A method and apparatus which allows dynamic TDD UL/DL configuration that is able to adapt to an instantaneous traffic situation. The values of at least one uplink/downlink configuration indication bit in a predetermined region in a received downlink time division duplex subframe of wireless data transmission are examined. A time division duplex uplink/downlink configuration for a predetermined configuration period is determined based on the examined values.

The invention relates generally to mobile communications. In particular, the invention relates to methods, computer programs, apparatuses and radio network nodes for dynamic uplink/downlink configuration for time division duplex.
Long Term Evolution (LTE) was introduced in release 8 of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) which is a specification for 3rd generation mobile communication systems. LTE is a technique for mobile data transmission that aims to increase data transmission rates and decrease delays, among other things. LTE uses orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) as its multiple access method in the downlink. The uplink uses single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SD-FDMA). 3GPP release introduced a next version of LTE, named LTE Advanced, fulfilling 4th generation system requirements.
Both LTE and LTE Advanced may utilize a technique called time division duplex (TDD) for separating the transmission directions from the user to the base station and back. In TDD mode, the downlink and the uplink are on the same frequency and the separation occurs in the time domain, so that each direction in a call is assigned to specific timeslots.
Herein, the term "downlink" (DL) is used to refer to the link from the base station to the mobile device or user equipment, and the term "uplink" (UL) is used to refer to the link from the mobile device or user equipment to the base station.
FIG. 4 illustrates the frame structure for LTE TDD. The uplink and downlink for LTE TDD are divided into radio frames 400, each of which is 10 ms in length. The radio frame 400 consists of two half-frames 411, 412, both of which are 5 ms long. The first half-frame 411 is further split into five subframes 420-424, each 1 ms long. Similarly, the second half-frame 412 is further split into five subframes 425-429, each 1 ms long. Subframes 420, 422-425, and 427-429 are reserved for either downlink or uplink data, whereas subframes 421 and 426 are so called "special" subframes that include three special fields: downlink pilot time slot (DwPTS), guard period (GP) and uplink pilot time slot (UpPTS). However, as discussed below, in some configurations subframe 426 may also be reserved for downlink data, with the subframe 421 being the only special subframe. All non-special subframes consist of two time slots, both 0.5 ms long.
TDD allows asymmetry of the uplink and downlink data rates, i.e. as the amount of uplink or downlink data increases, more communication capacity can be allocated, and as the traffic load becomes lighter, capacity can be taken away.
This asymmetry is implemented via seven different semi-static uplink-downlink configurations, illustrated below in Table 1:
TABLE 1Uplink/downlinkSubframe numberconfiguration01234567890DSUUUDSUUU1DSUUDDSUUD2DSUDDDSUDD3DSUUUDDDDD4DSUUDDDDDD5DSUDDDDDDD6DSUUUDSUUD
In Table 1, "D" indicates that downlink data is transmitted in this subframe, "U" indicates that uplink data is transmitted in this subframe, and "S" indicates that the special fields DwPTS, GP and UpPTS are transmitted in this subframe. As can be seen, the seven different uplink/downlink configurations 0-6 contain different ratios of uplink and downlink data, and allow asymmetric uplink and downlink data rates.
Furthermore, in all seven configurations 0-6 subframes 0 and 5 are always for downlink, subframe 1 is always a special subframe, subframe 2 is always for uplink, and subframe 6 is a special subframe or for downlink. In other words, no matter which uplink-downlink configuration is applied, there are always subframes with fixed link direction. Herein, such subframes with fixed link direction are referred to as fixed subframes. Subframes with non-fixed link direction are herein referred to as non-fixed subframes.
The above prior art uplink-downlink configurations can provide between 40% and 90% DL subframes. The current mechanism for changing from one uplink-downlink configuration to another is based on a system information exchange procedure. However, since system information is sent at the interval of at least 640 ms, it cannot provide dynamic TDD configuration to adapt to an instantaneous traffic situation, leading to inefficient resource utilization, especially in cells with a small number of users where the traffic situation changes more frequently.
Furthermore, in LTE TDD systems, many operations at both evolved Node B (eNB) and user equipment (UE) sides depend on the semi-static TDD configuration. These operations include e.g. radio resource management (RRM) measurements, channel quality information (CQI) measurements, channel estimations, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) detections, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) timings.
The UE firstly needs to read the system information to find out the TDD UL/DL configuration in its current cell. Then it knows which subframe to monitor for measurement, for CQI measure and report, for time domain filtering to get channel estimation, for PDCCH detection, or for DL/UL ACK/NACK feedback. For example, in the ACK/NACK multiplexing scheme, the feedback values of b(0),b(1) and the ACK/NACK resource nPUCCH(1) are generated by channel selection according to Tables 10.1-2, 10.1-3, and 10.1-4 in 3GPP TS 36.213 V9.0.1 specification (December 2009) for M=2, 3, and 4, respectively. Also, the UE needs firstly get the TDD UL/DL configuration so that it knows the correct table to use. Otherwise, there will be a detection error at the eNB side. After that, correct operation depends on the correct understanding of the signaling indicating the TDD UL/DL configuration.
Prior art also includes indicating the TDD UL/DL configuration implicitly via a scheduling grant. However, the problem with this is that if there is no scheduling grant for a given UE, the UE will never know the link direction of the non-fixed subframes. Therefore, it cannot use these subframes for RSM measurement, CQI measurement, or filtering for channel estimation. In practice, the CQI in the non-fixed subframes may be quite different from that in the fixed subframes, due to e.g. different interference levels. Thus, enabling UE's CQI measurement in non-fixed subframes may provide the network side relevant information for better resource scheduling. Moreover, the UE has to monitor the non-fixed subframes for PDCCH before knowing if it is DL or UL, and this increases the UE's power consumption. Yet another problem is on the HARQ timing: if there is no scheduling grant for a given non-fixed subframe, the UE will not be aware of the real TDD UL/DL configuration. Therefore, it cannot use the TDD UL/DL configuration dependent. HARQ timing as specified in Release 10. A solution could be to restrict the HARQ feedback to a fixed subframe, but this would lead to increased HARQ delay.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to alleviate the problems described above and to introduce a solution that allows dynamic TDD UL/DL configuration that is able to adapt to an instantaneous traffic situation.

Dynamic uplink/downlink configuration for time division duplex


The disclosure is for a free hanging animal stall. The stall sides are curved pipes forming a loop-like barrier hanging above floor level with no support from the floor or ceiling. The stall is supported by several chains hanging from the header board, and chains are also angled from the head end of the stall so that the stall is urged toward the header board at the head of the stall. The chains permit simple adjustment of the height of the stall sides above the floor and the structure also prevents the animal from being trapped under the sides because, if the animal is under a stall side, the sides are simply temporarily tilted up by an animal as it stands up.

This invention deals generally with animal stalls and more specifically with an adjustable height stall which is constructed to prevent an animal from being trapped when it has part of its body under a stall partition.
Although the oldest type of cattle stall is the conventional style with vertical wood sides, there are several newer designs which use configurations of pipes as side barriers. The stalls constructed from pipes are particularly convenient and economical because they require little maintenance, and such stalls can be largely preassembled, so that it is only necessary to install the preassembled unit in a location within a barn.
However, the pipe barriers do have some problems. In order to facilitate maintenance of the stall, such pipe based stalls are usually built so that they have very few, or even no, supports extending to the stall floor. One such design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,257 by Anderson, which discloses a stall side constructed from a pipe loop supported from a single vertical pole located toward the head end of the stall, the end at which the animal's head is normally located. However, a large open space below the side barrier of a stall whose lowest structure is located above the floor can actually trap an animal in a manner which prevents it from standing up. If, for instance, a cow which is lying in the stall becomes situated so that its head or body is below a horizontal member of a stall side, the cow will not be able to stand up.
It would be beneficial to have a stall structure which is built from pipes to reduce its weight and maintenance and which has clear space below the stall side barrier, but nevertheless prevents an animal from being trapped beneath the stall side barrier.


A polymer composition having naphthalenedicarboxylic residue includes a fluorescence quenching benzylidene compound capable of absorbing ultraviolet light radiation. In a preferred embodiment, the composition includes at least a 0.1 mole percent of naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate and about 0.01 mole percent to about 5 mole percent of a benzylidene compound having the following structure: ##STR1## wherein R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl, substituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 alkenyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 alkynyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 cycloalkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 cycloalkenyl and --R.sub.2 --X, wherein R.sub.2 is selected from the group consisting of C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkylene, C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 alkylene-O--C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 alkylene, C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 alkylene-S--C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkylene, C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 alkylene, C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 alkylene-S--C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 alkylene, C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 alkylene-N(SO.sub.2 C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl)-C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 alkylene and X is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, carboxy, carboalkoxy and acyloxy; R.sub.1 is hydrogen or has 1-3 groups independently selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkoxy and halogen; Y is selected from the group consisting of carbalkoxy, cyano, carbamoyl, substituted carbamoyl, aryl, aroyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkylsulfonyl and arylsulfonyl.

This invention relates to a polymer composition having reduced fluorescence, and particularly to a polymer blend composition containing naphthalenedicarboxylic acid residues and having incorporated therein benzylidene compounds. The invention further relates to a method for preparing the blend.
It is well known that dicarboxylic acids and dicarboxylic esters can be reacted with glycols to prepare polyesters. Polyesters are used in the fabrication of various articles for household, commercial or industrial use. Such uses included appliance parts, containers, and auto parts. A major drawback of many polyesters is their inherent bluish fluorescence. For example, articles prepared with the polyester poly(ethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate), also known in the art as "PEN", have a hazy and bluish appearance. This phenomenon is of concern especially in packaging of products when their appearance is to be as close to their natural state as desired. For example, in the packaging of foods and beverages, if the food or beverages were inside a PEN container they may appear unnatural.
Typically, poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate) contains repeat units from a dicarboxylic acid and a diol. The poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate) can be prepared by conventional polycondensation procedures well-known in the art. Such procedures can include a combination of melt phase and solid state polymerization. Melt phase describes the molten state of PEN during the initial polymerization process. The initial polymerization process includes direct condensation of the naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid with the diol(s) or by ester interchange using naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic ester. The melt phase is concluded by extruding the PEN polymer into strands and pelletizing. Solid state polymerization involves heating PEN pellets to a temperature in excess of 200.degree. C., but well below the crystalline melt point, either in the presence of an inert gas stream or in a vacuum to remove a diol.
Fluorescence is a type of luminescence in which an atom or molecule emits radiation, i.e., a photon, in passing from a higher to a lower electron state. The term is restricted to phenomena in which the time interval between absorption and emission energy is extremely short (10.sup.-10 to 10.sup.-6 second). Quenching fluorescence eliminates or reduces the ability for photon emission by providing an alternative pathway for the excited state energy such as vibronic or heat loss, or intersystem crossing to the excited triplet state. Methods to quench fluorescence in PEN have been disclosed by Chen Shangxian, et al. in an article entitled, "Fluorescence Spectra of Poly(Ethylene 2,6-Naphthalene Dicarboxylate)" which appeared in SCIENTIA SINICA, Vol. XXIV, No. 5, May 1981, and by CAO Ti, et al. in an article entitled, "Intermolecular Excimer Interaction in Poly(Polytetramethylene Ether Glycol Aryl Dicarboxylate)" which appeared in ACTA CHIMICA SINICA, Vol. 42, No. 1, 1984. Both of the references disclose the use of o-chlorophenol to quench PEN fluorescence in a chloroform solution. Dissolving PEN in a chloroform solution to disperse the fluorescence quencher therein, however, is not practical since the PEN must have a low molecular weight to dissolve in the chloroform solution and only very dilute PEN solutions can be prepared.
Japanese Patent 08225672 discloses the use of coatings containing UV absorbers benzotriazoles, cyanoacrylates, benzophenones, and benzoxazinones to suppress the fluorescence of a molded product consisting mainly of polyalkylenenaphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate. A disadvantage of using a coating to reduce fluorescence of PEN is the additional processing steps required to apply the coating to the molded article. The cost of coating adds significantly to the cost of the article.
European Patent 0711803 discloses mixing cyclic imino esters or quinoxalines with PEN as a method of reducing fluorescence in the polyalkylenenaphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate. Blending the cyclic imino esters and quinoxalines with the polyalkylenenaphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylates resulted in moderate changes in the relative fluorescence intensity (37% to 58%) which is not enough to significantly improve the appearance of containers made from polymer compositions containing naphthalenedicarboxylic acid residues. European Patent 0711803 further discloses using UV absorbing coatings in combination with the above blends to reduce the relative fluorescence intensity to an adequate level.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,374 and 4,707,537 disclose the use of various benzylidene compounds as UV screens for polyesters. These patents teach that incorporating the benzylidene compounds in various polyesters at a concentration of 1 to 5000 ppm with a maximum absorbance of 320 nm to about 380 nm is effective in screening UV light. The patents do not disclose the use of the benzylidene compounds in polymer compositions containing naphthalenedicarboxylic acid residues. Polymer compositions containing naphthalenedicarboxylic acid residues such as poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate) can absorb UV light up to 390 nm, thus, making UV absorbers ineffective as UV screens. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,374 and 4,707,537 are unclear as to the effect the benzylidene compounds would have on the fluorescence intensity of polymer compositions containing naphthalenedicarboxylic acid residues.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,857 discloses reducing the fluorescence of a poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate) polymer using from 0.1 to 5 mole percent of a copolymerizable aromatic ketone. The aromatic ketone has at least one acyl group directly attached to the aromatic ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,761 discloses certain naphthalene derivatives having substituted aroyl groups which are useful in providing reduced fluorescence in polyesters such as PEN and are copolymerizable with other polyesters.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,701 discloses using difunctional halo-aromatic compounds copolymerized with PEN to reduce the polymer's fluorescence.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,391,702 and 5,391,330 disclose a process for preparing PEN or dimethyl 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate containing copolyesters/fluorescence quencher blends via melt blending.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,862 discloses using nonhalogenated copolymerizable aromatic compounds such as benzene, naphthalene and biphenyl having at least one acyl group directly attached to the aromatic ring to reduced the fluorescence in polymers of dimethyl 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,318 discloses the use of dimethyl 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate copolyesters or copolyamides having a copolymerized halo-aromatic compound and having reduced fluorescence.
Accordingly, there is a need for poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate) having a reduced fluorescence without deleteriously affecting the physical properties of the polymer.

Polyester containing benzylidene having reduced fluorescence


Methods, systems and computer readable media for computing small particle size distributions of particles in a process stream comprising a sample dilute colloid. A reference matrix of pre-computed reference vectors is provided. Each reference vector represents a discrete particle size or particle size range of a particle size distribution of particles contained in a dilute colloid. Each reference vector represents a reference extinction spectrum over a predetermined wavelength range. A measurement vector representing a measured extinction spectrum of the sample particles in the sample colloid is provided, wherein the measured extinction spectrum has been spectrophotometrically measured over the wavelength range. The particle size distribution and particle concentrations of the particles in the sample colloid are determined using the reference matrix, the measurement vector and linear equations.

Many industrial processes involve the manufacture of particles and the properties of the item of manufacture (pharmaceuticals, paint, food, chemicals, etc) depend heavily on the size of the particles used. However, there does not currently exist any method for on-line monitoring of particles smaller than 1 um.
The most common method for measuring such small particles, Dynamic Light Scattering, requires that the sample be still, and therefore must be performed off-line, not in flowing media. The reason for this is that Dynamic Light Scattering operates by trying to determine the Brownian motion of the particles to derive estimates of their size measurements. Thus, if the sample is not still, any movements, such as flow, will make it impossible to measure meaningful Brownian motions of the particles. Further, these Dynamic Light Scattering techniques measure speckle patterns produced as the laser light strikes a particle. These are very weak signals that must be integrated for a fairly long period of time to obtain a reliable signal upon which to calculate a particle size estimate. Accordingly, it typically takes several minutes to compute a particle size estimate using this technique, and it is therefore not well-suited to on line computations.
Still further, when the particles are not monodisperse (i.e., all of substantially one size), signals measured from movements of the larger particles can tend to dominate and obscure the weaker signals measured from movements of the smaller particles to the extent that the smaller particles are not properly measured, or not even detected at all.
There are current laser diffraction techniques that can measure particles in a flowing medium, but they cannot measure particle sizes less than about 500 nm. Laser diffraction measures the angular spread light scattered by the particles from a collimated laser beam. Particles smaller than a wavelength, typically less than a few hundred nanometers in diameter scatter light into a wide range of angles. Particles much smaller than the optical wavelength scatter light in the same pattern and cannot be distinguished by size.
There is a need for improved methods and systems capable of performing on line calculations of particle size distributions and particle concentrations. Further, there is a need for improved methods and systems capable of performing particle size distributions and particle concentrations of small particles flowing in a colloid. It would be desirable to include calculations of particles size distributions and particle concentrations to include particles having sizes less than 1 μm. It would further be desirable to perform these calculations and determinations on line, in line or at line. It would be further desirable to perform these calculations rapidly, on the order of a few seconds, or less.
There is also a need for improved methods for providing estimations that are smoothed to remove computational artifacts and therefore provide more accurate and definite values for particle size distribution and particle concentration values that can be more readily read and ascertained by a user.
There is a continuing need for fast and accurate methods of measuring particle size distribution of small particles, particularly for use in online applications, for real time or near-real time calculations of measurements during performance of a process where small particles are employed. Even for offline applications, it would be desirable to provide faster, more accurate methods of measuring particle size distributions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and systems for computing a particle size distribution of small particles in a process


A data transmission circuit for transmitting a data stream includes a voltage supply terminal, a resistively terminated, controlled-impedance transmission line and an inductor coupled between the voltage supply terminal and the controlled-impedance transmission line.

The present invention relates to high speed data transmission lines and, more particularly, to a controlled-impedance transmission line having an inductor-assisted termination network.
High-speed data transceivers transmit data from a transmitter to a receiver over a controlled-impedance transmission line. One or typically both ends of the transmission line are resistively terminated to a reference voltage such as a power supply terminal or a ground terminal. The total effective termination resistance is preferably matched to the impedance of the transmission line to minimize reflection and distortion of the transmitted data signals. Current-mode output drivers are often used to drive resistively-terminated transmission lines since they have a relatively high output resistance. The higher the output resistance, the less effect the output driver has on the total effective termination resistance, which allows for better transmission line impedance matching.
The data transmission circuit of the present invention includes a voltage supply terminal, a resistively-terminated, controlled-impedance transmission line and an inductor coupled between the voltage supply terminal and the transmission line.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a data transmission circuit which includes a data transmitter, a data receiver and a transmission medium having a first end coupled to the data transmitter and a second end coupled to the data receiver. A termination resistance is coupled to at least one of the first and second ends. A termination inductance is coupled to at least one of the first and second ends.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of terminating a data transmission line. The method includes coupling a termination resistor between a first termination voltage terminal and the transmission line and coupling a termination inductor between a second termination voltage terminal and the transmission line.

Transmission circuit having an inductor-assisted termination


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory device includes forming a carbon-containing layer on a semiconductor substrate, forming an insulating layer pattern on the carbon-containing layer, the insulating layer pattern partially exposing an upper surface of the carbon-containing layer, dry-etching the exposed portion of the carbon-containing layer, to form a carbon-containing layer pattern for defining a storage node hole, forming a bottom electrode inside the storage node hole, forming a dielectric layer on the bottom electrode inside the storage node hole, the dielectric layer covering the bottom electrode, and forming an upper electrode on the dielectric layer inside the storage node hole, the upper electrode covering the dielectric layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory device having a bottom electrode, which may have a cylindrical-shape, formed in fine cell areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
With a recent trend of more highly-integrated semiconductor memory devices, a design rule of the memory device is reduced, and an area for a unit memory cell thereof is also reduced. A capacitor used in a memory cell of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device is required to have a minimum tolerable capacitance sufficient to provide data input/output characteristics and data reading characteristics even though an area thereof is reduced. The reduction of process margins and areas has significantly affected a design of a memory cell capacitor due to the demand as described above. Therefore, various types of a capacitor bottom electrode structure having a three-dimensional structure with a large height have been introduced in order to manufacture a capacitor for maintaining a minimum capacitance even in a reduced space. Among them, a cylindrical-shaped bottom electrode is generally used because it advantageously increases an effective area of a capacitor. Therefore, various technologies regarding a cylindrical-shaped bottom electrode structure and a formation method thereof have been introduced.
Generally, in order to form a cylindrical-shaped bottom electrode, an etch stop layer and a mold oxide layer are formed on a semiconductor substrate having a buried contact formed therein. The mold oxide layer and the etch stop layer are then sequentially dry-etched to form a mold oxide layer pattern and an etch stop layer pattern for defining a node hole exposing the buried contact. A cylindrical-shaped bottom electrode is then formed using the mold oxide layer pattern. After the bottom electrode is formed, the mold oxide layer pattern is removed by a wet etch. In conventional methods of forming a cylindrical-shaped bottom electrode, a silicon nitride layer is generally used as the etch stop layer.
However, in the previously-introduced conventional methods of forming the cylindrical-shaped bottom electrode, an etchant may penetrate through the interface between the bottom electrode and the etch stop layer down to a lower structure, thereby causing damage to the lower structure. In order to prevent this phenomenon, the etch stop layer may be formed thickly to increase a penetration length of the etchant. However, if the thickness of the etch stop layer is increased when the etch stop layer is formed of the silicon nitride layer, the elements in the upper structure may be broken or damaged during dry-etching of the etch stop layer to form the node hole. Further, if the thickness of the etch stop layer is increased, a surface area of the bottom electrode is reduced by as much as the area where the outer wall of the bottom electrode contacts the etch stop layer pattern, thereby failing to provide a desired capacitance.
More specifically, there is a limit in how large the thickness of the etch stop layer may be formed in order to prevent the above problems. Therefore, there is no alternative but to increase a thickness of the mold oxide layer to increase a height of the bottom electrode. However, as the thickness of the mold oxide layer is increased, and a depth of the storage node hole is increased during dry-etching of the storage node hole, a significant deformation of the sectional profile occurs, and a desired sectional profile cannot be maintained, thereby failing to provide a sufficient bottom area of the bottom electrode. The above problems become more serious as the design rule is reduced, which results an increased possibility of generating a twin bit fail in the bottom electrode of a one cylinder stack (OCS) capacitor due to the falling-down of the bottom electrode in addition to failing to provide the desired capacitance.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory device


There is provided a nucleic acid extraction method using a cartridge comprising: (a) a driving part of a nucleic acid extraction device is connected to a control rod module disposed in an inner space of the upper body of a piston and a rotation control module coupled to the lower body of the piston; (b) driving the rotation control module and the control rod module, sequentially sucking sample and reagents from the plurality of chambers separated from each other into an interior space, and discharging the mixture of the interior space into the chamber of the cartridge; and (c) driving the rotation control module and the control rod module to suck the reagent inside the master mix bead chamber of the cartridge into the interior space of the piston upper body and then discharge the mixed reagent to a nucleic acid amplification module.

In modern times, it has become possible to interpret the cause of disease at the gene level with the development of biotechnology. As a result, the demand for manipulation and biochemical analysis of biological specimens to treat or prevent human diseases is increasing.
Also, in addition to the diagnosis of disease, the technology for extracting and analyzing nucleic acids from samples containing cells or biological specimens is required in various fields such as new drug development, preliminary examination of virus or bacterial infection, and forensic science.
Conventional nucleic acid extraction devices require each device for each pre-treatment process (concentration, purification), and require a long time because they must be moved to another device after one pre-treatment process. In addition, in the extraction method of the nucleic acid using the conventional nucleic acid extraction apparatus, the waste solution, which has been mixed and reacted in the extraction process, has to be discharged to a separate waste fluid chamber, and thus there is a problem that space utilization is inefficient.
Accordingly, research into a more efficient nucleic acid extraction method has been conducted to solve this problem.

Method for extracting nucleic acid using cartridge


A CD-ROM stores encrypted software. When a user desires to decrypt and install this software, an approval preparatory key is generated by an installer. This approval preparatory key is generated based on time data. When the user informs a center of this approval preparatory key, the center calculates a difference between this approval preparatory key and a decrypting key and vends this calculated result to a user in the form of an approval key. When the user inputs this approval key to an installer, the installer generates a decrypting key by adding the approval preparatory key to the approval key. The installer decrypts the software by this decrypting key and installs the encrypted software into a personal computer system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for decrypting software which was distributed in encrypted state.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, with a spread of a CD-ROM drive, a distribution of the encrypted software using a CD-ROM as a medium is popular. This is derived from the fact that the CD-ROM medium can be manufactured at an extremely low cost and has a large capacity over 600 MB, and the CD-ROM drive becomes lower in price but higher in speed. Further, the CD-ROM is light and thin and can be therefore distributed while being inset in a magazine. This distribution mode is a novel mode that could not be seen in a distribution of the software using a floppy disk as a medium.
On the other hand, the software stored in this CD-ROM is digital data and therefore has a risk of being easily illegally copied and installed. The term "install" is to load the software into a disk device (hard disk, a silicon disk, etc.) of a personal computer system. Hence, it is required that there also be established a system capable of preventing such illegal copying and installing on the distribution of the software by use of the CD-ROM.
Proposed under such circumstances was a software distribution system for distributing the software by use of the CD-ROM while preventing the illegal copying and installing.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 39, there has been utilized a software distribution system in which plural kinds of practical version encrypted software and trial version non-encrypted software corresponding thereto are recorded on a single piece of CD-ROM, and this CD-ROM is distributed.
According to this system, a user 100 at first purchases a CD-ROM which stores the above contents from a sales shop 101 (the sales price of the CD-ROM is set comparatively low). Then, the user 100 tries the trial version software stored in the CD-ROM. This trial version software is, however, in the majority of cases, restricted functions such as being incapable of file storage and printing, etc. If there is software that the user wants to get as a result of a trial use of the trial version software, the user installs practical version software corresponding thereto into a personal computer system of the user's own.
The practical version software has been, however, encrypted, and it is therefore required that a decrypting key for decrypting the ciphers is inputted when the practical version software is installed. For this purpose, the user gets a contact with a management center (hereinafter referred to simply as a "center") 102 to which a work of setting a right of use is entrusted from a software rightful claimant (person possessed of copyright or the right of use) through a telephone or the like and thus makes a request for purchasing the decrypting key for the software. The center 102, on confirming a payment of money necessary for purchasing the decrypting key, vends and offers it to the user 100. The user 100 is allowed to decrypt the practical version software by inputting the decrypting key and thus can complete the installation.
According to this system, however, the decrypting key can be, as a matter of fact, used again and again. It is therefore possible to matter-of-factly install the decrypting key into a plurality of personal computer systems. Further, in fact, the user 100 can tell the decrypting key purchased a third party having no right and let them decrypt and install the practical version software. Those are illegal using conducts beyond the range allowed by an approval contract for using the software when the decrypting key is vended. A fist problem inherent in a conventional software decrypting system is that those illegal uses can not be effectively prevented.
Also, if a decrypting key which is effective only once with some methods is developed, the illegal use given as the first problem could be prevented. On the other hand, however, the following problems will arise. That is, even the user 100 set the right of use of the software by regularly purchasing the decrypting key wants to reinstall if some of files constituting the software are broken down or if drive setting (mapping) of the disk device is changed. Further, when this regular user 100 newly purchases a personal computer system, the user desires to delete (uninstall) a certain set of software installed in the previous personal computer system and to reinstall it into the new personal computer system as the case may be. Such reinstalling is normally a conduct falling within the range of the right of use of the software. Then, for executing the above valid reinstalling, the regular user 100 has to set the decrypting key once again. However, since the decrypting key purchased at first has already been used, it follows that the user 100 requests the center 102 for a free-of-charge distribution of the decrypting key.
The center 102 can not, however, distinguish whether the decrypting key requested by the user 100 intends the reinstalling or an illegal use such as informing the third party of the decrypting key. For this reason, the center 102 can not take measures such as offering the decrypting key which is free of charge in response to the request for reinstalling but rejecting the request for the illegal use as in the case of providing the decrypting key to the third party or demanding a running royalty for the decrypting key. This is a second problem inherent in the conventional software decrypting system.

System for decrypting encrypted software


A method for connecting communication cables includes at least an input cable, an output cable, and a cable adapter. The input cable may include a plurality of input wires, each of the plurality of input wires communicatively connected to an input port. The output cable may include a plurality of output wires, each of the plurality of output wires communicatively connected to an output port. The cable adapter may be for communicatively interconnecting the input cable and the output cable. The cable adapter may include a container, a lid and a plurality of attachment mechanisms. The lid may be movably attached to the container. The plurality of attachment mechanisms may be located in the container, each of the plurality of attachment mechanisms capable of communicatively and reversibly connecting one of the plurality of input wires with one of the plurality of output wires.

Embodiments of the invention are related to electrical equipment and, in particular, to electrical equipment used in telecommunications.
As information based industries constitute an ever growing part of national economies in many developed as well as developing countries, telecommunication networks have become an essential part of national infrastructure. Especially in developed economies, industries as well as societies are highly dependent on faster and easier access to information, entertainment, and education via the telecommunications networks. Such telecommunications networks require frequent interfaces with each other and with various telecommunications devices. Many of the widely used communications networks and communications devices require proprietary cabling which use distinct pin-outs. Some of the commonly used interconnection pit-outs used by various networks and devices are the DB-9 and the DB-25 pin-outs used by the RS-232 standard, an RJ-11, RJ-14, RJ-25 and RJ-61 pin-outs used by for terminating telephone lines, etc.
Given their different pin-outs, each of these various cables requires special connectors. For example, an RS-232 cable with a DB-9 pin-out requires a special connector with two rows of connections, with a first row with five connectors and a second row with four connectors. Similarly, an RS-232 cable with a DB-25 pin-out requires a special connector with a first row with thirteen connectors and a second row with twelve connectors. Generally, when a user encounters a situation where one end of the connection has a DB-9 connector that needs to be connected to another end which has a DB-25 connector, the user may use a DB-9 to DB-25 converter. However, given the large number of different pin-outs used in industry, this would require that a user has to carry with them an almost unlimited number of converters that would match each combination of pin-outs on two ends.
Moreover, while the converters for many possible combinations, for example DB-9 to DB-25, are readily available and affordable, converters for some exotic combinations of pin-outs are not. Therefore, quite often it may become very inconvenient
or nearly impossible for a technician at the location requiring such a connection to make necessary connection, leading to potential delays in providing the final communications connections.
As a result, technicians often resort to making their own version of improvised converters using standard cables. However, making these cables correct, even after a first, second, or even third attempt is not always successful. Even when the technician knows the wire requirements on one end, they may not know the pinout requirement on the other end. This may require the technician to go through much experimentation on cables, wasting time and materials. The problem becomes even more acute when the cable length available is finite and too much experimentation may result in a loss of valuable cable length due to many cuts and retries. Moreover, the more a technician experiments with cables to make temporary connections, more it is likely that permanent damage is done to one or more of the cables involved.
Embodiments of the present invention provide solutions to these and other problems.

Method of connecting communication cables with universal cable adapter


A thin film magnetic read/write head which has a return pole and a read/write pole adjacent to the return pole. The return pole has a vertical sidewall which has a predetermined height and is perpendicular to a substrate. An insulating layer is disposed on the sidewall between the return pole and read/write pole. The insulating layer thus defines a gap spacing between the return pole and read/write pole. The read/write pole comprises a magnetic material layer which is perpendicular to the substrate and adhered to the insulating layer. The thickness of the magnetic material layer determines the thickness of the read/write pole. The return pole and read/write pole have top surfaces which are coplanar. The plane defined by the top return pole surface is perpendicular to the magnetic material layer and parallel to the substrate. The read/write pole is magnetically coupled to a core layer which is magnetically coupled to a solenoidal winding of conductive material. The core layer is coupled to a base layer which is coupled to the return pole. The return pole and core layer are disposed on top of the base layer.

This invention relates generally to magnetic recording heads, and, more specifically, to magnetic recording heads used to store high density data in hard drives, tape drives and the like.
Magnetic media is widely used for data storage. Hard drives, tape drives, and floppy disks are all examples of magnetic data storage devices.
Typically, the magnetic medium comprises a thin film of magnetic material which can have various magnetic orientations in different domains on the surface of the film. Magnetic data storage requires the use of a read/write head capable of writing the magnetic field orientations of the magnetic domains. Such writing is typically performed by a magnetic circuit having a small gap, with a conductive wire magnetically coupled with the magnetic circuit. The gap is placed in close proximity to the magnetic medium surface.
Data encoded on magnetic storage surfaces is typically arranged in parallel tracks. The distance between adjacent tracks (track pitch) is one important factor which determines the data storage capacity of a magnetic surface. For maximum storage capacity, it is desired to make the track pitch as close as possible. The minimum track pitch, however, is limited by the physical dimensions of the magnetic read/write head used. Therefore, for maximum data storage capacity on a given magnetic surface, it is desired to minimize the width of the read/write head.
Another concern in the design of read/write heads is the fabrication geometry. Many head designs require the substrate on which the head is formed be cleaved and the cleaved edge polished. This allows the thin films adhered to the substrate surface to be oriented perpendicular to the magnetic data storage surface. This necessitates additional polishing steps so that the cleaved substrate edge is smooth. An example of such a read/write head is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,956 to Das.
Another problem with magnetic read/write heads is that it is often difficult to manufacture the read/write pole of the head such that its dimensions are well defined and accurate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,963 to Jones discloses a magnetic read/write head which uses a solenoidal type coil. The completion of the magnetic circuit in Jones""s head requires application of an additional vertical part of the pole piece to the polished edge of the cleaved substrate. This step renders Jones""s head more complex to manufacture and requires the step of polishing the cleaved edge. Another disadvantage of Jones""s head is that it requires that thin films be applied to the cleaved and polished edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,660 to Gray et al. discloses a magnetic read/write head which has a horizontal solenoidal structure and a vertical gap. Gray""s head is complex to manufacture due to a large number of plating and etching steps and the large number of elements comprising the magnetic circuit. Gray""s head also places the gap on top of the coil structure, which can be problematic because the coil structure is bumpy.
There exists a need for a sensitive magnetic read/write head which is simple to manufacture, which has a narrow geometry, and which has a read/write pole with well-defined dimensions.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a read/write head for magnetic data storage media that:
1) is simple to fabricate on planar substrates;
2) is narrow such that track pitch can be reduced;
3) does not require the substrate edge to be polished;
4) is sensitive to weak magnetic signals such that linear data density can be maximized;
5) enables a large number of heads to be planarized simultaneously;
6) requires a small amount of substrate surface area so that a large number can be manufactured on a single substrate.
These and other objects and advantages will be apparent upon reading the following description with reference to the drawings.
These objects and advantages are attained by a thin film magnetic head comprising a base layer of magnetic material disposed on top of a substrate with a first end of the base layer magnetically coupled to a first end of a core layer. The core layer is disposed on top of the base layer. An electrical conductor coil is wrapped around the core layer to form a solenoidal type coil. A return pole is disposed on top of a second end of the base layer and is magnetically coupled with the second end of the base layer. The return pole has a top return pole surface. A read/write pole is disposed adjacent to the return pole and is magnetically coupled with a second end of the core layer. The read/write pole has a top read/write pole surface which is coplanar with the top return pole surface. A layer of insulating material is disposed between the return pole and read/write pole. The insulating material defines a gap spacing between the return pole and read/write pole. The insulating layer is oriented at an inclined angle to the substrate. Preferably, the insulating layer is perpendicular to the substrate. The base layer, core layer, return pole and read/write pole comprise a magnetic material such as NiFe.
Preferably, the coil is electrically insulated from both the core layer and base layer. Also preferably, the surface area of the top return pole surface is greater than the surface area of the top read/write pole surface area.
The read/write pole and core layer preferably comprise a single, continuous layer of magnetic material. Also, the read/write pole and the core layer preferably have the same width. Preferably, the width of the read/write pole is narrower than the width of the return pole. The read/write pole can be surrounded on three sides by the return pole. In this case, the return pole is U-shaped.
Also, the head can be covered with a passivation layer which is preferably planarized to the plane defined by the top return pole surface and the top read/write pole surface.
In an alternative embodiment, the base layer is disposed in a groove in the substrate. The top surface of the base layer is flush with the top surface of the substrate. The groove can be a V-groove formed in a silicon substrate by an anisotropic etch.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention locates the coil around the core layer which is underneath a top layer which is made of magnetic material. The top layer is magnetically coupled to the read/write pole and the core layer is coupled to the return pole. The return pole and read/write pole are separated by an insulating layer which is oriented at an angle inclined with respect to the substrate. Preferably, the insulating layer is perpendicular to the substrate.
Preferably, the coil is electrically insulated from both the core layer and top layer. Also preferably, the surface area of the top return pole surface is greater then the surface area of the top read/write pole surface area. Preferably, the read/write pole and top layer comprise a single, continuous layer of magnetic material. The read/write pole and the top layer can have the same width. Preferably, the width of the read/write pole is narrower than the width of the return pole.
The read/write pole can be surrounded on three sides by the return pole. In this case, the return pole is U-shaped.
Also, the head can be covered with a passivation layer which is preferably planarized to the plane defined by the top return pole surface and the top read/write pole surface.
The present invention also includes a structure for a return pole and read/write pole. The return pole has a top return pole surface and a sidewall which has a predetermined height and is inclined with respect to a substrate. Preferably, the sidewall is perpendicular to the substrate. An insulating layer is disposed on the sidewall. The thickness of the insulating layer determines a gap spacing between the return pole and the read/write pole. The read/write pole comprises a magnetic material layer which is disposed on top of the insulating layer. The magnetic material layer is therefore parallel to the sidewall. A top return pole surface and a top read/write pole surface are coplanar and parallel with the substrate. The magnetic material layer has a thickness which is small compared to the height of the return pole sidewall. The plane defined by the top return pole surface cuts through the magnetic material layer. This assures that the thickness of the magnetic material layer determines the thickness of the read/write pole.
A method for making the return pole and read/write pole includes the step of producing a return pole which has a sidewall. The sidewall is preferably perpendicular to a substrate, but can also be inclined with respect to the substrate. The sidewall has a predetermined height. An insulating layer is deposited on the sidewall and a magnetic material layer is deposited on the insulating layer. The thickness of the magnetic material layer is less than the height of the sidewall. The return pole, insulating layer and magnetic material layer are then planarized to a plane parallel with the substrate which intersects the magnetic material layer and insulating layer. This assures that the read/write pole comprising the planarized magnetic material layer has a thickness which is determined by the magnetic material layer thickness. If the sidewall is perpendicular to the substrate, then the thickness of the magnetic material layer is equal to the thickness of the read/write pole.

Inductive magnetic recording head having inclined magnetic read/write pole and method of making same


Sit-stand desk, such as conversion desks, provide a convenient option for desk work by users who desire the option to selectively sit or stand. Often, the vertical distance between a keyboard and monitor differs when in the sitting configuration versus the standing configuration. A sit-stand desk provided herein allows for a user to transition between a sitting configuration and a standing configuration with a single lifting mechanism with a programmable distance variation between the keyboard and monitor. Accordingly, a user may transition between the sitting configuration and the standing configuration without requiring readjustment of the relative distance between the monitor and keyboard.

Adjustable height desks, often called "sit-stand desks," or "standing desks" allow a user to utilize computer input/output equipment (e.g., keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.) while seated or while standing (or while walking, jogging, running, etc.). When a user wishes to change from sitting to standing, or vice versa, a keyboard, mouse, or other input device tray and/or monitor support are then repositioned adjusted to match the user's change in position.


A method for cleaning ion exchange resins. The ion exchange resin is circulated by a circulating medium within a circulation, system. The concentration of ions within a circulation medium is periodically changed at a selected point in the circulation system to change the amount of solution within the ion exchange for a period of time such that the amount of solution within the ion exchange resin fluctuates as the ion exchange resin circulates within the circulating system. The degree of cleaning of the resin an the quantity of chemicals required are both improved. Additionally, the ion exchange resin may be agitated for further cleaning.

1. Technical Field:
The present invention relates to a resin cleaning system. Particularly, it relates to a system for cleaning ion exchange resins in water treatment plants.
2. Description of the Related Art:
The cleaning of ion exchange resins has been practiced for many years to improve the performance of fouled resin and lengthen its useful life. In water plants, in particular, a resin bed comprised of ion exchange beads is commonly used to remove impurities from water by passing the processed water over and through an ion exchange resin bed in order to remove contaminants.
The ion exchange bead can be compared in many ways to a sponge. A single resin bead that is removed from the bed, while appearing dry, actually may contain approximately 50%. water by weight. In addition, while the bead appears to be rigid and hard to the touch, it is actually very flexible and permeable to the water that passes through the resin bed. In fact, the water volume present in a resin bead at any time may vary by more than 30% in common water treatment applications. This change in water volume is driven by the flux created by the difference in concentration of ions in the solution surrounding the bead and the type of ion that is loaded on to the resin's active sites by the solution. As a result, the resin beads can respond almost like a sponge in that they can be "squeezed", i.e., they can have solution flushed from the surface and interior of the bead through varying ion concentration, concentration of cleaning chemicals, and temperature.
The majority of water treatment plants do not have a separate vessel for cleaning so that this cleaning occurs in the service vessel. In addition, current cleaning methods rely on the use of cleaning chemicals that act as a solvent to clean the beads. For example, one presently used method for removing organics from anion exchange resins employs strong base anion and weak anion resin types. Organics are removed by backwashing the resin bed at the regular flow rate and then draining to bed level. Then, the resin is air lanced for thirty minutes at four cubic feet of air per minute, per cubic foot of resin, backwashed at a regular flow rate for twenty minutes, and then drained to bed level. Next, 10 gallons brine and caustic solution is added at 140.degree. F. per cubic foot of resin. The brine and caustic solution is allowed to soak for two to three hours. Thereafter, the resin is rinsed with a down flow of two gallons per minute, per cubic foot of resin with clean water for fifteen minutes, and the treatment is repeated if necessary. Afterwards, the resin bed is backwashed at the regular flow rate for ten minutes. Then the resin is rinsed and regenerated, and the unit is returned to service.
While several conventional methods have agitation, such as air agitation, this type of agitation provides very little physical movement of the resin when compared to the hydraulic jet used in the bead jet. Air lancing is also labor intensive and may damage the service vessel internals. Greater agitation that might be provided by a centrifical pump or propelled type mixer is known to damage the ion exchange resin. While conventional methods may recirculate the cleaning chemicals through the ion exchange resin, there are no current methods that take advantage of the repeated squeezing phenomena that can be imposed on the resin beads without using large amounts of cleaning chemicals in repeated conventional cleanings.
Currently, the prior art does not provide a system that efficiently provides physical cleaning of the resin without scratching or otherwise damaging the ion exchange resin.


A solid-state device having: a flip-chip mounted solid-state element; a power receiving/feeding portion having a mounting substrate to allow that a mounting surface of the solid-state element forms substantially the same plane as a surface of the mounting substrate; and an inorganic sealing portion made of an inorganic sealing material having a thermal expansion coefficient equal to that of the power receiving/feeding portion for sealing the solid-state element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid state device, and particularly, to a solid state device which is sealed with a sealing material made of low melting point glass.
The present invention also relates to a light-emitting element made of a semiconductor material and a light-emitting device using the light-emitting element, and particularly, to a light-emitting element and a light-emitting device which are flip-chip mounted.
Herein, a solid state device includes various optical devices or elements such as a light-emitting device or element, a light-receiving device or element, and a solar cell. Also, herein, a light-emitting element includes an LED element, and a light-emitting device includes an LED.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are solid state devices with a solid state component such as a light-emitting diode (LED), or the like, sealed with a light-transmitting resin material such as epoxy resin, or the like. It is known that in such solid state devices, light-transmitting resin is degraded by light. Particularly, in the case of use of group III nitride-based compound semiconductor light-emitting elements which emit short-wavelength light, light-transmitting resin around the elements is caused to turn yellow by high-energy light emitted from the elements and heat produced by the elements themselves, which often unnegligibly degrades efficiency of deriving light.
To prevent degradation of such sealing materials, there have been proposed light-emitting devices using low melting point glass as sealing material (See Japanese patent application laid-open Nos. 8-102553, and 11-177129, for example).
The light-emitting device of Japanese patent application laid-open No. 8-102553 is constructed by covering an LED element, wire bonding portions, and upper ends of leads, with a transparent sealing material made of low melting point glass. In the low melting point glass, there is used glass whose melting point is 130-350° C. by adding thereto selenium, thallium, arsenic, sulfur, etc., for example. In this case, there is used low melting point glass whose melting point is preferably 200° C. or less, more preferably 150° C. or less.
The light-emitting device of Japanese patent application laid-open No. 8-102553 uses a transparent sealing material made of low melting point glass, thereby obviating the problem with optical degradation with time of light-transmitting resin material due to ultraviolet rays.
On the other hand, the light-emitting device of Japanese patent application laid-open No. 11-177129 uses, as sealing material for covering its LED element, low melting point glass whose refractive index is on the order of 2 close to the refractive index of GaN-based LED elements, the order of 2.3.
The light-emitting device of Japanese patent application laid-open No. 11-177129 seals its LED element with low melting point glass whose refractive index is close to the refractive index of GaN-based LED elements, thereby lessening light totally reflected off the interface between the LED element and the low melting point glass, while increasing light radiated outwardly from the LED element and passed into the low melting point glass. As a result, the outward radiation efficiency becomes higher than that of conventional light-emitting devices with an LED element sealed with epoxy resin,
According to conventional solid state devices, however, because of high viscosity of conventional low melting point glass in a practical sealing temperature range, it is impossible to realize a solid state device having the sufficient sealing property when using a sealing material made of low melting point glass.
Conventionally, on the other hand, flip-chip mounting is known in which an LED element is electrically connected to a wiring pattern of a printed wiring board or the like through a stud bump of Au or the like.
In flip-chip mounting, a cathode and an anode on the LED element are connected to a wiring pattern via a stud bump, thus allowing mounting of the LED element without using pad electrodes and wires. In addition, light is radiated from the surface opposite the mounting surface, which thus allows excellent light-radiating performance without pad electrodes and wires blocking off light.
The above-mentioned flip-chip mounting requires arrangement of stud bumps according to the number of cathodes and anodes, and stable arrangement of the LED element requires 3 or more stud bumps. This requires time-consuming and costly bump formation. Particularly, in large-size LED elements, a plurality of stud bumps are arranged for multipoint joining, which can therefore be more significantly time-consuming and costly.
As a means for obviating time-consuming labor in such bump formation, there is a bump formation method in which a bump for mounting components is formed on the surface of a printed wiring board by plating (See Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2002-9427).
According to a bump formation method described in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2002-9427, a resist film is formed by applying resist to the surface of a printed wiring board, using a spin coater or a printing method. The resist film formation is followed by light exposure using a mask having a mask window matching a desired position and shape of a bump. Next, an exposed portion is developed and dissolved by an immersion or spray method used in typical photoresist development to form an opening, followed by plating the opening and subsequently dissolving and removing the resist film, thereby forming a plurality of bumps for mounting components on the printed wiring board.
In the above-mentioned bump formation method, however, because the bumps for mounting components have to be formed by photolithography, the number of fabrication steps increases, which results in a high cost.
Further, it is required that the bumps for mounting components have high shape accuracy matching electrode shape of the light-emitting element, and that the light-emitting element be positioned accurately relative to the bumps for mounting components when mounting the light-emitting element.

Solid state device and light-emitting element


The present invention refers to a method and a plant for producing a stencil arrangement, whereby said stencil comprises a carrier substrate (2) and a pattern (4) belonging to said substrate, while using digital information relating to a pattern and stored in a computer equipment (10) and means (20) for transferring said digital information to a light-sensitive layer (3) applied onto the carrier substrate (2). Connected to the computer equipment (10) is at least one modified laser printer unit (20), which is movable relative to said layer-coated carrier substrate (2) by means of a frame structure (30). During said movement said unit (20) is applying to a light-absorbing layer (5, 5') onto said light-sensitive layer (3) and further means are arranged for exposure process and development process.

Several different methods of producing a stencil for use in stencil printing machines and different methods for producing offset plates for offset machines are known to the art.
With regard to stencil printing machines, it is known to produce a stencil on the basis of a carrier substrate, such as a cloth stretched in a stencil frame and coated with a special layer of emulsion which forms a light-sensitive layer.
Exposure is effected by illuminating the emulsion layer with a projected image, wherewith illuminated parts of the emulsion layer harden and non-illuminated and non-hardened parts form the pattern, and wherein the non-illuminated and non-hardened parts of the emulsion layer are washed away in a subsequent developing process.
The resultant stencil thus includes exposed pattern-associated parts through which printing paste is able to pass during the printing sequence.
It will be apparent that a method of the aforedescribed kind requires the use of projector equipment, a film as the original, and strong lighting, and that a stencil-producing method of this kind is time-consuming and its associated equipment expensive.
However, the use of large projector equipment enable large stencils to be produced, such as stencils in the order of 2.times.3 metres.
It is also known when producing stencils to illuminate a carrier substrate onto which a light-sensitive layer or a layer of emulsion has been applied with laser beams generated by laser equipment and to produce the pattern concerned by guiding movement of the laser beams along the cloth.
Practical application indicates that the laser method is well-suited for smaller stencils with limited print patterns, small dimensions with regard both to cloth and pattern image, although the requisite laser equipment and control (guide) unit demands a relatively high investment.
With regard to the production of polyester offset plates in particular it is known to coat the polyester material with a light-sensitive emulsion and to expose the emulsion with a pattern in essentially the same way as that described above with reference to stencils for stencil printing machines, and to develop the thus exposed plate so as to form the pattern.

Methods and arrangement for the production of a stencil by a modified laser printer


Method and composition for detecting one or more selected polynucleotide regions in a target polynucleotide. In the method, a mixture of sequence-specific probes are reacted with the target polynucleotide under hybridization conditions, and the hybridized probes are treated to selectively modify those probes which are bound to the target polynucleotide in a base-specific manner. The resulting labeled probes include a polymer chain which imparts to each different-sequence probe, a distinctive ratio of charge/translational frictional drag, and a detectable label. The labeled probes are fractionated by electrophoresis in a non-sieving matrix, and the presence of one or more selected sequences in the target polynucleotide are detected according to the observed electrophoretic migration rates of the labeled probes in a non-sieiving medium.

A variety of DNA hybridization techniques are available for detecting the presence of one or more selected polynucleotide sequences in a sample containing a large number of sequence regions. In a simple method, which relies on fragment capture and labeling, a fragment containing a selected sequence is captured by hybridization to an immobilized probe. The captured fragment can be labeled by hybridization to a second probe which contains a detectable reporter moiety.
Another widely used method is Southern blotting. In this method, a mixture of DNA fragments in a sample are fractionated by gel electrophoresis, then fixed on a nitrocellulose filter. By reacting the filter with one or more labeled probes under hybridization conditions, the presence of bands containing the probe sequence can be identified. The method is especially useful for identifying fragments in a restriction-enzyme DNA digest which contain a given probe sequence, and for analyzing restriction-fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs).
Another approach to detecting the presence of a given sequence or sequences in a polynucleotide sample involves selective amplification of the sequence(s) by polymerase chain reaction (Mullis, Saiki). In this method, primers complementary to opposite end portions of the selected sequence(s) are used to promote, in conjunction with thermal cycling, successive rounds of primer-initiated replication. The amplified sequence may be readily identified by a variety of techniques. This approach is particularly useful for detecting the presence of low-copy sequences in a polynucleotide-containing sample, e.g., for detecting pathogen sequences in a body-fluid sample.
More recently, methods of identifying known target sequences by probe ligation methods have been reported (Wu, Whiteley, Lundegren, Winn-Deen). In one approach, known as oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA), two probes or probe elements which span a target region of interest are hybridized with the target region. Where the probe elements match (basepair with) adjacent target bases at the confronting ends of the probe elements, the two elements can be joined by ligation, e.g., by treatment with ligase. The ligated probe element is then assayed, evidencing the presence of the target sequence.
In a modification of this approach, the ligated probe elements act as a template for a pair of complementary probe elements. With continued cycles of denaturation, reannealing and ligation in the presence of the two complementary pairs of probe elements, the target sequence is amplified geometrically, allowing very small amounts of target sequence to be detected and/or amplified. This approach is also referred to as Ligase Chain Reaction (LCR).
There is a growing need, e.g., in the field of genetic screening, for methods useful in detecting the presence or absence of each of a large number of sequences in a target polynucleotide. For example, as many as 150 different mutations have been associated with cystic fibrosis. In screening for genetic predisposition to this disease, it is optimal to test all of the possible different gene sequence mutations in the subject's genomic DNA, in order to make a positive identification of a "cystic fibrosis". Ideally, one would like to test for the presence or absence of all of the possible mutation sites in a single assay.
These prior-art methods described above are not readily adaptable for use in detecting multiple selected sequences in a convenient, automated single-assay format. It is therefore desirable to provide a rapid, single-assay format for detecting the presence or absence of multiple selected sequences in a polynucleotide sample.
In another technical area, attempts to increase the throughput and degree of automation in DNA sequencing has lead to the development of sequencing approaches making use of capillary electrophoresis, e.g. Huang et al, Anal. Chem., Vol. 64, pgs. 2149-2154 (1992); Swerdlow et al, Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 18, pgs. 1415-1419 (1990), and the like. A major impediment to the widespread application of these approaches is the requirement that gels be used in the separation medium of the capillaries. It is still very time consuming and difficult to load and/or form gels in the capillaries that have sufficiently uniform quality for reliable and convenient sequencing. High speed DNA sequencing for either diagnostic applications or for genomic analysis would make a major advance if means were available that permitted differently sized polynucleotides to be separated electrophoretically in a non-sieving liquid medium which could be readily loaded into capillaries without the time and quality control problems associated with gel separation media.

Kits for DNA sequencing employing a mixed DNA-polymer chain probe


A jewelry ring assembly includes a base ring having an annular channel on its outer surface and a retained ring disposed in that channel to be freely rotatable about the base ring and capable of wobbling in the channel. The base ring is a single piece of metal and its retaining channel is smoothly concave in width between raised annular edges. The base ring is formed from a cylindrical blank initially having a constant outside diameter across its width, which diameter is smaller than the retained ring inside diameter. The method of fabricating the ring assembly begins with flaring one edge radially outward to a final diameter larger than the retained ring inside diameter. The retained ring is moved over the unflared edge, after which that edge is also flared to the final diameter. Enlarging the annular edges in separate steps permits the base ring to be formed from a single piece of metal while presenting a retaining channel having a smooth concave width.

1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to an improved jewelry ring assembly of the type having two annular rings, one movably retained by the other, and to the method of manufacturing such assembly. Although the preferred embodiment described herein is a finger ring, it will be understood that the principles of the invention apply equally to rings worn on other parts of the body or suspended from chains, pins and the like.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is known in the prior art to manufacture finger ring assemblies made of two rings, namely a base or inner ring that fits on the wearer""s finger, and a retained or outer ring that is engaged by the base ring. Example of such ring assemblies are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,431,652 (Grossman), 1,586,606 (Cain), 5,161,392 (Wiriath et al.), 5,228,316 (Meyrowitz), 5,678,428 (Pasquetti) and Australian Patent No. 208883 (Preston). The ring assemblies disclosed in the Cain, Wiriath et al., Meyrowitz and Pasquetti patents are made from at least three parts which are assembled in various manners. In order to place and then retain the outer ring on the outside surface of the base ring, the base ring is provided in two pieces that are joined together after the outer ring is in place. The need for a two-piece base ring arises from the fact that annular edges of greater outside diameter than the inside diameter of the retained ring are required in order to hold the retained ring on the base ring. This required size relationship, however, prevents placement of the outer ring onto the base ring unless the base ring is initially disassembled.
The Grossman and Preston patents disclose respective ring assemblies wherein the base ring is made of a single piece. The outer surface of the base ring has an annular channel disposed between two raised annular edges of greater diameter. The base ring is initially sized such that the outside diameter of the annular edges is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the retained ring, thereby permitting the retained ring to be moved axially over one of the edges of the base ring and into alignment with the base ring channel. The base ring is then radially expanded whereby both its channel and its retaining edges experience a diametric increase until the aligned retained ring is disposed within the base ring channel between the annular retaining edges. The expansion ultimately causes the retained ring to fit tightly as an inset in the base ring channel, the tight fit preventing relative movement of the two rings in the final assembly.
It is aesthetically desirable to provide a jewelry ring assembly of the type described wherein the retained ring is both freely rotatable about the base ring and capable of freely wobbling (i.e., axially skewing) between the outer retaining edges of the base ring channel. It is also aesthetically desirable that the retaining edges of the base ring be formed as a smooth transition from the base ring channel rather than providing a sharp step or right angle transition between the channel and retaining edges. It is further desirable that the base ring be made of a single piece rather than two parts that must be assembled after the retained ring is in place. None of the ring assemblies described above meet all of these criteria.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ring assembly of the type described wherein the base ring is formed from a single piece, the retained ring is free to rotate and wobble in the base ring channel, and the base ring channel has a smooth concave transition between its deepest part and its retaining edges.
In accordance with the present invention, a ring assembly includes two pieces, namely a base ring and a retained ring. The one-piece base ring is initially a right circular cylinder with a constant diameter throughout its width (i.e., its axial length). That outside diameter is necessarily smaller than the inside diameter of the retained ring. The first step in the fabrication process is to flare a first of the annular edges of the base ring radially outward so that there is a gradual increase in diameter from the middle portion of the outer surface to the first annular edge. The diameter of the enlarged first annular edge is increased such that it exceeds the inside diameter of the retained ring.
The retained ring is then placed about the base ring by moving the retained ring axially past the second or unenlarged edge of the base ring. With the two rings thusly in place, the second edge of the base ring is flared radially outward such that the outside diameter of the second edge is greater than the inside diameter of the retained ring. This flaring also produces a smooth or gradual increase in diameter of the outer surface of the base ring. The resulting base ring has an outer surface in the form of an annular channel extending widthwise in a smoothly concave manner between the diametrically expanded annular edges of the base ring. The retained ring inside diameter is sufficiently large relative to the outside diameter of the central portion of the concave base ring channel to permit the retained ring to freely rotate about the base ring in that channel. In addition, the width of the retained ring is sufficiently small relative to the width of the base ring channel to permit axial wobble of the retained ring in that channel.
The smooth widthwise transition from edge to edge of the base ring provides a free-flowing aesthetic appearance while movably retaining the retained ring in the concave annular base ring channel.
The above features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components.


A method for manufacturing microfibrillated cellulose, a particulate grinding medium suitable for use in said method, a material which wears rough, and a method for making said particulate grinding medium.

Methods and compositions comprising microfibrillated cellulose are described in WO-A-2010/131016. Paper products comprising such microfibrillated cellulose have been shown to exhibit excellent paper properties, such as paper strength. The methods described in WO-A-2010/131016 also enable the production of microfibrillated cellulose economically.
Despite the benefits seen in WO-A-2010/131016, there is ongoing need to further improve the economics of producing microfibrillated cellulose on an industrial scale, and to develop new processes for producing microfibrillated cellulose. It would also be desirable to be able to further develop or enhance one or more properties of microfibrillated cellulose.


A torque sharing drive and process for sharing torque accommodates tooth inaccuracies on the rack and outer pinions. A driving pinion mates with first and second gears. The driving pinion is radially, bidirectionally, movable in response to gear separation forces only along the line between the centers of the driving pinion, the first gear and the second gear. First and second outer pinions are rotatable with the first and second gears, and as the driving pinion moves radially toward the first or second gear in response to gear separation forces, the first or second gear is angularly and rotationally advanced with respect to the other gear accommodating inaccuracies in the teeth of the rack and outer pinions. Alternatively, when gear separation forces are balanced, the driving pinion resides approximately equidistantly intermediate the first and second gear and the first and second outer pinions are approximately in phase.

Oil rig platforms and the like are well known in the art. These platforms are commonly used during construction of the oil rig and to support workers and equipment at desired elevations. Platforms are necessarily moved upward and downward and these platforms are known as elevating platform assemblies. It is necessary to lift and lower large loads on oil rig platforms and the like. It is necessary to quickly change the elevation of workers and equipment and thus, elevating platform assemblies are advantageous. Accordingly, jacking drives are securely attached to the platform along with a motor to power the jacking drives thus raising and lowering the platform to the desired elevation.
United States Patent Publication No. US 2007/0295136 A1 states, in the abstract: "[a]n anti-backlash system comprising a single drive pinion and motor is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the single drive pinion is situated between two idler gears and is allowed to move in the radial direction relative to the bull gear. A preload force provides for the substantial absence of backlash at low torque loads. The pinion moves to the center point between the two idler gears and balances the torque during high torque loads. The present anti-backlash system is well suited for use in drive and positioning systems that are subject to variable and reversing loads, such as those experienced by radio telescopes in variable wind conditions."
European Patent EP 1 128 974 B1 states, in claim 1, thereof: "[t]he invention relates to a portal drive for a portal axle featuring a drive pinion (1), which is axially supported via two bilaterally arranged axial bearings (4, 5), with the drive pinion driving an output pinion (3) via intermediate gears (2), with which it meshes, characterized in that each of the two axial bearings (4, 5) is pre loaded in axial direction by a spring element (7) so that the drive pinion (1) is floating mounted within the kinetic range of the spring elements (7)."
U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,251, states, in the abstract: "[m]ethods and apparatus are provided for a torque driver including a displaceable gear to limit torque transfer to a fastener at a precisely controlled torque limit. A biasing assembly biases a first gear into engagement with a second gear for torque transfer between the first and second gear. The biasing assembly includes a pressurized cylinder controlled at a constant pressure that corresponds to a torque limit. A calibrated gage and valve is used to set the desired torque limit. One or more coiled output linkages connect the first gear with the fastener adaptor which may be a socket for a nut. A gear tooth profile provides a separation force that overcomes the bias to limit torque at the desired torque limit. Multiple fasteners may be rotated simultaneously to a desired torque limit if additional output spur gears are provided. The torque limit is adjustable and may be different for fasteners within the same fastener configuration."
Imperfections may occur in the teeth of the rack and the teeth of the pinion which drives the rack. Imperfections may occur in the assembly of the torque sharing drive. Imperfections may occur in the alignment and mounting of the torque sharing drive. Imperfections include dimensional variations and inaccuracies. The dimensional variations may affect: tooth surfaces including flank surfaces, circular tooth thicknesses, circular pitch lengths, and tooth spaces. Inaccuracies include gear tooth spacing or index variation between teeth. Additionally, there may also be inaccuracies in the torque sharing drive assembly mounting and spacing between components thereof.
Individual quality level attributes include the following: for the pinion, lead variation, involute variation, gear tooth spacing/pitch variation. In addition, there are various composite variations, which represent a combination of these individual variations, and more closely represent what actual pinion teeth would present to its mating rack. The rack will have similar variations inherent to its manufacture and quality level. In addition to these dimensional variations inherent in each individual part (pinion and rack), there are mounting and alignment variations inherent in the structure that the rack and pinion (torque sharing drive) mount to. The combined effect of these variations (individual, composite and mounting) can be significant. These variations impact operation of the rack and pinion and affect smooth, completely consistent and conjugate action of the rack and pinion. This is normal and expected for any rack and pinion design. Additionally, backlash is the amount of clearance between the rack and pinion tooth flanks. The amount of clearance necessary depends on alignment accuracy between the rack and the pinion. Dimensional variations/inaccuracies in the teeth of the rack may occur. Pitch deviation is the difference between the theoretical rack length and its actual length and depends on the quality of the rack. Tooth quality depends on the accuracy of tooth flanks and faces. This list is set forth by way of example only and is not exhaustive or complete.

Torque sharing drive and torque sharing process


In a first embodiment, a friction engagement portion 3 of clutch disk assembly includes a driven plate 20 fixed to a clutch plate 5, a cushioning plate 21, first and second sintered alloy pads 22 and 23, and rivets 32. The cushioning plate 21 has a corrugated form allowing elastic deformation. The first sintered alloy pad 22 is arranged at the cushioning plate 21. The second sintered alloy pad 23 is fixed to the driven plate 20 having an outer peripheral edge bent for fixing the second sintered alloy pad 23. The rivet 32 has an end engaged with the second sintered alloy pad 23, is axially movable, and has the other end for fixing the cushioning plate 21 and the first sintered alloy pad 22. In a second embodiment, a pair of first and second cushioning plates 120 and 121 are opposed to each other at an outer peripheral portion of the clutch disk assembly. Sintered alloy pads 122 and 123 fixed at outer surfaces of the first and second cushioning plates 120 and 121. The first and second cushioning plates 120 and 121 are corrugated to provide cushioning characteristics having two stages.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a friction engagement portion of a clutch disk assembly having friction pads made of sintered alloy.
B. Description of the Related Art
In general, it is desirable for a clutch disk assembly to have a generally large torque transmitting capacity. A facing a friction engagement portion of the clutch disk is generally made of glass fiber, resin, rubber or the like. However, the facing made of such a material may not have a sufficiently large torque transmitting capacity.
In order to ensure a large torque capacity, some clutch disks use sintered bodies (which will be referred to as "sintered alloy pads") made of a mixture of ceramic powder and metal powder. These clutch disks are generally produced by heating (under pressure in some cases) ceramic powder and metal powder disposed on a copper-plated core plate of iron.
In the clutch disk assembly having such a conventional sintered alloy pad, the clutch disk (friction member) does not have a cushioning effect, and thus causes a large shock or jolt in an automobile as the clutch is being engaged.
In view of the above, in such a clutch disk structure, there may be employed that a pair of plate members that include corrugated portions which form convex surfaces. Spaces are defined between the plate members due to the convex surfaces. Separate sintered alloy pads are fixed to each of the plate members by rivets, one set of rivets extending through one plate member and another set of rivets extending through the other plate member. Consequently, the rivets extend through surfaces of each plate member adjacent to one another. According to this structure, the convex surfaces of the plate members bend to exhibit a cushioning effect in the clutch engaging operation.
However, the adjacent surfaces of the paired plate members having rivets extending therethrough are such that the degree of cushioning effect is restricted by contact between the heads of the rivets and the adjacent surface of the adjacent plate member. Even if positions of the rivet heads are spaced apart to avoid mutual contact or interference, the rivet heads are unavoidably brought into contact with the adjacent surface of the plate members, so that the degree of cushioning effect is restricted. Since only the rivet heads are brought into contact with the adjacent surface of one of the plate member in the cushioning operation, contact pressure is localized and is not uniformly on the sintered alloy pads, so that local wearing occurs in the area where the rivet heads make contact.
Clutch disk assemblies used in a passenger car may also include friction engagement portions which are made of an organic material such as glass fiber, resin, rubber or the like, in addition to the type described above having sintered materials. In the clutch disk using organic friction members, a cushioning plate is disposed between paired friction facings opposed to each other, so that the cushioning plate reduces a shock in the clutch engaging operation.
A problem with the conventional clutch disk assembly having a cushioning plate is that the cushioning characteristics of the assembly have a generally linear form. It is difficult to achieve intended cushioning characteristics in spite of the provision of the cushioning plates. For example, if the cushioning characteristics are set principally for suppressing shudder, then noises cannot be adequately prevented. Alternatively, if the cushioning characteristics are set principally for suppressing noises, shudder cannot be adequately suppressed.
In particularly, it desirable to overcome these problems in the clutch disk using the sintered alloy pads, because the clutch disk using sintered alloy pads produces both shudder and unwanted noises during usage.

Clutch disk assembly having cushioning plates and paired friction pads riveted together


The invention provides apparatus and methods for registering shared memory objects. An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a method for registering a shared memory object are presented including: locating the shared memory object, the shared memory object having a first size and a first virtual address; finding a shared memory region associated with the shared memory object, the shared memory region having a second size and a second virtual address, the second virtual address returned as a unique identifier; and registering the shared memory object using the unique identifier. In some embodiments, the methods further include: calculating a memory offset for the shared memory region; and registering the shared memory range using the memory offset. In some embodiments, the methods further include: storing the unique identifier, the second size, and the memory offset in a persistent shared memory data structure.

As computer processing and related technologies continue to evolve, memory and storage requirements continue to increase. Where once a few thousand bytes of memory could sufficiently handle an operating system and related processes, now many gigabytes of memory may be required in some complex processing systems. Furthermore, in some distributed systems, memory structures may be shared thus increasing the complexity of memory management. As such, the complexity of these systems requires efficient and flexible memory management schemes.
As can be appreciated, even relatively simple systems typically process many millions of instructions per second. In some or all of those processes, some memory components may be accessed. Managing those memory components properly, therefore, is critical to maintain on-going processes. In shared memory systems, memory data structures may be created to share, for example, a common address space for two or more processes. In some systems, sharing data in this manner allows processes to exchange data without passing through a CPU. Thus, higher transfer speeds may be attained. However, shared memory systems require still more complex memory management techniques in order to maintain on-going processes. In shared memory systems, memory addressing may be managed by using searchable tables to store memory allocation and location information.
In distributed memory systems, as can be appreciated, still more sophisticated memory management techniques must be utilized. Memory address information stored in searchable tables as well as related memory data structures may be used in order to attain data transfer efficiencies similar to local systems. One type of distributed memory communication technique is remote direct memory access (RDMA). RDMA allows data to be transmitted from the memory of one computer to the memory of another computer without passing through either device's CPU, without needing extensive buffering, and without calling system kernel functions. INFINIBAND™ is an example of a form of RDMA. Additionally, in distributed memory systems, memory management may, in some examples, compound drastically.
For example, in a distributed memory system where two processes are configured with a shared memory space, at least two entries (one for each process) in a searchable table may be required to appropriately address a shared memory space. In some examples, even more entries per process may be required. As the number of processes requiring shared memory increases, so too do the number of entries corresponding to shared memory. As a result, when a shared memory space is accessed by a process, the process must first search every shared memory entry in order to appropriately access its corresponding shared memory space. It may be desirable, therefore, to reduce the number of entries corresponding to shared memory resulting in greater memory management efficiency. Therefore, systems and method for identifying and registering a range of virtual memory are presented.

Systems and methods for identifying and registering a range of virtual memory

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.