A method is disclosed that can be used to interconnect an integrated circuit (IC) multiple die assembly to conductors on a substrate such that signals can be conveyed between the dies and the conductors on the substrate. The multiple die assembly can include a first IC die and at least one secondary IC die, which can be mounted on a surface of the first IC die. Signal paths can be provided between the first IC die and the secondary IC die. The method can include providing conductive contacts on the surface of the first IC die. Each such conductive contact can have a free end extending outward from the surface beyond the secondary IC die. The method can also include mounting the multiple die assembly on the substrate such that the free end of each contact is brought into contact with the conductors on the substrate. The secondary IC die can reside between the surface of the first IC die and the substrate, and the contacts can convey signals between the first IC die and the conductors on the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for interconnecting a multiple die assembly to a printed circuit board or other substrate.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 is a simplified sectional elevation view of a prior art multiple die electrical system 10 including a multiple die assembly 12 mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) or other substrate 14. Multiple die assembly 12 includes a set of secondary dice 16-18 mounted directly on a base die 20 within an integrated circuit (IC) package 28. Solder 22 conductively links bond pads 24 on dice 16-18 to bond pads 26 on die 20. An IC socket 36 mounted on substrate 14 releasably secures and interconnects each package pin 34 through a contact 37 and a solder ball 38 to one of a set of traces 39 on PCB 14. Bond wires 30 link various bond pads 32 on base die 20 to package pins 34. For illustration purposes solder 22 is shown much thicker than it would be after being melted and re-solidified to bond pads 24 to pads 26. While only two package pins 34 are shown in FIG. 1, a typical IC package will have many package pins.
Multiple die assemblies including one or more secondary dice directly mounted on a base die are often used where high frequency communication between die is needed because the relatively short signal paths between the secondary and base dice can convey high frequency signals. For example multiple die assemblies have been used to link dice implementing random access memories (RAMs) to a die implementing a microprocessor so the microprocessor can read and write access the RAMS at their highest rates without being limited by the bandwidth of the interconnection.
FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a prior art computer system 40 including a processor die 42, a random access memory (RAM) die 44 and a read only memory (ROM) die 46. Processor die 42 contains a processor 48, a bus interface circuit 50 and an internal bus 52 connecting processor 48 to bus interface circuit 50. Bus interface circuit 50 links processor 48 to RAM die 44 and ROM die 46 through a parallel memory bus 54 and to other IC devices 56 through a parallel input/output (I/O) bus 58. The speed with which processor 48 communicates with RAM die 44, ROM die 46 and other devices 56 is a function of the frequency of signals conveyed by buses 54 and 58; the higher the signal frequency, the faster the communication. However shunt capacitances and series inductances of buses 54 and 58 attenuate and distort signals; the higher the signal frequency the greater the signal attenuation and distortion. Hence we must limit frequencies of signals on buses 54 and 58 to levels for which signal attenuation and distortion remain within acceptable limits.
Since the shunt capacitance and series inductance of a bus are increasing functions of bus length, we can increase bus operating frequency limits by reducing the length of the bus. To reduce signal path distances of bus 54 the dice 44 and 46 implementing RAM and ROM could be mounted directly on processor die 42. Thus, for example, one or more of secondary die 16-18 of FIG. 1 could implement RAM and ROM and base die 20 could implement a processor die.
It is possible to test multiple die assembly 12 of FIG. 1 before packaging it using test equipment accessing pads 32 through test probes. However since the probes may not have the same impedance characteristics as bond wires 30 and package pins 34, the test interconnect environment may not accurately model the operating interconnect environment of assembly 12 when later installed in package 28 and interconnected with PCB 14 through bond wires 30 and package pins 34. Thus the test may overestimate or underestimate the effects of signal attenuation and distortion caused by bond wires 30 and package pins 34.
While the multiple die assembly architecture of FIG. 1 can link RAM and ROM dice 44 and 46 to processor die 42 through short signal paths, processor die 42 must still communicate with other I/O devices 56 that may be mounted on PCB substrate 14 of FIG. 3 through relatively long signal paths formed by bond wires 30, package pins 34 and socket 36. One way to reduce signal path lengths between the base die 20 and the PCB substrate 14 has been to mount the base die directly on the substrate and link the circuits on the upper surface of the base die to the substrate through vias passing vertically through the base die.
FIG. 3 is a simplified sectional elevation view of a prior art multiple die assembly 60 including secondary die 62-64 mounted on and linked to a base die 66 generally similar to multiple die assembly 12 of FIG. 1. However while the system of FIG. 1 packages the multiple die assembly 12 and uses bond wires 30, package pins 34 and connector 37 to link pads 32 on base die 20 to traces 39 on PCB substrate 14, the system of FIG. 3 mounts base die 66 directly on a PCB substrate 68 and uses conductive vias 70 passing though base die 66 and solder 72 to link pads 74 on an upper surface of the base die to traces 76 on substrate 68. Vias 70 provide shorter signal pathways than the bond wires 30 and package pins 34 of system 10 (FIG. 1). However vias 70 are difficult and expensive to fabricate.
Thus what is needed is a system that can reduce signal path lengths between a base die of a multi-die assembly and a PCB or other substrate without having to form vias through the base die. The system should also permit IC testers to access the base and secondary dice through signal paths having similar impedance characteristics to the paths later used to interconnect them to one another and to a PCB or other substrate.

Method for interconnecting an integrated circuit multiple die assembly


A floral design system is described having a base that is utilized to house water when displaying live flowers. A lid is designed to fit within the base and has a series of openings about its surface. A series of sleeves with a flap attachment configuration comprising upper and lower ridges are attached to the lid through the openings. The sleeves provide openings through which the stems of the flowers are passed to be held firmly in place. The sleeves are made out of a pliable material for conforming to the shape of the stem while providing a tight fit. The bottom of the stems protrudes down into the base for water supply.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plant container system. More specifically, the invention relates to a system to enable a user to create a decorative floral display for use as a centerpiece.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Holders for floral arrangements and other items requiring moisture are known in the art. Most holders for floral arrangements are constructed to receive a foam block into which the stem of a flower can be inserted. Various shapes of the foam block can be used to create different arrangements of flowers. Generally, the flower stems are placed into the foam in a desired orientation. If the stem is not strong enough to penetrate the floral foam, the flower may be attached to a wooden or plastic stick, usually by means of wire or tape.
Often, it also is desired to include flowers in a holder so that the flowers extend at an angle relative to other flowers that are inserted into and vertically extend from the surface of the foam block in the holder. It is often desirable to have the flowers over both the flat top and the sloping portions and, preferably, drape over the upper portions of the vertical sides of the floral foam block. With the prior art holders in which the sides of the blocks extend only vertically, it is difficult, and requires skill, to insert the stems of the flowers into a side of the block and provide a good appearance as well as to cause the flowers to present a cascade effect. With a block having only horizontal and vertical surfaces, the stems of flowers that are to extend at an angle relative to the vertically extending flowers generally are inserted at an angle offset from the orthogonal to the top surface of the foam block and into the vertical side surfaces of the block. The insertion of stems into a foam block at a non-orthogonal angle to its top surface, in addition to the difficulties set forth, does not always result in secure retention of those stems in the block.
Many attempts have been made to simplify the design and display of floral arrangements. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,965,565; 1,973,868; and 1,989,952, issued to Bartlett, Field, and Thomas, respectively, disclose flower-holding devices. U.S. Pat. No. 2,577,251, issued to King, discloses a flower holder that is designed to hold cut flowers, regardless of the length or diameter of the stem.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,463, issued to Domurat, discloses a floral stand designed to display flower or branch arrangements in any desired orientation, including horizontally or upside down. The stand is a hollow shell made of a lightweight plastic material and formed in any pleasing shape desired for flower display. Inside the shell are located airtight compartments for holding liquid nutrient. Each compartment includes a hole for the insertion of a flower stem into it and means to grip the stem tightly.
It is also common to include a candleholder with the flower-arranging device. For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. 332,487, issued to Kazanowski, U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,168, issued to Honkawa, and U.S. Pat. No. 903,227, issued to Pruden, each show a combination flower holder and candleholder.
While each of the above-mentioned devices may be effective to some degree in assisting a user in creating a pleasing floral arrangement, none of the references, however, disclose a compact and inexpensive container system using flexible sleeves attached to a specially designed lid to hold flowers at a variety of angles. None of the references disclose an alternative to the use of floral foam to hold flower stems in a desired arrangement.


A monolithic transceiver that includes both a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and a resonant cavity photodetector (RCPD) formed therein. The monolithic transceiver may also be an array of VCSEL and RCPD devices. The monolithic transceiver may be an integrated circuit, and may include a substrate layer. Both the vertical cavity surface emitting laser and the resonant cavity photodetector may be grown or otherwise formed on the substrate layer using standard processing techniques. Because standard processing techniques may be used, the present invention may provide a highly manufacturable transceiver, with independently controlled laser and photodetector characteristics.

This invention relates to the field of semiconductor transceivers, and more particularly relates to vertical cavity surface emitting laser and resonant cavity photodetector duplex transceivers.
Conventional semiconductor lasers have found widespread use in modern technology as the light source of choice for various devices, e.g., communication systems, compact disc players, and so on. For many of these applications, a semiconductor laser is coupled to a semiconductor receiver (e.g. photodiode) through a fiber optic link or even free space. This configuration may provide a high speed communication path.
A typical semiconductor laser is a double heterostructure with a narrow bandgap, high refractive index layer surrounded on opposed major surfaces by wide bandgap, low refractive index layers. The low bandgap layer is termed the "active layer", and the bandgap and refractive index differences serve to confine both charge carriers and optical energy to the active layer or region. Opposite ends of the active layer have mirror facets which form the laser cavity. The cladding layers have opposite conductivity types and when current is passed through the structure, electrons and holes combine in the active layer to generate light.
Several types of surface emitting lasers have been developed. One such laser of special promise is termed a "vertical cavity surface emitting laser" (VCSEL). (See, for example, "Surface-emitting microlasers for photonic switching and interchip connections", Optical Engineering, 29, pp. 210-214, March 1990, for a description of this laser. For other examples, note U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,442, by Yong H. Lee et al., issued May 19, 1992, and entitled "Top-emitting Surface Emitting Laser Structures", which is hereby incorporated by reference, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,701, issued on Dec. 12, 1995 to Mary K. Hibbs-Brenner, and entitled "Integrated Laser Power Monitor", which is hereby incorporated by reference. Also, see "Top-surface-emitting GaAs four-quantum-well lasers emitting at 0.85 .mu.m", Electronics Letters, 26, pp. 710-711, May 24, 1990.)
Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers offer numerous performance and potential producibility advantages over conventional edge emitting lasers. These include many benefits associated with their geometry, such as amenability to one- and two-dimensional arrays, wafer-level qualification, and desirable beam characteristics, typically circularly-symmetric low-divergence beams.
VCSELs typically have an active region with bulk or one or more quantum well layers. On opposite sides of the active region are mirror stacks which are formed by interleaved semiconductor layers having properties, such that each layer is typically a quarter wavelength thick at the wavelength (in the medium) of interest thereby forming the mirrors for the laser cavity. There are opposite conductivity type regions on opposite sides of the active region, and the laser is typically turned on and off by varying the current through the active region.
Typical resonant cavity photodetectors (RCPDs) may be constructed similar to a VCSEL, but may operated in a reverse bias mode. A resonant cavity photodetector may be more efficient than a standard photodiode because the light that enters the cavity, through one of the mirrors, may be reflected through the active region many times. The light may thus be reflected between the mirror stacks until the light is either absorbed by the active region or until it escapes through one of the mirror stacks. Because the mirror stacks are typically highly reflective near resonance, most of the light is eventually absorbed by the active region, thereby causing electron/hole pairs to be generated therein.
As indicated above, a resonant cavity photodetector typically has a reverse bias applied thereto. The reverse bias may sweep the electron/hole pairs from the active region and to the surrounding mirror stacks. The electron/hole pairs may then be collected by opposing terminals, and a photocurrent may result. This photocurrent may be provided to a receiver circuit.
Prior art VCSEL/RCPD transceivers include at least two separate integrated circuits; one that includes vertical cavity surface emitting lasers and another that includes resonant cavity photodetectors. The VCSEL chip typically includes vertical cavity surface emitting laser devices or arrays. The RCPD chip may include a single or an array of resonant cavity photodetectors, wherein each of the RCPDs may be fabricated to have a relatively broad absorption band. The VCSEL chip may or may not include driver circuitry and the RCPD chip may or may not include receiver circuitry.
This approach suffers from a number of limitations, some of which are described below. First, by having two separate chips, the cost of the optical transceiver may be increased. That is, each chip must typically be separately packaged or inserted into a multi-chip module. Further, interconnections may have to be supplied between the transmitter chip and the receiver chip, or between either of these chips and corresponding driver circuitry. This may require a number of wire bonds of the like, which may reduce the performance of the system, and may add additional assembly expense. In addition, optical communication within a single chip, via waveguides or the like, may be prohibited, and bi-directional optical communication between two chips may be limited or complicated.
In addition to the above, the VCSEL chip and RCPD chip are typically fabricated on at least two separate wafers, and likely two separate runs. Because of fabrication tolerances and other factors which may vary between wafers, the performance characteristics of the VCSEL and RCPD devices may not be sufficiently matched. Thus, it may be difficult to identify a vertical cavity surface emitting laser and a resonant cavity photodetector that have similar temperature and wavelength characteristics, particularly when an entire array of devices must be matched. To compensate for these effects, the absorption band of the resonant cavity photodetectors may have to be increased, which may decrease the overall efficiency and performance thereof.

Monolithic vertical cavity surface emitting laser and resonant cavity photodetector transceiver


A surface mount antenna having increased mechanical strength, and whose properties do not deteriorate when exposed to heat and moisture. The surface mount antenna includes a substrate, and a conductive portion in or on the substrate, with an electrical supply terminal formed on a surface of the substrate in order to apply voltage to the conductive portion. A covering material is provided to cover the substrate by coating, dipping, or the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface mount antenna, and, more particularly, to a surface mount antenna for use in mobile unit communication or local area networks (LAN).
2. Description of the Related Art
A description will now be given of a construction of a conventional surface mount antenna, with reference to FIG. 6.
Referring to FIG. 6, reference numeral 30 denotes a surface mount antenna comprising a substrate 31 formed by layers of ceramic sheets placed upon each other, with a conductor portion interposed therebetween. An electrical supply terminal 32 is formed on a surface of the substrate 31.
During handling of the surface mount antenna 30, however, the antenna may break when it is chipped or when it drops. In addition, the properties of the antenna 30 may deteriorate, when it is used under high temperature and humidity conditions.


The present invention provides for a method and system for providing a type of Managed/Secured File Transfer between one or more computers arraigned in server-client or peer-to-peer configuration. This method and system takes digital content in the form of a file, shreds this file into separate pieces and encrypts each piece separately. Once encrypted, each piece is stored into a database. Client applications can then access these pieces of digital content over a network, decrypt and reassemble each piece to be played in the case of audio/video content, or viewed in the case of visual content. In some embodiments, the content requested by the client application is stored into a second database in a shredded and encrypted format, whereas in other embodiments the content is reassembled into the original non-encrypted and non-shredded file format. This method and system can reside on a computer system, hand held device, or other device.

An interest in the safe transmission and storage of data (collectively referred to as Managed/Secured File Transfer) is an interest shared by many sectors of industry. The secure transmission of data (i.e., digital content) representing music, movies, and documents containing, for example, financial and/or medical data is critical to the industries that rely on these forms of data. Some sectors of industry profit from the artistic expression inherent in this digital content, whereas other areas of industry profit from the facts and figures that this digital content represents. Digital content in the form of movies is responsible for an estimated six (6) percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States. Digital content in representing financial and/or medical data can be even more valuable depending upon the manner (legal or illegal) in which it is used. For example, unsecured financial data can be used in furtherance of such illegal activities as insider trading.
Give the economic value associated with digital content, various legal regimes and technological apparatus and methods have been devised to protect this content during storage and/or transmission. For example, these legal regimes include copyright law (e.g., 17 USC et seq.), securities law (e.g., Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)), and a host of other legal regimes (e.g., Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)).
Copyright law has been devised to provide an economic incentive for individuals to produce such things as the aforementioned music and movies by protecting these individuals' ownership rights in these artistic expressions. These protections also extend to cover other forms of digital content such as video games, computer code, pictures and other types of expressive works. Copyright law also provides various disincentives to prevent individuals from stealing or pirating these works. These disincentives come in the form of various types of criminal and civil liability associated with the illicit use or piracy of this digital content.
In general copyright owners have the right to reproduce digital content (i.e., make copies), the right to make derivative works, the right to distribute copies, the right to perform works publicly, and the right to display works publicly. These rights, however, are typically balanced against what are called the "Fair Use" rights of those individuals who purchase a license to these copyrighted works. Under the Doctrine of Fair Use, persons holding a license to a copyrighted work are free to, among other things, make copies of the work for personal, non-economic purposes. Often times, however, the law must seek a balance between the copyrights of a particular copyright owner, and the Fair Use rights of a licensee.
In addition to the above described legal regimes utilized to protect digital content, various technological apparatus and methods have been devised to protect this content. Typically, these apparatus and methods relate to various encryption techniques that are used to protect this digital content.
Encryption is the process of obscuring information to make it unreadable without special knowledge. While encryption has been used to protect communications for centuries, only organizations and individuals with an extraordinary need for secrecy have made use of it. Encryption protects information, such as digital content, by taking this content, known as plain text, and converting it into cipher text or encrypted text. The cipher text is typically generated using one of many mathematical algorithms (see, e.g., RSA (Rivest, Shamir and Adelman), DES (Data Encryption Standard), AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)). The process of converting the encrypted text back into plain text is known as decryption. Central to the encryption and decryption process is the use of various keys to encrypt and decrypt the digital content. These keys are typically mathematical values that are plugged into an algorithm and used to encrypt or decrypt digital content. Once a piece of digital content is encrypted it is, in a sense, encapsulated in a shell of numeric values that give the appearance that the digital content is in fact random and meaningless. Typically, this shell is made up of ASCII, Uni-code, or Binary values.
The algorithms used for encryption and decryption can be broken down into two flavors. Symmetric key algorithms, such as the above referenced DES and AES, use one secret or private key to encrypt and decrypt digital content. Asymmetric key algorithms, such as RSA, use two keys; a public and a private key, where the public key is used in encrypt digital content whereas the private key is used to decrypt digital content. These two approaches to encryption also vary in that systems employing an asymmetric key algorithm may use a third party (e.g., a key server) to verify the validity of a particular public key, whereas systems employing symmetric key algorithms do not use a third party verifier. Accordingly, systems employing an asymmetric system are known as a tethered systems, while systems employing a symmetric system are known as an un-tethered systems.
In some systems, a hybrid of symmetric and asymmetric encryption is employed, a system known as a Hybrid-Crypto system. Under this system, a piece of digital content may be encrypted using a symmetric key algorithm, which, in turn, is then encrypted using an asymmetric key algorithm. Alternatively, the public key may be used as a signature to verify the identity of the requestor of content.
A factor used in determining the strength or effectiveness a particular system of encryption is what is known as the key length (i.e., the key size). Specifically, the key size is the measure of the number of possible keys which can be used in a key algorithm. More to the point, the above described keys are typically in the form of a Binary value. The potential size of this Binary value will at one level dictate the effectiveness of the encryption system. The relationship between key-length size and the effectiveness of a system of encryption is better understood if one examines the various methods used to defeat a system of encryption.
Given the value of the digital content protected by the above described systems of encryption, various methods have been devised by unscrupulous persons to defeat the encryption protections afforded this digital content. The most basic method devised to defeat an encryption protection is known as a "Brute Force Attack." In this form of attack, a party will try every possible key value in an attempt to eventually pick the correct key value. The success of such an attack is only limited by the computing power and computational complexity of the application used to engage in the attack. Put another way, the success or failure of a Brute Force Attack is proportional to the speed of the computer and application employed in the attack. Given the relationships between computing power, computational complexity and the success of a Brute Force Attack, very large key values (e.g., 128 bit or 2128 key values) are typically used to defeat a Brute Force Attack. Other types of attacks used against encrypted digital content can include "Chosen-Plain-Text Attacks" and "Known-Plain-Text Attacks," just to name a few.
One problem that is common to the above referenced attacks is determining whether the characters revealed after engaging in an attack are the sought after plain text, or whether the characters are encrypted text. That is, when one, for example, gets back the value "the", after mounting such an attack, is this actual plain text or is it encrypted text? This is particularly a problem for Chosen-Plain-Text Attacks and Known-Plain-Text Attacks where a comparison is made between a known plain text value and the encrypted text to measure the success of an attack. The success of such an attack is dependent on the ability of the person who is engaging in such an attack to have readily available the entire encrypted digital content that he/she is seeking to decrypt. Put another way, the success or failure of an attack typically can only be determined when the attack results are analyzed within the context of the entire piece of digital content.
One practical embodiment of these encryption techniques is Digital Rights Management (DRM) techniques and related software. Generically speaking DRM is an umbrella term referring to any of several technical methods used to control or restrict the use of digital content and media containing this content. For example, some DRM software and techniques restrict the ability of a licensee to copy a piece of digital content. And again, some DRM software and techniques prevent certain types of digital content (e.g., music or video) as embodied in a particular type of media (e.g., a CD or DVD) from being played on a particular type of device (e.g., a personal computer). As with the above described copyright regime, the challenge to DRM technology is to balance the copyrights of the author of an expressive work against the Fair Use rights of the licensee. Put another way, while it is technologically feasible to, for example, prevent someone from making a copy a piece of digital content, this technological ability should not be used to infringe on a licensee's right to make a copy for personal use (i.e., their Fair Use rights).
DRM systems are employed to protect digital content (e.g., music) that is distributed over computer networks, or online over the Internet. The susceptibility of, for example, digital content in the form of digital audio to unauthorized copying, and the ability to create perfect duplicates, raises the specter of even more significant losses to the music industry, and has been the single greatest factor in the music industry's reluctance to make music available for purchase over the Internet. Thus, a distribution system using a computer network must be demonstratively secure from a large variety of attacks, including those described above, and misuses in order to preserve the music owner's intellectual property rights, including copyrights.
At least three types of risks are present in the distribution of music over a computer network. First, there is a considerable security risk in simply maintaining digital content in a computer system connected to public networks such as the Internet for access by consumers. For example, in order to effectively enable purchasers to review and purchase digital content, the content distributor's computer system storing such content must be networked. However, given the commercial value of such digital content, whether audio data, video data, software, financial documents or the like, such sites would be likely targets of computer-based attacks. Further, the very presence of an online commerce system is itself an inducement to crackers to attempt to break the security controls of such a system and gain access thereto. Thus, an online distribution system for digital content must be secure from such direct attacks. Further, if the online distribution system is compromised, it is desirable that the underlying content itself be secure against unauthorized copying, distribution, display, etc.
Additionally, the protocols and transmission mechanisms by which an online digital-content distribution system delivers content to a legitimate purchaser must also be secure, to prevent unauthorized users from intercepting deliveries of the digital content over the network.
Finally, once the digital content has been delivered to a user, it must be made secure against unauthorized duplication by the user or by others.
These constraints on a digital-content distribution system are in conflict with many of the features consumers want in terms of flexibility and ease of use. In particular, with regard to the purchase of audio data, such as songs and related media (e.g., the lyrics, graphics, liner notes which typically accompany conventional retail forms of audio), consumers want to be able to sample audio products prior to purchasing. It is desirable for such an online music-distribution system then to provide some mechanism by which users can play limited portions of songs and view related media without having to purchase the song. In addition, a consumer should be able to pass on preview music to other potential new customers.
Purchasers of music in traditional forms such as CDs or cassettes are accustomed to simple, easy to use consumer devices, such as portable CD players or tape players. For the successful distribution of music over the Internet, the security requirements must not unduly interfere with consumers' ease of use of the system. A consumer should be able to purchase and play back audio easily and securely. However, the security measures, particularly the encryption mechanisms, should make the purchased audio unusable outside of the specific applications or devices designed to cooperate with the distribution or network system.
Consumers are accustomed to being able to play music purchases anywhere they can carry a CD and CD player. Consumers will expect similar portability when purchasing digital media over the Internet. Accordingly, a desirable online music distribution system should allow a consumer to play back purchased audio not merely on a single computer, but on any platform equipped with an appropriately licensed playback application or device and the licensee's personal identification. In short, a DRM system must be able to protect digital content and the rights of its authors, but at the same time allow for those who purchase such content to exercise their Fair Use rights.
The present invention addresses some of the above described problems. Specifically, it allows for an apparatus, system and method to securely encrypt digital content, but at the same time it allows for persons who use, or are licensees of this content to be able to exercise their Fair Use rights.

Apparatus and method for storing and distributing encrypted digital content and functionality suite associated therewith


A merchandising system and method in which Internet Web server software includes a parameter-driven search engine written in UNIX command language as a shell script that searches ASCII database files and generates HTML documents reflecting the search results. The search engine prevents multiple users from simultaneously attempting to write to a file. A common gateway interface is provided that facilitates access to multiple application programs, such as the merchandising system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer networks and client-server software applications and, more specifically, to systems for dynamically generating hypertext forms and receiving and processing such forms containing information filled in by a remote user.
2. Description of the Related Art
A distributed hypermedia computer system may be referred to as a "web." The World Wide Web (hereinafter "the Web" (capitalized)) is a web that uses the Internet to facilitate global hypermedia communication using specified protocols. One such protocol is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which facilitates communication of hypertext. Hypertext is the combination of information and links to other information. In the context of the Web, hypertext is defined by the Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML). The links or hyperlinks in a HTML document reference the locations of resources on the Web, such as other HTML documents. The term "hypertext," rather than "hypermedia," persists despite the fact that the information may comprise images, video and sound as well as text.
The Web is a client-server system. The HTML documents are stored on Web server computers, typically in a hierarchical fashion with the root document being referred to as the home page. The client specifies a HTML document or other resource on the server by transmitting a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), which specifies the protocol to use, e.g., HTTP, the path to the server directory in which the resource is located, and filename of the resource. An HTTP daemon (HTTPD) is a program running on the server that handles these requests. Users retrieve the documents via client computers. The software running on the user's client computer that enables the user to view HTML documents on the computer's video monitor and enter selections using the computer's keyboard and mouse is known as a browser. The browser typically includes a window in which the user may type a URL. The browser also typically includes button labeled "Back" that instructs the browser to request the document previously displayed. It may also include a "Forward" button that instructs the browser to re-request a previously displayed document that has been backed over using the "Back" button.
A user may cause a URL to be transmitted by typing it in the designated window on the browser or by maneuvering the cursor to a position on the displayed document that corresponds to a hyperlink to a resource and actuating the mouse button. The latter method is commonly referred to simply as "clicking on the hot-spot" or "clicking on the hyperlink." When the browser transmits a URL to the HTTPD, the HTTPD accesses the specified resource. If that resource is an HTML document, the HTTPD retrieves the document and transmits it back to the browser. If the resource is a program, the HTTPD executes it. In a Web server running the UNIX operating system and either a NCSA or CERN HTTPD, the HTTPD assumes the resource is a program and attempts to execute it if the resource is located in the "cgi-bin" directory. A resource that is an executable program is generally known as a common gateway interface (CGI). On UNIX servers, CGIs are typically UNIX shell scripts or Perl scripts. CGIs written in high level programming languages, such as C or C++, are also known, and are generally preferred over scripts for writing complex CGIs. The CGI may accept input data that the HTTPD received from the browser. The HTTPD provides this input data to the CGI. The CGI may similarly pass output data to the HTTPD for transmission back to the browser, typically in the form of HTML.
The CGI may function as a stand-alone application program, but as its name implies more commonly functions as a gateway to other application programs. If the Web server has multiple application programs, one of the parameters that the CGI receives from the HTTPD identifies the application that the CGI is to select. If an application program is added or removed from the server, the CGI must be revised. If an application program is moved to another directory or the directory hierarchy is revised, the CGI must also be revised. Moreover, because each application program may expect data differing in type, number, range, etc., from other application programs, the CGI may include a specialized interface for each application program and unwieldy branching structures. If the application is revised to accept different or additional data, the CGI must also be revised. These maintainability problems increase with an increase in the number of application programs that use the CGI.
A HTML document may be a form that a user may enter information into and submit back to the server (or to a different server). HTML provides means for creating buttons that submit the form, boxes into which a user may type free-form text, boxes having options among which a user may select, boxes in which a user can toggle a checkmark on and off by clicking on it, and other types of input boxes. The browser associates the information ("value") that a user enters with a variable name ("name") specified in the HTML code. The CGI receives the filled-in HTML form from the HTTPD and parses it into "name=value" pairs. An application program running on a server may obtain its input information from the CGI in the form of such name=value pairs.
Web server application software is known that enables a user to shop for and order merchandise. Such systems are sometimes referred to as electronic merchandising systems or virtual storefronts. Systems that enable a user to choose among several retailers' goods are sometimes referred to as electronic malls. An electronic retailer's or electronic mall operator's Web server provides HTML forms that include images and descriptions of merchandise. The user may search for an item by entering a key word search query in a box on a form. When a user selects an item, the server may provide a linked form that describes that item in further detail. The user may enter ordering information into boxes on the form, such as the type and quantity of the item desired. The information entered by the user is transmitted to the server. The user may select multiple items in this manner and then enter a credit card number to pay for the purchases. The retailer processes the transaction and ships the order to the customer.
In the above-described merchandising system, the Web server enters the order information into a database. Similarly, the server merchandising application program may retrieve the product information from a database. Retailers typically maintain their existing customer and product information using commercially available database management software. Many companies produce database application software, but the formats in which the various companies' database management software stores the data are not compatible. In other words, data may need to be reformatted in order to transfer the data from one database management program to another. Nevertheless, server merchandising software is typically oriented toward a particular company's database management program and does not operate with database management programs produced by other companies. Consequently, if a retailer desires to implement a merchandising system on the Web, the retailer may need to convert its existing customer and product database information to a format that is compatible with the server merchandising software.
Furthermore, the server merchandising software is an application program. Although merchandising software written in PERL, a script-like, interpreted language, is known, merchandising software is more typically written in a high-level language and compiled into object code compatible with a particular server platform, i.e., type of computer. Such programs are not portable from one server platform to another. Not only must a software producer compile the merchandising software for each server platform on which it is intended to run, but the software producer must re-compile the software for each server platform each time the software producer revises the software.
Searching for items that the user is interested in purchasing is inefficient in prior merchandising systems. Database management programs use index searching to facilitate rapid searching of large amounts of data. The creator of the database may instruct the program to use specified fields in the database as indexed or key fields. The program locates all terms in the database that appear in the indexed fields and stores them in an index table. Each entry in the index table includes a term and corresponding pointer to the location in the database where the term is found. If a user initiates a search for a term that is present in the index table, the program can locate the instances of that term in the database with exceptional speed. Users who are familiar with the particular database they are searching will generally know which fields are indexed and will know the format of the data in those fields. For example, a user of a database containing the inventory of a bookstore may know that users can search for the names of authors of books and that a user who wishes to do so should enter the author's last name first. A user having such knowledge will therefore be able to search efficiently. Users of electronic merchandising systems, however, are generally end-consumers who have no knowledge of a merchant's database. If, as is very likely, such a user initiates a search for a term that is not present in the index table, the program must sequentially search through all records in the database. Sequential records are typically linked by pointers. Using pointers in this manner is very demanding on server resources, resulting not only in an exceptionally slow search, but also creating a bottleneck for other processes that the server may be executing.
UNIX, a well-known operating system, is the most common operating system for Web servers. UNIX conceptually comprises two elements: a shell and a UNIX kernel. The shell is a program that provides an interface between the user and the kernel. The shell interprets commands the user enters and returns the results of commands to the output device. UNIX includes a rich set of file handling and searching commands. A shell script is a sequence of UNIX commands that form a program that UNIX can execute. Shell scripts are convenient to use, but they run much slower than a functionally equivalent compiled program. UNIX is also a multitasking system, i.e., users can run more than one program simultaneously.
It would be desirable to provide a highly maintainable CGI that efficiently interfaces with multiple web server application programs. It would further be desirable to provide a search engine for a web server application programs, such as electronic merchandising systems, that uses a universally accepted data format, that is highly portable, and that can be flexibly searched. These problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the present invention in the manner described below.


A wireless networking adapter that incorporates a Yagi-style directional antenna preferably includes at least one driver element positioned between a reflector element and at least two director elements. Another embodiment of the invention comprises a wireless access point having Yagi-style antenna that includes a driver that is adapted to rotate between a first position, in which the driver is in phase with the reflector an at least two directors, and a second position, in which the driver out of phase with a reflector and at least two directors.

This invention relates to a wireless device for use in a local area network (LAN).
Most current wireless networking adapters use an omni-directional antenna, which has a maximum operating range of 300 feet. In many operating environments, it is desirable to have a greater operating range.
There have been some attempts to use directional antennas with wireless networking adapters. Some use an auxiliary antenna that is used as add-on to an existing wireless networking adapter. Such devices are undesirable because they are bulky, difficult to aim, and result in only negligible improvements in operating range.
There have been some attempts to provide a wireless networking adapter with an integrated directional antenna. Many of these devices use large directional antennas, such as a parabolic antenna, and therefore, are inconvenient to use—especially for laptop users. Those that use smaller directional antennas, such as a micro-strip patch, provide little improvement in operating range.

Wireless networking adapter and variable beam width antenna


A microscope head includes a housing having a pivot axis located generally at a center of gravity of the housing. At least one handle is connected to the housing coaxially with the pivot axis. Mounting structure is for rotatably mounting a support arm coaxially with the pivot axis. A tension control ring is attached coaxially with the pivot axis for varying a rotation force required to rotate the housing with the handle about the pivot axis. A magnification selector mechanism is connected to the housing coaxially with the pivot axis.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Microscope heads are known to have multiple adjustment mechanisms, such as handles, knobs, and support arm connectors. These adjustment mechanisms are often dispersed at different locations on the microscope head. A microscope user often needs to change the view field of the microscope and this in turn requires the microscope head to be moved or rotated. The microscope user often desires to change the view field while simultaneously maintaining a view through the microscope. Maintaining one's gaze through the microscope while moving the microscope to a new view field requires the user to have detailed knowledge of the location of the multiple adjustment mechanisms and make those adjustments without visual feedback and without causing excessive movement of the microscope by fumbling for the proper adjustment mechanism.
In addition, different adjustment mechanisms may work against each other creating undesired movements of the microscope/microscope head. For example, FIG. 1 shows a prior art microscope head 10 attached to a support arm 12 at a pivot connector 14 located at the upper left portion of microscope head 10. It is noted that in use, microscope head 10 may further include an unshown pair of eye-pieces and an unshown objective lens. Handles 16 are attached to microscope head 10 at handle connector 18 located towards the lower right portion of microscope head 10. A user attempting to rotate microscope head 10 about pivot connector 14 by manipulating handle 16 is likely to cause undesired movement of the microscope head in a vertical direction indicated by arrow 20 and/or in a horizontal direction indicated by arrow 22. The undesired movement is mainly caused by the spaced apart locations of connectors 14 and 18 creating undesired force moments when a user pushes or pulls on handle 16 attempting to only rotate the microscope. Further, because pivot connector 14 is located at an outer portion or microscope head 10, away from microscope head 10's center of gravity the tension required between pivot connector 14 and support arm 12 may be significant to reliably and stably hold the microscope head 10 in a desired position.
Even if the pivot connector 14 and handle connector 18 were coaxial and located at the microscope head 10's center of gravity, manipulation of the non-coaxial, radially extending handle tension adjustment knob 24 and adjustment buttons 26 are likely to cause unwanted movement of the microscope head by the torqueing forces created when the user operates knob 24 and buttons 26. In addition, the adjustment buttons 26 require a user to memorize the layout configuration and function(s) of each button at each location, if the user is to operate the buttons 26 without removing his gaze from the microscope's view field. The buttons 26 also add significant cost to the microscope because of the required electrical power supply, wiring connections, software, and control circuitry, compared to a microscope with only mechanical adjustment mechanisms. It is also known to provide an adjustment mechanism, such as a focus knob 28 coaxial with handle connector 18. If coaxial focus knob 28 is provided and the pivot connector 14 is coaxial with the handle connector 18 then a prior art pivot tension knob has been provided that projects radially from the handle connector 18. This pivot extension knob is similar to and in addition to knob 24 and provides the necessary tension for holding the microscope head 10 in a desired position.
Thus, there is a desire for an economical, reliable microscope/microscope head that provides a user with adjustment mechanisms that are easy to manipulate and locate without removing his gaze from the microscope view field and without causing excessive unwanted movement of the microscope head.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Microscope head with multiple coaxial mechanical controls


A self-actuating tooling die located beneath an industrial press impact zone clamps a the tongue of an end ring side-to-side to hold it dimensionally stable during a pressing operation that clinches a nut to a hole in the tongue. The tooling die comprises a cone-shaped split collet fitted into a corresponding cone-shaped receptacle in the die housing. As the installation force of the press forces the collet into the receptacle, jaws of the collet grip the tongue a corresponding amount. At a pre-determined point of advancement, the collet bottoms out against a stop in the socket to hold the tongue in its pre-installation relaxed shape and size. A spring-loaded stepped pin, which reciprocates within an axial bore of the die, centers the nut and hole in the tongue during installation and later ejects the completed assembly.

Rotatable clinch nuts of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,382 are widely used for a variety of applications. One application is attachment to the tongue of an electrical end ring. The tongue is the flat extension of the terminal that has a hole for receiving a stud to which the end becomes attached. The use of a rotatable nut to complete the attachment to the stud provides the advantage of limiting the number of loose parts since it remains attached to the cable end.
Electrical end rings or ring terminals are typically manufactured from relatively soft materials such as aluminum or copper. In many cases, the diameter of the hole in the tongue is relatively large compared to the width of the tongue; therefore, the width of tongue material around the hole is very small. With these conditions displacer-type fasteners, such as rotatable clinch nuts, tend to produce material bulging and dimensional growth of the tongue around the hole during installation. Such distortion can cause poor rotational and performance characteristics of the nut after installation because these unwanted dimensional changes reduce the tongue material retention overlap with the clinch features of the nut.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide installation tooling that prevents dimensional changes of the tongue during the installation of fasteners such as rotatable nuts. It would also be desirable to provide installation tooling having means for accurately centering the nut on the receiving hole and preventing over stressing of the tongue. It would be further desirable to provide means for ejecting the tongue from the installation tooling without damage to the part if it becomes stuck.


A video cassette recorder includes a driving unit, a pair of pole base assemblies and power conveying unit for conveying a power from the driving unit to the pole base assemblies, the power conveying unit having a pair of link devices for transmitting a power from the driving unit into its corresponding pole base assembly and allowing the pole base assemblies to load a tape. Each of the link devices has a deformable bent portion for exerting a resilient force on the loaded tape.

In general, a magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus having a rotary type head drum such as a VCR is provided with a tape loading apparatus. The tape loading apparatus is designed to draw a portion of a magnetic tape out of a cassette loaded in the VCR and to run same in a predetermined path by moving pole base assemblies, which are respectively provided on a supply reel side and a take-up reel side so as to move along a curvilinear loading slot formed at a deck. While running through the predetermined path, the tape makes contact with a peripheral surface of the head drum, which is provided with at least one or more heads so as to record/reproduce signals onto/from the tape.
One of the prior art tape loading apparatuses is shown in FIG. 1. In the illustrated apparatus, the tape loading apparatus includes a motor 11 for loading a tape cassette 1 and a tape (not shown), a pair of pole base assemblies 12 which are, respectively, moved along a pair of loading slots 3 formed on a deck 2, for extracting the tape from the loaded tape cassette 1 and bringing it into contact with a head drum 4 of VCR, and a power conveying unit for transmitting a power from the motor 11 into the pole base assemblies 12. The power conveying unit includes a cam gear 21 driven by the motor 11 and having a cam groove 22, a relay arm 23 connected with the cam gear 21 by engaging one end thereof with the cam groove 22 and having a gear portion 24 at the other end thereof, a relay gear 25 connected with the relay arm 23 by engaging with the relay arm gear portion 24, a sliding plate 26 having a first gear portion 27 engaged with the relay gear 25 and a second gear portion 28, a pole base assembly driving gear 29 connected with the sliding plate 26 by an engagement with the second gear portion 28 of the sliding plate 26, and a pair of pole base assembly loading gears 30. The loading gears 30 are engaged with each other and one thereof is engaged with the driving gear 29. Further, each of the loading gears 30 is connected with its corresponding pole base assembly 12 via a link device 31.
The tape loading apparatus further includes a springs 32 (only one shown) which is interposed in each of the pole base assembly loading gears 30 so as to be biased toward the link device 31.
A tape is loaded by first actuating the motor 11. The power of the motor 11 is transmitted into one of the pole base assembly loading gears 30 via the relay arm 23, the relay gear 25, the sliding plate 26 and the pole base assembly driving gear 29, which, in turn, rotates the other pole base assembly loading gear 30. The rotation of the pole base assembly loading gears 30 allows the pole base assemblies 12 to extract the tape from the loaded tape cassette 1 and to bring it contact with the head drum 4 through the link devices 31. The spring 32 urges the link device 31 toward the loaded tape, thereby preventing the loaded tape from slackening.
One of the major shortcomings of the tape loading apparatus described above is that it is tricky and cumbersome to engage the spring between the pole base assembly loading gear and its corresponding link device, thereby making the assembly thereof difficult.

Tape loading apparatus with a pair of link devices having deformable bent portions


A shoulder rest member includes a support plate having a rotatable fastener directed orthogonally therethrough for securement to a camera base, with the rest structure further including a connecting plate orthogonally mounted to the support plate, with the connecting plate extending from the support plate to an arcuate saddle plate, having a concave support surface for accommodating an individual's shoulder thereon. The camera member is arranged for rotative mounting upon the support plate. A matrix of spring connected plates are optionally provided for spring mounting to the concave support.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to camera support apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved camera shoulder rest wherein the same is arranged to accommodate an individual camera in a rotative relationship relative to a shoulder of an individual.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various support structure is available in the prior art to accommodate a camera for its ease of positioning and imparting stability during use. Such structure is exemplified in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,991,758; 5,038,160; 4,895,286; 5,073,788; and 4,963,904.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for a camera shoulder rest wherein the same is arranged to permit ease of mounting and dismounting relative to an individual's shoulder and rotatably mounting the camera for use and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

Camera shoulder rest having a matrix of spring connected plates for cushioning support


Finger parts flex and extend about joint sections. A wire is arranged along each finger part through the joint sections. A motor winds the wires to pull the wires in the flexing direction and cause the finger parts to flex. A polymer actuator arranged to correspond to a part of each wire is formed in an elongated shape of a polymer material and elastically deforms in response to an application of voltage and performs extension and contraction in the axial direction by being restored to the original shape in response to stoppage of the voltage application. A lock mechanism restricts relative movement between the wire and the motor after the wire has been wound up by the motor. The polymer actuator performs extension and contraction while relative movement is restricted by the lock mechanism, thereby pulling the wire in the flexing direction.

The present invention relates to an electric prosthetic hand with finger parts to be flexed and extended using a driving source to operate in response to passage of a current.
Various types of electric prosthetic hands have been developed. In these prosthetic hands, a motor to operate in response to passage of a current is used as a driving source and rotation of the motor is transmitted via a driving mechanism to finger parts to flex and extend these finger parts, thereby grasping a target object with the finger parts (see Patent Document 1, for example). A compact motor is used as the drive source in consideration of the mountability on an electric prosthetic hand.


A rotation detection circuit detects an induced current flowing through a drive coil of a stepping motor in a detection section divided into a plurality of sections, and detects a rotation state of the stepping motor on the basis of a pattern indicating whether or not the induced current exceeds a predetermined reference value in each of the sections. A control unit selects a drive pulse corresponding to the rotation state detected by the rotation detection unit, and supplies a drive current to a drive coil to rotatably drive the stepping motor. The rotation detection unit carries out detection by selecting a detection direction of the induced current in the sections after the first section on the basis of whether or not the induced current exceeding each of a plurality of reference values is detected plural times in the first section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stepping motor control circuit, a movement provided with the stepping motor control circuit, and an analog electronic timepiece using the movement.
2. Background Art
In the related art, a stepping motor, which is provided with a stator having a rotor accommodation through-hole and a plurality of positioning units that determine a stable stationary position of a rotor, the rotor being disposed inside the rotor accommodation through-hole, and a drive coil being wound around the stator, has been used in an analog electronic timepiece and the like. To allow the stepping motor to rotate in a relatively reliable manner, rotation detection thereof is carried out to allow the stepping motor to operate according to rotation detection results (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Nos. 3302804 and 4165092, International Publication No. 2005/119377, and JP-A-2010-166798).
A rotation detection method described in Japanese Patent Nos. 3302804 and 4165092 is configured to have a first detection section in which a rotor movement state after blocking a drive pulse is detected, and a second detection section in which an induced signal in a direction opposite to that of the first detection section is detected to carry out the final rotation determination based on the result. According to this configuration, rotation detection of the stepping motor is carried out, and the stepping motor is allowed to rotatably drive by the drive pulse according to rotation detection results.
The rotation detection is possible by the configuration. However, there is a problem in that in a case where a load variation (a calendar load, or a load of a moment of the long hand) is large, an induced signal varies, and thus accurate rotation detection is difficult.
On the other hand, a rotation detection method described in International Publication No. 2005/119377 is configured as follows. After rotating a rotor with a main drive pulse P11, when a detection voltage of an induced signal is less than a reference voltage Vcomp, the rotor is driven with a correction drive pulse P2, and the rotor is driven after changing (pulse-up) a next main drive pulse P1 to a main drive pulse P12 having energy larger than that of the main drive pulse P11. In addition, when it is detected that a detection time during rotation with the main drive pulse P12 is faster than a reference time, the main drive pulse P12 is pulsed down to the main drive pulse P11 to allow the rotor to drive with an appropriate main drive pulse P1.
However, the detection method is a rotation detection method using a phenomenon in which a detection time of the induced signal is delayed along with a relative load increase with respect to the drive energy, and a level of the induced signal decreases. Accordingly, when a load variation (a calendar load, or a load of a moment of the long hand) which is equal to or more than a certain load variation occurs, an angular velocity of the rotor decreases, and thus the induced signal is apt to decrease regardless of rotation. Therefore, there is a problem in that rotation is falsely detected as non-rotation, and thus the rotor is driven with the correction drive pulse. As a result, there is a problem in that a consumption current increases, and the lifetime of a battery decreases.
In addition, the rotation detection method described in JP-A-2010-166798 is a rotation detection method using a phenomenon in which the detection time of the induced signal is delayed along with an increase in a load, and a pattern of an induced signal VRs in sections obtained by dividing a detection section into a plurality of sections is different depending on a rotation state of the stepping motor. However, similarly to the invention described in International Publication No. 2005/119377, there is a problem in that false rotation detection may be conducted due to an effect of a load variation, and power consumption may increase.

Stepping motor control circuit, movement, and analog electronic timepiece


The present disclosure provides a method, apparatus, and system to switch between direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) power sources for appliances with a third position to allow on-board recharging of the DC power source. The method involves locking out a power source when the other power source is powering the appliance and locking out both power sources from operating the appliance when the appliance is being recharged. The DC power source can remain coupled to the appliance during operation and during recharging without necessitating removal for remote recharging by the use of a unique switch.

Portable appliances, such as vacuum cleaners and power tools, are ubiquitous to our society. The size, shape, function, and effectiveness vary considerably depending on consumer desires and pricing. What is a constant, however, is that they all require power. Generally, AC power through a power cord supplies power to a majority of appliances, such as vacuum cleaners. The typical long cord, or extension cord, plugged into an outlet must be moved and traversed and managed as the appliance is moved from area to area throughout a house, site, or other location. DC power is provided to small handheld units for more convenience in accessing remote locations.
A difficulty in DC power is that the DC power is typically provided by a battery with a necessarily limited run time. When the battery is discharged, the operation ceases unless another battery can be inserted as a replacement. Thus, a user desiring a DC powered unit has intermittent usage capabilities. AC power is generally reserved for the larger, more powerful units for effective operation.
Some current appliances have a capability of operating on a rechargeable DC battery pack or AC power. When the DC battery pack is discharged, the unit can be operated on AC power by plugging in its power cord to an AC outlet. The DC battery pack is removed from the unit to be recharged at a remote location. It does not have the capability to remain with the unit and be recharged. A user is unnecessarily inconvenienced to constantly have to remove the DC battery pack, find the charger, insert the battery pack, operate the appliance, return to the DC battery pack to determine if it has been recharged, and then reinsert a recharge DC battery pack into the appliance at a later time.
Therefore, there remains a need for a simplification and increased utility of a method and system operable from both rechargeable DC power and AC power sources.

Switching method and apparatus for AC/DC powered corded/cordless appliance and related apparatus


A reel for a crop harvesting device includes tine carriers extending across the width of the reel carrying tines for conveying crop, and links for supporting the tine carriers. The links are mounted by link carriers to the tine carriers. The tine carriers are composed of short tube elements, each extending between the links and connected to each other by mounting elements. The mounting elements make up cylindrical support surfaces for the link carrier and secure the link carrier against axial movement along the tine carrier. The links are the only connection between adjacent tine carriers.

Reels are used in crop harvesting devices, particularly on cutting mechanisms, in order to deliver the standing crop to a cutter bar and a cross conveyor. They include a plurality of tine carriers (usually five or six) that extend across the width of the crop harvesting device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,520 describes a reel that includes tine carrier tubes with tines mounted thereon. The tine carrier tubes are supported on spiders that are arranged on the respective tube ends and distributed over the width of the reel. The tine carrier tubes are rotatably supported on the spiders and turned by eccentric drive mechanisms in order to achieve the desired orientation of the tines. A central tube for providing the reel with the required stability extends across the central axis of the reel. This structure is a disadvantage because the central tube increases the weight of the reel and limits the operator's view of the cutting mechanism elements, particularly the cutter bar and regions located in front of the cutter bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,305 describes a mowing device with a flexible cutting belt for cutting standing crop. A reel located above the cutting belt delivers the crop to the cutting belt and consists of spiders at each end and tine carrier tubes extending between. A central tube can be eliminated in this device because the working width of the mowing device is relatively small. However, the lack of support between the ends of the tine carrier tubes makes this reel unsuitable for larger working widths.
In reels that are equipped with a central support tube and in which the tine carriers are supported between their ends by links connected to the support tube, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,520 above, it is not required to make special provisions for fixing the links on the tine carriers in the axial direction, because the links are fixed on the support tube. If a reel according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,520 were not provided with a center support tube, axial guidance of the links would not be provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,573 describes a reel assembly in which the tine carriers are divided into tubular segments in the axial direction. The segments are fixed to one another by solid connecting shafts that are inserted into the ends of the segments and fixed therein with bolts or screws. The connecting shafts include a section of reduced diameter that serves to accommodate a support. This support is mounted on the outer ends of the arms, namely on the spiders of the reel that are connected to the central support tube. This reel assembly also contains a central support tube that has the disadvantage of high weight and a restricted field of vision.
A reel without a central support tube is described in republished DE 10 2004 001 383 A. In this reel, the tine carriers are connected to one another by links that form a supporting framework. The links form a hexagon, in the corners of which the tine carriers are rotatably supported.
In republished DE 10 2004 022 196 A, the links on the tine carrier are supported by carriers that are composed of bearing halves. The bearing halves are fixed to one another by the link that is pushed onto a link-carrying section located on the ends of the bearing halves. The bearing halves are axially fixed by annular holding elements that are respectively mounted on the tine carrier together with an adjacent tine.


An axle assembly for a work vehicle may generally include a hub, a casing at least partially received within the hub, and a shaft configured to be received within the casing. The hub defines a tapered inner surface and the casing defines a tapered outer surface. The tapered inner surface of the hub defines a first keyway portion defining a first keyway surface, and the tapered outer surface of the casing defines a second keyway portion defining a second keyway surface. The tapered surfaces of the hub and the casing together define a tapered interface and a keyway. The first and second keyway surfaces of the keyway extend in a direction non-parallel to the tapered interface.

Off-highway work vehicles, such as tractors, have been developed for a myriad of different purposes and are generally known to include a drivetrain sufficient to deliver a high amount of power and torque to one or more drive wheels. Typical drivetrains for a work vehicle include an engine, a transmission or gearbox, and a final drive reduction assembly. The final drive reduction assembly includes a bar axle that functions to transfer the rotational power generated by the drivetrain to the drive wheel(s), which is typically accomplished using a hub configured to establish a connection between the bar axle and the drive wheel(s).
The bar axle and hub connection may additionally include an intermediate casing to facilitate an attachment between the two parts. The casing typically includes a cylindrical opening corresponding in size and shape to the bar axle and a tapered outer surface. The tapered outer surface is received within an opening of the hub and creates a friction joint with a tapered inner surface of the hub. The casing may be pressed into and attached to the hub using a plurality of bolts. Such a configuration additionally creates a friction joint between the casing and the bar axle.
The friction joints allow for rotational force to be transferred from the axle through the casing, through the hub, and to the drive wheel(s). In order to increase the amount of rotational force that may be transferred, keys may be positioned in respective keyways defined between the bar axle and the hub, and between the hub and the casing. With respect to the friction joint between the casing and the hub, the keyway is known to be defined in a direction parallel to the tapered surfaces of the hub and casing. However, certain problems may exist with such a configuration. For example, with such a configuration, a cross-sectional thickness of the casing below the keyway may not be sufficient to transfer a desired amount of rotational force or torque to the hub from the bar axle. Additionally, such a configuration may be susceptible to a yielding of the keyway walls.
Accordingly, a keyway configuration for the casing designed to withstand an increased amount of force without yielding would be useful.


A control unit for a stepping motor includes an encoder and a controller. The controller controls the stepping motor based on information sent from an image pickup apparatus configured to capture an object via an image pickup optical system that includes the focus lens. in a case that the image pickup apparatus performs autofocusing in capturing a still image, the controller open-loop-controls the stepping motor in at least one of a drive start period and a drive stop period of the stepping motor, and feedback-controls the stepping motor using an output of the encoder between the drive start period and the drive stop period of the stepping motor. The controller open-loop-controls the stepping motor in a case that the image pickup apparatus performs the autofocusing in capturing a motion image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control unit for a stepping motor including an encoder, a method of controlling the stepping motor, and an optical apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A stepping motor is characterized in that its position is easily controllable without a position detector because the stepping motor is rotatable every predetermined angle by switching the excitation to a coil. For this reason, an open-loop control is generally used to drive the stepping motor, which switches the excitation to the coil according to a predetermined time interval. However, disadvantageously, when it is driven at a high velocity or bears a heavy load, a rotor may fail to respond to the excitation switching to the coil, thereby it is likely to step out.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. ("JP") 10-150798 proposes a method for switching an open-loop control and a feedback control (closed-loop control) according to a movement amount, by including an encoder in a stepping motor. JP 2002-148502 proposes a method for switching a motor exciting method in an interchangeable lens type image pickup apparatus according to a type of the image pickup apparatus to be attached. In addition, the micro step driving that applies a sine wave to a motor driving waveform is a known driving method for reducing driving noises and for precisely positioning the stepping motor.
It is difficult to feedback-control a stepping motor with an encoder in the entire velocity range from the low velocity to the high velocity while the positioning accuracy is maintained, and driving vibrations and noises are reduced. Moreover, since a necessary motor characteristic is different in an image pickup apparatus according to a capture mode such as a still image capture mode and a motion image capture mode, an appropriate motor control is necessary for each capture mode. Furthermore, the necessary motor characteristic is different according to a focusing type, such as autofocusing and manual focusing.

Stepping motor control unit, stepping motor controlling method, and optical apparatus


An intelligent optical disk drive control method for rapidly and accurately controlling the movement of an optical pick-up head of an optical disk drive, including the steps of: (a) defining a movement mode for the optical pick-up head; (b) providing a reference message according to the movement mode defined by step (a); (c) moving the optical pick-up head according to the reference message provided by step (b), and providing a feedback message subject to the actual movement of the optical pick-up head when the optical pick-up head is moved; and (d) comparing the feedback message with the reference message, then using a fuzzy control and a proportional integration control to adjust the movement mode of the optical pick-up head subject to the comparison result, so as to let the actual movement mode of the optical pick-up head follow the predetermined movement mode.

The present invention relates to an intelligent optical disk drive control method for rapidly and accurately controlling the movement of an optical pick-up head of an optical disk drive system. The term, optical disk means a device which utilizes the optical method to read data from the disk.
The hardware structure of a conventional optical disk drive, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises at least: a disk 10, a spindle motor 11, a base plate 12, an optical pick-up head 13 which includes an optical system and a lens actuator, and a sled motor 14 adapted for driving the optical pick-up head 13 for long tracking. The optical system comprises at least a focus lens adapted to focus a laser light onto the disk. The lens actuator comprises a coil adapted for driving the focus lens for tracking and short seeking. The aforesaid hardware devices are controlled by the following servo control systems:
1. Focusing Servo Control: for controlling the movement of a focusing actuator which is equipped with the aforesaid focusing lens, permitting laser light which passes through the focusing lens to be focused onto the disk 10. PA0 2. Sled Servo Control: for moving the optical pick-up head 13 to the object track or its nearby area at a high speed when accessing data. PA0 3. Fine Seeking, Tracking Servo Control: for matching with the sled servo control to control the coil in driving the focusing lens for a fine movement, enabling the optical pick-up head to follow a certain track in the disk 10, so that tracking servo control can be performed to achieve the action of tracking; fine seeking servo control is for track jumping control, and track jumping is one track per each jump. PA0 4. Spindle Servo Control: for controlling the spindle motor 11 to turn the disk 10, causing the optical pick-up head to pick up the data continuously from the disk 10 along a fixed track. PA0 1. turning the disk 10; PA0 2. projecting a laser beam onto the disk 10; PA0 3. focusing the laser beam; PA0 4. tracking - - - turning on the lens actuator to drive the object lens, enabling the laser beam to follow a certain data track; PA0 5. picking up track number - - - reading out the existing track number so as to know the existing track position; PA0 6. sled - - - turning on the sled motor 14 to move the optical pick-up head 13 from the existing track to a nearby area around the object track; PA0 7. tracking; PA0 8. picking up track number - - - reading out the existing track number so as to know the difference between the existing track and the object track; PA0 9. short seeking - - - fine adjusting the coil to move the object lens, enabling the laser beam to be focused onto the object track; PA0 10. tracking; PA0 11. accessing data.
The data access procedure of an optical disk drive is outlined hereinafter with reference to FIG. 2.
The access time of an optical disk drive means the total time used in the aforesaid (6) to (11) six actions. Normally, the time for sled is the longest. Therefore, the servo control of the sled motor 14 has a great concern with the access time. The present invention is achieved to improve the servo control of the sled motor 14, so as to reduce the consumption of the access time.
Using a PID (proportional integrated differentiation) control method to control the servo control of the sled motor of an optical disk drive has been well known. However, the control system parameter of the PID control method tends to cause a floating change when the optical disk drive bears a heavy disk, gaps occur in the transmission mechanism, mechanical parts are aged, or the friction force is changed. Therefore, this conventional optical disk drive control method cannot fit the changes of the control system parameter, and the optical pick-up head positioning time will be increased.

Intelligent optical disk drive control method

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A method of preventing, inhibiting and/or reversing proliferation, colonization, differentiation and/or development of abnormally proliferating cells in a subject is disclosed. The method is effected by administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a ribonuclease of the T2 family.

The present invention relates to the use of a ribonuclease of the T2 family or a polynucleotide encoding same for preventing, inhibiting and/or reversing proliferation, colonization, differentiation and/or development of abnormally proliferating cells in a subject. The present invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing, as an active ingredient, a ribonuclease of the T2 family or a polynucleotide encoding same for treating proliferative diseases or disorders in general and cancer in particular.
There is an ongoing interest, both within the medical community and among the general population, in the development of novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of cell proliferative diseases and disorders such as cancer.
Agents that display anti-proliferative, anti-colonization, anti-differentiation and/or anti-development properties against mammalian cells can potentially be used as anti-cancer drugs. As such, these agents are widely sought for from both natural as well as synthetic sources.
RIBASES are ribonucleases (RNases) which display a biological activity which is distinct from their ability to degrade RNA. RIBASES and their structural homologous are known to effect a large number of cellular reactions (Rybak, M. et al., 1991, J. Biol. Chem. 266:21202–21207; Schein, C. H. 1997 Nature Biotechnol. 15:529–536). EDN and ECP, two major proteins found in the secretory granules of cytotoxic eosinophyles (members of RNase A family) are thought to participate in the immune response. In self-incompatible plants stylar S-RNases (members of RNase T2 family), arrest pollen tube growth and thus prevent fertilization. RC-RNase, produced from Bullfrog oocytes, inhibits, in vitro, the growth of tumor cells such as the P388, and L1210 leukemia cell lines and is effective for in vivo killing of sarcoma 180, Erlich, and Mep II ascites cells (Chang, C-F. et al 1988, J. Mol. Biol 283:231–244). Some RNases display limited ribonuclease activity, an example of which includes angiogenins that stimulate blood vessels formation (Fett, J. W. 1985, Biochemistry 24:5480–5486).
Living organisms use extracellular RNases for defense against pathogens and tumor cells. For example, ECP is secreted in response to parasite attack (Newton, D L. 1992, J. Biol. Chem. 267:19572–19578) and displays antibacterial and antiviral activity. This activity is also displayed by Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (Znα2gp), an RNase present in most human body fluids including blood, seminal plasma, breast milk, synovial fluid, saliva, urine and sweat (Lei G, et al., 1998, Arch Biochem Biophys. July 15;355(2):160–4).
The specific mechanism by which extracellular RNases function in cellular reactions is unknown.
The main barrier to the cytotoxic activity of some RNase is the cell membrane. ECP was found to form channels in both artificial and cellular membranes. Presumably, ECP released from the granule membrane along with EDN (eosinophylic RNase, which is responsible for cerebellar Purkinjie cell destruction) transfers EDN into the intercellular space. The entrance of the fungal toxin α-sarcin (a member of the RNase A family) into target cells depends upon viral infection which permeabilizes the cellular membrane (Rybak, M. et al., 1991, J. Biol. Chem. 266:21202–21207). It is also possible that RNases enter the cell via endocytosis. When the Golgi-disrupting drugs retinoic acid or monensin were used to artificially deliver BS-RNase into the cells, cytotoxicity increased dramatically (Wu Y. et al., 1995, J Biol. Chem. 21;270(29):17476–81).
Cytotoxicity of RNases can be used for therapeutic purposes. Human RNase L is activated by interferon and inhibits viral growth. Expression of the gene for human RNase L together with that for a 2′5′-A synthetase in tobacco plants is sufficient to protect plants from cucumber mosaic virus and to prevent replication of potato virus Y. Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) induces blockade in the RNase L antiviral pathways (Schein, C. H. 1997 Nature Biotechnol. 15:529–536.). RNases can be fused with specific membranal protein antibodies to create immunotoxins. For example, fusion of RNase A with antibodies to the transferrin receptor or to the T cell antigen CD5 lead to inhibition of protein synthesis in tumor cells carrying a specific receptor for each of the above toxins (Rybak, M. et al., 1991, J. Biol. Chem. 266:21202–21207; Newton DL, et al., 1998, Biochemistry 14;37(15):5173–83). Since RNases are less toxic to animals, they may have fewer undesirable side effect than the currently used immunotoxins.
The cytotoxicity of cytotoxic ribonucleases appears to be inversely related to the strength of the interaction between a ribonuclease inhibitor (RI) and the RNase. Ribonuclease inhibitor (RI) is a naturally occurring molecule found within vertebrate cells which serves to protect these cells from the potentially lethal effects of ribonucleases. The ribonuclease inhibitor is a 50 kDa cytosolic protein that binds to RNases with varying affinity. For example, RI binds to members of the bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) superfamily of ribonucleases with inhibition constants that span ten orders of magnitude, with Ki's ranging from 10−6 to 10−16 M
A-RNases
ONCONASE, like RNase A and BS-RNase, is a member of the RNase A superfamily. Members of the RNase A superfamily share about 30 % identity in amino acid sequences. The majority of non-conserved residues are located in surface loops, and appear to play a significant role in the dedicated biological activity of each RNase. ONCONASE was isolated from Northern Leopard frog (Rana pipiens) oocytes and early embryos. It has anti-tumor effect on a variety of solid tumors, both in situ and in vivo (Mikulski S. M., et al., 1990 J. Natl. Cancer 17;82(2):151–3). ONCONASE has also been found to specifically inhibit HIV-1 replication in infected H9 leukemia cells at non-cytotoxic concentration (Youle R. J., et al., 1994, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 21;91(13):6012–6).
Although the RNase activity of ONCONASE is relatively low, it is accepted that the enzymatic and cytotoxic activities thereof are associated to some degree. It is believed that the tertiary structure of A-RNases differentiate between cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic types. For example, differences between the tertiary structure of ONCONASE and RNase A are believed to be responsible for the increased cytotoxicity observed for ONCONASE. ONCONASE, unlike RNase A, contains a blocked N-terminal Glu1 residue (pyroglutamate) which is essential for both enzymatic and cytotoxic activities. This unique structure enables ONCONASE to permeate into target cells (Boix E., et al., 1996, J. Mol. Biol. 19:257(5):992–1007). In addition, in ONCONASE the Lys9 residue replaces the GlnI1 residue of RNase A, which is believed to effect the structure of the active site. Furthermore, differences in the amino acid sequence of the primary structure between ONCONASE and RNase A cause topological changes at the periphery of the active site which effect the specificity thereof (Mosimann S. C., et al., 1992, Proteins 14(3):392–400).
The differences in toxicity between A-RNases are also attributed to their ability to bind RI. Bovine seminal ribonuclease (BS-RNase) is 80% identical in its amino acid sequence to RNase A, but unlike other members of the RNase A superfamily, BS-RNase exists in a dimeric form. It has been shown that the quaternary structure of BS-RNase prevents binding by RI, thereby allowing the enzyme to retain its ribonucleolytic activity in the presence of RI (Kim et al., 1995, J. Biol. Chem. 270 No. 52:31097–31102). ONCONASE, which shares a high degree of homology with RNase A, is resistant to binding by RI. The RI-ONCONASE complex has a Kd at least one hundred million times less than that of the RI-RNase A complex. The lower binding affinity of ONCONASE for RI prevents effective inhibition of the ribonucleolytic activity and could explain why ONCONASE is cytotoxic at low concentrations while RNase A is not.
It is suggested that binding to cell surface receptor is the first step in ONCONASE cytotoxicity. Nothing is known about the nature of ONCONASE receptors on mammalian cell surfaces. ONCONASE may bind to cell surface carbohydrates as in the case of ricin, or it may bind to receptors originally developed for physiologically imported molecules like polypeptide hormones (Wu Y, et al., 1993, J. Biol. Chem. 15;268(14):10686–93). In mice, ONCONASE was eliminated from the kidneys in a rate 50–100-fold slower than did RNase A. The slower elimination rate of ONCONASE is explained as a result of its higher ability to bind to the tubular cells and/or by its resistance to proteolytic degradation. The strong retention of ONCONASE in the kidneys might have clinical implications (Vasandani V. M., et al., 1996, Cancer Res. 15;56(18):4180–6). ONCONASE may also bind to Purkinjie cells EDN receptors (Mosimann S. C., et al., 1996, J. Mol. Biol. 26; 260(4):540–52). The specificity of ONCONASE is also expressed in its tRNA preference. In rabbit reticulocyte lysate and in Xenopus oocytes it was discovered that ONCONASE inhibits protein synthesis via tRNA, rather than via rRNA or mRNA degradation. In contrast, RNase A degrades mostly rRNA and mRNA (Lin J. J., et al., 1994, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 14; 204(1):156–62).
Treatment of susceptible tissue cultures with ONCONASE results in the accumulation of cells arrested in G1 phase of the cell cycle, having very low level of RNA contents (Mosimann S. C., et al., 1992, Proteins 14(3):392–400). In glioma cells ONCONASE inhibited protein synthesis without a significant reduction in cell density, showing that ONCONASE is also cytotoxic to cells in addition to being cytostatic (Wu Y et al., 1993, J. Biol. Chem. 15;268(14):10686–93). ONCONASE, combined with chemotherapeutic agents, can overcome multidrug resistance. Treatment with vincristine and ONCONASE increased the mean survival time (MST) of mice carrying vincristine resistant tumors to 66 days, compared to 44 days in mice treated with vincristine alone (Schein, C. H., 1997, Nature Biotechnol. 15:529–536). Furthermore, some chemotherapeutic agents may act in synergy with ONCONASE. In tumor cell lines of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma and human lung carcinoma treated with a combination of ONCONASE and tamoxifen (anti-estrogen), trifluoroperazine (Stelazine, calmodulin inhibitor) or lovastatin (3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutatyl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor) a stronger growth inhibition was observed than cells treated with ONCONASE alone (Mikulski S. M., et al., 1990, Cell Tissue Kinet. 23(3):237–46). Thus, a possibility of developing combination therapy regiments with greater efficiency and/or lower toxicity is clear.
Bovine seminal RNase is a unique member of RNase A family, since it is the only RNase containing a dimmer of RNase A-like subunits linked by two disulfide bridges. In addition, it maintains allosteric regulation by both substrate and reaction products. The regulation occurs at the cyclic nucleotide hydrolysis phase. It has the ability to cleave both single- and double-stranded RNA. BS-RNase is highly cytotoxic. It displays anti-tumor effect in vitro on mouse leukemic cells, HeLa and human embryo lung cells, mouse neuroblastoma cells, and human fibroblasts and mouse plasmacytoma cell lines. When administrated in vivo to rats bearing solid carcinomas (thyroid follicular carcinoma and its lung metastases), BS-RNase induced a drastic reduction in tumor weight, with no detectable toxic effects on the treated animals (Laccetti, P. et al., 1992, Cancer Research 52:4582–4586). Artificially monomerized BS-RNase has higher ribonuclease activity but lower cytotoxicity than native dimeric BS-RNase (D'Allessio G., et al., 1991, TIBS:104–106). This, again, indicates the importance of molecular structure for the biological activity. It seems that like ONCONASE, BS-RNase binds to recognition site(s) on the surface of the target cells, prior to penetration into target cells.
In addition to being cytotoxic, BS-RNase is also immunorepressive. BS-RNase can block the proliferation of activated T cells, and prolong the survival of skin grafts transplanted into allogenetic mice. The immunorepressive activity of SB-RNase is explained by the need to protect sperm cells from the female immune system.
T2-RNases
In plants, self-compatibility is abundant and is effective in preventing self-fertilization. Pollen carrying a particular allele at the S locus, which controls self-incompatibility, is unable to fertilize plants carrying the same S-allele. In many self-incompatible plants, especially members of Solanaceae and Rosaceae, S-RNase, a member of the T2-RNase family is secreted by the female organs. S-RNase specifically recognize self-pollen and arrest its growth in the stigma or style before fertilization occurs (Clarke, A. E. and Newbigin, E., 1993, Ann. Rev. Genet. 27:257–279) it is believed that the arrest of pollen tube growth is a direct consequence of RNA degradation, however the mode of S-RNase entrance into the tube cell is still obscure.
Members of RNase T2 family were first identified in fungi (Egami, F. and Nakamura, K. 1969, Microbial ribonucleases. Springer-Verlag, Berlin). Since, they were found in a wide variety of organisms, ranging from viruses to mammals. In particular, T2-RNases show much broader distribution than the extensively described RNase A family. However, the in vivo role of T2-RNases in mammalian cells is still not known.
In microorganisms, extracellular T2-RNases are generally accepted to contribute to the digestion of polyribonucleotides present in the growth medium, thereby giving rise to diffusible nutrients. They may also serve as defense agents (Egami, F. and Nakamura, K., 1969, Microbial ribonucleases. Springer-Verlag, Berlin).
In plants, T2-RNases play a role in the pollination process, by selectively limiting the elongation of pollen tubes racing towards the ovules (Roiz, L. and Shoseyov, O., 1995, Int. J. Plant Sci. 156:37–41, Roiz L. et al., 1995, Physiol. Plant. 94:585–590). To date, the mechanism by which these RNases affect pollen tubes is unclear.
Thus, there exist few examples of cytotoxic ribonucleases which can be effectively used as cancer treatment agents. New ribonucleases with anti-proliferation, anti-colonization, anti-differentiation and/or anti-development activities toward mammalian cells are needed to enhance the spectrum of therapeutic agents available for treatment of human cancers, to thereby open new horizons in the field of cancer treatment.
There is thus a widely recognized need and it would be highly advantageous to have a novel ribonuclease that has potential usefulness in the treatment of human proliferative disease such as cancer.

Methods of and compositions for inhibiting the proliferation of mammalian cells

Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem