A lock secured to a surface for releasably retaining a motorcycle thereon. The lock includes a pair of outer tubular members secured to the surface. The outer members each enclose a height adjustment bar secured to the lower end of the outer member. The height adjustment bars each include a number of laterally extending pins spaced along the length of the bar. A pair of inner tubular members including a keyway secured to a lower end of the inner member are slidably insertable into the outer members. The keyways pass around the pins on the height adjustment bar until the inner members are rotated to engage the keyways with a selected pin on the respective bars. Each inner member also includes a pair of opposed openings adjacent the upper end of the inner member that are aligned when the inner members are placed in the engaged position. After the motorcycle is placed between the engaged outer and inner members, a locking rod is inserted through one of the inner members, through the frame of the motorcycle, and through the opposite inner member. The locking rod includes a stop plate at one end to properly position the rod between the inner members and a locking bore opposite the stop member which receives a releasable locking member such as a padlock that selectively retains the locking rod in engagement with the inner members.

The present invention is directed to a lock, and more specifically to a lock utilized for securing a vehicle or the like, such as a motorcycle, to a surface, such as a garage floor.
In order to prevent the theft of certain wheeled vehicles and items such as motorcycles, locks are commonly used to secure the cycle to a stationary, immovable object such as a tree, bicycle rack, concrete post, or the like. The locks normally include a length of steel cable, connected links of steel chain, or a solid steel bar. With each of these different types of locks, the opposite ends of the cable, chain or bar are secured to a releasable locking mechanism that retains the lock in engagement with the object or structure to which the lock is secured.
The locks including a steel cable or steel chain links are useful in securing a motorcycle to a wide variety of stationary structures because the flexibility of the cable or chain enables the lock to conform to the shape of the stationary object and of the vehicle or item locked to the object. However, locks of this type are highly susceptible to being broken or defeated by a person utilizing an instrument such as a pair of wire or bolt cutters capable of cutting through the cable or chain links forming the lock. As a result, locks having a steel cable or interlocked steel chain links do not provide adequate protection from the theft of the item secured by the lock.
With respect to the types of locks formed with steel bars, these locks are better able to protect the item because they cannot be defeated through the use of an instrument such as a wire or bolt cutter due to the strength and rigidity of the steel bar. However, the size and shape of the steel bars employed by these locks prevents them from being utilized with the more substantial stationary structures that are utilized with the flexible steel cable and steel chain link locks. The reason for this is that the steel bar is generally U-shaped, having a specific width between the opposite legs of the bar that cannot be altered. As a result, the steel bar lock can only be used on small structures or objects, such as racks, sign posts, small trees, etc. that have a width or diameter less than the distance between the legs of the bar. Because in this case the lock is attached to a fairly insubstantial structure or object, but the lock cannot be easily removed from the item, it is possible that the structure or object to which the lock is attached can be removed, enabling an individual to detach the lock from the object and transport the item to a location where the steel bar lock can later be removed from the item. Further, the size and width of the U-shaped steel bar prevents the lock from being used with a wide range of items because the steel bar does not have sufficient size to fit around or through a number of item frames.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a lock for wheeled vehicles and other items that combines the ability of a steel cable or chain lock to adapt to the shape of a particular vehicle or item frame with the strength and rigidity of the steel bar lock. The lock should also be easy to use without any complicated locking mechanisms or a multitude of parts such that a wide range of individuals would be able to use the lock.
It is an object of the invention to provide a lock for vehicles and other items that is rigidly secured to a surface and that combines the ability of a lock including a steel cable or chain to adapt to the shape of the particular vehicle to be locked with the strength and rigidity of a steel bar lock such that the lock can withstand a significant amount of damage without failing.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a lock that has a small number of moving and interlocking parts to greatly increase the ease of assembling and using the lock.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a lock having the above features that can be collapsed and stored to prevent the lock from becoming an obstruction.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a lock having the above features that is constructed in an inexpensive manner from very rigid, durable materials to enable the lock to function properly over a long period of time.
The present invention is a lock for wheeled vehicles and other items that secures the vehicle rigidly to a surface. The lock is easily adjustable to accommodate a number of different frames and designs. The lock is also formed of strong, durable pieces that cannot be easily broken or removed.
The structure of the lock includes a pair of outer tubular members that are secured to the surface by forming a pair of spaced holes in the surface and placing an outer member in each hole. The hole is then filled with concrete around the outer member such that the outer member essentially becomes a part of the surface.
A pair of height adjustment bars are disposed within the outer tubular members. The adjustment bars are secured to the lower end of each outer member and extend upwardly through the outer member. A number of pins are disposed along the length of each adjustment bar and are used to adjust the operating height of the lock.
The lock further includes a pair of inner tubular members that are removably and slidably mounted within the outer tubular members. The inner members each have a keyway at the lower end that is selectively engageable with the pins disposed on the height adjustment bar. The keyway has a shape that enables it to selectively pass around and engage the pins located on the adjustment bar. As a result, the inner members can be positioned at various heights with respect to the outer members by engaging the keyways on the inner members with different pins located on the adjustment bar to accommodate different frame sizes and configurations.
Opposite the keyway, each inner tubular member also has a pair of openings disposed on opposite sides of the inner member. When the inner members are each engaged on the height adjustment bar in their respective outer members, the pairs of openings are aligned with one another.
To secure the frame to the inner and outer tubular members, the lock includes a locking rod that is insertable through the aligned openings in the ends of each inner member and the frame of the vehicle being locked. The locking rod has a bore disposed at one end and a stop ring opposite the bore. When the rod is fully inserted through the inner members and the frame, the stop ring engages the inner member opposite the bore to properly position the rod between the inner members. The bore receives a shackleless lock or other locking device that is secured therethrough to retain the locking rod and vehicle or item in engagement with the inner and outer members in order to prevent theft of the vehicle or item.


An XM radio system, a browser plug-in for bidirectional communication in the XM radio system, and method for bidirectional communication between an XM radio receiver, a first computing device and a second computing device is provided. The XM radio system includes an XM radio receiver communicatively connected to a first computing device, a second computing device communicatively connected to the first computing device and a computer program stored on the first computing device. Unresolved bookmarks are transferred from the first computing device to second computing device via the Internet and the resolved bookmarks are bidirectionally communicated from the second computing device to the first computing device via Internet and does not trigger a fire wall.

XM radio receivers will deliver up to 100 channels of crystal-clear, digital-quality music, news and information to users in their homes, cars and other listening environments. However, allowing a user to retrieve desired information by searching through a database can prove to be confusing and problematic. For example, how does the user insure that the music or information he was listening to is correctly determined from the data stored in the database? Also, the access to and completeness of the data should allow the user to easily browse and search for the information that is needed.
Over the years, however, the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) have grown and their utilization has increased from a simple method of communication into a medium for storage, interactive accessing of information, and enablement of remote device control. The Internet and the WWW have captured the public's imagination as the so called "Information Super Highway". Accessing information through the web has been used by the metaphorical term "surfing the web".
However, the Internet is not a single network, nor does it have any single owner or controller. Rather, the Internet is a network of networks, both public and private, connected to each other. The resulting network utilizes security measures, such as fire walls, to prevent the spread of computer viruses, as well as the unauthorized access to account files and data. Given the proliferation of Internet viruses and web hackers, the utilization of security restrictions, such as fire walls, and other security measures in public and private networks remains in place and in the foreseeable future will necessarily continue to grow.
The WWW facilitates users interactive access to information, storage and remote control of devices by letting users or clients jump from one server or network to another, simply by selection of a word, picture, or program. In fact, when exploring the web today, a user navigates the web through the utilization of a "web browser". There are many number of browsers presently in existence. Common examples of browsers include, Netscape's "Navigator", Microsoft's "Explorer", Mosiac's browser, and IBM's "Web Explorer". A web browser allows a client access to servers and networks located throughout the world for storage, information, and remote device control. The information is provided to a client by the remote server by sending files or data packets to the requesting clients computer. However, with the use of fire walls and other security measures, the files or data packets sent by a remote server to a client's computer are blocked and not allowed access.

Client-server bidirectional synchronization via browser plug in for an XM radio system


A handle apparatus is provided for mounting onto a roll-down type vehicle window. A hook of thin material and having a width of at least one inch extends over the top edge of the window. The inside surface of the hook forms a planar surface resting in contact with the inside surface of the window. A ring able to accommodate an adult hand extends in a generally downward direction and is attached to the hook. Alternatively, the ring is pivotably fixed to the hook, thereby allowing a variety of sizes of hands to use the device. The ring is preferably D-shaped or C-shaped. The hook material is thin enough to allow the window to close completely with the hook in place. The planar surface contacts the window, thereby holding the ring in a convenient position for a passenger's hand to hold and to grasp the grasping means. The hook is easily installed and removed from the window.

Passengers in vehicles such as automobiles have long known that a handle or gripping element fixed near the top of the vehicle is extremely helpful for their own stabilization while the vehicle is in motion, particularly while the vehicle is turning. Accordingly, several manufactures have incorporated interior handles and straps into vehicles. Such handle devices are typically located at a fixed position within the interior of the automobile, and may include an auxiliary hook to hold, for example, clothes supported from a wire hanger.
Frequently, however, such handles are not conveniently or comfortably located for all sizes of passengers. Some passengers wishing to hold such a handle may find that it is located in an awkward position and unable to be moved easily, and that comfortable use of the handle is dependent upon the location setting of the passenger's seat. Moreover, a location that is well-suited for a handle being grasped by a passenger might not be well-suited for hanging of clothes or other articles. Further, many automobiles do not have such handles at all.
Clearly, then, there is a need for a handle device that can be easily attached to and removed from most vehicles. Such a needed device would be readily relocatable to suit the requirements at hand, such as finding the most comfortable position for the device, or such as hanging clothing or like articles. The needed device would be extremely easy to manufacture, making it relatively inexpensive. Moreover, the needed device would not interfere with the operation of the vehicle or cause any damage thereto. Such a needed device would be able to support both a passenger's hand and standard clothes hangers just as easily. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.


A system, device and method for communicating between a host device and a plurality of peripheral devices wherein the communications utilize a single interface that is supported by the host. The host includes a plurality of class drivers and miniport drivers. Each of the class drivers implements functionality associated with one or more of the plurality of peripheral devices. Each miniport driver provides an interface by which one or more of the class drivers communicate with one or more of the plurality peripheral devices using class protocols, wherein the miniport drivers communicate through a single host interface supported by the host. An embedded controller interfaces with the plurality of peripheral devices using the respective native bus protocols of the peripheral devices and wherein the embedded controller interfaces with the plurality of miniport drivers using the single host interface.

With the advent of the personal computer, there has been a steady proliferation in the variety of human interface devices (HIDs) that provide mechanisms for human users to provide input and receive output from computer programs executing on a host device. As the capabilities of the personal computer have advanced, so has the variety and sophistication in peripheral HIDs that are available to users. This has resulted in many different hardware and software interfaces for communicating between peripheral devices and a host device.
The set of software interfaces that are utilized by a host device in supporting communications with peripheral devices are typically organized as stacked layers of interfaces. Each layer in the stack is comprised of software programs that implement a particular aspect of the functionality required for the operation of the peripheral device by the host device. The bottom layers of the stack are software programs that interface the processor of the host device with hardware buses that are used to transmit signals to and from the peripheral devices. The top layers of the stack are software programs that provide an interface by which human users or other software programs can operate the peripheral devices.
When a new peripheral device is installed for use by a host device, part of that installation processes includes verifying whether the stack of the host device includes all software necessary to communicate with the new peripheral device. In many cases, this installation process requires at least some updates to the software stack to include device-specific software that is required to fully utilize the new peripheral device. Installing device-specific software does not always address all compatibility issues. In order for the host device to interface with the new peripheral device, the host device must support the low-level bus communication protocol that is required by the peripheral device. Support for a bus communication protocol by a host device usually requires a hardware-level bus implementation that is ideally implemented when the host device is designed and manufactured.
Early generations of peripheral HIDs, which included devices such as keyboards and mice, interfaced with the host device using serial ports. Many of these early, serial port HIDs communicated with the processor of the host device via a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus. Support for the LPC bus is typically implemented on the host device by dedicated pins on the host device processor. Other bus protocols can be similarly implemented at the hardware-level of the host device. Host devices manufacturers choose which bus-protocols to support at the hardware level, which dictates whether the host device will be compatible with certain peripheral devices.
As new types of peripheral HIDs have entered the marketplace, the LPC bus serial interface used by peripherals gave way to new peripheral device interfaces. However, the resulting growth in the number of proprietary interfaces used by peripheral HIDs became untenable for host device manufacturers to support. Largely in response to this quandary, a consortium of hardware and software manufactures developed the Universal Serial Bus (USB), which provides a standardized interface for peripherals devices to communicate with a host device. USB was quickly adopted throughout the industry and has further encouraged the proliferation in peripheral HIDs.
Despite the popularity of USB, the hardware interfaces and bus protocols utilized by peripheral devices have continued to evolve. New interfaces continue to be introduced and existing interfaces are adapted for use by new classes of peripherals. In some cases, only software updates are required to support a new interface. For instance, efforts to further standardize peripheral device communications have resulted in the new peripheral device interfaces. The HID-USB protocol standardizes HID communications using the USB protocol. The HID-I2C protocol similarly standardizes HID communications using the I2C protocol. As long as a host device includes hardware support for the USB and I2C bus protocols, the host device can support peripheral devices that utilize the HID-USB or HID-I2C protocols through updates to the host device's software stack.
In other cases, new peripheral interfaces will require hardware support by the host device. For instance, as sensors continue to be adopted as components of peripheral devices, new interfaces (such as I2C) are being used by this relatively new class of peripheral devices. eSPI is a new interface replacing LPC as a single host interface to the embedded controller (EC). As with other bus protocols, support for the eSPI bus is ideally implemented by dedicating processor pins of the host device to implement this eSPI bus, in addition to including the software necessary to implement the eSPI bus protocol.
Host device manufacturers must remain forward-looking in deciding whether to include hardware support for new bus protocols that are used by new classes of peripheral devices. Legacy peripheral devices place similar pressures on host device manufacturers. The need to continue to provide support for popular peripheral devices often compels host device manufacturers to continue supporting legacy hardware interfaces. Thus, host device manufacturers face pressure to include support for emerging bus protocols used by new peripheral devices while still maintaining support for legacy bus protocols. Furthermore, host device manufactures must remain adaptable in seamlessly supporting updates to existing bus protocols. Updates to the software interfaces available for use by a host device are relatively easy to accomplish when compared to updates to hardware-level interfaces. For instance, updating a class device driver to support new peripheral device functionality is relatively easy for a host device to support versus adding support for a new bus protocol, such as eSPI. Accordingly, there is a need for a host device that can utilize existing bus protocol hardware to support new bus protocols that would otherwise require additional hardware support by the host device.

Unifying class device interface with one host interface by using embedded controller


Particularly provided is a method and a system for screening nanoparticles which allow effective search of conditions for surface modification of nanoparticles and reduction in the time, the labor, and the amount of a sample required for the surface modification compared with conventional techniques. The method for screening nanoparticles includes the steps of: dividing a nanoparticle suspension for a respective plurality of containers provided in a containment receptacle; performing surface modification on nanoparticles under different conditions for the respective containers; preparing evaluation samples by adding a dispersion medium into each container and mixing the nanoparticles and the dispersion medium; and performing evaluation on the evaluation sample in each container by optical analysis.

In recent years, quantum dots (QDs) attracting attentions as fluorescent materials have been put into practical applications such as electronic devices and in vivo fluorescence labeling and are intensively studied at present.
Quantum dots are seldom used alone and mostly used in combination with other materials; for example, quantum dots may be dispersed in resins. With this being the case, in order to improve their dispersibility in other materials, quantum dots need to be subjected to surface modification suitable for the dispersion. JP 2006-076831 A (PTL 1) describes polymer-modified metal sulfide nanoparticles which are easily dispersed in solutions and resins.

Method and system for screening nanoparticle, and nanoparticle and method of producing the same

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for determining interaction among animals via proximity relationships. An interaction between two or more animals may generally refer to any action by an animal that influences one or more other animals and that may be inferred based on a detected physical proximity relationship between the animals. According to various embodiments, proximity relationships between animals may be detected based on determining an approximate physical distance between computing devices associated with the animals. In other embodiments, proximity relationships between animals may be detected based on detecting the co-location of computing devices associated with the animals.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Mobile computing devices are a pervasive form of computing technology. Examples of mobile computing devices include smart phones, tablets, wearable computers, computing devices embedded into other objects, and any number of other increasingly small and portable computing devices. The small form factor and portability of mobile computing devices has resulted in an environment where people are often in near constant engagement with some form of computing device.
Mobile computing devices commonly are capable of some form of wireless interconnectivity. Wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular have enabled mobile computing devices to interconnect directly with other devices and with higher level device networks without the need for a physical network connection at the device. These wireless technologies have enabled mobile computing devices, and users of those devices, to easily communicate and exchange data, even as users move from place to place.
Despite the increasing amount of interaction that occurs in the virtual environment enabled by mobile computing devices and wireless technologies, personal interaction in the physical world among humans, and among humans and non-human animals, continues to be an important and valued activity. For example, the amount of time spouses spend in each other's company, or the amount of time that a pet owner spends in the company of a pet, may have an influence on the quality of the relationship between the parties. It would be useful to leverage the pervasiveness of wireless computing devices to better monitor and understand personal interactions that occur among both humans and non-human animals in the physical world. To do so, computers or their users need data that characterizes the proximity of devices to one another over time. However, detecting a physical proximity relationship between computing devices has been challenging using past technology and prior techniques do not provide reliable solutions to determine physical proximity relationships between computing devices.

Detecting interaction among entities via proximity


Disclosed is a method of forming bonding metal bumps on electrodes of a submount for use with an optical device array. Small bonding metal pieces are arranged on a transfer piece resting substrate so as to be aligned with the electrodes of the submount. Next, the bonding metal pieces thus arranged are transferred onto respective electrodes of the submount. In one embodiment, bonding metal pieces are preferably formed by punching a ribbon-shaped bonding metal and respectively fixed by a force of the punching operation directly onto the electrodes of the submount.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of forming bonding metal bumps for fixing an optical device array on the surface of a submount which is employed in a parallel transmission optical module or the like used for optical communication purpose.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, applications for optical communications have been increasingly expanding so that optical elements such as optical fiber, laser diode (LD), light emitting diode (LED), photo-diode (PD), optical switch, optical modulator, optical isolator, optical waveguide and so on are made increasingly functional. In order to make the transmission of larger amounts of information possible, a method has been proposed so that the data transmission can be carried out in parallel and in real time between computer terminals, exchangers and/or large-scale computers. As the device to be used for the purpose of parallel transmission of information, a parallel transmission optical module where a plurality of light emitters and/or a plurality of light receivers are used integrally with a plurality of optical fibers is known.
The parallel transmission optical module generally uses, as the light emitter, a LED/LD array having a plurality of either LEDs or LDs arranged in a monolithic manner on a semiconductor substrate. On the other hand, it uses, as the light receiver, a PD array which has a plurality of PDs arranged thereon in the same manner as above. On the back surface of each of these optical device arrays, a plurality of electrodes made of gold (Au) or the like are provided for electrical connection or positioning purposes. The optical device arrays thus prepared are mounted on a submount which becomes an interface with an external electric circuit. The submount is made of alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), aluminum nitride (AlN) or the like, and on one side surface of which are patterned a plurality of layers with chromium (Cr)/nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr)/gold (Au) or the like by the thin film forming process thereby to provide an electric interconnection having a plurality of layers disposed in a laminated pattern. At the connecting portions of the electric interconnection with the optical device arrays, electrodes are patterned thereby to connect the optical device arrays via the electrodes to the submount.
In case of mounting the optical device array on the submount, it may be warped in general due to the difference in layer structure between the front surface and back surface of the array itself. In order for electrodes, each with a thickness of 2 to 3 .mu.m, provided on the array and the electrodes, each with a thickness of 2 to 3 .mu.m, formed on the submount to be in perfect contact with each other, a pressure is required to be applied. In this case, however, the arrays are formed on the substrate made of such fragile materials as gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) and so on. Thus the application of a pressure may cause them to be damaged. In order to overcome such a problem, conventionally, bonding metal bumps each having a height of about 20 to 30 .mu.m are provided at the connecting portions of either the submount or the array. This allows the warp of the array to be absorbed so that connection can be provided via the bumps without applying a pressure. The bonding metal to be used for this purpose, for example, lead (Pb) - tin (Sn) alloy, gold (Au) - tin (Sn) alloy and so on is known. In connecting such members as shown above by the reflow bonding technique, the bonding metal bumps exert the self-alignment effect themselves by surface tension, so that these members can be positioned very accurately.
In addition, a dam made of polyimide resin or the like is provided in advance so as to surround each of the connecting portions of them thereby to form a cavity. The bonding metal bumps are respectively arranged into the cavities thus formed, so that the bonding metal bumps can be prevented from being drained out therefrom when melted by a heating.
In the case of the parallel transmission optical module, the formation of bonding metal bumps on the submount can be easily achieved by using a Pb-Sn alloy as the bonding metal and arranging it onto each of the electrodes formed on the surface of the submount by plating process. This method, there generates a slight variation per hour (about 1 .mu.m) at the portions provided on the array to be connected with the electrodes. Thus, it is not preferable to be used for connecting a highly reliable optical device requiring highly accurate positioning on a long term basis.
Therefore, Au-Sn alloy which does not generate such variation per hour has been used conventionally. In this case, however, the mixing ratio of Au and Sn is required to be controlled precisely, so that the plating technique is difficult to apply. As a result, generally, the Au-Sn alloy is deposited onto the electrodes in a film form using a vacuum deposition technique. However, many processes are unavoidably required to form a film with a thickness of several tens of micrometers by the vacuum deposition technique, decreasing productivity.
A method that the Au-Sn alloy is arranged in the ball form onto each of the electrodes formed on the submount will be considered. However, the arrangement of small balls each about 100 .mu.m in diameter one by one on each of the electrodes is extremely sophisticated, and thus not practical. So another method will be considered in which a large number of balls made of Au-Sn alloy are scatteredly provided over the submount. Then, unnecessary balls not arranged on the electrodes are removed by shaking. Necessary balls arranged on each of the electrodes remain.
However, this method may result in a fault in connection caused by some balls remaining while not arranged on the electrodes.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a method of easily and precisely forming bonding metal bumps on a submount for use with an optical device array.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of forming bonding metal bumps on a submount for use with an optical device array, which is extremely high in productivity and low in cost.

Method of forming bonding bumps by punching a metal ribbon


Provided are a packet scheduling system and method capable of fair link resource distribution among a plurality of sessions requesting transmissions to an identical output link in input and output interfaces of a node in a high-speed packet exchange network such as an ATM network or the Internet. The packet scheduling system uses a traffic classifier which classifies traffic input from a plurality of input links, for each session; a central management unit which manages the agreed speed for each session and the virtual time of a system; a virtual finish time calculation unit which in response to the agreed speed and the system virtual time, calculates the virtual finish time of each packet for the traffic and attaches the calculated virtual finish time to the head of the packet as a time stamp. A packet queue which stores the packet sent by the virtual finish time calculation unit, for each session; and a packet transmission unit selects and outputs a packet having a shortest virtual finish time among packets stored in the packet queue.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packet scheduling system and method, and more particularly, to a packet scheduling system and method capable of fair link resource distribution among a plurality of sessions requesting transmissions to an identical output link in input and output interfaces of a node, such as an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch or a router, in a high-speed packet exchange network such as an ATM network or the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, packet scheduling algorithms are broken down into two methods according to operation modes of a server: one is a work-conserving method, by which the server provides services continuously unless there are no waiting packets in a queue, and the other is a non work-conserving method by which the server does not provide services and maintains a waiting state if predetermined conditions are not satisfied even though there is a packet waiting for services in a queue. In the latter method, though there is a waiting packet the server does not provide services such that the utilization efficiency of the server is relatively low but performance requirements determined in advance, such as a delay bound or a delay jitter limit, can be accurately guaranteed. Meanwhile, in the former method, the utilization efficiency of the server is higher but a minimum performance for each session should be guaranteed irrespective of the operations of other sessions and a mechanism capable of fair distribution of a contract speed for each session and the like for a plurality of requests to use idle resources of the server should be considered.
A theory underlying the work-conserving method is a generalized processor sharing (GPS) algorithm disclosed in an article by Abhay K. Parekh and Robert G. Gallager, "A generalized processor sharing approach to flow control in integrated services networks: The single node case" vol. 1, pp. 344-357, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, June 1993. The article provides a hypothetical theory in which all input traffic is modeled as a flow of fluid and a server is used as a scheduling system that provides services at the same time to all links requesting services so that idealistic fairness and optimal delay bound values are provided. However, since the minimum unit of traffic is a packet in an actual packet network environment and a server can transmit only one packet at a time, it is impossible to actually implement the system suggested in the article and the article is only providing conceptual performance criteria which all process scheduling algorithms aim at.
As one of the algorithms that are implemented in actual network environments, closest to the concept of the GPS algorithm described above, there is a weighted fair queueing (WFQ) which assumes that a basic unit of ingress traffic is a packet. The WFQ algorithm introduces a concept of virtual time for displaying the operation state of a GPS server because the operation of the GPS server should be imitated as if traffic modeled as the flow of fluid are all serviced at the same time. A system virtual time is updated with the amount of work performed in the GPS server in each event occurring on the GPS system, such as arrival of a new packet or departure of a packet being serviced. The updated virtual finish time is used as a time stamp of a packet. This algorithm can provide performance close to the GPS algorithm, but in the worst case, while one packet is being transmitted, new packets from all links may arrive such that calculation and update of the virtual time may be repeated with the same frequency as the number of the links. Accordingly, it is actually difficult to implement the algorithm in a high-speed network environment requiring high-speed determination of transmission order of packets.
In a scheduling algorithm which was suggested to improve the WFQ algorithm with this complexity-to-implement problem, there is a self clocked fair queueing (SCFQ) algorithm. Unlike the WFQ algorithm, this algorithm does not have the continuous GPS simulation step and when a new packet arrives, it regards the time stamp of the packet as a virtual time. As a result, packets which arrived during one transmission share an identical virtual time such that the complexity due to calculation of the virtual time can be greatly reduced. However, in the worst case, when an arbitrary packet arrives, all session can have the time as the time stamp being serviced such that the packet which is newly arrived has to wait until packets of all sessions are transmitted, irrespective of complying with traffic rules. In this case, the waiting time is proportionate to the number of linked sessions. Thus, the SCFQ algorithm improves the complexity due to calculation of the virtual time but degrades the delay bound that can be guaranteed, compared to the WFQ algorithm.
As a method to solve the drawback of the SCFQ algorithm, there is a starting potential fair queueing (SPFQ) algorithm. In the SPFQ algorithm, whenever transmission of a packet finishes, the virtual time is reset to the smallest value among the virtual start time values of packets in the head of each queue. The SPFQ algorithm has an advantage of maintaining good performance but has a disadvantage of an arrangement process for the virtual start time which is additionally needed.
As a method to improve the calculation complexity of the WFQ algorithm with an approach similar to that of the SCFQ algorithm, there is a minimum-delay self-clocked fair queueing (MD-SCFQ) algorithm. As the SCFQ algorithm, the MD-SCFQ algorithm does not have a separate step for simulation of the GPS, and calculates the system virtual time by using information on the front packet waiting in a queue so that it can reduce the complexity of calculation compared to the WFQ algorithm and improve the delay characteristic compared to the SCFQ algorithm. However, this algorithm has a disadvantage of overhead for continuously collecting and managing information on packets waiting in a queue at a time when the system virtual time is calculated.
Thus, the work-conserving type scheduling algorithms have different methods for calculating and maintaining virtual time functions and time stamps for respective systems. In a scheduling system for a high-speed network environment, the most important performance parameter is the simplicity of a system related to high-speed determination of a transmission order. When this is considered, it can be said that the closer to the GPS, a scheduling system can maintain the fairness and delay characteristics that are basic requirements of a work-conserving scheduling system while maintaining this simplicity, the better the scheduling system is. Therefore, a new packet scheduling system and method are needed in which the delay bound and fairness index of the WFQ level can be guaranteed in a switch or a router in a high-speed packet exchange network and the calculation complexity O(1) of the system virtual time can be maintained.

Packet scheduling system and method for high-speed packet networks

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


The invention relates to alkoxy-crosslinking RTV1 silicone rubber mixtures based on hydroxy-terminated polydiorganosiloxanes containing a trialkoxysilane with a substituted amidoalkyl radical, which can be prepared using conventional mixing technologies. The novel RTV1 silicone rubber mixtures cure rapidly and without tack to give products with good mechanical properties. The shelf-life of the mixtures is excellent. One particular advantage of this invention is that it is also possible to create systems in which crosslinking produces only elimination products which are completely free from toxic methanol.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to alkoxy-crosslinking RTV1 silicone rubber mixtures based on hydroxy-terminated polyorganosiloxanes containing a trialkoxysilane with a substituted amidoalkyl radical.
2. Discussion of the Background
One-component silicone rubber mixtures (RTV1) which can be stored if water is excluded and which in the presence of water vulcanize at room temperature to give elastomers are known. The vulcanization of the mixtures may take place under conditions which are acidic, e.g. in the presence of acetoxysilanes, basic, e.g. using aminosilanes, or neutral, e.g. by means of compounds which have oximo or alkoxy groups. RTV1 systems which crosslink under neutral conditions are needed especially in circumstances where the elimination products produced when the mixtures are cured should not affect the substrate, for example in the jointing of concrete or of metallic materials.
RTV1 materials containing acetate-, amine- and oxime-crosslinking agents are typically prepared by mixing an OH-terminated polydimethylsiloxane with a plasticizer, which is usually a methyl-terminated polydimethyl-siloxane, an acetoxy-, amino- or oximosilane as a crosslinking agent, an active filler, for example fine-particle silica, and a catalyst, which is usually a dialkyltin compound, in the order stated. Additives, such as curing accelerators, pigments, processing aids and other fillers, may be added. Except for a few very specific applications which require flowable compositions, the requirement is mainly for mixtures of firm consistency which contain only fine-particle silica as filler. The mixing systems used for RTV1 materials are usually simple planetary mixers or dissolvers. There are also processes which allow continuous preparation of the mixture, e.g. using extruders. In the case of alkoxy-crosslinking RTV1 compositions, however, it is not possible to use OH-terminated polydimethylsiloxane other than in a few exceptional cases. If the components are mixed in the manner described above, using an alkoxysilane as crosslinking agent, vulcanization begins as early as during the preparation of the mixture. For this type of RTV1 mixture, a polymer is first prepared separately in a preliminary step by reacting hydroxy-terminated polydiorganosiloxanes with alkoxysilanes in the presence of catalysts (EP 1376 883, EP 304 701, EP 559 045 and many others). The alkoxysilane used is usually methyltrimethoxysilane. There are also known processes in which compounds such as aminopropyltrimethoxysiloxane, aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane, glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane are employed (DE 44 05 851). The preparation of the mixture then follows the preparation of the alkoxy-endgroup polymer, and takes place as described above. The separate preparation of the specific polymer, however, is inconvenient and requires additional expense.
Attempts are therefor being made to use the readily obtainable hydroxy-terminated polydiorganosiloxanes directly as polymers in the preparation of alkoxy-crosslinking RTV1 compositions. For example, EP 384 609 and EP 543 615 describe methoxy-crosslinking compositions which are mixed with a very large amount of filler and have been prepared using OH-terminated polydimethylsiloxanes. However, this method functions only where the polymer, the plasticizer and the fillers (in this case a combination of precipitated and ground chalk) are first mixed with one another, and then methyltrimethoxy-siloxane, as a crosslinking agent, and a crosslinking catalyst are added afterward. This initially gives a material which has an extremely high viscosity and may even be to some extent elastomeric, and which can only be processed using specific mixing technologies. The mixing technology normally used for RTV1 compositions, e.g. planetary mixers and dissolvers, cannot be used. In addition, this procedure is limited to highly filled methoxy-crosslinking compositions. If the ethoxysilanes which have been described hitherto are used, premature crosslinking takes place as early as during the mixing or during the storage of the finished pastes and thus the products obtained are not sufficiently storage-stable. For transparent systems filled only with fine-particle silica, this method cannot be used at all. It is known that mixing of OH-end-group polymer with silica, without a crosslinking agent, gives a very highly viscous paste, which rapidly stiffens to give a hard crumbly material. When a crosslinking agent is added to a mixture of this type, the firm consistency of the paste is lost. However it is just such firm-consistency compositions which are needed. In addition, the premature crosslinking of compositions prepared in accordance with the prior art described above cannot be controlled.
Because of the toxicity of methanol, it is moreover desirable to be able to prepare alkoxy-crosslinking RTV1 compositions which produce only non-hazardous elimination products, e.g. ethanol.

Alkoxy-crosslinking RTV1 silicone rubber mixtures


An apparatus for vaporizing a liquid and heating the vaporized liquid to an elevated temperature. The apparatus has a heat transfer wall having an outer surface for receiving heat and transferring the heat to an inner surface. A wick material is disposed so that a portion of the wick material is in contact with the inner surface and another portion is remote from the heat transfer wall. A wick support in contact with the wick material opposite the inner surface of the heat transfer wall provides structural support to the wick material and further provides a path for vaporized liquid to flow from the wick material. Vaporizable liquid is delivered to the portion of the wick material that is remote from the heat transfer wall and is allowed to migrate to the portion that is in contact with the inner surface. Heat from the inner surface converts the liquid to a vaporized liquid. Optionally, a gaseous fuel may be introduced into the wick support for pre-heating and mixing with the vaporized liquid. Vaporized liquid flows out of the wick material through the wick support and into a downstream superheater that preferably houses a heat exchange device. The heat exchange device is in thermal communication with the inner surface of the heat transfer wall for receiving and transferring heat to the vaporized liquid. The apparatus can include multiple vaporization units connected to common and/or different heat sources. Methods for making an apparatus for vaporizing a liquid and methods for vaporizing a liquid are also disclosed.

Vaporizing liquid, especially the vaporization of water, is a very common technology. The traditional approach to vaporizing water involves heating a pool of water to its boiling temperature and capturing the vapor that evolves from the liquid. A common vaporization technology uses shell and tube-type boiler designs. In the case of smaller shell and tube-type boilers, the water to be vaporized resides in the spaces around heat exchange tubes. In the case of larger shell and tube-type boilers, the water flows internally through heat exchange tubes that are heated by heat external to the tubes.
The inability to generate steam quickly in response to demand is common to most conventional boiling technologies. For quick start applications, conventional boilers must be maintained in a hot stand-by mode. Other disadvantages of conventional boiler technologies can include the large thermal mass of liquid water that contributes to slow responses to transients, limited ability to thermally integrate the boiler with multiple heat streams or heat sources, and limited ability to utilize the boiler for heating materials other than the liquid to be vaporized.
In addition, another well known disadvantage associated with conventional boilers is the occurrence of liquid carry-over or slugging, wherein non-vaporized liquid is carried over with the vaporized liquid. Where the vaporized product required is a high quality steam, means must be employed to separate and remove the non-vaporized liquid from the steam. Means that are commonly employed to remove such carry-over from steam include knock-out or steam drums. However, for a system that utilizes a knock-out drum, the start-up time required to begin producing the vapor product is heavily dependent upon the size of the knock-out drum, and such times can range up to several hours. Further, means required to separate and remove liquid components from vaporized liquid will increase the size, cost and complexity of the vaporization apparatus.


A motor is disclosed that uses magnetic propulsion for generating movement along a travel path in which the motor controller is mounted onboard the thrust block, thereby reducing connections the need for a remote motor controller. The motor includes a thrust rod extending along a travel path. The thrust rod includes an array of magnets arranged along the travel path arranged to create magnetic fields spaced along the travel path for generating magnetic propulsion when electrical coils on the thrust block are energized. The thrust block comprising a mounting body, electrical coils, and the onboard motor controller. The block may integrally provide a bearing surface that slides along a rail that may also provide the mounting structure and main support for the motor. A encoder mounted to the thrust block with a scale mounted directly to guide rail is also provided.

Linear motion systems for industrial machinery and tooling often employ ball or acme screws driven by a servo motor to facilitate linear motion. The typical arrangement in these systems is that a stationary rotary motor drives a threaded screw that impart rectilinear motion upon a movable carriage that has a threaded nut engaging the screw. The movable carriage is then typically guided by a linear motion system such as one of those systems commercially available from the present assignee, Pacific Bearing Company®, located in Rockford, Ill.
However, there is another type of linear motor which uses magnetic propulsion that is sometimes referred to as a thrust tube motor or a thrust tube module (both of which are referred to herein generically as "motor"). Such thrust tube motors are set forth in literature entitled "ThrustTube Motors" and "ThrustTube Modules" and are sold under different products models commercially available from Copley Controls Corp., located in Canton, Mass. As is generally disclosed thereby, prior thrust tube motors include a thrust tube and a thrust block that linearly reciprocates relative to the thrust tube. The thrust tube typically includes a linear array of permanent magnets (e.g. many linearly stacked magnets providing multiple north and south poles) surrounded by electrical coils mounted centrally in a thrust block, that when energized drives the thrust block carriage relative to the thrust tube. To control the energizing of the electrical coils, a motor controller is typically provided at a stationary remote position from the thrust block carriage. The motor controller is connected via wiring through a flexible conduit that allows for movement of the thrust-block carriage. As also disclosed thereby, these systems are often associated with separate linear bearing motion systems.
Heretofore, there have been too many deficiencies with thrust tube motors to allow them to effectively compete or provide a commercially practical alternative to screw type servo motors. These prior systems are often too complex, require too many components, have undesirable mounting requirements and are too expensive to effectively compete in the marketplace for many machine applications, despite several technological advantages that thrust tube motors or modules provide over screw type servo motors.


In a shimming method for an irregular object to be examined by magnetic resonant equipment magnetic field parameters are measured at measurement points located on the surface of an irregular object to be examined. Based on the measured magnetic field parameters, the positions and number of shims for adjusting magnetic field homogeneity are calculated when a passive shimming is to be performed, or the current value in a shimming coil are calculated when an active shimming is to be performed, or at the same time both the positions and number of shims and current value in the shimming coil are calculated when active shimming and passive shimming are to be performed at the same time. Shimming is then performed according to the calculated results. These above steps are repeated until achieving required magnetic field homogeneity. Since the homogeneous region is designed to have an irregular shape, it can provide a better coverage of the irregular object to be examined, and at the same time it reduces the shimming constraints to the unnecessary regions outside the irregular object to be examined, therefore avoiding shimming in those unnecessary regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shimmed magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and method for shimming magnetic resonant equipment, particularly a shimming method for an irregular object to be examined by magnetic resonant equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In magnetic resonant equipment, the degree of magnetic field homogeneity has direct influence on the image quality. Within a scan region, the larger the homogeneous region, the better the image quality. Conventionally, in order to achieve a larger homogeneous region, the size, complexity and weight of magnetic resonant equipment (scanners) have been increased dramatically, leading to a significant increase in costs.
At the same time, due to the above reason, the size increase of the magnetic resonant equipment leads to reduced openness, therefore to restriction as to the applications for such scanners.
For an open and flat magnet, such as a C-shaped magnet, in order to reduce the effect of claustrophobia, the open distance (spacing) should be designed as large as possible. In such magnetic resonant equipment, when a patient lies down on a scanning bed, the distance from the patient to the upper magnetic pole is far more than the distance to the lower magnetic pole so as to improve the openness effect. In other words, the patient is not in the middle between the two magnetic poles but is closer to the lower magnetic pole.
Although during the design stage the magnets are made as homogeneous as possible, the magnetic field homogeneity produced by the manufactured magnets is usually not as good as expected, so the final magnetic field homogeneity has to be achieved by shimming, such as by adding soft magnetic or hard magnetic shims onto the magnetic poles. In order to correct the spatial inhomogeneity in a magnetic field, the shim size should be as small as possible. Small shims, however, generate in their vicinity a spatial inhomogeneity of higher powers, which makes it very difficult to perform shimming close to a magnetic pole.
For a hollow, cylindrical and horizontal magnet, in order to reduce the effect of claustrophobia, a patient usually lies in a bed closer to the lower side of the hollow channel, so as to increase the patient's distance to the upper side of the hollow channel. The magnetic field homogeneity of the manufactured magnet again is not as homogeneous as by theoretical calculation, so the final homogeneity also has to be achieved by shimming, such as by inserting shims into pre-made grooves on the periphery of the hollow channel.
For flat magnets, the homogeneous region is usually designed at a position that is symmetrical relative to the upper and lower magnetic poles, but for a hollow cylindrical magnet, the homogeneous region is designed at a position symmetrical relative to the cylindrical axis. In the prior art, the following methods are usually used to improve magnetic field homogeneity in magnetic resonance imaging systems:
(1) The magnets are produced with a more optimized design, for example by optimizing the source for generating the magnetic field and the magnetic circuit so as to achieve a better and bigger homogeneous region, and this method is intended to improve the overall homogeneity of the magnetic field;
(2) Shimming is performed for an ellipsoidal volume instead of a spherical volume, which leads to reduced shimming requirements in the short axis direction of the ellipsoid;
(3) The requirements for the field homogeneity are reduced by designing different imaging sequences.
Referring to FIG. 1, in the prior art the homogeneous region of the magnetic field is usually a spherical homogeneous region 300 or an ellipsoidal homogeneous region 400. Because a patient to be scanned has the shape of an irregular object to be examined 200, and as mentioned above, the patient is usually positioned closer to the lower magnetic pole and farther away from the upper magnetic pole, therefore the patient is not located at the middle position of the homogeneous region formed between the upper and lower magnetic poles. In order to cover the area below the irregular object to be examined 200, the volume of this spherical shaped homogeneous region 300 or the ellipsoidal shaped homogeneous region 400 has to be big enough, which means a great increase of the homogeneous region that is not within the image scanning area and that has no contribution to the image quality.
Therefore, in the above schemes, the magnet design optimization improves the magnetic field's overall homogeneity to a certain degree, but cannot solve the problem of creating redundant homogeneous regions having no contribution to image quality. The use of an ellipsoidal shaped field region instead of a spherical shaped field region for shimming can reduce the homogeneous regions having no contribution to image quality to a certain degree, but this still is not sufficient when scanning an irregular object to be examined that has a more complicated shape. Designing different imaging sequences to reduce requirements to field homogeneity can reduce equipment costs, but nevertheless cannot solve the problem of non-contributing homogeneous regions, and the use of different imaging sequences leads to long acquisition times and slow image formation speed.

Shimmed magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and shimming method therefor


A perineometer for home or clinical use assesses the strength of pelvic floor muscles and provides audible and visual biofeedback signals as training aids during pelvic exercises. Impedance signals proportional to vaginal contraction pressure forces are developed by a transducer sleeve that is mounted on a vaginal probe. A battery-powered RF transmitter module contained within the probe transmits wireless impedance signals to a hand-held receiver equipped with an audio-visual display monitor. The probe reacts the pelvic contraction forces and thus provides a direct tactile feedback signal that is used in combination with audible and visual feedback signals for improving the endurance and strength of pelvic floor muscles.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to exercise devices for rehabilitating and strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor, particularly the collective group of muscles referred to as the female pubococcygeal and related perineal musculature.
2. Description of the Related Art
An area of great concern to women and health care providers as well are pelvic health disorders that involve the pelvic area (bladder, pelvic floor muscle, rectum and uterus). The lower pelvic muscles may become damaged or weakened through childbirth, lack of use, age, or as the result of surgical procedures. One of the symptoms related to a weakening of these muscles is urinary incontinence. Other pelvic disorders include chronic pelvic pain and vulvodynia (pelvic muscle dysfunction) that are sometimes experienced by young adult women. These disorders are caused by involuntary contractions (spasms) of the levator ani and perineal muscles. This condition is called vaginismus or pelvic floor tension myalgia and is accompanied by painful and difficult penetration of the vagina.
Various exercise devices have been developed in an attempt to restore the pelvic floor muscles, with the specific goal of strengthening the muscles that surround the urethra to overcome urinary incontinence in women. An early-patented pelvic exercise device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,928,893, issued to Dr. Ralph D. Hoard in 1933. The device is intended to be inserted into a patient's vagina to exercise the vaginal muscles. It includes a two-sided tubular apparatus whose sides are biased slightly apart by springs. The sides of the tubular device are squeezed against the pressure of the springs by contraction of the vaginal muscles.
Additional patents have been issued for a number of other exercisers, including U.S. Pat. No. 2,763,265 (E. G. Waters) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,092 (Stanley D. Harpstead). The Waters device is a generally hard tubular probe that has varying cross sectional dimensions for assistance in identifying the various muscle groups and for applying isometric exercise to those muscle groups within or connected to the vagina. The Harpstead device is a hollow body designed to receive various configurations of weights. With the patient in the upright position, the device is inserted within the vagina so that the muscles of the vagina and the pelvic area must be constricted and held in a continuing contracted or squeezed state without further change in muscle length (isometric exercise).
U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,858 to Kegel shows an exercising device that includes a probe in the form of a pressurized sleeve that is inserted within the vagina to exercise the muscles around the vagina and to measure their strength. An external pressure gage is connected to the probe via a flexible air tube that extends externally of the vagina. The external gage provides a visual indication of muscle force applied during exercise.
Du Vall U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,147 shows a vaginal probe that includes an internal pressure sensor that is connected to an external contraction intensity meter via electrical conductors.
Perry U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,019 shows a vaginal probe equipped with electrodes for sensing minute natural electrical impulses within the vagina and communicating those impulse signals via electrical conductors to an external display unit for biofeedback purposes.
Fabian U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,987 shows a vaginal treatment probe connected to an external compliance monitor.
Pauser U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,832 shows a vaginal probe that includes an internal pressure sensor that is connected to an external display meter via electrical conductors for monitoring the contraction of pelvic floor muscles.
Wax U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,045 shows a vaginal probe that includes an internal pressure sensor that is connected to an external display device via electrical conductors for monitoring the contraction of pelvic floor muscles. Biofeedback patterns formed on the display device guide the patient through an exercise routine.
Notwithstanding the existence of such conventional exercise devices, there is a continuing interest in an improved exerciser that allows the patient to exercise the vaginal muscle groups in complete privacy at home or under clinical supervision, with dynamic real-time biofeedback, is simple to use, has a low risk of injury and is easy to maintain. There is a further need for a biofeedback probe and monitor for use by women who are experiencing painful pelvic spasms (pelvic floor tension myalgia), that provides visual as well tactile feedback signals as an aid for training pelvic muscle relaxation techniques.


Golf ball 2 has a center 8, mid layer 10 and a cover 6. The mid layer 10 is formed by a resin composition containing a metal oxide with a three-dimensional shape. A D hardness of the mid layer 10 is 32 or greater and 39 or less. A ratio of an amount of compressive deformation C1 of the center 8 to an amount of compressive deformation C2 of a core 4, (C1/C2), is less than 1.09. A ratio of the amount of compressive deformation C1 to an amount of compressive deformation C3, (C1/C3), is equal to or greater than 1.08. This golf ball has three or more kinds of dimples 12, each having a different diameter. Total number of the dimples 12 is equal to or greater than 300. A ratio Pn of the number of the dimples 12 with a diameter of equal to or greater than 3.40 mm to the total number of the dimples is equal to or greater than 90%. The number of kinds of the dimples having a diameter of equal to or greater than 3.40 mm in a low latitude region is greater than that in a middle region and a high latitude region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf balls. More particularly, the present invention relates to multi piece golf balls having a center, a mid layer and a cover.
2. Description of the Related Art
Golf balls have numerous dimples on the surface thereof. The dimples cause turbulent flow separation through disrupting the air flow around the golf ball during the flight. By causing the turbulent flow separation, a separating point of air from the golf ball shifts backwards leading to the reduction of drag. The turbulent flow separation promotes the differential between upper separating point and lower separating point of the golf ball, which results from the backspin, thereby enhancing a lift force that acts upon the golf ball. The reduction of drag and the enhancement of lift force are referred to as "dimple effect". Excellent dimples disturb the air flow more efficiently. The excellent dimples achieve great flight distance.
A mold for a golf ball consists of an upper mold half and a lower mold half. Each of the upper mold half and the lower mold half has a hemispherical cavity face. When the upper and the lower mold are mated, a spherical cavity is formed. This mold has a parting line between the upper and the lower mold half. The parting line is a great circle. On a surface of a golf ball, a portion which corresponds to the parting line is referred to as an equator (or a seam). The equator is a great circle. The vicinity of the equator is a particular region. In the vicinity of the equator, dimples tend to be arranged orderly. The orderly arranged dimples deteriorate the dimple effect. JP-A No. 2000-93556 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,055) discloses a proposal to remove the particularity in the equator vicinity region.
Flight performance of a golf ball greatly depends on its resilience performance. JP-A No. 10-179799 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,192) discloses a golf ball with a core containing aluminum borate whiskers. This golf ball is excellent in resilience performance.
For a golf ball, feel at impact as well as flight performance is important. JP-A No. 2000-70412 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,896) discloses a golf ball with a proper amount of compressive deformation. This golf ball is excellent in feel at impact.
Further, durability is also important for a golf ball. JP-A No. 2002-239033 (US No. 2002/0173380) discloses a golf ball with a cover formed by two layers. This golf ball is excellent in feel at impact and durability.
Golf players desire further improvement in performance of golf balls. An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball which is excellent in flight performance, feel at impact and durability.


A walker for use by those with limited mobility. The walker includes a seat assembly that assists the user in rising from a seated position or sitting from a standing position. The seat assembly is mounted in a frame and includes at least one gas spring mounted between the seat assembly and the frame that deflects the seat assembly while the user is rising from the seat or dampens the deflection of the seat when the user is sitting. The walker may include other capabilities and attachments, including a braking system and mountings for ancillary equipment.

It is commonly accepted that the population of the U.S. is getting older. For example, studies performed by the State of Utah, and documented on the university's Home Health, Hospice, and Elder Care Website, indicate that, over the next 25 years, the elderly population is projected to increase 80%. As the "baby boomer" generation ages, America is facing an increase in an elderly population requiring technologies that compensate for the effects of age.
Unfortunately, a side effect of aging is decreased mobility. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, out of a base of 2,333,555 elderly persons, about 40% of them are considered disabled in the State of New York alone. Disability often leads to immobility, which can then lead to inactivity. Inactivity has been noted to be the cause of some major health problems in elderly populations. Many physical ailments have been associated with aging, such as, a decrease in muscle mass and a decrease in maximum heart rate. Conversely, modest exercise has been shown to have countless benefits, including improved bone density, improved functions in osteoarthritis, and reduction in coronary artery disease. Recent studies even suggestion that increased physical activity in senior citizens may prevent the onset of dementia.
As the population ages, the need for ambulatory assisting devices will only increase. With the aging of the population, relatively common activities such as walking and standing will become more difficult for many. As a result, many elderly will find it harder to get from place to place by themselves and may often need help from others or from mechanical devices, such as "walkers." Besides the elderly, others may also be in need of ambulatory assistance, for example, those recovering from debilitating injury or surgery.
According to contemporary understanding, ambulatory assist devices, such as walkers, typically reduce stress and strain on the musculoskeletal system allowing the user to move about with greater ease. For example, one of the advantages of such devices is that they reduce the turning moments on key joints in the lower half of the human body needed for movement. In addition, these devices also decrease the angular impulse needed to initiate motion. As is known in the art, the three major skeletal systems that are targeted by these aids are the hip flexor/extensor, the knee flexor/extensor, and the ankle plantar flexor/extensor. Ambulatory assist device typically reduce the movements, angular impulses, and strain in these joints.
However, prior art ambulatory assisting device fail to provide assistance for a relatively common bodily motion: transitioning from a sitting position to a standing position, for example, to a standing position prior to walking. The prior art is replete with ambulatory assisting devices; however, none of the prior art devices provide assistance for this common motion. Aspects of the present invention were developed in response to the recognized need.
A review of the existing walker technology reveals the availability of two types of walkers: "anterior" and "posterior" walkers. As their names imply, anterior walkers include a frame in front of the user that is essentially pushed along by the user; posterior walkers include a frame behind the user that is essentially dragged by the user. One significant distinction between the two designs is that the posterior type walker typically permits the user to perform typical activities, for example, household activities, such as approaching counters, sinks, stoves, and tables, without interference by the posterior walker. Conventional anterior walkers typically obstruct such common activities. Thus, in one aspect of the present invention, a posterior walker is provided.
Existing lift-assisting technology includes the lift-assisted cushion described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,370 and marketed under the name Up Easy Lifting Cushion by Uplift Technologies; the lifting harness described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,018; and the lifting handles disclosed in published U.S. Patent Application 2002/0082148. However, upon evaluation by the inventors, none of these lifting mechanisms were found to effectively address the complex motion of standing from a sitting position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,122 discloses a wheeled anterior walker having a spring-biased seat, but again this device does not effectively address the complex motion of standing from a sitting position.
One existing posterior walker is provided by Wenzelite, for example, model number CE 1200 provided by Edmond Wheelchair Supply [http://Edmond-wheelchair.com]. However, the Wenzelite walker provides no lift assistance. Attempts by the inventors to incorporate the Left Chair mechanism referenced above with the posterior Wenzelite walker were unsuccessful. The inventors found that this combination did not address the issue of how to effectively move the seating surface out of the walking area once the user was standing. Other walkers include the Merry Traveler® posterior walker [www.merrywalker.com/traveler.html] and the Dolomite Rollator anterior walker [www.phc-online.com/dolomite rollator.html]. These walkers also provide no lift assistance.
Japanese Publication No. 2001087316 discloses an anterior walker having an adjustable seat driven by a gas cylinder and a guide screw. However, this device is limited to simply raising an elderly person from a position on the floor to a position above the floor. Again, this device provides no assistance in lifting a person from the seated position to a standing position.
Aspects of the invention provide advantages and improvements not found in these and other prior art. Specifically, prior art ambulatory assisting devices fail to provide assistance for a relatively common bodily motion: transitioning from a sitting position to a standing position.

Walker with lift-assisting seat assembly


A system and method for translating dispatch communications between networks which operate according to different dispatch communication formats are provided. A communication system includes a dispatch translation network that translates dispatch communications between different dispatch communication networks. The dispatch translation network includes two or more dispatch translation gateways coupled to dispatch communication networks, the dispatch translation gateways perform signaling protocol and media translation for dispatch communications between the dispatch communication networks.

Cellular communications systems typically provide interconnect and/or dispatch voice communication services. Interconnect voice communication services are full-duplex and are typically provided by most cellular or wireless carriers as circuit-switched communications. Dispatch communication services are half-duplex and are commonly known as a walkie-talkie or push-to-talk type of calls such as Sprint Nextel's service identified by the trade name Direct Connect. Interconnect voice communication services provided by most cellular carriers can be provided between sources and destinations of different cellular carriers. However, dispatch communication services are typically implemented in a proprietary manner, which prevents dispatch calls from originating in one cellular carrier's network and terminating in another cellular carrier's network.

System and method for distributed dispatch translation gateways


A substrate treatment method includes a substrate holding unit which horizontally holds a substrate; a rotating unit which rotates the substrate held by the substrate holding unit about a vertical axis; and a first nozzle having an opposing face to be opposed to a lower surface of the substrate inward of a peripheral portion of the substrate in spaced relation to the lower surface of the substrate during rotation of the substrate by the rotating unit and a treatment liquid spout provided in the opposing face for filling a space defined between the lower surface of the substrate and the opposing face with a treatment liquid spouted from the treatment liquid spout to keep the space in a liquid filled state; wherein the treatment liquid spreads outwardly over the lower surface of the substrate and further, flows around to a peripheral portion of an upper surface of the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate treatment apparatus and a substrate treatment method for cleaning a peripheral portion of a substrate. Examples of the substrate to be treated include semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, substrates for plasma display devices, substrates for FED (Field Emission Display) devices, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photo masks, and substrates for photovoltaic cells.
2. Description of Related Art
In a semiconductor device production process, a thin metal film is formed on a device formation surface of a generally round substrate or a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to simply as "wafer"), and then an etching process is often performed to etch away unnecessary portions of the thin metal film. Where the thin metal film is also formed on a peripheral portion of the wafer, for example, the metal is likely to contaminate a hand of a transport robot during the handling of the wafer by the transport robot, and the contamination is transferred to other wafers. Therefore, the unnecessary portions of the thin metal film are removed from the peripheral portion of the wafer.
A substrate treatment apparatus adapted to remove the thin metal film from the peripheral portion of the wafer includes, for example, a spin chuck which horizontally holds and rotates the wafer, and an etching liquid nozzle which supplies an etching liquid to a lower surface of the wafer. The wafer is held by the spin chuck with its front surface (formed with the device formation region) facing up. A center axis nozzle inserted through a rotation shaft of the spin chuck is used as the etching liquid nozzle. The center axis nozzle has a spout provided at an upper end thereof in opposed relation to a center portion of the lower surface of the wafer held by the spin chuck. When the etching liquid spouted from the spout reaches the lower surface of the wafer, the etching liquid receives a centrifugal force to spread outward radially about a rotation center, and flows around to an upper surface of the wafer from a peripheral edge of the wafer. Thus, the unnecessary portions are etched away from a peripheral portion of the upper surface of the wafer. The etching process (so-called bevel etching process) is performed on a region of the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the wafer having a predetermined width (e.g., 0.5 to 1.5 mm) by controlling the flow rate of the etching liquid spouted from the etching liquid nozzle and the rotation speed of the spin chuck (see US2003/196683A1).
With the aforementioned arrangement, however, it is difficult to precisely control the width (treatment width) of the region of the upper surface of the wafer from which the thin metal film is removed.
Where the lower surface of the wafer (or a surface of the thin film formed on the lower surface of the wafer) has in-plane variations in hydrophilicity, the etching liquid is liable to move toward the lower surface peripheral portion of the wafer along higher hydrophilicity regions of the lower surface. Therefore, the etching liquid does not necessarily spread uniformly but radially linearly, so that the etching liquid is supplied at different flow rates to the peripheral portion of the wafer. Therefore, the etching liquid flow-around amount varies over the peripheral portion of the wafer.
Further, the flow rate of the etching liquid spouted from the etching liquid nozzle is liable to be unstable at the start of the spouting of the etching liquid. Even after a lapse of a certain period of time from the start of the spouting of the etching liquid, the flow rate of the etching liquid spouted from the etching liquid nozzle is liable to be momentarily changed due to pulsation of a pump. If the flow rate of the etching liquid spouted from the etching liquid nozzle is changed during the etching process, the flow rate of the etching liquid supplied to the peripheral portion of the wafer is also changed. Therefore, the amount of the etching liquid flowing around to the upper surface of the wafer is liable to differ from a desired flow-around amount.
The same problem occurs not only in the bevel etching process but also when the upper surface peripheral portion of the wafer is treated (cleaned) with a chemical agent such as a cleaning agent.


Systems, devices, and configurations to implement ESM (energy saving management) techniques in wireless networks are generally disclosed herein. In some examples, a distributed or centralized multi-RAT (radio access technology) technique is provided to implement ESM on a LTE (Long Term Evolution) or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) primary cell network. The technique may factor the number of UEs unable to be offloaded to another RAT (such as a Wi-Fi network), and the service impact threshold of implementing ESM on the primary wireless network. In further examples, an ESM deployment may factor the idle mode state of UEs (user equipment) in determining whether to proceed with ESM activation at a particular time on a particular cell network.

Existing wireless networks provide varying levels and implementations of energy saving management (ESM) techniques. ESM may be provided in cellular wide area wireless networks (WWANs) to power down cell base stations. One example ESM implementation, introduced in the 3GPP Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) Release 10 specification, provides an intra-radio access technology (RAT) scenario where all enhanced NodeB base stations (eNodeBs) utilize the same Radio Access Technology (RAT) and provide the same services.
Proposed inter-RAT ESM approaches typically rely on moving a subscriber from a high-speed RAT to a lower-speed RAT when attempting to implement ESM on a high-speed RAT. Subscribers, however, are unlikely to want to be downgraded to a less-robust data connection at non-peak times simply to save energy for network operators. Thus, there is a need to provide a level of service that is acceptable to subscribers while implementing ESM and saving energy where possible.
Further, some ESM approaches use traffic load statistics, or threshold crossing, to determine when ESM should be implemented and which cells should be switched off or on. Traffic load statistics do not adequately factor the different service capabilities and Quality of Service (QoS) associated with different RAT.

Inter-RAT (radio access technology) energy saving management


A bonding pad for use in attaching a semiconductor chip to a printed circuit board, includes: a copper layer; an organic layer disposed over the copper layer in a pattern such that part of the copper layer is exposed; and a gold layer disposed over the organic layer and in contact with the exposed part of the copper layer.

A semiconductor chip may be electrically connected to a bonding pad formed on a printed circuit board through a wire.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a known semiconductor chip 20 attached to a printed circuit board 10.
Referring to FIG. 1, the semiconductor chip 20 is connected to the printed circuit board 10 by a wire 18. The wire 18 is bonded to a bonding pad 14 formed on the printed circuit board 10. The bonding pad 14 is electrically connected with a wiring (not shown) formed on the printed circuit board 10. Although gold is preferably used as a material for the bonding pad 14, a copper layer plated with gold has been used for reducing the manufacturing cost. However, when copper is in direct contact with gold, copper may diffuse into the gold, thereby weakening the adhesivity between the wire 18 and the bonding pad 14 or causing galvanic corrosion.
One known method to attempt to avoid copper diffusion into gold is described in connection with FIG. 2, which is an enlarged sectional view of the bonding pad 14 of FIG. 1. In the bonding pad 14, a nickel layer 14b serving as a diffusion barrier film—is formed between a copper layer 14a and a gold layer 14c to prevent the direct contact between them. While the nickel layer 14b provides a reduction in copper diffusion, the additional cost incurred through the use of nickel makes this approach undesirable.
What is needed, therefore, is a bonding structure that overcomes at least the shortcomings described above.

Bonding pad for printed circuit board and semiconductor chip package using same

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, at least a first fin structure, at least a second fin structure, a first gate, a second gate, a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region. The semiconductor substrate has at least a first active region to dispose the first fin structure and at least a second active region to dispose the second fin structure. The first/second fin structure partially overlapped by the first/second gate has a first/second stress, and the first stress and the second stress are different from each other. The first/second source/drain region is disposed in the first/second fin structure at two sides of the first/second gate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for making the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device including a channel region having a strained silicon epitaxial layer, and a method for making the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the trend in the industry being towards scaling down the size of metal oxide semiconductor transistors (MOS), three-dimensional or non-planar transistor technology such as multiple gate Field effect transistor (multiple gate FET) technology has been developed to replace the planar MOS transistor. The three-dimensional structure of a multiple gate FET increases the overlapping area between the gate and the fin structure of the silicon substrate, and accordingly, the channel region is more effectively controlled. The drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) effect and short channel effect is therefore reduced. In addition, the channel region is longer under the same gate length, and thus the current between the source and the drain is increased.
To meet the design trends with respect to high integration, high performance, low power consumption, and the demand of products, fabricating a novel multiple gate FET to improve the reliability of semiconductor device performance is an important issue in the field.

Semiconductor device having strained fin structure and method of making the same


A clock recovery method is disclosed wherein the FIFO delay of data words and the phase difference between a data word and a receiver clock are used to time data transmissions from a transmitter. The phase difference between the data word and the receiver clock is determined by the offset of a word relative to a desired position in a storage buffer. The FIFO delay is determined either by measuring the difference between a read pointer and a write pointer in the FIFO or, alternatively, by calculating the difference between a timestamp of the time a data word entered the FIFO and the current time as the data word is read from the FIFO.

There are numerous manners in which to transfer data from a transmitter to a receiver. In a typical system for transferring data, a transmitter has clock circuitry that controls the speed at which data are transferred via a communications medium. A receiver in such a system also typically has clock circuitry that controls the speed at which the data that are received from the communications medium is processed.
Ideally, the receiver's clock and the transmitter's clock will operate at exactly the same frequency and will be appropriately aligned in phase. However, the clock used by the transmitter is typically different in phase and slightly different in frequency as compared to that of the receiver. Further, the data may be variably delayed through the transmission medium as well as through the receiver circuitry. For the case of transmission systems in which several transmitters are transmitting to one or more receivers (for instance, over a time-division multiplexed network), the receivers must recover each transmitter's clock and data, and therefore the receiver circuitry must be able to respond to any number of different phases and perhaps slightly different frequencies within a specified tolerance. Such a system in which data traveling along the transmission medium contains time-division-multiplexed "bursts" of data originating from transmitters with nearly the same clock frequency and no phase alignment is henceforth referred to as a "burst-mode" transmission system.
The efficiency of burst-mode systems is characterized by the ratio of a) the time in the data stream occupied by the readable component of the data bursts, to b) the "unused" time in the transmission line comprised of inter-burst time gaps. To increase the efficiency of any burst-mode system, one seeks to reduce the time overhead introduced by the receiver circuitry and to minimize these inter-burst time gaps. In order to achieve the latter, all sources of delays in the transmission system must be accurately characterized and controlled. For instance, the use of elastic buffers in burst-mode clock and data recovery circuits, such as first-in-first-out buffers (FIFOs), introduces timing delays that prevent the efficient control and minimization of inter-burst time gaps. One method of addressing these efficiency and gap minimization problems is to measure the time delay and phase differences between the clock at the transmitter and the clock at the receiver. However, in order to measure this timing delay, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the clock at the transmitter, which is usually remote from the receiver. Therefore, some method of recovering the transmitter clock characteristics and associating those characteristics with the receiver clock and a particular data transmission is required.
Generally, in non-burst mode transmission systems such recovery, known as clock and data recovery (CDR), can easily be achieved by either standard open-loop or closed-loop clock recovery systems. Examples of these systems, which are well known in the art, are described in I. Dorros et al., An Experimental 224 Mb/s Digital Repeated Line, The Bell System Technical Journal, Vol. 45, No. 7, pp. 993–1043 (September 1966) and R. R. Cordell et al. in A 50 Mhz Phase- and Frequency-Locked Loop, IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Vol. SC-14, No. 6, pp 1003–1010 (December 1979), respectively. Open-loop systems are characterized by a narrow bandpass filter (e.g., a SAW filter), while closed-loop systems typically contain a simple phase-locked loop, which attempts to lock onto the phase of the incoming signal. While such methods sufficiently recover clock and data for continuous or pseudo-bursty data, they are ineffective at CDR in burst mode systems. More recently, cost-effective methods and apparatus for recovering the phase of a signal in a burst-mode transmission system have been developed that avoid many of the deficiencies associated with prior apparatus and methods. One such method suited for use with burst mode signals generates a recovered clock more quickly than other methods in the prior art. This method is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,290, issued on Aug. 17, 1993 to Mihai Banu et. al., which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Specifically, according to the '290 patent, the transmitter clock is recovered with a bounded phase relationship with respect to the incoming data signal. Thus, the recovered transmitter clock and the incoming data signal will have the same frequency and their relative phase will remain within a given range.
In another prior attempt, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,872, issued on May 26, 1998 also to Mihai Banu et. al., a FIFO buffer was incorporated into the method of the '290 patent in order to prevent the loss of data that could result from the potential lack of synchronization between the local receiver clock and the recovered transmitter clock.
However, while the prior methods such as those disclosed in the '290 patent and the '872 patent provide a method of accurately recovering the transmitted clock and data, the clock information was only used to assist the receiver in capturing and correlating the incoming data for further transmission within the network.

Clock, data and time recovery using bit-resolved timing registers