An adhesive film is formed on an electrode film, and a coating film is formed thereon. Nickel, chrome, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum or an alloy of them is used as a constituent material of the adhesive film. Gold, silver, platinum or an alloy of them is used as a constituent material of the coating film.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device provided with semiconductor chips, and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable electronics devices such as a cellular phone, a PDA, a DVC and a DSC become increasingly sophisticated. The fabrication of the devices with a compact size and lightweight are indispensable so that such devices are accepted in the market. System LSI higher integrated is required for the realization of such devices. On the other hand, LSI used for the devices is required to be with a high functionality and a high performance for the realization of friendly and convenient electronics devices. For this reason, while the number of I/O is. increasing with the acceleration of LSI chip integration, downsizing of the package is also required. The development of the packages appropriate to the board assembly of semiconductor components with a high density is strongly desired to satisfy both of the integration and the downsizing. Some kinds of package technique called CSP (Chip Size Package) are developed to correspond with such demand.
BGA (Ball Grid Array) is known as an example of such a package as described above. BGA is formed by mounting a semiconductor chip on a substrate for the package, molding it by resin, and forming solder balls in an array on the backside surface of the substrate as an external terminal. Since the mounting part of BGA has an area, the downsizing of the package becomes easy. Furthermore, a circuit board corresponding to a narrow pitch, and a mounting technique with a high precision become unnecessary. Therefore, a total mounting cost can be reduced by using BGA even when a packaging cost is relatively high.
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of such a standard configuration of BGA as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H7-183426. BGA 100 has a configuration in which the LSI chip 102 is mounted on the adhesion layer 108 formed on the glass epoxy board 106. The LSI chip 102 is molded by mold resin. The LSI chip 102 is electrically connected with the glass epoxy board 106 by the metal wire 104. The solder balls 112 are formed in an array arrangement on the backside surface of the glass epoxy board 106. BGA 100 is mounted on a printed circuit board by the intermediary of the solder balls 112.
In such a package, a semiconductor chip is connected with a interconnect layer by a wire bonding method or a flip chip method. That is, a pad electrode consisting of a metal film is provided on the top of a interconnect layer, and the pad electrode is connected with a pad electrode of a semiconductor chip by a predetermined conductive member such as a gold wire and solder. It becomes important technical problems to reduce the resistance at the connecting point and to improve the connection strength stably, to improve a yield rate and element reliability.
Related Art List
JPA laid open H7-183426

Semiconductor device containing stacked semiconductor chips and manufacturing method thereof


An illustrative image rendering system separate from and communicatively coupled to a presentation device detects a pre-modeled scene within a captured frame received from the presentation device. The pre-modeled scene is associated with a model asset accessible to the image rendering system. Based on the captured frame and the model asset, the image rendering system generates an augmentable representation of the pre-modeled scene and, based on the augmentable representation, generates an augmented version of the captured frame. The generating of the augmented version of the captured frame includes a plurality of render passes each configured to simulate a different virtualized element of a plurality of virtualized elements augmenting the pre-modeled scene within the augmented version of the captured frame. The image rendering system provides the augmented version of the captured frame to the presentation device. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Various types of extended reality technologies are being developed, deployed, and used by users to engage in various types of extended reality experiences. As one example, augmented reality technologies (also referred to as mixed reality technologies) provide augmented reality experiences whereby users continue to experience the real world around them to at least some extent (e.g., seeing real objects in their environment by way of a partially transparent heads-up display, video passed through from a head-mounted camera, etc.) while also being presented with virtual elements and augmentations that do not exist in the real world. For instance, virtual characters and other virtual objects may be presented as part of an augmented reality game or other entertainment application, virtual instructions or other information may be presented as part of an augmented reality educational application, virtual schematics or datasheets may be presented as part of an augmented reality occupational support application (e.g., to support a welder on a manufacturing floor, a car mechanic in a repair shop, etc.), or the like.
In certain augmented reality applications, it is desirable for virtualized elements to be presented in a manner that accurately and efficiently accounts for real-world elements of the scene within which the augmented reality experience is presented. However, various challenges must be overcome to identify and account for real-world elements, as well as to render high-quality augmented reality content in an efficient and timely manner (e.g., in real-time as the augmented reality experience is ongoing).

Methods and systems for off-device image frame rendering in augmented reality applications


A self-powered impulse detecting system comprising a signal transmitter; an energy storage component; and an energy harvester comprising a top plate configured to receive a stress impulse by an external object on its top surface; a bottom plate positioned opposite to the top plate and leaving room in between the bottom plate and the top plate; an elastic element positioned in between the top plate and the bottom plate; a bendable substrate attached at a first end to the bottom surface of the top plate, the bendable substrate is configured to bend freely, colliding with the top plate and a stopper; a piezoelectric element positioned on the bendable substrate; a deadweight attached to a second end of the bendable substrate; wherein collisions between the bendable substrate, the top plate and the stopper cause the bendable substrate to bend along with the piezoelectric element to generate power.

Physical impacts or stress impulses commonly exist in daily life such as knocking and closing of doors and stepping on the ground. Stress impulse is characterized as an initial sharp peak followed by a quick attenuation. Although this impulse energy is ephemeral and small, it can still be harvested and re-used. An energy harvester (EH) is a device that converts ambient vibration energy, which would otherwise be wasted, into energy that can be used for a specific purpose. EHs using piezoelectric materials to convert ambient vibration into electrical energy may be used in a wide variety of applications with low power consumption.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,861,785, a self-powered remote control device having an EH is disclosed. This EH includes a striking means for generating a calibrated amount of mechanical energy for striking directly on a piezoelectric element with a predetermined force. This design, however, is limited to a specific type of striking force and cannot be used in conditions where physical impacts may not be pre-determined and can possibly damage the piezoelectric element when striking directly on it.
Another example of an energy harvester is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,936,109, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Pat. No. 7,936,109 describes an energy harvesting device that can harvest energy over a range of frequencies, including non-resonant frequencies. However, the energy harvesting devices disclosed in the '109 patent are typically used to harvest energy from continuous vibrations; thus, there is a need in the art for energy harvesting systems useful for converting a stress impulse caused by a physical impact to useful electrical energy.

Self-powered impulse detection system with piezoelectric energy harvester

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited


The present invention provides a therapeutic method for treating or preventing a disease resulting from a microbial infection in an individual using an antimicrobial polypeptide. The present invention also provides a method of potentiating the therapeutic action of an antimicrobial drug in a patient. Further provided in the present invention are methods for neutralizing circulating endotoxin in a patient by administering the endotoxin-neutralizing polypeptide or functional variant thereof of the present invention to the patient.

Although humans are at continuous risk of infection by microbial pathogens, most survive these repeated onslaughts by mounting rapid responses that utilize a variety of antimicrobial proteins and small polypeptides. This branch of the human innate immune system represents a more fundamental host defense mechanism than the slower acting clonal systems since antimicrobial polypeptides are also used by primitive animals, insects, and even plants (H. G. Boman, J. Marsh and J. A. Goode, Eds., Antimicrobial Peptides, (John Wiley & Sons Ltd., New York, N.Y., 1994); Hoffmann et al., Curr. Opin. Immunol. 8: 8-13 (1996)).
In addition to inhibiting the growth of microbial pathogens, the immune system also neutralizes a variety of toxins produced by invading microbes. One particularly toxic product, produced by Gram-negative bacteria, is endotoxin. Endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) is a constitutive component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and is released when the bacteria die or multiply (Rietschel et al., Immunobiology. 187: 169-190 (1993)). It is estimated that approximately 400,000 patients annually in the United States present with bacterial sepsis, of which 100,000 ultimately die of septic shock and about half of these cases are caused by Gram-negative bacteria (Parrillo, J. E., Shock syndromes related to sepsis. In Cecil Textbook of Medicine (20th edition). J. C. Bennett and F. Plum, editors. W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia. 496-501 (1996)). Gram-negative sepsis and septic shock primarily results from endotoxin-induced excessive production and release of inflammatory cytokines by cells of the immune system, particularly macrophages (Beutler, B., and A. Cerami, Annu. Rev. Biochem. 57: 505-518 (1988); Rosenstreich, D. L., and S. Vogel, Central role of macrophages in the host response to endotoxin. p. 11-15. In D. Schlessinger (ed.), Microbiology. American Society for Microbiology. Washington, D.C. (1980)). TNF-α is the primary mediator of the systemic toxicity of endotoxin (Beutler, B., and A. Cerami, Annu. Rev. Biochem. 57: 505-518 (1988); Heumann et al., J. Endotoxin Res. 3: 87-92 (1996)).
Lipid A is the toxic portion of endotoxin (Rietschel et al., Immunobiology. 187: 169-190 (1993)). Monoclonal anti-lipid A antibodies have been tested for treating Gram-negative sepsis and septic shock, but their clinical efficacy has not been demonstrated consistently (Verhoef et al., J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 38: 167-182 (1996)), probably due to their poor ability to bind and neutralize endotoxin (Warren et al., J. Exp. Med. 177: 89-97 (1993)). Newer developments include identification of synthetic anti-endotoxin polypeptides mimicking polymyxin B (Rustici et al., Science 259: 361-365 (1993)) and a number of cationic anti-endotoxin polypeptides derived from host defense proteins. These include a recombinant 23 kDa fragment derived from bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (Fisher et al., Crit. Care Med. 22: 553-558 (1994); Marra et al., Crit. Care Med. 22: 559-565 (1994)), a 28-mer peptide derived from bee melittin (Gough et al., Infect. Immun. 64: 4922-4927 (1996)), a 33-mer peptide derived from an 18 kDa cationic antibacterial protein (Larrick et al., Infect. Immun. 63: 1291-1297 (1995)), and synthetic polypeptides based on the crystal structure of Limulus anti-LPS factor (Reid et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271: 28120-28127 (1996)).
Lactoferrin (LF) is an 80 kDa iron-binding glycoprotein that is synthesized exclusively by neutrophils and mucosal epithelium and released extracellularly upon their activation by inflammatory stimuli (Sanchez et al., Arch. Dis. Child. 67: 657-61 (1992); P. F. Levay and M. Viljoen, Haematologica 80: 252-67 (1995); B. Lonnerdal and S. Iyer, Annu. Rev. Nutr. 15: 93-110 (1995); R. T. Ellison, Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 357: 71-90 (1994)). It is thought to be a mammalian host defense protein whose mechanism of protection is poorly understood. In vivo LF provides an antibacterial prophylactic effect (Trumpler et al., Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 8: 310-3 (1989)). LF treatment in vivo has been reported to lower the incidence of Gram-negative bacteremia (Trumpler et al., Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 8: 310-313 (1989)). In vitro it has been shown to inhibit the growth of a variety of microbes by chelating iron (J. D. Oram and B. Reiter, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 170: 351-65 (1968); A. Bezkorovainy, Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 135: 139-54 (1981)).
LF contains a strongly basic region close to its N-terminus and binds to a variety of anionic biological molecules including lipid A (Appelmelk et al., Infect. Immun. 62: 2628-2632 (1994)) and glycosaminoglycans which occur on the surface of most cells and in most extracellular matrices (Mann et al., J. Biol. Chem. 269: 23661-7 (1994)). Lactoferricin H (residues 1-47) and lactoferricin B (residue 17-41) are released by pepsinolysis of human or bovine LF, respectively, and may have more potent antibacterial activity than the native proteins (Bellamy et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1121: 130-136 (1992)). A region composed of residues 28-34 is reported to contribute to the high affinity binding of human LF and lactoferricin H to endotoxin (Elass-Rochard et al., Biochem. J. 312: 839-845 (1995)). LF and lactoferricin B have been shown to inhibit the endotoxin-induced interleukin-6 response in human monocytic cells (Mattsby-Baltzer et al., Pediatr. Res. 40: 257-262 (1996)). Previously identified fragments of LF which exhibit antimicrobial activity were isolated from pepsin hydrolysates of LF (Tomita et al., (1993) U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,028; Tomita et al., (1994) U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,633; Tomita et al., (1994) U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,084; Tomita et al., (1997) U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,591).
Previous studies have established that the N-terminal 33 residues of human LF represent the minimal sequence that mediates binding of the protein to anionic polysaccharides such as glycosaminoglycans (Mann et al., J. Biol. Chem. 269: 23661-7 (1994)). This sequence contains a cationic head (residues 1-6) and tail (residues 28-33) which combine to form the glycosaminoglycan-binding site. However, these studies provided no evidence which indicated that this polypeptide had antimicrobial or endotoxin-neutralizing activity.


A highly-configurable process control system that uses process records in a database system to track a process. The database system relates process records, users, and projects. User permissions to view the process records include permissions for all process records related to a project to which the user is related, all such records that the user has created, all such records that a group the user belongs to have created, all such records that have been assigned to the user, and all such records that belong to an entity to which the user is related.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to techniques for controlling access to components of a highly-configurable system for controlling processes.
2. Description of Related Art
Whenever data is shared by a number of users of a system implemented by programming a computer, provision must be made for limiting access by the users to the data. That is generally done by defining permissions indicating how an item of data may be accessed and giving a user only those permissions that are required for his or her function. For example, in a file system, the classic permissions are read, write, and execute. read permits the user to read the file, write to modify the file, and if the file is a program file, execute permits the user to execute the file. A particular user may have any combination of the permissions with regard to a particular file. Thus, the author of a program may have read, write, and execute permissions with regard to the program file, while a user of the program may have only the execute permission.
In the configurable process control system described in the parent of the present patent application, part of what could be configured was permissions. The mechanism for doing so was to relate users of the system to projects and to relate each member of a project to a group within the project. Each group had a group category which determined the permissions for the members of the group. There were two broad categories of permissions: overall permissions regarding the process records for a process being controlled by the system and Can View and Can Edit permissions regarding user-defined fields in the process records and in certain other tables. These permissions were defined for the different group categories. In the configurable process control system of the parent, who could view a process record was further limited only by project membership. Each process record belonged to a project and any member of a project could view the process records for his or her project.
While the foregoing arrangements were adequate for some purposes, they were inadequate for others; in particular, they did not sufficiently limit the users who could view process records nor did they distinguish between creating or deleting a value for a user-defined field and modifying an existing value. It is an object of the inventions disclosed herein to solve these problems of the system disclosed in the parent of the present application and other such systems.

Defining user access in highly-configurable systems

Abstract: The process records further include user-configurable fields. User permissions for the fields are provided according to group types which are related to groups to which the users belong. Included are permissions for inserting and deleting values in the user-configurable fields which are separate from the permission to edit the values.


A variable capacity control scroll compressor, including: a cylinder disposed in the end plate of the fixed scroll incorporating a reciprocating shuttle valve to selectively enable fluid passage through a first group of bypass holes communicating with a pair of fluid pockets in a given compression stroke, and further through a second group of bypass holes communicating with a single fluid pocket as the pair of fluid pockets merge into one pocket during compression, sequential opening and closing of these bypass holes being controlled by a pressure control valve administering a control pressure Pm to operate the shuttle valve, the control valve being provided in the fixed end plate such that all of the control mechanism components are integrated into a single structure to reduce fabrication costs and enhance control efficiency.

In scroll compressor applications, particularly those in automotive environments, the rotational speed of the compressor and cooling load will vary over a wide operating range. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a configuration which maintains the discharge capacity constant irrespective of drive speed, and which evenly changes the discharge capacity as required by the cooling system. To meet these objectives, several approaches have been taken in the prior art.
A conventional variable capacity control type scroll compressor having a valve mechanism for opening and closing a plurality of bypass holes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,146. That reference teaches a plurality of bypass holes that are disposed in side-by-side relationship through an end plate of a fixed scroll and communicate with the interior bypass passage of an elongated cylinder formed in the end plate. The bypass holes may be selectively opened to the bypass passage with a reciprocating plunger, to enable fluid bypass to a suction chamber formed in the housing. A control valve mechanism for opening and closing the bypass passage is located in the rear housing of the compressor. This structure has a disadvantage in that the arrangement of the bypass holes is asymmetric with respect to the fluid pockets undergoing compression, resulting in an unbalanced operating condition, reduced efficiency and greater noise.
Another variable capacity scroll compressor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,760. This patent teaches a pair of bypass control valve mechanisms that control fluid bypass through bypass ports that are located symmetrically with respect to the fluid pockets being compressed. Another bypass hole is positioned proximal to the discharge port to enable the capacity control to range from 0 to 100%.
Yet another example of a variable capacity compressor is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent 5-280476, wherein a cylinder having a coaxial, internally disposed valve plunger for sequentially closing a plurality of bypass holes communicating between the cylinder and a compression chamber is located in the end plate of the fixed scroll.
The structural configurations taught in the aforementioned prior art have several disadvantages. These include the relatively large number of parts and steps required during assembly resulting from utilizing numerous variable capacity components, thereby increasing the cost and weight of the overall assembly.
The variable capacity configurations taught in the '146 Patent and the Japanese Laid-open '476 Patent both have a disadvantage in that the bypass holes are opened asymmetrically (i.e., different positions) with respect to a pair of fluid pockets in the same compression stroke, thereby causing an uneven pressure balance, reduced efficiency and increased noise and vibration. In this regard, during high speed rotation, the bypass gas flow from the bypass hole communicating with the fluid pocket at the upstream side increases, and compressed gas is not fully returned to the suction chamber. Such gas flows partially back into the bypass hole communicating with the downstream side fluid pocket, causing increased pressure losses and reduced performance. Although the structure shown in the '760 Patent alleviates these problems, it utilizes multiple bypass valve assemblies to do it, consequently increasing manufacturing costs and lowering reliability.

Matshushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


This invention discloses a baseband processing method based on smart antenna and interference cancellation. The method includes the steps of: A. making a channel estimation to get a channel response; B. picking up useful symbolic level signals from received digital signals by smart antenna beam forming based on the channel estimation of step A; C. reconstructing the useful symbolic level signals and adding a scrambling code to get the chip level reconstructed signal; D. subtracting the reconstructed signal from the received digital signal; and E. executing steps B to D repeatedly to recover signals for all users. The method of the invention can solve problems associated with interference of multi-path propagation in CDMA systems with smart antennas with better results.

In modem wireless communication systems, especially in CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) wireless communication systems, in order to increase system capacity, system sensitivity and communication distances with lower emission power, smart antennas are generally used.
The Chinese patent named "Time Division Duplex Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access Wireless Communication System with Smart Antenna" (CN 97 1 04039.7) discloses a base station structure for a wireless communication system with smart antennas. The base station includes an antenna array consisting of one or more antenna units, corresponding radio frequency feeder cables and a set of coherent radio frequency transceivers. Each antenna unit receives signals from user terminals. The antenna units direct the space characteristic vectors and directions of arrival (DOA) of the signals to a baseband processor. The processor then implements receiving antenna beam forming using a corresponding algorithm. Among them, any antenna unit, corresponding feeder cable and coherent radio frequency transceiver together is called a link. By using weight getting from the up link receiving beam forming of each link in the down link transmitting beam forming, the entire functionality of smart antennas can be implemented, under symmetrical wave propagation conditions.
A primary aspect of modern wireless communication systems is mobile communication. Mobile communication works within a complex and variable environment (reference to ITU proposal M1225). Accordingly severe influences of time-varying and multipath propagation must be considered. The Chinese patent referenced above as well as many technical documents concerning beam forming algorithms of smart antennas conclude increased functionality will result with increased algorithm complexity. Nevertheless, under a mobile communication environment, beam forming must be completed in real time, and algorithm-completion time is at a microsecond level. As another limitation of modern microelectronic technology, digital signal processing (DSP) or application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) cannot implement highly complex real time processing within such short time periods. Faced with this conflict, within a mobile communication environment, simple and real time algorithms for smart antennas not only cannot solve the multipath propagation problem, but also cannot thoroughly solve system capacity problems of CDMA mobile communication systems.
Technologies such as the Rake receiver and Joint Detection or Multi User Detection have been widely studied for use in CDMA mobile communication systems in an attempt to solve the interference problems associated with multipath propagation. Nevertheless, neither the Rake receiver nor multiuser detection technology can be directly used in mobile communication systems with smart antennas. Multiuser detection technology processes the CDMA signals of multiple code channels, after channel estimation and matched filter, and all user data are solved at the same time using an inverse matrix. However smart antenna technology makes beam forming for each code channel separately, and so it is difficult to take advantage of the diversity provided by user multipath technology. Rake receiver technology composes user main multipath components, but it also destroys the phase relationship between antenna units of an antenna array. Another limitation of Rake receiver technology is that the user number is the same as the spread spectrum coefficient, which makes it impossible to work under full code channel circumstances.
There is a two-dimensional smart antenna technology, but it is in a research stage and its algorithm is immature and complex.
There is another method which processes multiuser detection after using smart antenna; but at this time as each code channel has been separated, processing must be separated for each code channel. As a result this technology not only cannot fully bring multiuser detection function into play, but it also greatly increases the complexity of baseband signal processing.

Baseband processing method based on smart antenna and interference cancellation

China Academy of Telecommunications Technology


Provided is an environment which enables a user to implement 3D space design on a computer accessible to a server computer via a network. The server computer includes a layout design program which is operable on a screen activated by a browser of the client computer to enable the user to implement space design of a layout in the terms of a 2D image, an object database which stores object data used for layout design for retrieval and extraction, and a 3D display program which is operable on the browser screen of the client computer to display the designed space in the terms of a 3D image. The client computer is equipped with the browser capable of executing programs of the layout design program and the 3D display program. Upon receiving the layout design program and the 3D display program from the server computer via the network, the programs of the layout design program and the 3D display program are executable on the browser screen.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to space design aiding method and system using a network to provide a user with an environment for space design in the terms of three dimensional (3D) images on a website or homepage provided on networks such as the Internet, and a server computer for use in such system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, there has been known systems which enables users to implement space design of a layout in a house in the terms of a 3D image by using the Internet and browse the designed space. The systems includes the following websites, for example:
{circumflex over (1)} http://www.e.housebank.com/
This website is adapted to realize a system which enables a user to implement space design as 3D image using a network and to be given an expert advice concerning the designed space via the network. According to this system, the user is required to download a design tool program (hereinafter referred to as ("tool") from the website and install the tool on his/her computer.
{circumflex over (2)} http://www.megasoft.co.jp/
This website is adapted to realize as a system which enables a user to download merely data regarding fixture via a network. According to this system, a user is required to purchase a design program and install the program on his/her computer.
{circumflex over (3)} http://www.fukuicompu.co.jp/
This website is adapted to realize a system which enables a user to download data regarding design objects via a network.
Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-97558 discloses a system which enables a user to implement space design as 3D image using a network. This system requires a condition that a program for enabling a user to perform 3D design has been loaded in his/her computer in advance.
According to the conventional systems, a user has to download a layout design tool and a browsing tool from the website and install these tools on his/her computer, or has to purchase an appropriate program and install the program on his/her computer in advance to utilize the system.
In other words, there has been no system available in which all the conditions for an environment for enabling a user to perform 3D design of a layout have been provided on a network.
In the conventional system in which a user has to install a program on his/her computer to use the system, the user has to install the program on computers individually. Accordingly, in the case where a user wishes to use the system at home as well as in the office, the user is required to install the program in the office and at home, respectively. Further, in the case where the computer in current use is out of order, the same drawback is involved because the user has to install the program on another computer to utilize the system.

Method for aiding space design using network, system therefor, and server computer of the system


Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for a content delivery network that caches content for delivery to end user devices is presented. In one example, a content delivery network (CDN) is presented having a plurality of cache nodes that cache content for delivery to end user devices. The CDN includes an anonymization node configured to establish anonymized network addresses for transfer of content to cache nodes from one or more origin servers that store the content before caching by the CDN. The anonymization node is configured to provide indications of relationships between the anonymized network addresses and the cache nodes to a routing node of the CDN. The routing node is configured to route the content transferred by the one or more origin servers responsive to content requests of the cache nodes based on the indications of the relationships between the anonymous network addresses to the cache nodes.

Network-provided content, such as Internet web pages or media content such as video, pictures, music, and the like, are typically served to end users via networked computer systems. End user requests for the network content are processed and the content is responsively provided over various network links. These networked computer systems can include origin hosting servers which originally host network content of content creators or originators, such as web servers for hosting a news website. However, these computer systems of individual content creators can become overloaded and slow due to frequent requests of content by end users.
Content delivery networks have been developed which add a layer of caching between origin servers and end users. The content delivery networks typically have one or more cache nodes distributed across a large geographic region to provide lower latency access to the content for the end users. When end users request content, such as a web page, which is handled through a cache node, the cache node is configured to respond to the end user requests instead of the origin servers. Content delivery networks can also support Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), which has been established to overcome some of the shortcomings with IPv4, namely total address space limitations as well as other protocol limitations. IPv6 incorporates a 128-bit address instead of the 32-bit address of IPv4, and IPv6 has now been implemented in most network routing equipment.
In some instances, end user devices may be configured to "attack" content delivery equipment by repeatedly and frequently requesting content from a content provider, or cause the equipment to process many content-related tasks at once, among other operations. For example, during a network bot attack, a denial of service (DoS) attack, or a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, one or more end user devices can request network content at a frequent pace so as to overload or crash network equipment. In cases where an origin server alone serves the network content, the origin server can quickly become overloaded by the frequent content requests and crash. Cache nodes can alleviate the burden on origin servers to defend against these attacks, however, cache nodes can have difficulty in blocking traffic related to attacks.

Anonymized network addressing in content delivery networks


A torpedo launching system with a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pump for torp launches is disclosed. The system comprises a sea chamber, impulse tank and launch tube. The impulse tank has a magnetohydrodynamic pump which provides a Lorentz force to the seawater within the impulse tank thereby launching the torpedo. The MHD pump comprises supercooled superconducting electromagnets and seawater electrodes set up to provide perpendicular electric and magnetic fields.

(1) Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to torpedo launching devices and more particularly to torpedo launchers using seawater electromagnetic fluid pumps.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A conventional torpedo launching system uses a ram pump assembly having a water cylinder and piston arrangement which drives a seawater charge through a series of chambers and out the muzzle end of the torpedo launch tube.
The seawater charge carries the torpedo out of the launch tube thereby effecting the launch. The conventional system has numerous drawbacks which create operational limitations. Among these drawbacks, mechanical complexity of the entire system including pneumatic actuators for the water piston, flood and drain system for loading and unloading, and a pressurized air source to power the pneumatic system result in maintenance and reliability problems. Additionally, the large moving assemblies and structure of the conventional ram pump assembly increases the vulnerability of the hull in the case of contact damage. Finally, the conventional ram pump assembly is a significant noise source which reduces the stealth characteristics of a submarine.

Superconducting electromagnetic torpedo launcher

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


An exemplary LED table lamp includes a hollow lamp housing, a lamp base supporting the lamp housing, an LED module received in the lamp housing for emitting light, and a controlling module electrically connecting to the LED module for automatically adjusting a light intensity of the LED table lamp. The controlling module includes a sensor configured for sensing the light intensity of a working surface of the LED table lamp, and obtaining data corresponding to the light intensity of the working surface of the LED table lamp, a controller comparing the data obtained by the sensor with predetermined data and giving an adjusting order, and an adjusting member adjusting current supplied to the LED module according to the adjusting order from the controller.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to light emitting diode (LED) lamps for illumination purpose and, more particularly, relates to an improved LED table lamp capable of automatically adjusting light intensity.
2. Description of Related Art
LEDs have many beneficial characteristics, including low electrical power consumption, low heat generation, long lifetime, small volume, good impact resistance, fast response and excellent stability. These characteristics have enabled the LEDs to be widely used as a light source in electrical appliances and electronic devices. LEDs are also used as table lamps.
In use, the LEDs work in a stable state and light emitted form the LEDs illuminate a working surface. Generally, the LED table lamp includes an adjusting knob, the user adjusts the light intensity on the working surface by adjusting the knob manually. However, it may be inconvenient for the user to adjust the light intensity in real time when the brightness of the surroundings often changes.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved LED table lamp which overcomes the above described shortcomings.


Articles are conveyed along a primary conveyor in a first direction, and are moved rapidly onto a selected one of a plurality of sorting conveyors closely packed and extending generally lateral to the primary conveyor by rotating the articles so that a portion of each rotated article extends across the side of the primary conveyor to be frictionally engaged on the sorting conveyor for rapid movement away from the primary conveyor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to conveying systems and methods, and in particular to conveying systems and methods which are capable of identifying individual articles being conveyed along a primary conveyor and sorting selected articles for distribution along secondary conveyors extending in a direction lateral to the primary conveyor.
2. Description of Background Art
There are a wide variety of conveying techniques in the prior art. From time to time, it is necessary to re-orient articles moving along a conveyor. To that end, the prior art has devised a number of ways for effectuating the rotation of articles being moved along a conveyor. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,868 to Bowen, there is disclosed a fixed turning device positioned along the conveyor and extending across only a portion of the conveyor, to engage a front corner of each conveyed article to thereby rotate the article and change its orientation relative to the direction of conveyance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,839 to Crawford likewise discloses a fixed plate located along the path of the conveyor, for laterally displacing the conveyed articles onto a second conveyor extending generally parallel with the first conveyor.
Carlson et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,575 disclose a hydraulically-actuated arm useful in a pallet-loading system, for changing the orientation of each article prior to movement of the article onto a secondary conveyor extending laterally relative to the first conveyor.
Other prior art techniques for changing the direction of an article being conveyed are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,835,370 to Warrington; 2,649,187 to Eggleston; 3,104,755 to Zuercher; 1,729,671 to Bell-Irving et al; 3,093,236 to McLaughlin; and 4,711,357 to Langenbeck et al. It is also known to effectuate article movement from a primary conveyor to lateral sorting conveyors using a hydraulic ram located at each sorting station. However, those techniques cause a significant shock to the article, and thus create a risk of damage.
There is a need in the conveying art for permitting the rapid sorting of articles along a primary conveyor onto a plurality of adjacent sorting conveyors in a manner which permits the sorting conveyors to be displaced along the primary conveyor in a highly dense organization without damage to the conveyed articles. In that connection, it is also desirable to automatically identify each article as it passes along the primary conveyor for purposes of determining which sorting conveyor the article is to be directed.

System and method for conveying and sorting articles


An optical component contains two or more hidden images for authentication and antiforgery purposes. The images are successively revealed and concealed when the optical component is held between two polarisers and one of them is rotated. The optical component comprises one or more optical retarder(s) in which the images are embedded in separate adjacent stripes or areas, each image being associated with a different mode of interaction with polarised light. Instead of two polarisers, one will suffice if the component is mounted on a reflector.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/721,104, filed Nov. 26, 2003, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/831,524, filed May 10, 2001, now abandoned, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 09/831,524 is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of international application No. PCT/IB99/01810, filed Nov. 10, 1999, which published in the English language.
The invention relates to an optical component containing a normally hidden image.
A particular use of the components according to the invention is in the field of protection against forgery and copying and simple yet unambiguous document authentication.
The increasingly high-quality copying techniques which are becoming available make it increasingly difficult to safeguard banknotes, credit cards, securities, identity cards and the like against forgery. Furthermore, counterfeit branded products (even including counterfeit pharmaceuticals) and copies of copyright-protected products, for example compact discs, computer software and electronics chips, are being produced and distributed worldwide. The increasing number of forgeries necessitates new authentication elements which are safeguarded against forgery and can be identified both visually and by machine.
In the field of copy-protecting banknotes, credit cards etc., there are already a considerable number of authentication elements. Depending on the value of the document to be protected, very simple or relatively highly complex elements are employed. Some countries are content to provide banknotes with metal strips which come out black on a photocopy. Although this prevents them from being photocopied, elements of this type are very easy to imitate. In contrast to this, there are also more complex authentication elements, for example holograms and cinegrams. Authentication elements of this type are based on the diffraction of light by gratings and need to be observed under different viewing angles in order to verify their authenticity. These diffracted elements produce three-dimensional images, color variations or kinematic effects which depend on the angle of observation and have to be checked on the basis of predetermined criteria or rules. It is not practically possible to use machines for reading information, for example images or numbers, encoded using this technique. Furthermore, the information content of these elements is very limited, and only an optical specialist will be capable of discriminating definitively between forgeries and an original.
A further consideration with diffractive optical effects is that these have also been used for consumer articles such as wrapping paper, toys, and the like. The relevant production methods have therefore become widely known and are correspondingly straightforward to imitate.
Further to the diffractive elements mentioned above, other components are also known which are suitable for optimum copy protection. These include optical components, as disclosed, for example, by EP-A-689084 or EP-A-689065, that is to say components with an anisotropic liquid-crystal layer, which the latter has local structuring of the molecular orientation.
These components are based on a hybrid layer structure which consists of an orientation layer and a layer which is in contact with it and consists of liquid-crystal monomers or pre-polymers cross-linked with one another. In this case, the orientation layer consists of a photo-oriented polymer network (PPN)—synonymous with LPP used in other literature—which, in the oriented state, through a predetermined array, defines regions of alternating orientations. During the production of the liquid-crystal layer structure, the liquid-crystal monomers or pre-polymers are zonally oriented through interaction with the PPN layer. This orientation which, in particular, is characterized by a spatially dependent variation of the direction of the optical axis, is fixed by a subsequent cross-linking step, after which a cross-linked, optically structured liquid crystal monomer or pre-polymer (LCP) with a pre-established orientation pattern is formed. Under observation without additional aids, both the orientation pattern itself and the information written into the cross-linked LCP layer are at first invisible. The layers have a transparent appearance. If the substrate on which the layers are located transmits light, then the LCP orientation pattern or the information which has been written become visible if the optical element is placed between two polarizers. If the birefringent LCP layer is located on a reflecting layer, then the pattern, or the corresponding information, can be made visible using only a single polarizer which is held over the element. LPP/LCP authentication elements make it possible to store information, virtually without restriction, in the form of text, images, photographs, and combinations thereof. In comparison with prior art authentication elements, the LPP/LCP elements are distinguished in that the authenticity of the security feature can be verified even by a layman since it is not first necessary to learn how to recognize complicated color changes or kinematic effects. Since LPP/LCP authentication elements are very simple, reliable, and quick to read, machine-readable, as well as visual information, can be combined in the same authentication element.
However, there remains the risk that, in the course of time, forgers will be able to master this technique.
In the components described above, one pictorial element is present (whether visible or invisible).
It would be desirable to improve the security or entertainment value of such a component.
According to the present invention, an optical component comprises one or more retarder(s) in which are embedded a plurality of images, the images being so arranged that, at any point in the plane of the component, an element of not more than one image is present, each image being associated with a different interaction with polarized light. This association can be achieved in various ways, for example, each image is embedded in patterned retarder(s) (one or more), each of them having patterns with different optical axis.
The invention also provides a viewing system, comprising a source of polarized light, a component as set forth above, through which the polarized light can travel, and an analyzer (in practice, a polarizing sheet) for light which has traversed the component, the analyzer being rotatable about the axis of the direction of travel of the light. The source of polarized light may be a polarizing sheet applied to the surface of the component.
The different images may be contained in successive parallel stripes, each preferably narrower than the eye can resolve, into which the surface area of the component is divided; if these are n images, any one image will usually be represented on every nth stripe.
Such an optical component has the surprising property, valuable in the fields of entertainment, document authentication and forgery countermeasures, that simply by rotating a polarizer (=the analyzer), a plurality of different images, all visible in ordinary light, can be seen one after the other. Previously, it was possible to reveal only one hidden image in this way. However, all the advantages of the "one hidden image" technology, as described for example in EP-A-689065, PCT/IB98/00687 or CH 841/98, can be maintained.


A tread pattern for motor vehicle winter tires having transverse grooves symmetrically converging toward an equatorial plane "X" of the tire. A pair of circumferential grooves (3) respectively defined by oblique stretches (3a) have an orientation converging toward the equatorial plane "X", in a direction opposite to the rolling direction "D" according to which the transverse grooves (2) converge. Grip hollows (6) of increasing width in a direction opposite to the rolling direction, are formed astride of each transverse groove (2), at two contiguous center blocks (4). A central separation cut (7) between the center blocks (4) defines therein separation walls (7a) arranged to come into mutual contact when in the ground contacting area.

The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire for vehicle wheels provided with a tread pattern particularly appropriate for running on snow-covered road surfaces, comprising at least two series of transverse grooves disposed on opposite sides relative to an equatorial plane of the tire and symmetrically converging at said equatorial plane. At least two circumferential grooves are symmetrically spaced apart from the equatorial plane of the tire and confine, together with the transverse grooves, one or more rows of center blocks disposed symmetrically to the equatorial plane and at least two rows of shoulder blocks located on respectively opposite sides relative to the center block rows. Thus, the invention concerns motor-vehicle pneumatic tires of the so-called "winter" type.
It is known that modern tires of the above type are required to possess not only excellent behavioral features with reference to traveling on a snow-covered road surface, but also good operating features such as rolling smoothness, ride behavior on a wet road surface and good mileage. The ride behavior on a dry road surface and the ride noiselessness too, although of less importance as compared with the previously mentioned features, help in increasing quality evaluation of a winter tire.
Said behavioral and operating features are achieved by forming appropriate circumferential and transverse grooves in the tread band, which grooves are suitably sized and oriented for formation of blocks usually aligned in rows disposed consecutively side by side and extending circumferentially around the tire.
In addition, an indispensable detail for improving the behavioral running features of a tire on a snow-covered road surface is the presence of appropriate "lamellae" or "fins" in the blocks, that is a plurality of narrow cuts or grooves having a small-sized zig-zag pattern in a circumferential direction, and principally oriented transversely of the rolling direction. The task of these cuts is efficiently collecting and retaining snow, since snow-on-snow friction is, as known, stronger than rubber-on-snow friction.
In more detail, a type of winter tire which has been recently commercialized by the assignee has a pair of circumferential straight-extending grooves in the tread, which grooves are disposed symmetrically on each axial side of the equatorial plane of the tire and spaced apart by a distance substantially corresponding to half the overall width of the tread band.
These circumferential grooves are combined with two series of transverse grooves each extending with a gradually increasing inclination from an outer edge of the tread band until close to the equatorial plane.
The transverse grooves of the two series symmetrically converge toward the equatorial plane of the tire according to a given preferential rolling direction and have their respective vertices consecutively alternated with respect to each other along the circumferential extension of the tread band at its equatorial plane.
In such a tread band, the configuration of the transverse grooves is adapted to promote good traction qualities, by virtue of the mutual convergence of the grooves in the rolling direction.
The circumferential straight-extending grooves, in turn, enable the water present in the ground-contacting area of the tire to be efficiently eliminated during running on a wet road surface, thereby preventing the well known and dangerous aquaplane effect.
The traction capability and, as a whole, the ride behavior on a snow-covered road surface are assisted by the presence of closely spaced fins on the blocks which are generated by the intersection between the longitudinal and transverse grooves and by appropriate straight extending hollows associated with the transverse grooves, in the space between the two circumferential grooves, each of said hollows extending in a circumferential direction over a short length starting from the respective transverse groove.
The Applicants' efforts have been directed towards discovering how said tire could be further improved, in particular regarding the behavioral qualities on a snow-covered road surface.

Motor-vehicle pneumatic tire having a tread pattern for snow covered road surfaces


In some embodiments, a semiconductor structure comprises a semiconductor layer, a metal layer, and a contact layer adjacent to the metal layer, and between the semiconductor layer and the metal layer. The contact layer can comprise one or more piezoelectric materials comprising spontaneous piezoelectric polarization that depends on material composition and/or strain, and a region comprising a gradient in materials composition and/or strain adjacent to the metal layer. In some embodiments, a light emitting diode (LED) device comprises an n-doped short period superlattice (SPSL) layer, an intrinsically doped AlN/GaN SPSL layer adjacent to the n-doped SPSL layer, a metal layer, and an ohmic-chirp layer between the metal layer and the intrinsically doped AlN/GaN SPSL layer.

Wurtzite semiconductors are behind a great number of applications in the modern optoelectronic and electronic industry. Their broad bandgap coverage makes them the materials of choice in many optoelectronic devices such as light emitting diodes, laser diodes, photodetectors and solar cells, with wavelengths ranging from infra-red to deep-ultraviolet. At the same time, their wide bandgaps, in particular for AlGaN, w-BN and ZnO, are responsible for their stable high-temperature performance and resistance against breakdown, which makes them suitable for usage in high-power diodes and transistors.
Wurtzite semiconductors also have uniquely strong piezoelectric properties, and are widely used in transducers and high-mobility transistors, the latter due to the strong carrier concentration at piezoelectric heterojunctions. However, these materials also present fundamental challenges that often limit their wider adoption. In particular, the wider the bandgap, the harder it is to achieve efficient doping, which is largely due to high ionization energies, especially for acceptors. At the same time, the usually high Schottky resistance to metals leads to poor contact properties, which in turn generates strong heating during operation.
One particular application of wurtzite semiconductors, deep-UV LEDs, is currently under strong development given their enormous potential for sterilization, water treatment and other applications. However, the output power performance of conventional ultraviolet c-band light (UVC) LEDs has been plagued by the lack of low resistive and transparent p-regions. Two conventional approaches to solve these problems have been adopted. The first conventional approach uses p-GaN layers, which provide high enough hole densities and relatively low operation voltages, but in turn are highly UVC-absorptive due to the lower GaN bandgap. The second conventional approach uses p-AlGaN layers with high aluminium content which, despite being non-UVC-absorptive, provide very low hole densities and very large operation voltages. As a result, most of the power consumed by conventional UVC LEDs is not converted into useful light, either due to high absorption inside the LED structure, or due to high dissipation into the p-contact resistance.

Semiconductor-metal contacts with spontaneous and induced piezoelectric polarization


A semiconductor device manufacturing method includes (a) bonding a first surface of a metal plate to a substrate, (b) forming a plurality of metal posts that are arranged in vertical and lateral directions in a plan view and include a first metal post and a second metal post, by partially etching the metal plate bonded to the substrate from a second surface of the metal plate, (c) fixing an integrated circuit (IC) element to the second surface of the first metal post, (d) coupling the second metal post and a pad terminal of the integrated circuit element via a conductive material, (e) resin-sealing the integrated circuit element, the metal posts, and the conductive material by providing a resin onto the substrate, and (f) removing the substrate from the resin and the first surfaces of the metal posts sealed using the resin.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing method, a semiconductor device, and a wiring board.
2. Related Art
Semiconductor packages are broadly categorized into peripheral type packages whose outside terminals are disposed in the periphery of a package and area type packages whose outside terminals are disposed below the undersurface of a package. Peripheral type packages are represented by a dual inline package (DIP), a small outline package (SOP), and a quad flat package (QFP) as shown in FIGS. 21A to 21C. For example, in FIG. 21D, a peripheral type package is manufactured by mounting an integrate circuit (IC) element 210 on a die pad 201 serving as a chip mounting part, then coupling an electrode of the IC element 210 and leads 203 of the a lead frame via gold wires or the like, and resin-sealing all these components except for portions of the outer peripheries of the leads 203. Portions of the leads 203 inside the resin package are called "inside terminals" and portions of the leads 203 outside the resin package are called "outside terminals."
Area type packages are represented by ball grid array (BGA) packages as shown in FIGS. 22A, 22B, 23A, and 23B. For example, in these drawings, an area type package is manufactured by mounting the IC element 210 on the substrate 211, electrically coupling the substrate 211 and the IC element 210 via a gold wire, solder, or a gold bump, and resin-sealing the IC element 210 and the like. A BGA package in which the substrate 211 and the IC element 210 are coupled via a gold wire 213, as shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, is also called a "gold wire BGA package." A BGA package in which the substrate 211 and the IC element 210 are coupled via a bump 223, as shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, is also called a "bump BGA package." Among bump BGA packages is a type of bump BGA package that is not resin-sealed. The outside terminals of an area type package are not leads and, for example in FIGS. 23A to 23B, are electrodes (or solder balls) 225 mounted on the back of the substrate 211.
In recent years, a package is also manufactured, for example in FIG. 24A to 24I, by forming cylindrical terminals 233 and a die pad 235 on a metal plate 231 by electrical plating, then mounting the IC element 210 on the die pad 235, coupling the IC element 210 and the terminals 233 via the gold wires 213, then resin-sealing these components, removing the metal plate 231 from a resin molding 236, and cutting the resin molding 236 into individual products.
More specifically, in FIGS. 24A and 24B, first, a resist is applied onto the metal plate 231, and subjected to exposure and development so as to form a resist pattern 237. Next, as shown in FIG. 24C, for example, copper is formed on the surface of the metal plate 231 exposed from below the resist pattern 237 by electrical plating so as to form the cylindrical terminals 233 and the die pad 235. Then, as shown in FIG. 24D, the resist pattern is eliminated. Next, as shown in FIG. 24E, the IC element 210 is mounted on the die pad 235 formed by electrical plating, and wire-bonded to the terminals 233. Then, as shown in FIG. 24F, the IC element 210, the gold wires 213, and the like are resin-sealed. Next, as shown in FIG. 24G, the metal plate 231 is removed from the resin molding 236. Then, as shown in FIGS. 24H and 24I, margins are cut away from the resin molding 236 so as to complete the package.
Disclosed in JP-A-02-240940 is a technology that completes a peripheral type package by half-etching one surface of a supporter of a flat lead frame, then mounting an IC element on a die pad of the lead frame, subsequently wire-bonding and resin-sealing these components, and then grinding the other surface of the supporter to eliminate the supporter. Disclosed in JP-A-2004-281486 is a technology that attempts to enhance the general versatility of an area type package by disposing wiring from the center of a substrate outward in all directions in a plan view.
The related art examples, that is, peripheral type packages, area type packages, the package shown in FIGS. 24A to 24I, and the package described in JP-A-02-240940 all require a substrate serving as a mounting surface for an IC element, such as a die pad or an interposer, as well as requires a dedicated lead frame or substrate, or a dedicated photomask (to form a cylindrical terminal) according to the size of the IC element or the number of external outputs from the IC element (that is, the number of leads or balls). In particular, if small batches of a variety of products are manufactured, various lead frames or substrates, or various photomasks must be possessed. This prevents a reduction in manufacturing cost.
Also, in JP-A-02-240940, area type packages corresponding to various chip sizes are achieved by disposing wiring from the center of a substrate outward in all directions. However, this technology requires that the pad terminal of the IC element be disposed so as to always overlap the wiring extending from the center of the substrate outward in all directions in a plan view; therefore, flexibility in design is reduced with respect to the layout of the pad terminal. That is, the general versatility of the package is enhanced, while more limitations are imposed on the IC element.

Semiconductor device manufacturing method, semiconductor device, and wiring board


A tray driving apparatus for a microwave oven and a microwave oven having the same including a speed changing unit for enhancing the cooking quality by periodically changing the rotational speed of the tray to more evenly radiate a microwave to food. The speed changing means includes a driving gear unit having a plurality of driving gears and mounted to the driving shaft; and a driven gear unit having a plurality of driven gears corresponding to respective driving gears of the driving gear unit, and mounted to the driven shaft. The gears of any one of the driving gear unit and the driven gear unit are portion gears which are gears having gear teeth on respective portions of outer peripheries thereof, the gear teeth of the portion gears are alternately disposed to each other one on another. Accordingly, upon a rotation of the driving shaft, each portion gear of any one of the driving gear unit and the driven gear unit are alternately meshed with a corresponding gear of the other one of the driving gear unit and the driven gear unit, to thereby change the rotational speed of the tray.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave oven for cooking food placed on a rotating tray by using a microwave, and more particularly, to a tray driving apparatus for a microwave oven and a microwave oven having the same for enhancing the cooking quality by periodically changing the rotational speed of the tray to much more evenly radiate a microwave  microwaves to the food.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A microwave oven is a device for cooking food by using a microwave  microwaves generated from a magnetron. The principle is that the microwave cooks  microwaves cook food from its interior by heating molecules of water included in the food. The microwave oven is more widely used since the microwave oven has clear advantages in a higher thermal efficiency, more rapid heating, and less loss of nutrients.
Such a microwave oven, as shown in FIG. 1, has a cooking chamber 12 and a driving chamber 14 in the body 10. The cooking chamber 12 is a portion in which food is placed and cooked and on the front side of which a door is mounted to be opened and closed. A tray 16 for placing food is mounted on the bottom of the cooking chamber 12. The driving chamber 14 has various electric components and parts such a  as magnetron 17, a high voltage transformer 18, a waveguide, a cooling fan 19, and a control part to generate and radiate a microwave  microwaves into the cooking chamber 12. A control panel 30 is prepared on the front side of the driving chamber 14 in order for a user to set various cooking modes and to operate the microwave oven.
If the electric components in the driving chamber 14 are operated, a microwave  microwaves generated in the magnetron 17 is  are guided to the cooking chamber 12 through the wavelength 17. The microwave  microwaves guided in the cooking chamber 12 is  are directly radiated to food or indirectly radiated to food while being reflected from the walls of the cooking chamber 12. The microwave radiated to food generates  microwaves radiated to the food generate heat by vibrating water molecules of food. Then food is cooked by the generated heat.
In the meantime, in general, according to the shape of the cooking chamber 12, and the shape and size of food placed on the tray 16, the microwave distribution in the interior of the cooking chamber 12 changes, as well as continuously changing with respect to time. According to this, since the microwave is  microwaves are not evenly radiated to the entire food, the respective portions of food are differently cooked, thus the cooking quality is degraded.
In order to solve such a phenomenon, a general microwave oven has a tray driving apparatus for rotating the tray 16. It is experientially known that a microwave is  microwaves are more evenly radiated to food to enhance the cooking quality if food placed on the tray 16 is rotated by the tray driving apparatus.
Such a tray driving apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, has a driving source 42, and a driving shaft 44 for transmitting the driving force to the tray 16. A general motor is used for a driving source, and a plurality of gears are included for reducing the number of rotations of the motor which is rotated at a high speed, and for transmitting a driving force to the driving shaft 44.
If cooking starts, the driving source 42 generates a driving force, and the driving force is transmitted to the tray 16 through the driving shaft to slowly rotate the tray 16. According to this, food placed on the tray 16 is rotated at a predetermined speed, and the microwave is  microwaves are evenly radiated to food. Reference numeral 13 in FIG. 2 denotes the bottom panel of the body 10 which forms the bottom portion of the cooking chamber, and reference numeral 46  42 is a connection member  which connects a shaft 44 with respect to the tray (or called  also called a rotary tray) 16.
In the meantime, if the tray is rotated at a constant speed, in the case that a  microwave distribution with respect to time in the interior of the cooking chamber 12 changes according to the rotational speed of the tray 16, the respective portions of food are differently cooked due to the uneven radiation of the microwave to  microwaves to the food even though the tray 16 is rotated. Accordingly, the cooking quality is deteriorated.

Tray driving apparatus for a microwave oven and a microwave oven having the same


The number of stimulated spots and/or the area of a stimulated spot is easily increased or decreased while keeping the irradiation power for each stimulated spot constant. Provided is a light stimulation device (3) that includes an objective lens (23) that radiates stimulation light emitted from a stimulation laser (11) onto a specimen (S); an LCOS-SLM (17) that is located at a position conjugate to the pupil of the objective lens (23) and that can modulate the phase of stimulation light to be made to enter the objective lens (23) based on a predetermined pupil modulation pattern; an AOM (13) that adjusts the amount of stimulation light to be made to enter the LCOS-SLM (17); a mouse (26) that is used to specify the number of spots and the position of a spot of light to be radiated onto the specimen (S); and a controller main unit (28) that determines the pupil modulation pattern for the LCOS-SLM (17) according to the number of spots and the position of a spot specified by means of the mouse (26) and that controls the AOM (13) such that, when the number of spots specified by means of the mouse (26) is changed, the amount of light to be radiated onto each spot before and after the change in the number of spots becomes constant.

Conventionally, pupil modulation techniques using an LCOS-SLM (Liquid Crystal On Silicon-Spatial Light Modulator) have been known (for example, see PTL 1). A phase-modulation-type spatial light modulating device using an LCOS device can desirably change the phase distribution of light to be made to enter the pupil of an objective lens and can simultaneously form multiple spots at an image position. With an LCOS device, the sum of the energy of diffracted light transmitted through the pupil of the objective lens and the energy of light focused at the image position is constant in theory, and the power of the light can be efficiently used.

Light stimulation device and microscope system


In a system, called an application manager, portable devices can be connected in various kinds of local area networks (LANs). In the portable devices, local browsers are run to find services by listening in the local area network to messages broadcast from a local information server through some base unit. The local information server registers local services and provides, on automatic requests from the local browsers, address information of the local services. The address information is used by a local browser to obtain, through the Internet, general information of the services from an HTTP server, that contains information of applications, such as graphical information including icon files and short descriptions of the applications. After receiving the general information symbols of available services, it is then shown on the display of the portable device. The user can then by a single click access a service and then the local browser automatically downloads the user part of the application the symbol of which has been clicked and starts to execute the program of the application. The executing generally does not require communication or information relevant to the current location of the user, such as timetable information for trains and air flights.

Hardware providers such as Red-M, Axis, A Brand New World are developing platform software and applications. However, their solutions are admittedly designed to showcase the deployment of their hardware solution in public venues and not to be launched on the market
The way in which the solutions of most of the hardware providers today work in distributing content is through an ordinary WEB-browser. Most commonly, when entering an area with a public WLAN the operator pushes, through the browser of the user's device, a homepage shown on the monitor of said device. Then the network of the respective operator or provider is accessed by logging in thereto by entering a user name and a password. Then, the user can, using his device, browse among the services that are available at the site. This allows the user to view different homepages and to use simple interactive services, having user parts in the shape of applets written in the programming language JAVA. There are many problems associated with this method The services offered are limited to applets that are very simple programs run through the JAVA interpreting program of the WEB-browser. Today, it is not even possible to run JAVA-applets on WEB-browsers designed for used with PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) though this may be possible in the future.
In the published British patent application No. 2 327 564 a system for wirelessly distributing locally adapted information to mobile units is disclosed. The system comprises a wireless network, a plurality of base stations connected to the network and to the Internet, a plurality of server computer systems also connected to the Internet and geographically distributed totters. Each transmitter continuously issues signals containing the Internet address of a server system that contains the information associated with the area in which where the transmitter is located, each transmitter issuing a different Internet address. These signals can be received only by mobile units staying in the neighborhood of the respective transmitter. The units then automatically receive the home page indicated by the Internet address and thereby obtain information that is associated with the geographical area where the transmitter is located.
In the published British patent application No. 2 352 588 distribution of information is disclosed, the information associated with special items of interest. Beacons issue wirelessly code signals that can comprise Internet addresses, the issued signals having a limited coverage. A mobile unit in the vicinity of a beacon receives such a code signal and transmits it wirelessly, in a network such as Bluetooth, UMMS or a LAN, to a base station that through a server is connected to e.g. the Internet The base station then gets the home page associated with the address and sends it to the mobile unit in which the home page is shown on the display.

Method and system for wireless distribution of local information


The invention provides a graphic input device which has uniform sensitivity and is free of keystone distortion but which is lighter and less expensive to manufacture than the prior art, particularly for large drawing surfaces. It uses Fresnel optics to reduce the cost, thickness, and weight of the prism or collimator or both. Means are provided to mitigate the effects of lens flare from the Fresnel optics, minimize the thickness of the device, and to correct any remaining distortion in the camera's image using software executing on a standard computer.

A computer graphic input device that uses a prism to provide the input sensitive drawing surface has been described by Richard Greene in U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,017, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. An improved version of that device that adds a collimating lens to provide uniform sensitivity and no keystone distortion has been described by Richard Greene in U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,108, the disclosure of which is also incorporated by reference. Both devices use conventional prisms and the latter device uses conventional collimators, each of which has continuous surfaces and therefore requires a great deal of transparent material, is expensive to manufacture, and is heavy in weight, for all but the smallest drawing surfaces.
Those devices also required specialized optics or cameras to correct for rectangular distortion that remained in the image, which are also expensive.

Low-cost graphic input device with uniform sensitivity and no keystone distortion


According to the present invention, there is provided a sales system (10) that includes a plurality of information acquisition units (11-1 to 11-N (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2)) installed for a plurality of respective products, a registration unit (12) that registers a product corresponding to a first information acquisition unit (11-A (A is an integer equal to or greater 1 and equal to or smaller than N)) in association with customer identification information when the customer identification information is input through the first information acquisition unit (11-A), a reception unit (13) that receives a request for a product list associated with the customer identification information from a customer terminal, and a transmission unit (14) that transmits the product list to the customer terminal in response to the request.

In Patent Document 1, a product sales system that includes a store server and camera-mounted mobile terminals capable of accessing the store server is disclosed. A shopper images a barcode attached to a sample of the product desired to purchase using the mobile terminal. By this operation, barcode data of one or a plurality of products desired to purchase are recorded in the mobile terminal. Then, the recorded barcode data is transmitted to the store server.
The store server generates an ordered products list based on the received barcode data and transmits the list to the mobile terminal. Thereafter, the shopper checks the ordered products list displayed on the mobile terminal and performs an operation such as order confirmation.
In Patent Document 2, a product sales system is disclosed, which includes an ID (identifier) reader placed in the store corresponding to the product, and a recognition apparatus that stores the customer ID for the store, a membership card from which the ID can be read by the ID reader, and a recognition apparatus that is connected to the ID reader and recognizes the product as a product of which purchase is reserved by the customer according to the ID read by the ID reader.
The shopper holds his/her membership card over the ID reader corresponding to the product he/she wants to purchase. Then, the ID reader transmits the acquired customer ID and a device ID of itself to the recognition apparatus. The shopper goes to a delivery area or to a settlement area within a predetermined time. The shopper then checks the purchase reservation list displayed on the recognition apparatus and receives the product.

Sales system, server, and processing method for sales system


An antimicrobial composition which exhibits an excellent antimicrobial activity against various kinds of eumycetes, bacteria, actinomycetes, yeast and algae, is excellent in the quickness and persistency of the effect, and is extremely stable in itself. The antimicrobial composition contains an inorganic metal antimicrobial agent, a thiazole antimicrobial agent, a haloalkylthio antimicrobial agent, an imidazole antimicrobial agent, and a urea antimicrobial agent as the essential components.

Antiblastic and antifungal agents have recently been used for the purpose of attaining clean, comfortable and healthy surroundings or for the purpose of inhibiting resources and articles from being deteriorated by microorganisms, and therefore have held an extremely important position in various articles and fields, for example, textiles, timbers, building materials, leathers, adhesives, metal working lubricants, rubbers, plastics, films, paper-pulp industry, cooling water, high-technology industry, electrical machinery and apparatus, optical instruments, air conditioners, stockbreeding, fishery, agriculture, forestry, drugs, agricultural chemicals, water, cosmetics, toiletries, sanitary goods, preservation of food, hospitals, homes for the aged, public institutions, household goods, sporting goods, school supplies, and toys.
Further, such antiblastic and antifungal agents have recently been required not only to be applicable to various fields as described above but also to be efficacious against various kinds of microorganisms. For example, it is expected to develop an antiblastic and antifungal agent capable of inhibiting the growth of all 57 kinds of microorganisms found in general architecture which were recognized by International Bio-Deterioration Symposium (Philadelphia, U.S.A.) in 1985 (at the sixth meeting held at Emanuel College, U.K.). Further, it is also expected to develop antiblastic, antifungal and antialgal agents capable of inhibiting the growth of not only eumycetes and bacteria but also algae.
In general, various inorganic metal compounds, organometallic compounds, organic compounds and natural products which have been used as antiblastic and antifungal agents each exhibit an inhibitory activity against several to ten-odd kinds of microorganisms. However, there has not been found any combination of two or more of these compounds which inhibits additional kinds of microorganisms beyond their respective inhibitory powers. Further, there were even cases wherein a combination of two or more of the above compounds only inhibited fewer kinds of microorganisms than the sum of the kinds of microorganisms which the compounds could inhibit individually.
Under these circumstances, in JP-A 8-92012, an antimicrobial composition was developed, which comprises a nitrile antimicrobial agent, a pyridine antimicrobial agent, a haloalkylthio antimicrobial agent, an organoiodine antimicrobial agent and a thiazole antimicrobial agent as the active ingredients and exhibits excellent antibacterial, antifungal and antialgal activities by virtue of the additivity and synergism of these agents. However, even this antimicrobial composition was not sufficiently satisfactory in its effect as an antimicrobial agent, such as the kinds of fungi which can be inhibited, of expression of antimicrobial power and persistency thereof, and other characteristics for antimicrobial agents, and in the stability of the composition in itself, and so on.


A burger press includes a base having upward extending sidewalls, a lifter sized and shaped to fit within the base, and a plunger having a handle attached to a first side of a generally planar plate that is sized and shaped to fit within the base. At least one of a second side of the plunger plate and the lifter are shaped to include a surface feature selected from a plurality of ribs and a raised portion, the plurality of ribs and the raised portion being structured to press into a burger as the burger is formed in the burger press by compressing the burger between the plunger and the lifter.

A burger press is a well known device that is commonly used to form ground beef or other malleable food items into a flat, generally disk-shaped form. Typically a burger press includes a base plate having a cylindrical interior and a circular plunger that is used to press the meat into form.
While existing burger presses are suitable for creating a disk shaped form, that particular shape is not always ideal for cooking.


A coding and marking printer system having an unwind reel coupled to a rotatable drag pulley to supply ribbon from a depletable ribbon supply roll disposed thereon to a first guide roller, to a dancer guide roller on a pivotal dancer arm, and then to a rewind reel. A drag belt disposed partially about the drag pulley has first and second ends coupled to the dancer arm, which is pivotal about its axis to control tension on the drag belt as ribbon is supplied from the unwind reel, whereby drag on the unwind reel increases as the ribbon supply roll decreases in size to maintain relatively constant drag on the ribbon. A heated rotatable typeholder is actuatably disposed in an insulated heater block to reduce heat radiation therefrom, particularly when the heater block is oriented with the typeholder directed upwardly. The printer system includes a cassette assembly removably mountable onto a main plate assembly having an alignment member disposeable in an aperture of the cassette assembly for accurate alignment and spacing therebetween. A latch assembly lockingly retains the cassette assembly on the main plate assembly.

The invention relates generally to printing systems, and more particularly to modular printer systems having a depleting ribbon supply roll and a heated print-head for transferring ink from the ribbon onto a substrate, which may be moving continuously, particularly in coding and marking operations.
In the manufacturing and packaging of many products it is often desirable to print variable information on the product directly or on its packaging in marking and coding operations. The food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, for example, frequently print lot numbers, expiration dates, production codes, pricing and other variable information on articles, and labels and packaging therefor, all of which are referred to herein generally as substrate.
One particular type of printer system suitable for marking and coding operations includes generally an inked print ribbon transferred from a ribbon supply roll disposed on an unwind reel, to a print position adjacent a print-head, or typeholder, and then to a rewind reel, about which ink depleted ribbon is wound. The ribbon is advanced intermittently between the typeholder and the substrate, usually during or between printing operations, wherein the typeholder is selectively actuatable, either rotationally or linearly, to transfer ink from the ribbon onto a target area of the substrate at the print position, thereby printing or imprinting information thereon.
In the past, many coding and marking printer systems were operated pneumatically, including among other operational aspects of the systems actuation of the typeholder and advancement of the ribbon. More recently, however, there has been a trend in the manufacturing and packaging industries to eliminate from their facilities compressed air supply systems, which increase infrastructure, operational and maintenance costs. Also, usage of compressed air is very often a source of product contamination, particularly in the food processing and packaging industries. Pneumatically operated coding and marking systems arc thus being replaced increasingly with electrically operated systems, which are less costly and less problematic.
One problem associated with coding and marking systems that supply ribbon from a ribbon supply roll is a tendency toward decreasing drag on the ribbon as the ribbon supply roll is depleted, which results generally from the decreasing mass and diameter, or size, thereof. This is true more generally of any system that supplies a continuous web from a depleting web supply roll. It is generally desirable however to maintain relatively constant drag on the ribbon or web to provide improved control over the supplying thereof. It is especially desirable to maintain relatively constant drag on ribbon supplied in coding and marking systems that advance ribbon intermittently with an electric motor having a fixed driving torque as disclosed in the present invention.
Many coding and marking systems also include a heated typeholder for transferring ink from the print ribbon onto the substrate. One such typeholder, for example, is a rotatable typeholder configurable with variable type nearly completely disposed in a radiant oven, or heater block, except for a portion thereof, which is protrudable from an opening of the heater block during printing operations. A problem common to heater blocks, and more particularly to heated typeholders, is a tendency to radiate away heat, thereby reducing the efficacy of ink transfer from the ribbon onto the substrate and increasing operating costs. It is thus desirable to reduce radiant heat loss from the typeholder, particularly in applications where the orientation of the heater block promotes radiant heat loss. In vertical form, fill and seal packaging operations, for example, product is gravity fed vertically into a partially formed package, which is supplied from a generally horizontal continuous substrate where the coding and marking operations are performed before the forming and filling operations. Coding and marking systems for printing on horizontally moving substrates though are nearly always oriented below the substrate so that the opening of the heater block and typeholder face upwardly, whereby heat radiation away therefrom is substantial.
Since most coding and marking systems are operated and serviced by personnel not knowledgeable with the intricacies thereof, the systems must be relatively simple and highly reliable. It is often desirable therefore to mount the ribbon unwind and rewind reels on a cassette assembly that is readily removably mountable onto a main plate assembly, thereby facilitating replacement of ink depleted print ribbon supply rolls and providing access to the interior thereof for maintenance. Removable cassette assemblies are known generally, but it is desirable to provide an improved cassette assembly that is more readily and accurately alignable and spaced relative to the main plate assembly. It is also desirable to provide a cassette assembly that is positively lockingly engageable to the main plate assembly economically and reliably.
The present invention is therefore drawn generally toward novel advancements in the art of printing systems, and more particularly to improvements applicable to printer systems having a depleting ribbon supply roll and a heated typeholder useable for coding and marking operations on continuously moving substrates.
It is an object of the invention to provide novel printing systems, especially coding and marking printer systems, that overcome problems in the prior art by improving various aspects of prior art printing systems including improved ribbon drag control, improved heater block insulation, improved system modularity, and combinations thereof, all of which have improved economics and reliability.
It is a more particular object of the invention to provide novel printer systems, particularly coding and marking printer systems, comprising an unwind reel coupled to a rotatable drag pulley to supply ribbon from a depletable ribbon supply roll disposed thereon to a typeholder and then to a rewind reel, which winds ink deplete ribbon thereabout. The ribbon is supplied generally from the unwind reel to a first guide roller, to a dancer guide roller on a pivotal dancer arm, and then to the rewind reel. A drag belt disposed partially about the drag pulley has a first end coupled to the dancer arm on a first side of its pivot axis and a second end coupled to the dancer arm on a second side of the pivot axis. The dancer arm is pivotal about its axis to control tension on the drag belt as ribbon is supplied from the unwind reel, whereby drag on the unwind reel increases generally as the ribbon supply roll decreases in size to maintain relatively constant drag thereon.
It is another more particular object of the invention to provide novel printer systems of the type discussed generally above also comprising an electrically driven feed roller frictionally engageable with the ribbon to unwind ribbon from the unwind reel, and related thereto the feed roller may be rotatably coupled to the rewind reel about which ink deplete ribbon is wound, whereby an electric drive motor rotates both the rewind reel and the feed roller.
It is also an object of the invention to provide novel printer systems, particularly coding and marking printer systems, comprising a heated typeholder, which may be rotatable, actuatably disposed in an at least partially insulated heater block having one or more insulator members disposed adjacent one or more corresponding surfaces thereof, preferably adjacent upwardly directed surfaces thereof, whereby the insulator members reduce heat radiation from the heater block and the typeholder. It is a related object of the invention to provide one or more insulator members disposed adjacent corresponding surfaces adjacent an opening of the heater block, through which the typeholder is protrudable during printing operations, thereby reducing heat radiation therefrom, particularly when the heater block is oriented with its opening and the typeholder directed upwardly.
It is a further object of the invention to provide novel modular printer systems, particularly modular coding and marking printer systems, comprising a main plate assembly wherein an unwind reel, a dancer arm and a rewind reel are mounted on a cassette assembly removably and lockingly mountable to the main plate assembly. It is a related object of the invention to provide a main plate assembly having one or more alignment members protruding therefrom, and the cassette assembly having apertures for receiving corresponding alignment members of the main plate assembly when the cassette assembly is mounted thereto, wherein the alignment members are disposeable in the apertures of the cassette assembly to align and or space the cassette assembly relative to the main plate assembly. It is yet another related object of the invention to provide a sliding block having an end portion biased over a portion of an aperture of the cassette assembly for receiving an alignment member of the main plate assembly having a recess, whereby an end portion of the sliding block is engageable with the recess of the alignment member to lockingly retain the cassette assembly mounted to the main plate assembly.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent upon careful consideration of the following Detailed Description of the Invention and the accompanying Drawings, which may be disproportionate for ease of understanding, wherein like structure and steps are referenced generally by corresponding numerals and indicators.

Modular printer system with depleting ribbon supply roll and heated typeholder


A host digital terminal (118) receives telephony traffic from a time division multiplexed (TDM) switch (122) and packet data asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells containing packet data information from an ATM switch 116. The host digital terminal (118) converts the telephony traffic into telephony ATM cells (34) and multiplexes the telephony ATM cells with the packet data ATM cells for placement into a synchronous optical network (SONET) frame (38). The host digital terminal (118) transports the SONET frame (38) to an optical network unit (124). The optical network unit (124) demultiplexes the telephony ATM cells (34) from the packet data ATM cells in the SONET frame (38). Packet data information within the packet data ATM cells is extracted and provided to a monitor (132) through a network terminator (126) and a computer or set top unit (130). Telephony traffic is extracted from the telephony ATM cells (34) and provided to telecommunications equipment (128) through the network terminator (126).

A fiber to the curb system is designed to deliver both telephony and high data rate packetized data including digitally encoded full motion video. This is delivered to a home or other end user. In order to provide such delivery, telephony and packet data signals must be carried over a fiber optic communication link from a host digital terminal to an optical network unit. However, telephony and packet data signals are inherently different. Packet data signals may be optimally carried in an asynchronous transfer mode--(ATM) cell format. Telephony signals are considered to be optimally carried in a time division multiplexed format. There is no industry standard procedure for carrying signals between a host digital terminal and an optical network unit. Each manufacturer independently determines what transport and multiplexing technology to implement. The transport and multiplexing technology is an important design and implementation choice that affects the performance of services delivered by the system, the cost of the system, the complexity of the design, fault detection identification and diagnosis, manufacturability of the system, as well as other operational aspects of the system. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to transport both packet data and telephony signals across a fiber optic communication link.

Method and apparatus for placing time division multiplexed telephony traffic into an asynchronous transfer mode format