Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media are provided for storing machine learned models in a tiered storage. The model serving network evaluates where the models should be stored based on the model corresponding service level agreement. The model is generally stored at the lowest tiered storage device that is still capable of satisfying the model's service level agreement. In this way, the model serving network aims to store data that achieves the cheapest cost.

Machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence, pertains to computer system usage of algorithms and statistical models in order to perform specific tasks without explicit instructions. Machine learning is used in a variety of different present day applications such as email filtering and computer vision. In each of these examples, it is impractical to develop specific instructions used to carry out a particular task given the wide possible situations that can arise that have to be evaluated and addressed. Instead, the computer system uses patterns and inference instead in order to generate instructions for carrying out tasks based on current available data (e.g. inputs/outputs).
Machine learning occurs in a variety of different manners. In supervised learning, an algorithm builds a model from a set of data that contains both inputs and outputs. In unsupervised learning, the algorithm builds a model from a set of data that contains only inputs. Through unsupervised learning, patterns in the data can be discovered and the group of inputs can be categorized accordingly. Lastly, active learning accesses involve querying a user to obtain desired outputs in connection with some inputs.
Once a model has been generated the models can then be used by various applications to perform tasks. Serving machine learning models is the process of taking a trained model (generated above through machine learning) and making it available to serve prediction requests, for example, with email filtering and computer vision.
Service level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and the end user that defines the level of service expected from the service provider. Service level agreements tend to be output-based since they relate to the customer experience and what they will receive. Service level agreements may focus on different aspects of service including quality, availability, and responsibilities.
ISTIO is an open source independent service mesh that provides features needed to run a distributed microservice architecture. ISTIO reduces complexity of managing microservice deployments by providing a uniform way to secure, connect, and monitor microservices. For example, ISTIO allows creation of networks with various features such as load balancing, service-to-service authentication, and monitoring without requiring changes to service code.

Using tiered storage and ISTIO to satisfy SLA in model serving and updates


A system for verifying a container of a material before the material is transferred to a process. The system includes a conduit that extends through a mouth of the container. The conduit is supported by an arm that moves between a first position in which the conduit extends through the mouth, and a second position in which the conduit is removed and moved away from the mouth. A reading device extracts information about the container from an information storage element. A computer program receives input regarding the extracted information, receives input regarding the process, and determining whether the container is correct for the process. The program prevents the arm from moving to the first position, and only if the container is determined to be correct does the program allow the arm to move to the first position so that the material can be transferred.

Systems that manage the dispensation of materials from containers are often used in the biomedical, life sciences, electronics, photolithography, and semiconductor industries. For example, such systems are used in the semiconductor industry to manage the transfer of high-value liquids from bottles to coating systems. Typically, these systems include an apparatus having a connector that is positionable over a mouth of the container, and a conduit that extends through the mouth and into the container to access the material.
Such systems attempt to ensure that the correct materials are transferred from the correct containers. One solution is to label the containers with bar codes. An operator uses a bar code scanner to read information from a label on a container, and software uses that information to determine whether the container is the correct container. However, this solution does not prevent the operator from scanning the correct container and then using an incorrect container, or from using a container before or even without scanning it. Furthermore, systems employing this solution do not provide any trend, predictive, real-time, or messaging information, and do not physically facilitate removing and installing the containers. They also do not facilitate ongoing monitoring of product expiration dates or other changing conditions that may make the products in the containers unfit for use after initial acceptance.
Another solution is to use mechanical keys that distinguish between types of containers. More specifically, a particular mechanical key is installed on the connector or conduit, the correct container presents a particular corresponding structure operable to receive the key, and only if the particular mechanical key of the apparatus matches the particular corresponding structure of the container can the container be properly installed on the apparatus, the conduit fully extended into the container, and the material successfully transferred from therein. However, if an operator attempts to install an incorrect container, the error is not discovered until the conduit has at least partially entered the container and contaminated both the container and the conduit. Furthermore, the ability to discriminate between containers is limited to the number of available mechanical keys. As a result, all containers of a particular type are typically associated with the same mechanical key without regard to, e.g., lot number, expiration date, or other criteria. Additionally, systems that employ keys typically require use of a particular brand of containers that are provided with the structures that correspond to the keys.
This background discussion is intended to provide information related to the present invention which is not necessarily prior art.

Computer program and method for verifying container of material to be dispensed


A fuel cell has a membrane electrode assembly and a supply member for supplying an anode fluid to the membrane electrode assembly. The membrane electrode assembly has an electrolyte membrane and an anode catalyst. The supply member has at least one anode fluid flow path for supplying the anode fluid toward the membrane electrode assembly. A gas diffusion layer is provided between the supply member and the membrane electrode assembly. An opening of the at least one anode fluid flow path on a discharge side thereof for the anode fluid is disposed in contact with a side of the gas diffusion layer facing the supply member. The side of the gas diffusion layer includes a region that stores a gas pushed by the supply of the anode fluid.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a fuel cell comprising an electrolyte membrane and an anode catalyst and a cathode catalyst provided on both sides of the electrolyte membrane, and to a fuel cell system including the fuel cell.
2. Background Art
A fuel cell has a membrane electrode assembly (hereinafter referred to as MEA) provided with an electrolyte membrane, and an anode catalyst and a cathode catalyst provided on both sides of the electrolyte membrane. The fuel cell includes an anode member (anode) provided with an anode fluid flow path for supplying an anode fluid to the anode catalyst of the MEA via a gas diffusion layer, and a cathode member (cathode) provided with a cathode fluid flow path for supplying a cathode fluid to the cathode catalyst of the MEA.
With such a fuel cell, air in the atmosphere (particularly, nitrogen which is an inert gas) mixes into the anode side as an impure gas via the electrolyte membrane when power generation is stopped. The problem arises here that even when an operation is started in this state and a hydrogen-rich anode fluid is introduced, hydrogen is not replaced immediately, and a sufficient electrical output (or amount of power generation) cannot be obtained. When the fuel cell is allowed to stand for a long term, in particular, the problem occurs that the partial pressure of the impure gas mixed into the anode rises, decreasing the amount of power generation.
To deal with these problems, a technology for purging the impure gas, which has been accumulated in the anode, with the hydrogen-rich anode fluid before start of operation has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Concretely, Patent Document 1 involves a purge valve for purging an impure gas accumulated in an anode with a hydrogen-rich anode fluid, and an exhaust gas treatment device for diluting an exhaust gas, which is discharged through the purge valve and contains hydrogen, and discharging the diluted gas to the outside.
According to this constitution of Patent Document 1, the impure gas on the anode side can be replaced by the hydrogen-rich anode fluid. Thus, a decrease in the amount of power generation can be prevented.


A collapsible and portable baseball hitting apparatus including vertical members connected to an adjustable horizontal member having a tether and baseball suspended therefrom. In another configuration, the horizontal member can fold toward the vertical members, exposing a ball tee from which a user can place a ball for hitting.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to athletic swing trainers, and more particularly to an apparatus for hitting a baseball from a plurality of stationary positions.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the most important aspects of a good sports swing is the ability to consistently make solid contact between the stick and the ball. Novice players typically learn the basics of accurately swinging a baseball bat by hitting a stationary ball placed atop a tee. To this end, the sport of tee ball was created to allow young players to learn how to play baseball without having to hit a moving ball. As such, conventional tee ball stands having a single vertical shaft with a ball placed on top are well known in the art.
However, owing to the design of a conventional tee ball stand, users can do little more than swing a bat level with respect to the ball. In cases where the bat is swung at an angle, it will often make contact with the stand instead of the ball. As such, when a users batting skills increase, the usefulness of the tee ball stand diminishes greatly.
As a players batting skill increases, it becomes necessary to adjust the angle and speed of the swing in order to direct the ball to a specific location. Moreover, these skills are necessary to be able to eventually hit a moving baseball that is thrown from a pitcher. As such, several devices dedicated to swing training are known. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0135292 describes a swing trainer that includes an overhead horizontal member attached to a vertical shaft which contains a ball permanently affixed to the end. U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,150 describes a large device having an overhead horizontally extending pipe from which a removable ball is suspended via a rope. Other examples include U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,994 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0248900.
However, in each case these trainers are large, bulky devices that can not be easily set up or transported by young players. Moreover, these devices do not provide a means for transitioning from a tee ball stand for beginners and a more advanced swing trainer for use as the players' skill level advances.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a single apparatus capable of transitioning from a tee ball stand for beginners, to a swing trainer for use as the players' skill level increases. Additionally, it would be beneficial to provide an apparatus that is lightweight, collapsible and portable, such that the device can be carried by a player inside a typical baseball bag.


A pedal retraction amount control apparatus is provided which can sufficiently move a pedal from a passenger compartment in the forward direction of the vehicle during a front collision.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedal retraction amount control apparatus for a running vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a pedal retraction amount control apparatus for a running vehicle which prevents a pedal from moving in a rearward direction with respect to a vehicle body, and moving into a passenger compartment side at the time of a vehicle head-on collision, there is, for example, the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3239790. In the apparatus disclosed in this publication, when at the time of a vehicle head-on collision, the vehicle body is deformed so that the whole pedal system moves in the rearward direction of the vehicle, a steering hanger which is provided on a horizontal beam member connecting between pillars restricts the movement of this pedal in the rearward direction beneath the support shaft of the pedal. As a result, the pedal rotates about the support shaft so that the tread portion moves towards the front side, and is thus moved from the passenger compartment in the forward direction.
In a pedal retraction amount control apparatus, the greater the amount of forward movement of the pedal the better. However, in the abovementioned case, the amount of forward movement of the pedal is mainly determined by the rotation amount of the pedal about the support shaft, and there are cases where this is not sufficient.

Pedal retraction amount control apparatus

Abstract: An attacbment plate 29 of a front portion of a pedal bracket 24 which supports a support shaft 27 of a pedal 23 is secured to a dash panel 12, and a connecting member 30 of a rear portion of the pedal bracket 24 is attached to a cowl panel 32 so as to be detachable when the pedal bracket is moved rearward, and a steering hanger 17 is arranged facing in order to contact during a front collision a rear portion of a displacement restricting section 50 which extends in a crosswise direction of the vehicle and which is disposed below the support shaft 27.


A machine is provided for preparing a desired beverage product from infusible materials. The machine includes a brew chamber that is adapted to hold the infusible materials, the brew chamber having an inlet and an outlet. An inlet tube is provided for transferring a fluid from a fluid receptacle to the inlet of the brew chamber and a dispensing tube is provided for transferring fluid from the outlet of the brew chamber to the receptacle. A fluid pump is provided for recirculating fluid through the brew chamber. In another aspect, a machine is provided for preparing a desired beverage product containing a gas. The machine includes a fluid pump for recirculating fluid from a fluid receptacle through an inlet tube to a dispensing tube and back to said fluid receptacle. The machine further includes an air pump disposed between the inlet tube and the fluid pump for introducing air into said beverage fluid that is recirculated by said fluid pump. A pod for use with the machine is also provided.

The following background discussion is not an admission that anything discussed below is citable as prior art or common general knowledge. The documents listed below are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference to them.
Preparing products such as beverages from infusible materials such as coffee grounds, tea leaves or dried fruit pieces is made more difficult and time consuming when the conditions result in a slow rate of infusion. For example, it may be desirable to brew coffee or tea using ambient or cold water rather than hot water in order to enhance certain desirable attributes such as the "smoothness" of the taste and/or in order to facilitate the preparation of iced beverages. In another example, it may be desirable to steep large pieces of dried fruits, dried vegetables or whole-leaf tea rather than using small particulate materials in order to enhance the visual appeal of the infusible materials and/or to achieve certain desirable product attributes.
Conventional methods used to prepare products in these circumstances require extended periods of contact time between the precursor fluid and the infusible materials. For instance, whole-leaf tea may be steeped for 3 or more minutes and cold-brew coffee may be steeped for 12 or more hours.
One method of achieving higher levels of extraction in a shorter amount of time when preparing products such as beverages from infusible materials is to use recirculation of a fluid through a brew chamber. Conventional recirculation processes still require extended periods of contact time to achieve satisfactory results. Such systems also can be messy to operate and unsuitable for use in coffee shops or other commercial operations dispensing large volumes of beverages per day.
When designing a brew chamber for preparing beverages from infusible materials, one challenge is that it may be difficult to optimize the brew chamber size for varying amounts of infusible material. Another challenge is that it may be difficult for entrapped air to be removed from the brew chamber and for product to be fully purged from the brew chamber after brewing. Another challenge is that it may be difficult for the machine operator to remove spent infusible materials from the brew chamber after brewing.
When designing a portion-control pod for use in a high-pressure brewing system, one challenge is to select pod parameters that enable sufficient flow for efficient extraction while maintaining pressure and mechanical force requirements that allow for efficient mechanical construction and safe operation.
Preparing fresh beverages with dissolved nitrogen is a difficult, labor-intensive, time-consuming and expensive process. Typical methods include (i) putting the beverage into a keg and pressurizing with nitrogen gas, then storing over a period of time (typically 24 hours), with periodic shaking to speed up the dissolving of the nitrogen gas or (ii) infusing nitrogen through a diffusing stone into a pressurized keg over a period of time (typically 10-20 minutes). It is desirable to provide a more efficient and cost effective process for preparing nitrogen infused beverages. There is a need for a beverage preparation and infusion system that overcomes the problems with conventional beverage preparing machines such as one or more of the problems identified above.

Beverage preparation and infusion system


A sensing section reads the dot codes by optically scanning a recording medium on which multimedia information has been recorded in the form of optically readable dot codes. The thus obtained dot codes are processed and restored to the original multimedia information by a scanning conversion section, a data string adjusting section, an error correction section, a reproducing section and a controller. An output unit reproduces each piece of information and outputs them. In this case, on the basis of the dot codes thus read, the scanning conversion section and controller sense information reproduction parameters, such as the dot size. The sensed parameters are then stored in a parameter memory. According to the parameters stored in the parameter memory, the dot codes are then subjected to a reproducing process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information reproduction system which optically reads the code patterns from an information recording medium, such as paper, on which multimedia information, including audio information such as speech or music, image information obtained from a camera, a video apparatus, or the like, and text data obtained from a personal computer, a word processor, or the like, is recorded in the form of optically readable code patterns, and which then reproduces the original multimedia information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic tape, optical disks, and the like have been known as recording mediums for audio information, such as speech or music. Even if copies of those mediums are mass-produced, their unit price is still somewhat high, and to store such copies requires a lot of space. Furthermore, when a medium on which sound has been recorded must be delivered to a person in a distant place, the medium takes a lot of time and labor to mail it or directly convey the medium to the person. The same is true for other multimedia information exclusive of audio information, including image information obtained from a camera, a video apparatus, or the like, and text data obtained from a personal computer, a word processor, or the like.
To deal effectively with such a problem, EP 0,670,555 A1 corresponding to a European Patent Application filed by the assignee of the present application and also to U.S. Ser. No. 08/407,018, has disclosed a system that records multimedia information on an information recording medium, such as paper, in the form of image information that can be transmitted by facsimile and copied in large amounts at low cost, that is, in the form of dot codes consisting of dots, acting as coding information, arranged two-dimensionally, as well as a system for reproducing the original information from the medium.
To reproduce the original information from such dot codes more reliably, PCT/JP95/01467 (filed in the United States as U.S. Ser. No. 08/776,325, filed Jan. 24, 1997), filed by the assignee of the present application, has disclosed a technique for recording on a medium the information, which is called a system control file, representing the processing parameters in the form of dot codes in the same manner as the multimedia information, reading the parameter information first, and setting the individual parameters in corresponding sections of an information reproduction system that optically reads dot codes on an information recording medium-and reproduces the original information. In particular, an example is disclosed whereby the information transfer protocols are divided into layers in a system that records and reproduces dot codes on and from an information recording medium, such as paper. In the example, the parameters needed for the individual layers are read from the system control file beforehand and then set in the corresponding sections.
According to this technique, however, when reading the system control file, the operator must be conscious of reading special dot codes different from normal ones. Specifically, the operator must operate a particular switch to change the mode of the information reproduction apparatus, and then scan and read the system control file to set the parameters.

Information reproduction system which utilizes physical information on an optically-readable code and which optically reads the code to reproduce multimedia information


The present disclosure relates to pharmaceutical compositions that are abuse resistant and may also provide controlled release. The present disclosure also relates to the use of pharmaceutical compositions in the treatment of pain.

Increased attention has been drawn to the abuse of prescription pharmaceutical compositions. The abuse, or non-medicinal use, of prescription pharmaceutical compositions has been reported to be an increasing problem. In North America, abuse of prescription pharmaceutical compositions has become an important issue for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the pharmaceutical industry is striving to develop abuse-deterrent pharmaceutical compositions in order to reduce the potential for misuse of prescription pharmaceutical compositions. Prescription pharmaceutical compositions that are typically misused fall, primarily, into three groups: 1) Opioids prescribed for pain; 2) Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants prescribed for anxiety or sleep problems; and 3) Stimulants, prescribed, for example, for attention deficit hyperactivity, narcolepsy, or obesity.
Methods for abusing prescription pharmaceutical compositions are varied and can include, for example, extraction, melting, volatilization, physical tampering (e.g., grinding, grating, crushing, etc.), or direct administration. For purposes of abuse, methods of administering active drug substances obtained from prescription pharmaceutical compositions or of the pharmaceutical compositions themselves are similarly diverse and include, for example, injection, smoking, snorting, swallowing, sublingual or buccal administration, chewing, and administration as suppository. Alcohol-induced dose dumping of active drug substance from prescription pharmaceutical compositions also presents potential abuse and safety problems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Abuse deterrent pharmaceutical compositions for controlled release


A memory controller utilizing a performance monitor to modulate the level of data security applied to the data being transferred to and from memory depending on the performance. The performance monitor tracks the response time for access to the memory over a defined time window. The response times are then compared to a predefined allowable response time. This comparison is done over a predefined window of time. When the actual response times exceed the allowable limits, the level of encryption is limited until performance parameters fall within the limits selected. The frequency with which the encryption mechanism is adjusted may also be predefined. Data transfers continue as the controller monitors system performance and controls the level of security applied to the data according to that performance data. The performance modulation can be different depending on what unit is accessing memory in multi-unit systems.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to computer memory systems, and more specifically relates to a memory controller for a computer system.
2. Background Art
In a closed memory subsystem of a computer data system, data may be accessed by a variety of units over a common memory bus. Security of data is such a system can be a concern. Mechanisms to encrypt data have been used but always at the sacrifice of performance. Depending on the encryption scheme used, the latency and performance degradation of data transfer through that unit can be substantial.
Prior art solutions do not address the concerns of both performance and data protection. The prior art memory controller systems either provide controls to maintain security of the data or they control performance on the interface, but not both. Performance degradation caused by security encryption and decryption by one unit on the bus can lead to more serious performance bottlenecks as other logic units on the bus are delayed access to memory.
Without a means for securing data while maintaining preferred performance characteristics, by regulating the security controls based on performance parameters collected on the interface to memory, computer systems will be required to trade off security and performance in a memory system.

Memory controller with performance-modulated security

International Business Machines Corporation


In an invention including: a piezoelectric element (13) which generates, as a displacement, a driving force necessary for an operation of a valve body (12) which is an operating body; a displacement enlarging mechanism (14) including at least a spring element so as to enlarge a displacement of the piezoelectric element (13) which acts on the valve body (12); and a driving device (15) which operates the valve body (12) by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element (13) to extend the piezoelectric element (13), the driving device (15) includes a first filter processing unit (15x) having an inverse function characteristic of a mechanical resonance frequency when operating the displacement enlarging mechanism (14), and is configured to apply, a voltage which reduces the mechanical resonance, to the piezoelectric element (13) through this resonance suppression processing unit (15x).

As a piezoelectric valve using this type of piezoelectric actuator, those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known.
The piezoelectric valve shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 incorporates a piezoelectric actuator. Expansion and contraction operations of the piezoelectric actuator open and close a valve portion at a tip of the actuator.
In a case of high-speed application, a normal pulse drive voltage shown in FIG. 2(a) of the same document is applied to a piezoelectric actuator. In this case, in view of an occurrence of an output fluctuation of a valve output shown in FIG. 2(b) of the same document, this pressure fluctuation is suppressed by applying a voltage in a multistage manner as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 of the same document.
Meanwhile, Patent Document 2 illustrates an example in which vibration is suppressed by inserting a prepulse such as that shown in FIG. 4B, FIG. 5A or the like of the same document.

Piezoelectric actuator and piezoelectric valve


A multipair differential signal transmission cable includes a plurality of differential signal transmission cables being bundled and each including two signal conductors as a differential pair covered with an insulation and a first shielding tape conductor provided therearound. The first shielding tape conductor is longitudinally lapped so as to have an overlapping portion in a cable longitudinal direction. The plurality of differential signal transmission cables include at least one or more pairs of two adjacent differential signal transmission cables. The two adjacent differential signal transmission cables are arranged such that the overlapping portion of one of the two adjacent differential signal transmission cables does not face the other of the two adjacent differential signal transmission cables.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multipair differential signal transmission cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multipair differential signal transmission cable is known that is formed by bundling plural differential signal transmission cables (see, e.g., JP-A-2004-087189).
JP-A-2004-087189 (FIGS. 2 and 6) discloses an assembled transmission cable (a multipair differential signal transmission cable) formed by assembling plural transmission cables (differential signal transmission cables) each having a signal line pair as a pair of insulated wires each composed of a signal line covered with an insulation layer, a drain wire, a shield material covering the pair of signal lines as well as the drain wire and a cushioning material covering an outer periphery of the shield material.

Multipair differential signal transmission cable


A ceramic multilayer component includes a ceramic body including a plurality of ceramic layers stacked on top of one another, internal electrodes located inside the ceramic multilayer body, terminal electrodes located on a mounting surface of the ceramic multilayer body, and via hole conductors that are arranged inside the ceramic multilayer body so as to connect the internal electrodes and the terminal electrodes to each other. An insulating portion is arranged to extend as a single body across a surface of the ceramic multilayer body and across the terminal electrodes. The insulating portion covers at least a portion of each of the via conductors and covers a portion of each of the terminal electrodes when viewed from the mounting surface side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ceramic multilayer components that are provided on a mounting surface thereof with terminal electrodes that are connected to internal electrodes through via hole conductors.
2. Description of the Related Art
To date, ceramic multilayer components such as that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-59533 have been used in electronic circuits of cellular phones and so forth.
A mounting surface of a ceramic multilayer component 300 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-59533 is illustrated in FIG. 3.
The ceramic multilayer component 300 includes a ceramic multilayer body 110 inside of which circuit patterns (not illustrated) that function as inductor elements, capacitor elements and so forth are formed.
A plurality of terminal electrodes 104a are provided in the center of a mounting surface of the ceramic multilayer body 110 and a plurality of terminal electrodes 104b are provided around the periphery of the mounting surface of the ceramic multilayer body 110.
The plurality of terminal electrodes 104a, which are formed in the center of the mounting surface, are connected to circuit patterns formed inside the ceramic multilayer body 110 through via hole conductors 103 formed directly below the terminal electrodes 104a.
A high degree of flatness is demanded for the mounting surface of the thus-structured ceramic multilayer component 300 in order to realize good mountability, a property of good contact with terminals for measurement of characteristics, good transportability and so forth.
However, sometimes a material having a percentage of shrinkage at the time of firing that is smaller than that of the ceramic multilayer body 110 is used as the material of the via hole conductors 103 in the above-described ceramic multilayer component 300 of the related art. In such a case, sometimes the via hole conductors 103 formed directly below the terminal electrodes 104a protrude out from the surrounding ceramic multilayer body 110 upon being subjected to firing and a sufficient degree of flatness is not obtained for the mounting surface.
In particular, the degree of protruding of the via hole conductors 103 caused by firing becomes larger and the insufficient degree of flatness of the mounting surface becomes more noticeable in the case where the distance between adjacent via hole conductors 103 has been made smaller in order to, for example, decrease the size of the ceramic multilayer component 300.


A multi-stage dilution device, comprising a first stage dilution apparatus (A), and a second stage dilution apparatus (B), each of the stage dilution device comprising:—(i) a housing (1) having a diluent inlet (7); (ii) a sample inlet (2) having a sample introducer within the housing (1) adapted to introduce the sample at an introducer point (4) within the housing (1); and, (iii) a mixing conduit (5) mounted at least partially within the housing (1), the mixing conduit (5) having an inlet section comprising a mouth (10), and a fluid outlet (8), and a throat section (9) capable of producing a pressure drop within the mixing conduit (5), the pressure drop being sufficient to draw sample through the sample inlet (2); the introducer point (4) of the sample inlet (2) being proximate the mixing conduit inlet; and wherein the fluid output (8) of the first stage dilution apparatus (A) is in communication with the sample inlet (2) of the second stage dilution apparatus (B). A method of diluting a sample is also disclosed.

Analytical measurements of particle dispersions frequently require dilution in order to eliminate particle-particle interactions as an element in the analysis. For example, in light scattering measurements, it is desirable to operate in the regime in which single-particle scattering approximations are valid. It is also desirable to operate within the linear range of the analytic instrumentation, typically at concentrations in the order of milligrams of particulates per gram of diluent, for performing static and dynamic light scattering spectroscopy and particle counting. If a sample is too concentrated, some analysers will not work properly.
The method of Ultrasound Spectroscopy has been recently developed for particle characterisation because it demonstrates linearity of the attenuation spectrum to higher concentrations than light scattering. Nevertheless the concentrations achieved are still not high enough for all slurries to be measured in-line and thus some dilution is often desirable or essential.
The corrections for particle-particle interactions involve approximations of complex real particle behaviours and thus an imperfect correction. Thus there remains an advantage for dilution even where particle-particle corrections are available, since it avoids the need for introducing these approximations.
Methods for the characterisation of dispersions containing, for example, micrometer and submicrometer-size particles, are important in understanding particulate systems in general. While detection systems have been disclosed for performing measurements on such dispersions, the sampling problem remains to be addressed effectively. A number of disadvantages exist in the prior art methods and apparatus. For example, difficulties have been observed in obtaining representative samples. Additionally mixing times of the sample and diluent in order to ensure uniform distribution of the sample throughout the diluent, and the time required for the measurement tend to be large and consequently the sampling and measuring process can be unwieldy and inefficient.
A further problem observed with the prior art is that often an entire sample is diluted and fed through an analyser. This type of batch analysis results in a substantial amount of diluent being required and accordingly, a large reservoir volume in which a homogenised dispersion of particles in diluent takes place.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,108 (hereinafter referenced as '108) discloses a system and method for sampling and dilution of homogenous particle dispersions. Sample and diluent are combined by a metering process in which the dilution ratio is controlled by the relative flow rates as determined by pumps. The combined sample and diluent are mixed by the use of a mixing conduit where the sample is extruded by the pump into a passing stream of diluent, also pumped. The mixing of sample with the dispersant occurs slowly in a conduit which requires stirring aids such as baffles to achieve full mixing. The dilution ratio of a single stage is limited only by the metering ability of the pumps.
The dilution is further increased by resampling the output of one dilutor with another, the 2nd and subsequent stages all having their dilution ratios each controlled by the flow rates of pumps. At least two pumps, or pump heads, are required per stage of dilution. Further, in the '108 patent exemplification the flow rates of sample are relatively very low and residence times within the dilutor very high, for example, typically on the order of a minute. Additionally, the '108 patent exemplification design is very difficult to clean or unblock. This may only be achieved by automatic sequence control of the various pumps with its associated complexity.


A fibrous texture in the form of a web includes a first portion extending in a longitudinal direction between a proximal part and an intermediate part. One or more layers of warp threads or strands present on the side of an inner face of the fibrous texture include threads or strands of glass fibers, the threads or strands of the other layers of warp threads or strands including threads or strands of carbon fibers. The fibrous texture further includes a second portion extending in the longitudinal direction between the intermediate part and a distal part of the fibrous texture. One or more of the plurality of layers of warp threads or strands present on the side of an outer face of the fibrous texture include threads or strands of glass fibers. The warp threads or strands are continuous over the entire length of the fibrous texture.

The present invention relates to a fibrous texture that can be used, particularly but not exclusively, to form the fibrous reinforcement of an aircraft engine blower casing made of composite material.
The manufacture of a casing made of composite material begins with the production of a fibrous texture in the form of a web, the fibrous texture being produced by three-dimensional weaving between a plurality of layers of warp threads and a plurality of layers of weft threads. The fibrous texture thus obtained is wound in several turns on a mold or tool having the shape of the casing to be made and held between the mold and segments forming a counter-mold so as to obtain a fibrous preform.
Once the fibrous preform is produced, i.e., at the end of the winding of the fibrous texture, the tool carrying the fibrous preform is closed by counter-molds then transported to an oven or furnace in which the densification of the preform by a matrix is carried out, the matrix which can be obtained in particular by injection and polymerization of a resin in the fibrous preform.
A blower casing has three main functions, namely:                to provide the connection of engine parts to each other,        to define the air inlet vein into the engine,        to provide containment by trapping ingested debris inside the engine, or centrifugally projected blades or blade fragments, in order to prevent them from passing through the casing and reaching other parts of the aircraft.
The first two functions are not very demanding in terms of mechanical properties but are permanently active. On the other hand, the third function, even if it is used very little, is very demanding in terms of mechanical properties.
During a fan blade out (FBO) event, the event can split into different phases for the casing:
Phase 1: contact between the blade and the casing,
Phase 2: shearing by the leading edge of the lost blade from the casing material,
Phase 3: deformation of the casing under the effect of high energy,
Phase 4: restoration of the energy stored in the casing linked to the fragment of the lost blade,
Phase 5: establishment of windmilling.
During phase 1, the casing is required to have a high degree of stiffness in order to deform as little as possible under the effect of contact with the blade. During this phase energy is stored by the casing in the form of deformation.
During phase 2, the casing material must show shear properties. The material is sheared and the energy is dissipated by this shear.
During phase 3, the projectile penetrates the casing with greater difficulty and the energy stored by the projectile is fully absorbed by the deformation of the casing. During this phase, a high rate of deformation is required of the casing material.
During phase 4, the energy is restored by deformation of the casing to return to the initial geometry.
During phase 5, the casing is subjected to fatigue stress with high mechanical loading.
The casings of the state of the art generally provide this function in a satisfactory manner. It remains possible, however, to further improve the mechanical resistance of some casings to impact with a projectile, in particular with a blade when it detaches and is projected onto the casing.
An example of a blower casing made of composite material with a reinforced retention zone is described in particular in the document WO 2017/109403.

Fiber texture for a casing made of composite material with improved shear resistance


The present invention provides a mixing impeller including a plurality of blades circumferentially mounted to a frame around the mixing impeller with adjacent blades being opened from one another. The blades are secured to the frame in a manner such that at least part of each blade extends outwardly of the frame to guide discharge of fluid passing through the impeller away from the frame and substantially eliminate any turbulence that the frame might otherwise create. In addition, the frame has a rearwardly inwardly tapering configuration with each of the blades having the same inward rearward taper as that of the frame. This combination of features substantially reduces turbulance of the outward flow of liquid from the impeller relative to conventional impeller designs.

Fluid mixing is vital to most production systems in the chemical process and allied industries. It has extreme importance in the mining, food petroleum, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, and power industries, and in municipal and industrial waste treatment facilities.
In an axial-flow mixing impeller a flow is generated parallel to the mixing impeller shaft, along the impeller axis. Axial-flow impellers generally generate more fluid flow per horsepower than radial impellers.
A significant drawback resulting from the use of a conventional mixing impeller is the low efficiencies of the device when run at higher speeds to decrease mixing time. A general value for efficiency may be between 0.3% to 1.1%, while at lower speeds may increase to as high as 7.0%. This efficiency value is a reflection of how much power is consumed per unit of volume mixed. The less power consumed to mix a given volume of fluid, the more efficient the device.
Two of the most significant factors that affect the overall efficiency of a mixing device is the production of a strong, purging circulatory flow within a mixing reservoir and the pressure differential between the back and the face of the blade which on a conventional impeller have a foil-like construction rotated in a narrow plane resulting in very significant pressure differentials between the face and the back of the blade.

Spider mounted centrifugal mixing impeller


A ball comprising an interior layer; an intermediate layer having a plurality of spacer panels extending radially outwardly from the interior layer, the panels each having interior edge located adjacent to the interior layer and an exterior edge and lateral side edges therebetween coupled to lateral side edges of adjacent panels in a waffle-like configuration to form a plurality of recesses extending downwardly from the exterior edges to thereby form a grid pattern of recesses with an exterior surface formed from the free exterior edges; and an exterior layer adjacent to the exterior surface of the intermediate layer for entrapping pockets of air within the recesses.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sports balls with improved feel and, more particularly, to positioning an intermediate elastomeric layer in a waffle-like configuration between an exterior surface layer and an interior bladder layer of a ball.
2. Description of the Background Art
The use of balls in games and sports is known in the prior art. More specifically balls of various designs and configurations and materials heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of improving a specific aspect of play are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Typical of balls in the prior art to which such indicia may be applied include U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,154 to Engelhardt discloses a low density hollow spherical ball. U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,909 to Ventura et al. discloses a game ball. U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,639 to Watson et al. discloses a game ball. U.S. Pat. No. 1,803,121 to Meurisse discloses a polo ball. U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,019 to Barton discloses a ball with cushioning means between cover and core. U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,777 to Henderson discloses a game ball.
Despite the large number of prior art patents to sports balls, no prior art disclosure deals with the capability of functioning with the benefit of the present invention to provide improved feel as does the present invention. Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved sports balls with improved feel. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to improving the feel of sports balls.
A further object of the present invention is to tailor the playing characteristics of sports balls for particular applications.
It is a further object of the present invention to utilize an intermediate waffle like layer in sports balls adjacent to an exterior layer.
It is a further object of the present invention to position an intermediate elastomeric layer in a waffle-like configuration between an exterior surface layer and an interior bladder layer of a basketball, football, volleyball, soccer ball or the like to enhance the feel of such ball.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sports ball with improved feel comprising an interior layer; an intermediate layer having a plurality of spacer panels extending radially outwardly from the interior layer, the panels each having interior edge located adjacent to the interior layer and an exterior edge and lateral side edges therebetween coupled to lateral side edges of adjacent panels in a waffle-like configuration to form a plurality of recesses extending downwardly from the exterior edges to thereby form a grid pattern of recesses with an exterior surface formed from the free exterior edges; and an exterior layer adjacent to the exterior surface of the intermediate layer for entrapping pockets of air within the recesses.
These objects should be construed to merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


Display filters, including color filters, can be enabled in collaborative environments. When a user of an end user device desires to have a color filter applied, a windowing system or other source of graphics data can render a frame via a graphics driver. Once the frame is rendered, the graphics driver can enable a collaboration tool to capture the frame and share it via a collaboration solution. Separately from the rendering of the frame, the windowing system can leverage a color filter module to directly apply a color filter to the frame. Once the color filter is applied, the windowing system can cause the frame to be displayed locally. Because the graphics driver is not used to apply the color filter, the color filter will not be applied to any frame that the collaboration tool captures and shares.

Color blindness affects nearly 10% of the human population. When working with computers, a person with color blindness may perceive colors differently from what is displayed on a monitor leading to unintended consequences.
To address such concerns, a graphics system may apply a color filter to display content. For example, with the Mesa 3D graphics library, a software renderer can be created and used to apply a color filter to the display content at the rendering layer. As a result, the display content of all applications will be modified in accordance with the color filter.
This application of a color filter at the rendering layer creates various problems in a collaborative environment. For example, if a user who is color blind shares his or her screen in a collaborative environment (e.g., during a Zoom or Skype meeting or via a remote desktop or other virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) session), the application of a color filter at the color-blind user's computer will modify the screen that is shared with all users. For any non-color-blind user that may be participating in the collaborative environment, the modifications that the color filter makes to the shared screen can degrade the collaborative experience.

Enabling display filters in collaborative environments


A bi-directional tractor exhaust system with ground speed detection includes a downwardly directed exhaust pipe, an upwardly directed exhaust pipe, and an intermediate exhaust pipe connected to the outlet of a diesel particulate filter. An exhaust pipe valve may be opened or closed by an actuator to direct exhaust through the downwardly directed exhaust pipe during regeneration of the diesel particulate filter if a signal from a ground speed sensor indicates ground speed above a first speed, or through the upwardly directed exhaust pipe if the ground speed is below a second speed.

Small and/or compact tractors with internal combustion engines have commonly used downwardly directed exhaust pipes for many applications. Downwardly directed exhaust pipes direct exhaust below the internal combustion engine and are preferred for small and/or compact tractor applications such as mowing, road transport, general field work and work inside buildings. Upwardly directed exhaust pipes direct exhaust up above the engine and are more suited for other applications such as loader work, snow blowing, working in vegetable fields or on sensitive turf grass, working near livestock, or stationary applications including running an aeration pump or grain auger.
Recently, efforts to reduce emissions including Tier 4 regulations have resulted in small and/or compact tractors having elevated exhaust temperatures at certain times. Specifically, emissions reduction devices such as diesel particulate filters (DPFs) periodically result in elevated exhaust temperatures such as approximately 600 degrees C. during regeneration. Other emissions reduction devices or exhaust treatment devices also may result in high exhaust temperatures. However, it is preferred that a small and/or compact tractor's downwardly directed exhaust temperatures should not exceed approximately 200 degrees C., which may be the maximum normal operating temperature of the exhaust.
Attempts to reduce high exhaust temperature down to the normal maximum exhaust temperature of 200 degrees C. have not been successfully implemented in small and/or compact tractors. For example, aspirators and venturis have not been effective because space constraints prevent sizing aspirators and venturis large enough to achieve the 200 degree C. outlet temperature needed for downward exhaust.
A small and/or compact tractor exhaust system is needed to prevent downwardly directed exhaust exceeding 200 degrees C. A system is needed that limits or reduces high temperature downwardly directed exhaust without aspirators or venturis. A system is needed that allows exhaust to exit through downwardly directed exhaust pipes for some applications, and through upwardly directed exhaust pipes for other applications. A system is needed that directs exhaust during high temperature engine regeneration downwardly when safe to do so, and to reduce or minimize operator discomfort.

Bi-directional tractor exhaust system with ground speed detection


Electrically active, cathodically coloring electrochromic polymers are blended with a non-electrochromic, non-electrically conductive binder polymer to provide an electrochomic composition with greatly enhanced performance in an electrochromic device over time. It is also found that blending an electrochromic polymer with a non-coloring electroactive material allows for greater design in preparing electrochromic devices as it enables the use of a higher amount of typically low coloring anodic materials due to increased need for charge balancing.

Electroactive polymers continue to attract attention due to their promising applications as functional materials for light-emitting diodes, electrochromic devices, field effect transistors, photovoltaic devices, batteries, antistats etc. One important class of inherently conductive or electroactive polymers are electrochromic polymers.
Electrochromic devices are well known, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,902,108 and 6,178,034, incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. Such devices undergo a change in electromagnetic radiation transmission upon application of an electrical stimulus and have found use in a number of commercial applications. For example, they may be employed in glazings, e.g., energy efficient and privacy windows for architectural or automotive use, automotive rearview mirrors, displays, filters, eyewear including goggles, antidazzle and fog penetrating devices, and other applications where variable light transmission is desired.
Electrochromic devices are typically associated with a noticeable change in color. Changes in other optical properties, such as in the degree of clarity and opacity and absorption in the IR, are also characteristics of such devices.
In electrochromic materials, electrochemical oxidation or reduction induces a reversible change in the reflected or transmitted light. Electrochromic materials have proved especially useful in the construction of mirrors, displays, windows etc where the transparency or color of the article is altered by applying or altering an electrical voltage. Commercial devices include rear view mirrors that darken at night to prevent glare from headlights, or windows that darken to reduce transmitted sunlight or to provide privacy.
Many electrochromic devices have been produced using inorganic compounds like tungsten trioxide and iridium dioxide, but organic compounds, such as organic conducting polymers, continue to find increasing use as electrochromic materials. Among the advantages organic materials offer is that organic materials can more easily be fashioned into flexible devices such as would be used in electronic paper or other such applications.
Electrochromic materials include compounds that change from one color to another with applied voltage as well as compounds that change from transparent or clear to opaque or colored. The change from clear to colored can occur when a material is electrochemically oxidized, anodically coloring, or when the material is electrochemically reduced, cathodically coloring. The reverse reaction, for example back to clear, should occur when the electrical impulse is removed or reversed.
The fact that a cathodically coloring material changes from colorless to colored, or lightly colored to darkly colored, when reduced, does not mean that the material is colorless when in the neutral state. In many cases, such as with many thiophene polymers, the materials are clear when in a stable oxidized state, e.g., a cationic state formed in the presence of a polysulfonic acid, and becomes colored when the cationic material is reduced to the neutral state. More than one color may be formed depending on the applied voltage and "colorless" is a relative term, some small amount of color may be present in the colorless state with many electrochromic materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,791,738, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, provides electrochromic polymers and devices. In particular, anodically coloring polymers having a band gap>3 eV in the neutral state and oxidation potential<0.5 vs a saturated calomel electrode, such as poly 3,4-dialkoxypyrroles, are provided.
Unless otherwise specified, when used herein "polymers" is a term including both co-polymers and homo-polymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,000 disclose the production of electronically conductive polypyrroles, which may be co-polymers of variously substituted pyrrole repeating units.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,577, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, discloses display devices comprising a transparent outer layer, a first electrode, which is ion-permeable, having a reflective surface facing the transparent layer, an electrochromic material, preferably a conductive polymer such, as polyaniline, located between the reflective surface and the outer transparent layer, an electrolyte in contact with the electrochromic material and a second electrode located behind the first electrode. The display devices are capable of changing reflectance and/or color by the application of an electric potential to the electrodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,273, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, discloses an electrochromic display device having an electrochromic conducting polymer layer in contact with a flexible outer layer; a conductive reflective layer disposed between the electrochromic conducting polymer and a substrate layer; and a liquid or solid electrolyte contacting the conductive reflective layer and a counter electrode in the device.
Inherently conductive materials based on organic polymers offer many advantages over metal or other inorganic materials in electrochromic devices. For example, polymers are often more readily processed providing improvements in device construction. Many conductive polymers are handled easily in air and can be molded or processed using conventional techniques well known in plastic and coating applications. Soluble polymers can be applied as a coating or via an ink jet or standard lithography process.
However, there are also potential disadvantages in using conductive polymers. Often, the polymer must remain in contact with an electrode or other surface. As with inks and coatings, adhesion to the surface must be attained and retained. Poor contact with, for example, an electrode, or subsequent delaminating will negatively impact or negate the desired electrochromic behavior. Further, many electrochromic applications place electrochromic polymer in the presence of electrolyte systems which may include aggressive solvents. The same solubility characteristics that allow a polymer to be applied as a coating may also result in a greater degree of polymer dissolution or delamination.
Many anodically coloring polymers face an additional problem in that the intensity or color strength of the colors that are formed upon voltage application or variation is not particularly strong, particularly when compared with the colors produced using cathodically coloring polymers. Copending application U.S. 61/125,689 incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, discloses an anodically coloring, electrochromic composition with improved color characteristics and durability, comprising an electrically active, anodically coloring polymer and a non-electrically conductive polymer. Surprisingly, it was found that the color of anodically color polymer can be enhanced by blending with non-conducting polymers.
Many cathodically coloring polymers are much more strongly coloring than anodically coloring polymers but still face significant challenges. For example, polymers that are easily processed because of good solubility are often more likely to delaminate from the electrode during use. Physical or chemical degradation may also occur resulting in reduced response to applied voltage seen in slower switching times, lower contrast ratios and device failure.
Any attempt to improve the performance of electrochromic polymers, for example, the adhesion or durability of the polymer, must not impact the characteristics of the polymer that make it valuable. For example, fast switching times, color space and sharp differentiation between the electrically oxidized or reduced forms of electrochromic materials can not suffer as a consequence of improved electrode adhesion or polymer durability.
It has been found that blending electrochromic, cathodically coloring polymers with non-electrically conducting binder polymers not only improves film forming properties, but also enhances performance after repeated switching, maintaining excellent switching times and color characteristics.

Devices containing compositions comprising cathodically coloring electrochromic polymers and binder polymers


A sub-bit line architecture for non-volatile memory devices. Four sub-bit lines are coupled to each main bit line. The sub-bit lines are approximately one half the length of the main bit lines in each sector. This sub-bit line length provides low parasitic capacitance and high signal integrity. Each sub-bit line is coupled to a main bit line through a select transistor. A column latch is coupled to each main bit line to provide program data. Data is programmed to the memory array in a page program mode. In page program mode, the selected sub-bit line applies a programming voltage to the memory cell transistor drain terminals. The drain voltage is applied to all of the memory cell transistor drains coupled to the selected sub-bit line. Since the sub-bit lines are only half the length of the main bit lines in each sector, the number of memory cell transistors coupled to each sub-bit line is about half the number coupled to sub-bit lines that are the length of the main bit line. As a result, the number of times memory cell transistors are disturbed due to increases in drain voltage caused by the sub-bit line being selected is reduced. A further advantage of the present invention is that program disturb is reduced.

Solid state and non-volatile memories are known in the art. Flash memory is one type of non-volatile memory. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a flash memory device. The flash memory 100 includes a memory cell array 116, data latch 118, sense amp 114, X-decoder 120, Y-decoder 122, a control logic circuit 110, and input/output buffer 112.
The operation of flash memories is well known and therefore is only briefly described herein. In one type of memory control interface, an external controller initiates a memory operation by asserting a chip enable signal (CE) and supplying address signals A0-AN (corresponding to 2.sup.N+1 memory locations) designating the address of a memory location where the operation is to be performed. If the memory operation is a program operation, the data to be programmed is provided to the addressed memory location via the bidirectional data lines D0-DK (corresponding to K+1 bit memory words). If the memory operation is a read operation, the stored information is read out from the same bidirectional data lines D0-DK. The memory 100 also provides connections for an external power supply VCC and ground (GND).
The heart of the memory 100 is cell array 116, which consists of flash memory cells. Each cell is capable of storing one bit of data, arranged in rows and columns. In the conventional manner, all of the control gates of the cells in one row are energized for a memory operation (either a read or a program) by a word line uniquely associated with that row. Typically, in a flash memory, program operations are performed a page at a time, read operations read individual bytes or words, and erase operations are performed a sector at a time. A memory operation cannot be performed unless the word line associated with the target row of cells is activated.
At least a subset of the cells in a row (typically all of the cells that store data for one memory word or byte) can be accessed simultaneously for a given memory operation via the sub-bit lines, also referred to as divided bit lines. When the memory operation is a read, the sub-bit lines are coupled to sense amplifiers that "sense" the data stored in the corresponding cells of the row whose word line is active. When the memory operation is a program operation the sub-bit lines carry the signals used to program the corresponding cells of the row associated with the active word line.
The control logic circuit 110 controls the other blocks of memory 100. Depending on the operation to be performed, the control logic issues the appropriate signals to address latch 124, data latch 118, sense amp 114 or input/output buffer 112. For the erase operation a subset of the address signals are also used to select the sector to erase.
Regardless of whether the memory operation is a read or a program, X-decoder 120 decodes the X address signal component of address signals A0-AN and activates the word line of the row that includes the memory word that is accessed in the current memory operation.
If the operation is a program operation, the input/output buffer 112 buffers the input data signals D0-DK and loads the buffered data via the bi-directional data bus to data latch 118. The data is then coupled to the sub-bit lines to program the cells comprising the word whose word line was activated for the current operation by X-decoder 120.
If the operation is a read, sense amplifiers sense the signals on the respective sub-bit lines, convert the sensed signals into binary (e.g. high or low) voltages that represent the programmed state of the addressed word and output the word's bit values to the I/O data circuit via the bi-directional bus. The output data are latched into data latch 118 and then buffered by the input/output buffer 112.
An individual flash memory cell includes a metal-oxide-semiconductor ("MOS") device having spaced-apart drain and source regions fabricated on a substrate and defining a channel region therebetween. A very thin gate oxide layer overlies the channel region, and a floating charge-retaining storage gate overlies the oxide layer. A control gate at least partially overlies the floating gate and is insulated therefrom.
In practice, a plurality of such memory cells are arrayed in addressable rows and columns to form a flash memory array. Individual cells in the array are accessed for purposes of programming, reading or erasing data by decoding row and column address information.
FIG. 2 illustrates a circuit diagram of a conventional memory sector 200 in a non-volatile memory device. A small section of the memory array comprising two main bit lines (MBLs) 210 and 211 is shown for simplicity. Similarly, only a small number of the memory array rows are illustrated. Each main bit line spans the full height of the memory array, and one main bit line typically spans many sectors stacked along the main bit line. Each main bit line has two sub-bit lines (SBLs) in each sector associated with it. Each sub-bit line is coupled to a main bit line via one of the select transistors 231-234. For example, MBL 210 is coupled to the drain of select transistor 231, and the source of transistor 231 is coupled to SBL 221. At the end of each main bit line is a column latch. The column latches 236 and 238 store program data in program mode operation. Typically the column latches for adjacent main bit lines are placed at opposite ends of the main bit lines, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Alternating the location of the column latches facilitates compact layout of the memory array.
The core of the memory array is the memory cell transistors. The memory cell transistors are represented by a transistor symbol with one additional line, added parallel to the line representing the transistor gate, for example, transistors 261-264 are memory cell transistors. The memory cell transistors have a floating gate and indicate a logic bit based on the charge stored on the floating gate.
Typically, the control gates for a group of cells in a given row are formed from a continuous strip of conductive material that defines a so-called word line, abbreviated "WL." A word line might comprise, for example, a group of eight cells that collectively store one byte, or sixteen cells that store one word. For a given column in the array, the drain leads of all cells in the column are coupled to a sub-bit line within the same sector.
Within the memory array, an individual cell is addressed and thus selected for reading or programming (writing) by specifying its row (or word line), and its column (or sub-bit line). Erase operations are performed a sector at a time. A 2 Mbit memory, for example, may comprise an array of 2048.times.1024 bits, in which there are 2048 word lines and 1024 sub-bit lines. Commonly, blocks of memory cells are collectively grouped into sectors. Cell addressing is accomplished by coupling address bits to precoding X-decoders and to precoding Y-decoders who respectively select the addressed word line and sub-bit lines in the array.
Programming an addressed MOS memory cell occurs in a program mode using Fowler-Nordheim ("FN") tunneling. Electrons tunnel from the floating gate through the thin gate oxide. The control gate-source threshold voltage required before substantial MOS device drain-source current occurs is affected by the amount of such charge retained on the floating gate. Thus, storage cell programming removes negative charge from the floating storage gate, and the amount of charge on the floating gate causes the cell to indicate storage of either a logic "1" or "0" in a read-out mode.
The above-described storage cells are non-volatile in that the charge on the storage gate, and thus the "0" or "1" bit stored in the cell, remains even when control and operating voltages to the array are turned off. In Fowler-Nordheim tunneling type devices, in the program (write) mode, the control gate is coupled to a large negative potential of perhaps -10 V, the drain is coupled to perhaps +5 V, the source floats, and the substrate is grounded (meaning that it is coupled to the circuit ground node). This causes electrons to be removed from the floating gate by tunneling. The drain is coupled to a voltage supply through the selected sub-bit line. Therefore the supply voltage is also applied to the other cells coupled to the selected sub-bit line. One problem with conventional cell arrays is that the drain voltage can disturb the charge in the floating gates of the other cells coupled to the selected sub-bit line. This is called drain disturb.
Another problem with conventional cell arrays is that the large program voltages required to induce electron tunneling from the floating gate can cause significant voltage levels to be capacitively coupled to adjacent unselected sub-bit lines. This coupling of voltages is referred to as program disturb. In the conventional page program memory array of FIG. 2 an unselected sub-bit line always has a selected sub-bit line on either side of it. For example, in a page program operation if control line 240 is selected, then select transistors 231, 233 and the other select transistors coupled to control line 240 are all turned on. As a result SBL 221, 223 and the subsequent odd numbered SBLs are selected. Having selected sub-bit lines on both sides of unselected sub-bit lines can cause significant program disturb coupling levels.
In a read mode, the charge stored on the floating gate of an addressed MOS memory cell may be read by coupling a voltage approximately equal to Vcc to the control gate, and reading the drain-to-source current. The presence or absence of charge on the stored gate defines a binary "1" or "0" bit that is read-out from the addressed memory cell by a sense amplifier coupled to the bit line.
In an erase mode, the electrons trapped on the floating gates of a group of addressed MOS memory cells are encouraged to flow by electron tunneling to the floating gate. During this erase mode, a group of word line decoders cause the addressed cells' control gates to be coupled to +10 V, the sources and substrates to be coupled to perhaps -8 V and the drains to float. The electrons are thereby encouraged to flow by electron tunneling to the floating gate. In flash memory devices erase operations are typically performed on an entire sector at a time.
Thus an improved non-volatile memory device that overcomes the program disturb, drain disturb and other problems of the prior art would be highly desirable.

Divided bit line system for non-volatile memory devices


Apparatus, method and modules for sorting flat objects. The apparatus comprises a number of sorting holders, a conveying system with a switch and branches connecting thereto, a reading unit, and an object separator for feeding, one by one, stacked objects to the conveying system for recirculation. Because in operation, during the feed from the sorting holders, the objects are separated and individually recirculated from the sorting holders to the switch, this can be controlled in a simple manner and carried out with simple, compact conveying means. The apparatus can be modularly constructed from a basic module with a sorting holder and one or more sorting modules also with a sorting holder and a recirculation path.

The invention relates to an apparatus for sorting substantially flat objects, such as mail items and documents. Such apparatus are provided with two or more sorting holders for storing objects stackwise in a stacking direction, a conveying system for conveying objects with at least one switch and at least two branches of the conveying system that connect thereto downstream, a reading unit for reading information from objects to be sorted, a processor connected with the reading unit for processing signals received from that reading unit and connected with the switch for operating the switch, and feed means for transporting objects from at least one of the sorting holders to a portion of the conveying system upstream of the switch.
Sorting flat objects, such as mail items and documents, by means of such apparatus, generally comprises the following operations: reading information from objects to be sorted, determining for each object a sorting indication on the basis of the information read from the relevant object, a first sorting operation wherein for each object one of at least two sorting holders is selected depending on the sorting indication of the relevant object and the objects are each conveyed to the sorting holder selected therefor and stacked in the sorting holders in a stacking direction, always in a position transverse to the stacking direction, and at least one further sorting operation, wherein at least a number of the objects are taken out of the sorting holders again, a sorting holder is selected for each object again and the objects are each conveyed to the sorting holder selected therefor and stacked in the sorting holders in a stacking direction, always in a position transverse to the stacking direction.
Such an apparatus and such a method are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,042. Further, the invention relates to modules for composing an apparatus according to a special embodiment of the invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,321, a system is described wherein, for mechanically sorting relatively small numbers of objects over a relatively large number of sorting positions (for instance addresses), a sorting algorithm with several sorting operations is utilized. According to the example, mail items for an area of 400 addresses are sorted by sorting a batch of objects to be sorted twice in succession over 20 pockets. A drawback of this system is that after the first sorting operation, the objects should be removed from the sorting pockets and deposited into the system in the correct order by the operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,042, cited hereinabove, describes a sorting machine of which sorting holders are adapted to store objects stackwise. The sorting holders comprise slides and stops whereby the objects can be removed in clusters from the sorting holders. The slides are movable to and fro in stacking direction and can moreover be swivelled between a position in alignment with objects in the sorting holder and a position beside the objects stacked in the sorting holder. For again feeding clusters of objects removed from the sorting holders, this sorting machine comprises a recirculation holder or several recirculation holders. The or each recirculation holder is displaceable between a position in alignment with one of the sorting holders and a position in alignment with the feed path to the reading unit.
Drawbacks of this system are that the construction with slides, stops and a recirculation holder or several recirculation holders is complicated and costly, and that displacement of the clusters of objects involves a relatively great chance of problems, because as a rule, a stack of incoming mail is highly irregular, as a result of which objects can easily be "squeezed from the stacks".
According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,225, the problems inherent in displacing clusters of objects are overcome by providing an apparatus with sorting pockets in the form of double conveyor belts, where between the objects can be retained in the manner of roof tiles. The apparatus comprises a first set of these sorting pockets for carrying out a first sorting operation. During the second sorting operation, the objects are fed from the first set of sorting pockets and conveyed to a second set of sorting pockets. However, the construction of this apparatus is also complicated, costly and voluminous, in that it comprises a large number of sorting holders in the form of very long double belts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,667 also describes an apparatus having a first set of holders and a second set of holders. The first set of holders is constructed as a circuitous conveyor with positions for all objects to be sorted. The second set of holders is constructed as a smaller number of pockets to which objects fed from the first set of holders can be moved. The objects in the first set of holders move along an output position. When an object for the output position is next in turn for being received in one of the holders of the second set, it is removed from the first set of holders and conveyed to the selected holder of the second set of holders. This apparatus is complicated, costly and voluminous as well, particularly because the first set of holders is constructed as a circuitous path with positions for all objects to be sorted.
European patent application 0 429 118 discloses a sorting system comprising buffer pockets for storing and delivering individual objects. The objects delivered are discharged so that they will not automatically be fed for passing through a second sorting operation. Moreover, this apparatus is of course also complicated, costly and voluminous, because of the holders that are each designed for temporarily storing one object, a very large number are required in order to obtain a more or less effective apparatus. There is described an embodiment having 12 buffers, each consisting of 64 holders, i.e. 768 holders in total.
Consequently, the drawback inherent in each of these apparatus having sorting holders that can be emptied mechanically is that these apparatus are highly complicated and costly and take up much space.

Apparatus and method for sorting objects


A rim structure for a metal container wherein the rim is an integral part of the container cylindrical sidewall. The rim has an outwardly projecting wall which is radially inwardly folded by a top fold over onto itself and is then vertically folded upwardly and thereafter radially outwardly folded to define a generally triangle-shaped cross section. The top of the triangle is extended above the top fold. This configuration defines an internal step at the mouth of the container, its top portion is flexible due to the free outwardly deflection of the vertically internal length determining the step. This resiliency allows an annular projection on the container lid to be snap-fitted through the step.

From U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,212 there is disclosed a rim structure for a metal container having a rim that is an integral part of the container cylindrical sidewall. One of the drawbacks of this known rim is that the rim has not enough rigidity in the container mouth, and any accidental fall or dropping of a full container may cause the lid to be opened because the mouth may be detrimentally strained.
With the rim structure of the present invention, more compact rigidity in the container mouth is obtained which is only comparable to that achieved by conventional rims which are separately produced and which must then be separately secured to the edge of the container sidewall using a special operation. However, the rim structure of this invention preserves the low-cost advantages provided when the rim is incorporated to the container in a single operation.
Additionally, with the rim structure of the present invention, due to the particular rim configuration provided, a more specific lid airtight seal and a better lid holding in its sealing position is obtained so as to better resist blows or drops which might tend to cause accidental opening.
Lastly, with the improved rim structure all of the rim outside visible portions have the same finished appearance as that of the container sidewall, thereby giving the rim an improved aesthetic appearance relative to most known metal containers. Most known metal containers are generally provided with an appearance or rim color quite different to that of the container external walls due to these components being separately made.
In the mouth of the container of this invention, rigidity is provided by specific edge bending of the container sidewall making up the rim and shaped by an outwardly projecting length with a tilt of about 45.degree., this length being radially inwardly folded over onto itself and then vertically upwardly raised and radially outwardly folded to define a generally triangle-shaped cross section. The top free end of the triangle is extended according to a vertically upwardly short length, being afterwards inwardly folded over onto itself so that a rounded edge can be shaped.
This peculiar configuration determines an internal step close to the mouth, its top portion being flexible or resilient, and this resiliency being provided by the free outwardly deflection of the vertically internal length determining said step. This resiliency allows an annular projection, as provided on the container lid outside sidewall, to be snap-fitted through the step length, with the projection snapping under the stepping edge and being then fixed to create a highly resistant snap-fit against accidental opening.


A method of fabricating a donor substrate and a method of fabricating an organic light emitting display (OLED) using the donor substrate. The method of fabricating the donor substrate includes preparing a base substrate that includes at least one transfer region and at least one non-transfer region, forming a light-to-heat conversion layer on the base substrate and depositing a transfer layer selectively on the light-to-heat conversion layer and in the at least one transfer region of the base substrate using a shadow mask. To then make the OLED, laser induced thermal imaging is used to transfer the patterned transfer layer from the donor substrate to display regions in an acceptor substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a donor substrate, a method of fabricating a donor substrate, and a method of fabricating an organic light emitting display (OLED) and, more particularly, to a method of fabricating a patterned donor substrate and a method of fabricating an OLED using the patterned donor substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among flat panel displays (FPDs), an organic light emitting display (OLED) is an excellent type of FPD for displaying moving images of all sizes because the OLED has a fast response speed of 1 ms or less, consumes a small amount of power, and is an emissive type of display allowing for a wide viewing angle. Also, the OLED can be fabricated at low a temperature via a simple process based on conventional semiconductor manufacturing technology. For these reasons, the OLED has attracted much attention as the next-generation FPD.
The OLED can essentially be classified into a polymer device made by a wet process and a small molecular device made by a deposition process, according to the types of material and processes used for the emission layers of an organic light emitting diode. Two drawbacks of the inkjet wet process is that 1) organic layers other than the emission layer can essentially be formed of only limited kinds of materials, and 2) it is difficult to form a structure on a substrate using the inkjet method. A drawback of the deposition method is that it is difficult to fabricate a large-sized device using a metal mask.
As an alternative to the inkjet method and the deposition method, a laser induced thermal imaging (LITI) process has recently been developed. In the LITI process, laser beams irradiated by a light source are converted into thermal energy, and a patterned material on a donor substrate is transferred to an acceptor substrate using the thermal energy, thus forming a pattern on the acceptor substrate.
When the transfer layer of the donor substrate is transferred using the LITI process, it is transferred onto all portions of the acceptor substrate because all portions are irradiated with laser beams. Thus, the transfer layer is formed on portions of the acceptor substrate that do not need the transfer layer, such as on the encapsulation portion.
Since the transfer layer is an organic material, the presence of the transfer layer in the encapsulation portion can lead to poor adhesion of sealant in the encapsulation portion. Poor adhesion of sealant in the encapsulation portion allows external gas and moisture to be introduced into the OLED, thus shortening the lifetime of the emission layer of the OLED, leading to pixel failure. As a result, LITI produced emission layers require an extra process of removing portions of the transfer layer transferred to the encapsulation portion of the acceptor substrate.
In order to remove the transfer layer from the encapsulation portion, an additional apparatus, such as a mechanical shutter or modulator, can be installed as an on-off controller for the laser, so that the transfer layer can be patterned according to an on-off state of the laser. Also, since a modulator needs a high power laser, a significant increase in manufacturing cost is incurred. However, the mechanical shutter operates at low speed, leading to a failure in the pattern. Further, on-off operations of the laser leads to increased process time. What is needed is an improved method of making a donor substrate that prevents the transfer layer from transferring onto the encapsulation portion of the acceptor substrate while avoiding the use of an on-off controller for a laser.

Method of fabricating donor substrate and method of fabricating OLED using the donor substrate


An information processing assembly includes at least one heater suitable for information processing, and a controller for controlling the at least one heater by at least one of adjusting a power to the at least one heater to match a target power level, and changing a polarity of an electrical current supplied to the heater.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an assembly for information processing and in particular to an assembly for thermal memory cells and chips and to an assembly for thermally-assisted magnetic information processing as well as thermal protrusion control. The assemblies include a heater and a controller for controlling the heater.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the key challenges in any form of thermal and/or thermally-assisted information processing and control and/or thermally-induced protrusion control is to optimize the performance of the energy source (e.g., heater). For example, in a thermal memory cell/chip a heater is used to write and erase on a storage media. In some cases, for the purpose of reading, the same heater is utilized to measure the thermal impedance of the storage media. In other schemes of phase-change recording as described in the above-referenced related U. S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/774,851, 09/774,943, 09/733,323, and 09/773,346, a heater in a head-like structure is used to realize thermal reading, writing and erasing.
As discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,233,206 and 6,493,183, thermally-assisted magnetic recording involves heating the storage media by transferring energy (i.e., heat) to the media from an energy source (e.g., a heater), which may be embedded in a recording head. The resulting temperature rise in the magnetic medium reduces its coercivity, which allows the use of harder, and therefore, higher density capable recording media. Without heating, the available magnetic field would be not sufficient to record the magnetic information patterns. More specifically, for a about 20% writeability improvement on a conventional longitudinal recording media (e.g., a coercivity of about 20 Oe/K) the media has to be heated up to about 80° C. by the heater element. Depending on various details such as the size of the heater (e.g., heating element) size, spin speed, media thermal and substrate thermal properties, heat flux between the recording head and disk etc., the heater has to be heated to about 300° C. or even more. As a final example, heaters in (magnetic) recording heads can be used to induce protrusion, which reduces a fly height (e.g., distance) between heater and recording media.
The most economic way of supplying energy to the heater includes Joule heating, in which electrical power is dissipated in the heater, causing an increase in the temperature of the heater (e.g., heating element). In order to simplify the discussion of the present invention, in the following it will be assumed that the resulting temperatures are linearly dependent on the dissipated power in the heater.
However, Joule heating is accompanied by several challenges because the heater has to last and maintain its properties for an extended period of time at these high temperatures (e.g. >1000 hours). Typical failure mechanisms besides dielectric breakdown and ESD, include oxidation, electro-migration, thermal breakdown and thermal stress.
In particular, electro-migration can be a real issue since the currents supplied to a small resistor heater are considerably close to current density limits. Specifically and as an example, for most moderate thermally-assisted magnetic recording with a heater cross-sectional area of 0.5×0.03 μm2, heater length of 5 μm and a heater material of beta-Ta (2×10−6 Ωm) finite element modeling shows that 5 to 6 mA and 3 to 4 V are needed to heat the disk to 80° C., which corresponds to a current density of about 5×107A/cm2. Experimentally, it can be shown that at higher temperatures these current densities alter the resistance of the Ta-heater by about 0.5% /hour after 2 hours at 500° C.
The heater can often be operated in different modes. The two obvious modes include constant current and constant voltage DC-power supplies. However, both of these methods are only usable if the heater resistance is not altered significantly. For example, if a constant DC current is supplied to the heater and the heater resistance increases slowly, the dissipated power in the heater and consequently the temperature increases as well. Therefore, such a mode can very easily cause an "avalanche effect", which results into the failure of the heater (e.g., heating element).
On the other hand, if a constant DC voltage is supplied to the heater, the increased resistance will cause the current to decrease, which results into less power dissipated and thus, a lower temperature. Since the temperature of the heater has to be maintained and controlled precisely, the constant current (as well as the constant voltage) mode is not acceptable as long as the heater resistance changes. For example, experiments on the aforementioned Ta-heaters have shown that at a constant voltage, which corresponds to a temperature of 500° C., the resistance drops more than 20% in 12 hours, which means that at a constant voltage the temperature in the heater has come down by almost 100 K.
In summary, a good assembly design has two objectives: a) minimize heater resistance changes and b) control the power dissipated in the heater and thus control the temperature of the heater. However, conventional controllers and assemblies do not effectively address these objectives.

Assembly for thermal and/or thermally-assisted information processing

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


Methods for encrypting a clear text message into hidden cipher text are disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention may be used to encrypt clear text into a contextual altered form that does not appear to an observer to be cipher text. Embodiments of the present invention produce encrypted text without using a mathematical model of prime number factorization. Embodiments of the present invention provide better security by producing better quality cipher text output than known linguistic steganography approaches.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to cryptography and, more specifically, to using linguistic steganography in a cryptographic system.
2. Description
Cryptography is a discipline of mathematics concerned with information security and related issues, such as encryption, authentication, and access control. Early techniques for cryptography include Baudot codes and the Vernam cipher. A cryptographic system is typically used to transform clear text into cipher text and vice versa.
Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one apart from the intended recipient knows of the existence of the message. This is in contrast to cryptography, where the existence of the message itself is not disguised, but the content is obscured. Linguistic steganography is the art of using written natural language to conceal secret messages. The idea is to hide the very existence of the message.
Several automated techniques exist to transform ciphertext into text that looks like natural language text while retaining the ability to recover the original ciphertext. This transformation changes the ciphertext so that it doesn't attract undue attention from, for example, hackers, agencies or organizations that might want to detect or censor encrypted communications. Although it may be relatively easy to generate a small sample of quality text, it is challenging to be able to generate large texts that are meaningful to a human reader and which appear innocuous.
One system for text steganography is called NICETEXT (available on the Internet at http:\www.nicetext.com\. (with "\" replacing "/") and described in the paper (publicly available at that web site) entitled "A Practical and Effective Approach to Large-Scale Automated Linguistic Steganography," by Mark Chapman, George Davida, and Marc Rennhard. The Chapman paper describes two methods. The first method is to use a set of grammatical rules to generate models for output text on-the-fly. The second method is to generate sentence models for output text by parsing known documents. The NICETEXT system largely ignores the grammar approach in favor of static sentence models that are automatically generated from sample text. According to the Chapman et al., paper, the static sentence model requires that the sentence structure be created from known bodies of text. From a security perspective, this is deficient. Hence, better techniques are desired.