Method and apparatus for extending functionality of a first set of classes and methods in an application hosted by a computing arrangement. A mapping is established that maps original class names in the first set to corresponding substitute class names of classes in a second set. The classes in the second set change the functionality of the classes in the first set. In response to loading a class file of a class in the first set, the original class names are replaced with corresponding substitute class names in the class file. Classes referenced by the substitute class names are then instantiated in lieu of classes referenced by the original class names.

A web-enabled device in its most basic form is a computing platform that provides a user with access to the World Wide Web. More specialized instances include web-enabled mobile telephones and web-enabled personal digital assistants (PDAs). The handheld devices are especially popular given their portability.
Web-enabled devices are expected to proliferate as prices fall and functionality increases. However, one hurdle impeding widespread acceptance is compatibility between services and the wide variety of web-enabled devices. The success of some web services and portable web-enabled devices are intertwined. For a particular service to be commercially successful, it is desirable for the service to be compatible with a variety of web-enabled devices and user expectations. Likewise, for a web-enabled device to be successful, the device must be compatible with a variety of services. The companies that provide the services and develop the devices are often faced with moving targets in terms of device capabilities and service requirements.
One choice for dealing with diverse devices is to implement applications in the JAVA™ virtual machine environment. The JAVA virtual machine provides a platform independent environment to host applications, However, even though JAVA works well for servlets and applets on desktop computers, JAVA is missing some infrastructure that is needed to support mobile execution of services. In particular, JAVA is lacking in support of transparent remote storage and disconnected operation.
For connection, storage, and other compatibility issues, prior solutions involved modifying the service application or modifying system software. One problem associated with these approaches is that access to the appropriate source code is required. In addition, the resulting solution may be platform dependent, which may limit the viability of the solution.
A system and method that address the aforementioned problems, as well as other related problems, are therefore desirable.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A semiconductor wafer transfer arm includes, in one embodiment, a mechanical arm and a contact pad including contact points. The contact points are configured to secure a semiconductor wafer at a non-active area of the semiconductor wafer and offset the contact pad from an active area of the semiconductor wafer by a predetermined distance. The transfer arm prevents foreign material from contacting the wafer and thus reduces instances of die cracking caused by foreign material during a semiconductor wafer transfer process.

This application relates generally to semiconductor wafers and, more particularly, to transfer arms that transfer semiconductor wafers during device assembly.
Advances in packaging technology with lower die thickness pose challenges during packaging or device assembly, and in particular, challenges during a backgrinding process. Die cracks are the top defect detected in thin semiconductor dies. Die cracks may be formed from a variety of causes, but usually originate from mechanical stresses that are transmitted to the semiconductor wafer and/or die.
Die cracks may be caused by foreign material trapped on the die surface. Such foreign material may be introduced during transfer of the wafer by a contact pad of a transfer arm. The transfer arm is used to transfer the wafer from a positioning table to a grinding chuck table.
The transfer arm does not have an auto cleaning function, so foreign material is not removed from the contact pad of the transfer arm unless the contact pad is manually cleaned. Consequently, the foreign material may pose a risk that every wafer transported by the transfer arm will receive a die crack at the same location as the foreign material (referred to as a "localized die crack").


Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for providing access to content of a web-based collection, which includes receiving content from at least two users authorized to provide content. A request is received from another user to view content in the web-based collection, the another user not authorized to provide content to the web-based collection. A determination is made as to whether the another user is associated with either of the two users. If so, the another user is enabled to view any content on the web-based collection. If not, the another user is prevented from viewing any content on the web-based collection. The another user is determined to be associated with one of the two users based on the one of the two users selecting the another user as having a relationship to the one of the two users on a social network website.

The present disclosure relates generally to online multi-media management. Online social network websites, online photo and/or video sharing websites, rich media sharing web sites, and other online services websites allow users to upload, manage, and view their images, as well as view images of others. In some cases, websites are created within an online social network specifically to memorialize an event, such as a wedding or a birthday. Persons who attended the event can then view a collection of photos, videos, and other types of multi-media of the event that have been uploaded onto the website by other persons who attended the event.
The owner of the online collection website can designate users who are authorized to upload photos onto the website or view content on the website. However, there may be other users would might be interested in viewing the content on the website and/or uploading content to the website.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method of ownership of an online collection


Catheter for insertion into a vessel, comprising a reversibly inflatable balloon (10, 25) provided in the area of the catheter tip, on the outside of which a stent (11) to be implanted in the vessel is arranged, and at least one imaging device (14, 21, 22) arranged in the area of the catheter tip for optical coherence tomography, which is arranged or configured such that the area of the vessel, in which the balloon (10, 25) is positioned, can be captured.

One of the most common fatal diseases is vascular disease, in particular cardiac infarct. This is caused by diseases of the coronary arteries, which cause what is known as arteriosclerosis. With such diseases, deposits (atherosclerotic plaque) on the vessel wall cause a reduction in the diameter of the vessel, which can result in the blockage or one or a plurality of coronary arteries. It is now recognized that the risk of cardiac infarct is not primarily due to the reduced vessel diameter. Rather it is a question of whether the thin protective layer covering the arteriosclerotic deposits holds. If it breaks, platelets tend to accumulate at the break, closing the vessel completely within a short time, thereby causing the cardiac infarct. If coronary angiography shows serious narrowing or stenosis in the coronary arteries, causing angina pectoris, associated with restricted performance and a threat to the life of the patient, depending on the individual case either a bypass operation or a balloon dilatation, also known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (=PTCA), is carried out. Generally the PTCA procedure is carried out. During this the constrictions in the coronary arteries are widened using a so-called balloon catheter. This catheter has a balloon towards the front of the area of its tip, said balloon generally being of a type that can be inflated with a salt solution and being inflated at the site where the vessel is widened. So that the widened vessel does not return to its original state after dilatation, a so-called stent is inserted into the widened section of the vessel after dilatation. This stent is a cylindrical, generally metal, mesh grid, which is shaped in a plastic manner using the balloon and is held against the inner wall of the vessel.
The usual treatment method first provides for diagnosis of the stenosis by means of a cardiac catheter examination as part of a coronary angiography procedure with contrast agents subject to X-ray control. To this end a catheter is inserted into the coronary vessels and the contrast agent is injected into the coronary vessels via the catheter. The catheter is then removed. The disadvantage of this method step is that only the vessel diameter that can be used by the blood flow or the constriction is shown as a silhouette. No information is available about the deposit, in particular its thickness or the extent of the inflammation process. After the first diagnosis of stenosis, the balloon catheter is inserted subject to X-ray control and the vessel is widened. The catheter is then removed. A further catheter is now inserted to position the stent. This is fed in up to the point of the vessel to be treated, after which the stent is positioned as described by inflating the catheter and the catheter is then removed again. This also takes place under X-ray control, with the disadvantage that the stent cannot easily be seen in the angiography X-ray image, i.e. the possibility of verifying whether the stent has been positioned correctly is very limited.


A fingernail file case includes a hole through which filing can take place while the case remains otherwise fully closed. The case may optionally include a projection adapted to scrape under a fingernail and/or a blade adapted to push a cuticle.

The present invention relates to nail care systems and methods, and in particular, to a nail file case with integrated features.
Nail files are well known in the art. Nail files have traditionally been made from stainless steel, with serrations scored into the surface of the metal to provide a rough abrasive area for filing a nail. Often, steel nail files have included hard shaped ends for pushing back the cuticle and for cleaning out dirt under the nail. These all-in-one steel files however, suffer from the fact that they are relatively expensive, and while intended to be permanent, once they become blunt, they are no longer effective. Also, they can become dangerous, as they represent a fairly sharp object which is intended for carrying about the person.
More recently, disposable nail files have been made from plastic and/or foam cores which have an abrasive-coated surface attached to one or both sides of the core, making the file both abrasive and flexible. These files are sometimes sold inside a plastic container for protecting the file and for facilitating transport of the file inside make-up bags, travel kits, purses, or the like, without damaging adjacent items by abrasion. These files avoid many of the problems associated with steel nail files.
However, they do have problems of their own. One problem arising with plastic or foam core nail files is the fact that they do not lend themselves to having hard shaped ends formed onto them for pushing back the cuticle or for cleaning out dirt under the nail. Thus, users are typically obliged to possess additional tools to accomplish these tasks. This adds to the inconvenience of having a nail file, and also to the cost, because additional tools must be purchased to accomplish the same tasks as could be accomplished by the older stainless steel files.
There is a need in the art for a solution to this problem. The present invention addresses these and other needs.


The present invention relates to a modified IgG4 Fc fragment useful as a drug carrier. When the modified IgG4 Fc fragment of the present invention is combined with an arbitrary drug, the resulting drug conjugate can minimize the effector functions of the IgG4 Fc and the chain exchange with in vivo IgG while maintaining in vivo activity and improving in vivo duration of the drug conjugate.

Advancement in genetic engineering technology has led to the manufacture and utilization of various kinds of protein drugs. However, proteins drugs have fatal problems in that they are easily denatured or easily decomposed by in vivo proteases and thus cannot maintain their in vivo concentrations or titers for a long period of time. Therefore, it is very important to maintain the blood and in vivo concentrations of protein drugs at an appropriate level by increasing protein stability in order to provide effective treatment to patients while reducing the patients' burden to receive frequent protein supplies by injections, etc., and the expenses thereof.
Accordingly, for the improvement of in vivo stability of protein drugs, various attempts have been made for a long time, by changing the formulation type of proteins, fusion with other proteins, or attaching an appropriate polymer on protein surfaces by chemical or biological methods.
One of the attempts to improve protein stability by fusion with other proteins is to perform a fusion between immunoglobulin Fc and a protein.
The Fc region is responsible for effector functions, such as complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC), in addition to the antigen-binding capacity, which is the main function of immunoglobulins. Additionally, the FcRn sequence present in the Fc region plays the role of regulating the IgG level in serum by increasing the in vivo half-life by conjugation to an in vivo FcRn receptor. In this regard, active studies have been performed to improve therapeutic proteins through the fusions between the Fc region and therapeutic proteins.
However, the Fc fusion proteins produced by genetic recombination have disadvantages in that a protein fusion is possible only in a particular area of the Fc region, i.e., an amino-terminus or carboxy-terminus, and only between glycosylated proteins or between aglycosylated proteins, but it is impossible between a glycosylated protein and an aglycosylated protein. Additionally, the Fc fusion proteins produced by genetic recombination have problems in that an immune response may occur due to the amino acid sequence newly produced by a fusion and also that the sensitivity of a proteinase on the linker area may be increased.
Additionally, the fusion proteins with the Fc have an increased target protein serum half-life, but at the same time they also has a problem in that the effector functions possessed by the Fc region are exhibited (U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,053). By the effector functions of the Fc region, the fusion proteins can fix complements or bind to FcRs-expressing cells to destroy particular cells, and induce production and secretion of various cytokines which induce inflammation, thereby inducing inflammation. Additionally, the protein sequences in the fused areas are new protein sequences which are not present in human body, and thus they have various drawbacks including a possible induction of immune responses in the case of a long-term administration.
Accordingly, studies have been focused on utilizing immunoglobulins or immunoglobulin fragments in which the effector functions were deleted while serum half-lives were maintained. Cole et al. previously reported that ADCC activity was inhibited by substituting the 234th, 235th, and 237th residues in the CH2 domain, which are known to play an important role in binding to Fc receptors, with alanine, for the production of Fc derivatives with reduced affinities on Fc receptors (Cole et al., J. Immunol. 159: 3613-3621, 1997). However, all these have inappropriate amino acids which are different from those in the native human Fc region and may thus have a higher immunity or antigenicity, and preferable Fc functions may be lost.
As a method for removing or reducing unwanted effector functions while maintaining high blood concentration of immunoglobulins, a method of removing saccharides in immunoglobulins was studied. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,097, aglycosylated antibody derivatives were prepared by substituting the asparagine residue at position 297 of the CH2 domain, which is the glycosylated residue of CD3 antibodies, with another amino acid when preparing CD3 antibodies, and in particular, the derivatives showed reduced effector functions while maintaining the binding force with FcRn receptors without alteration in their serum half-lives. However, this method also has a problem in that they may be recognized as foreign materials and rejected as such by the immune system, due to the production of a new recombinant construct.
In preparing protein fusions using sequences of native IgG Fc, IgG4 Fc may be selected in order to minimize the effector functions by Fc. IgG4 has been known to have an in vivo half-life similar to that of IgG1 but has relatively small effector functions due to the difference in the amino acid sequence. However, despite the advantage of IgG4 having reduced effector functions, an in vivo chain exchange may occur between IgG4 due to its peculiar hinge sequence, and thus it was reported that there is much difficulty when using protein fusions for therapeutic purposes (van der Neut Kolfschoten, et al., Science, 317:1554-1557, 2007). That is, there is a problem in that, when IgG4 Fc is used as a carrier for a protein fusion, a chain exchange with IgG4 present in vivo occurs, thereby forming a hybrid with native IgG4, or it may be present in the form of monomers thereby altering the original structure and having a structure with low therapeutic activity. This is a common problem whether the fusion product between an IgG4 Fc fragment and a physiologically active material is produced via genetic engineering or in vitro.

IgG4 Fc fragment comprising modified hinge region


A method and apparatus for measuring a base condition volumetric flowrate of a pipeline gas flowing through a pipeline in which a pipeline gas flowrate is measured by a pipeline gas flowmeter that responds to density in a characteristic manner, a sample gas flowrate is measured by a sample gas flowmeter that responds to density in the same manner as a pipeline gas flowmeter, and a base condition sample gas volumetric flowrate is measured by measuring the base condition energy flowrate of the sample gas, measuring the base condition heating value of the sample gas and dividing the base condition energy flowrate by the base condition heating value. The measured pipeline gas flowrate through the pipeline is then adjusted by the ratio of the base condition sample gas flowrate divided by the measured flowrate of the sample gas. The temperature of the sample gas should be substantially the same as the pipeline gas in the pipeline when the sample gas flowrate is measured.

In gaseous flows, the phenomena of compression exists and has a large effect. It allows the number of molecules for a given volume to change with pressure and temperature as well as with composition. Therefore, it is desirable to make natural gas sales transactions either by mass, energy, or at standard pressure and temperature conditions. In the U.S., for example, the standard pressure and temperature of gas is stated as 14.7 psia and 60.degree. F. for many transactions. Delivery calculations state the flow adjusted to correspond to these base conditions even though the actual gas in the transaction is probably at a different pressure or temperature. A piece of equipment designed to accomplish the task of converting a measured volumetric flowrate to a base volumetric flowrate at a defined pressure and temperature is referred to as a "volume corrector".
In the traditional method of gas measurement, a volume correction ratio ##EQU1## is determined from the pipeline gas flow temperature, pressure, and composition using the following relation: ##EQU2## where Q.sub.f is the measured volumetric flowrate of the pipeline gas through the pipeline, T.sub.b and P.sub.b are the base condition temperature and pressure (e.g. 14.7 psia and 60.degree. F.), T.sub.f and P.sub.f are the measured flow temperature and pressure of the pipeline gas in the pipeline, Z.sub.b and Z.sub.f are the supercompressibility factors at the base condition and the flow condition, respectively, and Q.sub.b is the base condition volumetric flowrate. Such a calculation is typically carried out in a flow computer.
Using the relation in Eq. (1) to compute base condition volumetric flowrate Q.sub.b requires high accuracy in the measurement of the flow temperature T.sub.f and pressure P.sub.f. This requires that pressure and temperature sensors for monitoring P.sub.f and T.sub.f be calibrated frequently.
The ratio ##EQU3## in Eq. (1) presents even more difficulties. The composition of the gas is normally measured by gas chromatography and the supercompressibilities, Z.sub.b and Z.sub.f, are estimated from either the virial equations of state, or from pre-calculated correlations such as NX-19 or the more recent Gergg Equations. Alternatively, a meter that measures heating value, relative density, %CO.sub.2 and %N.sub.2 can be used to calculate the ratio ##EQU4## This is because the Gergg Equations in their short form allow calculation of the ratio ##EQU5## from these parameters.
Knowledge of the values of the virial coefficients of particular gas compositions is quite limited so calculation of supercompressibility from the virial equation of state is not always possible. The Gergg Equations and NX-19 correlation are mathematical models obtained by mapping known and measured properties. The Gergg Equations, in particular, are very good over a wide range of compositions. Use of the Gergg Equations, however, requires either a chromatograph or a special meter to measure the properties needed to solve the short form Gergg Equations, both of which are expensive.
It is, therefore, difficult to obtain accurate measurement of the supercompressibility ratio ##EQU6## in a cost effective manner.
Each of the measurements discussed above (volumetric flow, temperature, pressure, composition, and/or energy content) also introduce an opportunity for measurement error. While the Gergg Equations are regarded as accurate, the aggregation of measurement errors can be quite substantial and can distort calculations. To minimize measurement errors, each piece of instrumentation must be maintained and calibrated periodically. But, even then, additional inaccuracy can accrue in the flow computer from calculations or inaccurate formulas or correlations.
The result is that present day equipment cannot accurately measure energy flowrates, or volume correction ratios ##EQU7## in a cost effective manner.
The present invention alleviates the need to compute the supercompressibility of the pipeline gas. It also alleviates the need to measure the absolute temperature, absolute pressure, and composition of the pipeline gas. The present invention, therefore, operates much more accurately to determine energy flowrates, volume correction ratios ##EQU8## and adjusted or base condition volumetric flowrates Q.sub.b.


A disposable food delivery device is disclosed. The device includes a food utensil coupled to a food container. The food container can be pre-charged with food, such as a dehydrated food, such that a liquid can be added to the dehydrated food to result in a ready-to-eat food at any selected time. The food container illustratively can include a port for receiving the liquid. The food container also illustratively can include a security seal for assuring that the food has not been contaminated prior to consumption. Another illustrative embodiment of the invention includes a valve for retaining liquid in the food container prior to consumption of the food.

This invention relates to a disposable food delivery apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to a disposable food delivery apparatus comprising a food container coupled to a food utensil member. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, the food container is pre-charged with food, such as a dehydrated food that can be rehydrated with water in the food container such that dehydrated food is rendered ready to eat. In such an illustrative embodiment, the food container illustratively comprises a port for receiving the water therein. In another illustrative embodiment of the invention, the food container comprises a security seal for assuring that the food has not been contaminated prior to consumption. In still another illustrative embodiment of the invention, the food container comprises a valve for retaining liquids in the food container until the food is ready for consumption.
In recent years, foods that are ready to eat or that can be prepared quickly and with a minimum of effort have become a growing part of the American diet. So-called "fast foods" are increasingly popular, but often are high in calories, high in fat, and low in nutritional quality. It will be appreciated that providing a food delivery device that provides for quick and easy preparation of healthy, nutritious food would be a significant advancement in the art.


An illuminated ball may be used to play games in the water. An illuminated ball may include a hollow, spherical shell. A translucent light housing may be coupled to the shell. A light emitting device may be within the translucent housing. A battery housing coupled to the light emitting device. At least one battery may be within the battery housing. A circuit board may be coupled to the battery housing. Four conductors may be coupled to the circuit board, wherein two of the four conductors are coupled to the light emitting device and another two of the four conductors are coupled to at least two water contacts. The at least two water contacts are located on an outside of the illuminated ball, wherein on exposure to water, the at least two water contacts are electrically connected causing the light emitting device to emit light.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to illuminated play balls, in particular to balls that light up when used in the water such as in a swimming pool.
2. Background Art
Illuminated play balls may be used in many different situations, such as playing games in the dark, playing games underwater, and the like.
Currently, however, illuminated play balls have many problems. For example, many illuminated play balls require that a manual switch be turned on in order to illuminate the ball. The switch must then be turned off after the user is done playing with the ball. If the user forgets to turn the switch off, the ball will remain lit and the batteries or other power source in the ball will be used up and die.
Additionally, many illuminated play balls may not be water tight. Therefore, if the ball is used in the water, the illumination device may get wet and malfunction.
Further there is a need for an illuminated play ball with adjustable buoyancy. There are games which can be played in a pool, lake or the like, which require the ball to have positive buoyancy, neutral buoyancy or negative buoyancy depending on the game. Therefore, being able to adjust the buoyancy would allow the user to be able to use the illuminated play ball for many more game types.
While several references disclose illuminated play balls, none of these devices have solved all of the problems discussed above.
Allen, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,976, is relevant in its disclosure of an inflatable beach ball with a tube which passes through the center of the ball. The tube contains batteries and a light source.
Wang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,411, is relevant in its disclosure of a light up inflatable ball. The illuminating device includes at least one light source and a battery. The lights may be motion activated or may have a manual switch.
Cmiel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,156, is relevant in its disclosure of a light up inflatable ball with an outer and inner shell. A light source and battery are located between the shells. The light is turned on by vibration and may be used in water.
Accordingly, what is needed is an illuminated ball that can be used in water and that automatically turns itself off after use in water. Additionally, an illuminated ball with adjustable buoyancy is needed.


A storage apparatus is provided that comprises a display case part with an inside thereof being dividable into a plurality of zones, a supply duct that is connected to supply openings for supplying conditioning air for controlling environmental conditions to the plurality of zones respectively, and an exhaust duct that is connected to exhaust openings for taking in air from the plurality of zones. In this storage apparatus, conditioning air such as cold air or hot air is circulated in the respective zones, and the environmental conditions can be adjusted efficiently in zone basis. Therefore, in a storage apparatus equipped with an open-type display case part, it is possible to dispense with an air curtain covering the entire open side, so that a storage apparatus with a high storage capacity is provided.

In convenience stores and supermarkets, perishable foods, canned drinks, and other items for sale are displayed or shown in showcases equipped with a refrigeration function. In many showcases, open cases are used where products can be easily put on display and replenished, and displayed products can be easily taken from the front side. One example of such a showcase is shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the construction of a storage apparatus 100. This storage apparatus 100 includes an open-type display case part 101 that aside from a front side 101a is covered with insulating walls so as to be approximately C-shaped in horizontal cross-section, with an inside thereof being a space or display room 104 in which products (goods, items for sale) 103 are displayed. The display chamber 104 is compartmentalized, by a plurality of display shelves 102 that are arranged in an up-down direction, into a plurality of zones 121 in which different types of food products can be displayed.
In this open-type storage apparatus 100, air C3 and cold air C2 are caused to flow from above the open space 101a on the front side of the display chamber 104 to form an air curtain 105 and thereby shut the display chamber 104 off from the outside. In addition, the cold air C2 on the inside chills the inside of the case 101, with zones for which a chilled effect is desired being further chilled by supplying cold air C1 from the rear surface or the like. The storage apparatus 100 is internally provided, below the case 101 or on the rear surface side, with a circulation fan 107 for forming the air curtain 105 and a heat exchanger 106 for generating the cold air C2 of the inner layer of the air curtain 105. The air C3 that forms the outer layer of the air curtain 105 is sent from the fan 107 to the top of the case 101 via an air duct 112, and is blown out downwards from a discharge opening 112a at the top of the case. The air is then sucked in from an intake opening 112b in the bottom of the case by the fan 107.
On the other hand, the cold air C2 that forms the inner layer of the air curtain 105 is chilled by the heat exchanger 106, is then sent to the top of the case by a cold air duct 111, is blown out downwards from a discharge opening 111a, and is then sucked in from an intake opening 111b in the bottom of the case. By doing so, the air and cold air flow from top to bottom on the open side 101a shut off the inside of the case 101 and also chills the inside of the case 101.
The storage apparatus 100 is also provided with a fluorescent lamp 116 for illuminating the products 103 as required and a defrost heater 115 required for defrosting a refrigerator and others for use as a usual open showcase
By being provided with an air curtain, this type of storage apparatus 100 can thermally shut off the inside of the case 101, that is, the display chamber 104 from the outside while still being an open showcase. This means that foods that should preferably be chilled or cooled can be displayed in an open and accessible environment, and since it is possible to retain the freshness of groceries while attractively displaying the groceries and stimulating customers to buy them, such showcases are used in many stores. However, from the viewpoint of space efficiency, such showcases are not satisfactory storage apparatuses. For example, to form the air curtain 105 on the front side, it is not possible to position items in that particular space. This is because if items for sale were placed in the space used by the air curtain, the flow of air forming the air curtain would be obstructed, so that no air curtain would be formed and there would be a large drop in cooling efficiency. Accordingly, the effective width and/or the effective depth that can be used for chilling products inside the case become small relative to the outer dimensions of the case.
Also, to form an air curtain, it is necessary to blow air from the top of the case and to suck in air from the bottom of the case. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a space for supply duct at the top of the case, so that the effective height that can be used for displaying products inside the case is reduced relative to the outer dimensions of the case.
If glass doors are used to close a display case in place of an air curtain, the cooling efficiency is high and the storage efficiency inside the display case may be increased. However, it becomes necessary to open and close the glass doors to take out the displayed products, which is troublesome and may discourage customers from making purchases. Also, as space is required to open and close the glass doors, the flows of customers are obstructed if sufficient passing space is not provided. In addition, glass doors that have been opened when replenishing or replacing products inside the display case obstruct the movement of customers. If, to solve these problems, a means that allows rear access to the display case is used, extra equipment and space to realize such means becomes necessary. Accordingly, if it were possible to solve the problems described above with open-type display cases that are caused by the air curtain, such cases could be favorably used as means for displaying products in a convenience store or the like.
While an air curtain can thermally shut off the inside of a case from the outside, the inside of the case is always placed in a chilled state. This means that it is not possible to simultaneously display products that should preferably be kept at room temperature or in a heated state. Accordingly, in convenience stores, it is common to see hotplates and/or heating showcases that display hot drinks and foods, such as in winter, being provided separately to open showcases. If the above problem could be overcome, open showcases could be used more widely.
For this reason, it is an object of the present invention to provide a storage apparatus, even if the storage apparatus is open type, having a large effective space for displaying products (goods and/or items for sale) and can display products with chilling and/or heating. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a storage apparatus that can simultaneously chill or cool products, keep products at room temperature, and also heat or warm products, if required.


An optical bus 30 optically connects each board of a signal processing section 22 and each board of a transmission/reception section 40 for transmitting an optical signal output to the optical bus 30 by each board of the signal processing section 22 to each board of the transmission/reception section 40 in a non-block state. In contrast, the optical bus 30 transmits an optical signal output to the optical bus 30 by each board of the transmission/reception section 40 to each board of the signal processing section 22 in a non-block state.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a radio communication apparatus used as a base station, etc., of a mobile communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a mobile communication system such as mobile telephones, a large number of base stations and exchanges are connected via a network and each base station transmits and receives a signal to and from a mobile station (mobile telephone) via a radio communication channel.
As disclosed in JP-A-2000-36982, JP-A-2000-22626, and JP-A-2001-16159, such a base station comprises a large number of transceivers for transmitting and receiving signals via radio channels and a large number of signal processors for processing signals between the transceivers and a network, the transceivers and the signal processors being connected to each other in a non-block state.
For example, if an attempt is made to connect eight transceivers and eight signal processors directly to each other with metallic paired cables as transmission lines, a total of 128 (8×8×2) paired cables are required because it is necessary to transmit signals bidirectionally between each of the eight transceivers and each of the eight signal processors.
Further, if an attempt is made to transmit a signal at high speed using a plurality of transmission lines between each transceiver and each signal processor, more paired cables are required.
Thus, to connect the transceivers and the signal processors, many lines need to be used for wiring and the number of pins of connectors to connect the boards of the transceivers and the signal processors to a cabinet is increased following the wiring amount.
This introduces not only a problem of a pin bottleneck of each board, but also a problem of the necessity for a very large force (several tens of kg) when each board is inserted or removed.
If an attempt is made to connect the boards of the transceivers and the signal processors through a back panel, wiring of the back panel becomes very complicated and moreover a large number of layers (ten and several layers) must be stacked on each other.


A current limiting circuit is connected to the gate (input terminal) of an amplifying transistor. The current limiting circuit includes a protecting transistor, a first protecting resistor connecting the drain to the gate of the protecting transistor, and a second protecting resistor connecting the source to the gate of the protecting transistor. The current limiting circuit limits current, so that electric power larger than the maximum electric power allowable for the amplifying transistor does not pass.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a small and light semiconductor device that can be manufactured at low costs, and is highly resistant to destruction even if excessively large electric power is supplied.
2. Background Art
FIG. 22 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional single-stage amplifier. An amplifying transistor 11 is a field effect transistor (FET) used for high-frequency waves of 0.1 GHz to 110 GHz, for example, the 2.1 GHz band. Input signals from the exterior are inputted in the gate (input terminal) of the amplifying transistor 11. The output signals of the amplifying transistor 11 are outputted to an antenna (not shown) from the drain (output terminal) via a matching circuit 27. Generally in communications systems and radars, a plurality of amplifiers are connected to the antenna to output electric waves.
However, if the antenna is positioned in the vicinity of a metal surface, outputted electromagnetic waves may be reflected and fed back to the amplifying transistor 11. In such a case, if large electric power is fed back, the amplifying transistor 11 may be destructed. To prevent this, an isolator 100 is connected to the output side of the amplifying transistor 11 (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-31782).
FIG. 23 is a graph showing the results of calculations for the input-output characteristics of a conventional amplifier at 2.1 GHz. In FIG. 23, Pin denotes input power, Po denotes output power, Id denotes drain current, and Ig denotes gate current. The gate width of the amplifying transistor 11 is 1 mm, and the maximum current Imax is 400 mA. It is known from these results that an average current of 50 mA/mm flows in the gate when Pin exceeds 25 dBm. Since the amplifying transistor 11 is destructed if such a large current flows, input of Pin not less than 25 dBm must be prevented.
FIG. 24 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional terminating resistor. An end of the terminating resistor 53 is grounded in terms of high-frequency waves. In microwave-band equipment, the resistance value of the terminating resistor 53 is 50Ω, which is common as impedance.
FIG. 25 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional T-shaped attenuator. First and second resistors 54 and 55 are connected in series. An end of a third resistor 56 is connected to the connecting point of the first resistor 54 and the second resistor 55, and the other end is grounded in terms of high-frequency waves. By selecting the resistance values of the first to third resistors 54 to 56, a desired attenuation can be obtained.


A method and apparatus for detecting a type of a disc in a disc drive system includes measuring an elapsed time between when a disc tray is in an open state and when it completely closes, comparing the elapsed time with a predetermined reference value, and determining whether the disc is a cartridge-type or a general-type based on the comparison result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to detecting a type of a disc, and, more particularly, to a method of and apparatus for detecting whether a cartridge-type disc is loaded in a disc drive by using a closing time of a disc tray of the disc drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cartridge-type disc, constructed with a disc and a cartridge surrounding the disc, has been developed to protect the disc from scratches or dust particles. FIG. 1A shows an appearance of the cartridge-type disc. The cartridge-type disc includes sensor holes H1, H2, and H3 for distinguishing the cartridge-type disc from a general-type disc when loaded in a disc drive and for indicating various conditions of the cartridge-type disc. FIG. 1B shows a schematic structure of the disc drive. The disc drive comprises a disc tray (not shown) for holding a disc, a spindle motor 100 for moving the disc tray, detection switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4 for obtaining information about various conditions of the cartridge-type disc.
When the cartridge-type disc of FIG. 1A is inserted into the disc drive of FIG. 1B, the sensor holes H1, H2, and H3 come in contact with the detection switches SW1, SW2, and SW3, respectively, in the disc drive. The sensor holes indicate various states of the disc, such as whether the cartridge-type disc is writable, whether the cartridge-type disc is single-sided or double-sided, or whether the cartridge is unsealed such that the disc has been removed. In the disc drive of FIG. 1B, information about the state of a cartridge-type disc can be obtained via the detection of switches SW1, SW2 and SW3 being selectively in contact with the sensor holes H1, H2, and H3, respectively.
An additional detection switch SW4, for distinguishing whether the cartridge-type disc is loaded in the disc drive, is also included in the disc drive. When it is detected via the switch SW4 that the cartridge-type disc is loaded in the disc drive, information on the loading condition is transferred to a controller (not shown) in the disc drive. Then, the controller receives the information from the other switches (i.e., SW1, SW2, and SW3) to detect the state of the cartridge-type disc. The state of the cartridge-type disc is interpreted by the controller according to signals corresponding to the ON-state or OFF-state of the switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4.
Accordingly, if the detection switch SW4 malfunctions, operations for obtaining information about the state of the cartridge-type disc via the switches SW1, SW2, and SW3 may not be performed. In practice, mechanical wear due to frequent pressure applied on the switch SW4 whenever the cartridge-type disc of FIG. 1B is inserted into or removed from the disc tray may cause the disc drive to malfunctions. For example, the switch SW4 may not be released from a pressed state, or vice versa. Since the disc detection is performed when the cartridge-type disc is loaded in the disc tray, the fault of the switch will inevitably occur in time. When this happens, a user has to perform a difficult and time-consuming operation to replace the switch with a new one.

Method of and apparatus for detecting type of disc


A housing for a Time-of-Flight (ToF) range meter includes a wall structure defining a first optical beam path to an emitter of the ToF range meter, and a second optical beam path to a detector of the ToF range meter, and a transmissive optical diffusor configured to cover the beam path to at least one of said emitter and said detector. The housing may be connected to a ToF range meter into a ToF ranging device. Such a ToF ranging device where the ToF ranging device is directed to measure a distance to a reflector member to determine a distance which correlates to the weight of the selectively engaged weights.

A Time-of-Flight (ToF) range meter is configured to provide a distance measurement based on measuring the time-of-flight of a light signal between an emitter and detection of reflected emitted light, using the known speed of light. Normally, a ToF range meter includes a chipset comprising both a light emitter and a light detector, and a circuit for measuring time between emission and detection of received light, reflected from a ranged target. ToF range meters are typically employed as distance meters in cameras, and for assisting autofocus mechanisms.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a typical state of the art ToF range meter 100. It should be noted that the ToF range meter 100 is primarily arranged to measure time but may be additionally be configured to calculate and output a distance measurement based on the measured time. In alternative embodiments, a ToF range meter may simply output a time value, which may be further processed or used, e.g. for calculating a distance, in other devices. The ToF range meter 100 may include an electromagnetic emitter 120, configured to emit an electromagnetic signal wave through an opening 121 within an angle, e.g. a cone angle, as indicated by the dashed lines. Upon reflection at a surface 161 of a reflector member 160, at least a portion of the emitted signal is directed back towards the ToF range meter 100, where it is received through an opening 131 and sensed in a detector 130. The detector 130 is preferably configured with a field of view corresponding to or at least overlapping the emission angle of the emitter 120. A control unit 140 preferably includes a measurement circuit configured to measure time and optionally recalculate it to distance to the point of reflection 161 dependent on the emitted signal and the reflected signal. In the ToF range meter 100, the emitter 120 may typically be a light emitter configured to emit a periodic signal, e.g. a near infrared (NIR) signal. The detector 130 may comprise a light-sensitive detector such as a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), and typically a plurality of adjacent SPADs forming a detector or sensor array. The emitter 120 and the detector 130 are preferably provided on a common carrier 110, such as a PCB, such that they are reliably interconnected and commonly aligned. A ToF range meter or sensor 100 may e.g. operate according to the principles disclosed in US2016/0047904, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. That disclosure provides a method for measuring a distance by measuring phase of a series of bursts of pulses relative to a periodic generator signal.
A problem identified in the art of ToF range meters is related to stability and repeatability of measurement results. For state of the art compact ToF range meters, which are configured to be used in e.g. mobile phones and portable camera devices, the distance measuring accuracy may be in the area of 5% at indoor conditions, when measuring against a white surface up to 2 m away from the sensor. This may oftentimes be sufficient for various fields of use. However, such ToF range meters are generally optimized to be used with a diffuse flat large target. When measuring against other types of targets, such as a relatively small surface with high reflectance, it has been noted that the measurement results may drift over time. With a maintained level of accuracy between successive repetitions, and the added deviation due to sensor drift, the overall accuracy may for certain use cases be unsatisfactory.


An electric powertrain includes an electric machine having a rotor shaft supported for rotation about an axis. A planetary gearset is supported about the axis and includes a sun gear assembly having a sun shaft with a first end connected to the rotor shaft, a second end having a sun gear, and an inner bearing seat disposed therebetween. The planetary gearset further includes a planet carrier having planet gears and defining an outer bearing seat. At least one of the planet gears meshes with the sun gear. The planetary gearset also includes a ring gear meshing with at least one of the planet gears. A sun bearing is supported about the axis and includes an outer race disposed on the outer bearing seat, an inner race disposed on the inner bearing seat, and a plurality of spherical roller elements disposed between the inner and outer races.

Vehicles may include electric powertrains to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. Electric powertrains utilize a traction motor to power driven wheels of the vehicle. The traction motor may be used in conjunction with an internal-combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle. The traction motor is powered by a traction battery, fuel cell, or other electrical power source.
Electric motors produce usable torque over a broader range of speeds than engines and typically do not require a multi-speed gearbox. Instead, electric powertrains typically include a one-speed gearbox that reduces shaft speed and multiplies torque for the driven wheels. Electric powertrains may be packaged as an electric drive axle (eAxle). Electric powertrains sometimes include multi-speed gearboxes.


A device for distributing waste heat from a heat source evenly across an exterior surface of an enclosure is disclosed. The device includes a first layer of material that has a high thermal conductivity along a first plane. One or more layers of material that include a controlled thermal conductivity along a second plane are connected with the first layer. At least one of those layers has a low thermal conductivity (e.g. a thermal insulating material) in the second plane and that layer is positioned between the heat source and the enclosure so that heat flow through that layer is substantially inhibited in the second plane and a majority of the waste heat is thermally transferred through the first layer along the first plane to the exterior surface where the waste heat is uniformly distributed thereby reducing hot spots on the exterior surface which can cause user discomfort.

Electronic systems often include various heat generating devices such as microprocessors, hard disc drives, graphics processors, memory chips, and power supplies, and power converters, just to name a few. Waste heat generated by those devices must be effectively removed by a thermal management system or those devices will fail or otherwise become unreliable due to operating temperatures that exceed design limits. Typically, waste heat is removed from an enclosure that houses the devices through several paths. In many cases the system includes a fan that moves air over the devices to remove waste heat through convection cooling. A significant fraction of the waste heat can be removed using convection cooling. Another significant heat removal path is through the materials that comprise an enclosure that houses the heat generating devices. Waste heat in an interior of the enclosure is thermally conducted to an outer surface of the enclosure and into the ambient air or some surface in contact with the enclosure. As a result, a temperature of the outer surface is rarely uniform and hot spots often exist adjacent to a heat source.
One disadvantage to using the enclosure as a heat removal path is that some areas of the enclosure can be quite warm to the touch and in some cases a surface temperature of the exterior of the enclosure can reach uncomfortable levels. Enclosure temperatures are particularly important in portable electronic devices such as laptop computers and tablet PC's where a user holds the device or rests the device on their lap or on an arm. The human body provides an efficient liquid cooled environment that tends to draw heat out of electronic enclosures. Although it is desirable to remove heat from a system housed in an enclosure by using the enclosure itself as a conductive path, it is also desirable to keep surface temperatures of the enclosure within comfortable levels for the user.
As an example of a prior heat removal approach 200, in FIG. 1a a heat source 205 that dissipates a substantial amount of heat h is positioned in contact with or in close proximity an interior surface 201i of a laptop computer enclosure 201. The heat source 205 can be a graphics chip, a North Bridge chip, or a microprocessor, for example; however, for the purposes of experimental verification, if FIG. 1a the heat source 205 is a series of surface mount resistors connected with a power source 207 for supplying a current i that can be varied w to adjust the amount of heat h generated by the source 205 (i.e. the power in Watts). A thermocouple 209 connected with the heat source 205 can be used to measure a temperature of the heat source 205 using a thermometer 211.
Typically, plastics including a Polycarbonate (PC) or a PC/ABS material are used for the enclosure 201 because plastic is a good electrical insulator, has a low weight compared to metals, and can be manufactured at a low cost. The enclosure 201 can also be made from a metal such as aluminum (Al), for example. Optionally, an air gap (not shown) between the interior surface 201i and the heat source 205 allows an airflow from a fan to cool the heat source 205 and to remove some of the heat h from the interior of the enclosure 201. However, some of the heat carried away by the air flow is thermally transferred to the interior surface 201i. Additionally, radiant heat from the heat source 205 is also transferred to the interior surface 201i. Consequently, the heat h is thermally transferred from the interior surface 201i to an exterior surface 201e of the laptop computer resulting in a high surface temperature (e.g. a hot spot) at the exterior surface 201e. A user of the laptop computer may feel discomfort when the exterior surface comes into contact with their body.
The above mentioned discomfort is due to the heat h being concentrated in a portion of the enclosure A that is adjacent to the heat source 205. Essentially, the heat h that is thermally transferred from the interior surface 201i to the exterior surface 201e does not evenly spread out over the entire exterior surface 201e. Instead, the heat is mostly concentrated in a hot spot A over the heat source 205 and that hot spot A is the cause of the discomfort to the user. One need only rest a prior laptop computer on a surface of a table, and after short period of time, move the laptop aside and feel that only a portion of the surface is warm to the touch because the heat from the hot spot A was concentrated over the warm portion of the surface of the table.
In many applications a thin layer of an electrically conductive material 203, such as a metal, for example will be bonded with the interior surface 201i to serve as an EMI shield. As an example, a steel stamping is often bonded with the plastic enclosure 201. In either case, the plastic and the steel have an equally bad thermal conductivity along all three axes (x-y axis, z-axis). Accordingly, at a point B on the exterior surface 201e, a temperature on the exterior surface 201e is substantially cooler than at the hot spot A because a majority of the heat h is thermally conducted into the z plane instead of the x-y plane.
As an example of a hot spot generated by the prior configuration of FIG. 1a, in FIG.1b, with the heat source 205 generating about 2.0 W at a temperature of about 122.9° C. above an ambient temperature of about 25° C. Infrared thermal imagery of the exterior surface 201e depicts a temperature of about 97° C. at a hot spot A (see 251A) and a temperature of about 22.6° C. at a point B (see 251B), with a difference of 74.4° C. between the A and B temperatures. Most of the heat h is concentrated over the hot spot A as depicted by the heavy solid arrows, and to a lesser extent, some of the heat h spreads a short distance from the hot spot A as depicted by the dashed arrows. Consequently, the hot spot A can be a source of discomfort when the exterior surface 201e comes into contact with a users body.
As another example of a prior approach for reducing hot spots, in FIG. 1c a layer 221 of a thermally insulating material is bonded with the interior surface 201i and the heat source 205 is in contact with the insulating layer 221. The material for the layer 221 is a PTFE bound silica aerogel insulation material with a thickness of about 0.75 mm and including a very low thermal conductivity along all three axes (x-y, and z).
In FIG. 1d, at 2.0 W power dissipation from the heat source 205, even with an insulator 221 between the heat source 205 and the exterior surface 201e, the thermal image indicates a temperature of about 82.1° C. at a hot spot A (see 252A) and a temperature of about 25.3° C. at a point B (see 252B), with a difference of 56.8° C. between points A and B. Although, the temperature at the hot spot A is lower and the temperature differential is lower when the insulating layer 221 is used, the temperature of the heater 205 actually rises to about 134.4° C. above ambient temperature, an increase of 11.5° C. when compared to the 122.9° C. in the configuration of FIG. 1a where no insulation is used. Consequently, with a thermal insulating material, an actual operating temperature of the device the heater 205 simulates (e.g. a graphics chip or a North bridge chip) would get hotter which is not good for device reliability.
In FIG. 2a, a prior heat removal approach 200 can also include the addition of a heat spreader material 213 positioned between the enclosure 201 and the heat source 205. There may be an air gap (not shown) between the heat spreader 213 and the heat source 205. Although heat spreader materials can have high thermal conductivities in all three planes (x-y and z), the material selected for the heat spreader 213 has its highest thermal conductivity in the x-y plane and a more modest thermal conductivity in the z plane. The heat spreader 213 serves to thermally conduct heat h away from the heat source 205 and distribute a portion of the heat h along the enclosure 201 so that the temperature at the hot spot A is reduced. In FIG. 2b, with the heat source 205 dissipating 2.0 W, thermal imagery of the enclosure 201 with the heat spreader 213 depicts the hot spot A at about 41.9° C. (see 253A) and the point B at about 32.3° C. (see 253B), a difference of about 9.6° C. The heat source 205 was at a temperature of about 52.7° C. above ambient temperature. Although this is an improvement over the thermal images of FIGS. 1b and 1d, the hot spot A in FIG. 2b is still warmer than desired and may result in discomfort to a user.
Moreover, with the heater 205 set to a higher power dissipation of 5.0 W in FIG. 2c, the thermal image depicts the hot spot A at about 61.8° C. (see 255A) and the point B at about 44.5° C. (see 255B), a difference of about 23.6° C. The heat source 205 was at a temperature of about 131.4° C. above ambient temperature. Accordingly, the heat spreader 213 alone cannot reduce the temperature of the hot spot A to comfortable user levels. Furthermore, at the higher power levels (i.e. 5.0 W) that can be expected from components such as graphics chips and North bridge chips, the temperature of the heat source 205 above ambient temperature more than doubles and the hot spot A temperature increases by 26.2° C.
Consequently, there exists a need for a device for uniformly spreading heat transferred to a surface of an enclosure over a large region so that hot spot regions are reduced and user discomfort is reduced because the heat is uniformly distributed over the surface. There is also a need for a device for equalizing temperatures on a surface of an enclosure that does not increase a temperature of a heat source. Finally, there is a need for a device for equalizing temperatures on a surface of an enclosure that can reduce a temperature of a heat source while evenly distributing heat along a surface of the enclosure thereby reducing hot spots.

Heat spreader with controlled Z-axis conductivity


The invention relates to an excimer lamp with a discharge chamber which holds a halogen-containing filling gas forming excimers under discharge conditions. Known excimer lamps have only a short burning life. In order to provide an excimer lamp with a long burning life, it is proposed according to the invention that the halogen content of the discharge chamber be a minimum of 1.times.10.sup.-10 mol/cm.sup.3 volume of the discharge chamber per cm.sup.2 of the discharge chamber interior surface area. To manufacture such a long-life excimer lamp, the interior surfaces of the discharge chamber may be treated with a halogen-containing passivating gas prior to filling in the filling gas or the required amount of halogen can be included in the filing gas. The burning life of excimer lamps can also be extended by releasing halogen into a chamber in which it has become depleted, by exposing the discharge chamber to infrared radiation to release halogen taken up by the walls or by releasing halogen from a halogen reservoir disposed in the discharge chamber. In a device according to the invention suitable for extending the burning life of excimer lamps, at least one infrared lamp is provided which is disposed adjacent to the excimer lamp in such a manner that the infrared radiation emanating from the infrared lamp heats the discharge chamber.

The invention relates to an improved excimer lamp of the type with a discharge chamber usually of quartz or ceramic, and which holds a halogen-containing filling gas forming excimers under discharge conditions. The invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of a long-life excimer lamp; a method for extending the burning life of such an excimer lamp; and a device for practicing the latter method.
Excimer lamps are used for generating high-energy ultraviolet radiation. The excimer radiation is also described as silent electrical discharge. This is generated in a discharge chamber bound by dielectrics in which the filling gas forming the excimers is contained.
An excimer lamp of the specified type is known from EP-A1 0 547 366. In the excimer lamp described therein, a variety of noble gases are proposed as filling gases depending on the desired spectral composition of the radiation, for example, argon, krypton or xenon or noble gas mixtures, respectively, which, for example, contain chlorine or a chlorine-containing compound from which one or more chlorine atoms are expelled during the discharge.
No indications are given in EP-A1 547 366 as to the chlorine concentration to be used. In excimer lamps commercially available currently, the chlorine content is based on the chlorine content of the corresponding excimer lasers at a mixing ratio of chlorine to a noble gas or a noble gas mixture, respectively, of 1/1000. An excimer lamp of this type, for example, is described in the dissertation by Mr. Volker Shorpp entitled "The Dielectrically Inhibited Noble Gas-Halogen-Excimer Discharge: A New Type of Ultraviolet Radiation Source," University of Karlsruhe, 1991.
From EP-A2 0 521 553 an excimer lamp is known which is developed as a planar flatform lamp. The discharge chamber contains a halogen-containing noble gas filling, whereby the partial pressure of the halogen is between 0.05% and 5% of the partial pressure of the noble gas. The known excimer lamp is characterized by a high radiation intensity.
In excimer lamps known until now, the maximally adjustable ultraviolet radiation intensity already decreases within the first 300 hours of operation. The drop in the ultraviolet radiation intensity is typically greater than 50% of the initial radiation intensity.
An attempt to extend the burning life of a lamp of this type is described in EP-A1 607 960. Therein an excimer lamp is described which features a discharge chamber which is sealed in a gas-proof fashion and is filled with a suitable filling gas. In order to extend the burning life of the lamp, EP-A 1607960 teaches the proposed elimination of gaseous impurities in the filling gas and to that end provide a "getter" which may be disposed inside the discharge chamber or in connection with it. However, it has been demonstrated that eliminating filling gas impurities is not sufficient for a marked increase in-burning life.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an excimer lamp with a long burning life as well as to provide a method for manufacturing such an excimer lamp. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for extending the burning life of excimer lamps and a device suitable to practice this method.

Long-life high powered excimer lamp with specified halogen content, method for its manufacture and extension of its burning life


Wireless charging systems, and methods of use thereof, are disclosed herein. As an example, a method includes: (i) receiving, by a communications radio of a wireless power transmitter, a communication signal from a communications radio of a wireless power receiver, the communication signal including data used to determine a location of the wireless power receiver, and (ii) determining a location of the wireless power receiver based, at least in part, on the data included in the communication signal. The method further includes, in response to determining that the location of the wireless power receiver is within a wireless power transmission range defined by the transmitter, transmitting radio frequency (RF) power transmission waves towards the wireless power receiver, the RF power transmission waves converging to form controlled constructive interference patterns and destructive interference patterns in proximity to the location of the wireless power receiver.

Portable electronic devices, such as laptop computers, mobile phones, tablets, and other electronic devices, require frequent charging of a power-storing component (e.g., a battery) to operate. Many electronic devices require charging one or more times per day. Often, charging an electronic device requires manually connecting an electronic device to an outlet or other power source using a wired charging cable. In some cases, the power-storing component is removed from an electronic device and inserted into charging equipment. Accordingly, charging is time consuming, burdensome, and inefficient because users must carry around multiple charging cables and/or other charging devices, and frequently must locate appropriate power sources to charge their electronic devices. Additionally, conventional charging techniques potentially deprive a user of the ability to use the device while it is charging, and/or require the user to remain next to a wall outlet or other power source to which their electronic device or other charging equipment is connected.
Some other conventional charging systems utilize inductive coils to generate a magnetic field that is used to charge a device. However, such inductive coupling has a limited short range, such as a few inches or less. Users typically must place the device at a specific position on a charging pad and are unable to move the device to different positions on the pad, without interrupting or terminating the charging of the device. This results in a frustrating experience for many users as they may be unable to locate the device at the exact right position on the pad to start charging their device.

System and methods of using electromagnetic waves to wirelessly deliver power to electronic devices


An apparatus to produce straight bead welded tubes from flat sheet metal blanks with two parallel longitudinal edges includes two form tool halves. The two form tool halves have outer cylindrical half shells borne by a tool support, and are disposed laterally inverted in relation to one another. They are moved towards one another and out of an opened receiving position for the sheet metal blanks into a closed position, in which the two longitudinal edges are held together by the two form tool halves. The apparatus also includes a welding device, which moves over the two form tool halves along the two longitudinal edges retained in a welding position. The two form tool halves have cylindrical internal mandrel halves which are fixedly associated with the outer cylindrical half shells and which cooperate with the outer cylindrical half shells to produce form gaps for insertion of the sheet metal blanks.

Various processes and apparatuses are known for the production of straight bead welded tubes from strips and sheet metal blanks, but none of them make possible the economic manufacture in medium size runs of tubes having a relatively short length (for example, 1=3000 mm), a small diameter (for-example, d=50 mm) and a relatively large wall thickness (for example, t=2.5 mm). It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a process and an apparatus for the production of such tubes.
In the prior art process of roller shaping (U.S. Pat. No. 2,110,378) a strip is shaped in a number of successively arranged stages by driven profiled rollers to give a slotted tube which is then welded. The investment cost of an installation suitable for this purpose is very high, so that it is unsuitable for the production of tubes in medium size runs.
In the prior art 3-roller bending, a flat sheet metal blank with two supporting rollers is bent around a working roller. Such a process enables tubes to be produced with a wall thickness of, for example, 1.0 mm and a diameter of 50 mm only with a length of less than 2000 mm, since the supporting rollers sag due to the heavy supporting forces to be applied. There is also the aspect that the resulting slotted tube must be removed from the apparatus and straight bead welded at another place.
A clamping and retaining apparatus for relatively short slotted tubes is also known (DE 44 32 674 C1) in which the slotted tube is retained by bands, which are partially looped around the tube, in a suitable welding position for a welding device which can be driven along the joint gap. To obtain a straight bead welded tube, therefore, a sheet metal blank must be shaped into a slotted tube in a separate apparatus.
In another prior art apparatus (DE-PS 966 111) for the production of straight bead welded tubes from flat sheet metal blanks with parallel longitudinal edges, the sheet metal blank is shaped into a slotted tube in the same apparatus, being retained by the means shaping the tube with the longitudinal edges to be welded in the welding position. Two form tools disposed laterally inverted in relation to one another, which are borne by a tool support, can be driven towards one another, and have outer cylindrical half shells received in their opened receiving position the sheet metal blank at its two longitudinal edges. When the form tool halves are moved together, the sheet metal blank is retained at its two ends fixed in the center, so that the sheet metal blank slides along the cylindrical half shells on both sides until its longitudinal edges impinge on one another at the top point. The sheet metal blank shaped into a slotted tube is retained in this position. Then, to weld the longitudinal edges to one another, the top ends of the form tool halves can be hinged upwards, so that the joint gap is opened up. An important disadvantage of such an apparatus is that there is the risk that the sheet metal blank may bend outwards for lack of internal and external guiding. This risk is particularly great in the case of thin-walled sheet metal blanks.
In a very similar prior art apparatus for the shaping of sheet metal blanks into tubes, which are then welded (DE-PS 593 622) the two form tool halves are formed not by cylindrical half shells, but by axially offset discs with cutaway portions in the shape of arcs of a circle. The apparatus is to be used to form a conical tube from a sheet metal blank. To this end the disc cutaway portions in the shape of arcs of a circle increase in radius in the axial direction. However, in distinction from the other aforedescribed prior art apparatus, in this prior art apparatus an internal conical mandrel is associated with the outer parts of the form tool halves. However, the mandrel is not operative during the entire shaping operation, but only at the end thereof, since it is applied to the sheet metal in the center between the form tool halves. Due to the absence of internal and external guiding during the shaping operation, even the use of such a mandrel does not obviate the risk that the sheet metal blank will bend outwards during the shaping operation.
It is an object of the invention to provide a process and an apparatus which enable straight bead welded tubes to be produced from sheet metal blanks, more particularly blanks with a thin wall thickness. More particularly, the process and the apparatus are suitable for the processing of sheet metal blanks of different thicknesses, for example, so-called tailored blanks.
The invention therefore starts from a process for the production of a straight bead welded tube from a flat sheet metal blank having parallel longitudinal edges, wherein the sheet metal blank is shaped into a slotted tube by means of two form tool halves having outer cylindrical half shells and disposed laterally inverted in relation to one another which can be moved towards one another, whereafter the longitudinal edges are welded to one another at the top of the form tool, being retained in position by the form tool halves. In such a process according to the invention during shaping the sheet metal blank is borne on the inside by internal cylindrical mandrel halves co-operating with the outer half shells to produce form gaps, the longitudinal edges emerging at the top retaining exposed for welding (sic).
The invention also relates to an apparatus for the production of straight bead welded tubes from flat sheet metal blanks with parallel longitudinal edges having: form tool halves having outer cylindrical half shells and disposed laterally inverted in relation to one another which are borne by a tool support and can be moved towards one another and can be moved out of an opened receiving position for the sheet metal blank into a closed position, in which the longitudinal edges to be welded to one another are held together by the closed tool halves at their top point, the device also having a welding device which can be moved over the form tool halves along the longitudinal edges retained in the welding position. In such an apparatus the invention is characterized in that the form tool halves have cylindrical internal mandrel halves which are associatedly fixed with the outer half shells and which cooperate with the outer half shells to produce form gaps for the sheet metal blank to be inserted, while in the closed position of the form tool halves the form gaps retain the longitudinal edges emerging therefrom at the top exposed for welding.
The process according to the invention and the apparatus according to the invention enable sheet metal blanks of different thicknesses to be formed into a cylindrical tube without any risk that the blank will bend outwards during the shaping operation. More particularly, the invention enables short tubes to be economically produced in medium size runs from sheet metal blanks. Both tubes having a constant wall thickness can be produced, and also tubes which have differential wall thickness over their length or periphery. The special advantage of the invention is that the form tool halves themselves retain the shaped slotted tube with the joint gap in an optimum welding position, to produce the weld by the welding device movable along the joint gap. This means that two separate devices are no longer required for shaping and for retaining the slotted tube in the welding position. This also eliminates the laborious transfer of the slotted tube, with the necessary alignment and clamping.
In a first embodiment of the invention the sheet metal blank is first pushed by one half completely into one of the form gaps and then by its other half into the other form gap. One of the two form tool halves, more particularly the movable one, can have adjacent the entry to the form gap an abutment against which one longitudinal edge of the sheet metal blank can bear when the form tool halves are moved together. This gives the sheet metal blanks satisfactory guiding, making it impossible for the blank to be introduced at an angle into the form gap.
To improve the geometry of the joint gap, during or after its emergence from the form gap the sheet metal blank can be so after-shaped in narrow strips adjoining the longitudinal edges that they merge substantially tangentially into one another. With the apparatus this can be effected in two ways. Either a tool acting on the longitudinal edges in the sense of moving them together is associated with the top zone, or the form gaps terminate at the top in a common horizontal plane.
The required spatial fixation of the internal mandrel halves in the outer half shells with the possibility of being able to remove the shaped tube can, according to a further feature of the invention, be effected by the features that the outer half shell and the internal mandrel half of each form tool half are connected to one another at one of their ends, and the internal mandrel half is releasably located by its other end directly on the tool support, the internal mandrel half being otherwise retained in position by a number of supporting members which extend through the outer half shell via recesses and can be uncoupled via sliding couplings on the internal mandrel half in the direction of the outer half shell.
Constructionally this can be put into effect by the feature that the outer half shell and the internal mandrel half connected thereto at one end bear against one another without a gap in this connecting portion and are held together by releasable clamping elements. The result is a highly precise association between the half shell and the internal mandrel half with a very simple assembly. The releasable clamping elements enable the form gap to be somewhat opened, to pull the finished tube out of the form tool or even to pull the internal mandrel halves out of the finished tube.
To enable the tube to be pulled out of the form tool with the front end of the internal mandrel half released, without the internal mandrel half making it difficult to pull out the tube by bearing thereagainst, according to a feature of the invention the internal mandrel half projects in relation to the outer half shell at the connected end, and associated with the projecting portion is a pressure element via which a pivoting force around a horizontal transverse axis in the sense of relieving the front end of the internal mandrel half can be applied to the internal mandrel half.
To prevent the sheet metal blank from bending outwards when the blank is introduced into the form gaps, according to the invention a vertically adjustable supporting construction for the sheet metal blank to be introduced into the form gaps is provided immediately below and in the receiving position between the form tool halves. The supporting construction preferably has at the entrance of each form gap a deflecting plate extending over the entire length of the form gap and is borne resiliently in the direction in which the form tool halves move. The deflecting plates yield when on completion of shaping the form tool halves arrive in the closed position.
The precise positioning of the longitudinal edges at the top point of the form tool halves for straight bead welding can be ensured using simple means. According to one feature of the invention associated with one of the two form tool halves, more particularly the fixed one, is a retractable stop at the top for the longitudinal edge of the portion of the sheet metal blank shaped in said form tool half. The stop also then acts as a support when the sheet metal blank is inserted into the form gap of the other form tool half. Preferably the stop has a tip so asymmetrically constructed that when the other longitudinal edge impinges on said stop the stop yields, releasing one longitudinal edge, and both longitudinal edges impinge on one another, thus forming a butt joint.
To prevent dirt occurring during welding, such as splashes of melt or smoke (for example, evaporated zinc in the case of galvanized sheets) from dirtying the form tool, according to one feature of the invention an intercepting bowl is disposed in the zone of the top of the internal mandrel halves. Such an intercepting bowl can be cleaned or interchanged after each use of the welding device.
Preferably the intercepting bowl is disposedly fixed and extends over the entire length of the form tool halves. With such a construction also according to a possible feature of the invention the intercepting shell is connected tightly to the internal form halves and co-operates with the exposed longitudinal edge zones of the tube formed from the sheet metal blank to form a channel. Such a channel is suitable for protective gas flushing or for removing by suction the vapors occurring during welding.
Conveniently the intercepting bowl is made of a flexible material and has a V-shaped cross-section. This construction is particularly suitable, since it can readily adjoin the internal mandrel halves and does not impede the moving together of the form tool halves, since during this it folds together.
However, alternatively the intercepting bowl can be constructed to move together with the welding device. Constructionally this can readily be effected if according to the invention the intercepting bowl is borne at the end face by a tappet for the ejection of the internal mandrel halves.

Method and device for producing straight bead welded pipes from flat sheet metal blanks


A near end device is in a call (voice or video) over a communication link with a far end device. The near end device monitors constraints of the near end device, such as environmental noise at the near end device, latency between sequential data packets, signal strength or quality over the communication link, and energy level. The near end device detects when the near end device is having or is soon to have communication difficulty with the call due to one or more of the constraints. In response to detecting that the near end device is having or is soon to have communication difficulty with the call, the near end device communicates one or both of audible feedback and visual feedback to the far end device, notifying the far end device that the near end device is having or is soon to have communication difficulty with the call.

Noon Devices used in voice or video calls can encounter various situations in which the audio of the call is not played out so that a user of the device can hear the audio. For example, in a loud or noisy environment the user may have difficulty hearing the audio. By way of another example, due to network congestion or poor signal quality data packets including audio data may be dropped. The speaking party at the other end of the call is not aware when these situations occur, leaving the user to simply hang up the call, endure the inability to hear the audio, or ask the speaking party to repeat part of what was said. These are frustrating experiences for the user, resulting in user frustration and dissatisfaction with their devices.

In-call feedback to far end device of near end device constraints


A method includes providing a memory unit in a computing device already including a number of processors communicatively coupled to a memory through a system bus, and providing a non-system bus based dedicated channel between the number of processors and the memory unit. The method also includes rendering a different video frame and/or a surface on each processor of the number of processors, and leveraging the memory unit to store a video frame and/or a surface rendered on a processor therein through the non-system bus based dedicated channel. Further, the method includes copying, to other processors, the stored video frame and/or the surface rendered on the processor from the memory unit through the non-system bus based dedicated channel, and scanning out, through the number of processors, the video frame and/or the surface rendered on the processor following the copying to enable display thereof on a corresponding number of displays.

A display system may include a computing device (e.g., a data processing device such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a netbook, a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a tablet) and a display unit. The computing device may include a number of processors (e.g., Graphics Processing Units (GPUs)) corresponding to a number of displays (e.g., Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)) constituting the display unit. During a mosaic display mode of operation, the number of processors is presented to an operating system executing on the computing device as a single logical processor. Thus, content to be displayed on each display is consolidated as a whole and displayed on the number of displays.
In a typical scenario of the mosaic display mode of operation, each processor may render a same video frame/surface but may scan out only a part thereof. This may be due to hardware acceleration not being possible in the aforementioned mosaic display mode of operation. The rendering of the same video frame/surface on each of the processors may constitute a waste of computing resources.

Enabling hardware acceleration in a computing device during a mosaic display mode of operation thereof


A cap nut and arbor subassembly for an instrument, such as a thermometer, barometer or wind speed indicator, allow an indicator hand to be quickly, positively, and inexpensively held in place. The cap nut and arbor are of plastic, such as high impact styrene, and have an interference fit provided by an elongated projection extending from the cap received within an axially elongated opening in the arbor.

In the construction and assembly of instrument movements having indicator hands, such as thermometers, barometers, wind speed indicators, etc., it is highly desirable to be able to quickly and positively place an indicator hand in operative association with the instrument movement. It is also highly desirable to do this is in an inexpensive manner. However, many conventional commercial techniques, such as the utilization of a threaded brass arbor and internally threaded brass cap nut, are both expensive and time consuming to assemble.
According to the present invention, a cap nut for an instrument having an indicator hand, as well as a subassembly for such an instrument, and related assembly, allow not only quick assembly of an indicator hand to the instrument, but do so in an inexpensive manner. By practicing the invention the assembly time may be reduced by about 15 to 20 seconds compared to an assembly with conventional brass threaded arbors and cap nuts, and the cost can be reduced to only a fraction of the cost of such an arbor and cap nut.
According to one aspect of the present invention an assembly for an instrument having an indicator hand is provided. The assembly comprises the following elements: A plastic arbor. A plastic cap nut. An indicator hand adapted to be held in a predetermined position by the arbor and the cap nut. And, non-threaded engagement means of the arbor and the cap nut for holding the arbor and cap nut together, to in turn hold the indicator hand in place. The cap nut may be an integral body of plastic such as styrene, with a substantially continuous surface at a first side, and a recess in the second side, with an elongated projection extending out from the recess. The arbor also may be of high impact styrene, and have an elongated axially extending opening at one end and slotted at the other end. The cap projection is preferably smooth surfaced and circular in cross-section, having a maximum diameter of about one-fifth to one-sixth of the diameter of the integral body of plastic.
According to another aspect of the present invention a subassembly for an instrument is provided. The subassembly comprises the following components: An indicator hand having means defining an opening therein. An arbor having a first portion thereof which is dimensioned and shaped to fit through the opening. A cap nut. And, interference fit surface manifestations formed on the arbor and the cap nut to allow the cap nut and arbor to be quickly assembled, and to hold the indicator hand in a predetermined position with respect to the arbor and cap nut when the arbor passes through the opening in the indicator hand.
Still further the invention contemplates a cap nut per se. The cap nut comprises: An integral body of plastic. Means defining a substantially continuous surface at a first side of the body. Means defining a recess at a second side of the body, opposite the first side. And, an elongated projection extending out from the recess along a central axis of the body substantially concentric with the recess and the substantially continuous surface.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an easy to assemble press-on cap nut and arbor assembly that it is also inexpensive. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.


A trailer tarp cover system comprising a main arm, a rectangular joint, a gas spring, and a motor located on the distal end of the main arm. In a first embodiment, the rectangular joint is comprised of the bottom portion of the main arm, two axle support members, two first support members, and two second support members. In a second embodiment, the rectangular joint is comprised of the bottom portion of the main arm, two axle support members, one first support member, and one second support member. In an alternate embodiment, torsion springs are used in lieu of the gas spring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of trailer covers, and more specifically, to a trailer tarp cover system that uses a main arm with a rectangular joint at its base to open and close the cover.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present invention is a side-to-side tarp cover system for a grain trailer of the type shown in FIG. 1. There exist a number of side-to-side tarp cover systems for grain trailers, some of which are manually operated and others of which are electronically operated. Among the electronically operated tarp cover systems are those depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,199,935, 6,206,449 and 6,513,856, discussed below. An example of a manually operated side-to-side tarp system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,561, also discussed below. None of these systems utilizes a rectangular joint at the base of the main arm, as in the present invention. The rectangular joint of the present invention provides mechanical advantages not present in the inventions discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,935 (Waltz et al., 2001) discloses a flexible sheet cover apparatus for a load-carrying box on a land vehicle in which an arm is coupled to a roller for rolling and unrolling the flexible sheet from side to side. The arm is in the form of a box beam with a fixed length, and the arm has a slot. A pin is coupled to the load-carrying box and slidably engaged in the slot in the arm to define a pivot for the arm. The roller remains in constant contact with the top edges of the two non-contiguous walls that form the load-carrying box. A motor is fixed to the arm between the roller and the slot, and a drive unit enclosed within the box beam couples the motor to the roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,449 (Searfoss, 2001) provides an apparatus for extending and retracting a cover over a bed of a truck. The main arm, which is located at the rear of the truck bed, has a first base and a first extension. The bearing arm, which is located at the front of the truck bed, has a second base and a second extension. The first extension is pivotally connected to the upper end of the first base, and the second extension is pivotally connected to the upper end of the second base. A reel extends between distal ends of the first and second extensions. A motor is mounted on the distal end of either the first or second extension and is also connected to the distal end of the reel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,856 (Swanson et al., 2003) involves a mechanism for rolling and unrolling a tarp over a trailer container. An electrically operated drive assembly is used to roll the roll bar back and forth between longitudinal edges of the container. The drive assembly comprises an electric motor and a gear reduction mechanism, both of which are supported on a telescoping tube assembly that is pivotably attached to the front of the container. A double reel member is fixedly attached to the forward end of the roll bar, and a single reel member is fixedly attached to the rearward end of the roll bar. Constant force spring members are fixedly attached to the double and single reel members and also to hinge plates mounted on the side of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,561 (Royer, 2009) discloses a device for covering and uncovering the top of a container with a tarp, the device comprising a rod, a rod rotating component, and an actuator. The tarp is rolled around the rod when the cover is in a retracted position, and the rod rotating component is couple to the rod such that rotating the rod rotating component around its longitudinal axis also rotates the rod around its longitudinal axis. The rod rotating component is linked to an actuator that is operated manually and that causes the rod rotating component to rotate about its longitudinal axis. The length of the rod rotating component varies to allow the rod to remain linked to the actuator as the rod travels over the top of the container.
Examples of tarp covering systems that involve front-to-back rather than side-to-side retraction and extension systems include: U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,891 (O'Brian et al., 2006); U.S. Pat. No. 6,893,071 (Chabot, 2005); U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,790 (Henning, 2001); U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,274 (Henning, 2005); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,519 (Henning, 2003).