A device for proportioning of secondary combustion air into the secondary air soles of coke oven chamber ovens is shown. The device is formed by a slide gate or a parallelepiped device or by plates moved by means of a thrust bar, the thrust bar being moved longitudinally in parallel to the coke oven chamber wall so that the plates move away from the secondary air apertures and open or close these. The thrust bar is moved by means of a positioning motor, with the power transmission being effected hydraulically or pneumatically. Via suitable measuring parameters, it is thus possible to optimize secondary heating so that heating is provided evenly from all sides, thus achieving an improvement in coke quality.

The invention relates to a device for controlling the quantity of secondary combustion air in coke oven chambers of a coke oven battery of the "Heat-Recovery" or "Non-Recovery" type, wherein this device regulates the air volume through a parallelepiped attachment or a plate driven by a positioning motor so that this device can be regulated, for example, via a control mechanism which depends on measuring values in a coke oven chamber. Heating of a coke cake of a coke oven battery can be substantially homogenized and improved via the secondary heating space located under the coke cake. The quantity of secondary air can be supplied by the inventive device in several quantity graduations, if required. A supply of secondary air in multiple stages allows for reducing the quantity of formed nitric oxides substantially. The present invention also relates to a method for proportioning of secondary combustion air in a coke oven chamber.
Based on prior art in technology, the heating of coke oven chambers is so executed that the heating of a coke cake is performed as evenly as possible from all sides and that the quality of coke thus obtained is improved in this manner. For coal carbonization, the pre-warmed coking chamber of the coke oven is charged with a coal layer and then closed. The coal layer can be provided as a top-filled coal batch or in compacted, stamped form. By warming the coal, volatile matter contained in coal, above all hydrocarbons and hydrogen, is given off and expelled. Further heat generation in the coking chamber of "Non-Recovery" coke ovens and "Heat-Recovery" coke ovens is exclusively effected by combustion of released coal volatile matter constituents which degas successively as heating advances.
According to prior art in technology, combustion is so controlled that part of the gas released which is also designated as crude gas is burnt directly above the coal charge in the coking chamber. Combustion air needed for this purpose is sucked in through apertures in the doors or ceiling or through apertures in the doors and in the ceiling. This combustion stage is also designated as the first air stage or primary air stage. The primary air stage usually does not lead to complete combustion. Heat released on combustion heats the coal layer, with an ash layer forming on its surface after a short period of time. This ash layer provides for sealing towards air and in the further course of the coal carbonization process, it prevents a burn-off of the coal layer. Part of the heat released on combustion is predominantly transferred by radiation into the coal layer. A mere heating of the coal layer from the top by applying only one air stage, however, would lead to uneconomically long coking times.
Crude gas partly burnt in the primary air stage is therefore burnt at another stage, with the heat thus evolving being supplied to the coal layer from the bottom or from the side. This post-combustion designated as secondary combustion usually occurs in so-called secondary heating spaces located underneath the coke oven chamber and underneath the coke cake, so that partly burnt coking gas completely burns-out there, while the heat of combustion evolving there heats the coke cake from below. Thereby the heat distribution of the coke cake is substantially homogenized from all sides and the quality of coke produced is noticeably improved. Guiding of partly burnt coking gas is usually taken charge of by so-called "downcomer" channels which for example are located in the lateral brickwork of a coke oven chamber.
According to this approach, air needed for secondary air combustion, which is called secondary air, is supplied through so-called secondary air apertures located underneath the lateral coke oven chamber doors of coke oven chambers in a typical construction style. From there, the secondary air streams into a so-called secondary air sole where the air is collected and conducted into a secondary heating chamber located above. Secondary combustion occurs there. Combustion air streaming in is generally supplied in a clearly over-stoichiometrical quantity. Thus it is ensured that the partly burnt coking gas burns-out completely, so that the heat of combustion contained therein is completely given off. In this manner, it is also intended to prevent a discharge of incompletely burnt carbonization products, e.g. hydrocarbons.
Supplied secondary air, however, has generally attained the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere, thus quite substantially reducing the temperature of the secondary air sole and secondary heating space underneath the coke cake. By a non-controlled supply of secondary combustion air into the secondary heating space, the temperature of the secondary heating space cannot be controlled, so that the temperature of the secondary heating space may clearly differ from the temperature in the primary heating space, which is also designated as coke oven vault. As a result, the heating of coke from different sides is uneven. Moreover, the quantity of supplied secondary air cannot be regulated depending on the amount of oxygen in the secondary heating space. This may entail a formation of pollutants, but more particularly a formation of non-burnt hydrocarbons or nitric oxides of the NOx type.
WO 2007/057076 A1 describes a ventilating device for the supply of primary and secondary air for the combustion of coking gas from coke ovens built in flat construction style and arranged as a battery, said ventilating device being comprised of at least one venting aperture per coking chamber for the primary air, said venting aperture extending through the relevant coke oven door or through its framing wall, and furthermore comprised of at least one venting aperture per coking chamber for the secondary air and movably supported closure elements being provided at least for a part of the venting apertures, wherein according to the invention at least a part of said closure elements of the venting apertures is mechanically connected to a positioning element which is controlled and driven from a central position, and wherein the closure elements are to be actuated by means of the positioning element depending on the demand for combustion air, with it being possible to establish the mechanical connection of each closure element to the central positioning element individually; in particular it is possible to effect the starting position of each individual closure element at the beginning of the carbonization cycle of the associated coking chamber separately and independently of the other closure elements of the neighboring coking chambers. Embodiments lay claim to the closure elements, positioning elements, and to the method.
The procedure is not automatized and frequently it is controlled by temperature-sensitive chains extending around a coke oven. Prior art devices frequently comprise positioning elements or closure elements which yield only a limited service life if exposed to high temperatures of coke ovens.

Air proportioning system for secondary air in coke ovens depending on the vault vs. sole temperature ratio


A base station apparatus, communication terminal apparatus, communication system, and communication method are provided that enable the data part transmission amount to be increased, that are resistant to frequency selective fading, and that enable a BS with low transmission loss to be selected. An OFDM transmitting apparatus 100 sets a power measurement pilot as one OFDM symbol in one frame, assigns power measurement pilot subcarrier numbers to base station apparatuses, and transmits a power measurement pilot according to common frame timing among the base station apparatuses, and a communication terminal apparatus 200 is equipped with an autocorrelator 210 that outputs a symbol synchronization signal, an autocorrelator 220 that finds an autocorrelation characteristic of a repeat waveform part that is a repetition of the same waveform having a cycle of ½ effective symbol length or a waveform with the sign reversed having a cycle of ½ effective symbol length from a received power measurement pilot, and an in-phase averaging section 230 that performs in-phase averaging in frame units of an autocorrelation characteristic of the repeat waveform part and detects the positional frame timing of a power measurement pilot on the time axis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a base station apparatus, communication terminal apparatus, communication system, and communication method that perform multicarrier communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various kinds of information apart from voice, such as images and data, have come to be transmitted in radio communications, and particularly in mobile communications. With the demand for the transmission of various kinds of content expected to continue to grow in the future, an increasing need for highly reliable, large-capacity, high-speed transmission is also anticipated. When high-speed transmission is performed in mobile communications, the effects of delayed waves due to multipath propagation cannot be ignored, and transmission characteristics degrade due to frequency selective fading.
Consequently, multicarrier modulation methods such as OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) are attracting attention as one kind of technology for combating frequency selective fading. A multicarrier modulation method is a technology that achieves high-speed transmission by transmitting data using a plurality of carriers (subcarriers) whose transmission speed is suppressed to a level at which frequency selective fading does not occur. With the OFDM method, in particular, the subcarriers on which data is placed are mutually orthogonal, making this the multicarrier modulation method offering the highest spectral efficiency. Moreover, the OFDM method can be implemented with a comparatively simple hardware configuration. For these reasons, OFDM is an object of particular attention.
In mobile communications, a so-called multi-cell method is employed whereby an extensive communication area is provided by dividing the communication area into a plurality of planar zones called cells and deploying a base station apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as BS: Base Station) for each cell. A mobile communication apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as MS: Mobile Station) must perform a process called a cell search to select a BS with low transmission loss that is the most suitable for communication among a plurality of BSs in a multi-cell environment.
OFDM cell search methods have been disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-335557) and Patent Document 2 (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-264524). Also, an OFDM modulation method has been disclosed in Patent Document 3 (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. HEI 8-97798).
According to the communication apparatus description in Patent Document 1, a control channel area and data channel area are divided in the time-axis direction, a frequency in the control channel area is divided into a subcarrier group, each BS transmits a cell search channel assigned to a divided subcarrier group, and an MS measures the received field strength of a received cell search channel and determines if it is in a state in which communication with a BS is possible.
According to the description of a mobile station and base station apparatus in Patent Document 2, a data channel area and control channel area are divided into subcarriers, each BS transmits a control channel assigned to a specific subcarrier, and an MS receives only a subcarrier group to which a control channel is assigned and selects the optimal BS for communication based on control channel information.
Patent Document 3 discloses an OFDM modulator that reduces multipath interference by applying the properties of even-numbered and odd-numbered subcarriers in the OFDM modulation method.
FIG. 1 is a drawing showing the frequencies and frame configuration of a conventional OFDM system. In FIG. 1, the vertical axis indicates time and the horizontal axis indicates frequency. To be more specific, time on the vertical axis is shown by frame timings 1, 2, . . . , and frequency on the horizontal axis is shown by OFDM system subcarrier numbers 1, 2, . . . . Hatching in FIG. 1 indicates data.
As shown in FIG. 1, in a conventional OFDM system, in addition to the necessity of a null symbol 11 for detecting frame timing, a cell search channel 12 is also necessary for identifying a base station to be communicated with after null symbol 11 is detected, and thus one frame includes two OFDM symbols that are not communication data.
However, there are problems with this kind of conventional cell search method, as follows.
In the case of an apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a cell search channel itself does not include a means of differentiating itself from another symbol in the time-axis direction, and a special symbol is provided, separate from the cell search channel for received field strength measurement, that differentiates between a control channel area and a data channel area in the time-axis direction in order to identify the position of a cell search channel in the time-axis direction. There is thus a problem of the data part transmission amount being reduced.
In the case of an apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the BS to be communicated with is determined according to the size of the power average value of a control channel assigned to a specific subcarrier, and there is a problem of not being able to track fluctuations in subcarrier received power due to frequency selective fading.
In the case of an apparatus described in Patent Document 3, although the properties of even-numbered and odd-numbered subcarriers in OFDM are applied, it can hardly be said that the degree of loss in BS-MS communications is faithfully reflected, and furthermore time-axis direction timing identification is not mentioned at all.

Base station apparatus, communication terminal apparatus, communication system, and communication method


An improved bridge circuitry is presented for improved soil sensor measurements. The improved bridge circuitry may include blocking capacitors, the ability to apply bias voltage, and the substitution of AC meters with DC meters and other improvements.

Field of the Invention
The embodiments described herein generally relate to the field of sensors that measure a material's dielectric constant, conductivity, and temperature, which may be used to determine soil moisture and salinity or other properties of materials such as grain moisture content, cement curing, etc.
Description of the Related Art
As of 2011, the global gardening and outdoor living industry was already worth a staggering $187 billion. In North America alone, sales of plants, seeds, and other garden paraphernalia reached nearly $58 billion. These statistics are compelling evidence of humanity's affinity toward verdant foliage and vibrant blossoms. Indeed, many millions of Americans, whether or not they consider themselves gardening enthusiasts, are engaged in some form of lawn care and gardening activities. There are tens of millions of acres of residential lawns in the United States. Even households that do not have access to residential lawns are keen to install planters, and to find alternative, smaller scale ways to cultivate plants both indoors and outdoors.
But maintaining a garden has also become an increasingly difficult and unattainable endeavor in recent years. First, global climate changes have made it harder to create and sustain the various conditions required for different plants to survive. While weather conditions (e.g., temperature, sunlight, and rainfall) often fluctuate outside of historical norms and sometimes to extremes, plants typically need very steady and specific levels of moisture, heat, and light exposure. Consequently, even seasoned horticulturists are struggling to create and maintain ideal plant habitats. In addition, gardening is also now a much more costly pursuit. Many regions around the world experience severe and chronic drought conditions, and water has become a more precious commodity than ever before. The rates for water in the United States, for instance, have increased drastically in recent years (e.g., 75% between 2000 and 2012) as have the fines and penalties for over and misusage of water. Meanwhile, the water shortages that plague many parts of the country are not expected to abate any time soon.
Temperamental weather and soaring water costs are just a few of the challenges that overwhelm conventional gardening methods. Under- and overwatering, for example, are a persistent and pricey problem because most households program sprinkler systems according to a static schedule or frequency, causing plants to be watered regardless of current moisture levels in the soil or imminent rainfall. In addition, gardens tend to be individually unique ecosystems, although the differences are often incredibly nuanced and hardly perceptible to the average person. Very often, a plant that flourishes in one location will mysteriously flounder in another. Alice, for example, can fail to grow peonies in her garden even though the same type of plant thrives in her neighbor Bob's yard. This is because conventional approaches to gardening disregard particularized and real-time data with respect to each individual garden ecosystem. Plant care guidelines, which are typically found on placards that accompany commercially available plants, provide only very general recommendations (e.g., light exposure, type of fertilizer, and watering and feeding frequency). But based on these types of instructions alone, it is still nearly impossible to systematically recreate an ideal growing environment. So more often than not, for the average person, successfully growing a plant often entails an interminable and frustrating succession of trial and error.

Systems and methods for an improved soil moisture sensor


A device for the orthopedic treatment of jaw fractures or tooth displacements has ring-shaped dental bands which surround the teeth and are detachably secured to at least two teeth of a jaw. In order to attach the dental band to the tooth in a secure and detachable manner, at least two tensioning blocks are integrally shaped on the dental band. The tensioning blocks are arranged in pairs at a distance from each other, aligned bores and/or threaded holes are created in both tensioning blocks and the gap may be reduced by means of at least one tensioning screw held in the bores or threaded holes.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for orthopedic treatment of jaw fractures or misaligned teeth, wherein ring-shaped dental bands which loop around the teeth are releasably fastened to at least two teeth of a jaw.
2. Description of Prior Art
Such appliances are commercially available in many varied embodiments. Ring-shaped dental bands are fastened by a special cement on individual teeth of a jaw. Short tubes are soldered to the dental bands and are used for receiving straps and tensioning elements. The tensioning elements transfer directed forces to the individual teeth and thus also to the jaw.
Food remnants enter the area between the dental band and the tooth during eating and are converted into aggressive acids, which after prolonged reaction attack and destroy the enamel of a tooth. Regular cleaning of the space is omitted because the cemented connection would have to be removed, which also causes damage to the tooth enamel.
Another device is known from DE 41 19 942 A1. In this case a strip of material is placed around the outer surface of a tooth. A holder is soldered to the one end of the strip of material, the other end is bent to form a loop-like receiver. A wire is threaded into the loop-shaped receiver and placed around the holder. The free ends of the wire are twisted together, so that the ends of the dental band move toward each other and thus clamp the dental band around the tooth.
Such a dental band can only be employed with those teeth which have a distance from neighboring teeth which is greater than the thickness of the dental band. However, with misaligned teeth in particular the teeth are placed closely together and the dental band cannot easily be placed around the tooth. A special hammer which is used for placing ring-shaped dental bands cannot be used here, since the strip of material has a relatively high degree of instability and tends to bend. A further disadvantage of such a device is that sufficient tensioning forces cannot be achieved because of the twisting of the wire ends, so that the dental band cannot absorb large reaction forces, such as those which occur in connection with correcting misaligned teeth. As a result, the conventional dental bands are displaced on the tooth and the transmitted forces act in uncontrollable directions. For compensation the dental band is provided with holes which can be filled with a special cement, so that the dental band is also held by a connection between the materials. However, the known disadvantages for the tooth enamel again occur because of cementing.

Device for treating jaw fractures or tooth displacements


A combustion chamber for an internal combustion engine is provided which includes a cylinder head body having at least one generally dome-shaped combustion chamber defined by a lower surface of the body and having an intake side and an exhaust side, and a spark plug bore disposed in the combustion chamber so that when a spark plug is engaged in the bore, the dome-shaped portion is provided with an upper surface configured to shelter the electrode from direct impingement of a fresh charge introduced into the combustion chamber through the intake side.

The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines, and specifically to a specialized configuration for a combustion chamber used on such an engine which is designed to minimize spark plug fouling.
Spark plug fouling can be caused when oil, gasoline, or mixtures of the two directly contact the spark plug electrodes to the extent that firing of the electrodes are interrupted or prevented entirely. The problem of fouling is a major design consideration in two-cycle engines, wherein the combustion charge is composed of a fuel-oil mixture, and where the electrodes are located in the cylinder in a position which is exposed to the flow of fresh charge or incompletely combusted fuel, oil and air.
The fouling problem is even more troublesome in small displacement two-cycle outboard marine engines of the type often used to power small boats. This latter class of engines is popular with recreational fishermen, who run their engines for prolonged periods of time at slow or idle speeds, during which the spark plug temperature does not reach the level where excess deposits of excess fuel/oil mixture can be burned off. This type of use exacerbates the spark plug fouling problem.
Small displacement two-cycle engines are often manufactured in the cross-flow format, wherein the fresh charge of gasoline, oil and air enters the cylinder through an intake port virtually simultaneously with the discharge of spent exhaust gases from an exhaust port. In these engines, the intake and exhaust ports are disposed in diametrically opposed locations of the cylinder. To prevent the mixing of fresh charge with the exhaust gases, and to reduce the passage of noncombusted fresh charge out the exhaust port prior to combustion, cross-flow engines are provided with a piston having a top-mounted deflector formation in the shape of a vane or baffle. This vane directs the fresh charge toward the spark plug electrodes, and prevents the fresh charge from passing through the exhaust port prior to combustion.
Cross-flow engines are quite suitable for outboard engines, in that the cross-flow design is particularly effective at "scavenging" the fresh charge gases at low rpm or at idle, when the volume of fresh charge in the combustion chamber is relatively small. This is because the movement of the piston in a two-cycle engine draws the fresh charge into the combustion chamber from the crankcase.
Another operational by-product of a two-cycle engine at idle is that the fresh fuel charge is not fully atomized by the action of the piston, connecting rod and crank shaft on the gas volume in the crankcase. Thus, when these relatively larger droplets of a fresh fuel charge are introduced into the combustion chamber, the potential for fouling increases.
It can be seen that the two-pronged problems of low spark plug temperature and incomplete atomization of the fresh charge in an idling two-cycle engine are significant contributors to the fouling problem. This problem is an especially acute one for sport fisherman, who depend on such small engines for transportation to and from the fishing grounds, and who are inconvenienced in a major way from engine fouling, especially when fouling occurs in remote locations or in foul weather.
One attempt at minimizing the spark plug fouling problem in two-cycle cross-flow engines is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,004, wherein the cylinder head is provided with a generally V-shaped deflector extending towards the combustion chamber from the internal surface of the head. The deflector is intended to divert the incoming flow of fresh charge away from the spark plug electrodes, and to shield the electrodes from deposits of oil and/or gasoline, or from the impact of the combustion gas flow. Although this design reduced fouling over prior designs, the problem of engine fouling has not been eliminated.
Thus, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a combustion chamber shape for an internal combustion engine in which spark plug fouling is reduced significantly from conventional levels.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder head for a two-cycle cross-flow type engine having a combustion chamber shape in which the spark plug electrodes are protected from exposure to the direct flow of the fresh charge, but which still provides adequate power to the engine.

Combustion chamber for internal combustion engine


A semiconductor device includes: an epitaxial layer; a body layer, formed in the epitaxial layer, which includes a channel region; a source layer disposed in superposition on the body layer; a gate insulator, formed on the epitaxial layer, which is in a ring shape surrounding the source layer; a gate electrode formed through the gate insulator; a drift layer, formed in the epitaxial layer, which is in a ring shape surrounding the body layer; and a drain layer formed in the surface of the epitaxial layer and disposed opposite to the source layer. The body layer is disposed such that the boundary surface at an end in the gate-width direction is in contact with the undersurface of the gate insulator. The gate insulator has a thick film portion thicker than a part above the channel region in the gate-length direction at least in a part where the gate insulator is in contact with the boundary surface of the body layer at the end in the gate-width direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device. In particular, the invention relates to a power semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A well-known power semiconductor device is a double-diffused metal oxide semiconductor (DMOS) transistor. The DMOS transistor is a MOS field-effect transistor for which a source layer and a channel-forming body layer are formed by double diffusion. The DMOS transistor has a wide range of applications including power supply circuits and driver circuits.
Among the DMOS transistors are laterally diffused (LD) MOS transistors which conduct currents laterally. An LDMOS transistor is structured as follows. For example, it is provided with an N-type epitaxial layer, and a P-type body layer is formed in the surface of the epitaxial layer. An N-type source layer is formed in superposition on the body layer, and a gate insulator (gate insulating film) is formed in a ring shape surrounding the source layer. A ring-shaped gate electrode is formed on an exposed part of the body layer without the source layer being formed therein, with the gate insulator interposed therebetween. An N-type drain layer is formed in the surface of the epitaxial layer in a position opposite to the source layer. A part of the body layer between the source layer and the drain layer forms a channel region.
A characteristic desired of such a DMOS transistor is a high breakdown voltage. A technology for raising the breakdown voltage is known where an offset region between a body layer and a drift layer constituting a part of the drain layer in a gate-length direction is formed and an offset region oxidized layer is formed on an offset region.
Under the foregoing circumstances, the inventors had come to recognize problems as described below. In a DMOS transistor having the above-described structure, the concentration of an impurity tends to increase at an end in a gate-width direction thereof, which brings about a convergence of electric field there. As a result, the high breakdown voltage characteristic can decline at an end in the gate-width direction. Also, in a DMOS transistor of the above-described structure, there exists an interface between a P-type body layer and an N-type epitaxial layer or drift layer below the end in the gate-width direction of the gate electrode. Hence, with a high voltage applied to the drain layer, the electric field intensity rises in a P-N junction below the gate electrode if there is an increase in the aforementioned impurity concentration at the end in the gate-width direction. This condition may cause a current to flow in the region at the end in the gate-width direction when the transistor is off. And the result will be the loss of desired high breakdown voltage characteristic. Thus the reduced high breakdown voltage characteristics at the end in the gate-width direction will limit the high breakdown voltage characteristic of the DMOS transistor.


On a multilayer film which is formed on a semiconductor substrate, an opening which is opened on a base and an emitter is formed in the multilayer film, and after an SiGe/SiGeC film, which has a composition with a higher content of Si in an upper layer region and a lower layer region, and a higher content of Ge in an intermediate layer region, is formed on an entire surface, anisotropic dry etching is performed for the SiGe/SiGeC film up to a predetermined height of the opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, which is formed with a bipolar transistor being constituted by including a base, an emitter, and a collector on a semiconductor substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a Bi-CMOS transistor which makes use of characteristics of both a bipolar transistor and a CMOS transistor is rapidly developed. As a requirement for the development of the Bi-CMOS transistors, enhancement of the treatment speed of the devices is cited.
In order to meet the above-described requirement, for example, in an NPN transistor that is part of the Bi-CMOS transistor, a method of increasing operation frequency of the devices by forming a P+ diffusion region to be narrow and reducing a distance between N+ diffusion regions, is known. However, as a result of forming the P+ diffusion region to be narrow, the resistance inside the device is increased, and power consumption is increased.
With respect to the above problem, the resistance can be reduced by increasing the concentration of an impurity which is added to the P+ diffusion region, but a harmful effect such as a leak current can occur by increasing the concentration of the impurity. Consequently, a semiconductor film is conventionally formed on the P+ diffusion region, and the semiconductor film is electrically connected to an emitter electrode and a base electrode, respectively, whereby occurrence of a leak current, diffusion of an impurity, and the like are prevented.
Here, a conventional example of a manufacturing method of the Bi-CMOS transistor will be explained. A multilayer film is formed on a silicon semiconductor substrate, and an opening is formed in the multilayer film on the P+ diffusion region functioning as a base, and on the N+ diffusion region functioning as an emitter. Then, after the semiconductor film is formed on an entire surface, an inside of the opening is masked with a resist, and isotropic plasma etching for the semiconductor film is performed, whereby the semiconductor film is formed only in the opening. The semiconductor film and the base electrode are electrically connected to each other at a side wall part of the opening, and the semiconductor film and the emitter electrode are electrically connected at a bottom part of the opening.
However, the semiconductor film, which is used here, is constituted by at least two kinds of semiconductor elements, and as shown in FIG. 8, the content of Si is higher in its upper layer region and lower layer region, while the content of the other semiconductor element is higher in an intermediate layer region. The above-described respective semiconductor elements are different in the etching rate for the isotropic plasma etching. As compared with Si which mainly composes the upper layer region and the lower layer region of the compound semiconductor film, the semiconductor element which mainly composes the intermediate layer region generally has a higher etching rate, and therefore the semiconductor film after the isotropic plasma etching treatment is in a state with so-called "voids", in which clearances occur in the intermediate layer region. Accordingly, electrical connection of the base electrode, the P+ diffusion region and the base electrode is hindered, thus naturally making it impossible to meet the transistor property which is initially expected.

Manufacturing method of semiconductor device including an anisotropic etching step


An arrangement for obtaining flux rate information in a magnetic: circuit including passive means connected across a flux rate sensor for implementing control of said flux rate. The passive means being a tuned magnetic flux rate feedback sensing and control arrangement wherein impedance is tuned and the energy loss characteristic is adjustable. The selection of inductance and capacitance values provides tuning and the selection of resistance affects the energy loss characteristics.

This invention relates generally to magnetic circuits and particularly to obtaining flux rate of change (flux rate) information in a magnetic circuit such as may be used for vibration attenuation in a magnetic forcer system. More particularly, this invention relates to a passive arrangement for the purposes described and, as such, features passive circuitry to implement closed loop control of flux rate of change.
Many arrangements have been developed for the attenuation of vibrations in, for example, magnetic forcer systems, or other mechanical devices. These arrangements can be either passive or active. A passive arrangement relies on internally supplied power. An active arrangement, on the other hand, requires an external power input. An active broadband arrangement wherein a broad range of vibration frequencies are attenuated is described and claimed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,416, and an active tuned arrangement wherein a narrow range of vibration frequencies are attenuated is described and claimed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,290, both of which applications were filed by R. Ushiyama on Jun. 30, 1993.
Passive arrangements include spring/mass devices, mechanical dampers and hybrid visco-elastic devices, and are characterized by energy losses, or impedances such that energy transfer does not occur.
For example, spring/mass devices typically have low energy transfer characteristics above the natural frequency (impedance), whereas mechanical dampers have well defined loss characteristics. Hybrid visco-elastic devices have both of these characteristics. The choice of a suitable passive arrangement depends on a variety of factors peculiar to a particular application. However, mechanical dampers are not practical where dissipative losses can lead to thermal problems, and impedance adjustments are typically acceptable only for implementations where vibration disturbance frequencies are limited in range.
The present arrangement features a passive arrangement having a control loop which is tuned for a range of frequencies within which vibrations are attenuated. This arrangement is particularly applicable for implementation where cost is a factor and the degree of attenuation required is moderate. As such, the present arrangement requires only a secondary coil winding and the selection of appropriate inductance, resistance and capacitance values for a tuned circuit.

Passive tuned magnetic flux rate feedback sensing and control arrangement


A method for producing a microsystem that has, situated on a substrate, a first functional layer that includes a conductive area and a sublayer. Situated on the first functional layer is a second mechanical functional layer, which is first initially applied onto a sacrificial layer situated and structured on the first functional layer. In addition, a layer is situated on the side of the sublayer facing away from the conductive area. The layer constitutes a protective layer on the first functional layer that acts in areas during a sacrificial layer etching process so that during removal of the sacrificial layer no etching of the areas of the first functional layer covered by the protective layer occurs, and that in the region of the areas of the first functional layer implemented without the protective layer the sublayer is removed essentially selectively to the conductive area at the same time as the sacrificial layer. Further, a method is described for producing integrated microsystems having silicon-germanium functional layers, sacrificial layers containing germanium, and open metal surfaces. The sacrificial layers containing germanium are at least partially removed in an etching solution, a pH value of the etching solution being kept at least approximately neutral during the etching procedure using a buffer.

An integrated microsystem may be produced using silicon-germanium compounds and germanium, as referred to in Franke, A. E., Jiao, Y., Wu, T., King, T.-J., and Howe, R. T., Post-CMOS modular integration of poly-SiGe microstructures using poly-Ge sacrificial layers, Solid-State Sensor and Actuator Workshop, Hilton Head, S. C., June 2000, pp. 18-21, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,988.
Integrated Microsystems are electronic systems or a combination of electronic and mechanical systems, such as for example resonators, accelerometers or rotational speed sensors.
To produce them, a conductor layer of silicon-germanium or aluminum is first applied and structured on a wafer having electronic circuits, through electronic passivation. There is a diffusion barrier on the aluminum, of titanium nitride (TiN) for example, to prevent diffusion between the aluminum conductor layer and a SiGe layer. Without this barrier, aluminum atoms would diffuse into the SiGe layer and in some circumstances, would change the material properties of the SiGe layer so that its favorable structuring properties and its good mechanical properties are degraded.
To accomplish the structuring, a layer of photoresist is applied to the layer of silicon-germanium or aluminum-(TiN), and is then exposed. The exposure defines the places where the previously applied photoresist will remain, the exposure phase being followed by a development phase. Next the wafer, i.e., the layer of silicon-germanium or aluminum-(TiN), is etched in an etching procedure, the non-masked parts, i.e., the parts not passivated with the exposed and developed resist, being stripped away during the etching process.
On the silicon-germanium or aluminum layer, which constitutes for example a connection between electronic and mechanical components of a microsystem, a sacrificial layer made up for example of germanium or germanium-rich silicon-germanium is usually deposited and structured, the proportion of germanium in the latter material, which may be 80%.
On top of this sacrificial layer the actual functional layer of SiGe is applied and structured. Before the SiGe functional layer is applied, the sacrificial layer may be structured, for example using a reactive plasma. The SiGe functional layer has a smaller proportion of germanium than the sacrificial layer; a germanium proportion of the SiGe functional layer smaller than 80% may be provided, for example. Over a germanium-rich SiGe sacrificial layer or a germanium sacrificial layer, a SiGe functional layer having a smaller proportion of germanium is thus provided, which is structured into the geometry of the sensor elements using available RIE methods.
After the application of this SiGe functional layer, the sacrificial layer is at least partially removed using an oxidizing agent, there typically being areas located under the sacrificial layer having passivation of electronic circuits as well as open bonding pads and vias, possibly even open conductors, made up as a rule of aluminum, aluminum-silicon or aluminum-silicon-copper. During the sacrificial layer etching these metallic regions are exposed, so that the metallic regions come into direct contact with the etching solution and thus are able to interact with it.
Hydrogen peroxide may be used for example as the etching solution, as referred to in German Patent 38 74 411. It does not attack the electronic passivation, so that no special precautions are necessary to protect the passivation.
A disadvantage of this method, however, may be that while the sacrificial layers are being etched, a reaction occurs between the etching solution, for example hydrogen peroxide, and any open conductors and bonding contacts of aluminum or aluminum alloys, which in some cases even results in complete destruction of bonding pads and other open metallic areas before the sacrificial layer to be stripped is completely removed. The damage to or destruction of the bonding pads or conductors may be comparable in certain circumstances to destruction of the entire integrated microsystem. The etching attack results from the fact that during dissolution of the Ge sacrificial layer or SiGe sacrificial layer, acidic reaction products are formed which lower the pH value of the H2O2 solution so greatly and shift it so far into the acidic range that the aforementioned metallic structures are also attacked. An approximately neutral H2O2 solution does not result in the unwanted etching attack on the metallic structures.
To prevent such an attack on or such destruction of the bonding pads or conductors of a microsystem, in practice an attempt is made to provide the bonding pads or conductors with passivating layers. However, this may necessitate additional process steps, which lead to an increase in the manufacturing costs.

Method for producing integrated microsystems


A taste masked particulate pharmaceutical formulation include a core that comprises an active pharmaceutical ingredient; at least a partial nanoparticle material layer on the core that comprises a nanoparticle material with a median particle size not greater than 100 nm; a first polymer layer that is at least partially water soluble and a second polymer layer that is water insoluble. The active pharmaceutical ingredient is completely released in 30 minutes in the USP Dissolution Test. A process of making the particulate pharmaceutical formulation using sequential fluidized bed coating steps under controlled conditions is also described.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to taste masking of active pharmaceutical ingredients. In particular, it is directed to a particulate pharmaceutical formulation taste masked with a bi-layer coating and a process of producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Medication compliance is a significant challenge for patients who have difficulties swallowing, such as young children, the very elderly and patients with dysphagia. The pharmaceutical industry has developed a number of drug delivery protocols to address this challenge, including rapid in-mouth disintegrating tablets, tablets which disintegrate in liquid prior to ingestion, liquids and syrups, gums and even transdermal patches. Unfortunately, each of these methods has its own problems. For example, transdermal patches can be inconvenient or uncomfortable to use and quite expensive to produce. The flux of drug through the skin can also raise complex dosing issues.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,740,341 discloses that masking the bad taste of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can make it pleasant enough to chew and swallow, therefore making it easier for patients to ingest the medication. A variety of methods have been used to mask the taste of an API. These include the use of flavorings, sweeteners, effervescent systems and various coating strategies. One particularly effective method is microencapsulating API powders by coating with ethyl cellulose, a mixture of ethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose, or other cellulose derivatives, to provide chewable taste-masked medications. U.S. Pat. No. 6,740,341 also discloses a taste masking formulation that includes a taste masking layer and a spacing layer over the drug particles. The drug particle sizes may be up to 1500 μm, which can introduce an undesirable gritty feeling for orodispersible dosage forms. Additionally, this formulation requires two layers of at least 5 μm thick, leading to a high polymer loading, which may affect the size of the dosage form.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,152 discloses a chewable taste-masked tablet having controlled release characteristics comprising microcapsules of from about 100 μm to about 0.8 mm in diameter. The microcapsules have a pharmaceutical core of crystalline ibuprofen and a methacrylic acid copolymer coating with sufficient elasticity to withstand chewing. Large microcapsule sizes are preferred (0.25-1 mm in diameter), because larger microcapsules are easier to manufacture and package, and less expensive to produce than smaller microcapsules. However, microcapsules of this size may fracture during chewing and release drug from the microcapsule, especially when there is an inadequate amount of plasticizer or other component included to provide sufficient elasticity. Therefore, larger sized microcapsules require greater elasticity to minimize the likelihood of fracturing during chewing.
Yang et al. discloses several processing techniques for dry coating cohesive corn starch powder with different silica particles (Yang J, Sliva A, Banerjee A, Dave, RN, Pfeffer R. Dry particle coating for improving the flowability of cohesive powders. Powder Technology, V. 158, 2005, 21-22). The nanosized silica particles provide good flowability enhancement, as compared with mono-dispersed 500 nm silica. It further taught that surface-treated hydrophobic silica is more effective in improving the flowability of corn starch particles than untreated hydrophilic silica. However, Yang et al. is only concerned with flowability and not taste masking.
Chen et al. discloses a process to deposit a very small amount of nano-sized particles (as low as 0.01% by weight) with a high degree of precision onto the surface of cohesive powders, Geldart group C powders (Chen Y, Yang J, Dave R N, Pfeffer R. Fluidization of Coated Group C Powders. AIChE Journal, V. 54, 2008, 104-121). The process improves the flowability and fluidizability of cohesive powders. Chen et al. only discusses the fluidization behavior of ideal cohesive powders such as corn starch, which is often added to pharmaceutical formulations. Chen et al. does not discuss fluidizing active pharmaceutical ingredients, which typically have irregular shapes, high surface energy, and undergo significant tribocharging. Another publication from Chen et al. discloses a process of using fluidized bed film technology to coat group C powders that are deposited with nanosize silica particles on their surface (Chen Y, Yang J, Mujumdar A, Dave, R N. Fluidized bed film coating of cohesive Geldart group C powders. Powder Technology. v189 (2009) 466-480). The examples disclosed in this paper are limited to substantially spherical cornstarch and aluminum particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,276,249 discloses a composition including a fibrate, preferably fenofibrate, and at least one surface stabilizer adsorbed on the surface of the fibrate particles. The fibrate particles have an effective average particle size of less than about 2000 nm.
A significant issue for prior art processes is agglomeration of API particles in traditional fluidized bed coating processes, which typically leads to particle sizes much larger than 100 μm and results in an unpleasant gritty mouth feel that make these dosages unpalatable. The present invention provides a process to produce taste masked API powders by fluidized bed coating with minimal agglomeration of drug particles. The process of present invention also requires a lower polymer loading to allow for API's having a relatively high potency.

Taste masked active pharmaceutical powder compositions and processes for making them


A dosing and/or dispensing system for use with a liquid container such as a bottle or the like for dosing and/or dispensing liquid contents from the bottle. Three different dosing and/or dispensing embodiments are disclosed which enable the liquid to be dosed or dispensed by gravity from the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed in Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003, relates to a dispensing system, which may be either an open loop or closed loop dispensing system, and more particularly to a dispensing system for dispensing corrosive liquid chemicals or dangerous medical liquid products which are typically drawn from the upper end of a container, such as a bottle or the like, to a mixing machine or the like. In that invention, the container is inverted with the liquid product gravity flowing from the lower end thereof. Further, the dispensing system of that invention provides a means for venting the container during shipment or storage in those situations where the liquid within the container requires venting. In the instant invention, three dosing and/or dispensing embodiments are disclosed which are ideally suited for use with portions of the invention of Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003.
2. Description of the Related Art
Corrosive liquid chemicals and dangerous medical liquid products are typically contained in a container such as a bottle or the like and are frequently dispensed therefrom to a mixing machine. Normally, a cap is placed on the bottle with a dip tube extending therefrom downwardly into the interior of the bottle for drawing the liquid upwardly thereinto. Normally, a dispensing tube extends from the cap to a mixing machine or some other piece of equipment which creates suction in the dispensing tube to draw the liquid from the interior of the bottle. In some prior art devices, when the suction or vacuum is removed from the dispensing tube, backflow may occur. Further, when the cap is removed from the bottle, backflow from the dispensing tube may also occur. Additionally, when the cap is removed from the bottle, liquid residue in the bottle may spill therefrom. Additionally, the conventional prior art systems normally do not prevent the re-use of the bottle which is prohibited in some cases. Yet another disadvantage of the prior art is that a reliable and efficient venting means for the bottle is not normally provided for relieving vacuum pressure from within the bottle. The system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 solved the problems associated with the prior art devices or systems.
While the system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 works extremely well when the container is in its normal upright condition, the system may not perfectly function when the container of the co-pending application is inverted. When the container or bottle of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 is inverted, the liquid in the container is drawn or discharged from the normal upper end of the container but which is the lower end of the container in the inverted position. In such a position, the venting membrane, which would normally permit ambient air to replace the liquid in the container as the liquid is discharged from the container, may become "clogged" due to the liquid coming into contact therewith and crystallizing thereon. If air is not permitted to enter the container as the liquid is drawn therefrom, a partial vacuum is created in the upper end of the inverted container which will interfere with the discharge of the liquid therefrom.
The system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 solved the problems of the prior art and represented an improvement in the invention of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/074,469. The invention of application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003, represents an improvement over the invention described in co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375. The instant invention represents an improvement over the invention described in co-pending application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003.


A vehicle brake assembly includes a brake rubbing interface operative to slow a vehicle when activated. The interface produces airborne brake dust particles when activated. A dust collector plate is positioned in close proximity to the brake rubbing interface to collect the brake dust. A charging circuit is operative to generate an electrostatic charge so that the brake dust is attracted to the charged collector plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrostatic brake dust collection assembly in which a charged collector plate collects airborne brake dust particles adjacent a brake rubbing interface of a vehicle brake assembly.
2. Background Art
The present invention addresses problems associated with the generation of airborne brake dust particles from the friction at a brake rubbing interface of a vehicle braking system when the brakes are applied. These airborne brake dust particles sometimes accumulate on aluminum wheels, and have become a recurring customer complaint issue on certain vehicle lines. This debris can be very difficult for customers to remove from an aluminum wheel, and occasionally causes discoloration of the wheels.
Also, the airborne brake dust particles generated by friction brakes may contribute to the atmospheric particulate matter (PM) load, a pollution criteria monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
It has been determined by brake dynamometer and chassis rolls dynamometer tests that a significant percentage of brake wear is in the form of airborne particulates. Brake dynamometer testing has shown that typically 80-90% of the total amount of material worn away from the brake discs and pads is airborne. Currently, the emission of particles in the PM10 (less than or equal to 10 xcexcm diameter) range is regulated for tailpipe emissions at 80 mg/mile, but that value is scheduled to be decreased to 10 mg/mile. Also, the EPA has proposed regulations for PM 2.5(xe2x89xa62.5 xcexcm diameter) particles. It has been determined that brake particles range from 0.4 to xe2x89xa710 xcexcm in aerodynamic diameter, with the mean diameter of 1-2 xcexcm. Brake wear dust potentially contributes to airborne PM load under current and future standards, therefore it is particularly desirable to reduce the release of airborne brake particles, even if this type of emission is not regulated.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for reducing airborne brake dust particles by means of electrostatic, magnetic or electromagnetic dust collection.
Specifically, the present invention provides a vehicle brake assembly including a brake rubbing interface operative to slow a vehicle when activated. The interface produces airborne brake dust particles when activated. A dust collector plate is positioned in close proximity to the brake rubbing interface to collect the brake dust. A field generating system (such as a magnet, electromagnet, or charging circuit which generates electrostatic charge) generates a field so that the brake dust is attracted to the collector plate(s). Preferably, a charging circuit is used to generate an electrostatic field.
In alternative embodiments, the collector plates are magnetic or electromagnetic, and the iron in the dust particles is attracted to the magnetic or electromagnetic collector plate to reduce airborne dust particles.
A method of collecting airborne brake dust from a vehicle brake assembly in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of: a) providing a dust collector plate in close proximity to a brake rubbing interface of the vehicle brake assembly; and b) charging the collector plate to electrostatically collect airborne brake dust generated at the rubbing interface.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for reducing airborne brake dust particles by electrostatically, magnetically or electromagnetically collecting the airborne dust particles closely adjacent the rubbing interface of the brake assembly.
The above object and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.


Processes and apparatus for the heat treatment of fine-grained material, particularly for the production of cement, wherein the material is preheated in a preheater, further heated in a precalcination zone using additional fuel, calcined to completion in a rotary kiln, and cooled in a cooler, the preheated material being introduced into a cooling air stream run off from the cooler and the resulting mixture of gas and solids being introduced from the side into a gas pipe which connects the rotary kiln to the preheater and through which the kiln exhaust gases flow in the upward direction.

In the heat treatment of fine-grained material, particularly in the production of cement, and to relieve the rotary kiln as far as possible of the responsibility of supplying the heat required for calcining the material and, hence, to enable it to be made smaller in size, it is known that the rotary kiln may be preceded by a precalcination zone in which the material already preheated in several stages of the preheater is further heated (and hence largely calcined) before it subsequently enters the rotary kiln. The precalcination zone has to be supplied with fuel and with a combustion medium of sufficient oxygen content to support combustion.
It is known that oxygen-containing kiln exhaust gases, a cooling air stream run off from the cooler of the installation, or a mixture of kiln exhaust gases and cooler air may be delivered as a gaseous combustion medium to the precalcination zone. The particular difficulty of this method of precalcination lies in quickly transferring the heat content of the additional fuel to the material as completely and as uniformly as possible.
In one known installation (cf. "Zement-Kalk-Gips" 1970, 250), the fine-grained material being preheated in several stages of the cyclone preheater, additional fuel and a cooling air stream run off from the cooler are introduced into the gas pipe which connects the rotary kiln to the cyclone preheater and which carries the kiln exhaust gases. Hence, this gas pipe forms the actual precalcination zone. In order to obtain an adequate transfer of heat from the fuel to the gas in this precalcination zone in spite of the non-optimal admixture of fuel, material, cooler air, and kiln exhaust, the gas pipe in question has to be made relatively long which increases the space occupied by the installation and adds to the construction costs.
In another known process (German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,506,580), the preheated material, the additional fuel, and the cooling air stream run off from the cooler are delivered to an auxiliary furnace in which the additional fuel is burnt and the material precalcined. From this auxiliary furnace the material and gas then enter the gas pipe through which the exhaust gases of the rotary kiln flow and which leads to the lowermost stage of the cyclone preheater. The main disadvantages of this known process lie in the considerable outlay involved in providing an additional auxiliary furnace as the actual precalcination zone.
The objects of the present invention are to provide processes and apparatus of the type described above in which, despite minimal outlay on plant for the precalcination zone, heat is transferred as completely as possible and, in particular, as uniformly as possible from the fuel to the material.


Sixty strip-like phosphor display elements are formed on an insulated substrate to extend radially from its center at equiangular intervals, and inner and outer grids are disposed substantially concentrically with the radially extending phosphor display elements in opposing relation thereto. A thermo-electron emissive heater is disposed in opposing relation to the inner and outer grids on the opposite side from the phosphor display elements. A drive-display circuit provides, on a time-shared basis, a short hand display by selecting one of the phosphor display elements corresponding to an hours signal and applying a voltage to the inner grid alone, and provides a long hand display by selecting one of the phosphor display elements corresponding to a minutes signal and applying voltages to both the inner and outer grids.

This invention relates to an analog electronic timepiece which is designed to provide a time display in the same manner as a conventional watch or clock which uses short and long hands to designate hours and minutes respectively.
Most conventional electronic timepieces directly display time in the form of numerals. This method of display is convenient for merely reading the time, but a time display by hands as in a conventional analog timepiece is more suitable for intuitively reading the time interval from the current time to a certain time. From this point of view, it has been proposed heretofore that electronic timepieces employ the same method of display as that using hands.
In one form of analog electronic timepiece, heretofore proposed, a display element disposed on an extension line of another display element, and at a distance therefrom, is used to provide a short hand display to designate hours, and both display elements are simultaneously selected to provide a long hand display to display minutes. In this known arrangement, the long hand display is not produced as one continuous line, i.e., the long hand display is discontinuous, and hence is likely to cause misinterpretation. In another known form of analog electronic timepiece, the short and long hand displays are provided by using entirely different display elements, and a large number of display elements is accordingly required which introduces much difficulty in the manufacture of the timepiece. Further, these known analog electronic timepieces provide a minutes and hours display alone, and do not provide a seconds display. However, electronic timepieces, in particular those employing a crystal oscillator, are very accurate and lend themselves to the producing of an accurate seconds display.
An object of this invention is to provide an analog electronic timepiece which employs a small number of display elements, and which is capable of providing a long hand display in the form of one continuous line.
Another object of this invention is to provide an analog electronic timepiece which is capable of providing a seconds display in addition to the hours and minutes display, and which achieves these displays with a small number of display elements.


A dispenser for truncated conical coffee filters and the like has a cover with a nominal circular and offset opening. A hinged lid has an oppositely hinged tab which is manually pushed into the container interior, so the tabs abrasive tipped free end engages a filter. Lifting of the lid causes the tab to draw a single filter from the nest, through the opening. When the lid is thereafter lowered, the tab is automatically repositioned in a cutout opening of the lid, sealing the container, when the tab engages a tang projecting into the opening.

The invention is particularly useful for dispensing single units of conical paper articles such as filter papers shaped for use in funnels. Common filter paper is typically a cellulose product which is permeable to water and gases, to enable separation of solids from a fluid stream. For low volume intermittent liquid-solid separations, a typical filtering method involves inserting a cone of filter paper into a funnel and pouring the liquid through the funnel.
Conical filters are widely used in industrial laboratories, and so forth to effect or maintain separations. They are also used widely domestically to make coffee drink, and the present invention is particularly suited to the needs attending such use. Such filters come in different configurations, but most popularly they are provided in the form of pleated, truncated circular cones of about 5 inch diameter by 2-3 inch depth. The filter paper thickness is in the range of 0.004 inch. The conical filters are typically sold in quantities of 50-100, nested together, in a loose plastic bag or simple hinged cover box with base or open end upward.
For many people, especially the elderly, it is difficult to readily separate only one of the thin filters from the nested bulk; often several filters will be inadvertantly picked off. If several are used in the coffee-making funnel, there is both more waste and a lower flow rate--and possible liquid overflow, than there ought to be.
Suppliers of filters have recognized the separation problem. Some have provided low cost plastic tweezers, with and without rubber tips, in the filter package. The intent appears that the tweezers be used to grasp the innermost of the nested filters at the truncated end, or closed end, of the cone. Nonetheless, a certain dexterity and skill is still required to obtain just one filter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,673 to Heath et al. shows a filter dispenser having a lid with a slidable arm extending into the concavity of nested filters contained therein. When actuated against a spring, the adhesive tipped arm engages the interior of a filter. Lifting the hinged lid causes a filter to be dragged upward. U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,029 to English shows a like construction where the tip is surfaced with abrasive. U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,726 to Pemberton shows a device that is somewhat similar, having a mechanically pivoted lever with a sharp pointed tip to engage the filters; stops around the side walls retain the filter nest in the container. The foregoing devices are comparatively costly to make, in the context of the low cost of filters, and are not suitably made of low cost materials such as cardboard.
U.S. Pat No. 4,739,902 of Joslyn et al. shows a coffee filter dispenser with several features in common with the present invention; it is made of cardboard and has a hinged lid which is die cut from the top cover. A tab, diecut into the hinged lid, hinges from the outer portion of the lid. The tab is surfaced with adhesive and adheres to a filter, as in the other patented devices, when the tab is pushed into the interior of the filter nest contained in the dispenser. When the lid is raised, a filter is pulled out; remainder portions of the top cover act as stops, to retain the filter nest as the topmost filter is drawn out.
However, all the filter dispensers which use adhesive suffer the disadvantage that there is an accumulation of filter debris over time, lessening their effectiveness. Further, unlike the slidable lever devices, the container of Joslyn tends to not automatically provide a closed container which protects the contents from debris, since after several times of use, the tab tends to sag and remain depressed within the box.
Thus, there is a need for a better system by which a user can separate a filter from a bulk mass of filters. The dispenser will have a low cost, consistent with the price of the filter papers. Ideally, the device will also be amenable to being either the container in which the filter papers are sold, or to being collapsible and economically shipped for separate mail order sale.


A computer program product includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes receiving a message to transmit from the channel subsystem to the control unit. The method also includes determining a first CRC insertion position, and receiving a first CRC calculated over a first block of data in the message. The method additionally includes inserting the first calculated CRC at the first CRC insertion position, and determining a second CRC insertion position. The method further includes receiving a second CRC calculated over a second block of data in the message, and inserting the second calculated CRC at the second CRC insertion position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to input/output processing, and in particular, to insertion of multiple cyclic redundancy check words in an output data stream in an input/output processing system.
2. Description of Background
Input/output (I/O) operations are used to transfer data between memory and I/O devices of an I/O processing system. Specifically, data is written from memory to one or more I/O devices, and data is read from one or more I/O devices to memory by executing I/O operations.
To facilitate processing of I/O operations, an I/O subsystem of the I/O processing system is employed. The I/O subsystem is coupled to main memory and the I/O devices of the I/O processing system and directs the flow of information between memory and the I/O devices. One example of an I/O subsystem is a channel subsystem. The channel subsystem uses channel paths as communications media. Each channel path includes a channel coupled to a control unit, the control unit being further coupled to one or more I/O devices.
The channel subsystem may employ channel command words (CCWs) to transfer data between the I/O devices and memory. A CCW specifies the command to be executed. For commands initiating certain I/O operations, the CCW designates the memory area associated with the operation, the action to be taken whenever a transfer to or from the area is completed, and other options.
During I/O processing, a list of CCWs is fetched from memory by a channel. The channel parses each command from the list of CCWs and forwards a number of the commands, each command in its own entity, to a control unit coupled to the channel. The control unit then processes the commands. The channel tracks the state of each command and controls when the next set of commands are to be sent to the control unit for processing. The channel ensures that each command is sent to the control unit in its own entity. Further, the channel infers certain information associated with processing the response from the control unit for each command.
Performing I/O processing on a per CCW basis may involve a large amount of processing overhead for the channel subsystem, as the channels parse CCWs, track state information, and react to responses from the control units. Therefore, it may be beneficial to shift much of the processing burden associated with interpreting and managing CCW and state information from the channel subsystem to the control units. Simplifying the role of channels in communicating between the control units and an operating system in the I/O processing system may increase communication throughput as less handshaking is performed. However, altering command sequences, as well as roles of the channel subsystem and the control units, can cause difficulties in verifying the integrity of large quantities of data exchanged.
Existing communication protocols attempt to append a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) to the end of a message, allowing the receiver to verify message contents prior to taking action in response to the message. In order to fully verify the contents of the message using this approach, a large amount of buffer space may be needed at the receiver to temporarily hold the message until message verification is performed. Therefore, the size of available buffer space at the receiver represents an upper limit to the message size. Presently, if a message is larger than the available buffer size, the message may be subdivided into smaller messages that will fit into the available buffer size. This approach reduces communication and overall I/O processing system throughput, as additional overhead and delays are associated with sending numerous smaller messages. For example, sending multiple smaller messages may require extra support messages to establish locations for writing data in the smaller messages. It would be beneficial to develop an approach to insert verification checkpoints in an output data stream such that a message, which is larger than the available buffer size, can be incrementally verified. Such an approach would avoid the additional overhead and delays associated with subdividing a large message into multiple smaller messages. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for insertion of multiple CRCs in an output data stream in an I/O processing system.

Multiple CRC insertion in an output data stream

International Business Machines Corporation


A rescue assembly for rapid extrication of a victim from a dangerous environment includes a wearable base member (101, 201) and a rescue strap (103, 104) deployable therefrom. The rescue strap (103, 104) extends outwardly from the base member (101, 201) allowing a rescuer to form a secure connection to a rescue for extrication. Keeper assemblies (208, 209) cooperatively retain the rescue strap (103, 104) within the base member (101, 201) until deployed by the rescuer and a release assembly provides the ability to quickly release the rescue strap from the base member if desired by the rescuer.

Those employed in firefighting, law enforcement, military entities and other similar professions can be put in harm's way by the very nature of their occupation. In many cases, these people train to be prepared for emergency situations which may involve the extrication of others, including co-workers, from dangerous environments. For example, firefighters frequently train to be efficient in rescue and extrication operations for a range of circumstances, including extricating persons from vehicles, dwellings, businesses and other situations. A variety of equipment is available to rescue personnel to both protect the rescuee and aid rescuers in rapidly and efficiently removing persons from danger. A need still exists, however, for wearable, low-profile rescue equipment that allows rescuers to perform 'hands-free' rescue.
Recently, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of so-called 'active shooter' scenarios where one or more assailants attempt to maximize casualties in civilian settings. The sequence of events in such scenarios is tragically similar: one or more gunmen enter a building or venue and begin to inflict harm against as many people as possible, often choosing targets at random. Upon initial arrival, law enforcement and rescue personnel may confront a chaotic environment where, simultaneously, a mass evacuation of the premises may be underway, the assailants must be neutralized and rescue of those injured must be initiated.
It can be increasingly dangerous for personnel of any one agency to assume dual responsibility for both threat neutralization and victim search and recovery. For example, if a SWAT team member encounters a viable victim during a search for a perpetrator, that officer increases the victim's and his risk of being injured or killed if he must holster his weapon to use his hands to drag the victim to a safe location.


A child safety seat assembly includes a support base, and a child safety seat arranged on the support base. The support base includes a shell body, a latch assembly operable to fixedly attach the shell body with an anchorage fixture of a vehicle, and a cushion structure coupled with the shell body, wherein the cushion structure is operable to allow a cushioned displacement of the shell body relative to the latch assembly when the child safety seat is subject to collision.

1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relate to child safety seat assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art
A child safety seat is usually required to seat a young child in a vehicle for protecting the child during crash collision. The child safety seat can be attached on the vehicle passenger's seat with the seatbelt of the vehicle. However, the use of the seatbelt for fastening the child safety seat may be inconvenient, and result in erroneous installation that fails to protect the child during collision.
Another approach proposes to incorporate a standardized latch system (i.e., ISOFIX standard) in the child safety seat through which the seat can be securely attached with an anchorage fixture provided in the vehicle. Because the ISOFIX latch system provides a tight hold of the child safety seat, the energy resulting from a crash collision may be substantially transmitted to the child and cause injury.
Therefore, there is a need for a child safety seat that can address at least the aforementioned issues.


The present invention relates generally to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Embodiments of the present invention provide novel ADC architectures directed at reducing the overall ADC area and power consumption. Embodiments of the present invention may be used in pipelined ADCs, cyclic ADCs, and successive approximation (SAR) ADCs, for example. Further, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented using both single-ended and differential configurations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs).
2. Background Art
Pipeline ADCs, cyclic ADCs, and Successive Approximation (SAR) ADCs are widely used in communication applications that require analog-to-digital converters with high throughput (>10 Megasamples/sec), low latency, and medium resolution (8-14 bits).
However, conventional ADCs are both large in area and high in power consumption. There is a need therefore to reduce the overall ADC area and power requirements.


A tennis score keeping device includes a length of straight rigid plastic pipe having a closed upper extremity and open bottom extremity. A series of at least seven pairs of holes are disposed in the pipe in diametrically opposed relationship. Each hole has a diameter which can frictionally secure an inserted tennis ball. Numbers between one and seven are sequentially associated with each pair of holes to correspond to the game score. A tunnel extends between each pair of holes for the purpose of preventing tennis balls which are inserted too far into a hole from falling into the pipe. The pipe has a slot which permits mounting onto the post of a tennis net, and also has an aperture adjacent the upper extremity which enables the device to be hung on a fence.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to score keeping for a tennis match, and more particularly concerns a device which may be located close to a tennis court for manual operation to record and display the games score of the current set.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the game of tennis, a player or doubles team scores a point when the other side fails to return the ball properly. To win a game, one side must score at least four points. The accumulation of six games by one side constitutes a set. A match usually consists of winning two out of three sets.
The most commonly used technique of posting a tennis score involves a flip card device. In this technique, a T-bar score posting unit is mounted by its vertical member on one of the net posts, and a pair of sets of numbered flip cards are supported from a pair of opposite top cross members of the T-bar. Each flip card has a pair of small through-holes defined therethrough adjacent the top edge of the card. Metal rings are extended through these holes and disposed over the top cross members so as to support the sets of flip cards below the respective cross members of the T-bars. The numbers are printed in sequence on both front and back sides of the flip cards. The cards must be flipped over until the correct numbers are exposed to post the score.
Such flip card devices are tedious to use. The user has to lift each card to see if the number being sought is displayed on the opposite side of the current number being displayed. This creates some fumbling around to find and post the correct score. The flip cards themselves are subject to considerable wear and tear from frequent handling and weathering factors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,113 to Hierath discloses a tennis score keeping device comprising an elongated vertically disposed display mast having a pair of opposite edge portions and a pair of opposite face portions. The face portions contain a sequence of vertically spaced numbers corresponding to the number of games won. A series of pockets is disposed in each edge portion in alignment with said numbers. In use, a tennis ball is pushed into the appropriate pocket along each edge of the mast. The pocket frictionally grips the ball, and the visually distinctive location of the ball indicates the score. Although convenient to use, the Hierath device is of complex construction, and its manner of fabrication predisposes it to deterioration by weathering factors.
The Hierath device is designed exclusively for mounting upon the post which supports the tennis net. However, said posts are not of standardized diameter or shape, and may not accommodate the Hierath device. Also, some organizations that own or operate tennis court facilities prohibit the mounting of upwardly directed devices upon the net-supporting posts. In such instances, the fencing that generally surrounds the tennis court is considered appropriate for the mounting of score keeping devices. The Hierath device cannot readily be operationally hung from fencing because the flat nature of its display mast leaves two little spacing from the fence to permit insertion of a tennis ball into the pockets in the edges of the mast.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a device for manually recording and displaying a tennis game score.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object which is easy to use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature which can be mounted either upon a post that supports a tennis net or upon a fence that surrounds a tennis court.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of simple, durable construction amenable to low cost manufacture.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.
The above and other beneficial objects and advantages are accomplished in accordance with the present invention by a device for recording and displaying a tennis score, and attachable to a post which secures a cord that suspends a conventional tennis net, said device comprising:
a) a length of rigid plastic pipe having a sidewall of circular cylindrical cross-sectional configuration elongated upon a straight center axis between a closed upper extremity and open bottom extremity,
b) a series of at least seven pairs of holes disposed within said sidewall in diametrically opposed juxtaposition on axes orthogonal to said center axis, said pairs of holes being equally spaced apart vertically along said center axis, each hole being of substantially circular shape having a diameter which permits frictional gripping of a standard tennis ball,
c) a tunnel extending between the opposed holes of each pair of holes,
d) visually distinctive indicia in the form of numerals from 1 to 7 sequentially arranged on said sidewall, each numeral associated with a pair of holes,
e) attachment means for achieving securement of said pipe in vertically upright manner to said post, and
f) mounting means adjacent said upper extremity to facilitate pendent securement of the device to a fence.

Device for recording and displaying a tennis score


A system for observing and recording the activity between a practitioner such as a psychiatrist or doctor and a patient includes zoom lens video camera and a microphone having output signals mixed and fed through a delay network to a high capacity tape recorder together with a date/time signal and a remote control for adjusting the recorder speed between a normal recording speed and a dormant slow frame time lapse speed. A monitor is coupled to the mixed signals and the field and orientation of the camera is remotely controlled by the practitioner. A sound or motion sensor may switch the recorder from slow speed to normal recording speed; or in other situations which so dictate, it may initiate the dormant slow frame time lapse speed--regular or random--and so remain.

The present invention relates generally to improvements in methods and apparatus for gathering and preserving information and it relates particularly to an improved video and audio observing and recording apparatus and method.
The practice of many activities and procedures, particularly those of a professional nature such as medicine, psychiatry, law, financial matters involving a practitioner and a subject in which the practitioner provides treatment, consultation, diagnosis, analysis and advice to the subject, the procedure is conducted in a private and confidential manner. Occasionally, controversies arise concerning the conduct and service of the practitioner which result in claims and litigation. The conduct and service complained of usually depends solely on the memories and observations of the participants and such evidence, per se, is usually perceived as being biased and not completely credible. Corroborating evidence of the events in question, particularly when established in normal practice would be very helpful in establishing the true facts, particularly when such evidence is unassailable. This in the long run would reduce the number and probability of malpractice and similar claims and litigation, the cost of malpractice insurance and the overall cost of medical services and insurance. It would also help to preserve and improve conduct and service prophylactically.


A platen drive system and method of leveling platens in a forming station of a twin sheet thermoforming machine in which each platen is driven vertically by four independently operated drive units, each having an electric servo motor, the drive units arranged in two sub sets disposed on opposite sides of an associated platen. The platen is leveled during set up by individual operation of the servo motors.

This invention concerns twin sheet thermoforming machines and more particularly platen drives for platens included in a forming station. In the forming station, upper and lower molds are carried by upper and lower platens respectively for forming separate part halves in a well known manner. After the part halves are formed, the upper and lower platens are moved together to fuse the two part halves together. This process and such thermoforming machines are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,814,185 and 6,969,246 assigned to the same assignee as the present application, and are incorporated herein by reference.
It is critical that the molds mate perfectly in order to produce a uniform seam thickness for such a twin sheet molding process when the platens are advanced together, and this requirement in turn requires both platens to be perfectly level to be parallel when fully advanced, partially with large platens.
However, it is difficult to achieve level platens with large area platens and requires extremely time consuming manual adjustments requiring disassembling of gearing. The meshing of drive gearing with fixed gear rack guide posts typically used to guide the platen motion makes this very slow, difficult and time tedious since variations of the degree of engagement of the drive unit gearing engagement with the four gear racks affects the level condition of such a platen, i.e. a greater degree of engagement slightly elevates the associated platen and a lesser degree of engagement slightly lowers the platen changing the degree of gear engagement with one post may affect another gear-post engagement.
In addition, the perfectly plumbed guide gear rack posts engage guide bushings on the platens during travel of the platens, and even a slight out of level condition would create significant binding in the post/sleeve engagement surfaces, particularly in large area platens and result in rapid wear of the guide bushings to significantly increase maintenance costs.
Conventional platen drives involve one or two motors driving respective sets of gearing which engage associated fixed gear posts to drive the platens.
Machining a large platen is costly as very large machining centers are required to accommodate such platens and align bores at either end of the platen for the respective gearing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the leveling platens in a thermoforming machine station which reduces the time and difficulty of setting the platens level.
It is a further object to provide a platen drive for thermoforming machine forming station platen which allows simplified leveling of the platens and also lower a cost manufacture of the platens.

Form station platen drive for a thermoforming machine and a method of leveling platens