A system for mooring a floating storage vessel (10) in the open sea for remaining on station at all times without any disconnection of the vessel (10) from the mooring system. The mooring system includes a plurality of anchor legs (26) connected to a turret (20) in the well (18) of the vessel (10) with at least one submerged support buoy (28) for each anchor leg (26). The submerged support buoy (28), by supporting a substantial portion of the weight of the associated anchor leg (26), reduces the vertical loads on the turret bearings (46, 48) and permits the turret (20) to be easily rotated from the torque exerted by the anchor legs (26) without any separate turret drive means. The system includes in FIG. 5 an embodiment in which a plurality of support buoys (28A) are provided for each anchor leg (26A). The system includes in FIG. 6 an embodiment in which the floating storage vessel (10B) is permanently moored to a mooring buoy (25B) secured by a plurality by anchor legs (26B) to the sea bed (16B).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for mooring floating storage vessels, and more particularly to such a method and apparatus for the mooring of a floating storage vessel for withstanding storms and the like.
2. Description of Prior Art
Mooring systems for floating storage vessels are known in the mooring system art which have a turret provided in a vessel mounted in a well thereof and supported for rotation therein by bearings. Such turret systems can be classified generally as permanently moored systems, in which the turret is anchored via anchor legs to the sea floor or disconnectable moored systems in which the turret may be quickly detached from the anchor legs.
Disconnectable mooring systems find application in bodies of water in which fierce storms occur or in which ice floes are present. Certain disconnectable mooring systems provide a mooring element or buoy which is permanently placed at the offshore field but which may be connected and disconnected from the turret of a production vessel. Thus, in the event that dangerous weather conditions are imminent, the storage vessel may be disconnected from the mooring system and moved to a safe area to wait until the storm or ice floe passes. When the storm conditions pass, the storage vessel is returned to the offshore field and reconnected to the mooring system which has remained in position.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,961 issued Aug. 12, 1986, a well or moon pool is provided between the bow and stern of a vessel. A turret is rotatably mounted in the well at a position adjacent the bottom of the vessel. The mooring system is connected or disconnected from the turret. Once a mooring system is connected to the turret, the vessel is free to move about the turret. A plurality of mooring lines or legs are attached to the turret and extend to the ocean floor. The mooring lines or legs normally comprise chains and wire ropes or cables, and particularly in deep water are of a substantial weight which is against the turret. The turret is mounted in bearings. Frictional forces exerted by the turret against the bearings can be substantial because of the weight of the anchor legs. The anchor lines, particularly when the vessel is anchored in deep water, such as over 200 meters in depth, exert a substantial vertical load on the turret. A number of anchor lines, such as 8 or 10 anchor lines, are spaced at arcuate intervals about the turret with each anchor line exerting a vertical load on a turret.
Heretofore, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,448 dated Apr. 9, 1985, a mooring system has been proposed for turret moored drill ships in which a plurality of spaced mooring lines anchored to the sea floor are releasably connected at submersible buoys to the turret of a drill ship. The drill ship has a disconnect/connect system at the submersive buoys so that the drill ship may be rapidly disconnected from its mooring in the event of precarious weather, such as an approaching storm or the like, and moved out of the path of the approaching storm, ice floes, or the like. After the weather has subsided or passed on, the drill ship is returned to its mooring system and reconnected. However, the specific means and steps involved in connecting and disconnecting the vessel turret from the mooring legs is relatively cumbersome and complex.

Method and apparatus for mooring floating storage vessels


The present invention relates to a method for sending an alarm. The method comprises sending an alarm comprising alarm code from a first terminal unit to a second terminal unit, and further providing the alarm to a third terminal unit if the third terminal unit is located within a predetermined distance from the first terminal unit, wherein the second and third terminal units are determined by a first and second contact register associated with the first and second terminal units, respectively. Furthermore, the present invention further relates to a corresponding server, computer program product and system adapted for generating and sending an alarm to terminal units.

There are many situations when an individual may need, or desire, to send an alarm in order to get immediate help or assistance. Also, an individual may want to notify or inform his/hers surrounding about location and present status in order mitigate risk and/or to enable fast response time if an emergency situation requiring assistance should occur.
For the above situations, various surveillance systems and alarm devices are known which allow a user to communicate or send an alarm to an alarm central, or a person, in order to receive assistance. Common devices includes mobile or wire phones or communication devices which automatically or manually transmits, via e.g. a communication network, a voice or text message containing information identifying an alarm situation.
For example, U.S. 2009/0181640 describes an interactive personal surveillance and security system for a user carrying a wireless communication device, wherein the portable communication device is capable of capturing and sending surveillance information, such as video, images, audio, etc. to a remotely located surveillance system.
However, the surveillance system described in U.S. 2009/018640 is complex and expensive and requires cumbersome preconfigured sets of instructions to process, analyze and transmit/receive alarm information. Also, the systems is disadvantageous in that the response time for relaying an alarm to relevant users is long which results in a slow and inefficient system. Hence, the system does not allow help or assistance to reach a user in need sufficiently fast.
Further attention is drawn to U.S. 2006/0202819, generally relating to a method and system for alerting a person to a situation, and particularly to a method and system for alerting a member of a contact list to an emergency situation. However, U.S. 2006202819 only provides limited improvements in allowing help or assistance to reach a user in need sufficiently fast
Accordingly, there is desired to provide improvements to the above system for sending an alarm in order to enable more efficient, durable, and fail-safe assistance to a person in need. Thereby, for example the level of personal safety for users of the system may be increased.


A method to assemble a transmitter optical module is disclosed, where the optical module installs two lenses, one of which concentrates an optical beam emitted from a laser diode, while, the other collimates the optical beam concentrated by the former lens. The method has a feature that the first lens is firstly positioned in a point to collimate the optical beam coming from the laser diode, then, moved to a point, which is apart from the former point with respect to the laser diode, to concentrate the optical beam. The process performs the steps to position the lens by a jig to extract the optical beam passing through the first lens outside of the housing.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a method to assemble a transmitter optical sub-assembly (hereafter denoted as TOSA), in particular, the application relates to a TOSA having a function of the wavelength division multiplexing (hereafter denoted as WDM).
2. Prior Arts
Various TOSAs implemented with the WON function have been disclosed. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 8,036,533B, has disclosed a TOSA with optical sources, arrayed lenses, and an optical multiplexer where they are enclosed within a package. Optical beams coming from respective optical sources are collimated by arrayed lenses, enter the optical multiplexer by an inclined angle, iterate internal reflection within the optical multiplexer as being multiplexed with other optical beams, and are output as a single multiplexed beam. The inclined angle of the optical multiplexer and the thickness thereof determine the axes of the optical beams.
A Japanese Patent Application laid open No. H01-101511A has disclosed an optical system for multiplexing optical beams each output from a laser diode (hereafter dentoed as LD) and collimated by a collimating lens. The collimated beams enter a concentrating lens but at points different from others. The concentrating lens concentrates thus entered collimated beams on a point.
As a volume of information to be transmitted drastically increases, a new type of an optical transceiver widely called as Centum Form factor Pluggable (hereafter denoted as CFP) has been developed. However, there is no end to request further increase of the transmission capacity by limited power consumption. An optical transceiver with smaller sized and reduced power consumption compared with CFP is eagerly requested in the field. Such an optical transceiver generally needs an enhanced coupling efficiency between an external optical fiber and an optical signal source. The optical systems those disclosed in prior arts described above do not always satisfy the requests.

Method to assemble transmitter optical subassembly


A tool with a drive lug having groove formed on the drive lug to promote failure of the drive lug before internal component failure. The groove has a predetermined diameter and is formed on the drive lug or ratchet square to cause failure of the drive lug, due to a torsional ductile fracture, before any internal component failure of the tool, such as, for example, gear and/or pawl failure in a ratchet wrench.

Torque application tools, such as ratchet tools, are common hand tool used to apply torque to work pieces. These tools can be in the form, for example, of a ratchet tool or breaker bar. Ratchet tools, for example, allow a user to rotate the tool in a first rotational direction to apply a first torqueing application, and to ratchet the tool in a second rotational direction, opposite the first rotational direction. The act of ratcheting the tool in the second rotational direction does not apply a reverse torque on the work piece because of a pawl mechanism that engages a gear when the tool is rotated in the first rotational direction, but that ratchets about the gear when the tool is rotated in the second rotational direction.
Compact head torque application tools use oversized lugs on small ratchet mechanisms (e.g., three eighths inch (⅜″) square on a quarter inch (¼″) ratchet to provide improved access to larger sockets/fastener sizes. Normally square fracture is the preferred failure mode for ratchets, but using larger lugs switches the failure mode to an internal mechanism of the ratchets. For example, compact head ratchets fail when the internal mechanism (such as the pawl or gear) inadvertently slips, which occurs suddenly with no feedback to the user before failure.


In a golf ball composed of a core and one or more cover layers which enclose the core, at least one cover layer is made primarily of a thermoplastic polyurethane obtained by a polyurethane forming reaction of an organic polyisocyanate compound with a long-chain polyol and a chain extender, and satisfies conditions (1) to (3) below:                (1) the long-chain polyol includes a copolymeric polycarbonate polyol having a number-average molecular weight of 400 to 4,000;        (2) the thermoplastic polyurethane present in the cover material (after molding) has an inherent viscosity, as measured in DMF, of more than 1.5 dl/g; and        (3) the thermoplastic polyurethane present in the cover material (after molding) has an inherent viscosity, as measured in a DMF solution containing 0.05 mol/L of n-butylamine, of at least 0.5 dl/g.

The present invention relates to a golf ball of excellent manufacturability, excellent spin and improved scuff resistance, particularly low-temperature scuff resistance, in which the cover is made using a thermoplastic polyurethane.
Golf balls having a urethane cover are widely used today not only by professional golfers and highly skilled amateurs, but also by beginners and amateur golfers of intermediate skill. Compared with the ionomers commonly used in golf ball covers, urethanes tend to confer golf balls with better spin properties, controllability and low-temperature properties. However, there still remains room for improvement in the low-temperature scuff resistance of these golf balls.
Here, polyurethane materials are broadly divided, based on the process used to make molded articles, into thermoset polyurethane materials and thermoplastic polyurethane materials. Numerous golf balls which use a thermoset polyurethane material have been disclosed in the prior art, including Patent Reference 1: JP-A 2002-272878; Patent Reference 2: U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,510; and Patent Reference 3: U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,498. Patent Reference 1 describes a golf ball which uses as the cover stock a thermoset polyurethane material in which a polycarbonate polyol is employed as the polyol component. Because polycarbonate polyol has excellent heat resistance, weather resistance and water resistance, such golf balls are able to maintain their ball characteristics even under harsh conditions such as rainy weather, extreme heat and scorching sun. However, in the molding of such a thermoset polyurethane material, the heat setting step and the cooling step take a long time. Additional drawbacks include the high reactivity under heating—and thus low stability—of the starting materials, which makes the molding time difficult to control. Thermoset polyurethane materials of this type are thus regarded as having poor productivity when used in the fabrication of specialty moldings such as golf ball covers for enclosing a core.
On the other hand, thermoplastic polyurethane materials are desirable as golf ball cover materials because they can be molded using an injection molding machine, have a short molding time, and are amenable to precision molding. Golf balls using such materials are disclosed in, for example, Patent Reference 4: U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,987 and Patent Reference 5: JP-A 2002-336380. The golf ball described in Patent Reference 4 is a ball composed of a core and a cover, wherein at least the core or cover includes a silicone-urethane copolymer which contains polycarbonate soft segments. The golf ball described in Patent Reference 5 is a golf ball composed of a core enclosed by a cover, the cover being composed primarily of a thermoplastic polyurethane material which contains a polyether polyol having an average molecular weight of at least 1500 and a polyisocyanate, and has a rebound resilience of at least 40%.
However, although the prior art such as above Patent Reference 5 describes a golf ball having both rebound resilience and scuff resistance, there still remains room for improvement in the low-temperature scuff resistance. Hence, a need exists for a way to impart even better low-temperature scuff resistance to golf balls made using thermoplastic polyurethane materials which are injection moldable and provide desirable properties such as excellent ball controllability.

Abstract: The golf ball has an improved scuff resistance, particularly an improved low-temperature scuff resistance.


A repair system for a liquid crystal display includes a plurality of gate lines and orthogonally disposed data lines crossing the gate lines, with pixels being formed at crossing points of each gate and data lines. The pixels collectively define a display region. The repair system includes a plurality of repair lines with each of the repair lines having a portion disposed along a first side of the display region and a portion disposed along a second opposite side of the display region. The repair lines are arranged so that at least two of a plurality of signal lines is overlapped by the repair lines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display, and more particularly, to a repair system for a liquid crystal display and a method for repairing a liquid crystal display using the same, in which a plurality of repair lines are formed side by side on the sides of the signal input/output for the efficient restoring of severed signal lines.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIGS. 1a and 1b are schematic plan views of the conventional repair line systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,973, the disclosure of which is herein expressly incorporated by reference.
Referring to FIG. 1a, the closed loop repair line system to U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,973, includes a closed loop repair line 7 formed around a display having gate lines 1 and data lines 2 formed to cross each other and forming a pixel at each crossing point. Each line is connected to an electrode 4a or 5a, respectively, on the signal input side of the display (the bottom side and the right side of FIG. 1a) and an electrode 4b or 5b (the top side and left side of FIG. 1a), respectively, opposite the side of the signal input.
In a liquid crystal display having the conventional closed loop repair line system 7, upon the occurrence of a severed line 3 in the gate line 1 or the data line 2, the severed line (the gate line 1 in FIG. 1a) is connected to the repair line 7 with a conductive material 8 on the side of the signal input as well as on the side opposite the side of the signal input surrounding the display. That is, a severed gate line 1 or a data line 2 can be repaired using the repair line 7 surrounding the display allowing input of a signal even to the severed line on the side severed opposite the signal input electrode 4a and 5a.
FIG. 1b illustrates a repair line system having opened portions at opposite sides of the repair line system.
Referring to FIG. 1b, the repair system includes two repair lines 7a and 7b each having open points 6 formed at opposing sides of the display and formed around the display having the same gate lines 1 and data lines 2 as depicted in FIG. 1a.
In this repair system, breaks or cuts in lines 3 occur in the gate lines 1, each of the severed lines (the two gate lines 1 in FIG. 1b) are connected to the respective repair line 7a or 7b with a conductive material 8, on the side of the signal input as well as on the side opposite the signal input side, surrounding the display. That is, two severed gate lines 1 can be repaired using the repair lines 7a and 7b surrounding the display to allow input of a signal even to the severed line on the side opposite to the side of the signal input electrodes 4a and 5a.
However, both the conventional closed loop and simple opened line repair system have drawbacks. First, with the closed loop repair system multiple severed lines are not repairable. The repair of a severed line using the closed loop repair line system also increases the line resistance, which impedes the transmission of signals. Second, the simple opened repair line system can repair multiple severed lines, although severed lines lying adjacent to each other are not repairable.

Using C-shaped repair lines and method for repairing liquid crystal display using the same


The present invention provides an electroconductive paste that can contain a high proportion of an electroconductive powder, has excellent electroconductivity reliability and migration resistance, has a highly competitive price due to a reduced amount of silver plating, and is suitable for use in solder electrode formation, an electroconductive adhesive, etc. The electroconductive paste of the present invention comprises a binder and an electroconductive powder containing 80 to 97 wt % of a substantially spherical silver-coated copper powder in which the surface of a copper powder is coated with silver and the surface thereof is further coated with 0.02 to 0.5 wt % relative to the copper powder of a fatty acid, and 3 to 20 wt % of a flat-shaped silver-coated copper powder in which the surface of a copper powder is coated with silver and the surface thereof is further coated with 0.02 to 1.2 wt % relative to the copper powder of a fatty acid.

As one method for forming an electroconductive circuit on a printed wiring board, an electroconductive powder such as gold, silver, copper, or carbon is used, and this is mixed with a binder, an organic solvent, and, as necessary, an additive, etc. to form a paste (e.g., Denshi Zairyo (Electronic Materials), Oct. 1994, pp. 42 to 46). In particular, in a field in which high electroconductivity is required, a gold powder, a silver powder, a palladium powder, or an alloy powder thereof is generally used.
Among the above-mentioned pastes, because it has good electroconductivity an electroconductive paste containing a silver powder is used for formation of a printed wiring board, a wiring layer (an electroconductive layer) of an electronic component, etc., or formation of an electric circuit or an electrode of an electronic component, but when an electric field is applied thereto under conditions of high temperature and high humidity, electrodeposition of silver, which is called migration, occurs on the electric circuit or the electrode, thus causing a short circuit between electrodes or between wiring, which is a drawback. Several countermeasures against this migration have been taken, for example, coating the surface of a conductor with a moisture-proof coating or adding a corrosion inhibitor such as a nitrogen-containing compound to the electroconductive paste, but none thereof had a sufficient effect. Although migration resistance can be improved by use of a silver-palladium alloy powder instead of the silver powder, since silver and palladium are expensive, the silver-palladium alloy powder is also expensive, which is a drawback.
Furthermore, in order to obtain a conductor having favorable resistance, it is necessary to increase the amount of silver powder added, and since the silver powder is expensive, the electroconductive paste is correspondingly expensive, which is a drawback. Use of a silver-coated copper powder can improve the migration and also give an inexpensive electroconductive paste. However, when the surface of a copper powder is coated uniformly and thickly with silver, the effect in improving the migration is not sufficient. Moreover, a coating obtained from the electroconductive paste cannot be subjected to direct soldering, which is a drawback. Furthermore, when the electroconductive paste employing a silver powder is subjected to soldering, silver erosion occurs and a good joint cannot be obtained, which is a drawback.
On the other hand, a copper powder is used in some cases instead of the silver powder. However, after an electroconductive paste employing a copper powder is heated and cured, the copper is very susceptible to oxidation, and the copper powder reacts with oxygen contained in air or the binder, thus forming an oxide film on the surface thereof and thereby greatly degrading the electroconductivity. In order to overcome this, a copper paste having its electroconductivity stabilized by adding various types of reducing agent so as to prevent the oxidation of the surface of the copper powder has been disclosed, but the electroconductivity and the stability of the electroconductivity thereof are inferior to those of the silver paste, and the resistance thereof increases in a high temperature, high humidity test, etc., which is a drawback.
Furthermore, unless the content of the copper powder in the electroconductive paste is high, stable electroconductivity cannot be obtained. However, when the content of the copper powder is high, the adhesion might be degraded or the storage stability might be poor, which is a drawback. Moreover, the coating of the copper paste thus obtained cannot, with a conventional copper paste, be directly soldered onto, which is also a drawback.
Conventionally, when a known electroconductive paste is used as an adhesive, since electroconductive powders are expensive, the electroconductive paste is also expensive compared with a solder paste, which is a drawback. There is therefore a desire for an electroconductive adhesive that has a more reliable electroconductivity than that of the copper paste, has better migration resistance than that of the silver paste, and gives excellent workability for solder paste and for drying/curing.
Furthermore, since conventionally known electroconductive pastes cannot have solder directly applied thereon, a coating of the electroconductive paste is subjected to an activation treatment before carrying out electroless plating, or copper electroplating is carried out in a plating solution using the coating as a cathode and the copper coating obtained by plating is subsequently subjected to soldering. However, unless the bonding between the coating and the copper plating is reliable, it is not practical. Therefore, if an electroconductive paste that can have solder applied thereon without carrying out electroless plating or electroplating is developed, the circuit formation step can be greatly shortened, which is a major advantage.
A solder is easily joined to a metal but does not join to a binder. When soldering is carried out, a coating is ideally formed from an electroconductive powder alone, which is then subjected to soldering, but there is the problem that no coating can be formed from an electroconductive powder alone without a binder.
A binder is therefore used to form an electroconductive paste. However, there is a restriction on the amount of binder in order to achieve reliability and workability of coating formation; for example, if the proportion of the binder is high, the electroconductive powder, which is a metal, is covered with the binder, there can be no areas where the solder and the electroconductive powder are in contact with each other, the solder cannot therefore adhere, and the electroconductivity is degraded, which are drawbacks.
In order to form an electroconductive paste to which a solder can adhere, the composition should be as close as possible to that of a copper foil. That is, it is ideal for the paste to have a composition such that when the electroconductive powder is placed in a given space, the electroconductive powder is highly packed, and the binder occupies only the volume corresponding to gaps between the electroconductive powder particles.
However, when the proportion of the electroconductive powder is made high as described above, the viscosity of the electroconductive paste becomes extremely high, and it becomes difficult to prepare an electroconductive paste, the workability when applying the electroconductive paste is degraded, and since the amount of binder for combining the electroconductive powder particles is small, the strength of the coating is also degraded. Furthermore, when the paste is used as an electroconductive adhesive, since the adhesion is low, it is not suitable for that use. Moreover, when solder joining is carried out using the electroconductive paste, it is necessary to use an electroconductive paste having a good balance between soldering properties, electroconductivity, workability, strength, and cost.
When the electroconductive paste is used as a solder substitute material for the purpose of electroconductive adhesion, in addition to printability, adhesion, and reliable conductivity, the workability, that is, the paste being dried and cured in a short time, is also important. When drying and curing a solder substitute adhesive, it is preferable to use a reflow oven, which has been used by assembly manufacturers for soldering chip components, from the viewpoint of effective utilization of equipment. In the case of general silver pastes, there is the defect that drying and curing at high temperature for a short time in a solder reflow oven easily causes swelling. Copper pastes also have the defects that curing at high temperature for a short time does not give stable electroconductivity, and in reliability tests such as a constant temperature, constant humidity test and a gas-phase cooling and heating test, the so-called open circuit, that is, loss of conduction, is observed.
An electroconductive paste is used in a method for forming an electroconductive layer as shown in FIG. 1 by dispersing an electroconductive powder in a binder to form an electroconductive paste, and coating the surface of a substrate with the electroconductive paste or filling a through hole therewith. In FIG. 1, 1 denotes the electroconductive paste and 2 denotes a copper foil.
With regard to another means for forming an electroconductive layer in a through hole formed in a printed wiring board, there is a method for forming an electroconductive layer by subjecting the inner wall of the through hole to copper plating.
When a hole-filling electroconductive paste for filling a through hole is employed connection between layers generally requires high electroconductivity even though the hole is small, and it is therefore necessary to pack the hole with the electroconductive paste as tightly as possible, and embed the electroconductive paste in the hole without any gaps. Conventional hole-filling electroconductive pastes are therefore required to have a high proportion of electroconductive powder, but when the proportion of electroconductive powder is made high, the viscosity of the electroconductive paste increases, and the hole packing properties thereof are degraded. Conversely, when the proportion of binder is made high, the viscosity decreases and the hole packing properties are therefore improved, but the electroconductivity is degraded, which is a drawback.
As a countermeasure thereagainst, a solvent-free type of electroconductive paste containing no solvent and employing as a main component of the binder a liquid epoxy resin is used, or an electroconductive paste is used that contains, depending on the hole size, a small amount of solvent.
However, since the epoxy resin shrinks less due to heat curing than a phenolic resin does, it is difficult to lower the resistance of the electroconductive paste containing the epoxy resin as a main component, which is a drawback.
Although the resistance can be reduced by increasing the proportion of electroconductive powder in the electroconductive paste or by using a metal powder having high electroconductivity such as silver, the resulting electroconductive paste is expensive.
On the other hand, there is an electroconductive paste containing a phenolic resin as a main component, and although this electroconductive paste has better electroconductivity than that of the electroconductive paste containing the epoxy resin as a main component, the viscosity of the electroconductive paste is high and there is a problem in terms of the hole packing properties.
When an electroconductive layer is formed within a through hole using the electroconductive paste, if the electroconductive paste used for filling the through hole contains a large amount of solvent, voids are inevitably formed within the through hole during drying of the solvent. The voids are a drawback for a multilayer circuit board as shown in FIG. 2 in which an insulating layer 5 is formed on the surface of a substrate 3, an end portion of the through hole filled with the electroconductive paste, a copper foil land 7, and part of a copper foil circuit 8, and an electroconductive material printed circuit (hereinafter, called a printed circuit) is further formed on the insulating layer 5 using an electroconductive material (jumper electroconductive paste), and it is necessary to eliminate any voids within a through hole 10, thereby improving the connection reliability between the through hole 10, the copper foil land 7, the copper foil circuit 8, and the printed circuit. In FIG. 2, 4 denotes an electroconductive layer, 6 denotes a jumper circuit, and 9 denotes an overcoat layer.
When a multilayer circuit board is fabricated by making a through hole conduct by means of copper plating formed on the inner wall of the through hole, after the inner wall of the through hole is subjected to copper plating, by applying cap plating over the electroconductive paste with which the through hole is filled, the above-mentioned drawbacks can be eliminated, but the number of steps increases and the cost also increases, which is undesirable.
There is also a method in which the inner wall of a through hole is subjected to copper plating so as to form an electroconductive layer, and the cavity is filled with a resin, and this method also has the defect that the number of steps increases and the cost is thus high.
There is also a method in which a through hole is filled with a voidless or substantially voidless electroconductive material so as to ensure conduction of the through hole, and an insulating layer and a printed circuit are then formed on the surface of a substrate. In this method, since the electroconductive material with which the through hole is filled and a copper foil land portion are connected to each other via the cross section of an end portion of the copper foil, there is the defect that the reliability of the connection is low. In order to eliminate this defect, the above-mentioned cap plating may be carried out, but this increases the number of steps and the cost, which is undesirable.
When a multilayer circuit board is fabricated by using a silver through hole wiring board in which a through hole is filled with a silver electroconductive material (silver paste) containing a solvent at 15 wt % or more and forming an insulating layer and a printed circuit on the surface of this wiring board, a large cavity is formed within the through hole accompanying evaporation of the solvent, resulting in a decrease in the reliability. That is, when an ionic impurity remains within the void during a washing step, etc., the migration resistance is degraded. Furthermore, in the case of the silver through hole wiring board, the silver paste might be thickly built up on a copper foil land, and the height of this thick, built up silver paste might obstruct the mounting of components.
On the other hand, there is a soldering material containing lead as a main component, and such a soldering material has been widely put into practice for a long time because it has a comparatively low melting point and good workability.
However, recently, restrictions on the use of lead have been proposed since lead is highly toxic and the human body and the ecosystem might be easily affected when a lead-containing effluent is treated. At present, a low melting point metal brazing material employing, as a substitute for lead, a metal material having a comparatively low melting point such as bismuth is being developed, but since the melting point thereof is higher than that of lead solder, it is necessary to increase the heat resistance of the substrate material, electronic components to be mounted, etc., giving rise to the defects of technical difficulty, an increase in cost, etc.
A multilayer lamination step employing a standard hole-filling electroconductive paste involves filling a hole with the electroconductive paste, laminating a pre-dried build-up layer, and applying heat and pressure as the main drying. It is therefore necessary that the electroconductive paste is cured after the main drying, and it is also necessary that the electroconductivity is improved by the application of pressure after lamination compared with a case where pressure is not applied.
However, the conventional hole-filling electroconductive paste employs an epoxy resin as a main component of the binder, and generally uses an imidazole as a curing agent therefor, and when a substantially spherical silver-coated copper powder that has been subjected to a dispersion treatment to break up aggregates and has copper exposed on the surface thereof is used as an electroconductive powder, the curing properties of the electroconductive paste might be degraded, which is a drawback.
When a silver-coated copper powder that has been subjected to a dispersion treatment is used, it is necessary to add a material that does not form a chelating bond with copper and functions as a curing agent for an epoxy resin.
Furthermore, since the substantially spherical silver-coated copper powder easily aggregates in a silver plating step and has a low tap density, if a large proportion thereof is added to the electroconductive paste, the viscosity of the paste is undesirably increased.
Moreover, when the substantially spherical silver-coated copper powder that has been subjected to the dispersion treatment is used, since a resol type phenolic resin forms a chelating bond with the copper, the viscosity of the electroconductive paste increases during storage, which is a drawback.
Furthermore, when an electroconductive adhesive (electroconductive paste) is prepared using an alkoxy group-containing resol type phenolic resin and an epoxy resin as binders, if a problem occurs in a component that is bonded to a printed wiring board and the bonded component is replaced, it is necessary to heat the cured thermosetting resins to a high temperature so that they are in a rubbery state, and such a defect can be eliminated by the use of a thermoplastic resin as the binder.
The present invention provides an electroconductive paste that can contain a high proportion of an electroconductive powder, has excellent electroconductivity reliability and migration resistance, has a highly competitive price due to a reduced amount of silver plating, and is suitable for use in solder electrode formation, an electroconductive adhesive, etc.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that has good packing properties and excellent flowability.
Moreover, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that has excellent shelf life, can be cured in a short time, has excellent short-time drying and curing properties when using an infrared oven (hereinafter, called an IR oven), and is suitable for forming a wiring board circuit, filling a hole, etc.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that can give low viscosity and a high degree of packing, and has good heat resistance since the epoxy equivalent is small.
Moreover, the present invention provide an electroconductive paste that has a stable shelf life.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that has suppressed spreading during drying after printing.
Moreover, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that has, in particular, excellent curing properties.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that has an excellent shelf life and is suitable as an electroconductive adhesive that enables adhered components to be easily removed.
Moreover, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that has good electroconductivity and a stable shelf life.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that has suppressed spreading during drying after printing, and excellent adhesion and flexibility.
Moreover, the present invention provides an electroconductive paste that has few voids under fast curing conditions using a reflow oven, has excellent adhesion, electroconductivity and printability, and is suitable for mounting a semiconductor device, a passive component, etc.


A semiconductor light emitting device having a structure including an active layer between a p-type cladding layer and an n-type cladding layer on a base body comprises at least one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer has a lattice mismatch relative to the base body not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924. Another semiconductor light emitting device comprises at least one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer and the active layer have a lattice mismatch relative to the base body not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention includes to a semiconductor light emitting device and an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light may be amplified by stimulating the emission of radiation having discrete frequencies from incident electromagnetic radiation of mixed frequencies. In a light emitting device such as a semiconductor laser, especially in AlGaInP semiconductor lasers, it is difficult to make a sufficiently high barrier of heterojunction between the active layer and the cladding layer, impurity doping control technologies seriously affect the device characteristics.
More specifically, there are known AlGaInP semiconductor lasers using known cladding layers near the active layer by controlling the impurity doping position during the manufacturing process. Conventional AlGaInP semiconductor laser having non-doped cladding layers near the active layer are advantageous in preventing diffusion of impurities from the cladding layers.
These conventional AlGaInP semiconductor lasers, however, involve some problems. Namely, if the impurity doping position is remote from the active layer, then the efficiency of converting an injected current into light decreases, and the operation current increases. In contrast, if the impurity doping position is nearer to the active layer, diffusion of impurities reach the active layer by the annealing process and so on, and deteriorates the device in a short time as short as several hours. This results in shortening the life of the device and decreasing the reliability of the device.
Thus, the conventional AlGaInP semiconductor laser needs to control impurity doping with high accuracy, so there is difficulty in its manufacturing.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a semiconductor light emitting device which is improved in emission efficiency, operative with a low current, improved in reliability, and can be manufactured easily, and to provide an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus using the semiconductor light emitting device as is light source.
According to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor light emitting device having a structure including an active layer between a p-type cladding layer and an n-type cladding layer on a base body, comprising:
at least one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer has a lattice mismatch relative to the base body not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924.
According to the second aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor light emitting device having a structure including an active layer between a p-type cladding layer and an n-type cladding layer on a base body, comprising:
at least one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer, and the active layer have a lattice mismatch relative to the base body not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924.
According to the third aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor light emitting device having a structure including an active layer between a p-type cladding layer and an n-type cladding layer on a base body, comprising:
the p-type cladding layer, n-type cladding layer and active layer are in lattice mismatch with the base body.
According to the fourth aspect of the intention, there is provided an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus using as a light source thereof a semiconductor light emitting device having a structure including an active layer between a p-type cladding layer and an n-type cladding layer on a base body, comprising:
at least one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer has a lattice mismatch relative to the base body not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus using as a light source thereof a semiconductor light emitting device having a structure including an active layer between a p-type cladding layer and an n-type cladding layer on a base body, comprising:
at least one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer, and the active layer have a lattice mismatch relative to the base body not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924.
When the semiconductor layer stacked on the base body has a lattice mismatch with respect to the base body, the degree of the lattice mismatch xcex94a/a is expressed as xcex94a/axe2x89xa1(a2xe2x88x92a1)/a1 where a1 is the lattice constant of the base body, and a2 is the lattice constant of the semiconductor layer. In the present invention, the degree of the lattice mismatch is determined from the viewpoint of effectively preventing diffusion of impurities and from the view point of preventing dislocation in the crystal to be not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924, for example, or more preferably, not smaller than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x923.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924.
In the first and fourth aspects of the invention, the lattice mismatch may be either substantially even or uneven within the p-type cladding layer or the n-type cladding layer. In the second, third and fifth aspects of the invention, the lattice mismatch may be either substantially even or uneven within the p-type cladding layer, n-type cladding layer or active layer, or it may be substantially even among the p-type cladding layer, active layer and n-type cladding layer.
In the first, second, fourth and fifth aspects of the invention, one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer may include lattice mismatch, or both of them may include lattice mismatch. In the present invention, if both the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer include lattice mismatch, lattice mismatch of the p-type cladding layer with respect to the base body may be not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923, and lattice mismatch of the n-type cladding layer with respect to the base body may be not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924. The semiconductor light emitting device may include a first optical guide layer between the p-type cladding layer and the active layer and a second optical guide layer between the n-type cladding layer and the active layer. In this case, at least one of the first optical guide layer and the second optical guide layer may have lattice mismatch with respect to the base body in the range not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924.
In the present invention, the semiconductor light emitting device is typically an AlGaInP semiconductor light emitting device, and a GaAs substrate, for example, is used as the base body.
According to the first, second, fourth and fifth aspects of the invention, at least one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer has lattice mismatch with respect to the base body within the range not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924, or at least one of the p-type cladding layer and the n-type cladding layer, and the active layer have lattice. mismatch with respect to the base body within the range not smaller than 2.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924 and not larger than 3.0xc3x9710xe2x88x923 or not smaller than xe2x88x921.5xc3x9710xe2x88x923 and not larger than xe2x88x922.0xc3x9710xe2x88x924. Therefore, diffusion of impurities in the p-type cladding layer or in the n-type cladding layer can be prevented. As a result, impurities in the p-type cladding layer or in the n-type cladding layer from diffusing into the active layer.
According to the third aspect of the invention, the active layer, p-type cladding layer and n-type cladding layer have lattice mismatch with respect to the base body. Therefore, diffusion of impurities in the p-type cladding layer or in the n-type cladding layer can be prevented. As a result, impurities in the p-type cladding layer or in the n-type cladding layer from diffusing into the active layer.
Still unknown are details of the mechanism of preventing diffusion of impurities in cladding layers. Presumably because the energy of the system is lower when group II impurities in the cladding layers having plus lattice mismatch with respect to the GaAs substrate, for example, diffuse in the opposite direction from the GaAs substrate rather than diffusing toward the substrate and when group VI impurities in the cladding layer having minus lattice mismatch with respect to the GaAs substrate diffuse toward the GaAs substrate rather than diffusing away from the substrate, it might result in preventing diffusion of impurities from cladding layers into the active layer. Alternatively, it is possible that migration energy of impurities is high in cladding layers having plus or minus lattice mismatch with respect to the GaAs substrate, and it results in preventing diffusion of impurities. It is also presumed that, in a cladding layer having plus lattice mismatch with respect to the GaAs substrate, the density of group III holes assisting diffusion of group II impurities replacing group III atoms to become acceptor impurities or group IV impurities replacing group III atoms to become donor impurities decreases, and in a cladding layer having minus lattice mismatch with respect to the GaAs substrate, the density of group V holes assisting diffusion of replacing group V atoms to become donor impurities decreases, and it results in preventing diffusion of impurities.
The above, and other, objects, features and advantage of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.


A semiconductor light-emitting device includes: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type, and a multilayered structure formed on the semiconductor substrate. The multilayered structure includes a first cladding layer of the first conductive type, an undoped active layer, a second cladding layer of a second conductive type, and a current diffusing layer of the second conductive type which are subsequently deposited. An undoped spacer layer is provided between the undoped active layer and the second cladding layer.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a semiconductor light-emitting device such as an light-emitting diode having a current diffusing layer; and a method for producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art:
In recent years, light-emitting diodes (hereinafter, referred to as "LEDs") have been in the limelight as display devices intended for use indoors and outdoors. Particularly, it is supposed that an outdoor display market will abruptly expand in the years ahead with increase in luminance of LEDs, and LEDs are expected to grow into display media so as to take the place of neon signs in future.
High-intensity LEDs have been realized for a few years in GaAlAs-type LEDs having a double hetero (DH) structure for emitting light in a red-color frequency band for a few years. Moreover, recently, some prototypes of AlGaInP-type LEDs having a DH structure capable of emitting light in the orange-color to green-color frequency bands have been proposed so as to realize high-intensity LEDs.
A portion (a) of FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a device structure of a conventional AlGaInP-type LED 50 capable of emitting light in the yellow-color frequency band. A portion (b) of FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a carrier concentration profile of each layer of the LED 50. The carrier concentration profile is data obtained from the measurement using a secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS), and the absolute value thereof is calibrated by the measurement data for a standard sample.
The LED 50 shown in the portion (a) of FIG. 10 has a multilayered structure formed by sequentially growing, on an n-type GaAs substrate 1 by an MOCVD method, an n-type GaAs buffer layer 10 (thickness: about 0.1 .mu.m, Si doping amount: about 5.times.10.sup.17 cm.sup.-3), an n-type (Al.sub.0.7 Ga.sub.0.3).sub.0.5 In.sub.0.5 P cladding layer 2 (thickness: about 1.0 .mu.m, Si doping amount: about 5.times.10.sup.17 cm.sup.-3), an undoped (Al.sub.0.3 Ga.sub.0.7).sub.0.5 In.sub.0.5 P active layer 3 (thickness: about 0.6 .mu.m), a p-type (Al.sub.0.7 Ga.sub.0.3).sub.0.5 In.sub.0.5 P cladding layer 4 (thickness: about 1.0 .mu.m, Zn doping amount: about 1.times.10.sup.18 cm.sup.-3), a p-type Al.sub.0.7 Ga.sub.0.3 As current diffusing layer 5 (thickness: about 6 .mu.m, Zn doping amount: about 3.times.10.sup.18 cm.sup.-3), and a p-type GaAs cap layer 6 (thickness: about 1 .mu.m, Zn doping amount: about 3.times.10.sup.18 cm.sup.-3). On the underside of the n-type GaAs substrate 1, that is, on the surface opposite to the multilayered structure, an electrode 11 is formed. On the surface of the p-type GaAs cap layer 6, an electrode 12 is formed. In this manner, the LED 50 is constituted.
In the LED 50, a pn junction is formed inside of the active layer 3, and electrons recombine with holes therein so that light is emitted. Intensity of the emitted light is typically about 1.5 candelas when the operating current of about 20 mA is applied.
In the above-mentioned conventional LED 50, the active layer 3 is designed to be an undoped layer. However, in reality, as shown by the carrier concentration profile obtained by a SIMS measurement in the portion (b) of FIG. 10, a p-type dopant (Zn) of the p-cladding layer 4 diffuses into the active layer 3. The diffusion of the p-type dopant degrades crystallinity of the active layer 3, which causes formation of non-radiative centers. As a result, efficiency of light emission of the LED 50 is degraded.

Semiconductor light-emitting device and method for producing the same


A logic circuit including a transistor having a control electrode connected to three input terminals at which are received three respective input signals, each having, selectively, either a high or a low voltage level, and first and second electrodes, one thereof connected to a first power supply potential and the other thereof connected through a diode having N-type negative differential resistance to a second, lower power supply potential. An output terminal is connected to one of the first and second electrodes of the transistor for deriving an output signal. The load lines of the transistor are set to a first operating point for both a first condition in which all three input signals are at a low voltage level and also a second condition in which two thereof are at a high level and the third is at a low level, and to a second operating point for both a third condition in which only one of the input signals is at the high level and the remaining two input signals are at the low level and also a fourth condition in which all of the three input signals are at the high level. The current conducted by the transistor is at a first level for the first operating point and at a second level, greater than the first level, for the second operating point.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an exclusive-OR or an exclusive-NOR and/or a majority logic circuit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A full adder is known as one of the elements that constitute an arithmetic circuit in a computer, or the like.
Such a full adder comprises a three-input exclusive-OR circuit and a three-input majority logic circuit. Among the exclusive-ORs, an Ex-OR is a logic circuit which produces an L level output signal when the number of input signals having an H level is even-numbered and an H level output when the input number is odd-numbered. Assuming that the three inputs are A, B and C and the output is Q, the logic can be expressed as follows: ##EQU1## When this logic is achieved by ordinary NAND gates or NOR gates, several gates must be combined and a large number of transistors must be used.
A three-majority logic circuit outputs an L level when the number of the input signals having the H level is 0 or 1 and outputs an H level when the number of the input signals having the H level is 2 or 3. This logic can be expressed as follows with the output being P: EQU P=AB+BC+CA
Therefore, a large number of transistors must be used, too, in the same way as the exclusive-OR.
Attempts have been made to reduce the number of necessary transistors by forming an exclusive-OR or a majority logic circuit by the use of transistors having negative conductance, but they involve the problems that specific transistors must be used to achieve said logic circuit and a large number of resistors are necessary. Accordingly, these attempts have failed to afford an integral structure of the exclusive-OR circuit and the majority logic circuit, thereby to reduce the number of necessary transistors.
The present invention is directed to providing an exclusive-OR circuit, a majority logic circuit and furthermore, a full adder, each having a reduced number of constituent devices by overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art described above and reducing drastically the numbers of transistors and diodes that have been necessary in the prior art logic circuits, while using existing transistors and diodes.


Systems and methods are disclosed that determine whether incoming calls are in a home local calling area (LCA) in a wireless network. One embodiment comprises an LCA determination system that includes a processing system and a mapping data structure. The mapping data structure includes a plurality of entries that map a switch/cell identifier (e.g., an MSC/cellsiteID) to a set of LCA identifiers. For a call in a wireless network, the processing system receives a switch/cell identifier, masks the sector identifier from the switch/cell identifier, and searches the mapping data structure based on the masked switch/cell identifier to identify an associated set of LCA identifiers. The processing system then compares the set of LCA identifiers to a subscriber profile to determine if an LCA identifier matches. If there is a match, then the processing system determines that the call is in a home LCA.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of wireless networks and, in particular, to determining if subscribers on a call are in a local calling area (LCA) to provide a local or long distance rating for the call.
2. Statement of the Problem
Service providers rate prepaid and postpaid calls in wireless networks based on the locations of a called subscriber. The ratings are typically based on Local Calling Areas (LCA) defined by the service providers. The service providers map out particular geographic areas into calling areas, and define which of the calling areas are home Local Calling Areas (LCA) for particular subscribers. If a called subscriber is in their home LCA, then the incoming call comprises a local call and is billed accordingly. If the called subscriber is not in their home LCA, then the incoming call comprises a roaming call and is billed accordingly.
One problem for service providers is efficiently determining whether the call is a local call in the wireless network (i.e., the called subscriber is in their home LCA). When a subscriber registers with the wireless network, the subscriber is served by a cell site and a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) in a particular LCA. If a call is placed to the subscriber, the signaling for the call typically includes identifiers for the MSC, the cell site, and the sector that are serving the subscriber. For example, in a CDMA network using ISUP signaling, IS-826 triggers include a plurality of parameters, such as an MSCID and an SCELLID. The MSCID is an identifier for the MSC serving the subscriber. The SCELLID (Serving Cell ID) is an identifier for the cell site and the sector serving the subscriber.
The combination of the MSCID and SCELLID, referred to herein as the MSC/cellsiteID, may be used to identify in which LCA a subscriber is located. Service providers generate mapping tables having entries that map an LCA ID to an MSC/cellsiteID. The MSC/cellsiteID is mapped to the LCA ID in that the MSC, the cell site, and the sector identified by the MSC/cellsiteID serve the particular LCA identified by the LCA ID. The mapping tables may then be used to determine if a subscriber is located in a particular LCA based on the MSC/cellsiteID of the MSC, the cell site, and the sector presently serving the subscriber. The LCA corresponding with the present location of the subscriber may be compared against a subscriber profile to determine if the subscriber is in their home LCA.
LCAs frequently overlap meaning that a cell site is located in more than one LCA. FIG. 1 illustrates overlapping LCAs in the prior art. FIG. 1 shows three LCAs: LCA1, LCA2, and LCA3. FIG. 1 also shows three cell sites. Cell site A is located in LCA1. Cell site B is located in LCA1 and LCA2. Cell site C is located in LCA1, LCA2, and LCA3. Cell sites A-C are connected to an MSC that is not shown in FIG. 1.
Assume for discussion that an MSCID for the MSC (not shown) connected to cell sites A-C is "0111111". Further assume that the SCELLID for Cell site A is "777", the SCELLID for Cell site B is "888", and the SCELLID for Cell site C is "999". Each cell site includes three sectors that have an identifier of "01", "02", and "03", respectively. Thus, an exemplary MSC/cellsiteID for Cell site A may be "011111101777". The actual format of the MSC/cellsiteID may depend on the type of the MSC. For instance, different MSC vendors may format the MSC/cellsiteID differently.
FIG. 2 illustrates a mapping table in the prior art. As previously stated, entries in the mapping table include an LCA ID mapped to an MSC/cellsiteID. For instance, the first entry in the mapping table includes a LCA ID of "1" mapped to an MSC/cellsiteID of "011111101777". The first entry means that MSC "0111111", sector "01", and cell site "777" are located in LCA1. Similarly, the second entry in the mapping table includes a LCA ID of "1" mapped to an MSC/cellsiteID of "011111102777". The second entry means that MSC "0111111", sector "02", and cell site "777" are located in LCA1.
If a cell site is in multiple LCAs, then there is an individual entry in the mapping table for the MSC/cellsiteID of the cell site and the associated LCA wherein the cell site is located. For instance, for the MSC/cellsiteID "011111101999", there is an individual entry for LCA1, LCA2, and LCA3 (see FIG. 2). Also, because each cell site has three sectors, the mapping table in FIG. 2 includes an individual entry for each sector.
In a typical wireless network, if a call is placed from a calling subscriber to a called subscriber, an MSC in the wireless network receives the call. To provide charging for the incoming call, a Service Control Point (SCP) or a billing system determines whether the call is a local call or a long distance call. For tills determination, the MSC receives the MSC/cellsiteID for the network resources serving the called subscriber and transmits a report to the SCP that includes the MSC/cellsiteID. The SCP then searches the mapping table with the MSC/cellsiteID for the called subscriber to identify an LCA for the called subscriber. The SCP searches for each instance of the MSC/cellsiteID in the mapping table. The mapping table will include at least three instances of the MSC/cellsiteID representing the different sectors of a cell site. If a cell site is in multiple LCAs, then the mapping table will also include multiple instances MSC/cellsiteID for each of the LCAs. After the SCP locates each LCA for the called subscriber, the SCP compares the LCAs to a subscriber profile for the called subscriber. If one or more of the LCAs match the LCA(s) indicated in the subscriber profile, then the called subscriber is in the home LCA and the call is a local call. Otherwise, the call is a roaming call or long distance call.
Unfortunately, identifying local calls according to the present methods is inefficient. Presently, the SCP has to search the mapping table numerous times to determine the LCA(s) of the called subscriber. This can especially be a problem if the number of entries in the mapping table grows very large due to the overlapping of cell sites in multiple LCAs, due to entries for each sector of a cell, etc. The large size of the mapping table also makes maintenance of the mapping table more complicated. Adding a new cell site to the wireless network also requires that multiple entries be added to the mapping table, which is time consuming. Further, wireless networks may install MSCs from different vendors that define different formats for the MSC/cellsiteID. This further complicates how the entries in the mapping table are populated and how the mapping table is searched. A problem thus remains how to efficiently determine whether calls in a wireless network are in a home LCA.

Local calling area determination in wireless networks


A trailer kingpin locking apparatus, for use with a trailer having a kingpin with an annular groove, features a lock body with a cylindrical opening to receive a kingpin. A padlock channel, running transversely to the axis of the kingpin opening and sized to accommodate the body of a padlock, extends partially into the sidewall of the lock body. A shackle channel, parallel to and narrower than the padlock channel, extends inward from the padlock channel and intercepts the kingpin opening to form an opening thereinto. A retaining pin bridges the shackle channel near the kingpin opening. The locking apparatus may be slipped over a kingpin such that the shackle channel coincides with the annular groove of the kingpin. The shackle of a standard padlock is inserted into the shackle channel and around the retaining pin, with the shackle projecting partially into the annular groove and preventing the locking apparatus from being slipped off of the kingpin. The padlock is then closed, with the body of the padlock projecting partially into the padlock channel, such that the shackle is entirely enclosed within the lock body and is inaccessible to bolt cutters or similar tools.

Fifth-wheel recreation vehicles (or "RV's") and other types of highway trailers are commonly hitched to trucks by means of a trailer kingpin, which is a solid round bar with an annular groove cut into its perimeter. The kingpin is rigidly mounted to the trailer near the front of the trailer, projecting downward, and is adapted to fit into the hitch plate (or "fifth wheel") of a truck to which the trailer is being hitched. The fifth wheel engages the annular groove of the kingpin so as to prevent disengagement, while permitting rotation of the kingpin about its vertical axis so that the truck/trailer combination may negotiate turns.
Theft of trailers, and particularly RV trailers, has been a serious problem for many years. The simplicity of the kingpin hitch apparatus makes it quick and easy for a thief to hitch a truck to an unattended trailer and then abscond therewith. Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to lock the kingpin of so as to prevent engagement with a fifth wheel, and it is particularly desirable to be able to accomplish this with the convenience of a conventional padlock.
A simple attempt to accomplish this objective is illustrated by the prior art locking sleeve shown in FIG. 1 appended hereto. This is a simple cylindrical sleeve having an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of a kingpin, and having a pair of circumferential slots separated by a bridging section of the sleeve wall. The sleeve may be slipped over a kingpin, with the circumferential slots coinciding with the annular groove of the kingpin. The shackle of a conventional padlock may then be looped around the bridging section of the sleeve wall so that part of the shackle projects into the annular groove, thereby preventing the sleeve from being slipped off of the kingpin.
The locking sleeve described above is inexpensive to make and simple to use. It has a significant drawback, however, in that most of the padlock shackle is left exposed and readily accessible to bolt cutters or other tools which can quickly shear through the shackle so that the lock and the sleeve may be removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,756, issued to Curtis on Jun. 27, 1989, discloses one attempt to lock a kingpin by positioning a padlock shackle partly within the kingpin groove while protecting the entire shackle from access to bolt cutters. The Curtis device has a cylindrical sleeve section which may be slipped over a kingpin, plus an attached padlock enclosure body which has a recess shaped to receive and enclose both the shackle and the main body of the padlock. The inner surfaces of the padlock enclosure body define a bulge which the shackle can be positioned over and around. When so positioned, the shackle projects partly into the annular groove of the kingpin, thereby locking the device onto the kingpin. In the addition, the bulge inside the recess is shaped so as to prevent the shackle from passing outwardly over the bulge when the padlock body is inside the recess and engaged with the shackle.
The Curtis device avoids the major disadvantage of the locking sleeve by enclosing the padlock shackle completely within the body of the device, making the shackle inaccessible to bolt cutters. However, the Curtis device has substantial drawbacks of its own. First, it may be used only with a padlock the body and shackle of which are closely matched to the shape of the padlock recess. It cannot be used with padlocks which are too large or too small to fit the recess, or with padlocks which are of a generally suitable size but of an incompatible configuration. Moreover, in order to function satisfactorily with a selected style of padlock, the Curtis device must be fabricated to precise internal shapes and very close tolerances, making it comparatively expensive to manufacture.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an anti-theft locking apparatus:
(a) which utilizes a conventional padlock and provides for the shackle of the padlock to be partially inserted into the annular groove of a kingpin so as to prevent the apparatus from being removed from the kingpin; PA1 (b) which effectively renders the entire length of the padlock shackle inaccessible to bolt cutters; and PA1 (c) which is simple and economical to fabricate compared with other devices achieving the same general objectives. PA1 (a) a lock body having an upper end and a lower end, and defining a cylindrical kingpin opening slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the kingpin, and further defining a lock body wall surrounding the kingpin opening, said lock body wall defining: PA1 (b) a shackle-retaining element disposed within the trough and spanning substantially across the trough in a direction parallel to the axis of the kingpin opening, said shackle-retaining element being positioned such that the padlock shackle will project partially into the kingpin opening when the shackle is hooked around the shackle-retaining element. PA1 (a) a padlock channel extending partially through the thickness of the lock body wall from said outer surface toward said inner surface; and PA1 (b) a shackle channel contiguous with the padlock channel, and intercepting the kingpin opening so as to form an opening thereinto.


An improved ball projecting apparatus for balls of various sizes, weights, materials and shapes, which utilizes air pressure supplied by a separate and independent source of flowing air, such as a leaf blower, to project balls. More specifically, it comprises of a barrel (10) of tubular form defining a linear air discharge axis. The barrel is attached on one end to the source of flowing air (11). A barrel hole (12) is formed in the barrel wall. Attached to the barrel is a tumbler casing (14). The casing has a hollow tubular formation. It has an entry hole (16) and a feed hole (19) formed on its wall directly opposite each other. The tumbler casing is attached and sealed at its feed hole to the barrel hole creating a path or feed port through the casing and into the barrel. Inside the casing is a tumbler (20) being of hollow tubular shell formation which is solid on all walls and ends except for a tumbler hole (22) formed on its wall, exposing the tumbler chamber into which a ball is deposited. This tumbler is capable of being revolved within the casing. The tumbler has a driveshaft (23) attached which is turned by an electric motor (24). A collar (21) surrounds the entry hole and holds a ball in place above the hole. A ball is placed above the entry hole within the collar. As the tumbler revolves within the casing the tumbler hole aligns itself alternately with the entry hole and the feed hole of the tumbler casing. The ball drops into the tumbler when the tumbler hole and the entry hole are aligned. The tumbler continues its revolution. The ball is loaded into the barrel when the tumbler hole and the feed hole are aligned. The tumbler and tumbler casing continuously maintain an obstacle to air loss through the barrel hole, reducing air pressure release from the air source through the barrel hole and permitting a ball to be loaded from atmospheric pressure. When the ball drops into the barrel it is propelled out the open end of the barrel by the source of flowing air.

1. Field of Invention
This patent relates to a previously filed Disclosure Document filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Disclosure Document Number 418,953 on May 9, 1997. Specifically, this invention relates to ball pitching or serving apparatuses, to an improved method for loading objects such as balls of various sizes, weights, and materials, which are exposed to atmospheric pressure, through a hole in the wall of a tube or barrel which is attached on one end to a source of flowing air, while continuing to obstruct the release or loss of air from the source through the hole in the wall of the tube or barrel as the object is loaded.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Prior art which utilizes a source of flowing air to propel balls or other objects has attempted to overcome the release of flowing air from the source by various methods. These methods are embodied in the following inventions:
i) The Induced Air Device For Discharging Spherical Members, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,349 by Nielsen does not overcome the loss of air from its source of flowing air through the hole at which the ball is loaded into the device. Nielsen utilizes a trap door which opens and closes as vacuum pressure and backpressure created by the source of flowing as the ball enters the barrel is utilized to alternately open and close the back door. As the trap door closes air escapes through the opening until the door seals the opening.
ii) The Air-Actuated Ball-Throwing Device and Method Therefor, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,271, by Actor, the problem of air loss through the hole in the barrel is only partially overcome as the ball is loaded into the barrel. Actor has created vacuum pressure around the hole by placing a tab on the inside wall of the barrel which diverts the flowing air away from the hole and permits a ball to drop through a tube surrounding the hole creating a point of entry perpendicular to the linear air discharge axis. When the ball is loaded into the barrel the air which the ball obstructs is then forced out the hole in the wall of the barrel, and air pressure to propel the ball is diminished. Actor uses a lid or cover over the supply of balls which seals the container of balls from atmospheric pressure, thereby preventing the escape of air through the hole in the barrel.
iii) The Ball Throwing Machine in U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,988 by Sweeton again uses a trap door which he labels a vane and horizontal pivot is positioned under the ball feed port such that when the vane is in the horizontal position air is prevented from escaping through the port. The vane creates a valve which opens as the weight of the ball in the port presses against it, and closes after the ball enters the air flow and creates backpressure within the device, thereby moving the vane and sealing the valve. Air pressure or flow escapes out the port as the vane closes and seals the valve.
iv) The Relief Pitcher in U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,330 by Sharp utilizes holes in the wall of the tube surrounding its feed port as the release point for the backpressure created by the device at its feed port as the ball is loaded into the barrel. Sharp also utilizes a lower tapered orifice at the barrel's connection point to the source of flowing air in order to create suction pressure at the feed port which is positioned at the suction pressure. With Sharp, air pressure is lost through the feed port as the ball enters the barrel.
v) The Baseball, Softball, and Tennis Training Device in U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,615 by Jones is a device which permits air loss through its feed port as the ball is loaded, the feed port is then sealed over the ball, preventing air loss through the port. The ball then drops into the barrel and is propelled by the force from the source of flowing air. In Jones, and automatic ball feeder from a hopper containing a supply of balls attached over the feed port, must be covered at the top of the hopper, thereby preventing air loss and permitting balls to be loaded sequentially without loss of air through the feed port.
(vi) The Apparatus for dispensing powdered and granulated materials by Dvorak et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,161 utilizes air inlet and outlet tubes from a container which is attached to a leaf blower to dispense powder or granular material. It does not have a rotating loading mechanism but uses air force from the blower to draw powder from the container through the tubes. The supply of power is not exposed to atmospheric pressure.
(vii) The Pesticide Duster Attachment for Portable Blower by Ussery, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,996 also does not have the supply of powder or dust exposed to atmospheric pressure.
(viii) The Garden Powder Duster by Sansalone, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,567 has a dusting agent container attached to the tube on the air blower. This container is not exposed to atmospheric pressure.
(ix) The Fertilizer Spreader of Mattson, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,852, does not have a supply of fertilizer which is exposed to atmospheric pressure.
(x) The Pesticide Duster by Mesic, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,241 does not have a supply of pesticide which is exposed to atmospheric pressure.
Objects and Advantages.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention are to provide a means for loading balls of various sizes, weights, shapes, and materials, through a hole or feed port in wall of a barrel which is attached to a source of flowing air on one end, without release of air through the feed port, such that a ball which is exposed to atmospheric pressure can be loaded through the port without the loss of air from the source of flowing air through the port. This invention has various embodiments, all of which utilize this method of loading. Each embodiment is simple and can be built or molded of inexpensive hard and lightweight materials such as plastic, metal, steel, resin, or vinyl. It can be assembled quickly, simply and easily by the user. When operational the unit can project balls, from a replenishable supply of balls at atmospheric pressure, in a range of 10 to 85 miles per hour at various targets at various time intervals.
The only disadvantage of the invention is the noise level which is mitigated by the fact that its user will be 40 or more feet away from the invention as it is operated. The inventors are currently developing a means to muffle or reduce the sound level of an air blower.

Ball projecting attachment for various air blowers


Remote downloading of number assignment module designation parameters into a read-only memory circuit of a wireless telephone subscriber set (e.g., mobile, cordless, etc.) can be achieved by incorporating a tone signals receiver into the set and by bridging the receiver onto a wireless voice communication channel established between the subscriber's set and a service representative. The service representative can remotely enter subscriber-specific programming information and wireless service authorization data into the subscriber's telephone set for storage therein thereby quickly, reliably and cost-effectively providing authorized service to a new subscriber, or to an existing subscriber who requests a service change.

The use of cellular mobile telecommunication has undergone substantial growth over the past few years. Due to a growing cellular customers base, cellular telephone service providers and cellular telephone service resellers are faced with serving an increased number of new subscribers demanding diversified cellular services. Also, a growing number of existing cellular subscribers tend to switch back and forth between various service providers depending on the marketing and sales incentives offered by any one of such providers to newly signed-up cellular subscribers. The foregoing shifts and variations in customer-supplier and customer-reseller relationships require programming, as well as reprogramming, of the cellular telephone sets each time a customer subscriber desires a change.
Typically, cellular service providers require that any prospective customer take the cellular telephone set, after purchasing it, to an authorized service center for programming so that such telephone set becomes an authorized cellular service user set. In the case of cellular service resellers, prospective subscribers are often asked to send the telephone set, after purchasing it, to an authorized agent for programming. In either case, the procedure is cumbersome and costly to the customer, as well as to the provider or reseller, because delays are encountered prior to the start of service. Therefore, there exists a need for a method and an apparatus for programming wireless telephone sets in a manner that quickly, reliably and cost-effectively provides telephone service to new or existing customers.

Method and apparatus for remotely programming a wireless telephone set


A hard disk drive fixing structure can accommodate a hard disk drive and can electrically connect with a computer to transmit information therebetween. The hard disk drive fixing structure has an accommodation casing; two rotary fixing members, which are corresponding to the fixing threaded holes of the hard disk drive, are pivotally installed to two lateral sides of the accommodation casing respectively; each rotary fixing member has at least one fixing protuberance; via the rotation of the rotary fixing members, the fixing protuberances can be respectively inserted into or withdrawn from the fixing threaded holes. Thereby, the hard disk drive can be fast assembled to/disassembled from the hard disk drive fixing structure of the present invention without any screwing/unscrewing activity but just via rotating the rotary fixing members.

With the ever-advancing information technology, the new-generation digital storage media, such as the compact flash memory, the Smart Media and the Memory Stick, have gradually replaced the low-capacity floppy disks, such as 1.44M floppy devices. With the popularization of computers, digital cameras, digital pen recorders and the like, the demand for digital storage devices also grows day by day. Currently, in addition to the dedicated hard disk drives for computers, the manufacturers also produce various storage devices to meet the market, such as external hard disk drives, server database hard disk drives, hard drive arrays and detachable hard disk drives.
The abovementioned hard disk drives all need fixing inside accommodation devices, which can electrically connect with computers and enable the information transmission between the hard disk drives and the computers. The method that a hard disk drive is arranged inside an accommodation device and the method that the accommodation device connects with a computer determine the types and the names of the abovementioned hard disk drives. No matter what type the hard disk drive is, it needs fixing to the accommodation device securely. Thus, a fixing structure for fast and easily assembling/disassembling a hard disk drive is necessary.
In the conventional hard disk drive fixing structure, a hard disk drive is fixed to an accommodation device with screws. However, the user usually has to change the hard disk drive if he often uses a large amount of data. When fixing the hard disk drive to the fixing structure, the user often finds that his screws is insufficient to completely fix the hard dick drive, or he fixes the hard disk drive to the fixing structure with only two screws to avoid the trouble of too many screwing/unscrewing actions in the future assemble/disassemble. Those two abovementioned actions usually cause the swing of the operating hard disk drive, which is likely to disconnect the connection interface. Thus, the hard disk drive is likely to be damaged, or the computer is likely to crash. Besides, frequent screwing/unscrewing actions will finally damage the screw thread, and the hard disk drive is then unable to be fixed to the fixing structure securely.


In general, this disclosure describes techniques for using virtual domains. In one example, a method comprises receiving, by a computing device, configuration data defining: an external virtual domain for a network function, the external virtual domain connected to a public network and managed by a provider for the computing device; a virtual domain for the network function, the virtual domain separate from the external virtual domain, configured with a secure tunnel interface, connected to a customer network, and managed by a customer of the provider for the computing device; forwarding, by the external virtual domain implementing a route-based virtual private network, encrypted network traffic, received from the public network via a secure tunnel, to the secure tunnel interface configured in the virtual domain; decrypting, by the virtual domain, the encrypted network traffic to generate network traffic; and forwarding, by the virtual domain, the network traffic to the customer network.

A data center provider may employ a facility, such as a data center or warehouse, in which multiple customers of the provider offer connections and/or locate network, server, and storage gear and interconnect to a variety of telecommunications, cloud, and other network service provider(s) with a minimum of cost and complexity. Such data centers may be shared by the multiple customers. By interconnecting at such facilities, the customers of the provider including telecommunications providers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), application service providers, service providers, content providers, and other providers, as well as enterprises, enjoy less latency and the freedom to focus on their core business.
A network operator, such as the data center provider, may provide network functions that can be applied to packets traversing a switching fabric of the data center that is managed by the data center provider. The network functions may be implemented using specialized hardware appliances, such as firewalls or routers and sometimes referred to as Physical Network Functions (PNFs), or implemented using a Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) architecture or infrastructure (NFVI) that may include Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs). A network function (PNF or VNF) may provide firewall, routing, carrier grade network address translation (CG-NAT), performance enhancement proxies for video, transport control protocol (TCP) optimization and header enrichment, caching, load balancing, or other network functions, for example. A VNF may be executed by one or more virtual machines, containers, or other execution environment of the NFV Infrastructure. In this way, virtualized network functions may be executed by servers, switches, storage devices, and cloud computing infrastructure.


The invention discloses die casting machine with L-shape frame, including at least one L-shape frame, fixed die plate, fixed on end of upward extending side of frame, moving die device, disposed on other side of frame and slidable relative to frame, including moving die plate opposite to fixed die plate, lockable to frame by mold clamping device; a notch, formed on bottom of frame, first deformation compensation device, provided in notch, adapted for applying forces in opposite directions on sides of notch, while moving die plate is clamped with fixed die plate. First deformation compensation device of the present invention is adapted to applying forces on sides of the notch in lower position of the frame, to compensate squeeze to central section on the bottom of frame, weakening elastic distortion of the track on the frame, and eliminates effects of die casting or injection molding products due to deformation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the technical field of die casting, particularly relates to a die casting machine with L-shape frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
When producing products by injection molding or die casting technology, the first thing is to assembly a moving die and a fixed die to form a die cavity of product, then inject molten material into the die cavity, and form the product under certain pressure. During the process of injecting material or forming by compressing, distortion will be caused in moving die and fixed die, said distortion leads to a change of original shape of the die cavity, and eventually leads to a change of injection molding products or die casting products, even produces substandard products, seriously affect productivity, and increases production cost. For this purpose, special attentions have been paid by relevant technical staff to solve the distortion problem during the process of injection material or pressing forming.
The traditional solution to solve the deformation problem that caused in injection molding process is mainly focus on how to compensate the deformation caused when moving die and the fixed die are certain pressure, Chinese patent discloses an injection molding machine with a basic C-shape frame, a fixed die is fixed on one leg of side injection molding machine, a closing device is fixed on the other side leg, said closing device push moving die approach or away from the fixed die through a hinge member, the hinge member is connected to the moving die through two supporting surfaces which are spaced from each other, and the hinge member makes two supporting surfaces respectively located above or below a horizontal center plane of fixed die. In injection molding process, a certain deformation of the moving die or the fixed die will be caused due to the injection molding pressure, said deformation will be passed to hinge member through the two supporting surfaces spaced from each other, part of the deformation is absorbed by the hinge member, in order to keep the moving die and the fixed die in parallel under closing pressure. In the case that the injection molding pressure is smaller, the above mentioned compensation device can be used to compensate the deformation of moving die and fixed die, which can decrease the deformation of die cavity of molding. However, when the injection is larger, pressure on the moving die and the fixed die will be passed to a frame which supports the moving die and the fixed die, since the lower portion of the frame is fixed, the left and right ends of the frame are stretched outward by the above mentioned injection molding pressure, the moving die track, located on the upper side of the frame of injection molding machine, may have a upward arching deformation caused, and a deformation which squeezes from both ends toward the middle is caused in lateral board located on the lower side of the frame of injection molding machine. This deformation increases the relative deformation between moving die and fixed die, thus seriously affects the shape of the injection molding products. However, influences caused by deformation of the body of frame will always be ignored by technical staff, therefore only designing a deformation compensation device on moving die or fixed die obviously could not meet the requirements of those products which have larger injection molding pressure and require higher on product quality.
In addition, frames in the prior art are of substantially C-shape or H-shape, a moving die driving device is fixed on a upwardly extending portion of each end of the frame, and the locking of moving die device is realized through a locking connection driving device and a connecting rob of the moving die, when casting after mold locking, injection pressure is put on the upward extending portion of both ends thereof through above mentioned driving device, because a larger pressure is put on the upward extending position of both ends, therefore reinforcement to both ends of frame is needed, this leads to a particularly bulky frame which is with a complex structure, inconvenient to maintenance and difficult to move; and the above mentioned connecting rob not only needs to make a telescopic movement, but also bears a larger locking force, which makes the connecting rob apt to be damaged; in addition, because the distance between the ends of the frame is certain, and pushing mechanism and locking mechanism with a complex structure is provided behind moving die, the extended application range of die casting machine is limited.