A semiconductor device comprising a first electrically conductive layer formed on a semiconductor element or on one main surface of a semiconductor substrate, an insulating layer formed on said first electrically conductive layer through which a connection hole of which diameter is the smallest in a portion other than the bottom is formed, and a second electrically conductive layer formed on said insulating layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same, particularly to the structure of a connection hole in which a second electrically conductive layer is embedded for electric connecting a first electrically conductive layer and the second electrically conductive layer with an insulating layer between them and to sputtering used for forming the embedded second electrically conductive layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as a semiconductor element is miniaturized, the size of a connection hole formed through an insulating layer for electric connecting a first electrically conductive layer consisting of a conductive diffusion layer formed on one main surface of a semiconductor substrate or a metallic film formed on a semiconductor element and a second electrically conductive layer consisting of a metallic film formed on the insulating layer between both layers has been also miniaturized.
As the aspect ratio (a ratio of height of a connection hole to the diameter) of a connection hole is larger as the connection hole is miniaturized, electric connection between the first and second electrically conductive layers enabled by embedding the second electrically conductive layer in the above-described connection hole by keeping in ambient atmosphere of high temperature and pressure after a portion over a space is blocked by the second electrically conductive layer formed by sputtering with the space left inside the connection hole is discussed.
Referring to FIGS. 3, 5 and 38, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device wherein a first electrically conductive layer formed on a semiconductor element and a second electrically conductive layer are electrically connected by embedding the second electrically conductive layer in the above-described connection hole by keeping in ambient atmosphere of high temperature and pressure after a portion over a space is blocked by the second electrically conductive layer formed by sputtering as described above with the space left inside the connection hole, for example a method disclosed in Published unexamined patent application No. Hei. 7-503,106 will be described below.
First, as shown in FIG. 35, a first electrically conductive layer 2 is formed on a semiconductor element 1, an insulating layer 3 is formed on the first electrically conductive layer and a connection hole 4 is formed through the insulating layer 3.
Next, as shown in FIG. 36, a second electrically conductive layer 6 is deposited on the above-described insulating layer 3 and inside the connection hole 4 by sputtering. At this time, as shown in FIG. 36, the second electrically conductive layer 6 deposited on a side wall 4a and the bottom 4b of the connection hole 4 is thinner than the second electrically conductive layer deposited on the insulating layer 3.
When the second electrically conductive layer 6 is further deposited by sputtering, a gap 7 between the second electrically conductive layers over the connection hole 4 is blocked with a space 8 left inside the connection hole 4 as shown in FIG. 37.
Next, the second electrically conductive layer 6 is embedded in the connection hole 4 by keeping in ambient atmosphere of high pressure until it is in a condition shown in FIG. 38.
As in the semiconductor device manufactured as described above, the second electrically conductive layer is embedded in the above-described connection hole 4 by applying high temperature and pressure after a portion over a space 8 is blocked by the second electrically conductive layer 6 formed by sputtering with the space 8 left inside the connection hole 4, the first electrically conductive layer 2 and the second electrically conductive layer 6 can be electrically connected via the connection hole 4.
However, in a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device constituted as described above wherein the second electrically conductive layer 6 is embedded in the above-described connection hole 4 by applying high temperature and pressure after a portion over a space 8 is blocked by the second electrically conductive layer 6 formed by sputtering with the space 8 left inside the connection hole 4, the thickness of the second electrically conductive layer 6 is required to be approximately twice as thick as the diameter of the connection hole 4, and it takes a long time to embed the second electrically conductive layer in the connection hole. A satisfactory characteristic of embedding the second electrically conductive layer 6 in the connection hole 4 cannot be obtained and therefore, stable electric characteristics and reliability can be hardly obtained.

Semiconductor device with improved connection hole for embedding an electrically conductive layer portion


Apparatus for dispensing sheet material from a roll of sheet material includes a rotatable sheet material engagement member having a smooth outer surface for engaging the sheet material. A pivoted shaft is mounted adjacent to the sheet material engagement member having a feed roller mounted thereon. The shaft and feed roller are moved toward the sheet material engagement member and the feed roller is rotated to transport the sheet material over the smooth outer surface of the sheet material engagement member. A tucker member is attached to the sheet material engagement member and rotates upon depletion of a primary roll of sheet material to position the lead end of a reserve roll between the sheet material engagement member and the feed roller.

A great many systems have been devised over the years for dispensing paper toweling from rolls thereof. Many of these systems employ rotatable feed rollers which engage the toweling and direct same to a position exterior of a cabinet or housing for delivery to the consumer. A wide variety of mechanisms have been devised to cause and control rotation of the feed roller as well as severance of the individual towel sheets from the toweling unwound from the roll.
With respect to feed roller actuation and rotation, the use of one-way clutch mechanisms is not uncommon, such mechanisms being utilized to ensure rotation of feed rollers in only one direction of rotation upon actuation of the dispenser mechanism by the consumer. The purpose of such mechanism is, of course, to ensure that the feed roller will only operate to feed the toweling out of the housing and not back toward the supply roll. One-way clutches, while effective for their intended purpose, can add considerably to the cost of paper towel dispensers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,442 discloses an approach aimed at elimination of a conventional one-way clutch in the form of a floating or displaceable gear which is operable to disengage the actuator structure from the feed roller structure of a paper towel dispenser after a consumer has caused delivery of a towel to dispensing position. Such an approach, while not as expensive or complicated as conventional one-way clutches, is still more complex than the arrangement disclosed and claimed herein.
Other representative patents in the field are U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,412, issued Jul. 11, 1988 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,192, issued Mar. 15, 1994.


Embodiments relate to a high voltage semiconductor device. The device includes a substrate having impurities of a first conductivity and having a first surface and a second surface, a gate electrode over the first surface, an LDD region having low concentration impurities of a second conductivity doped in the substrate at a first side of the gate electrode, a drain region having high concentration impurities of the second conductivity doped in the LDD region, a source region having high concentration impurities of the second conductivity doped in the substrate at a second side of the gate electrode, and spacers formed at sidewalls of the gate electrode. The first surface is higher than the second surface, and the source and LDD regions are at least partially formed in a region at the second surface. A bottom side of one of the spacers directly contacts the LLD region.

In general, a high voltage semiconductor transistor device may one type of a power transistor, and may be used for a drive IC of a display device, servo motor, and/or an actuator requiring a high voltage operation.
Such a high voltage semiconductor transistor device may require a high breakdown voltage, and may use a lateral diffused MOS (LDMOS) or a lightly doped drain (LDD) structure.
FIG. 1 is an example cross-sectional diagram illustrating a related art semiconductor transistor device. The example semiconductor transistor of FIG. 1 is illustrated with an LDD structure.
Referring to FIG. 1, LDD region 12 may be formed at one side of P-type substrate 11, and may be made of silicon Si to a prescribed depth by a low concentration N− doping.
Further, drain and source regions 13 and 14 may be formed at LDD region 12 and another side of P-type substrate 11 to have a prescribed depth from a surface.
Gate poly layer 16 may be insulated from drain and source regions 13 and 14 through gate oxide layer 15.
Drain electrode D, source electrode S, and gate electrode G may be formed at drain region 13, source region 13, and gate poly layer 16, respectively.
As described above, in a related art design of a high voltage semiconductor transistor device, it may be important to obtain a high breakdown voltage.
To obtain a high breakdown voltage, an interval between an edge of gate poly layer 16 and drain region 13 may be adjusted. Namely, the high breakdown voltage may be obtained by adjusting a length expressed as "DR" in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, F may represent a generation position of a high voltage electric field, and an arrow may represent an electron flow path of a channel layer formed when applying a power source to gate electrode G.
To obtain the high breakdown voltage, "DR" may be increased. However, if "DR" is increased, a size of a transistor may also be increased.
Moreover, in a structure in which an electric current flows to a surface of LDD region 12, as the time of use of a device increases, a breakdown voltage may change.

High voltage semicondutor transistor device having small size and long electron flow path


The present invention relates to the discovery, identification and characterization of nucleic acids that encode a novel G protein coupled receptor (I5E) protein. The invention encompasses I5E nucleotides, host cell expression systems, I5E proteins, fusion proteins, polypeptides and peptides, antibodies to the receptor, transgenic animals that express an I5E transgene, or recombinant knock-out animals that do not express the I5E, antagonists and agonists of the receptor, and other compounds that modulate I5E gene expression or I5E activity that can be used for diagnosis, drug screening, clinical trial monitoring, and/or used to treat disorders such as inflammatory, central nervous system or gastrointestinal disorders.

Many biological processes are mediated by proteins participating in signal transduction pathways that involve G-proteins and/or second messengers. G-protein coupled receptors are plasma membrane proteins capable of transducing signals across a cell membrane so as to initiate a second messenger response. To this end, the G-protein coupled receptors bind a variety of ligands ranging from small biogenic amines to peptides, small proteins and large glycoproteins (C. D. Strader et al., Annu. Rev. Biochem. 63, 101-132 (1994)). All G-protein coupled receptors have been characterized as having seven hydrophobic domains, which have been postulated to span the plasma membrane, connected by hydrophilic extracellular and intracellular loops. The G-protein family of coupled receptors includes dopamine, calcitonin, adrenergic, endothelin, CAMP, adenosine, serotonin, follicle stimulating hormone, opsin and rhodopsin receptors.
G-protein coupled receptors can be intracellularly coupled to various intracellular enzymes, ion channels and transporters. Different G-protein .alpha.-subunits preferentially stimulate particular effectors to modulate various biological functions in a cell. Phosphorylation of cytoplasmic residues of G-protein coupled receptors have been identified as an important mechanism for the regulation of G-protein coupling of the G-protein coupled receptors.

Isolated DNA encoding a novel human G-protein coupled receptor


A refrigerator icemaker assembly includes a bin having a bottom wall, as well as first and second pairs of opposing side walls. One of the first pair of opposing side walls includes an opening within which is movably mounted a coupler. The coupler is provided with a recessed portion having formed therein an aperture and a cog member. An auger is rotatably mounted in the bin and includes a first end portion that extends through the aperture of the coupler. A drive member extends into the coupler and drives the auger in a first direction to dispense ice cubes and in a second direction to dispense crushed ice. The driver engages with the cog member when being rotated in the first direction and directly engages the first end of the auger when being driven in the second direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to a drive and coupler arrangement for operating an icemaker auger for a refrigerator.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Providing an icemaker in a freezer compartment of a refrigerator is widely known in the art. In general, the icemaker forms ice cubes which are stored in a bin or hopper for later retrieval by a consumer. The ice cubes can be manually removed from the bin or, alternatively, dispensed through a door dispenser. Often times, in refrigerators that incorporate door dispensers, the icemaker will include a mechanism for selectively crushing the ice cubes. In any event, the bin is occasionally removed from the freezer compartment, either to remove a large number of ice cubes, or simply for cleaning purposes.
When the icemaker is employed in combination with a door dispenser, an auger is provided in the bin. The auger is typically operated by a drive member mounted in the freezer compartment and selectively rotated to deliver ice cubes to the dispenser, often with the auger rotating in a first direction to deliver ice cubes to the dispenser and in a second direction to deliver crushed ice. In order to allow the bin to be removed from the freezer compartment, the auger must be connected to the drive member through a detachable coupler. When re-inserting the bin into the freezer compartment, the coupler and the drive member can be misaligned, resulting in difficulties in replacing the bin and/or improper auger operation.
Based on the above, despite the presence of icemakers in the prior art, there still exists a need for an icemaker employing a coupler that ensures proper alignment when replacing an ice bin in a freezer compartment. More specifically, there exists a need for a coupler that easily interconnects with a drive member, yet still ensures a positive connection when driving an auger to dispense either cubed or crushed ice.


An audio system has a first channel for receiving a first input signal and driving a first speaker and a second channel for receiving a second input signal and driving a second speaker. A first feedforward circuit couples an input of the second channel circuit to an input of the first channel circuit. A second feedforward circuit couples an input of the first channel circuit to an input of the second channel circuit. Circuit parameters of the first and the second feedforward circuits are determined such that a first detected output signal is zero when the first input signal is non-zero and the second input signal is zero, and a second detected output signal is zero when the second input signal is non-zero and the first input signal is zero. The audio system is configured to operate using the determined circuit parameters for the first and the second feedforward circuits.

The present invention relates generally to electronic circuits for audio systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide circuits and systems for reducing crosstalk in a headset for audio applications.
With the advancement of electronics and integrated circuits, great progress has also been made in audio systems used in entertainment, computer systems, communication, electronic games, and mobile computing devices, etc. In advanced audio systems with features such as stereo sound, 3-D sound, and noise cancellation, the demand for quality is even higher. The quality of an audio system is measured by many parameters, for example, frequency response, harmonic distortion, output power, noise, and crosstalk, etc.
In electronics, crosstalk occurs when a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a system creates an undesired effect in another circuit or channel. Crosstalk is usually caused by undesired coupling from one circuit to another. Crosstalk can be especially prevalent in audio systems that include multiple speakers. For example, headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers that are designed to be held close to a user's ears. Headphones either have wires or have a wireless receiver for connection to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player, portable media player, or mobile phone. Modern headphones have been particularly widely sold and used for listening to stereo recordings. Headphones are also useful for video games that use 3D positional audio processing algorithms, as they allow players to better judge the position of an off-screen sound source.
Multiple speakers are also used in surround sound, which is a technique for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with additional audio channels from speakers that surround the listener. Typically this is achieved by using multiple discrete audio channels routed to an array of loudspeakers.
As described below, an audio system having two or more speakers often are susceptible to crosstalk noise. Therefore, improved techniques for reducing the crosstalk noise in an audio system are highly desired.

Method and apparatus for reducing crosstalk in an integrated headset


A circuit for compensating for frequency modulation on a radar signal is disclosed. The disclosed circuit includes an adaptive narrow band filter in the feedback path of a phase-locked detector, such filter having a bandwidth which is narrower than the frequency range of the signal being compensated, and means for detecting the amplitude of such signal.

This application pertains generally to signal processing circuitry in a radar receiver and particularly to an adaptive narrow band filter capable of locking on and tracking a signal having a frequency range wider than the bandwidth of such filter.
It is known in the art that a continuous wave radar may be made capable of ranging on targets by appropriate modification of the waveform of the signal transmitted by such a radar. One known way of accomplishing such an end is periodically to frequency modulate a continuous wave carrier signal with a sinusoidal waveform so that a comparison between the instantaneous frequency of the sinusoidal waveform and the frequency of echo signals may be made to indicate the approximate range of each detected target. A radar with such coding of the transmitted signal will be referred to hereinafter as an FM-CW radar.
In the semiactive missile guidance system shown in the copending patent application entitled "Adaptive Semiactive Missile Guidance System and Elements Therefor", Ser. No. 579,291, inventors Donald S. Banks, George R. Spencer and James Williamson, filed on May 20, 1975 and assigned to the same assignee as this invention, an FM-CW radar is used as a control radar to illuminate both a target and a guided missile in flight to allow the latter to process radar signals to derive guidance signals. In the processing of echo signals on the guided missile final demodulation is accomplished by applying the downconverted echo signal to a phase detector along with a reference signal from a voltage-controlled oscillator. The frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator is controlled through a feedback circuit incorporating a filter (which has a relatively wide passband under some conditions and relatively narrow passband under other conditions) to null the output of the phase detector. When the filter has a relatively wide passband, i.e. wider than any frequency modulation present on the signal being demodulated, the frequency modulation on the down-converted echo signal is passed to the voltage-controlled oscillator with practically no change in amplitude or phase. The reference signal out of the voltage-controlled oscillator then is caused similarly to vary, ultimately then to null the output of the phase detector. A different situation obtains, however, when the filter has a relatively narrow passband, i.e. narrower than the frequency modulation on the signal to be demodulated. In that case the frequency modulation on the down-converted echo signal is blocked, more or less, or shifted in phase by the filter. Then, because the reference signal out of the voltage-controlled oscillator is not modulated with a replica frequency modulation on the downconverted echo signal, the output of the phase detector cannot be nulled. That is to say, the frequency modulation on the downconverted echo signal appears at the output of the phase detector as an error signal at the repetition frequency of the FM-CW radar.
An attempt was made in the referenced system to solve the problem being discussed. The approach taken was to detect the frequency modulation on the downconverted echo signal and then, after filtering, to apply the resultant (along with the signal out of the filter in the feedback circuit) to the voltage-controlled oscillator. While, in theory, the just-outlined approach should be satisfactory, it has not so proved to be. The difficulty experienced in practice derives from the fact that proper filtering of the detected frequency modulation is almost impossible to achieve under all conditions. That is, when the signal-to-noise ratio between the downconverted echo signal and noise accompanying such signal is low, there is no practical way of reducing the noisiness of the detected frequency modulation to an acceptable degree.

Abstract: The invention herein described was made in the course of, or under a contract or subcontract thereunder, with the Department of Defense.


In a semiconductor device (1), a package board (2) is provided in which a plurality of wiring layers are layered, a plurality of mounting pads (5) arranged in a matrix are provided to the uppermost wiring layer of the package board (2), and solder bumps (7) are connected to the mounting pads (5). A semiconductor chip (9) is mounted on the package board (2) via the solder bumps (7). The uppermost wiring layer of the package board (2) is formed from a resin material in which the Young's modulus is 1 GPa or lower when the temperature is 10 to 30° C., and the elongation at break is 50% or higher.

A technique has been developed in recent years for reducing the size of a semiconductor device by arranging a plurality of solder balls in advance on the surface of a wiring board, placing the semiconductor chip over the solder balls, and connecting the semiconductor chip to the wiring board by melting the solder balls. Examples of this type of semiconductor device include a FCBGA (Flip Chip Ball Grid Array) and a WLCSP (Wafer Level Chip Size Package). Wiring boards also include multilayer wiring boards in which a plurality of resin layers having wiring embedded therein are layered, e.g., an MLTS (Multi Layer Thin Substrate) (trade name) structure and other package substrates.
However, this technique has such problems as the following. Specifically, the silicon material of the semiconductor chip and the resin of the wiring board have different thermal expansion coefficients. Therefore, even when care is taken so as to place the semiconductor chip on the wiring board without applying force to the solder balls during mounting, the semiconductor chip and the wiring board still contract differently from each other when the semiconductor device is cooled to room temperature, causing warping in the semiconductor device, and exerting force on the solder balls. When the semiconductor device is subjected to repeated cycles of heating and cooling from changes in the outside temperature and heat that accompanies the operation of the semiconductor chip, fatigue fracture can occur in the solder balls, and electrical connections can be broken.
Attempts have been made in the past to form a wiring board from as hard a resin as possible in order to prevent this problem and enhance the reliability of connections in the semiconductor device. This was to minimize warping of the semiconductor device and the deformation of the wiring board by increasing the rigidity of the wiring board. For example, a technique is disclosed in Patent Reference 1 in which an insulating material having an elastic modulus of 10 GPa or higher is used as the material for forming the wiring board.    [Patent Reference 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-198462

Wiring board, semiconductor device, and method for manufacturing wiring board


An optical waveguide sheet according to the present technology includes a core and a cladding. The core is extending in a first direction and including a maximum diameter portion in a plane parallel to a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a third direction orthogonal to the second direction is maximum, a minimum diameter portion in the plane parallel to the second direction and the third direction is minimum, and a taper portion in which widths of the core in both directions of the second direction and the third direction gradually change in the first direction between the maximum diameter portion and the minimum diameter portion, the core being provided such that the maximum diameter portion and the minimum diameter portion are alternately arranged in the first direction with the taper portion therebetween. The cladding is provided around the core.

Optical connection cables used for transmitting optical signals are required to reduce both loss and cost. Here, optical waveguides of optical fibers and the like generally include fixed-diameter cores. However, in the case where the core diameter is fixed, there is a trade-off relationship in input and output of light.
Specifically, in optical coupling between an optical waveguide and a photoelectric conversion element, when light enters the optical waveguide, vignetting and leakage in the optical coupling are smaller and the loss is lower with a core having a larger diameter. On the other hand, when light is emitted from the optical waveguide, vignetting and leakage in the optical coupling are smaller and the loss is lower with a core having a smaller diameter.
In view of this, forming an optical waveguide in a taper shape has been considered. For example, Patent Literature 1 has disclosed an optical coupling device having a taper shape whose thickness and width gradually become smaller.

Optical waveguide sheet, optical transmission module, and manufacturing method for an optical waveguide sheet


A cathode for an electron tube, includes a base metal having nickel as a main component, and an electron emitting material layer containing an alkaline earth metal oxide having barium oxide as a main component, wherein a metal layer having zirconium as a main component is located between the base metal and the electron emitting material layer. The cathode has an excellent initial electron emitting characteristic and can emit a large quantity of electrons for a long time. Therefore, the cathode is suitable for a larger and higher-definition CRT.

The present invention relates to a cathode for an electron tube, and, more particularly, to a cathode for an electron tube having an increased lifetime to emitting a large quantity of electrons for a long time in a high current density area.
FIG. 1 is a schematic section view of a conventional cathode for an electron tube, having a disk-like base metal 2, a cylindrical sleeve 3 for rigidly supporting the base metal 2 from the bottom thereof, a heater 4 placed in the cylindrical sleeve 3 as a heat a source for heating the cathode, and an electron emitting material layer 1 coating the base metal 2.
The electron emitting material layer 1 is generally composed of an alkaline earth metal oxide having barium oxide as a main component, preferably a ternary metal oxide represented by (Ba, Sr, Ca)O.
Such an electron emitting material layer is formed as follows. First, a mixed powder of barium carbonate, strontium carbonate, and calcium carbonate is dissolved in an organic solvent to form a solution. Then, the solution is applied to on the base metal 2 by a process such as spraying or electro-deposition, to form a carbonate salt layer. Thereafter, the electron gun which the electron tube cathode is fixed is mounted in an electron tube and the carbonate salt layer is heated to about 1000.degree. C. by means of a heater, during evaluation of the electron tube. At this time, the carbonate salt is turned into an oxide. For example, barium carbonate is turned into barium oxide as in the following reaction (1). For reference, the name "oxide cathode" is derived because a carbonate salt is changed into an oxide by heating the same at a high temperature during evacuation of the electron tube. EQU BaCO.sub.3 .fwdarw.BaO+CO.sub.2 .uparw. (1)
The generated BaO reacts with a reducing agent Si or Mg, contained in the base metal 2 at the interface between the base metal 2 and the electron emitting material layer 1 during operation of the cathode, and is reduced to free barium, as in the following reactions (2) and (3). EQU BaO+Mg.fwdarw.MgO+Ba.uparw. (2) EQU 4BaO+Si.fwdarw.Ba.sub.2 SiO.sub.4 +2Ba.uparw. (3)
The thus formed free barium is an electron emitter. However, in this process, MgO and Ba.sub.2 SiO.sub.4 are generated and these materials form an intermediate layer at the interface between the electron emitting material layer 1 and the base metal 2. The intermediate layer acts as a barrier that interferes with diffusion of Mg or Si. Accordingly, it is difficult to generate free barium contributing to electron emission, which leads to undesirably reduced life time of the oxide cathode. Also, the intermediate layer has high resistance and prevents the flow of current for emission of electrons, which limits the current density.
According to a recent trend toward higher definition and larger screen display devices employing a cathode ray tube (CRT) devices, there has been an increasing need for a cathode having a high-current density and long lifetime. However, the conventional oxide cathode cannot fill this need, due to disadvantages with respect to performance and lifetime.


A tire protectant applicator for spreading a liquid such as a cleaning solution or rubber conditioning agent onto the sidewall of a tire, which is constructed of porous, pliable material, configured with a concave curved surface to complementally fit the sidewall of a tire, provided at its opposite end with a handle for gripping, and further provided with a cap for storing the applicator when not in use.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for conveniently applying a thin and even film of cleaning compound or rubber conditioning agent onto a tire of an automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automobile enthusiasts have long used various liquid compounds to improve the appearance of the wheels and tires of their vehicles. Cleaning compounds have been applied to remove dirt and oxidation from the rubber and condition the tire to increase the luster and aesthetic appeal of tires. These liquids are generally sprayed onto the tire from a standard spray bottle, at which point they may form an uneven pattern of small beads on the tire surface. To achieve the desired results, the user will generally spread the sprayed fluid onto the tire using a shop rag or some similar device. Use of a shop rage, however, has disadvantages. First, the used rag, being soaked with fluid, must be either be discarded or laundered after use. Laundering is time consuming, and discarding the rag requires a new rag to be used for each application which can be expensive and inconvenient. Second, a rag is not easily manipulated by the user. There is no handle for gripping, fluid on the rag can be exposed to the user's hands, requiring the user to wash his or her hands after applying the liquid. Use of a rag is, therefore, inconvenient and inefficient. Therefore, a device is needed to conveniently and efficiently spread such a fluid onto the sidewall of a tire. While many devices have been developed for spreading a liquid onto a surface, none of these devices addresses the specific needs of spreading cleaners and rubber conditioning agents onto the curved surface of a tire.
A device which has been developed to spread a liquid or semi-liquid onto a flat solid surface is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,045 and incorporates a solid flat bottom spreader having an upstanding handle. The substance to be spread is collected on the bottom of the spreader and sealed by a cover. When the device is to be used the handle is grasped and the cover removed. The substance is then spread onto a surface by pressing the solid flat bottom of the device onto the desired surface and moving the device latterly. While such a device is effective for applying a semi-liquid substance such as grease to a flat surface such as the bottom of a baking pan it is not effective for spreading a liquid onto the side of a tire. The solid spreader of this device will not conform to the curved surface of a tire and is not pliable enough to evenly spread a liquid over rough surfaces such as embossed lettering or the side tread of a tire.
Other devices have been developed which employ a pliable porous applicator and a handle which acts as a reservoir to hold a liquid therein. The liquid contained within the handle of these devices is absorbed into the porous applicator and the applicator applied to a solid surface thereby depositing the liquid thereon. Such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,860,348; 3,998,559; 2,961,677; 3,386,793; 3,466,1331; 4,183,684; 3,006,023; 3,161,903; and 4,475,835. While these devices are effective for a variety of applications such as applying shoe polish to the surface of a shoe, they are not effective for the specific use of evenly spreading liquid onto the sidewall of a tire. The surfaces of these devices do not conform to the convex sidewall of a conventional automobile tire, and are therefore not effective in applying uniform pressure to uniformly distribute a film on the sidewall of such a tire. In addition, the relatively small surface area of these applicators make application to a tire time consuming and laborious. The devices, being disposable and having no container for storage are not conveniently reusable. These devices frequently employ handles which telescope into handle housings to compress the liquid into the applicator making the handles of these devices somewhat cumbersome to grasp. Since tire cleaning liquids and rubber conditioning agents are commonly supplied in spray bottles, there is no need for a reservoir within the handle.
Still another device has been developed for scrubbing the curved surface of a toilet seat. This device, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,735, provides a base having a concave curved surface to mate with the upper surface of a toilet seat and has an upstanding handle. Attached to the bottom of the base is an absorbent fabric. This device provides an effective and efficient means of applying a disinfectant to a toilet seat. However, the thin absorbent fabric is not sufficiently resilient to conform to the varying shapes and sizes of conventional automobile tires. Also, since the base is configured to fit the curvature of a typical toilet seat, it does not have the proper radius of curvature to complementally fit the side wall of a tire. In addition, the curved base is exposed so that any residual liquid remaining therein may contaminate a storage area such as the trunk of an automobile.
Yet another device which has been employed to clean tires, consists of an solid, abrasive block which is used to scrub the rubber of a tire. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,386, and is constructed by mixing abrasive particles of stone into a binder which is then molded to form a hard abrasive block. While such a device may be effective for abrasive scrubbing, it is not suitable for spreading a fluid on a tire. The block is not shaped to complementally fit the side wall of a tire and is not pliable enough to form to the various curvatures of tire sidewalls. In addition, the hard abrasive surface of this device is not suitable to absorb and evenly distribute a fluid.
Thus there remains a need for a device which is specifically designed to spread a tire cleaning liquid or rubber conditioner onto a tire of a vehicle. A device is needed which is configured to mate with the side wall of a tire and which is sufficiently pliable to conform to the slightly varying sizes and shapes of various tires. A device is also needed which is inexpensive to manufacture and which can be conveniently stored for future uses.


The invention to a yarn tension sensor, in particular for yarns traveling at high speed, to accurately ascertain even short-term yarn tension fluctuations. According to the invention, a yarn guide element is mounted on one head end of a plunger coil disposed in a magnetic field. A position sensor is disposed in the region of the plunger coil and detects even minimal changes in position of the plunger coil. These changes in position are reported to a controller, at whose output variations in current are generated and supplied to the winding of the plunger coil, the variations being such to compensate for the axial force generated by the yarn and acting upon the plunger coil, thereby making the plunger coil virtually motionless.

Yarn tension sensors on textile machines have been known for a long time and serve to ascertain yarn breaks, or directly to control the yarn tension by means of a yarn tensioning device, with the goal being to make this tension uniform.
Such devices are known, for instance from DE-OS 20 60 733 or SU-UHF 12 17 764. In these known devices, the deflection of a yarn guide, which is dependent on the yarn tension, is transmitted mechanically and converted into control signals to vary the mutual pressing force of tension device plates of a yarn tensioning device. These devices have a relatively high control inertia, which is due to the length of the motion of the yarn guide connected to the yarn tension meter. At high yarn speeds, such devices begin to vibrate, which greatly limits the accuracy of measurement.
The earlier German Patent Application P 40 30 892.8 (which however does not have a publication date prior to the priority date of the present invention) discloses a yarn tension measuring instrument the basic principle of which is based on the measurement of the temperature generated by the sliding friction of the yarn against a yarn guide. This yarn guide, having a temperature sensor, can be disposed in stationary fashion, so that no vibration occurs even at high yarn speeds.
The known yarn tension sensors are not capable of detecting high-frequency yarn tension fluctuations.

Yarn tension sensor for a textile machine


In one example, a network element in a first network receives a network packet including a first security group identifier. The network element identifies the first security group identifier, determines that the first security group identifier is hierarchically correlated with a second security group identifier, and inserts the second security group identifier into the network packet. The network element forwards the network packet including the second security group identifier.

A security group may be a logical collection/grouping of network devices. A security group identifier may be an identifier (e.g., tag, mark, etc.) on a network packet, and may be used to enforce a security (e.g., access) policy in the network. A network packet may be assigned a security group identifier based on the particular security group/network device that sent the network packet.


An agricultural combine such as used in the harvesting of crops includes oscillating or fixed forward tandem drive wheels which are coupled to the combine's support frame, or undercarriage, to provide a smooth ride over rough fields and a more uniform crop cutting height above the soil. The combine also includes a body typically housing a diesel engine, operator controls such as in an enclosed cab, a grain and residue separating system, a grain storage bin, and an auger of off-loading the harvested grain. The combine body, which also typically has an array of row crop heads disposed on a forward portion thereof, is disposed on and coupled to the support frame in a slidable manner permitting the body to move forward to distribute the weight primarily over the tandem drive wheels for improved traction for operating in muddy fields and to accommodate larger grain loads. The combine body may also be slid rearward on the support frame to distribute sufficient weight over the aft steerable wheels to facilitate turning of the combine such as at the end of a field. The tandem wheel arrangement is also adapted to accommodate a drive track arrangement for even greater traction, with steering provided by an independent track drive or braking arrangement.

A combine is an agricultural vehicle used in the harvesting of crops. The combine is typically self-propelled and includes an upper body and a lower support frame, or undercarriage. The upper body has disposed on a forward portion thereof a header assembly and further includes an aft crop processing section and drive mechanism. The drive mechanism typically includes a diesel engine and operator controls which are generally in an enclosed cab. The crop processing section generally includes the combination of a rotating cylinder and concave combination, a series of moving sieves, and a blower arrangement for directing chaff rearward in the combine for discharge therefrom, while allowing the grain to fall under gravity to a lower portion of the combine body. The grain is then displaced upward by means of an elevator for discharge into a storage tank. An off-loading grain auger disposed within the storage tank is typically employed to unload the grain into a transport vehicle such as a truck.
The combine generally includes a pair of forward drive wheels and a pair of aft steerable wheels for turning the combine. The threshing system is disposed immediately aft of the header assembly for receiving the grain and crop residue and allowing the grain to drop downward under the influence of gravity while allowing the separated crop residue to be displaced rearward for discharge from the combine. The threshing system and grain tank are typically disposed intermediate the forward drive wheels and the aft steerable wheels, with the grain tank positioned behind the drive wheels. This arrangement increases the weight on the aft steerable wheels and reduces the weight on the forward drive wheels resulting in reduced drive traction for the combine. This reduced drive traction restricts maneuverability of the combine, particularly in muddy fields, and also limits the combine's grain storage capacity. A large grain storage capacity reduces the frequency of harvested grain off-loading and allows for extended combine operation without interruption for more efficient grain harvesting.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing a combine with a movable upper body on a lower support frame which allows for shifting in the weight distribution of the combine to a forward location over tandem drive wheels for improved traction or rearward over the combine's aft steerable wheels to facilitate turning of the combine such as at the end of a field.

Combine with mmoveable body and tandem drive wheels


A semiconductor light emitting device can vary color temperatures of its emission light and have a simple and small configuration. The semiconductor light emitting device can include a substrate, electrode wiring formed on the substrate, a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements mounted on the electrode wiring, and a wavelength conversion layer surrounding the semiconductor light emitting elements. The semiconductor light emitting elements constitute a first semiconductor light emitting element group and a second semiconductor light emitting element group. The wavelength conversion layer has a thinner portion corresponding to the first group and a thicker portion corresponding to the second group and can be differentiated by a step provided on the substrate.

1. Technical Field
The presently disclosed subject matter relates to a semiconductor light emitting device, and in particular, to a semiconductor light emitting device having a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements and a wavelength conversion layer including a wavelength conversion material, such as a phosphor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent semiconductor light emitting elements that include light emitting diodes have been improving in terms of high power and high brightness characteristics. In connection with this improvement, such semiconductor light emitting elements have recently been applied to new fields of illumination devices, including general lighting, street lighting, headlamps, and the like. In recent years, illumination devices have included a plurality of types of semiconductor light emitting elements that each have different emission wavelengths such that driving conditions can be adjusted for, and respective semiconductor light emitting elements can be controlled in order to vary the color temperature as a whole.
As an example of the structure of such an illumination device that is capable of varying color temperature, an illumination device is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-059260. In this publication, the illumination device includes a daylight semiconductor light emitting element, an incandescent color semiconductor light emitting element, and a green color semiconductor light emitting element. The illumination device can emit light with color temperatures ranging from daylight color to incandescent lamp color (on the blackbody radiation trajectory) with the help of the green color semiconductor light emitting element. In another configuration, an incandescent color semiconductor light emitting element and a blue semiconductor light emitting element are used in combination to emit light with color temperatures ranging from daylight color to incandescent lamp color and can be linearly changed.

Semiconductor light emitting device including a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements and a wavelength conversion layer having different thickness portions


An apparatus for supporting and aligning one or more otherwise unsupported conduits in predetermined relation to a self-supported conduit.

Small diameter pipes and conduits require support such as vertical or horizontal support. For example, Dura-pex™ polyethylene pipes with copper transition fittings attached to the ends of the pipes; the pipes are frequently tied to vertical sewage vents using duct tape. The relatively heavy copper transition fittings cause the ends of the plastic pipes to droop thereby inducing stress in the pipes.
Some plumbers simply shim and tape lines in position. While effective in the short term, such an approach is not durable and will often allow pipe movement resulting in rattling and clanging pipes within the wall as the fresh water faucet is turned on and off.
In other instances pipe-fitting contractors tie off pipes, such as plastic pipes, to a water manifold in an attempt to provide support to the pipes (or conduits). Such attempts at supporting conduits 130 places an undesirable load on the water manifold 150 possibly leading to undesirable consequences such as cracks in what should be water tight joints. Thus, there is a need for a device that does not require a water manifold to act as a support for pipes and conduits.
On construction sites trenches are frequently dug for laying pipes and conduits. Typically, a relatively large diameter pipe is laid in a trench and one or more smaller diameter pipes or conduits are laid horizontally alongside and approximately parallel to the large diameter pipe. Duct tape or ties are often used to attach the smaller diameter pipes and conduits to the larger diameter pipe. The trenches are then filled in with earth or concrete. Pipes or conduits that are improperly attached to the larger diameter pipe might move when the trench is refilled with earth (or concrete). Also, ties are sometimes made of a dissimilar material such as metal that might damage or stress the smaller diameter pipes, particularly if they are made of plastic or metal that is dissimilar to the tie metal. Thus, there is a need for a device for attaching small diameter pipes to larger diameter pipes that decreases the likelihood of damage to the smaller diameter pipes and conduits.
Senninger (U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,880, issued May 16, 2000) noted that in installing plumbing lines it is important to secure fresh water supply lines in position against movement at the time of installing the roughed-in plumbing. This not only prevents movement of the lines when pouring light weight concrete around them or installing drywall along the wall studs, but also prevents subsequent movement and pipe rattling when operating a faucet to which the lines are connected.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,545 issued May 28, 1968 to Patten, describes a hanging apparatus for supporting a pair of suspended conduits in predetermined relation to a self-supported conduit consisting of a ring clamp with flanges spaced and joined by a fastener for selective securement along the self-supported conduit, a pair of ears on the ring clamp each having a pair of projections extending outwardly and joined at the extremities by a facing plate, and yokes selectively rotatably aligned with and attached to each of the ears and having arcuate offsets for engaging the suspended conduits, shanks extending from one extremity of the arcuate offsets and joined by a base, offset flanges at the other extremity of each of the arcuate offsets and spaced and joined by a fastener, and the facing plates of the years and the bases of the yokes being joined by the fasteners. The '545 apparatus is particularly suited for suspending a pair of conduits in predetermined relation to a self-supported conduit. However, there are instances where more than two conduits need to be suspended in predetermined relation to a self-supported conduit. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus that is adapted to suspend more than two conduits in predetermined relation to a self-supported conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,887 issued Apr. 19, 1994 to Hasty, deceased, et al, describes a universal pipe support and hanger system comprising a single support member of generally I-shaped cross-section elongated in a first direction between a proximate end and a distal end, and comprising an elongated central web integrally connected with midpoints of first and second flanges extending substantially at right angles to the web, in a second direction. The proximate end has an L-shaped flange for mounting the single support member against a flat surface or a DMV in at least two orthogonal directions. Upper and lower edges of each flange comprise v-shaped cradles to support pipes extending in a third direction. A plurality of septa extend between opposed inner surfaces of said first and second flanges, on either side of the web, so as to define compartments. A plurality of mounting devices, including a novel preloaded small pipe strap, are adapted to frictionally engage a pair of septa and remain slightly in the web when mounting pipes of varying outer diameters, against one or more of said v-shaped cradles. The '887 universal pipe support and hanger system is typically attached to a pipe at a single point along each pipe's length.
Pipefix™ is used in lavatory rough-ins. The Pipefix™ holds and aligns ½″ and ¾″ supply lines to a waste pipe. Only 3½″ of wall clearance is required to mount the Pipefix™. The Pipefix™ comprises a support that is pre-slotted to hold apart 4″, 6″, and/or 8″ piping. The Pipefix™ attaches to 1⅜″ through 6⅝″ O.D. vent or waste piping by means of a stainless steel band. The Pipefix™ comes in two material options: A-503 Polystyrene (yellow in color) and A-603 ABS (orange in color). The Pipefix™ relies on a fixed waste pipe to align other pipes.
U.S. Publication Number 2003/0108130 A1 published Jun. 12, 2003 to Tucker, describes an apparatus for supporting the pipes of a plumbing system during the construction of a cement building structure. The '130 apparatus is attachable at one end to a form board and at another end to a pipe. The '130 apparatus attaches to one point along a pipe's length making the '130 device unsuitable for maintaining pipe alignment during a concrete pour.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,880 issued May 16, 2000 to Senninger, describes a fastener for securing one or more water supply lines to a pipe, such as a drain or vent pipe. The fastener includes a first resilient clamping element for engaging the pipe and a second resilient clamping element for engaging the water line. The second resilient clamping elements may be unitary with the first resilient clamping elements or selectively connected together by means of a connector. The elements of the '880 device are made of a resilient plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride, CPVC, or ABS by means of injection molding. While the '880 device has a role to play in securing one or more water supply lines to a pipe, such as a drain or vent pipe, the '880 device is not sufficiently rigid to prevent pipe work moving out of alignment during a concrete pour operation.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus an apparatus solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


A method of estimating an operating state of a drive system is presented. The drive system comprises an electric motor and a mechanical unit being moved by the electric motor. The method comprises a) operating the electric motor using electrical properties, b) determining movement properties regarding the movement of the mechanical unit using the electrical properties, repeating steps a) and b) for a number of times using changed electrical properties, and generating a distribution function. The distribution function allocates electrical properties to the resulting movement properties. The method also comprises estimating the operating state in response to the generated distribution function.

The present disclosure generally relates to a method of estimating an operating state of a drive system and to a drive system.
There is a need for a method of estimating an operating state of a drive system and to a drive system allowing a reliable estimating of the operating state of the drive system.

Method of estimating an operating state of a drive system and drive system


A steering damper control apparatus includes an MR damper having an adjustable steering damping force, a suspension pressure sensor that detects a pressure of a front suspension, a command value output unit that determines a damping force command value according to a pressure change rate of the front suspension based on a detection result of the suspension pressure sensor, and a damper driver that causes the MR damper to generate a damping force corresponding to the damping force command value. At a point of time when steering becomes easily shakable, the damping force corresponding to the damping force command value is generated to prevent shaking of the steering beforehand.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering damper control apparatus that controls a damping force of a steering damper provided in a steering device of a vehicle to adjust a damping force, and to a saddle riding type vehicle including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, saddle riding type vehicles including a steering damper control apparatus to adjust a damping force of a steering device in order to stabilize posture changes and to ease the riders' burden have been increasing in popularity. Such steering damper control apparatus include the following.
A first apparatus of this type has a steering device, a steering damper, an adjusting mechanism, a rear stroke sensor, and a control device (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-126432, for example). The steering device is pivotably supported by a vehicle body. The steering damper applies a damping force to the torque of the steering device. The adjusting mechanism adjusts the damping force of the steering damper. The rear stroke sensor detects an amount of stroke of a rear suspension. Based on outputs of the rear stroke sensor, the control device, when the vehicle is slowing down, controls the adjusting mechanism to increase the damping force of the steering damper compared with a time of steady traveling.
This first apparatus, when the vehicle is determined to be slowing down based on the outputs of the rear stroke sensor, increases the damping force of the steering damper. This can prevent kickbacks produced against the rider's intention by the steering device undergoing disturbance of the traveling surface, for example. As a result, posture changes of the vehicle can be prevented even when the vehicle is slowing down.
A second apparatus of this type includes a steering damper which adjusts a damping force according to an amount of operation of the accelerator. When an opening degree of the accelerator is small, the vehicle is determined to be traveling at low speed, and the damping force is kept low. When the opening degree of the accelerator is large, the vehicle is determined to be traveling at high speed, and the damping force is increased (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-301682, for example).
This second apparatus determines a traveling state based on the amount of operation of the accelerator, thus preventing the steering device from becoming unstable which would easily produce a situation where the front wheel is subject to levitation. As a result of this determination, posture changes of the vehicle can be prevented during acceleration.
A third apparatus of this type includes an acceleration detector and a control device (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-302085, for example). The acceleration detector detects acceleration of the vehicle body. Only when the acceleration exceeds a threshold value, the control device causes a steering damper to generate a damping force.
Although a load of the front wheel will decrease to produce a kickback easily when acceleration reaches or exceeds the threshold value, this third apparatus can increase the damping force of the steering damper to prevent a kickback. As a result, posture changes of the vehicle can be prevented during acceleration.

Steering damper control apparatus, and a saddle riding type vehicle having the same


A semiconductor substrate manufacturing method has a first layer formation process, a second layer formation process, a heat treatment process, and a polishing process; in the first layer formation process, the thickness of the first SiGe layer is set to less than twice the critical thickness, which is the film thickness at which dislocations appear and lattice relaxation occurs due to increasing film thickness; in the second layer formation process, the Ge composition ratio of the second SiGe layer is at least at the contact face with the first SiGe layer or with the Si layer, set lower than the maximum value of the Ge composition ratio in the first SiGe layer, and moreover, a gradient composition region in at least a portion of which the Ge composition ratio increases gradually toward the surface is formed. By this means, the penetrating dislocation density is kept low, surface roughness is low, and worsening of roughness at the surface and at interfaces due to heat treatment in device manufacturing processes or similar is prevented.

In recent years, high-speed MOSFETs, MODFETs, and HEMTs have been proposed, using as the channel region a strained Si (silicon) layer grown epitaxially on Si substrate with an SiGe (silicon-germanium) layer intervening. In a strained-Si FET, tensile stress arises in the Si layer due to the SiGe, which has larger lattice constants than does Si, and consequently the band structure in the Si changes, state degeneration is removed, and carrier mobilities are increased. Hence by using such a strained Si layer as a channel region, operation can be made faster by a factor of 1.3 to 8 compared with normal devices. Moreover, normal Si substrate grown using the CZ method can be employed as the substrate, so that conventional CMOS processes can be employed to realize high-speed CMOS devices.
However, in order to achieve epitaxial growth of the desired strained Si layer described above as the channel region of a FET, a good-quality SiGe layer must be grown epitaxially on the Si substrate; but differences in the lattice constants of Si and SiGe have resulted in crystallinity-related problems such as dislocations. Consequently in the past there have been various proposals such as the following.
Methods which have been proposed include, for example, a method of using a buffer layer in which the Ge (germanium) composition ratio of the SiGe is changed with a constant gradual gradient; a method of using a buffer layer in which the Ge composition ratio is changed in steps (step-shape); a method of using a buffer layer in which the Ge composition ratio is changed in the manner of a superlattice; and a method in which a Si off-cut wafer is used, and a buffer layer is used in which the Ge composition ratio is changed with a constant gradient.                Patent References are as follows.        Patent Reference 1: U.S. Pat. No. 6,107,653        Patent Reference 2: U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,205        Patent Reference 3: U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,413        Patent Reference 4: International Patent No. 98/00857        Patent Reference 5: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 6-252046
However, the following problems remain in the above-described technology of the prior art.
That is, the penetrating dislocation density and surface roughness of a SiGe layer deposited using the above-described conventional art does not attain the level desired for use in devices and manufacturing processes.
For example, when using a buffer layer in which the Ge composition ratio has a gradient, the penetrating dislocation density can be made comparatively low, but there is the problem that the surface roughness worsens; conversely, when using a buffer layer in which the Ge composition ratio is changed in a step-like fashion, the surface roughness can be made comparatively small, but there is the problem that the penetrating dislocation density increases. Further, when an off-cut wafer is used, dislocations tend to emerge laterally rather than in the film thickness direction, but a sufficiently low dislocation density is not achieved. And with respect to surface roughness also, the level required by photolithography processes in the manufacture of LSI and other devices in recent years has not been attained.

Semiconductor substrate and field-effect transistor, and manufacturing method for same


An optical article that can transform from a pre-activated state of functionality to an activated state of functionality is provided. The optical article includes a radio frequency circuitry coupled to the optical article for interacting with a signal, wherein the signal comprises a thermal signal, an electrical signal, or both, and a convertible material in operative association with the radio frequency circuitry for altering the functionality of the optical article from the pre-activated state to the activated state upon interaction with the thermal energy.

The invention relates generally to optical articles. More particularly, the invention relates to anti-theft features for an optical article and methods of making same.
Shoplifting is a major problem for retail venues and especially for shopping malls, where it is relatively difficult to keep an eye on each customer while he shops or moves around in the store. Relatively smaller objects, such as CDs and DVDs are easy targets as they can be easily hidden and carried out of the shops without getting noticed. Shops, as well as the entertainment industry, incur monetary losses because of such instances. Due to the sensitive nature of the information stored inside, this problem become more severe if the CDs or DVDs are stolen from places like offices.
Even though close circuit surveillance cameras may be located at such places, shoplifting or stealing still occurs. Consumable products sometimes are equipped with theft-deterrent packaging. For example, clothing, CDs, audio tapes, DVDs and other high-value items sometimes are packaged along with tags that set off an alarm if the item is removed from the store without being purchased. These tags are engineered to detect and alert for shoplifting. For example, tags that are commonly used to secure against shoplifting are the Sensormatic® electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags based on acousto-magnetic technology. RFID tags are also employed to trace the items in store shelves and warehouses. Other theft-deterrent technologies currently used for optical discs include special hub caps for DVD cases that lock down the disc and prevent it from being removed from the packaging until the it is purchased, and "keepers" that attach to the outside of the DVD case packaging and also prevent the opening of the package until it is purchased. In some cases, retailers have resorted to storing merchandise in locked glass display cases. In other stores, the DVD cases on the shelves are empty, and the buyer receives the actual disc when the movie is purchased. Many of these approaches are unappealing in that they add an additional inconvenience to the buyer or store owner or they are not as effective at preventing theft as desired. Optical storage media, in particular, pose an additional problem in that they are very easy to remove from their packaging and the sensor/anti-theft tags may be removed easily.

Optical article having anti-theft feature and a system and method for inhibiting theft of same


A pressure swing adsorption apparatus to vary selectively the concentration of at least one constituent of a gaseous mixture by sending a gaseous mixture into an adsorber to generate a particular product gas while delivering to another adsorber both a predetermined portion of the product gas to purge the other adsorber of its adsorbed gas and a selected amount of the product gas, independent of the flow rate and in addition to the predetermined portion, to produce a desired relative concentration of the constituents of the product gas from a range of relative concentrations.

The general type of pressure swing adsorption apparatus with which this invention is concerned is set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,802,899 and 5,531,807. Generically, a pressure swing adsorption apparatus includes a pair of adsorbers each having a fixed bed of adsorbent material disposed between an inlet and an outlet for accommodating a flow of gas therethrough. The adsorbent material of each adsorber fractionates at least one constituent gas from a gaseous mixture when the gaseous mixture from a feed stream is sequentially directed through the inlet and the outlet of one adsorber. That direction is called a co-current direction. While one adsorber performs adsorption the other adsorber is simultaneously purged of adsorbed constituent with product gas that is withdrawn from the outlet of one adsorber and directed through the outlet of the other adsorber to the inlet of the other adsorber. That direction is called a counter-current direction. Once the other adsorber is purged, the gaseous mixture is directed into the inlet of the other adsorber so that the other adsorber performs adsorption while the one adsorber is simultaneously purged of adsorbed constituent with product gas withdrawn from the outlet of the other adsorber.
Highly concentrated product gas is attained by controlling the zones of the adsorber. A conventional-adsorber contains four zones as illustrated in FIG. 1A. When compressed air enters the adsorber 2 through the input 4, the air contains about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and a variable amount of water. The first zone or water zone 6, captures the water. The second zone 8 adsorbs the fractionated nitrogen and a lesser degree oxygen. The third zone or mass transfer zone ("MTZ") 10 comprises a varied concentration of product oxygen gas that increases in concentration in relation to the distance from the second zone 8 by capturing more fractionated nitrogen. The fourth zone 12 comprises the high concentrated product oxygen gas and extends to the terminal end 14 of the adsorber 2. Controlling a pressure swing adsorption apparatus to attain a product gas having a relatively high concentration of a particular gas, like oxygen, is conventional.
The high concentrated product oxygen gas is achieved by stabilizing the water zone 6 near the input 4 of the adsorber 2 and maintaining the MTZ 10 as a sharp demarcation between the second and fourth zones 8, 12. These zones 6, 10 are stabilized and maintained by directing certain quantities of product oxygen gas counter-currently through the adsorber 2.
Some applications, however, require a lower concentration of product oxygen gas. Controlling the apparatus to produce a product oxygen gas having a desired and specific concentration and flow rate in which these characteristics are independent of each other is an object of this present invention.
In the past, there have been proposals to attain the desired concentration of product oxygen gas in a pressure swing adsorption apparatus. One such proposal entails blending the gaseous air mixture from the feed stream with the high concentrated product oxygen gas. Such a proposal has numerous adverse effects on the product oxygen gas. One such adverse affect is that the concentration of product oxygen gas is dependent upon the flow of the gaseous mixture. Thus, when the flow of gaseous mixture is disturbed the concentration of product gas is also affected. Another adverse effect is that the gaseous mixture is compressed and therefore potentially "wet." This "wet" gaseous mixture when blended with product gas can cause condensation in the product oxygen gas which may not be desired.
Another proposal would overdraw the pressure swing adsorption apparatus. Overdrawing occurs when the product oxygen gas is drawn from adsorber 2 at a high flow rate. The high flow rate moves and extends first zone 6, second zone 8, and MTZ 10. In particular, the MTZ 10 moves and extends through and beyond the terminal end 14 of the adsorber 2 as illustrated in FIG. 1B. When the MTZ 10 reaches and extends through the terminal end 14 the product oxygen gas is withdrawn at an unknown and uncontrollable lower concentration. Overdrawing has a number of disadvantages. First, the efficiency of the apparatus is compromised because it is difficult to stabilize the water zone 6 when the MTZ 10 moves and extends through to the terminal end 14. Second, it is difficult to control the MTZ 10 when the MTZ 10 is at the terminal end 14, which in turn makes it difficult to control the concentration range of the product oxygen gas generated from the adsorber 2 as illustrated in FIG. 1C. Third, it is difficult to duplicate for a particular concentration. Lastly, the flow rate and the concentration of the product gas are intrinsically dependent upon each other since the flow rate controls the concentration level of product gas.
In yet another proposal disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,807, a pressure swing adsorption apparatus comprises a flow controller that regulates the flow rate of the product gas. It was proposed that if the flow controller discharges the high concentrated product gas at about 7 liters per minute, the product gas would decrease in concentration. This proposal, however, did not disclose how to control the concentration level of the product gas.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pressure swing adsorption apparatus (oxygen concentrator) wherein the apparatus can be set to attain variously desired concentrations and flow rate of product oxygen gas wherein the flow rate and concentration are independent of each other.


A card game entails betting on the rank, suit, rank and suit, color, odd/even value of a card dealt to one of two positions on a table. Using a two-sided selector (button), a player selects which of the two position will count. The selection is made prior to dealing or revealing the dealt cards. Players may also bet on whether the two cards are a pair. The selector is placed in a compartment of a selector rack during the round of play.

Many card games are played at card tables with a dealer, using one or more decks of cards, indicia on the table to guide play and/or define spaces for card or chip placement. Rules of play, possible wagers and odds vary considerably from game to game. The number of cards dealt and method of dealing also vary considerably.
In many games, a player must specify a choice. Often the player verbally states his or her choice or makes a commonly recognized gesture (e.g., a wave of the hand or a slide of a card) to indicate a choice to other players and the dealer. Unfortunately, such communications are easily missed, susceptible to misunderstanding and vulnerable to abuse.
Cheating has always been a problem for card games. Sleight of hand and rigged games dishonestly part many players and houses from their hard earned money.
Steps that involve gestures or spoken words are particularly vulnerable to cheating. Casino cameras may not capture a player's instruction, whether verbal or gesture. Additionally, such instructions are transient and may be quickly withdrawn and replaced. The withdrawal and replacement instructions are equally difficult to track, particularly in a busy casino.
What is needed is a game that features new game with stationary visible indicators for player choices. Thus, each round of play can be thoroughly visualized to monitor integrity.
The invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems and solving one or more of the needs as set forth above.

Method and system for playing a card game that includes wagers for dealt hand positions


The present method of forming a groove in an inner surface of a member for covering an airbag includes the steps of heating a blade by use of an induction-heating device and pushing the blade against the inner surface of the member. The induction-heating device is preferably a coil for induction heating. In addition, the present method of forming the groove preferably includes the steps of placing the member on a work bench having the coil, supplying alternating current to the coil, bringing the blade close to the coil, pushing the blade against the inner surface of the member, stopping current supply to the coil, and pulling the blade away from the inner surface of the member.

A known airbag device includes an airbag and an airbag case that accommodates the airbag therein. The airbag device is mounted in the front passenger seat side of a vehicle in some cases. In these cases, the airbag device is mounted behind an instrument panel.
The instrument panel is provided with an opening for allowing the airbag to inflate therethrough into the vehicle interior. The opening is, in normal conditions, covered with an airbag lid. In a crash of the vehicle, the airbag inflates, pushes the airbag lid from behind, and thereby opens the opening.
The airbag device has an airbag lid manufactured integrally with the instrument panel these days, whereby the airbag lid is invisible from the outer surface side of the instrument panel. The instrument panel with this type of airbag device has a groove in the inner surface. The groove has a depth to the extent not to reach the outer surface. The groove surrounds an area, and the area defines the airbag lid. Note that the groove is referred to as "a tear line" or the like in some cases.
A known method of forming the groove is described in Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2004-82865. In the method, a heated blade is pushed against the inner surface of the instrument panel. With the method, the groove having the depth to the extent not to reach the outer surface of the instrument panel is formed in the inner surface of the instrument panel.
In another known method, laser light is emitted onto the inner surface of the instrument panel. Also with this method, the groove having the depth to the extent not to reach the outer surface of the instrument panel is formed in the inner surface of the instrument panel.
The known methods of forming the groove have problems as below.
With the method of forming the groove by use of the heated blade, the blade edge is heated with a heater or the like installed at the base of the blade. Therefore, heat conduction to the blade edge is not uniform, which causes unevenness in temperature at the blade edge. This results in a problem that it is difficult to form the groove having a uniform depth and width in the inner surface of the instrument panel.
Also with the known method of forming the groove, when the blade edge is heated, the blade edge is difficult to be cooled. This causes molten resin to be partially raised by the blade edge when the blade edge is pushed against the inner surface of the instrument panel and then pulled up. This results in the problem that it is difficult to form the groove having the uniform depth and width in the inner surface of the instrument panel.
As for the method of forming the groove by use of the laser light, since the laser light is equal to or more than 1 mm in width, the formed groove is unexpectedly wider. This causes a problem that the groove formed in the inner surface of the instrument panel can be seen through the outer surface of the instrument panel. That is, there is the problem that the groove formed in the inner surface of the instrument panel is unexpectedly visible from the outer surface side.


An integrated circuit package derives increased mechanical robustness and electrical reliability consistent with increased heat dissipation capacity by edge bonding of integrated circuit chips onto a substrate such as a chip, board, module or another integrated circuit by forming a solder or conductive adhesive bond between a bonding/contact pad on the substrate and a metallization feature extending at least on limited opposing areas of major surfaces of the chip and, preferably, across the edge of the chip. Thermally conducting material contained in a cap may provide additional, distributed support for the chip by a combination of viscosity and density providing buoyancy of the chips. Alternatively, a cap may be provided which further stabilizes the edge-mounting of chips while increasing velocity of cooling fluid against the chips. Novel techniques of forming a metallization feature across the edge of a chip with high efficiency and manufacturing yield includes enclosure of chips or strips of chips in a tool including a grooved mask or enclosing the chips or strips of chips in a resist which may be exposed and developed using at least a portion of the same tool.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention-generally relates to packaging of electronic circuits and, more particularly, to the edge-mounting of integrated circuit chips at high density.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been recognized that substantial performance gains as well as manufacturing economies can be achieved from high integration density of electronic circuits. Short signal paths reduce signal propagation time and are less susceptible to effects of noise as well as presenting reduced resistance and capacitance to be driven by individual active circuits therein. Manufacturing economies derive from the reduced number of chips or wafers which must be subjected to lengthy and complex processes requiring expensive and specialized equipment in order to form the desired circuits.
Accordingly, technologies have been developed which provide good manufacturing yields of integrated circuits using design rules providing minimum feature size of only a fraction of a micron, allowing millions of circuit elements to be formed on a single chip. Some techniques such as sidewall image transfer (STI) allow the formation of structures which are smaller than the limit of lithographic resolution and further increases in integration density are foreseeable. However, as the number of circuit elements on a single chip is increased, manufacturing yield may be compromised and a trade-off between integration density (with commensurate performance gains and economy per chip) and overall economy of manufacture is unavoidable.
There are several other practical limitations on the amount of circuitry which may be included on a single chip and signal propagation time through a circuit element (e.g. maximum switching frequency), as well. First, there is a practical limit on chip size since a chip will usually be subjected to mechanical stresses from both accelerations and thermal cycling in normal use. Since semiconductor substrates are somewhat delicate and substrates somewhat brittle, increased chip dimensions correlate with increased likelihood of mechanical damage. As a second but related issue, each active device in the integrated circuit will produce some amount of heat which must be dissipated since elevated temperatures may cause change of the electrical properties of circuit elements on the chip. The amount of heat generally increases as cycle time is reduced and switching frequency increases. Therefore, no more active devices may be included in an integrated circuit than can be accommodated by heat transfer arrangements to maintain chip temperature in an acceptable range at the desired switching frequency of the design. Thus many circuits in which high performance is of paramount importance include cooling arrangements which may be many times the size, weight and cost of the electronic circuits themselves.
Another practical consideration in many devices is process incompatibility between various semiconductor circuit technologies. While numerous so-called hybrid technologies are known (e g. BiCMOS which provides bipolar transistors and field effect transistors of both conductivity types on the same chip) there will often be requirements for devices which cannot be economically formed on the same chip. For this and the above-noted reasons, most electronic devices will require a plurality of chips to form the complete device.
When plural chips are used, the same types of performance gains may be realized by the packaging employed in order to minimize connection length, signal propagation time, noise immunity and the like. For example, so-called multi-layer modules have been formed by lamination of sheets of polymer or ceramic to provide compact arrangements of complex connections between potentially hundreds of individual chips. However, using such modular packaging, chips are mounted in a generally coplanar manner and worst case wiring length may be up to several inches in some signal paths which, while seemingly short, may be several orders of magnitude longer than wiring on a single chip. Further, while the multi-layer module may be made of a material which is has good thermal conduction properties and may be mechanically coupled to a heat exchange structure for removing heat from the chips, heat exchange performance in combination with simpler cooling mechanisms such as convection or forced air circulation is generally very poor.
To address both wiring length and heat exchange concerns, it has been proposed to mount chips on edge. For example, "Edge-Mounted Chip Assembly for Microprocessors" by H. I. Stoller, IBM Tech. Discl. Bull.; Vol. 23, No. 5; pp. 581-582, July, 1980, describes back bonding of a master chip, such as a processor, to a substrate which carries connection pins and bonding edges of slave chips such as I/O circuits and memory chips to the front surface of the master chip by solder reflow. The slave chips may be free-standing or assembled together in a "loaf" which may also include dummy chips. The assembly is completed by placing a "hat" or can over the master and slave chips to contain thermal grease filling the space between the chips and the interior of the "hat".
However, as recognized therein, free-standing, edge-mounted chips are not as mechanically robust as the "loaf" configuration in which the chips support each other and, together, present a larger "footprint" on the master chip. In particular, under an acceleration, each free-standing slave chip is essentially cantilevered from the master chip. A practical width of each chip in comparison with a practical thickness also places the electrical connection to the edge of the chip at a mechanical disadvantage. Since the electrical bonding also provides mechanical support for the chip, fatiguing of the electrical bond which must be formed of solder may occur, compromising reliability. The mechanical load transferred to the master chip is essentially a pair of compression and tension forces in close proximity which tends to twist the master chip and may cause mechanical damage thereto.
Further, while the "loaf" configuration may also provide good temperature equalization between chips, cooling capacity is limited because of the limited surface area of the "loaf" for heat exchange and the document notes that the "loaf" configuration is preferred only if "relatively few active slave chips are required"; the remainder of the loaf being formed by dummy chips. Therefore, such a structure presents the designer with a choice between mechanical robustness and heat dissipation.
Edge-mounted chips also suffer from some other practical disadvantages due to the mechanical configuration and spatial relationships of the chips. For example, the front surface of an integrated circuit formed at high integration density is unlikely to be planar without substantial further processing and metallization to raise contacts through a relatively thick passivation layer which will support planarization. Without planarization, flatness tolerance better than 1-2 mils cannot be expected even at locations which may be designed for edge mounting of a chip. In contrast, the edge of a chip to be mounted thereon is generally formed with an optically guided diamond saw and is therefore usually highly linear. Thus, it can be understood that the edge of a chip is not particularly well-matched to the surface topography of a chip or substrate.
Planarization of the master chip also essentially precludes the formation of separate support structures on the master chip surface and which, in any event, are difficult to manufacture and to mount on the master chip surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,908 to A. L. Solomon is exemplary of a complex arrangement of angled surfaces as an attempt to increase mechanical support and improve proximity of surfaces to be bonded. Another complex arrangement involving separated parallel busses is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,833 to D. F. Capps.
It should also be appreciated that formation of solderable connection pads on the edges of a chip is not trivial, particularly where spacing or feature size must be small to provide a sufficient number of contacts in addition to forming the edges to seat against the surface to which they are joined with sufficient proximity to allow reliable bonds to be formed. The above U.S. patent to Capps, for example, proposes disposing fine electrical wires in a rectangular grid array within a semiconductor material while the semiconductor crystal is being grown and then cut into wafers and dicing the chips from the wafer at locations coinciding with the grid array. Such a process would clearly be extremely complex, replete with exacting alignment tolerances and prohibitively expensive even if good yield could be obtained.
Therefore, manufacturing yield of the assembled package may be compromised by separations of contacts on respective chip surfaces and which must be bridged by solder (which is generally composed of soft metal) or a conductive adhesive; neither of which is well-suited to providing good mechanical support when a significant gap exists. Further, since the required volume of solder or conductive adhesive is somewhat unpredictable in view of the potential irregularity of separation between contacts on respective chip surfaces, reflow may not succeed in achieving a solder bond if insufficient solder is present or may bridge closely spaced contacts if the amount of solder is excessive and reflow is not directed by the extent of metallization or solder wettable surfaces.
Additionally, the soldering process, itself, is difficult in such structures since the bonding pads formed on the respective chips are not readily accessible for the application of heat. Therefore, it has been the practice to provide extensions on the connection pads, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,282 to Henle et al, which limits the proximity of the edge mounted chips (e.g. precluding a "loaf" configuration) or to form the solder bonding in furnaces using complex jigs and presses and often resulting in improper bond formation.
In summary, there has been no simple arrangement for producing robust mechanical and electrical bonds for edge-mounting of chips on another chip or substrate consistent with sufficient heat dissipation for high speed integrated circuits formed at very high integration density. Further, there has been no convenient and simple process for edge-mounting of chips with high manufacturing yield.

International Business Machines Corporation


Embodiments of the invention described herein include, in a pick-based gaming machine, a method of displaying a gaming outcome. The method includes displaying an image having a plurality of picks arranged adjacent to a plurality of objects; receiving a pick selection; simulating, as a function of the pick selection, a drop of fluid falling through the plurality of objects to fall in or past receptacles; and determining a gaming outcome as a function of fluid accumulated in the receptacles.

1. Field of the Invention
This patent application pertains generally to gaming systems, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a system and method for displaying three-dimensional gaming effects in a gaming machine.
2. Background Information
Video gaming machines are popular within the gaming industry. They typically are operable to play traditional games such as slots, poker, bingo, keno and blackjack. Such machines have been enhanced in recent years by adding effects that make them more attractive, exciting and entertaining.
Pick games are a popular type of game. In a pick game, the player chooses from a number of selections. The selection then triggers particular gaming outcomes. Pick games are either used alone, or in combination with reel-based games to provide bonus events. Bonus events occur outside the reel spin, injecting either a random event or fostering some player interaction to trigger a random event.
The graphical capabilities of processors have increased dramatically over the last decade. At the same time, there is a continuing need to develop new and exciting effects for video gaming machines. What is needed is a way of harnessing the graphics power of processors to introduce new and innovative pick games in video gaming machines.

Gaming system modelling 3D volumetric masses


A transmitting method of OFDM signal includes allocating first and second channel estimation preamble signals for channel response estimation respectively to +kth and −kth subcarriers from center frequency of first OFDM signal, allocating first and second pilot signals for residual phase offset estimation respectively to +kth and −kth subcarriers from center frequency of second OFDM signal, transmitting first and second OFDM signals respectively in different time zones using at least one antenna, where, first product of complex conjugate of first channel estimation preamble signal and second pilot signal is equal to second product of second channel estimation preamble signal and complex conjugate of first pilot signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for transmitting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals, and a transmitter and receiver thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a multipath channel, in an environment where signals arrive with different propagation delay time, wave distortion caused by intersymbol interference can be a major factor of deteriorating communication quality. An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme is known as a scheme to reduce wave distortion which occurs when receiving signals with different propagation delay time.
In the OFDM scheme, in order to compensate a residual phase offset attributable to clock offset or frequency offset, a method is known in which a known signal referred to as a pilot signal is allocated to a particular subcarrier and transmitted from a transmitting side as described in "High-speed physical layer in 5 GHz band part 11: Wireless LAN medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) specifications", IEEE 802.11a, "17.3.3 and 220.127.116.11 (referred to as document 1, hereinafter). At a receiving side, demodulation accuracy of a data signal is improved by estimating and compensating the residual phase offset using the pilot signal.
Generally, as an OFDM signal is transmitted as a complex signal, an orthogonal modulator is used at the transmitting side. In the orthogonal modulator, in some cases, an amplitude error or phrase error may occur between an inphase component and an orthogonal component, which is referred to as an IQ imbalance distortion. In the case of using the pilot signal described in document 1, in an environment in which an IQ imbalance distortion occurs, there is a problem that the residual phase offset of the data signal cannot be compensated sufficiently due to an error in the estimation of the residual phase offset component.

OFDM signal transmitting method and transmitter and receiver thereof


Methods and systems for facilitating communication between IMS and non-IMS applications are introduced. A network agent may serve as a proxy between one or more client devices and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) infrastructure. The network agent may transmit a monitoring program to a client device for execution on the client device. The monitoring program may collect data regarding communication applications executing on the client device, and then transmit this data to the network agent. From the collected data, the network agent preferably selects translation logic with which to translate between messages compatible with the communication applications executing on the client device and standardized communication applications executing in the IMS infrastructure.

The Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is an architecture for enabling Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia services for both wireline and wireless devices. The IMS is designed to logically separate access layers from services layers, so client devices can utilize various IMS services regardless of through what means the client device is attached to an IP network. Thus, for example, a wireless communication device (WCD) may be able to access the same voice over IP (VoIP) services from both a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless wide area network as well as an 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN). Similarly, the IMS may allow a user of a WCD to be able to make use of the same services from their Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or cable modem access network.
IMS signaling and call control are largely standardized around the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), while multimedia bearer traffic typically uses the Real Time Protocol (RTP). The IMS also leverages other protocols developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), such as the Session Description Protocol (SDP) and DIAMETER. These common protocols support applications including VoIP, push to talk (PTT), video over IP, gaming, audio and video streaming, and other multimedia services. Additionally, an IMS infrastructure may support instant messaging, presence, email and social networking applications.
Despite the operators of communication networks adopting the IMS architecture in principle, actual IMS deployments have been slow to emerge. This slowness is likely due to many factors, including the IMS protocols and applications still being under development, the overall cost and complexity of IMS deployment, and, perhaps most importantly, the fact that tens of millions of legacy client devices do not support IMS-based protocols.
Given the delays in IMS deployment, non-IMS versions of the services described above have been developed and deployed for various types of client devices. However, these non-IMS applications may not support the same variation of the protocols that are employed by the IMS. Thus, non-IMS applications may be non-compatible with the IMS and therefore unable to leverage the centralized services or advanced services of the IMS.
It may be a number of years before all client devices are shipped with IMS-compatible protocol stacks and IMS-compatible applications. However, operators may want to begin leveraging IMS soon, so that they can offer operator-controlled multimedia services to their subscribers. Thus, it is desirable for there to be a means to allow non-IMS multimedia services executing on client devices to be integrated into an IMS architecture.

Method and system enabling internet protocol multimedia subsystem access for non internet protocol multimedia subsystem applications