An air pump, including: two cylinders, a big one and a small one, which are telescopically fitted to each other. A head connects with the outlet end of the small cylinder. A pressure relief valve connects with the outlet end of the big cylinder. A first piston is fixed at the inlet end of the small cylinder and placed in the big cylinder. A first pipe, has one end fixed on the outlet end of the big cylinder, and the other passes through the first piston and placed inside the small cylinder. A first chamber with a passage communicating with the first pipe forms therein between the inside wall of the big cylinder and the outside wall of the first pipe. A second pipe, one end fixed at the outlet end of the small cylinder and communicating with the head in one-way air admission, has the other fit into the first pipe in a telescopicing way and communicating with it. A second piston, which is placed inside the small cylinder, fixes at the other end of the first pipe and the second pipe goes through it. A second chamber with a one-way passage communicates with the head and is formed therein between the inside wall of the small cylinder and the outside wall of the second pipe and between the outlet end of the small cylinder and the second piston.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air pump and more particular to an air pump having selectable low pressure and high pressure mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,876 discloses a telescope air pump with two cylindrical bodies. One cylindrical body is fitted to one end of the other cylindrical body. There is a piston rod and a two-way air admission piston provided therein. So, the air pump can be divided into three air chambers. The air pump inflates an object when it is pushed or pulled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,370 discloses a telescope air pump with three divisible cylinders. By increasing the route of push and pull, the air pump increases the air quantity in every stroke motion. The two adjacent cylinders can be locked together to make the big cylinder invalid and only two small cylinders keep working in high pressure mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,529 discloses a telescope air pump with two cylinders. There is an air passage provided between the big cylinder and the small cylinder. The air flows from the big cylinder to the small cylinder then goes into the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,319 discloses a telescope air pump with two cylinders. In this case, the big cylinder and the small cylinder inflate an object individually.
In order to operate in high pressure mode, patent 529 provides a knob as a pressure relief valve. The big cylinder at rear end will lose efficacy by turning the knob. Patent 319 provides a big cylinder at front and connects with the head at the front end. A pressure relief valve is provided at front and the big cylinder will lose efficacy by opening the valve also. But, there is a disadvantage of reorganization if the pressure relief valve operates by the way of rotation. In patent 529, when doing the inflation, the air in the big cylinder is pressed into the small cylinder first then goes inside the head. However, we will have P2>P1>P if the air pressure in the head is P, the air pressure in the small cylinder is P1 and the air pressure in the big cylinder is P2.
We will have P2=P1>P if we have the same assumption P, P1, P2 in patent 319. In according with the big cylinder and the small cylinder inflate an object individually; the air can inflate an object only when the air pressure is large then the air pressure in the head. If the air pressure in the big cylinder and the small cylinder is different, the low pressure part stops inflating an object for increasing air pressure and the high pressure part inflates an object first for releasing air pressure. The big cylinder and the small cylinder inflate an object at the same time when the air pressure is equal in both.
As the same reason as aforesaid, under the same operation power, patent 529 is easier to feel the resistance and needs to turn into the high pressure mode. Contrary to patent 319, in according to the two independent cylinders design, patent 319 provides a longer operation period in low pressure mode and the inflation efficiency is better then patent 529.
But the big cylinder in patent 319 is provided at front and connects with the head. This is more inconveniently then patent 529 to put the big cylinder into the very dense steel wires of the steel rim because that the small cylinder in patent 529 is provided at front.

Air pump having selectable low pressure and high pressure mode


A dual-port memory requiring fewer serial input/output pins. A multiplex/distribution circuit multiplexes data for n rows read from a memory cell array into m (m<n) pieces of serial data and outputs the same to the serial I/O port, and distributes m multiplexed serial signals input from the serial I/O port into n serial signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dual-port memories, and more specifically, to a dual-port memory including a random access memory connected to a first input/output port and a serial access memory connected to a second input/output port.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a structure of a conventional dual-port memory. In FIG. 6, provided on a semiconductor chip 1 are an address buffer 2, a row decoder 3, a column decoder 4, a sense amplifier group and input/output control circuit 5, a memory cell array 6, a transfer gate 7, a data register 8, a serial decoder 9, an address pointer 10, a data input/output buffer 11, a serial input/output buffer 12, and a timing generator 13. Timing generator 13 outputs various timing signals such as .phi.L, .phi.R, .phi.P, .phi.W, .phi.I and .phi.O based on externally applied various control signals such as a row address strobe signal RAS, a column address strobe signal CAS, a data transfer enable signal DTE, a shift control signal SC and a shift enable signal SE.
Address buffer 2 is provided with, for example, 9-bit address data A0-A8. Address buffer 2 latches row address data and column address data input in a time sharing manner in response to the timing signal .phi.L applied from timing generator 13. The row address data latched by address buffer 2 is applied to row decoder 3. The column address data latched by address buffer 2 is applied to column decoder 4. The column address data latched by address buffer 2 is also applied to address pointer 10.
Memory cell array 6 includes a plurality of word lines, a plurality of bit lines disposed crossing these word lines, and a plurality of memory cells arranged at the cross over points of the word lines and bit lines. Row decoder 3 selects one word line from the plurality of word lines in memory cell array 6, based on the row address data applied from address buffer 2. Sense amplifier group and input/output control circuit 5 includes a sense amplifier and an input/output control gate provided for every bit line in memory cell array 6. Column decoder 4 controls opening/closing of each input/output control gate based on the column address data applied from address buffer 20. Selection of a bit line is thus conducted. The input/output control gates in sense amplifier group and input/output control circuit 5 are connected to the first input/output port (hereinafter referred to as A port) through data input/output buffer 11.
The above-described address buffer 2, row decoder 3, column decoder 4, sense amplifier group and input/output control circuit 5, memory cell array 6 and data input/output buffer 11 constitute a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) to and from which writing and reading of data can be performed randomly.
Data register 8 includes a plurality of latch circuits arranged for the respective bit lines in memory cell array 6. The latch circuits connected in series constitute a so-called shift register. Transfer gate 7 controls data transmission between memory cell array 6 and data register 8 in response to the timing signal .phi.R applied from timing generator 3. Serial decoder 9 controls the shifting operation of data register 8 in response to pointer data applied from address pointer 10. Data register 8 is connected to the second input/output port (hereinafter referred to as B port) through serial input/output buffer 12. Serial input/output buffer 12 controls input/output of data between data register 8 and B port in response to the timing signals .phi.P, .phi.W, .phi.I and .phi.O applied from timing generator 13.
The above-described transfer gate 7, data register 8, serial decoder 9, address pointer 10 and serial input/output buffer 12 constitute a so-called serial access memory (hereinafter referred to as SAM). The SAM converts data of n rows read out en bloc from memory cell array 6 (data of 4 rows in the case of the dual-port memory shown in FIG. 6) into serial data, and outputs this serial data to B port. The SAM also converts externally input four pieces of serial data into parallel data of n rows and applies the same to memory cell array 6.
The dual-port memory shown in FIG. 6 has a structure of .times.4 bits. In other words, A port and B port each have four data input/output pins. A port is capable of inputting/outputting data DIO.sub.0 -DIO.sub.3 of 4 bits at a time. B port is capable of inputting/outputting four pieces of serial data SIO.sub.0 -SIO.sub.3 at a time.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram partially showing the structure of the dual-port memory shown in FIG. 6, especially the structure of the SAM in detail. As shown in FIG. 7, memory cell array 6 has four array blocks or sectors. It is therefore possible to read and write data of 4 bits at a time from and to memory cell array 6. Transfer gate 7, data register 8 and serial decoder 9 each include four sets of circuits. Serial input/output buffer 12 includes a serial preamplifier 121, a serial main amplifier 122 and a serial data-in-buffer 123. These serial preamplifier 122 and serial data-in-buffer 123 each include four sets of circuits. Serial preamplifier 121 has its operation controlled in response to the timing signals .phi.P and .phi.W applied from timing generator 13. Serial main amplifier 122 has its operation controlled in response to the timing signal .phi.O applied from timing generator 13. Serial data-in-buffer 123 has its operation controlled in response to the timing signal .phi.I applied from timing generator 13.
FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the operation of the dual-port memory shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 at the time of serial read transfer. FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing the operation of the dual-port memory shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 at the time of serial write transfer. The term "serial read transfer" means a mode in which the SAM converts data of four rows read out from the memory cell array 6 of the RAM into serial data and outputs the same. "Serial write transfer" is a mode in which the SAM converts externally input four pieces of serial data into parallel data of four rows and transfers the same to memory cell array 6.
Referring to FIG. 8, the operation at the time of serial read transfer will be described. The row address strobe signal RAS is pulled to L level. In response to this, the timing signal .phi.L applied from timing generator 13 to address buffer 2 is activated, and address buffer 2 latches row address data. The row address data latched by address buffer 2 is applied to row decoder 3. Row decoder 3 decodes the applied row address data and selects a row corresponding to each array block in memory cell array 6. Memory cell array 6 as described above has four array blocks, and, therefore, four word lines are selected at a time for memory cell array 6 as a whole. Data stored in memory cells belonging to the selected word lines is read out to bit lines in memory cell array 6. Then, with the data transfer enable signal DTE being pulled to H level, the timing signal .phi.R is pulled to H level. Transfer gate 7 transfers the data of four rows read out from memory cell array 6 to data register 8 in response to the timing signal .phi.R being pulled to H level.
Data register 8 outputs serially the held data of four rows. Data register 8 has four circuits each capable of holding data of one row, and outputs from these circuits are applied to serial buses SB.sub.0 -SB.sub.3, respectively.
Serial preamplifier 121 is activated in response to the timing signal .phi.P which is in synchronization with the serial control signal SC. At the time, serial preamplifier 121 is activated in synchronization with the shifting operation of data register 8 and amplifies serial signals serially output from data register 8. Four serial signals amplified by serial preamplifier 121 are applied to serial main amplifier 122 through internal serial buses ISB.sub.0 -ISB.sub.3. Serial main amplifier 122 amplifies the four serial signals applied from serial preamplifier 121 in response to the timing signal .phi.O which is in synchronization with the serial control signal SC. The four serial signals amplified by serial main amplifier 122 are output to B port as serial data SIO.sub.0 -SIO.sub.3.
Referring to FIG. 9, the operation of the conventional dual-port memory shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 at the time of its serial write transfer will be described. The row address strobe signal RAS is pulled to L level. In response to this, address buffer 2 latches the row address data. Row decoder 3 decodes the row address data latched in address buffer 2 and selects the word line of a corresponding row in each array block in memory cell array 6. Memory cells belonging to f our word lines selected at that time allow writing of data transferred from the SAM.
B port is provided with the external four pieces of serial data SIO.sub.0 -SIO.sub.3. Serial data-in-buffer 123 amplifies four serial signals input from B port in response to the timing signal .phi.I which is in synchronization with the serial control signal SC and outputs the amplified signals to internal serial buses ISB.sub.0 -ISB.sub.3. At that time, the timing signal .phi.O is in the L level, and serial main amplifier 122 is deactivated. Serial preamplifier 121 operates in response to the timing signal .phi.W which is in synchronization with the serial control signal SC. At that time, the serial preamplifier 121 connects internal serial buses ISB.sub.0 -ISB.sub.3 and serial buses SB.sub.0 -SB.sub.3 if the timing signal .phi.W is in H level. However, serial preamplifier 121 outputs the input serial signals to serial buses SB.sub.0 -SB.sub.3 without amplifying these signals. This is because the externally input serial data is written into memory cells after being amplified in sense amplifier group and input/output control circuit 5 at the time of data writing, and it is not particularly necessary to amplify the data at serial preamplifier 121. The four serial signals output from serial preamplifier 121 are applied to data register 8 through serial buses SB.sub.0 -SB.sub.3.
Then, the data transfer enable signal DTE is pulled to H level, and the timing signal .phi.R is pulled to H level. This causes the data of four rows held in data register 8 to be transferred to memory cell array 6. At that time, memory cells of four rows are selected in each array block in memory cell array 6, and, therefore, the applied data is written into the memory cell array of these four rows.
A conventional dual-port memory structured as described above has a number of serial data input/output pins in each SAM, and requires a large circuit area for serial main amplifier 122 and serial data-in-buffer 123 in serial input/output buffer 120. For example, in a dual-port memory of .times.4 bit structure shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 must be provided with four serial data input/output pins at B port. Serial main amplifier 122 and serial data-in-buffer 123 each require four sets of circuits for processing four serial signals.


Gripping device includes a handle and an upper jaw disposed on the handle. A lower jaw is operatively associated with and moveable relative to the upper jaw. An upper plate is associated with the upper jaw and a lower plate is associated with the lower jaw. At least one of the upper and lower plates is offset relative to its associated upper/lower jaw. Preferably, at least one of the upper and lower plates are substantially flat. Preferably, both of the upper and lower plates are flat and an optional rubber pad may be placed thereon. Rubber teeth for gripping an object may be provided on the rubber pad. A safety latch may be provided for preventing inadvertent operation of the gripper. The gripping distance between the upper jaw and the lower jaw may be fixed so as to consistently and correctly grip an object, such as a vehicle seat belt, therebetween.

Conventional vehicle/automobile seat belts often do not work well in securing child car seats in the seat of the automobile in which the child car seat is to be secured.
The problem of seat belts improperly securing child car seats is found when using "lap belt" type car seat belts, as well as "shoulder harness" type automobile seat belts.
The problem of improper securing of child car seats is especially prevalent when using shoulder harness type seat belts for securing the child car seat, especially as many users find it difficult to or do not understand how to properly secure child car seats in shoulder harness type seat belts.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a PRIOR ART clip 4 for restricting movement of a PRIOR ART child car seat 10 having arm rests 12 and a head rest 14.
Car seat 10 includes a rear 16 through which a left opening 18 and a right opening 22 pass.
A conventional shoulder harness type seat belt 24 is illustrated that is attached to the automobile at the factory. Shoulder harness belt 24 includes an upper piece 26 and a lower piece 28.
In order to secure car seat 10 to the unillustrated automobile, a portion of belt 24 is passed through openings 22 and 18.
PRIOR ART clip 4 includes an upper opening 42 and a lower opening 44. A connector 46 is disposed between upper and lower openings 42, 44, respectively.
Belt 24 is connected to conventional seat buckle 50 having a female portion 52 by use of the conventional male portion 54 which is typically slidably attached to belt 24.
For convenience, lower piece 28 of belt 24 is defined as the portion of belt 24 extending between male clip 54 and a lower fixed mount 60 secured to the automobile. Belt 24 is typically non-slidably secured to mount 60. Upper piece 26 of belt 24 is defined as the remaining portion of belt 24 extending between male clip 54 and an upper fixed mount 64 secured to the car and through which mount 64 belt 24 typically slidably extends for engagement with a conventional retractor mechanism 70.
In use, the PRIOR ART seat 10 is attached to the car by passing upper piece 26 and lower piece 28 of belt 24 through holes 18 and 22, and then clipping male clip 54 to female portion 52 of seat buckle 50. The user then is supposed to shorten the length of lower piece 28 of belt 24 for proper installation by pushing downwardly and rearwardly on seat 10 while pulling upper piece 26 of belt 24 upwardly and to the right, as viewed in FIG. 1, for shortening the effective length of lower piece 28 of belt 24.
PRIOR ART clip 4 is provided for maintaining the shortened length of lower belt piece 28 by preventing movement of upper piece 26 and lower piece 28 relative to each other; e.g., by preventing movement of belt 24 relative to male clip 54.
Clip 4 is attached by passing both upper and lower pieces 26 and 28 through upper opening 42, over connector 46, and down through lower opening 44.
Preferably, the user is supposed to place clip 4 as close as practical to male clip 54 so as to ensure that lower belt piece 28 is not lengthened, thereby leading to a loosening of car seat 10, which might lead to the undesirable movement of car seat 10 during use and/or in an accident, whereby a child secured therein is more likely to be injured.
In addition, clip 4 is intended to eliminate relative movement between upper belt piece 26 and lower belt piece 28 so that the forces exerted on car seat 10 during a automobile accident do not lead to relative movement between upper belt piece 26 and lower belt piece 28, thereby allowing the undesirable movement of car seat 10 described immediately above, the possibility of which might not have been readily apparent to a user prior to such a car accident.
Studies have shown, however, that users often do not appreciate the intended use of clip 4, nor the mechanical advantages realized by the proper use thereof, and fail to use the clip at all, or place the clip at a great distance from male clip 54, such as on the outside of right opening 22, for example.
Still further, under certain situations, such as when repeated application and withdrawal of forces on belt 24 is experienced, upper belt piece 26 may move relative to lower belt piece 28, thereby leading to the undesirable lengthening of lower belt piece 28 and, hence, loosening of car seat 10 relative to the automobile to which it is attached.
Additional examples of known child car seats include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,133 to Nakao et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,083 to Shouse, Jr.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,094 to Hiramatsu et al.
Examples of known gripping devices include: U.S. Pat. No. 217,251 to Weaver and U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,542 to Verna.
Thus, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a gripping tool, a child car seat and tool combination, and a method of using a gripping tool for securing a car seat that is easier to use than prior art devices, and which overcomes the drawbacks of the PRIOR ART device.
The terms "left", "right", "upper", "lower", "child car seat" and "gripping tool", and the like are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the term "car seat", "infant seat", and "child carrier", for example, are intended to be synonymous terms, and are not intended to be limiting. "Vehicle", "car", and "automobile" are not intended to be limiting; such terms include airplanes, boats, buses, trains, amusement park rides, and all types of vehicles. Similarly, the terms "shoulder harness type seat belt" and "lap belt type seat belt" are not intended to be limiting.

Seat belt gripping tool, and method of use


An indexing hinge comprises a two arm hinge half and an axle hinge half. The two arm hinge half includes two hinge arms, a projecting indexing element disposed therebetween and a first mounting element. The axle hinge half includes two axles, each extending from a toothed indexing element, and a second mounting element. When the axle hinge half is connected to the two arm hinge half by interconnecting each axle with a respective hinge arm, the projecting indexing element abuts the toothed indexing element in such a way as to prevent rotation unless an additional rotational torque is applied. An electronic equipment enclosure installation comprises an electronic equipment enclosure and an indexing hinge.

1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to hinges for small doors, and, in particular, to selectively positionable hinges for small doors for electronic equipment cabinets, ventilation ducts, and the like.
2. Background
Racks, frames, cabinets and the like for supporting computer and other electronic equipment are very well known. Such support apparatus are often partially or fully enclosed, either directly through the use of doors and other panels mounted directly thereon, or indirectly by lining several such apparatuses up in a row such that the sides of each rack are immediately adjacent another rack.
Often doors and other panels are mounted to the support apparatus with hinges, which conveniently make it possible to open and close the doors and other panels without removing them from the support apparatus. A door or other panel may be opened to access electronic equipment disposed within the support apparatus. Additionally, a door or other panel may be opened to allow air to flow through the support apparatus for cooling purposes.
A traditional hinge is able to rotate freely about its pivot axis, through its range of rotation, once the door or other panel to which it is attached has been disengaged from the support apparatus or opened. Such free rotation is often undesirable, as it may cause a safety hazard to technicians accessing equipment within the support apparatus and to other personnel working within the area where the support apparatus is located. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a hinge that may be fixed at predetermined positions about its range of rotation such that the hinge does not rotate freely therethrough. Such hinge may be rotated with the application of a small amount of rotational torque; however, the hinge may not rotate freely. With such a novel hinge, a person may open a door or other panel on a support apparatus and fix the door or panel in a desired position within its range of rotation. The hinge, and therefore the door or panel, remains in the desired position until enough rotational torque is applied to the hinge to move it to another position.
While the need for such a hinge has been described in the context of support apparatus for electronic equipment, it will be understood that such hinge may be used in many applications, which will be clear to the Ordinary Artisan.


A new instruction that ensures that the effects of a control register write will be observed at a well defined time is introduced. Specifically, the present invention introduces the concept of a serialization fence instruction. The serialization fence instruction ensures that after a control register in a computer has been modified, all subsequent instructions will observe the effects of the control register modification. Two different serialization fence instructions are illustrated: a data memory reference serialization fence instruction (SRLZ.d) and an instruction fetch serialization fence instruction (SRLZ.i). The data memory reference serialization fence instruction ensures that subsequent instruction executions and data memory references will observe the effects of the control register write. The instruction fetch serialization fence instruction ensures that the entire machine pipeline, starting at the initial instruction fetch stage, will observe the effects of the control register write.

Most computer processors have one or more control registers that determine how the computer processor operates. The control register settings may affect things such as instruction fetching, data memory references, and instruction execution behavior. Examples of control register settings include the enabling or disabling of virtual memory translation for instruction fetches, specifying the Little endian or Big Endian nature of data memory references, and the enabling or disabling of processor operating modes such as a supervisor mode for operating systems and a user mode for user programs.
In order for a computer processor to generate predictable results, the processor must respond to changes in control registers in a consistent and well documented manner. Specifically, the effects produced by a control register modification must be observable at a well defined time. In this manner, programmers can rely upon the processor to generate the same results for the same instruction stream.
However, ensuring that the effects of a control register are always observed at a well defined time can be difficult task. Most processors progress through several successive processor generations. Each processor generation will be implemented differently and thus will have a different latency time. Two different methods have been devised to solve this problem: self-serializing processors and defined maximum latency times.
Self-serializing processors ensure that effects of a write to a control register are observable before processing the next instruction. Thus, this method assumes the worst case scenario that after an instruction that modifies a control register, the next instruction is dependent upon the modified control register. In self-serializing processors, the processor either stalls the machine pipeline until the write to the control register takes effect or flushes the machine pipeline to force the next instruction to be refetched after the control register has been modified. For example, early versions of the Intel.RTM. Pentium.RTM. processor flush the processor pipeline and refetch the instructions any time there is a write to a control register. If there are many successive modifications to control registers, this method can be very inefficient since each control register modification will stall or flush the machine pipeline.
The other known method of ensuring consistent results after a control register modification is to define a maximum latency time for each control register. Specifically, every implementation of the processor must exhibit the observable effects of the control register modification within the defined maximum latency time. Software written for processors with defined maximum latency times must not issue operations that depend upon a modified control register until the maximum latency time has expired. The responsibility for ensuring that such restrictions are followed is usually is given to the compilers for the processors. This technique requires that all the software be written to wait until the maximum latency has passed before scheduling dependent instructions even if the processor may be ready before maximum latency time. Thus, the software is written to fulfill a worst case latency time scenario even though the processor may be ready before maximum latency time has expired.
The two current methods of ensuring that the effects of a control register write are always observed at a well defined time each have disadvantages. In the case of a self-serializing processor, each instruction that modifies a control register will cause a pipeline stall or a pipeline flush with a subsequent refetch. In the case of a processor with defined maximum latency times, the software must be written not to violate a predefined maximum latency time even if that particular processor implementation would be ready earlier. It would therefore be desirable to implement an improved method of ensuring that the effects of a control register write are observed at a well defined time.

Method and apparatus for instruction and data serialization in a computer processor

Institute for the Development of Emerging Architectures, L.L.C.


The invention relates to a method for matching a first measurement method for measuring structure widths of trapezoidally tapering structures on a substrate wafer to a second measurement method for measuring the structure widths. This is performed in order to obtain measured values for the structure width which are comparable with one another. The second measurement method is suitable for measuring a second structure width at an unknown second height above the surface of the substrate, and the first measurement method is suitable for measuring a first structure width at a first height, the first height being settable.

When measuring structure widths of a structure with integrated circuits that is applied on a substrate surface of a substrate, discrepancies occur if structure widths are measured by means of different measurement methods or measuring devices. The reason for this is that the structure widths are measured at different heights with regard to the substrate surface. In addition to the method-specific or device-specific measured value difference, this generally leads to a mutually deviating behavior of the measured value increase, particularly in the case of the trapezoidal structures, if the sidewall angle of the trapezoidal structure depends on the structure width. This proves to be particularly disadvantageous for the required correspondence given a multiplicity of different measuring devices and measurement methods within high-volume production, in which case the measured values obtained are intended to be comparable with one another.
In particular, measured value differences occur if structure widths are determined with the aid of an electron beam method and with the aid of an optical method.
To date, it has been possible to carry out the systematic measured value adjustment by comparison with cross-sectional recordings of the structure, e.g. by means of scanning electron microscopy. What is disadvantageous in this case is that the high preparation outlay for producing cross sections of the structure to be examined is time-consuming. Moreover, in the case of small structure widths, (less than 100 nm), evaluation errors may occur during measurement of the cross-sectional recordings created by the scanning electron microscope.

Method for matching two measurement methods for measuring structure widths on a substrate


The invention includes a disk damper containing an extended area located on the upstream side of the head stack assembly. The extended area is joined to a tail section. In the extended area, the disk damper provides a wall near the neighboring rotating disk surface that extends from the outside diameter to the inside diameter of the rotating disk surface. Experimental results have shown that this provides much more consistent dampening of disk vibrations and vibrations of a head stack assembly positioned anywhere from the inside diameter to the outside diameter. The hard disk drive including the disk damper. Using the disk damper in a hard disk drive to improve the reliability of the hard disk drive during track following. Making the hard disk drive using the disk damper, and the hard disk drive as a product of that manufacturing process.

Hard disk drives include at least one read-write head embedded in a slider and positioned near a rotating disk surface to access data organized as tracks on a rotating disk surface. Typically, the tracks are concentrically arranged on the rotating disk surface. The read-write head is positioned near the track by a voice coil actuator, which moves the slider through an actuator arm. The voice coil actuator includes a voice coil, which is stimulated by a time varying electrical signal from a servo controller. The time varying signal causes the voice coil to interact with fixed magnets, and pivot the actuator assembly it is coupled with, moving the actuator arm, and positioning the read-write head.
Often a hard disk drive has multiple read-write heads, accessing multiple rotating disk surfaces. Often a hard disk drive may include more than one disk. Each disk can support up to two disk surfaces for data storage.
There are typically two separate operations required to position the read-write head to access a track. First, a track seek operation is performed. This brings the read-write head close to the track. Then a track following operation is performed while the read-write head actively accesses the data. While following the track, a Position Error Signal (PES) is actively sensed by the interface circuitry coupled with the read channel of the read-write head. The PES is a distance measure derived from an encoded pattern laid down on the disk surface before the track data is actually written. The following of the track uses the PES signal to estimate distance from the written track, and adjust the voice coil stimulus, and possibly also control a micro-actuator coupled to the slider, to refine the positioning of the read-write head and optimize the reliability of the access operation being performed. TMR is usually measured as the acceptable amount of positional error for the read-write head on the servo track pattern.
The manufacturers of hard disk drives are constantly challenged to increase track density, to put more information onto each rotating disk surface of the hard disk drive. This has made the acceptable level of PES smaller and smaller. Recently, the TMR has become less than 10 nano-meters (nm).
Vibration of the disks and vibration of the head stack assembly containing the sliders are often considered today to be the most significant contributors to the PES errors of the track following operation. And airflow near the head stack assembly, particularly turbulent airflow, significantly contributes to vibration of the head stack assembly.
In the last few years, the use of disk dampers has become common. These devices narrow the gap between the rotating disk surfaces and the nearest stationary walls, affecting the air flowing in the gap to minimize the airflow turbulence near the head stack assembly. There are however problems with existing devices. The existing devices do not provide consistent dampening of air flow turbulence, in particular, there is a tendency for increased turbulence when the head stack assembly is near the inside diameter of the rotating disk surfaces. What is needed is a disk damper which consistently dampens air turbulence for a head stack assembly when position anywhere from the inside diameter to the outside diameter.

Method and apparatus for disk damper extending across all data tracks of a rotating disk surface upwind of the voice coil actuator in a hard disk drive


The present invention realizes stabler output voltage variable control in a power supply unit. A power supply unit capable of changing dynamic output voltage has: a first regulator for dropping down voltage, by a switching method and outputting the resultant voltage to a first node; and a second regulator for dropping down the input voltage by a voltage drop and outputting the resultant voltage to the first node. In the case where a target voltage instructed by first information is larger than a predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops supply of voltage from the second regulator. In the case where the target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls the second regulator so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops output of voltage from the first regulator.

The present invention relates to a power supply unit for generating voltage, a semiconductor device for controlling the power supply unit, and a wireless communication device to which the power supply unit is applied and, more specifically, to a technique effectively applied to a power supply unit having a function of varying voltage to be output.
In recent years, a wireless power supply system for supplying power in a noncontact (wireless) manner is being spread. For example, a wireless power supply system of an electromagnetic induction method using electromagnetic induction between coils arranged apart from each other is included by a transmission-side device transmitting power and a reception-side device receiving the transmitted power, and a small-sized portable terminal device as the reception-side device can, for example, charge a battery on the basis of power received. As a standard related to the noncontact communication technique of transmitting information by radio, NFC (Near Field Communication) is known. A small portable terminal device conformed to the NFC standard
In recent years, a wireless power supply system performing power transmission and communication for transmitting information while switching them by commonly using an antenna used for NFC and an antenna used for wireless power transmission of an electromagnetic resonance method is being developed. At the time of performing communication for transmitting information, a transmission-side device in such a wireless power supply system generates a drive signal having relatively small amplitude, by a drive circuit and transmits a signal by driving the antenna. At, the time of transmitting power the device generates a drive signal having a large amplitude by the drive circuit and transmits a signal by driving the antenna. To generate drive signals having different amplitudes for the power transmission and information communication by a single drive circuit in the transmission-side device, for example, a power supply unit capable of varying the power supply voltage to be supplied to the drive circuit is necessary.
As the power supply unit, conventionally, a switching regulator and a series regulator are known. In addition, a power supply unit for supplying power to a load while selectively switching an output from a switching regulator and an output from a series regulator is known. For example, patent literature 1 discloses a technique related to a power supply unit realizing reduced current consumption at the time of a light load by switching any of output voltages of an LDO (Low Drop Out) regulator as a linear regulator and a switching regulator in accordance with load current and outputting the voltage.

Power supply unit, semiconductor device, and wireless communication device


An adjustable striker bolt assembly includes a mount having a first slot oriented along a first axis and a second slot oriented along a second axis. The second axis is disposed at a predetermined angle to the first axis. The adjustable striker bolt assembly further includes a striker bolt supported in the second slot of the mount.

Typically, striker bolts are mounted to a frame and engage the latch of a door. However, for the door to close properly, the striker bolt may be mounted after the door has been pivotally attached to the frame in order to ensure proper placement of the striker bolt relative to the latch of the door. This mounting arrangement may provide unsatisfactory latching over time as the hinges may bend with use. Additionally, if the door or the hinges are replaced, the striker bolt may not be properly positioned. Consequently, new mounting holes may need to be drilled, which may be unaesthetic and potentially act as contamination points for dirt, water, debris, and other contaminants to get into the frame. Further, this contamination may build up and compromise the structural integrity of the frame.
When used in machines, the striker bolt has become important in sealing a door to a frame of an operator or passenger compartment. Specifically, as requirements for sealing the operator or passenger compartment have increased in order to minimize noise and protect occupants from dust, the problems in mounting and positioning the striker bolt have been compounded.

Adjustable striker bolt system and method


A controlled-release composition and controlled-release microspheres containing an exendin as an active ingredient, and a method of preparing the same are provided. More specifically, a controlled-release composition containing an exendin as an active ingredient, a biodegradable polymer with a specific viscosity, and coating materials, having high bioavailability and showing sustained release of the active ingredient in an effective concentration for a certain period without an excessive initial burst of the active ingredient; controlled-release microspheres containing a core including an exendin as an active ingredient and a biodegradable polymer, and a coating layer coating the core; and a method of preparing controlled-release microspheres including the steps of mixing an exendin, a biodegradable polymer, and a solvent, removing the solvent from the mixture to prepare hardened microspheres, and coating the hardened microspheres to form a coating layer on the surface of each microsphere, are provided.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controlled-release composition and a controlled-release microsphere containing an exendin as an active ingredient, and a method of preparing the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Exendins are glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists acting as a GLP-1 hormone in the body, and exendin-4 has 53% sequence homology with the amino acid sequence of GLP-1(7-36)NH2 (Goke, et al., J. Biol. Chem., 268: 19650-19655, 1993).
GLP-1, a representative incretin hormone, is a peptide secreted from L cells in the intestine, is secreted when food inflow into the digestive track occurs, and lowers the blood-sugar level by stimulating insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells (Orskov, et al., Diabetes, 42:658-661, 1993). Further, GLP-1 inhibits glucagon release from pancreatic alpha-cells (D′Alessio, et al., J. Clin. Invest., 97:133-138, 1996), and increases gastric-intestinal emptying time resulting in inhibition of food intake (Schira, et al., J. Clin. Invest., 97:92-103, 1996). GLP-1 has functions not only to stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells, but also to increase proliferation rate and survival rate of beta cells (Buteau, et al., Diabetologia, 42:856-864, 1999). However, GLP-1 loses its function by cleavage of its N-terminal region by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4), and has a very short half-life of about 2 minutes (Pridal, et al., Eur. J. Drug. Metab. Pharmacokinet., 21:51-59, 1996; Deacon, et al., Diabetes, 47:764-769, 1998).
Exendins have been known to increase insulin secretion depending on the blood-sugar level in the body, to inhibit postprandial glucagon release, and to lower gastric-intestinal emptying rate resulting in inhibition of food intake. In addition, exendins have an advantage of having a longer half-time than GLP-1, since exendin, unlike GLP-1, is not cleaved at the N-terminal region by DPP-4, and thus exendins can exhibit its function in the body for a longer time than GLP-1 (Thum, et al., Exp. Clin. Endocrinol. Diabetes., 110:113-118, 2002). Exendins are found in salivary secretions of the Gila monster and the Mexican Beaded Lizard, wherein exendin-3 is found in a Mexican Beaded Lizard, Heloderma horridum, and exendin-4 is found in a Gila monster, Heloderma suspectum (Eng, J., et al., J. Biol. Chem., 265:20259-62, 1990; Eng., J., et al., J. Biol. Chem., 267:7402-05, 1992).
It has been confirmed by intraperitoneal injections of exendin-4 into diabetic ob/ob mice once per a day that exendin-4 has a prolonged effect of lowering the blood-sugar level (Greig et al., Diabetologia 42:45-50, 1999). Recently, exendin-4 has been formulated as an injection agent that is subcutaneously injected twice daily at a dose of 5 μg or 10 μg. Although exendin is stable against the DPP-4 enzyme, it has been known to cause side effects such as vomiting, nausea, headaches, and the like, when it is subcutaneously injected to a human at a dose of 0.2 μg/kg or more (Drug Development Research, 53:260-267, 2001). For administration of exendins, the dose limit due to the side effects by initial burst and initial high blood concentration is the biggest obstacle to development of a controlled-release agent of exendin.
Generally, a controlled-release agent of an aqueous drug exhibits a very high release at the initial stage after administration, and there have been various studies to decrease the excessive initial burst. In particular, in developing a controlled-release agent of exendins, decreasing the initial burst is indispensable for preventing side effects such as vomiting, nausea, headaches, and the like caused by the excessive initial burst.
In order to decrease the initial burst of controlled-release microspheres containing octreotide having a therapeutic effect on acromegaly and the like, there has been a study to prepare microspheres by preparing a primary emulsion of the drug together with glucose, and then performing a double emulsion method. In this study, it has been revealed that the initial burst can be decreased by loading the drug together with glucose. However, under a preparation condition in which the initial burst from microspheres is about 5%, the addition of glucose cannot lead to an increase in loading amount, and rather increases the initial burst (J. Wang et al., Biomaterials, 25:1919-1927, 2004).
Therefore, the technique disclosed in the above document is difficult to apply to preparation of a controlled-release formulation of an exendin wherein the initial burst should be 5% or below to decrease side effects caused by the initial burst.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,164,005 and US2005/0271702 disclose a method of preparing exendin-containing microspheres by a phase-separation method using a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymer where the ratio of lactide:glycolide is 50:50. In the above documents, polymer 3A (IV=0.38 dL/g), polymer 4A (IV=0.42 dL/g), and the like, particularly polymer 4A, provided by Alkermes Inc., are used as the polymer. In the above documents, the microspheres are prepared by mixing a peptide drug with salting-out components such as ammonium sulfate and sugars such as sucrose and mannitol to prepare a primary emulsion, in order to improve the bioavailability of the microspheres consisting of an exendin and polymer 3A, or 4A, and the stability of the peptide drug. That is, the documents intend to improve the bioavailability by adding additives such as sugars, ammonium sulfate, and the like, thereby allowing sufficient release of an exendin from the polymer matrix. As a result, the bioavailability can be improved to some degree, but the Cmax value is also high, thereby generating the problem of side effects caused by a high initial burst. That is, when the bioavailability becomes high, the initial burst becomes excessive, while when the initial burst becomes low, the bioavailability becomes low.
As described above, the existing techniques of preparing a controlled release microsphere have limitations in that the prepared microsphere has an excessively high initial burst and insufficient bioavailability to be applied to preparation of exendin-containing controlled-release microspheres that require minimization of side effects caused by high initial burst together with improved bioavailability.
Therefore, to solve the above problems, it is necessary to develop a biodegradable exendin-containing formulation exhibiting a low initial burst and improved bioavailability.

Composition and microsphere for controlled-release of exendin, and method preparing the same


A distributed network-attached storage network provides content distribution using conventional file transfer protocols such as NFS and CIFS. A filer proxy accepts a client request and translates the client request to a file transfer protocol accepted at the file system having the file requested in the client request. The filer proxy generates a file handle for the file containing redundant filer proxy information to be used for failover to a backup filer proxy in the event of a network error or failure of an original filer proxy. The file handle also contains information for network security purposes such as detection of forged file handles.

A typical distributed file system is a client/server-based application that enables a client to access and process data stored on a server as if the data was local to the client. When the client accesses a file on the server, the server generally sends the client a copy of the file, which is cached on the client while the data is being processed and is then returned to the server. Ideally, a distributed file system organizes file and directory services of individual servers into a global directory in such a way that remote data access is not location-specific but is identical from any client.
A further development of the distributed file system for a Web-based environment is a content delivery network (CDN). In general, a CDN is a network of servers that delivers a Web page to a user based on the geographic locations of the user, the origin server of the Web page and local servers. Within the CDN, copies of the pages of a Web site are typically stored in local servers called content engines that are typically dispersed at geographically different locations, caching the contents of the Web page. Content routers in the CDN route user requests to an appropriate content engine. When a user requests a Web page that is part of a CDN, the CDN typically redirects the request from the originating site's server to a server in the CDN that is closest to the user and delivers the cached content from that closest server. The CDN also communicates with the originating server to deliver any content that has not been previously cached. This service is effective in speeding the delivery of content of Web sites with high traffic and Web sites that have global reach. Typically, the closer the content engine is to the user geographically, the faster the content will be delivered to the user. CDNs can also be configured to provide protection from large surges in traffic.
For some network applications, it is faster to have a server dedicated to file sharing accessible by file transfer protocols rather than Web transfer protocols. A typical network-attached storage (NAS) device is a server that is dedicated to file sharing rather than serving applications to clients. Generally, NAS does not provide any of the activities that a server in a server-centric system typically provides, such as e-mail, authentication or file management. Typically, an NAS device is attached to a local area network and is assigned its own network address. File requests are mapped by a main server to the NAS file server.
There are a number of file transfer protocols available for accessing files through a network. One such protocol is Network File System (NFS). NFS is a client/server application designed by Sun Microsystems that, in general, allows all network users to access shared files stored on computers of different types. NFS enables filesharing between computers as though the files were on a local hard drive. With NFS, computers connected to a network operate as clients while accessing remote files, and as servers while providing remote users access to local shared files. NFS is a stateless file-sharing protocol, which means that the file server can reboot nearly invisibly to its clients, except for the delay during the reboot. NFS, however, requires additional protocols to manage the technical details of such server application necessities as file and record locking and file system mounting and unmounting.
Another file transfer protocol is Common Internet File System (CIFS). CIFS defines a standard for remote file access. CIFS, like NFS, enables users with different types of computers to share files without having to install new software. CIFS and NFS are used by many applications, including Web browsers, to open and operate on files. Implementations of CIFS and NFS generally provide better support for file access control, file attributes, directory operations, file modifications, and random I/O access patterns in comparison to HTTP.
Flat file systems such as NFS, where all clients connect to the same server, often suffer from a bottleneck effect. Eventually a single server is unable to cope with the connected clients. Even with optimal client caching strategies the server must still deal with 8-12% of the original traffic, and, as the filesystem grows, this amount of traffic eventually overwhelms any server.
A solution to the bottleneck effect is to distribute load among several servers. Replicating all files at secondary servers, however, is expensive, and caching items at secondary servers as requests pass through them creates delays. When the load at a server becomes too high, the server stops serving the file directly and only sends out lists of other servers that it knows have cached the file. Clients attempt to first satisfy file requests from their own file caches, then from servers listed in a local name cache, and finally from the file's primary host. If a client receives a list of servers instead of the file, it caches that list in its name cache, and attempts to contact one of those servers instead.
In order to make data as accessible as possible using the robustness of long-established file transfer protocols, attempts were made to combine distributed file systems with the data replication available using CDNs. One system that attempts to combine distributed file systems and data replication is Alex, developed at Carnegie-Mellon University. Alex allows a remote file transfer protocol (FTP) server to be mapped into the local file system so that its files can be accessed using traditional file operations. This is accomplished through an Alex server that communicates with remote server sites through FTP, caches files locally, and communicates with the local file system through NFS. When the user wants to access a remote file, Alex downloads the file using FTP and then caches the file locally.
When another user needs the same file and tries to access it through the file system, it is not necessary to transfer the file from the original site again. The file will simply be taken out of Alex's cache rather than from the original site. This provides a savings in bandwidth and also provides a measure of reliability in the face of network failures. It also saves local disk space because users do not need to make personal copies of the files. Users use the files directly off of the Alex server.
Alex has a cache-consistency mechanism to support the cached data utility. Typically, the older a file is the less likely it is to be changed. Therefore, the older a file is, the less often Alex has to poll to insure that its local copy is up-to-date. To avoid excessive polling, Alex guarantees only that a file is never more than 10% out of date with its reported age. This is efficient, not only because FTP servers do not have to propagate file updates, but also because it avoids the necessity of modifying FTP servers to add more sophisticated invalidation techniques.
Another solution for providing data replication in distributed file systems is the Andrew File System (AFS). AFS was developed at Carnegie-Mellon University. AFS is a location-independent file system that uses a local cache on the client to reduce the workload and increase the performance of a distributed computing environment. The root of the AFS filetree is /afs. Under the root directory, there are directories that correspond to AFS cells. The cells may be local (on same LAN) or remote (e.g. halfway around the world). An AFS cell is a collection of servers grouped together administratively and presenting a single, cohesive filesystem. Typically, an AFS cell is a set of hosts that use the same Internet domain name.
AFS has local caching on the client machine. AFS client machines run a Cache Manager process. The Cache Manager maintains information about the identities of the users logged into the machine, finds and requests data on their behalf, and keeps chunks of retrieved files on local disk. As soon as a remote file is accessed, a chunk of that file is copied to local disk and therefore subsequent accesses (warm reads) are almost as fast as reading the entire file from local disk and considerably faster than a cold read (reading across the network). Local caching also significantly reduces the amount of network traffic, improving performance when a cold read is necessary.
Unlike NFS, which makes use of /etc/filesystems (on a client) to map (mount) between a local directory name and a remote filesystem, AFS does its mapping (filename to location) at the server. This has the advantage of making the served filespace location independent. Location independence means that a user does not need to know which fileserver holds the file. Instead, the user only needs to know the pathname of a file and the name of the AFS cell.
Other conventional solutions to distributed network storage systems include block-channel technologies such as storage area network (SAN) and Fibre Channel. SAN is a high-speed special-purpose network that interconnects different kinds of data storage devices with associated data servers. Fibre Channel is a computer communications protocol directed toward connecting computer servers to shared storage devices and for interconnecting storage controllers and storage drives. Fibre Channel combines channel technologies and network technologies. A channel is a closed, direct and structured mechanism for transmitting data between relatively few entities. Channels are typically used to connect peripheral devices such as a disk drive or a printer to a workstation. Fibre Channel provides a layered protocol structure that can be used to connect systems and storage in point-to-point or switched topologies. Some SAN networks incorporate Fibre Channel.
Other conventional distributed storage technologies include custom filesystem drivers for handling storage transactions and for handling the associated metadata to accomplish the storage transactions.
Further conventional solutions to distributed storage networks includes local-cluster redundancy systems where many NAS devices share a network address and use failover methods such as the primary copy replication technique. In primary copy replication, client calls are directed to a primary server among the NAS devices and the primary server communicates the call to the backup servers. After the backup servers acknowledge the communication, the primary server commits to the transaction requested in the client call. When a failure or a recovery occurs, all the servers in the system are reorganized.

Method and apparatus for transparent distributed network-attached storage with web cache communication protocol/anycast and file handle redundancy


A heat-dissipating structure. The heat-dissipating structure comprises a plurality of first and second conductive plates. Each first conductive plate has a first base surface, a first reference surface and a first main disturbing portion disposed on the first base surface and the first reference surface, and each second conductive plate has a second base surface, a second reference surface and a first sub disturbing portion disposed on the second base surface and the second reference surface. A middle passage, formed between two adjacent first and second conductive plates by facing the second base surface of the second conductive plate to the first reference surface of the first conductive plate, provides airflow passing therethrough with uniform flow resistance.

The invention relates to a heat-dissipating module, and in particular to a heat-dissipating module comprising a plurality of passages to provide airflow passing therethrough with uniform flow resistance.
Computer functions are integrally systematized on the same circuit or motherboard, decreasing space available in the housing thereof for convection and heat dissipation. Thus, forced convection by an electrical fan is employed to increase flow rate of air for dissipating heat generated therein. Broad narrowband noise and narrowband noise, however, increased as maximum static pressure and flow rate of airflow increase.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional heat-dissipating unit G. The heat-dissipating unit G has a plurality of metallic fins U1, U2 arranged in parallel to form a plurality of channels U100 therebetween. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the fin U1 of the dissipating unit G, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view of the fin U1 along line A-A of FIG. 2A. The U-shaped fin U1, same as the fin U2, has uniform thickness and a smooth surface on each side thereof.
As the heat-dissipating unit G is disposed next to or on a heat source such as a CPU (not shown), airflow S passes through the channels U100 directing heat on the fins U1, U2 to the exterior. Velocity distribution of airflow, as it is presented in a laminar flow, for example, is substantially the same as Poiseullie flow located near the side of the fin U1 to generate a corresponding designated noise spectrum. When a high-power fan is employed or the number of the fans is increased to elevate the volume and velocity of airflow, however, airflow with higher noise spectrum may be generated

Heat-dissipating module and structure thereof


A method and apparatus for controlling the transmit power of a high rate code division multiple access (CDMA) link is described. The channel condition to a subscriber unit is evaluated and the configuration of a high rate link in soft handoff is based on the channel condition. If a fading channel is detected the supplemental channels of the high rate link are transmitted from multiple base stations. If a non-fading channel is detected the supplemental channels of the high rate link are transmitted from a single base station. Parameters monitored to determine the channel condition include the pilot strength, pilot code offset and error rate.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless telecommunications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel and improved method and apparatus for controlling the transmit power of a high rate code division multiple access link.
II. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cellular telephone system configured in accordance with the use of the IS-95 over-the-air interface standard. The IS-95 standard, and its derivatives such as IS-95-A, IS-99, IS-657 and ANSI JSTD-008 etc. (referred to herein collectively as the IS-95 standard), define an interface for implementing a digital cellular telephone system using code division multiple access (CDMA) signal processing techniques. Also, a cellular telephone system configured substantially in accordance with the use of IS-95 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,459 entitled "System and Method for Generating Signal Waveforms in a CDMA Cellular Telephone System" assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
As is typical for most cellular telephone systems, IS-95 allows mobile telephone service to be provided using a set of base stations 12 coupled to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 18 by a base station controller (BSC) 14 and a mobile switching center (MSC) 16. During a telephone call, a subscriber unit 10 (typically a cellular telephone) interfaces with one or more base stations 12 using CDMA modulated radio frequency (RF) signals. Throughout this application, the term subscriber unit refers generically to a communications device remotely located from a base station 12, and includes mobile units, hand units, and all other similar communication devices. The RF signal transmitted from the base station 12 to the subscriber unit 10 is referred to as the forward link, and the RF signal transmitted from the subscriber unit 10 to the base station 12 is referred to as the reverse link.
Unlike most other cellular telephone systems, IS-95 communication systems are capable of performing soft handoff when a subscriber unit 10 transitions from the coverage area of a first base station 12 to the coverage area of a second base station 12. In soft handoff, the subscriber unit 10 establishes a communication link with the second base station 12 before terminating the communication link with the first base station. Thus, soft handoff requires simultaneously interfacing with both the first and second base stations 12, which is the condition of subscriber unit 10b as shown in FIG. 1. The preferred embodiments for performing soft handoff are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,261 entitled "Mobile Station Assisted Soft Handoff in a CDMA Cellular Communications System" assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. Soft handoff can be contrasted with hard handoff in which the link with the first base station is terminated before the link with the second base station is established.
Soft handoff is generally necessary in a CDMA based cellular telephone system because adjacent base stations transmit in the same RF band, and the interference between the two forward link signals at the border of the coverage areas fluctuates rapidly and unpredictably. The fading caused by this interference results in a poor received signal to noise ratio at the subscriber unit 10, which further results in either a higher required transmit power from the base station 12, or a higher error rate, or a combination thereof. During soft handoff, both the first and second base stations 12 transmit copies of the user data directed to subscriber unit 10 to provide signal source diversity. Thus, if one base station 12 fades relative to the other base station 12, the subscriber unit 10 still receives one signal properly. Also, the two forward link signals can be combined at the subscriber unit 10, which can result in proper reception even when neither forward link signal alone was received at a sufficient level.
It should be noted that soft handoff can also involve three or more base stations 12, all transmitting copies of the data directed to subscriber unit 10. In general, the signal diversity provided by soft handoff makes it more robust than hard handoff, in that the call is less likely to be dropped.
Although soft handoff has the advantage of being more robust than hard handoff, it has the disadvantage of requiring two or more transmissions of the same user data. Within an IS-95 compliant or other type of CDMA cellular telephone system, these multiple transmissions may increase or decrease overall capacity of the cellular telephone system. Whether there is an increase or decrease depends of the fading condition for the subscriber unit 10.
More recently, however, it has become desirable to provide higher transmission rate communication services in conjunction with the mobile telephone service already provided by an IS-95 cellular telephone system. Examples of such higher rate links are described in copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 08/656,649 filed May 31, 1996 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Providing Rate Scheduled Data in a Spread Spectrum Communication System and Ser. No. 08/784,280 entitled "High Data Rate Supplemental Channel for CDMA Telecommunications System" filed Jan. 15, 1997 both assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference (high data rate patent applications).
These higher rate communications are transmitted with substantially greater power than the typical voice based communications, which substantially increases the negative impact of generating multiple transmissions as during a soft handoff. Since it is nonetheless desirable to allow a subscriber unit 10 conducting a high speed communication to transition between the coverage areas of different base stations 12, an alternative method and apparatus for performing handoff is required.

Transmit power reduction for a high speed CDMA link in soft handoff


A method of intercorporate information-sharing between a product-manufacturing company and a product-inspecting company includes transmitting product quality and manufacturing number information from a product-manufacturing company's database storage device to a product-inspecting company's database storage device, inspecting a product, manufactured by the product-manufacturing company, by the product-inspecting company and storing an inspected result information of the product in the product-inspecting company's database storage device and transmitting the inspected result information from the product-inspecting company's database storage device to the product-manufacturing company's database storage device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of information-sharing, and more particularly to a method of information-sharing between a product-manufacturing company and a product-inspecting company, a system thereof, and a computer program with product-processing being outsourced, information can be shared with a contractor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, when a semiconductor product is manufactured and provided to a client company, it is required that the quality of the product (yield) is maximally enhanced for the client company. In addition, in this environment, front-end manufacturing of the semiconductor is entrusted to an outside contractor, and in this case, disclosure of information and feedback of a probe-inspection is performed between persons in charge of an outside contractor and a client by electronic mail (an E-mail), a FAX (a facsimile), and the like. Conventionally, though information of an inspected result is transmitted to an auto handler so as to utilize it in the next inspection process, the information of an inspected result is not bi-directionally processed using a database.
However, the conventional manufacturing and inspecting process includes the following problems.
In the case where a company (factory) is not in charge of both the production process and the inspection process, and either of the processes is outsourced, data transfer between companies by a FAX or an e-mail is only available for a particular person, that is a person in charge of the operation. However, if the person in charge changes, the handover to the next person is difficult. In addition, in a case where a personnel shift in a client continually occurs, responding to this is difficult. This is the same regarding a personnel shift in an outside contractor. Namely, staff members of both a client and an outside contractor can not recognize the condition and the situation of the product at the same environmental level. Particularly, because a LOT number for the semiconductor devices changes depending on a client company, an error in the discrimination of a LOT often occur. Furthermore, recognizing the progress of LOT processing is not uniformly systematized such that there is a waste in entrusting a transport company, and the like.
In view of the above issues, the present invention is intended to provide to a method and system of information-sharing between a product-manufacturing company and a product-inspecting company, a system thereof, and a computer program. This method and system can feed information of inspected yield back so as to share it among related companies, enabling quality of processed (manufactured) products in a front-end process to be efficiently improved.

Method of intercorporate information-sharing, system, and computer program


Silicon carbide high voltage semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating such devices are provided. The devices include a voltage blocking substrate. Insulated gate bipolar transistors are provided that have a voltage blocking substrate. Planar and beveled edge termination may be provided.

Power devices are widely used to carry large currents and support high voltages. Modern power devices are generally fabricated from monocrystalline silicon semiconductor material. One type of power device is the thyristor. A thyristor is a bistable power semiconductor device that can be switched from an off-state to an on-state, or vice versa. Power semiconductor devices, such as thyristors, high-power bipolar junction transistors ("HPBJT"), or power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors ("MOSFET"), are semiconductor devices capable of controlling or passing large amounts of current and blocking high voltages.
Silicon bipolar transistors have, conventionally, been used for high power applications in motor drive circuits, appliance controls, robotics and lighting ballasts. This is because bipolar transistors can be designed to handle relatively large current densities, for example, in the range of 200 to 50 A/cm2 and support relatively high blocking voltages in the range of 500-2500V.
Despite the attractive power ratings achieved by bipolar transistors, there exist several fundamental drawbacks to their suitability for all high power applications. Bipolar transistors are current controlled devices that typically require relatively large base control currents, typically one fifth to one tenth of the collector current, to maintain the transistor in an on-state mode. Proportionally larger base currents can be expected for applications that also require high speed turn-off. Because of the large base current demands, the base drive circuitry for controlling turn-on and turn-off is relatively complex and expensive. Bipolar transistors may also be vulnerable to premature breakdown if a high current and high voltage are simultaneously applied to the device, as commonly required in inductive power circuit applications. Furthermore, it may be relatively difficult to operate bipolar transistors in parallel because current diversion to a single transistor typically occurs at high temperatures, making emitter ballasting schemes necessary. This current diversion generally results from the decrease in on-state voltage drop across the bipolar device with further increases in operating temperature.
Silicon power MOSFETs address this base drive problem. In a power MOSFET, the gate electrode provides turn-on and turn-off control upon the application of an appropriate gate bias. For example, turn-on in an n-type enhancement MOSFET occurs when a conductive n-type inversion layer is formed in the p-type channel region in response to the application of a positive gate bias. The inversion layer electrically connects the n-type source and drain regions and allows for majority carrier conduction between source and drain.
The power MOSFET's gate electrode is separated from the conducting channel region by an intervening insulating layer, typically silicon dioxide. Because the gate is insulated from the channel region, little gate current is required to maintain the MOSFET in a conductive state or to switch the MOSFET from an on-state to an off-state or vice-versa. The gate current is kept small during switching because the gate forms a capacitor with the MOSFET's channel region. Thus, only charging and discharging current ("displacement current") is typically required during switching. Because of the high input impedance associated with the insulated-gate electrode, minimal current demands are placed on the gate and the gate drive circuitry can be easily implemented.
Moreover, because current conduction in the MOSFET occurs through majority carrier transport only, the delay associated with the recombination of excess minority carriers is not present. Accordingly, the switching speed of power MOSFETs can be made orders of magnitude faster than that of bipolar transistors. Unlike bipolar transistors, power MOSFETs can be designed to simultaneously withstand high current densities and the application of high voltages for relatively long durations, without encountering the destructive failure mechanism known as "second breakdown." Power MOSFETs can also easily be paralleled, because the forward voltage drop of power MOSFETs increases with increasing temperature, thereby promoting an even current distribution in parallel connected devices.
The above-described beneficial characteristics of power MOSFETs are typically offset, however, by the relatively high on-resistance of the MOSFET's drift region for high voltage devices, which arises from the absence of minority carrier injection. As a result, a MOSFET's operating forward current density is typically limited to relatively low values, for example, in the range of 40-50 A/cm2, for a 600 V device, as compared to 100-120 A/cm2 for the bipolar transistor for a similar on-state voltage drop.
On the basis of these features of power bipolar transistors and MOSFET devices, devices embodying a combination of bipolar current conduction with MOS-controlled current flow were developed and found to provide significant advantages in certain applications over single technologies such as bipolar or MOSFET alone. One example of a device which combines bipolar and MOS characteristics is the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT).
The IGBT combines the high impedance gate of the power MOSFET with the small on-state conduction losses of the power bipolar transistor. Because of these features, the IGBT has been used extensively in inductive switching circuits, such as those required for motor control applications. These applications require devices having wide forward-biased safe-operating-area (FBSOA) and wide reverse-biased safe-operating-area (RBSOA).
Silicon carbide (SiC) devices have also been proposed and used as power devices. Such devices include power MOSFETs such as are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,421. Similarly, silicon carbide Junction Field Effect Transistors (JFETs) and Metal-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MESFETs) have also been proposed for high power applications. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,264,713 and 5,270,554.
Silicon carbide IGBTs have also been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,831,288 and 6,121,633, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein as if set forth in their entirety.
Notwithstanding the potential advantages of silicon carbide, it may be difficult to fabricate power devices, including IGBTs, in silicon carbide. For example, these high voltage devices are typically formed using a lightly doped epitaxial layer (n or p type) on a highly doped n-type conductivity silicon carbide substrate having a thickness of from about 300 to about 400 μm. Low resistivity p-type silicon carbide substrates may not be available as a result of the available acceptor species (Aluminum and Boron) having deep energy levels that may result in carrier freeze out. Thus, the exclusive use of n-type substrates may limit the polarity of available high voltage devices. For example, only p-channel Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) may be available. In addition, the available devices may only be capable of blocking voltages in one direction.
In conventional power circuits it is desirable to have a device that may have the control voltage applied to the device to turn the device on and off referenced to ground rather than to a high positive voltage level. However, to provide an IGBT where the gate is referenced to the grounded emitter of the device generally requires a highly doped p-type substrate. As is noted above, highly doped p-type substrates currently are more difficult to fabricate than n-type substrates in silicon carbide. With an n-type substrate a conventional silicon carbide IGBT would have its gate voltage referenced to the collector voltage that, in a typical power circuit, would be to a line voltage. Thus, present silicon carbide IGBTs may require more complex gate drive circuitry with level shifting components and result in more complex power circuits as a result of the structure of IGBTs, the electrical characteristics of silicon carbide and the limitations in fabrication of highly doped p-type silicon carbide substrates.
Furthermore, in order to form a blocking junction at the substrate-epitaxial layer interface, a planar edge termination structure may be formed or an edge beveling process may be used to reduce the likelihood of premature breakdown at the edges of the device. Forming planar edge termination structures on a backside of the device may be difficult and costly to implement as extensive processing may be needed after removal of the 300 to 400 μm thick n-type substrate. Edge beveling may include etching through the substrate or grinding/polishing the sidewalls of the device, which may also be difficult because the voltage blocking epitaxial layers are generally much thinner than the substrate.

High voltage silicon carbide MOS-bipolar devices having bi-directional blocking capabilities


A push-in wire connector having at least two resilient members for generating a wire contacting force with one of the two resilient members exerting a greater contact force than the other to permit forming electrical connections to different size or types of wires by axially inserting wires into a sealant and into electrical contact engagement in the push-in wire connector to form a waterproof electrical connection in the presence of the sealant.

Numerous types of aggressive electrical wire connectors for forming bared ends of electrical wires into a waterproof electrical connection are known in the art. One type of aggressive electrical connector relies on inserting the wires into a sealant located between a terminal block and a terminal screw and then squeezing the bared ends of the wire by rotating the terminal screw. The more the terminal screw is tightening the greater the squeezing and hence the better the electrical connection between the bared wire end and the terminal screw, however, one must take care shearing the terminal screw by over torquing the screw.
Another type of aggressive electrical wire connector is a twist-on wire connector that can be used to form a waterproof electrical connection through rotation of the electrical wires in a spiral shape housing containing a sealant. In the twist-on wire connector as well as in the terminal connector, in general, the more aggressive the rotation the greater the compression of the wire ends and hence an enhanced electrical connection between the electrical wires.
Another type of aggressive electrical wire connector, which is used with unstripped wires, is a cutting connector that uses two blades that slice through the insulation layer of the electrical wire and also cut into the sides of the wire, which is located in a waterproof sealant. In each of these prior connectors the electrical connection can be formed in the presence of a waterproof agent through use of a force sufficient to negate the presence of a waterproofing and electrically insulating agent located on and between the electrical wires.
Another type of electrical connector, which lacks aggressiveness, is a push-in wire connector. A push-in wire connector is a less aggressive wire connector since the force on the wire by the connector is generated by a fixed cantilevered mounted electrical conductor that flexes to allow insertion of an electrical wire between the conductor and a bus strip. An example of a push-in wire connector that shows one resilient spring is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,286 and an example of a push-in wire connector that includes two resilient springs for engaging an electrical wire to form an electrical connection as a wire is inserted in the connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,255,592.
The clamping force holding the wire in electrical contact with bus strip and the electrical conductor of the push-in wire connector are determined by the resilient force of the resilient springs and can not be increased by more aggressive action such as in twist-on wire connectors since the axial force applied to flex the resilient spring conductors in a push-in wire connector is limited by the stiffness of the wire. That is, to generate a clamping force on the electrical wire in a push-in wire connector the wire must be inserted in an axial direction, which is at 90 degrees to the direction of force generated by the resilient conductor. Thus, the resilient electrical conductor in a push-in wire connector must flex in response to one axially inserting a wire therein. The wire clamping force in the push-in wire connector is limited because the axial resistance of the resilient conductor must not be so large so as to bend the electrical wire during the insertion process. Consequently, clamping forces generated by push-in wire connectors lack the inherent aggressive nature of other connectors that can force sealant away from contact areas between conductors.
Although the push-in wire connectors lack the aggressiveness of other electrical wire connectors the push-in wire connector are simple to use since an electrical connection can be made in one continuous motion. That is, one axially inserts an electrical wire into a chamber in the push-in wire connector until the wire forms electrical engagement with a resilient conductor that automatically flexes to form pressure engagement with the electrical wire. Typically, in the push-in wire connector cylindrical elements of a cylindrical wire engage both a bus strip and a resilient conductor as they sandwich the electrical wire between a straight edge on the resilient wire conductor and the bus strip. However, the lack of an ability to increase the force on the contact regions between the edge, the bus strip and the wire limit the ability to enhance the electrical connection in a push-in wire through use of additional force and thus impair the electrical connection to withstand heat cycling.
If a waterproof heat cycleable electrical connection is required in a push-in wire connector the conventional methods of waterproofing are to either place an elastic bushing around the wire before the wire is inserted into the push-in wire connector to form a waterproof seal around the electrical wire or to inject a sealant in the push-in wire connector after the wire has been inserted into engagement with the electrical conductor and bus strip therein. In still another method of waterproofing push-in wire connectors the entire push-in wire connectors with the electrical wires therein is inserted into a housing containing a sealant which allows one to encapsulate the entire push-in wire connector and thereby waterproof the wire connections therein.
One of the difficulties in forming waterproof electrical connections is also ensuring that the electrical connection formed in the presence of the sealant is capable of withstanding the heat cycling that may occur during field use of the push-in wire connector.

Waterproof heat cycleable push-in wire connector


A system and method for providing automatic system deregistration for any incorrectly registered radios is described. The system and method further provides for an automatic re-registration request to be sent in order to guarantee that any valid radios that have the same radio identification information in the system as the incorrectly registered radio to become re-registered. By requesting any radio having the same ID to re-register back with the system, a loss of communication to that radio is thereby prevented.

In wide area trunked radio systems that utilize a feature such as Automatic Multiple Site Switching (hereinafter referred to as "AMSS") an entire area such as an entire state can belong to one system comprised of multiple sites. AMSS allows communications to be extended beyond the reach of a single trunked site (repeater antenna facility). AMSS automatically switches a radio to a different site when the current site signal becomes to weak, which is usually determined by measuring the received signal strength (RSS) level at the radio. Typically, this happens when the vehicle the radio is in is driven out of range of one site and into the range of another site.
Any subscriber radio sending in a channel request would be granted a channel on all sites simultaneously when any channel becomes available in the system, thus enabling the radio operator to maintain communication with his radio talkgroup throughout the wide area system. Though such systems provide communication throughout the entire wide area covered by the system, it also results in waisted channel allocation (lowers spectrum efficiency of the system) since all members of a particular talkgroup are generally confined to a relatively small number of sites within the overall system.
In communication systems such as cellular systems and more sophisticated trunking systems, all subscriber radios must "register" within the site that they are currently located in. This registration process informs the system controller of where each radio in a system is located (which specific site). Thus, when a channel request is received at the system controller, it can then identify which sites have to have a channel allocated for the transmission to occur. In a typical cellular system, only the site where the requesting unit is located and the site of the receiving unit have to have a channel allocated (in the case of a cellular to cellular call). In the case of a trunked system, only the sites where radios that belong to the same talkgroup have to be allocated a channel for communication to occur, thereby increasing the overall spectrum efficiency of the system(no need to allocate a channel at each site).
If a subscriber radio changes sites during a conversation, it is imperative that it register as quickly as possible on the new site, because if it is the only member of the active call's talkgroup (in the case of a trunked system) on that site, a channel will not be assigned for the call until the system is informed that a member of the talkgroup is now present on the site. Whenever a subscriber radio changes sites, it's registration on the new site automatically deregisters it on the old site.
However, if a radio is turned off, or is changed to a different system by the operator, the radio will deregister on the system, informing the system that this particular ID is no longer active on the system. If a deregistering radio is the only member of the talkgroup within the site it deregisters on, the system will drop any active call to that talkgroup on that site and will not assign a channel on that site for the active talkgroup until a member of the talkgroup again registers on that site. If somehow, a subscriber radio becomes active on a site as the only member of his talkgroup on that site and the system was for some reason not aware of this unit, or considered this unit to be registered to a different talkgroup, channels would not be assigned on that site for the radio's talkgroup and the radio would miss all talkgroup traffic until the situation was remedied.
In radio communication systems such as trunked radio communication systems that require rapid site registration, it is possible for a radio to register in a wrong system. This improper registration cannot be corrected with a normal "deregistration" sequence as used in the prior art, as this might deregister a valid radio presently on that system. This can occur if a radio on an adjoining system has the same unit ID information as the radio that registered incorrectly. Since radio communications systems are the backbone of communications for such groups of users as police officers, fireman and the like, it becomes very important, if not critical, that the above mentioned registration problems do not occur. A need exists in the art for a method and system for properly deregistering an incorrectly registered radio and at the same time re-registering any radios having the same "valid" radio ID back into the system.

Method and system for handling improper registrations


An organizer assembly has a frame that includes a base that is adapted to rest on a horizontal surface, a rear support extending vertically from the base, and a support ring having a front edge and a rear edge that is attached to the rear support. The assembly further includes a removable tray having a rear edge that is removably engaged with the rear edge of the support ring, and a bottom that is supported by the front edge of the support ring, when the tray is deployed at a horizontal use position with the frame. The removable tray may be deployed by inserting the rear edge of the tray through the support ring at an angle, and then engaging the rear edge of the tray with the rear edge of the support ring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to organizer assemblies that are used on a desktop for holding and organizing documents, papers, envelopes, checks and other items. In particular, the present invention relates to an organizer assembly that provides multiple uses, that allows its trays to be removed, and that is simple in construction yet provides a stable support for the trays.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Desktop organizer assemblies are very popular in today's business environment, since they provide a useful means by which people can sort and store documents and other important items. There also exists a wide variety of such desktop assemblies since different people sort and store their documents and materials in a variety of different ways. One type of organizer assembly that has become popular is a multi-tray organizer assembly in which a plurality of trays are stacked one on top of the other in a compact vertical arrangement. Vertically stacked multi-tray organizers provide the user with a plurality of trays for storing different categories of documents, with each of the trays being easily assessible due to the vertical stacked nature of the trays.
Unfortunately, most of these presently-available vertically stacked multi-tray organizer assemblies suffer from a number of drawbacks. For example, some of these assemblies are provided in an integrated structure where the trays are provided in one piece with the frame of the assembly. This reduces the flexibility of the assembly since the user cannot remove or replace any of the trays, and the user cannot add additional trays.
In response to this problem, certain organizer assemblies are provided with a frame or base structure and a plurality of trays that can be removed from the frame. Unfortunately, these organizer assemblies still suffer from at least one or more drawbacks.
First, the structures of some of these organizer assemblies can be rather complex, especially where the frame or base structure is provided with many separate parts that are needed to perform the dual functions of holding the plurality of trays together and allowing these trays to be separated and removed. One such example is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,810 to Juergens et al., in which the riser plate members which support the trays in stacked relation are provided with a relatively complex structure that requires meeting close tolerances for the riser plate members to function effectively.
Second, some of these organizer assemblies are provided in a manner which makes it very inconvenient or difficult to remove the trays. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,838 to Nathan et al., the user must remove the top two trays before the bottom tray can be removed. Therefore, the user will be discouraged from removing the lower trays, essentially negating the removability function of the trays. As another example, the structure and/or configuration of the frame of the assembly sometimes obstructs the user's access to the documents in the trays, or makes it inconvenient for the user to remove the tray.
Third, although some of these organizer assemblies may have succeeded in providing a simple structure, the stability of these assemblies may have been compromised.
As a result, there remains a need for an organizer assembly which allows its trays to be conveniently accessed and removed, which is simple in construction, and which is configured to allow the user to conveniently access documents and materials stored therein, yet which provides a stable support for the trays.