Described is an animal containment system for containing an animal within a boundary, for maximizing the animal's usable area within the boundary, for not discouraging the animal from returning to within the boundary in the event the animal moves beyond the boundary, and for doing so without utilizing an independent polarity indicator. The animal containment system determines whether the animal is within the boundary or beyond the boundary by considering the polarity of an activation signal the animal containment system transmits from the boundary and receives at the location of the animal. The animal containment system determines the polarity of the activation signal by modulating the signal such that the modulation indicates the polarity of the activation signal. The animal containment system achieves the above-discussed features by delivering a stimulus to the animal only when it traverses the boundary from within the boundary.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a method and device for determining the polarity of a signal generated and transmitted by an animal containment system. More particularly, this invention pertains to a method and device for determining the polarity of the signal at the location of an animal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional pet containment systems typically include a transmitter unit, a wire, and a receiver unit. The wire defines a perimeter such as, for example, the perimeter of a pet owner's yard. The transmitter unit is in electrical communication with the wire and transmits a signal by way of the wire such that the signal generates a magnetic field that rotates about the wire. The receiver unit is carried by a pet and is responsive to the signal transmitted by way of the wire. More specifically, when the pet approaches the wire, the signal strength at the receiver unit increases until it exceeds a predefined threshold, which occurs some distance from the wire. When the signal strength at the receiver unit exceeds the threshold, the receiver unit delivers a stimulus to the pet, discouraging the pet from leaving the pet owner's yard.
The above-discussed conventional pet containment systems are limited in that the receiver unit delivers a stimulus to the pet when the pet is some distance from the wire, which defines the perimeter of the pet owner's yard. Consequently, the pet does not have unfettered access to the entire yard. Additionally, conventional pet containment systems of this sort present confusion to a pet when visible physical boundaries, such as a fence, are located at the perimeter of the yard.
Other conventional pet containment systems address the above-discussed limitation by decreasing the strength of the signal transmitted from the wire such that the distance from the wire at which the signal strength at the receiver unit exceeds the threshold is decreased, increasing the portion of the yard to which the pet has unfettered access. However, when that distance is decreased, the risk of the pet escaping the conventional pet containment system is increased. More specifically, the distance from the wire at which the signal strength at the receiver unit exceeds the threshold must be sufficiently large such that when the pet is running toward the wire, the receiver unit delivers a stimulus to the pet for a period of time sufficient to stop the pet's advancement toward the wire before the pet traverses the wire and moves the distance beyond the wire at which the signal strength at the receiver unit does not exceed the threshold. When this distance is not sufficiently large, the pet can easily, and even accidentally, move beyond the perimeter of the yard to the extent that the receiver unit does not deliver a stimulus to the pet. Additionally, when this occurs, the pet cannot reenter the yard without the receiver unit delivering a stimulus to the pet. This confuses the pet and encourages the pet to remain outside the yard.
Addressing the above-discussed limitations of conventional animal containment systems, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,569, issued to Titus et al. on Aug. 18, 1998, ("the '569 patent") discloses the conventional animal containment system discussed above where the receiver unit is adapted to detect the polarity of the signal transmitted by way of the wire. Because the transmitted signal generates a magnetic field that radiates from the wire, the signal rotates about the wire such that the polarity of the signal at one side of the wire is substantially opposite the polarity of the signal at the opposite side of the wire. Stated differently, the polarity of the signal at a location within the perimeter is substantially opposite the polarity of the signal at a location outside the perimeter. The system of the '569 patent detects the polarity of the signal at the location of the receiver unit by transmitting an independent polarity pulse as part of the signal transmitted by way of the wire. The polarity pulse serves no purpose but to indicate to the receiver unit the polarity of the signal at the receiver unit. The receiver unit of the '569 patent delivers a stimulus to the pet only when it detects that the pet is approaching the wire from within the perimeter. Consequently, when the pet does traverse the wire and is outside the perimeter, the pet can reenter the yard without the receiver unit delivering a stimulus to the pet. The conventional pet containment system of the '569 patent is limited in that the polarity pulse contains no information relating to operating instructions for the receiver unit. Consequently, the independent polarity pulse increases the number of transmitted pulses per signal, which increases the required power to transmit the signal and the required signal processing at the receiver unit. Consequently, a pet containment system that contains a pet within a boundary, that maximizes the pet's usable area within the boundary, that does not discourage the pet from returning to within the boundary in the event the pet moves beyond the boundary, and that does so without utilizing an independent polarity pulse is desired.

Method and device for determining the polarity of a signal transmitted by an animal containment system


An intelligent text cleaning method includes: acquiring a text set, and preprocessing the text set to obtain a word vector text set; subjecting the word vector text set to a full-text matrix numeralization to generate a principal word vector matrix and a text word vector matrix; inputting the principal word vector matrix to a BiLSTM model to generate an intermediate text vector; inputting the text word vector matrix to a convolution neural network model to generate a target text vector; and concatenating the intermediate text vector and the target text vector to obtain combined text vectors, inputting the combined text vectors to a pre-constructed semantic recognition classifier model, outputting an aggregated text vector, subjecting the aggregated text vector to reverse recovery using a word2vec reverse algorithm, and outputting a standard text. The present application realizes accurate text cleaning.

A document consisting of a combination of texts obtained from various sources (such as HTML extracted text, pdf extracted text, etc.) tends to have improper line breaks due to the conversion from one format to another after the texts are copied and pasted. These improper line breaks are independent of the semantics, unlike the line break that follows a natural paragraph, and may trouble the subsequent presentations or semantic analysis. It is customary practice to manually figure out the cause of the improper line breaks from a particular source, summarize the pattern, and then remove them. However, this practice can hardly be reproduced in another case, not flexible enough, with low cost-effectiveness and poor accuracy for manual labor.

Intelligent text cleaning method and apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium


There are provided: sets of pairs of main circuit switching elements (4u), (4x) that supply power to a load, connected in series with a DC power source; free-wheel diodes (5u), (5x) connected in anti-parallel with these main circuit switching elements; and a reverse voltage application circuit (8) that applies reverse voltage smaller than the DC voltage source to the free-wheel diodes when these free-wheel diodes cut off. The reverse voltage application circuit includes a current suppression circuit (10) that suppresses the main circuit current flowing in the low-voltage DC voltage power source on reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes.

In a known inverter device construction, as shown in FIG. 1, free-wheel diodes Du to Dw and Dx to Dz are connected in anti-parallel with MOSFETs Su to Sw and Sx to Sz. In this construction, when the MOSFETs Su to Sw and Sx to Sz are turned OFF, the current energy accumulated in the load M is fed back through the free-wheel diodes Du to Dw and Dx to Dz.
In this case, when for example the MOSFET Su is turned ON when a forward current Ia flows in the free-wheel diode Dx, the PN voltage (so-called DC link voltage) is applied as reverse bias to both terminals of the free-wheel diode Dx, with the result that, as shown in FIG. 2, a reverse-direction current due to the residual charge flows in the free-wheel diode Dx before the free-wheel diode Dx cuts off. Considerable loss was therefore generated in the free-wheel diode Dx by the PN voltage and reverse-direction current, so it was necessary to employ a large heat radiator.
Measures were therefore taken to reduce the loss generated in the free-wheel diode by providing a reverse voltage application circuit, so that when the free-wheel diode was cut off, a small reverse voltage could be applied from this reverse voltage application circuit to the free-wheel diode, so that reverse recovery of the free-wheel diode could be brought about by the low-voltage DC voltage source of this reverse voltage application circuit. Such an invention is described in for example Laid-open Japanese Patent Application No. H. 10-327585, which is a Japanese Laid-open Patent Application.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a prior art power conversion device comprising a reverse voltage application circuit. In FIG. 3, the DC voltage source 1 is obtained by rectifying a three-phase AC power source; a smoothing capacitor 2 and a main inverter circuit 3 are connected between the positive side DC bus 1a and the load side DC bus 1b of this DC voltage source 1. The main inverter circuit 3 comprises a three-phase bridge connection of MOSFETs 4u to 4w, 4x to 4z corresponding to the main circuit switching elements; free-wheel diodes 5u to 5w and 5x to 5z are connected in anti-parallel between the collector and emitter of the MOSFETs 4u to 4w, 4x to 4z; the load 6 (for example a motor) is connected on the output side of the main inverter circuit 3.
A control circuit (to be described) is provided that controls the main inverter circuit 3. This control circuit is positioned as a sub-circuit (auxiliary circuit) in regard to the main inverter circuit 3 referred to above.
Reverse voltage application circuits 7 are connected with the respective free-wheel diodes 5u to 5w, 5x to 5z. These reverse voltage application circuits 7 comprise low-voltage DC voltage sources 8 of lower voltage than the DC voltage source 1; power lines 8a, 8b of the low-voltage DC voltage sources 8 are respectively connected between the collector and emitter of the MOSFETs 4u to 4w, 4x to 4z.
Each reverse voltage application circuit 7 comprises a base drive circuit 9; the power lines 9a, 9b of the base drive circuit 9 are connected with the power lines 8a, 8b of the low-voltage DC voltage source 8, so that, when drive signals SGu to SGw, SGx to SGz (not shown) are output to the base drive circuit 9 from a switching timing generating circuit, not shown, the base drive circuit 9 is driven by the power from the low-voltage DC voltage source 8, and the MOSFETs 4u to 4w, 4x to 4z are turned ON.
The reverse voltage application circuits 7 comprise MOSFETs 17 corresponding to reverse voltage application switching elements; the MOSFET 17 is interposed on the power line 8a of the low-voltage DC voltage source 8; for the MOSFETs 17, MOSFETs of a lower voltage withstanding ability than the MOSFETs 4u to 4w, 4x to 4z are selected. These MOSFETs 17 are turned ON during reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes.
The reverse voltage application circuits 7 comprise a diode 13 and capacitor 14; these diodes 13 and capacitors 14 are connected in parallel with the power lines 8a of the low-voltage DC voltage sources 8, so that, when the MOSFETs 4u to 4w, 4x to 4z are turned ON, the capacitors 14 are charged from the low-voltage DC voltage sources 8 through the diodes 13. In this way, the drive power of the base drive circuit 18 is charged on the capacitors 14. A capacitor 15 is connected between the power lines 8a, 8b and a diode 29 is connected in series with the power line 8a. Also, a diode 16 is connected between the power lines 8a, 8b.
The power lines 18a, 18b of the base drive circuit 18 are connected with both terminals of the capacitor 14, so that, when drive signals SGru to SGrw, SGrx to SGrz (not shown) are output to the base drive circuit 18 from potential discrimination circuits (voltage discrimination circuits), not shown, that output drive signals in response to the potential of the points A, B, C of the main inverter circuit 3, the base drive circuit 18 is driven by the charged power of the capacitor 14, thereby turning the MOSFET 17 ON. In this way, reverse voltage smaller than the DC voltage source 1 is applied from the low-voltage DC voltage source 8 through the MOSFET 17 to the free-wheel diodes 5u to 5w and 5x to 5z.
However, in the case of such a conventional device, in order to operate the reverse voltage application circuit 7 during reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes, it is necessary to ascertain the direction of the main circuit current by detecting the potential at the points A, B, C of the main inverter circuit 3, so a voltage detector is required.
Furthermore, during reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes, the current of the main circuit temporarily flows to the low-voltage DC voltage power source 8 of the reverse voltage application circuit, so there is considerable voltage fluctuation of the auxiliary power source. Specifically, during reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes, the current that is flowing in the free-wheel diodes is prevented from flowing by the reverse voltage application circuit 7, so the current that was flowing in the free-wheel diodes temporarily flows into the reverse voltage application circuit 7, with the result that a circuit is formed whereby the free-wheel diodes are bypassed through the low-voltage DC voltage power source 8 of the reverse voltage application circuit. As a result, considerable voltage fluctuation of the low-voltage DC voltage power source 8 of the reverse voltage application circuit is produced. As a result, the current capacity of the low-voltage DC voltage power source 8 of the reverse voltage application circuit must be made large.
An object of the present invention is to provide a power conversion device wherein the main circuit current flowing into the auxiliary power source of the reverse voltage application circuit during reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes is suppressed and reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes can be appropriately performed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a power conversion device wherein reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes can be appropriately performed without providing a detector to detect the direction of the current flowing through the free-wheel diodes and wherein the current of the main circuit flowing to the auxiliary power source of the reverse voltage application circuit during reverse recovery of the free-wheel diodes can be suppressed.


A method for acquisition of a software application stored on a software application distribution unit and intended to be supplied to a user computer unit is disclosed wherein, the user computer unit communicates an item of identification information identifying the software application to be acquired to an electronic security module connected to the user computer unit. The module generates, using a secret and identification information, an item of user information and transmits it with the identification information to the unit. The unit protects with the user information the software application identified by the identification information and the protected software application is transmitted to the user computer unit. Thus, the software application is protected with an item of information from the electronic security module of the user. The protected software application then has its protection removed on an electronic security unit equipped with an electronic security module.

There currently exists a significant need to prevent the illegal copy and/or use of software applications. Up to the present, three protection techniques are known to prevent the illegal copying and/or use of software applications.
The first technique, requiring no specific hardware, consists in providing with the software a password or secret key to prevent individuals who do not have this pass word using the software. The password is for example a series number pre-recorded in the software. The software is then only authorized to function if the password entered by the user corresponds to the pre-recorded password. The software and the password are preferably transmitted separately to the user. The disadvantage of this technique is that the password may be, intentionally or not, divulged by the client. The level of protection of such a technique is thus not very high.
The second technique, commonly called "hardware soldering" consists in extracting one or several physical parameters of the computer intended to receive the software and in customizing the software with the physical parameter(s) so that it is authorized to function only on the computer having the extracted physical parameter(s). This physical parameter can be for example a MAC address. The application is thus authorized to function only on the computer having this MAC address. The disadvantage of this technique is that the client can use the software only on a single computer and can not even change computer.
Finally, a third technique consists in associating an electronic security module with the software. This electronic security module is provided with the software at time of purchase. The electronic security module designates an integrated circuit comprising a non-volatile memory (ROM) with items of secret information, for example the usage rights of a software application. Such an electronic security module is found for example in the form of a hardware lock or "dongle" At start-up and/or different execution stages of the software, the software verifies the presence of usage rights in the electronic security module and only continues its execution if the usage rights associated with said software are present in the electronic security module. With this technique, a software application is authorized to function on a computer only if the electronic security module comprising the usage rights to this software is connected to this computer. Such an electronic security module being difficult to copy or duplicate, illegal use of the software becomes unlikely. The disadvantage of this technique is that, the electronic security module being attached to a specific software application, the protection of n software applications requires the provision of n electronic security modules.

Method for acquisition of software applications


Methods and apparatus for forming structures to reduce wafer warpage. A method includes providing a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits; providing a photomask defining a plurality of cavities to be formed by an etch on a backside surface of the semiconductor wafer; defining structural support areas for the backside surface, the structural support areas being contiguous areas; providing areas on the photomask that correspond to the structural support areas, the structural support areas being areas that are not to be etched; using the photomask, performing an etch on the backside surface of the semiconductor wafer to form the cavities by removing semiconductor material from the backside surface of the semiconductor wafer; and the structural supports on the backside of the semiconductor wafer formed as areas that are not subjected to the etch. Additional methods and apparatus are also disclosed.

Wafer warpage during the processing of semiconductor wafers is an ongoing issue which, when not contained, results in many undesirable consequences that increase costs. Some typical undesirable consequences may be simply having sections of the lithography being out of focus, causing imperfection in the integrated circuits being formed on the wafer, which affects the final usable device yield. In more severe examples, complete breakage of the wafer during processing may result, causing loss of the wafer and the economic loss of all the value of prior processing. In the cases where a wafer breakage occurs, the down time associated with cleaning the processing tool from all the wafer pieces further reduces throughput and increases costs. In extreme cases, the processing tool itself can be damaged resulting in repair costs in addition to the down time for cleaning the tool.
Some factors that have increased the significance and incidence of wafer warpage include the increase in wafer diameters from 200 mm to 300 mm, the ability and requirement to thin the wafers during production so that the finished integrated circuits will fit in thinner packages, and the additional complexity of fabrication processes that build comparatively more layers and which perform more heat treatments, increasing thermal stress.
Of special interest is the fabrication of Micro Electrical Mechanical (MEMs) devices. Some processes in the fabrication of the MEMs devices involve performing deep etches in the final stages of semiconductor processing, after much of the costly fabrication steps have already been completed. Some of these deep etches are performed on the backside of the wafer, that is, after the MEMs devices and other circuitry are processed on the front side, the backside is processed while the completed devices are disposed on the front side. These deep etches can remove a substantial portion of the wafer material which may also result in the reduction of structural integrity of the wafer. One example of such an etch is a process known as Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) which is capable of performing very deep, high aspect ratio, anisotropic etches in silicon and polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon).
FIG. 1A depicts a top view of a wafer, and FIG. 1B depicts a cross section of the wafer of FIG. 1A illustrating wafer warpage following a deep etch, and FIG. 1C depicts an alternate warpage in the cross section of FIG. 1A. A top view 100 illustrates a semiconductor wafer 102 with a number of rows and columns of multiple integrated circuits (ICs) 104. In FIG. 1A the wafer 102 is depicted during fabrication while the integrated circuits are still mechanically joined. The cross sections labeled FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C illustrate two of the possible wafer warpage effects that can occur. In FIG. 1B, wafer 102 is shown with the edges of the wafer lifted up away from the ideal flat line 122a. In another example, FIG. 1C, wafer warpage is depicted as an "S" type warpage where the left side is lifted away from the ideal flat line 122b and the right side of wafer 102 is depressed below the ideal flat line 122b. These 2 example warpages show warpage across the entire wafer, however, the wafer 102 can develop localized warpage where one area is flat and another is warped. The wafer warpage can affect subsequent processing steps and cause failed devices due to lithography errors, alignment errors or other process errors. In extreme cases the entire wafer can be lost due to the warpage.
Improvements in the manufacture of semiconductor wafers to reduce or eliminate problems associated with wafer warpage are therefore needed and desired. Reduction or elimination of wafer warpage in processes that include backside etches, such as in producing MEMS devices with deep cavities, are particularly needed.

Methods and apparatus to reduce semiconductor wafer warpage in the presence of deep cavities


A printed wiring board carries electronic components. A castable body is of thermally conductive dielectric material and is molded from the printed wiring board to the exact configuration of the electronic devices. A metal plate completes the conductive converter, which includes the castable body. The conductive converter can be clamped to a cold plate and a card box to conductively remove heat from the electronic components. The molding process may be direct molding of the castable body onto the electronic device side of the printed wiring board or may include indirect steps. Protection of the electronic devices and printed wiring board and filling of the undercuts may be accomplished by vacuum-forming an electrically conductive polymer sheet over the devices during molding followed by removing of the sheet when the thermal mounting plate is attached.

Semiconductor components are mounted on a printed wiring board, usually on one side thereof. Cooling of such printed wiring boards with their associated semiconductor devices is required to keep the semiconductor devices below their critical temperature. The most common way of cooling such circuit card assemblies is by blowing air thereover. Of course, such air cooling has definite limits as to the amount of heat that can be removed, especially when the circuit card assembly is densely packed with electronic components or applied in an environment where direct external air impingement to the circuit card is undesirable or forbidden. Furthermore, such circuit card assemblies must be spaced so that adequate air can flow therebetween for cooling. Conductive cooling has been attempted by fitting of thermal mounting plates directly against the semiconductor device packages, usually between the component and the circuit card. Such thermal mounting plates are difficult to construct and often have poor thermal pathways due to long, thin thermal conductive sections. The thickness of the material is limited due to component lead lengths, and the thickness of the printed wiring board. Attempts to cool the semiconductor packages on the circuit card assembly by contact to the surfaces away from the printed wiring board have been unsuccessful due to the different sizes and heights of the packages. There is still need for a conduction cooling structure and method of making the structure by which a group of various sized electronic packaged devices assembled on a circuit card can be conductively cooled.
The uniqueness of this invention is that it provides a method for converting circuit card assemblies that were designed for direct air impingement convection cooling to one which will cool the electronics by means of conduction without redesigning the circuit card. It provides a removable, for repair, externally applied thermal mounting plate (conduction converter) that will cool the electronics conductively in a manner equal or superior to forced convection cooling. This represents significant saving of engineering labor required to redesign the circuit card.

Circuit card assembly conduction converter


Structures built from square metal tubing and methods for their construction, wherein curved sections of square tubing are welded to substantially straight sections of metal tubing according to the design requirements of the structures. The curved components are stronger and lighter than equivalent components made by bending. In addition, the curved components can be manufactured in a much wider range of configurations, sizes and dimensions than equivalent components made by bending.

Square metal tubing is used in a wide variety of applications. It is used, for example, in the construction of rollover and falling object protection systems (ROPS and FOPS, respectively) on heavy machinery, such as forklifts. Metal tubing is also widely used in all manner of railings, fences, brush-guards, building construction, etc.
Such applications often require corners or angled joints to be made between substantially straight sections of tubing. This is commonly accomplished in the prior art, for example, by welding together the ends of two straight metal tubes, or by bending the tubing to achieve the desired angle or curve (see, for example, FIGS. 1-5). However, both of these approaches suffer from several drawbacks.
The first drawback is that welding together two straight sections of tube results in a corner, which may not be aesthetically acceptable if a rounded look is desired. In addition, sharp corners present a hazard in that they are sharp points on which people and objects may get caught.
A drawback of bending square tubing to achieve the desired curve is that the minimum radius of the bend is limited. Short radius bends or elbows cannot be achieved by bending metal tubing because the side that forms the outer curve of the tube is stretched and weakened and may even be broken. In addition, the side that forms the inner curve of the tube is wrinkled or deformed such that its appearance and structural strength are compromised. Accordingly, only relatively large radius curves can be achieved by bending.
Furthermore, for FOPS and ROPS type applications, where the strength of the finished rectangular tube structure is crucial, weak joints are unacceptable. In some cases the weakness of bent joints and elbows can be compensated for by using thicker metal, however, this is in exchange for greater cost, labour and material. In addition, thicker metal results in a heavier structure, which may not be desirable. It appears, from commercially available bent tubing products, that the minimum radius that can be achieved by bending square steel tubing is approximately 2.5 times the width of the tubing (width being measured in a plane parallel to the radius of curvature). This limit will obviously vary with tube size, tube wall thickness, and bending techniques, etc.
In addition, bending is simply not practical for larger sized metal tubing. For example, 12″×12″ square steel tubing can hardly be bent at all (let alone to a curve having a radius of 30″ (2.5 times the width of the tubing)) simply because the tube will suffer excessive stretching and compression on the outer and inner faces of the curve, respectively.
In order to withstand the stretching caused by bending, metal tubes having a certain minimum thickness must be used. If the metal used is too thin, for a bend of given radius, it will break or be weakened to the point where it becomes structurally useless. In essence, the sharper the bend and/or the larger the width of the metal tube, the thicker the metal that must be used. Therefore for many applications, such as hand railings, a thinner metal could be used but for the requirement that it withstand the stress of bending.
Attempts have been made to address some of these needs in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,241, issued to McKim, discloses a Knuckle for Welding of Safety Hand Railings. However, the knuckle disclosed by McKim being a solid piece of metal is inappropriate for use with large diameter rectangular tubing because it would be extremely heavy. In addition, McKim's knuckle results in a sharp inside angle or corner in which, in the case of handrails, clothing or even user's hands can be caught. Finally, the angle of McKim's knuckle cannot be modified, for example, on a job site during construction (i.e. each knuckle is manufactured for a specific angle and is not readily modified).
Several U.S. patents have issued for inventions relating to joints for structures, railings or fences, (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,667,935; 5,820,289; 2,930,638; 4,322,176; 5,617,694; 6,164,706; and 4,314,861) however, the systems disclosed by such patents generally suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages:
(a) they do not provide the requisite strength necessary for applications such as FOPS and ROPS;
(b) the angle of the joint or elbow cannot be readily adjusted or modified;
(c) they are not aesthetically pleasing;
(d) they are unnecessarily complex and/or expensive to produce; and
(e) they are limited in the radius and degree of bend that can be achieved.
For example, Kirschenmann et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,622) disclose a welded metal structure incorporating right-angled cast corner elements.
The method disclosed by Kirschenmann et al. does not conform to the standards set by the American Welding Society, or AWS (and similar organizations in other jurisdictions, such as the Canadian Welding Bureau) and they are prone to cracking, which can lead to catastrophic failure of structures such as ROPS and FOPS. The weld joint of Kirschenmann et al. is a butt-weld or butt-joint between two tubular members. The AWS Structural Welding Code requires that transitions between two butt welded members having different thicknesses must have smooth transitions having a slope of no more than 1 in 2.5 (i.e. it must be sloped, chamfered and/or tapered). The welded joint disclosed by Kirschenmann et al. does not conform to the standard set in the AWS Structural Code. Therefore, before such a weld/joint can be used, a sample must be prepared and submitted for testing. If the weld/joint is approved, then it can be incorporated into the structure. This is obviously a severe drawback of the invention of Kirschenmann et al., which results in substantial delays and added expense.
Further, in Kirschenmann et al. the ends of the straight structural members are not welded to the ends of the corner members. Rather, a "transition portion" of the corner members is welded to the straight tubular members. The transition portion is not the end of the cast corner member because of gussets that extend well beyond it. The gussets of Kirschenmann et al. are prone to cracking in the area proximate the base of the gussets due to the stress caused by the adjacent weld, (e.g. lamellar tearing). Referring to FIG. 15, the area 200 proximate the weld 210 is susceptible to cracking due to the drastic change in thickness of the corner member 220 (identified by reference number 20 in Kirschenmann et al.) proximate the weld. Therefore, at best, the gussets of Kirschenmann et al., provide negligible reinforcement and, at worst, result in a compromised welded joint due to its susceptibility to cracking.
In addition, the invention of Kirschenmann et al, is not amenable to modification. In other words, once the corner member of Kirschenmann et al. is manufactured it cannot be modified easily in order to, for example, adjust its angle. Other prior art methods of welding tubular metal structures also suffer from this disadvantage. In effect, if one attempts to change the angle of a corner member by cutting any portion of the corner member, then the cross-section of the end of the corner member will have been necessarily changed as well. Therefore the corner member can no longer be welded to other members structural members without taking additional time- and material-consuming steps to adapt the cross-sectional shape of the corner member to that of the other structural members. By way of example, FIG. 12 shows a prior art corner member 300. FIG. 13 shows the cross-section 330 of corner member 300 at the ends 310 (generally equivalent to the corner members 20 of Kirschenmann et al.). The ends 310 have 2″ diameters. Clearly, if either end 310 of corner member 300 is welded to another tubular structural member, the tubular structural member has to have a cross-section matching the ends 310. However, if the corner member 300 is modified by cutting it along a diagonal line, the cross section will change. The corner member can only then be welded to another structural tubular member having a similar cross-section. By way of example, FIG. 14 shows the cross section 340 of corner member 300 when it is cut along line 320. Referring to FIGS. 12-14, the cross-sections of FIGS. 13 and 14 differ substantially (i.e. the diameter increases by almost 50%, to 2⅞″).
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for elbows and joints for use with metal tubing that address these deficiencies.

Method of forming joints of non-cylindrical tubing


A clamping device that is always capable of clamping a flexible tube in a good manner and assuredly closing the flexible tube without a large clamping force. A clamping device includes a holding member that holds a flexible tube in which a fluid is allowed to flow, and a clamping member that clamps and closes a clamping portion of the flexible tube that is held by the holding member. The clamping device further includes a heating device that heats the clamping portion of the flexible tube.

There is a proposal of a blood glucose controlling device (see PTL 1, for example) in which while blood is collected from the body of a patient, the blood is diluted with a predetermined diluent and the blood sugar level of the blood is measured in real time with a blood-sugar-level-measurement device such as a glucose sensor. If the measured blood sugar level is too high, insulin is injected into the patient so that the blood sugar level can be lowered. If the measured blood sugar level is too low, grape sugar (glucose) is injected into the patient so that the blood sugar level can be raised.
Such a blood glucose controlling device includes an injection line formed of a flexible tube through which either the insulin or the glucose can be injected into the patient. Furthermore, the blood glucose controlling device is provided with a bubble-detecting device that is capable of detecting bubbles contained in the liquid flowing in the injection line, and a clamping device including a clamping member that is capable of clamping and closing the injection line if any bubbles are detected by the bubble-detecting device. Hence, if the liquid contains any bubbles in the process of injecting the insulin or the glucose into the patient, the injection line is closed and the bubbles can be prevented from reaching the body of the patient.


In order to provide method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in a lubricant atomizer irrespective of the kinds of lubricant and the working conditions, the lubricant atomizer includes a compressed air valve having two branches on its downstream side, which one of two branches is connected to a Venturi mechanism, and the other branch is connected to a constant lubricant supplying pump. Compressed air is fed from the compressed air valve to the Venturi mechanism and to the constant lubricant-supplying pump, thus drawing the air from a sight dome while the compressed air is flowing in the Venturi mechanism. Lubricant is pumped to the sight dome via a constant lubricant supplying conduit, allowing the lubricant to fall in the center of the Venturi mechanism in the form of droplets. Then, compressed air is mixed with lubricant droplets to form fog of atomized lubricant in the pressurized oil vessel, allowing atomized lubricant to condense into lubricant droplets in the atomized-and-condensed lubricant coexistent space of the pressurized oil vessel, and at the same time allowing the lubricant droplets to fall down on the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lubricant atomizer which is capable of atomizing a given lubricant into fog, and directing the lubricant fog to a given object such as bearings, toothed wheels, sliding parts and such like for lubrication. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circulating type of lubricant atomizer which is capable of producing a constant quantity of atomized lubricant per unit time continuously for an elongated period, and a method of producing a constant quantity of atomized lubricant per unit time continuously for an elongated period.
2. Related Arts
Referring to FIG. 3, a conventional lubricant atomizer uses a manifold 21 to convey atomized lubricant to its branch pipes 22. As shown in the drawing, each branch pipe 22 is connected to a ball bearing, a roll bearing, toothed wheels meshed together, a sprocket wheel and a sliding beam. It is necessary that atomized lubricant whose particles are below 2 or less micron meters in diameter be selected and transferred from the atomizer 24 to each feeding point partly because otherwise, atomized lubricant of larger particles is apt to be condensed on the way to the feeding point in the manifold, and partly because atomized lubricant of larger particles cannot be distributed to all branch nozzles as much as required by their sizes. This sort of lubricant atomizer is called xe2x80x9cselective type of atomized lubricant distributorxe2x80x9d.
Referring to FIG. 4, the atomizer 24 works as follows: compressed air is directed to the entrance 25. When passing through the Venturi mechanism 5 (atomizing unit), the compressed air draws the air from the inner space 6a of the sight dome 6 while sucking and raising the lubricant from the lubricant bath 10 of the oil vessel 9 to the inside space 6a of the sight dome 6. Then, the lubricant is allowed to fall down from the inner space 6a of the sight dome 6 to the center of the Venturi mechanism 5 in the form of droplets. Then, the lubricant droplets are carried by the compressed air to be ejected downward. The so ejected atomized lubricant strike against the interference plate 7a, allowing lubricant particles of relatively large size to stick on the interference plate 7a. Finally, the lubricant falls down from the interference plate 7a in the oil vessel 9 in the form of droplets.
After passing through the interference plate 7, the atomized lubricant spreads in the atomized lubricant separating space 8a in the upper part of the oil vessel 9, where lubricant particles of relatively large size are allowed to fall downward while very small lubricant particles floating there are carried by the flow of compressed air to be ejected from the outlet 14a in the form of fog.
Such a selective type of lubricant atomizer, however, has following defects:
1) The fogging rate (the ratio of the quantity of lubricant atomized and ejected from the atomizer to the quantity of lubricant drawn by the siphon tube 27 to be supplied to the Venturi mechanism 5) will vary with different kinds of lubricant even if the air pressure, the air flow rate, the surrounding temperature, the lubricant temperature and other operating conditions remain unchanged (see FIG. 7); this uncertainty may be attributable to different additives such as oiliness improver, oxidative stabilizer, high-pressure additive or anti-foam agent, among which there are some high polymers causing an adverse effect on the atomizing of lubricant; and to the possibility of arbitrarily changing additives in the lubricants which are sold under same trade names, without informing purchasers of such change. The fogging rate of new lubricants, therefore, needs to be determined prior to use, and the fogging rate of familiar lubricants needs to be checked from time to time.
2) The fogging rate will be affected by the time-variable operating conditions such as the lubricant feeding pressure, the quantity of air flowing from the air bypass into the lubricant conveying line, the daily or seasonal change of surrounding temperature and other factors which are liable to change after the atomizer has been working a certain length of time while using one and same lubricant.
3) The fogging rate will be affected by the deterioration of mechanical parts of the atomizer after elongated use as for instance follows: the Venturi mechanism is apt to be contaminated with dust or oil vapor contained in compressed air; and the lubricant nozzles are apt to be clogged.
4) These defects lead to the difficulty in controlling the absolute quantity of lubricant per unit time, which is contained in the fog ejected from the atomizer. The constant feeding pump positioned in the lubricant feeding line can supply a constant quantity of lubricant to the sight dome of the atomizer, but the varying of the fogging rate will cause the quantity of lubricant from the constant feeding pump to vary accordingly. The absolute quantity of lubricant per unit time ejected from the atomizer can be measured in terms of the descending of the surface level of the lubricant bath. As a matter of fact, however, the descending rate per unit time is so small that a significant measurement requires an elongated time involved therefor.
In the hope of solving such problems, Japanese Patent 10-19192(A) and Utility Model 2580280(B) proposed improved atomizers which are capable of atomizing a controlled quantity of lubricant per unit time.
As shown in FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c, the former lubricant atomizer uses a lubricant fog sensor 28, which is positioned in the lubricant feeding line 14 to detect changes, if any in the working factors (the lubricant feeding pressure, the quantity of air added to the lubricant feeding line from the air bypass, or the surrounding temperature) and in the fogging rate and the fog density in the lubricant feeding line 14, thereby permitting the controlling of the quantity of lubricant to be supplied to the Venturi mechanism 5 for keeping the fog density unchanged.
As shown in FIG. 6, the latter lubricant atomizer comprises a top sight dome 6 for watching the falling of lubricant droplets, a Venturi mechanism 5 having an air feeding line 25 connected thereto, and a pressurized vessel 8. The Venturi mechanism 5 has an interference 7 formed on its ejecting side, thereby allowing the fog to strike against the interference 7. Impingement at the interference 7 grows relatively large fog particles to large droplets, which fall downward. Solid contaminant in the oil functions as a core of fog particle at the atomizing process and check oil to form the fine fog. Relatively large fog particles containing solid contaminants also fall down on the bottom of the pressurized vessel 8. The lubricant thus collected on the bottom of the pressurized vessel 8 contains a significant amount of dust, and therefore, such contaminated lubricant oil is difficult to be atomized. The lubricant oil remaining on the bottom of the pressurized vessel 8 is filtered with passing through the filter 11, and the filtrate is drawn by the sucking pump 26 to return to the oil vessel 9. Thus, the fogging rate is stabilized.
As for the lubricant atomizer disclosed in Japanese Patent 10-19192(A), the lubricant fog sensor 28 and the arithmetic control (FIG. 5b) are inhibitably expensive, and therefore its use is limited to extra need.
As for the lubricant atomizer disclosed in Japanese Utility Model 2580280(B), the lubricant is fed at a constant rate by using a constant feeding pump 12. Contaminant is removed from compressed air and lubricant oil, thereby providing very small particles of lubricant in the fog. Thus, the fogging rate is improved, and at the same time, the fogging rate is stabilized. The proposed lubricant atomizer, however, cannot solve all of the problems 1, 2, 3 and 4 described above.
In view of the above, one object of the present invention is to provide a method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in a lubricant atomizer irrespective of the kinds of lubricant and the working conditions. Another object of the present invention is to provide a circulating type of constant-rated lubricant atomizer which is less expensive, and is capable of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate irrespective of the kinds of lubricant and the working conditions.
To attain these objects a method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in a lubricant atomizer comprising a compressed air valve having two or more ports and two branches on its downstream side, a sight dome, a pressurized oil vessel integrally connected to the sight dome with an intervening Venturi mechanism fixed therebetween, and a constant lubricant supplying pump, one of the two branches of the compressed air valve being connected to the Venturi mechanism, and the other branch being connected to the constant lubricant supplying pump, the method comprising the steps of; supplying filtrated, pressure-controlled compressed air to the Venturi mechanism via one of the two branches of the compressed air valve and to the constant lubricant supplying pump via the other branch of the compressed air valve respectively, thus drawing the air from the sight dome while the compressed air is flowing in the Venturi mechanism; supplying lubricant from the constant lubricant supplying pump to the sight dome via an associated constant lubricant supplying conduit, allowing the lubricant to fall in the center of the Venturi mechanism in the form of droplets; mixing compressed air with lubricant droplets to form the fog of atomized lubricant in the pressurized oil vessel; allowing atomized lubricant to condense into lubricant droplets in the atomized-and-condensed lubricant coexistent space of the pressurized oil vessel; and allowing the lubricant droplets to fall down on the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel while ejecting the fog of atomized lubricant from the pressurized oil vessel, is improved according to the present invention in that it further comprises the step of using the negative pressure provided by the Venturi mechanism to draw the lubricant remaining on the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel via an associated lubricant circulating conduit opening at the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel, thereby making lubricant to return to the lubricant fed-back space defined above the Venturi mechanism, thus permitting lubricant to be atomized continuously.
Lubricant may be drawn from the bottom of the oil vessel via an associated filter after putting the plunger pump in operation by actuating an associated three-port electromagnetic valve, via which the compressed air is supplied from the other branch of the compressed air valve to the plunger pump; the Venturi mechanism may comprise a Venturi body and an associated holder; a predetermined quantity of lubricant may be supplied to the sight dome via the constant lubricant supplying conduit; the lubricant fed-back space may be defined above the Venturi body in the Venturi holder, the Venturi holder having at least one through hole to allow lubricant to drop from the sight dome to the lubricant fed-back space; and the lubricant fed back to the lubricant fed-back space may be joined with the lubricant falling down in the lubricant fed-back space.
A circulating type of constant-rated lubricant atomizer according to the present invention comprises: an on-and-off compressed air valve having two or more ports and two branches on its downstream side, a sight dome, a pressurized oil vessel integrally connected to the sight dome with an intervening Venturi mechanism fixed therebetween, a constant lubricant oil supplying pump, one of the two branches of the compressed air valve being connected to the Venturi mechanism, and the other branch being connected to the constant lubricant oil supplying pump, and a lubricant circulating conduit opening at the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel, thereby making lubricant to return to the Venturi mechanism, thus permitting lubricant oil to be atomized continuously.
The Venturi mechanism may comprise a Venturi body and an associated Venturi holder having one or more through holes; a lubricant fed-back space may be defined above the Venturi body in the Venturi holder so that the lubricant fed-back space communicates with the sight dome via the through hole, and the lubricant circulating conduit may be connected to the lubricant fed-back space via a passage formed at a level higher than the Venturi body.
The constant lubricant oil supplying pump may comprise a plunger pump communicating with an oil vessel, and a three-ported electromagnetic valve connected to the on-and-off compressed air valve, thus permitting the plunger pump to work through the on-and-off operation of the electromagnetic valve, thereby drawing a predetermined quantity of lubricant from the oil vessel after being filtered by a lubricant filter provided in the oil vessel so that the sight dome may be supplied with the predetermined quantity of lubricant via the constant lubricant supplying conduit.
The pressurized oil vessel may have a level switch and/or lubricant drain valve equipped therewith.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the following description of one preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is shown in accompanying drawings.

Method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in lubricant atomizer and circulating type of constant-rated lubricant atomizer


An electrical connector (100) adaptor for soldering on the printed circuit board and electrically connecting with a camera module (4), comprises an insulative housing (1), a plurality of terminals (2) received in the housing and a shield (3) enclosing the housing. The housing defines a receiving room (10) therein for receiving the camera module and a plurality of openings (130) thereon. Each terminal comprises a contacting portion (24) extending into the receiving room and a tail portion (22) electrically connecting with the printed circuit board. The shield comprises a plurality of surfaces (31, 32) enclosing the insulative housing, each surface forms a resilient tab (33) bent from an edge thereof and passing through the opening of the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having a shield for electrical connecting with a camera module.
2. Description of Prior Arts
With development of cellular mobile phones or the likes, a lot of additional functions such as taking pictures etc. are added to the mobile phones or the likes. In order to achieve functions such as taking pictures etc., camera modules are furnished to the mobile phones or the likes in virtue of module connectors.
A normal modular connector defines a chamber for accommodating the camera module and comprises a plurality of contacts disposed on side walls of the chamber. A shield encloses the housing for anti-EMI. The shield forms a plurality of resilient tabs for retaining the camera module. However, Each resilient tab is bent inwardly from the shield and leaves a cutout on the shield. Therefore, the cutouts decrease the affection of the anti-EMI of the shield.
Obviously, it is desirable to have an electrical connector with an improved structure.

Shielded electrical connector for camera module


A protrusion is opposed to a head actuator positioned at the inoperative position in a recording medium drive such as a hard disk drive. When a larger impact is applied to the head actuator, the head actuator deforms by a predetermined amount, so that the protrusion receives the head actuator. The deformation of the head actuator is thus restricted. A collision can be avoided between the head actuator and the recording medium. The predetermined amount can be determined based on the space or distance between the head actuator and the recording medium. It is possibly easy to assemble and position the protrusion relative to the head actuator at a higher accuracy, as compared with the case where the overall planar surface must be positioned relative to the head actuator at a higher accuracy in the conventional manner. This leads to the production of the protrusion or displacement suppression member at a lower cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium drive or data storage apparatus, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) utilizing a magnetic disk as a recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For example, a hard disk drive (HDD) allows a head actuator to get positioned at a predetermined inoperative position when a magnetic recording disk stands still. When the head actuator is positioned at the inoperative position, the actuator arm of the head actuator, at least partly, is allowed to get opposed to the surface of the magnetic recording disk. If an impact is applied to the hard disk drive from the outside in this condition, the actuator arm is caused to deform. The actuator arm may collide against the magnetic recording disk based on such deformation. The collision may lead to scratches over the surface of the magnetic recording disk. The scratches may generate contaminations scattered over the surface of the magnetic recording disk. The contaminations may disrupt read/write operations of magnetic information.
A displacement suppression member is proposed to suppress the deformation of the actuator arm as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 11-144411 and 11-345471. The displacement suppression member is designed to face the actuator arm with a planar surface. The planar surface of the displacement suppression member is allowed to receive the actuator arm, so that the deformation of the actuator can be suppressed to the utmost. In this manner, any collision is avoided between the actuator arm and the magnetic recording disk.
A predetermined amount of space should be set between the displacement suppression member and the actuator arm. If the space is smaller or narrower, the displacement suppression member tends to collide against the actuator arm even when the actuator arm normally swings to position a read/write head. It is not preferable. On the other hand, if the space is larger or wider, the deformation of the actuator arm cannot be suppressed enough to avoid a collision between the actuator arm and the magnetic recording disk. It is difficult to assemble the displacement suppression member into the hard disk drive, establishing a predetermined amount of space between the actuator arm and the overall planar surface of the displacement suppression member. In particular, in the case where a pair of actuator arms are set for the front and back surfaces of a single magnetic recording disk, the displacement suppression member should be located between the actuator arms. A still higher accuracy is required to position or assemble the displacement suppression member within the hard disk drive.

Recording medium drive capable of avoiding damages of recording medium


Semiconductor packages and package assemblies having active dies and external die mounts on a silicon wafer, and methods of fabricating such semiconductor packages and package assemblies, are described. In an example, a semiconductor package assembly includes a semiconductor package having an active die attached to a silicon wafer by a first solder bump. A second solder bump is on the silicon wafer laterally outward from the active die to provide a mount for an external die. An epoxy layer may surround the active die and cover the silicon wafer. A hole may extend through the epoxy layer above the second solder bump to expose the second solder bump through the hole. Accordingly, an external memory die can be connected directly to the second solder bump on the silicon wafer through the hole.

The mobile semiconductor industry is continually working toward smaller and thinner semiconductor packages for use in mobile device products. Various solutions have emerged to reduce semiconductor package size. For example, efforts have focused on reducing an overall thickness of a system-on-chip die or an organic embedded trace substrate that holds the die. Other solutions including moving away from package-on-package configurations toward wide I/O memory configurations. Furthermore, wafer-level packaging, i.e., packaging integrated circuits as part of a silicon wafer, have been proposed to provide chip-scale packages by eliminating the organic embedded trace substrate. In any of these solutions, it is important to maximize functionalities of the semiconductor package, e.g., compass, sensing, wireless, or power management functions of a smartphone, despite the size reduction.

Semiconductor package having wafer-level active die and external die mount


A glass composition which is essentially free from lead and cadium comprises, in mole percent, SiO.sub.2 :35 to 75%, Bi.sub.2 O3:0.1 to 15%, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 :0.1 to 10%, B.sub.2 O.sub.3 :1 to 30%, at least one of Li.sub.2 O, Na.sub.2 O, K.sub.2 O:5 to 30%, ZrO.sub.2 :0.1 to 10%, and certain other optional ingredients, with the proviso that BaO and ZnO are not contained in an amount of more than 2 mole percent. These glass compositions can be used as fluxes for mixing with pigments to provide compositions for the decoration of ceramic materials and/or glass.

The present invention relates to glass compositions, and in particular to glass compositions which are of minimal toxicity and are substantially free of lead and cadmium and which can be used as fluxes for mixing with pigments to provide compositions for the decoration of ceramic materials and/or glass.
Occasional episodes of lead poisoning have resulted from the use of improperly formulated and fired lead-containing glasses and/or fluxes on ceramic ware. Whilst lead-containing glasses and fluxes can be prepared which are safe and meet current requirements for permissible lead release to food with which they come into contact, the problem of lead poisoning is avoided if lead itself is avoided. In addition, various pollution controls regarding the use of lead and limits on the content of lead in waste water can be avoided by the use of lead-free glazes and fluxes.
Various attempts have been made to produce lead-free fluxes for mixing with pigments to provide compositions for the decoration of ceramic material and glass. U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,035 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,241 disclose Pb- and Cd- free glass frits for use in enamels which are based within the R.sub.2 O-RO-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 -ZrO.sub.2 (where R.sub.2 O is an alkali metal oxide and RO is an alkaline earth metal oxide) and Li.sub.2 O-B.sub.2 O.sub.3 -SiO.sub.2 systems, respectively. U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,171 describes Pb- and Ca- free glass frits suitable for use in enamels in contact with foodstuffs which contain Li.sub.2 O, Na.sub.2 O, BaO, B.sub.2 O.sub.3, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2 and F as essential ingredients.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,258 describes glass frit compositions which are free of lead, arsenic and cadmium for use in decorative tableware enamels, and which consist of the following components, in parts by weight:
______________________________________ Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 48-57 SiO.sub.2 29-38 B.sub.2 O.sub.3 3-8 R.sub.2 O 2-8 TiO.sub.2 0-2 ZrO.sub.2 0-8 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 0-2 BaO 0-4 ZnO 0-3 CaO 0-9 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,847 discloses Pb- free glass frits suitable for use in decorative enamels on glassware and on chinaware, which contain the following components, in parts by weight:
______________________________________ SiO.sub.2 25-35 Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 25-43 B.sub.2 O.sub.3 12-25 alkali metal oxide 4-19 ZrO.sub.2 0-3 TiO.sub.2 0-5 ZnO 0-6 CaO 0-4 SrO 0-15 BaO 0-19 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 0-4 NO.sub.2 0-10 WO.sub.3 0-1 Ce.sub.2 O.sub.3 0-1.5 Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 0-7 CoO 0-15 MnO 0-8 P.sub.2 O.sub.5 0-10 ______________________________________
Finally, EP-A No. 267154 describes Pb and Cd- free glass frit compositions for enamel decoration which consist of the following components in terms of moles per cent:
______________________________________ Na.sub.2 O 3.9-18.5 ZnO 4.0-30.0 B.sub.2 O.sub.3 3.9-17.5 SiO.sub.2 40.0-74.0 K.sub.2 O 0-8.0 Li.sub.2 O 0-5.0 CaO 0-8.0 SrO 0-8.0 BaO 0-9.0 Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 0-10.0 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 0-4.0 ZrO.sub.2 0-6.0 TiO.sub.2 0-7.0 WO.sub.3 0-1.0 ______________________________________
While all the aforementioned glasses are alleged to have many desirable properties, their widespread use as glassy fluxes is limited by shortcomings in certain key areas.
A glossy flux to be used for on-glaze enamel decoration must simultaneously satisfy a number of key requirements. Firstly, the softening point of the flux should be such as to allow maturation within the temperature range of from 750.degree. to 900.degree. C., which are typical on-glaze enamelling temperatures for decoration on bone china, earthenware or hotelware pieces.
Secondly, the glossy flux should be compatible with a wide variety of colourants.
Thirdly, the glassy flux should display good resistance to devitrification and to pronounced opacity during a conventional enamel firing schedule in order to promote good colour development with a glossy finish.
Finally, the durability of the glassy flux should be such as to enable the fired colours to withstand attack by acidic foodstuffs and alkali detergents. With controls on permissable levels of metal release into acidic and alkali solutions becoming more stringent, more exacting demands are being placed on the durability requirements of decorated pieces.
In the light of the present invention, it is important to stress that it is the durability of the final product, i.e fired colour, which is of concern, not that of the glassy frit which may change in use.
The core glass system for U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,258 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,842 is R.sub.2 O-Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 -B.sub.2 O.sub.3 -SiO.sub.2, whilst for EP-A No. 267154 it is Na.sub.2 O-ZnO-B.sub.2 O.sub.3 -SiO.sub.2.


A method of forming a stacked-layer wiring includes forming first wettability variable layer on a substrate using material that changes surface energy by energy application; forming first conductive layer in or on the first wettability variable layer; forming second wettability variable layer on the first wettability variable layer using material that changes surface energy by energy application; forming concave portion to become wiring pattern of second conductive layer to the second wettability variable layer while concurrently forming high surface energy area on surface exposed by forming the concave portion by changing surface energy; forming via hole by exposing a part of the first conductive layer while concurrently forming high surface energy area on surface exposed by forming the via hole by changing surface energy; and applying conductive ink to the high surface energy area to form the second conductive layer and via simultaneously.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of forming a stacked-layer wiring, a stacked-layer wiring, and an electronic element.
2. Background Art
Wirings and electrodes used for semiconductor elements and electronic circuits can be formed by using a photolithographic technique. The photolithographic technique employs an exposure apparatus having high precision processing such as a stepper, and a vacuum apparatus for forming layers, and etching. The photolithographic technique requires expensive equipment, and further the number of processes becomes greater and the process becomes complex, and further material use efficiency becomes low, with which manufacturing cost increases.
Manufacturing cost can be reduced by using a printed electronics technology. As to the printed electronics technology, functional ink or paste such as fine metal particles is printed on a substrate base directly to form conductive patterns, and various printing methods can be used for the printed electronics technology.
For example, a patterning method using an inkjet method (or liquid droplet discharge method) can be used for the printed electronics technology. Specifically, liquid such as ink dispersed with fine particles is applied on a substrate base directly using an inkjet method, and then a curing process using heat processing and a laser irradiation process is conducted to form a conductive layer or film. This method can simplify the process and can enhance material use efficiency. Further, this method does not require material for patterning such as a photoresist used for the photolithographic technique, with which manufacturing cost can be reduced.
However, as to conventional inkjet methods, liquid droplets discharged on the substrate base may spread after the impact onto the substrate base, with which fine patterns are difficult to form on the substrate base. Further, conventional inkjet methods are difficult to respond to a demand of enhanced density and enhanced function device, and a demand of enhanced density wirings/electrodes and enhanced fine patterns for the device. Further, as to the inkjet method, when electrodes are stacked, a position of lower layer electrodes and a position of upper layer electrodes need to be aligned with high precision.

Method of forming stacked-layer wiring, stacked-layer wiring, and electronic element


Provided herein according to some embodiments is a method for detecting a short tandem repeat (STR) variant in the SOD1, TARDBP or C9orf72 gene region comprising measuring the length of the STR variant. In some embodiments, the method V includes obtaining a biological sample containing genomic DNA from a subject, optionally isolating the genomic DNA from the sample. Also provided is a method for determining a diagnosis or a prognosis for a neurodegenerative disease, including: measuring a length of a short tandem repeat (STR) variant in the SOD1, TARDBP or C9orf72 gene region, and determining the diagnosis or prognosis based upon the length. Further provided is a method of treatment for a neurodegenerative disease including: administering a therapeutic agent to a subject based upon a length of a short tandem repeat (STR) variant in the SOD1, TARDBP or C9orf72 gene region in the subject. Also provided is a kit for detecting a (STR) variant in the SOD1, TARDBP or C9orf72 gene region.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons controlling voluntary movements are adversely affected. In some cases, the disease is associated with inherited genetic mutations (familial ALS or fALS). In other cases in which there is no family history of the disease and it presents as an isolated case, the disease is considered to be sporadic (sALS). However, genetic disposition may be involved in sALS cases.
On a genetic level, ALS is a complex disease with a great deal of inter-individual and intra-familial phenotypic variability. See, e.g., Chio et al. (2011) J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 82(7):740-746; Andersen et al. (1997) Brain 120:1723-1737. There are multiple uncommon single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) assigned as specific "mutations" for each of several ALS genes. More than 150 separate SNP variants within the gene encoding Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) have been proposed as associated with ALS to date.

Methods for detecting structural variants in neurodegenerative disease


A personal watercraft includes a hull and an engine. The engine has an air intake system through which air is delivered to combustion chambers of the engine. An overturn switch detects overturn of the hull. A control device stops an operation of the engine based upon an output of the overturn switch. A throttle valve is disposed in the air intake system to be actuated by a throttle valve actuator. The control device controls the blocks the intake system based upon the output of the overturn switch to inhibit water from moving toward the combustion chambers. The control device allows the engine to be restarted during a preset period of time after stopping the engine operation.

1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate generally to small watercraft with a device for inhibiting water from entering an engine, and more particularly to a small watercraft that has a device for inhibiting water from entering its engine when the watercraft overturns.
2. Description of Related Art
Relatively small watercraft such as, for example, personal watercraft have become popular in recent years. This type of watercraft is quite sporting in nature and carries one or more riders. An internal combustion engine typically powers a jet pump unit that propels the watercraft by discharging a stream of water rearwardly. A hull of the watercraft forms an engine compartment and a tunnel in the rear-most and underside of the watercraft. The engine lies within the engine compartment. The jet pump unit generally is placed within the tunnel and includes an impeller driven by the engine to discharge the water. Occasionally, such a watercraft will overturn.
The watercraft use one or more air ducts to supply air to a generally enclosed engine compartment. The air is drawn from within the engine compartment for combustion. Thus, when such a watercraft overturns, water can enter the engine compartment and the engine itself through an air intake system of the engine, which can disable or damage the engine.
To reduce the likelihood of such engine damage, an shut-off system has been used. The shut-off system can have an overturn sensor or switch. The overturn switch generally detects watercraft movement that is consistent with a watercraft that is overturning. When such movement is detected, the overturn switch outputs a signal that is used to shut-off the engine or to stop an operation of the engine. By stopping the engine operation, induction of water into the engine is much less likely during watercraft inversion.
Typical overturn switch designs generally are gravity-biased or centrifugal in nature. When the associated watercraft overturns, the switch's position relative to gravity may cause the switch to detect the overturn or the rapid movement of the switch may cause the switch to detect the overturn. However, some watercraft are designed for sporting operation and often are operated in manners that cause rapid directional changes, for example, during operation over rough water. Such activities can cause the typical overturn switches to falsely indicate an overturn leading to an undesirable and unnecessary engine stop.
Some watercraft control systems allow the engine to continue to operate for a preset period of time after the overturn switch has generated the signal. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,702 discloses such a watercraft.

Small watercraft with structure inhibiting water from entering engine


A nanoscale protein-sensing platform with a non-equilibrium on-off switch that employs dielectrophoretic and hydrodynamic shear forces to overcome these thermodynamic limitations with irreversible kinetics. The detection sensitivity is achieved with complete association of the antibody-antigen-antibody (Ab-Ag-Ab) complex by precisely and rapidly assembling carbon nanotubes (CNT) across two parallel electrodes via sequential DC electrophoresis and dielectrophoresis (DEP), and with single-CNT electron tunneling conductance. The high selectivity is achieved with a critical hydrodynamic shear rate between the activated dissociation shear rates of target and non-target linkers of the aligned CNTs.

Conventional gold standard assay for protein detection is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). But the assay lacks the requisite detection sensitivity for many clinical samples due to high dissociation constant KD of most antibody-antigen pairs, rendering the antibody-antigen (Ab-Ag) complex thermodynamically unfavorable at target concentration lower than KD. Since most antibodies have KD in the low μM to nM range, with a few high-affinity antibodies in the pM range, detections lower than pM are considered to be beyond reach by conventional devices. Furthermore, the detection dynamic range of conventional ELISA is often 2-3 orders of magnitude as a result of target saturation at equilibrium. This low dynamic range of assays is incompatible with in vivo physiological protein concentrations that vary over 4 orders of magnitude in serum, blood or urine. Lack of selectivity is another problem for the conventional ELISA assay that leads to false positives. For instance, false positive detection of bladder cancer urinary protein biomarker can be as high as 31%. False positives are caused by non-targets with similar KD, which cannot be removed by conventional washing steps during the assay. Even if there is a significant difference in KD between targets and non-targets, the low-abundant targets cannot compete for the antibodies when the concentrations of the non-target proteins exceed that of the target by orders of magnitude. Therefore, development of a generic protein detection platform that has high sensitivity, selectivity and large dynamic range would then allow detection and quantification of arbitrary protein targets in untreated physiological samples by current commercial antibodies.
The nanoscale electrochemical immunoassay opens new horizons for highly sensitive yet simple and robust detection of biomarkers. In particular, CNT sensors provide a wide electrochemical window, fast electron transfer kinetics, and biocompatibility, which make them a good candidate for electrochemical molecular recognition. A CNT-FET label-free protein biosensors was reported by Maehashi et al. with a detection limit down to 250 pM. The detection is quantified by measuring source-drain current of CNT-FET as it changes with protein docking on the antibodies or aptamers functionalized surface. More recently, Gomes-Filho et al. overcome the detection limitation for an antibody-functionalized CNT ELISA sensor by using an enzymatic amplification technique with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugated detection antibodies. The amperometric signals are thus amplified under optimum pH and buffer concentration with a detection limit of 0.033 ng/ml (˜1 pM). Pandiaraj et al., on the other hand, doped the system with redox species Fe (III)/Fe (II), which decreases the charge-transfer resistance Rct to improve the sensitivity.

Methods and apparatus for a shear-enhanced CNT-assembly nanosensor platform for ultra-sensitive and selective protein detection


The invention relates to a wall air conditioning apparatus for a control panel, with a fan and a lamellar heat exchanger, featuring a box-like housing with an upper inlet opening and a lower outlet opening in the wall that faces the control panel, whereby the fan is arranged behind the inlet opening and the lamellar heat exchanger is arranged under the fan and over the outlet opening at an acute angle to this wall. For improved ventilation and drainage of condensation water, it is provided that the lamellae of the lamellar heat exchanger are at an acute angle to the floor of the housing and drop off toward the wall that faces away from the control cabinet, and that the floor of the housing is provided with a drain for condensate.

These types of wall cooling devices replace a control panel wall element or can be designed as an accessory to the wall unit or built into the wall unit for a control panel, and serve to air condition the control panel. The warm air is thereby suctioned from the control panel by means of the fan and the inlet opening and is led over the lamellar heat exchanger and cooled, and fed back to the control panel via the outlet opening.
Such wall cooling devices, as illustrated in DE 92 00 134 U1, feature the lamellar heat exchanger positioned obliquely in the housing, in order to form an air channel with smaller structural height.
To ensure that the precipitated condensation water is not conducted back into the control panel in such a wall cooling unit, but is instead collected in a simple and reliable manner and led off to the outside, it is thereby provided that the lower edges of the vertically aligned lamellae extend at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal (that is, dropping off toward the wall that faces away from the control panel), that a collection groove is provided under the lowest points of the lower edges for the dripping condensation water and the collection groove is arranged at a right angle to the lamellae.
Collecting the condensed water in a reliable manner with this type of design takes place at the expense of optimal air circulation through the lamellar heat exchanger. Moreover, there is no assurance that all of the condensation water that can collect on the lower edges of the lamellae will reach the collection groove, since the air flow can dislodge drops of condensation water from the lower edges of the lamellae before they reach the lowest point of the lamellae.
The task of this invention is to design a wall air conditioning device of the type indicated above such that air flow is improved over the lamellar heat exchanger without concern that condensed water will be led back into the control panel.
According to the invention this task is accomplished by arranging the lamellae of the lamellar heat exchanger at an acute angle to the floor of the housing, dropping off toward the wall that faces away from the control panel, and that the floor of the housing is provided with a drain for the condensate.
With this type of orientation of the lamellae of the heat exchanger the air flow from the fan is forced in the direction toward the wall that faces away from the control panel. Any drops of condensation water that are swept along drip onto this wall and are collected at the floor of the housing before they can reach the outlet opening in the control panel. In this manner both problems associated with the wall air conditioner can be optimally solved--i.e., good ventilation over the lamellar heat exchanger and the prevention of entry of condensation water into the control panel.
In order to optimally utilize the suctioning effect of the fan a design is provided that connects the fan directly to the inlet opening, fastened to the wall that faces away from the control panel by means of a spacer block.
In order to prevent the formation of secondary air flow next to the lamellar heat exchanger, which can impair the cooling effect, it is provided that the lowest lamella of the lamellar heat exchanger connects to the upper edge of the outlet opening, and that the lower edge of the outlet opening is arranged at some distance from the floor of the housing, and that the uppermost lamella of the lamellar heat exchanger abuts the wall of the housing that faces away from the control panel.
If it is additionally provided that the uppermost lamella of the lamellar heat exchanger connects to the lower rear edge of the fan with a slight space in between, assuring that the outlet air flow of the fan is essentially led entirely over the lamellar heat exchanger.

Wall cooling apparatus for a control panel, with a fan and a lamellar heat exchanger


A reversible leave in contraceptive device includes an obturator having a body with cylindrical configuration, made of a flexible material and including two stabilizing deformable stiffeners that can be folded back along the obtorator body when unactivated, spreading out radially in a fitted situation in the isthmic part of the Fallopian tube. The stiffeners are in opposite positions so as to fit on one side in the isthmic part of the tube (for the distal side) and, on the other (proximal end) on edges of a tubal ostium. A plurality of projecting forms, having a ridged configuration, run along the entire length of the obturator body in a continuous manner from a tapered bulge of the proximal end to a spherical distal end of the head, and block the tubal protect tubal haustrations. The forms cause deformation of the alveoli to block spermatozoa and close off other mucosal folds.

The invention relates to the technical sector of female contraceptive means and methods.
Various methods of female contraception are known using oestroprogestative pills, progestin-only pills, hormonal intrauterine devices (IUD), copper IUDs, etc., and all these means and methods have well-known benefits and side effects. The use of male or female condoms is also common, as is pre-ejaculatory withdrawal, or certain natural methods (called symptom-based methods), the rhythm method or the cervical mucous method (Billings ovulation method). Sterilisation for contraceptive purposes is also performed, requiring the patient's free choice after consultation with a physician; some of these methods are performed abdominally and require general anaesthesia (either by laparotomy, laparoscopy or posterior vaginal culdotomy). Other methods have been tested hysteroscopically (uterine endoscopy) with the insertion of a cone plug, polyethylene plugs with spicules, or hydrogel-based plugs.
Currently, the reference method is the "Essure" device, which produces an inflammatory reaction. There is a risk that insertion may fail, while another disadvantage is that the technique is irreversible. It is an alternative to surgical sterilisation and consists in the selective occlusion of the Fallopian tube by inserting a micro-coil approximately 4 cm in length into each of the patient's Fallopian tubes. This micro-coil contains polyethylene terephthalate fibres that elicit a natural tissue reaction, which leads to occlusion.
From the prior art, we know of the reversible female sterilisation devices described in patents EP 0010812 and U.S. 2009/056722, which make it possible to obtain opposite forms on either side of a median tubal part that can be anchored into the Fallopian tube and its opening. More particularly, in the aforementioned US patent, the device has wing shapes with a conical configuration for anchoring in the aforementioned Fallopian tube. These devices are not, however, suited to the control of cell tissue deterioration inside the Fallopian tube.
We also know from U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,446 that there is a contraceptive device with flexible fingerlike protrusions around the sides and which is attached by anchoring it into the tubal mucosa, providing no protection and allowing spermatozoa to pass through.
The applicants have sought to remedy these drawbacks.
Their approach led to the need for a detailed examination of the Fallopian tube and a definition of its constituent characteristics. FIG. 1 is therefore provided to help to understand the invention, with the anatomy of the Fallopian tube comprising four successive parts starting from the uterus, i.e. a uterine or interstitial part (a), the median part (b) called the isthmic portion, the part comprising the ampulla/infundibulum (c), and the abdominal ostium. The first two parts, which are of interest for the invention, are 1 to 1.5 cm and 3 to 4 cm long, respectively. For the uterine or interstitial part, the ostial diameter is approximately 1 mm and the internal diameter, or lumen, is 0.2 to 0.5 mm. The diameter of an oocyte is 0.1 mm. For the isthmic portion, the lumen is 2 to 4 mm; it is cylindrical and its muscular wall is thick, hard and not very extensible.
Additionally, FIGS. 2, 2a, 2b and 2c represent the anatomy of the Fallopian tube to help to understand the invention. Sections A, B and C show the different sections corresponding to different areas of the Fallopian tube and present its internal structure. The number 1 indicates the peritoneum, 2 the subserosa, 3 the plexiform molecular layer, 4 the annular molecular layer, 5 the vessels, 6 the migration channel for ova and spermatozoa. Number 7 represents the alveoli formed randomly between the haustrations or mucous folds (8) inside the Fallopian tube.
In view of the aforementioned known prior art, and of the composition of the Fallopian tube, the Applicants' approach was to study a new design for female contraception that is natural, reversible and without undesirable side effects, and limiting cell destruction when removing the sterilisation device.
Given the problems posed, this analysis thus made it possible to develop a new, original solution for a new contraceptive method that is easy to implement while avoiding all inflammatory reactions and is reversible, in other words the initial situation can be returned to without any damage for the patient who desires another pregnancy.

Potentially reversible female sterilization device


An improved postage meter mailing system utilizes a meter vault operated under the control of a microcontroller mounted in a secure housing. The microcontroller of the meter vault has a communication device for receiving and transmitting data messages and non-volatile memory for storing program data and other data. A printer is utilized for printing a postage indicia. The printer operates under the control of a microcontroller mounted in a secure housing. The microcontroller of the printer has a communication device for receiving and transmitting data messages and non-volatile memory for storing program data and other data. An interface provides a communication path between the meter vault and the printer. The non-volatile memory of the meter vault has stored therein a program version number for identifying the control program version. The non-volatile memory of the printer has store therein a software update number for identifying associated meter vault programs which utilize the update software. Upon system start-up, the print head microcontroller requests the meter vault microcontroller to transmit the control program version and number and determines whether the control program require the update software and if so transmits the update software.

The present invention relates to a postage metering system that utilizes a digital printer and, more particularly, to a postage metering system wherein the postage metering system includes a meter vault and a replaceable digital printing unit which are physically separated.
Generally, a postage metering system includes a meter vault which accounts for the postage printed by a printing unit. The meter vault is comprised of a programmable microcontroller having a program memory for storing the system control program data. In an attempt to employ digital printer, such as, ink-jet, in the postage metering systems, it has been found that a print module configuration which includes the print heads, drivers and graphic imaging system within a single secure package is desirable. An electronic communication channel is provided between the meter vault and the print module to allow the communication of critical accounting and other data between the meter vault and the print module. This channel may also be used to allow communication between the print module and a mailing machine.
It is conventional practice to provide system software updates from time to time which either correct software defects, increase system efficiencies or add system functionality. Submitting the meter vault to system software updates or modifications has typically been accomplished in one of three ways. Under certain circumstances the meter vault must be taken out of service and returned to the manufacture where the security housing is removed and special equipment is used to load updated software into the program memories of the system. If sufficient unallocated program memory exists, it may be possible to connect a special service device to a communication port of the meter vault and down load the updated software into the program memory or other usable non-volatile memory. The service device must be specially equipped to preserve the security of the meter vault housing and internal circuit security of the meter vault. Another way is to trade out the existing meter vault with a new meter vault. All of these processes represent substantial time and cost consequences.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a convenient means of up-dating the control program data for the meter vault and the mailing machine which overcome the time and cost consequences of the conventional processes.
A postage meter system in accordance with the present invention includes a base unit, more commonly referred to as a mailing machine, which serves as a platform for the meter unit. The base includes a microcontroller system which is responsible for controlling the transportation of envelopes in a sequential manner to a printing location whereat the printing unit can print a postage indicia and any other additional information, such as, an ad slogan, delivery address or bar code on the envelope. In a preferred configuration, it is contemplated that printing will accrue during relative motion between the envelope and the printing unit associated with the meter. Therefore, the microcontroller system in the base will be responsible for relatively precise control of the motion of the envelope through the printing location.
The metering is provided by way of two independent units which are a vault and a printer. The vault accounts for and dispenses funds for postal payment. Communication between the mailing machine, vault and printer is facilitated through a printer interface unit. The meter vault communicates with the print head to transfer encrypted messages for postage amount, piece count, and digital tokens. A digital token represents an alphanumeric sequence generated by using any suitable algorithm which uniquely identifies the postage indicia as originating from a particular postage meter system and verifying that that postage meter system is authorized for use by the Postal Authorities. Meter vault communications are routed to the print head through the printer interface. The meter vault securely communicates with the print head using any suitable digital encryption technique.
The printer interface serves as a junction board for the mailing machine, meter vault, slogan box, and print head. This minimizes the number of connection points in the system. The printer interface provides the connections for a serial communication linkage and unregulated DC power from the mailing machine to the meter vault, transfers print command and status signals between the mailing machine and print head, interfaces the slogan box to the print head, supports a unique serial link between the meter vault and print head, and regulates logic and print nozzle power from the mailing machine to the print head.
The slogan box stores graphics images representing the fixed part of the standard indicia (e.g., the eagle printed on US mail), low-value indicia, permit mail indicia, town circle (where appropriate), inscriptions, and customer slogans. It also stores the fonts for printing the variable data on the mail piece. All of the graphics data is either encrypted or signed, that is, subject to other types of encoding algorithms in the slogan box non-volatile memory. The encryption or signing is done at the manufacture""s facility. Only the print head contains the necessary decryption key to properly interpret the data.
The communication by the meter vault includes encrypted information. Only the meter vault and the print head know the proper keys to utilize the information. The keys are stored in an ASIC on the print head to reduce the opportunity for fraud. The microcontroller on the print head controls the printing operation including loading of NVM, decoding of messages with assistance of a DES engine on the print head ASIC, and initiating of printing. The microcontroller helps to reduce the complexity of the ASIC.
The print head ASIC decodes the mail position for printer sequencing, provides the proper timing for driving the print nozzles, supports external ink supply monitoring, interfaces to the NVM; support external communications, and performs self-test functions. The print head NVM also stores inscription representations. The meter vault stores a table of enabled inscriptions. When the operator at the mailing machine wishes to select an inscription, the print head transfers a list of the available options to the meter vault. The vault screens for only the enabled inscriptions and sends the information to the mailing machine. The operator""s response is forwarded from the meter vault to the print head.
As part of the system start-up process, the print head issues a message to the meter vault which directs the meter vault microcontroller to receive updated program data, only if, that updated program data version has not already been written to the non-volatile memory of the meter vault. The print head then encrypts the updated program data and transmits that encrypted data to the meter vault. The microcontroller of the meter vault then decrypts the updated program data and stores the data in the non-volatile memory of the meter vault. The program update code is loaded into the print module after fabrication by the manufacture and prior to shipment.

Digital postage meter system having a replaceable printing unit with system software upgrade