There are provided a radiator passage, a thermostat to open and close the radiator passage according to an engine temperature, a heater passage, a flow adjusting device to adjust a flow amount of the coolant that flows in the water jacket according to the engine temperature at an engine start. The flow adjusting device is configured so as to adjust the flow amount of the coolant flowing in the water jacket to be a normal amount when the engine temperature is in an extremely-cold condition, to be zero or smaller than the normal amount when the engine is in a mild-cold condition, and to be the normal amount when the engine is in a warm condition. The heater passage is in opened sate at least when the engine is in the extremely-cold condition.

The present invention relates to a cooling device of an engine, in which the engine is cooled with a cooling water that is circulated in a water jacket of the engine and a radiator, a heater unit for heating a vehicle cabin and the like.
A cooling system with the cooling water that is circulated between the water jacket in a cylinder block and a cylinder head and the radiator is known as an engine cooling method. In this system, the heater unit for heating the vehicle cabin with the heated cooling water is generally disposed in a cooling-water circulation passage in parallel to the radiator.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-353632 discloses the cooling device of an engine that comprises the cooling-water circulation passage in which the cooling water is circulated between the water jacket of the engine and the radiator, the heater circulation passage that has a common passage to the cooling-water circulation passage, in which the cooling water is circulated between the water jacket and the heater unit, and the thermostat provided in the cooling-water circulation passage and operative to open and close the cooling-water circulation passage led to the radiator according to the temperature of the cooling-water fed from the water jacket. In this device, the flow passage of the cooling water led to the radiator is controlled to be closed until the cooling-water temperature increases to a specified temperature, so that the cooling water can be circulated only in the heater circulation passage. Thus, the quick warming-up of the engine is attained and the emission function of the engine is improved.
Further, the above-described device has an advantage that since the cooling water is always circulated in the heater circulation passage, the heating of the vehicle cabin can be achieved properly so as to meet the passenger's heating requirement from the engine start.
Meanwhile, since the heat exchange between the air supplied to the vehicle cabin and the cooling water is conducted at the heater unit, some heat value is taken from the cooling water at the heater unit, so that there is a limit to the quick warming-up of the engine.
Herein, in the case where the engine is restarted soon after the engine stop, the cooling-temperature and the cabin temperature would not reduce to the air temperature outside the vehicle soon, so the cooling-water temperature may be increased to a specified temperature rather promptly. In this case, if the cooling water is supplied to the heater circulation passage, the heating would be conducted at the engine start, but the engine warming-up would be delayed and therefore the properly-heated air would not be supplied to the cabin promptly. In this case, some measures to heat the engine promptly should be necessary.
Herein, in the case where the air temperature outside is relatively high, such as in summer, passing the cooling water in the heater circulation passage would bring a prolonged period of the engine warming-up, thereby deteriorating the emission function of the engine.
Meanwhile, in order to give priority to the quick warming-up of the engine, for example, there could be provided a bypass passage to bypass the radiator and the heater unit or the water pump could be stopped, so that the cooling water could remain in the water jacket and the engine could be heated promptly. However, in the case where the air temperature outside is extremely low, such as in winter, it is better that the operation of the heater unit should be available from an early stage because the cabin could be heated to a certain degree with the cooling water whose temperature has not increased sufficiently yet.
Herein, in the case where the above-described bypass passage is controlled in its opening and closing with an electromagnetic valve that is activated in response to signals from sensors, this would increase costs. Meanwhile, in the case where the water pump is stopped, some control measures to drive the water pump separately from the engine operation (without a direct connection between the pump and engine) would be necessary, this would increase manufacturing costs as well.


A reamer system is provided which includes a cannulated reamer holder, and a corresponding cannulated reamer, which, when assembled and operated over a drill pin secured in a manner axially aligned with the stem of the femoral joint, enables the accurate and controlled reshaping of the femoral joint. The reamer is made up of a cutting form and a central guide, in which the guide is supported at the center of the cutting form by a bar structure. The bar structure includes portions which connect to and extend radially between the central guide and a peripheral edge of the cutting form.

The invention relates to a bone shaping system made up of an instrument holder and a surgical instrument for attachment to the holder. The holder includes a shank equipped with a head designed to receive an instrument, and an annular locking component mounted so as to slide about the shank, under the head, equipped with locking means which cooperate with the head so as to lock the instrument on the head, and pushed against the head by a helical spring.
One such system is described in European Patent 0782840, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto, and includes a shaft (10), equipped at one end with a cutting head holder (12) which has a bayonet joint and lock. A hemispherical or conical rotary cutting head (1) has inner radial rods (4) to engage with the bayonet joint. The cutting head contains an axial guide tube (5) between the inner ends of the radial rods and a central aperture (3) to receive a twist drill (9) which makes a hole in the middle of the recess formed by the cutting head. The lower end of the guide tube has one or more notches to receive corresponding studs on the twist drill so they rotate together. The holder (12) has a projection to block the drill in the guide tube. Additionally, the end of the guide tube, which adjoins the centre of the cutting head, has at least two projecting cutting teeth. Where a central hole in the recess is not required, a shorter twist drill is employed. However, while useful for controlling the cutting of the acetabulum, this system does not foresee a sliding fit between the reamer and the twist drill but rather one in which the two rotate together as a unit. Further, it is not contemplated that the drill be affixed to the bone and subsequently be used for guidance.
Other systems provide for reshaping of the bone, but the tool itself generally obstructs the view of the femoral lobe during cutting.
Therefore, there is a needed for cutters capable of cutting and shaping the femoral joint in preparation for the reception of a prosthetic cap. Such an application presents other challenges in guidance and control, particularly that of ensuring that the stem of the femoral joint is not damaged in the process.
What is needed therefore is a system which enables controlled cutting and reshaping of the femoral joint in preparation for the reception of a femoral cap prosthesis. What is needed is a system which does not completely obstruct the view of the femoral lobe when the reamer is placed over the lobe, ready for cutting or process thereof. Further, what is needed is a system that controls heat by moving any points of heat generation from the reamer to the holder, and thus away from the operative site.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A guide attachment for a rotary hand tool is disclosed that comprises a housing, an adapter and a removable base. The attachment is configured to remove grout from between adjacent tiles, such as floor or wall tiles. The housing of the preferred embodiment is configured to permit a tool bit to engage a work surface at the normal intersection of two planes. The removable base of the preferred embodiment permits the attachment to work on flat surfaces. The base is also reversible and contains multiple sets of guide points for guiding the tool bit along grooves that have different widths. The preferred embodiment can also include a vacuum adapter that is attachable to the housing and allows a vacuum hose to be coupled to the guide attachment for removing debris during operation. The configuration of the housing or locking mechanism accommodates adapters having different circumferences.

The invention generally relates to rotary hand tools and more particularly to a removable guide attachment for use with a rotary hand tool.
Guide assemblies that can be attached to various types of rotary hand tools are certainly known in the art. A task that is carried out by artisans and homeowners involves the removal and replacement of grout between tiles in floor and wall tiled surfaces. This is often a very difficult task to complete without a specialty rotary tool or a guide attachment for a multiple use commercially available rotary hand tools. One well-known attachment device utilizes two separate components, a housing and an adapter, where the adapter is coupled to a hand drill or other rotary hand tool, and the adapter and housing can be locked in various positions. A grout removal bit is held in a collet and engages a work surface.
This known guide attachment presents the user with some limitations. The housing is configured for removing grout from flat surfaces only, and does not permit the user to remove grout from corners. The base of the housing has guide points to help keep the bit centered in the groove between adjacent tiles of the work surface, but the guide points are a fixed width that may not correspond to the width of the groove. As a result, the bit may wander off center when the desired work surface is wider than the guide points and render the guide points ineffective when the work surface is narrower than the width of the guide points. The guide points wear rapidly because they are made of a relatively soft material, and the housing is not configured to receive a vacuum port for removing debris during operation. The housing/locking mechanism configuration only accommodates adapters of a certain width which makes it difficult to attach the guide attachment to rotary hand tools of varying widths.


A self-cleaning plasticizing venting and extruding apparatus by co-rotating non-twin multi-screws and a method thereof are provided, said apparatus comprises a screw mechanism, barrel, feeding port, venting port, discharging port, and driving mechanism. Said screw mechanism comprises non-uniform central screw and lateral screws, the axis of the central screw coincides with the barrel, and the lateral screws are provided on both sides of the central screw and engaged with the central screw; the contour lines of the threads of said central screw and said lateral screws are tangent to the inner wall of the barrel; and said driving mechanism is connected to the central screw and lateral screws. Each screw-uses an asymmetrical flow channel shape, so the flow space is asymmetric, and the compounding intensity and effectiveness enhanced. The dispersion and mixing effects are excellent, generating a self-cleaning effect. The system is suitable for high yield nano-material processing.

The co-rotating twin-screw extruders have been widely applied in the fields such as filling, modifying, blending, and reactive extruding polymeric materials, etc. The principle is that: the structures of the two screws are identical, when assembled, there is a certain phase angle between them, the centerline distance is related to the number of screw tips and the peak angle, and the rotation speeds of the two screws are the same during the processing process. To achieve the self-cleaning effect during the processing process, from the viewpoint of relative movement, the two screws keep constant in the phase therebetween, contact and make a translational movement each other. Although this structure can preliminarily solve the problems such as the poor mixing property, the poor self-cleaning property, and the poor venting effect, etc., during the material processing process, there are still the following defects: (1) as the shapes of the two screws are the same, there are consistency (symmetry) therebetween, so that there is a consistency in the geometrical space through which the fluids pass during they proceeding along the two screws, there is an absence in the conversion between the geometric shapes of the spaces for processing the fluids, the reorientation effect of the interface during the shearing process is attenuated, and the mixing effect is limited, especially, that most of the fluid mixing in the core region of the screw channels is still laminar mixing, and the interface is increased linearly with time; and (2) the studies have shown that the co-rotating twin screws can only make an effective mixing effect on the surface layer fluid near the wall region, especially in the engaging region, the effect is extraordinarily obvious, in general, and there is still an extremely large possibility for improvement in the fluid mixing in the core regions.
For this, as required, there is a need for providing an extruding process with a self-cleaning effect, and a well-mixing effect.

Self-cleaning plasticizing venting and extruding apparatus by co-rotating non-twin multi-screws and method thereof


A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording head includes the steps of forming a first lifting layer and a second lifting layer on a bottom core layer, forming an inorganic insulating layer in a gap between the first lifting layer and the second lifting layer, forming a groove in the inorganic insulating layer to form a coil layer, and forming the coil layer in the groove and over the groove by plating.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head disposed at a trailing edge of a slider facing, for example, a magnetic recording medium, and in particular, to a method for manufacturing a magnetic head with a reduced thermal expansion due to a heat generation at a coil in the recording head.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 14 is a partial longitudinal section illustrating a structure of a known magnetic head described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-52309. The thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 14 is an inductive head for recording.
According to the magnetic head shown in FIG. 14, (i.e., in particular shown in FIG. 2 in the patent document) a track width control portion 11 having a track width Tw is formed on a bottom core layer 10 composed of a soft magnetic material, such as Ni—Fe alloy. The track width control portion 11 has a layered structure including three layers, i.e., a bottom pole layer 12, a gap layer 13, and a top pole layer 14.
The length L1 of the track width control portion 11 is defined as a gap depth Gd of the magnetic head. The gap depth Gd is determined in advance to be a predetermined length, because the gap depth Gd greatly influences the electrical characteristics of the thin-film magnetic head.
A first coil layer 15 is formed at the back of the track width control portion 11 in a first direction (the height direction, i.e., the Y direction shown in FIG. 14). An insulating base layer 16 is formed between the bottom core layer 10 and the first coil layer 15 to insulate between both of the layers. The insulating base layer 16 is composed of, for example, Al2O3.
The first coil layer 15 is formed in a spiral pattern on the insulating base layer 16 with the first coil center 15a as the center. The first coil layer 15 is covered with a first insulating layer 17 composed of Al2O3.
A second coil layer 18 is formed in a spiral pattern on the first coil layer 15 with the first insulating layer 17 provided therebetween. The second coil center 18a of the second coil layer 18 is electrically connected to the first coil center 15a of the first coil layer 15.
The second coil layer 18 is covered with a second insulating layer 19 composed of an organic material such as a resist or polyimide. A top core layer 20 is patterned on the second insulating layer 19.
The top core layer 20 is formed such that the front end 20a is in contact with the track width control portion 11. The base end 20b of the top core layer 20 is magnetically connected to a lifting layer 21, which is composed of a magnetic material and is formed on the bottom core layer 10.
The bottom core layer 10, the bottom pole layer 12, the top pole layer 14, and the top core layer 20 are composed of a soft magnetic material, such as Ni—Fe alloy. The gap layer 13 is composed of a nonmagnetic material such as Ni—P alloy. The coil layers are composed of a conductive nonmagnetic material such as Cu.
In the inductive head according to FIG. 14, when a recording current is supplied to the first coil layer 15 and the second coil layer 18, a recording magnetic field is induced in the bottom core layer 10 and the top core layer 20. A leakage magnetic field is generated between the bottom pole layer 12 and the top pole layer 14, which are opposed to each other with the gap layer 13 provided therebetween in the track width control portion 11. A magnetic signal is recorded on a recording medium, for example, a hard disk by the leakage magnetic field.
In the inductive head shown in FIG. 14, the coil has the two-layered structure. Accordingly, the width T3 of the first coil layer 15 is decreased, thereby shortening the magnetic path formed from the bottom core layer 10 to the top core layer 20, thus decreasing inductance of the magnetic head and manufacturing a magnetic head adaptable to higher recording frequency.
According to a magnetic head disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-103526 (in particular disclosed in page 3 and FIG. 1 in the patent document), in order to decrease the coil resistance, coil layers at the rear end of the head have a thickness larger than the thickness of the coil layer at the top of the head covered with a top core layer and a bottom core layer. The coil resistance is decreased in this magnetic head, thereby suppressing the generation of thermal noise.
In a magnetic recording apparatus mounting a hard magnetic disk, the magnetic head described in the above patent documents is disposed on a slider, which floats over the magnetic disk with a minute distance.
According to the inductive magnetic head, the track width control portion 11 is expanded by the heat generation at the first coil layer 15 and protrudes from an air bearing surface (ABS), i.e., a face of the slider facing the recording medium.
Since a recording current applied to the first coil layer 15 has a high frequency, in particular, in a thin-film magnetic head for high recording density, the heat generation at the coil layer increases. The increase of the heat generation at the first coil layer 15 increases the thermal expansion of the track width control portion 11 and increases the amount of protrusion.
Furthermore, in a magnetic recording apparatus for high-density recording and high-speed recording, the gap between the recording medium and the slider is small. Accordingly, the protruded track width control portion 11 is frequently in contact with the magnetic recording medium, thus damaging the recording medium or the recording head itself.
In order to reduce the heat generation at the first coil layer 15, the first coil layer 15 must have a large cross-sectional area to reduce the resistance of the first coil layer 15. In particular, the resistance at the front portion of the first coil layer 15, i.e., the portion close to the track width control portion 11 rather than the lifting layer 21 must be reduced.
As described above, in order to reduce the inductance of the magnetic head by shortening the magnetic path formed from the bottom core layer 10 to the top core layer 20, the width T3 of the first coil layer 15 must be reduced. Accordingly, a width W1 of the first coil layer 15 (i.e., a width W1 in the Y direction shown in FIG. 14) cannot be increased.
A top face 11a of the track width control portion 11 must be flattened in order to ensure the junction between the top core layer 20 and the track width control portion 11. However, the magnetic head is too minute to flatten the top face 11a of the track width control portion 11 only. Accordingly, a top face of the 17a of the first insulating layer 17 becomes also flat. Since the first coil layer 15 must be covered with the first insulating layer 17, the top face of the first coil layer 15 cannot disposed above the top face of the 17a of the first insulating layer 17. That is, unlike the magnetic head described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-103526, a plurality of coil layers cannot be simply stacked.

Method for manufacturing magnetic head including coil


Lithographic plate constructions include imaging layers having dispersed therein a radiation-scattering material and a radiation-absorbing material, both of which cooperate to increase the overall absorption of radiation in that layer. The radiation-scattering material may be in particulate form, the particles reflecting the imaging radiation from their surfaces. The use of particulate scattering material within the imaging layer creates a highly porous matrix that favors deep penetration of the imaging radiation and mechanical locking of the imaging layer to one or both adjacent layers. The scattering material may also be chosen also for its ability to chemically bind with an adjacent layer to increase intercoat adhesion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital printing apparatus and methods, and more particularly to lithographic printing-plate constructions for on- or off-press imaging using digitally controlled laser output.
2. Description of the Related Art
In offset lithography, a printable image is present on a printing member as a pattern of ink-accepting (oleophilic) and ink-repellent (oleophobic) surface areas. Once applied to these areas, ink can be efficiently transferred to a recording medium in the imagewise pattern with substantial fidelity. Dry printing systems utilize printing members whose ink-repellent portions are sufficiently phobic to ink as to permit its direct application. Ink applied uniformly to the printing member is transferred to the recording medium only in the imagewise pattern. Typically, the printing member first makes contact with a compliant intermediate surface called a blanket cylinder which, in turn, applies the image to the paper or other recording medium. In typical sheet-fed press systems, the recording medium is pinned to an impression cylinder, which brings it into contact with the blanket cylinder.
In a wet lithographic system, the non-image areas are hydrophilic, and the necessary ink-repellency is provided by an initial application of a dampening (or xe2x80x9cfountainxe2x80x9d) solution to the plate prior to inking. The ink-repellent fountain solution prevents ink from adhering to the non-image areas, but does not affect the oleophilic character of the image areas.
To circumvent the cumbersome photographic development, plate-mounting, and plate-registration operations that typify traditional printing technologies, practitioners have developed electronic alternatives that store the imagewise pattern in digital form and impress the pattern directly onto the plate. Plate-imaging devices amenable to computer control include various forms of lasers. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,351,617 and 5,385,092 (the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference) describe an ablative recording system that uses low-power laser discharges to remove, in an imagewise pattern, one or more layers of a blank lithographic printing plate, thereby creating a ready-to-ink printing member without the need for photographic development. In accordance with those systems, laser output is guided from the diode to the printing plate and focused onto its surface (or, desirably, onto the layer most susceptible to laser ablation, which will generally lie beneath the first surface layer).
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,807,658, 5,783,364 (the ""364 patent), 5,339,737 (the ""737 patent), and Re. 35,512 (the ""512 patent), the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference, describe a variety of lithographic plate configurations for use with such imaging apparatus. In general, the plate constructions may include a first, topmost layer chosen for its affinity for (or repulsion of) either ink or an ink-repellent fluid. Underlying the first layer is an imaging layer, which ablates in response to imaging (e.g., infrared, or xe2x80x9cIRxe2x80x9d) radiation. A strong, durable substrate underlies the imaging layer, and is characterized by an affinity for (or repulsion of) either ink or an ink-repellent fluid opposite to that of the first layer. Ablation of the absorbing second layer by an imaging radiation pulse generally weakens the topmost layer as well. By disrupting its anchorage to an underlying layer, the topmost layer is rendered easily removable in a post-imaging cleaning step. This creates an image spot having an affinity differing from that of the unexposed first layer, for either ink or an ink-repellent fluid, the pattern of such spots on a lithographic plate forming an image. Laser imageable materials may be imaged by pulses of near infrared (near IR) radiation from inexpensive solid-state lasers. Such materials typically exhibit a nonlinear response to near-IR exposure, namely, a relatively sharp imaging-fluence threshold for short-duration laser pulses, but essentially no response to visible light. A longstanding goal of plate designers is to increase responsiveness to imaging radiation while maintaining desirable properties such as durability, manufacturability, and internal compatibility.
One strategy frequently proposed in connection with photothermal materials is incorporation of energetic (e.g., self-oxidizing) compositions, which, in effect, contribute chemical energy to the imaging process. For example, the ""737 patent mentioned above discloses nitrocellulose layers that undergo energetic chemical decomposition in response to heating. Unfortunately, these materials do not help to concentrate radiation within the imaging layer or increase the efficiency of its utilization. Instead, they are either employed as essentially interchangeable alternatives to non-energetic materials, or as propellent layers in transfer-type materials (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,308,737, 5,278,023, 5,156,938 and 5,171,650).
Other reported plate constructions, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,636 (the ""636 patent) the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, have a support layer that reflects the imaging radiation. In these constructions, the radiation from a laser pulse that passes through the imaging layer is returned to augment the effective flux through that layer and thus the efficiency of the imaging process.
While these constructions concentrate radiation within the imaging layer, they do not affect the efficiency with which radiation is distributed in that layer. Incident and reflected radiation follows the same, essentially straight-line path through the layer thickness. If, for example, the radiation-absorptive material is unevenly dispersed throughout the imaging layer, largely transparent regions will receive the same amount of radiation as densely absorptive regions, with consequent waste of laser power.
The present invention is directed to lithographic plate constructions having imaging layers that increase the distribution of imaging radiation within those layers, thereby improving the efficiency with which laser power is utilized. The present invention is also directed to methods of imaging lithographic plate constructions having such layers.
The present invention exploits the combination of a radiation-scattering material and a radiation-absorbing material dispersed in the imaging layer to increase the overall absorption of radiation in that layer. The radiation-scattering material may be in particulate form such that the particles reflect the radiation from their surfaces. Alternatively, the particles may scatter radiation through other optical properties such as, for example, diffraction. The presence of these particles dispersed within the imaging layer creates a large number of surfaces that reflect incident radiation at many angles throughout that layer. The overall effect is the scattering of radiation within the imaging layer. The radiation-absorbing material, also dispersed in the imaging layer, is thus exposed to incident radiation from the radiation source as well as the scattered radiation from within the imaging layer. This increased exposure of the radiation-absorbing material increases the efficiency and speed of ablation of the imaging layer.
The use of particles for the radiation-scattering material also provides beneficial porosity to the imaging layer. This porosity enhances adhesion to the overlying and/or the underlying layer and increases radiation penetration within the imaging layer.
The plates of the present invention can be either xe2x80x9cpositive-workingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cnegative-working.xe2x80x9d In positive-working versions, areas that are inherently ink-receptive receive laser output and are removed, revealing a hydrophilic (or oleophobic) layer that will repel ink during printing; accordingly, the image area is selectively removed to reveal the background. In negative-working versions, areas that are inherently hydrophilic (or oleophobic) are removed to reveal an underlying ink-receptive layer, such that the exposed area forms the image and the unremoved top layer forms the background. An especially preferred construction is a xe2x80x9cdryxe2x80x9d plate with a silicone or fluorocarbon topcoat.
The radiation-scattering and radiation-absorbing materials may be in the form of powders, aggregates, or dyes, and are dispersed within the imaging layer. (As used herein, the terms xe2x80x9cdispersedxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdispersionxe2x80x9d refer to any form of distribution within the imaging layer, e.g.,. conventional colloidal dispersions or suspensions of particles, solutions of a dye, distribution of material through codeposition as described below, etc.) The dispersion of these materials is immobilized through the use of a polymeric imaging layer, which may optionally be crosslinked in order to improve performance.
Alternatively, the imaging layer may be built up by deposit of polymer precursors, in which case the radiation-scattering and/or radiation-absorbing materials may be codeposited therewith. This approach facilitates creation of graded layers in which the concentration of radiation-scattering and/or radiation-absorbing material varies through the thickness of the layer, or is concentrated in one or more interlayers.
In one embodiment, the radiation-scattering material is a metal oxide, such as titanium oxide, tin dioxide, or zirconium oxide. In another embodiment, the radiation-scattering material comprises metallic particles (e.g., titanium, aluminum, magnesium, or other suitable metal).

Lithographic imaging with printing members having enhanced-performance imaging layers


An automatic door opener (10) for opening or closing a door (28) includes a motor (14) driving a drive shaft (50) and an opener arm (18) connected to the door (28) and being responsive to rotation of the drive shaft (50) for moving the door (28) to an open or closed position. A clutch (46) operable to disengage the drive shaft (50) from the opener arm (18) is provided in the event of the door (28) engaging an obstacle, electric power being unavailable, or the door being fully open or fully closed. The door opener (10) may also include a brake (48) for selectively preventing movement of the door (28). Various embodiments of the invention are provided, including an electromagnet (80) and an electromagnetic brake (114).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automatic side hinge door openers and, more particularly, relates to clutching and braking systems for use in conjunction with automatic door openers suitable for both original installation and easy retrofit onto standard side hinge doors.
2. Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,530 to Eccleston et al, dated Mar. 9, 1999 and entitled "Remotely Controllable Automatic Door Operator Permitting Active And Passive Door Operation", discloses a remotely controllable automatic door opener for a side-hinged door. The opener comprises an electronically operated clutch in the gear train between the motor shaft and the opener arm drive shaft (output shaft). An electronic control unit comprising adjustable timers is employed to govern the opening and closing of the door.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,497 to Borgardt, dated Mar. 16, 1999 and entitled "Automatic Door Opener Adaptable For Manual Doors", discloses an automatic door opener that employs a slip clutch in the drive train between the motor and the output shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,217 to Stevens et al, dated Dec. 14, 1999 and entitled "Door Operating System", discloses a door operating system that employs a dual position feedback system that can help prevent overtravelling of the door when it is being closed.
Other automatic door openers are directed towards opening of garage doors by means of drive chains or worm gears. While such door openers typically have some form of clutch mechanism, the weight of the garage door and the necessity that the garage door be raised vertically on rails require a slip clutch of great torsional capacity and some switching mechanism to stop the motor or interrupt the drive train when the door encounters an obstacle. In such garage door openers, the driven clutch mechanism is a shaft or gear engaging a travel nut or chain.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,161 to Carli, dated Jun. 8, 1982 and entitled "Centrifugal Switch And Motor Control", discloses a friction clutch which is best seen in FIG. 1 and is described in column 2, line 62 through column 3, line 5. The friction clutch includes a circular drive member 27, a driven member 28 and a clutch facing 33 located therebetween. The clutch facing 33 is washer-shaped and has apertures that are slidably received on bosses 34 located on the driven member 28. Another washer-shaped component, hard metal disc 35, is secured by staking 36 to the circular drive member 27 and frictionally co-acts with the clutch facing 33. Tension on the driven member 28 is varied by tightening or loosening a nut 42 which maintains a spring 43 adjacent to the driven member. In operation, the door will move under normal operating conditions but may slip upon a definite overload. For example, should the door strike some obstacle or reach the up or down travel limits, the driven member 28 will stop and, in turn, the friction clutch will slip. When the clutch slips, a centrifugal switch mechanism 47 located on the driven member 28 closes, thereby shutting down the motor. Driven member 28 is connected to output shaft 40 which engages partial nut 45 to pull the weight of garage door 13 up track 14. In this arrangement, the clutch (un-numbered) is not by itself a sufficient safety mechanism should the door strike an obstacle such as a human being, thus necessitating centrifugal switch mechanism 47.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,661 to Popper et al, dated May 11, 1976 and entitled "Apparatus For Opening And Closing Door Members And The Like", discloses an apparatus for opening and closing doors including a ball drive assembly 56. The ball drive assembly 56 provides a driving connection between the driver shaft 50 and a driven shaft 58 such that the driven shaft 58 is rotatably driven at a predetermined reduced rate of speed compared to the speed of the driver shaft 50. A torque control 90 (best seen in FIG. 3) is provided to sense an obstruction in the path of the door member 14 and to send a stop signal to the motor control 48 via signal path 92. As drive chain 16 must vertically raise door member 14, ball drive assembly 56 provides a substantially increased internal friction as compared to the usual coupling devices such as pulley-belt drives or the like, thereby increasing the amount of force which must be manually applied to the door member 14 to move the door member 14 from a stopped or parked position (column 15, lines 17-28). Popper et al emphasize that the ball drive assembly 56 allows for substantially weaker torque control springs 206 and 210, and thus a more sensitive torque control 90. Torque control 90 shuts off the motor in response to the door member 14 being unable to move.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,327 to Fellows et al, dated Jun. 29, 1993 and entitled "Side Mount Garage Door Operator", discloses a side mount garage door opener including a means 17 for selectively connecting and disconnecting the drive shaft 14 with the door opening and closing mechanism 16. A clutch 22 is interposed between the drive shaft 14 and mechanism 16 and is manually operable for disengaging the drive motor from the garage door via a selector member 23 in the absence of electrical power. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the clutch is shown in the engaged position but may be moved to the disengaged position as illustrated in FIG. 3 via movement of the selector member 23.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,005 to Carli, dated Mar. 6, 1973 and entitled "Door Operator Reversing Control", discloses a door operator having a friction clutch (un-numbered) and a one-way clutch 70. The friction clutch is similar to the one described above with respect to the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,161, and includes a clutch plate 24 and clutch disc 25 carrying a clutch lining 26 which frictionally cooperates with the clutch plate 24. The one-way clutch 70 is provided for moving a torque switch means 48 in one particular direction. A torque weight 71 is slidably mounted in an eccentric aperture 72 in a hub bracket 34 and functions, when the motor is reversed, to drive an inner cylindrical surface 79 of a drive disc 45 to establish a particular position of the torque switch means 48. The torque switch means 48 is moved in the opposite direction by a gravity-actuated weight 68. As in U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,161, worm 17 rotates to raise garage door 12.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,485 to Bohlman et al, dated Oct. 23, 1962 and entitled "Electro-Mechanical Door Opening And Closing Mechanism", discloses a garage door opener as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, having clutch plates 51 and 60 disposed on each side of one wheel 55. Friction plates 65 convey torque to clutch plates 51 and 60 from one wheel 55, which in turn meshes with worm 77 (FIG. 4) situated on shaft 78 of motor 79. Driven shaft 24 is attached to clutch plates 51 and 60 and in turn rotates drum 30 having two runs of cable (un-numbered) which raise the garage door 46.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,706 to Pietrzak et al, dated Aug. 1, 1989 and entitled "Gate Operator", discloses a gate operator including, as illustrated in FIGS. 3, and 5, a clutch assembly 32, a clutch operator member assembly 50 and a clamp head 52. The clutch assembly 32 includes worm wheel 30 and floating pressure plates 34, which drive pressure plates 36 and friction discs 38 and thus drive sprocket 18. Clutch operator member assembly 50 includes Bellville washers 49, collar 58, needle bearing 60 and thrust washer 62. Clamp head 52 is operated by a lever 54 controlled in turn by a screw 70. In operation, the clamp head 52 functions to engage the clutch operator member assembly 50 for tensioning the clutch assembly 32. For example, when it is desired to tension the clutch to increase the load at which the clutch will slip, screw 70 is adjusted whereby clamp head 52 is pivoted causing thrust washer 62 to apply pressure to collar 58. This pressure causes Bellville washers 49 to apply pressure between the various plates of the clutch assembly 32. The gate operator pulls chain 86 to open and close the gate. Clutch operator member assembly 50 may be used to manually engage and disengage clutch assembly 32.
Known swing door operators usually have a type of door closer which automatically closes the door in a power failure. Prior art door openers also include those which are movable only when energized. These devices suffer from the drawback that upon loss of power the door is not easily movable, creating a hazard in the event of a fire. Some require sensors mounted in the motor housing or drive shaft to sense stoppage of the doors by an obstacle, and to disengage the clutch or stop the motor so as to prevent damage to the device or obstacle. Some have a clutch mechanism which must be operated manually.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide a door opener which may open a conventional side hinge door. It is also desired to provide a door opener which allows the door to stop when an obstacle is encountered, without the use of expensive, unreliable sensors, switches, torque controls and the like. It is also desirable to provide an automatic door opener that is easy to retrofit to existing doors and that provides an easily adjusted range of motion.

Automatic door opener with magnetic clutch


A method of making an electrical interconnection from a microelectronic device to a package, comprising ball or wedge compression bonding a gold-based conductor directly to a silicon surface, such as a polysilicon bonding pad in a MEMS or IMEMS device, without using layers of aluminum or titanium disposed in-between the conductor and the silicon surface. After compression bonding, optional heating of the bond above 363 C. allows formation of a liquid gold-silicon eutectic phase containing approximately 3% (by weight) silicon, which significantly improves the bond strength by reforming and enhancing the initial compression bond. The same process can be used for improving the bond strength of Auxe2x80x94Ge bonds by forming a liquid Au-12Ge eutectic phase.

The present invention relates generally to the process of making gold-based electrical interconnections for microelectronic devices, including MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems) devices and IMEMS (Integrated MEMS) devices. Examples of MEMS devices include micro-accelerometers for airbag sensors, micro-mirror arrays for digital light projectors, optical switches for fiber optic systems, and micro-pressure sensors.
Conventional methods for electrically interconnecting a MEMS or IMEMS device to a leadframe, electrode, or other electrical conductor on a package typically use ultrasonically wedge-bonding of an aluminum wire to an aluminized polysilicon bonding pad located on a pre-released MEMS device (see FIG. 1A). For other types of microelectronic devices, including conventional semiconductor IC""s, electrical interconnections are made by thermosonically ball-bonding a gold wire to an aluminum bonding pad (see FIG. 1B). IMEMS (Integrated Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems) devices combine side-by-side integrated circuits (e.g. CMOS IC""s) with MEMS structures on the same substrate (e.g. silicon wafer), also use aluminum wires and aluminum bond pads for electrical interconnections.
Surface micromachined MEMS devices need to be released in order to make them functional (bulk MEMS are already free). The release step generally involves exposing the alternating layers (i.e., levels) of structural polysilicon and sacrificial glass (silicon dioxide) in a multi-level MEMS device to an etchant that includes hydrofluoric acid (HF) or hydrochloric acid (HCl), or a mixture thereof (e.g., a 50/50 mixture). The acid etches away the sacrificial glass layer(s) and releases the delicate polysilicon MEMS structures (e.g., micromachined gears, mirrors, cantilever beams, sliders, pivots, ratchets, etc.). Typically, this release step is performed before the electrical interconnections have been made because the acid etchant will attack and damage the aluminum wires and/or aluminum bonding pads (especially by HCl acid). The acid etchant will also attack any titanium adhesion layer(s), especially by HF acid.
Once the delicate MEMS structures are released and are free to move, they are also unprotected and can be damaged during subsequent packaging steps. These packaging steps can include: sawing, cutting, or scribing the large diameter wafer into individual chips or device dies (singulation or dicing); attaching the device to the package (die attach); wirebonding; flip-chip solder bumping; thin or thick-film metallization; plating; pre-seal inspection; sealing of hermetic or dust protection cover lids; windowing; package sealing; trim; marking; final test; shipping; storage; and installation (e.g., soldering or plugging into another assembly or board). Potential risks to the delicate released MEMS structures include: electrostatic effects, dust, moisture, contamination, handling stresses, shock, and thermal effects. The term xe2x80x9cdie singulationxe2x80x9d includes laser cutting, sawing, scribing, precision breaking, and water jet cutting.
After the MEMS structures have been released, a thin layer(s) of anti-stiction coating or lubricant, e.g., self-assembling monolayers (SAM coating), can be applied to reduce friction and enhance performance. However, presence of these coatings on the surface of the polysilicon bonding pad can act as an organic contaminant and interfere with making a good electrical interconnection.
The reliability and yield of packaged MEMS or IMEMS devices could be significantly improved if the acid etch release step could be performed after as many of the potentially harmful packaging steps had been completed as possible. In particular, the acid etch release step could be performed after the electrical interconnections have been made. This would be possible if the electrical interconnections were either: (1) isolated from the acid etchant, and/or (2) made from materials (such as gold) that are naturally resistant or impervious to attack by HCl or HF acid. Therefore, a release resistant electrical interconnection for MEMS or IMEMS devices preferably would not use aluminum wires, aluminum or aluminized bond pads, or titanium adhesion layers. Here, we define xe2x80x9caluminum bond padsxe2x80x9d as including (1) a bond pad made of aluminum (or Al-alloy) bonded to a silicon substrate, or (2) an aluminized coating (metallized aluminum) on top of a polysilicon bonding pad. We also define MEMS devices to generically include IMEMS devices.
Against this background, the present invention was developed.

Gold-based electrical interconnections for microelectronic devices


A local multipoint distribution service base station apparatus for sending and receiving communication signals to and from subscribers includes a base unit having at least one rack which is adapted to receive at least one subrack. At least one communication signal generating unit is also arranged and configured to be received by the subrack. In addition, a transmitting/receiving unit is operationally connected to the base unit for transmitting and/or receiving the communication signals to and from the subscribers.

The present invention generally relates to a local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) system or local multipoint communication system (LMCS), and more particularly to the base station architecture of the LMDS system.
The LMDS system provides a xe2x80x9cwireless local loopxe2x80x9d or the xe2x80x9clast milexe2x80x9d link to subscribers for fixed communication services such as video and telephony including data information such as facsimile and computer signals. The LMDS system includes a base station or node for sending and receiving selected communication signals to and from a customer premises equipment (CPE) which is remotely located with the subscribers. In addition to the CPE, the base station is also connected to a video serving office or other distribution centers for video content and to a central office switched telephony network for telephony services. A typical LMDS system consists of several base stations per central office and video serving office, and several thousand CPE sites per base station. In this manner, the LMDS system is a xe2x80x9cpoint-to-multipointxe2x80x9d cellular communication system, the base station being the point, and the CPE sites, the multipoint. The connection between the base station and the subscribers is generally through broadband radio frequency (RF). The bandwidth depends on the spectrum allocation but is generally about 1 GHz. The subscriber equipment or CPE tunes to one or more RF frequency channels within the 1 GHz band to connect to the base station.
It is cost effective to have the capacity of the base station correspond to the demand of the subscribers linked to the base station at a given time. However, it is difficult to predict the number of subscribers who will be linked to the base station, especially when the LMDS system is initially being implemented. Consequently, if the number of subscribers grows unexpectedly from the initially projected number, a conventional base station would not be capable of servicing all the subscribers without an extensive and time consuming reconfiguration of the base station, which is an expensive operation. On the other hand, if the number of subscribers predicted is too high or if a significant number of the subscriptions is canceled, the base station would operate at undercapacity.
Also, the conventional base stations generally include a base unit and a remote unit which are physically partitioned from each other. The remote unit includes an antenna which is located, for example, on a tower or on top of a building, and is connected to the other parts of the remote unit via a long wave-guide. A disadvantage of using a long wave-guide is that it is expensive and prone to excessive loss (approximately 15 dB/100 ft). Routing the wave-guide to the top of a building, for example, is also a difficult task.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved base station for cost effectively implementing an LMDS system.
Another object is to provide an improved base station having a base unit which has a modular configuration to allow operation of both small and large systems.
Still another object is to provide an improved base station having a modular configuration for grouping similar functions into proximately located shelves to minimize cabling and RF signal impairments.
A further object is to provide an improved base station having a remote unit which minimizes the length of the wave-guide between an antenna and the other remote unit electronics.
Yet another object is to provide an improved base station having a remote unit which integrates an antenna and the associated transmitter and receiver into a single assembly.

Local multipoint distribution service base station apparatus


A method for seismic characterization of subsurface Earth formations includes determining at least one of compressional velocity and shear velocity, and determining reservoir parameters of subsurface Earth formations, at least including density, from data obtained from a wellbore penetrating the formations. A quality factor for the subsurface formations is calculated from the velocity, the density and the water saturation. A synthetic seismogram is calculated from the calculated quality factor and from the velocity and density. The synthetic seismogram is compared to a seismic survey made in the vicinity of the wellbore. At least one parameter is adjusted. The synthetic seismogram is recalculated using the adjusted parameter, and the adjusting, recalculating and comparing are repeated until a difference between the synthetic seismogram and the seismic survey falls below a selected threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of seismic data processing and interpretation. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for characterizing a hydrocarbon reservoir in the Earth's subsurface using synthetic seismic data adjusted for acoustic Quality factor (Q) determined from well log data.
2. Background Art
Seismic exploration techniques are used to locate subsurface earth formations that are likely to produce economically useful materials such as petroleum. Seismic exploration techniques include deploying one or more seismic energy sources near the earth's surface and deploying an array of seismic sensors at or near the surface in the vicinity of the one or more seismic sources. Seismic energy propagates downwardly from the source, where it may be reflected by subsurface acoustic impedance boundaries. The reflected seismic energy is detected by an array of sensors. The sensors generate electrical and/or optical signals corresponding to the detected seismic energy. The signals are typically recorded for processing.
Seismic processing known in the art includes determining structures of the subsurface earth formations. Typically, structures are inferred by analysis of the two-way travel time of the seismic energy from the source to the various reflective boundaries beneath the surface and back to the sensors at or near the surface.
It is also known in the art to determine various petrophysical properties of the subsurface earth formations by analysis of the frequency content of the detected seismic energy and the phase and amplitude relationships between the seismic energy generated by the source and the seismic energy detected by the sensors. Such analysis includes determining one or more seismic "attributes" of the earth formations. Attributes may be computed prestack or poststack. Prestack means processing prior to summing or "stacking" individual sensor recordings ("traces") according to a predetermined relationship, such as common mid point (CMP) or common depth point (CDP). Poststack refers to processing after individual sensor recordings have been summed or stacked. Poststack attributes include, for example, reflection intensity, instantaneous frequency, reflection heterogeneity, acoustic impedance, velocity, dip, depth and azimuth. Prestack attributes include moveout parameters such as amplitude-versus-offset (AVO), and interval and average velocities. Further, attributes may be categorized either as instantaneous attributes, wavelet attributes or geometrical attributes. Instantaneous attributes are attributes whose values are obtained for each data point in the seismic data or within a small time window of data points (e.g., a few milliseconds), such as amplitude, phase, frequency and power. "Data points" within seismic data typically refers to numbers each representing a value of seismic trace amplitude at the instant in time at which each of the amplitude values is recorded. Wavelet attributes are the instantaneous attributes computed at the maximum point of the envelope. The physical meaning of all the wavelet attributes is essentially the same as their instantaneous attribute counterparts. Geometrical, or interval, attributes are attributes of a seismic trace within a seismic interval. Interval attributes are computed from the reflection configuration and continuity. The following references describe aspects of seismic attributes and their applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,019 issued to Bahorich states that with reference to seismic attributes, "combining multiple (i.e. two or more) descriptors through addition, subtraction, multiplication and ratio, or other means can also be successfully employed", and suggests the use of "a product of the average instantaneous amplitude and average instantaneous frequency."
U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,229 issued to Matteucci, discloses a statistical method for quantitatively measuring the lateral continuity of the seismic reflection character of any specified location in a subsurface target formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,730 issued to Marfurt et al., discloses a system for forming a seismic attribute display from calculated measures of semblance and corresponding estimates of true dip and true dip azimuth of seismic traces within an analysis cell.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,018 issued to Hombuckle, relates to a system for identifying volumetric subterranean regions bounded by a surface in which a specific seismic characteristic has a constant value. It is stated in the '018 patent that, "in a geological region where physical characteristics (e.g., the presence of oil or gas) are well-correlated with seismic attributes, (e.g., seismic amplitude data), the identification of a subvolume bounded by a constant-seismic-attribute-value surface may provide a very useful predictor of the volumetric extent of the attribute and hence of the characteristic."
U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,677 issued to Masters, discloses a system, which treats measured attributes derived from seismic data as components of a vector, estimates a background vector representing typical background geologic strata, and then calculates a new attribute. As stated in the '677 patent, the preferred embodiment combines information about P (compressional) and S (shear) impedance contrasts so as to discriminate prospective reservoir strata from surrounding non-reservoir or background strata.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,309 issued to Higgs et al, discloses a system in which two new seismic attributes (dip magnitude and dip azimuth) are derived from instantaneous phase. The system comprises determining a spatial frequency value by taking the directional spatial derivative of the instantaneous phase for each of a plurality of x, y, t(z) data points in the seismic data and posting the spatial frequency values to identify changes within the earth's subsurface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,691 issued to Partyka et al., discloses a method for processing seismic data to identify thin beds.
Quality factor (Q) is a measure of how earth formations attenuate and disperse acoustic (seismic) energy. Q has been used as a direct indicator of the presence of hydrocarbons, among other uses. Estimation of attenuation of pressure and shear waves is as important as the estimation of interval velocities in the field of seismic data interpretation. Estimates of attenuation of pressure and shear waves provide an additional perspective of the lithology (rock mineral composition) and reservoir characteristics (rock pore space fluid content, fluid composition, fluid pressure and rock permeability to fluid flow).
An important aspect of seismic survey analysis is characterization of subsurface fluid reservoirs in the Earth over a geographic area for which seismic survey data are available. Reservoir characterization is used in particular to estimate the distribution of fluid content and expected fluid flow properties within the geographic area, and within the various subsurface reservoirs within the area. The accuracy of such characterizations is typically improved when data relating to fluid content and subsurface rock properties are correlated to the seismic data. Such correlations include generation of synthetic seismograms from rock properties inferred from data such as can be obtained by "well logs" (data recorded from instruments lowered into a wellbore drilled through the various subsurface Earth formations). Well log data are used to infer rock mineral content, fractional volume of pore space (porosity) and fractional volume of the pore space filled with connate water and hydrocarbons, as well as an estimate of the density of such hydrocarbons. Methods known in the art for generating synthetic seismograms include estimates of reflection coefficients and placement of subsurface reflection boundaries with respect to depth in the Earth, such that an estimate of how a seismic trace made in the vicinity of the wellbore would appear can be made. Methods known in the art for generating synthetic seismograms from subsurface formation data, however, are not well suited to take into account the attenuation of seismic energy and the spatial distribution of such attenuation. As is known in the art, spatial distribution of seismic energy attenuation can influence analysis methods such as amplitude versus offset (AVO), in which presence of hydrocarbons can be inferred directly from seismic data.
There is a need for methods for generating synthetic seismograms which take into account the attenuation properties of the Earth formations, such that seismic reservoir characterization which makes use of such attenuation properties may be carried out in more precisely

Method for determining formation quality factor from well log data and its application to seismic reservoir characterization


A spool assembly for pintle or other kind of cables, which is simple and efficient in use and is advantageously made of a very small number of standardized elements that can be assembled in a plurality of ways to meet any specific requirements, such as, for example, the need for a handle, the need for having a pair of spools immediately available to the user, or the need for a stopper to rigidly hold the external end of the pintle. The assembly has one or two cylindrical spool in which pintles may be wound. It also has one or two cylindrical spool receiving members having a cylindrical peripheral wall, a flange preferably in the form of a ring projecting radially inwardly from one of the edges of the peripheral wall to hold the spool, a plurality of hooks integral to and projecting from the other edge of the peripheral wall at given intervals, and an opening provided in the peripheral wall to allow the cable wound in the groove of the spool to be pulled out. The assembly further has a flat, preferably ring-shaped circular cover having an external diameter that can be engaged by the hooks and held tight by these hooks against the other edge of the spool receiving member, to form therewith a casing in which each spool is freely mounted.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spool assembly for use in storing and handling a cable-like member which is preferably but not necessarily a pintle.
b) Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the paper making industry, it is of common practice to use fabric belts that are made of sections connected to each other to form an endless loop. Such belts carry the wet fibrous sheets that are prepared from the processed pulp. It is also of common practice to connect the adjacent ends of the belt sections by means of seams made by passing a cable known in the trade as a "pintle" through a tubular passage formed by intermeshed loops of fabric yarns projecting at the ends of the adjacent sections when the same are interfitted and held together. Usually, the pintle consists of a mono- or multi-filament yarn whose leading end is attached to a stiff guiding wire made of metal, which acts as a needle to facilitate insertion of the yarn into the passage formed by the loops.
Further details regarding the use of pintles to connect fabric belt sections, can be found to the preambles of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,842,212 to ASTEN GROUP, INC. and 5,033,618 to ALBANY INTERNATIONAL CORP.
Of course, it is necessary that the pintle be stored and made available in such a manner as to make its use and installation as fast and easy as possible, especially in the case of replacement of used or damaged sections of the endless belt of a paper making machine, which must be made in a very fast manner on the premises.
Spool assemblies for pintles have already been devised to tentatively meet the above mentioned requirement. In this connection, reference can be made again to the above mentioned patents, which are both directed to such assemblies.


In an automated integrated circuit design, if the performances of a layout of circuit devices are not within predetermined tolerances of performance specifications, at least one of the circuit devices is resized or repositioned and an updated value of a device parameter for each resized or repositioned circuit device is determined. A difference between the initial and updated value of each device parameter is then determined and each difference is combined with a ratio formed from changes in the value of one of the device parameters and changes in the value of one of the performances affected by the device parameter. The result of this combination is then combined with the initial value of the performance to determine an updated value therefor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated circuit design, and, more particularly, to the automated design of radio frequency and high speed analog integrated circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
The electrical design and physical implementation of integrated circuits, especially radio frequency and high speed analog circuits, are tightly coupled. To this end, parasitic electrical effects resulting from the routing of conductors to interconnect circuit devices must be taken into consideration during front-end electrical synthesis. On the other hand, the back-end layout of circuit devices must be carried out in such a way that target performance specifications are guaranteed to be met. In practice, several iterations between circuit design and layout are typically required to achieve final design closure. This process is time consuming and is usually guided only by a designer's experience and expert knowledge about the circuit and layout. Although separate analog layout tools and circuit synthesis tools are available, heretofore no tool has been available to automate the overall process.
A drawback of existing layout approaches is that they all assume the circuit schematic is fixed when laying out the circuit devices. Consequently, the device parameters for the circuit devices utilized to implement the circuit are translated into hard constraints for layout. So, if one intermediate placement of a circuit device or the routing of an interconnecting conductor violates one performance specification, the entire design is marked as costly or infeasible. In this way, the layout of circuit devices and the routing of interconnecting conductors is over restricted.
Therefore what is needed is a method and apparatus for automatically generating and revising a layout of circuit devices and the routing of the interconnecting conductors of a circuit whereupon the circuit meets or is within predetermined tolerances of target performance specifications for the circuit.


In a tennis racket with a frame (1) forming the striking head and a tensioning system consisting of crossed strings, where the strings (7) are secured by being passed through apertures in a frame component (2) and a component supported by the frame component (2), and where at least one securing device for at least one string (7) is designed in such a way that the string (7) can move on the inside of the frame in a direction perpendicular to the tension plane formed by the tensioning system, at least one dimensionally stable component (10) surrounding the movable string (7) like a sleeve can move to a limited extent in relation to the frame section (2) radially to the longitudinal axis of the string (7) and is supported on a body (12) which is arranged in a recess in the frame section (2) and is made of an elastomeric material which can be deformed by a movement of the component (10).

This invention relates to a racket for ball games, in particular a tennis or squash racket, comprising a frame forming a racket head and a racket handle, and a stringing formed by intersecting lengths of string attached to a frame part constituting the racket head, in which, for the purpose of fastening the strings, the lengths of string are passed through openings in the frame part, and from the frame inside to the frame outside in an element taking support on the frame part, and through further openings in the frame part, and from the frame outside to the frame inside in an element taking support in the frame part, and in which for at least one length of string at least one string fastening structure is configured in such a fashion that this particular length of string is movable on the frame inside in a direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the stringing.
A racket of the type initially referred to is known from DE 42 03 682 A1. In this known racket, the element serving as a string fastening means is configured as a sleeve manufactured from a rubber-like material and inserted into the two openings in the frame part such as to rest with a bridge-type widened section thereof against the frame outside, while its sleeve-type section which tightly encloses the threaded-through portion of the string is snugly received within the opening provided in the frame outside. The opening in the frame inside is configured as an elongated hole extending normal to the plane of the stringing, thereby enabling the sleeve, together with the string length, to deflect in the area of this opening into a direction perpendicular to the plane of the stringing. Owing to the possibility of motion of part of the stringing on the frame inside thus provided, an increase in the effective impact area is accomplished, because the length of movement of the stringing is increased by the distance between the frame inside and the frame outside. Further, an improved playing comfort and damping action is claimed to be realizable
Still further, for the purpose of damping the ball impact effect, it is known to pass the eight central longitudinal strings of the stringing of a tennis racket through a plastic core carried in a vibration-damping material on the yoke of the frame part constituting the racket head. This arrangement does not, however, provide for movability of the longitudinal strings on the frame inside.

Racket for ball games, in particular tennis or squash racket


A semiconductor memory array and method for use in a memory device in which the location of a memory cell in the array is specified by row address and column address decoders. The memory cells may be floating gate memory cells in which data is programmed by hot carrier injection and erased by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling. The array includes bit lines connected to the column address decoder, and word lines and N+ diffusion source lines connected to the row address decoder. Each memory cell has a gate connected to a word line, a drain connected to a bit line and a source connected to the N+ diffusion source line. A low resistance source line formed of metal II or other conductive material is arranged adjacent to each N+ source line and is electrically connected thereto at one or more locations via interconnecting straps. The low resistance source lines serve to reduce the voltage drop across the N+ diffusion source lines during program operations and provide an improved ground connection during read operations. The word lines are grouped into pairs of even and odd word lines and each pair makes up the minimum program unit or page. The page is also the minimum erase unit, such that adjacent even and odd word lines are erased simultaneously. The voltage applied to a given word line during a read operation may be supplied by a word line clamping circuit which limits gate disturbances resulting from fluctuations in supply voltage.

Floating gate memory devices which are programmed using hot electron injection and erased using Fowler-Nordheim tunneling are well-known and described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,029,130 and 5,289,411. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary prior art floating gate memory array device 10 as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,411. The device 10 includes an array 40 of floating gate memory cells 42. The device 10 also includes an input buffer 12 which receives input data to be stored in the memory cells 42, a sense amplifier 16 which amplifies data signals read from the array 40, and an output buffer 14 which receives the read-out data signals from the amplifier 16. A column address decoder 18 receives a column address and generates an address signal on column address lines 26. A row address decoder 20 receives a row address and generates an address signal on row address lines 24. Each row address line 24 is connected to a row decoding circuit 50 which also receives row select lines 30 from a row select decoder 19. The output of the row decoding circuit 50 is a plurality of row lines 36. A pair of floating gate cells 42 are located at each intersection of the row lines 36 and a column address line 26. The device 10 further includes a high voltage (HV) source 22 which provides a high voltage potential for use in program and erase operations. The high voltage is supplied to a plurality of HV decoders 60 which each receive three HV select signals on lines 34 from an HV row select decoder 21. The HV decoders 60 are also connected to the row lines 36 from the corresponding row decoder 50.
The operation of the floating gate memory array device 40 is as follows. To program data in a given row of the floating gate memory cells 42, the selected row address line 24 is brought to Vcc potential. A threshold voltage Vt is supplied via the row decoder 50 to the first row line 36-1 in the given row and thereby to the gates of the memory cells 42 in that row. Source isolation transistors 44 are not turned on by the voltage Vt. A voltage of approximately +12 volts is supplied to the source of each of the cells 42 in that row via the second row line or N+ source line 36-2, the HV decoder 60 and the HV source 22. A given cell 42 in the activated row is programmed by bringing the corresponding column address line 26 and thereby the drain of the given cell 42 to either 0 volts or +5 volts depending on the logic value to be programmed. Hot electrons from the source of the given cell 42 can thereby be injected into and stored on the floating gate of the cell. The data stored in a given row of cells may be read back in a conventional manner. For example, the source of a given cell to be read can be brought to ground potential, the drain to a read voltage on the order of +2 volts and the gate to +5 volts. This will generate a signal indicative of the stored charge which is amplified by sense amplifier 16 and supplied to output buffer 14.
To erase data stored in the floating gate cells 42 of a given row of array 40, the row address line 24 for that row is activated. The row select decoder 19 supplies signals to row decoder 50 such that the first row line 36-1 connected to the gates of source isolation transistors 44 in the given row is held high while the second and third row lines 36-2 and 36-3 are held at ground potential. The source isolation transistors 44 are turned on to thereby connect a common ground line 32 to the second row line or N+ source line 36-2. The first row line 36-1 is then connected via HV decoder 60 to the high voltage from HV source 22. This supplies a potential of about +15 volts to the gate of each floating gate cell 42 in the given row. The column address lines 26 connected to the drains of each memory cell 42 in the given row are then brought to ground potential. The source of each of the memory cells 42 in the given row is also brought to ground potential via source isolation transistors 44 which connect the N+ source line 36-2 to the common ground line 32. The high voltage potential on the gate of the floating gate cells 42 causes the charge stored on the floating gate to be removed by the mechanism of Fowler-Nordheim tunneling.
The prior art floating gate memory array device 10 of FIG. 1 suffers from a number of problems. For example, the array 40 utilizes source isolation transistors 44 to isolate the high +12 volt source voltage used in programming a given cell 42 from other cells in the array. Although source isolation via transistor 44 can provide some reduction in program disturbance, the presence of the transistors 44 decreases the read current through a given cell and thereby degrades the read performance of the array device 10. Also, the programming current from HV decoder 60 runs through the entire length of an N+ source line 36-2 which is typically formed from high resistance N+ diffusion material. The programming current will thus result in a significant voltage drop across the source line 36-2 which can degrade programming efficiency and performance. Furthermore, the source isolation transistors 44 require chip space and thus result in an undesirable increase in the chip size for the memory array device 10. Another problem with the prior art memory array device 10 is that during a read operation, the signal Vcc-Vt is applied directly to the gates of a given row of memory cells 42 via the row lines 36-1 and/or 36-3. All of the cells 42 in the given row will therefore be stressed by the high Vcc voltage. Also, an increase or other disturbance in the supply voltage during a read operation can result in charges previously stored in the cells 42 being pulled away from the floating gates thereof via Fowler-Nordheim tunneling.
As is apparent from the above, there is a need for an improved floating gate memory array which exhibits improved read and program performance and eliminates the source isolation transistor requirement and other problems of the prior art.

Floating gate memory array device with improved program and read performance


An originating switch (110) in a packet-based telecommunications network (100) routes calls to a terminating switch using the combination of Success-to-the Top (STT) and Class-of-Service criterion. In routing a call to the terminating switch, the originating switch 110 checks for available bandwidth for the class of service of the call on the direct path (116) between switches. If the path has available bandwidth, the originating switch routes on the direct path. Otherwise, the originating switch searches for the most recently successful one of a plurality the via switches (1181-118n) linking the originating and terminating switches to determine whether that via switch can successfully route the call to the terminating switch. If the most recently successful one of the via switches possesses available bandwidth to route the call in accordance with its class of service, the originating switch 110 selects that via switch to route the call. Otherwise, if the most-recently successful via switch can not route the call, the originating switch 110 searches for a next successful via switch. If none of the via switches 1181-118n can successfully route the call in accordance with its class of service, the originating switch will either attempt a route advance or crankback the call.

This invention relates to a technique for routing telephone calls in a packet-based network.
Traditional telecommunications networks typically use dedicated circuits to carry telephone traffic between facilities. Within such traditional networks, switching systems, such as the 4ESS switching systems used by ATandT, route calls by setting up a circuit that lasts the entire duration of the call and then tearing down the circuit thereafter. For this reason, such traditional networks are commonly referred to as xe2x80x9ccircuit-switchedxe2x80x9d networks. Increases in traffic and capacity constraints on existing switches within such circuit-switched networks has prompted the development of packet-based networks utilizing Asynchronous Transport Mode (ATM) switches at their core. Within such packetized networks, core ATM switches route packetized calls to and from switches at the edge of the network that exchange traffic with sources such as local exchange carriers, international carriers and direct nodal subscribers. Unlike conventional circuit switches, ATM switches afford the advantage of allocating resources (e.g., time slots) only at packet transfer, rather than for the entire duration of a call. Moreover, packet-based networks can more easily make use of a relatively small number of high bandwidth paths, as compared to the larger number of circuits needed to make connections between switches in conventional circuit-switched networks.
Traditional switches in circuit-switched networks employ one or more of several well-known techniques for routing calls. One such technique is xe2x80x9cSuccess to the Topxe2x80x9d (STT) routing whereby an originating switch initially attempts to route a call to a terminating switch over a direct link (if it exists) between the switches. When a direct link is unavailable, the originating switch looks for a link through an intermediate (via) switch. The originating switch initially selects the via switch that most recently carried a call successfully between the originating and terminating switches. The originating switch selects the most recently successful via switch on the premise that such a via switch, once previously successful, can successfully route a subsequent call in the same manner as before.
If the most recently successful via switch is incapable of routing the call, then that via switch indicates its unavailability by sending a message, often referred to as a release or crankback message, to the originating switch. Thereafter, the originating switch searches for a next successful via switch. If the originating switch receives a crankback message from a via switch in this search, the originating switch continues its hunt for a next successful via switch. As may be appreciated, the Success to the Top (STT) routing method gets its name from the use made by the originating switch of the most recently successful via switch.
While the STT routing method is applied within conventional circuit-switched a networks, packet-based networks do not generally use this type of routing. In circuit switched networks that use STT routing, the routing decisions generally depend on the transport capacity of the paths between switches. Generally speaking, the virtual paths that link switches in packet-based networks typically possess sufficient capacity so utilizing transport capacity as the criterion for selecting the most recently successful via switch for routing has not proven useful in efforts to apply STT routing in packet networks.
Other techniques for routing calls in circuit-switched networks include Class-of-Service (COS) routing that takes account of the particular class or type of call when making routing decisions. Typically, with COS routing, different classes of calls receive different priorities. Thus, for example, certain classes of calls, such as those associated with xe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d service, receive high priority while other classes of class receive lower priority. When selecting a trunk for routing, an originating circuit switch examines both the call priority, as well as the transport capacity needed to carry the call. As with STT routing, COS routing determinations generally depend on the transport capacity, a criterion that is generally not of concern in packet networks. For that reason COS routing is not generally employed in packet-based networks, however in the present invention COS routing techniques are extended to packet-based networks.
Briefly, the present invention provides a method for routing telephone calls in a packet network between an originating switch and a terminating switch using a combination of Success to the Top and Class of Service routing techniques. In accordance with the invention, an originating switch (i.e., a switch receiving a call within the network destined for another switch, hereinafter, a xe2x80x9cterminatingxe2x80x9d switch) first checks for an available direct path to the terminating switch. In other words, the originating switch determines whether a direct path exists to the terminating switch, and whether that direct path possesses an available bandwidth sufficient to carry the call in accordance with its particular class of service. In determining if available bandwidth exists, the originating switch establishes a measure of the existing traffic on the path to establish its load state. From the load state of the path, the originating switch determines whether the direct path possess the requisite bandwidth to carry a particular call in accordance with its class of service. If so, the originating switch routes the call on the direct path to the terminating switch.
Otherwise, if a direct path is not available, then the originating switch searches for a path through a via switch by searching for the via switch that most recently successfully carried a call from the originating switch. Having identified the most recently successful switch, the originating switch determines whether its path to that via switch has an available bandwidth to carry the call in accordance with the class of service of that call. If the path to the most recently successful via switch has sufficient bandwidth to carry the call, then that via switch determines whether its path to the terminating switch has the available bandwidth to carry the call in accordance with the class of service of that call. If so, then that via switch passes the call from the originating switch to the terminating switch.
In the event of a lack of an available path linking the most-recently successful via switch and the terminating switch, the via switch sends a message, which may be a release or crankback message, to the originating switch. Upon receipt of the message, or upon determining the lack of an available path from the originating switch to the most recently successful via switch, the originating switch hunts for a next successful via switch. The originating switch determines whether a path exists to a next candidate via switch and has sufficient available bandwidth. If so, then that via switch determines whether it has a path to the terminating switch with available bandwidth. Should the next most recently successful via switch lack the ability to route the call to the terminating switch, the originating switch will continue searching for a successful via switch through which to route the call until the list of possible via switches is exhausted.

Success-to-the-top class of service routing


A multilayer label stock structure comprising a label stock of polypropylene film having on one side thereof a highly printable blend of (A) alkylene acrylate copolymer and (B) an interpolymer of an alkyl acrylate, an alkyl methacrylate and an alkyl acrylate acid.

Of recent years polymeric films have been utilized to take the place of paper for product labels and the like. Synthetic film labels are stronger and in some respects easier to handle in automatic machinery employed for applying labels to products.
A typical system employs a release layer which carries one or more removable labels therefrom. The label carried by the release substrate has a pressure sensitive adhesive on one side and a product identifying indicia or other information on the other. The release layer is composed of a substrate which has a surface to which the label adhesive will not aggressively adhere. The release characteristics of the substrate and the adhesive are such that when the substrate is bent through a certain angle, the stiffness of the label will cause it to separate from the release surface in spite of the presence of the adhesive. This will permit a container or product to be interfaced with the adhesive layer so that the label will transfer from the release surface to the product to be labeled. This technique happens rapidly and sequentially in automated mechanisms. One shortcoming in general with the use of polymeric films with label stock is that they may not have excellent printability with high speed dot matrix and thermal transfer printers. Thermoplastic label stock is also much desired in contrast to paper labels from the standpoint of recyclability. Paper labels intermixed with recyclable plastic film present a significant problem since the two materials are not easily separable. Thus, there is an ever increasing need for plastic film label stock as opposed to paper labels.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to present a synthetic film-adhesive label face stock having excellent printability.


A flat package for semiconductor integrated circuit devices allows edge-mounting and surface-mount. The package may be molded plastic containing a semiconductor chip, and flat leads extend from one edge of the package. The leads are bent to provide an area to solder to conductors on a PC board. Mechanical positioning, mechanical support and spacing are provided by studs extending from the edge of the package adjacent the leads. The studs have stops formed at a position even with flat outer surfaces of the bent leads; the portion outward of the stops fits into holes in the PC board.

This invention relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to surface-mount packages for integrated circuit devices.
Integrated circuit devices have been housed in dual-in-line plastic packages, referred to as DIP packages, in the bulk of semiconductor manufacture, for many years. These DIP packages have leads which extend through holes in a printed circuit board, and the package itself is mounted flat on the board. More recently surface-mount packaging has been introduced, and this technique eliminates the necessity of soldering leads in holes in PC boards, so the leads and PC board conductors can be closer together and higher densities are achieved. Similarly, edge-mounted packages or modules have been used in an effort to further increase the density of devices, improve cooling and reduce cost. As the density of devices and circuitry on the chips continues to increase, the packaging density must also increase, both at the package level and at the board level, while at the same time providing adequate cooling, and allowing the assembly and soldering of packages and boards to be fast, accurate and non-destructive. In particular, the packaging technique must provide protection for the leads during test, burn-in, and transport, as well as ease of positioning and mechanical support during mounting and soldering and during the life of the system.
It is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved packaging method for semiconductor integrated circuit devices. Another object is to provide an edge-mounted package for semiconductor devices that does not require soldering of leads into through-holes in a printed circuit board. A further object is to provide a surface-mount package for integrated circuits that is mechanically secure during mounting, soldering and operation, yet does not occupy space on the PC board unnecessarily. Still another object is to provide an edge-mount, surface-mount method for integrated circuit devices that allows the leads to be protected during the time from assembly to final system use, and allows accurate positioning of the leads on a PC board.

Method of making a relatively flat semiconductor package having a semiconductor chip encapsulated in molded material