To form a ramp signal for the programming of a memory cell without losing excess voltage in a control circuit, the output of a voltage pull-up circuit is connected to the programming input using a P type transistor. It is shown that this P type transistor then charges the memory array at constant current, prompting a linear increase of the voltage. This results in preventing the memory cell that is to be programmed from being subjected to excessively sudden variations of voltage. It is shown that by acting in this way, the integrated circuit can be made to work even with very low voltages.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to circuits that provide programming high voltages, and more particularly, to circuits that program non-volatile type memory cells including floating-gate transistors as storage elements. The invention can be used further for programming other types of memory cells, including static and dynamic memories, insofar as the progress of their programming voltage needs to be checked. With the invention, it is possible to control the development of this programming voltage when it is set up. More generally, the invention provides control for the progress of any voltage whatsoever.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In the field of non-volatile memories, the cells of which are EPROM, EEPROM or Flash EPROM type cells, it is usually necessary to apply a high voltage of about 20 volts to store charge in a floating gate of a floating-gate transistor. Normally, an external supply circuit possesses a supply circuit to produce this high voltage. However, when the integrated circuit for which a programming high voltage has to be produced is a mounted circuit, in particular when it is a chip of a chip card or a circuit board, the programming high voltage has to be produced within the integrated circuit. It is possible, using a general supply low voltage, for example equal to 5 volts, to produce high internal voltages, for example of the order of 20 volts.
The development of technologies is now leading to the recommending of general supply voltages of lower values, for example 3 volts, or even 1.8 volts. The usefulness of these approaches using very low voltage is that the total energy dissipated in an integrated circuit is reduced: its temperature is therefore lower, and it works more efficiently. Furthermore, with the miniaturization of circuits, breakdown voltages or voltages corresponding to a change in state are reduced so that a low voltage supply becomes a necessity. However, despite this miniaturization, it is still necessary to have recourse to programming high voltages.
The principle of the production of a programming high voltage within an integrated circuit consists of the use of a voltage pull-up circuit within this integrated circuit. A voltage pull-up circuit is constituted for example by a Schenkel type multiplier or else by a charge pump. The technique of making these pull-up circuits is such that, for a given supply voltage, for example 5 volts, the value of the high voltage produced is limited by a maximum, for example 20 volts. If the supply voltage is lower, for example 3 volts, it is still possible to produce potential differences of 18 volts by producing positive voltages and negative voltages in the circuit. However, there then arises a problem of cost related to this complexity of the circuit. Such costs and complexity are increased if the supply voltage is lower than 3 volts.
Besides, fan-out of the voltage pull-up circuit, especially when it is a charge pump, decreases as the programming high voltage produced increases above the starting general supply voltage. In view of the fact that memory arrays, namely bit lines, do not have perfect insulation, there are electrical leakages which, in combination with technical constraints related to making the voltage pull-up circuit, lead to choosing the maximum permissible values for the programming voltages. In practice, it is observed at the present time that the highest possible programming voltage is limited by about 18 volts for a voltage of 1.8 volts.
When a programming high voltage is to be applied to a memory cell, it should not be applied suddenly. Otherwise there is a risk of causing the deterioration of a gate oxide layer placed between a floating gate and a drain or source region of the floating-gate transistor to be programmed. To avoid this problem, a voltage ramp is produced from the programming high voltage. The slope of this ramp, which increases as a function of time, is calibrated so that it remains smaller than a critical slope. The circuit that sets up the voltage ramp has an N type transistor connected by its drain to a source of programming high voltage (that is constant), and by its source to the place of application of the voltage ramp. To the gate of this N type transistor, there is applied a signal that increases regularly with time so as to control the voltage available at the source. It can be seen then that this voltage available at the source follows, except for a drop in voltage VTN, the value of the signal applied to the control gate of this N type transistor.
Now, the drop in voltage really caused in the N type transistor is actually an addition of the following two values: a drop in voltage intrinsic to the N type transistor and a drop in voltage related to the difference between the source voltage of the N type transistor and the substrate voltage of the integrated circuit. Generally, a total difference of 2 volts is the value chosen. This means that all that is available thereafter is a maximum end-of-ramp voltage of 16 volts. If a voltage greater than 16 volts is desired, the DC programming high voltage must be increased to the detriment of the fan-out of the charge pump. Consequently, the problem is not truly resolved for, when the circuit lets through current, this voltage drops.

Circuit for the production of a programming high voltage


This disclosure relates to an improvement to vending machines and particularly gumball machines, and is equally applicable to vending machines of like design. A system and method are disclosed to convert a conventional gumball vending machine to a solar light fixture using an inner rod nut. A system and method are disclosed to convert a conventional vending machine to contain a rotary turntable.

Traditional gumball vending machines currently manufactured are known to be timeless, classic and familiar; long lasting, impressive in their fine craftsmanship, comprised of sturdy materials and of high quality. A gumball machine filled with bright gumballs brings a smile to everyone's face. There is a collectors' market for vintage vending and gumball machines. However, its nature of being produced and marketed for primarily confectionary or gumball dispensing, limits its use to primarily interior or high use locations. Style wise, by virtue of being filled with a perishable food product, limitations apply to its aesthetic incorporation in certain interior locations. It is also known to be primarily a confectionary dispensing machine and, while pleasing to look at, offers no real meaningful use beyond that attribute. At this time Singapore has a ban on importing chewing gum rendering gumball vending machines virtually worthless in that city with other cities contemplating the same ban.
For the above reasons, a conversion of the traditional vending gumball machine to give it a new use while still providing joy seemed in order. The conversion of the tradition vending gumball machine to accommodate an independent solar light illuminating non-perishable fill within its globe results in an eco-friendly, automatic, non-utility consuming alternative to outdoor lighting needs, while maintaining the integrity, craftsmanship, and high quality of the timeless and pleasing design.

Apparatus and methods of improvement of vending machines


An apparatus configured to aid a user in actuating a slide mechanism of a semi-automatic pistol is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first side portion connected to a second side portion by a top portion extending therebetween, a tunnel configured to receive the slide mechanism therein and extend a length of the apparatus from a first end portion to a second end portion, and a flange configured to rest against an end of the slide mechanism to provide a pushing force on the end when a user actuates the slide mechanism.

This invention relates generally to firearms and more particularly to an apparatus and method for actuating a slide of a semi-automatic pistol.
Firearms come in many types and sizes with each being utilized for specific tasks. One example of a firearm is a handgun. Handguns are typically used by law enforcement as well as non-law enforcement individuals for self-defense and/or target practice due to the size and ease of carry. Handguns come in single-shot, revolver, and semi-automatic configurations. While single-shot and revolver type handguns are relatively easy to operate, some semi-automatic configurations can be difficult due to the type of action utilized.
Semi-automatic pistols use a slide mechanism to "cock" or load the pistol with ammunition in its chamber. The slide mechanism is spring-loaded and requires a user to grasp the slide mechanism and actuate or pull/push backward towards the user. As the slide mechanism is pulled back, ammunition is removed from a magazine and loaded into the chamber. Additionally, pulling the slide mechanism also sets the firing pin to allow a user to pull a trigger and strike the ammunition, thereby causing a projectile of the ammunition to speed down a barrel of the pistol, exit the barrel, and enter a target. In the case of a jam or malfunction, pulling the slide mechanism can aid in ejecting the jammed ammunition out an ejection port of the semi-automatic pistol.
The slide mechanism of semi-automatic pistols can often be difficult to actuate due to many factors. For example, the slide mechanism may have a smooth finish that is difficult to grip, may be too narrow to provide a user with enough surface area to grip, may have a stiff spring that makes it difficult to slide, and/or any combination of factors. As a result, users often struggle with loading ammunition into a chamber of a semi-automatic pistol. This becomes especially troublesome when users use the semi-automatic pistol for personal protection and time is of the essence.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an apparatus and method that permits a user to actuate a slide mechanism of a semi-auto pistol quickly and easily.

Apparatus and method for actuating a slide mechanism for a semi-automatic pistol


Embodiments of the present disclosure include disposable wearable absorbent articles with extensible sides. In an embodiment of the present disclosure a disposable wearable absorbent article includes a front, a back, and an extensible side configured to connect the front and the back, wherein the extensible side has a substantially laterally extensible area, which includes a first area, bounded in part by at least a portion of a longitudinally outboard side edge. An overall lateral extensibility of the first area is substantially less than an overall lateral extensibility of the substantially laterally extensible area.

Disposable wearable absorbent articles include diapers and incontinence garments. These articles can be made from various materials, including extensible materials. Extensible materials can be extended in size. This ability to extend can be useful in disposable wearable articles. For example, a disposable wearable absorbent article with extensible sides can be extended to fit wearers of various sizes.
The design of such extensible sides can affect the way that an article can be applied to a wearer. Unfortunately, some disposable wearable absorbent articles with extensible sides are difficult to apply to wearers. For example, some disposable wearable absorbent articles can require significant forces to extend the extensible sides.
The design of such extensible sides can also affect the way that an article fits on a wearer. Unfortunately, some disposable wearable absorbent articles with extensible sides fit wearers poorly. For example, some disposable wearable absorbent articles with extensible sides can rotate around or slip down on a wearer. A disposable wearable absorbent article that rotates or slips can feel uncomfortable, look unattractive, and perform poorly as the article tends to ride back, sag, and leak.

Disposable wearable absorbent articles with extensible sides


An adjustable work platform comprises a fixed platform carrying a multiplicity of adjustable members designed to slide out of the fixed platform to variable lengths as needed. A large irregularly shaped object, such as an aircraft, may be driven into the interior of the platform with the adjustable members retracted. Once in place, the adjustable members are extended to form a heavy duty work platform conforming to the irregular shape of the exterior of the object.

Maintenance upon large irregularly shaped objects is often difficult because of the cost and difficulty involved in providing safe and reasonably priced work surfaces suited to the outer size and shape of such objects. The variable shapes and sizes of large objects such as aircraft require custom work platforms so that workers can safely reach and work on those objects. Standard scaffolding is designed to facilitate maintenance upon standard rectangular shapes such as brick buildings. Custom scaffolding is known in the art but frequently cost prohibitive given the large variance in the size, shape, and number of objects that must be maintained in a typical setting, such as an airport hanger. To make matters worse, aircraft are subject to tight schedules to remain profitable, so maintenance time must be minimized. What is needed is an adjustable work surface that will accept a range of irregularly sized and shaped large objects quickly, safely, and efficiently.

Adjustable work surface for large irregularly shaped objects


The invention relates to a device and method for expanding bags and slipping them on to a filling neck, especially bags with side folds, which are fed individually on to an aligning table, with the bag opening being positioned at the front, there being provided at least first suction means which are supported at the aligning table and which, in the region of the bag opening, are movable against the lower bag wall; at least second suction means which are supported at the aligning table and which are movable against the upper bag wall, the two sets of suction means being removable from one another while being vacuum-loaded; a pair of expanding blades which are movable into the seams of the side folds, which are secured to first pivot elements and are pivotable around a horizontal pivot axis positioned above the aligning table; a pair of bag grips with pairs of claws which are pivotable around rotational axes positioned parallel to the plane of the aligning table and, in consequence, may be opened and closed and are arranged in such a way that they each grip the two side folds in the region of the bag opening; as well as pivot elements for the bag grips which are pivotable around the same horizontal axis positioned above the aligning table as that of the first pivot elements for the expanding blades.

The invention relates to a device for expanding bags and slipping them on to a filling neck, especially bags with side folds, which are fed individually on to an aligning table, with the bag opening being positioned at the front, i. e., at the end of the aligning table toward the filling neck, and to the bag-handling method carried out by that device. A device of the aforementioned type is known from German Offenlegungschrift No. DE 38 40 646 Al. With this device, the bags are first pulled backwards from a bag store, with the closed bottom end of the bag being positioned at the front in the conveying direction. Subsequently, with the conveying direction being reversed, the bags are pulled on to the aligning table, with the bag opening being positioned at the front. The equipment components required for this process may be used, without having to be modified, for the device in accordance with the present invention. The aligning table forms part of the device in accordance with the present invention; the means for expanding and slipping on the bags is mounted on the same frame as the aligning table.
There are prior art equipment components for expanding and slipping on bags, for example, the automatic suspension device OMPB II for open bags of Chronos Richardson GmbH, in which the bag opening may be vacuum-loaded and expanded by first suction elements which are movable towards the lower bag wall and second suction elements which are movable towards the upper bag wall and which are each arranged in the region of the front bag edge, so that the bag opening is expanded by the separation of the bag walls in the areas adjacent the open end of the bag. Furthermore, there are provided means designed as expanding arms which move into the bag opening and separate therein so that the bag opening is expanded fully. The bag is gripped and held merely by being mechanically expanded A pivot movement of the expanding arms around a horizontal axis positioned above the aligning table ensures that the bag is now slid on to a filling neck where it is held by bag clamps.
The slipping-on device of the above-described type has a disadvantage in that, in the region of the bag edges, the bag cross-section is opened fully, which means that after filling the bag it is no longer possible to produce a clearly defined side fold in the region of the bag opening. This is particularly disadvantageous when closing bags with side folds, but it also has a disadvantageous effect when closing simple flat bags without multiple side folds. When using prior art closing devices, edges of the open end of the filled bag initially had to be folded back before sealing the bag by sewing the folded edges together, which is a complicated and expensive process.
The manufacturer named Slidell (USA) produces devices for expanding and slipping on bags, in which the bags are expanded exclusively by suction means acting on the bag faces, while there are provided gripping means which, at the same time, hold the side folds of the bags, especially in the case of laterally folded bags, in their original position until the bag has been slipped on to the filling neck. The suction means exert their effect near the edge of the bag. Consequently, they restrict the freedom of movement of the bag clamps at the filling neck to be pressed against the slipped-on bag, and so before the clamping-on operation, they have to be moved back in a pivot movement from the rear of the bag too as viewed from the aligning table. Such a device is suitable for very stiff bags only, because during the high-speed slipping-on operation it is possible for the bag opening to collapse and cause a system malfunction.

Device for expanding and slipping on bags


A bistable ferroelectric liquid crystal display cell utilizes two plates, a chiral ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal sandwiched between the plates, and an electrode for applying an electrical field to the plates. The chiral ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal has a structure which is influenced by the action of an electric field so that its optical anisotropy changes. By using a first polarizer connected to one of the plates and a second polarizer connected to the other plate, the unique bistable ferroelectric display produces dark parallel stripes when the polarizers are in a cross position relative to each other.

Liquid crystal cells of the aforementioned kind, depending on the nature of the liquid crystal, react in various ways when a strong electric field (e.g. 10 V/.mu.) is switched on or off. In most cases, switching-on results in an approximately homogeneous structure (possibly with a number of dislocations) whereas switching-off may result in a helix, as is the case in DHF cells described in B. I. Ostrovski, Advances in Liquid Crystal Research and Applications, Oxford/Budapest, 1980, pages 469 ff.
The known Surface Stabilized Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal (SSFLC) effect of Lagerwall and Clark is different In nature, its main characteristic being that the helix which normally forms in the liquid crystals is suppressed by interaction with the surface. In order for the suppression to occur, the pitch of the helix must be considerably longer than the thickness of the display. This effect is described in Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 94 (1983), 213-234 and 114 (1984), 151-187.
European patent application No. 88104176.8 describes another liquid crystal display which also uses liquid crystals having a small pitch. In this device, the structure of the liquid crystal in the cell comprises homogeneously oriented boundary layers (as in SSF-LCDs) and a helix structure in the interior of the cell.
The disadvantage of the known cells is that the critical wall orientation causes difficulties. Also, the "memory switching angles" are considerably smaller than the optimum of 45.degree.. The object of the present invention is to eliminate these disadvantages.

Bistable ferroelectric liquid crystal display cell


A bearing assembly comprises an outer bearing member having a cylindrical bore therethrough and a cylindrical inner bearing member extending coaxially within the bore in the outer bearing member, the inner bearing member having a cylindrical bore therethrough for accepting a rotating shaft. A first conduit is provided for supplying fluid to the bore in the outer bearing member to form a hydrostatic bearing between the inner bearing member and the outer bearing member, the first conduit comprising a passageway through the inner bearing member having four openings into the bore in the outer bearing member, the openings being arranged into pairs, the openings in each pair being in opposing regions of the bore. A second conduit is provided for independently supplying fluid to the bore in the inner bearing member to form a hydrodynamic bearing between the inner bearing member and a shaft located in the bore in the inner bearing member, the second conduit comprising a passageway having two openings into the bore in the inner bearing member, the openings being in opposing regions of the bore.

An effective bearing assembly is one which, when in use for supporting a rotating shaft, allows the shaft to rotate as freely as possible, whilst providing the necessary support for the rotating shaft. In addition, the bearing assembly should accommodate and dampen vibration of the shaft. The performance of a bearing assembly becomes more important as the speed of rotation of the shaft being supported increases. The design and characteristics of bearing assemblies for supporting shafts in equipment such as a centrifugal compressor is critical if the shaft is to be allowed to rotate at the very high speed required and if the bearing is to function well over a wide range of speeds of rotation, for example during start-up and shut-down of the rotating equipment. Squeeze-film bearings have been employed for supporting shafts rotating at high speed. The bearing accommodates vibration of the shaft by using a film of fluid, sometimes in combination with one or more centering springs, to dampen the vibration. Examples of hydrostatic bearings are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,121,596, 3,994,541, 4,097,094, 4,392,751 and 3,863,996.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,533 discloses a bearing assembly for use in a pump in which, during start-up of the pump, the bearing acts as a hydrodynamic type of bearing while the fluid pressure available is too low for a hydrostatic type of bearing. Thereafter, once the normal fluid working pressure has been obtained, the bearing acts as a hydrostatic bearing.
A significant improvement in high-speed bearing design was made by the introduction of the hydrodynamic shaft bearing with a concentric outer hydrostatic bearing. Such a bearing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,849. This bearing assembly employs both a hydrodynamic bearing and a hydrostatic squeeze-film bearing. The rotating shaft being supported is located in a cylindrical bore in a cylindrical inner bearing member. The inner bearing member is, in turn, located within a cylindrical bore in an outer bearing member. When in use, fluid is supplied to the cylindrical bore in the outer bearing member by way of passageways extending through the outer bearing member itself. In this way, a hydrostatic squeeze-film bearing is established between the surface of the bore in the outer bearing member and the outer surface of the inner bearing member. Fluid flows from this hydrostatic bearing through passageways in the inner bearing member to the cylindrical bore in which the shaft is located. The fluid entering the bore in the inner bearing member forms a hydrodynamic bearing between the outer surface of the shaft and the surface of the bore in the inner bearing member. It is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,849 that the inner hydrodynamic bearing may be designed so as to optimize the rotational support of the entire bearing system. In this way, the stiffness of the inner hydrodynamic bearing may be maximized to improve rotation and need not be reduced in order to provide a dampening effect to accommodate vibrations set up in the rotation shaft. The dampening effect is achieved using the outer hydrostatic squeeze-film bearing which can be optimized for that function. O-ring seals are provided between the inner and outer bearing members to maintain the pressure of the fluid in the hydrostatic squeeze-film and maintain the performance of the hydrostatic bearing.
The bearing assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,849 has achieved considerable commercial success, in particular in applications for supporting shafts rotating at high speed, for example centrifugal compressors. However, it has been found that in order to achieve optimum performance using this bearing assembly, the fluid supply pressure must be significantly higher than other, more conventional, bearing designs. While this in itself does not present a problem in many cases, it would be desirable to provide a bearing assembly which achieves the same high performance, but which does not require such high fluid supply pressures.

Hydrodynamic shaft bearing with concentric outer hydrostatic bearing


A non-invasive screening technique for visualizing coronary arteries which overcomes the problems of visualizing the curved arteries by projecting the three dimensional volume of the arteries onto a two dimensional screen. Blood-filled areas such as the coronary arteries and veins, are highlighted to contrast with other nearby tissues using non-linear classification and segmentation techniques. Data is gathered as a sequence of 2D slices stored as a 3D volume. Software interpolates voxels intermediate to the slices. Wiener filtering or LMS spatial filtering can be implemented on each 2D scan to improve lateral resolution and reduce noise prior to the use of the scan data with the classification and segmentation algorithms. A traditional handheld ultrasound probe is employed to enable the technician to locate the area of interest, but a gyroscopic stabilizer is added to minimize unwanted variation on two axes of rotation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to medical ultrasound, and more particularly to a non-invasive screening method and apparatus for visualizing coronary artery obstruction which solves artery curvature problems by projecting the three-dimensional volume onto a two-dimensional screen, highlighting the arteries and veins in contrast to other tissue and the heart chambers by using nonlinear techniques, storing many processed 2D slices into a 3D volume, and projecting the volume with varying view angles controlled by a pointing device.
2. Discussion of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR §§1.97, 1.98
In his well-respected textbook, Echocardiography, Harvey Feigenbaum, M.D., describes analysis techniques for many cardiac conditions. Most of these are used in routine clinical practice. An exception is the visualization of the coronary arteries (CAs) and assessment of their condition. Considering the seriousness of coronary artery disease, it is obvious that a non-invasive screening technique to assess obstruction in these arteries would be of great importance.
At pages 482-490 of Echocardiography, 5th Edition, Feigenbaum shows 2D views of the coronary arteries. These studies prove that clinical ultrasound machines circa 1993 already had sufficient resolution to image the larger parts of these arteries. However, as Feigenbaum states, the curved nature of the arteries usually does not permit them to be seen for any length in an individual frame. In addition, it takes great skill and knowledge to recognize the arteries when they do come into view. For these reasons, clinical ultrasound is rarely used to visualize the CAs.
Because of the curved nature of the CAs, it would be advantageous and desirable to visualize them in three dimensions. The current patent teaches the steps required to achieve this goal.
Several U.S. Patents and/or patent applications teach or show methods of imaging coronary arteries using ultrasound or other medical imaging techniques. Notable among them are U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 2006/0079782, by Beach et al., which shows an ultrasonic technique for visualizing coronary arteries using a 2-D scan and a 3-D display.
U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 2006/0079759, by Vaillant et al., discloses a method and apparatus for registering 3-D models of the heart using ultrasound.
U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 2005/0281447, by Moreau-Gobard et al., teaches a method of producing a 3-D image of the coronary artery system using ultrasound.
U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 2005/0004449, by Mitschke et al., teaches the use of ultrasound to acquire preoperative 3-D images for marker-less navigation of a medical instrument.
U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 20020087071, by Schmitz et al., teaches a process for graphic visualization and diagnosis of thrombi as well as the use of particle suspensions for the production of contrast media for the visualization of thrombi (circumscribed blood solidification that forms in arteries or veins by intravascular clotting) through the use of nuclear spin tomography. This method produces 3-D images from a 2-D source.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,095, to Prause et al., shows a method of three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arteries by fusing data between biplane angiography and IVUS frames of a pullback sequence. The 3D course of the tortuous vessel is first determined from the angiograms and then combined with the 2D representations regarding the 3D course (e.g., segmented IVUS frames of a pullback sequence) using a data fusion apparatus and method: The determination of the 3D pullback path is represented by the external energy of the tortuous vessel and the internal energy of a line object such as a catheter.
U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 2005/0288588, by Weber et al., discloses a method and apparatus for electronic volume data acquisition using ultrasound generates image data in a coherent aperture combining beamforming (CAC-BF) scanning and imaging process.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,853, to Sapia et al., teaches use of an adaptive structure of a Wiener filter to deconvolve three-dimensional wide-field microscope images for the purposes of improving spatial resolution and removing out-of-focus light. The filter is a three-dimensional kernel representing a finite-impulse-response (FIR) structure requiring on the order of one thousand (1,000) taps or more to achieve an acceptable mean-square-error. Converging to a solution is done in the spatial-domain. Alternatively, a three-dimensional kernel representing an infinite-impulse-response (IIR) structure may be employed, as an IIR structure typically requires fewer taps to achieve the same or better performance, resulting in higher resolution images with less noise and faster computations.
The foregoing patents reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.

Method and apparatus to visualize the coronary arteries using ultrasound


Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for controlling a reverse rate of data transmitted to a BTS (base transceiver station) from MSs (mobile stations), to which an autonomous rate control is granted. The method includes the steps of checking whether a limitation for a reverse autonomous rate of an MS is persistent when it is determined from a reverse load that the limitation for the reverse autonomous rate of the MS is necessary, and transmitting information for limiting the reverse autonomous rate of the MS and information indicating persistence of the limitation for the reverse autonomous rate to the MS when it is necessary to persistently maintain the limitation for the reverse autonomous rate of the MS.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling a reverse rate in a mobile communication system, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for limiting a rate of a mobile station to which an autonomous rate control is granted.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional mobile communication system, a reverse data transmission from a mobile station (MS) to a base transceiver station (BTS) can be achieved through packet data channels in a physical layer packet unit. A data rate of each physical layer packet may vary depending on packets and the BTS controls the data rate of each physical layer packet. That is, the BTS controls data rates of various MSs. Such a procedure of the BTS for determining and controlling data rates of the MSs is called a "scheduling". The BTS conducts the scheduling based on feedback information transmitted thereto from the MSs on the basis of information related to power of the MSs and quantity of data to be transmitted from the MSs. That is, a scheduler of the BTS conducts the scheduling by taking a load obtained from "rise of thermal (RoT)" or "signal to noise ratio (SNR)" of MSs located in a service area of the BTS into consideration.
The control scheme of the BTS for the reverse data rates of the MSs is mainly classified into a fast scheduling scheme and a rate control (RC) scheme.
An MS operating with the fast scheduling scheme transmits a rate request message including a present buffer state and information about usable power of the MS to the BTS. Upon receiving the rate request message from the MS, the BTS transmits rate grant information to the MS by taking thermal noise, QoS of the MS, and other relevant information into consideration so as to allow the MS to transmit data with a maximum rate.
In the fast scheduling mode, the MS can transmit the rate request message including a present buffer state and information about usable power of the MS to the BTS, and the BTS can allocate a specific rate to the MS through grant message information by taking a request of the MS and a load state of a cell into consideration.
The RC scheme of the BTS is classified into a DRC (dedicated rate control) scheme and a CRC (common rate control) scheme depending on transmission schemes of control information. The BTS controlling the MS using the DRC scheme may transmit dedicated rate control information to each MS located in the service area of the BTS, and the BTS controlling the MS using the CRC scheme may transmit common rate control information to each MS located in the service area of the BTS.
That is, the BTS capable of controlling the MS using the DRC scheme transmits dedicated control information to each MS located in a cell, so the BTS can finely control the rate MS as compared with the BTS using the CRC scheme wherein all MSs treated in the service area of the BTS are controlled in common. However, in the DRC scheme requires, a great amount of control information to be transmitted than using the CRC scheme.
A BTS capable of controlling an MS with the CRC scheme transmits control information notifying MSs located in a cell of a "Busy" state of the reverse transmission if the RoT measured by the BTS exceeds a predetermined limitation value, or transmits control information notifying the MSs of a "Not Busy" state of the reverse transmission if the RoT is lower than the predetermined limitation value. When the control information representing the "Busy" state is received in the MS from the BTS, the MS can reduce the RoT of the cell by lowering the data rate of the MS or a traffic-to-pilot ratio (TPR) which will be described later. In addition, when the control information representing the "Not Busy" state is received in the MS from the BTS, the MS can increase the data rate of the MS or the TPR. Such an information related to the "Busy" and "Not Busy" states can be transmitted to the MSs through a rate control bit (RCB) being one bit in size.
The DRC scheme of the BTS is classified into a full rate transition scheme and a limited rate transition scheme according to a transition degree of the reverse data rate of the MS.
According to the full rate transition scheme, the BTS controls the reverse data rate of the MS without limiting a transition range of the data rate. In contrast, according to the limited rate transition scheme, the BTS controls the reverse data rate of the MS while limiting the transition range of the data rate within one step.
For example, if a set of the data rates includes 9.6 kbps, 19.2 kbps, 38.4 kbps, 76.8 kbps, 153.6 kbps, and 307.2 kbps, the number and specific value of data rates included in the set of the data rates may vary depending on systems. According to the full rate transition scheme, one of the data rates included in the data rate set can be determined as the data rate of the next packet of the MS by means of the BTS. That is, according to the full rate transition scheme, the MS transmitting data with a data rate of 9.6 kbps can transmit the next packet with a data rate of 307.2 kbps at a time because the BTS allows the MS to transmit the data with a predetermined reverse rate regardless of a previous data rate of the MS.
In contrast, according to the limited rate transition scheme, the BTS may determine the data rate of the next packet of the MS while up-converting or down-converting the data rate from the previous data rate of the MS by one step. For instance, a MS transmitting data with the data rate of 76.8 kbps can transmit the next packet with the data rate of only 38.4 kbps, 76.8 kbps or 153.6 kbps. In other words, since the data rate of the MS is up-converted or down-converted from the data rate of 76.8 kbps by one step, the transition range for the data rate of the MS is limited. Commands used for up-converting, down-converting and holding the data rate of the MS can be represented as "UP", "DOWN" and "HOLD". In addition, a signal mapping into "+1", "−1" and "0" can be performed.
The full rate transition scheme and the limited rate transition scheme each have advantages and disadvantages.
The full rate transition scheme has an advantage in that the BTS can determine the data rate of the MS without limitations. However, the full rate transition scheme has a disadvantage in that it requires a great amount of bits in order to transmit the scheduling result to the MS. For instance, if six data rates exist as described above, 3 bits are necessary for representing all data rates. In addition, since it is necessary to transmit information about identifiers of the MSs, a great amount of information must be transmitted. In contrast, the full rate transition scheme has a disadvantage in that an amount of interference exerting an influence upon other cells may significantly vary depending on the data rate of the MS, so that serious channel variation of the MSs located in other cells may occur, deteriorating the system. In addition, the limited rate transition scheme has a disadvantage in that the BTS must determine the data rate of the MS within a limited range. In contrast, the limited rate transition scheme may allow the BTS to transmit the scheduling result to the MS by using one bit, so an overhead thereof will be reduced. In addition, the limited rate transition scheme limits the transition range of the data rate of the MS within one step, so variation of the interference exerting an influence upon other cells is relatively reduced.
The BTS may set a maximum autonomous rate and a possibility of the maximum autonomous rate with respect to a specific service for the MS in order to reduce delay generated during the data rate control procedure. That is, if service data which can be autonomously transmitted are generated, the MS can transmit the data by selecting a predetermined data rate within a range of the maximum autonomous rate allocated thereto, so it is possible to minimize the delay. However, it is difficult to predict a point of time for the service data which can be autonomously transmitted. For this reason, the BTS must reserve resources corresponding to a sum of the autonomous data rates allocated to the MSs.
In the meantime, besides the above system in which the BTS controls the data rate of the MS, a system including a BTS capable of controlling a TPR" of an MS can be provided.
In the conventional mobile communication system, a reverse data transmission of the MS is power-controlled by means of the BTS. According to the power-control procedure for the MS, the MS receives a power control command from the BTS so as to directly control power of a pilot channel thereof, while controlling channels other than the pilot channel with a fixing value of the TPR. For example, if the TPR is 3 dB, a ratio of power of the traffic channel transmitted from the MS to power of the pilot channel is 2:1. Accordingly, when the MS determines a power gain of the traffic channel, the MS sets power of the traffic channel as a double of power of the pilot channel. Such a procedure is also available for other channels. That is, a gain of a corresponding channel is set with a fixed value in relation to a gain of the pilot channel. In a system in which the BTS controls the TPR instead of controlling the data rate of the MS, the BTS schedules the reverse transmission of various MSs while directly notifying the MSs of the scheduling result through the data rate so as to control the MSs. That is, the BTS notifies each MS of the TPR allocated thereto. The TPR may increase as the data rate increases. For instance, since an increase of the data rate by two causes the power allocated by an MS to the traffic channel to double, this increase of the data rate also indicates that the TPR is doubled. In the conventional mobile communication system, the data rate of a reverse traffic channel in relation to the TPR is preset in a table so that the BTS and the MS may recognize the relationship between the data rate of the reverse traffic channel and the TPR. Thus, a control for the data rate of the MS is substantially identical to a control for the TPR of the MS. In the following description, only a procedure of controlling the data rate of the MS by means of the BTS will be described for the purpose of convenience of explanation. However, as mentioned above, it is noted that a control scheme of the present invention is also applicable when the BTS controls the TPR instated of controlling the data rate of the MS.
A conventional MS used for autonomous transmission can transmit reverse data with various data rates within the TPR allocated with a maximum autonomous rate. The BTS transmits a grant message (hereinafter, referred to as "Grant" i.e., a control of reverse rate) to the MS in order to allow the MS to transmit the data with a predetermined data rate lower than the maximum autonomous rate, thereby limiting the maximum autonomous rate of the MS. According to the prior art, upon receiving the Grant from the BTS, the MS transmits data with the predetermined data rate at a point of data transmission time corresponding to the Grant, while transmitting next data using resources corresponding to the maximum autonomous rate. In addition, since the maximum autonomous rate can be changed only through a signaling message, a relatively long time corresponding to hundreds of microseconds is necessary in order to allocate a new maximum autonomous rate.
Under an actual reverse data transmission environment, the BTS may sufficiently allocate the maximum autonomous rate to a plurality of MSs. In this state, if service data having a higher priority are newly generated, the sum of the maximum autonomous rates is so large that resources to be allocated to the new service data may be insufficient. In this case, the maximum autonomous rate of each MS must be lowered in order to allocate the resources for the new service data. Current technologies require a long time for adjusting the maximum autonomous rate, so an additional transmission delay may occur when allocating the resources for the new service data, thereby degrading quality of the service. In addition, when limiting the maximum reverse autonomous rate by using the Grant, the Grant must be continuously transmitted to the MSs while the service having the higher priority is being transmitted. Thus, grant channels become complicated and the Grant cannot be transmitted to MSs receiving the same channels. In order to solve the above problem, a higher autonomous rate can be allocated for the service having the higher priority or users. In this case, however, the resources used for the reverse data transmission may be wasted during an interval in which the service data are not generated.
FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a conventional method of controlling a reverse rate, wherein
"A" is a forward control channel for transmitting the Grant from the BTS and "B" is a reverse packet data channel for transmitting data to the BTS. The Grant is information related to the data rate lower than the maximum reverse autonomous rate. When the BTS transmits the Grant to the MS at a point of T1 so as to limit the maximum autonomous rate, the MS determines the Grant as a temporal limitation signal for the data rate, so the MS allocates the data rate corresponding to the Grant only at a point of T2, which is a first transmission time for data. That is, the data rate lower than the maximum autonomous rate is allocated based on the Grant only at a first slot receiving the Grant. In this case, if the new service or the MS having a higher priority continuously requires the resources, the Grant must be continuously transmitted so as to limit the autonomous rate. That is, the BTS transmits the Grant to the MS in each point of transmission time (T1 to T4) in order to limit the autonomous rate. Accordingly, the grant channels become complicated, thereby causing a forward overhead. For this reason, it is difficult to easily control the reverse rate.

Apparatus and method for controlling reverse rate in mobile communication system


A system includes an output terminal at which power is provided to a load, wherein the load defines a load current. A respective power supply can be coupled to each of a plurality of input terminals for providing current to the load. Each of a plurality of gate modulated diodes is connected between the output terminal and a respective input terminal. Each gate modulated diode has a forward voltage drop that is controllable by a voltage signal applied to a gate of the gate modulated diode. Control circuitry is operable to apply the voltage signal at the gate of each gate modulated diode to control the respective forward voltage drop so that each power supply provides a substantially equal amount of current to the load.

Electronic devices, such as integrated circuits and microprocessors, require a power supply to operate. In some situations, it may be desirable to have more than one power supply available. Multiple power supplies are routinely connected in parallel for redundancy and in situations where more than one supply are needed to deliver the load current. With parallel supplies, it is desirable to equally distribute load current among the supplies. Otherwise, one or more power supplies may handle more than their respective share of current, thus leaving some power supplies essentially idle. This creates greater thermal stress on some units and reduces the reliability of the system.
Previously developed techniques for using parallel power supplies suffer from various problems and disadvantages. According to some previously developed techniques, current sharing among a parallel power supplies could only be achieved using elaborate feedback techniques that require access to the internal feedback loop of each power supply. This requires that the power supplies be designed for parallel operation. Also, some previously developed techniques require the use of one or more power diodes, such as Schottky diodes, for reliability. These power diodes collectively implement an "OR" function. Each power diode isolates a respective power supply in case a short circuit develops on the output terminal. In this case, the power diode may reverse bias and disconnects the associated circuit.

Current sharing using gate modulated diodes


The invention relates to non-hygroscopic salts of 5-[(Z)-(5-fluoro-2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-3H-indol-3-ylidene)methyl]-N-[(2S)-2-hydroxy-3-morpholin-4-ylpropyl]-2,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxamide, such as maleate salts, and to crystalline polymorphs of these salts. The invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions of 5-[(Z)-(5-fluoro-2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-3H-indol-3-ylidene)methyl]-N-[(2S)-2-hydroxy-3-morpholin-4-ylpropyl]-2,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxamide salts, and methods of treating disorders such as cancer using such compositions.

This invention relates to salt forms and polymorphs of 5-[(Z)-(5-fluoro-2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-3H-indol-3-ylidene)methyl]-N-[(2S)-2-hydroxy-3-morpholin-4-ylpropyl]-2,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxamide that are useful in the treatment of abnormal cell growth, such as cancer, in mammals. This invention also relates to compositions including such salts, and to methods of using such compositions in the treatment of abnormal cell growth in mammals, especially humans.
The compound 5-[(Z)-(5-fluoro-2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-3H-indol-3-ylidene)methyl]-N-[(2S)-2-hydroxy-3-morpholin-4-ylpropyl]-2,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxamide, shown in structural formula 1, is a potent, selective oral inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) involved in
signaling cascades that trigger tumor growth, progression and survival. In vivo studies have shown that this compound has anti-tumor activity in diverse preclinical solid and hematopoietic cancer xenograft models. This compound, its preparation and use are further described in U.S. patent application publication No. US 2003/0092917, published May 15, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In its free base form, 5-[(Z)-(5-fluoro-2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-3H-indol-3-ylidene)methyl]-N-[(2S)-2-hydroxy-3-morpholin-4-ylpropyl]-2,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxamide is fairly crystalline, chemically and enantiomerically stable, and relatively non-hygroscopic. However, it would be advantageous to have salt forms having improved properties, such as improved crystallinity and/or decreased hygroscopicity, while maintaining chemical and enantiomeric stability properties.

Salts and polymorphs of a pyrrole-substituted indolinone compound


A method of analysis or assay for nucleotides comprises: (1) a step of digesting DNA with a restriction enzyme; (2) a step of discriminating a difference in sequences of the DNA fragments obtained in step (1) above around the 3' termini thereof with a DNA probe and extending the DNA probe by a complementary strand synthesis to fractionate the DNA fragments into groups; and, (3) a step of measuring lengths of the DNA fragments which belong to said groups, or length of the DNA probe extended by said complementary strand extension reaction; wherein the thus measured lengths obtained for every sequence of the bases of the DNA fragments around the 3' termini thereof are employed as fingerprints.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to diagnosis using DNA and an assay for properties of DNA as well as a method for DNA analysis or assay.
(2) Description of the Related Art
It has been becoming popular to use DNA for diagnosis of disease. In such diagnosis of disease, (1) a DNA probe having a complementary sequence to a target DNA is prepared and a probe assay is carried out to see if this DNA probe hybridizes with the target DNA; (2) a certain region of sequence coding for a target DNA is chosen and subjected to polymerase chain reaction amplification using two DNA probes (primers), the resulting DNA fragment is read or its length is examined, and based on the DNA fragment information obtained, assay is performed; etc. The thus obtained results are utilized for diagnosis or the like. These methods are applicable to analysis or assay for a single kind of DNA, at most, a few kinds of DNAs but not appropriate for DNA assay of a vast number of DNA fragments or total evaluation of long DNA.
However, DNAs or genomes in vivo function while interacting with each other. It is, therefore, strongly desired to collectively assess chromosomes or all DNAs contained therein. For example, in a spotlighted cDNAs among the genome-project, it has been attempted to detect the kind and amount of cDNA complementary to mRNA thereby to collectively grasp an organism, paying attention to the mechanism of DNA functioning in the organism that, where DNA functions in an organism, DNA information is first transcribed onto mRNA and a protein is synthesized based on the information to function the organism. In this attempt, cDNAs are fished out of a vital sample and the respective cDNAs are sequenced to analyze the frequency of each CDNA appearing in one tissue (body mapping).
The body mapping involves the following procedures. First, cDNA is prepared from mRNA (in a mixture of diverse cDNAs) and then cloned. E. coli containing cDNAs is spread and cultured on an agarose plate to obtain colonies, each of which contains one of the desired cDNAs. The desired cDNA is taken out and sequenced to identify the kind of cDNA. In a similar manner, a desired cDNA is taken out of each colony and sequenced, whereby the same cDNA often appears. When attention is given to one particular cDNA present in one tissue, the larger the amount of this particular cDNA, the more likely the particular cDNA corresponds to the gene strongly expressed in the tissue and as the result, the higher the frequency of the gene appearance in the colony. Accordingly, there is proposed a method for determining the frequency of CDNA appearance which comprises performing cDNA sequencing in many colonies to see how many times a particular cDNA appears in the colonies (Katsuji, Murakawa et al., Genomics, 23, 379-389 (1994)).
On the other hand, another attempt for DNA diagnosis has also been proposed, paying attention to a genome (DNAs in all chromosomes) or the entire profile of a particular chromosome. A fingerprinting technique called gene scanning, which is also called Landmark genome scanning (LGS method), involves the steps of selectively digesting DNA with 8 base cutter restriction enzyme (which digests once per 48 to 64 kbs) such as Not I, etc., binding the digested fragments to a radioisotope tag or a nucleotide labeled with fluorophore, separating the fragments by electrophoresis, then cutting the DNA fragments in a gel with a 4 base cutter restriction enzyme (which digests once per 44 to 256 bases), and subjecting the DNA fragment on the upper end of a polyacrylamide slab gel to two-dimensional electrophoresis. The thus obtained pattern is utilized as a fingerprint, thereby to comprehend the entire profile of DNA. An attempt includes use of the pattern for diagnosis, noting that a DNA pattern in normal cells is different from that of abnormal cells suffered from cancer, etc.
However, a good technique is not found so far, since it should be examined in the foregoing methods in which particular site of long DNA there is abnormality.
It is important for early detection of diseases or understanding of DNA function in cells to examine a long and large DNA or clarify the entire profile of a sample containing diverse cDNAs. As stated above, however, any good technique sufficient for the purpose has not been developed yet. According to the techniques explained hereinabove, it is necessary to determine the base sequences of very many clones. Much labor and time required make it impossible to practically apply these techniques to various samples. Conventional DNA probing is only enough to examine, at best, several to several ten kinds of DNAs in one cycle of operation but not suitable for assaying cDNAs or DNA fragments of several hundreds to thousands in one cycle of operation. In addition, the cDNA analysis methods described above are not applicable to detection of long DNA where abnormality is located.
On the other hand, the gene scanning technique can meet the foregoing requirements but encounter problems that a huge amount of enzymes are consumed in the second digestion with a restriction enzyme and in the two dimensional electropherogram, the abscissa which is a scale for length of the DNA fragment occurred in the first digestion and the ordinate which gives some scale for length of the ultimate fragment are not always quantitative so that it is difficult to construct a database with these data.

Method of analysis or assay for polynucleotides and analyzer or instrument for polynucleotides


A fastener member having a head and a body portion with a plurality of arm members flexibly provided to compress a first member against a second member against the force of the fastener head to fasten the first and second members. The fastener member can secure articles or panels of different thicknesses as well as those of non-uniform thickness to other members or articles. A receiving socket is also provided to be used in conjunction with the fastener member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of fasteners, and more particularly to one-piece turn fasteners.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A variety of fasteners are utilized to secure one panel to another panel or member. Many fastening devices comprise complex organizations of parts or elements which must be assembled in order to construct the fastener. A need exists for a simple fastening apparatus which can be easily constructed and readily able to install on a surface.
One-piece fasteners have been known in the field of latches. Among one-piece fasteners are draw latches, which include a member which is drawn over a stop or receiving member to secure the latch. For example, the one-piece member is attached to one panel or closure member and the receiving member is generally mounted to a second panel. This type of latch usually requires the stretching of the latch to engage the stop or retaining member. An example of a draw latch is shown in U.S. Pat. No. D333,775. Other latches, such as the "Door or Panel Fastener" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,935 to Robert H. Bisbing, provide rotary operation of a pawl between latched and unlatched positions. Another latch which includes rotation of a pawl to fasten a first panel to a second panel is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,244 issued to Robert H. Bisbing for a "Latch Assembly Having Pull-up Action".


A display apparatus and a driving method thereof capable of assuring reliability in frame inversion driving and improving cinema video image quality are provided. To accomplish this, a display apparatus of the embodiment replaces at least one of a plurality of frame images obtained by doubling the frame rate, with a different image before display. Specifically, the display apparatus replaces at least one of the double-speed converted plural frame images with a high-frequency emphasized image and at least one with a low-frequency component image, and displays the frame images. Furthermore, the display apparatus replaces an image at the border between cinema images with a different image before displaying.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to display apparatuses and, particularly, relates to display apparatuses of frame inversion (field inversion) driving schemes, and driving methods thereof.
Description of the Related Art
In a liquid-crystal display apparatus, burn-in occurs under application of a DC voltage; thus, it is necessary to apply an electrical field whose polarity is inverted between positive and negative on a field-by-field basis. Examples of a driving scheme in which the polarity of the applied electrical field is inverted on a field-by-field basis include the following:
(1) a scheme in which driving is performed with a uniform polarity for the entire display screen, and the polarity is inverted on a field-by-field basis;
(2) a scheme in which driving is performed by inverting the polarity on a line-by-line basis, and the polarity is inverted on a field-by-field basis; and
(3) a scheme in which driving is performed by inverting the polarity on a pixel-by-pixel basis, and the polarity is inverted on a field-by-field basis.
An example of a liquid-crystal display apparatus that performs such field inversion drive is the liquid-crystal display apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-133376. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-133376 discloses a liquid-crystal display apparatus that enables flicker-free adjustment of the common electrode voltage by a method other than by increasing the driving speed. Specifically, such a liquid-crystal display apparatus switches between inverting the polarity of video signals input into the respective pixel electrodes on a field-by-field basis and inverting the polarity every n number of fields (n is a positive integer other than "1").
However, such a conventional technique has the following problems. For example, a liquid-crystal display apparatus that performs the above frame (field) inversion driving cannot achieve the display of high-quality cinema video and take measures to assure reliability of the liquid-crystal display apparatus. Also, when 24 Hz cinema video is telecine-converted to 60 Hz interlaced signals or progressive signals (2-3 pull down), the same image continues for two or three frames in the converted video, producing discontinuous motion.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Display apparatus and driving method thereof


A method of forming semiconductor device includes forming a landing pad, forming a stopping insulating layer on the landing pad, forming a lower molding layer including a first material on the stopping insulating layer, forming an upper molding layer including a second material different from the first material on the lower molding layer, forming a hole vertically passing through the upper molding layer and the lower molding layer and exposing the landing pad, forming a first electrode in the hole, removing the upper molding layer to expose a part of a surface of the first electrode, removing the lower molding layer to expose another part of the surface of the first electrode, forming a capacitor dielectric layer on the exposed parts of the surface of the first electrode, and forming a second electrode on the dielectric layer.

1. Field
The inventive concept relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device including a capacitor such as a DRAM.
2. Description of Related Art
As the integration of a semiconductor device increases, the area occupied by holes, plugs, contacts, and capacitors decreases, and the space between patterns becomes very narrow.


An air conditioning apparatus includes a first, second and third internal devices, and an external device which is provided with a plurality of separately operable units. Each of the units comprises an inverter compressor for compressing a refrigerant under a high temperature and a high pressure, a first heat exchanger, a four-directional valve for sending the refrigerant to the external heat exchanger during a cooling operation and being closed/opened so as to discharge the refrigerant into each of the internal devices during a heating operation, a check valve for switching on/off the flow of the refrigerant which was compressed after being heat-exchanged in the external heat exchanger, a pair of electronic expansion valves for depressurizing the refrigerant respectively, an electronic expansion valve applied to heating and for further depressurizing the temperature-lowered refrigerant which was depressurized in the expansion valves, and an accumulator between the compressor and the four-directional valve and for temporarily storing therein the refrigerant in each step of the cooling and heating operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an improved air conditioning apparatus capable of enhancing performance thereof by furnishing a plurality of independently operable units in an external device collectively connected to one or more internal devices of the air conditioning apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, there are two types of air conditioners: a single body type comprising; a compressor, a condenser, a heat exchanger, etc.; and a partitioned type divided into internal devices comprising a compressor, a condenser, etc., and an external device comprising a heat exchanger, etc.
FIG. 1 is a schematic composition view illustrating a conventional partitioned air conditioning apparatus. As shown therein, an air conditioning apparatus 20 is provided with a first, second and third internal devices 1, 2, 3 and an external device 4.
The external device 4 includes: an inverter compressor 5 for compressing a refrigerant under a high temperature and a high pressure; an external heat exchanger 6 for heat-exchanging the refrigerant; a multi-directional valve 7 for discharging the pressurized refrigerant received from the inverter compressor 5 to the external exchanger 6 during a cooling operation, and discharging the pressurized refrigerant to the internal devices 1, 2, 3 during a heating operation; a check valve 8 for opening or closing the flow path of a highly-pressurized and supercooling refrigerant which was heat-exchanged and pressurized in the external heat exchanger 6; a receiver 9 for storing therein the highly-pressurized and supercooling refrigerant that passed through the check valve 8 during the cooling operation, and the low pressure and high temperature refrigerant during the heating operation; a first, second and third electronic expansion valves 10, 11, 12 for converting the highly pressurized and supercooling refrigerant outputted from the receiver during the cooling operation into a depressurized refrigerant; an electronic expansion valve B for heating the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant from the receiver 9 during the heating operation; and an accumulator 14 for temporarily storing therein the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant which was heat-exchanged in the internal devices 1, 2, 3 during the cooling operation, and is heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger 6.
The thusly explained conventional air conditioner's operation and its disadvantages will now be described.
First, the flow of the refrigerant during the cooling operation, the refrigerant compressed under the high temperature and high pressure in the inverter compressor 5 flows into the heat exchanger 6 via the multi-directional valve 7 so as to be heat-exchanged with the external air. That is, the heat is externally discharged and accordingly the compressed refrigerant becomes condensed into the highly pressurized and supercooling refrigerant.
The highly pressurized and supercooling refrigerant flows from the external heat exchanger 6 through the check valve 8 to the receiver 9 for storage thereof.
The highly pressurized and supercooling refrigerant is coupled and flows into each of the electronic expansion valves 10, 11, 12.
After the highly pressurized and supercooling refrigerant flows into each of the electronic expansion valves 10, 11, 12 the refrigerant expands and is depressurized to a state of low temperature and low pressure thereof, and then flows from each of the expansion valves 10, 11, 12 to a corresponding one of the internal devices 1, 2, 3.
The low temperature and low pressure refrigerant which flows into each of the internal devices 1, 2, 3 absorbs the heat therearound and evaporates, and then the refrigerant flows into the accumulator 14 via the multi-directional valve 7 so as to be temporarily stored therein, and then again flows into the inverter compressor 5 and is compressed to the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant.
The flow of the refrigerant during the heating operation will now be described.
The high temperature and high pressure refrigerant compressed in the compressor 5 passes through the multi-directional value 7 and branches out and flows into the first, second and third internal devices 1, 2, 3, respectively.
Then, the compressed refrigerant flows and is heat-exchanged by radiating heat into a target room, and accordingly compressed into the supercooling refrigerant. Specifically, the supercooling refrigerant compressed in the first internal device 1 flows into the first electronic expansion valve 10 for cooling, the supercooling refrigerant compressed in the second internal device 2 flows into the second electronic expansion valve 11 for cooling; and, the supercooling refrigerant compressed in the third internal device 3 flows into the third electronic expansion valve 12 for cooling.
The highly pressurized and supercooling refrigerant flows into the electronic expansion valves 10, 11, 12, respectively, and are expanded and depressurized to the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant, and the resultant refrigerant accumulates in the receiver 9. Then, the refrigerant passes through the electronic expansion valve 13 for heating and then flows into the external heat exchanger 6 so as to be heat-exchanged with the external air. That is, the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 16 is evaporated.
The temperature-lowered and depressurized refrigerant which is discharged from the external heat exchanger 6, flows via the multi-directional valve 7 into the accumulator 14 and is temporarily stored therein, and then flows into the inverter compressor 5 for thereby being compressed under the high temperature and high pressure.
However, the conventional air conditioning apparatus has a disadvantage in that, the refrigerant should be appropriately and evenly distributed into each of the first, second and third internal devices 1, 2, 3 by use of the single inverter compressor, so that when the three internal devices are simultaneously operational, the internal devices may be lowered to as much as 80-90% capacity when compared to the initial capacity, thus the true product performance is low.


A bathtub includes a base attached to a container. The base is movable between a collapsed position with respect to the container and a deployed position with respect to the container to support the container at an elevated location with respect to a support surface, and the container is movable between a collapsed position with respect to the base and a deployed position with respect to the base to form an open tub to receive a child to be bathed.

Bathtubs specifically designed and constructed for children are well known in the art. Among such bathtubs are small, stand-alone bathtub systems, support devices placed in a standard bathtub to support a child while being bathed, inflatable bathtubs, collapsible bathtubs relying on a preexisting full size bathtub for support, and bathtub systems operative to restrict the area of a standard bathtub commensurate with the relative size of the child.


A suture package having a shallow polymer tray for holding a suture. The package has a substantially flat floor area, an upturned edge and a plurality of fenestrations therein. The fenestrations cause the package to lay flat by interrupting material stresses set up by, e.g., differential cooling during injection molding. The flatness of the package promotes automated package handling by machines. The fenestrations also save on material usage and disposal while providing the necessary structural integrity for the package.

Numerous types of packages and packaging methods have been proposed over the years for economically and reliably delivering or relaying an "armed" suture i.e., a suture having a surgical needle attached, to a surgeon in a sterile condition. Besides maintaining sterility of the armed suture, its packaging must also provide convenient dispensing of the suture under the demanding conditions of surgery. Examples of modern suture packaging are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,902 to Sobel et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,551 to Cerwin et al. Both of these patents are owned by the assignee herein and disclose a generally oval suture package having a central needle park for holding or "parking" the surgical needle and a peripheral channel for receiving the suture filament attached to the needle. Due to the clearance between successive filament loops and the suture channel, the shape of the channel, and the material composition of the package, the suture can be withdrawn from the package without binding in the suture channel.
Because of the widespread use of armed sutures, their packaging and production occurs on a large scale, such that small changes in their design and/or production methods can generate large implications in terms of the expense and efficiency of production, as well as energy and material costs. For example, production methods and designs that lend themselves to automation not only free human beings from the burden of conducting repetitive, unrewarding, mechanical tasks, but also promote efficient production by utilizing the strength, speed and untiring precision of a machine to perform such tasks. As a result, there is always a desire to utilize methods, materials and designs which are compatible with automation of production. The present invention is directed to that end.
With regard to materials, the common materials used to produce armed suture packaging include thermoplastics, such as, polyethylene and polypropylene, foils, paper and cardboard. Over the years, there has been an increasing demand upon industry for economy in the use of natural resources and restraint in the production and use of materials considered pollutants or merely solid waste that require disposal or recycling. Plastics and other materials derived from petrochemicals have certainly received significant attention with regard to minimization of usage in production as well as minimization of their presence in the finished product. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to achieve a reduction in the use of plastics in armed suture packaging.


A slouch correction device and a method of operation is provided for use in a chair, in which the slouch correction device is predominantly a loose seat cover on which a patient would sit, one or more straps from the seat cover which pass through an opening between the chair back and seat to secure to a separate harness or to form a harness about the waist of a caregiver, such that a care giver is able to pull on the harness to slide the seat cover and patient seated thereon back into an improved, upright posture position, while using free hands to hold the chair in a steady position. The slouch correction device provided with various improvements, including dual side handles for two person lifts, means to keep straps in safe and easily accessed position when not in use, and comfort features on the harness.

A common problem identified in long term care facilities is the worsening of posture of wheel chair bound patients, and harm to caregivers seeking to adjust and improve patient posture.
Slouching is a natural occurrence in wheel chair users, with known negative consequences. The neck and back muscle begin to stiffen and becomes very uncomfortable. Not only is the position uncomfortable but it is also un-dignifying to invalid wheelchair users having to be in that position for extended period of time. However, the ability to correct posture requires effort on the part of the patient or the caregiver.
Restraints and constraints are imperfect, and the long term care industry is leaning away from constraints in wheelchairs as a means to prevent poor posture.
From a caregiver perspective the slouching presents a problem of time and the potential for injury. One existing method to correct posture is to use a two person procedure to reposition the wheel chair user. This takes extra time and an extra caregiver who could be doing another assigned task. Another method is to use products that are designed to prevent patients from sliding forward, such as the uni-directional friction pad sold under ERGOGLIDE 5300™, by ErgoSafe Products, and form fitting gel, memory foam or molded seat cushions.
However, patients inevitably slide forward, when unrestrained, and when they do, the above products still require the caregiver to use upper body and back muscles to do the majority of the work in repositioning the invalid patient. This action increases the probability of injury to the caregiver. As such, the current methods and products for repositioning are ineffective and pose hazards of injury to the caregiver and wheel chair user.
There is a need for a reposition, slouch correction device and method which permits a single caregiver to use leg muscles to provide slouch correcting repositioning to a person in a chair.
There is a need for a patient slouch correcting device which improves patient and caregiver safety, comfort and dignity.
There is a need for a patient slouch correcting device which is able to withstand industrial washing and repeated use.


Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method and apparatus for detecting a sleeping cell. According to the method, amount of traffic-related activities in a candidate cell may be monitored in an observation period; accumulated amount may be calculated based on the monitored amount of traffic-related activities; and whether the candidate cell is a sleeping cell may be determined based on the accumulated amount. The accumulated amount may indicate accumulation of amount of traffic-related activities monitored in an accumulation period comprising at least one observation period.

In a practical communication network, such as a network employs GSM, CDMA, UMTS or LTE technologies, it is often encountered with a number of cells that malfunction with some kind of fault, due to different causes, including hardware crash, software crash or any algorithm design error. These cells may behave like although these cells run without any alarm from operation and maintenance (O&M) perspective, but no UEs have traffic transfer in them. In this case, before taking serious examination of network infrastructures, which may take quite a long time, an instant solution is to restart these cells as well as sending an alarm to O&M system. This kind of cells are called as sleeping cells and the function of detecting and recovering sleeping cells is called as advanced cell supervision (ACS).
The first and also most critical procedure in ACS function is the operation of detecting the sleeping cell. Specifically, the communication network should be able to distinguish the real sleeping cell and the empty un-loaded cell, both of which observe no traffic transfer in the cell. According to existing solutions, some approaches for detecting a sleeping cell have been proposed. One straightforward approach is to monitor the cell traffic, and once no traffic lasting a sufficient long period appears, this cell may be suspected as a sleeping cell. However, this approach only relies on the previous traffic records but no any hint of current situation, so it leads to high false alarm ratio or long latency because it is difficult to determine how long this period should be set.
Another approach for detecting a sleeping cell is to find some activities which have correlation with traffic in a cell in one period, monitor the traffic happened in the cell if amount of the activities in the period exceeds a threshold, and once no traffic lasting the period appears, this cell may be suspected as a sleeping cell. However, in practice, the load situation for a cell on different moments may vary a lot, e.g., within 24 hours in a day, which may cause the difficulty of setting the value of threshold. On one hand, this threshold should be set small enough so that no real fault is missed with low traffic load; on the other hand, this threshold should be set large enough so that no false alarm is caused by various kinds of disturbing factors. The disturbing factors might appear randomly in cell running, which would lead to a number of traffic-related activities emerging due to these disturbing factors but not the real cell traffic. Some exemplified disturbing factors include noise, interference from neighbor cells, signaling latency, UE radio link failure and UE operation fault. Since the load situation in a cell might vary faster than the threshold is manually configured, the threshold is often not suitable for the specific load situation. In particular, in the case that the threshold is too small, a cell may be incorrectly detected as a sleeping cell due to high disturbing factors; and in the case that the threshold is too large, most sleeping cells may not be detected because the possibility to monitor the traffic happened in the cell is very low.
In view of the foregoing problems, there is a need to find a suitable solution for detecting a sleeping cell, so as to improve detection accuracy for different load situations.

Method and apparatus for detecting a sleeping cell


A photolabile compound, an oligomer probe array, and a substrate for oligomer probe array comprising the same, and a manufacturing method of the same are disclosed.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a photolabile compound comprising a photolabile protective group, a substrate for oligomer probe array coupling with a photolabile protective group, and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An oligomer probe array is a high density array of oligomer probe on a solid support such as, for example, a silicon wafer substrate.
There are several methods to form the oligomer probe array by integrating various organic high polymers such as oligomer probe on the oligomer probe array, and new methods have been proposed.
An oligomer probe array can be manufactured by coupling an oligomer probe such as, for example, oligonucleotide, polypeptide, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) on the substrate after exposing a functional group by removing a protective group of a specific region by irradiating light on the substrate where the functional group, protected by a photolabile protective group, is attached. The oligomer probe array also can be manufactured by, for example, in-situ monomer synthesizing by photolithography, or by coupling the oligomer probe synthesized in advance by spotting on the substrate.
The photolabile protective group is a group that may protect a reactive functional group until it is deprotected by certain amount of light exposure. Well-known photolabile protective groups include, for example, nitroveratryloxycarbonyl (NVOC), nitropiperonyloxycarbonyl (NPOC), α-methylnitroveratryloxycarbonyl (MeNVOC), 1-pyrenylmethyloxycarbonyl (PyMOC), α-methylnitroptpiperonyloxycarbonyl (MeNPOC), 2-(3,4-methylenedioxy-2-nitrophenyl)propyloxycarbonyl, dinitrophenylalkylsulfonyl, 2-(2-nitrophenyl)propyloxycarbonyl (NPPOC).
The photolabile protective group can be used during the manufacturing of the oligomer probe array, and photolabile reaction rate can vary depending on the type of the photolabile protective group. Therefore, to improve reaction yield, efforts have been made to develop a photolabile compound that can provide a photolabile protective group which is suitable for the manufacturing of the oligomer probe array.

Photolabile compound, oligomer probe array and substrate for oligomer probe array containing the same, and manufacturing method of the same


There is provided an authentication device capable of improving an authentication accuracy, in which a finger tilt angle α made by a straight line between the positions at the fingertip abutting portion 6 and the image pickup camera 4 and the finger positioned in the imaging space is detected from a distance D2 (FIG. 5) between the finger positioned in the imaging space and the image pickup camera 4 and the distance D1 (FIG. 5) between the positions at the image pickup camera 4 and the fingertip abutting portion 6. The projection distortion of the corresponding comparative images can be removed according to the difference between the finger tilt angle α and the finger tilt angle α of registration information previously stored at the time of registration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to collation device, registration device, image correcting method and program, and is suitable for use in an authentication device based on a biometrics authentication.
2. Description of the Related Art
In related art, a blood vessel is one of subjects to biometrics authentication. In general, in an authentication device, a finger, for example, is fixed on an image pickup camera in parallel with the imaging surface thereof to image the blood vessel of the finger to be fixed. The image of the blood vessel obtained as a result of imaging is registered in a memory as information for authenticating the human body imaged at that moment or compared with the registered image of the blood vessel to determine whether to authenticate the registrant or not.
It is inconvenient for a user to fix his or her finger on the image pickup camera in imaging a blood vessel. From a user-friendly point of view, there is a request to position a finger on an image pickup camera without constraint.
When the blood vessel of a finger freely positioned on the image pickup camera is imaged, it is most presumable that a difference can be made in a state where the finger is positioned on the image pickup camera at the times of registration and authentication.
Actually, one of typical differences between states where the finger is positioned at the times of registration and authentication includes an angle made by the imaging surface of the image pickup camera and the finger positioned above the image pickup camera, that is, a tilt of the finger with respect to the imaging surface.
When the finger is imaged while tilted relative to the imaging surface, the finger in an blood-vessel image obtained as a result of imaging is distorted because the contour of the finger corresponding in position to a part nearer to the image pickup camera is longer and that of the finger corresponding in position to a part farther from the image pickup camera is shorter.
In an authentication device, if the distortion of the finger in the image (projection distortion) is caused between the times of registration and authentication, this may cause an inconvenience that the authentication device takes a registrant himself/herself for another person and vice versa. This results in degradation in an authentication accuracy.
As one of methods of removing such projection distortion, the following patent literature discloses a method in which an image is corrected in such a manner that any one of lengths of the contours corresponding in position to a part nearer to the image pickup camera or to a part farther from the image pickup camera is matched to the other (for example, refer to Jpn. Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-22869 (FIGS. 11 and 12)

Collation device, registration device, image correcting method and program


A new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant named ‘Balcelapt’, characterized by its single type medium and light orange bicolored flowers, dark green-colored foliage, and vigorous, upright-mounded growth habit.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Balcelapt'.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Arroyo Grande, Calif. during September 2003. The objective of the breeding program was the development of Impatiens cultivars with numerous large flowers, attractive flower coloration, and a freely basal branching growth habit.
The new Impatiens cultivar is the result of cross-pollination. The female (seed) parent of the new cultivar is Celebration Bright Salmon 'Balcelbrisal', U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,839, characterized by its single type medium salmon-colored flowers, dark green-colored foliage, and upright-mounded growth habit. The male (pollen) parent of the new cultivar is Infinity Orange 'Visinforan', U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,247, characterized by its single type medium orange-colored flowers, dark green-colored foliage, and upright-rounded growth habit. The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated cross-pollination during March 2004 in a controlled environment at Arroyo Grande, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since March 2004 at Arroyo Grande, Calif. and West Chicago, Ill. has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.


A plastic conveyor belt module with embedded spherical rollers retained in the module and a belt constructed of such modules. The module includes a module body forming a cavity, a spherical roller in the cavity, and a retainer retained in the cavity to hold the spherical roller rotatably in place. A salient portion of the roller extends outward from the cavity through the retainer past an outer surface of the module. The retainer is attached to the module body by ultrasonic welding, epoxy- or solvent-bonding, spin welding, electromagnetic welding, staking, screwing, or locking.

This invention relates to power-driven conveyors generally and, more specifically, to modular plastic conveyor belts with embedded spherical rollers.
Modular plastic conveyor belts are widely used to convey a variety of articles. Rollers are often installed in the belts for product accumulation, singulation, sortation, indexing, or side off-transfer. Rollers are also used to lower the friction between belts and conveyor supporting wearstrips or side rails. One way rollers are integrated into conveyor belts is by mounting them for rotation on a hinge rod interconnecting successive rows of belt modules. Another way is snapping roller assemblies onto belt modules. Yet another way is molding rollers into belt modules when the modules are being formed. But each of these methods has its shortcomings.
For example, mounting rollers on hinge rods typically requires that hinge eyes be removed first to make room for the rollers. Because belt tension is borne by the hinge eyes, removing a few decreases the pull strength of the belt. As another example, snap-in roller assemblies can break. If the snap-in retention structure is broken, the broken pieces or the assembly itself can disengage from the belt and contaminate product or cause other damage. As a final example, molding rollers into a module as part of the injection-molding process requires special provisions in the mold and manual intervention and hand placement of rollers in each mold cycle. This makes for an expensive mold and decreases the duty cycle of the mold machine. Furthermore, once molded in, a roller with an axle is permanently fixed in orientation.

Conveyor belt modules with embedded spherical rollers retained in the modules


Provided is an aluminum alloy foil that has sufficient surface hardness, while exhibiting excellent moist-heat resistance and corrosion resistance. The aluminum alloy foil contains 96.9 mass % or more aluminum, 0.4 mass % or more and 3 mass % or less of manganese, 0.03 mass % or more and 0.08 mass % or less of iron, 0.00001 mass % or more and 0.1 mass % or less of silicon, 0.00001 mass % or more and 0.03 mass % or less of copper, 0.00001 mass % or more and 0.01 mass % or less of zinc, and 0.00001 mass % or more and 0.001 mass % or less of magnesium, based on the aluminum alloy foil taken as 100 mass %.

Recent awareness of the need for reducing environmental burdens calls for further reducing the weight of means of transportation, such as aircraft, railroad cars, and automobiles. From the standpoint of user-friendliness, lighter component materials are also in demand in a wide range of fields, such as various machine components, electric and electronic components, building materials, and component materials for household use.
Against this backdrop, attempts have been made to reduce the weight of these component materials by replacing steel material or copper, which has a relatively high density, with aluminum and/or aluminum alloy, which has a lower density, when metal materials are used in these component materials.
However, aluminum alloy is typically prone to corrosion due to the influence of water, moisture, or salt water, for example. Thus, aluminum alloy is difficult to use in an environment where salt water may have an effect, such as outdoors (in particular, on the ocean and at seacoasts) and for packaging materials for salt-containing chemicals or salt-containing foods.
PTL 1 suggests an aluminum alloy containing a predetermined amount of manganese with a relatively lowered content of elements other than manganese. The presence of the predetermined amount of manganese enables the aluminum alloy to exhibit increased strength without decreasing its corrosion resistance, and the aluminum alloy can also be provided with sufficient stretching properties for achieving excellent moldability and high rollability for obtaining a thin foil by using a predetermined processing method.
However, when an aluminum alloy foil prepared from the aluminum alloy disclosed in PTL 1 is used, for example, under much more severe, hot and humid conditions, such as in power generation facilities or automotive parts, the aluminum alloy foil cannot exhibit sufficient performance in corrosion resistance under hot and humid conditions ("moist-heat resistance") and corrosion resistance, in particular, moist-heat resistance. Additionally, when used in a packaging material for chemicals or foods, such an aluminum alloy foil may not have a surface hardness sufficient to reduce or prevent scratches caused by it coming into contact with the content in the packaging material or other materials.
Electric and electronic components, for example, are also exposed to heat in the step of joining one component with another, or stacking one over another, more specifically in the step in which reflow soldering, heat press, heat molding, etc. are performed. When used in these components, such an aluminum alloy foil would decrease its strength due to heat. PTL 1 does not mention heat-resistant strength of aluminum alloy foil, which suppresses the decrease in strength caused by heat during the steps as described above and maintains sufficient strength as a component.
Accordingly, there has been demand for an aluminum alloy foil that has sufficient surface hardness and heat-resistant strength, while having moist-heat resistance and corrosion resistance in more severe environments, and for a laminate containing the aluminum alloy foil.

Aluminum alloy foil, laminate of same, method for producing said aluminum alloy foil, and method for producing said laminate