Resilient contact structures are mounted directly to bond pads on semiconductor dies, prior to the dies being singulated (separated) from a semiconductor wafer. This enables the semiconductor dies to be exercised (e.g., tested and/or burned-in) by connecting to the semiconductor dies with a circuit board or the like having a plurality of terminals disposed on a surface thereof. Subsequently, the semiconductor dies may be singulated from the semiconductor wafer, whereupon the same resilient contact structures can be used to effect interconnections between the semiconductor dies and other electronic components (such as wiring substrates, semiconductor packages, etc.). Using the all-metallic composite interconnection elements of the present invention as the resilient contact structures, burn-in can be performed at temperatures of at least 150.degree. C., and can be completed in less than 60 minutes.

Individual semiconductor (integrated circuit) devices (dies) are typically produced by creating several identical devices on a semiconductor wafer, using known techniques of photolithography, deposition, and the like. Generally, these processes are intended to create a plurality of fully-functional integrated circuit devices, prior to singulating (severing) the individual dies from the semiconductor wafer. In practice, however, certain physical defects in the wafer itself and certain defects in the processing of the wafer inevitably lead to some of the dies being "good" (fully-functional) and some of the dies being "bad" (non-functional). It is generally desirable to be able to identify which of the plurality of dies on a wafer are good dies prior to their packaging, and preferably prior to their being singulated from the wafer. To this end, a wafer "tester" or "prober" may advantageously be employed to make a plurality of discrete pressure connections to a like plurality of discrete connection pads (bond pads) on the dies, and provide signals (including power) to the dies. In this manner, the semiconductor dies can be exercised (tested and burned in), prior to singulating the dies from the wafer. A conventional component of a wafer tester is a "probe card" to which a plurality of probe elements are connected--tips of the probe elements effecting the pressure connections to the respective bond pads of the semiconductor dies.
Certain difficulties are inherent in any technique for probing semiconductor dies. For example, modern integrated circuits include many thousands of transistor elements requiring many hundreds of bond pads disposed in close proximity to one another (e.g., 5 mils center-to-center). Moreover, the layout of the bond pads need not be limited to single rows of bond pads disposed close to the peripheral edges of the die (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,583).
To effect reliable pressure connections between the probe elements and the semiconductor die one must be concerned with several parameters including, but not limited to: alignment, probe force, overdrive, contact force, balanced contact force, scrub, contact resistance, and planarization. A general discussion of these parameters may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,622, entitled HIGH DENSITY PROBE CARD, incorporated by reference herein, which discloses a high density epoxy ring probe card including a unitary printed circuit board having a central opening adapted to receive a preformed epoxy ring array of probe elements.
Generally, prior art probe card assemblies include a plurality of tungsten needles extending as cantilevers from a surface of a probe card. The tungsten needles may be mounted in any suitable manner to the probe card, such as by the intermediary of an epoxy ring, as discussed hereinabove. Generally, in any case, the needles are wired to terminals of the probe card through the intermediary of a separate and distinct wire connecting the needles to the terminals of the probe card.
Probe cards are typically formed as circular rings, with hundreds of probe elements (needles) extending from an inner periphery of the ring (and wired to terminals of the probe card). Circuit modules, and conductive traces (lines) of preferably equal length, are associated with each of the probe elements. This ring-shape layout makes it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to probe a plurality of unsingulated semiconductor dies (multiple sites) on a wafer, especially when the bond pads of each semiconductor die are arranged in other than two linear arrays along two opposite edges of the semiconductor die.
Wafer testers may alternately employ a probe membrane having a central contact bump area, as is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,574, entitled LARGE SCALE PROTRUSION MEMBRANE FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES UNDER TEST WITH VERY HIGH PIN COUNTS, incorporated by reference herein. As noted in this patent, "A test system typically comprises a test controller for executing and controlling a series of test programs, a wafer dispensing system for mechanically handling and positioning wafers in preparation for testing and a probe card for maintaining an accurate mechanical contact with the device-under-test (DUT)." (column 1, lines 41-46).
Additional references, incorporated by reference herein, as indicative of the state of the art in testing semiconductor devices, include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,442,282 (TESTING AND EXERCISING INDIVIDUAL UNSINGULATED DIES ON A WAFER); 5,382,898 (HIGH DENSITY PROBE CARD FOR TESTING ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS); 5,378,982 TEST PROBE FOR PANEL HAVING AN OVERLYING PROTECTIVE MEMBER ADJACENT PANEL CONTACTS); 5,339,027 (RIGID-FLEX CIRCUITS WITH RAISED FEATURES AS IC TEST PROBES); 5,180,977 (MEMBRANE PROBE CONTACT BUMP COMPLIANCY SYSTEM); 5,066,907 (PROBE SYSTEM FOR DEVICE AND CIRCUIT TESTING); 4,757,256 (HIGH DENSITY PROBE CARD); 4,161,692 (PROBE DEVICE FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT WAFERS); and 3,990,689 (ADJUSTABLE HOLDER ASSEMBLY FOR POSITIONING A VACUUM CHUCK).
Generally, interconnections between electronic components can be classified into the two broad categories of "relatively permanent" and "readily demountable".
An example of a "relatively permanent" connection is a solder joint. Once two components are soldered to one another, a process of unsoldering must be used to separate the components. A wire bond is another example of a "relatively permanent" connection.
An example of a "readily demountable" connection is rigid pins of one electronic component being received by resilient socket elements of another electronic component. The socket elements exert a contact force (pressure) on the pins in an amount sufficient to ensure a reliable electrical connection therebetween.
Interconnection elements intended to make pressure contact with terminals of an electronic component are referred to herein as "springs" or "spring elements". Generally, a certain minimum contact force is desired to effect reliable pressure contact to electronic components (e.g., to terminals on electronic components). For example, a contact (load) force of approximately 15 grams (including as little as 2 grams or less and as much as 150 grams or more, per contact) may be desired to ensure that a reliable electrical connection is made to a terminal of an electronic component which may be contaminated with films on its surface, or which has corrosion or oxidation products on its surface. The minimum contact force required of each spring demands either that the yield strength of the spring material or that the size of the spring element are increased. As a general proposition, the higher the yield strength of a material, the more difficult it will be to work with (e.g., punch, bend, etc.). And the desire to make springs smaller essentially rules out making them larger in cross-section.
Probe elements are a class of spring elements of particular relevance to the present invention. Prior art probe elements are commonly fabricated from titanium, a relatively hard (high yield strength) material. When it is desired to mount such relatively hard materials to terminals of an electronic component, relatively "hostile" (e.g., high temperature) processes such as brazing are required. Such "hostile" processes are generally not desirable (and often not feasible) in the context of certain relatively "fragile" electronic components such as semiconductor devices. In contrast thereto, wire bonding is an example of a relatively "friendly" processes which is much less potentially damaging to fragile electronic components than brazing. Soldering is another example of a relatively "friendly" process. However, both solder and gold are relatively soft (low yield strength) materials which will not function well as spring elements.
A subtle problem associated with interconnection elements, including spring contacts, is that, often, the terminals of an electronic component are not perfectly coplanar. Interconnection elements lacking in some mechanism incorporated therewith for accommodating these "tolerances" (gross non-planarities) will be hard pressed to make consistent contact pressure contact with the terminals of the electronic component.
The following U.S. Patents, incorporated by reference herein, are cited as being of general interest vis-a-vis making connections, particularly pressure connections, to electronic components: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,386,344 (FLEX CIRCUIT CARD ELASTOMERIC CABLE CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY); 5,336,380 (SPRING BIASED TAPERED CONTACT ELEMENTS FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PACKAGES); 5,317,479 (PLATED COMPLIANT LEAD); 5,086,337 (CONNECTING STRUCTURE OF ELECTRONIC PART AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING THE STRUCTURE); 5,067,007 (SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING LEADS FOR MOUNTING TO A SURFACE OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD); 4,989,069 (SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE HAVING LEADS THAT BREAK-AWAY FROM SUPPORTS); 4,893,172 (CONNECTING STRUCTURE FOR ELECTRONIC PART AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME); 4,793,814 (ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT BOARD INTERCONNECT); 4,777,564 (LEADFORM FOR USE WITH SURFACE MOUNTED COMPONENTS) ; 4,764,848 (SURFACE MOUNTED ARRAY STRAIN RELIEF DEVICE); 4,667,219 (SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP INTERFACE); 4,642,889 (COMPLIANT INTERCONNECTION AND METHOD THEREFOR); 4,330,165 (PRESS-CONTACT TYPE INTERCONNECTORS); 4,295,700 (INTERCONNECTORS); 4,067,104 (METHOD OF FABRICATING AN ARRAY OF FLEXIBLE METALLIC INTERCONNECTS FOR COUPLING MICROELECTRONICS COMPONENTS); 3,795,037 (ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR DEVICES); 3,616,532 (MULTILAYER PRINTED CIRCUIT ELECTRICAL INTERCONNECTION DEVICE); and 3,509,270 (INTERCONNECTION FOR PRINTED CIRCUITS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME).
Generally, throughout the probe techniques described hereinabove, a probe card or the like having a plurality of resilient contact structures extending from or upon a surface thereof is urged against a semiconductor wafer to make pressure contacts with a corresponding plurality of terminals (bond pads) on an individual semiconductor die. In some cases, pressure contact with a limited number (e.g., four) of unsingulated dies arranged end-to-end can be made, depending upon the layout of the bond pads on the semiconductor dies (e.g., a linear array of bond pads on each of the two side edges of the dies). (The end-to-end dies can be treated as one long die having two rows of bond pads.)
A limited number of techniques are suggested in the prior art for providing semiconductor chip assemblies with terminals that are biased away from the surface of the semiconductor die (chip). U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,298, entitled SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP ASSEMBLIES AND COMPONENTS WITH PRESSURE CONTACT, discloses that such an assembly "can be extremely compact and may occupy an area only slightly larger than the area of the chip itself."
One might be tempted to surmise that it is a simple intuitive step to expand such techniques to wafer-level. To the contrary, it is not at all apparent how such "assemblies" which are larger than the die could be accommodated at wafer-level, without requiring there to be a greatly expanded kerf (scribing) area disposed between each adjacent die. Additionally, it is not at all apparent how such "assemblies" would be fabricated upon a plurality of unsingulated dies. Moreover, such assemblies are generally constrained to "translating" peripheral arrays (i.e., a peripheral (edge) layout of bond pads on a semiconductor die) to area arrays (e.g., rows and columns) of terminals, and require a good deal of valuable "real estate" to effect the translation. Routing the connections is one serious limitation, and typically the connections "fan-in". The use of non-metallic materials (i.e., materials incapable of sustaining high temperatures) is another concern.
Another serious concern with any technique such as is described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,298 is that the face of the die is covered. This is generally undesirable, and is particularly undesirable in the context of gallium arsenide (GaAs) semiconductor devices.


A simulated insect trapping surface for removably supporting visual representations of insects. A plurality of icons symbolizing insects, for attaching to the simulated trapping surface, and an adhesive interface between each icon and the surface for temporarily holding the icons on the surface, for teaching interpretation of an insect pattern in a sticky monitoring trap. Instead of the adhesive interface, the simulated trapping surface supports visual representations of the insects by including liquid crystal, and is transparent to light for optical projection of the representations for viewing and interpretation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a training aid in the biological field of insect pest control, more specifically to an apparatus and method for demonstrating the interpretation of an insect pattern on a sticky monitoring trap, for determining the characteristics and location of an insect population.
A monitoring trap used in the pest control industry includes a sticky surface which stops and permanently holds insects that attempt to cross. The type, age and arrangement of insects trapped on the surface, in consideration of local temperature, humidity, and air currents, provide valuable clues for locating the nest and for applying safe, efficient control to the infestation by chemical or other means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sticky monitoring traps can come in various forms. All include at least one wall having a surface that is adapted for stopping and permanently retaining in place, insects that traverse the surface.
The present invention comprises a simulated monitoring trap which includes a wall with a simulated trapping surface on the wall, the surface being adapted for removably supporting visual patterns of insects in predetermined arrangements and patterns for instructing about interpretations of patterns found in monitoring traps.
A typical monitoring trap is later described with reference to FIGS. 1-4.


A keyboard for a mobile device is provided that includes a plurality of three-direction keys. The three-direction keys may include three protruding portions that each correspond to at least one character of the keyboard. At least one of the three-direction keys may be inverted with respect to other ones of the three-direction keys. The three-direction keys may be positioned on the mobile device to provide characters in at least three rows the keyboard.

Mobile devices that include a keyboard for inputting text are known in this field. However, providing a traditional-style keyboard (e.g., a QWERTY-style keyboard) on a small, handheld mobile device typically involves an ergonomic compromise between having smaller keys on a full text-entry keypad or larger keys on a reduced keypad.

Mobile device keyboard having three-direction keys


A method of BLE-Mesh communications includes providing a dual-mode BLE-Mesh device including dual-mode RF driver, dual-mode manager, a BLE stack for BLE operations, and a mesh stack for mesh operations in a BLE-mesh network having a BLE relay device and a functional end BLE device. The BLE-mesh device has a periodic set of time indexed data slots common throughout the BLE-mesh network which provides a BLE event timeline for BLE connection events. The dual-mode BLE device implements an event clustering algorithm that delays or advances mesh events with respect to a timing the BLE connection events for clustering together their respective occurrences into continuous BLE/Mesh events to reduce a duty cycle by reducing a number of transitions from active mode to sleep mode and from sleep mode to active mode. The BLE-Mesh device communicates in the BLE-mesh network using the continuous BLE/Mesh events with at least one mesh device.

BLE-Mesh is a wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology that uses a flooding-based protocol that with retransmission extends the range of BLE devices by including the ability to send messages to and amongst groups of devices. The devices in the BLE-Mesh network can support both BLE and BLE-mesh, but not necessarily both. A rebroadcasting mesh network works by flooding all messages to all nodes in the network through broadcasts.
The nodes in the mesh network all share a set of indexed data slots. Each time a device receives a broadcast message from another device in the mesh, the device repeats the message (rebroadcasts it), enabling its neighboring devices to 'hear' the new message. The neighboring devices rebroadcast this message to their neighbors, and the process is repeated until all devices in the mesh have received the same message. Flooding thus enables wireless devices to talk to each other without being within a direct radio range, as devices between them help by relaying the messages.
In a typical WPAN there are edge device(s) which are battery powered, relay devices that are always on as they are always in the listening mode, and functional end device(s), such as lights. Most BLE devices are battery powered so that power efficiency is generally an important consideration.
Smartphones and other some 'legacy devices' such as tablets and laptops support BLE, but do not currently support mesh formatted messaging. To enable such legacy devices to communicate with mesh devices, BLE connectivity needs to be enabled for mesh devices, creating the need for dual-mode BLE devices that provide both Mesh operations and BLE operations. However, adding this BLE-connectivity to mesh devices will significantly raise their power consumption, being a particular problem for battery-powered devices.


Optical apparatus including an optical waveguide including a hollow core formed lithographically. The optical waveguide may include a cladding with a reflective surface deposited thereon. The reflective surface may include a metallic coating, a multilayer dielectric coating, a multi-dimensional photonic crystal, and/or may be doped with a lasing material. The multilayer dielectric coating may include only dielectric layers or a combination of dielectric and metal layers.

Optical fibers often have a circular section while waveguides often have a rectangular section. One of the main reasons for this is that optical fibers are manufactured by melting a preform, and the circular geometry is most adapted for this manufacturing process. Manufacturing optical fibers by melting a preform is suitable for making long fibers, especially for telecommunications.
However, there are more and more cases where fibers are not sought for the long distance transport ("extra-muros"), but rather for short distances ("intra-muros", up to a few meters). In that case, the circular section is not mandatory. However, very special properties are required from such fibers. These properties include but are not limited to:
a. transport of very highly energetic laser sources
b. lasing action within the fiber
c. coupling with several sources
d. light transport in the infra-red
e. polarization maintaining/Bragg wavelength selection/DFB lasing
In order to obtain such properties, fiber designs have been proposed in the prior art. One proposal is to replace the traditional index guiding with guiding through engineered reflections ("Theory of Bragg fiber", P. Yeh, A. Yariv and E. Marom, JOSA 68, 9, 1978). This engineering may be optimized so that complete reflection at every angle is possible. In such a case, it is possible to fabricate an air-core fiber, allowing high energies to propagate in the fiber ("Wavelength-scalable hollow optical fibres with large photonic bandgaps for CO2 laser transmission", B. Temelkuran, S. D. Hart, G. Benoit, J. D. Joannopoulos and Y. Fink, Nature, vol 420, December 2002, page 650). In order to do so, a possibility is to cover the cladding wall with an omnidirectional mirror. In "Omnidirectional multilayer device for optical waveguiding", Fink et al., PCT patent application WO 00/22466, such a multilayer is realized using a polystyrene-chalcogenide multilayer coating.
In "High index-contrast fiber waveguides and applications", Anderson et al, PCT patent application WO 02/084362, such a coating is obtained by using very specific material compositions at very specific conditions in order to match both the optical properties and the mechanical properties between the two materials of the multilayer, which is needed in order to extrude the fiber.
In "Dielectric waveguide with transverse index variation that support a group velocity mode at a non-zero longitudinal wavevector" PCT patent application WO 02/43180, a photonic crystal fiber laser structure is proposed, based on zero-velocity modes. However, it does not show how to efficiently couple light in the photonic crystal fiber.
Another possibility is to create an array of holes that constitutes either a full photonic crystal or at least a strong guiding through a lower refractive index ("A photonic crystal fiber and a method for its production", Russel et al, PCT patent application WO 00/60388). Such structures are also well suited for lasing action. However, like in the preceding case, coupling the pump to the fiber may be done only through the fiber end (end-pumping) or the side (side pumping), as in "Photonic crystal fibre guiding a first mode and a pump beam", Russel et al, PCT patent application WO 01/42829.
All the methods currently used are based on drawing fibers, which places stringent conditions on the materials that are used. Moreover, these drawing techniques lead to fibers that do not allow simple optical pumping if several pumping beams must be used.

Lithographically built optical structures


The present invention provides, inter alia, methods, kits, and compositions for treating or ameliorating the effects of a cancer in a subject in need thereof. This method includes administering to the subject an effective amount of (i) a first anti-cancer agent, which is BVD-523 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and (ii) a second anti-cancer agent, which is an inhibitor of the PI3K/Akt pathway or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Also provided are methods of treating or ameliorating the effects of a subject with cancer in which the subject has a somatic KRAS and a somatic PIK3CA mutation or in which the cancer is refractory to a therapy selected from RAF inhibitor therapy, MEK inhibitor therapy, and RAF and MEK inhibitor therapy.

Mutations affecting the MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways are observed at high frequencies in a variety of cancers. Drug inhibitors that target components of the MAPK signaling pathway show clinical efficacy in a many cancers, particularly those bearing mutations in the BRAF protein kinase. Both RAF and MEK kinase inhibitors are approved for single-agent use in advanced metastatic BRAF mutant melanoma, and the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib is currently undergoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review for this indication.
As with other targeted therapies, patterns of disease response to MAPK pathway and PI3K/Akt inhibitors appear to be influenced by the intrinsic genetic heterogeneity present in the cancers where the drugs are used. For instance, certain genetic alterations, including PTEN and other changes that activate the PI3K cell growth signaling pathway, may predict a poor initial response, and/or relatively rapid progression, in BRAF mutant melanoma treated with the RAF inhibitor vemurafenib. Likewise, direct mutations in MEK gene loci appear to emerge in tumors that have progressed following either BRAF, MEK, or combined drug treatment. Several additional examples, from RAS and RAF gene amplification and splicing mutations, suggest that acquired drug resistance is produced when oncogenic pleiotropy encounters the selective pressure of targeted drug treatment.
In particular, a number of treated cancers bearing mutations affecting the MAPK signaling pathway develop additional, nascent lesions that affect the PI3K pathway. For example, PIK3CA-activating mutations are a frequent source of acquired resistance in these cancers. In this case, mechanistically distinct inhibitors targeting only the MAPK pathway are not sufficient for effective therapy.
In view of the foregoing limitations, novel targeted agents and therapies are needed to treat such cancers. The present invention is directed to meeting these and other needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Cancer treatments using combinations of PI3K/Akt pathway and ERK inhibitors


A modular thermoelectric assembly is provided to maintain the temperature within a container or enclosed structure at a desired level. The thermoelectric assembly includes a thermoelectric device with a hot sink and a cold sink. A layer of insulating material is disposed between the hot sink and the cold sink. The hot sink and the insulating material are used to install the thermoelectric assembly into an appropriately sized opening extending through the exterior of the container or enclosed structure. A thermoelectric device, contained within the layer of insulating material, functions as a heat pump to transfer heat between the cold sink and the hot sink. An electrical motor, rotating shaft and propellers are carried by the assembly to assist in the circulation of air to improve the efficiency of the cold sink and the hot sink.

The basic theory and operation of thermoelectric devices has been developed for many years. Modern thermoelectric devices typically include an array of thermocouples which operate by using the Peltier effect. Thermoelectric devices are essentially small heat pumps which follow the laws of thermodynamics in the same manner as mechanical heat pumps, refrigerators, or any other apparatus used to transfer heat energy. The principal difference is that thermoelectric devices function with solid state electrical components (thermocouples) as compared to more traditional mechanical/fluid heating and cooling components.
When DC electrical power is applied to a thermoelectric device having an array of thermocouples, heat is absorbed on the cold side of the thermocouples and passes through the thermocouples and is dissipated on the hot side of the thermocouples. A heat sink (sometimes referred to as the "hot sink") is preferably attached to the hot side of the thermoelectric device to aid in dissipating heat from the thermocouples to the adjacent environment. In a similar manner a heat sink (sometimes referred to as a "cold sink") is often attached to the cold side of the thermoelectric device to aid in removing heat from the adjacent environment. Thermoelectric devices are sometimes referred to as thermoelectric coolers. However, since they are a type of heat pump, thermoelectric devices can function as either a cooler or a heater.
There are a wide variety of containers and enclosed structures which are designed to be maintained within a selected temperature range. Examples of such containers and enclosed structures include, but are not limited to, "ice chests", picnic coolers, cabinets containing sensitive electronic equipment, and organ transplant containers. The use of thermoelectric devices which operate on a 12-volt DC system are well known to maintain desired operating temperatures in portable refrigerators or cooler associated with various types of motor vehicles. An example of a container having a thermoelectric cooler is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,193 entitled "Temperature Controlled Picnic Box". This patent is incorporated by reference for all purposes within this application.


A call processing system receives a call request, and in response, generates a call identification, establishes context information, and transfers the call identification and the context information. A context server receives the call identification and the context information, and in response, stores the context information in association with the call identification. A communication path is established for the call between the caller and a call destination, and the call destination receives the call identification. The context server receives a context request from the call destination indicating the call identification and an information template, locates the context information using the call identification, selects a set of the context information based on the information template, and transfers the selected set of the context information to the call destination. The call destination handles the call based on the selected set of the context information.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and system for handling calls in a communication network that require operator assistance.
2. Background
In a communications network, a Service Control Point (SCP) provides call routing information to telecommunications switches. In a typical call routing operation, the telecommunications switch receives a call request and transmits a query message to the SCP. The SCP processes the query message and returns a response message containing the routing information to the switch. For example, the switch may receive an "800" number call and query the SCP with the "800" number. The SCP processes the "800" number and returns a routing number to the switch. These query and response messages are typically Signaling System #7 (SS7) Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP) messages that are well known in the art.
In some call scenarios, the communications network also uses a telecommunications resource to provide services to a call before the call is routed to a destination. An operator center is one example of a telecommunications resource used to provide these services. In some instances operator centers comprise several individual operators working at individual operator workstations to provide the various services to calls. In other instances the operator center is automated and provides the services using one or more voice response units.
To connect a call to an operator center, the communications network often obtains routing information from an SCP. The routing information can be information on a switch and connection coupled to the operator center. The operator center typically provides a service to the call based on the called and calling number that are provided over the connection. When the operator service is completed, the operator center directs the network to use a new connection to extend the call to the call destination.
To determine how to handle a call, it is desirable to provide context information to the operator center. The context information is information related to the call that is collected or generated by the various devices in a communications network. Some examples of context information are: the call ID, template ID, TCAP message transaction ID, originating switch ID, SCP ID, call detail record (CDR) record type, called number, nature of the called number, calling number, nature of the calling number, account codes, authorization codes, credit card numbers, calling card numbers, query class, query sequence number, service type, call-leg sequence, DNIS, and out-dial number. The context information for the call is typically stored in the SCP or in a remote context server.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a call session that requires an operator service to complete the call. On FIG. 1 the caller 101 places a call to the destination 102. In response to the call placement, a call request 106 is provided to the telecommunications switch 103. In response to determining the call request is an operator call request that requires information from the SCP 100, the telecommunications switch 103 processes the call request 106 to generate a query message 107 for the SCP 100. The query message 107 includes a request for call handling information for the call. The SCP 100 receives the query message and generates call handling information for the call, which includes routing instructions for the switch 103. The SCP 100 generates a response message 108 that contains the call handling information and transmits the response message 108 to the switch 103. The call handling information causes the switch 103 to extend the call over the connection 110 to the operator center 105.
The operator center 105 receives the call over the connection 110 and processes the call to provide a service to the call. After providing the service, the operator center 105 generates a transfer message 109 for the SCP 100. The SCP 100 receives the transfer message 109 and processes the transfer message 109 to select call handling information for the call. The SCP 100 generates a response message 111 that contains the call handling information and transmits the response message 111 to the switch 103. The call handling information causes the switch 103 to disconnect the operator center 105 and extend the call over connection 112 to the destination 102 to complete the call.
Unfortunately, the connection 110 between the operator center 105 and switch 103 is a proprietary connection that supports unique functionality between the switch 103 and the operator center 105. Thus, the switch 103 cannot support tandem routing to allow the switch 103 to route a call to other operator centers connected to other switches.
It is also known in the art to use an on-site routing node at an operator center that communicates with an SCP to provide call routing to individual operators at the operator center. For example, a technical support department of a company that has a large number of individual operators might use an on-site routing node to route incoming calls to specific operators. This prevents calls from being routed to an operator who is on a lunch break or not currently at an operator station. When an operator will not be at the operator station, the operator sends a message to the on-site routing node. The on-site routing node then will not route calls to that operator station.
Unfortunately, context information is not available to the on-site routing node during the selection of an operator at the operator center. Therefore a need exists in the art for a method and system for handling calls in a communications network that require operator assistance.

Method and system for handling calls in a communication network


An electrothermal device adapted for heating water into steam includes a heating plate including a heating base wall, an ironing plate mounted below the heating plate and including an ironing base wall and a spacing chamber, and a separating member. The heating base wall has a main perforation unit extending therethrough. The ironing base wall is spaced apart from the heating base wall, and has a secondary perforation unit communicating with the main perforation unit to allow the steam from the heating plate to pass through the ironing plate. The spacing chamber is formed between the heating base wall and the ironing base wall. The separating member is disposed on one of the heating base wall and the ironing base wall for separating the spacing chamber from the main perforation unit.

A conventional steam iron generally includes a housing, an electrothermal plate mounted below the housing, and a water reservoir mounted in the housing. The electrothermal plate includes a plate body that is formed with a plurality of through holes, and a heating member that is mounted in the plate body. The heating member can heat the plate body, so that water is heated and turns into steam via contact with the heated plate body when flowing from the water reservoir to the heated plate body. The steam then exits the steam iron via the through holes in the plate body and cooperates with the heated plate body to remove creases in clothing during the ironing process.
When in use, the plate body reaches a temperature ranging between 200° C. and 220° C., such heat being prone to damage the clothing. In view of this, some manufacturers of steam irons add a bottom plate beneath the plate body with a space therebetween. The bottom plate is formed with a plurality of outlet holes. When in use, the steam enters the space through the through holes and is subsequently discharged through the outlet holes. Damage to the clothing otherwise caused by the high temperature is reducible through the cooperation between the bottom plate with a lower temperature and the steam.
However, with this two-layer structure of the plate body and the bottom plate, contact with the bottom plate with the lower temperature may turn the steam within the space into water droplets, and remain on the bottom plate. This tends to cause the bottom plate to get rusty and shorten the service life of the conventional steam iron.

Tsann Kuen (Zhangzhou) Enterprise Co., Ltd.


A system and method for providing content to a user based on at least one prior user experience are provided. First content is transmitted to a user, wherein at least some of the first content is transmitted in response to one or more user content selections. Frequency information based on the inputs and/or the first content is stored. A request for content is received from the user. Second content is selected based on the frequency information.

Internet users typically visit the same websites multiple times. For instance, users may visit a particular news site such as cnn.com every morning. Shoppers may visit amazon.com several times each year to make various birthday and holiday gift purchases. Sports enthusiasts may frequent a popular sports site such as espn.com, and the frequency of their visits may increase during the season of their favorite sport. While websites typically change their content over time to provide a more varied user experience, they typically provide the same content to all users. Thus, a user in Dallas who accesses cnn.com may receive the same news content as a user in New York who accesses the same site at the same time.
Some sites provide content specific to a user. For instance, when a user visits amazon.com, the website may display information related to their last purchase at amazon.com. In this way, the content provided to each user may be different.
Other sites allow a user to personalize a website by configuring the content provided on the site. For instance, yahoo.com enables users to configure a "my page" that shows news stories of a type selected by the user, weather predictions for an area selected by the user, and links selected by the user, all in a layout selected by the user. In this scenario, the content provider merely provides content according to the user's pre-determined specifications. All yahoo users who select "technology news" for their "my page" will receive the same technology news.
The extent to which content providers provide user-specific content is limited. Rather, the vast majority of content on the Internet is provided identically to all users who access a particular website. As a result, a significant portion of content provided to a specific user may not be of interest to that user. This content is essentially wasted space that takes the place of other content that may be more relevant to the user.
These and other drawbacks exist with current systems and methods.

Method and system for providing content to users based on frequency of interaction


An aircraft seat fixing apparatus includes at least one insertion region and at least one retaining element, both of which are provided for fixing a shell half to a bracket. The insertion region comprises a recess for enabling the retaining element to be inserted into the insertion region by means of an insertion movement which has a component perpendicular to a main direction of the extent of the retaining element.

Aircraft seat fixing apparatuses which are provided for fixing a shell half to a bracket are already known. A plate which is provided with holes is generally attached to the bracket. Installation requires multiple steps and is time intensive, as pins must be glued into the shell halves and inserted into the holes in order to fix the shell half to the bracket.
Therefore, there is a need for an aircraft seat fixing apparatus that permits simple and rapid installation.


A composite polymer fiber comprises a polymer filler material and a plurality of polymer scattering fibers disposed within the filler material. At least one of the filler material and the scattering fibers is formed of a birefringent material. The refractive indices of the filler material and the scattering fibers can be substantially matched for light incident in a first polarization state on the composite polymer fiber and unmatched for light incident in an orthogonal polarization state. The scattering fibers may be arranged to form a photonic crystal within the composite fiber. The composite fibers may be extruded and may be formed into a yarn, a weave or the like. If the filler material is soluble, it may be washed out of the yarn or weave, and the scattering fibers may then be infiltrated with a resin that is subsequently cured.

Photonic crystal devices provide potential for controlling light in various configurations. For example, photonic crystal fibers have been formed by configuring a glass fiber with a series of longitudinal holes arranged in a specific pattern that provides confinement to light propagating along the fiber.
Photonic crystal devices have not yet, however, experienced significant penetration into the marketplace. One of the reasons for this is the difficulty in fabricating photonic crystal fibers, which makes these devices expensive.


A single use camera is preloaded with a roll of magnetically coated film with defined image frames. The camera has an exposure system for selectively exposing an image frame of the film in one of a plurality of image formats. The camera also includes a manually actuated mechanism coupled to a mounted permanent magnet. The magnet is movable to record a magnetic mark on the magnetically coated film at a predetermined location relative to an exposed image frame. The location of the mark is indicative of the image format of the exposed image frame.

In conventional photographic systems, when a photographer wanted to photograph scenes using different frame formats, either a different film and lens or a different camera needed to be used for each different format. This was expensive, inconvenient, and annoying. The Advanced Photo System (APS) introduced last year is based on several new features which solve the multiformat problem. A new film is used which has a virtually transparent magnetic coating for information storage and exchange. New cameras which use the film permit three different formats to be used on the same role of film. The three print formats are C-classic--proportioned like conventional 35 mm film, H-group--proportioned like HDTV, and P - panoramic--a longer format for capturing landscapes and panoramic views. A format switch on the camera lets a user select and view each format. This format feature requires that the film be optically or magnetically recorded with this information by the camera. A need exists for a simple and low cost way to provide this feature in a single use camera loaded with APS film.


A system for process control comprises a server digital data processor and a client digital data processor that are coupled by a network, such as the Internet or an Intranet. The server digital data processor, which is additionally coupled to a control/sensing device and any associated interface equipment (collectively, referred to as “process control apparatus”), includes a command processor that transfers information between the network and the process control apparatus. The client digital data processor includes an information client (e.g., a so-called Internet web browser) capable of requesting and receiving an applet from the server digital data processor. The information client, further, defines a hardware-independent and operating system-independent virtual machine environment within the client digital data processor. The client digital data processor executes, within that virtual machine environment, an applet for configuring the client digital data processor as a “process controller” that establishes communications over the network with the command processor and that monitors and/or controls the process control apparatus via those communications.

The invention pertains to process control and has application to remote process control.
Process control refers to the control of the operational parameters of a system by monitoring one or more of its characteristics over time. It is used to insure that the quality and efficiency of the system remain within desired parameters over the course of time. While process control is typically employed in the manufacturing sector for process, repetitive and discrete manufactures, it also has wide application in service industries, such as environmental control.
Process control equipment typically utilizes control/sensing devices that are physically integrated into the systems being controlled. For example, a thermostat is typically used in environmental control to insure that building temperatures remain within specified parameters. Likewise, flow control sensors and automated valves are typically used in process manufacturing to insure proper fluid flow volumes.
Though in early process control systems, control/sensing devices were typically stand-alone units, modern process control systems provide central workstations for monitoring and controlling the control sensing devices. Particularly robust systems are the I/A Series industrial automation systems designed, manufactured and marketed by the assignee hereof, The Foxboro Company, of Foxboro, Mass., USA. In these systems, multiple control/sensing devices are coupled by way of buses to control stations which, in turn, are coupled by way of a local area network (LAN) to one or more operator workstations.
The I/A Series systems are built around the client/server model. Client applications software executing on the workstations exchange information with the control/sensing devices via a server, referred to as the "object manager," executing in distributed fashion in the control stations. Upon request by a client application, the server creates, locates, accesses and updates data structures ("objects") storing information on the status of at least selected control/sensing devices. For example, a client application that displays temperatures sensed by a thermocouple requests that the server create an object storing a temperature reading from the thermocouple and that the server notify the client each time the temperature changes.
Although modern process control systems, such as the I/A Series systems, have proven quite successful, to date they have provided only limited remote access capabilities. Thus, while numerous operator workstations may reside within the factory or facility in which the control/sensing devices are disposed, it has traditionally proven difficult to access and control those devices outside those areas.
Remote access and control of processes is desirable for a number of purposes. A plant manager who is "on the road," for example, may wish to monitor the plant processes while travelling. By way of further example, the manufacturer of process control equipment may require remote access to a plant's control/sensing devices in order to provide technical support.
An object of this invention is to provide improved methods and apparatus for process control.
Another object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus as permit monitoring and control of remote processes.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus as can be readily adapted to existing automated process control systems.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus as can be implemented without undue expense and without undue consumption of resources.

Methods for process control with change updates


In some embodiments, a piezoelectric biosensor is provided. The piezoelectric biosensor includes a semiconductor substrate. A first electrode is disposed over the semiconductor substrate. A piezoelectric structure is disposed on the first electrode. A second electrode is disposed on the piezoelectric structure. A sensing reservoir is disposed over the piezoelectric structure and exposed to an ambient environment, where the sensing reservoir is configured to collect a fluid comprising a number of bio-entities.

Biosensors are devices for sensing and detecting bio-entities, and typically operate on the basis of electronic, chemical, optical, or mechanical detection principles. Detection can be performed by detecting the bio-entities themselves, or through interaction and reaction between specified reactants and the bio-entities. Biosensors are widely used in different life-science applications, ranging from environmental monitoring and basic life science research to Point-of-Care (PoC) in-vitro molecular diagnostics.

Piezoelectric biosensor and related method of formation

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


Electrolyte transistor including a gate structure, two sources/drains, an electrolyte layer and a buried conductive layer is provided. The gate structure including a gate dielectric layer and a gate is located above a substrate. The two sources/drains are separated from each other and located above the substrate on each side the gate structure. The electrolyte layer is located between and contacts the two sources/drains, and located between and contacts the gate structure and the substrate. The buried conductive layer is located between the electrolyte layer and the substrate. The electrolyte layer between the two sources/drains includes a channel. The conductivity of the electrolyte layer between the two sources/drains is changed by a redox reaction, so as to turn on or turn off the channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a transistor and a method of fabricating the same, in particular, to an electrolyte transistor and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Transistor is the most basic electronic element in the semiconductor process. A metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) is one of the typical transistors. The MOSFET has a structure similar to a capacitor formed by sequentially stacking metal/oxidation layer/semiconductor together. The MOSFET is formed on a hard silicon substrate, so it has a higher cost, and it is greatly limited on application.
Currently, in some researches, a semiconductor polymer is used to fabricate an organic field effect transistor. The organic field effect transistor uses the semiconductor polymer as a channel, and its working principle is that an external electric field is applied to change the characteristics of the charged carrier in the semiconductor polymer. The organic field effect transistor has advantages that it has desirable mechanical property at a lower temperature (<100° C.), and the entire weight of the element is much lighter than that of the conventional transistor. Furthermore, the fabrication cost is relatively low, and the fabricating time is relatively short as well. In addition, the organic field effect transistor may be used for fabricating an element with a large area, and may be applied to flexible electronic elements.
Another kind of transistor is an electrochemical transistor element, which uses electrochemical redox reaction of organic materials to achieve the function. The organic material in the electrochemical transistor element mainly includes electrolyte and conductive polymers, which can be converted between an oxidation state and a reduction state. In other words, the organic material at least has two states, one is the reduction state with a low conductivity; and the other is the oxidation state with the conductivity higher than that of the former state. Such element may be applied to a sensor through utilizing the differences of the conductivity, for example, to sense an oxidation situation of a solution. However, such element generally has a higher fabrication cost, and the fabricating process is more difficult, so it is difficult to be fabricated.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A high pressure discharge lamp has a pair of electrodes in a discharge tube. Each electrode includes a coil and an electrode rod with a tip, the coil being set around the electrode rod near the tip. The tip of the electrode rod and an adjacent portion of the coil are fused together during the initial discharge. To be more specific, the coil covers the electrode rod near the tip, with the tip of the electrode rod being left uncovered and a length of the tip being xcex94L that satisfies an inequality 1/50*R3xe2x89xa6xcex94Lxe2x89xa61/5*R3 where R3 is an outer diameter of the coil adjacent to the tip. Alternatively, the electrode can be first formed before being set in the discharge tube, by integrally melting the tip of the electrode rod and the adjacent portion of the coil using, for example, a plasma or laser.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high pressure discharge lamp that is used in general lighting fixtures and optical instruments, and also relates to a high pressure discharge lamp electrode, a method of producing the high pressure discharge lamp electrode, and an illumination device and an image display apparatus respectively using the high pressure discharge lamps.
(2) Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a light source and a concave reflecting mirror are usually formed in one piece as an illumination device that is provided in an image display apparatus, such as a liquid crystal projector. As a light source of the illumination device, a high pressure mercury lamp with a short arc, which is close to a point light source, has been used. The high pressure mercury lamp has advantages, such as an excellent luminous efficiency, high intensity, favorable balance of red, blue, and green in emitted light, and long life. As one example of a high pressure discharge lamp, a conventional high pressure mercury lamp is described below.
In general, a high pressure mercury lamp is provided with a discharge tube having a light-emitting part and a pair of sealing parts. The light-emitting part includes a pair of electrodes. The light-emitting part is filled with mercury as light-emitting material, a rare gas such as argon gas for starting-up, and halogen substance that facilitates a halogen cycle during lamp operation.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an electrode that has been used in this conventional high pressure mercury lamp. As shown in this figure, a conventional electrode 901 is composed of a coil 903 and an electrode rod 902 both made of tungsten, with the coil 903 being set at a discharge side end of the electrode rod 902. The coil 903 has a closely-wound double-layered structure. Specifically, a first layer 903a has 15 turns while a second layer 903b consisting of 8 turns is wound around the first layer 903a.
When this high pressure mercury lamp is lit up, a temperature of the end of the electrode considerably increases. As a result of this high temperature of the electrode end, even though halogen substance has been inserted in the light-emitting part, tungsten used for making the electrode is deposited on an inner surface of the discharge tube, causing blackening. This gives rise to a problem that a lamp life is shortened.
The techniques for preventing blackening from occurring to the discharge tube are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,167 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-92377.
FIG. 2 shows an electrode disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,167. As shown in this figure, an electrode 911 is composed of an electrode rod 912, a sleeve 913, and an electrode end 914. The electrode rod 912 and the sleeve 913 are both made of refractory metal, such as tungsten and molybdenum. The sleeve 913 is positioned on the electrode rod 912. The hemisphere-shaped electrode end 914 is formed by melting the metals respectively forming the electrode 912 and the sleeve 913 by heat, thereby being integrally joined to both the electrode rod 912 and the sleeve 913. With the construction disclosed in this reference, a heat capacity of the end of the electrode is increased. Therefore, blackening caused by the deposition of refractory metal, such as tungsten, is prevented by suppressing overheating of the end of the electrode. Also, the heat flow of the electrode rod 912 is controlled owing to the small diameter of the electrode rod 912, so that the temperature of the electrode end 914 can be prevented from falling below the temperature required for discharge.
Meanwhile, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-92377 discloses an electrode (referred to as the xe2x80x9celectrode 921xe2x80x9d) as shown in FIG. 3 and a method of producing the same. More specifically, the electrode 921 includes an electrode rod 922 that is made of tungsten and partially covered with a covering material 923. Here, the discharge side tip of the electrode rod 922 is left uncovered. With this state, a discharge takes place between the end of the electrode rod 922 and a discharge electrode (not shown in FIG. 3) under an inert gas atmosphere. As a result of this discharge, the tip of the electrode rod 922 that was left uncovered is melted. Then, the melted part that has solidified in the shape of a rough sphere or a pear is shaped by polishing or grinding, so that an electrode end 924 is formed. In this way, the electrode 921 shown in FIG. 3 has been produced.
However, after an acute analysis, the inventor of the present invention found that various problems could arise if actually producing electrodes using the methods disclosed in the cited references. The inventor further conducted an analysis, and then came up with the present invention that addresses the various problems. The problems found through the analysis by the inventor and details how the inventor came up with the present invention are explained below.
The inventor first employed the method where an electrode rod is covered with a sleeve or coil and the end of the electrode rod is melted, as disclosed in the cited references. As a result, the shape of the solidified end of the electrode rod was unstable in most cases and had to be machined to form an appropriate shape through such as polishing and grinding. Additionally, the inventor found that blackening could not be adequately prevented in an actual use.
To be more specific, the inventor had the end of the electrode rod melted, with the tip of the rod being left uncovered with the sleeve or coil serving as the covering material. As a result, the shape of the solidified end of the electrode rod was not suitable for the actual use. In most cases, the solidified end needed to be machined to be formed into an appropriate shape through such as polishing or grinding as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-92377.
Meanwhile, the inventor conducted another experiment where the melting process was carried out, with the coil that covered the electrode rod being extended comparatively longer to the discharge side than the end of the electrode rod. In this case, the inventor found that there might be a case where blackening could not adequately be prevented. The inventor examined the electrode that had been produced in this way and found that there was a void appearing between the coil and the electrode rod. Here, it was the coil that was mainly melted, and the electrode rod remained as it had been without being melted. As can be understood, a void reduces the heat capacity of the electrode end. This leads to overheating of the electrode end in the actual use, meaning that blackening caused by the deposition of tungsten cannot be prevented.
In accordance with these findings, the present invention addresses the stated problems. The object of the present invention is to provide a high pressure discharge lamp that can prevent blackening, a high pressure discharge lamp electrode whose end does not need to be machined after melting, a method of producing the high pressure discharge lamp electrode, and an illumination device and an image display apparatus respectively using the high pressure discharge lamps.
The object of the present invention can be achieved by a high pressure discharge lamp made up of: a discharge tube having a discharge chamber that contains a light-emitting substance and is hermetically sealed; and a pair of electrodes, each of which has first and second ends and is set in the discharge chamber, the first end of each electrode being secured to the discharge tube and the second ends of the electrodes facing each other at a predetermined distance in the discharge chamber, wherein discharge takes place between the second ends of the electrodes, each electrode made up of an electrode rod with a tip and a covering material, the electrode rod and the covering material being made mainly of tungsten and the tip positionally corresponding to the second end, wherein the covering material covers an outer surface of the electrode rod near the tip, the tip being left uncovered, and the tip of the electrode rod and an adjacent portion of the covering material are fused together by heat generated during an initial discharge, and wherein an inequality 1/50*R3xe2x89xa6xcex94Lxe2x89xa61/5*R3 is satisfied before the initial discharge takes place, where xcex94L is a length of the tip measured along a direction of a length of the electrode rod and R3 is an outer diameter of the covering material adjacent to the tip.
For this high pressure discharge lamp, the end of the electrode is melted by heat when an initial discharge takes place between the electrodes, so that the electrode rod and the coil are integrally joined to each other at the end of the electrode. It should be noted here that an arc length between the electrodes may vary in a case where the electrodes are set in the discharge tube first and then the electrode ends are melted by heat. However, it became apparent from the analysis by the inventor that the problem associated with the changes in the arc length would be solved when the following Inequality (1) is satisfied.
1/50*R3xe2x89xa6xcex94Lxe2x89xa61/5*R3xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
In Inequality (1), R3 indicates an outer diameter (mm) of the discharge side end of the covering material while xcex94L indicates a length (mm) of the discharge side end of the electrode that is left uncovered with the covering material such as a coil.
In accordance with this finding, the inventor came up with an invention of a high pressure discharge lamp electrode that can solve the stated problems of the prior art. With the construction that satisfies Inequality (1), the arc length will not vary after the end of the electrode has been melted for forming the integral joint. Specifically, this construction can avoid a case where the shape of the electrode end becomes unstable after the melting by heat, i.e. a case where the arc length is increased since it is the electrode rod that mainly melts. Also, this construction can avoid a case where a void appears between the covering material and the electrode rod, i.e. a case where the arc length is reduced since it is the coil that mainly melts and the molten coil bulges due to the void.
The stated problems of the prior art can be solved by a high pressure discharge lamp electrode made up of: an electrode rod which has a tip and is made of a refractory metal; and a coil which is made of a refractory metal wire and covers an outer surface of the electrode rod near the tip, a portion of the coil adjacent to the tip being melted so as to be fused in tight contact with the tip which does not substantially melt and remains in an initial shape.
To be more specific, the electrode end does not need to be machined through such as polishing or grinding after the integral joint. Moreover, blackening caused by overheating of the electrode end can be prevented from occurring to the discharge tube.

HIGH PRESSURE DISCHARGE LAMP, HIGH PRESSURE DISCHARGE LAMP ELECTRODE, METHOD OF PRODUCING THE HIGH PRESSURE DISCHARGE LAMP ELECTRODE, AND ILLUMINATION DEVICE AND IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS RESPECTIVELY USING THE HIGH PRESSURE DISCHARGE LAMPS

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An article packaging device for packaging articles within a tubular sheet. The article to be packaged is inserted into and enclosed within a length of tubular sheet, and separated from the remaining length of tubular sheet and the device to form the closed individually packaged article. The packaging device is designed to be portable, convenient, lightweight and easily maintained. A thermoplastic, vapor-impermeable tubular sheet having adhesive on one surface can provide an airtight seal that is especially effective when the device is used to package waste-containing disposable adsorbent articles, such as soiled diapers, for disposal. An apparatus for forming the tubular sheet into a layered pack of pleats having an adhesive material positioned on at least one surface.

There is a substantial industry worldwide directed to the manufacture and use of packaging for articles of various types. As the world population becomes more mobile, they demand packaging for articles for use both inside and outside the home. For example, articles needed outside the home that can placed into closed individual packaging include personal use articles, such as cosmetics or sanitary products, foodstuffs such as fruits, cereals and sandwiches toys, and business items. Such articles may need to be enclosed in packaging that will remain securely sealed, will not open unexpectedly, will protect the article from moisture and other elements, or will contain undesirable elements of the article such as waste materials and malodor from escaping the package in order to protect the surrounding environment.
There is also a need to package articles acquired or accumulated outside the home, either for disposal or delivery, or for return. Such articles can include ones that may be odiferous and/or contaminated with waste products, including used disposable absorbent articles such as diapers (especially when containing a bowel movement) and sanitary products. Efforts have been made in the past to provide disposal devices that can be used to package such odiferous or contaminated articles until disposed. Such disposal devices have included basic waste pails such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,199, issued to Pontius. Other devices include those that employ a mechanical features to dispense and/or enclose a plurality of waste articles into a disposal container, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,680, issued to Asbach et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,913, issued to Asbach et al.; Pat. No. 6,065,272, issued to Lecomte; U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,512, issued to Richards, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,890, issued to Firth; U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,200, issued to Jacoby et al.; EP Publication 0,005,660-A, assigned to Scido; U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,368, issued to Couper; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,336, issued to Forslund. One such device is known as the Diaper Genie®, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,049, issued to Richards, et al. The product and the patent disclose a receptacle with a hinged closure, and a dispenser for a pack of layered, flexible tubular sheet that is fed into the annular opening of the receptacle. Waste diapers can be inserted into the tubing though the receptacle opening, and can be enclosed by gathering the trailing tubing with a rotatable removable lid that engages the tubing. The device can be replenished with refill tubular sheet from a refill cassette, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,529, issued to Richards, et al., which discloses a cassette having a layered pack of tubular sheet positioned between a inner tubular core and an outer surrounding wall. The tubular sheet can be dispensed upward through an annular slot in a cap, and into the top opening of the device.
Despite the efforts to improve the packaging of articles, including odiferous and waste contaminated articles, there remains a need for improvements in the portability, flexibility, and effectiveness of devices for forming closed individually packaged articles.

Portable packaging device and method for forming individually packaged articles


A dynamic, finite versioning scheme supports concurrent transaction and query processing in which there is no interference between transactions and queries and no quiescence of either transactions or queries for allowing queries to access a more up-to-date database. Only a finite number of logical versions are dynamically maintained on disk for a database page. Acquiring no locks, queries access appropriate query versions, according to their initiation times. Each corresponding query version of all the database pages constitutes a transaction-consistent, but perhaps slightly out-of-date, database snapshot. Through typical concurrency control mechanisms, different transactions access the most up-to-date versions, and their updates are allowed to be incrementally written into the database before they are committed. To save storage, a physical page copy may simultaneously represent multiple versions. The exact logical version(s) that a physical page copy represents changes dynamically and implicitly. A new mechanism using time-invariant and time-varying data structures is introduced to define query snapshots, to facilitate a new query snapshot to be taken without interrupting either the transaction or query processing, to identify dynamically appropriate versions for transaction and query accesses, and to allow efficient, on-the-fly garbage collection when it is recognized that only a single page copy is sufficient to represent the required logical versions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a concurrent transaction and query processing system and, more particularly, to a dynamic, finite versioning scheme in which there is no interference between transactions and queries and no quiescence of either transactions or queries for allowing queries to access a more up-to-date database. The new mechanism uses time-invariant and time-varying data structures to define query snapshots, to facilitate a new query snapshot to be taken without interrupting either the transaction or query processing, to identify dynamically appropriate versions for transaction and query accesses, and to allow efficient, on-the-fly garbage collection when it is recognized that only a single page copy is sufficient to represent the required logical versions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In concurrent transaction and query processing environments, only transactions may potentially update the database while queries are read-only actions. Largely supporting decision making, queries do not necessarily have to access the most up-to-date database, as long as they access a transaction-consistent database. By maintaining multiple versions of data objects, the interference between transactions and queries can be eliminated: transactions create new versions and queries access old versions. See, for example, David P. Reed, "Implementing Atomic Actions on Decentralized Data", ACM Trans. on Computer Systems, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 3-23, February 1983; A. Chan, S. Fox, W. -T. K. Lin, A. Nori, and D. R. Ries, "The Implementation of An Integrated Concurrency Control and Recovery Scheme", ACM SIGMOD Proc. Int. Conf. on Management of Data, pp. 184-191, 1982; A. Chan and R. Gray, "Implementing Distributed Read-Only Transactions", IEEE Trans. on Software Engineering, vol. SE-11, no. 2, pp. 205-212, February 1985; W. E. Weihl, "Distributed Version Management for Read-Only Actions", IEEE Trans. on Software Engineering, vol. SE-13, no. 1, pp. 55-64, January 1987; and P. A. Bernstein, V. Hadzilacos and N. Goodman, Concurrency Control and Recovery in Database Systems, Addison-Wesley, 1987.
In existing approaches using multiversioning as described in the Bernstein et al. text cited above, every transaction creates a new version of a data object and the old versions of the data object are kept for potential query accesses. At any given instant, there might be a large, unlimited number of versions maintained for a data object. As a result, although the interference is eliminated, the problems of storage overhead (for maintaining a potentially unlimited number of old versions) and version-management complexity (for version retrieval and garbage collection) can be severe.
Various multiversioning schemes have been proposed to achieve a higher level of concurrency. In addition to the articles by Reed, Chan et al. and Weihl et al. cited above, see also R. Bayer, H. Heller and A. Reiser, "Parallelism and Recovery in Database Systems", ACM Trans. on Database Systems, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 139-156, June 1980, and R. E. Sterns and D. J. Rosenkrantz, "Distributed Database Concurrency Control Using Before-Values", Proc. of ACM SIGMOD Int. Conf. on Management of Data, pp. 74--83, 1981. Bayer et al. and Stearns et al. have proposed multiversion concurrency protocols using two versions. Interference between read-only queries and update transactions is reduced, but not eliminated. The increase in the level of concurrency is limited, for only a single old version is maintained and read-only queries may still compete with update transactions through special locking protocols.
Interference between update transactions and read-only queries can be eliminated by maintaining a possibly unlimited number of versions for a data object. Reed, cited above, has proposed a scheme which works conceptually by keeping forever every version created. Garbage collection was not well addressed and read-only queries may have to be aborted if certain old versions that they need are no longer available. Chan et al., cited above, have developed a version management technique using a ring buffer as the version pool, storing old versions. When the ring buffer overflows, some old versions have to be discarded to make room for versions to be updated by transactions, causing queries to be aborted. The possibility of aborting a read-only query due to an early garbage collection can be eliminated by a scheme developed by Weihl, also cited above. However, it is achieved at the cost of imposing a complex, expensive initiation phase for query execution in which, before it can start accessing any database object, a query has to ensure that all the versions that it needs are available and registered to prevent interference from early garbage collection.

Dynamic, finite versioning for concurrent transaction and query processing

International Business Machines Corporation


In order to detect a toner density in a liquid developer accurately while lowering the influence of ions on the liquid developer, the toner density detecting apparatus 11 detects a toner density in a liquid developer obtained by mixing charged toner particles in a carrier solution. The first and second electrodes 12 and 13 are opposed to each other with a liquid developer therebetween and connected to the first DC power source (V.sub.1) thereby to apply the first electrical field to the liquid developer. The toner density detecting apparatus 11 further includes the third and fourth electrodes 14 and 15 opposed to each other in the direction orthogonal approximately to the direction in which the first and second electrodes 12 and 13 are opposed to each other and connected to the second power sources (V.sub.2, V.sub.3, V.sub.4) thereby to apply the second electrical field. The third electrode 14 is divided into plural sub-electrodes 14a and 14b, and the toner density detecting apparatus 11 further includes circuits (A.sub.1, A.sub.2) for detecting the current values of the sub-electrodes 14a and 14b.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for detecting a toner density, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for detecting a toner density in a liquid developer obtained by mixing charged toner particles in a carrier solution.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a related art image forming apparatus that has adopted the wet type developing method for feeding a developer onto the peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum that is bearing a static latent image thereby to visualize the static latent image. In this type image forming apparatus, the image quality is affected by the toner density and the toner charging state in the liquid developer, which are varied according to the consumption of toner particles. Consequently, it is indispensable to know the toner density and the toner charging state in the liquid developer and keep the toner particles in a stable state for such an image forming apparatus. A technology for detecting the toner density and the toner charging state such way is thus very important.
There have been made various propositions concerning the above technology so far. For example, the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-295453 (Issued on Dec. 26, 1991) discloses an evaluation method for a liquid developer used for electrophotography, which detects a charging volume of toner particles by measuring the conductance of an object liquid developer. And, the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-303380 (Issued on Dec. 9, 1988) discloses a method for controlling a toner density according to a toner feed signal issued corresponding to the inter-electrode conductance of a pair of electrodes disposed in a liquid developer.
Furthermore, the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-39570 (Issued on Apr. 15, 1981) discloses a method for controlling an image density by measuring the transmittance of a liquid developer using a photosensor and corresponding this measured value to the resistance value of a carrier solution measured using an electrode. And, the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Oped No. 63-5751 (Issued on Feb. 4, 1988) discloses an apparatus for detecting an effective toner density by combining an electrical field and transmitted light detection. In addition, the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-179064 (Issued on Jul. 17, 1989) discloses a method for controlling a toner density by measuring the conductance of each color liquid developer used for a common developing apparatus using the same method as that disclosed in the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-303383.
A liquid developer used for electrophotography is obtained by mixing charged toner particles in a carrier solution. In addition to such charged toner particles, the liquid developer also includes a counter ion and an excess ion generated by a charging control agent (CCA). The counter ion has a reverse polarity of that of charged toner particles. The excess ion usually has the same polarity as that of charged toner particles.
In the case of the evaluation method disclosed in the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-295453, the electric charge of toner particles is measured by a pair of electrodes thereby to measure the conductance of a liquid developer as a whole; however, a measured charge includes the electric charges of the counter ion and the excess ion. This is why it is difficult to measure only the electric charge of toner particles in a liquid developer. In the case of the toner density controlling method disclosed in the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-303380, no toner density can be measured. Because, the measured conductance is greatly effected by the counter ion and the excess ion.
In the related art disclosed in each of the official reports of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-5751 and No. 56-39570, a change of light transmittance is used effectively to detect changes of toner density, thereby the problem arisen in the related art electrical measurement is solved. In this case, however, the following problem will arise from a measurement of light transmittance. In other words, when measuring a light transmittance, it is indispensable to take some measures including those for dipping a pair of photosensors, each being composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, in a liquid developer or for disposing a photosensor portion provided with a transparent measuring window that narrows the passage gap through which the liquid developer passes. The method for dipping a pair of photosensors in a liquid developer is confronted with a wiring problem, as well as a contamination problem to be caused by liquid developer particles stuck on the light emitting and/or the light receiving surface. This is why it is difficult to put the method on practical use. The method for measuring using a measuring window will also be confronted with stains on the measuring window, as well as mixing of bubbles and/or foreign matters into the measuring gap, resulting in degradation of the reliability of measurement results. In addition, in the case of the sensing method that uses a transmitted light, it is difficult to obtain stable measurement results, since the transmission level differs between when respective color liquid developers are used and when a black liquid developer is used, as well as among types of liquid developers in use.
The technology disclosed in the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-179064 measures a conductance by disposing a pair of electrodes just like in the technology disclosed in the official report of Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-303380. Thus, it is impossible to measure the density of charged toner particles.

Apparatus and method for detecting toner density in a liquid developer


A scalable, flexible, automated radio frequency distribution system (FORFDS) employs fiber optics to eliminate the need for metallic/coaxial type interconnections between onboard and fixed-site radios and antennas. Key elements of the FORFDS may include, for example, 1) electrical to optical conversion (and vice versa) of RF signals, 2) optical switching, 3) automated control and monitoring, including Ethernet interfaces, and 4) high density packaging. The system is compatible with JTRS (2 MHz to 2000 MHz), is scalable and cost effective (no longer in the laboratory or concept high cost ranges), compared with known technologies.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of shipboard communication systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a scalable, flexible, automated fiber optic radio frequency distribution system (FORFDS) that eliminates the need for metallic/coaxial type interconnections between radios and antennas employed onboard ships and at fixed-site installations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern shipboard communication technology typically employs metallic/coaxial cabling to interconnect onboard radios with onboard antennas. Generally, such interconnections use a one-for-one connection scheme or alternatively, a stovepiped connection scheme. Although, a need still exists for conventional radio/antenna connection schemes, such connection schemes are disadvantageous in that they do not allow for flexibility of the onboard radio frequency (RF) systems. In fact, the one-for-one, or stovepiped connection schemes are becoming more problematic as communication systems migrate toward a Network Centric architecture [including Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS)/Digital Modular Radio (DMR) radio systems]. A need therefore exists for an RF communication system architecture that is capable of connecting any onboard radio to any onboard antenna while simultaneously eliminating the need for metallic or coaxial type interconnections.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide an RF communication system that networks radios and antennas in such a way that the resultant communication distribution network is modular, scalable, flexible and automated such that the communication system is automatically adaptable to changing communication needs, e.g. migrating from an analog communication system to a digital communication system without manual alterations to the distribution network.

Fiber optic radio frequency distribution system


The present invention relates to a new forward-looking ultrasound device including a local actuator embedded inside an elongate member such as a guide wire or catheter. The present invention includes an ultrasound transducer element configured to engage with the local actuator and rotate about an axis of rotation at least when the ultrasound transducer element and the local actuator are engaged. Also disclosed are methods of using the same.

Embodiments disclosed herein concern a miniature actuator which is useful in intravascular imaging devices including intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The miniature actuator mechanism and ultrasound or OCT imaging device is preferably embedded in an elongated body such as an intravascular guide wire or catheter to provide imaging guidance in various interventional applications.

Miniature forward-looking ultrasound imaging mechanism enabled by local shape memory alloy actuator


One of the principal objects of the present invention is to realize, in a small scale and at a low cost, an analyzing apparatus that analyzes and manipulates a minute sample such as DNA. The analyzing apparatus 1 incorporates an optical system for measuring a fluorescence from a sample traveling through a minute channel 24c. Specifically, a light source that generates a light for exciting a fluorescence of the sample and a light guide that guides the light from the light source to the minute channel 24c are provided, whereby the fluorescence of the sample in the minute channel 24c is well excited. In order to observe the fluorescence of the sample, a condensing optical element 26, provided on a wall surface of the minute channel 24c, for capturing the fluorescence from the sample, and a sensor section 11 are provided, whereby the fluorescence of the sample in the minute channel 24c can be well observed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for analyzing a biotic or biochemical minute sample, such as analysis of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) with the use of a technique such as MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) or MOEMS (Micro Opto Electro Mechanical Systems).
2. Description of the Background Art
Hitherto, research is made on an apparatus (an apparatus called μTAS or the like) that measures a fluorescence of a sample (a minute substance such as DNA) in a solution flowing through a minute channel to perform various kinds of analysis. In this apparatus, the measurement of fluorescence is realized by individually assembling a light source and an optical system for projecting an excited light to a minute channel and an optical system and an optical detecting element for measuring the fluorescence around the apparatus in which the minute channel has been formed. For this reason, the assembled system as a whole performs a function of an analyzing apparatus.
An example of such an apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,195. This apparatus is constructed in such a manner that a complex biotic or biochemical operation (analysis or synthesis) to a sample is performed on an analyzing chip (microchip) having a size of about 5 cm×2.5 cm by an electronic control. Specifically, a plurality of water tanks for storing chemical substances and minute channels connecting the plurality of water tanks are formed on an analyzing chip, and each water tank has an individually controlled electric potential, which allows a sample to move through the minute channel among the water tanks.
As a detector that measures a sample, the characteristics and others of the sample can be detected by using, for example, those that detect optical absorption, change in refractive index, fluorescence emission, chemical emission, various Raman spectra, electrical conductivity, electrochemical current, sound wave propagation, or the like.
In performing analysis with the use of an analyzing chip, DNA is divided into fragments having different lengths with a restriction enzyme, and each fragment is allowed to move through a minute channel by electrophoresis. At a certain point in the minute channel, a light such as laser light for exciting a fluorescence is given from the outside and, when a fragment passes through that point, a prescribed fluorescent dye is excited, and the fragment is analyzed by detecting the fluorescence characteristics with a light-receiving optical system disposed on the outside.
However, the prior art technique such as mentioned above involves a problem that the size and the cost of the system as a whole increases because the devices such as the optical system that projects laser light or the like for exciting a fluorescence from the outside of the analyzing chip and the optical system for measuring the fluorescence are disposed around the analyzing chip to allow the system to function as an analyzing system. Further, a lot of labor is required for preparation and position adjustment in disposing each member around the analyzing chip in which the minute channel has been formed, thereby raising a problem that an efficient analysis cannot be carried out.
Moreover, even if an attempt is made to improve the sensitivity or the SN ratio of the fluorescence measurement by adjusting the optical system and others, it reaches a limit at a comparatively low level, and it is difficult to make a further improvement.
Furthermore, in order to repeat a stable analysis with good efficiency, it is desired to perform supply and pick-up of samples, exchange of analyzing chips, and others automatically. Also, in picking up the samples, it is desired to pick up the object samples easily without performing complex manipulations.


A clip for mounting a recessed light fixture into a panel includes a clamping assembly for anchoring the clip to a hole in the panel, and a resilient arm biased toward a housing of the light fixture which frictionally engages the housing to support the fixture in the panel. In the preferred embodiment a gripping edge of the resilient arm contacts the housing at an oblique angle, so that turning the housing in a particular direction draws the fixture into the hole and thus draws a flange surrounding the mouth of the housing flush against the panel.

Recessed light fixtures known as "pot lights" are in widespread use in residential and commercial premises. They appeal to designers because they take up virtually no space in a room, being recessed into a ceiling or wall, and for their aesthetic versatility and appeal.
A typical recessed light fixture comprises a cylindrical housing, which is usually composed of aluminum, terminating in a housing flange flaring out from the mouth of the housing to cover the ceiling hole. The housing contains a socket for a floodlight, halogen bulb or other electric lamp, which is engaged to the socket through the mouth of the fixture.
Conventionally, to mount such a light fixture a hole is cut in the ceiling and a mounting ring is inserted which engages the fixture. The mounting ring engages the hole in an interference fit, with a flange that abuts the exposed face of the ceiling and a spring, flexible arm or other structure which retains the mounting ring in the hole. The hole in the ceiling must be precisely cut to match the size and shape of mounting ring, otherwise the ring will not properly engage the hole and the fixture will not be securely mounted. This can be a time consuming process where a number of fixtures are to be installed. Further, since even a properly mounted ring will usually experience some degree of motion in the hole when pressure is applied, it is difficult to press the fixture entirely into the hole to the point where the housing flange snugly abuts the ceiling; once the pressure is released the mounting ring settles back to a rest position in the hole and a small space is usually left between the ceiling and the housing flange, which detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the fixture.
It would thus be advantageous to provide a means for mounting such a recessed light fixture which requires less precision in cutting a hole in the panel for the fixture while still ensuring a secure mounting of the fixture. It would further be advantageous to provide a means for mounting such a recessed light fixture so that the housing flange rests flush against the supporting panel.
The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a mounting clip for engaging the periphery of the hole, having a resilient arm which extends into the space occupied by the housing of the fixture and frictionally engages the housing. In the preferred embodiment a gripping edge of the resilient arm engages the housing of the fixture at an oblique angle relative to the panel; thus, the fixture can be substantially depressed into the ceiling hole, and by turning the housing in one direction the gripping edge of the resilient arm etches into the housing at a pitch which effectively allows the housing to be "screwed" into the hole until the housing flange rests flush against the panel. A plurality of clips distributed about the hole in the panel thus securely supports the light fixture flush mounted to the panel.
In the preferred embodiment the mounting clip comprises an anchoring member and a clamping member which are adjustable relative to one another, so that the clip can be secured to ceilings of different thicknesses, the supporting panel being essentially clamped between the anchoring member and the clamping member. To mount a recessed light fixture into a panel using the clip of the invention requires no additional hardware or supporting structure. All that is required is hole for the fixture in the supporting panel. This results in a substantial savings in labour and material costs.
The present invention thus provides a clip for mounting a recessed light fixture having a housing with a flange disposed about a mouth of the housing into a hole in a supporting panel, comprising an anchoring member having a floor, a clamping member slidably engaged to the anchoring member by sliding the clamping member along the anchoring member in a clamping direction, having a foot disposed in opposition to the floor, a fixing element for fixing the clamping member to a selected position along the anchoring member, and a resilient arm extending into a space to be occupied by the housing, wherein when a clip is affixed about the hole in the panel, as the fixture is inserted into the hole the resilient arm frictionally engages against the housing to mount the fixture to the panel.
The invention further provides a clip for mounting a recessed light fixture having a cylindrical housing with a flange disposed about a mouth of the housing into a hole in a supporting panel, comprising an anchoring assembly for engaging the clip to a periphery of the hole, and a resilient arm comprising a gripping edge impinging into a space to be occupied by the housing, wherein when the fixture is disposed in the hole the gripping edge frictionally engages the housing to mount the fixture into the panel.
The invention further provides, in combination, a recessed light fixture having a housing with a flange disposed about a mouth of the housing, and a clip for mounting the light fixture into a hole in a supporting panel, the clip comprising an anchoring assembly for engaging the clip to a periphery of the hole and a resilient arm comprising a gripping edge impinging into a space to be occupied by the housing, wherein when the fixture is disposed in the hole the gripping edge frictionally engages the housing to mount the fixture into the panel.

Mounting clip for a recessed light fixture