A short latency and high bandwidth memory includes a systolic memory that is sub-divided into a plurality of memory arrays, including banks and pipelines that access these banks. Shorter latency and faster performance is achieved with this memory, because each bank is smaller in size and is accessed more rapidly. A high throughput rate is accomplished because of the pipelining. Memory is accessed at the pipeline frequency with the proposed read and write mechanism. Design complexity is reduced because each bank within the memory is the same and repeated. The memory array size is re-configured and organized to fit within desired size and area parameters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed towards a systolic memory array (SMA) and more particularly to a systolic memory array (SMA) that enables the access of memory arrays that are subdivided into a plurality of banks and these banks may be accessed in a pipelined manner.
2. Background of the Related Art
One perennial goal among circuit and system designers is to improve memory bandwidth and access times. One way of achieving this goal, while simultaneously improving bandwidths and access times in memory devices, is to divide or compartmentalize an internal memory structure into a plurality of blocks that expand or increase the width of the data bus that accesses the memory structure.
Memory structures used in microprocessors and computing systems (e.g. a processor and memory) are growing rapidly in size and capability to accommodate the larger, proliferating new applications of increasing complexity and to improve processor performance. In general, systolic structures are used for mapping computations or processes into hardware structures and SMAs are used to map computations or processes into memory structures.
There is typically a direct relationship between a memory's capacity and its physical size, where a larger memory results in a larger physical size and a smaller memory results in a smaller physical size. This larger physical size increases the access time due to the inherent wiring delay present in longer wires and communication paths associated with the larger size. This makes accessing data and information stored in a memory structure within a short time or an otherwise acceptable time an increasingly difficult process.
Therefore, the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention address the disadvantages mentioned above and disclose a memory array that includes a plurality of multiple banks, which are adjustable in size (e.g. they can be made smaller or larger). These banks have shared address lines and are accessed in a pipelined fashion. After a certain latency or delay transpires, data stored in the banks at every clock cycle can be read out. Memory accesses to this memory array are sustainable for both reads and writes.
The various exemplary embodiments of the present invention permits memory arrays subdivided in banks to be accessed in a pipelined fashion. This approach achieves a much higher sustainable memory bandwidth and possibly a shorter average access time than what the individual banks provide if they were accessed with shared non-pipelined buses. This design also alleviates the problem of driving long global bit lines in larger memories. Read access of this type of pipelined memory will exhibit physical locality properties and have variable latency. Banks that are located closer to an access port will have shorter access time than banks that are located farther away. Additionally, systolic memories are easier to implement because of their modular designs and they are also more cost effective to produce because of this modular characteristic.


The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for eliminating interference in pulse oxygen measurement. The method comprises the steps of: collecting a first wavelength light and a second wavelength light transmitting through the object to be measured and converting collected optic signals into electric signals to form a plethysmogram; processing the plethysmogram so as to normalize it, in order to decompose the normalized plethysmogram into a combination of an ideal plethysmogram and noise, and expand the ideal plethysmogram by using functions that can make up a complete orthonormal system; eliminating the noise in the plethysmogram through differential operation; and restoring the plethysmogram free of noise through integral operation for calculating oxygen saturation. The apparatus comprises a collecting module, a processing module, a noise eliminating module, and a restoring module. The method and apparatus suitable for the measurement of oxygen saturation under weak perfusion and movement conditions.

As currently employed in home and abroad, a oxygen saturation measuring apparatus (also known as oximeter) usually measures the oxygen saturation via spectrophotometry which comprises a transmission method and reflection method. Both methods are based on the Lambert-Beer law and light-scattering theory, and are carried out by making use of the difference of the photoabsorption coefficients between a deoxyhemoglobin and an oxyhemoglobin. The Lambert-Beer law is formulated as:I=I0e−εcd where:
I represents transmitted light intensity;
I0 represents incident light intensity;
C represents concentration of solution of the photic substance;
d represents photic path length of the solution;
ε represents photoabsorption coefficient of the substance; from the above equation, it is derived that:D=lnI0/I=εcd; where D is known as optical density. The formula reveals that there exists a correlation between the photoabsorption state of a substance and its concentration. In other words, the formula gives the very indication of the possibility of predicating internal tissue components from the photoabsorption state of the tissue.
Researchers further study the photoabsorption property of two main components, i.e., Hb (deoxyhemoglobin) and HbO2 (oxyhemoglobin), which are closely related to the oxygen saturation, and find remarkable difference therebetween. As shown in FIG. 2, the solid line represents the HbO2 photoabsorption coefficient curve, and the dotted line represents the Hb photoabsorption coefficient curve. It can be seen from FIG. 2 that at the visible red light range with wavelength of 660 nm, the photoabsorption coefficient of HbO2 is only 1/10 that of Hb; at the 805 nm infrared light range, Hb and HbO2 has a isosbestic point; and at the 940 nm infrared light range, the photoabsorption coefficient of HbO2 is greater than that of Hb.
                                          Sa                                                                                O              2                                =                                    Hb                                                                                O                  2                                /                                  (                                      Hb                    +                                          Hb                                                                                O                        2                                                                              )                                                      =                                          c                1                            /                              (                                                      c                    1                                    +                                      c                    2                                                  )                                                    ,                            (        1        )                                                                                D                                                  (                  660                  )                                            =                              ln                                                                                I                      0                                                                                (                      660                      )                                                        /                                      I                                                              (                      660                      )                                                                                =                              ln                                                  (                                                                                I                          0                                                                                (                          660                          )                                                                    /                                              I                                                                          (                          660                          )                                                                                ⅇ                                                                        -                                                      ɛ                            1                                                                                c                          1                                                                        d                                                                                ⅇ                                                                        -                                                      ɛ                            2                                                                                c                          2                                                                        d                                                                              )                                                                                =                                                                            ɛ                      1                                                                                c                      1                                                            d                                    +                                                            ɛ                      2                                                                                c                      2                                                            d                                                              ,                                                          (        2        )                                                                                D                                                  (                  805                  )                                            =                              ln                                                                                I                      0                                                                                (                      805                      )                                                        /                                      I                                                              (                      805                      )                                                                                =                              ln                                                  (                                                                                I                          0                                                                                (                          805                          )                                                                    /                                              I                                                                          (                          805                          )                                                                                ⅇ                                                                        -                                                      ɛ                            3                                                                                c                          1                                                                        d                                                                                ⅇ                                                                        -                                                      ɛ                            4                                                                                c                          2                                                                        d                                                                              )                                                                                =                                                                            ɛ                      3                                                                                c                      1                                                            d                                    +                                                            ɛ                      4                                                                                c                      2                                                            d                                                              ,                                                          (        3        )            where SaO2 is the arterial oxygen saturation; c1 is HbO2 concentration, and c2 is Hb concentration; I0, I are incident light intensity and transmitted light intensity respectively; ε1, ε2 are the absorptivity of HbO2 and Hb to the red light of 660 nm wavelength respectively; ε3, ε4 are the absorptivity of HbO2 and Hb to the infrared light of 805 nm wavelength respectively, with ε3=ε4=ε; and d is the tissue transmission thickness. From (2) and (3) it is derived that:c1+c2=D(805)/εd, c1=(D(660)−ε2D(805)/ε)/(ε1−ε2)d; substituting them into (1):SaO2=A×D(660)/D(805)+B  (4)where, A=ε/(ε1−ε2), B=ε2/(ε1−ε2).
However, D(660) and D(805) are not correlated with Hb and HbO2 only, as expressed in the above equations (2) and (3). Rather, they are correlated with the absorption conditions of the muscle, skeleton, pigment, fats, venous blood and the like in the tissue. In other words, D(660), D(805) should contain a background absorption portion, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus (2) and (3) transform into:D(660)=lnI0(660)/I(660)=ln(I0(660)/IBe−ε1c1Δde−ε2c2Δd),  (5)D(805)=lnI0(805)/I(805)=ln(I0(805)/IBe−ε3c1Δde−ε4c2Δd),  (6)where I0 is the transmitted light intensity when only the tissue background absorption exits; Δd is the variation in the transmission range from absence of blood to abundance of blood. The background optic density DB may be simply defined as:DB=ln(I0/IB),thus:D(660)−DB(660)=ε1c1Δd+ε2c2Δd,  (7)D(805)−DB(805)=ε3c1Δd+ε4c2Δd,  (8)where ε3=ε4=ε, and (4) accordingly transforms into:SaO2=A×(D(660)−DB(660))/(D(805)−DB(805))+B;  (9)A and B are the same as above. Formula (9) is the basic formula for oxygen saturation measurement.
In a typical measurement, the infrared light wavelength usually adopted is about 940 nm, around which both the absorptivity of HbO2 and that of Hb vary flat, and the error is often relatively small. The basic calculation formula for oxygen saturation measurement is:Spo2=(A×R+B)/(C×R+D);  (10)where:
SpO2 is the oxygen saturation,
                              A          =                      ɛ            1                          ,                                                    B          =                      -                          ɛ              2                                      ,                                                    C          =                                    ɛ              4                        -                          ɛ              3                                      ,                                                    D          =                                    ɛ              1                        -                          ɛ              2                                      ,                                                                while                                                                          R                    =                                                                      D                                                        (                    660                    )                                                  -                                                      D                    B                                                                          (                    660                    )                                                                                D                                                        (                    940                    )                                                  -                                                      D                    B                                                                          (                    940                    )                                                                        .                                              (        11        )
ε1, ε2 are the absorptivity of HbO2 and Hb to red light of 660 nm wavelength, respectively; ε3, ε4 are the absorptivity of HbO2 and Hb to infrared light of 940 nm wavelength, respectively.
From (11), it can be seen that R is in one-to-one correspondence with oxygen saturation, while D=LnI0/I=εcd,
                                          thus                                                                          R                    =                                                                      ln                                                                                I                                              R                                                                                0                                                              /                                          I                      RM                                                                      -                                  ln                                                                                I                                              R                                                                                0                                                              /                                          I                      Rm                                                                                ln                                                                                I                                              I                                                                                0                                                              /                                          I                      IM                                                                      -                                  ln                                                                                I                                              I                                                                                0                                                              /                                          I                      Im                                                                                =                                          ln                                                                                I                    Rm                                    /                                      I                    RM                                                                              ln                                                                                I                    Im                                    /                                      I                    IM                                                                                ;                            (        12        )            where, IRM is the maximum transmitted light intensity of the red light; IRm is the minimum transmitted light intensity of the red the optic signals with oxygen saturation information passing through the tissue terminals into an electric signals, and to digitalize the signals. With this numerical value, the oxygen saturation is then calculable by certain signal processing algorithm. FIG. 1 illustrates the block diagram of the structure of one particular embodiment in prior art, comprising: a power supply circuit, a photoelectric drive circuit, a signal amplification section, an A/D conversion circuit, a logic control section, a single chip processor, and a serial communication interface.
A pulse oximeter makes use of arterial blood pulsation in the human body tissue terminals, which is caused by the plethysmogram. The optical properties of the oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in the red light spectral region and the infrared region are different, which influences the red light and infrared light transmission of the finger. Hence, when the red light and the infrared light with a predetermined intensity are applied to the finger, by respectively detecting the transmitted light intensity of the two wavelengths, the oxyhemoglobin content can be calculated by the ratio between the optical density variations in the two light beams applied to the finger, so that the oxygen saturation may be calculated.
It can be derived from the above formula that when the luminotron is fixed, the formula (10) only has one variable R. The DC components of the red light and the infrared light (i.e., the DC components of the electric signals produced from the red light and light; IR0 is the incident light intensity of the red light; IlM is the maximum transmitted light intensity of the infrared light; Ilm is the minimum transmitted light intensity of the infrared light; Il0 is the incident light intensity of the infrared light.
As for the red light,
                                          ln                                                                                I                Rm                            /                              I                RM                                              =                      ln                                      (                              1                -                                                                            I                      RM                                        -                                          I                      Rm                                                                            I                    RM                                                              )                                      ;                            (        13        )            when the AC quantity/DC quantity, i.e. (IRM−IRm)/IRM, is relatively small,
            ln                    (                  1          -                                                    I                RM                            -                              I                Rm                                                    I              RM                                      )              ≈                            I          RM                -                  I          Rm                            I        RM              ≈          AC                                      quantity                    /                  DC                                      quantity        ,thus R may be expressed in the following form:
  R  =                              Red          AC                /                  Red          DC                                      Ir          AC                /                  Ir          DC                      =                                        Red            AC                                Red            DC                          ·                              Ir            DC                                Ir            AC                              =                                    Ir            DC                                Red            DC                          ·                                            Red              AC                                      Ir              AC                                .
Therefore, the value of R can be calculated in case the waveform of one full plethysmogram of the two transmitted light beams is available.
The basic structure of the oxygen saturation measurement apparatus comprises a probe and a signal processing means, in which the probe is a sensor composed of a light-emitting diode and a light sensitive element. The light-emitting diode generates light with two or more wavelengths, usually the red light and the infrared light. The light sensitive element functions to convert the infrared light, similar hereinafter) remain relatively stable within a certain period, so the main factor influencing the value of R is the AC components of the red light and the infrared light (i.e., the AC components of the electric signals produced from the red light and the infrared light, similar hereinafter). Therefore the oxygen saturation can be calculated so long as the AC components of two light beams are available. The conventional method of calculating the ratio between the AC components is to determine the maximum value and the minimum value of the two light beams. However, such a method of calculating the AC components of the two light beams by determination of extreme values has the following drawbacks.
1) When the patient to be measured is in a state of anaesthesia, the plethysmogram of the patient may be very weak. In such a weak perfusion condition, even if there is no change in the luminescent intensity of the probe, irregular baseline drift often occurs to the received signal. Though such a drift is nonlinear, it can be approximated by the multi-order linear functions, and the approximation error is neglectable when the measurement precision is satisfied. Such a drift generates a very strong low frequency interference in the signal spectrum, while it generates a very strong interference with the pulse oxygen and pulse calculation when it is within the measuring frequency band so as to heavily influence the pulse oxygen calculation and lead to a great error.
2) When the patient is in a state of weak perfusion, the signal is very weak. Thus the signal-to-noise ratio is very low, the determination of the waveform at this point is very difficult. Since the determination of the crest and trough of the plethysmogram may result in error, the ratio of the AC component to DC component would be incorrect, and accordingly it is hard to ensure the accuracy of the pulse oxygen and pulse rate measurement.
3) While monitoring the pulse oxygen of a patient, the probe of the oximeter is usually bonded to the foot of the patient. However, the patient will move unconsciously, which is the case in particular with infants and the new-born babies. For instance, the fingers (or toes) of the patient often move, so that the distance between the fingers (or toes) and the sensor is changed, resulting in a very unstable plethysmogram waveform measured and a rather low signal-to-noise ratio. If the pulse oxygen is to be measured with a prior art method, it is necessary to measure the AC component of the plethysmogram. That is, the maximum value and the minimum value of the plethysmogram waveform should be located. However, in case of the presence of movement, the crest and trough of the plethysmogram waveform may be incorrectly determined and it is very difficult to obtain the accurate extreme values, so that the pulse oxygen measuring precision is very poor. As shown in FIG. 4, a moving condition will bring about, for example, baseline drift, impulsive noise, step noise and the like, to the plethysmogram, and at this moment it is very difficult to correctly determine the extreme values of the two light beams.

Method and apparatus for eliminating interference in pulse oxygen measurement

Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electrics Co., Ltd.


Antenna mounts to enable a conventional antenna to be securely attached to a motor vehicle, such as a standard pick-up truck, and electrically connected to a radio that is carried by the truck. To increase the strength of the antenna mounts and thereby reduce the possibility that the antenna will snap off when subjected to high winds and other loads, the mounts are located through an existing hole that is established in a wall which surrounds the bed of many pick-up trucks. In one case, where the antenna mount is substantially recessed within a cavity below the existing hole in the wall, a fastener secures the antenna mount to the bottom of the cavity. In another case, where the antenna mount is partially recessed within the cavity, a pair of L-shaped clips are attached between opposite sides of the antenna mount and the top of the wall.

1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to a high strength antenna mount that is received through an existing hole formed in the wall surrounding the bed of a motor vehicle (e.g. a pick-up truck) to enable an antenna to be securely attached to the vehicle while reducing the risk that the antenna mount will break under high wind and other load conditions to which the antenna is subjected during operation of the vehicle.
2. Background Art.
A variety of different radios (e.g. ham, commercial, CB, etc.) are commonly carried within the cab or passenger compartment of a vehicle to enable reception or two way communication over great distances. It is customary for the radio antenna to be mounted to the exterior of the vehicle. By way of example, antennas have been attached to the vehicle by means of mirror, bumper, side and window mounts, to name but a few. In many cases, alterations must be made to the vehicle to install the antenna mount. That is, holes must be drilled into the vehicle to accommodate the antenna mount and/or the electrical cables which extend between the antenna and the radio. Not only do these holes effect the appearance of the vehicle but they must be repaired in the event that the antenna and its mount are removed from the vehicle.
Due to the close proximity with the body of the vehicle, conventional antenna mounting locations are known to adversely effect the radiation pattern of the transmitted signal. What is more, conventional antenna mounts attached at the outside of the vehicle are undesirably susceptible to mechanical loads such as those caused by high winds and other impact forces to which the antenna may be subjected during operation of the vehicle. Consequently, the antenna mount may snap, whereby the antenna will be lost and operation of the radio will be interrupted.
What is needed is a strong antenna mount that may be securely attached to a motor vehicle without requiring any alterations to the vehicle to accommodate the mount and to enable the mount to reliably withstand high wind and other loads to which the antenna is subjected.


The liveness of routing protocols can be determined using a mechanism to aggregate liveness information for the protocols. The ability of an interface to send and receive packets and the forwarding capability of an interface can also be determined using this mechanism. Since liveness information for multiple protocols, the liveness of interfaces, the forwarding capability of interfaces, or both, may be aggregated in a message, the message can be sent more often than could individual messages for each of the multiple protocols. This allows fast detection of failures, and sending connectivity messages for the individual protocols, such as neighbor “hellos,” to be sent less often.

§1.1 Field of the Invention
The invention concerns detecting errors in connections, protocols, data plane components, or any combination of these.
§1.2 Background Information
The description of art in this section is not, and should not be interpreted to be, an admission that such art is prior art to the invention.
A protocol is a specific set of rules, procedures, or conventions relating to the format and timing of data transmission between two devices. Accordingly, a protocol is a standard set of procedures that two data devices use to work with each other. Nodes, such as routers, in communications networks may use protocols to exchange information. For example, routers may use routing protocols to exchange information used to determine routes. FIG. 1 illustrates two nodes 105,110 coupled via communications link 150. Node 105 includes various interfaces 130,132,134,136 and supports protocols 120,125. Interface 130 terminates communications link 150. Similarly, node 110 includes interfaces 140,142,144,146 and supports protocols 121,126. Interface 140 terminates communications link 150. Node 105 and node 110 can be considered "neighbors" or "adjacencies" since they each terminate communications link 150. As indicated by the dashed lines, an instance of protocol A 120 and an instance of protocol B 125 at node 105 may communicate with another instance of protocol A 121 and another instance of protocol B 126, respectively, at node 110. Although not shown, the communications between the protocols actually occur via interfaces 130,140 and communications link 150.
Conventional routing protocols may include some form of liveness detection. For example, the intermediate system-intermediate system protocol (IS-IS) and the open shortest path first protocol (OSPF) include a "hello" mechanism that lets a router running IS-IS or OSPF know whether nodes sharing a communications link with the router are still up. Some protocols, such as a border gateway protocol (BGP), use the underlying transport to determine the liveness of their neighbors. In the case of BGP, transmission control protocol (TCP) keepalives are used. Other protocols, such as routing information protocols (RIP), have intrinsic liveness mechanisms. In most cases, once an adjacency with a neighbor node running the same protocol is established with an initial hello message, subsequent hello messages don't need to carry a lot of information.
In most, if not all, of these liveness detection mechanisms, the time needed to conclude that one's neighbor is down ranges from seconds, to tens, or even hundreds of seconds. For example, with IS-IS, hellos are normally sent every nine (9) seconds. A node determines a neighbor to be down only after three (3) consecutive hellos have been unanswered. Accordingly, a node running IS-IS normally needs at least 27 seconds before it determines that a neighbor node is down. Similarly, with the point-to-point protocol (PPP) hellos are normally sent every ten (10) seconds. A node determines a neighbor to be down only after three (3) consecutive hellos have been unanswered. Accordingly, a node running PPP normally needs at least 30 seconds before it determines whether a neighbor node is down.
Since routers and other nodes on the Internet are predominantly used for communicating data for applications (such as e-mail) that are tolerant of some delay or packets received out of sequence, the conventional liveness detection schemes are acceptable. However, as more demanding applications (such as voice over IP) use the Internet or other packet-switched networks, there are instances where detecting that a neighbor is down in a few tenths of a second, or even hundredths of a second may be necessary. Such fast liveness detection is needed, for example, where failover needs to occur quickly so that an end user doesn't perceive, or at least isn't unduly annoyed by, the failure of an adjacency (e.g., due to any one of a node failure, a link failure, or a protocol failure).
One approach to determining liveness faster is to allow faster (e.g., sub-second) protocol hello timers. This is feasible for some protocols, but might require changes to the protocol. Implementing these protocol changes on new nodes, and propagating these protocol changes to nodes previously deployed in a communications network is not trivial. Moreover, for some other protocols faster protocol hello timers are simply not feasible.
Even if all protocols could implement fast protocol hello timers, at least two additional issues make such a simple, brute force change unattractive. First, routers often implement multiple routing protocols, each having its own liveness detection mechanism. Consequently, updating each routing protocol to enable fast detection can lead to a considerable amount of work. Second, hello messages often carry more than just liveness information, and can therefore be fairly large and require non-trivial computational effort to process. Consequently, running fast liveness detection between a pair of neighbor nodes, each running multiple protocols, can be expensive in terms of communications and computational resources required to communicate and process the frequent, lengthy messages for liveness detection.
Additionally, it is desirable to check interface forwarding liveness (i.e., the ability to forward data over an interface). Forwarding liveness may be a function of various components in the "data plane" of a data forwarding device such as a router. For example, data plane components may include a forwarding table (sometimes referred to as a forwarding information base), switch fabric, forwarding lookup engine, traffic scheduler, traffic classifier, buffers, segmenters, reassemblers, resequencers, etc. Such components may be embodied as memory, processors, ASICs, etc.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to detect liveness faster that conventional liveness detection schemes. It is desirable that such liveness detection (i) have minimal impact on existing protocols, (ii) not waste communications resources, and (iii) not be computationally expensive.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Determining liveness of protocols and interfaces


A method for the application of at least two different powder coating layers to a substrate comprising the steps of application of a first powder coating layer followed by the application of a second powder coating layer, without any substantial curing of the first powder coating layer prior to the application of the second powder coating layer, followed by the simultaneous curing at a temperature and time period sufficient to substantially cure the first powder coating layer and the second powder coating layer, wherein the first powder coating layer and the second powder coating layer each comprise at least one resin independently having at least one functional group in stoichiometric ratios sufficient to react or crosslink with the other layer at the interface of the two or more layers.

This Application is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/827,005, filed Mar. 14, 2013, and entitled "Method for Applying a Powder Coating", which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Typically, powder coatings are applied as a single coat direct to metal or as a coating over another layer of powder primer which has been previously cured. These methods are referred to as a conventional powder coating application process. These conventional process steps are generally stepwise as follows:
Step 1: Apply first layer;
Step 2: Cure first layer;
Step 3: Apply second layer; and
Step 4: Cure second layer.
In some processes of two-layer powder coating systems, a first layer is applied and heated to create a "melt" and then a second layer is applied over the first layer "melt" thus requiring an additional process step of heating to create a melt. According to this invention, a powder coating topcoat and a powder coating primer coat that have reactive functionalities with each other can be electrostatically applied by spray (the first layer powder coating primer is applied to substrate followed by the application of a reactive topcoat or reactive subsequent topcoats) and heated and cured only once, thus eliminating at least one complete coating cure cycle. These methods are referred to as dry-on-dry application process. These process steps are as follows:                Step 1: Apply first layer;        Step 2: Apply second layer (and subsequent layers) having functionalities reactive with the first (or previous) layer, and applying the second (and subsequent layers) before the previous layer cures;        Step 3: Cure first layer and second (and subsequent layers) simultaneously.


An impact pad with a unique irregular shape that protects the drum head while allowing it to smoothly flex reducing drum head distortion for enhanced sound projection.

Alternative technology is available in the form of a variety of impact pads, all of which are either circular or square for single drum beaters; oblong or rectangular for double drum beaters. See for example, the Evans patch bass drum impact pad, the Kickpad impact pad, and the Danmar kick pad. Also see the circular Eliminators.TM. sound absorption pad provided by the Bohning Company, Ltd. and the Falam Slam Bass Drum Pad manufactured by Remo, Inc., comprising a circular patch made of kevlar.RTM. woven fabric and mylar which is designed to extend the life of the bass drum head and produce a sharper, punchier bass drum sound.
Reference may also be made to German Patent DE 3,436,558 A1 for a multi-layered damping disc for drums consisting of polyethylene terephthalate film for supporting foam rubber layers. This multi-layered damping disc consists of a circular covering with the same diameter of the film skin forming a complete covering for the drum head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,323 issued to Belli et al. in 1986 reveals a drum muffler for harmonically altering the overtones for a drum without reducing the sound comprising an insertable plastic support means to hold a layer of resilient foam against the underside of a drum head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,635 issued to Santangelo in 1990 reveals a drum mute comprising a flexible resilient sheet which is adhered to the drum head. The underside of this sheet includes an adhesive to adhere to the drum head next to an area of felt. Said area of felt is elastically urged against the upper surface of the drum head to cause damping.
See also the drum head deadening device created by Hardy in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,244,266 and 4,325,281.
According to the United Kingdom Patent GB 2,217,091 A issued in 1989 a circular rubber disc with adhesive backing to reduce noise is taught. The disc described is foam rubber sandwiched between thick rubber discs applied with adhesive on the outer bass drum head. The bass drum pad can be made in various shapes--squares or rectangles are suggested.
None of the foregoing devices teaches an irregular peripheral edge for controlling sound by a means which reduces drum head distortion while it provides drum head protection from denting, stretching, and damage from impact by beaters, drum sticks, mallets, and other instruments during play.
The impact pad of this important invention utilizes holes, arms, legs, nodes and/or rings to control drum instrument sound--to conduct, direct, guide, handle, manage or manipulate the drum head to produce sound.
Some of the drawbacks to these designs are that each teaches sharp peripheral edge structures which produce drum head discontinuities at impact pad edge. Moreover, none of the foregoing inventions is designed to spread the percussive energy radially by means of radiating arms. Because the impact pad of the instant invention has such arms and/or legs, its central area can be made smaller than the disc or rectangle of prior art devices which facilitates greater drum head flexibility and less sound distortion. The flat sheet of the impact pad comprises a central area which may be circular, square, rectangular, oval, oblong, or have an irregular shape.
To alleviate this problem, and others which will become apparent from the disclosure which follows, the present invention conveniently disburses the mass of the impact pad over a greater effective area without causing significant drum head distortion. Moreover, the arms/legs may be configured asymmetrically to direct percussive energy.
The citation of the foregoing publications is not an admission that any particular publication constitutes prior art, or that any publication alone or in conjunction with others, renders unpatentable any pending claim of the present application. None of the cited publications is believed to detract from the patentability of the claimed invention.


A storage capacity of a cloud storage system is determined. A recipe contains instructions for reclaiming storage of the cloud storage system. The storage capacity is insufficient to perform the entire recipe. In response, one or more data objects are deleted. A portion of the recipe is executed after the deletion. In some cases, local storage can be used for garbage collection when cloud storage is insufficient to perform even the portion of the recipe. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Data is an important asset for businesses today. Data can be stored on servers which can be cloud-based and/or reside in a local network. Backup for data can be stored in cloud based storage that is managed by a cloud provider. Cloud storage is useful for direct backup applications, as well as for deduplicated backup applications, to store data off-premises for long term retention.
Data deduplication is a process that eliminates duplicate copies of data and significantly decreases storage capacity requirements. In the deduplication process, unique chunks of data, or byte patterns, are identified and stored during a process of analysis. During analysis, other data chunks can be compared to the stored copy to determine whether there is a match. When a match occurs, the redundant chunk can be replaced with a reference that points to the stored chunk, thereby reducing duplicate data. Given that the same byte pattern may occur dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times, the total amount of data that must be stored or transferred can be greatly reduced.
In a backup system with deduplication, a file can be split into segments and these segments are deduplicated across all files in the system. The segments are compressed and packed. In some instances, the packed segments can be encrypted in regions in containers. These containers can be described or represented as an object (e.g., a data object) in the cloud. The size of these objects can vary (e.g., 1 MB-16 MB, with an average segment size of 64 KB-128 KB) depending on how many segments each object contains.
Object storage (also known as object-based storage) is a computer data storage architecture that manages data as objects, as opposed to other storage architectures like file systems which manages data as a file hierarchy, and block storage which manages data as blocks within sectors and tracks. Each object typically includes the data itself, a variable amount of metadata, and a globally unique identifier. Object storage can be implemented at multiple levels, including the device level (object-storage device), the system level, and the interface level.
Some distributed file systems use an object-based architecture, where file metadata is stored in metadata servers and file data is stored in object storage servers. File system client software can interact with the metadata servers, and abstracts the metadata to present a full file system to users. The metadata can serve as a mapping between data on the file system and data stored in the chunks. For data management systems with out deduplication, the metadata mapping between the data objects and the file system can be one to one, whereas for data management systems with deduplication, the metadata mapping can be one to many because a single segment of data in an object can serve as backup for multiple files.
In some cases, with a log structured file system, writes can be made in chunks typically of the size equal to the segment sizes (e.g., 4 KB, 8 KB, 12 KB) such as by a backup application with deduplication. As data grows or changes, new segments are written to in-memory container objects and once an object is full, it is sealed and written to the storage/disk. Then, the next container object becomes active, and so on. Container objects are immutable in nature and are not modified in their lifetime. They are deleted under certain scenarios, for example, to reclaim memory.
With increased adaptation of cloud storage, backup applications (e.g., using deduplication) support movement of deduplicated objects to the cloud for long term retention (LTR). The deduplication ratio, object sizes, etc., may vary in the cloud tier. The data/objects are moved by the backup application based on various policies and configurations. For example, a policy may require that all data that is older than two weeks be moved to the cloud, with or without deduplication. Complete files can be moved as a single object or they are split and moved as multiple objects. This can vary based on system and application requirements.

Garbage collection based on cloud storage capacity


An electronic paper printer is provided that is capable of describing display patterns properly and definitely on rewritable electronic paper. An electronic paper printer 1 has a describing head 3 for describing display patterns on electronic paper 2 capable of having display patterns rewritten thereto and erased therefrom, using electrophoresis, an erasing head 4 for erasing display patterns described on the electronic paper 2, a drive mechanism (not shown) for driving the describing head 3 and the erasing head 4 so that they turn, and a conveyor mechanism (not shown) for conveying the electronic paper 2. The describing head 3 is configured by a pair of drums 31 and 32 supported so that they freely turn. The erasing head 4 is configured by a pair of drums 41 and 42 supported so that they freely turn.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a printer for electronic paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
A segmented type of electrophoretic display is known (Barrett Comiskey, Jonathan D. Albert, and Joe Jacobson, "Electrophoretic Ink: A printable display material," Proceedings of SID 97 in Boston (1997)).
In such an electrophoretic display, segments in the display are configured by a plurality of micro-capsules that employ electrophoresis, such that, by applying a voltage to a target segment, the color of that segment changes, either partially or entirely.
However, there has not been an electronic paper printer for describing display patterns on rewritable electronic paper wherein the electrophoresis noted above is used.


A core assembly for a casting system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a core that includes a body and at least one hole formed through the body and a spacer that extends through the at least one hole. The spacer includes a stud portion and a chaplet portion configured to abut a surface of the body that circumscribes the at least one hole.

This discourse relates to a casting system, and more particularly to a core assembly that may be employed in a casting system to manufacture a part.
Gas turbine engines are widely used in aircraft propulsion, electric power generation, shift propulsion and pumps. Many gas turbine engine components are cast components. One example casting process is known as investment casting. Investment casting can form metallic parts having relatively complex geometries, such as gas turbine engine parts requiring internal cooling passageways. Blades and vanes are examples of such parts.
The investment casting process typically utilizes a casting system that includes a mold having one or more mold cavities that define a shape generally corresponding to the part to be cast. A wax or ceramic pattern of the part is formed by molding wax or injecting ceramic material around a core assembly of the casting system. A shell is formed around the core assembly in a shelling process to assemble the casting system. The shell is fired to form the casting system including the shell having one or more part defining compartments that include the core assembly. Molten material is communicated into the casting system to cast the part. The shell and core assembly are removed once the molten material cools and solidifies.
Maintaining wall thicknesses to specification during the casting process can be difficult because of the relatively thin-walled constructions of parts that are cast to include relatively complex internal cooling passageways. The spacing between the core assembly and the surrounding shell is one area that must be controlled to maintain wall thicknesses during the casting process.


A PCB having a first surface and a second surface includes a trench extending through the PCB, a plurality of conductive traces on one or more sidewalls of the trench. The plurality of conductive traces extends through the PCB and may be arranged in pairs across from one another along at least a portion of the length of the trench. A first set of conductive contacts are arranged in a first zig-zag pattern around a perimeter of the trench. A second set of conductive contacts are arranged in a second zig-zag pattern around the perimeter of the trench. In some cases, the first and second zig-zag patterns are arranged with respect to one another around the perimeter of the trench in an alternating fashion. A chip package is also disclosed having a pin arrangement that couples to the corresponding arrangement of conductive contacts on the PCB.

Specifications for printed circuit board (PCB) design are constantly evolving in order to interface with the latest processor and memory configurations. Achieving high signal speeds while maintaining a dense array of signal traces presents many challenges using standard technology.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent in light of this disclosure.


An optical element having an anti-reflection function includes a base having a main surface, and a plurality of projecting or recessed structures arranged on the main surface of the base at a fine pitch equal to or less than the wavelength of visible light, wherein the main surface of the base, the main surface having the structures thereon, has hydrophilicity, and a contact angle of the main surface of the base, the main surface having the structures thereon, to pure water is 30° or less.

The present application relates to an optical element having an anti-reflection function, a method for producing the same, and a display apparatus including the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to an optical element in which a large number of structures, each of which is composed of a projection or a recess, are arranged on a surface at a fine pitch equal to or less than the wavelength of visible light, and a method for producing the same.
Some existing optical elements including a light-transmissive substrate composed of glass or plastic are subjected to a surface treatment for suppressing surface reflection of light. An example of such a surface treatment is to form fine and dense irregularities (moth eyes) on a surface of an optical element (refer to, for example, "Optical and Electro-Optical Engineering Contact", Vol. 43, No. 11 (2005), pp. 630-637).
In general, when a periodically irregular shape is provided on a surface of an optical element and light is transmitted through the surface, diffraction occurs and rectilinear components of the transmitted light significantly decrease. However, when the pitch of the irregular shape is shorter than the wavelength of light to be transmitted, diffraction does not occur. For example, when the irregular shape is a rectangle described below, it is possible to achieve an anti-reflection effect for light having a single wavelength corresponding to the pitch or the depth of the irregular shape.
A moth-eye structure having a fine tent shape (pitch: about 300 nm, depth: about 400 nm) is disclosed as a moth-eye structure prepared by using an electron beam exposure technique (refer to, for example, NTT Advanced Technology Corporation, "Master mold for forming anti-reflective structure (moth eye) independent from wavelength", [online], [searched on Feb. 27, 2008], Internet <http://keytech.ntt-at.co.jp/nano/prd_0033.html>). In this moth-eye structure, a high-performance anti-reflection characteristic of a reflectivity of 1% or less can be obtained.
In addition, hanging bell-shaped and truncated elliptical cone-shaped moth-eye structures are disclosed as moth-eye structures prepared by a method in which a process for preparing a master of an optical disk and an etching process are combined (refer to, for example, PCT International Publication No. 08/023816 Pamphlet). In these structures, anti-reflection characteristics close to those of the moth-eye structure prepared by the electron beam exposure technique are obtained.

Optical element, method for producing the same, and display apparatus


A system includes a wireless device (101) and at least one stimulator pad (400, 500). The stimulator pad (400, 500) has a set of electrodes (404) that are in communication with the wireless device (101). The stimulator pad (400, 500) is worn on the skin of a user. The wireless device (101) is operable to receive an incoming signal and to place an electric potential on the conductors (404) so that various areas of the user's body are stimulated and the user will receive notification of the incoming signal in a completely silent manner. The pad (400) can be either wired or wireless and can be used to deliver therapeutic body stimulation as well. In another embodiment, the wireless device (101) controls at least one stimulator pad (400, 500) independent of any incoming signal received.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to electrically stimulating areas of the body, and more particularly, to temporarily stimulating areas of the body including muscles for silent notification of an event and/or for therapeutic treatment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication devices, such as cellular telephones, are well known in the art. Other devices, such as pagers, PDA's, palmtops, laptops, and others, are also well known in the art, and, similar to cellular telephones, can be provided with receivers for wirelessly receiving information.
When an originator of a message, whether voice, data or a combination thereof, wishes to communicate the message to a destination device, the originator utilizes an origination device to wirelessly transmit the information through the free space e.g. air, to the destination device. Upon receiving the information, the destination device has a variety of options on how to deal with the incoming information. If the device is configured to handle the reception, the device may automatically perform an operation with the information, for instance save it to a memory within the destination device. The device can be also configured to alert a user that an incoming message has arrived, for example in a simple example, a telephone ring.
The alert functionality of a wireless device is currently offered in several modes, such as an audible alert, an audible alert with varying volume, an illuminating alert, a visual display alert, a vibrating alert, and more. Each of the previously listed alert modes can be selected to best fit the environment that the user is in. For instance, when a user is outdoors, the user may wish to have the device set to the loudest audible alert so it can be head it over other competing noises. When indoors, where the environment may be quieter than outdoors, the user may wish to set an audible alert to a lower level. In a movie theater, for instance, where a user cannot answer the incoming call or deal with the incoming data, the user may set the alert mode to a silent alert, such as a flashing light. However, unless the user is in visual communication with the device, the user will not see the flashing light.
Prior art designs have tried to silently notify a wearer of an incoming communication by providing a vibrating alert, which produces a vibration, or shaking motion within the device. However, the vibrating alert many times produces an audible sound, especially when the wireless device is left on a surface such as a table top. The vibration on such a surface can be easily detected in quiet environments such as business meetings. This vibration is often times unintentionally distracting to others.
Accordingly, a need exists for a notifier that alerts a user to an incoming message or data without producing an audible sound and without requiring the user to visually check for the message.

Apparatus and method for stimulating one or more areas on a wearer


The present invention includes a microplate for performing crystallography studies. In particular, the microplate has a frame that includes a plurality of wells formed therein. Each well includes a first well and a second well. The first well includes a relatively large reservoir capable of receiving a reagent solution. The second well includes a relatively small reservoir having a substantially concaved form capable of receiving a protein solution and a reagent solution. The second well is suspended above the first well such that space on the plate is conserved and to enable protein crystal growth utilizing a hanging drop vapor diffusion crystallization process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the biotechnology field and, in particular, to a protein crystallography hanging drop multiwell plate and methods for fabricating and using the protein crystallography hanging drop multiwell plate.
2. Description of Related Art
Today biochemical studies associated with growing protein crystals and other biological crystals are carried out on a large scale in both industry and academia. As such, it is desirable to have an apparatus that allows researchers to perform these studies in a convenient and inexpensive fashion. Because they are relatively easy to handle and low in cost, multiwell plates are often used in these studies. And, if the study involves growing protein crystals via a hanging drop vapor diffusion process, then the wells of a multiwell plate are often covered with slides or a lid having one or more drops of a protein solution and a reagent solution hanging therefrom which turn into the protein crystals. In particular, the drops hanging from the bottom side of the slides or lid turn into protein crystals by interacting via a vapor diffusion process with a higher concentrated reagent solution located within each well of the multiwell plate. However, the traditional slides or lid used to grow protein crystals in this manner have several drawbacks which are described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 1–3.
Referring to FIGS. 1A–1B (PRIOR ART), there are illustrated different views of one set of traditional slides 100 designed to cover the wells 104 in a multiwell plate 102. Each slide 100 typically has a circular shape and is sized to fit over one of the wells 104 in the multiwell plate 102. And, each well 104 includes a rim 106, sidewalls 108 and a bottom 110 (see FIG. 1B). The wells 104 are generally arranged in a matrix of mutually perpendicular rows and columns. For example, the multiwell plate 102 can include a matrix of wells 104 having dimensions of 4×6 (24 wells), 8×12 (96 wells) and 16×24 (384 wells). The multiwell plate 102 shown includes an array of ninety-six wells 104.
To grow a protein crystal on the bottom side of one slide 100, the researcher applies a bead of grease 112 (e.g., high vacuum grease) along the rim 106 of one of the wells 104. Typically, the researcher would leave a small opening such as 2 mm between the start and end of the bead of grease 112. The researcher then pipets a small amount (e.g., 1.0 millimeter) of a reagent solution 114 into the well 104. One or more drops 116 (only one shown) including a small amount of a protein sample (e.g., 1.0 microliter) and a small amount of a reagent solution (1.0 microliter) that can be taken from the well 104 are then pipetted onto a bottom side of the slide 100. Thereafter, the researcher inverts the slide 100 so that the drop 116 is hanging down from the slide 100 and then positions and places the slide 100 onto the grease 112 around the well 104. To relieve the air pressure within the well 104, the researcher presses the slide 100 down onto the grease 112 and twists the slide 100 to close the small opening in the grease 112. This process is then completed for each well 104 in the multiwell plate 102. Unfortunately, there are a number of disadvantages associated with using the slides 100 and the multiwell plate 102. First, the researcher must work with messy grease 112 and possibly spend a lot of time applying the grease 112 to the rims 106 of each well 104. Secondly, the researcher must work with and handle a large number of relatively small slides 100 to utilize all of the wells 104 in the multiwell plate 102. Thirdly, the slides 100 and the grease 112 are expensive.
Referring to FIGS. 2A–2B (PRIOR ART), there are illustrated different views of another set of traditional slides 200 designed to cover the wells 204 in a multiwell plate 202. Each slide 200 typically has a circular shape and is sized to be placed on a ledge 203 in one of the wells 204 in the multiwell plate 202. And, each well 204 includes a rim 206, sidewalls 208 and a bottom 210. The wells 204 are generally arranged in a matrix of mutually perpendicular rows and columns. For example, the multiwell plate 202 can include a matrix of wells 204 having dimensions of 4×6 (24 wells), 8×12 (96 wells) and 16×24 (384 wells). The multiwell plate 202 shown includes an array of ninety-six wells 204.
To grow a protein crystal on the bottom side of one slide 200, the researcher pipets a small amount (e.g., 1.0 millimeter) of a reagent solution 214 into the well 204. One or more drops 216 (only one shown) including a small amount of a protein sample (e.g., 1.0 microliter) and a small amount of a reagent solution (1.0 microliter) that can be taken from the well 204 are then pipetted onto a bottom side of the slide 200. Thereafter, the researcher inverts the slide 200 so that the drop 216 is hanging down from the slide 200 and then positions and places the slide 200 onto the ledge 203 within the well 204. After, this process is completed for each well 204 in the multiwell plate 202, then the researcher places one or more strips of tape 218 (only shown in FIG. 2B) over the top of multiwell plate 202. Unfortunately, there are a number of disadvantages associated with using the slides 200 and the multiwell plate 202. First, the researcher must work with and handle a large number of relatively small slides 200 to utilize all of the wells 204 in the multiwell plate 202. Secondly, the researcher must cut the tape 218 in order to have access to anyone of the slides 200 located within a particular well 204. Thirdly, the slides 200 are expensive.
Referring to FIGS. 3A–3B (PRIOR ART), there are illustrated different views of a traditional lid 300 designed to cover the wells 312 in a multiwell plate 302. The lid 300 includes a rigid frame 304 that supports a filter membrane 306 on which there is placed a hydrophobic mask 308 all of which are protected by a removable cover 310 (see exploded view in FIG. 3B). The lid 300 is sized to fit over all of the wells 312 in the multiwell plate 302. And, each well 312 includes a rim 314, sidewalls 316 and a bottom 318. The wells 312 are generally arranged in a matrix of mutually perpendicular rows and columns. For example, the multiwell plate 302 can include a matrix of wells 312 having dimensions of 4×6 (24 wells), 8×12 (96 wells) and 16×24 (384 wells). The multiwell plate 302 shown includes an array of ninety-six wells 312.
To grow a group of protein crystals on top of the hydrophobic mask 308 of the lid 300, the researcher applies a bead of grease 320 (e.g., high vacuum grease) on the rims 314 of the wells 312 in the event the wells 312 are not pre-greased. The researcher then pipets a small amount (e.g., 1.0 millimeter) of a reagent solution 322 into each well 312. One or more drops 324 (eight drops 324 are shown) including a small amount of a protein sample (e.g., 1.0 microliter) and a small amount of a reagent solution (1.0 microliter) that can be taken from the well 104 are then pipetted onto the hydrophobic mask 308 of the lid 300. Thereafter, the researcher positions the lid 300 over the multiwell plate 302 and then pushes the lid 300 down onto the grease 322 located around each well 312. The lid 300 can have holes 326 formed in the frame 304. And, the multiwell plate 302 can have pins 328 extending up therefrom which fit into the holes 326 in the frame 304 to assure that the lid 300 is properly aligned with the multiwell plate 302. Unfortunately, there are a number of disadvantages associated with using the lid 300 and the multiwell plate 302. First, the researcher must work with messy grease 320 and possibly spend a lot of time applying the grease 320 to the rims 314 of the wells 312. Secondly, the filter membrane 306 and hydrophobic mask 308 of the lid 300 are very fragile and can easily break. Thirdly, the lid 300 is very expensive. Finally, the lid must be flipped after crystallization in order to harvest the crystals.
Accordingly, there is and has been a need for a cost effective and user-friendly multiwell plate that integrates features of the lids, without requiring the lid and the accompanying drawbacks associated with their use. This need and other needs are satisfied by the multiwell plate and the methods of the present invention.

Protein crystallography hanging drop multiwell plate


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating aspects associated with entities. In some implementations, a method includes receiving data identifying an entity; generating a group of candidate aspects for the entity; modifying the group of candidate aspects to generate a group of modified candidate aspects comprising combining similar candidate aspects and grouping candidate aspects using one or more aspect classes each associated with one or more candidate aspects; ranking one or more modified candidate aspects in the group of modified candidate aspects based on a diversity score and a popularity score; and storing an association between one or more highest ranked modified candidate aspects and the entity. The aspects can be used to organize and present search results in response to queries for the entity.

This specification relates to providing, in response to search queries, information identifying aspects of entities identified in the search queries, and using the aspects in presenting information in response to the search queries.
Internet search engines provide information about Internet accessible resources (e.g., Web pages, images, text documents, multimedia content) that are responsive to a user's search query and present information about the resources in a manner that is useful to the user. Internet search engines return a set of search results (e.g., as a ranked list of results) in response to a user submitted query. A search result includes, for example, a URL and a snippet of information from a corresponding resource. Conventional search engines are implemented under an assumption that the user's search query can be satisfied by a single result, and work to help the user find that result. Unfortunately, users are not always looking for a single result, but are instead using the query as a starting point for exploration of an unknown space of information about something that they may initially refer to in a generic way.
For example, a user may submit a query that names or refers to an entity as a starting point for exploring various aspects associated with that entity. When used in reference to operations of an information retrieval system, e.g., a search engine, the term "entity" refers to text that names or identifies something. This something can be any object that can have associated properties (e.g., an object in the physical, conceptual or mythical world). For example, an entity can refer a location, a person, a fictional character, a state, a thing, an idea, and so on. When the meaning is clear from context, and to avoid unnecessary verbiage, the term "entity" may also be used to refer to the thing itself.
Aspects are different axes of information along which additional information about an entity can be obtained. For example, for an entity "Hawaii", possible aspects can include "beaches," "hotels," and "weather." As with the term "entity", when used in reference to operations of an information retrieval system, e.g., a search engine, the term "aspect" refers to text that names the aspect in question, and otherwise, when the meaning is clear from context, the term may also be used to refer to the aspect itself.
A single ranked list of results provided by conventional search engines typically fail to provide users an overview of different aspects of the entity. Rather, the single ranked list often provides many results directed to a single or a small number of aspects. Additionally, the presented results typically do not identify the aspects represented.


A tricycle includes a body with a handlebar stand pivotally connected to a front portion of the body to steer a front wheel rotatably mounted on a front wheel bracket which is mounted to a front side of the body, two rear wheels rotatably and oppositely mounted on a rear side of the body and respectively driven by a motor, two side plates respectively formed on the body to be opposite to each other for supporting a user's feet, a seat pivotally mounted on top of the body and a backrest frame pivotally mounted on top of the body and detachably connected to the seat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tricycle, and more particularly to a tricycle that is foldable to minimize the space required for storage and transportation without separating parts so that loss of parts is avoided.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional tricycles are convenient transportation vehicles for short distances. Some senior citizens or disabled people use tricycles from places to places as the tricycle is able to provide a smooth and safe ride for the users. However, when the user wants to travel to a distant location and then uses the tricycle to other destinations, the user will have to load the tricycle on a van or the like to transport the tricycle first. Then the user is able to use the tricycle for other destinations.
The currently available foldable tricycle usually requires the user to disassemble parts from the tricycle assembly and then store the disassembled parts separately for transportation or storage purpose. When the tricycle is used, the user will have to gather all the disassembled parts and then reassemble the parts together for application. When the tricycle is disassembled, the user will have take extra caution for not losing any parts and during assembly of the tricycle, the user will have to go through a series of troublesome and labor inefficient process to complete the assembly procedure, which is not convenient for senior citizens and disabled users.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved foldable tricycle to mitigate the aforementioned problems.


An optical fine processing apparatus for forming a structure having a high aspect ratio even on a workpiece having high heat conductivity. Light, such as a laser beam, is irradiated onto the workpiece in an electrolytic solution through a light guide to deposit a substance such as a metal or a polymer. A plurality of removal electrodes are allowed to have an electric potential for removing a part of the deposited substance. The removal electrodes are disposed in a rotation ring which is rotatable about the optical axis of the irradiating light onto the sample so as to adjust the width of a predetermined pattern to be scraped by changing the rotation angle of the removal electrodes with respect to the optical axis. By scanning the light guide and the removing electrodes above the workpiece surface, it is possible to form any desired pattern on the workpiece.

The present invention relates to a fine processing apparatus for optically and chemically performing addition processing and removal processing of metal or the like in a solution in order to produce a patterned structure having a high aspect ratio, which is especially used in fields in which structures are fabricated using micromachining techniques.
One example of a conventional fine processing apparatus is shown in FIG. 3.
A sample, or workpiece, 10, a counter electrode 32 and a reference electrode 31 are immersed in a solution (plating solution) 16, the electric potential of the counter electrode 32 is set in a state of an equilibrium electric potential or a small overvoltage of a value at which no deposition occurs, and light 1 from a laser apparatus 20 is concentrated and irradiated onto sample 10 through a lens 21. The plating speed rapidly increases at the portion irradiated by the light 1, and a substance is deposited, or plated, only at the irradiated portion. At this time, when the laser beam is made to scan the surface of sample 10, a linear pattern of deposited substance can be drawn.
The principle of this deposition can be explained as follows. Namely, when the laser irradiates the electrode surface of the sample in the solution, and its energy is absorbed by the irradiated portion of the sample, the interface between the electrode and the solution is locally heated. The local heating promotes the electric charge migration reaction which results in the deposition.
However, in the conventional fine processing method, as shown in FIG. 4, the deposited substance 5 having a film thickness distribution as shown in the FIG. 4 is generated at the surface portion of sample 10 which is irradiated by the light. This is considered to be due to the temperature distribution in accordance with the light irradiation. In the case of a raw material having good heat conductivity, the heat generated by the absorption of the light is rapidly diffused. Thus, the film is formed to have a shape extending over the irradiated portion. In addition, in the case of laser light, the intensity of the laser beam gives a normal Gaussian distribution, so that the film thickness distribution provides a hill-like cross section as shown in FIG. 4.
Thus, in order to suppress the influence of the heat diffusion, there have been tried a method in which a substance having low heat conductivity is thinly coated on the sample, a method in which a pulse oscillation laser is used to make the heat release satisfactory so as to decrease the influence of the heat diffusion etc.; however, no satisfactory solution has been achieved.


A host includes a bus cache, a L1 cache and an enhanced snoop logic circuit to increase bandwidth of peripheral bus during a memory access transaction. When a device connected to the peripheral bus starts a memory read transaction, the host converts the virtual address of the memory read transaction to a physical address. The snoop logic circuit checks to see whether the physical address is in the bus cache and, if so, whether the data in the bus cache corresponding to address is valid. If there is a bus cache hit, the corresponding data is accessed from the bus cache and output onto the peripheral bus. However, if the snoop logic circuit does not find the physical address in the bus cache or finds that the data is invalid, the snoop logic circuit causes (1) the peripheral bus interface unit to perform a retry operation on the peripheral bus and (2) the cache controller to process a memory request to retrieve the requested data from the L1 cache, L2 cache (if any) or the main memory and store the requested data into the bus cache. In addition, when the device retries the memory read request, the bus cache will have the requested data so that the data can be immediately provided to the peripheral bus. Thus, in memory read transactions longer than a cache line, the data is provided on the peripheral bus in a pseudo-packet switched manner.

processor-based electronic systems generally include a processor, a memory and one or more devices external to the processor. Typically, the devices communicate with the processor through an external bus. In some of these systems, one or more of these external devices can access the memory. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 in which external devices may access the memory. The system 100 includes a host or processor 102 with an internal or "level one" cache 104. The host 102 is also connected to an external or "level two" cache 106 and a main memory 108. The level one cache 104, the level two cache 106 and the main memory 108 form part of the memory 110 for the system 100.
The host 102 is connected to a bus 120. Several devices 122.sub.1 -122.sub.N are also connected to the bus 120. In this conventional system, the devices 122.sub.1 -122.sub.N may access the memory 110 via the bus 120. In many conventional bus protocols, memory access transactions by an external device "stalls" the bus 120 until the memory access transaction completes. This type of bus protocol is referred to herein as a connection-oriented bus protocol such as, for example, the peripheral component interface (PCI) local bus protocol. For example, using the PCI local bus protocol in the system 100, if a memory read transaction by the external device 122.sub.1 causes a cache miss (i.e., misses the caches 104 and 106), the host 102 must make a memory request from the main memory 108. As a result, the host 102 is required to provide wait states on the bus 120 while accessing the main memory 108, delaying the bus transaction. This delay, referred to herein as host initial data latency, in receiving a first data word in response to a memory read request after a cache miss typically causes a significant decrease in the bandwidth of the bus 120.
In addition to a standard cache miss, because the PCI local bus protocol allows burst memory transactions of unlimited length, memory access transactions may cross a cacheline boundary. A memory transaction that crosses a cacheline boundary typically causes a cache miss so that cache coherency can be maintained. Consequently, due to the host initial data latency, memory access transactions that cross a cacheline boundary also significantly decrease the bandwidth of the bus 120. Accordingly, there is a need for a memory access circuit that avoids the above host initial data latency problem, thereby increasing the bandwidth of the bus 120 during memory access transactions.

Cache subsystem with pseudo-packet switch


A ball joint prosthesis can include a shell, having an outer articular surface of a first material and an open distal end, configured to receive a sealing receptacle. A volume of a second material, within the shell, can be more compressible than the first material. The ball joint prosthesis can have an effective compressibility that is intermediate between a compressibility of the first material and a compressibility of the second material.

Prosthetic devices, such as prosthetic implants, can replace or augment body components or portions of body components that cannot be regenerated or are no longer functioning properly. Examples of prosthetic implants include heart valves, pacemakers, spinal implants, dental implants, breast implants, collagen for soft tissue augmentation, and orthopedic devices, such as artificial knee, hip, shoulder, and ankle joints.
Some prosthetic implants can include components that articulate to mimic the motion of a body component. For example, a humeral or femoral ball joint can be used in hip or shoulder arthroplasty procedures. Such components can include a biocompatible wear resistant material on an outer surface.
U.S. Patent Publication 2008/0255674 is directed toward a femoral head including an inner metal core bonded to a ceramic outer layer.
U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0247639 is directed toward composite spinal components formed of a polymeric material and at least one metal.


In the present invention, a charge transfer unit is arranged on a first-plane side of a thinly-formed semiconductor base. Charge accumulating units are arranged on a second-plane side, the opposite side. A depletion prevention layer is arranged closer to the second-plane side than the charge accumulating units. The depletion prevention layer prevents a depletion region around the charge accumulating units from reaching the second plane of the semiconductor base. The depletion prevention layer can suppress surface dark current going into the charge accumulating units. Meanwhile, an energy ray incident from the second-plane side pass through the depletion prevention layer to generate signal charges in the charge accumulating units (depletion regions). The charge accumulating units collect, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, the signal charges which are to be transported to the charge transfer unit under voltage control or the like, and then are read to exterior as image signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a back-illuminated image sensor wherein energy rays (visible light, ultraviolet rays, soft X-rays, electron beams, and so on) are received at one plane side of a semiconductor (second-plane side) and optoelectronically converted signal charges are transported to a charge transfer unit on the other plane side (first-plane side) for readout.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a conventional back-illuminated image sensor 601.
In FIG. 36, a semiconductor base 602 consisting of a P-type epitaxial layer is formed in a thickness of the order of 10 μm. An N-type CCD diffusion layer 603 is formed in the first-plane side of the semiconductor base 602 for the sake of charge transfer. The CCD diffusion layer 603 has a plurality of transfer electrodes 605 arranged thereon across a gate oxide film 604. The semiconductor base 602 is provided with an antireflection film 609, a support substrate 611, and so on.
The image sensor 601 configured thus is illuminated at its second-plane side with energy rays. The energy rays produce electron-hole pairs on the second-plane side of the semiconductor base 602. Some of the electrons travel through the semiconductor base 602 until they reach a potential well of the CCD diffusion layer 603 and are accumulated as a signal charge.
The signal charge in the CCD diffusion layer 603 is transferred by applying voltages to the transfer electrodes 605, and is successively read out to exterior.
In such a back-illuminated image sensor 601, the electrons produced at the second-plane side travel through the semiconductor base 602. Accordingly, there has been a problem that the electrons tend to recombine with holes and disappear, with a low efficiency of energy ray detection.
There has been another problem that the electrons traveling through the semiconductor base 602 get mixed between pixels, and thereby cause smear. The smear increases with a decreasing pixel pitch of the image sensor. On that account, the smear production makes it extremely difficult to improve the image sensor in resolution.
In particular, energy rays of shorter wavelengths, such as ultraviolet rays, produce electron-hole pairs at very shallow depth in the second-plane side. Therefore, in the cases of short-wavelength energy rays, the above-mentioned two problems tend to be more significant since electrons have particularly longer traveling distances.
Meanwhile, there has been another problem that the characteristics of the image sensor 601 largely depend on the impurity concentration and thickness of the semiconductor base 602. For example, when the semiconductor base 602 varies in impurity concentration and thickness at the time of manufacturing, the frequency of the electron-hole recombination varies from one product to another, resulting in varying efficiency of the energy ray detection. Additionally, the degree of mixing of electrons between adjoining pixels also varies from one product to another, so that smear occurs in different degrees. Such product variations have been a major cause for the image sensor 601 to drop in production yield.
Furthermore, in the conventional image sensor 601, electrons continually flow in from the second-plane side even while the signal charge is being transferred. This has required that the second-plane side be completely shielded from light during charge transfer. Thus, there has been a problem that the conventional image sensor 601 requires a mechanical shutter, which complicates the peripheral mechanisms of the image sensor.
In addition, the conventional image sensor 601 has had a problem that many dark currents arise at the interface between the antireflection film 609 and the semiconductor base 602, and at the interface between the gate oxide film 604 and the CCD diffusion layer 603. Such dark currents have caused unwanted effects including a deterioration in imaging quality and the impossibility of weak light detection.
Moreover, in the conventional image sensor 601, the surface state and trapped charges create potential wells near the surface of the second plane (hereinafter, referred to as "backside wells"). The backside wells capture electrons and lower the efficiency of the energy ray detection.
By the way, for the sake of fabricating the conventional image sensor 601, it is required that the transfer electrodes 605 and others be formed from the first-plane side, and that holes intended for bonding pads be made from the second-plane side. Conventionally, the alignment of such double-sided structure is achieved by using special devices such as a double side aligner or an infrared aligner.
More specifically, in the cases of a double side aligner, a structure was formed on the second-plane side while the alignment was made to an alignment mark on the first-plane side.
In the cases of an infrared aligner, the alignment mark on the first-plane side was sensed through from the second-plane side by using an infrared ray. By using the perspective image of the alignment marks as an alignment reference, the structure on the second-plane side was formed.
Double side aligners, however, produce alignment errors of ±2 μm. Infrared aligners also produce alignment errors of ±3 μm.
The alignment errors are ascribable to the indirect use of the alignment mark on the opposite plane. Thus, it has been extremely difficult in principle to improve the precision of the alignment. Accordingly, there has been a problem that whichever aligner is used, double-sided structure cannot be aligned with precision.


A free-flowing, hydrophobic starch composition has a near-neutral dry product pH. Methods for making the hydrophobic starch composition by preparing an aqueous mixture comprising a starch, a siliconate, and an acid, where the aqueous mixture has a near-neutral pH, and drying the starch solids to obtain a hydrophobic starch. Novel fuel compositions comprise hydrophobic starch which can be used in internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines. Hydrophobic starch compositions may be used as fuels or fuel components. Novel methods of fueling and operating internal combustion engines use hydrophobic starch as fuel or fuel components.

Free-flowing, hydrophobic starches are known in the art and have been used as dusting materials, dry lubricants, and detackifying agents. U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,339 (Wolff et al.) discloses a free-flowing modified starch and methods for preparing the starch by treating with alkyl siliconates. Wolff '339 purportedly discloses a siliconated granular starch which is water-repellant and completely free of undesirable alkalinity. Wolff '339 states that an improved starch is made by drying the starch before washing, so the water-repellant or hydrophobic quality is fixed but the alkalinity is not fixed and may be removed by washing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,492 (Satterly) discloses a free-flowing hydrophobic starch and methods of manufacturing the starch by treating starch in a water slurry with a water-soluble silicone such as monosodium methyl siliconate. Satterly '492 states that its resultant product has dry flow characteristics not found in any raw starch or other starch product, and the flow characteristics resemble those of a fluid rather than a solid.
Wolf '339 and Satterly '492 do not expressly discuss the alkalinity of the slurry or resulting product. In the methods described by both Wolff '339 and Satterly '492, the aqueous mixture of the starch and sodium methyl siliconate would have a highly alkaline pH (e.g., a pH of 12 or higher) due to the siliconate. The free-flowing, hydrophobic starches would have a highly alkaline dry product pH.
Canadian Patent No. 726,667 (Speakman) describes free-flowing, hydrophobic starch and methods of preparation. Speakman '667 discusses a method of treating granule starch with an alkali metal alkyl siliconate to produce a powdered product having high mobility and hydrophobicity and possessing free acidity. Speakman '667 states that a highly mobile, hydrophobic starch product can be produced by mixing an aqueous solution of an alkali metal alkyl siliconate with an aqueous suspension of granular starch, adjusting the pH of the mixture to a low value by the addition of an acid, filtering off the starch without washing, drying the starch cake, and grinding to reduce the product to a powder.
Speakman '667 teaches that Wolff '339 and Satterly '492 operated at a highly alkaline pH and produced highly alkaline starch products. In discussing Wolff '339, the Speakman '667 patent states, "Even after washing and redrying, the products exhibit a high alkalinity." In discussing Satterly '492, the Speakman '667 patent states, "Finally, the free-flowing hydrophobic products made by this method have appreciable alkalinity, as shown by pH values of 10 or greater of mixtures of the product and water after vigorous shaking."
The Speakman '667 patent discloses adjusting the pH of an aqueous mixture of siliconate and starch to a low value by the addition of an acid. In a specific example, the pH of the mixture was adjusted to 2.5 using hydrochloric acid. The resulting starch had a dry product pH of 2.6. The Speakman '667 patent states, "It is possible to provide free-flowing hydrophobic starches having acidic or alkaline levels anywhere in a wide range by intimately mixing finely powdered alkaline products made by the methods of the prior art and acidic products made by the present invention."
The known methods of preparing free-flowing hydrophobic starch products result in starch products which are highly alkaline or highly acidic when dispersed in water. The high alkalinity or high acidity of known starch products when dispersed in water poses the possibility that these starch products might, under some conditions, corrode some materials with which they come into contact. The potential for corrosion limits the desirability of these known methods and compositions where corrosivity is a concern.
While the methods listed above are useful for preparing free-flowing hydrophobic starch, there is a need for a free-flowing hydrophobic starch whose dry product pH is near-neutral.

Hydrophobic starch having near-neutral dry product pH


Applicants have discovered a method of reproducibly fabricating SEED devices having an enhanced contrast ratio by adjusting the thickness of a cap layer in relation to the reflector stacks to form a Fabry-Perot cavity. Specifically, after growth of the reflector stack and the quantum wells, the optical thickness of the region above reflector stacks is measured without breaking vacuum, and based on such measurement a cap layer is grown of sufficient thickness to form a Fabry-Perot cavity for light of desired wavelength. The result is a device with enhanced contrast between the "on" and "off" states sufficiently so that the state can be directly read without differential processing.

Self-electrooptical effect devices offer considerable promise in the field of optoelectronic processing. Because of the low energy requirements of quantum well components, such devices can receive optical inputs and provide optical outputs with a high degree of efficiency. Moreover they can be combined in simple circuits to perform useful functions, such as optical switching, with minimal conductive paths, reduced parasitic capacitance and few line termination problems. For a survey of such devices and their applications, see D. A. B. Miller, "Quantum Well Optoelectronic Switching Devices," International Journal of High Speed Electronics, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 19-46 (1990).
A conventional SEED device described in the above-cited Miller article comprises a pair of quantum well PIN diodes tonned on a quantum well reflector stack. The two diodes are connected in series to a voltage source and separate beams of light are shone through the respective diodes to the reflector stacks where the beams are reflected back. The output of either diode can be modulated by vanation in either the optical input to the other diode or by variation in the voltage to the node between the diodes. Thus the device provides both optical input and optical output.
One shortcoming of SEEDs for use in optoelectronic switching is the low contrast ratio in the reflected beam intensity. Even in the "off" condition the device will partially reflect an incident beam, and the contrast ratio between a reflected "off" beam and a reflected "on" beam is typically sufficiently low (approximately 3) that the state of the device must be read by differential techniques. The "on" beam and the "off" beam must be compared in order to determine the condition of the switching device. This differential approach requires twice the laser power and twice the number of signal processing components than would be required for direct reading.

Method for making self-electro-optical device and devices made thereby