An encapsulated integrated circuit package having an integrated circuit chip with a plurality of electrical leads connected thereto and at least one thermally conductive screen mesh positioned adjacent to the chip. A non-electrically conductive thermosetting or thermoplastic material forms a housing enclosing the chip and bonded to the screen mesh. Preferably one of the layers is exposed to the outside of the housing and the screen mesh is secured to a substrate supporting the chip.

The present invention is directed to an encapsulated integrated circuit package having a thermally conductive screen mesh molded into the package to improve the thermal performance.
The packaging of single or multiple integrated circuit chips or dice into conventional thermosetting or thermoplastic packages has been limited because of the poor thermal conductivity of the molding material limiting the amount of heat which can be dissipated from the package. In order to overcome this problem, solid metal slugs have been included in some encapsulants to improve transferring the generated heat out of the encapsulated integrated circuit package. However, such solutions have been expensive and such encapsulated packages are subject to failure due to the mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the metal slugs and the encapsulant.

Thermally conductive screen mesh for encapsulated integrated circuit packages

Microelectronics And Computer Technology Corporation


A method for producing a filled skutterudite-based alloy includes the steps of melting alloy raw material that includes a rare earth metal R that is at least one species selected from among La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu and Yb, a transition metal T that is at least one species selected from among Fe, Co, Ni, Os, Ru, Pd, Pt and Ag, and metallic antimony Sb to form a melt; and rapidly quenching the melt through strip casting to form a solidified product that is the filled skutterudite-based alloy advantageously usable for a thermoelectric element.

Thermoelectric conversion materials formed of a filled skutterudite-based alloy have low thermal conductivity, as compared with an intermetallic compound, such as CoSb3, having a skutterudite-type crystal structure, which compound is a type of conventional thermoelectric conversion materials. Therefore, such thermoelectric materials formed of a filled skutterudite-based alloy show promise as thermoelectric conversion materials for use particularly in a high-temperature range.
A filled skutterudite-based alloy is an intermetallic compound represented by the formula RT4Pn12 (wherein R represents a rare earth metal, T a transition metal, and Pn an element, such as P, As or Sb). In the alloy, interstitial spaces present in skutterudite-type crystals represented by formula TPn3 (wherein T represents a transition metal, and Pn an element, such as P, As or Sb), are partially filled with large-mass atoms, such as rare earth metals (R). One reason why thermoelectric conversion materials formed of a filled skutterudite-based alloy have low thermal conductivity is that, when interstitial spaces included in the skutterudite-type crystals are filled with rare earth metal elements, the rare earth metal elements cause vibration, by virtue of weak bonding between the elements and Pn, thereby providing phonon scattering centers.
Appropriate selection of R or T is considered to allow selective conversion of the filled skutterudite-based alloy into either a p-type material or an n-type material. Thus, in order to select the p-type or n-type, attempts have been made to substitute elements, such as Co and Ni, for part of component T comprising Fe atoms.
The thus produced p-type and n-type filled skutterudite-based alloys are shaped into blocks, and a p-type block and an n-type block are directly or indirectly (i.e., by the mediation of a metallic conductor) joined together so as to form a p-n junction, whereby a thermoelectric conversion element can be fabricated. Alternatively, a thermoelectric conversion element module (U- or V-shape) can be fabricated by connecting p-type and n-type filled skutterudite-based alloy thermoelectric conversion members so as to form a p-n junction. As another alternative, a series of thermoelectric conversion elements having a p-n junction are connected and equipped with a heat exchanger to thereby provide a thermoelectric conversion system, through which electricity can be generated on the basis of a difference in temperature.
Conventionally, thermoelectric conversion elements have been fabricated by use of a filled skutterudite-based alloy in such a manner as comprising the steps of weighing high-purity powder materials of a rare earth metal, a transition metal, P, As, Sb, etc. so as to attain the composition of a target filled skutterudite alloy, mixing the materials, calcining the mixture at 800° C. or lower, pulverizing the calcined product, hot-press-sintering or plasma-discharge-sintering the pulverized product by heating to 800° C. and cutting the sintered product.
However, when the above method is employed, the crystal grain size of the formed filled skutterudite-based alloy is greatly affected by the conditions of material powder. In addition, there arises a problem that an increase in crystal grain size, which tends to occur when sintering conditions are not strictly controlled, causes a deteriorated performance of the fabricated thermoelectric conversion elements.
In order to avoid the above problem, there has been proposed a technique where a sintered product of Sb-containing skutterudite-based thermoelectric material, which is a type of filled skutterudite-based thermoelectric conversion material, is formed from minute skutterudite-structure crystal grains and a metal oxide is dispersed in the grain boundaries of the crystal grains (JP-A 2000-252526).
The publication discloses that the use of the above technique reduces the mean crystal grain size of the skutterudite-structure crystal grains to 20 μm or less. However, the method has a problem that the presence of metal oxide in the crystal grain boundaries lowers electric conductivity.
Another method for producing a thermoelectric conversion material formed of a filled skutterudite-based alloy is a heat treatment of ribbons fabricated through the melt-spinning method (JP-A 2002-26400). The melt-spinning method generally includes pouring a molten metal under pressure onto a roller that is rotating at high speed, from a nozzle formed of a quartz-made tube having a hole of approximately 1 mm in its tip.
However, even when the method is employed, a filled skutterudite thermoelectric conversion element having a satisfactory purity is difficult to obtain since the produced alloy ribbons assume amorphous or contain decomposition products, such as Sb2Fe and Sb. Thus, the alloy ribbons must be heated at 873 K to 1,073 K for five hours or longer so as to attain a practically usable purity, thereby constituting another problem.
Furthermore, in any of the aforementioned methods, when steps from a material preparation step to a sintering step are carried out in an oxygen-containing atmosphere, such as air, rare earth metal atoms are removed from the crystal lattice of a filled skutterudite structure by the oxidation of rare earth metals, resulting in partial decomposition of the skutterudite structure to form Sb2Fe and Sb, which is also problematic.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a filled skutterudite-based thermoelectric conversion material without requiring adoption of an alloy-pulverizing step and a pulverized product-sintering step.
Another object of the invention is to provide a filled skutterudite-based alloy advantageously usable for a thermoelectric conversion element without being modified.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a thermoelectric conversion element fabricated using the above filled skutterudite-based alloy.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Filled skutterudite-based alloy, production method thereof and thermoelectric conversion device fabricated using the alloy


A phase difference detector generates a plurality of signals from an input beam including orthogonal, linearly polarized object and reference beam components. The detector may be configured such that as the reference and object beam components traverse the detector, phase shifts due to surface interactions are made as similar as possible between the s-components of the reference object beams, and between the p-components of the reference and object beams. Various outputs may be formed by interfering p-components exclusively, or s-components exclusively, negating errors that may otherwise arise due to differential phase shifts between p- and s-components. Phase-shifting elements in the detector may receive beams from beam splitting surfaces where the transmissive differential phase shift between p- and s-components is adjusted to insignificance.

1. Field of Invention
This invention is directed to detectors for interferometric distance measuring and surface profiling devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Laser interferometers are widely used to measure distances or displacements. One type, polarization interferometers, may form an output beam having two orthogonal, linearly polarized components—a reference beam component and an object beam component. The desired distance or displacement measuring information is carried by the phase difference between the orthogonal, linearly polarized reference and object components of the combined output beam.
Numerous schemes have been devised for measuring this phase difference. In one common scheme, a quadrature-type phase difference detector is used. Quadrature-type phase difference detectors typically divide the combined output beam from the interferometer into multiple beams, typically four beams, and intentionally introduce a different additional phase difference along each beam path. Ideally, the signal derived from each respective beam path corresponds precisely to the phase difference present at the output of the interferometer, plus the additional phase difference introduced along that beam path. The multiple signals are then processed based on trigonometric relationships that are specific to the various intentionally introduced phase differences, in order to determine the phase difference present at the output of the interferometer.
The terms light and radiation are used interchangeably herein. "Light" is not restricted to visible radiation. When used with reference to the operation of a detector, the term input beam generally refers to the orthogonal, linearly polarized reference and object components of an interferometric measurement beam as they encounter the first beam splitting surface of a detector. For example, an interferometric measurement beam output from an interferometer may be rotated by a half wave plate or the like that may be fixed to the detector in front of the first beam splitting surface. In such a case, the input beam is considered to be the interferometric measurement beam after it is rotated by the half wave plate, or the like, as it is presented to the first beam splitting surface of the detector.
The resolution and/or accuracy of a polarization interferometer is often limited by the ability of the phase difference detector, also referred to simply as a detector herein, to generate one or more measurement signals which are truly related only to the phase difference between the object and reference beams output from the interferometer. Conventional configurations of the quadrature-type detectors outlined above typically introduce unwanted "differential phase shifts" between the reference and object beam components that interfere to form the various output signals. In some applications, the measurement errors associated with these differential phase shifts are insignificant and/or unrecognized, and they are ignored. In other applications, "lumped" errors are compensated by special calibrations or adjustments and/or signal processing operations, without considering the root causes of the errors. In any case, such errors may adversely affect the accuracy, complexity, and/or reliability of a detector used for phase difference measurements.
The present invention is directed to a polarization interferometer phase difference detector that uses a novel component configuration and orientation to advance the achievable phase difference measurement accuracy. It should be appreciated that phase difference measurement is already a refined art, and that even small improvements are valued for extending the accuracy and/or reliability of the most accurate measurement technology that is widely available (interferometry). The phase difference measurement is ultimately used to provide a measuring resolution and/or accuracy finer than the basic wavelength of radiation used in the interferometer. For this reason, the degree of meaningful measurement resolution supported by a detector is sometimes referred to as the "interpolation level". Interpolation levels on the order of 1/100 of a wavelength are not uncommon. A detector according to this invention may provide meaningful interpolation well beyond this level, on the order of 1/1000 of a wavelength, for example.
As previously indicated, conventional detector arrangements typically include errors that arise because, in practice, conventional detectors may introduce unwanted differential phase shifts between the reference and object beam components that interfere to form the various output signals. Such differential phase shifts may directly alter signal amplitudes and the apparent phase difference between the interfering components of the reference and object beams in the outputs. They may also contribute to errors that alter the ideal phase relationships between the various outputs of the detector. In a quadrature-type detector, such phase relationship errors are referred to as "orthogonality errors."Orthogonality errors arise from the output signals having a phase relationship other than the expected 0, 90, 180 and 270 degree relationships, as assumed in various signal processing operations described below.
In conventional detectors, beamsplitter surfaces and/or coatings may generally be a source of differential phase shifts between the p and s polarization components of the beams with which they interact. We denote the p-s phase shift difference (the induced differential phase shift) in transmission asΔTP-S≡δTP−δTS  (1)and the differential phase shift in reflection asΔRP-S≡δRP−δRS  (2)
where δTP, δTS, δRP, and δRS are the beamsplitter coating/surface induced phase shifts for the p and s components in transmission and reflection respectively. It is generally difficult and/or prohibitively expensive to fabricate beamsplitter coatings that simultaneously control both of transmissive and reflective differential phase shifts as well as the desired ratio between the transmitted and reflected beam intensities.
According to one feature of this invention, it is not necessary to control both the transmissive and reflective differential phase shifts at each beam splitting surface in a detector, in order to eliminate their potential error contributions. Rather, components, surface orientations, and beam polarization directions are arranged such that as the reference beam and object beam components traverse various surfaces and/or coatings, induced phase shifts due to the surface and/or coatings interactions are made to be as similar as possible between the s-components of both the reference beam and object beam, and various output signals are formed by mixing these s-components exclusively. Similarly, surface and/or coatings interactions are made to be as similar as possible between the p-components of both the reference beam and object beam, and various output signals are formed by mixing these p-components exclusively. Thus, the majority of phase shifts induced at the various surfaces and/or coating in a detector according to this invention are arranged to be "common mode" phase shifts in the interference signals that are output from the detector. Such common mode phase shifts do not contribute a net error in the phase difference represented in the interference signals, resulting in a more accurate measurement of the phase difference between the reference beam and object beam components. The resulting improvements in accuracy are important when attempting to increase the measurement resolution and accuracy of an interferometer to smaller fractions of a wavelength of light. In addition, the reduction and/or elimination of differential phase shifts within a detector is achieved in a particularly robust, simple and cost-effective manner in various embodiments according to this invention.
However, despite the foregoing feature of the invention, in the absence of additional care, errors may still arise in association with phase-shifting elements used in a detector. For example, quadrature-type detectors generally include quarter wave elements to introduce a 90 degree phase shift between the object and reference beams along one optical path through the detector. In general, without special care, there may be a differential phase shift ΔTP-S, or ΔRP-S, between the p and s components of the object and reference beams at a beam splitting surface before they reach such a phase-shifting element. Such differential phase shifts, in effect, make the reference and object beams elliptically polarized. Therefore, in general, phase error components will be present along orthogonal polarization directions in the beam(s) transmitted by the phase-shifting element. In such a case, the resulting interference signals used for determining a phase difference will not be the ideal signals desired.
According to a separate feature of the invention, if a phase shifting element is located to receive light transmitted by a beam splitting surface, then it is sufficient if ΔTP-S is adjusted to be insignificant before the transmitted light reaches the phase shifting element. Similarly, if a phase shifting element is located to receive light reflected by a beam splitting surface, then it is sufficient if ΔRP-S is adjusted to be insignificant. This overcomes the previously indicated difficulty of simultaneously controlling both ΔTP-S and ΔRP-S, and makes it practical to provide the desired adjustment of ΔTP-S or ΔRP-S, as well as providing a desired intensity splitting ratio, in a beam spitting coating. In some embodiments, the beam splitter surface coating may also include component layers that provide the phase-shifting element.
In general, in conventional beam splitter coatings, ΔRP-S may be significantly larger than ΔTP-S. Therefore, while adjusting ΔRP-S may be a practical alternative, it may be more reliable and less expensive to adjust ΔTP-S to an insignificant level using a beam splitting coating. Accordingly, a detector may be configured such that all phase shifting elements receive beams transmitted at beam splitting surfaces where ΔTP-S is adjusted to insignificance. Errors that may otherwise arise due to uncontrolled ΔRP-S may then be negated by other previously described features of the invention.
Alternatively to providing a differential phase-shift compensating element integrated with a beam splitter surface coating, a differential phase-shift compensating element may be positioned along a path after a conventional beam splitting surface and before the phase-shifting element that provides the desired phase shift between the reference and object beams. The differential phase-shift compensating element has a design and orientation that compensates for any differential phase shift at the conventional beam splitting surface. It outputs orthogonal, linearly polarized reference and object beams to the following phase-shift element.
These and other features and advantages are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description.

Detector configuration for interferometric distance measurement


Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating a location-based community. A location of a client device is identified, as are point of interest in proximity to the location. Questions pertaining to a point of interest can be presented on the client device. A newly submitted question can be routed to other users who may be in the same or similar location or have an expertise in a particular subject matter area related to the question.

Virtual communities where users interact can provide a rich source of content as well as targeted information for users who may be seeking answers to various questions submitted to the community. Resultant questions and answers can provide a corpus of information that can be published and leveraged in other ways. Questions and answers in such a community often fail to be targeted to a specific location or other situation of the user.


Compounds of the following structure are described:

This invention relates to modulators of the progesterone receptor, their preparation and utility.
Intracellular receptors (IR) form a class of structurally related gene regulators known as "ligand dependent transcription factors" (Mangelsdorf, D. J. etc. Cell, 83, 835, 1995). The steroid receptor family is a subset of the IR family, including the progesterone receptor (PR), estrogen receptor (ER), androgen receptor (AR), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR).
The natural hormone, or ligand, for the PR is the steroid progesterone, but synthetic compounds, such as medroxyprogesterone acetate or levonorgestrel, have been made which also serve as PR ligands. Once a ligand is present in the fluid surrounding a cell, it passes through the membrane via passive diffusion, and binds to the IR to create a receptor/ligand complex. This complex binds to specific gene promoters present in the cell's DNA. Once bound to the DNA, the complex modulates the production of mRNA and the protein encoded by that gene.
A compound that binds to an IR and mimics the action of the natural hormone is termed an agonist, whilst a compound which inhibits the effect of the hormone is an antagonist.
PR agonists (natural and synthetic) are known to play an important role in the health of women. PR agonists are used in birth control formulations, either alone or in the presence of an ER agonist.
PR antagonists may also be used in contraception (Ulmann, et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 261, 248, 1995; Kekkonen, et al, Fertility and Sterility, 60, 610, 1993; or U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,136); for the treatment of hormone dependent breast cancers (Horwitz, et al, Horm. Cancer, 283, 1996, pub: Birkhaeuser, Boston, Mass., ed. Vedeckis), uterine and ovarian cancers, non-malignant chronic conditions such as uterine fibroids (Murphy, et al, J. Clin. Endo. Metab., 76, 513, 1993) and endometriosis (Kettel, et al., Fertility and Sterility, 56, 402, 1991), hormone dependent prostate cancer (Michna, et al, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 761, 224, 1995); and for hormone replacement therapy (U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,136).
What is needed in the art are alternative progesterone receptor modulators.

Oxazolidine derivatives as PR modulators

Abstract: wherein R1-R6, m, V, W, X, Y, Z and Q are described herein, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, tautomer, metabolite or prodrug thereof. These compounds are useful for treating a variety of hormone-related conditions including contraception, treating or preventing fibroids, endometriosis, dysfunctional bleeding, uterine leiomyomata, polycystic ovary syndrome, or hormone-dependent carcinomas, providing hormone replacement therapy, stimulating food intake or synchronizing estrus.


The present invention relates to a method and a system for initiating and/or conducting a transaction that is associated with at least two corresponding declarations of intent, in particular a payment transaction, between at least two transaction parties via a processing unit (3), in which payment transaction at least one of the transaction parties uses a land line telephone or mobile telephone (1, 2) or a mobile communications device for transmitting data. The method is characterized by the transmission of data to the processing unit by at least two transaction parties within a limited time frame, and by the fact that the initiation of the data transmission of these transaction parties is effected actively by the transaction parties and not by the processing unit (3), while the data transmitted during initiation contain features that enable correlating the declarations of intent with one another.

Several methods for conducting payment transactions with the aid of a mobile telephone are known. The advantages of these methods are described in e.g. DE19903822.
These methods are generally designed in such a way that the transaction parties exchange data with a processing unit or, optionally, with each other.
In this connection, a distinction must be made between two types of method, which are referred to in the following as "A-type standard-compatible method" and "B-type future-dependent methods".
"A-type standard-compatible methods" relate to those methods which can be implemented with the entire currently installed base of mobile telephones (i.e. with all or with the predominant majority of the mobile telephones/SIM module chip cards in circulation according to the state of the art) without necessitating the replacement or technical modification of said mobile telephones or SIM module chip cards.
"B-type future-dependent methods" relate to those methods that can only be implemented with special mobile telephones and SIM modules (generally of the latest model) which are still only in limited circulation or will only be marketed at a future point in time.
In type-B future-dependent methods the exchange of data generally occurs for at least one of the transaction parties via protocols and/or methods such as WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) or i-mode (predominantly in circulation in Japan), as well as via Java or SIM toolkit applications executed locally on a mobile telephone or SIM module chip card, the exchange of data occurring e.g. via GPRS (GSM Packet Radio Service).
A disadvantage of the type-B future-dependent methods is that they are dependent on the penetration and success of the technological infrastructure upon which they are based. An operator that would like to introduce such a method is faced with the choice of relying on a very small potential user basis or trying to induce potential users (e.g. with subsidies) to acquire new mobile telephone end devices. This represents a very large hurdle for the introduction of such a method.
Another disadvantage of the type-B future-dependent methods is that they can generally only be implemented in mobile wireless networks of a certain standard (such as e.g. GSM) and not with simple land line telephones.
In type-A standard-compatible methods the exchange of data generally occurs for at least one of the transaction parties via a live telephone connection with voice responses (e.g. by means of an IVR system (Interactive Voice Response)) and DTMF tone transmission (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) or by SMS (Short Message System). These methods are generally effected through the transmission of the complete mobile telephone number (ANI/MSISDN) or a unique alias from the payer and/or payee to the payee and/or payer, the transmission of a permanently valid PIN code from the payer to a processing unit for authentication and, optionally, the transmission of a temporarily valid TAN code as proof of authorization and payment from the processing unit to the payer and from the payer to the payee.
One of these methods, the so-called Paybox method, is known from the second example of DE 199 03 822. This method is briefly illustrated here as an example of a type-A standard-compatible method:
The payer (called P in the following) first verbally transmits his mobile telephone number (ANI and/or MSISDN) or an alias clearly correlated to his mobile telephone number to the payee (recipient) (R). R then implicitly transmits his mobile telephone number by way of a telephone call from his mobile telephone, and explicitly transmits the mobile telephone number of P, as well as the amount to be paid, by way of DTMF tone transmission to a processing unit (PS). (A telephone connection between R and PS remains established until the final step). The processing unit then examines whether P is an authorized participant and whether the credit rating of P is sufficient for payment of the amount in question. The PS then initiates a call to the mobile telephone number of P. P accepts the call. A voice computer of the PS generates an acoustic message with the payment information (recipient, amount payable). To confirm and authorize the payment, P enters a PIN code using DTMF tone transmission. Upon successful authorization, the PS acoustically transmits to R a confirmation of payment via the still operative telephone connection.
The disadvantages of the Paybox method are above all the high telecommunications costs and the protracted duration of the transaction.
In the Paybox method the call from R to PS and the transmission of the data takes approx. 30 seconds. Of approximately the same length is the following call of PS to P including the announcement of the payment details and retrieval of the authorization PIN. The connection from the first call remains established during the second call. Altogether, telecommunication costs for 90 seconds of mobile telephone connections are incurred. If the transaction is effected by way of a toll-free telephone number and the operator of the PS bears the telecommunications costs, the latter currently incurs costs of approx. 30 euro cents as a result.
Thus, the implementation of the Paybox method is generally not commercially viable for smaller payment transactions.
Altogether, processing a transaction with the Paybox method takes approx. 75 seconds.
Thus, the implementation of this method in all time-critical mobile commerce application scenarios such as e.g. payments at point-of-sale terminals in retail is very problematic.
The disadvantages of the Paybox method illustrated with this example also apply in a similar manner to many other type-A standard-compatible methods.
E.g. the time restriction remains even when alternative transmission methods such as SMS are used. For example, the delivery speed of an SMS is not guaranteed and can often take up to 30 seconds, in some cases considerably longer. Additionally, depending on the method, the time required to enter and send an SMS has to be considered. (The same applies to certain type-B future-dependent methods, e.g. the use of WAP protocol—the time required to establish a connection, navigate and enter data is too long for use in time-critical mobile commerce scenarios).
Another disadvantage of said type-A standard-compatible method is that the complete mobile telephone number of the payer and/or payee has to be disclosed to the payer and/or payee. As a result, there is no anonymity between the transaction parties. The use of a telephone number alias (such as e.g. in the Paybox method) may provide a partial anonymity with respect to the actual mobile telephone number of the participant; however, principally, the unique identity of one transaction party is known to the other transaction party.
Another disadvantage of the use of a complete mobile telephone number or a telephone number alias is their length (generally 12 digits) and the resulting longer duration of entry and transmission, as well as the probability of mis-types.
Yet another disadvantage of said type-A standard-compatible method is the low degree of probative force and/or the risk of repudiation for the payer, the payee and the operator of the processing unit. One possibility for increasing probative force consists in the involvement of a "trusted third party", i.e. an additional party recognized by the payer, the recipient and the operator of the processing unit. The telecommunications provider is particularly suitable to act as such an additional party. However, records of the content of data transmitted via an established telephone or WAP data connection, as well as of the content of an SMS, can generally not be kept by the telecommunications provider owing to legal regulations. Thus, generally, merely the telephone numbers of the communications partners, the time and duration of the communication as well as the amount of data transmitted are recorded. The fact that a transaction has been processed can thus principally be relatively readily proven. Should, however, a dispute with regard to the amount of the authorized amount arise, probative force is problematic. As a consequence, it is generally necessary in methods such as Paybox to e.g. send an SMS for confirmation purposes in order to reduce the probability of error and avoid future complaints, thereby generating further costs.
Another disadvantage of said type-A standard-compatible method is that it easy to make errors regarding the authorized amount. This risk arises because generally the amount is actively specified by one of the transaction parties only, and then merely passively confirmed by the other transaction party, e.g. after the amount has been displayed on the mobile telephone display or announced acoustically.
A method for billing internet transactions via mobile telephone systems is known from DE 199 46 539 A1. The association of retailer and customer in a payment gateway is accomplished using a temporary IP address of the mobile telephone of the customer. This IP address is namely transmitted to the payment gateway by both customer and retailer. The disadvantage of this method is that the matching of the temporary IP address of the mobile telephone subscriber with his MSISDN has to be effected via an MSISDN-IP databank, which makes the implementation of the method difficult, if not impossible for a payment gateway operator that is independent of the mobile telephone provider. Another disadvantage of this method is that the customer has to have a WAP-capable mobile wireless device at his disposal; the method is thus a "type-B future-dependent method" (see above). In addition, the establishment of a WAP internet connection is very time-consuming, and, therefore, the method is not suitable for most payment scenarios. Moreover, this method has the disadvantage that a relatively sizeable data set, namely the temporary IP address of the mobile wireless subscriber, must be transmitted for correlating retailer and customer. Finally, correlating the IP addresses entering the payment gateway is complex, as a very large number of IP addresses may have to be compared.
Finally, a method for authorizing the payment of goods offered on the Internet is known from EP 1 081 919 A1. Here, correlating customer and provider is effected with an authorization comparator by means of a transaction code that is generated by the provider and transmitted to the customer. This, however, gives rise to the disadvantage that the handling of the transaction codes, which vary for both transaction parties from transaction to transaction, is inherently complex. As a result, the, in total, triple transmission of the transaction code (from the provider to the authorization comparator, from the provider to the customer and from the customer to the authorization comparator) is highly prone to error. To safeguard against a transaction code error (and unintentionally "mismatching" another open transaction), or even to safeguard against a general error e.g. with regard to the authorized sum, a further enquiry from the authorization comparator to the customer is necessary (see column 8 lines 47-55 of the published patent application) before the transaction can be conducted. This renders the method considerably slower and more expensive so that almost all of the disadvantages of the above-mentioned Paybox method also apply to this method. Moreover, the generation of a reliably unique transaction code is so complex that a special algorithm at the retailer's terminal becomes a practical necessity, which entails a restriction to e.g. Java-capable mobile telephones. Thus, this is also one of the disadvantageous "type-B future-dependent methods" (see above). Finally, the disadvantage also arises here that a relatively sizeable data set must be transmitted for correlating retailer and customer while the required examination is complex, as a very large number of transaction codes may have to be compared.

Method and system for initiating and/or conducting a transaction that is associated with at least two corresponding declarations of intent


A portlet data synchronization system, method and apparatus. The system can include a portal server configured to distribute portal content to requesting clients over a computer communications network. The system further can include one or more portlets hosted within the portal content through the portal server. Finally, the system can include a synchronization aggregator configured to aggregate synchronization markup for individual ones of the portlets in a single synchronization envelope. The synchronization aggregator further can be have a configuration for distributing responses to the synchronization markup to respective ones of the portlets.

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of portals and portlets and more particularly to the synchronization of application data through a portal associated with one or more portlets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Distributing content about large computer communications networks is not without its challenges. In particular, the quantity of content available for distribution in a computer communications network often varies proportionally to the size of the computer communications network. At the extreme, the Internet hosts a vast quantity of content not easily accessible by most end-users. Portals represent a sensible solution to the problem of aggregating content through a channel paradigm in a single, network-addressable location. In consequence, portals have become the rage in content distribution.
Portlets are the visible active components included as part of portal pages. Similar to the graphical windows paradigm of windowing operating systems, each portlet in a portal occupies a portion of the portal page through which the portlet can display associated content from a portlet channel. Portlets are known to include both simple applications such as an electronic mail client, and also more complex applications such as forecasting output from a customer relationship management system. The prototypical portlet can be implemented as server-side scripts executed through a portal server.
From the end-user perspective, a portlet is a content channel or application to which the end-user can subscribe. By comparison, from the perspective of the content provider, a portlet is a means through which content can be distributed in a personalized manner to a subscribing end-user. Finally, from the point of view of the portal, a portlet merely is a component which can be rendered within the portal page. In any case, by providing one or more individually selectable and configurable portlets in a portal, portal providers can distribute content and applications through a unified interface in a personalized manner according to the preferences of the end-user.
Despite advances in portal and portlet rendering technologies, to date, portals and their associated portlets do not account for data synchronization. Data synchronization in conventional client-server computing relates to the synchronization of application data between server and client. Well-known examples of data synchronization can be identified within conventional document management systems and personal information managers. Still, in the context of applications and content delivered using portlet technology, data synchronization technology remains conspicuously absent. Thus, while a portlet application can display personalized content through a content browser, the portlet cannot transfer and synchronize data to an application client residing on the computing device of the end-user.

Portal/portlet application data synchronization

International Business Machines Corporation


A sprinkler includes hollow tube with a plurality of apertures and a plurality of nozzles are respectively inserted through the apertures. Each nozzle is connected to a bellow which is engaged with the aperture. A guide member is rotatably mounted to the hollow tube and includes a plurality of inclined slots in which the nozzles are movably engaged. The positions of the nozzles are adjusted by rotating the guide member so as to have different patters of watering.

A conventional sprinkler generally includes a pipe with a plurality of apertures from which water springs out. The pipe is controlled by a mechanism which includes several gears so as to control the pipe to rotate within a desired angle. However, the gears could be jammed by pebbles or even grass. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,645,218 and 5,511,727 disclose sprinklers which are involved complicated structure and the manufacturing cost is too high to be accepted in the market.
The present invention intends to provide a sprinkler which includes a plurality of nozzles retained in inclined slots of a guide member which is rotated to change the positions of the nozzles to have different types of watering patterns.


An adapter for holding a rear tip extender onto the cylinder of a penile prosthesis or onto another rear tip extender is described herein.

Prosthetic penile implants have been used for many years to allow men suffering from impotence to achieve erection. Some penile prostheses have one or more cylinders with chambers that can be inflatable and may be connected to a fluid-filled reservoir via a pump and valve assembly. Typically, the cylinders of such a prosthetic device are implanted into the corpus cavernosae, the reservoir is implanted in the abdomen, and the pump is implanted in the scrotum. During use, the patient can actuate the pump so that fluid is transferred from the reservoir into the cylinders, producing enough rigidity for an erection. To deflate the cylinders and return the penis to a flaccid state, the patient can actuate a valve assembly within the pump so that the fluid in the cylinders is returned to the reservoir. Some penile prostheses include two cylinders that each have an inflatable chamber for disposal within the distal corpus cavernosae and a rear tip for disposal within the proximal corpus cavernosae toward the pubic bone. During use, the chambers are inflated, but the rear tips are not.
Surgery generally is required to implant a penile prosthesis within a patient. To implant a prosthesis, a surgeon typically makes an incision at the base of the penis and dilates each corpus cavernosum to create space for the cylinders. The distal end of the cylinder (the inflatable chamber) is then inserted into the corpus cavernosum, and the proximal end of the cylinder (the rear tip) is inserted into the body toward the pubic bone (e.g., inserted in the crus). To achieve a proper fit, the surgeon may attach one or more rear tip extenders (RTEs) onto the rear tip of the cylinder. An extender may be in the form of cap (e.g., a silicone rubber cap) that fits onto the rear tip to extend the length of the cylinder to a suitable amount. In some cases, more than one RTE is attached to the rear tip. Typically, these RTEs are attached to the rear tip and to each other via friction fits and/or mechanical interference, and separation of the components is inhibited by a vacuum that results when they are pulled in opposite directions.

Adapter for penile prosthesis tip extender


A spread code allocation method in a CDMA cellular having a first code set including a plurality of first codes and a second code set including one or a plurality of second codes, allocating the second code to the first code set and multiplying the plurality of first codes by the allocated second code to generate a plurality of combined codes, assigning a priority to the combined code for each transmission signal to be transmitted from a base station to a mobile station, allocating the combined code to the transmission signal based on the priority, and diffusing the transmission signal by the allocated combined code to transmit the diffused transmission signal to the mobile station.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spread code allocation method and a base station in a CDMA cellular in which transmission signals directed from a base station to a plurality of mobile stations are spread and transmitted using spreading codes.
2. Description of the Related Art
On the downlink of a CDMA cellular, transmission signals directed to a plurality of mobile stations are spread and multiplexed by different spreading codes at a base station and then transmitted in a group. On the downlink, transmission signals can be synchronized with each other with ease because signals directed to the plurality of mobile stations are transmitted from the base station in a group. It is therefore possible to suppress interference between transmission signals by spreading each transmission signal by an orthogonal synchronization code.
On the other hand, since signals on a downlink from other base stations are hard to synchronize with each other, employed as a means for suppressing interference from these base stations is a method of multiplying an orthogonal synchronization code by a scramble code inherent to a base station. Used here as a scramble code is a gold code or the like.
Structure of a base station transmission device using the present method is shown in FIG. 12. In a spreading addition device spu shown in FIG. 12, a transmission signal Si (i: mobile station number) directed to a mobile station and a orthogonal code Co, i are multiplied at a multiplier 001, the multiplied output signal is added at an adder 002 and the output signal of the adder 002 is multiplied by a scramble code Cs at the multiplier 005 to output a composite spreading signal sd. The composite spreading signal sd is modulated at a modulation device 003 and then transmitted from an antenna 004 to each mobile station.
Use of the above described diffusion method shown in FIG. 12 by all the base stations results in randomizing interference of a downlink from other base station received at a mobile station, so that together with error correcting codes, interference can be suppressed.
Since code consumption is accelerated in a CDMA cellular system for the following reasons, there often occur a lack of orthogonal codes.
First, when Soft Hand-Over (SHO) is applied, because a plurality of base stations transmit the same signal for one mobile station, more codes are consumed as compared with those consumed when no SHO is applied. In addition, since in a voiceless period, signal transmission is temporarily stopped to reduce interference, thereby accommodating more mobile stations, more codes are consumed than those in the transmission of information sources being on all the time. Moreover, since code consumption is changed also with propagation environments and in a case where many shielding objects exist on a propagation path or other case, interference of other cells is well suppressed to increase a capacity, code consumption at a base station is increased.
For the foregoing reasons, when more mobile stations are connected to a base station than the number of orthogonal codes, a lack of spreading codes is coped with by the use of a plurality of scramble codes at one base station.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a structure of a base station transmission device in a case where a number k of scramble codes are used. At a spreading addition device spu-j (j: scramble code number), a transmission signal Si, h (h: orthogonal code number), a orthogonal code Co, h and a scramble code Cs, j are applied to output a composite spreading signal sd-j. nj in FIG. 13 denotes the number of uses of a orthogonal code generated by a j-th scramble code.
After subjected to addition at an adder 002, the output sd-j of the composite spreading signal is modulated at a modulation device 003 and then output to each mobile station through an antenna 004.
In a case where base station simultaneously uses a plurality of scramble codes as shown in FIG. 13, and the transmission signals have different required qualities such as transmission rate, required bit error rate, and different reception qualities depending on where a mobile station is within a cell, the amount of interference, etc. The degree of interference that each transmission signal has varies due to a difference in allocated scramble code thereby causing inequality in communication quality and deterioration due to interference.

Spread code allocation method and base station in CDMA cellular


A mask for making a polysilicon structure includes a transmitting area that transmits light and a blocking area that has a metal layer and a semiconductor layer deposited in an alternating manner at least once. The blocking area blocks light. The mask is subject to less thermal stress from the light (e.g., a laser beam) and therefore has a longer life span compared to a conventional mask.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mask for making polysilicon, a method of making the same and a method of making thin film transistor using the same, and more particularly to a mask for crystallizing amorphous silicon into polysilicon, a method of making the same and a method of making thin film transistor using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a couple of substrates having electrodes and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the substrates. The substrates are attached to each other by a sealant that is usually printed along the edges of the substrates. When attached to each other, the substrates enclose the liquid crystal layer.
An electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer through the electrodes. The liquid crystal layer has an anisotropic dielectric constant, and images can be displayed by adjusting the transmittance of light through the liquid crystal layer by changing the electric field. A thin film transistor (TFT) is used to control the signals to the electrodes.
Generally, amorphous silicon is used as a channel area of the TFT. The mobility of amorphous silicon is about 0.5˜1 cm3/Vsec. While this mobility range is acceptable for use in a switching device of the LCD, it is not acceptable in a drive circuit formed directly on a liquid crystal panel.
To overcome this problem with amorphous silicon, a polysilicon TFT having a channel area that is formed with a polysilicon has been developed. Polysilicon has a mobility of about 20˜150 cm3/Vsec, and this higher mobility of the polysilicon TFT enables the drive circuit to be formed directly on the liquid crystal panel, resulting in the so-called chip-in-glass configuration.
As methods of making a thin film of polysilicon, there are methods of depositing polysilicon directly on the substrate at high temperature, crystallizing a deposited amorphous silicon at high temperature of about 600° C., and crystallizing a deposited amorphous silicon by heat treatment using laser. However as each of these methods involve a high temperature process, use of a glass substrate is difficult. Further, polysilicon formed by these methods has an uneven grain boundary, resulting in inconsistent electrical property of the TFT.
Accordingly, sequential lateral solidification (SLS) method, which can adjust the distribution of the grain boundary, has been developed to solve the above problem. The SLS method uses the fact that when laser is irradiated to a part of amorphous silicon, thereby partly melting the amorphous silicon, the grain of the polysilicon grows from the boundary between a solid area that is not irradiated by the laser and a liquid area that is irradiated by the laser. The growth direction of the grain is generally perpendicular to the boundary.
In the SLS method, the laser beam is irradiated through a transmitting area of a mask, forming a liquid area of molten amorphous silicon layer that approximately matches the shape of the transmitting area. The transmitting area of the mask may include a slit. The grains of the polysilicon grow as described above and the growth of the grains is complete when the grains growing from opposite boundaries meet each other at or near the center of the liquid area. The adjacent amorphous silicon layer is crystallized by moving the mask in the direction of grain growth intermittently, wherein the size of the grain corresponds to the width of the slit.
The mask used in the SLS method conventionally comprises a quartz substrate and a chrome pattern formed thereon. The mask has a blocking area where the irradiation of the laser to the amorphous silicon is blocked and a transmitting area where the laser is irradiated to the amorphous silicon. The chrome pattern is formed at the blocking area.
As chrome has high heat absorption rate and the laser used in the SLS method has considerable energy, the chrome pattern of the mask is easily overheated. Further, as laser is irradiated intermittently, the chrome pattern undergoes a repeated cycle of heating and cooling. This heating and cooling cycle applies thermal stress on the chrome pattern. This thermal stress is increased by the difference in heat expansion coefficient between the chrome and the quartz. After tens of millions of laser shots, the chrome pattern becomes deformed, necessitating mask replacement. This need for periodic mask replacement undesirably increases the production cost.
A mask that does not suffer from the above problems, and therefore having a longer life span, is desired.

Mask for making polysilicon structure, method of making the same, and method of making thin film transistor using the same


Methods for cell-free production of glucosamine from starch, maltodextrin or glycogen or from fructose and a source of amino groups are disclosed. Also disclosed are cellular extracts comprising glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase activity, as well as a cellular extract comprising glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods for the cell-free production of glucosamine from starch, maltodextrin or glycogen; or from fructose and a source of amino groups.
2. Related Art
Glucosamine is an amino sugar, which is found in many naturally occurring polysaccharides. Glucosamine has found increasing use in the treatment of osteoarthritis and other conditions. Glucosamine has traditionally been produced by the hydrolysis of shellfish exoskeleton (chitin), which is composed of poly(N-acetyl-D-glucosamine). The availability of raw material, however, is becoming increasingly limited. More recently, the production of glucosamine by microbial fermentation has been disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,457 discloses fermentation of microorganisms that have been genetically modified in a pathway related to glucosamine or glucosamine-6-phosphate, in order to produce high levels of glucosamine.
There remains a need in the art for a method of producing glucosamine using abundant and inexpensive starting materials.


A mechanical sphincter device is to be located in the body for engaging the urethra to control urinary incontinence. The device is formed by a curved piece of flexible material having free ends and a pair of juxtaposed strips of flexible material having their ends connected to the corresponding ends of the curved piece with the urethra disposed between opposing faces of the strips. When the curved piece is in a relaxed state it tensions the strips to apply pressure to the urethra therebetween to restrict flow of urine and when force is applied to the curved piece relaxing the tension on said pair of strips the pressure on the urethra is reduced and permits urine flow.

As it is well known by those skilled in the medical field, urinary incontinence is a serious urological problem, consisting in the incapacity of the individual to retain the urine, frequently causing the involuntary emission thereof.
Urinary incontinence may result from several factors (congenital diseases, acquired diseases, consequences from surgery, etc.). Among the most frequent causes, the following can be mentioned: prostatectomy (partial or total removal of the prostate); epispadias (congenital malformation in which the urethra opens before the end of the penis; injuries in the spinal medulla; fracture of the pelvis; neurogenic bladder, etc.
Undoubtfully, urinary incontinence causes significant impacts in the patient's quality of life, since the involuntary emission of urine is a discomfort, resulting in hygienic and social problems, provoking the reclusion of the patient, impairing his social and professional activities and very often his sexual performance.
Moreover, this disturbance usually brings emotional problems to the patient, who becomes depressed and stigmatized.
Many studies involving several age groups revealed the prevalence from about 17 to 41% of urinary incontinence in the whole population of the planet, consisting therefore in a public health problem. In the United States, for instance, more than 10 billion dollars are used yearly for the treatment of urinary incontinence, this value surpassing those values directed for the treatment of other diseases, such as revascularization of the myocardium or dialysis.
Thus, it can be stated that urinary incontinence is a medical, social and epidemiological problem with very important economic effects.
For all these reasons, urinary incontinence is one of the problems that have been widely studied by many researchers, who are often frustrated for not reaching solutions which are both technically and economically adequate for the problem. Such disease has also caused disappointment in many surgeons, when said symptom arises as a sequella of surgical procedures.
Many have been the methods used for treating urinary incontinence, among which the following can be mentioned: expectant therapy, pharmacological treatment, electronic devices, several surgical procedures and, finally, artificial sphincters. Such methods have been employed in different circumstances and their results have received praises in some instances, but severe criticisms in others.
Many types of prosthesis have already been provided to treat urinary incontinence, such as those from Foley (1947), Berry (1961), Kauffman (1973), Scott (1974) and Rosen (1976), besides Cunhinham's tweezers. All these models were constructed with the aim of causing urethral compression. According to this basic principle, the mechanical compression systems were developed, until the artificial sphincters with self-regulating pressure were provided, such as the various models manufactured by American Medical Systems.
The most modern system used nowadays is the AMS 800, also produced by the above cited company and commercialized since 1983. This model of sphincter comprises an inflatable sleeve, which is implanted in the patient around his urethral canal and connected with a pump, which comprises a valve, a rechargeable delay resistor and a pressure deactivating button. Said pump is also connected with a pressure regulating sump in the form of a balloon.
This artificial sphincter is kept constantly activated, i.e., the sleeve surrounding the urethra is kept permanently inflated, at a predetermined pressure controlled by the sump, thus pressing the urethral canal and avoiding the passage of urine. Only when the patient presses the pressure deactivating button is that said sleeve is deflated, thereby not pressing the urethral canal anymore and, from that time on, allowing the urine to pass. The emission of urine is thus controlled by the patient with urinary incontinence.
One of the inconveniences of this current model of artificial sphincter is the large number of complex connections, which are difficult to handle and increase the risk of mechanical dysfunctions. Another inconvenience resides in its implantation method, which requires a very laborious and complicated surgery, with many details to be strictly followed in order to avoid harmful intercourses, such as infections and erosions.
Another problem of this type of sphincter relates to the installation thereof, which requires skills, for example, to mount the system, to determine the adequate pressure to obtain the continence, to know exactly which details should be avoided so as not to result in the complications cited above and how to treat said complications when they arise.
Finally, a very relevant aspect which limits the application of said artificial sphincter in everyday practice is its cost. Unfortunately, this device is not accessible to all persons, since its value cannot be paid by many patients. On the other hand, this high cost also imposes limitations to the physician, who sees this type of therapeutics as the only possible way of treatment.

Mechanical sphincter for controlling urinary incontinence


A wave power generation system includes a wave receiving member, ram cylinder hydraulic pump device, change value sensor, accumulator device, hydraulic motor, power generator, and controller. The member is arranged near a virtual reflection surface that reflects a coming incident wave. The controller sets a torque command used when the generator generates electric power. Based on a differential value of a change value detected by the sensor and changes in accordance with a swing amount of the member, the controller determines whether the member is swinging toward a first or second side in a swing direction. When the controller determines the member is swinging toward the second side by receiving force of a reflected wave reflected by the virtual reflection surface, the controller changes the torque command from the command set when the controller determines the member is swinging toward the first side by receiving force of the incident wave.

Natural energy power generation systems which utilize various natural energies, such as wind energy and solar energy, are being put into practical use, and a wave power generation system is known as one of the natural energy power generation systems. The wave power generation system converts wave energy into mechanical energy and further converts the mechanical energy into electric energy. One example of the wave power generation system is a wave power generation system disclosed in PTL 1, for example.
In the wave power generation system of PTL 1, a wave receiving member swings by receiving wave energy, and a ram cylinder pump operates in conjunction with this swinging. At this time, the pump discharges an operating liquid having pressure corresponding to the wave energy received by the wave receiving member at a flow rate corresponding to the wave energy received by the wave receiving member. The discharged operating liquid is leveled by an accumulator and then supplied to a hydraulic motor. A power generator is coupled to an output shaft of the hydraulic motor. The hydraulic motor drives the power generator by an output corresponding to the flow rate and pressure of the supplied operating liquid. The power generator generates electric power corresponding to the output of the hydraulic motor. As above, the wave power generation system can convert wave energy, received by the wave receiving member, into electric energy, i.e., can generate electric power by receiving wave energy.


An apparatus for operating a combined interrupter disconnect switch is disclosed. The disconnect switch is operated by a slow speed linear motion of a mechanism pullrod. The interrupter, which is a component of the disconnect switch arm, is operated by a high speed linear motion of the same mechanism pullrod. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention comprises: an operating rod; a high speed operating mechanism connected to the operating rod; a sliding gear having an elongated gear face; a motor, rotatably connected to the sliding gear; a coupling gear drive having a longitudinally disposed threaded shaft and an external gear face, connected to the operating rod and meshed with said sliding gear; a threaded rod threaded into the threaded shaft of the coupling gear drive; and a drive rod connected to the threaded rod and to the mechanism pullrod. The high speed operating mechanism and motor respectively provide high speed and slow speed linear motion to the mechanism pullrod. The elongated gear face of the sliding gear permits decoupling of the high speed operating mechanism and slow speed motor, although both are acting on the same mechanism pullrod. In a preferred embodiment, the operating mechanism of the present invention also comprises upper and lower limit switches, controlled by a switch control bracket, for transmitting open and close commands to the high speed operating mechanism and motor.

A preferred application for the present invention is in high-voltage, three-phase combined circuit switchers. Therefore, the background of the invention is described below in connection with such devices. However, it should be understood that, except where they are expressly so limited, the claims at the end of this specification are not intended to be limited to applications of the invention in association with such devices.
In general, a combined circuit switcher combines two circuit breaking devices in series: an interrupter (for example, a SF.sub.6 puffer interrupter), and a disconnect switch (for example, a lift arm with blade and jaw contacts). The interrupter is located inside an insulator which is also the lift arm of the disconnect switch. (i.e., a combined interrupter disconnect switch). Both breaking devices are driven by the same operating rod and connecting linkage.
To open the circuit, the operating rod must be pulled first at high speed to open the interrupter and then at slow speed to raise the switch arm and open the air disconnect switch. Similarly, to close the circuit, the operating rod must be pushed first at slow speed to lower the switch arm and close the disconnect switch and then at high speed to close the interrupter.
One type of combined circuit switcher for which the present invention is particularly suitable is a "V"-configuration combined circuit switcher (VCS). FIG. 1 shows a limited space application of a VCS designated generally as 100. Electrical energy flows from feeder 94, through VCS 100, to transformer 80, to an electrical load (not shown). VCS 100 is situated between transformer 80 and feeder 94 to break the circuit when desirable. Transformer bushing 82 sits atop transformer 80. Power line 84 is connected on one end to transformer bushing 82 and on the other end to a first terminal pad 116 on the VCS 100. Similarly, cable bushing 92 sits atop cable bushing support column 96. Power line 90 is connected on one end to cable bushing 92 and on the other end to a second terminal pad 104 on the VCS 100.
Another view of VCS 100 is provided in FIG. 2 which shows a typical VCS for a three phase power installation. A three phase power unit comprises three pole units 140A, 140B, and 140C: one pole unit for each power phase A, B, and C, respectively. The three pole units 140A-C are "gang-coupled" via interphase linkage 132. Interphase linkage 132 is also coupled to the operating rods 114A, 114B, and 114C of each of the pole units 140A-C, respectively. A single mechanism pullrod 300, also coupled to the interphase linkage 132, may be used to operate the breaking devices on all three pole units simultaneously.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the VCS 100 is supported by a pair of support columns: left support column 128L and right support column 128R. An interphase linkage 132 is attached near one end 132L to the top of left support column 128L and near the other end 132R to the top of right support column 128R. A phase A pole unit 140A is located near the left end 132L of the interphase linkage 132, a phase B pole unit 140B is located near the center 132C of the interphase linkage 132, and a phase C pole unit 140C is located near the right end 132R of the interphase linkage 132.
A control cabinet 126 is located below the phase B pole unit 140B. The control cabinet 126 contains a combined operating mechanism (not shown in FIG. 2). The combined operating mechanism is the subject of the present invention and will be described in more detail below. A connecting support 130 is attached at its lower end 130L to control cabinet 126 and at its upper end 130U near the center of the interphase linkage 132C. The connecting support 130 contains the mechanism pullrod 300 that operates interphase linkage 132.
The components of a VCS pole unit 140 are illustrated in FIG. 1 which shows a side view of the VCS 100. The VCS pole unit 140 is substantially triangular in shape and comprises the following elements: station post insulator 102 which supports terminal pad 104 and jaw contact 106; support insulator 108 connected to lower bellcrank assembly 110 and to upper bellcrank assembly 112 and containing an operating rod 114; and combined interrupter disconnect switch arm 118 connected to upper bellcrank assembly 112 and comprising blade contact 120.
Disconnect switch arm 118 also contains a high speed interrupter. FIGS. 3A-3C, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,891 issued to Freeman et al., show a variety of cross sectional views of a typical high speed interrupter 10. The interrupter 10 provides two sets of contacts: arcing contacts 12 and 14, and main contacts 15 and 19. Arcing contacts 12 and main contacts 19 are movable to either close the circuit with respective contacts 14 and 15 or to open the circuit. FIG. 3A shows a cross section of the interrupter with its contacts closed; FIG. 3C shows a cross section of the interrupter with its contacts open.
The movable contacts 12 and 19 of high voltage circuit interrupters are subject to arcing or corona discharge when they are opened or closed, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3B, an arc 16 is formed between arcing contacts 12 and 14 as they are moved apart. Such arcing can cause the contacts to erode and perhaps to disintegrate over time. Therefore, a known practice (used in a "puffer interrupter" for example) is to fill a cavity 13 of the interrupter 10 with an inert, electrically insulating gas that quenches the arc 16. As shown in FIG. 3B, the gas is compressed by piston 17 and a jet or nozzle 18 is positioned so that, at the proper moment, a blast of the compressed gas is directed toward the location of the arc in order to extinguish it. Once an arc 16 has formed, it is extremely difficult to extinguish it until the arc current is substantially reduced. Once the arc 16 is extinguished as shown in FIG. 3C, the protected circuit is opened thereby preventing current flow.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the circuit between feeder 94 and transformer 80 is closed when disconnect arm 118 is in the lowered position, with blade contact 120 engaging jaw contacts 106, and, as shown in FIG. 3A, movable contacts 12 and 19 engaging stationary contacts 14 and 15 within the interrupter.
To open the circuit, two sequential, linear movements of the mechanism pullrod 300 are required. First, the mechanism pullrod 300 must be moved in a first linear direction (downward, for example, as shown in FIG. 2) at high speed to open the interrupter 10. Then, the same mechanism pullrod 300 must be moved in the same linear direction (e.g., downward) at slow speed to raise the disconnect arm 118.
The interrupter 10 is opened by a high speed pull from the operating rod 114 acting on the upper bellcrank assembly 112. Upper bellcrank assembly 112, which comprises a system of levers (not shown), acts on arcing contacts 12,19 to open interrupter 10. Similarly, disconnect switch arm 118 is raised by a slow speed pull from the operating rod 114. A system of levers within lower bellcrank assembly translates the linear motion of the mechanism pullrod onto the operating rod.
Similarly, two sequential, linear movements of the mechanism pullrod 300 are required to close the circuit. First, the mechanism pullrod 300 must be moved in a second linear direction (e.g., upward as shown in FIG. 2) at slow speed to lower the disconnect arm 118. Next, the mechanism pullrod 300 must be moved in the same linear direction (e.g., upward) at high speed to close the interrupter 10.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the rate at which the disconnect switch arm 118 is opened or closed is directly proportional to the rate at which the mechanism pullrod 300 is stroked. For a number of reasons it is undesirable to open or close the switch arm 118 too quickly. For instance, operating the switch arm 118 too quickly causes unnecessary wear on the blade contact 120 and jaw contacts 106, as well as on the other components of the switch arm 118. On the other hand, it is necessary to open and close the interrupter 10 quickly to control arcing. It should be understood that the rate at which the interrupter 10 is opened or closed is also directly proportional to the rate at which the mechanism pullrod 300 is stroked.
For example, the closing operation of a 145 kV VCS requires an initial slow speed stroke of the mechanism pullrod 300 to close the disconnect switch arm 118. This initial stroke is of about 176 mm linearly upward at about 38 mm/s. The interrupter 10 is then driven closed by a high speed stroke of the mechanism pullrod 300. The high speed stroke is of about 115 mm linearly upward at about 2-3 m/s. Similarly, the interrupter 10 is opened by an initial high speed stroke of the mechanism pullrod 300. This initial stroke is of about 115 mm linearly downward at about 4-6 m/s. Then the switch arm 118 is raised by a slow speed stroke of the mechanism pullrod 300. The slow speed stroke is of about 176 mm linearly downward at about 38 mm/s.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the rate and distance parameters provided above will vary depending on the individual requirements of various combined circuit switchers. They are provided herein for purposes of clarity only and in no way limit the scope of the disclosed invention.
An operating mechanism which acts on a single mechanism pullrod to create a high speed linear motion of the mechanism pullrod in a first range of its motion and a slow speed linear motion of the same mechanism pullrod in a second range of its motion is desirable but, to the inventor's knowledge, is currently unavailable in the art.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an operating mechanism which opens a combined interrupter disconnect switch by acting on a mechanism pullrod to create a high speed linear motion of the mechanism pullrod, followed by a slow speed linear motion of the same mechanism pullrod. Further, there is a need in the art for an operating mechanism which closes a combined interrupter disconnect switch by acting on a single mechanism pullrod to create a slow speed linear motion of the mechanism pullrod followed by a high speed linear motion of the same mechanism pullrod.

Operating mechanism for combined interrupter disconnect switch


In embodiments of video media item selection, items that have been designated for association with video media are displayed while the video media is also displayed for viewing. An item grab application is implemented to receive a user input as an item selection of an item that is associated with the video media while being displayed for viewing. An item page for the selected item can be displayed, where the item page includes an identifier and image of the selected item, as well as a selectable link to the video media. The item grab application can also post the item selection to a social media site when the user shares the selected item. The item selection is posted without the video media that the selected item is associated with, and the video media is selectable for viewing from the item selection that is posted to the social media site.

Many types of devices today can be used to watch and share videos and video clips, such as with a mobile phone, tablet device, portable media device, and other electronic media devices. The accessibility and ease of use of the many types of devices makes it quite easy for anyone to watch and share video clips with friends and social network users, such as via the many different types of available social media applications. Although it is easy for a user to watch and share video clips, a user cannot separate an interesting moment or item out of a video and save and/or share it while still maintaining a link to the video.
For example, a user may share a video clip with a friend who has to watch the video to see something interesting that the user wanted to share, which appears sometime during playback of the video clip. In another example, a viewer may be watching a television program, movie, advertisement, or other form of video media, and see something interesting that the viewer wants more information about. Typically, the viewer can then search for a video clip, a product Web site, or other content via the Internet to find more information about a particular, interesting item. Additionally, the interesting item as-seen in a television program, movie, advertisement, or other form of video media can be difficult to share with friends and other social network users, and any additional information about the item that the viewer may locate is not connected to the original video media.


A cutting element for an earth boring bit, may include a PDC layer having a flat on a periphery thereof, the flat terminating longitudinally at an edge spaced from a cutting face of the PDC layer. A chamfer adjacent to the cutting face desirably has a length that exceeds its depth. A cutting element may additionally include a chamfer along the entire circumference, multiple step-wise, radially adjacent chamfers, and multiple circumferentially spaced portions of the uppermost radius of the PDC layer of the cutting element that each includes a chamfer with an associated flat. Additionally, a cutting element may include a flat terminating at a radial edge with the cutting face of a PDC layer.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a prior art earth boring drill bit 8. Here, a cutting element 12 is shown disposed within a pocket of a blade 10. Cutting element 12 is a gage cutter, which is conventionally fabricated as a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutting element, which cutting element may also be characterized as a polycrystalline diamond cutter (PCD), the structure of which includes a polycrystalline diamond layer 14 on the end face of a carbide body, commonly termed a substrate. As is known, gage cutters are generally disposed along the outermost radial portion, or gage, of the drill bit 8. For dimensional and tolerance purposes, the uppermost cutting surface of the cutting element 12 (as the cutting element 12 is mounted on the drill bit 8, and with respect to the adjacent surface of the drill bit 8) is ground down so the bit diameter is within a specified value to drill a particular size of borehole. The grinding process produces a curved surface, known in the industry as a flat 18. The leading edge of the flat is typically a straight line, and the relatively sharp edge is known to produce high stress concentrations in that area of the PDC layer 14 when formation material is being cut.
A chamfer, indicated by reference numeral 16 in FIG. 1, is typically formed on a portion of the outer edge of the PDC layer 14 of PDC cutting elements. Chamfers generally comprise an angled section, conventionally at a 45° angle to the cutting face of PDC layer 14, on a portion of the front outer radius of the PDC layer. The chamfers are added to the cutting elements to reduce localized stresses on the PDC layer 14 when a cutting element is first cutting formation material. Thus, the inclusion of the chamfer on a cutting element used on the face of a drill bit can help prevent chipping and spalling along this portion of the PDC layer. However, the dimension of the chamfer 16 is small enough so that the forming of the flat 18 when a cutting element 12 is configured as a gage cutter causes the flat to extend radially inwardly on the front portion or cutting face of the PDC layer of the cutting element beyond the inner boundary of the so-called "chamfer envelope" of the PDC layer 14 and thus produces an interface 20 along the boundary where the flat 18 meets with the front portion of the PDC layer 14. The interface 20 has a sharp edge that often experiences high localized stresses during drilling, resulting in development of a damaged portion 21 along this interface 20. Examples of the damaged portion 21 include chips and cracks in the PDC material, and even spallings of masses of PDC material from the PDC layer 14.

Chamfered edge gage cutters and drill bits so equipped


An extendable built-in antenna unit for a mobile device is disclosed that includes a whip antenna, a helical antenna, an antenna receiving part and an intenna pattern. The helical antenna may be extractably and retractably mounted in the antenna receiving part. The whip antenna may be extractably and retractably mounted in the helical antenna. The helical antenna and the intenna pattern may be formed with lengths determined according to the resonance frequency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an extendable built-in antenna unit for a mobile device, and more particularly to an extendable built-in antenna unit for a mobile device serving as a combination of embedded antenna and external antenna.
2. Background of the Related Art
Generally, a mobile device is a mobile telecommunication application having a variety of functions, for example telecommunication, network connections, and digital broadcast reception. The mobile device has an antenna for improved telecommunication.
The antenna is a wire used in radiating electric waves and/or inducing electromotive force using electric waves for wireless communication. An antenna unit may be electrically connected to a substrate and have a helical antenna and a whip antenna.
Conventionally, an antenna unit for a mobile device may be formed of an external antenna type, in which a helical antenna protrudes outwards from the mobile device. In the conventional external antenna type, a whip antenna may be received in the helical antenna or may protrude from the helical antenna. While external antenna type may provide good antenna performance, it may adversely influence the portability and external design of the mobile device.
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional external antenna unit for a mobile device 100.
Referring to FIG. 1, the external antenna unit may include a whip antenna 120, a helical antenna 130, and an antenna receiving part 110. The helical antenna 130 may be formed in a spring pattern. A case 132 may surround the helical antenna 130. A grooved part 131 may be attached to the mobile device 100 and be configured to secure the helical antenna 130 to the mobile device 100. The case 132 may have a hole, through which the whip antenna 120 may pass.
The whip antenna 120 may be extractably and retractably mounted in the mobile device 100. For example, the whip antenna 120 may be inserted in the antenna receiving part 110 or may be extracted from the antenna receiving part 110. A stopper 121 may be formed on a lower surface of the whip antenna 120 and be configured to prevent the separation of the whip antenna 120 from the mobile device 100.
When the mobile device 100 is located in a strong electric field with good reception, the mobile device 100 may be used such that the whip antenna 120 may be retracted in the antenna receiving part 110. When the mobile device 100 is located in a poor electric field, the mobile device 100 may be used such that the whip antenna 120 may be extended outwards from the antenna receiving part 110 for improved performance.
If the helical antenna 130 is embedded in the mobile device 100, the resonance of the helical antenna 130 may disappear. Therefore, the helical antenna 130 is installed outside the mobile device 100, resulting in the mobile device 100 having a protruding portion of an antenna unit.
An embedded antenna unit (referred to as an intenna) has been developed in which a helical antenna may be installed in a mobile device. The embedded antenna unit may be incorporated by an inverted F-type antenna. The embedded antenna unit may provide portability and good external design. However, the embedded antenna unit has a difficulty in solving the problem that the resonance of the helical antenna may disappear when the helical antenna is installed in the mobile device, thereby suffering poor antenna performance.
Recent trends of mobile devices have moved towards good external design and miniaturization. Moreover, the mobile devices may be multifunctional, for example providing telecommunication, wireless Internet communication, navigation, digital broadcast reception, and Bluetooth communication. Accordingly, various frequency bands may be specified and a plurality of frequency bands may be utilized in a mobile device. Conventional external antenna unit have limitations in meeting the trends.

Extendable built-in antenna unit of mobile device


A polyurethane sugar beet flail including one or more tapered arms which radiate from a hub that contains a hardened support bearing. One multi-arm flail includes a support hub containing a bored nylon bearing having a pair of co-planar arms which radiate from a tapered transition region of the hub. A channel separates the arms. Another multi-arm flail includes a pair of arms staggered about the circumference of the hub. Another flail provides a single arm.

The present invention relates to agricultural flail choppers and, in particular, to single and multi-arm polyurethane defoliating flails for removing leaves and other above-grade foliage and roughage, prior to harvesting below grade tubers, such as sugar beets or potatoes.
Flail choppers are well known in the agricultural industry and are used in a variety of different applications. Many flails are used to harvest sugar beets and potatoes. The flails or knives are typically constructed from metal and exhibit a variety of shapes and sharpened edges. Some metal flails are mounted to lengths of chain. A bored mounting plate typically secures the foregoing flails to a rotating drum or arm. U.S. Pat. Des. Nos. 340,247 and 5,249,751 disclose two rigid metal flails.
Examples of two flexible, polyurethane flails are shown at U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,691,506 and 4,691,507. The latter flails include metal fingers and metal studs which are formed into the ends of the flails.
Conventional flails provide a single arm which extends from a mounting end, for example, a mounting plate or a tubular bore. Polyurethane flails and other known rubber flails merely provide a molded end having a transverse extending bore. Durability, thus depends upon the material, since wear occurs not only at the foliage striking end, but also at the mounting bore.
In various sugar beet harvesters, multiple flails are arrayed about the circumference of a supporting drum. The flails mount to a number of spokes or rods, which laterally extend between the ends of the drum. Each rod contains a number of laterally displaced flails, which pivot as the drum is rotated and shred encountered foliage. Different sizes and types of flails are frequently mounted at the drums. Spacers may be positioned between the flails as desired by the farmer and the crop being harvested. The vertical separation of the flails to the tuber being harvested and/or the ground is adjusted as necessary to optimize contact with the foliage, without damaging the tuber and preferably without contacting the ground.
The present invention discloses an improved resilient flail. In alternative, single and multi-arm constructions, the resilient arms radiate from a mounting hub containing a nylon bearing or rigid support bushing that is molded into the hub. The durometer of the arms is established to permit the arms to flex and conform to encountered foliage. The arms radially extend in coplanar, parallel relation or are radially offset.


An integrated circuit amplifier suitable for use in driving capacitive loads, including a differential amplifier first stage, a third stage and at least one second stage intermediate the first and second stages. A dominant pole capacitor provides a direct negative feedback path between the amplifier output and the output of the first stage so as to tend to oppose any signals present at the output thereby reducing the open loop output impedance of the amplifier. In a preferred embodiment, an isolation resistor is coupled between the first output and a further output and a further compensating capacitor is coupled between the first output and an inverting input to the amplifier so as to produce a zero in the frequency response of the amplifier so as to compensate for any pole in the frequency response of the amplifier caused by any capacitive load connected to the further output.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to amplifier circuitry and in particular to an amplifier circuit suitable for implementation in integrated circuit form and having the capability to drive relatively large capacitive loads while maintaining low power consumption.
2. Background Art
Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts a simplified schematic diagram of a conventional integrated circuit operational amplifier, generally designated by the numeral 10. The amplifier includes a first or input stage 10A, a second or intermediate stage 10B and a third or output stage 10C.
The first stage 10A includes a differentially-connected pair of PNP transistors Q1 and Q2 connected to a common current source I1. The collectors of transistors Q1 and Q2 are connected to an active load comprising NPN transistors Q3 and Q4. Transistors Q3 and Q4 function as a current mirror and provide a single-ended current output at the collector junction of transistors Q4 and Q2.
The current output of the first stage is coupled to the input of the second stage 10B which includes an NPN transistor Q5 connected in a common emitter configuration. A frequency compensation capacitor Cc is connected between the base and collector of transistor Q5 to form the well known Miller integrator circuit. Capacitor Cc functions to provide a dominant pole in the frequency response of the amplifier. A current source 12 in combination with a pair of series connected diodes D1 and D2 form the load for the second stage. The second stage includes a pair of outputs, one at the anode of diode D1 and the other at the cathode of diode D2. Accordingly, the two outputs of the second stage will be that same except they will be offset from one another by two diode drops.
The outputs of the second stage 10B are coupled to the inputs of the third stage 10C. The third stage includes an NPN transistor Q6 and an PNP transistor Q7, both of which are configured as emitter followers. The voltage drops across diodes D1 and D2 are preferably matched to the base-emitter voltages of transistors Q6 and Q7 so that the current flow through the two diodes matches the current flow through the two transistors. In that case, the idle current in the third stage will be controlled by the magnitude of the current source 12 in the second stage.
In many applications, it is necessary for an amplifier to drive relatively large capacitive loads. Output transistor Q6 functions to source current to the capacitive load so that the load becomes charged and transistor Q7 functions to sink current from the load so that the load becomes discharged.
The open loop output impedance of amplifier 10 can be determined by injecting a current signal at the output and measuring the resultant change in output voltage. The lower the change in output voltage, the lower the open loop output impedance. As is well known, the open loop output impedance of the amplifier together with the load capacitance act as a low-pass filter. The "filter" typically introduces a phase lag at the unity gain frequency f.sub.u of the amplifier, i.e. the frequency at which the open loop gain of the amplifier is unity. The phase lag reduces the phase margin of the amplifier causing the transient response to be degraded. Of course, if the phase margin is reduced to zero, the amplifier will become unstable and will oscillate. Stated somewhat differently, the low-pass filter introduces an undesirable secondary pole in addition to the dominant pole produced by capacitor Cc.
One conventional solution to the above-described problem of driving large capacitive loads is to isolate the capacitive load. FIG. 2 shows the amplifier 10 connected to a capacitive load represented by capacitor C1 connected in parallel with resistor RL. A small value resistor R1 is inserted between the output of the amplifier and the load so as to isolate the output from the capacitive load. In addition, a small value capacitor C2 is connected directly from the output of the amplifier 10 to the inverting input of the amplifier. Capacitor C2 and resistor R1 form a frequency compensation circuit.
The main feedback of the FIG. 2 circuit is provided by resistors R2 and R3. Accordingly, small value resistor R1 is contained within the feedback loop and does not substantially reduce the closed loop output impedance of the circuit. At D.C. and low frequencies, the effect of resistor R1 and capacitor C2 can be ignored. However, at higher frequencies, capacitor C2 functions to directly connect the output of amplifier 10 to the inverting input of the amplifier. This effectively prevents the appearance of the phase-lagging signal resulting from the capacitive load at the inverting input at higher frequencies. Stated somewhat differently, capacitor C2 in combination with resistor R1 introduce a zero which functions to cancel out the undesirable secondary pole created by the finite open loop output impedance and the capacitive load. The higher the output impedance, the lower the frequency of the secondary pole and, therefore, the more difficult it is to compensate the pole.
The actual values for resistor R1 and capacitor C2 are usually determined experimentally. Assuming that amplifier 10 is the LF356 integrated circuit amplifier of National Semiconductor, the load capacitance C1 is 0.5 micro Farads and the load resistance is 2 k ohm. The typical value for the isolation resistor is 10 ohms 20 pico Farads for capacitor C2.
The FIG. 2 circuit is typically implemented with amplifier 10 in integrated circuit form and with the remaining components being discrete. The value of the isolation resistor R1 is a function of the open loop output impedance of amplifier 10. The larger the open loop output impedance, the larger the isolation resistor R1. This reduces the frequency of the secondary pole produced by the load capacitor C1 thereby necessitating the use of a larger value of feedback capacitor C2. For example, assuming that the open loop output impedance of amplifier 10 is 10 ohms, the 10 ohm resistor R1 reduces the magnitude of the signal fed back by capacitor C2 by one half. This may provide sufficient phase margin when the amplifier is configured for a closed loop gain of two but may be insufficient for unity gain configurations.
In many applications, it is desirable to implement as much of a particular circuit in integrated circuit form and to minimize the number of components that are in discrete form. However, it is sometimes difficult or impractical to implement certain components in integrated circuit form. For example, it is difficult to build high quality integrated circuit capacitors which do not require a large amount chip area.
Referring back to the amplifier of FIG. 1, capacitor Cc is typically relatively small and can be (and often is) implemented in integrated circuit form. However, capacitor C2 of FIG. 2 is more difficult to implement in integrated circuit form since it is usually much larger in magnitude than Cc.
One solution to the foregoing is to implement everything except capacitor C2 in integrated circuit form. In that event, the integrated circuit package must include two additional pins to accommodate the external discrete capacitor. This is undesirable in many instances, particularly if more than one circuit is to be integrated and placed in a single package. For example, if four amplifier circuits similar to that of FIG. 2 are to be integrated in common and placed in one package (a quad amplifier product), eight additional pins must be added.
A further solution is to lower the open loop output impedance of the amplifier 10. This permits the use of a smaller resistor R1 and capacitor C2. One conventional approach to lowering the output impedance is to increase the quiescent current flow in the third stage 10C (FIG. 1). This can be done in the case of amplifier 10 by designing current source I2 to provide more current. For example, a 10 ohm output impedance requires a bias current in the output stage of somewhat less than 3 mAmps. This results in increased power consumption and attendant heating of the circuit. This also results in lower battery life in the case of battery powered applications. More importantly, the increased heating limits the number of components which may be placed in the integrated circuit since a large number of heat producing components may cause the maximum operating temperature to be exceeded.
The present invention overcomes the above-noted shortcomings of conventional amplifier circuits having improved capacitive drive capability. The output impedance of the basic amplifier is reduced with decreased power consumption. This permits the use of small integrated circuit capacitors (C2) so that external discrete capacitors need not be used. These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following Detailed Description of the Invention together with the drawings.

Amplifier having improved capacitive drive capability