An igniting device has a gas reservoir 7, a valve mechanism 8, and a gas pipe 28 for leading fuel gas to a gas injection nozzle 26. A piezoelectric unit 20 generates a discharge voltage for producing an electric spark between the gas injection nozzle 26 and a discharge electrode 32 which is disposed near the gas injection nozzle. A covered wire 33 for electrically connecting the nozzle 26 with the piezoelectric unit 20 extends through the gas pipe 28 to reduce the effective cross-sectional area of the gas passage inside the gas pipe 28 with a high reliability and ease.

In an igniting device such as an igniting rod or a table gas lighter, flame is injected from a tip of a rod-like portion which projects from a valve mechanism which controls gas supply from a gas reservoir. A gas pipe for supplying fuel gas to a fuel nozzle on the tip of the rod-like portion and a wire for supplying a discharge voltage for producing spark extend from the body portion and respectively connected to the fuel nozzle and a discharge electrode on the tip of the rod-like portion.
In such an igniting device, misfire is apt to occur due to delay in discharge of fuel gas.
That is, when the gas pipe is long, it takes certain time for the fuel gas discharged from the gas reservoir to reach the nozzle after the valve mechanism is opened, and accordingly, if the piezoelectric unit is actuated simultaneously with opening of the valve mechanism, the fuel gas cannot be surely ignited. In order to overcome this problem, conventionally, the piezoelectric unit is arranged to be actuated a certain time after opening of the valve mechanism in response to depression of an ignition lever. However since the lever depressing speed varies from person to person, the spark is sometimes produced before the fuel gas reaches the nozzle and sometimes produced after a large amount of fuel gas is discharged from the nozzle, and conventionally, it has been difficult to steadily ignite the fuel gas.
The time required for the fuel gas to reach the nozzle can be shortened by increasing the flow speed of the gas through the gas pipe by reducing the inner diameter of the gas pipe. However, the gas pipe having a small inner diameter is difficult to connect and is not preferable from the viewpoint of production.
Further when the wire for electrically connecting the nozzle and the piezoelectric unit is long, there is produced a large stray capacitance between the wire and the ground, and the discharge voltage which is generated by the piezoelectric unit and is an alternating voltage leaks to the ground through the stray capacitance, whereby the spark produced by the discharge voltage is weakened and the fuel gas sometimes cannot be ignited.
In view of the foregoing observations and description, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an igniting device in which the gas passage to the nozzle can be small in the effective cross-sectional area with a high reliability and a simple structure and the fuel gas can be steadily ignited.


A combination spoon-lid and a cap for a container includes a main container cap and a spoon-lid. The main container cap has a top and at least one sidewall and has a dispensing orifice located on the top. The cap also has a container attachment mechanism for removably attaching the cap to a container, and has a spoon-lid attachment mechanism on the top adapted to receive the spoon-lid and close the dispensing orifice. The spoon-lid has main structure with a first end with a scoop spoon section and has a second end in the form of a handle and has an adjustable gate for increasing and decreasing the volume of the scoop spoon section. The spoon-lid is removably connectable to the attachment mechanism of the main cap to cover and seal the dispensing orifice.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to container caps and to metered dispensed material, such as powder, granular, acicular, and other shaped material that should be used in predetermined amounts. Specifically, the present invention is a cap with a combination spoon-lid wherein the spoon-lid is removable from the container to open a dispensing orifice and, when removed, acts as a spoon for metered dispensing of the material in the container, for predetermined amount usage. The spoon-lid includes a main structure with a handle and a scoop, and an adjustable gate means at least partially inside the scoop that is moveable so as to increase or decrease the volume of the scoop. Thus, for example, a user could set the spoon for a half dose, a full dose or a double dose, or a ¼ tablespoon, a ½ tablespoon, a ¾ tablespoon or a full tablespoon. This invention has use in the fields of medicine, nutrition and vitamins, supplements, pest poisons, seasonings and many other applications.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following prior art is representative of the state of the art in the field of caps and closures with measuring features:
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 268,813 to Ronald L. Horsley describes the ornamental design for a combined container and cap with attached spoon, substantially as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,706,815 to Ferdinand Phillipson describes in combination, a sheet metal bottle closure, and a measuring receptacle attached integrally at one edge directly to said bottle closure and adapted to lie outside of and along the neck of the bottle and between the mouth and the body of the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,487,274 to Max Schaffer describes the combination with a medicine bottle having an eccentric neck, a closure cap detachably engaged with the neck, a metal bar secured to the closure cap and provided on one end with a helical hinge coil, a spoon having a helical hinge coil on one end thereof slidably and detachably engaged with the hinge coil of the bar, and a ring slidable on the bottle for restraining the spoon against the side of the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,965 to Albert W. Gebhard describes a container for flowable materials such as baby food and the like that has a circular shaped enclosing cap with a post opening into the interior of the container. A cover having an elongated hollow extension terminating in a feeder or dispenser portion releasably engages the circular cap so that the hollow extension can be routably aligned with the cap port thereby allowing transfer of flowable materials from the container into the feeder portion by gravity, flexure of the container of both. The cover is rotatable on the circular cap so as to control the amount of opening alignment with the cap port between a fully open and fully sealing closure position. The cover and cap can include cooperating stops for facilitating alignment and closure. An O-ring in surrounding relation to the cap port provides additional sealing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,360 to Oswaldo J. Rodriquez describes a measuring device that has a cooperative plastic measuring liquid dropper dispensing a precise volume of liquid directly into an integral plastic spoon bowl. The spoon bowl is integrally foldably hinged to the dispensing tip of the medicine dropper by an integral plastic hinge. An integral plastic snap lock projection disposed on the outer surface of the dropper retains the spoon bowl in a compact storage position in a bottle of liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,640 to George F. Resio decribes a bottle top of generally cup type configuration that is removably affixed to a medicine bottle at the open top thereof for selectively opening and closing such top. A plastic spoon has an elongated stem integrally formed with the bottle top and extends therefrom. Thus, a consumer of medicine from the bottle having a contagious illness prevents the spread of his illness by utilizing the spoon to convey medicine from the bottle to his mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,558 to David W. Cargile describes a blow molded container having a break-way measuring and dispensing cup. In the disclosed embodiments, the cup is formed during molding from a web extending along a parting line of the blow-molded container body. The web has a weakened region which detachably connects the cup to the container. The cup can be reattached either on the container or its cap in a non-use storage position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,926 to Malcolm Ross describes a pharmaceutical formulation in semisolid form useful for a systemic treatment of an illness that is disclosed, as well as a device for containing and measuring a unit dose of the formulation comprising a squeezable container having a cap with a spoon attached hereto and closure for resealing the squeezable container after use. A child proof closure useful for the device is also disclosed.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.

Combination cap and adjustable spoon for container


A drive transmission for a pull or forwarding sucker located in a suction head of a sheet feeder for translatorily driving a sucker-carrying support movable in a guide provided on a suction-head housing, the sucker-carrying support being connected articulatingly to at least one coupler swivelable about an axis extending transversely to the translatory motion of the sucker-carrying support, includes a first drive cam for moving the coupler and for effecting a forwarding motion, and a second drive cam for a roller lever mounted in the suction-head housing and being swivelably connected to the coupler, the second drive cam having a profile for leveling the translatory motion of the sucker-carrying support.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a drive transmission for a pull or forwarding sucker, in particular, for a device for correcting misaligned sheets, the pull sucker drive transmission being located in a suction head of a sheet feeder for translatorily driving a sucker-carrying support movable in a guide provided on a suction-head housing, the sucker-carrying support being connected articulatingly to at least one couple element or coupler swivelable about an axis extending transversely to the translatory motion of the sucker-carrying support, the couple element being movable by a drive cam. The drive transmission for the pull or forwarding sucker is particularly suited for providing the misalignment-correction device in the suction head of the sheet feeder of a sheet-fed printing press.
A drive transmission for a pull or forwarding sucker having the foregoing general features has become known heretofore from the German Patent 11 77 652 wherein two spaced-apart pull or forwarding suckers are provided at pipe branches on a sucker-carrying support formed of a pipe disposed transversely to a translatory sucker movement. The sucker-carrying support is connected, by substantially vertically extending tubular connecting members, to a shaft fixedly mounted on the press. The drive is effected by a drive cam which acts against a roller lever on the shaft, a lever attached to the sucker-carrying support engaging in a stationary coulisse or connecting-link guide in order to produce a forwarding or conveying stroke of the respective suckers. For a misalignment correction, such as a correction of a skewed sheet, one of the two suckers may be slightly rotated about the transverse axis thereof. For this purpose, the respective sucker is connected to a pull rod by a lever, an articulated connection between the pull rod and the sucker-carrying support being displaceable by adjusting elements. The adjusting elements can be actuated only when the printing press is at a standstill. When more than two pull or forwarding suckers are used, a sheet misalignment correction inevitably causes a distortion of the paper sheet.
German Patent 21 32 438 discloses a linear guide for forwarding or pull suckers. In order to absorb torques occurring in the guides, additional rollers are provided and v-shaped guide rails are used, respectively. Assembling or mounting the rollers and v-shaped guide rails requires a considerable outlay of technical effort, if a play-free setting is to be achieved. This conventional linear guide uses needle bearings and, at high operating speeds, the needles do not reliably roll off in the guides due to high resulting accelerations.
This leads to increased wear and tear. According to the German Published and Prosecuted Patent Application (DE-AS) 22 25 001, the misaligned-sheet correction device constructed on this conventional linear guide has a swivel or hinge joint in order to be able to rotate the sucker-carrying support, the axis of the swivel being perpendicular to the sheet surface. A relatively complex mounting support is required to avoid tilting effects at the sucker-carrying support. This is in conjunction with an increase in the translatorily moved masses, due to which especially the joints are greatly stressed.
A misaligned-sheet correction device also suitable for translatorily moved sucker-carrying supports has become known heretofore from the German Utility Model or Petty Patent (DE-GM) 72 03 336, the relatively complex construction of the misaligned-sheet correction device having dynamically similar undesirable properties.
In a device according to the aforementioned German Patent 11 77 652, suckers are located on a coupler or connecting rod which is guided by swinging or rocking levers and a cam segment. Thus, suckers provided at arbitrary locations may not execute a purely translatory transport or conveying movement. The misaligned-sheet correction may be performed only by using two suckers, because it is effected by pivoting a sucker about a horizontal axis extending transversely to the paper travel direction.
A basically comparable arrangement for three suckers is disclosed in the German Patent 21 63 083. The three suckers are arranged symmetrically to the center of the sheet in order to ensure that the sheet is only slightly distorted.
The German Patent 17 86 029 describes a drive transmission for a forwarding or pull sucker provided in a suction head of a sheet feeder wherein a sucker-carrying support carrying an arbitrary number of suckers is articulatedly connected to a swinging half-axle and, by a control cam, aligns the sheet with the leading edge thereof during the feed or stroke, and indeed so that the pipe carrying the suckers is mounted so as to be swivelable in the middle thereof about the vertical axis thereof and is connected to a lever having a free end which slides in a guide angularly adjustable with respect to the sheet-transport or travel direction.

Drive transmission for a pull sucker or forwarding sucker, in particular, for a device for correcting misaligned sheets


A method, electronic device and user-wearable device for improving user-interaction with an electronic device whose display periodically transitions into a sleep state due to perceived non-viewing of the electronic device. A processor initiates a sleep state timer that, upon expiration, triggers the display to transition from an active state to a sleep state. The processor determines whether the sleep state timer has less than a time remaining threshold before the timer expires. In response to determining that the sleep state timer has less than the threshold time remaining, the processor determines whether the display is being actively viewed by a user-wearable device. The processor enables the display to transition to the sleep state at expiration of the sleep state timer in response to determining that the display is not being actively viewed. The processor resets the sleep state timer in response to determining that the display is being actively viewed.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to electronic devices. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to regulating the time-out characteristics of a display of an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones are extremely popular and enjoy wide spread acceptance in our society. These electronic devices have a display that is used to display visual content to a user. The electronic devices commonly include a mechanism to power down (i.e., place in low power mode) the display in order to conserve battery power. Typically, the electronic device can place the display into a non-functional or blank state after a period of time when no user input has occurred.
Unfortunately, the electronic device's display frequently transition into the non-functional or blank state while a user is still in the process of reading or viewing the content of the display. The user is then required to manually apply a user input in order to awaken the display from the non-functional state. The electronic device then refreshes the display with the visually displayed content. The frequent transitioning of the mobile device display from an active state to an inactive state, while actually being viewed by a user, is annoying and irritating to the user. It is desirable to improve the viewing experience of a user of these electronic devices by keeping the device's display in an active state while being viewed.

Means for dynamically regulating the time-out characteristics of a display of an electronic device


A gaming machine for providing a game to a player is described herein. The gaming machine displays a primary game including a plurality of reels, detects a triggering condition occurring with the primary game and responsively displays a secondary game. The secondary game includes a player character and an enemy character being displayed on an animated game field. The gaming machine displays a plurality of dice on the animated game field including a player die displayed with a player strength value and an enemy die displayed with an enemy strength value. The gaming machine displays an expandable image of the player strength value at a first size and increases the size of the expandable image to a larger second size over a predefined period of time.

Known gaming devices include a video display device to display a reel game that includes a plurality of reels with each reel including a plurality of symbols. During game play, the gaming device accepts a wager from a player, the player selects one or more paylines, the gaming device spins the reels, and sequentially stops each reel to display a combination of symbols on the reels. The gaming device then awards the player an award based on the combination of symbols orientated along the selected payline.
At least some known gaming devices include bonus feature games that may include additional free spins and/or progressive awards. Known gaming machines may include mystery bonus feature games that require the gaming machine to randomly select a bonus game number from a range of numbers, track each wager, increment a total wager amount based on each received wager, and initiate the bonus feature game when the total wager amount equals the bonus game number.
Overtime, players may become frustrated with known bonus feature games because the bonus feature games have limited player interaction and affect on the game outcome. In addition, at least some of the players are not eligible to receive the jackpot and each subsequent players success in obtaining the jackpot is based on the wagers of previous players. Accordingly, new features are necessary to appeal to player interest and enhance excitement in order to entice longer play and increased profitability. The present invention is directed to satisfying these needs.

Gaming machine and methods of providing games to players having dice with expandable images


An image forming apparatus that suppresses occurrence of color shift in images transferred from image bearing members onto an intermediate transfer member. A surface of each of a first photosensitive drum and second photosensitive drums is charged. An exposure device, provided for each photosensitive drum, forms an electrostatic latent image by exposing an associated one of the charged photosensitive drums. A developing device, provided for each photosensitive drum, develops the electrostatic latent image with toner. An intermediate transfer belt friction-drives the photosensitive drums for rotation and has the developed images transferred thereon. Timing for exposing the second photosensitive drums is controlled based on a first surface distance from an exposure light irradiated position to a primary transfer position of the first photosensitive drum, and a second surface distance from an exposure light irradiated position of each second photosensitive drum to a primary transfer position thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that suppresses occurrence of color shift in images and a method of controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a tandem-type electrophotographic image forming apparatus including photosensitive drums, transfer positions at which images are primarily transferred from the respective photosensitive drums onto an intermediate transfer member are different between the photosensitive drums. Therefore, if the timing of starting to form an electrostatic latent image on each photosensitive drum is not adjusted to be uniform between the colors, the transferred images formed on the intermediate transfer member are displaced between the colors, causing image color shift, which is positional displacement between images of respective colors formed on a recording sheet. To prevent this problem, it is necessary to cause positions of the images transferred onto the intermediate transfer member to be adjusted to be uniform by shifting the timing of starting to form an electrostatic latent image between the photosensitive drums by a time required for an image already transferred onto the intermediate transfer member to be conveyed from one photosensitive drum to the next one.
Further, the photosensitive drums and the intermediate transfer member are required to be driven at a constant surface speed.
This is because, first, in a case where time-synchronized exposure is employed as laser exposure for drawing an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, variation in the surface speed of the photosensitive drum causes deviation of a laser-irradiated position on the photosensitive drum from an original proper position to be irradiated.
Secondly, also in a primary transfer process for transferring a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum onto the intermediate transfer member, if there occurs an AC current-like variation in the difference of surface speed between the photosensitive drum and the intermediate transfer member, the position of the toner image which is to be transferred onto the intermediate transfer member deviates from the original proper position on which the toner image is to be transferred.
To overcome the above-mentioned problem, in the control of driving the photosensitive drum, the feedback-control of the speed of a motor as a drive source is performed, using various speed detection sensors and the like, whereby highly-accurate speed constancy is ensured. Further, as the motor, one employing a brushless DC motor (hereinafter referred to as the "BLDC motor") is often used because of low-cost, quietness, and high efficiency.
In recent years, for the speed feedback control using the BLDC motor, a method is sometimes employed in which a rotary encoder is arranged on a drum shaft, and the CPU controls the BLDC motor to rotate the drum shaft at a constant speed.
In the above-mentioned speed feedback control, the rotational speed of the drum shaft is detected, but it is difficult to control the surface speed of the photosensitive drum to a constant speed due to off-centering, a mounting error and the like of each of the photosensitive drum, the motor, and drive gears.
Similarly, in the intermediate transfer member as well, it is difficult to control the surface speed of the intermediate transfer member to a constant speed due to off-centering, a mounting error, and the like, of each of the motor and drive gears for driving the intermediate transfer member.
Further, causes of the image defects include mutual interference caused by friction between the surface of the photosensitive drum and the transfer surface of the intermediate transfer member. This is caused because a speed variation occurring in one of the photosensitive drum and the intermediate transfer member has influence on the other.
As another cause, there may be mentioned an occurrence of an unplanned change in load on the intermediate transfer member during secondary transfer of a toner image carried on the intermediate transfer member onto a recording sheet, especially when the recording sheet is thick paper. This causes a high-frequency speed variation, and this speed variation causes positional displacement in the primary transfer.
As described above, there are various causes of the image defects, and it is very difficult to eliminate all of the causes.
To cope with this, there has been proposed a transfer mechanism configured such that an image transfer roller which corresponds to the intermediate transfer member causes an image roller which corresponds to the photosensitive drum to be friction-driven (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-333752). The technique of this transfer mechanism is characterized in that images on the photosensitive drums become an image on the intermediate transfer member, and hence by forming the image on the intermediate transfer member with reference to respective positions on the photosensitive drums, the influence of irregular rotation of the photosensitive drums is reduced. As to this technique, it is important to form an image with reference to the rotational position of each photosensitive drum, and hence there has been proposed a method of performing exposure control in synchronism with an amount of rotational movement of the drum (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H08-99437). According to this method, it is possible to form electrostatic latent images on the photosensitive drums without positional displacement even if there is a variation in the amount of rotational movement of each photosensitive drum.
Further, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-333752 is further characterized in that even when the speed of the intermediate transfer member is varied e.g. due to an impact generated upon entrance of a recording sheet into a secondary transfer section of the intermediate transfer member, coincidence of respective images on the photosensitive drums and an image on the intermediate transfer member can be ensured, and hence image defects are less liable to be caused by the primary transfer.
However, in the method of shifting the timing of starting to form an electrostatic latent image between the photosensitive drums by a time period required for an image already transferred onto the intermediate transfer member to be conveyed from one photosensitive drum to the next one, so as to prevent occurrence of image color shift, there arises a problem that a time period required for a latent image and its resulting image formed by development on each photosensitive drum, to advance from an exposure light irradiated position to a primary transfer position, and a time period required for a transferred image on the intermediate transfer member to be conveyed from one photosensitive drum to another are made different by an extent corresponding to variation in the respective speeds of the photosensitive drum and the intermediate transfer member.

Image forming apparatus that suppresses occurrence of color shift in images and method of controlling the same


Stator vanes including curved trailing edges are disclosed. The stator vanes may include a body including a central section, a tip section positioned radially above the central section, and a root section positioned radially below the central section. The body of the stator vanes may also include a leading edge extending radially adjacent the root section, central section, and tip section, respectively, and a trailing edge positioned opposite and aft to the leading edge. The trailing edge may include a concave contour including a first portion radially aligned with the central section of the body. The first portion may be axially offset and forward of a reference line that may be perpendicular to an axial direction and intersects the concave contour at the tip section and the root section. A concavity of the first portion of the concave contour may be formed radially aft of the central section.

The disclosure relates generally to turbine systems, and more particularly, to stator vanes for turbine systems include curved leading edges and/or curved trailing edges.
Conventional turbo machines, such as gas turbine systems, are utilized to generate power for electric generators. In general, gas turbine systems generate power by passing a fluid (e.g., hot gas) through a compressor and a turbine component of the gas turbine system. Once compressed, the inlet air is mixed with fuel to form a combustion product, which may be ignited by a combustor of the gas turbine system to form the operational fluid (e.g., hot gas) of the gas turbine system. The fluid may then flow through a fluid flow path for rotating a plurality of rotating blades and rotor or shaft of the turbine component for generating the power. The fluid may be directed through the turbine component via the plurality of rotating blades and a plurality of stator vanes positioned between the rotating blades. As the plurality of rotating blades rotate the rotor of the gas turbine system, a generator, coupled to the rotor, may generate power from the rotation of the rotor.
The various components of conventional turbo machines are designed to include unique, predetermined geometries to aid in the operational efficiency of the turbo machines while generating power. One component of conventional turbo machines that is continuously redesigned and/or modified is the stator vanes found in the turbine component. The stator vanes attribute greatly to the operational efficiencies of conventional turbo machines. Turning to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a conventional stator vane 10 is shown according to prior art. Stator vane 10 includes an airfoil 12. Conventional airfoil 12 of stator vane 10 includes a pressure side 18, and an opposed suction side 20. Airfoil 12 further includes a leading edge 22 between pressure side 18 and suction side 20, as well as, a trailing edge 24 between pressure side 18 and suction side 20 on a side opposing leading edge 22. As shown in FIG. 1, trailing edge 24 of conventional stator vanes 10 may include various geometries. In non-limiting examples, trailing edge 24 of conventional stator vanes 10 may include a substantially convex shape 26, a substantially linear shape 28 (shown in phantom) or a substantially concave shape 30 (shown in phantom).
While the geometries, shapes and/or features aid in improving operational efficiencies for conventional turbo machines during operation, conventional stator vanes including the geometries above still have operational inefficiencies and/or create undesirable operational issues for conventional turbo machines. For example, the wake effect in the combustion fluids as they flow from the stator vanes downstream to the rotating turbine blades may reduce the operational efficiencies of the turbo machines. Specifically, as the combustion fluid flows off and downstream from the airfoil 12 of conventional stator vane 10, the combustion fluid may spread from a desired flow path, and may prematurely and/or undesirable contact the rotating turbine blades before the turbine blades reach the desired position to contact and/or receive the combustion fluids. This in puts an undesirable stress on the rotating turbine blades.
Additionally, the formation of a boundary layer of combustion fluids on airfoil 12 of conventional stator vane 10 may result in undesirable operational issues for conventional turbo machines. For example, as the boundary layer of combustion fluids along airfoil 12 of the conventional stator vane 10 increases, the flow of combustion fluids may become turbulent and/or unsteady, which in turn results in the combustion fluids deviating from a desired flow path. Similar to the wake effect, when the combustion fluids become turbulent and/or unsteady within the turbine component, the operational efficiency of the turbo machines decreases.


Mechanical condition monitoring of robots can be used to detect unexpected failure of robots. Data taken from a robot operation is processed and compared against a health baseline. Features extracted during the monitoring stage of robot operation are aligned with features extracted during the training stage in which the health baseline is established by projecting both onto a common subspace. A classifier which can include a distance assessment such as an L2-norm is used within the common subspace to assess the condition of the robot. Excursions of the distance assessment from a criteria indicate a failure or potential failure.

Current mechanical condition monitoring algorithms are operation-dependent, which requires that a current robotic operation having a set of operational movements (such as those movement(s) associated with a production environment) be the same for comparison purposes as movements of the robotic operation used for establishing a healthy baseline mathematical robot model. Such a requirement for similar movements can impede efficient operation since operational movements of the robot in an ongoing production environment must be ceased (at least when the current robotic operation is not the same as the operation used to establish the baseline) to allow a comparison with the healthy baseline model. If an operator chooses to forgo maintenance monitoring in order to increase uptime, an issue might develop, in the worst case resulting in the breakdown of the robot. Accordingly, there remains a need for further contributions in this area of technology.

Apparatus and method to monitor robot mechanical condition


A method for displaying an attack vector available to an attacker of a networked system including a plurality of network nodes. One or more penetration tests of the networked system are carried out, by a penetration testing system. Based on results of the penetration tests, the attack vector available to an attacker of the networked system is identified. A critical path of the attack vector is determined, and is displayed by displaying the network nodes included in the critical path as a continuous ordered sequence of network nodes. In some embodiments, one or more auxiliary paths of the attack vector may be determined, and may be displayed.

There is currently a proliferation of organizational networked computing systems. Every type of organization, be it a commercial company, a university, a bank, a government agency or a hospital, heavily relies on one or more networks interconnecting multiple computing nodes. Failures of the networked computing system of an organization, or even of only a portion of it, might cause significant damage, up to completely shutting down all operations. Additionally, much of the data of the organization, if not all the data, exist somewhere on its networked computing system, including all confidential data comprising the "crown jewels" of the organization, such as prices, details of customers, purchase orders, employees' salaries, technical formulas, etc. Loss of such data or leaks of such data to unauthorized external entities might be disastrous for the organization.
Many organizational networks are connected to the Internet at least through one network node, and consequently may be subject to attacks by computer hackers or by hostile adversaries. Quite often the newspapers report incidents in which websites crashed, sensitive data was stolen, or service to customers was denied, where the failures were the results of hostile penetration into an organization's networked computing system.
Thus, many organizations invest a lot of efforts and costs in preventive means designed to protect their computing networks against potential threats. There are many defensive products offered in the market claiming to provide protection against one or more known modes of attack, and many organizations arm themselves to the teeth with multiple products of this kind.
However, it is difficult to tell how effective such products really are in achieving their stated goals of blocking hostile attacks, and consequently most CISOs (Computer Information Security Officers) will admit (maybe only off the record), that they don't really know how well they can withstand an attack from a given adversary. The only way to really know the strength and security of a system, is by trying to attack it as a real adversary would. This is known as red-teaming or penetration testing (pen testing, in short), and is a very common approach that is even required by regulation in some developed countries.
Penetration testing requires highly talented people to man the testing team. Those people should be familiar with each and every publicly known vulnerability and attacking method and should also have a very good familiarity with networking techniques and multiple operating systems implementations. Such people are hard to find and therefore many organizations give up establishing their own penetration testing teams and resort to hiring external expert consultants for carrying out that role (or completely give up penetration testing). However, external consultants are expensive and therefore are typically called in only for brief periods separated by long intervals in which no penetration testing is carried out. This makes the penetration testing ineffective, as vulnerabilities caused by new attacks, that appear almost daily, are discovered only months after becoming serious threats to the organization.
Additionally, even rich organizations that can afford hiring talented experts for in-house penetration testing teams do not achieve good protection. Testing for vulnerabilities of a large network containing many types of computers, operating systems, network routers and other devices is both a very complex and a very tedious process. The process is prone to human errors such as missing testing for certain threats or misinterpreting the damages of certain attacks. Additionally, because a process of full testing against all threats is quite long, the organization might again end with a too long discovery period after a new threat appears.
In view of the above deficiencies, automated penetration testing solutions were introduced in recent years by several vendors. These automated solutions reduce human involvement in the penetration testing process, or at least in some of its functions. Some of those systems automatically discover and report vulnerabilities of a networked system, potential damages that might be caused to the networked system, and potential trajectories of attack that may be employed by an attacker.
A penetration testing process involves at least the following main functions: (i) a reconnaissance function, (ii) an attack function, and (iii) a reporting function. The process may also include additional functions, for example a cleanup function that restores the tested networked system to its original state as it was before the test. In an automated penetration testing system, at least one of the above three functions is at least partially automated, and typically two or three of them are at least partially automated.
FIG. 1A (PRIOR ART) is a block diagram of code modules of a typical penetration testing system. FIG. 1B (PRIOR ART) is a related flow-chart.
FIG. 1A shows a typical prior art penetration testing system and its main functions, where in addition to the three main functions listed above there is also an optional cleanup function. Even though the figures show the reconnaissance, attack and reporting functions as operating in strictly sequential order, this is not necessarily so. For example, the attack and the reporting functions may operate in parallel or in an interleaved way, with the reporting function reporting first results obtained by the attack function, while the attack function is working on additional results. Similarly, the reconnaissance and the attack functions may operate in parallel or in an interleaved way, with the attack function detecting a vulnerability based on first data collected by the reconnaissance function, while the reconnaissance function is working on collecting additional data.
A reconnaissance function is the function within a penetration testing system that handles the collection of data about the tested networked system. The collected data may include internal data of network nodes, data about network traffic within the tested networked system, business intelligence data of the organization owning the tested networked system, etc. The functionality of a prior art reconnaissance function can be implemented, for example, by software executing in a server that is not one of the network nodes of the tested networked system, where the server probes the tested networked system for the purpose of collecting data about it.
An attack function is the function within a penetration testing system that handles the determination of whether security vulnerabilities exist in the tested networked system based on data collected by the reconnaissance function. The functionality of a prior art attack function can be implemented, for example, by software executing in a server that is not one of the nodes of the tested networked system, where the server attempts to attack the tested networked system for the purpose of verifying that it can be compromised.
A reporting function is the function within a penetration testing system that handles the reporting of results of the penetration testing system. The functionality of a prior art reporting function may be implemented, for example, by software executing in the same server that executes the functionality of the attack function, where the server reports the findings of the attack function to an administrator or a CISO of the tested networked system.
In FIG. 1A, code for the reconnaissance function, for the attack function, and for the reporting function are respectively labelled as 20, 30 and 40, and are each schematically illustrated as part of a penetration testing system code module (PTSCM) labelled as 10. The term 'code' is intended broadly and may include any combination of computer-executable code and computer-readable data which when read affects the output of execution of the code. The computer-executable code may be provided as any combination of human-readable code (e.g. in a scripting language such as Python), machine language code, assembler code and byte code, or in any form known in the art. Furthermore, the executable code may include any stored data (e.g. structured data) such as configuration files, XML files, and data residing in any type of database (e.g. a relational database, an object-database, etc.).
In one example and as shown in FIG. 1B, the reconnaissance function (performed in step S21 by execution of reconnaissance function code 20), the attack function (performed in step S31 by execution of attack function code 30) and the reporting function (performed in step S41 by execution of reporting function code 40) are executed in strictly sequential order so that first the reconnaissance function is performed by executing code 20 thereof, then the attack function is performed by executing code 30 thereof, and finally the reporting function is performed 40 by executing code thereof.
However, the skilled artisan will appreciate that this order is just one example, and is not a requirement. For example, the attack and the reporting functions may be performed in parallel or in an interleaved way, with the reporting function reporting first results obtained by the attack function, while the attack function is working on additional results.
Similarly, the reconnaissance and the attack functions may operate in parallel or in an interleaved way, with the attack function detecting a vulnerability based on first data collected by the reconnaissance function, while the reconnaissance function is working on collecting additional data.
FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art computing device 110 which may have any form-factor including but not limited to a laptop, a desktop, a mobile phone, a server, a tablet, or any other form factor. The computing device 110 in FIG. 2 includes (i) computer memory 160 which may store code 180; (ii) one or more processors 120 (e.g. central-processing-unit (CPU)) for executing code 180; (iii) one or more human-interface device(s) 140 (e.g. mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, gesture-detecting apparatus including a camera, etc.) or an interface (e.g. USB interface) to receive input from a human-interface device; (iv) a display device 130 (e.g. computer screen) or an interface (e.g. HDMI interface, USB interface) for exporting video to a display device and (v) a network interface 150 (e.g. a network card, or a wireless modem).
Memory 160 may include any combination of volatile (e.g. RAM) and non-volatile (e.g. ROM, flash, disk-drive) memory. Code 180 may include operating-system code—e.g. Windows®, Linux®, Android®, Mac-OS®.
Computing device 110 may include a user-interface for receiving input from a user (e.g. manual input, visual input, audio input, or input in any other form) and for visually displaying output. The user-interface (e.g. graphical user interface (GUI)) of computing device 110 may thus include the combination of HID device 140 or an interface thereof (i.e. in communication with an external HID device), display device 130 or an interface thereof (i.e. in communication with an external display device), and user-interface (UI) code stored in memory 160 and executed by one or more processor(s) 120. The user-interface may include one or more GUI widgets such as labels, buttons (e.g. radio buttons or check boxes), sliders, spinners, icons, windows, panels, text boxes, and the like.
In one example, a penetration testing system is the combination of (i) code 10 (e.g. including reconnaissance function code 20, attack function code 30, reporting function code 40, and optionally cleaning function code 50); and (ii) one or more computing devices 110 which execute the code 10. For example, a first computing device may execute a first portion of code 10 and a second computing device (e.g. in networked communication with the first computing device) may execute a second portion of code 10.
Penetration testing systems may employ different types of architectures, each having its advantages and disadvantages. Examples are actual attack penetration testing systems, simulated penetration testing systems and reconnaissance agent penetration testing systems. See the Definitions section for more details about these types of penetration testing systems.
The Problem to Solve
When a penetration testing campaign run by a penetration testing system succeeds in finding a method for an attacker to compromise a tested networked system, the penetration testing system must present the identified method of attack to its user(s). Typically, this is accomplished by displaying an "attack vector" representing a method of attack that can be used by the attacker for compromising the tested networked system.
An attack vector is a set of network nodes connected by attacker steps. The set represents a method for an attacker to move from one or more starting network nodes to an ending network node, as seen, for example, in FIG. 3A. Alternatively, an attack vector can be a set of network nodes connected by vulnerabilities that may be exploited by attacker steps. Here too, the set represents a method for the attacker to move from one or more starting network nodes to an ending network node, as seen, for example, in FIG. 3B, which represents the same exemplary attack vector as that shown in FIG. 3A.
In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the attack vector is represented by a graph, where network nodes are represented by graph nodes and steps or vulnerabilities are represented by graph edges. However, this is not the only way to use a graph for representing an attack vector. As one example, steps or vulnerabilities may also be represented by graph nodes, in which case the graph nodes of the attack vector alternate between representing network nodes and representing steps/vulnerabilities. Furthermore, a graph is not the only way of representing an attack vector. Other forms, such as a textual list, may also be used for the same purpose.
Typically, when displaying an attack vector to a user, the vector's representation explicitly identifies the network nodes as well as the steps or vulnerabilities included in the attack vector. However, in some embodiments, by default the identifications of the steps or vulnerabilities are not displayed, for example in order to avoid cluttering the display. In such embodiments, the user may request information (or additional information) about the steps and/or vulnerabilities, for example by pointing to an edge of a graph on the screen and clicking a mouse or otherwise interacting with the display using an input device. Even if the steps and/or vulnerabilities are not visible when an attack vector is displayed, they are still an inherent part of the attack vector. In the present disclosure, when an attack vector is displayed, the steps or vulnerabilities are always listed as being indicated. However, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way.
When graphically displaying an attack vector to a user, the attack vector is typically displayed from left to right. In other words, the starting network node(s) appear on the left side of the display, and the ending network node appears on the right side. However, this is not mandatory. It is equally legitimate to display an attack vector from right to left, from top to bottom, from bottom to top or in any other direction. In the present disclosure, attack vectors are always displayed from left to right. However, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way.
The starting network node(s) of an attack vector are the network node(s) from which the attacker starts the attack. The ending network node of an attack vector is a network node of the tested networked system, which, when compromised by the attacker, results in achieving the attacker's goal in the current penetration testing campaign. The attacker can make progress towards the goal by moving from one network node in the attack vector to another network node in the attack vector, by carrying out the relevant steps and/or exploiting the relevant vulnerabilities.
A starting network node of an attack vector may be a network node of the tested networked system that is assumed to be compromised when the campaign starts. Alternatively, a starting network node may be a "dummy node" that represents the world outside the tested networked system, as seen for example in FIG. 3C. A dummy node is useful when one does not assume that any network nodes of the tested networked system are already compromised when starting the campaign. Another method for representing an attack vector that starts outside the tested networked system, without explicitly displaying a dummy node, is to display the attack vector as starting with an attacker's step or with a vulnerability that can be exploited by an attacker's step, rather than with a network node, as shown in FIG. 3D, which represents the same attack vector as shown in FIG. 3C.
In the present disclosure, attack vectors are always displayed as beginning with a network node. However, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way.
Let us now turn to the exemplary attack vector of FIG. 3B. Suppose a penetration testing campaign is defined such that:
a. Network node A is assumed to be compromised when starting the campaign. For example, it may be a network node that is accessible from outside the networked system, and is known to have one or more vulnerabilities enabling an attacker to compromise node A.b. The goal of the attacker of the campaign is to compromise network node Z. For example, node Z may be the computer used by the CFO of the company owning the tested networked system.An identified attack vector may be:1. From network node A, compromise network node B by exploiting vulnerability V1;2. From network node B, compromise network node C by exploiting vulnerability V2;3. From network node C, compromise network node D by exploiting vulnerability V3; and4. From network node D, compromise network node Z by exploiting vulnerability V4.
A penetration testing system may display an identified attack vector as a textual list, for example as presented above. Such presentation is satisfactory for a short attack vector, such as in the present example, since in such cases a user can grasp the full picture of the attack from the text. However, an attack vector may be long, for example including several dozens of steps and compromised nodes, in which case grasping the full picture of the attack from the text might be quite difficult.
Most prior art penetration testing systems present an attack vector in a graphical way, either in addition to the textual presentation or in replacement thereof. Typically, a displayed attack vector is presented overlaid over a graphical representation of the tested networked system. In such cases, the communication connectivity structure of the tested networked system is represented by a graph in which each graph node represents a network node and each graph edge represents communication connectivity between the two network nodes corresponding to the two graph nodes associated with the graph edge. Overlaying of an attack vector over the networked system graph is typically accomplished by emphasizing, in the graph, a path corresponding to the displayed attack vector. In some cases, annotations may be added to the relevant graph edges, in order to specify the steps taken by the attacker or the vulnerabilities exploited by the attacker for moving from one network node to another network node.
However, presenting an attack vector overlaid on the graph of the networked system does not ensure that a user can easily grasp the essence of a long attack vector. Even though a graphical presentation is easier to grasp than a textual presentation, the graph of the networked system typically contains a lot of irrelevant information, such as graph nodes corresponding to network nodes that are irrelevant to the attack vector being displayed, which may confuse the user.
One may consider improving the user's grasp by presenting an attack vector as a graph that only includes information relevant to the displayed attack vector, while leaving out all network nodes and/or information that are irrelevant to the displayed attack vector. For example, if this approach is applied to the example of FIGS. 3A to 3D, the graph presented to the user will include a linear sequence of only five graph nodes, corresponding to network nodes A, B, C, D and Z, with connecting graph edges being labelled with vulnerabilities V2, V3 and V4, respectively, as shown in FIG. 3B.
While presenting an attack vector by displaying only the relevant portions thereof indeed improves clarity and the user's comprehension, this solution is unsatisfactory in the general case.
As a second demonstrative example, consider an attack vector whose textual representation is:
A. From network node A, compromise network node B by exploiting vulnerability V1;
B. From network node B, compromise network node C by exploiting vulnerability V2;
C. From network node C, compromise network node D by exploiting vulnerability V3;
D. From network node D, compromise network node E by exploiting vulnerability V4;
E. In network node E, obtain credentials of user U1 from network node F by exploiting vulnerability V5;
F. From network node B, compromise network node G by using the credentials of user U1;
G. From network node G, compromise network node H by exploiting vulnerability V6;
H. From network node H, compromise network node I by exploiting vulnerability V7;
I. From network node I, compromise network node J by exploiting vulnerability V8;
J. In network node J, obtain credentials of user U2 from network node K by exploiting vulnerability V9;
K. From network node H, compromise network node L by using the credentials of user U2; and
L. From network node L, compromise network node Z by exploiting vulnerability V10.
A graphical representation of the attack vector of the second example is shown in FIG. 4.
One thing that differentiates the attack vector of the second example from that of the first example is that the attack vector of the second example is not "linear". A "linear attack vector" is an attack vector corresponding to a method of compromising the networked system in which each step of the method uses the network node most recently compromised for compromising another network node that was not previously compromised. Stated differently, in a linear attack vector, each node is compromised based on compromising of the most recently compromised node, without returning to a node which was compromised earlier in the attack. While the attack vector of the first example, in FIG. 3B, is linear, the attack vector of the second example, in FIG. 4, is not. In the second example, network node B is used twice—first for compromising network node C, and later for compromising network node G. Similarly, network node H is used twice—first for compromising network node I, and later for compromising network node L.
The non-linear nature of the attack vector of FIG. 4 makes it much more difficult for users to grasp. The continuity of the attack vector is broken when it is graphically presented—after dealing with network nodes E and F in step E the attack vector returns to network node B in step F, and after dealing with network nodes J and K in step J the attack vector returns to network node H in step K.
Another issue with the representation method of FIG. 4 is the difficulty of grasping an attack vector that has multiple starting network nodes. Suppose a third exemplary penetration testing campaign, shown in FIG. 5, which is defined such that:
a. Network nodes A and B are assumed to be compromised when starting the campaign—for example, each of network nodes A and B can be accessed from outside the networked system and is known to have one or more vulnerabilities enabling an attacker to compromise it; andb. The goal of the attacker of the campaign is to compromise network node Z—for example the computer used by the CFO of the company owning the tested networked system.
An identified attack vector, corresponding to the third example, may be:
1. In network node A, obtain credentials of user U1;
2. From network node B, compromise network node C by exploiting vulnerability V1;
3. From network node C, compromise network node D by using the credentials of user U1; and
4. From network node D, compromise network node Z by exploiting vulnerability V2.
As is clear from FIG. 5, the existence of more than one starting network node adds to the complexity of the graphical representation.
Non-linear attack vectors, such as those shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and other attack vectors that are much more complex than those shown in the examples, are quite common in real-world penetration testing. Therefore, the complexity of non-linear attack vectors creates a serious problem for understanding results of real-world penetration tests.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a method for presenting an attack vector of a penetration testing campaign to the user in a way that will be easily comprehensible, regardless of the non-linear nature or complexity of the attack vector.

Systems and methods for displaying an attack vector available to an attacker of a networked system


In fabricating a microelectromechanical structure (MEMS), a method of forming a narrow gap in the MEMS includes a) depositing a layer of sacrificial material on the surface of a supporting substrate, b) photoresist masking and at least partially etching the sacrificial material to form at least one blade of sacrificial material, c) depositing a structural layer over the sacrificial layer, and d) removing the sacrificial layer including the blade of the sacrificial material with a narrow gap remaining in the structural layer where the blade of sacrificial material was removed.

This invention relates generally to the fabrication of semiconductor microelectromechanical structures (MEMS) and more particularly the invention relates to the fabrication of structures such as mechanical resonators which require narrow gaps between a resonator body and drive and sense electrodes.
Micromachined resonators are promising as on-chip replacements for discrete filters and oscillators which are presently implemented using off-chip quartz and surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) devices in wireless communication systems. The monolithic integration of control, amplification and signal processing electronics with radio frequency microelectromechanical devices (RF MEMS) also reduces parasitic capacitances and inductances as well as overall system power consumption. Recent progress toward a low-thermal-budget polycrystalline silicon-germanium (poly-SiGe) MEMS technology promises to make possible the modular co-fabrication of high performance surface-micromachined structures on top of completed CMOS wafers. However, a detailed process integration scheme for poly-SiGe resonator fabrication—particularly one that provides ultra-narrow lateral gaps between the resonator and drive/sense electrodes—is needed.
There are several process requirements for post-CMOS integration of RF resonators. First, the MEMS fabrication thermal process budget must be carefully designed in order to retain the performance and reliability of the CMOS electronics. Interconnect reliability, rather than transistor performance, limits the post processing temperature, which should not exceed 450° C. High quality poly-SiGe structural layers with Ge content greater than ˜60% can be deposited by conventional low-pressure chemical vapor deposition without exceeding this temperature limit. Second, the metallization stack of the underlying electronics must be protected from chemical attack during the microstructure release etch. The use of Ge rather than SiO2 as the sacrificial material is advantageous because it can be rapidly etched in a heated H2O2 solution which does not attack oxide, metal, poly-Si, or poly-SiGe with a Ge content less than ˜70%. Third, extremely small (sub-100 nm) electrode gaps are needed in order to achieve low motional resistances, hence low insertion losses. For the definition of nanoscale lateral gaps, a sidewall sacrificial oxide spacer process has already been developed for poly-Si MEMS technology. In this process, the poly-Si electrode layer (which is deposited after the sacrificial spacers are formed) must be etched with high selectivity to the sacrificial oxide, in order to clear it completely along the sidewalls of the structural poly-Si layer in the areas where the electrode layer must be removed. Because Ge etches more quickly (by a factor of ˜3) than poly-SiGe or poly-Si in a standard Cl2/HBr dry-etch chemistry, the sidewall spacer process cannot be used if Ge is employed as the sacrificial material, however.

Damascene process for use in fabricating semiconductor structures having micro/nano gaps

The Regents of the University of California


A piezoelectric resonator suitable for use in a high frequency band is provided, in which variation in the piezoelectric material is reduced, variation in performance is reduced, and production can be performed without the need for a polarization treatment step. In the piezoelectric resonator, a piezoelectric material made of a wurtzite structure compound crystal is disposed, the crystal epitaxially grown in such a way that a (1,1,−2,0) crystal face becomes parallel to a surface of the R-plane sapphire substrate having a (0,1,−1,2) crystal face parallel to the substrate surface, and a pair of excitation electrodes are disposed on a pair of principal surfaces opposite to each other in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric material in such a way that the pair of excitation electrodes sandwich the C plane which is a (0,0,0,1) crystal face perpendicular to the (1,1,−2,0) crystal face of the tabular piezoelectric material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric resonator which takes advantage of thickness longitudinal vibration. In particular, the present invention relates to a piezoelectric resonator having a structure in which a tabular piezoelectric material with a pair of excitation electrodes disposed on a pair of principal surfaces stands upright on a substrate, as well as a method for manufacturing the same, a piezoelectric filter including the piezoelectric resonator, and a duplexer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as the frequencies of communications equipment have increased, various piezoelectric resonators and piezoelectric filters taking advantage of thin piezoelectric materials and piezoelectric thin films have been proposed. For example, FIG. 1 is a perspective view partially showing a piezoelectric resonator disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-44794.
In a piezoelectric resonator 101, a piezoelectric plate 103 made of PZT stands upright on a sapphire substrate 102. Excitation electrodes 104 and 105 are disposed on opposing surfaces of the piezoelectric plate 103. The piezoelectric plate 103 is polarized in the direction in which the excitation electrodes 104 and 105 are opposite to each other, that is, in the thickness direction. Therefore, resonance characteristics taking advantage of thickness longitudinal vibration can be attained by applying an alternating-current electric field from the excitation electrodes 104 and 105. As for the above-described piezoelectric resonator 101, the frequency can be increased by decreasing the thickness of the piezoelectric plate 103.
In the production of the piezoelectric resonator 101, a sapphire substrate 102 is prepared, and a film of PZT piezoelectric ceramic is formed on the top surface 102a of the sapphire substrate 102 to reach a height equal to the height of the top surface 103a of the piezoelectric plate 103. Subsequently, the resulting piezoelectric film is processed by etching or the like to form the piezoelectric plate 103 having a thickness of about 2 μm or less. After the piezoelectric plate 103 is formed, the excitation electrodes 104 and 105 are formed on both surfaces of the piezoelectric plate 103. In this manner, the piezoelectric plate 103 having a reduced thickness can be disposed upright on the sapphire substrate 102. It is believed that a piezoelectric resonator usable in a GHz band can be provided since the piezoelectric plate 103 has the reduced thickness.
However, the thin piezoelectric plate 103 in the piezoelectric resonator 101 described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-44794, is composed of the PZT piezoelectric ceramic. Since the PZT piezoelectric ceramic contains three elements, Pb, Ti and Zr, as metal atoms, there is a problem in that the composition is hard to stabilize. That is, variation in performance tends to occur since the composition of the piezoelectric plate 103 is not stabilized.
In addition, the piezoelectric plate 103 is made of the piezoelectric ceramic and, therefore, as described above, a treatment step of polarizing the piezoelectric plate 103 in the thickness direction must be performed while the piezoelectric plate 103 stands upright. Consequently, the production process is complicated.

Piezoelectric resonator, method for manufacturing the same, piezoelectric filter, and duplexer


An organic LED (OLED) display device and an operating method of driving the same. In an OLED image display device, one switch transistor is provided in one pixel. For at least a part of an OFF period of time of the switch transistor, the OLED is in the non-light emission state, and also the bias of the polarity reverse to that in the light emission is applied to the OLED.

The present invention relates to an active matrix type display device employing light emitting devices such as EL (electro-luminescence) devices or LEDs (light emitting diodes) each of which emits light by causing a driving current to flow through a light emitting thin film such as an organic semiconductor thin film, and thin film transistors for controlling the light emitting operation of the respective light emitting devices.
In recent years, as the advanced information society has come, there has been increasing demands for personal computers, portable information terminals, information communication apparatuses or complex products thereof. A thin and light-weight display device is suitable for these products, and hence the liquid crystal display device or the display device constituted by the self-light emitting type EL devices or the LED devices. The self-light emitting type display device of the latter has the features that the visibility is excellent, the visible angle characteristics are wide, it is suitable for the moving pictures since it is excellent in the high speed response, and so forth, and hence it is expected that the self-light emitting type display device will be important more and more in the information communication field in the future. In actual, recently, the rapid enhancement of the light emitting efficiency of the organic EL device or the organic LED device (hereinafter, the OLED is the general form for these devices) in which the organic material is used as the light emitting layer, and the advance of the network technology for making the image communication possible are combined to make the expectation to the OLED display device go on rising.
An example of the OLED display device according to the prior art is described in Pioneer R&D Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 41 to 49. In accordance with this example, as shown in FIG. 6A, OLEDs are respectively arranged in the intersections of n anodes 61 which extend longitudinally and m cathodes 62 which extend transversely to form a simple matrix in which pixels P11, . . . , Pmn are provided. Then, each of the anode lines is driven by a constant current voltage-source 63 every cathode line to scan the cathode lines in the line-at-a-time manner. In such a way, the time division driving is carried out. Each of the pixels can be expressed in the form of an equivalent circuit shown in FIG. 6B, in which a parasitic capacity 65 is parasitically connected in parallel with an OLED 64. The value of this parasitic capacity 65 is so large as to be about 20 pF in the square of 0.3 mm×0.3 mm, and hence in order to obtain the desired picture quality by the time division driving requiring the high speed as described above, it is necessary to devise the driving waveform for which the charge and discharge of the electric charges to and from the parasitic capacity are taken into consideration. In actual, in the above-mentioned prior art, there is adopted the complicated driving method wherein the timing in which all of the electrodes are grounded once is provided.
Instead of the above-mentioned simple matrix, the active matrix driving in which TFTs are provided in the pixels, respectively, has also been studied. The technology for manufacturing the OLED display device in the form of the active matrix structure to drive the same, for example, is disclosed in JP-A-8-241048 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,066, and also in WO98/36407 in which the contents of the driving voltage are described in more detail. For the typical pixels of the OLED display device of the active matrix system thus disclosed, as shown in FIG. 7, the light emission luminance of the OLED 76 is controlled by the active device driving circuit constituted by at least two TFT switch transistor Tsw73 and driver transistor Tdr74, and one accumulation capacitor 75. More specifically, the voltage corresponding to the electric charges which are accumulated in the accumulation capacitor 75 through the switching transistor 73 provides the gate voltage of the driver transistor 74, and the OLED 76 is driven by the current which is determined on the basis of the gate voltage. However, in actual, there arises the problem that the ununiformity of the display picture quality is generated due to the ununiformity of the threshold voltage and the charge drift mobility of the driver transistor.
As for the system having the possibility of clearing the above-mentioned two problems, as shown in FIG. 8, the active matrix system of providing one transistor in one pixel to carry out the driving is disclosed in JP-A-4-125683.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Organic light emitting diode display and operating method of driving the same


The Convolvulus extract for treating peptic ulcer and Helicobacter pylori infection is an ethanolic extract from C. pilosellifolius. The extract is prepared by homogenizing Convolvulus pilosellifolius aerial plant parts to prepare a powder, percolating the powder with an organic solvent to prepare a suspension, filtering the suspension to obtain a filtrate, and obtaining the extract as a dry powder by drying the solvent under reduced pressure from the filtrate. The active ingredient in the extract is a compound that was isolated from the extract of C. pilosellifolius as a purified triterpene using silica gel column chromatography, the compound being named: 2-propoxyethyl 13-(4-ethoxy-4-oxobutyl)-6b,8a12b,14a-tetramethyl-5,6,6a,6b,7,8,8a,9,10,11,12,12a,12b,14a-tetradecahydropicene-2-carboxylate. Both the extract and the isolated active ingredient exhibit anti-ulcerogenic activity, and disk diffusion tests show that various strains of H. pylori are susceptible to both the extract and the active ingredient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to purified plant extracts effective against peptic ulcer, and particularly to a Convolvulus extract for the treatment of peptic ulcer and Helicobacter pylori infection that is an extract of Convolvulus pilosellifolius, and to the active ingredient isolated from the extract.
2. Description of the Related Art
The family Convolvulaceae contains a large number of plants. The largest genus is Convolvulus, which comprises about 250 species of flowering plants, including trees, shrubs and herbs. Common names include bindweed and morning glory, both names shared with other closely related genera. They are annual or perennial herbaceous vines, bines and a few species of woody shrubs that grow from 0.3 to 3 meters tall. The leaves are spirally arranged and the flowers trumpet-shaped, mostly white or pink, but may occur as blue, violet, purple or yellow in some species. Convolvulus pilosellifolius, a species of Convolvulus, is commonly known as soft bindweed. Most of the Convolvulus plants contain alkaloids, flavonoids and coumarins. In addition, they possess many pharmacological properties, including cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiulcer activities. Some Convolvulus plants are used in traditional medicine (TM) for the treatment of coughs and asthma.
Peptic ulcer is a common gastrointestinal disorder in the modern era, and it is a global health problem affecting a large number of people worldwide. Helicobacter pylorus is recognized as a major etiologic agent in gastrodudenal diseases, including chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. The current treatment regimens for H. pylori infections are based on the combination of a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics (triple therapy). There are different classes of drugs that have been used in the treatment of peptic ulcer. Most of them, however, exhibit serious side effects, such as arrhythmias, gynaecomastia, arthralgia and hypergastrinemia. Additionally, the use of antibiotics leads to increasing development of bacterial resistance that has compromised the efficacy of this method of treatment.
Increasing antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates of bacteria, including H. pylori, strongly support the search for new and safe antibacterial compounds from native medicinal plants. In this regard, many species of plant and their derivatives, including isolated compounds and extracts of the lichen Certaria islandica, Chinese green tea and several native plants used in folk medicine for the relief of gastric symptoms have been studied to establish their pharmacological activity. In fact, a number of drugs and natural substances, such as various essential oils, extracts of the lichen Certaria islandica, Chinese green tea and several native Iranian plants have been shown to have in vitro antibacterial activity against H. pylori. There are also some published studies on the activity of a number of plant extracts against Helicobacter pylori.
Therefore, in the discovery of new anti-ulcerogenic drugs, special interest has been directed to natural plant products based upon traditional medicine (TM). Therapies based on natural products (plants & herbs) derived from TM have proved to be clinically effective and relatively less toxic than the existing pharmaceutical drugs because it reduces the offensive side effects of pharmaceutical drugs, especially those caused by Helicobacter pylori. Accordingly, the search for new effective therapeutic agents is of paramount importance to find more effective natural product, pure extracts and active compounds derived from TM that are effective against ulcer activity caused by Helicobacter pylori.
Thus, a Convolvulus extract for treating peptic ulcer and Helicobacter pylori infection solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Convolvulus extract for treatment of peptic ulcer and helicobacter pylori infection


Methods and systems for facilitating driver behavior monitoring and evaluation of driver performance during a trip are provided. The method includes facilitating, by a processing system of an on-board detection device positioned in a vehicle, recording of media data using cameras mounted on the vehicle and multisensory data using sensors positioned in the vehicle. The media data includes a plurality of image frames. The method includes generating metadata based on at least one image frame of the plurality of image frames and the multisensory data, detecting an occurrence of an event based at least on the metadata and a set of configuration parameters, uploading the metadata and the media data of the event to a cloud server based on event upload rules, and facilitating a media status update flag corresponding to the event, the media status update flag representing a completion of uploading of the media data of the event.

Running a successful fleet consists of more than just engaging a driver to a vehicle and hoping for the best. One of the most important areas that can make or break a business whose operations depend on a fleet is the performance of all the drivers that come under the fleet. Understanding how a vehicle is driven by the driver behind the wheel becomes important, as risky driving performances contribute to 90% of the vehicle collisions, which inherently is a loss of money, loss of reputation, loss of time, etc., to the fleet.
Conventionally, the driver performance is determined by a computational system (hereinafter referred to as system), based on a multisensory data received from the vehicle. The multisensory data received from the vehicle may relate to a speed data, a braking data, undulation data experienced by the vehicle during acceleration and deceleration, a distance data and the like. Based on the data received, the system computes the driver performance by determining violation or infractions in each parameter set by a fleet manager, and the violation of the parameter may be stored and uploaded to the system as occurrence of an event. For example, if the speed data received indicates 75 kmph and a user defined parameter is 60 kmph, the over-speeding would be saved and uploaded to the system as occurrence of the event. The system inherently helps to promote safe driving conditions for the driver as well as passengers, through real time notifications and interventions upon occurrence of the event. The system also helps in making driving safer through timely driver coaching using analytics provided to both the driver and the fleet manager.
However, one of the limitations involved in the aforementioned system is the volume of event data that needs to be uploaded to the system, due to the number of events occurring in the vehicle during a trip. Also, as volume of the event data is typically large, the upload of the event data to the system becomes time consuming. Additionally, as the data bandwidth of the fleets is limited or finite, upload of irrelevant data becomes a costly process, and is thus undesirable. Moreover, the conventional systems utilize methods such as but not limited to computer vision, machine learning, artificial intelligence and the like, for determining events. However, these systems may not be accurate due to involvement of machine learning and hence, indication of false events may occur which is undesirable.
In view of the above, there is a need for an improved method and a system for monitoring the driver performance, which overcomes one or more limitations stated above.

Methods and systems for facilitating drive related data for driver monitoring


A system chassis includes multiple chassis bays configured for receiving either of a single, conventional server blade or an adapter blade. The adapter blade can selectively secure a plurality of compact blades, such as a blade PC. The adapter blade includes a blade latch for selectively releasing the adapter blade from the chassis bay, wherein the presence of a compact blade enclosure within any of the plurality of adapter bays of the adapter blade prevents the latch from being operable to release the adapter blade. The compact blade preferably includes a latch disposed along an upper or lower edge of the blade for selectively releasing the compact blade enclosure from the adapter bay. The adapter blade preferably also includes an interposer disposed for electronically communicating each compact blade with a server interface a separate node upon securing a compact blade within any of the adapter bays.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for efficiently storing and operating computer components, such as a blade server and a blade PC.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multiple computer servers are often consolidated into a data center and mounted in a chassis to make efficient use of space. Accordingly, the servers and infrastructure are placed within easy reach of an administrator. The IBM eServer BladeCenter is one example of a compact server arrangement (IBM and BladeCenter are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y.). A blade server chassis typically has multiple bays which receive and secure blade servers. The server bays are typically made according to standardized dimensions in order to securely and operationally receive the blade server. For example, a standardized 19-inch chassis may accommodate multiple "1U" (one unit) blade server having a width of 1.75 inches (44.45 mm).
A latching mechanism is used to secure a server blade within a bay of the chassis. The latching mechanism includes a release lever that is operated by a user to allow a blade server to be removed from a bay where it has been previously installed. Relatively large release levers are conventionally mounted on one side of the blade server near an end that is positioned at the front of each bay. The design of the release levers is constrained by the dimensions of the blade server and the dimensions of the bay. If a release lever is too large, it can undesirably reduce space available for server components and may pose at least some airflow restrictions. If the release lever is too small, it may present usability issues, such as providing insufficient physical access or leverage.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved methods and apparatus for securing and managing computer components, such a blade servers. It would be desirable to have an apparatus that was easy to use without restricting air flow. It would also be desirable if the apparatus provided flexibility in the types of computer components that could be installed, while preventing inappropriate installation or release of those components.

Adapter blade for a blade server system chassis


A control device that controls a vehicle drive device. A starting control section executes internal combustion engine starting control in which the internal combustion engine in a stationary state is started while causing the disconnecting engagement device to transition from a disengaged state to a direct engagement state. A timing decision section that decides, on the basis of a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine, a supply start timing to start supply of a hydraulic pressure to a specific engagement device, which is one of the plurality of shifting engagement devices and is caused to transition from a disengaged state to a direct engagement state in order to establish a target shift speed for the speed change mechanism after a change, in the case where the target shift speed is changed during execution of the internal combustion engine starting control.

A device described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-179235 (JP 2008-179235 A, Patent Document 1) is already known as an example of the control device that controls a vehicle drive device as described above. In the following description in the "BACKGROUND ART" section, the names of members used in Patent Document 1 are cited in brackets for description. In the control device, in switching from an EV mode to an HEV mode, one [disengagement-side shifting friction element] of a plurality of shifting engagement devices of a speed change mechanism [automatic transmission 3] is brought into a slip engagement state. In this state, a disconnecting engagement device [first clutch 6] is engaged, and the rotational speed of a rotary electric machine [motor/generator 5] is raised to a predetermined target speed to crank an internal combustion engine [engine 1]. By causing the predetermined shifting engagement device to slip in this manner, occurrence of a starting shock due to transfer of unstable torque to wheels during such switching is relieved.
As recognized in Patent Document 1, in mode switching accompanied by starting of the internal combustion engine such as that described above, a target shift speed for the speed change mechanism is occasionally changed. In the device according to Patent Document 1, after the target shift speed is changed, supply of a hydraulic pressure to another one [engagement-side shifting friction element] of the shifting engagement devices to be engaged in order to establish the target shift speed after the change is started immediately.
When supply of a hydraulic pressure to a shifting engagement device is started, however, heat is generated little by little even before the shifting engagement device is brought into a slip engagement state. Therefore, if supply of a hydraulic pressure is started immediately as described above in the case where a shifting request is made at the same time as an internal combustion engine starting request is made, heat may be generated continuously for a long time (since the shifting request is made until the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine is raised) compared to the case of normal shifting control. As a result, there arises a need to enhance the heat-resistant performance of the shifting engagement device, which may lead to an increase in size of the device and an increase in manufacturing cost. It is also conceivable to delay the timing to start supply of a hydraulic pressure with respect to a shifting request in consideration of heat generation by the shifting engagement device. In this case, it is important to appropriately decide the supply start timing. In the case where the supply start timing is not appropriate but is too late, for example, initial hydraulic pressure supply for bringing the shifting engagement device into a state immediately before it starts generating a transfer torque capacity may be insufficient. Hence, the drive force may not be raised immediately after the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine and an input-side rotary member in the speed change mechanism reaches a rotational speed matching the vehicle speed and the target shift speed after the change.


In one method and embodiment of the present invention, at least one coil layer is formed in a write head, using a two-slurry step of copper damascene chemical mechanical polishing method with a first slurry step removing the undesirable copper that is on top of the tantalum barrier layer and on top of the trenches and a second slurry step removing the remainder of the undesirable copper, the tantalum barrier layer, the silicon dioxide hard mask layer, the hard baked photoresist layer, the magnetic alloy such as NiFe, CoFe, or CoNiFe, and alumina insulating layer for better thin film magnetic head performances.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of magnetic recording heads (or write heads) having coils inducing magnetic flux for writing on a magnetic medium (such as a magnetic disc) and more particularly, to recording heads having coil sizes taller in height and turns of the coil being positioned close relative to each other, resulting from damascene manufacturing and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) techniques, thereby causing stronger magnetic field, lower coil resistance, minimal write-induced protrusion and higher data rates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic hard drives (or disc drives) have been in common use for storage of large groups of data for decades. Improvements in manufacturing thereof has attracted popular attention particularly to reducing the size of the drive and/or its internal components to achieve both lower costs and wider applications.
Magnetic hard drives include magnetic recording head for reading and writing of data. As well known, a magnetic recording head generally includes two portions, a write head portion or head for writing or programming magnetically-encoded information on a magnetic media or disc and a reader portion for reading or retrieving the stored information from the media.
Data is written onto a disc by a write head that includes a magnetic yoke having a coil passing there through. When current flows through the coil, a magnetic flux is induced in the yoke causing a magnetic field to fringe out at a write gap in a pole tip region. It is this magnetic field that writes data, in the form of magnetic transitions, onto the disk (or disc). Currently, such heads are thin film magnetic heads, constructed using material deposition techniques such as sputtering and electroplating, along with photolithographic techniques, and wet and dry etching techniques.
Examples of such thin film writers include a first magnetic pole, formed of a material such as NiFe which might be plated after sputter depositing an electrically conductive seed layer. Opposite the pole tip region, at a back end of the magnetic pole, a magnetic back gap can be formed. A back gap is the term generally used to describe a magnetic structure that magnetically connects first and second poles to form a completed magnetic yoke, as will be described.
One or more electrically conductive coils (or coil layers in photolithography techniques) can be formed over the first pole, between the pedestal and the back gap and can be electrically isolated from the pole and yoke by an insulation layer, which could be alumina (Al2O3) or hard baked photoresist.
With reference to FIG. 1, a plan view of an exemplary write element 302 can be seen in relation to the slider 111. A coil 304, passing through a magnetic yoke 306, induces a magnetic flux in the yoke 306. The magnetic flux in the yoke 306, in turn causes a magnetic field to fringe out at the pole tip 308. It is this fringing field 310 that writes magnetic signals onto a nearby magnetic medium.
With reference now to FIG. 2, a magnetic head 400 according to one possible embodiment of the present invention has magnetic read element 402 sandwiched between first and second magnetic shields, 404 and 406. A write head, generally referred to as 408, includes a first pole P1 410. A P1 pedestal 412 disposed in a pole tip region 413 and a first back gap layer 414, at an opposite end, are formed over the first pole. The first pole 410, P1 pedestal 412, and back gap 414 are formed of a magnetic material such as, for example NiFe. A first coil insulation layer 416 is formed over the first pole 410 between the P1 pedestal 412 and back gap layer 414. An electrically conductive coil 418, shown in partial cross section in FIG. 2, passes over the first pole 410 on top of the first insulation layer 416. A second coil insulation layer 420 insulates the turns of the coil 418 from one another and insulates the coil from the rest of the write head 408.
With continued reference to FIG. 2, a thin layer of non-magnetic write gap layer 424 is deposited over the coil 418, insulation layer 420 and P1 pedestal 412, and extends to an air bearing surface (ABS) 426 at one end and stops short of extending completely over the top of the back gap layer 414 at the other end. A magnetic second back gap material layer 428 may be formed over the top of the back gap layer 414, being magnetically connected therewith. The ABS is the surface of the magnetic head designed such that it enables the magnetic head to ride on a cushion of air between the head and the disc along the disc surface.
With continued reference to FIG. 2, a P2 pole tip 430 is provided on top of the write gap layer 424 in the pole tip region 413. The P2 pole tip 430 extends to the ABS 426, and has a width (into the page of FIG. 2) that defines a track width of the write head 408. The P2 pole tip is constructed of a magnetic material, and is preferably constructed of a soft magnetic material having a high magnetic saturation (high Bsat) and low coercivity.
With reference still to FIG. 2, a dielectric material such as alumina extends from the P2 pole tip 430 to the second back gap layer 428. The P2 pole tip 430 and the second back gap layer 428 may be formed at the same time or during the same step of processing, alternatively, they may be formed separately, as disclosed hereinabove. A second coil 434 sits atop the dielectric layer, and is insulated by an insulation layer 436, which could be for example hard baked photoresist. A P3 magnetic layer 438 is formed above the second coil 434 and the insulation layer 436 and extends from the P2 pole tip 430 to the second back gap layer 428 being magnetically connected with both. The P3 magnetic layer 438 forms the majority of a second pole of the magnetic yoke of the write head 408.
The pole tip region 426, the P3 magnetic layer 438 and the back gap 414 form the magnetic yoke (or yoke) referred to in the foregoing and below. It is desirable to maintain a short yoke length to keep the magnetic path short and thus to minimize magnetic leakage and to achieve high data rate for better performance. To do so, coil height need be increased and the coil turns placed closer together. Generally, more coil or copper results in stronger magnetic field and less resistance results in less heat generation, thus, less protrusion.
The problem with prior art write heads is that since it is desirable to keep the yoke length short, the coil (coils 418 and 434) needs to be narrow in an effort to attain an appropriate number of turns of the coil. The narrowness of the coil causes the coil resistance to be high. Therefore, the write head can become hotter during write operations thereby causing expansion and protrusion of the write head. This protrusion is likely to cause the write poles to protrude too close to the disc, potentially causing scratching of the disc.
Current damascene techniques allow for taller and closer coils. In damascene processes, trenches are formed in a first layer and a copper coil layer is formed over the trenches. Excess copper is then polished off leaving individual interconnect lines in the trenches. The removal of the excess copper is typically accomplished by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). Although there are many known variations of the damascene method of metallization, the most common method for removing the excess copper is by CMP. CMP may also be used in removing other material during the manufacturing of coils. However, CMP generally results in overpolishing and corrosion, which is clearly undesirable in thin film heads. Therefore, the need arises for a write head of a disc drive to have a coil tall enough to have low resistance and closer turns, made with damascene and CMP techniques.

Copper damascene chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) for thin film head writer fabrication

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.