A locking mechanism for a circuit breaker operation device includes a housing (1). A button (2) is mounted in a button slot (101) of the housing (1). The locking mechanism is characterized in that the housing (1) is provided with a locking member (3) therein, and the locking member (3) can lock or unlock the button (2). In the locking mechanism for a circuit breaker operation device, a locking member is added in the circuit breaker; only after a lock button is pressed, an operation button is pressed to close the circuit breaker; when the operation button is pulled out, the circuit breaker is disconnected; when the lock button is not pressed, the operation button is locked by the lock button, the operation button cannot be pressed down, the circuit breaker cannot be closed.

Circuit breakers are divided into high-voltage circuit breakers and low-voltage circuit breakers according to their scopes of use. The low-voltage circuit breaker is also referred to as an automatic switch, which is an electrical appliance that acts as a manual switch and can also automatically perform voltage-loss, under-voltage, overload, and short-circuit protection. It can be used for distribution of electrical energy, infrequent starting of an asynchronous motor, and protection of power circuit, motor, and the like. Circuits can be automatically cut off when they have severe failures such as overload or short-circuit and under-voltage failures. The circuit breaker functions equivalently to a combination of fuse switch and over-heat or under-heat relay or the like, and it is generally unnecessary to change parts or components after the failure current is interrupted, therefore the circuit breakers have been widely used.
Circuit breakers are divided into a plug-in type, a fixed type, and a drawer type according to installation modes. The plug-in type circuit breakers can be used for effectively improving the safety in the industries where electrical equipment is used. As the plug-in type circuit breakers are widely used in various electrical equipment, the plug-in type circuit breakers have been developed to have various structures in order to meet the requirements for installation in various different electrical equipment. In the arrangements of currently existing traditional plug-in type circuit breaker products at installation positions, in general, the circuit breaker is closed by pressing an operation button, the operation button of the circuit breaker is resiliently restored to its initial position upon the operating force is removed, and the circuit breaker is disconnected when the button is pressed again. In this traditional installation mode, the circuit breaker can be switched on by pressing the operation button despite whether the circuit breaker has been installed in a cabinet. When a circuit breaker is plugged into the cabinet in a state where the circuit breaker has been connected with wires and the circuit breaker has been closed, a small electric arc will be generated between a wiring terminal of the circuit breaker and a busbar, which may endanger the safety of neighboring equipment.

Locking device for circuit breaker operation device


A method and system for pointing a receiver antenna is described herein. The method includes providing an indicator, receiving a signal at the antenna over a series of positions throughout which the antenna is moved, measuring a signal strength of the signal at each position, and causing the indicator to emit an indication signal that reflects the signal strength at each position. The frequency of the indication signal preferably varies non-linearly to the signal strengths, and the difference between successive indication signal frequencies increases as said signal strength increases in order to allow an installer to more effectively perceive the variations in the frequency of the indication signal.

Significant advances in wireless radio and satellite telecommunications systems technology have allowed such systems to become both indispensable and commonplace in the everyday activities of people and businesses. These communications systems generally include a transmitter component for sending signals wirelessly to a receiver component. The receiver component is usually connected to an antenna for collecting and feeding signals to the receiver. The design of the antenna is critical to the performance of the entire system, and improvements in antenna technology have contributed to the increased range and reliability typical of modern receivers.
Placement and orientation of the antenna relative to the transmitter component can also be critical to the performance of a receiver. For example, in modern digital satellite communication systems, such as Direct Broadcast Satellite ("DBS") systems, a ground-based transmitter beams an uplink signal to a satellite positioned in a geosynchronous orbit. The satellite in turn relays the signal back to ground-based receivers. The DBS systems allow each household subscribing to the system to receive digital television, audio, data, and video directly from the satellite using a relatively small, directional receiver antenna. The typical DBS satellite receiver antenna is configured as an 18-inch diameter parabolic dish which focuses the signals to a feed/low noise block ("LNB") mounted to the dish. An indoor television set-top decoder module or "IRD" is linked to the antenna via a cable.
Subscribers can currently install direct-to-home satellite receiver antennas without professional assistance or equipment. The relatively small, lightweight receiver dish antenna is mounted outside the home in a direct line of sight with the broadcast satellite, typically southward. Because DBS signals are beamed from a "stationary" geosynchronous satellite, the dish should not need adjustment once it is fixed in place. However, in order to ensure the quality of the signals received by the system, and thus take full advantage of the DBS system's capabilities, it is critical for the antenna to be pointed accurately toward the satellite, or "peaked", to maximize the strength of the received signals.
To peak the antenna in a DBS system, the subscriber or installer points the antenna in the general direction of the satellite, then fine-tunes the alignment by using a signal strength meter displayed on the television screen by the satellite receiver IRD. The subscriber then adjusts the antenna position until the on-screen meter indicates that signal strength and quality has been maximized. To prevent multiple trips between the location of the antenna to inside the home to view the meter, satellite antennas may include a simple alignment indicator mounted to the antenna. The indicator is typically a light-emitting diode ("LED") which operates from feedback signals fed to the antenna by the IRD through the link cable. The LED flashes to alert the installer that the antenna is pointed correctly.
During peaking of the antenna, the LED signal strength indicator typically alerts the installer that signal strength is increasing by flashing at a faster rate. However, the human eye is often not able to discern minuscule changes in flash rate which can correspond to subtle movement of the antenna during alignment. As a result, the antenna peaking procedure for the antenna to maximize the received signal strength may suffer due to inaccurate perception of the indicator.


A microstrip RF telemetry antenna is formed on or within the exterior surface of an implantable medical device housing that is formed either of a conductive metal or of a non-conductive dielectric material. The microstrip antenna is formed of an electrically conductive radiator patch layer that is laminated upon an exterior facing side of a dielectric substrate layer of relatively constant thickness. A conductive ground plane layer is formed on the opposite side of the dielectric substrate layer to extend parallel to and at least coextensively with the radiator patch layer. The radiator patch layer is coupled to the transceiver circuitry within the implantable medical device housing by a feedthrough extending through the dielectric substrate layer, the ground plane layer and the implantable medical device housing side wall. If the implantable medical device housing is conductive it may form the ground plane layer over which the dielectric substrate layer and the radiator patch layer are formed through deposition or other techniques. If the implantable medical device housing is formed of a suitable non-conductive dielectric material, the ground plane layer is formed on an interior surface thereof and the radiator patch layer is formed on an exterior housing surface thereof, preferably by deposition techniques. The ground plane layer may be recessed to form a cavity backed ground plane that receives the dielectric layer and radiator patch layer within the cavity. The exterior surfaces of the radiator patch layer, the dielectric layer and any exposed surface of the ground plane layer may be electrically insulated by a radome layer.

Early implantable medical devices such as implantable cardiac pacemakers were designed to operate in a typically single operating mode governed by fixed operating parameters without any ability to change the operating mode or otherwise communicate percutaneously with external equipment. In time, it became apparent that it would be clinically desirable to vary certain of the operating parameters and/or modes of operation. An initial approach employed with implanted cardiac pacemakers involved use of miniature rheostats that could be directly accessed by a needle-like tool inserted through the patient's skin to adjust a resistance in the pacing rate or pulse width setting circuit. Later, miniaturized reed switches were incorporated into the pacing rate or pulse width circuits that responded to magnetic fields applied through the skin by an external magnet placed over the implant site. The pulse width, pacing rate and a limited number of pacing modes could be adjusted in this manner.
It was also realized that the operation of an implantable cardiac pacemaker could be observed, for example, by use of a standard ECG machine and timing of intervals between pacing pulse spikes in the ECG tracing recorded from skin electrodes on the patient. Later, it became known that this technique could be used to detect data sent from the implanted cardiac pacemaker by modulating the pacing pulse amplitude and/or width or the pacing rate. This approach could only provide a low bandpass data channel, of course, to avoid interfering with the primary function of pacing the patient's heart when necessary. One use of this technique was to monitor impending battery depletion through observation of a change in the pacing rate from a preset or programmed pacing rate in response to a battery voltage drop.
As digital circuit technology advanced, it was recognized that control of operating modes and parameters of implanted medical devices could be realized in digital or binary circuits employing memorized control states or operating parameter values. In order to change an operating mode or parameter value, "programmers" were developed based on radio frequency (RF) downlink data communication from an external programmer transceiver to a telemetry transceiver and memory incorporated within the pacemaker implantable pulse generator (IPG).
It also became possible to provide uplink data telemetry to transmit the contents of a register or memory within the IPG to the telemetry receiver within the programmer employing the same RF transmission capabilities. Today, both analog and digital data can be transmitted by uplink RF telemetry from the implanted device to the external programmer. The analog data has typically included battery voltage, sampled intracardiac electrocardiogram amplitude values, sensor output signals, pacing pulse amplitude, energy, and pulse width, and pacing lead impedance. The digital data typically includes, statistics related to performance, event markers, current values of programmable parameters, implant data, and patient and IPG identifier codes. Similar analog and digital data is telemetered from implanted cardiac monitors, drug dispensers, nerve stimulators, cardioverter/defibrillators, pacemaker/cardioverter/defibrillators, etc.
The telemetry transmission system that evolved into current common use relies upon the generation of low amplitude magnetic fields by current oscillating in an LC circuit of an RF telemetry antenna in a transmitting mode and the sensing of currents induced a closely spaced RF telemetry antenna in a receiving mode. Short duration bursts of the carrier frequency are transmitted in a variety of telemetry transmission formats. In the MEDTRONIC.RTM. product line, the RF carrier frequency is set at 175 kHz and the RF telemetry antenna of the implantable medical device is typically coiled wire wound about a ferrite core that is located within the hermetically sealed enclosure. The hermetically sealed enclosure also typically contains a battery power source and circuitry for controlling the operation of the medical device.
In an uplink telemetry transmission from an implanted medical device, it is desirable to limit the current drain from the implanted battery as much as possible simply to prolong device longevity. However, as device operating and monitoring capabilities multiply, it is desirable to be able to transmit out ever increasing volumes of data in real time or in as short a transmission time as possible with high reliability and immunity to spurious noise. As a result of these considerations, many RF telemetry transmission data encoding schemes have been proposed or currently are used that attempt to increase the data transmission rate.
An extensive description of the historical development of uplink and downlink telemetry transmission formats and is set forth in the above-referenced '851 and '963 applications and in the following series of commonly assigned patents all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,404 to Grevious et al. sets forth an improved method of frame based, pulse position modulated (PPM) of data particularly for uplink telemetry. The frame-based PPM telemetry format increases bandwidth well above simple PIM or pulse width modulation (PWM) binary bit stream transmissions and thereby conserves energy of the implanted medical device. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,871 to Grevious et al. sets forth an improvement in the telemetry system of the '404 patent for detecting uplink telemetry RF pulse bursts that are corrupted in a noisy environment. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,343 to Blanchette et al. sets forth a further improvement in the telemetry system of the '404 patent employing a hand shake protocol for maintaining the communications link between the external programmer and the implanted medical device despite instability in holding the programmer RF head steady during the transmission. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,315 to Grevious sets forth an improvement in the uplink telemetry system of the '404 patent for providing feedback to the programmer to aid in optimally positioning the programmer RF head over the implanted medical device. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,825 to Grevious sets forth an further improvement in the programmer RF head for regulating the output level of the magnetic H field of the RF head telemetry antenna using a signal induced in a sense coil in a feedback loop to control gain of an amplifier driving the RF head telemetry antenna. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,714 to Grevious sets forth a further solution to the regulation of the output level of the magnetic H field generated by the RF head telemetry antenna using the sense coil current to directly load the H field. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,319 to Wybomey et al. sets forth a number of further improvements in the frame based telemetry system of the '404 patent. Many of these improvements are incorporated into MEDTRONIC.RTM. Model 9760, 9766 and 9790 programmers. These improvements and the improvements described in the above-referenced pending patent applications are directed in general to increasing the data transmission rate, decreasing current consumption of the battery power source of the implantable medical device, and increasing reliability of uplink and downlink telemetry transmissions.
The current MEDTRONIC.RTM. telemetry system employing the 175 kHz carrier frequency limits the upper data transfer rate, depending on bandwidth and the prevailing signal-to-noise ratio. Using a ferrite core, wire coil, RF telemetry antenna results in: (1) a very low radiation efficiency because of feed impedance mismatch and ohmic losses; 2) a radiation intensity attenuated proportionally to at least the fourth power of distance (in contrast to other radiation systems which have radiation intensity attenuated proportionally to square of distance); and 3) good noise immunity because of the required close distance between and coupling of the receiver and transmitter RF telemetry antenna fields.
These characteristics require that the implantable medical device be implanted just under the patient's skin and preferably oriented with the RF telemetry antenna closest to the patient's skin. To ensure that the data transfer is reliable, it is necessary for the patient to remain still and for the medical professional to steadily hold the RF programmer head against the patient's skin over the implanted medical device for the duration of the transmission. If the telemetry transmission takes a relatively long number of seconds, there is a chance that the programmer head will not be held steady. If the uplink telemetry transmission link is interrupted by a gross movement, it is necessary to restart and repeat the uplink telemetry transmission. Many of the above-incorporated, commonly assigned, patents address these problems.
The ferrite core, wire coil, RF telemetry antenna is not bio-compatible, and therefore it must be placed inside the medical device hermetically sealed housing. The typically conductive medical device housing adversely attenuates the radiated RF field and limits the data transfer distance between the programmer head and the implanted medical device RF telemetry antennas to a few inches.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,785,827 to Fischer, 4,991,582 to Byers et al., and commonly assigned 5,470,345 to Hassler et al. (all incorporated herein by reference in their entireties), the metal can typically used as the hermetically sealed housing of the implantable medical device is replaced by a hermetically sealed ceramic container. The wire coil antenna is still placed inside the container, but the magnetic H field is less attenuated. It is still necessary to maintain the implanted medical device and the external programming head in relatively close proximity to ensure that the H field coupling is maintained between the respective RF telemetry antennas.
Attempts have been made to replace the ferrite core, wire coil, RF telemetry antenna in the implantable medical device with an antenna that can be located outside the hermetically sealed enclosure. For example, a relatively large air core RF telemetry antenna has been embedded into the thermoplastic header material of the MEDTRONIC.RTM. Prometheus programmable IPG. It is also suggested that the RF telemetry antenna may be located in the IPG header in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,408. The header area and volume is relatively limited, and body fluid may infiltrate the header material and the RF telemetry antenna.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,058,581 and 5,562,713 to Silvian, incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, it is proposed that the elongated wire conductor of one or more medical lead extending away from the implanted medical device be employed as an RF telemetry antenna. In the particular examples, the medical lead is a cardiac lead particularly used to deliver energy to the heart generated by a pulse generator circuit and to conduct electrical heart signals to a sense amplifier. A modest increase in the data transmission rate to about 8 Kb/s is alleged in the '581 and '713 patents using an RF frequency of 10-300 MHz. In these cases, the conductor wire of the medical lead can operate as a far field radiator to a more remotely located programmer RF telemetry antenna. Consequently, it is not necessary to maintain a close spacing between the programmer RF telemetry antenna and the implanted cardiac lead antenna or for the patient to stay as still as possible during the telemetry transmission.
However, using the medical lead conductor as the RF telemetry antenna has several disadvantages. The radiating field is maintained by current flowing in the lead conductor, and the use of the medical lead conductor during the RF telemetry transmission may conflict with sensing and stimulation operations. RF radiation losses are high because the human body medium is lossy at higher RF frequencies. The elongated lead wire RF telemetry antenna has directional radiation nulls that depend on the direction that the medical lead extends, which varies from patient to patient. These considerations both contribute to the requirement that uplink telemetry transmission energy be set artificially high to ensure that the radiated RF energy during the RF uplink telemetry can be detected at the programmer RF telemetry antenna. Moreover, not all implantable medical devices have lead conductor wires extending from the device.
A further U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,111 to Silvian, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, suggests the use of a stub antenna associated with the header as the implantable medical device RF telemetry antenna for high carrier frequencies of up to 200 MHz and employing phase shift keying (PSK) modulation. The elimination of the need for a VCO and a bit rate on the order of 2-5% of the carrier frequency or 3.3-10 times the conventional bit rate are alleged.
At present, a wide variety of implanted medical devices are commercially released or proposed for clinical implantation. Such medical devices include implantable cardiac pacemakers as well as implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, pacemaker-cardioverter-defibrillators, drug delivery pumps, cardiomyostimulators, cardiac and other physiologic monitors, nerve and muscle stimulators, deep brain stimulators, cochlear implants, artificial hearts, etc. As the technology advances, implantable medical devices become ever more complex in possible programmable operating modes, menus of available operating parameters, and capabilities of monitoring increasing varieties of physiologic conditions and electrical signals which place ever increasing demands on the programming system.
It remains desirable to minimize the time spent in uplink telemetry and downlink transmissions both to reduce the likelihood that the telemetry link may be broken and to reduce current consumption.
Moreover, it is desirable to eliminate the need to hold the programmer RF telemetry antenna still and in proximity with the implantable medical device RF telemetry antenna for the duration of the telemetry transmission. As will become apparent from the following, the present invention satisfies these needs.

Implantable medical device microstrip telemetry antenna


The present invention relates to the use of protachykinin and/or fragments thereof that can be isolated from body fluids, tissues or other biological samples and therefore, serves as a marker peptide for medical diagnosis of diseases/disorders of the central nervous system, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression and/or conditions of pain, neurological, endocrinological, cerebral, muscular, local, systemic, chronic, inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases comprising bacterial and viral infections, meningitis, sepsis, Crohn's disease, colitis ulcerosa, sickle cell anemia, ischemia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, arthritis comprising rheumatoid arthritis, bronchitis, hyperalgesia, asthma, intoxication comprising bacterial intoxication, immunological disorders, poly/-trauma comprising cranio-cerebral trauma, tumors/cancer, stroke, stress, atopis dermatitis, HIV, Huntington's disease, burns, schizophrenia, Hirschsprung's disease, allergies, familial dysautononmia (Riley Day syndrome), hematopoietic disorders, gliomas comprising glioblastomas and astrocytomas, disorders of the blood brain barrier. The invention further provides antibodies for binding to certain proteins and their fragments, more specifically protachykinin and protachykinin peptides. In accordance with the invention, a kit useful for the above-mentioned diagnosis is also provided.

In 1931, the undecapeptide substance P was isolated by Von Euler and Gaddum (Von Euler and Gaddum, 1931). It was named Substance P because of its powdery consistency (Gaddum and Schild, 1934). Substance P (SP) is encoded by the preprotachykinin A-gene (PPT-A) which also comprises the gene sequences of other tachykinins like Neurokinin A (NKA), Neuropeptide K (NPK) and Neuropeptid γ (NP γ) (Carter and Krause, 1990). Neurokinin B is encoded by the PPT II or PPT-B gene. Substance P is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) as well as in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) (Otsuka and Yoshioka, 1993).
Tachykinins have a variety of functions. They have vasodilatory properties, are responsible for the contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscles in the gastro-intestinal and urogenital tract as well as in the bronchi. Furthermore, tachykinins play a major role in reflexes of defense caused by injuries or conditions of pain. These are, for example, the increase in cardiovascular tonus, vasodilation and triggering the NO-biosynthesis. Substance P has an influence on different inflammatory cells, serves as a neurotransmitter for transmitting pain and has regulatory function in blood formation. The non-Substance P-tachykinin Neurokinin A, Neuropeptide γ as well as Neuropeptide K are likely to play a role as regulators of endocrine functions.
The level of Substance P in body fluids is altered in several diseases. In plasma of sepsis patients a significant increase of the concentration of Substance P was shown well as in plasma and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (Joyce, Yood and Carraway, 1993).
Substance P also seems to play a role in inflammatory intestinal diseases like Crohn's disease and colitis ulcerosa.
Substance P m-RNA expression is significantly increased in HIV-infected macro-phages, which indicates an effect of that tachykinin in HIV infections.
In the liquor of Alzheimer's patients (late-onset) and patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis a significant increase of Substance P is observed.
In Parkinson's disease a reduction or an increase of Substance P in the medial globus pallidus was observed depending on the degree of dopamine reduction in the putamen.
Patients suffering from Chorea Huntington, a genetically dependent neuro-degenerative disease, showed a selective loss of preprotachykinin containing neurons in the brain.
In the serum of patients with cerebral ischemia (transient inhibition of blood flow as well as stroke), a significant increase in concentrations of Substance P could be determined.
Patients having carcinoid tumors showed an increased concentration of Substance P and Neurokinin A in the blood circulation as well as a significant increase in immune reactivity of tachykinin-like metabolites in urine. Substance P and Neurokinin A possibly also play a role in migraine, other subsistence disorders, in the development of glioma and they have a strong influence on the secretion in the bronchial tubes and on the bronchial circulation, which suggests that they might play a possible role as mediators in asthma.
In smokers suffering from a chronic bronchitis a ten-fold increase of PPT-A-mRNA concentration in lung epithelial cells could be shown.
In fibromyalgy and depression the concentration of Substance P in serum and liquor is increased, as well as in serum of patients suffering from sickle cell anemia is increased, especially in phases of pain.
Increased concentrations of Substance P are measured in patients suffering from atopic dermatitis that correlate with the severety of the disease.
Tachykinins like Substance P and Neurokinin A furthermore play a role in the regulation of proinflammatory cytokine responses.
The biosynthesis of the tachykinins starts as preprohormone. During biosynthesis after separation of the hydrophobic N-terminal sequence by so-called signal peptidasis and folding of the proteins in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum, the propeptides migrate into the vesicles of the Golgi Apparatus and are transported to the cell membrane. During transport the propeptides are processed to mature hormones by prohormone-convertases at usually dibasic amino acid sequences. Via different stimuli the peptides are secreted into the extracellular space or into the plasma. The mature peptides are rapidly inactivated after secretion by proteolysis. Substance P and Neurokinin A in vivo have an extremely low half-life of less than 2 minutes in blood. Neuropeptide K shows a bi-phasic degradation with a half-life of 0.9 minutes (degradation to Neuropeptide γ) and 6 minutes in plasma (further degradation).
The tachykinin Substance P, Neurokinin A, Neuropeptide K and Neuropeptide γ are encoded by the preprotachykinin A-gene (PPT-A). Alternative splicing of the PPT-A gene transcript results in 4 different mRNA molecules: α PPT-A, β PPT-A, γPPT-A and δPPT-A. All four mRNA molecules contain the sequence of Substance P. Only βPPT-A mRNA contains all 7 exons of the PPTA-gene and thus encodes all 4 tachykinins. Exon 6 is missing in the α PPT-A mRNA and exons 4 and 6 are missing in the δPPT-A mRNA. Thus, only those two types of mRNA encode the complete sequence of Substance P. Exon 4 is missing in γPPT-A mRNA, thus Neuropeptide K cannot be transcribed from this mRNA. The production of Substance P by all 4 splice variants suggests that when the PPT-A gene is expressed, also Substance P is produced. The expression of αPPT-A mRNA occurs predominantly in the brain, while, βPPT-A and γPPT-A mRNA molecules are predominantly expressed in peripheral tissue.
The PTK-A fragment 1-37 plays a central role in this invention and is called A-peptide herein.

Use of precursors of tachykinins and/or their fragments in medical diagnostic


A metal wood golf clubhead includes a soleplate which is provided with an upwardly extending cavity. An insert of dampening material is positioned in the cavity, and a cover is positioned in the cavity below the insert.

This invention relates to golf clubheads, and, more particularly, to a golf clubhead which includes a soleplate with multiple materials for absorbing and dampening impacts and sound.
Wood-type golf clubheads are increasingly being made from non-wood materials such as metal and composite materials, for example, graphite fibers and resin. Wood-type clubheads are those which are commonly referred to as the driver, 2 wood, 3 wood, etc. even though the clubhead is not formed from wood.
A metal wood-type clubhead is conventionally made by investment casting. The head is usually cast in two parts--a hollow shell or body and a soleplate. The shell or body provides the exterior surfaces of the clubhead except for the bottom or sole, which remains open so that the material which forms the interior of the mold can be removed after the body is cast. The soleplate is positioned within the opening of the shell and is suitably secured to the shell, as by welding, to form a hollow clubhead.
The hollow clubhead may be filled with foamed plastic resin, for example, polyurethane. Liquid foamable resin is poured into the clubhead through the opening for the shaft of the club, and the foamable material expands to fill the hollow interior of the clubhead and solidifies. The principal reason for filling the interior of the head is to dampen the undesirable ringing sound of impact which is produced when a hollow metal wood strikes a golf ball. However, even when metal clubheads are filled with foamed plastic, metal woods, particularly drivers, still tend to produce an undesirable ringing or ping sound upon impact.

Golf clubhead with multi-material soleplate


This invention relates to thermoplastic molding compositions with improved flowability based on a thermoplastic polyester and on at least one copolymer composed of at least one olefin with at least one methacrylic ester or acrylic ester of an aliphatic alcohol, the MFI of the copolymer being not less than 50 g/10 min, to a process for preparation of these molding compositions, and also the use of these molding compositions for production of moldings for the electrical, electronics, telecommunications, motor vehicle or computer industry, in sports, in the household, in medicine or for the entertainment industry.

Highly flowable thermoplastic compositions are of interest for a wide variety of injection molding applications. By way of example, thin-walled components in the electrical, electronics and motor vehicle industry require low viscosities from the thermoplastics composition in order to permit material to be charged to the mold with minimum injection pressures and, respectively, clamping forces in the appropriate injection molding machines. This also applies to simultaneous charging of material to two or more injection molding components by way of a shared runner system in what are known as multicavity tooling systems. Shorter cycle times can moreover often be achieved using low-viscosity thermoplastic compositions. Good flowabilities are also specifically very important for highly filled thermoplastic compositions, e.g. with glassfibre and/or mineral contents above 40% by weight.
However, although the thermoplastic compositions have high flowability, the actual components produced therefrom are subjected to stringent mechanical requirements, and the lowering of viscosity cannot therefore be permitted to impair mechanical properties.
There are a number of ways of obtaining highly flowable, low-viscosity thermoplastic molding compositions.
One way uses low-viscosity polymer resins with very low molecular weight as base polymers for the thermoplastic molding compositions. However, the use of low-molecular-weight polymer resins is often associated with sacrifices in mechanical properties, in particular toughness. Preparation of a low-viscosity polymer resin in an existing polymerization plant moreover often requires complicated intervention attended by capital expenditure.
Another way uses what are known as flow aids, also termed flow agents or flow assistants or internal lubricants, which can be added as an additive to the polymer resin.
These flow aids are known from the literature, e.g. in Kunststoffe 2000, 90 (9), p. 116-118, and by way of example can be fatty acid esters of polyols, or amides derived from fatty acids and from amines. However, these fatty acid esters, such as pentaerythritol tetrastearate or ethylene glycol dimonitanoate, have only limited miscibility with polar thermoplastics, such as polyamides, polyalkylene terephthalates or polycarbonates. Their concentration increases at the surface of the molding and they are therefore also used as mold-release aids. Particularly at relatively high concentrations, they can also migrate out of these moldings to the surface on heat-ageing and become concentrated at the surface. By way of example, in coated moldings this can lead to problems with regard to adhesion to paint or to metal.
As an alternative to the surface-active flow aids, it is possible to use internal flow aids which are compatible with the polymer resins. Examples of those suitable for this purpose are low-molecular-weight compounds or branched, highly branched or dendritic polymers whose polarity is similar to that of the polymer resin. These highly branched or dendritic systems are known from the literature and their basis can by way of example be branched polyesters, polyamides, polyesteramides, polyethers or polyamines, as described in Kunststoffe 2001, 91 (10); pp. 179-190, or in Advances in Polymer Science 1999, 143 (Branched Polymers II), pp. 1-34.
EP 0 682 057 A1 describes the use of the nitrogen-containing first-generation 4-cascade dendrimer: 1,4-diaminobutane[4]propylamine (N,N′-tetrabis(3-aminopropyl)-1,4-butanediamine) DAB(PA)4 to lower viscosity in nylon-6, nylon-6,6 and polybutylene terephthalate. While use of DAB(PA)4 to lower viscosity in polyamides has practically no effect on the impact resistance of the resultant molding compositions (difference <5%), impact resistance falls by more than 15% in the case of PBT.
WO-A 98 27159 describes an improvement in toughness of glassfibre-reinforced polyesters or polycarbonates via use of two copolymers composed of ethene and of acrylates, one copolymer also bearing a reactive epoxy or oxirane function. Flow improvement in the molding compositions is an object of the invention, but the comparison system described composed of polyester and of the copolymer composed of ethene and methylacrylate has higher melt viscosity than the pure polyester system.
JP 01247454 describes mixtures which have low-temperature toughness, of polyesters with a copolymer composed of ethene and of an unreactive alkyl acrylate whose MFI is 5.8 g/10 min (at 190° C., 2.16 kg) and with a copolymer composed of ethene and of an acrylate having an additional reactive group. The subject of that application is not flow improvement in molding compositions.
EP-A 1 191 067 (=U.S. Pat. No. 6,759,480) describes the impact modification of thermoplastics, inter alia of polyamide and polybutylene terephthalate via a mixture composed of a copolymer composed of ethene with an unreactive alkyl acrylate, and also of a copolymer composed of ethene with an acrylate having an additional reactive group. There is no discussion of the flowability of the molding composition.
EP-A 0 838 501 (=U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,414) describes mixtures having low-temperature toughness of reinforcing materials and polyesters with a copolymer composed of ethene and of an unreactive alkyl acrylate, and also with a copolymer composed of ethene and of an acrylate having an additional reactive group. The best embodiment in that application is achieved with a copolymer composed of ethene and methyl acrylate. The subject of that application is not flow improvement in molding compositions.
WO-A 2 001 038 437 (AU 4 610 801 A) describes mixtures composed of polyester with a core-shell rubber and with two different copolymers composed of ethene and of acrylates with and without additional reactive groups. The toughness of the molding compositions can be improved, and the flowability even of the binary mixtures composed of polyester and of one of the other constituents mentioned is, according to Table 4 and Table 9, not better for the mixtures used than for the pure polyesters. The copolymer used composed of ethene and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate has an MFI value (MFI=Melt Flow Index) of 2 g/10 min (at 190° C., 2.16 kg).
FR-A 28 19 821 describes the use of copolymers composed of ethene with 2-ethylhexyl acrylate whose MFI is smaller than 100 as a constituent of hot-melt adhesive mixtures. There are no indications of applications for elastomer modification or flow improvement of semicrystalline thermoplastics.

Molding compositions based on a thermoplastic polyester with improved flowability


The invention concerns an apparatus and a process for producing a marking on a substrate. Substrates marked in that way are applied to documents such as for example credit cards, personal identity cards or banknotes as security features to provide protection from forgery. Embodiments of those security features have diffractive or holographic structures. The production of the markings was hitherto effected by shaping from a mold. A change in the marking is possible by changing the mole, which is time-consuming. The new apparatus and the new process are intended to permit the production of individualized markings on a substrate, at a low level of apparatus expenditure.

The invention concerns an apparatus for producing a marking on a substrate, preferably a film, in particular a transfer film, comprising a replication apparatus having a replication surface, and a device for producing radiation, preferably a laser installation, which co-operates with the replication apparatus, by the radiation being directed onto at least one irradiation region of the replication apparatus for producing at least one shaping region, and a counterpressure apparatus, wherein a substrate is arranged between the replication apparatus and the counterpressure apparatus in order to shape the shaping region onto the substrate in a contact region between the replication apparatus and the substrate, and a process for producing a marking on a substrate, preferably a film, in particular a transfer film, wherein energy in the form of radiation, preferably laser radiation, from a device producing radiation is used for producing at least one shaping region on a replication surface of a replication apparatus, and wherein the shaping region of the replication surface is shaped onto the substrate by the replication apparatus contacting the substrate under pressure.
The protection of documents by security features has become a standard in the meantime, in the case for example of credit cards, personal identity cards or banknotes. The forgery-proof character of those features is based on the fact that a high degree of special knowledge and extensive apparatus equipment is necessary for the production thereof. A particularly successful security feature which is difficult to copy is an OVD (optical variable device). Embodiments of that security feature have diffractive or holographic structures which, upon a change in the angle of the incidence of light or the viewing angle during visual checking of the authenticity of the security feature, lead to an optical effect such as for example a color change, a motif change or a combination of the two. The security feature can thus be checked in respect of its authenticity without further technical aids. An essential component part of those security elements is a generally thermoplastic or UV-hardenable layer into which the diffractive or holographic structure is embossed in the form of a surface relief. That layer can be part of a transfer film, in which case the security element is firstly produced and thereafter transferred onto the document to be safeguarded. That layer can also be produced in the form of an additional layer directly on the article to be safeguarded. The operation of transferring the surface relief from a mold onto the thermoplastic layer is effected by using rotating stamping cylinders as are described for example in EP 0 419 773 or stamping punches as are disclosed for example in DE 2 555 214. By virtue of the fine diffractive or holographic structures production of the mold is technically very demanding and also cost-intensive. For producing the molds firstly patterns, also referred to as masters, are produced for example by interfering laser beams and etching processes or by electron beam writing, and they are then generally galvanically shaped.
In the case of the known processes, for an enhanced forgery-proof nature, the endeavour is that the same security feature is not applied to each document, but the security features are adapted to the respective document or the identity of the owner of the document, that is to say they are individualized. In that respect two difficulties arise with the above-mentioned processes:
On the one hand a large number of individualized masters would have to be produced, which is very cost-intensive, and secondly the molds would have to be respectively interchanged in the replication apparatuses, and this would result in very long equipment preparation times.
As alternatives, processes and apparatuses are known which shape only partial regions of a mold in order to produce individualized security features.
CH 594 495 describes a process for stamping a relief pattern in a thermoplastic information carrier, wherein selectively only partial regions of the mold are shaped into the thermoplastic layer. In terms of process engineering, those shaping regions are selected by a procedure whereby either those regions are heated by heating bands through which current flows or only selected shaping regions are pressed onto the substrate by a counterpressure device which has partial regions which are adjustable in respect of height. A high level of local resolution in selection of the shaping regions is not to be expected with that process as heat conduction during the long heating-up and cooling-down phase for the heating bands means that the boundaries of the shaping regions can be only inaccurately defined or the dimensions of the shaping regions are established by the dimensions of the bands or the dimensions of the partial regions which are adjustable in respect of height. That process is consequently limited by virtue of having a low level of local resolution.
EP 0 169 326 describes an apparatus for producing a marking on a substrate and the process corresponding thereto. The apparatus has a replication apparatus in the form of an unheated stamping mold and a pressure plate which is in the form of a counterpressure apparatus. The stamping mold has a replication surface which is structured with microstructures which are to be shaped. The apparatus has a laser arrangement for producing a laser beam which is directed onto the substrate through the counterpressure device. The known process provides that firstly the substrate is pressed onto the pressure plate by the stamping punch. Absorption of the laser beam which is incident on the substrate directly in the stamping region and absorption of the radiation reflected at the replication surface of the stamping punch provide that the substrate is selectively locally heated and raised to a temperature at which it can be permanently deformed. In that way shaping regions can be selected and transferred selectively by positioning of the laser beam. A limitation in that process and apparatus is that the laser beam is guided through the substrate. That means that the process is limited to processing substrates which are transparent for the laser radiation and in addition it is highly sensitive to fluctuations in the absorption properties of the substrate, which can occur for example due to fluctuations in material, in dependence on the batch involved.
The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and a process which permit the production of individualized markings on a substrate, preferably a film, at a low level of apparatus expenditure.
That object is attained by the apparatus set forth in claim 1 and the process set forth in claim 15.

Abstract: An embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention for producing a marking on a substrate, preferably a film, has a replication apparatus and a laser installation, which co-operates with the replication apparatus, by radiation from the laser installation being directed onto at least one irradiation region of the replication apparatus, for producing at least one shaping region. The apparatus further has a counterpressure apparatus, wherein a substrate is arranged between the replication apparatus and the counterpressure apparatus in order to shape the shaping region onto the substrate in a contact region between the replication apparatus and the substrate and wherein the feed of the radiation for producing the shaping regions extends outside the substrate.


A computer includes a memory and a processor connected to the memory. The processor includes memory segment configuration registers to store defined memory address segments and defined memory address segment attributes such that the processor operates in accordance with the defined memory address segments and defined memory address segment attributes to allow kernel mode access to user space virtual addresses for enhanced kernel mode memory capacity.

Processors sold by MIPS Technologies®, Sunnyvale, Calif., use and handle addresses in a unique manner. FIG. 1 illustrates a MIPS virtual memory map for a 32-bit processor. The memory map includes fixed memory address segments. Each fixed memory address segment has fixed attributes, such as access mode, cache features and memory map features. In particular, there is a defined user mode region 102 and kernel mode regions 104, 106, 108 and 110.
MIPS processors have three operating modes: user mode, supervisor mode and kernel mode. In user mode, a single, uniform virtual address space is available. This uniform virtual address space is referred to as a user segment. The supervisor mode is designed for operating systems. In supervisor mode, the processor operates in a kernel mode and the operating system runs in supervisor mode. The processor is in kernel mode whenever an exception is detected and it remains in kernel mode until an Exception Return (ERET) instruction is executed. The ERET instruction restores the processor to the mode existing prior to the exception.
The memory map includes a user space region called "kuseg" 102. This user space region supports user mode. The user space region is a 2 GB region spanning virtual addresses 0x0000 0000 through 7FFF FFFF. These addresses are translated by a Memory Management Unit (MMU).
For the kernel mode, there is an unmapped cached region called "kseg0" 104. This region is 512 MB ranging from virtual address 0x8000 000 through 9FFF FFFF. These virtual addresses are translated into physical addresses by stripping off the top 3 most significant bits and mapping them contiguously into the lower 512 MB of physical memory. Addresses in this region are almost always accessed through the cache. The addresses are used for most programs and data in systems not using an MMU and are used by the Operating System (OS) kernel for systems that use an MMU.
The unmapped and uncached region is called "kseg1" 106. This region is also 512 MB, with virtual addresses ranging from 0xA000 0000 through BFFF FFFF. These virtual addresses are mapped into physical addresses by stripping off the leading 3 bits, giving a duplicate mapping of the lower 512 MB of physical memory. In this space, access does not rely upon the cache.
The mapped region is called "kseg2" 108 and "kseg3" 110. This 1 GB region spans virtual addresses 0xC000 0000 through FFFF FFFF. This area is only accessible in kernel mode. This region is translated through the MMU.
Thus, the fixed address segmentation map of the MIPS architecture limits "kseg0" to 512 MB of system memory. Some architectures work around this limitation by utilizing a HighMem enhancement to Linux®. HighMem gives the OS the flexibility of accessing memory that is not accessible through Kseg0. HighMem allows the kernel to create temporary mappings on the fly to access high-memory, thus extending physical memory that can be accessed. This process of creating mappings on the fly has a performance penalty. Further, the additional address space is limited in how it can be used.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide an alternate approach to expand the amount of physical memory accessible in kernel mode.

Processor with kernel mode access to user space virtual addresses


A blue-emitting phosphor is optimized by controlling mole fractions typically of Mg and Si in Sr3-eMgbSi2cO8d:Eue or by further including an optimal amount of at least one additional component such as Ba or Ca. The resulting phosphor exhibits a higher brightness and a higher color purity upon excitation by ultraviolet light emitted as a result of discharge of xenon gas. The optimized phosphor is incorporated into light emitting devices such as lamps and PDPs, and further into display devices.

Demands have been increasingly made to reduce the thickness of display devices such as television sets and personal computer monitors for saving spaces. As such display devices that can be slimmed, plasma display (PDP) devices, field emission display (FED) devices, and liquid crystal display devices containing a backlight and a thin liquid crystal panel have been increasingly developed.
The plasma display devices use a plasma display panel as a light emitting device. The plasma display panel includes micro discharge spaces each containing a rare gas, and a phosphor layer arranged in each micro discharge space. The plasma display panel is so configured as to emit light in the visible region (visible radiation) by exciting a phosphor in the phosphor layer upon irradiation with ultraviolet light emitted in a negative glow region in the micro discharge space as an excitation source and thereby accelerating light emission of the phosphor. The ultraviolet light has wavelengths at 147 nm and 172 nm when xenon gas is used as the rare gas. The plasma display deices display images by controlling the intensity (quantity) and color of the light emission of the plasma display panel.
The liquid crystal display devices include a backlight and a liquid crystal panel, which liquid crystal panel contains a pair of electrodes and a liquid crystal sandwiched between the at least one pair of electrodes. They display desired images in which the quantity and/or color of light emitted from the backlight is controlled by the liquid crystal panel. Linear tubular white fluorescent lamps with a fluorescent material inside thereof are generally used as the backlight.
Details of these technologies can be seen, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-132803, No. 2003-142004, No. 2003-242892 and No. 2003-346660; "Phosphor Handbook" (in Japanese) edited by Phosphor Research Society (in The Electrochemical Society of Japan), III, Chapter 2, pp. 219–223, (1987), Ohmsha, Ltd.; IDW '00 Proceedings of The Seventh International Display Workshops, pp. 639–642 (2000); technical report of IEICE, EID 2003–69(2004-01), pp. 45–48; and "FLAT-PANEL DISPLAY 2003 (Jitsumu-hen)" (in Japanese), Part 7.1, 210–217, (2002), Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
Light emitting devices for such plasma display devices and FED devices, and backlights for liquid crystal display devices should have higher and higher performance. The properties of these devices are affected by the designs, configurations and materials for the devices and are significantly affected by phosphors for use in the light emitting devices.
Red-, blue- and green-emitting phosphors are used as the phosphors for plasma display devices, of which blue-emitting phosphors generally contain an aluminate phosphor (BaMgAl10O17:Eu; hereinafter briefly referred to as BAM). BAM exhibits good properties in its light emission but is susceptible to deterioration. Namely, BAM exhibits insufficient reliability, has a short life and thereby must have improved stability and a longer life. It must also have a high color purity and a higher photoluminescent brightness for higher performance of light emitting devices and display devices.
The lamps and backlights for liquid crystal display devices should be free from mercury for higher luminance on display surface and for reducing environmental burdens. As a possible candidate, flat-panel fluorescent lamps using rare gas discharge have been developed as the backlights for liquid crystal display devices. Such flat-panel fluorescent lamps using rare gas discharge generally use phosphors capable of being excited upon irradiation with vacuum ultraviolet light to thereby emit light. These phosphors must efficiently emit light with high luminance and color purity as a result of excitation by vacuum ultraviolet light and have a long life.
Blue-emitting phosphors with high luminance, color purity and reliability have been developed as an alternative to BAM. For example, silicate phosphors, such as Ca1-xMgSi2O6:Eux (hereinafter referred to as CMS), have been proposed as a blue-emitting phosphor that can be used in PDP devices and rare gas discharge lamps and have higher reliability and longer life than the conventional blue-emitting phosphor, BAM.
Although emitting light with high luminance and satisfactory color purity upon application of ultraviolet light at wavelengths of around 147 nm as an excitation source, CMS has substantially no excitation band at wavelengths of 160 nm to 210 nm, namely, shows a significantly low emission intensity upon excitation by vacuum ultraviolet light at around 172 nm (Xe2 molecular line). The Xe2 molecular line plays an important role in plasma display panels.
In addition to the above, the configurations of panels in plasma display devices have been investigated and improved for high emission efficiency thereof. For example, a "high Xe-content" technology in plasma display devices has been developed, in which the mole fraction of Xe gas in a discharge gas is increased to about 4% or more to thereby positively use the Xe2 molecular line and to increase the emission efficiency of the plasma display devices.
CMS originally having a low availability of the Xe2 molecular line, however, does not sufficiently contribute to higher efficiency of the plasma display devices. More specifically, CMS shows a low emission efficiency upon excitation by ultraviolet light at 172 nm and shows insufficient properties in its luminance, even if the amount of ultraviolet light at wavelengths of around 172 nm. For use as an alternative to BAM and for higher efficiency of plasma display devices, CMS must be further improved in its emission efficiency upon excitation by ultraviolet light at 172 nm.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the life of a phosphor, typically a blue-emitting phosphor, which is for use in excitation by vacuum ultraviolet light typically in plasma display devices. Another object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting device which has a sufficiently long life (duration during which the light emitting device can be used in general manner) and sufficient luminance properties using the phosphor. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an image display device which has a sufficiently long life (duration during which the light emitting device can be used in a regular manner) and sufficient luminance properties and exhibits satisfactory performance typically in color purity using the light emitting device.
Another object of the present invention is to improve the luminance properties of a silicate phosphor, as a possible solution to conventional problems in blue-emitting phosphors, typically upon excitation by the Xe2molecular line at a wavelength of 172 nm. Yet another object of the present invention is to improve luminance properties of a conventional light emitting device and a conventional display device using the light emitting device, and a next-generation light emitting device, such as a plasma display device, which actively uses excitation by the Xe2 molecular line at 172 nm and a plasma display panel image display device using the plasma display device.


A single-use camera is contained in an underwater housing, which as a box-shaped plastic housing body of which an opening is formed in the bottom. The bottom opening is covered with a watertight sheet sealed to an edge around the bottom opening, and keeps the camera watertight. The watertight sheet is constituted of a sandwich of an inner polystyrene (PS) layer, an aluminum core sheet, and an outer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer. The PS layer is used for heat sealing to the housing body. A bottom lid is fitted on the housing body and protects the watertight sheet. In a preferred embodiment, there is also a PET layer between the PS layer and the aluminum core sheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an underwater housing and an underwater taking camera in combination therewith, more particularly to an improvement of a watertight structure of an underwater housing enclosing the camera.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A lens-fitted film unit or single-use camera, known as "Quick Snap" (trademark; manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.), is preloaded with photographic film before a user purchases it. After all the frames are exposed, the film unit is forwarded to a photo laboratory in a condition wherein the film unit contains the exposed film. In the photo laboratory the photographic film is taken out of the film unit and subjected to photofinishing. Such convenience and simplicity in use is a characteristic feature of the film unit, which is sold commercially on a large scale. The film is contained in a photo-taking body of the film unit incorporating a simple mechanism for taking photographs. The photo-taking body is packaged in a carton or cardboard pack. When the exposed film is removed in the photo laboratory, the carton is partly broken and the body is partly disassembled or broken.
There has been proposed an underwater type of lens-fitted film unit such as "Weekend 35" (trademark; sold by Eastman Kodak Co.) in which the film unit is enclosed in a transparent plastic underwater housing in order to take photographs at a depth of up to 2 to 3 meters underwater, or in other moist environment. This underwater housing is constituted of a box-shaped housing body and a lid, both of which are molded from plastic. After inserting the film unit in the housing body, the lid is firmly welded to the housing body to keep the film unit watertight.
When the film unit is removed from the housing body in the photo laboratory in order to develop the exposed film, however, it is necessary to remove the lid forcibly from the housing body or to break the housing body. The attachment between the lid and the housing body is strong enough to keep the unit watertight, so that the lid cannot be removed easily. The housing body is strong enough to resist even a considerable force applied externally thereto, so that the housing body cannot be broken with ease. The operation of taking the film unit out of the underwater housing is thus laborious. A photofinisher might accidentally break the housing manually into pieces, which might injure him or her.
The lid could be connected to the housing body via a hinge mechanism in order to simplify the removal of the film unit from the underwater housing. There could be, in this case, an arrangement of rubber members e.g. O-rings between the edges of the lid and the housing body for keeping the film unit watertight. This structure, however, is complicated and costly, and so is inconsistent with the provision of an underwater housing which is inexpensive, in keeping with the inexpensive film unit housed therein.

Underwater housing and underwater taking camera


A contact device having a plurality of nominally coplanar first contact elements makes electrical contact with corresponding nominally coplanar second contact elements of an electronic device when the contact device and the electronic device are positioned so that the plane of the first contact elements is substantially parallel to the plane of the second contact elements and relative displacement of the devices is effected in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the first contact elements and the plane of the second contact elements. The contact device comprises a stiff substrate having a major portion with fingers projecting therefrom in cantilever fashion, each finger having a proximal end at which it is connected to the major portion of the substrate and an opposite distal end and there being one or two contact elements on the distal end of each finger. It is necessary to effect relative displacement of the devices by a distance d from first touchdown to achieve last touchdown. The substrate is dimensioned such that relative displacement of the devices by a distance d from first touchdown generates a reaction force at each contact element of about 0.1*fxc2x10.1*f, and further relative displacement by a distance of about 75 microns or 5*d beyond last touchdown generates a reaction force at each contact element of about 0.9xc2x10.1*f.

This invention relates to a contact device for making connection to an electronic circuit device and to methods of fabricating and using such a contact device, such as in the manufacture of semiconductor or other devices.
An important aspect of the manufacture of integrated circuit chips is the testing of the circuit embodied in the chip in order to verify that it operates according to specifications. Although the circuit could be tested after the chip has been packaged, the expense involved in dicing the wafer and packaging the individual chips makes it preferable to test the circuit as early as possible in the fabrication process, so that unnecessary efforts will not be expended on faulty devices. It is therefore desirable that the circuits be tested either immediately after wafer fabrication is completed, and before separation into dice, or after dicing, but before packaging. In either case, it is necessary to make electrical connection to the circuits"" external connection points (usually bonding pads) in a non-destructive way, so as not to interfere with subsequent packaging and connection operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,895 discloses a probe for testing integrated circuits. The probe includes a stiff metal substrate made of beryllium copper alloy, for example. The substrate is generally triangular in form and has two edges that converge from a support area toward a generally rectangular tip area. There is a layer of polyimide over one main face of the substrate, and gold conductor runs are formed over the layer of polyimide. The conductor runs and the metal substrate form microstrip transmission lines. The conductor runs extend parallel to one another over the tip area and fan out toward the support area. A contact bump is deposited on the end of each conductor run that is on the tip area. The tip area of the substrate is slit between each two adjacent conductor runs whereby the tip area is divided into multiple separately flexible fingers that project in cantilever fashion from the major portion of the substrate.
The probe shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,895, is designed to be used in a test station. Such a test station may include four probes having the configuration shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,895, the probes being arranged in an approximately horizontal orientation with their contact bumps facing downwards, with the four rows of contact bumps along four edges of a rectangle. The DUT is generally rectangular and has connection pads along the edges of one face. The DUT is placed in a vacuum chuck with its connection pads upwards. The vacuum chuck drives the DUT upward into contact with the probe, and overdrives the DUT by a predetermined distance from first contact. According to current industry standards, such a test station is designed to produce a nominal contact force of 10 grams at each connection pad. Therefore, the amount of the overdrive is calculated to be such that if contact is made at all connection pads simultaneously, so that each contact bump is deflected by the same amount, the total contact force will be 10 grams force multiplied by the number of connection pads.
If the material of the probe substrate is a beryllium copper alloy and each flexible finger has a length of about 0.75 mm, a width of about 62 microns and a height of about 250 microns, and the probe is supported so that the mechanical ground is at the root of the fingers, the contact force produced at the tip of the finger is about 7.7 grams for each micrometer of deflection of the tip of the finger. Therefore, if the contact bumps at the tips of the fingers are coplanar and the connection pads of the DUT are coplanar, and the plane of the contact bumps is parallel to the plane of the connection pads, an overdrive of about 1.3 microns from first contact will result in the desired contact force of 10 grams at each connection pad. However, if one of the connection pads should be 1.3 microns farther from the plane of the contact bumps than the other connection pads, when the DUT is displaced by 1.3 microns from first contact, there will be no contact force between this connection pad and its contact bump, and all the contact force that is generated will be consumed by the other contacts. If one assumes that the contact force at a connection pad must be at least 50 percent of the nominal contact force in order for there to be a reliable connection, then the maximum variance from the nominal height that this design will accommodate is xc2x10.7 microns. However, the height variations of contact bumps and connection pads produced by the standard processes currently employed in the semiconductor industry typically exceed 5 microns.
Furthermore, even if the contact bumps are coplanar and the connection pads are coplanar, tolerances in the probing apparatus make it impossible to ensure that the plane of the connection pads is parallel to the plane of the contact bumps, and, in order to accommodate these tolerances, it is necessary to displace the DUT by 75 microns in order to ensure contact at all connection pads. If the dimensions of the finger were changed to accommodate a displacement of 70-80 microns (75 micronsxc2x15 microns), the probe would become much less robust. If the probe were supported at a location further back from the root of the fingers, such that most of the deflection would be carried by the substrate rather than the fingers, the ability of the fingers to conform would be limited to 0.13 microns/gram deflection produced at the fingers themselves.
The connection pads of the DUT are not coplanar, nor are the connection bumps on the probe. Assuming that the nominal plane of the connection pads (the plane for which the sum of the squares of the distances of the pads from the plane is a minimum) is parallel with the nominal plane of the contact bumps, the variation in distance between the connection pad and the corresponding contact bump is up to 5 microns if both the DUT and the probe are of good quality.
At present, the connection points on an integrated circuit chip are at a pitch of at least 150 microns, but it is expected that it will be feasible for the pitch to be reduced to about 100 microns within a few years.
As the need arises to make connection at ever finer pitches, the stress in a probe of the kind shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,895 increases. If the connection pads are at a spacing of 75 microns, this implies that the width of the fingers must be less than about 50 microns, and in order to keep the stress below the yield point, the height of the fingers must be at least 400 microns.
The necessary height of the fingers can be reduced by employing a metal of which the yield point is higher than that of beryllium copper. For example, if the substrate is made of stainless steel, having an elastic modulus of 207xc3x97109 N/m2, the maximum height of the fingers can be reduced to about 350 microns. However, it follows that the deflection is reduced below that necessary to comply with typical height variations found in the industry. Additionally, the resistivity of stainless steel is substantially higher than that of beryllium copper, and this limits the frequency of the signals that can be propagated by the microstrip transmission lines without unacceptable degradation. In general, prior techniques found limited application due to difficulties in achieving adequate deflection with the necessary force to achieve reliable connection, while withstanding the generated stresses.
In addition, although the microstrip transmission line has adequate characteristics for signals up to a frequency of 5 GHz, and it has been discovered that the so-called stripline configuration is desirable for higher frequencies.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a multilayer composite structure for use in manufacture of a contact device for establishing electrical connection to a circuit device, said method comprising providing a substrate of a metal having a resistivity substantially greater than about 10 micro-ohm cm, adhering a first layer of metal having a resistivity less than about 3 micro-ohm cm to a main face of the substrate, the first layer having a main face that is remote from the substrate, adhering a second layer of dielectric material to the main face of the first layer, the second layer having a main face that is remote from the substrate, and adhering a third layer of metal to the main face of the second layer, the metal of the third layer having a resistivity less than abut 3 micro-ohm cm.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a contact device for use in establishing electrical connection to a circuit device, said method comprising providing a substrate of a metal having a resistivity substantially greater than about 10 micro-ohm cm, the substrate having a major portion and a tip portion projecting therefrom along an axis, adhering a first layer of metal having a resistivity less than about 3 micro-ohm cm to a main face of the substrate, the first layer having a main face that is remote from the substrate, adhering a second layer of dielectric material to the main face of the first layer, the second layer having a main face that is remote from the substrate, adhering a third layer of metal to the main face of the second layer, the metal of the third layer having a resistivity less than about 3 micro-ohm cm, selectively removing metal of the third layer to form discrete conductor runs extending over the tip portion parallel to said axis, while leaving portions of the second layer exposed between the conductor runs, whereby a multi-layer composite structure is formed, and slitting the tip portion of the composite structure parallel to said axis, whereby fingers are formed that project from the major portion of the composite structure in cantilever fashion and each of which supports at least one conductor run.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a probe apparatus for use in testing an integrated circuit embodied in an integrated circuit chip, said probe apparatus comprising a support member having a generally planar datum surface, a generally planar elastic probe member having a proximal end and a distal end, at least one attachment member attaching the probe member at its proximal end to the support member with the probe member in contact with the datum surface, at least one adjustment member effective between the support member and a location on the probe member that is between the proximal and distal ends thereof for urging the distal end of the probe member away from the support member, whereby the probe member undergoes elastic deflection.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a probe apparatus for use in testing an integrated circuit embodied in an integrated circuit chip, said probe apparatus comprising a support member having a bearing surface, a probe member having a proximal end and a distal end and comprising a stiff substrate having first and second opposite main faces and conductor runs extending over the first main face of the substrate from the distal end of the substrate to the proximal end thereof, the conductor runs of the probe member being distributed over a connection region of the first main face of the substrate in a first predetermined pattern, at least one attachment member attaching the probe member to the support member with the second main face of the probe member confronting the bearing surface of the support member, a circuit board comprising a substrate having a main face and conductor runs distributed over a connection region of said main face of the circuit board in a second predetermined pattern, a flexible circuit comprising a flexible substrate having a main face and first and second connection regions, and conductor runs extending between the first and second connection regions of the flexible substrate and distributed over the first connection region in a pattern corresponding to said first pattern and distributed over the second connection region in a pattern corresponding to said second pattern, a first attachment device attaching the flexible circuit to the support member with the first connection region of the flexible circuit confronting the connection region of the probe member and the conductor runs of the flexible circuit in electrically conductive connection with respective conductor runs of the probe member, and a second attachment device attaching the flexible circuit to the circuit board with the second connection region of the flexible circuit confronting the connection region of the circuit board and the conductor runs of the flexible circuit in electrically conductive connection with respective conductor runs of the circuit board.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a multilayer composite structure for use in manufacture of a contact device for establishing electrical connection to a circuit device, said method comprising providing a substrate, adhering a first layer of dielectric material to a main face of the substrate, the first layer having a main face that is remote from the substrate, and adhering a second layer of metal to the main face of the first layer, the metal of the second layer having a resistivity less than about 3 micro-ohm cm.
In accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a contact device for use in establishing electrical connection to a circuit device, said method comprising providing a substrate having a major portion and a tip portion projecting therefrom along an axis, adhering a first layer of dielectric material to the main face of the substrate, the first layer having a main face that is remote from the substrate, adhering a second layer of metal to the main face of the first layer, the metal of the second layer having a resistivity less than about 3 micro-ohm cm, selectively removing metal of the second layer to form discrete conductor runs extending over the tip portion parallel to said axis, while leaving portions of the first layer exposed between the conductor runs, whereby a multilayer composite structure is formed, and slitting the tip portion of the composite structure parallel to said axis, whereby fingers are formed that project from the major portion of the composite structure in cantilever fashion and each of which supports at least one conductor run.
In accordance with a seventh aspect of the present invention there is provided a contact device having a plurality of nominally coplanar first contact elements for making electrical contact with corresponding nominally coplanar second contact elements of an electronic device by positioning the contact device and the electronic device so that the plane of the first contact elements is substantially parallel to the plane of the second contact elements and effecting relative displacement of the devices in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the first contact elements and the plane of the second contact elements to generate a contact force of at least f at each pair of corresponding first and second contact elements, wherein it is necessary to effect relative displacement of the devices by a distance d in said direction from first touchdown to last touchdown, said contact device comprising a stiff substrate having a major portion with fingers projecting therefrom in cantilever fashion, each finger having a proximal end at which it is connected to the major portion of the substrate and an opposite distal end and there being at least one, and no more than two, contact elements on the distal end of each finger, a support member to which the substrate is attached in a manner such that on applying force in said direction to the distal ends of the fingers, deflection occurs both in the fingers and in the major portion of the substrate, and means for effecting relative movement of the devices in said direction, and wherein the substrate is dimensioned such that relative displacement of the devices in said direction by a distance d from first touchdown generates a reaction force at each contact element of about 0.1*fxc2x10.1*f, and further relative displacement of the devices in said direction by a distance of about 75 micron or 5*d beyond last touchdown generates a reaction force at each contact element of about 0.9*fxc2x10.1*f.
In accordance with an eight aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for testing/manufacturing devices such as integrated circuits or displays (such as LCD panels), which may include the steps of carrying out a manufacturing process for the DUT, such as a planar-type integrated circuit manufacturing process, positioning the DUT on a positioning device, such as a vacuum chuck (the DUT may be in wafer or die form, in the case of integrated circuits, etc.), effecting alignment of a contact device in accordance with the present invention with the DUT to the extent required for proper placement, effecting relative movement of the DUT with respect to the contact device to establish initial contact thereto (as determined electrically or by a mechanical means), over-driving the relative movement to establish reliable electrical connection, wherein stresses are desirably shared between the extended fingers of the contact device and the substrate of the contact device, applying test signals to the DUT and determining whether the DUT is defective or otherwise within or outside acceptable specifications, recording whether the pass/fail condition of the DUT (which may include mechanical notation, such as inking the DUT if defective, etc., or by data recording), removing the DUT from the positioning device, and packaging and assembling the DUT if acceptable.
With the present invention, devices with connection points of fine pitch may be reliably tested and manufactured.

Method of manufacturing and testing an electronic device using a contact device having fingers and a mechanical ground


A device for locking a lever for pivoting a valve contained in a valve housing. A recess is formed in the valve housing. An annular groove is formed in the recess. A spring is sited in the recess. A latch has a relatively large middle section connecting an upper section with a lower section. The latch is sited in the recess so that the lower section thereof is inserted in the spring and that the middle portion thereof is sited on the spring. A C-ring engages in the groove so that the latch is trapped in the recess. A hole is formed in the lever. The hole has an upper section and a relatively large lower section. A wedge surface is formed on the underside of the lever. A button has a body connecting with a relatively large head and a groove formed about the body. The body of the button is inserted through the upper section of the hole. A C-clip engages in the groove formed about the body so that the button is trapped in the hole. The spring biases the upper section of the latch into the hole when the recess aligns with the hole so that the lever is retained in an open position. The upper section of the latch moves into the recess when the button is pressed, so that the lever is released from the open position. The wedge surface presses the upper section of the latch into the recess while passing by the same so that the recess can align with the hole.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a device for locking a lever for pivoting a valve.
2. Related Prior Art
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a valve (not shown) is contained in a valve housing 50. A lever 60 is attached to the valve by means of a shaft 62. By means of the shaft 62, the lever 60 pivots the valve in order to open/close the valve housing 50. In a closed position of the lever 60, a length of the lever 60 is perpendicular to the axis of the valve housing 50 such that the valve closes the valve housing 50. In an open position of the lever 60, the length of the lever 60 is parallel to the axis of the valve housing 50 such that the valve opens the valve housing 50.
Very often, it is desired to maintain the lever 60 in the open position. A conventional device for locking the lever 60 is illustrated. The conventional device for locking the lever 60 has a block 61 formed on the underside of the lever 60 and an elastic strip 70 attached on the valve housing 50. The block 61 is pivotable about the shaft 62 together with the lever 60 as it is formed on the underside of the lever 60. The elastic strip 70 has a U-shaped form (when seen in a top view) defining a cutout 71 and between a first terminal portion 72 and a second terminal portion 73. The second terminal portion 73 is attached to the valve housing 50 in such a way that the second terminal portion 73 is in a higher position than the first terminal portion 72. The first portion 72 has a first edge and a second edge. Normally, the first edge of the first portion 72 is in a lower position than the second edge of the first portion 72.
Normally, the first edge of the first portion 72 is in a lower position than the bottom of the block 61 so that the block 61 is permitted to slide on the first portion 72 when the lever 60 pivots together with the block 61. The block 61 then bypasses the first terminal portion 72 so as to enter the cutout 71. At that instant, the elastic strip assumes the original form so that the block 61 is trapped in the cutout 71 by means of the first terminal portion 72. That is, the lever 60 is retained in the open position.
The lever 60 can be released from the open position only when the terminal portion 72 is pressed downward so that the second edge thereof is below the bottom of the block 61 and that the block 61 is permitted to slide on the first terminal portion 72. The locking device can only be released by using two hands, one for pressing the first terminal portion 72 and the remaining for pivoting the lever 62. This is inconvenient. Furthermore, hands may be easily cut by means of the elastic strip 70 as the elastic strip 70 is generally made of metal.
Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems.

Device for locking a lever for pivoting a valve


A video game character or avatar is generated using images of the player so that the on-screen avatar being controlled by the player appears like the player. Answers to a questionnaire or a psychological profile are provided by the player to determine characteristics that the player views as desirable, which are used to generate a final version of the avatar. Iterations of the avatar appearance are generated from the initial appearance to the final, more desirable appearance. Using the avatar, as play of the game proceeds the player's avatar begins as a character appearing like themselves and gradually becomes a character that is more as they would like to appear. The avatar increases the emotional impact of games by providing strong visual and psychological connections with the player. The avatar may instead begin from an initial character that does not appear similar to the player. The iterations may make the avatar gradually less appealing or with other changes in appearance, in some embodiments.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a character for use in a video game and to a method for providing such character. The present invention also relates generally to providing a character or avatar for a computer or video display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer games are becoming increasingly popular among players of all ages. Among the types of computer games are computerized versions of existing games such as the common solitaire card game, chess or pinball games. A popular genre of computer games is the role-playing game in which the player assumes control of a character in the game and moves the character through various environments depicted on the computer or video screen. These role-playing games include so-called first person shooter games, such as Doom, in which the player looks out of the eyes of the character into the environment in which the character is moving, and generally does not see their own character on screen. In other words, the player has a first person perspective of the character that the player controls. There are also so-called third person shooter games that have the player looking over the shoulder of the character being controlled.
In another type of game, a top-down perspective is provided. The environment of the game is seen from an air-borne view. A related type of game provides a third person perspective view of the game environment. In this type of game, the player controls the actions of a character that appears on screen as viewed by a third person. This character is moved through the environment displayed on the screen and interacts with articles and other characters shown on the display. The environment or virtual world depicted on the display may be two-dimensional or three-dimensional and the character moves through and interacts with this virtual world under the control of the player.
Examples of some of the types of role playing computer games available are military and combat games where the character is fighting other characters on the screen, sports games where the character plays a sport such as golf, and adventure games where the character undertakes various adventures, although many other types of games are available. Examples of some themes of the games are: fantasy role playing, sci-fi role playing, historical, horror, and various combinations thereof.
The role playing games are a form of interactive and collaborative storytelling, centered on a script provided by the game developer. In role-playing games, participants play the parts of characters in an imaginary world that is organized, adjudicated, and sometimes created by the game developer or by a game master or narrator. The game developer's role is to provide a world and a cast of characters for the players to interact with, and to adjudicate how these interactions proceed. In addition, the game developer may also be responsible for advancing some kind of storyline or plot, albeit one which is subject to the somewhat unpredictable behavior of the players.
In a sense, the players are the actors who play the heroes, improvising more freely while the game developer plays all the supporting roles (ranging from villain to victim) and keeps them at least partly limited to the script that the developer had in mind as the writer. At the same time, the game developer directs or referees the outcome of each decision, and these decisions produce and stage the game setting. The role-playing game is not won or lost in the traditional sense of playing a card game or sporting match, but is based on the enjoyment that the player receives from playing the game. In one sense, the only way to lose the game is to not enjoy playing it.
Over the past ten years, improvements to video game graphics and visual effects have resulted in dramatically realistic game worlds. New games focus on improved graphics, realistic scenery, and better sound effects. While these developments have brought the player closer to the game's internal world, games have not yet fully accomplished the effect of bringing the player completely into the game's world.
The first step toward player interactivity has been the creation and rising popularity of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG). MMOGs permit many players to participate simultaneously with one another. The decisions that these players make and their level of cooperation with one another provides the storyline of the game. In general, these games are non-competitive in nature and enable the players to determine the success or failure of their character based on their interaction with the virtual world as opposed to competing with one another. Within these digital worlds, the majority of player satisfaction comes from the social interactions with other players in online games. In these types of games, players associate themselves far more closely with their online characters than in any previous genre of gaming.
An increasingly popular genre of on-line game is the so called Massively (or Massive) Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). This is a multiplayer computer role playing game that enables thousands of players to play in an evolving virtual world at the same time over the Internet. MMORPGs are a particular type of MMOG. One popular MMORPG is World of Warcraft which currently has more than three million subscribers. In order to accommodate so many players, this game has a hundred separate game worlds.
The MMOG marketplace is unique in the videogame industry because it has monthly subscription plus initial software revenues. Unlike traditional console or PC games, each player must have a subscription account to the game and cannot share or borrow access to the game (such as by borrowing a cartridge or CD). In addition, these games are exceptionally "sticky", with some games having over 100,000 players who have had subscriptions for at least eight years.
In these and other role-playing games, the player assumes a character or avatar (a graphical representation of the character) at the beginning of the game and moves that character through the various virtual environments in the game while performing various complex tasks in order to achieve rewards. For instance, the achievement of some tasks results in the character receiving better weapons, different clothing, or being provided with better skills or abilities. A character's power usually represents how much time is invested in playing the game. Casual players may play a few hours per week but so-called hardcore gamers may spend 40 hours or more per week playing a particular game. Not surprisingly, players of these games have developed their own terms and slang, which are too extensive and transient to go into here. Long-term play of role-playing games results in the player developing an affinity for the chosen character and in some sense the character becomes the alter ego for the player.
This alter ego association of the player and character increases the player's enjoyment of the game. The character, and thus the player, is rewarded for accomplishing complex tasks in the game and the player feels good about these accomplishments. These rewards may be better skills or abilities, or better material goods (in the virtual world) such as shinier armor. Further, the types of games with the most emotional impact are those where the player is playing himself or herself, while the weakest are those in which the player simply controls the outcome of the game via skill. In the top emotional impact games, the player identifies and associates with the character he or she is playing, i.e. feeling sadness, excitement, fear, joy, plus any other emotion that the character is exhibiting on the screen.
Computer games may run on a stand alone computer or may run on a computer connected to a network to interact with other computers, for instance in peer-to-peer networking, or with one or more server computers following a client-server model. The Internet is increasingly becoming the network of choice for network game play, also known as on-line gaming. The server computers that host the game store the information describing the persistent virtual worlds of the game as well as information on each of the characters in the game. The character information includes, in one example, a wireframe definition of the character that determines movements, general shape and size, an appearance layer that is applied to the wireframe to define the avatar's appearance, and an outerwear layer such as clothing, armor, helmets or hats, weapons, and the like. The wireframe is set by the game developer and determines the character's movements. The appearance layer generally remains unchanged throughout the game. The character usually begins with a set outerwear layer, and some articles of the outerwear may change during the course of the game depending on accomplishments during the game.
The inventors have recognized a problem with the characters or avatars in role-playing games in that the same basic character set is utilized by all players of the game. A player of a multiplayer game may find themselves in a room or area in the virtual world of the game with the characters or avatars of many other players and all of the characters look alike, or they differ from other characters only in insubstantial ways, such as hair color or facial hair. The inventors have recognized a second problem with the characters or avatars of these role playing games, in particular that the characters remain basically unchanged during the course of play. The storyline of the game becomes increasingly more interesting and more challenging as the player plays the game, and the advancement of play may even have the characters developing greater strength and abilities and becoming more powerful or faster, but the on-screen appearance of the character or avatar is the same one with which the player began the game.
A player that starts a game with a chosen character and temporarily leaves the game has the identity of that player's character stored on the server (or servers) so that when the player returns to play the game, the same character is provided to the player and the accomplishments and status of the character are at the same level as when the player stopped playing. In the World of Warcraft game, for example, the same character is used by the player through all sixty levels of the game.