In a magneto-optical recording medium, a first magnetic layer is made of a material using a Gd—Fe film or a Gd—Fe—Co film as a base so that a magnetic field normalized based on saturation magnetization of a magnetic domain wall driving field can be larger than 1, and an element concentration ratio (at. % ratio) of Gd to Fe or Fe—Co is set in a range of 28.0≦Gd≦29.0. A second magnetic layer is made of a material using a Tb—Fe film or a Dy—Fe film as a base, to which a nonmagnetic element such as Al or Cr, and Co are added. A third magnetic layer is made of a material using a Tb—Fe—Co film or a Dy—Fe—Co film as a base, and an element concentration ratio (at. % ratio) of Tb or Dy to Fe—Co is set in a range of 23.5≦Tb≦25.5 or 25.5≦Dy≦28.5. According to another embodiment, a first magnetic layer is made of a plurality of heavy rare earth and iron family amorphous thin films laminated so that by setting a fixed temperature difference ΔTc as a unit, each Curie temperature can be gradually elevated from a second magnetic layer side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magneto-optical recording medium for reproducing an information signal while causing a magnetic domain wall movement by laser beam irradiation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A basic principle of a magneto-optical recording system is that a temperature of a ferrimagnetic thin film is locally raised to the vicinity of Curie point or a compensation point, and a coercive force of this portion is reduced to reverse a direction of magnetization toward an externally applied recording magnetic field for an information signal to be recorded. The magnetization reversal portion, i.e., an information bit, forms a magnetic domain and, in magneto-optical recording/reproducing for reading the information bit based on magnetic Kerr effect, in order to Increase a recording density, it is necessary to shorten a recording bit length, that is, to micronize a magnetic domain when the information signal is recorded in the form of the magnetic domain. However, reproducing resolution of the magnetic domain (information signal) is practically decided by a wavelength λ of a laser beam source of an optical reproducing system and a numerical aperture NA of an objective lens, and a spatial frequency 2NA/λ is are producing limit. Accordingly, a conceivable way to increase a recording density is to shorten the wavelength λ of the laser beam source or to reduce a spot diameter of a laser beam in a reproducing device side by using an objective lens of high NA. However, a wavelength of a laser beam source currently at a practical level is only about 640 nm, and the use of the objective lens of high NA results in a shallow focal depth, which requires accuracy of a distance between the objective lens and a magneto-optical recording medium (optical disk or optical card). Consequently, manufacturing accuracy of the magneto-optical recording medium becomes difficult to obtain. Therefore, NA of the objective lens cannot be increased so high, and practical NA of the objective lens is only about 0.6. In other words, there is a limit to the increase of the recording density by the wavelength λ of the laser beam source and the numerical aperture NA of the objective lens.
In connection to this, to solve such problems of the recording density defined by conditions for reproducing, there is a signal reproducing method of a magnetic recording medium for executing reproducing on a magnetic recording medium (magneto-optical recording medium) where a magnetic layer is formed in a 3-layer structure (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Hei No. 11(1999)-86372 (p. 4, FIG. 1)). There is also a magnetic recording medium (magneto-optical recording medium) where a magnetic layer is formed in a 4-layer structure (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-187898 (p. 3 to 4, FIG. 1)).
FIG. 1 is a view for explaining an example of a conventional magneto-optical recording medium: (a) in FIG. 1 schematically shows a layer formation of the magneto-optical recording medium, and (b) in FIG. 1 shows a temperature distribution on the magneto-optical recording medium when the magneto-optical recording medium is irradiated with a laser beam. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining another example of a conventional magneto-optical recording medium: (a) in FIG. 2 schematically shows a layer formation of the magneto-optical recording medium, and (b) in FIG. 2 shows a temperature distribution on the magneto-optical recording medium when the magneto-optical recording medium is irradiated with a laser beam.
The conventional magneto-optical recording medium 110 in the example shown in FIG. 1 is disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11 (1999)-86372. The conventional magneto-optical recording medium 120 in the other example shown in FIG. 2 is disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-187898. Here, description is briefly made by referring to the above publications.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, in the conventional magneto-optical recording medium 110 of the example, first to third magnetic layers 111 to 113 are sequentially laminated in a state of exchange coupling at room temperature. The first magnetic layer 111 disposed on a side irradiated with a reproducing laser beam to become a magnetic domain wall displacement layer is made of a magnetic film having a relatively small magnetic domain wall coercive force compared with the third magnetic layer 113 which becomes a recording layer. The second magnetic layer 112 is made of a magnetic layer having Curie temperature lower than those of the first and third magnetic layers 111 and 113.
More specifically, each of the above-described first to third magnetic layers 111 to 113 is made of a rare earth-iron family metal amorphous alloy containing 10 to 40 at. % of one or more types of rare earth metal elements such as Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, and Er, and 60 to 90 at. % of one or more types of iron family elements such as Fe, Co, and Ni. It is also described that, to increase a corrosion resistance, a small amount of elements such as Cr, Mn, Cu, Ti, Al, Si, Pt, and in may be added to such an alloy.
In the magneto-optical recording medium 110 constituted in the foregoing manner, by laser beam irradiation from the first magnetic layer 111 side during recording, the information signal is recorded in the third magnetic layer 113 by a not-shown magnetic head to be saved as a magnetization reversal area of an arrow direction (hereinafter, described as a magnetic domain). Furthermore, after the recording, and during non-irradiation with a laser beam, the magnetic domain recorded in the third magnetic layer 113 is exchange-coupled to the first magnetic layer 111 through the second magnetic layer 112. In this case, vertical arrows AS in the first to third magnetic layers 111 to 113 indicate direction of atomic spins. On a boundary of areas where directions of spins are opposite to each other, a magnetic domain wall DW is formed.
Here, if the first magnetic layer 111 is irradiated with a laser beam during reproducing, a medium temperature reaches Curie temperature Ts or higher of the second magnetic layer 112 between shown positions X1 and X2 with respect to the laser beam. Correspondingly, in an area between the positions X1 and X2, because a temperature of the second magnetic layer 112 is raised to Curie temperature Ts or higher, magnetization thereof is lost to cut off the exchange coupling between the first and third magnetic layers 111 and 113. This area is referred to as a decoupling area.
Then, when the magnetic domain wall DW existing in the first magnetic layer 111 enters the decoupling area, this magnetic domain wall DW is moved toward a temperature peak in the first magnetic layer 111 as indicated by an arrow to generate magnetic domain wall movement DWM. Following this magnetic domain wall movement DWM, the magnetic domain exchange-coupled in the first magnetic layer 111 is enlarged by a reproducing laser beam to be read out. On the other hand, since a coercive force (magnetic domain wall coercive force) of the third magnetic layer 113 which becomes a recording layer is sufficiently large, the magnetic domain wall therein is not moved, and a recording state is maintained. Thus, the very small magnetic domain in which reproducing is impossible by normal reproducing resolution is enlarged to execute reproducing, whereby a recording density can be greatly increased.
Then, as shown in FIG. 2, in a conventional magneto-optical recording medium 120 of the other example, magnetic layers are formed by adding one more layer to the magneto-optical recording medium 110 of the foregoing example. Thus, performance is enhanced so that especially by laser beam irradiation, without simultaneous magnetic domain wall movements from the front and rear sides (directions of arrows I1 and I2) of a laser beam moving direction in a temperature elevated area which enables magnetic domain wall movement, only the magnetic domain wall movement from the front side (direction of the arrow I1) of the moving direction can be enlarged and read by a laser beam spot.
In the magneto-optical recording medium 120, first to fourth magnetic layers 121 to 124 are sequentially laminated in a state of exchange coupling at room temperature. The first magnetic layer 121 disposed on a side irradiated with a reproducing laser beam to become a magnetic domain wall displacement layer has a magnetic domain wall coercive force smaller than those of the second to fourth magnetic layers 122 to 124 at room temperature. The second magnetic layer 122 has a magnetic domain wall energy density higher than that of the first magnetic layer 121 at room temperature. The third magnetic layer 113 has Curie temperature set higher than room temperature, but lower than those of the first, second and fourth magnetic layers 121, 122, and 124. The fourth magnetic layer 124 is formed as a recording layer.
More specifically, each of the above-described first to fourth magnetic layers 121 to 124 is made, roughly similar to the first to third magnetic layers 111 to 113 of the magneto-optical recoding medium 110, of a rare earth-iron family metal amorphous alloy containing 10 to 40 at. % of one or more types of rare earth metal elements such as Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, and Er, and 60 to 90 at. % of one or more types of iron family elements such as Fe, Co, and Ni. It is also described that, to increase a corrosion resistance, a small amount of elements such as Cr, Mn, Cu, Ti, Al, Si, Pt, and in may be added to such an alloy. Furthermore, it is described that a platinum family metal-iron family metal periodic structure film such as Pt/C, Pd/Co or the like, a platinum family metal-iron family metal alloy film, an antiferromagnetic material such as Co—Ni—O or Fe—Rh based alloy, and a material such as magnetic garnet can be used.
In the magneto-optical recording medium 120 constituted In the foregoing manner, by laser beam irradiation from the first magnetic layer 121 side during recording, an information signal is recorded in the fourth magnetic layer 124 by a not-shown magnetic head to be saved as a magnetic domain of an arrow direction. Furthermore, after the recording, and during non-irradiation with a laser beam, the magnetic domain recorded in the fourth magnetic layer 124 is exchange-coupled to the first magnetic layer 121 through the second and third magnetic layers 122 and 123. In this case, vertical arrows AS in the first to fourth magnetic layers 121 to 124 indicate directions of atomio spins. On a boundary of areas where directions of spins are opposite to each other, a magnetic domain wall DW is formed.
Here, if the first magnetic layer 121 is irradiated with a laser beam during reproducing, a medium temperature reaches Curie temperature Ts or higher of the third magnetic layer 123 between shown positions X1 and X2 with respect to the laser beam. Correspondingly, in an area between the positions X1 and X2, because a temperature of the third magnetic layer 123 is raised to Curie temperature Ts or higher, magnetization thereof is lost to cut off the exchange coupling between the first and second magnetic layers 121 and 122, and the fourth magnetic layer 124. This area is referred to as a decoupling area.
Then, when the magnetic domain wall DW existing in the first and second magnetic layers 121 and 122 enters the decoupling area, this magnetic domain wall DW is moved toward a temperature peak in the first and second magnetic layers 121 and 122 as indicated by an arrow to generate magnetic domain wall movement DWM. Following this magnetic domain wall movement DWM, the magnetic domain exchange-coupled in the first magnetic layer 121 is enlarged by a reproducing laser beam to be read out. On the other hand, since a coercive force (magnetic domain wall coercive force) of the fourth magnetic layer 124 which becomes a recording layer is sufficiently large, the magnetic domain wall therein is not moved, and a recording state is maintained. Thus, the very small magnetic domain in which reproducing is impossible by normal reproducing resolution is enlarged to execute reproducing, whereby a recording density can be greatly increased.
In the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-187898, it is described that the magnetic domain wall movement DWM occurs in the first and second magnetic layers 121 and 122. Generally, however, since the second magnetic layer 122 is formed very thin, whether the second magnetic layer 122 functions as a magnetic domain wall displacement layer or as a layer for controlling exchange coupling is not exactly known. Therefore, it may be considered that, during reproducing, a temperature is raised to lose at least magnetization of the third magnetic layer 123 by laser beam irradiation, and magnetic domain wall movement is generated so as to enlarge the magnetic domain exchange-coupled in the first magnetic layer 121.
Incidentally, in each of the conventional magneto-optical recording media 110 and 120 respectively shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the magnetic domain enlargement reproducing technology by the magnetic domain wall movement DWM is effective for realizing a high-density recording medium, but there is a shift of a reproduced signal on a time axis, i.e., a problem of deteriorated jitter characteristics, which is intrinsic to the magnetic domain wall movement reproducing. To improve the jitter characteristics, a start timing of the magnetic domain wall movement DWM must be set sharp, and time until completion of the magnetic domain wall movement DWM must be shortened.
However, in each film composition of the first to third magnetic layers 111 to 113 and the first to fourth magnetic layers 121 to 124 of the conventional magneto-optical recording media 110 and 120, as described above, each of all the magnetic layers only contains 10 to 40 at. % of one or more types of rare earth metal elements, and 60 to 90 at. % of one or more types of iron family elements such as Fe, Co, and Ni. Based on this, samples were prepared to try an experiment. However, this composition did not lead to any improvements of jitter characteristics during reproducing.

Magneto-optical recording medium having a plurality of magnetic layers


The capability to encrypt or compress the traffic over network links, thus improving the security of the link on the performance of the links, and the capability to encrypt/decrypt data stored on the storage devices without requiring specialized hosts or storage devices. In a first embodiment, traffic to be routed over a selected link needing encryption and/or compression is routed to hardware which performs the encryption and/or compression and returned for transmission over the link. A complementary unit at the second end of the link routes the received frames to complementary hardware to perform the decryption and/or decompression. The recovered frames are then routed to the target device in a normal fashion. In a variation of this first embodiment the hardware is developed using an FPGA. This allows simple selection of the desired feature or features present in the switch. The switch can be easily configured to perform encryption, compression or both, allowing great flexibility to a system administrator. In a second embodiment frames can be encrypted by a switch and then provided to the storage device in this encrypted manner. The frames from the storage device are decrypted before provision to the requesting host. By performing the encryption and decryption in the switch, conventional hosts and storage devices can be utilized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage area networks, and more particularly to encryption of data stored on storage units by elements contained in the storage area network.
2. Description of the Related Art
As computer network operations have expanded over the years, storage requirements have become very high. It is desirable to have a large number of users access common storage elements to minimize the cost of obtaining sufficient storage elements to hold the required data. However, this has been difficult to do because of the configuration of the particular storage devices. Originally storage devices were directly connected to the relevant host computer. Thus, it was required to provide enough storage connected to each host as would be needed by the particular applications running on that host. This would often result in a requirement of buying significantly more storage than immediately required based on potential growth plans for the particular host. However, if those plans did not go forward, significant amounts of storage connected to that particular host would go unused, therefore wasting the money utilized to purchase such attached storage. Additionally, it was very expensive, difficult and time consuming to transfer unused data storage to a computer in need of additional storage, so the money remained effectively wasted.
In an attempt to solve this problem storage area networks (SANs) were developed. In a SAN the storage devices are not locally attached to the particular hosts but are connected to a host or series of hosts through a switched fabric, where each particular host can access each particular storage device. In this manner multiple hosts could share particular storage devices so that storage space could be more readily allocated between the particular applications on the hosts.
One aspect of this switched fabric is a series of point to point links between the switches in the network. In many cases these links are secure, but in some cases portions of the links may not be completely secure. There are various efforts to provide security to the links, such as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/062,125, entitled "Network Security and Applications to the Fabric Environment" by James Kleinsteiber, Richard Hammons, Dilip Gunawardena, Hung Nguyen, Shankar Balasubramanian, and Vidya Renanarayanan filed Jan. 31, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference. But further security efforts to further secure the links may be desirable.
Alternatively, some links may be slower than other links in the network in certain cases. It may not be feasible to upgrade the speed of those links for numerous reasons. But it would still be desirable to increase the overall performance of those slower links to improve network performance.
In certain cases, a combination of both of the above concerns can be present in a given network. It would be desirable to handle both concerns in a single switch or provide the flexibility to handle either or both concerns in a single switch.
Even if the links are sufficiently secure, in some cases it may be desirable to encrypt the data being stored in the storage devices. While this may be done using specialized systems, either hardware, software or a combination, in the relevant host or storage device, this would require purchasing those specialized systems, which could increase cost and would reduce flexibility of the network. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide the encryption ability without requiring the host or storage device to be changed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for compression of data on storage units using devices inside a storage area network fabric


A data-providing system comprising a transmission/reproduction control (control 2) section 100A and a program-organizing control (control 3) section 100B. The transmission/reproduction control (control 2) section 100A transmits a continuous stream of content data that is a combination of the multimedia contents (program data 1), auxiliary data items (data 2) and additional auxiliary data items (data 3). The section 100B automatically organizes a new program by processing the attributes (data 4) of program data items generated by dividing a program, the attributes (data 5), each paired with auxiliary data item, the attributes (data 6), each paired with one additional auxiliary data item, and the profile of an user apparatus 10C. The transmission/reproduction control (control 2) section 100A changes the order in which the auxiliary data items to be inserted in the program data will be transmitted, in accordance with the new program organized by the program-organizing control (control 3) section 100B.

The present invention relates to a data-providing system, a transmission server, a data terminal apparatus and a data-providing method, each designed to achieve streaming transmission of multimedia contents, such as dynamic-picture data, still-picture data, audio data, computer data and the like, through Internet, a cable television network, a personal-computer communication network, a large-scale LAN or a data communication network such as radio communication network or a cable broadcasting network. In particular, the invention relates to a data-providing system, a transmission server, a data terminal apparatus and a data-providing method, each designed to change the order (or rearrange) the auxiliary data items incorporated in program data, to add new auxiliary data items to the program data from external systems and to replace some of the auxiliary data items with the new auxiliary data items. The data-providing system incorporates a fee-charging function and a charge-settling function.
In a data communication network such as Internet, streaming transmission of data is performed, enabling users to select and obtain at their terminals any on-demand programs they want.
The on-demand programs are stored in the transmission center that transmits or broadcasts the on-demand programs. Among the programs the transmission center stores are:
1) Year-end movies and new-year movies, each containing commercials for Christmas sales
2) New-year movies, each containing commercials for new-year sales
3) Year-end movies and new-year movies to be broadcast in night hours, each containing commercials.
Upon receipt of a demand from any user, the transmission center selects and transmits the program (e.g., a movie of any of the categories 1 to 3 described above) the user wants to enjoy. Different prices are set to the on-demand programs and costs are distributed to them.
In the existing on-demand broadcasting, the user can selects a plurality of programs at a time but cannot select one of the versions, if available, of the same program.
As the Internet technology advances, various contents prepared to meet the users' tastes are distributed in increasing numbers. People now wish to obtain data customized to their tastes, rather than the information presented by mass media. If data customized to the different tastes of the users is prepared, it will be an extremely amount of data. To store a large amount of data, the transmission center needs to have a large storage capacity. In addition, it takes much time and labor to edit programs to adapt them to the users' tastes that keep changing.
In the on-demand broadcasting practiced hitherto, one price is set to a combination of programs and a cost is distributed thereto. If the combination of programs is changed immediately before the programs are transmitted, it becomes difficult to determine what should be the price of the new combination and how the cost should be distributed thereto. Further, the storage capacity the transmission center must have for the library of programs grows considerably large. The transmission center needs to have an extremely large storage capacity, particularly if there is prepared a plurality of various parts that are to be inserted into programs. In this case, price-setting and cost-distribution are required for each of these program parts.

Data-providing system, transmission server, data terminal apparatus and data-providing method


Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide analog-to-digital converter techniques. For example, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an analog-to-digital converter architecture is disclosed that utilizes optical techniques to convert an analog electrical signal to a digital electrical signal.

Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are well known and employed generally to convert an analog signal to a digital signal. For example, an ADC is typically employed to sample and encode an analog electrical signal to create a digital electrical signal.
One drawback of a typical ADC is that it is entirely electronic and therefore inherently limited by its electronic components. For example, an ADC may be difficult to design for frequencies of 10 GHz or greater and, consequently, the ADC may limit the speed of certain applications, such as for example high-bandwidth communication applications. As a result, there is a need for improved ADC techniques.

Analog to digital converter systems and methods


The present disclosure relates to liquid pharmaceutical compositions comprising mutant Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 (FGF-21) peptide conjugate and prefilled syringe or autoinjector comprising liquid pharmaceutical compositions comprising mutant Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 (FGF-21) peptide conjugate.

FGF-21 is an endocrine hormone that is naturally found as a monomeric non-glycosylated protein. Together with FGF-19 and FGF-23, FGF-21 belongs to the endocrine-acting sub-family while the remaining of the 18 mammalian FGF ligands are grouped into five paracrine-acting sub-families. Endocrine-acting FGFs, in contrast to paracrine-acting FGFs, exhibit only low affinity for heparin-sulfate and are thus able to enter the blood circulation. Thereby, endocrine FGFs are able to regulate metabolic processes, such as bile acid homeostasis, hepatic glucose and protein metabolism (FGF-19), glucose and lipid metabolism (FGF-21) and vitamin D and phosphate homeostasis (FGF-23).

Liquid formulations comprising mutant FGF-21 peptide pegylated conjugates


Mouse is immunized with an antigen of a lipid fraction originating from Mycoplasma fermentans. Its spleen cells are fused with mouse myeloma cells to prepare hybridomas. A hybridoma is selected, which produces a monoclonal antibody having reaction specificity to GGPL-III that is a phosphocholine-containing glycoglycerolipid specific to Mycolplasma fermentans. Mycoplasma fermentans is detected by using the obtained antibody.

The present inventors have already found five species of glycoglycerophospholipids (phosphocholine-containing glycoglycerolipids) from MT-4 cells (human helper T cells infected with HTLV-I (human lymphotropic retrovirus Type I), Miyoshi et al., Gann., 71, 155-156 (1980)). The present inventors have been previously found that one of the five species of glycoglycerophospholipids is 6'-O-phosphocholine-.alpha.-glucopyranosyl-(1'-3)-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol (Shishitsu-Seikagaku-Kenkyu (Studies on Lipid Biochemistry), Vol. 35, pp. 111-114, 1993).
On the other hand, it has been reported that Mycoplasma fermentans is an exacerbation factor of human acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (Lo. S., -C. et al., 1991, Science, 251: 1074-1076; U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,820), or Mycoplasma fermentans is a cause of rheumatism (Williams, M. H. et al., 1970, Lancet ii: 277-280).
Various antibodies against mycoplasmas have been hitherto known, and they have been also used for clinical examination. However, the majority of them are antibodies against Mycoplasma pneumoniae or Mycoplasma genitalium. Monoclonal antibodies against these mycoplasmas have been also prepared. However, it is presumed that such an antibody is an antibody which recognizes a protein of a mycoplasma, or simultaneously recognizes a protein and a lipid of a mycoplasma.
Further, any of such antibodies does not exhibit specificity to Mycoplasma fermentans (Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. 63-298, 63-184064, 63-32496, end 5-304990, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,158,1370, 4,945,041, and 5,242,820). An antibody, which exhibits specificity to Mycoplasma fermentans, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,820. However, this antibody is obtained by using an entire extract of mycoplasmal cells as an immunogen, and thus the antibody is regarded as an antibody which recognizes a protein. Accordingly, if a mycoplasma contained in a body fluid such as a serum which contains various proteins is detected by using this antibody, the antibody highly possibly makes nonspecific binding. Therefore, it may be impossible to expect a high sensitivity. Further, when an antigen is a protein, it is sufficiently assumed that antigenicity disappears due to mutation in an amino acid sequence of the protein.
As far as the present inventors know, it has not been reported that any mycoplasma has a glycoglycerophospholipid containing phosphocholine. further, no instance has been known, in which a glycoglycerophospholipid originating from a mycoplasma is used as an immunogen to obtain an antibody which exhibits specificity to the glycoglycerophospholipid. Moreover, it has not been known at all as well that the antibody, which exhibits the specificity to the glycoglycerophospholipid, exhibits high specificity to Mycoplasma fermentans.

Glycoglycerophospholipid, antibody thereagainst, and method for detecting mycoplasma


A power supply converting circuit includes a multi-phase pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, a single-phase PWM controller, some first voltage converting circuits, a second voltage converting circuit, first and second electrical switch units. The multi-phase PWM controller provides some first PWM signals and a second PWM signal. The single-phase PWM controller provides a third PWM signal. The first voltage converting circuits receive the first PWM signals to output a first power supply to a central processing unit (CPU) chipset. The first electrical switch unit receives the second and third PWM signals to selectively output the second or third PWM signal to the second voltage converting circuit to output one of the first and second power supplies. The second electrical switch unit receives one of the first and second power supplies from the second voltage converting circuit to selectively output one of the first and second power supplies to the CPU chipset.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a power supply converting circuit.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, central processing unit (CPU) chipsets of motherboards can be classified as two types, a first type having not having an integrated graphics unit, and a second type having an integrated graphics unit. Each of the two types of CPU chipsets can be installed in one motherboard. The first type of CPU chipset only needs one power supply, called VCCP, to work. The second type of CPU chipset needs the VCCP power supply, and another power supply called V_AXG.
To install the two types of CPU chipset in a motherboard, the motherboard needs to have a VCCP power supply module and a V_AXG power supply module, where the two power supply modules are independent of each other. However, if a user chooses the first type of CPU chipset, the V_AXG power supply module will be unused, therefore a voltage converting circuit (may include a driving chip, some transistors, an inductor, and some capacitors) of the V_AXG power supply module is idle, which occupies space of the motherboard and increases costs.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A data processor includes a first bit field of a first plurality of bits representing a mantissa of a floating point number and a second bit field of a second plurality of bits representing an exponent of the floating point number. The first plurality of bits is partitioned into a plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions comprises more than one bit of the first plurality of bits. A leading zero anticipator or other type of leading bit indication circuit is coupled to each region and determines a position of a leading bit of the first plurality of bits. A normalizer is coupled to receive a region of the plurality of regions that contains the leading bit, the normalizer may normalize or denormalize the region to produce a normalized or denormalized floating point number.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to data processing systems and specifically to floating point units.
2. Description of the Related Art
Floating point units (FPUs) which execute floating point addition or floating point fused-multiply addition instructions may process a full-precision intermediate result in order to produce either a normalized result or a denormalized result in accordance with the IEEE 754 binary floating point standard. Normalization includes removing all non-significant bits (leading zeros) from the full-precision intermediate mantissa by left shifting and adjusting the exponent by subtracting the number of leading zeros removed. Denormalization may be required when the exponent of the normalized result is less than the minimum allowed exponent value Emin and underflow is disabled. Denormalization may include prepending non-significant bits (leading zeros) to the full-precision intermediate mantissa by right shifting and adjusting the exponent by adding the number of leading zeros prepended to the mantissa until the exponent equals Emin. Thus, for both normalization and denormalization, the exponent is adjusted by subtracting the normalization/denormalization shift count which may be positive (indicating a left shift) or negative (indicating a right shift).
This normalization/denormalization processing may be performed by the normalizer. The full-precision intermediate result in FPUs is typically produced by a sign-magnitude carry propagate adder. In some FPUs, the adder and normalizer are contained in separate pipeline stages called the addition stage and normalize stage respectively. Furthermore, in some FPUs, the shift count for the normalizer is calculated in parallel with the adder in the addition stage with the use of a leading zero anticipator (LZA).
There are two main methods used in FPUs for normalizing or denormalizing a full-precision intermediate result. The first method is the "brute-force" method in which the LZA and normalizer are the full-width of the full-precision intermediate mantissa result. In this context, the "width" of the normalizer refers to the maximum shift that it can accommodate. The brute-force design can be fully pipelined, but for high speed designs the full-width normalizer may require two or more pipeline stages. To support denormalized results, the shift count must be limited or clamped prior to commencing the shift otherwise the design cannot be fully-pipelined without stalling. The major advantage of the brute-force method is that the design can be fully-pipelined without the need for any pipeline stalls. The major disadvantages of the brute-force method are the high area requirements of the full-width LZA and full-width normalizer and the increased delay through the normalization stage and LZA. The increased delay is equivalent to increased latency in a highly-pipelined, high-speed design.
The second method is the "iterative" method in which a reduced-width normalizer and LZA are used and the mantissa is fed through the normalizer a variable number of iterations depending on the position of the leading significant bit and depending on whether a normalized or denormalized result is required. This requires that the pipeline be stalled during the iterations. For normalization, the maximum number of iterations is given by the full-width of the un-normalized full-precision intermediate mantissa divided by the width of the normalizer. In this context, the "width" of the normalizer refers to the maximum shift that it can accommodate. The LZA determines the shift count for the first pass through the normalizer. A leading zero detector (LZD) in parallel with the normalizer is used to determine the shift count for subsequent iterations if they are required. To produce a denormalized result an additional pass through the normalizer can be used or the shift count can be clamped. The major advantages of the iterative method are the reduced area requirements and the reduced delay through the normalizer stage and LZA. The delay through the LZA is reduced since the LZA is a serial operation and therefore a reduction in width results in a reduction in delay. The major disadvantages are the need to iterate a variable number of times through the normalizer and the need to stall preceding pipeline stages if more than one pass through the normalizer is required.
Some designs have achieved denormalized results with the use of separate denormalization units. This requires even more hardware, complicates the instruction issuing and scheduling and has a detrimental impact on performance.
What is needed is an improved floating point unit.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates identical items unless otherwise noted.

Floating point normalization and denormalization


Means and Method are provided for determining both the topography and the thickness of the nerve fiber layer at the fundus of the eye by measuring the polarization shift of the reflected probing light. The technique is greatly enhanced in the accuracy of its results by the utilization of a corneal polarization compensator, which lies at the heart of the invention.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for assessing the thickness and topography of the retinal nerve fiber layer by measuring the polarization effect of the retina on an impinging light beam while simultaneously eliminating the polarization effects of the anterior segment of the eye on the same beam.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The retinal nerve fiber layer is the innermost layer of the human retina and consists of the ganglion cell axons which transmit the visual signal generated by the photoreceptors. The ganglion cell axons (nerve fibers) converge to the optic papilla where the optic nerve is formed that transmits the bundled visual information from the eye to the brain. In glaucoma and certain other diseases, there is damage to these nerve fibers which results in a loss of vision or even blindness. In order to detect glaucoma and to prevent further loss of vision, it is important to assess the exact condition of the retinal nerve fiber layer. One method for making this assessment that is in widespread use is that of employing a fundus camera with red-free illumination to photograph the retinal nerve fiber layer. Blue light (red-free) enhances the visibility of the transparent nerve fibers, and retinal locations with a nerve fiber layer defect appear darker than normal. However, no quantitative measurements can be obtained.
More recently, several methods have been developed that attempt to quantify the three-dimensional size and shape of the optic papilla which can be considered a bulk representation of the retinal nerve fibers. By analyzing the topography of the optic papilla and the surrounding retina, an indirect measure of the condition of the retinal nerve fiber layer can be obtained.
One of the current methods is stereoscopic fundus photography where two photographs of the fundus are obtained under different angles, and the depth or topography information is extracted by triangulation (see, for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,703).
Another method consists of projecting a stripe or grid pattern onto the fundus, which is observed under a certain angle. An algorithm calculates the apparent deformation of the projected stripes into the topography of the illuminated fundus region (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,931). More recent methods utilize the technique of confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy where a laser beam is scanned across the eye fundus in two dimensions in order to obtain real time video images on a TV monitor. By focusing the scanning laser beam on different layers of the retina and confocally detecting the light reflected from the fundus, optical section images of the retina can be obtained. These tomographic section images are analyzed to obtain the topography of the fundus. One apparatus (U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,144) employs a detection system consisting of two confocal detectors to obtain real-time topographic data from the scanning laser beam.
All of these techniques depend on the intensity of light reflected from the retinal surface as the sole probing tool for ascertaining the fundus topography. They are based on the assumption that the point of brightest reflection is at the internal limiting membrane, the interface between the vitreous and the retina. The point of maximum reflection is, therefore, assumed to represent the anterior surface of the nerve fiber layer. In reality, the light detected from the fundus is a mixture of light reflected from the internal limiting membrane and of light scattered from many points within the retina. Therefore, the maximum of the total intensity distribution of all light detected from the retina does not coincide with the most anterior surface of the retina, and a false topographic reading is presented by the conventional methods. Another major limitation of the conventional methods is the inability to measure thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer. Whereas the topography of the fundus is a reasonable indicator of the thickness of the layer, it is indirect and suggestive only. A method of directly measuring the actual thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer would represent a clearly valuable addition to the diagnostic tools available to the medical diagnostician.
It has been known [see for example, Journal of the Optical Society of America A 2, 72-75 (1985)] that the human retina has certain polarization properties. The instant inventors, in a paper delivered in 1991, [Technical Digest on Noninvasive Assessment of the Visual System, 1991 (Optical Society of America, Washington, D.C., 1991), Vol. 1, pp. 154-157], showed that the retinal nerve fiber layer was responsible for the polarization effect of the retina. The retinal nerve fiber layer consists of parallel axons which are form birefringent and change the state of polarization of light double-passing through it. The thicker the nerve fiber layer, the greater the alteration of the state of polarization of impinging light and thus the polarization of reflected light, yielding an opportunity to measure the thickness of the nerve fiber layer by gaging the relative shifting in polarization between the incident and reflected light at various points along the retinal nerve fiber layer.
The use of polarization measurements for mapping the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, however, suffered from another potential limitation, which is, that the cornea and the crystalline lens of the eye also have birefringent qualities and therefore will alter the state of polarization of light double-passing it as well as the retinal nerve fiber layer, so that the total polarization shift of double-passing light is the sum of the shift caused by both the nerve fiber layer and the anterior segment of the eye. Without compensating for the polarization effects of the anterior segment, the measurement of the retinal polarization effect as a diagnostic technique would be of limited value.


A method of fabricating a capacitor structure includes the following steps. Firstly, a substrate is provided. A first conductive layer, a first insulation layer, a second conductive layer and a second insulation layer are sequentially formed over the substrate. A hard mask material layer is formed on the second insulation layer. Then, the hard mask material layer is defined with a photo resist pattern, so that a hard mask is formed. After the photo resist pattern is removed, the second conductive layer is defined with the hard mask, so that a first electrode of the capacitor structure is formed.

Nowadays, the trends of designing integrated circuits are developed toward miniaturization. As the integration density of the electronic components is increased, the performance of the integrated circuit is enhanced. For example, a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor and various electronic components are widely used in the high-density integrated circuit. However, during the process of fabricating the small-sized MIM capacitor, the MIM capacitor is readily polluted by contaminants. Under this circumstance, the performance of the MIM capacitor is deteriorated even to the point of breakdown of the MIM capacitor.
Therefore, there is a need of providing an improved MIM capacitor to eliminate the above drawbacks.

Method of fabricating capacitor structure


A new process for the production of tetronic acid alkyl esters of the general formula: ##STR1## starting from 4-haloacetoacetic acid alkyl esters of the general formula: ##STR2## The 4-haloacetoacetic acid alkyl esters of general formula II are converted in a first step with a dialkylsulfite of the general formula: EQU (RO).sub.2 S.dbd.O III. in the presence of a strong acid into a 4-halo-3-alkoxy-but-2E-enoic acid alkyl ester of the general formula: ##STR3## The latter is cyclized in a second step with a formate and a strong acid to the end product according to formula I.

1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a new process for the production of tetronic acid alkyl esters of the general formula: ##STR4## wherein R means a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkyl group, starting from 4-haloacetoacetic acid alkyl esters of the general formula: ##STR5## wherein X means chlorine or bromine and R.sub.1 means a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkyl group.
2. Background Art
To date several processes for the production of tetronic acid alkyl esters are known.
For example, European Published Patent Application No. 409,147 describes a process for the production of tetronic acid alkyl esters starting from 4-chloro-3-ethoxy-but-2E-enoic acid alkyl esters. The 4-chloro-3-ethoxy-but-2E-enoic acid alkyl esters are reacted at temperatures between 190.degree. and 260.degree. C. under an inert gas atmosphere without a solvent to the corresponding tetronic acid alkyl ester. A serious drawback of such process is that it cannot be performed on an industrial scale and that chloroethane accumulates as a waste product to be disposed of.

Process for the production of tetronic acid alkyl esters


A handoff system and method using an MPTY (multiparty) service in a mobile communication system. When a terminal senses that it is located at the boundary of a WCDMA during a WCDMA communication service, it transitions to a first state. In the first state, the terminal requests an MPTY service to a BS in a CDMA network. If the strength of a first current WCDMA signal is less than a predetermined first threshold, the terminal transitions to a second state. In the second state, the terminal requests an available MPTY call to be maintained. If the strength of a second current WCDMA signal is less than a predetermined second threshold, the terminal transitions to a third state. Then the terminal establishes a CDMA call using the maintained MPTY call in the third state. If the strength of a third current WCDMA signal is less than a predetermined third threshold, the terminal ends the WCDAM call.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile communication system, and in particular, to a system and method for implementing handoffs between heterogeneous networks using different communication schemes.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the drastic development of mobile communication technology, mobile communication services are being provided in a variety of schemes. A new mobile communication scheme is first deployed only in a trial network. When a mobile subscriber moves out of the trial network, he can continue his communication without interruption only if a handoff is performed between the new communication scheme-based network and an existing mobile communication network. If the handoff is not available, the communication service is discontinued.
An example of a new mobile communication scheme is a third-generation (3G) mobile communication system, WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) and an existing mobile communication scheme is a second-generation (2G) mobile communication system, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). The heterogeneous mobile communication networks will be described below with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a conventional mobile communication system. Referring to FIG. 1, a WCDMA network 100 includes a UE (User Equipment, i.e., a WCDMA telephone) 111 for receiving a communication service in WCDMA, a Node B 113, an RNC (Radio Network Controller) 115, and a UMSC (UMTS Mobile Switching Center) 117. The RNC 115, connected to a core network (CN: not shown), controls all processing related with connection to the UE 111 and radio resource assignment to UEs connected to the Node B 113. The Node B 113 controls channel assignment to the UE 111 in a physical layer.
A CDMA network 150 includes an MS (Mobile Station, i.e., a CDMA telephone) 151 for receiving a communication service in CDMA, a BTS (Base Transceiver Subsystem) 153, a BSC (Base Station Controller) 155, and an MSC 157. The BTS 153, BSC 155, and MSC 157 function in the same manner as the Node B 113, the RNC 115, and the UMSC 117, respectively.
When the UE 111 enters the service area of the CDMA network 150 during a communication service from the WCDMA network 100, a handoff is required to continue the communication service, but is not available.
The followings factors must be considered in order to support the handoff between the WCDMA network 100 and the CDMA network 150.
1. If a typical DBDM (Dual Band Dual Mode) terminal is used:
(1) the DBDM terminal must report the PN (Pseudorandom Noise) offset of a target system, that is, the CDMA network 150 to the CN;
(2) the DBDM terminal must report the RTD (Round Time Delay) of the target system to the CN;
(3) the DBDM terminal must synchronize its timing to the CDMA network 150 when a Handoff from a UMTS Command message is received from the WCDMA network 100; and
(4) the DBDM terminal must notify the WCDMA network 100 of its 32-bit ESN (Electronic Serial Number).
2. Radio resource information to be transmitted between MAPs (Mobile Application Parts) in heterogeneous networks: the UMSC 117 must transmit the following information to the MSC 157, and since a UMTS MAP supports this information, some parameters are changed in the 3G MAP and interface 1u-1/F.
(1) Service option;
(2) CDMA frequency;
(3) Frame offset;
(4) Code channel;
(5) Cell ID;
(6) RTD; and
(7) ESN.
3. Additional information to be formed in the RNC: the WCDMA communication system must have the following information about the 2G network as neighbor information.
(1) PN offset;
(2) MSC ID;
(3) BSC ID;
(4) BTS ID;
(5) Sector ID; and
(6) FA (Frequency Allocation) information.
To take the above considerations into account, actual air interface standards must also be changed. Thus, currently, the handoff is impossible.

System and method for implementing a handoff using a multiparty service in a mobile communication system


A tracker for a firearm comprises a device capable of being secured to a Picatinny® rail of a firearm. The device is in wireless communication with a smart electronic device thereby alerting a user of when the firearm has been moved. The device also comes with an audio alert which issues forth a high decibel and painful sound to dissuade unauthorized use.

Homeowners, shopkeepers or anyone who values personal safety can carry or have in their possession a weapon, such as a firearm. This right is bestowed upon Americans due to the addition of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Such firearms can be used in sport, competition, or personal safety. Some jurisdictions enable those who own such weapons to right to carry them on their person, either concealed or visible to the public. However, due to obvious hazardous situations, personal comfort level, or local law regulations, firearms may necessarily be remote from the owner.
In times like these, a common occurrence is to store or stow the firearms in a case, safe, or other location, often times under lock and key. Some of these locations may not be so secure. In all of these instances, it behooves the owner to restrict or deny access to the firearms to anyone but themselves. Unfortunately, there are many instances when the firearm is accessible and capable of being handled by an unauthorized user. Such times are an inquisitive child or adult or during a burglary. Therefore, it is a great benefit to firearm owners to identify when such unauthorized handling of the firearm is occurring. The Tracker for Firearm fulfills this need in a manner which is easy, efficacious and cost effective.


Collision deterrence system including signaling apparatus and method collision having frequency diversity, amplitude diversity, duty cycle diversity, and modal diversity and capable of being perceived by the following vehicle operator as being indicative of a lead vehicle motive state. The apparatus produces distinctive visual and aural signals constituting a characteristic hazard alert, representative of a lead vehicle motive state. The method generates an unambiguous signal representative of a predetermined hazard in the vehicle travel path. A collision deterrence diversity signaling method provides unique visual and audible signals directed toward a following vehicle operator, eliciting a REC avoidance response.

1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to apparatus and methods for vehicular signaling and, in particular, to apparatus and methods by which a lead vehicle may emit a defensive signal for perception by a following vehicle
2. Description of Related Art
Rear end collisions (REC) impose a staggering burden on society. The total money cost arising from personal injuries, lost wages, employer productivity, and property damage is estimated to be between $5 billion and $10 billion in the U.S. alone. In 1996, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that about that 28% of all accidents involve rear-end collisions between a lead vehicle (LV) and a follower vehicle (FV). Highway safety studies indicate that a rear-end crash has about a 67% chance of generating a reported whiplash injury. As a result, rear end collisions annually result in damage to over 1.5 million vehicles and, importantly, cause over one million cases of whiplash injury.
Modern highways worldwide seem to become more crowded each day, with many metropolitan areas enduring chronically congested roadways. Public transportation and freight vehicles, with generally greater physical dimensions and operating at lower average speeds, are intermixed with more maneuverable, smaller private vehicles. Operators of all vehicles feel pressures to meet itinerary deadlines, especially during peak travel times, often leading to compulsive tailgating, abrupt lane changes, sudden braking, and intemperate driving. All too often, a REC occurs when a following-vehicle operator (FVO) fails to timely recognize an abruptly slowing, or stopped, vehicle in the road ahead.
Because more than 75% of REC accidents occur during daylight hours, with 90% occurring on straight roadways, driver inattention is believed to be the primary factor in over two-thirds of these collisions. Following too closely, or "tailgating," is thought to be the second most likely cause of REC. In nearly 90% of all REC, the imputed cause of the collision was one or both of inattention, tailgating, or both. A third major factor in REC is ambient lighting conditions. Poor lighting conditions reduces visual contrast and visibility, produces limited depth and motion perception, and demands longer periods of observation and processing of visual images.
Under reduced lighting, a vehicle operator typically takes longer to perceive, identify, and respond to a hazard, thereby reducing the time and distance available to take evasive measures. Some operators significantly misjudge the distance, motion, and size of objects in their path during dark hours, so that dark hour collisions tend to be preceded by less braking or evasion, and result in more forceful impacts. Surprising or unexpected operating situations may further increase an operator's response time, so that an unexpected hazard on a darkened road may elicit a fatally delay in the operator's response. Thus, for the 25% of REC that occurs during dark hours, the risk of severe injury or death trebles.
Attention, focus, and skilled responses are essential concomitants to any safe trip. However, these capabilities vary greatly among individuals. Some factors, such as operator age, bring both benefits and liabilities, with the experience and judicious vehicle handling exhibited by older drivers being a slight advantage over the sharp faculties and rapid reflexes of younger drivers.
Typically, an unimpaired driver exhibits a response latency of about 1.8 seconds, as measured from the moment the driver perceives a stimulus until the moment the driver reacts to the stimulus—but before the vehicle responds to the driver's actions. Under certain circumstances this response latency may be less; yet under others, such as with a distracted driver, response latency can be substantially greater. In the microcosm of rear-end vehicle accidents, a split-second makes the difference between a close-call and tragedy. For example, at a modest speed of about 30 mph (50 kph), a vehicle traverses approximately 85 feet (25 meters) during this response latency period, corresponding to nearly five-and-a-half car lengths of movement. At highway speeds of 55-70 MPH (88-100 kph), a 1.8 second delay translates into about 150-200 feet (44-60 meters) of movement. From a more familiar perspective, vehicles moving at speeds between 30 MPH and 70 MPH, move about one to three car lengths, i.e., 15-35 feet or 3-11 m in the blink of an eye.
For the most part, current vehicle safety research remains focused on devising apparatus and algorithms directed to collision avoidance and from the vantage of the FV operator (FVO), i.e., outfitting a vehicle in a defensive follower role (FV). In general, a FV safety system detects, and is responsive to, a sensed operational characteristic exhibited by a lead vehicle (LV), which is located at some distance ahead of the defensive follower vehicle (FV). One response of a FV safety system (hereafter, a collision avoidance system or CAS), is to produce a perceptible warning to the FVO, with the expectation that the perceived warning will be sufficiently timely for the FVO to avert or mitigate a rear end collision.
Common CAS tend to include, for example, systems based on forward-directed interrogation signals (e.g., RADAR) emitted by the FV, and reflected back to the FV from the LV. FV systems also may include ultrasonic, optical, and red-based forward position or zone analysis, radio geolocation and global positioning systems and devices, as well as any system or device disposed within a vehicle that performs forward-looking analysis of a LV characteristic. Haptic FV systems also are of recent interest because there is some indication that a CAS alert issued through contact with the operator's body (e.g., vibrating steering wheel or seat) may promptly elicit a desired response.
More complex and sophisticated CAS may not be desirable. In general, increasing the complexity of any system increases the likelihood of constituent component failure. While a sophisticated collision avoidance system may enhance the safety of vehicle occupants, its failure can nullify the advantages gained. Should the vehicle operator become lax in reliance on the CAS forewarning, a system failure may increase the operator's risk by offering a false sense of security.
By selectively adding redundancy to a CAS, a certain degree of failure can be accommodated, but redundant systems are frequently more complex, and costlier to purchase, operate, and maintain than their non-redundant counterparts. Moreover, some degree of error is inevitable in any system intended, by design, or by common usage, to serve as a surrogate for attentive, skilled human judgment, particularly in the unpredictable settings and environments that modern vehicles frequently encounter. Of course, a CAS can appreciably increase the cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle, which may be beyond the means of the average vehicle owner.
Despite extensive research and development into understanding vehicle and collision kinematics, human machine interfaces, and studies revealing a wide range of vehicle operator responses, collision avoidance systems lack widespread implementation or acceptance, ostensibly due to the significant complexity, cost, maintenance, interoperability, and reliability concerns, of vehicle manufacturers, public officials, and consumers alike.
In an attempt to provide an LV with additional visibility, automobiles in the United States have been equipped with central high mounted stop lamps (CHMSL). A CHMSL is typically positioned between, and vertically higher than the rear stop/brake lamps of a vehicle. Initially, the implementation of CHMSL seemed to account for a noticeable decrease in REC. However, over time, drivers appear to have become less responsive to this additional indication of the LV state. Indeed, a standard CHMSL does not provide more information to an FVO regarding the deceleration, or stationarity, of an LV. Traditional CHMSL indicate that the LV braking system has been activated, without offering unambiguous cues to an FVO regarding LV speed or deceleration. Moreover, it is now believed that CHMSL may not provide sufficient stimuli to seize the focus of an inattentive FVO, even as a supplement to the standard brake/stop lamping. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a simple, intuitive, relatively inexpensive vehicle signaling system that provides attention-alerting stimuli conducive to effecting rapid, accurate maneuvers by an FV driver, thereby avoiding or mitigating a rear-end collision.

Collision deterrence apparatus and method therefor


To accurately classify a query as navigational, thousands of available features are explored, extracted from major commercial search engine results, user Web search click data, query log, and the whole Web's relational content. To obtain the most useful features for navigational query identification, a three level system is used which integrates feature generation, feature integration, and feature selection in a pipeline. Because feature selection plays a key role in classification methodologies, the best feature selection method is coupled with the best classification approach to achieve the best performance for identifying navigational queries. According to one embodiment, linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used to rank features and the top ranked features are fed into a Stochastic Gradient Boosting Tree (SGBT) classification method for identifying whether or not a particular query is a navigational query.

Web search has become a very popular method for seeking information. Users may have a variety of intents while performing a search of the Web. For example, some users may already have in mind the site they want to visit when they enter a query, however, the users may not know the URL of the site or may not want to type in the full URL, and may rely on the search engine to present a link to the site they know they want to visit. By contrast, other users may have no idea of what sites to visit before seeing the search results, where the information these users are seeking typically exists on more than one page. According to research, approximately 18% of queries in Web search are navigational queries, i.e., queries reflecting the situation when the user already has in intended site in mind. Therefore, correctly identifying navigational queries has a great potential to improve search performance. However, navigational query identification is not trivial due to a lack of sufficient information in Web queries, which are normally quite brief.
Recently, query classification is drawing significant attention. Many machine learning approaches that have been used in a general classification framework, including naive Bayes classifier, maximum entropy models, support vector machines, and gradient boosting tree, have their own advantages that suit certain problems. Due to the characteristics of navigational query identification, it is not apparent which approach performs best for identifying navigational queries. Further, machine learning models often suffer from feature dimensionality, in which use with a large number of features produces incorrect or no results. Consequently, most prior work in query identification is based on a small number of features that are obtained from limited resources.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for techniques for accurately identifying navigational queries in real-time.
Any approaches that may be described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

Techniques for navigational query identification


A method for applying at least one electronic component to a surface is described. The method includes placing a component stencil on a support. At least one electronic component is arranged in a corresponding opening of the component stencil with a top surface of the electronic component on the support. A contact material stencil is positioned on the component stencil such that at least one opening in the contact material stencil is over a corresponding contact region on the bottom surface of the at least one electronic component. A contact material is applied on the at least one contact region of the at least one electronic component within the corresponding opening of the contact material stencil. The contact material stencil is removed from the component stencil. The component stencil is removed from the support. The at least one electronic component is applied to the surface.

In industry, the surface-mount technology (SMT) for producing electronic devices has largely replaced the through-hole technology (tht) construction method of fitting components with wire leads into holes of a printed circuit board (PCB). In the SMT-method, electronic components such as light-emitting elements, e.g. light-emitting diodes (LEDs), are conventionally mounted on substantially flat or 2D-shaped PCBs by reflow soldering.
However, nowadays, attempts are made to mount electronic components to rather complex surfaces such as inside objects or onto surfaces of non-flat or 3D-shaped objects. In particular, recently, there have been efforts to replace traditional light sources such as incandescent light sources comprising a wire filament by lighting devices comprising light-emitting elements such as LEDs. For some specific applications, for instance in automobile lighting, it is desirable to perform a "retrofitting" of such lighting devices. For example, it is advantageous if only the traditional light source such as an incandescent light bulb is replaced by a LED lighting device, while the remaining elements of the lamps, e.g. optical elements such as reflector cups and lenses, do not require replacement.
Configuring lighting devices for retrofitting traditional light sources is however challenging. As the lighting device is intended to make use of the same optical elements as a traditional light source, the illumination pattern of the traditional light source has to be mimicked closely by the arrangement and specification of the light-emitting elements. For example, it may be required arranging LEDs in a manner representing the shape of a filament of an incandescent light source, with multiple LEDs being arranged along an arrangement direction close to each other. Therefore, mounting of LEDs in particular to complex shaped objects such as for retrofitting applications needs to be performed particularly precisely.
By employing SMT, the production process may be increased, but the risk of defects also increases due to component miniaturization and denser packing of electronic components on a surface. Especially, the reliability of solder joints due to inadequate amounts of solder becomes more of a concern. If on the one hand the applied solder amount is too high, the solder melted by the reflow leaks outside of the contact region of the electronic component and warping of the electronic component and the surface at the time of reflow will result in soldering failure causing a drop in yield of the electronic devices. Also, the Tombstone Effect may occur. On the other hand, if the amount of solder between the electrodes is too small, the presence of voids can deteriorate the joint strength and eventually lead to joint failure.

Method for applying electronic components


The invention relates to a clutch mechanism for the transmission of a rotary movement from a gear arrangement comprising a first gear member and a second gear member. The first gear member is rotatable about a longitudinal axis but axially fixed wherein the first gear member, upon rotation, is arranged for translatively moving a second gear member which is prevented from rotating. The clutch mechanism comprises a circumferential shoulder arranged at the second gear member and at least one or a number of resilient clutch fingers with respective inclined inner surfaces arranged at the first gear member, the shoulder arranged for increasingly pressing against the inclined surfaces thereby flexing the clutch fingers outward when the shoulder reaches the clutch fingers in the course of its translation. The clutch mechanism further comprises tube arranged around the clutch fingers, the tube having a number of internal longitudinal splines for engaging the flexed-out clutch fingers.

Auto-injectors are devices which completely or partially replace activities involved in parenteral drug delivery from standard syringes. These activities may include removal of a protective syringe cap, insertion of a needle into a patient's skin, injection of the medicament, removal of the needle, shielding of the needle and preventing reuse of the device.
Administering an injection is a process which presents a number of both mental and physical risks and challenges. The use of an auto-injector can bring many benefits for the user and healthcare professional.
US 2002/0095120 A1 discloses an automatic injection device which automatically injects a pre-measured quantity of fluid medicine when a tension spring is released. The tension spring moves an ampoule and the injection needle from a storage position to a deployed position when it is released. The content of the ampoule is thereafter expelled by the tension spring forcing a piston forward inside the ampoule. After the fluid medicine has been injected, torsion stored in the tension spring is released and the injection needle is automatically retracted back to its original storage position.

Autoinjector having piston rod with non-circular axial bore slidably arranged on housing shaft to prevent relative rotation


The wire stand of the present invention includes an upper rim of wire steel in a substantially rectangular configuration, a lower rim of wire steel of similar configuration and a pair of wire legs with each formed as an integral unit with each wire leg affixed at one end thereof to the upper rim and affixed to the lower rim such that the upper rim and lower rim lie in substantial parallel alignment to one another and extending below the lower rim to maintain the lower rim a fixed distance above the support upon which the stand is placed.

A chafer is a device for maintaining pre-cooked food at a remote location relative to the kitchen where the food is cooked. The chafer is supported upon a transportable wire stand hereinafter referred to as a "wire chafing stand" and is preferably composed of steel. The wire chafing stand of the present invention is a relatively simple structure having an upper rim and a lower rim interconnected to each other by means of wire legs. The wire legs are preferably welded to the upper and lower rims at the corners of the structure with the wire legs extending below the lower rim so that they also function as bottom supports to keep the stand level with the ground and to maintain the lower rim at a predetermined height above ground level for placement of chafing fuel heaters for the chafing dish in the stand.
Wire chafing stands are transported and stored nested together in multiple units. Presently, wire chafing stands permit the stands to be partially nested into one another when stacked i.e., the stands nest only to a limited extent. The cost of storage and transportation has a direct relationship to the vertical height of a stack of nested wire stands. Accordingly, for wire stands with only limited nesting capability the transportation cost for transporting such wire stands over long distances becomes a significant factor in its selling price. This, in turn, reduces the ability to compete over large geographical areas where transportation cost and/or storage cost become too large. Although many solutions have been proposed which permit deep nesting of multiple stands to reduce the vertical column height of a stack of nested stands such prior solutions were dependent upon complicated wire stand designs which otherwise increase the cost of fabrication and cause the stand to be unwieldy structurally as well as esthetically. An even further problem of significance relates to the ease of removal of the wire stands from one another after nesting. Generally if the wire stands are tightly nested they tend to wedge into one another and are then difficult to separate. Thus it is important that when nesting multiple wire stands that the wire stands do not wedge and are readily separable from one another.


A pen voltage regulator is provided for supplying a regulated pen voltage to one or more printheads of an inkjet printer. The pen voltage regulator includes: a regulator switch arranged between an input terminal and an output terminal; a linear lifting circuit connected to the regulator switch; a soft start circuit arranged between the regulator switch and the output terminal; an output filter arranged between the soft start circuit and the output terminal; and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller connected to the linear filtering circuit. The PWM controller is arranged to provide a pulse width modulated control signal to the linear filtering circuit. The linear filtering circuit is configured to transmit a smoothed control signal to the regulator switch and to ensure that the regulator switch is operable in a linear region. The soft start circuit is configured to provide a soft-start mode of operation so as to prevent the generation of large inrush currents and to provide overload protection.

Conventional thermal inkjet printers are provided with a plurality of printheads for firing drops of ink. A sufficient amount of energy must be applied to the printheads to properly fire the drops of ink. If the applied energy is too low, there may not be enough energy to drive the printhead to eject ink drop, or the velocity of the drop may be too low, thereby resulting in defects in the printed image. If the applied energy is too high, the printheads may get too hot resulting in decreased pen life. For these reasons, accurate energy control is essential for proper operation of the printheads. Typically, a switching voltage regulator is used to supply the desired electrical energy to the printheads. The voltage regulator is configured to receive direct current electrical energy from a power supply source and convert the direct current voltage to a regulated output voltage for use by the printheads. Conventional voltage regulators include step-down Buck controllers and other power components that increase the size and cost of the printers. It generally requires a more complex power supply system to drive the printheads. Therefore, there remains a need for a simple power voltage regulator that can be implemented at a low cost and can be installed in a smaller sized printer.

Pen voltage regulator for inkjet printers

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A wiper arm assembly including a primary bow and at least one secondary bow with a claw on at least one end of the secondary bow arranged to hold and guide a wiper blade. The secondary bow is rotatably attached to one end of the primary bow by means of a pivot. The wiper blade is arranged in a curved configuration such that when placed in the claws, a force is exerted on the secondary bow in a longitudinal direction of the primary bow. The primary and secondary bows contact each other by means of a projection extending from either the primary or the secondary bow, with the projection arranged to impose a force on the secondary bow in a longitudinal direction away from the primary bow.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional wiper device for a vehicle is comprised of a wiper shaft 20 connected to a primary bow 30 of the wiper arm assembly 10 at a distal end of the wiper shaft 20. Two secondary bows 40, 45 are rotatably attached to each end of the primary bow 30 at a pivot 410, 420, allowing the secondary bows 40, 45 to rotate freely when the wiper blade 50 is traveling on the glass. The secondary bows 40, 45 are further comprised of two claws 430, 440, 450 and 460 at each end of each secondary bow 40, 45 with the claws arranged to hold a rubber wiper blade 50.
On vehicles having a rear liftgate, however, the conventional wiper device has the drawback that on systems having the wiper device removed from the glass when in a rest position the secondary bows 40, 45 of the wiper arm assembly 10 tend to pivot on the holding axis 410, 420 due to the vibration generated either by the vehicle running on the road or the friction of the air running over the wiper arm or when closing the liftgate. As a result, the secondary bows 40, 45 are likely to come in contact with the primary bow 30, thus causing rattling noises. This rattling noise is specifically generated between either the primary and outer secondary bow joint, the primary and inner secondary bow joint or the wiper blade spline and the secondary bow claws.
It is therefore desirable to provide a wiper arm assembly that eliminates the rattle caused when the wiper blade is removed from the glass in a rest position.

Wiper arm and blade assembly having tension inducing projections


A disk changer device including a disk changer mechanism having a drive that can reproduce a disk, a holding mechanism including at least two holding sections, where each of the holding sections can hold the disk, and a picker configured to transfer a disk inserted into the drive to any of the holding sections, a memory configured to store information about the reproduced disk and information about the date and time when the disk is reproduced as reproduction history information when the disk existing in the drive is reproduced, and a control unit configured to determine the position of each of the holding sections where a plurality of the disks held in the holding mechanism is held based on the reproduction history information, and let the disks be held at the determined holding positions is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk changer device and a disk holding method that allow for holding a plurality of disks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk changer devices that can hold a plurality of disks including a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), "Blu-ray Disc (BD) (Registered Trademark)", and so forth and that can select a desired single disk based on an operation performed by a user have been known.
The above-described disk changer device that can hold the plurality of disks has a configuration that allows for transferring a predetermined disk from a holding section including a plurality of table-shaped objects (hereinafter referred to as disk tables) having at least one section in which the disk is held, the table-shaped objects being stacked on one another, to a drive that can reproduce the disk when the predetermined disk is reproduced. Through the use of the above-described configuration, the disk changer device changes (exchanges) disks, reproduces the disks, records data onto the disks, and so forth.

Disk changer device and disk holding method


A new and distinct variety of grapevine which is somewhat remotely similar to the ‘Crimson’ grapevine (not patented), but from which it is distinguished by producing fruit which are mature for harvesting and shipment approximately two (2) to three (3) weeks prior to the fruit produced by the ‘Crimson’ grapevine (not patented) and wherein the fruit are seedless berries which are juicy with an excellent flavor, red skin coloration and a moderately firm and tough skin. The berries of the new variety are borne on strong, woody stems which are well adapted to commercial handling.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of grapevine, which will hereinafter be denominated varietally as the 'Sheegene-1' grapevine, and, more particularly, to a grapevine which produces grapes, which are mature for commercial harvesting and shipment approximately September 16th through September 30th in the San Joaquin Valley of central California. The present variety produces large, seedless berries with a sweet flavor and red coloration over the entire berry.
The discovery or hybridization and development of new plant varieties is a process which requires arduous efforts over many years by skilled experts. This expertise requires not only acute powers of observation, but also the capability of dependably asexually reproducing the selected new variety. The asexually reproduced plants must be observed over many years of growth in order to confirm that they are identical to the parent. Such monitoring of the plants is also required to confirm that they possess the attributes desired for commercial development.
These assiduous efforts are required for all new plant varieties which are considered for commercial development, but are particularly important in the case of grapevines. Grapevines are, in addition to the more common maladies, subject to diseases, pests, climatic variations and may be adversely affected by a lack of proper husbandry. This latter condition may result from the fact that grapevines normally require a number of steps throughout the year in order to produce a commercially viable crop. Where all of these steps are not taken or they are inadequately performed, the crop will suffer.
For these reasons and others, a great many new varieties of grapevines have been developed throughout history which possess those attributes which are considered improvements over previously known varieties. Such development of new varieties has accelerated as the commercial value of grapes rapidly increased. Accordingly, the characteristics of grapes which are appealing to the consumer are sought after in the development of new varieties. Such characteristics for the fruit as size, color, flavor, whether seeded or seedless, shipping and handling quality and the like are sought after.
The new variety of grapevine of the present invention has been found to possess a promising combination of these characteristics for commercial development, as will hereinafter be set forth in greater detail.


A jet aircraft engine transport apparatus utilizes three major subcomponents. The first subcomponent is a shipping stand which enables a jet aircraft engine to be configured for transport in either a truck transport mode or air transport mode. The second subcomponent is a fan dolly which releasably secures the fan section of the jet aircraft engine for transport. The fan dolly serves the dual purpose of enabling removal of the fan section from the jet aircraft engine and providing a means of transport so that the fan section may be transported on the fan dolly or loaded onto a fan shipping frame, the third major subcomponent of the transport apparatus of this invention. The fan shipping frame enables transport of the fan section in either an upright or horizontal position, and further provides for a fan storage container for securing the fan blades of the fan section.

In the commercial aircraft industry, a need has developed for the capability of transporting aircraft engine components in order that these components may be repaired or retrofitted. Jet aircraft engines are perhaps the most critical assembly of an aircraft wherein the engines must be inspected and maintained to the highest level of repair. Periodically, it is necessary to remove these engines from the wing or fuselage of the aircraft so that the aircraft engine can undergo the necessary repairs. There are three major component sections of the jet aircraft engine, namely, the inlet cowl, the fan section and the core section. When the fan section is removed from the core section, this is known in the art as "engine splitting." The fan section may be removed from the core section either when the entire jet aircraft engine has been removed from the aircraft or some circumstances dictate that only the fan section be removed while the core section remain attached to the aircraft.
Some prior art devices exist for securing and transporting jet aircraft engine components that have been removed from an aircraft. Typically, these prior art devices include a number of different configurations which releasably secure the jet aircraft engine components and provide a means for moving the components so that the components may be transported to a desired location for the needed repairs or inspections.
Although the prior art devices may be adequate for their intended purposes, one significant shortfall is that none of the prior art devices provide a complete transport apparatus comprising a group of devices which are compatible with one another such that the major components of the jet aircraft engine may be secured and transported in the desired mode of transport. Furthermore, the prior art does not provide for a transport apparatus which enables aircraft engine components to be transported on differing types of aircraft and wheeled vehicles without having to use a series of complex equipment. Thus, one major advantage of the invention disclosed herein is its ability to accommodate differing aircraft engines for both air and land transport.

Method of removing a fan section of a jet engine


An active cancellation system may provide a first and second transmission gates that are fed with an input signal and a complimentary signal, respectively. The first transmission gate may be switched on/off, and a second transmission gate may remain off at all times. When switched off, the first transmission gate may provide a leakage signal resulting from leakage in current, especially at high input frequencies, which is detrimental to performance. The complimentary signal fed to the second transmission gate is out of phase with the input signal, but identical in amplitude. Thus, second transmission gate may output a signal that can cancel out the leakage signal from the first transmission gate.

The need for high speed wireless and optical links is increasing every day and one of the bottle necks is the availability of high speed analog to digital converters (ADCs). These ADCs form the front end of almost every digital system. Several fields from defense to communication to aviation can all benefit from a faster ADC. Moreover, with the rise of wide-bandwidth pulse-based systems, a wide-bandwidth ADC is desirable for an impulse receiver. Over the course of time, ADCs have evolved and many different topologies have been adapted from sample and hold to track and hold to master-slave configuration and many more, all with the objective to improve the performance. Furthermore, to get a superior performance figure, designers have often focused on using expensive InP or GaAs fabrication processes.
A time domain wide-bandwidth pulse based system architecture mitigates/eliminates some of the inherent drawbacks of narrow-band continuous wave (CW) systems. Such systems may utilize time domain pulses for communication and localization. Being a pulse based architecture, the system is ultra wide-band and uses a single pulse for each transmitted symbol. Moreover, the ability to coherently combine the pulses at specific point adds a layer of spatial encryption and power combining, which is difficult in CW architecture.
Analog to digital converters (ADCs) converts the continuous physical quantity to digital bits that represents its amplitude. The conversion involves quantization of parameters thus introducing some error. In order to make an on-chip wide-bandwidth pulse based communication and localization systems, it is very important to have an ultra wide-band high-speed ADC core around which receivers can be built.
ADCs:
ADCs may use sample & hold techniques in which the input signal is captured and the value is held for a specific period of time, acting as temporary memory devices. An exemplary sample & hold circuit may comprise a charge storing element like capacitor, a fast transmission switch and a high input impedance amplifier. As shown in FIG. 1, a capacitor 10 is connected to the input via switch (S1) 20. When this switch 20 is closed, the voltage across the capacitor 10 is proportional to the average voltage applied during the "ON" time and duration of "ON" time. Knowing the duration of "ON" time, the average voltage across the capacitor can be calculated and hence sample the input signal. This architecture works very well for lower frequency spectrum and low sampling rate. However, as we increase the input frequency, many technical challenges arises.
Switch Isolation:
While implementing a switch in CMOS, a transmission gate may be utilized, such as an exemplary transmission gate shown in FIG. 2. This transmission gate is composed of a P-MOS 210 and N-MOS 220 in parallel (FIG. 2) which is fed by a clock′ (Ā) and clock (A). Ideally, the transmission should provide infinite impedance when switched "OFF", which is generally true for lower frequencies. However, as we increase the frequency, the isolation decreases as shown in the frequency response (FIG. 3) of a transmission gate in 45 nm technology (both transistor are in "Off" state). This phenomenon can be explained with the fact that the source(S) drain(D) parasitic capacitor (CSD) provides an alternate path for the signal to pass as shown in FIG. 2. This alternate path provides considerable about of coupling at high frequencies and reduces the isolation.
Limitation of Sampling Window:
Sampling window in an ADC is defined as the window during which the sampling of the signal is taking place, as illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, suppose a sample of the signal at point "X" is desired. The switch-1 starts to switch on at t=0 and completely switches on after t=trise. The switch remains on for duration tduration and then starts to switch off with the closing time of tfall. Assuming that trise and tfall are comparably smaller than tduration, then the voltage across the capacitor is proportional to the mean of the time-varying input signal. When tduration is long, the input signal can vary and cause a large error on the sampling voltage. To minimize this error, tduration is preferably small. This means the switch and the holding capacitors should be very small. However, when the holding capacitor is small, the leakage current during the "OFF" can easily change the voltage on the holding capacitor and cause a large error, which is discussed further below.
Leakage Current During "OFF" State:
After the sampling is done, the switch-1 is closed and the voltage across the capacitor is read by a high impedance amplifier, but this process is usually much longer than tduration and the leakage current caused by the switch can change the voltage during the "OFF" stage and increase the error. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, voltage output (Vo) from a transmission gate may be non-zero due to incomplete isolation and leakage current.
In new architecture discussed herein, a new concept is provided in which the accuracy of sampling window of ADC can be increased, by providing active cancellation in the transmission gate. This active-cancellation eliminates the leakage current from the input when the switch is OFF, thus increasing isolation even at higher frequencies.
Further, a broadband time-domain pulse-based directional antenna modulation architecture is also disclosed herein. The architecture may utilize multiple transmitters synchronized at the symbol level to generate a narrow information beamwidth.

Systems and methods for active cancellation for improving isolation of transmission gates in high-frequency analog to digital converters


A lightweight, insulated chest and method are provided for transportation and storage of perishable and other items which require a temperature-controlled environment. The chest includes insulated side walls, bottom and a hinged cover which is pneumatically sealed to prevent tampering and for thermal security. The chest includes a fluid conduit within the cover for air evacuation and depressurization of the interior and also includes a conduit to provide a vacuum between the walls of the sides and bottom which contain a rigid polymeric foam insulation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein pertains to an insulated storage chest and particularly to a chest used to store and transport perishable items such as certain foods, biological materials and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art And Objectives Of The Invention
Insulated storage chests have been used for many years to transport food and other items in a temperature-controlled environment. Such chests generally employ insulated walls between which a heating or cooling device is placed proximate the food items. Such chests are useful and reliable for relatively short periods of time (2-4 hours). However, if perishable items are to be kept longer at specific temperatures, then often the perishable items have to be removed and the heating or cooling devices replaced or re-energized at periodic intervals to maintain the interior of the chest at the desired temperature. Such exchanges of the heating or cooling devices are oftentimes difficult, if not impossible, especially if the chest is being transported, for example, in an airplane where access to the chest is not available. Also, in remote field locations, re-energizing or replacing of the heating or cooling device may not be practical.
Thus, with the disadvantages and problems associated with prior art insulated chests, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a portable, relatively lightweight storage chest for perishable items which will maintain a controlled and desired temperature level in excess of twenty-four hours under normal ambient temperatures.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide an insulated chest and method which will greatly facilitate the storage and transportation of foods, biological materials and other items which require temperature control.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an insulated chest which is pneumatically sealed for thermal security.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an insulated chest which will prevent convective and conducted heat transfer to the exterior thereof.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide an insulated chest which incorporates a conduit within a hinged cover which can be connected to a vacuum pump for sealing the chest and evacuating the air from around its contents.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide an insulated chest in which the side walls and bottom have both an insulating material therebetween and are vacuum processed to increase the insulation rating.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.