The invention relates to a tap-hole drilling machine comprising a separate guiding means for a tap-hole drill and a driving means to move this guiding means between a working position and a rest position. In the working position, the guiding means forms a guide for a tap-hole drill. In the rest position, the guiding means is in a protected position behind a protective shield. The guiding means and driving means are combined in compact cassette-form guiding and protection unit which is removably suspended at the front end of the mount. The protective shield is suspended on the front face of this cassette-form guiding and protection unit and has a through hole for a tap-hole drill.

Such drilling machines have been known for a long time. They include a mount arranged in axial extension of the tap-hole. A drill drive is slidably arranged on the mount. This drill drive causes a tap-hole drill to rotate, generates forward feed and withdraws the tap hole drill from the tap-hole. For large blast-furnaces such tap-hole drills can be as much as four meters long. They consist essentially of a smooth drill-rod carrying a drill head at its front end. The rear end of the drill rod is clamped in a chuck of the drill-drive.
At its front end, the mount has a protective shield of refractory material. The main function of the protective shield is to protect the mount and the drill drive against the molten metal streaming out of the drilled tap-hole. Another function of the protective shield is to guide the tap-hole drill during the drilling operation.
When the tap-hole is opened, the protective shield regularly comes into contact with the molten metal. The protective shield is thereby heavily stressed, particularly in the region of its guide hole for the tap-hole drill, so that, in a comparatively short time, the protective shield can no longer guide the drill rod properly. In order to re-establish proper guidance of the drill rod, the protective shield has to be replaced, even though it is still capable of performing its protective function.
EP-A-0519397 discloses a tap-hole drilling machine which has a special guiding means for the tap-hole drill at the front end of its mount. This guiding means is formed by two guide sections made from steel or cast iron, each being pivotably attached to the mount by means of a lever arm. A hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder attached to the mount is connected to the two lever arms by means of a linkage system, so that it can pivot the two guide sections from a working position, in which they cooperate to form a drill guide for a tap-hole drill, sideways to a rest position. In this rest position, the two guide sections are located to the side of the mount, behind a protective shield attached to the front face of the mount. In the device described in EP-A-0519397, the front protective shield performs only the function of protecting the two guide sections in the rest position. Because of its wide aperture in the region of the drilling axis, the front protective shield is actually not capable of protecting the mount and the drill drive against the molten metal issuing from the drilled tap-hole. It should also be pointed out that, despite the protective shield, the guiding device at the end of the mount represents a very exposed unit, so that damage cannot be completely ruled out. It must therefore be ensured that even serious damage to the guiding device must not cause an excessively long down-time of the tap-hole drilling machine. This assurance does not exist, however, with the tap-hole drilling machine described above.
The present invention intends to eliminate or reduce the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art tap-hole drilling machines.


An electrophotogrphic image forming apparatus having a fixing unit and a driver rotating the fixing unit, the fixing unit having: a heat roller assembly with a heat roller, a gear cap coupled to an end of the heat roller and transmitting rotation to the heat roller, and an elastic member coupling the gear cap with the heat roller; and a pressing roller pressing a recording medium passing between the pressing roller and the heat roller toward the heat roller, the gear cap having an insertion portion inserted in the heat roller, and a gear portion integrally provided adjacent to the insertion portion and rotated by the driver, and the elastic member being provided between an outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion of the gear cap and an inner circumferential surface of the heat roller, and coupling the gear cap with the heat roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus having an improved structure of a fixing unit to fix a transferred image to a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus transfers a digital image signal from a computer or a scanner to a recording medium such as printing paper.
Such an electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprises a photosensitive drum to which an electrostatic latent image is imaged, a developing unit to affix a developer to the photosensitive drum, a transfer roller to transfer the developer affixed to the photosensitive drum to the printing paper, and a fixing unit to fix the transferred developer to the printing paper, thereby printing an image on the printing paper. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus may be a laser beam printer, a light emitting diode (LED) printer, a digital copier, etc.
In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the fixing unit comprises a heat roller assembly having a heat roller to fix an image by coming into rolling-contact with the printing paper having the transferred image, and a pressing roller disposed facing the heat roller across the printing paper and pressing the printing paper toward the heat roller.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heat roller assembly of a conventional image forming apparatus. As shown therein, a heat roller assembly 141 comprises a heater (not shown), a heat roller 145 heated by the heater and coming into rolling-contact with printing paper (not shown), a gear cap 151 provided in a first end of the heat roller 145, and an end cap 161 provided in a second end of the heat roller 145.
The heat roller 145 has a cylindrical shape, and is provided with the heater. Further, the heat roller 145 is provided with a coated portion 147, which is coated with a nonconductive material on an outer circumferential surface of the heat roller 145, to be in contact with the printing paper. Further, the first and second ends of the heat roller 145 are formed with female screws 146 to which the gear cap 151 and the end cap 161 are coupled, respectively.
The gear cap 151 comprises an insertion portion 152 formed with a male screw on an outer circumferential surface thereof to be coupled to the first end of the heat roller 145, and a gear portion 155 provided in an outside of the insertion portion 152 and formed with a toothed circumference.
Like the gear cap 151, the end cap 161 comprises an insertion portion 152 formed with a male screw on an outer circumferential surface thereof to be coupled to the second end of the heat roller 145.
Thus, the gear cap 151 and the end cap 161 are coupled to the first and second ends of the heat roller 145, respectively.
But in the heat roller assembly 141 of the fixing unit provided in the conventional image forming apparatus, the gear cap 151 and the end cap 161 are screw-coupled to the first and second ends of the heat roller 145, respectively. Therefore, when the printing paper is jammed between the heat roller 145 and the pressing roller (not shown), the gear cap 151 and the end cap 161 are likely to be loosened or separated from the heat roller 145 by a backlash of the heat roller 145.
Also, the heat roller 145 is manufactured to be thin to increase conductivity of heat dissipated from the heater, so that it is difficult to form the female screws on the opposite ends of the thin heat roller 145. Therefore, it is not easy to couple the gear cap 151 and the end cap 161 to the heat roller 145.

Heat roller assembly for image forming apparatus


In one embodiment of the present invention, a material container discharge assembly includes: a main frame assembly; material container impactors engaged to the main frame assembly; a discharge receiving gate having a material container receiving aperture and first, second, and third movable plates, where the first and third plates are movable between an open and closed position and further define a second plate receiving area for receiving the opposed second plate when the second plate and the first and third plates are in the closed position; and a substantially circular access chamber spaced below the material container receiving aperture that includes at least two access doors on substantially opposite sides of the chamber that operate to substantially air tight seal when closed and a sealing system having a sealing device movable between a disengaged position and an engaged position, where the engaged position operates to seal the container in position.

Bulk bag discharging systems have been used to transfer materials, usually raw materials, from one container into another without contaminating the materials. Generally, bulk bag discharging systems lift a material-containing bag into a dispensing position. Once the bag is in position, an operator must somehow stretch the outlet portion of the bag material that is below a tie off point around a dispensing spout. This is extremely difficult in known bulk bag systems employing a dust free chamber around the dispensing spout because the dispensing spout is normally contained within a square chamber. When a dust free chamber is used, they only employ a single door on one side. As a result, there is no convenient way to seal the bag in a dust free manner because, before the bag is untied to release the contents, the loose bag material must be fitted around the dispensing spout, which is difficult if not impossible, for an operator when the only access point is a single door on one side of the chamber. The single door does not allow the operator to easily reach around the entire circumference of the spout and fit the loose bag material over the spout.
Additionally, prior bulk bag dispensing systems have used V-shaped impactors that run off one pneumatic cylinder and pinch together to squeeze the sides of the bulk bag, thereby preventing the formation of bridging/rat-holing, which is a condition whereby a material arches or bridges across a dispensing hole, resulting in sporadic flow or a complete cessation of flow. Massagers have also been used to help prevent rat-holing/bridging. The massagers used in the prior art are typically manufactured using square metal segments. As with the prior art impactors, the prior art massagers are typically positioned near the bottom of the bag and contact the bag on each side simultaneously.
Lastly, the prior art bulk bag dispensing apparatuses typically employ an iris type shut off valve above the dispensing aperture. Unfortunately, this design only allows the operator to stop the flow of material by closing the iris shut off valve when the material is flowing out of the bag. There simply is not enough strength in the prior art iris designs to close the container when the material itself is preventing the iris from closing.
Accordingly, there is a significant need for an easily operably, durable, heavy-duty bulk bag container discharging system, which can provide: an easily accessed dispensing chamber; a system for easily sealing the loose material of a bag container in a dust free fashion within the dispensing chamber; independently driven, adjustable impactors and massaging units, which will allow the operator to not only squeeze the bag using these systems but also rock the bag container back and forth in the same or different directions; and a flow stopping discharge system, which allows an operator to close the bag container at any time, including when the material is not flowing.


Disclosed is a mobile terminal equipped with a smart card coupled with an RFID tag and a method for performing an RFID function in the mobile terminal. The smart card includes a user information processing section for storing user information and generating a user information signal including user information, an RFID information processing section for storing RFID data and generating an RFID signal including the RFID data, and a main calculating section connected to the user information processing section in order to control a generation and a transmission of the user information signal and connected to the RFID information processing section order to command a generation and a transmission of the RFID signal. When the RFID tag detects an approach of an RFID interrogator, the RFID tag requests a CPU of the smart card to perform the RFID function. Thus, the CPU of the smart card transmits a mode transition signal to a processor of the mobile terminal in order to indicate a mode transition into an RFID mode. Then, the RFID function is carried out.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag, the usage and importance of which have increased, and a detachable SIM (subscriber identification module), the usage and importance of which have also increased, and more particularly to a circuit in which an RFID tag is integrally coupled with an SIM, a mobile terminal circuit having the circuit and a method for performing an RFID function in a mobile communication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
An RFID transponder or a tag has been developed in an agriculture department of U.S. National Laboratory to identify livestock. The tag having an electric code capable of identifying an animal is inserted into or attached to the animal. In addition, an interrogator capable of interpreting such electrical code is installed in an animal stable, thereby conveniently checking whether the animal has returned to the stable. The interrogator transmits an RF signal to the tag, and the electric code stored in the tag is returned to the interrogator through a modulator of the tag. This is called a backscatter modulation. An RFID tag has an antenna coil through which a modulation signal is transmitted to the interrogator. Such systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,075,632 and 4,360,810, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
As RFID techniques make great strides, other techniques for identifying moving objects have been applied to various fields. For example, the techniques have been utilized for vehicles, ocean conveyance containers, or railroad vehicles. Information stored in a tag of such a transportation device is used for a location tracking, a content identification, and so forth. Techniques in relation to such fields are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,739,328, 4,782,345, 4,786,907, 4,816,839, 4,835,377, and 4,853,705, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
Recently, the RFID technique has been tested in many kinds of fields. A communication system used in such fields has come into the spotlight, owing to wide applicability. For instance, since a mobile communication system has many subscribers, in a case where the mobile communication system employing new techniques such as RFID is industrialized, it is possible to easily make profits. Also, since a current mobile communication is stabilized in the aspect of profitability, vendors request to develop applications capable of making supplementary value.
FIG. 1 shows a structure of a passive RFID tag. A tag shown in FIG. 1 is MCRF200 available from Microchip Technology, Inc.
A modulation circuit 209 is a part for connecting antenna coils (not shown) to RFID circuit elements. As an RFID interrogator (not shown) approaches an RFID tag, according to Faraday's law, the antenna coil generates induced electromotive force through an inductive coupling between the RFID interrogator and the RFID tag. Voltage intensity of the antenna coil varies depending on a modulated signal outputted from the modulation circuit 209.
A rectifying section 202 rectifies AC voltage of the induced electromotive force in order to supply DC voltage to other components. A clock generating section 201 generates a system clock by extracting carrier frequency from a signal transferred from the RFID interrogator. The clock generating section 201 supplies other circuit components of the RFID tag with a baud rate, a modulation rate, and a programming rate. A row decoder 204 and a column decoder 207 extract ID data stored in a memory 206 at a clock rate and encode an extracted ID data by means of an NRZ (Non Return to Zero) Direct method, a Differential Biphase method, or a Manchester Biphase method before modulation, thereby generating a serial data stream.
A modulation control section 203 modulates the serial data stream transferred from the decoders 204 and 207 by using a predetermined method, such as an FSK (Frequency Sift keying) method or a PSK (Phase Shift Keying) and the like, and transfers the serial data stream to the modulation circuit 209. A counter 205 counts clocks outputted from the clock generating section 201, so as to provide the clocks to the row decoder 204 and the column decoder 207.
In a case in which a mobile communication system employs an RFID technique, it is expected to provide various supplementary services suitable for cellular systems. In this case, it is absolutely necessary that current RFID equipment are properly combined with current cellular systems. It has already mentioned that an RFID tag (e.g., a card-type RFID tag) is combined with an existing mobile terminal. An example of the RFID tag is disclosed in Korean Patent laid-open publication No. 2002-0090929 entitled "mobile communication terminal apparatus".
However, since a generally-used RFID tag is only provided for an existing mobile terminal circuit without modifying it or performing an adaptation process, the problem occurs that such an RFID tag is not adaptable for the miniaturization and portability of the existing mobile terminal which are essential features of a mobile terminal.
Meanwhile, a mobile telephone having a GSM (Global System for Mobile telecommunication) mode generally uses a SIM card for identifying subscribers. The SIM card has a small-sized card shape and is used while being set in a slot provided on a rear side of a body of a GSM mode mobile telephone.
FIG. 2 shows a structure of a conventional SIM card for a mobile terminal.
A SIM card used for mobile communication systems, such as GSM systems, is defined in GSM 11.11 Standard, GSM 11.12 Standard, and ISO/IEC 7816. In these standard documents, physical characteristics and electrical signals and transmission protocols of the SIM card and a logical model for the SIM card are explained. The SIM card has 8 external pins. Contact pins C1, C2, C3, C5, and C6 refer to voltage Vcc, a reset RST, a clock CLK, a ground GND, and program voltage Vpp, respectively. A contact pin C7 is an external pin for data input/output I/O and is connected to an antenna for identifying radio frequency. Also, contact pins C4 and C8 RFUs are reserved.
The SIM card internally has a Read Only Memory (ROM) 304 including an operation system operating the SIM card, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 300 controlling an SIM card operation, a Random Access Memory (RAM) 302 which is a data processing block, and an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) 306 storing identity information of the SIM card.
The SIM card is a kind of a smart card. If an RFID tag having functions of the smart card is separately provided for a mobile communication terminal capable of detaching the SIM card, wasteful factors occur. If the SIM card and the RFID tag are separately provided for the mobile communication, it is difficult to manage the RFID tag for service vendors, who provide various services using the SIM card and pursue added value creation through the various services. Accordingly, it is impossible for the service vendors to acquire the expected advantages resulting from employing the RFID tag, which are namely an increase of profit by means of an RFID service, an increase of the number of subscribers, and an expansion of a service range.
There exists a method in which the SIM card provides additional functions besides a primary function for authenticating mobile terminal users. For instance, a SIM/WIM card which achieves a WIM (Wireless Application Protocol Identify Module) function for providing application services is formulated as WAP Provisioning Smart Card WAP-186-PROVSC-20010710-a Version by the WAP forum. Toolkit applications providing additional services by dynamically using the SIM card are defined in the GSM 11.14 Standard.
The above-mentioned forum or standards only defines file structures and protocols for providing application services, and do not define hardware or software protocols accompanied with combination or connection between the RFID tag and the SIM card. Also, the above-mentioned forum or standards do not solve all existing problems.

Mobile terminal having smart card coupled with RFID tag and method for performing RFID function in such mobile terminal


Embodiments of the present invention are directed to an air cooled, retract-start plasma cutting torch having improved performance. The torch comprises any one, or a combination of an improved nozzle, electrode, shield cap and swirl ring, where these components have improved geometries and physical properties which optimize plasma jet performance during cutting.

In many cutting, spraying and welding operations, plasma arc torches are utilized. With these torches a plasma gas jet is emitted into the ambient atmosphere at a high temperature. The jets are emitted from a nozzle and as they leave the nozzle the jets are highly under-expanded and very focused. However, because of the high temperatures associated with the ionized plasma jet many of the components of the torch are susceptible to failure. This failure can significantly interfere with the operation of the torch and prevent proper arc ignition at the start of a cutting operation.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Air cooled plasma torch and components thereof


A method for irradiating a target with a beam of energetic electrically charged particles, wherein the target comprises an exposure region where an exposure by said beam is to be performed, and the exposure of a desired pattern is done employing a multitude of exposure positions on the target. Each exposure position represents the location of one of a multitude of exposure spots of uniform size and shape, with each exposure spot covering at least one pattern pixel of the desired pattern. The exposure positions are located within a number of mutually separate cluster areas which are defined at respective fixed locations on the target. In each cluster area the exposure position are within a given neighboring distance to a next neighboring exposure position, while the cluster areas are separated from each other by spaces free of exposure positions, which space has a width, which is at least the double of the neighboring distance.

Methods of the above-described type and charged-particle multi-beam processing apparatuses employing such methods are well-known in prior art. In particular, the applicant has realized charged-particle multi-beam devices as described in several patents in the name of the applicant with respect to the charged-particle optics, pattern definition (PD) device, and multibeam writing methods employed therein. For instance, a 50 keV electron multi-beam writer which allows to realize leading-edge complex photomasks for 193 nm immersion lithograph, of masks for EUV lithography and of templates (1× masks) for imprint lithography, has been implemented, called eMET (electron Mask Exposure Tool) or MBMW (multi-beam mask writer), for exposing 6″ mask blank substrates. Moreover, a multi-beam system also referred to as PML2 (Projection Mask-Less Lithography) was implemented for electron beam direct write (EBDW) applications on Silicon wafer substrates. Multi-beam processing apparatuses of the said kind are hereinafter referred to as multi-beam writer, or short MBW.

Method for irradiating a target using restricted placement grids


Adsorbent material well adapted for the purification of gases (notably by the PSA and TSA methods) by adsorbing impurities therefrom that are more polar or polarizable than the gases to be purified, e.g., nitrogen, the oxides of carbon and hydrocarbons, comprises a matrix of a type 5A zeolite molecular sieve and a kaolinite clay binder therefor, the clay binder having a concentration of at least 75% by dry weight of kaolinite and a maximum quartz concentration of 20% by dry weight.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved adsorbent/process for the purification of atmospheric, industrial and other gases, and, more especially, to an adsorbent based on a molecular sieve of the zeolite type used in the processes of gas purification designated PSA or "Pressure Swing Adsorption" or TSA "Temperature Swing Adsorption". These methods entail passing the gas to be purified over an adsorbent under a high pressure and at a low temperature, then regenerating the adsorbent either by decompression (PSA) employing a very short cycle time on the order of a few minutes, or by heating (TSA), with cycle times generally on the order of a few hours.
This invention is particularly related to PSA and TSA processes wherein the proportion of adsorbed materials occupying the surface of the adsorbent is low. By "proportion of adsorbed materials occupying the surface of the adsorbent" is intended the ratio of the mass of the material adsorbed at a given pressure and temperature to the maximum amount of gas capable of being adsorbed on a predetermined volume of the adsorbent. In the PSA and TSA methods consistent herewith, the proportion of the surface of the adsorbent occupied is generally less than 15%.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a zeolite of the 5A type for the purification of gases by the adsorption of CO.sub.2, CO, N.sub.2, NH.sub.3, hydrocarbons, etc., is known to this art. Compare, in particular, French Patent No. 2,232,511.
These compounds are often present as impurities in processes for the recovery of hydrogen, for example from cracked gaseous ammonia, or in natural gas reforming processes.
The aforesaid '511 patent describes a 5A type zeolite having an exchange coefficient between the Na.sup.+ cation and a divalent cation, advantageously calcium, of at least equal to 80%.
However, such zeolite, used without a binder, has a low degree of crystallization, resulting in a decrease in adsorption capacity. Furthermore, the preparation of a zeolite having enhanced capacity is relatively difficult and expensive.
It too is known to thus use type A zeolites mixed with a binder, for example a clay binder, such as montmorillinite, sepiolite or attapulgite. The adsorbent obtained in this manner is used for drying gases, desulfurization or the adsorption of CO.sub.2. However, the addition of a clay binder, while making it possible to reinforce the mechanical properties of the adsorbent, results in a significant reduction in the adsorbent properties thereof, in particular relative to certain compounds. This reduction, which is not dramatic for certain applications, such as drying, is in contrast a major disadvantage in the case of use of an adsorbent having a low exchange capacity (less surface occupied) such as in the PSA and TSA methods under consideration.

5A zeolite/kaolinite adsorbent for gas purification


A marker for use in an electronic article surveillance system in which the marker comprises a magnetically soft component and exhibits a pinned wall hysteresis characteristic with a step change in flux at a threshold value of applied field and in which the marker further comprises a magnetically hard or semi-hard component integral with the soft component and whose magnetic state can be switched between activating and deactivating states to switch the marker between active and deactive states.

In the design of EAS systems which use magnetic type markers, efforts have been made to enhance the uniqueness of the marker's response. One way that this has been accomplished is by increasing the high harmonic content in the voltage pulse generated by the magnetic flux reversal of the marker. As a result, the marker's response signal becomes more easily differentiated and detectable over the lower frequency background noise and magnetic shield noise and signals generated by other magnetic materials often found to exist in EAS systems.
A magnetic marker which exhibits a high degree of uniqueness is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,670, entitled "DEACTIVATABLE E.A.S. MARKER HAVING A STEP CHANGE IN FLUX", and assigned to the same assignee herein. In the marker of the '670 patent, the uniqueness of the response of the marker is attributable to the hysteresis characteristic of the material. In particular, the hysteresis characteristic exhibits step changes in flux at threshold values of the applied field.
The aforesaid hysteresis characteristic is brought about by conditioning the material of the marker so that it has a pinned domain wall configuration that remains pinned until the applied field reaches a predetermined threshold value, at which the pinned condition is overcome by the applied field causing a step change in flux. Such step change in flux provides a response signal from the marker which is rich in high harmonic content. The response signal is thus unique and, therefore, easily detectable.
The conditioning described in the '670 patent to achieve such pinned wall effect requires that the marker material be heated or annealed to pin the desired domain wall configuration. The '670 patent describes a number of soft amorphous transition metal-metalloid compositions (Co.sub.75.2 Fe.sub.4.8 Si.sub.2 B.sub.18 ; Co.sub.74.26 Fe.sub.4.74 Si.sub.3 B.sub.18 ; Co.sub.74.24 Fe.sub.4.76 Si.sub.2 B.sub.19) which can be used as the marker material. It also describes annealing temperature and time conditions.
When heating the soft (Co--Fe--Si--B) amorphous materials described in the '670 patent using certain of the described temperature and time conditions, the amorphous materials develop a crystallized inner layer of ferromagnetic material depleted of much of its glass forming metalloid and comprised substantially of crystallized Co with some Fe dissolved. This layer surrounds a bulk portion of material which comprises the original soft metal-metalloid composition. The resultant annealed material contains the desired pinned wall configuration and provides the step flux effect. In addition to the crystallized layer an outer surface layer of oxide is formed (e.g., SiO.sub.2 and B.sub.2 O.sub.3, i.e., a borosilicate). However, the oxide layer is non-magnetic.
Deactivation of the '670 marker is accomplished by exposing the marker to a high frequency or high amplitude AC magnetic field. In each case, additional domain walls are created in the marker and these walls remain in the marker after the marker is removed from the deactivating field. The presence of these additional domain walls prevents the original flux step from reoccurring. Moreover, once deactivated, the '670 marker cannot be easily reactivated. This prevents the marker from being reusable.
There are instances where it is advantageous to have markers which are capable of being deactivatable and also reactivatable.
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide an improved deactivatable marker.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved marker that it is reactivatable in addition to being deactivatable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of making an improved marker.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic article surveillance system incorporating the aforementioned improved magnetic marker.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic article surveillance system incorporating deactivation means, reactivation means, and the aforementioned improved magnetic marker.

Deactivatable/reactivatable magnetic marker having a step change in magnetic flux


A surface-mountable light-emitting diode light source is described, in which the leadframe-bends toward the rear side of the package that are required for surface mounting lie within a transparent plastic molded body. Also described is a method of producing a mixed-light, preferably white-light source on the basis of a UV- or blue-emitting semiconductor LED. The LED is mounted on a leadframe, a transparent plastics molding composition is mixed with a conversion substance and possibly further fillers to form a molding composition. The leadframe is encapsulated, preferably by the injection-molding process, with the molding composition in such a way that the LED is surrounded on its light-exiting sides by the molding composition.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a surface-mountable light-emitting diode light source. In the surface-mountable light-emitting diode light source, a LED chip is mounted on a leadframe and the leadframe is encapsulated with a one-piece transparent plastic molded body. A leadframe connection for the LED chip protrudes from the transparent plastic molded body on each of at least two side faces.
The invention also relates to a method of producing a light source on the basis of a semiconductor light-emitting diode (hereafter referred to as semiconductor LED), in particular a surface-mountable semiconductor LED. It further relates to producing a semiconductor LED mixed-light source, in particular a white-light source.
A surface-mountable LED component with solder connection parts protruding from the package is described in International PCT publication WO 98/12757. In that device, the solder connection strips of a leadframe, extending from the chip mounting surface in a straight line in the plane of the mounting surface, are led out from a plastic package. When outside the plastic package, the solder connection strips are bent toward the component mounting side in an S-shaped manner, so that solder connection areas are produced after the S bend. With the solder connection surfaces, the component can be mounted on a printed circuit board.
WO 98/12757 also describes a wavelength-converting molding composition for an electroluminescent component with a body emitting ultraviolet, blue or green light on the basis of a transparent epoxy resin that is mixed with a luminescent substance (in particular, with an inorganic luminescent pigment powder with luminescent pigments from the group of phosphors). A white-light source is described as a preferred embodiment in which a radiation-emitting semiconductor LED on the basis of GaAlN with an emission maximum between 420 nm and 460 nm is used together with a luminescent substance, which is chosen such that a blue radiation emitted by the semiconductor body is converted into complementary wavelength ranges (in particular blue and yellow, or to additive color triads, for example, blue, green and red). The yellow, green and red light is produced by the luminescent substances. The color tone (color locus in the chromaticity diagram) of the white light produced in this way can be varied by suitable choice of the luminescent substance or substances with regard to mixing and concentration.
Similarly, International PCT publication WO 98/54929 discloses a visible light-emitting semiconductor component with a UV/blue LED, which is disposed in a depression in a supporting body, the surface of which has a light-reflecting layer and is filled with a transparent material. The transparent material surrounds the LED on its light-exiting sides. The transparent material has a refractive index that is lower than the refractive index of the light-active region of the LED to improve the coupling out of the light.
Japansese patent application No. JP 05 037 008 discloses a surface-mountable LED component. Solder connection strips are led out on the underside of a molded plastic body from the plastic body. At the point at which they leave, the solder connection strips are bent out of the plastic body in such a way that their ends point horizontally outward in a straight line along the underside of the plastic body.
German Patent DE 196 04 492 C1 describes a radial construction of LED components. However, such a construction is not suitable for surface mounting, but only for through-hole mounting on a printed circuit board. The plastic encapsulation of the package, which substantially defines the radial construction, is made of polycarbonate.
Japansese patent Application No. JP-10093146 A describes a radial LED component. A luminescent substance excited by the radiation of the semiconductor LED chip and emitting at a relatively great wavelength is incorporated in the plastic encapsulation of the package to improve the radiation intensity and brightness.
A radial LED construction is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,433 also. Nanoparticles, which have a greater refractive index than the transparent encapsulating material are incorporated in the radial plastic encapsulation to increase the refractive index of the plastics material. The radial plastic encapsulation contains, for example, epoxy or some other suitable transparent organic encapsulating material.
German patent application DE 38 04 293 discloses a white-light source on the basis of a semiconductor LED. A configuration with an electroluminescent or laser diode is described, in which the emission spectrum emitted by the diode is displaced toward greater wavelengths via an element of plastic mixed with a phosphorescent, light-converting organic dye.
As a result, the light emitted by the configuration has a different color than the light emitted by the light-emitting diode. Depending on the type of dye incorporated in the plastic, configurations of light-emitting diodes that illuminate in different colors can be produced with only one light-emitting diode.
In many potential areas of application for light-emitting diodes, for example, in the case of display elements in a motor-vehicle dashboard, illumination in aircraft and cars and in the case of full-color LED displays and in portable devices with display elements or back-lit parts (e.g., in the case of cell phones), the requirement for particularly space-saving configurations of light-emitting diodes is increasing. Corresponding LED components with which mixed-colored light, in particular white light, can be produced are required.
In the case of conventional surface-mountable constructions described above, firstly a prepackaged component is produced by encapsulating a prefabricated leadframe with a suitable plastics material, which forms the package of the component. This component has a depression, on the upper side, into which leadframe connections are inserted from two opposite sides. A semiconductor LED is adhesively attached and electrically bonded to one of the connections. Then the depression is filled with an encapsulating composition, for example, a transparent epoxy resin mixed with the luminescent substance.
The advantage of the conventional surface-mountable constructions is that a very directed emission can be achieved and the side walls formed by the plastic package can be formed as tilted reflectors. However, in the applications in which such a directed emission is not absolutely necessary, the method of production is relatively complex and contains multiple stages, since the plastic of the package and the encapsulating composition are formed by two different materials and have to be molded-on in separate method steps. Moreover, the problem of an adequate and temperature-stable bond between the encapsulating composition and the plastic of the package must always be solved. This repeatedly leads to problems in practice, in particular where high light outputs are used. Further, the extent to which miniaturization can be carried out is limited by the two-part form of the package.
The extent to which the radial constructions described above can be miniaturized is likewise greatly restricted because of the required through-hole mounting. Furthermore, with the circuit configurations nowadays generally produced by surface mounting, the through-hole mounting represents a separate mounting step that is technically different from surface mounting.

Surface-mountable light-emitting diode light source and method of producing a light-emitting diode light source


Imaging apparatus including an imaging surface having a latent image with image areas at a first electrical potential and background areas at a second electrical potential and a developer. The developer includes a moving developer electrode electrified to a third electrical potential intermediate the first and second electrical potentials and has sequential surface portions closely spaced from the imaging surface to form a development region. The latent image is developed at the development region with liquid toner including carrier liquid and charged toner particles. Toner particles are also attracted to the developer surface and a resilient metal blade is urged against and in contact with the developer surface after it passes the development region and is operative to remove toner particles from the developer surface. The blade is coated with an insulating coating over at least a portion of the blade not contacting the developer surface. The developer electrode may be coated with an insulating coating and the blade may be electrified to a voltage having a polarity the same as that of the toner particles.

Various liquid toner electrostatic imaging systems providing single color or multicolor images, appear in the patent literature. Such systems often comprise a photoconductive surface which is electrically charged and then selectively discharged by the action of incident light so as to form a latent electrostatic image. The latent image is then developed by sequential applications of liquid toners of selectable colors to the imaging surface. Liquid toners generally comprise carrier liquid in which charged toner particles are dispersed.
In some systems using liquid toners, moving developer electrodes having electrically conductive surfaces such as metal endless belts or rollers are employed. A portion of the electrode is closely spaced from the imaging surface so as to form a development region therewith to enhance the electrostatic field at the imaging surface and transport excess carrier liquid and toner particles out of the development region.
U.S Pat. No. 4,400,079 to Landa describes a developing system utilizing a roller electrode having a conductive outer surface, a portion of which is closely spaced from the imaging surface. The roller is at least partly immersed in a pool of liquid developer. In one embodiment of the invention, the hydrodynamic force of the layer of developing liquid formed on the roller is utilized to space the roller the required distance from the imaging surface. In another embodiment, mechanical spacing means, such as a pair of spacing rollers, is used to maintain the spacing of the roller from the imaging surface. The patent also indicates the possibility of providing a thin insulating layer on the conductive surface of the developing roller electrode to avoid intimate electrical contact with the background regions of the image areas, apparently useful when no mechanical spacing means is provided. A foam wiper pad mounted against the surface of the electrode is used to remove toner deposits therefrom.
In some systems employing metallic developer electrode surfaces, used toner particles adhering to the developer electrode are removed therefrom downstream of the development region by one or more resilient blades which engage the cylindrical surface of the developer roller. U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,833 has a single doctor blade made of flexible material such as urethane or Mylar, mounted against a portion of an applicator roll which is partly submerged in liquid developer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,231 describes a system for removing used toner from a drum or belt including blades secured to rotatable shafts and disposed for operation in response to each color.

Liquid toner developing apparatus having metal blade with insulating coating in contact with developing roller


A semiconductor light-emitting device comprises a multilayer structure and a glass substrate. The multilayer structure includes a plurality of laminated compound semiconductor layers and generates light. The multilayer structure has a light exit face for emitting the generated light, whereas the glass substrate optically transparent to the light is bonded to the light exit face by a film made of silicon oxide.

Recently, as CPUs have been driven at a higher frequency (e.g., 10 GHz or higher), attention has been focused on optical interconnection techniques which transmit signals within and between system apparatus by light. Optical semiconductor devices such as semiconductor photodetecting devices and semiconductor light-emitting devices are used in the optical interconnection techniques.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. HEI 2-128481, HEI 10-200200, and HEI 11-46038 disclose semiconductor light-emitting devices of so-called back emission type each comprising a substrate and a plurality of compound semiconductor layers laminated on one principal surface of the substrate, while light is emitted from the other principal surface of the substrate. For the following purposes, the part of substrate positioned under the light-emitting region is partially thinned and is surrounded by a part maintaining the thickness of the substrate. The first purpose is to prevent optical signals from deteriorating or disappearing because of optical absorption of the substrate. The second purpose is to prevent the semiconductor devices from being damaged or broken when mounted onto an external board by wire-bonding or bump-bonding.
Since the part maintaining the substrate thickness exists, however, there is a limit to the minimal size of the above-mentioned semiconductor light-emitting devices. In particular, when forming a light-emitting device array by arranging a plurality of light-emitting parts a row, the pitch between the light-emitting parts is hard to narrow, which inevitably increases the size of the light-emitting device array.

Semiconductor light-emitting device and its manufacturing method


A liquid distributor in an evaporator, intended in particular for the evaporation treatment of liquid suspensions which contain fibers or other such solid ingredients. The distributor comprises, located at the upper end of the heat exchange surface, a transverse frame, liquid conduits disposed therein distributing the liquid over the entire width of the heat exchange surface. According to the invention the liquid conduits are made up of feed conduits slanted obliquely downwards and of distribution conduits branching out therefrom and leading to the heat exchange surface. At the branching points of the conduits their wall surfaces on the downstream side with respect to the feed flow are rounded into curved dividing surfaces by means of which the dividing of the flow is carried out. Respectively the branching points on the upstream side with respect to the feed flow are equipped with sharp feeding tips in such a manner that the flow will travel in the feed conduit in a cascade-like manner over the feeding tips to the dividing surfaces, which will cause a division of the flow substantially equally among the distribution conduits.

In an evaporator in which the liquid flows as a thin film on the heat exchange surface, the surface should be covered with liquid throughout in order to achieve an efficient transfer of heat. When a liquid suspension which contains solid ingredients is being evaporated, increasing concentrations of solids at the boundaries of the dry and liquid-covered areas of the heat exchange surface would additionally cause very rapid soiling of the heat exchange surface. An even distribution over the heat exchange surface of the liquid to be evaporated is thus an absolute prerequisite for efficient operation of the evaporator.
The keeping of the heat exchange surface covered with liquid can be promoted by increasing the liquid amount fed onto the surface. However, this increases the consumption of energy for pumping and increases the thickness of the flowing liquid film, thus lowering the heat transfer coefficient. For this reason, very narrow liquid conduits have generally been resorted to in liquid distributors in evaporators, but such conduits tend to become clogged when solids-containing liquid suspensions are being evaporated.
From Finnish lay-open print 86961 there is known a heat exchanger intended for the evaporation of liquid, the heat exchanger having adjacently positioned bags formed from plastic membrane, the membrane surfaces of the bags serving as heat exchange surfaces. The liquid to be evaporated is introduced onto the outer surfaces of the bags from conduits adjacently positioned in honeycombs at the upper end of the evaporator and distributed over the entire width of the bags. The heating medium used is vapor directed via the same honeycombs to the inside of the bags, the vapor being vapor produced during evaporation and compressed in a compressor.
The apparatus described in FI publication 86961 is intended for the distillation of seawater. In addition, the publication mentions as an intended use of the apparatus the concentration of solutions and suspensions, such as bleaching effluents. However, in this case the apparatus has the deficiency that the fiber material and other solids present in the suspension tend to clog the obliquely oriented narrow liquid conduits in the honeycombs.


An audio sports game is provided. This sports game utilizes an audio message generator that selectively generates one of a plurality of audio messages. When the message generator is actuated by a switch, it generates a message that presents a setting for a user of said sports game. This message is generated prior to and during said user attempting to cause an object to pass through said opening in a structure such as a sports goal.

This invention generally relates to a sports game and, more particularly, to a sports game that utilizes audio messages to present a fictional setting for the person playing the game.
The tremendous popularity of sports activities has generated much interest not only in official sporting equipment, but also in novelty sporting equipment for both children and adults. Consequently, a number of novelty goals, particularly basketball rims, have been introduced to the public as toys for children and novelty items for adults. Such products include novelty basketball rims that affix to walls, doors, trash cans and the like, and further include toy basketball goals having a rim and backboard on an adjustable pole for use by small children. Many of these products include fairly sophisticated electronic gadgetry that provides for automatic scoring, electronic timing, and even audio feedback to the user when a basket is made as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,195 issued to McMahan et al on Nov. 12, 1991.
While these devices do provide great recreation, one feature they do not offer is providing a setting for the user of the game by audio messages. In other words, it is every sports enthusiast's dream to be in a setting where it's the big game with only a few seconds left and to be taking the last shot to win it all. Accordingly, the present invention provides a portable device, adaptable to any number of sports goals, that creates such a setting by generating a number of audio messages prior to and during the user's attempt to score a goal.
One example of such a setting would be an audio message by a well known sports commentator stating that it was the seventh game of a best of seven series in the NBA Championship Finals. The commentator would then indicate that there were ten seconds left in the game, the score was tied, and the ball was being inbounded to the user of the game. The audio message would also provide background crowd noise along with a countdown of the time remaining by the crowd. Thus, the user would be placed in a setting where it was necessary for the user to score a goal before the time remaining on the game clock expired. In addition, audio messages could be programmed to provide feedback that is dependent upon either a basket being made or the lapse of time remaining on the game clock.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A method, comprising: providing a light emitting element including a semiconductor stack body and an electrode; providing a lightguide plate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, wherein the second surface includes a plurality of recesses; arranging a light-transmitting member in each of the recesses; adjusting upper surfaces of the light-transmitting members to a uniform height; placing a wavelength conversion member on the light-transmitting member; placing the light emitting element on the wavelength conversion member with the electrode facing up; arranging a cover member that covers the light emitting element; removing the cover member until the electrode is exposed; and forming a wiring that electrically connects the light emitting elements together.

The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a light emitting module.
Light emitting devices using light emitting elements such as light emitting diodes are widely used as backlights of liquid crystal displays and light sources of various displays, etc. For example, the light source device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-32373 includes a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on a substrate, semispherical lens members respectively covering the light emitting elements, and a diffusion member arranged thereabove upon which light from the light emitting elements is incident.

Method of manufacturing light emitting module