A device and method for hermetically sealing an integrated circuit chip between a substrate and a lid while providing effective dissipation of heat generated by the integrated circuit chip. The device includes an integrated circuit chip, carrier substrate, interface coolant, and a lid. The integrated circuit chip is attached to the top of the carrier substrate. The interface coolant is disposed on the top of the integrated circuit chip and the lid is placed on top of the carrier substrate/integrated circuit chip combination and contacts the interface coolant. The interface coolant provides a thermal path for conducting heat from the integrated circuit chip to the lid. The substrate is attached to a circuit board by a ceramic ball grid array (CBGA) or a ceramic column grid array (CCGA).

Hermetic sealing is important for many microelectronic devices requiring protection from ambient conditions such as humidity, contamination, and the like. Hermeticity enhances overall device reliability. Further, for flip chip packages, hermeticity enhances the fatigue life of the device-to-substrate interconnections. Without hermeticity, flip chip packages with large chips (for example, >10 mm sq.) would require a polymer encapsulant underneath the device for enhanced interconnection fatigue life. Such encapsulant, however, renders the package non-reworkable.
There are a few ways to achieve hermeticity. One conventional method is to mechanically seal a metal lid (e.g. Al or Cu) to the substrate via a C-ring as illustrated in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, integrated circuit chip 912 is bonded to substrate 900. Piston 910 contacts the surface of each integrated circuit chip 912 and conducts heat away from integrated circuit chip 912 to housing 904. Cold plate 906 is attached to the top of housing 904 and conducts heat from housing 904 by using water (or other coolant) injected into port 914. C-ring 902 seals substrate 900 between base plate 908 and housing 904. This design, introduced by International Business Machines Corporation in the early 1980's, is referred to as a thermal conduction module (TCM) and is described in Thermal Conduction Module: A High-Performance Multilayer Ceramic Package, by A. J. Blodgett and D. R. Barbour, IBM J. Res. Develop., Vol. 26, No. 1, January 1982, and is incorporated herein by reference. Due to its complexity, the TCM is typically used for high-performance, large-size, multi-chip modules (MCM's).
Another method of hermetic sealing involves soldering the lid to the substrate. This requires a matched coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the lid and the substrate to reduce solder cracking during thermal cycling. For this purpose, the lid material is typically made of ceramic to match the CTE of the ceramic substrate.
A third method used to achieve hermeticity uses a seam sealing technique, where a lid is brazed to the substrate via localized resistance heating. Conventional packaging techniques for such devices (e.g., seam welding of metallic lids to flat packages or flatpacks) often require labor-intensive manual procedures which do not lend themselves to automated production techniques. It has been especially uneconomical and impractical to provide automated mass production techniques for localized heating to the seal area itself without heating the package and the device contained in the package.
When using solder sealing techniques, the whole assembly is placed into an oven where temperatures must exceed the melting temperature of the solder material to ensure complete solder wetting. For eutectic lead-tin solder, having a melting temperature of 180.degree. C., the module is subjected to temperatures around 220-240.degree. C. for a few minutes. Obviously, solders with higher melting temperatures (e.g., gold-tin alloys) are more likely to induce damage to interface coolant and controlled collapse chip connections (C4) during the sealing process. In addition, high temperature alloys, such as gold-tin alloys, are not cost effective.
Microelectronic circuits incorporating ceramic substrates are often enclosed within an hermetically sealed package or housing that provides support and protection for the circuit. A number of electronic components and interconnecting metallizations are attached to a substrate. The packages are hermetically sealed by a cover or lid over the substrate that surround the chips. The material most commonly used for both the housing or lid is a Kovar.RTM. alloy manufactured by the General Electric Company, with a composition of 53% iron, 29% nickel, and 18% cobalt; an optional gold or nickel plating may be added to prevent corrosion. The lids are welded or soldered to the upper surface of the package, thereby hermetically sealing the packages.
Conventional lids are typically formed as simple flat plates, or in "hat-shaped" configurations in which the lid is elevated above the upper edges of the package. The lid cannot be too thin because the lid must be able to withstand substantial loading. Heavy loading is encountered particularly before shipment, when the assembled circuit packages are tested to confirm the hermeticity of the seal. One such test is the helium leak test. During this test, the package is subjected to a significant pressure that can cause the lid to deflect downward toward the interior circuitry which it is designed to protect. An excessive downward deflection can cause shorting, damage to the electrical components, or both and can also induce an excess stress in the weld seals that results in seal failure and reduces the overall rigidity of the structure. The lid is also affected by the stress encountered during thermal cycling of the structure.
One way to strengthen the lid is to make it thicker. This solution increases both the package weight, however, and the overall size of the lid. In addition, the thermal performance of the lid degrades severely due to the very poor thermal conductivity of the Kovar.RTM. material. Another approach is to increase the height of the package to maintain the necessary clearance above the electrical components and circuit traces under maximum lid depression. This solution adds undesirable volume to the package, however, exceeding the volume needed for the actual circuitry, and may violate height restrictions.
It is known that an integrated circuit chip generates heat while the chip is operating. Thus, the problem arises of how to prevent the temperature of the chip from exceeding a certain maximum level at which the chip begins to degrade in reliability or performance.
Heat removal from semiconductor devices is required for both device functionality and reliability. For wire bond packages, the devices are typically bonded to the substrate with thermal adhesives. The primary heat transfer path for this type of package is through the substrate which, in general, is a poor heat conductor. For flip chip packages, however, there are two parallel paths for heat removal from the devices. One path is from the device to the substrate through the solder interconnections; the other path is from the back of the chip to the module lid. A heat transfer medium may also be disposed between the back of the chip and the lid to enhance heat conduction or heat transfer between the chip and the lid. One such heat transfer medium is a thermal paste.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,294 issued to Layton et al. discloses a compliant body with microscopic voids containing a liquid metal alloy. As shown in FIG. 10, compliant body 1006 containing a liquid metal alloy is pressed between integrated circuit chip 1002 and lid 1004 with heatsink 1014. Integrated circuit chip 1002 is attached to substrate 1000, having interconnect pins 1012, by chip terminals 1008. Lid 1004 is attached to substrate 1000 by lid bond 1110. This device does not seam seal integrated circuit chip 1002. In addition, integrated circuit chip 1002 and lid 1004 are subject to deterioration and attack due to the liquid metal alloy reacting with integrated circuit chip 1002 and lid 1004.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,214 issued to Cho et al. discloses a device which selectively heats the seal area of an encapsulating package by providing a built-in resistive heater circuit in the substrate or the lid to melt and form a seal around a wirebond circuit. This device requires valuable substrate surface area to form the seal and does not provide a mechanism to cool the integrated circuit chip.
Conventional wire bond packages typically provide lower interconnection density between the devices and substrate as compared to the flip chip technology. Thus, wire bond packages are not preferable and typically do not allow for high-power, high-performance devices.

Hermetic CBGA/CCGA structure with thermal paste cooling


In a technique for setting up calls in IP mobile networks, when an application level in a mobile station sends a setup message to set up a multimedia call, before sending such a message over the radio interface, the mobile station performs the appropriate procedures to setup the appropriate bearers over the radio interface and in the network to satisfy the call requirements specified by the application level in the setup message. The technique applies to both mobile originated calls and mobile terminated calls, the called mobile station performing the transport level procedures after having received a setup message and before sending a confirmation/call acceptance message back to the calling party. Furthermore, the allocation of radio resources for PDP contexts that will be used to carry the media of a multimedia IP called is delayed so that no radio resources are allocated to the PDP contexts activated before the call control signaling is exchanged. The radio resources are allocated only when the call signaling has been completed and the called party has accepted the call and indicated the call characteristics that it can support. An indication is forwarded from the SGSN to the GGSN advising that no packets are to be sent on the PDP context because there are no radio resources for the PDP context.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mobile networks and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a technique for setting up multimedia calls in mobile networks using an IP (Internet Protocol) transport mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, packet switched wireless networks provide communications for mobile terminals with no physical connection required for network access. The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) in the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the Universal Mobile Terrestrial System (UMTS) have both been developed to provide wireless communications networks with a packet switched side, as well as a circuit switched side.
The specification for a UMTS network with further improvements has been released by the 3rd General Partnership Project. The UMTS specification provides that a network subscriber can have one or more packet data protocol (PDP) addresses. Each PDP address is described by one or more PDP contexts in the Mobile Station (MS), the Service GPRS Service Node (SGSN), and the Gateway GPRS Service Node (GGSN). A GGSN is a gateway to an external network. Each PDP context may have routing and mapping information for directing the transfer of data to and from its associated PDP address and a traffic flow template (TFT) for reviewing the transferred data.
Each PDP context can be selectively and independently activated, modified, and deactivated. The activation state of a PDP context indicates whether data transfer is enabled for a corresponding PDP address and TFT. If all PDP contexts associated with the same PDP address are inactive or deactivated, all data transfer for that PDP address is disabled. All PDP contexts of a subscriber are associated with the same Mobility Management (MM) context for the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) of that subscriber. Setting up a PDP context means setting up a communications channel.
An example of the PDP context activation procedure is shown in FIG. 2. The activate PDP context request message sent in step 1 includes a number of parameters. The parameters include a PDP address and an Access Point Name (APN). The PDP address is used to indicate whether a static PDP or dynamic PDP address is required. The APN is a logical name referring to the Gateway GPSR Support Node (GGSN) to be used. In step 3, the SGSN sends a Radio Access Bearer (RAB) setup message to the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). In step 4, the SGSN sends a Create PDP Context Request message to the affected GGSN. The GGSN decides whether to accept or reject the request. If it accepts the request, it modifies its PDP context table and returns a Create PDP Context Response message. The SGSN then sends an activate PDP Context Accept message to the MS in step 5.
In spite of the numerous details provided in the aforementioned Protocol, many features associated with IP mobile networks have not been addressed. Specifically, the techniques for expeditiously setting up multimedia calls in IP-based mobile networks have yet to be incorporated in the aforementioned Protocol. It is these details to which the present invention is directed.

Technique for setting up calls in mobile network


It is intended to provide a tape producing apparatus capable of printing on an appropriate printing medium with high quality based on data directly read from marks which are continuously printed on a release paper to show a type of a printing medium, with non-contact tape type identification devices. The tape producing apparatus comprises non-contact tape type discrimination sensors. Each label tape includes the adhesive and the release paper for protecting the adhesive. The release paper is provided with only one of the tape type identification marks which are printed continuously to show the types of the materials to produce the label tape. The non-contact tape type discrimination sensors read the tape type identification marks which are printed continuously to show the types of the materials to produce the label tape.

Conventionally, a tape producing apparatus for printing characters such as letters on a print tape, i.e., a long printing medium is structured to have a tape cassette, in which a cassette case of a predetermined shape houses the print tape and an ink ribbon for printing on the print tape, being mounted into a printing mechanism, and to produce a label tape by printing the characters with a thermal head on the label tape overlapped on the ink ribbon which are fed from the tape cassette.
Types of the print tape housed in the tape cassette include a transparent film tape of a predetermined width, a film tape provided with a release paper adhering to one side thereof with an adhesive, and a heat-sensitive tape having a self color development property (so-called, a thermal paper), each of which has varieties of widths. Additionally, there are ink ribbons of various colors to print on the transparent film tape. Each tape is wound on a tape spool and housed in the cassette case of the tape cassette.
The tape producing apparatus needs to receive information from the tape cassette to provide a high-quality printing and proper feeding for printing mediums of the various tape cassettes.
Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2001-88359 discloses a tape producing apparatus having tape type discrimination sensors made of a well-known mechanical switch comprising a plunger and a push-typed micro switch, and placed in a corner of a cassette storage part. A tape type of the tape cassette is detected based on an on/off signal representing the presence or absence of each sensor hole corresponding to each sensor in the cassette case of the tape cassette.
However, there has been a problem that the tape producing apparatus in the above publication cannot turn the switch on if the cassette case is not set or fixed with great precision, since an on-off stroke of the mechanical switch composed of the micro switch and others is short. There is also a risk that the switch is damaged when the cassette case is pushed into the cassette storage part of the tape printer by force.
Further, the number of sensor holes, or switches increases with increase in tape cassette variations, which raises costs. The tape producing apparatus cannot achieve commonality of the tape cassette case because there are sensor holes in the cassette case.
The tape type discrimination sensors can hardly find that the wrong tape cassette which does not meet the result of the tape type discrimination is housed in the tape cassette since the tape type in the tape cassette is detected based on an on/off signal representing the presence or absence of each sensor hole corresponding to each sensor in the cassette case of the tape cassette.


A heat sink assembly for dissipating heat from a fully buffered dual inline memory module includes a first heat-dissipating sheet, a second heat-dissipating sheet and at least one clip. The first heat-dissipating sheet covers the fully buffered dual inline memory module. The clip holds the first heat-dissipating sheet and the second heat-dissipating sheet between which the fully buffered dual inline memory module is sandwiched.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heat sink assembly providing highly efficient heat dissipation at low cost, and with good mechanical strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
Unlike normal dual inline memory modules (DIMMs) which are connected in parallel to a memory controller, fully buffered dual inline memory modules (FBDIMMs) are connected in a point-to-point serial architecture. FIG. 1A depicts the front surface of an FBDIMM, and FIG. 1B depicts the back surface of the FBDIMM. An FBDIMM 10 is characterized by an advanced memory buffer (AMB) chip 110 on its front surface. The AMB chip 110 collects and distributes the data from or to the memory chips (i.e. dynamic random access memories, DRAMs) 120 on the FBDIMM 10, buffers and forwards the data to the next FBDIMM or memory controller.
During operation, the AMB chip 110 generates a large quantity of heat. To prevent the AMB chip 110 from failing due to high temperature, a heat sink (not shown) is fastened on the AMB chip 110 via a metallic spring (not shown), absorbing heat from the AMB chip 110 by thermal conduction and then dissipating the heat.
The conventional heat sink presents the following drawbacks. The heat sink is slightly larger than the AMB chip 110 in area, thus, heat-dissipation efficiency is poor. Moreover, the heat sink is made of copper which is expensive. Furthermore, the heat sink cannot enhance the mechanical strength of the FBDIMM 10 to meet requirement in the three-point-bending test.


A device for lubricating a track or a rail that is adapted to be mounted to a wheeled vehicle. The device includes a frame member adapted to be mounted to the vehicle and an arm pivotally attached to the frame member. A roller, which is adapted to ride on the rail, mounts to the arm and receives a guide. A lubricating nozzle attaches to the guide.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for lubricating railroad rails which are mountable to a track vehicle.
2) Description of the Prior Art
It has long been the practice to apply grease or similar gel-like lubricants to the sides of rails at curves, switches and other parts of the railroad track. Such lubricants are still applied to the inside sides of the rail head to reduce the friction which occurs as the flanges of the train's wheels contact the sides of the rail. Lubricants and/or friction controlling gels are also applied to the top of the rail. The friction reduction results in reduction of wear of both the rail and the wheels and reduced fuel consumption of the locomotion of the train and of squealing noises.
Devices for lubricating rails are already known, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,814. Typically, these devices for lubricating rails are mounted on a track vehicle, such as a pickup truck equipped with additional flanged wheels. The lubricating nozzle of the device is secured to a rail gear mounted to a truck body.
Preferably, the devices for lubricating rails should direct the lubricant L along a straight line at a constant fixed distance as measured from the head of the rail as shown in FIG. 1A. However, due to the suspension of the track vehicle and the varying weight of the vehicle due to varying loads, the position of the lubricant L varies on the track as shown in FIG. 1B. This varying position of the lubricant can cause excessive waste, inefficient lubricant use and locomotion traction problems if the lubricant is mistakenly placed on the top of the rails.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for lubricating a rail that can accurately apply lubricant to a rail.

Rail lubricator mounted to a track vehicle


Bit lines (BL, /BL) are equally held low by a low-level precharge circuit (212) and an equalizing circuit (218) at time (t1) prior to a read operation. A read signal (/READ) and an equalization signal (EQ) go low at time (t2) when the read operation starts to provide "H" to word lines (WLU, WLL). If storage nodes (N1, N2) store "H" and "L" respectively, a bipolar transistor (BP2) is activated when the bit line (/BL) reaches a potential (+Vbe). Then, the potential of the bit line (/BL) does not rise to a power supply potential (VCC) but is held at the potential (+Vbe). Current flows to the bit line (/BL) through a reading load circuit (211) transiently (for a time period between times t2 and t3), but no current flows to the bit line (/BL) in a steady state (for a time period between times t3 and t4).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure of a static semiconductor memory and, more particularly, to the structure of a static semiconductor memory which is capable of accomplishing a high-speed low-power-consumption operation on a low power supply voltage.
2. Description of the Background Art
A conventional static semiconductor memory is described below using as an example a static random access memory (referred to hereinafter as an SRAM). FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram of reading system circuitry of a conventional SRAM 3000. The reading system circuitry of the conventional SRAM 3000 comprises a memory cell 3004; bit lines BL and /BL connected to the memory cell 3004; constant current sources 3006a and 3006b for supplying predetermined constant currents to the bit lines BL and /BL, respectively; a precharge circuit 3002 for precharging the bit lines BL and /BL up to an internal power supply potential prior to the start of a read operation; and a read circuit 3008 receiving the potentials of the bit lines BL and /BL to output read data. The read data having complementary values are provided to the bit lines BL and /BL.
The memory cell 3004 comprises a static latch circuit including a pair of inverters 3010 and 3012 which are inverse-parallel connected between a pair of storage nodes N1 and N2, the bit lines BL and /BL, and a pair of access transistors 3014 and 3016 for making and breaking connection with the storage nodes N1 and N2 in response to a potential level of a word line WL.
FIG. 21 is a detailed circuit diagram of the memory cell 3004 shown in FIG. 20. The inverter 3010 includes a high resistance element R2 and a driver transistor Q2 which are connected in series between a potential point at a power supply potential VCC and a potential point at a ground potential GND. The inverter 3012 includes a high resistance element R1 and a driver transistor Q1 which are connected in series between a potential point at the power supply potential VCC and a potential point at the ground potential GND. For implementation of the static latch circuit, connection is established between the gate of the driver transistor Q1 and the drain of the driver transistor Q2 (the storage node N2) and between the gate of the driver transistor Q2 and the drain of the driver transistor Q1 (the storage node N1).
Access transistors Q3 and Q4 correspond to the transistors 3014 and 3016 shown in FIG. 20, respectively. The access transistor Q3 is connected between the bit line BL and the storage node N1, and has a gate connected to the word line WL. The access transistor Q4 is connected between the bit line /BL and the storage node N2, and has a gate connected to the word line WL.
The driver transistors Q1 and Q2 and the access transistors Q3 and Q4 are N-channel MOS transistors, and the high resistance elements R1 and R2 are used as load elements for the memory cell. Such a memory cell is generally referred to as a high resistance load memory cell.
In general, the high resistance load memory cell has a multilevel structure for reduction in memory cell area. Specifically, the load elements (high resistance elements R1 and R2) of the high resistance load memory cell are formed of polysilicon in a level over the driver transistors Q1 and Q2 and access transistors Q3 and Q4 which are formed on a silicon substrate not shown, with an insulating layer therebetween.
FIG. 22 is a detailed circuit diagram of another form of the memory cell 3004. P-channel MOS transistors Q5 and Q6 are used as the load element for the memory cell in place of the high resistance elements R1 and R2 of the structure shown in FIG. 21. The gates of the P-channel MOS transistors Q5 and Q6 are connected to the gates of the driver transistors Q1 and Q2, respectively. Such a memory cell is generally referred to as a CMOS memory cell.
The P-channel MOS transistors Q5 and Q6 may be thin-film transistors, and are formed over the transistors Q1 to Q4, with an insulating layer therebetween, similar to the high resistance elements R1 and R2.
FIG. 23 is a graph showing the transfer characteristics of the memory cell 3004 shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 when the word line WL is in a selected state. The graph of FIG. 23 plots the potential at the storage node N1 versus the potential at the storage node N2 for the characteristics of the inverter 3012 (broken curve) and the inverter 3010 (solid curve). The power supply potential VCC is set to 3 V, for example. The fine line in the graph of FIG. 23 indicates the positions in which the potential at the node N1 equals the potential at the node N2.
In FIG. 23, points A1 and A2 are bistable points for the memory cell 3004. These two points A1 and A2 must exist in order to prevent damages to the data stored in the memory cell 3004 and to ensure the retention of the data. The two bistable points are ensured by sufficiently enlarging zones B1 and B2 (referred to hereinafter as "memory cell eyes") surrounded by the broken and solid curves indicative of the characteristics of the inverters 3012 and 3010. A memory cell eye is also referred to as a static noise margin. The gradients of curves C1 and C2 represent the magnitudes of the gains of the inverters 3010 and 3012, respectively. The steeper the gradients of the curves, the higher the gains of the inverters of the memory cell.
With the word line WL in the selected state, the access transistors Q3 and Q4 are on to cause the gains of the inverters 3012 and 3010 to be lower than those provided when the word line WL is in a non-selected state, reducing the area of the memory cell eyes B1 and B2. The reason therefor is that the stability of the memory cell 3004 is determined by the characteristics of a circuit including the in-series connected access transistor Q3 and driver transistor Q1 and a circuit including the in-series connected access transistor Q4 and driver transistor Q2.
For the memory cell eyes B1 and B2 large enough to ensure the retention of the data stored in the memory cell 3004, it is desirable that the transistor size of the driver transistors Q1 and Q2 is at least three times that of the access transistors Q3 and Q4. The transistor size may be defined as the ratio of a channel width W to a channel length L, for example.
In the background art semiconductor memory, it has been desirable to increase the area of the driver transistors for stability of the memory cell data as above described. This presents a first problem in that the reduction in the required area of the memory cell is hindered.
A second problem of the background art semiconductor memory is that it is difficult to decrease the power supply voltage required to stably operate the memory cell. FIG. 24 is a graph corresponding to the graph of FIG. 23 and showing the transfer characteristics of the memory cell, with the word line WL in the selected state, when the power supply potential VCC is set to 2 V. As illustrated in FIG. 24, the decrease in power supply voltage reduces the area of the memory cell eyes B1 and B2, which might cause the two bistable points A1 and A2 to disappear. This results in latch-up, failing to stably hold the memory cell data.
FIG. 25 is a schematic block diagram of another form of the reading system circuitry of the SRAM 3000 for ameliorating the second problem. The reading system circuitry of FIG. 25 comprises a P-channel cross-coupled load 3040 in place of the constant current sources 3006a and 3006b of the arrangement shown in FIG. 20. The P-channel cross-coupled load 3040 is used as a reading load circuit for the bit lines BL and /BL.
The precharge circuit 3002 precharges the bit lines BL and /BL up to "H" (e.g., the power supply potential VCC) before the data is read from the memory cell 3004. In the memory cell 3004, the storage node N1 adjacent the access transistor Q3 connected to the bit line BL stores "H", and the storage node N2 adjacent the access transistor Q4 connected to the bit line /BL stores "L".
The precharge is completed as the word line WL is selected, and the data stored in the memory cell 3004 is outputted to the bit lines BL and /BL. "H" is transmitted from the storage node N1 to the bit line BL, and "L" is transmitted from the storage node N2 to the bit line /BL.
A transistor 3042 of the P-channel MOS cross-coupled load 3040 turns on since the potential of the bit line /BL which is low is applied to the gate of the transistor 3042. This causes the potential of the bit line BL to be pulled up to the power supply potential VCC. On the other hand, a transistor 3044 of the P-channel MOS cross-coupled load 3040 turns off, and the potential of the bit line /BL which is not pulled up remains low. As above described, the rise in the potential level of the bit line which outputs "H" up to the power supply potential VCC is advantageous in implementation of a noise-resistant SRAM. An SRAM for improving an operating margin by the above described technique is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-101676 (1993).
However, it is apparent from the above described operation that the P-channel MOS cross-coupled load transistors 3042 and 3044, similar to the P-channel MOS transistors Q5 and Q6 shown in FIG. 22, merely passively receive the amplitudes of the potentials of the bit lines BL and /BL to promote the changes in the potentials.
There is a likelihood of damages to the data held in the memory cell 3004 if the current value supplied from the cross-coupled load 3040 is excessively great relative to the current driving capability of the memory cell 3004. To avoid this, the current driving capability of the cross-coupled load transistors 3042 and 3044 must be set to a small value. However, setting the current driving capability to the small value creates a third problem in that it takes much time to charge and discharge the bit lines BL and /BL for reading data from the memory cell 3004, resulting in prolonged delay time required until the data reading is completed.

Semiconductor memory device using cross-coupled load and precharge circuit for bit line pairs


A power-subsystem-monitoring-based computing system includes a power subsystem coupled to a first computing component. A throttling engine throttles the first computing component when the power subsystem exceeds its maximum power consumption, and de-throttles the first computing component when the power subsystem no longer exceeds its maximum power consumption. The throttling engine also throttles the first computing component when the power subsystem exceeds its rated power consumption for a first time period, and de-throttles the first computing component when the power subsystem no longer exceeds its rated power consumption. The throttling engine also reduces the operating capabilities of the first computing component when throttling has been performed for more than a second time period, and increases the operating capabilities of the first computing component when the throttling has been performed for less than the second time period and the first computing component is operating below its desired operating capability.

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to processing graphics via an information handling system based on the monitoring of a power subsystem that provides power to the information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems such as, for example, desktop computing devices, laptop/notebook computing devices, and/or other computing devices known in the art, include power subsystems that provide the power that allows those computing devices to operate. For example, computing devices often utilize power adapters that couple the computing device to a power source (e.g., a wall outlet), and power adapters are "rated" based on their ability to provide particular characteristics of power (e.g., wattage, current, etc.) to computing devices. As such, computing devices must be utilized with properly rated power adapters that are configured to provide the power characteristics that the computing device needs in order to operate properly. The provisioning of power adapters with computing devices can raise a number of issues.
There are often particular computing device configurations and/or workloads that, when run on the computing device, can exceed the rating of particular power adapters. For example, higher performance graphics processing systems can cause relatively large spikes in power consumption by computing devices. Often, relatively lower rated power adapters will provide for the proper operation of a majority of the computing device configurations and/or a majority of the workloads expected to run on a computing device, while a few computing device configurations and/or workloads (e.g., graphics-intensive workloads) will exceed the rating of those relatively lower rated power adapters. Conventionally, the relatively higher rated power adapters are provided with computing devices if their computing device configurations and/or any of their possible workloads are known to exceed the rating of the relatively lower rated power adapters (e.g., a computing device that includes the high performance graphics processing system discussed above would be provided with the relatively higher rated power adapter.) The need to provide these relatively higher rated power adapters with computing devices based on their worst-case power loading conditions is undesirable, as the relatively higher rated power adapters are physically much larger than the relatively lower rated power adapters, and are associated with significant cost increases as well.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide for the ability to use relatively lower rated power adapters with computing devices that have computing device configurations and/or that may perform occasional workloads that can cause the computing device to exceed the rating of those relatively low rated power adapters.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Power-subsystem-monitoring-based graphics processing system


Anti-aliasing methods and systems may include logic to conduct a vertical blending weight determination based on horizontal pixel data associated with an image, and conduct a horizontal blending weight determination based on vertical pixel data associated with the image. Additionally, the logic may modify the image based on the vertical blending weight determination and the horizontal blending weight determination, wherein the vertical pixel data is excluded from the vertical blending weight determination, and the horizontal pixel data is excluded from the horizontal blending weight determination.

In graphics processing applications, deferred shading may involve decoupling various lighting stages of the graphics processing pipeline in order to achieve richer digital content and streamline content development. Traditional anti-aliasing techniques such as super-sample anti-aliasing (SSAA) and multi-sample anti-aliasing (MSAA), however, may not be well suited for deferred shading due to high bandwidth and computational requirements. While certain alternatives, such as morphological anti-aliasing (MLAA) and other derivative solutions may address some of these concerns, there remains considerable room for improvement, particularly with regard to energy efficiency.


A varistor 1 comprises a varistor element 10, a pair of external electrodes 30a, 30b on one main side of the varistor element 10 and a resistor 60 on the same main side, wherein the resistor 60 is formed so as to connect the pair of external electrodes 30a, 30b. The varistor element 10 contains zinc oxide as the main component and Ca oxides, Si oxides and rare earth metal oxides as accessory components, wherein the proportion X of the calcium oxides in terms of calcium atoms is 2-80 atomic percent with respect to 100 mol of the main component and the proportion Y of the silicon oxides in terms of silicon atoms is 1-40 atomic percent with respect to 100 mol of the main component, X/Y satisfying formula (1) below, and the external electrodes and resistor contain oxides other than bismuth oxide and copper oxide1≦X/Y<3  (1).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a varistor integrally comprising a resistor and a varistor element.
2. Related Background Art
Varistors are used in, for example, controlling devices, communication devices and their parts, to absorb or eliminate external surges (abnormal voltage) such as static electricity or noise, for protection against such external surges or noise.
The use of zinc oxide as a major component and rare earth elements, calcium oxide and silicon oxide as accessory components has been proposed for the constituent components of varistor elements in varistors, in order to enhance the varistor characteristics such as voltage non-linearity, as well as the discharge withstand current rating (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 3493384, for example).
Serial connection of resistors in a varistor requires separate mounting of two elements on the printed board, and thus increases the mounting space and conflicts against high-density mounting. Varistors that integrate varistor elements and resistors have been proposed as means for realizing high-density mounting (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 3097332, for example).


A device for bringing the separated truck and trailer borne elements of a goose neck hitch arrangement fully into position for completing the mating of the two elements without requiring the vehicle operator to leave the vehicle; and then for completing the mating of the elements and locking the hitch into place with the vehicle.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicles and trailers and more specifically it relates to a vehicle alignment system for properly aligning a tow vehicle to a trailer that is equipped with a "goose-neck" tongue assembly without requiring the vehicle operator to leave the vehicle until s/he exits the cab in order to mechanically lock the connection between the tow vehicle's and the trailer's hitch component sections.
2. Description of the Relevant Prior Art
There are two generally used basic types of tow-vehicle to trailer attachment units. The oldest and most commonly seen is the conventional form seen with boat trailers, and other such light duty trailers where the hitch assembly unit is located at the rear of the tow vehicle. In this arrangement, the trailer tongue ends in a downward facing socket that mates with an upward facing ball that is affixed to the tow vehicle rear bumper or to the frame immediately beneath same.
More recently, a so called "goose neck" tongue assembly was developed, and in this type of assemblage the connection between the tow vehicle and the trailer is made within the confines of the tow vehicle's bed. The main advantage of using goose-neck tongue arrangements is that they allow trucks to more readily pull heavier loads than could be towed with a rear mount ball and socket arrangement. The hitch assembly used in such arrangements is usually of the "fifth wheel" type that is commonly used for towing recreational vehicles, livestock trailers and other such large trailers, although, a ball and socket attachment can also be used.
The fifth wheel attachment system comprises a metal pin, the "kingpin", that projects downward from the tongue of the trailer and which becomes affixed within a set of metal plates that are attached atop the bed of the tow vehicle
Regardless of the type of hitch being used, the trailer and the towing vehicle must be aligned in three dimensions in order to affect coupling between them. That is, the vehicle's and the trailer's hitch elements must be carefully aligned in a vertical, lateral, and longitudinal direction before the hitch elements can actually be engaged and locked into position. In general, the closer the tow vehicle is brought to the trailer, the less visible one or both or the mating sections become to the driver of the tow vehicle and anyone who has attempted to connect a trailer to a tow vehicle has dealt with the problem of how difficult it can be to properly align the attachment mechanism of the vehicle with that of the trailer.
Two basic solutions to this problem have been developed, the driver can enlist the help of a second person who stands alongside the vehicle and guides the driver into the proper position, or, the driver can use a guidance device that s/he can use to judge the respective positions between the trailer and tow vehicle attachment members.
The obvious disadvantages to these two solutions is that another person is not always available to act as a guide; and, using a guidance device requires that the driver dismount from the tow vehicle to attach or engage the guidance device, then return into the vehicle to do the alignment step, after which s/he can get out and must remove and store the guidance mechanism before mating the hitch elements.
In the hands of an unskilled driver, the alignment operation involves much trial and error and can be very frustrating and time consuming, and even highly skilled drivers find that several attempts are commonly needed to get into the exact position necessary for connection.
Trailer hitch guides employ a wide variety of aids designed to allow the driver to align the two mating sections with fewer trial and error maneuvers. Unfortunately, these guides are commonly complex, difficult to install, or awkward to adjust, maintain, and use. Also, the guides may not transfer easily from one vehicle-trailer pair to another, and they also present the problem of storing them when they are not in use.

Abstract: An open bottomed receiver well is located in the tow vehicle bed. The trailer borne hitch section that drops into the receiver well comprises a funnel shaped member having a rod shaped probe as its lower end. The rod shaped probe, dependent from the goose neck trailer tongue is used to visually align the hitch over the receiver well as the truck is backed beneath it. The driver then exits and the probe serves to guide the hitch into the receiver well as the trailer tongue is lowered toward the truck bed following which a pair of lock pins are used to complete the hitching.


Compounds of general structural formula I such as that shown in structural formula II

This invention is concerned with compounds which are spiro-indolines of general structure:
The invention is also concerned with the use of these novel compounds to selectively antagonize the Y5 receptors and thereby inhibit obsessive food intake and the resulting obesity and complications associated therewith.
The invention is also concerned with pharmaceutical formulations comprising one of the compounds as active ingredient.
The invention is further concerned with processes for preparing the compounds of this invention.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a member of the pancreatic polypeptide family with widespread distribution throughout the mammalian nervous system. NPY and its relatives elicit a broad range of physiological effects through activation of at least six G protein-coupled receptor subtypes known as Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6. The Y5 subtype was isolated, characterized and reported recently in U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,024 (WO 96/16542).
The cited WO 96/16542 also reports the discovery of chemical compounds which bind selectively to the Y5 receptor and which act as antagonists of the Y5 receptor, several of which were shown to inhibit food intake in rats.
Now with the present invention there is provided a class of compounds characterized as spiro-indolines, which are useful in the treatment, control or prevention of diseases, disorders or conditions mediated by activation of the Y5 receptor. These compounds are, thus, useful in the treatment of obesity in man or animals and in conditions caused by or exacerbated by obesity.
The compounds of this invention are represented by the compound of structural formula I:
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein;
V, W, X and Z are independently selected from CH and N;
R1 is H, C1-3 alkyl, C1-3 alkoxy, F, or Cl;
R2 is S(O)nR6, COR6 or CHO, wherein
n is 0, 1 or2; and
R6 is N(R3)2 or C1-3 alkyl;
R3 is independently H or C1-3 alkyl;
Ar is aryl or heteroaryl;
R4 and R5 are independently selected from:
(1) hydrogen,
(2) aryl, either unsubstituted or substituted with
(a) halo
(b) C1-3 alkoxy,
(c) xe2x80x94N(C1-3 alkyl)2,
(d) C2-4 alkanoyl, or
(e) aryl,
(3) nitro,
(4) C1-5 alkyl,
(5) C1-5 alkoxy,
(6) hydroxy-C1-3 alkyl,
(7) carboxy,
(8) halo,
(9) C1-5 alkylthio,
(10) C1-5 alkoxycarbonyl,
(11) pyridylcarbonyl,
(12) benzoyl,
(13) phenyl-C1-3 alkoxy,
(14) pyridyl, either unsubstituted or substituted with C1-3 alkyl or C1-3 alkoxy,
(15) C3-6 cycloalkyl,
(16) oxazolyl,
(17) thiazolyl,
(18) triazolyl,
(19) phenoxy or
(20) C2-6 alkanoyl.
The term xe2x80x9calkylxe2x80x9d means linear and branched structures and combinations thereof, containing the indicated number of carbon atoms. Examples of alkyl groups include methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, s- and t-butyl, pentyl, hexyl and the like.
xe2x80x9cCycloalkylxe2x80x9d means a hydrocarbon having the indicated number of carbon atoms, containing one or more rings. Examples of cycloalkyl groups are cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl and the like.
xe2x80x9cHalogenxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9chaloxe2x80x9d includes F, Cl, Br, and I unless otherwise specified.
xe2x80x9cHeteroarylxe2x80x9d is a 5- or 6-membered aromatic heterocycle, or a benzo- or pyrido-fused version thereof, all having, besides carbon atoms, 1 to 3 hetero atoms selected from N, O, and S as atom(s) constituting the ring. Examples thereof include thienyl, furyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, pyrazolyl, thiazolyl, isothiazolyl, oxazolyl, isoxazolyl, pyridyl, benzothienyl, benzofuranyl, indolyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, thiadiazolyl, benzoxazolyl, benzothiazolyl, benzopyrazolyl, benzimidazolyl, pyridothiazolyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl or triazolyl.
xe2x80x9cArylxe2x80x9d is phenyl or naphthyl.
xe2x80x9cAlkoxyxe2x80x9d means linear and branched structures and combinations thereof, containing the indictaed number of carbon atoms. Examples of alkoxy groups include methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, s- and t-butoxy, pentoxy, and the like.
xe2x80x9cAlkanoylxe2x80x9d means linear and branched structures and combinations thereof, containing the indicated number of carbon atoms. Examples of alkanoyl groups include, acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, isobutyryl, valeryl, isovaleryl, pivaloyl and the like.
One embodiment of the novel compounds of this invention is that wherein Ar is phenyl of structural formula I(a)
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
A class of compounds within this embodiment is that wherein X and Z are both nitrogen, and V and W are both xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90.
A sub-class is that wherein R2 is xe2x80x94SO2(C1-3 alkyl) or xe2x80x94SO2NH2.
A sub-sub-class of the compounds of this embodiment is that wherein R4 and R5 are independently selected from: phenyl, pyridyl, benzoyl, halophenyl, phenoxy, C1-5 alkylpyridyl, benzhydryl, phenyl-C1-3 alkoxy, NO2, C2-4 alkanoyl, halo, C1-5 alkoxy, C1-3 alkoxycarbonyl, C1-5 alkylthio, triazolyl, carboxy, hydrogen, C1-5 alkyl, pyridylcarbonyl, and C1-3 alkoxyphenyl.
Typical of the compounds of this sub-sub-class are those wherein R2 and phenyl(R4)(R5) are as shown in the following TABLE I:
A second embodiment of the compounds of this invention is that wherein Ar is a 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl having, besides carbon atoms, 1 to 3 hetero atoms selected from N, O and S as atoms constituting the ring, or benzo- or pyrido-fused versions thereof, of structural formula I(b);
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
A class of compounds within this embodiment, is that wherein X and Z are both nitrogen, and V and W are both xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90.
A sub-class is that wherein R2 is xe2x80x94SO2(C1-3 alkyl) or xe2x80x94SO2N(C1-3 alkyl)2.
A sub-sub-class of compounds within this embodiment is that wherein the heteroaryl group, Ar, is selected from: thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, pyrazolyl, pyridyl, benzothiazolyl, oxazolyl, pyridothiazolyl, benzoxazolyl, quinolyl, pyrazinyl, thienyl, isoxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, benzimidazolyl, oxadiazolyl and imidazolyl.
Typical of the compounds of this sub-sub-class are those wherein R2 and Ar(R4)(R5) are as shown in TABLE II.
A third embodiment of the compounds of this invention is that wherein one of X and Z is N and the other is xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90 of structural formula 1(c):
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
A class of compounds within this embodiment is that wherein X is N, Z is xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90 and V and W are both xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90
Typical of the compounds within this class are those shown in TABLE III:
A second class of compounds within this embodiment is that wherein X is xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90, Z is N and V and W are both xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90.
Typical of the compounds within this second class are those shown in TABLE IV:
A fourth embodiment of the compounds of this invention is that wherein R2 is xe2x80x94COR6 of structural formula I(d):
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
A class of compounds within this embodiment is that wherein X and Z are both N and V and W are both xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90.
Typical of the compounds within this embodiment are those shown in TABLE V:
A fifth embodiment of the compounds of this invention is that wherein one of V or W is nitrogen (N) and the other is xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90 of formula I(e):
A class of compounds within this embodiment is that wherein R1 and R3 are H and X and Z are both nitrogen.
A sub-class of compounds within this class is that wherein R2 is xe2x80x94SO2CH3.
Typical of the compounds within this sub-class are those depicted in the following TABLE VI:
Some of the compounds described herein contain one or more asymmetric centers and may thus give rise to diastereomers and optical isomers. The present invention is meant to include such possible diastereomers as well as their racemic and resolved, enantiomerically pure forms and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
The term xe2x80x9cpharmaceutically acceptable saltsxe2x80x9d refers to salts prepared from pharmaceutically acceptable non-toxic acids or bases including inorganic and organic acids and bases.
When the compound of the present invention is acidic, salts may be prepared from inorganic bases such as aluminum, ammonium, calcium, copper, iron, lithium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, zinc, and the like. Particularly preferred are the ammonium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium salts. Salts derived from pharmaceutically acceptable organic non-toxic bases include salts of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, substituted amines including naturally occurring substituted amines, cyclic amines, and basic ion exchange resins, such as arginine, betaine, caffeine, choline, N,N-dibenzylethylenediamine, diethylamine, 2-diethylaminoethanol, 2-dimethylaminoethanol, ethanolamine, ethylenediamine, N-ethylmorpholine, N-ethylpiperidine, N-methylglucamine, glucamine, glucosamine, histidine, hydrabamine, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperidine, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyrrolidine, isopropylamine, lysine, methylglucamine, morpholine, piperazine, piperidine, polyamine resins, procaine, purines, theobromine, triethylamine, trimethylamine, tripropylamine, tromethamine, and the like.
When the compound of the present invention is basic, salts may be prepared from pharmaceutically acceptable non-toxic acids, including inorganic and organic acids. Such acids include acetic, adipic, aspartic, 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic, benzenesulfonic, benzoic, camphorsulfonic, citric, 1,2-ethanedisulfonic, ethanesulfonic, ethylenediaminetetraacetic, fumaric, glucoheptonic, gluconic, glutamic, hydriodic, hydrobromic, hydrochloric, isethionic, lactic, maleic, malic, mandelic, methanesulfonic, mucic, 2-naphthalenesulfonic, nitric, oxalic, pamoic, pantothenic, phosphoric, pivalic, propionic, salicylic, stearic, succinic, sulfuric, tartaric, p-toluenesulfonic acid, undecanoic, 10-undecenoic, and the like. Particularly preferred are citric, hydrobromic, hydrochloric, maleic, methanesulfonic, phosphoric, sulfuric and tartaric acids. It will be understood that in the materials which follows, references to the compounds of Formula I are meant to also include the pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
Another aspect of this invention are the processes used to prepare the novel compounds.
Compounds in which X and Z are both nitrogen are prepared by the general procedures outlined in Scheme I.
The Cbz spiroindoline 3 is prepared according to the method described in Tetrahedron 53, 10983-10992 (1997).. In one procedure 3 is treated with a reagent R2Cl, wherein R2 is as defined above, in the presence of a base such as a tertiary amine, including triethylamine (Et3N), diisopropylethylamine (DIEA), or pyridine, followed by removal of the carbobenzyloxy (Cbz) protecting group by hydrogenolysis with hydrogen over a noble metal catalyst at room temperature and pressure in a lower alcohol such as methanol or ethanol, or an etherial solvent such as diethyl ether of tetrahydrofuran (THF) or mixtures thereof to give 4 following the methods described in Tetrahedron 53 10983-10992, (1997) wherein the preparation of 4 is described wherein R2 is xe2x80x94SO2CH3.
Compound 4 (with R2 protected if necessary) is then treated with a phenyl carbamate of structure PHOCONHxe2x80x94Ar(R4)(R5) in the presence of a tertiary amine in an organic solvent such as a haloalkane such as chloroform, methylene chloride, ethylene dichloride or the like at reflux temperature or in the presence of NaOH in H2O/DMSO, until the reaction is complete, usually in about xc2xd to about 3 hours followed by deprotection of the R2 group if necessary, to provide the Compound I(R3xe2x95x90H).
In the above procedures, the phenyl carbamates are prepared by reaction of the corresponding amines of structure NH2xe2x80x94Ar(R4)(R5) which are commercially available or readily synthesized, with phenyl chloroformate in pyridine at room temperature as described in Example I below.
Alternatively, Compound I is prepared by treatment of 4 with an isocyanate of structure OCNxe2x80x94Ar(R4)(R5) in a chlorinated alkane at reflux temperature until the reaction is complete in about 4 to about 12 hours.
Compound I can also be prepared by conducting the above procedures in the reverse order. The indoline nitrogen of 3 is protected with Boc by treatment with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate in the presence of a base, such as, NaOH or triethyl amine, in an inert solvent such as aqueous dioxane or methanol and the Cbz group is hydrogenolyzed with hydrogen and a noble metal catalyst to give 5. Treatment of 5 with either the phenyl carbamate or isocyanate described earlier provides 6 which upon deprotecting with a strong acid such as hydrochloric or trifluoroacetic acid in an inert solvent such as ethyl acetate or methylene chloride and treatment with R2Cl in the presence of a tertiary amine as described above provides Compound I( R3xe2x95x90H).
Compounds of this invention are antagonists of the Y5 receptor and as such are useful for the prevention and treatment of disorders or diseases associated with the Y5 receptor sub-type, preferably for the treatment of feeding disorders such as obesity, anorexia nervosa and bullimia nervosa, and other abnormal conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipemia, hypercholesterolemia, congestive heart failure, renal dysfunction, sexual/reproductive disorders, depression, anxiety, shock, epileptic seizure, memory loss, sleep disturbance, pain, migraine, cerebral hemorrhage, nasal congestion, gastrointestinal disorders, arthritis and immunodeficiency syndrome.
The Y5 antagonists of this invention may also be used in combination with other anti-obesity agents for increased efficacy in the prevention and treatment of obesity Such agents would include, but not be limited to: sibutramine; dexenfluramine; leptin; growth hormone secretagogues such as those disclosed and specifically described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,716; melanocortin agonists such as Melanotan II; Beta-3 agonists such as those disclosed and specifically described in patent publications WO94/18161, WO95/29159, WO97/46556, WO98/04526 and WO98/32753; 5HT-2 agonists; orexin antagonists; melanin concentrating hormone antagonists; galanin antagonists; CCK agonists; GLP-1 agonists; corticotropin-releasing hormone agonists; and Y1 antagonists.
The method of treatment of this invention comprises a method of antagonizing the Y5 receptor and treating Y5 receptor mediated diseases by administering to a patient in need of such treatment a non-toxic therapeutically effective amount of a compound of this invention that selectively antagonizes the Y5 receptor in preference to the other NPY receptors.
Dosage levels of the order of from about 0.01 mg to about 140 mg/kg of body weight per day are useful in the treatment of the above-indicated conditions, or alternatively about 0.5 mg to about 7 g per patient per day. For example, obesity may be effectively prevented or treated by the administration of from about 0.01 to 50 mg of the compound per kilogram of body weight per day, or alternatively about 0.5 mg to about 3.5 g per patient per day.
For the treatment of any of these Y5 receptor mediated diseases, compounds of the invention may be administered orally, topically, parenterally, by inhalation spray or rectally in dosage unit formulations containing conventional non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, adjuvants and vehicles. The term parenteral as used herein includes subcutaneous injections, intravenous, intramuscular, intrasternal injection or infusion techniques.
The novel pharmaceutical compositions of this invention containing the active ingredient may be in a form suitable for oral use, for example, as tablets, troches, lozenges, aqueous or oily suspensions, dispersible powders or granules, emulsions, hard or soft capsules, or syrups or elixirs. Compositions intended for oral use may be prepared according to any method known to the art for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and such compositions may contain one or more agents selected from the group consisting of sweetening agents, flavoring agents, coloring agents and preserving agents in order to provide pharmaceutically elegant and palatable preparations. Tablets contain the active ingredient in admixture with non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable excipients which are suitable for the manufacture of tablets. These excipients may be for example, inert diluents, such as calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, lactose, calcium phosphate or sodium phosphate; granulating and disintegrating agents, for example, corn starch, or alginic acid; binding agents, for example starch, gelatin or acacia, and lubricating agents, for example, magnesium stearate, stearic acid or talc. The tablets may be uncoated or they may be coated by known techniques to delay disintegration and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and thereby provide a sustained action over a longer period. For example, a time delay material such as glyceryl monostearate or glyceryl distearate may be employed. They may also be coated by the technique described in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,256,108; 4,166,452; and 4,265,874 to form osmotic therapeutic tablets for controlled release.
Formulations for oral use may also be presented as hard gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with an inert solid diluent, for example, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate or kaolin, or as soft gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredients is mixed with water or miscible solvents such as propylene glycol, PEGs and ethanol, or an oil medium, for example peanut oil, liquid paraffin, or olive oil.
Aqueous suspensions contain the active material in admixture with excipients suitable for the manufacture of aqueous suspensions. Such excipients are suspending agents, for example sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxy-propylmethycellulose, sodium alginate, polyvinyl-pyrrolidone, gum tragacanth and gum acacia; dispersing or wetting agents may be a naturally-occurring phosphatide, for example lecithin, or condensation products of an alkylene oxide with fatty acids, for example polyoxyethylene stearate, or condensation products of ethylene oxide with long chain aliphatic alcohols, for example heptadecaethyleneoxycetanol, or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and a hexitol such as polyoxyethylene sorbitol monooleate, or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol anhydrides, for example polyethylene sorbitan monooleate. The aqueous suspensions may also contain one or more preservatives, for example ethyl, or n-propyl, p-hydroxybenzoate, one or more colouring agents, one or more flavouring agents, and one or more sweetening agents, such as sucrose, saccharin or aspartame.
Oily suspensions may be formulated by suspending the active ingredient in a vegetable oil, for example arachis oil, olive oil, sesame oil or coconut oil, or in mineral oil such as liquid paraffin. The oily suspensions may contain a thickening agent, for example beeswax, hard paraffin or cetyl alcohol. Sweetening agents such as those set forth above, and flavouring agents may be added to provide a palatable oral preparation. These compositions may be preserved by the addition of an anti-oxidant such as ascorbic acid.
Dispersible powders and granules suitable for preparation of an aqueous suspension by the addition of water provide the active ingredient in admixture with a dispersing or wetting agent, suspending agent and one or more preservatives. Suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents are exemplified by those already mentioned above. Additional excipients, for example sweetening, flavouring and colouring agents, may also be present.
The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may also be in the form of an oil-in-water emulsions. The oily phase may be a vegetable oil, for example olive oil or arachis oil, or a mineral oil, for example liquid paraffin or mixtures of these. Suitable emulsifying agents may be naturally-occurring phosphatides, for example soy bean, lecithin, and esters or partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol anhydrides, for example sorbitan monooleate, and condensation products of the said partial esters with ethylene oxide, for example polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate. The emulsions may also contain sweetening and flavouring agents.
Syrups and elixirs may be formulated with sweetening agents, for example glycerol, propylene glycol, sorbitol or sucrose. Such formulations may also contain a demulcent, a preservative and flavouring and colouring agents. The pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterile injectable aqueous or oleagenous suspension. This suspension may be formulated according to the known art using those suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents which have been mentioned above. The sterile injectable preparation may also be a sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non-toxic parenterally-acceptable diluent or solvent, for example as a solution in 1,3-butane diol. Among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water, Ringer""s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution. Cosolvents such as ethanol, propylene glycol or polyethylene glycols may also be used. In addition, sterile, fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium. For this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono- or diglycerides. In addition, fatty acids such as oleic acid find use in the preparation of injectables.
Compounds of the invention may also be administered in the form of a suppository for rectal administration of the drug. These compositions can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable nonirritating excipient which is solid at ordinary temperatures but liquid at the rectal temperature and will therefore melt in the rectum to release the drug. Such materials are cocoa butter and polyethylene glycols.
For topical use, creams, ointments, gels, solutions or suspensions, etc., containing the compound of Formula I are employed. (For purposes of this application, topical application shall include mouth washes and gargles.) Topical formulations may generally be comprised of a pharmaceutical carrier, cosolvent, emulsifier, penetration enhancer, preservative system, and emollient.
The amount of active ingredient that may be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form will vary depending upon the host treated and the particular mode of administration. For example, a formulation intended for the oral administration of humans may contain from 0.5 mg to 5 g of active agent compounded with an appropriate and convenient amount of carrier material which may vary from about 5 to about 95 percent of the total composition. Dosage unit forms will generally contain between from about 1 mg to about 500 mg of an active ingredient, typically 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, 300 mg, 400 mg, 500 mg, 600 mg, 800 mg, or 1000 mg.
It will be understood, however, that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the age, body weight, general health, sex, diet, time of administration, route of administration, rate of excretion, drug combination and the severity of the particular disease undergoing therapy.
The following Examples describe the laboratory synthesis of specific compounds of the invention and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention in any way with respect to compounds or processes. It is understood that, although specific reagents, solvents, temperatures and time periods are used, there are many possible equivalent alternatives that can be used to produce similar results. This invention is meant to include such equivalents.
Abbreviations used herein have the following meanings:

Abstract: are selective NPY Y5 receptor antagonists, useful in the treatment of obesity and the complications associated therewith.


A single piston internal combustion engine is described that produces two power impulses per revolution of the crankshaft, precise mechanical balance, zero side thrust upon the piston, and purified exhaust gas. The lubrication oil is isolated from contamination by blowby and fuel dilution. Total engine cooling is obtained from the lubrication oil. The engine is free from shock loads as it is cushioned by continuously compressing gas in preparation for the next combustion event. The engine is uniflow-scavenged utilizing piston pumps whose fresh air intake is controlled by rotary valves. The piston pumps possess compact aftercoolers used in combination with supercharging. The exhaust header assists in silencing the engine and removes fluctuations in exhaust pressure. A computer-aided specialized mechanical balance methodology is disclosed that obtains counterbalance weights to optimally reduce engine shaking forces. The engine is suitable for operating on alternative fuels such as liquified natural gas, and alcohol.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in two-stroke cycle internal combustion engines suitable for automotive, marine, and stationary power.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Two-stroke cycle spark-ignition engines have long found commercial success in applications other than heavy automobile propulsion. They were previously employed in very light economy cars, motorcycles, and small service vehicles. The two-stroke engine was used as an automobile power plant in Europe but was abandoned by Saab and Auto Union by the late 1960's. The Japanese continued using the two-stroke until the end of the 1970's. The two-stroke is currently used in eastern Germany for economy cars.
The automotive two-stroke engines disappeared because they did not fulfill emission control standards. Additionally, the prior art designs consumed more fuel and ran rougher than their four-stroke counterparts. The two-stroke produced dirty exhaust partly because of the necessity of mixing large amounts of oil with the fuel to obtain crank lubrication.
The limited application of the two-stroke isolated it from heavy development, as well as most of the advances in the combustion arts, for the past two decades.
Intense interest in the two-stroke for automotive application is on the rise. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, and Japan are involved in two-stroke projects. It is reported that Chrysler will have a high-performance two-stroke V-6 passenger car in production by 1997. General Motors is investing in an engine design proposed by Orbital Engine Co. of Australia.
Some analysts and engineers predict that if industrial and scientific might is intelligently focused on the two-stroke it will signal the beginning of a new era in automotive propulsion.
The potential benefits of two-stroke engines are its simplicity, light weight, and a power stroke in each cylinder during each revolution of the crankshaft.
The relatively small size of the two-stroke engine can produce low hood lines in road automobiles, which have an aerodynamic as well as aesthetic value.
The two-stroke offers the potential of large power outputs per unit of engine displacement. It is well known by motorcycle engineers that racing two-strokes have exceeded specific outputs of 400 horsepower per liter. Also, marine outboard motors of high power to weight ratios are commercially available as stock items.
Very well designed prior art two-stroke spark ignition engines attained 90 percent of the gasoline mileage of well designed four-stroke counterparts. A portion of the poorer gasoline mileage and dirty exhaust is due to the exhaust port remaining open during the scavenging process, thereby allowing leakage of fresh mixture out the exhaust system. Another portion of the poor mileage and dirty exhaust is due to spurious misfires or pre-ignition at light loads, which is poorly understood because of limited investigation.
With the development of computer controlled engine management and direct fuel injection, the dirty exhaust, rough running, and mileage limitations of the prior art two-stroke designs can be removed, because the air to fuel ratio and spark timing can be monitored and controlled in realtime, throughout the engine's speed range, in harmony with its instantaneous load.


The display device includes: a wiring substrate 31 having wiring lines and switching elements thereon; a counter substrate 33 held so as to oppose the wiring substrate 31; a display medium layer 35 provided between the wiring substrate 31 and the counter substrate 33; and a sealing section 37 surrounding the display medium layer 35, the sealing section 37 being formed of a sealing material which contains a photocurable resin. The display device has a display region 40 in which a plurality of pixels are included. The sealing material contains light-scattering particles for scattering light which cures the photocurable resin. The counter substrate 33 has a light shielding layer 39 thereon, the light shielding layer 39 surrounding the display region 40. The sealing section 37 is formed within a region shaded by the light shielding layer 39. Deterioration of reliability due to curing failures of the sealing material is suppressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a display device that is formed by using a sealing material which contains a photocurable resin.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a liquid crystal display device, a sealing material is used to enclose liquid crystal between a pair of substrates. As an adhesive agent which is contained in the sealing material, thermosetting resins (e.g., epoxy resin) have conventionally been used mainly. In the recent years, however, UV curable resins are also widely used in the place of thermosetting resins. Since a UV curable resin has a curing temperature which is lower than the curing temperature of a thermosetting resin, use of a sealing material which contains a UV curable resin (UV curable type sealing material) provides an advantage of reducing the thermal strain which may occur in the substrates during the curing process.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating a commonly-used construction of an active matrix type liquid crystal display device which is constructed by using a UV curable type sealing material. FIG. 1A is a plan view; and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ib-Ib′ in FIG. 1A.
A liquid crystal display device 100 includes: a TFT substrate 1 on which switching elements (e.g., thin film transistors (TFTs)) and wiring lines are provided; a counter substrate 3 which opposes the TFT substrate 1; a liquid crystal layer 5 which is provided between the TFT substrate 1 and the counter substrate 3; and a sealing section 7 which surrounds the liquid crystal layer 5.
The liquid crystal display device 100 has a display region 10 in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed. In the display region 10 of the TFT substrate 1, not only TFTs but other necessary circuit elements are also formed, e.g., a plurality of pixel electrodes and gate bus lines and source bus lines (not shown). In the display region 10 of the counter substrate 3, color filters which are arrayed correspondingly to the pixels, a counter electrode (not shown), and the like are formed. In a display device of such a construction, a desired signal charge(s) is given to a selected pixel electrode(s), whereby the directions of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 5 (which is interposed between the pixel electrodes and the counter electrode) are controlled, thus performing display. On the other hand, the sealing section 7 is formed in a region (referred to as a "non-display region") 20 outside the display region 10. The non-display region 20 includes the following features: an inlet section 8 through which a liquid crystal material is injected into the region surrounded by the sealing section 7; and a closing section 9 which closes the inlet section. Thus, the sealing section 7, the inlet section 8, and the closing section 9 together serve to enclose the liquid crystal material between the TFT substrate 1 and the counter substrate 3. Furthermore, in the non-display region 20 of the counter substrate 3, a light shielding layer (not shown) for preventing unnecessary light from entering the display region 10 is provided. Peripheral circuitry such as driving circuits may also be formed in the non-display region 20 of the TFT substrate 1.
In the liquid crystal display device 100 shown in FIG. 1, the sealing section 7 is generally formed by the following method. First, on either one of the TFT substrate 1 or the counter substrate 3, a predetermined pattern (seal pattern) is formed by using a UV curable type sealing material. Next, the TFT substrate 1 and the counter substrate 3 are attached to each other. Thereafter, the sealing material is irradiated with ultraviolet which cures the sealing material, whereby the sealing section 7 is obtained.
However, in the above method, ultraviolet irradiation is performed after the TFT substrate 1 and the counter substrate 3 are attached together. Therefore, during the irradiation, the seal pattern may be partially shaded by the wiring lines on the TFT substrate 1 and/or the light shielding layer on the counter substrate 3, and so on. This makes it difficult to allow the entire seal pattern to be uniformly irradiated with ultraviolet, thus resulting in a problem in that a portion of the sealing material may be left uncured (curing failure), which leads to a poorer reliability.
To be more specific, if UV irradiation is performed through the counter substrate 3, portions of the seal pattern which overlap the light shielding layer on the counter substrate 3 are not sufficiently exposed, so that the sealing material may not be sufficiently cured. If UV irradiation is performed through the TFT substrate 1, portions of the seal pattern which overlap the wiring lines that are formed on the TFT substrate 1 are not sufficiently exposed, so that some portions of the sealing material may be left uncured. Furthermore, in the case where spacers (gap material) are contained in the sealing material, regardless of the direction of ultraviolet irradiation, it is difficult to ensure sufficient exposure of the portions of the seal pattern which are shaded by the gap material (which has a relatively large particle size). Thus, if a portion of the sealing material remains uncured, the uncured component of the UV curable resin may elude into the liquid crystal material to cause display defects (blackish stains) which are called "blotting", and ionic components (among others) may blot into the liquid crystal material to cause lowering of the voltage retention rate of the liquid crystal display panel and orientation defects, thus causing "flicker" in the display. Furthermore, the uncured portions in the sealing section 7 may lower the adhesive strength of the sealing section 7, thus allowing voids and/or liquid crystal leakage to occur.
On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-352717 discloses a structure which includes a UV-reflective layer for reflecting ultraviolet, the UV-reflective layer being provided near the seal pattern on a substrate that opposes the substrate through which ultraviolet rays enter (e.g., the TFT substrate in the case where ultraviolet rays enter through the counter substrate). As a result, ultraviolet is allowed to be uniformly incident on the entire sealing material that constitutes the seal pattern, whereby curing failure can be reduced.
In accordance with the structure disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-352717, supra, the UV curing process for the sealing material can be performed more uniformly and efficiently than conventionally. However, this structure requires a greatly increased number of production steps because of the addition of film formation and patterning steps which are necessary for forming the UV-reflective layer.
Note that, in the case where UV irradiation is to be performed through the counter substrate in the structure disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-352717, the seal pattern is formed outside of the light shielding layer, i.e., so as not to overlap the light shielding layer. Therefore, although the sealing material can be efficiently cured because the entire seal pattern is unshaded by the light shielding layer, the size of the non-display region (frame region) may increase such that the entire display panel becomes large. Moreover, since the sealing section is not shaded by the light shielding layer, the display quality may be deteriorated due to leakage of light.


Prioritizing delivery of different portions of images is disclosed, including: receiving a request for an image file; identifying a cluster of characterized images in an N-dimensional space to which the image file belongs; assigning a split point to the image file that is associated with the identified cluster of characterized images; and prioritizing a delivery of a first portion and a second portion of the image file based at least in part on the assigned split point.

In at least some conventional systems, an image to be rendered is completely downloaded before the resources (e.g., client-server connection) used to download/render the image can be used to download/render another image. However, especially when there are several images to be downloaded and fewer available resources than are needed to concurrently download every image to completion, the end-user desiring to view the images may suffer a lower quality user experience by virtue of having to wait a potentially long time to view all the images.

Prioritization of the delivery of different portions of an image file


A protection device for an ink cartridge storage unit having an ink inducing member and a cover member is provided with a main body having an front face and a rear face, a sealing member connected to the front face, and a guiding protrusion arranged at the rear face. The cover member includes a pair of projections arranged at a location that corresponds to the guiding protrusion of the protection device. The width of the guiding protrusion is equal to or smaller than the width between the pair of projections, and the guiding protrusion is guided in between the pair of projections in the course of rotating the cover member to its closed state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protection device for a storage unit (a refill unit) of ink cartridges utilized in an ink jet printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink jet printer known in general has a housing in which a print head, one or more ink tanks (ink cartridges), and a carriage is installed. The print head includes a nozzle for discharging ink, and is arranged on the carriage. The carriage is able to move in the perpendicular direction with respect to a printing medium (a sheet of printing paper, for example); that is, the carriage is able to move in the main scanning direction. The print head is connected to the ink tank, and discharges the ink provided therefrom via the nozzle. The printing medium is conveyed through the housing of the ink jet printer, and the ink discharged from the nozzle is printed thereon.
The ink jet printers can be roughly categorized into two types: an on-carriage type, and an off-carriage type. Such categorization can be made based on the arrangement of the ink cartridge. The on-carriage type and the off-carriage type both include a storage unit, or a storage case for detachably storing the ink cartridge. The on-carriage type has the storage unit arranged on the movable carriage. With this type of carriage, the ink is provided directly from the storage unit to the print head. On the other hand, the off-carriage type has the storage unit arranged inside the housing, but not on the movable carriage. The ink cartridge stored in the storage unit is connected to the print head by a relaying member; for example, an ink tube. The ink is provided from the remote storage unit to the print head that is supported on the carriage via the ink tube.
With either of the types of ink jet printers as described above, the ink cartridge must be replaced with a new one, or be refilled, when the volume of remaining ink becomes insufficient.
With the typical types of ink jet printers as described above, the storage unit has an ink inducing member that provides ink to the print head. Correspondingly, the ink cartridge has a connecting portion, such as an ink providing valve. To provide the ink to the print head from the ink cartridge, the ink inducing member of the storage unit is connected to the connecting portion of the ink cartridge. In a case where the ink inducing member is in the shape of a narrow needle or tube, the ink inducing member is easily bent or broken in the course of installing and removing the ink cartridge to and from the storage unit. Thus, a guiding portion, for example, a plurality of guiding ribs or a guiding tube section are formed on the periphery of the ink inducing member, while an insert tube corresponding to the aforementioned guiding ribs or the guiding tube section is formed on the connecting portion of the ink cartridge, to insert therein.
Ink jet printers of both the on-carriage type and the off-carriage type undergo a print test before shipment. The print test is performed to confirm that the printing mechanism is functioning. In such a test, one or more ink cartridge is installed in the storage unit, and after the print test, the ink cartridge is removed from the storage unit before shipment. The ink inside the print head can be left or removed prior to shipment. In the case where the ink is removed from the print head, the print head is refilled with a preservative liquid which has the same characteristic as the ink without pigments or dyestuffs. Then, a protection device, such as a protection cap or a dummy cartridge (that is, a cartridge with no ink inside), is installed in the case to cover the ink inducing member. The protection device prevents the leakage of the ink or the preservative liquid (the term "liquid" will be used as the general term for both the ink and the preservative liquid in the description below). The surface of the print head on which the nozzle is arranged is also covered with a nozzle cap to prevent the leakage of the liquid, and for the protection of the nozzle. Such a technique is taught in the Japanese Patent Application Publications No. 2002-79690, No. 2004-230857, No. 2005-238857, No. 2003-54000, and No. 11-157094.
In the aforementioned techniques, a rubber cork or a rubber cap is arranged on the protection device. The ink inducing member and the rubber cork (see FIG. 3 of the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-79690) or a cap (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-238857 and No. 2003-54000) of the protection device are connected and sealed so as to prevent the leakage therefrom.
Furthermore, in the aforementioned techniques, fastening members such as levers, hooks, or the like are utilized to fasten the installed protection device inside the storage unit. For example, in the technique taught in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-54000, a weight lever (that is, the fastening member) arranged on the storage unit fastens and holds the protection member pressed against the ink inducing member. Such configuration improves the sealing of the ink inducing member, and as the result, the leakage therefrom is prevented.
In the technique taught in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-157094, the fastening member includes a handle rotatably connected to the storage unit in the vicinity of the opening of the storage unit by a shaft, a link plate whose end is connected to the handle and arranged along the bottom surface inside the storage unit, and a link lever connected to the opposite end of the link plate. In the teaching of the above-mentioned technique, the handle has two side plates and an attaching surface formed therebetween. In the course of inserting the protection device, it can be set on the link plate. By rotating the handle towards the protection device, the attaching surface makes contact with the rear side surface of the protection device, enabling it to push the protection device into the storage unit.
However, according to the above-mentioned teaching, a large number of components are required for constructing such configuration. Furthermore, with such configuration, when the ink cartridge is installed inside the storage unit, the fastening member is arranged below the bottom surface of the storage case. Hence, such space for the fastening member must be reserved, which causes the storage unit to occupy much more space.
Furthermore, in the teachings of the aforementioned techniques, the protection device is not guided in the course of inserting it into the storage unit. Though the position in a horizontal direction (the direction of insertion) to the ink inducing member can be maintained by the fastening members of the aforementioned techniques, the position of the protection member in the direction orthogonal to the direction of insertion (for example, the left and right direction, or the up and down direction with respect to the direction of the insertion) must be determined manually.
Hence, if the protection device is inserted into the storage unit in an inappropriate position or angle, the sealing of the ink inducing member becomes insufficient. As a result, liquid leakage and/or damages on the ink inducing member due to such inappropriate position may occur. For example, following impact from vibrations due to transportation, the seal between the protection device and ink inducing member may be loosened, resulting in ink leakage. Moreover, in such condition, the inappropriate position of the protection device may cause the ink inducing member to be bent or broken. A measure to prevent such undesirable conditions has been sought for.

Protection device for an ink cartridge storage unit


An exercise machine for providing a low impact workout that targets the core muscles. The exercise machine generally includes a lower frame adapted to rest upon a floor surface, an upper frame movably connected to the lower frame and movable between an upright in-use position and a folded compact position, an arced track supported in an inclined orientation by the upper frame, a pair of sway bars each pivotally connected adjacent an upper end of the upper frame, wherein the pair of sway bars are adapted for swinging movement along a length of the track and wherein the pair of sway bars move in unison, and a pair of knee retainers each movably connected to a respective sway bar, wherein the pair of knee retainers slidably and rotatably move independently of each other. Other components, such as handlebars, foot bars, seats, and elbow retainers are also utilized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for exercising and more specifically it relates to an exercise machine for efficiently providing a low impact workout that targets the core of the exerciser.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Different types of exercise machines have been in use for years and are generally adapted to target one more muscle groups of the body. One particular area that is often focused upon by exercisers is the core area of the body by performing a cardiovascular workout. Such machines that provide cardiovascular workouts for the core area of the body often involve high impact which can be difficult and/or painful for many individuals. Other difficulties in prior art exercise devices include lack of muscle movement as well as various other shortcomings. Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved exercise machine for efficiently providing a low impact workout that targets the core of the exerciser.