A home cinema theater projection screen structure and method of making same are provided wherein a sheet of projection screen material of selected size is formed to a configuration having concave top and/or bottom edges, the projection screen material then being attached under tension to a mounting structure that defines an inwardly curved projection surface in the mounted condition whereby bulging of the projection surface of the screen is substantially eliminated. Movable side masking panels are included the structure in order to define a selected aspect ratio for the projection surface.

Projection screens of various kinds find substantial use for imagery projection in a large variety of situations for slide or motion picture projection, television or computer generated display, or other imagery projection.
In the mounting of conventional large size flexible projection screen materials, the surface of the screen will bulge outwardly in the center of the screen and on the edges by reason of insufficient tension that can be applied to the screen material to secure the screen in place. This "bellying out" of the screen surface can occur in either curved or flat surface screens and may result in distortion of the projected image. Further, if movable masking systems are utilized in conjunction with the screen, the bulging of the screen surface on the vertical sides can interfere with the movement of the masks or otherwise contact the moving masks, which can result in damage to the screen surface at the sides and consequent diminished image quality as well as possible subsequent destruction of the screen itself.

Anti-bulging projection screen structure


The disclosed apparatus is for installation in a garage and provides an indicator denoting garage door status as well as the desired parked location of an automobile. A support assembly is attachable to the garage structure, and includes an elongate member along which a cord is entrained. One end of the cord carries the visual indicator in the driver's vision while the remaining end of the cord terminates at the upper end of the garage door. A pair of guides for the cord are housed in the elongate member and enable adjustment of indicator position and of the amount of slack, if any, in the cord. A segment of the cord is elastic. A bracket of the support assembly includes an angular portion for locating the indicator within the driver's field of vision.

The present invention pertains generally to that class of devices for indicating the parked location of an automobile within a garage.
In the prior art are devices suspended from a garage ceiling or other elevated support which depend into the path of a garaged automobile to provide an indication to the driver that a vehicle has reached an optimum parking position. Such devices include a ball or like article suspended on a flexible cord. Examples of such parking aids are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,490,917; 2,854,942; 2,956,262 and 4,433,636. U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,322 is of interest in that it discloses a ball-like indicator suspended from an overhead support and serves to provide an indication to the driver for purposes of parking a vehicle in a garage. The indicator is suspended on the line that is retrieved or payed out in response to the closing and opening of an overhead garage door. In one embodiment, a pair of lines are wound on drums of different diameters in the travel of a garage door and the vertical distance the indicator moves during such door travel. The prior art parking indicator devices do not lend themselves to convenient periodic repositioning when a different auto is to be parked in a garage.

Parking and door status indicator for a garage


An ultra soft high carbon hot-rolled steel sheet has excellent workability. The steel sheet is a high carbon hot-rolled steel sheet containing 0.2 to 0.7% C, and has a structure in which mean grain size of ferrite is 20 μm or larger, the volume percentage of ferrite grains having 10 μm or smaller size is 20% or less, mean diameter of carbide is in a range from 0.10 μm to smaller than 2.0 μm, the percentage of carbide grains having 5 or more of aspect ratio is 15% or less, and the contact ratio of carbide is 20% or less.

High carbon steel sheets used for tools, automobile parts (gears and transmissions and the like are subjected to heat treatment such as quenching and tempering after punching and forming. Aiming at cost reduction, manufactures of tools and parts, or the users of high carbon steel sheets, study in recent years the simplification of conventional parts-working by machining and hot forging of cast to shift toward the press forming (including cold-forging) of steel sheets. Responding to the movement, the high carbon steel sheets as the base material are requested to have excellent ductility for forming into complex shapes and to have excellent bore expanding workability (burring property) in the forming step after punching. The bore expanding workability is generally evaluated by the stretch flangeability. Accordingly, there is wanted a material that has both excellent ductility and excellent stretch flangeability. In addition, from the point of reducing load on press machine and mold, the material is also strongly requested to be mild.
In the current state, there are studied several technologies for softening the high carbon steel sheets. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-157758 proposes a method for manufacturing high carbon steel strip by heating a hot-rolled steel strip into a dual-phase region of ferrite-austenite at a specified heating rate, followed by annealing the steel strip at a specified cooling rate. According to the technology, the high carbon steel strip is annealed in a dual-phase region of ferrite-austenite at Ac1 point or higher temperature, thus obtaining a structure of homogeneously distributing large spheroidized cementite in the ferrite matrix. In detail, a high carbon steel containing 0.2 to 0.8% C, 0.03 to 0.30% Si, 0.20 to 1.50% Mn, 0.01 to 0.10% Sol.Al 0.0020 to 0.0100% N, and 5 to 10 Sol.Al/N is hot-rolled, pickled, and descaled, and then the descaled high carbon steel is annealed in a furnace having an atmosphere of 95% or more by volume of hydrogen and balance of nitrogen at a temperature of 680° C. or above, with a heating rate Tv (° C./hr) from 500×(0.01−N(%) as AN) to 2000×(0.1−N(%) as MN), and a soaking temperature TA(° C.) from Ac1 point to 222×C(%)2−411×C(%)+912, for a soaking time of 1 to 20 hours, followed by cooling the steel to room temperature at a cooling rate of 100° C./hr or less.
For the improvement of stretch flangeability of the high carbon steel sheet, several technologies have been studied. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-269552 proposes a method for manufacturing medium to high carbon steel sheets having excellent stretch flangeability using a process containing cold rolling. According to the technology, a hot-rolled steel sheet containing 0.1 to 0.8% C by mass, and having the metal structure of substantially ferrite and pearlite, and specifying, at need, the area percentage of ferrite and the gap between pearlite lamellae, is subjected to cold rolling of 15% or more of reduction in thickness, followed by applying three-stage or two-stage annealing.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-269553 discloses a technology of annealing a hot-rolled steel sheet containing 0.1 to 0.8% C by mass, and having a ferrite and pearlite structure with the area percentage of ferrite (%) of at or higher than a certain value determined by the C content, while applying heating and holding in the first stage and those in the second stage continuously.
Above-disclosed technologies, however, have the following-described problems.
The technology described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-157758 anneals a high carbon steel strip in a dual phase region of ferrite-austenite at Ac1 point or higher temperature, thus forming large spheroidized cementite. It is, however, known that the coarse cementite acts as the origin of void during working step and deteriorates the hardenability owing to the slow dissolution rate of the coarse cementite. Furthermore, for the hardness after annealing, an S35C material gives Hv of 132 to 141 (HRB of 72 to 75), which cannot be said "the mild steel."
The technologies described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 11-269552 and 11-269553 have the ferrite structure formed by ferrite, and the ferrite contains substantially no carbide, thus the material is mild and gives high ductility. However, the stretch flangeability thereof is not necessarily favorable because the punching induces deformation at the ferrite portion in the vicinity of punched edge face so that the deformation considerably differs between the ferrite and the ferrite containing spheroidized carbide. As a result, stress intensifies in the vicinity of boundary of grains giving considerably large difference in the deformation, which results in generation of void. The void grows to crack, thus presumably deteriorating the stretch flangeability.
A countermeasure to the problem is to strengthen the spheroidizing annealing to soften the entire material. In that case, however, the spheroidized carbide becomes coarse to become the origin of void, and the carbide hardly dissolves in the heat treatment step after working, which decreases the quench strength.
Furthermore, the requirements of working level have become severer than ever from the point of productivity improvement. Accordingly, also the bore expanding working of high carbon steel sheet has become likely induced cracks on the punched edge face owing to the increase in the working degrees and other working variables. Therefore, the high carbon steel sheets are also requested to have high stretch flangeability.
Responding to those situations, we developed the technology described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-13145 to provide a high carbon steel sheet which hardly induces cracks on the punched edge face and which has excellent stretch flangeability. Owing to the technology, the manufacture of high carbon hot-rolled steel sheets having excellent stretch flangeability has become available.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-13145 is a technology of hot-rolling a steel containing 0.2 to 0.7% C by mass at a finishing temperature of (Ar3 transformation point −20° C.) or above, and cooling the hot-rolled steel sheet to a cooling-stop temperature of 650° C. or below at a cooling rate of higher than 120° C./sec, then coiling the cooled steel sheet at 600° C. or lower temperature, followed by pickling, and finally annealing the pickled steel sheet at a temperature ranging from 640° C. to Ad transformation point. As for the metal structure, the technology controls a mean diameter of carbide to a range from 0.1 μm to smaller than 1.2 μm, and the volume percentage of ferrite grains not containing carbide to 10% or less.
To reduce the manufacturing cost of driving-system parts, integral molding method using a press machine has recently been brought into practical applications. With the movement, the steel sheets as the base material are subjected to forming with combinations of complex forming modes of not only burring but also stretching, bending, and the like, thus the steel sheets are requested to have both the excellent stretch flangeability and the excellent ductility. In this regard, the technology of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-13145 does not describe the ductility.
It could therefore be helpful to provide an ultra soft high carbon hot-rolled steel sheet which can be manufactured without applying time-consuming multi-stage annealing, which generates very few cracks on a punched edge face, and which generates very few cracks caused by press molding and cold forging, or having excellent workability giving 70% or larger hole expanding ratio λ, and 35% or larger total elongation as an evaluation index of ductility, and to provide a method for manufacturing the ultra soft high carbon hot-rolled steel sheet.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Ultra soft high carbon hot rolled steel sheet and method for manufacturing same


An internal magnetic circuit is formed by a plate forming a pole piece, a vertically magnetized magnet attached to a bottom face of the plate, and a yoke attached to a bottom face of the magnet. A magnetic gap is formed between the plate and the yoke. The yoke includes a bottom part attached to the bottom face of the magnet, a side part standing on the side of the plate, and a folded-back part folding downwards over the side part to face the magnetic gap. Thus, the internal magnetic circuit having a uniform magnetic flux density inside the magnetic gap along the direction of its length is provided.

The present invention relates to an internal magnetic circuit having a magnet, a yoke, and a plate, and a loudspeaker system incorporating the magnetic circuit.
The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-178329, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 1 shows one prior art example of a loudspeaker system incorporating an internal magnetic circuit disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-261393, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the internal magnetic circuit. A vertically magnetized magnet 2 and a plate 1 forming a pole piece are arranged inside a yoke 3 having a bottom part 3a and a side part 3b surrounding the plate 1. The magnet 2 is attached to the bottom face of the plate 1 and to the bottom part 3a of the yoke 3. An air gap or magnetic gap G is formed between the plate 1 and the yoke 3. The magnet 2, the yoke 3 on the side of one magnetic pole of the magnet 2, the plate 1 on the side of the other magnetic pole of the magnet 2, and the magnetic gap G form an internal magnetic circuit.
A voice coil bobbin 5 is arranged such as to surround the pillar-like plate 1 which forms the pole piece, so that a voice coil 4 is positioned inside the magnetic gap G. The voice coil bobbin 5 is supported on a frame 6 through a damper 7. The inner end of a diaphragm 8 is fixedly attached to the periphery of the voice coil bobbin 5, while the outer end of the diaphragm 8 is supported on the periphery of the frame 6 through an edge 8A. Reference numerals 9 and 10 represent a center cap and a gasket, respectively.
It is known that in such a loudspeaker system the winding width of the voice coil 4 relative to the effective length of the magnetic gap G has a close correlation with the distortion caused by the nonlinearity of drive force. Accordingly, a short voice coil design in which the voice coil 4 has a small winding width has been adopted so that even a maximum amplitude of the loudspeaker system does not cause the voice coil 4 to come out of the range of effective length of the magnetic gap G, whereby drive force variations in response to the input signal current are suppressed, and thus nonlinear distortion is prevented.
This short voice coil design has the effect of preventing nonlinear distortion on condition that the magnetic flux distribution in the magnetic gap G is uniform. In a conventional internal magnetic circuit, however, the magnetic flux density distribution inside the magnetic gap is not necessarily uniform particularly if it has a long effective length.
FIG. 2 shows the magnetic circuit formed by the magnet 2, the yoke 3 and plate 1 arranged on the opposite sides of the magnet 2, and the magnetic gap G. As shown, most of the magnetic flux lines form loops leaving from one magnetic pole of the magnet 2, passing through the bottom part 3a and side part 3b of the yoke 3, crossing the magnetic gap G, passing the plate 1, and entering the other magnetic pole of the magnet. The density of these magnetic flux lines tends to be high on the side of shorter loops, i.e., the nearer the loops are to the magnet 2, the higher the density is, and vice versa.
That is, within the effective length X0–X1 of the magnetic gap G, the magnetic flux density is higher on the X0 side, while it is lower on the X1 side. The magnetic flux density decreases in the direction of from X0 to X1 as shown in FIG. 3 within the effective length X0–X1, meaning that the magnetic flux density is not uniform in the direction in which the voice coil 4 moves.
Therefore, large amplitude vibration of the voice coil 4 located inside the magnetic gap G resulting from a large input signal may lead to the nonlinear distortion of sound signals. This is particularly evident in a loudspeaker system with the aforementioned short voice coil design.

Internal magnetic circuit and loudspeaker system incorporating the same


In one embodiment, techniques for sending a conference invite that provides access to a list of participants in an existing conference are provided. A participant in a conference may decide to send an invite for the existing conference to the user. A request for inviting the user into the existing conference is received. A list of participants in the existing conference is determined. An invite message for the conference is then generated where the invite message includes information for the list of participants. The invite message is then sent to the user where the information for the list of participants is accessible to the user. For example, the list of participants may be displayed as caller ID information when the invite message is received by the user.

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to telecommunications and more specifically to techniques for providing a list of participants in a conference call invite message.
A conference call may be attended by a number of participants. During the conference call, the need to conference in another user may arise. In this case, one of the participants may decide to conference the user in. For example, the participant may place the conference call on hold and out-dial the user's number.
Caller ID may be used to identify the calling party. For example, when the user receives the participant's call, caller ID may display identifying information for the participant that is calling. In one example, if Mike is calling Joe, the caller ID of "Mike" and possibly Mike's phone number may be displayed on Joe's caller ID. Based on the caller ID, Joe may decide to let his voicemail system answer the call. For example, Mike may be a junior member of the team and Joe may decide that he wants to call Mike back. Accordingly, Joe is not contacted to join in the conference call. Thus, any issues that the participants wanted to discuss with Joe are typically skipped or not discussed in detail. This limits the effectiveness of the conference call.

Techniques for providing caller ID of participants in a conference call invitation


Novel disulfide derivatives useful for preventing or treating allergic diseases of the eye, nose, skin, ear, gastrointestinal tract, airways or lung and preventing or treating manifestations of systemic mastocytosis are disclosed. The disulfide derivatives act as mast cell stabilizers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel disulfide derivatives useful for treating allergic diseases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers are two types of drugs currently used topically to treat allergic diseases. Antihistamine drugs are used to interrupt the allergic effects that histamine causes after it has been released from a mast cell. Many topical antihistamine drugs are marketed. For example, emedastine difumarate and levocabastine hydrochloride are available for ocular allergies (see Ophthalmic Drug Facts 1999, Facts and Comparisons, St. Louis, Mo., pp. 59-80).
Mast cell stabilizers prevent mast cells from xe2x80x9cdegranulatingxe2x80x9d or releasing histamine and other components or xe2x80x9cmediatorsxe2x80x9d during an allergic reaction. Examples of ophthalmic drugs marketed as mast cell stabilizers include olopatadine (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,805) and cromolyn sodium.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,805 discloses certain disulfide derivatives that are useful as anti-thrombotic agents. The disulfide derivatives suppress blood platelet aggregation. The ""705 patent does not disclose the use of disulfide derivatives in the topical treatment of allergic diseases of the eye or nose.
The present invention provides methods for preventing or treating allergic diseases of the eye, nose, skin, ear, gastrointestinal tract, airways or lung. The methods may also be used to treat manifestations of systemic mastocytosis. The methods of the present invention comprise topically or systemically administering to a patient a novel mast cell stabilizing disulfide derivative of the formula
wherein
X=xe2x80x94NHC(xe2x95x90O)NHxe2x80x94R;
R=H; (un)substituted phenyl; (un)substituted benzyl; or C1-C8 alkyl or alkenyl, optionally substituted with or terminated by OH, OR2, NR3R4; C4-C7 cycloalkyl, (un)substituted aryl, or (un)substituted 5-7 membered heterocyclic ring; where optional substituents are selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl or alkoxy; halogen; OH; CN; CF3; NO2; and CO2R2;
R2=C1-C3 alkyl; and
R3 and R4 are independently H; benzyl; C1-C8 alkyl or alkenyl; C4-C7 cycloalkyl; (un)substituted aryl; or (un)substituted 5-7 membered heterocyclic ring; wherein optional substituents are selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl or alkoxy; halogen; OH; CN; CF3; NO2; and CO2R2.
The present invention is also directed toward topically or systemically administrable compositions for treating or preventing allergic diseases of the eye, nose, skin, ear, gastrointestinal tract, airways or lung and treating or preventing manifestations of systemic mastocytosis, wherein the compositions comprise a disulfide derivative of formula (I).
The disulfide derivatives of formula (I) can be made as described in Scheme 1.
The appropriate isocyanate is added to a stirring solution of the bis aminodisulfide in a solvent such as tetrahydrofuran or methylene chloride at a temperature between xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. and 30xc2x0 C. An organic base such as triethylamine, or pyridine is added after the reaction mixture has stirred for 5 to 30 minutes and the reaction is stirred for 6 to 48 hr. The disulfides can then be isolated using standard, known procedures.
Preferred compounds of formula (I) are those having the X substituents in the ortho position and wherein R=C1-C8 alkyl or alkenyl, optionally substituted with or terminated by OH, OR2, NR3R4; C4-C7 cycloalkyl, (un)substituted aryl, or (un)substituted 5-7 membered heterocyclic ring; where optional substituents are selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl or alkoxy; halogen; OH; CN; CF3; NO2; and CO2R2. Most preferred are compounds wherein R=C1-C5 alkyl or alkenyl, optionally substituted with or terminated by OH, OR2, NR3R4; C4-C7 cycloalkyl, (un)substituted aryl, or (un)substituted 5-7 membered heterocyclic ring; where optional substituents are selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl or alkoxy; halogen; OH; CN; CF3; NO2; and CO2R2.
Compounds of formula (I) may be administered topically (i.e., local, organ-specific delivery) or systemically by means of conventional topical or systemic formulations, such as solutions, suspensions or gels for the eye and ear; nasal sprays or mists for the nose; metered dose inhalers for the lung; solutions, gels, creams or lotions for the skin; oral dosage forms including tablets or syrups for the gastrointestinal tract; and parenteral dosage forms including injectable formulations. The concentration of the compound of formula (I) in the formulations of the present invention will depend on the selected route of administration and dosage form. The concentration of the compound of formula (I) in topically administrable formulations will generally be about 0.00001 to 5 wt. %. For systemically administrable dosage forms, the concentration of the compound of formula (I) will generally range from about 10 mg to 1000 mg.
The preferred formulation for topical ophthalmic administration is a solution intended to be administered as eye drops. For solutions intended for topical administration to the eye, the concentration of the compound of formula (I) is preferably 0.0001 to 0.2 wt. %, and most preferably from about 0.0001 to 0.01 wt. %. The topical compositions of the present invention are prepared according to conventional techniques and contain conventional excipients in addition to one or more compounds of formula (I). A general method of preparing eye drop compositions is described below:
One or more compounds of formula (I) and a tonicity-adjusting agent are added to sterilized purified water and if desired or required, one or more excipients. The tonicity-adjusting agent is present in an amount sufficient to cause the final composition to have an ophthalmically acceptable osmolality (generally about 150-450 mOsm, preferably 250-350 mOsm). Conventional excipients include preservatives, buffering agents, chelating agents or stabilizers, viscosity-enhancing agents and others. The chosen ingredients are mixed until homogeneous. After the solution is mixed, pH is adjusted (typically with NaOH or HCl) to be within a range suitable for topical ophthalmic use, preferably within the range of 4.5 to 8.
Many ophthalmically acceptable excipients are known, including, for example, sodium chloride, mannitol, glycerin or the like as a tonicity-adjusting agent; benzalkonium chloride, polyquaternium-1 or the like as a preservative; sodium hydrogenphosphate, sodium dihydrogenphosphate, boric acid or the like as a buffering agent; edetate disodium or the like as a chelating agent or stabilizer; polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylic acid, polysaccharide or the like as a viscosity-enhancing agent; and sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid or the like as a pH controller.
If required or desired, other drugs can be combined with the disulfide derivatives of formula (I), including, but not limited to, antihistaminic agents, anti-inflammatory agents (steroidal and non-steroidal), and decongestants. Suitable antihistaminic agents include emedastine, mapinastine, epinastine, levocabastine, loratadine, desloratadine, ketotifen, azelastine, cetirazine, and fexofenadine. The preferred antihistaminic agent for ophthalmic use is emedastine, which is generally included in topically administrable compositions at a concentration of 0.001-0.1 wt. %, preferably 0.05 wt. %. Suitable anti-inflammatory agents includemometasone, fluticasone, dexamethasone, prednisolone, hydrocortisone, rimexolone and loteprednol. Suitable decongestants include oxymetazoline, naphazoline, tetrahydrozoline, xylometazoline, propylhexedrine, ethylnorepinephrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine.
According to the present invention, the disulfide derivatives of formula (I) are useful for preventing and treating ophthalmic allergic disorders, including allergic conjunctivitis, vernal conjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, and giant papillary conjunctivitis; nasal allergic disorders, including allergic rhinitis and sinusitis; otic allergic disorders, including eustachian tube itching; allergic disorders of the upper and lower airways, including intrinsic and extrinsic asthma; allergic disorders of the skin, including dermatitis, eczema and urticaria; allergic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, including systemic anaphylaxis resulting from ingestion of allergen and iatrogenic anaphylaxis caused by contrast agents used during diagnostic imaging procedures; and manifestations of systemic mastocytosis including hypotension.

Disulfide derivatives useful for treating allergic diseases


A method for providing a web service broker includes providing an interface between an enterprise and at least one of a service client and a service provider. The service client discovers web services on a service registry and uses the corresponding web services from the service provider. Communication is provided between the enterprise and the at least one of the service client and the service provider. Information from or to the enterprise is converted to a form that is appropriate for the at least one of the service client and the service provider. Additionally or alternatively, information from or to the at least one of the service client and the service provider is converted to a form that is appropriate for the enterprise.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to web services and, in particular, to a web services broker.
2. Description of the Related Art
One element for the next generation of e-business systems is collaboration. Presently, collaboration is narrowly addressed by a multitude of e-business automation applications: business-to-customer (B2C) or customer-to-customer (C2C) interaction, business-to-business (B2B) integration, business logic componentization, business process orchestration, legacy systems integration, etc. All of these applications have something in common in that they collaborate electronically to create an infrastructure for certain business to take place. However, a limitation of this is the lack of common global framework (one that everybody agrees to use) under which all those distributed applications (services) can interoperate and discover each other. This limitation causes a lot of investment and effort to go into creation of appropriate purpose-oriented collaboration solutions, which usually are closely coupled, platform/technology/vendor/implementation/language-dependent, difficult to reuse in a uniform way, may not be Internet ready, etc. Creating a new collaboration point usually increases overall system complexity, reduces reliability and requires even more resources for maintaining and extending such systems.


A leather or leather-like composite material that supports a layer of soft foam laminated to its back side, the outside of which foam is flocked with textile staple fibers. When this material is manufactured, the back side of a leather or a leather-like material is laminated to a layer comprised of a soft foam, whose outside oriented away from the leather or leather-like material is flocked with staple fibers.

Particularly in high-end passenger vehicles, it is increasingly customary in the automotive industry to offer vehicle seats that are covered with genuine leather. To that end, it is known to use leather that supports a layer of soft foam laminated to its inside or back side, which foam improves its cushioning properties and increases seat comfort. As a rule, the foam is a soft polyurethane (PUR) foam, which is ether-based as well as ester-based. Because of the sticky or clinging properties of the soft foam surface, leather having its back side laminated solely with soft foam cannot easily be handled by conventional sewing machines. For this reason, the outside of the soft foam layer is provided with a laminated textile fabric that increases the slipperiness properties of the back side of the leather composite material thus produced so that it can be handled more easily. At the same time, this slipperiness is also important for a seat covering because it allows the seat covering to slide to the required extent in relation to the padding when an elastic deformation occurs during use.
In practice, the above-described leather composite material for seat covers is frequently manufactured by flame-treating one side of a PUR soft foam layer in order to melt the foam and then embedding a textile cloth in the heat-liquefied foam. The disadvantage to this process is that it involves the burning of PUR foam, which gives off noxious emissions. In addition, foam that has been treated with a so-called flame coating of this kind has a tendency to give off pollutants, also referred to as "fogging," which means that it gives off a certain annoying odor.
Aside from this, using the known leather composite material with a textile backing on the outside of the soft foam layer has a fundamental problem in that the textile material that is laminated to the outside of the foam layer has a different elongation, or stretching properties, than the leather layer of the composite material. The textiles currently on the market that are used for the lamination do not have the elongation coefficients in the longitudinal and lateral direction required by currently used seat shapes and types of leather used for them. If the textile material layer in the composite material has a lower elongation than the leather, then the leather gathers when the leather-covered composite material is rolled toward the leather side or is even merely deformed. In an automobile seat, this gathering appears in the form of wrinkles in the leather surface. Because the textile cloth backing on the outside of the PUR soft foam layer was indispensable in order to produce the slipperiness required in order to be able to use the composite material, it has been necessary to accept the accompanying problems of wrinkle formation in the leather when it is stretched or deformed.

Leather or leather-like composite material


An ABS encoder arrangement including an annular disk core which bears a multipole structure, and a sealing ring element including an angular ring and an elastomer body forming a sealing lip structure, the angular ring including a lateral surface portion and an annular disk portion which protrudes radially inwards, the annular disk core being designed so as to project radially inwards beyond the inner circumferential surface of the lateral surface portion of the angular ring so as to form an annular projection, and a filling ring formed from an elastomer material being attached to the inner circumferential surface, the thickness of said filling ring being larger in radial direction than the size of the projection of the annular disk core in radial direction.

A generic ABS encoder system is known from DE 696 06 928 T2 . This ABS encoder system provides a seal configuration which includes a sealing ring having a sealing lip fixed on the side of the hub. The sealing ring sits in a ring gap between a wheel hub and a bearing inner ring. The sealing effect is achieved in that the sealing lip is in rubbing contact with a circumferential surface of the bearing inner ring or a ring on top of it. The seal configuration is covered from the outside by a ring element which carries a multi-pole structure. The multi-pole structure generates a magnetic field which may be detected by a corresponding sensor. The rotation frequency may be ascertained from the signals detected in this way in case the wheel hub rotates with respect to the bearing inner ring. These signals may be used on the vehicle side for triggering a braking system or an ESP system.
An ABS encoder system is also known from DE 699 12 862 T2 , in which a sealing device is provided in the area of a bearing ring gap. This ABS encoder system also includes a ring element which carries a multi-pole structure and which is installed axially from the outside onto a bearing gap which is sealed with the aid of a sealing ring.
A wheel bearing configuration is also known from DE 103 61 900 A1 in which a ring element having a multi-pole structure and a ring element having a sealing lip are assembled to form one unit. A relatively large ring gap space remains within this unit between the assembled ring elements.
An ABS encoder system is known from EP 1 469 211 A1 which includes a supporting ring, which is manufactured as a drawn sheet metal piece, onto which a multi-pole ring is molded. The multi-pole ring is made here from an elastomer material into which ferromagnetic particles have been admixed. The supporting ring is designed in such a way that it includes a seat section which is intended for attachment on a ring section moving on the wheel side, and that it also forms a ring flange, which projects radially inward, on which an elastomer sealing lip structure is anchored. The multi-pole ring and the sealing lip structure thus form a one-piece unit via the supporting ring.


A method of configuring software on a computer is disclosed herein. The software comprises at least one module and the computer comprises a nonvolatile storage having at least one address. An embodiment of the method comprises loading a flag into the address; reading the flag using the software; and activating the module in the software depending on the state of the flag, wherein activating the module causes at least one program to be installed on the computer.

Many computer manufacturers load programs onto their computers prior to shipping the computers. Some manufacturers provide programs that are customized for a particular market or a particular retailer. Providing these customized programs requires that different programs be loaded onto each computer that is to be shipped to a different market or retailer, which is time consuming and expensive. For example, a first retailer may provide a specific type of antivirus software and a second retailer may provide a second antivirus software on the same computer. At present the two identical computers need to have different programs installed, which is time consuming.

Method and device for customizing software

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A multi-purpose feeder (MPF) for office automation (OA) machinery includes an MPF tray installed rotatably on a main body panel so that it can be opened and closed. An auxiliary stocker is rotatably installed on the tray by a hinge. An auxiliary stocker pivoting unit automatically pivots the auxiliary stocker as the MPF tray is opened and closed. Since the auxiliary stocker is automatically opened and folded when the MPF tray is opened and closed with respect to the main body, the MPF has improved user's convenience.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to office automation (OA) machinery such as copiers, printers, fax machines, and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multi-purpose feeder for office automation machinery.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, OA machinery such as copiers, printers, fax machines, and the like, have a multi-purpose feeder (MPF) that holds several sizes and types of print papers.
FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are perspective views illustrating the configuration and operation of a conventional MPF, respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a conventional MPF includes an MPF tray 10 rotatably installed on a main body panel 1 so that it can be opened to a predetermined angle. An auxiliary stocker 20 is rotatably installed on a front end portion of the tray 10.
Moreover, guide units 11 are installed on both sides of the tray 10 to guide different sizes of paper in a horizontal direction.
An MPF with the above configuration is not used for a cassette feed operation of a printer. Therefore, if a user wants to use the MPF, the user first needs to rotate the tray 10 to a certain angle by using a handle 10a of the tray 10 to open the MPF. Then, the user needs to rotate the auxiliary stocker 20 housed inside the MPF to fully open the tray, and load paper in the tray to begin the printing operation.
In other words, in a conventional MPF, a user has to first open the tray and then open the auxiliary stocker, which is not convenient, especially when the user is in hurry.
Moreover, after using the MPF, the user has to return the auxiliary stocker back to its original, closed position. If the auxiliary stocker is not properly closed, the tray will not completely close.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved multi-purpose feeder for office automation machinery that has a more convenient MPF tray with an auxiliary stocker.

Multi-purpose feeder for office automation machinery


A virtual machine (VM) instance is generated based on a received template. The VM instance is assigned a MAC address from the pool of MAC addresses and an IP address based on the MAC address of the VM instance. A routing identifier of the routing identifiers is extracted from the assigned IP address or the assigned MAC address. Software of the VM is configured to receive data using a port number corresponding to the extracted routing identifier based on a one-to-one mapping.

The present techniques relate to configuring virtual machine instances using routing identifiers and port numbers.
In computer network communications, a "port" is generally understood as an endpoint for computer-based communications. In computer network communications, ports can exist either in hardware or software. In software, a port is a logical construct that identifies a particular process or a particular type of network service. The software port is typically associated with an IP address of a host and the protocol type of the communication, although it is noted that many ports can handle multiple different protocols. When ports are assigned identifiers (such as identification numbers), these identifiers are referred to as "port numbers."
In computer network communications, a routing identifier is generally understood to be a record of a route path for data that is communicated from one terminal point (such as a "port") to another terminal point.
A media access control address (MAC address) of a device is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for communications at the data link layer of a network segment. MAC addresses are used as a network address for most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet and Wi-Fi. In this context, MAC addresses are used in the medium access control protocol sublayer. A MAC may be referred to as the burned-in address (BIA). It may also be known as an Ethernet hardware address (EHA), hardware address or physical address (not to be confused with a memory physical address). A network node may have multiple NICs and each NIC must have a unique MAC address. Sophisticated network equipment such as a multilayer switch or router may require one or more permanently assigned MAC addresses. MAC addresses are most often assigned by the manufacturer of a NIC and are stored in its hardware, such as the card's read-only memory or some other firmware mechanism. A MAC address may include the manufacturer's organizationally unique identifier (OUI). MAC addresses are typically formed according to the rules of one of three numbering name spaces managed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE): EUI-48 (it replaces the obsolete term MAC-48) and EUI-64. EUI is an abbreviation for Extended Unique Identifier.
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) defines an IP address as a 32-bit number. IP addresses are usually written and displayed in human-readable notations, such as 172.16.254.1 in IPv4, and 2001:db8:0:1234:0:567:8:1 in IPv6. The size of the routing prefix of the address is designated in CIDR notation by suffixing the address with the number of significant bits, for example, 192.168.1.15/24, which is equivalent to the historically used subnet mask 255.255.255.0.
The IP address space is managed globally by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and by five regional Internet registries (RIRs) responsible in their designated territories for assignment to end users and local Internet registries, such as Internet service providers.

Configuring virtual machine instances using one-to-one mappings

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and apparatus for coupling a digital tester to a mixed-signal device under test. In exemplary embodiments, a digital tester interface communicates with a digital tester and a device under test, and performs analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog translations between the digital tester and the device under test, so that delays associated with prior art testing systems are significantly reduced. The digital tester interface of the present invention is properly viewed as a hardware accelerator enabling quick and cost effective quality-testing of mixed-signal devices using inexpensive digital testers. Because the digital tester interface reduces per-function test time by an order of magnitude as compared to prior art systems, mixed-signal devices are more thoroughly tested and quality assurance levels are maximized at minimal additional cost. Furthermore, because analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversions are performed external to a digital tester, performance calculations are carried out at a much higher resolution as compared to prior art systems.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to production testing of electronic devices, and more particularly to production testing of devices designed to operate on analog or digital signals.
2. State of the Art
One aspect of electronic device manufacturing is that electronic devices are quality-tested during production. Today, electronic testing equipment is available for testing a wide variety of parts for an equally wide variety of performance characteristics. Typically, computer-based testers are programmed to put a device through a series of tests and to then evaluate whether the device meets predefined performance criteria. If a device under test (DUT) does not meet the criteria, the device is typically discarded. Because large numbers of devices must be tested during an average production run, and because consumers demand both high quality and low cost, electronic testing equipment and procedures must be as quick and as inexpensive as possible while providing a high degree of accuracy.
For purely digital electronic devices in which all signals of interest are digital, thorough quality testing can be performed quickly and cost effectively during production using conventional digital testers. Typically, digital testers provide sequences of digital test patterns to a device under test and monitor digital output sequences generated by the device. The digital input and output sequences are then used by the digital tester to calculate various device characteristics. Because digital-to-digital operations can be carried out at high speed using well known technology, purely digital devices can be thoroughly tested during production in a timely and cost-effective manner.
For example, FIG. 1(A) is a diagram of a device-testing arrangement 1100 in which a digital tester 1110 is used to directly test a digital DUT 1120. As shown, a digital control line 1115 is coupled between a control output of the digital tester 1110 and a control input of the DUT 1120. A digital input/output connection 1125 is coupled between a digital input/output port of the digital tester 1110 and a digital input/output port of the digital DUT 1120. Though only a single digital control line 1115 is shown, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a plurality of control lines may actually be provided between the digital tester 1110 and the digital DUT 1120. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the digital input/output connection 1125 typically includes a plurality of individual connections (e.g., to provide a plurality of bits in a digital word). In practice, the physical connections between the digital tester 1110 and the digital DUT 1120 can be made by placing the digital DUT 1120 in a customized socket mounted on a test platform of the digital tester 1110. The digital tester 1110 can include a micro-controller programmed to evaluate one or more performance characteristics of the digital DUT 1120.
During testing, the digital tester 1110 provides appropriate control signals (e.g., transistor-transistor logic, or TTL, signals) to the digital DUT 1120 via the digital control line(s) 1115 so that the digital DUT 1120 carries out a particular sequence of operations. At the same time, the digital tester 1110 provides and/or receives digital test patterns via the digital input/output connection 1125. By monitoring digital signals produced by the digital DUT 1120, the digital tester 1110 can assess, given the control signals and any input test patterns provided by the digital tester 1110, one or more performance characteristics of the digital DUT. For example, if the digital DUT 1120 is a digital counter, the digital tester 1110 can provide a recurring clock pulse to the DUT 1120 via the digital control line 1115 and simultaneously monitor the digital counter output via the digital input/output connection 1125 to ensure that each increment in the digital count is produced accurately by the digital DUT 1120.
Digital testers such as that shown in FIG. 1(A) are relatively inexpensive and provide for quick and thorough testing of digital devices during production. For example, the time required for such a digital tester to evaluate all 256 possible bit patterns output by an 8-bit digital counter is sufficiently short that each counter in a production run can be completely tested without significantly slowing down the overall production process. However, this is not the case when the FIG. 1(A) digital tester is used to directly test a mixed-signal device having both analog and digital nodes. This is due, in part, to the relatively slow conversion times associated with parametric measuring units in conventional digital testers. Thus, mixed-signal devices which process both digital and analog signals present a more difficult quality-testing challenge, and the high-speed, cost-effective digital-to-digital testing operations described above are not directly applicable.
As a result, conventional testers trade off speed against cost with respect to quality-testing of mixed-signal devices. For example, conventional digital testers which use parametric measuring units provide analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversions as necessary so that mixed-signal devices can be tested in a manner analogous to that of digital devices. However, because the conversion times provided by available digital testers are prohibitively long, these digital-tester systems are typically configured to test only a small subset of the overall functionality of a DUT. As a result, the quality assurance provided by such systems is diminished.
For example, FIG. 1(B) is a block diagram of a device-testing arrangement 1200 in which a digital tester 1210 is used to directly test a mixed-signal device 1220 having a digital input and an analog output, such as a digital-to-analog converter. As shown, digital control line 1215 is coupled between a control output of the digital tester 1210 and a control input of the mixed-signal digital-to-analog DUT 1220. Additionally, a digital input connection 1225 is coupled between a digital output port of the digital tester 1210 and a digital input port of the mixed-signal DUT 1220, and an analog output line 1235 is coupled between an analog output of the mixed-signal DUT 1220 and an analog input of the digital tester 1210. As with FIG. 1(A), those skilled in the art will appreciate that each of the digital control line 1215, the digital input connection 1225 and the analog output line 1235 can include a plurality of lines depending upon the precise device being tested.
In operation, the digital tester 1210 provides appropriate control signals to the mixed-signal DUT 1220 via the digital control line(s) 1215 so that the mixed-signal DUT 1220 carries out a particular sequence of operations. At the same time, the digital tester 1210 can provide a sequence of digital test patterns to the digital input of the mixed-signal DUT 1220 via the digital input connection 1225. By monitoring the analog output of the mixed-signal DUT 1220 (e.g., using a standard internal parametric measuring unit), the digital tester 1210 can assess, given the digital control signals and any input test patterns provided by the digital tester 1210, one or more performance characteristics of the mixed-signal DUT 1220.
For example, if the mixed-signal DUT 1220 is a digital-to-analog converter, the digital tester 1210 can provide the converter with a digital input pattern via the digital input connection 1225 and then instruct the converter, via the digital control line 1215, to perform a conversion. Once the conversion is complete, the digital tester 1210 can convert the resulting analog signal, received via the analog output connection 1235, into a digital signal which can be compared to the known digital input pattern to ensure that the converter under test is functioning properly. This sequence of operations can be repeated with multiple digital input patterns to test the converter at different points within its designed range of operation. However, the level of quality assurance which can be obtained using a system such as that depicted in FIG. 1(B) is less than ideal.
As another example, FIG. 1(C) is a block diagram of a device-testing arrangement 1300 in which a digital tester 1310 is used to directly test a mixed-signal device 1320 having an analog input and a digital output, such as an analog-to-digital converter. As shown, a digital control line 1315 is coupled between a control output of the digital tester 1310 and a control input of the analog-to-digital DUT 1320. Additionally, an analog input line 1325 is coupled between an analog output of the digital tester 1310 and an analog input of the mixed-signal DUT 1320, and a digital output connection 1335 is coupled between a digital output port of the mixed-signal DUT 1320 and a digital input port of the digital tester 1310. Again, those skilled in the art will appreciate that each of the digital control line 1315, the analog input line 1325 and the digital output connection 1335 can include a plurality of lines depending upon the precise mixed-signal device being tested.
In operation, the digital tester 1310 provides appropriate control signals to the mixed-signal DUT 1320 via the digital control line(s) 1315 so that the mixed-signal DUT 1320 carries out a particular sequence of operations. At the same time, the digital tester 1310 can provide an analog test signal (e.g., using a parametric measuring unit) to the analog input of the mixed-signal DUT 1320 via the analog input line 1325. By monitoring the digital output of the mixed-signal DUT 1320 via the digital output connection 1335, the digital tester 1310 can assess, given the control signals and any input test signals provided by the digital tester 1310, one or more performance characteristics of the mixed-signal DUT 1320.
For example, if the mixed-signal DUT 1320 is an analog-to-digital converter, the digital tester 1310 can provide the converter with an analog test signal via the analog input line 1325 and then instruct the converter, via the digital control line 1315, to perform a conversion. Once the conversion is complete, the digital tester 1310 can read the resulting digital signal via the digital output connection 1335 and compare it with the digital pattern known to correspond to the analog test signal. This sequence of operations can be repeated with various analog input levels to test the converter at different points within its designed range of operation. However, like the system of FIG. 1(B), the level of quality assurance which can be obtained using a system such as that depicted in FIG. 1(C) is less than ideal.
In summary, the digital tester of FIG. 1(A) is inappropriate for use with mixed-signal devices and, because the digital testers 1210, 1310 of FIGS. 1(B) and 1(C) are not designed for use with analog signals, the time required to test a full range of digital patterns is impractical. As a result, conventional digital-tester systems have been configured as reduced function testers for testing a limited number of test patterns, thereby speeding up the overall testing process while sacrificing quality assurance.
The sacrifice in quality assurance associated with these reduced-function testers can be significant. For example, a converter is ideally tested over its full range of operation to obtain a transfer characteristic, or transfer curve, for the converter. Given the transfer curve, meaningful parameters such as the integral linearity error (ILE) and the differential linearity error (DLE) of the converter can be computed and compared to predefined levels of acceptability. Previous attempts to avoid this sacrifice in quality assurance have resulted in the development of expensive, customized, high-speed mixed-signal device testers.
For example, FIG. 1(D) is a block diagram of a customized device-testing arrangement 1400 in which a mixed-signal tester 1410 is used to directly test a mixed-signal device 1420 operating on both analog and digital signals. As shown, a digital control line 1415 is coupled between a control output of the mixed-signal tester 1410 and a control input of the mixed-signal DUT 1420. Additionally, a digital input/output connection 1425 is coupled between a digital port of the mixed-signal tester 1410 and a digital port of the mixed-signal DUT 1420, and an analog input/output line 1435 is coupled between an analog port of the mixed-signal tester 1410 and an analog port of the mixed-signal DUT 1420. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that each of the digital control line 1415, the digital input/output connection 1425 and the analog input/output line 1435 can actually include a plurality of lines depending upon the precise mixed-signal device being tested.
In operation, the mixed-signal tester 1410 provides appropriate control signals to the mixed-signal DUT 1420 via the digital control line(s) 1415 so that the mixed-signal DUT 1420 carries out a particular sequence of operations. At the same time, the mixed-signal tester 1410 can provide analog and/or digital input test signals to the mixed-signal DUT 1320 via the analog input/output line 1425 and the digital input/output connection 1425. By monitoring the analog and/or digital output of the mixed-signal DUT 1420 (again via the analog input/output line 1425 and the digital input/output connection as appropriate), the mixed-signal tester 1410 can assess, given the control signals and any input test signals provided by the mixed-signal tester 1410, one or more performance characteristics of the mixed-signal DUT 1420.
For example, if the mixed-signal DUT 1420 is an analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog converter, the mixed-signal tester 1410 can provide the converter with an analog or digital input test signal as appropriate, and then instruct the converter via the digital control line 1415 to perform a conversion. Once the conversion is complete, the mixed-signal tester 1410 can receive the resulting analog or digital signal and process it (e.g., using dedicated circuitry within the mixed-signal tester 1410) to ensure that the mixed-signal DUT 1420 is functioning properly.
Because the mixed-signal tester 1410 is specifically configured to work with both analog and digital signals at high speeds, a converter under test can be evaluated over its full range of operation. However, mixed-signal testers such as that depicted in FIG. 1(D) are prohibitively expensive. As a result, quality testing using a system such as that shown in FIG. 1(D) may not be cost effective.
Thus, there is a need for improved methods and apparatus for testing mixed-signal devices in which the functionality of a device under test can be thoroughly tested, both quickly and cost-effectively.

Methods and apparatus for testing analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog device using digital testers


A variety of systems and methods can include evaluation of human user effort data. Various embodiments apply techniques to identify anomalous effort data for the purpose of detecting the efforts of a single person, as well as to segment and isolate multiple persons from a single collection of data. Additional embodiments describe the methods for using real-time anomaly detection systems that provide indicators for scoring effort data in synthesized risk analysis. Other embodiments include approaches to distinguish anomalous effort data when the abnormalities are known to be produced by a single entity, as might be applied to medical research and enhance sentiment analysis, as well as detecting the presence of a single person's effort data among multiple collections, as might be applied to fraud analysis and insider threat investigations. Embodiments include techniques for analyzing the effects of adding and removing detected anomalies from a given collection on subsequent analysis.

As people's work and personal lives become increasingly dependent upon computing devices and information networks, authenticating users who seek to access computing devices, computer networks, and computer services becomes increasingly important. In various techniques to authenticate users, the use of statistical analysis can be involved.
One of the primary challenges to any statistical analysis is to ensure the quality of the source data and the process used to capture that data. Any contamination of the source data will have an unpredictable effect on the accuracy and precision of the result. When the source data is derived from human effort and movement metrics, where unknown variability is an expected condition, the problem of identifying and removing anomalous information is exceptionally difficult, requiring machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to resolve. Traditional techniques for noise removal and outlier detection do not work well, as they rely too much on normal distribution models and known reference standards that represent truth against which data can be evaluated. Neither of these conditions exist in human effort and movement metrics.


An SRAM employs a virtual rail configuration that is stable against process-voltage-temperature (PVT) variation. The SRAM provides a virtual power supply voltage to an SRAM cell that is obtained by lowering a power supply voltage by a threshold voltage of a transistor and a virtual ground voltage obtained by raising a ground voltage by a threshold voltage of a transistor. Due to the use of PMOS and NMOS transistors of diode types connected between the power supply voltage and the virtual power supply voltage and the use of NMOS and PMOS transistors of diode types connected between the ground voltage and the virtual ground voltage, a virtual power supply voltage level and a virtual ground voltage level that are stable even against various PVT variations are provided, so that low-leakage current characteristics are stable.

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-51525, filed on Jul. 2, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, to a synchronous random access memory (SRAM) device employing a virtual rail scheme that is stable against various process-voltage-temperature (PVT) variations.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of an SRAM cell 101, which is generally used in an SRAM memory array and comprised of 6 transistors. The SRAM cell 101 is well known as a 6T SRAM cell. In the SRAM cell 101, NMOS transistors N1 and N2 are connected between a ground voltage VSS and a node A and between the ground voltage VSS and a node B, respectively, and the nodes A and B are connected to a power supply voltage VDD via PMOS transistors P1 and P2, respectively. The node A is connected to gates of the transistors P2 and N2, and the node B is connected to gates of the transistors P1 and N1.
The SRAM cell 101 stores data. More specifically, the SRAM cell 101 stores a voltage level in a flipflop that is formed of two cross connected inverters. One of the crossed inverters is comprised of transistors P1 and N1, and the other is comprised of transistors P2 and N2. For example, when the node A has a voltage level about the same as the ground voltage VSS, that is, is logic low, the transistor P2 is turned on, and the transistor N2 is turned off, so that the node B is pulled up to nearly the level of the power supply voltage VDD and enters into a logic high state. When the node B is logic high, the transistor P1 is turned off, and the transistor N1 is turned on, so that the node A is pulled down to the ground voltage VSS and enters into a logic low state. In this way, the SRAM cell 101 is continuously latched.
The nodes A and B are connected to a bitline BL and a complementary bitline /BL, respectively, via NMOS transistors N3 and N4, respectively. The NMOS transistors N3 and N4 are referred to as access transistors or pass transistors. Gates of the NMOS transistors N3 and N4 are connected to a wordline WL that enables reading and writing operations. If the node A is logic low and the wordline WL is enabled to a logic high level, a current path from the bitline BL to the ground voltage VSS via the pass transistor N3 and the transistor N1 is formed, and the logic low state of the node A is read out to the bitline BL.
If the node A is logic low and the wordline WL is logic low, a leakage current path 103 from the bitline BL to the ground voltage VSS via the pass transistor N3 and the transistor N1 is formed in the SRAM cell 101.
As the size of SRAM cells continues to decrease, the amount of read current provided by the SRAM cell decreases. In particular, the read current decreases with a decrease in power supply voltage VDD due to technical advancement. In contrast with the decrease of the read current, the magnitude of the leakage current increases. With increased leakage current, the reading of data from an SRAM cell becomes more difficult, and an approach for of reducing the leakage current from each SRAM cell is required.
Techniques for reducing the leakage current from an SRAM cell are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,560,139 and 6,549,453.
In an SRAM cell of U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,139 shown in FIG. 2, sources of pull-down transistors N1 and N2 are not directly connected to a ground voltage VSS but connected to the ground voltage VSS via a bias device 203. The bias device 203 is a transistor and operates to increase the voltages at the sources of the pull-down transistors N1 and N2 by a voltage drop across a channel of the bias transistor 203 that is gated to a power supply voltage VDD and turned on. When the voltages at the sources of the pull-down transistors N1 and N2 increase, a gate-source voltage of the transistors N1 and N2 is negative. Hence, reverse-biased source junctions deplete channels of the transistors N1 and N2, thereby increasing the threshold voltage Vt. Due to the increase of the threshold voltage Vt, read current is slightly reduced, but leakage current is reduced exponentially.
In SRAM cell array 200 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,453 shown in FIG. 3, a voltage of a VL node is increased from a ground voltage VSS by a threshold voltage Vt of an NMOS transistor using an NMOS transistor 208 diode-connected to a switching portion 206. Hence, as in the above U.S. Pat. No. '139, the leakage current is reduced, and the voltage swing width necessary for reversing a bit of a cell node from 0 to 1 or vice versa is also reduced. Also, the voltage of a VH node is decreased from the power supply voltage VDD by the threshold voltage Vt of a PMOS transistor using a PMOS transistor 214 diode-connected to a switching portion 210, and the voltage swing width necessary for reversing the bit of the cell node from 0 to 1 or vice versa is reduced.
In a virtual rail technique where a power supply voltage is lowered to a predetermined voltage and a ground voltage VSS is increased to a predetermined voltage to achieve a low leakage current mode of an SRAM, the lowered power supply voltage VH and the increased ground voltage VL are determined depending on the amount of current leaking from each SRAM cell and a weak turn-on current of the transistors 208 and 214, which have diode characteristics.
When a low leakage current SRAM is applied to a system-on-chip (SOC) circuit configuration, the ranges of virtual rails VH and VL of the power supply voltage VDD and the ground voltage VSS are changed due to the influence of various voltage and temperature characteristics on the operation of the SOC. Further, during the manufacture of an SOC semiconductor device, the ranges of virtual rails VH and VL of the power supply voltage VDD and the ground voltage VSS are changed due to an influence of process parameters. The results of a simulation of the resulting virtual rail voltages depending on process, voltage, and temperature, that is, PVT, conditions, is illustrated in FIG. 4.
FIG. 4 illustrates a virtual rail distribution versus PVT conditions in which a level of a power supply voltage VDD varies, for example 1.35V, 1.2V, 1.1V, 1.05V, etc., a temperature vary, for example, −55° C., 25° C., 125° C., etc., and operations of PMOS and NMOS transistors varies, for example, fast-fast (F-F), fast-slow (F-S), slow-fast (S-F), and slow-slow (S-S). Referring to FIG. 4, a virtual power supply voltage VH and a virtual ground voltage VL severely fluctuate according to the PVT conditions. In particular, the virtual power supply voltage VH and the virtual ground voltage VL have a maximum difference of ΔA and a minimum difference of ΔB. At portion ΔA, read current of an SRAM cell increases, so that the SRAM cell can operate stably but the leakage current increases. At portion ΔB, the leakage current is small but the read current of the SRAM cell decreases, so that the SRAM cell performs unstable reading operations.

SRAM employing virtual rail scheme stable against various process-voltage-temperature variations


An assembly for plausibility checking and/or reinitializing a rear wheel steering system of a vehicle having a rear wheel steering unit, which includes at least one rear wheel actuator for adjusting a rear-wheel steering angle and a sensor for detecting the set position of the rear wheel actuator, with at least one reference sensor for detecting a reference signal and with an electronic control unit for carrying out the plausibility check and/or reinitialization of the sensor. The reference sensor is part of a vehicle unit different from the rear wheel steering unit and is designed to detect a vehicle-status-dependent reference signal. Furthermore, the control unit includes at least one mathematical model which, based on the vehicle-status-dependent reference signal, can determine a reference value and/or a reference vehicle status, with which the plausibility check and/or reinitialization can be carried out by the control unit.

From the prior art, rear wheel steering systems for vehicles are known, which comprise a rear wheel actuator for setting a rear wheel steering angle. To register the set position of the rear wheel actuator, such rear wheel steering systems comprise a sensor which can be arranged in the rear wheel actuator. To be able to check that the sensor is working correctly, the rear wheel steering systems known from the prior art additionally comprise an absolute sensor. Thus, such absolute sensors are used to measure the rear wheel steering angle or the setting of the rear wheel actuator with redundancy, in order to check the correct functioning of the sensor by means of a plausibility assessment procedure. Furthermore, such absolute sensors are used for (re)initializing the rear wheel steering system (zero position or initial position on starting). The sensors used are in particular rotor position sensors, which can detect the position of a rotor of the rear wheel actuator in the range of 360°. After initialization the revolutions through which the rotor moves and/or the rotational direction are stored in a memory of the rear wheel steering system. In the non-energized condition, for example because the vehicle is parked, this information is lost so the absolute position of the rear wheel actuator is no longer known. Accordingly, for reinitialization the absolute sensor is used, by means of which the zero position of the rear wheel actuator can be reinitialized.
This has the disadvantage that for the plausibility check and/or the reinitialization a redundant sensor must necessarily be incorporated in the rear wheel steering system. This increases the manufacturing costs of the rear wheel steering system. A further disadvantage is that the absolute sensor may develop a fault and because of that the reinitialization cannot be carried out.

Method and assembly for validity-checking and/or (re)initializing rear wheel steering


The present disclosure relates to a fence. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a fence capable of adapting to any angle of inclination comprising a plurality of columns, horizontal connecting members which have more than one degree of freedom through a connection between a pair of columns and vertical connecting members which are connected to the horizontal connecting members. The fence can be constructed easily on the ground irrespective of its angle of inclination and its linkage sections are completely protected from the outside exposure while having a sufficient structural strength.

The present invention relates to a fence. More particularly, the invention relates to a fence capable of adapting to any angle of inclination comprising a plurality of columns, horizontal connecting members which have more than one degree of freedom through a connecting means between a pair of columns and vertical connecting members which are connected to the horizontal connecting members.
In general, the conventional fence comprises a plurality of columns which act as a structurally supporting member, horizontal connecting members and vertical connecting members which are connected to each other. The fence is usually made of metal or plastic and is constructed on the outside of a house or building in order to protect from intrusion as well as to define a perimeter.
However, the conventional fence can not easily be constructed on a ground with a degree of inclination due to its interconnected structure between horizontal connecting members and vertical connecting members. As a result, a separate fence that fits the inclination of the ground has to be manufactured.
Korean Utility No. 201594Y discloses an assembly fence which compensates the above mentioned weakness. As shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the disclosed fence comprises a circular column 11 which fixes the assembly fence firmly on the ground, a rail 21 which connects the column 11, a rail fixing bar 22 which joins the column 11 and rail 21, a pole 31 which is fixed on the rail at regular interval 31. A curvature section 24 exists at one side of the rail fixing bar 22 which is in contact with the column 11.
The above mentioned fence is constructed by first joining the rail fixing bar 22 with a curvature section 24 with the column 11, fixing the rail fixing bar 22 to the rail 21, joining another rail fixing bar 22 with the column 11 in order to maintain a fixed angle with respect to the rail which is fixed to the column 11, connecting another rail to the column 11, fixing the pole 31 which is formed by putting a front face plate and a back face plate together on the rail 21 at regular interval in order to construct a fence.
The angle of the above fence becomes fixed when the rail 21 and column 11 are joined together. As a result, it can not be constructed on an uneven surface with an angle of inclination and also it is prone to corrosion since the linkage sections are exposed to outside.


An infant support has an inflatable seat back portion forming a back support and a portion of a bottom side, a bottom support portion extending below the seat back portion in a direction of a longitudinal end of the infant support device, the bottom support portion forming at least a portion of a bottom side of the infant support. Additionally, an inflatable side portion extends from the seat back portion along transverse sides of the infant support. Together, the inflatable portions form an infant tub when inflated. The bottom support and side portion can be partially or fully deflated, and will thereby dangle or depend from the seat back portion, the infant support thereby forming a chair. A number of inflatable infant care items are combined with the inflatable infant support to form an infant care travel kit.

An inflatable crib bumper, which may be integrated with an inflatable mattress, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,923.
An inflatable baby seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,902.
A mat with an inflatable cushion, upon which a baby may lie, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,620.
A diaper changing kit is disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 8,047,375.
The art described in this section is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is "prior art" with respect to this invention, unless specifically designated as such. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 CFR §1.56(a) exists.


A lens drive control apparatus includes a movable lens which is movable along the optical axis; a lens driver; a code plate having two limit positions respectively serving as mechanical movement limit positions of the movable lens, the code plate including first and second codes; a code detector which moves together with the movable lens; a pulse generator which generates pulses according to the movement of the movable lens; a pulse counter; and a position determining device which determines an absolute position of the first code detected by the code detector, based on the number of pulses counted by the pulse counter from the time when the code detector detects the first or second code until the time when the code detector detects the subsequent other of the second code or first code.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens drive control apparatus that is incorporated in an optical instrument such as a camera, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical and conventional lens drive control apparatus is provided with a code plate on which a code pattern corresponding to the position of the movable lens is formed, and with a brush synchronized with the motion of a movable lens which reads the code pattern of the code plate. The brush reads the code pattern data and detects the position of movable lens. This type of lens drive control system using the code plate can detect the lens position more accurately if spaces in the code pattern become narrower, thereby the movement control of movable lens can be done more accurately. However, narrowing of the spaces in the code pattern requires the increase of number of codes.
An increase in the number of codes not only requires a larger size of code plate, but also a wider space for providing such a larger sized code plate as well as an increased number of signal cables connected thereto. A wider space for the code plate would result in undesirably large apparatus, therefore the number of codes need to be minimized. A decreased number of codes can be accomplished by, e.g., using relative codes having repeated patterns, however, the relative codes would sometimes be read inaccurately. Furthermore, a normal type of movable lens is provided with a stopper at which further movement of the movable lens is mechanically prohibited, and if the movable lens erroneously reads the code and collides against this stopper, an operator would sense an unpleasant jolt or noise, and can sometimes result in the camera being damaged.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lens drive control apparatus in which accurate drive control of movable lens can be performed via a simple structure.
To achieve the object mentioned above, a lens drive control apparatus is provided, including a movable lens which is movable along the optical axis; a lens driver which moves the movable lens; a code plate having two limit positions respectively serving as mechanical movement limit positions of the movable lens, the code plate including first codes corresponding to each of a plurality of predetermined stop positions at which the movable lens is stopped between the two limit positions, and second codes corresponding to each of predetermined positions respectively provided between the limit positions and the plurality of predetermined stop positions; a code detector which moves together with the movable lens in order to detect the first and second codes; a pulse generator which generates pulses according to the movement of the movable lens; a pulse counter which counts the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator; and a position determining device which determines an absolute position of the first code detected by the code detector, based on the number of pulses counted by the pulse counter from the time when the code detector detects one of the first code and second code until the time when the code detector detects the subsequent other of the second code and first code, while the lens driver moves the movable lens toward one of the two limit positions.
In an embodiment, each of the first codes and second codes includes a plurality of detection zones, each detection zone of the plurality of detection zones having a predetermined length with respect to the direction of movement of the movable lens. The pulse counter counts the number of pulses based on one of a moment when the code detector detects an extremity of a detection zone of the plurality of detection zones, and a moment when the code detecting state of the code detector changes from one of a detecting state to non-detecting state and a non-detecting state to a detecting state.
Preferably, the code detector is provided with a first code detector and a second code detector which independently detect the first codes and second codes, respectively.
In an embodiment, the position determining device determines an absolute position of the first code detected by the code detector, based on the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator, from a moment when the code detector detects the change of detecting state of the second code from a non-detecting state to a detecting state until a moment when the code detector detects the change of detecting state of the first code from a non-detecting state to a detecting state.
In an embodiment, one of the two limit positions is provided at a shortest position at which the movable lens can be positioned at a shortest distance from an image plane formed by an imaging optical system including the movable lens, and another of the two limit positions is provided at a longest position at which the movable lens can be positioned at a longest distance from the image plane.
In an embodiment, the imaging optical system includes a step zoom lens which changes the focal length thereof by moving the movable lens and by stopping the movable lens at each stop position of the plurality of predetermined stop positions.
In an embodiment, each distance between each of the first codes or each distance between each of the second codes are not equal to each other.
In an embodiment, the code plate is provided with the second code -between the first code corresponding to the longest position and the first code corresponding to the stop position closest to the longest position.
In an embodiment, either the length in the direction of movement of the movable lens or the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator, with respect to only a detection zone of the second code provided between the first code corresponding to the longest position and the first code corresponding to the stop position closest to the longest position, is different from that of the other detection zones of the second code.
In an embodiment, either the length in the direction of movement of the movable lens or the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator, with respect to only the detection zone of the second code provided between the first code corresponding to the longest position and the first code corresponding to the stop position closest to the longest position, is respectively one of longer and greater than that of the other detection zones of the second code. While the code detector detects the second codes during movement of the movable lens toward the longest position via the lens driver, the position determining device determines that the movable lens has gone beyond the stop position at the longest position when the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator becomes larger than a predetermined number.
In an embodiment, the movable lens is a zoom lens which changes the focal length by zooming from a maximum wide-angle position and subsequently stops at each of the stop positions, wherein the stop position of the zoom lens which is closest to the shortest position is determined as the maximum wide-angle position. Only the length of the second code positioned between the first code corresponding to the stop position closest to the longest position and the first code corresponding to the stop position closest to the longest position is different from the length of the other second codes, with respect to the direction of movement of the movable lens. While the code detector detects the second codes during movement of the zoom lens toward the longest position via the lens driver, the position determining device determines that the zoom lens has gone beyond a maximum telephoto position when the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator becomes larger than a predetermined number.
In an embodiment, while the lens driver moves the movable lens from the shortest position toward the longest position, the position determining device determines that the movable lens reaches the stop position adjacent to the stop position of the shortest position when the code detector detects the first code subsequent to generation of a predetermined number of pulses by the pulse generator.
In an embodiment, the second code is also provided at the position corresponding to a shortest position of the movable lens closest to a image plane formed by an imaging optical system including the movable lens.
In an embodiment, the movable lens is a step zoom lens which can change the focal length thereof by moving the movable lens to any one of the stop positions and performing a focusing operation in a zone between the stop position and the subsequent stop position in the direction of the longest position. The second code also serves as a reference position for focusing control by the step zoom lens.
In an embodiment, the first codes and the second codes are arranged in parallel, and the code detector detects the first codes and the second codes.
In an embodiment, the first codes and second codes have repeated patterns of a binary code of ON and OFF.
Preferably, the first code is used for detecting the focal length of the step zoom lens, and the second code is used for detecting the position of the focusing position of the step zoom lens.
In an embodiment, the pulse counter is reset when the second code is detected by the code detector, and wherein the pulse counter counts the pulse according to the movement of the step zoom lens between the each stop position, of the plurality of predetermined stop positions, detected by the first code.
In an embodiment, the code detecting state of the code detector is the same, with respect to the first code and the second code, when the movable lens is positioned at the shortest position.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-264112 (filed on Aug. 31, 2000) which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety.


Disclosed is a transparent plastic sheet obtained by co-polymerizing 100 parts by weight of methyl methacrylate with 0.1 to 2.0 parts by weight of methacrylic acid and 0.1 to 1.5 parts by weight of glycidyl methacrylate, and having a thickness of not greater than 4 inches, wherein the angular deviation satisfies specified conditions according to the thickness of the sheet and wherein the degree of swelling is not greater than 2.50. This transparent plastic sheet shows neither coloring nor sink marks on the surface, has excellent craze resistance and low long-term water absorption percentage, and is hence suitable for use as an aircraft windshield.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to transparent plastic sheets and, more particularly, to transparent plastic sheets for use as aircraft windshields.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Methacrylic resins are being used in a wide variety of industrial fields owing to their characteristic features including excellent optical properties, good weather resistance, and feeling of high quality. At present, the range of their use shows a tendency to increase still more. In particular, their use as aircraft windshields has been an important field of application since prewar days.
Although MIL standards have been established as standards for aircraft windshields and drawn sheets for use as aircraft windshields, their performance requirements are becoming gradually severer with the development of aircraft.
Consequently, MIL-P-8184E including an alteration of the standard for craze resistance and the establishment of a standard for long-term water absorption percentage has been set up.
Craze resistance is one of the very important properties of aircraft windshields. In order to improve this property, it has been common practice to crosslink the resin material. However, an increased degree of crosslinking may make it difficult to form the resin material into windshields. Moreover, in order to improve craze resistance at a low degree of crosslinking, there has been proposed a method in which methyl methacrylate is copolymerized with neopentylene glycol dimethacrylate (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 192414/'87).
Although this method is effective in improving craze resistance, wavy sink marks are produced on the surface of the resulting sheet. In order to use this sheet as a windshield, its surface must be smoothed by grinding or the like.
Alternatively, the copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with methacrylamide, which is practically used to make aircraft windshields, can also produce an improvement in craze resistance. However, the resulting sheet has the problem of being tinged with yellow.
Thus, the prior art relating to aircraft windshields can bring about an improvement in craze resistance. However, the resulting sheets present such problems as coloring, sink marks on the surface, and an increase in long-term water absorption percentage, and cannot be regarded as satisfactory.


Stomach tissue is manipulated and fastened with a tissue grasper and a tissue shaper to form folds in the stomach. The tissue grasper and the tissue shaper rotate and translate relative to one another. The tissue grasper has a plurality of vacuum orifices to adhere the tissue grasper to tissue.

The present invention relates to methods and devices for manipulating and fastening tissue. In particular, the present invention may be useful in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Referring to FIG. 2, a normal stomach and esophagus are shown with a disease state shown in the dotted line position. GERD develops in the disease state since the gastroesophageal flap valve at the junction or intersection between the esophagus and stomach has deteriorated so that stomach contents can splash into the esophageal tract resulting in GERD. The disease state is associated with a shorter esophageal tract and a somewhat enlarged stomach. The junction has also moved orally thereby effectively shortening the esophageal tract as well.

Methods and devices for manipulating and fastening tissue