A process for producing nitric acid of a concentration in the range of 68 to 76% by weight, using the mono-pressure or the dual-pressure process in which the ammonia feedstock is combusted with the aid of compressed process air. The water vapour content of the process air used for combustion and/or stripping and imported from outside the system, is reduced in this process.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of nitric acid. The described process for the production of nitric acid is especially based on the mono-pressure or the dual-pressure process in which the ammonia feedstock is combusted with the aid of compressed process air and the nitrous gas formed during combustion is at least partly absorbed by water, thus forming nitric acid, and the non-absorbed tail gas is expanded from the second pressure to ambient pressure in a tail gas expansion turbine for generating compression energy.
The first step in the production of nitric acid is the reaction of ammonia NH3 with air yielding nitrogen oxide NO:4NH3+5O2→4NO+6H2O+907.3 kJ.
The nitrogen oxide NO thus obtained is then oxidised to form nitrogen dioxide NO2:2NO+O2→2NO2+113.1 kJ.
Finally, the nitrogen dioxide NO2 thus obtained is absorbed in water yielding nitric acid:4NO2+O2+2H2O→4 HNO3+256.9./.390.3 kJ.
In order to ensure that the water absorbs the maximum possible portion of the nitrogen dioxide NO2, the absorption is carried out at elevated pressure. The absorption pressure preferably ranges between 4 and 14 bar.
The oxygen required for the reaction of the ammonia feedstock is supplied in the form of atmospheric oxygen. The process air is compressed to a pressure which suits both the oxidation reaction and the absorption reaction.
The energy required for compressing the air is generated, on the one hand, by expanding the tail gas leaving the absorption unit to ambient pressure and, on the other hand, by utilising the heat dissipated in the reactions.
The designs of the different types of nitric-acid production plants are based on the specific requirements of the individual location.
Single-line nitric-acid plants are usually designed and rated for capacities between 100 and 1000 tonnes of nitric acid per day. If the size of the reaction unit is doubled, a single line can yield a daily production of up to 2000 tonnes.
Should a low daily production be required or should the energy prices prevailing at the location be comparatively low, the nitric-acid production plant will be designed on the basis of the high-pressure mono-pressure process. In this process, the pressure applied in the ammonia combustion and nitrogen oxide absorption units will be about equal, i.e. approx. 10 bar.
Should large rated capacities and/or higher acid concentrations be required, it will be more economical to base the design of the nitric-acid production plant on the dual-pressure process.
In the dual-pressure process, the ammonia is combusted at a first pressure which is lower than the absorption pressure. The nitrous gases formed during the combustion are cooled and then compressed to the level of the second pressure, i.e. the absorption pressure.
The formerly constructed plants using normal-pressure combustion and medium-pressure absorption have nowadays been replaced by plants using the more cost-effective mono-pressure or dual-pressure process. The nitric acid obtained is also referred to as sub-azeotropic nitric acid because, if such acid is distilled in a downstream distillation unit, the maximum nitric acid concentration that can be achieved will be 68% due to the formation of an azeotrope. The relevant literature describes a great variety of processes conceived to overcome this limit.
The end users of nitric acid, however, frequently wish to have a nitric acid of a concentration which is only slightly above such 68%, for instance when using nitric acid in the production of adipic acid, caprolactam, toluene diisocyanate or other substances that are nitrated with nitric acid. It is hence a long-standing need of industry to have available a cost-effective process for the production of nitric acid of a concentration between 68 and 76%.
The aim of the present invention, therefore, is to improve the conventional mono-pressure and dual-pressure processes for the production of sub-azeotropic nitric acid by simple and cost-effective means in order to permit the production of that nitric acid at a concentration of up to 76%.


Bifunctional molecules comprising two hsp-binding moieties which bind to hsp90 in the pocket to which ansamycin antibiotics bind connected via a linker are effective for inducing the degradation and/or inhibition of HER-family tyrosine kinases. For example, a compound of two geldanamycin moities joined by a four-carbon linker provides selective degradation of HER-family tyrosine kinases, without substantially affecting other kinases. These compounds can be used for treatment of HER-positive cancers with reduced toxicity, since these compounds potently kill cancer cells but affect fewer proteins than geldanamycin.

Targeted delivery of therapeutic agents as a means for treating cancer has been proposed by many authors. Conceptually, the idea is to deliver a toxic substance selectively to the cancer cells, thus reducing the general toxicity to the patient. This is theoretically possible, since many cancer cell types have been found to have increased levels of hormone receptors and similar receptors. For example, breast cancer cells may have elevated levels of HER2 receptors or estrogen receptors which result in hormone-stimulated growth of cancer cells, while androgen receptors are required for growth of many prostate cancers and mutation of the androgen receptors frequently occurs in advanced prostate cancer.
Hormone receptors have been used in studies on the feasibility of using direct targeted chemotherapy agents to certain classes of cells. Thus, for example, Lam et al., Cancer Treatment Reports 71: 901–906 (1987) have reported on estrogen-nitrosourea conjugates as potential cytotoxic agents against human breast cancer, while Brix et al., J. Cancer Res. 116: 583–539 (1990) have reported on studies of the use of androgen-linked alkylating agents as antineoplastic agents. See also, Eisenbrand et al., Acta Oncologica 28: 203–211 (1989). Myers and Villemez, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 163: 161–164 (1989) have disclosed the possibility of utilizing luteinizing hormone coupled to a truncated diphtheria toxin.
Geldanamycin (GM) and herbimycin A (HA) are natural benzoquinoid ansamycin antibiotics. Uehara, et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 6, 2198–2206 (1986). This class of drugs binds to a specific pocket in the chaperone protein hsp90. Stebbins, C. E. et al., Cell 89, 239–250 (1997); Prodromou, et al., Nat Struct Biol 4, 477–482 (1997). Occupancy of this pocket by the drug leads to the degradation in the proteasome of a subset of proteins that require hsp90 for conformational maturation. Schneider, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 93, 14536–14541 (1996); Csermely, et al., Pharmacol Ther 79, 129–168 (1998); Scheibel, et al., Biochem Pharmacol 56, 675–682 (1998). These include the HER- and insulin-receptor family of transmembrane tyrosine protein kinases, Raf serine kinase and steroid receptors. Addition of GM to tumor cells leads to an Rb-dependent G1 growth arrest and apoptosis. HER-kinases are among the most sensitive targets of GM and tumor cell lines in which HER2 is overexpressed are inhibited by especially low concentrations of the drug. Miller, et al., Cancer Res 54, 2724–2730 (1994); Schnur, et al., J. Med. Chem. 38, 3806–3812 (1995); Hartmann, et al., Int J Cancer 70, 221–229 (1997). These findings imply that GM and related drugs may be useful in the treatment of a variety of tumors. An analog of GM, 17-allyaminoGM, will soon be studied in phase I clinical trials. However, the number of important signaling molecules that are affected by ansamycins suggests that they may have untoward toxicity. In addition, benzoquinoid antibiotics can induce the selective degradation in vivo of receptors, including estrogen, androgen and progesterone receptors. International Patent Publication No. WO98/51702 discloses the ability of compositions comprising an ansamycin antibiotic or other hsp90 binding moiety and a targeting moiety which specifically binds to a target protein to stimulate the selective degradation of such target proteins, and the use of such compositions as chemotherapy agents.
HER-family transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases play an important role in transducing extracellular growth signals and when activated can be oncogenic. Tzahar, et al., Biochim Biophys Acta 1377, M25–37 (1998); Ross, et al., Stem Cells 16, 413–428 (1998). Over-expression of HER1 and HER2 occurs in a variety of human malignancies. Amplification of the HER2 gene is a common event in human breast and other carcinomas and, in breast cancer, is associated with a poor prognosis. HER1 and HER2 are attractive targets for therapeutic development. Antibodies against each of these receptors have been shown to have antitumor effects in animal models. Fan, et al., Curr Opin Oncol 10, 67–73 (1998). Recently, an anti-HER2 antibody was shown to be effective in the treatment of breast cancers in which the HER2 protein is overexpressed. Ross et al., supra; Pegram, et al., J Clin Oncol 16, 2659–2671 (1998). However, therapeutic effects were seen in only a minority of patients and were usually short-lived. It is not known whether this is due to inefficient inhibition of the target by the antibody, but clearly other more effective methods for HER2 inhibition are needed.
Thus, notwithstanding efforts to date, there remains a substantial need for compositions which can be utilized to selectively target and degrade HER-family tyrosine kinases which can be used as chemotherapy agents in the treatment of HER-expressing cancers, including Her2 positive breast cancer. It is an object of the present invention to provide such compositions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for the treatment of Her-positive cancers.

Methods and compositions for degradation and/or inhibition of HER-family tyrosine kinases

Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research


A smoker apparatus is disclosed that provides a smoker cabinet having upper and lower end portions. The cabinet has a top, a bottom and a side wall or walls and an interior. The cabinet includes a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelves mounted within the cabinet interior. A cabinet door that enables access to the shelves. A gaseous fuel supplied burner element is positioned next to the lower end portion of the cabinet, the burner element being removably connectable to a source of gaseous fuel. A pair of containers is mounted within the cabinet below the shelves and above the burner element. One of the containers is preferably a water container for containing water. The other of the containers being a wood chips container for containing wood chips, wherein the wood chips container is positioned in between the water container and the burner element. A slide bracket supports the containers, the slide bracket positioned generally in between the burner element and the shelves. An access door is provided that is much smaller than the cabinet door, the access door extending vertically a distance at least spanning the vertical dimension of the containers. Either container can be removed laterally from the cabinet at least a partial distance by sliding it laterally upon the slide bracket and at least partially through the access door.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved smoker apparatus that is preferably fueled with a gaseous fuel source such as butane or propane supplied for example via a pressurized cannister, hose and regulator. More particularly, the present invention relates to a smoker apparatus of improved configuration that provides a vertically extended cabinet having a plurality of shelves for containing food items that are to be smoked, a pair of pans that are mounted under the plurality of shelves, a front door that enables access to the plurality of shelves and a side door that is much smaller than the front door and that is mounted near the bottom of the cabinet wherein the side door can be opened to enable access to a water pan and a wood chips pan both of which are slidably mounted upon a wire frame having upper and lower spaced apart rails, one set of rails for supporting the water pan and a lower set of rails for supporting the pan of wood chips.
2. General Background of the Invention
Many smokers are commercially available that are used for smoking food items such as poultry, beef, sausage or the like. Some of these smokers are vertically extended cabinets that have a front door and that have water pans and wood chip pans for generating smoke during use. Several such vertically extended cabinet type smokers having shelves for holding food items can be seen at Cabelas online catalog (www.cabelas.com).
The following U.S. Patents are incorporated herein by reference:
TABLEpatent No.TITLEISSUE DATE4,721,037Smoker Apparatus for An Jan. 26, 1988Outdoor Barbecue Grill4,869,163Smoking Unit for Gas GrillsSep. 26, 19895,163,359Cooking ApparatusNov. 17, 19925,891,498Barbecue Grill Smoker Apr. 6, 1999Attachment and Method of Smoking Food Products6,012,381Convection Meat CookerJan. 11, 20006,626,089Cooking and Smoking Sep. 30, 2003Apparatus2005/0034716Portable Compact Cooking Feb. 17, 2005Appliance2005/0121018Combination Barbecue Grill, Jun. 9, 2005Smoker and Fireplace

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method for detecting a preamble in a received radio signal includes demodulating the radio signal based on a carrier derived from a local timing source to provide a digital signal including a sequence of bits oscillating at approximately a modulated data rate. A bit width of each successive bit of the digital signal is determined. If a pair of consecutive bit widths has a combined width within a threshold, the bit pair is indicated as potentially belonging to a preamble. If a threshold number of potential preamble bit pairs in a sequence of bit pairs within a given window is detected, the sequence of bit pairs is indicated as potentially belonging to a preamble. A measure of bit widths of at least some bits within a sequence of preamble bit pairs can be provided and a frequency of the local timing source can be adjusted according to the measure.

In wireless systems, high frequency carrier signals are typically employed to carry relatively low frequency modulated packet data signals between a transmitter and a receiver. A mismatch in carrier frequencies can exist between the transmitter and receiver due to differences in local timing sources being employed by each of the transmitter and receiver. If uncorrected, this mismatch can result in poor receiver sensitivity and loss of packet data.
By way of example, the Wireless M-Bus (wM-Bus) standard (EN13757-4:2005 and 2012) specifies the radio frequency (RF) communication link between water, gas, heat, and electric meters and data collecting devices and is becoming widely accepted in Europe for smart metering or Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) applications. Other applications for wM-Bus include alarm systems, flexible illumination installations, heating control, etc. Mode N of the wM-Bus specification has two use cases, 2.4 kbps and 4.8 kbps, and the standard outlines a frequency error tolerance requirement of +/−2kHz and +/−1.5kHz, respectively, for these data rates, i.e. the receiver/transmitter must be capable of communicating in spite of a 1.5/2 kHz difference in their respective reference frequencies.
At the same time, the wM-Bus mode N standard specifies a signal format comprising a relatively short preamble of 2 bytes and a 1 byte Synch Word (F6) to identify incoming data.
Within RF receiver modules, Automatic Frequency Correction (AFC) is carried out on a received signal to correct frequency mismatch between transmitter and receiver, typically during the preamble stage of a packet signal.
Clock and Data Recovery (CDR) is carried out to generate a receive clock and to ensure that received data bits are being sampled as near as possible to the centre of each bit, as this should ensure the best possible Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of the received bit.
For optimum performance, AFC and CDR should be settled before the data portion of a packet arrives. This can be challenging in systems using a short preamble, for example, the receiver sections of transceivers handing wM-Bus mode N signals.

Method and apparatus for detecting a preamble in a received radio signal


A method of forming a servo track on a recording medium includes; forming a magnetic layer, defining a first servo track region having a plurality of first magnetic segments and a second servo track region having a second plurality of magnetic segments in the magnetic layer, applying a first magnetic field to induce a first magnetization direction in the first and second pluralities of magnetic segments, forming first magnetic patterns, each having a first width, and second magnetic patterns, each having a second width different from the first width, on a first side of a substrate, disposing the substrate on the recording medium, such that the first magnetic patterns are aligned in correspondence with the plurality of first magnetic segments and the second magnetic patterns are aligned in correspondence with the plurality of second magnetic segments, and applying a second magnetic field to the recording medium to selectively induce a second magnetization direction into first selected ones of the first plurality of magnetic segments and second selected ones of the second plurality of magnetic segments.

The present invention relates to a data storage apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to methods of forming servo tracks on storage apparatus media, and a data storage apparatus having servo tracks formed using said method.
A hard disk drive (HDD) is an apparatus for writing data to or reading data from a rotating, disk-type magnetic recording medium using a read/write head located above the recording medium. In order to manufacture a HDD with a high recording density, the dense formation of the servo tracks on the recording medium is essential. Conventional servo writing technology was limited for some time to the formation of servo tracks on a HDD having a density of about 300 kTPI.
More recently, a method of forming servo tracks on a HDD using magnetic printing techniques has been introduced. Magnetic printing is a method of applying a magnetic material to the surface of a magnetic disk including servo tracks. The constituent data storage apparatus is thus enabled to store data according to a defined magnetization direction. While magnetic printing has allowed improved servo track densities, it nonetheless suffers from certain noise issues. For example, noise may occur in a non-signal field portion (e.g., a buffer field) of a servo track. This type of noise may lead to the generation of a direct current (DC) offset in a reproduced data signal. Undesired DC offsets deteriorate the quality of the reproduced data signal and may in certain circumstances cause malfunction of the data storage apparatus.

Methods of forming and reading servo track and data storage apparatus


The invention relates to an analyzer device of the kind using purified water and including one or more analyzer means adapted to carry out predetermined analyses and defining at least one point of use of the purified water and having a water purification system at least partially formed on board the device. The water purification system includes a variety of water purification modules adapted to produce purified water for the one or more analyzer means having a predetermined purity and in that the purified water is taken up by the one or more analyzer means immediately after it has been purified.

An analyzer device of the above kind is used to analyze blood, for example, to indicate if a given substance is present in the blood, and if so the corresponding concentration.
Conventional analyzer devices require pure water in particular:                for cleaning bowls,        for rinsing test tubes,        for controlled temperature incubation baths,        for built-in reagent regeneration devices, and        for automatic dilution of samples.
The accuracy of an analysis can be decisive in the adoption of a treatment or the dosage of medication.
The water supply system must therefore supply points of use with water of a quality such that it does not influence the analysis results.
The US National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) issues a document entitled "Preparation and testing of reagent water in the clinical laboratory" defining the quality of the water that must be used in the field of medical analyses, the influence of contaminants on the results of analyses, the preferred method of maintaining a particular quality of the water, the manner of testing the water and the measures to be effected if it is suspected that the water has influenced the results of an analysis. In the above document, the NCCLS also defines three types of water:                Type III: for rinsing glassware and basic applications;        Type II: for ordinary use in analyzers; and        Type I: for critical tests or tests where the influence of contaminated water on the results has not been determined with certainty.
As the influence of contaminants on the results of analyses is not well known, the NCCLS recommends using Type I water in analysis devices to prevent and eliminate all potential problems.
Existing autonomous water treatment systems connected to analyzer devices to supply them with water of given purity generally guarantee the quality of the water at the inlet of the analyzer devices. When water of Type I is stored, whether outside or inside the analyzer device, its resistivity decreases, metallic and/or organic contaminants pass from the storage tank to the water stored therein, and microbiological contamination occurs. The storage tank is generally inside the analyzer device in a warm environment (temperature from 30° C. to 37° C.), which further encourages the growth of bacteria.
Accordingly, the water reaching the points of use in the analyzer device no longer corresponds to the Type I requirements previously cited, even if, as suggested by the NCCLS, the water storage tank is agitated, the water storage tank in all prior art analyzer devices being a container into which purified water from the water treatment system is fed, and from which it is subsequently extracted by the analyzer device. This has the following consequences:                poor results of analyses, and the consequences thereof for patients,        the necessity to employ frequent cleaning procedures, and        high maintenance and service costs.
Another problem in existing applications is that the water treatment system and the analyzer device do not exchange information, and prior art analyzer devices are not designed to monitor the quality of the water or to maintain it at a given quality.
The present invention aims to alleviate these problems.

System equipped with water purification means


A new cellular protein produced by activated monocytes/neutrophils and mononuclear cells, and involved in the binding of lipocortin-1 has been discovered. Methods for isolating and purifying this substantially pure lipocortin-1 receptor protein are disclosed herein as well as techniques for cloning and expressing the protein and related materials. Techniques for raising monoclonal antibodies to this protein, and diagnostic and therapeutic uses for this protein are also disclosed.

Lipocortins (also termed "annexins") are a family of widely distributed calcium-binding proteins which have been studied in diverse biological systems, mainly with regard to their interactions with phospholipids and membranes, their potential role in membrane aggregation and regulation of cell growth and differentiation (Blackwood et al. (1990) Biochem J. 266:195-200; Burgoyne et al. (1989) Cell Calcium 10:1-10; Klee (1988) Biochem. 27:6645-6653). The lipocortins have also been implicated in inhibition of phospholipase A.sub.2 (PLA.sub.2) activity (Flower (1988) Br. J. Pharmacol. 94:987-1015). Phospholipase A.sub.2 is responsible for the release of arachidonic acid from membrane phospholipids. Arachidonic acid is a precursor in the synthesis of a number of compounds (e.g., prostaglandins, hydroxy-acids and leukotines) involved in the inflammation process. Accordingly, lipocortins are believed to inhibit inflammation by inhibiting the synthesis of inflammation-inducing substances.
Certain members of the lipocortin family have been shown to be generated in response to anti-inflammatory agents such as glucocorticoids (Smillie et al. (1990) Br. J. Pharmacol. 97:425P; Goulding et al. (1990) Lancet 335:1416-1418). A multiplicity of functions have been ascribed to the various annexins, including mediation of some of the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids in animal models (Cirino et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 86:3428-3432; Errasfa et al. (1989) Br. J. Pharmacol. 97:1051-1058), involvement in signal transduction (Blay et al. (1989) Biochem J. 259:577-583; Creutz et al. (1987) J. Biol Chem. 262:1860-1868), calcium channel activities (Diaz-Munoz et al (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265:15894-15899; Majima et al. (1990) J. Immunol. 145:1694-1699), exocytotic mechanisms (Ali et al. (1989) Nature 340:313-315), and blood anti-coagulant properties (Tait et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264:7944-7949; Funakoshi et al. (1987) Biochem. 26:5572-5578).
At least eight distinct proteins are now known to constitute this family of molecules in humans, characterized by a common core structure consisting of four repeats of a 70 amino-acid unit, which probably forms the calcium and phospholipid binding site (Schlaepfer et al. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262:6931-6937; Haigler et al. (1989) TIBS 14:48-51; Pepinsky et al. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263:10799-10811). However, questions concerning the significance of the differing N-terminal regions of the various lipocortins, the mechanism by which they exert their effects, and the physiological relevance of these proteins, remain unanswered.
The gene for human lipocortin-1 having a molecular weight of 37,000 daltons (37 kD) was the first to be cloned from the annexin family (Wallner et al. (1986) Nature 320:77-81), and its amino-acid sequence shares more than 50% homology with other members of the family (Pepinsky et al., ibid.). Inducibility of lipocortin-1 by glucocorticoids, and its inhibition of PLA.sub.2 activity have been demonstrated (Flower, ibid.: Goulding, ibid.; Hirata et al. (1980) Biochem. 77:2533-2536; Rothhut et al. (1989) Biochem. J. 263:929-935; Browning et al. (1990) in Cytokines and Lioocortins-1 in Inflammation and Differentiation (Melli et al., eds.) Wiley Liss, New York), but the physiological relevance of these findings as well as the mechanism by which lipocortin-1 inhibits PLA.sub.2 remain complex and unclear.
Recently it has been demonstrated that purified lipocortin-1 has an acute anti-inflammatory effect in the rat paw edema test (Cirino et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 86:3428-3432), and mimics many anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids including inhibition of neutrophil (polymorphonuclear cells, PMNs) superoxide generation (Maridonneau-Parini et al. (1989) J. Clin. Invest. 83:1936-1940), chemotaxis (Fradin et al. (1988) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 963:248-257), and production of eicosanoids, PGE.sub.2 and LTB.sub.4 (Glenney et al. (1988) Biochem. 27:2069-2076). A unifying characteristic of the diverse properties of lipocortin-1 is that its extracellular biological activities are dependent upon the presence, correct amino acid sequence and conformational orientation of the N-terminal domain (Browning et al., ibid.).

Lipocortin-1 receptor protein and its uses


A method of classifying a scene for each person in a video, the method including: detecting a face within input video frames; detecting a shot change of the input video frames; extracting a person representation frame in the shot; performing a person clustering in the extracted person representation frame based on time information; detecting a scene change by separating a person portion from a background based on face extraction information, and comparing the person portion and the background; and merging similar clusters from the extracted person representation frame and performing a scene clustering for each person.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for classifying a scene for each person in a video, and more particularly, to a method and system for classifying a scene for each person in a video based on person information and background information in video data.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a scene is a unit between when video contents are changed. In a conventional art, scenes are classified by using low level information such as color information or edge information.
Specifically, shots are clustered using low level information such as color information extracted in all frames, and a scene segmentation is detected in a conventional automatic scene segmentation algorithm. However, when a person in a video moves or a camera moves, low level information changes. Accordingly, a degree of accuracy decreases.
Also, persons in a video are clustered using face information, and thus the persons are classified in a conventional person classification method. However, face information changes depending on poses, lighting, and the like, which causes a low accuracy.
Accordingly, a method and system for classifying a scene for each person in a video is required.

Method and system for classifying scene for each person in video


An output data processing device capable of increasing efficiency in setting of parameters is provided. Output conditions suitable for each medium to be printed are stored beforehand in relation to each medium. Each time an order is received, the details of the order, print data and a medium are stored in relation to each other in a publication management database. By only selecting a record corresponding to the details of the order among the records stored in the publication management database for an output process, the related output conditions and the corresponding print data are transferred to an output device which in turn performs the output process. Thus, the efficiency is increased in a condition setting process entailed in the output process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for saving labor and increasing efficiency in setting of output parameters to be provided to an output device for use in printing.
2. Description of the Background Art
In producing paper media such as newspapers and magazines by printing, it is necessary to set output parameters, e.g. screen ruling and halftone dot type, for an output device to be used, depending on the type of printing paper to be printed. A printer who receives orders from a plurality of publishers to print magazines and the like must generally set different output parameters depending on the publishers and also depending on the magazines to carry out printing. Therefore, such a printer uses techniques for increasing the efficiency of parameter setting, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-121329 (1995).
One of the conventional techniques for increasing the efficiency includes performing automatic processing by preparing batch processing programs, e.g. known as "hot folders," in which predetermined output conditions and the like are set beforehand, the number of batch processing programs being equal to the number of magazines and the like to be printed. Output parameters suitable for printing are set in each of the hot folders corresponding to the individual magazines and the like. When an operator selects a corresponding hot folder in response to a received order or an instruction to print, a predetermined output device automatically executes an output process on prepared print data in accordance with output parameters set beforehand in the selected hot folder.
However, the above-mentioned technique using the hot folders involves the needs to prepare the same number of hot folders as the magazines to be printed and to properly select a hot folder responsive to a received order or an instruction to print among the multiplicity of hot folders. Should an improper selection be made, printing will be carried out using unsuitable output parameters or unsuitable printing paper.

Increasing efficiency in setting of output parameters to be provided to an output device in an output processing system for printing


A control voltage for a synchronous rectifying transistor is generated with the desired anticipation time. The anticipation time is continuously controlled with a closed-loop technique by comparing it with the duration of a reference pulse. The resulting error signal is processed and provides the necessary correction to the MOSFET gate signal to equalize the actual anticipation time to the duration of the reference pulse.

Rectifiers are used in AC-DC, DC-DC voltage converters, as well as in Switching Mode Power Supplies (SMPS). Typically, they are coupled to a secondary winding of a transformer for providing rectified half-waves to a load to be supplied, as shown in FIGS. 1-3.
Often, properly controlled MOSFETs are used as rectifiers instead of diodes because their power loss is smaller than that of diodes. A MOSFET is often referred to as a synchronous rectifier (SR). A synchronous rectifier is turned on and off by a dedicated control circuit for reproducing a diode voltage-current characteristic. The control signal of a synchronous rectifier is generally derived from a PWM control signal that determines the functioning states of the converter.
The way the control signal is derived from the PWM control signal depends upon the topology in use and on the presence of voltage isolation in the topology. In a non-isolated switched mode power supply topology, the synchronous rectifier control circuit can obtain the information about the switching transitions (turn-off and turn-on) of the main switch from the main control circuit in a very simple way. In isolated topologies with a primary side control, the absence of a PWM control signal on the secondary side of the isolation barrier makes the generation of control signals for the synchronous rectifiers more difficult.
If a synchronous rectifier does not function as a diode, the well-known phenomena of cross conduction and shoot-through may occur. In all of these circumstances, one of the switches is forced to a conduction phase in the first quadrant of its voltage-current characteristic. Therefore, switching losses may become predominant, wasting most of the benefits introduced by the reduction of conduction losses by the rectifiers, or may even hinder a correct functioning of the circuit.
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the turn-off waveforms of the control voltage (gate-source voltage) Vgs and the source current I of the synchronous rectifiers FW and FR after a step variation of the voltage Vs at the secondary winding of a transformer of a sample AC-DC or DC-DC converter, due to the turning on or off of a MOSFET in series to the primary winding of a transformer of a converter.
FIG. 6 illustrates time characteristics of the gate-source voltage Vgs, the source current I and the drain-source voltage of the synchronous rectifiers FW and FR when the rectifier FW is turned-off a short time before the voltage Vs in the secondary winding is switched high. The time interval from the trailing edge of the control voltage Vgs and the leading edge of the voltage Vs is herein referred as the "anticipation time". It is desirable that this time not be a null so that the rectifier FW is already off when the rectifier FR is turned on, otherwise the secondary winding could be short-circuited.
Clearly, the control voltage Vgs of the rectifier FW (and evidently also of the rectifier FR) is generated as a function of the PWM signal that controls the switch in the primary side of the converter, or vice-versa.
The required timing of the control signals of a synchronous rectifier is shown in FIG. 7 for a converter formed according to a general switched-mode topology with one switch and only one diode. The conduction phases of the switch and the diode do not overlap each other. The shown dead time intervals prevent contemporary cross-conduction of the switch of the converter and the synchronous rectifier operating as a diode, but they need to be shortened as much as possible to minimize or reduce synchronous rectifier conduction times of the parasitic diode, and the consequent loss of efficiency. In fact, MOSFETs used as rectifying transistors may show poor performance because their parasitic diode (body-diode) is turned on at least during transitions between different states.
The functioning of the body-diode depends on the timing of the control signal, and in particular, on the turn-off instant of the synchronous rectifier with respect to the time interval in which the diode replaced by a MOSFET is supposed to be in a conduction state A to early turn-off of the synchronous rectifier is susceptible to cause an increase of conduction losses due to the body-diode, in which the whole current would flow. The switching losses caused by the reverse recovery current through the body-diode therefore depend on the current flowing through it at the instant in which the cathode-anode voltage VKA reverses.
In isolated topologies, if the control circuit that generates the PWM signal is at the secondary side, the task of controlling synchronous rectifiers may be easily addressed. In fact, the PWM signal available on the secondary side may be used to generate the driving signal for the synchronous rectifiers by adequately delaying edges of the PWM signal for compensating the propagation delays of the control signal transferred to the primary side of the converter through a dedicated coupling device.
The required timing for this kind of operation is shown in FIG. 8, in the more general case of two complementary signals on the secondary side. The control signal of a MOSFET in the primary side of the converter is generated with a slight delay ΔTp1, ΔTp2 from the PWM signal, while the edges of the control signals of the rectifiers FW and FR of the converter of FIG. 5 are delayed by larger delays ΔT1 and ΔT2, respectively. Even in this case, dead times between drive signals are necessary to prevent an eventual cross conduction between two synchronous rectifiers and between an synchronous rectifier and a switch of the converter.
However, secondary side control configurations show several drawbacks. One drawback is the need of an auxiliary power supply for the start-up of the converter for a crossing-isolation circuit being able to transfer the PWM signal of synchronous rectifying transistors to switches on the primary side of a converter. Another drawback is in transferring the information regarding the current on the primary switch to the PWM controller in current mode control loops. Therefore, the use of a PWM control signal on the primary side of a converter is mandatory to form switched mode power supplies (SMPS) with high performance in terms of high efficiency, small dimensions and low cost.
In isolated topologies, if the control circuit that generates the PWM signal is on the primary side of a converter, then the PWM signal cannot be available on the secondary side in a simple, effective and low cost manner. This information may be derived at the secondary side from the output of the isolation transformer of the converter.
In this case, however, the synchronizing signal at the output of an isolation transformer is the effect of primary main switch commutations. This signal, in fact, is equalized to the PWM signal in a continuous conduction mode (CCM), but it is negatively affected by the parasitic elements of the circuit that distort its waveform.
The delay in the propagation chain of the signal derived by the PWM signal makes it not suitable to control the synchronous rectifier on the secondary side. This is because the delay control makes the switch and the synchronous rectifier of the converter be in a conduction state at the same time.
Methods and relative control circuits capable of generating a control voltage for a synchronous rectifier with the desired anticipation time in order to turn-off the synchronous rectifier before a switch of the converter is turned on have been developed in different ways.
A first technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,039. The pulses of a high frequency oscillator (HFO) (more than 100 times the main converter switching frequency) are counted during each switching period of a PWM signal, and the anticipation time is determined by decreasing/increasing the counting obtained during the previous switching period.
The main advantage of this technique is that the system is very fast to face eventual transient conditions, because the counting is updated at each switching period,
The main drawback is that the digital counting causes an output jitter, the width of which is twice the period of the HFO. Unfortunately, the minimum anticipation time is determined by the frequency of the HFO, thus the HFO frequency needs to be increased for obtaining low anticipation times. Therefore, this technique is likely to increase power dissipation and requires counters with a relatively large end-scale count.
An analog method to generate the anticipations of the turn-off transition in the driving timing has been disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,890, implemented in a circuit by SRMOS Inc. According to this method, two different analog ramps and one threshold variable with TON or TOFF are used for generating the anticipation time. Three passive components (capacitors) are needed to generate the ramps and the variable threshold. Two of these capacitors need to be accurate to have a precise anticipation time.
Stability in time and in temperature is not good because of the presence of passive components. To obtain very short anticipation time values, the capacitors need to be determined very accurately. In case of capacitor value variations due to unpredictable events (temperature changes, capacitor life, etc.) this anticipation time can be lost causing cross conduction problems.
Another control technique that uses a Phase Lock Loop (PLL) based system for establishing the desired time anticipations of the turn off transitions has been recently implemented by International Rectifier in the integrated circuit IR1175.
This method is quite complex in terms of design relations needed to obtain the desired control. It requires many external components and has a relatively high pin count to set the parameters that are necessary for correctly implementing the control technique. Moreover, a drawback of this method is a slow response time to switching frequency variations. Should a noise cause a variation of the switching frequency, the PLL would react too slowly to this variation.
As a consequence, the anticipation times would be inaccurately determined and this would reduce the overall efficiency of the converter. A faster response time may be achieved at the cost of worsening the accuracy with which the anticipation time is determined, which would negatively affect the efficiency of the converter.

Method and relative circuit for generating a control voltage of a synchronous rectifier


A multi-mode analog-to-digital converter includes a delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter circuit configured to receive the analog input and produce a digital bit-stream associated therewith, the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter including at least one integrator configured to reset to an initial state in response to a reset signal A digital filter circuit is configured to receive the digital bit-stream and produce two filtered outputs derived from the digital bit-stream. During one mode (e.g., a DC mode) the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter circuit is configured to receive the reset signal and produce the digital bit-stream for a predetermined number of clock cycles, and the digital output corresponds to the first filtered output. In another mode (e.g., an AC mode), the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter is configured to continuously produce the bit-stream, and the digital output corresponds to the second filtered output.

In many integrated circuits applications, both AC and DC signals are converted to digital form using dedicated analog-to-digital converters (ADC)—i.e., one ADC for AC signals, and another ADC for DC signals. The use of dedicated ADCs is necessitated by the very different nature of the signals themselves. AC signals such as audio signals or RF signals vary significantly over a short period of time, but are generally contained within a specified frequency range. In such applications, the required performance of the ADC relates to signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range, and the like, while offset and gain errors are tolerable. Over-sampled sigma-delta noise shaping ADCs are often used in this type of application.
DC signals, in contrast, do not vary significantly over a short period of time, and include such signals as battery voltage, charging current, digital-to-analog converter (DAC) output voltage under calibration, and the like. In such applications, where low offset and gain error are desired, low speed Nyquist rate ADCs (SAR, dual slope, etc.) or over-sampled incremental ADCs are often used. Incremental ADCs provide precision DC measurement (i.e., greater than 16 bit), but the standard sigma-delta noise-shaping ADC can not be directly used as an incremental ADC.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an ADC circuit that can be used for processing both AC and DC signals. Other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Methods and apparatus for a multi-mode analog-to-digital converter


A method for sending a message from a telecommunications device to a receiving device. The method includes recording the message as an audio file, receiving an address of the receiving device, and sending the audio file as an attachment to an electronic mail message to the receiving device.

As both wireline and wireless telecommunications devices become increasingly prevalent, many people desire to use their devices to communicate with other devices that may not be connected to a telecommunications system or may not be capable of performing traditional telecommunications functions such as receiving a voice telephone call. Thus, a person using, for example, a wireless telephone may not be able to converse or communicate with the user of a personal computer unless the user of the telephone communicates with the user of the personal computer using text only messages or electronic mail. Utilizing such text message or electronic mail capabilities may be cumbersome when using certain types of devices (e.g. a cellular telephone) that do not have advanced text or electronic mail capabilities. Such devices may make composing a text message or electronic mail cumbersome due to the lack of a conventional entry device such as a conventional QWERTY keyboard. Thus, there is a need for a device that allows users of a telecommunications device to more easily communicate with devices that may not be equipped to handle telecommunications functions such as voice telephone calls and facsimile transmissions.

Systems and methods for forwarding text, voice, and data in a telecommunications network


A display comprises a backlight comprising a plurality of individually-controllable light emitters, a light modulator comprising a plurality of individually-controllable elements, and, a retro-reflective optical layer positioned between the backlight and the light modulator. The retro-reflective optical layer is configured to pass light incident thereon at an angle with respect to a normal to the retro-reflective optical layer of less than a threshold angle φ, and reflect light incident thereon at an angle with respect to a normal to the retro-reflective optical layer of greater than φ in a direction opposite and generally parallel to an incoming direction of incident light.

Displays of the type having a backlight illuminating a light modulator are sometimes susceptible to parallax. Parallax effects can cause apparent distortions of a desired image when the displays are viewed from different angles.
Various types of optical layers are described in the following references:                U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,344 (Vance)        JP 06313813 A (Maeda)        JP 2000171614 A (Kin et al.)        JP 2000258760 A (Ono et al.)        JP 2000275422 A (Nomura et al.)        JP 2003005165 A (Maeda et al.)        JP 2003329825 A (Sekiguchi)        JP 2004020826 A (Sekiguchi)        JP 2004029837 A (Iino)        JP 2005128352 A (Ishii)        JP 2005283979 A (Tomono et al.)        JP 2006309150 A (Honda et al.)        JP 2007078958 A (Shibazaki et al.)
The inventors have determined a need for improved optical layers and displays incorporating such layers.

Retroreflective optical collimation layer and display devices incorporating same

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation


A computer-implemented method, a computer program product, and a computer system for data flow management in a heterogeneous memory device. A media controller redirects traffic from first non-volatile memory (NVM) to second NVM, in response to an instantaneous temperature of the first NVM reaches a first predetermined temperature at which redirecting the traffic is started. The media controller throttles to reduce the traffic to the second NVM, in response to determining that the instantaneous temperature is higher than a second predetermined temperature at which throttling is started. The media controller redirects the traffic back to the first NVM, in response to determining that the instantaneous temperature is not higher than the second predetermined temperature and lower than a third predetermined temperature at which throttling is ended. The first NVM is thermally sensitive, while the second NVM is thermally tolerant.

The present invention relates generally to a heterogeneous memory device, and more particularly to data flow management in a heterogeneous memory device using a thermal profile.
Data flow management in a memory subsystem is complicated, as the speeds increase and complementary metal—oxide—semiconductor (CMOS) devices shrink in size. Especially, data flow management in a heterogenous memory subsystem is very tricky, when the device operation depends on a system thermal profile. A one-controller-fits-all approach is not possible when there is a mix of volatile memory and non-volatile memory in the same area, especially when bandwidth and throughput requirements are different. Going forward, there will be a heterogenous mix of technologies and devices coming together to bridge differences and bring in efficiency and performance improvements, both at a subsystem level and a system level.

Data flow management in a heterogeneous memory device using a thermal profile

International Business Machines Corporation


Image data for a current image frame may be compensated for transient response variations due to changes to pixel values from one frame to another over time by performing pixel drive compensation. The pixel drive compensation may be performed using a current pixel value and a historical pixel value. The historical pixel value may be the same as a pixel value in the directly previous frame in some conditions, while in other conditions the historical pixel value may be modified from a previous image frame in light of a prior pixel value occurring before the previous image frame. In this way, drive compensation corresponding to image data of a subsequent image frame may be determined based at least in part on a multi-frame history. Even so, the memory bandwidth and/or power consumed to use a multi-frame history to determine a drive compensation may be reduced.

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic displays and, more particularly, to pixel drive compensation, which may selectively be determined based at least in part on a multi-frame history.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Numerous electronic devices—computers, mobile phones, portable media devices, tablets, televisions, virtual-reality headsets, and vehicle dashboards, among many others—often use an electronic display to present visual representations of information such as text, still images, or video. To display an image, an electronic display may control light emission of its display pixels based on corresponding image data. In general, the amount of light emitted by each display pixel depends on an analog electrical signal based on the image data that is programmed into the pixel each frame. In some cases, however, transitioning between different target luminance levels may could cause visible artifacts, such as edge-ghosting (e.g., edge shadow), spatial stretching and/or compression, color fringing, color shift, and/or the like to appear on the display panel.

Multi-frame-history pixel drive compensation


In accordance with the development of the fineness of MOSFETs, a gate insulating film and a capacitor insulating film are required to have a smaller thickness and a higher film quality. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to provide a method for forming a high-quality insulating film while preventing hydrogen atoms which cause a leak current and an electron trap from entering the insulating film. The present method uses a gas of molecules containing at least nitrogen, the gas is a compound which includes no oxygen atom and has no bond of a nitrogen atom and a hydrogen atom (N--H) and generates monoatomic nitrogen when the gas dissociates.

The present invention relates to a method of forming an insulating film for use in a semiconductor electronic device, and in particular, to a method of forming an insulating film with few hydrogen atom inclusions for use in the gate of an insulated gate type field-effect transistor (FET).
Developing the fineness of MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) FETs such as VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration)s largely depends on the progress of a technique for forming a gate insulating film that is thin and thermally stable. This is because the reliability and performance of the device largely depends on the characteristics of the gate insulating film. As a gate insulating film, silicon thermal-oxidation film (SiO.sub.2) has been conventionally used. However, a high electric field on the order of MV/cm is normally applied to the gate oxide film, and therefore, a dielectric breakdown due to the high electric field, generation of a surface state due to a hot carrier and a characteristic deterioration due to carrier capture and so forth emerge as problems. In particular, the gate oxide films of the recent MOSFETs are required to have a very thin oxide film having a thickness of not greater than 10 nm, and the aforementioned problems become more serious. In the case of a gate oxide film having a thickness of not greater than 5 nm, not only the film quality is deteriorated by the influence of a natural oxide film but also film thickness control becomes hard to be achieved. As described above, the reduction in thickness of the gate oxide film is coming near the limit.
In an attempt to overcome the limit of the oxide film, a nitriding method with ammonia (NH.sub.3) and an oxy-nitriding method with a compound gas of nitrogen and oxygen, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), dinitrogen oxide (N.sub.2 O) or nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2) have been examined. According to the former method, a nitrided oxide film having a finer structure than the oxide film is formed by heating an oxide film at a high temperature in an ammonia atmosphere, thereby improving a stress resistance. However, according to the method for executing nitriding with ammonia, a great quantity of hydrogen (H) is taken into the oxide film together with nitrogen (N), so that chemical species such as Si--H and Si--N--H are generated. These chemical species operate as an electron trap to vary the threshold voltage of MOSFET. This becomes a problem in terms of a long-term reliability of the device. As a method for suppressing the problem of ammonia with the effect of developing the fineness by nitrogen, a method for forming an oxy-nitrided film having a fine structure by heating an oxide film at a high temperature in an atmosphere of nitrogen monoxide (NO), dinitrogen oxide (N.sub.2 O), nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2) or the like has been disclosed by Makoto Yasuda, Nagaru Fukuda et al. in the document of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 5-160114. This method can improve the stress resistance without increasing the chemical species such as Si--H and Si--N--H in the oxide film, and therefore, the method is regarded as being promising as a highly-reliable insulating film forming technique as compared with the former method using ammonia.
On the other hand, there has been an attempt to thin the gate oxide film of MOSFET for the purpose of increasing the operating speed and reducing the power consumption of VLSIs, where a gate leak due to direct tunneling becomes significant in the film thickness dimension of not greater than 3 nm. As a method for avoiding this, a method for reducing the gate area by developing the fineness has been reported by H. S. Momose et al. in International Electron Devices Meeting Technical Digest (Pages 593-597, 1994). A method for allowing the gate capacity to be large with a high-dielectric film such as a nitride film even when the insulating film thickness is great has been proposed, for example, by X. J. Wang et al. in VLSI Technology Symposium Digest (Pages 109-110, 1995).
However, in the case where a gate insulating film is oxy-nitrided by a compound gas atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), dinitrogen oxide (N.sub.2 O) or nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2) for ensuring the reliability of the gate insulating film, the oxidation and nitriding concurrently progress. Accordingly, there is not only the problem that the film thickness and intra-film nitrogen density cannot be independently controlled but also the problem that the film is hard to be nitrided since the intra-film nitrogen density is hard to be increased. When ammonia is used for the nitriding, a great quantity of hydrogen (H) is taken into the oxide film together with nitrogen (N), and consequently chemical species such as --H radical are generated. These chemical species operate as an electron trap to vary the threshold voltage of MOSFET. This has the problem that it degrades the long-term reliability of the device.
When the reduction in thickness of the gate oxide film progresses to a film thickness of not greater than 3 nm, a large gate capacity can be secured by using a nitride film while suppressing the gate leak due to the direct tunneling. However, nitriding with ammonia or CVD with ammonia and silane-based gas is used in this case, and this has led to the problem that a great quantity of hydrogen is taken into the film, forming a great quantity of electron traps and surface states. Particularly when a great quantity of electron traps exist, a current due to Poole-Frenkel conduction flows, and this has caused an increase in gate leak.
Not only the gate insulating film but also insulating films such as a capacitor insulating film have had the problem that the device characteristics are deteriorated by the leak current, electron trap, surface state and so forth.

Method of forming insulating film with few hydrogen atom inclusions


The invention relates to a method (10) in a streaming client (1) for handling video streaming data. The method (10) comprises: receiving (11), decoding (12) and buffering (13) video streaming data comprising frames of image data; displaying (14) the frames of image data on a display (40) of the streaming client (1); receiving (15) an input requesting a pause in the reception of video streaming data; selecting (16), among decoded frames of image data, an optimal frame of image data; continuing (17) displaying frames of image data available in a buffer (45) of the streaming client 1 until the selected optimal frame of image data is encountered; and displaying (18) the selected optimal frame of image data as a still picture on the display (40) of the streaming client (1). The invention also encompasses a streaming client (1), computer program (51) and computer program products (50).

Streaming of media content such as video and audio to end-users is a frequently used service provided by various service providers. There are various streaming clients, for example different media players, that are able to receive media content and display it on a screen for presentation to the user.
When the user pauses a streaming session, the streaming client will discontinue the streaming and the last decoded image is shown on the screen. After pausing, the last decoded image may be shown for quite a long time on the screen. Often, this last shown image is blurry. Such blurry pause image is most undesirable both from the user perspective as well as from the streaming client manufacturers' point of view. The user would naturally prefer a sharp still image to look at instead of an annoying blurry image, and the manufacturer of streaming clients would want to be able to provide their customers the best possible user experience.

Method in a streaming client for handling video streaming data, streaming client, computer programs and computer program products


This invention relates to hindered carbamate derivatives that are muscarinic receptor antagonists, pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, and methods of preparing these compounds.

A receptor is a biological structure with one or more binding domains that reversibly complexes with one or more ligands, where that complexation has biological consequences. Receptors can exist entirely outside the cell (extracellular receptors), within the cell membrane (but presenting sections of the receptor to the extracellular milieu and cytosol), or entirely within the cell (intracellular receptors). They may also function independently of a cell (e.g., clot formation). Receptors within the cell membrane allow a cell to communicate with the space outside of its boundaries (i.e., signaling) as well as to function in the transport of molecules and ions into and out of the cell.
A ligand is a binding partner for a specific receptor or family of receptors. A ligand may be the endogenous ligand for the receptor or alternatively may be a synthetic ligand for the receptor such as a drug, a drug candidate or a pharmacological tool.
The super family of seven transmembrane proteins (7-TMs), also called G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), represents one of the most significant classes of membrane bound receptors that communicate changes that occur outside of the cell's boundaries to its interior, triggering a cellular response when appropriate. The G-proteins, when activated, affect a wide range of downstream effector systems both positively and negatively (e.g., ion channels, protein kinase cascades, transcription, transmigration of adhesion proteins, and the like).
Muscarinic receptors are members of the G-protein coupled receptors that are composed of a family of five receptor sub-types (M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5) and are activated by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. These receptors are widely distributed on multiple organs and tissues and are critical to the maintenance of central and peripheral cholinergic neurotransmission. The regional distribution of these receptor subtypes in the brain and other organs has been documented (Bonner, T. I. et al., Science (Washington D.C.) 1987, 237, 527-532; Goyal, R. K., J. Med., 1989, 321, 1022; Hulme, E. C., et al., Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 1990, 30, 633; and Eglen, R. M. and Hegde, S. S., Drug News Perspect. 1997, 10(8), 462-469). For example, the smooth muscle is composed largely of M2 and M3 receptors, cardiac muscle is composed largely of M2 receptors, and salivary glands are largely composed of M3 receptors.
It has been established that the muscarinic receptors are involved in diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, urinary incontinence, rhinitis, spasmodic colitis, chronic cystitis, cognitive disorders (e.g. Alzheimer's disease), senile dementia, glaucoma, schizophrenia, gastroesophogeal reflux disease, cardiac arrhythmia, blurred vision, and hyper salivation syndromes (Fisher, A., Invest. Drugs, 1997, 6(10), 1395-1411; Martel, A. M., et al., Drugs Future, 1997, 22(2), 135-137; Graul, A. and Castaner, J., Drugs Future, 1996, 21(11), 1105-1108; and Graul, A., et al., Drugs Future, 1997, 22(7), 733-737).
A number of compounds having muscarinic receptor antagonistic activities are being used to treat these diseases. For example, oxybutynin is being used for the treatment of urinary urge incontinence and dicyclomine is being used for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. However, these drugs have limited utility as they produce side effects such as dry mouth, blurred vision, and mydriasis.
There is currently a need for novel muscarinic receptor antagonists.


A chemical looping combustion (CLC) process for sour gas combustion includes a number of reaction zones and is configured to provide in-situ oxygen production and in-situ removal of SO2 from a product gas stream by reacting the SO2 with a calcium-based sorbent at a location within one reaction zone. The CLC process is also configured such that the in-situ oxygen production results from the use of a metal oxide oxygen carrier which is purposely located such that it does not directly contact the sour gas, thereby eliminating the generation of undesirable sulfur-based metal oxides.

The increased attention paid to global warming in recent decades has led to increased research in the field of power generation. Different measures for fighting against the undesirable effects of global warming have been proposed. One such measure is carbon capture and storage (CCS), which has widely been considered a mid-to-long term mitigating measure against the emission of CO2. CCS has the potential to be both valuable and environmental, and this can be achieved if CO2 can be utilized in industrial applications after it has been captured. Nonetheless, the current problem is that most known CCS methods are costly.
Combustion is a commonly used reaction in the field of power generation. Several carbon capturing techniques exist for capturing CO2 from a combustion unit, including post-treatment, O2/CO2 firing (oxyfuel), and CO-shift. Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is a specific type of combustion reaction that was originally created in the 1950s to produce CO2, but recently it has received increased attention as a potential CO2 capturing process. In a CLC process, an oxygen carrier acts as an intermediate transporter of oxygen between air and fuel, and thus the air and the fuel are prevented from directly contacting one another. Typically, a solid metal oxide oxygen carrier is used to oxidize the fuel stream in a fuel reactor. This results in the production of CO2 and H2O. The reduced form of the oxygen carrier is then transferred to the air reactor, where it is contacted with air, reoxidized to its initial state, and then returned back to the fuel reactor for further combustion reactions.
In general, the overall heat of a CLC process will be the sum of the two heat states, exothermic during oxidation and endothermic during reduction, which is equivalent to the heat released in a convention combustion reaction. Accordingly, one advantage of the CLC process is that minimal extra energy is required to capture CO2 while still maintaining a combustion efficiency similar to direct combustion processes. More precisely, there is minimum energy penalty for CO2 capturing in a CLC process, estimated at only 2-3% efficiency lost. Additionally, NOx formation is reduced in the CLC process compared with direct combustion processes as the oxidation reaction occurs in the air reactor in the absence of fuel and at a temperature of less than 1200° C.—above which NOx formation increases considerably. Thus, the lack of NOx formation makes CO2 capturing in CLC processes less costly compared with other combustion methods because CO2 does not need to be separated from the NOx gas prior to capture. Further, in contrast with other combustion processes, CO2 products in CLC processes can be separated from other gases and captured without the use of additional step or equipment.
Many types of fuel can be used in combustion processes. Natural gas that contain significant levels of H2S—known as sour gas—may also be used as a gaseous fuel in combustion processes; however, sour gas is low in calorific value and is very corrosive, and thus was not previously considered to be a particularly useful fossil fuel. However, the increasing worldwide demand for energy has forced the use of sour gas as an energy source.
One of the biggest problems with using sour gas in combustion processes is that H2S is a very corrosive gas that can be damaging to the mechanical parts of the combustion system at high temperatures and pressures under gas turbine system conditions. Additionally, when exposed to air, H2S readily oxidizes to form SOx (namely, SO2) which is an air pollutant.
Conventionally, in order to avoid the corrosive effects and the pollution associated with combustion of sour gas, pretreatment of the sour gas was required to substantially remove the sulfur compounds from the gas stream—a process known as "sweetening," For example, an amine gas treating process can be used to "sweeten" the sour gas (i.e., remove the H2S). The shortcoming of processes for sweetening sour gas is that they are very costly. However, in combustion of sour gas using the chemical looping concept, pre-treatment of H2S is not necessary. In particular, the sulfur containing compounds can be removed post-combustion reaction, thus eliminating the costly "sweetening" process.
CLC processes using sour gas fuel streams are known in the art. However, these conventional processes are designed such that the sour gas is in direct contact with the metal oxide oxygen carriers in the fuel reactor. However, such arrangement is less than ideal as direct contact between the metal oxide oxygen carrier and the H2S contained in the sour gas can generated sulfur-based metal oxides, which, in some cases, are difficult to transform back to their oxidized metallic state. Consequently, the generation of sulfur-based metal oxides can result in a decrease of the total capacity of the CLC process due to the loss of reactivity of the oxygen carrier and the subsequent decrease in the conversion of the sour gas. Further, when sulfur-based metal oxides are formed in the fuel reactor, some SO2 will be generated in the air reactor due to the oxidation of the sulfur based metal oxides in the air reactor during the oxidation step. The presence of SO2 in the air reactor will consequently increase the cost of the SO2 treatment at the air reactor exit.
Until now, there have not been any CLC processes for the combustion of sour gas in which metal oxides do not directly interact with the sour gas fuel. Thus, there is a need for efficient CO2 capture in the field of power generation in light of growing concerns regarding global warming. Further, there is a need for a process for the combustion of sour gas with high efficiency in energy conversion, but without the costly pretreatment of H2S. Finally, there is a need for a CLC process for sour gas in which the metal oxide oxygen carriers do not directly interact with the sour gas fuel. The present invention achieves these needs and others.

Sour gas combustion using in-situ oxygen production and chemical looping combustion


In order to be able to use a smaller routing table (4) and, thus, to reduce the costs and power consumption and to improve the performance of an IP router, it is proposed to extract a destination address identifier (ADR) from a data packet to be forwarded by the IP router, compress the extracted destination address identifier (ADR) by using a lossless data compression algorithm, and compare the compressed destination address identifier with entries stored in the routing table (4) so as to find a correspondence between the destination address identifier and one of the entries of the routing table (4). Each entry of the routing table (4) corresponds to a possible or available forwarding address of the IP router, the forwarding addresses having been compressed with the same data compression algorithm as the destination address identifier. After having found a correspondence between the destination address identifier and one of the compressed forwarding addresses stored in the routing table (4), a switch (6) of the IP router switches the respective data packet to one of its output links (OUT) which is associated with the respective forwarding address matching the destination address identifier (ADR).

As one of the essential components of an internet data transmission system, an IP router ("Internet Protocol") makes a forwarding decision for an input data packet, i.e. it checks a destination address identifier carried in the packet header and directs it to the next output port or output link through which the data packet should be sent. For example, depending on the destination address identifier of the input data packet, the IP router can direct the data packet to a Next Hop router or an Egress™ port for transmission over a respective output link. In a computer network, the NHRP protocol ("Next Hop Resolution Protocol") is a protocol which can be used so that a computer sending data to another computer can learn the most direct route to the receiving computer. An Egress™ port is a new type of port used in modern IP routers.
In the following, the routing of data is briefly explained with reference to FIG. 7 which shows the schematic construction of an IP router according to the prior art.
The IP router shown in FIG. 7 comprises an input block 1 which receives a plurality of input data packets over N input links or input ports IN1-INN. The input block 1 serves as an input queue and outputs the received data packets in a "First In First Out" (FIFO) manner. A header extracting block 2 is provided which extracts the packet header from the respective data packet to be transmitted so as to obtain the destination address identifier which is included in the packet header. In addition, the data packet is transferred to an output block 6 which serves as a switch. A routing table 4 stores all possible or available forwarding addresses and the respective output link/port numbers of the router. That is to say the routing table comprises a plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to a respective forwarding address to which a data packet can be forwarded by the IP router. The routing table 4 is generated and updated by a block 5 using routing protocols. In FIG. 7, the routing updates are indicated with reference sign UPD. A routing unit 3 receives the destination address identifier extracted by the header extracting block 2 and uses this destination address identifier as a key for searching for a match in the routing table 4, i.e. the routing unit 3 compares the destination address identifier with every entry corresponding to a respective forwarding address information stored in the routing table 4. If the routing unit 3 finds a correspondence between the destination address identifier and one of the forwarding addresses stored in the routing table 4, the respective output link/port number is transferred to the switch 6, and the switch 6 switches the data packet to a respective one of a plurality of M output links/output ports OUT1-OUTM.
Hence, as long as the routing unit 3 finds a correspondence between the destination address identifier extracted by the header extracting block 2 and at least one of the entries stored in the routing table 4, the respective data packet can be switched to one of the output links OUT1-OUTM. If, however, there is no match for the destination address identifier in the routing table 4, the switch 6 cannot switch the respective data packet to one of the output links, and the data packet cannot be forwarded to its destination.
It is obvious that the cost associated with an IP router of the type shown in FIG. 7 and its performance depend very much on the size of the routing table 4. The routing table 4 consumes silicon area and the look-up procedure consumes time as well as power, especially if the routing table 4 is large.
This problem in particular becomes more and more serious with the fast expansion of internet. The newly introduced IPv6 protocol provides address identifiers comprising 128 bits. Theoretically, for an n-bit destination address identifier, the routing table 4 may have up to 2n entries. Hence, as regards the IPv6 protocol, there is a need for an enormous storing capacity for storing such a large routing table 4. Such a large table size, however, makes the look-up procedure even impractical. Therefore, routing table look-up is regarded as the major bottleneck in today's routers.
The most straightforward method for routing table look-up is to perform a linear searching, i.e. compare the destination address identifier of the input data packet with each entry of the routing table until a correspondence between the address identifier and one of the entries in the routing table is recognized. Although this approach is simple, it is hardly used in actual practice due to its poor performance.
To speed up the look-up procedure, various strategies have been used. The most important ones are the usage of a so-called contents-addressed memory (CAM), the search according to a tree-based data structure, and the usage of so-called hashing strategies. Each of these known strategies has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, all of them are based on a search in the original data domain of the destination address identifier. Thus, all of these strategies require a relatively complex search procedure and a relatively large routing table size.

Method for routing of data packets and routing apparatus


A thread analysis tool records a set of currently-held synchronization objects and currently-acquired objects when a thread acquires one or more objects, then searches for a lock acquisition hierarchy violation that may cause program deadlock. If a violation is found, it is reported to the user. Software to implement the methods of the analysis tool, and systems using the methods, are also described and claimed.

Multiprocessing execution environments, where several independent sequences of instructions execute concurrently within separate or shared memory spaces, support a powerful paradigm for attacking many types of computational problems and for using multiprocessor systems efficiently. The threads of a multithreaded program, and cooperating processes that do not have the shared memory space that characterizes threads, often need to synchronize their activities to ensure correct operation. The synchronization is usually accomplished through operations on synchronization primitives, also called synchronization objects or synchronization resources ("resources" in short) provided by an operating system or other execution environment. Mutexes, semaphores, and events are examples of synchronization primitives or resources that provide various synchronization semantics.
Analyzing the operation of a multithreaded program can be a daunting task. Developing, extending and debugging a complex application may be difficult because of intricate relationships between the synchronization operations of various threads. Furthermore, because the precise order of thread operations may vary from run to run and from system to system, synchronization errors (which often manifest as deadlocks or "hangs") may not occur frequently enough to identify and correct the underlying error.
A method of detecting potential synchronization errors even when no actual deadlock occurs may serve as the basis of a useful analytical tool for software developers.

Method and apparatus for detecting lock acquisition hierarchy violations and unsafe lock releases


Asymmetric microporous membranes with localized asymmetries, devices including the membranes, and methods of making and using the membranes, are disclosed. The asymmetric microporous membranes have a first surface and a second surface and an interior bulk defined by the first and second surfaces, wherein the first surface has at least a first region and a second region, the first region having a first porosity comprising a first mean pore size, and the second region having a second porosity comprising a second mean pore size, wherein the ratio of first mean pore size to the second mean pore size is at least about 5:1.

A variety of symmetric (isotropic) and asymmetric (anisotropic) microporous membranes are known. Symmetric membranes have a pore structure (e.g., a mean pore size) that is substantially the same through the membrane from one surface to the other. Asymmetric microporous membranes have a pore structure (e.g., a mean pore size) that varies through the membrane, typically, increasing in size from one surface of the membrane to the other surface. Another type of asymmetric membrane has a pore structure resembling an hourglass shape, decreased at a position within the thickness of the membrane and increased at the opposing surfaces.
However, there is a need for membranes that maintain a desired level of flux for a desired period of time for certain applications. These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description as set forth below.


A method includes creating an opening in a dielectric layer that is disposed over a bottom electrode layer. A top electrode layer is disposed over the dielectric layer. A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) layer is formed in the opening over the bottom electrode layer.

An MTJ device includes multiple layers to store "0" and "1" signals for a memory device depending on magnetization directions of a free-layer and a pinned layer that results in different magnetic reluctance. For the MTJ device to have good performance, keeping the MTJ film free from by-product, plasma damage, and oxidation is a challenging issue.

Method for fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction device

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A transport stream encoder comprises a plurality of component signal sources. One of the component signals sources is a source of an opportunistic data component signal carrying a block of data having a predetermined size to be transferred within a predetermined period of time. A packet generator is coupled to the plurality of component signal sources, and produces a composite packet stream, partitioned into successive groups containing a plurality of packet slots. A memory stores a plurality of priority lists respectively associated with the plurality of packet slots. Each priority list contains a plurality of entries, and each entry contains data representing a respective one of the plurality of component signal sources. A scheduler is responsive to the entries in the plurality of priority lists and conditions the packet generator to generate a packet for each one of the packet slots. The generated packet contains data from a component signal source selected from among the component signal sources having representative data in the entries in the priority list associated with that packet slot. A processor modifies the entries in the plurality of priority lists in such a manner as to ensure that a packet containing data from the opportunistic data component signal source is generated with sufficient time regularity to guarantee that the block of data is transferred within the predetermined time period.

Currently, packet transport systems are being used to distribute entertainment programming. For example, a satellite packet transport system may transport a plurality of television channels to viewer locations, each television channel containing a video signal and one or more audio signals. In addition, it has been proposed to include a program data signal with each television channel to permit a processor located in the television receiver to execute a program which can interact with the viewer. Such a satellite packet transport system will transmit a plurality of different component signals (e.g. video, audio and program data).
It has also been proposed to provide a low data rate service for slower throughput data transport. For example, a component signal provider may wish to transfer data having a predetermined size, such as a data file for delivery over a predetermined, relatively long, time period. For example, a bank may wish to transmit a block of transactions from one location to another overnight.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/442,429, entitled A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A TRANSPORT STREAM ENCODER TO PRODUCE A STREAM OF PACKETS CARRYING DATA REPRESENTING A PLURALITY OF COMPONENT SIGNALS, and filed May 16, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,505 incorporated by reference, a transport packet stream encoder is disclosed which produces a composite packet stream containing a plurality of component signals. The composite packet stream is partitioned into successive groups of packet slots. Each packet slot in a group has associated with it a priority ordered list of acceptable component signals for that packet slot. The data from a selected one of these component signals may be placed in that packet slot. When a packet is to be formed, the priority list associated with that packet slot is traversed in priority order, and the first component signal source which has enough data waiting to be transmitted to fill a packet is assigned to fill that packet slot. If none of the component signal sources in the priority list have enough data, then a null packet is produced in that packet slot. The priority lists are generated in such a manner as to provide the level of throughput which the providers of the component signals have purchased from the transport provider.
As stated in that application, this arrangement gives the flexibility to assign a high priority to low data rate components, and a low priority to high data rate components in a packet slot. This permits low data rate signals sufficient access to packet slots to maintain their required throughput, while allowing those slots to be filled by high data rate component data if the low data rate component does not have sufficient data available to fill a packet, and thus avoid the generation of a wasteful null packet.
However, in such a packet transport system carrying many component signals, the throughput required by some of the component signals varies dynamically. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/576,527, entitled OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE IN A PACKET SLOT PRIORITY PACKET TRANSPORT SYSTEM, and filed Dec. 21, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,292 incorporated by reference, discloses a transport stream encoder which may be dynamically optimized to the current required throughput of the component signals carried by the packet stream. The packet transport system disclosed in this application is similar to that disclosed in 08/442.429 except that the contents of the plurality of priority lists may be dynamically updated based on some predetermined parameter.
For example, such a transport stream encoder can adapt its operation to changing throughput requirements of the various component signals due to scheduled changes in programming, and thus optimize its operation, e.g. providing the throughput required by each component while minimizing the number of null packets. A clock may provide a signal to such a system to indicate when the programming has changed (such as at the hour and half-hour). When the clock signal is received, the priority lists are updated to optimally configure the packet transport system for the new mix of component signal sources, and their content.
Alternatively, the priority lists may be updated based on the content of the packet stream. In such a transport stream encoder, each packet produced by the packet stream encoder is analyzed by a data collector to determine the identity of the component signal source whose data is contained in that packet. The entries in the plurality of lists are updated in response to the gathered data, for example, to take advantage of a lull in the data rate of one component signal. In this case, the entries in the plurality of lists are updated to decrease the priority of the component signal experiencing a lull, thereby increasing the priorities of the other component signals. In this manner, the operation of the transport stream encoder may be optimized to the instantaneous changes in the data rate of the component signal sources.
Referring again to the example of a bank desiring to transmit a file of transactions from one location to another overnight, the packet transport stream encoder of either 08/442,429 or 08/576,524 may be used to perform this transfer. By placing an entry corresponding to the bank data component signal source at the bottom of each priority list, when no other component signal has enough data to form a packet in that packet slot, a packet containing some of the bank data will be formed and transmitted, instead of a null packet. Because a null packet will never be transmitted so long as there is bank data to transmit, all generated packets will carry data. The transfer of information in this manner is called an opportunistic transfer. But, in the above system, there can be no guarantee that the bank data will be transmitted within a specified time period. It is desirable that a packet transport system be able to provide guaranteed delivery of opportunistic data within a specified time period.

Method and apparatus for opportunistically transferring data in a packet stream encoder


In one embodiment, the sight and sound barriers of this invention have a flexible sheet of lightweight, resilient foam as a core. This core is covered by a fabric or other suitable covering to further enhance the acoustic properties and to make the walls attractive. In this embodiment the core of polyethylene, polystyrene, urethane, or a mosaic thereof, for example, is made flexible with alternating wall and hinge portions. In an alternate preferred embodiment, the barriers or panels are formed with mitered grooves to allow the panel to be bent into larger degree corners, such as 90 degrees in one direction or 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

There is often a need for subdividing a room or open space into smaller areas permanently or for a short period of time. Temporary walls may be erected, but to do so is expensive. Room dividers or screens of wood or rattan may be used, but they often fail to function as effective sound barriers, and may be difficult to handle and store.
One version of a prior barrier is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,715.
There is a need for improved barriers and panels.


An air filter for internal combustion engines having a filter housing, an air filter element fitted in the filter housing, a connector to secure the air filter to the internal combustion engine and an elastic connecting element between the air filter and an intake duct, in which the connecting element (18) is an elastic connecting element having an essentially hollow-cylindrical shape, and there are recesses (23, 24, 25) around the outer periphery and a flange (17) of the air filter extends into one of the circumferential recesses (23).

The invention relates to an air filter. An air filter for internal-combustion engines, compressors and other air-intake machines is known from German Utility Model DE-GM 19 60 531. The filter housing of this air filter is flexibly connected to a clean-air duct and optionally also to an unfiltered-air inlet duct, the filter housing carrying two fork-shaped spring clips which are fixedly arranged at a distance from one another. These spring clips may engage in rubber parts which are arranged on the engine housing or on other vehicle parts and therefore fix the air filter housing.
A disadvantage of this arrangement is the fact that this connecting method does not offer sufficient safety in the case of internal-combustion engines in vehicles. Fairly extensive jolts or shocks should be expected particularly in cross-country vehicles which may have the result that the spring clips spring out of the rubber parts. In this case, the air filter would then only be held by the connecting lines.
Furthermore, an intake air filter is known from German Utility Model DE-GM 18 07 288 which is combined with a noise damper. The filter housing is provided with a mount which consists exclusively of elastic preforms. Recesses are provided in the filter housing wall as well as in the mount supports. The elastic preforms are locked into these recesses.
Also in the case of this arrangement, there is the disadvantage that particularly strong jolts of shocks may rip the filter housing out of its anchoring and cause damage to the engine.


A circuit board structure manufacturing method includes the following steps. A circuit substrate is provided including an insulating layer, a first metal layer, and a second metal layer. The insulating layer is disposed between the first metal layer and the second metal layer. The first metal layer has a first cavity. The insulating layer has a second cavity and a provisional region. A width of the first cavity is larger than a width of the second cavity. The provisional region is defined between a sidewall of the first metal layer defining the first cavity and another sidewall of the first metal layer defining the second cavity. A first masking layer is formed to cover the first metal layer and provisional region. The second cavity is exposed from the first masking layer. A heat-dissipating metal member is formed in the second cavity. Furthermore, the first masking layer is removed.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to a circuit board structure; in particular, to a manufacturing method of the circuit board structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Under the trend of miniaturization, the overall module packaging of the common electronic products, such as mobile phones or notebook computers, becomes denser. Thus, functionalities of the electronic products are becoming more versatile, rendering larger power consumption which leads to enormous amount of heat generated and the overall temperature to increase. In order to lower the temperature due to overheating, the circuit board tends to be designed with copper (e.g. copper rod or column) thereon as a way to dissipate heat for the electronic components.
Typically, in the conventional method of electroplating a heat dissipating copper column, a two-sided copper-clad laminate of the circuit board is usually drilled through, and the sidewalls of the drilled cobalt holes are electroplated with a layer of copper. However, since copper ions tend to aggregate near the edges of the traces, sidewalls of openings or wall junctions between sidewalls of openings and heat dissipating copper columns, excess aggregation of copper ions tends to form copper lumps at the wall junctions.
To address the above issues, the inventor strives via associated experience and research to present the instant disclosure, which can effectively improve the limitation described above.

Circuit board structure manufacturing method


A method of displaying consumer electronic devices comprises supporting a plurality of rails on a frame in a generally parallel, spaced relationship and configuring each rail for slidable movement relative to the frame in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of each rail. A first row of display units is supported between a first adjacent pair of the rails and a second row of display units between a second adjacent pair of the rails, with each display unit comprising at least one of a device support unit and a plate. The plurality of display units are reconfigurable by exchanging the display units between different lateral positions within at least one of the first and second rows of display units and/or by exchanging at least one display unit between the first row and the second row of display units.

Conventional displays of premium consumer products in a retail store typically include a cabinet with a large glass enclosure to house the products. Consumers interested in examining a product must ask a store clerk to assist them by opening the glass cabinet and letting the consumer look at and handle the product. Unfortunately, many consumers shy away from asking for help, and many times would prefer to look on their own without the direct assistance of a store clerk. Accordingly, retail stores can lose sales if demonstration models of the products are not readily accessible by the consumer. At the same time, the retail stores must safeguard their demonstration products from theft, vandalism, accidents, and shoplifters.
Given these challenges, retail marketers have responded by placing demonstration products on shelves that are accessible by consumers but then tethering the demonstration products with cables, retractable cords, and various security devices to prevent theft or accidental damage. Moreover, retailer marketers continue attempts to make shelving and product displays ever more attractive to consumers.
Despite all of this activity aimed at luring consumers, retailers continue to struggle in finding an optimal combination of function and flexibility in making products easily accessible for inspection while maintaining the security of those products at the point of display.

Configurable display system and modular display arrangement for consumer electronic devices