An underwater heater for warming water in an aquarium comprises a thermal sensor for sensing temperature of a main heater body and a control unit for controlling operation of the main heater body via reception of a detect signal output from the thermal sensor. In addition to a switch device for opening and closing a power-supply circuit for supplying power to the main heater body, the control unit further comprises a drive circuit, an abnormality-detection circuit, and a memory circuit. Whenever the abnormality-detection circuit detects that the thermal sensor has detected an abnormal temperature, the drive circuit activates the switch device to open itself to cause power supply to the main heater body to be shut off and to simultaneously cause the memory circuit to store the abnormality-detected condition therein. The memory storing condition is reset via a resetting operation effected by pulling a power-supply plug out from a power-outlet socket to enable to main heater body to effect the resetting operation.

Generally, any conventional underwater heater usable for an aquarium uses a main heater body comprising a heat-resistant cylindrical tube internally storing a heating member such as a nichrome wire, a thermal sensor such as a thermistor for detecting water temperature inside of an aquarium, and a parts-mounting substrate for controlling power delivered to the heating member. If water temperature detected by the thermal sensor remains below a predetermined degree, power is fed to the heating member to activate heating operation to raise water temperature therein, whereas if water temperature detected by the thermal sensor exceeds the predetermined degree, power is shut off from the heating member to halt heating operation so that water temperature inside of the aquarium can be lowered.
Nevertheless, if the underwater heater were erroneously operated outside of an aquarium or exposed above water surface caused by decreased water therein during heating operation, the heating member enters into overheating condition to generate abnormally high temperature which can eventually cause fire to break out.
If the aquarium ever overturns as a result of earthquake for example, water flows out of the aquarium causing the heater member to be exposed externally resulting the heating member overheating as discussed above case to which may cause fire to break out.
To deal with the above problem, there is proposed an non-resettable system having a thermal fuse connected to the heating member in series so that the thermal fuse melted whenever the heating member enters into an overheating condition. The thermal fuse cannot return to its original state. Likewise, a resettable system is also known, which is provided with a device of a thermal fuse for controlling operation feeding power to the heating member. If the heating member ever generates abnormally high temperature after entering into an overheated condition, power is shut off via the bimetal device, and after the temperature is lowered, power supply to the heating member is automatically restored.
Nevertheless, according to the former non-resettable system, the heater itself is no longer usable after melting the thermal fuse, and thus, the heater must be scrapped which is wasteful.
According to the latter resettable system, the heater itself is repeatedly usable. But the temperature is raised and lowered repeatedly via the bimetal device, and accordingly it will induce fire to break out as time passes by.


A solid state power controller including: a plurality of pairs of FETs connected in parallel, each pair comprising a first, forward-facing FET and a second, backward-facing FET connected by their respective sources; gate drive means for switching said FETs on and off; and means for isolating the sources of the backwards-facing FETs of the plurality of pairs of FETs from each other and operating the backwards-facing FETs in 3rd quadrant operation mode.

Vehicles, such as aircraft, typically utilise one or more power distribution units to distribute power from a primary power source to various vehicle systems. The solid state power controls in a power distribution unit typically include an electronic switch, such as a FET, and electronic circuitry that provides wiring protection. The FET and circuitry are often referred to as a solid state power controller ("SSPC"). The SSPC has found widespread use because of its desirable status capability, reliability, and packaging density. The Solid State Power Controller (SSPC) is gaining acceptance as a modern alternative to the combination of conventional electromechanical relays and circuit breakers for commercial aircraft power distribution due to its high reliability, "soft" switching characteristics, fast response time, and ability to facilitate advanced load management and other aircraft functions.
While SSPCs with current rating under 15 A have been widely utilised in aircraft secondary distribution systems, power dissipation, voltage drop, and leakage current associated with solid state power switching devices pose challenges for using SSPCs in high voltage applications of aircraft primary distribution systems with higher current ratings.
A typical SSPC generally comprises a solid state switching device (SSSD), which performs the primary power on/off switching, and a processing engine, which is responsible for SSSD on/off control and a feeder wire protection. A typical power distribution unit may include hundreds or thousands of SSPCs.
Solid State Power Controllers are used to switch and regulate current on ohmic, capacitive and inductive loads.
They are also used to absorb inductive energy when switching an inductive load "OFF". This is done by limiting the voltage over the SSPC ("clamping") to a specific constant voltage level (clamping voltage) while discharging the load inductance, using the SSPCs linear mode.
In existing SSPC circuits all parallel FETs are directly connected together with their drains and sources. Existing aircraft applications employ exclusively a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) as a basic solid state component for building up the SSSD. This features easy control, bi-directional conduction characteristics, has a resistive conduction nature, and has a positive temperature coefficient. To increase the current carrying capability and reduce the voltage drop or power dissipation, the standard SSSD comprises multiple MOSFETs generally connected in parallel. An example is shown in FIG. 1 using parallel-connected MOSFETs.
When switching an inductive load "OFF", all paralleled FETs operate in linear mode for a short time (depending on the load, inductive energy, clamping voltage) to absorb the energy from the inductance of the load that has been switched off. The switches are protected by a so-called clamping mode, which involves setting the voltage over the SSPC at a specific maximum voltage level, and using linear mode to absorb the energy that is stored in the inductance.
As not all FETs have the same gate threshold voltage Vth because of process and production variations, current is shared very unequally between FETs in this conventional linear mode.
The problem in such applications is to really control the current or energy sharing over the paralleled solid state devices equally. This problem occurs during linear mode operation during switch off of an inductive load. Generally, during SSSD turn-off transients, all of the MOSFETsn do not turn off simultaneously, nor does the current distribute evenly among the MOSFETs in such a short time.
This is specifically true for FETs that have a very steep transfer characteristic like many Si MOSFETs that are optimised for pure switching On/Off applications.
This imbalance in linear mode gets worse after a few μs because the hottest FET will take even more current, because the gate threshold voltage Vth of a FET drops with increasing temperature. Because all FETs see the same Vgs voltage from the gate driver, a single FET with lower Vth will take much more current.
This leads to a mechanism in linear mode where the FET that is already the hottest will take the largest amount of current, thus leading to uneven current distribution.
There is no mechanism in linear mode that works against such an imbalance.
The result is that some FETs in a paralleled FET array get much hotter than the rest. Energy sharing variation amongst the FETs can be 100% and more. Therefore, the likelihood of destroying a single FET in a paralleled array is very high, even if the operated pulsed energy average is in the middle of the SOA area (theoretical average energy per FET of a FET array).
This fact raises the costs in SSPC design because it is necessary to design a very high safety margin into the SSPC to make sure that the FET with the lowest Vth is not destroyed. A destroyed FET in an SSPC causes in most cases a short circuit between its G-D-S connections, which makes the whole SSPC unusable. If the FET is mounted in "Chip On Board" technology, it is also not repairable.
Because of the goal for an SSPC to achieve the lowest possible voltage drop, it is not an option to add additional resistors at the MOSFET sources in the way it would be implemented in a conventional current feedback design for discrete FETs of current amplifiers for example.
In an SSPC capable of operating in AC conditions, because of the FETs inherent body diode, FETs are needed that are directed towards both current directions, to be able to interrupt AC current.
It is desirable to have an SSPC design in which the current can be more controlled and more evenly distributed between FETs when an inductive load is switched off.


A memory architecture includes at least one matrix of memory cells of the EEPROM type organized in rows or word lines and columns or bit lines. Each memory cell includes a floating gate cell transistor and a selection transistor and is connected to a source line shared by the matrix. The memory cells are organized in words, all the memory cells belonging to a same word being driven by a byte switch, which is, in turn, connected to at least one control gate line. The memory cells further have accessible substrate terminals connected to a first additional line.

As it is well known, electrically erasable non volatile memory cells are nowadays widespread in several applications. Among them the cells of the EEPROM type show a particular importance, both for their capacity to be erased per single word and programmed per single bit, and for the extremely reduced current consumption in the read and modify modes (erasing/programming).
The use of EEPROM memories is nowadays particularly widespread for the applications onto electronic devices such as the so called Smart Cards, where these types of memories are used with great success.
Actually, the need of scaling down the physical dimension of these devices so as to reduce the costs and to be more competitive in the market of semiconductors, has pushed the physical dimension of the EEPROM cells to such a point as to lead to the physical limit the possibility of further reducing these dimensions, the malfunctioning of the devices themselves being the price.
This is essentially due to the physical principle upon which the operation of an EEPROM cell is based in the modify mode, which consists of applying high electrical fields (˜10-12 MV/cm) onto the MOS transistor which realizes the cell and which has a thin dielectric capacitor structure (˜7 nm) aimed at obtaining significant Fowler-Nordheim currents (˜60 pA/cell) and at accumulating positive or negative charge on the floating gate terminal of the cell itself. An EEPROM memory cell in fact comprises, in a known way, a floating gate transistor, this floating gate region being realized above a tunnel oxide and overhung by a control gate electrode.
The Fowler-Nordheim mechanism requires, for the charge transfer, high voltage values, in the order of 12V, which cannot be scaled down due to the fact that the thickness of the cell tunnel oxide cannot be in turn reduced below a certain limit, and this is due to considerations linked to the reliability of the cell itself (the so called endurance with respect to programming/erasing cycles and charge retention).
The fact of having to impose these high voltage values particularly limits the possibility of scaling down the physical dimensions of the cell selector, i.e. a selection transistor associated with each EEPROM memory cell whose aim is that of insulating the cell when the cell is not selected and of allowing the passage of the biasing voltages on the modification of the cell state.
It is thus a high voltage (HV) transistor on whose control gate voltage up to 15V can be applied necessary to allow the passage of 12V on the drain terminal of the memory cell associated therewith, in turn realized by a floating gate transistor also called sensing transistor.
The EEPROM memory cells currently used in the industry of semiconductors for high density applications, such as the use on Smart Card devices, have a structure with a double polysilicon or poly layer and a cell selection transistor. The cells are designed so as to form words of a certain number of bits (for example 8 bits or 32 bits) which depend on the used parallelism. The control gate of these cells is then accessed by means of a corresponding word selection transistor (also called byte switch) which allows biasing the control gates of these cells both in reading and in erasing, or to insulate the same from the biasing voltages in case these cells are not selected.
A memory architecture including a matrix of cells of the EEPROM type realized according to the prior art is schematically shown in FIG. 1 and globally indicated with a 1.
This memory architecture 1 comprises a matrix 2 of memory cells 3 of the EEPROM type, each comprising one sensing or cell transistor MC, i.e. a floating gate transistor constituting the real memory cell, and a cell selection transistor TS.
The EEPROM cells are organized in a matrix, in the example shown in a parallel architecture comprising an array of w bits.
The matrix 2 of cells is connected to a switch portion 4 comprising a plurality of byte switches 5. The byte switch is an element which allows the biasing of the control gate terminals of the memory cells in the various modify and read operations. The switch portion 4 is repeated symmetrically for the successive portions of the matrix 2.
The memory architecture 1 shows in fact a symmetrical structure with respect to a source line SL shared by the entire matrix 2.
In particular, the cell transistors MC belonging to a same word 6 have first conduction terminals, in particular drain terminals, connected to respective selection transistors TS, second conduction transistors, in particular source terminals connected to each other and to the source line SL and control or gate terminals connected to each other and to a respective byte switch 5 of the switch portion 4.
The byte switches 5 have first conduction terminals, in particular source terminals, connected to control gate terminals of the cell transistors MC of a same word 6, second conduction terminals, in particular drain terminals, connected to each other and to a control gate line CGT and control or gate terminals connected to the control or gate terminals shared by the selection transistors TS of the word 6 as well as to respective word lines WL. In this way, all the memory cells 3 belonging to a same word 6 are driven by a same byte switch 5.
Finally, the selection transistors TS have first conduction terminals, in particular drain terminal, connected to respective bit lines BL, second conduction terminals, in particular source terminals, connected to the cell transistors MC and control or gate terminals connected to the word lines WL.
In the architecture 1 as shown, the various programming, erasing and reading operations occur by using particular values for the signals applied onto the lines connected to the terminals of the cell MC and select TS transistors of the memory cells 3, selected (sel) or non selected (non sel), according to what is shown in the following table 1.
TABLE 1ProgrammingReadingLineErasing operationoperationoperationCGT selVe0 VVr1CGT non selFLOAT0 V0 VBL selFLOATVpVr2BL non selFLOATFLOATFLOATWL selVe + Vth bsw(Ve)Vp + Vth sel(Vp)Vr3WL non sel0 V0 V0 VSL0 VFLOAT0 Vbeing:
CGT, BL, WL and SL the control gate, bit, word and source lines respectively;
Ve, Vp erase and program voltage values, respectively;
Vth bsw(Ve) and Vth sel(Vp) threshold voltage values of the byte switch and selection transistors, under conditions of body effect equal to the erase and program voltages, respectively; and
Vr1, Vr2 e Vr3 read voltage values, normally equal to about 1V, 0.8V and 5V.
The word FLOAT also indicates when no biasing voltage is applied onto the corresponding line.
During the programming operation electrons are extracted from the floating gate until a first threshold voltage is obtained lower than a first level UV (state devoid of charge) suitable for coding a first logic level, or logic "1". During the erasing operation, there occurs, in a dual way, an injection of electrons into the floating gate until a second threshold voltage is obtained higher than this first level UV to code a second logic level, or logic "0".
As it is evident from the biasing voltages at stake, in the modifying operations of the charge contained in the floating gate of the cells (programming and erasing), the stress condition to which the various terminals of the cells are subjected are such as to impose a strong limitation to the possibility of scaling down the physical dimensions of the same.
In particular, it is remarked that:
1) It is necessary to maintain the right distance between the active areas of the cell and selection transistors, to allow an efficient insulation between the bit lines against the field parasite transistor (which has a voltage value equal to the word line voltage (i.e. Ve+Vthsel(Ve) applied onto its gate terminal).
2) The minimum length of the selection transistor which serves as cell selector cannot be reduced below a certain limit due to the fact that, during the programming operations, on the drain terminal of this selection transistor a voltage must be applied equal to the programming voltage Vp, and the selection transistor must however ensure the insulation of cells which do not have to be programmed. Under these conditions there has not to be any current induced by high voltages onto its drain terminal.
3) The width of the selection transistor can be reduced only within certain limits, to avoid a significant degradation of the gain of the transistor itself and a subsequent strong limitation of the current necessary in the reading operations.
4) The voltages applied onto the lines of the memory cells should however be maintained around a value equal to ˜12V to ensure a correct programming of the cells, since it is not possible to reduce the thickness of their tunnel oxide not to go below the limit imposed by the requisites linked to the reliability of the memory.
It can thus be understood how these constraints impose a physical limit to the possibility of scaling down the minimum dimensions of an EEPROM cell of a memory architecture realized according to the prior art.

Non-volatile memory architecture and method, in particular of the EEPROM type


Software for managing access control functions in a network. The software includes a host that receives access control commands or information and calls one or more methods. The methods perform access control functions and communicate access control results or messages to be transmitted. The host may be installed in a network peer seeking access to the network or in a server controlling access to the network. When installed in a peer, the host receives commands and exchanges information with a supplicant. When installed in an access control server, the host receives commands and exchanges information with an authenticator. The host has a flexible architecture that enables multiple features, such as allowing the same methods to be used for authentication by multiple supplicants, providing ready integration of third party access control software, simplifying network maintenance by facilitating upgrades of authenticator software and enabling access control functions other than peer authentication.

Computer networks are widely used in many businesses and even in many home settings. In a typical network architecture, many "peers" connect to the network. The network serves as a conduit of information to and from the peers, allowing the peers to exchange information with servers or other network resources or with other peers also connected to the network. For example, a traditional peer may be a desktop computer running the Windows® operating system to create a platform for application programs.
The peer includes a network interface card or other device allowing for a connection to the physical transport medium making up the network. Software added to the operating system, sometimes referred to as a "supplicant," controls the transmission and receipt of datagrams over the physical network medium. The supplicant transmits and interprets datagrams received over the physical media according to a protocol recognized by other network elements, so that network communication is possible. The supplicant implements a transport mechanism and passes information representing a message within the datagram to application programs executing on the peer.
Unfortunately, the widespread use of computer networks has also led to widespread abuse of computer networks. Consequently, most networks include authentication features that block unauthorized access to the network by peers even if sending datagrams according to the network protocol. Traditionally, network authentication is managed by servers connected to access points, switches, RAS/VPN servers or other Network Access Servers (NAS) through which peers may connect to the network. As a peer attempts to connect to the network, these servers, sometimes referred to as RADIUS servers or IAS servers, authenticate the peer to determine whether network access should be granted. If the peer cannot be authenticated, datagrams sent by the peer are not passed through the server to the rest of the network. Likewise, information from the network is not passed on to the peer.
Different networks may be configured to incorporate different mechanisms to authenticate peers. Generally, authentication involves an exchange of datagrams between an authenticator program on the server and the supplicant on the client. The exchange may result in identifying information about the peer being provided to the authenticator software. Additionally, security information or user information may be provided by the supplicant to the authenticator program on the server. For example, the supplicant may prompt a user to enter a user name or password, which is then passed on to the authenticator software by the supplicant. The authentication can be bidirectional. For example, the server can be authenticated by the client as well as the client being authenticated by the server. This is important because it is possible for attackers to set up "fake" access points to which a client may connect. The fake access point allows a client to connect and then can take unauthorized actions. For example, the fake access point can steal the client identity/credentials, become a man-in-the-middle, etc. Certain EAP methods provide the ability for both sides, peer and authenticator, to authenticate each other and thereby avoid such malicious activity. Other types of security information are used in known networks. For example, codes read from smartcards, information from biometric sensors or certificates may all be provided by a supplicant to authenticator software on a server, depending on the specific authentication mechanism in use in the network.
Though many identification mechanisms are available, attempts have been made to standardize the peer authentication process. The Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) defined at RFC 3748 is one such effort to standardize the authentication process. Though standardized, the EAP is intended to be extensible—meaning that the EAP provides a framework for the authentication process. Within that framework, the content of the authentication information exchanged between supplicant and authenticator software may be defined by the network architect, allowing many authentication mechanisms to be employed.


A method is described of generating a vector description of a color gradient in an image. The image comprises an array of pixels, each pixel having one or more associated color values. The image has at least one gradient area in which at least one of the color values varies between neighboring pixels. In each gradient area, a path is generated (step 210) comprising pixels having substantially the same color. Linear paths (403) and circular paths (501) are described. One or more control points are determined (step 220, 230) defining a line substantially perpendicular to the path. Representative color values are calculated at points along the line and a piecewise-linear color function is generated from the representative color values (step 240). The one or more control points and the piecewise-linear color function form a vector description of the color gradient in the gradient area.

It is often desirable to convert image data into a higher-level form. Such conversion may allow the image data to be stored more efficiently. In addition, the resultant higher-level description may be required for further processing of the image data.
Prior art methods for converting an image from a simple raster bitmap into a higher level form like a vector graphics description involve either leaving the colour data in bitmap form or converting small areas of similar colour to flat filled objects.
In the first case where a bitmap is used for the colour data of the converted image, lots of memory is used in storing the bitmap. In the second case in which small areas are converted to flat filled objects, the main problem is that rendering all the areas of flat colour is computationally expensive. An example of this is shown in FIG. 3, where shape 352 having a gradient, or blend, fill has been converted to a format in which areas of similar colour are replaced by objects with a flat colour fill. The rings of colour labelled 350 are distinct objects with no relationship in the output. Each of the rings 350 has a flat colour.
In both of the described cases, the resultant colour data may be difficult to edit using simple controls (for example, changing the start and/or end points for a linear gradient). In addition, the colour data consumes a non-trivial amount of memory.


Nanoporous metal foams are prepared by ignition of high nitrogen transition metal complexes. The ammonium salts of iron(III) tris[bi(tetrazolato)-amine], cobalt(III) tris(bi(tetrazolato)amine), and high nitrogen compounds of copper and silver were prepared as loose powders, pressed into pellets and wafers, and ignited under an inert atmosphere to form nanoporous metal foam monoliths having very high surface area and very low density.

Metal foams have been produced by melt processing, powder processing, deposition techniques, and other methods [1]. Melt processed foams are formed by using either a blowing agent such as a metal hydride, metal carbide, or metal oxide, or by using a lost-polymer investment casting. Metal foams produced using blowing agents often have an inhomogeneous cell structure and density that is due to the non-uniform distribution of blowing agent in the melt. These foams also tend to have a closed cell structure, which limits their uses to structural applications. Open celled foams are preferred for applications related to, for example, catalysis and heat transfer, because the open cell structure allows for the passage of fluid (gas, liquid) through the foam.
Nanostructured metals monoliths have been prepared using polymer or aerogel templates, electrodeposition, and etching of noble metal alloys [5,7]. Metal monoliths prepared by these methods are typically in the form of powders and thin films, and almost all of these methods require template removal to access the nanoporous metal.
The production of porous monolithic structures without using a template continues to be a challenge. Additional challenges are related to controlling the cell structure and shape of the porous monolith, which will likely have an impact on applications such as catalysis, electrode design, and sensor applications. Understanding the factors that control pore sizes in porous metal monoliths could be used in the rational design of nanoporous metals. Furthermore, the lack of generality and flexibility of the current methods in the preparation of nanoporous materials with a variety of different metals remains a problem. The ability to prepare a variety of different nanoporous metals would significantly expand the range and utility of porous metals.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is a method for preparing porous metal.
Another object of the present invention is to provide materials that can be transformed into porous metal.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a general method for preparing nanoporous metal monoliths.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Preparation of nanoporous metal foam from high nitrogen transition metal complexes


A battery connector includes an insulating housing defining a receiving cavity cutting through a top surface and a bottom surface thereof and a conductor accommodated in the corresponding receiving cavity of the insulating housing. The conductor includes a substantial inverted U-shaped contacting portion exposed beyond the top surface of the insulating housing. A pair of substantially symmetrical elastic portions which extends downward from two lower free ends of the contacting portion respectively is restricted in the receiving cavity. A pair of soldering portions extends from two lower ends of the elastic portions. Because the conductor has a substantially symmetrical structure, the force acted on the conductor is shared out equally between the pair of elastic portions. Therefore, the conductor is prevented from offsetting when the battery connector is in use. It ensures the stable contact between the battery and battery connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery connector, and in particular to a battery connector which can ensure a stable electrical connection with a battery.
2. The Related Art
In the mobile communication field, a battery connector is arranged in a mobile phone or other electronic device to electrically connect a battery with an electric board.
Referring to FIG. 5, a conventional battery connector 200 includes an insulating housing 5 and a plurality of terminals 6 accommodated respectively in corresponding receiving cavities 51 of the insulating housing 5. The terminal 6 includes a connecting portion 61, an elastic portion 62 and a locating portion 63. The connecting portion 61 is substantially V-shaped, with one end bent a bit to close the other end. The elastic portion 62 is substantially snake-shaped, with one end extending from the other end of the connecting portion 61 and the other end connects with one end of the locating portion 63. The other end of the locating portion 63 defines a soldering portion 64 thereof.
However, because the elastic portion 62 is substantially snake-shaped, the dissymmetry characteristic of the elastic portion 62 is likely to lead the terminal 6 to offset when the battery connector 200 described above is in use. Therefore, the electrical connection between the terminals 6 and a battery installed in the battery connector 200 is not stable.


This device holds a beverage afloat in an upright position in the water at all times while the beverage is being consumed. This is accomplished by placing a flotation ring around the outer surface of the beverage holder and a weight at the bottom for stability. The device additionally provides a piercing rod for prying open a tab on an aluminum can or puncturing an aluminum can, a bottle opener for opening a different type of beverage and a lanyard and lanyard ring as well as a pouch for litter.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the insulating, opening, floating, and securing a beverage in a body of water so that the beverage remains upright at all times.
B. Prior Art
Many are challenged with the dilemma of drinking a beverage while in a body of water and having no place to set one's drink. If in a pool and holding a beverage, one typically only has one hand to participate in recreational activities. However, the invention disclosed in this application enables one to stably float the beverage in an upright position in the water so that it does not spill.
Scott, U.S. Patent Publication Number 2006/0091141, describes a ring that helps float a beverage. It additionally describes the use of a weight at the bottom that purely serves to stabilize the holder.
Sebastian, U.S. Pat. No. 7,685,908, describes an insulated drink holder that has a bottle opener affixed to the bottom of the holder.
The presented device allows a person to place a beverage in an insulated drink holder that floats but will also allow the beverage to remain upright in the water during the entire time due to a weight that has been added near the bottom surface. In order to make this as user friendly as possible a bottle opener has been placed on the holder as well as a piercing rod. The piercing rod is placed in order to quickly drain the contents of the can, if desired.
Furthermore, in order to insure that the beverage remains near the person while drinking, a ring has been affixed to the beverage holder. The user can tie a lanyard to his or her person or flotation device that may be used and attach the other end of the lanyard to the ring.
While there are other prior art references as described above there was no prior art found that utilized all the novel and innovative features disclosed in this application.

Insulated floating beverage holder with weighted bottom


This invention provides a spring-operated biomedical electrical clasp which includes a clasp base means and a clasp lever, each having a handle end and a jaw end and each preferably being composed of an insulating material such as plastic to provide electrical shielding. The clasp lever is operatively associated with the base member for articulation on the base member at a point intermediate the ends of the lever. An electrically conductive closing spring is connected to the clasp base member. The spring has an intermediate upward projection, i.e., a deflection with spaced upright legs that extends up from the base to the lever and an upper closed end that functions somewhat in the nature of a fulcrum for the lever but, through its resiliency, also yieldably biases the jaw ends toward one another, i.e., to the closed position. The spring can be a leaf spring. One portion of the spring is a gripping portion positioned at the jaw end of the lever to serve as an electrically conductive jaw face. Preferably, an end portion of the closing spring adjacent the handle end of the base (the end opposite from the jaw) includes a terminal portion with a reverse bend having yieldable portions in opposition to one another on each side of this bend to serve as a receptacle for frictionally gripping a conductor, e.g., a pin connector which can be thrust through an opening and between the opposing yieldable portions of the spring.

A biomedical electrode is a flexible, electrically conductive sheet of material having a sticky surface which is placed in contact with the skin of a patient for transferring electromedical signals, such as cardiovascular signals, to electrocardiographic equipment or for stimulating the patient by applying electrical current through the electrode to the patient. Whether they are for stimulation or for electrocardiographic readings, i.e., monitoring, the flexible electrodes (referred to as external electrodes) are placed at selected locations on the skin of the patient and are held in place by adhesive. They include a conductive gel which provides the required electrical conductivity for transferring signals to or from the body through the electrode. These signals to or from the body through the electrode. These electrodes include a lateral extension (tab) on one side or a metal terminal, i.e., a steel snap member to which a wire can be connected.
The present invention is concerned with the provision of an improved connector or clasp for making electrical contact with such monitoring or stimulating electrodes by securely gripping the tab portion of the electrode or snap, as the case may be, as well as to provide an electrical connection with several sizes of male pin-type cable connectors that are now in common use for transferring electromedical signals.
Clasps previously available have been complicated in construction, subject to malfunction, and sometimes expensive to assemble. In addition, they did not always provide a strong gripping force or, in some cases, tended to be loose at the point of articulation so that the jaws of the clasp could wobble from side to side. Another problem was the requirement for using a threaded coupler or soldered connection between the electrical lead wire and the clasp. Another problem with many previously available clasps is that the gripping portion, i.e., the jaw, has only one conductive surface, causing an interruption in transfer of electrical signals when accidentally attached upside-down to the electrode tab which is only conductive on one side, usually its lower side.
A general objective of the invention is to provide an improved clasp that is especially well suited for use with diagnostic electrodes and is adapted to connect to both tab-type electrodes and to snap-type electrodes.
A further object is to provide a clasp that can be easily opened with moderate finger pressure but yet provides a strong, secure closing action for reliably gripping the electrode.
Another object is to provide a clasp that is more reliable in operation, less subject to damage or malfunction, and which can be easily and quickly assembled.
A further object is to employ a single spring that supports a gripping lever which closes the jaws and also provides a receptacle at the other end for pin-type connectors of various sizes that are now in commercial use. More specifically, it is an object to find a way of using a spring which is of a one-piece, i.e. unitary, construction that will eliminate the risk associated with a soldered joint formerly used, which is subject to breakage, so as to thereby guarantee an uninterrupted transfer of electrical signals from the gripping jaws to the receptacle end of the clasp to which is attached the pin connector at the end of a lead wire.
It is another object to provide a spring that is wider wire springs than presently used in the trade, so as to achieve a sturdier construction and larger contact surface area for maximum conductivity at the gripping end of the clasp.
Yet another object is to provide a simply constructed and reliable clasp having an articulated clasp lever (for opening and closing the jaws of the clasp) which is supported upon the base of the clasp by a one-piece spring that provides the spring action for closing the jaws of the clasp as well as for securing a pin connector to the clasp.
Another object is to find a way of preventing the clasp from accidentally contacting the sticky hydrogel portion of the flexible electrode which, when it occurs, will cause what is known as "base-line wander", a completely unacceptable condition that distorts the electrical signal received.
Another object is to provide a retaining hook or prong which will pierce the electrode tab yet cause less damage to the tab and, in addition, is inherently easier to remove from the tab when the jaws are open.
Yet another object is to find a way of preventing lead wires from becoming entangled between the gripping end portions of the clasp levers.
Still a further object is to provide resilient or yieldable gripping elements that slidably engage and yieldably contact opposing surfaces of a pin connector for securely gripping the pin to provide a reliable electrical connection therewith.
These and other more detailed and specific objects of the present invention will be apparent in view of the following description setting forth by way of example but a few of the various forms of the invention that will be apparent to those skilled in the art once the principles described herein are understood.


There is provided a one-way gasoline valve that is functional with conventional gasoline dispensing pumps in the United States today. An outer tubing body is open at both ends. One end is threaded to allow it to be placed into the end of a threaded gasoline dispensing pump nozzle assembly. A crossbar is provided, attached to a spring. This spring runs the length of the outer tubing, and has a large metal ball permanently attached to it at the end of the outer tubing body that is not threaded. This ball rests in position against a curved surface of the outer tubing that conforms to the curvature of the ball.

In the United States, well over 100 million automobiles and 50 million trucks are in use. Moreover, millions of motor boats are used at least seasonally every year. The result is a large number of vehicles that must be filled with liquid fuel, such as gasoline, oil, or a mixture of both. In the process of filling these vehicles, a small amount of gasoline is inevitably released even after the pump has been shut off. The result is a small degree of spillage of the gasoline on the ground, water, or the exterior of the vehicle. Multiply this small amount of gasoline loss for each car and truck and boat by the total number of individuals experiencing this spillage and we have an unbelievably large amount of gasoline being lost. This gasoline spillage is damaging to the environment. Both the liquid and the gasoline fumes are potentially hazardous to the environment. Moreover, such spillage of fuel is wasteful of our natural resources.
Although there exist several varieties of one-way valves for liquids, none of these specifically addresses the need to prevent gasoline leakage from common, everyday gasoline pumps.
None of the previously produced one-way valves addresses the specific problem of leakage from a conventional gasoline dispensing pump. These previously produced one-way valves do not have dimensions that allow them to be used, without equipment modification, with a standard gasoline pump and automobile filling pipes.
It is an object of the invention to provide a one-way gas valve that allows gasoline to pass through it only when the gasoline pump is in operation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide easy compliance with conventional gasoline dispensing pump nozzle assemblies.


A modular jack is adapted for connecting a cable terminated with a plug to a circuit board. The jack includes a housing having a front face with a receptacle for receiving the plug, a rear face and a bottom face adapted for mounting on the circuit board. A light guide is provided on the housing and includes a front end at the front face of the housing and a remote end near the bottom face of the housing for guiding light from a source thereof on the circuit board to the front of the housing.

Electrical connectors having built-in indicator lights have been known for some time. In these connectors, the indicator lights typically are located at the front of the connector. A typical connector may include an integral LED device to emit a light which indicates an operational function such as the reception or transmission of data or voice signals, verification of a good connection between separate pieces of equipment, indication when power is on or off, indication of a defect in a network transmission or any other state or condition in the equipment with which the connector is operatively associated.
Visual light indicating connectors are popular in modular jacks or similar types of connectors commonly used in telecommunications and data networking equipment. These jacks often are mounted on a circuit board to which they are to be connected. Problems have been encountered in incorporating such light indicating devices, such as LED devices, directly onto the connector due to the ever-increasing miniaturization of telecommunications and data networking equipment. There simply is not enough space to mount many LED devices directly on the connector housing. In addition, regardless of the size of the connector or jack, connectors which include light transmitting devices are expensive to manufacture and assembly for an otherwise relatively inexpensive component.
Also, integrating active visual indicators can introduce serious electromagnetic interference (EMI), due to the relatively high vertical distance of the associated indicator wiring from the PCB ground plane.
The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing an electrical connector or modular jack which has light indicating capabilities without mounting the source of the light directly on the connector itself.

Electrical connector with light transmission means


The present invention is directed to a syringe that includes a gas driven piston to force liquid medication from a syringe cartridge through a variety of injection nozzles. The syringe may be mechanically operated for loading or aspirating the syringe.

The present invention is directed to a syringe that includes a gas driven piston to force liquid medication from a syringe cartridge through a variety of injection nozzles. The nozzles include a traveling hidden needle which is retracted until the syringe is activated and then is extended to puncture the skin of the person injected. The invention also contemplates a needleless injection nozzle which will permit injection without a needle. Further, in accordance with the invention, a very short needle which only barely penetrates the skin to assist injection is provided. The syringe may be mechanically operated for loading or aspirating the syringe.
The use of needleless injection has two major advantages. First, there is a needle phobia that is astonishingly widespread. Therefore,an injector that doesn't use or present a needle can do a lot to dispel that stigma from a lot of people. Secondly, the use of needleless injection decreases the frequency of accidental needle sticking and thus reduce the risk of the spread of possibly disease among the people who would otherwise handle the used needle. Use of needleless injection reduces tissue trauma and the development of scar tissue.
Needleless injection is well known in the art. In World War II for example, there are stories about lines of soldiers who were given pneumatically aspirated needleless injections. This was done for mass production reasons of getting the most injections in the most people in the least amount of time. The injectors used were massive guns. These guns utilized compressed air of maybe 500 psi and therefore needed substantial pressure chamber or accumulation chambers in order to provide sufficient energy to drive the liquid medication or vaccine through the skin.
The art has recognized the advantages of needleless injection. For example, the Russian literature recognized that Soviet needleless injectors were used in anesthetic practice with 271 patients (1670 injections) for premedication, local anesthesia in all sorts of surgical procedures, in primary surgical treatment of wounds, in bone fractures and for administration of analgesics during the postoperative period. Effects supervened 2-3 times more rapidly and the doses were 2-5 times smaller than when an ordinary syringe with a needle was used. Needleless injectors have definite advantages over syringes.
Further, the German literature has noted that when looking for new techniques of insulin applications which could replace the insulin syringe, we examined the possibility of using a dosable jet injector (Med. E Jet Injector) for dosing precision and handling as well as for bioavailability of insulin by measuring plasma insulin and blood glucose effects whereby syringe injection and jet injection were compared. In the following, we tested the compatibility of this latter type of application. Jet injection of insulin turned out to be more precise and compatibility at the site of a single test was good. The insulin appeared faster in the blood and accordingly disappeared faster after application of regular insulin (Alt-Insulin CS, Hoechst) and of crystalline intermediate acting insulin (Monotard MC, Novo) or of acid intermediate acting insulin (Depotinsulin CS, Hoechst). Blood glucose and C-peptide as a measure of B-cell function inhibition decreased more rapidly. This fact points to a faster kinetic after insulin jet injection. Hence, the jet injection technique is basically suited for insulin application. When changing over from syringe to jet injection differences in kinetics have to be considered.
Thus, the art has recognized both the advantages and the benefits that are gained through the use of needleless injection. There are known needleless injectors with many different mechanical methods of operation. For example, there are commercially available needleless insulin injectors that use spring power to provide the injection force. These devices generally require complicated manipulation before they are ready to use. There is still a need for a self-contained compact versatile injection syringe that can be used to give an individual injection utilizing a needleless injection nozzle and be used to give injections with minimum needle exposure and use.


An audio signal recording apparatus and method for recording an video signal (e.g., a half field) and at least four channels of audio signals corresponding to the video signal to a plurality of tracks on a tape. The audio signals are recorded to recording blocks in an audio recording area which are separated from a recording area for the corresponding video signal in accordance with a priority rating. More specifically, the at least four channels of audio signals are divided into groups each having a plurality of channels. The audio signal recording area is divided into a plurality of recording blocks in the longitudinal direction of the tracks and each group of audio data is recorded to one of the audio signal recording blocks. Each group of audio data is assigned a priority rating depending on the importance of the data contained therein. Audio data having a high priority are recorded to blocks that are located further away from the track ends than those for audio data having a low priority. Since the contact fit between the tape and a recording head at the track ends is unstable, by recording the audio data of high priorities in blocks located relatively for away from the track ends where the tape-to-head contact fit is more stable, deterioration in sound quality is minimized for the important data upon reproduction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio signal recording apparatus and method for use with video tape recorders (VTR's) such as those which record high definition television (HDTV) signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some VTR's are designed to record and reproduce HDTV signals which have a wideband and a high frequency. Typically these VTR's record an HDTV signal per unit time (e.g., over one field) by dividing the signal into a plurality of segments on a plurality of channels. As a result, the frequency of the recorded signal is lowered and the frequency band is reduced.
FIG. 7 is a typical rotating head device for use with the above-mentioned VTR's. In FIG. 7, an A channel head 1A having a first azimuth position and a B channel head 1B having a second azimuth position, which is different from the first azimuth position, are located so as to have the same angular position with respect to a rotating drum 3, that is, the heads 1A and 1B are one track width apart along the axis of rotation. Likewise, another A channel head 2A having the first azimuth position and another B channel head 2B having the second azimuth position are located 180 degrees away from heads 1A and 1B, in which the heads 2A and 2B are also one track width apart along the axis of rotation of the drum 3. A magnetic tape 4 is wound obliquely around a 180 degree-plus angular portion of the drum 3. The rotating heads 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B are rotated at a rotating speed of 60 Hz.
In the above-described rotating head device, each pair of rotating heads, that is, 1A, 1B and 2A, 2B, alternately records the HDTV signals to the oblique recording tracks on the magnetic tape 4 shown in FIG. 8. Thus each pair of heads records the signals over a tape contact segment corresponding to that obtained by rotating the drum 3 through a 180 degree angle.
More specifically, during the first half of one rotation of the rotating drum 3, that is, a 180 degree rotation, the rotating heads 1A and 1B contact the tape 4. During this half rotation, the rotating heads 1A and 1B simultaneously form an A channel track TA1 and a B channel track TB1 respectively. During the second half of the rotation or the second 180-degree rotation of the drum 3, the rotating heads 2A and 2B simultaneously form an A channel track TA2 and a B channel track TB2, respectively. These operations are alternated by the two pairs of rotating heads. In the above process, two tracks formed simultaneously by each pair of rotating heads, 1A and 1B or 2A and 2B, constitute one segment. Recorded in each segment is a video signal and a corresponding pulse code modulated (PCM) audio signal for a half-field. Therefore, four tracks, for example, TA1, TB1, TA2 and TB2, are used to record one field of signal data, and four segments are employed to record one frame of signal data.
When recording the HDTV signals with the VTR, the video signal, which includes a luminance signal and two color difference signals, is recorded in an analog format, whereas the audio signal, which is a PCM signal, is recorded in a digital format over four channels each representing 16 bits of audio data. These recorded video and audio signals are accommodated in different recording areas, which are arranged longitudinally, of the magnetic tape 4.
Experience has shown that providing a plurality of video signal recording areas per track complicates video signal processing. If the video recording area per track is therefore not divided, then there are three ways of establishing video and audio signal recording areas per track, as shown in FIGS. 9 (A), 9 (B) and 9 (C). In these figures, VA identifies a video signal recording area and PA identifies a PCM audio signal recording area.
In the arrangement of FIG. 9 (A), a PCM audio signal recording area PA is located on the starting side of each of the tracks TA1, TB1, TA2 and TB2 scanned by the rotating heads 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B, respectively. In the arrangement of FIG. 9 (B), a PCM audio signal recording area is located on the ending side of each track scanned by each head. In the arrangement of FIG. 9 (C), one PCM audio signal recording area is located on the starting side and one area is located on the ending side of each track scanned by each head.
Therefore, in each of the above-described arrangements, a PCM audio signal recording area PA is located on the starting and/or ending side of each head-scanned track. However, the head scan starting or ending part of any track is vulnerable to scratches or damage which may be inflicted because of its location at a tape end. This damage tends to produce drop-outs in the reproduced signal. Furthermore, since the head scan starting part of the tape is the part where a head starts contacting the tape, a relatively snug fit between the head and the tape has not as yet been achieved. This can cause the RF reproduction output to fluctuate and can lead to signal dropouts. This problem is more likely to occur the closer the position of contact is to a longitudinal end of the tape.
When the audio signal is conventionally recorded in the PCM signal format, the so-called interleaving process is utilized and error correction codes are added to the audio signal. The interleaving process generally involves distributing PCM audio data samples within the recording areas according to a predetermined set of rules. To record the audio signal, the audio signal of each channel is distributed to the two tracks of each segment. In interleaving processing, if a data sample from the signal of one of the two tracks has dropped-out and cannot be corrected by an error correction code, then for reproduction, another data sample which is intact and located relatively near the dropped sample is interpolated so as to approximately reconstruct the missing audio signal.
However, signal reconstruction utilizing interpolation techniques, as discussed above, inevitably causes some degree of degradation in the sound quality. The greater the magnitude of signal drop-outs, the more pronounced the sound quality degradation.
If the audio signals of all four channels are recorded in the above-described conventional manner and under the same conditions, then all of the reproduced signals will contain the above-described draw-backs.

Audio signal recording apparatus and method for use with VTR


An interference-resistant method for a wireless audio system capable of transforming an audio signal into an RF signal includes transforming the audio signal into a PCM signal, appending a first control signal to the PCM signal, and modulating the PCM signal with the first control signal into an analog base-band signal. The method further includes up-converting the analog base-band signal into the RF signal and transmitting the RF signal into the air in a transmitting mode and receiving the RF signal in the air during a receiving mode. The channel is switched to another one upon determining that a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) level of the RF signal is greater than a first predetermined value a plurality of times within a predetermined time interval.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless audio system, and more particularly, to an interference-resistant wireless audio system and related method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, due to the progressive development of wireless communications technology, a variety of electronic device comprising a wireless communication module can wirelessly transmit and receive audio signals and data signals.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a functional block diagram of a wireless audio system 10 according to the prior art. The wireless audio system 10 comprises a transmitter 12 for transforming an analog audio signal into an RF signal and for transmitting the RF signal into the air, and a receiver 14 for receiving the RF signal in the air and for transforming the received RF signal into a corresponding analog audio signal. Therefore, a user can hear the analog audio signal from the receiver 14.
The transmitter 12 comprises an audio signal receiver 16, an audio data format converter 18, a frame & coding unit 20, a modulation module 22, and an RF transmitter 24.
The audio signal receiver 16, along with the audio data format converter 18, sample the analog audio signals and a plurality of digitized sampling data points are acquired, each of which corresponds to an amplitude and phase of the analog audio signal at a predetermined sampling rate. Then the sampling data points are transformed into a digital signal P1 formatted for the pulse-code modulation (PCM). Thereafter, the frame & coding unit 20 appends a header and a tail serving as an error protection code to the digital signal P1, and generates a bit-streamed frame signal P2, which will be transmitted to the modulation module 22 bit by bit. The modulation module 22 modulates the bit-streamed frame signal P2 into an analog base-band signal P3 suit for wireless communications. Subsequently, the RF transmitter 24 up-converts the analog base-band signal P3 into an RF signal P4, and wirelessly transmits the RF signal P4 into the air.
The receiver 14 comprises an RF receiver 26, a demodulation module 28, a frame synchronization controller 30, a digital-to analog converter (DAC) 32, and a detachable speaker 34.
After receiving the RF signal P4 transmitted by the transmitter 12, the RF receiver 26 down-converts the RF signal P4 into a base-band signal P5, which corresponds to the base-band signal P3. The demodulation module 28 then demodulates the base-band signal P5 into a bit-streamed frame signal P6 corresponding to the frame signal P2 which is suit for digitally serial transmission. The frame synchronization controller 30 parses the header and the tail appended to the frame signal P6, and identifies the correctness to acquire a digital audio signal P7. After the DAC 32 transforms the digital audio signal P7 into an analog audio signal, the speaker 34 plays the analog audio signal transformed by the DAC 32.
Ideally, the analog audio signal played by the speaker 34 should be the same as that inputted into the audio signal receiver 16. Besides, all wireless communication devices usually use the unlicensed band, such as 2.4 G ISM band or 5 G ISM band, which are defined by the wireless legislation of Governments. For example, FCC in US or CE in Europe.
Please refer to FIG. 7 and FIG. 2. FIG. 7 lists a plurality of channels and their corresponding channel center frequencies in WLAN 802.11b and 802.11g standard. FIG. 2 is a frequency spectrum of the channels in WLAN 802.11b and 802.11g standard. As FIG. 2 shows, each of the channels occupies a bandwidth as wide as 22 MHz, while the difference between any two neighboring channel is as narrow as 5 MHz only. Thus, two RF signals respectively transmitted by the wireless communication devices will interfere with each other if the interval of the channels are not wider than four channels.
When a channel used by a wireless communication device is overlapped by another one, the RF signals transmitted by the wireless communication device are interfered. Therefore, the severely distorted analog audio signals are generated, and the speaker 34 will mute in order not to output unendurable noises. Sometimes, the interference problem is so severe that a wireless communications link between the transmitter 12 and the receiver 14 is severely impacted or even failed.
When the distortion, the noises, or the fail of the wireless communication link resulted from the interference problem occur, the wireless audio system 10 executes the mute process to control the speaker 34 not to play the probably contaminated analog audio signal until the interference problem is gone. However, if the speaker 34 is playing music, the mute process will interrupt the music and spoils the mood of a user to enjoy the music.
In addition to the mute process, the wireless audio system 10 can get rid of the interference problem by switching the interfered channel manually. However, the switching process is inconvenienced for the user because he has to switch the channel manually as hearing the noise.

Interference-resistant wireless audio system and the method thereof


A digital IF demodulator receives and demodulates an analog IF input signal to produce a digital audio signal and a digital video signal. The digital IF demodulator includes an A/D converter, a first digital complex mixer, a second digital complex mixer, and various digital filters. The first digital complex mixer receives the output of the A/D converter and down-converts the output of the A/D converter to baseband. Additionally, the picture carrier is recovered from the output of the first digital complex mixer, and fed back to a direct digital synthesizer to control the tuning accuracy of the first digital complex mixer. More specifically, a feedback loop is formed to so that the picture carrier is down-converted to DC so as to control the tuning accuracy of the first digital complex mixer. The complex output of the first complex mixer is further processed using Nyquist filtering and other filtering to recover the digital video signal. The digital audio signal is recovered by further processing the output of the first digital complex mixer. With the picture carrier located at DC, the audio signal is shifted off DC by approximately 4.5 Mhz. A second complex mixer down-converts the output of the first digital complex mixer so that the audio signal at 4.5 MHz is down-converted to baseband. After filtering and demodulation, the digital audio signal is recovered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a digital IF demodulator, and more specifically to a digital IF demodulator for processing television signals.
2. Background Art
Various analog IF demodulators are used to process television signals. These analog approaches require very accurate filter implementations that often require expensive and time consuming tuning of individual units. To properly recover the video, the shape of the Nyquist filter in the receiver needs to be defined accurately, and the tuner needs to accurately center the picture carrier exactly in the middle of the Nyquist slope of the IF filter, which requires high precision phase lock loops in the tuner. Conventionally, this required separate preprocessing filters for NTSC analog television signals and digital television signals, as well as a separate IF demodulator for the NTSC analog signal. Thus, what is needed is a digital IF demodulator that lessens the filtering requirements on the RF tuner.
It is also desirable to integrate the IF demodulator onto a single low cost silicon substrate fabricated with the low cost Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) process. Such integration reduces part count, cost, and size. Complete integration into a single, low cost substrate has been difficult to achieve because the limitations of the designed circuitry often call for external components. Such external circuitry typically requires components having large values of capacitance and inductance that do not facilitate integration into a single substrate.
Thus, what is needed is a digital IF demodulator that may be completely integrated onto a single silicon substrate. Such a demodulator would minimize or eliminate external circuitry, and allow efficient and economical integration and fabrication on a single silicon substrate.

Digital IF demodulator with carrier recovery


An internally toothed die which has the entire root to pitch diameter of its die tooth tip material removed in the transition zone between the land area and the trailing relieved portion; this essentially redistributes the extrusion bending forces without sacrificing helical workpiece guidance, dimensional control, or surface integrity during extrusion of an externally helically toothed gear. It provides a relieved portion that has a leading scallop with a spherical radius and a trailing portion that is linear but tangent to the spherical radius.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the art of cold extrusions of externally toothed helical members, such as helical gears, and more particularly to techniques for extending the fatigue life of dies used to carry out the extrusion.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The original process to cold form helical external gear teeth to near net shape was developed during the early 1970's (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,091) and was initially used to make planet pinions useful in automatic transmissions for automotive and truck applications. This process replaced slower and more costly conventional machining of gear teeth such as by metal cutting hobbing methods.
To produce more acceptable workpiece quality, including less shape variability and greater die life, the die must have internal teeth which have a contoured entrance face and relatively thin die tooth tip thickness, which tip is linearly relieved at a trailing position (such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,842). Unfortunately, such internal teeth configurations provide for an acceptable die life (meaning greater than 50,000 or more extruded blanks through such die) only if the aspect ratio (height/width ratio) of the tooth profile remains less than about 1.5. At greater aspect ratios, the die life deteriorates rapidly due to excessive torsional loading and bending of the tooth tip at the beginning or transitional zone of the relieved portion, thus causing breakage. High aspect ratios are desirable in many new gear designs because they promote a quieter, smoother action and thus this problem must be overcome.
It is an object of this invention to reduce the bending load on internal die teeth having large aspect ratios and an accompanying thin die tooth tip; the reduction should take place by directing the loading to the stronger tooth base away from the thin tooth tip or vulnerable land-to-relief transition zone.

Cold extrusion of externally toothed helical members


When a position on a displayed graph is selected, a graph information processor acquires time information which is a parameter on an axis at the selected position. A character information acquirer acquires character information that includes date/time information as one of the attributes that matches the acquired time information. The acquired character information is displayed.

In a promotional sales activity etc. by sales person, many presentation materials are usually used. In particular, in securities or finance businesses, proposed goods materials or proposed goods promotional materials (hereinafter simply referred to as "proposed goods materials") briefly outlining the proposed goods (hereinafter simply referred to as "proposed goods") such as bonds and stocks etc. that the salesperson wants to sell to his/her clients, are often used. Also the background materials containing information to encourage the client's motivation to purchase the proposed goods (hereinafter simply referred to as "background materials") are often prepared as presentation materials and presented to the clients when providing advice on the asset management and product sales of bonds, stocks and investment trust fund etc. These background materials are often formed with a group of numerical values mainly representing the basic situations of economic environment (for example, past social events or economic trend etc.). In order to visually describe the change in such numeric values, graphs are usually used. Therefore, material creation support systems including graphs etc. have been known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1) Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent publication H8-180037 A.

Material creation support device, material creation support system, and program


An unattended gas station is disclosed having lockable pumps usable by a control group of purchasers who are provided with unlocking keys or cards, said pumps having flame and heat detectors and fire suppressants associated therewith and being monitored from a remote location by a security company through cameras and the detectors who can activate said fire suppressants and contact necessary fire, medical, and law enforcement personnel if needed.

Throughout the world and particularly in North America the number of motor vehicles increases significantly each year so that the consumption of motor vehicle fuel is continuously rising. Consequently, the need for more outlets for dispensing motor vehicle fuel also increases. However, the outlets or gas stations tend to be concentrated in populated, high traffic, areas and sometimes are not easy to access in such areas because of the position of the station's driveway entrance located on one-way streets, and difficulties in exiting from higher speed highways.
One way of providing more gas stations has been to switch to self-service stations that are most often associated with convenience stores. The convenience store attendant or checkout person has to continuously watch the pumps while attending to the cash register. Because of the risk of armed robbery and because of inconvenient hours, it is difficult to get qualified people to work at such stations. Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide unattended gasoline refueling stations at supermarket parking lots, shopping centers, interstate rest stops, and other locations where space limitation would not permit a conventional filling station or convenience store.
In the past, even though payment for gasoline has been available by credit card or direct insertion of cash at a gas pump so equipped; development of a completely unattended station has been limited because of local fire codes and fear of vandalism. For example, according to Section 30A the "Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities and Repair Garage Code" of the Natural Fire Protection Association (NFPA) of Quincy, Mass., one exception to the "no unattended station" rule is to only allow refueling at unattended locations where the vehicle and the gas pumps "are under common control or ownership." This allows a charter bus at a garage owned by the bus company to be refueled from an unattended pump, for example. In a later NFPA revision, namely, review 9A in Section 30A NFPA has made design recommendations for unattended stations but has ultimately left the decision up to local fire marshals. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a method for dispensing gasoline at unattended locations by minimizing the opportunities for vandalism and theft and to provide a method which would be in compliance with fire codes and are acceptable to fire departments in most vicinities.
Another exception to the no unattended station rule is where key and card lock dispensing devices are used. Thus, another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that will meet with both exceptions so that unattended pumps will be accepted in most localities and the public will have a means for safe unattended gasoline refueling protected by both fire detection technology and by the local fire protection company.
In the past, a number of detectors and devices have been developed to make it safer to dispense gasoline at self-service installations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,647 B1 which issued to William Pung, et al. on May 29, 2001 discloses an automatic refueling station where an automobile is provided with an onboard database that communicates with the gas station when the automobile arrives so the station computer can compute all the data needed to refuel the automobile including opening the gas tank and dispensing the fuel. However, this system is totally computer driven and there is no human surveillance save that of the vehicle operator. It is, however, an object of the present invention not to remove human surveillance totally from dispensing of the fuel but to provide continuous surveillance from a remote location by trained personnel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,458 B1, which issued on Apr. 24, 2001 to Scott C. Harris a method is described for preventing a fire or explosion caused by a cellular phone used while pumping gasoline.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,395 which issued on Nov. 30, 1999 to Hal Hartsell, Jr. et al. a vapor recovery system at a gas pump becomes operable if the vapor recovery system of the vehicle being refueled is not working or if the vehicle does not have one.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,520 which issued to William S. Johnson, Jr. on Apr. 6, 1999 a method of detecting drive offs is described. Another safety device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,108 that issued to Mark Clymer on Dec. 22, 1998 and which discloses an impact sensor system for a gas pump.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,503 that issued on Jun. 3, 1997 to David I. Musil, et al. a method of automatically positioning the refueling nozzle close to a vehicle at a gas station by moving the gas pump nozzle on a track overhead is disclosed. In addition, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,154, which issued on Mar. 4, 1997 to Nabuhide Kato a carbon monoxide detector is described. Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,906 which issued on Sep. 6, 1994 to Harry F. Tibbals a method of checking emissions from a vehicle while it is being refueled is disclosed and the sensors also check for carbon monoxide. In another patent, namely, U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,748 which issued on Feb. 20, 1990 to Albert Shotmeyer a filling station structure having an overhead canopy for covering a vehicle at a refueling station is disclosed which contains smoke detectors that automatically call the fire department in the event of fire or smoke.
In the foregoing patents some of the detectors and prior art devices for keeping dispensing of gasoline safer are disclosed, particularly, for self-service dispensing of gasoline. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to make use of prior art detection devices and surveillance cameras to provide a safe and acceptable method of dispensing gasoline at locations which are unattended. The achievement of these objects will be more fully understood with reference to the summary of the invention and detailed description that follow.

Method and apparatus for dispensing motor vehicle fuel at unattended locations


A method of securing a circuit design can include generating a string including a plurality of elements. The plurality of elements can include elements of design information selected from within the circuit design and at least one security element indicating whether the circuit design is protected. The method further can include permuting the plurality of elements of the string, encrypting the permuted string using a key shared with a circuit design tool, and including the permuted and encrypted string within the circuit design.

Modern integrated circuits (ICs) are developed through the use of hardware description languages (HDLs). HDLs such as Verilog®, VHDL®, and the like allow developers to create software-based representations of circuit designs. One advantage of using an HDL is the potential for code reuse from one design to another. This concept has been realized with the commercial availability of intellectual property (IP) cores. In general, an IP core refers to a software representation of a semiconductor, a circuit design, or any portion thereof, that provides a processing function.
IP cores are made available by hardware vendors and other third party suppliers. Presently, there is a strong demand for IP cores as designers use these software components to create and simulate larger circuits and systems. IP cores typically are implemented in an HDL. If distributed in this form, however, any confidential and/or trade secret information relating to the supplier's IP core or the circuit design represented by the IP core would be revealed to third parties. Accordingly, IP core providers have an interest in securing IP cores prior to distribution and protecting the IP cores from reverse engineering.

Securing circuit designs within circuit design tools


An exterior watch carton having a removable support insert is provided. The walls of the support insert align with the walls of the carton to form a reinforced carton. The support insert interlocks with the base of the carton so that the support insert may be removed. The support insert also changes the interior dimensions of the carton while not interfering with the external dimensions.

The present invention relates to an exterior watch carton and in particular, to an exterior watch carton which is lined with a support insert to reinforce the sidewalls of the carton and to change the internal area of the carton without affecting the outer dimensions.
Generally, conventional exterior watch cartons include a base, a plurality of sidewalls, a front wall, a rear wall and a lid. These components cooperate with one another to form a three-dimensional carton capable of holding an interior watch box.
In most instances, the cartons are produced with uniform dimensions for display purposes and ease of handling. Therefore, the carton must be constructed to accommodate interior watches boxes of all sizes. Since the carton must accommodate large watch boxes, smaller watch boxes do not fit securely in the exterior carton.
Another problem exists in that the cardboard construction of the carton may not be strong enough for all uses. Since the cartons are produced having a uniform thickness, it is difficult to provide a reinforced carton.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide an improved watch carton with reinforced sidewalls and a mechanism for changing the interior area of the carton without disrupting the uniformity of the exterior.


A novel surfactant of formula I: EQU R.sub.1 O(R.sub.2 O).sub.b (Z).sub.a OCH.sub.2 COO.sup.- X.sup.+I. wherein R.sub.1 is a monovalent organic radical having from about 6 to about 30 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 is divalent alkylene radical having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms; Z is a saccharide residue having 5 or 6 carbon atoms; b is a number having a value from 0 to about 12; a is a number having a value from 1 to about 6; and X is an alkali metal ion.

It is known that various surfactants have been found to be useful in cleaning compositions, such as shower gels, shampoos, and light duty detergents such as dish washing detergents. Un these types of compositions, good foamability is a prerequisite. The most widely used surfactants in these types of compositions are anionic surfactants such as alkyl sulfates, alkyl ether sulfates, sulfonates, sulfosuccinates and sarcosinates.
Although the use of anionic surfactants in these compositions permits the attainment of desirable properties, including good foamability, the degree of foam stability leaves much to be desired. Foam stability relates to the ability of the foam, once formed, to remain intact for extended periods of time, thus enhancing the cleaning performance of the surfactant compositions.
It is sometimes advantageous to use mixtures of surfactants in cleaning compositions when the surfactants can serve different functions, e.g., one serving to improve foamability and another serving to adjust viscosity. However, known surfactant mixtures typically provide a compromise between what can be achieved with the surfactant ingredients alone. For example, a mixture of more costly surfactants such as amine oxides, betaines and alkanolamides which provide good foamability by themselves, with less expensive surfactants which provide poorer foamability will result in the formulation of a cleaning composition having an intermediate degree of foamability and poor foam stability.
Alkyl polyglycosides are used as nonionic surfactants and are distinguished from other nonionic surfactants by their excellent detergent properties and high ecotoxicological compatibility. For this reason, this class of nonionic surfactants is acquiring increasing significance. They are generally used in liquid formulations, for example dishwashing detergents and hair shampoos. However, because of there increased desirability as surface active agents, there use as surfactants in many other types of products is growing rapidly.
While the use of mixtures of anionic and nonionic surfactants in most cases serves to further the objectives of both classes of surfactants, it would be much more desirable, and significantly less costly to employ, a single compound which would exhibit the favorable properties which are indigenous to both anionic and nonionic surfactants.


A low noise amplifier has the properties of low noise figure and high gain under a high-frequency operation. The low noise amplifier includes a first transistor, a first inductive impedance, a first gate voltage source, a matching circuit, an input, a second inductive impedance, a second transistor, a first capacitive impedance, a second gate voltage source, a third transistor, a third gate voltage source, a second capacitive impedance, a first impedance, a second impedance, a direct current source, a first output, a second output, a first resistor, a second resistor, a third resistor, a first bulk voltage source, a second bulk voltage source, and a third bulk voltage source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a low noise amplifier, and more particularly, to a single-ended input to differential-ended output low noise amplifier implemented with cascode and cascade topology.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A low noise amplifier is part of a receiver in a communication system and providing functions of amplifying received signals and suppressing noise figure of the receiver while designing a receiver of a general communication system. A conventional low noise amplifier is implemented with a single-ended input to single-ended output structure. However, a mixer connected to the conventional low noise amplifier has to be a single-ended input mixer because of the single-ended input to single-ended output structure so that common mode noises of the mixer and signals transmitted from a local oscillator and downconverted by the mixer to intermediated frequency (so called LO to IF feedthrough) cannot be efficiently reduced.
While designing a differential-ended output low noise amplifier, a differential-ended input to differential-ended output low noise amplifier would be conventional. However, a balun (balanced-to-unbalanced) has to be added in a previous stage of the differential-ended input to differential-ended output low noise amplifier so that a single-ended input signal received at the balun is transformed into a differential-ended output signal. The balun not only increases cost of implementing a low noise amplifier but also increases the noise figure of a corresponding receiver since the increase of the noise figure is generated from loss of the balun.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a diagram of a prior art low noise amplifier 100 having a single-ended input to differential-ended output structure, the low noise amplifier 100 implemented with a passive transformer. As shown in FIG. 1, the low noise amplifier 100 comprises a balun 102, a first transistor 110, a dc (direct current) current source 112, a second transistor 114, a first output matching impedance 116, a second output matching impedance 118, a first output 120, and a second output 122. The balun 102 comprises a first coil 104, a second coil 106, and an input 108. The gate of the first transistor 110 is coupled to a first terminal of the second coil 106. The dc current source 112 is coupled to the source of the first transistor 110. The gate of the second transistor 114 is coupled to a second terminal of the second coil 106. The source of the second transistor 114 is coupled to the dc current source 112. The first output matching impedance 116 is coupled to the drain of the first transistor 110. The second output matching impedance 118 is coupled to the drain of the second transistor 114. The first output 120 is coupled to the drain of the first transistor 110. The second output 122 is coupled to the drain of the second transistor 114. The differential-ended output structure of the low noise amplifier 100 is formed by both the first output 120 and the second output 122. The first coil 104 and the second coil 106 of the balun 102 are formed from wires of a corresponding integrated circuit. A signal having a phase difference equivalent to 180 degrees is generated from both the first coil 104 and the second coil 106 and transmitted to both the first transistor 110 and the second transistor 114. Then both the first transistor 110 and the second transistor 114 amplify the signal for generating a high frequency signal.
Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a diagram of a prior art low noise amplifier 200, and one of the differential transistors of the low noise amplifier 200 is grounded. As shown in FIG. 2, the low noise amplifier 200 comprises a first input matching impedance 202, an input 208, a first transistor 210, a dc current source 212, a second transistor 214, a second input matching impedance 204, a first output matching impedance 216, a second output matching impedance 218, a first output 220, and a second output 222. The output 208 is coupled to a first terminal of the first input matching impedance 202. The gate of the first transistor 210 is coupled to a second terminal of the first input matching impedance 202. The dc current source 212 is coupled to the source of the first transistor 210. The source of the second transistor 214 is coupled to the dc current source 212. The second input matching impedance 204 is coupled to the gate of the second transistor 214. The first output matching impedance 216 is coupled to the drain of the first transistor 210. The second output matching impedance 218 is coupled to the drain of the second transistor 214. The first output 220 is coupled to the drain of the first transistor 210. The second output 222 is coupled to the drain of the second transistor 214. The differential-ended output structure of the low noise amplifier 200 is formed by both the first output 220 and the second output 222. As shown in FIG. 2, one of the differential transistors of the low noise amplifier 200 is grounded, thereby, compared to the low noise amplifier 100 shown in FIG. 1, the low noise amplifier 200 saves the space of the balun 102 shown in FIG. 1 and decreases the loss generated from the balun 102. However, under high frequency, parasitic effects of elements are obvious. Therefore, the operations of the first transistor 210 and the second transistor 214 reveal a poor symmetry.
The primary component of both the low noise amplifiers 100 and 200 is the differential transistors. Therefore, under the same voltage supply, current of the dc current source 112 equals to the sum of the currents of the first transistor 110 and the second transistor 114, and current of the dc current source 212 equals to the sum of the currents of the first transistor 210 and the second transistor 214.
Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a diagram of a prior art low noise amplifier 300 having a single-ended input to differential-ended output structure. The low noise amplifier 300 comprises a first transistor 302, a first inductor 304, a second transistor 306, a second inductor 308, a first capacitor 310, a third transistor 312, a fourth transistor 314, a second capacitor 316, a first inductive impedance 318, a second inductive impedance 320, a third capacitor 322, a fourth capacitor 324, an input 326, a bias input 328, a first output 330, and a second output 332. The first inductor 304 has a first terminal coupled to the emitter of the first transistor 302 and a second terminal coupled to ground. The second inductor 308 has a first terminal coupled to the emitter of the second transistor 306 and a second terminal coupled to ground. The first capacitor 310 has a first terminal coupled to the collector of the first transistor 302 and a second terminal coupled to the base of the second transistor 306. The emitter of the third transistor 312 is coupled to the collector of the first transistor 302. The emitter of the fourth transistor 314 is coupled to the collector of the second transistor 306. The second capacitor 316 has a first terminal coupled to the base of the third transistor 312 and the base of the fourth transistor 314, and has a second terminal coupled to ground. The first inductive impedance 318 has a first terminal coupled to the collector of the third transistor 312 and a second terminal coupled to the dc voltage source VDD. The second inductive impedance 320 has a first terminal coupled to the collector of the fourth transistor 314 and a second terminal coupled to the dc voltage source VDD. The third capacitor 322 has a first terminal coupled to the collector of the third transistor 312. The fourth capacitor 324 has a first terminal coupled to the collector of the fourth transistor 314. The input 326 is coupled to the base of the first transistor 302. The bias input 328 is coupled to the base of the third transistor 312 and the base of the fourth transistor 314. The first output 330 is coupled to the second terminal of the third capacitor 322. The second output 332 is coupled to a second terminal of the fourth capacitor 324. As shown in FIG. 3, an input signal is inputted from the input 326 and to the base of the first transistor 302. After being amplified by the first transistor 302, the amplified input signal splits into two routes at the node "A" shown in FIG. 3. One route passes through the second transistor 306 and the fourth transistor 314 to the second output 332. Since the second transistor 306 forms a common-emitter configuration, thereby, a phase difference of 180 degrees is generated between the input signal and the output signal of the second transistor 306. Another route passes through the third transistor 312 to the first output 330. Since the third transistor 312 forms a common-base configuration, thereby, the phase between the input signal and the output signal of the third transistor 312 is the same. It is concluded that the phase difference between the output signal at the first output 330 and the output signal at the second output 332 is 180 degrees.

Single-ended input to differential-ended output low noise amplifier implemented with cascode and cascade topology