The present invention provides a resin composition comprising a polyimide containing particular dianhydride and diamine, and an epoxy resin. The resin composition can be bonded at a relatively low temperature, has excellent heat resistance, adhesion property, soldering heat resistance and retaining ratio of peeling strength after PCT. By forming a circuit using the polyimide resin sheet or the polyimide resin sheet with metal foil, which comprises the resin composition, according to the semi-additive method, a printed wiring board having a good wiring shape, firm adhesion of circuit and high insulating resistance in the microcircuit space can be obtained.

In recent years, high function, high performance and small-size electronic apparatuses have been developed, and along with these developments, there have been increasing demands for small-size, light-weight electronic parts to be used in these apparatuses. For this reason, with respect to a semiconductor device packaging method and wiring materials or wiring parts packaged therein, there have been ever-increasing demands for those having high density, high functions and high performance. In particular, materials having a superior adhesive property, which can be desirably used for high-density packaging materials such as semiconductor packages, COL (chip-on-lead) packages, LOC (lead-on-chip) packages and MCM (Multi Chip Module), printed wiring board materials such as multilayer FPCs, aerospace and aircraft materials and fixing materials for automobile parts are being wanted.
Conventionally, regarding semiconductor packages and other packaging materials, acrylic resin, phenolic resin, epoxy resin and polyimide resin have been known as an adhesive which exhibits superior mechanical properties, heat resistance and insulating property. However, phenolic resin adhesives and epoxy resin adhesives which have a superior adhesiveness have inferior flexibility and acrylic resin adhesives which have superior flexibility have inferior heat resistance.
In order to solve these problems of adhesives, using a polyimide resin has been investigated. Among various organic polymers the polyimide resin is superior in heat resistance and thus used in a wide range of fields from aerospace and aircraft fields to electronic communication fields and also used as an adhesive. However, the polyimide resin adhesive, which has high heat resistance, requires a high temperature of approximately 300° C. and a high pressure in order to adhere and in addition, the adhesion strength is not so high. Moreover, when used for semiconductor package and other packaging materials, imide resin adhesives had problems that regarding solder heat resistance and PCT (pressure cooker test) resistance, swelling occurred after solder packaging process and that the adhesion strength decreased remarkably after the PCT process.
Printed wiring boards having a circuit on the surface are widely used in order to package electronic parts and semiconductor devices. With the recent demand of miniaturization and high functions in electronic equipment, high densification and thinning of circuits are strongly desired in printed wiring boards. Particularly, the establishment of a method of forming microcircuit in which the line/space interval is at most 25 μm/25 μm is an important problem in the printed wiring board field.
A method called the semi-additive process is being considered as a method for preparing such a high density printed wiring board and as an example, the printed wiring board is prepared in the following steps.
After a plating catalyst such as a palladium compound is applied on the surface of an insulating substrate made of polymer material, electroless copper plating is conducted with the plating catalyst as the nucleus and a thin metal coating is formed on the surface of the insulating substrate 1.
A resist coating is applied to the surface of the copper coating formed in the above manner and certain portions of the resist coating where the formation of the circuit is planned are removed. Electroplating of copper is then conducted with the area in which the electrolessly plated coating is exposed as the feeding electrode and a second metal coating is formed thereon to form a circuit.
After the resist coating is removed, electrolessly plated copper coating is removed by etching. At this time, the surface of the electroplated copper coating is also etched in about a thickness of the electrolessly plated copper coating and the thickness and width of the circuit pattern decreases.
Furthermore, nickel plating or gold plating is conducted to the surface of the formed circuit pattern according to need to prepare the printed wiring board.
In the semi-additive process, because the circuit is prepared by applying a circuit pitch based on the resolution of the photosensitive plating resist, a microcircuit can be accurately formed, compared to the process called the subtractive process in which a circuit is formed by etching thick metallic foil.
However, the semi-additive process used for preparing a printed wiring board having a microcircuit is known to have the following problems.
The first problem is the problem of adhesion between the formed circuit electrode and the substrate. As mentioned before, the space between the substrate and the circuit electrode is in electrolessly plated copper layer. The electrolessly plated layer is formed in the presence of a catalyst applied on the surface as the active site and therefore is not essentially considered to be adhesive to the substrate. When the unevenness of the substrate surface is great, the adhesion is favorably maintained by the anchor effect, but as the board surface becomes smooth, naturally, the adhesion tends to become weaker.
Hence, a step for roughening the surface of the polymer material which is the substrate is necessary in the semi-additive process and usually, unevenness of approximately 3 to 5 μm based on Rz value is created. This unevenness on the substrate surface is not a practical problem when the line/space value of the circuit to be formed is at least 30 μm/30 μm. However, the unevenness is a great problem in forming a circuit with a line width of at most 30 μm/30 μm, particularly at most 25 μm/25 μm, as this very thin, high-density circuit line is influenced by the unevenness of the board surface and it becomes difficult to form a circuit having a good shape.
Therefore, in forming a circuit with a line/space value of at most 25 μm/25 μm, the flatness is preferably at most 3 μm, more preferably at most 1 μm on a Rz value basis and good adhesiveness is necessary.
The second problem of the semi-additive process lies in the etching step. The electrolessly plated copper layer used as the feeding layer for electroplating copper layer is a layer unnecessary for the circuit and must be removed by etching after the electroplating copper layer is formed. However, when the etching time for removing the electrolessly plated copper layer is long, though the electrolessly plated copper layer is completely removed and insulating reliability becomes high, the circuit pattern of the electroplated copper layer also decreases in width and thickness and producing an accurate circuit pattern with good reproductivity becomes difficult. On the other hand, when the etching time is short, though a good circuit pattern can be obtained, electrolessly plated copper layer remains in some part and insulating reliability is low. In other words, forming an accurate circuit and ensuring high insulating reliability is not compatible. The thinner the line width and thickness becomes, the more serious the problem.
The third problem is the electric insulation. When the line/space value is at most 25/25 μm, maintaining insulation between the circuits becomes difficult in the conventional material. In order to achieve high insulating property, conducting the etching of the electrolessly plated copper layer completely and using a material having a larger insulation resistance than that of the conventional material is important.
Furthermore, the fourth problem is the dielectric characteristics of the resin material. As the clock frequency of the semiconductor increases, reducing signal delay and transmission loss, that is, low dielectric constant and low dielectric loss tangent in a GHz band are required for the wiring board materials. However, the conventional materials, for example, epoxy resins, have a relative dielectric constant of 3.5 to 4.0 and a dielectric loss tangent of approximately 0.03 to 0.05 and therefore, new resins which have a low dielectric constant and low dielectric loss tangent are in demand.


The present invention is directed towards a process for producing a superior tasting pharmaceutical composition having porous granules produced through in situ gas generation using effervescence-producing ingredients. The method disclosed herein is especially suitable for producing superior tasting antacid tablets as well as superior tasting calcium supplements.

A superior tasting pharmaceutical composition having porous particles and the novel process for preparing said pharmaceutical composition is disclosed herein. The improved pharmaceutical composition is especially well suited for preparing pharmaceutical compositions of antacids such as aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide which typically have a chalky and gritty taste and are therefore unpleasant to administer orally. The prior art describes the use of fluid bed granulators that produce porous granules. In this novel approach, effervescence-producing ingredients are used for preparing porous granules.

Superior tasting composition having porous particles and the process of preparing such pharmaceutical composition


The present disclosure relates to compositions useful in synthetic bone graft applications. Particularly, the disclosure teaches moldable bone graft compositions, methods of making said compositions, and methods of utilizing the same.

Current bone grafting procedures include the use of autogenous bone as a graft material (i.e., "autografting"). Use of autogenous bone, however, subjects a patient to increased pain and discomfort, and an increased risk of infection, because it requires the patient to undergo additional surgery to recover the autogenous bone for use in the grafting procedure.
Current bone grafting also includes the use of bone from a donor as a graft material (e.g., "allografting" from the same species or "xenografting" from a different species). Both allograft bone and xenograft bone, though from natural sources, subject a patient to the risk of disease transmission and graft rejection.
A third option in the field of bone grafting includes the use of synthetic bone graft material. Some synthetic bone graft material is mixed with autograft, allograft, or xenograft bone, and thus still subjects a patient to the risks above. Other disadvantages to current synthetic bone graft materials are: (1) the poor resorbability profile of many synthetic bone graft compositions, which leads to low proliferation and remodeling of new bone throughout the defect site, (2) low bioactivity or other osteogenic effects, (3) the inability to mold or form the material into a desirable shape during intraoperative surgical procedures, (4) the inability to maintain the desired placement at the defect site, (5) lack of antimicrobial properties, and (6) the inability to combine bone healing properties of different synthetic materials into a single implant.
As such, there is a great need in the art for an improved synthetic bone graft material that is moldable, highly bioactive, and presents an optimal resorbability profile that increases the proliferation and remodeling of new bone throughout a defect site.


The present teachings provide for a connector including a first body and an assurance body. The first body defines a first locking member, a cavity and a slot. The cavity accepts a terminal inserted therein to a first distance. The slot extends into the first body and intersects the cavity. The first locking member is configured to prevent withdrawal of the terminal when the terminal is inserted to the first distance. The assurance body is movable between a preset and a full set position within the slot, and includes a reinforcing member and a second locking member. The full set position, the reinforcing member limits movement of the first locking member to prevent the withdrawal of the terminal, and the second locking member extends into the cavity to prevent withdrawal of the terminal independent of the first locking member.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Terminal position assurances are generally classified as one of two types—a primary lock reinforcement ("PLR"), or an independent secondary lock ("ISL"), both with their advantages and disadvantages. A PLR reinforces a primary locking mechanism, but should the primary locking mechanism fail, the PLR does not provide a redundant lock to keep the terminal in the housing. Thus a PLR does not increase terminal to connector retention. An ISL provides an additional securing function independent of the primary locking mechanism, but an ISL does not back up the primary locking mechanism and can have problems detecting partially seated terminals when the terminal is near its lockup position. Including a PLR and a separate ISL can increase the size, weight, complexity, and cost of the connector assembly.

Terminal position assurance with dual primary lock reinforcement and independent secondary lock


This invention relates to devices and methods for the electrochemical removal of unwanted deposits in humans and animals, or for prevention of bone loss following implantation of metal and other surgical materials in the body. A selected voltage is applied using direct current and an electrode to discourage growth or remove deposits, including bone spurs, and may be applied using microneedles in skin contact with a human or animal.

During the lifetime of an animal, development or deposition of solid masses inside the body may occur. Two categories of unwanted deposits include: externally derived deposits and internally derived deposits. Externally derived devices are solids that have been willingly or unwillingly deposited in the body. Some examples of these include medical devices such as stents, braces, splints, screws, pins, and other objects such as shrapnel and bullets. Internally derived deposits are deposits that have formed inside the body as a result of natural processes. Internally derived deposits may interfere with normal daily activities and may cause pain and inflammation in the surrounding tissues. Examples of internally derived deposits include bone spurs, Heberden's and Bouchard's nodules, Calcium Pyrophosphate Crystal Deposition disease (CPPD), Heterotopic Ossification, and many others.
Current treatments for such unwanted deposits include: surgery, drug-based pain management (oral, topical, injection), drug-based inflammation management (oral, topical, injection), manipulation techniques (extracorporeal shockwave therapy [ESWT], high frequency radio waves [HFR], K-laser therapy, physical therapy or physical manipulation). There remains a need for effective treatments for unwanted externally and internally derived deposits.

Electrochemical reduction of unwanted deposits


An acoustic monitoring system that is able to verify the success or failure of the positional adjustment of a valve without the need for additional energy during non-invasive reprogramming is provided. The acoustic monitoring system includes a programmer for generating a sequence of commands to adjust the valve mechanism, and for receiving acoustic signals for analysis, a transmitter to implement the command and adjust the valve, and a sensor for detecting an acoustic signal generated from the valve during execution of the commands. A method for using the acoustic monitoring system is also provided.

Shunt systems for directing body fluid from one region to another are known in the medical field. One application for such a shunt system is in the treatment of hydrocephalus, a condition where cerebrospinal fluid collects in the ventricles of the brain of a patient. Cerebrospinal fluid is produced by the ventricular system and is normally absorbed by the venous system. However, if the cerebrospinal fluid is not absorbed, the volume of cerebrospinal fluid increases thereby elevating the patient's intracranial pressure. This excess cerebrospinal fluid can result in abnormally high epidural and intradural pressures. Left untreated, hydrocephalus can result in serious medical conditions, including subdural hematoma, compression of the brain tissue, and impaired blood flow.
To treat patients with hydrocephalus, shunt systems have been used to remove the excess cerebrospinal fluid and to discharge the fluid to another part of the patient's body, such as the right atrium or peritoneal cavity. By draining the excess fluid, the elevated intracranial pressure is relieved. Generally, these fluid shunt systems include a valve mechanism for controlling or regulating the flow rate of fluid through the shunt system. The shunt systems often include a brain ventricular catheter in fluid communication with the valve mechanism. The ventricular catheter is inserted into a ventricle of the brain and a peritoneal catheter, which is also in fluid communication with the valve mechanism, is inserted into the peritoneal cavity of the patient for discharging the excess cerebrospinal fluid. The valve mechanisms of these shunt systems typically operate to permit fluid flow only once the fluid pressure reaches a certain threshold level. The fluid flow rate is proportional to the pressure at the valve mechanism. Thus, for a pressure slightly greater than the threshold or opening pressure, the flow rate is relatively low. As the pressure increases the flow rate through the shunt system concomitantly increases. At pressures significantly greater than the threshold pressure, a maximum flow rate for the system is reached. Fluid flow normally continues until the intracranial pressure has been reduced to a level less than the threshold pressure, subject to any hysteresis of the device.
The threshold or opening pressure that allows fluid flow through a shunt system must often be adjusted. For example, a surgeon may initially select a relatively low opening pressure to trigger fluid flow. Over time, the initial opening pressure may not be ideal. For example, it could lead to excess fluid flow, creating an undesirable overdrainage condition in which too much fluid is drained from the ventricle. Such a situation may give rise to a need to increase the opening pressure to produce a fluid flow rate that is balanced to avoid both excessive intracranial pressure and overdrainage conditions.
Because physiologies will vary over time and from one individual to another, some valve systems have been designed to be adjustable without requiring invasive procedures. These adjustable valves allow the clinician to customize the implanted valve mechanism's opening pressure for a particular patient, without the need to surgically remove the implanted shunt system, adjust the valve mechanism, and then surgically implant the shunt system again. Such an adjustable valve system is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,595,390, 4,615,691, 4772,257, and 5,928,182, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Commonly referred to as the Hakim programmable valve, the Hakim valve described in these patents is a differential pressure valve with very precise opening pressures determined by the force exerted on a ruby ball in a ruby seat. The pressure at which the valve opens can be adjusted non-invasively by the clinician by means of an externally applied rotating magnetic field. The valve opening pressure is adjusted by varying the spring tension exerted on the ruby ball. Applying an external magnetic field to energize the soft magnet stator components of the valve initiates the adjustment cycle. The magnetic field causes the rotor to rotate about a central axis. As the stator polarity is cycled, the rotor (cam) moves to different positions to align with the stator. These components perform together as a stepping motor. The spring rides along the cam; as the cam rotates clockwise or counter-clockwise, the spring tension increases or decreases, respectively. Other exemplary types of adjustable shunt valves are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,637,038 and 5,643,194.
Current practice recommends an x-ray be taken after each valve adjustment to verify the new setting. The use of additional energy means to conventionally determine valve position, however, can often lead to undesirable complications. For instance, when magnetic fields are used for verifying valve position, metallic equipment within the clinical environment may interfere with the accuracy of information obtained through the use of these magnetic forces, leading to inaccurate readings.
There is thus a need for a non-invasive means of accurately verifying the position of an implanted adjustable valve within a patient so that repeated exposure of the patient to radiation energy is reduced or eliminated. Also desirable is a valve position verification device that is small, easy to use, and preferably portable. Preferably, the device can also monitor various valve functions without the necessity for additional energy means.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A back support cushion device includes a support member, at least one cushion assembly, and at least one elastic assembly. The support member includes a first groove. The cushion assembly includes a second groove. The elastic assembly is located between the support member and the cushion assembly and includes an elastic member, and first and second members. The elastic member includes first and second portions. The first portion is engaged into the first groove, and the second portion is engaged into the second groove. The first member includes a first end disposed in the first portion and a second end connected to the first groove. The second member includes a first end disposed in the second portion and a second end connected to the second groove.

The present invention relates to a cushion device for use with an office chair to support a person's back while seated in the office chair.
Most chairs, especially office chairs, are designed to accommodate a person of average size and build in present use. Thus, many people find even a well designed chair uncomfortable and tired when the person sits in the chair all day, such as in an office. The problem is especially acute with secretaries, computer terminal operators and those that have chronic back problems, because the chair provided with a back support cushion cannot adequately support the person's back.
Thus, a need exists for a novel back support cushion device for a chair to mitigate and/or obviate the above, disadvantages.


The present invention covers Pyrazolopyrimidine compounds of general formula (I):

The occurrence of resistances against all commercial anthelmintics seems to be a growing problem in the area of veterinary medicine. The extensive utilisation of anthelmintics to manage the control of nematodes resulted in significant selection of highly resistant worm populations. Therefore, the spread of resistance against all anthelmintic drug classes threatens effective worm control in cattle, goats, sheep and horses. Furthermore, successful prevention of heartworm disease in dogs, which currently solely relies on the utilisation of macrocyclic lactones, is in danger due to the unequivocal proof of macrocyclic lactone resistance in heartworm in some regions of the United States of America and Brazil.
Although resistance of human helminths against anthelmintics seems currently to be rare, the spread of anthelmintic resistance in the veterinary field as mentioned before needs to be considered in the treatment of human helminthosis as well. Persistent underdosed treatments against filariosis may lead to highly resistant genotypes and resistances have already been described for certain anthelminthics (e.g. praziquantel, benzimidazole and niclosamide).
Therefore, resistance-breaking anthelmintics with new molecular modes of action are urgently required.
It is an object of the present invention to provide compounds which can be used as anthelmintics in the medical, especially veterinary, field with a satisfactory or improved anthelmintic activity against a broad spectrum of helminths, particularly at relatively low dosages, for the control, treatment and/or prevention of infections with helminths in animals and humans, preferably without any adverse toxic effects to the treated organism.
Certain pyrazolopyrimidine carboxamides are related to their activity increasing the efficacy of the endogenous ligand 3-hydroxybutyrateas as described in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 55, (7), 3563-3567. Other pyrazolopyrimidine carboxamides are described as allosteric agonists for the high affinity nicotinic acid receptor GPR109A as in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 18, (18), 4948-4951. Furthermore, pyrazolopyrimidine carboxamides are known as protein kinase modulators (EP1918291), as active ingredients for treatment or prevention of skin diseases (WO 2009041663) or as NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors (WO 2003091256). A certain method for a library synthesis process of said compounds is described in Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry, 9, (3), 507-512.
However, the state of the art does not describe the new pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives of general formula (I) of the present invention as described and defined herein.
It has now been found, and this constitutes the basis of the present invention, that the compounds of the present invention have surprising and advantageous properties.
In particular, the compounds of the present invention have surprisingly been found to effectively interact with Slo-1 of nematodes. This interaction is characterized by achieving paralysis/inhibition in particular of gastro-intestinal nematodes, of free-living nematodes, and of filariae, for which data are given in the biological experimental section. Therefore the compounds of the present invention may be used as anthelmintics for the control, treatment and/or prevention of gastro-intestinal and extra-intestinal helminth infections, in particular gastro-intestinal and extra-intestinal infections with nematodes, including filariae.

Abstract: in which n, o, X, Y, R, Q, R1, R2, R3 and R4 are as defined herein, methods of preparing said compounds, intermediate compounds useful for preparing said compounds, pharmaceutical compositions and combinations comprising said compounds and the use of said compounds for manufacturing pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment, control and/or prevention of diseases, in particular of helminth infections, as a sole agent or in combination with other active ingredients.


A fault clearing system and method for an engine control system includes a plurality of processor modules to control and monitor the engine and set a plurality of faults. The plurality of processor modules includes an electronic throttle control (ETC) module to control and monitor a throttle of the engine, and a plurality of engine sensors and ETC sensors. An ETC diagnostic module monitors the ETC sensors and engine sensors, with the ETC diagnostic module setting a low voltage induced fault. The ETC diagnostic module will also enter one of a plurality of low voltage states in response to the low voltage induced fault. The ETC diagnostic module selectively controls the ETC module and selectively clears the faults in the ETC module and plurality of processor modules upon entry into one of the low voltage states.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Traditionally, automotive vehicles include multiple systems that regulate overall operation of the vehicle. For example, the vehicle includes a powerplant (e.g., an internal combustion engine) that generates drive torque, an energy storage device (e.g., battery pack) that provides electrical energy, a transmission that distributes the drive torque to drive wheels and various other systemsEach of these systems requires an associated control module or modules to achieve coordinated control and operation of the vehicle. These modules communicate with one another to regulate operation of the vehicle. Intra-processor communications utilize interfaces such as an Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) or the universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART), while inter-processor communications utilize a Controller Area Network (CAN) and/or Class2 Network.
Electronic throttle control (ETC) systems replace the mechanical accelerator pedal assemblies also used in vehiclesETC sensors take input from the driver and send it to an engine control system in real time. The engine control system modulates the air/fuel flow to the engineDirect control of the engine is shifted from the driver to the engine control system to improve efficiency. Under certain failure mode conditions, the ETC system will operate under an acceleration governing function. This limited-power mode will prevent damage to the engine. Once a vehicle has entered limited-power mode it needs to remain there until the fault has been determined and remedied.
Due to the increasing complexity of automotive systems and the need for subsystems such as ETC, there exists a large number of diagnostics that are required to detect failures in a very short time (<200 ms) between processors. However, a number of inter and intra-processor diagnostic fault codes may be falsely set when the voltage drops in the vehicle due to the interaction between various vehicle components operating at or beyond their specified voltage rangesLow voltage conditions may result in faults that could potentially indicate a need for costly repairs. For example, the low voltage induced faults may lead to the unnecessary replacement of components when the charging system fails and/or the vehicle battery is drained, thus causing higher warranty costs and customer dissatisfaction.

Method for operating an engine control module under low voltage conditions


A switch detects a vacuum that is created by suctioning air through a port hole in a media support surface. The switch includes a first layer having (i) a first hole therein which is at least partially aligned with the port hole in the media support surface and (ii) a conductive region, and a second layer, which is disposed above the first layer relative to the media support surface and which is substantially non-conductive. The second layer has a second hole therein which aligns, at least in part, to the first hole in the first layer and to the port hole in the media support surface so as to allow air to flow through the port hole, the first hole, and the second hole. A third layer, which is disposed above the second layer relative to the media support surface, comprises a printed circuit pattern that aligns, at least in part, to the second hole. The printed circuit pattern on the third layer comprises an open circuit. When air is suctioned through the port hole, the first hole and the second hole, a vacuum is created which draws at least a part of the printed circuit pattern through the second hole and into contact with at least a part of the conductive region of the first layer such that the at least part of the conductive region of the first layer completes the open circuit of the printed circuit pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a switch that is used to test a vacuum created by suctioning air through a hole. The invention has particular utility in the printing field, where the switch may be used to test a vacuum that is created between a media support surface, such as a print drum, and a print medium by suctioning air through a port hole in the media support surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printing systems of the type described herein operate by holding a print medium, such as a metal plate, against a media support surface, such as a print drum, and etching images onto the print medium using a laser. The accuracy of this type of printing system is dependent, at least in part, upon how securely the print medium is held against the media support surface. More specifically, when the print medium is not held securely against the media support surface, print errors may be caused due to wrinkling of the print medium and/or air bubbles underneath the print medium, among other things.
Several ways have been developed to hold a print medium against a media support surface during printing. For example, one way which has proven effective utilizes a vacuum that is generated by suctioning air through port holes in the media support surface. More specifically, in these systems, the print medium is placed against the media support surface and air is suctioned through the port holes in the media support surface, thereby creating a vacuum between the media support surface and the print medium. This vacuum acts to hold the print medium in place during printing.
As might be expected, the efficacy of such systems depends upon the vacuum used to hold the print medium in place. That is, in the event that the vacuum is not sufficiently strong, or has been compromised due, e.g., to blockages, or the like, in the port holes of the media support surface, attachment of the print medium to the media support surface may be adversely affected. As a result, the print medium may wrinkle, or there may be air bubbles or the like trapped between the media support surface and the print medium, thereby increasing the likelihood of print errors.
Thus, there exists a need for a way in which to test a vacuum which will be created between a media support surface and a print medium before printing actually takes place.


A fan assembly for use in an electronic device is provided. The fan assembly includes a housing, a fan, a throttle valve, and a regulator. The housing has an outlet. The fan is disposed in the housing and adapted to provide an air current. The air current generates an air volume through the outlet. The throttle valve is movably disposed in the housing at the outlet. The regulator is connected to the throttle valve to control the movement of the throttle valve to adjust the size of the outlet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fan assembly, and more particularly, to a fan assembly for use in an electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, there has been a trend toward miniaturization and multifunction in the development of portable electronic devices. To provide more powerful function, the portable electronic device typically employs a higher speed chip which generally generates more heat. The more heat generated by the chip and the miniaturization of the portable electronic device make the cooling of portable electronic device critically important.
As a common device used in the electronics cooling technology, a fan is often used in combination with a heat sink to cool a high power device to maintain the temperature of the device within a normal temperature range. In addition, when the fan generates an air current, convection is resulted between the air in an interior of the electronic device and the air in an outer environment, thereby effectively decreasing the temperature of the interior of the electronic device.
To concentrate the air current, a housing in which the fan is mounted is usually provided with an outlet, and the shape and size of the outlet are usually fixed. Therefore, to provide a high speed air current to a specific area (e.g., a specific portion of the electronic component), the only solution is to increase the fan speed. In this case, however, the air current generated by the fan can not be utilized to its fullest extent, thereby decreasing the efficiency of the fan.


The invention relates to a replaceable filter cartridge for a use in a water filtration device. The cartridge has a substantially frustoconical vessel member defining a vertical axis with the vessel member having a screen-like end wall portion at the lower end thereof, which end wall portion permits water to flow therethrough. A hollow substantially frustoconical cover member is attached to the vessel member in coaxial alignment with the vertical axis. The cover member has a multiplicity of vertically oriented water entry flow slots. A non-planar compressible first mass of filtration material is frictionally retained within said cover member and a non-planar compressible second mass of filtration material is positioned within said vessel member in juxtaposed relation to said end-wall member. A granular purifying agent, which is insoluble in water, is contained within said vessel member, and layered upon the second mass of filtration material. A split support ring, having a series of upwardly, radially inwardly slanted projections is positioned within the cover member, in supported relation upon the rim portion of the cover member to contain the non-planar compressible first mass of filtration material in compressed relation within the cover member.

Various hand-held devices are known which utilize a granular purifying agent, such as activated charcoal and/or an ion exchange material for the purification of water. Examples of such devices are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,306,971 (Hankammer); 4,895,648 (Hankammer); 4,969,996 (Hankammer); and, 5,049,272 (Nieweg).
Generally, these devices comprise a large funnel-shaped member to hold and channel the water to be purified, a removable filtration cartridge placed in the flow channel of the funnel-shaped member, and a collection beaker for the purified water. The filtration cartridge is ordinarily constructed to allow the water to flow therethrough, and contains the aforementioned granular purifying agent and/or ion exchange material. These filtration cartridges are typically constructed from inexpensive plastics materials and are designed to be discarded after the granular purifying agent loses its effectiveness, typically after about a month of normal household usages (i.e., after about 100 liters of water have been filtered).
The rate of flow of water through the filter cartridge is critical for effective water purification. It is necessary to contain the water within the filtration cartridge for a sufficient time to allow for ion exchange and filtration to occur, yet if the flow rate through the cartridge is too slow, then an insufficient volume of water will be purified, in a time frame which is satisfactory to the user of the filtration system. Certain known filtration cartridges, such as the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,648 (Hankammer) [equivalent to EP-A-0340382] and published UK Patent Application No. GB-A2 197 647 (Clarke et al.), rely upon an array of water flow openings which are sufficiently small to trap the granular purifying material within the cartridge, while allowing water to pass therethrough. There are disadvantages connected with such a configuration. The size of the water flow openings is necessarily very small in order to trap the granular purifying agent within the cartridge; this sizing results in significant time lag for overall water filtration, since only a small volume of water can pass through the filtration cartridge openings at a given time. Additionally, there is the potential for particles of the granular purifying agent to become trapped in the water flow openings, blocking them and further reducing flow rates. Further problems develop in relation to the venting of air out of the collection beaker through the filter cartridge. One prior art solution has been to design the filter cartridge for use with a hollow venting tube which protrudes upwardly above the top level of the funnel-shaped channelling member, so as to remain at all times above the level of water in the funnel-shaped channelling member. This system is expensive to manufacture, and is unwieldy to use.
Other known water filtration cartridges have adapted generally planar felt-like plastic or fabric secondary filters positioned adjacent the water flow openings in the top and bottom ends of the cartridge to retain the granular purifying agent, which arrangement permits the use of enlarged water flow openings on the outer housing. Such larger openings in turn permit rapid water flow rates through the filtration cartridge. These cartridges are relatively effective, but are expensive to manufacture and require significant additional engineering of the device in order to vary water flow rates for different use applications. Moreover, the top and bottom secondary filters must be sized differently in order to fit the different top and bottom end dimensions of the filtration cartridge. More particularly, the top secondary filter is typically conical, to correspond to the general shape of the cartridge cap, which cap has been so configured to achieve adequate air ventilation. Accordingly each of the top and bottom secondary filters must be separately manufactured using molds or dies of differing sizes and shapes. Further, it is necessary to use some form of fastening means to secure the secondary filters, most notably the top secondary filter, to the top cap of the filtration cartridge. Plastic welding is sometimes used for this purpose, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,272 (Nieweg). This step further complicates assembly and increases manufacturing costs. Alternatively, the use of top and bottom secondary filters constructed of light, fluffy, loosely packed fibrous matter comprising commingled, non-woven fibres of significant length relative to their diameter has been proposed in published PCT Application Ser. No. WO-A-89/00977. However, the design of this cartridge does not have the conventional conical cap design mentioned above, which design has become an industry standard, and no means are proposed in this reference to hold the top secondary filter within the cap to facilitate assembly as aforesaid.
The above mentioned prior art systems using generally planar felt-like plastic or secondary filters additionally suffer from the following disadvantage. As the filtration cartridges are used over time, settling out and packing of fine particles of the granular purifying agent tends to occur, particularly on the secondary filter adjacent the bottom end of the cartridge. This settling out of fine particulate on the secondary filters has the effect of clogging the secondary filters and thereby slowing down the flow rate of the filtration cartridge over time. The effect is more pronounced if the cartridge is permitted to dry out between uses. Such slowing down of the flow rates is generally undesirable and irritating to the end user.


A pneumatic oxygen conserver used with a single-tube cannula. The conserver includes a body having first and second cavities. A main diaphragm divides the first cavity into first and second chambers. An inlet passage delivers oxygen from a supply to the first chamber, and an outlet passage delivers oxygen from the first chamber to the cannula. The main diaphragm is movable between a closed position preventing oxygen flow through the outlet passage and an open position permitting flow. A first flow control passage connects the inlet passage and the second chamber, and a first flow control orifice in the passage restricts flow. A sensing diaphragm divides the second cavity into third and fourth chambers. A second flow control passage connects the second and third chambers, and a second flow control orifice in the passage restricts flow. The sensing diaphragm is movable between a closed position preventing flow through the second passage and an open position permitting such flow. A vent passage vents the third chamber. A sensing passage connects the outlet passage and the fourth chamber. Inhalation into the cannula moves the sensing diaphragm to its open position to vent the second and third chambers causing the main diaphragm to move to its open position for delivering oxygen to the cannula.

This invention relates generally to oxygen delivery systems, and more particularly to a system which includes an oxygen conserver which operates pneumatically to provide oxygen on demand (i.e., upon inhalation).
Oxygen delivery systems of the type used by ambulatory persons, for example, typically include a source of oxygen (e.g., an oxygen bottle) for holding a supply of oxygen at pressures of up to about 3000 psi, a regulator system for reducing the pressure of the oxygen to a pressure suitable for breathing, and a cannula for delivering oxygen to the person. To increase the life of the oxygen supply, oxygen conservers are frequently used. These devices interrupt the flow of oxygen to the person using the system, either in response to exhalation, or at timed intervals, thereby reducing the rate of oxygen consumption.
Conservers are generally of two types, those which operate electrically and those which operate pneumatically. Electronic conservers require a power source (e.g., batteries) for operation, thus necessitating periodic replacement or recharging of the power source. The remaining life of the power source, which users of the system must take into consideration, can be uncertain. Pneumatic conservers, on the other hand, are operated by the inhalation and exhalation of the person using the system. They require no power source and thus have a significant advantage over electrical conservers. However, unlike electronic conservers which typically use a standard single-tube cannula, conventional pneumatic conservers generally require a double-tube cannula, one tube for supplying oxygen to the person wearing the cannula, and the other for connection to a sensing port on the conserver. The pneumatic conserver responds to changes in pressure in the sensing tube to provide oxygen to the person during inhalation, and to interrupt the flow of oxygen to the person during exhalation (when oxygen is not needed). Due to their lesser availability, expense, weight and bulk, double-tube cannulas are not popular. As a result, the use of pneumatic conservers is not widespread, despite their inherent advantages over electrical conservers. Moreover, conventional pneumatic conservers are relatively complex in design, requiring a series of spring-activated diaphragms and the like.
Some prior oxygen conservers are selectively operable in two modes. In the first (oxygen conserving) mode, oxygen is supplied to the user of the system on an interrupted basis, as described above. In the second (continuous flow) mode, a continuous stream of oxygen is provided to the user during both inhalation and exhalation. (Continuous delivery during the entire breathing cycle is not necessary for health reasons, but some persons prefer this.) These conservers are sometimes equipped with a flow control mechanism which can be adjusted to vary the rate at which oxygen is delivered. However, in prior systems, this mechanism has been operable only in the oxygen conserving mode, not in the continuous mode. Another disadvantage of certain prior oxygen delivery systems is that they are rather bulky, which makes such systems more obtrusive and reduces mobility.
There is a need, therefore, for a pneumatic oxygen conserver which can be used as part of a delivery system which overcomes the disadvantages of prior systems.


Autonomous driving system methods and devices which trigger vehicular actions based on the monitoring of one or more occupants of a vehicle are presented. The methods, and corresponding devices, may include identifying a plurality of features in a plurality of subsets of image data detailing the one or more occupants; tracking changes over time of the plurality of features over the plurality of subsets of image data; determining a state, from a plurality of states, of the one or more occupants based on the tracked changes; and triggering the vehicular action based on the determined state.

Autonomous driving utilizes reliable driving control and safety systems that process data acquired at a vehicle. Using data acquired at the vehicle, which may include data about the vehicle's external environment, internal environment, or data about the vehicle itself, the vehicle may alter its movements, modify its positioning with respect to external elements, and/or respond to newly detected events. Additionally, autonomous vehicles may be configured to communicate with other devices, such as other vehicles, network infrastructure elements, wireless devices, etc., to assist in the mobility control, provide faster information processing, and, generally speaking, communicate information in order to improve overall system performance.
Autonomous driving systems may also rely on driving models for safety assurance and compliance with local rules or regulations. Implementation of these driving models may allow autonomous vehicles to diagnose dangerous or unsafe situations and react to them accordingly.

Methods and devices for triggering vehicular actions based on passenger actions


A rotor comprising several blades rotating together with the rotor, particularly running blades, and the blades forming at least one blade ring, is disclosed. The blades within the, or each, blade ring are arranged at a different distance from one another.

The invention relates to a rotor for a gas turbine. Furthermore, the invention relates to a gas turbine having a rotor.
Modern gas turbines, particularly modern airplane engines, have to meet the highest demands with respect to reliability, weight, power, economic efficiency and durability. In the development of engines of this type which meet the above-mentioned requirements, various criteria have to be observed. For example, reference is made here to aerodynamics, vibration mechanics, stability and wave dynamics as well as production engineering and material science.
Gas turbines, particularly airplane engines, consist of several assemblies. The combustion chamber, the fan, the high-pressure turbine as well as the low-pressure turbine and the high-pressure compressor as well as the low-pressure compressor should be mentioned here as assemblies of gas turbines. The high-pressure compressor, the low-pressure compressor, the high-pressure turbine as well as the low-pressure turbine, as a rule, comprise several stages. In the case of the fan, a bladed fan rotor rotates with respect to a stationary fan housing. In the case of the compressor, particularly a high-pressure compressor and a low-pressure compressor, as well as in the case of the turbine, particularly the high-pressure turbine and the low-pressure turbine, a bladed rotor also rotates with respect to a stationary stator. The blades assigned to a turbine rotor or compressor rotor which rotate together with the rotor are called moving blades. These moving blades of the rotating rotor rotate relative to stationary guide blades assigned to the stator.
During the rotation of a bladed rotor with respect to a stationary stator, particularly a stationary housing or stationary guide blades, the stationary assemblies are excited to carry out vibrations as a result of the movement of the rotor. However, vibrations within the gas turbine or the airplane engine are disadvantageous because, as a result of the vibrations, the assemblies of the gas turbine are subjected to increased stress and thus to increased wear. Particularly resonance vibrations should be avoided. A gas turbine should therefore also be optimized with respect to the vibration mechanics.
In view of the above, the present invention is based on the problem of creating a novel rotor for a gas turbine as well as a corresponding gas turbine which are optimized with respect to vibration mechanics.
According to the invention, the blades of the rotor within the blade ring or within each blade ring are arranged at a different distance or a different blade pitch with respect to one another. As a result, it is ensured that the frequency at which the idle assemblies are excited to vibrate will change. Resonance vibrations are therefore avoided.
According to an advantageous further development of the invention, in the case of diametrically opposite blades, the distance to the respective next blade situated in front as well as the distance to the respective next blade situated in the rear is the same. The spacing of the blades within the blade ring or within each blade ring is dimensioned such that imbalances cancel each other out. This also has vibration-mechanical advantages.
Preferred further developments of the invention are indicated in the following description.

Apparatus and method for optimizing vibration of a gas turbine


A circuit for a smart photovoltaic (PV) inverter system and the smart PV inverter system are described. The circuit includes one or more strings coupled to an electrical load. Each of the one or more strings further includes one or more string members coupled in series, where each of the one or more string members comprises a voltage source and an inverter. The circuit also includes a controller to receive an output from an operator controller and control the strings, where the controller is configured to control the strings by providing a function command to a first string member of each of the one or more strings based on the output from the operator controller. The voltage source may also receive an output from an energy output device. Further, the inverter may be configured to convert the output of energy output device into an energy source of electrical load.

Available grid codes and standards, such as islanding protection requirements, are designed for a grid connection of photovoltaic (PV) systems of low-penetrated PV networks. An increased penetration of PV systems onto the grid networks, however, may lead to frequent and nuisance tripping of the PV generators. The frequent tripping of the PV generations generators combined with the traditional grid disturbances can trigger local instabilities that cause widespread system disruptions. Accordingly, an efficient and reliable operation of high penetrated PV networks requires ancillary and utility grid assist services from PV inverters.
To meet the demand for "smart" functionalities of PV systems in highly penetrated PV networks, new distributed inverter architectures and control schemes have been proposed. Currently, most of the distributed inverter architectures and control schemes incorporate "smart" functionalities into a wide-range of inverter specifications. The major problems associated with incorporating these "smart" functionalities are their extensive operational requirements and high-bandwidth communication requirements. In addition, the high-bandwidth communication requirements also involve elaborate monitoring systems that are substantially expensive to implement.

Systems and methods for advanced grid integration of distributed generators and energy resources


Embodiments are directed towards employing a multi-pass ad-hoc spam message filtering approach that dynamically generates a temporary classifier during a first pass based on a result of a previously applied message filter that sorts messages into various folders for a user. The first pass scans messages in a user's mail folders, and reads various information within the messages, including, but not limited to sender information, headers, including a subject, an originating network address, message contents, attachments, and the like. After creating a classification model, the classifier with its model is used in a second pass on the message folders to retrospectively inspect the messages and present to the user a list of messages that might be misclassified. The classification model is maintained within memory on a user's client device, as memory resident only, and is not stored on disk or within another persistent data store.

The problem of spam is well-recognized in established communication technologies, such as electronic mail. Spam may include unsolicited messages sent by a computer over a network to a large number of recipients. Spam includes unsolicited commercial messages, but spam has come to be understood more broadly to additionally include unsolicited messages sent to a large number of recipients, and/or to a targeted user or targeted domain, for malicious, disruptive, or abusive purposes, regardless of commercial content. For example, a spammer might send messages in bulk to a particular user to harass, or otherwise, disrupt their computing resources.
However, a sender of a large number of messages might not be considered a spammer. For example, an educational, financial institution, health institution, or the like, might send a large number of messages to its alumni, members, or the like. Similarly, known and/or generally acceptable merchants might send large number of messages that some recipients may actually want to receive. Such bulk message distributors may be well known by some of its recipients, who may actually seek to receive the messages. Thus, a sender of a large number of messages cannot be classified based solely upon the quantity of messages it sends. However, in other situations, even messages from well known merchants might be considered as junk mail, or spam, by other recipients. Because some recipients of the bulk messages may know and accept messages from these senders, while other recipients would consider such messages as spam, filters often need to be individually tuned to allow the messages to be delivered for each individual. Thus, while some generic spam filters may work for many messages, they may not work for a given individual.

Real-time ad-hoc spam filtering of email


The uppermost printed product is lifted from an intermediate stack, that was loaded from below, by a suction arrangement. The lifted product is fed into the active range of a pushing arrangement that is driven in synchronism with the suction arrangement. The pushing arrangement has stops which are arranged one behind another at a distance and circulate along a closed peripheral path and function to push the printed products released by the suction arrangement, one after another, by acting on the trailing edge of the printed products. The printed products are conveyed from the intermediate stack into the effective range of a conveying apparatus.

The present invention relates to a device for feeding printed products, that are preferably folded and arrive in an imbricated formation, to a further processing point.
A device of this general type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,770 that issued on Sep. 9, 1997, which application is hereby included by reference as a part of this disclosure. That application discloses an intermediate stack that is formed from printed products supplied by a first conveying device. The first conveying device has a driven conveying wheel around which a pressure belt engages and which has a plurality of cutouts uniformly distributed on the periphery. A suction arrangement, which is also arranged above the stacking point is driven in synchronism with the conveying wheel. The suction arrangement lifts the uppermost printed product of the intermediate stack and introduces it, with a region adjacent to one edge of the printed product, into a cutout in the conveying wheel. The conveying wheel deflects the printed product by means of bending into the conveying gap formed by the conveying wheel and pressure belt. In this known device, the suction arrangement must move around the edge of the printed product fed into the effective range of the conveying wheel, which occupies a certain amount of time. Moreover, the printed products are bent considerably by the conveying wheel. At high speeds this presents the risk of damaging the printed product.

Device for feeding printed product to a further processing point


A dual-frequency coaxial earphone includes an earphone housing, a moving coil loudspeaker unit and a balanced armature loudspeaker unit. The earphone housing has a receiving space and an acoustic output orifice. The receiving space communicates with the acoustic output orifice. The moving coil loudspeaker unit is assembled in the receiving space and includes a moving coil vibrating diaphragm and an acoustic transmitting member. The moving coil vibrating diaphragm is assembled to face the acoustic output orifice and includes a central vibrating portion. The acoustic transmitting member includes an acoustic transmitting hole corresponding to the central vibrating portion. The balanced armature loudspeaker corresponds to the moving coil loudspeaker unit and includes an armature vibrating diaphragm. The armature vibrating diaphragm corresponds to the acoustic transmitting hole, so that the armature vibrating diaphragm and the moving coil vibrating diaphragm are respectively disposed at two ends of the acoustic transmitting member.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to an earphone structure, and particularly to a dual-frequency coaxial earphone.
2. Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional earphone casing A10 has a signal cable A1, a vibrating diaphragm A2, a permanent magnet A3, a voice coil A4, a magnet conducting member A5 and a yoke A6 assembled therein. The voice coil A4 is assembled on the vibrating diaphragm A2 and encloses a periphery of the permanent magnet A3. A radial gap is defined between the voice coil A4 and the magnet conducting member A5. The permanent magnet A3 is sandwiched between the magnet conducting member A5 and the yoke A6.
The signal cable A1 is connected electrically to the voice coil A4. When an acoustic signals are inputted to the voice coil A4 via the signal cable A1, the voice coil A4 generates a magnet field via electromagnetic effect firstly, and then the magnet field is interacted with the magnet conducting member A5 via magnetic forces so as to drive the vibrating diaphragm A2 to vibrate, so that the acoustic signals are converted to acoustic waves for output.
As in the conventional earphone, generally the acoustic signals includes high frequency acoustic signals and low frequency acoustic signals, so both the high frequency acoustic waves and the low frequency acoustic waves will be generated when the vibrating diaphragm A2 vibrates. However, since the high frequency acoustic waves and the low frequency acoustic waves have different wavelengths and amplitudes, the characters of the two different acoustic waves cannot be distinguished by only one vibrating diaphragm A2, so that in a conventional earphone, the high frequency acoustic waves and the low frequency acoustic waves has intermodulation distortion drawbacks thereby the voices cannot be presented clearly. Although some earphone manufacturers want to assemble the high frequency speaker and the low frequency speaker into the conventional earphone so as to output the high frequency acoustic waves and the low frequency acoustic waves individually, the size of the conventional earphone is not appropriate for such modification.


A subsea wellhead assembly having an arrangement of primary well barriers provided in equipment that is located within the well and/or the wellhead housing is provided. All of the well barriers may be located within the tubing hanger and/or the production tubing string extending into the wellbore. The subsea wellhead assembly also includes a flowline connection body placed atop the wellhead housing and fluidly coupled to the tubing hanger. None of the primary barriers for the well are located in the flowline connection body.

Conventional wellhead systems include a wellhead housing mounted on the upper end of a subsurface casing string extending into the wellbore. During a drilling procedure, a drilling riser and BOP are installed above a wellhead housing (casing head) to provide pressure control as casing is installed, with each casing string having a casing hanger on its upper end for landing on a shoulder within the wellhead housing. A tubing string is then installed through the wellbore. A tubing hanger connectable to the upper end of the tubing string is supported within the wellhead housing above the casing hanger(s) for suspending the tubing string within the casing string(s). Upon completion of this process, the well is temporarily suspended via a temporary barrier. The temporary barrier could be a wireline plug, a downhole isolation valve that is pressure cycled open, a downhole safety valve, heavy completion fluid, or any combination of the above. The temporary barrier will provide a barrier between the well and the environment prior to the well control devices, such as the blowout preventer (BOP) and marine riser, being disconnected from the well.
Once removed, the BOP is replaced by a permanent well control device, in the form of a subsea Christmas tree installed above the wellhead housing, with the tree having a valve to enable the oil or gas to be produced and directed into flow lines for transportation to a desired facility. The temporary well barriers are removed after the subsea tree is installed. The subsea tree then acts as the primary well control device while the tree is in production. The subsea tree has at least two well barriers in the production flowbore that allow the well to be remotely shut in if there is a situation on the platform or anywhere downstream of the tree that requires isolation of the well.
In the event that the subsea tree needs to be retrieved, one or more temporary barriers is re-installed into the well. This is typically accomplished by installing a running string and/or riser that allows for heavy completion fluid to be pumped into the wellbore, and a wireline plug is installed into the tubing hanger. Once these barriers are in place, the subsea tree may be removed. If an isolation valve that actuates closed by means of applying pressure cycles (e.g., full-bore isolation valve, or FBIV) is used during the initial installation, it cannot be shifted closed again remotely. As such, a different barrier will be installed in place of the FBIV, typically a wireline plug.
This process of setting additional barriers in the flowbore before retrieving a subsea tree from the wellhead is time consuming and expensive. It is now recognized that systems and methods to simplify or reduce the cost of such wellhead installation/servicing operations is desired.

Barrier arrangement in wellhead assembly


A card creation system uses software tools on computing devices for coordinating and creating cards that include handwritten text for a recipient. The software is used to an organizer to create invitations to participate in a coordinated group card delivery for a recipient on a designated date for a specified event. The card creation invitations are distributed to invitees who can either accept or decline the invitation. The software can be used to create custom card designs that include handwritten text. The custom card designs are transmitted from the participant computing devices to a server. The card designs are reviewed, printed, and placed in separate envelopes. The printed and enveloped cards are then packaged in a single container. The single container is then sent in the card recipient on a designated delivery date.

This disclosure relates to a system and method for coordinating the creation of multiple cards that are individually placed in envelopes and packaged in a single container. The single container is then sent in the card recipient. The cards are c field of transcription, and more specifically, to smart transcription which places parts of a message in its proper place. Currently, transcribing involves the manual placement of the various parts of a message, a means is sought to simplify this task by analyzing the word and placing the text for the user.

System and method for creating and delivering handwritten greeting cards


Apparatus and methods for alert management in instrumentation are disclosed. An example method includes generating a set of alerts within a process control instrument, processing the set of alerts to compare the set of alerts to known combinations of alerts, determining if one of the known combinations of alerts matches the set of alerts based on the comparison of the set of alerts to the known combinations of alerts, and identifying a recommended action instruction based on the determination.

Process control systems typically include instrumentation positioned throughout a plant to enable collection of data for purposes of monitoring and troubleshooting processes. Data collection typically involves measurements made by sensors, including parameters such as pressure, flow rate, temperature, weight, density, velocity, etc. Changes in these measured parameters, such as deviations from a setpoint value, can trigger an alert. Alert management systems are an important part of managing process control instrumentation to identify and address any malfunctions through the processing of alert information. However, the number of alerts initiated in a process control system can be overwhelming to the end user, causing desensitization and making it difficult to recognize actions needed to address the underlying cause of the problem in the process control system.

Apparatus and methods for alert management in process control instrumentation


A single sheet business form construction printable in an impact or a non-impact printer includes a base sheet of face stock having a front, a back, a top, a bottom, and first and second sides. The base sheet is adapted to receive a first line of weakening in a first desired location extending adjacent and parallel to the first side to define a first tear strip on the base sheet between the first desired location and the first side. The base sheet is adapted to receive a second line of weakening in a second desired location extending adjacent and parallel to the second side to define a second tear strip on the base sheet between the second desired location and the second side. A first transverse line of weakening is intermediate and parallel the top and the bottom and extends between the first and second desired locations. A lateral strip of adhesive is parallel to the first transverse line of weakening between the transverse line of weakening and the bottom. When folded, a mailer with an internal return envelope results.

A large number of business form constructions are so called "mailers". Mailers are used for a variety of purposes, ranging from conveying promotional items or materials to the intended recipient to providing variable information such as bills or invoices, academic grades, etc. to the addressee. In many of these types of usages, the original recipient or addressee may be called upon to return something to the person or organization making the original mailing. For example, in the case of promotional mailings, a response to the promotion is frequently sought from the recipient. In the cases of bills or invoices, payment of the invoice or billed amount is expected by return mail.
To meet the need for response to mailings, many mailers include a return mailer or envelope. The intended recipient opens the original mailing, completes a form, makes out a check, or the like, and places the form or check in a return envelope included as part of the original mailer. The return envelope is then deposited in the mail.
For the most part, mailers heretofore have been so called "continuous business forms" which is to say that they are a series of mailers formed of superimposed plies with individual form lengths defined by transverse lines of weakening extending across the plies. Typically, the mailing is processed in continuous form and then the individual form lengths are separated on the lines of weakening and deposited in the mail. Recently, however, so called "cut sheet" business forms have been increasingly employed in mailers. In a cut sheet mailer, the mailers are processed as individual sheets that have already been cut from a web or the like. That is to say, cut sheet business forms are just the opposite of continuous business forms in that they have been severed into individual form lengths prior to their processing.
In the case of current cut sheet return mailers, they typically include a cut sheet with a tipped or glued on "backer panel" which creates a return envelope pocket for the mailer. The addition of this backer panel to the cut sheet effectively doubles the thickness of the mailer because it is made up of two sheets paper, rather than one. This factor has limited the use of such mailers because two sheet or two ply thickness mailers are not easily fed, if they can be fed at all, through many non-impact printers now on the market because many such non-impact printers are specifically designed to feed but a single sheet of paper at a time.
As a consequence, the advantages of cut sheet mailers cannot be realized by owners of many non-impact printers or, if such non-impact printer owners attempt to utilize cut sheet mailers, substantial feeding and jamming problems typically result.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the above problems.

Method of making a self mailer with return envelope formed from a single cut sheet


The electromagnetic clutch (10) includes a rotor assembly (12), an armature assembly (14) and a field assembly (16). The field assembly (16) includes a ring and flange assembly (86). A terminal passage (104) is provided through the base portion (100) of the circular ring 96 with a U-shaped cross-section that form as a toroidal chamber (98). An electromagnetic coil (90) is encased in a bobbin (88) and a cap (92) and inserted into the toroidal chamber with a bobbin terminal post (110) extending into the terminal passage (104). A terminal housing (120) with a terminal sleeve (142) telescopically receives the bobbin terminal post (110) and the terminal sleeve (142) extends into the terminal passage (104). Leads (112 and 114) from the electromagnetic coil (90) extend into the terminal housing (120). Terminals (122) are housed in terminal apertures (136 and 138) in the terminal housing ( 120) and are in contact with the leads (112 and 114). A terminal cover (124) holds the terminals (122) in place and rotatably and axially fixes the terminal housing (120) relative to the ring 96. The terminal cover (124) is clamped to the ring (96) and held in a fixed position relative to the ring.

Electromagnetic clutches are used to drive a variety of mechanical devices including vehicle air conditioning compressors. These clutches are engaged and disengaged as required to drive the compressor when cooling is required and to inactivate the compressor when cooling is not required. To engage an electromagnetic clutch current is supplied to an electromagnetic coil. Current in the coil creates an electromagnetic force which draws an armature and rotor together. Torque is transferred from the rotor through the armature when the clutch is engaged. To disengage the electromagnetic clutch the coil is disconnected from a power source thereby eliminating the electromagnetic force that holds the armature and the rotor in contact with each other.
The electromagnetic clutch includes a rotor assembly, an armature assembly, and a field assembly. The rotor of the assembly is rotatively journaled on a tubular projection on a compressor housing that is concentric with the compressor drive input shaft and a central axis of the compressor. The rotor has an armature contact surface, a torque input member that can be driven by a belt, chain, gear or other torque transfer system, and a toroidal chamber for an electromagnetic coil in the field assembly. The armature is attached to an armature hub that is secured to a compressor drive input shaft. The armature is axially movable along the central axis of the compressor into and out of engagement with the armature contact surface on the rotor. The electromagnetic coil is part of a field assembly. The field assembly includes a ring and flange assembly. The ring portion of the ring and flange assembly has a toroidal chamber with a U-shaped cross-section. A flange is attached to the ring portion of the ring and flange assembly. The flange is attached to the compressor housing with the ring portion projecting into the toroidal chamber in the rotor assembly. An electromagnetic coil is enclosed in a bobbin and cover and pressed into the toroidal chamber in the ring and flange assembly and secured in place. Two lead wires extend from the electromagnetic coil through passages through the ring and flange assembly. The two wire leads that extend from the electromagnetic coil are connected to terminals. The terminals are connected to a power source to energize the electromagnetic coil and create a magnetic force that pulls the armature into contact with the armature contact surface on the rotor to engage the clutch. The terminals are disconnected from a power source to deenergize the electromagnetic coil, allow the armature to move out of contact with the armature contact surface and disengage the clutch.
A number of different terminal assemblies have been connected to the two wire leads that extend from the electromagnetic coil. These terminal assemblies and their connection to the two wire leads are critical. The wire leads from the electromagnetic coil are small and relatively easy to break. The wire leads from the electromagnetic coil are frequently broken when they are merely attached to larger leads with a terminal. Movement of the large lead and terminal bends the wire leads from the electromagnetic coil and eventually breaks the wire lead.
Terminals have been successfully attached to the electromagnetic coils by employing a terminal housing that is integral with the bobbin. A large port is required in the ring and flange assembly for the passage of the terminal housing. The terminal housing frequently extends out of the ring and flange assembly too far making it difficult to secure terminals and a terminal cover to the terminal housing. The terminal housing may also fail to extend out of the ring and flange assembly to a position which will permit the terminals and the terminal cover to be properly aligned with a terminal housing and secured to the ring and flange assembly. If the terminal housing does not pass out of the ring and flange assembly far enough, the terminals and terminal cover cannot be aligned with the terminal housing and attached to the ring and flange assembly properly. Occasionally the terminal cover is secured to the ring and flange assembly in a position which results in a bending load, a shear force or a twisting load being applied to the terminal housing that is integral with the bobbin. These loads can cause the bobbin and terminal housing to break. Improper positioning of the terminal cover and a loose terminal cover can lead to a failure of the connection between the terminals and the leads from the electromagnetic coil.

Coil mounting and terminals for an electromagnetic clutch


A bit scrambling method and apparatus for packet transmission/reception in a wireless communication system are provided. A transmitter performs bit scrambling before CRC attachment and a receiver performs bit descrambling after a CRC check. This enables termination of iterative decoding at a turbo decoder according to the CRC check. Hence, power consumption is reduced and throughput is increased at a receiver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wideband code division multiple access) (WCDMA wireless communication system. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for carrying out bit-scrambling/descrambling in the media access control-high speed (MAC-hs) layer of a transmitter/receiver for high-speed packet transmission/reception.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile communication systems have evolved from voice-focused service in its initial developmental stage to high-speed, high-quality wireless packet data transmission for provisioning of data service and multimedia service. The standardization work dedicated to high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) and 1xEV-DV (Evolution-Data and Voice) mainly by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and 3GPP2 is a clear evidence of efforts to find a solution to 2 Mbps or higher-speed, high-quality wireless data packet transmission. 4th generation mobile communication systems aim to provide higher-speed, higher-quality multimedia service.
In wireless communications, the radio channel environment is an obstacle to high-speed, high-quality data service. The radio channel environment varies often due to fading-induced signal power change, shadowing, Doppler effects caused by mobile movement and frequent mobile velocity changes, interference from other users, and multipath interference as well as additive white gaussian noise (AWGN). Thus it follows that advances in technology are needed to improve adaptability to the channel environment beyond the technologies of the existing 2nd and 3rd generation mobile communication systems in order to provide the high-speed wireless data packet service. Although fast power control adopted in the existing systems improves the adaptability to the channel environment, both 3GPP and 3GPP2 are dedicated to standardization of a high-speed data packet transmission system. Both standards commonly address adaptive modulation and coding scheme (AMCS) and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ).
The AMCS is a method of changing a modulation scheme and a coding rate adaptively according to the change of a downlink channel environment. Generally, a user equipment (UE) measures the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a downlink signal and reports it to a Node B. The Node B then estimates the downlink channel environment based on the SNR information and decides an appropriate modulation scheme and coding rate according to the estimation. Therefore, a system using the AMCS applies a higher-order modulation scheme such as 16 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) or 64 QAM and a high coding rate such as ¾ to a UE near to a Node B, that is, a UE in a good channel status. To a UE at a cell boundary, that is, a UE in a bad channel status, the system applies a lower-order modulation scheme such as BPSK (binary phase shift keying), QPSK (quadrature psk), or 8 PSK (8-ary PSK) and a low coding rate such as ½. The AMCS improves system performance on the average by reducing interference relative to the conventional fast power control method.
The HARQ is a scheme that, when an error is generated in an initially transmitted data packet, retransmits the packet to compensate for the error. The HARQ scheme can be further categorized as either chase combining (CC), full incremental redundancy (FIR), and partial incremental redundancy (PIR) methods for error compensation.
In the CC method of error compensation, the same packet that was initially transmitted is retransmitted in its entirety. A receiver combines the retransmitted packet and the buffered initially transmitted packet according to a predetermined method, thereby increasing the reliability of the coded bits input to a decoder and thus achieving a total system performance gain. The combining of the same two packets gives the effect of repetition coding. Hence, an average performance gain of about 3 dB is achieved.
The FIR method of error compensation improves decoding performance at the receiver by transmitting a packet comprising parity bits generated from a channel encoder instead of the same initially transmitted packet. The decoder uses the new parity bits as well as the initial transmission information. The resulting decrease in coding rate increases decoding performance. It is well known in coding theory that a performance gain at a low coding rate is higher than that achieved from repetition coding. Thus, the FIR offers good performance over the CC in terms of performance gain.
Unlike the FIR, the PIR method of error compensation transmits a data packet comprised of information bits and new parity bits during retransmission. During decoding, the initially transmitted information bits are combined with the retransmitted information bits, leading to the effect of the CC method of error compensation, and the use of the parity bits leads to the effect of the FIR method of error compensation. The PIR uses a higher coding rate than the FIR. Thus, the PIR generally stands between the FIR and the CC in terms of performance.
While the AMC and HARQ are independent techniques to increase adaptability to the change of links, a combination of them can improve the system performance considerably. That is, a transmitter in a Node B decides a modulation scheme and a coding rate for a channel encoder adaptively according to the downlink channel status and transmits a data packet correspondingly. A receiver in a UE, if it fails to decode the data packet, requests a retransmission. The Node B retransmits a predetermined data packet in a predetermined HARQ scheme in response to the retransmission request.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the physical layer configuration of a conventional transmitter for high-speed packet data transmission. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the transmitter is comprised of a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) adder 102, a bit scrambler 104, a code block segmenter 106, a channel encoder 108, an HARQ functionality block 110, an interleaver 112, a constellation rearranger 114, a modulator 116, a controller 118, and a transmit antenna 120.
Referring to FIG. 1, a transport block 100 received from a higher media access control (MAC) layer is attached with a CRC code in the CRC adder 102 and provided to the bit scrambler 104. The structure of the transport block 100 will be described below.
For an high speed-downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH), a protocol data unit (PDU) generated in the MAC layer includes a MAC-hs header and one or more MAC-hs service data units (SDUs). Notably, a MAC-hs SDU is equivalent to a MAC-d PDU. Only one MAC-hs PDU is transmittable to one UE for one transmission time interval (TTI) and the MAC-hs header is of a variable length. MAC-hs SDUs in one TTI are in the same reordering queue.
The bit scrambler 104 scrambles the CRC-attached transport block with a predetermined initial value on a per-bit basis. The scrambled bits are provided to the channel encoder 108 via the code block segmenter 106. If the size of the input data exceeds the maximum number of bits that can be input to the channel encoder 108, the code block segmenter 106 segments the data by the maximum bit number.
After a turbo coding on the input bits, the channel encoder 108 outputs coded bits comprising a systematic part representing the input bits and a parity part representing parity bits for error correction of the systematic part. The channel encoder (turbo encoder) 108 encodes the input bits at least one coding rate such as ½, ¾ and the like. Alternatively, the channel encoder 108 may have a mother coding rate of ⅙ or ⅕ so as to support a plurality of coding rates through puncturing or repetition. In this case, an operation for deciding one of the coding rates is needed.
The HARQ functionality block 110 includes a rate-matching operation of the coded bits to a predetermined data rate. The rate matching is done by repetition or puncturing of the coded bits, when the number of the coded bits is not equal to that of bits transmittable over the air. The interleaver 112 interleaves the rate-matched coded bits.
The constellation rearranger 114 rearranges the interleaved bits and the modulator 116 maps the rearranged bits to modulation symbols in a modulation scheme of an M-ary PSK or M-ary QAM. The modulation symbols are transmitted through the transmit antenna 120. The constellation rearranger 114 distinguishes the systematic part of the interleaved bits from the parity part thereof and allocates the systematic part to a high-reliability position and the parity part to a low-reliability position. Also, the constellation rearranger 114 distinguishes initial transmission bits from retransmission bits and maps the initial transmission bits to modulation symbols with a low error probability and the retransmission bits to modulation symbols with a high error probability.
Meanwhile, the controller 118 controls the coding rate of the channel encoder 108, the rate matching of the HARQ functionality block 110, and the modulation scheme of the modulator 116 according to the current radio channel status. In the case of an HSDPA wireless communication system, the controller 118 supports the AMCS.
With reference to FIG. 2, the structure of a conventional receiver for high-speed packet data reception will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the receiver is comprised of a receive antenna 200, a blind power detector (BPD) 202, a demodulator 204, a constellation rearranger 206, a deinterleaver 208, a bit decollection buffer 210, a rate dematcher 212, a code block desegmentation buffer 214, a turbo decoder 216, a bit descrambler 218, a CRC checker 220, and a data buffer 222.
Referring to FIG. 2, the BPD 202 estimates the pilot-to-traffic power ratio of a signal received through the receive antenna 200. The demodulator 204 extracts a bit stream from the input symbol sequence based on the estimated power ratio. The constellation rearranger 206 rearranges the bit streams to output rearranged coded bits. The deinterleaver 208 deinterleaves the rearranged coded bits in correspondence with the interleaving of the interleaver 112 in the transmitter. The deinterleaved bits are applied to the input of the turbo decoder 216 via the bit decollection buffer 210, the rate dematcher 212, and the code block desegmentation buffer 214. The turbo decoder 216 extracts information bits by separating the received bits into a systematic part and a parity part.
In a 3rd generation communication system, the transmitter transmits a preset pilot signal on a common pilot channel that all users can receive. The receiver estimates channel characteristics, especially fading using the pilot signal. The estimated channel characteristics are used to recover a signal distorted by the fading to a original signal and also to estimate the pilot to traffic power ratio.
The pilot to traffic power ratio estimation is an essential process for successful demodulation of a signal modulated in a higher-order modulation scheme such as 16 QAM or 64 QAM. If the transmitter notifies receiver of the power ratio, the power ratio estimation is not needed. Yet, in a general high-speed packet transmission system like 1xEV-DV or HSDPA using a modulation scheme with an order equal to or higher than 16 QAM, the receiver is supposed to estimate the power ratio to relieve signal load. Receiving the power ratio estimation at the receiver instead of receiving the power ratio by signaling is called blind power ratio detection. In the case where the transmit power of the transmitter is non-uniform, the use of the pilot-to-traffic power ratio in demodulation may cause problems.
The situation of non-uniform average power in the transmitter will be discussed below. High-order modulation symbols have different power levels. In 16 QAM, the power of the four inner symbols close to the origin (0, 0) is given as Pin=2A2 on a coordinate plane having in-phase (I) component and quadrature-phase (Q) components along x and y axes. For the eight middle symbols, Pmiddle=10A2 and for the four outer symbols, Pouter=18A2. A denotes the distance between each inner symbol and the axes. Thus, the total average power of the three types of symbols is given by Ptotal=(2A2+10A2+18A2)/3=10A2. If A is 0.3162, Ptotal=1.
Let a data symbol transmitted on a data channel be denoted by Sd, and a pilot symbol transmitted on a pilot channel be denoted by Sp, If the power of a symbol is <S>, a transmitted signal Tx from the transmitter is expressed asTx=WdAdSd+WpApSp  (1)
where W denotes Walsh spreading codes by which the data channel is distinguished from the pilot channel, A denotes the channel gains of the data and pilot channels, and S denotes traffic data symbols and pilot symbols in a packet. The pilot symbols Sp follow a preset pattern between the transmitter and the receiver.
The high-speed packet transmission system transmits the signal Tx in packets, wherein each packet is loaded a plurality of slots. One slot duration is 0.667 ms and the number of symbols per slot varies depending on the spreading factor (SF) of the slots. For asynchronous HSDPA, one packet uses three slots and 480 symbol are transmitted per packet for a SF=16.
Therefore, since one modulation symbol is comprised of four bits, 1920 bits are randomly generated in 16 QAM. In QPSK, one symbol is comprised of two bits and thus 960 bits are generated. If 120 inner symbols, 240 middle symbols, and 120 outer symbols are uniformly generated for transmission of 480 symbols, the average power of the 480 symbols, <Si> is 1. However, all the symbols are not always uniformly generated in real transmission. In an extreme case where 1920 bits are generated to be all 0s, all the symbols are A+jA inner symbols, resulting in <Si>=0.2. The receiver also estimates the average power to be 0.2, not 1, despite the absence of noise or distortion. On the contrary, if all the bits are 1s, the symbols are 3A+j3A outer symbols and <Si> is 1.8.
The characteristics of the non-uniform average power will be described in terms of probability density function (PDF) as follows. Given a total transmit power of 1, then 90% of the total transmit power (Ad2=0.9) or the average power of the traffic channel, is 0.9 (P=Ad2<Si>=Ad2) in the case where the three types of symbols (inner symbols, middle symbols and outer symbols) are perfectly uniformly generated. Yet, the traffic channel exhibits a power distribution with m=0.9 and σ=0.0232 where m is the mean power and σ is the standard deviation.
If the traffic channel occupies 90% of the total transmit power (Ad2=0.9), the average symbol power <Si> is 0.8, and noise is generated with a power of 0.2 (<N>=0.2), the received power of an AWGN channel is calculated in a general blind power ratio detecting method. The method of detecting an accumulated average of the traffic channel can be expressed byRx=WdAdSd+WpApSp+N  (2)
After separating the pilot channel by Walsh decovering, the power remains:Rxd=AdSd+N  (3)
To achieve Ad, the accumulated average power is calculated byP=Ad2<Sd>+<N>  (4)
In an ideal case where <Sd> is 1 and <N> is 0, P=Ad2=0.9 by Eq. (4). However, as described before, if <Sd> is 0.9 and <N> is 0.2, P=Ad2<Sd>+<N>=1.01. Since P≠Ad2, Ad2 cannot be achieved accurately.
As described above, when transmission symbols are uniformly created on a 16 QAM signal constellation, an accurate symbol boundary Ad can be estimated by effectively estimating the pilot to traffic power ratio. Other-wise, the symbol boundary Ad cannot be estimated accurately, thereby degrading performance at demodulation. The performance decrease is estimated to be 1.0 to 1.5 dB.
Accordingly, the bit scrambler 104 and the bit descrambler 218 are used to solve the problem of non-uniform transmit power. The bit scrambler 104 operates input bits with a predetermined initial value in the manner that converts non-uniform input bits concentrated on 1 or 0 to have a uniform distribution of 1's and 0's. The bit descrambler 218 performs the reverse of the bit scrambling on the received bits to thereby recover the original bits.
Regarding decoding at the receiver, the turbo decoder 216 extracts information bits more accurately by iterative decoding. Yet, too many occurrences of iteration lead to decoding delay and power consumption. Thus, the iterative decoding of the turbo decoder 216 is limited to a predetermined maximum number. However, if normal data recovery is achieved before the maximum number of iterations, the iterative decoding is terminated so that the process delay and power consumption of the turbo decoder 216 can be reduced considerably. To do so, a CRC check on decoder output can be served as a criterion to terminate the iterative decoding.
To determine whether to terminate the iterative decoding by the CRC check, first, all code blocks must include CRC bits to allow a CRC check in the turbo decoder. This condition is partially satisfied in the HSDPA system. When a higher-layer transport block size (TBS) is shorter than or equal to a maximum length for turbo coding (that is, 5114), the condition is satisfied. If the TBS is longer than 5114, the transport block is segmented into a plurality of code blocks and each code block cannot include a CRC. In this case, the above condition is not satisfied.
Secondly, when determining whether to terminate the iterative decoding by the CRC check, in a conventional system, a receiver cannot perform a CRC check without bit scrambling because a transmitter performs bit scrambling after CRC attachment. Therefore, the CRC check-based iterative decoding termination is not viable. To use the CRC check-based iterative decoding termination scheme in the turbo decoder 216, the bit scrambler 218 must be incorporated into the turbo decoder 216.
It is not easy, however, to include the bit descrambler 218 within the turbo decoder 216. Moreover, in a structure having the turbo decoder 216 separated from the bit scrambler 218, the turbo decoder 216 must be modified to feed back the output of the bit descrambler 218 to the input of the turbo decoder 216.
Hence, there is a need for a transmission/reception system in which the CRC check-based iterative decoding termination scheme can be applied using the existing turbo decoder structure.

Method and apparatus for bit scrambling for packet transmission/reception in a wireless communication system