A CMOS device includes NMOS (110) and PMOS (130) transistors, each of which include a gate electrode (111, 131) and a gate insulator (112, 132) that defines a gate insulator plane (150, 170). The transistors each further include source/drain regions (113/114, 133/134) having a first portion (115, 135) below the gate insulator plane and a second portion (116, 136) above the gate insulator plane, and an electrically insulating material (117). The NMOS transistor further includes a blocking layer (121) having a portion (122) between the gate electrode and a source contact (118) and a portion (123) between the gate electrode and a drain contact (119). The PMOS transistor further includes a blocking layer (141) having a portion (142) between the source region and the insulating material and a portion (143) between the drain region and the insulating material.

Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic uses both p-type (PMOS) and n-type (NMOS) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETS) to form circuit devices for computer systems. The state of the art NMOS transistor with salicide formed through the contact hole has a high external resistance due to a current pinch-off between the salicide region and the extension. This problem is expected to be especially severe on tight pitch structures as they will be present on future logic transistor technologies.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the discussion of the described embodiments of the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements, while similar reference numerals may, but do not necessarily, denote similar elements.
The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Similarly, if a method is described herein as comprising a series of steps, the order of such steps as presented herein is not necessarily the only order in which such steps may be performed, and certain of the stated steps may possibly be omitted and/or certain other steps not described herein may possibly be added to the method. Furthermore, the terms "comprise," "include," "have," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
The terms "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "over," "under," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. The term "coupled," as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectly connected in an electrical or non-electrical manner. Objects described herein as being "adjacent to" each other may be in physical contact with each other, in close proximity to each other, or in the same general region or area as each other, as appropriate for the context in which the phrase is used. Occurrences of the phrase "in one embodiment" herein do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

CMOS device and method of manufacturing same


In one aspect of the invention, a rotary impact mill has a milling chamber defined by a housing with an inlet, an outlet, and at least one wall. A plurality of impact hammers located within the milling chamber are fastened to and longitudinally disposed along a rotor assembly that is connected to a rotary driving mechanism. At least one of the impact hammers has a plurality of inserts arranged adjacent one another in a row and attached to a body of the hammer, wherein a first end of at least one insert is complementary to a second end of an adjacent insert.

Hammermills are often used to reduce the size of solid material. Materials often used in hammermills include coal, asphalt, cement, limestone, chemical fertilizer, barks, rocks, minerals, and food products. The materials are often fed into an inlet where the material falls into a milling chamber. The milling chamber typically comprises a plurality of impact hammers and may comprise a screen. The impact hammers are typically fastened at a proximal end to a rotary assembly; they are either rigidly fixed to the rotor assembly or the impact hammers may be free-swinging. As the material is fed into the chamber, the rotary assembly rotates bringing the impact hammers into contact with the material. The size reduction on each impact depends on the differential speed between the hammers and material, size of the material, and hardness of the material. If a screen is present, the screen may allow only the desired material particle size to pass to the outside of the chamber to an outlet where the particles can be collected or funneled to another machine where the material may be further processed.
Due to the impact and/or abrasive nature of the material, the impact hammers may wear requiring continual maintenance and down time of the hammermill.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,950 by Gunderson which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses an improved airflow hammermill assembly for grinding materials. The improved airflow hammermill assembly incorporates one or more diverging ducts communicating with the hammermill housing to provide a more uniform negative pressure within the housing. The improved airflow hammermill assembly allows increased throughput and energy savings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,131 by Thom, Jr., et al., which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses a hammermill that includes a housing, a working chamber defined by a polygonal screen, an inlet to the chamber, an outlet and a plurality of free-swinging hammers attached to a driven rotor. Support brackets extend the length of the housing and mount deflectors for eliminating tangential motion of materials being comminuted in the working chamber in the region of the deflectors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,747 by Brock, et al., which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses an invention that comprises a coal-fired burner system for use in a drum mix asphalt plant or drum dryer used for producing asphalt paving composition.
U.S. Patent Publication 2004/0129808 by Crane, et al., which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses a hammermill for singulating cellulosic fibers from a pulp sheet that comprises a cylindrical housing, a feed slot with a breaker bar positioned therein and a rotor mounted for rotation in the housing. Feed rolls are provided to feed a sheet of pulp into the feed slot upstream of the breaker bar.


The present invention is a tool holder for supporting a cutting insert during a material-removal process. The tool holder comprises a body having a channel formed therein for receiving a finger that extends from a head. The finger is secured within the channel by an assembly screw that permits the head to move between a retracted position and an extended position relative to the body. When the head is in its extended position, the head is permitted to pivot relative to the body; however, when the head is in its retracted position a pair of shoulders on the body engage a pair of notches on the head, preventing the head from pivoting. A locking screw is also provided that locks the head to the body. The locking screw is designed so that as the locking screw is tightened, the head is urged against the body, thus providing a positive known position for the insert each time the head is moved. In an alternative embodiment, the body and head are provided with a first and second flange, respectively, that engage each other and limit the pivotal movement of the head between a first position and a second position, 180.degree. away from the first position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tool holders. In particular, the present invention relates to a tool holder for supporting a cutting insert.
2. Discussion of Background
In high speed manufacturing processes, time is of the essence. The amount of time in which a process line or manufacturing station is down and not producing parts makes the difference between a profitable line and an unprofitable line. Consequently, it is extremely important to reduce the amount of down time, which then increases the efficiency of the line and reduces the cost per manufactured unit.
There are several types of manufacturing processes that can be used to produce a specific part. One such process is a material removal process, where material from a block of raw material, such as steel, aluminum, etc., is removed to form the desired end product. In the removal process, a tool holder supports an insert in a cutting position, so that as the block of raw material moves relative to the insert, the insert cuts away and removes the undesired material. After a number of cutting operations, the cutting surface of the insert wears and must be changed so that the manufactured parts remain within allowable tolerances. However, due to the positions and physical constraints of the inserts during the removal process, the insert is not typically accessible. Consequently, the tool holder must usually be removed from its position to change the insert. Removing and replacing the tool holder takes a relatively large amount of time. In addition, the tool holder and insert must be readjusted once replaced, so that the resulting product falls within allowable tolerances, a step which takes additional time.
Furthermore, the insert when in position is typically close to fast moving parts. Consequently, there is a danger to the operator associated with accessing the insert and replacing or changing the cutting surfaces while in position.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool holder which will support a cutting insert, where the insert may be accessed and replaced while reducing the amount of time necessary for the replacement. In addition, the tool holder should allow the insert to be accessed and replaced, while reducing any danger to the operator.


A graphical user interface is used to present one or more candidate patch target stages of a software development pipeline. Prior to deployment of a patch to a particular stage, an operation is performed to verify that a version of a deployed software at the particular stage has not changed since a record of a state of the particular stage was obtained. The deployment of the patch to the particular stage is initiated when the version of the deployed software has not changed.

In recent years, more and more large software applications and services are being run using distributed sets of interconnected resources, for example in cloud-based data centers, thereby reducing the need for application owners to maintain expensive application execution environments at their own premises. In some cases, a sophisticated application or service may utilize multiple components or modules that are developed by several different software development teams, often including dozens or hundreds of developers distributed across several locations in different time zones.
Complex software applications, such as web sites of large e-retail enterprises which are intended to concurrently serve thousands of customers in numerous countries, are typically deployed only after the software has undergone multiple types of testing. The process for introducing a new version of such software is often organized as a multi-stage pipeline, with different types of tests being performed at various stages, and multiple levels of approval required before the new version is eventually deployed in a production environment. In some cases, depending on the set of new features being introduced, it may take a long time (e.g., weeks) between the time that code changes for an application release are committed, and the time that the application release is deployed to production.
Defects or bugs may be identified at any of the stages of a software development and deployment pipeline, and of course also after an application has been deployed to production. In some cases, defects may have to be remediated using "patches" (changes to only a small subset of the overall code base of the application, which do not necessarily have to pass through all the stages of the pipeline being implemented for the application). An incremental feature to be included in an application may sometimes be identified relatively late in the development or testing cycle, and a patch may be used to add such a feature to the application (e.g., because passing the feature through all the stages of the pipeline may take too long for a deadline to be met); as such, not all patches may necessarily be associated with identified defects. In some conventional software development environments, patches may be introduced into the code base and deployed using a potentially error-prone methodology involving many different command-line driven operations, which can lead to problems such as delays in the resolution of defects, delays in the introduction of important features, or even the inadvertent introduction of new defects.


A liquid drop discharge head includes a chip 21 that is formed by separation of a silicon wafer 20. The silicon wafer 20 has a first direction and a second direction which are mutually intersected. The chip 21 is separated from the silicon wafer 20 by etching the wafer along a separation line 22 parallel to the first direction of the wafer and by dicing the wafer 20 along a separation line 23 parallel to the second direction of the wafer.

An inkjet head is a liquid drop discharge head used in an ink-jet printing device provided as an image recording device or an image forming device, such as a printer, a facsimile or a copier. The ink-jet head includes a nozzle which discharges the ink drop, a liquid chamber (also called pressurized liquid chamber, pressure chamber, discharge chamber, ink passage, etc.) which communicates with the nozzle for free passage, and a pressure generating means which generates the pressure to pressurize the ink in the liquid chamber. The ink drop is discharged from the nozzle by pressurizing the ink in the liquid chamber by the pressure generated by the pressure generating means.
As for other liquid drop discharge heads, for example, the liquid drop discharge head which discharges the liquid resist as the liquid drop, and the liquid drop discharge head which discharges the sample of DNA as the liquid drop are known.
In addition, as the micro device, for example, the actuator (or the optical switch) of a micro pump, the micro optical array, the micro switch (or the micro relay), and the multiple optical lens, the micro flow meter, the pressure sensor, etc. are known.
A description will be given of the ink-jet head as the example of representation.
There are three major types of the ink-jet heads: piezoelectric type, thermal type, and electrostatic type. The piezoelectric type discharges the ink drop by carrying out deformation and displacement of the diaphragm which forms the surface of a wall of the liquid chamber using electromechanical transducers, such as piezoelectric elements, as the pressure generating means. The thermal type discharges the ink by generating the bubble through the ink boiling using electro-thermal conversion elements, such as the heating resistors arranged in the liquid chamber. The electrostatic type discharges the ink drop by deforming the diaphragm through the electrostatic force using the diaphragm (or the integrally formed electrode) which forms the surface of a wall of the liquid chamber, and its opposing electrode.
In a conventional ink-jet head, the liquid chambers and the common liquid chamber which communicates with the respective liquid chambers are formed with the material, such as a photosensitive resin, a resin mold, metal or glass. However, since the rigidity of resin is insufficient, it is likely that the cross talk between the neighboring liquid chambers takes place, and there is the problem that the picture quality deteriorates.
Moreover, the rigidity of metal or glass is sufficient, and the problem of the cross talk does not take place. However, the manufacture processes of the metal or glass liquid chambers is difficult to perform. Further, for the conventional inkjet head, it is becoming difficult to meet the recent demand for the ink-jet head having a high-density liquid chamber in order to attain good quality of a reproduced image.
Japanese Patent No. 3141652, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Nos. 7-276626 and 9-226112 disclose an ink-jet head in which the liquid chambers and the common liquid chamber are formed by the anisotropic etching of a silicon substrate (silicon wafer). The rigidity of silicon is high and the manufacturing processes thereof can be performed easily by using the anisotropic etching. The formation of a perpendicular surface of the liquid chamber wall is possible by using the silicon wafer of (110) crystalline orientation, and this makes it possible to configure the high-density liquid chamber.
When the silicon is used for the liquid-chamber formation member, it is necessary to form the plural liquid chambers and the common liquid chamber corresponding to the head chips on the silicon substrate (silicon wafer), and to separate the silicon substrate into the respective chips.
In this case, as a method of separating the silicon wafer into the chips, the dicing is generally used.
In the dicing, the cutter blade in which diamond powders are attached to the circumference thereof is rotated at high speed and moved along the cutting line, so that the silicon wafer is cut into chips.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-157149 discloses a silicon dicing method in which the adhesion of chippings in the dicing is eliminated. In the method of the above document, a predetermined separation pattern mask is formed on the silicon wafer, and anisotropic etching is performed so that the wafer is separated into chips by the V-shaped grooves.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-36825 discloses another silicon dicing method in which the adhesion of chippings in the dicing is eliminated. In the method of the above document, the first and second V-shaped grooves are formed on the silicon wafer, and the concentrated stress is applied the first and second V-shaped grooves so that the wafer is separated into chips by the V-shaped grooves.
However, when performing the chip separation by the conventional dicing method, the cutting line is straight as shown in FIG. 27, and the respective chips 201 must be configured in the lattice formation on the silicon wafer 200. Depending on the size and form of the chip, the restrictions will be in the layout, and the non-used portion of the wafer will be increases. The number of the chips produced from a piece of silicone wafer will be decreased, and the manufacturing cost will be increased.
Moreover, the respective chips can be arranged with the same size only, and it is impossible to produce simultaneously the chips with different sizes.
On the other hand, the anisotropic etching method separates the silicon wafer into chips, and the degree of freedom of the layout of the chips on the wafer becomes large. There are the advantages that the chips with different configurations can be arranged on the same wafer, and that increasing the number of the chips produced is possible by arranging the chips in a staggered formation.
However, when bonding the chip after the separation to other parts, it is necessary that the edge of the chip is brought into contact with the other parts in alignment. In this case, it is required that the edge of the chip is placed with good precision. However, when the separation is performed by anisotropic etching, the precision of the chip edge will no longer be ensured.
That is, when the separation is performed by anisotropic etching, the chip edge will be tapered, like a knife edge, due to crystal orientation, and good precision is not obtained.
When the thickness of the wafer has variations, the chip edge also varies and the precision of the edge deteriorates since the chip edge is tapered. Furthermore, the chip edge is tapered, and the precision of the edge deteriorates due to cracking during production.
Depending on crystal orientations of silicon, the straight-line edge is obtained by anisotropic etching. The reason that the straight-line edge is as follows. In a silicon wafer of (100) crystalline orientation, there are two <110> orientations which are intersected perpendicularly. However, in a silicon wafer of (110) crystalline orientation, there are two <112> orientations or two <110> orientations which are not intersected perpendicularly. In the latter case, the silicon wafer cannot be separated into rectangular or square chips.
When it is desired to separate the silicon wafer of (110) crystalline orientation into rectangular or square chips, the method of arranging the pattern in the shape of a straight line and forming the separation line may be used. However, in this case, the edge of the resulting chip becomes saw-like, or the projection is formed thereon, and such edge is unsuitable for alignment and it may produce particles. The quality of the bonding of the chip to the diaphragm or the nozzle plate deteriorates due to the particles.
Moreover, when separating the wafer by anisotropic etching and etching separates into the chips completely, there is also the problem that the resulting chips are separated apart in etching liquid. In this case, the collection of the chips is difficult. To avoid the problem, the V groove which does not penetrate the separation line is formed so that the wafer may not be separated into chips completely.
However, the silicon wafer in which the separation line is formed by anisotropic etching has very small hardness, and there is a possibility that the wafer is damaged during the subsequent process or conveyance.
Moreover, when separating the wafer into the chips, it pushes with the roller and the stress is applied, and the wafer is separated by the cleavage. Like an electronic device, the chip of a size below several square millimeters can be produced by the separation cutting along with the separation line formed by anisotropic etching. However, as for the micro device which is a comparatively large chip in which the through holes are formed or sub-chips of various sizes are arranged therein, it is likely that the chip is damaged due to a concentrated stress.

Liquid drop discharge head and manufacture method thereof, micro device, ink-jet head, ink cartridge, and ink-jet printing device


An ink pressure regulator system disposed inside of a flexible ink bag reservoir for a replaceable or refillable computer driven printer ink cartridge comprises a pair of parallel piston plates and a spring system therebetween having a variable spring function relating force to displacement of the spring such that the regulator collapses to a substantially flat shape under decreasing amounts of added spring collapsing force as the plates approach each other to allow substantially complete evacuation of ink from the bag.

The present invention relates generally to ink reservoirs for high speed computer driven inkjet printers and plotters and other applications where precise pattern dispensation of a fluid is required such as the layout of circuit masks. In such printers the ink reservoir is ordinarily maintained under a sub-atmospheric or negative pressure so that ink will not leak or drool from the printhead. Various types of ink reservoirs may be used including refillable ink reservoir cartridges which are mounted on the moveable printer carriage, throwaway replaceable cartridges which are mounted on the printer carriage and remote or offboard ink reservoirs from which ink is pumped to the print head by tubing. In the onboard refillable or throwaway cartridges, a polymer foam is ordinarily provided in the ink reservoir so that the capillary action of the foam will prevent ink from drooling from the printhead. Polymeric foams of the type typically used for this purpose are non-biodegradable and thus cause environmental problems whenever a previously used cartridge is emptied and thrown away. In addition, the use of industrial foam in the ink reservoir restricts the operating pressure range of the ink cartridge and such foam ordinarily leave a chemical residue which is incompatible with and/or reacts adversely with printer ink. Similarly, the relatively long tubing used to convey ink from an offboard pressure reservoir to a printing head does not lend itself well for different printing pressure ranges.
A collapsible ink reservoir for an inkjet printer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,084 issued Dec. 20, 1983 to Saito. Negative pressure is maintained in a polypropylene ink bag by a spring which biases the bag walls apart from each other.
One example of an onboard ink pressure reservoir cartridge is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 07/717,735 filed Jun. 19, 1991 entitled SPRING-BAG PRINTER INK CARTRIDGE WITH VOLUME INDICATOR filed by David S. Hunt and W. Bruce Reid and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The cartridge disclosed in that application basically comprises a rectangular housing containing a flexible bag of ink and an ink filter and a printhead which receives ink from the filter. A spring inside of the bag of ink urges its flexible walls apart from each other thus maintaining a negative or sub-atmospheric pressure in the reservoir which is overcome as ink is emitted from the printhead. Cartridges of this type, while well suited for their intended purpose, suffer from the disadvantage that ink is not always completely used since the spring occupies a certain volume of space inside of the ink bag. As seen in that application, the spring essentially consists of a pair of spaced parallel plates which are urged apart by a spring.
Also of interest is the disclosure owned by the assignee of the present invention titled INK PRESSURE REGULATOR FOR A THERMAL INK JET PRINTER filed on Aug. 12, 1992 by George Kaplinsky and Tofigh Khodapanah, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and which discloses various spring configurations for use in pressure regulators.
Experience has shown that despite use of the spring arrangements mentioned above, after the spring is substantially collapsed, a small amount of residual ink remains in the ink bag which is never used. Accordingly, further spring designs have been investigated with the objective of further minimizing the amount of residual ink left stranded in the cartridge after full collapse of the ink bag.

Variable rate spring ink pressure regulator for a thermal ink jet printer


A technique performs Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) transformation. The technique involves performing a garbage collection operation on a first uber within a storage array, the garbage collection operation freeing a set of disk slices of the first uber. The technique further involves, upon completing the garbage collection operation, reallocating storage of the set of disk slices from the first uber to a second uber within the storage array. The technique further involves, after the storage of the set of disk slices is reallocated from the first uber to the second uber, storing data within the second uber. Such leveraging of garbage collection when performing RAID transformation reduces overhead and wear without not negatively affecting system performance.

In a conventional circular log storage system, data is always written to new storage. Typically, such storage is arranged in accordance with a particular Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) configuration. An example RAID configuration is RAID5(4+1) in which each storage stripe consists of four segments for data and one segment for parity.
During operation, old storage locations containing invalid data are marked as holes. Garbage collection is then performed on storage stripes containing such holes to provide new storage for future use.

Leveraging garbage collection for raid transformation


An improved fluid pressure sensor/sensor array is shown to provide high resolution, sensitivity which can be easily controlled based on anticipated or detected pressure range, and reliable pressure measurements with easy installation and low fabrication cost. A fluid pressure sensor is provided having a substantially incompressible mounting structure with a cavity formed therein. An elastic membrane is attached to said mounting structure and across said cavity, separating the cavity from the fluid to be measured. At least one non-contact transducer is attached to the mounting structure in the cavity to detect deflection at a selected plurality of regions on the membrane. The sensitivity and pressure range of the sensor can be chosen by preselecting the elasticity of the membrane, stretching the membrane across the cavity under a preselected tension, maintaining a predetermined reference pressure in the cavity, and/or actively controlling the membrane tension. For a pressure sensor array, there are at least two fluid pressure sensors, where at least one sensor is of the type described herein. A sensor array can also be formed by multiple cavities within a single mounting structure.

Pressure sensors can be utilized to measure the spatial distribution of pressure across a surface due to an environment of fluid or due to contact with the surface of an object. While contact pressure sensors target pressures of approximately 10.sup.4 Pascals (Pa), many fluid pressure sensing applications target pressures from 1 to 1000 Pa but also require sensitivities of approximately 1 Pa or less. Uses for such fluid pressure profiles include determining fluid dynamic pressure distribution on surfaces to optimize vehicle design, measuring the viscoelastic properties of a fluid in a rotating cone rheometer, and detecting turbulent flow in an enclosed conduit to optimize flow rate. In these high resolution applications, fluid pressure sensors must be sensitive to small differences in pressure over an area, reliable while withstanding high pressure contact during installation and cleaning, and inexpensive to fabricate.
Sensors for pressure profiles can be constructed by placing multiple individual sensors adjacent to each other, where each has a separate membrane. U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,959 issued Jul. 6, 1993, provides an example of a multiple diaphragm contact sensor array. Besides using contact transducers, sensor arrays of this type also have certain disadvantages including (a) spacing is increased between transducers and resolution and sensitivity is decreased since each diaphragm has only one transducer and (b) installation of numerous individual sensors can be difficult to align and to clean. An example of a multiple element, contact sensor with a single diaphragm is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,515 issued Feb. 9, 1993. However, the sensing elements are piezoresistors disposed within the diaphragm itself. This type of sensor is more susceptible to damage due to contact during installation and cleaning, more susceptible to thermal variations, and more complex and expensive to fabricate than non-contact sensing methods since the piezoresistors are embedded in the membrane.
A need therefore exists for an improved fluid pressure sensor/sensor array which provides high resolution, sensitivity which can be easily controlled based on anticipated or detected pressure range, and reliable pressure measurements with easy installation and low fabrication cost.

System generating a pressure profile across a pressure sensitive membrane


The method of asynchronous delivery of digital data according to the invention is implemented in at least one server system and at least one client system connected via a network.

In a network, such as a telecommunications network, the asynchronous delivery of digital data is essentially distinguished from a synchronous service in that the response to a request may be temporarily stored on a dedicated server on the network before being sent to a client station.
The temporary storage of the response makes it possible to alleviate poor or limited connectivity of the client station or of a server having the resource or data requested.
Different methods and devices for asynchronous delivery of data are known in the state of the art.
Thus, document U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,184 describes a service for asynchronous delivery of data for a Web browser installed on a mobile apparatus such as a PDA or GSM telephone.
The client Web browser of the mobile apparatus connects itself temporarily or intermittently to a dedicated server on the Internet network. The function of the dedicated server is to relay a command received from the mobile apparatus to a remote server on the Internet network, to receive and store the response of the remote server and to inform the client Web browser of the availability of the response.
The development these last few years of distributed networks and systems of "peer-to-peer" (or P2P) type has favored the appearance of services for asynchronous delivery, in particular for digital images.
This is because, in P2P networks and systems, the client stations and the servers connect and disconnect periodically to the network. The direct availability of the data on the network is very random. The temporary storage of the images requested and their deferred delivery constitute a technical solution adapted to P2P technology.
Thus a system of P2P type for sharing multi-resolution digital images is known to the inventors in which original images at high resolution remain stored on local servers of the users (client machines) of the system. Low resolution versions of the images on the other hand are stored on a central server of the system and are directly available for the users. A certain quality of service is obtained by the availability on the central server of the low resolution versions of the images. However, a problem of availability remains for the original images, especially when the connectivity of the local servers holding these original images fluctuates or when the reproduction quality of the original images is low.
In order to solve this problem of availability of the original images at high resolution, it has been proposed to include a dedicated server for the original images in the above image sharing system. Deferred downloading of the original images is made onto the dedicated server from the client machines holding the images. The dedicated server next warns the requesting users of the availability of the original high resolution images.
Although the methods and devices for asynchronous delivery of digital data of the prior art described above have given satisfactory technical solutions at the time of their design, those methods and devices today merit being improved.
Thus, a point on which the prior art calls for improvement is the manner in which the responses to the requests of users are provided to them.
This is because the responses are provided to the users as raw information and the users experience some difficulty in associating the responses received with the requests sometimes made considerably earlier. For example, the users' machines may be in very different operating states on receipt of the responses, with respect to the states at the time of making the corresponding requests.
Another desirable improvement of the prior art concerns the processing reserved for successive requests from the same user.
When no specific processing has been planned, each of the requests is processed independently of the others, and the user receives the same number of response notifications as requests made. Thus, for example, if the user makes the same request twice by error, he will receive two response notifications even though a single one would suffice. Apart for the lack of user-friendliness, these multiple notifications generate additional traffic on the network which it would be desirable to reduce to a minimum.
The asynchronous delivery service according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,184 does offer a possibility of stringing together or grouping together of the responses according to preferences expressed by the user beforehand, but this solution is not satisfactory in all cases. This is because it requires a deliberate intervention by the user. Furthermore, the grouping together carried out is static, and no change is possible without further intervention by the user.

Methods and devices for the asynchronous delivery of digital data

Abstract: According to the method, at the time of a request for data coming from a client system, an item of context information (CINF) representing a first state of the client system on sending out the request is associated with the latter.

Abstract: On delivering to the client system a response, the response incorporates the context information (CINF).

Abstract: The client system is adapted to put itself in a second state analogous to the first state mentioned above, in accordance with the context information (CINF, CUID).

Abstract: The method according to the invention provides context management enabling the user to associate the responses received with requests sometimes made well beforehand.


An improved toy vehicle playset contains a base, a tower, a launcher, and a housing structure. The tower may be equipped with a track disposed around the tower. An interactive object may be moveably coupled to the tower and equipped with a mechanism that is repositionable between an engaged position, where the mechanism is engaged with the track of the tower, and a disengaged position, where the mechanism is disengaged from the track of the tower. When in the mechanism is in the engaged position, the interactive object may descend the tower along the track. When the mechanism is in the disengaged position, the interactive object may descend linearly or fall along the tower without following the track. The launcher may be configured to launch toy vehicles at the interactive object to actuate the mechanism to be repositioned from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

Various toy vehicle playsets are known, where many of the known toy vehicle playsets are used to simulate raceways, cityscapes, and/or other backdrops. In some instances, the toy vehicle playsets may include a tower, but these playsets are limited in their play patterns because their towers often lack interactive features. Instead, the towers of the conventional toy vehicle playsets are merely included for appearances rather than creating unique play patterns.
Therefore, there is a need for a toy vehicle playset that includes a tower from which at least one interactive feature or object descends in a manner that creates a unique play pattern for the toy vehicle playset.

Toy vehicle playset with interactive object


An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. One inventive aspect includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a first insulation layer, a metal layer and a second insulation layer formed on the first insulation layer. The metal layer is formed on the first insulating layer and has a first through hole. The second insulation layer is formed on the metal layer and has a second through hole. The inventive aspect further includes a sealing member formed by filling the first and second through hole so as to seal the first substrate to the second substrate.

1. Field
Various aspects of the disclosed technology relate to an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and a manufacturing method thereof with reduced dead space and improved substrates sealing.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Displays are the apparatuses for providing visual information such as images or pictures to a user. Particularly, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, which are self-emitting displays that electrically excite an organic compound to emit light, have attracted much attention as next-generation display. This is because OLED displays can be driven at a low voltage. In addition, OLED displays can be made with a thin profile and have advantages such as wide viewing angles, fast response speeds, etc. This features overcome the limitations of traditional liquid crystal displays.
In the OLED display, a sealing member can be used to bond a lower substrate and an upper substrate. However, the area in which the sealing member is formed can be a dead space on which images or pictures cannot be displayed. Thus, methods for reducing the dead space and improving bonding force are widely desired.

Organic light-emitting diode display and manufacturing method thereof


Apparatus and method for adapting audio signal according to user's preference. The apparatus and method allows the user to provide the best experience of digital contents by adapting audio contents to the user's sound field preference. The apparatus includes an audio usage environment management unit and an audio adaptation unit for adapting audio contents associated with user's adaptation request.

Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) has presented digital item adaptation (DIA), which is a new standard working item. A digital item (DI) means a structured digital object with a standard representation, identification and metadata, and DIA indicates a process for generating an adapted DI which is obtained after processed in a resource adaptation engine or descriptor adaptation engine.
Here, resource means an item that can be identified individually, such as video or audio, image or texture and the like. A descriptor means information related to an item or a component in the DI. Also, a user includes a producer, a rightful person, a distributor and a consumer all. Media resource stands for a content that can be expressed digitally immediately. Hereinafter, the word 'content' is used in the same meaning of DI, media resource and resource.
Conventional technologies have a problem that they cannot provide a single-source multi-use environment, in which one single audio content can be adapted to different usage environments by using information on the usage environment where the audio content is consumed, such as user characteristics, natural environment of a user, and capability of a user terminal.
"Single source" means one single content which is generated from a multimedia source, while "multi-use" means user terminals, each having a different usage environment, consume the "single source" adaptively to each usage environment.
An advantage of the single-source multi-use is that one content can be provided in diverse forms by reprocessing the content adaptively to different usage environments. Further, the single-source multi-use can make a network bandwidth decreased or used effectively when the single source adapted to the diverse usage environments is provided to user terminals.
Therefore, a content provider can reduce unnecessary cost that is generated when a plurality of contents are produced and transmitted to match audio signals with the diverse usage environments. A consumer of content also can overcome the spatial restriction of his/her environment and consume an optimal audio content that satisfies the hearing ability and preference of the content consumer.
However, the prior art does not make the best use of the advantage of using the single-source multi-use environment even in a universal multimedia access (UMA) environment.
That is, the multimedia source transmits an audio content indiscriminately with no consideration for usage environment, such as user characteristics, natural environment of a user, and the capability of a user terminal. Since the user terminal equipped with an audio player application, such as Windows Media Player, MP3 player, and Real Player, consumes the audio content whose form is as received from the multimedia source, it is not suitable for single-source multi-use environment.
To overcome the problems of the prior art and support the single-source multi-use environment, the multimedia source provides multimedia contents in consideration of various usage environment. However, this brings in much load in the generation and transmission of contents.

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A method and apparatus for securely clamping a substrate to an electrostatic chuck during processing of a substrate. The method generally includes the steps of forming an initial electrostatic clamping force between the electrostatic chuck and the substrate, modifying the initial electrostatic clamping force when an rf voltage is applied to the electrostatic chuck during processing, and restoring the initial electrostatic clamping force with an offset voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck. The present invention also includes an electrostatic chuck having at least one electrode and a dielectric on the surface of the electrode for supporting a substrate. A voltage source is coupled to the electrode for electrostatically clamping the substrate to the surface of the electrostatic chuck with an initial electrostatic force. An rf source is coupled to the electrode for applying rf voltage to the electrostatic chuck and causing a change in the initial electrostatic force. A control system is coupled to the rf source and voltage source for producing an offset voltage in response to the change in the initial electrostatic force thereby restoring the initial electrostatic force.

Plasma processing techniques are used to deposit films on the surface of substrates or to modify films on the substrates. These techniques are widely used, for example, in the semiconductor or flat panel industries to fabricate integrated circuits. During semiconductor processing, a substrate such as a silicon wafer is placed in a processing reactor and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques may be used to deposit a layer of material on the surface of the wafer. A plasma environment may be utilized to provide plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD). Additionally, an etching process may be employed where a previously deposited film is modified in some desired manner, usually to form circuit components or interconnect lines.
During such processing the wafer is often supported in the reactor by a chuck. Various chuck designs are well known in the art. One type of chuck support often used with PECVD techniques is an electrostatic chuck. An electrostatic chuck generally includes at least one electrode and a thin dielectric coating across the surface of the electrode. The wafer is electrostatically clamped to the chuck by applying a dc voltage to the electrode. This causes a voltage to develop across the dielectric and image charges are induced on the wafer. The opposite charges attract the wafer to the chuck, clamping the entire wafer to the chuck surface with a force referred to as an "electrostatic force" or a "clamping force." This clamping force is proportional to the square of the voltage and inversely proportional to the separation between the electrodes of the chuck and the wafer. If the voltage or the nature of the dielectric varies across the chuck, the clamping force will vary as well. One example of an electrostatic chuck is fully described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/500,480 (Attorney file no. A-62195/AJT/JEM) which is incorporated herein by reference.
During processing, temperature gradients develop across the wafer and may cause non-uniform processing, such as variations in the deposition rate which adversely affects the film quality, or may even damage the underlying integrated circuit. Consequently, it is desirable to control the temperature of the surface of the wafer. Temperature control may be accomplished by placing the backside (the surface where no processing occurs) of the wafer in thermal contact with a temperature control medium. Typically, a gas such as helium is used, and is introduced between the backside of the wafer and the surface of the chuck support. The gas conducts heat between the two surfaces and can be utilized to either heat or cool the wafer as process conditions warrant. Heat transfer improves with gas pressure.
The presence of the gas medium creates certain problems. The force generated by the pressure of the gas between the wafer and the chuck surface is generally greater than the weight of the wafer, and thus the gas tends to push the wafer off the chuck. Consequently, the electrostatic force securing the wafer must be great enough to overcome this opposite force.
During processing, it is often desired to sputter etch the surface of the wafer with ions. Sputter etching may take place during a deposition step to produce good gap fill in submicron dimension gaps, and to enhance the deposition of void-free, dense, conformal films. To sputter etch the surface of the wafer, an rf bias is applied to the wafer which causes the acceleration of ions from the plasma sheath present in the reactor toward the surface of the wafer.
Due to the nature of the plasma, any object which is not at ground and is placed in the plasma environment will acquire a net negative charge. This causes an "induced dc voltage" to be established on the surface of the wafer exposed to the plasma. The induced dc voltage is defined as the time average of the voltage on the wafer surface exposed to the plasma. Additionally, when rf power is applied across a capacitor (as in the case where rf bias is applied to the chuck and dielectric to induce sputter etching), the voltage of the surface of an object exposed to the plasma will become more negative. Consequently, with the application of rf bias, the induced dc voltage on the wafer is changed, and most importantly, the clamping force securing the wafer is also changed. This change in clamping force results in non-uniform processing of the wafer, temperature gradients across the wafer surface, and in the worse case, declamping of the wafer causing a catastrophic failure of the process and arcing within the reactor.

Method and apparatus for clamping a substrate


A high-density reproduction-only optical disc includes a high frequency data zone in which disc related information is recorded by high frequency wobbles, a user data area in which user data is recorded by pits, and a transition zone which is formed between the high frequency data zone and the user data. Accordingly, the reliability of reproducing data from the user data area is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-density reproduction-only optical disc having a transition zone between a zone in which disc related information is recorded as high frequency groove wobbles and a zone in which user data is recorded by pits, and a method of reproducing data from the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, optical discs are information recording media used in optical pickup devices which record/reproduce information in a non-contact manner. Optical discs are classified as compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDS) according to their storage capacity. Examples of types of optical discs capable of recording, erasing, and reproducing information include a 650 MB CD recordable (CD-R), a CD-rewritable (CD-RW), a 4.7 GB DVD+RW, a DVD-random access memory (DVD-RAM), and a DVD-RW. 650 MB CD and 4.7 GB DVD-ROM are examples of reproduction-only discs. Furthermore, high-density optical discs, for example, HD-DVDs having a recording capacity of 20 GB or more, have been developed.
In general, disc related information, that is, reproduction-only data is recorded in a lead-in area positioned at an inner portion of a conventional reproduction-only optical disc in the form of pits. However, in order to design a reproduction-only optical disc that is compatible with the same disc drives as a high-density recordable optical disc known or to be developed later, the formats of both discs must be consistent. Thus, a physical data structure of the high-density reproduction-only optical disc is required to be designed in consideration of the format of the high-density recordable optical disc.

High-density reproduction-only optical disc and method for reproducing data from the same


A game machine is provided with a controller control circuit including a data transfer control circuit. When the data in a first external RAM attached to a first controller is transferred to a second external RAM attached to a second controller, the data transfer control circuit transmits a predetermined command to the first controller. The data stored in the first external RAM is memorize through a data transfer control circuit. The data transfer control circuit then transmits a predetermined command to the second controller. In response thereto, the data stored in the internal RAM is transmitted to the second controller to be stored in the second external RAM.

This invention relates to a game machine system having an operating device or game controller. More particularly, this invention relates to a game machine system including a game machine, such as a personal computer or a video game apparatus, and an operating device (controller) for transmitting and receiving data to and from the game machine.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional electronic game machine 80 and a controller. In the figure CPU 81 (Central Processor Unit) writes data into a W-RAM 83, reads data out of the W-RAM 83 and transmits data to a PPU 84 (Picture Processing Unit), in synchronism with a clock signal and according to program data stored in a ROM 82 (Read Only Memory). The game machine generates a picture image signal which is output by PPU 84 based on image data in V-RAM 85. The CPU 81 also transmits a clock signal to a controller 90A or 90B to directly receive data in synchronism with the clock signal based upon switch actuation by an operator. The CPU 81 outputs data to PPU 84 so as to change the image signal in accordance with the data input from controller 90A or 90B.
The game machine 80 and controllers 90A and 90B are connected by a data line for receiving operating device data from the controllers 90A and 90B and a clock signal line for transmitting a clock signal to the controllers 90A and 90B for synchronizing timing of data transmission from the controller and timing of operation of the CPU 81. The data line is connected directly to the CPU 81 via an interface (not shown). In other words, in the conventional game machine system, data from controllers 90A and 90B is read directly by the CPU 81 which performs image processing at timing based on the clock signal. CPU 81 has to directly read the signals from controllers 90A and 90B, thus increasing the amount of processing by CPU 81. Furthermore, CPU 81 has to read the signal from the controller in synchronism with the clock, so that there needs to be a clock line, in addition to the data line for transmission and reception of data. To this end, there is increase in the number of pins of the connector for connecting between the controller cable and the game machine, raising manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the conventional controllers 90A and 90B each include a plurality of switches and transmission of data to the main-body game machine occurs depending upon whether or not an individual switch is depressed.
As the amount of controller data increases, the amount of time required for the CPU to read controller data also increases. Thus, the CPU has an increases processing burden as the amount of such data increases.
Moreover, conventionally, a clock signal line is required in addition to the data line for connection between a controller and the game machine. Thus, the number of pins of the connector connecting the controller and the game machine is increased, adding to manufacturing costs.
In addition, conventional controllers do not typically permit transmission and reception of data without regard to whether or not an individual switch is depressed. In conventional video game systems, it has been impossible to flexibly utilize a controller in a variety of methods of use by extending its use in various ways after purchasing.
It is therefore an object of a first invention to provide a game machine which is capable of reducing the amount of CPU processing to secure more time for image processing by the CPU.
It is an object of a second invention to provide a game machine system which is capable of reducing the amount of CPU processing time to secure more time for image processing in the CPU, and to reduce manufacturing costs by reducing the number of connector pins for connecting a controller and the game machine. Also, it is an object to provide a game machine system in which the controller uses may be extended in various ways.
In a first illustrative embodiment, a game machine is connected to a plurality of operation controlling or operating devices adapted to be operated by an operator and to output, by modulation, output device data representative of an operating state of the operating device in response to received command data. The game machine performs image processing based on the operating device data, and includes: a central processing means, an operation storing means, a receiving means, a temporary storing means, a further data processing means, and transmitting means.
The central processing means operates to perform image processing operations based on a predetermined stored program. The operation storing means is accessed by the central processing means and stores data required for advancing a game by the central processing means including data from the operating device. The receiving means receives, by demodulation, the operating device data from the operating device. The temporary storing means temporarily stores the operating device data. The further data processing means carries out predetermined data processing operations according to a command by the central processing means. The transmitting means transmits, by modulation, data output from the further data processing means to the operating device. The central processing means outputs command data for reading out the operating device data. The data processing means outputs the command data from the central processing means to the transmitting means, so that the operating device data received by the receiving means is stored in the temporary storing means to be transferred to the operation storing means.
The game machine system may be connected to a plurality of operating devices to be operated by an operator and a video game processing system carries out image processing based on operating device data from the operating devices. The game machine, includes: a central processing means, an operation storing means, a first receiving means, a temporary storing means, a first data processing means, a first transmitting means, and a connecting means; and the operating device includes: a second receiving means, a wide variety of operation controlling mechanisms including various switches, a second data processing means, and transmitting means.
According to the game machine of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the central processing means does not perform reading-in of operating device data each time it uses operating device data, but the operating device data is processed by a means other than the central processing means. It is accordingly possible to realize a game machine in which the amount of processing required by the central processing means is reduced to secure more time for game processing.
Also, operating device data is stored in a memory means that also stores other data required for advancing a game so that the central processing means is allowed to process operating device data similarly to other game data. Therefore the central processing means can perform game processing at high speed and with high freedom.
Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, operating device data can be partially read and accordingly there is no necessity of reading operating device data in its entirety at one time. Therefore unwanted portions of operating device data can be left unread, shortening read-in speed.
According to another aspect, it is possible to store data to be processed by the central processing means into an expansion device such as extension memory connected to the operating device. The expansion device may alternatively be a liquid crystal display.
According to another aspect, it is possible to load the data stored in an extension memory connected to one of a plurality of operating devices into an extension memory connected to another operating device. This enables exchanging of data between players.
Furthermore, according to another aspect, the data in an external memory means is temporarily stored in the operation storing means so that data conversion and copying is possible by the central processing means. This enables data to be copied in a different format than respective external memory means.
The above described objects and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Video game system with data transmitting/receiving controller


In a GSM network, mobile stations monitor the paging channel of their respective paging group. Specifically, when a mobile station registers with the GSM network, the GSM network classifies the mobile station as belonging to one of two categories, a first category and a second category. Mobile stations belonging to the first category monitor the paging channel of their paging group at an interval defined by the GSM parameter BS-PA-MFRMS. Mobile stations belonging to the second category monitor the paging channel of their paging group at a second interval which is longer than that defined by the GSM parameter BS-PA-MFRMS.

In a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network today, each registered mobile station has to monitor its own paging group on the paging channel. This procedure is performed periodically, with a monitoring cycle which is between 0.47 and 2.12 seconds, depending on the parameter BS-PA-MFRMS, as defined in 3GPP TS 44.018 chapter 10.5.2.11. The length of the cycle is set in order to obtain an acceptable responsiveness for mobile station call set-up procedures without consuming too much battery lifetime from the mobile station.
In existing paging solutions, a mobile station's monitoring of its paging channel is done with a view to communication that is time critical, i.e. communication that has to be initiated as soon as possible after a mobile station's initial reception of an incoming paging message. This process means that each mobile station has to spend a rather significant amount of energy decoding information not intended for that mobile station.

Method and arrangement in a telecommunication system


Dock leveler seals and associated methods and systems are described herein. A dock leveler having a rear hinge seal configured in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure includes a rear support frame and a movable deck. The rear support frame includes a plurality of first support members extending therefrom, and the aft edge portion of the deck includes a plurality of second support members pivotally coupled to the first support members along an axis. The seal of this embodiment includes a first edge portion extending outwardly from a medial portion in a first direction, and a second edge portion extending outwardly from the medial portion in a second direction. The medial portion urges the first edge portion against the support frame and the second edge portion against the aft edge portion of the deck as the deck pivots about the axis in operation.

Warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and large retail outlets typically include one or more loading docks for transferring goods to and from trucks, trailers, or other freight vehicles. Conventional loading docks usually consist of an exterior opening in a side of a building. The opening is typically covered by a roll up door, and is usually positioned a few feet above the ground to be approximately level with the beds of trailers and other freight vehicles.
To load or unload goods from a trailer, the doors on the aft end of the trailer are opened and the trailer is backed up to the loading dock opening. Some loading docks include a dock leveler with a movable deck or ramp to adjust for any misalignment between the floor of the loading dock and the bed of the trailer. The aft edge of conventional dock leveler decks is typically attached to a hinge structure mounted to the floor of the loading dock or to a rear wall of a dock leveler pit. The forward edge of the deck typically carries a pivoting lip that hangs pendant until extended outwardly to engage the bed of a trailer. With the vehicle in position and the loading dock door raised, the deck pivots upwardly about the rear hinge to allow the lip to be extended, and then downwardly toward the open end of the trailer until the lip comes to rest on the bed. Workers, fork lifts, etc. can then move into and out of the trailer to load and/or unload cargo. The dock leveler can move up and down as needed to accommodate any movement of the bed resulting from the loading and/or unloading of cargo.
Many loading docks include a compressible dock seal or shelter that extends around the top and sides of the loading dock opening. The purpose of the seal is to reduce or eliminate gaps that exist between the aft end of the trailer and the loading dock opening when the dock door is open. These gaps can allow undesirable elements (e.g., rain, snow, warm/cold outside air, debris, etc.) to enter the building and/or the trailer resulting in energy losses, undesirable working conditions, spoiled goods, and/or other deleterious effects.
Deployed and/or stored dock levelers, however, can also create leak paths that allow outside air, debris, and/or other undesirable elements to flow into or out of the building or trailer when the dock doors are open or closed. For example, gaps often exist between the sides of the deck lip and the trailer bumpers positioned on opposite sides of the loading dock opening. In addition, outside air and debris can sometimes flow under the front of the deck and pass upwardly into the building through gaps between the deck and the rear and side walls of the deck pit. In the past, conventional bulb seals have been used in these areas.


A card game is provided including a deck of cards each having four suits. Each suit of cards including cards numbered 2-12, a trump card and a minimum card. The method play of the present invention includes the steps of: designating an order of the players; dealing the cards to each of the players such that each player has an equal amount of cards; and playing a plurality of hands with each hand including the steps of: taking turns between each of the players in the designated order, wherein a card may be played only if its face value is greater than that of the previous card played during the turn, and designating a player who last played a card to be the first to play a card during the next hand.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to card games and mre particularly pertains to a new hierarchical card game for providing a game during which a leading player is constantly changing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of card games is known in the prior art. More specifically, card games heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art card games include U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,100; U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,128; U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,101; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 291,330; U.S. Pat. No. 2,063,941; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 178,662.
In these respects, the hierarchical card game according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a game during which a leading player is constantly changing.

Hierarchical method of playing a card game


A tomography system may be used to scan a subject and provide reconstructed images of the subject. A gantry of the tomography system has a rotary member that is rotatable around an axis. While the rotary member rotates, a skid layer provides safety features between the rotary member and a subject-facing scan window.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to gantry design and, more particularly, safety mechanisms for gantries.
Gantries are an important part of radiography and tomography systems. A medical imaging system can include a gantry comprising a stationary frame supporting a rotary member about a scanning axis of a scanner. The rotary member includes a central opening large enough to receive a patient extending along the scanning axis. The rotary member is rotated about a patient during a scanning or imaging procedure. An x-ray tube can be positioned on the rotary member diametrically across the central opening from an array of x-ray detectors. As the rotary member rotates, the x-ray tube projects a beam of energy, or x-rays, along a scan plane, through a patient, and to the detector array. By rotating the x-ray source about the scanning axis and relative to the patient, x-rays are projected through a patient from many different directions. An image of the scanned portion of a patient can be constructed from data provided by the detector array using a computer.
As the opening size inside a gantry increases, the amount of space in the gantry for components, materials, and safety mechanisms can be reduced. In addition, as a gantry opening depth gets longer, a patient may start to feel claustrophobic. If a patient, or subject, pushes outward from inside a gantry opening with insufficient safety mechanisms, the force could damage the gantry or injure the patient. Safety mechanisms in gantry design are needed to ensure smooth operation, safety, and fault tolerance.


A method for processing an input signal is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) extracting a compressed signal and a first checksum from the input signal, (B) generating a decompressed signal by decompressing the compressed signal, (C) calculating a second checksum for the decompressed signal and (D) generating a result by comparing the first checksum to the second checksum.

Conventional real-time video encoder systems are configured to produce video with requested parameters and visual quality. An encoded video bitstream generated by the real-time video encoder systems does not contain any numerical information about the video quality. Therefore, picture quality is checked visually after decoding the encoded video bitstream with a decoder system. The visual judgement is commonly not accurate enough to adjust some parameters used in encoding and/or decoding, thus resulting in a sub-optimal encoder setup.
A conventional standard-compliant decoder system should produce reconstructed video data that is the same to reconstructed video data generated by the encoder system in a feedback path. Due to errors (both run time and design) in the encoder system, the decoder system and/or in a transmission path, the decoder system might generate incorrectly reconstructed video data. The encoded video bitstream does not contain any information about the video data reconstructed in the feedback path of the encoder system that could be used to check for correctness of the decoding process of the decoder system.
A software-based encoder system will generate reconstructed video data the same way as would be reconstructed with a software-based decoder system if both the encoder system and the decoder system use the same software. The video data reconstructed by a software-based decoder system is compared with the original video data received by the software-based encoder system to determine and report an achieved video quality. Some conventional software-based encoder systems also generate a reconstructed video data file (data reconstructed the same way as would be reconstructed by a decoder system). The encoded video bitstream is then decoded with a software-based decoder system producing a similar reconstructed video data file. The two files are compared and any mismatches reported.
Some conventional real-time encoder systems internally compute and report an achieved video quality. Conventional real-time video testing devices are available that compare two uncompressed video signals (i.e., the original video fed to the encoder system and the decoded video from the decoder system) and report a video quality. However, the conventional real-time video testing devices are very expensive and hard to operate. Conventional real-time video quality measuring devices are also available that work only with the decoded video. The decoded video-only measuring devices judge an overall visual video quality based an amount of artifacts in the decoded video. The decoded video-only measuring devices are also very expensive and cannot report a degradation level caused by the encoding process since no reference exists to compare with the decoded video.
A process of tuning a quality using the software-based codecs and the reconstructed video data can be very time and resource consuming since the reconstructed (i.e., uncompressed) video data uses a significant amount of storage space. The reported video quality from real-time encoder systems is not transmitted in the encoded video stream and thus is not available on the decoder system side. The lack of information causes difficulties in correlating the video and the reported quality with a picture level accuracy for different picture types and/or during transition periods.
A verification of the reconstruction processes has difficulties similar to the video quality process. An amount of storage space needed for long sequences of reconstructed video data is significant. A verification with real-time encoders is often difficult since conventional real-time encoders do not output the internally reconstructed video data.

Embedded picture PSNR/CRC data in compressed video bitstream


A detection circuit 30 has a unit 30a for inputting a signal to be detected by synchronized wave detection, a unit 30b for inputting a standard signal for the signal to be detected and a unit 30c for inputting an offset signal applied on the signal to be detected. The offset signal is superimposed on the signal to be detected, which is then subjected to synchronized wave detection based on the standard signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a detection circuit, detection method and systems of measuring physical quantities such as a vibratory gyroscope or the like.
2. Related Art Statement
The inventors have studied various applications of a vibratory gyroscope. For example, it has been studied to use a vibratory gyroscope as a turning angular rate sensor employed in a vehicle control system of an automobile body based on a vehicle turning rate feedback system. Such a system detects the direction of a steering wheel itself by a turning angle of the steering wheel. Simultaneously, the turning rate of the car vehicle is detected by the vibratory gyroscope. The system finds a difference by comparing the direction of the steering wheel with the actual body turning velocity, and attains a stable vehicle control by correcting a wheel torque and a steering angle on the basis of this difference. The applicant filed Japanese patent publication 11-281372 A mainly disclosing a vibratory gyroscope suitable for horizontal mounting using a planar vibrator.
When a vibratory gyroscope is produced, a self-oscillating circuit is used to excite driving vibration in a driving vibration arm made of, for example quartz. Further, output voltage from a detection electrode on a vibrator is processed to obtain a value of voltage corresponding to a turning angular rate. Such circuit is disclosed in Japanese patent publication 11-44540A and 2003-87057A.

Detection circuits, detection method and systems of measuring physical quantities


This display device has a demultiplexer (501) formed on a liquid crystal panel, the demultiplexer including three switching elements SW1 to SW3 for time-division drive, which are connected to video signal lines SL1 to SL3. Here, the number of switching control signal lines for transmitting switching control signals GS1 to GS6 to be provided to switching elements coupled to the video signal lines is six, which is twice the number of time divisions, and switching control signals (e.g., GS1 and GS4) with the same timing are individually transmitted by two switching control signal lines, so that the number of switching elements to be coupled to the switching control signal lines as loads can be halved, resulting in reduced waveform rounding of the control signals.

In a general active-matrix liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal panel with a display area, the liquid crystal panel consists of two substrates with a liquid crystal layer provided therebetween, one of the two substrates has a plurality of data lines, which serve as video signal lines, and a plurality of gate lines, which serve as scanning signal lines, arranged in a matrix, and the substrate also has a plurality of pixel forming portions arranged in a matrix so as to correspond to intersections of the data lines and the gate lines. The pixel forming portions are components for providing image display on the liquid crystal panel, and each of them includes a TFT (thin-film transistor), which is a switching element with a gate terminal connected to the gate line and a source terminal connected to the data line, and also includes a pixel electrode and an auxiliary capacitor connected to a drain terminal of the TFT. The other of the two substrates has a common electrode provided thereon, and a voltage to be applied to the liquid crystal has a value corresponding to a difference between a voltage supplied to the common electrode and a voltage supplied to the pixel electrode, so that display is provided in accordance with the voltage value.
Such an active-matrix liquid crystal display device has a data driver for driving the data lines of the liquid crystal panel, a gate driver for driving the gate lines, a common electrode driver circuit for driving the common electrode, and a display control circuit for controlling the data driver, the gate driver, and the common electrode driver circuit. Note that the gate driver, the data driver, and other circuits can be formed on the glass substrate by, for example, an LTPS process using low-temperature polysilicon (abbreviated below as "LIPS"), or they can be mounted on a glass substrate by COG (chip-on-glass) technology, or provided outside a glass substrate, as a semiconductor device with all or part of the above circuits being integrated on a semiconductor substrate (such a device will be simply referred to below as an "IC").
Here, with recent advancement in high display image resolution on display devices, the number of signal lines per unit length has increased significantly, for example, in display devices, such as active-matrix liquid crystal display devices, which require signal lines (data lines or gate lines) whose number corresponds to the resolution of images to be displayed. As a result, the driver circuit that applies signals to the signal lines has an extremely narrow pitch of connections (referred to below as "connection pitch") of output terminals of the driver circuit and the signal lines of the display panel. Such a tendency toward a narrow connection pitch as accompanied by advancement in high display image resolution is particularly noticeable at connections of video signal lines and a driver circuit therefor (data driver) in a color display device, such as a color liquid crystal display device, in which a unit of display consists of three adjacent pixels, R (red), G (green), and B (blue).
In a conventional liquid crystal display device proposed to overcome such an issue, the video signal lines are divided into groups of two or more (e.g., three video signal lines corresponding to three adjacent pixels, R, G, and B), and one output terminal of the video signal line driver circuit is assigned per group of video signal lines such that video signals are applied through all output terminals to the groups of video signal lines in a time-division manner during one horizontal scanning period for image display.
In the liquid crystal display device employing a mode of driving video signal lines in a time-division manner as described above, the time period for which to charge each video signal line is shortened in accordance with the number of video signal lines in each group, i.e., the number of time divisions by change-over switches, and where the number of time divisions is d, the time period for which to charge each video signal line is 1/d or less than 1/d of that for a regular liquid crystal display device, which does not employ the mode of driving video signal lines in a time-division manner. However, by forming change-over switches with the number of time divisions d on a substrate of a liquid crystal panel, the connection pitch of output terminals of a video signal line driver circuit and the video signal lines can be d-fold of that in a regular liquid crystal display device. Moreover, with such a configuration, the number of chips can be reduced where a video signal line driver circuit consisting of a plurality of integrated circuit chips (IC chips) is used for driving one liquid crystal panel. The advantage of such a video-signal-line time-division drive mode is widely known, and therefore, the video signal lines are often divided into groups of three that transmit video signals to three adjacent pixels, R (red), G (green), and B (blue).
In this manner, in the liquid crystal display device employing the video-signal-line time-division drive mode, the time period for which to charge each video signal line is 1/d or less than 1/d of that for a regular liquid crystal display device. Therefore, control signals (control pulses) to be provided to the change-over switches preferably have as little waveform rounding as possible, so that the change-over switches are reliably kept on for a time period required for charging. As waveform rounding increases, more time is taken until an on-state potential for turning on the change-over switch is reached, resulting in a shorter period of time for which the change-over switch is kept on.
In this regard, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-271729 discloses a display device in which change-over switches are arranged with respect to control signal lines for transmitting control signals, such that distances between adjacent change-over switches and their respective control signal input terminals are approximately equal, whereby the control signals provided to the change-over switches have approximately the same degree of waveform rounding, and further, the control signals are inputted to the control signal lines from both ends, thereby reducing waveform rounding of the control signals. Such a configuration reduces uneven display due to waveform rounding.

Display device and method of driving the same


The invention discloses an improved process for preparing fatty acid esters with 100 mol % selectivity suitable as biodegradable lubricant base oils, comprising contacting a fatty compound with an alcohol in presence of a solid, phosphonate catalyst having molecular formula: M(X)2-nYn.mH2O where X refers to phenyl phosphonate, Y refers to HPO42− or HPO32−, M refers to a metal or metalloid ion preferably taken from the group consisting of Zr, Zn, Cd, Al, Sn, La and Ce, the value of n varies from 0.2 to 1.8 and the value of m varies from 0 to 5, wherein the fatty compound is a fatty acid or fatty acid methyl or ethyl ester or vegetable oil or animal fat or their mixture thereof and alcohol is a monohydric alcohol with 6 to 22 carbon atoms or a polyol with at least two hydroxyl groups.

Lubricants are used in automotive, industrial, marine and aviation applications. They are used to decrease friction and wear, to protect from corrosion, to act as sealants and to affect heat transfer. Most of the lubricants are made from mineral oil and some are synthetic chemicals. Between 5,000 and 10,000 different lubricant formulations are necessary to satisfy more than 90% of all lubricant applications. About 8 million tons of lubricants are consumed every year world over. Out of this about 53% is, collected as waste, thus, endangering our planet. The use of rapidly degradable lubricants instead of the conventional petroleum-derived lubricants could significantly reduce this environmental pollution.
Plant-derived lubricants are renewable and biodegradable. Pure, natural lubricants manufactured by environmentally-safe procedures are gaining more attention in recent years, since they do not contain toxic compounds. Plant-based lubricants are presently used in some applications where there is an environmental risk, for example in marine, forestry and agricultural appliances. However, it is believed that around 90% of lubricants currently used could be replaced by plant-derived lubricants. Some of the advantages of plant-based lubricants include: (1) biodegradability and renewable nature, (2) excellent lubricity, lower friction coefficient than mineral oils, (3) lower evaporation up to 20% less than mineral oils, (4) higher flash point, reducing the risk of fires in applications such as metal cutting, (5) higher viscosity indices, and (6) enhanced performance in some applications. Several studies show that biolubricants have a longer lifespan than mineral oil lubricants. The high production cost of bio-lubricants (about 5 times more than the petrolubricants) is the main hurdle for their development at the current time. Development of eco-friendly and economically-beneficial routes for preparing plant or vegetable oil-based lubricant base oils is highly desirable.
Fatty acid polyol or long chain alcohol esters have the right composition to be used as lubricant base oils. They are miscible with hydrocarbons. U.S. Pat. No. 8,168,572 B2 discloses the use of the polyols esters in lubricant blend composition. U.S. Pat. No. 8,058,217 B2 teaches that the polyol esters are superior metal working fluids.
These fatty acid esters can be prepared by two different ways: (1) the direct esterification of fatty acids with polyol, and (2) transesterification of fatty acid methyl or ethyl esters (biodiesel) or vegetable oils with polyols. Conventionally, these esterification and transesterification reactions are catalyzed homogeneous mineral acid catalysts. U.S. Pat. No. 7,968,504 B2 teaches the method for preparing fatty acid esters by the reaction of fatty acid ester in the presence of homogeneous phosphoric acid catalyst, with a hydroxyl containing compound. The resulting product is useful as a lubricant, as a heat transfer agent, as a rheological modifier and as a corrosion/moisture inhibitor, among other uses. U.S. Pat. No. 8,101,560 B2 discloses the procedure for preparing lubricant base oil of palm origin, particulary fatty acid monoesters and fatty poly esters by esterifying palm fatty acid with a monohydric or polyhydric alcohol in the presence of a homogeneous acid catalyst.
While homogeneous base catalyst (alkali hydroxides and alkoxides) are efficient for transesterification, they are no good for esterification reactions as the base reacts with fatty acid and forms metallic sops (Masood et al., Appl. Catal. A: Gen., Vol. 425-426, Year 2012, pp. 184-190).
In general, corrosiveness, sensitivity to water, catalyst recovery, environmental hazards and waste control are the serious issues with the homogeneous mineral acid and alkali base catalysts. Solid catalysts have environmental and engineering advantages. They can be easily separated and reused.
References are made to Díaz et al., Micropor. Mesopor. Mater. Vol. 80, Year 2005, pp. 33-42; Pérez-Pariente et al., Appl. Catal. A: Gen. Vol. 254, Year 2003, pp. 173-188; Bossaert et al., J. Catal. Vol. 182, Year 1999, pp. 156-164; and Pouilloux et al., J. Mol. Catal. A: Chem. Vol. 149, Year 1999, pp. 243-254 which disclose the use of zeolites, ion-exchange resins and metal ion-exchanged- or sulfonic acid-functionalized ordered mesoporous silica materials as solid acid catalysts. However, pore-size limitation, loss of activity in presence of by-product water and formation of undesired products are some issues with these solid catalysts. Enzyme catalysts are selective but require longer reaction times (48 hrs and more).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,842,653 and EP 1733788 disclose the use of solid, acid, double metal cyanide catalyst for preparation of lubricants by reacting vegetable oil or fat obtained from animal source with an alcohol at a temperature in the range of 150° C. to 200° C. for a period of 3 to 6 h. Conversion of triglycerides into glycerol in the range 90 to 96 mol % was obtained. Product of this reaction is fatty acid alkyl ester and glycerol. The alcohol used is a normal or branched alcohol, selected from the group consisting of hexanol, heptanol, octanol and their mixture thereof. The product lubricant obtained comprises of C22-C28 fatty acid alkyl esters. It doesn't disclose the application of this catalyst for reactions with polyols and reaction of fatty acids or fatty acid alkyl esters with mono- or polyhydric alcohols.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,124,801 teaches a process for preparation of fatty acid alkyl esters wherein the process includes contacting fatty acid glycerides with alcohols in the presence of a separable catalyst which includes a metal from Group VIB of the periodic table and an element from Group VA of the periodic table. The process comprises using at least one of the alcohols essentially selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol, octanol, 2-ethylhexanol, decanol, dodecanol and mixture thereof. One of the alcohols has a carbon number ranging from 1 to 50. This process doesn't disclose specifically the use polyols and also conversion of fatty acids or fatty acid methyl or ethyl esters to lubricant base oils. Moreover, relatively long reaction times and high temperature is required.
Article titled, "Synthesis of biolubricants using sulfated zirconia catalysts" by Jinho Oha, Sungeun Yanga, Chanyeon Kima, Inchang Choib, Jae Hyun Kimb, Hyunjoo Leea in Applied Catalysis A: General 455 (2013) 164-171 reports the synthesis of biomass-derived lubricants via esterification, transesterification, and simultaneous reactions of both by using sulfated zirconia catalysts. Soybean oil or free fatty acids derived from soybean oil were used as a biomass-derived resource for the synthesis of biolubricants. Long chain alcohols (carbon number ≦8) or neo-polyols (e.g., 2,2-diethyl-1,3-propanediol, trimethylol propane, pentaery-thritol) were used as co-reactants. The paper further reports that the structure of the alcohol significantly affected the conversion and yield for the esterification with oleic acid.
WO 2012/114357 discloses a process for preparing polyesters by reacting polyols with polycarboxylic acid in presence of heterogeneous, reusable, acid, crystalline, micro-mesoporous double metal cyanide catalyst at moderate temperature and short period of time. Polyolester produced is a hyperbranched polymer having degree of branching in the range 45 to 90% and inherent viscosity in the range 0.02 to 0.1 dL/g.
In view of the importance of polyol and other synthetic esters in industrial applications and drawbacks of prior-art processes which include catalyst deactivation, formation of undesired products, high temperature requirement and long reaction times, it is desirable to have a more efficient, stable, solid catalyst-based esterification/transesterification process for fatty acid polyol or monool esters synthesis. The process of the present invention using solid phosphonate catalyst is highly efficient and overcomes the above-cited deficiencies of the prior-art processes.

Process for preparing biodegradable lubricant base oils

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research