A DRAM capacitor is formed by providing an opening to the surface of the drain of a memory cell's pass transistor. A first layer of polysilicon is deposited over the device and in contact with the drain of the pass transistor. Arsenic ions are implanted into the first layer of polysilicon and the first layer of polysilicon is annealed. A second layer of polysilicon is deposited over the first. Phosphorus ions are implanted into the surface of the second layer of polysilicon. A mask is formed over the two polysilicon layers, and the two layers are etched to define the lateral extent of the memory cell capacitor's lower electrode. An etch that preferentially etches doped polysilicon is used to laterally etch the (doped and annealed) first polysilicon layer, thereby undercutting the second polysilicon layer. The second polysilicon layer is then annealed. A dielectric film is formed on the surface of the lower electrode and an upper electrode consisting of doped polysilicon is formed over the surface of the dielectric layer. Forming a DRAM capacitor in this manner prevents impurities implanted into the polysilicon lower electrode of the capacitor from diffusing into the substrate in a manner which could expand the size of the drain region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the formation of capacitor structures over doped regions within semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to the formation of capacitor devices that store charge within dynamic random access memory devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Further reductions in the size of memory cells within dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices, and corresponding increases in the storage density of DRAMs, present a variety of challenges related to the reduced dimensions of the structures within the memory cell and in the increased processing difficulty associated with making such small structures. The typical DRAM memory cell consists of a charge storage capacitor electrically connected to the drain of a "pass" MOS transistor. The pass transistor acts as a switch for selectively coupling the charge storage capacitor to the memory cell's signal lines during data read out or write processes to respectively discharge or charge the capacitor. As DRAM memory cells are made smaller, efforts are made to reduce the size of the pass transistor and the capacitor, while maintaining the capacitance of the capacitor and thus keep constant the amount of charge stored in the memory cell. Consequently, as memory cell sizes decrease, the same amount of charge will flow through smaller and smaller pass transistors. Electrical field effects, including the short channel effect, become accentuated in such reduced-dimension pass transistors and become increasingly problematic when typical stored charge levels flow through such small pass transistors.
To reduce the difficulties associated with reduced-dimension pass transistors, it is desirable to manage the doping level and doping profile of the source and drain regions of the pass transistor. One frequently implemented strategy is the use of lightly doped drain (LDD) profiles for both the source and drain regions of the pass transistors. The adoption of such designs may not, however, ensure desired doping profiles in small source/drain regions because the dopants diffuse away from these regions when the device is subjected to high temperature processing steps after the formation of the source/drain regions. This problem is compounded when a DRAM capacitor is formed on the drain of the pass transistor by providing layers of doped polysilicon in contact with the drain region of the pass transistor. Such layers may be formed by depositing polysilicon over the memory cell region in contact with the drain region, implanting ions into the polysilicon, and then annealing the device to activate the implanted impurities and to render the polysilicon layer conductive. During this process, dopants from the polysilicon layer can diffuse into the substrate, creating a deeper and broader drain region than is desirable.
One strategy for addressing the problem of dopants diffusing from the polysilicon bottom electrodes of capacitors into the drain region is illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. FIGS. 1-4 show cross-sectional views of a portion of a DRAM memory cell at an early stage of manufacture. The illustrated memory cell is formed on a P-type substrate 10 and includes thick field oxide regions 12 to provide isolation from other, adjacent memory cells. A gate oxide layer 14 is formed by thermal oxidation on part of the active device region of the illustrated memory cell and a polysilicon gate electrode 16 is formed on the gate oxide layer 14. The polysilicon gate electrode 16 is formed by depositing a layer of undoped polysilicon over the substrate, typically using low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), patterning the polysilicon using photolithography and then implanting impurities into the polysilicon and activating the impurities to render the gate electrode conductive. Polysilicon wiring line 18 is formed on the field oxide region 12 at the same time as the gate electrode 16.
Doped source/drain regions 19, 20 are formed on either side of the polysilicon gate electrode to define the channel region of the memory transistor. Generally, a lightly doped drain (LDD) structure is used in small design rule memory transistors of the type that are primarily used in modern memory and logic devices. LDD source/drain regions 19, 20 are typically formed in a two step process, beginning with a relatively low level dopant implantation made self-aligned to a polysilicon gate electrode 16. Subsequently, spacer oxide regions 22 are formed on either side of the gate electrode by first depositing a layer of CVD oxide over the device and then anisotropically etching back the oxide layer to expose the substrate over the source/drain regions 19, 20. Etching back the CVD oxide layer produces the spacer oxide regions 22 on either side of the polysilicon gate electrode 16 and on either side of the polysilicon wiring line 18. After the spacer oxide regions 22 are provided on either side of the polysilicon gate electrode 16, a second, heavier ion implantation is made into the source/drain regions 19, 20, self-aligned to the spacer oxide regions 22.
After the formation of the pass transistor of the memory cell, including the gate electrode 16 and the source/drain regions 19, 20, a layer 24 of insulation such as silicon oxide is deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). An opening 26 is then formed by lithography through the layer 24 to expose the drain region 20 of the substrate, as shown in FIG. 2. Referring now to FIG. 3, a layer of undoped polysilicon 28 is deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) over the surface of the device and within the opening 26 in contact with drain region 20. Layer 28 will form part of the lower electrode of the charge storage capacitor for the DRAM memory cell. A thin layer of native oxide, on the order of 3-4 .ANG. (not shown), is grown on the surface of polysilicon layer 28. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a second layer 30 of polysilicon is deposited on the first undoped polysilicon layer 28. This layer is heavily doped with arsenic or phosphorus ions either in situ during the deposition process or by ion implantation. The native oxide layer over the surface of the first polysilicon layer 28 traps impurities during the implantation process so that the first polysilicon layer 28 remains substantially undoped. A subsequent anneal will cause impurities to diffuse through the polysilicon layers. By this process, relatively few dopants will diffuse into the drain region 20, so that the junction between the drain region 20 and the substrate 10 remains shallow. Subsequent processing patterns the two polysilicon layers 28, 30 to shape the bottom electrode, deposits an inter-electrode dielectric layer, and forms a doped polysilicon upper electrode.
The process illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 forms a conductive lower electrode for a charge storage capacitor in a manner that introduces relatively few additional impurities into the drain region 20. This structure, however, provides a lower electrode that is undesirably resistive. Such resistance internal to the capacitor can slow data read out and cause the loss of data. It is accordingly desirable to provide an improved process for forming a charge storage capacitor consistent with the formation of shallow junction source/drain regions for a DRAM cell's pass transistor.


Methods and systems for partially or fully distributed network verification are described. In partially distributed network verification, each network device generates a respective device-level binary decision diagram (BDD) representing the logical behavior of the respective network device for a network property of interest. The device-level BDDs from each network device are received by a verification service that performs verification by generating an input BDD representing an input header space, and applies each device-level BDD in a logical path from a source device to a destination device, and reports the output BDD. In fully distributed network verification, each network device is responsible for calculating a device-specific output BDD by applying a device-specific BDD, which represents the logical behavior of the network device, to a device-specific input BDD.

As networks and the operations of network devices have been become more complicated, it has become increasingly difficult for network operators to ensure that network configurations and policies are designed and installed in accordance with the desired intentions. Moreover, considering the size of many existing networks, using traditional network testing tools (e.g., simple network management protocol (SNMP), or tracing tools such as tracer or ping) provides limited coverage of the network. Further, such network tracing techniques are used to reactively diagnose problematic issues after these issues have occurred.
To address some of the aforementioned complications and limitations, formal verification techniques which have been previously used in software and chip design have been considered for use in verification of a network. The term "formal" refers to the use of mathematical models and calculations to verify network configuration, in place of tracking a network by sending actual data packets. Formal network verification may be referred to simply as network verification, in the context of the present disclosure. Network verification provide proactive and predictive identification of problematic issues. However, practical application of network verification still faces challenges in terms of scalability and real-time verification.
Typically, in network verification, the network to be verified (checked, tested, or validated) is modeled using mathematical techniques, and then the desired invariants of the network are checked in the model to specify the correct (actual or more accurate) behavior of the network. Validation may occur continuously, or at periodic intervals, or from time to time, for example. Examples of existing network verification techniques can be classified into four categories including model checking, theorem proving, Boolean satisfiability (SAT)/satisfiability modulo theory (SMT) solver, symbolic execution and symbolic simulation. Most existing network verification approaches rely on a centralized computing system that performs the necessary tasks of data collection and verification calculations. Such a centralized approach may make it difficult to scale up for larger networks, due to limits in computing power and memory resources, as well as the challenges presented by real-time data collection from a large number of network devices.
Thus, there is a need for improved techniques for network verification.

Methods and systems for distributed network verification


Room temperature curable organopolysiloxane compositions (and the hardened products of such compositions) which comprise (A) a diorganopolysiloxane with hydroxyl groups at both ends, (B) a quaternary functional silane with four groups to be hydrolyzed and/or partially hydrolyzed products thereof, (C) a curing catalyst, (D) a filler, (E) a tertiary functional silane with three groups to be hydrolyzed and/or partially hydrolyzed products thereof and (F) an amine functional silane and/or an addition products with an acrylic acid ester or with a methacrylic acid ester show good adhesiveness towards surface-activated objects which has superior water-resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to room temperature curable organopolysiloxane compositions which possess superior water-resistant adhesiveness towards the surface-activated objects to be adhered.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, room temperature curable organopolysiloxane compositions which contain quaternary functional silanes as a crosslinking agent have been known to harden rapidly to some depth. Further, compositions having amine functional silanes, in order to exhibit self-adhesiveness, have been utilized as adhesives and as sealants.
However, said compositions with good in-depth curing properties possess the disadvantage of inferior water resistance when room temperature curable organopolysiloxane rubber is used to bond objects which exhibit poor water-resistant adhesiveness due to their activated surface, such as float glass and aluminum. Therefore, these compositions could not be utilized for those cases which require a high degree of adhesion reliability, such as a structural sealant or as a sealant for the secondary seal in insulated glass.
One method to bond the surface-activated objects with room temperature curable organopolysiloxane rubbers utilizes mechanical or chemical treatment of these objects themselves in order to improve the adhesion power. However, this method still leaves problems: The treatment of such objects takes a long time, and some objects are of types which cannot be treated.
It is an object of this invention to provide organopolysiloxane compositions of the room temperature curable type which easily bond surface-activated objects while maintaining superior water-resistant adhesiveness.
Upon further study of the specification and appended claims, further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.


A system and associated method provides a visualization of a life cycle of a trade order. The visualization may be in the form of a tree structure with a plurality of linked nodes. Each node may be associated with an event that occurs during the life cycle of the trade. A monitoring system receives information associated with a plurality of events associated with the trade order, generates a plurality of nodes based on the received information, stores identifiers associated with each of the plurality of nodes, and links the plurality of nodes based on the identifiers to create the tree structure. The monitoring system also performs a verification process to determine whether the visualization is missing information or includes incorrect information and alerts to a discrepancy identified during the verification process.

A single trade order may involve thousands of events that occur in order to fulfill the order. These events make up the trade "life cycle" and include occurrences such as individual systems moving a request within their own system infrastructure to complete a task, such as risk analysis, fraud check, etc., messages being sent between different systems to facilitate some aspect of the order, splitting of an order into child orders of smaller quantities in order to complete the overall order more effectively, and the like. There are compelling reasons, including for regulatory reporting purposes, to completely track every aspect of a trade order and document everything that happens between trade order request and fulfillment (or modification or cancellation).
For example, the recent Rule 613 under the National Market System requires regulatory reporting of every event that occurs with respect to a trade order. While order management systems collect this information today, there is a lack of useful tools that enable monitoring of the trade life cycle events for reporting under Rule 613. Moreover, there is a need to verify and validate the information that has been collected because any discrepancies will be flagged by the regulatory agency and re-reporting with an explanation for the discrepancy will be required. Thus, there is a need to visualize the trade life cycle for a given trade order and perform a verification to ensure that the visualization is accurate and complete.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming these and other problems of the prior art.

Systems and methods for visualizing a trade life cycle and detecting discrepancies

International Business Machines Corporation


A cloud tracking system for photovoltaic power plant is disclosed. The cloud tracking system for photovoltaic power plant can include plurality of cloud shadow sensors positioned on the perimeter of the photovoltaic power plant.

Photovoltaic power plants are becoming practical as grid scale generation facilities capable of producing tens of megawatts as the cost of photovoltaic modules decrease. An increasing number of large plants will be built to satisfy the growing demand for renewable energy capacity. However, photovoltaic plants are intermittent energy producers, and considered to have unpredictable capacity because of intermittent cloud cover.


Disclosed is a pattern formation resist which can be exposed with deep UV, has a high dry etching resistance, has a large allowance in a development manipulation using an aqueous alkali solution, and can form a fine pattern having a good sectional shape. The resist comprises an alkali-soluble polymer and a compound represented by the following formula (I) and simultaneously containing, in a single molecule, a substituent which decomposes with an acid and a group which produces an acid with deep UV: ##STR1## wherein the substituent which decomposes with an acid is present in at least one of R.sub.1 to R.sub.4, and when R.sub.1 to R.sub.4 have a group except for the substituent which decomposes with an acid, R.sub.1 represents a nonsubstituted or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group, each of R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 independently represents a hydrogen atom or a non-substituted or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group, and R.sub.4 represents a nonsubstituted or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern formation resist and a pattern formation method using the same and, more particularly, to a pattern formation resist exposed with deep UV and a pattern formation method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pattern formation resists are widely used in the field of electronic parts, such as semiconductor integrated circuits, which require various microprocessing techniques. In particular, it is required to form fine patterns using the resists of this type because users desire multiple functions and high packing densities in electronic equipment. As an exposure apparatus for use in this pattern formation, a step-and-repeat type reduction-projecting mask aligner is known. Examples of a radiation used in this exposure apparatus are g line (wavelength 436 nm), h line (wavelength=405 nm), and i line (wavelength=365 nm) of a mercury lamp, and XeF (wavelength=351 nm), XeCl (wavelength=308 nm), KrF (wavelength=248 nm), KrCl (wavelength=222 nm), ArF (wavelength=193 nm), and F2 (wavelength=157 nm) as an excimer laser. In order to form fine patterns, the wavelength of a radiation is preferably as short as possible. For this reason, a demand has arisen for a resist which is exposed with deep UV such as an excimer laser.
Conventionally known examples of the resist for an excimer laser are a resist consisting of an acryl polymer, such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or polyglutarmaleimide (PGMI); and a resist consisting of a polymer, in which phenol is bonded in a molecule, and an azide photosensitive agent. However, the former resist is low in sensitivity with respect to an excimer laser and poor in dry etching resistance. Although the latter resist has a high sensitivity and a high dry etching resistance, the shape of a pattern formed by this resist is a reversed triangle. Therefore, it is difficult to control exposure and development steps.
Recently, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,491,628 and 460,310, for example, disclose resists each consisting of a polymer, in which a group unstable against acids is substituted on the side chain of a resin having a dry etching resistance, and a compound which produces an acid when irradiated with an ionizing radiation. However, since the group unstable against acids is substituted on the side chain of the polymer in these resists, no stable sensitivity nor stable resolution can be obtained.
From this point of view, Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 64-35433 describes a resist containing a binder consisting of an alkali-soluble polymer, and an organic compound having a group which forms a strong acid by a radiation effect together with a group which decomposes into an acid. An onium salt is exemplified as the organic compound in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 64-35433, and an iodonium salt and a sulfonium salt are disclosed as practical examples of the onium salt. However, since the onium salt decomposes during storage, sensitivity stability upon exposure is hindered. In addition, the onium salt largely absorbs light having a wavelength of 248 nm. Therefore, if a large amount of the onium salt is used, resolution is lowered. Consequently, it is impossible to add a sufficient amount of the onium salt, in consideration of the above relationship between the onium salt and the resolution. For this reason, the solubility of unexposed portions cannot be satisfactorily suppressed in a development step subsequent to exposure, and this makes it difficult to form fine patterns.
On the other hand, other problems arise in various exposure methods along with reduction in minimum dimensions. For example, in exposure using light, an interference occurs by reflected light components due to steps formed on a substrate (e.g., a semiconductor substrate) and largely influences dimensional precision. In electron beam exposure, on the other hand, when a resist is micropatterned, it is impossible to increase the ratio of the height to width of the pattern due to a proximity effect caused by backscattering of electrons.
As a method of solving the above problems, a multilayered resist process has been developed, and a summary of this process is described in "Solid State Technology," 74. 1981. In addition, many studies concerning this multilayered resist process have been reported. A method which is presently, most generally attempted is a three-layered structure resist process. More specifically, this three-layered structure includes a lowest layer which has functions of flattening steps on a semiconductor substrate and preventing reflection from the substrate, an interlayer which serves as an etching mask of the lowest layer, and an uppermost layer as a photosensitive layer.
The above three-layered resist process has an advantage that finer patterning can be performed than in the case of a single-layered resist process. However, according to this three-layered resist process, the number of process steps before pattern formation is undesirably increased. That is, no resist can satisfy both photosensitivity with respect to a radiation, such as deep UV, and resistance against reactive ion etching using an oxygen plasma. Therefore, these functions must be separately imparted to different layers to result in a three-layered structure. As a result, the number of process steps is increased by those required for the layer formation.

Pattern formation resist and pattern formation method


To provide a composite lathe enabling downsizing of a machine main body and realizing an enlarged machining area. A cutting point “c” of a tool post 5 is positioned vertically under a straight line connecting axes “a” of a first spindle headstock 3 and a second spindle headstock 4, and an X-axis stroke of a cutting point of a third spindle 6 overlaps an X-axis stroke of the tool post 5 by a half or more of the X-axis stroke of the tool post 5.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite lathe including: a first and a second spindle headstock disposed on a bed; a tool post disposed between the first and second spindle headstocks; and a third spindle disposed on the bed to be movable in X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a composite lathe of this type is structured such that a is spindle headstock is fixedly disposed on one end of a bed and a lower tool post and an upper tool post are disposed on a lower side and an upper side of a tool post supporting part in a slanted shape respectively to be movable in an X-axis and a Z-axis direction (see, for example, Patent document 1).
[Patent document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 6-106438
Incidentally, the aforesaid conventional composite lathe has a problem that the front/back direction dimension of the machine main body increases since the lower tool post is disposed on an outer side in the machine front/back direction than a vertical line going through an axis of the spindle headstock.
Further, the structure in which the upper tool post and the lower tool post are moved on the same plane has a problem that machining areas of the both tool posts are limited.


One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a multi-piece twist drill head. The multi-piece twist drill head includes a core piece formed from a first hard material, and a peripheral piece formed from a second hard material. The core piece and peripheral piece each comprise a cutting edge and are adapted to mate to provide a central region and a peripheral region, respectively, of the multi-piece twist drill head. A twist drill including the multi-piece twist drill head is also disclosed.

Drilling is a cutting operation in which material is removed from a workpiece to provide a bore in or through the workpiece. Drilling is carried out by advancing a rotating drilling tool or "drill" into the workpiece in the direction of the drill's longitudinal axis. Common drill configurations include, for example, twist drills and spade drills. A twist drill is characterized by one or more helical flutes disposed along at least a portion of the length of the drill and which terminate at a working end of the drill (the "drill tip"), which includes cutting edges. In contrast, a spade drill includes a wide cutting blade at the drill tip and lacks helical flutes along its length. Twist drills have a more complex geometrical design than spade drills due to the helical flutes, and this makes twist drills generally more difficult to manufacture.
Twist drills are manufactured as either non-composite twist drills or composite twist drills. A problem limiting the performance of non-composite twist drills is that the cutting speed (rotational speed of the cutting edge relative to the workpiece) varies from zero at the drill's center to a maximum cutting speed at the drill's periphery. Because of these variations in cutting speed, non-composite twist drills do not experience uniform wear along the cutting edge on the drill tip. The wear rate of a point on the cutting edge of the drill tip depends on the location of the point relative to the center of the cutting edge. The conditions promoting wear on a drill's tip can be significantly more aggressive at the periphery than at the center of the drill tip.
To address this problem, composite twist drills have been manufactured that include different materials or different material grades in different regions of the drill, allowing for different wear-resistance properties in the drill's central and peripheral regions. Such an arrangement has been adapted to optimize drilling performance. A composite twist drill has a monolithic construction but includes materials having different mechanical properties in different regions of the drill. However, it is relatively costly to manufacture composite twist drills because, for example, the production process involves additional steps related to pressing and sintering powdered precursors of the at least two different materials or material grades.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an improved twist drill design that addresses the non-uniform cutting edge wear experienced by non-composite twist drills, but that need not be manufactured using the relatively costly techniques used in making composite twist drills.

Multi-piece twist drill head and twist drill including the same


A computer-implemented method for providing a recommended payment account includes receiving location information from a mobile device of a user having one or more payment accounts provided by a financial institution computer system, and determining a location of the user relative to a merchant based on the location information. The method also includes, based on the location of the user relative to the merchant, determining that a payment account recommendation should be sent to the user, including a recommended payment account for use in a payment transaction with the merchant and an incentive offer for using the recommended payment account in the payment transaction, determining the recommended payment account based on an expected financial impact to the user, generating the incentive offer, and sending the incentive offer and the recommended payment account to the mobile device of the user.

Payments for products and services are often completed using credit cards, debit cards, checks or other payment accounts. A user having more than one payment account may choose a particular payment account for initiating a payment based on a variety of factors, including convenience, an available cash balance, an available credit balance, a user reward or offer associated with the payment account, and so on. However, the user may be unable to quickly and efficiently weigh each of the factors involved in choosing a payment account for payment, particularly in real-time. Thus, the user may be unaware of a better offer or reward until after the payment has been made.
Further, the user of the payment accounts often carries some type of mobile handheld electronic device, such as a cellular phone, smart phone, mobile handheld wireless e-mail device, personal digital assistant, or portable gaming device. The mobile device can be used to access payment account information and receive various communications from an associated financial institution. However, the information provided to the user of the mobile device may not be to sufficient to enable the user to select, in real time, the most beneficial payment account for making a payment.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for providing real-time payment recommendations and offers


A status management system includes a computer-implemented method for delivering status information to a requester, comprising providing status codes, clustering the status codes in a number of status codes clusters, hierarchically sorting the status codes clusters and transmitting at least one of the status codes to the requester depending on the hierarchy of the sorted status codes clusters.

1. Priority Claim
This application claims the benefit of priority from European Patent Application No. EP 11005 732.0 filed Jul. 13, 2011, which is incorporated by reference.
2. Technical Field
The present invention relates to telematic connectivity systems in which telecommunication devices exchange information, and more particular to the recognition and indication of status states in telematic connectivity systems.
3. Related Art
Telematic systems, such as those installed in vehicles, can be composed of multiple hardware and software components which are interconnected over (mobile) networks. Applications provided by the telematic systems are influenced by the actual network access device availability, connectivity, resource-sharing issues and provider system configurations and restrictions. As there is such a great variety of factors influencing the perceivable reaction of the application especially in error cases, it is necessary to univocally interpret system states (status states) for the purpose of correct reporting of application states to the users (such as via a graphic user interface) but also for the purpose of error search, diagnostics and recovery.


Implementations of the present invention include a core barrel assembly having a driven latch mechanism. The driven latch mechanism can lock the core barrel assembly axially and rotationally relative to a drill string. The driven latch mechanism can include a plurality of wedge members positioned on a plurality of driving surfaces. Rotation of the drill string can cause the plurality of wedge members to wedge between an inner diameter of the drill string and the plurality of driving surfaces, thereby rotationally locking the core barrel assembly relative to the drill string. The driven latch mechanism can further include a refracted groove adapted to lock the plurality of wedge members radially within the core barrel assembly, thereby allowing for faster travel within the drill string. Implementations of the present invention also include drilling systems including such driven latch mechanisms, and methods of retrieving a core sample using such drilling systems.

1. The Field of the Invention
Implementations of the present invention relate generally to drilling devices and methods that may be used to drill geological and/or manmade formations. In particular, implementations of the present invention relate to core barrel assemblies.
2. The Relevant Technology
Core drilling (or core sampling) includes obtaining core samples of subterranean formations at various depths for various reasons. For example, a retrieved core sample can indicate what materials, such as petroleum, precious metals, and other desirable materials, are present or are likely to be present in a particular formation, and at what depths. In some cases, core sampling can be used to give a geological timeline of materials and events. As such, core sampling may be used to determine the desirability of further exploration in a particular area.
Wireline drilling systems are one common type of drilling system for retrieving a core sample. In a wireline drilling process, a core drill bit is attached to the leading edge of an outer tube or drill rod. A drill string is then formed by attaching a series of drill rods that are assembled together section by section as the outer tube is lowered deeper into the desired formation. A core barrel assembly is then lowered or pumped into the drill string. The core drill bit is rotated, pushed, and/or vibrated into the formation, thereby causing a sample of the desired material to enter into the core barrel assembly. Once the core sample is obtained, the core barrel assembly is retrieved from the drill string using a wireline. The core sample can then be removed from the core barrel assembly.
Core barrel assemblies commonly include a core barrel for receiving the core, and a head assembly for attaching the core barrel assembly to the wireline. Typically, the core barrel assembly is lowered into the drill string until the core barrel reaches a landing seat on an outer tube or distal most drill rod. At this point a latch on the head assembly is deployed to restrict the movement of the core barrel assembly with respect to the drill rod. Once latched, the core barrel assembly is then advanced into the formation along with the drill rod, causing material to fill the core barrel.
One potential challenge can arise due to the interaction between the core barrel assembly and the drill string. For example, when the drill string is spinning, the inertia of the core barrel assembly can exceed the frictional resistance between the mating components such that the head assembly rotates at a lower rate than the drill rod or fails to rotate and remains stationary. In such a situation, the mating components can suffer sliding contact, which can result in abrasive wear.
Often it may be desirable to obtain core samples at various depths in a formation. Furthermore, in some cases, it may be desirable to retrieve core samples at depths of thousands of feet below ground-level, or otherwise along a drilling path. In such cases, retrieving a core sample may require the time consuming and costly process of removing the entire drill string (or tripping the drill string out) from the borehole. In other cases, a wireline drilling system may be used to avoid the hassle and time associated with tripping the entire drill string. Even when using a wireline drilling system, tripping the core barrel assembly in and out of the drill string is nonetheless time-consuming.
Accordingly, there are a number of disadvantages in conventional wireline systems that can be addressed.

Core drilling tools with retractably lockable driven latch mechanisms


Centrifugal pumps are disclosed for pumping a pulp suspension including a housing, a rotary shaft mounted within the housing, an impeller including a hub and blades, a wheel disk mounting the blades and including openings for discharging gas generated in the pump, vacuum blades mounted on the hub behind the wheel disk, a vacuum housing enclosing the vacuum blades, the vacuum housing including an outer cylindrical wall which is radially displaced and eccentrically disposed with respect to the vacuum blades, the vacuum housing including a front wall and a rear wall separated from the vacuum blades by a gap, the rear wall being axially adjustable so that the gap between the vacuum blades and the rear wall can be adjusted to adjust the vacuum generated thereby, and a passageway for communication between the openings in the wheel disk and the suction opening.

The present invention relates to a centrifugal pump for pulp suspensions of lignocellulosic material. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pump where a gas, such as air, is separated from the pulp in the pump.
Gas which follows along with the pulp can cause significant problems during pumping with centrifugal pumps. The gas in the pulp collects in the form of bubbles, which accumulate in front of the impeller whereby the capacity of the pump deteriorates. This problem can be overcome by evacuating the gas from the space in front of the impeller, such as by means of vacuum pumps of the type comprising liquid ring pumps. These pumps often comprise a separate vacuum pump, whose suction line is connected to the sealing space of the pulp pump. These pumps can also be designed as a separate vacuum impeller in the form of a liquid ring impeller located on the shaft of the pulp pump so that a common drive for both impellers is obtained.
In the cases when a separate vacuum pump is used, the pulp pump becomes relatively complicated and expensive, due to the fact that several components are required in the system. When, a separate liquid ring impeller of a conventional type is placed on the same shaft as the pulp pump, the capacity of the liquid ring impeller is restricted for reasons of space.
In accordance with the present invention, these prior art pumps have been improved upon by the discovery of a centrifugal pump for pumping a pulp suspension comprising a housing including a housing inlet for the pulp suspension and a housing outlet for the pumped pulp suspension, a rotatary shaft within the housing, an impeller including a hub and a plurality of blades radially extending from the hub, the impeller mounted for rotation on the rotary shaft, a wheel disk mounting the plurality of blades, the wheel disk including a front face facing the hub and a rear face, the wheel disk including openings for discharging gas generated in the pump, a plurality of vacuum blades mounted for rotation on the hub behind the rear face of the wheel disk, a vacuum housing enclosing the plurality of vacuum blades, the vacuum housing including an outer cylindrical wall radially displaced from the plurality of vacuum blades, the outer cylindrical wall being eccentrically disposed with respect to the plurality of vacuum blades, the vacuum housing further including a front wall proximate to the rear face of the wheel disk, and a rear wall distal from the rear face of the wheel disk and separated from the plurality of vacuum blades by a gap, the front wall including a suction opening for receiving the gas, the rear wall including an exhaust opening for exhausting the gas, the rear wall being axially adjustable whereby the gap between the plurality of vacuum blades and the rear wall can be adjusted in order to adjust the vacuum generated thereby, and a passageway disposed between the rear face of the wheel disk and the front wall for communication between the openings in the wheel disk and the suction opening. Preferably, the front wall includes at least one aperture and the pump includes a dilution chamber disposed radially outwardly with respect to the outer cylindrical wall for supplying dilution liquid to the passageway through the at least one aperture. In a preferred embodiment, the pump includes a shaft seal for the rotary shaft, the shaft seal defining a space axially adjacent to the rear wall, and the dilution chamber includes an opening in communication with the space, whereby the dilution liquid can externally flush the shaft seal.
In accordance with one embodiment of the centrifugal pump of the present invention, the pump includes a connector disposed adjacent to the vacuum chamber, whereby a separate vacuum system can be coupled to the centrifugal pump.
In accordance with the present invention, the aforesaid problems can be eliminated by the vacuum impeller being integrated in the impeller of the pulp pump. The structure of the present invention is compact and simple, and the capacity of the vacuum pump can be easily controlled. The pump is thus formed so that it can easily be combined with a separate vacuum pump, so that both pumps can be used in parallel. Alternatively, the separate vacuum pump can be coupled in at operation drop-out of the integrated vacuum pump according to the present invention in order to ensure accessability for the centrifugal pump.


Projection views of the moving heart and stationary background tissues are acquired and processed to provide corresponding moving tissue projection views. An average image is reconstructed in a conventional manner and a moving tissue image is reconstructed using a highly constrained backprojection method and a composite image formed from selected moving tissue projection views. The average image is then combined with the moving tissue image. The method is disclosed in a cardiac gated MRI scan.

The field of the invention is medical imaging methods and systems. More particularly, the invention relates to the imaging of a moving subject such as the beating heart.
When imaging a moving subject such as the beating heart, higher quality images can be obtained if the data is acquired very rapidly by the medical imaging system. With an x-ray CT system, for example, the x-ray source and detector are rotated around the subject to acquire a sufficient number of projection views from which a tomographic image can be reconstructed. This requires time and a trade-off is usually made between shortening the scan time by acquiring fewer projection views and image quality that improves with more projection views.
While this problem exists for x-ray CT, it is a much more significant problem in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). When a substance such as human tissue is subjected to a uniform magnetic field (polarizing field B0), the individual magnetic moments of the spins in the tissue attempt to align with this polarizing field, but precess about it in random order at their characteristic Larmor frequency. If the substance, or tissue, is subjected to a magnetic field (excitation field B1) which is in the x-y plane and which is near the Larmor frequency, the net aligned moment, Mz, may be rotated, or "stipped", into the x-y plane to produce a net transverse magnetic moment Mt. A signal is emitted by the excited spins after the excitation signal B1 is terminated, this signal may be received and processed to form an image. When utilizing these signals to produce images, magnetic field gradients (Gx, Gy and Gz) are employed. Typically, the region to be imaged is scanned by a sequence of measurement cycles in which these gradients vary according to the particular localization method being used. The resulting set of received NMR signals are digitized and processed to reconstruct the image using one of many well known reconstruction techniques.
The prevailing methods used to acquire NMR signals and reconstruct images use a variant of the well known Fourier transform (FT) imaging technique, which is frequently referred to as "spin-warp". The spin-warp technique is discussed in an article entitled "Spin-Warp NMR Imaging and Applications To Human Whole-body Imaging" by W. A. Edelstein et al., Physics in Medicine and Biology, Vol. 25, pp. 751-756 (1980). It employs a variable amplitude phase encoding magnetic field gradient pulse prior to the acquisition of NMR spin-echo signals to phase encode spatial information in the direction of this gradient. In a two-dimensional implementation (2DFT), for example, spatial information is encoded in one Cartesian coordinate system direction by applying a phase encoding gradient (Gy) along that direction, and then a spin-echo signal is acquired in the presence of a readout magnetic field gradient (Gx) in a direction orthogonal to the phase encoding direction. The readout gradient present during the spin-echo acquisition encodes spatial information in the orthogonal direction. In a typical 2DFT pulse sequence, the magnitude of the phase encoding gradient pulse Gy is incremented (ΔGy) in the sequence of "views" that are acquired during the scan to produce a set of NMR data from which an entire image can be reconstructed.
To increase the rate at which image frames are acquired, image quality may be sacrificed by acquiring fewer phase encoding views, or by using faster pulse sequences that inherently result in lower quality images. With the spin-warp methods, therefore, there is a trade-off between the number of views that are acquired to achieve the desired image resolution and quality, and the rate at which NMR data for a complete image may be acquired.
More recently, an alternative method of acquiring NMR image data has been used in which no phase encoding gradients are employed. Instead, only a readout gradient is applied during the acquisition of each NMR signal (i.e., "view") and a series of different views are acquired by rotating the angle of the readout gradient. Rather than sampling k-space in a rectilinear scan pattern as is done in Fourier imaging, this "projection reconstruction" method samples k-space with a series of views that sample radial lines extending outward from the center of k-space. The number of views needed to sample k-space determines the length of the scan and if an insufficient number of views are acquired, streak artifacts are produced in the reconstructed image.
Because the beating heart is constantly moving, the many different views needed to reconstruct an artifact-free image are acquired over a series of heart beats at approximately the same point, or "sphase", in the cardiac cycle. Image acquisition is gated using an ECG trigger signal, and typically four to eight views (referred to as a "segment") are acquired at a selected time interval after the cardiac trigger signal. The reconstructed image depicts the heart at a particular cardiac phase as determined by the selected delay time.
The standard backprojection method used in both MRI and x-ray CT is illustrated in FIG. 2. Each acquired signal projection profile 10 is backprojected onto the field of view 12 by projecting each signal sample 14 in the profile 10 through the FOV 12 along the projection path as indicted by arrows 16. In projecting each signal sample 14 in the FOV 12 we have no a priori knowledge of the subject and the assumption is made that the signals in the FOV 12 are homogeneous and that the signal sample 14 should be distributed equally in each pixel through which the projection path passes. For example, a projection path 18 is illustrated in FIG. 2 for a single signal sample 14 in one signal projection profile 10 as it passes through N pixels in the FOV 12. The signal value (P) of this signal sample 14 is divided up equally between these N pixels:Sn=(P×1)/N  (1)where: Sn is the NMR signal value distributed to the nth pixel in a projection path having N pixels.
Clearly, the assumption that the signal in the FOV 12 is homogeneous is not correct. However, as is well known in the art, if certain filtering corrections are made to each signal profile 10 and a sufficient number of filtered profiles are acquired at a corresponding number of projection angles, the errors caused by this faulty assumption are minimized and image artifacts are suppressed. In a typical, filtered backprojection method of image reconstruction, 400 projections are required for a 256×256 pixel 2D image and 203,000 projections are required for a 256×256×256 voxel 3D image. If the method described in the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,435 is employed, the number of projection views needed for these same images can be reduced to 100 (2D) and 2000 (3D).
More than 20 years ago a method was proposed for reducing the number of projection views needed to produce adequate images of the beating heart, McKinnon and Bates "Towards Imaging The Beating Heart Usefully With A Conventional CT Scanner", IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, Vol. BME-28, No. 2, Feb. 1981. The authors recognized that when acquiring views at different cardiac phases the stationary tissues surrounding the heart remained constant throughout and all the acquired views could be used to reconstruct a very high quality image of the stationary tissues. By combining the higher quality stationary tissue image data with the acquired moving tissue data an image could be reconstructed in which streak artifacts caused by stationary tissues could be removed. This method has not found significant clinical use, however, because the multi-source CT scanner for which the method was designed was not commercialized.
While a decent single-slice, 2D image may be acquired at one or more cardiac phases during a single breath-hold using known methods, prior methods are not fast enough to acquire a 3D image or multiple 2D slices at each cardiac phase during a single breath hold. Such images are necessary when the subject of the examination (such as coronary arteries) does not lie in a single 2D plane and either a multi-slice or 3D image acquisition is needed to make a diagnoses.

Reconstruction method for images of the beating heart


The invention is applied in a gigabit network environment. During the process of converting serial data into parallel data, a method is proposed to use the comma pattern in a data pipeline architecture to select word boundaries of a correct data frame from a serial bit stream. This method is further implemented in a bit receiver with a two-stage pipeline architecture to achieve the object of increasing data transmission bandwidth and efficiency.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a device and method for comma detection and word alignment in serial transmission. More particularly, this invention relates to a pipeline architecture applied in a gigabit network environment for completing data comparison of comma detection and data output of word alignment in two stages during the process of converting a serial data into a parallel data. The invention is a device and method for increasing the data transmission bandwidth and efficiency.
2. Related Art
The current gigabit serial transmission network covers a wide area, including the optical network technology, the gigabit network technology, the Infiniband transmission technology, the serial ATA and the PCI Express. The data transmissions in these high-speed serial links all use 8/10 code proposed by A. X. Widmer and P. A. Franazek. Such a code set includes all 8-bit data codes (256 unique data characters) and additional special (or "K") symbols. Since this code set is inherited with the abilities of DC-balancing, limited run length coding, and error bit detection, the code set is widely used in high-speed serial transmissions. The ability of DC-balancing refers to the equality of the numbers of 1 and 0 in the serial data bits. The limited run length coding means that the number of continuous 1 or 0 does not exceed five in the serial data, ensuring correct extraction of clocks by the receiving end from the serial data stream.
In practice, the transmission end of the serial links represents a character using 10 bits in data coding. The receiving end of the serial links has to use 10 bits as the unit to perform symbol comparison. If the received symbol is the same as a code, then the symbol is interpreted as the corresponding 8-bit data. For the receiving end, it is especially important to obtain correct 10 bits for decoding. Among the code sets, some special symbols have particular bit combinations called commas. These commas are capable of making the receiver obtain correct word alignment in the serial bit stream. Since the commas are unique in coding, arbitrarily coded serial data may not have the same bit combination as the commas. The receiving end can thus determine the boundaries of words.
In the prior art, the transmitted serial data take 10 bits as a unit to represent a character. However, the boundaries of each 10 bits are determined through the comma detection so that correct conversion to parallel data is possible. Incorrect bit boundaries will result in erratic data interpretation. Therefore, a comma comparison circuit is used to detect the correct bit boundaries. Once the comparison circuit finds the correct boundaries in the serial bit stream to accomplish word alignment, the data are transmitted in a parallel way out of an output circuit. Consequently, the more time it takes to perform comma detection and word alignment, the less time is allowed for the next stage circuit to receive word data.

Device and method for comma detection and word alignment in serial transmission


The present disclosure provides systems and techniques for delivering a realistic, engaging, personalized, online version of the case method pedagogy to one student or hundreds of thousands of students worldwide. A method may include presenting a first segment of instructional course content to a first user. A first input may be received from the first user and a portion of the first input that is associated with a second segment of instructional course content may be identified. As a result, the second segment of instructional course content may be presented to the first user. The method may also include receiving a second input from the first user. A portion of the second input that is associated with a third segment of instructional course content may be identified. Accordingly, the third segment of instructional course content may be presented to the first user.

Online courses are becoming increasingly popular for several factors such as worldwide accessibility and the variety of course subject areas offered by course providers. Students of these online courses typically receive traditional course materials such as videos, readings and problem sets, as well as interactive user forums that may help to build a community for the students, professors, and teaching assistants. In general, users of online courses are presented with pre-set course materials for an overall course subject area, which may cover multiple course topics. These pre-set course materials are usually in the form of reading materials and/or pre-recorded videos for the user to read/view. In addition, the user may be asked to engage in course work, activities, and/or assessments associated with the overall course subject area and/or specific course topics in the subject area. The user may be graded based on his performance in the course work, activities, and/or tests. Depending on the user's performance, portions of the course material may be suggested for the user to re-read/re-view and/or supplemental course materials may be suggested to the user, perhaps to improve his performance in the overall course subject area or in a specific course topic.


The invention provides a system and a method for synchronizing cable modems, the method includes the stages of: (i) generating, at a media access control entity, synchronization messages; and (ii) updating the synchronization messages to provide updated synchronization messages, whereas the updating is responsive to delays introduced at least during a stage of multiplexing the updated synchronization messages and additional content. The invention provides a system and a method of encrypting a data stream, the method includes the stages of: (i) receiving, at a multiplexing entity, at least one data stream destined to at least one cable modem; (ii) receiving, at the multiplexing entity, at least one encryption key generated by a cable modem termination system, whereas each encryption key is associated with at least one cable modem; and (iii) encrypting at least one data stream with at least one encryption key associated with the at least one cable modem.

Information signals, such as data signals, media signals and especially compressed video and audio streams and more especially packetized audio and media streams propagate over various communication channels, such as but not limited to terrestrial, wireless, satellite, wireline and cable communication channels. Media streams usually include large amounts of information.
Digital transmission and compression techniques allow for transmitting media signals over communication channels in a compressed form. The Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) specifications are standardized methods for compressing and transmitting media signals such as video and audio.
Communication channels that are connected to clients have a limited bandwidth, said limitation is known in the art as the "last mile problem". Accordingly, only a certain amount of services can be provided to clients over said limited bandwidth channels. The amount of services is especially limited when some of them are bandwidth consuming.
It is noted that certain bandwidth limited networks are known in the art as broadband networks, but said title mostly emphasizes the much larger bandwidth these communication networks have (usually about 750 Mhz) in comparison to even more bandwidth limited communication networks and technologies, such as Plain Old Telephone Networks, dial-in modems and the like.
Clients are grouped in service groups. A service group includes a plurality of clients, such as set top boxes, cable modems and the like, that receive the same multiplexed downstream signal ('downstream' means from service provided to a client, while 'upstream' means information transmitted from the clients) as they share the same communication link/output port of a node, hub or even a Headend. A service group is also known in the art as a "forward carrier path".
Typically, media packets are provided to Headends, primary hubs, secondary hubs and nodes and then are transmitted over communication networks to the clients. Some media packets can pass through more than one entity out of said Headend, hubs and nodes. In order to transmit the media packets over said networks they are modulated in various manners known in the art.
The modulation is implemented by modulators that may be located within said entities. A typical modulator is a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) modulator, although other modulators, such as QPSK modulators, are known in the art. QPSK modulation is more robust than QAM modulation but is slower. It is noted that QPSK modulation may be used for modulating upstream information.
A QAM modulator usually receives input signals and outputs a modulated signal over a Radio Frequency carrier. Usually said modulator is also able to perform additional processing steps such as encryption, error correction coding, interleaving and the like. Most QAM modulators are able to alter the carrier frequency within a predefined frequency range. The modulators are arranged in arrays that are also known in the art as multi-modulators. Multi-modulators provide multiple modulated output signals. Modulated signals that are spaced apart in the frequency domain can be combined. Typically, each modulator outputs an output channel that has a bandwidth of 6 Mhz. The 6 Mhz channel can be used to convey a single analog television channel or ten MPEG compliant television channels. Typically, downstream channels are in the 50-750 Mhz band while upstream channels are in the 5-40 Mhz band.
Data is conveyed over various networks, including the Hybrid Cable Fiber (HFC) networks. A well known cable modem transmission standard is known as DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification). Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) are known in the art. They can be used for DOCSIS compliant systems.
A CMTS is usually installed in a cable headend or in a distribution hub and is connected to multiple cable modems via the HFC network. A conventional CMTS board transmits downstream information on a single downstream channel to multiple cable modems and receives information from multiple cable modems over one or more upstream channel. The upstream channel is usually termed out of band channel, as upstream transmission usually occupies a frequency range outside of the downstream frequency range.
The DOCSIS reference model includes a backbone network that is connected to a CMTS via a backbone transport adapter that in turn is also connected to a local server facility and a Telco Return Access Concentrator (TRAC). The TRAC is connected to a plain old telephone network. The CMTS is connected to data over cable security system DOCSS that enables data stream encryption. The CMTS is also connected to an operations support system and to a downstream combiner and upstream splitter that in turn are connected to a transmitter and to a receiver. The combiner can also be connected to video sources. These transmitter and receiver are connected to a hybrid fiber cable coax network that is connected to cable modems. The cable modems can be connected to client premises equipment. The CMTS is modeled as a network terminator that is connected to a modulator for downstream transmission and also connected to a de-modulator for upstream reception. DOCSIS is aimed to forward IP traffic transparently over a system that may be modeled by the mentioned above model.
There are various DOCSIS standards. The DOCSIS 1.0 is aimed to allow Internet access service to clients. DOCSIS 1.1 also supports telephony services. DOCSIS 2.0 adds the ability to use higher upstream data rates. The DOCSIS has a U.S version and a European version that is also referred to as EURO-DOCSIS. One of the differences between these version is the allocation of 6 Mhz wide channel in the U.S. and the allocation of 8 Mhz wide channels in Europe.
There are various models of communication protocols. A first well-known model is the OSI model that includes seven layers, starting from the physical layer (layer 1), data link layer (layer 2), network layer (layer 3), transport layer (layer 4), session layer (layer 5), presentation layer (layer 6) and application layer (layer 7).
A slightly different model describes the TCP/IP protocol suit that includes four layers such as the network interface layer, internet layer, the transport layer and the application layer. The network interface layer defines a standard interface for various low level layers. The internet layer provides routing and relaying functions for carrying packets of data from a source system to a destination system through an internet. This layer includes the Internet Protocol (IP), the Reverse Address Resolution Protocol, the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) that maps between logical network layer addresses (such as IP address) and hardware, data link Media Access Control (MAC) layer addresses. The transport layer provides an end-to-end data delivery service that is used to exchange messages over the internet, by application processes. This layer includes either the simple User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or the more complex but more reliable Transfer Control Protocol (TCP). The application layer includes many protocols that are aimed to provide a variety of services to network units. It includes, for example, the SNMP network management protocol, the TFTP file transfer protocol, the DHCP protocol that assigns IP address to devices, and the like.
CMTS and CM communicate using a multi-layered protocol stack that can be mapped to the TCP/IP protocol suit. When the CMs and CMTS operate as IP and LLC hosts the application layer includes SNMP, TFTP and DHCP protocols, the transport layer includes a UDP protocol, the internet layer includes IP, ARP and ICMP protocols, and the network interface layer include a variety of protocols and sub-layers starting from a Physical Media Dependent (PMD) sub-layer protocol, a Transmission convergence sub-layer (for downstream transmission only), a Media Access Control sub-layer, a link security sub-layer, and a Logical Link Control (LLC)/DIX/sub-layer. DIX is the Ethernet version 2.0 standard. In this context, DIX link layer framing refers to the "Type interpretation" of the Length/Type filed in ISO8802-3.
The transmission convergence layer defines a downstream data-conveying packet that has the same size and the same header format as the 188 byte long MPEG Transport packet (a.k.a. transport stream packet). Thus allowing both data and Video to be demodulated at the same manner and to facilitate common receiving hardware. A typical downstream MAC frame may includes MAC header and an optional variable length Ethernet type Packet Data Protocol Data Unit (PDU). This downstream MAC frame is preceded by a MPEG transmission convergence header. A typical upstream MAC frame is preceded by a PMD header.
The CMTS manages the upstream transmission by applying a media access control (MAC) scheme and allocating time slots and mini-time slots for upstream transmission. A single MAC sub-layer domain includes upstream and downstream channels for which a single Media Access Control Allocation and management protocol operates. One or more CMTS usually manage multiple MAC sub-layer domains. CMTS can support various quality of service classes by associating one of more service flow ID to each cable modem.
In order to effectively utilize the upstream bandwidth there is a need to synchronize the cable modems clocks as well as to assess the upstream delay from each cable modem to the CMTS. The CMTS generates and transmits SYNC messages that include a timestamp representative of when the SYNC message left the CMTS. The various upstream and downstream delays are determined during a ranging session that each cable modem undergoes before gaining access to the upstream channel. The cable modems receive the SYNC messages and synchronize their clock accordingly. A method for such synchronization by a cable modem is described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,022 of Wu titled "Time-stamp-based timing recovery for cable media access controller" which is incorporated herein by reference.
Another important MAC message is the Upstream Channel Descriptor (UCD) message that is used to number and to attribute mini-slots. A typical CMTS grant allows a certain cable modem to upstream transmit during a certain number of mini-slots, starting from a certain mini-slot.
The CMTS is also capable of determining the service group of each cable modem. This determination can be utilized by sending ping messages. A system, apparatus and computer readable medium that utilize ping messages in described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,305 of Roeck et al. titled "Media access layer ping protocol for diagnosing cable modem links", which is incorporated herein by reference.
Various networks that include CMTS and can convey data according to DOCSIS are known in the art. The following patents and patent applications, all incorporated herein by reference, provide a brief overview of state of the art systems and methods: U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,135 of Dziekan et al., titled "HFC access network management system"; U.S. patent application 20030058887 of Dworkin et al., titled "Method and apparatus for ineterleaving DOCSIS data with an MPEG video stream"; U.S. patent application 20040019876 of Dravida et al., titled "Network architecture for intelligent network elements"; U.S. patent application 20040045035 of Cummings et al., titled "Distributed cable modem termination system (CMTS) architecture".
DOCSIS compliant systems encrypt downstream data. One of the reasons for said encryption is the downstream transmission of data to multiple cable modems that share the same downstream channel. The security scheme is known as Baseline Privacy Interface (for DOCSIS version 1.0) or BPI+ (for DOCSIS version 1.1). This scheme includes using an encryption key of limited time duration to encrypt data being sent to cable modems. A cable modem is responsible to request a new encryption key once a current encryption key expires or nearly expires. BPI+ provides an improved scheme that uses a certificate based authentication such that a cable modem binds his MAC address to his RSA public key. The CMTS can verify the public key of the cable modem by verifying the authenticity of the certificate.
A brief overview of a BPI encryption scheme is illustrated in U.S patent application serial number 20030061623 of Denney et al., titled "Highly integrated media access control" which is incorporated herein by reference.

Method and system for exchanging media and data between multiple clients and a central entity


A microelectronic device including a microelectronic circuit and at least one planar flexible lead. These planar flexible leads are adapted to bend and flex during mechanical stress allow direct mounting of the device to a member, and withstand extreme thermal cycling, such as −197° C. to +150° C. such as encountered in space.

Microelectronic devices typically comprise of an integrated circuit diode die encompassed in a package having a plurality of external leads permitting electrical attachment to a printed circuit board. These microelectronic devices are available as commercial devices, and some are available as high reliability devices such as used in military applications, including those integrated in space environments, such as satellites, space vehicles and solar panels. In space environments, microelectronic devices need to withstand extreme thermal cycling, such as from −197 C. to +150 C.
All materials have a coefficient of thermal expansion, which is a thermal index indicating the relative degree a material expands or contracts as a function of temperature. Materials contract as they are cooled, and expand as they are warmed. Therefore, microelectronic devices employ materials with similar coefficients of thermal expansion that they can withstand extreme thermal cycling. Portions of the device having similar coefficients of thermal expansion are secured to one another using adhesive, paste, solder and so forth to avoid separation during thermal cycling.
In space applications, one typical integrated circuit includes a solar cell diode which may be joined to a solar cell panel. These solar cell diodes are subject to some of the most severe thermal cycling environments given their exposure to the sun and subsequent shading therefrom numerous times over their life cycle. Conventionally, these solar cells devices are comprised of glass and are soldered or welded to the solar panel, and interconnected to other circuits using rigid materials, such as rigid axial leads. These rigid leads can tolerate the extreme thermal cycling for a period of time, but have a limited life cycle. These axial leaded devices were designed for solder attachment to the solar panel. The solder joint in this design has limited thermal cycling capability due to thermal expansion mismatch, solder re-crystallization, and solder creep. Cracking it the solder joint is then followed by an electrical disconnect with the circuit.
More recently, solar panel manufacturers have switched to attaching the axial leaded devices using a welded connection. The axial leads do not lend themselves to welding easily. Solar panel manufactures struggle with the weld attachment. Welding flat leads to round axial leads causes reliability and weld consistency problems. An easier more reliable method is desired.
Integrated circuits generate heat during operation due to conduction losses. This heat must be dissipated from the device for proper functioning. Axial leaded glass diodes in particular are very difficult to heat sink to the panel and remove the heat efficiently. Solar panel manufactures have been struggling with thermal problems associated with the axial leaded glass diodes. A device that can be more efficiently heat sunk is desired.
There is desired an improved microelectronic device adapted to withstand extreme thermal cycling, such as that encountered in a space environment.

Integrated circuit with flexible planer leads


A rotary clip rotation mechanism for an air gun, having a nail for engaging with a nail engagement section provided in the rotary clip and causing rotation of a rotary clip, comprises an L-shaped arm, capable of rotating about an arm shaft, with a muzzle side end opening section formed from a curved surface section; an arm elastic section provided at a position contacting the tip of the curved surface section of the L-shaped arm, a nail support arm provided so as to rotate on a gun rear end side of the L-shaped arm by means of a connecting elastic section, and a nail urged in the direction of the tip end by a nail elastic section provided on a tip of the nail support arm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a rotary clip (rotary cylinder, rotary magazine) rotation mechanism for an air gun.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 11, a rotary clip of an air gun is provided with 6 to 8 circular bores (bullet containment sections) capable of being loaded with a single bullet of BB shot or pellet shot, and the bores are rotated to continuously fire bullets.
Generally, an air gun rotary clip is provided at one or both ends of a substantially rectangular solid shaped magazine body of a magazine, and this magazine is loaded by inserting into a magazine holding section formed from a cavity in the air gun body.
A magazine that has been inserted into the magazine holding section is ejected from the magazine holding section once all bullets contained in the rotary clip bores have been fired, and after reloading the empty bores with bullets it is fitted into the magazine holding section.
A rotary clip loaded into the air gun body is rotated by a rotation member for rotating the rotary clip, but there are occasions where a situation arises where it becomes impossible to rotate the rotary clip due to a bullet remaining between the bore of the rotary clip and the barrel, etc. In this type of situation, if an attempt is made to force the rotary clip to rotate, there is a danger of the mechanism for rotating the rotary clip, or the rotary clip itself, being damaged. In order to prevent this type of damage, there has been known a related art rotary clip rotation mechanism constructed as follows.
As related art 1, by constructing the whole of a mechanism for rotating the rotary clip of a material having comparatively high pliability, such as plastic, for example, damage to the rotary clip rotation mechanism or the rotary clip itself is avoided by deformation such as bending of the members constituting the rotation mechanism at the time of unreasonable force on the rotary clip (U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,795, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,536, U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,150).
As related art 2, there is a mechanism that makes a tip member (referred to in the following as a nail) of a member for rotating the rotary clip movable, and causing the nail to move in an arc with a rotational axis as a center, to rotate the rotary clip. This rotation mechanism is provided with a spring between the nail and a member for supporting the nail, and the nail is urged in a direction to rotate the rotary clip. When a state then arises where the rotary clip can not be rotated, the nail is rotated about the rotational axis against the urging force of the spring to release engagement with the rotary clip, avoiding damage to the rotary clip rotation mechanism and the rotary clip itself.
Patent Publication 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,795
Patent Publication 2: U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,536
Patent Publication 3: U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,150
However, related art 1 has a simple structure, but synthetic resin such as plastic constituting the material has molding conditions that are easily changed according to temperature and air pressure, and there is a problem in that design of members constituting the rotary clip rotation mechanism, and selection of material and quality control, are difficult.
Also, related art 2 has fewer problems with quality control since the respective members, such as a nail of the rotary clip rotation mechanism, can be formed of a hard material such as metal. However, it is necessary to make the nail itself small in order to ensure space for the nail to move in an arc in the narrow space of the air gun body. Therefore, if the rotary clip is rotated for a long period of time with a small nail, the likelihood of degradation or damage to sections such as the nail is high, and there is a problem that the whole of the rotary clip rotation mechanism lacks durability.


A communication system and method of connecting a mobile unit to a base station are disclosed where a connection code is stored in the base unit which is the serial number thereof. The connection code is either entered by the user of the mobile unit or is stored therein. This connection code is transmitted from the mobile unit to the base station before a communication between them is established. Such a communication is established if the connection code transmitted from the mobile unit equals to the connection code stored in the base unit.

The invention relates to a telecommunication device comprising a base station and at least one mobile unit allowing of being connected to said base station.
The invention also relates to a connection method for connecting a mobile unit to a base station.
Such units, known as wireless telephones, are currently used and provide much ease of use to the users because of the number of functions they offer to the users.
A problem posed with this type of unit is the problem of connecting a mobile unit to a base station. When one wishes to realize this connection, the connection has to be validated inside the base unit.
This validation procedure for known units is executed in that the base station switches the unit into service. This base station thus invites all the mobile units that receive a signal sequence broadcast in a relatively large environment to be connected to the base station. This, however, presents a large drawback. A mobile unit belonging to a dishonest neighbor of the base station's proprietor may acquire this sequence and then validate the neighbor's own unit, so that the communications he will establish will afterwards be billed to the base station's proprietor who has triggered the validation procedure.

Telecommunication device comprising a base station and at least one mobile unit and method of connecting a mobile unit to a base station


Methods of providing pain relief which includes the steps of identifying an animal in need of pain relief and administering an amount of spicamycin or a derivative thereof sufficient to provide pain relief.

This invention relates to a method of decreasing or preventing pain.
Spicamycin (SPM) is an antitumor antibiotic produced by the bacterium Streptomyces alanosinicus 879-MT.sub.3 (Hayakawa et al., Agric Biol Chem 49:2685-2691 1985!). The naturally occurring compound has the following general structure, varying solely in the fatty acid moiety: ##STR1## Formula I: Spicamycin
Synthetic variants of spicamycin and their use as an antitumor agent is described in Otake et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,461,036 and 5,631,238.

Methods of decreasing or preventing pain using spicamycin or derivatives thereof


In an infantry grenade (5) the fragmentation effect is enhanced in that a cup portion (7) of a ductile steel--which serves to receive an explosive charge (9)--has at its periphery in a substantially cylindrical longitudinal portion (25) a pre-notched fragmentation arrangement (28, 29) and in a rounded longitudinal portion (26) ball-type fragmentation portions (32). The entire fragmentation arrangement is enclosed by a plastic shell (17).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fragmentation body for a fragmentation projectile which includes a cup portion made of metal for receiving an explosive charge. At the opening of the cup portion there is provide a redial should as an abutment for the fragmentation body, with the fragmentation body enclosing the cup portion about its periphery and also substantially at the tail end thereof. A plastic shell encloses both the fragmentation body and the radial shoulder with an adjoining cylindrical flange.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
German utility model No 90 17 347 discloses a fragmentation projectile having a fragmentation casing of plastic material. The fragmentation body comprises a cup portion made of metal for receiving an explosive charge, wherein provided at the opening thereof is a radial shoulder as an abutment for the fragmentation body. At its periphery the cup portions is surrounded by the fragmentation body. The fragmentation body has ball-type fragmentation portions which are bound in plastic material. A plastic shell surrounds the fragmentation body and a radial shoulder of the cup portion with a cylindrical flange arranged thereon at its opening.

Fragmentation body for a fragmentation projectile


An antenna array system includes an antenna and a radome. The radome is disposed such that electromagnetic radiation transmitted with respect to the antenna passes through the radome. The radome includes a dielectric layer, first dielectric inclusions distributed in the dielectric layer in a first pattern and second dielectric inclusions spacially and dimensionally varied from the first dielectric inclusions and distributed in the dielectric layer in a second pattern, which is different from the first pattern.

The present disclosure relates generally to broadband array antennas and, more particularly, broadband array antennas enhanced with spatially engineered dielectrics.
A radome is an enclosure that protects a device, such as a microwave antenna, a radar antenna or a phased array antenna. The radome is constructed of material that minimally attenuates electromagnetic signals. Radomes also serve to protect antenna surfaces from weather or to conceal antenna electronic equipment from view. Radomes can be spherical, geodesic, planar, etc., depending upon the particular application and may be ground or aircraft based.
Phased array antennas, in particular, suffer from impedance degradation when a scanning angle is offset from a boresight angle. As such, the scanning or active reflection coefficient increases from large scan angles and tends to reduce the power transmitted to or received by the array.

Broadband array antenna enhancement with spatially engineered dielectrics


An apparatus for generating and storing electric energy, the apparatus including a fiber, an electric energy generation unit disposed on the fiber, and an electric energy storage unit disposed on the fiber.

1. Field
Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to apparatuses for generating and storing electric energy, and more particularly, to an apparatus for generating and storing electric energy in which an electric energy generation unit and an electric energy storage unit are disposed on a flexible fiber.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical electric energy generating devices designed on a hard material have low flexibility and thus it is difficult to use them together with flexible electronic devices and it is also difficult to use them in electronic devices that require small sizes and light weights. Recently, a technology for harvesting energy has drawn attention. Devices for harvesting energy by using such a technology may be new environmentally-friendly energy generating devices capable of converting solar energy or mechanical energy generated from a motion of a human body or micro vibration that exists in the environment into electric energy and collecting the electric energy. In addition, research on flexible and stretchable apparatuses for generating and storing energy by using a nanosystem capable of gathering electric energy from the environment thanks to advances in nanotechnology has recently been conducted.

Apparatus for generating and storing electric energy


A directional coupler makes it possible to switch the input terminal and the output terminal thereof in position. A branch unit (5) containing a branching circuit (5a) is mounted so that the branch unit (5) can be rotated relative to a mother board (4), with a central portion of the branch unit (5) being a fulcrum. An input terminal (12) and an output terminal (13) are provided at positions corresponding to relay terminals (10, 11) of the mother board 4.

In CATV networks, there are cases wherein a transmission route needs to be modified due to an increase in the number of subscribers or relocation of a relay station or the like.
If the number of subscribers increases, the number of branches (distributions) must be increased. If a relay station or the like is relocated, there may be cases wherein the direction of transmission becomes opposite.
With conventional directional couplers, such cases must be coped with by replacing a tap plate with one for an increased number of branches. To reverse the direction of transmission, the cable connections are reversed, or the direction coupler itself is remounted in a reversed right-left position.
However, the reversing of cable connection may not be easy. If an existing cable may be disconnected, the cable may well be too short to connect to the opposite terminal. Since an extension cable cannot be used for the reconnection, it becomes necessary to replace all the cables along the route to be modified. The costs required therefor is unignorable.
The remounting of a direction coupler into a reversed right-left position is not easy, either. Since cables used for CATV are thick and difficult to handle, it is not easy to disconnect cables from and reconnect the cables to a direction coupler.
In works for reversing the direction of transmission, increases in the number of branches are often required as well.

Directional coupler rotatable around a fulcrum