A topical drug composition for treating a β-catenin-mediated disorder in a mammal is provided comprising a Nefopam compound selected from Nefopam, or a functionally equivalent analog, prodrug, salt or solvate thereof.

Fibroproliferative processes are a group of disorders characterized by an excessive proliferation of mesenchymal fibroblast-like spindle cells. They range from hypertrophic wounds to the development of neoplasms such as aggressive fibromatosis (AF).
During wound healing, several cell types and signaling pathways are activated to reconstitute the epithelial and dermis layers of the skin. Following cutaneous injury, three sequentially distinct but overlapping processes are initiated: inflammatory, proliferation, and remodeling. During the proliferative phase, mesenchymal fibroblast-like cells accumulate in the dermal component of the skin while the epithelial cell barrier layer is reformed (Singer 1999, Martin 1997, McClain 1996). β-catenin has been shown to mediate epithelial and mesenchymal cell activity, whereby it is able to increase proliferation and differentiation in dermal mesenchymal cells and decrease migration in epithelial keratinocytes (Cheon 2002). Mouse models have demonstrated that β-catenin can modulate the resulting wound size, where induced levels of β-catenin by lithium treatment result in wound healing with a larger size (Cheon 2006). Also, a transgenic mouse in which stabilized β-catenin is expressed in mesenchymal cells, has been generated, under control of a tetracycline-regulated promoter. Wounded mice healed with hyperplastic cutaneous wounds compared to wildtype control mice (Cheon 2002). This demonstrates the importance of β-catenin in mesenchymal cells and its crucial role in wound healing.
Another fibroproliferative disorder mediated by β-catenin is aggressive fibromatosis (AF), also called desmoid tumour. AF is a locally invasive soft tissue tumour comprised of mesenchymal fibroblast-like spindle cells. AF occurs as either a sporadic lesion or a familial syndrome, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). β-catenin stabilization is a universal occurrence in AF, as demonstrated by elevated β-catenin levels and increase β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activity. Furthermore, β-catenin stabilization is sufficient to cause AF as shown using a transgenic mouse model that over-expresses the stabilized form of β-catenin (Cheon 2002). This suggests a crucial role β-catenin plays in fibroproliferative disorders and its importance in mesenchymal cells.
In addition to a role for β-catenin in fibroproliferative disorders, a number of studies have demonstrated deregulated β-catenin expression is an important event in the genesis of a number of malignancies, such as colon cancer, melanoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, medulloblastoma pilomatricomas, and prostate cancer. β-catenin mutations appear to be a crucial step in the progression of a subset of these cancers, suggesting an important role in the control of cellular proliferation or cell death (as described in Polakis P. The many ways of Wnt in cancer. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2007 February; 17(1):45-51).
In view of foregoing, it is desirable to develop novel methods effective to treat conditions and disorders that may be associated with β-catenin.

Methods and formulations for treating scars and β-catenin-mediated disorders


A method of forming a micropattern structure includes: coating a structure including a plurality of guide blocks extending in a first direction on a substrate and disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction, with a sacrificial material; ashing a portion of the sacrificial material to expose upper portions of the plurality of guide blocks; coating the structure with a first material having a polarity that is contrary to a polarity of a filling material filling the structure; heat-treating the structure to chemically bond the first material to the upper portions of the plurality of guide blocks; removing the sacrificial material and excess first material to form a first material cap chemically bonded to the upper portions of the plurality of guide blocks; and filling the structure with the filling material.

(a) Field
A method of forming a micropattern structure, a method of forming a nanopattern, and a method of manufacturing a display panel for a liquid crystal display, and more particularly, to a method of forming a micropattern structure, in which protrusions and depressions are not formed in a material filling an inside of the micropattern structure, a method of forming a nanopattern, and a method of manufacturing a display panel for a liquid crystal display are provided.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A micropattern structure is a structure that includes a micropattern, for example, a trench of about 1 μm. To fill a micropattern structure with a filling material, the filling material is typically applied along an upper portion of such a micropattern. However, frequently the filling material partially remains on the upper portion of the trench micropattern, and significant protrusions and depressions (meniscus) are formed in the filling material that is filled into the trench. Thus, the filling material is not filled into the micropattern such that it is level across the top surface of the filling material on the micropattern.
In order to fill the filling material into the structure so that it is level across the top surface of the filling material on the micropattern, after the filling material is applied in a thickness that is larger than a depth of the trench, the filling material may be etched to have the thickness that is the same as the depth of the trench. In this case, the filling material may have a level top surface, but there is a problem in that the thickness of the filling material is always the same as the depth of the trench. That is, the filling material cannot be filled to a desired thickness in the micropattern structure and also be level within the structure.
Moreover, the filling material that fills the inside of the micropattern structure may be degenerated by an etching process, and there may occur a problem in a post-process by the degeneration.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Method of forming structure including micropattern, method of forming nanopattern, and method of manufacturing display panel for liquid crystal display


A reactor for catalytic dehydrogenation of dehydrogenatable hydrocarbons, in particular C.sub.3 and/or C.sub.4 hydrocarbons, in a hydrocarbon-containing stream, with selective oxidation of hydrogen. The reactor comprises serially connected in the flow direction of the hydrocarbon-containing stream: a first catalyst zone (2), an oxygen admixing zone (3) provided with a means (5) for separate feeding of an oxygen-containing gas into the hydrocarbon-containing stream, and a second catalyst zone (4). The oxygen admixing zone (3) has a cross section area in the flow direction of the hydrocarbon-containing stream which is from 0.5% to 75% of the cross section area of each of the two catalysts zones (2, 4), so as to obtain a higher flow velocity in the oxygen-admixing zone (3) than in the catalyst zones. The means (5) for feeding oxygen-containing gas is designed to feed said gas with a flow velocity which is at least 1 m/s and is up to 200 times higher than the flow velocity of the hydrocarbon-containing stream in the oxygen-admixing zone. The oxygen-admixing zone (3) is free of catalyst at least in the region adjacent to the oxygen feeding means (5).

Catalytic dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons is a well known and commercially important process. The reaction is strongly endothermic. At adiabatic conditions this will result in a lowering of the temperature in the reaction mixture and a consequent lowering of the reaction velocity. Therefore, existing catalytic dehydrogenation processes are dependent on external heat supply to uphold the reaction temperature. Besides, dehydrogenation reactions are subject to equilibrium limitations at typical process conditions.
The above-mentioned limitations have led to the development of autothermal dehydrogenation processes wherein the dehydrogenation is effected in combination with an oxidation of formed hydrogen to water with an oxygen-containing gas. At typical reaction conditions, the exothermic heat generated by the combustion of about half of the formed hydrogen will compensate for the heat loss resulting from the endothermic dehydrogenation reaction. In addition to achieving a desired heat balance, the consumption of hydrogen in the combustion reaction will shift the equilibrium of the desired dehydrogenation reaction in the direction of a higher conversion to dehydrogenated hydrocarbons.
It is strongly desired in such an autothermal dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons that a selective oxidation of hydrogen takes place without any substantial oxidation of hydrocarbons to carbon oxides, as oxidation of hydrocarbons will reduce the efficiency of the dehydrogenation process, due to a direct loss of product and also due to the formation of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide may have a deleterious effect on the performance of the dehydrogenation catalyst and thus indirectly reduce the yield of the desired dehydrogenated hydrocarbon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,249 describes a process for autothermal dehydrogenation of a dehydrogenatable hydrocarbon, comprising two dehydrogenation stages and an intermediate oxidation stage for a selective oxidition of hydrogen to water. In this previously known process, the effluent stream from the first dehydrogenation stage, comprising a mixture of dehydrogenated hydrocarbon, unconverted hydrocarbon, hydrogen and steam, is subjected to a selective oxidation of hydrogen on a separate oxidation catalyst in a separate oxidation zone, to which zone the oxygen-containing gas required for the combustion is fed, preferably at a position adjacent to the bed of oxidation catalyst. The effluent from this separate oxidation zone is then subjected to the next dehydrogenation step. Said patent does not specify the flow conditions at which the oxygen-containing gas is introduced into the oxidation zone and mixed with the effluent stream from the first dehydrogenation stage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,124 discloses another autothermal dehydrogenation process. Here, a hydrocarbon represented by ethane is dehydrogenated catalytically in a reactor comprising at least two separate beds of a dehydrogenation catalyst. A feed stream comprising ethane is passed into the first bed of dehydrogenation catalyst maintained at dehydrogenation conditions comprising temperatures in the range of 538.degree. C. to 750.degree. C. The effluent stream from this bed, comprising ethane, ethylene formed as a product and hydrogen formed as a by-product, is cooled and then mixed with an oxygen-containing gas, whereupon the obtained mixture is fed to a separate bed of a selective hydrogen oxidation catalyst maintained at oxidation promoting conditions. The effluent stream from said oxidation bed, which has been heated as a result of the hydrogen combustion, is passed to a second bed of dehydrogenation catalyst similar to the first bed of dehydrogenation catalyst.
The purpose of cooling the effluent stream from the first bed of dehydrogenation catalyst in the process of U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,124, by direct or indirect heat exchange, is to increase the need for combustion of hydrogen in the bed of hydrogen oxidation catalyst. Because a larger part of the hydrogen in the gas mixture has to now be consumed to reach the desired dehydrogenation temperature, the equilibrium concentration of dehydrogenated hydrocarbon i the gas mixture is increased, and the higher equilibrium concentration becomes a driving force for achieving an increased conversion in the dehydrogenation reaction.
The distribution and admixing of the oxygen-containing gas in the process of U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,124 takes place in a catalyst-free zone between the first bed of dehydrogenation catalyst and the bed of hydrogen oxidation catalyst. The oxygen-containing gas may be introduced co-currently through nozzles (shown in the drawing of the patent) or, as also suggested in the patent, through a complex grid of piping having a circular or branching structure (column 8, lines 54 to 58). It is also mentioned that various elements may be placed in the catalyst-free zone to improve the mixing efficiency, but the utilization of such elements is not recommended as it would tend to increase the reactor costs and may increase the pressure drop through the process. There is no suggestion in the patent that the catalyst-free zone should have a restricted flow cross-section area relatively to that of the two beds of dehydrogenation catalyst, for the purpose of increasing the flow velocity in the catalyst-free oxygen-admixing zone.

Reactor for catalytic dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons with selective oxidation of hydrogen


A high capacitance embedded capacitor and associated fabrication processes are disclosed for fabricating a capacitor stack in a multi-layer stack to include a first capacitor plate conductor formed with a cylinder-shaped storage node electrode formed in the multi-layer stack, a capacitor dielectric layer surrounding the cylinder-shaped storage node electrode, and a second capacitor plate conductor formed from a conductive layer in the multi-layer stack that is sandwiched between a bottom and top dielectric layer, where the cylinder-shaped storage node electrode is surrounded by and extends through the conductive layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to integrated circuit devices and methods for manufacturing same. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a capacitor formed in a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated circuit devices, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices, increasingly require high performance capacitors with sufficient capacitance to extend the refresh period and increase tolerance to alpha particles. For example, a typical DRAM cell configuration includes a capacitor for storing a charge (i.e., the bit of information) and an access transistor that provides access to the capacitor during read and write operations. To increase the storage node capacitance for high performance memory cells relative to bit line capacitance, the overlap area between an upper electrode (plate electrode) and a lower electrode (storage node electrode) should be increased and/or the thickness of a dielectric film interposed between the upper and lower electrodes should be reduced, for example by using a high-k dielectric material having a high dielectric constant k. And while plate overlap can be increased by forming large, overlapping lateral capacitor plate layers, such structures reduce the pattern density at the memory region, resulting in loading effects during photo lithography, etch, and polishing steps. Another technique for increasing capacitance is to fabricate the capacitor in the semiconductor substrate as a cylinder-shaped electrode plate that is concentrically positioned around a lower or storage node electrode plate to create the increased capacitance from the surface area of the storage node electrode. However, the height of such cylindrical capacitors is effectively limited by the constraints from high aspect ratio contact etch limitations which prevent contact etching from proceeding to a sufficient depth. For example, aspect ratios as high as 50-60 are now common in state-of-the-art DRAM devices. While the technical difficulties of fabricating high aspect ratio cell capacitors can be eased by using separate photolithographic steps to stack several vertical layers on top of each other to eventually form one cell capacitor, such multi-stack capacitor manufacturing presents new problems with properly aligning electrodes in the different stack levels to avoid electrical shorts or gaps, and can also damage the capacitor dielectric layers which are sequentially deposited and etched in each stack level. Another approach for increasing the storage capacitance, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,449,739, is to form embedded upper and lower capacitor stacks which each include a cylindrically shaped inner storage node and an outer electrode that wraps around a thin capacitor dielectric film formed on the inner storage node. However, the fabrication of capacitor stacks requires that, at each stack, the top of the outer electrode must be recessed below the top of the inner storage node to prevent the outer electrode and inner storage node from being electrically shorted together. To achieve such recessed plate heights, one or more control liner layers may be formed over the top of the inner storage node and then carefully etched to prevent the top of the outer electrode from being exposed. As seen from the foregoing, there continue to be challenges associated with designing and fabricating high performance capacitors.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements for purposes of promoting and improving clarity and understanding. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the drawings to represent corresponding or analogous elements.

DRAM memory device with manufacturable capacitor

Coversant Intellectual Property Management Inc.


A conventional bi-endian computer system is enhanced to include mixed-endian mechanisms that allows the computer system to dynamically change its endian mode. The mixed-endian computer system can change endian mode on a task by task basis if necessary. The mixed-endian mechanisms automatically format the data in the form expected by the running task, regardless of whether the task expects the data to be in big endian format or in little endian format. The mixed-endian mechanisms also format big and little endian instructions such that they can execute on the same computer system.

The earliest digital computers built in the late 1940's had simple designs and components. Despite numerous advances in technology over the years, most modern day computers still use the same basic components to perform the same fundamental tasks of storing and manipulating information.
Two of these basic components are computer memory and a processor. Computer memory stores information being used by the computer, and works in much the same way as the memory of a person. For example, just as people can remember ideas about different topics and events, the memory of a computer system can be used to store words, numbers, pictures, and other forms of information. PATENT
A computer processor is the active component of the computer system. The processor operates on the information stored in the computer system's memory to carry out the task assigned to the computer system. The tasks being processed by the computer system are also sometimes called jobs, programs, or processes.
A computer processor running a job reads and processes information stored in computer memory in much the same way a person reads and processes the words printed on the page of a book. Therefore, just as the arrangement of words on a page is important to human readers, the arrangement of information in the computer system's memory is important to the computer system. For example, words in English are written from left to right and words in Hebrew are written from right to left. People who read only English are able to understand English words that are written from left to right and people who read only Hebrew are able to understand Hebrew words that are written from right to left. The fact that English words are written on a page from left to right does not mean that it is better to arrange words in this manner instead of arranging them from right to left. English words are written from left to right simply because English readers expect words to be written from left to right. In this sense, the arrangement of information in the memory of a computer system is not different than the arrangement of words on a page. One way of arranging the information is not better than any other way of arranging the information. However, computer systems are also just like people in the sense that if the information is not arranged in a way that the computer system expects, the information cannot be understood by the computer system.
Of course, the fact that one way of arranging computer system information is not better than any other way of arranging the information has "opened the door" for different approaches to organizing information in computer system memory. It is no surprise, then, that computer system designers would at some point develop different schemes for organizing at least some forms of computer system information. One such divergence occurred some time ago for two particular forms of computer system information (called floating point information and binary integer information). At present, there are two common schemes for arranging these types of computer system information. The two schemes were dubbed "little endian" and "big endian" after the warring tribes from the famous book Gulliver's Travels written by Jonathan Swift. While the terms are colorful, they have no significance to computer systems beyond denoting how these types of information are arranged on a particular computer system.
In the late 1970's and early 1980's, INTEL CORPORATION introduced processors which became the standard for IBM PC and compatible personal computers. These computer systems used the so-called little endian arrangement. During this same time, other computer systems were designed using the so-called big endian arrangement. These later computer systems included processors manufactured by MOTOROLA Corporation and used in computer systems manufactured by APPLE Corporation.
In the past, the way computer systems organized information (in big or little endian format) within their memory was not a significant problem because it was not considered advantageous to arrange information in more than one way on a single computer system.
Today, however, the tremendous growth of computers used in businesses and homes has given rise to a serious need for compatibility between the different types of computer systems. For example, persons who use IBM PC or compatible computers cannot generally share computer programs and information with persons who use APPLE Macintosh computers, and vice versa. Large corporations which use both types of computers find it difficult to distribute information among employees. Small businesses often find that they cannot easily share information with suppliers or buyers who do not have the same type of computers. Consequently, computer software developers are often forced to devote additional time and resources to develop multiple versions of the same software so as to support different types of computer systems. In short, the inability to arrange certain types of information in more than one way on a single computer system has in large part resulted in delayed products, lost productivity, reduced efficiency, and increased capital expenditures.
Some existing computer systems do attempt to deal with the endian problem, but only in a limited fashion. These computer systems have what can be referred to as bi-endian capability. Essentially, bi-endian capability means that the same computer system can be made to execute either big endian tasks or little endian tasks, but not both types of tasks together. In other words, when the computer system is first started, the computer system is told whether it will be running big endian or little endian tasks (i.e., the computer system can be made to run in either big endian mode or little endian mode). Switching an existing bi-endian computer system's endian mode (i.e., big endian mode to little endian mode or vise versa) requires special purpose software that executes very early in the computer's initialization cycle (i.e., very close to start-up). Thereafter, all tasks will execute in the specified endian. For practical purposes, then, bi-endian computer systems are really equivalent to regular, "mono-endian," computer systems once they have completed their boot process.
While these bi-endian computer systems do provide additional flexibility by providing the ability to run either big endian or little endian tasks, they do not solve the problem associated with the need to allow tasks having different information format expectations (i.e., big versus little endian) to co-exist and execute, task for task, on a single computer system.
Without a computer system that can simultaneously run programs that have been created for little endian environments and others that have been created for big endian environments, the incompatibility problems of today will continue to plague the computer industry.

Mixed-endian computing environment for a conventional bi-endian computer system

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to a 3-color multiplex CARS spectrometer. In the 3-color multiplex CARS spectrometer, Raman resonance is achieved for multiple molecular vibrations of a sample by the combination of a short-wavelength pump beam generated by a broadband laser light source and a long-wavelength Stokes beam generated by a stable laser light source, and another short-wavelength laser beam having a narrow linewidth is then introduced separately to serve as a probe beam that interacts with the laser-driven sample, thereby generating CARS spectral signals whose wavelength components can be resolved. Accordingly, the 3-color multiplex CARS spectrometer solves problem of the conventional 2-color multiplex CARS spectroscopy in which the wavelength decomposition of CARS signals, necessary for high spectral resolution, is not possible with broadband pump light causing the CARS spectrum distortion.

When observing an optically transparent microsamples including biological samples such as cells or tissues, there are some problems with a conventional optical imaging technique that it is very difficult to obtain clear morphological images for various intracellular organelles and substances in the sample and to measure spatial distribution of molecular species. This is because sufficient optical contrast can hardly be provided due to an insignificant difference between objects and background substances in the sample-light interaction. In other words, a specific microstructure to be observed in the sample or an extremely small quantity of substance is not distinguished from the background substances surrounding the circumference thereof.
To study biological phenomena and disease mechanisms in the cellular level by observing various metabolic substances and functioning intracellular organelles, an alternative optical imaging method has been proposed to overcome the limitations of general optical microscopes. Particularly, an optical technology for obtaining molecular images by detecting characteristic spectroscopic features unique to substances themselves has come into the spotlight. The Raman scattering spectroscopy is being widely used as a label-free method to analyze molecular vibrational fingerprints by making a specific molecule interact with a laser beam and allow for characteristic spectroscopic signals without help of molecule-selective markers. The Raman scattering spectroscopy is combined with an optical microscope system to obtain chemical images of microstructures in the sample.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of molecular vibrational transitions illustrating the principle of a spontaneous Raman scattering signal generation.
Pixel data constituting a molecular image in a Raman microscope consist of spontaneous Raman spectra generated by scanning a laser beam of a single predetermined wavelength onto a sample. Photons of an incident laser beam at a fixed wavelength that do not cause resonance with molecular vibrational modes, generate red-shifted Raman spectral signals through inelastic scattering. Here, the energy difference between the incident photons and the Raman scattered photons corresponds to the energy of vibrational modes of the substance. That is, the Raman spectra obtained by collecting laser beams scattered by the sample contain information on a specific molecular vibrational mode of substance constituting the sample.
The aforementioned Raman microscope has both practical advantages and fundamental limitations. Since a single wavelength cw light source can be used in the Raman microscope regardless of a molecular vibrational frequency, there is an advantage in that the requirement for the excitation laser light source in the configuration of the Raman microscope is not so demanding, and its operation is relatively simple. Further, a laser light source having a short wavelength in the visible or UV region is used, which allows for obtaining microscopic images with high spatial resolution. On the other hand, the intensity of a Raman scattering signal containing molecular information is extremely weak, which gives rise to a fundamental problem that it usually takes a long integration time to obtain a microscopic image. Particularly, when dynamics of living biological samples are observed or the excitation laser power cannot be intense enough due to the optical damage threshold of the sample, such disadvantage becomes more serious.
A microscope based on the coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy can be a good alternative for overcoming the limitations of the conventional Raman microscope, which can dramatically improve the detection sensitivity and the frame rate in the chemical imaging. The CARS microscope is similar to the conventional Raman microscope in that the Raman scattering mechanism is exploited in detecting molecular vibrations. While spontaneous Raman scattering that is a linear optical process is used in the conventional Raman microscope, the CARS microscope is designed to use a kind of four-wave mixing process, namely, CARS. In the four-wave mixing, a nonlinear optical signal is generated by allowing three incident laser beams to interact with a sample.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of molecular vibrational transitions illustrating the principle of CARS process.
The principle of the CARS microscopy is as follows. When two laser beams (a pump beam and a Stokes beam) having a frequency difference tuned to a Raman shift of specific molecules are incident on a sample, a harmonic oscillation of the molecules is resonantly induced, according to the phase of the beat waveform. If a third laser beam (a probe beam) enters the sample and interacts with such vibrating molecules, a strong coherent signal beam is generated in a specific direction through anti-Stokes Raman scattering process in which the wavelength of the signal beam is shortened after the interaction. Such nonlinear optical signal can be precisely mapped on a sample space at a high speed, thereby resulting in CARS microscopic images.
The most important advantage of the CARS microscope is to obtain selective molecular vibrational images like the Raman microscope but to provide a very high sensitivity and a very high speed in the image data acquisition. Since the CARS generates a signal beam at least 10,000 times stronger than the spontaneous Raman scattering even under the intensity-limiting condition for incident lasers which does not cause damages to the sample, a high-quality image having a high signal-to-noise ratio can be rapidly acquired. Since the CARS is a four-wave mixing process resulting from a third-order nonlinear optical response of a substance, the CARS signal can be enhanced proportional to the cube of the intensity of incident laser beams, which allows for nondestructive 3-dimensional imaging of the interior of a sample with high spatial resolution like a confocal laser scanning microscope. Since the CARS phenomenon is an optical parametric conversion process as well, no laser energy is deposited on the sample after laser interaction, thereby preventing the sample from being thermally damaged by a laser beam.
However, CARS spectroscopy has a major disadvantage in practice that the molecular selectivity and signal-to-noise ratio can be degraded by the non-resonant contribution in the third-order nonlinear susceptibility irrespective of molecular vibrational characteristics. Another technical disadvantage of the CARS spectroscopy compared with the Raman spectroscopy using a single wavelength light source is that the CARS spectroscopy could record molecular vibrational spectra by changing the wavelength of any one of two incident laser beams (a pump beam and a Stokes beam). That is, a laser light source generating a pump beam or a Stokes beam should have fast and stable wavelength tuning capability. Up to now, a picosecond/femtosecond laser light source suitable for biomedical CARS images hardly satisfies the required condition.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of molecular vibrational transitions illustrating the principle of a 2-color multiplex CARS spectroscopy, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating spectral characteristics obtained by a multiplex CARS spectroscopy.
A multiplex CARS scheme may be used as a practical CARS implementation method for obtaining a broadband molecular vibrational spectrum. The multiplex CARS scheme does not employ a wavelength-tunable laser light source but employs a light source that simultaneously generates laser radiations with a broad wavelength bandwidth. Generally, a broadband laser beam is used to serve as a Stokes beam for generating broadband multiplex CARS signals. Since the generated CARS signal contains multiplexed spectral components, a monochromator or spectrometer for separating and detecting respective spectral signal components is usually employed in the 2-color multiplex CARS spectrometer.
For a broadband laser light source used to implement the 2-color multiplex CARS spectrometer, the output wavelength band must be longer than the wavelength of a laser beam that serves as a pump beam so as to serve as a Stokes beam, based on the principle of a CARS signal generation (see FIG. 3). When the aforementioned condition is satisfied, a multiplex CARS spectrum to be generated permits a spectral resolution defined by the linewidth of a pump laser beam at a fixed wavelength (see 4(b)). On the contrary to the aforementioned condition, if the broadband laser source operates in a shorter wavelength band, the broadband laser beam simultaneously serves as a pump beam and a probe beam. In turn, multiplex CARS spectral signals that are mixed in wavelength components by the spectral convolution result in to blur the original CARS spectrum (see FIG. 4(b)).
In principle, the combination of a broadband laser light source and a fixed wavelength laser source having a narrow linewidth, which are required to construct the 2-color multiplex CARS spectrometer, may be implemented in various ways. However, in the application of the multiplex CARS spectroscopy to biological samples, laser light sources for the 2-color multiplex CARS spectrometer should preferably operate in the near IR region with wavelength over 700 nm so as to avoid undesired laser-sample interactions other than the CARS process. Particularly, when observing turbid media such as biological tissues, the depth to which a laser beam is transmitted into the turbid media can be increased as the wavelength is lengthened. Therefore, selecting the wavelength of the laser light source is an important technical issue to be considered.
Generally, the Raman shift to be covered in the CARS spectroscopy lies in the range from 500 to 4000 cm−1. When the laser beam of a short wavelength, which serves as a pump beam, operates at a wavelength of over 700 nm, the broadband laser beam that serves as a Stokes beam must operate at a wavelength of over 950 nm. Practically, ultrashort pulse laser light sources capable of broadband lasing at these wavelengths are not easily available to date. As an alternative approach, there is a method using a super-continuum white-light beam generated from a photonic crystal fiber.
The super-continuum white-light beam may be generated by injecting a Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser beam or neodimuim (Nd) gain medium modelocked picosecond laser beam into a photonic crystal fiber having a high nonlinearity. Here, the Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser beam usually has its center wavelength near 800 nm where high power output can be achieved, and the Nd gain medium modelocked picosecond laser beam has a center wavelength of 1064 nm. A conversion of such laser light into broadband radiation can be used for a Stokes beam in the multiplex CARS spectroscopy. However, total conversion efficiency is often very low (below 5%), and it is technologically difficult to obtain a stable output spectrum having a uniform spectral shape. Fundamentally, the output power of an incident laser beam should be regulated due to the optical damage threshold of the photonic crystal fiber, and therefore, it is difficult to obtain a Stokes beam having a sufficient output required in the multiplex CARS spectroscopy. Consequently, if a Stokes beam having the aforementioned characteristics is employed, it takes a long time to obtain a multiplex CARS spectrum, and the signal-to-noise ratio of a spectrum is unwantedly low. Further, a careful spectrum normalization procedure is also necessary for quantitative measurements.
Therefore, an alternative scheme is required in order to use a broadband ultrashort pulse laser light source having a center wavelength near 800 nm which provides a stable and sufficient power output at the level of state-of-the-art technology. That is, it is required to develop an effective multiplex CARS spectroscopy, in which a broadband laser beam having a short wavelength is used as a pump beam, and a stable laser beam having a relatively long wavelength serves as a Stokes beam.

Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science


A method for filling a product. The method including the steps of cooling the product to be filled before or after the introduction of the gas or gas mixture, filling the product to be filled into a filling container, and heating the filled filling container after filling the product to be filled, wherein the cooling and the heating is performed at least partially by means of one heat pump.

The present invention relates to the filling of products, for instance products containing a gas or gas mixture, and in particular to the filling of beverages containing CO2 into dimensionally stable containers at relatively low temperatures. The products or (basic) components of same are to be cooled prior to the filling.
Certain products are cooled prior to filling them into a container. If juices are subjected to a thermal treatment cooling may be required prior to their filling. Products containing a gas or gas mixture, such as products containing CO2, can be filled into filling containers faster if the filling temperature is relatively low, as compared to a relatively high filling temperature. Thus, a higher flow rate at the filler can be achieved. In order to obtain relatively low temperatures of the CO2-containing product to be filled in it is necessary to cool the product upstream of the filler. The required energy is generated in refrigerating plants. According to the state of the art the heat extracted from the product is dissipated to the environment.
However, the filling of relatively cold products/beverages, for instance into cans, PET bottles or glass bottles, may result in condensed water on account of the temperature gradient between the product temperature and dew point temperature. This condensed water may cause problems when the filled containers are packed. For instance, the condensed water may soak the packaging carton, or lead to contaminations when the containers are wrapped into films. Especially in countries where the product temperature is lower than the dew point temperature, and with a high air humidity, heating devices are, therefore, employed to heat the filled containers so as to avoid condensation. Such heating devices can be heated, for instance, with steam.
Thus, the filling process according to the state of the art requires a high energy demand for cooling the product to be filled, on the one hand, and for heating the filled filling containers, on the other hand. The present invention is based on the object to reduce this high energy demand.


An improved automatic spindle moving device for a tapping/drilling machine is disclosed. A worm is formed on a spindle in an elongate form in the lengthwise direction thereof, and a pair of worm wheels are meshed with the worm, while the worm wheels are supported by horizontal shafts. A braking means is installed on the leading end of the horizontal shaft, so that the worm wheels can be braked, thereby reducing the revolution speed of the spindle. The power corresponding to the revolution speed reduction is converted to elevating or lowering the spindle, so that the spindle should move up and down. Thus repeated automatic continuous tapping is rendered possible, and the up and down movements of the spindle can be arbitrarily adjusted. Further, during a drilling operation, holes can be drilled to a uniform depth repeatedly, while a pedal can be utilized in tapping or drilling. Thus tapping internal threads and drilling holes are rendered more convenient and easier.

The spindle moving device of the conventional drilling machine or drilling/tapping machine consists of a rack gear and a pinion meshed therewith. That is, a vertically movable tube is made to move up and down by manipulating a moving handle which is laterally connected to the pinion.
An automatic spindle moving device is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho-51-30064, and No. Sho-57-39127. In these devices, a separate pulley or a motor is used as the driving power source, and a plurality of worms and worm wheels have to be meshed to each other.
Further, as disclosed in Korean Utility Model Publication No. 1983-302 (which has almost the same constitution as that of Japanese Utility Model No. Sho-58-37526) and in Korean Utility Model Publication N.o 1979-1963, the clutch mechanism of the handle is complicated, and, if a fast moving is to be made possible, separate pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders are required as the driving means. Further, there are required an electronic circuit for controlling the pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders, an air compressor, a hydraulic pump, and hydraulic path tubes. Therefore, the device is magnified in its bulk, becomes complicated in its constitution, and is stepped up in its price.
Further, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho-60-35532, a link or the like is used in moving the vertically movable tube up and down, and this has been the generally prevalent application.
For example, when drilling a hole into a work piece by a drilling machine, a large hole cannot be drilled at one time, and therefore, several rounds of drilling have to be performed starting from a small hole and increasing the size of the hole at each round thereafter in order to drill a single large hole. Further, when drilling holes repeatedly to the same depth, the descending level of the spindle has to be indirectly adjusted by bringing down the spindle to the bottom by means of a manual handle, and by adjusting the tip of the drilling tool to the work piece. Further, when drilling a deep hole, if the drilling is carried out continuously, the spaces around the drilling tool is filled with the chips, thereby increasing the drilling resistance. Consequently, the drilling tool can be broken off, or can be heated to such a degree that the life expectancy of the drilling tool is shortened. If such a phenomenon is to be avoided, the drilling has to be performed several times step by step. As the hole is drilled deeper and deeper, the spindle moving handle has to be pulled down alternately with the other hands, with the result that the drilling operation becomes very troublesome.
Particularly, in the case where the work piece is composed of copper or aluminum, a cooling fluid has to be supplied by one hand and so on, with the result that the work efficiency is significantly decreased.
Meanwhile, when carrying out a tapping, the tapping tool has to be brought down to the work piece by manipulating the moving handle, and, once the tapping tool enters into the hole to be tapped, the tapping tool itself advances within the hole in order to form threads, without requiring further manipulating of the moving handle. However, when tapping threads of small pitches, if the tapping tool is let to advance for itself within the hole, a precision tapping cannot be performed, and, on the other hand, even if the moving handle is manually manipulated, the moving speed becomes non-constant, with the result that the internal threads thus formed cannot be firmly coupled with a bolt.

Automatic spindle moving device for tapping/drilling machine

146 Sam-dong (5th Woosung Apt. Bldg. 102, 190 520)


A motor comprises a coil structure and a plurality of magnetic materials. The coil structure includes three winding groups, each of which has a plurality of winding portions. The winding portions have an interval therebetween, and are electrically connected by a wire. The magnetic materials are disposed adjacent to the coil structure and corresponding to the winding groups. Accordingly, the motor has more magnetic materials within the same bending angle of the enameled wire, so that the motor can output larger torsion and power to enhance the motor efficiency.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a motor and a coil structure thereof and, in particular, to a motor and a coil structure of the FaulHaber winding type.
2. Related Art
Motors are commonly used devices for converting electricity into mechanical energy, thus applied to various kinds of machines such as fans, CD-ROM drivers, hard disk drivers, optical devices, or car devices. There are various kinds of the motor, and they principally function by the electromagnetic effect.
In general, the motor has a magnet as a rotor, and a coil structure as a stator, and can be divided into an external-rotor type and an internal-rotor type in structure. For the external-rotor type, the permanent magnet of the motor is disposed at the outside of the coil stator.
The hollow coil of the present DC motor (regardless of the brushless type or the brushed type) is formed by winding the enameled wire to the hollow circular shape without any permeance iron core been covered by the enameled wire. There are many winding types for a hollow coil, winding types such as hexagon winding, bell-type winding, or diamond winding. FIG. 1A shows a coil 1 with the FaulHaber winding type, in which the enameled wire is bent to conduct the winding, and from appearance the main characteristic of the coil 1 is winding towards the diagonal direction.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the coil 1 is unfolded, including a triangle and an inverted triangle to form a triangle pair (the areas a and b constitute a triangle, and the area c is an inverted triangle, so that a triangle pair is formed). For the coil 1, the triangle portion provides the positive exciting, and the inverted triangle portion provides the negative exciting, thereby rotating the rotor by the switch driving of the circuit. The DC motor presently produced by the industry has a triangle pair (as shown in FIG. 1B) or two triangle pairs (as shown in FIG. 1C, the areas d and e constitute a triangle, and the areas f, g, and h are respectively a triangle, all of which constitute two triangle pairs). Besides, as shown in FIG. 1D, when the hollow coil of the motor has a triangle pair, it can only cooperate with one magnet pair (e.g. with a pair of N-pole and S-pole). When the hollow coil of the motor has two triangle pairs, it can cooperate with two magnet pairs (e.g. four poles, not shown in FIG. 1D). In other words, the number of the magnets is two times the number of the triangle pair.
If the motor will provide more torsion or produce more power with the same motor volume, it needs to cooperate with more magnet pairs, and thus the FaulHaber winding type needs to produce more triangle pairs. To form more triangle pairs, the enameled wire needs to be bent more times, but this will result in the smaller angle θ. The smaller angle θ indicates the enameled wire is bent more greatly, and this will cause the crack to the bent portion of the coil. Consequently, some problems such as the current leakage, less insulation, or lack of pressure resistance will occur to the coil.
Therefore, it is an important subject to provide a motor and a coil structure thereof that can have more magnetic materials with the same bending angle, so that the motor can output larger torsion and power to enhance the motor efficiency.


Methods, apparatus, techniques and computer program products for joint reduction of crosstalk in a synchronized, time division duplexed DSL systems use sequential removal of NEXT interference followed by removal of FEXT interference from a received DSL signal. Crosstalk is removed from a primary signal in a synchronized TDD DSL system having a primary channel that carries the primary signal, at least one NEXT generating channel that generates NEXT interference in the primary signal and at least one FEXT generating channel that generates FEXT interference in the primary signal. Signal data is acquired, where the signal data includes received signal data for the primary channel and at least one FEXT generating channel, transmitted signal data for at least one NEXT generating channel, and channel data comprising channel transfer function data and crosstalk coupling coefficient data for the primary channel, each NEXT generating channel and each FEXT generating channel. After the signal data is acquired, NEXT interference in the primary signal is then removed using the transmitted signal data and the channel data, followed by removal of FEXT interference in the primary signal using vectored DMT FEXT removal, the received signal data and the channel data. In another system in which FEXT generating received signals are not necessarily available, FEXT removal can be achieved using expectation cancellation, the primary signal and the channel data in connection with possible transmitted signal values.

The present invention relates to data transmission systems and, more particularly, to the removal of crosstalk interference in a communication system.
Digital subscriber line (DSL) technology uses existing telephone twisted pairs to provide high-speed internet access services to both residential and business customers. There are many types of DSLs, which are generically referred to as xDSL, including basic rate DSL (ISDN), high-bit-rate DSL (HDSL), second generation HDSL (HDSL2), asymmetric DSL (ADSL), symmetrical DSL (SDSL), and very-high-bit-rate DSL (VDSL). Information regarding this area can be found in Chen, "The Development and Standardization of Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line", IEEE Communications Magazine, Volume 37, Number 5, pp. 68-72, May 1999. Today in the United States, several million telephone lines between central offices (COs) and subscribers are deployed with xDSL technology, and the number of the subscribers is rising rapidly.
Multicarrier modulation is a means of transmitting data by first dividing the binary digital data stream to be transmitted into blocks or frames. The blocks are then further grouped into sub-blocks for assignment to a given transmission symbol. As an example, each sub-block may contain one to eight bits, and 100 sub-blocks will form a frame. For analog transmission across the communication channel, a set of carrier signals is used with frequencies that lie at evenly spaced values across the usable frequency band. This set of carrier signals is equal in number to the number of sub-blocks within a block. Continuing the above example, with a sampling frequency of 1.0 MHz, 100 carrier signals would be used at multiples of 10 kHz. The bits within each sub-block are then used to modulate the corresponding carrier signal. The set of modulated carriers are then added together, and the resultant signal is transmitted across the channel. Multicarrier modulation is described more fully in "Multicarrier Modulation for Data Transmission: An Idea whose Time Has Come", J. A. C. Bingham, IEEE Communications Magazine, 28(5):5-14, May 1990.
In particular, ADSL can use discrete multitone transmission (DMT) as its line code. DMT is a form of multicarrier modulation that is implemented with digital signal processing. Frequently, the method of modulation in the transmitter uses an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), which generates samples of a transmit signal for each block of data bits. In the receiver, the received signal is demodulated in connection with each of the carriers, and the data bits are recovered from each carrier. A complementary or reciprocal method of demodulation samples the received signal, group the samples into blocks, and perform a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). DMT is discussed in detail in "Discrete Multiple Tone Modulation with Coset Coding for the Spectrally Shaped Channel", A. Ruiz, J. M. Cioffi, and S. Kasturia, IEEE Transactions on Communications, 40:1012-29, June 1992.
A wide band modulation approach like DMT can present obstacles. One particular problem relates to crosstalk interference that is introduced to the twisted pair transmission line and received by the DSL modem. As is well known to those skilled in the art, crosstalk interference is unwanted interference (signal noise) that is passed between adjacent lines, network cables or other devices. Crosstalk generally occurs due to coupling between wire pairs when wire pairs in the same or a nearby bundle are used for signal transmission. In this manner, data signals from one or more sources may be superimposed on and contaminate a data signal from a different source. Crosstalk can include near-end crosstalk (NEXT) and far-end crosstalk (FEXT). FIGS. 1A and 1B of the drawings illustrate these two types of crosstalk.
In FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are two DSL lines or channels, DSL1 170(1) and DSL2 170 (2), and crosstalk 130, 160 that leaks from DSL1 to DSL2. In FIG. 1A, NEXT crosstalk 130 contaminates the received signal of DSL2 from the transmit signal of DSL1, where the transmitter 110(1) of DSL1 is located near the receiver 110(2) of DSL2. In FIG. 1B, where the transmitter 140(1) of DSL1 is located far from the receiver 150(2) of DSL2, FEXT crosstalk 160 from the transmit signal of DSL1 contaminates the received signal of DSL2 through lines 170(1) and 170(2).
In Japan TCM (Time Compressed Multiplex) ISDN is used, which is a potential source of crosstalk to a DSL system. For that reason, ADSL may have two additional specifications. One of them is ADSL Annex C. The other is ADSL Annex H, which is also named SSDSL (Synchronized Symmetrical DSL) and is synchronized with ISDN to avoid NEXT between it. SSDSL is a synchronized, time division duplexed (TDD) system and, as used herein, the terms "SSDSL" and "synchronized TDD DSL" generally refer to the same type of DSL system.
A brief description of ADSL Annex C is given in, K. Narumiya, "A Consideration of ADSL Service under NTT's Network", IEEE Communications Magazine, Volume 37, Number 5, pp. 98-101, May 1999. Both Annex C and SSDSL are synchronized with TCM ISDN with a 400 Hz period, which uses a half-duplex transmission method. However, there is a difference in the frequency band between them. Annex C uses the band from 25 kHz to 138 kHz for upstream and from 138 kHz to 1.104 MHz (552 kHz) for downstream. On the other hand, SSDSL uses the band from 25 kHz to 1.104 MHz for both upstream and downstream. There are many systems in which FEXT interference may arise. However, it has not been a big problem for them, because the amount of FEXT is small enough not to affect received signals. On the other hand, there are a few systems in which NEXT interference is included among DSLs, because systems have been designed to avoid NEXT interference that would be big enough to affect received signals. However, for example, upstream signals of SSDSL and downstream signals of VDSL use the same frequency band, so NEXT may arise among them.
NEXT interference in these synchronized, time division duplexed systems is explained in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,032, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CROSSTALK CANCELLATION, and issued Mar. 23, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. NEXT cancellation in a synchronized TDD system also is described in detail in the '032 Patent.
As can be appreciated, data signals being transmitted over twisted-pair phone lines can be significantly degraded by the crosstalk interference generated on one or more adjacent twisted-pair phone lines in the same and/or a nearby bundle. Therefore, crosstalk problems arising from using twisted-pair phone lines with high data transmission rates, including ADSL and VDSL for example, can substantially inhibit proper transmission of data signals. Thus, there is a need to provide apparatus, methods, techniques and/or computer program products to jointly remove and/or reduce crosstalk interference effects.

Joint reduction of NEXT and FEXT in xDSL systems

The Board of Trusttees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


A heat seal adhesive paper product is provided according to the invention. The heat seal adhesive paper product comprises a paper substrate and a heat activatable adhesive. The heat activatable adhesive comprises a result of applying an aqueous polymer dispersion to the paper substrate to form a coated paper substrate and drying the coated paper substrate. The aqueous polymer dispersion includes a polymer component having a melting temperature (Tm) greater than about 220° F. and a glass transition temperature (Tg) greater than about 50° F. A method for manufacturing a heat seal adhesive paper product is provided and a laminate product containing the heat seal adhesive paper product is provided.

Heat seal adhesive paper is available that forms a bond to itself or another material as a result of application of heat. Heat seal adhesive paper can be referred to as dry bond paper. Heat seal adhesive paper is available having a coating that, when heated to a sufficient temperature, forms a bond with another substrate. The coating can be applied by extrusion coating. Exemplary coatings include wax (e.g., paraffin wax), ethylene vinyl acetate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl (e.g., polyvinyl butyral), and cellulose derivatives. Exemplary products that include dry bond paper include sugar packets, tea bag packets, and various types of process food containing bags or pouches.
A general discussion of heat sealing papers under the combined action of heat and pressure can be found in Robert H. Mosher and Dale S. Davis, Industrial and Specialty Papers, Vol. III-Applications, Chemical Publishing Company, Inc., 1969, pages 345-348.

Heat seal adhesive paper product, method for manufacturing, and laminate product


A retrieval device for use in renal, biliary, vascular or other systems of a body includes a collapsible basket in a narrow sheath. A surgeon advances the device beyond an object to be removed from a body, such as a kidneystone, a gallstone, or a thrombus. The surgeon then retracts the sheath or advances the basket from the sheath. The basket deploys only to one side of the sheath. In some embodiments, the periphery of the basket has a flex point to enable the basket to easily collapse into the sheath. If the sheath is adjacent a body vessel, such as a blood vessel or a ureter, the sheath remains adjacent the wall, while the device deploys in such a manner as to seal against the walls of the vessel and block the flow of fragments, emboli, thrombi, or other undesirable objects.

Many medical procedures are now available and are being used to remove calculi, stones and the like, which form in body passages, such as kidney stones in kidneys or the ureter, and gallstones in bile ducts. These procedures involve fragmentation or disintegration of the stones, calculi, or other objects by applying energy to them. For instance, kidney stones are typically treated by ultrasonic lithotripsy, electrohydraulic lithotripsy, electro-shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), laser ablation, laser lithotripsy, and other procedures.
While these procedures are used successfully each year on thousands of patients, some drawbacks remain. For example, when the stones or calculi are fragmented, smaller pieces are formed and must be removed. However, many of these small pieces or fragments may move in undesirable ways because of the retrograde irrigation fluid required for visualization during these procedures. For instance, fragments of a kidney stone may move from the ureter into the kidney or into the calices of the kidney. Many devices are known for anchoring catheters within various body passages or for removing undesirable materials from them. However, these devices generally are not adapted for preventing the migration of fragments from stones, calculi, or other objects within body passages. Such devices are typically not suitable or acceptable for preventing such migration.
It would be useful to have a filter or "catcher" upstream of the stone or calculus, so that after fragmentation, the filter or catcher would capture fragments and prevent them from going upstream or in other undesired directions. For example, ureteral anchors or other catheter anchors, such as a balloon of a Foley catheter could be used to prevent migration, but the balloon is not porous and would not be useful in capturing fragments or calculi after the application or dispersion of energy from an energy source.
A number of devices have been introduced in an attempt to solve this problem. One device is disclosed in WO 98/29043, a ureteral stone occluder having a braided filter. This device has a guide wire and a collapsed mesh or filter at the distal end. The mesh is advanced beyond the stone or calculus and is then expanded before lithotripsy. This device, however, requires sufficient room for the surgeon or technician to advance the filter beyond the occlusion. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,053 uses a sheath and a basket, the basket having a number of legs in a generally spiral-shaped net for capturing calculi or stones. However, this device may not be able to move upstream of the device before fragmentation; and the net does not appear to be sufficiently fine for capturing smaller fragments or calculi. U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,550 is directed to a foreign body retrieval device or snare. While this device will likely be able to move upstream of a stone or calculus, it does not appear to be suitable for snaring and capturing small stones or fragments.
What is needed is a device that can overcome the difficulties mentioned above, that is, a device that may be advanced beyond or upstream or downstream of an object or a stone, then expanded or enlarged to effectively block or trap the object or stone. The device will also desirably trap the small particles resulting from lithotripsy or laser operations on the stone or other object. The device will preferably also be easy to collapse and remove from the patient without trauma.

Ureteral backstop filter and retrieval device


An integrated circuit (IC) die includes a plurality of edge counters. Each edge counter is provided to detect at least one change in signal level at a respective location on the IC die. The IC die is in communication with a memory and also includes an event recording circuit on the IC die provided to store states of the counters in the memory.

Some integrated circuit (IC) processing devices handle tasks such as media processing in which there is critical timing for event handling by software. Debugging such devices may be quite difficult because there may be no readily available way to determine the relative timing at which software and hardware events occur. In particular, there may be no convenient way of detecting the timing of hardware events such as video input and output "ticks", MPEG transport stream packet arrivals, core CPU interrupts, and program clock-recovery updates. Existing techniques for detecting hardware states may involve logic analyzers, which are expensive, require debug probe points on the IC and motherboard, and do not readily correlate with execution of the platform software.

On-chip storage of hardware events for debugging


A film of nickel oxide is anodically deposited on a graphite sheet held in osition on an electrochemical cell during application of a positive electrode voltage to the graphite sheet while exposed to an electrolytic nickel oxide solution within a volumetrically variable chamber of the cell. An angularly orientated x-ray beam is admitted into the cell for transmission through the deposited nickel oxide film in order to obtain structural information while the film is subject to electrochemical and in-situ x-ray spectroscopy from which optimum film thickness, may be determined by comparative analysis for capacitor fabrication purposes.

Electrochemical methods for making ultracapacitor electrodes are generally well known but vary considerably with respect to temperature processing conditions, deposit solution formation, deposition timing and other complex steps associated therewith. It is a common practice in such methods to coat a metal substrate with active materials followed by heat treatment. Such practices are relatively costly in terms of time and effort involved. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to enable more efficient and less costly electrochemical fabrication of high storage capacitors in a wide variety of installations including commercial use in electric automobiles and in torpedo propulsion systems for military purposes, involving multivalent materials prepared by anodic deposition on a substrate.

Electrochemical fabrication of capacitors

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A semi-manufactured steel material has a chemical composition including, by mass %, C: 0.055% to 0.15%, Si: not more than 0.2%, Mn: not more than 1.3%, P: not more than 0.03%, S: not more than 0.007%, Al: not more than 0.1%, N: not more than 0.01%, and Ti: 0.14% to 0.30%, the balance comprising Fe and inevitable impurities. In the composition, 1.0≦([C]/12)/([Ti*]/48) is satisfied ([C], [S], [N] and [Ti]: contents (mass %) of the respective elements, and [Ti*]=[Ti]−3.4×[N]−1.5×[S]), and the contents of niobium and boron as impurities are limited to Nb: less than 0.03% and B: less than 0.0005%.

From the viewpoint of global environment preservation, the automobile industry is recently oriented to improving the fuel efficiency of automobiles to meet CO2 emissions regulations. Because automobile fuel efficiency is enhanced most effectively by reducing the weight of automobiles through thinning of parts, high strength hot rolled steel sheets are increasingly used as automobile part materials. On the other hand, as many of automobile steel parts are produced by press forming, steel sheets for automobile parts are required to exhibit excellent press formability in addition to high strength.
However, increasing the strength of steel sheets tends to increase the anisotropy in mechanical properties. Consequently, steel sheets strengthened to a tensile strength of not less than 850 MPa have a marked anisotropy in mechanical properties. Due to this anisotropy, problems are encountered such as unexpected occurrence of cracks during press forming and a failure of the press-formed articles to attain desired properties such as impact resistance depending on the direction in which a press load has been applied.
For the reasons described above, application of high strength hot rolled steel sheets with a tensile strength of not less than 850 MPa to automobile parts and the like entails the development of a technique realizing stable industrial-scale production of high strength hot rolled steel sheets with a low anisotropy in mechanical properties.
A variety of techniques have been proposed with respect to high strength steel sheets for automobile parts.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-026690 proposes a technique in which the chemical composition of a steel sheet includes, by mass %, C: 0.02 to 0.08%, Si: 0.01 to 1.50%, Mn: 0.1 to 1.5%, Ti: 0.03 to 0.06%, P: not more than 0.1%, S: not more than 0.005%, Al: not more than 0.5%, N: not more than 0.009%, and a total of Nb, Mo and V: not more than 0.01%, the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities, the ratio Ti/C of the Ti content to the C content being 0.375 to 1.6, and in which TiC precipitate in crystal grains has an average diameter of 0.8 to 3 nm and an average numerical density of not less than 1×1017 [particles/cm3]. According to the technique proposed in JP '690, titanium having the highest carbide-forming ability is effectively utilized in precipitation strengthening and consequently alloy-saving high strength hot rolled steel sheets are obtained which are prevented from a decrease in workability due to the addition of alloy elements and have a tensile strength of 540 to 650 MPa.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-302992 proposes a technique in which the chemical composition of the steel sheet includes, by mass %, C: 0.015 to 0.06%, Si: less than 0.5%, Mn: 0.1 to 2.5%, P≦0.10%, S≦0.01%, Al: 0.005 to 0.3%, N≦0.01%, Ti: 0.01 to 0.30% and B: 2 to 50 ppm, the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities, the atomic ratio of carbon to carbide-forming elements is controlled to a specific value, the contents of silicon, manganese, boron and molybdenum, which are elements controlling the γ/α transformation temperature of steel, are specified to satisfy a predetermined relationship, and the microstructure of a steel sheet is configured such that the area percentage of one or both of ferrite and bainitic ferrite is not less than 90%, and the area percentage of cementite is not more than 5%. According to the technique proposed in JP '992, addition of boron remedies a decrease in grain boundary strength caused by carbide precipitation to control the occurrence of defects at burrs. Consequently, it is allegedly possible to inexpensively and stably manufacture high strength hot rolled steel sheets with a tensile strength of not less than 690 MPa which exhibit excellent stretch flangeability as well as have high crack resistance in blanking and good surface condition.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-105595 proposes a technique in which the basic chemical composition of a steel sheet includes, by mass %, C: 0.01 to 0.10%, Si: not more than 1.0%, Mn: not more than 2.5%, P: not more than 0.08%, S: not more than 0.005%, Al: 0.015 to 0.050% and Ti: 0.10 to 0.30%, the balance being Fe, and the microstructure of the steel sheet is configured such that the main phase is ferrite, the unit grains are grains surrounded by adjacent grains each with an orientation difference of not less than 15°, and the average unit grain diameter thereof, d μm, is not more than 5 μm. Further, JP '595 proposes a method of manufacturing high strength hot rolled steel sheets in which steel having the above chemical composition is heated, rolled, cooled and coiled such that finish rolling is performed at a temperature of 900 to 840° C. and the reduction ratio in the finish rolling is not less than 70%. According to the techniques proposed in JP '595, high strength hot rolled steel sheets with excellent stretch flangeability are allegedly obtained by controlling the diameter and configuration of ferrite grains.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2-008349 proposes a technique in which the chemical composition of a hot rolled steel strip includes C: 0.04 to 0.18 wt %, Si: 0.05 to 1.00 wt %, Mn: 0.10 to 0.50 wt %, Ti: 0.05 to 0.30 wt %, Al: 0.001 to 0.100 wt %, N: not more than 0.0100 wt %, P: not more than 0.030 wt % and S: not more than 0.015 wt % and satisfies 0.3≦Ti/(C+S+N)<5 and C+Mn/6+Si/24+Cr/5≦0.20 wt %, and the polygonal ferrite fraction in the final microstructure is not less than 70%. According to the technique proposed in JP '349, the Si and Mn contents are controlled to reduce the carbon equivalent weight which is an indicator of weldability, and further the prescribed amount of titanium as a strengthening component is added, thereby obtaining high tensile strength hot rolled steel strips having excellent weldability and a tensile strength of not less than 55 kgf/mm2.
According to the technique proposed in JP '690, the Ti content is as low as 0.03 to 0.06% and consequently a sufficient amount of carbide (TiC) contributing to precipitation strengthening cannot be precipitated. As a result, the tensile strength of the obtainable steel sheets is only about 650 MPa. Increasing the Ti content in an attempt to increase the strength tends to result in the coarsening of TiC precipitated, and thus high strength exceeding 650 MPa cannot be easily achieved. In the technique proposed in JP '690, the carbide (TiC) is prone to be coarsened when the Ti content exceeds 0.06%. Thus, it is extremely difficult with that technique to increase the tensile strength of steel sheets to 850 MPa or more.
The technique proposed in JP '992 increases the strength of steel sheets by adding boron to the steel sheets as well as by adding manganese which is a solid solution strengthening element and is also an element that controls the precipitation of carbide contributing to precipitation strengthening. However, this technique involves addition of at least 10 ppm boron as illustrated in the Examples. Since boron significantly inhibits austenite recrystallization as will be described later, that proposed technique involving as much as 10 ppm or more boron cannot avoid problems associated with the anisotropy in mechanical properties. While JP '992 discloses an Example in which a steel sheet contains 0.5% manganese, the tensile strength of this steel sheet is as low as less than 750 MPa. Further, the anisotropy in mechanical properties of that hot rolled steel sheet will be large because it contains 0.03% niobium which significantly retards austenite recrystallization. Further, the technique proposed in JP '992 specifies the chemical composition of the steel sheet such that the ratio of the C content to the Ti content is inappropriate and does not allow the steel sheet to achieve a tensile strength of 850 MPa or more.
The technique proposed in JP '595 increases the strength of steel sheets by addition of manganese which is a solid solution strengthening element as well as promotes transformation and affects grain boundary shapes. However, the technique proposed in JP '595 is insufficient in terms of the optimization of rolling conditions and, as illustrated in the Examples, only provides steel sheets with a tensile strength of less than 850 MPa even when solid solution strengthening elements silicon and manganese are added in 0.5% and 1.5%, respectively. Further, the problematic anisotropy in mechanical properties is encountered. While JP '595 discloses an Example in which a steel sheet contains 0.3% manganese, the tensile strength of this steel sheet is as low as 730 MPa. Further, the anisotropy in mechanical properties of that hot rolled steel sheet will be large because it contains as much as 0.24% niobium which significantly retards austenite recrystallization. Furthermore, similarly to the technique proposed in JP '992, the chemical composition of the steel sheet is specified such that the ratio of the C content to the Ti content is inappropriate and does not allow the steel sheet to achieve a tensile strength of 850 MPa or more.
The technique proposed in JP '349, as illustrated in the Examples, only provides hot rolled steel strips with a tensile strength of about 70 kgf/mm2 when the Ti content is relatively low. Even when the ratio of the C content to the Ti content is appropriate, the tensile strength of the obtained hot rolled steel strips is still less than 850 MPa due to neglecting the austenite grain configurations. Further, JP '349 describes that the microstructure of the hot rolled steel strip is based on fine polygonal ferrite and homogenized to eliminate anisotropy. However, JP '690, JP '992, JP '595 and JP '349 does not disclose any specific parameters of the microstructure such as crystal grain diameters, and neglects the state of austenite grains. Thus, problems remain in the anisotropy of mechanical properties.
As discussed above, it is extremely difficult with conventional techniques to increase the tensile strength of hot rolled steel sheets to 850 MPa or more and simultaneously to avoid problems associated with the anisotropy in mechanical properties.
It could therefore be helpful to provide high strength hot rolled steel sheets having a tensile strength of not less than 850 MPa and a reduced anisotropy in mechanical properties evaluated in terms of tensile strength and total elongation, and to provide methods of manufacturing such steel sheets.

Hot rolled steel sheet and method for manufacturing the same


An electrical connector includes a housing, a substrate, and shielding plates. The housing has an inserting hole for the substrate, and the substrate has a plurality of signal patterns and a plurality of ground patterns alternately arranged on at least one surface of the substrate in a manner that one signal pattern is between two ground patterns. The signal patterns and the ground patterns each have a contact portion to contact a mating object and a connection portion to be connected to a cable. The shielding plates are each connected to the connection portion of the ground pattern for shielding. With this construction, the electrical connector achieves its miniaturization and reduction in crosstalk regardless of length of connected cables.

This invention relates to an electrical connector for use in electric or electronic appliances such as servers, super computers and the like, and more particularly to an improved electrical connector capable of minimizing crosstalk when being connected to cables.
In recent years, with the miniaturization of electric or electronic appliances, the requirement of miniaturization for electrical connector has put more severe pressure on manufacturers of connectors. In many cases, generally, an electrical connector comprises insulators formed of electrically insulating materials and electric contacts formed of a conductive material. The electric contacts each comprise a contact portion to contact a mating object, a fixed portion to be fixed to the insulator and a connection portion to be connected to a substrate or a cable. The electric contacts are fixed to the insulator by press-fitting, hooking (lancing) or the like.
As pitches of electric contacts have become progressively narrower, flexible printed boards or patterns on substrates have been used as contact portions or connection portions instead of pluralities of electric contacts as disclosed in the following Patent Literature 1. Moreover, there has been proposed to connect a rigid printed board and a flexible printed board directly to each other as disclosed in the following Patent Literature 2.
Japanese Patent Application Opened No. H10-32,062 (1998) (Patent Literature 1) discloses a substrate and the like used as contact portions or connection portions instead of electric contacts. This opened application has an object to provide an electrical connector whose connectors provided on each of substrates can be fitted with each other regardless of positional shifting (of the order of 0.5 mm) between the substrates. For this purpose, an insulator is provided with means for holding and fixing electric contacts which are flexible. Disclosed are electric contacts constructed by attaching two contact members to each other, the contact members each having conductors interposed between an insulating layer A and an insulating layer B. In other words, flexible printed circuit boards are used as the contact members to increase floating when connectors are being fitted with each other.
The invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Opened No. H7-15,106 (1995) (Patent Literature 2) has an object to prevent degrading of electric characteristics such as deterioration in signal when rigid and flexible boards are directly connected. For this purpose, in contact patterns consisting of narrow patterns in the case that the rigid and flexible boards are directly connected, ground patterns are arranged at a rate of one ground pattern per n signal patterns. With such arrangement, impedance of the ground patterns is stabilized to minimize the influence of noise and static electricity, and to reduce deterioration in signals due to crosstalk noise between signal patterns, thereby preventing the deterioration of electric characteristics. In other words, the n signal patterns and the ground patterns are arranged in a manner that n signal patterns are interposed between the ground patterns, thereby stabilizing the impedance.
In recent years, with the miniaturization of electric and electronic appliances, the requirement for miniaturization of electrical connectors has put more severe pressure on manufacturers of connectors, resulting in the rapid promotion of small and light type connectors. With high speed transmission (speeding up of signal speeds), reduction in crosstalk has become absolutely necessary.
The invention disclosed in the Patent Literature 1 intends to increase the floating when the connectors are fitted, by using the flexible printed boards. In this invention, however, the connection portions are of the surface mounting type (SMT) and not to be connected to cables, and there is no distinction between the signal and ground lines. Moreover, the invention in the Patent Literature 1 does not intend to stabilize the impedance and reduce the crosstalk either.
The invention disclosed in the Patent Literature 2 intends to stabilize the impedance of contact patterns by arranging the ground patterns at a rate of one ground pattern per n signal patterns. Such a feature does not reduce the crosstalk.

Electrical connector using a substrate as a contacting member


Disclosed is an electric power steering apparatus for a vehicle. The electric power steering apparatus for a vehicle has a structure in which a motor shaft, an input shaft, a pinion shaft, and the like are coaxially disposed to improve a structure of a conventional art in which an electric motor is essentially exposed, so as to prevent interference with other structures, thereby forming a layout of the steering apparatus to be compact.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric power steering apparatus for a vehicle, and more particularly to an electric power steering apparatus for a vehicle, which has a structure in which a motor shaft, an input shaft, a pinion shaft, and the like are coaxially disposed and improves a structure of a conventional art in which an electric motor is essentially exposed to prevent interference with other structures, thereby forming a layout structure of the steering apparatus to be compact.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a structure of a conventional electric power steering apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional electric power steering apparatus 100 for a vehicle includes a steering system extending from a steering wheel 101 to both wheels 108, and an auxiliary power mechanism 120 for supplying an auxiliary steering force to the steering system.
The steering system includes a steering shaft 102 having one end thereof connected to the steering wheel 101 and the other end thereof connected to a driving shaft by means of a universal joint 103.
The driving shaft includes an input shaft 104 connected to the steering shaft 102, and a pinion shaft 106 which is connected to the input shaft 104 by means of a torsion bar (not shown) and has a pinion gear 111 mounted on a lower end thereof.
The pinion gear 111 mounted on the pinion shaft 106 is tooth-engaged with a rack gear 112 formed on an outer peripheral surface of a rack bar 109, and the rack bar 109 has both ends connected to wheels 108 of the vehicle through tie rods 151 and knuckle arms 153, respectively.
The auxiliary power mechanism 120 includes a torque sensor 125 for detecting a torque generated at the input shaft 104 and outputting an electric signal proportional to the detected torque as a driver rotates the steering wheel 101, an electric control unit 123 for generating a control signal based on the electric signal transmitted from the torque sensor 125, an electric motor 130 for generating an auxiliary power based on the control signal transferred from the electric control unit 123, and worm 141 and worm wheel 143 for transferring an auxiliary power from the electric motor 130 to the pinion shaft 106.
However, in the conventional electric power steering apparatus for the vehicle, the electric motor, the worm, the worm wheel, and the like are used to construct a reducer of the auxiliary power mechanism 120. In this structure, the electric motor is essentially exposed when they are mounted on the vehicle, and causes interference with other structures. Accordingly, there is a disadvantageous in the layout.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electric power steering apparatus for vehicle


The present application discloses a touch panel, manufacturing method thereof, and display device. The touch panel comprises a substrate having a first region and a second region surrounding the first region; a wiring layer, located on the second region; and a conductive layer, located on the first region and directly covering part of the wiring layer, and an exposed part of the wiring layer being formed as a wiring lead-out area of the touch panel. The method of manufacturing a touch panel, comprises providing a substrate having a first region and a second region surrounding the first region; forming a wiring layer on the second region; and forming a conductive layer located on the first region and directly covering part of the wiring layer, and an exposed part of the wiring layer being formed as a wiring lead-out area of the touch panel.

Touch Panels are applied more and more in the fields of display technology such as visitor navigation systems, automated teller machines, portable electronic products, and industrial control systems due to their convenient use. The material of the touch electrode of the conventional touch panel is usually indium tin oxide (ITO).

Touch panel, manufacturing method thereof, and display device


A curved low impedance laminated bus assembly includes a curved first sheet of relatively thin conductive material forming an AC bus conductor and a curved second sheet of relatively thin conductive material forming a -DC bus conductor directly connected to a -DC line side of a DC energy storage device. A curved third sheet of relatively thin conductive material forms a +DC bus conductor directly connected to a +DC line side of the DC energy storage device and is connected to the AC bus conductor through a +DC switch. A plurality of dielectric sheets are laminated between the AC bus conductor, the -DC bus conductor, and the +DC bus conductor. A method of making the low impedance laminated bus assembly includes providing a first substantially planar sheet of relatively thin conductive material forming an AC bus conductor, providing a second substantially planar sheet of relatively thin conductive material forming a -DC bus conductor, providing a third substantially planar sheet of relatively thin conductive material forming a +DC bus conductor, providing plurality of dielectric sheets, stacking said plurality of dielectric sheets between said AC bus conductor, said -DC bus conductor, and said +DC bus conductor to form a laminated bus structure having alternating conductive and non-conductive layers. Lastly, the laminated bus structure is bent from a first substantially planar shape to a second curved shape.

The subject invention is directed toward the art of electric bus bar assemblies and, more particularly, to the art of low impedance laminated bus bars of the type used in electronic power conversion circuits.
The invention is especially useful in the electric variable speed motor drive industry as a low impedance bus arrangement for inverters and will be described with reference thereto; however, the invention could be used in other environments and for many different purposes.
Prior high power laminated bus assemblies for electrical switching converters have typically comprised substantially planar laminated bus structures. An example of one such structure is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,424 to Deam, et al. The structure described there includes a plurality of dielectric layers interposed between flat conductive layers. Three flat AC bar conductors are arranged in the same conductive layer as a mid-point bus connecting a plurality of capacitors. A -DC bar conductor is stacked on the AC bar conductors and mid-point bus but separated therefrom with a dielectric layer made of G-10 material. A substantially flat +DC bar conductor is arranged on the -DC bar conductor and spaced therefrom by a similar dielectric layer formed of G-10 material.
The Deam, et al. patent described briefly above is typical of the many high power laminated bus assemblies available for electrical switching converters. In general, the prior art laminated bus assemblies are quite limited both mechanically and electrically due mainly to the flat conductive layers. In that regard, subsequent to the flat conductive layers being laminated together, it has heretofore been impossible to bend, form, or otherwise work the laminated structure without disturbing the mechanical and electrical integrity of the dielectric layers interposed between the respective conductive layers. Therefore, prior art laminated bus assemblies such as the one shown in Deam, et al. have been constrained to a flat or planar configuration.
While these prior designs are generally satisfactory, its is desirable to bend the laminated bus structure into various contoured configurations in order to save space and to lend flexibility to the power converter design. In addition, it is desirable to provide a contoured electric bus bar which has an inherently low impedance characteristic so as to not require additional passive "snubber" circuits.

Low impedance contoured laminated bus assembly and method for making same


A scooter having a riding platform rotationally engaged to a front steering assembly is provided which significantly increases the ability of riders to perform tricks. The riding platform is rotationally engaged to the steering column which itself may be employed as a riding platform. An optional mechanism may be employed whereby the riding platform is rotated by a spin of the steering column with the handlebars. The scooter may also be equipped with skids to allow employment in the snow or on ice.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to scooters. More particularly it relates to a scooter having a rotatable platform for performing extreme maneuvers.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, a skateboard scooter consists of a board or platform with front and rear wheels, also with a steering column and handlebars mounted on the front wheel assembly. The front wheel assembly with steering column is often made foldable for easy storage and carrying. Many variations and additions have been made to this basic design and are seen widely in prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,095 to Chang teaches a foldable skateboard scooter more commonly known as a RAZOR Scooter. This patent is arguably the most commonly known style of skateboard configured scooter employing a lightweight structure, friction breaks, and adjustable steering column just to name a few.
However, one may question the title of a 'skateboard' scooter when in fact the patent and many other skateboard scooters in prior art cannot mimic many of the maneuvers of an actual skateboard such as the 'kickflip' which is a maneuver requiring a rotation of the board or platform wherein the user rotates the platform, about its longitudinal axis.
As such, there is a continuing and unmet need for a skateboard style scooter which is configured to allow for rotation of the platform and includes other components that configure the scooter to be able to attempt to perform the maneuvers commonly achieved on a skateboard as well as perform never before seen stunts.


A computer-implemented method for clustering data samples may include (1) identifying a plurality of samples, (2) identifying a plurality of candidate features, (3) identifying a plurality of candidate distance functions, (4) selecting a distance function by (i) selecting a set of features based on determining that a result of clustering a training set of samples using the set of features and the distance function fits an expected clustering of the training set of samples more closely than results from using an alternative set of features and (ii) determining that the result of clustering the training set using the set of features and the distance function fits the expected clustering of the training set of samples more closely than a best result of any other distance function, and (5) clustering the plurality of samples using the set of features and the distance function. Various other methods and systems are also disclosed.

In the information age, individuals and organizations increasingly store, manage, and analyze large amounts of data. Sometimes an organization may wish to discover relationships between a number of data samples and/or to classify these data samples in a systematic and meaningful way.
Clustering techniques may automatically group a set of data samples by their similarity and/or coherence across a number of dimensions. Such techniques may find application in a wide array of scientific, technological, and other research endeavors.
Variations in clustering techniques may produce significantly different results. For example, the choice of a distance function (e.g., that specifies the similarity between any two data samples) may impact the cluster in which one or more data samples are ultimately placed. Likewise, a data sample may have many identifiable attributes, some of which may improve cluster quality, and some of which may only add noise and/or produce misleading classification results when clustering. Traditional clustering technologies have failed to produce a "one-method-fits-all" approach that yields the optimal clustering results in every domain.
Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for clustering data samples.

Systems and methods for clustering data samples


A computer implemented method and apparatus for recommending product features in a software application in real time comprising analyzing an object to detect at least one issue to be addressed in the object; identifying at least one user action taken to address the at least one issue in the object; accessing a recommendations library to find at least one recommendation to address the at least one issue in the object; and displaying the at least one recommendation.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to software usage and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for recommending product features in a software application in real time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Software companies frequently release updated versions of software containing new and/or improved features. Although a software developer has gone to great efforts to simplify complex user workflows through new and easy-to-use features, it often takes up to two or three subsequent releases for users to fully understand, appreciate and own any new feature as their favored workflow for daily use. A user may needlessly perform repetitive actions of an old tedious workflow when a new feature exists that obviates the old workflow. Because the user is either unaware of the new feature or unsure how or when to use the new feature in the currently workflow, the new feature goes underutilized.
Current efforts involve the use of advertisements for new features and/or videos made available on public forums that explain the new features to users. However, users tend to remain faithful to old features they are used to and are confident using.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for recommending product features in a software application in real time.

Method and apparatus for recommending product features in a software application in real time