In a mechanical pencil, the dispersion range of the diameter of a lead is allowable to a certain extent, but if by chance a lead having the maximum diameter is used the lead may not be delivered. This is because there is exceeded the allowable range of the elastic deformation of an elastic thin film, namely, a lead holding member. The mechanical pencil includes the lead holding member disposed in the neighborhood of the tip of a shaft tube, in which the exterior shape of the lead holding member is formed to be slightly smaller than the interior shape of the shaft tube in which the lead holding member is disposed, and an inner step portion for preventing the dropping of the lead holding member from the shaft tube is disposed in the front portion of the lead holding member.

Description will be made on Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-32959 as an example of an above described type of mechanical pencil. In this publication gazette, claim 1 is found to describe that "a lead protection device comprising a lead passage tube and a lead holding part both disposed, freely slidably or nonslidably, in the tip of the main body of a mechanical pencil for thin leads, characterized in that the lead protection part is formed by laminating an elastic thin film made of rubber and the like, as integrally molded one piece, on the interior surface of the lead passage tube." In other words, the integral formation of the elastic thin film on the interior surface of the lead passage tube makes it possible to effectively use even shortened leads.
In this connection, JIS, the Japanese Industrial Standard, specifies the maximum and minimum diameters of the lead, namely, the dispersion range of the lead diameter; for example, a lead of a nominal diameter of 0.5 (mm) is specified to fall within a diameter range from 0.58 mm (maximum diameter) to 0.55 mm (minimum diameter). Accordingly, the inside diameter of the above described lead holding member is designed in conformity with the specified smallest diameter of the leads used to allow a lead having the minimum diameter specified to be held. More specifically, when a lead is delivered, the lead is delivered while the lead is always pressed to expand the lead holding member and is thereby made to advance.
In the above described prior art, the lead holding part sticks fast to the lead passage tube to form one integrally molded piece; accordingly although a certain dispersion range of the lead diameter is allowable, sometimes the leads are not delivered when the maximum diameter leads are used, indicating that the allowable range of the elastic deformation of the elastic thin film, namely, the lead holding member is exceeded.


A personal watercraft storage system for use in a boat includes a winch support stand which cooperates with one or more roller brackets for drawing the personal watercraft onto or off of a support surface. Preferably, brackets are mounted on the port and starboard edges of the swim platform and the winch support stand can be quickly and easily positioned on either of the brackets depending upon the desired position of the personal watercraft. A winch provided on the support stand provides the mechanical advantage needed to move the personal watercraft.

1.Field of the Invention
This invention relates to boats and, more particularly, to a system for quickly and easily storing a personal watercraft on the swim platform thereof.
2 Description of the Related Art
Boats have long incorporated swim platforms mounted to the stern of the boat hull, and in view of the dramatic increase in the popularity of personal watercraft, the swim platform is now often being used as a storage site for one or more personal watercraft. Generally, most swim platforms are positioned at or above the water line, and therefore, storing a personal watercraft on the swim platform requires some means for lifting or dragging the personal watercraft up onto the platform. One known means for raising and lowering personal watercraft is a davit arm pivotally mounted to the swim platform or the boat. Typically, the davit is adapted to swing out, over at least a portion of the personal watercraft, and through means such as a winch and cable, raise at least a portion of the personal watercraft for receipt onto the swim platform.
An alternative to the conventional davit arm is a sub-platform or framework which is raised or lowered by motive means such as hydraulics or an electric motor. In this case, the sub-platform would extend outwardly beyond the swim platform and be adapted to be lowered into the water for slideably receiving at least a portion of the personal watercraft. Once the personal watercraft was received on the sub-platform, then the sub-platform and personal watercraft could be raised out of the water.
Still another alternative to the mechanical means for positioning a personal watercraft on the swim platform described above is the use of brute force to drag the personal watercraft onto the swim platform. In view of the fact that most personal watercraft weigh in excess of 500 pounds, the drawbacks of this option are obvious.
The known mechanical systems for positioning a personal watercraft on a swim platform suffer from several problems. First, each of the known systems is fairly large and oftentimes permanently installed in or on the boat. Therefore, these articles could limit the use of the boat during periods in which the mechanisms are not in use. In addition, these known mechanical means require tapping into the boat's electrical and perhaps hydraulic systems. This results in added cost and weight for the boat and further complicates these operating systems.
The personal watercraft storage system according to the invention overcomes the problems of the prior art by creating a very simple and efficient mechanical means for drawing a personal watercraft onto the swim platform without requiring the inclusion of expensive electrical or hydraulic mechanisms. In addition, the bulk of the structure can be quickly and easily stored when not in use.

Boat having a personal watercraft storage system


In a pneumatic tire, a belt layer includes an inner-side cross belt and outer-side cross belt having belt angles of not less than 46° and not more than 80° as absolute values with respect to a tire circumferential direction, the belt angles having mutually opposite signs, a circumferential reinforcing layer having a belt angle satisfying a range of ±5° with respect to the tire circumferential direction, and disposed between the inner-side cross belt and outer-side cross belt, and a supplemental belt having a belt angle of not less than 10° and not more than 45° as an absolute value with respect to the tire circumferential direction, and disposed on the outer side in a tire radial direction of the outer-side cross belt. Additionally, the supplemental belt and the outer-side cross belt have belt angles of mutually opposite signs.

Low profile heavy duty tires mounted on trucks and buses and the like demonstrate suppression of tire radial growth in the center region and demonstrate uniformity of contact pressure distribution in the tire width direction due to the disposition of a circumferential reinforcing layer in the belt layer. Conventional pneumatic tires using such a configuration are disclosed in Japanese Patent Nos. 4642760B, 4663638B and 4663639B, as well as Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009-1092A, 2006-111217A, and 2006-183211A.
However, there is a problem in that tire uneven wear resistance performance of the pneumatic tires needs to be improved.


A camper system and method for extending the length of a boat cover. The camper system includes a link assembly that pivotally mounts to the hull of the boat and extends upward to support a boat camper. A first link is mounted to the boat hull aft of the link assembly. The first link extends away from the boat hull and couples to the link assembly. A second link also extending aft is pivotally coupled to the link assembly to support a camper extension connected to the camper. A strut is pivotally coupled between the second link and the first link to hold the second link in position. The second link slides along the first link to collapse the camper extension.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a camper system for use on a boat and a method for using the same. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for extending existing boat covers that easily opens and closes.
Many boats have a camper top to protect boaters from in the boat from sun and the rain. Standard camper configurations cover the cockpit to provide protection for the boat driver. These campers can also extend from the bow of the boat to the stern of the boat to cover the boat's deck to protect the boat's other occupants as well. Many of these campers fold up when the operator desires to experience open air or wants to sunbathe. Some examples of these boat campers and canopies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,513,764, U.S. Pat. No. 2,8I7,345, U.S. Pat. No. 2,823,684, U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,296, U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,259 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,672.
However, a problem with many of the aforementioned campers is that they require ties or struts that extend off the rear of the camper to hold the camper in place as the boat moves. These ties or struts may cause an obstruction when fishing off of the deck. Further, it is desirable to partially remove the portion of the camper that protects the deck while maintaining protection from the sun in the cockpit. One problem with many of the prior campers is that they must be folded up completely and do not allow for partial covering.


An injection device is operable to force a treatment fluid into a refrigerant circuit having an R-134a service fitting thereon and includes a tubular container in which the treatment fluid is disposed. The container has an outlet structure with a body section adapted to sealingly receive and open the service fitting, and a rotatable nut portion operative to deform the body section and releasably lock it onto the service fitting. A hollow plunger member is threaded into the container and may be (1) threadingly advanced into the container to force the treatment fluid outwardly therefrom into the refrigerant circuit, or (2) serve as a conduit through which a pressurized driving fluid may be forced into the container to drive the treatment fluid into the refrigerant circuit. Inlet and outlet check valve structures are incorporated into the device to prevent undesirable fluid backflow therethrough. The inlet check valve structure includes an annular elastomeric sleeve member that has a flat cross-sectional shape around its periphery, circumscribes a tubular outlet portion of the plunger member, and functions to block side wall outlet openings therein in a manner preventing fluid backflow therethrough, while at the same time being fluid pressure-expandable in a radial direction to permit fluid flow through the outlet openings in the desired operative direction.

The present invention generally relates to apparatus for flowing fluids into enclosed spaces and, in a preferred embodiment thereof, more particularly relates to apparatus for flowing refrigerant fluid, such as a treatment oil, into an air conditioning system.
An embodiment of the invention illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,917 to Ferris et al utilizes a source of pressurized refrigerant fluid to force a quantity of refrigerant treatment liquid, representatively a leak-inhibiting liquid, into an air conditioning refrigerant circuit from a tubular container in which the treatment liquid is sealingly stored. This apparatus was designed for use with refrigerant circuits which utilized R-12 refrigerant and had screw-threaded inlet and outlet connection fittings connected to hollow inlet and outlet members extending into opposite ends of the hollow, liquid-containing body portion of the apparatus.
Each of the inlet and outlet members had associated therewith a check valve structure serving to prevent undesirable treatment liquid backflow through the apparatus body portion from its outlet to its outlet. The check valve structure at each of the inlet and outlet members comprised an annular sidewall groove formed in the member, a pair of openings extending laterally through the groove into the hollow interior of the member, and an elastomeric O-ring member received in the annular groove and normally covering the lateral openings therein.
In a subsequently marketed version of this refrigerant liquid injection apparatus, the inlet member was reconfigured and modified in a manner permitting it to be threadingly advanced through the interior of the apparatus body in a manner permitting the user to mechanically force the treatment fluid out of the body as an alternative to using pressurized fluid flowed through the inlet member to force the treatment liquid outwardly from the body into the refrigerant circuit.
More recently manufactured refrigerant circuits are filled with R-134a refrigerant (which has replaced the previously utilized R-12 refrigerant) and have standardized R-134a service fittings with non-externally threaded configurations. Due to these changes in the service fitting configuration and the type of refrigerant used in modern R-134a air conditioning refrigerant circuits, the refrigerant treatment liquid injection apparatus shown in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,917 (or as later modified as described above) cannot be conveniently utilized in conjunction with an R134a refrigerant circuit. Additionally, the previously described check valve structures have proven to provide certain manufacturing difficulties.
From the foregoing it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a refrigerant fluid injection apparatus, of the general type described above, in which the apparatus was suitable for use with an R-134a refrigerant system and was provided with improved check valve structures. It is to these goals that the present invention is directed.


The invention relates to an injection-molding device for producing multi-component moldings from a thermoplastic molding compound, comprising a mold, forming a first article cavity, comprising means for filling the first article cavity with the thermoplastic molding compound, comprising an injection device for injecting a fluid against a projectile to be driven, wherein the injection device comprises a projectile carrier with at least one injection nozzle and with at least one projectile receptacle for a projectile as a displacer for the molding compound. The injection-molding device also comprises a mold insert, which forms a continuation of the first article cavity and encloses the projectile carrier, wherein the projectile carrier forms with the mold insert a second article cavity that can be filled with the molding compound, wherein the mold insert has a separate sprue and wherein the second article cavity of the mold insert can be sealed off for a time with respect to the first article cavity by means of movable mold parts. The invention also relates to a method for producing multi-component moldings by using the injection-molding device.

A method for injection molding multi-component compact moldings and multi-component hollow bodies from polymer molding compounds, in which displacement members in the form of projectiles are first placed into the opened cavity onto the sprues of the core component, and the main component is injected after the mold has been closed, is known from DE 10 2012 011 173 A1. The projectiles, conjointly with the respective core components, are subsequently driven sequentially through the mold cavity.
For example, tubes having a bi-component layered construction can be produced by way of said projectile injection technology described in DE 10 2012 011 173 A1. In the method, a displacement member of one polymer material component is driven through another polymer material component.
The tubes produced by the method according to DE 10 2012 011 173 A1 are configured in multiple layers across the entire length of said tubes, wherein the method is an interpretation of sandwich injection-molding.
Fundamentally, there is the requirement for providing tubular hollow bodies as multi-component moldings which in the direction of the longitudinal extent thereof are assembled from various components. In the case of a filler pipe for a fuel container there is, for example, the requirement for the latter in portions to be configured from various thermoplastic plastics materials.
Such structures are not able to be produced by the method known from DE 10 2012 011 173 A1.
Tubes which are assembled in portions from a plurality of components, or from various plastics materials of dissimilar properties, respectively, are in most instances blow molded or extruded and are then completed using further assembly and welding components.
An injection-molding device according to the preamble of claim 1 is known, for example, from EP 1 116 567 A2. Further prior art is known from documents DE 10 2012 011173 A1, JP H 06 155509 A, and DE 10 2007 015 216 A1.

Injection-molding device for producing multi component moldings and method for producing multi-component moldings


A display device corrects uneven luminance due to uneven element characteristics by simple measurement and correction with a low cost. The display device includes pixels that each include a light emitter and a driver. Data lines supply a voltage signal to the driver of each pixel. A data line driver supplies the voltage signal to each data line. A first memory stores, for each pixel, a luminance gain for adjusting a luminance corresponding to a video signal to a standard luminance. A second memory stores conversion curve information representing a representative conversion curve common to the pixels. A corrector converts, for each pixel, the luminance into a corresponding standard luminance value based on a corresponding luminance gain stored in the first memory, while a converter converts, for each pixel, the corresponding standard luminance into a corresponding voltage signal based on the conversion information stored in the second memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to display devices and methods for manufacturing and controlling the display devices, and in particular to a display devices using a current-driven light emitting elements and methods for manufacturing and controlling the display devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image display devices in which organic EL elements (also known as organic light emitting diodes, or OLEDs) are used, that is, organic EL displays are known as image display devices with which current-driven luminescence elements are used. Organic EL displays are attracting attention as candidates of the next-generation flat panel display (FPD) because they have advantages of good viewing angle properties and small power consumption.
In a usual organic EL display, organic EL elements which serve as pixels are arranged in a matrix. An organic EL display is called a passive-matrix organic EL display, in which organic electroluminescence elements are provided at intersections of row electrodes (scanning lines) and column electrodes (data lines) and voltages corresponding to data signals are applied to between selected row electrodes and the column electrodes to drive the organic EL elements.
On the other hand, an organic EL display is called an active-matrix organic EL display, in which thin film transistors (TFTs) are provided at intersections of row electrodes (scanning lines) and column electrodes (data lines) and connected with gates of driving transistors which receive data signals, when the TFTs are turned on through selected scanning lines, through the data lines and activate the organic EL elements.
Unlike the passive-matrix organic EL display, in which organic EL elements connected to selected row electrodes (scanning lines) emit light only until the selected row electrodes become unselected, organic EL elements in the active-matrix organic EL display keep emitting light until they are scanned (or selected) again; thus causing no reduction in luminance even when a duty ratio increases. Accordingly, the active-matrix organic EL display is operated at a low voltage, thereby consuming less power. However, a problem of unevenness in luminance occurs in the active-matrix organic EL display because luminance values are different among pixels due to a variation in characteristics of driving transistors or organic EL elements even when the same data signals are provided.
In conventional organic EL displays, such unevenness in luminance due to a variation or degradation in characteristics (hereinafter collectively referred to as unevenness in characteristics) of driving transistors or organic EL elements has typically been compensated by using complicated pixel circuitry or by feedback compensation using a representative pixel or the sum of currents flowing in all the pixels.
Using complicated pixel circuitry, however, reduces yields. Feedback compensation using a representative pixel or the sum of currents flowing in all the pixels cannot compensate unevenness in characteristics among pixels.
For these reasons, several methods have been proposed for detecting unevenness in characteristics among pixels using simple circuitry.
For example, in the electric optical device, the method for driving the electric optical device, the method for manufacturing the electric optical device, and the electric device which are disclosed in Patent Reference indicated below, the luminance of each pixel is measured using at least one kind of input current in an electric current program pixel circuit, the measured luminance ratio of each pixel is stored in a memory capacitor, image data is corrected based on the luminance ratio, and the electric current program pixel circuit is driven using the corrected image data. This suppresses unevenness in luminance, thereby achieving uniform display.
[Related Art Document]
[Patent Reference] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-283816.

Display device, and methods for manufacturing and controlling the display device


In a tandem type vacuum booster, the inner peripheral end of a front booster piston and the inner peripheral bead of a front diaphragm are clamped between a front end of a sleeve fitted over the outer periphery of a piston boss and a flange provided on the piston boss and are thereby fixed to a front portion of the piston boss, while the inner peripheral end of a rear booster piston and the inner peripheral bead of a rear diaphragm are clamped between a stopper member mounted on the piston boss and a rear end of the sleeve and are thereby fixed to a rear portion of the piston boss. A first port for communicating the front and rear working chambers with the control valve, and a second port for communicating the front and rear vacuum chambers with the control valve extend through both the piston boss and the sleeve, and communication between both the ports is inhibited by a single annular sealing member mounted at an axially intermediate portion of a junction surface between the piston boss and the sleeve. A portion of the second port leading to the rear vacuum chamber extends along a front surface of the rear booster piston.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention is tandem type vacuum boosters of a type including a booster shell having a partition plate fixedly mounted therein for partitioning an interior of the booster shell into a front shell chamber and a rear shell chamber, a front booster piston provided to divide the front shell chamber into a fore-side front vacuum chamber and a back-side front working chamber, a front diaphragm superposed on a rear surface of the front booster piston, a rear booster piston provided to divide the rear shell chamber into a fore-side rear vacuum chamber and a back-side rear working chamber, a rear diaphragm superposed on a rear surface of the rear booster piston, the front booster piston and the front diaphragm being joined to the rear booster piston and the rear diaphragm through a piston boss which extends through the partition plate and leads to an output rod, a valve cylinder continuously formed with a rear end of the piston boss and slidably supported on a rear wall of the booster shell, an input rod for advancing and retreating movements, and a control valve for placing the two working chambers into alternate communication with the atmosphere and the two vacuum chambers in response to the advancing and retreating movements of the input rod, the input rod and the control valve being disposed within the valve cylinder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such a tandem type vacuum booster has already been proposed by the present assignee and is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,573.
In the above tandem type vacuum booster, in order to connect the front and rear booster pistons and the front and rear diaphragms to the piston boss, three components: the piston boss, an end plate of a cylindrical connecting member connected to the front booster piston and superposed on a front end of the piston boss, and a retaining plate superposed on a rear end of the piston boss are coupled to one another by a plurality of through bolts, thereby fixing the front booster piston and the front diaphragm between the end plate and the front end of the piston boss and fixing the rear booster piston and the rear diaphragm between the retaining plate and the rear end of the piston boss.
In the above prior art tandem type vacuum booster, however, there is a problem that it is necessary to pass the plurality of through-bolts through the piston boss, the end plate and the retaining plate and tighten them. This results not only in an increased number of parts but also in necessitating much labor and time for assembling the parts.


This invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of strawberry plant named ‘DrisStrawSeven’. The new cultivar is primarily characterized by its large, sweet tasting fruit, early harvest maturity, and resistance to powdery mildew is disclosed.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct strawberry cultivar designated 'DrisStrawSeven' and botanically known as Fragaria×ananassa. This new strawberry cultivar was discovered in Monterey, Calif. in June, 2003 and originated from a cross between the female proprietary parent '77G1' (unpatented) and the male parent 'Driscoll Camarillo' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,771). The original seedling of the new cultivar was asexually propagated at a nursery in Shasta County, Calif. 'DrisStrawSeven' was subsequently asexually propagated and underwent further testing at a nursery in Hillsborough, Fla. for four years. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.


A method of printing a print material on a surface of an object by placing the print material on a surface of a print mask having a plurality of holes, positioning the print mask relative to the object such that the print mask is near, and substantially parallel, to the surface of the object, moving at least one of a squeegee and a first combination of the print mask and the object relative to the other of the squeegee and the first combination, in a print direction along the surface of the print mask, while locally pressing, with the squeegee, the print mask against the surface of the object and pressing, with the squeegee, the print material along the surface of the print mask, so that a portion of the print material is printed on the surface of the object through the holes of the print mask, the method including the steps of locally pressing, with a mask-press member, the print mask against the surface of the object, at a position distant from the squeegee by a predetermined distance which assures that the mask-press member does not contact the print material being pressed by the squeegee, and moving at least one of a second combination of the squeegee and the mask-press member and the first combination of the print mask and the object relative to the other of the second combination and the first combination, in the print direction, such that the mask-press member precedes the squeegee in the print direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a screen printing method and a screen printing machine each of which is for printing a print material on an object through pattern holes of a print mask.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A screen printing method and a screen printing machine are widely used in various industrial fields such as an electric-circuit production industry. For example, when an electric circuit is produced, solder paste is printed on a circuit substrate (e.g., a printed wiring board, PWB) on which the electric circuit is to be assembled. After one or more electric components (ECs) are mounted on the circuit substrate, the circuit substrate is heated to melt the solder paste printed thereon and thereby electrically connect the ECs to the circuit substrate. In this field, it is practiced to form solder bumps on a circuit substrate by first printing solder paste thereon and subsequently heating and melting the printed solder paste.
There are known two major methods of printing solder paste on circuit boards. One of them is an off-contact-type screen printing method, and the other is a contact-type screen printing method. In the off-contact method, a small space is left between a print mask and a circuit substrate, and a plate-like squeegee is moved on a surface of the print mask while locally pressing the mask against the circuit substrate and moving solder paste along the surface of the mask, so that while the mask contacts the substrate, the solder paste is printed on the substrate through pattern holes of the mask. Generally, a metal mask that is formed of a metal such as copper, stainless steel, or nickel is suitable for printing of a highly viscous fluid such as solder paste. However, the metal mask is too rigid to be used in the off-contact printing. Therefore, generally, a so-called combination mask including a metallic portion and an elastically deformable mesh portion surrounding the metallic portion is used in the off-contact printing. In the off-contact printing, the print mask, except for a local portion thereof that is currently pressed by the squeegee against the circuit substrate for printing the solder paste, is kept away from the substrate, and the local portion currently pressed by the squeegee is separated, little by little, from the substrate after the squeegee has passed over the local portion. Thus, the solder paste printed on the circuit substrate is advantageously separated from the pattern holes of the print mask.
However, when the solder paste placed on the upper surface of the print mask is forced into the pattern holes of the mask by the plate-like squeegee, so as to be printed on the circuit substrate through the holes of the mask, the. solder paste may enter some holes of an adjacent portion of the mask that is adjacent to the local portion currently pressed by the squeegee against the substrate and is currently away from the substrate, and may spread on the lower surface of the mask. In this case, the solder paste may be applied to other spots on the circuit substrate than prescribed print spots thereon, or may be. adhered to the lower surface of the mask to soil the same. These phenomena do not lead to accurate printing.
In this background, currently, the contact-type screen printing method is widely used. In the contact-type method, solder paste is printed in the state in which a print mask is held in close contact with a circuit substrate. This method is particularly suitable for printing of a highly accurate and fine pattern. Either a combination mask or a metal mask may be employed as the print mask. Generally, this method needs a special technique for separating the print mask and the circuit substrate from each other after the solder paste is printed on the substrate. There are known various separating techniques.
However, in. the contact-type method, the print mask and the circuit substrate are kept in close contact with each other while the solder paste is printed on the substrate. Therefore, the solder paste may enter, because of its capillary phenomenon and/or surface tension, the interface between the mask and the substrate. Meanwhile, in the case where the circuit substrate is sucked, by vacuum, against a support surface of a substrate supporting device, air present between the mask and the substrate are sucked by the vacuum via the through-holes of the substrate, so that the solder paste may be sucked into the interface between the mask and the substrate. Moreover, the solder paste may run on the lower surface of the print mask, because of small vibrations of the substrate supporting device. These phenomena do not result in accurate printing.
It is currently practiced to clean the upper and lower surfaces of the print mask, for solving the above-described problems. There are two cleaning methods, one is a wet method in which the solder paste is solved by a solvent and then is cleaned by a cleaning paper, and the other is a dry method in which the solder paste is just cleaned by a cleaning paper. In some cases, both the wet and dry methods are employed. In either method, it is difficult to clean up the solder paste completely. The most important problem with the cleaning methods is that the cleaning of the print mask results in increasing the cycle time and accordingly lowering the production efficiency. In addition, the expensive solder paste cleaned off the print mask cannot be recycled, which is against recent tendency toward environmental pollution control. Moreover, an exclusive cleaning device is needed, which leads to increasing the running cost.
Another problem with the contact-type printing is about the separation of print mask and circuit substrate. It is not easy to separate the print mask closely contacted with the circuit substrate, from the circuit substrate, without damaging the shape of the solder paste printed thereon. The degree of ease of separation of highly viscous fluid (i.e., solder paste) from pattern holes of print mask largely depends on an aspect ratio, h/f, as a ratio of an area, h, of side surface of each pattern hole to an area, f, of print pattern of the mask. Generally, it is preferred that the aspect ratio h/f be not greater than a solder-print critical aspect ratio (h/f=0.4 to 0.5). In addition, the printability of solder is influenced by various factors including the design or composition of solder paste, the machining or material of print mask, the circuit substrate, the printing machine, and the operator. It is almost impossible to perform printing most efficiently under the best conditions of those factors. Therefore, there is a need to obtain such a special technique which can compensate for some inevitable defects of those factors. For example, a servo system is used to separate the print mask and the circuit substrate from each other by moving them over a predetermined distance at empirically obtained speeds and accelerations. However, it is impossible to move, at a certain speed or acceleration, the circuit substrate with respect to its entirety, because of the elasticity of the print mask. That is, the central portion of the circuit substrate is moved away from the print mask, faster than the end portions of the same are. It is difficult to construct a reliable multidimensional space-analysis model to control drive shafts of the servo system used to separate the print mask and the circuit substrate from each other. Thus, currently, it is difficult for the contact-type printing method to perform a sufficiently stable printing for a long time. The properties of the solder paste change day by day. Generally, the basic data of the solder paste, such as viscosity, may change by xc2x115% a day. Now, a huge data base including data about various variable factors is under construction in order to establish useful conditions for the separation of print mask and circuit substrate, so that the data base is utilized by a computer. However, this function is not a basic function which is properly required for the printing machine. In addition, the printing machine needs a complex device for the separation of print mask and circuit substrate, which leads to increasing the production cost thereof.
Although the above description relates to the case where solder paste is printed on circuit substrates, the same problems as identified above may occur to screen printing methods and screen printing machines which are used in other industrial fields.
The present invention provides a screen printing method and a screen printing machine which have one or more of the following technical features that are described below in respective paragraphs given parenthesized sequential numbers (1) to (10). Any technical feature that includes another technical feature shall do so by referring, at the beginning, to the parenthesized sequential number given to the latter feature. However, the following technical features and the appropriate combinations thereof are just examples to which the present invention is by no means limited. In addition, in the case where one technical feature recites a plurality of items, it is not essentially required that all of those items be simultaneously employed. That is, it is possible to select and employ only a portion (one, two, . . . , but not all) of those items.
(1) According to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided a method of printing a print material on a surface of an object by placing the print material on a surface of a print mask having a plurality of holes, positioning the print mask relative to the object such that the print mask is near, and substantially parallel, to the surface of the object, moving at least one of a squeegee and a first combination of the print mask and the object relative to the other of the squeegee and the first combination, in a print direction along the surface of the print mask, while locally pressing, with the squeegee, the print mask against the surface of the object and pressing, with the squeegee, the print material along the surface of the print mask, so that a portion of the print material is printed on the surface of the object through the holes of the print mask, the method comprising the steps of locally pressing, with a mask-press member, the print mask against the surface of the object, at a position distant from the squeegee by a predetermined distance which assures that the mask-press member does not contact the print material being pressed by the squeegee, and moving at least one of a second combination of the squeegee and the maskpress member and the first combination of the print mask and the object relative to the other of the second combination and the first combination, in the print direction, such that the maskpress member precedes the squeegee in the print direction. The term xe2x80x9cnearxe2x80x9d means that the print mask is close to the surface of the object but is not in contact with the same, and means the presence of a distance between the mask and the object that allows the squeegee or the mask-press member to locally press the mask against the object and cause a portion of the mask to contact the object.
The present printing method is a sort of screen printing method. In the present screen printing method, the squeegee prints the print material on the object through the hole or holes (xe2x80x9cpattern hole or holesxe2x80x9d) of a portion of the print mask that is currently pressed against the object by the mask-press member. Thus, the present printing method enjoys the aboveindicated advantages of the contact-type printing method. In addition, each portion of the print mask over which the squeegee has passed is quickly peeled off the surface (xe2x80x9cprint surfacexe2x80x9d) of the object, while being somewhat inclined relative to the print surface. Thus, the print material printed on the object is easily separated from the pattern holes, and accordingly the present printing method enjoys the advantages of the off-contact printing method. That is, the present printing method enjoys the advantages of both the contact-type and off-contact-type printing methods, while avoiding the disadvantages of the same. Thus, it can perform excellent printing at low cost. Here, it is noted that it is possible to employ, in addition to the mask-press member preceding the squeegee, another mask-press member following the squeegee. In the latter case, each portion of the print mask over which the squeegee has passed is peeled off the print surface of the object, after the following mask-press member has passed over the each portion. In contrast, in the case where the following mask-press member is not employed, each portion of the print mask over which the squeegee has passed is immediately peeled off the print surface of the object.
(2) According to a second feature of the present invention that includes the first feature (1), the mask-press member comprises a press roller which rolls on the surface of the print mask.
Alternatively, the mask-press member may be a slide member which is slideable on the print mask. In the latter case, although the overall construction of the printing machine may be made simpler, a greater friction force is produced between the slide member as the mask-press member, and the print mask, which may disadvantageously lead to causing a movement of the mask out of position relative to the object. In contrast thereto, if the press roller is employed as the mask-press member according to the second feature (2), only a small friction resistance is produced between the press roller and the print mask, which minimizes the movement of the mask out of position relative to the object. Meanwhile, since the squeegee must slide on the print mask, the friction force produced between the squeegee and the mask provides some force to move to mask relative to the object. However, since the press roller presses the mask against the object, the friction force produced between the roller and the mask resists the force, exerted by the squeegee, to move the mask relative to the object. The pressing force of the press roller provides the friction force, produced between the print mask and the object, which is greater than the rolling friction force produced between the roller and the mask. Therefore, the movement of the mask out of position relative to the object is resisted by the force equal to the difference between the friction force produced between the mask and the object and the friction force produced between the mask and the roller. If this resisting force is greater than the friction force produced between the squeegee and the print mask, the mask is never moved relative to the object; and even if the resisting force is smaller than the friction force, the amount of movement of the mask relative to the object can be effectively reduced.
(3) According to a third feature of the present invention that includes the first or second feature (1) or (2), the object comprises an electric-circuit substrate and the print material comprises a solder paste.
(4) According to a fourth feature of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, comprising a supporting device having a support surface which supports an object; a mask holder which holds a print mask having a plurality of holes, such that the print mask is near, and substantially parallel, to the object supported by the support surface of the supporting device; a squeegee having a press surface which locally presses the print mask held by the mask holder against the object supported by the support surface; a moving device which moves, while the squeegee locally presses the print mask against the object supported by the support surface, at least one of the squeegee and a first combination of the supporting device and the mask holder relative to the other of the squeegee and the first combination, in a print direction along the support surface, so that the squeegee presses a print material placed on a surface of the print mask, along the surface of the print mask, and forces a portion of the print material into the holes of the print mask; a mask-press member which locally presses the print mask against the object, at a position distant from the press surface of the squeegee by a first predetermined distance which assures that the mask-press member does not contact the print material being pressed by the squeegee; and a distance maintaining device which maintains, when the moving device moves, in the print direction, at least one of a second combination of the squeegee and the mask-press member and the first combination of the supporting device and the mask holder relative to the other of the second combination and the first combination, the first distance by which the mask-press member precedes the squeegee in the print direction.
The present printing apparatus is a sort of screen printing machine. The present screen printing machine can advantageously carry out the screen printing method according to the first feature (1). It is preferred that the squeegee be one which has a press surface which is inclined relative to the print mask, forward in the print direction, and which is slid on the mask while pressing the print material (e.g., solder paste) along the surface of the mask and forcing, owing to its wedge effect, the print material into the holes of the mask.
(5) According to a fifth feature of the present invention that includes the fourth feature (4), the mask-press member comprises a press roller which rolls on the surface of the print mask.
(6) According to a sixth feature of the present invention that includes the fourth or fifth feature (4) or (5), the moving device comprises a movable member which holds at least one of the squeegee and the mask-press member; and a movable-member moving device which moves the movable member in the print direction parallel to the support surface of the supporting device that supports the object.
Alternatively, the moving device may be one which moves the supporting device and the mask holder, relative to the squeegee and the mask-press member. In the latter case, however, a wide space is needed which allows the supporting device and the mask holder to be moved relative to the squeegee and the mask-press member, and which leads to increasing the overall size of the screen printing machine. In contrast thereto, the screen printing machine according to the sixth feature (6) moves the squeegee and/or the mask-press member relative to the supporting device and the mask holder, such that the squeegee and/or the press member are moved in a space provided above the supporting device and the mask holder. Thus, the size of the present machine need not be increased.
(7) According to a seventh feature of the present invention that includes the sixth feature (6), the printing apparatus further comprises an elevating and lowering device which elevates and lowers the squeegee relative to the movable member, and thereby moves the squeegee in a first direction toward, and in a second direction away from, the support surface of the supporting device.
According to an eighth feature of the present invention that includes the sixth or seventh feature (6) or (7), the printing apparatus further comprises an elevation and lowering device which elevates and lowers the mask-press member relative to the movable member, and thereby moves the mask-press member in a first direction toward, and in a second direction away from, the support surface of the supporting device.
In the case where the squeegee and the mask-press member are supported by a single elevator member, the squeegee and the mask-press member may be elevated and lowered by a common elevating and lowering device. Otherwise, the squeegee and the mask-press member may be elevated and lowered by respective exclusive elevating and lowering devices, independent of each other. The latter manner is more useful than the former manner. For example, the print material which has been moved by the squeegee to one of opposite ends of the print mask in the print direction can be easily returned to the other end of the mask, irrespective of whether printing is effected during the returning of the print material. In addition, the respective contact forces exerted to the print mask by the squeegee and the mask-press member can be adjusted or controlled, independent of. each other.
(9) According to a ninth feature of the present invention that includes any one of the fourth to eighth features (4) to (8), the printing apparatus further comprises a following press member which is different from the mask-press member as a preceding press member, which is distant from the squeegee by a second predetermined distance in a direction opposite to the print direction, and which locally presses the print mask against the object supported by the support surface, the first combination comprising the following press member in addition to the squeegee and the preceding press member.
Since the present screen printing machine includes both the preceding and following press members, the squeegee has only to print the print material at the central portion of a portion of the print mask that is currently pressed by the two press members. Thus, the present machine can perform a more stable printing. For example, in the case where only the preceding press member is employed, the squeegee is required to not only force the print material into the holes of the print mask but also press the mask against the object. In the latter case, therefore, if a suitable contact force, exerted by the squeegee to the print mask, for forcing the print material into the pattern holes is smaller than a suitable force for pressing the mask against the object, the former contact force must be sacrificed. In contrast thereto, the screen printing machine according to the ninth feature (9) is free of this problem. Meanwhile, if both of the preceding and following press rollers are provided by press rollers, a greater friction force is produced between the print mask and the object, which contributes to preventing the mask from being moved out of position relative to the object.
(10) According to a tenth feature of the present invention that includes any one of the fourth to ninth features (4) to (9), the supporting device comprises a substrate supporting device which supports an electric-circuit substrate as the object, and the squeegee prints a solder paste as the printing material, on the electric-circuit substrate supported by the substrate supporting device.

Screen printing method and screen printing machine


Methods, apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing entities, and/or the like for generating a pre-approval token for a claim payment request based at least in part on draft claim data. The pre-approval token may be appended to a final, formalized claim relating to the draft claim during a formal claim submission process to retrieve and apply the results of the pre-approval review to facilitate formal claim resolution.

As the medical industry strives to minimize the amount of wasteful, fraudulent, or abusive costs that are passed from medical service providers to medical payers, those medical payers have developed several systems and methods for scrutinizing each payment request received from a medical provider relating to services performed by the medical provider for particular patients. The processes involved in scrutinizing individual medical claims data has been known to slow the payment process for some claims—particularly those claims that are first submitted with one or more errors within the claims data. However, because the payment scrutiny processes often encompass multiple levels of review—potentially by different computing systems, departments within a large payer organization, and/or multiple entities, these errors may not be caught until well after the review process has begun. Those claims are then denied, and the provider must then resubmit those payment requests, thereby restarting the time-consuming payment approval process. In extreme cases, some providers may not receive payment (or a final denial of claim coverage for the patient) for several months after performing the medical services on the patient, leading to confusion and frustration for both the provider and patient in many cases.
Accordingly, a need exists for efficient systems and methods enabling providers to receive feedback on claims to be submitted for payment quickly, thereby enabling the provider to make necessary adjustments to the claim submission while relevant information remains easily accessible to the provider, so as to significantly decrease the latency associated with typical medical claim payment processes.

Token-based pre-approval systems and methods for payment request submissions


A communication network containing components which use and provide services in the communication network, a plurality of components capable of providing the identical service. In one embodiment, one component determines the services provided by other components in the communication network. If the same services are provided by two components, information relating to the output state of the software controlling the services is compared by one of the components. A software update is initialized if the output states differ. If a defined service is activated in a second component by means of a first component, but the service cannot be provided by means of the software of the second component although the second component has the necessary hardware requirements therefore, said service is made available by downloading or updating the software of the second component.

Communication networks whose components communicate with one another on a packet-switched basis are replacing circuit-switching communication networks to an increasing extent. Such networks are frequently also referred to as Voice over IP (VoIP for short) networks when the Internet protocol (IP) is used for interchanging the audio information provided in the form of data. In this case, the networks may either be used exclusively for transmitting voice data or else for transmitting a mixture of voice data and other information.
The interconnected devices arranged in communication networks are referred to generally as communication components. When a communication component of this type is used as a terminal, for example as a telephone or a multimedia terminal, this component is also referred to as a client component. Other components are not used as a terminal, but rather provide services in the communication network. The services may be a gateway functionality, a voicemail server, an address directory or the like, for example. Such communication components are also referred to as server components.
Both the client components and the server components normally comprise a piece of computer hardware (for example a PC) which uses appropriate hardware extensions and a piece of adapted software to perform appropriate functionalities and provide services. In this case, the performance of a communication component is frequently dependent on the presence and release of the installed software, which means that by updating a piece of software which has already been installed or by freshly installing a piece of software which has not been present to date, it is possible to increase the performance of a communication component significantly.
A piece of computer hardware may also have more than one software application installed on it, which means that a single physical component in the network may in principle exercise both client and server functionalities. Such communication components are also referred to as servents in the literature, an artificial word derived from the terms "client" and "server".
The communication components connect to one another by interchanging addressed data packets with one another. In this case, each communication component in the packet-switching communication network has a network address which is uniquely associated with it. In the networks which interchange data on the basis of the Internet protocol (IP networks), this is the IP address and the IP port number, for example. If a communication component is intended to connect to or interchange data with another communication component, then it is first necessary to find out the network address of the other component. The network addresses are not always permanently associated with the communication components over time, but rather may also be allocated dynamically in the network, which means that communication components may each have a different address whenever they have been turned off and turned on again or after predetermined events. For this reason, at least one network component in the known packet-switching communication networks is equipped with an address directory (address database) for all of the communication components which are available in this network. These server components are normally referred to as gatekeepers.
Alternatively, data interchange without a central address database in the manner of a gatekeeper is known, for example using the "The Gnutella Protocol Specification V 0.4" method, which communication components on the Internet can automatically use to find other communication components for file interchange. In this case, the file and hence data interchange thus takes place not using a central server component or a "gatekeeper", but rather directly between the individual components. Networks which provide direct data interchange between communication components without a superordinate entity are called peer-to-peer networks. The communication components which comprise both "client" and "server" functionalities are the aforementioned "servents".
In the peer-to-peer network based on the Gnutella specification, each communication component (for example a PC) holds files ready for interchange with other communication components. In order to be able to interchange data, the searching communication component requires the network address of the communication component which holds the sought file ready for retrieval. To this end, it first of all sends a first search message, the "ping". Communication components which receive a "ping" search message respond to the searching communication component using a hit response, the "pong". This hit response contains the respective network address of the responding communication component and the number of files which this communication component provides for interchange.
In the next step, the searching communication component sends a second search message "Query" to a limited selection of those communication components which have responded to the "ping" search message with a "pong". The second search message already contains the file name of the file which is being sought. If a communication component receives a second search message "Query" but does not itself hold the sought file ready for interchange, then it forwards this search message to other communication components in the network whose addresses it has ascertained, for example by means of a "ping" method which has already been carried out in the past. If the communication component can provide the desired file for interchange, however, then it responds to the second search message "Query" with a hit response "Query Hit", as a result of which the searching communication component can initiate the file transfer using commands defined in the Internet protocol.
The Gnutella method is used when a particular file is being sought among other communication components. The search method is terminated at the very instant at which the sought file has been found for the first time.
While the correct file need only be found once when searching on the basis of the Gnutella method, it is frequently important in the case of the services in communication networks to gain access to a plurality of communication components—providing services of the same type—in order to be able to choose between them when required.
A further drawback of the known method is that although useful data can be interchanged between communication components there is no guarantee that the software used on the communication components is sufficient for processing the useful data or is sufficiently up-to-date.
In addition, the known method does not allow the software installed on a communication component to be modified.

Method for updating services in communication networks


A network access scheme enhances channel utilization under the ALOHA protocol by making use of the FM capture effect. The resulting network access scheme allows a transmitter to transmit a message simultaneously with other transmitters to a receiver without the need for retransmission when the message reaches the receiver with sufficient strength over the strengths of the other transmissions. In one embodiment, the network access scheme is applied to a wireless data network, which includes support to a two-way paging application. Another network access scheme combines the high channel utilization of the carrier sensing multi-access (CSMA) protocol with the FM capture effect to provide even higher expected channel utilization. The resulting network access scheme uses a channel access protocol ("CSMA/AT") which provides an adaptive threshold. An RF transmitter determines, using the adaptive threshold, whether or not to transmit its message. Under CSMA/AT, if the sensed power of other transmissions (RSSI) in the channel is below the adaptive threshold, the transmitter transmits; otherwise, the transmitter backs off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless data communication; and, in particular, the present invention relates to network access protocols used in wireless data communication.
2. Background of the Invention
In a wireless communication network, all participants in a channel share the radio channel as a network resource. In order to have a high utilization rate, and to ensure that all participants are given a fair access to the channel, various network access protocols have been developed. Typically, the more sophisticated a channel access protocol is, the higher the channel utilization can be achieved. However, the more sophisticated a channel access protocol is, the more sophisticated transceivers and software are required to implement that protocol. As a result, the proper choice of a channel access protocol involves optimizing a scarce resource to some cost constraints.
Among wireless channel access protocols, the ALOHA protocol is amongst the simplest. Under ALOHA, each participant transmits over the channel as soon as it has a message to send. The recipient of the message sends an acknowledgement message upon successfully receiving the transmitted message. The sender of the first message waits for this acknowledgement message, and if this acknowledgement message is not received after a predetermined time period, the sender assumes that the first message was not successfully received and retransmits the first message. Because each participant transmits at will, a collision occurs whenever two or more participants attempt to transmit simultaneously. Thus, under ALOHA, the expected maximum channel utilization is 18% for a large number of channel participants.
A higher channel utilization rate can be achieved by collision avoidance. One channel access protocol that implements collision avoidance is the Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) protocol. Under the basic CSMA protocol, a transmitting station having a message to send over the common channel first "listens" for activity on the channel. If activity is detected (i.e. another participant is transmitting), then the transmitting station "backs off" for a time period before re-attempting the transmission. The main advantage of the basic CSMA protocol is the reduction of the need for retransmissions, since collisions are rare. CSMA allows channel utilization to reach as much as 50%. However, while CSMA results in a higher channel utilization, CSMA requires more sophisticated hardware to implement.
The channel access protocol in a wireless data network can be determinative of the total bandwidth of the wireless data network. For example, in a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) system, a large number of cellularized base stations are distributed all over the service area. Cellularizing the service area offers two advantages: (i) allow mobile units and base stations to transmit at higher data rate with relatively low power, since the expected distance between a mobile unit and a base station in the vicinity is short; and (ii) larger capacity is provided because base stations which are separated by large enough distances can use the same radio channels. Such a system provides thus very high capacity, low response delay and allows the mobile units to transmit at relatively high data rates. In such a system, two-way symmetrical and reliable data links can also be provided. However, such a system is expensive and complex.
In a CDPD system, because connectivity is maintained over the entire duration of a data communication session, multiple channels must be provided to allow multiple sessions to be maintained simultaneously. To locate a recipient mobile unit of a message, the network broadcasts the address of the recipient mobile unit from all the base stations in the service area until the recipient unit responds. Thus, a large amount of network resources is dedicated to locating mobile units. Further, to maintain continuous connectivity and to allow real time performance, when the session is established, the CDPD unit is associated with a base station with which it communicates. In addition, because a mobile unit can be expected to be used in a moving vehicle, it is possible that the mobile unit moves out of the service range of the initially associated base station and moves into the service range or ranges of one or more such base stations during the duration of a session. Thus, provisions must be made to disengage an associated base station and to engage an additional base station or stations ("hand off") during the course of the session. The control mechanisms for maintaining a CDPD session, including tasks typically termed "connectivity management" and "mobility management", involve sophisticated algorithms which require high performance computers to handle setting up the session, maintaining the session, and tracking the communicating mobile units as they move between service areas of the cellularized base stations. The complexity of the system requires a large investment in expensive equipment. Often, these control mechanisms are centralized, i.e. a large network switching or control center is provided to handle the mobile units in a given service area, so that, at times of heavy data traffic, the network control center may become a bottle neck, introducing undesirable latency into the system.
Another major disadvantage of the CDPD system is the requirement that the receiver of the mobile unit must be on at all times to receive messages. As a result, such a mobile unit requires a battery that is, at the present time, too undesirably bulky for mobile use. It would also be extremely difficult for power-saving features to be provided in such a mobile unit. Unlike a pager, which monitors only one paging channel, the mobile unit of a CDPD system must monitor a different radio channel when it is located in a different cell. Further, control information (e.g. timing information and recipient addresses) are broadcast by base stations in dedicated control channels. While a pager can be assigned a periodically occurring time-slot during which it "wakes" up to check for messages, a similar scheme in a mobile unit of a CDPD system would require timing in all the cellular base stations to be synchronized. Failure to synchronize all base station can lead to a mobile unit checking for the broadcast of its address during the wrong time slot.


Methods and apparatus are provided for transmission and reception of signals. A signal is received that includes at least one of a power supply signal for wireless charging from a wireless power supplier and a power communication signal from at least one external wireless power receiver. The received signal is analyzed to determine whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal. A transmission frequency of a transmission signal is determined based on whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal. Transmission data for control of the wireless charging is modulated, and the modulated transmission data is output as the transmission signal over the transmission frequency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wireless mobile terminals, and more particularly, to a method for charging a plurality of wireless power receivers using a single wireless power supplier.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile terminals, such as portable phones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), are driven by a rechargeable battery. In order to charge the battery of the mobile terminal, a separate charger supplies electric energy to the battery. Typically, because respective contact terminals are provided on an exterior of both the charger and the battery, connectors between the contact terminals electrically connect the charger and the battery.
However, in the foregoing contact charging scheme, because the contact terminals are externally exposed, they may be easily contaminated, making it difficult to charge a battery. When the contact terminals are exposed to humidity, charging the battery cannot be normally performed.
Wireless or non-contact charging technology has been developed and applied to various electronic devices.
The wireless charging technology uses wireless power transmission and reception. For example, a wireless charging system is capable of automatically charging a battery when a portable phone is placed on a charging pad without being connected with a separate charging connector. In general, a wireless electric toothbrush and a wireless electric shaver are examples of wirelessly products that may be charged that are well known to ordinary persons. The wireless charging technology charges electronic devices in a wireless scheme to improve a water-resistance function. Because a wired charger is unnecessary, the portability of electronic devices is increased.
Examples of wireless charging technology include, for example, an electromagnetic induction scheme using a coil, and an RF/Micro Wave Radiation scheme for converting electric energy into a microwave and transferring the microwave.
Transmission of power over several meters has been accomplished using microwaves.
A power transmission scheme using electromagnetic induction refers to a scheme for transmitting power between a primary coil and a secondary coil. If a magnet is moved around a coil, an induction current is produced. An electric field is generated in a sending end and electric current is induced according to a change in the electric field to create energy. This is referred to as magnetic induction. The power transmission method using magnetic induction has excellent energy transmission efficiency.
An electromagnetic induction scheme has been used and applied to various devices. Most non-contact charging technologies used in conventional wireless charging are based on the electromagnetic induction scheme.
A system has been developed for transferring electric energy in a wireless scheme using a resonant type power transmission principle of a coupled mode theory as a resonant scheme, although it is spaced apart from a charger by several meters. This wireless charging system uses a physical concept of resonance meaning that, for example, a wine cup rings at the same vibration rate as a tuning fork oscillating beside the wine cup. An electromagnetic wave having electric energy is resonated instead of a sound. Because the resonated electric energy is directly transferred where there is a device having a resonant frequency, and a non-used part is spread to air but is again absorbed in an electronic field, it does not affect peripheral machines or persons, unlike an electromagnetic wave.
A wave radiation scheme is a power transmission scheme that converts power energy into a microwave beneficial to wireless transmission and energy transfer. Unlike a signal used in a wireless communication scheme, such as a radio or a wireless phone, the wave radiation scheme sends electric energy. A signal is loaded in a carrier wave and the carrier wave is sent in a general communication scheme.
In the foregoing wireless power transmission system, for efficient power transmission, communication may be performed between a wireless power supplier and a wireless power receiver. Conventionally, power from the wireless power supplier is supplied to the wireless power receiver, and the wireless power receiver unilaterally transmits a power communication signal capable of controlling an amount of supplied power to a wireless power device.
However, when there are a plurality of wireless power receivers, if respective wireless power receivers transmit a transmission signal in one direction, respective frequencies of the power communication signals collide preventing the ability to smoothly charge.

Method for transmitting signals from a plurality of wireless power receivers to wireless power supplier


A device for visualizing a 3D object includes a processor configured to provide an image in a 2D projection plane, and to project an initial 3D object from an initial plane with an inverse projection transformation in the 2D projection plane of the image to achieve an inverse 2D object. The inverse projection transformation is a projection transformation, where a vanishing point is at the other side of the 2D projection plane than the initial object. The processor is further configured to point-mirror the inverse 2D object to achieve a mirrored non-inverse 2D object, and to project the mirrored non-inverse 2D object back to the initial plane to provide a corrected 3D object. Further, the processor is configured to project the corrected 3D object again to the 2D projection plane of the image to provide a final 3D object appearing to be non-inversely projected.

WO 2005/078666 (A1) discloses a real time user interaction with a deformable surface model and an image processing system for segmenting an object of interest in a three-dimensional image using deformable surfaces.
EP 1 566 772 A2 discloses an X-ray computed tomographic apparatus comprising a scanner to scan in a three-dimensional region of a subject by X-rays, a storing unit to store projection data acquired by the scanning, a reconstruction processing unit to generate volume data which corresponds to a three-dimensional region, based on the stored projection data, an MPR processing unit to generate slice image data relating to three-direction slice planes from the volume data, a displaying unit to display the slice image data together with a graphic element representing a reconstruction range, an operating unit to operate the graphic element, and a reconstruction processing unit to reconstruct tomographic image data which corresponds to the reconstruction range represented by the graphic element, based on the stored projection data.
In interventional procedures, X-ray is used to help the physician see what is happening inside a human body. Objects on an X-ray image are projected using inverse perspective. This means objects further away from the X-ray detector appear bigger than objects closer to the X-ray detector. 3D objects that a user can manipulate, such as a cutting or a clipping plane, may also be rendered using inverse perspective, such that they correspond to the anatomy on the X-ray image. However, manipulating these inverse perspective 3D objects may feel counter-intuitive for a user. For instance, a clipping plane in the inverse perspective rendered scene feels malformed for a human viewer. The clipping plane looks as if it's not aligned with the actual cutting plane on the anatomical structure. When a user tries to move the clipping plane to the back it feels as if it's moving to the front and vice versa.


A method is provided for covalently linking carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules under neutral conditions, using a Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction. In an example, activated carbon-carbon double bonds were attached to free amino sites of a carrier protein, and a conjugated diene was attached to a carbohydrate hapten. Spontaneous coupling of the carbohydrate and the protein components under very mild conditions provided glycoconjugates containing up to 37 carbohydrate hapten units per carrier protein molecule. The method is also applicable to the immobilization of biomolecules on gel or solid supports. The conjugated products are useful as immunogens and as analytical and diagnostic reagents.

The conjugation of biomolecules to solid and gel supports is a common operation in may laboratories, and many methods have been developed for this purpose. Immobilization of enzymes (I. Chernukhin, E. Klenova, Anal. Biochem. 2000, 280:178–81), oligonucleotides (J. Andreadis; L. Chrisey, Nucleic Acids Res. 2000, 28:e5; A. Drobyshev et al., Nucl. Acids. Res. 1999, 27:4100–4105), antibodies (P. Soltys, M. Etzel, Biomaterials 2000, 21:37–48), and antigens (M. Oshima, M. Atassi, Immunol. Invest. 1989, 18:841–851) on solid and gel supports enables the preparation of useful products such as chromatographic media (Meth. Enzym. W. Jakoby, M. Wilchek, eds., 1974, 34, Academic Press, NY), catalysts (T. Krogh et al., Anal. Biochem., 1999, 274:153–62), biosensors (J. Spiker, K. Kang, Biotechnol. Bioeng. 1999, 66:158–63), and numerous diagnostic (G. Ramsay, Nature Biotechnol., 1998, 16:40–44) and research tools (C. Bieri et al., Nature Biotechnol. 1999, 17:1105–1108). Even whole cells may be immobilized by such methods (E. Olivares, W. Malaisse, Int. J. Mol. Med. 2000, 5:289–290).
The most robust form of attachment of a biomolecule to a surface or other support is via covalent bonds. Typically, such bonds are heteroatom-based (e.g., amide, ester, and disulfide bonds), because such bonds are easily formed under mild conditions. Non-covalent attachment via specific binding pairs (e.g., biotin-avidin or antibody-antigen interactions) is also commonly employed, but such methods still require initial conjugation of the specific binding pairs to the biomolecule and support. The use of carbon-carbon bonds for this purpose is very rare, because formation of C—C bonds is more difficult, especially under the mild aqueous conditions appropriate for working with proteins.
The use of the Diels-Alder reaction to attach a member of a specific binding pair has been described. In this report (M. N. Yousaf and M. Mrksich, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1999, 121:4286), a Diels-Alder reaction was used to covalently attach a biotinylated diene to an immobilized dienophile, and the immobilized biotin was subsequently used to non-covalently immobilize streptavidin. Thee workers have more recently used a Diels-Alder reaction to immobilize the peptide RGDS on a self-assembled alkanethiol monolayer on a gold surface (M. N. Yousaf, B. T. Houseman, M. Mrksich, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 2001, 40:1093). The use of the Dials-Alder reaction to effect the actual covalent coupling or immobilization event of large biomolecules, however, had not previously been described.
The conjugation of biomolecules to one another is likewise a very common procedure, and is subject to most of the concerns and limitations described above for biomolecule immobilization. Covalent attachment of haptens to proteins has been a target of synthetic endavors since the discovery by Landsteiner that this process can convert non-immunogenic molecules to immunogenic material (K. Landsteiner, H. Lampl, Biochem. Zeitschr. 1918, 86:343). The application of this concept to carbohydrates by Goebel and Avery revealed that covalent carbohydrate-protein conjugates are immunogenic and can generate anti-carbohydrate antibodies (W. Goebel, J. Exp. Med. 1940, 72:33). The use of Landsteiner's principle has led to the development of carbohydrate-protein conjugates that are valuable tools in glycomedical research, and that are useful as pharmaceuticals. In particular, protein conjugates of fragments of the capsular polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae type b have become established as successful vaccines (J. Robbins et al., J. Am. Med. Assoc. 1996, 276:1181). Several other bacterial saccharide-protein conjugates are in various stages of clinical studies (E. Kondau et al., J. Infect. Dis. 1998, 177:383–387; E. Konadu et al., Infect. Immun. 2000, 68:1529–1534) while numerous others are in the pre-clinical phase (V. Pozagay et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1999, 96:5194).
The choice of methods for covalent bond formation between biomolecules such as carbohydrates and proteins is restricted by their limited solubility in organic solvents, and in many cases by their pH and temperature sensitivity. In almost all cases, water is the only solvent that can be used for conjugation of carbohydrates or proteins, and the conditions are usually limited to temperatures under 50° C. and pH values between 6 and 8.
Numerous methods have been developed for the attachment of polysaccharides to proteins (C. Peeters et al., in Vaccine Protocols, A. Robinson et al., Eds., 1996 Humana Press, NJ, p. 111; W. Dick, Jr., M. Beurret, in Contrib. Microbiol. Immunol., J. Cruse and R. Lewis, eds., 1989, 10:48–114, Karger, Basel; H. Jennings, R. Sood, in Neoglycoconjugates. Preparation and Applications. Y. Lee, R. Lee, eds., Academic Press, New York, 1994, p. 325). However, only a few of these methods are capable of coupling oligosaccharides to carriers in a site-selective fashion. Most prominent among these is reductive amination, which converts the reducing-end residue of the polysaccharide into a polyhydroxy alkylamino moiety, which unfortunately causes the loss of this unit as a true carbohydrate in the resulting glycoconjugate (V. Pozgay, Glycoconjugate J. 1993, 10:133).
This problem can be solved by chemical synthesis of oligosaccharide glycosides with aglycons that bear a (latent) reactive group. Examples include alkenyl groups (M. Nashed, Carbohydr. Res. 1983, 123:241–246; J. Allen, S. Danishefsky, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121:10875), 3-aminopropyl (G. Veeneman et al., Tetrahedron 1989, 45:7433), 4-aminophenylethyl (R. Eby, Carbohydr. Res. 1979, 70:75), 4-aminophenyl (S. Stirm et al., Justus Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1966, 696:180), 6-aminohexyl (J. Hermans et al., Rec. Trav. Chim. Pays-Bas 1987, 106:498; R. Lee et al., Biochemistry 1989, 28:1856), 5-methoxycarbonylpentyl (S. Sabesan, J. Paulson, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986, 108:2068; V. Pozsgay, Org. Chem. 1998, 63:5983), 8-methoxycarbonyloctyl (R. Lemieux et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1975, 97, 4076; B. Pinto et al., Carboydr. Res. 1991, 210, 199) 4-aminobenzyl (W. Goebel, J. Exp. Med. 1940, 72:33), ω-aldehydoalkyl (V. Pozsgay, Glycoconjugate J. 1993, 10:133), 3-(2-aminoethylthio)propyl (Y. Lee, R. Lee, Carbohydr. Res. 1974, 37:193), 2-chloroethylthiogly (M. Ticha et al., Glycoconjugate J. 1996, 13:681) and 1-O-succinimide derivatives (M. Andersson, S. Oscarson, Bioconjugate Chem. 1993, 4:246; B. Davis, J. Chem. Soc. Perkin I 1999, 3215).
These aglycons introduce spacers that can be linked to a protein either directly or after insertion of a secondary linker. For this purpose the use of an activated dicarboxylic acid has been reported (R. van den Berg et al., Eur. J. Org. Chem. 1999, 2593–2600). In another procedure, a sulfhydryl group at the terminal position of the spacer allows the formation of a disulfide bridge with proteins using the dithiopyridyl method (J. Evenberg et al., J. Infect. Dis. 1992, 165(sup. 1):S152). In a related protocol, a thiolated protein is coupled with a maleimido-derivatized saccharide (J. Mahoney, R. Schnaar, Methods Enzymol. 1994, 242:17). N-acryloylamidophenyl glycosides may be coupled to unmodified proteins using a Michael addition (A. Romanowska et al., Methods Enzymol. 1994, 242:90). As an alternative to glycoside formation, direct coupling of a carbohydrate to a linker via amide bonds has also been used (A. Fattom et al., Infect. Immun. 1992, 60:584–589), but this approach is limited to carboxyl-containing carbohydrates.
The yields of any of these methods rarely exceed 40% and are generally in the 10–20% range (R. van den Berg et al., Eur. J. Org. Chem. 1999, 2593–2600), especially when medium or high carbohydrate loading in the conjugate is attempted. This problem is compounded by the fact that the oligosaccharide haptens, usually obtained in multistep syntheses or by controlled degradation of polysaccharides, can rarely be reconverted in their active or activable form after the coupling procedure. An additional problem with most chemical coupling methods employed to date is the formation of cross-linked byproducts, due to the presence of multiple reactive functional groups (e.g., amines, acids, hydroxyls, and sulfhydryls) on most biomolecules. Avoidance of this problem requires that the reactive groups be blocked, with requires additional processing steps and may alter the physicochemical and immunological properties of the biomolecule. Thus, there remains a need for a mild and site-selective method for coupling biomolecules to one another, which avoids the problems of low yields, crosslinking, and loss of starting materials. For similar reasons there remains a need for mild and selective methods for attaching biomolecules to surfaces and solid and gel supports.

Conjugation of biomolecules using diels-alder cycloaddition

The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services


A semiconductor memory device comprises a memory core, data control circuit, flag register, data register and computation circuit. The memory core has a plurality of memory cells for storing data. The data control circuit writes and reads first test data to and from the memory cells in synchrony with a clock signal. The flag register stores a plurality of flag data items. The data register stores second test data input corresponding to input of a command. The computation circuit performs, at every cycle, computation of the second test data, stored in the data register, and each of the flag data items stored in the flag register, thereby generating the first test data, until an n-th (n is a positive integer) cycle of the clock signal is reached. The first test data is written to the memory cells by the data control circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to a semiconductor memory device whose memory cells can be tested at high speed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent semiconductor memory devices, there is a demand for testing memory cells at high speed in accordance with remarkable increases in memory capacity. However, since the speed of an external clock signal supplied from the outside of the memory devices cannot be increased, a phase-locked loop (PLL) is installed in the device to make the internal circuit operate at high speed (see, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-329000). In this case, when testing a memory, the input/output circuit (IO) does not operate at high speed, therefore a high frequency signal cannot be applied to the memory from outside. In other words, high-speed testing cannot be performed. In particular, in memory-combined LSIs in which a memory circuit and logic circuit are combined in a single semiconductor substrate, the memory macro that constitutes the memory circuit is demanded to operate at very high speed. However, in many cases, it cannot be tested from the outside whether the memory macro can operate at high speed. Furthermore, a high-speed memory tester is very expensive, therefore impractical.
A conventional semiconductor memory device example will now be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a memory macro incorporated in a conventional memory-combined LSI. A memory macro 1-0 comprises a memory core 1-1 and test input/output data control circuit 1-2. The memory core 1-1 has a plurality of memory cells. A write command WTp, read command RDp, clock CLKp and address (not shown) are input to the memory core 1-1. Further, the test input/output data control circuit 1-2 is connected to data input lines DI<0:4n+3> (n: a natural number including 0), and to data output lines DO<0:4n+3>.
Upon receiving the write command WTp, the memory macro 1-0 writes the data, input to data input lines DI<0:4n+3>, to memory cells of an address corresponding to the data input lines. Further, upon receiving the read command RDp, the memory macro 1-0 reads data from the memory cells of the corresponding address, and outputs the read data from data output lines DO<0:4n+3>.
The memory macro 1-0 incorporated in a memory-combined LSI has a large number of data input/output lines. In a standard test, a test is performed using test data input lines TDI<0:3> and test data output lines TDO<0:3> (in this case, the simultaneous use of test data of 4 bits is assumed). The test input/output data control circuit 1-2 controls the input/output of test data. Since the number of standard data input/output lines is 4(n+1) and the number of test data input/output lines is 4, the standard data input/output lines are divided into a number (n+1) of blocks to be accessed. A block selection address TBS<0:m> is a signal for selecting a particular one of the number (n+1) of blocks. "m" is also a natural number including 0, and "m" and "n" satisfy 2m+1≧n+1.
The test data input lines TDI<0:3> for receiving test data from the outside and the test data output lines TDO<0:3> for outputting test data to the outside are connected to the test input/output data control circuit 1-2. Further, a clock CLKp is input to the test input/output data control circuit 1-2.
Referring to FIG. 8, signal generation timing for testing the memory macro shown in FIG. 1 will be described. Signals SELCYCLEp<0:3> and RTSp are irrelevant to this explanation, therefore may be ignored. A clock (signal) CLK is an external clock supplied from the outside. A test command TCMD is not shown in FIG. 1, and is a signal obtained by multiplexing the read command RDp and write command WTp. The test command TCMD indicates the timing of input of the write command WTp or read command RDp. One latency (period), which corresponds to one pulse (cycle) of the clock CLK, is required for capturing each command. This is represented by a command CMD. A read command RD0, write command WT1 and read command RD2 are sequentially input at every fourth cycle of the clock CLK. Addresses are input at the same timing as the commands (this is not shown).
Data is input six clocks later than the input of a command. When the read command RDp is input, data of four cycles is output. When the write command WTp is input, data of four cycles is input. The test data input to the test data input lines TDI six to nine cycles after the input of the read command RD0 is used as expected value data EXP. Data items D0, D1, D2 and D3 as the expected value data EXP are compared with data items R0, R1, R2 and R3 as output data DO, respectively. As shown in FIG. 8, the comparison results are output two cycles later than the start of comparison. In the case of FIG. 8, only the data R1 of the second cycle is not equal to the comparison data (Fail), and the other data items R0, R2 and R3 are equal to the respective comparison data items (Pass).
To test the internal memory of the semiconductor memory device shown in FIG. 1, using an internal clock four times faster than a slow (low-frequency) external clock, it is needed to input data at a speed four times faster than the external clock, which is impossible. Further, it is needed to output data at the speed four times faster than the external clock. Alternatively, it is needed to repeat the same test four times to output data at different points in time.

Semiconductor memory device capable of testing memory cells at high speed