port of the phase shifter network, and an output, and a second amplifier has an input connected to the third port of the phase shifter network, and an output. A balun circuit includes a first differential port connected to an output of the first amplifier, a second differential port connected to an output of the second amplifier, and a single-ended port. An output matching network is connected to the single-ended port of the balun circuit and to the output port.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to radio frequency (RF) circuit components, and more particularly, the quasi-differential RF power amplifiers with a high level of harmonics rejection.
2. Related Art
An RF communications system is generally comprised of a transmitter that generates signals that are radiated as radio frequency electromagnetic waves by an antenna, and a receiver that converts the electromagnetic waves generated by a counterpart remote transmitter and detected by the antenna to usable signal. Due to the transmitter circuitry lacking sufficient output power, the transmitter is typically connected to additional components that are dedicated to amplifying the generated signal, referred to as power amplifiers. Similarly, because the receiver circuitry typically lacks sufficient reception sensitivity, there are additional components also dedicated to amplifying the received signal, referred to as low noise amplifiers.
Certain limitations in amplifier circuits/transistors dictate the use of multiple transistors with outputs thereof being connected to a single load (antenna). There are also circumstances where signals multiple antennas are amplified by a single amplifier circuit. Both of these applications involve a power combiner, and there are a variety of modalities thereof that are known in the art.
One such modality is in-phase power combining, where multiple signals of identical phase and amplitude are combined into a single output, typically at the final stage before connecting to the antenna. There are deficiencies, however, relating to the load voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) variation being equally applied to different transistors, thus limiting applicability. In particular, high voltage swings across different transistor nodes may become unacceptably high.
Another modality known in the art is quadrature combining. In one variation, identical balanced power amplifiers are connected to input quadrature directional coupler as well as an output quadrature directional coupler in the reverse. Although load VSWR variation has a small influence on the reliability of the transistors, current consumption is fairly high, and an additional harmonics rejection filter is needed in order to pass regulatory requirements. Such harmonics filtering is needed for in-phase power combining circuits as well.
Yet another modality is out-of-phase power combining, where differential signals are equally amplified and combined at an output balun. This technique is understood to relax voltage swing requirements for each transistor in the circuit. Additionally, reliability is improved, and adequate levels of even harmonics rejection can be realized. Existing out-of-phase power combining circuitry, however, are still deficient with respect to odd harmonics rejection at the circuit output. Moreover, optimal performance demands a symmetrical layout or routing of the differential circuit is necessary, along with fabrication on an appropriate semiconductor or other laminate substrate. In order to achieve an adequate level of even harmonics rejection, the input signal imbalance must be kept to a minimal level.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved out-of-phase power combining modality that addresses the aforementioned limitations of existing implementations. There is also a need for quasi-differential RF power amplifier with a high level of both even and odd harmonics rejection.

Quasi-differential RF power amplifier with high level of harmonics rejection


An LED package structure includes a multilayer circuit board, an LED chip, and a cover. The multilayer circuit board has a conductive layer, a first resin layer disposed on the conductive layer, and a first circuit layer disposed on the first resin layer. The first resin layer has a first opening, and a portion of the conductive layer is partially exposed from the first resin layer via the first opening such that a mounting region is exposed. The first circuit layer has a second opening, and the second opening exposes the mounting region. The LED chip is fixed on the mounting region by passing it through the first and second openings, and the LED chip is connected to the first circuit layer by wires. The cover is disposed on the first resin layer and covers the LED chip and the first circuit layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to a package structure; in particular, to an LED package structure.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional LED package structure, a reflecting cup is formed on the lead frames by insert molding. However, the combining strength between the reflecting cup and the lead frames is not enough. Furthermore, the molding equipment is necessary when performing insert molding, so the manufacturing cost cannot be decreased due to the molding equipment.
To improve the abovementioned problems, the inventors strive via industrial experience and academic research to present the instant disclosure, which can improve the mentioned problems.

LED package structure and multilayer circuit board

LITE-ON OPTOTECHNOLOGY (CHANGZHOU) CO., LTD.


A clad plate for forming an interposer for a semiconductor device which can be manufactured at low cost and has good characteristics, an interposer for a semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing them. Copper foil materials (19, 24, 33) forming conductive layers (10, 17, 18) and nickel plating (20, 21) forming etching stopper layers (11, 12) are formed and pressed to form a clad plate (34) for forming an interposer for a semiconductor device. Thus, a clad plate (34) for forming an interposer for a semiconductor device is manufactured. The clad plate (34) is selectively etched to form a columnar conductor (17), and an insulating layer (13) is formed on the copper foil material forming a wiring layer (10). A bump (18) for connection of a semiconductor chip and the wiring layer (10) are formed on the opposite side to the side on which the columnar conductor (17) is formed. Thus, an interposer for a semiconductor device is manufactured.

In recent years, along with reduction of size and weight and enhancement for the function of electronic equipments, size reduction has been required also for semiconductor packaging devices mounted therein and small-sized package devices have been developed. Then, a semiconductor device of a size substantially equal with the chip size has been proposed. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 74807/1998 discloses a method of manufacturing such a semiconductor device and a schematic view thereof is shown in FIG. 12. A semiconductor chip 101 is mounted on one side of an interposer 100 (substrate) and connected with a wiring pattern 102 on the substrate. Further, the wirings are conducted through via holes 103 formed in the direction of the thickness of the substrate to a mounting substrate, and solder bumps 104 for external connection are formed to the via holes on the side of the mounting substrate.
In the semiconductor device of the constitution as described above, conduction between both surfaces of the interposer is taken by forming through holes and then filling a conductive material, for example, by plating. However, steps of forming fine through holes and applying plating therein results in a technical difficulty and it requires to apply a relatively thick plating to bring about a problem of increasing the cost.
This invention intends to solve the subject described above and it is a subject thereof to provide an interposer-forming clad plate for use in a semiconductor device capable of being manufactured at a reduced cost and having favorable characteristics, an interposer for use in a semiconductor device using the same and a manufacturing method of them.

Clad plate for forming interposer for semiconductor device, interposer for semiconductor device, and method of manufacturing them


In the present invention, at the time of pulling a focus on an information recording surface of a disc, a focus servo is first pulled in a disc surface of the disc, and with the servo in a settled state, a driving signal necessary for following surface wobble is stored, and a focus is pulled in the information recording surface of the disc based upon a signal superimposed with the driving signal and a focus search driving signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc apparatus which optically records a signal on an optical disc by means of a light source such as a laser, or reproduces a signal from the optical disc, and particularly relates to the optical disc apparatus which performs focus control where a focus on the optical disc of a light beam is controlled. The present invention further relates to optical information equipment with such optical disc apparatus, and a focus pull-in control LSI provided in the optical disc apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to optically record or reproduce information on or from an information carrier by means of an optical source such as a laser, it is necessary to perform focus control such that an information recording surface of the optical disc is constantly located in a focus (converging point) position of a light beam. For realizing this, a so-called focus pull-in operation is performed where an objective lens is moved to bring the focus position of the light beam to the information recording surface of the optical disc prior to the focus control.
Further, in recent optical disc apparatuses, at the request for its increased capacity and reduced thickness, the necessity has arisen for narrowing a distance between the optical disc and the objective lens, a so-called working distance (hereinafter also referred to as WD).
First, narrowing the WD of the objective lens is most effective for attempting to reduce the apparatus thickness. This is because narrowing the WD of the objective lens can not only simply narrow the distance between the optical disc and the lens but also reduce an aperture of the lens as well as a diameter of a raised mirror, and hence the apparatus thickness can be reduced on a further larger scale than the narrowed amount of the WD itself.
Further, a resolution limit is required to be raised with the aim of increasing a recording density for attempting to increase the capacity of the optical disc, which requires an increase in numerical aperture of the objective lens. This leads to an extremely small WD.
As a result of this, there has been a risk in the conventional optical disc apparatuses that at the time of a focus pull-in operation, the objective lens collides with a disc surface of the optical disc to cause damage to the optical disc or the lens system.
Therefore, a variety of measures have been contrived for solving the problem of the collision at the time of the focus pull-in operation.
For example, a conventional optical disc apparatus shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2003-91833 is provided with a non-contact sensor capable of detecting vertical vibration of the optical disc, and drives an objective lens actuator such that the objective lens gradually approaches the optical disc while making almost the same movement as the vertical movement of the optical disc, to conduct a focus search. It is thereby possible to realize the focus pull-in in which the disc and the objective lens do not collide even in the condition of the narrow WD.
Further, in a conventional optical disc apparatus shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2002-230792, at the time of pulling a focus on the information recording surface of the optical disc, after a focus servo has once been pulled in the optical disc surface, the objective lens is jump-controlled to pull the focus servo on the information recording surface of the optical disc. It is thereby possible to increase a distance corresponding to a thickness of the substrate of the optical disc as a WD margin at the time of the pull-in of the focus servo, so as to prevent collision between the objective lens and the recording medium.
However, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2003-91833, the non-contact sensor is required to be separately provided in the optical head device, resulting in increased cost and degraded salability of the product.
Further, the non-contact sensor is required to be installed in a position apart from the objective lens, and hence displacement of the installation position brings about a surface wobbling amount detection error with respect to the objective lens. For example, assuming that the non-contact sensor is installed several tens mm apart from the objective lens in a radial direction of the optical disc, an error of as large as the order of 150 μm is generated with respect to a surface wobbling amount of 300 μm. Or, assuming that the non-contact sensor is installed in a position several tens mm apart from the objective lens in a tangential line direction of the optical disc, the maximum amplitude amount of surface wobble of the optical disc can be detected with almost no error, but phase displacement of a positional variation period occurs, with a phase displacement amount of the order of 40 deg. When this phase displacement is converted into a positional displacement of the optical disc on the middle periphery thereof, the converted displacement amount is of the order of 90 μm. Therefore, since the installment position of the non-contact sensor is apart from the objective lens, the vertical movement detection error due to the surface wobble of the optical disc is large. There thus is a possibility that the optical disc and the objective lens collide at the time of the focus pull-in operation.
Further, individual variation of the non-contact sensors and sensitivity variations of the same due to an installation error are large. As a result, the vertical movement detection error increases due to the surface wobble of the optical disc, which may lead to collision between the optical disc and the objective lens at the time of the focus pull-in operation.
Moreover, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2002-230792, after the focus servo has once been pulled in the disc surface of the optical disc, the focus of the light beam is jumped to the information recording surface by the jumping operation.
Here, a relative speed of the disc and the lens at the time of switching the servo is called a rushing speed, and a speed range in which a focus detection range is not exceeded is called a rushing speed limit in a case where the objective lens is decelerated at the maximum in the focus servo process.
It is in the case of the rushing speed being within the rushing speed limit depending upon a focus error detection range that the pull-in of the focus servo is safely performed in switching the focus servo process.
In the case of a normal optical disc, the focus error detection range is of the order of 20 μmPP, whereas in the case of a high-density two-layered disc or the like, the focus error detection range is limited to the order of 5 μm PP. This causes the danger of exceeding the rushing speed limit even at a normal rotational speed.
Therefore, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2002-230792, the relative speed of the disc and the lens immediately after the switch to the jumping operation should at least be a speed of a value obtained by adding a jumping speed and a surface wobbling speed. In addition to this, in the jumping operation, a jump is required to be taken a distance corresponding to the air converted from the thickness of the optical disc substrate. With the jumped distance being long, the relative speed may further increase due to sensitivity variations of the objective lens actuator and power voltage variations. It is therefore thought that in an apparatus where the rushing speed limit decreases, the rushing speed increases and thus easily exceeds the rushing speed limit. Consequently, the disc surface and the objective lens collide, causing the danger of damage to the disc or the objective lens.
Moreover, when the focus pull-in by the jumping operation fails, the objective lens has entered in a wobbling range due to the surface wobble of the optical disc, and the optical disc and the objective lens would almost collide.

Optical disc apparatus, optical information equipment with the optical disc apparatus, and focusing control LSI in the optical disc apparatus


A computing resource service provider may provide customers with access to software functions executing within compute instances. In addition, customer may desire that the software functions executing within the compute instances have access to virtual network operated by the customer. To accomplish this, a network interface belonging to the customer may be created and attached to a particular compute instance. In addition, this network interface may be moved from global network namespace of the compute instance into a new network namespace within the compute instance. In this manner, software functions executed by the compute instance may communicate to other computing device attached to the virtual network through the network interface.

A data center is a facility that houses computer systems and various networking, storage, and other related components. Data centers may, for example, provide computing services to businesses and individuals as a remote computing service or provide "software as a service" (e.g., cloud computing). To facilitate the utilization of data center resources, virtualization technologies may allow a single physical computing machine to host one or more compute instances that appear and operate as independent computer machines to a connected computer user. With virtualization, the single physical computing device can create, maintain, or delete virtualized computing resources in a dynamic manner.
In a large distributed computing system (e.g., multiple distributed data centers) of a computing resource service provider, various customers, users, services, and resources of the computing resource service provider are in frequent communication with each other. Furthermore, certain computing devices and/or computing resources may be located in different networks which may be protected private networks. In such distributed computing systems, it can be difficult to facilitate communication between computing devices and/or computing resources located on different networks. The complexity and distribution of computing resources in these environments may make it difficult to create and operate network connections between computing resources on different networks.

Virtual networking for compute instances


A tool and a cutting insert for chip removing machining includes a tool body with an insert seat, a cutting insert mounted in the insert seat, and a fastening member. The cutting insert includes a first locking member extending in an area located outside of a central axis of the cutting insert. A second locking member configured to engage with the first locking member is provided in the insert seat. The fastening member extends through a through-hole and bears on a lower contact region of the cutting insert to press the cutting insert against a top support member provided rotationally ahead of the insert seat so that the second and first locking members lock with each other and form a radial support for the cutting insert, and on the other hand it presses an axial support region in the side surface of the cutting insert against an axial contact surface provided in the insert seat.

Within the field of chip removing machining of metal, a continuous development aims at making the tools for chip removing machining more effective in order to be able to carry out the machining in a fast and accurate way. For cost-efficiency, it is preferable to use a cutting tool which comprises on one hand a tool body, and on the other hand detachable and replaceable cutting inserts. However, the cutting inserts are subjected to great forces during the machining operation, acting to displace and turn the cutting inserts. It is therefore necessary to rigidly fasten the cutting inserts in the tool body. This is most often done by providing the cutting insert with a centre hole, by means of which a screw or another male fastening member is used to fasten the cutting insert in the tool body. There are however disadvantages associated with this fastening method, in particular for cutting tools having a small diameter or having a large number of mounted cutting inserts. For example, the small diameter or the small distance between successive cutting inserts make it necessary to use small screws, which are generally difficult to handle and which are easy to drop in the process of mounting the cutting insert. For the operator, it is also time consuming to demount and mount all screws in a large diameter tool with many cutting inserts. It may also be difficult to access the hole in the mounting process. Furthermore, the centre hole weakens the cutting insert and makes it less shape stable. In a manufacturing process using sintering to produce the cutting inserts, the large centre hole makes the pressed powder density uneven and may cause shape defects upon sintering.
US20070160431 discloses a tool and a cutting insert for chip removing machining. An interface is provided between the cutting insert and the tool body, whereby forces can be transferred in two different directions (e.g. radially and axially) and the precision in the position of the active cutting edge is improved. The interface discloses elongate male-/female-like engagement means. The cutting insert is provided with a through-hole and is fastened to the tool body by means of a screw. Although, other fixing means are mentioned—such as clamps, lever mechanisms etc.—the known interface for positioning and fixing the cutting insert to the tool body can be improved by facilitating the cutting insert replacement or indexing, in particular by saving a lot of trouble and time in the replacement or indexing procedure for tools with small diameters, where small fastening members are needed or difficult to fit, as well as for tools with large diameters and many cutting inserts.

Tool for chip removing machining and a cutting insert


Disclosed herein is a syringe device comprises (a) an outer housing, (b) a barrel, (c) a stopper, and (d) a plunger with one or more grooves.

In some treatments, patients need to be administered medicaments from an applicator by a health care provider, sometimes at home. The amount of medicament required to be administered to a patient, depends upon factors such as, the size and weight of the patient, the age and sex of the patient, the patient age group, i.e., whether the patient is a child or an adult, and the like.
In order to administer the proper dose to a patient, applicators are required to be metered to deliver a desired dose volume of the medicament from the entire dose volume. Alternatively, the health care provider needs to adjust the dose volume to be delivered.
Presently available options have certain drawbacks. In accordance with one available embodiment, several versions of the applicator device are manufactured, with each version having a different volume of the medicament. For each dose a different version of the device is used. This requires the distributor of the device and the pharmacist to use up a relatively large shelf space for maintaining the inventory of multiple versions of the device containing different amounts of the drug.
In accordance with another available option, where variable doses can be set, a health care provider, who is less educated in the field, is apt to make an error in setting the proper dosage. This can result in disastrous results and even lead to a medical emergency.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,329,241 relates to a drug delivery system for administering an adjustable preset dose of a drug such as diazepam to a patient. This device is available in the U.S. market under the trade name Diastat Acudial. The patent suggests an apparatus for dispensing a dose of a drug in a syringe having a plunger, comprising an outer housing and an inner housing adapted for encircling the syringe, such that the inner housing is positioned within the outer housing to set the dose of the drug and a locking assembly. This patent further envisages a dosage indicator disposed on the inner housing and a window for viewing the dosage indicator on the outer housing. Also is suggested, a locking assembly connected to the inner housing and the outer housing for fixing the relative positions of the inner housing and the outer housing such that the dosage indicator is viewable through the opening in the outer housing.
U.S. Patent Application No. 20100305515 ("the '515 application") discloses a drug delivery system for administering an adjustable preset dose of a drug or a nutritional supplement to a human or veterinary patient or for delivering, for example, fertilizer in agricultural use. The '515 application relates to an apparatus for dispensing a dose of a drug in a syringe having a plunger with multiple flanges, and locking assembly. Also, the suggested syringe is bulky and has complex and delicate moving parts which can be difficult to assemble and expensive to manufacture.
Thus there is still a need for a syringe device with which an accurate amount a liquid can be discharged through a simple operation which avoids the above disadvantages. In particular, syringe device should comprise relatively few and simple parts, should not require excessive amounts of space, should be robust and at the same time should provide reliable fluid discharge.


A fastening tape, mechanical fastener, methods of making them, and personal hygiene articles including them are disclosed. The fastening tape includes a tape backing having a fastening portion, an adhesive disposed on the fastening portion, and a release surface for the adhesive. The release surface is a either a release tape attached along one of its edges to the tape backing or a release coating disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the tape backing. At least one of the tape backing or the release surface comprises a microporous film having an opaque, microporous region and at least one see-through region of lower porosity within the opaque, microporous region. The mechanical fastener includes such a microporous film and mechanical fastening elements on at least one surface. The at least one see-through region extends through the thickness of the microporous film.

A variety of different personal hygiene articles (e.g., absorbent articles such as diapers, adult incontinence products, and sanitary napkins) that include different printed and/or colored regions are available in the market. Printing or coloring on such articles can be attractive to the consumer and help the consumer differentiate between different brands. Some manufacturers of absorbent articles print with multi-colored graphics that are a signature of their brand. Others may use monochromatic printing on the articles. Printing approaches to providing a differentiated product generally use ink, colored adhesives, or heat- or pressure-activated chemical colorants, each of which adds cost to the product that is passed on to consumers. Some recent examples of absorbent articles with patterns or colors include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,324,444 (Hansson et al.) and U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. Nos. 2011/0264064 (Arora et al.) and 2012/0242009 (Mullane et al.).

Fastening tape and mechanical fastener including microporous film


Systems and methods evaluate electrical contact between the myocardium and one or more electrodes inside the heart. The systems and methods electrically sense electrical contact between the myocardium and electrodes and generate unitary contact-indicating outputs indicating the presence or absence of electrical contact between the myocardium and each particular electrode. The systems and methods also correlate the electrode-specific unitary outputs to generate a compound contact-indicating output. The compound output represents the aggregate of the electrical contact between the myocardium and multiple electrodes on a multiple electrode array.

Physicians make use of catheters today in medical procedures to gain access into interior regions of the body to ablate targeted tissue areas. It is important for the physician to be able to precisely locate the catheter and control its emission of energy within the body during tissue ablation procedures.
The need for precise control over the catheter is especially critical during procedures that ablate myocardial tissue from within the heart. These procedures, called electrophysiological therapy, are used to treat cardiac rhythm disturbances.
During these procedures, a physician steers a catheter through a main vein or artery into the interior region of the heart that is to be treated. The physician then further manipulates a steering mechanism to place the electrode carried on the distal tip of the catheter into direct contact with the endocardial tissue. The physician directs energy from the electrode through myocardial tissue either to an indifferent electrode (in a uni-polar electrode arrangement) or to an adjacent electrode (in a bi-polar electrode arrangement) to ablate the tissue and form a lesion.
Physicians examine the propagation of electrical impulses in heart tissue to locate aberrant conductive pathways and to identify foci, which are ablated. The techniques used to analyze these pathways and locate foci are commonly called "mapping."
Conventional cardiac tissue mapping techniques use multiple electrodes positioned in contact with epicardial heart tissue to obtain multiple electrograms. These conventional mapping techniques require invasive open heart surgical techniques to position the electrodes on the epicardial surface of the heart.
An alternative technique of introducing multiple electrode arrays into the heart through vein or arterial accesses to map myocardial tissue is known. Compared to conventional, open heart mapping techniques, endocardial mapping techniques, being comparatively non-invasive, hold great promise. Multiple electrogram signals obtained from within the heart can be externally processed to detect local electrical events and identify likely foci.
To achieve consistent, reliable foci identification rates, all electrodes in a multiple electrode array should be in intimate, electrical contact with heart tissue. With invasive, open heart techniques, multiple electrode contact on exposed epicardial surfaces can be visually confirmed directly by the physician. However, with comparatively non-invasive endocardial mapping techniques, confirming multiple electrode contact within the beating heart can be problematic.
There is the need to provide simple, yet reliable ways of assuring that the electrodes of an endocardial multiple electrode structure are in intimate, electrical contact with tissue within the heart.

Systems and methods for positioning multiple electrode structures in electrical contact with the myocardium


A cylinder in which a liquid pressurizing chamber is formed is inserted into a liquid container. The cylinder has an unitary large-diameter portion and a small-diameter portion. A first piston is slidably received by the large-diameter portion of the cylinder. The cylinder also slidably receives an operation body including a second piston slidably in the large-diameter portion and a third piston slidably in the small-diameter portion. The liquid in the pressurizing chamber defined by the cylinder and the pistons is pressurized as the operation body is depressed overcoming a force of a spring. A stop valve mounted on the second piston is opened in response to the pressure generated in the pressurizing chamber, so that the liquid is allowed to reach, through a passage formed in the first piston, a nozzle for atomizing the liquid.

The present invention relates to a liquid atomizer capable of performing an atomizing apray by an opening of a valve after a building up of a pressure higher than a predetermined pressure of the liquid in a pressurizing chamber.
In typical conventional accumulator type liquid atomizer, the liquid is sucked and pressurized by a reciprocatorily movement of a piston within a cylinder. The pressurized liquid in a pressurizing chamber is atomized and sprayed from a nozzle, through a valve. However, this type of conventional liquid atomizer involved a substantial problem in relation with a mechanism for operating the valve in response to the pressure within the pressurizing chamber.
More specifically, since a valve chamber for actuating the valve to open is mounted above the neck portion of the liquid container, the centroid of the atomizer as a whole is positioned at relatively upper portion of the latter, so as to deteriorate the stability of the liquid atomizer.
In addition, since the valve chamber is formed separately from the liquid pressurizing chamber, the whole structure of the chamber is rendered complicated, to make the mass-production of the atomizer difficult.
Although some of conventional atomizers have the valve chamber disposed at the neck portion of the liquid container, such a modification is far from simplifying the structure, because the valve chamber is formed separately from the liquid pressurizing chamber.
In these conventional liquid atomizers, a smooth atomizing operation is often failed, because the piston, which has to be depressed for the atomization, is placed at relatively high portion of the atomizer and slidingly engages the inner wall of the cylinder only at one peripheral edge thereof.


A dual processor adapter card with a plurality of electrical pins for inserting into a processor slot on a mainboard by which the adapter card is electrically coupled to the mainboard. There is a first and a second processor socket on the adapter card for carrying a first and a second processor respectively. The first and the second processor socket each has a plurality of corresponding pins, a portion of the pins of the first and the second processor socket corresponds to a portion of the electrical pins. Corresponding pins are coupled together. Furthermore, each of the pins that act as a terminal lead in the first and the second processor socket is connected to a pull-up resistor, and the pull-up resistor is connected to a terminal voltage. In addition, a zero-delay buffer for synchronizing clock pulse signals and a voltage regulator for regulating a power voltage into a suitable working voltage are mounted on the adapter card and coupled to the first and the second processor socket respectively.

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 88110635, filed Jun. 24, 1999, the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter card having dual central processing units (CPUs) architecture. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adapter card having dual central processing units (CPUs) architecture for a mainboard having one CPU slot.
2. Description of Related Art
The core element of a mainboard is a central processing unit (CPU). According to the structure and package of the CPU such as K6, K6-2, socket 370 or slot 1, the CPU can be engaged to the mainboard in many ways. Slot 1 is used for engaging Pentium II or III class of CPUs. Pentium II or III class of CPUs is capable of supporting dual processors while the other types cannot.
Currently, attempts have been made to utilize the two slot 1 type of slots on a mainboard. A pair of adapter cards each having a socket 370 type of CPU thereon is formed. The adapter cards are then inserted into the slot 1 type of slots respectively. However, this arrangement is only feasible for a mainboard having a pair of slots. Since most of the mainboard are still of the single slot type, users of the single slot board are unable to reap the benefits of operating a double processor system.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an adapter card having two processor sockets thereon for the engagement of two processors.
A second object of the invention is to provide a dual processor adapter card so that a pair of processors can be used without the need to modify the original layout of a main circuit board.
A third object of the invention is to provide a dual processor adapter card capable of plugging into the slot on a mainboard so that the pair of processors can be utilized. There is no need to modify the original layout of the mainboard except to change the circuit layout on the adapter card and update the content of the basic input/output system (BIOS).
A fourth object of the invention is to provide a dual processor adapter card capable of using cheaper processors whose performance is superior to that of the Pentium II or III class of processors.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a dual processor adapter card. The adapter card comprises a first processor socket and a second processor socket, a zero-delay buffer and a voltage regulator.
The adapter card has a plurality of electrical pins such as a gold fingers structure. When the adapter card is inserted into the processor slot of a mainboard, the processors are electrically connected to the mainboard through the gold fingers. The first and the second processor sockets are mounted on the adapter card. Each of the processor sockets has a plurality of pins that correspond to each other. Moreover, a portion of the pins on the first processor socket and the second processor sockets corresponds to the electrical pins or gold fingers on the adapter card as well. In other words, a daisy chain method is used to receive or transmit the same signal to various corresponding pins. Among the various pins of the first and the second processor socket, the pins that serve as a terminal is coupled to a pull-up resistor, and then connected to a terminal voltage. The zero-delay buffer is also mounted on the adapter card for providing synchronous clock signals to a first and a second processor on the first and the second processor socket respectively. The voltage regulator is similarly mounted on the adapter card for converting a supply voltage to a voltage suitable for operating the first and the second processor on the adapter card.
In actual application, two processors having a socket 370 specification, for example, can be installed on the adapter card of this invention. The adapter card can be inserted into a slot that uses a slot 1 specification. Hence, all mainboards having a slot 1 type of slot can use low cost processors to upgrade into a dual processor computer.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.