In order to remove nitrogen oxide in an exhaust gas released from a lean burn engine, a catalyst: supporting an rare earth metal, an alkali earth metal, titanium, a noble metal, and magnesium on the surface of a porous carrier made of inorganic oxides is provided. In order to manufacture the catalyst, the rare earth metal is supported onto the surface of the carrier first, subsequently the alkali earth metal other than magnesium and titanium are supported, the noble metal is supported, and magnesium is supported finally onto the surface of the carrier.. The catalyst of the present invention is scarcely poisoned by SOx in the exhaust gas released from the lean burn engine, and has a heat resistivity durable against high speed driving.

This application claims the priority of JP8-26,1747, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a method for cleaning exhaust gas released from an internal combustion engine, particularly to a method for removing nitrogen oxides efficiently from the exhaust gas. The present invention also relates to a catalyst for removing the nitrogen oxides.
The exhaust gas released from the internal combustion engine. of a vehicle contains generally carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NO.sub.x), and other compounds, which are hazardous to the human body, and cause pollution. A great deal of effort has been devoted to decreasing the amount of these substances released from an engine. In addition to efforts to improve combustion conditions and decrease the amount of these substances released from an engine, methods for cleaning released exhaust gas, the method using both a three way catalyst, primarily composed of Pt, Rh, Pd, and the like, for oxidizing HC and CO, and, at the same time, reducing NO.sub.x to make them harmless is the most common. The three way catalyst is aimed at cleaning the exhaust gas, of which the air to fuel ratio (obtained by A(weight of air)/F(weight of fuel)) is set approximately at a stoichiometric ratio (14.7).
However, in order to decrease fuel consumption by the engine, a lean-burn engine, which is operated with an A/F leaner than the stoichiometric A/F, has currently been developed. As one, of the conditions of the lean-burn engine, the content of oxygen in the exhaust gas from the lean-burn engine is increased. Therefore, NO.sub.x cannot be removed efficiently, because the catalytic activity of the three way catalyst in the presence of oxygen is low. Accordingly, as a NO.sub.x removing technology for supporting the lean burn engine, a catalyst which reduces NO.sub.x with unburned hydrocarbons or carbon monoxide (called the lean NO.sub.x catalyst hereinafter) to eliminate the NO.sub.x from the exhaust gas in the presence of oxygen has been developed. For instance, a catalyst, which is composed of transition metals such as copper and the like are supported on a carrier such as zeolite, is disclosed in JP-A-1-130735 (1989) and JP-A-1-266854 (1989). An utilization system of the catalyst of the same is disclosed in JP-A-3-74514 (1991).
One of the problems to be solved in the development of the lean NO.sub.x catalyst is adding SO.sub.x resistivity to the catalyst. Fuel, such as gasoline, and the like for the internal combustion engine, contains sulfur to the amount of from ten ppm to as much as 1000 ppm. Sulfur generates SO.sub.x, which causes catalyst poisoning. SO.sub.x is composed of SO.sub.3 and SO.sub.3. In the case of removing NO.sub.x from the lean-burn exhaust gas, SO.sub.2 is readily oxidized to SO.sub.3 because of the presence of oxygen. Therefore, the catalyst is readily poisoned by SO.sub.x and the addition of the SO.sub.x resistivity is indispensable for the lean NO.sub.x catalyst. Hitherto, a method for fixing SO.sub.x by forming a complex sulfate which is readily decomposable (JP-A-7-51544 (1995)), and a method for suppressing the oxidation of SO.sub.2 (JP-A-7-171349 (1995) ) have been disclosed.
Furthermore, because the catalyst for removing hazardous substances from exhaust gas is used in an atmosphere at a high temperature in the range of approximately 300.degree. C. to 500.degree. C., the catalyst is recquired to have a sufficient catalytic activity even after being exposed to the above temperature condition for a long time, and concurrently, to have heat resistivity resisting temperatures in the range of 800.degree. C. to 900.degree. C., temperature conditions of high speed driving.

Method of manufacturing catalyst for cleaning exhaust gas released from internal combustion engine, and catalyst for the same


An enterprise strategy management system includes a first software module adapted to formulate a strategy description based on an assessment of environmental data, a second software module adapted to align the strategy description with available enterprise resources and deploy strategy implementation responsibilities, and a third software module adapted to measure the execution of the strategy and identify opportunities to optimize strategic performance. The first, second and third software modules are adapted to implement a continuous strategy management cycle, and may be executed in any order. In one embodiment, the first software module is an STRATEGY FORMULATION module, the second software module is an STRATEGY ALIGNMENT module and the third module is an STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION module. The STRATEGY FORMULATION module includes software components for assessing environmental data, formulating and analyzing strategic alternatives and determining and approving a final, multi-level strategy description. The STRATEGY ALIGNMENT module includes software components for aligning strategy components, describing and aligning operational strategy components, planning projects, initiatives and performance metrics activity, and deploying implementation responsibilities. The STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION module includes software components for activating the launch of activities, implementing and measuring the execution of strategy and performance results, and identifying the opportunities to optimize strategic performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of strategic planning and, in particular, to a system and method for generating a multi-layered strategy description and integrated implementation requirements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Strategy management is critical to the success of many organizations such as businesses, charities, government agencies and schools. Through a strategic planning process, the leaders of an organization attempt to clarify the organization's long-term goals and develop a plan for accomplishing those goals. A successful strategy anticipates future threats to the organization and positions the organization to take advantage of new opportunities that may arise.
The strategic planning process is time consuming, expensive and requires a complex analysis of the organization and its environment. As a result, the typical strategic planning process is implemented only once per year and only addresses a small subset of the issues that face the organization. A conventional strategic planning process for a business is illustrated in the diagram of FIG. 1. A strategic planning committee is created from the business' senior management, and the members of the strategic planning committee conduct an audit of the business and its environment (i.e., an environmental scan) to determine the business' strengths and weaknesses (Step 2). A typical audit involves intensive data gathering from sources throughout the business organization, as well as sources external to the business. Next, the planning committee defines the organization's mission, vision and guiding principles (Step 4). A mission statement describes the present nature of the business, including the business' purpose and direction (i.e., the goals the business is trying to accomplish). A vision statement describes the desired future of the business, and guiding principles outline the values and philosophy of the business that guide the behavior of its personnel.
The planning committee compares the current state of the business, as determined by the environmental scan and the mission statement, to the business' desired future as identified in the vision statement and guiding principles. Based on this comparison, the planning committee identifies long-term goals, which define the changes the business should implement in order to achieve its stated vision (Step 6). The planning committee selects a manageable number of long-terms goals (e.g., 10) that are reasonable for the business to achieve and defines strategies for achieving these selected goals. The environmental scan, mission, vision, guiding principles and long-term goals and strategies are compiled into a formal strategic plan, which is used by managers throughout the organization to create operating plans directed towards accomplishing the organization's goals (Step 8). Managers and employees then implement the operating plans (Step 10). After creating the formal strategic plan, the planning committee disbands until the following year when a new strategic planning process will start.
A common obstacle to an organization's successful implementation of a strategic plan is the inability of the organization's managers to create operating plans that efficiently advance the organization's strategic direction. The planning committee's role involves articulating the organization's vision, objectives and strategies in the strategic planning document. However, this high-level document seldom includes the details necessary to guide managers through implementation decisions such as the prioritization of resources, the determination of implementation requirements and setting time frames. The success of strategy implementation is further compromised when the strategic direction is insufficiently described in the strategic planning document, the managers misinterpret the strategic planning document, the managers lack the resources that are necessary to implement the strategic plan or the assumptions underlying the strategic plan change.

System and method for generating a multi-layered strategy description including integrated implementation requirements


A method of improving debt collection from a debtor acquires pertinent debtor information in real time or near-real-time. Newly acquired debtor information is used in a debt collection decision procedure which determines the appropriate debt collection strategy to use with a debtor based upon the most recently acquired information. A preliminarily used debt collection procedure can be adapted or modified in real time, or on-the-fly, using the most up-to-date information, which is typically best acquired during a debt collection process.

The extension of unsecured credit by banks, credit card issuers and merchants has created an explosion of secured and unsecured consumer debt. Many consumers are indebted well-beyond their ability to pay their debts and, as a result, account balances and even the so-called minimum payments due on their credit accounts become overdue or "delinquent."
Creditors attempt to collect overdue balances and overdue payments using a variety of techniques, also referred to herein as debt collection "strategies." Debt collection strategies can include written correspondence, such as a letter, phone calls, personal visits, negotiations for payment extensions, interest rate adjustments, threats of litigation as well as a combination thereof. By way of example, letters are often followed by telephone calls. Telephone calls may be scheduled for a certain time of day. Whether a communication with a debtor is written or oral, it will comprise a message, which may be threatening or conciliatory. The communication with the debtor is such that payment options may (or may not) be offered, providing varying degrees of flexibility to the debtor to provide payment on the past due account. The contact with the debtor may be handled by collections personnel who are highly trained, experienced employees with excellent negotiating skills, or by relatively inexperienced collectors, with less developed skills. The combination of these and other elements of customer interaction comprise a treatment (also known as a "collection strategy") and each debt collection strategy is intended to yield a result.
The process of debt collection has become sophisticated. Whether a debtor is threatened or consoled, debt collection processes are preferably tailored to a particular debtor reflecting the fact that different people will react differently to the same message or offer. In order to maximize collection efforts, different people should be treated differently, but appropriately for their particular circumstances.
FIG. 1 depicts a simplified representation of a prior art debt collection process 100. Extrinsic or external payment data 102, which is typically collected by and available from third party debt collection data services such as Equifax, Inc., Experian Inc. and others, and includes debtor data such as income, debt-to-income ratio, other creditors and a "credit score" which is usually a dimensionless index calculated by the third party credit reporting agency using a proprietary formula to attempt to rate or grade the credit worthiness of the debtor.
In addition to external data 102, prior art debt collection processes used by many creditors also use internal data 104, which is data on a particular debtor that is collected by a creditor. Internal data 104 typically includes the creditor's payment history, his purchase history and contact history. The payment history 106 typically includes the historical timeliness of required loan or installment payments by a creditor. Payment history data 106 can be valuable in collecting debt if the payment history data 106 shows that a particular debtor is either habitually late or delinquent in making payments, or consistently makes payments on time. Payment history data 106 can be a good indicator of future payment likelihood.
Purchase-history data 108 typically includes data of the business relationship with the debtor over time. A long-time customer evidenced by purchase-history data 108 might be treated differently than a new customer. Accordingly, purchase-history data 108 is frequently considered during a debt collection effort.
Among other things, the external data 102 and internal data 104 for each debtor can be used to classify or characterize a debtor and/or the debtor's ability to pay off a debt. Such data can also be used to select a debt collection strategy likely to be successful with the debtor.
A contact history or record 110 is typically a record of the substance of communications to and from a debtor. Contact history data 110 wherein previous conversations with or correspondence from a debtor contain debtor represent that payments will be forthcoming but which subsequently prove to be false, can be helpful in determining how to collect an existing debt.
A raw credit score 112 is typically a dimensionless index that is calculated using a creditor-proprietary formula or methodology, the resultant numerical value of which provides some sort of measure of the debtor's credit worthiness. A credit score is based upon historical data and relies upon historical data as a predictor of future payment likelihood. Contact history and credit score can also be used to characterize or classify a debtor and/or the debtor's ability to pay off a debt.
In prior art debt collection processes, data that includes the external data 102 and internal data 104 are analyzed alone or in combination, in step 120 in order to determine a risk profile 122 as well as a model of the debtor's behavior 124. The task of collecting all or part of debt is assigned to a debt collector in step 130 based upon the risk profile 122 and behavior model 124 of the debtor.
A problem with prior art debt collection techniques is that they rely upon individual collectors to assimilate this complex array of information and to form judgments as to the most appropriate negotiating strategies or treatment for the customer, very typically in a very short time frame while the collector is engaged in conversation with the customer. In addition, as the customer provides additional information to the collector relative to the customer's financial circumstances or willingness to pay, the collector is expected to immediately reassess treatment strategies, messages to deliver and negotiation tactics. As indicated above, some collectors are highly trained professionals, and better able to perform these complex assessments, while others are newer to the job, and less able to make these assessments.
A method by which a creditor can ascertain the treatment that is most likely to persuade a debtor to make a payment on outstanding debt, to adapt said treatments based on real-time interaction with the customer to maximize the probability of successful negotiation, and to consistently and systematically apply the assessment of treatment strategies relative to the customer across all debt collection interactions, thereby reducing the number of required contacts and the amount of debt charged off, would provide a significant improvement over the prior art.
As disclosed above, the terms "strategy" and "collection strategy" refer to techniques used to collect a debt. Collection strategies can include, but are not limited to, a specification or directive as to when and/or how often a debt collector should contact a debtor, how a debtor should be contacted, e.g., by phone, by mail, in person, whether the delinquent debt payment should be negotiated or perhaps an offer to settle a debt or extend a repayment schedule should be made, and/or the tone and demeanor of the discussion.
Those of skill in the art will recognize that attempting debt collection using a collection strategy based upon only historical data has limitations. If the personal circumstances of a debtor have changed since the information about the debtor was last collected, the selected debt collection strategy might not be appropriate. A method for adjusting a debt collection strategy in real time to accommodate the changing circumstances of a debtor would be an improvement over the prior art.

Method to improve debt collection practices


Spatial distribution of deep level concentration near the surface of a semiconductor wafer is evaluated quickly and accurately by a method which comprises at least a step of scanning the surface of the semiconductor wafer in the X and Y direction with a laser beam for carrier excitation from a laster beam source in accordance with the room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) process thereby measuring the wafer map (M.sub.D) of deep level PL intensity (I.sub.D) and wafer map (M.sub.B) of band edge PL intensity (I.sub.B) in the semiconductor wafer and a step of dividing the wafer map (M.sub.D) of PL intensity (I.sub.D) by the .nu.'th power of the wafer map (M.sub.B) of PL intensity (I.sub.B) {the magnitude of the .nu.'th power presenting the numerical value obtained by empirically confirming the dependence of the band edge PL intensity (I.sub.B) on the power of the excitation laster mean} thereby determining the spatial distribution (M.sub.N) of the relative value of deep level concentration (N.sub.D) and performing the evaluation of the distribution of relative deep level concentration on the basis of the spatial distribution (M.sub.N) of the relative deep level concentration (N.sub.D).

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method for the evaluation of spatial distribution of deep level concentration in a semiconductor crystal and more particularly to improvements in and concerning a method for the evaluation of the spatial distribution of relative deep level concentration near the surface of a semiconductor wafer.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Heretofore, the method of photoluminescence has been employed for the study on deep level in the semiconductor crystal of a semiconductor wafer. The measurement of photoluminescence (PL) of semiconductor crystals is predominantly carried out at low temperatures such as the temperature of liquid nitrogen or that of liquid helium. In silicon crystals, only the low-temperature measurement has been performed effectively. In the low-temperature measurement, however, numerous deep luminescence levels and dopant levels originate in complicated mechanism of luminescence and defy analysis.
Recently, Tajima et al. developed a technique for enhancing the sensitivity of measurement of photoluminescence (hereafter abbreviated to PL) [M. Tajima, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 27, L1323-L1326 (1988)]. Owing to this technique, the observation of deep level PL spectrum at room temperature and the wafer mapping of PL intensity in a wafer which have been difficult to attain to date can be carried out with high sensitivity and with ease. The PL spectrum obtained by the room temperature PL measurement generally consists of one deep level luminescence having a PL intensity of I.sub.D at a wavelength of .lambda..sub.D and one band edge luminescence having a PL intensity of I.sub.B at a wavelength of .lambda..sub.B as illustrated in FIG. 2. In this case the mechanism of luminescence is conspicuously simple as compared with that which is involved in the low-temperature measurement. With respect to the deep level called EL2 in a semiinsulating (10.sup.7 -10.sup.9 .OMEGA.cm) GaAs crystal, therefore, it has been demonstrated that a strong correlation exists between the intensity I.sub.D of the deep level PL and the deep level concentration N.sub.D [M. Tajima, Appl. Phys. Lett. 53, 959-961(1988)]. In short, the relation of I.sub.D .alpha.N.sub.D is approximately satisfied in this case.
Incidentally, however, the intensity I.sub.D of deep level PL at room temperature is not always proportional to the deep level concentration N.sub.D. Generally, it has been known that this intensity I.sub.D is approximately proportional to the product of the deep level concentration N.sub.D multiplied by the carrier lifetime .tau. and is expressed as I.sub.D .alpha.N.sub.D .tau.. The result of the deep level (EL2) in GaAs reported by Tajima is considered to represent a special case in which .tau..apprxeq.constant in the expression of I.sub.D .alpha.N.sub.D .tau. is acceptable. Generally with respect to deep levels in semiconductors, however, there exist numerous cases in which the expression .tau..apprxeq. constant is not satisfied. With respect to the deep level PL (P-line) related to the thermal donor in the Si crystal and the deep level PL (D1-line) related to the precipitation of oxygen in the Si crystal, for example, it occurs not infrequently that the expression .tau..apprxeq. constant cannot be admitted as true and the proportional relation between I.sub.D and N.sub.D is not recognized.
When the spatial I.sub.D data of a semiconductor wafer are obtained by measurement and are subjected to mapping, the outcome of the mapping does not always correspond to the distribution of the deep level concentration N.sub.D.

Method for evaluation of spatial distribution of deep level concentration in semiconductor crystal


A communication method for a noncontact RF ID system that uses a first waveform, a second waveform, and a third waveform, wherein the first waveform and the second waveform are formed by a basic waveform having one of a rising or falling state transition at the approximate center of the waveform, the third waveform is formed by a plurality of basic waveforms that have one state transition at the approximate center part of the waveform, and the third waveform generates one state transition only at the approximate center of the plurality of basic waveforms. In addition, communication is carried out by using the third waveform in place of the first waveform and the second waveform in the case in which communication is carried out using a first waveform and a second waveform and one state transition is generated outside the approximate center part of the basic waveform.

In recent years, with the aim of strengthening information security, high value services, and automation, demand for replacing bar code systems that are applied to distribution systems and magnetic card systems for cashing, commuter passes, or the like, with automatic ID recognition systems that use an IC card or an IC tag, has been increasing. Among these systems, there are one in which the exchange of data and supply of power occurs without directly contacting the reader, that is, wirelessly, and such systems are referred to as "noncontact RF ID systems".
Noncontact RF ID systems are divided into a close coupling type, which is coupled to the reader, a proximity type, which is used separated by about 20 cm, and a remote type, which is used separated by about 50 cm or greater.
The close coupling type is used generally for credit cards or the like, while the proximity type is used for commuter passes, ID cards, and the like. Remote type is used for tags in logistic systems or the like. The close coupling and proximity types receive information and a power supply by using a magnetic field. The remote type receives supplies of these by radio waves. Among these three types of noncontact RF ID systems, as receiving power of the remote type is very weak in especially, the remote type has a development theme of a low power consumption operation and a highly efficient power supply.
FIG. 11 shows a configuration of a conventional noncontact RF ID system. The noncontact RF ID system provides a reader 1 and a transponder 2. The transponder 2 provides an antenna 2A, a DC power detecting circuit 200, a signal detecting circuit 201, an input amplifier 202, a clock generating circuit and a demodulator 203 that use a phase locked loop and a reference circuit, a control logic circuit 204, and a memory 205.
The DC power detecting circuit 200 provides a diode D1, a diode D2 for a power supply, and a capacitor C1 for power storage. The signal detecting circuit 201 provides a diode D1, a waveform detecting diode D3, a load capacitor C2, and an FET switch Q1.
In the above structure, an amplitude modulation signal that includes clock and data information is sent by the reader 1 to the transponder 2 via the antenna 1A. In the transponder 2, when the signal is received via the antenna 2A, an electrical charge is accumulated in the power accumulation capacitor C1, the voltage at both terminals of the capacitor C1 serves as an electromotive force, and the transponder 2 is activated.
The signal detected by the waveform detecting diode D3 in the signal detecting circuit 201 is divided into the data component and the clock component by the clock generating circuit and the demodulator 203, and processed by the control logic circuit 204. When the transponder 2 responds to the reader 1, the response is carried out by turning the FET switch Q1 ON and OFF, and modulating the impedance of the antenna 2A by using the load capacitor C2.
In the conventional noncontact RF ID system, for example, as is described in the following non-patent document 1, Manchester encoding is applied to the exchange of data between a transponder and a reader.
[Non Patent Document 1]
D. Friedman, et al., A Low-Power CMOS Integrated Circuit for Field-Powered Radio Frequency Identification Tags, IEEE, ISSCC97 SA. 17.5, 1997
FIG. 12A shows a waveform modulated by the Manchester encoding. The Manchester encoding assigns a code "1" to a transition from a high level (high voltage state) to a low level (low voltage state), and assigns a code "0" to a transition from a low level (low voltage state) to a high level (high voltage state).
Here, in the case in which the time intervals between the high level and the low level are not equal, that is, in the case in which the duty ratio is not 50%, a DC offset is generated by the data, and this is a significant cause of reading errors when the received signal level fluctuates. The Manchester encoding sets the time intervals between the high level and the low level equal, realizes a signal having a 50% duty ratio, does not generate a DC offset, and thereby realizes a code suitable for communication.
However, in the demodulation of the Manchester encoding in the conventional example described above, because the codes "0" and "1" are determined by the sequence of the appearance of the high level and low level states, it is necessary to detect each of the high and low level states.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 12B, because the intervals of the state transition timing of the fall and rise fluctuates corresponding to the data, a phase locked loop and an oscillator become necessary to generate the clock signal, and therefore the convergence of the clock takes time. To satisfy the locking conditions of the phase locked loop, it is necessary to cancel the fluctuations of the temperature, power supply voltage, device processes, and the like. Therefore, a complicated reference circuit becomes necessary, and the consumed current increases. In cases where the communication is temporarily stopped due to the influence of the state of the radio waves, there are the problems that the convergence of the clock takes time and a long locking time is required.
Another conventional noncontact RF ID system has been proposed in which the code is generated without complicated phase locked loops or oscillators, a reference clock for an integrated circuit on the transponder is generated, and a code that satisfies a duty ratio of 50% is used (refer, for example, to Japanese Unexamined Patent, First Publication No. H11-355365).
FIG. 13A shows the waveforms and codes used in communication with another conventional noncontact RF ID system. As shown in FIG. 13B, the time intervals of the rising of the waveforms that are transmitted or received are equal.
The transmitted and received waveforms are obtained by a combination of waveform A and waveform B. The waveform A is one that extends the high level state in the positive time direction by T/2 (where T is 1 cycle) from the point in time that the waveform rises and extends the low level state in the negative time direction by T/2. The waveform B is one that maintains the high level state in the positive time direction for time t1 from the point in time that the waveform rises, maintains a low level state for time t2 until reaching the end point of the waveform, maintains the low level state in the negative time direction for t1 from the point in time that the waveform rises, and maintains the high level state for the time t2 until reaching the starting point of the waveform.
It is assumed that t1+t2=T/2, and both waveforms A and B necessarily have a rising state transition present at the center. If each of the independent waveforms A and B is respectively assigned "0" and "1", then as shown in FIG. 14, when the waveforms B continue in succession, a rising state transition occurs at the junction between the waveforms, and thus associating the rising timing with one unit of data becomes difficult. In the case in which the waveforms B continue in succession, a rising state transition at the junction between the waveforms occurs because the waveform B starts at a high level and ends at a low level.
In another conventional examples, a code "0" is assigned when the waveforms A continue in succession twice, while a code "1" is assigned when the waveform A continues in succession after the waveform B. In this case, two successive waveforms A associated with code "0" start at a low level and end at a high level, and successive waveforms B and A associated with the code "1" start at a high level and end at a high level. The four combinations of all possible junctions, "00", "01", "10" and "11", are shown in FIG. 15A to FIG. 15D.
In the case of the codes "00" and "10", a falling transition occurs at the junction between the two successive waveforms. In the case of the codes "01" and "11", the two junctions of the two successive waveforms are maintained at high level. Even if waveforms associated with sequence of arbitrary codes "0" and "1" are arranged, no rising transition occurs at the junction between the waveforms. Therefore, a rising transition always occurs only at the center points of each of the waveforms A and B. By using a circuit that detects the rising transition, a clock signal that is in synchronism with the data can be easily generated.
As shown in FIG. 16, the combinations of waveforms A and B can have many variations, such as the case in which when the waveforms A and B are switched and waveform B continues in succession after waveform A, then a code "1" is applied. A combination in which the time interval of the rise is constant, is realized by a combination of a waveform pattern that starts at a low level and end at a high level and a waveform pattern that starts at a low level or a high level and ends at a level identical to the starting level.
As has been described above, in another conventional example, by combining two types of waveforms having a duty ratio of 50%, the time intervals of the rising and falling times are made equal, and at the same time, it is possible to send the information for codes "1" and "0". If the state transition that occurs at equal time intervals is used as a trigger, a clock that is in synchronism with the data can be easily obtained without using a phase locked loop.
However, when assigning the codes "0" and "1" to each of the waveforms A and B independently, as shown in FIG. 14, when the waveforms B continue in succession, a rising state transition occurs at the junction between the two waveforms B, and thus there are problems in that associating the rising timing with one unit of data is difficult, and the transmission efficiency due to the encoding declines.
In consideration of the problems described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a communication method for a noncontact RF ID system, a noncontact RF ID system, and a transmitter and receiver that improve the transmission efficiency by encoding.

Non-contact RF ID system communication method, non-contact RF ID system, transmitter, and receiver

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


Phase interpolators are provided where an adjustment current is added to currents from a plurality of switchable current sources, for example to reduce an integrated nonlinearity.

Phase interpolators are devices which receive two or more input signals which typically have a same frequency, but different phases. The phase interpolator then generates at least one further signal which typically also has the same frequency and a phase which is between the phases of the at least two input signals. Via a control signal, the phase of the signal output by the phase interpolator may be adjustable. Such phase interpolators conventionally are for example employed in phase-locked loops (PLLs) and/or clock and data recovery circuits (CDR), but may also be used in other applications where a signal with a desired phase is to be generated.
One kind of phase interpolators is for example a current steering phase interpolator, where a current from one or more current sources is selectively routed to input devices receiving input signals having different phases. A phase of an output signal then depends on a distribution of the current to the input devices. These and other phase interpolators may suffer from nonlinearities, for example an integral nonlinearity (INL) which may describe a deviation of the phase of the output signal depending on a control signal, for example a digital control word, from an ideal linear behaviour. Such an integral nonlinearity may for example include an intrinsic integrated nonlinearity of the phase interpolator, for example due to interpolation of signals having a sinusoidal waveform. A weighted addition of such signals may generally exhibit a nonlinear behaviour. The integrated nonlinearity may also comprise nonlinearities caused for example by a mismatch of devices of or components of the phase interpolator (for example mismatch of transistors) or nonlinearities caused by a distortion of input waveforms like the above-mentioned sinusoidal waveforms. However, for some applications, an improved linearity would be desirable.


Described are data structures and methodology for forming same, for network protocol processing. A method for creating data structures for firewalling and network address translating is described. A method for creating data structures for physical layer addressing is described. A method for security protocol support using a data structure is described. A method for creating at least one data structure sized responsive to whether a firewall is activated is described. A data structure for routing packets is described. A method of forming hashing table chains is described. A method and apparatus for tracking packet states is described. More particularly, Transmission Control Protocol (“TCP”) tracking of states for packets is described. In an embodiment, a division between software states and hardware states is made as a packet is processed by both software and hardware. A method and apparatus for network protocol processing are also described.

The Internet remains a growing public network. Many companies rely on communication over the Internet using Internet Protocol ("IP") to facilitate their business endeavors. For security in communication over the Internet, a computer may be configured to track and screen communications. This configuration is known as a "firewall," and one or more of the actions of which may be referred to as "firewalling."
In a "stateful firewall," a set of values uniquely identifying each existing connection ("state of each active connection") is maintained, subject to deactivation or disconnection. Conventionally, five values are used to form such a set. These five values are sometimes collectively referred to as a "five-tuple" entry. A five-tuple entry includes respective values for IP Source Address, IP Destination Address, IP Protocol, Transport Layer Source Port ("Source Port"), and Transport Layer Destination Port ("Destination Port"). Examples of IP Protocols include User Datagram Protocol ("UDP") and Transmission Control Protocol ("TCP"). In a UDP or TCP packet, there are IP Source and Destination Addresses in the IP packet header. In a UDP or TCP packet, Source and Destination Ports are in the UDP or TCP header, respectively, as well as an IP Protocol value indicating whether the packet is a UDP or TCP packet. For clarity, a TCP packet is described below, though it will be apparent that a UDP packet may be used.
In a connection using TCP ("a TCP connection"), namely, where TCP packets are exchanged, there is a received packet ("an inbound packet") and a sent packet ("an outbound packet"). Notably, five-tuple entries for inbound and outbound packets are the same except that Source and Destination Addresses are reversed, and Source and Destination Ports are reversed. Of course, in each of these two related five-tuple entries, IP Protocol is the same in both inbound and outbound packets.
In a stateful firewall, a data structure, such as an array, may have respective columns indexed to five-tuple categories of information where each row represents an active connection. Additional columns may be used depending on the level of detail used to evaluate each connection. Such a data structure may be referred to as a "table," indicating a tabularized form of information whether or not headings are used. Five-tuple entries for inbound and outbound packets are stored in a connection table. Connection table stored five-tuple entries are used to compare against five-tuples of inbound and outbound packets to determine whether or not the packets are for use with an existing connection.
When Network Address Translation ("NAT") is employed, five-tuple information is stored to indicate Public IP Address and Public Transport Layer Port ("Public Port") of a NAT configured device ("gateway"). The term "Public" is used to indicate that the address and port of the gateway are accessible from outside a local network associated with the gateway. The term "Remote" is used to indicate a device outside of a local network of the gateway. Notably, the gateway device may be a separate computer or installed in a "Local" computer. The term "Local" refers to a device on a local network of the gateway. For NAT, instances of inbound packets to a NAT gateway, a five-tuple entry includes: an IP Source Address ("Remote IP Address"); an IP Destination Address ("Public IP Address"); a Source Port ("Remote Source Port"); and a Destination Port ("Public Destination Port"). For NAT, instances of outbound packets to a NAT gateway, a five-tuple entry includes: an IP Source Address ("Local IP Address"); an IP Destination Address ("Remote IP Address"); Source Port ("Local Source Port"); Destination Port ("Remote Destination Port"); and IP Protocol.
When an inbound packet having a five-tuple from a Remote device is received by a gateway where the five-tuple matches one stored in a NAT table, the gateway translates such an inbound packet for routing. Using the above describe convention, the five-tuple includes: IP Source Address ("Remote IP Address"); IP Destination Address ("Local IP Address"); Source Port ("Remote Source Port"); Destination Port ("Local Destination Port"); and IP Protocol. This is because a packet from a Remote device is sent to a gateway using Public information, which after found to be part of an active connection is used for address translation for routing to a Local device.
When an outbound packet having a five-tuple from a local device is received by a gateway where the five-tuple matches one stored in a NAT table, the gateway translates such an outbound packet for routing. Using the above described convention, the five-tuple includes: IP Source Address ("Public IP Address"); IP Destination Address ("Remote IP Address"); Source Port ("Public Source Port"); Destination Port ("Remote Destination Port"); and IP Protocol. For clarity, the terms Remote, Local and Public are used below whether or not NAT is being used.
Furthermore, to enhance firewalling security, encrypted information may be established for a connection. Examples of protocols for enhanced security on the Internet include Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol ("PPTP") and a set of protocols known collectively as Internet Protocol Security ("IPSec"). However, fragmentation of IP packets has been used to defeat firewalls, such as the so-called "ping-of-death," "wedge" and "tiny fragment" attacks. IP version 4 ("IPv4") supports header structures allowing fragmentation of IP packets. Notably, a fragmented packet ("fragment") may be fragmented further, and there is no requirement that fragments arrive in order, or even that they arrive at all. In many stateless firewalls, fragments are summarily process by dropping them. However, fragments are useful when an intermediate router has to forward a packet that is larger than the maximum transmission unit ("MTU") of an outgoing interface ("OIF"). Thus, by dropping fragments, information may be lost. Examples of stateless firewalls may be found integrated in low-end home gateway routers. In higher-end standalone or integrated stateful firewalls, more states are added to verify authenticity of a fragment. This approach facilitates use of devices with significant embedded memory limitations, using less memory than a fragment buffering and reassembly approach.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a stateful firewall that buffers and reassembles fragments.
It should be appreciated that whether or not NAT is used a table lookup is done for each packet. Thus, computational cycles are spent for each lookup and comparison of each five-tuple entry. Accordingly, a reduction in computational cycles for packet processing would be useful and desirable.

Data structures and state tracking for network protocol processing


A new chewing gum with teeth whitener for helping whiten and brighten teeth while helping freshen the breath. The inventive device includes an elongate gum member having a central bore extending along its longitudinal axis. Extending through the central bore to substantially fill the central bore is a whitening gel which includes a whitening agent for whitening teeth while chewing the gum. The elongate gum member is divided along its length into a plurality of separable chewing portions such that each chewing portion includes portion of the gum member and a portion of the whitening gel member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chewing gum and more particularly pertains to a new chewing gum with teeth whitener for helping whiten and brighten teeth while helping freshen the breath.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of chewing gum is known in the prior art. More specifically, chewing gum heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art chewing gum include U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,623; U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,562; U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,872; U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,696; U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,991; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 271,439.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new chewing gum with teeth whitener. The inventive device includes an elongate gum member having a central bore extending along its longitudinal axis. Extending through the central bore to substantially fill the central bore is a whitening gel which includes a whitening agent for whitening teeth while chewing the gum. The elongate gum member is divided along its length into a plurality of separable chewing portions such that each chewing portion includes portion of the gum member and a portion of the whitening gel member.
In these respects, the chewing gum with teeth whitener according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of helping whiten and brighten teeth while helping freshen the breath.


An apparatus and method for current control in a mobile terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a monitoring unit for measuring a total required current amount that is the sum of current amounts required by respective components of the mobile terminal and detecting whether the total required current amount is greater than a limit threshold value; and a power distribution unit for searching the supply current amounts using a current distribution table when detecting through the monitoring unit that the total required current amount is greater than the limit threshold value, and controlling the power supply unit to supply current to the respective components according to the searched supply current amounts.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for current control in a mobile terminal, and in particular, to a current control apparatus and method for supplying current in different amounts according to priority order when a current amount that is greater than a suppliable current capacity is required in a Dual-Band Dual-Mode (DBDM) terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a mobile terminal refers to a device for performing voice communication by communicating with a base station linked with a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) through a specific wireless frequency band allocated to a communication provider. This mobile terminal increasingly expands the coverage thereof as a terminal capable of processing multimedia data by performing a satellite broadcast or terrestrial broadcast listening function, MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) music file reproducing function, and so on, in addition to its original function such as a voice communication function.
Particularly, as Internet usage becomes more popular, research and development in mobile communication technologies for enabling the mobile terminal to receive Internet services are actively being pursued. These Internet services are usually provided by connecting a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile terminal to the Internet linked with a base station. Accordingly, connection to the Internet through a base station in a CDMA scheme costs as much as voice communication.
Alternatively, Internet services may be provided through a device, which is mounted on the mobile terminal, capable of communicating with wideband wireless communication networks such as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a WiBro network.
A mobile terminal capable of operating in two or more communication modes is referred to as a Dual-Band Dual-Mode (DBDM) terminal. The DBDM terminal can support, for example, CDMA and WLAN communication modes or CDMA and WiBro communication modes.
A DBDM terminal capable of supporting CDMA and WLAN communication modes can provide CDMA communication and WLAN communication simultaneously in a weak electric field area where the CDMA communication requires high current consumption because the WLAN communication requires relatively lower current consumption than the CDMA communication. However, in a DBDM terminal capable of supporting CDMA and WiBro communication modes, when the DBDM terminal provides CDMA communication and WiBro communication simultaneously, WiBro communication requires high current consumption such that a total current amount required by the DBDM terminal can exceed the current capacity of a battery of the DBDM terminal.
In this case, when a communication mode operation starts during another communication mode operation, a total current amount required by a DBDM terminal suddenly increases. In other words, the total current amount is likely to be greater than the current capacity of a battery of a DBDM terminal.
Accordingly, when the total current amount exceeds the current capacity of the battery, one or both of two communication mode operations may be interrupted or the DBDM terminal may shutdown, thereby resulting in reduced battery life and malfunction of the DBDM terminal.
Consequently, there is needed an apparatus and method for solving the above-mentioned problem in a DBDM terminal.

Apparatus and method for current control in mobile terminal


An organic light emission display and a fabrication method thereof. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a fabrication method of an organic light emission display includes: forming a light emitting part on a first area of a substrate and a pad part on a second area of the substrate; forming a sealing substrate by etching an area of the sealing substrate corresponding to the light emitting part and etching an area of the sealing substrate corresponding to the pad part; and sealing the light emitting part by attaching the substrate to the sealing substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light emission display and a fabrication method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic light emission display is a self emission type of display using a phenomenon in which electrons and holes injected through a cathode and an anode, respectively, are recombined in an organic material to form excitons, and energy is discharged by the excitons to generate a specific wavelength of light.
As compared with a liquid crystal display, an organic light emission display does not require a separate light source such as a backlight and has a low power consumption, a wide viewing angle, and a fast response speed.
A light emitting element of the organic light emission display includes an anode electrode for injecting holes, an organic thin film layer, and a cathode electrode for injecting electrons. In addition, the organic thin film layer includes organic materials that emit R (red), G (green), and B (blue) light, respectively.
Furthermore, the organic thin film layer may include an emitting layer (EML), an electron transport layer (ETL), and a hole transport layer (HTL) to enhance emission efficiency by improving a balance between electrons and holes. In addition, if needed, the organic thin film layer may further include a separate electron injection layer (EIL) and a hole injection layer (HIL).
In one embodiment, the organic light emission display is fabricated by forming a light emitting part having a light emitting element on a substrate, forming a pad part having a wire line formed thereon, and sealing the substrate with a sealing substrate. A unit cell is formed by scribing the sealed display, and a process is performed for exposing the pad part such that it may be connected to an external circuit (or circuit board) such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC).
However, during such a scribing process, one or more glass chips may be formed, such that the pad part becomes scratched by the glass chips. The scratch (or scratches) on the pad part may cause the organic light emission display to malfunction.

Organic light emission display and fabrication method of the same


A knock suppressing apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes knock sensing means for sensing knocking of an engine and lag angle calculating means responsive to the knock sensing means for calculating a lag angle when knocking is sensed. A basic ignition timing for the engine is calculated by a basic ignition timing calculating means based on an operating condition of the engine, and a load sensing means senses a transition of a load of the engine between a light load region and a heavy load region. A weighting means responsive to the load sensing means produces a weighting factor multiplies the lag angle by the weighting factor to obtain a corrected lag angle and changes the weighting factor, when the load sensing means senses a transition of the load, from its value prior to the transition to a new value in a plurality of steps. A final ignition timing calculating means calculates a final ignition timing for the engine based on the basic ignition timing and the corrected lag angle.

This invention relates to a knock suppression apparatus for an internal combustion engine, such as an automotive engine. More particularly, it relates to a knock suppression apparatus which can prevent fluctuation of the ignition timing of an engine when the engine is operating near the border between a light load and a heavy load region.
Engine knocking is a form of abnormal engine vibration which occurs when the ignition timing of an internal combustion engine is improper. The occurrence of knocking in an engine not only decreases the ride comfort and worsens the fuel economy of the vehicle in which the engine is installed, but it can also damage the engine. Therefore, automotive engines are typically equipped with knock suppression devices which detect the occurrence of knocking and then adjust the ignition timing in the lag angle direction until the knocking stops.
In one form of conventional knock suppression apparatus for an engine, a basic ignition timing for the engine is calculated based on engine operating conditions such as the engine rotational speed. In the absence of knocking, ignition is carried out using this basic ignition timing. When knocking is sensed, the basic ignition timing is corrected in the lag angle direction by a correction factor to obtain a corrected ignition timing, and ignition is carried out using the corrected ignition timing.
Various vibrations due to causes other than knocking are produced during the operation of an engine, and there is the possibility of these vibrations being mistakenly sensed as knocking vibrations, especially when the engine is operating in a light load region. Therefore, in order to prevent the ignition timing from being unnecessarily retarded due to mistaken sensing of knocking, in some conventional knocking suppression devices, the correction factor is set to zero when it is sensed that the engine has entered a light load region so that the engine will operate with the basic ignition timing, since there is a low probability of knocking occurring in this region.
However, if the engine load is fluctuating between a light load region and a heavy load region, the correction factor will be caused to abruptly switch between a zero and nonzero value, and hunting will take place, which is undesirable.
Furthermore, if it is erroneously sensed that the engine has entered a light load region due to signal noise, for example, immediately setting the correction factor to zero will cause the ignition timing to immediately revert to the basic ignition timing. Therefore, if knocking was taking place at the time that the correction factor was set to zero, the knocking will not be suppressed, and engine damage may occur.

Knock suppression apparatus for an internal combustion engine


An application module associated with a terminating telecommunication exchange serving a particular called party subscriber maintains data reflecting the number of call setups attempted by a calling party subscriber toward the restricted or barred called party subscriber. In case the number of call setups attempted by the calling party subscriber within a predefined time period reaches a certain threshold level, an incoming call connection is effectuated toward the otherwise restricted called party subscriber. As a result, even if the called party subscriber has a do not disturb (DND) call barring subscriber feature activated, emergency or urgent calls repeatedly made toward the called party subscriber are allowed to be terminated thereto.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a subscriber feature within a telecommunications network, and in particular, to the provision of an enhanced do not disturb (DND) subscriber feature within such a network.
2. Description of Related Art
With developments and improvements in telecommunications networks, originating subscribers and terminating subscribers are able to instruct serving telecommunications networks or exchanges to provide user-specific subscriber features. Such a feature includes a do not disturb (DND) subscriber feature. By activating the DND subscriber feature, the associated telecommunications subscriber is able to block or deny incoming call connections. Furthermore, in order to selectively deny or block incoming call connections, the subscriber may further store a plurality of allowed and/or disallowed directory numbers within the serving telecommunications exchange. In response to a request for an incoming call connection, the serving telecommunications exchange then compares the calling party directory number (CgPn) associated with the received incoming call connection with the allowed and/or disallowed directory numbers and accordingly denies or effectuates the call connection.
Other terminating call treatments include call forwarding variable (CFV) where all or selected incoming calls are directly forwarded to a predefined forward-to-number; call forwarding busy (CFB) where all or selected incoming calls toward a busy called party subscriber are forwarded to a predefined forward-to-number; or anonymous call rejection (ACR) where an incoming call connection with a refusal to identify the associated calling party number to the called party subscriber is denied.
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 illustrating a telecommunications network 5 effectuating a call connection between a calling party subscriber and a called party subscriber in a conventional manner. The calling party subscriber 10 originates a call connection towards the called party subscriber 20 by dialing a directory number associated with the called party subscriber 20 (hereinafter referred to as a called party directory number--CdPn). An originating telecommunications exchange 30 detects the calling party subscriber's instructions, and transmits a call setup signal 40 towards a terminating telecommunications exchange 50 associated with the called party subscriber 20. Such a call setup signal may comprise an Integrated Service Digital Network User Part (ISUP) based signal, such as an Initial Address Message (IAM). The transmitted IAM signal 40 includes a calling party directory number (CgPn) representing the originating subscriber 10, a called party directory number (CdPn) representing the terminating subscriber 20, and a parameter specifying the calling party subscriber's private indicator. Such a private indicator instructs the terminating telecommunications exchange to display or not to display the associated calling party directory number to the terminating subscriber. As an illustration, in case the private indicator is set, a "Not Available" message is displayed on a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE, also known as a caller id display unit) attached to the called party subscriber terminal.
After receiving the incoming call connection request, the terminating telecommunications exchange 50 determines whether any one of the above described terminating subscriber features is currently activated for the called party subscriber. For example, the terminating telecommunications exchange 50 ascertains that the DND subscriber feature is currently activated for the called party subscriber 20. In case of a universal DND subscriber feature, an associated DND application module 60 rejects the incoming call connection by either generating a congestion / busy tone towards the calling party subscriber or by playing an announcement message thereto. In case of a selective DND subscriber feature, the DND application module 60 compares the calling party directory number (CgPn) included within the received IAM signal 40 with the allowed and/or disallowed directory numbers stored at a register 70 to determine whether to allow or deny the received incoming call connection.
Furthermore, in order to enable a calling party subscriber to override or by-pass the above described terminating call treatment subscriber features, a number of additional subscriber features or functions are also available. For example, a particular subscriber defines a service code or access code within the serving telecommunications exchange. A calling party subscriber may then override the activated terminating call treatment or call barring subscriber feature by providing the necessary service code or access code and establish a call connection with the otherwise restricted called party subscriber. As an illustration, in case the calling party subscriber's incoming call connection request is initially denied by the DND application module associated with the terminating exchange, the terminating exchange may further instruct the calling party subscriber to provide the necessary access code. Upon entering the requested access code via DTMF, for example, the terminating exchange then overrides the terminating call treatment and effectuates a call connection therebetween.
However, such a solution requires the subscriber to inconveniently communicate such an access code to all of his or her friends, associates, and the like. Furthermore, in case a person without access to the access code desires to urgently establish a call connection with the called party subscriber, the above mechanism provides no solution.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism to enable a calling party subscriber to override an existing terminating call treatment subscriber feature without providing additional called party subscriber associated data or information to a terminating telecommunications exchange serving the called party subscriber.

Enhancement do not disturb subscriber feature within a telecommunications network


The radio resource management server 1 receives radio link quality information measured by the radio base station 2 and radio link quality information measured by the radio base station 3 and thus detects the occurrence of interference. Upon the occurrence of the interference, the transmission power of the radio base station causing the occurrence of interference is controllably reduced to suppress the interference. In the method of controllably varying the transmission power of a radio base station, depending on the number of radio terminals or traffic volume, oscillation of a service area occurs. However, according to the present invention, the transmission power is changed on the occurrence of interference, without depending on the number of radio terminals or traffic volume, so that the area oscillation does not occur after the transmission power has been once stabilized.

The present invention relates to a radio resource management method, management apparatus employing the same, base stations, and terminals. Particularly, the present invention relates to a radio resource management system suitable to public mobile communications of the cellular system or to radio networks such as radio LANs.
In radio networks such as public mobile communications or radio LANs, plural radio base stations, each which has a service area, are installed and data communications and conversation services are provided to radio terminals existing in each of the service areas. In such systems, it is important to manage radio resources. For example, there is the technique of reducing the transmission power of the concerned station when traffic is jammed because of an increased number of radio terminals under command of a radio base station while commanding other neighboring radio base stations to increase the transmission power of a control channel of a local station (refer to patent document 1). According to this technique, the service area of a local station is narrowed while the service area of a neighboring radio base station is expanded. Thus, the radio terminals under the local station are transferred to the neighboring radio base station, so that load distribution is urged.
Furthermore, the radio resource management technique has been proposed that a radio base station autonomously optimizes its transmission power based on both information on location of a neighboring radio base station and measured traffic volumes (refer to non-patent document 1).
Moreover, as the system of managing radio resources in cooperation with a radio base station and radio terminals, the technique has been proposed that a radio base station memorizes link quality statistical information to each radio terminal and preferentially offers other radio base station as a candidate to be transferred (refer to patent document 2).
[Patent Document 1]
JP-P1997-163435A
[Patent Document 2]
JP-P2001-103531A (refer to Pages 2 to 5 and FIG. 1 to FIG. 4)
[Non-Patent Document 1]
"Autonomous cell shaping Method Based on Arrangement of Base stations", written by Tobe et al, in General Meeting of The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers of Japan issued in 2002, B-5-70, Pages 520
According to the patent document 1 and the non-patent document 1, there is the disadvantage in that adjusting the size of a service area based on the number of radio terminals and the traffic volume causes oscillation of the area size. Here, the area size oscillation means that the area size expands and contracts repeatedly. Because a radio terminal can move arbitrarily between areas of radio base stations, variations in the number of mobile terminals or in traffic volume occur very often, so that the transmission power is adjusted for each movement. As a result, oscillation of the area size occurs and makes it difficult to effectively control the radio resources.
In the system according to the patent document 2, the radio resources are managed in cooperation with radio base stations and radio terminals. For that reason, both the radio base station and the radio terminal require hardware and software additionally modified for radio resource control. Hence, the problem is that the radio resources cannot be effectively managed.

Radio resource management method, management apparatus employing the same, base station, and terminal


An embodiment discloses an integrated electromagnetic and capacitive touch substrate, and a touch display panel. The touch substrate includes: a substrate; and a plurality of driving electrodes, a plurality of sensing electrodes, and a plurality of first coils, arranged on the substrate in the same layer, wherein the plurality of driving electrodes and sensing electrodes are arranged alternately in a first direction; and the plurality of first coils are arranged in the first direction, and each of the first coils surrounds at least one of the driving electrodes and/or the sensing electrodes.

In recent years, touch technology has been widely used in various electronic products in our daily work and life. A user can touch a touch panel directly with his or her finger or another object to input information thereto so as to alleviate and even eliminate a dependency of the user upon another input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a remote controller, etc.), thus facilitating an operation by the user.
Touch panels include electromagnetic touch panels, capacitive touch panels, resistive touch panels, etc. With an electromagnetic touch panel, a varying magnetic field is generated by a coil on a special electromagnetic stylus. An electromagnetic inductive coil on the touch panel induces the varying magnetic field and generates a weak current. A touch coordinate can be calculated from the weak current. With a capacitive touch panel, a varying capacitance of a configured sensing capacitor is incurred by the user's touch on the touch panel, thus the touch coordinates are calculated from the varying capacitance
The integration of an electromagnetic touch structure and a capacitive touch structure together into an integrated electromagnetic and capacitive touch panel with both the electromagnetic touch function and the capacitive touch function has been a significant issue in the research and development of touch control technology. The electromagnetic touch structure and the capacitive touch structure in the integrated electromagnetic and capacitive touch panel in the prior art are prepared separately, resulting in complexity of the structure and the process thereof.

Integrated electromagnetic and capacitive touch substrate, touch panel, and touch display panel

SHANGHAI TIANMA MICRO-ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


A fan-out semiconductor package includes a frame substrate having a through hole therein, a semiconductor chip in the through hole, wherein the semiconductor chip includes a chip body, a chip pad on a surface of the chip body and a passivation layer on the chip body and on the chip pad, an encapsulation layer on side surfaces of the semiconductor chip within the through hole, and a guard ring on the passivation layer and on an edge portion of the chip body.

The inventive concepts relate to semiconductor packages, and more particularly, to fan-out semiconductor packages.
As the electronics industry has been rapidly developed and the need of users has increased, electronic devices become smaller and lighter. Thus, semiconductor chips, which are core components of electronic devices, are gradually decreasing in size. Because a space between solder balls on the semiconductor chip may be determined by standards of the World Semiconductor Standards Association, it is not easy to control the number of solder balls for the semiconductor chip. In order to solve this problem, a fan-out semiconductor package has been proposed.


Gliding means are attached to a side frame of the car sling, said gliding means comprising a gliding part supported through elasticity means on a frame part. The side frame is positioned on a guide rail in an elevator shaft so that the gliding part of the gliding means sets on the guide rail. The gliding means is provided with an installation jig comprising a first branch positioned between the gliding part and the guide rail, and a second branch positioned in an open space between the frame part and the gliding part for bypassing the elasticity means. The installation jig is removed when the installation of the car sling and the car has been completed.

An elevator comprises an elevator car moving in a first direction upwards and downwards in an elevator shaft. The elevator car transports people and/or goods between the landings in a building. The elevator car is supported by a car sling comprising a horizontal upper transom, a horizontal lower transom and vertical side frames connecting the ends of the upper transom and the lower transom. There are further guide rails being attached to the wall structure of the elevator shaft and extending vertically along the height of the elevator shaft. The car sling is guided with gliding means on the guide rails. The car is thus guided in the lateral direction with the gliding means gliding on the guide rails when moving up and down in the elevator shaft.
The horizontal cross-section of the guide rails has the form of a letter T. The horizontal branch of the letter T is attached to support means being attached to the wall structure of the elevator shaft. The vertical branch of the letter T forms three gliding surfaces for the gliding means. There are thus two opposite side gliding surfaces and one front gliding surface in the guide rail. The gliding means comprises a frame part and a gliding part. The horizontal cross-section of the gliding part has the form of a letter U so that the inner surface of the gliding part sets against the three gliding surfaces of the guide rail. The horizontal cross section of the frame part has also a U-shaped section surrounding the gliding part on three sides. The frame part comprises further outwardly extending flanges at the bottom of the letter U for attaching the gliding means to the vertical side frame of the car sling. There are elasticity means between the gliding part and the frame part in order to isolate the gliding part from the frame part.
The guide rails are formed of rail elements of a certain length. The rail elements are connected in the installation phase end-on-end one after the other. It is almost impossible to install the guide rails so that they would form a fully straight line along the whole height of the elevator shaft. The inevitable small deviations in the straightness of the guide rail will result in lateral forces acting on the gliding means when the car moves upwards and downwards in the shaft. These lateral forces will cause vibrations acting on the gliding means and thereby also acting on the car. The vibrations acting on the car will also cause noise disturbing the passengers in the car. The elasticity means between the gliding part and the frame part in the gliding means absorb the vibrations and prevent the vibrations from progressing to the car.
WO 2011/070237 discloses gliding means of an elevator. The gliding means comprises a frame part, a gliding part and an elastic insulation part between the frame part and the gliding part. The elastic insulation part insulates the elevator car from the guide rail.
US 2010/0065382 discloses gliding means comprising a gliding part for an elevator. The gliding means comprises further a first bracket connected to the gliding part and a second bracket connected to the car. There are further a plurality of elongated elastomeric members arranged generally from a first end of the gliding means to a second end of the gliding means and connected between the first bracket and the second bracket. The gliding part and the first bracket are substantially surrounded on three sides by the second bracket. Each of the plurality of elongated elastomeric members is configured for deflection under loads of increasing magnitude.
The flexible support achieved with the elasticity means between the gliding part and the frame part of the gliding means is, however, problematic during the installation of the car sling. The gliding means is attached to the upper portion and the lower portion of the side frame of the car sling. The side frames are then positioned against the guide rail so that the gliding part of the gliding means sets against the guide rail. The side frames of the car sling are kept in place during the installation of the lower transom, the car and the upper transom by compression with a G-clamp positioned at the lower end of the side frames. The compression of the G-clamp will result in that the lower gliding means is pressed toward the guide rail due to the elasticity means between the glide part and the frame part. This will result in that the side frame will become inclined.
There are also prior art flexible gliding means containing screws at the back of the gliding means for restraining the rubber isolation between the gliding part and the frame part during installation of the car sling. The screws in these prior art gliding means need to be adjusted after the installation of the car sling in order to retain the flexibility of the rubber isolation. The screws help to keep the vertical side frames of the car sling in a vertical position during installation of the frame. The screws do not, however, eliminate the need to adjust the recommended 0.5 to 1 mm gap between the gliding surface of the gliding means and the guide rail after the car sling and the car has been installed.

Method for installing an elevator car sling


The present invention provides a non-digestible hydroxypropyl starch hydrolysate which can be used as novel water soluble dietary fiber, a method for producing it, as well as food products and beverages containing the non-digestible hydroxypropyl starch hydrolysate. The present invention provides the non-digestible hydroxypropyl starch hydrolysate characterized by having a DE value of less than 20 and a glucose content of less than 3% by mass; food products and beverages containing it; and the method for producing the non-digestible hydroxypropyl starch hydrolysate comprising the steps of: (A) hydrolyzing a hydroxypropyl starch with a degree of substitution of 0.05 to 0.4 with α-amylase and then with glucoamylase; and (B) removing glucose from the hydrolysate obtained in the step (A).

In the food industry, a hydroxypropyl starch is widely used as a main raw material or auxiliary material of various processed food products. The hydroxypropyl starch is a modified starch obtained by acting propylene oxide on starch. Introduction of a hydroxypropyl group increases hydrophilicity, lowers temperature to initiate gelatinization, and improves performance in water retention, retrogradation stability, or freeze resistance. Therefore, taking advantage of these properties, it has been widely used in foods in general including instant foods such as LL (Long Life) noodles, various chilled and/or frozen foods, and bread.
On the other hand, a hydroxypropyl starch is known to exhibit resistance to an amylase and to be difficult to be digested. Non-patent Document 1 describes digestibility of the hydroxypropyl starch against a pancreatic amylase. It reports that a hydroxypropyl starch derived from corn starch, waxy corn starch, and high amylose corn starch showed, as its molar degree of substitution increases, a decrease in its digestive efficiency to the pancreatic amylase after gelatinization in all samples tested.
As an example using these properties, Patent Document 1 discloses that a method for producing a sugar substitute with low calorie and non-cariosity, which substitute is obtained by hydrolyzing the hydroxypropyl starch to a DE value of 1 to 30. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a hydrolysate of the hydroxypropyl starch having the DE value of 20 to 45 and containing at least 15% by mass of DP 2 to 6 and the use thereof as a low calorie bulking agent of a sweetener with high sweetness.
Thus, although there are prior arts on the hydrolysate of the hydroxypropyl starch, all are related to hydrolyzation products (mixtures) obtained by simply hydrolyzing the hydroxypropyl starch with an enzyme or acid. These contain many digestible components and cannot necessarily be sufficient as a low calorie dietary fiber material.
[Non-patent Document 1] Mohd et al., Starch/Staerke, 36 (7) 273-275 1984
[Patent Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,110
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication H07-14331 B

Non-digestible hydroxypropyl starch hydrolysate, method for production thereof and food and beverage


A mixed water faucet includes a valve seat, a control valve, a flow control member, a handle, and a nozzle. Thus, the mixed water faucet has a simplified construction, thereby decreasing costs of fabrication. In addition, the mixed water is controlled exactly by operation of the handle, thereby facilitating a user controlling the water temperature. Further, the mixed water faucet has a self-flush function by provision of the self-flush handle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mixed water faucet, and more particularly to a mixed water faucet that has a simplified construction, thereby decreasing costs of fabrication.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional mixed water faucet mixes the cold water from the cold water pipe and the hot water from the hot water pipe, so that the mixed water flowing outward from the mixed water faucet has a proper temperature. However, the conventional mixed water faucet has a complicated construction, thereby increasing costs of fabrication. In addition, the mixed water cannot be controlled exactly by operation of the handle, thereby causing inconvenience to a user to control the water temperature. Further, the conventional mixed water faucet does not have a self-flush function.


A method is described. The method includes performing the following with a storage end transaction agent within a storage sled of a rack mounted computing system: receiving a request to perform storage operations with one or more storage devices of the storage sled, the request specifying an all-or-nothing semantic for the storage operations; recognizing that all of the storage operations have successfully completed; after all of the storage operations have successfully completed, reporting to a CPU side transaction agent that sent the request that all of the storage operations have successfully completed.

With the emergence of cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and other high performance computing needs, the technology of the data center is receiving significant attention and re-invention. With the re-invention, however, new challenges are presented that should be overcome to make better use of the data center's computing and/or storage resources.

Disaggregated rack mount storage side transaction support


An information-exchange system is provided for controlling the exchange of business and clinical information between an insurer and multiple health care providers. The system includes an information-exchange computer that is connected over a local area network to an insurer computer using a proprietary database and over the Internet to health-care provider computers using open database-compliant databases. The information-exchange computer receives subscriber insurance data from the insurance computer database, translates the insurance data into an exchange database, and pushes the subscriber insurance data out over the Internet to the computer operated by the health-care provider assigned to each subscriber. The information-exchange system stores the data in the provider database. The information-exchange system also provides for the preparation, submission, processing, and payment of claims over the local area network and with push technology over the Internet. In addition, prior authorization requests may be initiated in the provider computers and exchanged over the information-exchange system for review by the insurer computer. Processed reviews are transmitted back to the provider computer and to a specialist computer, if required, using push technology over the Internet.

Costs of health care in the U.S. and elsewhere have been increasing dramatically in recent years, at least in part due to advances in medical technology which call for more expensive surgery and treatment regimes and complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. To control these escalating costs, insurers have developed a managed care model for health care insurance wherein the insurers' subscribers, i.e., health care consumers, pay a lower insurance premium in exchange for the insurers' assuming a greater degree of control over the provision of health care.
In the managed care model, insurers negotiate fee schedules with medical service providers. Furthermore, each insurer checks the credentials of health care providers before approving them to provide service under the insurer's health plan. The group of credentialed providers is referred to as a Network or Panel and may consist of hundreds of providers. As used herein, provider refers to a doctor or other health care provider, or groups thereof practicing together as a business entity. Each provider may belong to several Networks so that the provider can accept patients who subscribe to various insurance plans.
The insurers may additionally or alternatively manage care by paying a greater portion of the claim when the subscriber uses a preferred provider, or by requiring the subscriber to initiate care at the subscriber's primary care physician. After providing health services, the primary care provider or preferred provider submits a claim to the insurer.
When a primary care provider or preferred provider recommends surgery or special treatment outside the scope of services available at its office, the insurer, in a managed care system, requires that advance authorization be obtained through a process known as prior authorization or pre-certification. Prior authorization may also be required for some services provided by the primary care provider. If the proper authorization is not obtained beforehand, the insurer may deny coverage. The insurer may deny a claim for past treatment or a prior authorization for future treatment when the treatment is beyond the insurance coverage of the subscriber or not medically appropriate for the subscriber. Thus, under managed care, the insurer must carefully monitor the course of treatment recommended by the providers.
In operation, the managed care model requires constant exchange of large amounts of information between insurers and providers because the insurer tracks each subscriber's benefit plan, symptoms, diagnoses, treatment and other information to determine if the claims made by health care providers are covered and conform to actuarial guidelines of medically appropriate treatment regimens. Confusion and delay in the processing of such information are frustrating to all parties involved--treatment is delayed to subscribers; payments are delayed to providers; and dissatisfied subscribers complain to their insurers and/or cancel their coverage. Ultimately, dissatisfied providers may opt out of the insurer's Network.
The potential for confusion and delay is heightened by the present limitations on the exchange of the information. In particular, each organization has a computerized system handling the particular requirements of the organization, but, unfortunately, these systems are not directly compatible. A subscriber enrolls in a health insurance plan, typically through the subscriber's employer, by providing demographic information to the health plan. These demographics, or enrollment data, are keyed into the insurer's computer system software application, referred to as a Healthcare Information System (HIS), and are then associated with a benefits package, eligibility information and Primary Care Provider (PCP) assignment. When the subscriber goes to a provider's office seeking health care, the subscriber must again provide the demographics to the provider who checks, by telephone or fax, the records of the insurer to verify eligibility. The provider manually enters these same demographics into their computer system, often referred to as a Practice Management System (PMS) application, consuming time and money and risking data-entry error. Another bottleneck in the exchange of information occurs when the provider determines that special treatment is required that must be pre-authorized pursuant to a utilization review. The provider prepares the prior authorization request and sends it to the insurer or a third party review agency by telephone, mail or fax. The insurer returns prior authorization approval or denial by the same inefficient, error-prone route.
The HIS system typically includes large, complex software applications costing from $300,000 to $1,000,000 and utilizes a proprietary database running on a midrange computer system such as IBM's AS/400. The providers typically use one of numerous, mutually incompatible PMS applications, many of which run on outdated Unix systems, although some are PC-based. Generally, each insurer's HIS is unique to that insurer and of the numerous PMS applications available, no single product has a significant market share. Each insurer deals with hundreds of providers and each provider deals with perhaps dozens of insurers. The differing operating systems and database structures within the applications prevent the direct transfer of information therebetween. The insurers and providers, each with their own separate island of information, are required to enter manually the same information repeatedly as the subscriber's case navigates among the islands of enrollment, care provision, prior authorization, claims, etc.
It is likely that these islands of information will persist despite the overall cost to the organizations as a whole because of each insurer's investment in their proprietary HIS software and databases and the competitive and non-standardized nature of the market for PMS applications. There are some integrated insurance and medical organizations which bring the islands of information under a one-world model where the insurer and all the providers work for one company and use common standardized data sets in all of their applications. This model, while potentially offering improved efficiency, is inadequate for two reasons. First, the subscribers still frequently require medical care outside the integrated companies either due to an emergency or specialized care that the benefits package covers. Second, this system is of no help to the many separate insurance and medical companies, which will persist for the foreseeable future in the free market. A need therefore exists for a system that allows the insurers and providers to continue to use their existing applications and, at the same time, reap the benefits of automatic exchange of insurance information.

System for exchanging health care insurance information