A fluent material dispensing apparatus having a hopper for receiving and holding fluent material, the hopper having an open rectangular mouth which converges into multiple individual discharge openings. Formed around each of the discharge openings are discharge chutes for dispensing the fluent material. A support frame for supporting the hopper includes base members and a plurality of vertical legs extending between the hopper and the base members. A swing gate is pivotally mounted to each discharge chute and is movable from an open to a closed position over the opening of the discharge chute for covering and uncovering the discharge chute to control the discharge of fluent material from the hopper. A swing arm is fixed to each swing gate. A linkage rod is connected to the free end of the swing arm and also to one end of a pivotally mounted lever arm connected to a pivot member on the support frame. The opposing end of the linkage rod is connected to a foot pedal which when depressed actuates the swing gate to allow the fluent material to dispense from the hopper. The apparatus also includes a spring means for quickly returning the foot pedal to a resting position upon release of the foot pedal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices and apparatus for dispensing fluent material into containers. More particularly this invention relates to material. dispensing devices which can fill bags, boxes or other containers with sand, cement, rocks, soil, grain, chemicals or other fill material.
2. Background of the Invention
Frequently, it is desirable to fill bags, boxes or other containers which have small openings with a large volume of fluent material. As used herein, "fluent material" means material which flows or is capable of flowing and usually made up of relatively small particles, such as powders, sand, gravel, rock, pebbles, dirt, soil, limestone waste, cement, grain, fertilizer or other granular or powdery material. For example, when a flood occurs, sandbags are needed promptly, but current equipment does not readily fulfill the need to quickly and efficiently fill bags with fluent material such as sand. Filling sandbags is particularly a problem because it generally requires extensive manpower and further requires more time than emergency situations usually allow. Also, sandbag filling equipment, to be effective, should be portable, as well as easy to maintain. Among the most important considerations when performing such a task is to fill the sandbags efficiently by maximizing the speed by which containers are filled and minimizing the spillage of material outside the containers.
Currently, when fluent materials need to be packaged in bags or other containers the typical method is for front-end loader tractors to dump the fluent material in piles at a location where the containers will be filled and used. Then, workers typically fill the bags manually using shovels either by dumping the fluent material directly from the Shovels into the bags or by employing a funnel-like tool. Such a method of filling bags is very inefficient. Not only does this method require more than one worker (one to shovel the fluent material and one to hold the bag), it is also excessively slow. Furthermore, spillage occurs frequently due to the fluent material falling off the shovel and onto the ground both while transporting the fluent material from the stockpile and while transferring the fluent material into the bag. These inefficiencies combine to make using shovels to manually fill bags with. fluent materials an expensive and time-consuming endeavor.
Filler material dispensing devices have been known for some time as is evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,836,421, 1,783,423, 1,732,271, and 4,073,410. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,421 teaches a transportable tank container which includes a dispensing chute and an agitating mechanism for loosening hardened particles which clog the dispensing chute. However, this device is completely enclosed and is not suited for efficient high-volume filling due to its encapsulated design, and also it employs only a single dispensing chute. Further, an operator must activate the dispensing chute with his or her hands which limits the operator's ability to manipulate the container to be filled.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,783,423 teaches a hand-activated device used to hold and dispense material, specifically, chemical feed. This invention also is not suited for high-volume dispensing due to the fact that it only employs one dispensing chute and the dispensing chute release is hand-operated.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,732,271 teaches a portable device used to hold and dispense material, particularly for the purpose of filling such material into containers. Though this device includes a foot-operated chute release pedal, it is not suited for efficient high-volume filling due to the fact that it only employs one dispensing chute and lacks a table for supporting the bags being filled with fluent material. Furthermore, this invention relies on a counter-balance weight to close the chute to stop the flow of fluent material, which has the disadvantage of not closing quickly, particularly when a relatively heavy material is being dispensed, such as sand, cement, or rocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,410 teaches a portable apparatus used to hold and dispense material, particularly to dispense filler material evenly into trenches. This apparatus is not suited for efficient high-volume filling of containers since its design does not allow a user to easily attach a bag or container to the dispensing chute. Furthermore, this apparatus' dispensing chute release is operated by a hand-lever.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provided a portable fluent dispensing device with a foot-operated dispensing mechanism that can be used to efficiently fill a large number of bags or containers with fluent material in a short amount of time. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide material dispensing devices for filling containers without the operator needing to use his or her hands to activate the dispensing mechanism. It is yet another object to provide a dispensing gate which can readily close without clogging.

Apparatus for dispensing fluent material into containers


A reflective detection device, includes: oscillation element oscillating a terahertz wave; exit part from which the terahertz wave exits; incident part to which the terahertz wave reflected from a detection target is incident; and detection element detecting the terahertz wave incident to the incident part, wherein the exit part and the incident part are disposed on one side in first direction and are spaced apart from each other in second direction with respect to the detection target, the terahertz wave exiting from the exit part travels to propagate from the exit part toward the incident part in the second direction along a direction toward the detection object in the first direction, and the terahertz wave incident to the incident part travels to propagate from the exit part toward the incident part in the second direction along a direction away from the detection target in the first direction.

It is widely used to detect the presence or absence of liquid in an internal space of a tank or a pipe during production of industrial products or general use of various devices. In the related art, a so-called transmissive liquid detection device is disclosed. Further, in the related art, a so-called capacitive liquid detection device is disclosed.
In the transmissive liquid detection device, however, it is required to form a part of the tank or pipe with a transparent material through which detection light can transmit. In addition, when detecting the presence or absence of a liquid at a plurality of positions, the capacitive liquid detection device is required to ensure a sufficient distance from an adjacent liquid detection device in order to avoid interference of the adjacent liquid detection device.


Provided is a system and continuous flow process for producing monodisperse semiconductor nanocrystals comprising reservoirs for the starting materials, a mixing path in which the starting materials are mixed, a first reactor in which the mixture of starting materials is mixed with a coordinating solvent and in which nucleation of particles occurs, a second reactor in which controlled growth of the nanocrystals occurs, and a growth termination path in which the growth of the nanocrystals is halted.

Examples of semiconductor nanocrystals (also referred to as quantum dots) are known in the art to comprise a chemically linked combination of a cation and an anion. Suitable cations are generally selected from the group consisting of heavy metals including lanthanides, actinides, and transition elements. In applications involving optical properties, suitable cations particularly include, but are not limited to, transition metals. For example, known in the art are semiconductor nanocrystals consisting of cation Cd coupled to an anion selected from the group consisting of Se, S, and Te (collectively referred to as "CdX"). CdX quantum dots have been passivated with an inorganic coating ("shell") uniformly deposited thereon. The shell which is used to passivate the quantum dot may be preferably comprised of YZ wherein Y is Cd or Zn, and Z is S, or Se. Quantum dots have been exploited in applications generally in the field of optoelectronics. More recently, quantum dots are being modified to impart properties for water solubility. Water-soluble quantum dots, which are stable in aqueous solutions, have biological, biochemical, and industrial applications. More specifically, water-soluble quantum dots may be extremely sensitive in terms of detection, because of their fluorescent properties including, but not limited to, high quantum efficiency, resistance to photobleaching, and the capability of being excited with a single wavelength of light resulting in detectable fluorescence emissions of high quantum yield and with discrete fluorescence peaks. Passivating the surface of the core quantum dot can result in an increase in the quantum yield of the fluorescence emission, depending on the nature of the inorganic coating.
In optoelectronics applications, consistency of particle size and shape is important in the responsiveness and efficiency of optoelectronic devices utilizing quantum dots. Additionally, in applications relating to fluorescence detection, the size of the core of the quantum dot directly relates to the wavelength spectral range of the fluorescence emission. The size of quantum dots depends on several factors including, but not limited to, the starting concentration of the reactants, size of the initially formed particle, the reaction time during which the nanocrystal grows in size, and the reaction conditions (e.g., temperature). Currently, the standard method used by those skilled in the art for semiconductor nanocrystal synthesis is a manual batch method. For example, the manual batch method for producing CdSe semiconductor nanocrystals which uses TOP(TBP)/TOPO (TOP=trioctylphosphine, TBP=tri-n-butylphosphine, TOPO=trioctylphosphine oxide) to synthesize nanocrystalline CdSe, has been described in more detail previously (Murray et al., 1993, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115:8706-8715). The batch method is capable of producing varying sizes of CdSe nanocrystals at a scale of up to several hundred milligrams of TOPO-capped CdSe at a time. While each reaction gives crystals of a particular size and of some monodispersity, it is very difficult to reproduce any given size and of a controlled monodispersity between batches. Additionally, in a manual batch method there is a relative inability to tailor the resultant nanoparticles to a specific size and of a limited monodispersity due to the lack of control of crystal growth and crystal size. Hence, the batch method particularly suffers from limitations when the electrical and optical properties are highly anisotropic. In addition, the method is not readily scaled up to accommodate a commercial scale production (in gram quantities).
In continuing the illustration of CdSe as an exemplary semiconductor nanocrystal, the following is a brief description of the manual batch method, which also includes particular trouble points encountered in performing the method. A first step involves drying a mass of TOPO by heating above 100.degree. C. under vacuum. It is then backfilled with an inert gas and further heated to the desired reaction temperature. However, at the desired reaction temperature (300.degree. C. or greater), the TOPO is beginning to decompose due to the high temperature. Thus, the length of time that the TOPO is heated before the injection takes place has a noticeable impact on both the final size and the dispersity of sizes in the product. The time used to heat the TOPO will vary from reaction to reaction and from group to group due to differences in heating efficiency between different heating modules and human error.
In a second step, a mixture of Me.sub.2 Cd, TOPSe (or TBPSe) and TOP (or TBP) is loaded into a syringe under inert atmosphere and injected quickly into the hot, molten TOPO, with vigorous stirring of the TOPO provided by a magnetic stirbar. In this step, the rate of injection is highly dependent on the individual operator. The total time needed for injection will also vary depending on the volume to be injected. In general, the longer time elapses between the beginning and end of an injection, the greater the disparity in the final product. Immediately following injection, the temperature of the reaction mixture begins to drop, and then begins to rise again. The temperature profile during the injection step directly affects the growth of the nanocrystals. While the kinetics of the reaction during the injection phase are poorly understood, the process of nucleation of the nanocrystals followed by a growth phase appears to be dependent on the concentration of the monomer (e.g., Me.sub.2 Cd precursor), temperature of the mixture, and time of reaction. During injection of starting reactants, the temperature drops dramatically. The temperature change is critical to the kinetics of the reaction; and hence, has a direct effect on the final product.
In a third step, the heating is continued either for a length of time chosen by the operator, or until the crystals have reached the desired size, as determined by removing an aliquot of the solution and measuring its uv-vis spectrum. When the endpoint is reached, the mixture is cooled and the crystals collected and purified. By removing aliquots of the reaction mixture and measuring the uv-vis spectrum, the operator can monitor the size and dispersity profile of the reaction. However, removal of reaction mixture from the reaction flask is potentially dangerous, as the reaction mixture is pyrophoric.
Thus, a need exists in the art for a process for producing semiconductor nanocrystals in which variables of the reaction are readily controlled in synthesizing semiconductor nanocrystals of a uniform size on a relatively large scale economically and efficiently.

Continuous flow process for production of semiconductor nanocrystals


There is provided a structure for reducing optical loss in an optical apparatus (homogenizer) for making the intensity distribution of a laser beam uniform.. In a multi-cylindrical lens (a glass substrate having a multiplicity of cylindrical lenses formed thereon) used in a homogenizer, convex cylindrical lenses and concave cylindrical lenses are arranged alternately, and the boundaries between the cylindrical lenses have a smooth structure. This makes it possible to reduce scattering of beams that has occurred at the boundaries between the cylindrical lenses.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed in this specification relates to optical apparatuses utilizing a laser such as apparatuses for performing an annealing process by means of irradiation with laser beams (laser annealing apparatuses) and, more particularly, to an laser annealing apparatus projecting beams with a large area which is capable of providing an uniform effect of irradiation. Such a laser annealing apparatus is used in semiconductor manufacturing steps and the like.
Laser beams with a large area are used in apparatuses including exposure apparatuses for forming fine circuit patterns such as semiconductor circuits. Especially, ultraviolet laser beams are used for forming circuits with design rules on a sub-micron basis.
2. Description of the Related Art
A techniques for crystallizing amorphous silicon films by irradiating them with laser beams has been known. Another known laser irradiation technique is to irradiate silicon films with laser beams in order to recover them from damage to crystallinity thereof due to the implantation of impurity ions and in order to activate the implanted impurity ions. Such techniques are referred to as "laser annealing techniques".
A typical example of the latter technique is the annealing of the source and drain regions of a thin film transistor. Those regions are annealed by irradiating them with laser beams after ions of impurities, typically phosphorus or boron, are implanted into those regions.
Such a process of irradiation with laser beams is characterized by the fact that there is substantially no thermal damage to a substrate.
The feature of giving no thermal damage to a substrate reduces limitations on the materials to be subjected to such a process and is advantageous, for example, in forming a semiconductor device on a substrate made of glass or the like which has low heat resistance. This feature is especially important in the fabrication of active matrix liquid crystal displays which recently have an increasing range of application.
For an active matrix liquid crystal display, it is desirable to use a glass substrate from the viewpoint of cost and the requirement for a larger surface area.
A glass substrate can not withstand a heating process at temperatures as high as 600.degree. C. or more or 700.degree. C. or more. An effective technique for avoiding this problem is to perform annealing after the crystallization of a silicon film and the implantation of impurity ions as described above by irradiating it with laser beams.
Even when a glass substrate is used, a method employing irradiation with laser beams results in substantially no damage to the glass substrate. It is therefore possible to use a glass substrate in fabricating a thin film transistor having a crystalline silicon film.
There has been another proposal to use laser beams as a light source for forming fine circuit patterns taking advantage of the fact that laser beams are coherent light. Especially, the use of an ultrasonic laser makes it possible to obtain fine patterns having sizes in sub-microns or smaller.
However, since laser beams have small beam areas when they are generated by a laser apparatus (hereinafter they are referred to as "source beams"), it is common to process a large surface area by scanning laser beams across it. This results in problems including low uniformity of the effect of the process in a surface and a long period of time required for the process. Especially, common source beams result in a significant problem from the viewpoint of uniformity of the effect of processing when used as they are because they have non-uniform distribution of light intensity.
Under such circumstances, a technique has been proposed wherein source beams are processed into beams having highest possible uniformity and the beam size is changed in accordance with the shape of the surface area to be processed and the like. Common beam shape is rectangular or linear shape. Such an arrangement makes it possible to perform uniform laser annealing over a large surface area.
FIG. 1A shows an example of a laser irradiation apparatus in which source beams are processed. For example, an excimer laser is used as the laser oscillator. Laser beams are oscillated by decomposing predetermined gases by means of RF discharge to produce an excited state referred to as "excimer state".
For example, in a KrF excimer laser, an excited state KrF* is obtained by high voltage discharge using Kr and F as raw material gases. While this excited state is unstable as indicated by its duration in the range from several nano-seconds to several micro-seconds, KrF in the ground state is more unstable. This results in inverted population wherein the density in the excited state is higher than the density in the ground state. As a result, induced radiation occurs, which makes it possible to obtain laser beams having relatively high efficiency.
The laser oscillator is not limited to an excimer laser, and other pulse lasers or continuous lasers may be used. In general, pulse lasers are appropriate for the purpose of achieving a high energy density.
As shown in FIG. 1A, a source beam emitted by the laser oscillator is processed into an appropriate size by a beam expander formed by a concave lens or a convex lens.
The beam then enters an optical device referred to as "homogenizer" which includes at least one lens device (multi-cylindrical lens) having a multiplicity of cylindrical lenses (generally in a parabolic configuration) . As shown in FIG. 1B, a conventional multi-cylindrical lens includes a plurality of cylindrical lenses 1 through 5 (which are all convex lenses) formed on a single sheet of glass.
In general, two multi-cylindrical lenses are used and arranged so that they are perpendicular to each other. Obviously, the number of the multi-cylindrical lens may be one or three or more. When one multi-cylindrical lens is used, the non-uniformity of a source beam in one direction is dispersed. When two or more multi-cylindrical lenses are formed in the same direction, the same effect as increasing the number of the cylindrical lenses can be achieved.
When a beam passes through the multi-cylindrical lens, the beam can be converted into a uniform beam having a distributed energy density. The principle behind this will be described later. Thereafter, the beam is processed by a converging lens into a desired shape or, if needed, deflected by a mirror to be projected upon a sample (see FIG. 1A).
A description will now be made on the principle of a conventional homogenizer (multi-cylindrical lens) and a problem of the same which is the problem to be solved by the invention. In order to avoid complication, discussion on an optical basis will be focused on only one surface. Laser beams that have passed through a multi-cylindrical lens are as shown in FIG. 2A.
Here, the multi-cylindrical lens L includes five convex cylindrical lenses 1, and the beam incident upon each of the cylindrical lenses is refracted by the cylindrical lens. After being converged at a focal point, the beams are diffused. This process results in a region in which all of the beams that pass through the respective cylindrical lenses are mixed (mixed region).
Let us assume here that the distribution of the optical intensity of the beams is polarized, resulting in differences in the intensity of the beams incident upon the respective cylindrical lenses. In the mixed region, however, such polarization is scattered because the beams that pass through the respective cylindrical lenses are mixed. That is, the optical intensity is made uniform. It is thus possible to obtain beams having less distribution of optical intensity (see FIG. 2A).
When we look at the paths of the beams that pass through the multi-cylindrical lens, the beams can be regarded as beams emitted from point light sources F (i.e., focal points) arranged at equal intervals (distances "a") (see FIG. 2B).
The same effect can be achieved by providing a convex cylindrical lens l.sub.1 on one side of a glass substrate and a convex cylindrical lens l.sub.2 on the other side at an interval "a". In FIG. 3A, the path of a beam that has passed through the cylindrical lens l.sub.1 is indicated by the solid line, and the path of a beam that has passed through the cylindrical lens l.sub.2 is indicated by the broken line. In this case, a mixed region is obtained as in the case shown in FIG. 2A (see FIG. 3A).
When we look at the paths of the beams that pass through the multi-cylindrical lens, as shown in FIG. 3B, the beams can be regarded as beams emitted from two kinds of point light sources F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 (i.e., focal points) (see FIG. 3B).
In the case of the conventional multi-cylindrical lens as described above, since there is an angle at the ends of each cylindrical lens (boundaries between itself and other cylindrical lenses), beams have been scattered at such regions, which has resulted in optical loss. This means that the laser beams can not be effectively utilized and the beam intensity is reduced.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A pre-paid mobile phone cash wallet system. The system comprises a processor, a memory, and an application stored in the memory. When executed by the processor, the application receives an initiation message of a pre-paid mobile phone cash wallet, wherein the initiation message identifies a pre-paid wireless communication account, an amount of money presented, and a wallet initiation agent, creates the wallet, where a funds balance of the wallet initially comprises at least a portion of the amount of money presented, persists an association between the wallet and the wallet initiation agent in a memory, and determines a monetary reward for the wallet initiation agent.

Users of portable electronic devices may utilize a variety of different services such as web services or other data services, voice call services, and short message service (SMS—also known as text messaging). These services may be offered by a communication service provider of portable electronic devices. Service providers may offer one or more of phone service, internet service, text messaging service, and/or other portable electronic device communication services, and may bundle more than one of these services. The bundle of services may be referred to as a service plan or device plan. The device plan may be provided as a post-pay billing system, such that a user is billed for services already provided. For example, a user may be billed at the end of a month for the services they have used in that month. Alternatively, services may be prepaid, such that a user pays for an amount of service, which may be applied as a credit to the user's account. The user may then utilize the service until the amount of prepaid service is consumed. Then, if desired, the user may buy additional service credit in a variety of increments or units. A data plan, for example, may be purchased as a number of bits or unlimited data for a specified period of time.


A system and method for managing data writes in a non-volatile memory including SLC and MLC blocks of non-volatile memory and a MLC block health rating data structure tracking relative MLC block health. A controller in the system may be configured to select MLC blocks for receiving host data and then route the host data over a direct MLC write path for healthy blocks, or over a two-step indirect write path that includes a SLC write and a SLC-MLC fold for unhealthy MLC blocks. The method may include assigning a health designation based on BER determined for each MLC block and assigning a direct write number to healthy MLC blocks based on the determined BER that limits the number of program/erase cycles for direct writes for a particular MLC block until a re-assessment of block health is needed.

Non-volatile memory systems, such as solid state drives (SSDs) including NAND flash memory, are commonly used in electronic systems ranging from consumer products to enterprise-level computer systems. The performance of lower density (fewer bit per cell) non-volatile memory is often better than that of higher density non-volatile memory in terms of endurance, but the space and cost advantage of higher density non-volatile memory often leads to SSDs including both types of memory. The greater endurance of lower density memory, such as single level cell (SLC) memory with a single bit per cell capacity, may suggest that initial host writes should be directed to SLC before later being written from the SLC to a multi-level cell (MLC) memory with multiple bit per cell capacity in a process referred to a folding. There are speed advantages, however, to directly writing host data to the MLC memory and avoiding the extra write step of first writing host data to SLC memory and then folding the data from several SLC blocks into a MLC block. The tradeoff, however, is that by skipping the typical path of a first write into SLC and then a fold from SLC into MLC, there is less write failure protection. An initial write into SLC before folding into MLC means that there is a temporary copy of the correct data in SLC if an error occurs in the SLC to MLC folding step. Although various forms of data protection encoding may be used to protect data from errors in a direct MLC write situation, there may be a performance cost due to the extra processing necessary to generate the error correction data.

System and method for dynamic folding or direct write based on block health in a non-volatile memory system


A handheld electronic, a sound produce system and control method of sound producing thereof are provided. The sound produce system includes a speaker, a feedback unit, a gain unit and a compensation unit. The speaker generates audible sound according to an output audio signal. The feedback unit generates a first detected parameter, wherein the first detected parameter represents a detected excursion. The gain unit receives an input audio signal, and amplifies the input audio signal to generate a gained audio signal according to a gain value. The compensation unit receives the gained audio signal and the first detected parameter, and predicts an excursion of the speaker corresponding to the gained audio signal to generate a predicted excursion parameter, and compensates the gained audio signal to generate the output audio signal according to the first detected parameter and the predicted excursion parameter.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a handheld electronic apparatus, a sound producing system thereof and a control method of sound producing thereof, and particularly relates to a handheld electronic apparatus capable of compensating harmonic distortion of a speaker, a sound producing system thereof and a control method of sound producing thereof.
Description of Related Art
In recent years, in order to provide high quality multimedia functions, electronic apparatus is generally configured with a high quality sound producing system. In the conventional technical field, a speaker in the sound producing system is generally limited by factors of the maximum excursion, temperature raise, non-linear characteristics of a transducer, and non-linear factors caused by an amplifier corresponding to the speaker. Therefore, manufacturers determine the method for driving the speaker, by which the speaker is driven by a rated power in a long-term period, and is driven by the highest power in a short-term period. The aforementioned limitation conditions of driving power intend to limit the maximum excursion and the temperature raise of the speaker to be within a safety range. In order to reproduce signals with a wide dynamic range without distortion, loudness of the speaker is decreased, which especially occurs on a handheld device operated under the power limitation conditions. Therefore, in recent decades, a dynamic range compression technique is generally adopted to control the driving operation of the speaker, so as to make a balance between the distortion and the loudness.
Moreover, the conventional technique further provides a method for first compensating an input audio signal and then amplifying the compensated audio signal, though the compensation operation performed to the original input audio signal is rather complicated, and it has high difficulty in implementation to complete the accurate compensation operation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Handheld electronic apparatus, sound producing system and control method of sound producing thereof


A method for branching data in a mobile communication terminal to perform data communication between a mobile station and a network which have media access control sublayers. In a data sending mode, each of the media access control sublayers of the mobile station and network attaches logical channel types based on traffic characteristic information and a radio bearer status to a media access control header contained in data to be sent. Then, each of the media access control sublayers branches the data to be sent, to transport channels corresponding to the attached logical channel types. In a data receiving mode, each of the media access control sublayers determines logical channels corresponding to logical channel types of a media access control header contained in received data. Then, each of the media access control sublayers branches the received data to the determined logical channels. Each of the media access control sublayers performs mapping and multiplexing/demultiplexing between logical channels and transport channels according to traffic characteristics to branch data. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently provide various multimedia and packet services.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to mobile communication terminals, and more particularly to a method for branching data in a mobile communication terminal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Until now, a conventional mobile communication system has provided only a pure speech service or a simple short message service (referred to hereinafter as SMS). With a third-generation mobile communication system being developed, there have recently been proposed a multimedia service and short/long packet services.
Such third-generation services require a new layer, which is called a media access control (referred to hereinafter as MAC) sublayer.
The MAC sublayer has to perform a branching operation suitable to a service characteristic in order to appropriately process a variety of services.
However, the conventional mobile communication system is disadvantageous in that the MAC sublayer cannot efficiently branch various multimedia and packet services because the system provides only simple services such as the SMS.

Method for branching data in mobile communication terminal


An apparatus for vascular access devices such as syringes and guidewires placement devices capable of differentiating type of blood vessel penetrated by a cannula, including a chamber in flow communication with the cannula, the chamber being adapted to house a vacuum pressure to accelerate backflow of blood from a blood vessel penetrated by the cannula and a slideable, displaceable member within the chamber, such as a piston, displaceable against a calibrated pressure sensitive resilient member such as a spring. The displaceable member is displaced against the pressure sensitive spring rearwardly by the blood pressure indicating to the operator the type of blood vessel penetrated by the cannula by the amount of rearward displacement of the piston in respect to a point reference tab located on the side wall of the chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatuses for differentiating blood vessel type in the vascular access field.
2. Prior Art
In medicine numerous vascular access procedures are carried out for placement of needles, catheters, guidewires into blood vessels for a variety of indications and procedures. Arteries and veins are accessed for various and different reasons. Veins are usually accessed for administration of fluids, drugs, blood and blood products, for angiographic studies of the venous system, venous pressure monitoring, blood sampling and others. Arteries are accessed for invasive blood pressure monitoring, delivery of specific drugs at specific locations, angiographic studies, blood sampling for blood gas analysis, interventional cardiological procedures and others.
Except for the superficial suprafascial veins which run alone without the correspondent artery, deep blood vessels, arteries and veins run in most cases alongside with each other, vasa concomitantes, and have the same name. Superficial veins are veins which run above the fascia beneath the skin, return blood from the skin and the subcutaneous regions into the deep veins. In most cases superficial veins are visible under the skin and palpable. These are the veins commonly accessed by health care operators for blood sampling and for placement of intravenous lines.
Deep blood vessels, veins or arteries are anatomically deeply located and are neither visible nor palpable. Deep veins of the systemic circulation are called central veins and are used for vascular access for a variety of indications: rapid administration of fluids, medications, blood or blood product in situation of emergency such as cardiac arrest or shock in which most peripheral veins are collapsed, insertion of cardiac Swan-Ganz balloon catheters, failure to obtain vascular access by the peripheral route, measurement of central vein pressure, insertions of transvenous pacemakers, administration of hyperalimentation solutions and others.
The most common central veins used for gaining access to the circulation are the jugular vein, in the neck, the subclavian vein, beneath the collar bone, and the femoral vein, in the groin.
The procedure for gaining access to central veins and placing a catheter into a central vein is called central line placement. Usually it is carried out with the Seldinger technique which encompasses the insertion of a guidewire into a blood vessel prior to the insertion of a catheter. Regardless of the devices and the techniques used the blood vessel is accessed by the operator via a hollow needle. The operator aims at a target central blood vessel with a needle connected to a syringe or to a Guidewire Placement Device as disclosed by Zadini et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,415,177, 5,579780 and 5,749,371. Once the operator ascertains blood vessel penetration by visualizing blood flashback into the syringe or the vacuum chamber of the Guidewire Placement Device, the operator proceeds with the Seldinger technique of guidewire insertion. A guidewire is advanced through the hollow needle into the vessel lumen to a desired length. The needle is then removed, the guidewire is left in place within the vessel and a catheter with introducer is slid over the guidewire into the vessel and advanced into it.
Same procedure is carried out for gaining access to arteries.
Due to the fact that arteries and veins run alongside, it is often difficult for the operator to differentiate whether an artery or a vein has been penetrated by the needle tip.
Color of the blood, usually darker in veins, pulsatility of the blood absent in venous blood and present in arterial blood, can help the operator in distinguishing between the two. However no known method or apparatus gives the operator the absolute certainty that a vein has been penetrated instead of an artery.
Placing a catheter in the wrong type of vessel can carry disastrous consequences to a patient, causing significant morbidity and, at times, mortality. Furthermore in carrying out the procedure of central line placement in subclavian or internal jugular veins, the pleura and the lungs can be punctured accidentally by the operator with the needle and the catheter can be erroneously advanced into the pleural cavity. This can result in the dreadful complications of pneumothorax, hemothorax and/or hydrothorax.
It is therefore of paramount importance for the operator "to know where is at with its needle", whether in a vein, artery or pleural cavity, before completing the procedure of guidewire advancement and catheter placement.
Fischell et al. disclose in their U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,414 an "ergonomic vascular access needle" device which allows insertion of a guidewire through a lumen of a plunger of the device into a blood vessel . The device has a centrally located capillary tube in flow communication with a variable volume chamber. The volume of this variable volume chamber can be preset at some specific volumes, different for vein in respect to arteries. When this variable volume chamber is preset for arteries, blood pulsatility can be observed within the capillary tube confirming arterial cannulation instead of venous cannulation as arterial blood within the capillary tube generally pulsates while venous blood generally does not. While this device provide the operator with means of identification of blood vessel type penetration, still has definite drawbacks. First of all, at low pressures, such as pressures encountered often in clinical situations which demand insertion of central lines, the pulsatility of the arterial blood may be absent or hardly distinguishable from variation in length of the blood column which could occur with patient respiration in the venous central system. The method of blood vessel type identification by pulsatility is therefore unreliable as too often unpredictably dependent upon the clinical situation.
Marks discloses in its U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,410 an entry indicator for arterial or intravenous needles. The invention relates to a device basically composed of a hollow needle with transparent hub and a grossly dome shaped membrane with a flexible portion sealingly attached to the inside of the needle hub and covering the proximal portion of the needle. According to the inventor the flexible portion of the membrane may move or inflate in response to pressure within the blood vessel penetrated by the needle tip.
This device has obvious drawbacks and limitations. The device cannot be used with syringes of any type nor guidewire placement devices. Indeed the disclosed device can be used only with catheters over the needle as the membrane attached to the hub and covering the proximal portion of the needle precludes any use of syringes, guidewires, catheters inside the needle as the membrane completely blocks the patency to passageway of the needle.
Furthermore Marks in the cited U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,410 in the paragraph "Background of the invention" states that "the present intravenous and arterial cannulas depend upon a visual observance of blood itself in the hub of the cannula after the blood has flowed trough the length of the cannula in order to indicate that the cannula needle has entered the vessel".
It is obvious that, in the device disclosed by Marks, it is the column of air within the cannula which displaces the flexible portion of the membrane upon blood vessel penetration by the needle tip serving as indicator of blood vessel penetration. Otherwise, should be the blood to deflect the flexible portion of the membrane, the device would be neither useful nor novel as the operator would visualize the blood at the proximal end of the needle well before the flexible portion of the membrane flexes in response to the fluid pressure of the blood.
It is seems obvious that the column of air, capable of stretching the flexible portion of the membrane to the extent disclosed, illustrated and claimed in the Mark's Patent requires a certain degree of compression prior to the stretching of the flexible portion of the membrane. This compression of air may delays the indication of blood vessel penetration by the needle tip and may make Mark's device unreliable in clinical situations of low blood pressure where the column of air is expected to be only marginally compressed.
A search in the Patent office failed to identify any apparatus for syringes or guidewires placement devices or in general for vascular access devices provided with vacuum creating means, capable of achieving blood vessel type differentiation rapidly, swiftly and reliably at bedside as the invention below disclosed.

Apparatus for blood vessel type differentiation for syringes and guidewires placement devices


A method of removing pollutants from building materials using an externally applied adsorbent. The adsorbent has a high affinity to common pollutant chemicals. The pollutants are transferred from the contaminated microporous building materials onto the adsorbent until sufficient amounts of pollutant chemicals are reduced to make the building materials acceptable and safe to use. The adsorbent may be regenerated and reused or treated as a waste.

Fuel oil spills resulting from storage tank leaks, overfills, or catastrophic floods may pose a sizable risk to human health. Hydrocarbons (and other chemicals spilled during the flood/hurricane) get entrapped along with water inside the pore spaces of solids thus forming so called "ganglia", a three-dimensional network of pores filled with a mixture of chemicals and water. This problem emerged after a catastrophic flood that occurred in Grand Forks, N. Dak. in April 1997. During the flood, a number of fuel oil tanks in residential basements were ruptured and the spilled hydrocarbons mixed with water and were absorbed into the concrete walls of the basements as well as into wooden flooring and first floor framing wood. Afterward, slow evaporation exposed residents to hydrocarbon vapors, which lasted for years. The residual vapor concentration in some residence basements was high enough that the EPA condemned the houses, resulting in their total destruction.
Porous, solid materials such as concrete, wood, gypsum, brick and like materials can become contaminated with semivolatile organic chemicals which pose a sizeable risk to human health. Semivolatile organic chemicals, such as fuel oil, diesel, and other transportation fuels, come in contact with and can be absorbed into porous, solid materials, typically as a result of spills, leakage, and/or catastrophic floods. Other sources of contaminating semivolatile organic chemicals include household chemicals, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and other industrial chemicals that can be absorbed into porous materials due to commercial, industrial or home use. Semivolatile organic chemicals can also be absorbed into porous materials due to intentional acts of sabotage where these organic chemicals are used as chemical warfare agents or delivered in conjunction with other chemical warfare agents.
Unfortunately, common remediation techniques, such as heating and pump-and-treat technologies, prove to be inefficient for the removal of semi-volatile organic chemicals from concrete and wood. For example, heating causes pollutants to penetrate deeper within concrete blocks, which inhibits remediation and merely delays the release of the organic vapors into the ambient air. Treating surfaces with soap also does not work in this application. Surfactants can not reach the organic chemicals trapped in the ganglia and thus are not effective in causing these chemicals to be removed from the material.
The problem is not limited to hydrocarbons and/or floods. For instance, military munitions production and storage facilities may be heavily contaminated with hazardous explosives and the by-products of their manufacture, such as trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 2, 4-dinitrotoluene (DNT). Common remediation techniques have been shown to be ineffective in these applications as well.
It is evident that there is a compelling need for an efficient method of removing organic chemicals from the pore spaces of monolith-type solids. The present invention demonstrates how an externally applied adsorbent can be used to reduce the amount of semi-volatile organic chemicals absorbed into porous, solid materials upon application of the applied adsorbent to the surface of the building materials.

Adsorbent mediated reduction of organic chemicals from solid building materials


The present invention is drawn to hyaluronic acid fractions having molecular weights in the range of from about 20,000 to about 60,000 daltons, wherein these hyaluronic acid fractions possess osteoinductive activity. The present invention further includes pharmaceutical compositions comprising such hyaluronic acid fractions to be used in the treatment of various types of bone disorders, as well as methods of treating such disorders using the pharmaceutical compositions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of various fractions of hyaluronic acid as osteoinductive agents, i.e., agents capable of stimulating the growth and differentiation of bone forming cells, and therefore the formation of new bone material itself. The type of activity refers to cells of mammalian origin.
2. Description of Related Art
An intricate network of macromolecules constituting the extracellular matrix, a substantial part of the tissue volume, largely fills the extracellular space. In many tissues, such as connective tissues, it is generally more abundant and completely surrounds the cells on all sides, thus determining the physical properties of the tissue. The extracellular matrix is of considerable importance in regulating many processes of tissue behavior. It has been demonstrated that changes in the state and composition oft he extracellular matrix profoundly influence biosynthetic processes and tissue development.
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are the most plentiful non-fibrous, extracellular macromolecules, and are ubiquitous in all connective tissues. This group of high molecular weight anionic glycoconjugates is present in both the soft and mineralized connective tissues. They are substantially composed of large molecules called "non-collagenous proteins" (NCP) of the extracellular matrix, or "proteoglycans". The first of these terms distinguishes these molecules from the group of fibrous proteins such as collagen, elastin, fibronectin and laminin; the second indicates that they are usually found to be covalently bound to protein.
The biological properties of proteoglycans have been the object of intense research, mainly with regard to the soft tissues. The bone and cement, on the other hand, have been virtually ignored as far as their proteoglycan content is concerned. In fact, there is only one report in existence which describes the proteoglycans of the alveolar bone (R. J. Waddington et al., Connective Tissue Res., 1988: 17, 171).
GAGs are long, unbranched polysaccharide chains composed of repetitive disaccharide units. The type of sugar residues, their bonds, and the number and position of the sulfate groups have led to the identification of four main groups of GAGs: 1) hyaluronic acid, 2) chondroitin solfate and dermatan sulfate, 3) heparan sulfate and heparin, and 4) keratan sulfate. It is important to note that GAGs (with the probable exception of hyaluronic acid) rarely exist in a free state within tissues. They are usually covalently bound to proteins.
With the exception of hyaluronic acid, GAGs contain sulfate groups, which together with carboxy groups, form a molecule with a highly negative charge under physiological conditions.
Hyaluronic acid (HA), also called hyaluronan or hyaluronate, contains up to several thousand sugar residues. It is a relatively simple molecule composed of regular sequences of non-sulfated disaccharide units.
HA is considered capable of facilitating cell migration during morphogenesis and tissue repair. It is found in varying quantities in all tissues and fluids in adult animals, and is particularly abundant in early embryos. Because of its simplicity, HA could represent the earliest evolutionary form of glycosaminoglycan. There is a correlation between HA production and mesenchymal cell movement on the one hand, and between HA distribution and cell differentiation on the other (B. Toole et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., USA, 1972: 69, 1384). The wound healing process possesses some aspects in common with early events which occur during the embryonic development of many organs, and HA plays an important role in both processes (B. P. Toole (1976) in S. H. Barondes, Ed., Neuronal Recognition, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 275-329); a correlation has been found between HA and cell adhesion, in terms of HA receptors (Goldstein et al., Cell, 1989: 56, 1063; I. Stamenkovic et al, Cell, 1989: 56, 1057).
Most of the characteristics of HA noted above for connective tissue can also be observed in bone. The probability that noncollagenous proteins influence local calcification mechanisms was assessed some time ago (H. Iwata et al., Clin. Orthop., Rel. Res. 1973: 90, 236; M. R. Urist, in Bourne, G. H. ed.: The Biochemistry and physiology of Bone, New York, Academic Press, 1976: 1-59). There are a number of interrelationships between HA and bone formation:
1. HA is a prominent component of the extracellular matrix during morphogenesis of bone (B. Toole et al., Develop. Biol., 1971: 26, 28; H. Iwata et al., Clin. Orthop., Rel. Res., 1973: 90, 236);
2. Considerable quantities of HA are present during the transition of mesenchymal cells to cartilage (O. Wiebkin et al., FEBS Lett., 1973: 37, 42; C. H. Handley et al., Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 1976: 444, 69);
3. In terms of its correlation with wound healing processes and bony tissue development (B. P. Toole (1976) in S. H. Barondes, Ed., Neuronal Recognition, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 275-329), HA can be considered as a sort of "primer".
It has long been known that HA is useful in the treatment of periodontal diseases (Minerva Stomatol. 17: 140, 1968; Riv. Ital., Stomatolog. 20: 1540, 1965). There seems to be well-defined sequence of events in these cases:
--First, a HA-rich matrix is deposited in a space poorly furnished with cells;
--Secondly, cell migration is stimulated and the HA matrix is infiltrated by cells migrating from adjacent tissues; and
--Lastly, the cells inside the extracellular matrix secrete hyaluronidase (which degrades the HA), sulfated glycosaminiglycans, and collagen, which replace part of the HA while the matrix becomes remodelled.
In each of the three developmental systems noted above, the HA matrix is first synthesized and then degraded. Consequently, it is probable that this transitory HA matrix, poor in cells, is needed before the complicated series of cell-mediated events which follows its destruction can proceed.
The presence of a certain number of sites binding HA onto the different types of cell surfaces has also been reported, such as in endothelial cells and fibroblasts (S. Eriksson et al., Exp. Cell Res. 1983: 144, 223; R. H. Raja et al., J. Cell. Biol.; 1985: 101, 426a; C. B. Underhill et al., Cell Biol. 1979: 82, 475). Thus, HA is able to interact specifically both with the cell surfaces and with the molecules of the extracellular matrices.
The chemical and physical-chemical characteristics involved in HA's osteoinductive activity have not yet been identified. It is known that the biological activity of hyaluronic acid can often be associated with definite fractions of different molecular weights and viscosity.

Method of using low molecular weight hyaluronic acid for stimulating bone formation


An apparatus comprises a number of sub-systems and a control interface operably coupled to sub-systems for routing data therebetween. A strobe generation function is operably coupled to the control interface and configured to generate a plurality of different strobe signals to differentiate between different intended receiving devices. Thus, different strobe signals may be multiplexed onto a single control interface link, based on a pulse width or voltage magnitude characteristics of the respective strobe signals. A strobe decoder function is operably coupled to the control interface and configured to decode a plurality of different strobe signals to differentiate between triggering sub-systems on receiving devices.

Wireless communication devices, such as mobile phone handsets, require a very high level of integration of hardware and firmware/software in order to achieve the necessary density of functionality, i.e. to realise the necessary functionality in a minimum device volume and at a minimum cost. An optimal wireless communication device design must also minimise power consumption in order to increase the battery call time and/or stand-by time.
Wireless communication devices also incorporate a number of distinct and operably coupled sub-systems, in order to provide the wide variety of functions and operations that a complex wireless communication device needs to perform. Such sub-systems comprise radio frequency power amplification functions, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFIC) comprising radio frequency generation, amplification, filtering, etc. functions, baseband integrated circuits (BBIC) comprising audio circuits, encoding/decoding, (de)modulation functions, as well as processing functions, etc and memory units.
Interfaces, which are often standardised to allow commonality and increased functionality between different chip-set manufacturers and different handset manufacturers, are often standardised for communicating between the respective sub-systems.
One typical interface found in a wireless communication device is the interface between a baseband integrated circuit (BBIC) and a radio frequency integrated circuit—(RFIC). Contact pins on ICs are used to route electrical signals between devices/elements/functions. It is generally desirable to minimise the number of pins in ICs used in wireless communication devices, as the use of extra pins, for example on a BBIC-RFIC interface, increase IC area, increase IC cost and complexity and increase power consumption.
In the field of mobile phones, a consortium of mobile phone manufacturers has been formed to define various sub-system interfaces, particularly interfaces between variants of second generation cellular phones (2.xG) when migrating to cover additional, future wireless communication technologies, such as multimode transceivers additionally employing third generation (3G) wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) technology. This consortium is known as 'DigRF', and details of the defined interfaces and functionality thereof, particularly in multimode mobile phone scenario, can be found on their web site at www.digrf.com. Multimode operational specs are not yet available.
One interface being standardised by the DigRF consortium is the BB-RF interface, which encompasses a serial data/control interface for Receive (Rx) and Transmit (Tx) variants of second generation of cellular phone (2.xG) chipsets. When defining the interface to also accommodate the increased complexity and data rate required for 3G technologies, it is clearly advantageous to minimise the IC pin count.
The 2.xG standard contains a strobe signal for conveying layer 1 timing information, for example between the RFIC and BBIC. Notably, the strobe signal's width and magnitude are fixed. Thus, all strobes are indistinguishable from each other. Furthermore, the interface standard was developed with a 2.xG transceiver (TRX) only in mind. On the BBIC RFIC interface the Strobe signal is provided to support precise timing of events inside the RFIC
However, it is envisaged that wireless communication devices in the future may need to accommodate multiple communication modes. So far, no solution has been proposed to convey layer 1 timing information to multiple transceivers using the same interface. The inventors of the present invention have recognised and appreciated that the obvious solution of duplicating pins, such as a 2.xG IC pin supporting strobe signals, to accommodate multiple modes is wasteful of valuable resources.
IBM's U.S. Patent Application—US 200430071015 A1—discloses a use of strobe signals in the field of SDRAM (memory) interfaces. A 'single' strobe signal is selected to accurately latch data to a Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM). A concept of transmitting a single strobe signal from different sources is also described.
However, the technique proposed in US 200430071015 A1 would still not solve the aforementioned problem of wasting valuable resources, as it suggests latching a single strobe signal, per function.
An U.S. Patent—U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,096 B2—inventor of Kuge et al. and applicant of Renesas Technology Corporation, describes a further technique of using strobe signals with interfaces to memory ICs. U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,096 B2 discloses an interface circuit device for performing data sampling at optimum strobe timing, by using stored data window information to determine the strobe timing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,096 B2 highlights an interface where data is latched correctly into memory by selecting an optimum delay on a latch strobe for a write/read (WR) memory.
Thus, a need exists for a mechanism, for example within a wireless communications device, to incorporate integrated circuits/sub-systems and a corresponding control interface that support strobe signals to multiple devices (for example transceivers), without incurring increased cost or complexity or increased pin count.

Apparatus and control interface therefor


A regulated partial power controlled converter is presented, with the partial power controlled converter containing a DC/DC converter receiving an input signal. The regulated partial power converter providing a first converted signal from a first terminal, and providing a second converted signal from a second terminal. The regulated partial power converter also contains a first capacitor connected between an output node and an intermediate node, a second capacitor connected between the intermediate node and a ground, and a charge balance circuit connected to the output node, the intermediate node, and the ground. An output power of the partial power controlled converter is based on a first partial power provided by the DC/DC converter and a second partial power provided by a charge balance circuit.

High efficiency power converters are used in many applications to reduce power losses and heating, as well as reduce the size of the power supplies. In telecommunication applications, a power converter may have a wide input voltage range, such as 36 volts (V) to 70 V. The power converter output may be load dependent and have a wide range, and vary from 20 V to 50 V for example. The power converter must be able to accommodate the input and output range, provide an accurate output voltage, and maintain high efficiency.
Thus, it is desirable to have a new power converter topology and method to overcome such issues.

High-efficiency regulated buck-boost converter


The current invention relates to the structure, synthesis of dialkyl(2,4,6- or 2,6-alkoxyphenyl)phosphine or its tetrafluoroborate, as well as its applications in the palladium catalyzed carbon-chlorine bond activation for Suzuki coupling reactions and carbon-nitrogen bond formation reactions. The dialkyl(2,4,6- or 2,6-alkoxyphenyl)phosphine or its tetrafluoroborate could coordinate with the palladium catalyst to activate the inert carbon-chlorine bond highly selectively and catalyze Suzuki coupling reaction with arylboronic acid or carbon-nitrogen bond formation reaction with organic amines. The current invention uses only one step to synthesize dialkyl(2,4,6- or 2,6-alkoxyphenyl)phosphine and its tetrafluoroborate is stable in the air. Compared with known synthetic routes of ligands used in activating carbon-chlorine bonds, the method of current invention is short, easy to operate. Moreover, with this type of ligands, the Suzuki coupling products of optically active chlorolactones and arylboronic acids would maintain their configuration and optical purity.

Organic halides are very important building blocks in organic synthesis. However, in their application in the past, expensive but relatively active organic bromides and iodides were used in coupling reactions to synthesize target molecules (Chem. Rev. 1994, 94, 1047). If inert carbon-chlorine bonds can be selectively activated and to use cheap chlorides in these types of reactions, it would be much better not only in respect of atom economy but also in respect of industrial cost. So far, some organic phosphine ligands can be used to activate inert carbon-chlorine bonds (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 4176; Acc. Chem. Res. 2007, 40, 275; Acc. Chem. Res. 2007, 40, 676; Acc. Chem. Res. 2008, 41, 1461; Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2008, 2013; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 6338). However, during the study on the carbon-chlorine bond coupling reactions of the optically active β-chloro-α,β-unsaturated five-membered lactones, the inventor of the current invention has discovered that some ligands commonly used in the activation of carbon-chlorine bonds (such as: tricyclohexylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate or 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2′,6′-dimethoxybiphenyl etc.) cannot yield the corresponding optically active coupling products highly selectively (please see embodiments for specific examples).

Structure and method for synthesizing and using dialkyl(2,4,6- or 2,6-alkoxyphenyl)phosphine and its tetrafluoroborate


Proposed is a method of fabricating semiconductor devices involving vapor etching of channels and/or growth of layers in a substrate. The etch or growth rate is controlled by opening up additional regions in the mask which are separated from the opening used to define the active region. The etching or growth in the additional exposed regions of the substrate consumes a certain amount of reactant and controllably reduces the amount available for etching or growth in the active region.

This invention relates to the fabrication of semiconductor devices.
The fabrication of certain semiconductor devices includes the step of etching channels in a semiconductor substrate. Notable among these devices are laser devices such as channel substrate buried heterostructure (CSBH) lasers. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,208 issued to Johnston, Jr. et al.) A well-formed channel can be critical to good device performance. In most techniques presently employed, the channel is formed by use of an appropriate etch mask with an opening formed above the area of the substrate which will comprise the channel region. The exposed substrate is then typically etched by a chemical etchant, for example, a mixture of HCl and H.sub.3 PO.sub.4 when the substrate is InP. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,454 issued to Dautremont-Smith, et al.)
Present techniques appear to be adequate. However, vapor etching is an attractive alternative since it is inherently cleaner than chemical etching. It also has the potential for lower cost and higher throughput in cases where it is desired subsequently to form various device layers by vapor growth, since etching and growth can be done in a single chamber. One major problem which exists in masked vapor etching, however, is the fact that the gas etchant tends to move along the mask surface and attack the exposed substrate in the channel openings. This increases the etch rate, thereby making control of the etching difficult. Attempts to solve this problem by reducing the amount of etchant have not been satisfactory, in general, since reducing the concentration below a certain value tends to produce rough channel sidewalls.
The same problem has also been found where it is desired to effect vapor growth in the exposed area of a masked substrate. That is, growth rate will be difficult to control since the reactants will tend to move along the mask surface.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to control vapor etching of channels and/or vapor growth of material in a semiconductor substrate.


A rotor for a machine includes a plurality of rotor segments, each rotor segment forming a rotor pole and having two permanent magnets interior to the rotor to direct magnetic flux from the permanent magnets through one rotor pole of one rotor segment, through an air gap of a rotor-stator interface between the rotor and the stator, and through a stator pole, wherein at least one rotor segment comprises a saturatable bridge section comprising a structural arch to cause permanent magnet flux from at least one rotor permanent magnet to traverse through an air region of the rotor to core material of the rotor.

In a conventional permanent magnet (PM) rotating machine having a rotor and stator, rotor magnets normally are mounted on the surface of the rotor back iron and produce an air gap flux density equal to the area of one of the permanent magnet's pole face area, as lowered by the air gap reluctance. Further, the magnets are located on the rotor in a manner where two permanent magnets face into three stator poles to accommodate a conventional three-phase lap wound motor/alternator or generator design. Since the flux from the permanent magnets in this conventional design is shared by three poles, the effect is diminished with regards to increasing the gap flux density. Further, if one pole in such a convention design is shorted, all three poles are shorted, which will cause the machine to lock. This does not provide for a fault tolerant design, and any imbalance on one of the phases will distort the other phases.
With the rising cost of rare earth permanent magnet materials, rotating machine designers are looking for solutions that will reduce the amount of rare earth material used without sacrificing power density. A conventional way of achieving this goal is to increase the number of stator teeth that produce torque over the 360 degrees [2 pi radians] they occupy.
One such machine topology is a single phase permanent magnet synchronous motor. A drawback with a single phase permanent magnet [PM] synchronous motor/generator is that all of the rotor and stator teeth come into and out of alignment at the same time or angular intervals, producing their minimum and maximum torque (motor) or power (generator) values at the same time. Therefore, the average power (mechanical power/torque or electrical power) is lower than the desired optimal torque or power.
A multiphase permanent magnet machine will produce a higher average torque or power since each phase will contribute to the torque or power at different angular intervals. However, a distributed or lap wound permanent magnet multiphase machine will have one or more stator teeth that do not produce torque or power over an angular interval since more than one tooth forms a stator pole. This lowers the number of torque or power producing teeth over 2 pi radians. In addition, the phases in a permanent magnet distributed or lap wound multiphase machine share the same flux sources (i.e. the permanent magnets), which limits the amount of available energy stored in the magnetic field for a given phase since this energy is shared by all of the machine's phases. A concentrated wound multiphase machine increases the number of teeth producing torque or power but does not address the problem with the phases sharing the same flux source (i.e. the permanent magnets).

Magnetically isolated phase interior permanent magnet electrical rotating machine


A translational exercise machine with horizontal free planar motion, has a base frame, supporting an optional upper horizontal frame with seat and backrests supporting the user, and supporting an intermediate wheeled horizontal frame, supporting an upper wheeled frame. A vertical frame with horizontal handlebar with hand/foot grips is provided, which frame is optionally attached to the upper horizontal frame, or to the upper wheeled horizontal frame. With hand or foot use of the hand/foot grips, the user can propel self and wheeled frames in any horizontal motion. Exercise is caused by acceleration of the user and wheeled frame masses in a horizontal plane, and by braking assemblies between frames.

The present invention relates generally to an exercise machine, and more particularly to a translational type exercise machine with horizontal free planar motion.
In recent years the value of staying physically fit has become universally recognized, and sought after by men and women of all ages, with a high emphasis on the cardiovascular system. To this end, a wide variety of exercise equipment has been provided for use in fitness centers and in homes. Fitness centers, which have ample space and financial resources, tend to provide a variety of specialty equipment which concentrate on the exercise of very specific muscle groups. However, family units have limited space and financial resources. Consequently, families need an exercise machine which is space effective and economical, and which: can exercise the entire body with a minimal number of operations; is primarily aerobic in nature, but able to provide significant resistance for anaerobic exercise; is easy to operate and adjust, and can be operated by any member of the family, including the disabled; and has no user body impact or other detrimental affects.
Many machines which have been invented are either aerobic or anaerobic. Those machines which are primarily aerobic, such as cycles: are simple in nature, but tend to involve only the lower body, have a one directional action (not push/pull), and exercise a limited number of muscles.
Machines which are primarily aerobic, but involve the upper and lower body, such as rowing and riding machines, have a prescribed motion path, either one direction horizontally, or a combined vertical motion, and tend to have multiple simultaneous activities and multiple user body load paths (legs and arms). The multiple simultaneous activities tend to be difficult to perform. The multiple user body load paths cause the user to decide which path to emphasize, reducing the effectiveness of the other path.
Both of the above types of aerobic machines operate in a linear horizontal direction, or combine a vertical motion, but do not allow transverse motion. Consequently the use of associated muscle groups is greatly reduced.
Finally, machines which are primarily anaerobic, are either multi-functional, or concentrate on one muscle group. Because of space limitations, only the multi-functional machines are of use in most family units. While these machines exercise the entire body, but only one muscle group at a time, they tend to be complex, spacious, not user friendly to all family members, and not aerobic.
Additionally, many of the above machines are complex in operation, using multiple moving parts, such as cables, pulleys, weights, stretch bands, and levers.
Specifically, applicant has developed a translational type machine with horizontal free planar motion which can exercise the user""s entire lower or upper body, with one machine operation for each, using a single user body load path; is primarily aerobic in nature, using variable directional momentum as force resistance, and is able to provide supplemental user adjusted braking resistance for both push and pull, aerobic and anaerobic exercise; is easy to operate and adjust, and can be used by any member of the family, including the disabled; and has no user body impact or other detrimental affects. Finally, this machine is simple in construction, resulting in cost effectiveness.
In accordance with the present invention, applicant provides a translational type exercise machine with horizontal free planar motion. The apparatus comprises of a horizontal base frame, an intermediate wheeled horizontal frame, which rides upon the base frame, with adjustable brakes to resist longitudinal motion; an upper wheeled horizontal frame, which rides upon the intermediate wheeled horizontal frame, with adjustable brakes to resist lateral motion; a vertical frame, which can be attached to the upper wheeled horizontal frame, or to the horizontal base frame, comprised of two vertical channel members, a horizontal handlebar member which is vertically adjustable, having sliding attachment to the vertical channel members, and having positionally adjustable hand/foot grips clamped to the horizontal handlebar; an upper horizontal rigid frame, which can be attached to the horizontal base frame, passing over the wheeled horizontal frames; and a seat and backrest assembly which support the user, which can be attached to the upper horizontal rigid frame, or to the upper wheeled horizontal frame.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a translational type exercise machine with horizontal free planar motion, which makes use of the momentum of the user and the machine frames, to provide a uniform push and pull resistence throughout the exercise cycle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a translational type exercise machine with horizontal free planar motion, which adds a two-directional frame braking system, to cause additional uniform push and pull resistence throughout the exercise cycle.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a translational type exercise machine with horizontal free planar motion, which makes use of hand/foot grips, which can be adjusted to any convenient height or spacing to provide a user selected variation in the orientation of the user body load path during said exercise cycle.
Some of the objects of the invention have been stated, other objects will become evident as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings described below.

Translational exercise machine with horizontal free planar motion


A flooring system includes at least two discrete layers, the at least two discrete layers including at least a first discrete layer, wherein at least a portion of the least a first discrete layer includes a first material displaying dilatant properties, at least a second discrete layer. A method for assembly of an athletic flooring system includes installing at least a first discrete layer, wherein at least a portion of the least a first discrete layer includes a first material displaying dilatant properties and installing at least a second discrete layer.

Athletic flooring must be carefully designed to permit maximal athletic performance while limiting injury and fatigue. Both goals have traditionally been addressed by constructing sprung floors that rebound elastically from impacts, cushioning athletes' bodies when running and jumping and subtly enhancing their performance by providing a slight recoil force. The elastic nature of sprung floors, however, creates an additional problem, because of the tendency of elastic objects to vibrate harmonically. The vibration can make the floor slightly harder to navigate, and can cause fatigue and injury to athletes in its own right. Typical sprung floors thus have pads or blankets of damping material installed to limit the floors' elastic response and stop vibration. These damping pads and blankets must generally be thick to be effective, necessitating thick subfloors and increasing expense of construction. Furthermore, floors incorporating the pads cannot respond optimally to all conditions: the balance between elasticity and damping is crucial; too much elasticity increases vibration and fatigue, while too little increases injury. This balance is upset to one extreme or the other when exposed to higher and lower velocity impacts in the course of athletic endeavors.

Flooring system including a material displaying dilatant properties, and methods for installation of an athletic flooring system


An earpiece of a headset uses a first signal and a second signal received from an in-ear microphone and an outside microphone, respectively, to enhance microphone signals. The in-ear microphone is positioned at a proximal side of the earpiece with respect to an ear canal of a user, and the outside microphone is positioned at a distal side of the earpiece with respect to the ear canal. A processing unit includes a filter, which digitally filters out in-ear noise from the first signal using the second signal as a reference to produce a de-noised signal to thereby enhance the microphone signals.

A typical headset combines a microphone with headphone speakers for both ears. The microphone is typically encased in a tubular structure proximal to a user's mouth to receive the user's speech signal. When the speech signal travels from the user's mouth through the air into the microphone, the signal quality may be degraded by ambient noise as the microphone is exposed to the external environment.
Some advanced headsets incorporate a microphone as part of an earpiece that covers or fits into a person's ear. The earpiece forms a seal that blocks the ambient noise from entering the ear and allows the microphone to pick up a user's speech directly from the user's ear structure. The resulting microphone signal has improved signal to noise ratio (SNR) due to less noise disturbance, but in some situations the ambient noise may leak through the earpiece into the ear, and, due to frequency distortion in the speech signal propagation path, the speech may sound muffled or even unintelligible.
Thus, there is a need for improving the sound quality of microphone signals transmitted by an in-ear microphone.

Speech enhancement for headsets with in-ear microphones


Hybrid tea rose plant having a light yellow flower color, good flower form, anise fragrance, long cut flower vase life, vigorous upright growth habit and large bloom size.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of rose plant of the hybrid tea class which was originated by me by crossing the variety JACyap (unpatented) with an unnamed seedling (unpatented).
The primary objective of this breeding was to produce a new rose variety having the vigorous upright habit and good hybrid tea flower form of the yellow and pink flowered female parent combined with the bright yellow flower color and good flower form of the male parent.
The objective was substantially achieved, along with other desirable improvements, as evidenced by the following unique combination of characteristics that are outstanding in the new variety and that distinguish it from its parents, as well as from all other varieties of which I am aware:
1. Light yellow flower color;
2. Good flower form;
3. Anise fragrance;
4. Long cut flower vase life;
5. Vigorous upright growth habit; and
6. Large bloom size.
Asexual reproduction of this new variety by budding, as performed at Wasco, Calif., shows that the foregoing and all other characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations.
xe2x80x98JACworroxe2x80x99 differs from the female parent in having pure light yellow flowers and an anise scent. xe2x80x98JACworroxe2x80x99 differs from the male parent in having lighter yellow flowers and a more vigorous upright plant.
The flower color is an unusual pure light yellow coupled with a pleasant anise fragrance. Combined with its good flower form, JACworro is unlike any other yellow garden rose of which I am aware.

Hybrid tea rose plant named xe2x80x98JACworroxe2x80x99


A receiver (20) digitally tunes a radio frequency (RF) signal at the same time that it mixes the RF signal to a frequency suitable for demodulation and channel separation. A clock frequency divider (35) receives a reference clock signal, and divides the reference clock signal to provide a divided signal at a predetermined frequency, such as 20 kHz for AM stereo. A clock frequency multiplier (36) receives the divided signal and a digital tuning input signal, and provides an analog tuning signal at a multiple of the divided signal as determined by the digital tuning input signal. An analog multiplier (31) then mixes the RF signal with the analog tuning signal. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) (32) receives an output of the analog multiplier (31), and is clocked by the reference clock signal to eliminate any clock phase error. A digital demodulator (38) then demodulates and further processes an output of the ADC (32).

A classical amplitude modulation (AM) radio receiver received a modulated radio frequency (RF) signal through an antenna, tuned a frequency of interest in the radio frequency down to baseband, and demodulated the signal. For example, U.S. entertainment AM radio includes frequencies in the range of 520 kilohertz (kHz) to 1680 kHz. The classical AM receiver used an antenna capable of receiving frequencies over this frequency band. This receiver mixed the signal down to baseband using a sinusoidal wave generated by a tuning circuit. The receiver then demodulated the baseband signal by envelope detection.
A listener tuned the classical receiver by turning a large knob, which was connected to a variable capacitor or a variable resistor. The variable capacitance or resistance changed the resonance frequency of an oscillator circuit, which then changed the frequency of the signal modulated down to baseband. While the classical AM receiver has been known and used for several decades, it has a few problems. First, the tuning is inexact, and the user had to rely the clarity of the signal he heard from the loudspeaker rather than the markings on the tuning knob to precisely tune a desired frequency. Also, the resonance frequency tended to drift over time as the components heated up. In addition, these components were bulky and expensive.
Digital tuning offered a significant improvement over the analog tuning used in the classical receiver. In digital tuning, resistances or capacitances are discretely switched into the resonator circuit. This type of tuning allows a digital display to indicate the frequency tuned by the user, and thus is superior to the analog tuning knob. However, this type of digital tuning also requires a large number of components and thus requires a large amount of circuit board area, and it would be desirable to further reduce the cost and board space of a receiver using this digital tuning circuit.
Another advance in technology which improves upon the classical radio receiver is the emergence of digital technology. Digital technology allows the received signal to be converted to a digital signal in an analog-to-digital converter, and then demodulated in the digital domain. Converting the signal to digital form also allows noise filtering using digital signal processing techniques. However, a problem with this approach is that the tuning signal remains unsynchronized to the clock used by the analog-to-digital converter, resulting in phase error in the demodulated signals and ultimately reduced resolution of the signal. What is needed, then, is a new radio receiver which further reduces cost and improves performance over known receivers.

Receiver with digital tuning and method therefor


An assist device provides a stable support for entering and exiting a vehicle through a door frame having a striker mounted on a side portion of the door frame which is engageable with a latch of a door for securing the door in a closed position. The assist device includes a retainer adapted which removably engages the striker. A support member mounted to the retainer supports at least a portion of a user""s weight.

This invention relates generally to mechanical aids and methods that enhance the self-mobility of a person, especially physically challenged individuals. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices and methods which may be employed for assisting elderly and/or disabled individuals in or out of a vehicle.
A number of prior art devices are found which attempt to provide a means for lifting or hoisting a patient or other incapacitated person from a sitting or prone position. Such devices are intended for use with a standard bed or chair and require access to the area in front of or beside the bed or chair. Many of these prior art devices require the explicit assistance of at least one other care giver to operate the prior art device and to assist the individual in keeping his or her balance. Some of the prior art devices use motorized or electrically powered features which are often expensive, prone to repair, and do not allow the user to effectively exercise any portion of their physical body which may not be subject to their particular handicap or disability.
Furthermore, many of these prior art devices are bulky, heavy, and provide assistance in movement between only two fixed reference points. Such devices are particulary unsuited for use in assisting movement in or out of automobiles. First, access to seats in an automobile is generally limited to a single side. Second, there is no industry standard with respect to the position of the seats in an automobile. Consequently, there is a great degree of variation among the many brands and models of automobiles in the height of the seating surface with respect to the ground surface on which the tires rest and in the distance between the outside edge of the seat and the outside surface of the car. In addition, the topography of the land adjacent to the parked automobile will vary from parking spot to parking spot. Therefore, a device which will provide assistance between two fixed reference points will not be useable for all makes and models of automobiles and will often be unuseable even if it is designed for use with a specific model of automobile.
Briefly stated, the invention in a preferred form is an assist device which provides a stable support for entering and exiting a vehicle through a door frame having a striker mounted on a side portion of the door frame which is engageable with a latch of a door for securing the door in a closed position. The assist device includes a retainer adapted which removably engages the striker. A support member mounted to the retainer has a support platform segment which supports at least a portion of a user""s weight.
In a first embodiment, the support member includes a support platform segment, an extension segment, and an engagement segment. The extension segment extends laterally downward from one end of the support platform segment to the engagement segment. The retainer may be inserted through an opening formed between the side portion of the door frame and a U-shaped striker member. The retainer includes first and second legs, with the first leg being mounted to the support platform segment intermediate the ends and substantially on the centerline. The retainer extends longitudinally along said centerline of the support member.
In a second embodiment, the support member includes a support platform segment and an extension segment extending laterally downward from the one end of the support platform segment. The retainer includes first and second legs extending from a curved bend portion, which is mounted to the distal end of the extension segment of the support member. The retainer receives and engages a stud striker member in the bend portion. The retainer also including a bumper which is mounted to the end portion of the second leg.
In a third embodiment, the support member includes a support platform segment and first and second leg segments extending orthogonally downward from the ends of the support platform segment. The retainer includes first and second legs extending from a curved bend portion, which is mounted along the centerline of the support member substantially midway between the ends of the support platform segment. The retainer receives and engages a cross-bar of a U-shaped striker member in the bend portion. Each of the legs comprises a main portion extending from the bend portion of the retainer to a distal end portion. The distal end portion of each leg extends obliquely outward from the main portion of the leg.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a completely self-assisted device for individuals requiring assistance in exiting or entering a vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device that allows a physically challenged individual to maintain their balance throughout the process of moving in or out of a vehicle thereby decreasing the possibility of falling and increasing psychological confidence in the process.
A further object of the invention is to provide a lightweight, durable, portable, mobile device easily capable of being physically moved by a handicapped or disabled.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the drawings and specification.

Assist device for entering and exiting a vehicle


A male component of a male and female fastening system, such as a hook and loop fastener, that can remain fastened to a female component under high levels of shear force. The male component has a backing material with projections extending from the backing material at an angle toward the direction of fastener force. The combination of the male component with a standard female loop component results in a secure fastening system. The combination of the male component with a standard female loop component is particularly beneficial when used in absorbent articles.

This invention is directed to a male component of a male and female fastener, such as a hook and loop fastener. More particularly, the male component has projections angled toward the direction of fastener shear force.
A number of fastening systems, such as diaper fastening systems, incorporate a male and female fastener, such as a hook and loop system, for easy fastening and release. The male component typically includes a flat plastic hook backing with a number of protruding hooks that engage with a number of loops on a female component. The hooks protruding from the hook backing of the male component typically project perpendicularly to the flat hook backing, and thus perpendicularly to the direction of fastener shear force. When the fastening system is fastened and shear force acts upon the fastening system, the perpendicular projections pull toward the direction of fastener force. As the projections are pulled, any hook portions on the projections are also pulled, which can result in the hooks releasing the loops, with the fastening system becoming unfastened as a final result. Furthermore, perpendicular projections often produce red-marking and irritation if brought into contact with a person""s skin, such as an infant""s skin in contact with a hook component of a diaper fastening system.
There is a need or desire for a male component of a male and female fastener that can remain fastened to a female component under high levels of shear force.
There is also a need or desire for a male component of a male and female fastener that reduces or eliminates the occurrence of red-marking and/or irritation if brought into contact with a person""s skin.
The present invention is directed to a male component of a male and female fastener, such as a hook and loop fastener, having projections angled toward the direction of fastener shear force applied by the male component and acting on the female component. The angled projections can apply a greater amount of shear force to the loops than perpendicular projections without disengaging from the loop, thereby resulting in a more secure fastening system. Furthermore, the angled projections can reduce skin irritation often caused by perpendicular projections.
The angled projections can have an engaging portion at the free end or can be free of hooks, or a combination of hook and non-hook type angled projections can be located on the male component. An entire surface of the male component can be covered with angled projections, or alternatively, the surface can have a combination of perpendicular projections and angled projections. The angled projections can be shorter in length than the perpendicular projections, such that the angled projections only participate in the shear function and do not cause skin irritation.
The angled projections can be formed from a mold designed to produce such projections, or from a mold specially shaped to produce angled projections when the male component is removed from the mold. Alternatively, the angled projections can be formed by using two or more polymers side-by-side in a mold, such that the projections become angled as the polymers cool due to differential shrinkage of the polymers.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a feature and advantage of the invention to provide a male component of a male and female fastener, such as a hook and loop fastener, that can remain fastened to a female component under high levels of shear force.
It is another feature and advantage of the invention to provide a male component of a male and female fastener that reduces or eliminates the occurrence of red-marking and/or irritation if brought into contact with a person""s skin.
It is yet another feature and advantage of the invention to produce a male and female fastening system that includes the above male component.


An improved automatic shaping device wherein the shaping device includes a frame, a table mounted onto the frame, a movable template mounted onto the table, the table, a power-driven workpiece carrying member mounted to the table and a feed device for feeding the workpiece to a shaper mounted above the table wherein the shaper is provided with a shaper. The improvement includes a shaper mounted above the table wherein the shapper is provided with a vertically extending rotatable shaft having an upper end and a lower end wherein the upper end is in communication with a motorized drive and a cutter or shaper is attached to the lower end of the rotatable shaft.

This invention relates to automatic shaping equipment and particularly relates to an automatic shaping device including an improved drive system for a cutting assembly and cutter or the shaping device.
In the production of duplicate workpieces having irregular shapes, such as for example, pieces that go into making wood furniture, many different types of feeding devices are used for feeding workpieces to cutting or shaping tools. Most of the feeding devices include means to mount templates or patterns thereon with means to follow the patterns and feed the workpieces to cutting or shaping machines in conformity with a predetermined pattern. In the arrangement of the drive means for the shapers or cutters of the automatic shaping devices, the cutting tool is generally mounted directly to the motor drive for the shaper or cutter wherein the shaper or cutter is mounted onto a shaft which extends vertically upward from the motor drive. Arrangements for such drives are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,269; U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,962; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,771.