A gripper device is provided for gripping and releasing objects. The device incorporates two gripper fingers which are opened and closed in response to the movement of a piston rod. The gripper fingers move from the open to the closed position as the piston rod moves from the retracted to the extended position. The gripper fingers are connected to a connector block by chain links which act as a toggle. When in the closed position, the gripper fingers are locked and can only be unlocked by a retraction of the piston rod with sufficient force to overcome the over-centre toggle arrangement of the chain links.

Grippers used in industrial applications typically include a pneumatically or hydraulically controlled piston which is indirectly connected to gripper fingers. It is well known to construct such grippers so that when the piston is moved towards the gripper fingers, the gripper fingers open. To close the gripper fingers in such grippers, the piston must be moved in a direction away from the fingers. Examples of such grippers are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,866 which issued to Wittwer in 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,433 which issued to Langowski in 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,727 which issued to Yuda in 1986 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,223 which issued to O'Neil in 1980. The devices described in the Yuda and O'Neil patents have a drawback in that when the gripper fingers are in the closed position, with a loss of pressure, the fingers will not necessarily remain locked in the closed position. Furthermore, all four patents describe complicated gripper devices requiring many interconnected parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,676 which issued to Asamoto in 1976 discloses a gripper device in which the gripper fingers close as the piston moves towards the fingers and the fingers open when the piston moves away from the fingers. However, similar to the devices described in the Yuda and O'Neil patents, it appears that the gripper fingers do not lock in the closed position if the gripper experiences a loss of pressure.


A capacitor parts of the present invention, includes a substrate, a plurality of capacitor elements arranged on the substrate and composed of a lower electrode, a dielectric layer, and an upper electrode respectively, a lower electrode rewiring layer formed over the plurality of capacitor elements and connected electrically to lower electrodes of the plurality of capacitor elements respectively to act as a common electrode, and an upper electrode rewiring layer formed over the plurality of capacitor elements and connected electrically to upper electrodes of the plurality of capacitor elements respectively to act as another common electrode, wherein the plurality of capacitor elements are connected electrically in parallel in a state of the capacitor parts, thus, the impedance is reduced in a wide high-frequency band by changing impedances among the plurality of capacitor elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capacitor parts and, more particularly, a capacitor parts applicable to a decoupling capacitor provided to a circuit substrate, on which high-speed semiconductor chip, etc. are mounted, to stabilize a power supply voltage and to reduce a high-frequency noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in the digital LSI typified in the microprocessor, a reduction in a power supply voltage made by an increase in a processing speed and a reduction in a consumption power is proceeding. In such digital LSI, the power supply voltage is prone to become unstable when the impedance of the LSI is varied abruptly, or the like. Also, since a stable operation in a further high frequency (GHz band) range is required of the high-speed digital LSI, it is needed to prevent the malfunction of LSI caused due to the high-frequency noise.
Therefore, for the purpose of stabilizing the power supply voltage and reducing the high-frequency noise, the decoupling capacitor is arranged between a power supply line and a ground line of the LSI in the circuit substrate.
As such decoupling capacitor, in Patent Literature 1 (Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) Hei 11-68319) and Patent Literature 2 (Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) 2003-68923), the method of forming the decoupling capacitor to be built in the multi-layered circuit substrate is set forth.
As the characteristic of the decoupling capacitor, the characteristic having a sufficiently low impedance in a wide high-frequency band is desired. However, since the capacitor parts has ESL (Equivalent Series Inductance), the impedance is increased in a frequency range that is higher than a resonance frequency as the frequency is increased. Thus, the high-frequency band in which the impedance is kept still low is narrowed.
As the measure against this defect, such an approach is taken that a plurality of capacitor parts each having a different impedance mutually are mounted onto the circuit substrate to be connected electrically in parallel, so that the impedance can be reduced in the wide high-frequency range by the synthesized impedance.
However, in case a plurality of capacitor parts are mounted onto the circuit substrate, the routing of leads is required between the LSI chip and the capacitor parts and thus relatively large parasitic inductances exist between these leads. Also, even though a wiring distance between the LSI chip and the decoupling capacitor is set shortest by arranging the decoupling capacitor immediately under the LSI chip, there is a limit to a reduction in the parasitic inductance, and thus it is extremely difficult to reduce the impedance in the wide high-frequency band (GHz band).


An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member and a transfer roller that are brought into pressure contact with each other by a force of a transfer spring to define a nip section therebetween. The transfer roller is movable between a first position at which the transfer roller is in pressure contact with the photosensitive member and a second position at which the pressure is eliminated or reduced. When the transfer roller is pushed to the second position, the transfer roller is latched at the second position and the apparatus can be carried in this state. When the apparatus is activated and the photosensitive member is driven, the transfer roller is unlatched and is returned to the first position by the force of the transfer spring, so that the nip section is formed again between the transfer roller and the image bearing member and an image forming process is enabled.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a transferring member which forms a nip section together with an image bearing member and which transfers a toner image formed on the image bearing member onto a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, a transfer roller is used to transfer a toner image formed on an image bearing member onto a recording medium while a recording medium passes through a nip section formed between the transfer roller and the image bearing member.
If such an image forming apparatus is transported while the photosensitive member and the transferring member are in pressure contact with each other, there are risks of permanent deformation of the transferring member, rubbing between the transferring member and the photosensitive member, and damage of the photosensitive member due to weakening material or bridging material applied to the transferring member, etc. In addition, when the image forming apparatus is transported, the apparatus is often placed in an environment like a ship's hold where the temperature and the like more greatly vary than in offices. This makes the above-described problems more serious. In order to solve these problems, techniques described below have been suggested.
For example, an image forming apparatus is known in which a photosensitive member and processing members related thereto are integrally formed as a cartridge that can be detachably attached to a main body of the apparatus. When this type of image forming apparatus is packed for transport, the cartridge is detached from the apparatus main body and is packed separately from the apparatus main body. In such a case, the above-described problems do not occur because the cartridge including the photosensitive member is packed separately from the apparatus main body. However, since the separately packed cartridge is stored in a single box together with the apparatus main body, a large box is necessary, which leads to an increase in transportation and shipping costs.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/209464 (A1) discloses a packaging device for an image forming apparatus that accommodates a packed toner cartridge in a sheet storage space for storing sheets conveyed from an image forming unit. However, according to this publication, the sheet storage space in the image forming apparatus must be sufficiently large to receive the packed toner cartridge, and the size of the packaging device for packing such an image forming apparatus is increased accordingly. Thus, even when the toner cartridge is placed in the sheet storage space of the image forming apparatus, the separately packed toner cartridge is packed in a single packing device together with the apparatus main body. Therefore, the problems regarding the size of the packing box and the transportation and shipping costs cannot be solved.

Image forming apparatus having mechanism for reducing pressing force between image bearing member and transferring member


A processor, based on detection of a configuration change to a central electronics complex (CEC) in a CEC group, automatically creates a monitoring network within the CEC. Automatically creating the monitoring network includes the processor issuing a request via a hardware management console (HMC) to the CEC to create a virtual switch implementing a virtual local area network (VLAN). The processor also issues a request via the HMC to the CEC to create, on a virtual input-output server (VIOS) hosted in the CEC, a virtual trunk adapter connected to the VLAN. In addition, the processor issues a request via the HMC to the CEC to create, on each of a plurality of logical partitions (LPARs) hosted in the CEC, a virtual network adapter connected to the VLAN. The processor can employ the network, for example, to monitor health of the LPARs and VIOS within the CEC via the HMC.

The present disclosure relates in general to data processing and, in particular, to managing enterprise scale data processing systems. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to automated deployment and removal of a private monitoring network, for example, in a central electronics complex (CEC) group.
Enterprise continuity requires that large scale enterprises, such as corporate and governmental entities and educational institutions, have a highly available (HA) information technology (IT) infrastructure suitable for storing the enormous amounts of data generated and gathered by the enterprise and for timely completing the computational workloads of the enterprise. In the past, the HA IT infrastructure required by an enterprise was exclusively provided by on-premises hardware, for example, a collection of servers interconnected in a clustered topology. However, the large scale and redundancy of a HA IT infrastructure presents significant technical challenges in system deployment and management, leading many enterprises to transition at least some of their IT requirements to a cloud computing environment in which one or more third party vendors deliver Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and/or Software as a Service (SaaS).
Regardless of whether implemented on-premises and/or in a cloud computing environment, the underlying physical infrastructure of a typical HA computing environment includes a plurality of central electronics complexes (CECs), which each contain some number of central processing units (CPUs), physical memory, and a network adapter. For example, a CEC may be realized as one or more physical server computers. To simplify deployment and management of these physical computing resources, which may be heterogeneous and geographically distributed, the multiple CECs can be jointly provisioned and managed as a central electronics complex (CEC) group.
In a typical implementation, the CEC group is utilized to host a large number (e.g., on the order of hundreds or more) of logical partitions (LPARs), which are virtual computers that each execute a separate instance of an operating system and that are each assigned a subset of the CEC group's hardware resources. In some cases, the LPARs can be executed by or on behalf of different enterprises. The CEC group can be managed to instantiate LPARs, relocate individual LPARs, and remove LPARs as needed to deliver the desired IT services.
In order to facilitate sharing of physical resources of the CEC group between LPARs, management software referred to as a virtual input-output server (VIOS) can be implemented in a management LPAR. The VIOS can provide, for example, a virtual Small Computer Serial Interface (SCSI) target, virtual Fibre Channel, shared Ethernet adapters, and data storage sharing capability to client LPARs within the CEC group.

Automated deployment of a private monitoring network

International Business Machines Corporation


An ink fountain apparatus for a printing press includes an ink fountain roller, bottom plate, ink fountain, and scraping member. The ink fountain roller is supported rotatably. The bottom plate is arranged at such a position that its distal end portion is close to the ink fountain roller. The ink fountain has a pair of ink dams. The ink dams are arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate, and oppose each other in an axial direction of the ink fountain roller. Each of the ink dams includes an elastic member and first and second urging members. The elastic member abuts against an outer surface of the ink fountain roller and the bottom plate. The first and second urging members urge the elastic member toward the outer surface of the ink fountain roller and the bottom plate. The scraping member is arranged more downstream of an opposed position, where the ink fountain roller opposes a downstream roller, in a rotational direction of the ink fountain roller, and serves to return ink attaching to the ink fountain roller into the ink fountain.

The present invention relates to an ink fountain apparatus which stores ink to be supplied to a plate surface in a printing press.
As shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-15352, a conventional ink fountain apparatus for a printing press has an ink fountain including a rotatably supported ink fountain roller, a bottom plate arranged at a position close to the ink fountain roller, and a pair of ink dams arranged in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate and opposing each other in the widthwise direction of the bottom plate. The ink dams are moved and adjusted in the vertical direction and back-and-forth direction, and are fixed after their distal end faces are aligned with the outer surface of the ink fountain roller.
In the conventional ink fountain apparatus for the printing press, as the total length in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller is larger than the total length in the axial direction of an ink ducting roller, noncontact portions which do not come into contact with the ink ducting roller are present on the two end portions of the ink fountain roller. Ink on the noncontact portions is not transferred to the ink ducting roller but remains on the ink fountain roller as excessive ink. When the excessive ink drops on a printing product, a printing trouble occurs.
As the front end of each ink dam must form an arc having the same radius of curvature as that of the outer surface of the ink fountain roller, machining of the ink dam requires high accuracy. A gap, although small, tends to be formed between the front end of the ink dam and the outer surface of the ink fountain roller. As the ink fountain roller rotates over a long period of time, the front end of the ink dam wears to gradually form a gap between the front end of the ink dam and the outer surface of the ink fountain roller. Consequently, ink leaks through the gap, also causing a printing trouble.

Ink fountain apparatus for printing press


This invention provides a process for forming a solution composition, which process comprises forming a primary solution by bringing together, in an aqueous medium, i) at least one phosphorus compound, ii) at least one Group VI metal compound, iii) at least one Group VIII metal compound, and iv) an additive which is a) tetraethylene glycol, b) polyethylene glycol having an average molecular weight in the range of about 200 to about 400, c) a mixture of tetraethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol having an average molecular weight in the range of about 200 to about 400, or d) a mixture of (1) tetraethylene glycol and/or polyethylene glycol having an average molecular weight in the range of about 200 to about 400 and (2) one or more of monoethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, and triethylene glycol. The molar ratio of additive to the total moles of Group VI metal and Group VIII metal is above 0.30:1, and the atomic ratio of phosphorus to Group VI metal is at least about 0.33:1. Optionally, the primary solution is heated at a temperature above about 40° C. to form a heated solution. The heated solution is optionally cooled to form a cooled solution. Also provided are compositions formed by such processes, processes for forming catalyst compositions from these compositions, and catalyst compositions formed by these processes.

A variety of catalysts for hydrotreating, hydrodesulfurization, and/or hydrodenitrogenation are known in the prior art and/or are commercially available. In this connection, EP 0601722 describes catalysts for hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation of hydrocarbon oils. The catalysts therein are formed by impregnation of an alumina carrier; the impregnation solution contains at least one Group VI metal element, at least one Group VIII metal element, phosphoric acid, and an additive agent. In the impregnation solutions of EP 0601722, the additive agents include at least one dihydric or trihydric alcohol having 2 to 10 carbon atoms per molecule, and ethers of these alcohols; the amount of additive agent is such that the molar ratio of additive agent to total moles of the Group VI metal element and the Group VIII metal element is in the order of 0.05:1 to 3:1. However, during preparation of solutions according to EP 0601722, it was observed that a solution containing polyethylene glycol-200 at an additive:metal ratio of 0.22:1, a phosphorus to Group VI metal ratio of 0.60:1, and a molybdenum concentration of about 450 g/L (expressed as MoO3) contained precipitate. In contrast, for a solution in which the polyethylene glycol-200 was at an additive:metal ratio of 0.22:1, the phosphorus to Group VI metal ratio was 0.14:1, and the molybdenum concentration was about 450 g/L (expressed as MoO3), no precipitate was seen.
When forming catalysts for hydrotreating, hydrodesulfurization, and/or hydrodenitrogenation via impregnation of a support, precipitate formation in the impregnation solution is usually undesirable. Thus, the art continually strives to form impregnation solutions without precipitate from which to make catalysts with higher activities for hydrotreating, hydrodesulfurization, and/or hydrodenitrogenation.

Solutions and catalysts comprising group VI metal, group VIII metal, phosphorus and an additive


A wing for an aircraft includes a leading edge and a wing tip extension extending from an end of a main wing region to a wing tip. The wing tip extension includes an arrangement of openings at least from the end of a main wing region to the wing tip along the leading edge, which openings are connected to an air conveying device for conveying air through the openings. Thereby in flight states with a low flight velocity the flow around a wing tip extension can be harmonized such that the drag is decreased and the lift of the wing is increased.

In commercial aircraft wing tip extensions are often installed for the purpose of improved efficiency due to a reduction of lift-induced drag and due to the increased lift generated at the wing tip. While wing tip extensions are usually designed for cruise flight conditions they may comprise an unwanted stall behavior during takeoff and landing. While the wing itself usually comprises high lift devices, e.g. in the form of slats arranged at the leading edge with the purpose of delaying the stall of the trailing wing with respect to the angle of attack at which the main wing stalls without the use of a high lift device, a protection of the wing tip extension would necessitate a rather complex kinematics at a wing tip extension due to the varying complex curvature and the available small assembly room. Hence, wing tip extensions are commonly unprotected in terms of leading edge high lift device installment.
In the state of the art there are different solutions for improving the stall behavior of an unprotected wing tip extension. For example, it is known to install passive leading edge fences located inboard of the wing tip extension. However, it is questionable if this measure is capable of completely eliminating the stall in certain flight envelop bandwidths. It can however be assumed that it rather prevents localized stall areas from spreading further outboard.

Wing for an aircraft, aircraft and method for reducing aerodynamic drag and improving maximum lift


Systems and methods applicable, for instance, in wireless communications. For example, a mobile node and/or other computer receiving a time slice burst of an elementary stream may act to obtain a delta-t time value specifying time to elapse until a subsequent burst, and/or may act to obtain information corresponding to burst length. As another example, the mobile node and/or other computer may set in view of the delta-t time value an alarm elapsed time value for activating reception circuitry. As yet another example, the mobile node and/or other computer may set in view of the information corresponding to burst length an alarm elapsed time value for deactivating reception circuitry.

In recent times, there has been an increase in the use of wireless communications. For example, many users have come to consider wireless communications (e.g., Terrestrial Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-T) or Digital Video Broadcasting: Handhelds (DVB-H)) to be a preferred source of news, entertainment, information, and the like.
Accordingly, there may be interest in technologies that, for example, facilitate wireless communications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for wireless communications


A device may include an image display component to display an image that includes a subject, where the image has a header portion, and to display subject information that includes a communication identifier related to the subject, and wherein the subject information is stored in the header portion. The device may include a transceiver to contact the subject via the communication identifier. The device may include a processor to provide the image and the subject information to the display component, to receive a request to contact the subject, to retrieve the communication identifier from the header portion, and to send the communication identifier to the transceiver to cause the transceiver to contact the subject.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
Implementations described herein relate generally to wireless devices, and more particularly to performing operations related to images displayed on wireless devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Devices, such as mobile communication devices, may perform functions other than communication functions to make these devices more useful to consumers. For example, mobile communication devices may be configured to store and play music and/or video files, and/or to record still images or video.
A consumer may find mobile communication devices with image capturing capabilities to be very useful as the consumer does not have to carry a separate camera to record images. Users may find that they take pictures with their mobile communication devices at a number of locations due to the portability of the mobile communication devices.
At times, users may not remember the names of people in photographs taken with a mobile communication device. For example, a user may want to call a person in a photograph that was taken using the mobile communication device. The user may not be able to remember the name of the person in the photograph even when the person's name is in a phonebook on the mobile communication device. The user may have difficulty remembering the person's name because the user is unable to associate the person's appearance with that person's name.


A sulfur-containing detergent composition for cleaning a semiconductor device having an aluminum wire, wherein the sulfur-containing detergent composition is capable of forming a protective film containing a sulfur atom on a surface of an aluminum film in a protective film-forming test; a semiconductor device comprising a protective film containing a sulfur atom on a surface of an aluminum wire, wherein sulfur atom is contained within a region of at least 5 nm in its thickness direction from the surface of the protective film; and method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the step of contacting an aluminum wire of the semiconductor device with the sulfur-containing detergent composition as defined above, thereby forming a sulfur-containing protective film on the surface of the aluminum wire. The semiconductor device can be suitably used in the manufacture of electronic parts such as LCD, memory and CPU. Especially, the semiconductor device is suitably used in the manufacture of a highly integrated semiconductor with advanced scale-down.

In the manufacture of a semiconductor device on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer, a thin film is formed by a process such as spattering, and given patterns are formed with a resist on a thin film by lithography. The resist is used as an etching resist to remove the thin film of a lower part by selective etching, and thereafter the resist is removed by ashing, and residue generated after this etching or ashing are removed with a detergent. A series of these steps are repeated, whereby a manufactured article of a semiconductor device is manufactured.
On the other hand, with the increasing demands of high speeds and high integration of semiconductor devices, the aluminum wires have been progressively scaled-down, so that the wire widths tend to be narrower. However, when the wire width is narrow, the corrosion of the wire by the detergent used in the manufacture of the semiconductor devices is more likely to take place. Therefore, the tolerable level of the corrosion against the wire by the detergent has become very strict in recent years.
For instance, a detergent containing a fluorine-containing compound or an amine (for instance, JP-A-Hei-11-67632 and JP-A-Hei-6-266119), which has been presently widely used, does not satisfactorily meet the level demanded for the corrosion of the wires if the residue is attempted to be completely removed in semiconductor devices equipped with the wires having narrow widths as mentioned above.
In addition, as a detergent serving to suppress the corrosion of a metal film, there has been disclosed a detergent composition containing a quaternary ammonium salt or an ammonium salt of an organic carboxylic acid, ammonium fluoride, a water-soluble organic solvent, and an inorganic acid or organic acid (JP-A-Hei-10-55993). However, since there is a large amount of corrosion of the aluminum wire by ammonium fluoride in semiconductor devices equipped with the wires having narrow widths, the problems have not yet been solved thereby.
Therefore, in order to obtain a semiconductor substrate in which a semiconductor device equipped with the wires having a narrow wire width is formed, which is expected to be required more and more in the future. Particularly in an industrial scale, there are limitations in the contrivances of conventional detergent solutions.

Composition for cleaning semiconductor device


A word line activation signal generated by a timing generator is surely at L level in a prescribed period regardless of the power supply voltage. A row address signal delayed by a delay circuit in a row address buffer changes in a period in which the word line activation signal is at L level. Accordingly, even if skew occurs, a non-selected word line is never activated. Consequently, it is possible to prevent delay of access to a memory cell and erroneous writing to a memory cell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor memory device that delays a pulse signal from an ATD (Address Transition Detection) buffer to generate a word line activation signal.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the semiconductor memory device referred to as asynchronous SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ATD buffers are provided at various places that generate a one-shot pulse signal according to change of an address signal, a chip select signal, a read/write enable signal, and an input data signal. A word line activation signal WLE is generated by a timing generator that delays the trailing edge of a pulse signal supplied from the ATD buffer as illustrated in FIG. 17.
A pulse signal LATD1 input to the timing generator is generated in response to change of a row address signal by an ATD buffer provided for a row address buffer, and an ATD signal LATD2 is generated in response to change of a column address signal by an ATD buffer provided for a column address buffer. FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of an address buffer (row address buffer or column address buffer). The address buffer generates internal address signals A and /A in response to an external address signal EAD when a chip select signal /CS is active (at a logical low level), and an address signal atd is supplied to a corresponding ATD buffer.
Word line activation signal WLE is supplied to a row decoder shown in FIG. 19. The row decoder selectively activates word lines WL1-WL4 in response to internal address signals A1, /A1, A2, and /A2 when word line activation signal WLE is active (at a logical high level).
The timing generator generally includes multiple stages of delay circuits RDLs as shown in FIG. 17. The pulse width of a signal output from delay circuit RDL remarkably increases as the power supply voltage decreases as indicated by (2) of FIG. 20.
FIGS. 21A-21R represents internal waveforms of the SRAM in the case that the power supply voltage is relatively high. Referring to FIGS. 21A-21R, if the power supply voltage is high, the pulse width of delay circuit RDL is relatively small, and the pulse width of word line activation signal WLE is accordingly in the range of an address cycle. In this case, even if there is skew between internal address signals A1 and A2 to cause nodes N2 and N3 corresponding to non-selected addresses to rise, word lines WL2 and WL3 corresponding to the skew addresses do not rise since word line activation signal WLE is at a logical low or L level.
The current trend of miniaturization and reduced voltage of a semiconductor memory device requires that the operation of the memory device is ensured on one chip in a range of a higher supply voltage to a lower supply voltage.
The internal waveforms of the SRAM represented by FIGS. 21A-21R in the case of the higher supply voltage change to those internal waveforms represented by FIGS. 22A-22R if the supply voltage of the SRAM is low. As the supply voltage decreases, the pulse width of the pulse signal output from delay circuit RDL remarkably increases as shown in FIG. 20. Therefore, the pulse width of word line activation signal WLE exceeds the address cycle and word line activation signal WLE is fixed at a logical high or H level.
In this case, if there is skew between internal address signals A1 and A2, nodes N2 and N3 corresponding to non-selected addresses rise. Word line activation signal WLE fixed at H level thus causes word lines WL2 and WL3 corresponding to skew addresses, in addition to selected word lines WL1 and WL4, to rise.
Since word lines WL2 and WL3 corresponding to the skew addresses rise, it follows that data could be read at this instant from memory cells corresponding to the skew addresses, to delay access to a memory cell corresponding to a selected address. Further, in the case of the write cycle, writing could be done wrongly.

Semiconductor memory device delaying ATD pulse signal to generate word line activation signal


A forme cylinder is supported and adjusted in a printing group of a rotary printing press, which group includes a transfer cylinder and a counter-pressure cylinder, which two cylinders include interacting support elements. The forme cylinder does not include a support element which interacts with the transfer cylinder. The forme cylinder has a shaft distance that can be adjusted during printing to adjust a contact pressure between the forme cylinder and the transfer cylinder. The forme cylinder may be covered with a waterless printing forme. The contact pressure between the forme cylinder and the transfer cylinder can be adjusted to a property, such as the compressibility, of the waterless printing forme.

A device in a printing group of a rotary printing press, having a forme cylinder, a transfer cylinder and a counter-pressure cylinder is known from WO 00/41887 A1. The transfer cylinder and the counter-pressure cylinder have cooperating support elements. To compensate for unwinding differences between the cylinders with the support elements, and/or to prevent unacceptable wear of the support elements, it has been optionally provided that a normal force, i.e. a contact force, between the support elements can be adjusted, and that a shaft distance between the transfer cylinder and the counter-pressure cylinder can be changed. One of the two cylinders with support elements is seated in an eccentric bushing.
Cylinders of a rotary printing press and having so-called bearer rings, are known from DE 29 26 570 C2 and from DE 195 01 243 A1. The bearer rings of adjoining cylinders are supported on each other. Bearer rings are support elements, configured as barrel rings, and arranged on the journals of cylinders and supporting the two ends of the cylinder in order to reduce undesired cylinder vibrations and in this way to make possible clean printing in spite of groove beat. The bearer rings are of such dimensions that the bearer rings arranged on cooperating adjoining cylinders roll off on each other. Thus a defined shaft distance between two printing group cylinders of a rotary printing group is also achieved by the use of such a bearer ring arrangement. Because of their support of the cylinders, which bearer ring support exists in addition to the seating of the cylinders, the bearer rings cause dampening of cylinder vibrations, which are excited, in the course of the rotation of the cylinders, by grooves, which grooves have necessarily been cut into, or formed in the cylinders for holding dressings.
As can be seen in DE 28 02 153 A1, the bearer rings are pushed together under considerable pressure. This is done in order to prevent the bearer rings, which run off on each other, from lifting or sliding off during the printing process.
An arrangement for setting the contact pressure between cylinders of a rotary printing press is known from DD-PS 113 187. The arrangement for plate cylinder adjustment is constructed analogously to that for printing cylinder adjustment.
Document DE 41 42 791 A1 relates to a device for setting the printing pressure, as well as for setting the print-on and print-off setting of printing presses, which can be selectively operated with bearer ring or without bearer ring contact. The device makes possible a common, synchronous adjustment of several cylinders with respect to each other, in a single adjustment process while printing with the bearer rings in contact, as well as with the bearer rings out of contact. In particular, with a change of the printing pressure between the rubber blanket cylinder and the printing cylinder, the plate cylinder is moved to follow the rubber blanket cylinder in such a way that, independently of the printing gap between the rubber blanket and the printing cylinders, the shaft distance between the plate cylinder and the rubber blanket cylinder always remains the same.

Devices for supporting and adjusting a form cylinder in a printing group of a rotary printing press


A lock for an automatic transmission of a vehicle having a center console with a pair of side walls and a floor mounted gear shift selector lever. The lock includes a fixed portion, a movable portion, and locking apparatus. The fixed portion replaceably attaches to the center console of the vehicle. The movable portion is movably mounted to the fixed portion and selectively engages the floor mounted gear shift selector lever of the vehicle. The locking apparatus is disposed on the fixed portion and selectively prevents movement of the movable portion. The key lock of the locking apparatus, by use of a key, locking engages a plurality of notches in a first member of the movable portion and prevents movement of the movable portion relative to the fixed portion when the fixed portion is engaged with the center console of the vehicle, the floor mounted gear shift selector lever of the vehicle is in park, and the moveable portion is extended from the fixed portion until a pair of prongs of a fork of the movable portion engage the floor mounted gear shift selector lever of the vehicle therebetween and prevent movement thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lock for a transmission of a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lock for an automatic transmission of a vehicle having a center console with a floor mounted gear shift selector lever.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for vehicle transmission locks have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,323 to Stanislawczyk teaches a lock plate assembly that mounts about a pair of transmission gear shift levers of a vehicle to prevent unauthorized use of the vehicle. The lock plate assembly consists of a pair of shaped plates which are shaped to matingly engage with each other, with each plate shaped to fit halfway about two parallel cylindrical rods. An accessory assembly may be mounted to the vehicle floor to permit mounting the lock plate assembly about a shaft on the accessory plate and about one transmission gear shift lever of a vehicle, when so desired.
A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,241 Lipski teaches a locking device for preventing the theft of certain vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. The device is designed to mount on the shift lever of certain types of automatic transmissions and prevent shifting out of the PARK position, thus preventing theft of the automobile, even though the engine may be started by unauthorized means. The device is readily attachable to automatic transmission shift levers of the type for which it is designed, cannot be removed without a key, is positive in operation so as to prevent shifting of the transmission when locked, is simple and economical to manufacture, and is reliable and effective in preventing unauthorized operation of a vehicle.
A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,099 Cykman teaches a locking arrangement for preventing motorcar theft by locking the gearshift stick to a fixed portion of the motorcar including a rigid bar rigidly secured to a body portion of the motorcar in the vicinity of, parallel to and of a length shorter than the gearshift stick, a padlock body fixedly mounted onto the bar, and a separable padlock shackle adapted to be locked to the padlock body, with the stick enclosed by the shackle.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,344 Garcia teaches an automobile anti-theft device having a locking rod that locks the parking lock pawl of an automatic transmission in a position where it engages and locks a parking pawl gear. The locking rod is spring biassed so that it automatically becomes engaged when the automatic transmission is placed into Park. A separate lever is actuated and used to withdraw the locking rod from locking the pawl. The locking rod is provided with a transverse groove to prevent unlocking of the transmission except when the transmission is in Park. The device is also provided with an electric switch and regulator which is operatively coupled to the locking rod as it electrically connected between the fuel injectors and the car's computer.
A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,244 Liou teaches a lock device for locking a gearshift stick of a vehicle so as to prevent the gearshift stick from being operated that includes a base having two holes for receiving two legs of a shackle, two catches slidably received in the base for locking the shackle, and a lock engaged in the base and having two plungers for actuating the catches. A housing is fixed on the base and has two channels for receiving the shackle, two resilient members are disposed in the channels for engaging with the shackle so as to retain the shackle in place. The housing has a key hole access for inserting a key into the key hole of the lock, and a lid is pivotally coupled in the housing for enclosing the key hole access.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for vehicle transmission locks have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.

Lock for an automotive transmission of a vehicle having a center console with a floor mounted gear shift selector lever


A carrier belt for loading materials includes a carrier body, a protective film on a mounting surface of the carrier body, and at least one dividing strip sandwiched between the protective film and the carrier body, thereby spacing protective film from the carrier body to form a gap. The mounting surface comprises a plurality of loading areas to carry the materials and at least one non-loading area. The at least one dividing strip is arranged on the on the non-loading area, a height of the gap is greater than a thickness of each of the materials. A carrier roll is also provided.

During the storage and transportation of materials (for example, conductive patches), the material usually needs to be attacked to a carrier belt at intervals, and then the carrier belt is wound on a carrier pulley to protect the materials. However, the materials can be easily damaged by a friction between the carrier belt and the materials.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Carrier belt and carrier roll having the same

TRIPLE WIN TECHNOLOGY(SHENZHEN) CO. LTD.


The invention relates to indicator ink compositions that contain a water-based dispersion of a phenol-formaldehyde resin, at least one colorant and an amine-terminated catalyst. These indicator ink compositions are fixed to a surface, such as by drying, and respond to specific conditions of time, temperature, humidity, pressure and the presence or absence of certain chemicals by changing color. Compositions provide a means for detecting exposure to a predetermined condition and can be fixed or otherwise attached to nearly any article or designed into patterns on materials. Exposure of the indicator ink to the specific condition, the indicator ink provides a permanent detectable record of the event. Further, by varying the amount of amine-terminated catalyst in the formulation, the specific conditions at which the indicator composition will change color can be altered. Such compositions are specifically useful for determining the effectiveness of a sterilization process.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to ink compositions which provide a detectable indication of conditions involving time, temperature, pressure, energy or the presence or absence of certain chemicals. These compositions are useful in industry and manufacturing for detecting environmental conditions and in medicine for determining the effectiveness of sterilization processes.
2. Background of the Invention
In many areas of manufacturing, analysis and research, and especially in the field of medical research and testing, exposure to sterilants is required to accomplish specific objectives such as curing a component, rendering a device sterile or determining how a material withstands exposure to a sterilant or to a sterilizing environment. Sterilization processes to which materials can be exposed include, inter alia, gamma radiation, ethylene oxide, E-beam, steam, vapor phase hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet light, dry heat, peracetic acid, gas plasma and steam-formaldehyde.
Sterilization is generally defined as the process of completely destroying all viable microorganisms including organisms such as viruses and spores. Considering the risks associated with improper sterilization, it is always beneficial to monitor the effectiveness of material sterilization. Standard practice is to include a sterility indicator with the articles to be sterilized. The use of sterility indicators allows for a direct and sensitive approach to assess the lethality of the process. The typical sterility indicator is a packaged assembly of components which is placed into the sterilizing environment with the articles to be sterilized. These components are specifically affected by one or more parameters of the sterilization process and analyzed after completion of the procedure. These and other conventional indicators are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,606,654, 4,596,773 and 4,717,661, which are hereby specifically incorporated by reference as are all U.S. patent documents cited herein.
There are two general types of sterility indicators, biological indicators and chemical indicators. Biological indicators, as their name implies, contain a biologically-derived test material. A standard type of biological sterility indicator, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,850, contains a known quantity of test microbial spores. The indicator is placed into the sterilization chamber and exposed to the sterilization process along with the objects to be sterilized. Test microorganisms from the exposed indicator, such as Bacillus stearothennophilus or B. subtilis spores, are incubated in a growth medium for a specified period of time under conditions which favor microbial proliferation. The incubation medium is then examined for signs of growth which may be determined by the presence or absence of metabolic products. Typically, growth is detected by a pH change of the incubation medium. A low pH is positive for growth and indicates that the sterilization process was insufficient to destroy all of the microorganisms. These and other variations of the biological sterility indicator are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,239,429, 3,440,144, 3,661,717, 4,596,773, 4,717,661, 4,732,850, 4,741,437, 4,743,537, 4,885,253 and 5,167,923.
A major drawback of biological sterility indicators is the time delay in obtaining results of the test. Indicators typically require incubation for periods of time which, in the case of spore containing indicators, can be several days. To help ensure complete safety, items which were subjected to the sterilization process should not be used during this period. The practitioner should wait until the results of the viability test have been determined, and if proper sterilization conditions were not met, wait even longer for the materials to be re-sterilized and re-tested.
Chemical indicators contain an analyzable chemical and provide a more general indication of exposure to a sterilization process by detecting or measuring one or more of the parameters of the process. Most chemical indicators provide a visual indication of exposure to the sterilization process and contain, for example, a thermotropic ink. The ink can be fixed by, for example, printing directly onto the article to be sterilized or onto a wrapping or attachment to the target article. The article and the chemical indicator ink composition are then exposed to the sterilization process and upon completion, the indicator provides an indication of exposure to or a measure of the effectiveness of the process.
The most widely used chemical indicators contain inks which change color in response to predetermined states or conditions of local environment such as would occur during sterilization. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,916, a chemical compound such as silver nitrate will darken upon exposure to heat, high humidity and/or the presence of ethylene oxide. An indicator device containing this compound, and exposed to a steam or ethylene oxide sterilization process, darkens in color. Substantial darkening provides an indication that the sterilization process has been encountered. No post-sterilization incubation period is required and, thus, results can be determined immediately.
As chemical indicators are designed to react to the critical parameters associated with a particular sterilization process there are at least as many variations of chemical indicator compositions as there are sterilization processes. For example, a steam sterilization process indicator utilizes an indicator composition which determines that a set temperature, pressure, time or combination of these events have been achieved. With a dry heat sterilization process, the chemical indicator provides an indication that a certain predetermined temperature had been reached for a given period of time. For an ethylene oxide sterilization process, the chemical indicator provides an indication that a predetermined gas concentration existed in the sterilization chamber. Failure to elicit a detectable color change demonstrates that one or more parameters associated with that particular sterilization process were not achieved and immediately warns the user that a problem may exist.
A wide variety of chemical indicators have been developed that rely on a color change to determine the sufficiency of the sterilization process. For example, Rohowetz et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,397) is directed to organic solvent-based ink compositions used as sterilization or pasteurization indicators. An ink composition is considered to be organic solvent-based if they are greater than 25% organic solvent by weight. These inks comprise a solution of binder resin such as a phenol-formaldehyde or resorcinol-formaldehyde class of phenolic resin chemicals, a thermotropic dye that undergoes a color change at about 215.degree. F. (101.degree. C.), and an organic solvent blend consisting essentially of a lower aliphatic monohydric alcohol at between about 25% to about 100%. These resins are alcohol-based and have a molecular weight in range of between about 1,300 to about 10,000.
Rohowetz et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,895) is directed to thermotropic inks which comprise a binder resin component, an alcohol solvent and a colorant. The colorant is a dye and may be classified as a substituted phenazine or diazotization product of a safranine forming Janus Green B, Janus Blue, Indoine Blue, Janus Black, Copying Black SK and Copying Black 1059/1527. Compositions are stated to produce a detectable color change upon exposure to temperatures of at least about 215.degree. F. for periods of time ranging from 2 to 90 minutes.
Germonprez et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,044) is directed to binderless ink compositions for use in jet printing operations on polymeric resin surfaces to form images that are resistant to abrasion, and which respond to steam sterilization or pasteurization. The inks utilized change color upon exposure to steam at elevated temperatures.
Banczak et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,252) is directed to ink compositions suitable for ink jet printing on metal surfaces. The compositions comprise a colorant comprised of a shellac and a dye such as auramine, chrysoidine, crystal violet or another basic dye, and an alcohol-water solvent blend to lower the surface tension of the ink for printing on the metal surface of cans. Compositions may also contain electrolytes to lower the specific resistivity of the ink, often necessary for printing on metal surfaces.
Rohowetz (U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,437) is directed to an adhesive tape which changes color in the presence of water or steam at elevated temperatures. The tape comprises a polymeric base layer having at least one surface of a thermotropic ink. The ink comprises a binder resin in a solvent blend consisting essentially of a lower alcohol or alcohol mixed with an oxygenated organic compound such as aliphatic or cyclic ketones, esters or ethers, and a solution of colorants and surfactants.
These thermotropic indicator inks all contain organic solvents such as the volatile organic compounds (VOC) methyl ethyl ketone, toluene and dimethyl sulfoxide, and metallic salts such as carbonates of lead and copper. Color development is a consequence of a reaction of the metallic salt with a sulfur component resulting in the generation of a black metallic sulfide.
These types of conventional indicators have a number of problems as a result of their formulations. First, there is a limited development of color change. As black is the most prevalent signal color, it is often difficult to distinguish shadings. Second, the color change emits an offensive odor in compositions containing metallic sulfides. Third, compositions typically reach endpoint or, in other words, maximal color change immediately upon exposure to the elevated levels of temperature and humidity. Therefore, a graded response to increasing exposure cannot be easily achieved. There are also important environmental hazards associated with the manufacturing, handling, transportation, disposal and landfill of heavy metals such as lead. These hazards are present both before and after disposal such as in manufacturing and use by patients and health care workers.


A push switch includes a sideway U-shaped spring element positioned in a recess of a holder which is precision-formed of plastic resin by molding while keeping upper and lower sections of the U-shaped spring element compressed. The lower section of the spring element being divided into an upper contact portion and a lower contact portion having a length larger than the upper contact portion. The contact spring element is then housed in a casing provided with fixed contacts. The contact spring element being pivotally supported though a support shaft in the casing while contacting the lower contact portion with a first fixed contact and striking an upper plate of the holder against a stopper to stop upward pivotal movement of the holder due to the restoring force of the spring element.

This invention relates to a push switch in which pressing and releasing of a pressing element causes operation of contacts or turning-on and -off of the switch to be carried out, and more particularly to a small-sized or down-sized push switch formed into dimensions as small as, for example, 4 mm in length, 8 mm in width and 6 mm in height and housed in an insulating casing.
A push switch is generally adapted to change over an electric circuit by the pressing and releasing of a pressing element and is widely used for electronic appliances associated with an FD, a DTA and the like. Unfortunately, the conventional push switch fails to satisfactorily exhibit both economical efficiency and switching performance. More particularly, a push switch exhibiting good economical efficiency is deteriorated in durability and/or switching performance, whereas that exhibiting good durability is expensive. Thus, it would be highly desirable to develop a push switch which is decreased in manufacturing cost and exhibits satisfactory durability and switching performance.
The push switch is required to be miniaturized as described above, therefore, a space required for the switching operation or a distance between a movable contact side and a fixed contact side is set to be 1 mm or less, for example, about 0.5 mm. For this reason, it is required to restrict variation of the dimension to a degree as low as about 0.2 mm. Nevertheless, the conventional push switch is provided on a movable side thereof with a spring member as bent such which is a leaf spring, a wire spring or the like irrespective of quality of the push switch, to thereby be widely varied in quality depending on the spring member and substantially fail to satisfy the above-described dimensional requirements.


An etching tray for etching PCD cutting inserts is provided. The etching system includes a tray having a bottom and side walls extending upwardly from the tray bottom and a lid attachable to the top of the tray. The lid may include a funnel formed as an integral part of the lid which has an upper opening disposed above the lid and a lower neck which extends into the tray. The lid may also include an opening for a float to pass through and provide a visual indication of the liquid level in the tray. An etching fixture may be disposed in the tray for etching cutting inserts. The etching fixture has a body which holds a cutting insert to expose the cutting insert for etching.

PCD may be used to make cutting inserts as it provides a durable cutting edge. For example, PCD cutting inserts may be used as the cutting tips on underground drill bits, such as those used to drill oil and gas wells. Such drill bit inserts are cylindrical in nature, having a cylindrical core or substrate which is typically sintered carbide and a layer of sintered polycrystalline diamond located on an end of the substrate cylinder. Multiple of such inserts are attached to drill bits as the PCD forms a durable cutting edge. PCD cutting inserts may be used in a variety of applications to provide a higher performing and longer lasting cutting solution.
It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not every embodiment need accomplish all advantages of the present invention.

Etching tray and lid for acid etching PCD cutting inserts


A pole-suspended flag illumination system positions a lighting fixture located in close proximity to a flag on a flagpole to provide illumination to the flag. The lighting fixture can slide up and down the flagpole in unison the flag using the same halyard that is used for the flag, or by other means. Further, flags often rotate about the flagpole as the wind shifts. As such, the lighting fixture can rotate about the flagpole in alignment with the flag so as to maintain illumination on the flag at it rotates. The flag and the lighting fixture may be attached to a reinforced electrical cable that acts as a halyard and raises and lowers them both along the flagpole. Further, the electrical cable can be connected to a power source to power directional lights in the lighting fixture and any other electrical devices on the flagpole.

According to the Federal Flag Code Amendment Act of 2007, codified in 4 U.S.C 1, Section 6(a): "It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness." Although not governed by Federal Statute, illumination of other flags, including State flags, organizational flags, advertisement flags, marine flags, etc., is also of interest to groups for various personal, civic, legal, and commercial purposes.
As such, many methods and systems for illuminating a flag have been developed. One common method of illuminating a flag is to position one or more lights at the base of a flagpole, directed to illuminate the flag near the top of the flagpole with directed beams of light. However, if the flagpole is very high, the lighting power required to properly illuminate the flag is substantial and costly. Further, lighting equipment at ground level is subject to vandalism and environmental hazards (e.g., water leakage into ground-recessed lighting). An alternative lighting method is to light the flag from above using lighting affixed to the top of the flagpole. However, tall flagpoles also present a problem with maintenance for such illumination systems—obtaining access to the tops of very high flagpoles can be difficult, risky, and expensive. As such, existing approaches for illuminating flags present nontrivial challenges.


Data processing system (800) and process (100) produce a hierarchical interconnection description of an integrated circuit design from a plurality of functional modules and a desired hierarchy. After an integrated circuit description is received (102), an interconnection structure is created (104) for each hierarchical level and functional module within the integrated circuit description. Based upon the desired hierarchy, a hierarchical tree is generated. Based upon the hierarchical tree, the interconnection structures are filled (106) with relevant interconnection and pin information to define interconnections among functional modules and hierarchical levels. After each interconnection structure is filled, a complete hierarchical interconnection description of the integrated circuit design has been completed. Finally, the hierarchical interconnection description is output (108). The present invention also includes generating a higher functional level description of an integrated circuit from a lower functional level description (300). Further included is a technique for generating integrated circuits based upon the present invention.

In a typical process employed in the design of a modern integrated circuit, designers first specify an overall operation to be achieved by an integrated circuit. The specified operation is defined at a high level of abstraction and generally describes a desired set of operations to be performed by of the integrated circuit. Once specified, the overall operation of the integrated is then successively broken into components and sub-components with each component or sub-component performing a specific operation or set of operations. After the overall operation has been broken down into its lowest level of operational components and/or sub-components, a model of the integrated circuit design is then constructed by assembling and interconnecting functional modules, each of which possesses a low level of functionality. These functional modules, otherwise known as leaf modules, are defined for the integrated circuit design and perform functions such as arithmetic functions, AND functions, OR functions, and various other functions. The leaf modules typically are defined by inputs, outputs, and logical relationships between inputs and outputs and correspond to particular implementations of gates or cells in an actual integrated circuit. After the functional modules are assembled and interconnected to complete the behavioral level model, the leaf modules operating in combination perform the previously specified operation of the integrated circuit design.
The assembled leaf modules and their interconnections provides a behavioral level model of an integrated circuit. The behavioral level model is then used to construct a register transfer level (RTL), a next lower functional level model of the integrated circuit design. The RTL model of the integrated circuit design may then be used to construct a gate level model, a next lower functional level, and then a component level model of the integrated circuit design, still a lower functional level model. The component level model may then be employed to create a physical design file that represents a physical model of the integrated circuit. The physical design file may then be used to generate mask sets used in the manufacture of the integrated circuit design to create a working integrated circuit. Thus, by successively converting the behavioral model of the integrated circuit design to lower and lower functional level, the behavioral model may be used to produce a working integrated circuit.
The creation of behavioral level models is a difficult and tedious process. In typical prior art technique for creating a behavioral level model, leaf modules were manually selected, assembled, and interconnected. Because the manual process was overwhelming, the task was often broken into parts wherein implementations of differing operational segments of the overall integrated circuit design were accomplished by different design groups. Once behavioral models were created for each segment, the separate segments were joined into a complete behavioral model by defining interconnections between the functional modules of differing segments of the integrated circuit design. Once assembled, the interconnected segments became a behavioral model of the complete integrated circuit design. The manual process, of course, was prone to error due to the size and complexity of the task. Further, because different design groups worked semi-independently, the segregation of efforts also introduced errors into the behavioral level model.
One particular difficulty arising through the manual assembly and interconnection process related to naming conventions. In almost all integrated circuit designs, some leaf module are used many times. However, because each of the leaf modules had inputs and outputs with common names, difficulties often arose because of duplicate naming problems. Further, when editing the behavioral level model after compilation, edits to inputs and outputs of particular leaf modules having common names could not easily be performed.
Difficulties also often arose in the common naming of differing interconnections within the behavioral level model. These difficulties were most pronounced when separate groups constructed different portions of a behavioral level model. When the behavioral level model included commonly named interconnections that were operationally distinct, the interconnections could be inadvertently connected in a lower functional level implementation of the integrated circuit design based upon the behavioral level model.
Errors in the design of integrated circuits, such as those introduced in assembling and interconnecting leaf modules, are difficult to detect and often are present in the integrated circuits created using the design. Fixing these errors in the actual integrated circuit introduces additional costs and delays. Thus, it is extremely important to reduce or alleviate errors in the design at the time the design is completed.
In many situations, it is desirable to take a proven existing design, to segregate the existing design into a number of functional subparts, to modify the design by adding, removing, or altering functional subparts, and to manufacture other integrated circuits based upon the altered design. Typically, in the reuse of designs, an integrated circuit has been manufactured and completely debugged and has an accurate representation at a component level or gate level, the gate level model being one functional level above the component level and one functional level below the register transfer level. However, it is difficult or impossible to significantly alter a component level or gate level representation of an integrated circuit. Alterations of this scope may only be easily performed within a behavioral level model. Therefore, without a debugged behavioral level model based upon an existing design to modify, it is difficult to reuse and significantly alter a debugged and proven design to create other designs.
Thus there is a need in the art for a technique and system that creates a hierarchical interconnection description of an integrated circuit design, that uses the hierarchical interconnection description in the modification of designs, and that uses the hierarchical interconnection description to translate designs from a lower functional level to a higher functional level.

Method and apparatus for generating a hierarchical interconnection description of an integrated circuit design and using the description to edit the integrated circuit design


An embolizing system includes a catheter having a lumen, an elongate member, insertable within the lumen of the catheter, and an occlusion particle. The occlusion particle has a receiving passageway therein for receiving the elongate member so the elongate member guides movement of the occlusion particle.

The present invention relates to an embolization system to block flow through a selected portion of a lumen. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for introducing occlusion particles into the lumen of a blood vessel.
Embolization techniques are currently used to treat a variety of vascular and non-vascular diseases. Such diseases include arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), aneurysms, arteriovenous fistulas, and tumors. There are currently three basic types of embolization systems in use. Those systems include embolic liquids, solid or solid-type agents, and particles.
Embolic liquids include glues, (polymerizing agents), alcohols, and precipitating agents. Typical examples of embolic liquids are n-butylcyanoacrylate (n-BCA), ethyl alcohol and a precipitating agent sold by Ethicon of Germany under the tradename Ethibloc. The glues used as embolic liquids typically act to polymerize and harden in the vessel, thereby blocking or occluding the vessel into which they are introduced. The alcohol or alcohol derivatives cause tissue damage to the vessel with resulting thrombus formation for occlusion. Precipitating agents typically include a precipitating agent which is dissolved in infusion solution, but insoluble in a blood environment. When the infusion solution is introduced into the vessel, the precipitating agent precipitates out to cause occlusion.
Embolic liquids currently suffer from a number of disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the liquids lack radiopacity. This makes it difficult to monitor the administration of the embolic liquids. Another disadvantage is that the release of embolic liquids into the vessel to be occluded is difficult to control. The liquids must be released upstream of the site at which eventual occlusion is desired. Blood flow carries the embolizing liquid through the lumen of the vessel, and it is difficult to control the release of a proper amount of occlusive liquid into the vessel to insure that occlusion occurs at the desired site in the vessel.
Solid agents, when used in an embolization system, conventionally include occluding articles which are more discrete in nature than embolic liquids. Such articles have typically been formed of suture material or coils which are introduced into the vessel. The suture material (often silk), once released, assumes a convoluted shape within the vessel to cause thrombus formation and occlusion. A suture material occlusion system is discussed in the Ritchart et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,069 issued Feb. 19, 1991. Coils, or coil assemblies, used as solid occlusion agents are shown in the Sepetka U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,437 issued Aug. 10, 1993. The coils occlude the desired site in the vessel by posing a physical barrier to blood flow. This promotes thrombus formation at the desired site, which eventually occludes the vessel.
However, solid agents also suffer from a number of disadvantages. First, solid agents conventionally depend on thrombus formation in order to accomplish complete occlusion. However, if anti-coagulant agents are introduced into the bloodstream during surgery, the anticoagulant can substantially prevent thrombus formation thereby minimizing the occlusive effect of the solid agent. Additionally, the bodies' natural clot dissolving factors can cause recanalization. Further, when the solid agent is a coil, it is either an insertion coil or a detachable coil. Insertion coils are introduced into the vessel by injection, or by being pushed through a base catheter. Once introduced into the vessel, they can become irretrievable and accurate delivery is difficult to control. When the coil is detachable, it must be particularly sized to fit the lumen of the vessel at the desired occlusion site. However, the size of the lumen of the vessel is difficult to predict. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the treating physician to move the solid agent (detachable coil) to the occlusion site only to find out that the dimensions of the detachable coil are inappropriate to the occlusion site in the vessel. This requires the physician to remove essentially the entire coil system and to re-insert the system with a different size detachable coil. It may be necessary to repeat this process a number of times before the properly sized solid agent is finally inserted in the lumen. Also, when removing an improperly sized detachable coil, it is not uncommon for the coil to engage the base catheter and unravel or unwind. Such a system is time consuming and inefficient.
A third conventional embolization system utilizes what are known as embolizing particles or occlusion particles. Embolizing particles are typically smaller than solid occlusion agents and are suspended in solution. The solution is injected into the lumen to be occluded through a catheter. Typical embolization particles are made of polyvinylalcohol (PVA). The polyvinylalcohol particles are formed of a ground block of material which is put through a series of sieves to segregate the particles into various size categories. The particles are suspended in solution and injected into the vessel through a delivery catheter.
However, conventional embolizing particles also suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, in conventional systems, the particles cannot be easily retrieved once they are injected into the vessel. In addition, it is very difficult to control precisely how much of the injectate is delivered. Further, typical PVA particles are in suspension and are therefore not typically well aligned as they travel through the catheter. Therefore, they can wedge together and substantially block the delivery catheter. This requires the treating physician to either remove the entire system, including the delivery catheter, and replace it with another system, or to take extra time to remove the blockage from the delivery catheter. Another major problem associated with injecting PVA particles to occlude a vessel is referred to as reflux. Essentially, as PVA is injected into the vessel, and as the vessel begins to close, the distal flow at the occlusion site becomes smaller. Therefore, less injectate is needed at the occlusion site. If too much solution is injected, and the distal flow cannot accommodate the extra injectate, then the flow becomes proximal and can occlude a lumen of a normal vessel at a proximal site. This problem essentially arises from the difficulty in controlling the amount of PVA particles injected into the vessel.


Embodiments of the present invention may provide a relative angular motion measurement system that includes a remote device used to control operations of a host device. The remote may include a plurality of light sources with predetermined light distribution patterns and angles of orientation with respect to a major axis of the remote. The host device may include a sensor and a controller. The sensor may detect light emitted from the remote (via the light sources) and generate output signals that may be interpreted by the controller. The controller may interpret the output signals from the sensor to estimate received intensity from each light source and calculate the orientation of the remote device based on data representing the light sources' light distribution patterns with fixed angles of orientation.

There are currently several ways to measure relative angular motion in remotes and other similar devices. For example, micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) based gyroscopes are regularly used to measure relative angular motion. These gyroscopes, however, suffer from drift errors and therefore are not ideal as absolute angle measurement devices. Another method involves utilizing a camera embedded in a remote device that measures angles by tracking external fixed light sources such as those found in gaming systems. Such a solution requires angular information to be transmitted back to the main console, TV, or computer for display and providing input to the user interface. Yet another method uses "centroid" tracking sensors using lateral photodiode(s). While all of the above systems provide measurement of angular orientation, they remain expensive for one or more of these reasons: use of MEMS, bulky lenses, or need for a communication backchannel. Thus, none of these techniques provide a precise angular measurement system that can be implemented with low-cost technology.
Hence, the inventor perceives a need in the art for an angular measurement system that may be implemented in a low cost manner. The inventor also perceives a need for a system that may be used as a controller of a host device, resembling a mouse device that can be used in free space to enter user commands to the host. Such a device may also be useful in measuring the orientation of machine parts for robotics and machine control.

Angle measurement by use of multiple oriented light sources


A method for accessing a clock-synchronous semiconductor memory device including memory cells arranged in matrix. The cells are divided into at least two blocks, access to the cells in these blocks is designated from address data provided from an external device, and access to the memory cell is executed synchronously with an externally-supplied clock signal, which comprises setting the other blocks in an access preparation state or in an access operation standby state while one block is in an access operating state, setting a certain block in the access operating state via the access preparation state when the certain block is designated for the access operation by the address data and if the certain block is in the access operating state, and setting a certain block in the access operating state immediately when the certain block is designated for the access operation by the address data and if the certain block is in the access preparation state or in the access operation standby state. In the device, the designation of the cell in the block to be accessed is set using address data designating a block externally-provided from outside of the device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device which operates synchronously with a basic clock signal, and, in particular, to a clock-synchronous semiconductor memory device wherein data can be input and output at high speed, and to a method for accessing this device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The inventors of the present invention have previously proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 3-255354) a semiconductor memory device, wherein, an address is input at a specific cycle of the basic clock signal synchronized with a basic clock signal supplied to the system, and then input and output of data commences after a specific number of cycles, counted from this specific cycle.
In the operation of this semiconductor memory device, a cycle in which no data is output extends from the provision of a row address until the output of the data. Accordingly, during the output of data synchronized with the clock signal, for example, when the row address is changed, a cycle is produced in which no data is output. This cycle is explained below in detail. Also, in the case of a column address as well, it is not appropriate that the column address be changed frequently and random access characteristics be provided.
This point will now be explained in detail. In the make-up of a memory cell array of a semiconductor memory, there is a matrix structure of rows and columns in which a plurality of memory cells are systematically arranged.
Generally, a series of cells related to a word line is selected from a row address, and the data from one cell in the selected word line is selected from a column address.
For this reason, the time required from deciding the row address until the output of the data must be longer than the time required from deciding the column address until the output of the data. Therefore, when a new row address is set during the output of a series of data items synchronized with the clock signal, time is required for accessing the row with the new row address. As a result, the clock-synchronous data output is interrupted. This is referred to as a cycle in which no data is output.
In particular, with a DRAM, precharge time is always necessary prior to the access of a new row address, therefore, the output of individual items of data is interrupted for a long time.
FIG. 1 is a chart specifically showing this cycle in which no data is output. In the chart, first, the memory access is commenced at a specific column in a memory cell group by the provision of a row address (CLK1) when a row enable control signal/RE is at a low level in the cycle, and the provision of a column address (CLK3), for example, at the second cycle following this cycle, when a column enable control signal/CE is at a low level in the cycle. This data passes through several cycles until output by data transfer to an external circuit becomes possible, for example, at the fourth cycle after the column address has been provided (CLK7). In FIG. 1, the Dout signals are output.
Following this, data is output at each cycle according to a predetermined order. Cell data designating a string of data after the row address has been provided, is related to the row address provided at the beginning. This takes some time in a DRAM because the cell data is sensed by access from a row address and is held in a sense amplifier, but because only the data held in the sense amplifier is read out by access to the column address, the read-out can be accomplished in a comparatively short time. In the case where the control signal/RE is at the "L" level and a new row address is set, the data held in the sense amplifier up to this time is reset, and a sense-related precharge is required to sense the new row data.
After this precharge has been carried out, a sensing operation is performed and new column data is held in the sense amplifier. During the term of the precharge for the row which is newly designated, data related to the previous row address is collected in the output register, and the read-out portion can be continuously output.
However, after the output of this part is completed, the output operation is halted because the data to be output is no longer prepared. As shown on the chart, data output can be continued up to the third cycle (CLK15) following the cycle in which the new row address is set (CLK12). In this example, in data output of the new row address, a space for two cycles (CLK16 and CLK17) of data output is produced because a minimum of six cycles has elapsed.
As can be understood from the foregoing explanation, when the designation of the row address is changed in a conventional clock-synchronous semiconductor memory device, the output of data synchronized with the clock signal is interrupted, resulting in the problem that the clock-synchronous memory function cannot be fully demonstrated.
In addition, data is output for a change in the column address, as shown in FIG. 2, and, in the clock-synchronous semiconductor memory device disclosed by the inventor of the present invention (see FIG. 3) one string of data is transmitted as a package from a memory cell group 32 to a serial register 37 so that it is not possible to arbitrarily modify the column address within the required cycle in outputting data of the length of the serial register 37. Specifically, in this case, access of the serial register 37 is normally carried out in a fixed order for high speed access of the memory cell, and it becomes possible to determine the first part of the access of the register 37 only during a bulk transmission of data to the register 37.
Accordingly, the feature of random accessibility of as many bits as possible of the serial register 37 disappears at that column.

Clock-synchronous semiconductor memory device and method for accessing the device


An image reading apparatus (10) includes a photoelectric conversion element formation substrate (4) having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (2) on a reverse surface of an information reading surface, and a supporting substrate (1) bonded by an adhesive resin (5) to the photoelectric conversion element formation substrate (4) so that the supporting substrate (1) is integrated with the photoelectric conversion element formation substrate (4) and faces the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (2) on the photoelectric conversion element formation substrate (4). With this arrangement, provided is a photoelectric conversion apparatus and manufacturing method of same in which (a) a process of bonding a micro glass sheet is not required and (b) a protrusion of an installation portion toward a surface of a document is eliminated.

There has been conventionally known image sensors that are close-touching-type photoelectric conversion apparatuses in which large numbers of photoelectric conversion means (e.g. photodiodes, phototransistors) and switching elements (e.g. thin film transistors) are disposed in a line or two dimensionally in lines.
Examples of such image sensors are active-matrix-type image reading apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Publication for unexamined Utility model, No. 2-8055/1990 (Jitsukaihei; publication date: Jan. 18, 1990) and in Japanese Publication for Unexamined Patent Application, No. 5-243547/1993 (Tokukaihei; publication date: Sep. 21, 1993).
As shown in FIG. 14, in the active-matrix-type image reading apparatus, each pixel 81 of active matrix array, in which pixels are arrayed in an X-Y matrix, has an optical-sensor-use TFT (Thin Film Transistor) 82 and a switching-use TFT 83. The optical-sensor-use TFT 82 is a photoelectric conversion element, and the switching-use TFT 83 is a switching element. The optical-sensor-use TFT 82 of each pixel 81 is so designed that electric properties thereof are changed in accordance with whether a photogenic subject, such as a surface of a document, is white or black (bright or dark).
Specifically, because a resistance value of a phototransistor, which is used as the optical-sensor-use TFT 82, is changed in accordance with brightness (bright or dark) of light, an amount of electrical charge in an image capacitor (charge capacitor) connected to the phototransistor, or a voltage applied to each pixel 81 is changed. Therefore, two-dimensional information of the photogenic subject can be obtained by sequentially reading out an electrical charge distribution or a voltage distribution of the image capacitor by using the switching-use TFT 83.
For example, as disclosed in Japanese Publication for Unexamined Patent Application, No. 6-350070/1994 (Tokukaihei; publication date: Dec. 22, 1994), in a close-touching-type photoelectric conversion apparatus, it is necessary, regardless of whether a close-touching-type photoelectric conversion apparatus is one-dimensional line-sensor-use photoelectric conversion apparatus or two-dimensional area-sensor-use photoelectric conversion apparatus, to form a transparent protective layer over photoelectric conversion means, such as thin film phototransistors, photodiodes, or photoconductors, after the photoelectric conversion means is formed on a substrate.
The protective layer is provided for protecting the photoelectric conversion means including semiconductor elements.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, a photoelectric conversion element formation substrate 92, on which photoelectric conversion elements 91 are provided, and a protective layer 93 made of a thin glass substrate, such as a micro glass sheet, are bonded together by using an adhesive resin 94.
In this case, a light source 95, which functions as a backlight, is positioned under the photoelectric conversion element formation substrate 92, on which the photoelectric conversion elements 91 are provided. A document to be read is placed on the protective layer 93. Light emitted from the light source 95 passes through an opening section (transparent section) of the photoelectric conversion apparatus, and is radiated onto the document. The light radiated onto the document is reflected by a surface of the document, and enters into the photoelectric conversion elements 91.
However, the conventional photoelectric conversion apparatuses and manufacturing methods of same have the following problems.
(1) In a case where a high-definition photoelectric conversion apparatus is needed, a thickness of the protective layer (micro glass sheet) must be reduced. For example, in a case of a photoelectric conversion apparatus having a pixel density of 300 dpi, a pixel pitch is approximately 85 μm. In this case, it is necessary to set the thickness of the protective layer to approximately 50 μm, which is thinner than the pixel pitch. Otherwise, inter-pixel crosstalk of the light reflected by the document becomes so significant as to blur an image. In a case where the pixel density is 500 dpi, the pixel pitch is approximately 50 μm. In this case, the thickness of the protective layer must be reduced further, to approximately 30 μm.
If the thin protective layer is made of micro glass sheet, as in conventional arrangements, it is difficult to evenly bond the protective layer, by using the adhesive resin, to the substrate on which the photoelectric conversion elements have been formed. This is because the micro glass sheet is difficult to handle due to fragileness, and can easily be distorted. Therefore, such an arrangement and manufacturing method of the photoelectric conversion apparatus are needed that do not require a process of bonding the micro glass sheet.
(2) To the substrate on which the photoelectric conversion elements are provided, also provided are large numbers of switching elements and the like disposed in matrix or in a line. Therefore, it is necessary to install, in a peripheral portion (edge portion) of the substrate, a driving LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) for driving the switching elements, a reading LSI for reading electric information obtained from the photoelectric conversion elements, and/or a flexible printed circuit (FPC), for example.
In installing the LSIs in the peripheral portion of the substrate, a COG (Chip On Glass) method or a TCP (Tape Carrier Package) method is employed, for example. In the COG method, an LSI chip is directly installed on a substrate. In the TCP method, an LSI is installed to a tape, and the tape is installed on a substrate. In a case where the LSIs are installed by the COG method or the TCP method, or in a case where the FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) is installed, it is necessary to provide a cover for protecting an installation portion, that is, the portion where the LSIs are installed. As a result, the installation portion in the peripheral portion of the substrate inevitably protrudes toward a surface of the document as compared with the protective layer provided to an image-pickup region.
In a case where close-touching-type photoelectric conversion elements are used, it is necessary to cause the document-to be in close contact with the protective layer, so as to read the image. If the document has a large size, however, the document is hindered from closely touching the protective layer because of the protrusion of the installation portion. This causes problems of distortion and blur in an input image. Therefore, such an arrangement and manufacturing method of the photoelectric conversion apparatus are needed in which the installation portion of the LSIs and the FPC on a document-image-pickup plane, that is, on a surface on which the protective layer is provided, is eliminated.
The present invention is made in light of the problems above. An object of the present invention is to provide a photoelectric conversion apparatus and manufacturing method of same in which (a) the process of bonding the micro glass sheet is not required and (b) the protrusion of the installation portion toward the surface of the document is eliminated.

Photoelectric conversion apparatus and manufacturing method of same


A hula-hoop is disclosed to include a hula-hoop body that is formed of two symmetrical halves that can be collapsed when not in use or locked in shape when in use, a plurality of sliding members respectively coupled to and movable along the periphery of the hula-hoop body, and weights selectively mounted in the sliding members.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hula-hoops and more particularly, to such a hula-hoop, which has a plurality of sliding members slidably coupled to the periphery thereof for carrying weights.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional hula-hoop, as shown in FIG. 1, is a plaything consisting of a tubular plastic hoop 10 for swinging around the hips. Further, different designs of hula-hoops with massaging, sound and/or lighting effects have been disclosed. For example, the hula-hoop shown in FIG. 2 comprises a hula-hoop body 20 and a plurality of massaging members 30 rotatably mounted on the hula-hoop body 20 that massage the user's waist (or hips) when the hula-hoop body 20 is swinging around the user's waist (or hips). Hula-hoops with a massaging function are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,997,449; 6,309,273; 6,319,086; 6,533,635. Hula-hoops with sound and/or lighting effects are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,036,573; 6,497,603. Because the aforesaid hula-hoops that provide massaging, sound and or lighting effects have appeared on the market for a certain period of time, they are not fresh to consumers, having little attraction for people.


An electromagnetic relay in which an iron core 2 is fixed to a yoke 3, and one end of the yoke 3 is fixed by press-fitting to a base 4. The base 4 is formed with a yoke-receiving groove 4b into which tongue pieces 3e, 3e at one end of the yoke 3 are press-fitted, and a cutout groove 4c into which a head portion 2c of the iron core 2 is received. The yoke 3 is formed with a seal projection 3f disposed by insertion in an opening end of a cutout groove 4c of the base 4. This construction of the electromagnetic relay eliminates poor operation by preventing metal chips produced during assembly from adhering to electrical contacts of the relay.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electromagnetic relays and, more particularly, to a structure of an electromagnetic relay which has a base formed with a cutout groove into which a head portion of an iron core is fitted, and a yoke formed with a seal projection closing an opening end of the cutout groove of the base.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional electromagnetic relay structure is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. H2-104547. This conventional electromagnetic relay has a split groove in a yoke into which a small diameter portion of an iron core is press-fitted, thereby fixing the iron core. The yoke is fixed by press-fitting its end portion to the base.
In the conventional electromagnetic relay described above, however, the iron core is fixed by press-fitting to the yoke, so that metal chips are produced when the iron core is press-fitted to the yoke. These metal chips tend to adhere to contact portions or actuating portions of the electromagnetic relay, causing problems due to the occurrence of poor contacting.


The present invention relates to methods of treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The present invention includes administering polymeric prodrugs of 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin to patients in need thereof.

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) are a group of cancers associated with the immune system such as lymphocytes. NHL may develop in any organs associated with lymphatic system such as spleen, lymph nodes or tonsils. NHL can occur at any age and are often marked by enlarged lymph nodes, fever, and weight loss. NHL is generally grouped into aggressive (fast-growing) and indolent (slow-growing) types. NHL is also classified as either B-cell or T-cell NHL. B-cell NHL includes Burkitt's lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, immunoblastic large cell lymphoma, precursor B-lymphoblastic lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma. T-cell NHL includes mycosis fungoides, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, and precursor T-lymphoblastic lymphoma. Lymphomas related to lymphoproliferative disorders following bone marrow or stem cell transplantation are usually B-cell NHL. Prognosis and treatment depend on the stage and type of disease.
Over the years, several methods of treating patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas have been proposed. Some attempts include therapies based on CPT-11 also known as Irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar®). The results associated with these attempts have been thought of as being unsuccessful. The present invention provides an alternative for such treatment.

Treatment of non-hodgkin's lymphomas with multi-arm polymeric conjugates of 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin