A system for controlling access to, service transmission from, and use of an information transmission network which provides an end-user with at will access to the broadband/narrowband service networks deployed in the cable television industry, telephone industry, the multi-media information/services network technology, and the video dial tone industry. Allows the end-user to control the type of services to which such end-user has access to. Network service providers have the ability to provide targeted commercials. Independent interfaced subsystems are combined to yield the network services access system.

Existing one-way network systems are rapidly being retrofitted with two-way capability in response to accelerating technological advances in the field of broadband and/or narrowband information services transmission networking. Such networks are hereinafter referred to as "networks", "broadband/narrowband", or "information networks". In addition, new network systems are being installed initially with two-way capability. These and similar systems provide downstream service by carrying programming signals from a network control and/or programming center(s), hereinafter "center" or "control center", to a desired end-user. Such signals include bandwidths that range from approximately 50 megahertz to the upper end of the transmission spectrum, depending upon the media type used. Upstream signals transmitted from the end-user to the center are typically transmitted over the existing telephone network. Similarly, upstream signals that are transmitted over the network and frequency allocation plans currently in use by cable television operators typically use some or all of the frequency range of 5 to 42 megahertz.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram depiction of a representative bi-directional cable television distribution system currently in use. A center 100, also referred to as the "head-end" of any type information network, transmits signals onto communication links 110. Links 110 feed the transmission to signal splitters 125 which feed a number of end-users 140 through drop lines 130. End-users 140 are located at a "back-end" of such a network. Return signals from end-users 140 to center 100 are generally routed through existing telephone lines.
Video dial tone systems are also evolving in response to rapid technological advances. A video dial-tone system is a type of broadband/narrowband multi-media transmission network system where channels are leased by cable television operators and other information service providers. This type of system merely provides service signal transport and it is anticipated that current frequency allocations will apply. Virtual channels for encoded and/or compressed signals included in these systems will consequently provide a multiplicity of information rates and channel bandwidths.
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram depiction of a representative bi-directional video dial tone network. Such systems add levels of switching 200 and 210 to the broadband network and provide multi-media transmission similar to those systems as described previously. Video dial tone systems furthermore can switch a multiplicity of service providers between a multiplicity of channels.
Broadband/narrowband network communications existent on local, metropolitan, and wide area networks typically rely on communication protocols, such as Token Ring, Ethernet, or Fiber Distributed Digital Interface, to control communications to and from the end-user terminals connected to the network. The interface between the network and the end-user is a network interface module which provides the physical and electrical connection and the proper communication protocol. The use of the network is determined by requiring the end-user to start a session of use by connecting to the network over the public telephone/data network, or through dedicated circuits, and "signing-on". The sign-on is often completed by entering a secured password. "Signing-off" is required at the completion of the session. The sign-on, password, and sign-off information and time are recorded and used to determine usage and other statistical information. No information, other than real time prompts, which facilitates the end-user's access is conveyed from the network controller to the end-user's equipment. Similarly, no information which is based on the end-user's unique selection of services is captured and retained locally within the network and transmitted to the network control center.
Attendant to each of these network systems is the need to provide the end-user with the ability to select from a plurality of services and/or information providers and to properly record those selections for use by the information services provider for customer verification, service billing, and other related purposes. The known manner of providing such a function, however, is industry dependent. By way of example, the cable television industry uses both a services "subscription" and a "pay-per-view" procedure for dissemination and costing the reception of its signals. Single cable systems supply all of the services in the broadband signal spectrum and are presented to the premises of the end-user in the form of a "basic" and a "premium" service. Dual cable systems commonly provide the basic service on one cable and the premium service on a second cable. In both cases, however, the entire broadband spectrum is being transmitted continually to the end-user's premises.
In either single or dual cable systems, basic services are able to be viewed upon connection to the cable television network for the payment of a basic service charge. The premium services similarly are transmitted on conditioned signals which are not capable of being viewed without a cable television company provided set-top terminal having the capability of unlocking the inverse signal conditioning on the channel(s) carrying the service(s).
Subscription end-users generally pay for specific services on a monthly basis. The billing for this service is based exclusively upon a set of end-user's entries in a billing database at the center. Pay-per-view end-users further call into the center and order a distinct program for a specified time. This process causes an entry into the billing database for that end-user and the pay-per-view charge is entered on the next bill with the subscription charge. The network control center then unlocks the inverse signal conditioning circuits in the set-top terminal on the channel which will carry the conditioned signal. These reverse conditioned channels are then moved from the channel on which they reside in the broadband spectrum and applied to the input of the television set or video cassette recorder on one of a few specific channels, typically channels 3 or 4, which is used to interface the set-top box with the end-user's video cassette recorder or television set.
There are many operational deficiencies with the known system configurations, primarily because of the limitation of currently available access technology. Specifically, the inverse signal conditioning function is available in a number of devices which are readily available in the underground electronics marketplace. The fact that every channel on the broadband spectrum is available at the customer's premises allows the use of such underground electronic devices for the theft of services.
Furthermore, the necessity of applying inverse signal conditioning on a service-by-service basis requires a single input and output port set-top terminal per unit of customer premises equipment if each unit is used to access a different service. Continuing with the cable television case as a consistent example, an end-user who desires to record one premium program while viewing a second premium program necessarily must have two set-top terminals; one for the video cassette recorder and another for the television. Cable service operators only provide one set-top box per end-user, even if more than one premium channel is subscribed. If a second set-top box is desired, the end-user must pay an additional installation charge and an additional monthly charge. Where multiple premium services are being subscribed, the existing network configuration thus creates a bottleneck at the set-top box level which is only designed to be wide enough for one service at a time. An end user can pay for many services but can use only one service at a time.
In addition to creating a bottleneck in the network, the set-top terminal significantly constrains the ability of the end-user to exercise the features inherent in contemporary consumer video electronics, such as picture-in-picture features. Feature rich television sets are thus reduced to simple video monitors operating on either channel 3, 4, or the like when used with set-top technology.
Video dial tone services, mentioned previously, are providing broadband services from a number of competitive multi-media information service providers that are available to many potential end-users. These services further exasperate the current subscription and network use problems. Multiple premium services are now available from multiple vendors. Should video dial tone meet its promise and the Federal Communication Commission's expectations, such vendors will be competing on a service-by-service basis. Each vendor will be required to protect their service from theft and ensure payment for its use. The services will be signal conditioned for protection and each vendor will have its own unique signal conditioning protection. For there to be true competition, however, end-users will be required to have a compliment of set-top boxes for each vendor. This situation creates a multiplicity of installation costs and recurring monthly costs. Absent the end-user absorbing these exaggerated costs, there will therefore be no true competition between such broadband service vendors.
Additional technical, operational, and economic deficiencies to the present cable television and video dial tone networks are existent. Such deficiencies include the elimination of impulse buying of services, the inability to: a. provide directed commercial advertising, b. automatically bill for services used, c. use services without presubscription, d. understand which channels end-users are using, e. to prevent theft of services, and f. provide billable services without an apparatus in the customer's home.
There have been attempts in the prior art at monitoring data network system usage at the customer's premises to aid in building databases typically used for billing the end-user. One monitoring method, utilized specifically in the television industry, identifies a local oscillator signal and its harmonic radiation and/or propagation which thus identifies the particular frequency being used by the end-user. This method and an apparatus to accomplish the same is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,302 to Fulmer et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. The local oscillator signal, however, is a parasitic effect of a television and essentially an undesired result. Consequently, future televisions will eventually eliminate it, thus rendering such methods of detection obsolete and unusable.
Another method of monitoring end-user use at the customer premises includes measuring the flyback voltage variations at the picture tube. Such a system is similarly inefficient.
Each of these devices and methods suffers from the same operational and practical problems discussed previously.
Accordingly, there is a great need for a broadband/narrowband information provision and reception network that allows a multiplicity of end-users to more conveniently and efficiently obtain customer unique access and select at will from a broad range of service and/or information providers. Such a system optimally includes an efficient means for recording those selections for use by the service provider for customer verification, service billing, and other related purposes. There is a further need to provide product commercial information important to specified groups of customers rather than commercials of a generic nature that are arbitrarily disseminated to broad groups. In addition, there is also a need to transform optimized multi-media signals to signals that are useful to end-user's existing equipment.

Broadband communications network services access platform


An Ethernet transmission apparatus having a quick protection and fair attribute as well as a corresponding method are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a sorter, MPLS processing module and a SDH processing module, wherein, the MPLS processing module includes a VC tag packaging unit, a multiplexing unit, a tag managing unit, a scheduler, an MPLS protective unit, an MPLS signaling unit and a Fair algorithm unit. The present invention sorts the Ethernet transactions and labels VC tags by the VC tag packaging unit so as to form a PW LSP. PW LSP with a plurality of identical source and target ends are multiplexed into a tunnel LSP. MPLS signaling unit counts the network nodes that LSP passes by and calculates a protective LSP. MPLS protective unit selects an active LSP or a protective LSP and enters the scheduler for queuing. The FAIR algorithm controls the allotment of the bandwidth so as to secure the fairness of the transactions.

MPLS (Multiple Protocol Label Switching) technology was proposed in 1997 by IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). MPLS adopts tags to package the data in upper layers. The MPLS label is added/moved by routers at the edge of a network, it imitates the quick and simple switches in the centre of the network and to perform one-routing-multiple switching for one connecting request and thus improve the network performance. MPLS adopts a simplest technology to perform the transfer from a third layer to a second layer. The MPLS technology has become a predominant technology for the core network.
Ethernet transaction has become a major task of the operators and it has become a tendency to transmit Ethernet transactions in a MPLS network. IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) PWE3 (edge-to-edge pseudo wires) faculty is drafting a specification which specifies the Ethernet transaction being encapsulated through Martini MPLS with VC (virtual Circuit) label is added to form a PW LSP (pseudo wire label switching path), with multiple PW LSP having identical source and destination ends multiplexed to one tunnel LSP through added tunnel labels, and transmitted in package-switching network.
In PWE3 technology, the setup of LSP may be performed through a RSVP-TE (resource reservation and reserved engineering protocol) signaling (cf. RFC3209 in IETF). The protection of LSP may be performed through adopting LSP linear protection (1:1 or 1+1) and fast reroutes (cf. ITU-T(International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunications) proposal Y.1720).
Typically, an Ethernet adopts a do-its-best principle. When the network is congested, the packet is discarded and thus the transmission of a bandwidth can not be assured. To ensure the transmission of the bandwidth, it is required that the Ethernet have a fair attribute. The fair attribute of an Ethernet transaction refers to such a situation that, when the network is congested while in transmission, different transaction will be assured to have a different bandwidth. Typically the fairness can be embodied by RPR (Resilient Package Ring) (cf. IEEE802.17).
PWE 3 scheme has not included a solution to the fairness for Ethernet transactions, especially when transaction protection occurs. Extra transactions in the protective channel are discarded and thus the fairness in the transaction on the protective LSP can not be ensured.
With the development of the SDH (synchronous digital hierarchy) network, operator's cost in network will be significantly reduced if data traffics can be high-effectively and flexibly transmitted on MPLS.
It will be difficult to provide a solution within the aforesaid technical frame.

Ethernet transmission apparatus with a quick protective and fair attribute and its method


Systems to extend signal transfer used with a camera device comprise a first location station with a first receiver and a second receiver. The first receiver receives wireless signals from a user device that are changed and sent through a fiber optic cable to a second location station. The second receiver receives signals through the cable from the second location station, which signals are changed to wireless signals output to a user device. The second location station comprises a third receiver that receives from the cable from the first location station, which signals are changed to wireless signals output to a camera device. The second location comprises a fourth receiver that receives wireless signals from the camera device, which signals are changed at the first location to signals sent through the cable from the second location station to the first location station.

The use of wireless communications for controlling and monitoring the operation of another device is known and an example of this is the use of a remote control for the purpose of controlling another device such as a camera, camera platform or ancillary devices. Typically, the remote control is a user-operated device that emits a wireless signal that is capable of being received by the device being controlled. However, in such conventional wireless controlled systems the device being controlled must be within a designated distance from the control device, and with minimal obstructions or the wireless signal will not be received and will not operate to control the device.
The use of extenders is known in the art for increasing the operative distance between a wireless control device and the device to be wirelessly controlled. In an example, such extender may be in the form of hard cable and or device that is interposed between a receiver and a transmitter for respectively receiving a wireless signal emitted from the control device and sending the signal through the hard electrical cable to the receiver located near the device being controlled, wherein the transmitter emits a wireless control signal to be received by the device being controlled.
While such conventional wireless extender systems may be known, there is a need to provide not only a greater degree of control options to a user for the purpose of wirelessly controlling designated devices at a remote location, but the need to provide information regarding the device being controlled back to a user in a wireless manner so that each of the user and the device being controlled is freely movable and not hindered by the use of cables and the like. Further, in the area of camera device control, there are a great many operating features of camera devices and devices ancillary to the camera devices that would benefit from being able to be controlled by a user from a remote location, outside of the range of conventional wireless communications, in a manner that enable both the user and the camera devices to move freely without the restraints imposed by cabled communications connections.
It is, therefore, desired that a system be developed that enables the control of and/or feedback from camera devices and devices ancillary thereto by a user from a remote location outside of the range of conventional wireless communications in a wireless manner at both the user end and/or the camera device end. It is further desired that the system be configured in a manner that enables wireless communication of further information between the user and the camera so as to provide the user with an enhanced knowledge of real-time operational and/or location-aware information about the camera or other related devices.

System for extended wireless use of cameras and ancillary devices


A motor-driven treadmill includes a stationary ultrasonic range finder which continuously measures the distance to the torso of a person walking or running on the moving tread of the treadmill. When the person approaches too closely to the front of the treadmill, the treadmill speed and/or the treadmill slope are increased; and when the person retreats too far away from the front of the treadmill, the treadmill speed and/or the treadmill slope are decreased. The response of the treadmill speed and/or slope control system may be improved by making the controller responsive to the rate of change of the distance between the person using the treadmill and the front of the treadmill, so as to provide anticipation of the distances which will be traversed by the user of the treadmill.

This invention relates to a motor-driven treadmill for providing a variable level of exercise, and more particularly to a treadmill of that type wherein the level of exercise is responsive to the performance of a person using the treadmill.
Treadmills which are capable of varying the level of exercise, by varying the speed and/or slope of the treadmill by means of controls operated by the user, are known in the art.
Also known in the art are treadmills which are capable of automatically varying the speed and/or slope of the treadmill according to a predetermined program, based on either (i) the amount of time elapsed since the start of the program, or (ii) the total amount of user effort as determined by elapsed time as well as treadmill speed and/or treadmill slope.
Ogden et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,928 has hand rails with a speed control mounted on one of the rails.
Pittaway et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,181 incorporates a central processing unit which monitors various speed-related parameters and shuts down the treadmill if the parameters indicate a malfunction.
Sweeney, Sr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,266 incorporates a microprocessor which provides pre-programmed speed variation as well as a display indicative of the performance of the user.
Kuo U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,313 relates to a mechanical arrangement for speed changing purposes.
Lin U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,375 relates to a mechanical arrangement for manually changing treadmill speed by turning a handle bar.
While these treadmills allow walking or running exercise in a confined space, they also require the person exercising to match the motion of the moving surface, at whatever speed and/or slope has been pre-programmed into the treadmill or set by the user. Since the apparatus thus "controls" the user, a risk of injury exists.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved treadmill which is more convenient and safe to use than those of the prior art, and which varies the degree of difficulty of exercise thereon according to the actual current performance of the user.
Another object of the invention is to provide improved exercise apparatus which adapts the speed and/or slope of a moving medium traversed by the user to the exercise capability of the user.
A further object of the invention is to provide a treadmill which is capable of more accurately determining the energy expended by the user, as compared with prior art treadmills.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a treadmill which is capable of determining the cadence and gait of the user.


The present invention relates to a vector comprising a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the APP protein and/or the PS1 protein or variants thereof. The invention also relates to a method for inducing the Alzheimer's disease in an animal using the vector of the invention and to animal model having the Alzheimer's disease obtained by said method.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequently encountered form of dementia (about 70% of dementia cases). With improved life expectancy, especially in developed countries, the incidence of dementia has dramatically increased and current forecasts speak in terms of a doubling of the number of persons affected every 20 years. In France, it is estimated that more than 850,000 people (with a majority of woman) are currently suffering from dementia, and around 225,000 new cases appear each year. AD is characterized by the accumulation of senile plaques (SP), neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), and selective synaptic and neuronal loss in plaques are composed of insoluble extracellular aggregates consisting mainly of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides derived from proteolytic cleavages of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Genetic studies, together with the demonstration of a direct toxic effect of Aβ, led to the development of the amyloid cascade hypothesis to explain the Aβ-associated neurodegenerative process. Aβ rapidly aggregates to form amorphous and fibrillar oligomers, which then deposit to build senile plaques. A number of studies have provided evidence that βCTF and soluble Aβ oligomers are more toxic to cells than mature fibrils (Kayed et al., 2003) and these neurotoxic peptides are originally produced by the cleavage of APP.
Mutations in genes that encode APP or proteases that generate Aβ (PS1; PS2) are responsible for the familial forms (5% of cases) of AD (Selkoe et al., 2001).
Different AD animal models have been developed, most of them being transgenic mouse models obtained by transferring genes carrying mutations identified in familial AD including APP, PS1 and PS2 (Lee and Han, 2013). Although not perfect, these models offer a mean to gain knowledge on the physiopathology of AD but they also suffer from various limitations (expression of neurotoxic peptides from in utero development, associated compensatory effect, genetic drift in particular) which impair their use in research.
The use of viral vectors to develop experimental models would be a valuable breakthrough in the field. AAV vectors are attractive tools for gene transfer in the central nervous system (CNS) due to their lack of toxicity, their strong capacity to transduce neurons and to stably express recombinant proteins (for several years in rodents, dogs and primates). Viral vectors have already and are currently being used in several clinical trials in human patients worldwide (Cartier et al., 2009). The use of viral vectors to develop new animal models of neurodegenerative disorders is currently under investigation (Deglon and Hantraye, 2005). This strategy holds various advantages compared to classical transgenic approaches: viral vectors are versatile, highly flexible tools to perform in vivo studies and multiple genetic models can be created in a short period of time. High transduction efficiencies as well as robust and sustained transgene expression lead to the rapid appearance of functional and behavioral abnormalities and severe neurodegeneration. Targeted injections in different brain areas can be used to investigate the regional specificity of the neuropathology and eliminate potential side effects associated with a widespread overexpression of the transgene. Finally, models can be established in different mammalian species including large animals like dogs, pigs and non-human primates, thereby providing an opportunity to assess complex behavioral changes and perform longitudinal follow-up of neuropathological alterations by imaging. Lentiviral or AAV vectors were successfully injected in the brain of adult mice, rats or primates to create models of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's, Parkinson's, Machado-Joseph diseases (Kirik et al., 2002; Lo Bianco et al., 2002).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale)

Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)


An electrosurgical device having an electrode and an insulating piece such as a ceramic insulator is disclosed. The electrode includes an active surface for ablating and/or coagulating tissue in an electrosurgical procedure. The insulating piece surrounds the active surface and provides a barrier for the intense heat created during ablation. The insulating piece is also electrically nonconductive to prevent unwanted discharge of energy. Electrode has a retaining ledge configured to engage a lip formed on the insulating ring. The insulating ring is secured to the electrosurgical device by connecting the electrode to an electrode seat and capturing the insulating piece in between. The electrode can be connected to the electrode seat by projection welding. The insulating piece is connected to the electrode without the use of an adhesive.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrosurgical devices for ablating tissue in a surgical procedure. More specifically, the present invention relates to electrosurgical devices with an adhesive-free insulating piece surrounding the electrode.
2. The Relevant Technology
An arthroscope is an instrument used to look directly into a surgical site. Typically, the arthroscope utilizes a magnifying lens and coated glass fibers that beam an intense, cool light into the surgical site. A camera attached to the arthroscope allows the surgeon to view the surgical site on a monitor in the operating room. With the arthroscope, the surgeon can look directly into a surgical site, such as a knee or shoulder, to diagnose injury and decide on the best treatment. While viewing the surgical site with the arthroscope, the surgeon can repair an injury using a separate surgical instrument.
The ability to view the surgical site in this manner allows for a minimally invasive procedure. In recent years, arthroscopic surgeries have been developed for surgical procedures that traditionally were once very complicated and time consuming. Many of these surgeries are now performed as outpatient procedures using arthroscopic techniques.
At the beginning of the arthroscopic procedure, the patient receives an anesthetic. After the patient has been sufficiently anesthetized, the surgeon makes a plurality of incisions, known as portals, from the exterior of the body of the patient to the surgical site. Three portals are usually made: a first for the arthroscope, a second for the surgical instrument, and a third to permit fluids to escape from the surgical site. Sterile fluid is generally introduced by way of the arthroscope through the first portal. The sterile fluid serves among other purposes to expand the area of the surgical site. The insertion of sterile fluid makes it easier to see and work inside the body of the patient at the surgical site.
Electrosurgical instruments are a common device used in arthroscopy to ablate and/or coagulate tissue. In electrosurgery, an electrode is used to direct a high frequency current near or through body tissue. The high frequency current generates enough heat to ablate tissue. In monopolar electrosurgery the return electrode is a patch placed on the person. Energy that dissipates into the tissue connects the circuit by passing through the patch.
In a bipolar electrosurgical device, the return electrode is placed in a separate location on the electrosurgical device. Energy leaving the ablator electrode passes through fluids and/or tissue and returns to the return electrode on the electrosurgical device.
In both monopolar and bipolar electrosurgery, an electrode transfers energy to the surrounding fluid. The energy can be controlled to simply warm the adjacent tissue or to cut or ablate the tissue. Warming tissue is often done to facilitate coagulation. The heating event causes coagulation and thus can be used to stop bleeding in an arthroscopic procedure.
To ablate tissue, larger amounts of energy are applied to the electrode. The electrode generates enough heat to create gas bubbles around the electrode. The gas bubbles have a much higher resistance than tissue or saline, which causes the electrode voltage to increase. Given sufficient power the electrode discharges (i.e. arcs). The high voltage current travels through the gas bubbles and creates a plasma discharge over the surface of the electrode. Moving the electrode close to tissue causes the plasma discharge to come within a distance sufficiently close to ablate the tissue.
The contours and surface area of an electrode are important for controlling where arcing occurs on the electrode and how much power is required to cause a discharge. Current density is greatest at sharp edges. Arcing, and thus ablating, can be controlled by forming electrodes or electrode edges with small surface areas.
Typically, edges or small surface areas are created on an electrode by forming grooves or placing small wires. An important aspect of an electrode is that non-active surfaces must be electrically isolated from material such as the electrically conductive saline on the exterior of the electrode. Electrical conduction to these materials can ground the circuit and prevent the electrode from delivering its current to the active surface. For example wires or conducting materials that deliver current through the probe to the active surface need to be electronically isolated from the exterior of the probe, which can come into contact with body tissues during a procedure.
Much of the length of an electrosurgical probe is coated with an insulator or has lead wires that run inside insulated tubing. Near the active surface, however, insulating the electrodes becomes more difficult because of the extreme heat generated by the active surface. Many existing electrosurgical devices use an insulator such as a ceramic piece to protect the active portion of the electrode. For example electrodes that use multiple pins typically have a ceramic piece with holes for each of the pins. The pins are inserted through the holes and then the ceramic piece is glued to the probe's tubing using a temperature resistant adhesive.
Likewise, many single piece electrodes use a ceramic ring that encircles the active portion of the electrode. Typically the electrode is welded to an electrode seat or other tubing. The ceramic piece is then placed around the active portion of the electrode and glued using a temperature resistant adhesive.
Often, the ceramic piece only covers a small portion of the electrode near the active portion of the electrode. This practice is due to the fact that the extreme temperatures reached by the active surface dissipate very rapidly with distance away from the active surface. After a small distance other materials which are less resistant to temperature can be used as an insulator.
One problem with gluing the insulating piece to the probe using a temperature resistant adhesive is that the adhesive bonds can fail due to local high temperatures. Although the failure rates of the insulating piece are somewhat low, the consequences of the ceramic piece failing are very undesirable. If an insulating piece breaks off it falls into the operating cavity. Surgeons are often reluctant to leave foreign material in a person's body and thus spend precious time looking for the piece through the arthroscope. Furthermore, failure of the insulating piece is undesirable because it requires the surgeon to replace the instrument, thus increasing costs.
Another disadvantage of gluing the ceramic piece to the electrode is the expense incurred to manufacture the electrode. Electrosurgical probes are very small and asseyymbled by hand. Gluing a small insulating piece to the insulator using a temperature resistant adhesive is a labor intensive step that increases the complexity and expense of manufacturing the electrosurgical instrument.
Therefore, what is needed is an electrosurgical device that prevents the insulating piece from failing and simplifies the manufacturing process.

Electrosurgical device with adhesive-free insulating piece and method of making same


A rotary atomizing cup has an internal concave opening and a distributor member disposed in said opening for passing particles through the distributor member to an atomizing ring as the cup is being rotated. The distributor member is formed of a polymer material, the cup body of aluminum and the atomizing ring of stainless steel.

This invention relates to a multi-material electrostatic spray bell cup for atomizing a coating material. The cup is connected to a high voltage source and rotated at several thousand revolutions per minute to deliver atomized particles of the coating material such as paint, varnish, and the like to an oppositely charged target structure.
The general profile of the cup is well known in the art, and includes a front distributor with a peripheral, ring-shaped atomizing surface. The distributor has a circular array of small radial channels at its periphery. The channels discharge the coating material onto the atomizer ring.
A similar cup structure may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,510 which was issued Jun. 26, 1990, to Richard Weinstein for "Rotary Atomizer with Air Cap and Retainer".
Prior art cups are made of aluminum because the material is lightweight and rigid. Modern paints have an abrasive characteristic which wears channels or radial grooves in the atomizer ring and inside the distributor. The grooves deteriorate the performance of the cup and ultimately require cup replacement. The cups are expensive to replace because of their high precision.
Stainless steel has extremely good wear characteristics, however, its density, several times that of aluminum, makes it unsuitable to make the entire cup with this material.
Another factor that influences the wear characteristic of prior art cups is that the distributor is supported on the inside of the cup by several legs. The paint enters the center of the cup, and then passes around the inside wall of distributor to an annular series of openings. The legs supporting the distributor interrupt the flow pattern thereby creating areas with substantial wear, and paint build-up, distorting the smooth flow path of the paint.
I have found that the maximum wear occurs on the atomizer cup edge where the paint causes a chemical etching of the material.
The broad purpose of the present invention is to extend the service life of bell cups by providing a composite cup formed of different materials. The outer structure comprises an aluminum cup which forms the rear as well as a major portion of the circumference of the cup. A disk-shaped distributor is mounted in the cup. The distributor is made of a lightweight, high strength polymer which provides an improved wear resistance with respect to aluminum. A stainless steel atomizer ring is mounted along the forward edge of the cup around the distributor. The atomizer ring provides maximum toughness to minimize wear and to provide high chemical resistivity.
A stainless steel atomizer ring provides improved wear characteristics in a localized area where the maximum wear occurs in prior art cups. The weight of the stainless steel component is reduced by limiting it to a ring.
The distributor is not supported by legs to the inside of the cup but rather comprises an annular section that is seated in the cup, and a disk shaped element that is suspended by the structure between distributor channels. This eliminates any interruption of the paint flow path from where it enters the cup behind the distributor to the channels at its periphery where it passes through the distributor.
The improved bell cup is useful with modern abrasive coating materials. It provides a long wearing material in those areas that tend to wear out before the balance of the cup.
Still further objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains upon reference to the following detailed description.


A method includes receiving, by a warehouse server, flash sale data file from a retail-type server. The method further includes storing, by the warehouse server, the flash sale data file in a database that functions as a virtual warehouse of flash sales. The method further includes interpreting, by the warehouse server, the information of the flash sale data file to determine flash sale parameters. The method further includes determining, by the warehouse server, whether a computing device has customer-device data that corresponds to the flash sale parameters. The method further includes, when the computing device has the customer-device data that corresponds to the flash sale parameters, generating, by the warehouse server, a customer specific coupon regarding the flash sale. The method further includes transmitting, by the warehouse server, the customer specific coupon to the computing device.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mobile applications to promote sales. More particularly, the present invention relates to mobile applications to allow physical brick and mortar stores to leverage digital alerts to create flash sales in real-time.
2. Description of Related Art
"Flash sales" are discounts offered by retailers that last for only a short amount of time. The flash sales may only last for a few hours, minutes, or even seconds, depending on various factors including, but not limited to, the popularity of the product, the available quantity, and the discount amount. Some flash sales can have discounted prices up to 90% off of the retail price.
Flash sales are typically offered on the Internet. An online retailer will put a product for sale (with limited quantity) at a major discount for a limited time. Online retailers will generally send an email to its subscriber list to advertise the sale and the time urgency to make a purchase. Current flash sale approaches, however, are unable to direct alerts to prospective customers in close physical proximity (e.g., within a store).

Computer-implemented application for brick and mortar flash sales


A system for monitoring a subsea well is presented. The system includes the subsea well, where the subsea well includes a production tube, an annulus A co-axial to the production tube and positioned exterior to the production tube, an annulus B co-axial to the annulus A and positioned exterior to the annulus A, and a casing wall disposed between the annulus A and annulus B. Furthermore, the system includes a first sensor disposed on or about the production tube, the annulus A, the casing wall, or combinations thereof and configured to measure a first parameter. The system also includes a controller coupled to the subsea well and configured to analyze the first parameter measured by the first sensor and detect an anomaly in one or more components of the subsea well. Methods and non-transitory computer readable medium configured to perform the method for monitoring a subsea well are also presented.

The invention relates generally to monitoring of components of a subsea well and more specifically to monitoring of pressure/stress in annulus A and annulus B in the subsea well.
In hydrocarbon production, risers, wellheads, and Christmas trees are used as physical interfaces to aid in the flow of hydrocarbons from an oil well to an oil producing asset. To ensure effective collection of hydrocarbons, it is desirable to actively monitor the integrity of a subsea well. The integrity of the subsea well may be compromised due to leakages in production tube, casings or cement work of a well or a wellhead structure, thereby causing pressure to build up in the annulus such as annulus A and annulus B of the subsea well. In certain cases, the tubing of the subsea well may collapse if the pressure difference between different annuli exceeds a threshold value. Therefore, measuring pressure in the annuli and/or the stress in the casing of the subsea wells is crucial for detecting any compromise in the integrity of subsea wells.
Conventionally, pressure sensing in the annulus A of a subsea wellhead is accomplished using traditional pressure sensors. Also, in subsea applications, regulations prohibit any drilling/wiring through a casing wall between the annulus A and B. Accordingly, due to the lack of direct access to the annulus B, measurement of the pressure in the annulus B may be accomplished by disposing a pressure sensor in the annulus B. In addition, disposing the sensor in the annulus B entails providing a communication link and a power supply to the sensor without penetrating the annulus B, in order to avoid a potential leak path in the annulus B. Moreover, these pressure sensors may experience failures due to aging, dirt, moisture, changes in the composition of the ambient fluid, and the like. Replacement of the defective sensors is a challenging task.

System and method for monitoring a subsea well


An image processing apparatus includes a full feature point detection section for detecting as a full feature point a point whose pixel value changes significantly along any line through the point, and a semi feature point detection section for detecting as a semi feature point a point whose pixel value hardly changes along one line through the point but changes significantly along other lines through the point.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for aligning images by detecting features. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image processing apparatus applied in an imaging device such as a digital camera, etc. which electrically shoots an object using an image pickup device such as a CCD and CMOS, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
When shooting a dark object such as a night view, etc. using an imaging device such as a digital camera etc., in addition to opening an aperture and delaying a shutter speed, it is effective to enhance photographing sensitivity, namely, to enhance signal amplification of an image pickup device such as a CCD and CMOS, etc. However, if the photographing sensitivity gets too high, a noise such as an internal noise of the image pickup device will increase and an image becomes visually undesirable.
Accordingly, Japanese Laid-Open (Kokai) Patent Application No. 2004-357040 discloses an art (hereinafter referred to as conventional prior art) for reducing the noise by synthesizing a plurality of images that are taken in series. This is based on the findings that when a plurality of images that are taken of a same object in series are synthesized by overlapping them, random noise components are averaged while the object section of the synthesized image increases in proportion to the number of images. This enables reducing noise and enhancing photographing sensitivity, thereby enabling improvement of shooting performance of a dark object.
Meanwhile, due to a generally slow shutter speed when taking an image of a dark object, camera shake may occur. In addition, in the case where images of a same object are taken in series, a subtle shift may occur in the camera composition at each shoot timing.
Accordingly, merely "synthesizing a plurality of images that are taken of a same object in series by overlapping them" is not sufficient and it is necessary to enhance overlapping accuracy, namely, to perform precise alignment of the subject images. Regarding this aspect, the conventional prior art specifies that it extracts a "feature point" from a plurality of images that are taken of a same object in series and performs alignment (i.e., coordinate transformation) such that the feature points from these images are overlapped with each other.
In the conventional prior art, a "feature point" is defined as a "point at which luminance is high." However, it refers more generally to a point for which a motion vector (i.e., an optical flow) can be determined because a pixel value changes significantly when the pixel is moved along any line.
However, the conventional prior art as described above has a problem which should be improved.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an object for explaining inconvenience caused by the conventional prior art. This object example comprises a sky 1 as a background, a building 3 having a number of windows 2 on the left, a utility pole 4 on the right, and electric cables 5, 6 that are stretched from and across the pole 4 from the top to the right bottom of the diagram. A dotted frame 7 on the left side of the diagram shows a photograph composition which does not cause inconvenience in synthesizing images (hereinafter referred to as a first composition 7) and a dotted frame 8 in the upper side of the diagram shows a photograph composition which causes in-convenience (hereinafter referred to as a second composition 8).
FIG. 19A is a diagram showing feature points in the first composition 7, and FIG. 19B is a diagram showing feature points in the second composition 8. The conventional prior art as described above extracts points with a high luminance in the image as the feature point. Accordingly, points with high luminance, that is, a corner of the outer wall of the building 3, a corner of the window 2 and the like are extracted as feature points both in the first composition 7 and the second composition 8 (See black circles in the diagram).
The difference between the first composition 7 and the second composition 8 lies in unevenness in distribution of the feature points. In other words, they differ in that while the feature points are uniformly distributed in the image in the first composition 7, the feature points are distributed unevenly in a part of the image (i.e., at the left bottom corner in this diagram) in the second composition 8.
In this example, when a plurality of images that are taken of a same object in series are synthesized, alignment has to be performed only at one section of the image (such as a center of the image, etc.) in principle. In a practical point of view, however, because there are a multitude of factors that may contribute to a minute error in alignment such as image distortion caused by peripheral aberration of the photographing lens, the limit of the image resolution, fluctuation of the light source, deformation of the object itself and the like (hereinafter referred to as an alignment error factors), alignment is essential at various points in the image.
In light of the foregoing points, when attention is paid to the first composition 73 and the second composition 8 as described above, since the feature points exist evenly in the image in the first composition 7, alignment can be performed without any inconvenience when a plurality of images are synthesized. On the other hand, since the feature points exist only in a part of the image in the second composition 8, precise alignment is possible only in the corresponding position (i.e., the portion where the feature points exist) when a plurality of images are synthesized. Accordingly, for the remaining portion (i.e., the portion where the sky 1 and the wire cables 5, 6 appear), there is no choice but to perform alignment indirectly referring to the information on remote feature points. Accordingly, this is problematic in that the alignment error factors as described above may lead to misalignment in the remaining portion (i.e., the portion where the sky 1 and the wire cables 5, 6 appear).
Therefore, the first object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of extracting feature points evenly from all portions of the image.
The second object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of accurately tracking an object in all portions of the image.
The third object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of precise alignment at all portions of the image when images are synthesized.

Apparatus and method for aligning images by detecting features


The present patent application relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a TRPA1 antagonist and an analgesic agent. Particularly, the present patent application provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a thienopyrimidinedione compound as a TRPA1 antagonist and an analgesic agent; and use of such composition for treating pain in a subject.

Pain is described as a complex constellation of unpleasant sensory, emotional and cognitive experiences provoked by real or perceived tissue damage and is manifested by certain autonomic, psychological and behavioral reactions and is a disease of epidemic proportions. From a neurobiological perspective, pain is believed to be of three different aspects: first, pain that is an early warning physiological protective system, essential to detect and minimize contact with damaging or noxious stimuli and is called 'nociceptive pain'; second, pain that is adaptive and protective, by heightening sensory sensitivity after unavoidable tissue damage, which is mainly caused by activation of the immune system by tissue injury or infection and is normally called 'inflammatory pain'; and the third type is pain which is not protective, but maladaptive resulting from abnormal functioning of the nervous system and generally called as 'pathological pain'. This pathological pain is believed to be not a symptom of some disorder but rather a disease state of the nervous system, can occur after damage to the nervous system (neuropathic pain) or a situation where there is no such damage or inflammation (dysfunctional pain—like fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, temporomandibular joint disease, interstitial cystitis and other syndromes where there is substantial pain but no noxious stimulants and minimal/no peripheral inflammatory pathology).
Neuropathic pain is a pain caused by damage or disease that affects the somatosensory system. It may be associated with abnormal sensations called dysesthesia, and pain produced by normally non-painful stimuli (allodynia). Neuropathic pain may result from disorders of the peripheral nervous system or the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Thus, neuropathic pain may be divided into peripheral neuropathic pain, central neuropathic pain, or mixed (peripheral and central) neuropathic pain. Some treatment options for neuropathic pain include antidepressants (e.g. tricyclics and selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI's)), anticonvulsants (such as pregabalin, gabapentin, carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine and topical lidocaine. Opioid analgesics and tramadol are recognized as useful agents but are generally less recommended as first line treatments.
Analgesic agents include a group of drugs used to relieve pain and thus achieve analgesia. Analgesic drugs act in various ways on the peripheral and central nervous systems Analgesics include various drugs such as acetaminophen (also called paracetamol), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) that inhibit mainly the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) and in turn reduce the synthesis of prostaglandins, adjuvant medications that help in reduction of pain such as serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NERIs), tricyclic antidepressants, and the likes. Examples of analgesic agents include acetaminophen, aspirin, diflunisal, ibuprofen, naproxen, fenoprofen, fenbuten, flurbiprofen, indoprofen, ketoprofen, indomethacin, ketorolac, diclofenac, nabumetone, piroxicam, meloxicam, tenoxicam, mefenamic acid, tolfenamic acid, meclofenamic acid, tolfenamic acid, celecoxib, rofecoxib, valdecoxib, parecoxib, lumiracoxib, nimesulide, licofenole, phenylbutazone, oxphenbutazone, antipyrine, aminopyrine, thiocolchicoside, duloxetine, milnacipran, amitriptylene, desipramine, imipramine, bupropion, lefetamine, methylphenidate, pregabalin, paroxetine, citalopram, clonidine, guanfacine, tizaidine morphine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone and the like or salts thereof.
Acetaminophen extended release tablet (TYLENOL® marketed by McNeil Cons) is indicated for management of mild to moderate pain, moderate to severe pain with adjunctive opioid analgesics and reduction of fever.
Ibuprofen is available as oral tablet (300 mg, 400 mg, 600 mg and 800 mg) and suspension (100 mg/5 mL) and used for the management of mild to moderate pain, and for management of moderate to severe pain as an adjunct to opioid analgesics.
Naproxen is available in the form of naproxen base (NAPROSYN® tablets as 250 mg, 375 mg and 500 mg; EC-NAPROSYN® delayed-release tablets as 375 mg and 500 mg and as a suspension—125 mg/5 mL), and as sodium salt (ANAPROX® tablets as 225 mg and ANAPROX DS®—500 mg) and oral suspension form (NAPROSYN®. Naproxen is indicated for the relief of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and juvenile arthritis.
Diclofenac (VOLTAREN®-XR 100 mg extended-release tablets) is indicated for the relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Meloxicam (MOBIC® tablet 7.5 mg or 15 mg) and a suspension (7.5 mg/5 mL). Meloxicam is approved for the relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, arthritis and pauciarticular or polyarticular course Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis in patients 2 years of age and older.
Duloxetine hydrochloride (CYMBALTA® 20 mg, 30 mg and 60 mg capsules) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), for the management of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPNP), chronic musculoskeletal pain and fibromyalgia.
Pregabalin (LYRICA capsules of 25 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg, 225 mg, and 300 mg; and a solution of 20 mg/mL) is indicated for management of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), post herpetic neuralgia, fibromyalgia, and in the treatment of partial onset seizures.
Gabapentin is available as NEURONTIN capsule (100 mg, 300 mg, or 400 mg), Neurontin tablet (600 mg or 800 mg); and Neurontin oral solution (250 mg of gabapentin per 5 mL) It is indicated for management of postherpetic neuralgia and in the treatment of partial onset seizures.
Thiocolchicoside is prescribed as a skeletal muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anesthetic at doses of 2 mg, 4 mg, 8 mg and 16 mg.
It is believed TRPA1 is expressed in nociceptive neurons. Nociceptive neurons of the nervous system sense the peripheral damage and transmit pain signals. TRPA1 receptor is activated by a number of irritants that cause pain, including allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and allicin, the pungent ingredients in mustard and garlic extracts, respectively; as well as α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, such as acrolein. The TRPA1 channel is the primary molecular site through which the pain pathway gets activated through an unusual mechanism involving covalent modification of cysteine and lysine residues within the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the channel protein. Thus, TRPA1 modulators are highly implicated in the alleviation of pain.
PCT Application Publication Nos. viz., WO 2004/055054, WO 2005/089206, WO 2007/073505, WO 2008/0949099, WO 2009/089082, WO 2009/002933 WO 2009/158719, WO 2009/144548, WO 2010/004390, WO 2010/109287, WO 2010/109334, WO 2010/109329, WO 2010/109328, WO 2010/125469, WO 2010/004390, WO 2011/043954 and WO 2010/141805 describe various transient receptor potential ("TRP") receptor modulators.
There still exists a need for easy to use and effective treatments for pain and further pain relieving compositions.

Pharmaceutical composition comprising a TRPA1 antagonist and an analgesic agent


Flip chip LEDs incorporate multi-layer reflectors and light transmissive substrates patterned along an internal surface adjacent to semiconductor layers. A multi-layer reflector may include a metal layer and a dielectric layer containing conductive vias. Portions of a multi-layer reflector may wrap around a LED mesa including an active region, while being covered with passivation material. A substrate patterned along an internal surface together with a multi-layer reflector enables reduction of optical losses. A light transmissive fillet material proximate to edge emitting surfaces of an emitter chip may enable adequate coverage with lumiphoric material. An emitter chip may be elevated with increased thickness of solder material and/or contacts, and may reduce luminous flux loss when reflective materials are present on a submount. Methods for coating emitter chips with lumiphoric material include one or more of angled spray coating, fillet formation prior to spray coating, stencil island coating, and releasable tape coating.

Solid state emitters such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) are increasingly used in both consumer and commercial applications. Advancements in LED technology have resulted in highly efficient and mechanically robust light sources with a long service life. Accordingly, modern LEDs have enabled a variety of new display applications, and are being increasingly utilized for general illumination applications, often replacing incandescent and fluorescent light sources.
LEDs are solid state devices that convert electrical energy to light, and generally include one or more active layers of semiconductor material (or an active region) arranged between oppositely doped n-type and p-type layers. When a bias is applied across the doped layers, holes and electrons are injected into the one or more active layers where they recombine to generate emissions such as visible light or ultraviolet emissions. An active region may be fabricated, for example, from silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium phosphide, aluminum nitride, and/or gallium arsenide-based materials and/or from organic semiconductor materials. Photons generated by the active region are initiated in all directions.
Typically, it is desirable to operate LEDs at the highest light emission efficiency, which can be measured by the emission intensity in relation to the output power (e.g., in lumens per watt). A practical goal to enhance emission efficiency is to maximize extraction of light emitted by the active region in the direction of the desired transmission of light. Light extraction and external quantum efficiency of a LED can be limited by a number of factors, including internal reflection. According to the well-understood implications of Snell's law, photons reaching the surface (interface) between a LED surface and the surrounding environment will be either refracted or internally reflected. If photons are internally reflected in a repeated manner, then such photons will eventually be absorbed and never provide visible light that exits a LED.
In order to increase the opportunity for photons to exit a LED—particularly flip chip devices in which a transparent substrate represents the exposed light emitting surface—it has been found useful to pattern, roughen, or otherwise texture the transparent substrate to provide a varying surface that increases the probability of refraction over internal reflection, and thus enhances light extraction. Exemplary (but not limiting) techniques and structures for providing surface features on external surfaces of LEDs are set forth in the following commonly assigned U.S. patents, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein: U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,829,906; 7,211,803; 6,888,167; 6,821,804; 6,791,119; 6,747,298; and 6,657,236. Despite the availability of such methods, their practical employment has been limited in at least certain contexts. For example, mechanical methods may introduce stress in or cause breakage of waver material, and may also be limited in terms of the position in a fabrication sequence in which they can be employed. Chemical (e.g., photolithographic etching) methods may also be limited in terms of their position in a fabrication sequence to avoid misalignment or microfeature damage during subsequent LED chip fabrication and/or to avoid chemical incompatibility with LED chip layers if etching is performed after chip fabrication.
Another way to increase light extraction efficiency is to provide reflective surfaces that reflect generated light so that such light may contribute to useful emission from a LED chip. LEDs have been developed with internal reflective surfaces or layers to reflect generated light. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional schematic view of a LED chip 1 with a LED 2 mounted on a submount 4 by a metal bond layer 6. The LED 2 further comprises a p-contact/reflector 8 between the LED 2 and the metal bond layer 6, with the reflector 8 typically including a metal such as silver (Ag). This arrangement is utilized in commercially available LEDs such Cree® LEDs available from Cree. Inc., according to the EZBright® family of LEDs. The reflector 8 is integral to the LED chip 1 and can cause light emitted from the LED chip's active region toward the submount 4 to be reflected back toward a primary emitting surface. The reflector 8 also reflects TIR light toward the primary emitting surface, which is externally textured. Some light may be absorbed by the reflector 8 due to reflectivity values of less than 100% for various reflector surfaces. Some metals can have less than 95% reflectivity in wavelength ranges of interest.
Additional LED chips have been developed with internal reflectors that include structures permitting electrical signals to be passed through such reflectors. Such structures can include various combinations of conductive features (e.g., layers and/or vias) and insulating features (e.g., dielectric and/or passivation layers).
In certain applications requiring phosphors or other lumiphoric materials to be added to solid state lighting devices (e.g., including flip chips), it can be challenging to achieve one or more of the following goals: ensuring adequate coverage of edge emitting chip surfaces and edge boundaries (thereby avoiding leakage of unconverted emissions); avoiding undesirable far field light characteristics; and reducing luminous flux loss when diffusely reflective materials are coated on submounts around emitter chips.
The art continues to seek improved light emitting diodes and solid state lighting devices (including flip chips) having reduced optical losses and providing desirable illumination characteristics capable of overcoming challenges associated with conventional lighting devices. The art also continues to seek improved light emitting devices and methods capable of overcoming challenges associated with adding phosphors or lumiphoric materials to solid state lighting devices, including devices comprising one or more flip chips.

Low optical loss flip chip solid state lighting device


The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for eliminating air bubbles from a liquid dispensing line by utilizing an air bubble tank positioned and connected in fluid communication between a liquid reservoir and an electric pump for feeding the liquid. The air bubble tank cumulates air bubbles in an upper portion of the tank cavity and allows a liquid flow which is substantially free of air bubbles to be outputted from an outlet positioned adjacent to the bottom of the tank to a process machine, while the air bubbles are exhausted out of the tank on a predetermined frequency.

In semiconductor processing, a semi-conducting wafer must be processed in a multiplicity of fabrication steps, i.e., as many as several hundred steps, in order to complete the manufacturing of an IC device. These processing steps may include etching, cleaning, deposition and various other processing procedures. A variety of chemicals, including various liquids and gases may be used, in the processing steps either to etch a specific feature on the IC chip, to clean after certain processing steps, to deposit layers from reactant chemicals, or to carry out other necessary processing steps.
For instance, in photomasking and metal cleaning processes, a variety of speciality chemicals are used. An important requirement for such speciality chemicals, i.e., photoresists, developers, spin-on glass and polyimide is the transporting and storage of the materials. In the case of a photoresist material, the photosensitivity and the lifetime of such material depends on its storage temperature. It is important to maintain such materials within a specification of 5 to 20.degree. C. for a photoresist/developer and -20 to 10.degree. C. for spin-on glass/polyimide materials.
The transporting of these speciality chemicals, especially liquids, or the delivery from a storage reservoir (i.e., a holding tank) to a processing chamber where the liquid is used is another important aspect of the fabrication process. A process liquid, such as that of a photoresist or a developer, can normally be transported in a fluid passage such as a stainless steel tubing by an electrical pump means. One of such conventional liquid delivery system for a photoresist is shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, a photoresist delivery system 10 is shown in an illustration for the present invention novel method and apparatus. The photoresist delivery system 10 generally consists of a liquid reservoir 12 (or a holding tank), a nitrogen gas inlet 14, and a photoresist solution outlet 16. The nitrogen gas used is normally a dry nitrogen gas to pressurize the liquid reservoir 12. The liquid flow 18 out of the reservoir 12 which is pumped by an electric pump 32 assisted by the nitrogen pressure in the reservoir 12 first enters into a buffer tank 22 through inlet 24. The buffer tank 22 is used to regulate flow from the reservoir 12 and is also capable of separating a small amount of air bubbles in the liquid. A small amount of air bubbles can be exhausted from outlet 26 while liquid is fed through outlet 28 generally located at the bottom of the buffer tank 22 into an air controlled solenoid valve 34. The small amount of air bubbles exits outlet 26 on the buffer tank 22 and enters into a drain tank (not shown) through passageway 36. The air controlled solenoid valve 34 controlled by an air supply 38 regulates the amount of liquid that can be pumped through passageway 42.
In the conventional liquid dispensing line shown in FIG. 1, a second liquid reservoir tank (not shown) can also be used as a back-up supply for feeding into the electric pump 32 connected in parallel with the first liquid reservoir 12. A liquid flow 44 fed from the second liquid reservoir tank (not shown) enters into a second air controlled solenoid valve 46 controlled by the same air source 38 through passageway 48 into the electric pump 32. It should be noted that the first liquid reservoir 12 and the second liquid reservoir operate in an alternating fashion such that the refill or maintenance of one liquid reservoir can be conducted at anytime without interrupting the normal operation of the liquid dispensing line. The dual reservoir system therefore eliminates potential down time of the dispensing line.
The electric pump 32, assisted by dry nitrogen gas 52 pumps liquid flow 54 into a filter device 56. The filter device may also serve as an air bubble filter such that liquid flow 58 containing a small amount of air bubbles may exit the filter at outlet 60 into a drain tank 62. The liquid flow 58 is controlled by another air solenoid valve 64. A flow of the photoresist solution 66, controlled by a flow regulator 68 and a series of air pressure controllers 72 can be fed to a nozzle for the final dispensing of the photoresist solution through passageway 74.
During normal operations, a small amount of air bubbles can be purged out by the buffer tank 22 and the filter 56. However, when a large volume of air bubbles is generated, for instance, during a maintenance procedure of filter replacement or a refill of the photoresist solution in the holding tank 12, the buffer tank 22 and the filter 56 can no longer effectively exhaust the air bubbles. As a result, a flow of the photoresist solution 74 which contains a volume of air bubbles is applied to the surface of a wafer.
When a wafer surface is coated with a photoresist solution, the volume of the photoresist material deposited and the resulting photoresist film formed must be quantitatively controlled to a high accuracy. Since the presence of air bubbles in the photoresist solution decreases the amount of the photoresist material, the available photoresist material that can be applied to the wafer surface is reduced accordingly by the amount of the bubbles. A non-uniform coating and subsequently a defective pattern can be produced on the wafer. The flow regulating valve 68, also called a suckback valve, is designed to shut off the liquid flow or to suckback the flow when bubbles are detected flowing through the passageway 66. However, the valve 68 is not always effective in stopping the air bubbles. Furthermore, valve 68 sometimes causes the photoresist solution to drop onto the wafer surface after a normal dispensing time has lapsed and thus again causing a poor coating of the photoresist material.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for eliminating air bubbles from a liquid dispensing line that does not have the drawbacks and shortcomings of the conventional methods.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for eliminating air bubbles from a liquid dispensing line by utilizing an air bubble tank positioned and connected in the line for collecting air bubbles in the liquid flow.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for eliminating air bubbles from a liquid dispensing line by utilizing an air bubble tank which is capable of separating air bubbles from a liquid such that the bubbles can be cumulated in an upper portion of the tank for exhausting to the outside of the dispensing system.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for eliminating air bubbles from a liquid dispensing line by utilizing an air bubble tank equipped with a single inlet and two liquid outlets.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for eliminating air bubbles from a liquid dispensing line which only requires a slight modification of an existing processing equipment.

Method and apparatus for eliminating air bubbles from a liquid dispensing line

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.Ltd.


A hybrid digital/analog video recorder prevents both analog and digital copying. The recorder (including a digital tape deck) inputs and outputs both analog and digital video signals. At the analog input, a detector detects conventional copy protection in the analog input video, and in response disables recording thereof. At the digital input, a first detector detects anti-copy bits present in the input material and in response prevents recording. A second bit detector detects serial copy prevention scheme bits, and in response adds an anti-copy bit to the input digital stream, preventing later copying of such material. When another bit detector detects anti-copy bits present in the playback digital data stream prior to conversion to analog, an analog copy protection signal modifies the output analog signal, inhibiting copying of the output signal. In another version, a specially adapted video recorder or playback device copy protects video source material which for technical reasons is not copy protectable. A copy protect "flag" is provided in a predetermined location in the video signal to be protected. The video recorder or playback device,, upon detection of the flag at playback, modifies the output standard (NTSC) video signal with a conventional copy protection process.

1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure is directed to a copy protection method and apparatus for use with (1) digital video recording, where it is desired to copy protect both an analog and digital video signal associated with a digital recording or playback apparatus and (2) any video material where the original source material is not copy protectable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various well known copy protection schemes for video signals include that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,603, John O. Ryan, Dec. 23, 1986 and assigned to Macrovision, incorporated by reference, directed to modifying an analog video signal to inhibit making of acceptable video recordings therefrom. This discloses adding a plurality of pulse pairs to the otherwise unused lines of a video signal vertical blanking interval, each pulse pair being a negative-going pulse followed closely by a positive-going pulse. The effect is to confuse AGC (automatic gain control circuitry) of a VCR (video cassette recorder) recording such a signal, so that the recorded signal is unviewable due to the presence of an excessively dark picture when the recorded signal is played back.
Another analog video protection scheme is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,694 issued Apr. 3, 1990, to Leonard, and assigned to Eidak Corp., incorporated by reference. The Eidak system (see Abstract) increases or decreases the length of each video field from the standard length, either by changing the time duration of the respective horizontal line intervals in each field while keeping a constant, standard number of lines per frame, or by changing the number of horizontal line intervals which constitute a frame while maintaining the standard duration of each line interval.
These video protection systems modify the video signal to be recorded (for instance on tape) or to be broadcast (for instance protected pay-per-view television programs) to make copying by ordinary VCRs difficult or impossible. When a video tape on which is recorded the copy protected video signal is played back for viewing using a VCR, the copy protection process is essentially transparent, i.e., it does not interfere with viewing. However, any attempt made to copy the video signal from the tape using a second VCR to record the output of the first (playback) VCR yields a picture degraded to some extent, depending on the efficacy of the particular copy protection system. These present video copy protection systems protect only analog video signals, which are the type of video signals broadcast and recorded using current consumer video technology.
Also well known are digital video tape recorders, although currently such digital video tape recorders (which both record and play back digitally) are available only for the professional market, due to their high cost. Such digital systems trade distortion-free performance for substantially higher bandwidth, i.e. substantially more information must be recorded per video frame. The advantage to the user of a digital recorder is that so long as the signals are recorded and played back in the digital domain, each successive generation of copies is without any significant reduction in picture quality, unlike the case with conventional analog recording technology. Current digital video recorders (not intended for consumer purposes) use the so-called "D-1", "D-2" or "D-3" video recording standards and require special video tape.

Copy protection for hybrid digital video tape recording and unprotected source material


A vertical-cavity, surface-emitting semiconductor diode laser having a monolithic and planar surface and having lateral anisotropy in order to control the polarization of the emitted beam of light. The diode laser includes a body of a semiconductor material having an active region therein which is adapted to generate radiation and emit the radiation from a surface of the body, and a separate reflecting mirror at opposite sides of the active region with at least one of the mirrors being partially transparent to the generated light to allow the light generated in the active region to be emitted therethrough. The anisotropy may be provided by utilizing anisotropy in the atomic or molecular structure of the materials forming the laser, or by anisotropic patterning or deliberate offset alignment in processing of the laser or through anisotropic structures in the laser cavity to control the polarization of the emitted beam.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor vertical-cavity, surface-emitting laser, and, more particularly, to a semiconductor vertical-cavity, surface-emitting laser with monolithic and planar structure and having lateral anisotropy in order to control the polarization of the emitted beam of light.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Semiconductor laser diodes, in general, comprise a body of a semiconductor material having adjacent regions of opposite conductivity type forming a p-n junction therebetween. The body is adapted to generate and emit radiation when an appropriate potential is applied across the p-n junction. Vertical-cavity, surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) emit radiation in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate rather than parallel to the substrate as in the case of conventional edge-emitting diode lasers. In contrast to the elliptical and astigmatic beam quality of conventional edge emitting lasers, VCSELs advantageously emit a circularly symmetric Gaussian beam. Thus, anamorphic correction of the emitted beams of VCSELs is not required. VCSELs moreover, can readily be made into one- and two-dimensional laser arrays as well as be fabricated in extremely small sizes. Accordingly, VCSEL arrays have various applications in the fields of optical memory, laser printing and scanning, optical communications, integrated optoelectronic integrated circuits, optical computing, optical interconnection, etc.
The circular symmetry of the beams emitted from VCSELs arises partly from the fact that they are usually fabricated in a circularly-symmetric structure. It is also well known that VCSELs fabricated in square or even rectangular shaped structures tend to emit circularly-symmetric beams. A consequence of this circular symmetry is the lack of a preferred polarization direction. VCSEL beams emitting in a single transverse mode are linearly polarized. However, the relative direction of the polarization is often different from one VCSEL element to another within an array. For optical systems employing arrays of VCSELs, the variation in polarization direction can greatly degrade system characteristics, such as efficiency and beam uniformity. Because of the high finesse of VCSEL cavities, a slight anisotropy in the optical characteristics can give slight preference to one polarization direction and thus cause the laser to emit a beam polarized in the preferred direction. The semiconductor material forming the VCSELs is crystalline, and the beams show a statistical preference to be polarized in alignment with one or the other major crystal axes, for example in line with the <110> axis or the <010> axis. The ambiguity in polarization direction remains however.
Polarization of VCSEL beams has been controlled by deliberately introducing anisotropies into VCSEL cavities. Anisotropic diffraction losses were introduced by depositing high refractive index material onto opposing sidewalls of an etched VCSEL, thereby stabilizing the polarization as described in an article by Shimazu, et al., entitled "A method of polarization stabilization in surface emitting lasers," published in the JAPANESE JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, Vol. 30(6A), June, 1991, pgs. L1015-L1017. This method, as described in the article, requires etching through the top mirror, is not effective when the device is larger than about 5 .mu.m across, and this device utilized a hole etched through the entire semiconductor substrate. Another technique, which uses anisotropic strain through a rectangular etch to control polarization has been described in an article by T. Mukaihara, et al., entitled "Stress effect for polarisation control of surface emitting lasers," published in ELECTRONICS LETTERS, vol. 28(6), Mar. 12, 1992, pgs. 555-556. This technique requires etching a rectangular hole through the entire semiconductor substrate. Alternatively, the authors suggested polarization control by externally applying stress in mounting the device. Both of the devices described above used a hole etched through the substrate, resulting in a nonplanar device. This greatly complicates the fabrication and greatly reduces the heat dissipation capability of the devices. The approach of applying an external stress in the mounting results in a non-monolithic device which is subject to nonuniformity and reliability problems. Yet another approach described by Wipiejewski et al., presented at the European Conference on Optical Communication, September 1992, uses an external cavity containing a polarizer to control the polarization of the emitted beam. All these prior art approaches to polarization control suffer serious drawbacks through being nonplanar or requiring external apparatus, and are not considered practical.


A ladder anchoring system, using a ladder having a pair of side rails and rungs extending between the side rails. The side rails each have a central portion and a pair of flanges. The side rails have an inner side where the rungs are attached, and an outer side. A spike assembly is mounted to each of the side rails, between the flanges and the outer side. The spike assembly includes a spike which is mounted for slidable movement such that it selectively extends below the ladder bottom so that it may extend into ground below the ladder, and selectively does not extend below the ladder bottom for safe storage and transportation. A kick plate mounted to the spike facilitates penetration of the spike in the ground.

The invention relates to a ladder anchoring system. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for anchoring a ladder into the ground below for ensuring safety to the user.
A ladder is a tool used by people in almost every trade. A ladder makes inaccessible locations suddenly accessible. However there are certain dangers associated with ladder use. Level ground is not always present to position the ladder upon, and often workers can only try their best to stabilize the ladder before climbing. However, even when placed on level ground and against a solid building, a ladder can become more and more unstable as the user climbs. The ladder can easily "kick-out" from the building surface, or slide laterally on the building surface and fall. A falling ladder not only injures the worker climbing the ladder, but can easily injure others working in the vicinity.
Homeowners tend to use ladders even more than tradespeople. However, for the typical homeowner, climbing a ladder is not an everyday occurence. Thus, many homeowners climb ladders without properly positioning the ladder first. As a result countless homeowners are injured every year when the ladder they climb falls. Many of these injuries could be prevented if the ladder were properly anchored before it were climbed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 302,733 to Jayne; 369,084 to Smith; and 375,249 to Bacon each disclose ladders having spiked members permanently attached at the bottom end thereof. Although these ladders might quite effectively secure themselves into the ground surface, they are unsuitable for use indoors. Further, they can easily cause serious injury to the user or others while the ladder is being transported.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,579 to Moson discloses a ladder having an anchoring system. The anchoring system in Moson is simply a pair of ordinary stakes which each have a hook for engaging the lowest ladder rung or extending through an aperature near the side rails. However, since the stakes are not permanently attached to the ladder, there is a great possibility that they will be lost, or will simply not be used everytime the ladder is used.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.


In an ink-jet head including black, yellow, magenta, cyan nozzle rows, the nozzle rows are arranged so that in each of the nozzle rows, adjacent nozzles are arranged by a predetermined spacing distance P, and that the black nozzle row is shifted in a nozzle-row alignment direction by a spacing distance smaller than the predetermined spacing distance P, with respect to the cyan, magenta and yellow nozzle rows. When a black dot is formed between monochrome-black dots adjacent in the sub-scanning direction, a dot of color-mixed black which is a mixture of the other three colors is formed between the monochrome-black dots. At this time, by adjusting a black-ink jetting amount to be greater than a total amount of the other three color inks, it is possible to make the monochrome-black dot and the color-mixed black dot to be mutually uniform in size.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink-jet printer which jets (discharges) ink onto a recording medium, particularly to an ink-jet printer capable of jetting yellow, magenta, and cyan inks, which are inks of three primary colors, and a black ink, and the present invention relates to an ink jetting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as ink-jet printers, those of a type capable of performing color recording have been in wide use, and there has been known an ink-jet printer which jets not only a black ink but also yellow, magenta, and cyan inks which are inks of three primary colors independently onto a recording medium. It has been also known to utilize pseudo black color (sepia color; hereinafter referred to as color-mixed black) which is a mixture of a yellow ink, a magenta ink, and a cyan ink jetted onto a recording medium at an identical or same position thereof.
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 3533771, there is described a structure in which nozzle rows of (for) a black ink, a yellow ink, a magenta ink, and a cyan ink respectively are arranged in parallel to one another along a direction (sub-scanning direction) orthogonal to a scanning direction of an ink-jet head, with a predetermined nozzle-arranging spacing distance at which nozzles are arranged in each of the nozzle rows, and in which only the nozzle row for (associated with) the black ink is shifted (deviated), by ½ of the nozzle-arranging spacing distance, from the other nozzle rows in the sub-scanning direction. To form dots continuously in the sub-scanning direction by using only dots of the black ink (black-ink dots), the ink-jet head needs to run (perform scanning) twice in the scanning direction, with a recording medium shifted by ½ of the nozzle-arranging spacing distance. On the other hand, in the structure described in the above-described Japanese Patent Publication No. 3533771, by making the ink-jet head run only once in the scanning direction, a gap (space) between dots of the black ink (monochrome black) (monochrome-black-dots) which are adjacent in the sub-scanning direction can be filled with a dot of the color-mixed black (color-mixed black dot) which is a mixture of the yellow ink, the magenta ink, and the cyan ink. Therefore, it is possible to improve pixel density and increase recording speed in monochromatic recording.
However, the inventor has found out that in a case in which dots of the color-mixed black (color-mixed black dots) are thus recorded among monochrome-black dots, the dots are nonuniformly formed. Such nonuniformity of the dots adversely affects printing quality.


In accordance with the present invention there is provided a new and improved internal core lifter for molding and ejecting plastic parts having undercuts. The preferred internal core lifter has a core blade with a first end configured to cooperate with the surfaces of the mold for molding a plastic part and for assisting in safe ejection of the plastic part. The core blade may be pivotally mounted at an opposite end for being disposed at a predetermined molding angle in a range of angles for accommodating various molding angles of mold apparatus. In ejecting the plastic part, the first end of the core blade moves horizontally away from the undercut while moving vertical to assist in safe ejection of the plastic part. The coupling may pivotally mount the core blade's opposite end for pivoting about multiple axes, and a support may be provided for mounting the coupling to the mold apparatus to move the opposite end of the core blade as the mold apparatus shifts its mold halves between open and closed positions. The core blade may pivot about the coupling in a first plane aligned with the linear travel of the lower end of the core blade along the support; and, if transverse loads are applied to the core blade, the core blade may also pivot in a plane at an angle to the first plane to prevent binding of the core blade and coupling relative to the support.

A wide variety of internal core lifters have been developed for use within a plastic injection mold apparatus to mold and eject plastic parts with undercuts. Most of these internal core lifters generally consist of a core blade with one end permanently mounted at a predetermined molding angle to a coupling. The coupling then slides linearly along a support mounted to the mold apparatus' ejection plate to enable the core blade to remain at the molding angle. Because the core blade is permanently attached to the coupling, these lifters commonly need to be custom designed to fit particular molds on a case by case basis.
In the plastic injection molding of plastic parts with undercuts, it is common for the molding apparatus to include an internal core lifter which when the mold is closed assists in molding the part and when the mold is opened assists in ejecting the part. The internal core lifter generally consists of a core blade with a first end designed to be incorporated in the mold cavity to mold and eject the plastic part, and an opposite end mounted to a coupling which enables the blade to pivot in a pivot plane about a single axis and translate linearly along a support normal to the pivot axis. In order for the core blade to assist in vertical ejection without damaging the undercut of the plastic part, it is commonly disposed and maintained in the molding apparatus at a mold specific molding angle, and as the mold opens, the core blade support is raised compelling the blade to move along the support, to maintain the molding angle, as its upper end moves away from the undercut to safely eject the plastic part.
The aforementioned co-pending patent application discloses a very advantageous and effective core lifter designed to readily sit at a range of molding angles in which a mold maker would desire. This core lifter substantially reduces the number of custom core lifter designs and alternative inventories because it can be cut to a desired length and can be mounted to a desired molding angle within a range desirable angles. In order to facilitate both the molding angle and horizontal travel, this core lifter has its core blade mounted at the end opposite the end configured for molding and ejecting the plastic part to a universal coupling. The universal coupling has a surface for pivotally mounting the core blade with its cooperating surface. The universal coupling also provides a surface for translating along a support in the plane which the blade may pivot for the molding angle. Thus, this core lifter effectively positions itself relatively easy to any angle in the two dimension plane needed for the molding angle and, thereby, lessening the need for costly mold apparatus particular core lifters.
The molds of molding apparatus are opened and closed with tremendous operating loads and the core lifters are subject to such loads. These operating loads are necessary to successfully open, close and seal the mold cavity and to raise and lower the core lifter and ejection means to properly and safely eject the plastic part. The core lifter disclosed in the aforementioned co-pending patent application has its core blade positioned at a given molding angle in each molding apparatus. The core blade pivots by having a curved dovetail heel at its lower end received in a curved dovetail in a universal coupling. The universal coupling travels linearly by sliding along a linear dovetail of a support. In some instances due to wear or other tolerances or load applications to the mold, the core blade may tend to cock or otherwise turn the connected universal coupling relative to the linear dovetail causing a binding of the universal coupling against its free sliding along the linear dovetail of the support. If the universal coupling should not slide along the linear dovetail of the support, the core blade then may not be raised or lowered properly during the opening and closing of the mold apparatus and, as a result, may be crushed by the mold halves causing severe damage to the core lifter and the molding apparatus.
As regards to damaging the core lifter, the core blade may deflect and, eventually, may be crushed, and because it is commonly made of metal, it may rupture in metal pieces. Because molding operations are fast, there generally is not enough warning to shut down the molding apparatus before preventing damage. The metal pieces may float freely about the molding apparatus, including the molding cavity, and cause severe scoring damage to the mold cavity, and operating surfaces of the mold apparatus and the core lifter itself. It is thus desirable to provide a core lifter having a design which takes into consideration the operating loads generated and transferred to core lifter from any direction for increasing the durability, lifetime and performance of a core lifter.
The present invention is directed toward a new and improved universal internal core lifter that allows the core blade to pivot about multiple axes to compensate for mold operating loads from any direction and, thus, preventing the core blade from twisting the universal coupling about the support which may result in severe damage.
A further object is to provide a universal internal core lifter that may be easily made to a predetermined mold apparatus length and that may easily pivot to a predetermined molding angle in a range of molding angles.
A further object is to have a universal internal core lifter that is highly durable and efficient to manufacture and use. These and other objects will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims.

Internal core lifter apparatus with multiple axis compensation feature