A high chloride {100} tabular grain emulsion is disclosed containing a non-uniform distribution of iodide to increase sensitivity. A high percentage of the {100} tabular grains have one or more crystal lattice dislocations lines at sites of maximum iodide concentration. The dislocation lines are distinctive in that they are oriented parallel to at least one edge of the {100} tabular grains. The mechanism for producing the dislocation lines relies upon a relatively slow rate of addition of iodide ion, improving the reproducibility of emulsion properties in manufacture. Relatively low overall levels of iodide are employed, allowing rapid rates of development.

Marked improvements in the performance of photographic emulsions began in the 1980's, resulting from the introduction of tabular grain emulsions into photographic products. A wide range of photographic advantages have been provided by tabular grain emulsions, such as improved speed-granularity relationships, increased covering power (both on an absolute basis and as a function of binder hardening), more rapid developability, increased thermal stability, increased separation of native and spectral sensitization imparted imaging speeds, and improved image sharpness in both mono- and multi-emulsion layer formats.
Although tabular grain emulsions can be selected to provide a variety of performance advantages, depending upon the photographic application to be served, initially commercial interest focused on achieving the highest attainable photographic speeds with minimal attendant granularity. This capability of high bromide (111) tabular grain emulsions was demonstrated by Wilgus et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,226 and Kofron et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,520. It was, of course, recognized that minor amounts of iodide further improve the speed-granularity relationship, and Solberg et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,048 taught that increased iodide concentrations near the peripheral edge of the tabular grains further improved the speed-granularity relationship.
Sometime after silver iodobromide {111} tabular grain emulsions appeared in photographic film products Ikeda et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,461 microscopically examined high bromide {111} tabular grains and concluded their superior speed-granularity could be attributed in part to the presence of 10 or more dislocations in tabular grains accounting for at least 50 percent of total grain projected area. This observation was reiterated by Takehara et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,173, Haga et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,836, Suga et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,012, and Maruyama et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,014. Before tabular grain emulsions were commercially used and before the observations of Ikeda et al, dislocations had been observed in high bromide {111} tabular grains and postulated to facilitate latent image formation, as illustrated by G. C. Famell, R. B. Flint and J. B. Chanter, "Preferred Sites for Latent-Image Formation", J. Photogr. Sci., 13:25(1965); J. F. Hamilton, "Electron-Microscope Study of Defect Structure and Photolysis in Silver Bromide Microcrystals", Photogr. Sci. Eng., 11:57(1967); and G. C. Farnell, R. L. Jenkins and L. R. Solman, "Grain Disorder and its Influence on Emulsion Response", J. Photogr. Sci., 24:1(1976).
Black et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,988 EMULSIONS EXHBITING RELATIVELY CONSTANT HIGH discovered that the crystal lattice dislocations in the central region of high bromide {111} tabular grains increase pressure sensitivity while the crystal lattice dislocations in the peripheral region of the tabular grains increase sensitivity without increasing pressure sensitivity.
The first high chloride tabular grain emulsions contained {111} tabular grains, as illustrated by Wey U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,215 and Maskasky U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,463. Maskasky U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,292,632 and 5,275,930 overcame the problem of high chloride {111} tabular grain morphological instability by providing the first high chloride {100} tabular grain emulsions. The combination of the known ecological and developability advantages of high chloride emulsions with the higher tabular shape stability of high chloride grains with {100} crystal faces has stimulated interest in high chloride {100} tabular grain emulsions.
Several forms of incorporation of iodide into high chloride {100} tabular grains have been investigated. House et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,938, Chang et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,904, and Saito EPO 0 670 515 realized that small amounts of iodide added at or soon after grain nucleation are effective to induce subsequent grain growth in a tabular form.
Brust et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,798 observed a speed increase without an offsetting granularity increase when a band of higher iodide content is grown onto a high chloride {100} tabular grain. Brust et al reasoned that it was the non-uniformities of the iodide in the band that were responsible for increased sensitivities. Therefore, Brust et al taught the abrupt (commonly referred to as "dump" ) addition of iodide during band formation. Chang et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,041 is cumulative with Brust et al.

Non-uniform iodide high chloride {100} tabular grain emulsion


In a motor stator structure, a neutral-point bus ring is arranged along an inner peripheral portion of a stator, and alternately includes a larger-diameter portion, a first link portion, a smaller-diameter portion, and a second link portion. An end of a wound wire pulled out of a coil is located between radially-extending adjacent first and second link portions. A connecting terminal is connected at one end to the end of the wound wire, and at the other end to the first and second link portions. The use of the neutral-point bus ring ensures that a neutral point can be formed without bending the end of the wound wire of the coil into a U-shape. Particularly when a rectangular cross-section wire difficult to bend is used as the wound wire, the processing cost can be reduced.

A general stator of a DC brushless motor comprises pluralities of U-phase coils, V-phase coils and W-phase coils each including a wire wound around an outer periphery of an iron core with an insulator provided therebetween, the coils being sequentially arranged in a circumferential direction. Ends of the wound wires pulled out of radially inner ends of the coil are integrally connected to each other to form grounds (neutral points).
In a wire-connection structure of a motor disclosed by Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-254569 which was filed by the present applicant, an end of a wound wire having a rectangular cross-section and pulled out of each coil is bent into a U-shape, and the U-shape bent portions of the wound wires of the adjacent two coils are connected to each other by fusing the wound wires to opposite ends of a connecting terminal, thereby forming a neutral point. Also, in this Japanese Patent Application, the present applicant proposed a structure in which the end of the wound wire pulled out of each coil is connected by the connecting terminal between an outer partition wall and an inner partition wall of an insulator, thereby forming a neutral point.
In bending a circular cross-sectioned wire, the wire has no directionality bias. On the other hand, a rectangular cross-sectioned wire can be easily bent in two directions perpendicular to each of their surfaces, but it is difficult to bend the rectangular cross-sectioned wire in directions oblique to their surfaces. Therefore, when the rectangular cross-sectioned wire is employed as the wound wire, there is a problem: it is not possible to completely mechanize the operation of bending the end of the wound wire pulled out of the coil into a U-shape, and thus manual operation is required, greatly increasing the processing cost.
Further, a space formed between the outer partition wall and the inner partition wall of the insulator is potted with a synthetic resin in order to prevent the breaking and corrosion of the wound wire and the connecting terminal. In this structure, notches for passing the wound wire therethrough are formed in the outer partition wall and the inner partition wall. However, because the notches are plugged by the wound wire passing therethrough, unhardened synthetic resin charged into a space between the outer partition wall and the inner partition wall hardly leaks out of the notches.
However, the wire pulled out of the coil includes a scrap wire portion for providing a tension to the wire during the wire-winding operation. When the scrap wire portion is passed through the notches in the outer partition wall and the inner partition wall, there is a disadvantage: because the scrap wire portion eventually becomes needless after completion of the wire-winding, the scrap wire portion is cut from a portion between the outer partition wall and the inner partition wall and discarded. The notch formed in the inner partition wall for passing the scrap wire portion therethrough is open without being plugged by the wound wire during the potting. Thus the synthetic resin leaks out of the notch, thereby requiring an operation of wiping off the leaking synthetic resin.


A remote control method for remotely controlling a plurality of electronic apparatuses connected to an apparatus control device using a remote control device includes the following steps. The remote control device sends the apparatus control device control data necessary for an infrared control operation, which includes a port number, assigned to a port of the apparatus control device, associated with a selected electronic apparatus and an infrared code for the selected apparatus control device. The apparatus control device then receives the control data sent from the remote control device. The apparatus control device generates an infrared signal based on the infrared code included in the received control data. An infrared-transmitting unit, connected to the port specified by the port number included in the control data, transmits the infrared signal to the electronic apparatus corresponding to the infrared-transmitting unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote control device for remotely controlling electronic apparatuses, an apparatus control device to which a plurality of electronic apparatuses to be controlled by the remote control device is connected, and a remote control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic apparatuses, such as, for example, VTRs (video tape recorders), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players, and BS (Broadcasting Satellite) tuners, having infrared communication ports can be remotely controlled using remote control devices by receiving infrared control signals sent from the remote control devices. When remotely controlling a plurality of electronic apparatuses having the infrared communication ports, users have to direct infrared-transmitting unit of the remote control device toward the target electronic apparatus because of the directivity of infrared rays, which leads to poor usability.
Accordingly, communication systems for remotely controlling a plurality of electronic apparatuses have been suggested (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-220106). In this example system, an apparatus control device receives operation commands from a remote control device, and sends the received operation commands to a server device. The plurality of electronic apparatuses is connected to this server device. Thus, remote control operations on the electronic apparatuses are performed through this server device.

Remote control device, apparatus control device, and remote control method


An apparatus for isolating and sensing optical signals from a plurality of adjacent fiber optical strands. Ends of the adjacent optical fiber strands are aligned with a plurality of light reception areas on a pixel array. Each of the light reception areas is associated with one or more of the optical strands and is formed from one or more pixels from the pixel array. Adjacent light reception areas on the pixel array are separated by a pixel mask which is also formed from pixels on the pixel array. A signal processor is coupled to an output of the pixel array. The signal processor determines a total intensity value corresponding to each light reception area on the pixel array. In determining the total intensity value for a light reception area, the signal processor combines pixel intensity values only from unmasked pixels within the light reception area to determine the total intensity value for that light reception area.

There is a great need to determine the condition of certain electrical equipment such as generators and motors. High voltage generators used by, for example, electric power utilities are subject to faults and deterioration which can be relatively easily corrected if detected sufficiently early, but which can lead to catastrophic failure if left uncorrected. A variety of techniques have been employed to monitor the condition of such equipment in order to evaluate whether or when maintenance should be performed. Such techniques generally measure, directly or indirectly, the quality of the electrical insulation of the equipment. A high voltage generator, such as a 13.2 kV generator used by an electrical utility, includes insulated conductors which are disposed in slots in laminated steel structures. During generator operation, the insulation is subjected to a very large cyclic compressive load. This is a result of the mechanical forces generated by the interaction between the electrical current in the conductor and the magnetic field. Such stresses, together with time and environmental conditions, eventually result in deterioration of the insulation sufficient to permit corona generation. For purposes of the present invention, the term "corona" means a localized electrical discharge in a gaseous region adjacent an electrical circuit which occurs due to transient ionization of the gas when the voltage stress in the gas exceeds a critical value, for instance an electric field of about 3000 V/m in air. The corona itself typically causes further insulation degradation which, if unabated, will result over time in an arc, spark or flame in the equipment which causes an equipment failure. Thus, for purposes of the present invention, a corona or corona ionization may be thought of as a first step in an evolutionary process which, in time, may result in an arc, spark or flame in the equipment being monitored. Although the term "corona" may be used to refer to internal discharges, such usages of "corona" must be distinguished from corona which occurs externally. External corona refers to characteristics of the corona phenomenon which occur on the surface of the insulation. External corona is sometimes referred to as partial discharge. Corona that is not visible because it is internal to a material or device can also be referred to as partial discharge. In this specification, "corona" refers to external corona, i.e., exposed ionization. While certain measures can be taken to suppress external corona ionization, such as applying semiconductive paint over the insulation, they generally merely extend the time until corona occurs.
In rotating machinery, such as high-voltage motors or generators, conductors are insulated with layers of insulating tape which is mica based and impregnated with a polymer that has a high dielectric strength which is inherent to the monomer components of the polymer or to the modifiers which may be added to increase the dielectric strength upon polymerization of the monomer compound. Conductors that have been treated with an insulating system are driven into the slots in laminated steel structures. These stator-bar conductors must carry a cyclic compressive load. This is a result of the transmission of mechanical forces resulting from the interaction of the current and magnetic field to the iron of the generator or the opposite affect. Semiconductive paints are used to suppress corona between the insulation system and the slots. In most cases, the paint is vaporized over prolongation of the ionization. Corona is undesirable and will degrade the insulation due to ion bombardment over time.
Currently, insulation can be divided into six classes. However, these six classes have yet to become the industry standard. The industry is currently using four class divisions. Class A insulation is comprised of organic materials such as cotton, paper and silk. This type of insulation is not used in new generators. Class B insulation is a group consisting of synthetic materials such as mica, glass fiber and epoxy. Some organic materials are also included in this class. Class B insulation is the most widely used insulation today. Class F insulation is made up of similar materials that are in Class B insulation. These materials have different characteristics than those in Class B. Generally, Class F insulation can withstand an additional 25 degrees centigrade over Class B insulation. Class H insulation is also comprised of similar materials as in Class B insulation. Class H insulation has additional additives that suppress combustion. The proposed six class division separates Class H insulation into two other classifications that are loosely based on further temperature divisions. Insulation systems are usually mica or mica based products which have been impregnated with a plastic in a compression process. Insulating tapes used in an insulation system that covers the outer surface of conductors contain inorganic materials, even so, corona ionization will eventually occur on such materials.
Corona is a serious problem, and can lead to rapid and catastrophic failure of a generator. Accordingly, generator condition monitoring has included corona detection and monitoring of corona-related conditions. For the most part, prior corona detection techniques have required the generator to be taken out of service, which is a substantial disadvantage. One technique is to visually inspect the generator windings to detect the effects of corona on the insulation; corona may leave a white residue. Visual inspection may require substantial disassembly of the generator to access locations where corona may occur, and the visual evidence of corona may be overlooked. Another corona detection technique which requires the generator to be out of service is electrical measurement of the insulation electrical characteristics from which inferences regarding the insulation quality and susceptibility to corona may be drawn. D.C. potentials may be applied to the windings for measurements of charging and static resistive currents; A.C. potentials may be applied to the windings to make insulation power factor measurements; or overvoltages may be applied to determine if the insulation can survive them. A further drawback of these electrical testing methods is that they do not provide information regarding the physical location at which an insulation problem may exist; thus they do not provide information to direct repair and maintenance activities to the appropriate locations. Other techniques may be used to detect corona based on the effects it produces while it is occurring; these include detecting radio or ultrasonic noise emitted by the corona. These monitoring techniques also require the electrical load to be removed from the generator, and it is still difficult to locate a corona-generating region using them. Coronas generate ozone, and the tell-tale odor of ozone has long been used as an indicator of corona. It is difficult to quantify the degree of insulation deterioration and to localize a deteriorated area by detecting corona-generated ozone.
Corona also generates light, and corona detectors which acquire and detect light have been used in research studies regarding corona physics. However, to date optical corona detectors have not been available which can detect corona in an operating electrical machine such as a generator and determine the location where the corona exists.
Utility generators can be taken off line for inspection, testing, maintenance, and repair in the spring and fall, when demand is relatively low, but it is inconvenient and expensive to do so in the summer and winter peak demand seasons. Accordingly, the generators are typically kept on line during the peak seasons, and any minor insulation defects which are overlooked or are incipient and undetectable in the spring and fall can grow to serious or catastrophic problems during the following peak season. Such problems are exacerbated by the fact that there is presently negligible construction of new power plants in the United States; old plants and their generators are therefore being kept on line indefinitely, and the aging equipment is increasingly susceptible to insulation deterioration. When a catastrophic generator failure occurs, it can require eighteen months off line and tens of millions of dollars to repair.
Accordingly, there is a great need for a system for continuously monitoring the condition of a generator while it is in normal operation, which can detect and evaluate the severity and location of corona and related conditions, so that problems can be identified early, monitored during their evolution, emergency action can be taken if necessary, and otherwise repair and maintenance can be scheduled when appropriate, performed efficiently and effectively, and orderly utility operations maintained.
In order to monitor many different areas on a piece of electrical equipment at the same time, it would be desirable to have the ability to simultaneously monitor and detect light emitted from various areas on the piece of electrical equipment. Photodiode arrays (PDA's), also known as Linear Imaging Sensors (LIS), consist of a one dimensional linear array of photodiodes. Each photodiode is a sensing element in the array. The sensing elements or pixels convert an optical signal to an electronic bias. Each sensor element has an associated capacitance which stores the converted optical signal. Each individual sensing element or pixel has a rectangular pixel area, and is arranged in a single row. The number of elements in each row varies by manufacturer specification. PDA's may consist of 128, 256, 512, 1024 or another binary value of pixels. The electronics used to access each individual photodiode is manufactured into the photodiode chip. The output region is distinctly different from the photosensitive region, and is comprised of video communication lines which are connected to each of the individual sensors through switches that are controlled by a shift register that controls each switch. Data from each sensing region is transmitted through the video communication channel one at a time. The entire sensing area is active.
Charged Coupled Devices (CCD's) are comprised of individual sensor elements or pixels each having a square pixel area, and are arranged in a two dimensional array consisting of rows and columns. Typically, 1024 elements by 256 elements. The sensing array differs from the PDA in that the CCD is a two dimensional array of sensing elements. Like the PDA, the entire sensing area is active. The electronics are self contained in the chip and a signal from each element is shifted sequentially down and across to the output. Each sensor or pixel converts an optical signal to an electronic bias over an integration period, and transmits this information periodically out of the chip in a readout with a specific electronic format.
The photosensitive region of a PDA or CCD consists of a linear optical array or a two dimensional optical array. The two dimensional optical area of the array is best described in a Cartesian Coordinate System. The array consists of individual points referred to as pixels, which are addressable by the (X, Y) coordinate position in the Cartesian plane. The pixel is the smallest sensing element in the linear or two dimensional optical array. Each pixel can be described with a set of attributes which include position, and a value representative of light intensity at that position. A set of adjacent pixels comprise an individual sensing area. Each individual sensing area consists of a two-dimensional structure consisting of N pixels corresponding to the x-axis, and M pixels corresponding to y-axis. The specific sensing area is specified by the size given as being M pixels by N pixels. The typical sensing array of a CCD consists of 1024 pixels by 256 pixels, which corresponds to a total of 262144 pixels for the entire sensing area. By selecting individual sensing regions consisting of 8.times.8 pixels, the entire sensing region can be divided up into 4096 independent sensing areas.
Small detection elements (such as those found in PDA's and CCD's) are extremely useful for image processing. When an image to be processed is a composite of individual images, e.g., light emitted from various areas on a piece of electrical equipment, it is necessary to separate the individual images on the detection element. Separating individual images can be improved by requiring precise alignment of the individual images on specific sensing areas on a detection element. The sensing areas may be separable provided that the detection devices have independently addressed sensing areas such as those used in high-ended charged coupled detector systems. Since the detection elements of these systems are small, the alignment of the individual images to the sensing areas in these systems is difficult and edges of the images may overlap on the detection element. When an individual image is a high intensity image, adjacent sensing areas may also be affected by cross talk noise. Thus, a sensing area may give false readings of emissions if it received high intensity emissions from an adjacent sensing area.
It is therefore an overall object of the invention to provide a system for detecting corona in electrical machinery while the machinery is in normal operation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a system which can detect arcing, flame ignition combustion, and smoldering conditions as well as corona.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system for detecting corona ionization emissions from an electrical power generator, which system can be installed on the electrical power generator without modifying or altering the design or structure of the generator.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system which can determine the location(s) within the machinery at which corona or other insulation defect-related conditions are occurring.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a system which can determine the identity of materials which are involved in corona or other insulation defect-related conditions.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a system which can determine the intensity or severity of corona or other insulation defect-related conditions.
It is another object of the invention to enhance the optical visibility of corona ionization emissions that occur within electrical power generating equipment by treating the insulation used in such equipment with materials which emit a distinctive optical signature during corona ionization emissions.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a system which displays information relating to the intensity and location of corona or other insulation defect-related conditions.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a system which stores information relating to the condition of the monitored electrical machinery.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a system which is rugged and can reliably operate in the hostile environment of many electrical machines.
It is another object of the invention to use a single optical detector which is coupled to a plurality of fiber optical devices with different fields of view for monitoring and determining the location(s) within the machinery where corona ionization emissions are occurring. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide means for selectively suppressing optical signals from one or more of such fiber optical signals from reaching the single optical sensor. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide means for optically isolating different optical signals from the plurality of fiber optical devices on discrete non-overlapping areas of the single optical sensor.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be understood with reference to the following specification and claims and the drawings.

Apparatus for isolating light signals from adjacent fiber optical strands


Provided is a process for producing 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid, which is an active ingredient of the pheromone of California prionus. More specifically provided is a method for producing 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid (5) comprising the steps of converting 2-methylnonyl halide (1) to a 2-methylnonyl metal reagent (2), and reacting the 2-methylnonyl metal reagent (2) with 2-ethylidene malonic acid ester (3) to form 2-(1,3-dimethyldecyl)malonic acid ester (4) as a result of 1,4-addition of the 2-methylnonyl metal reagent (2) to the 2-ethylidene malonic acid ester (3), as shown in the following scheme:

The present invention relates to a method for producing 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid which is a sex pheromone of California prionus (Prionus californicus).
Sex pheromones of insects are usually bioactive substances released by individual females and having a function of attracting individual males. They show high attracting activity even in small amounts. Sex pheromones are widely used as a means for predicting the outbreak of insects or finding geological diffusion thereof (emergence into specific areas) or as a means for pest control. As a means for pest control, control methods called "mass trapping", "lure & kill or attract & kill", "lure & infect or attract & infect", or "mating disruption" have been widely carried out in practice. To utilize a sex pheromone, economical production of a required amount of an active ingredient of the pheromone is necessary for basic research and further for a practical application.
California prionus (Prionus californicus), one of long horn beetles, has a wide distribution in Northwestern America. It is an insect pest to various kinds of perennial plants. Among them, damage by this insect pest to hops has been a serious problem. This insect pest has a life cycle as long as 3 to 5 years but it spends most of its life as a larva in soil, more specifically, in the roots or trunks of plants such as hop to be damaged by the insect pest so that it cannot be controlled easily by agrichemicals.
Millar et al. have revealed that as a result of syntheses of candidate compounds presumed from the mass spectra of an extract from this insect pest, the sex pheromone of the insect pest is 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid (J. Chem. Ecol., 2009, 35, 590-600). Also in this journal article, Millar et al. synthesize this product by bromination of 2-methyl-1-nonanol, subsequent conversion into a corresponding Grignard reagent, and then reaction with β-butyrolactone.
Further, Petrov et al. synthesize 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid by coupling between heptyl magnesium bromide and 2-chloro-3-pentene, addition of hydrogen bromide, alkylation of ethyl malonate, hydrolysis of the resulting ester, and decarboxylation (Fette, Seifen, Anstrichmittel, 1959, 61, 940-946).
Still further, Millar et al. stereoselectively synthesize a (3R,5S)-form and a (3S,5R)-form of 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid by asymmetric 1,4-addition of methyl magnesium bromide to 2-decenoate ester, reduction of the ester, a Wittig reaction, asymmetric 1,4-addition again of methyl magnesium bromide to the unsaturated ester thus obtained, and finally hydrolysis of the ester (J. Chem. Ecol., 2011, 37, 114-124).

Method for producing 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid


A fastening arrangement for connecting a first member to a second member which has a threaded bore is provided which includes a bolt having a head on one end and an attached shank with a threaded portion, a flange connected with the first member, the flange having a support surface for supporting the bolt head, and a bore intersecting the support surface allowing for penetration of the bolt shank, the bore also having at least two radially inward protruding guides for centering the bolt shank within the bore, and at least one compliant finger integrally formed and connected with the flange which by insertion of the bolt is deformed to a position to compliantly bias the bolt shank against at least one of the guides and to also retain the bolt shank within the bore.

It is well known in the automotive art to fasten one member to another member by a threaded fastener. When assembling parts where losing a fastener may cause major problems (especially when assembling engine components), it has often been the practice to retain fastener one member before that member is assembled to the second member to prevent the fastener from being misplaced. The above-noted practice is also desirable so that an assembler does not have to take the time to pick up the fastener when installing the component on a vehicle.
An example of the above practice is demonstrated in the attachment of air intake tubes to an engine manifold or head. The intake tubes, to meet the environmentally-mandated goal of reducing overall vehicle weight, are made of a glass fiber-impregnated polymeric material. The engine head or manifold is typically a metallic material. The attachment bolt has a head with a partially threaded shank. The intake tube has an integral flange which has a bore for insertion of the bolt. The bore has a metallic sleeve with a mushroom head which protrudes outside of the bore, away from the engine head or manifold. The sleeve is either pressed into the flange, adhesively inserted or placed in the mold when forming the air tube.
A C-clip having a bore for insertion of the shank of the bolt is first placed on the bolt shank adjacent the bolt head. The shank threads are then rolled. The rolling on the threads provides a thread outer diameter greater than the original stock portion of the shank. Therefore, the clip is retained on the bolt. The bolt shank is inserted within the sleeve, and the clip is then snapped onto the mushroom head. Thereafter, the bolt is retained with the intake tube.


Input digital data are formatted into a data block composed of a predetermined amount of data, subjected to error correction encoding process, and recorded on a predetermined number of continuous tracks of a recording medium. In the error correction encoding process, the data block is subjected to an inter-track error correction encoding, an outer error correction encoding and an inner error correction encoding. In the inter-track error correction encoding, each information element to be coded is produced by symbols collected from the data which are to be recorded on different tracks of the continuous tracks. The error correction encoded data in the data block are distributed to a first predetermined recording area of each track of the continuous tracks, and parity code words produced by the inter-track error correction encoding are distributed to a second predetermined recording area of each track of the continuous tracks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing digital data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A digital VCR (video cassette recorder) for digitizing and compressing pictures and sounds, and recording helically in a magnetic tape is already put in practical use at the present. In the digital VCR, track error correction is done by double error correction in a track. To record digital data by using the digital VCR, it is necessary to keep a sufficiently low error rate. In pictures, an error can be concealed, the error will not propagate, but in computer data, by contrast, errors are not allowable in most cases. Besides, in recording of video signals compressed in a technique for causing error propagations widely, it is required to keep a low error rate. In the existing recording apparatus, however, an error rate is too high for recording computer data or video signals causing error propagations. Another problem was that the correction capacity for burst error for correcting error in the track was low.
Other apparatus is known to record digital data by using DAT (digital audio tape) which is audio recording apparatus for consumer use such as DDS. In this apparatus, in addition to the double error correction in the track, error correction coding is also carried out between tracks. A codeword for inter-track error correction coding used in DDS is composed of a symbol of a same address among plural tracks. Generally, the code of high error correction capacity has a long codeword length, and by employing this method, its correction unit becomes longer along with the correction capacity. In a case of recording and reproducing apparatus using the digital VCR, the capacity per track is large, and to increase the correction unit, capacity of a memory of correction circuit or the like must be increased, and such increase of circuit scale causes a problem.
In the digital VCR, data to be recorded comprises video data, audio data, and auxiliary data for controlling the video data and the audio data. These data are recorded on a magnetic tape by the double error correction coding, and in this case since the auxiliary data records the information about the recorded data, it is desired to record the auxiliary data in the same position as the digital VCR also in the digital data recording and reproducing apparatus.
Furthermore, there is a track for recording only parity. At this time, data of trick play or the like cannot be continuously disposed at a specific position on the track.
A track composition in a conventional digital VCR is shown in FIG. 10. In the conventional digital VCR, the video data are processed by inner error correction coding, and recorded in a video data region 73, a video outer parity generated by outer error correction coding of the video data and the auxiliary data is recorded in a video outer parity region 75, the audio data are processed by inner error correction coding and recorded in an audio data region 70, an audio outer parity generated by outer error correction of the audio data is recorded in an audio outer parity region 71, and the auxiliary data is recorded in a first auxiliary data region 72 and a second auxiliary data region 74.

Digital data recording and reproducing apparatus with reliable error correcting coding and decoding

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


In one embodiment, the present invention includes a system-on-a-chip (SoC) with first and second cores, interface logic coupled to the cores, chipset logic coupled to the interface logic, and a virtual firewall logic coupled between the chipset logic and the second core. The interface logic may include a firewall logic, a bus logic, and a test logic, and the chipset logic may include a memory controller to provide for communication with a memory coupled to the SoC. In some system implementations, both during test operations and functional operations, the second core can be disabled during normal operation to provide for a single core SoC, enabling greater flexibility of use of the SoC in many different implementations. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

As semiconductor technologies evolve, greater amounts of functionality can be incorporated on a single semiconductor die. Whereas formerly separate integrated circuits may have been present to provide different functions such as processing functions, control functions, interface functions and so forth, modern semiconductors can incorporate multiple functions such as these in a single integrated circuit.
Evidence of this trend is the increasing number of system-on-a-chip (SoC) devices that are available. These single die integrated circuits (ICs) include various circuitry such as processing circuitry, interface circuitry, specialized function circuitry and so forth. As such, embedded devices and portable devices such as mobile terminals, netbooks and so forth can be implemented with a smaller number of devices. This trend is also apparent in processor technologies, as modern processors can include multiple cores in a single package, e.g., dual-core, quad-core and many-core implementations are readily available. In general, SoCs include a single core processor, which can provide a limitation on their utility.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Interface logic for a multi-core system-on-a-chip (SoC)


Aspects of the disclosure relate to dynamic crypto key management for mobility in a cloud environment. A computing platform may receive a request to generate a new tenant master key and a new server recovery key. Subsequently, the computing platform may send to a cloud-based key vault server, the new tenant master key and the new server recovery key. The computing platform may send to a tenant database, the encrypted server recovery key. As a result, the computing platform may provision the enrollment servers with the encrypted server recovery key. In some embodiments, the enrollment servers are configured to manage enrollment of policy-managed devices in a policy enforcement scheme and to authenticate with the key update service based on the encrypted server recovery key.

Enterprise organizations are increasingly relying on encryption keys (which may, e.g., also be referred to as "crypto keys") stored in a key vault to protect the safety and security of the enterprise information and resources. In the event that the crypto keys are compromised or the crypto keys need to be upgraded in a normal operation, the key update process may cause service interruption to users for a prolonged period of time. The problems grow as more companies are moving to cloud computing environments, where key upgrades may occur frequently. Managing and updating encryption keys, particularly in cloud computing environments, thus presents various technical challenges.

Dynamic crypto key management for mobility in a cloud environment


There is provided an improved NAND logic gate circuit for use in microprocessors and a method for fabricating the same so as to be capable of operating at higher speeds. The NAND logic gate circuit includes a parallel structure formed of a plurality of P-channel MOS together in parallel and a stacked structure formed of a plurality of N-channel MOS transistors all connected together in series. Each of the plurality of P-channel MOS transistors has a first sub-nominal channel length and reduced overlap capacitance. Each of the plurality of N-channel MOS transistors has a second sub-nominal channel length and reduced overlap capacitance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a semiconductor integrated circuit device and a method for fabricating the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved NAND logic gate circuit for use in microprocessors and a method of fabricating the NAND circuit so as to be capable of operating at higher speeds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is generally known that the design and fabrication of microprocessors have become a very competitive business. At present, it is also well-known that increasing the speed by 10% in the microprocessor design will typically provide a 40% increase in profitability. As a consequence, there exists a continuing challenge to microprocessor designers to increase the speed of microprocessors but yet maintaining a relatively low leakage current in order to operate at a low power consumption.
Heretofore, there have been encountered various prior art techniques which are commonly used to increase the speed of microprocessors and are listed as follows:
(1) Increasing of the DC power supply potential.
(2) Reducing the effective channel length of CMOS devices.
(3) Reducing or lowering the threshold voltage of the CMOS devices.
Thus far, it appears that the most effective way of boosting the speed performance in the microprocessor design is through the channel length reduction. However, there are certain limitations and design penalties in the process of continually reducing of the channel length. For example, there will be decreased the amount of current driving capability when the sizes of the devices are scaled-down. In addition, a larger amount of leakage current will occur, due to the reduction of channel length, which may create serious problems in chip design and application.
The inventor has realized that there exists another technique, besides the channel length reduction, in which to substantially improve the CMOS transistor speed. This new technique is achieved by the reduction of overlap capacitance, which thus far has not been considered by anyone to the knowledge of the inventor. As a background and in order to assist in the understanding of the present invention, there is shown in FIG. 1 a cross-sectional view of a MOS transistor 102 which includes a source region 104 and a drain region 106 formed on a surface of a silicon substrate 108. A gate oxide film 110 is formed on the substrate between the source and drain regions. A gate electrode 112 is formed on the surface of the gate oxide film 110. As can be seen, the overlap capacitance C.sub.OV on the source side is defined to be equal to the overlapping capacitance C.sub.OV1 between the gate and the source plus the fringing capacitance C.sub.OV2 between the edge of the gate and the source. Similarly, the overlap capacitance C.sub.OV on the drain side is defined to be equal to the overlapping capacitance C.sub.OV1 between the gate and the drain plus the fringing capacitance C.sub.OV2 between the edge of the gate and the drain.
In FIG. 2, there is shown a top plan view of the MOS transistor 102 of FIG. 1 so as to better illustrate the areas where the overlap capacitances are formed. In particular, the source region 104 has a width W and a length Y.sub.s. The drain region 106 has also a width W and a length Y.sub.d. The gate electrode 112 has also a width W and a length L'. Further, the (effective) channel length is L, the source overlap length is L.sub.s, and the drain overlap is L.sub.d. Thus, the overlapping capacitance C.sub.OV1 on the source side is measured between area 114 and area 116, and the fringing capacitance C.sub.OV2 is measured between the edge of the area 114 adjacent the channel and the area 116. Similarly, the overlapping capacitance C.sub.OV1 on the drain side is measured between area 118 and area 120, and the fringing capacitance C.sub.OV2 is measured between the edge of the area 118 adjacent the channel and the area 120.
It should be understood that by decreasing the channel length L the overlap capacitance C.sub.OV on both the source and drain sides will be increased, if the gate, source and drain dimensions are maintained, which will adversely effect the operation of the transistor by increasing the RC delay time. Also, as the devices being scaled-down, the overlap capacitance will become more and more critical and influential on the speed performance. This is due to the fact that the percentage of the overlap capacitance including the fringing capacitance to the total gate capacitance will become larger and thus plays a more dominant role in the speed performance. Therefore, there still exists a need of developing an improved device structure which will have CMOS transistors having both channel length reduction and overlap capacitance reduction.
Since NAND logic gate circuits are considered to be the basic building block used in microprocessor design, the inventors of the present invention conducted a study of the speed performance on ring oscillators in the 3-input NAND inverter circuit of the type as shown in FIG. 3 and labeled "Prior Art" which are connected to each other in multiple stages. As a result of the investigation about the relationship between the P-channel and N-channel transistors having shorter channel lengths and the overlap capacitance reduction, the inventor has discovered a way of fabricating a faster NAND logic gate circuit for use in microprocessor designs which has higher speeds of operation.
Moreover, according to the fabrication process of the invention, the NAND logic gate circuit can be manufactured by utilizing the same "nominal sub-micron" CMOS fabrication technology so that existing equipment is used and no investment in new equipment is necessitated, thereby avoiding any increase in manufacturing costs. As used herein, the term "nominal sub-micron" refers to a quarter-micron process where the channel length is 0.25 .mu.m. The term "sub-nominal" means smaller than the nominal sub-micron.

Faster NAND for microprocessors utilizing unevenly sub-nominal P-channel and N-channel CMOS transistors with reduced overlap capacitance


An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for autonomically virtualizing a data storage server. The apparatus, system, and method include a central control hub module configured to service storage server operations between a client and one or more storage servers, a detection module configured to determine whether a set of storage conditions is satisfied, and a creation module configured to create an additional instance of a storage server in response to the set of storage conditions being satisfied. The central control hub module may also include a mapping module configured to maintain storage mappings between the client and servers and provide the storage mappings to the client. When a new server instance is created, it may include a new maintenance database instance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to data storage systems and more particularly relates to the autonomic expansion and virtualization of data storage servers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern technology has led to the heavy reliance of businesses on electrical data storage systems. These storage systems are used to backup and archive critical information that must be stored and retrieved quickly and reliably. Typically, a storage system includes a remote server or group of servers that are accessible by any number of clients across a common network. The storage servers may utilize storage devices such as magnetic disks, optical disks, and magnetic tape subsystems to store vast amounts of operational, backup, and archive data for the clients. Management software is typically used to configure a maintenance database that records metadata describing the files stored on backend storage devices. Typically, these maintenance databases identify a file location, which client the file belongs to, and the date a file was stored, created, or modified. These maintenance databases may have a limited size defined by the management software being used. Typically, a new maintenance database must be created when one of the existing maintenance databases reaches its capacity. This usually requires the manual configuration of a new server as well as the reconfiguration of each affected client which may result in high monetary costs and a loss of production.
In one embodiment, TSM (Tivoli Storage Manager) software, provided by IBM of Armonk, N.Y., is used to manage a backup or archive system by maintaining a maintenance database of the files stored on a particular server. A TSM server maintenance database may have an upper size limit of 530 Gigabytes, and for best performance and maintainability, may be limited to approximately 100 Gigabytes. The size of a maintenance database is calculated by determining the number of files that will fill a given configuration and multiplying that value by the size of each entry. Assuming no storage pool backups will be required and no files are aggregated, the size of a typical maintenance database entry is approximately 600 bytes, although this number could vary due to file size or file name. Therefore, a server with 12 Terabytes of storage and an average file size of 10 Kilobytes will require an 840 Gigabyte maintenance database which exceeds the 530 Gigabyte limit.
In another embodiment, maintenance database size is figured as a percentage of the total storage space available. Using TSM software, the maintenance database size limit is typically one to five percent of the total storage capacity. The tables provided below list the maintenance database size requirements for various storage capacities.
Maintenance database Size RequirementsCalculations using 600 bytes/fileTotal Backend Storage3 TB6 TB12 TB21 TB48 TBAverage File Size 10 KB210GB*420GB*840GB**1.47TB**3.36TB**100 KB21GB42GB84GB147GB*336GB*250 KB8.4GB16.8GB33.6GB58.8GB134.4GB*500 KB4.2GB8.4GB16.8GB29.4GB67.2GB 1 MB2.1GB4.2GB8.4GB14.7GB33.6GB 2 MB1.05GB2.1GB4.2GB7.35GB16.8GB
Maintenance database size requirementsCalculations using % of storage capacityTotal Backend Storage3 TB6 TB12 TB21 TB48 TB1% 30 GB60 GB120 GB* 210 GB*480 GB*5%150 GB300 GB*600 GB** 1.2 TB** 2.4 TB***Exceeds TSM's practical maintenance database size limit of 100 GB**Exceeds TSM's maximum maintenance database size limit of 530 GB
As demonstrated in the tables above, a single maintenance database is insufficient in many cases to manage a large storage area. In a typical archive environment, these maintenance databases may reach their maximum capacity or exceed their ideal operating capacity. Particularly in a data retention environment, the data could be retained for long periods of time, thereby not freeing up maintenance database space and leading to size and efficiency problems. Currently, the remedy for these problems is to manually configure new servers with new maintenance databases, and then bring these new servers online which can be extremely costly in terms of money and production.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a conventional data storage system 10. A Client 12 connects to a server instance 14. The server instance 14 accesses the back end storage 16 and includes a maintenance database 18. The Client 12, in various embodiments, may comprise a personal computer, workstation, laptop or other device as will be recognized by one skilled in the art. The back end storage 16 may include disk storage devices, tape storage devices, a storage sub-system, or other storage devices or combination of storage devices as will be recognized by one skilled in the art. Maintenance database 18 is used to store metadata corresponding to the data stored in the back end storage 16. The metadata, in one embodiment, may include information such as file name, location, and size, as well as dates the file was stored or accessed.
The server instance 14 may service multiple clients and may service storage operations for each of them. The client 12 may be connected to the server instance 14 through a local area network (LAN), and the server instance 14 maybe connected to the back end storage 16 through a storage area network (SAN). As described above, one problem with current configurations is that the maintenance database 18 may reach or exceed a capacity threshold requiring the manual implementation of a new server and maintenance database.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus, system, and method that autonomically virtualizes a data storage server by creating new server instances and maintenance databases as needed. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would increase the performance and reliability of the system, eliminate maintenance database size limit problems, and significantly reduce the number of manual configuration steps required to expand the storage system.

Apparatus, system, and method for the autonomic virtualization of a data storage server

International Business Machines Corporation


This invention relates to novel substituted imidazole and triazole derivatives which antagonize the binding of angiotensin II to its receptors. The compounds are useful in the treatment of hypertension, heart failure, glaucoma, and hyperaldosteronism. Methods of making the compounds, novel intermediates useful in the preparation of the compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds, and methods of using them are also covered.

The instant invention relates to novel imidazole and 1,2,4-triazole derivatives which antagonize the binding of angiotensin II (AII) to cellular receptors. This AII antagonist property renders these compounds useful for treatment of angiotensin-related hypertension.
The enzyme renin acts on a blood plasma .alpha..sub.2 -globulin, angiotensinogen, to produce angiotensin I, which is then converted by angiotensin-converting enzyme to AII. The latter substance is a powerful vasopressor agent which has been implicated as a causative agent for producing high blood pressure in various mammals, such as rats, dogs, and humans. The compounds of this invention inhibit the action of AII at its receptors on target cells and thus prevent the increase in blood pressure produced by this hormone-receptor interaction. By administering a compound of the instant invention to a species of mammal with hypertension due to AII, the blood pressure is reduced. The compounds of the invention are also useful for the treatment of congestive heart failure, hyperaldosteronism and glaucoma.
European Application Number 253,310 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,069) discloses imidazoles of the formula ##STR1##
The compounds are disclosed as having utility in treating hypertension and congestive heart failure.
European Application Number 323,841 discloses substituted pyrrole-, pyrazole-, and triazole-containing compounds of the formulas ##STR2##
European Application Number 324,37 (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,128,355 and 5,138,069) discloses a pharmaceutical composition of a diuretic or a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug useful for blocking the angiotensin II receptor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,040 discloses imidazole-5-acetic acid derivatives of the formula ##STR3## wherein R.sup.1 is lower alkyl, cycloalkyl or, phenyl which may be substituted with one to three of halogen, nitro, amino, mono(lower alkyl)amino, di(lower alkyl)amino, lower alkyl, lower alkoxyl, benzyloxyl or/and hydroxyl; X.sup.1, X.sup.2, and X.sup.3 are each hydrogen, halogen, nitro, amino, lower alkyl, lower alkoxyl, benzyloxyl or hydroxyl; Y is halogen and R.sup.2 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; provided that X.sup.1 is halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxyl, benzyloxyl or hydroxyl when R.sup.1 is unsubstituted or substituted phenyl only with one halogen, di(lower alkyl)amino, lower alkyl or lower alkoxyl, and its salts. The compounds are disclosed as having antihypertensive activity.
European Applications Numbers 403158 and 403159 disclose angiotensin II receptor antagonists of formula ##STR4## wherein R.sup.1 is phenyl, biphenyl, naphthyl, or adamantylmethyl, which are unsubstituted or substituted by one to three substituents selected from Cl, Br, F, I, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, nitro, CO.sub.2 R.sup.7, tetrazol-5-yl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy, hydroxy, SC.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, SO.sub.2 NHR.sup.7, SO.sub.3 H, CONR.sup.7 R.sup.7, CN, SO.sub.2 C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, or C.sub.n F.sub.2n1, wherein n is 1 to 3;
R.sup.2 is C.sub.2 -C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.10 alkenyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.10 alkynyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 cycloalkyl, , or (CH.sub.2).sub.0-3 phenyl unsubstituted or substituted by one to three substituents selected from C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, nitro, Cl, Br, F, I, hydroxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, or NR.sup.7 R.sup.7 ; PA0 X is a single bond, S, or O: PA0 R.sup.3 is hydrogen, Cl, Br, F, I, CHO, hydroxymethyl, COOR.sup.7, CONR.sup.7 R.sup.7, NO.sub.2, or C.sub.n F.sub.2n1, wherein n is 1 to 3; PA0 R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are independently hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 alkyl, phenyl-Y-, naphthyl-Y-, or biphenyl-Y-, wherein the aryl groups are unsubstituted or substituted by one to three substituents selected from Cl, Br, F, I, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, hydroxy, CO.sub.2 R.sup.7, CN, NO.sub.2, tetrazol-5-yl, SO.sub.3 H, CF.sub.3, CONR.sup.7 R.sup.7, SO.sub.2 NHR.sup.7, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, or NR.sup.7 R.sup.7, or by methylenedioxy, phenoxy, or phenyl, except that R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are not both selected from hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkyl; PA0 Y is a single bond, O, S, or C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl which is straight or branched or optionally substituted by phenyl or benzyl, wherein each of the aryl groups is unsubstituted or substituted by halo, NO.sub.2, CF.sub.3, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, CN, or CO.sub.2 R.sup.7 ; PA0 R.sup.6 is --Z--COOR.sup.6 or --Z--CONR.sup.7 R.sup.7 ; PA0 Z is a single bond, vinyl, CH.sub.2 --O--CH.sub.2 --, methylene optionally substituted by C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, one or two benzyl groups, thienylmethyl, or furylmethyl, or --C(O)NHCHR.sup.9 --, wherein R.sup.9 is H, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, phenyl, benzyl, thienylmethyl, or furylmethyl; PA0 each R.sup.7 independently is hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, or (CH.sub.2).sub.m phenyl, wherein m is 0 to 4; and PA0 R.sup.6 is hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl, or 2-di(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl)amino-2-oxoethyl; or PA0 R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 are both hydrogen, R.sup.4 is and --Z--COOR.sup.8 and Z is other than a single bond; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
Copending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/757021 covers novel anilide derivatives which antagonize the binding of angiotensin II to its receptors. The compounds are those of formula ##STR5##

Imidazole with angiotensin II antagonist properties


Disclosed is a substrate structure for light-emitting diode (LED), including an upper layer substrate, a flexible printed circuit, a lower layer substrate, and an isolation substance. The upper layer substrate has forming a conductor pattern to provide a bonding zone and a plurality of electrode zones. The flexible printed circuit is bonded under the upper layer substrate. The lower layer substrate is bonded under the flexible printed circuit and has forming conductor lines. The isolation substance is coated on the top surface of the upper layer substrate and the bottom surface of the lower layer substrate. As such, a substrate structure comprised of upper and lower layers made of the upper-layer and lower-layer substrates interposing a core made of the flexible printed circuit is formed.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are of the advantages of low power consumption and long lifespan and are thus commonly used in electronic products. With the progress of science and technology, the electronic devices are now in a trend of compactness and lightweight. However, the conventional LEDs, no matter how small the size of a carrier thereof is, are of a bulky size after a light-transmitting layer is wrapped around the constituent components thereof. This is against the current trend.
To comply with the trend of compactness and light weight, surface mount technology (SMT) is now employed to mount a substrate to which a light-emitting chip is bonded to a flexible printed circuit (FPC). This is shown in FIG. 6 of the attached drawings, wherein a flexible printed circuit A is provide with an insulation substrate B thereon. The insulation substrate B can be for example a rigid printed circuit board (PCB). The printed circuit board is provided on a top surface thereof with a conductor pattern C, which forms a bonding zone C1, a positive electrode zone C2, and negative electrode zones C3. The conductive pattern C is coated with isolation resin D except where the bonding zone C1, the positive electrode zone C2, and the negative electrode zones C3 are located. The bonding zone C1 functions to provide a location for flip-chip bonding of a light-emitting chip. To use, the light-emitting chip is bonded to the bonding zone C1 on the top surface of the insulation substrate B and is electrically connected to the conductor pattern C by connection wires. Thereafter, the light-emitting chip is covered with resin E to complete the packaging process. The conventional structure described above requires adoption of surface mount technology, which needs adhesive application and reflow oven processes to carry out soldering for bonding and mounting the insulation substrate B to the flexible printed circuit. This is susceptible to potential risks of failure soldering between the insulation substrate B and the flexible printed circuit A, leading to increased flaw rate of products and also increasing manufacturing costs. When the flexible printed circuit A and the insulation substrate B are fixed together by soldering, the insulation substrate B occupies a substantial amount of the surface area, leading to increase of surface area of a unit volume, and for applications in a bent or flexed condition, the soldered portions between the flexible printed circuit A and the insulation substrate B become weak points in view of structural strength, leading to undesired separation of the flexible printed circuit A from the insulation substrate B and consequently poor electrical engagement therebetween. Further, the conventional structure is commonly used in an application for a light-emitting strip, wherein up-and-down bending, flexing and stretching occur very often, and the soldered structure of the insulation substrate B soldered to the flexible printed circuit is structurally poor in resisting flexing and stretching.
Thus, the present invention is aimed to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional devices discussed above.

Substrate structrue for light-emitting diode


In one embodiment, a first message and a second message are sequentially displayed in the same presentation vehicle. Initially, the first message may be displayed in the presentation vehicle. The second message may replace the first message in the presentation vehicle if the presentation vehicle is about to be closed. Sequentially displaying two messages in the same presentation vehicle minimizes the number of presentation vehicles on a computer screen and provides at least two chances to attract an end-user's attention. It provides end-users with another alternative choice without taking up any more display space. When employed to display advertisements, for example, this provides more value to end-users and enables more advertisers to reach their target audience.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer systems, and more particularly but not exclusively to techniques for presenting messages to end-users in a computer network.
2. Description of the Background Art
Advertising serves the same purpose on the Internet as in radio and television. In radio and television, advertising allows listeners and viewers to have free access to programming. Similarly, on the Internet, advertising provides end-users free access to services and web sites. For example, a web site may display advertising along with web pages. Revenue from the advertising not only generates profits, but also pays for the maintenance of the web site. As another example, a software developer may provide free utility programs in return for the right to deliver advertising to end-users. In essence, revenue from the advertising helps defray the cost of developing and maintaining the utility programs.
On the Internet, an advertisement may be displayed in a variety of presentation vehicles. Examples of presentation vehicles include pop-ups, pop-unders, banners, web browser windows, and the like. Typically, a single presentation vehicle is employed to display a single advertisement. For example, one advertisement may be displayed in one pop-up, while another advertisement may be displayed in another pop-up. An end-user may click on an advertisement to learn more about the product being advertised. Clicking on an advertisement may result in the end-user being directed to a web site of the product advertiser. An end-user may also choose to close a presentation vehicle containing an advertisement if she is not interested in it. For example, an end-user may choose to close a pop-up by clicking on the pop-up's close button.

Presentation of messages to end-users in a computer network


A method and apparatus for preventing nozzle clogging in systems for dispensing fluids that comprise a suspension or solution of solid particles in a volatile solvent, such as ink jet printing systems consisting of a control valve and a nozzle, the method comprising causing the solvent to withdraw from the nozzle by increasing diffusion of the solvent from the system at a point distal from the nozzle by means of inserting, between the nozzle and the control valve, a section of tubing that is semipermeable to the solvent, and the apparatus comprising the usual dispensing system with the addition of a semi-permeable tube between the control valve and the nozzle.

A. Field of invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for fluid dispensing, and more particularly to a new and improved method of dispensing fluids consisting of solutes dissolved or particles suspended in a volatile fluid dispersion medium and the apparatus used for employing such method.
B. Description of Related art
The present invention relates to methods and systems for dispensing fluids from a nozzle, meaning an orifice of limited size, wherein the nature of the fluid being dispensed is such that evaporation of the fluid dispersion medium may cause solid matter to be deposited at the nozzle, leading to clogging. An example of such a system is an ink jet printing system. In its simplest form, a fluid dispensing system, such as an ink jet printing system, will include a flow control means, such as a control valve, and a nozzle connected to the flow control means by a fluid conduit. It is frequently desirable to employ a nozzle that is of a relatively small bore and often one that is of a smaller bore than the fluid conduit. Increased print resolution is achieved, in part, by reduction in volume of ink dispensed in an operational cycle of an ink jet printing system, frequently requiring a reduction in the size of the nozzle bore. The limits of print legibility requires systems used in the field of ink jet printing to perform precisely and at high frequencies with uniformly replicable results. In addition, the ink dispensed by an ink jet printing system generally consists of a fluid dispersion medium with dissolved solute or suspended particles, generally solid pigmentation. It has been found that when the fluid dispersion medium of the ink is volatile, ink jet printing systems are often subject to clogging of the nozzle. The method and apparatus of the present invention were developed in response to the specific problems of ink jet printing system failures, and for that reason, ink jet printing systems are used as the model for description of the method and apparatus of the present invention which is intended to prevent the problem of clogging nozzles in such systems. Use of the ink jet printing model is not intended to limit the applicability of the method to that field, and it is anticipated that the invention can be successfully utilized in other circumstances. For the sake of brevity, the term solvent is used to refer to any fluid dispersion medium whether a solvent of a solution or the fluid base of a suspension, as the invention is applicable in both cases.
In the process of ink jet printing, it is necessary to accurately control the deposition of ink on the object over a distance which requires a mechanism to send the ink at a high velocity in order to travel to the print material. In many cases multiple nozzles are used in an array and the degree of resolution that can be achieved by a printing system depends upon the number and size of the nozzles as well as the density of the nozzle array. It is frequently desirable to pack the nozzles in a tight array with each of the nozzles in the array being connected to a control valve that is offset from the nozzle array. Since the control valves are frequently larger than the nozzles, the separation of valves from the nozzle array allows dense nozzle packing. In addition, the offset of the valves from the nozzle array provides added flexibility and convenience in construction and maintenance. The distance of the offset of the valves from the nozzle array is a design variable determined by the particular physical characteristics of the system components. A section of flexible tubing is commonly used as the fluid conduit to complete the connection between each control valve and the respective nozzle controlled by it. For ordinary engineering concerns, the obvious choice for the material of such tubing is a material that is impervious to the fluid being handled.
The operational cycle of a simple unit in such systems involves the opening of the control valve which allows the ink source pressure to expel ink from the nozzle, followed by the closing of the control valve which isolates the nozzle from the source pressure and the flow of ink stops. The system units are operated at high frequencies such that ink is dispensed one drop at a time. Preferably the outer end of the nozzle is left open to the atmosphere to allow its use at any time, and when the control valve is closed, the ink not expelled is retained in the nozzle by surface tension.
The ink used in ink jet printing generally comprises pigmented solids or solutes suspended or dissolved in a solvent base. Solvents of relatively low volatility such as water or oil are commonly used in ink jet printing on porous, absorbent materials such as cardboard, the solvent being rapidly absorbed into the substrate to present a dry surface in a relatively short time. However, for ink jet printing on nonporous media, such as plastic, metal or coated cardboard surfaces, more highly volatile solvent is necessary to avoid running and smudging. Methyl Ethyl Ketone ("MEK") is a volatile solvent frequently used for printing on non-absorbent, smooth surfaces and has the advantage of being able to wet many surfaces that will not accept other solvents. A disadvantage to the use of volatile solvents such as M.E.K. is a frequently encountered problem of nozzles that become clogged when not in use for a relatively short period of time. When the system is not in use, the evaporation of the solvent through the open end of the nozzle results in a scab that can thicken into a plug that clogs the nozzle. While evaporation caused clogging may occur over sufficient time with any solvent that is subject to evaporation, it has been found that an ink jet printing system that performs acceptably with less volatile solvent based inks, becomes clogged when a MEK based ink is used and the system is turned off in the normal course of operation. It is believed that the formation of the solid plug occurs in a conventional system using impervious tubing because all evaporation of the ink solvent occurs across the surface of the meniscus at the nozzle orifice and that the speed of the withdrawal of the meniscus from the nozzle orifice is slow enough that the meniscus gradually stops, and the interface gradually thickens as ink is drawn to the interface and ink solids are continuously left at the interface by the evaporation of the ink solvent. This understanding of the process of plug formation in prior art systems is illustrated in FIG. 1. which shows a conventional tube and nozzle arrangement. In FIG. 1, the tubing is identified by the numeral 11, the nozzle is identified by the numeral 13, and the ink within the tube 11 is identified by the numeral 31, with the successive ink-air interfaces identified by numerals 1 through 6 respectively. As illustrated in the Drawings, the inside diameter of the nozzle is typically smaller than that of the tubing and is therefore more prone to clogging. In such conventional systems, it is believed that, over time, the ink solvent is drawn out through the interface, and all or much of the ink solids will be deposited at or in the nozzle.
Operating a conventional ink jet printing system with volatile solvents may require preventative routine maintenance or a specific operational sequence including a start-up sequence or a purging sequence to eliminate the plug at the nozzle. Other attempted solutions include covering or continuously wetting the orifices when inactive. Such adaptations involve extra steps not normally part of the ink jet printing process and are time consuming and not particularly effective. Another alternative is to attempt to resist nozzle clogging by reducing the volume of ink in the fluid conduit by shortening the fluid conduit or by integrating the nozzle into the valve to eliminate the fluid conduit. Elimination of the conduit between the nozzle and valve requires the construction of a preassembled manifold with the highest nozzle density possible, often slanting the valve-nozzle assembly to achieve greater density. The purpose of such an arrangement is to minimize the passage to the nozzle orifice to minimize the volume of ink subject to evaporation to reduce the size of the pigment scab to a size that will not plug the nozzle. Integrated systems are relatively costly to construct and the individual components are not easily, if at all, replaced or serviced. In addition a size limitation is imposed by the inability to offset the valves from the nozzle array. Simply shortening the fluid conduit does not eliminate the design limitations. As stated above, the reduction of the fluid conduit places limitations on the minimum proximity of the nozzles since the valve size determines the spacing of the smaller nozzles. Therefore, print resolution is expected to suffer unless the valves and nozzles are separated by a substantial length of fluid conduit.

Method and apparatus for dispensing fluid having volatile solvent