A manufacturing method of a thin film transistor. An amorphous silicon thin film is formed on an insulating substrate, and is crystallized by a lateral solidification process with illumination of laser beams into the amorphous silicon thin film to form a polysilicon thin film. Next, protrusion portions protruding from the surface of the polysilicon thin film are removed by plasma dry-etching using a gas mixture including Cl2, SF6 and Ar at the ratio of 3:1:2 to smooth the surface of the polysilicon thin film, and the semiconductor layer is formed by patterning the polysilicon thin film. A gate insulating film covering the semiconductor layer is formed and a gate electrode is formed on the gate insulating film opposite the semiconductor layer. A source region and a drain region opposite each other with respect to the gate electrode are formed by implanting impurities into the semiconductor layer and a source electrode and drain electrode are formed to be electrically connected to the source region and drain region.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a polysilicon thin film transistor.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display ("LCD") has two panels with electrodes, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the two panels. The two panels are sealed to each other by way of a sealant printed around edges of the panels while being spaced apart from each other by way of spacers.
The LCD generates electric field in the liquid crystal layer interposed between the panels and having dielectric anisotropy by using the electrodes and adjusts the strength of the electric field to control the light transmittance, thereby displaying images. Thin film transistors ("TFTs") are used for controlling signals transmitted to the electrodes.
A most usual TFT for utilizes amorphous silicon as a semiconductor layer.
The amorphous silicon TFT bears a mobility of about 0.5–1 cm2/Vsec. Such a TFT may be used as a switching element of the LCD. However, since the TFT has lower mobility, it is inadequate for directly forming a driving circuit on the liquid crystal panel.
In order to overcome such a problem, it has been proposed that the polysilicon bearing a current mobility of about 20–150 cm2/Vsec should be used as the semiconductor layer of a TFT for an LCD. As the polysilicon TFT involves relatively high current mobility, a Chip In Glass technique which incorporates driving circuits into a liquid crystal panel can be realized.
In order to form the polysilicon thin film, it has been proposed to employ a technique of directly depositing polysilicon on a substrate at high temperature, a technique of depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate and crystallizing the polysilicon layer at high temperature of about 600° C., and a technique of depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate and heat-treating the amorphous silicon layer using laser. However, such techniques require high temperature processing and hence, it becomes difficult to employ the techniques to a glass substrate for a liquid crystal panel. Furthermore, the uniformity in the electrical characteristics between the TFTs is deteriorated due to the non-uniform grain boundaries.
In order to solve such a problem, a sequential lateral solidification process which can control the distribution of the grain boundaries in an artificial manner has been developed. This is a technique based on the fact that the grains of the polysilicon grow perpendicular to the interface between the laser-illuminated liquid phase region and the non-illuminated solid phase region. The laser beam passes through a mask with slits to completely melt local portions of the amorphous silicon to form liquid phase regions in slit shapes at the amorphous silicon layer. Thereafter, the liquid phase amorphous silicon is cooled to be crystallized. The growth of crystal begins from the boundary of the solid phase region where the laser is not illuminated, and proceeds perpendicular thereto. The grains stop growing at the center of the liquid phase region while meeting there. Such a process is repeated while moving the mask slits in the growing direction of the grains so that the sequential lateral solidification can be made throughout the entire target area.
However, a protrusion portion is formed on the grain boundary surface of the polysilicon layer crystallized by the sequential lateral solidification process. Accordingly a photoresist film is not completely applied on an upper surface of the polysilicon layer. To solve the problem, an organic cleaning process, or a cleaning process using HF is practiced, but it is not effective because the protrusion portion is not completely removed.

Method for manufacturing a thin film transistor using poly silicon


A system and method for recording the evidence of intent of a party to a transaction, archiving this speech recording, and notifying and making it available to interested parties. A party seeking an affirmation will send to the affirming party a communication outlining the terms of the affirmation to be made, and also a transaction identifier by which a system may identify the parties to the transaction. The affirming party communicates with the system. The affirming party communicates the transaction identifier, and subsequently recites a spoken affirmation which is recorded by the system. The system then stores the recording in association with a recording identifier which can be used later to retrieve the recording. Finally, the system communicates the recording identifier both to the affirming party and to the party requesting the affirmation. The requesting party is thus informed that the affirmation has been made.

For a contract to exist between two parties, there must be, inter alia, intent to enter into reciprocal obligations, agreement as to the nature of those obligations, and assent thereto. Evidence of assent might include evidence of oral undertakings, complete or partial fulfilment of the contractual undertakings, and formal acts of signing written statements.
Historically, the greater part of commerce was conducted face-to-face. Most contracts were made orally and evidence of assent was obtained from human witnesses. Longer-range contracts would more typically be effected on paper. In this case, the affixing of a seal or a handwritten signature would constitute physical evidence of a solemn act of assent to the terms of the contract. In particularly solemn situations, an independent third party, e.g., a notary, would likewise attest his observation of the solemn act, further strengthening the evidence of assent.
With the advent of modern telecommunications, commercial entities increasingly operate on a national or international basis. In the course of their business, companies rely upon contracts with a greater number of parties, often over an ever wider geographical area. However, the development of large-scale commerce has not yet accommodated the need to gather and preserve evidence of assent to a commercial transaction. In the case of written contracts for example, evidence of assent—the handwritten signature—has typically been handled by means of the nineteenth century postal system.
In recent years, attempts have been made to address the problem of evidencing assent to commercial transactions in the electronic commerce domain. Most "online" transactions are consummated by a party clicking on an icon indicating his assent. Early attempts to address the lack of a signature have focused on the issue of the identity of the contracting party. So, for example, the so-called digital signature system relies on the association of secret information with a particular individual or entity. In order to digitally sign a message, one must be in possession of a secret encryption key. While it can be proved that a message cannot be signed without possession of the secret key, the mere existence of a digital signature does not of itself provide any evidence that the secret was not divulged or in some other way compromised. Some proponents of the digital signature system seek to strengthen it by adding a biometric check, which requires an individual to have the specific physical or behavioural attributes of the authorized signatory to gain access to the secret encryption key.
However, such attempts inevitably fail, in that they do not address the more fundamental issue of assent. Handwritten signatures function as indicators of assent because of two cultural conventions. The first is that a signature is understood to indicate assent to the preceding text of a paper document. The second is that the making of a handwritten signature is culturally associated with the undertaking of a solemn commitment. Digital signatures enjoy neither of these cultural associations. In the first place, the only association with the text of the document is a mathematical one which the signatory has no means of verifying. In the second, the sequence of actions required to perform a digital signature are not a matter of public convention, nor even of common knowledge. It would be easy for a signatory to repudiate a digital signature, either by alleging that he was ignorant of the meaning of the signed data, or denying that the steps he took to provide a digital signature expressed assent. In order to establish either of these points, therefore, a digital signature system is reliant on other, extrinsic evidence.
A quite different approach was taken by those inventors who sought to employ computer technology to gather evidence of informed consent to undergoing medical procedures. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,028, a system is described that is equipped with speech output facilities which, having presented the affirming party with the content of the affirmation, obtained evidence of his comprehension by inducing him to answer a questionnaire by pressing appropriate keys on a computer keyboard and signify his final acceptance by giving a fingerprint sample. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,440, which describes a similar system where the affirming party is invited to submit a digitally recorded handwritten signature. Such systems, however, can only be applied in very specialized circumstances and are ill suited to general-purpose declarations and agreements. Further, the evidential link between the interactions (such as keystrokes) of the affirming party and the "signing" act (e.g., the giving of a fingerprint sample or a digitized handwritten signature) is not self-evident, and would need to be supported by expert testimony in a forensic context. Finally, these methods cannot make the evidentiary record available to the interested parties.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,544,255, 5,647,017, 5,818,955 and 6,064,751, Smithies and Newman proposed a system which sought to overcome most of these defects. The system described in the Smithies and Newman patents enabled handwritten signatures to be created in association with electronic documents and communicated within the electronic domain. The described system invited the signatory to sign in the context of a display showing a statement of the import of the message to be signed. This statement was then stored together with the signature data. The proximity of the statement of intention and the conventions surrounding the execution of a handwritten signature provided good evidence of assent to the contents of the signed message.
Subsequently, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,835, Smithies et al. described a system that was not restricted to the use of handwritten signatures, but could equally use speech recording, fingerprint sampling, or the input of a password or digital signature. This system sought to overcome the limitations of non-standard signing techniques by enabling prompts to be displayed to the signatory explaining the significance of what he was being asked to do. Evidence of informed consent was produced at every stage: the system logged all the prompts displayed to the signatory and all the signatory's interactions in an electronic transcript. However, the matter to be signed was necessarily expressed in digital form, as was the assent to the matter, and the two were inextricably linked.
Although the foregoing solutions attempt to provide evidence of informed consent, they suffer from severe limitations. First, they require the signatory to have access to specialized hardware. Second, they require that the signatory have special software installed on his computer. Third, they have no facility for making the evidence of assent available to the interested parties.
Their fourth and most serious shortcoming is one that is shared by all forms of electronic signing proposed to date. That is that they are bonded to a specific digital embodiment of the signed data. A conversion of the signed data from one electronic format to another (which frequently occurs as a result of software upgrades) will invalidate an electronic signature without necessarily changing the meaning of the data. This has two consequences. The first is that over the course of time, digital embodiments of documents such as contracts are apt to change. Custodians of archives of electronically signed documents are thus faced with the dilemma of either maintaining those documents in their original, archaic form or converting them to a more up-to-date form and thus invalidating the electronic signature. The second consequence is that existing electronic signing procedures cannot be used to signify acceptance of terms which are communicated by means of a paper document. They can only be used to sign something which is in digital form.

Method and system for recording evidence of assent


A memory system with improved power consumption and operation speed. A memory system performs a data read operation in a low power read mode to improve operation speed and reduce power consumption by biasing bit cells in the memory system at a negative voltage. The use of the negative voltage minimizes changing of voltages of the bit cells. Additionally, the memory system performs data read operation in a margin read mode to improve accuracy of the reading by biasing the bit cells at a positive voltage.

1. Field of Art
The disclosure generally relates to electronic circuit design, and more specifically to configurations for efficient memory circuits and operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Memory devices are electronic devices arranged to store data. Among various types of memory devices, demand for embedded nonvolatile memory (NVM) in integrated circuits has increased recently, because NVM can retain data even when power is inactivated. Desirable characteristics of embedded NVM include low cost, low power, high speed, and high reliability (data retention and program/erase cycling endurance).
During the data read operations of NVM, a conventional approach applies positive voltages to multiple bit cells in NVM for selecting and sensing the data stored in selected bit cells. However, applying positive voltages to multiple bit cells causes high power consumption and extends time to perform the data read operation. Also, applying positive voltages to multiple bit cells may lead to changes of charges stored in the multiple bit cells, thus altering the stored data unintentionally.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved concept providing an efficient solution to the problem of NVM architecture and operation, in a manner that reduces power consumption and improves speed when performing data read operations.


In a noncontact self-injection-locked sensor, a self-injection-locked oscillating integrated antenna is designed to radiate a signal to a subject and be injection-locked by a reflect signal reflected from the subject. Owing to the reflect signal is phase-modulated by vital signs of the subject, a demodulator is provided to demodulate an injection-locked signal of the self-injection-locked oscillating integrated antenna to obtain a vital signal of the subject.

Wearable healthcare devices are the potential consumer electronics and usually use photoelectric sensor to detect vital signs. In conventional photoelectric sensor, a light is applied to human skin and capturing the images of the skin by a camera. The skin images are used to observe light intensity variation which is caused by the volume variation of blood flowing through the human skin. As a result, the photoelectric sensor can measure the heartbeat rate according the light intensity variation. However, the photoelectric sensor has to be placed on the human skin tightly for accurate detection because it is sensitive to ambient light. That is the reason why the healthcare device is usually designed as a wristwatch. Additionally, the user wearing the healthcare device for a long time may feel uncomfortable due to the healthcare device is attached to the skin tightly.

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology


The invention includes bispecific molecules capable of cross-linking ITAM and ITIM receptors on a cell in order to inhibit cell activation, as well as gene therapy approaches using nucleotides encoding such bispecific molecules for expression in vivo. One example of an ITAM/ITIM receptor pair is FcεRI and HM18, and another is FcεRI and FcγRII. Cross-linking of these receptors with a bispecific molecule of the invention would lead to inhibition of the release of allergic mediators and amelioration of the symptoms of allergic diseases. Other diseases can be ameliorated by cross-linking ITIM/ITAM receptor pairs.

The immune system is our defense against a variety of antigens, including those associated with bacteria, viruses, and cancerous cells. However, not all immunological responses are beneficial. Allergic diseases including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis affect as much as 5 to 10% of the U.S. population. Asthma alone is estimated to affect more than 15 million Americans, with more than 5000 dying annually. More than 10% of children have allergic dermatitis at some point during their childhood (Leung, D., Mol. Gen. and Metab. 63:157–167 (1998). The prevalence of allergic diseases and their associated morbidity has risen dramatically over the last 20 years. Effective therapies that lack deleterious side effects for the management of these diseases are lacking.
Initiation of the immune response involves specific recognition of an antigenic molecule. The immune response is initiated following the binding of antigen to a specific cell receptor. There are a wide variety of receptors, including the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR), the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR), and receptors for the Fc portion of different immunoglobulin subclasses (FCR). One example of an FCR is FcεRI, which binds IgE.
Activation or inhibition of the immune response occurs at the receptor site and involves two different motifs: the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) and the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM). The tyrosine-based motifs undergo rapid, but transient phosphorylation upon receptor ligation, thereby regulating key components of the signaling cascade. ITAMs activate an immune response, whereas the ITIMs inhibit it.
IgE is a well known mediator of the immediate-type hypersensitivity allergic reactions including, e.g., allergic rhinitis ("hay fever"), extrinsic asthma, and food and drug allergies. IgE is secreted by, and expressed on the surface of B-cells or B-lymphocytes. Upon exposure of a mammal to an allergen (antigen), the B-cells specific for that particular antigen are "activated" and develop into IgE-secreting plasma cells. The allergen-specific IgE circulates through the bloodstream. In IgE-mediated allergic reactions, IgE binds through its Fc portion to FcεRI receptors present on the surface of basophils, mast cells, and Langerhans cells. If the IgE bound to the surface of these cells then contacts and binds an allergen, this causes a cross-linking of the bound IgE molecules and hence the underlying receptors, and triggers the release of pharmacologic mediators, such as histamine, serotonin, leukotrienes and the slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis. These mediators cause the pathologic manifestations of allergic reactions.
Many IgE-mediated allergic conditions or diseases could be inhibited or ameliorated if mast cell activation could be avoided. Cross-linking of an ITAM with an ITIM may cause such a negative regulation of mast cell activation. In fact, it has been demonstrated in animal models that cross-linking of IgE bound to FcεRI (ITAM) with a murine ITIM, gp49 (primarily expressed on the surface of mast cells), inhibits release of mast cell mediators of allergy. International Patent Application WO 98/09638 discusses a rat antibody that targets gp49 (designated mAb B23.1) on the surface of murine mast cells. It was demonstrated that coligation of the FcεRI and gp49 on the surface of mast cells suppresses FcεRI-mediated exocytosis, as evidenced by the release of the secretory granule mediator β-hexosaminidase and the generation of the membrane derived pro-inflammatory lipid mediator leukotriene (LT) C4.
The coligation in this International patent application was accomplished using an F(ab′)2 antibody fragment targeting the light chains of both the B23.1 antibody and rat IgE. The mast cells were primed with mAb B23.1 and rat IgE, and then the F(ab′)2 fragment was added. Inhibition of exocytosis as compared with controls was evident. This inhibitory effect is believed to be caused by inhibition of the signal transduction cascade that otherwise leads to the release of such mast cell mediators.
Inhibition of mast cell allergic mediators through cross-linking of FcεRI with gp49 (or the human equivalent, HM18) offers new potential treatments for IgE-mediated allergic diseases. Cross-linking of other ITIM and ITAM receptors, which could inhibit activation of a number of cell types carrying these receptors, could provide treatments for a number of diseases and conditions where cellular activation is a disease component, thus providing a much needed therapy for these diseases.

Bispecific molecules cross-linking ITIM and ITAM for therapy


A surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter includes at least one first electroacoustic transducer, and at least one second electroacoustic transducer. The at least one first electroacoustic transducer and the at least one second electroacoustic transducer are side-by-side inside an acoustic path having an aperture A0. The at least one first electroacoustic transducer is connected to an electrical output of the SAW filter, and the at least one second electroacoustic transducer is connected to an electrical input of the SAW filter. At least one first electroacoustic transducer comprises a series circuit of a number of partial transducers, wherein each partial transducer has an individual aperture that is reduced in relation to the overall aperture A0, and wherein the individual apertures add up to the overall aperture.

A series circuit, antenna-antenna switch-Rx filter-matching circuit-LNA-mixer, is usually present in the receive path, referred to as the Rx path, of cell phones. For the front end of cell phones, which contains at least part of the Rx path, complete chipsets or even modules are offered that comprise individual components matched to one another, or are integrated circuits, or contain several or all components integrated on one module. Because of their reasonable prices, CMOS circuits are being increasingly used for the LNA (Low Noise Amplifier). Such LNAs have input impedances of, for instance, 800Ω or more. They have at least one bad noise figure, so that an input signal with as high an amplitude as possible, i.e., low attenuation, is required to meet the requirements of the overall system.
SAW filters with a real output impedance of typically up to 200Ω are used for the Rx branch and also for the TX branch for cell phones. Matching to the LNA with the higher input impedance is achieved with external components, which, however, have finite figures of merit and therefore produce losses. Integrating these matching components entirely or partially into modules is a known measure for minimizing these losses. Nevertheless, it is necessary to accept losses of typically 2.0 dB in the front end of cell phones from the SAW filter alone, and typically ca. 1.0 dB in addition from the external matching for impedance transformation to the actual 800Ω.
A DMS filter in which the impedance of the input or output filter is determined by weighting is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,372 A. This transducer is divided into two partial transducers connected in series at least in part. The division of the input or output transducer into two partial transducers can be done horizontally, the partial transducers then being arranged side by side transversally in the acoustic path. It is also possible to divide the partial transducers vertically into two partial transducers, the partial transducers then being arranged side by side longitudinally inside the acoustic path. In case of a division into two partial transducers in which the size of the overall transducer, including the number of fingers, remains unchanged, one then achieves an impedance transformation between input side and output side by a factor of 4 in both cases.
To match an input filter between an antenna with a 50Ω impedance and an LNA with an input impedance of 800Ω, however, a higher impedance transformation, which cannot be achieved with known SAW filters, is necessary.

Saw filter featuring impedance transformation


Pressure sensing ports opening through the fares of tapered land thrust bearing pads are sized and located to afford a pressure proportional to the average pressure of the load along such surfaces in the radial and circumferential directions. The pressure sensing ports are preferably located 5/8 the circumferential extent of the pad from its leading edge and approximately midway between the inner and outer diameters. The circumferential extent of the slot is sized to approximate 1/12 of the arc length of the pad while its radial extent approximates 1/4 the radial distance between the inner and outer diameters.

Measurement of loads in thrust bearings has been a difficult problem. Sensing pressures on bearing pads by means of pressure transducers mounted on the bearing pad surfaces has been used to measure pressure profiles for comparison with theory. However, use of pressure transducers in field bearings to measure total bearing load has not been successful. The principle difficulty has been local peaks and valleys which occur in the pressure profiles particularly in the narrow clearance regions where the pressures are highest. Such peaks and valleys introduce unknown variation in the relationship between sensed pressure and load. Typically, it would, require a significant number of probes in each bearing pad surface to obtain a measure of the average pressure relating to the load. It will be appreciated that in tapered land bearings, the rotation of the thrust runner causes the lubricant film across the bearing pad surface to decrease in thickness in a circumferential direction, for example, down to one mil at the flat land of the pad surface preceding the next oil supply groove. Pressure variations thus occur both radially and circumferentially, rendering quite difficult the measurement of an average pressure on the load bearing thrust face.


A thermal printhead (A) includes an insulating substrate (1), a glaze layer (2), a resistor layer (3), an electrode layer (4) and a protective layer (5). The electrode layer (4) has a two-layer structure made up of a lower first electrode layer (4a) and an upper second electrode layer (4b). The resistor layer (3) includes a heating portion (7). The heating portion (7) is exposed from both the first electrode layer (4a) and the second electrode layer (4b) and is positioned on a bulging portion (2c) of the glaze layer (2).

FIG. 3 shows a conventional thin-film thermal printhead disclosed in the Patent Document 1 described below. The thermal printhead B includes an insulting substrate 101, a heat-retaining glaze layer 102, a resistor layer 103 in the form of a thin film, an electrode layer 104 in the form of a thin film, and a protective layer 105. The heat-retaining glaze layer 102 is formed on the insulating substrate 101 and includes a bulging portion 102c. The resistor layer 103 is formed as a thin film on the heat-retaining glaze layer 102 by sputtering and covers the bulging portion 102c. The electrode layer 104 is formed as a thin film on the resistor layer 103 by sputtering and divided by an electrode layer gap 104c positioned on the top of the bulging portion 102c. The protective layer 105 covers both of the resistor layer 103 and the electrode layer 104. Due to the presence of the electrode layer gap 104c, the resistor layer 103 includes a portion which is not covered by the electrode layer 104, i.e., a heating portion 107. With this arrangement, when current flows through the electrode layer 104, Joule heat is generated at the heating portion 107. The thermosensitive recording or thermal transfer recording is performed by utilizing this heat.
The electrode layer 104 comprises a single layer having a uniform thickness of at least 0.5 μm and generally about 0.8 μm. The electrode layer 104 includes an electrode pad having a predetermined thickness so that a metal wire is reliably bonded to the electrode pad in wire bonding.
However, to secure a sufficient thickness of the electrode layer 104 causes the following drawbacks.
Firstly, a stepped portion 104d having a height of at least 0.5 μm which corresponds to the thickness of the electrode layer is formed at the end of the electrode layer 104 which adjoins the heating portion 107. Due to the stepped portion 104d, a stepped portion 105d is formed at the protective layer 105 laminated on the electrode layer. The stepped portion 105d hinders the close contact between the thermal printhead B and a recording medium, and hence, hinders proper utilization of the heat generated by the heating portion 107 for printing. Further, when foreign matter enters the space between the thermal printhead B and the recording medium, the foreign matter may be caught in the stepped portion 105d. In such a case, the protective layer may be damaged or peeled off.
Secondly, the heat generated at the heating portion 107 is likely to escape through the thick electrode layer 104. Thus, the heat generated by the heating portion 107 is not utilized effectively.
Thirdly, as shown in FIG. 4, when the thickness of the electrode layer 104 exceeds 0.5 μM, small projections 108 called hillocks are formed on the surface of the electrode layer 104 due to the growth of Al crystal. Due to the hillocks 108, small projections 109 are formed on the surface of the electrode layer 104. The projections 109 increase the coefficient of friction between the protective layer 105 and the printing medium, and hence, cause meandering or clogging of the printing medium. Further, due to the contact of the recording medium with the projections 109, an excessively large external force is applied to the projections 109. As a result, the projections 109 or the protective layer 105 may be broken. In such a case, ions such as Cl− or Na+ enter through the broken portion, so that the electrode layer 104 is corroded.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2001-105641


A water drain for insertion into a mating wall opening in an extruded, hollow door or window sash or frame comprises a round, rectangular or the like housing having at least one peripheral front flange defining a drain opening, a baffle extending downwardly from a housing top portion for partially closing an upper portion of the drain opening, and a flap having a lower planar rear surface and an upper planar front surface for opening and closing lower and upper portions of the drain opening. The planar lower rear surface portion of the flap is joined to the upper front surface portion by a pivot axis, the planar lower surface being disposed forwardly of the upper planar front surface whereby the flap tends to gravitate to an at-rest, closed, substantially vertical position.

(i) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a window or door drain and, more particularly, relates to a water drain at the base of an extruded window or door sash or frame.
(ii) Description of the Related Art
Windows and doors having single or double pane construction typically comprise a sash perimeter surrounding the glass panes which is pivotally or slidably mounted within a frame. The interiors of the sash and frame, typically made from extruded plastics or metal alloys, are essentially hollow. Problems frequently arise from the collection of moisture within the sash and/or the frame and drain holes usually are provided to allow water to escape from the sash as it forms.
Closable drains for extruded plastic windows or sliding patio doors, for example, typically tend to jamb in a closed or an opened position because of the miniature size of the drains, thereby trapping rainwater or condensate within the window or door sash if jammed shut or allowing air to blow through if jammed open. This can result in a substantial decrease in thermal efficiency and, particularly in cold northern climates and hot southern climates, can result in high heating or cooling costs with substantial discomfort to the inhabitants.
It is difficult to manufacture and to install small, air-tight drains without misalignment or malfunction of the component parts due largely to the small size and light weight of the miniature drain closure flap. Also, surface tension caused by a film of moisture can lock the drain flap in a open position, allowing air to blow through the open drain and permitting insects to enter the sash or frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,934 issued Oct. 20, 1998 discloses a water drain for door or window sashes in which a pivotally-mounted closure flap is mounted at an at-rest closed position of about 45° to the horizontal.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a small, inexpensive and reliable water drain assembly for extruded window or door sash or frame assemblies in which a drain flap is pivotally mounted in a vertically at-rest closed position.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a drain flap which is balanced to remain closed regardless of wind pressure while able to open against wind pressure to drain any water accumulated in a sash.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a small drain assembly having a variety of shapes including a round weeper assembly for ease of installation.

Drain for a door or window sash or frame


An automatic fertilizing apparatus (10) connected in series with a watering system (150) that includes a water source (152) and a sprinkler head(s) (158). The apparatus (10) consists of a liquid fertilizer container (12) having a water inlet port (20) and a water/fertilizer outlet port (24), and a fertilizing control assembly (50) having an outer fertilizer control tube (52) and an inner fertilizer control tube (82). The tube (52) which includes an outlet fertilizer entry slot (54) is inserted through the port (20) and the port (24) and is fixedly attached therethrough. The tube (82) is rotatably inserted into the tube (52) and includes an inner fertilizer entry slot (84), an inlet end (86) connected to the water source (152), an outlet end (88) connected to the sprinkler head(s) (158) and a vortex tube (87). The vortex tube (87) produces a partial vacuum that allows the fertilizer to be drawn into the two slots (54,84) and enter the water stream from the water source (152), through the two tubes (52,82) and out the sprinkler heads(s) (158).

All commercial and residential lawns and plants require watering to survive and grow. Although watering along will be sufficient for certain types of lawns and plants, it has been found that there are many types of lawns and plants that require the additional benefit of a fertilizer. This is especially true for many crops, which have a relatively fast growth period prior to picking or harvesting.
The use of fertilizer has been in existence for a long time. Originally, fertilizer, as with watering, had to be performed by hand. As technology improved, the means by which fertilizer could be applied became more efficient. Today, the most common method of applying fertilizer is to integrate the fertilizer into a water sprinkler system.
The prior art discloses several apparatuses and methods by which a fertilizer can be introduced into the flow of a steam of water that originates form a water source and exits through a sprinkler head into the lawns and plants. These prior art apparatuses and methods which are described infra are relatively complicated, difficult to install and to maintain.
The instant application discloses an automatic fertilizing apparatus that is simple in design and that is easily integrated into an existing watering system.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
U.S. Pat. No.INVENTORISSUED6,173,732Davis et al16 Jan. 20015,823,430Clark, Jr. et al20 Oct. 19985,730,364Gertie24 Mar. 1998
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,732 discloses a chemical feeding system for adding liquid, water soluble solid chemicals to a lawn sprinkler system. The system has one or two vertically oriented mixing chambers containing a removable sponge filter. An effluent tube is attached to the bottom of the mixing chamber for recycling through an adjustable flow metering valve. A drain tube with a shutoff valve and a one-way check valve leads to the main sprinkler system.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,430 discloses an automatic fertilizer system having a liquid fertilizer dispenser. The dispenser introduces a continuous addition of a selected amount of fertilizer, insecticide and herbicide chemicals to sprinklers that use an outside waterline. The dispenser has an adjustable metering cap with different diameter through-holes for allowing the contents of the dispenser to be injected into the flowing stream of water, which leads to the sprinklers.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,364 discloses an automatic fertilizing device installed inline with a below ground water line for an underground sprinkler system. The device consists of a fertilizer tablet chamber that is connected to the inlet and outlet side of the water line. A fertilizer replenishment passage extends upward from the chamber, with an upper end positioned at or below ground level. One or more inlet and outlet screens may be provided at each end of the chamber to prevent the entrance of small particles of the solid fertilizer tablet into either the inlet or outlet line as the tablet is dissolved by the water flow.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to following remaining patents found in the search:
U.S. Pat. No.INVENTORISSUED5,366,159Childers22 Nov. 19945,303,503Patterson19 Apr. 19944,825,959Wilhelm 2 May 19894,056,898Brucato et al 8 Nov. 19773,876,146Pacheco 8 Apr. 1975


According to one embodiment, a method for forming a transparent ceramic preform includes forming a suspension of oxide particles in a solvent, adding the suspension to a mold of a desired shape, and uniformly curing the suspension in the mold for forming a preform. The suspension includes a dispersant but does not include a gelling agent. In another embodiment, a method includes creating a mixture without a gelling agent, the mixture including: inorganic particles, a solvent, and a dispersant. The inorganic particles have a mean diameter of less than about 2000 nm. The method also includes agitating the mixture, adding the mixture to a mold, and curing the mixture in the mold at a temperature of less than about 80° C. for forming a preform. Other methods for forming a transparent ceramic preform are also described according to several embodiments.

Exceptional ceramic parts having laser optical transparency have been fabricated and are commercially available. These parts are typically made starting with a very pure co-precipitated powder which is then slip cast in the presence of a gelling agent to form the green structure or preform prior to sintering. A uniform slurry of high purity powder is poured into a plaster mold which sucks the water out of the slurry by capillary forces and produces the green structure after drying. Using fluid flow and surface tension to consolidate the ceramic powder allows parts to be made with a uniform powder packing. However, because the mold removes the water, slip casting can only be used for relatively thin parts. The need for a very porous surface on the mold also introduces another variable in the green structure fabrication. The porous mold usually made of commercial gypsum may also be a source of contamination. Moreover, the presence of the gelling agent, or its by products, in the final structure is an impurity that adversely affects the optical properties of the ceramic. Cold uniaxial pressing and cold isostatic pressing have also been used to make transparent parts. However, inter-particle friction during the pressing process tends to prevent densification in the center of the part so that size of the part must be kept small enough that this does not cause porosity.
In order to increase the driving force for sintering, a finer nano-sized powder than that produced by precipitation may be used. This can be especially important for achieving high transparency needed for lasers. Finer particles because of their increased surface area sinter more easily. Very small trapped pores are also less effective in scattering light.
However, smaller nano-sized particles behave differently than larger (such as micrometer) sized particles during green structure consolidation. For instance, smaller particles experience more friction as they move past one another in a die making it more difficult to produce a uniform structure through cold pressing, especially where larger parts are desired. The higher surface area of finer particles also requires more water for wetting making it difficult to get the solids loading high for slipcast slurries. As a result, after slip casting there is significant shrinkage on drying often leading to cracking and other problems. Finer particles are more susceptible to surface-area-dependent chemical reactions, as may occur between a porous mold and certain ceramic powders. Therefore, a method of preparing transparent ceramics using nano-sized particles without the problems associated with traditional methods would be very beneficial to the advancement of this field.

Transparent ceramics and methods of preparation thereof

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC


Compositions and methods of using them for protecting skin, hair and nails against exposure to high energy visible light are described. The compositions can include one or more natural oils or extracts which are effective to absorb the high energy visible light at least to some degree.

Many new indoor compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can emit light in the 380-500 nm range. These wavelengths of light can cause damage to the skin of a user positioned under or near the CFL and LED bulbs. Also, solar radiation reaching the Earth consists approximately 25-30% light in this range. Conventional sunscreen compositions are designed to absorb light at wavelengths below 380 nm and provide no protection against longer wavelength solar radiation (>380 nm), as well as CFL- and LED-light exposure above 380 nm. Electronic device screens and displays having LED backlights emit light in 400-500 nm range, and thus, present danger for the user, as well.

Antioxidant compositions and methods of protecting skin, hair and nails against high energy blue-violet light


A method and devices in accordance with the present invention enable detecting regions of breast tissue having modulus of elasticity different from that of surrounding glandular tissue using a pressure sensing array. Detection of breast tumors is based on analyzing features of the stress pattern on the surface of an examined tissue that appear as a deviation from a stress pattern for a relatively homogeneous normal tissue. In one embodiment of the invention, a pressure sensor array, data acquisition circuit, and a microprocessor are mounted in a hand held pad. Detection of nodules is achieved by analyzing the dynamic and spatial features of the pressure pattern while the probe pressed to the breast is periodically moved transversely to the ribs. The ribs play a role as an amplifier of the measured effect. The device will be able to objectively detect the presence of lumps in a breast and provide a warning signal. Another embodiment of the invention is a clinical device for imaging the mechanical structure of the examined breast and diagnosing diseases accompanied by changes in the elasticity of breast tissue. This embodiment is made up of an electronically controlled mechanical scanning unit incorporated into a patient support bed. The mechanical scanning unit includes a compression mechanism and positioning system, a local pressure source located opposite a pressure sensor array, and electronic control and interface circuitry. The local pressure source is either a roller moving over the examined breast, or in another embodiment, an indenter which can be moved in all three dimensions and be controlled either automatically by a computer or manually by a mouse. In yet another embodiment, the mechanical scanning system serves as a biopsy guidance means and determines target lesions in the breast to be reached by a biopsy gun or an aspiration needle.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting regions in the tissue with the elasticity different from that of the surrounding tissues using a pressure sensing array for diagnosing breast cancer and other breast diseases accompanied by changes in the tissue elasticity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Diagnosing early formation of tumors, particularly those caused by cancer, has been a problem that has been attempted to be solved using various techniques, such as ultrasonic imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, x-rays, and the like. Each of these techniques have limitations, including the application of radiation to the body, which may be harmful to the body being tested.
One of the safest and oldest techniques of detecting diseased tissue is palpation. Palpation, that is, examination using the sense of touch, is based on the significant differences in elasticity of normal tissues and certain lesions. Palpation has been a commonly used technique for detecting prostate and breast cancer. Surprisingly, over 90% of breast cancer is first detected by women themselves (Strax P., Control of breast cancer through mass screening, Hospimedica, March/April, pp. 35-40 (1989)), in spite of palpation being very subjective, not able to detect tumors of less than about 8 mm in diameter, and, besides, being capable of sensing lumps only when their elastic modulus is a few times higher than that for normal glandular tissue. Nevertheless, the manual palpation till now is one of the major methods of clinical examination of the breast just because of the great scale changes of mechanical properties of tissues in the course of development of cancer. Many tumors that are currently considered "nonpalpable" because of their small size or insufficiently high Young's modulus, nevertheless, can be detected mechanically if a more sensitive instrument than a finger could be used. Thus, development of a method that will enable physicians to obtain quantitative objective information on changes of elasticity of breast tissues with sensitivity and spatial resolution considerably higher than that of palpation would be a significant step in the early diagnostics of breast cancer.
Various types of devices mimicking palpation to detect tumors using different types of pressure sensors have been suggested. For example, Frei et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,894, have proposed an instrument for breast examination that uses a plurality of spaced piezoelectric strips which are pressed into the body being examined by a pressure member which applies a given periodic or steady stress to the tissue beneath the strips. A different principle for evaluating the pattern of pressure distribution over a compressed breast was proposed by Gentle (Gentle CR, Mammobarography: a possible method of mass breast screening, J. Biomed. Eng. 10, 124-126, 1988). The pressure distribution is monitored optically by using the principle of frustrated total internal reflection to generate a brightness distribution. Using this technique, referred to as "mammobarography," simulated lumps in breast prostheses have been detected down to a diameter of 6 mm. According to Gentle, this technique can be used for mass breast screening; however, no quantitative data on lumps in a real breast was ever published. The failure has been explained by the insufficient sensitivity of the registration system. It should be noted, that most of the development of pressure sensors for medical applications has been done not for mimicking palpation but for monitoring blood pressure and analyzing propagation of pulse waves in blood vessels (See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,423,738; 4,799,491; 4,802,488; 4,860,761).
Another approach to evaluate elasticity of the tissues uses indirect means, such as conventional imaging modalities (ultrasound or MRI) which are capable to detect motion of a tissue subjected to an external force. One approach attempts to determine the relative stiffness or elasticity of tissue by applying ultrasound imaging techniques while vibrating the tissue at low frequencies. See. e.g., K. J. Parker et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,848; R. M. Lerner et al., Sono-Elasticity: Medical Elasticity Images Derived From Ultrasound Signals in Mechanically Vibrated Targets, Acoustical Imaging, Vol. 16, 317 (1988); T. A. Krouskop et al., A Pulsed Doppler Ultrasonic Svstem for Making Non-Invasive Measurement of Mechanical Properties of Soft Tissue, 24 J. Rehab. Res. Dev. Vol. 24, 1 (1987); Y. Yamakoshi et al., Ultrasonic Imaging of Internal Vibration of Soft Tissue Under Forced Vibration, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, Vol. 7, No. 2, Page 45 (1990).
Another method proposed for measuring and imaging tissue elasticity is described in Ophir et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,107,837, 5,293,870, 5,143,070 and 5,178,147. This method includes emitting ultrasonic waves along a path into the tissue and detecting an echo sequence resulting from the ultrasonic wave pulse. The tissue is then compressed (or alternatively decompressed from a compressed state) along the path and during such compression, a second pulse of ultrasonic waves are sent along the path into the tissue. The second echo sequence resulting from the second ultrasonic wave pulse is detected and then the differential displacement of selected echo segments of the first and second echo sequences are measured. A selected echo segment of the echo sequence, i.e., reflected RF signal, corresponds to a particular echo source within the tissue along the beam axis of the transducer. Time shifts in the echo segment are examined to measure compressibilities of the tissue regions.
Thus, since current prior art methods and devices for detecting lesions in breast by evaluating tissue elasticity are inferior to manual palpation, there still remains a need for a simple and effective device for the detection of breast cancer.

Method and device for mechanical imaging of breast


The embodiments of this application provide a method and device for optimizing neural network. The method includes: binarizing and bit-packing input data of a convolution layer along a channel direction, and obtaining compressed input data; binarizing and bit-packing respectively each convolution kernel of the convolution layer along the channel direction, and obtaining each corresponding compressed convolution kernel; dividing the compressed input data sequentially in a convolutional computation order into blocks of the compressed input data with the same size of each compressed convolution kernel, wherein the data input to one time convolutional computation form a data block; and, taking a convolutional computation on each block of the compressed input data and each compressed convolution kernel sequentially, obtaining each convolutional result data, and obtaining multiple output data of the convolution layer according to each convolutional result data.

In recent years, deep neural networks have achieved great success in various applications of computer vision field, such as image classification, object detection, semantic segmentation and so on.
However, the deep neural networks, which are usually with large number of model parameters and requires large computing resources and high throughput, may hardly to be applied to some devices with low power consumption and low computation capability (such as embedded devices, integrated devices and so on).

Method and device for optimizing neural network

BEIJING TUSEN ZHITU TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A vehicle lamp has a light source and a lens that is arranged on a front side of the light source. The lens deflects and irradiates light from the light source toward a front side of the vehicle lamp. A front side surface of the lens includes a first freely formed curve surface, and an irradiation angle, with respect to the optical axis, of the light to be irradiated from the front side surface is set as a target irradiation angle at each point of the front side surface. A rear side surface of the lens includes a second freely formed curve surface formed by continuous surface elements, each having an inclination angle that realizes a light irradiation by the target irradiation angle set at respective points of the front side surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp, in which a light source and a lens arranged on a front side of the lamp form a predetermined light distribution pattern.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vehicle lamp such as a cornering lamp or a lamp unit of a headlamp, light from a light source arranged on an optical axis extended in a front and rear direction of the vehicle lamp is deflected and irradiated in a forward direction of the vehicle lamp by a lens arranged on a front side of the vehicle lamp, thereby forming a predetermined light distribution pattern.
For example, JP-A-2005-141918 describes an example of a cornering lamp, and JP-A-2005-44683 and JP-UM-A-4-21005 describe examples of lamp units of headlamps.
Further, JP-A-2005-183090 describes a projector-type lamp unit in a headlamp, in which a surface shape of a projecting lens thereof is set to a shape different from that of a normal projecting lens.
A vehicle lamp such as a cornering lamp or a lamp unit of a headlamp is frequently arranged along a shape of a vehicle body of a vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable to promote a degree of freedom of layout of the lamp and promote design performance of the vehicle by forming a lens thereof by a surface shape along the shape of the vehicle body.
However, the vehicle lamps described in JP-A-2005-44683 and JP-UM-A-4-21005 use plane-convex lenses, and the vehicle lamp described in JP-A-2005-141918 uses a lens having a front surface of an ellipsoid shape. Therefore, none of these described lenses are formed along a shape-of the vehicle body. Thus, there is a problem that the lenses are insufficient in promoting degree of freedom of a layout of a lamp and of vehicular design.
Further, although the projecting lens of the lamp unit described in JP-A-2005-183090 is provided with a surface shape different from that of a normal projecting lens, the surface shape is provided with some degree of regularity and is not constituted by a surface shape in conformity with the shape of the vehicle body.
Further, even when the surface on the front side of the lens is formed by a freely formed curve surface in line with the shape of the vehicle body, a desired light distribution pattern cannot accurately be formed only by such a formed surface.


A hydraulic cylinder with a load distribution nut connected to an end cap reduces fatigue experience by the end cap portion of the cylinder. The load distribution nut separates the axial load generated in the system from a single to multiple load paths. By introducing additional load paths, the load experienced by the traditional load path is reduced. Additionally, the load experienced by the end cap can be tailored by modifying the design of the load distribution nut and end cap. By either increasing or decreasing the surface area of the load distribution nut the axial load reduction on the end cap is correspondingly decreased or increased.

Hydraulic cylinders come in many shapes and sizes and serve in functions ranging from attenuating recoil to lifting enormous loads. These systems, generally, have the following key components: a piston, a high pressure vessel, a low pressure reservoir, a working fluid and either a throttling device or pump. The high pressure vessel is generally cylindrical in shape with the piston translating axially along the vessel.
In operation, whether the fluid is performing work or being throttled, a shaft attached to the piston is either pushed on by high pressure or creates high pressure by pushing on the working fluid. This generates axial forces on both the piston and the high pressure vessel. Most traditional systems are sealed with an end cap which threads directly onto the high pressure vessel housing. Seals are used between the cap and the casing to ensure that there is no fluid leakage.
Prior Art FIG. 1 shows a specific variety of this traditional end cap. The end cap seals both an inner and outer annulus for recoil attenuation system which employs a pepper pot for fluid throttling. Using this traditional end cap retention method, one hundred percent of the axial load generated by the piston and fluid is transferred into the casing through the end cap threads. Depending on the magnitude of the load, the casing region may experience reduced functional lifespan due to fatigue.
Accordingly, a need exists for a hydraulic cylinder with an improved end cap to mitigate fatigue issues without adding undue weight to the cylinder.

U.S. Government as Represented by the Secretary of the Army


Methods and systems for tracking time in a web-based environment are described. In some embodiments, a web-based application to track time associated with a plurality of records is provided. A record in an active state is identified. A session associated with the record is generated, which includes activating a timer. An indication is received indicating that the record is in an inactive state. In response to receiving the indication, the session is ended, which includes deactivating the timer. A duration of the session is recorded.

Tracking employee time accurately and efficiently is a challenge that many companies face. Accurate time recording is necessary for many reasons. For example, clients may be billed directly for the time that is recorded on matters, and employees' or process inefficiencies may be detected. In some circumstances, employees work on multiple matters per day, sometimes switching between matters multiple times per hour. Some jobs require an employee to record time spent on each matter. The recordation process may be manual, which can be a burden to employees. For example, the employee may be required to insert a matter number, time spent on the matter, and a description into a time tracking application. It may be difficult for the employee to remember or calculate the time spent on a matter, especially when working on multiple matters.


Systems and methods audio matching using interest point overlap are disclosed herein. The systems include determining at least one matching reference segment based on a probe segment. Interest points for both the at least one matching reference segment and the probe segment can be generated. Probe segment interest points and matching reference segment interest points can be time aligned and frequency aligned. A count can be generated based on a number of overlapping interest points between each set of reference interest points and the set of probe segment interest points. The disclosed systems and methods allow false positive reference to be identified and eliminated based on the count. The benefits in eliminating false positive matches improve the accuracy of an audio matching system.

Audio samples can be recorded by many commercially available electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets, e-readers, computers, personal digital assistants, personal media players, etc. Audio matching provides for identification of a recorded audio sample by comparing the audio sample to a set of reference samples. To make the comparison, an audio sample can be transformed to a time-frequency representation of the sample by using, for example, a short time Fourier transform (STFT). Using the time-frequency representation, interest points that characterize time and frequency locations of peaks or other distinct patterns of the spectrogram can then be extracted from the audio sample. Fingerprints or descriptors can be computed as functions of sets of interest points. Fingerprints of the audio sample can then be compared to fingerprints of reference samples to determine identity of the audio sample.
When comparing the fingerprint of an audio sample to fingerprints of reference samples, it is desirable to have a database containing enough reference samples to make the comparison. The audio sample could come from any of a large number of sources, and be of any of a variety of content types (e.g., from music, from a movie, or from a television show). Consequently, a database of reference samples that contains sufficient music samples, movie samples, and television samples to afford for accurate matching could contain millions of samples.
When implementing an audio matching system using millions of samples as reference samples, it is likely, that in matching a sample fingerprint to the millions of reference fingerprints, that too many references may be returned as potential matches. These false positive matches present challenges in determining the actual identity of the recorded audio sample. Thus, effectively filtering and eliminating false positive matches in attempting to identity the recorded audio sample is desirable.

Audio matching using time alignment, frequency alignment, and interest point overlap to filter false positives


A system to stabilize a fracture includes an intramedullary rod having first and second ends and configured for placement within a medullary bone canal of a bone. The intramedullary rod includes a first rod hole at the second end. An intramedullary rod plate has first and second plate holes. A first fastener includes a shaft portion and a threaded head portion. The shaft portion of the first fastener passes through the first plate hole, through an outer surface of the bone, and through the first rod hole at the second end of the intramedullary rod such that the first fastener secures the intramedullary rod plate to the intramedullary rod. The threaded head portion of the first fastener mates with threads in the first plate hole. A second fastener passes through the second plate hole and into the bone to secure the intramedullary rod plate to the bone.

The following description is provided to assist the understanding of the reader. None of the information provided or references cited is admitted to be prior art.
Fractures or other conditions that cause instability of a long bone may be stabilized with intramedullary rod fixation, or otherwise known as intramedullary nail fixation. In this type of fixation procedure, an implant such as an intramedullary rod or nail is inserted through either the proximal or distal end of a long bone into the medullary canal. The rod diameter is chosen to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the medullary canal, such that the rod can be passed along the length of the long bone, while still providing a frictional interference fit between the outer surface of the rod and the surface of the medullary canal. The rod is passed across the fracture (or other area of bony instability, but for purposes of brevity, will henceforth be referenced as a fracture), and due to the rod frictional interference fit of the rod with the medullary canal of the bone both proximal and distal to the fracture, some degree of stability is restored.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention provides a rearward warning system that includes a detection unit detecting a location of a target vehicle, an estimation unit estimating a traveling direction of the target vehicle based on the location of the target vehicle detected by the detection unit, and a setting unit setting a collision warning range in respect of a subject vehicle and changing the collision warning range based on the traveling direction of the target vehicle estimated by the estimation unit.

A rearward alert device is a device that alerts a driver when there is a possibility of colliding with an object detected on the posterolateral side of a vehicle in motion.
The rearward alert device may include a blind spot detection (BSD) system which detects, and warns a driver of, an object present in a rear alert area of the vehicle and a lane change assist (LCA) system which determines, and warns the driver of, a collision possibility between the vehicle changing lanes and a target vehicle fast approaching the subject vehicle from behind.
Such vehicle rearward warning system shows the target vehicle moving in and out of a collision warning range as the target vehicle travels away from or toward the subject vehicle.
At this time, a discrepancy between the location of the target vehicle detected by a detection sensor and the location of the rearward collision warning range causes a problem of an error, which calls for a technique for controlling it.
The matters described above as the technical background are intended only for better understanding of the background of the present invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement that they correspond to the prior art already known to those with common knowledge in the related art.

Vehicle rearward warning system and its method


A drain hose assembly for an automatic washer comprising a flexible corrugated plastic hose having an end inter-connectable with the automatic washer and a second barbed connection end insertable into a tubular elastomeric connection member such that a rotatable sealable connection is provided between the barbed connection end and the tubular elastomeric connection member. A flexible corrugated plastic extension member may be provided having the tubular elastomeric connection member integrally molded onto one end. The extension member may have, at the end opposite the elastomer connection member, a barbed connection end for further interconnections. The extension member may therefore, be sealably and rotatably connected to the drain hose for adding length. An elastomeric tubular nozzle formed into an approximate 180.degree. arc and having an enlarged end including the formed elastomeric connection member may be provided for providing a discharge end to the drain hose assembly. The nozzle may therefore, interconnect with either the drain hose or extension member and may swivel relative to the drain hose or extension member to ease washer installation.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to automatic washers and more particularly to the drainage connection system between the pump of the automatic washer and a drain.
2. Description of Prior Art
In automatic washers, drain hoses provide a discharge conduit from a drain pump to a drain. Typically, the drain consists of a stand pipe drain or a drain tub and the drain hoses have a discharge end which has a bend of 90.degree. to 180.degree. to assist in connection to the drain.
Historically, drain hoses for automatic washing machines and similar devices were made of rubber tubing. A rigid bend of 90.degree. to 180.degree. was formed in the discharge end of the rubber tubing or a piece of metal tubing, having a bend of 90.degree. to 180.degree., was inserted in the discharge end of the rubber tubing. This arrangement had several drawbacks. Primarily the heavy rubber or neoprene tubing is expensive, prone to kinking, and is excessively stiff. Additionally, the length of this type of drain hose can be lengthened only by use of special fittings and clamps.
Recently, drain hoses for automatic washing machines have been made of molded and extruded corrugated plastic hose. This type of plastic hose is less expensive, resists kinking, and is more flexible than the heavy neoprene hoses. However, it is not possible to form a permanent bend at the discharge end due to manufacturing methods of the plastic hose. Therefore, a wire retainer is normally used to hold the plastic hose in a 180.degree. arc to provide a bend in the discharge end of the plastic hose. The corrugated plastic hose design also has a number of drawbacks. The plastic hose, because of its light weight, may not be securely retained in the drain under the influence of water thrust and vibration during pumping of the water from the machine. In addition the plastic hose may be damaged from friction which occurs as a result of vibration and movement of the hose in the drain. Furthermore, the standard wire adapter is typically intended for assembly to the corrugated hose by the user which can result in misassembly of the wire retainer onto the hose or a failure to use the wire retainer. Finally, this type of drain hose design does not accommodate additions in length for those installations requiring longer drain hoses.
What is needed therefore, is a drain hose assembly which allows use of the preferred plastic hose but overcomes the above mentioned drawbacks. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a drain hose assembly which allows use of a plastic hose and provides a bent discharge end for securing in the drain. Another object of the present invention is to provide a discharge end of a plastic hose which under the influence of water thrust and vibration during pumping water from the machine may be securely position in the drain. Another object of the present invention is to provide a plastic drain hose assembly having a discharge end which may be swiveled to ease installation. A further object of the present invention is to provide a plastic drain hose assembly having a discharge end which does not require user assembly. A further object of the invention is to provide a drain hose assembly which can be easily increased in length.

Drain hose assembly for an automatic washer


A method includes instantiating a simulation of an electronic design for a device under test (DUT) in hardware design language responsive to a user selection thereof. A subset of leaf nodes from a plurality of leaf nodes from the electronic design with input/output signaling of more than two values is identified. A hierarchical path for each leaf node of the plurality of leaf nodes of the electronic design for the DUT with respect to a testbench is calculated. A bypass module for the subset of leaf nodes is generated. The bypass module is generated in response to detecting presence of the subset of leaf nodes in the electronic design with input/output signaling of more than two values. The bypass module facilitates communication between the testbench and the subset of leaf nodes. Leaf nodes other than the subset of leaf nodes communicate with the testbench without communicating through the bypass module.

Typically, electronic designs are simulated once they are designed. Unfortunately, simulators typically support a two-state signalling scheme. Moreover, on the implementation side a signalling scheme with greater than two states is difficult to implement, e.g., on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) bitstream, because the data type on the chip is represented as a two-level signal only. For example, even though a signalling scheme greater than two states, such as pulse amplitude modulation PAM4, PAM8, etc., push more data in the same transmission interval and have a higher throughput, they are very difficult to implement since the data type on the chip is represented as a two-level signal. The limitations of simulators to handle only a two-state signalling scheme are exacerbated in light of exponential growth of data size requiring high-speed transmission and utilizing signalling schemes such as PAM4, PAM8, etc. to achieve a higher speed and an increased throughput.

Hierarchical access simulation for signaling with more than two state values


A muffler has a housing enclosing a plurality of chambers. A first flow path extends from an inlet to an outlet passing through a bypass chamber. A flow tube has a plurality of perforations being open to a chamber other than the bypass chamber. A second in flow path passes from the inlet to the outlet without passing through the bypass chamber and passing through the perforations. Exhaust gas is introduced into the muffler via the inlet and discharged therefrom via the outlet. A first portion of the exhaust gas flows from the inlet to the outlet along the first flow path. A second portion of the exhaust gas flows from the inlet to the outlet along the second flow path, the first and second portions mixing at least in the outlet chamber. A semi-closed tube has an open end being open to one of the chambers and a closed end.

Vehicles with an internal combustion engine are provided with an exhaust system for discharging exhaust gas from the engine to the atmosphere. The exhaust system includes a muffler for reducing engine noise emitted by the exhaust gas flowing out of the engine. Engine noise is created, in part, as a result of pressure waves produced by the combustion cycles of the engine, and therefore depends on the engine speed among other factors. It is desirable to decrease engine noise for a wide range of engine speeds, and without affecting the performance of the engine too much
FIG. 1 shows an example of a prior art muffler 900 which comprises a housing 902 enclosing two chambers 930 and 932. An inlet tube 904 connected to the left chamber 930 introduces exhaust gas from the engine into the muffler 900. The left chamber 930 is fluidly connected to the right chamber 932 by a tube 970. An outlet tube 906 is fluidly connected to the right chamber 932 for discharging exhaust gas from the muffler 900. Exhaust gas flowing from the inlet tube 904 into the left chamber 930 experiences an expansion and acoustic reflections within the left chamber 930 which reduce the amplitude of the pressure wave, thereby attenuating engine noise. Exhaust gas then flows from the left chamber 930 via the tube 970 into the right chamber 932 where it undergoes further expansion and thereby further attenuation of engine noise, before finally flowing out of the right chamber 932 via the outlet tube 906. However, mufflers of the type described above are not always sufficiently efficient at attenuating engine noise in a wide range of frequencies.
It would be desirable to obtain greater attenuation of engine noise. Furthermore, it would be desirable to obtain an increased attenuation of engine noise without increasing backpressure in the engine and without increasing the size, weight and/or complexity of the muffler. It would also be desirable to tune the attenuation of engine noise to particular desired frequencies.

Muffler for an internal combustion engine


Embodiments herein disclose automated methods and systems to fill background and interstitial space in the visual object layout with one or more colors that bleed/blend into each other. Embodiments herein automate the creation of multi-colored backgrounds for filling the interstitial space.

Given a visual layout of 1 to n photos on a surface area, there is a design challenge in filling space, which is left unoccupied by the photos (hereinafter referred to as interstitial space) (as depicted in the example in FIG. 1). This remaining interstitial space could be filled by a color background with a single color or a blend of more than one color. The display and mixing/blending of these colors to fill the interstitial space is non-trivial. All the chosen colors need to appear in the interstitial space without getting buried behind the overlaid photos. Also, the colors need to have smooth gradients when bleeding into each other.

Automated methods and systems to fill background and interstitial space in a visual object layout


The present invention describes a system and method of improving packet forwarding throughput in a router by reducing head of line blocking. In one embodiment of the present invention, incoming packets are stored in a packet reorder buffer. The packets are reordered for forwarding while maintaining the order of packets in a distinct flow. Packets belonging to a distinct flow require to be forwarded in the order that the router receives them. Packets from different flows are reordered such that their forwarding order can be different than the order in which they were received. Packets from the same flow are sent out in the same order as the router receives them.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packet switching and routing systems, specifically to packet forwarding techniques.
2. Description of the Related Art
Routing lookup decisions are a well-known component of the modern routing and switching functions implemented in data communications networks. The routing lookups performed on Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) labels often have varying latencies (or delays) associated in returning results. For example, most IP lookups require two accesses of the routing table to determine a destination address for the next hop. However, certain types of MPLS lookups, including virtual private network (VPN) lookups may require as many as seven accesses of the routing table.
Some modern routing/switching systems also employ a cache to speed the lookup function by storing certain addresses (such as, for example, frequently-encountered, high priority destinations or the like). When an IP destination address is presented for lookup, that address is first compared against the contents of the cache. If that IP address is found in the cache, the system bypasses the potentially lengthy lookup process. In systems employing the cache, packets (either plain IP packets or MPLS labeled packets) can transit the lookup sequence quickly. Thus, depending on the type of packet and whenever a cache hit occurs, packets arriving at the router may experience a variety of latencies in proceeding through the lookup process.
In today's environment of increasing network speeds, it is desirable to eliminate as many sources of routing delay as possible. The lookup throughput is different for different data traffic thus limiting attempts of eliminating latency in the lookup process. This is because the current router and switching systems do not distinguish between different incoming packet flows. At the end of a routing lookup, all packets are collected in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer and are sent forward for further processing in the order that the packets were received.
The use of a single FIFO buffer can result in a head-of-line (HOL) blocking problem. The HOL blocking problem arises when several packets, for which the IP lookup has been completed, must wait behind a single packet at the head of the line whose lookup is still in process. For example, consider an MPLS packet arriving first, followed by several short IP packets, the destination addresses of which result in cache hits. The IP packets can bypass the lookup process by employing the cache. However, these IP packets must wait in the FIFO buffer until the lengthy lookup for the first MPLS packet at the head of the line is completed. Thus the head-of-line blocking problem can result in a loss of overall packet forwarding throughput in the router. What is needed is a system and method for improving packet-forwarding throughput by reducing or eliminating the head-of-line blocking problem.

Packet forwarding throughput with partial packet ordering


Methods and systems monitor print data being retrieved by a dedicated spooler of a printing device, and monitor the quantity of print data within the print queue to be printed by a printing engine of the printing device. The dedicated spooler and the printing engine share computing resources and, therefore, the processing activities of the dedicated spooler slow processing activities of the printing engine. These methods and systems dynamically reduce the rate at which the print data is retrieved by the dedicated spooler based on the quantity of documents within the print queue to increase printing speed (for example, these methods and systems can reduce the rate at which the print data is retrieved by the dedicated spooler based on the quantity of print data within the print queue being above a threshold amount).

Systems and methods herein generally relate to print spoolers and more particularly to a spooler having dynamic load balancing.
In print spooling, documents formatted for printing are stored and later retrieved by a printer at the printer's own rate. With spooling, multiple processes can write documents to a print queue without waiting. As soon as the spooler retrieves a document from a process, the process can perform other tasks, while a separate printing process operates the printer.
Without spooling, a word processor would be unable to continue until printing finished. Spooler or print management software allows priorities to be assigned to jobs, notifies users when their output has been printed, distributes jobs among several printers, allows forms or paper to be changed (or selects such automatically), generates banner pages to identify and separate print jobs, etc. A batch processing system uses spooling to maintain a queue of ready-to-run jobs that can be started as soon as the system has the resources to process them.


A control device for controlling pivotable vanes of a turbo-machine, including: a plurality of pivotable vanes distributed in azimuth over at least 90° around the axis of the turbo-machine, the pivotable vanes being oriented substantially radially relative to the axis of the turbo-machine; and a control ring portion for controlling pivoting of the vanes, each vane being connected to the control ring portion by a link, the control ring portion being held around the axis of the turbo-machine by the links; wherein at least two of the links are connected to the ring portion by respective ball-joint connections, with other links being connected to the ring portion via respective sliding pivot connections.

In a turbo-machine, it is known to make use of one or more stator vane stages for adjusting the stream and the flow direction of the gas passing through the compression section as a function of the operating speed of the turbo-machine. These stator vane stages comprise a plurality of vanes (also known as variable-pitch vanes) that are capable of pivoting about their axes connecting them to the stator so that their pitch angle can be modified as a function of the operating speed of the turbo-machine.
Known devices for controlling the pivotable vanes of a turbo-machine usually comprise a plurality of pivotable vanes distributed in azimuth over at least 90° (ninety degrees of angle) around the axis of the turbo-machine, said pivotable vanes being oriented substantially radially relative to the axis of the turbo-machine, and a control ring portion for controlling the pivoting of the vanes, each vane being connected to the control ring portion by a link, the control ring portion being held around the axis of the turbo-machine by the set of links.
In turbo-machines that have an axial compressor, the vanes are oriented radially around the axis of the turbo-machine and they are pivotable about respective radial axes. It should be observed that the term "oriented substantially radially" covers any configuration in which the radial axes about which the vanes are pivotable form an angle lying in the range 45° to 90° with the axis of the turbo-machine.
Furthermore, it should also be observed that the term "ring portion" is used to cover equally well a complete ring or merely a portion of a ring.
The ring portion is generally controlled by an actuator that causes it to turn about the axis of the turbo-machine, in one direction or the other. The movements of devices of that type are complex and very precise, such that if precision clearances are not complied with, the device can become statically indeterminate (i.e. it jams). In particular, this implies drastic constraints on the positioning and centering of the ring portion relative to the axis of the turbo-machine. Thus, a small departure from these positions leads very quickly to high levels of stress throughout the control device, and possibly to it becoming jammed. This problem of centering (or more generally of positioning) is made worse by thermal expansion differences between the various parts of the device.

Device for controlling pivotable vanes of a turbo-machine


The present invention provides a method and system for searching for web content. Specifically, the present invention provides a system and method for retrieving web content from designated web pages and hyperlinks, indexing the retrieved web content in a local database, and searching the local database for desired web content. Retrieved content is indexed in the local database so that future access of the web content can be more efficient.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a method and system for searching for web content. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for retrieving web content at designated web addresses and hyperlinks, and then indexing the retrieved content in a local database for future efficient access.
2. Background Art
As the use of the Internet becomes more pervasive, individuals and business entities are increasingly using the Internet as a tool for obtaining information. For example, a financial advisor might check numerous World Wide Web sites (web sites) for current financial news on a regular basis. Currently, the financial advisor generally performs his/her searches by entering keywords into a search engine. The search engine will then utilize a program known as a "spider" or "crawler" that will visit and read web sites searching for the entered keyword. Web sites where the keyword is located will be identified for the financial advisor, who can then visit each web site on his/her own (e.g., by clicking on a hyperlink). Alternatively, the financial advisor might already know the specific web sites that he/she wishes to visit. In this case, the financial advisor would visit each web site individually and manually retrieve any desired web content.
Under both alternatives, the financial advisor is forced to perform numerous activities in order to retrieve desired web content. Such a task is highly inefficient and can greatly reduce the productivity of the financial advisor. This is especially true if the financial advisor retrieves web content on a regular basis. In addition, when retrieving web content from numerous different locations, searching, mining, analyzing, and/or archiving the web content can be a time consuming task.
Heretofore, attempts have been made to overcome these inefficiencies by providing web-searching systems. One such example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,003 to Sanu et al. Sanu et al., however, fails to provide a system whereby web content can be retrieved from specific web pages according to pre-designated web addresses and hyperlinks. Specifically, Sanu et al. fails to show a system whereby a user can designate a particular web site, as well as any hyperlinks within the designated web site, from which content should be retrieved. In addition, Sanu et al. fails to show a system whereby web content is actually retrieved and indexed in a local database. In contrast, a user of the system of Sanu et al. must visit each web site to retrieve any desired content.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a method and system for searching for web content. A further need exists for a method and system whereby specific web pages can be designated according to web addresses and hyperlinks so that web content can be automatically retrieved on a scheduled basis. A need also exists for retrieved content to be indexed in a local database so that a user's search will occur at the local database level, as opposed to over the entire World Wide Web.

Method and system for searching for web content

International Business Machines Corporation


The system and method of the present invention provides surround sound effects through a two channel system. In one embodiment, the first channel is connected to one speaker (e.g., the right speaker) of a headset and the second channel is connected to the other speaker (e.g., the left speaker) of the headset. Thus, surround sound effects, including providing effects to distinguish front and rear sound sources, are provided through headsets which isolate the sound provided to right ear and the left ear of the listener. Alternately, the signals are output to a two speaker system, enabling surround sound effects to be output through home stereo systems not necessarily configured specifically for surround sound. Modified head related transfer functions (HRTF) are applied to each rear sound signal. The modified HRTF for each rear signal is generated by removing the head related transfer function corresponding to the front center signal from the HRTF corresponding to the rear sound signal. This provides the audible effect of distinguishing more clearly sounds originating in front of the listener or to the rear of the listener while not limiting the perceived bandwidth of the signal.

The quality and realism of the sound produced by the sound systems in movie theaters continues to improve. The realism is produced by using a technique commonly referred to as surround sound wherein multiple sound tracks are recorded and the sound from each of the tracks are played back in speakers that are located in different directions relative to the audience. Currently, many feature films are recorded using seven sound tracks. The seven sound tracks typically include a left surround sound track and a right surround sound track. The left surround sound track is played back through one or more speakers that are behind and to the left of the audience. The right surround sound track is played back through one or more speakers that are behind and to the right of the audience. The remaining five tracks are played back through speakers that are at various angles in front of the audience. Some films have an eighth track that is played back through a subwoofer. The sound produced by typical home stereo systems does not approach the sound realism provided by surround sound in movie theaters. Most home stereo systems reproduce stereo sound in two speakers that are typically located in front and to each side of the listener. More sophisticated home stereos are able to reproduce the surround channels. The most sophisticated home stereo systems have eight or more speakers and can reproduce all eight sound tracks. However, such home stereo systems are relatively expensive.
In addition, surround sound signals generated for movie theater sound systems and home systems do not readily adapt to head phones as head phones isolate the sounds going to each ear. This is quite different from a movie theater surround sound system, for example, which provides sounds coming from a number of speakers which are detected by both ears of the listener.
The sound used in computer applications has also improved. In the past, computer programs did little more than generate beeps with varying durations and frequencies. Currently, some computer programs are able to generate stereo sound with a sound quality that rivals audio CDs. Some sound adapters allow users to connect sound cards to home stereo equipment so that the sound generated by computer programs (especially computer games) may be reproduced with minimal distortion. In spite of such improvements, the sound produced by computer applications does not approach the sound realism provided in movie theaters.

Method and apparatus for electronically embedding directional cues in two channels of sound


A flexible circuit incorporating an electrostatic discharge limiting feature, comprising a dielectric substrate selected from polyimide or liquid crystal polymer film having at least one conductive trace coated on at least one surface of the substrate wherein the discharge limiting feature includes a thin conductive polymer coating selectively applied over a at least a portion of the non-critical region of the circuit, said feature reducing the surface resistivity of the circuit to about 104 ohms to about 108 ohms and having tribocharging of less than about 50 V.

Microflex circuits are widely used for applications such as integrated circuit (IC) packages, inkjet cartridges, hard disk drives (HDD), medical devices and other advanced flex circuit-based electrical connections. Such connections require electrical static discharge (ESD) protection during product manufacturing and assembly comprising insulating materials (plastic, polymers) and manual operations. ESD concerns are amplified in hard disk drive manufacturing environments and applications, especially for head gimbal assemblies (HGA) using giant magnetorestrictive read (GMR) sensors in the sliders. For current commercial hard disk drive (HDD) product platforms at 40 or 60 gigabit/in2 [(GB)/in2], electrostatic discharge protection is required to protect these sensitive read heads. ESD requirements are specified in terms of surface resistivity and tribocharge voltage control on all incoming components and nearby process/assembly workstations. The specifications from many HDD manufacturers indicated surface resistivities should preferably be controlled within a range of from about 104 ohms to about 108 ohms, and maximum surface voltage from tribocharging must be less than 10 Volts (V).
Based on latest HGA technology roadmaps, future HDD programs will be 80 to 100 GB/platter or higher, and will have stricter ESD requirements (tribocharge less than 5 V) for incoming components including flexible circuits for use in flex on suspension (FOS). Microactuator programs, complex slider structures and additional electrical connections and attachment on suspensions will require a good control of ESD as well. Damage caused by ESD accounts for a large portion of the HGA yield losses in the HDD industry, which has a significant impact on industry profits. Therefore, the ability to control ESD is very important to the HDD industry.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,043 the application of a thin, narrow stripe of conductive composition was applied across at least two of the conductive elements of a flexible circuit to reduce the accumulation of static charge and balance the electrical potential across all of the conductive leads. This application also discloses that placing the conductive polymer layer beneath the protective covercoat layer allows the resulting FOS circuit to pass the HDD industry's strict ionic contamination testing.
However, it has now been discovered that a flexible circuit having a thin conductive polymer coating applied over a portion of a flexible circuit in the non-critical region reduces the measured surface voltage substantially.

Flexible circuit with electrostatic damage limiting feature