The present invention relates to an automata unit, a tool for designing circuitry and/or checker circuitry, and a method for manufacturing hardware circuitry. The automata unit includes an input unit for receiving assertions using Boolean expressions, an automata generator for translating the assertions into automata, and an automata adaptor. The automata generator uses a dual layer symbolic alphabet for representing the assertions, and the automata adaptor adapts automata algorithms so as to support the symbolic alphabet in the generated automata. The tools for designing circuitry and checker circuitry rely on the automata unit, and further include an assertion unit and either a circuit generator or a checker generator.

In 1965, Gordon Moore suggested the number of transistors in devices will approximately double every two years. This observation, widely known as Moore's Law, is still valid today. The pace of innovation of process technology has been nothing short of remarkable. The industry is currently working on 65 and 45 nanometer designs, enabling billion transistor devices. The size of the industry is equally impressive. The Semiconductor Industry Association estimated that sales for 2006 for integrated circuit devices would be over $207 Billion US and over $262 Billion by 2008. There seems to be no end to the demand for new and more complex products requiring integrated circuits.
Engineers use Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to develop and manufacture these devices. The complexity of millions and soon billions of transistors is clearly a task for computer-aided automation. In 2004, the market for these software tools was estimated to be over $4 Billion US and expected to grow at an annual rate of 10%.
These EDA tools are used to implement the design objectives from the initial abstract form of the circuit behavior to a final database which foundries use to manufacture devices. As a result of the increasing complexity, verifying that the design intent is faithfully implemented is becoming the dominant task within the overall project. The cost to design a new device is subject to many factors such as; re-use of IP (Intellectual Property) blocks, process technologies, complexity, and company specific overheads. In the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) 2005 Report on Design, the cost of a 6.5 million logic gate System on Chip was estimated to be close to $20 millions US.
Therefore, producing error-free Integrated Circuits (ICs) is of paramount importance in the semiconductor industry. In some cases the importance is of an economic nature, as product recalls and loss of market shares are but some of the consequences of providing faulty circuits. In military and aerospace applications, the consequences can be more direct especially when human lives enter the equation. Examples of defects in ICs range from satellite and rocket malfunctions, to glitches and failures in consumer applications. One well-known case is the floating-point error found on early models of the Pentium processor by Intel. This "bug", known as the FDIV bug was not a fabrication or manufacturing defect, but rather a functional error in the design of the division algorithm.
Verification aims to ensure that a circuit design behaves according to its intended specification. Verification deals with functional errors in circuit designs, in contrast to testing which deals with the detection of fabrication errors in ICs. In today's complex hardware digital circuit designs, verification typically requires more effort than the actual design phase itself. The predominant current verification methodology is based on an ad-hoc simulation-based approach, sometimes aided with coverage metrics. The design is verified by building a series of models, selecting test vectors, simulation and troubleshooting the resulting errors. This can be considered a post design approach. Although a large number of simulations can be run, the effort spent in fixing the bugs does not resolve the question of whether the design is faithful. A heavy burden is placed on design teams to prioritize which design areas need special attention and to identify events which could trigger a catastrophic failure. For those reasons, the ITRS suggests that without new techniques, verification will be a barrier for progress in the industry.
Amongst others, one technique, Assertion Based Verification (ABV) is emerging as a powerful approach for designers. This approach allows for a precise description of the expected behavior of the system to be modeled using temporal logic. Deviation from the expected behavior can be captured during simulations or by formal methods. Recently, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) adopted two languages for assertion specification; Property Specification Language (PSL) developed by IBM™ and Accellera™ (IEEE-1850) and System Verilog™ (IEEE-1800), accelerating its adoption.
After errors have been identified, the next step is to debug the design. Like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack, debugging increasingly complex devices can easily become a roadblock to delivering the end product on time.
Other vendors' products support assertions in multiple languages and allow for circuit emulation. These systems are substantial investments and form part of each company's comprehensive EDA portfolio.
In the emerging DFD (Design For Debug) space, companies are promoting a range of solutions. One such solution enables the designers to select an instrumentation structure, which can be synthesized and used post fabrication for debugging.
Hardware verification aims to ensure that a design fulfills its given specification by either formal or dynamic (simulation based) techniques. As one facet of Assertion-Based Design, Assertion-Based Verification (ABV) is quickly emerging as the dominant methodology for performing hardware verification in practice. Using temporal logic, a precise description of the expected behavior of a design is modeled, and any deviation from this expected behavior is captured by simulation or by formal methods. Hardware assertions are typically written in a verification language such as PSL (Property Specification Language) or SVA (SystemVerilog Assertions). When used in dynamic verification, a simulator monitors the Device Under Verification (DUV) and reports when assertions are violated. Information on where and when assertions fail is an important aid in the debugging process, and is the fundamental reasoning behind the ABV methodology. Assertion-Based Design practices also advocate the use of assertions as part of the design effort, when used as a formal documentation language. Assertions even go beyond design and verification, when used with a checker generator. In such cases, circuit-level checkers can be produced to create permanent circuitry that is to be added to a design, in order to perform silicon monitoring for self-test and diagnostic purposes, during the lifespan of the IC.
As circuits become more complex, hardware emulation is becoming an increasingly important asset for verification. Hardware emulation achieves the traditional dynamic verification goals by loading and executing the circuit on a reprogrammable hardware substrate, typically on an array of programmable logic devices. Once implemented in hardware, the emulator fully exploits the inherent circuit parallelism, as opposed to performing a serial computation in a simulation kernel. Furthermore, when design errors are found during emulation, additional information from the assertion checkers should be used to point to the source of the problem.
Assertion languages allow the specification of expressions that do not lend themselves directly to hardware implementations. Such languages allow complex temporal relations between signals to be stated in a compact and elegant form. In order to consolidate assertion-based verification and emulation, a checker generator is used to generate hardware assertion checkers. A checker generator is the tool that transforms assertions into assertion monitor-circuits (checkers), directly usable in hardware emulation. The overall operation of a checker generator is illustrated in FIG. 8, using a simple example scenario. A checker generator allows the flexibility of automatically generating custom monitor circuits from any assertion statement. Coding checkers by hand can be a tedious and error-prone task. In certain cases, a single PSL statement can imply tens or even hundreds of lines of RTL code in the corresponding checker.
Individual assertions, once converted to circuit form, are also referred to as assertion circuits. These checker circuits are typically expressed in a Hardware Description Language (HDL). An assertion checker is a circuit that captures the behavior of a given assertion, and can be included in the DUV for in-circuit assertion monitoring.
The concept of checker generators for PSL was pioneered by IBM™ and their FoCs tool as described in AlphaWorks, FoCs Property Checkers Generator, version 2.04, available on www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/FoCs, 2007. The original assertion language that served as the foundation for PSL was actually developed by IBM™ and was called Sugar™. The FoCs tool was originally intended for simulation use; however, the circuit checkers that were produced could also be synthesized in hardware.

Automata unit, a tool for designing checker circuitry and a method of manufacturing hardware circuitry incorporating checker circuitry


A dental hygiene device includes a toothbrush component and at least one interdental brush component that can be stored within the toothbrush component. At least one ventilation window located within the toothbrush component allows for drying of the interdental brush component to prevent the growth of biofilms. The interdental brush component removably attaches to the toothbrush component by a latch mechanism, a door mechanism or a friction fit between the interdental brush component and the toothbrush component.

Periodontal disease is a condition of the mouth that can result in tooth loss and has been associated with other chronic ailments such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The most common forms of periodontal disease are gingivitis (an inflation of the gum tissue) and periodontitis (an inflation of the periodontium, or the tissues that surround and support the teeth) that are associated with the growth of biofilms in the mouth. The act of brushing one's teeth with a toothbrush or similar device can effectively clean biofilms from the outward facing surfaces of the teeth, but will not reach the areas between the teeth otherwise known as interdental spaces. To prevent periodontal disease, dentists and dental hygienists strongly recommend that patients floss to clean interdental spaces in conjunction with regular brushing.
However, many patients resist the admonition to floss regularly. Many reasons have been cited for failure to comply with flossing recommendations, such as the inconvenience of flossing. Some dentists recommend interdental brushes for better cleaning of interdental spaces. However, patients resist that practice as yet another time-consuming step in dental care. Some of the reasons offered include the extra time it takes to locate the interdental brushes and problems that come with handling the small interdental brushes.
What is needed in the art is a dental brush with a conveniently accessible compartment for storing an interdental brush.

Toothbrush with interdental brush storage


An apparatus, such as a cassette or a cartridge, for storing a continuous tape medium in reeled form has first and second hubs contained in a housing having a base, with a continuous tape medium wound on said hubs, with a portion of the tape medium wound on one hub and another portion wound on the other hub. The hubs are respectively mounted on axles allowing rotation of the hubs. The axles are rotatably mounted in a platform which is slideable within an opening in the base of the housing so as to allow the axles to exhibit a translational movement, in tandem, in a direction parallel to the base as the tape medium is transferred between the hubs. As the diameter of reeled tape increases on one of the hubs due to the tape transfer, the platform, and the axles and the hubs, will move in a direction toward the housing sidewall closest to the hub having the smaller amount of tape reeled thereon, thereby increasing the spacing between the other hub and the other sidewall to accommodate the increasing diameter. The movable mounting of the axles and hubs allows significantly more length of tape to be contained in the housing, reeled on the hubs since a larger diameter tape reel can be accommodated when all of the tape is fully wound onto one of the hubs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for storing an increased length of continuous tape medium in reeled form in standardized housing formats, such as dual reel cassettes and cartridges in rectangular format and in quadratic format.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The need for storing all types of information in a digital form is increasing very rapidly. Such information can be all types of computer based/generated data, data generated by document scanners, loggers, various form of video or audio, or a combination of any of these.
Conventionally, computers use magnetic hard disks to store such information which is rapidly required (short retrieval time), while tape is used extensively for backup of such hard disks and also for long term archival storage.
Tape is by far the cheapest high capacity media available today, and the suppliers of tape drives are constantly bringing out new drives with better performance (higher capacity, shorter access time, higher data rates etc.)
Originally, tape drives were based upon the open-reel principle: The tape to be recorded was supplied on one reel which was mounted on the tape drive by the operator. The tape was then guided from the supply reel across the recording head to an empty take-up reel. As the tape drive was running, more and more tape was moved from the supply reel to the take up reel. At the end, the tape was rewound from the take up reel back on to the supply reel. Then the operator could remove the supply reel and replace it with another one.
This system is still in use in some data systems today. The requirement for a trained operator, the size of the supply reel (normally 10 inches or more in diameter), and no protection of the tape when the supply reel was removed from the tape drive, make such open reel systems less attractive today. Instead, manufacturers and users have turned to various forms of cassette and cartridge based tape systems.
There are many tape cassette/cartridges in use today; however, they can typically be categorized into three basic groups: single reel cassette, dual reels cassette, and belt driven cassette or cartridge.
The single reel cassette is really a refined version of the original open-reel system. Well known examples of the single reel cassette, are the IBM 3480 (later enhanced into 3490 and newer models) and the DLT cassette (previously known as the Compact reel). These cassettes are characterized by a square (normally quadratic or close to quadratic) housing containing just one single tape cassette (with tape). During operation, the cassette is inserted in the drive and one end of the tape is automatically pulled out of the cassette and onto a take up reel inside the drive. The operation therefore resembles the old open reel system, except that the tape cassette is physically smaller, and designed so that loading and tape extraction can be done without operator involvement.
These cassettes have an opening on one side of the housing to allow the tape end to be pulled out during insertion into the tape drive. At the bottom of the cassette housing is an opening which allows a drive motor built into the tape drive to engage to the tape reel in the cassette.
These single reel cassettes have increased in popularity during the last few years, because they offer relatively large tape length in a fairly small cassette housing. Also, the cost of building tape drives which can handle such cassettes effectively and reliably has decreased considerably.
Nevertheless, single reel tape cassettes have some basic drawbacks. The most important one is that the tape always needs to be pulled out of the cassette onto the take up reel inside the drive. This requires a fairly sophisticated mechanism, and takes time. Many single reel cassette systems need between 20 and 60 seconds or more just to load the tape properly. This will significantly reduce the effective speed of the system (longer data access time).
Furthermore, if power is lost during operation, it is normally impossible to eject the cassette from the tape drive. For some application and systems, this may be a severe drawback.
FIG. 1 shows the basic principle design of a conventional single reel cassette. The fact that the cassette housing contains only one single reel of tape, makes it possible to achieve a large tape area in a fairly small cassette. In FIG. 1, 1 references the cassette housing. 2 references the tape reel containing the tape wound on hub 5, while 3 references the leader block (the beginning of the tape with a plastic hook that connects to the tape drive). The cassette housing 1 has a door 4 which opens to allow the leader block 3 to be pulled out.
The dual reel cassette is well known in many different versions: 4 mm DAT or DDS cassette, 8 mm videocassette, the Philips audio (Compact) cassette and the VHS video cassette just to name a few.
The principle of the dual reel cassette is that both tape reels are located within the cassette housing. The tape moves from one reel to the other during operations. A portion of the tape housing is typically designed to be opened automatically when the cassette is inserted into the tape drive, thereby exposing the tape. The drive read/write head, tape capstan spindle(s) and drive tape guides can then move into contact with the tape. In some cases, such as the VHS, the 8 mm and the 4 mm cassettes, a section of the tape is actually pulled out of the cassette during insertion into the drive and wrapped partly around the recording heads and over the drive tape guides.
Compared with the single reel cassette design, the dual reel cassette normally makes it possible to design a fairly simple drive mechanism, especially if the tape does not need to be partly pulled out of the cassette. Dual reel cassettes have two openings at the bottom where tape drive motors can engage to the tape reels inside the cassette. FIG. 2 shows the basic design principles of a dual reel cassette. A cassette housing 10 contains a tape 14 wound in reels 12 on respective hubs 11. A door 15 which opens during insertion into the drive to expose the front end of the cassette housing 11 and the tape 14.
A drawback of dual reel cassettes is that the there must be room for more than two full tape reels inside the housing. First of all, the distance from each hub to the inside of the cassette housing must at a minimum be equal to the maximum radius of a hub fully loaded with tape (plus a small tolerance/safety factor). Secondly, the distance between the hubs is a function of the diameter of a hub fully loaded with tape. It can be shown that the maximum distance required between the two hubs occurs when both hubs contain equal amount of tape(=half the tape length). If the diameter of a hub loaded with the whole tape length is D, then it can be shown that the minimum length between the two hubs must be D.sqroot.2 (assuming that the diameter of the empty hub is very small compared to the diameter of the full reel of tape). For example, if the maximum diameter of a full tape reel is 2" (50.8 mm), the minimum inside length of the cassette housing must be 2"+2"+1.4.multidot.2"=6.8" (172.7 mm). (As shown later, for practical designs, the distance between the hubs needs to be somewhat longer than the D.sqroot.2 length, because the diameter of the hub without any tape has to be taken into account).
By definition, within the same form factor, the dual cassette has a capacity for less tape media than a similar single reel cassette with the same form factor.
During recent years, the dual reel cassette has gained in popularity, especially because the mechanical design of the tape drive can be made far simpler and more reliable than for drives utilizing single reel cassettes. The fact that the available total length within a given form factor is typically 60 to 70% less than for a comparable single reel cassette, however, has hampered its acceptance in high end professional systems focusing on maximum capacity.
The belt driven cassette is a variant of the dual reel cassette. The most widely used version is the QIC (quarter inch cartridge) and its smaller companion, the Travan cartridge. FIG. 3 shows the basic principle of a conventional QIC cartridge. A drive puck 20 engages the capstan motor in the tape drive when the cartridge is loaded into the drive. The cartridge housing 21, a door 22 which opens during insertion to expose a portion of the tape 23, which is wound in tape packs 24 on respective hubs 25. A mirror 26 detects special holes at the beginning and end of the tape. A belt 28 is entrained around the drive puck 20 and friction rollers 28, and is in contact with both tape packs 24. When the drive motor rotates the drive puck 20, the belt 28 causes the tape 23 to be moved in a straight path defined by guide pins 29.
Compared to a dual reel cassette, the belt driven QIC cartridge is designed so that it is only necessary to use one motor driving the cartridge reels at one point (the drive puck 20 in FIG. 3). That can simplify the drive construction even further. Like the dual reel cassette, however, the belt driven QIC cartridge has the same limitations with respect to available tape length. Actually, because the belt driven cartridge typically needs to have some additional components (belt guides etc.) inside its housing, the available tape length may be less than for a similar dual reel cassette design.

Apparatus for storing an increased length of continuous tape medium in reeled form in standardized housing formats


A nozzle assembly that includes upper and lower washers and a cam. A particular implementation of a nozzle assembly includes a stem coupled with a cam assembly. The stem has a nozzle in a first end which is in fluid communication with a second end of the stem. An upper washer is slidably coupled with a washer race in the stem and may have an upper washer groove and a lower washer may be coupled with the second end of the stem and have a lower washer groove. A spring element may be disposed around the stem between the upper and lower washer grooves. Particular implementations of a cam assembly may include a lower cam half slidably coupled into an upper cam half. Other particular implementations may further include the lower cam half rotationally and, in some implementations, removably indexed in relation to the upper cam half.

1. Technical Field
Aspects of this document relate generally to nozzles used to direct the flow of water or other liquids.
2. Background Art
Nozzles are often used to control the flow of water or other liquids. When immersed, nozzles create movement of the bulk liquid in a certain direction. For example, when a series of nozzles are embedded in the floor of a swimming pool, water flow through nozzles can be used to move contaminants on the pool floor toward a pool drain through entrainment in the water streams exiting the nozzles. Often, nozzles used in swimming pool applications contain components that allow their position to be automatically adjusted after each period of use to enable gradual cleaning of the entire surface of pool floor.


A method of driving a plasma display panel during an address period. In order to avoid address discharge failure at the temporal end of an address period, the voltages applied to the scanning electrodes and to the bias electrodes are decreased throughout the address period. By ramping these voltages down towards the end of the address period, mis addressing is less likely to occur. Other modifications to the driving waveforms include altering the amplitude and/or the temporal width of the address pulses and the scanning pulses. Such techniques allow the address period to remain short while preventing failure during the address period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to displays, and in particular to high definition plasma displays with many scanning lines, and in particular to modifying voltage waveforms applied to electrodes during an address period to prevent addressing failure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma display panels (PDPs) offer a large screen to display an image thereon. In high definition (HD-PDPs), there is a large number of scanning lines in the display. However, a problem exists in that address discharge is more apt to fail in the addressing of the later lines of pixel selection. What is needed is a way to overcome the problem of increased risk of failure in addressing the higher number scan lines in a display with many scanning lines without lengthening the temporal size of the address period.


Specific logic gates for Q-gating are selected by determining the minimum leakage state for a circuit design and then selecting logic gates that hold the circuit design in its lowest leakage state. Depending on the input desired to implement the minimum leakage state, the gate may be selected as a NOR or OR gate. Q-gating that is implemented with gates chosen to implement the minimum leakage state may be enabled during selected operating modes. The minimum leakage state of a circuit can be determined with an automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) tool.

Integrated circuits (ICs) are commonly designed using design-for-test techniques such as scan-based design in which scan flip flops are included in the IC designs to facilitate test mode operations of the IC. Scan flip flops are similar to standard flip flops but include a scan input, a scan output and an enable input. The enable input toggles the scan flip flop between operating mode and testing mode. When the enable input is asserted, the scan flip flops function in scan mode in which test inputs and test outputs can be transmitted via the scan input and scan output. When the enable input is deasserted, the scan flip flop operates as a standard flip flop in which input is received via the data input.
In scan based design, registers in the design are converted to scan flip flops 102 which are stitched together as shown in FIG. 1 to operate as an oversized shift register during test mode of operation. During test mode, a shift operation is first performed in which a test vector is shifted into the circuit via the scan flip flops 102. The test vector propagates through the combinational logic of the ICs internal circuitry, which is also referred to herein as the "cone of logic" 104. A capture operation can then be performed in which a test response is captured by the scan flip flop 102. The response data from the cone of logic is shifted out while a next test vector is shifted in.
During each shift a large number of scan flip flops toggle simultaneously in response to the test vector input. These toggles cause additional toggle activity throughout the entire cone of logic. Toggle activity during a shift can greatly exceed the toggle activity that occurs during normal operating mode of the circuitry. The toggle activity consumes enormous amounts of power which can detrimentally affecting the correct operation of the circuit during test and can decrease reliability of the circuit.
One design-for-test technique for reducing power consumption during shift operations is referred to as "gated-q" design. According to gated-q design, logic gates are added to the circuit design between the q-output of each scan flip flop and the cone of logic. A shift line to the logic gates is asserted during shift operations. Assertion of the shift line causes output from the logic gates to the cone of logic to be held in a single state during shift operations. In this way, the q-output of each scan flip flop is the to be "gated" during shift mode.
An example of q-gating is shown in FIG. 2 in which OR gates 202 gate the scan flop output. The OR gates 202 drive a logic '1' at each input to the cone of logic 204 when the shift line 206 is asserted, e.g. during a shift operation. Because the inputs to the cone of logic 204 are held at a logic '1', the combinational logic circuitry in the cone of logic 204 does not toggle during the shift operation so dynamic power consumption is substantially reduced.
Another example of q-gating is shown in FIG. 3 in which NOR gates 302 hold inputs to the cone of logic 304 in a single state. The NOR gates 302 hold logic '0' at each input to the cone of logic 304 during a shift operation in response to assertion of a shift line 306. Input to each of the NOR gates 302 from the corresponding scan flip flop 308 is inverted so that the NOR gates 302 transmit the same value received from the scan flip flop 308 when the shift line 306 is not asserted. Holding the inputs to the cone of logic 304 in a single state prevents propagation of toggle activity throughout the cone of logic and thereby prevents substantial dynamic power losses.
While the q-gating examples described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 substantially reduce power that would otherwise be consumed due to propagated toggling of the combinational logic, e.g. dynamic power losses, IC designs are also subject to static power losses. Static power losses due to current leakage in the combinational logic may be even greater than dynamic power in present IC designs. The term "leakage power" refers to the power consumed by a circuit design due to leakage currents when the transistors of the circuit are in their OFF state.
Leakage power consumed by a logic gate depends on the input pattern applied to it. For example. FIG. 4, shows a 2-input NAND gate 402 and a schematic diagram 404 of the transistors within the 2-input NAND gate. When a '00' input is applied, lesser leakage power is consumed compared to all other input combinations. This is because both transistors T1 & T2 will be OFF. This creates a higher drain to source resistance which results in a lesser leakage current and a lesser leakage power.
The minimal leakage state of a circuit design is the state of the design that consumes the least leakage power. This occurs when as many possible logic gates or other components are parked in their least leakage state such that the overall leakage power of the circuit is minimal. The problem of identifying a minimal leakage state for a given design is a complex problem for which various solutions or approximations have been postulated. However such solutions have generally been un suitable for practical application in designing ICs.

Integrated circuit leakage power reduction using enhanced gated-Q scan techniques


An automatic process for configuring a microprocessor architecture that consists of a number of execution units with configurable connectivity between them. The data and control flows within an input program are used to influence the process so that the resulting microprocessor is able to efficiently exploit parallelism available within the input program.

The typical nature of general purpose processor architectures is that the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) is fixed. This means that the types of operations supported and thus the presence of appropriate functional units is also fixed. The unit mix is determined during the processor design time upon the basis of a wide range of applications.
In an embedded application the microprocessor may spend a significant proportion of its time executing a small kernel of tasks. If the processor architecture could be modified to fit the requirements of those key tasks more closely then higher levels of performance could potentially be achieved. This is clearly desirable in the context of embedded systems where design time is crucial and there is a strong desire to keep as much functionality in software as possible, for reasons of both flexibility and development time. A custom hardware solution is more desirable from the perspective of performance but the design time and costs tend to be much greater.
Configurable RISC processors attempt to bridge that gap by providing a manual means to extend the instruction set of a processor. Hardware can be designed that is integrated into the data and control paths of the processor so that the hardware can be accessed in the form of an additional instruction. The disadvantage of this approach is that it is manual and the ultimate performance gains that can be achieved are significantly limited by the architecture of the underlying processor itself.
Recent work has focused on providing automatic means to identify clusters of frequently occurring operations and automatically form them into a single, more efficient, instruction. This increases the level of automation but is still limited by the underlying processor architecture.
A more general solution involves the use of a more scalable underlying processor architecture. This provides more opportunities for parallel execution resources in the architecture and underlying connectivity that dosely reflects the requirements of the application. The most relevant academic prior art is that for the automatic synthesis of TTAs (Transport Triggered Architectures). In this approach the starting point is a fully connected TTA with a number of duplicated functional units. The least used connections and least used functional units are gradually removed to produce a more optimised architecture. The performance of the architecture versus its silicon area can be graphed.

Automatic configuration of a microprocessor influenced by an input program


The invention relates to emergency transportation of more than one infant at a time by one rescue person. A plurality of pockets are located on the front and back of the rescue vest garment. The pockets each contain a seat over which the infant straddles and a ventilation structure through which the infant breathes toward the rescue person. A pocket flap further shields the transported infant.

It is critical that infants may be evacuated from facilities such as hospital nurseries and day-care nurseries in a swift and saft manner under emergency conditions. It is important that several infants be evacuated by one attendant rather than just one infant at a time. It is important that infants be transported in such a way that they cannot be dropped or injured. In emergencies such as fires, it is also important that infants be protected from smoke and flying embers during transport.
A multi-pocket apron for carrying children is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 275,812. The ornamental design depicts an apron to be worn by a person which covers only one side of a person, either front or back, and which contains six pockets on the front side of the apron. Three pockets are spaced across the width of the apron and the height of each pocket stretches from the middle of the apron to almost the top of the apron. The other three pockets are placed across the width of the apron and extend from the bottom of the apron to near the middle of the apron. The pockets appear to be ordinary pockets with no special features for placement of children within or for the protection of children from smoke or flying embers.
A rescue stretcher having a plurality of pockets spaced at intervals along the length thereof in which to place babies during evacuation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,862. At least two attendants are required to transport the babies being evacuated by the stretcher and babies situated in the pouches of the stretcher are not entirely protected from exposure to smoke or flying embers in an evacuation through a fire.
A coat which includes a pocket for carrying an infant is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,467. The purpose of the coat is to provide an integral covering for both parent and child and to ready the child for the outdoors without requiring the parent to specially dress the child. The coat, however, would serve no particularly useful purpose in evacuating more than one baby at a time in an emergency situation.
The ornamental design for a twin baby carrier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 307,821. A limitation of such a carrier for emergency situations is that only two infants at a time may be transported in the carrier. There appear to be no special features for protecting infants transported in the carrier from smoke or other dangers inherent to fires.


Disclosed are compositions and methods for assessing the apoptosis and survival BAD phosphorylation pathway (BAD pathway); and/or (2) the cell cycle role of APC in cell cycle regulation pathway (APC pathway); and/or (3) the transcription CREB pathway (CREB pathway) and for using these pathways to assess, treat, monitor, prognose, diagnose, etc. subjects with cancer. Also disclosed are compositions and methods for identifying molecular pathways that are common to one or more chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of an oncological disorder, for screening for compounds or agents that can be used to treat ovarian cancer, and for selecting for compounds or agents that can enhance the cytotoxic response of cisplatin, carboplatin, and/or paclitaxel against a cancer cell, such as an ovarian cancer cell or cell line.

The American Cancer Society ranks ovarian cancer (OVCA) as the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality in women, accounting for more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer. In 2010 in the United States alone, approximately 22,000 women had been predicted to be diagnosed with OVCA, with an estimated 14,000 women dying of their disease. (Jemal et al) This high mortality is attributed not only to the advanced stage (III/IV) at diagnosis observed for most patients (Herrin & Thigpen, 1999) but also to limited treatment options available for patients who develop acquired resistance to chemotherapy.
After cytoreductive surgery, most patients with advanced-stage disease receive systemic treatment with a platinum plus/minus taxane-based regimen. Cisplatin and carboplatin have been shown to have similar therapeutic efficacies against ovarian cancer (OVCA), but different toxicity profiles, either alone or in combination with paclitaxel. The molecular basis of OVCA response to each drug, either as single-agents or in combination, remains to be fully delineated.
Clinical trials performed in the 1980s and 1990s established the platinum compounds to be superior to alkylating agents, either alone or in combination with other non-platinum drugs. (Omura et al, 1986) Cisplatin and carboplatin do not differ significantly in their efficacy or effect on survival but do have markedly different side effects. (Ozols et al, 2003) Paclitaxel, a compound extracted from Pacific yew tree bark, has been used as an antineoplastic agent since the 1980s and has been shown to improve OVCA progression-free and overall survival when combined with cisplatin or carboplatin in first-line therapy. (McGuire et al, 1996) Randomized clinical trials comparing the combination of paclitaxel with either cisplatin or with carboplatin in patients with advanced-stage OVCA found no significant differences in efficacy between the two combination treatments, although there was generally an improved tolerability for the carboplatin-containing regimen. (du Bois et al, 2003; Neijt et al, 2000; Ozols et al, 2003) Despite substantial clinical data demonstrating the superiority of platinum-based regimens versus non-platinum regimens, the non-inferiority of carboplatin over cisplatin, and the benefit of paclitaxel combined with platinum-based regimens, the molecular basis to OVCA sensitivity to these drugs remains to be fully characterized.
It would be useful to have ways to assess chemo-resistance and clinical outcome in treated patients and to identify characteristics and targets to overcome chemo-resistance. In the current study, a genomic approach was adopted to characterize unique and common pathways that underlie ovarian cancer response to cancer treatments.

Compositions and methods APC, CREB, and BAD pathways to assess and affect cancer

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc.


The power supply device comprises first wiring that connects an alternator that is driven by the engine and a constant voltage electrical load that is driven at 12V, a heat accumulator that accumulates cooling heat and warming heat, a thermoelectric converter which generates power by using the heat that has accumulated in the heat accumulator and which supplies the generated power to the battery, second wiring that connects the battery and a variable voltage electrical load that is driven at 5V to 16V, for example, a relay which is provided on third wiring that connects the first wiring and second wiring and which interrupts the first wiring and second wiring, and a charge and discharge ECU which controls the thermoelectric converter on the basis of travel route information and so forth and which controls the relay on the basis of the operating state of the engine, the heat accumulation state of the heat accumulator, and the state of charge of the battery.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply device and, more particularly, to a vehicle power supply device.
2. Related Background of the Invention
Conventionally, an alternator (AC power generator), which generates an AC current as a result of being driven by the motive power of the engine, is used to supply electrical power to a variety of electrical components mounted in a vehicle (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H8-79915). The alternator rectifies the generated AC current by means of a diode to convert the AC current to a DC current, supplies the DC current to each electrical component and charges the battery.


A data transmission method for transmitting data from a first communication device to a second communication device, a data transmission system and a communication device can be provided. An identification message associated with the data is sent from the first communication device to the second communication device via a first cellular network. The data is transmitted from the first communication device via a first medium, other than the first cellular network, coupled to a server of a service provider of the cellular network, for transmission of the data to the second communication device.

Devices, such as mobile phones, connected to cellular telecommunication networks, such as 3G networks, can typically be used to send large amounts of data over the cellular networks. The data may be in the form of, for example, electronic files.
It is recognised that an increase in data sent by users typically decreases the data transfer speeds of the networks. This in turn typically creates a need for significant investment to improve the network infrastructure.

Data transmission utilizing alternate media


A backlight apparatus includes a guiding element and a light source disposed at one side of the guiding element. There is a plurality of reflective patterns at the bottom surface of the guiding element. Each reflective pattern is composed of at least one concavity and at least one convexity. The concavity is disposed at the rim around the convexity. As the light source emits light to the guiding element, the reflective area is increased by the concavity of the reflective pattern for increasing the reflecting effect and for distributing the brightness more uniformly, and thereby higher brightness and uniformity can be achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight apparatus, and more particularly, to a guiding element in the backlight apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A liquid crystal panel does not emit light itself, and therefore a backlight apparatus is needed for the liquid crystal panel to display images normally.
Please refer to FIG. 1. Conventionally a backlight apparatus of a liquid crystal panel includes a light source 1, a reflector 2, a light guide plate 3 and a reflective plate 4. The light source 1 provides light for the backlight apparatus, and the reflector 2 surrounds the light source 1 for reflecting light provided from the light source 1 into the light guide plate 3. The light guide plate has a front surface 3C and a rear surface 3B. An end 3A of the light guide plate is adjacent to the light source 1 for receiving light from the light source 1. There is a plurality of reflective patterns 3D disposed on the rear surface 3B, and the reflective pattern 3D is a convexity or a concavity. The reflective plate 4 is disposed below the light guide plate 3 for reflecting light passing through the rear surface 3B of the light guide plate 3 back to the light guide plate 3. After the light from the light source 1 enters the light guide plate 3 through the end 3A, the light is repeatedly total internally reflected between the front surface 3C and the rear surface 3B of the light guide plate 3 while proceeding away from the light source 1. The reflective pattern 3D changes the reflective angles of the light for refracting the light out of the light guide plate 3 in order to provide light for the liquid crystal panel.
Please refer to FIG. 2. The conventional reflective pattern 3D is a single convexity or a single concavity. Take the convex reflective pattern 3D for example; the reflective pattern 3D is a single convexity when viewed from any direction, and only the effective reflective area 3D1 and 3D2 (the areas facing the light source) can reflect or refract the light to the front surface 3C. Thus, light is not reflected or refracted out of the light guide plate effectively and cannot proceed away from the light source, causing the uniformity of light in the whole light guide plate to be not good.
Consequently, it is to be solved that how to increase the reflecting effect of the light guide plate and raise the uniformity of light in the light guide plate.


A material spreader having a beater bar that meters the supply of small quantities of material to the discharge opening of a material spreader hopper eliminating the need for a gate. The beater bar has one and preferably several paddles that rotate adjacent the discharge opening and as the paddle passes the opening, discharges only the amount of material on the paddle. The material spreader uses a high ratio transmission and low rpm motor to allow for extremely slow rotation of the beater bar. The motor speed can be controlled to allow very slow rotation and very small amounts of material to be discharged from the hopper. The spreader does not require a gate. The discharge of material is metered electronically.

Material spreaders are commonly used to spread salt, sand, or salt and sand mixtures over a surface to control ice and snow on the surface. There are many types of spreader assemblies, examples of such assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,089,478; D425,915; 6,422,490; and 7,347,390 all assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Known spreaders have a hopper for containing the material to be spread and use for example an auger or conveyor to move the material to the discharge opening of the hopper. In some units, the material is discharged directly from the discharge opening to the surface to be treated. In others, there is a spinner adjacent the discharge opening that receives the material and distributes the material by spinning and throwing the material over the surface to be treated.
One problem with these known spreaders is that they are not well suited to treat smaller surfaces. For example, sidewalks require a smaller amount of material to be spread over a much smaller area. Known spreaders over-spread material on sidewalks, since they are not readily capable of spreading smaller amounts over smaller areas. Known spreaders will distribute too much material and will spread the material beyond the desired area. This results in excessive material being spread, wasting resources, and material being spread over undesired areas, such as vegetation, which can be detrimental to the vegetation.
Additionally, known spreaders also have a gate that is adjusted manually which requires a speed change or gate change to have different output.
The present invention as described below, overcomes these problems with known material spreaders.


An improved rosette for securing at least one disc shaped element having a central aperture includes a raised circular hub having a substantially cylindrical side wall, the hub projecting upward from a planar base; at least one resilient, arcuate, circumferentially extending finger integrally formed with the hub and extending along the perimeter of the hub, each finger being formed integrally with the hub at one end and free at the other end; at least one aperture defined in the base, the number of apertures corresponding to the number of fingers, the fingers being arranged so that the free ends thereof overhang the apertures for permitting the free ends to substantially unobstructedly deflect arcuately inwardly when the disc is inserted on the hub; and a radially extending protrusion on the free end of each finger projecting outwardly beyond the outside diameter of the hub. The perimetric edge of the disc central aperture engages the protrusions when the disc is placed on the hub, causing the fingers to move arcuately inwardly from the perimeter of the hub to allow the disc central aperture to slide downwardly over the hub, the fingers resiliently engaging the perimetric edge of the disc central aperture to hold the disc in place on the hub.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to enclosures for receiving and storing digitally coded discs and, more particularly, to an improved engagement means for holding such discs within such enclosures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of planar discs are in use at the present time to record and store information which is to be retrieved by various means, such as by optical or magnetic means. Typical of such discs are compact discs (CDs) in which information is digitally recorded by use of a laser beam and then read optically by a laser beam. Such discs are used to record audio information, such as musical renditions, video information such as visual images and digital information for use as read only and other memories for use in various applications, such as computer applications. In most instances, at the present time, such discs are sold with information already recorded thereon. In other applications, such discs are sold in blank form and are used by the customer to record information thereon. In the latter case, for example, optical discs are sold for use as computer storage media and are used in hard disc storage systems. In either case, optical imperfections in or on the surfaces of such discs interfere with both the recording and retrieval of information stored on the discs. Care must, therefore, be taken in the storage, moving and handling of such discs to avoid causing any such imperfections.
Compact discs containing laser recorded information are typically packaged in enclosures designed to hold one or more CDs for protecting the discs during storage and shipment. Enclosures commonly used at the present time comprise a three piece assembly consisting of a base or bottom element, an insert or tray in the base/bottom element for positioning and supporting the disc in the base/bottom element, e.g., by a center projection (commonly referred to as a "rosette") which engages the periphery of the aperture in the center of the disc, and a lid or cover which is hinged to the base/bottom element and is closed thereon after the disc is mounted therein on the tray. Other enclosures utilize only two pieces, omit the tray, and position and support the disc via the center projection directly on the base/bottom element. The enclosure is, typically, at least partially transparent and graphics relating to the disc and containing trademark and sales promotional information are usually inserted in such a manner as to be visible through the enclosure.
Most typically, the rosette comprises a raised hub which is formed integrally with the base/bottom element or tray, preferably by injection molding. The hub includes a plurality of small gripping teeth or fingers for radially engaging the central aperture in the CD. Generally, the central aperture of the CD is positioned over the rosette and a slight downward pressure is applied. Due to the relative dimensions of the central aperture and the rosette, the downward pressure causes the gripping teeth or fingers to deflect radially inwardly and to resiliently engage the central aperture of the CD. In this way the rosette engages and secures the CD in place during storage.
It has become conventional for the elements of the CD enclosures to be formed by injection molding. As a consequence the rosettes are formed of the same plastic material as the base or tray with which they are integrally molded. The base and/or tray elements and, therefore, the rosettes have typically been made from pigmented thermoplastic molding resins having sufficient impact resistance to withstand the forces attendant to mounting and unmounting CDs as well as the forces experienced during shipping and handling.
More recently there has arisen a growing demand for additional graphic display space on CD enclosures. As a consequence it has become desirable to provide a clear, see through tray or base so that a larger percentage of graphic area is visible to the consumer. In order to achieve a clear, see through tray or base, a transparent plastic material must be used. One material which has emerged as the material of choice is crystalline polystyrene. Although a functional CD tray or base can be molded with crystalline polystyrene using known injection molding techniques and existing molds without substantial change to the enclosure design, the brittleness of crystalline polystyrene has caused significant problems with the rosette. Specifically, the molded gripping teeth or fingers have evidenced a tendency to fracture and/or break away during mounting and unmounting of the CDs and during shipping and handling operations due to the brittleness of the crystalline polystyrene. This can result in a loss of engagement between the rosette and the central aperture of the CD, allowing the CD to move within the enclosure and to become damaged by impairing the recording media stored thereon. Alternatively, or in addition, the fractured teeth or fingers can become loose and move around in the enclosure, damaging the surface of the CD by scratching the surface and impairing the stored recording media thereon.
Efforts have been made to reinforce the teeth or fingers of the rosette. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,968 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,156. However, attempts to redesign the rosettes or to reinforce them suffer from one or more shortcomings which make the resulting rosette either unsatisfactory or not particularly desirable for use in a CD enclosure. Either the rosette is undesirable because it is uneconomical to manufacture or it is unsatisfactory because it remains susceptible to fracture in use and presents substantial risk of damaging the information bearing surface of the disc. Accordingly, there remains a need for a simple, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use rosette for a CD enclosure which is configured to facilitate safe mounting and unmounting of the disc thereon and which does not present a damage risk for the disc's information bearing surface.

Rosette having radially deflectable finger ends for holding disc shaped elements


A method and apparatus for controlling a positioning mechanism comprising a smaller scale positioning mechanism for moving a tool within a smaller scale work space and a larger scale positioning mechanism for changing a position of the smaller scale work space within the larger scale work space. A commanded position for the tool is received by a processor unit. An error component is determined using a difference between the commanded position and a current position of the tool in the larger scale work space. A restoring component configured to move the tool toward a selected position in the smaller scale work space is determined. Control signals for controlling the smaller scale positioning mechanism and the larger scale positioning mechanism together to move the tool from the current position to the commanded position are generated using the error component and the restoring component.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to automated systems and methods for positioning a tool relative to a workpiece for manufacturing or other purposes. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to controlling a positioning system comprising joint larger scale and smaller scale positioning mechanisms for positioning a tool in a work space.
2. Background
An automated positioning system may be used to perform a variety of manufacturing and other tasks. An automated positioning system may include a tool attached to a computer controlled positioning mechanism. The positioning mechanism may be configured to move the tool to various positions in a work space. For example, the positioning mechanism may be controlled to move the tool to various positions in the work space to perform various operations on a workpiece in the work space. A robotic arm is one example of a positioning mechanism that may be used in an automated positioning system.
For example, automated positioning systems are used in direct digital manufacturing. Direct digital manufacturing also may be referred to as additive manufacturing, additive free-form fabrication, solid free-form fabrication, rapid prototyping, layered manufacturing, or three-dimensional printing. Direct digital manufacturing machines may be used to produce three-dimensional solid objects from three-dimensional digital models of the objects. To produce an object, the direct digital manufacturing machine may lay down successive layers of liquid, powder, or sheet material corresponding to virtual cross sections from the digital model of the object. The layers are joined together or fused automatically to create the final object. Objects of almost any shape or having any geometric feature may be made using a direct digital manufacturing machine. A direct digital manufacturing machine also may be referred to as a three-dimensional printer.
Current direct digital manufacturing machines may have working volumes of approximately one cubic meter. It may be desirable to have direct digital manufacturing machines with larger working volumes to produce larger objects. For example, without limitation, it may be desirable to have direct digital manufacturing machines with working volumes of approximately ten cubic meters.
Efficiency of direct digital manufacturing processes may be improved if the nozzle or other tool for laying down material in a direct digital manufacturing machine may be moved throughout the working volume of the machine at relatively high speed and with relatively high acceleration. For example, without limitation, efficient direct digital manufacturing may be achieved with speeds of approximately 2 meters per second and accelerations of approximately 40 meters per second per second.
Larger volume versions of current direct digital manufacturing machine designs may require significantly stiffer and more massive linkages in the positioning mechanism to move the nozzle or other tool through the working volume at the higher speeds and accelerations desirable for efficiency. Larger motors may be required to move the larger linkages at the desired speeds and accelerations. As a result, such a machine may require more expensive components and may use more energy than current direct digital manufacturing machines.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a method and apparatus that takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above as well as possibly other issues.

Position control for a positioning system comprising larger scale and smaller scale positioning mechanisms


A sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter includes: a subtractor for subtracting a feedback signal from an analog input signal; a loop filter for processing the output signal from the subtractor to generate a filtered signal; a signal comparing circuit for selectively operating in an offset detection mode or a signal comparison mode, wherein the signal comparing circuit generates an error signal irrelevant to the relative magnitude between the filtered signal and a reference signal in the offset detection mode, and generates a comparison signal corresponding to the relative magnitude between the filtered signal and the reference signal in the signal comparison mode; an offset calibration control circuit for calibrating the offset of the signal comparing circuit and for controlling the signal comparing circuit to alternately switch between the offset detection mode and the signal comparison mode; and a digital-to-analog converter for generating the feedback signal according to the comparison signal.

The disclosure generally relates to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and, more particularly, to a sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (sigma-delta ADC) for alternately conducting signal conversion and comparator offset calibration while reducing idle tones at the same time.
A sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter has been widely applied in many applications, but the process deviation of the comparators within the sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter usually causes signal offset. If the comparator offset in the sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter cannot be calibrated, it would cause serious influence on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the total harmonic distortion plus noise (THDN), and other related performance of the sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter.
In addition, the circuit characteristics of the conventional sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter also easily result in idle tones. In the conventional sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter, an additional dither signal generating circuit is typically employed to suppress the generation of idle tones, but this approach inevitably increases the circuit complexity of the sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter.

Sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter capable of reducing idle tones while alternately conducting signal conversion and comparator offset calibration


An angled clamp is capable of holding one wall at an obtuse angle relative to another wall. Alternatively, a conventional clamp may be modified with a clamp attachment having a jaw engaging piece and an opposite clamping surface with at least two flat portions forming a channel for receiving a work piece, in which the channel extends in a first transverse direction relative to a clamping direction. The attachment may have an attachment mechanism configured to be installed on a jaw of the conventional clamp by sliding in a second transverse direction relative to the direction of clamping. Alternatively, the attachment mechanism may include a ring for holding the attachment mechanism on the jaw. A method may include bonding first and second walls together at an obtuse angle without requiring the use of other fasteners.

1. Technical Field
The technical field of the invention relates generally to clamps and more specifically to clamps for clamping walls together at obtuse angles.
2. Background Art
In the past, cabinetmakers have generally secured adjacent walls of cabinets that intersect at an angle by relying upon use of screws or nails that extend through elongate holes into both walls of a cabinet. This approach leaves elongate holes that are then typically filled with a putty or other filling material. The filling material almost never matches, and the hole and/or filler thus interrupts and mars the beauty of the wood grain of a subject frame and/or an overall cabinet. The present invention offers a solution that obviates the need for using screws. With the present invention, the walls can be glued and held in place without the use of screws or holes. The invention may includes an angled clamp for a woodworking clamp that can hold one wall at an angle to another, allowing glue to dry without the creation of holes in the wood, or allowing the walls to be secured at an angle while being welded or fused together.


An arcuate speaker is arranged for pivotal mounting relative to a vehicular rear shelf plate in operative communication with a cover plate, wherein pivoting of the speaker in communication with a bottom surface of the rear shelf plate effects pivotal displacement of the cover plate for audible access of the speaker relative to an associated passenger compartment of the vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to audio equipment, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved vehicular rear shelf speaker apparatus wherein the same permits the masking and subsequent and selective presentation of a speaker relative to a vehicular rear shelf.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Speaker apparatus of various types for use in vehicles is known, and particularly such structure is typically fixedly mounted when utilized within a vehicular rear shelf compartment. Cabinet structure for such mounting is indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,965 to Murayama, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,835 also to Murayama sets forth a further example of cabinetry structure in the fixed mounting of an audio speaker to a vehicular rear shelf plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,369 to Dodrill and U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,776 to Kasai, et al. set forth further examples of speaker placement within an associated vehicle.
Accordingly, it may be appreciated there continues to be a need for a new and improved vehicular rear shelf speaker apparatus as set forth by the instant invention which addresses both the problems of ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction in permitting the masking of the positioning of the vehicle audio speakers during periods of non-use and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

Vehicular rear shelf speaker apparatus with automatic deoderizing fluid dispenser


An audio speaker unit including a low-frequency range speaker providing a first sound output directivity along a center axis with a conical diaphragm extending outwardly from a neck to an outer edge and a high-frequency range speaker rotatably mounted to the unit along the center axis of the low-frequency range speaker and positioned within the conical diaphragm and below the outer edge and having a second sound output directivity fixed at an angle to the center axis of the low-frequency range speaker so that by rotating the high-frequency range speaker, the second sound directivity can be arcuately positioned in at least one plane perpendicular to the center axis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to audio speakers and in particular to an audio speaker having both a low-frequency conical speaker and a high-frequency conical tweeter mounted along the central axis of the low-frequency speaker but having an audio sound directivity at an angle to the center axis that is arcuately rotatable about the center axis. The high-frequency tweeter is within the conical diaphragm of the low-frequency speaker and forward of the neck of the conical diaphragm of the low-frequency speaker.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Coaxial audio speakers are well known in the art. They typically have a low-frequency "woofer" and a high-frequency "tweeter" that is mounted along the center axis of the low-frequency woofer.
It is sometimes desirable to cause the directivity of the high-frequency tweeter to be at an angle with the center axis of the low-frequency speaker and having an angular direction that can vary. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,114, such speaker is disclosed in which a high-range speaker unit is pivotally mounted above the low-range speaker unit on a frame structure and is freely rotatable in a horizontal direction. This allows directivity of the high-frequency speaker to be changed not only in a vertical angle with respect to the center axis but also in a horizontal angle with respect to the vertical axis of the low-frequency speaker.
However, such arrangement requires a larger space for the speaker because the high-frequency speaker protrudes beyond the low-frequency speaker frame and requires an adjustment of the high-frequency speaker directivity in two planes.
It would be advantageous to have a coaxial speaker unit in which the directivity of the high-frequency speaker is at a fixed angle with respect to the center axis of the low-frequency speaker but which is adjustable in a horizontal plane about the center axis and in which the high-frequency speaker is located within the conical diaphragm of the low-frequency speaker and above the low-range speaker neck to which the conical diaphragm is attached so as to avoid the necessity of additional space in which to mount the speaker.

Harman International Industries, Incorporated


A convertible cargo bed assembly for a utility vehicle is provided. The assembly includes a single piece molded main body having a pair of integrally formed hip restraints that each include a passenger hand hold integrally formed within the respective hip restraint. The assembly additionally includes a molded pivoting panel that has a cargo deck side and a seat side. The cargo deck side functions as a portion of a cargo deck when the pivoting panel is in a deployed position. The seat side has at least one full-sized seat cushion coupled thereto. That is the full-sized seat cushion is approximately the same size as the forward facing driver's and passenger's seats. Therefore, when the pivoting panel is transitioned from the deployed position to a stowed position, wherein the convertible cargo bed provides a full-sized rear facing seat.

Typically, known utility vehicle cargo beds have a welded steel or welded aluminum construction and consist of many separate, mostly metal, components that are assembled using nuts and bolts.
Some known utility vehicle cargo beds are convertible to provide one or two compact-sized rear facing seats. Generally, a metal plate that forms a portion of the deck of the cargo bed is connected to the remaining portion of the deck by a fixed steel hinge, e.g. a piano hinge. To convert the cargo bed to a rear facing seat, the metal plate is pivoted along the fixed hinge and folded on top of the other portion of the deck. Such known convertible cargo beds only provide a reduced or compact-sized temporary seat compared to the full-sized forward facing seats, i.e. the driver's seat and the forward facing passenger's seat. Accordingly, the known convertible cargo beds are typically heavy, time consuming and costly to assemble, subject to rust, scratches and dents, noisy, create stability issues for the utility vehicle and only provide a compact-sized rear facing seat.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a convertible cargo bed for utility vehicles that is light weight, has very few components, will not rust and will provide a full-sized rear facing seat when placed in the seat configuration.


An article carrier strap apparatus includes an article-engaging strap assembly which includes a first article-engaging-strap end, a first article-engaging-strap connector attached to the first article-engaging-strap end, a second article-engaging-strap end, a second article-engaging-strap connector connected to the second article-engaging-strap end, a middle article-engaging-strap portion located between the first article-engaging-strap end and the second article-engaging-strap end, and a first strap-length adjustment assembly located in the middle article-engaging-strap portion. A support strap assembly supports the article-engaging strap assembly. The support strap assembly includes a closed, support-loop portion for supporting the middle article-engaging-strap portion of the article-engaging strap assembly and includes a user-supported portion connected to the closed, support-loop portion. In one embodiment, the user-supported portion includes a closed, handle-loop connected to the closed, support-loop portion. In another embodiment, the user-supported portion of the support strap assembly includes an adjustable-length, support-loop-portion-supporting assembly. The adjustable-length, support-loop-portion-supporting assembly can be used in the mode of a shoulder strap and can be used in the mode of a hands-free manner in which both of a wearer's shoulders are used.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to article carriers and, more particularly, to article carriers that employ flexible straps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to article carriers that employ flexible straps, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: 4,483,470, 4,518,107, 4,790,462, 4,863,083, 5,016,797, and Des. 335,576. More specifically, each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,483,470, 4,790,462, and Des. 335,576 discloses a strap device for carrying footwear. Even more specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,470 discloses a sling type strap that has two open ends. One roller skate is attached to each of the two open ends. Using this device one skate hangs over the front of a wearer and another skate hangs over the back of the wearer. There may be times, however, when a person desires to carry a pair of skates placed side by side, rather than straddling the front and back of the person. In this respect, it would be desirable if a strap-based article carrier were provided which permits a pair of footwear to be carried side by side.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,462 discloses a boot carrier that employs straps, wherein each boot of a pair is carried in an individual carrier. A carrier strap is slung over a wearer's neck, and the boots are carried side by side. However, because each boot is carried in an individual boot carrier, each boot can swing independently of the other boot. As a result, it may be difficult for a wearer to control two independently swinging boots. In this respect, it would be desirable if a strap-based article carrier were provided which binds a pair of footwear together so that each of the pair of footwear does not swing independently of the other.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 335,576 discloses a skate sling carrier which has two skate-carrier loops, wherein each of a pair of skates is carried in an individual skate-carrier loop. As a result, each of the pair of skates is not bound to the other skate. Moreover, the independently hung skates are located at the far end of a straight strap. Because the skates are located at the far end of a straight strap, there may be a tendency for each of the pair of skates to swing in a pendulum type fashion at the end of the strap. To avoid such a double pendulum type swinging action of carried articles, it would be desirable if a strap-based article carrier were provided which does not include a pair of individual skate-carrier loops located at the far end of a straight strap.
Among the patents cited hereinabove, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,518,107, 4,863,083, and 5,016,797 may also be of interest for there disclosure of additional strap-based article carriers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,107 discloses a carrier system for ski equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,083 discloses a waist belt that is used for carrying skis and boots. U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,797 discloses an article carrier used for carrying cameras and binoculars.
Other features would be desirable in an article carrier strap apparatus. For example, there may be times when it would be desirable for a person to carry articles by using one's hand. There may be other times when a person may desire to carry articles using a one's shoulder. In addition, there may be still other times when a person may desire to carry articles in a hands-free manner, such as being carried on one's back. In this respect, it would be desirable if a strap-based article carrier were provided that optionally could be used for carrying articles by hand, for carrying articles using one's shoulder, and for carrying articles in a hands-free manner.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use strap-based article carriers, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest an article carrier strap apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) permits a pair of footwear to be carried side by side; (2) binds a pair of footwear together so that each of the pair of footwear does not swing independently of the other; (3) does not include a pair of individual skate-carrier loops located at the far end of a straight strap; and (4) optionally can be used for carrying articles by hand, for carrying articles using one's shoulder, and for carrying articles in a hands-free manner. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique article carrier strap apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.


A system and method for cleaning a drive train of a bicycle, e.g., a mountain bike, that includes a novel stand, cleaning axle, tweezer brush, water nozzle, and gear cleaner used to clean the entire drive train of the bicycle or other cycle having a chain-driven drive train and a removable wheel that is driven by the chain. The stand has a base, an upright, and a pig tail hook having at least two surface portions that contact a seat post of the mountain bike, with the pig tail hook characterized in that gravity provides a retaining force for the pig tail hook to retain the seat post. The cleaning axle replaces the chain driven wheel and provides tension to the chain, allowing the chain to be cycled with the pedals and rapidly cleaned while the chain is cycled. The tweezer brush has two cleaning surfaces oppositely disposed to evenly grip the chain on opposite sides. The water nozzle has a wand to be inserted into cleaning ports in the cleaning axle to direct a cleaning fluid, e.g., water, directly onto the chain being cleaned. The gear cleaner is a thin, elongate cleaning member having a pair of wires twisted into interlocking spirals with a plurality of fiber elements clamped therebetween and is used to clean the exposed surfaces between gear plates, used to clean the gaps between teeth of the gears, and used to clean the inside surfaces of the chain.

Mountain bikes are bicycles specifically designed and constructed for use in hilly and often dirty environments. Their frames are very sturdy but their exposed gears are their Achilles' heel. A mountain bike drive train is a typically a combination of a steel chain, aluminum front chain rings, metal or aluminum rear gears or sprockets and plastic derailleur pulley wheels. This creates ten to eleven or more exposed gears or sprockets. To work properly, these gears must be cleaned and oiled regularly. Due to the nature of mountain biking (often riding in the dirt or mud) the oiled drive train attracts dirt which leads to poor performance. Moreover, the combination of dirt and oil creates an abrasive paste that prematurely wears the aluminum and plastic parts. Consequently, the drive train of mountain bikes must be frequently cleaned, ideally after every outing.
Some prior art chain cleaning devices clean the chain without requiring that the chain be removed from the bike, but do not clean the chain wheel (front gears), rear cassette (rear gears), or derailleur pulley wheels. These devices typically comprise a solvent reservoir and one or more brushes fixed near the reservoir to facilitate cleaning the chain with the solvent. Other prior art cleaning devices require one to disassemble the entire drive train and put the components into a dedicated parts washer, which are not portable. These devices require one to "break" the chain, which weakens the chain rivet and can lead to chain breakage. Additionally, one can take the bike to a so-called self car wash, however the large powerfull spray is not controllable and exposes the cartridge, wheel bearings, and bottom bracket bearings to dirt, water, and soap under pressure. This option clearly is not portable and the user often gets as wet as the bike.

System and method for cleaning a drive train of a bicycle


An electrophysiological measurement method and system is provided for positioning an implantable transducer of a hearing instrument relative to a middle ear component or inner ear of a patient. The method and system employ electrophysiological measurement signals obtained in response to test signals applied to an implanted transducer. In one embodiment, the electrophysiological measurements are obtained by an electrocochleography measurement device that measures the cochlear summating potential and/or action potential responsive to test signals applied to an implanted transducer. In another embodiment, an auditory brainstem response measurement device is utilized to obtain electrical potential measurement signals responsive to test signals applied to an implanted transducer.

In the class of hearing aids generally referred to as implantable hearing instruments, some or all of various hearing augmentation componentry is positioned subcutaneously on or within a patient's skull, typically at locations proximate the mastoid process. In this regard, implantable hearing instruments may be generally divided into two sub-classes, namely semi-implantable and fully implantable. In a semi-implantable hearing instrument, components such as a microphone, signal processor, and transmitter may be externally located to receive, process, and inductively transmit an audio signal to implanted components, e.g. an implantable receiver and transducer. In a fully implantable hearing instrument, all of the components, e.g. the microphone, signal processor, and transducer, may be located subcutaneously. In either arrangement, the implantable transducer is utilized to stimulate a component of the patient's auditory system, e.g. a middle ear component or inner ear.
By way of example, one type of implantable transducer includes an electromechanical transducer having a magnetic coil that drives a vibratory actuator. The actuator is positioned to interface with and stimulate the ossicular chain of the patient via physical engagement. (See, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,342). In another approach, implanted excitation coils may be employed to electromagnetically stimulate magnets affixed within the middle ear. (See, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,376). In each of these approaches, a changing magnetic field is employed to induce vibration of a middle ear component, e.g. one or more bones of the ossicular chain, thereby stimulating the cochlea through its natural input, i.e. the oval window. In other approaches, an implantable transducer is located within the inner ear or in direct contact with the round window of the inner ear of a patient, wherein vibrations are imparted to the cochlear fluid of the patient. For example, the implantable transducer may be defined by a microactuator that functions like a parallel plate capacitor, wherein applied voltage changes across the "plates" yields electrostatic forces that cause one of the plates to functionally flex as a diaphragm to input vibrations to the cochlear fluid of a patient. (See, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,859). In another arrangement, a number of output-side electromechanical transducers may be disposed on or within a mechanical carrier that is positioned within the inner ear. (See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,894).
In the case of implantable transducers designed to interface with the ossicular chain, the establishment/maintenance of a desired interface between the implantable transducer and the ossicular chain is important for proper instrument operation. For instance, stimulation of the ossicular chain through vibration relies at least in part on an intimate contact interface between the ossicular chain and transducer. Overloading or biasing of the implantable transducer relative to the ossicular chain can result in degraded performance of the biological aspect (movement of the ossicular chain), possibly causing an additional impairment of hearing, as well as degraded performance of the mechanical aspect (movement of the transducer). Further, if the implantable transducer is underloaded relative to the ossicular chain, e.g. a loose connection or no physical contact at all, vibrations may not be effectively communicated.
Similarly, in the case of implantable transducers designed to interface directly with an inner ear, the establishment/maintenance of a desired interface between the implantable transducer and inner ear is important for proper instrument operation. For example, proper contact positioning of an implantable transducer within or on the outside of the round window of the inner ear is needed for proper stimulation of the cochlear fluid.
As may be appreciated, at the time of implant proper setup of an implantable transducer may depend on the present condition of the middle ear and/or inner ear of a patient. For instance, the positioning of the transducer and the nature of the sound processing parameters may be determined based on patient-specific biological aspects such as damage or reduced mobility of the ossicular chain, etc. Over time, such aspects may change and additional pathological aspects may develop. These changes or developments, in turn, may affect the performance of the implanted transducer, e.g. such as by changing the engagement between the transducer and the ossicular chain or inner ear.

Electrophysiological measurement method and system for positioning an implantable, hearing instrument transducer