A radio frequency identification system is provided having a data communication device and a contactless identification tag. The data communication device has an antenna coil, a first data receiving unit, a first data transmitting unit, a first data control unit, and a first data storing unit. Further, the contactless identification tag has an antenna coil, a second data receiving unit, a second data transmitting unit, a second data control unit, a second data storing unit, and a driving power generating unit. The first data control unit generates negative logic digital signals of transmission data. The first data transmitting unit modulates the digital signals and transmits the modulated signals.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to data communications with a contactless communication medium, and more specifically, it relates to a data communication system, which is suitable for increasing power supply efficiency depending on modulated waves from a data communication device and for precisely demodulating modulated waves received by a contactless communication medium at the beginning, the data communication device, and the contactless communication medium.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, as a system in which data transmission and reception between an electronic data carrier and-a data communication device, such as a reader or a reader/writer, are performed in a contactless manner, an RFID (radio frequency identification) system is known. In the RFID system, a technique in which the data communication device transmits power for driving the data carrier, together with data, in the contactless manner is known.
In such an RFID system, as a data communication method from the data communication device to the data carrier, two types of Type A and Type B are representatively known. The Type A data communication method is one in which power supply and data transmission are performed through modulated waves which are generated by means of modulation techniques of so-called 100 percent ASK (amplitude shift keying) modulation techniques. The 100 percent ASK modulation techniques associate combinations of modulated waves (modulated waves themselves) on the basis of 0 percent as a modulation degree and modulated waves (no modulated wave) on the basis of 100 percent as the modulation degree with 'logic 0' and 'logic 1' referred to as pause of digital data to be transmitted.
On the other hand, the Type B data communication method is one in which power supply and data transmission are performed through modulated waves which are generated by means of modulation techniques of so-called 10 percent (actually, in the range of from 8 percent to 14 percent) ASK modulation techniques. The 10 percent ASK modulation techniques associate modulated waves (modulated waves themselves) on the basis of 0 percent as the modulation degree and modulated waves on the basis of 10 percent as the modulation degree with 'logic 0' and 'logic 1' of digital data to be transmitted. Specifically, the modulated waves on the basis of 0 percent as the modulation degree are associated with 'logic 0' and the modulated waves on the basis of 10 percent as the modulation degree are associated with 'logic 1'.
Moreover, the above-mentioned RFID system is described in detail in RFID Handbook (Japanese Edition), Klaus Finkenzeller, translated by Software Engineering Laboratory Co. Ltd. and published by The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.
In the Type B data transmission method, however, digital signals generated by a positive logic with respect to transmission data are modulated and transmitted to a data carrier corresponding to the B type data transmission method. Thus, when the data carrier of the Type B performs a demodulation process of modulated waves which are received immediately after the data communication device enters a communication domain, it is apprehended that, in a period until a driving power of a circuit is stabilized after the modulated waves are received, amplitude levels of waveforms of demodulated data signals are not sufficient and thus the waveforms may be corrupted. This is because a digital signal of 'logic 0' as a start bit of transmission data is modulated and transmitted in the Type B data communication method.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in consideration of the unsettled problems in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a data communication system which is suitable for increasing power supply efficiency depending on modulated waves from a data communication device and for precisely demodulating modulated waves received by a contactless communication medium at the beginning, the data communication device, and the contactless communication medium.

Data communication system, data communication device, contactless communication medium, and communication device control program


A method is provided for performing a map update for a navigation device. The method includes: receiving a manifest file corresponding to a map update package and receiving a digital signature corresponding to the manifest file, wherein the map update package comprises a plurality of pieces; verifying, by a processor, the digital signature; receiving, after successful verification of the digital signature, a piece of the map update package to be written to a storage of the navigation device; verifying, by the processor, the received piece using the received manifest file; and writing, in response to successful verification of the received piece, the received piece to the storage of the navigation device.

The use of satellite-based navigation in satellite-based navigation devices is becoming more and more prevalent. Many vehicle operators rely solely on such navigation devices to provide them with turn-by-turn directions to reach their intended destinations. However, map conditions and address information are subject to changes, as some roads are added and others are removed, as well as with the opening and closing of various businesses. And, given the enormous amount of map-related data available, keeping the map information up-to-date in a vehicle and/or on a navigation device is a difficult task.
Many systems generally rely on a user to update the maps stored locally at a navigation device, for example, on an annual basis, by securely transferring map data from a computer-readable medium to the navigation device. One conventional way of transferring the data is via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection. Another way is to insert one or more DVD-ROMs containing the map data into an optical drive and read the data from the optical drive.
Because this map data includes a large amount of information and may be made up of thousands of files, this process can take a very long time, and it is inconvenient for a user to keep the navigation device continuously powered on for the amount of time required for updating the maps (which may take hours). This is especially problematic for a navigation device of a vehicle, as the vehicle is required to remain on. Additionally, if the update is interrupted, for example, by the navigation device powering off or the map data source being disconnected (either inadvertently or intentionally), the update process must start over from the beginning. This is to ensure that the update package for map data is authentic, from a trusted source, and has not been tampered with.

Secure and interruptible transfer of a map update package to a navigation device


The present application relates to devices for the vitrification of biological samples, including embryos, oocytes and biological tissues. Suitably, the devices are automated devices which require little if any operator intervention or sample handling, thereby reducing contamination, improving success rates and increasing efficiency. Also provided are methods of vitrifying a biological sample, suitably using the disclosed devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to devices for the vitrification of biological samples, including embryos, oocytes and biological tissues. Suitably, the devices are automated devices which require little if any operator intervention or sample handling, thereby reducing contamination, improving success rates and increasing efficiency. Also provided are methods of vitrifying a biological sample, suitably using the disclosed devices.
2. Background of the Invention
Freezing and preservation of biological samples had traditionally been carried out using a slow-freezing process. Those methods were accomplished by tabletop machines that slowly cooled a sample over the period of several hours to cryogenic temperatures. These "slow freezing methods" have recently being supplanted by sample "vitrification," which allows for rapid freezing and storing of specimens in a matter of minutes instead of hours.
However, current vitrification devices require significant operation by a skilled lab technician. Success rates of vitrification and warming viable samples vary widely depending on the method used and the skill of the lab technician performing the procedure. Such methods traditionally require a lab technician to prepare individual samples for freezing, handle each separately and carry out specified methods. These methods, however, are not only time-consuming and inefficient, but can result in variations in sample vitrification due to differences in technician training and technique. This makes it extremely difficult to evaluate and compare various protocols. In addition, many manual vitrification methods expose the specimen directly to liquid nitrogen (i.e., open system), which provides rapid cooling (vitrification), but can lead to introduction of contaminants (fungi, pathogens etc.) to the specimen, as well as sample loss and damage.
The inventors have identified a need for protocols and devices that can be used to repeatedly and efficiently vitrify biological samples, including for use in fertility preservation and tissue banking.


The problem of reducing the size of a dual offset Cassegrain reflector type microwave antenna without adversely affecting performance while retaining the simplicity of the main reflector's (1) and subreflector's (3) traditional simple surface curvatures is solved by having the paraboloidal shaped main reflector's focal length, fm, and diameter, D, fulfil the criteria that the ratio of fm to D is less than 1.0; and in which the hyperboloidal shaped subreflector (3) is oriented so that its left foci, at which the microwave feed (5) aperture is placed, lies above the main reflector's focal axis. It's subreflector subtends an angular arc about the focal point that is slightly larger than the corresponding arc subtended by the main reflector. The elegance of the compact antenna is demonstrated by improved performance, attaining efficiencies in excess of seventy three percent.

Satellite to satellite microwave communication links commonly found in telecommunication and military space missile tracking application fulfil the need to electronically transfer or "hand off" data and/or other information between different geographic regions on earth being served by respective multiple satellites positioned hundreds of miles apart in geosynchronous orbit respectively covering those disparate regions or positioned in non-synchronous orbits that travel through a respective region.
To implement the communications link, the satellite contains appropriate microwave transmitters and receivers and an antenna that is highly directional in its RF radiation pattern, referred to as a cross-link antenna. The antenna is pointed at a like cross link antenna on another companion satellite in the link with which communication is to occur. Fed with microwave signals from the one satellite's microwave transmitter, the associated antenna, acting as a transmitting antenna, radiates the microwave energy furnished by the transmitter in the direction of the other satellite's antenna. The latter antenna, functioning as a receiving antenna, receives and couples the microwave signals to an associated microwave receiver on the companion satellite.
Concentrating the transmitted radiation in a specific direction to a known location offers the most efficient use of available transmitter power. Like concentration of received energy offers the most efficient reception by minimizing reception of out-of-direction unwanted signals originating elsewhere that might interfere with the desired communication, and, therefore, also minimizes transmitter power requirements.
One type of directional antenna achieving wide acceptance in the foregoing application and often found to be the antenna of choice is known as a dual offset Cassegrain antenna. That antenna comprises a parabolic reflector as a main reflector, a hyperbolic reflector as the subreflector and a microwave feed located at three spaced positions.
In a typical dual offset type Cassegrain antenna, the feed is positioned on the paraboloids focal axis spaced a distance from the hyperbolic reflector equal to the focal distance of the hyperbola's foci and the axis of the feed is tilted up. Both subreflector and feed are separately off-set in different amounts from the antenna's aperture that is defined by the main reflector.
In past circumstances where the size of the antenna is found to exceed the space available to store same on board the satellite, a typical approach was to include a hinged section in the antenna assembly. The hinge allowed the antenna to be folded down to fit within a smaller volume. When the satellite was positioned in space, the antenna was unfolded by means of a motor mechanism or robot arm to achieve its full size. Although such a foldable antenna satisfied existing requirements, not only does the incorporation of a hinge and related motors undesirably increase the weight of the assembly, the antenna elements may not precisely align to the desired relationship, resulting in poorer performance; and in some circumstances the mechanisms that were to unfold the antenna failed resulting in the failure of the entire mission.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a dual offset Cassegrain type antenna that is smaller in size than prior antennas of that type for the same transmitting frequency while delivering no less performance and, preferably, that delivers improved performance.
Another object of the invention is to provide an antenna for V-band operation that avoids the use of hinges and other implements characteristic of a foldable construction.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a low cost and light weight V-band cross link antenna system having a gain greater than 45 dB, a high efficiency, greater than 73%, and low side lobes.

Small volume dual offset reflector antenna


A method of manufacturing a spark gap device. The method includes using standard metal transistor base and cap components, machining the base to cut out a portion of the top of the base, filling the base with an insulative substrate and placing a pin through the insulative substrate, depositing a first electrode on the top portion of the base in electrical contact with the metal portion of the base, and sealing the cap with respect to the base. Also featured is a spark gap device which eliminates heat related and electrode sputtering failures associated with prior art glass or ceramic spark gap devices.

Spark gap devices are used in detonator firing mechanisms, high intensity discharge lighting systems, and numerous other environments.
Prior art spark gap devices are highly unreliable and have extremely short lives. Most spark gap devices include a pair of spaced cone-shaped electrodes in a glass or ceramic gas filled housing. At an average breakdown voltage of approximately 1.5 kilovolts, these prior art devices usually fail after about 15,000 firings for one of two reasons. In the first failure mode, the electrode material sputters and becomes affixed to the inside of the glass or ceramic surface of the housing thereby causing a short. In the second failure mode, the heat generated as the device is fired over time shatters the glass or ceramic housing. In addition, these types of prior art devices are likely sources of EMI and RFI. Moreover, it is difficult to obtain a reliable seal between the metal bases and the ceramic or glass housing.
Higher reliability, longer life spark gap devices are expensive to manufacture and cannot be used efficiently in many kinds of products due to their high cost.

Spark gap device and method of manufacturing same


Technologies are generally described for obtaining consumer survey responses encoded on a reactive tag associated with an item. Prior to distributing a product to consumers, a manufacturer may affix a reactive tag to the item for gathering consumer feedback about the product. Consumer survey questions and responses may be encoded on the reactive tag, and the consumer may be able to remove a portion of the tag in order to select a consumer survey response. The reactive tag may be configured to react to the removal of a portion of the reactive tag by encoding data on the reactive tag for the consumer response and/or changing a physico-chemical state of the reactive tag for storing the consumer survey responses. When the consumer has finished with the product, the product may be received at a recycling facility, where a machine may scan the reactive tag to retrieve consumer survey responses.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Manufacturers and sellers of products are often interested in receiving feedback from a consumer about the consumer's satisfaction, ratings, and overall opinion of a product. Manufacturers often create consumer surveys which may be distributed via paper mail, email, internet, and telephone, and the manufacturers may spend a lot of time, energy, and resources generating the consumer surveys and attempting to distribute the surveys and collect the consumer survey responses. Often times consumers do not respond to the consumer surveys and it can be difficult for manufacturers to retrieve valuable feedback from consumers. Frequently, consumers may discard the product and/or the product packaging at waste and recycling facilities when they have finished with the product. Recycling facilities may generate summary recycling reports about received items for providing information about materials and items received at the facility, and may have the capabilities of utilizing machines to scan received products to retrieve encoded information about the product.

Reactive tags for obtaining consumer survey responses


Methods and systems for filtering an analog signal sampled at a very high frequency and outputting a digital signal that has a very low sampling frequency to drive a material metering machine. The high frequency digital input signal is input to a first decimation element, which filters out the noise in the signal introduced by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and reduces the sampling frequency of the digital signal to a lower sampling frequency of 1200 hertz. The reduced rate digital signal is input into a second decimation element that contains several decimation filters, which reject the 60 hertz line noise and its harmonics while simultaneously reducing the sampling frequency of the digital signal to 10 hertz. The output of the second decimation element is then passed to a bank of selectable filters with sub-hertz cutoff frequencies to remove the machine noise from the material metering machine.

In the application of material metering machines, load cells are relied upon to provide basic weight measurements. Typically, the material is loaded into a hopper, or a vessel, which is attached to the load cell. As the material passes out of the hopper at the bottom, new material is fed into the top of the hopper. The load cell monitors the weight of the hopper and passes those measurements to a processor which calculates the flow rates from the vessels. One area of technology where the material metering machines are used is for resinous or plastic materials. Typically, the resinous or plastic material is in the form of a pellet, of which there are approximately 30 to 80 to a gram. The pellets are passed though a weigh vessel one at a time, or at most a few at a time. Because the vessels have a high tare weight, which may be several thousand pounds, the weigh board must be able to monitor very minute changes in weight to insure the proper flow rate.
However, in this environment there are many sources of noise, both electrical and mechanical. For example, electrical noise may be introduced by converting the analog signal from the load cell to a digital signal that is used by a feedback loop to control the flow rate of the material through the vessel. Another source of electrical noise is line noise, which is the noise introduced into the system by the power supply.
Measurements of the resinous pellets flowing through the hoppers must be made with great accuracy. This is due to the fact that the resinous pellets are very light. Plastic blending machines, which use plastic or resinous pellets, require very precise measurements that are needed for low recipe ratios and run rates in the presence of noise and high tare weights.
To meet the strict requirements needed by plastic blending machines, special purpose digital signal processors (DSPs), which contain the signal processing and filtering function on a single chip are required to minimize the amount of noise introduced into the system. The single chip devices currently available offer limited filtering capabilities and are relatively expensive. Presently, the single chip DSPs do not provide filtering capabilities for the 50 Hz and 60 Hz line noise introduced into the system by power supply, which is a significant factor when carrying out the precise weight measurements needed for plastic blending machines.
Several methods are currently used to reduce the noise from material metering machines. One method uses active vibration control, wherein undesired noise or other vibrations are reduced or eliminated by adding an equal and opposite amount of noise or vibration. Active vibration control is only used to eliminate mechanical noise, such as the noise introduced by the moving parts of the machine. Additionally, active vibration control systems can be relatively expensive because the systems require specialized components and a great amount of processing power. Furthermore, active vibration control methods do not reduce the noise added to the system from the line voltage.
Another method to remove unwanted noise from machine metering systems uses adaptive notch filtering, also known as Adaptive Line Enhancement (ALE). Under the ALE method, vibrations are converted to a digital signal at a fixed frequency by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter. The digital signal is then applied to a decimation filter to reduce the number of samples used in subsequent calculations. The decimation filter also provides some anti-aliasing filtering to smooth the signal. The decimated signal is then applied to an adaptive notch filter to enhance the signal by filtering most of the noise and harmonics. Although the ALE method filters out most of the unwanted noise and enhances the rejection characteristics of the filtration, the ALE method does not filter out the noise generated by the line voltage at the 50 Hz and 60 Hz frequencies, which can introduce errors in the flow rate of plastic blending machines. Furthermore, the ALE method requires additional processing power over conventional methods, which increases the cost of the system.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an inexpensive noise reduction method to reduce the noise, both electronic and mechanical, from material metering machines. There is a further need in the art for a noise reduction system for use with material metering machines to filter out line noise associated with the 50 Hz and 60 Hz frequencies to provide an output signal that has the stability to drive material metering machines that require precise measurements needed to achieve low mixing ratios in the presence of high tare weights.

Methods and systems for filtering unwanted noise in a material metering machine


Gel compositions with adjusted conductivity are disclosed which compositions are used for directing reversible electroporation and irreversible electroporation of cells and tissue. The gel compositions are also used in a similar manner in order to carry out thermotherapy on cells and tissues.

Electroporation, or electropermeabilization, is the phenomenon in which cell membrane permeability to ions and macromolecules is increased by exposing the cell to short (microsecond to millisecond) high voltage electric field pulses (E. Neumann, M. Schaeffer-Ridder, Y. Wang, P. H. Hofschneider, Gene transfer into mouse lymphoma cells by electroporation in high electric fields, EMBO J 1 (1982) 841-845.). Experiments show that the application of electrical pulses can have several different effects on the cell membrane, as a function of various pulse parameters; such as amplitude, length, shape, number of repeats and intervals between pulses. As a function of these parameters, the application of the electrical pulse can have no effect, can have a transient permeabilization effect known as reversible electroporation or can cause permanent permeabilization known as irreversible electroporation. Both, reversible and irreversible electroporation have important application in biotechnology and medicine.
Reversible electroporation is now commonly used with micro-organisms and cells in culture for transfection and introduction or removal of macromolecules from individual cells. Irreversible electroporation is used for sterilization of liquid media from micro-organisms. During the last decade reversible electroporation has started to be used in living tissues for in vivo gene therapy (electrogenetherapy) (M. J. Jaroszeski, R. Heller, R. Gilbert, Electrochemotherapy, electrogenetherapy, and transdermal drug delivery: electrically mediated delivery of molecules to cells, Humana Press, Totowa, N.J., 2000; D. A. Dean, Nonviral gene transfer to skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle in living animals, Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 289 (2005) C233-245; L. M. Mir, P. H. Moller, F. Andre, J. Gehl, in Advances in Genetics, Academic Press, 2005, pp. 83-114) and to enhance the penetration of anti-cancer drugs into undesirable cells (electro-chemotherapy) (A. Gothelf, L. M. Mir, J. Gehl, Electrochemotherapy: results of cancer treatment using enhanced delivery of bleomycin by electroporation, Cancer Treat. Rev. 29 (2003) 371-387). Recently, irreversible electroporation has also found a use in tissues as a minimally invasive surgical procedure to ablate undesirable tissue without the use of adjuvant drugs (R. V. Davalos, L. M. Mir, B. Rubinsky, Tissue Ablation with Irreversible Electroporation, Ann. Biomed. Eng. 33 (2005) 223; L. Miller, J. Leor, B. Rubinsky, Cancer cells ablation with irreversible electroporation, Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment 4 (2005) 699-706; J. Edd, L. Horowitz, R. V. Davalos, L. M. Mir, B. Rubinsky, In-Vivo Results of a New Focal Tissue Ablation Technique: Irreversible Electroporation, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 53 (2006) 1409-1415).
Electroporation is a dynamic phenomenon that depends on the local transmembrane voltage at each cell membrane point. It is generally accepted that for a given pulse duration and shape, a specific transmembrane voltage threshold exists for the manifestation of the electroporation phenomenon (from 0.5V to 1V). This leads to the definition of an electric field magnitude threshold for electroporation (Eth). That is, only the cells within areas where E≧Eth are electroporated. If a second threshold (Eth_irr) is reached or surpassed, electroporation will compromise the viability of the cells, i.e., irreversible electroporation.
Precise control over the electric field that develops in tissues is important for electroporation therapies (J. Gehl, T. H. Sorensen, K. Nielsen, P. Raskmark, S. L. Nielsen, T. Skovsgaard, L. M. Mir, In vivo electroporation of skeletal muscle: threshold, efficacy and relation to electric field distribution, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1428 (1999) 233-240; D. Miklavcic, D. Semrov, H. Mekid, L. M. Mir, A validated model of in vivo electric field distribution in tissues for electrochemotherapy and for DNA electrotransfer for gene therapy, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1523 (2000) 73-83; D. Miklavcic, K. Beravs, D. Semrov, M. Cemazar, F. Demsar, G. Sersa, The Importance of Electric Field Distribution for Effective in vivo Electroporation of Tissues, Biophys. J. 74 (1998) 2152-2158). For instance, in reversible electroporation it is desirable to generate a homogeneous electric field (Eth≦E<Eth—irr) in the region of interest and a null electric field in the regions not to be treated. Currently, optimization of the electric field distribution during electroporation is done through design of optimal electrode setups (G. A. Hofmann, in M. J. Jaroszeski, R. Heller, R. A. Gilbert (Editors), Electrochemotherapy, electrogenetherapy and transdermal drug delivery: electrically mediated delivery of molecules to cells, Humana Press, Totowa, N.J., 2000, pp. 37-61). However, there are situations in which an electrode setup alone is not sufficient for obtaining an optimal electrical field, particularly in situations such as the electroporation of irregularly shaped tissues or when the protection of specific tissue regions is required.

Gels with predetermined conductivity used in electroporation of tissue

The Regents of the University of California


A method and system for providing Quality of Service (QoS) for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based signaling and traffic are disclosed. The method can facilitate the management of Quality of Service in a Session Initiation Protocol-based communication on a cable network by using a built-in Dynamic Service feature to set up, enforce, modify, and tear down Quality of Service enabled service flows for SIP-based signaling and multimedia traffic over the cable system. The system can include a cable modem that is configured to recognize SIP-based signaling and traffic on a CM/Multimedia Terminal Adapter interface. The disclosed method and system can facilitate the provision of SIP-based services utilizing the inherent features of a cable network.

It is well known for cable multiple system operators (MSOs) to provide Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based services, such as telephony or other multimedia applications, to their subscribers. When SIP-based services are provided, a minimum quality of service (QoS) is desired in order for the service to be useful to the subscriber. According to contemporary practice, some MSOs use QoS elements within their networks to allow subscriber SIP-based services and devices to request and receive the desired QoS from the cable network. However, other MSOs have not implemented such QoS elements in their networks and therefor are unable to provide the desired QoS to their subscribers.
The implementation of QoS elements in cable networks can be time consuming, disruptive to the network, and expensive. QoS elements can conflict with other elements in a network, sometimes making their implementation undesirable. MSOs that do not implement such QoS elements need to be able to provide the desired QoS to SIP-based services by utilizing only the inherent features of their cable network. As such, it is beneficial to provide a method and system for providing quality of service (QoS) for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based signaling and traffic that does not require the use of QoS elements.


A method and apparatus implementing a user interface device, such as a mouse or trackball, having electronically controllable tactile responsiveness which is flexibly programmable. A user interface device effects positioning of a cursor within a limited area, such as on a display screen, with limits imposed by controllable tactile responsiveness. Programmable force-position characteristics relate the tactile responsiveness of the interface device to the position of the cursor within the limited area or on the display screen. In a described embodiment, the interface device includes at least two sets of wheels that move as the interface device is actuated. The at least two sets of wheels are aligned on mutually orthogonal axes. A servo motor is attached to each of the at least two sets of wheels. A position encoder is associated with each servo motor and outputs position information to a controller that has access to force-position relation information that is a function of a screen display on which the cursor is manipulated. The controller outputs a digital signal, in accordance with the force-display position relation information. The digital signal is converted to an analog current signal applied to the servo motor(s) to generate force in the servo motor. The force, presenting a tactile response to a human interacting with the user interface device, is perceived as a resistance, tactile pressure or lack thereof, or as a positive, assisted motion which is indicative of position on a screen display.

In numerous contexts humans perform tasks by interacting with machines via actuators having knobs, dials or linear actuators. Such human interaction in many instances becomes conditioned upon the responsiveness of the actuator. The human operator interacts in accordance with tactile feedback perceived through contact with the actuator knobs, dials or handles.
For example, in video or film editing using systems as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,937,685 and 4,964,004 which are incorporated herein by reference, an editor edits video image information at a console having a plurality of "control wheels" (i.e. large dials or knobs). The film or video editor controls operation of a composition system from an operator's console, as illustrated in FIG. 1, using two sets of controls, one for each hand, to control the editing process. Each control set includes a plurality of finger switches or pushbuttons 110 clustered proximate to a large rotatable control wheel 112, facilitating tactile operation with minimal hand movement. As the editor is focussing on at least one video monitor, viewing frames of visual source material during the editing function, it is generally the case that the operator will acquire a feel for the various controls and become acclimated to their functionality through tactile feedback therefrom, rather than having to look at the control wheel(s) for visual feedback. Accordingly, more efficient human interaction with, and sensitivity to the composition system is achieved.
The control wheels 112 exhibit tactile responsiveness, such as detents or clicks, as they are rotated. Typically, a full rotation of the wheel 112 is correlated to a unit of time, such as one second, of viewing the visual source material being edited. A corresponding number of "frames" of visual source material will be viewed during such a time period, depending on the medium or type of source material being edited. It is most desirable that the number of frames of source material be correlated to the tactile responsiveness, i.e. number of clicks, of the wheel 112 during rotation. For instance, film editing involves standardized source material of which twenty-four (24) frames are provided per second. Thus, it is most desirable that in a full rotation of the wheel 112 (presenting one second of source material), the wheel respond with twenty-four (24) clicks, each click corresponding to one frame of the visual source material.
While film editing involves source material having twenty-four (24) frames per second, other video medium standards require different frame rates. The frame rate, or number of frames per second according to the National Television System Committee (NTSC) is thirty (30) frames per second, a standard promulgated for television video in the United States. Standards such as PAL and SECAM provide for a standard frame rate of twenty-five (25) frames per second in England and France respectively. New standards for high definition television specify a frame rate of thirty (30) or sixty (60) frames per second.
Differing frame rate standards relating to visual source material and the nature of mechanical detents in actuators, presents the problem that multiple actuators are required to facilitate correlation between actuator tactile responsiveness and the various visual source material standards. As illustrated in FIG. 1a, actuators known in the art for providing tactile responsiveness typically incorporate a mechanical detent mechanism. A fixed number of clicks is provided by a spring loaded friction mechanism 111 coacting with a sprocket 113 having a fixed number of cogs or detents corresponding to the desired number of clicks per revolution. Therefore, an actuator having twenty-four fixed detents is required and dedicated for a film editing context, a thirty detent actuator is required for a NTSC video editing system, a twenty five detent actuator is required in the PAL or CCAM video editing context, etc. The plurality of actuators required limits the flexibility of visual source material composition systems and significantly increases the complexity, cost and hardware requirements of a flexible system.
In addition to the lack of flexibility of use of fixed mechanical detent actuators, such actuators disadvantageously become worn and suffer tactile responsiveness degradation over time. Other mechanically/spring loaded linear or rotary actuators suffer similar deficiencies.
Likewise, other types of actuators or user interface devices are known for permitting users to interact with electronic devices, such as personal computers. Such user interface devices, like a trackball or mouse as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,549 ("the '549 patent"), may include tactile responsiveness in the form of resistance to movement of the device as the device is actuated and the cursor moves across predetermined areas of the display screen.
In the '549 patent a mouse is disclosed which has an electromagnetic means, in the form of an electromagnet in conjunction with a magnetic surface or an electromagnetic brake, which provides resistance to the movement of a "spherical ball pickup". Feedback or tactile responsiveness is achieved in one embodiment by controlling the degree of sliding friction between a magnetic portion of the mouse and a magnetic pad surface on which the mouse must be actuated. Disadvantageously, the magnetic pad surface is a requirement in such an embodiment, and the friction forces between the pad and the mouse may be affected in ways that may not be predictable and might be detrimental to the tactile responsiveness.
In another embodiment in the '549 patent, an electromagnetic brake is included and resistance is provided by the brake directly to the spherical ball or tracking element. The braking mechanism is totally self-contained within the mouse eliminating the need for a magnetic pad surface. However, while the electromagnetic brake provides a stopping mechanism, it cannot provide a continuous torque to the tracking element, i.e. no torque is applied when the tracking element is stopped. Such a mechanism cannot be used to change tactile responsiveness, e.g. to decrease resistance, as a function of characteristics of a particular screen display. The resistance provided is only opposed to motion and cannot aid motion by actively driving the ball to facilitate ease of motion in certain display areas or to keep the cursor off of the boundary of a restricted display area.

Method and apparatus for tactilely responsive user interface


A composition for treating a mammal having a condition characterized by bone or joint inflammation comprises:. 2,250 mg soluble bovine cartilage, PA0 250 mg soluble shark cartilage, PA0 1,000 mg glucosamine sulfate, PA0 350 mg mucopolysaccharide concentrate, PA0 225 mg proteolytic enzymes from hog pancreatic extract, PA0 500 mg standardized extract of ashwagandha, PA0 470 mg extract of Boswellia serrata comprising 150 mg boswellic acid PA0 1,000 mg chondroitin polysulfate, PA0 100 mg extract of sea cucumber, PA0 300 mg black currant seed oil, PA0 3,500 mg ascorbic acid (vitamin C), PA0 150 mg pyridoxine HCl (vitamin B6), PA0 1,000 mg devil's claw powder.

This invention relates to a mixture of natural ingredients for the treatment of bone or joint inflammation.
Bone and joint inflammation is a scourge of both animals and humans. Examples of this debilitating condition include arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, tendonitis, etc.
Those who suffer from bone or joint inflammation experience pain and discomfort, and may, in advanced cases, lose the effective use of inflamed joints. The goal of therapeutic methods for treating bone or joint inflammation is the relief of pain and discomfort, and the restoration of use of inflamed joints.
Most western countries have adopted traditional western medicine to treat bone and joint inflammation. The treatments usually involve synthetic drugs, such as Motrin, Fildene, Indocin, Clinoril, Naprosyn, Vicoden, and Meclomen. These drugs do not always alleviate pain and discomfort, or restore significant use of inflamed joints. Moreover, such drugs may lead to undesirable side effects.
Natural ingredients, including Ayurvedic formulations, have also been used to treat bone and joint inflammation, especially in eastern countries, and, increasingly, in western countries. Such natural ingredients include cartilage, glucosamine sulfate, proteolytic and other enzymes, and herbs, such as the gummy extract of Boswellia serrata, Ashwagandha, and ginseng. While not leading to the kinds of side effects observed with western drugs, the eastern formulations do not always provide sufficient relief of pain and discomfort, or restore significant use of inflamed joints.
There is, therefore, a need for new treatments of conditions characterized by inflammed bone or joints that avoid the disadvantages of known treatments, including the disadvantages described above. It is an objective of the present invention to provide such new treatments. More specifically, it is an objective of the present invention to provide new treatments for bone or joint inflammation that are able to relieve pain and discomfort, and to restore significant use of inflammed joints, better than known methods, while at the same time avoiding the side effects observed with traditional drugs.

Natural composition for treating bone or joint inflammation


A steering angle sensing apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus and method sense the steering angle of a steering shaft by using a rotated bit value difference corresponding to the rotated angles of magnets, which are respectively coupled on an axis of one of a plurality of sub gears, when the sub gears with respectively different gear ratios rotate with a shaft gear that rotates together with the steering shaft.

A steering mechanism that is an indispensable part of an automobile is a mechanism that alters the path and direction of travel of the automobile according to a driver's wishes. Such a steering mechanism includes a steering wheel controlled by the a driver, a steering shaft connected to the steering wheel for relaying the steering inputs from the driver, and a sensing apparatus installed on the steering shaft for sensing the angle of the steering wheel (steering angle).
Typically, a steering wheel connected to a steering shaft is capable of rotating 2-3 turns clockwise and counterclockwise. A steering sensor capable of accurately detecting the rotated direction and steering angle of a steering shaft is required.

Steering angle sensing apparatus and method thereof


A cellular insulated gate bipolar transistor ("IGBT") device has a reduced length of the channels of the individual cells that is formed by reducing the channel drive in time from the customary 120 minutes at 1175.degree. C. to between 60 and 90 minutes at 1175.degree. C. The process also permits the use of a higher minority carrier lifetime killing electron radiation dose to improve switching power loss while reducing SOA by only a small value. Alternatively, the increased concentration region located in the active region between spaced bases is initially driven in at a temperature of about 1175.degree. C. for about 12 hours, rather than the customary 8 hours, and the channel drive in time is reduced from 120 minutes to 60 minutes. The shorter channel length, when combined with the deeper enhancement region, allows for higher lifetime electron irradiation doses or heavy metal diffusion temperatures.

Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are well known and a typical structure and process of manufacture is described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/316,112, filed on Sep. 30, 1994 (IR-1199), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/041,136, filed on Mar. 30, 1993 and now abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/521,177, filed on May 9, 1990 and now abandoned, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference; and in British Patent No. 2,243,952 (IR-988). The channel length in such devices is typically that produced by a channel drive in of boron having an implant dose of 6 E15 per cm.sup.2 followed by a drive for approximately 120 minutes, and followed again by an arsenic source implanted at 3 E15per cm.sup.2 and driven in at about 975.degree. C.
This process has produced commercially acceptable IGBT devices with given forward voltage drops and switching power losses. Such devices are made by the International Rectifier Corporation of El Segundo, California.
It is always desirable to reduce the forward voltage drop of an IGBT and to decrease its switching power loss, namely to increase its; safe operating area (SOA). It is also desirable to reduce the minority carrier lifetime ("lifetime killing") to increase the switching speed of the IGBT by reducing the lifetime of the minority carriers in the silicon. Though electron irradiation may be used to reduce minority carrier lifetime, the dose that can be irradiated into the IGBT must be less than 4 megarads to avoid "switchback" and is typically less than 3 megarads.
It is therefore desirable to provide a process which permits a substantial reduction in both forward voltage drop and SOA and allows electron irradiation at higher doses without switchback.
Moreover, the effect of the irradiation can be annealed out at die bond temperatures. The device must therefore be subsequently soldered at lower temperatures to avoid this annealing, which complicates the assembly process. Therefore, doping with a heavy metal, such as platinum or gold, is preferred for lifetime killing. However, heavy metal doping increases the apparent resistivity in the active region between bases.
It is therefore also desirable to be able to use heavy metal doping in an IGBT without increasing forward voltage drop above that of a comparable electron irradiated IGBT.

Short channel IGBT with improved forward voltage drop and improved switching power loss


In one embodiment, a mobile device is tested remotely under normal operating conditions. One or more mobile devices register with a proxy server through a registration message that includes an identification value from a mobile application running on the mobile device. A persistent connection is established with the mobile device. A testing command is sent to the mobile application. The testing command directly manipulates a user interface of the mobile application. The mobile application returns a state message that describes the state of the mobile application after the testing command has been executed.

Software applications designed for mobile platforms, which may be referred to as mobile applications or apps, interact with remote servers to provide services to the user. Thorough testing of mobile applications includes testing the data exchange with remote servers, testing interaction with the user, and testing communication with the mobile network. Testing or other issue diagnosis may be performed by the manufacturer in a simulated environment. For example, testing on mobile devices may be performed through a cable that connects the mobile device to a computer.
However, perfect simulations of the mobile network and interaction with the user may not be possible. Some problems may only arise when the device is running "in the wild" and connected to the mobile networks. Limitations in device functionality as well as obstacles in carrier operated networks make such testing difficult, if not impossible.


The present invention is directed to an oil-soluble lubricating oil additive comprising at least one terminally unsaturated ethylene alpha-olefin polymer of 300 to 20,000 number average molecular weight terminally substituted with amine compounds, which are also useful additives to oleaginous compositions, e.g., as fuel and lubricating oil dispersants.

Ashless nitrogen and ester containing lubricating oil dispersants have been widely used by the industry. Typically, these dispersants are prepared from a long chain hydrocarbon polymer by reacting the polymer with maleic anhydride to form the corresponding polymer which is substituted with succinic anhydride groups. Polyisobutylene has been widely used as the polymer of choice, chiefly because it is readily available by cationic polymerization from butene streams (e.g., using AlCl.sub.3 catalysts). Such polyisobutylenes generally contain residual unsaturation in amounts of about one ethylenic double bond per polymer chain, positioned along the chain.
The polyisobutylene polymers (PIB) employed in most conventional dispersants are based on a hydrocarbon chain of a number average molecular weight (M.sub.n) of from about 900 to about 2500. PIB having a M.sub.n of less than about 300 gives rather poor performance results when employed in dispersants because the molecular weight is insufficient to keep the dispersant molecule fully solubilized in lubricating oils. On the other hand, high molecular weight PIB (M.sub.n >3000) becomes so viscous that conventional industrial practices are incapable of handling this product in many operations. This problem becomes much more severe as the PIB molecular weight increases to 5000 or 10,000.
Increased amounts of terminal ethylenic unsaturation in polyisobutylene (so-called "reactive polyisobutylene") has been achieved by BF.sub.3 catalyzed polymerization of isobutylene. Exemplary of references disclosing these polymers is U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,499. However, such reactive polyisobutylene materials can still contain substantial amounts of unsaturation elsewhere along the chain. Further, it is difficult to produce such reactive polyisobutylene polymers at molecular weights of greater than about 2,000, and, even so, the reactive polyisobutylenes themselves still suffer the above-noted viscosity increase disadvantages as molecular weights are increased.
Other polymers, such as ethylene-propylene co-polymers and terpolymers containing non-conjugated dienes, have been disclosed as suitable polymers for the preparation of ashless nitrogen and ester dispersants.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,435, for example, discloses dispersants prepared from polyalkenes, M.sub.n of 1,300 to about 5,000. The polyalkene can comprise homopolymers or interpolymers of C.sub.2 to C.sub.16 terminal olefins, of which ethylene-propylene copolymers are said to be examples, with specific reference to a copolymer of 804 ethylene and 20% propylene.
However, ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers of the above molecular weights could be produced using Ziegler-Natta catalysts only in combination with H.sub.2 as molecular weight control in order to terminate the growing copolymer chains within this molecular weight range. Without use of H.sub.2 or other conventional, so-called "chain stoppers", the copolymers produced with Ziegler-Natta catalysts would tend to have molecular weights greatly in excess of the above range. (Such higher copolymers, for example, are widely employed in ungrafted form as viscosity index improvers, and when grafted with nitrogen-containing groups, as described below, are conventionally employed as dispersant-viscosity index improver polymers.) The use of H.sub.2 as a chain stopper has the disadvantage of causing the saturation of the olefinic double bond content of the copolymer. Thus, while lower molecular weight copolymers were theoretically possible to prepare, their low unsaturation content (and the accompanying low graft copolymer yields) would have made their further functionalization by a thermal "enell reaction, e.g., with dicarboxylic acid moieties in preparing dispersants, highly unattractive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,834 to Uniroyal Chemical discloses preparation (via certain metallocene and alumoxane catalyst systems) and composition of ethylene-alpha olefin copolymers and terpolymers having vinylidene-type terminal unsaturation, which are disclosed to be useful as intermediates in epoxy-grafted encapsulation compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,491 to Mitsui Petrochemical relates to liquid ethylene alpha-olefin random copolymers, useful when hydrogenated as synthetic lubricant oil, characterized inter alia by having 10-85 mol.% ethylene units, 15-90 mol.% alpha-olefin units, M.sub.n of from 300 to 10,000 and a w/M.sub.n of not more than 2.5. The patent also indicates that the liquid copolymer can be easily modified since it has a double bond capable of reacting with maleic anhydride, etc., at the molecular chain ends.
Japanese Published Patent Application 87-129,303A of Mitsui Petrochemical relates to narrow molecular weight distribution (M.sub.w /M.sub.n <2.5) ethylene alpha-olefin copolymers containing 85-99 mol% ethylene, which are disclosed to be used for dispersing agents, modifiers or materials to produce toners. The copolymers (having crystallinity of from 5-85%) are prepared in the presence of a catalyst system comprising Zr compounds having at least one cycloalkadienyl group and alumoxane.
European Patent 128,046 discloses (co)polyolefin reactor blends of polyethylene and ethylene higher alpha-olefin copolymers prepared by employing described dual-metallocene/alumoxane catalyst systems.
European Patent Publication 129,368 discloses metallocene/alumoxane catalysts useful for the preparation of ethylene homopolymer and ethylene higher alpha-olefin copolymers.
European Patent Application Publication 257,696 Al relates to a process for dimerizing alpha-olefins using a catalyst comprising certain metallocene/alumoxane systems.
European Patent Publication 305,022-Al to Mitsui Petrochemical relates to certain synthetic hydrocarbon lubricating oil compositions containing a load-withstanding additive and a liquid ethylene alpha-olefin random copolymer modified by graft copolymerization with an unsaturated carboxylic acid or derivative thereof (e.g., maleic anhydride) . The ethylene alpha-olefin copolymers (M.sub.n of 300 to 12,000) are obtained using Ziegler catalysts (e.g., catalyst formed from soluble V compound and an organo aluminum compound), are grafted in the presence of a free radical initiator.
PCT Published Patent Application WO 88/01626 relates to transition metal compound/alumoxane catalysts for polymerizing alpha-olefins.

Fuel compositions of novel ethylene alpha-olefin polymers substituted amine dispersant additives


A locking pin system is operated through an air spring which rotates a torque tube to remove a spring bias from a multiple of locking pins. Operation of the locking pin system is controlled by a trailer spring brake valve which operates in response to actuation of the slider parking brakes.

The present invention relates to a trailer slider system, and more particularly to an operating system and parking brake interlock for the locking pins thereof.
Heavy combination vehicles typically include a tractor and one or more trailers. Trailers often incorporate a movable subframe commonly referred to as a slider. A slider generally includes a pair of axles, a suspension, and an apparatus for adjusting and locking the position of the slider along the length of the trailer. Typically, a linkage is actuated and locking pins are moved to engage selected holes in the frame rails of the trailer. With the locking pins retracted from the holes, the slider position may be adjusted along the length of the frame rails. Once the slider reaches a desired position, the actuation element is operated and the locking pins are extended into the trailer frame holes.
One challenge with the use of a slider is ensuring that the locking pins are engaged in the holes before the tractor begins to pull the trailer. Disadvantageously, if the locking pins are not fully engaged, then it may be possible for the slider to move relative the trailer.
Various known systems interlock the parking brake to the locking pin position. In one of these systems, if the locking pins are not engaged, then a valve will be in a position preventing flow of pressurized air to the parking brake control valve. As is known, vehicle parking brakes typically include a large spring that moves to set the brake, preventing movement of the trailer. With the parking brakes set, the trailer cannot move. Thus, this known system prevents the trailer from moving unless the locking pins are engaged.
Trailers are equipped with an air supply line that is used to charge the trailer air reservoir and to retract the parking brakes. A parking brake control valve directs air to the parking brakes and then to the reservoir. This valve also prevents loss of reservoir pressure when the supply line is disconnected. The reservoir supplies pressurized air to operate the service brakes and is also used for various other applications on the trailer. Another known system provides a pin interlock valve that vents the supply line from the tractor and blocks any flow at the inlet to the parking brake control valve. Thus, in this known system when the interlock valve vents the supply of pressurized air, the reservoir will not charge.
Blocking the inlet to the parking brake control valve may actually lock the parking brakes in a release position if they are already released prior to the locking pins moving out of engagement. That is, if the parking brakes are released, and for whatever reason the pins are then withdrawn, the parking brakes cannot be set, and would stay in the released position. Furthermore, when the valve opens to vent the flow of air from the pressurized air supply line, the valve blocks the line leading to the parking brake control valve. This could potentially lock the air already in the parking brake chamber, again holding the brake away from the parked position.
Another problem with the prior art arrangement is that if the reservoir is not charged when the supply line is vented, there may not be air to drive accessories. Many of the locking pin drives are pneumatically powered and in the absence of pressurized air in the reservoir, these systems may not permit actuation of the locking pins.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a locking pin system that is readily actuated yet provides failsafe engagement of the slider with the trailer.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pneumatic locking pin operating system for a trailer slider


An optical film is disclosed having minimal curl, minimal coating unevenness and no cracks. The optical film is obtained by casting a dope comprising a cellulose ester and a non-chlorinated solvent on a metal support, the cellulose ester having a total acyl substitution degree of 2.6 to 2.85 and having a ratio of a weight-average molecular weight to a number-average molecular weight of 1:1 to 3:1; drying the cast dope on the metal support so as to obtain a cellulose ester film; peeling the cellulose ester film from the metal support; further drying the cellulose ester film while providing a longitudinal stretch or a lateral stretch to the cellulose ester film; and providing a metal oxide layer on the cellulose ester film.

Further improvement of visibility has been required with higher resolution of display device. Moving image display such as liquid crystal TV is still inferior in visibility and improvement thereof has been required. Further improvement of the durability has also come to be required with respect to outdoor use of cell phones, notebook personal computers and car navigation systems. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film provided with a metal oxide layer, which is utilized as an anti-reflection film or an electric conductive film for improving visibility of display devices, having minimal appearance of cracks and enough durability for the outdoor use thereof. Specifically, with respect to a metal oxide layer provided on a cellulose ester film, which utilized preferably as a protective film of a polarizing plate or an anti-reflection film, there were problems of marked coating unevenness and easy generation of cracks.

Optical film, polarizing plate and display device utilising the film, and production method of optical film


A multiple stud tensioner machine adapted to exert a longitudinal pre-stressing traction on a plurality of studs (2), the stud tensioner machine comprising a sensor supporting assembly (6) adapted to receive a plurality of elongation sensors (11) arranged in a row and positioning means adapted to move one (11a) of said sensors from said row into an operating engagement with one (2a) of said studs.

The tensioning of rod like members or studs can be done by applying a tightening torque to a threaded nut resting axially on the surface of the structure to be tightened. This tightening method does not allow controlling precisely the axial force transmitted to the rod, because of frictions between the nut in contact with the surface of the part to be tightened and between the nut and the rod. Moreover, this tightening method introduces torsion residual stresses into the rod, which results in using oversize rods. In addition, such a tightening generally leads to an important risk of damage of threads of the nut and of the rod cooperating together during tightening. The surface against which the nut is resting during its rotation at the time of tightening may also be damaged.
In order to avoid these disadvantages, a rod member or a stud may be axially tensioned before fitting-up a nut on the surface of a structure to be tightened. The nut blocks the rod when the axial force applied to the rod is released. The rod is thus pre-stressed only along its axis. An actuator can be used in order to transmit an axial traction force to the rod. Thus, after the nut is positioned on a threaded portion of the rod to be tensioned, the actuator is positioned so as to surround the head portion of the rod or stud and the nut. A traction force is applied in a longitudinal direction on a threaded extension of the head part of the rod member or stud and produces an elongation of the stud. This elongation facilitates the rotation of the tightening nut adapted to cooperate with a threaded portion of the stud so as to tighten the nut. The two mechanical parts can thus be secured together by the rod member or the stud without inducing a twist or a residual torsion stress to the stud.
Large mechanical assemblies must often be maintained by several threaded rods or studs. Multiple stud tensioning machines are then used to position, screw and unscrew as well as pre-tension a plurality of threaded studs. Examples are the attachment of parts of wind turbines or of the protecting cover of nuclear power reactor shells. A number of threaded studs are usually arranged in a circular row for attachment of such kind of large mechanical assemblies.
In order to facilitate the attachment operations, for example of the protecting cover to a nuclear reactor shell, a supporting ring assembly is provided, said assembly being moved from above on the cylindrical cover installed on the nuclear power shell. The complete set of attachment studs is supported by the supporting ring which is also provided with all necessary means for screwing and unscrewing the studs as well as tensioning them in a longitudinal direction before tightening the corresponding nuts. In order to fulfill those tasks, the supporting ring is usually equipped with at least one and preferably two robot units capable of being moved along the periphery of the supporting ring for screwing, unscrewing and tightening the nuts one by one within the nuclear power shell. The longitudinal traction force for pre-stressing each individual stud before tightening is produced by a plurality of hydraulic stud tensioners, each of which is mounted on the head of a respective stud.
All the studs around the cover of the nuclear power shell must be submitted to the same longitudinal traction before the corresponding tightening nuts can be rotated so as to secure the cover to the nuclear power shell. It is therefore necessary to carefully monitor the traction force applied to all individual studs so as to guarantee an identical tension, and of course to maintain such force within specific limits depending on the tensile strength of the material used. Such monitoring is preferably made by measuring the elongation of each stud with elongation sensors, each sensor being mounted on a respective stud. The individual elongation sensors are usually mounted manually on each stud, which is particularly cumbersome. The sensors are supplied with electrical energy by electrical connections linked to a central power station. The measurement signals are transmitted from each individual elongation sensor by wire connections. Therefore, the mounting operation as well as the dismounting operation of the multiplicity of elongation sensors is particularly long and difficult.
One aim of the present invention is to avoid those drawbacks and to simplify the operations of assembling and disassembling a plurality of elongation sensors on a plurality of rod like members or studs to be tensioned in a multiple stud tensioning machine.
Another aim of the present invention is to permit a simpler monitoring of the elongation of a plurality of studs during a pre-tensioning operation.
More generally, the present invention aims at providing quicker and easier assembling and disassembling of a plurality of elongation sensors. A further aim of the invention is to provide a safer and cheaper monitoring of the elongation of a plurality of studs, during attachment of two mechanical elements together, for example, a protecting cover to a nuclear reactor shell.

Multiple stud tensioning machine and method for automatically controlling the elongation of a plurality of studs


A combined read/write thin film magnetic head is provided. The combined head has a read head and write head. The write head has a thin coil layer formed on a flat upper surface layer of the read head. The read head includes a magnetoresistive element. An organic resin layer is formed under the thin coil layer of the write head and above the magnetoresistive element of the read head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to combined read/write thin film magnetic heads used in floating-type magnetic heads and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a combined read/write thin film magnetic head in which a flat layer is provided on a lower core layer in order to readily form a coil layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A combined read/write thin film magnetic head shown in FIG. 7 includes a reading head having a magnetoresistive element 11 provided on a lower-shield layer 9 at a trailing side face 15b of a slider 15, and an inductive-type magnetic head h2 for writing deposited thereon. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the inductive-type magnetic head h2 and is taken along sectional line VI--VI of FIG. 7.
The inductive-type magnetic head h2 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with a lower-core layer 21 composed of a magnetic material having high permeability, such as a Fe--Ni alloy (permalloy). The lower-core layer 21 also acts as an upper-shield layer of the reading head having the magnetoresistive element 11. A gap layer (a nonmagnetic layer) 22 composed of aluminum oxide (A1.sub.2 O.sub.3) or the like is formed on the lower-core layer 21 and its circumference. An insulating layer (a resist layer) 23 composed of an organic insulating material is formed on the gap layer 22, and a coil layer-24 is spirally formed thereon as follows. A resist material is applied onto the insulating layer 23, exposed with a pattern for the coil layer, and developed, and the coil layer 24 is plated on the pattern using a low-resistivity material such as Au or Cu.
An insulating layer (a resist layer) 25 composed of an organic insulating material is formed on the coil layer 24, and an upper-core layer 26 composed of a magnetic material having high permeability, such as a Fe--Ni alloy (permalloy), is formed on the insulating layer 25. As shown in FIG. 7, the front end 26a of the upper-core layer 26 faces the lower-core layer 21 through the gap layer 22 having a magnetic gap G1, and the base end 26b of the upper-core layer 26 is magnetically connected to the lower-core layer 21. A protective film 27 composed of an insulating material, such as aluminum oxide, is formed on the upper-core layer 26.
As shown in FIG. 6, the length Lb of the region in which the lower-core layer 21 is formed is remarkably larger than the length La of the region in which the coil layer 24 is formed. The flat surface, formed on the lower-core layer 21, of the insulating layer 23 therefore has a length Lc sufficient to provide a flat region for forming the coil layer 24. As a result, the coil layer 24 is stably formed on the wide flat region above the lower-core layer 21 and defects of the coil layer 24 will be barely formed.
A recording current led to the coil layer 24 in the inductive-type magnetic head h2 induces a recording magnetic field in the lower-core layer 21 and the upper-core layer 26. Magnetic signals are recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk by means of a leakage magnetic field between the lower-core layer 24 and the front end 26 of the upper-core layer 26 at the magnetic gap G1.
The total inductance of the inductive-type magnetic head h2 must be lower than a given critical value in order to achieve high density recording by means of high recording frequency. A decreased inductance can decrease the impedance and the time constant of the inductive-type magnetic head h2 in view of the circuit and improves high frequency recording characteristics. In the inductive-type magnetic head h2 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, however, the lower-core layer 21 has a large inductance, because it has a large volume. A decrease in the total inductance in the inductive-type magnetic head h2 in response to high frequency recording therefore should be achieved by decreasing the inductance of the coil layer 24 by means of reduction of coil turns. The reduction of the coil turns, however, causes a decreased intensity of the recording magnetic field and is not capable of writing by a low electric power.
FIG. 8A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a magnetic head, in which the length 1b of the lower-core layer 21 is merely decreased and is smaller than the length 1a of the coil layer 24 for the purpose of the reduction of the inductance. In this case, the coil layer 24 is formed over a range larger than the lower-coil layer 24. It therefore is also formed just above bumps 21 at both ends of the lower-coil layer 24. Since the insulating layer 23 has slanted surfaces on the bumps 21, the coil layer 24 also has slanted surfaces above the bumps 21. In the step forming the coil layer 24, a resist material is applied onto the insulating layer 23 and a resist pattern 24a for the coil layer 24 is exposed through a mask. The exposed light is A randomly scattered inside the resist material on the slanted surfaces of the insulating layer 23. As a result, the resist pattern 24a will have some defects 24a on the slanted surfaces due to unsatisfactory patterning. Short-circuiting of the coil layer 24 based on the resist pattern 24a will therefore readily occur.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an improved magnetic head, in which the lower-core layer 21 has a small length and the surface of the insulating layer 23 under the coil layer 24 is flat.
In the improvement, the region of the lower-core layer 21 is considerably smaller than the region of the coil layer 24, and a plating layer 28 composed of a nonmagnetic material such as copper is formed beside both sides of the lower-coil layer 21 so that these two layers have the same thickness. The gap layer 22 and the insulating layer 23 are formed thereon. Since the plating layer 28 having the same thickness as the lower-core layer 21 is formed beside both sides of the lower-core layer 21, the insulating layer has a flat surface and thus a coil having no defects can be readily formed.
In practical inductive-type magnetic heads h2, however, since the thicknesses of the gap layer 22 and the insulating layer 23 are small, short-circuiting will occur between the coil layer 24 and the conductive plating layer 28 due to defects, such as pin holes, in the gap layer 22 and the insulating layer 23. In inductive-type magnetic heads for high density recording, the thickness of the gap layer 22 which determines the gap length between the lower-core layer 21 and the upper-core layer 26 is too small to prevent short-circuiting due to layer defects.
Another type of magnetic head uses a nonmagnetic oxide, such as glass, SiO.sub.2 or Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, as the layer 28 at both ends of the lower-core layer 28 in FIG. 9, in which the in nonmagnetic oxide layer 28 is formed on the substrate and the lower core layer 21, as shown in FIG. 10A, and the nonmagnetic oxide layer 28 formed on the lower-core layer 21 is removed by grinding to equalize of the level of the lower-core layer 21 and the level of the nonmagnetic oxide layer 28 as shown in FIG. 9. If the nonmagnetic oxide layer 28 is excessively ground, the lower-core layer 21 will be also ground and the magnetic characteristics of the lower-core layer 28 will deteriorate due to stress during grinding. If the nonmagnetic oxide layer 28 is left on the lower-magnetic layer 21, the head characteristics change due to the residual nonmagnetic oxide layer 28 under the gap layer 22, as shown in FIG. 10B.

Combined read/write thin film magnetic head having a flat upper layer under a coil layer


In a system and method for remote maintenance, remote configuration and/or remote operation of an electrophotographic printing or copying system, a data processing system is connected with a communication unit of the printing or copying system via a network. Given a deactivated printing or copying system, the communication unit receives first data transmitted by the data processing system via the network and processes the transmitted first data. After receiving the first data, the communication unit activates a data processing unit of the printing or copying system. After the activation of the data processing unit, second data can be transmitted between the data processing system and the data processing unit.

The invention concerns a system and a method for remote maintenance, remote configuration and/or remote operation of an electrophotographic printing system or copying system. A data processing system is connected via a network with a communication unit of the printing or copying system.
In known electrophotographic printers and copiers, with the aid of modems a remote data transmission connection is established to a service and maintenance computer that is located in a service station of the printer manufacturer. For this, the entire printer is activated and connected in a suitable operating state. A connection via a telephone network is produced between the modems. With the aid of this remote data transmission connection, data with error entries of an error list, what is known as the error history, are transmitted from the printer to the service and maintenance computer.
For error analysis, the printer or copier must be activated by an operating personnel of the printer manufacturer and connected in a predetermined operating state. Thus such an error analysis is only possible when operating personnel of the customer activates the printer or copier before the remote data transmission and deactivates it again after the data transmission. Thus the remote data transmission connection can only be established at times at which the operating personnel is present at the printer. If a customer operates a printer or copier, for example in Japan, and the service station is located, for example, in Germany, a time shift of seven or eight hours thus occurs. Service times for a remote data transmission must thereby be coordinated between customers and service technicians of the service station.
An arrangement to control and to transmit data between a mainframe and a copier controller is known from European patent EP 0 513 549 A2. A control unit for communication control is provided that is connected with the copier control. The communication control comprises a data processing system with a modem, whereby the communication with the mainframe occurs independently of the copier control. A data transmission occurs with the aid of an RS232 interface between the copier control and the communication control.

System and method for remote maintenance, remote configuration and/or remote operation of an electro-photographic printing system or copying system


To provide a highly stable oscillation frequency control circuit wherein the frequency thereof is corrected, an adequate range of the input levels of external reference signals is determined in accordance with temperature characteristics in detecting the external reference signal, and the control voltage to a VCO is controlled within and outside the adequate range. An oscillation frequency control circuit includes a selection switch that connects the phase comparator to the loop filter in an external reference synchronization mode and that connects the fixed voltage supplying circuit to the loop filter in a fixed voltage mode, and a CPU that switches the selection switch to the external reference synchronization mode or to the fixed voltage mode based on whether the detected voltage of an external reference signal level is within or outside of the adequate range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oscillation frequency control circuit of an oscillator, and especially relates to an oscillation frequency control circuit that synchronizes with an external reference signal, corrects frequency thereof, and is highly stable in accordance with temperature characteristics of detection of the external reference signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Required precision for a frequency reference signal becomes increasingly higher in a base station of next-generation mobile communication, terrestrial digital broadcasting and the like.
As the frequency reference signal, a cesium frequency reference oscillator, a rubidium frequency reference oscillator, a frequency synchronization type reference oscillator by a GPS  signal and the like are used in a system of a broadcasting and communication field.
However, the oscillators are generally expensive, so that the reference signal from the oscillators is divided to be used as a reference signal source of a device.
The divided reference signal is used as a reference clock of a communication system.
Specifically, this is used as a reference signal of phase comparison of a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit, the reference clock signal of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and a sampling clock of a digital/analog (DA) converter and an analog/digital (AD) converter.
[Conventional PLL Circuit: FIG. 6]
Next, a conventional PLL circuit is described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a configuration block diagram of a general PLL circuit.
The PLL circuit is provided with a phase comparator 32 that compares an external reference signal (Fref) and a signal divided into 1/N to output a phase difference signal, a charge pump 33 that outputs phase difference with voltage of pulse width, a loop filter 34 that smoothes output voltage from the charge pump 33, a voltage controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO) 35 that changes the frequency by control voltage from the loop filter  34 to oscillation-output desired frequency (internal reference signal: output frequency), and a divider 36 that divides an output (internal reference signal) of the VCXO 35 into 1/N as shown in FIG. 6.
Meanwhile, the internal reference signal is a signal of N×Fref.
The PLL circuit is for obtaining an oscillation output synchronized with the reference signal by performing feed-back control to the VCXO 35 inside thereof such that the phase difference between the externally input reference signal and the VCXO 35 inside thereof is constant.
Specifically, the phase comparator 32 is for performing high-precision signal generation by performing PLL control in which the phases of the highly stable external reference signal and of the output signal from the VCXO 35, which is frequency-controlled by input voltage, are compared and direct-current voltage obtained by smoothing a phase comparison result is fed back to the VCXO 35. The PLL circuit is widely used in communication and broadcasting devices.
Meanwhile, as the conventional art relating to the oscillation frequency control circuit in the conventional oscillator, there are Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-083003 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-179489 (Patent Document 2).
The Patent Document 1 discloses a free-running frequency adjusting method in which count operation in synchronization with an output signal of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) in which a frequency counter is input in a time period corresponding to the pulse width is performed, a counted value corresponding to oscillation frequency of the VCO is held in a latch circuit, and, when a counted value deviates from a predetermined range, the CPU changes applied voltage of the VCO to adjust such that the free-running frequency is within the predetermined range.
Also, the Patent Document 2 discloses a phase lock loop circuit having an automatic adjusting function of the free-running frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator in which a microcomputer counts a pulse of an output pulse signal of the VCO in a period in which the output of the phase comparator is in a predetermined level, updates data for control in accordance with the counted value, and couples the data with a signal from a low pas filter (LPF) as an analog signal in a digital analog converter (DAC) to obtain a frequency control signal of the VCO.


An armored tracked vehicle is provided with traction-increasing grousers and a remotely controllable system for extending and retracting the grousers. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the grousers are extended by a hydraulic system formed of a plurality of radially arrayed pistons and cylinders. Conduits for the hydraulic system are located in protected positions within the vehicle's wheel axles. Preferably, the grousers are retracted in the absence of hydraulic pressure by springs located in each cylinder. Further, the grousers are arranged to align the track with respect to the wheels. This way, the track does not have to have a heavy center alignment guide.

The present invention relates generally to tracks for tracked vehicles and more particularly to a grouser system for increasing the traction of a tracked vehicle.
It is known to provide tracked military vehicles (such as tanks and earth moving vehicles) with grousers to increase traction. However, such grousers are conventionally provided as separate elements that have to be individually connected to the track. Connecting individual grousers to a track and individually removing the grousers are time consuming procedures. Moreover, the known grousers generally cannot be safely used in a combat situation, where the vehicle operator cannot leave the armored compartment of the military vehicle without being exposed to hostile fire.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a military tracked vehicle with grousers that can be conveniently extended and retracted from within the armored operator's compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,488 to Svensson discloses a vehicle for use in forestry. The vehicle has a rubber track which is driven by teeth which extend radially outwardly from a wheel. Extendable grousers are held within the teeth. When the grousers are extended, they pass through gaps defined within the track. The grousers are pushed radially outwardly through the teeth by a pressure ring actuated by a remotely controlled hydraulic cylinder. Svensson's pressure ring system is complicated and would be uneconomical to manufacture.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an economical tracked vehicle with grousers that can be reliably extended and retracted.

Extendable and retractable ground-engaging projections for tracked vehicle


A portable modular device for the purpose of sensing key movement of a piano or keyboard, processing key movement information, and communicating at least key-note ON/OFF and key-note velocity information. A portion of the modular device, the key sensor strip, inserts between the keys and fallboard and mounts atop a piano or keyboard.

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to a device for sensing piano or keyboard key movement using a variety of sensors that are inserted into the piano or keyboard from atop the keys.
2. Description of Related Art
Note that the following discussion refers to a number of publications by author(s) and year of publication, and that due to recent publication dates certain publications are not to be considered as prior art vis-a-vis the present invention. Discussion of such publications herein is given for more complete background and is not to be construed as an admission that such publications are prior art for patentability determination purposes.
There have been many ways sought to detect key movement on pianos and keyboards. Electronic keyboards have the advantage of building in key detecting devices during its design and manufacturing. However, older electronic keyboards, organs, and pianos are not equipped with key detecting devices and circuitry. New pianos are coming equipped with sensor units, and older piano can be retrofitted with sensor units.
Even though there are many types of sensing technologies used in these retrofit systems, such as optical couplers, piezo-electric material, mechanical switches, and magnetic coupling, most retrofit units must be installed by disassembling pianos and installing the sensor strip internal to piano. Once inside the piano, there are other sensing techniques used by major piano manufacturers to sense key movement by placing sensors beneath the key to virtually anywhere along the key linkages points all the way up to the key-string striking mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,902, U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,283, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,806 use optical sensing techniques to sense key movement from underneath the piano keys. None of these however have addressed sensing the black and white keys from atop the keys. It would be desirable to have a portable key sensing apparatus for over the top of the keys.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,230 discloses a keyboard device that is mounted on top of a keyboard and uses optical sensing for detecting key movement. However, while the invention detects key movement, it uses the visible portions of the keys for key sensing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,230 also has a challenging effort to sense black key movement accurately due to the black color of the black keys. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,230 or any patent that uses optical techniques in a portable device for sensing key movement from atop the keys must attempt to correct or compensate key sensing information from ambient light, and in some cases protect the device from damage or erroneous key-note information due to high levels of ambient light.
When using optical sensing, it would be desirable to eliminate the ambient light problem in dealing with an optical sensing technique from atop the keyboard. It would also be desirable to not use the obvious visual portion of the keys to detect key movement because of this problem and to further reduce the size of the apparatus.

Insertable piano/keyboard strip for sensing key movement


The article of the present invention is an analog of a particular object which has substantially the same size, shape and rotational inertia of the object while having the density of the medium of which the object is within. The analog encompasses a signal generator which may be used to analyze various properties of the object. More specifically, the article of the present invention is an analog of a food particulate undergoing aseptic processing wherein the food particulate is a constituent of a heterogeneous food such as soup or yogurt with fruit. The analog has substantially the same size, shape and rotational inertia of the actual food particulate while the article has the density of a fluid. The analog encompasses a signal generator which may be used to measure the residence time of the analog in a holding tube of an aseptic processing machine. The article also has the thermal conductivity of the food particulate. The process of the present invention determines the residence time of a food particulate undergoing aseptic processing wherein the food particulate is a constituent of a heterogeneous food such as soup or yogurt with fruit. The process uses the article of the present invention to generate a signal which is indicative of the residence time of the analog. The signal generator may be a magnet, and more particularly a samarium cobalt permanent magnet.

Many processes which have been invented require reliable data on a particular aspect of the process before the process receives validation of its efficacy from either a regulatory body or industry. Often, methods to obtain the reliable data are beyond the scope of the current art, thereby rendering beneficial processes commercially unusable. For example, there is currently no method to provide reliable data for the residence time of an object undergoing analysis in the situation where the object is a constituent of a heterogeneous phase throughput system. This has rendered many beneficial processes which rely on such data unusable. An example of such a process is an aseptic process for the production of a low acid shelf-stable food.
Before distribution to consumers, low acid (pH over 4.6) shelf-stable food products must be sterilized through heat treatment or other processes in order to achieve microbiological inactivation in the food product. An example of the sterilization of a heterogeneous food (foods having different phase constituents) is the heat treatment process for canned soups having food (vegetable and/or meat) particulates. The soup is dispensed into the cans and hermetically sealed therein. The cans are then placed upon a rotator and heated to a temperature of approximately 121.degree. C. while rotating. The heat process is necessary to achieve adequate microbiological inactivation to produce a shelf-stable product. The rotation of the cans expedites the heating of the liquid medium and the exterior of the solid particulates. However, the heating of the center of the food particulates is a much slower process because it can only take place through conduction heating. The heating time for the center of the food particulate increases as the aspect ratio (width to thickness) for the food particulate decreases. Thus, it will take longer to heat the center of a potato cube than it will to heat the center of a green bean (which has a quasi-cylindrical shape) because the surface area to volume of the green bean is greater than the surface area to volume of the potato cube.
An alternative microbiological inactivation process for food particulates in a liquid medium is aseptic processing. In aseptic processing, the heterogeneous food is conveyed through a number of first heat exchange sections for heating, to a holding tube for a set residence time to sterilize the food particulates, then to a number of second heat exchange sections for cooling before packaging. The thermal process design for such a product requires the use of a mathematical model which requires the residence time distribution data to optimize the product quality and microbial safety. This process is much faster than the latter, however, it has been difficult to establish the residence time for the food particulates because present tracking methods of the food particulates are unreliable. In order to insure that a safe lethality level for microorganisms is obtained for the center of food particulates, the residence time for food particulates in the holding tube and at the heat exchangers at a predetermined temperature must be established with reliable data. Although microbiological validation may be conducted on a batch of the heterogeneous food at the end of the validation process, without reliable data on the residence time of food particulates in the holding tube a safe lethality level will remain unknown or unsure at best. Therefore, governmental and industry regulatory bodies will not accept the safety of such a process which results in the inability to use this process to sterilize heterogeneous foods for sale to the public.
The food industry has invested a tremendous amount of time and money in analyzing this process and trying to provide reliable data for the residence time for food particulates undergoing this process. From the analysis of this process, much has been learned and accepted as fact. First, there is a definite difference between the residence time distribution of the food particulates and the liquid medium, with the particulates, on average, traveling faster than the mean velocity of the heterogeneous food. The size and concentration of the particulates affect the residence time as do the flow rate and viscosity of the heterogeneous food. The residence time must be measured for the fastest food particulates to ensure microbiological inactivation. With this knowledge, some in the food industry have attempted to measure the residence time of the food particulates or otherwise verify the efficacy of this process.
One such method uses magnetic resonance imaging to create temperature maps of food particulates to verify that the center is properly heated. Other methods place tracers in the actual food particulates and attempt to calculate the residence time by tracking the tracers. However, the size, shape, density and rotational inertia of the food particulate are altered by placing tracers in the actual food particulate. This results in unreliable data because that which is being tracked flows differently, and thus has a different residence time from the actual food particulate. Also, breakage of the particulate may occur resulting in the tracer slipping out of the particulate which would also effect the data.
Therefore, industry has yet to provide a reliable method for verifying the residence time of an object undergoing analysis in a situation where the object is a constituent of a heterogeneous phase system. The absence of such a method has prevented the use of various processes which need reliable data on the residence time of the object to demonstrate their efficacy.

Process and article for determining the residence time of a food particle