Aspects of the subject disclosure relate to methods for detecting a link failure between the first network device and a destination node, receiving a data packet addressed to the destination node, and rewriting encapsulation information of the first data packet. Subsequent to rewriting the encapsulation information of the first data packet, the first data packet is forwarded to a second network device (e.g., using updated address information in the packet header), wherein the second network device is paired with the first network device in the virtual port channel. In certain aspects, systems and computer readable media are also provided.

1. Field
The subject technology relates to methods and systems for preventing packet loss and in particular, for avoiding packet loss by bouncing packets in response to a link failure event detected in a virtual port channel.
2. Introduction
The soaring demand for network data throughout the globe has steadily fueled the evolution of networking technologies, as engineers and manufacturers rush to keep pace with the changing data consumption landscape and increasing network scalability requirements. Various network technologies have been developed to meet the demand for network data. For example, overlay network solutions, such as virtual extensible local area networks (VXLANs), as well as virtualization and cloud computing technologies, have been widely implemented.
In some network implementations, overlay solutions are used to allow virtual networks to be created over a physical network infrastructure. Accordingly, overlay networks allow network administrators to expand a current physical network infrastructure through the use of virtual networks. Overlay networks can also provide logical network isolation, which allow data centers or providers to host a large number of customers (i.e., "tenants") while providing each customer their own isolated network domain.

Virtual port channel bounce in overlay network


A locator device precisely identifies a predetermined spot which is hidden by a skin. The device is an outer washer and an inner washer with both washers being magnetized. The inner washer is positioned underneath the skin to mark the location of the predetermined spot therein. The outer washer aligns with the inner washer when proximate thereto to thereby locate said predetermined spot.

Often time, it is desired to locate a specific spot under the human skin which is covered by said skin. For example, often in the medical profession drug releasing devices are placed underneath a patient's skin. These devices release medicine at a predetermined rate thereby maintaining a constant level of medicine in the patient's body without the need for frequent injections or infusions of food. However, periodically the medicines within the drug releasing devices must be replenished which requires the use of a syringe puncturing the skin and injecting the medicine into the drug releasing device. However, because the device is buried beneath the skin, often the wielder of the syringe has a difficult time locating the precise spot to puncture.
Thus, there is a need for a device to precisely locate a spot hidden beneath a surface.
Inamed Corporation has developed a tissue expanding system for cosmetic surgery in which employs a high gauss level magnet that is mounted on a gimbal outside a patient's skin. The device is used to detect another high gauss magnet located at the bottom of a dispensing chamber implanted under the skin. The implanted magnet may cause a disruption in the operation of nearby electronic or electrically operated medical devices. In addition, due to its size and complexity, this gimbal mounted magnet is expensive. Further, this device must be sterilized prior to each use.
To use, the gimbal mounted magnet is moved in about above the skin approximately where the implanted magnet is located. This scanning is a necessary part of the process since all implanted devices shift position underneath the skin. Thus, the exact location must be determined before each injection.
When the implanted magnet is detected, a mark is made with a medical marking pen on the skin. The procedure is repeated several times thereby resulting in a plurality of marks on the skin in a group. A syringe is injected into the center of the grouped markings through the skin and into the dispensing chamber. Resistance to the syringe's movement is detected when contact is made with the implanted magnet at the bottom of the dispensing chamber. The contact may, in some instances, cause damage to the needle.
The Inamed Corporation's method and apparatus provides an approximate insertion point but does have a margin of error and is time consuming.
Thus, none of the known prior art disclose the combination set forth herein.


A method of forming a microelectronic assembly having an element with contacts on a front surface thereof, an interposer with a plurality of connecting terminals in a connecting terminal region and bonding terminals in a bonding terminal region electrically connected to the connecting terminals includes the steps of juxtaposing the interposer with the microelectronic element so that the connecting terminals and bonding terminals of the interposer face away from the front surface of the element and so that the bonding terminal region is adjacent to the contacts of the microelectronic element; and connecting at least some of the contacts with at least some of the bonding terminals by a plurality of flexible leads while supporting the bonding terminals against the vertical movement to facilitate the connection.

Semiconductor chips or integrated circuits are typically used in combination with such elements as interposers and substrates facilitating connection between the chip itself and the external circuit elements. The entire circuit operation depends upon the connections between the chip, the interposer and the substrate.
Various attempts have been made to produce connections between the chip and the external elements satisfying the above discussed requirements. In this respect, U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,265, granted Sep. 15, 1992, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an advanced method for providing the connection between a semiconductor chip and external circuit elements. According to certain embodiments discussed in this patent, a semiconductor chip is connected to a corresponding substrate through a dielectric interposer. The semiconductor chip has a plurality of peripheral contacts positioned in a peripheral area of a front surface thereof. The flat, flexible interposer is formed with a plurality of connecting terminals, each of which is connected to a bonding terminal adjacent the periphery of the interposer. The flexible interposer is supported by a compliant layer. The peripheral contacts of the semiconductor chip are connected to the terminals of the interposer by bonding a multiplicity of fine wires between the bonding terminals and the contacts of the chip.
During the wire bonding operation, when the downwardly directed forces are applied to the peripheral region of the interposer containing the bonding terminals this area of the interposer flexes downwardly. This impedes the bonding of the wires and the bonding terminals.
Thus, further improvement would be desirable.

Methods of making semiconductor assemblies with reinforced peripheral regions


A miniature oxygen sensor makes use of paramagnetic properties of oxygen gas to provide a fast response time, low power consumption, improved accuracy and sensitivity, and superior durability. The miniature oxygen sensor disclosed maintains a sample of ambient air within a micro-channel formed in a semiconductor substrate. O2 molecules segregate in response to an applied magnetic field, thereby establishing a measureable Hall voltage. Oxygen present in the sample of ambient air can be deduced from a change in Hall voltage with variation in the applied magnetic field. The magnetic field can be applied either by an external magnet or by a thin film magnet integrated into a gas sensing cavity within the micro-channel. A differential sensor further includes a reference element containing an unmagnetized control sample. The miniature oxygen sensor is suitable for use as a real-time air quality monitor in consumer products such as smart phones.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the fabrication of microelectronic environmental sensors, such as gas composition sensors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oxygen is one of the most important and abundant chemical species. It constitutes 21% of the earth's atmosphere, and is needed to sustain plant and animal life. Oxygen is also widely employed for industrial purposes. Conventional oxygen sensors are widely used in laboratory and industrial applications, wherever oxygen is consumed, emitted, or otherwise present. Such oxygen sensors, for example, those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 below, generally have large scale form factors, tend to be expensive, and typically require involvement of skilled operators.
With the advent of micro-mechanical systems, deployment of sensors and feedback control systems in smaller scale applications is made possible. For instance, many electronic devices now contain environmental sensors. In one example, electronic thermostats connected to climate control systems rely on temperature sensors to trigger activation of furnaces and air conditioners. In another example, electronic weather stations rely on internal temperature sensors, barometric pressure sensors, and humidity sensors. Small scale consumer products such as motion activated air fresheners can make use of sensors that detect changes in ambient light, or changes in air flow.
Miniature sensors that are typically embedded on board mobile computing devices such as smart phones include, for example, magnetic field sensors used to determine orientation of the smart phone relative to the earth's magnetic field. Providing additional environmental sensors within smart phones, tablet computers, and the like may encourage program developers to create applications that otherwise might not be possible. In particular, if miniaturized gas sensors could be provided in consumer products, they might find wide use for medical applications such as pulmonary monitoring.

Durable miniature gas composition detector having fast response time


A device for electrocardiogram measurement is provided, which is relatively not easily influenced by electrical activities of muscles, and which can perform electrocardiogram measurement during a measured person's daily life without removing clothes. The device includes a pair of lead electrode sections that are provided on a band section. Each of the pair of lead electrode sections includes a lead electrode that is disposed so that the lead electrode is positioned in the vicinity of a carotid artery of the measured person when the band section surrounds a neck portion of the measured person. The band section is configured to include a flexible band, and the band section detachably holds onto the neck portion of the measured person with nipping force arising from elastic deformation of the flexible band.

Hitherto, electrocardiogram measurement has been performed to be used in the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.
An electrocardiogram is a record of a state of electrical activities of a heart. Generally, standard 12-lead electrocardiography in which 12 types of waveforms are obtained using a combination of limb leads, the electrodes of which are placed on the four limbs, and chest leads, the electrodes of which are placed on a chest portion, is used for electrocardiogram measurement.

Electrode device and electrocardiographic measurement device


A semiconductor device in which chips are resin-molded, including: frames having front and back surfaces and die pads; power chips mounted on the surfaces of the die pads; an insulation resin sheet having a first and a second surfaces which are opposed against each other, the resin sheet being disposed such that the back surfaces of the die pads contact the first surface of the resin sheet; and a mold resin applied on the first surface of the resin sheet so as to seal up the power chips. The thermal conductivity of the resin sheet is larger than that of the mold resin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, a power semiconductor device including a power chip.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional power semiconductor device, a power chip, an IC chip and the like are each die-bonded on a frame and these chips are sealed with a resin. Since a power chip has large heat dissipation, a cooling fin is attached to the back surface of the semiconductor device for instance to thereby enhance a heat dissipation efficiency. The frames seating the power chips are coated with a resin and insulated from the cooling fin which is attached to the back surface (e.g., JP 2000-138343, A).
Meanwhile, such a semiconductor device has been proposed in which an insulator of alumina or the like shaped like a thin plate is attached to the back surface of the semiconductor device in an attempt to improve the heat dissipation property of the semiconductor device (e.g., JP 2001-156253, A)

Semiconductor device and method for producing the same


A method and system for increasing olefin production and quality from a hydrocarbon feed comprising a fully integrated multi-stage catalyst regeneration zones with multi-stage reaction zones in series and/or parallel. The multi-stage regeneration with at least one partial and one full burn zone provides an independent control to achieve the lowest possible regenerated catalyst temperature, resulting in highest possible catalyst to oil ratio required to maximize olefins yields through increased catalytic cracking in a multi stage FCC riser/risers.

It is common commercial practice to produce gasoline, heating oil and diesel fuel by cracking heavier petroleum fractions. One of the major commercial techniques for accomplishing this conversion is fluid catalytic cracking (FCC). In FCC, a feed petroleum fraction such as vacuum gas oil, heavy atmospheric gas oil, etc., is contacted with particles of hot, active catalyst at high temperatures and low pressures of about 1 to 5 atmospheres absolute in the absence of added hydrogen. The catalyst should be in sufficient quantity and at a sufficient temperature to vaporize the oil feed, raise the oil feed to a cracking temperature of about 900° F. to 1100° F. and supply the endothermic heat of reaction. The oil and catalyst flow together (concurrently) for a time sufficient to carry out the intended conversion. During the conversion of the heavy petroleum fraction to lighter fractions, coke is laid down on the catalyst particles thereby deactivating them. These deactivated catalyst particles are separated from the cracked petroleum product, stripped of volatile hydrocarbons and transported to a separate regenerator. In the regenerator, the coked catalyst is combined with an oxygen containing gas, e.g., air, whereby coke is burned off the catalyst and the catalyst is both reactivated and heated. The heated, reactivated catalyst is then returned into riser and mixed further with fresh oil feed, thus completing the cycle. Typical FCC processes are described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,064,039; 4,344,926; 4,194,965; 3,963,603; 4,428,822; and 3,879,281, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Exemplary prior art fluidized catalytic cracking processes include U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,674 to Dean et al., which discloses a unit consisting of one riser reactor, a catalyst stripper and a multi-stage regenerator. The regenerator is a two-stage regenerator in series where the spent catalyst particles are passed, successively, to first and second (relatively lower and higher temperature) catalyst regeneration zones. Once the catalyst completes its cycle through the regenerator as described herein above, the fully regenerated catalyst is withdrawn from the second stage regenerator and charged to the riser reactor at a desired elevated temperature and in an amount sufficient to result in substantially complete vaporization of the hydrocarbon feed. The vaporized hydrocarbon feed upon contact with hot fully regenerated catalyst undergoes a catalytic cracking, while proceeding upward in the riser reactor. Once both vaporized catalytically cracked hydrocarbon products and the spent catalyst reach the stripper vessel, the spent catalyst is removed from the cracked products, directed to a stripper zone for removal of volatiles and then directed to the bottom section of the regenerator, thereby completing the FCC unit cycle.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,674 process provides a CO enriched flue gas that is recovered from the low temperature first stage regenerator and CO2 enriched flue gas with excess oxygen is recovered from the higher temperature second stage regenerator. Both the flue gas streams are discharged from the regenerators in parallel and do not mix in either regenerators. Rejection of CO enriched flue gas from the first stage regenerator provides low regenerator temperature in both first and second stage regenerator. Notably, the lowest regenerator temperature leads to highest possible catalyst to oil ratio required to crack heavier feedstocks. Whereas, higher regenerator temperature will lead to low catalyst circulation, high catalyst deactivation and negative impact on the overall yields.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,460 to Miller et al. discloses staging catalyst combustion zones in a single regenerator vessel using baffles. As stated in the patent, baffles can be used to achieve partial combustion zone above the baffles and full combustion zone below within the same catalyst bed. However, U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,460 provides no configuration wherein the catalyst from the two different combustion zones within the regenerator can be utilized to feed multiple riser reactors to maximize olefins.
Other prior art FCC processes employ a single catalyst regeneration zone and two reaction zones in series, for example, a riser cracking reaction zone followed by a bed cracking reaction zone. The fully regenerated catalyst from a single stage regenerator enters the lower portion of the riser reactor and cracks the oil feed to produce products, e.g., rich in gasoline. These products leave the riser reactor top and enter the catalyst bed reaction zone supported by the reactor cone and a stripper section below. The products from the riser reactor undergo further cracking in the bed cracking reaction zone as they exits the riser reactor top resulting in further breakdown of gasoline rich products further to lighter olefins. This process produces greater than 40% LPG, out of which approximately 20% is propylene. This process requires high catalyst to oil ratio, e.g., up to 12, high severity operation, i.e. reactor outlet temperature ranging from 1025° F. to 1150° F. and high steam consumption to reduce the partial pressure of the hydrocarbon feed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,053, discloses a similar process.
However, the technology disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,053, is limited to processing light feedstocks such as Vacuum gas oil. The light feedstocks provide less coke yield which results in a reasonable regenerator temperature in between 1250° F. and 1350° F., when coke is burned in a single stage full burn mode regenerator. Further, the process requires high catalyst circulation rate at the desired reaction temperature to maximize the olefins yield, which may not be achievable as there is no independent control on the catalyst circulation through the system. The catalyst circulation is tied up with regenerator temperature, which further tied up the coke yield in the riser and coke burn in the regenerator. Heavier feedstocks such as residual oils, and the like, provide high coke yield resulting in higher regenerator temperature when coke is burned in a single stage regenerator. The high regenerator temperature limits catalyst circulation impacting the product yield, and also results in catalyst deactivation.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,491,781 to Gauthier et al. discloses a process with fully regenerated catalyst from a same regenerator unit that is fed into two separate riser reactors operating in parallel. The two riser reactors comprise of a principal riser reactor for cracking a heavy hydrocarbon cut, typically residual oil and the other additional secondary riser reactor or additional riser reactors are employed to crack one or more light feed constituted by a light gasoline (C5—150° C.) to maximize propylene yield. The secondary riser reactor operates at a high severity than the principal riser reactor for the catalytic cracking of gasoline to propylene. The feed to the secondary riser reactor generally contains a significant quantity of long chain olefins, generally with 5 carbon atoms or more, derived from gasoline produced by cracking heavy feeds by FCC or from a C4+ olefins oligomerization unit or from any other process producing long chain olefins.
However, in the U.S. Pat. No. 8,491,781 process both riser reactors are fed with a stream of catalyst from the same regeneration zone, i.e. fully regenerated catalyst. The catalyst circulation is set based on individual riser reactor's outlet temperature and a common regenerator temperature. If additional circulation is required only in the secondary riser reactor at a constant riser outlet temperature, it cannot be increased without affecting the main principal riser reactor because of a common regenerator serving catalyst to both the risers. The only way to increase catalyst circulation to the secondary riser reactor is by increasing the riser severity, i.e. operating at higher outlet temperature which leads to high dry gas production.
In view of the above, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an integrated system where multi-stage catalyst regeneration system is coupled with multi-stage reaction system to enhance catalytic cracking of gas oils or residual oils or mixtures to maximize olefins. More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide such processes with flexibility to produce more olefins, specifically propylene. The disclosed process independently controls and adjusts catalyst circulation utilizing two stages of the catalyst regeneration process. At least one regeneration stage provides a partial burn and one stage provides a full burn resulting in a controlled lowest regenerator temperature in both the partial and the full burn regeneration through rejection of CO enriched flue gas from the partial burn regeneration process.
Additional objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following summary and detailed discussion of preferred embodiments of this invention.

Maximum olefins production utilizing multi-stage catalyst reaction and regeneration


A valve assembly and method for controlling the flow of fluid through a conduit in which a ball valve is disposed in the conduit and is provided with a through bore for receiving the fluid. An insert is also disposed in the conduit downstream of the ball valve and has a plurality of relatively small flow passages. A relatively large flow passage is defined by that portion of the conduit not occupied by the insert. The valve is rotatable in the conduit to direct the fluid from its bore through one or more of the flow passages and a portion of the insert forms an airfoil surface to prevent separation of the fluid as it passes through the relatively large flow passage.

The present invention relates to a low noise ball valve assembly and, more particularly, to such an assembly for controlling the transmission and distribution of a fluid.
In the transmission and distribution of compressible fluids, such as natural gas, there are requirements for valves that control a variable, such as pressure or flow rate, and operate at high pressure drops, that is, high pressure differentials between the upstream and downstream pressure. As such, these valves are fitted with actuators and positioners that respond to a control signal generated by a controller or computer.
When a compressible fluid is throttled through a control valve at a high pressure drop, no is generated in the fluid aerodynamically, and subsequently is propagated through the fluid, exciting the pipe walls (principally downstream), thereby causing noise to be propagated to the surrounding atmosphere. The result may be noise that exceeds allowable limits for worker hearing conservation.
A second concern involved with the throttling of a compressible fluid through a control valve is that it often causes excessive mechanical vibration results in attendant problems with the proper operation of associated measuring and controlling equipment. In addition, the vibration can also cause fatigue failure of welds or piping.
Ball valves are frequently used for shutoff valves and for control valves for special applications, such as the transmission and distribution of natural gas. In order to reduce noise and mechanical vibration when ball valves are used, inserts have been placed in the ball valves which are provided with a plurality of relatively small-diameter passages through which the fluid passes under certain flow conditions. However, the availability of inserts for ball valves that offer significant reduction of noise and mechanical vibration have been very limited.
Also, ball valves of the above type are often limited to applications in which there is a high pressure drop throughout the entire range of travel of the valve. In these cases, the valves are designed for the continuous reduction of noise and mechanical vibration over their entire range of travel. However, there are applications that involve a relatively high pressure drop at relatively low flow rates and small valve openings, and a relatively low pressure drop at maximum flow and relatively large valve openings. In the latter, low pressure-drop situation, a flow capacity is required that is higher than would be possible utilizing a valve designed for continuous noise reduction based on a high pressure drop throughout the entire valve travel range.
Also, ball valves that have inserts of the above type that are welded, or otherwise attached, within a spherical ball, are difficult to manufacture and often cause distortion of the ball valve. Further, ball valves having inserts of the above type can cause separation of the gas flow as it passes through the valve which results in losses in a pressure drop which compromises the performance of the valve.
Therefore what is needed is a ball valve that can reduce noise at relatively low flow rates and small valve openings at relatively high pressure drops, yet can respond to relatively low pressure drop situations and achieve maximum flow. Also needed is a ball valve of the above type that reduces mechanical vibration, is relative easy to manufacture, and is not easily subjected to distortion. Further, a ball valve of the above type is needed that eliminates flow separation of the gas as it passes through the valve.

Low noise ball valve assembly with downstream airfoil insert


Transaction card assemblies, systems and methods of making are provided. One such assembly includes a card carrier having a card integrally formed within. The card peripherally engages the card carrier and is adapted to be removed from the card carrier. An encodable strip is disposed on the card. The strip has first and second encodable tracks. The first encodable track is positioned to be read by a point-of-sale device when the card is engaged with the card carrier, and the second encodable track is positioned to be read by the point-of-sale device after the card is separated from the carrier. In this manner, the card can be read using the same point-of-sale device whether or not the card has been separated from the carrier.

The present invention is related to transaction cards, and more specifically, to transaction card assemblies, systems, and methods of making.
Transaction cards, such as credit cards, debit cards, membership cards, stored value cards, and the like, are widely used. Such cards may include a variety of different indicia to identify the card and other features, such as the card issuer, the customer, or the like depending in part on the type of card. The information may be printed on the card using alphanumeric characters, graphics, or the like, or may be embossed into the card. Alternatively, some or all the information is encoded on the card, such as in a magnetic strip attached to the card.
Some transaction cards are coupled to a carrier having additional information. For example, stored value cards sold in retail locations may have a carrier containing promotional information, and other inducements to buy the card. The cards may be attached to the carrier, such as with an adhesive strip. Many transaction cards are coupled to their carriers in a way that makes reading those cards difficult using standard point-of-sale devices. For example, the data included on the card may be on the side of the card affixed to the card carrier. Further, the card that has data exposed runs the risk of damage to the data. Inadvertent separation of the card from the carrier also may present problems. Improvements are desired.


A multi-band radio antenna device for a radio communication terminal is disclosed. The antenna has an integral feed and ground structure electrically connected to a first radiating antenna element and a second radiating element. The first radiating element comprises a first continuous trace of conductive material and has a continuous trace has a first branch tuned to radiate at first frequencies in a first frequency band, and a second branch, which is tuned to radiate in a second frequency band at second frequencies approximately equal to or less than two times the first frequencies. The second radiating antenna element comprises a second continuous trace of conductive material, wherein the second continuous trace has a third branch, which is tuned to resonate in a third frequency band at third frequencies that are higher than the second frequencies, and which is capacitively coupled to the feed and ground structure and arranged substantially adjacent to the second branch. The first branch comprises a first section, composing approximately ⅓ to ⅔ of the total length of the first branch, wherein the first section is essentially straight and connected to said feed and ground structure at a first end thereof, and a second section in direct connection to a second end of said first section that is tightly meandered.

The use of radio communication networks is rapidly becoming a part of the daily life for more and more people around the globe. For instance, the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) networks offer a variety of functions. Generally, radio communication systems based on such networks use radio signals transmitted by a base station in the downlink over the traffic and control channels are received by mobile or portable radio communication terminals, each of which have at least one antenna. Historically, portable terminals have employed a number of different types of antennas to receive and transmit signals over the air interface. In addition, mobile terminal manufacturers encounter a constant demand for smaller and smaller terminals. This demand for miniaturization is combined with desire for additional functionality such as having the ability to use the terminal at different frequency bands, e.g. of different cellular systems, so that a user of the mobile terminal may use a single, small radio communication terminal in different parts of the world having cellular networks operating according to different standards at different frequencies.
Further, it is commercially desirable to offer portable terminals which are capable of operating in widely different frequency bands, e.g., bands located in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2.0 GHz regions. Accordingly, antennas which provide adequate gain and bandwidth in a plurality of these frequency bands are employed in portable terminals.
Several attempts have been made to create such antennas. The general desire today is to have an antenna, which is positioned inside the housing of a mobile communication terminal. The most common built-in antennas currently in use in mobile phones are the so-called planar inverted-F antennas (PIFA). This name has been adopted due to the fact that the antenna looks like the letter F tilted 90 degrees in profile. Such an antenna needs a feeding point as well as a ground connection. If one or several parasitic elements are included nearby, they can be either directly coupled to ground or connected to ground via a matching impedance, capacitive coupling, etc. The height of the PIFA antennas is often a limiting factor for decreasing the size of the mobile communication terminal. The geometry of a conventional PIFA antenna includes a radiating element, a feeding pin for the radiating element, a ground pin for the radiating element, and a ground substrate commonly arranged on a printed circuit board (PCB). Both the feeding pin and the ground pin are necessary for the operation of such an antenna, and are arranged perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein the PIFA radiating element is suspended above the ground plane in such a manner that the ground plane covers the area under the radiating element. This type of antenna, however, generally has a fairly small bandwidth in the order of 7% of the operating frequency. In order to increase the bandwidth for an antenna of this design, the vertical distance between the radiating element and the PCB ground may be increased, i.e. the height at which the radiating element is placed above the PCB is increased. This, however, is an undesirable modification as the height increase makes the antenna unattractive for small communication devices and may reduce directivity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,250 discloses a multi frequency band antenna with a low band portion tuned to a low frequency band, a first high band portion tuned to a first high frequency band at higher frequencies than the low frequency band, and a separate, electrically coupled second high band portion that is tuned to a second high frequency band at a higher frequency than the low frequency band and different from the first high frequency band. The low band portion and the first high band portion have a common first grounding point, a common feeding point, and a first conductor portion, which forms part of the low band portion and of the first high band portion. The first conductor portion is electrically connected to the first grounding point and to the common feeding point. The second high band portion is coupled to the first conductor portion. An embodiment of the antenna disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,250 is tuned to the frequencies 900 MHz (GSM band), 1800 MHz (DCS band) and 1900 MHz (PCS band).
However, it is desirable to achieve a high gain antenna supporting a single low-band and a wider range of multiple high-bands. It is also desirable to achieve equivalent performance in a smaller volume, which allows for smaller, more attractive phones.
Hence, an improved a multi-band radio antenna device having a wide high-bandwidth would be advantageous. In particular a multi-band radio antenna device allowing for increased efficiency with regard to e.g. size, cost, bandwidth, design flexibility and/or radiation efficiency of the multi-band radio antenna device would be advantageous.
The antenna structure of such an advantageous antenna device is advantageously suitable for built-in antennas, at the same time having a wide high-frequency band bandwidth, which enables the antenna to be operable at a plurality of frequency bands, and having a high efficiency.
More specifically, an antenna with high-gain at high-band would be advantageous, which is both small and has good performance not only in a low frequency band, such as the 900 MHz GSM band, but also good performance in several higher frequency bands, such as the 1800 MHz GSM or DCS band, the 1900 MHz GSM or PCS band, and the 2.1 GHz UMTS band.

Multi-frequency band antenna device for radio communication terminal having wide high-band bandwidth


The present invention obtains a multi-shaft drive device that can protect a rack and pinion from operative load input to a selector. The multi-shaft drive device is provided with: an input-side bevel gear (52) to which motor power is transmitted; and an output-side bevel gear (34) that transmits the power transmitted from the input-side bevel gear (52) to a movable mechanism. The multi-shaft drive device is further provided with: a selector (10) that connects/disconnects the meshing of the output-side bevel gear (34) and the input-side bevel gear (52); and a rotating shaft (16) that causes the selector (10) to slide via a rack (18) and pinion (17). Furthermore, the angle of rotation of the rotating shaft (16) is regulated by the end of the pinion (17) contacting a vertical wall (1A) of a case (1).

Many vehicle seats are of a type enabling adjustment of position to plural locations, for example sliding the overall seat in the front-rear direction, moving the height of the seat face up and down, or reclining the seatback (backrest) to suit the build and posture of an occupant. Such adjustment of movable locations may be performed manually, however more convenient electric seats are provided that use the drive of a motor to perform adjustments.
In order to independently drive plural respective movable locations, a configuration wherein motors are individually coupled to respective drive shafts that are each coupled to a movable location may be considered, however this would increase the number of motors. Since it is more efficient for a single motor to drive plural output shafts, proposals have been made wherein the power of a motor is transmitted through clutches to respective output shafts coupled to the plural movable locations, and each of the movable locations is selectively driven by disconnecting the clutches (see for example Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. H6-156123


A broadcast/multicast (BCAST) service, specifically, a BCAST service system for transmitting broadcast contents to terminals when a network load is small and a contents transmission method using the same are disclosed. When contents are broadcast by using a distribution window (DM) and a presentation window (PW), the terminals feed back a message indicating reception confirmation of the contents to the network, such that the contents reception success rate between the terminals and the network can be improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcast/multicast service (referred to hereinafter as 'BCAST service') and, more particularly, to a BCAST service system for transmitting broadcast contents to terminals when a network load is small, and its contents transmission method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Broadcast services provided in a mobile communication system include a broadcast service that transmits contents of a program to terminals ahead of an actual broadcast time if the broadcast service is not a live broadcast.
When the broadcast service is in use, a network operator transmits contents when a network usage rate is low, whereby network resources can be effectively used, a user can seamlessly receive a service without delay, and a loss of battery power can be minimized. For example, the terminals can receive the contents in real time during a sleep mode, and when the transmission is completed, the terminals are changed to a long sleep mode to reduce unnecessary power consumption.
Accordingly, the broadcast service has advantages in that a contents of a program (e.g., a program guide) can be received before an actual broadcast time and the received contents can be received such that the user can know when an actual broadcast will be provided. An OMA BCAST defines this service concept as a distribution window (DW) and a presentation window (PW).
FIG. 1 shows the concept of the DW and PW.
With reference to FIG. 1, the DW is a unit of time during which contents of a certain program are transmitted to the terminals ahead of an actual broadcast time. The DW is divided into a distribution start time and a distribution end time. the PW is a unit of time for designating the contents received during the DW according to an actual broadcast time to allow the user to watch the contents. The PW is divided into a presentation start time and a presentation end time. Namely, the PW refers to a time interval during which the user can watch the program contents in an actual broadcast time, and the DW refers to a time interval during which the related contents are broadcast in advance to allow the user can to select and view the program contents during the PW.
In order to transmit the contents during the DW, a server attempts to connect with the terminals by turning a control signal on or off (e.g., sending or not sending a signal) to wake up the terminals so as to receive the contents. This involves an exchanging of contents between the network and the terminals, and the user can note the time periods of the DW and the PW by viewing a service guide provided to the user.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a service guide employing the DW and the PW.
With reference to FIG. 2, in the left schedule table, the Content ID indicates the title of a program to be aired during a particular time, and the Presentation Window (PW) indicates a time interval during which an actual program is played. The Distribution Window (DW) is established ahead of the PW, the actual broadcast time. As a result, by transmitting the contents of the program to the terminals during the DW ahead of time, the users may receive and watch the contents in an improved manner.
However, in the related art broadcast service using the DW and the PW, if s the terminal is located in an OFF state or located in a shadow area (i.e., a poor coverage area), if memory capacity of the terminal is not sufficient, and/or if battery capacity of the terminal is not sufficient, the terminal may fail to receive the contents during the DW. Also, the server cannot check whether all terminals have properly received the contents during the DW and the users cannot watch a normal program during the PW because of service delays or discontinuation.

BCAST service system and contents transmission method using the same


A heat dissipation bracket for a battery pack assembly, comprises: a plurality of battery support brackets with an open end in a lower portion thereof; and a baffle mated with the open end, wherein the open end and the upper end of the battery support bracket and the two sides of the baffle are provided with corresponding horizontal protruding edges; the open end of one of the plurality of battery support brackets is provided with the baffle, while the rest of the battery support brackets are vertically stacked and disposed on the upper end of the battery support brackets; the battery support bracket, the baffle, and the stacked battery support brackets are connected through bolts in the corresponding horizontal protruding edges; a plurality of battery positioning slots are formed by the battery support brackets and the inner wall of the baffle; a plurality of raised bars are formed on the outer wall of the baffle along the longitudinal axial direction of the battery positioning slots, and a heat exchange channel is formed between the raised bars on the outer wall and the battery positioning slots on the inner wall.

The battery is an indispensable article in people's life and work and is recognized by the human being. Because the volume of the battery cell is limited by the technologies and can't increase unboundedly, the high power battery is formed by assembling a plurality of low power battery cells. The present different kinds of the battery necessarily generate heat when they work. The heating problem is more obvious in the widely used lithium ion battery or the similar battery group or battery assembly consisting of the battery cells. When the lithium ion battery and the similar battery is used, the safe hidden danger and the unstable control is generated due to increase of the environment temperature, it is recognized by the person in the battery field and affects the industrial process of the high power battery seriously. Therefore, how to solve the heat dissipation problem has become a big technique difficulty needed to be breached during the development of the industry.
Saying from the battery technology, enhancing the management of the battery charging or discharging and decreasing the heat generated from battery charging and discharging and the heat generated speed from the electrochemistry is a method for solving the problem. Besides distributing the heat that the battery generates when it works to an environment that is not sensitive to the temperature is also a method that may be actively used. But the present brackets of the battery pack assembly usually have a bad heat dissipation structure and property and so can't achieve the purpose of dissipating the heat quickly.

Heat dissipation bracket for battery pack assembly

Shenzhen Zhiyou Battery Integration Technology Co., Ltd.


A developing apparatus includes: a substrate holder that hold a substrate horizontally; a developer nozzle that supplies a developer onto the substrate to form a liquid puddle; a turning flow generation mechanism including a rotary member that rotates about an axis perpendicular to the substrate while the rotary member is being in contact with the liquid puddle thereby to generate a turning flow in the liquid puddle of the developer formed on the substrate; and a moving mechanism for moving the turning flow generation mechanism along a surface of the substrate. The line-width uniformity of a pattern can be improved by forming turning flows in a desired region of the substrate and stirring the developer.

In a photolithography process for manufacturing of a semiconductor device, a developer is supplied to a substrate, on which a resist film has been formed and which has been exposed with a predetermined pattern, so that a resist pattern is formed on the substrate. The developing process is sometimes performed using a method, in which a puddle of a developer is formed on the entire substrate by moving a nozzle having an elongate discharge opening from one end to the other end of the substrate while discharging the developer from the discharge opening. Since the puddle is formed while the substrate is under a stationary state, this developing method is referred to as "stationary developing method". Japanese Patent No. 3614769 (JP 3614769 B2) describes an example of the stationary developing method. There is another developing method that rotates a substrate and moves a nozzle so as to move a developer supplying position radially on a rotating substrate. Due to the movement of the developer supplying position and a centrifugal force, a liquid film of the developer is formed on the substrate and the developer forming the liquid film flows. Japanese Patent No. 4893799 (JP 4893799 B2) describes an example of the rotary developing method.
In the stationary developing method, the liquid puddle sometimes fluctuates due to various factors, such as gas flows in a circumstance where the liquid puddle is formed, and vibrations of a driving mechanism connected to a substrate holder for holding the substrate. Due to the fluctuation, concentration of the developer near the resist film may vary in various locations within the plane of the substrate, resulting in fluctuation in the reaction of the resist film and the developer. As a result, CPU (Critical Dimension Uniformity) of CD (Critical Dimension) which is the line width of the pattern in one exposure region (shot) within the wafer plane may be deteriorated.
In the rotary developing method, since the developer flows and is stirred on the substrate, CDU in the exposure region can be higher than that in the stationary developing method. However, in the rotary developing method, a developer supplied to the substrate flows on the surface of a resist film, during which the developer reacts with the resist so that the concentration of the developer changes. That is, CD may vary in the flowing direction of the developer. A technique capable of achieving a higher CDU is thus desired. Japanese patent laid-open publication No. JP2012074589A discloses a technique that brings the lower end of a nozzle disposed above a central portion of a substrate into contact with a processing liquid supplied from the nozzle and rotating the substrate thereby forming a liquid film on the substrate. This technique, however, is not capable of solving the foregoing problem.

Developing apparatus, developing method and storage medium


To restrain decrease of display quality because of increases in flicker level and decrease of uniformity in screen luminance caused by increases in the overcharging effect when an amorphous metal oxide semiconductor or an organic semiconductor that has an field-effect mobility greater than amorphous silicon is used for pixel TFTs in a liquid crystal display device or organic EL display device. A new relational formula is derived for punch-through voltage in gray scale display, where the visibility of flicker, screen burn-in, and the like is high, and in-plane differential in counter electrode potential, which are an index of the overcharging effect. A design is made so as to satisfy conditions for decreasing the in-plane differential in counter electrode potential that have been newly derived on the basis of this formula to an allowable limit value or less.

Currently, thin film transistor (hereinafter called TFT) with amorphous silicon thin film is utilized as a switching element of such as liquid crystal display devices which are put to practical use in such as monitors of television receiver or personal computers. However, field-effect mobility of the amorphous silicon is extremely small compared with crystalline silicon or polysilicon less than 100 cm2/Vs, it is approximately 0.5-1 cm2/Vs. Therefore, size of the TFT with amorphous silicon thin film, especially channel width must be large to ensure necessary amount of current to charge load capacitance with liquid crystal display getting larger and higher in resolution or higher speed response.
As the result, parasitic capacitance of the TFT increases, and the increased parasitic capacitance causes increase of auxiliary capacitance which has a function to decrease negative effects of the parasitic capacitance. The auxiliary capacitance is formed as a crossover capacitance of auxiliary capacitance line and pixel electrode, moreover the auxiliary capacitance line ought to be formed by opaque metal with low resistivity to decreases the time constant. Therefore, as the result, the increase of the auxiliary capacitance causes the increase of the area of the auxiliary capacitance line and also causes the decrease of aperture ratio. That is to say, there is a limit to keep on using TFTs with amorphous silicon thin film as the switching element of the pixel, because it comes difficulty to secure the enough aperture ratio with liquid crystal display getting larger and higher in resolution or higher speed response.
On the other hand, recently, semiconductor elements which use metal oxide semiconductor thin film attract attention. Although behavior of this thin film is different by film formation method or process condition, the field-effect mobility of 3 cm2/Vs or more in Soluble type or the field-effect mobility of 10 cm2/Vs or more in the film formation method by sputtering technique are indicated, and further higher field-effect mobility is expected based on the future study. Besides, this thin film has such as features of availability to form in lower temperature or transparency for visible light, and it is possible to form flexible and transparent TFT on transparent substrate such as plastic substrate or film (Patent document No. 1).
Besides, as oxide semiconductor film which is used in active layer of the TFT, semi-insulating and transparent amorphous thin film which is composed from the oxide including In, Ga and Zn is known. The structure of top gate type TFT which uses this in channel layer and uses the matter which laminates Au film on the layer of InGaZnO3(ZnO)4 which has the large electric conductivity as source-drain electrode is disclosed. Further, the prior art that the TFT of amorphous InGaZnO4 has the extremely large field-effect mobility compared with the amorphous silicon thin film transistor is disclosed (Patent document No. 2).
And then, active research and development for utilizing the TFT which has such the excellent characteristics is now performed in not only the liquid crystal display device but also the other display devices. Further, development of organic TFT which does not need expensive vacuum equipments as manufacturing equipments is performed actively, recently, the matter that the field-effect mobility exceeds 1 cm2/Vs is reported, and the research and development which purposes the application to the display device is performed energetically. Patent document No. 3 discloses the technology which decreases flicker which occurs by redistribution of the electrical charge and the time constant of the scanning line in Cs on gate type array substrate which forms the auxiliary capacitance between the pixel electrodes which are arranged by superimposing partly through the scanning line of previous stage of scanning direction and insulating film.


A process for transporting deaerated bitumen froth in a pipeline is described which comprises injecting water into the pipeline prior to deaerated bitumen froth injection to wet the interior walls of the pipeline. The deaerated bitumen froth is then injected into the pipeline at a critical velocity above 0.3 m/sec thereby initiating self-lubricating core-annular flow of the bitumen froth.

A recent development in the recovery of upgraded oil products from surface-mined oil sands located in the Fort McMurray region involves the formation of a low-temperature, deaerated bitumen froth at locations that may be far removed from the upgrading facilities. Hence, the bitumen froth may need to be pumped through a pipeline over long distances (in order of 35 km) so that the froth can be further upgraded at the existing upgrading facilities.
The bitumen froth that is produced from oil sands routinely contains about 20-40% by volume dispersed water in which colloidal clay particles are well dispersed. Such an oil-water mixture is very stable and very viscous, having viscosities even higher than the oil alone.
It can be very costly from an energy standpoint to transport a viscous material such as bitumen froth through a pipeline. Significant pressure drops can occur along the pipeline due to the shear stresses between the pipe wall and the viscous fluid. Also, the oily, viscous fluid being transported may cause "fouling" of the pipeline to occur. Fouling of the pipeline is a result of oil sticking to the generally oleophilic pipe walls, particularly at sites of sharp changes in flow direction, thereby resulting in a continual increase in the pressure gradient required to drive the flow. The fouling may ultimately result in the total blockage of the pipeline.
A known procedure for reducing some of the aforementioned problems encountered in transporting viscous oils through a pipeline involves the introduction of a less viscous immiscible fluid such as water into the flow of oil, to act as a lubricating layer between the pipe wall and the oil. This procedure for transporting viscous oil is commonly referred to as core-annular flow.
The conventional means for establishing core-annular flow is to inject water and oil simultaneously, with the water collecting in the annulus and encapsulating the oil core.
The design of injection nozzles and control of the flow rates impacts on the formation of a lubricated layer and on the time and downstream distance necessary to establish lubricated flow. Establishing lubricated flow in conventional applications is a manageable problem that can usually be controlled by varying the rate of water and oil injection. In fact, different flow types with different pressure gradients can be achieved by varying the injection rates (see, for example, Joseph, D. D. & Renardy, Y. Y., (1992), Fundamentals of Two-Fluid Dynamics, Part II: Lubricated Transport, Drops and Miscible Liquids. (Springer, N.Y.)).
Conventional methods for establishing core-annular flow are impractical for the start-up of core flow of bitumen froth, as the addition of water is undesirable. As previously stated, the froth already contains 20-40% water by volume in its natural state and therefore, the addition of more water makes the separation of bitumen from water in subsequent processing more difficult. In addition, adding more water will decompose the froth. Hence, it was necessary to develop a process where core-annular flow could be achieved in the pipeline without requiring the addition of more water to the froth. This invention is directed towards a process that allows the bitumen froth to be self-lubricating. In other words, it is the water already present in the bitumen froth that forms the lubricating outer layer surrounding the oily core.
A method for starting self-lubricated flow of water in oil emulsions (5 to 60% water by weight) was described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,539 to Kruka. This patent teaches the start-up of self-lubricated flow of emulsions of water in Midway-Sunset crude oils by creating a certain shear rate for a certain length of time in a pipe flow to break the emulsion and create a water rich zone near the pipe wall. When the water in oil emulsions are subjected to faster shearing, water droplets are produced and these water droplets will tend to coalesce and form a self-lubricating layer of free froth water. The shear rates required to break up the emulsion were achieved by slow increases in pressure. However, the method of slow increases in pressure will not work in long commercial pipelines because the pressure drop required. to produce the critical shear rates is too large. Hence, the Kruka process can not be used for the transport of bitumen froth through 35 km of pipeline.
A process for restarting core flow of viscous oils after a long standstill period was described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,261 to Zagustin et al. The process involved the controlled injection of water. However, this process still requires the injection of more water than is desirable when attempting to start the self-lubricated flow of bitumen froth.

Process for pumping bitumen froth through a pipeline


The invention provides a device for vertically lifting an end of a horizontally disposed mattress which includes an elongated member being disposed beneath the mattress and movable by way of a handle which is disposed on and secured to one end of the elongated member between a resting position wherein the elongated member is disposed coplanar with a bottom surface of the mattress and a lifting position wherein the elongated member is disposed generally perpendicular to the bottom mattress surface for lifting the end of the mattress in the vertical direction. The handle is releaseably secured to the end of the end of the elongated member for ease of securing the handle to an opposed end of the elongated member.

As is generally well known, some people, particularly elderly people or people with limited physical capabilities have difficulty making bedding when the end of the mattress must be lifted in order to tuck an edge of the bedding covers under a bottom surface of the mattress.
Prior to the present invention, effort has been made to alleviate such difficulty. U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,203 issued to Drakos et al. provides tubular lifting elements which are pivotally supported on a flat base member. Handles are provided at opposite ends enabling the person to lift the mattress.
However, this prior art has several disadvantages. First, tubular members provide only for sectional contact with a bottom surface of the mattress. Second, a combination of the separate base member and the tubular members pivotally attached thereto provides for greater than desirable complexity and cost of the device. The fixed dual handle arrangement limits the use of the device to a fixed mattress width as one handle will either protrude beyond the boundary of the narrower mattress or damage the bottom surface of a wider mattress.


An apparatus for transferring an object from a first conveyor to a second conveyor, the apparatus having a drive roller; a guide having a first end and a length, the first end being positioned adjacent the drive roller; a guide roller, the guide roller being magnetic and positioned adjacent to the guide along the length of the guide; and a conveyor positioned around the drive roller, the guide, and the guide roller; wherein the conveyor has a ferrous component causing the conveyor to be moveably coupled to the guide roller.

The present invention is directed to a conveyor system and more specifically, to a conveyor system employing a turnaround between conveyors.
Ovens for preparing food often employ conveyor belts moving cooking food items. Often the belts themselves are heated. Some food items need to be cooked on each side, one side at a time. For those types of items, the oven typically contains stacked conveyors running in opposite directions across the oven. The food item reaches the end of one conveyor and then flips down a turnaround to land on the next lower conveyor on an opposite side.
Static turnarounds, such as curved sheets of metal, have been used guide the item from an upper conveyor to a lower conveyor. Unfortunately, food items often stick to the static turnaround, causing a jam when subsequent food items were forwarded into the stuck item by the conveyor. In order to remedy this situation moving turnarounds were developed.
A prior art moving turnaround is shown in FIG. 1. Moving turnarounds typically have a powered roller 2 coupled to a drive mechanism for one of the conveyors so that the roller turns at the same speed as the conveyor. The powered roller is placed proximately to a guide 4 having a shape conducive to flipping objects. A belt 6 is positioned around the turnaround guide and coupled to the powered roller. To keep the shape of the moving belt conforming somewhat to the shape of the guide, the guide edges are fitted with brackets 8 that belt edges pass through.
Moving turnarounds constructed with brackets are problematic because the brackets are an ineffective means of causing the middle of the belt to conform to the shape of the guide. This is especially true where the belt is very wide and the distance between the brackets is large. Because the middle of the belt is not held down consistently with the edges, the product contacting the middle area reacts differently during the turning process. Additionally, the brackets cause the belt to prematurely wear out in the areas where the brackets contact the belt. Additionally, the brackets pick up dirt coming off the belt and must be frequently cleaned.
Thus, there is a need for an improved moving turnaround. Moreover, the need extends beyond cooking systems to other types of processes where conveyors are used, such as with cooling systems and assembly systems.


A vehicle power transmission system includes a clutch having a friction plate, a clutch plate, and a pressure plate for elastically pressing the friction plate or the clutch plate by a pressure elastic body, a clutch actuator that applies a clutch OFF pressing force to the pressure plate, and a control device. When causing the clutch to shift to a clutch ON state, the control device controls operation of the clutch actuator to make the clutch OFF pressing force less than an elastic force of the pressure elastic body and apply an anti-assist force to the pressure plate.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle power transmission system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some self-propelled vehicles such as motorcycles and four-wheeled drive buggy cars are conventionally provided with a power transmission device to transmit a driving force generated by an engine (motor) to a drive wheel. The power transmission device is a machine that changes the rotational speed of a crankshaft of the engine and transmits it to the drive wheel while connecting to and disconnecting from the crankshaft. The power transmission device mainly includes a clutch and a transmission.
The clutch here is a machine that transmits a rotational driving force of the crankshaft of the engine to the transmission side while connecting to and disconnecting from the crankshaft. Moreover, the transmission is a machine that has a plurality of gear stages with combinations of a plurality of gears, and changes the rotational speed of the crankshaft of the engine by a selected gear stage to transmit the rotational speed to the drive wheel side.
In this case, a clutch is described in, for example, JP-A-2013-137039. The clutch described in this document includes a clutch member (clutch hub) that holds a driven-side clutch plate (clutch plate), and a pressure member (pressure plate). The pressure member is placed facing the clutch member to press a drive-side clutch plate (friction plate). A pressure assist cam is provided on an opposing surface of each of the driven-side clutch plate and the pressure member.
The pressure assist cam is an assist mechanism including a clutch member-side first cam surface (hub-side cam portion) and a pressure-side first cam surface (pressure-side cam portion). The clutch member-side first cam surface and the pressure-side first cam surface each include an inclined surface for generating an assist force that increases a pressing force between the drive-side clutch plate and the driven-side clutch plate when a relative rotation is generated between the clutch member and the pressure member upon the clutch shifting to a state where the driving force of the engine is transmitted. Consequently, in the power transmission device described in JP-A-2013-137039, the assist force by the assist mechanism causes the drive-side clutch plate and the driven-side clutch plate to press each other early to shift the clutch to the state where the driving force is transmitted. Furthermore, vibrations from the engine and the like can be prevented from being transmitted to a clutch lever.


According to some embodiments curtain assemblies are provided having fabric curtains with brush edges that are mated to the fabric curtain. The brush edges are configured to extend laterally from the curtain to contact, for example, the side edges of the opening in which the curtain assembly is installed and remain in contact with the side edges during movement of the curtain. The brush edges can be configured to deflect along the plane of the motion of the curtain to maintain the contact between the curtain and the side edges. In some embodiments, the curtain assemblies can include optional side tracks configured to receive the brush edges, for example, to improve the connection between the brush edges and the side edges.

Traditional window curtain installations are configured to provide for both functional and aesthetic purposes. In a conventional curtain, one functional goal is to reduce light impinging upon dwelling areas or other interior spaces coming from an exterior source, for example, through windows. Other functions include providing for selective placement of shading portions of the curtain to restrict or permit light as desired. In some examples, this can be accomplished by winding a curtain around a roller operated by hand. An operator can raise or lower a curtain over an opening depending upon, for example, a desired amount of light. In other examples, the roller can be operated via a motor to raise and lower the curtain, covering, for example, exterior facing windows to any desired degree.
Typically, consumers select curtains based not only on the functional aspects provided, but also based on the aesthetic of the curtain. In some situations the physical layout of a space (e.g., a building, home, or office) dictates the shape and configuration of a given curtain. Traditional curtain designs can fail to adapt to physical layout of the spaces in which they are to be installed. Conventional installations can require frame tracks to deal with the variety of physical layouts, which can result in damage to the surfaces on which they are installed. Further, the physical layouts of various installation spaces can vary so widely as to prevent use of tracks. For example, windows are installed in a variety of sizes and shape, each having framing that defines a wide variety of installation spaces. In some examples, window framing and the narrowness of available space can prevent the use of tracks. With or without tracks some conventional curtains fail to block light passing through exterior openings, for example, on edge portions of an installed curtain.


A content-aware flow switch intercepts a client content request in an IP network, and transparently directs the content request to a best-fit server. The best-fit server is chosen based on the type of content requested, the quality of service requirements implied by the content request, the degree of load on available servers, network congestion information, and the proximity of the client to available servers. The flow switch detects client-server flows based on the arrival of TCP SYNs and/or HTTP GETs from the client. The flow switch implicitly deduces the quality of service requirements of a flow based on the content of the flow. The flow switch also provides the functionality of multiple physical web servers on a single web server in a way that is transparent to the client, through the use of virtual web hosts and flow pipes.

The present invention relates to content-based flow switching in Internet Protocol (IP) networks.
IP networks route packets based on network address information that is embedded in the headers of packets. In the most general sense, the architecture of a typical data switch consists of four primary components: (1) a number of physical network ports (both ingress ports and egress ports), (2) a data plane, (3) a control plane, and (4) a management plane. The data plane, sometimes referred to as the "fastpath," is responsible for moving packets from ingress ports of the data switch to egress ports of the data switch based on addressing information contained in the packet headers and information from the data switch's forwarding table. The forwarding table contains a mapping between all the network addresses the data switch has previously seen and the physical port on which packets destined for that address should be sent. Packets that have not previously been mapped to a physical port are directed to the control plane. The control plane determines the physical port to which the packet should be forwarded. The control plane is also responsible for updating the forwarding table so that future packets to the same destination may be forwarded directly by the data plane. The data plane functionality is commonly performed in hardware. The management plane performs administrative functions such as providing a user interface (UI) and managing Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) engines.
Packets conforming to the TCP/IP Internet layering model have 5 layers of headers containing network address information, arranged in increasing order of abstraction. A data switch is categorized as a layer N switch if it makes switching decisions based on address information in the Nth layer of a packet header. For example, both Local Area Network (LAN, layer 2) switching and IP (layer 3) switching switch packets based solely on address information contained in transmitted packet headers. In the case of LAN switching, the destination MAC address is used for switching, and in the case of IP switching, the destination IP address is used for switching.
Applications that communicate over the Internet typically communicate with each other over a transport layer (layer 4) Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) connection. Such applications need not be aware of the switching that occurs at lower levels (levels 1–3) to support the layer 4 connection. For example, an HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client (also known as a web browser) exchanges HTTP (layer 5) control messages and data (payload) with a target web server over a TCP (layer 4) connection.
"Content" can be loosely defined as any information that a client application is interested in receiving. In an IP network, this information is typically delivered by an application-layer server application using TCP or UDP as its transport layer. The content itself may be, for example, a simple ASCII text file, a binary file, an HTML page, a Java applet, or real-time audio or video.
A "flow" is a series of frames exchanged between two connection endpoints defined by a layer 3 network address and a layer 4 port number pair for each end of the connection. Typically, a flow is initiated by a request at one of the two connection endpoints for content which is accessible through the other connection endpoint. The flow that is created in response to the request consists of (1) packets containing the requested content, and (2) control messages exchanged between the two endpoints.
Flow classification techniques are used to associate priority codes with flows based on their Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Such techniques prioritize network requests by treating flows with different QoS classes differently when the flows compete for limited network resources. Flows in the same QoS class are assigned the same priority code. A flow classification technique may, for example, classify flows based on IP addresses and other inner protocol header fields. For example, a QoS class with a particular priority may consist of all flows that are destined for destination IP address 126.96.36.199 and TCP port number 80 and TOS of 1 (Type of Service field in the IP header). This technique can be used to improve QoS by giving higher priority flows better treatment.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other Internet Content Providers commonly maintain web sites for their customers. This service is called web hosting. Each web site is associated with a web host. A web host may be a physical web server. A web host may also be a logical entity, referred to as a virtual web host (VWH). A virtual web host associated with a large web site may span multiple physical web servers. Conversely, several virtual web hosts associated with small web sites may share a single physical web server. In either case, each virtual web host provides the functionality of a single physical web server in a way that is transparent to the client. The web sites hosted on a virtual web host share server resources, such as CPU cycles and memory, but are provided with all of the services of a dedicated web server. A virtual web host has one or more public virtual IP address that clients use to access content on the virtual web host. A web host is uniquely identified by its public IP address. When a content request is made to the virtual web host's virtual IP address, the virtual IP address is mapped to a private IP address, which points either to a physical server or to a software application identified by both a private IP address and a layer 4 port number that is allocated to the application.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for directing a flow of packets based on request and server attributes


A method for providing a visual indication of the security threat awareness level is disclosed. Such a visual indication helps improve the security of a device or an enterprise by giving a user an indication of the security risks associated with currently open and active applications. In turn, the user can use the visual indication as a cue to take mitigating actions to reduce the security risk, such as by using the application more carefully or by exiting the application. Each application is assigned a security score and the system determines the security threat awareness level based on the security score(s) of the open and active applications.

To protect computing devices from security threats, enterprises typically deploy security solutions such as firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), or intrusion detection systems (IDS). To protect remotely connected devices, enterprises typically deploy Virtual Private Networking (VPN) solutions that enable those devices to connect to the enterprise network securely. For security reasons, enterprises can further implement backhauling policies to force network traffic from remote devices to pass through the enterprise so that the enterprise has complete visibility of the traffic and can maintain security as needed to identify security threats. A problem with backhauling is that a high volume of traffic, also including unofficial/non-work-related traffic, can hit the enterprise network. This high volume of traffic can cause enormous stress on the enterprise's network infrastructure. Moreover, performing IPS/IDS on such traffic may be costly for the company. Further, these solutions can adversely affect or slow down other critical business applications. Therefore, there remain non-trivial problems associated with protecting devices from security threats.


A quad-port random access memory (RAM) is accessed simultaneously by a input-output (I/O) device, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a system bus with no need for any request/granted handshake. The I/O device, DSP, and system bus all constitute respectively different data transferring devices. The RAM is provided with three memory pages which are rotated logically by 120 degrees during successive time slots. The first memory page is accessed by the I/O device, the second memory page is accessed by the DSP, and the third memory page is accessed by the system bus during a first time slot. During subsequent time slots, the memory pages of the RAM are rotated logically so that data transfer is stepped through a predetermined sequence of data transferring device and memory page combinations in successive time slots so that all three data transferring devices are permitted to access the RAM at all times. The sequence continues repetitively during subsequent time slots. Data transmission and reception use opposite rotation directions and opposite device and memory page combinations.

When a dual-port memory is shared by two devices, such as an input-output (I/O) device and a digital signal processor (DSP), a conventional arrangement has had the devices access the memory in sequence. Although the memory is thus used full time, each device accesses it only half the time. If three devices were to share the memory, access would drop to only a third of the time for each of them and their respective performances would be decreased to a corresponding extent.
One way to increase both access time and performance, when only two devices share the memory, is to use an arrangement known as a "ping-pong" design. In such an arrangement, the dual-port memory is divided into two sections, and one device is accessing one section of the memory while the other device is accessing the other section of the memory. Thus, an I/O device accesses the first section during a first time segment while a DSP accesses the second. Then, during a second time segment, the I/O device accesses the second section while the DSP accesses the first. The process repeats itself during subsequent segments of time. This "ping-pong" arrangement is more efficient in that both the memory and the devices are working full time and there is no waiting requirement before either device is connected to the memory.
The nature of the problem would change significantly if three or more devices need access to the memory. In a "ping-pong" arrangement, with more than two devices requiring access to the memory, at least one device needs to be awaiting its turn at any given segment of time.

Multiple device data transfer utilizing a multiport memory with opposite oriented memory page rotation for transmission and reception


A method and apparatus for applying a mid-IR graded microstructure to the end of a chalcogenide glass optical fiber are presented herein. The method and apparatus transfer a microstructure from a negative imprint on a nickel shim to a chalcogenide glass fiber tip with minimal shape distortion and minimal damage-threshold impact resulting in large gains in anti-reflective properties.

Field of the Invention
The disclosed subject matter relates to a method and apparatus for transferring a microstructure from a negative imprint on a nickel shim to an As2S3 optical fiber tip with minimal shape distortion and minimal damage-threshold impacts, thereby improving the anti-reflective properties of the As2S3 optical fiber.
However, the method and apparatus herein presented are not limited in application to As2S3 optical fibers. In fact, the apparatus and method herein presented can be practiced with other optical fiber materials having melting points below 600° C.
Brief Description of Related Art
Optical fibers can be used in a great number of applications in the Mid-IR wavelength region including sensing, imaging and processing. These optical fibers have large refractive indexes, ranging from about 2.3 to about 2.9. Air, on the other hand, has a retractive index of 1. This large difference in refractive index between the optical fibers and air leads to signal losses at the optical fiber/air interface. In some, applications these signal losses at the optical fiber/air interface can amount to 25% or more.
In order to prevent signal losses, some have turned to applying anti-reflective coatings to polished fiber tips. However, polishing can oftentimes lead to optical fiber fracture in delicate fiber materials. Furthermore, anti-reflective coatings often exhibit adhesion problems and rapid degradation as a result of exposure to high intensity signal radiation.

Method and apparatus for applying a mid-IR graded-index microstructure to an optical fiber tip to achieve anti-reflective properties

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


A method of preventing edge stain in silicon wafers from the edge polishing step with an alkaline slurry, the method consisting of formation of an oxide layer by an ozone dipping step prior to edge polishing.

Production of silicon wafers for the manufacture of semiconductor chips requires that the wafer be ground to an exact diameter and that the periphery or outer edge of the wafer be defect-free down to a microscopic level. As part of the production process, a wafer is typically provided with a chamfer on its outer edge to reduce stress on the edge, which in turn helps prevent chipping and cracking of the wafer. The wafer also typically receives a chemical etch, followed by high temperature annealing in an inert gas atmosphere, such as nitrogen. However, the chemical etch step typically leaves a somewhat roughened surface on the chamfered edge of the wafer. Recently, particularly in the production of large diameter wafers, the wafers have been edge polished with standard polishing slurry solutions to smooth out the roughened chamfered edge resulting from the etching, and further to reduce stress caused by edge grinding to the precise diameters required. Edge polishing results in a mirror-like surface that resists adhesion of contaminating particulates.
However, such edge polishing is by means of an aqueous alkaline colloidal silica-containing slurry which provides the abrasive for the polishing process. This alkaline slurry occasionally splashes on to the surface of the wafer, causing a modest degree of unwanted etching both on the wafer surface and on the edge of the wafer, and becomes especially noticeable over time as evaporation of water in the slurry increases the concentration of caustic in the slurry. When the resulting unwanted etching is visible by halogen light inspection, the wafer is rejected as unacceptable product for so-called "edge stain," a micro-defect on the surface of the wafer that appears as microscopic pitting.
Chemical cleaning of silicon wafers by an aqueous ammoniacal solution, commonly referred to as an "SC-1" cleaning is known to be effective in preventing edge stain. However, SC-1 solutions are expensive and such a process step requires subsequent chemical and waste water treatment.
Although it is well known that a silicon oxide layer may be formed on wafers by exposing them to oxygen at elevated temperatures (McGuire, Semiconductor Materials and Process Technology Handbook, pp. 46-77 (1988)), it is also reported that alkaline impurities such as sodium and potassium salts can diffuse rapidly through the oxide layers so formed, even at low temperature, and accordingly it is recommended that more dense dielectric films such as silicon nitride be used in combination with the oxide to passivate the wafers against such impurities. Ibid., p. 55. Since an edge polishing slurry is alkaline, containing sodium and/or potassium salts, the prior art suggests that formation of a silicon oxide layer on a wafer would be of no value in preventing edge stain.
The present invention eliminates the need for a separate high temperature annealing step and provides a simple and efficient method of preventing edge stain.

Prevention of edge stain in silicon wafers by ozone dipping


Pressure sensors that are fabricated to sense low pressures are tested and calibrated by providing a controlled gas flow or leak to create a pressure during testing. Rather than placing the pressure sensor in a sealed environment, a controlled leak of a gas is used to induce a stable and controllable pressure region over the pressure sensor during testing. The stable low pressure region is monitored via a sensing tube.

This invention relates, in general, to an apparatus and method of testing pressure sensors, and more particularly, an apparatus and method of testing pressure sensors at low pressures.
Semiconductor pressure sensors are used to provide an electrical value indicative of the pressure being exerted on the sensor. The pressure sensor is typically comprised of a diaphragm and piezoresistive strain sensors positioned on or near the diaphragm which are connected in a circuit to measure the diaphragm deflection due to the pressure differential across the diaphragm.
Presently, pressure sensors are tested after final assembly of the devices. The devices are placed in a sealed pressure chamber that contains testing equipment. The pressure sensors are not only tested but calibrated using a laser trimming process. If the electrical properties measured from the device are high or low, resistors incorporated into the diaphragm are laser trimmed until the voltage is within the range for the given pressure.
This method is adequate for testing of high pressure devices at greater than approximately 10 kPa. However, the testing of low pressure sensors in this manner is both inaccurate and slow. The equipment used to test low pressure devices in the past utilized the modulation of a valve to supply a gas at low pressure to a sealed pressure chamber. This valve has induced instability at low pressures. Thus, a controllable, stable, low pressure test apparatus is needed for testing devices at 10 kPa and below. In addition, the procedure used in the past had a slow response time because the pressure needs to be stabilized over a period of approximately several minutes. This amount of time is unacceptable in high throughput manufacturing areas. Thus, it would be desirable to have a testing apparatus and process which improves the cycle time of those processes commercially available.


An improved roll-up door assembly (10) is configured to be coupled to a storage container, such as a truck trailer (11), and broadly comprises: a roll-up door including a plurality of door panels (12A-12G), of which adjacent panels are hingedly coupled to one another; a hinge (29) having an first hinge plate (30) coupled directly to a bottom panel (12A) of the door, having a second hinge plate (31), and having a hinge joint (32) pivotally coupling the first and second hinge plates to one another for enabling relative movement therebetween; a bottom roller (33) coupled to the second hinge plate for movement therewith about the joint; a counterbalance mechanism mounted on the storage container; a cable (22) connecting the counterbalance mechanism to the bottom door panel; and a snubber (26) surrounding the cable and adapted to engage the counterbalance mechanism when the bottom door panel is moved toward the counterbalance mechanism.

Roll-up doors are commonly found on trucks and trailers, and on static structures (e.g., garage doors) as well.
These doors have a series of panels that are mounted for movement in a pair of opposed tracks between a lowered access-preventing vertical position, and a raised overhead out-of-the-way access-permitting horizontal position. Adjacent panels are hingedly joined to one another such that the various panels are mechanically connected in series. The tracks have a lower vertical portion, an intermediate arcuate or curved portion, and an upper overhead horizontal portion.
In recent years, there has been a movement to attempt to increase the size of the access opening through which cargo is moved into and out of a protected space (e.g., the cargo body, the interior of a static structure, etc.). The size of the access opening can be increased by (a) decreasing the width of the jambs on the structure on which the door is mounted so as to increase the width of the access opening, and/or by (b) decreasing the height of the overhead header so as to increase the height of the access opening. Such an increased-size access opening can allow for ingress and egress of larger-sized cargo and vehicles.
Typically, a counterbalance mechanism is mounted within the protected space, and is connected to the door to balance at least some of its weight. The counterbalance mechanism is typically mounted inside the protected space immediately behind the header.
While the vertical dimension of the header has been reduced to increase the size of the access opening, the three portions of the track (i.e., the vertical, arcuate and horizontal portions) must still allow for smooth continuous movement of the door between its closed and opened positions
To accommodate this, and to allow the raised door to be concealed behind the projected vertical height of a reduced-dimension header, it is known to mount a pair of pivoted hinges on the lowermost door panel. This type of hinge has one plate portion attached to the lowermost door panel, and has a second plate portion pivotally connected to the first plate portion. The roller is mounted on the distal marginal end portion of the second plate portion. When the door is in its lowered access-closing position, the second plate portion lies adjacent the first plate portion. However, when the door is raised to its overhead out-of-the-way position, the second plate portion may pivot relative to the first plate portion to allow the lowermost door panel to be concealed behind the projected header dimension while the roller on the second plate portion is still in the track arcuate portion.
One species of such a pivoted hinge structure is shown and described in US 2012/0125545 A1, the aggregate disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. While this reference has such a pivoted hinge structure attached to the lowermost panel, it also has a generally L-shaped stop mechanism (indicated at 250 in such reference) that is mounted on the inside of the header, for preventing the lowermost door panel of the raised door from going past a predetermined position. (See, e.g., FIG. 7, and paragraphs [0099]-[0100] of this reference.)
While such a stop mechanism may be functional initially, it may become loose or deformed with use, and/or may permit the bottom door panel to move past its desired maximum desired position. In either event, the stop mechanism may possibly interfere with attempts to subsequently lower the door.

Snubber devices for use in roll-up door assemblies


Various arrangements for debugging code are presented. A computer system, such as a web server, may compile code into compiled code. The code may contain one or more subsections, include a first taskflow. A selection of the first taskflow may be received from a remote, developer computer system via a network. The selection of the first taskflow may indicate that the first taskflow is to be debugged. Execution of the first taskflow of the compiled code may occur by the computer system. While the computer system is executing the first taskflow of the compiled code, debugging functionality of the first taskflow may be provided to the developer computer system.

Typically, when a software developer is writing code, the developer will compile and execute the code in a debugging mode. A debugging mode may allow the developer a view into how the code is functioning during execution. When code is executed in a debugging mode, the developer can typically: view variable values during execution, set breakpoints at which execution of the code will halt until the developer triggers continued execution, and/or step through execution of the code on a line-by-line basis.
Such an arrangement may work well when the code is being compiled, debugged, and/or executed at a computer system local to the developer. In conventional arrangements, a choice between execution of code either entirely in a debugging mode (that permits debugging functionality) or a runtime mode (that conventionally does not permit debugging functionality) may need to be made. Such a choice may be easily made by the developer when he is the only person using the computer system.
Further, when a developer has code that is desired to be debugged, the developer may only be interested in debugging a portion of the code, while allowing the remainder of the code to execute without debugging functionality. Debugging functionality provided for the entire piece of code may serve to distract the developer and/or waste his time. Therefore, for these and other reasons, it may be desired that the developer can specify one or more portions of a code package for debugging to the exclusion of other portions.


Techniques and methods for performing asymmetric, full-duplex communication via a signal line. In an embodiment, a transceiver includes transmit circuitry to transmit a first signal via a node coupled to a signal line, where the first signal is transmitted concurrently with the transceiver receiving a second signal via the node at a substantially different data rate than that of the first signal. In another embodiment, signal processing circuitry of the transceiver detects a composite signal at the node, the composite signal including a combination of the first signal and the second signal. Based on the combination of the first signal and the second signal, the signal processing circuitry generates a processed signal, including the signal processing circuitry reducing a contribution by the first signal. The processed signal is provided to receiver circuitry of the transceiver.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments discussed herein generally relate to the field of electronic devices and more particularly, but not exclusively, to wire line communications.
2. Background Art
As integrated circuit (IC) design and fabrication techniques improve, successive generations of IC devices continue to scale in size. Attendant with smaller IC dimensions is a drastically increased ability of such ICs to receive, transmit and process data. This has resulted in a rapid growth of technologies which rely upon high-volume wire line communications. However, the channel capacity of various interconnect media, although improved, has not kept pace with the increased processing speeds of ICs.
One approach to overcoming channel capacity limitations is to design devices which accommodate a larger number of hardware channels. However, additional channels require additional contacts for connector pins, which increase device size and limit compatibility with legacy connectors. Another approach is for a device to support a type of bidirectional communication referred to as full-duplex over a single signal line. Full-duplex communication typically involves a device transmitting a signal to another device via a signal line, where the transmitting is concurrent with the device receiving via the same signal line another signal from that other device. Full-duplex is to be distinguished from half-duplex bidirectional communication over a single signal line, which typically involves a device performing some form of time-division multiplexing to distinguish periods which are for transmitting signals via a signal line from other periods which are for receiving signals via that same signal line.
Implementation of full-duplex communication is complicated by the need of a device to distinguish signal components which correspond to the other device's transmission from other signal components, concurrently on the same signal line, which correspond to that device's own transmission. The effectiveness of techniques to distinguish such receive signal components from transmit signal components is often limited when, as with high data rates and/or long channel paths, receive signal components are significantly attenuated, as compared to locally-generated transmit signal components. Distinguishing receive signal components from transmit signal components may also be complicated by other factors such as the presence of signal reflections from connectors or other various channel imperfections. As a result, current and next-generation wire line technologies are limited in their ability to efficiently and reliably accommodate full-duplex communication according to conventional techniques.

Apparatus, method and system for asymmetric, full-duplex communication