In a cellular radio system having in each of a plurality of cells at least one base station communicating with mobile stations located within its area, the base stations each transmit a pilot signal to the mobile stations. At least one of the base stations, transmits to the mobile stations by transmitting a pilot signal by using a rather narrow changing antenna beam. The angle of the greatest gain of the antenna beam is controlled in such a way that the antenna beam sweeps the cell area. The mobile stations can use the pilot signal in the identification of a base station, and as an indicator of a need for handover, without the continuous reception of the pilot signal in the subscriber equipment, and without a need to transmit the pilot signal with a higher transmission power than the other signals.

The invention relates to a method for transmitting a pilot signal in a cellular radio system, which comprises in each cell at least one base station communicating with mobile stations located within its area, and in which method the base stations transmit a data signal in the downlink transmission direction by using radiation patterns changing in time, and which base stations transmit a pilot signal to the mobile stations.
The present invention is applicable for use in a data transmission system applying any multiple access method, but especially in a cellular system utilizing code division multiple access. Code division multiple access (CDMA) is a multiple access method, which is based on the spread spectrum technique and which has been applied recently in cellular radio systems, in addition to the prior FDMA and TDMA methods. CDMA has several advantages over the prior methods, for example spectral efficiency and the simplicity of frequency planning. An example of a known CDMA system is disclosed in the broadband cellular radio standard EIA/TIA IS-95.
In the CDMA method, the narrow-band data signal of the user is multiplied to a relatively wide band by a spreading code having a considerably broader band than the data signal. In known test systems, bandwidths such as 1.25 MHz, 10 MHz and 25 MHz have been used. In connection with multiplying, the data signal spreads to the entire band to be used. All users transmit by using the same frequency band simultaneously. A separate spreading code is used over each connection between a base station and a mobile station, and the signals of the different users can be distinguished from one another in the receivers on the basis of the spreading code of each user.
Matched filters provided in the receivers are synchronized with a desired signal, which they recognize on the basis of a spreading code. The data signal is restored in the receiver to the original band by multiplying it again by the same spreading code that was used during the transmission. Signals multiplied by some other spreading code do not correlate, in an ideal case, and are not restored to the narrow band. They appear thus as noise with respect to the desired signal. The spreading codes of the system are preferably selected in such a way that they are mutually orthogonal, i.e. they do not correlate with each other.
In a CDMA cellular radio system, it is possible to use a so-called pilot channel in the transmission direction of a base station to subscriber equipments, i.e. in the downlink direction. A pilot channel is a signal which is transmitted with a specific spreading code and utilizing the same frequency band on which the actual traffic channels are situated, the pilot signal being distinguishable from them only on the basis of the spreading code. The pilot signal is a channel known and listened to by all subscriber equipments within the cell area, and it is used, for example, in power measurements and in the generation of a coherent phase reference. Each base station of the system transmits its own pilot signal on the basis of which the subscriber equipments can distinguish the transmissions of different base stations from each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,390, which is incorporated herein by reference, and the aforementioned IS-95 standard disclose a prior art CDMA cellular system utilizing a separate pilot channel that is transmitted to the same coverage area with the data signals.
In a typical mobile phone environment, the signals between a base station and a mobile station propagate along several paths between the transmitter and the receiver. This multipath propagation is mainly due to the reflections of the signal from the surrounding surfaces. Signals which have propagated along different paths arrive at the receiver at different times due to their different transmission delays. In the CDMA, the multipath propagation can be exploited in the reception of the signal in the same way as diversity. The receiver generally utilized in a CDMA system is a multibranch receiver structure where each branch is synchronized with a signal component which has propagated along an individual path. Each branch is an independent receiver element, the function of which is to compose and demodulate one received signal component. In a conventional CDMA receiver, the signals of the different receiver elements are combined advantageously, either coherently or incoherently, whereby a signal of good quality is achieved.
CDMA systems can also apply a soft handover wherein a mobile station may simultaneously communicate with two or more base stations by utilizing macrodiversity. The connection quality of the mobile station thus remains high during the handover and the user does not notice a break in the connection.
Interference caused by other connections in the desired connection thus appears in the receiver as noise that is evenly distributed. This is also true when a signal is examined in an angular domain according to the incoming directions of the signals detected in the receivers. The interference caused by the other connections in the desired connection thus also appears in the receiver as distributed in the angular domain, i.e. the interference is rather evenly distributed in the different incoming directions.
The capacity of the CDMA system, which can be measured by means of spectral efficiency, has been further improved with sectorization. A cell is then divided into sectors of a desired size that are serviced by directional antennas. The mutual noise level caused by the mobile stations can thus be reduced significantly in the base station receiver. This is based on the fact that on average the interference is evenly distributed between or among the different incoming directions, the number of which can thus be reduced by means of sectorization. The sectorization can naturally be implemented in both transmission directions. The advantage provided in the capacity by the sectorization is proportional to the number of the sectors.
A sectorized cell may also utilize a softer handover, wherein a mobile station performs a handover from one sector to another by communicating simultaneously with both sectors. Even though soft handover improves the connection quality and sectorization increases the system capacity, the movement of the mobile stations naturally leads to the stations performing several handovers from one sector to another. This loads the processing capacity of the base station controller. Several soft handovers also produce a situation where several mobile stations communicate simultaneously with more than one sector (usually two sectors), whereby the increased capacity provided by the sectorization is lost, as a signal of a mobile station is audible in a wide sector.
The multiple access interference of CDMA systems has also been reduced by means of different known multiple access interference cancellation (IC) methods and multi-user detection (MUD). These methods are best suited for reducing the interference produced within the user's own cell, and the system capacity can thus be increased to about double compared to a system implemented without interference cancellation. However, these methods do not provide a significant improvement in the size of the coverage area of the base station as compared to known technology, i.e. the cell size is not significantly altered with the application of these methods. Also, the IC/MUD techniques are complicated to realize, wherefore they have mainly been developed in the uplink direction.
Another method that has been developed is an SDMA (Space Division Multiple Access) method wherein the users are distinguished from one another on the basis of their location. This is performed in such a way that the beams of the receiver antennas at the base station are adjusted to the desired directions according to the location of the mobile stations. For this purpose, the system uses adaptive antenna groups, i.e. phased antennas, and the processing of the received signal, by means of which the mobile stations are tracked.
The use of the SDMA in connection with the CDMA provides several advantages over the prior methods, such as sectorization. If the sector beams in the sectorization are narrowed in order to increase the spectral efficiency, the number of the handovers to be performed from one sector to another also increases. This in turn excessively increases too much the calculation capacity required in the base station controller.
In connection with the application of the SDMA, the background art is illustrated in A. F. Naguib, A. Paulraj: Performance of CDMA Cellular Networks With Base-Station Antenna Arrays (Proc. International Zurich Seminar on Digital Communications, pp. 87-100, Zurich, Switzerland, March 1994), which is incorporated herein by reference. In the SDMA system a signal is thus received by means of an antenna group, and the received signal is shaped by means of digital signal processing in such a way that the directivity patterns of the antennas are suitable for the stages following the shaping in the receiver. In prior art arrangements, the received signal is shaped in order to maximize the signal-to-interference ratio of the desired signal. The received signal is thus shaped in such a way that the directivity pattern of the antenna group minimizes the interference caused by the other connections in the desired signal. In the arrangement according to the aforementioned reference, each detected signal component is subjected to individual beam shaping, i.e. the impulse response must be known before the shaping.
When data signals, i.e. traffic channels, are transmitted to mobile stations according to the SDMA principle by using changing beams, the use of the pilot signal will be problematic in the prior art arrangements. In known methods, the pilot signal has thus been transmitted continuously and together with the traffic channels so that the pilot could be used in the mobile stations for the identification of base stations and as an indicator of a need for handover. The conventional manner of transmitting a pilot signal restricts the cell coverage area, which could be larger in connection with changing antenna beams.
The deficiency in the antenna gain of a pilot signal transmitted with a known method must be compensated for with a higher transmit power or by increasing the processing gain in the subscriber terminals.

Method for transmitting a pilot signal, and a cellular radio system


In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a shallow trench isolation layer made of silicon oxide is formed in a semiconductor substrate to partition an area for forming a MOS transistor. Then, first impurities are introduced into the MOS transistor forming area to adjust a threshold voltage of the MOS transistor. Then, second impurities are introduced into end portions of the MOS transistor forming area of the semiconductor substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device such as a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor partitioned by a shallow trench isolation (STI) layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
When manufacturing a MOS transistor, impurities are introduced into a semiconductor substrate under a gate electrode, thus adjusting the threshold voltage of the MOS transistor. On the other hand, in a prior art manufacturing method, in order to partition MOS transistors from each other, an STI layer made of silicon oxide has been introduced. This will be explained later in detail.
In the above-described prior art method, however, when the channel width as well as the channel length has been reduced, a so-called narrow channel width effect becomes notable. For example, in an N-channel MOS transistor, boron atoms are introduced into a silicon substrate under a gate electrode to adjust the threshold voltage. In this case, boron atoms are segregated by the STI layer, so that the concentration of boron atoms is made lower at the ends of a channel in the width direction than at the center thereof. This decreases the threshold voltage of the N-channel MOS transistor.
Note that, in a P-channel MOS transistor, the same narrow channel width effect occurs. That is, arsenic or phosphorus ions are implanted to decrease the threshold voltage. In this case, arsenic or phosphorus atoms are also segregated by the STI layer, so that the concentration of arsenic or phosphorus atoms is made higher at the ends of a channel in the width direction than at the center thereof. This also decreases the threshold voltage of the P-channel MOS transistor.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device capable of suppressing the narrow channel width effect caused by an STI layer.
According to the present invention, in a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a shallow trench isolation layer made of silicon oxide is formed in a semiconductor substrate to partition an area for forming a MOS transistor. Then, first impurities are introduced into the MOS transistor forming area to adjust a threshold voltage of the MOS transistor. Then, second impurities are introduced into end portions of the MOS transistor forming area of the semiconductor substrate.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device capable of suppressing narrow channel width effect


The present invention provides improvement usable with an intravascular catheter having a single common distal lumen with a reduced profile connected to two or more proximal lumens. The catheter will be loadable over a guidewire into a region of interest within a patient's vascular system. According to one aspect of the present invention, means are provided to ensure that the guidewire enters into a desired one of the proximal lumens. In a preferred embodiment, a special tool is provided to achieve this. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the catheter is provided with a proximal housing and an axially expandable member to shield the rotating parts at the proximal end of the catheter and to allow for convenient movement of a work element within the catheter body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the construction and use of vascular catheters and, more particularly, to vascular catheters having a reduced-size distal tip capable of selectively receiving either a movable guidewire or a work element.
2. Description of the Background Art
Arteriosclerosis, also known as atherosclerosis, is a common human ailment arising from the deposition of fatty-like substances, referred to as atheroma or plaque, on the walls of blood vessels. Such deposits occur both in peripheral blood vessels that feed limbs of the body and coronary blood vessels that feed the heart. When deposits accumulate in localized regions of the blood vessels, blood flow is restricted and the person's health is at serious risk.
Numerous approaches for reducing and removing such vascular deposits have been proposed, including balloon angioplasty, where a balloon-tipped catheter is used to dilate a stenosed region within the blood vessel; atherectomy, where a blade or other cutting element is used to sever and remove the stenotic material; laser angioplasty, where laser energy is used to ablate at least a portion of the stenotic material; and the like.
In order to more effectively apply such intervention techniques, a variety of vascular imaging devices and methods may be employed. Of particular interest to the present invention, intraluminal imaging catheters having ultrasonic transducers at their distal ends have been employed to produce images of the stenotic region from within the blood vessel.
A number of designs for ultrasonic imaging catheters have been proposed. One approach has been to use a phased-array of discrete ultrasonic imaging transducers at the tip of a vascular catheter. While this approach is advantageous in that it does not require mechanical manipulation of the transducers, it is problematic in that the image quality is limited. Such a phased-array intravascular imaging catheter is commercially available from EndoSonics Corporation, Rancho Cordova, California, as the CathScanner I System.
A more promising approach for intravascular ultrasonic imaging employs mechanical rotation of the ultrasonic signal, either by mechanically rotating the transducer itself or by mechanically rotating a mirror, which radially deflects the ultrasonic signal from the transducer. Mechanical rotation generally provides better image quality than use of a phased-array system, but the design of such catheters is problematic since the designs must provide for rotating the transducer and/or an associated mirror at speeds usually in the range from 500 to 2000 rpm. Moreover, the interior blood vessel must be protected from the rotating components, which could cause substantial injury should they come in contact with the blood vessel.
A number of specific designs for mechanical ultrasonic imaging catheters have been described. An early design is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,931, where the mechanical components of the imaging system are located within a housing at the distal end of the catheter. The housing includes a fixed guidewire at its distal tip which is used to position the catheter within the vascular system. While the use of such fixed-guidewire designs can provide excellent image quality, under some circumstances it is desirable to use an "over-the-wire" design where the catheter may be introduced over a separate (movable) guidewire. The use of a movable guidewire offers certain advantages including improved steering capability through branch coronary arteries and elsewhere and easier catheter exchange, e.g. substitution of an interventional catheter after imaging has been completed.
A particular design for an over-the-wire ultrasonic imaging catheter is illustrated in FIG. 1. The catheter includes the catheter body 10 having an exterior catheter lumen 12 attached near its distal end. A rotatable ultrasonic imaging assembly 14 is mounted at the distal end of the drive member 16, and the device may be introduced over a conventional movable guidewire 18, as illustrated. Designs employing parallel lumens are disadvantageous, however, since the width of the distal tip must be sufficient to accommodate both the ultrasonic imaging element and the guidewire. To be able to cross very narrow lesions, the diameter of the catheter should be as small as possible at the distal end. Ideally, the diameter of the catheter in the region of the rotating imaging element should be minimized, preferably including only the imaging element surrounded by a catheter sheath. The requirement of the separate guidewire lumen increases the minimum size, making this design unsuitable for treatment of small blood vessel lesions and preventing passage through conventional guiding catheters.
Designs of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 are commercially available from Medi-Tech, Inc., Watertown, Massachusetts. A design similar to that of FIG. 1 is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,234, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
An alternative design for a mechanical ultrasonic imaging catheter avoids the need for a parallel guidewire lumen by providing for exchange of the mechanical imaging components with a conventional guidewire. As illustrated in FIG. 2, such a catheter comprises a single lumen catheter sheath 20 which can receive a drive wire 22 carrying an ultrasonic imaging assembly 24 at its distal end. The catheter sheath 20 may be initially introduced over a conventional guidewire. The guidewire may then be completely removed and replaced with the imaging assembly. While the diameter of the catheter 20 is minimized, the need to exchange the guidewire and imaging components whenever the catheter is to be repositioned is time consuming and disadvantageous. Such catheters are commercially available from Inter-Therapy, Inc., Costa Mesa, California.
For these reasons, it is desirable to provide ultrasonic imaging catheters which have a narrow profile in the distal region and which can be introduced over a separate, moveable guidewire. It is particularly desirable for such designs to allow for imaging within the narrow distal region of the catheter without the need to remove the guidewire entirely from the catheter body. In particular, such an imaging catheter should present a width of less than about 5 French, and more preferably less than about 3 French, to facilitate entry into the coronary arteries and even very tight lesions.
An imaging catheter of the type having a reduced profile distal region is the subject of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/930,977, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such a catheter is illustrated in FIG. 3. This catheter 50 includes a flexible catheter body 52 having a distal region 54 and a proximal region 56. The distal region 54 includes a single common lumen 58, which extends from a distal port 60 to a transition region 62. The proximal region 56 includes a first lumen 64 and second lumen 66. The first lumen 64 carries a movable guidewire 68 which, as illustrated, extends from a proximal port 70 through the common lumen 58 and in distal region 54 and out the distal port 60.
Catheter 50 further includes a proximal housing 80 secured to the proximal end of the catheter body 52. Proximal housing 80 includes a lever 82, which is attached to the drive shaft 72, which permits the user to selectively reciprocate the ultrasonic imaging assembly 74 between a retracted position and an extended position. The ultrasonic imaging assembly 74 would normally be utilized only when it is in its extended configuration. It will be retracted when the catheter 50 is being positioned over the movable guidewire 68.
The housing 80 further includes an electrical connector plug 84 for coupling the electrical leads on the drive shaft 72 to the necessary electrical instrumentation for producing the ultrasonic image and a spindle 86 at the proximal terminal end of the drive shaft 72 for coupling to a motor drive, as described hereinabove. Conveniently, rings and commutators (not shown) may be provided in a conventional arrangement to couple electrical leads (not shown) from the transducer (running along or through the drive shaft 72) to the connector plug 84.
The steps for inserting a catheter having a common distal lumen into a blood vessel are illustrated in FIGS. 4-6. Initially, a guidewire 68 is fed into the blood vessel BV so that the distal end lies beyond the region of stenosis S, as illustrated in FIG. 4. After positioning of the guidewire 68, the catheter 50 is introduced over the guidewire by passing the proximal end of the guidewire 68 through distal port 60 and subsequently threading the guidewire through common lumen 58 of distal region 54 and lumen 64 in proximal region 56. The catheter is advanced axially forward within the blood vessel until the proximal region 54 lies within the region of stenosis. After the catheter 50 has been properly positioned, the ultrasonic imaging assembly 74 may be advanced to the position shown in FIG. 5 (or alternatively it may have been in such position while the catheter was being introduced to the blood vessel). After imaging assembly 74 is located near the distal end of lumen 66, guidewire 68 will be retracted in the distal direction until it is removed from common lumen 58 in the distal region and lies wholly within lumen 64 within proximal region 56. Once common lumen 58 is cleared of guidewire 68, ultrasonic imaging assembly 74 may be advanced axially forward into common lumen 58, where it can then be used for imaging in a conventional manner.
At any time during the imaging procedure, the drive shaft 72 can be retracted to once again clear common lumen 58. After clearing the lumen, the guidewire can again be advanced axially forward so that it is available for repositioning the catheter 50. Alternatively, guidewire 68 may be left in place and the catheter 50 withdrawn over the guidewire so that it remains in place for different catheters to be introduced.
Catheters having a reduced profile distal region offer significant advantages over those previously available. The reduced profile distal region allows for entry into narrow and tortuous regions of a patient's vascular system. Additionally, the presence of two lumens in the proximal region allows for quicker and easier repositioning of the catheter.
However, catheters of this type can be improved further. When inserting a catheter as shown in FIG. 3 into a blood vessel over the guidewire, the guidewire may advance into the wrong lumen in the proximal region, i.e., into the lumen containing the imaging core. It would be desirable to provide some means for directing the guidewire into the appropriate lumen.
Second, it would be desirable to seal the catheter at its proximal end and to provide a means for convenient advancement and retraction of the imaging core or other work element within the catheter body. This would be doubly advantageous in that it would prevent the entry of foreign or infectious material into the patient from the proximal end and also shield the rotating parts of the catheter at that end. Such a proximal end seal and means for advancing the work element would be applicable not only to catheters having a reduced profile distal end, but other types of catheters as well.
Finally, although co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/930,977 speaks only in terms of imaging, there is no reason why use of the refinements of the present invention should be so limited. The improvements of the present invention could also be included in catheters which use balloon angioplasty devices, laser ablation devices, mechanical cutters, or other interventional devices as an alternative or in addition to an imaging device.


According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method including: forming a first film on a target film; forming resist patterns on the first film; processing the first film with the resist patterns to form first patterns including: periodic patterns; and aperiodic patterns; removing the resist patterns; forming a second film over the target film; processing the second film to form second side wall patterns on side walls of the first patterns; removing the periodic patterns; and processing the target film with the aperiodic patterns and the second side wall patterns, thereby forming a target patterns including: periodic target patterns; aperiodic target patterns; and dummy patterns arranged between the periodic target patterns and the aperiodic patterns and arranged periodically with the periodic target patterns.

1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a technique for achieving a fine structure of wiring patterns or the like in a semiconductor integrated circuit or the like, there is proposed a pattern forming method in which side wall patterns are formed on side walls of core patterns formed on a target film and in which the target film masked with the side wall patterns or patterns embedded in between the side wall patterns are processed to form wiring patterns, gate electrodes, etc. (e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,688). By such method, for example, line-and-space-shaped periodic patterns can be formed.
In the periodic patterns such as line-and-space patterns, even when end patterns and a central pattern are designed to be equal, each end pattern and the central pattern are different in arrangement environment. Accordingly, each end pattern and the central pattern are different in the influence of a proximity effect caused in a manufacturing process, and there is a possibility that dimensional error may occur.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device


A self-regulating forced-air heater includes a housing in which is located an air passageway. A blower forces air through the air passageway, including into and out of a combustion chamber. A burner disposed within the combustion chamber combusts a fuel and air mixture to heat the air exiting of the combustion chamber. A venturi effect is used to draw the fuel and air mixture through the burner and into the combustion chamber. An adjustable venturi plate assembly is positioned between the blower and the burner, and expands or contracts in surface area to increasingly or decreasingly block the center of the air passageway. A control assembly includes an electronically controlled valve, an electronic controller, an electrical actuator, and a temperature sensor. The electronic controller monitors the temperature sensor, determines if an adjustment is needed in heat output, and in response thereto, adjusts the temperature of the air exiting the self-regulating forced-air heater. In so doing, the electronic controller signals the electrical actuator to increase or decrease of the surface area of the venturi plate, signals the electrically controlled valve to increase or decrease the volume of fuel supplied to the burner, and signals the blower to increase or decrease the rate at which air is forced through the passageway.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to forced-air heaters that are relatively compact, yet provide high outputs of heated air. More particularly, the present invention relates to a forced-air heater that is self-regulating and automatically adjustable between different heat output settings in order to quickly heat an environment to a selected temperature and thereafter efficiently maintain the environment at the selected temperature.
2. The Relevant Technology
Forced-air heaters are also known as space heaters and have traditionally been used to heat large open spaces that require high volumes of heated air in order to maintain a comfortable environment. In order to efficiently use forced-air heaters to heat smaller spaces, recent steps have been taken to reduce the size of the forced-air heaters and to make them portable. An early portable forced-air heater is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,599, issued to Joseph J. Stupak, Jr., et al.
Traditionally, forced-air heaters are contained within a single housing. An air passageway extends through the housing from an air inlet opening to an air outlet opening. A blower draws air in through the air inlet opening and forces it into a combustion chamber within the air passageway. A burner at or near the entrance to the combustion chamber supplies a mixture of fuel and air into the combustion chamber, where the fuel and air mixture is ignited. The resulting combustion heats the air as it passes through the combustion chamber to the air outlet opening.
The fuel, typically propane or natural gas, is supplied to the burner by a venturi tube. The venturi tube typically comprises a fuel-air mixture pipe into which fuel is released from a fuel supply under pressure. Outside air is also allowed to enter the fuel-air mixture pipe and mix with the fuel. A venturi effect caused by the air passing through the combustion chamber draws the mixture of fuel and air into the combustion chamber, where the fuel and air mixture is ignited.
A platelike flame spreader is frequently employed in such forced-air heaters and is normally located between the blower and the combustion chamber to create a low pressure region around the edges of the burner. The low pressure region tends to spread out the area in which combustion takes place, which causes the fuel and air mixture to more fully combust. Turbulence is also created by the indirect path that the air must take to enter the combustion chamber due to the flame spreader. The turbulence causes the blower-driven air to better mix with the fuel-air mixture from the fuel and air mixture pipe, also helping the fuel to combust more thoroughly. Thorough combustion efficiently utilizes the fuel and also reduces carbon monoxide emissions.
One drawback to such designs is that the conventional forced-air heaters have been capable of heating air at only a single, constant heat output setting. One reason for this limitation is that the flame spreaders in conventional designs are sized to draw only a single, specified volume of fuel and air from the gas-air mixture pipe into the combustion chamber and spread that volume of the fuel and air mixture over a specified distance. Not spreading the fuel and air mixture far enough results in insufficient combustion and possibly, high carbon monoxide emission. Spreading the fuel and air mixture too far results in inconsistent combustion and excessive deposits within the combustion chamber.
Attempts have been made to increase the ranges of fuel and air mixture volumes that will burn cleanly and without buildups in a given forced-air heater. These attempts have included strategic placement of holes, fins and other air routing mechanisms in and on the flame spreader to better disperse and mix the fuel and air mixture with the air forced into the combustion chamber by the blower. Nevertheless, to date these attempts have not realized a satisfactory performance at more than a single heat output setting. The single heat output setting thus remains a limitation of conventional forced-air heaters.
In regulating the heat output of the conventional forced-air heaters provided with only a single heat output setting, the flow of fuel into the combustion chamber is alternately enabled and disabled. Thus, the typical operating cycle of these forced-air heaters begins operation at the standard heat output setting in which a predetermined fuel pressure and volume is passed into the combustion chamber at a predetermined blower speed until the environment being heated attains a selected temperature. Once the selected temperature is attained, the flow of fuel is disabled until the temperature of the environment being heated drops below the selected temperature to a predetermined extent. At that point, the flow of fuel is again enabled. This enablement/disablement sequence is repeated continuously during the operating cycle, and the blower may or may not be disabled concurrently with the disablement of the flow of fuel. This repeated enablement/disablement sequence is an inefficient use of fuel, and leaves much to be desired in maintaining a constant temperature of the environment being heated.
In order to lengthen the time intervals occurring between the enabling and the disabling of the flow of fuel, the standard heat output settings of conventional forced-air heaters are normally set at relatively low heat output settings. Consequently, when powering up a conventional forced-air heater after a period of non-use in which the temperature of an environment has dropped substantially below a desired temperature, the conventional forced-air heater takes an undesirably long period of time to heat the environment to the desired temperature.


A system and method are provided for maintaining a universal call-log in a Home Network telephone system. The method comprises: transceiving calls on at least one external telephone line; bridging calls to a plurality Home Network endpoints; and, logging the bridged calls. Bridging calls to a plurality Home Network endpoints includes initiating an outgoing call from an endpoint. Then, the outgoing calls initiated from endpoints are logged. Likewise, incoming calls received on an external telephone line addressed to an endpoint and bridged, and logged. Logging the bridged calls includes cross-referencing entries such as call time, the call duration, the type of call, the external telephone involved, the external line telephone number from which an incoming call is received, the external telephone line telephone number to which an outgoing call is addressed, the endpoint to which an incoming call is addressed, and the endpoint initiating an outgoing call.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to Home Network telephony and, more particularly, to a system and method for managing a universal call-log for a Home Network telephone system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several conventional residential and small office home office (SOHO) telephones are able to log the calls that are made (originated), as well as incoming calls that are either answered or missed. In the latter case, this call-log is only useful if calling line ID (CLID) is supported since, without CLID, the call-log cannot identify the number of the caller. Often, call-logs are cross-referenced with phonebook entries, so that the call-log can show a more meaningful ASCII name, herein referred to as a descriptor, to identify the caller, rather than just the number. Likewise, a number in a call-log can typically be saved directly into a phonebook, with the user only needing to type the ASCII name.
Some of the problem with the conventional call-logs are:
phones have a somewhat limited memory space for call-log entries, typically between 30 and 100 numbers incoming and one number dialed;
if the user has many phones in the home, the call-log is not necessarily available on every phone, for example, dialed numbers on one phone are not available on another phone;
call-logs are typically stored in less-costly volatile memories, which results in them being lost forever if the power fails. This is a problem especially for cordless handsets, since they are battery powered and frequently lose power, depending on the user's habits; and,
it is typically impossible to print the call-log (hardcopy), unless the telephone has an integrated fax device.
Conventional multi-handset telephony products can store phonebooks and call lists in both the base unit and the handsets. However, the phone books and call logs in each handset and the base unit are distinct and locally stored, although some systems support the capability to copy entries from one part of the system to another.
It would be advantageous if a call-log could be centrally maintained for a Home Network telephone system.
It would be advantageous if the central call-log could be maintained despite power outages or handheld device battery failure.
It would be advantageous if the call-log could be shared and accessed by all the endpoint in the Home Network telephone system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Universal call-log system and method for a home network telephone


A breast pump with a speed, a maximum vacuum, and a minimum vacuum combined with a selectively collapsing breast cup mimics the action of a suckling infant. The speed and maximum vacuum are user selectable to adjust the pump to the particular user. The breast cup is made of a flexible material with a thickness designed to first collapse around the areola area of a breast to mimic an action of a suckling infant.

The present invention relates generally to improvements in breast pumps and more particularly pertains to a combination of an electric pump with improved controls and a flexible breast cup which simulate the action of a nursing infant.
Although the prior art breast pumps and, specifically, the prior art breast pump described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,163 are effective, they also have a number of shortcomings. For example, most prior art breast pumps and breast cup systems only allow a mother to express her milk by applying a uniform vacuum pressure (or vacuum pressure profile) to the face of the breast. This simple approach does not effectively mimic the natural suckling of a nursing infant. As a result, the pump and breast cup system does not extract the milk as efficiently as possible. Consequently, a longer pumping period is required, which increases the physical demands on the mother. These demands may discourage working mothers, or mothers still recovering from childbirth, from thoroughly completing the expression. Incomplete or improper expression of the milk may lead to engorgement of the breasts, mastitis, or infection.
Although the prior art breast pumps and, specifically, the prior art breast pump described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,163 are very effective, these prior art pumps do not contemplate controlling the refractory time of the suction cycle. The result is that the pump is not as efficient as it could be in removing the breast milk. As a result of this decreased efficiency, a longer overall pumping period is required. The longer period increases the physical demands on the user. Moreover, most prior art breast pumps only apply a suction face to the breast for expressing the mother's milk.
In a natural suckling cycle, refractory time of the breast plays an important role in optimizing the efficiency of milk extraction. The refractory time is that part of the nursing cycle that begins after milk has been drawn from ducts within the breast, and ends when the depleted portions of the milk ducts refill. One invention that accounts for this refractory time is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/644,199, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The '199 application discloses a breast pump which draws a vacuum in periodic pulses at a frequency that may be adjusted by the mother to track her physiological refractory time.
Nursing an infant, however, is a biological process that is not so easily modeled with mathematical precision. Many conditions can change during expression of the milk. Perhaps the most obvious example is the onset of the let-down, or milk-ejection reflex. Research has shown that prior to let-down, an infant will suck at an elevated rate in the range of 72 to 120 sucks per minute. After let-down, when a satisfactory flow of milk is obtained, the infant relaxes the rate down to around 60 sucks per minute. The vacuum drawn by a suckling infant may vary between 18 mmHg and 200 mmHg. After let-down, an infant typically applies a greater suction force than before let-down. In addition, as the store of milk in the alveoli diminishes, the infant may apply a higher suction force to sustain the flow.
The optimal refractory times, vacuum pressures, and vacuum pressure profiles will vary among different mothers. What is needed, then, is a breast pump that can be easily customized to optimize the efficiency of expression over a wide range of conditions.

Electrical breast pump and flexible breast cup system


In a SCSI device in a small computer system including a plurality of apparatuses, each apparatuses having a SCSI device connected to the apparatus by a MPU bus, and connected to each other through the SCSI device and a SCSI bus. Further each apparatus has an identification (ID) code, and the SCSI device includes; an ID setting register operatively connected to the MPU bus for setting the ID code of another device; an address decoder operatively connected to the ID setting register for decoding the ID code; a transfer parameter storage unit operatively connected to the MPU bus and the address decoder for storing the transfer parameters for all apparatuses constituting the small computer system, and divided into a plurality of memory blocks equivalent to number of the apparatuses to store the transfer parameters for each apparatus; a register operatively connected to the MPU bus for storing various data from the MPU bus; a read/write control unit for receiving a read/write signal and an address signal from the microprocessor, and outputting these signals to the ID setting register, the transfer parameter storage unit, and the register; a data FIFO connected between the SCSI bus and the MPU bus for temporarily storing data; and a transfer control unit operatively connected to the data FIFO and the transfer parameter storage unit for controlling the transfer of the data based on a request signal and an acknowledge signal from the other device through the SCSI bus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) device in a small computer system, more particularly, it relates to a SCSI device having an improved transfer parameters setting method when transferring data between SCSI devices. The transfer parameters are used for transferring data between SCSI devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, SCSI devices have been widely used as a standard interface in the field of small computer systems, such as personal computers and work stations. In general, a SCSI device is provided for each apparatus, for example, a host computer, hard disk, facsimile, laser printer and the like, constituting a small computer system. In this case, all of the SCSI devices an connected to each other through a SCSI-bus.
The SCSI device has a standard protocol defined by ANSI (American National Standard Institute). According to the ANSI standard, it is possible to connect eight SCSI devices as a maximum value through the SCSI-bus, and data transfer width is defined as eight bits in the SCSI-bus in the SCSI-1. Further, in the SCSI-2, data transfer width is defined as three kinds of eight bits, sixteen bits and thirty-two bits. Further, two different modes, i.e., asynchronous mode and synchronous mode, are provided as data transfer modes in the SCSI devices. The present invention relates to the transfer parameters setting method in the synchronous mode.

SCSI device having transfer parameter storage memory blocks which correspond to each apparatus


Disclosed are systems and methods for providing a carrier-independent calling-party-pays system. In one embodiment, upon having a call routed to a mobile switching center from a calling party, the mobile switching center determines if the called party is a calling-party-pays (CPP) customer. Depending on whether the called party is a CPP customer or not, the mobile switching center may bill only the calling party, or both the calling party and the called party.

Toll Free Service (known as "Freephone" in other countries or "800 service" in the U.S.) allows people to call a business and reverse the charges so that the business pays for the call. Traditionally, "900 service" (known as "Premium Rate Services" in most other countries) allows a business to charge the calling party a premium price for placing a call to it. The business proposes that they have a good/service that can be delivered via telephone and offer the good/service to its clients in exchange for the client being billed directly on their telephone bill as a convenience to the customer. For example, suppose a business offers to provide car dealer's actual cost information by recorded message for the price of $9 if you call their 900 number anytime 24 hours a day. In this case, the caller will be billed $9 (a price set by the owner of the 900 number) for the call, after which there will be a revenue share between the provider of the 900-service platform and the owner of the 900 number (i.e., the business offering the good/service).
With the notable exception of North America, the standard method for billing cellular telephone calls is calling-party-pays (CPP). CPP refers to a billing arrangement in which a cellular subscriber may receive a call, and have the calling party pay the service charges so that, as with traditional landline services, the call is free for the called party to receive.
It is believed that the CPP method of billing encourages mobile users to leave their cellular telephones turned on such that the ratio of incoming calls to outgoing calls is roughly 1:1. Currently, the split in non-CPP areas (e.g., North America) is closer to 4:1 in favor of outgoing calls. Research suggests that switching to a CPP-based system will not affect the number of outgoing calls, but will materially increase the number of incoming calls. CPP systems help protect cellular subscribers by putting control of their cellular fees in their own hands. Currently, cellular subscribers have little control over who calls them, and are charged for all incoming calls, even those directed to the wrong number. In addition, people who visit the United States from countries where the standard for wireless service is the CPP system are often unpleasantly surprised to find that they have been charged for calls directed to them, including the international calls from their home system to the United States.
Several methods have been made to implement a CPP system in North America. One such method for implementing a CPP system is what is referred to as "number block-based CPP." In this approach, landline carriers keep track of and bill for calls made by its CPP customers, which are segregated into separate number blocks, usually on the basis of a central office code. The landline CPP customers can dial a local number in their CPP central office code, which is then forwarded to the wireless carrier of the recipient. The call gets billed back to the caller by the landline provider since the caller is one of its customers. A portion of the proceeds is then forwarded to the wireless carrier. However, this approach, which has been successfully implemented in Europe, suffers from a number of drawbacks. First, the landline carrier can only bill its own customers. Calls from other carriers, including competing wireless and landline carriers, cannot be billed unless they have similar billing arrangements in place. Moreover, calls from outside the central office region cannot be billed due to the large size of the central office code database that would have to be maintained to recognize all potential CPP calls.
Although other approaches for implementing a CPP system have been introduced, they all suffer from significant drawbacks. It was widely believed that the only technical way to implement a CPP system in the United States is to have a nationwide standard, as was done with local number portability. At one point, the FCC requested that carriers implement a CPP system. However, the industry was not able to develop an acceptable standard. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system and method for providing a carrier-independent CPP system which overcomes such drawbacks.

Systems and methods for a carrier-independent calling-party-pays system


A doorbell response system is utilized in a dwelling. The dwelling includes a telephone, includes a telephone line connected to the telephone, and includes a doorbell and a pair of doorbell electrical wires which power the doorbell. The doorbell response system is powered by the pair of doorbell electrical wires and includes an auxiliary doorbell button, a speaker, a microphone, and apparatus to initiate the dialing of a telephone number. The doorbell response system also includes a connector to connect the microphone and speaker to the telephone line to enable a first person to converse over the microphone and speaker with a second person on the telephone line, and, includes apparatus for eliminating the dial tone in the telephone line so that the first person can so converse with the second person.

This invention relates to doorbells.
More particularly, the invention pertains to a doorbell response system which can be retrofit in an existing doorbell system without requiring the incorporation of new wiring in the existing doorbell system.
In a further respect, the invention pertains to a doorbell-telephone intercom system which can be utilized in conjunction with an existing doorbell and telephone(s) in a residence.
The use of an intercom system in a residence is well known in the art, with intercoms often being provided at the front door of the residence so that the inhabitants of the residence can converse with a visitor standing outside at the front door. The intercom includes a microphone for receiving verbal communications from the visitor standing at the front door, and includes a speaker for audibly relaying to the visitor comments made by the inhabitants of the residence.
In one such prior art system, the speaker and microphone are wired to a digital signal processor. The digital processor is spliced into the wiring leading from the doorbell button to the doorbell of the residence. The digital processor is also connected to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) just as if the digital processor were an ordinary telephone. When the doorbell button is actuated by a visitor standing at a door of the residence, the digital processor waits a predetermined length of time for a telephone in the residence to go off hook. If the residence phone is taken off hook by an inhabitant of the residence, then the phone is, without utilizing the PSTN, connected to the intercom to permit the inhabitant to speak to the visitor. If the residence phone does not go off hook, then the digital processor autodials a number over the PSTN to a remote telephone located outside the residence. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,953 to Chern et al. The use of a local or remote telephone to communicate with an intercom at the door of a residence is well known in the art. Although intercom-telephone systems are widely utilized in the art, such systems often have long standing disadvantages. First, the circuitry and/or components associated with such intercom-telephone systems is often complicated and requires the use of specialized telephony or other components. Second, prior art systems typically require the cutting or splicing of existing wiring and circuitry, making the retrofitting of such systems impractical. Once a residence has been constructed and the telephone and doorbell lines installed, most homeowners are not inclined to attempt to incorporate new wiring or system components in a wall. Third, while autodialing is a known feature of doorbell-intercom systems, such systems do not give a visitor the flexibility of selecting to leave a message or to communicate with the inhabitants of a residence. Fourth, prior art systems do not enable a visitor the ability to communicate over the PSTN with an inhabitant of the residence on every phone in the residence.

Method and apparatus for installing telephone intercom--voice messaging apparatus at doorbell for dwelling


A Software in the Loop (SiL) system and method is disclosed which may include a simulator operable to provide an environment to simulate dynamic systems, enable rapid development, validation of systems, and testing of complex systems. The system and method may include assembling one or more unsecured models operable to simulate the real-world system. The system and method may then encrypt and generate at least one secured model from the one or more unsecured models using a first cryptographic key. The at least one secured model may be decrypted using a sealed decryption key. The decrypted secured model may then be executed within the one or more TEEs. The at least one secured model may be operable to process incoming data and outgoing data.

Software in the Loop (SiL) systems may include test setups where plant models and electronic control unit (ECU) software are run and tested in a pure "virtual" computing or IT environment. Indeed, SiL systems can be designed so that physical components (e.g., sensors, actuators) or target ECU hardware (e.g., vehicle controller) are not even required. SiL simulation may even represent the integration of compiled production source code into a mathematical model simulation that provide engineers with a practical, virtual simulation environment for the development and testing of detailed control strategies for large and complex systems. While various types of SiL systems are known to exist, they are typically employed in limited testing areas. However, as system and software complexity increases within various industries (e.g., the automotive industry) a SiL validation and verification system and method that is operable to reduce development cycle times and to handle the significant increase of distributed software functions to be tested is desirable.

System and method for confidential multi-party software in the loop simulation


A complementary heterojunction semiconductor device (10) has a first resonant interband tunneling transistor (12) coupled to a second resonant interband tunneling transistor (14) through a common output (16). The first transistor (12) has a first gate (18) of a first semiconductor type and a drain (28) coupled to the first gate (18). The first gate (18) is also coupled to the common output (16). The second transistor (14) has a second gate (32) of a second semiconductor type and a source (42) coupled to the second gate (32). The second gate (32) is also coupled to the common output (16). The valence band (60,80,82) of the first semiconductor type has an energy level greater than the conduction band (62,64,84) of the second semiconductor type.

The present invention relates, in general, to semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to a heterojunction semiconductor device having a complementary structure.
Existing digital integrated circuits are usually designed using metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) having a logical on or off state. Typically, these designs are implemented using well-known complementary MOS (CMOS) circuits. However, the use of such two-state MOS devices makes further integration of devices with ever smaller geometries difficult when the critical dimensions of these devices become sufficiently small that electron tunneling begins to occur between critical portions of the devices.
As device geometries shrink, it is preferable to design integrated circuits using devices having more functionality than that provided by the two stable logical states of conventional CMOS transistors. An example of a device having more than two-state functionality is a resonant interband tunneling transistor (RITT). An RITT is able to replace two or more conventional two-state transistors and can be used to further increase the density of an integrated circuit. However, as of yet, RITTs have not been provided in a complementary structure analogous to that used in conventional CMOS circuits. Another limitation of CMOS devices is that their switching speed, such as observed in a simple inverter, is limited by the slower, p-channel transistor. It would be preferable for both transistors of a complementary transistor pair to operate at a speed substantially equal to that of an n-channel transistor.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a heterojunction semiconductor device that has a complementary structure, that provides more than two-state functionality, and that provides a complementary pair of devices, each of which operates at a high speed.

Complementary heterojunction semiconductor device


An apparatus for controlling article distribution end which provides vague communication manners to casually distribute an article to unspecified readers with no designation of distribution and addresses from a user, even if there is no designation of distribution end address by the user, and also provides flexible communication manners to induce a formation of communication between users in such a way as to surprise a reader to whom an article is distributed that the article is distributed accidentally as well as to allow the reader to reply casually and almost anonymously because the users do not known each other, and further provides the flexible communication manners to give a joy to a distributor that he has received a reply to the article distributed to an unspecified distribution end even if the reply is a casual one such as impression or the like, by automatically obtaining a random distribution end address to which the user is irrelevant in selection, from data base of distribution end addresses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an article distribution end which automatically obtains a random distribution end address to which a user is irrelevant in selection, from data base of article distribution end addresses even if there is no addressing of article distribution end by a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
In such network environment as the Internet, personal computer communication or the like, if, for example, an article is distributed to a companion user of a personal computer by an electronic mail, a system operator at a host station of personal computer communication service which has a function of electronic bulletin board for exchanging messages with many unspecified users, can transmit a mail to all of the members. However, a general user must designate a mail address of a companion. At this time, the user writes an article in consideration of a character of a person at article distribution end, his relation with the user and so forth.
As communication means for opening one's opinion and question to the public, and for offering information to many unspecified users of personal computers, such personal computer communication services as electronic bulletin board, forum and so on are provided. In such services, users cannot communicate with each other until a user of a personal computer accesses to the published opinion, question or offered information.
If a user, who is a sender, more positively demands communication to be formed by the impression of the opinion, the answer to the question, the opinion and impression to the information, not waiting someone's access to the published opinion, question, the offered information and the like on the electronic bulletin board or on the forum, the communication is more probably formed when the opinion, question, information and so on are distributed to another user of a personal computer.
But, if the address of the other user is unknown, to whom the opinion, question, information and so on are wanted to be distributed, or if some response even merely impression is wanted when the opinion, impression, information and the like are casually informed to a companion user whose address is unknown, it is impossible to casually send the opinion, question, information and so on to an unspecified user, since the article cannot be distributed to the companion user as far as the user does not designate the article distribution end address in the conventional network environment.
Besides, in the conventional network environment, if a user to whom an article is distributed is requested to give one's opinion, impression and so on to the article, the user finds if difficult to reply causally or vaguely in such a manner that "I receive dthe article", "I had a pleasant time" and so on because the user is designated by the sender.
As mentioned above, in the conventional network environment, since a user must designate an article distribution end address, such vague and casual communication manners cannot be realized as to send an opinion, question, information and so on to an unspecified companion user, so that communication system lacks flexibility.

Apparatus of article distribution end control


A personal air treatment device is used to treat air with UV irradiation and with scents. The scents may be used as an attractant or masking for hunting. Multiple devices may be controlled by a smartphone application to strategically alter scent dispersion according to local wind patterns, user location, and relative device location. Similar air treatment devices may be integrated with a particulate mask or used to otherwise treat the air around a user.

UV can effectively neutralize airborne pathogens, however, UV air treatment devices have historically been too bulky and power-hungry for personal portable use.
Scenting devices are commonly used in hunting to mask the scent of the hunter or draw in animals within shooting range. This typically involves fixing one or more passive scent dispensers to a tree and/or carried on the hunter's person. More advanced scenting systems may include a battery and impeller to better disperse scents. These passive and active devices lack remote user controls or other advanced features to accommodate changes in wind conditions and the like. Accordingly, improvements are sought in scenting devices and personal air purification devices.

Personal air treatment system and method


An inductor structure disposed over a substrate includes a first spiral coil, a second spiral coil and at least a gain pattern. The first spiral coil includes first conducting wires and first connection leads, wherein each first connection lead connects two adjacent first conducting wires. The second spiral coil includes second conducting wires and second connection leads, wherein each second connection lead connects two adjacent second conducting wires. The second spiral coil and the first spiral coil are symmetrically disposed about a plane of symmetry and in series connection to form a spiral coil structure with 2N turns, wherein N is a positive integral, and are spaced from the substrate by different heights to form 2N−1 interlaced zones. The gain pattern is disposed under the first connection lead at the (2N−1)th interlaced zone counted from the most-outer turn up and electrically connected to the corresponding first connection lead.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an inductor structure, and more particularly, to an inductor structure capable of improving Q-factor (quality factor).
2. Description of Related Art
In general speaking, as an inductor acquires energy storing and releasing functions through electromagnetic conversion, the inductor can be used as an element for stabilizing current. An inductor is broadly applicable in many fields, such as in radio frequency circuit (RF circuit), voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), low noise amplifier (LNA) or power amplifier (PA). In an integrated circuit (IC), an inductor plays a very important and extreme challenging role and serves as a passive component. In terms of the efficiency thereof, an inductor with higher quality means the inductor has a higher quality factor represented by Q-factor, which is defined by:Q=ω×L/R where ω is angular frequency, L is inductance of the inductor coil and R is resistance considering inductance loss under specific frequencies.
There are various methods and techniques today available for incorporating an inductor with IC process. However, in an IC, the limitation of the metal thickness of an inductor and the interference on an inductor by a silicon substrate would degrade the quality of the inductor. To overcome the problem in the prior art, the conductor loss is reduced by increasing the metal thickness of an inductor or the wire width of the inductor coil so as to advance the Q-factor of inductor. When the above-mentioned conventional scheme is used in a symmetric differential inductor, in particular, along with increasing the wire width of the inductor coil, a coupling in certain extents between the two coils of the inductor and the substrate occurs, which affects the efficiency of the inductor.
In short, how to solve the various problems encountered in the above-mentioned process, advance Q-factor of an inductor and reduce conductor loss has become an important project for the manufactures to develop.


A network quality determining method includes, when experience quality represented by a customer experience index of a target user within a first time period is lower than experience quality represented by a customer experience index threshold, determining, using a first parameter value that is of a network key performance indicator (KPI) parameter of the target user within a second time period and that is collected by a collection device in a carrier network, a second parameter value of the network KPI parameter of the target user within the second time period in a home network, and when network quality represented by the second parameter value of the network KPI parameter is lower than network quality represented by a first threshold corresponding to the network KPI parameter in the home network, determining that quality of the home network is poor.

Currently, with development of network technologies, more users use network services, and more importance is attached to user experience in network services. A video service is used as an example. When user experience in the video service deteriorates, an operator needs to analyze network quality, and determine as soon as possible which part of a network causes the deterioration of user experience in the video service in order to resolve as soon as possible a problem of the deterioration of user experience in the video service. For a home network, an operator usually collects in real time network key performance indicator (KPI) parameters of users in the home network by deploying probes in terminals of all users in the entire network, and then analyzes quality of the home network of the users using the collected network KPI parameters.
However, due to a large quantity and various types of terminals of all the users in the entire network, the probes deployed by the operator are large in quantity and further need to be compatible with the various types of terminals in the network. Therefore, probe deployment has high costs and a long period, and it is difficult to deploy the probes in the terminals of all the users in the entire network. Consequently, quality of the home network cannot be accurately analyzed.

Network quality determining method and apparatus and storage medium


There is provided a cycloaliphatic resin, from which it is possible to formulate anticorrosive coatings, using the cycloaliphatic resin alone or as hybrid with epoxy cycloaliphatic resins or hydroxy-functionalized resins; both mixed with amino or aminosilane hardeners. The obtained coatings have superior physical properties of weatherability, gloss retention, toughness and impact resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the synthesis of a cycloaliphatic resin containing silanes with epoxy and alcoxy-silanol functionalities; and its application in coating's formulations, particularly those that are weatherproof
2. Description of the Related Art
Epoxy resins are well known for their excellent chemical resistance, adherence and hardness properties, so they are used in the paint and coatings industry mainly as primers for new constructions or maintenance. It is also known that epoxy resins, mainly those made of epichlorohydrin and bisphenol A, change the gloss in gloss coatings when they are exposed to sunlight, the coatings turn yellow by oxidation of the double bond of the bisphenol molecule resulting in a surface degradation phenomenon known as "chalking"; so they are rarely use as exterior coatings.
The advance in the state of the art of epoxy resins production has allowed the availability of hydrogenated epoxy-cycloaliphatic resins in recent years, which present high sunlight degradation resistance, however their reactivity with the amine hardener is substantially lower than conventional aromatic resins. There are also a large number of silanes with epoxy functionality that perform in a similar way to epoxy-cycloaliphatic resins providing chemical resistance properties, smoothness and flexibility of the epoxy resins and a weather stability comparable to that of silanes.
Polysiloxane resins are used for high temperature resistance coatings, which form very hard but very brittle films with poor decorative properties, besides being much more expensive than epoxy or alkyd resins used in decorative and industrial maintenance. With these contrasting features, both types of resins are not good enough to be incorporated in an ideal coating that meets the high performance requirements of hardness, smoothness, gloss and strength desired in the coatings industry; recent developments have found that both types of contrasting resins complement each other when combined in suitable amount and type, forming hybrid epoxy-polysiloxane resins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,074 (Raymond E. Foscante et al. granted in 1981) discloses a hybridization procedure wherein epoxy and silane polymers are mixed, both finish their polymerization reacting simultaneously, the epoxy polymer reacts with a difunctional amine and the polysiloxane reacts internally through hydrolytic polycondensation. The hybrid polymer is an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) which forms a film resistant to UV radiation without chalking and has good gloss retention, but the film is brittle and has low impact and abrasion resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,860 (Norman R. Mowrer et al. granted in 1997) discloses the use of epoxy cycloaliphatic resins mixed with hydrolyzed silanes which are reacted with an amino-silane hardener and an appropriate organometallic catalyst. The hybrid polymer produces a film with superior hardness and weather resistance compared to a pure epoxy film, however the problems of rigidity, lack of flexibility and impact resistance are still present due to the continuous reactivity of the remaining radicals.
In later inventions, such as the U.S. Patent application No. 2007/0213492 (Norman R. Mowrer et al., published on Sep. 13, 2007) (PPG), cycloaliphatic resins are also used in hybridization with silane intermediates, such as methoxy-functional DC-3074 from Dow. Other examples include silanol functionalized resins such as DC-840 and Z6018 also from Dow Corning, that also end up in hydrolytic polycondensation aided by previous hydrolysis of the methoxy radicals from the intermediates and by water coming from atmospheric humidity. In this latest development, the silane intermediates necessarily require intermixing with hydrogenated epoxy resins or silanes with epoxy functionality.
The need to protect stone, metal, wood, plastic, cement and others substrates is permanent. This requires the use of coatings having very good impact resistance, toughness, weatherability and gloss retention and that allow hybridization with either epoxy or other resins such as acrylic, polyester or polysiloxane to achieve specific characteristics of performance and cost.

Cycloaliphatic resin, method for obtaining the same and its application in a high resistance coating

CENTRO DE INVESTIGACÍON EN POLÍMEROS S.A. DE C.V.


The disclosure relates to a method and device for detecting a fault of signal processing equipment and an optical interface board on line. The signal processing equipment includes n function modules F1, F2, . . . Fn, and n fault detecting points T1, T2, . . . Tn for determining whether there is a fault in said n function modules, wherein n is a natural number. When the detecting result of said detecting point Ti indicates there is a fault in the function module Fi, the corresponding detecting points of other function modules directly associated with the function module Fi are detected continuously, and the reason of the fault is determined according to all the fault function modules. The present disclosure divides the equipment or the board into different modules in accordance with functions, a fault detecting point being set in each module. Therefore, the fault source point of the equipment or the board can be detected and located quickly without artificial participation, and the self-detection can be done automatically when the board is idle to detect problems promptly, so as to improve the testability and the on-site maintainability of products.

As a fault of the optical network equipment may be occurred during the operation process, the rapid and effective fault location is very important for the customer and for improving the quality of the equipment. The most conventional fault location method is to inquire the running state of the board and make an alarm. In order to monitor the running state of the board, the support of the network management system is needed; when working abnormally, the board reports the fault to the network management system; then the network management system displays and alarms the maintainer. The relationship between the network management system and the SDH network element is shown by FIG. 1, wherein the SDH network element includes an optical interface board and other boards, and is controlled by a network element control board; the network manager monitors the running state of the SDH network element on a display of a server.
However, the network management system is only responsible for reporting and displaying the alarm of the fault rather than processing and analyzing the fault flexibly. That is to say, the specific fault source cannot be located automatically; the regular fault location steps are to determine gradually by workers and finally determine the fault source point by means of some loopbacks. Such artificial location method not only has slow speed, but sometime is also limited by the network management operating commands. The operable means and methods are limited; in particular, some location methods can only be finished by professionals. Therefore, troubles are made for the in-time fault location. Actually, the diagnosis process of the fault can be completely and automatically finished by the board without the artificial intervention. Here, it is called on-line fault diagnosis system which finishes the gradual fault determination on line through the board software and finally realizes the fault rapid detection and location functions, thereby bringing great convenience for the location of the fault. Besides the fault source point can be detected and located when the fault occurs, another advantage of such system is that the self-detection can be done automatically when the board is idle to detect problems promptly and isolate the fault point, so as to improve the testability and the on-site maintainability of products.
The emphasis of the method and the device for diagnosing the fault of the communication apparatus in relating technologies is to classify the faults, draw an alarm related chart; and finally the artificial operation is needed to analyze and locate the fault based on the contrast of the practical alarm and the alarm related chart.
There is another method for diagnosing a fault of a mobile communication terminal in the relating technologies, the emphasis of which is to record the condition of the occurrence in real time, but finally analyze the fault journal artificially.
There is a further method and device for self-diagnosing a fault in the relating technologies; the diagnosis system thereof needs a great database and a fault correlation analysis module, both of which cannot be integrated with the board software independently. In addition, the implementation is to diagnose the fault of the existing equipment, and such diagnosis has been limited by the alarm output state of the running equipment. If the design of the board has not considered the outputting of enough state information, the use of such method is also limited. Finally, the analysis can be done only when the equipment provide plenty of standard alarm information which has correlation; therefore, the fault location capability is limited.

Method and device for detecting fault of signal processing equipment and optical interface board online


A technique and apparatus for reducing the complexity of optimizing the performance of a designed semiconductor circuit is disclosed. This technique of path compaction is used to reduce the time taken for optimization. The path compaction tool is used in design optimization to reduce the optimizer execution time. Compaction helps readability, usability and reduces synthesis and static timing analyzer (STA) runtime. The aim of path compaction is to reduce the number of constraints the optimizer has to go through during the optimization process. Path compaction has three dimensions. The first is to reduce number of “-through” elements in the constraint, thereby reducing the complexity of constraints developed The second is to combine the paths to reduce the number of constraints. The third is to combine the constraints to reduce the number of constraints to be checked and optimized. Path compaction is used when generating timing exception using timing exception tools.

As integrated circuits (ICs) are produced with greater and greater levels of circuit density, efficient methods for optimization of the designed circuits are needed. In any design, it is essential to optimize the testing of circuits, to meet the design criteria, as optimizing the circuits makes them compact and easily understandable and traceable. It also allows improved testing schemes that guarantee very high fault coverage while minimizing test costs.
Typically, ICs are presently designed by using high level languages and synthesized to achieve the Resistor Transistor Logic (RTL) level implementation. In most cases, the design implementation includes a number of redundant or non-active paths (false paths) and multi clock paths (MC Paths). All these constitute 'do not care' paths for the performance of the functional design. In a typical design, each path in the design is provided a constraint. During optimization, these paths are optimized individually based on the constraint associated to it. This is done prior to passing it to the design compiler to do the optimization and generate the net list. Since each path constraint has to be checked individually during optimization, the time taken for optimization is dependant on the number of paths with associated constraints. A typical prior art design flow 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The RTL design is provided typically to a design compiler 110 with the design criteria 101, to initially generate a set of constraints, optimize the path based on the constraints in the analyzer/optimizer 111, and then, using the synthesizer 112, generate a gate level design. This is then used to generate a design net list and associated constraints 113. This net list and constraints 113 are passed through functional test in the functional testing block 130, as well as into a static timing analyzer (STA) 150 to check if the design meets the design criteria. If not, a new set of requirements is generated to achieve the design criteria based on the output of functional testing block 130 or STA 150. The process of design compilation is repeated with constraint generation, followed by path optimization, and re-compilation using the new set of constraints. This is an iterative process of optimization, regeneration of constraints, generating the net list and running timing analysis in the STA 150 to verify the timing. The iterative process is run till the timing and other design criteria are met. Each time the synthesizer 110 is run, it provides inputs which are used to generate constraints and further attempts to optimize these paths. Hence, the number of paths and constraints play a large roll in the time taken for the optimization and synthesis of an IC.
In view of the limitations of the prior art, it will hence be advantageous to enable further reduction of the number of paths and constraints associated with a circuit at the RTL level, prior to using the design compiler, to reduce the time taken for optimization and make it more compact and readable. It will be further advantageous to reduce complexity by optimization for improving the performance, testability and traceability of the circuits.

Method for compaction of timing exception paths


A method of viral escape profiling is used in association with antiviral or vaccine development. The method begins by training a language-based model against training data comprising a corpus of viral protein sequences of a given viral protein to model a viral escape profile. The viral escape profile represents, for one or more regions of the given viral protein, a relative viral escape potential of a mutation, the relative viral escape potential being derived as a function that combines both “semantic change,” representing a degree to which the mutation is recognized by the human immune system (i.e., antigenic change), and “grammaticality,” representing a degree to which the mutation affects viral infectivity (i.e. viral fitness). Using the model, a region of the given viral protein having an escape potential of interest is identified. Information regarding the region is then output to a vaccine or anti-viral therapeutic design and development workflow.

The ability for viruses to mutate and evade the human immune system and cause infection, called viral escape, remains an obstacle to development of antiviral therapies, as well as and vaccines. For example, viral mutations that allow an infection to escape from recognition by neutralizing antibodies have prevented the development of a universal antibody-based vaccine for influenza or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and are a concern in the development of therapies for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Escape has motivated high-throughput experimental techniques that perform causal escape profiling of all single-residue mutations to a viral protein. Such techniques, however, require substantial effort to profile even a single viral strain and testing the escape potential of many (combinatorial) mutations in many viral strains remains infeasible.
There remains a need to provide new technical approaches to predict viral escape mutations to enable rapid antiviral and vaccine development. The techniques of this disclosure address this technical problem.

Escape profiling for therapeutic and vaccine development


A CPU of a control unit has an authentication verification function which is an authentication verification unit which verifies a user name and password input from a remote control and a user name and password stored in SRAM, and a registration user setting function which is a login qualifier authorization unit for controlling editing of registration users as well as specifying a user for which login is authorized by a user setting function flag stored in the SRAM.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope device which measures an object using an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
An endoscope image recording device which creates a code for detecting tampering with a recorded image data file, and provides a managing unit which associates and manages the image data file and the tampering detecting code, is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-34907.
Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-135968 proposes an endoscope control system which exclusively controls the network connection of a control unit and an external terminal with an ID and password, the endoscope control system having the control unit which has a server connected to the endoscope device and performing network communication, and an external terminal which can be connected to a network and having a function for remotely operating an endoscope device.

Endoscope device for measuring an object using an image, by setting login qualifiers according to examination environment


The present invention relates to an occlusive dressing selected from the group consisting of e.g. a condom, a pessary or a femidom comprising a local anaesthetic and optionally a penetration enhancing formulation for postponement of ejaculation, especially for the treatment of premature ejaculation (PME). The local anaesthetic is, in case the occlusive dressing is a condom, applied on the whole or substantially the whole inside of the occlusive dressing when the condom is in essentially unrolled condition. The product can also be used by partners, not suffering from PME but who simply want to have a longer sexual intercourse. The invention further comprises the use of local anaesthetic in the manufacturing of a means for postponement of ejaculation.

The definition of the term "premature ejaculation" according to DSM-III-R is "a presistent or recurrent ejaculation with-minimal sexual stimulation before, upon or shortly after penetration and before the person wishes it".
To a man skilled in the art the terms "erectile dysfunction" and "premature ejaculation" are two entirely separate concepts based on different etiologies (see British Journal of Hospital Medicine, Vol 40, Dec. 1988, p. 428 och 434).
Studies have shown that PME is a widespread problem in sexual relationships. Indeed, mention is made of as much as 75 % of men ejaculating within 2 minutes after penetration, and an important number of men reaching climax even within 1 minute of coitus.
This situation may be the cause of psychological disturbances for the man suffering from PME, as well as for his female partner.
There is no reliable documentation identifying the etiology of PME, but different theoretical concepts exist. They relate the problem 1) hypersensitivity of the glans penis, resulting in excessive stimulation of the sexual center in the central nervous system, 2) anxiety, 3) destructive interactional patterns, 4) learning and conditioning from early sexual experiences, and 5) multi-factorial causes.
The presently existing methods of treating PME are on the one hand of a psychological or "technical" type, such as the "pause-squeeze" method (W. H. Masters and V. E. Johnson, Human Sexual Inadequacy, Little; Brown & Company, Boston, Mass., 1970) and on the other hand of the pharmacological type. Thus, a variety of pharmacological techniques have been reported to delay or block an ejaculatory response. While reporting variable success rates, studies have been largely uncontrolled. Apart from the use of systemic drugs such as antidepressants or beta blockers, with evident drawbacks resulting from the side effects of the pharmaceutical, one of the interventions has been to apply topical anaesthetic to the penis before the sexual intercourse (Schapiro, J. Urology, 50, 374-379, 1943. Aycock, J. Urology, 62, 361-362, 1949. Damrav, J. Urology, 89, 936-939, 1963).
However, the use of the local anaesthetic alone has in most instances given only mediocre improvments, prolonging the coitus with on the average less than 2 minutes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3 363 624 to Fishman discloses a medicated prophylactic device comprising, in combination, an elastic tubular sheet having an open proximal end and a closed distal end, and provided adjacent the inner surface of the distal end thereof with about 0,2 to 5 cc. of a readily water-dispersible desensitizing composition, containing about 0,5 to25 % by weight of a desentizing agent, the amount of said composition and the concentration of the desensitizing agent in said composition being effective for only temporarily desensitizing a body member inserted in said device. The protective sheath, when used on the male organ increases the period of active intercourse prior to spermatic emission. However, at column 3, lines 19-23 it is stated that "For use on the male organ, an amount of desensitizing composition only sufficient to coat the glans penis or head of the male organ need be applied to the inner surface of the sheath.
U.S. Pat. No. 4 840 188 to Heidenfelder discloses a condom for use by a male human during sexual intercourse comprising a phallic-shaped elastic sheath having a closed end and an open end, a local coating on the inside surface of said closed end, said local coating consisting essentially of a topical anesthetic for delaying ejaculation by said male human during sexual intercourse and a water-soluble base therfor, and a small colored bump on said sheath solely adjacent to said open end, said mark being visually distinct from the color of said sheath and visually indicating said inside surface on which said local coating is located. At column 1, lines 11-13 it is stated that: By "local coating" is meant a coating over only a limited area of the inner surface.
Thus, it is obvious that prior art dissuades from the use of anaesthetics on the whole or substantially the whole inside surface of the condom.
EP 0 266 968 relates to a diagnostic and therapeutic method for human erectile failure by administering a smooth muscle relaxant to the human penile arteries. The aim with the use of a condom is according to p. 4 lines 10-18 to control abuse of the drug.
WO 89/11853 discloses the use of local anaesthetic agents in the manufacture of preparations with wound healing effects especially for the treatment of leg ulcers.
Thus, the dressing or use as disclosed by the present application are not anticipated by known prior art.
It is generally admitted that the mechanism of action of topical anaesthetics consists of a blocking of the pain skin receptors and pain fibers, thus providing analgesia. The local anaesthetics may also block the tactile receptors and the nerve fibers that convey the tactile sensory input, which is important for ejaculation.
Many topical anaesthetics in use for local analgesia have existed on the market for a long period or time, e.g. the last 30 years. They have been used among others in procedures involving the male and female urethra and as anaesthetic lubricant for endotracheal intubation (oral or nasal). They accordingly have had time to be well studied and have rare skin and mucosal irritation (less than 1/1000).


A memory controller includes a clock scaler, a bus component and a level monitor. The clock scaler is configured to receive a first clock signal and configured to generate a second clock signal based on the first clock signal, first and second frequency control signals. A frequency of the second clock signal may increase based on the first frequency control signal and decrease based on the second frequency control signal. The bus component may operate based on the second clock signal and generate a level signal corresponding to a current operating state of the bus component. The level monitor may generate the first and second frequency control signals based on the level signal, a first threshold value, a second threshold value, a first reference time, and a second reference time.

1. Technical Field
Example embodiments relate generally to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to memory controllers, memory systems including the memory controllers and methods of operating memory controllers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a large number of components are integrated into one semiconductor device, and operation speed of the semiconductor device is gradually increased. Thus, reduction of power consumption in the semiconductor device is required. Many semiconductor devices employ a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) scheme that predicts an operating state of a semiconductor device and dynamically changes an operating frequency and an operating voltage of the semiconductor device based on the predicted operating state.

Memory controller, memory system including the same and method of operating memory controller


A telephoto lens is provided and has three lens groups as a whole. A first lens group includes a first positive lens having a meniscus shape and having a convex surface on an object side thereof, a negative lens arranged on an image side of the first positive lens and having a concave surface on the image side thereof, and a second positive lens arranged on the image side of the negative lens and having a convex surface on the object side thereof. Further, the following Condition Equations are satisfied. ν11 designates an Abbe number of the first positive lens, ν12 designates an Abbe number of the negative lens, ν13 designates an Abbe number of the second positive lens.35<ν11<50  (1)ν12<45  (2)75<ν13  (3)ν12<ν11  (4)

In a focusing system of an imaging lens, there are a system of moving a total of a lens system and a system of moving a portion of a lens system. In the case of a telephoto lens, in comparison with a standard lens, a lens system becomes large-sized and also a weight thereof becomes heavy and therefore, the system of moving a portion of a lens system is frequently adopted.
For example, JP-A-2002-55275 discloses a telephoto lens having a half-field angle of about 4° through 8° (a focal length of about 150 mm through 300 mm in a 35 mm film) of an inner focus type constituted by three lens groups having a positive, a negative, a positive refracting power successively from an object side, in which the focusing is performed by moving the second lens group having the negative refracting power. The first lens group is constituted by 3 lenses of a positive first lens, a positive second lens and a negative third lens successively from the object side. The second lens group is constituted by 2 lenses of a negative fourth lens and a positive fifth lens successively from the object side. For achromatism, a glass material having a large ν value (Abbe number) is adopted for the positive first and second lenses, and a glass material having a small ν value is adopted for the negative third and fourth lenses.
The telephoto lens disclosed in JP-A-2002-55275 is constituted by an optical system of the inner focus type which is comparatively excellent in an optical function from an infinite object point over to a close range and is advantageous in small-sized formation. Here, as a general method of correcting chromatic aberration, similar to the telephoto lens disclosed in JP-A-2002-55275, glass having a large ν value is used for a positive lens and glass having a small ν value is adopted for a negative lens. An amount of secondary chromatic aberration which remains at this occasion is determined by a magnitude of anomalous dispersion of the glass adopted for the positive lens. Although in order to reduce the secondary chromatic aberration, much of the anomalous dispersion glass may be adopted for the positive lens in the lenses, according to the method, there poses a problem that a number of elements of the anomalous dispersion glass is increased, which is disadvantageous in view of cost.