A method and system of inputting alphabetic text having a virtual keyboard on a touch sensitive screen. The virtual keyboard includes a set of keys where an each letter of alphabet is associated with at least one key. The present invention allows someone to use the virtual keyboard with continuous contact of the touch sensitive screen. The user traces an input pattern for word by starting at or near the first letter in a decided word and then tracing through or near each letter in sequence. The present invention then generates a list of possible words associated with the entered part and presents it to user for selection.

The origin of the modern keyboard as the primary method for inputting text from a human to a machine dates back to early typewriters in the 19th century. As computers were developed, it was a natural evolution to adapt the typewriter keyboard to use as the primary method for inputting text. For a skilled typist, it has remained the fastest way possible to input text into the computer.
With ongoing efforts to make computers smaller and more portable, the physical keyboard has become one of the most significant limiting factors in just how small a device can become: the physical size of the human finger is not something computer designers could change. As a result, computers for certain portable applications have been designed without a physical keyboard, and use touch-screen based input methods as the primary form of human computer interface. (This is also the case for some applications where people are physically unable to use a keyboard, such as persons with physical disabilities.)
There are two primary requirements for touch-screen input methods which frequently conflict with each other. The method of input must be as fast as possible and at the same time the method of input must take as little of the display screen as possible. Unfortunately, as the space taken up for input on the display screen is decreased, it becomes difficult to increase speed without adversely affecting accuracy.
In spite of a recent surge in the market for pen-based computing devices, most people who must generate text still do so with a standard keyboard. In fact, an entire industry has sprung up that provides portable keyboards for pen-based computers that were designed to be keyboard-less! To date, pen-based computing has not replaced conventional portable laptop computers as was originally forecast, for the simple reason that text input on pen-based computers is too slow. Even the recently introduced "Tablet PC," largely due to the lack of a sufficiently accurate handwriting recognition engine, serves largely as a way to store and retrieve "digital ink"—actual graphic images of handwriting traced on the touch-screen by the user—as opposed to recognizing what was handwritten and converting to computerized text.
Analogous to one-finger typing, the current state-of-the art for inputting using a virtual keyboard is called "point and tap". A stylus is moved from letter to letter and pressed down on the desired key to select it. This results in the need to always lift and set down the stylus, slowing input. Cursive handwriting was invented to allow a better (and faster) flow from letter to letter and reduce the number of pen (or quill) lifts. In a similar way, the current invention reduces the number of taps required when inputting using an on-screen keyboard, thus speeding text entry.
The natural way for a human to create text on anything other than a machine is to "write" it by hand. Accordingly, with the advent of touch-screen computers, it is not surprising that handwriting recognition software was developed to allow a user to enter text by writing on the screen of the computer. However natural, handwriting is slow. Each letter requires several strokes of the stylus, making it very inefficient. Further, with varying handwriting styles, accuracy of this software is still below user-acceptance levels (see MacKenzie, I. S., & Chang, L. (1999), A performance comparison of two handwriting recognizers. Interacting with Computers, 11, 283–297.). As mentioned above, the reliance on the use of "digital ink" by even the "latest and greatest" of computer touch-screen technology, the Tablet PC, provides clear evidence that handwriting recognition is still not good enough to satisfy most users. Furthermore, even if a completely accurate method of handwriting recognition were available, handwriting itself is simply too slow and tiring (especially on a touch-screen) to provide a satisfactory input method.
Some methods make the job easier for the software by requiring the user to handwrite letters in a simplified way (see Goldberg, US Patent Application 20020009227, Unistrokes; or as popularized by Palm Computing in their commercial product titled "Graffiti"). Advantages of this method are that each character is sufficiently unique as to be easily recognized by the software, that each character is drawn as a single stroke, and no virtual keyboard is required on the screen. Disadvantages of this method are it requires the user to learn a new writing method and still requires the stylus to be set-down and lifted once for each individual character (thus slowing text entry).
Again, it was a natural evolution for the idea of a keyboard to be carried on into the virtual world of the computer display. Auer et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,694, describe a system wherein one or more images of simulated keyboards are displayed on a touch-sensitive screen of a computer, and in response to the touching of the simulated keys, generate appropriate control signals. In a later refinement of this concept, the image of the keyboard is displayed floating above other applications running on the computer, rather than occupying a dedicated portion of the screen. The user interacts with this "on-screen keyboard" or "virtual keyboard" by either directing a cursor pointer over it, or directly touching the keys via a touch screen using a finger or stylus. On-screen keyboards have been primarily used for devices which lack a standard keyboard, such as certain public information kiosks and personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld computers that are too small to accommodate a physical keyboard. They are also frequently used by individuals with disabilities that prevent them from using a physical keyboard.
There are two large shortcomings of on-screen keyboards: first they take up valuable screen space on the computer needed for whatever task is requiring text input. Second, and more importantly, they are slow because the user is forced to tap one letter at a time—effectively reducing the user to input text in a way that is analogous to single finger typing on a regular physical keyboard.
In an effort to address the slow rate of typing with on-screen keyboards, predictive software was developed which, based on preceding words and on the initial letters typed for the current word, attempts to predict what word is being typed and presents the user with a list of word or phrase choices that they can select as a quicker alternative to completing the word or phrase letter by letter. Due to the need to divert attention from the task at hand (typing) in order to scan the prediction list and determine whether the intended word has been offered as a choice, this "Word Prediction" scheme offers only a marginal increase in speed of text entry, if any (depending on the user).
As the size of the on-screen keyboard is reduced beyond a certain point, the speed of text entry is sharply reduced. This is due to the requirement for increased accuracy and dexterity in hitting the smaller targets. Various schemes have been developed to minimize the size of the keyboard, yet still maintain accuracy without unduly sacrificing speed of entry.
Grover et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,437, describe a system that reduces the number of distinct keys required by assigning multiple letters on each key. This allows, for a given size of keyboard, relatively larger individual keys which are therefore easier to hit accurately, thus allowing the user to type more quickly. Text entry in this system is word-based, so that disambiguation software uses a database of words to analyze each sequence of keystrokes and determine the most likely word (or words) corresponding to the sequence, and consequently determine which letter was actually intended by each ambiguous keystroke. While the system of Grover et al. makes it easier to hit an intended key by virtue of reducing the total number of keys and enlarging the individual keys, when implemented on a touch-screen device, it still requires the user to lift the stylus and set it down for each letter entered, significantly slowing down text entry. Furthermore, this approach requires the user to a very unfamiliar keyboard layout in which completely unrelated letters are grouped together on a single key. Even when letters are grouped according to an "alphabetic" layout (as on the keys of cellular telephone), compared to the standard "QWERTY" keyboard, the arrangement is unfamiliar for the majority of individuals and further slows the text entry process.
Lee, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,179, describes another system that reduces the number of distinct keys required on a touch screen keyboard by assigning multiple letters on each key, and determining which letter associated with a contacted key is intended by determining the direction in which the stylus is moved after contacting a key. Each letter associated with a key is further associated with a range of directions in which the point of contact can be moved. Lee's method also allows each key of a given keyboard to be relatively larger, and therefore easier to initially contact, since multiple letters are combined into a single key and a smaller total number of keys is therefore required. However, the user is still required to tap once for each desired letter, and is further required to move the point of contact in a particular direction before lifting the stylus and breaking contact with the screen.
Kaehler, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,672, describes another system designed to reduce the number of distinct keys that are required for a touch screen keyboard by displaying at any given time only a subset of the total set of characters that can be entered. The system attempts to determine the subset of characters comprising the most likely next characters to be entered, based on the previous character entered or the positioning of the text insertion point. When the desired character does not appear, the user must manually switch to a different keyboard to locate and enter the desired character. The large number of different (and constantly changing) partial keyboards would tend to make this a slow and frustrating input method for the majority of users.
Vargas, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,512, attempted to reduce the need for accuracy on a touch screen keyboard (and therefore increase speed) by considering two adjacent keys as possible candidates when a key is not activated in its central area. Based on the actual location at which the keyboard was contacted relative to the three keys, combined with the statistical analysis of preceding characters in the word being entered (if any), and optionally also using information from a word prediction engine, the system determines the most likely of the three possible candidate characters and displays it as the character to be input in response to the activation. However, since each character, once input, forms the basis for the prediction of subsequent characters, when a character prediction is incorrect, it must be corrected by the user before the can proceed to type the next character. In the system as described, this is done by maintaining contact with the keyboard during an activation, observing whether the predicted character is correct, and if necessary, sliding the point of contact in the direction of the actual intended letter. The advantage of this invention, as described, is that it enables the user to use something blunt (such as a fingertip, rather than a stylus) to activate keyboard keys that are actually smaller than the instrument of activation. However, the nature of the feedback provided to the user and the consequent need to observe the result of each keystroke and correct it before moving on to the next keystroke, creates a system that generally would slow the rate of text input considerably.
Robinson et al., in international patent publication WO 00/74240 A1, describe a text input system for touch-screen devices that includes a keyboard with an auto-correcting region that includes the set of keys that are associated with letters. The advantage of the system is that, for words that are included in the system database, the user does not need to contact within the region of the key associated with desired letter, but instead need only tap in the neighborhood of the key. The user taps the keyboard once for each letter in the word being entered, and the system records the location of each contact. The sequence of contacts is then compared with the key locations associated with words in the database, and the most likely one or more matching words are presented to the user for selection. This system is a significant improvement over previous approaches in that it enables the user to type much more quickly on a small keyboard because it is no longer necessary to precisely contact within the region of each intended key. However, for each key activation, the user still needs to touch down on the screen with control, targeting the intended key, then lift the stylus from the screen and move to target the next key. The additional movements of lifting and setting down the stylus for each letter, combined with the additional effort required to control the relocation of the stylus when it is not in contact with the screen, result in significantly slowing down the input process compared to the system of the present invention.
Another factor in slowing text entry on touch-screen keyboards was the time it takes to lift the stylus from the screen and then bring it back down between each key selection ("tapping"). U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,482 (Niemeier) discloses a method for data input on a touch sensitive screen. The Niemeier patent teaches having what are described as computer generated "temporary" adjacent keys which can be made to appear on top of a standard keyboard layout. When the user touches a key, selecting a first letter, one or more temporary keys are displayed adjacent to the contacted key as long as the initial contact is maintained. A second letter (or group of letters) that is displayed on an adjacent temporary key can then be selected by making what is described as a "wiping" motion in which one's finger or a stylus is slid from the first selected key to the adjacent temporary key. This teaching enables two (or more) adjacent letters to be input without lifting the stylus from the screen, approximately cutting in half the number of times the stylus needs to be lifted from the touch screen. The "temporary" adjacent keys create artificial groupings of the most probable letters to provide more opportunity for "wiping" input.
However, the method described by Niemeier has several significant drawbacks. One is that the user needs to either memorize 26 new "temporary" sub-keyboards that appear when each of the 26 letter keys are contacted (creating a significant learning curve in order to use the system effectively), or else the user needs to pause to observe whether and where the next desired key may have appeared on a temporary key, which would likely negate any speed advantage that the "tap and slide" method would provide. The situation becomes worse when, in order to increase the likelihood that the desired letter will appear, a dictionary or other database is used to alter the temporary keys that are displayed for each key based on the context of the previous letters that that were selected prior to activating the key. Furthermore, as described above, the system is limited to sliding to at most one additional key beyond the initially selected key, unless the subsequent letter also happens to appear on a key adjacent to the selected temporary key. Also, the number of temporary keys that can be displayed (and therefore selected) is limited to the number that can be displayed around the circumference of a single key (six for standard key arrangements as proposed by Niemeier, up to a maximum of eight). Furthermore, since the temporary keys are only displayed while the stylus (or finger) is actually in contact with the screen, a significant number of the keys which might be displayed would likely be partially or totally obscured by the stylus and hand of the user. Also, the system proposed by Niemeier includes a significant amount of space in between active keys (used for capitalization and spacing), reducing the size of the actual key targets, each of which must be contacted in the interior of the defined key area in order to effect an activation.
Van Kleeck, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,799, describes a somewhat similar system, wherein the "temporary keys" are never actually displayed, but where each of the four vowels "o", "e", "i" and "a" are implicitly associated with each letter key, and can be appended by tapping a character button and dragging the pen in either the north, south, east or west direction. While this approach is easier to learn than Niemeier's (since only the four vowels and their associated directions must be learned), and it is not affected by potential visual interference by the user's hand (since no temporary keys are actually displayed), it is limited to only being able to add one of the four particular letters following a key selection, and thus does not offer a very significant improvement over a standard keyboard.
Perlin describes a method in U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,525 where the stylus is never lifted from the touch screen, but rather directed from a middle neutral point (a "resting zone" in Perlin's terminology) to one of a number of surrounding zones, each of which contains a plurality of letters. The user is required to contact the screen in the resting zone and then perform a continuous sliding motion which, for each letter to be entered, goes from the resting zone out into the adjacent zone that contains the desired character, and then indicates which character contained in the zone is intended by either returning directly to the resting zone or by first traveling to a different zone before returning to the resting zone. Thus, the desired character is indicated by the combination of the zone first entered from the resting zone, combined with the zone from which the resting zone is again re-entered. As a result, the user is required to make a minimum of 2 and more commonly 3 strokes of the stylus to indicate each desired letter. This method allows for a smaller keyboard, but requires multiple strokes per letter which dramatically reduces the speed of text entry.
Another common approach in speeding text entry is to modify the layout of characters on the keys of an on-screen keyboard (see www.fitaly.com). Common letters are placed near the center of the onscreen keyboard, and common letter pairs are made adjacent. In this way, stylus movement between letters is minimized, thus speeding text entry. The disadvantage of this method is it requires the user to learn a new keyboard layout, and again, the user is still required to lift the stylus between each key activation, essentially reducing the user to a one-finger typist.
Each of the above methods has the potential to speed text entry by some degree and/or decrease the amount of on-screen real estate required for input. However, text entry via existing on-screen keyboards and handwriting recognition techniques are still generally slower than using a physical keyboard. Handwriting itself is simply too slow, and the recognition accuracy is still not up to acceptable standards. All of the keyboard-based methods described above require one or more separate and distinct actions for the input of each individual letter. Most of the proposed keyboard systems are based on tapping some type of key, so that generating a single character requires that the stylus be appropriately positioned, the on-screen keyboard be contacted, and the stylus lifted from the screen again before proceeding to input the next character.
The fundamental problem is that, particularly for devices that must utilize touch-screen keyboards that are reduced in size, the additional actions of lifting the stylus and bringing it back into contact with the screen in a controlled manner considerably slow down the input process. Other methods which have been proposed to reduce the number of times the stylus must be lifted from the screen (such as Niemeier and Perlin) still fail to provide a method that can significantly speed text entry. Niemeier's proposed system adds too much complexity by requiring the user to react to a constantly changing keyboard layout, and limits the number of characters that can be selected following an initial character selection. Perlin's approach fails because it requires the user to execute too many distinct stylus movements to enter each letter.

System and method for continuous stroke word-based text input


A method can include selecting a ratio of a first effective cross-sectional area of a first component of a gas lift valve to a second effective cross-sectional area of a second component of the gas lift valve; charging a chamber of the gas lift valve; and positioning the gas lift valve in a pocket to expose the gas lift valve to a tubing pressure and a casing pressure, where transitioning of the gas lift valve from a closed state to an open state depends at least in part on the selected ratio. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.

A gas lift valve may be implemented in a gas lift system, for example, to control flow of lift gas into a production tubing conduit. As an example, a gas lift valve may be located in a gas lift mandrel, which may provide for communication with a lift gas supply, for example, in an annulus (e.g., between production tubing and casing). Operation of a gas lift valve may be determined, for example, by preset opening and closing pressures in the tubing or annulus.


Methods and apparatus for maintaining lubrication of rolling cone cutters mounted on journal pins. Embodiments comprise a rotating cone disposed on a journal pin and forming a journal gap there between. A cylindrical journal sleeve is disposed in the journal gap. The journal sleeve has a longitudinal gap forming opposing end portions, which are continuously contoured. A lubrication port is disposed in the journal pin and in fluid communication with a lubrication supply. The lubrication port has an outlet located in a recess in the journal gap. Each end of the recess comprises a transitioning surface extending between the bottom of the recess and the outer surface of the journal pin to prevent sharp transitions. In certain embodiments, the journal pin may comprise two or more lubrication ports, each located in a recess with transitioning surfaces.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to earth-boring bits. More particularly, the invention relates to maintaining lubrication of rolling cone cutters that are mounted on journal pins. Still more particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for maintaining an appropriate thickness of lubrication between opposing surfaces that rotate relative to one another so as to extend bearing and bit life.
2. Description of the Related Art
An earth-boring drill bit is mounted on the lower end of a drill string and is rotated by revolving the drill string. With weight applied to the drill string, the rotating drill bit engages the earthen formation and proceeds to form a borehole along a predetermined path toward a target zone. An earth-boring bit comprises one or more rotatable cone cutters that perform their cutting function due to the rolling movement of the cone cutters acting against the formation material. The cone cutters roll and slide upon the bottom of the borehole as the drillstring and bit are rotated, the cone cutters thereby engaging and disintegrating the formation material in their path. The rotatable cone cutters may be described as generally conical in shape and are therefore referred to as rolling cones.
Rolling cone bits comprise a bit body with a plurality of journal segment legs. The cones are mounted on bearing pin shafts (also called journal shafts or journal pins) that extend downwardly and inwardly from the journal segment legs. As the bit is rotated, cutter elements or teeth that extend from the cone cutters remove chips of formation material ("cuttings" or "drilled solids") which are carried upward and out of the borehole by the flow of drilling fluid which is pumped downwardly through the drill pipe and out of the bit.
The cost of drilling a borehole is proportional to the length of time it takes to drill to the desired depth and location which, in turn, is greatly affected by the number of times the drill bit must be changed in order to reach the targeted formation. This is the case because each time the bit is changed, the entire string of drill pipes—which in oil and gas well drilling may be miles long—must be retrieved from the borehole, section by section. Once the drill string has been retrieved and the new bit installed, the bit must be lowered to the bottom of the borehole on the drill string, which again must be constructed section by section. As is thus obvious, this process, known as a "trip" of the drill string, requires considerable time, effort and expense. The amount of time required to make a round trip for replacing a bit is essentially lost time and lost productivity from drilling operations. It is therefore advantageous to employ drill bits that will be durable enough to drill for a substantial period of time with acceptable rates of penetration (ROP) so as to minimize the number of "trips" and the associated lost productivity.
One cause of bit failure arises from the severe wear or damage that may occur to the bearings on which the cone cutters are mounted. These bearings can be friction bearings (also referred to as journal bearings) or roller type bearings, and are subjected to high drilling loads, high hydrostatic pressures, and high temperatures. Conventional rolling cone bits comprise lubricant systems within their journal segments for communicating lubricant from a reservoir in the bit to the narrow space—or journal gap—which exists between the journal pin and cone cutter. Seals are provided in the journal gap to prevent lubricant from escaping from around the bearing surfaces and also to prevent the cutting-laden, abrasive drilling fluid that is present in the borehole from entering the gap. Maintaining adequate lubrication of the bearings is thus critical to maintaining the life of the cone cutter assembly and of the bit. Consequently, the frequency with which the bit must otherwise be replaced due to bit failure or loss of an acceptable ROP may be reduced by maintaining proper lubrication of the cone cutters.
Thus, the embodiments of the present invention are directed toward methods and apparatus for maintaining lubrication of rolling cone cutters that are mounted on journal pins that seek to overcome certain limitations of the prior art.

Bearing and lubrication system for earth boring bit


An intraurethral female bladder control apparatus and method for nonsurgically inserting the apparatus distally into a patient. A preferred apparatus has a rigid plastic inner housing with soft, flexible retainer attached distally and a flow control unit mounted within the inner housing lumen. A rigid, plastic outer housing having a softer proximal retainer and distal, upper tip, surrounds the inner housing and has the distal retainer within prior to insertion. In use, the upper tip is inserted through the urethra into the bladder and the inner housing advanced to deploy the distal retainer within the bladder floor.

Urinary incontinence, in both males and females, is a significant medical problem. The use of bladder control devices, sometimes referred to as artificial sphincters or prosthetic urethral valves, is well known. Bladder control devices may be required due to loss of control or removal of the urinary sphincter muscle. The use of such intraurethral valve apparatus and general knowledge in the field of art can be evidenced by, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,553,533; 4,679,546; 4,969,474; 5,123,428 and 5,140,999. One goal in the design of such devices is the safe and secure retention of the bladder control or valve device in the female urethra. It is desirable to have the placement of the bladder control apparatus in the urethra performed easily and nonsurgically. It is important not only that the device be securely retained once placed in the urethra, but also that a simple, nonsurgical means of removing the device be present. Optimally, when required, the device could be removed by grasping an exposed part and pulling. A device should have both soft, more pliable surfaces for retaining the device and harder, more rigid components providing the strength required for insertion and removal. A device would optimally include strong materials for the valve portion and also be formed of non-metallic materials where exposed to the body. Various prior art devices have not met all of these criteria.

Bladder control device housing and method


A pyromechanical disconnecting device, in particular for battery shutoff in a motor vehicle include a housing (1) in which there is arranged a conductor bus (11) that is designed to be severable by a cutting chisel (12) at a predetermined cut point, the cutting chisel being capable of being accelerated by the propellant gases of an ignition element (2). In order to facilitate assembly it is proposed that the housing (1) be extruded around the ignition element (2), which in this way forms one structural unit with the housing (1).

The invention relates to a pyromechanical disconnecting device, in particular for battery shutoff in a motor vehicle, having a housing in which there is arranged a conductor bus that is designed to be severable by a cutting chisel at a predetermined cut position, the cutting chisel being capable of being accelerated by the propellant gases of an ignition element.
The technical embodiment of a pyromechanical disconnecting device is known in which the electrical ignition element is located in the housing as an external assembly that is inserted in a complicated and cost-intensive assembly process.

Housing for a pyromechanical disconnecting device with integrated ignition element


A passive optical network for the downstream dense wavelength division multiplexing communication of data between a host terminal complex (HTC) and a plurality of optical network units (ONUs), and for the upstream communication of data from the ONUs to the HTC. The network includes a routing device for distributing downstream data signals contained in a common frequency band among a plurality of fiber drop lines for providing a corresponding wavelength to a corresponding ONU. The routing device also combines upstream data signals contained in a frequency band other than the downstream common frequency band, which are input to the routing device on the plurality of fiber drop lines, to a multi-wavelength signal which is provided to the HTC. In a preferred embodiment, the upstream data signals are output by the routing device to a broadcast port.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a passive optical network (PON) which provides for the transmission and reception of upstream and downstream data for communicating data between a host terminal complex (HTC) and a plurality of optical network units (ONUs). More particularly, the present invention relates to a bi-directional passive optical communication network for transmitting downstream dense wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical signals contained in a first frequency band to ONUs and for transmitting upstream optical data signals contained in a second frequency band to an HTC by using relatively inexpensive optical sources such as wideband (Fabry-Perot) lasers.
II. Description of the Related Art
Passive optical communication networks have gained increased importance for communicating data to and from remote locations. Such systems communicate information from central offices to individual living units (e.g. subscribers' homes), and from living units to the central offices. Current preferred PONs that transmit data from a host terminal complex over fiber optic cables to designated ONUs which service designated subscribers' terminal devices employ wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) techniques to transmit a plurality of optical data signals in the form of a plurality of wavelengths. WDM systems are preferred because, unlike time division multiplexing or power splitting systems, a designated wavelength is provided only to a corresponding ONU and not to the other ONUs connected to a common remote terminal. Thus, privacy is enhanced because each user location receives only its designated signal or channel. WDM systems are also preferred because each wavelength only carries information for a single ONU and, thus, the bit rate for each wavelength can be lower.
A prior art PON system for the downstream transmission of data is depicted in FIG. 1. As shown, PON 10 includes a multi-wavelength source (MS) such as a simultaneous multi-wavelength source (SMS) 12 contained in a host terminal complex (HTC) 13 which receives data, represented by incoming signals X.sub.1 -X.sub.n. The incoming data X is converted to optical signals, in a manner well known to those having ordinary skill in the art and as for example more fully described in M. Zirngibl, et al., "Demonstration Of A 9.times.200 Mbit/s Wavelength Division Multiplexed Transmitter," Electronics Letters, pp. 1484-1485, 1994. Each incoming data stream is represented by a separate and discrete wavelength .lambda., shown as .lambda..sub.1 -.lambda..sub.n. The wavelengths are carried on a connection fiber 16 which provides a conduit for the data wavelengths between the SMS 12 and a router 14.
Router 14 contains an upstream port 18 and a plurality of downstream ports 20.sub.1 -20.sub.n for routing downstream signals generated by the SMS 12 to select ones of a plurality of drop fiber lines 22.sub.1 -22.sub.n. The operation of a suitable router 14 is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,671. In general, router 14 contains multiple optical paths, each of which exhibits a particular passband. Each passband permits the passage of one or more particular wavelengths along the respective optical path, to the substantial exclusion of others. Thus, router 14 divides or separates the wavelengths present at the upstream port 18--which are contained in a common frequency band--into a plurality of discrete wavelengths and places each discrete wavelength on a designated output port 20. As shown, each drop fiber line 22 is connected to an optical network unit (ONU) 24 containing an optical receiver 26 for retrieving the data input to the SMS 12. Thus, the output of each ONU 24 shows the data signal X corresponding to the data signal input to SMS 12.
As will be appreciated, it is necessary for such PON systems to operate in a bi-directional manner. In other words, it is desirable to also communicate data in the upstream direction, i.e. for data generated from each ONU and received by the HTC 13. The upstream data is powered by a light source, such as an LED or laser. Although some prior art techniques exist for accomplishing this, the prior art techniques (which are discussed more fully below) all suffer various drawbacks which, inter alia, limit the capacity and rate of upstream data.
For example, bi-directional PON systems exist wherein a separate fiber network identical to PON 10 is constructed in the upstream direction except that a wavelength independent combiner is substituted for an upstream router. The wavelength independent combiner will pass substantially all wavelengths within a particular bandwidth. Such a system thus permits the use of less expensive lasers, i.e. lasers that need not be as finely tuned to the specific wavelengths which carry the upstream data, e.g. .lambda..sub.1 '-.lambda..sub.n ', to pass through a bi-directional router. The combiner will combine or multiplex the various wavelengths (.lambda.') and provide the combined signal to a receiver contained in the HTC for retrieval of the upstream transmitted data. A significant drawback of such a duplicative system lies in its cost since duplicate upstream drop line fibers 22 are required for carrying the upstream optical signals from each ONU to the combiner.
Another prior art technique for transmitting upstream data through a PON is to incorporate at each ONU a separate single frequency laser such as a distributed feedback (DFB) laser. The type of laser used is dictated by the properties of the prior art routers. For example, conventional prior art routers are transparent to light only within a specified bandwidth. In other words, the router will transmit more power at some wavelengths than at other wavelengths to the upstream port. Accordingly, this property dictates the use of single frequency lasers as opposed to wideband Fabry-Perot lasers because single frequency lasers emit light at discrete wavelengths and may be finely tuned. Thus, light at specific wavelengths suitable for the router can be generated. In contrast, Fabry-Perot lasers generate light at various distinct frequencies or longitudinal modes and the optical power jumps between the modes in an unpredictable manner. Thus, it is difficult to adjust a Fabry-Perot laser so that even a portion of the generated light will reliably go through a conventional prior art router. Each DFB laser incorporated in such a system will be tuned to the specific ONU's transmitting wavelength. Thus, ONU 24.sub.1 will incorporate a DFB laser for generating light at .lambda..sub.1 '; ONU 24.sub.n will incorporate a DFB laser tuned to .lambda..sub.n ', etc. While such a system does not require duplicate drop lines to transmit the upstream data from the ONU 24 to the router 14, the multiple DFB lasers that are required are quite costly, and thus, significantly add to the expense of the overall PON system. In addition, the single frequency lasers require a costly mechanism to insure they remain at the desired wavelength.
An additional prior art technique used for transmitting upstream information in a PON is to employ a reflective modulator at each ONU for reflecting and modulating the downstream optical signal or light in the upstream direction. The reflected light will, of course, be at the same wavelength as the downstream transmitted light and thus, will pass through the router for detection by a receiver in an HTC, whereupon the reflected light is demodulated to retrieve the transmitted upstream data. The main drawback associated with this technique, however, is that the reflected light must travel through the network twice, i.e. from the HTC to the designated ONU and then back to the HTC for reception. This makes such a system overly susceptible to fiber losses. In addition, these systems often require separate upstream and downstream fibers to avoid effects of reflection and Rayleigh scattering.
Still another technique in the prior art to transmit upstream data through a PON lies in the use of a broadband light source such as an LED contained in each ONU. The broadband source must be broad enough so that the router is transparent to some of the light, i.e. the router will pass one band of light going downstream and at least a portion of the light going upstream. The main drawback associated with such a system is that LEDs have low fiber coupled power. Thus, they do not generate enough power at the specific wavelengths carrying the upstream data. In addition, most of the broadband light is not passed by the router, and is thus wasted.

Passive optical network for dense WDM downstream data transmission and upstream data transmission


An electronic system includes a first electronic apparatus and a second electronic apparatus. The first electronic apparatus includes a first low-energy communication unit, a camera unit and a first control unit. The camera unit is configured for capturing multimedia files. The first control unit is configured for generating a plurality of metadata related to the multimedia files respectively. The second electronic apparatus includes a second low-energy communication unit and a second control unit. The second low-energy communication unit is configured for establishing a first wireless connection with the first low-energy communication unit, and receiving the metadata related to each of the multimedia files without receiving original contents of the multimedia files. The second control unit is coupled with the second low-energy communication unit. The second control unit is configured for classifying the metadata into at least one group.

Advanced digital devices (e.g., smart phones, PDAs) implement notification windows for showing the user about updated events, current statements, incoming phone calls, newly received data, etc.
For example, when a smart phone is wireless connected (e.g., over Wi-Fi) with a stand-alone camera, the user can manipulate the camera to capture images/videos, and the images/videos can be dynamically transmitted to the smart phone. It is better to show the user about the updates of incoming images/videos. However, the always-on Wi-Fi connection for transmitting the images/videos consumes a lot of energy. In addition, if the notification occurs every time when one new image/video is received, the user will receive too many notifications. The notifications frequently show-up are annoying and fail to provide further information between the incoming images/videos.

Electronic system for processing multimedia information


A selected word line that is coupled to cells for programming is biased with an initial programming voltage. The unselected word lines that are adjacent to the selected word line are biased at an initial Vpass. As the quantity of program/erase cycles on the memory device increases, the programming voltage required to successfully program the cells decreases incrementally. Vpass tracks the decrease of the programming voltage.

Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computers or other electronic devices. There are many different types of memory including random-access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and flash memory.
Flash memory devices have developed into a popular source of non-volatile memory for a wide range of electronic applications. Flash memory devices typically use a one-transistor memory cell that allows for high memory densities, high reliability, and low power consumption. Common uses for flash memory include personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, and cellular telephones. Program code and system data such as a basic input/output system (BIOS) are typically stored in flash memory devices for use in personal computer systems.
Two common types of flash memory array architectures are the "NAND" and "NOR" architectures. These architectures are named for the resemblance that the basic memory cell configuration of each architecture has to a basic NAND or NOR gate circuits, respectively.
In the NOR array architecture, the floating gate memory cells of the memory array are arranged in a matrix. The gates of each floating gate memory cell of the array matrix are connected by rows to word select lines (word lines) and their drains are connected to column bitlines. The source of each floating gate memory cell is typically connected to a common source line. The NOR architecture floating gate memory array is accessed by a row decoder activating a row of floating gate memory cells by selecting the word line connected to their gates. The row of selected memory cells then place their stored data values on the column bitlines by flowing a differing current if in a programmed state or not programmed state from the connected source line to the connected column bitlines.
FIG. 1 shows a portion of a typical prior art NAND flash memory array. The selected word line 100 for the flash memory cells being programmed is typically biased by programming pulses that start at a voltage of around 16V and may incrementally increase to more than 20V. The selected word line 100 of the cells 101-103 to be programmed is biased at 19V. The unselected word lines for the remaining cells are biased at Vpass. This is typically in an approximate range of 9-10V. The bit lines of the cells 101-103 to be programmed are biased at 0V while the inhibited bit lines are biased at VCC.
As NAND flash memory is scaled, parasitic capacitance coupling between the selected word line and adjacent word lines becomes problematic. Because of the parasitic coupling, the neighboring cells are more prone to program disturb than the other cells that also share the common bit line with the cells being programmed. This causes the cells on neighboring word lines to experience program disturb.
The program disturb condition has two operation modes: boosting mode and Vpass mode. During the boosting mode, the cell's channel is at a positive boosting voltage (e.g., 6V) with respect to the gate and the gate is at Vpgm (e.g., 19V). During the Vpass mode, the cell's channel is at ground and the gate is at Vpass (e.g., 10V). In FIG. 1, the cells 120, 121 on the selected word line 100 and inhibited bit lines are influenced by boosting mode program disturb. The neighboring cells 110-118 that are coupled to the enabled bit lines experience Vpass mode program disturb.
Program disturb is degraded as the number of program/erase cycles increase. As the quantity of program/erase cycles increase, the voltage difference between the programmed state and the erased state narrows. This makes the affected cells more susceptible to over-programming as the threshold voltage, Vt, narrows. This is a result of the program disturb causing an increasing threshold voltage as the quantity of program/erase cycles increase.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for a way to minimize the effects of program disturb in a memory device.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Reducing effects of program disturb in a memory device


The present invention is drawn to methods of characterization of the properties and functions of SV2 proteins. The invention further includes methods of identifying compounds or agents which modulate the activity of SV2 proteins. Included in these methods is the identification of compounds or agents which modulate the binding of levetiracetam SV2 proteins, including SV2A.

Neurological disorders afflict a substantial number of individuals and present an increasing economic challenge to health care systems since little is known regarding their causes, their diagnosis is often subjective, and many lack effective treatment. In general, brain activity is ultimately determined by the capacity of neurons to communicate at synapses. Specific neurotransmitter chemicals are packaged in presynaptic neurons into synaptic vesicles which fuse with the presynaptic membrane to release quanta of the neurotransmitter chemical that traverse the synaptic cleft to activate the corresponding receptor type resident in the post-synaptic membrane. Among these receptor types are the neuronal glutamate receptors (GluR's), δ-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABAR's), nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, serotonin receptors, dopamine receptors, and the like. Many neurological disorders are a result of improper conduction of electrical currents through synapses in various brain tissues. In epilepsy errant currents, hypothesized to be associated with improper function of synapses, cause various levels of seizures. Likewise, in several psychiatric diseases, movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases the conduction currents become abberant, disorganized or reduced, thereby causing the disease condition. Accordingly, defects in synaptic vesicle functions will have an adverse effect upon neurotransmission in general and control of neurotransmitter release in particular.
Seizures, including epileptic seizures, result from a focal or generalized disturbance of cortical function, which may be due to various cerebral or systemic disorders, including, for example, cerebral edema, cerebral hypoxia, cerebral trauma, central nervous system (CNS) infections, congenital or developmental brain defects, expanding brain lesions, hyperpyrexia, metabolic disturbances and the use of convulsive or toxic drugs. It is only when seizures recur at sporadic intervals and over the course of years (or indefinitely) that epilepsy is diagnosed.
Epilepsy is classified etiologically as symptomatic or idiopathic with seizure manifestations that fall into three general categories: 1) generalized tonic-clonic, 2) absence or petiti mal, and 3) complex partial. Symptomatic classification indicates that a probable cause exists and a specific course of therapy to eliminate that cause may be tried, whereas idiopathic indicates that no obvious cause can be found and may be linked to unexplained genetic factors. Of the seizure categories, most persons have only one type of seizure, while about 30% have two or more types.
The risk of developing epilepsy is 1% from birth to age 20 yr. and 3% at age 75 yr. Idiopathic epilepsy generally begins between ages 2 and 14. Seizures before age 2 are usually caused by developmental defects, birth injuries, or a metabolic disease. Those beginning after age 25 may be secondary to cerebral trauma, tumors, or cerebrovascular disease, but 50% are of unknown etiology.
Due to the many interrelationships that exist between the nervous and endocrine systems, defects in synaptic vesicle function can also impact on endocrinological function. For instance, at least two glands secrete their hormones only in response to appropriate neurotransmitter release—the adrenal medulla and the posterior pituitary gland. Upon secretion, hormones are transported in the blood to cause physiologic actions at distant target tissues in the body. Obviously, endocrinopathies involving either hyper- or hyposecretion of hormones have pathological consequences. Examplary of these consequences are giantism and dwarfism, due to hyper- or hyposecretion of growth hormone, respectfully.
Levetiracetam
Levetiracetam (LEV; ucb L059; (S)-α-ethyl-oxo-pyrrolidine acetamide), the (S)-enantiomer of the ethyl analog of piracetam, was synthesized during a follow-up chemical program aimed at identifying a second-generation nootropic drug. In vivo results have demonstrated an unexpected potent ability of LEV to suppress seizures in the audiogenic-susceptible mouse, whereas piracetam was only weakly active. Although LEV is a molecule unrelated to established antiepileptic drugs (Margineanu et al., in Antiepileptic Drugs: 5th Edition, pp. 419–427. Lippincott, Philadelphia (2002)), extensive clinical trials have proven that adjunctive therapy with LEV (KEPPRA, UCB, S. A., Braine-l'Allend, Belgium) is both effective and well tolerated in controlling refractory partial seizures in adults.
Binding assays with LEV, performed on crude rat brain membranes, reveal the existence of a reversible, saturable and stereoselective specific binding site. Results obtained in rat hippocampal membranes suggest that LEV labels a single class of binding sites with modest affinity and with a high binding capacity. This binding site is identified as the Levetiracetam Binding Site (LBS). Similar results have been obtained in other brain regions (cortex, cerebellum and striatum), ucb L060, the (R)-enantiomer of levetiracetam, displays about 1000 times less affinity for these sites. The binding of LEV appears to be confined to membranes in the central nervous system since radiolabel studies could detect no specific binding in a range of peripheral tissues including heart, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, adrenals, lungs and liver. However, this could be due to a low density of LBS in these tissues compared to the central nervous system and indeed specific binding does occur in PC12 cells, a peripherally derived adrenal cell line. The most commonly used antiepileptic drugs carbamazepine, phenytoin, valproate, phenobarbital and clonazepam, as well as the convulsant agent t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS), picrotoxin and bicuculline do not displace LEV binding. However, ethosuximide, pentobarbital, pentylenetetrazole and bemegride competed with LEV with pKi values comparable to active drug concentrations observed in vivo. Structurally related compounds, including piracetam and aniracetam, also displaced LEV binding. The levetiracetam analogues were also tested for their anticonvulsant activity in the audiogenic mouse model of epilepsy. A very good correlation (r2=0.84) was observed between the affinity and the anticonvulsant activity (Noyer et al., Euro. J. Pharmacol. 286:137–146. (1995)). This high degree of correlation is strong support for a causative relationship between LBS binding and anticonvulsant activity of this class of compounds. Accordingly, binding of levetiracetam analogues to LBS is expected to result in modification of the function of the protein component(s) of the LBS in brain, leading to the desired therapeutic outcome of anticonvulsant activity.
The Synaptic Vesicle Protein 2 Family
The Synaptic Vesicle Protein 2 (SV2) family of synaptic vesicle proteins was first identified with a monoclonal antibody prepared against cholinergic vesicles from the electric organ of the marine ray D. ommata (Buckley et al., J. Cell Biol. 100:1284–1294. (1985)). Cloning of the individual family members labeled by the antibody resulted in the identification of three different isoforms, SV2A (Bajjalieh et al., Science. 257:1271–1273. (1992)), SV2B (Feany et al., Cell. 70(5):861–867. 1992) and SV2C (Janz and Sudhof, Neuroscience 94(4): 1279–1290. (1999)), all of which react with the original antibody. The overall homology between the three rat isoforms is approximately 60%, with SV2A and SV2C being more similar to each other than SV2B (Janz and Sudhof, Neuroscience 94(4): 1279–1290. (1999)).
The SV2 proteins are integral membrane proteins and have significant but low-level homology (20–30%) to the twelve transmembrane family of bacterial and fungal transporter proteins that transport sugar, citrate, and xenobiotics (Bajjalieh et al., Science. 257:1271–1273. (1992)). As putative members of the 12 TM superfamily, SV2 proteins display several unique features. They have relatively short free N- and C- termini and short loops connecting the Tm segments. Two notable exceptions, however, are the long cytoplasmic loop between transmembrane regions 6 and 7 and the intravesicular loop between transmembrane regions 7 and 8 (which contains 3 N-glycosylation sites). No close homologs of the SV2 proteins have yet been discovered in yeast or invertebrates, although a distantly related synaptic vesicle protein known as SVOP does have homologs in Drosophila and C. elegans (Janz et al., J. Neurosci. 18(22):9269–9281. (1998)).
As a family, SV2 proteins are widely distributed in the brain and in endocrine cells. The three isoforms overlap significantly in their distribution, and can be found co-expressed in the same neuron, and even on the same synaptic vesicle. One isoform or another of the SV2 proteins seems to be present on all synaptic vesicles, and they are probably not limited to neurons that contain any specific neurotransmitters, although one study reports that cholinergic vesicles may not contain SV2 (Blumberg et al., J. Neurochem. 58(3):801–810 (1992)). SV2 proteins are therefore one of the most common proteins of synaptic vesicles, and have been implicated in the control of calcium-mediated exocytosis of synaptic vesicles. SV2 proteins have also been shown to be expressed in endocrine cells and, along with the additional synaptic vesicle membrane integral proteins p38 and p65, has been demonstrated to be present in endocrine dense core granule membranes (Lowe et al., J. Cell. Biol. 106(1):51–59(1988). SV2A, the most common SV2 isoform, is expressed ubiquitously throughout the brain and is present as well in secretory granules of endocrine cells. SV2B, while broadly distributed in the brain, is undetected in several brain structures, including the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, the globus pallidus, reticular nuclei of the thalamus, and the reticular part of the substantia nigra (Bajjalich et al., 1994). By contrast, SV2C has quite a limited distribution and is found primarily the phylogenetically old regions such as the pallidum, the substantia nigra, the midbrain, the brainstem and the olfactory bulb. It is undetectable in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, and found at low levels in the cerebellar cortex (Janz and Sudhof, Neuroscience 94(4): 1279–1290. (1999)).
In addition to the SV2 protein, the synapse contains other unique regulatory proteins such as synapsin, synaptotagmin and CAPS, which may mediate vesicle fusion or budding. SV2A may be a Ca2+ regulatory protein essential for the formation of pre-fusion complexes called SNARE complexes (Xu et al. Cell 99(7):713–722 (1999)), which include the synaptic vesicle-associated VAMP/synaptobrevin and the plasma membrane proteins syntaxin and SNAP-25. Upon Ca2+ accumulation in the synapse the binding of synaptotagmin to SV2A is inhibited and the dimerization of two synaptotagmin Ca2+ binding domains is stimulated (Bajjalieh, Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 9(3):321–328. (1999)). This dimerization may play a role in organizing the SNARE complex and promoting vesicle fusion, as at low Ca2+ concentrations, SV2A remains bound to synaptotagmin and fusion will not occur.
The affinity of SV2A for synaptotagmin is regulated by the phosphorylation of the amino terminus of SV2 (Pyle et al., J. Biol. Chem. 275(22):17195–17200. (2000)). The possibility that SV2 proteins play a role in either Ca2+ transport, or regulation in the synaptic vesicle has been supported by studies of SV2A and SV2B knockout animals (Janz et al., Neuron 24:1003–1016. (1999)). An alternative hypothesis is that the SV2 proteins, while derived from transport proteins, now serve a different function in the vesicle, whether a structural role or a role in regulation of vesicle fusion or recycling and the exocytotic release of their contents (Janz and Sudhof, Neuroscience 94(4): 1279–1290. (1999)).
There have been two reports of SV2 protein knockout mice: one that examines only SV2A knockouts (Crowder et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 96(26):15268–15273. (1999)) and the other which looks at both SV2A and SV2B knockout animals, as well as the SV2A/SV2B double knockout (Janz et al., Neuron 24:1003–1016. (1999)).
Animals homozygous for SV2A gene disruption appear normal at birth, but fail to grow, experience severe seizures, and die within the first few weeks postnatal. SV2A homozygous knockout mice experience seizures that are longer lasting, stronger, and more debilitating than any other mouse strain (Janz et al., Neuron 24:1003–1016. (1999)). Despite the appearance of postnatal seizures, all SV2A knockout animals have completely normal gross brain morphology, including normal levels of the tested synaptic proteins. Furthermore, the hippocampal neuronal cultures from both SV2A and SV2A/SV2B double knockout mice formed synapses that were ultrastructurally normal, and had unchanged size, number and location of synaptic vesicles (Janz et al., Neuron 24:1003–1016. (1999); Crowder et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 96(26):15268–15273. (1999)). It is interesting to note that, unlike the frequently observed seizures caused by structural and developmental abnormalities easily detected in many other type of knockouts, the SV2A knockout mice show a strong seizure phenotype with no associated macro or micro scale abnormalities of the brain or synapse. This observation suggests a direct and specific role for SV2A and the observed phenotype. As another marker of brain function, studies of synaptic transmission in primary neuronal cultures from SV2A, SV2B, and SV2A/SV2B knockout mice indicate that the sizes and frequencies of sIPSCs and of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs), are normal. Electrical stimulation induced robust EPSCs and IPSCs in the cultured neurons from all genotypes.
In contrast to SV2A, SV2B knockout mice reveal no overt pathology (Janz et al., 1999). It is suggested that one possible reason for this lack of consequence of loss of SV2B is that can be functionally replaced by SV2A, which appears to be co-expressed everywhere SV2B is normally expressed.
While the function of SV2A and other family members still remains unknown, the favored hypothesis is that this transporter homologue is a functional transporter for some common synaptic vesicle molecule. More specifically, there is evidence linking SV2A to the regulation of calcium-mediated vesicle exocytosis, and as a result, it is thought that it may be a Ca2+ transporter. SV2A and other family members may also have roles in the function of synaptic vesicles. Such roles may include modulating aspects of their formation, loading with neurotransmitter, fusion with the plasma membrane, re-cycling, and interactions with other proteins and cellular compartments and organelles. For instance it has been shown that SV2 proteins can interact with the synaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin and the extracellular matrix protein laminin-1 (Carlson, Perspect. Dev. Neurobiol. 3(4):373–386 (1996)). The SV2 proteins may play important roles in regulating cytoplasmic or organellar calcium levels at the presynaptic terminal, and may also interact with N-type calcium channels on the plasma membrane, either directly or indirectly.

Methods for the identification of agents for the treatment of seizures, neurological diseases, endocrinopathies and hormonal diseases


An ignition unit promotes the efficiency of assembly because connections on the high voltage output side and the ground side are completed by a single operation, when an ignition electrode part and a main unit are connected together directly. A guide rail of the main unit is insertion-engaged into a slit between clamp pieces of a bracket so that the main unit is mounted onto the bracket. With the insertion engagement, a high voltage output terminal receives therein a high voltage input terminal of a spark plug supported by the bracket, a plate terminal which is a part of the bracket is driven into a ground-side connection terminal, and a convex portion of a projected piece is engaged into an engagement hole, for positioning and slipping-off prevention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an ignition unit for igniting the burner of a burning appliance (e.g., a water heater, a heating apparatus et cetera) which makes utilization of the combustion of liquid fuel (e.g., kerosene) or gas fuel (e.g., gas). This invention relates more particularly to an ignition unit which is configured such that fuel, blown out from the burner, is ignited by a spark discharge from an ignition electrode and is burned.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a type of ignition unit is called the "ignitor". One such example of the ignition unit of this type has been known in the art, which is comprised of an ignition electrode capable of generation of spark discharges and a transformer mounted in the inside of a casing. The transformer receives a supply of electric power from a commercial power source and then voltage-transforms it into a high voltage for discharge at the ignition electrode, and the transformer and the ignition electrode are connected together so that an electric current of such a high voltage flows to the ignition electrode (see Japanese Utility Model Kokoku Pub. No. 1989-8859).
In addition, there is proposed another example of the above-described ignition unit which is characterized in that the connection between a high voltage output part on the casing side and an ignition electrode is established when the former is inserted into the latter (see Japanese Patent Kokai Pub. No. 2001-248838). In this prior art technique, the casing-side high voltage output part is formed by a pair of elastic plates which are in elastic contact with each other. And, a plate-like connection part of the ignition electrode on the base end side thereof is inserted between these elastic plates and, as a result of such insertion, the connection part is held firmly between the pair of elastic plates.


A charged particle microscope apparatus includes a radiation optical system that radiates a focused charged particle beam to an upper side of a sample provided with a pattern and scans the sample; a detection optical system that detects charged particles generated from the sample to which the charged particle beam has been radiated by the radiation optical system; and a processing unit that processes the charged particles detected by the detection optical system to obtain a charged particle image of the sample, estimates diffusion of the charged particles at any depth of the pattern of the sample, on the basis of information on a depth or a material of the pattern of the sample or radiation energy of the charged particle beam in the radiation optical system; corrects the obtained charged particle image using the estimated diffusion of the charged particles; and processes the corrected charged particle image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charged particle microscope apparatus and an image acquisition method of a charged particle microscope apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor wafer, miniaturization of patters multilayered on the wafer has progressed rapidly, and importance of a process monitor to monitor whether the patterns are formed on the wafer as designed has increased more and more. Recently, there are growing needs for confirmation of states of patterns buried under a surface through a process as well as patterns viewed on the surface or confirmation/measurement of a positional relation of such lower layer patterns and upper layer patterns exposed to the surface, due to complication of a minute pattern formation process by a limitation of exposure technology or changes in device structures.
As a tool for inspecting semiconductor pattern shapes, an optical inspection device based on bright field or dark field optical microscope technology or an inspection device of an electron beam type based on electron microscope technology has been widely used for managing a semiconductor wafer manufacturing line. Likewise, an optical type or an SEM type review device has been used when a detected defect is observed, and a scatterometry system or a scanning electron microscope for line width measurement using light has been used in a device for measuring pattern dimensions.
A dimension of a leading-edge semiconductor pattern has decreased to several-ten nanometer order and an inspection/measurement device developed from an electron microscope, particularly, a scanning electron microscope (critical dimension scanning electron microscope (SEM)) has been widely used to accurately recognize a state of the pattern or the defect.
However, in a general SEM that is used for semiconductor inspection/measurement in an in-line manner, only a pattern of an outermost surface of a sample can be observed. For this reason, the general SEM cannot be used to inspect or observe the buried layer.
In order to resolve the above problem, there have been some cases in which a lower layer pattern is inspected or measured by using an SEM having relatively high radiation energy. In "Feasibility Study for High Energy SEM-Based Reference Measurement System for Litho Metrology" by M. Bishop and D. Joy, Characterization and Metrology for ULSI Technology 2005, pp. 407-410 (2005), an example of the case in which a lower layer pattern is observed by increasing radiation energy an electron beam of an SEM, which is normally between several hundred eV to several keV and several ten keV is described.

Charged particle microscope apparatus and image acquisition method of charged particle microscope apparatus utilizing image correction based on estimated diffusion of charged particles


A hybrid vehicle illustrated as a representative example of an electrically-powered vehicle includes a chargeable/dischargeable power storage device, a motor configured to generate a vehicle drive force by receiving supply of power from the power storage device, an internal combustion engine as a drive force source, and a generator configured to generate charging power for the power storage device by power generation using an output of the internal combustion engine. If the generator cannot be operated normally, the control unit causes the electrically-powered vehicle to perform limp-home mode traveling by traveling using only the motor. During the limp-home mode traveling, the control device calculates a remaining travelable distance in the limp-home mode traveling, based on at least a remaining capacity of the power storage device and a vehicle speed.

Conventionally, as an electrically-powered vehicle configured to be capable of generating a vehicle drive force using electric power from a vehicle-mounted power storage device, the one equipped with a vehicle state display device that determines a remaining travelable distance, which indicates how much farther the vehicle can travel, based on a remaining capacity (SOC: State of Charge) of the vehicle-mounted power storage device, and displays the remaining travelable distance on a display unit has been used. Further, a vehicle using an internal combustion engine as a motive power source also has a vehicle state display device that determines a remaining travelable distance based on a remaining amount of fuel, and displays the remaining travelable distance on a display unit.
As the vehicle state display device mounted in a vehicle using an internal combustion engine as a motive power source, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-254483 (PTD 1), if deterioration in function occurs in a power supply system such as a battery and an alternator for supplying electric power to an EFI system having an injector injecting fuel to an internal combustion engine and electric components such as various sensors, and the like, a vehicle state display device displays a remaining travelable distance of a vehicle limited due to the deterioration in function on a display unit. In PTD 1, if deterioration in function occurs in the power supply system, firstly, a remaining capacity of the battery and a discharged current in that state are detected. Then, a remaining travelable time indicating how much longer the internal combustion engine can be driven continuously is calculated based on the detected remaining capacity of the battery and discharged current. Further, a remaining travelable distance is calculated based on the calculated remaining travelable time and an average vehicle speed of the vehicle.


For determining an optimal fusion current to be used in welding the ends of two optical fibers to each other the intensity of light emitted from the fibers is measured when heating the fibers by means of currents between welding electrodes. These currents are selected to be significantly lower than the range, in which the optimal fusion current can be expected to be located. From the relation of the measured light intensity values and the different set currents a functional relationship is obtained, which is used for extrapolating to find the current which produces a higher light intensity value, which is the desired one during the actual welding. This is based on the assumption that the light intensity emitted from the fibers is dependent on the current used when heating the fibers in the electric arc between the welding electrodes. An exponential type relation can be used requiring only two parameters to be measured for each splice and thus two different currents for heating the fiber in the arc is sufficient for determining the optimal fusion. Such a determination is easily implemented in automatic splicers having advanced image processing and logic and arithmetic facilities and gives good results for splices made e.g. on different heights above sea level.

In fusion splicing optical fibers using an electric arc generated between electrodes one of the most important parameters to be selected in the best possible way is the electrode current or fusion current passing between the electrodes in the arc. The electrode current must be determined correctly in order to obtain a low loss and high strength of the splice and an accurate estimation of the optical loss in the splice, see the article W. Zheng, "Real time control of arc fusion for optical fiber splicing", IEEE J. of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 548-553, April 1993. The fibers obtained from different vendors, fibers manufactured for different purposes such as single-mode or multi-mode fibers, fibers processed using different treatments, such as fibers coated with titanium or carbon, etc., often need different fusion currents. Even for the same type of fiber, the fusion current has to be increased up to 70% when the place where the fusion welding is made varies from 100 m to 5000 m above sea level owing to the difference in the ambient air pressure. Moreover, since after a number of splices the particles evaporated from the silica fibers will gradually be plated on the surface of the electrodes used for the fusion welding, the current should often be readjusted for the changing conditions of the welding electrodes. To find out a suitable fusion current, many different methods have been developed, such as the well-known melt-back method, see G. Kiss, "High yield fusion splicing in the outside plant: using fiber meltback to monitor electrode condition," National Fiber Operation Engineering Conference, Denver, U.S.A., Sept. 1996, methods using barometric sensors, the offset-splicing method, see the Swedish patent No. 9501589-7, "Auto-fusion temperature control with an offset-splicing method for optical fiber splicing", etc.

Automatic current selection for single fiber splicing


A method for monitoring the presence of an adhesive between two metal workpieces includes measuring the depth of indentation made by electric resistance weld electrodes by measuring the advance of the weld electrodes, and comparing the measured depth of indentation with the depth of indentation that is known to occur when the presence of the adhesive between the metal workpieces minimizes the shunting of weld current and thereby affects the depth of indentation. If the adhesive is absent, a supplemental electric resistance weld is made to compensate for the absent adhesive. The invention is applicable to both adhesive bonding, where only adhesive is used to attach the workpieces, and weldbonding, where an electric resistance weld is made atop a layer of adhesive.

It is known to place a bead of adhesive between two workpieces of metal and to then make an electric resistance weld through the adhesive layer. The adhesive provides a seal between the workpieces and also contributes to the strength of the welded joint. This process of using both adhesive and electric resistance welding is commonly called weldbonding.
It is also known to place a bead of adhesive between two workpieces and then rely upon the adhesive to attach the workpieces together. This process is commonly called adhesive bonding.
It is known to use visual inspection, a camera, or a laser to monitor the placement of the adhesive so that the process can be stopped or corrected if the adhesive is missing or misplaced.
It would be desirable to provide a new and improved method for monitoring the presence or absence of the adhesive and then making repairs and process corrections if needed.

Monitoring and repair method for adhesive bonding


An intermittent pressure module for controlling the position of a valve between two positions comprising diaphragm means; a plurality of ports associated with said diaphragm means for exposing said diaphragm means to a selected pressure in said first position, and ambient pressure in said second position; swing means associated with said diaphragm means and said valve means for intermittently displacing said valve means when said diaphragm means is exposed to said selected pressure in said first position and ambient pressure in said second position.

A variety of devices have heretofore been produced and utilised in order to deliver an intermittent pressure. Such pressure can be positive in the sense of being greater than ambient pressure or negative when dealing with a vacuum.
In one such application, the aspiration of fluids from a patient is accomplished by providing a vacuum source to the internal body area of the patient requiring aspiration. Typically, unregulated hospital vacuum line pressure is approximately between 19 to 25 inches of mercury Hg.
The use of vacuum regulators as medical devices is well known to achieve such aspiration of fluids.
Generally speaking, such vacuum regulators are attached to a vacuum outlet in the wall of the patient's hospital room and known vacuum regulators are utilised in order to select the desired level of vacuum.
Furthermore, some of the vacuum regulators also include an intermittent vacuum regulator with a timing module in order to apply intermittent vacuum to a patient followed by exposure to an ambient pressure. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,308 teaches an intermittent vacuum regulator having a timing module in combination with a valve for controlling the position of the valve between two or more states.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,056 B1 illustrates an intermittent regulator in which the regulator alternates between supplying partial vacuum to a patient for withdrawing fluids from the body of a patient, and supplying atmosphere to a patient, at a selected intermittent rate, that is adjustable upon adjusting a timing mechanism.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,782,849 and 4,830,047 each illustrate a controlled unit for an intermittent suction system.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,638 shows an intermittent suction device for removing fluids from a patient where the duty cycle between the off and on cycle is controlled by a magnetically susceptible diaphragm that switches back and forth between a first and second position.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,639 shows a magneto-pneumatic timing device that provides a pressure signal alternating between a high and low pressure output signal.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved intermittent pressure module. It is further object of this invention to provide a vacuum regulator having an intermittent vacuum module, which is removable and securable thereto. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved method for producing an intermittent pressure. It is a further object of this invention to provide a regulator that may be convertible from a regulated substantially constant pressure flow to an intermittent pressure flow.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide an intermittent pressure module for controlling the position of a valve between two positions comprising a diaphragm; a plurality of ports associated with said diaphragm for exposing the diaphragm to a selected supply pressure in a first position and another pressure in a second position; and swing arm structure associated with the diaphragm and the valve for intermittently displacing the valve when the diaphragm is exposed to the selected supply pressure in the first position and said other pressure in the said second position.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a vacuum regulator having: an intermittent channel for vacuum flow; a regulated channel for regulating a level of vacuum; an intermittent vacuum module removably securable to the vacuum regulator, the intermittent vacuum module presenting an intermittent port for communicating with the intermittent vacuum channel, a regulated port for communicating with said regulator channel, a diaphragm assembly displaceable within a diaphragm chamber having a diaphragm port, and a valve for intermittently connecting the intermittent port with the diaphragm port so as to expose the diaphragm assembly to a vacuum in a first position, and for connecting the intermittent port to the regulator port to relieve the vacuum from said diaphragm chamber (i.e. inflate the diaphragm chamber) to ambient pressure in a second position, and swing arm associated with a diaphragm assembly and the valve for intermittently displacing the valve when said diaphragm is exposed to the vacuum in the first position and ambient pressure in the second position.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a method of producing an intermittent vacuum by moving a valve to a first position to couple a supply of vacuum to a diaphragm chamber having a diaphragm move in response to the vacuum for moving a spring loaded swing arm so as to move the valve to a second position to couple the supply of vacuum to a regulated port and relieve the vacuum from the diaphragm chamber (i.e. inflate the diaphragm chamber) and move the diaphragm in response to said relief for moving said spring loaded swing arm so as to move the valve to the first position, repeatedly.
These and other objects and features of the invention shall now be described in relation to the following drawings:


The present invention relates to a method and apparatus which can be used to detect the abnormal operating condition of equipment, such as engines and machinery, the usefulness of the fluid, and the content of wear metals and elemental constituents in the fluid. The method comprises the steps of bringing at least two electrodes into contact with a sample of a fluid to be analyzed; applying a square voltage wave form to the electrodes at a predetermined scan range and scan rate to cause a current to flow between the electrodes; monitoring the current at the electrodes to determine a current output signal; using the current output signal to measure the conductivity of the fluid; and analyzing the sample to determine a content of wear metals and elemental constituents in the sample.

The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for evaluating fluids and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus employing a conductivity sensor comprising at least two electrodes for the analysis of fluids subject to degradation and/or contamination and a spectrometer to detect the presence of wear metals and elemental constituents in the fluid.
Fluids, such as oils, lubricants, and other similar fluids are used in ways that cause their degradation. For example, it is common to lubricate and cool the components of operating equipment by wetting those components with an oil or lubricant. As the oil or lubricant performs its functions, it experiences environmental stresses which cause its base stock to degrade. As another example, oils used as transmission fluids and in hydraulic systems are subjected to stresses such as pressure, frequent movements, and heat. Stresses such as these also degrade the fluid.
Since it is undesirable to use a fluid beyond its useful life, an equipment operator will monitor a fluid and establish scheduled fluid changes for the equipment. The length of operating time between scheduled changes is chosen conservatively so that a fluid, which is beyond its useful life, does not remain in the equipment and damage the equipment. Unfortunately, this conservative approach results in fluids which still have useful lives being discarded. This approach also will not provide the operator with an indication of whether the equipment is operating properly.
Fluid condition monitoring is a technique that involves the analysis of a fluid in field use for the purpose of assessing either its level of degradation or its residual capacity to perform some important tribological function. The condition of the used fluid is determined by detecting changes in certain chemical or physical properties of the fluid caused by degradation of the fluid base stock or depletion of the additive package. For properly running equipment, the physical properties or chemical compositions of the fluid change at a certain rate, generally quite minimally, until the additive package is depleted. Changes in equipment parameters or conditions which can affect the fluid itself may or may not be coincident with changes in the level of wear debris in the fluid. For example, a fluid ages or degrades in normal operations, sometimes to an unacceptable level without any abnormal operation, of the equipment. Thus, monitoring can be used to assist in the determination of the proper interval for fluid changes.
When abnormal operating conditions occur, e.g., an increase in aeration rate of the fluid (caused by excessive seal leakage, deteriorated "O" ring, cracked diffuser cases, etc.) and/or an increase in fluid temperature, the rate of fluid degradation increases and the physical properties and chemical composition of the fluid change commensurately. In these cases, fluid monitoring can identify abnormally operating equipment which cannot be identified by the more frequently encountered monitoring of wear debris. In these situations, detections of fluid condition supplement wear metal analysis in detection of atypical mechanical system operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,554 to Ellison teaches an oil analysis method and an apparatus, known as Complete Oil Breakdown Rate Analysis (COBRA), for detecting when an oil is approaching the end of its useful life. In this method, a sample of oil is placed between two electrodes and an electric current is applied to the oil. The current causes an oxidation reaction to take place at one of the electrodes to form an oxide on one of the electrodes. This oxidation reaction produces a corresponding voltage output across a resistor and the output is measured. The greater the concentration of oxidation by-products present in the oil, the less resistance between the electrodes and the greater the current produced.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,744,870 and 4,764,258 to Kauffman, which are both assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose methods for determining the remaining useful life of fluids. These methods are fast, accurate, easy to operate and can be performed with inexpensive equipment. In these methods, fluid samples are mixed with a solvent and an electrolyte in either an organic base or a solid substrate, depending on the type of fluid which is being tested. A sample of fluid is removed from the system, placed in an electrolytic cell and subjected to a cyclic voltammetric analysis. The current generated during the cyclic voltammetric analysis is measured and recorded. The remaining useful life of the fluid is then determined from the oxidation or reduction wave height.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,527, also to Kauffman and assigned to assignee of the present invention, provides a more complete fluid analysis, including on-line analysis, which measures antioxidant depletion, oxidation initiator buildup, product buildup, and liquid contamination. The method uses a triangular wave form which is applied to a microelectrode. The resulting current is monitored at a second microelectrode. In high resistance fluids, such as oils, fuels, etc., a third electrode is used as a reference voltage for the applied voltage wave form. This technique uses a voltage range of about .+-.120V to cause electro-oxidation of antioxidants and electro-reduction of hydroperoxides and other thermal-oxidation products. The current flow produced by the electro-chemical reactions is then used to monitor the remaining useful life of the monitored fluid.
While the above techniques provide useful fluid analyses, they are stand alone analytical tools that provide a single data point that could only relate to changes in the condition of the lubricant. Thus, a need exists for a fluid analysis technique which requires less circuitry, can be conducted off-line, requires less time, and can be used in conjunction with other supplementary oil analysis techniques. Further, the above methods do not provide a method for analyzing the concentration of wear metals and elemental constituents in the fluid. Thus, a need also exists for a method which can simultaneously determine the content of wear metals and elemental constituents in the fluid and the condition of the lubricant.


Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein in one implementation of the method a memory buffer is allocated in a host memory by a protocol processor, wherein the host memory is comprised in a host that is coupled to a network adapter. A packet is processed initially at the network adapter to generate data for offloading to the memory buffer in the host. The generated data is offloaded by the protocol processor to the memory buffer in the host. The offloaded data is processed by the protocol processor.

1. Field
The disclosure relates to a method, system, and an article of manufacture for utilizing host memory from an offload adapter.
2. Background
A network adapter may be coupled to a host system to provide network communications. Some network adapters may provide hardware support for the processing of packet data and control data related to the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol that may be used for network communications. Such network adapters may be referred to as TCP/IP offload engine (TOE) adapters. Further details of the TCP/IP protocol are described in the publication entitled "Transmission Control Protocol: DARPA Internet Program Protocol Specification," prepared for the Defense Advanced Projects Research (RFC 793, published September 1981).
TOE adapters may perform all or major parts of the TCP/IP protocol processing, whereas other network adapters may perform transmission and reception of network packets and provide some support for checksum offloading or fragmentation and reassembly of packets. High speed switching technologies, such as, Gigabit Ethernet, may be used for connecting the host system to a network. As a result a TOE adapter coupled to the host system may have to handle a large number of network connections. The flow of packets to and from the host system in such high speed switching technologies may be high. The TOE adapter may be required to process a large number of packets at a rate that is adequate for the flow of packets. Further details of the TOE adapter in the Gigabit Ethernet environment are described in the publication entitled "Introduction to the TCP/IP Offload Engine" available from the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Alliance (published April, 2002).

Method, system, and article of manufacture for utilizing host memory from an offload adapter


New compounds expanding the repertoire of compounds useful in photodynamic therapy are described. Monohydrobenzoporphyrins can be obtained in the triacid form or as esters with heteroatom-substituted alcohols, or as amides.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) generally involves the administration of compounds that are capable of absorbing light, typically in the visible range, but also in the near ultraviolet, followed by irradiation of locations in the subject for which a toxic, modifying or inhibitory effect is desired. PDT was initially developed using hematoporphyrin and related compounds in the treatment of tumors, as it appeared that these compounds would "home" to locations containing rapidly dividing cells. The tumor could then be irradiated with light absorbed by the hematoporphyrin and destruction of the surrounding tissue resulted. PDT has since been shown to be useful for treatment of atherosclerotic plaques, restenosis, infections in the blood stream, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and in the treatment of ocular conditions not necessarily limited to tumors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,749 and patents issuing on related applications, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,283,255; 5,399,583; 4,883,790; 4,920,143; and 5,095,030; all of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe and claim a class of photoactive compounds useful in PDT designated the monohydrobenzoporphyrins, or "BPDs." This class is obtained by Diels-Alder reaction of a mono- or disubstituted alkyne with protoporphyrin-IX and the resultant compounds can further be isomerized, reduced, and/or derivatized to obtain a large class of BPDs. As disclosed in these patents, a particularly useful subclass of this group results from hydrolysis or partial hydrolysis of the ester groups of the 2-carboxylethyl side-chains on rings C and D. Esterification as protection of these groups during the Diels-Alder reaction results in initial products which contain 2-carbalkoxyethyl groups. It was found that facile hydrolysis of these esters could readily be conducted, leaving any carbalkoxy groups associated with the Diels-Alder product obtained from a dicarbalkoxyalkyne virtually completely unhydrolyzed. This resulted in four species of compounds, BPD-MA, BPD-MB, BPD-DA and BPD-DB as depicted in FIG. 1; this figure taken from U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,749. In this depiction, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are carbalkoxy groups, typically carbomethoxy or carboethoxy, and R is alkyl (1-6C).
BPD-MA was found to have particularly useful properties for PDT and is currently in clinical development. However, there remains a need for additional specific forms of photoactive agents which expand the repertoire of photoactive compounds for the variety of indications to which PDT is applied, as noted above. The present invention provides a process for the preparation of hitherto undisclosed and inaccessible members of a class related to that of the compounds disclosed in the above-referenced patents; wherein specific controlled derivatization at three of the carboxyl substituents provides a new set of photoactive compounds with desirable properties. Included are the "triacid" form as well as a particularly useful homotriester wherein the triacid is esterified at all three carboxyl groups with ethylene glycol.

Class of benzoporphyrin derivative photoactive compounds