The present invention is applied to reproduction of typically a fragment movie file having a QT format. In accordance with the present invention, management information associated with each block following a first block of the fragment movie file is modified to information compatible with management information associated with the first block and real data of the file is reproduced on the basis of the modified management information.

In the past, a quick-time file format (referred to hereafter simply as a QT format) was used in a broader range of applications as a file format for multimedia.
In accordance with the QT format, real data including moving pictures, still pictures and sound is divided into blocks. In addition, management information used for managing the real data is also divided into blocks separated from the blocks of the real data. In the following description, blocks of the management information and the real data are each referred to as an atom. Moreover, atoms of the real data and the management information are further divided into sub-blocks to form a hierarchical structure. In the case of the real data, a smallest management unit is referred to as a sample, and one sample or a plurality of samples forms a chunk, which is used as an upper-level management unit. Then, in the case of a file created from blocks as a file conforming to the QT format, considering convenience of processing, normally, one frame serving as a display unit or a GOP (Group of Pictures) is set in one sample as disclosed in a document such as Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-94933.
In general, a file having a QT format includes atoms of two different types, that is to say, a movie data atom of collected real data and a movie atom of collected management information.
By the way, in addition to the same recording method as the method for the QT format, a recording method for the so-called fragment movie format is applied as a recording method for the ISO base media file format (MPEG-4 part 12) taking the QT format as a base to apparatus with few resources and apparatus for which it is feared that the power supply thereof is down in the course of a recording process.
For the reason described above, the real data of an ISO base media file containing a fragment movie is segmented into a plurality of blocks each having a predetermined size in the progressing direction along the time axis as shown in FIG. 1. In the figure, the blocks of the real data are each shown as a block corresponding to one of a plurality of movie data atoms mdat0, mdat1, mdat2 and so on. In the following description, the ISO base media file is also referred to as a fragment movie file. The fragment movie file also includes a movie atom moov, associated with the movie data atom mdat0 serving as the first atom in the series of aforementioned movie data atoms mdat0, mdat1, mdat2 and so on. The movie atom moov has the same atom structure as the ordinary QT movie file. The movie atom moov is formed as an atom referring to the movie data atom mdat0 as shown by an uppermost arrow in the figure so as to allow video data allocated to the movie data atom mdat0 as real data to be reproduced. It is to be noted that the first movie data atom mdat0 is also known as an initial moov. Thus, in the following description, the first movie data atom mdat0 is also referred to as an initial moov atom.
In addition, the fragment movie file also includes an atom moof containing management information associated with each of the movie data atoms mdat1, mdat2 and so on. As shown in the figure, the atoms moof each containing management information are denoted by reference notations moof1, moof2 and so on. In the following description, the atoms moof1, moof2 and so on are each referred to as a moof atom. The moof atoms moof1, moof2 and so on are formed as atoms referring to their respective movie data atoms mdat1, mdat2 and so on respectively as shown by subsequent arrows in the figure so as to allow pieces of video data allocated to the movie data atoms mdat1, mdat2 and so on as pieces of real data to be reproduced.
Thus, while the movie data atoms mdat0, mdat1, mdat2 and so on are being stored sequentially in a created fragment movie file in a recording process, the initial moov atom associated with mdat0 as well as the moof atoms moof1, moof2 and so on associated with the movie data atoms mdat1, mdat2 and so on respectively are also stored on the created file sequentially as well. Thus, even an apparatus having few resources is capable of recording a fragment movie file with a large size onto a recording medium. In addition, even if the power supply thereof is down in the course of a recording process, video data up to a portion corresponding to the down event can be recorded in a reproducible state onto the recording medium.
In addition, in a fragment movie file, the initial moov atom has a structure of management information associated with the video data of the movie data atom mdat0. The management information set in the initial moov is set for chunks of the movie data atom mdat0 and samples of each of the chunks. The chunks and samples are each used as a management unit of real data much like the movie atom of the ordinary QT movie file. On the other hand, the moof atoms moof1, moof2 and so on are each provided with a structure different from the initial moov atom with an objective to reduce the amount of management information accommodated in the moof atom. That is to say, with every default setting in each of the moof atoms moof1, moof2 and so on as a reference, the moof atoms moof1, moof2 and so on can each have a structure of condensed set management information related to the movie data atoms mdat1, mdat2 and so on respectively for each sample.
Thus, in processing to reproduce a fragment movie file, it is necessary to switch the reproduction processing from the initial moov atom to one of the moof atoms moof1, moof2 and so on. As a result, the fragment movie file raises a problem of complicated processing carried out at a reproduction time.

File reproduction apparatus, file reproduction method, file reproduction method program and recording medium for recording file reproduction method program


An infrared radiation detector so adapted as to prevent the image signals from deteriorating due to the short length of leads extending within the cryogenic container with the infrared radiation sensing element accommodated within and to correspond to the increasing number of the leads and terminals, associated with a high density of elements. The infrared radiation detector is composed of an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder. The outer cylinder is disposed so as to lie in the same plane as the sub-package on which the multi-layered ceramic lead plate composed of a plurality of bonding pads for wire bonding, internally embedded lead layers, and plug-in terminals for fetching signals is mounted. The bonding pad of the sub-package is bonded to the bonding pad of the ceramic lead plate through a wire bonding.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an infrared radiation image detector for detecting infrared radiation radiated from a material as image data and, more particularly, to improvements in the structure of a cryogenic container with a sensing element disposed thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A sensing element for sensing infrared radiation, which takes advantage of Schottkey joints of semi-conductor silicon, is so low in a joint barrier that operations at room temperature are difficult and that the operations should be conducted at cryogenic temperatures, i.e. at the temperature of liquid nitrogen of approximately 80K, in order to remove outside turbulence of temperature. Hence, a main body of the sensing element is disposed to a container having special structure as capable of cooling the sensing element at cryogenic temperatures and having an infrared radiation-transmitting window mounted thereto.
FIG. 3 shows the structure of an infrared radiation detector of a type as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (kokai) No. 2-214,158. The infrared radiation detector contains a cryogenic container comprising an outer cylinder 3 with a window member 2 joined air-tight thereto, through which entering infrared radiation 1 passes, and an inner cylinder 4 connected integrally to the outer cylinder 3 and having a space 13 with the inside sealed and held at vacuo. To a top end portion 4a of the inner cylinder 4 of the cryogenic container is mounted the sensing element 10 for detecting infrared radiation generated from a semi-conductor through a sub-package 11 consisting of a frame-shaped package and a package bottom plate. At a top portion of the sub-package 11 is mounted a peripheral wall 12 for blocking stray light of entering infrared radiation 1, as called a cold shield, and an electric signal from the sensing element 10 is generally fetched into the outside of the cryogenic container with the aid of a terminal 5 of a glass hermetic seal 6 disposed at an outer cylindrical portion through an inner wire 8 along a side wall of the inner cylinder 4 via a terminal of the sub-package 11.
Description will now be made of the operations of the infrared radiation detector with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the infrared radiation 1 entering the cryogenic container through the infrared radiation-transmitting window 2 forms an image on a rear surface of the sensing element 10, and an electric charge carrier is produced in accordance with the magnitude of infrared rays. The electric charge is read by an electric charge transmitting section (not shown) integrated in the identical element and displayed as image data on an external signal processing circuit (not shown) through a non-illustrated package leads and inner cryogenic container leads 8 and an external terminal 5. During the operations of the detector, a cooling device, such as of a Joule-Thomson type or of a closed cycle type or the like, is inserted into a space 14 of the cryogenic container, and the sensing element 10 is cooled to the 80K level through the top end portion 4a of the inner cylinder 4 of the cryogenic container.
From the structure and operations of the infrared radiation detector as described hereinabove, the image signal of the sensing element for detecting infrared rays is processed as image data by the signal processing circuit disposed outside the cryogenic container. In this case, it is desired that the length of the lead within the cryogenic container be shortened to the shortest possible level in order to prevent deterioration of wave forms of signals detected. If the number of matrix pixels of the sensing element is increased in order to improve the dissolution of image data, it is necessary to increase the number of leads for fetching signals and to increase the density of the leads disposed on the wall surface of the inner cylinder and the number of external terminals of the hermetic seal of the outer cylinder of the cryogenic container.
In the structure of the conventional cryogenic container as shown in FIG. 3, the length of the lead is forced to be prolonged because the inner lead 8 is connected through the wall surface of the inner cylinder 4 to the terminal 5 disposed underneath the outer cylinder 3. The inner diameters of the inner cylinder 4 and the outer cylinder 3 of the cryogenic container are delimited by an interface with other parts relating to the infrared radiation detector, so that limitations are placed upon making the inner leads highly dense and increasing the number of the external terminals.
In summary, the conventional infrared radiation detector presents the drawbacks that there are limitations on prolonging the length of the internal leads of the cryogenic container, making the internal leads highly dense, and increasing the number of external terminals.


The present invention provides an anhydrous, sprayable sunscreen composition comprising one or more oil soluble UV filters and a combination of film formers comprising at least one copolymer of trimethylolpropane, adipic acid, neopentyl glycol and hexanediol and at least one acrylates/octylacrylamide copolymer having a molecular weight of at least 50 kDA measured using Dynamic Light Scattering.

It is well known that prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, especially from the sun, can lead to the formation of light dermatoses and erythemas, and increase the risk of skin cancers, such as melanoma. Exposure to UV radiation also accelerates skin aging, such as loss of skin elasticity and wrinkling. For these reasons, sunscreen compositions are commonly used to provide photoprotection from the sun. Sprayable sunscreen compositions are a popular product form due to their convenient application.
Recently, the use of oxybenzone as a UV filter in sunscreen compositions has come under scrutiny, and there is a growing desire by consumers for oxybenzone-free sunscreens. However, removal of oxybenzone from a sunscreen formulation presents a challenge in maintaining an acceptable SPF.
Film formers are typically used in sunscreen compositions to provide more uniform distribution of the UV filters in the composition and spreading of the composition on skin, thereby increasing efficacy and SPF. A wide variety of film formers are available and used in commercial sunscreen compositions, including polyesters and acrylate copolymers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,149,664 relates to sunscreen compositions comprising one or more sunscreen agents, one or more film forming polymers, and heat-treated xanthan gum. The patent discloses a long list of synthetic, water dispersible film forming polymers that may be used, including DERMACRYL 79, an acrylates/octylacrylamide copolymer, LEXFILM SUN, polyester-7, a copolymer of trimethylolpropane, adipic acid, neopentyl glycol and hexanediol (and) neopentyl glycol diheptanoate, and LEXFILM SPRAY, polyester-10, a copolymer of hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, adipic acid and pyromellitic dianhydride (and) propylene glycol dibenzoate. Use of a specific combination of film formers comprising the specific combination of at least one copolymer of trimethylolpropane, adipic acid, neopentyl glycol and hexanediol and at least one acrylates/octylacrylamide copolymer is not, however, taught or suggested.
It has now been discovered that a sprayable, anhydrous sunscreen composition that may additionally be substantially or completely free of oxybenzone while providing a surprisingly high SPF may be prepared using a combination of film formers comprising at least one copolymer of trimethylolpropane, adipic acid, neopentyl glycol and hexanediol and at least one acrylates/octylacrylamide copolymer having a molecular weight of at least 50 kDA measured using Dynamic Light Scattering.


Liquid-free lithium-air cells are provided which incorporate a solid electrolyte having enhanced ionic transport and catalytic activity. The solid electrolyte is positioned between a lithium anode and an oxygen cathode, and comprises a glass-ceramic and/or a polymer-ceramic electrolyte including a dielectric additive.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to electrochemical devices, and particularly, to liquid-free lithium-air cells incorporating solid electrolytes comprised of glass-ceramic and/or polymer-ceramic materials having enhanced ionic transport and catalytic activity.
In electrochemical devices such as batteries, fuel cells, and sensors, oxidation and reduction of chemical species such as hydrogen and lithium is carried out at an anode. The ionic species travel through the cell internally, i.e., from the anode through an ionic conductor or electrolyte, to a cathode. The electrolyte may be in liquid or solid form. Lithium ion batteries currently in use typically comprise a carbon anode, a porous polymer membrane containing a liquid electrolyte comprised of, for example, lithium salts dissolved in organic solvents, and a cathode comprising a transition metal oxide.
Liquid electrolytes have typically been preferred in commercial electrochemical devices such as lithium ion batteries because they exhibit high conductivity (about 10−3 to 10−1 Scm−1). However, a high temperature environment can lead to rupture, ignition, and even explosion of liquid electrolyte-based lithium batteries due to reactions involving the liquid electrolytes, polymer membrane and the transition metal oxide cathodes. Therefore, it has become desirable to develop more thermally stable and safe lithium batteries with high energy and power densities.
While it is possible to use solid electrolytes in lithium batteries, solid electrolytes are generally associated with lower conductivity and therefore have typically been of lesser interest for commercial applications. There are a number of different approaches which have been employed to enhance the conductivity of solid electrolytes. In recent years, higher conductivity solid electrolytes have been developed using materials such as Li1+xAlxTi2−x(PO4)3 and Lix+1GexTi2−x(PO4)3. These ionic conductors have shown conductivity of about 10−3 Scm−1 near room temperature; however, they are still typically not as conductive as liquid electrolytes.
As an alternative to lithium ion batteries, interest has increased in recent years in the development of lithium-air batteries. Such batteries comprise a lithium anode coupled to atmospheric oxygen through an air cathode such that the reduction of oxygen forms lithium peroxide. The cathode reactant (oxygen) is virtually an unlimited source in atmospheric air. Therefore, the air does not need to be carried in the battery. The primary reason for interest in developing lithium-oxygen batteries is the large theoretical energy density possible compared with state-of-the-art lithium batteries. For example, the energy density of a lithium air battery is about 3000 Wh/kg, which is about an order of magnitude greater than lithium ion batteries. In addition to the abundant air supply, the lithium air battery is also environmentally friendly and provides improved safety over the use of lithium ion batteries. However, the development of lithium-air battery cells has been hindered by the lack of suitable membranes which can contain lithium metal and safely carry out electrochemical reactions, and the limited rechargeability of the battery due to the limited cycle life of the lithium anode.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a lithium-air battery utilizing an electrolyte membrane which provides efficient ionic transport, and which exhibits high conductivity and rechargeability.

Lithium-air cells incorporating solid electrolytes having enhanced ionic transport and catalytic activity


The present invention relates to a method for producing monosilane and tetraalkoxysilane comprising subjecting alkoxysilane represented by formula (1)HnSi(OR)4-n  (1)wherein R represents alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms and n represents an integer of from 1 to 3, to disproportionation reaction in a gaseous phase in the presence of an inorganic phosphate or a catalyst having a specific chemical structure based on a heteropolyacid salt structure. In the production method of the present invention, separation from the solvent can be carried out easily, the reaction proceeds quickly and the conversion rate of the starting materials is high.

Monosilane is useful as a volatile silicone material having high purity, and has been widely used for producing solar cells, semiconductors, amorphous photosensitive silicone materials and various ceramic materials.
Various methods for producing monosilane have been known to date. A method using reaction between magnesium silicide and acid or ammonium bromide, a method by reducing silicon chloride using LiAlH4, a method by reducing silicon tetrafluoride using CaH2 and a method by disproportionation reaction of alkoxysilane have been known.
Trialkoxysilane is generally used as a starting material in the disproportionation reaction of alkoxysilane, and monosilane and tetraalkoxysilane are produced according to the formula as follows:
[Chem. 1]4HSi(OR)3→SiH4+3Si(OR)4
Like monosilane, tetraalkoxysilane is a useful chemical substance as a pure silicon precursor material for producing various silicon compounds for optical fibers, photomasks and IC sealing materials.
Triethoxysilane and trimethoxysilane are used as a starting material in the above-mentioned disproportionation reaction and tetraethoxysilane and tetramethoxysilane are produced at the same time as monosilane, respectively, as shown in the following formulae.
[Chem. 2]4HSi(OMe)3→SiH4+3Si(OMe)4 4HSi(OEt)3→SiH4+3Si(OEt)4
When the above reaction is conducted, metal sodium can be used as a catalyst of the disproportionation reaction. However, the yield is low in the reaction and therefore the method was not practically useful.
Patent Document 1 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,188) discloses a method using alkali metal alkoxide or alkali metal silicate as a catalyst. However, the reaction in a liquid phase is too slow such that the reaction time exceeds ten hours, and therefore the method is not suitable for industrial production.
Patent Document 2 (JP-A-2001-19418) discloses a method for producing monosilane and tetraalkoxysilane by disproportionation of alkoxysilane represented by formula HnSi(OR)4-n wherein n is 1, 2 or 3 and R represents alkyl group or cycloalkyl group, comprising (i) a reaction step of obtaining monosilane and tetraalkoxysilane by disproportionation of alkoxysilane in a solvent in the presence of a catalyst, (ii) a step of extracting part of the solvent containing a catalyst and tetraalkoxysilane from the reaction step, and (iii) a step of separating part or all of the tetraalkoxysilane by distilling the extracted solvent containing a catalyst and tetraalkoxysilane.
However, the method also employs disproportionation reaction in a solution and has a problem of difficulties in separation from the solvent and a problem of insufficient reaction rate.
Patent document 3 (WO 2008/042445 pamphlet) discloses a method for producing monosilane and tetramethoxysilane by disproportionation of trimethoxysilane on a potassium fluoride (KF) loaded alumina catalyst. Although this method has no problem with a separation of the catalyst and the like from the reaction products, conversion of trimethoxysilane is not sufficiently high.

Method for producing monosilane and tetraalkoxysilane


An electronic apparatus controls a peripheral device by using a relay apparatus. The electronic apparatus includes an interface connected to the peripheral device; a communication unit that performs communication with the relay apparatus; a receiver that receives a control signal for controlling the electronic apparatus; and a controller that, when the control signal is received, performs an operation based on the control signal, and controls the communication unit to transmit information about the performed operation and information about the peripheral device to the relay apparatus in order to control the peripheral device to perform an operation that corresponds to the performed operation.

1. Field
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the exemplary embodiments relate to an electronic apparatus (e.g., an electronic device such as a digital TV, a personal computer (PC), a notebook computer, etc.), a system including an electronic apparatus and a relay apparatus, and a control method thereof. More particularly, the exemplary embodiments relate to an electronic apparatus that can control peripheral devices by using a relay apparatus, a system including the electronic apparatus and relay apparatus, and a control method thereof
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a remote controller is an apparatus a device that remotely controls electronic apparatuses devices such as televisions (TVs), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) apparatuses devices, video apparatuses devices, audio apparatuses devices, air conditioners, etc. In order to identify electronic apparatuses devices of a specific manufacturer and electronic apparatuses devices of other manufacturers, the remote controller emits control codes that are set differently from each of the electronic apparatuses devices in the form of an infrared signal.
However, since, if many different types of electronic apparatuses devices are used in a home, a plurality of remote controllers may have to be used to control these different devices. Accordingly, it may be difficult for the users to manage the plurality of remote controllers. Additionally, it may be cumbersome to change the remote controllers whenever the users want to select and use different electronic apparatuses devices.
Particularly, although a television and a set-top box are used together for broadcast services, separate remote controllers are used to turn on or off the television and set-top box; therefore, the users feel uncomfortable.
Accordingly, there is a need to seek ways that can to control a plurality of electronic apparatuses at the same time by easier manipulation.

Electronic device, system including electronic device and relay apparatus, and control method for the same


A ski equipment support rack for mounting to a wall and for removably and uprightly supporting skis, ski poles, and other accessories of the sport. This ski equipment support rack comprises bent metal wire elements fixed together in relative positions by welded joints. For supporting two skis urged together to have mutually adjacent bottom surfaces, the ski equipment support rack has structure defining a slot extending in the lateral direction. On either side of the slot, the ski equipment support rack has wire segments on which the oppositely extending bindings of the two skis can be removably supported.

The present invention relates to a ski equipment support rack and more particularly to a ski equipment support rack for mounting to a wall and for removably and uprightly supporting skis and ski poles.
Ski storage racks for removably and uprightly supporting skis are known in the art. A known rack, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 299,100, comprises a mounting plate for mounting to a wall and a pair of loops of bent rod projecting forward from the mounting plate. The loops are laterally spaced apart to receive an upright ski between them.
The ski equipment support rack of the present invention is an improvement over the ski storage racks of the prior art. A first advantage of this support rack is that a pair of skis are supported with their bottom surfaces in mutual contact with the bindings of the two skis extending outwardly in opposite directions for resting on the support segments of the rack. Thus, the skis are firmly supported without any contact with the bottom surface of the skis, avoiding risk of any damage to those bottom surfaces.
A second advantage of the ski equipment support rack is the safer manner by which it supports skis. The ski equipment support rack has wire segments defining a slot that opens to a side rather than to the front. As a result, if the removably supported skis should shift or fall off the ski rack, the skis would accordingly shift or fall laterally rather than forwardly, thereby minimizing the risk of injury.
In addition, this ski equipment support rack comprises a fixed frame of relatively inexpensive metal wire elements welded together and coated in enamel. The individual wire elements are bent into configurations that provide gains in manufacturing simplicity and efficiency. The ski equipment support rack is the strong, yet inexpensive to fabricate. The ski equipment rack is also lightweight, which further results in reduced shipping costs. These and more advantages are provided by the present invention without sacrificing appearance or durability.
In accordance with the present invention, a ski equipment support rack is made of bent metal wire elements held together in relative positions by welded joints. The ski equipment support rack has parallel wire segments that define a slot that opens laterally rather than forwardly. Two skis to be supported are oriented with their bottom surfaces in mutual contact and their bindings projecting outwardly. The parallel wire segments on either side of the slot underlie the opposed bindings to removably support the skis.
In addition, the ski equipment support rack has wire retainer segments above the support segments to restrict the forward rotation of the skis about the support wires. Still further, the ski equipment support rack has other wire segments which define slots for removably receiving ski poles.
For making this ski equipment support rack of smaller gauge wire than otherwise possible, long segments of wires are supported by other wires. Because the supporting wires are anchored and are inclined, the long segments of wires are well supported and can be of reduced gauge wire.
For supporting two pairs of skis, both the forward and the rearward ski-supporting wires have mirror opposite left and right segments. Each resulting left and right slot can removably receive two generally upright skis that have mutually adjacent bottom sides. The parallel wires on the forward and rearward sides of either the left or right slot support the skis by their bindings.
For manufacturing efficiency and simplicity, the left and right rearward two segments of wire for supporting the ski bindings are part of a single bent wire. For the same purposes, the left and right forward two segments of wire for supporting the ski bindings are part of another single bent wire. All welds are in a common plane.


A fitment for use on a container for dispensing liquids. The fitment provides a pouring spout and a drain back function and is secured within the container finish. The container finish has a neck with a rim and a shoulder. The fitment has an outer wall with upper and lower ends and with a frustoconical shape to ensure that a portion of the outer wall frictionally engages the container finish when the fitment is inserted into the container finish to prevent the fitment from being inserted completely through the neck of the container. An annular bead extends outwardly from the outer wall a spaced distance from the upper end of the outer wall so that when the fitment is engaged in the neck of the container, the bead is positioned directly under the shoulder of the neck. Multiple bands of sealing engagement are created between the fitment and the container fitment to ensure a leak-free connection.

Separately formed fitments placed within the opening of blow-molded plastic containers is commonplace in packaging certain liquid consumer products such as laundry detergents. The fitment is retained in the finish of the container and provides the container with a spout to improve pouring control. A cap is engageable with the finish of the container to close the container and is useful as a measuring device so that a precise amount of liquid can be poured, for instance, the suggested amount of liquid detergent for a medium sized load of laundry. The fitment also provides a drain back function so that when the container is closed after pouring, any residual liquid on the cap and spout, neatly returns to the inside of the container body. Thus, a consumer can repeatedly dispense a precise amount of liquid from the container without spillage or leakage.
Examples of container assemblies for dispensing consumer liquid products are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,566,862 issued to Haffner, 5,435,467 issued to Ekkert et al., 5,251,788 issued to Moore, 5,108,009 issued to Davidson et al., 5,058,772 issued to Moore et al., 5,020,699 issued to Sams, 4,917,268 issued to Campbell et al., 4,890,770 issued to Haga et al., 4,706,829 issued to Li, and 4,550,862 issued to Barker. Each assembly includes a plastic container body, a fitment having a spout, and a cap. As disclosed in these patents, and as experienced in practice, several problems can arise with such a product.
The fitment must be firmly secured within the opening of the container body during assembly, filling, transportation, handling and use. However, the fitment should be capable of ready and consistent insertion by high speed automated equipment into their proper position within the opening of the container. Problems occur when a proper balance is not achieved between providing a secure fit and one that is easily accomplished. For example, a fitment designed to snap-fit to the neck of a container, such as disclosed in the Ekkert et al. '467 patent, requires precise molding of both the container finish and the fitment. If not, difficulties may be encountered when pressing the fitment into the neck to effect a snap-fit.
The fitment-to-container connection should be leak-free. Even though the fitment may be securely positioned within the opening of the container, leaks can occur between the fitment and the container. This generally has the unwanted result of liquid dripping down the exterior side of the container body. One cause of leaks results from the manufacturing tolerances experienced during formation of the inside diameter of the container finish relative to the outside diameter of the fitment. Another cause of leaks with respect to fitments designed to extend above the rim of the container finish is that these type of fitments rely on compression between the cap and the flange when the container is closed. Inadequate compression can cause leaks; excessive compression can unduly stress the plastic.
Although various ones of the referenced container assemblies having separately formed fitments with spouts may function satisfactorily for their intended purposes, there is a need for a fitment which is readily secured in position in the opening of a container and which prevents the occurrence of leaks between the fitment and container finish.


A data-driven method and system are provided for predicting limit cycle oscillations such as chatter to obtain a classifier signal which, in turn, may be utilized by a control method and system. The method and system utilize newly-developed algorithms based on Teager algorithm which are applied to "vibration" data to predict when chatter phenomenon may emerge during an ongoing machining process. Using real data from a turning operation on a lathe, the onset of chatter can be predicted so that sufficient time is available to deploy an automatic control strategy such as reduction or random variation of spindle speed to quench the "chatter". The method and system preferably use the generalized Teager measure.

Limit cycle oscillations arise in many natural systems such as machine tool, brain electrical signals, return on stock, electrocardiogram, earthquake, vibrations of mechanical structures (such as bridges, airplane wings, automobile engines and suspensions among others) and communication networks, for example.
Chatter, a type of limit cycle oscillation, is a self-excited relative vibration between the workpiece and the cutting tool in common machining processes such as turning process on a lathe as described in Zhang, H., Ni, J. and Shi, H., "Machining Chatter Suppression by Means of Spindle Speed Variation", PROC. S.M. WU SYMPOSIUM, Vol. 1, pp. 161-175, 1994.
The development of chatter causes a machining process to become unstable. This can result in poor surface finish, accuracy and reduced tool and other machine part life. Having to control machine tool chatter after it arises by traditional means such as by reducing spindle speed restricts the amount of material that can be removed in a turning process, for example. Therefore, development of chatter in a machining process reduces productivity and quality.
The three major approaches to chatter prediction are described in Minis, I. E., Magrab, E. B. and Pandelidis, I. O., "Improved Methods for the Prediction of Chatter in Turning, Part 3: A Generalized Linear Theory", ASME Journal of Engineering for Industry, vol. 112, pp. 28-35, 1990; Tansel, I. N. et. al, "Recognition of Chatter With Neural Networks," INT. J. MACH. TOOLS MANUFACT., vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 539-552, 1991; and the U.S. patent to Delio entitled "Method of Controlling Chatter in a Machine Tool," U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,358.
The presence and evolution of chatter can be monitored by measuring the vibration signals from the cutting tool using appropriately placed accelerometers. Such a signal is called the "chatter signal." The chatter signal can be analyzed to discern the state of the machining process. A conceptual model of the chatter signal generation is shown in FIG. 1. As is clear, the chatter signal, X(t), will be a complicated random signal.
The three approaches to manufacturing operations of relevance to chatter phenomenon can be categorized as (1) Prevent Approach (leads to conservative operational ratings and resultant low throughput); (2) Detect and Control Approach (leads to reworking or scrapping workpieces and resultant low quality and throughput); and (3) Predict and Prevent Approach (leads to optimal high operational ratings and resultant high quality and high throughput).

Teager-based method and system for predicting limit cycle oscillations and control method and system utilizing same


In a pressure plate component group for a motor vehicle friction clutch with automatic wear compensation, at least one clearance indicator arrangement is provided, which has a clearance indicator element supported on a carrier component of the pressure plate component group so as to be rotatable around an element rotational axis. The clearance indicator element has a wear readjustment area for interaction with a wear readjustment device. Further, the clearance indicator element has, on a circumferential surface, at least regionally, a thread-type surface formation, which engages, at least regionally, with a counter-surface formation on the pressure plate component group. Further, the clearance indicator element, with its thread-type surface formation, can be moved relative to the counter-surface formation so as to produce a relative movement between the thread-type surface formation and the counter-surface formation that differs from the relative rotational movement between the thread-type surface formation and the counter-surface formation that is produced by rotating the clearance indicator element around the element rotational axis. Further, a movement assembly is provided for producing the relative movement between the thread-type surface formation and the counter-surface formation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure plate component group, especially for a motor vehicle friction clutch with automatic wear compensation.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Motor vehicle friction clutches are generally constructed in such a way that, in the engaged state, the friction linings of a clutch disk are clamped between the pressure plate of a pressure plate component group and a flywheel. The repeated disengagement and engagement procedures carried out during operation of the clutch cause the friction linings of the clutch disk to become used and worn. As a result, as the age of the clutch increases, the pressure plate, in the engaged state, comes ever closer to the flywheel. Because an energy storage device, for example, a diaphragm spring, acts between the pressure plate and a clutch housing, the increasingly close approach of the pressure plate to the flywheel in the engaged state is accompanied by a corresponding following movement of the energy storage device. This in turn means that the optimal working area once provided for the energy storage device, with respect to its force characteristic, is deviated from, so that the energy storage device can no longer perform its suitable or desired function.
To avoid this disadvantage, it is known to integrate clearance indicators and wear readjustment devices into clutches or pressure plate component groups of this type, so that the wear occurring on the friction linings of the clutch disk during clutch operation can be determined and compensated for, for example, by the axial lengthening of the wear readjustment device, in keeping with the wear that has occurred.
In particular, the provision of a clearance indicator often requires relatively expensive structures, because a way to detect the relative movement between two components that move relative to each other when wear occurs must be created. For example, a frequently used method is to provide an axially movable wear detection pin on the pressure plate. The wear detection pin extends radially outside of the clutch disk in the direction of the flywheel. When wear occurs, and the pressure plate therefore moves closer to the flywheel, the wear detection pin strikes the flywheel and thus detects the wear that has occurred. Such a structure requires that the components that perform this wear detection function be arranged radially outside of the clutch disk. This fact results in a corresponding enlargement of the overall pressure plate component group or of the motor vehicle friction clutch equipped therewith.


A portable toothbrush case, suitable for use away from home, contains separate compartments for storage of a toothbrush and toothpaste. The compartments are separated by a central partition with a hole that allows toothpaste to flow from its storage space onto the bristles of the toothbrush. Pressing on a portion of the wall of the toothpaste storage compartment squeezes the toothpaste through the hole, onto the toothbrush. Another hole on the outside wall of the toothpaste storage compartment allows refilling from a conventionally designed tube of toothpaste.

It has been known for many years that dentists recommend the practice of brushing teeth regularly to avoid tooth decay and keep teeth and gums healthy. Often however, a person cannot be home to conveniently brush his or her teeth. Brushing while away from home requires the inconvenience of carrying a toothbrush and toothpaste separately and applying the toothpaste to the toothbrush.
The present invention permits the user to carry both toothbrush and toothpaste together, in a manner that allows easy and convenient use, at any time and at any location. While there have been toothbrushes in the prior art that allowed for storage of toothpaste, these brushes required special handle designs to accommodate storage of toothpaste. Moreover, the special handle designs necessitated by these toothbrushes deprived the user of the comfort of using the toothbrush that he or she has become accustomed to using. It is therefore an objective of this invention to store a toothbrush and toothpaste in one device with the feature that the invention can be used with any style of toothbrush. It is a further objective of this invention to allow the device disclosed to be refilled with toothpaste when it becomes empty and to be washed between fillings and toothpaste.
There have been recent advances in the art of toothbrush covers for use when travelling or otherwise away from home: Lorenzana U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,813 (1989), Picard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,039 (1991), Andrews, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,144 (1991) Wilkinson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,556 (1991). The inventions were merely protective caps for the toothbrush, providing protection for the bristles but not combining the storage of toothpaste. Salman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,428 (1993) teaches a diminutive "toothbrush" that fits over the distal portion of the finger, with the finger providing the required structural rigidity. Again however, toothpaste must be carried separately, further matters of taster were not considered.
The prior art in combining toothbrush and toothpaste in one portable unit has proved cumbersome. Larocque, U.S. Pat. No. 1,062,480 (1913) teaches a tube of toothpaste on an extender arm pivotally mounted to the body of the toothbrush. More recently, Mendenhall U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,871 (1985) placed compartments for packages of toothpaste in the handle of a toothbrush, and O'Neal U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,128 (1985) placed a large diameter handle of a disposable toothbrush. In the last two cases, the toothbrushes utilized of necessity, a handle much larger and thicker than is needed on a standard toothbrush. These inventions are all incompatible with the use of a conventional toothbrush while the user is traveling or otherwise away from home.


An optical waveguide element having a cladding layer formed on a substrate and at least one waveguide core formed in the cladding layer for transmitting an optical signal. Two heater sections are provided for shifting a phase of optical signals. The two heater sections show different design. This helps controlling heater induced birefringence.

An optical waveguide element typically comprises at least a substrate, a cladding layer formed on the substrate, and a waveguide—also called waveguide core—formed in the cladding layer for transmitting an optical signal. Such waveguide elements are also called integrated optical devices or opto-electronic integrated circuits.
Cladding layer, waveguide and substrate typically show different thermal expansion coefficients since different materials are used. While fabricating waveguide elements, the elements are exposed to high temperatures. These high temperatures cause stress in the waveguide element due to the mentioned different thermal expansion coefficients. This stress in turn induces birefringence which basically means that TE and TM waves of transmitted optical signals show different behaviour. As a consequence, birefringence is one of the factors limiting the performance of a waveguide element.
Birefringence B can generally be defined as B=ηTM−ηTE, wherein ηTE is the effective refractive index of a TE polarized wave and ηTM is the effective refractive index of a TM polarized wave. A TE wave is a linearly polarized wave having an electric field direction in parallel with the major surface of the substrate. A TM wave is a linearly polarized wave having an electric field direction perpendicular to the major surface of the substrate. In other words, the perpendicular to the major surface of the substrate. In other words, the refractive indexes differ from one and another by B depending on the polarization direction of the incident light.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,424 addresses the problem of birefringence that is induced when manufacturing a waveguide element. U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,424 proposes to provide a stress adjusting means in the cladding layer for adjusting a stress applied to the waveguide. Such means might be an elongated member which is embedded in the cladding layer and may be composed of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient that is different from the one of the cladding layer. Alternatively, the stress adjusting means might be a groove provided in the cladding layer for relieving stress.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,112 discloses a single-mode optical waveguide element comprising a substrate, a cladding layer disposed on the substrate and a waveguide embedded in the cladding layer. A stress applying film in form of an amorphous silicon film is disposed on a desired portion of the cladding layer for adjusting stress induced birefringence by changing the stress exerted on the waveguide by a trimming technique. The stress applying film is trimmed by partially irradiating a light beam on it. The stress is changed irreversibly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,470 discloses a method for adjusting a refractive index difference between a cladding layer and a waveguide core of an optical waveguide element by means of producing a reversible thermal hysteresis phenomenon. The thermal hysteresis is evoked by raising temperature in a predefined region of the waveguide element to a predefined level, maintaining the predefined temperature for a predetermined period of time, and cooling the region at a predetermined cooling rate. This method is carried out in order to change a coupling ratio of an optical coupler.
An optical waveguide element made in thin-film technology often comprises an optical phase shifting means. A heater can serve as such phase shifting means acting on an optical signal that is guided by means of a waveguide in accordance with the thermo-optical effect, such that refraction η=η(T), with T as temperature.
In particular, an optical waveguide element can comprise two waveguides. A phase shifting means is applied to one of the waveguide cores for adjusting a phase of an optical signal in this waveguide relative to a phase of an optical signal guided in the other waveguide. When such optical signals are interfered—e.g. by means of an optical coupler—, an intensity modulated signal can be attained. Such an optical waveguide element can be used in variable optical attenuators, optical ring resonators, dispersion compensating devices, Mach-Zehnder interferometers, add-drop multiplexers, optical wavelength converters or amplitude-shift keying (ASK) as well as phase-shift keying (PSK) modulators operating particularly in low wavelength regions.
FIG. 1 shows a known waveguide element having a first and a second waveguide 3, 4 aligned in parallel, and having a first and a second optical coupler 301, 302, through which optical signals can be exchanged between the waveguides 3 and 4, and with a thin-film heater 100 covering a part of the first waveguide 3 and lying between the couplers 301, 302. An optical signal entering the first waveguide 3 at port A—indicated with an arrow—will partially be coupled from the first optical coupler 302 to the second waveguide 4. Between the directional optical couplers 301, 302, the phase of the remainder of the optical signal transferred in the first waveguide 3 will be shifted according to the thermal energy applied to the first waveguide 3 by means of the thin-film heater 100. The optical signal in the first waveguide 3 then interferes in the second coupler 302 with the optical signal of the second waveguide 4. Depending on the phase relationship between the optical signals in the waveguide sections before the coupler 302 the signal intensity in the second waveguide 4 at port D will be increased or reduced accordingly.
In order to obtain a desired shift of the phase of the optical signal in the first waveguide 3 relative to the phase of the optical signal in the second waveguide 4, thermal energy provided by the thin-film heater 100 is applied to the first waveguide 3. In the region of the thin-film heater 100, the waveguides 3, 4 are spaced apart at a distance which is sufficient to avoid a transfer of thermal energy from the thin-film heater 100 to the second waveguide 4. Thermal energy provided by the thin-film heater 100 is absorbed by a substrate 5 acting as a heat sink in such a way that the thin-film heater 100 forces a temperature gradient with respect to the substrate 5. The waveguide element according to FIG. 1 can be derived from U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,424.
Since the signal intensity in the waveguides 3 and 4 at ports C and D can vary depending on the phase relationship between the optical signals before being coupled in coupler 302, an optical waveguide element according to FIG. 1 can be used as variable optical attenuator (VOA), where constructive and/or destructive interference in the second coupler determines intensities of optical signals at the outputs of the second coupler.
Hence, thermo-optic control of a phase shift is an elegant way to realize adaptive devices in silica-on-silicon waveguide technology. A millisecond time response of the thermo-optic effect enables routing and compensation applications.
However, applicant detected some undesired polarization effects caused by such phase shifting heaters: Heating a section of a waveguide in order to obtain a phase shift causes a different phase shift efficiency for TE and TM polarized light. Local heating causes asymmetrical stress in the waveguide core. In addition, simply the presence of a heater—typically a thin film heater disposed on the top of the cladding layer—causes at least some birefringence due to its asymmetric arrangement with regard to the waveguide core.
Thus, a phase shift serving heater does not affect TE and TM waves of an optical signal in the same way due to an elasto-optical effect. As a result, the optical waveguide element cannot fulfill its task predictably, unless the polarization direction of an optical signal is previously adjusted to either a direction parallel or a direction vertical to the surface of the substrate, i.e. the input polarization with regard to the heater is not either being a linear TB or a linear TM wave.
With regard to an optical variable attenuator, a polarization-dependent loss (PDL) can be detected at the device's output that amounts to at least 0.25 dB for an attenuation of −15 dB.
It would therefore be desirable to create an optical waveguide element showing controllable phase shifting properties with regard to TE and TM waves. It would further be desirable to have a waveguide element operating with high efficiency.

Optical waveguide element with controlled birefringence

International Business Machines Corporation


In one particular aspect a method for categorizing a user of a communication service as a churner or non-churner is provided. In some embodiments, the method includes obtaining call data for the user. Next, the call data is used to determine a value (v1) for a graph parameter for the user, the graph parameter being one of: (a) an out-degree parameter, (b) a Shapley Value parameter, (c) a proximity prestige parameter, and (d) closeness centrality parameter. Next, the determined value (v1) is used to determine a churn value (cv). The churn value (cv) is then used to categorize the user as a churner or a non-churner.

Churn refers generally to the movement of customers from one service provider to another. As used herein a "churner" is customer of a service that unsubscribes to the service or otherwise ceases using the service. Churn is a serious problem in many industries, including the telecom industry. It is a significant problem because customer churn leads to diminished profits for the telecom operator and, perhaps, increased business for a competitor. Moreover, in some aspects, it is more important for a telecom operator to retain its existing customers than to sign-up new customers (i.e., existing customers may be more profitable than new customers given the costs involved in attracting new customers). With the continuous addition of new telecom operators in the market, and with the availability of mobile number portability service, churners are increasing at an alarming rate. Hence, telecom operators would like to identify potential churners so that improved services or other incentives may be offered to these customers in an effort to retain them.
Several methods have been proposed for predicting churners in different domains. Existing approaches to churn prediction pertain to attribute based analysis, which has proven to be relatively time consuming because the process has to be re-run every time the underlying dataset ("churn data") is fed or updated. Moreover, the proposed classification model proved to face issues with respect to skewness of the churn data. The churn data tends to be imbalanced because the churners tend to be far less in numbers in order of (2%-5%) compared to the non-churners. Due to the existence of class imbalance, the high accuracy value derived from a model in churn prediction analysis poses little or no useful result in real time. Other semi supervised approaches present in the market are not suited to the purpose because of their inherent inability to scale well for huge datasets. Also, these approaches have difficulty in parallelizing certain aspects of their algorithm, which poses a problem in applying them over a telecom dataset. Another drawback is that certain attribute based analysis was found to be specific to a particular dataset, such as data from a developed country, but the same model failed miserably for a different dataset, such as data from a developing country.

Methods and systems for categorizing a customer of a service as a churner of a non-churner


A structure of a semiconductor light emitting device includes a GaAs substrate, a GaAsP interface substrate, a first cladding layer, an active layer, and a second cladding layer. The GaAsP interface substrate layer is formed on the GaAs substrate, in addition, the GaAsP interface substrate layer formed on the substrate is of a thickness such that the upper surface of the GaAsP interface substrate layer adjacent to the substrate is composed of single crystal. The first cladding layer of a first conductivity is formed on the GaAsP interface substrate layer. The active layer is formed on the first cladding layer, from which the light is generated in the active layer. The second cladding layer of a second conductivity is formed on the active layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a structure of a photoelectric semiconductor device, and particularly relates to a structure of a light emitted diode and a laser diode that can be fabricated with GaAsP substrate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The photoelectric semiconductor devices is widely used in various applications, such as the light emitted diode is used to replace the cathode radiation tube recently. The throughput as well as the yield of the light emitted diode is getting more important, and the yield of the light emitted diode is greatly improved. However, the traditional light emitted diode has some problems such as the mismatch between the lattice in the substrate and the light emitting portion of the LED. Furthermore, the oxidation of the widely used material--aluminum may result the problems in manufacturing the traditional LED.
The structure of the traditional LED is shown in FIG. 1, in which the standard structure of the LED includes the window layer 1, the p-cladding layer 2, the active layer 3, the n-cladding layer 4, and the distributed bragged reflector (DBR) layer 5. In the traditional technology, the standard structure of the LED is formed on the substrate made of GaAs. In general, the window layer 1 is made of GaAsP, the p-cladding layer 2 is made of AlGaInP doped with III group semiconductor, the active layer 3 of the multi quantum well (MQW) structure or the double hetero-structure (DH) is made of undoped AlGaInP, the n-cladding layer 4 is made of AlGaInP doped with V group semiconductor, and the DBR layer 5, which is not necessary in a complete LED, is usually made of AlInP and AlGaInP.
Because the lattice constant of the substrate 6 is greater than that of the partial LED structure 10 mentioned above, the lattice mismatch is resulted, and the problems in manufacturing the traditional LED is resulted. The lattice constant of the GaAs substrate 6 is about 5.6 angstroms, so the In ingredient in the partial LED structure 10 must be reduced to 0.482-0.486 to make the lattice match. The structure of the traditional LED is formed by a traditional method described in the following description. As shown in FIG. 1, a distributed bragg reflector (DBR) layer 5 of the first conductivity is formed on the substrate 6. Then form the n-cladding layer 4 on the DBR layer 5, and form the active layer 3 on the n-cladding layer 4 by the LPE (Liquid Phase Expitaxy) method. Subsequently, form a p-cladding layer 2 on the active layer 3 with the additional Zn doping, and then form a window layer 1, which is not necessary for the LED, on the p-cladding layer 2. Finally, form the first electrode 7 on the window layer 1, and form the second electrode 8 on the substrate 6. Thus the traditional LED is manufactured.
In addition, when the phosphorus content z of the active layer 3 (GaAsP,) is equal to 0.39, the manufactured LED mentioned above emits the red light. If the LED is designed to emit the light of short wavelength such as the light of orange color or yellow color, the phosphorus ingredient z of the active layer 3 must be adjusted to 0.75 or 0.85. Furthermore, the adequate material used in fabricating the substrate 6 in the forgoing LED, which emits the light of short wavelength such as the orange or the yellow light, must be changed to GaP. Unfortunately, when the phosphorus content of the active layer 3 is larger than 0.5, the LED can not emit light because of the indirect band gap. In order to overcome the indirect band gap mentioned above, the nitrogen deposition is utilized to result in the isoelectronic center, which overcomes the indirect band gap mentioned above.
If the traditional LED mentioned above is designed to emit the green light, aluminum must be added in manufacturing the traditional LED. Because the aluminum tempts to react with the oxygen, so it is not easy to manufacture the LED emitting the green light according to the traditional method. In addition, the lattice mismatch between the GaAs substrate 6 and the partial LED structure 10 shown in FIG. 1, results in the serious problem in manufacturing the traditional LED mentioned above.

Photoelectric semiconductor device having a GaAsP substrate


A pipe for drawing up cold water for a marine thermal energy plant is produced from a composite material including glass fiber reinforcements and a thermosetting resin.

Such a marine thermal energy plant generally includes a floating platform on which means are placed for producing electricity from the temperature difference in the surface and deep water, said platform also being associated with means forming a pipe for drawing cold water up from a depth.
The operating principle of such an OTE (Ocean Thermal Energy) facility consists of using the temperature difference that exists naturally between the surface and deep water of the oceans to run a thermal machine.
Due to the laws of thermodynamics, to have an acceptable efficiency, the implementation of such an OTE facility is only justified with a temperature difference for example greater than 20° C.
Typically, the water can for example be at a temperature of 25° C. on the surface and a temperature of 5° C. at 1000 meters deep.
One can then see that this limits the use of such facilities to specific areas, for example such as tropical areas.
The cold water must then be pumped at a very significant depth through means forming a suction pipeline associated with the platform, while the hot water is pumped on the surface.
Various attempts to develop OTE-based energy production facilities have already been made.
Efforts were for example made by Georges CLAUDE in the 1930s.
Of course, other operators have made attempts since then.
However, the very large majority of these attempts have failed due to various problems, and in particular problems of the mechanical strength of certain elements of those facilities with the environmental conditions encountered.
It is in fact known that in the geographical areas in which these facilities can be installed, particular meteorological conditions may be encountered such as relatively strong ocean currents, storms, etc., which causes the deterioration or even breakage of certain parts of the facility.
In particular, the cold water suction pipe has posed many deformation, or even breakage problems.

Pipe for drawing up cold water for a marine thermal energy plant


The application provides a methods and devices for information transmission. The method includes that: a terminal device receives control signaling transmitted by a network device at a first time position; and the terminal device transmits a Scheduling Request (SR) and/or feedback information related to the control signaling to the network device according to the first time position, a second time position for transmitting the SR being at least partially overlapped with a third time position for transmitting the feedback information. The terminal device determines how to effectively transmit the information related to the control signaling and other information on the basis of time when the downlink control signaling is received, so that different information may still be effectively transmitted under the situation that Physical Uplink Control Channels (PUCCHs) of two different lengths exist.

In a 5th-Generation (5G) system, Physical Uplink Control Channels (PUCCHs) of two lengths are supported, i.e., long PUCCHs and short PUCCHs. A terminal device may transmit different uplink information by use of different PUCCHs, for example, transmitting a Scheduling Request (SR) and feedback information (Acknowledgement (ACK) or Negative ACK (HACK)) through different PUCCHs. In such a case, how to transmit the SR and the feedback information more effectively becomes a problem urgent to be solved.

Methods and devices for information transmission

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


The disclosed subject matter relates to various components or elements of an electronic vaporizing device and related elements. For example, a sealed capsule that can mitigate escape of vaping contents included therein can be formed. Different sealed capsules can comprise different vaping contents having different types (e.g., liquids, plant materials, etc). The sealed capsule can be loaded into a heating chamber of the electronic vaporizing device in which the heating chamber can be configured specifically for the sealed capsules. As with the sealed capsule, there can be different types of vapor delivery portions of the device. The electronic vaporizing device can comprise a power source portion that can be configured to attach to many different types of vapor delivery portions.

Many types of electronic vaporizers exist on the market, such as electronic cigarette vaporizers (AKA E-cigarettes vaporizers or E-cigarettes), which simulate the feeling of smoking, but without burning the tobacco or other contents. Thus, the E-cigarette does not generate smoke, but rather typically employs a heating element that atomizes a liquid solution or other contents to produce an aerosol or vapor. The user thus inhales this vapor rather than inhaling smoke. Such is commonly referred to as "vaping", which has certain advantages over smoking. For example, inhaling a vapor or aerosol (e.g., vaping) containing an active ingredient (e.g., nicotine) is believed to be a safer alternative to inhaling smoke. As another example, vaping can provide a more efficient delivery of the active ingredient to the user, since pyrolysis (or another type of thermochemical decomposition) can destroy a significant portion of the active ingredient.
Electronic vaporizers or "E-vapes" are typically designed to operate with specific types of materials. For example, some E-vapes are configured to operate with liquids or oils, which can contain the active ingredients. Other E-vapes are configured to operate with plant products. Still other E-vapes are configured to operate with other materials such as a wax or wax-like material containing the active ingredient.


The past purchase data of the customers stored in a point-of-sales data management system, i.e., stored in a POS system are read out, and are classified and totalized depending upon designated periods or designated articles, and the classified and totalized data are output to terminal equipment of the POS system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of displaying purchase data in a POS (point-of-sales data management) system and to a goods registration system. It is quite natural that a customer who made a purchase carries a receipt with him and transcribes it into an account book each time. In this invention, a shop preserves the sales data for each of the customers, outputs the past purchase data at one time upon a request by the customer and offers the data to the customer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional POS system, when a customer makes a purchase at a shop, the data of goods are input at POS terminal equipment. Then, the POS system retrieves the registered data from a PLU (price look-up) file and registers the names of articles purchased by the customer to the host unit. The POS terminal equipment totalizes the prices and a printer prints a receipt and executes exact calculation. The customer takes the receipt with him and transcribes it into a housekeeping book each time.
However, transcribing the data into the book is cumbersome and, besides, invites clerical error and problems if a receipt is missing.

Method of displaying purchase data and goods registration system


An apparatus for processing a sequence of instructions, which comprises a LCALL instruction, a FCALL instruction and a common re-jump instruction (return), comprises a means for reading-in an instruction, to perform the read-in instruction of a means for examining the instruction. In the case of the presence of LCALL or FCALL, a stack memory is filled, while the stack is emptied in the case of the presence of a re-jump instruction. At every re-jump, a predetermined amount of re-jump information is taken from stack and supplied to a means for decoding, which is formed to access the stack again in the case where the predetermined amount of re-jump information indicates a change of the physical memory window, to finally supply the correct address for the next instruction in the instruction sequence to the means for reading in. Thereby, the same re-jump instruction can be used for a call with FCALL (outside of a current physical memory window) and a call with LCALL (within the physical memory window), without a microprocessor change, by encoding the re-jump information on the stack and by decoding them by the means for decoding. Thereby, the re-jump instruction provided for the microprocessor can be used for both jump instructions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to microprocessors and particularly to microprocessors with a fixedly preset logical address space.
2. Description of the related art
Although the development of microprocessors and microcontrollers, respectively, has lead to significant performance increases, older CPU architectures are still given preference to later architectures in the integration of a CPU in an integrated circuit in certain technical fields of applications, such as in the chip card area or in SOC designs. One reason therefore is that later CPU architectures with a higher performance are often over dimensioned for the respective intended field of application and thus require too much power with regard to the tasks to be performed and take up too much chip area. Another reason to give preference to an older CPU architecture to a newer, more powerful one is that the software development environment for the older CPU architectures, such as the 8051 or 8052 based microcontroller architecture is often more popular with customers and more software designers are available for them.
The problem of the software development environment for older controller architectures, which is more popular with customers, is particularly significant in the chip card area, since here the development of the machine programs processable on the chip card and the executable machine code, respectively, lies not within the responsibility of the chip manufacturer but in the responsibility of the big customers, such as banks and their software development companies as well as the respective operating system development company. Further, due to the high required part number, it is of great significance for the chip card customers to use chip card controllers, which are adapted to the respective requirements to keep the costs as low as possible. Accordingly, in order to satisfy the low-end chip card area as well as to fulfill the wish of some customers for known software development environments, the chip card manufacturer has to be able to provide chip cards, which are based on an older microcontroller architecture.
One problem in using older controller architectures in the chip card production is, however, that their addressing possibilities are not sufficient. Thus, the performance of an 8051 based CPU generally is sufficient in the chip card area to take on the management tasks of a chip card, but due to the high security requirements, cryptography algorithms, which comprise calculating operations with regard to very high operands, have to be processed by cryptoprocessors on the chip card. In the known RSA (Rivest, Shamir and Adleman) algorithm, for example, operand lengths of 1024 are common. Due to these high operand lengths to be processed, as well as the complexity of the cryptoalgorithms themselves, the access to a memory as large as possible is required in chip cards. The problem with using CPUs, which are based on older controller architectures, is that they only allow the addressing of merely small memory sizes. 8051-based CPUs, for example, allow merely the addressing of 64 kBytes.
A possible approach to make a large memory addressable despite the usage of a controller of an older architecture, is to use externally stored descriptors and base addresses, respectively, which determine the position of a memory window to be addressed by the CPU, so that the memory area addressable by the CPU can be shifted over the whole larger memory via the memory window.
To explain the differentiation between a logical address space and a physical address space in more detail, reference will be made to FIG. 6A. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6A the physical address space extends from an address "00000" to an address "FFFFF". Thus, the physical address space comprises 1 MByte. It should be noted that a physical memory has to be present not necessarily for every physical address of the physical address space. Rather, the great number of physical address will not refer to a physical memory cell. Particularly in chip cards, one is currently far from providing 1 MByte. Typical sizes for present chip cards comprise 64 kBytes as EEPROM, 4 kBytes as XRAM and 136 kbytes as ROM. However, the flexibility requires designing the physical address space larger to enable a further upgrade of memory chips, depending on requirements and technical development.
Known and fully developed microcontroller architectures based on the 8051 standard support the access to a total of 64 kbyte data and 64 kByte code efficiently. Thus, the logical address space of the microcontroller comprises merely 64 kBytes as it is illustrated on the left in FIG. 6A. In the basic 8051 architecture, the access to larger memory areas (data and code) by known concepts is slow with regard to the required block cycles, and complex and expensive in programming, since additional management codes are required.
For simplifying the access to a larger physical address space, a memory management unit (MMU) was introduced, with the help of which the 64 kByte address space, which is also referred to as logical address space, is remapped to a physical address space of 1 MB. This remapping, however, does not lead to an increase of the logical 64 kByte address space, but that at a certain time still 64 kBytes of a physical address are visible, but that the actually visible 64 kByte address can be changed. Therefore, the MMU is reconfigured by using a descriptor. The descriptor identifies a certain physical memory area, which is 64 kBytes in size and contiguous in the example shown in FIG. 6A. The descriptor is, for example, the lowest address of the visible physical memory area, wherein then the current physical address can be determined by the basic address known by the descriptor and the logical address as "offset".
For addressing a logical address space with a size of 64 kBytes, addresses with a length of 16 bits, which means 2 bytes, are required.
For addressing a physical address space of 1 MByte, however, physical addresses with a length of 20 bits are required. Since for the identification of different physical memory windows with a length of 64 kBytes, the physical base addresses are merely required in a raster of 64 kbytes, a descriptor with a length of eight bit, which means one byte, is more than sufficient to address all physical memory windows with a size of 64 kbyte. It should be noted that not necessarily the top 8 bits of the physical base address have to be taken as descriptor, but that a table can be stored in a MMU, which contains a descriptor as input information, and outputs, for example, the top 8 bits of the physical base address or the physical base address in full length as output information.
Often, it is not favorable to have a physically contiguous memory area, as is illustrated in FIG. 6A, for certain requirements, such as in chip cards. Instead, it can be much more favorable for certain requirements to see, for example, 16 kBytes of the ROM, 16 kbytes XRAM and 32 kBytes in the EEPROM, but at different positions in the EEPROM.
For that reason, as it is shown in FIG. 6B, the logical address space is divided in, for example, four logical address segments, wherein one descriptor is associated to every address segment, such as descriptor 1, descriptor 2, descriptor 3, descriptor 4. A logical address in the lowest segment is converted into a physical address, which is on the right hand side in the 16 kByte area in FIG. 6B, by the memory management unit by using the descriptor 1.
A logical address in the logical address space, to which the descriptor 2 is associated, is converted in a respective physical address in the 16 kbyte window of the physical address space. Analogous to that, the logical address in the third segment, to which descriptor 3 is associated, is treated.
Further, in FIG. 6B a fourth segment of the logical address space is marked, which is also referred to as a Far segment FS. As well as to the other three segments, a descriptor (descriptor 4) is associated to the Far segment. If a logical address is present in the Far segment, the physical address associated to it is determined by using the descriptor 4, which is also referred to as Far descriptor, and the logical address in the Far segment. In the example shown herein, as agreed, the descriptors 1 to 3 are set to fixedly preset values, while merely the descriptor 4 is variable, as it is illustrated by an arrow in FIG. 6B. If a sequence of instructions, which is processed by the microprocessor, requires that a memory space is accessed, which is not within the four windows illustrated in FIG. 6B with a respective size of 16 kbytes, a logical address has to be generated in the Far segment (FS) together with a changed descriptor 4, by which a MMU is reconfigured, so that the part of the physical memory, where the currently required construction is, becomes visible.
In the following, reference will be made to FIG. 1, to illustrate the processes in a jump to a sub-program and a re-jump from the sub-program in more detail.
FIG. 1 shows an instruction sequence 10, which, for example, comprises a main program (HP) and three sub-programs (UP1, UP2 and UP3).
First, the main program is started. Thereupon, a sequence of instructions of the main program is processed, until an instruction 10a is met. The instruction is jump to sub-program 1 (UP1). The jump is performed to then perform the sub-program (UP1) as illustrated in FIG. 10b. At the end of the sub-program (UP1), as illustrated in FIG. 10c, a re-jump to the main program is made again. Thereupon, the main program is again processed, until an instruction 10d is reached, which says "jump to sub-program 2 (UP2)". Here, an interleaving is present, in such that first, as illustrated at 10e, part of the sub-program UP2 is processed, that then after processing the part a jump is made to another sub-program UP3 (10f). Then, the sub-program UP3 is performed completely (10g), and a re-jump is made to the sub-program UP2 (10h). Thereupon, another part of the sub-program UP2 is performed, namely the remaining part of it (10i), to re-jump then to main program (10k). Thereupon, further instruction sequences and instruction sub-sequences (sub-programs) are performed, until, finally, the end of the main program (10m) is reached.
No further problems will occur when both the main program and all sub-programs are within the contiguous physical memory window of FIG. 6A or in the non-contiguous physical memory window of FIG. 6B. The call of a sub-program can then be handled with an instruction LCALL (logical address), in such if a CPU, meets, for example, the instruction 10a, takes the argument of the instruction LCALL, which means the logical address of the logical address space, passes it on to the MMU, whereupon the MMU determines the respective physical address by using the descriptor associated to the contiguous logical address space (case of FIG. 6A) or by using the descriptor associated to the logical address segment, wherein the logical address is (case of FIG. 6B). From this physical address, the next instruction in the sequence, which will then be the first instruction of the sub-program, is fetched and performed.
In order for the CPU to continue after the performance of the sub-program in the main program again, which means after a re-jump instruction (10c of FIG. 1), re-jump information is stored. In this case, the re-jump information is the logical addresses, where the next instruction of the main program to be performed is.
Analogous to that, nested sub-programs (row 10d to 10k of FIG. 1) are performed.
If there is not the situation that all sub-programs are stored within the currently visible physical memory window, a call instruction FCALL (physical address) is used. The physical address in the instruction FCALL is expressed by a logical address and a descriptor. If the MMU receives the instruction FCALL and interprets information coming from the CPU as an instruction FCALL, respectively, the MMU is reconfigured by using the obtained descriptor, to retrieve and perform an instruction of the sub-program, such as the sub-program 2 of FIG. 1, from the physical address, which is now within the memory window, by the altered descriptor.
For ensuring a correct re-jump after performing the sub-program UP2, a reconfiguration of the MMU has to be performed again, since the instructions of the main program are within a memory window, which, with high probability, does not coincide with the memory window where the sub-program UP2 is visible. When performing sub-programs in unmapped memory areas, the MMU first has to be configured for the desired address area and after ending, which means after a re-jump instruction or "return", it has to be restored again. This restoring of the MMU is currently solved within a current compiler/linker solution by a so-called banking concept, which provides a code for setting and resetting for every possible memory bank, i.e., for every possible physical address area of FIG. 6A or FIG. 6B. This concept costs additional code memory in the constantly visible memory and is expensive and complicated.
In the re-jump of a sub-program jumped to by FCALL, the MMU descriptor of the Far segment has to be restored. One possibility for the realization of these different return mechanisms is the usage of two different return instructions, e.g., Ret for LCALL and FRet for FCALL. A return instruction (Ret) is a simple re-jump, which does not require any descriptor change, while the other return instruction is a Far return instruction, where the MMU has to be reconfigured to the old descriptor, which means the descriptor "from which" an original jump has taken place.
A disadvantage of this concept is particularly the usage of two different return instructions, since these instructions require interventions into the sub-programs. Typically, every sub-program is terminated with a return instruction. Sub-programs, however, exist already as preconstructed software components, which are only reluctantly intervened in, or which cannot be intervened at all, for example when the chip card manufacturer would be required to do so. For security reasons, it is often the case that the chip card manufacturer merely provides the hardware with specification, and that the actual sub-programs, such as cryptographical programs, etc., are developed by the user and loaded to the chip card. In other words, this means that often, particularly in security relevant applications, the chip card manufacturer himself has no access to the sub-programs or is not supposed to have access, to modify, for example the return instructions of the individual sub-programs from case to case into Far return instructions or simple return instructions.
An additional reason for using a return instruction for both options is that a software program can be jumped to both with FCALL and with LCALL (depending on current visibility).
Thus, such a procedure would, if it is possible at all, lead to increased effort (costs) and accompanying increased error-liability.

Apparatus and method for processing a sequence of jump instructions


A method for producing abrasive non-woven cloth includes forming a non-woven web of fibers including a first layer adjacent to a first surface of the web containing at least about 5% by weight of thermoplastic fibers. The web is patterned to generate raised regions and lowered regions in the first surface, and then heat treated to cause at least part of the thermoplastic fibers to form nodules, thereby imparting abrasive properties to at least the raised regions of the first surface. The non-woven web preferably includes a second layer adjacent to a second surface of the web made up primarily of fibers which do not form nodules under the heat treatment.

The present invention relates to non-woven cloth products and, in particular, it concerns a method for producing abrasive non-woven cloth, and the cloth resulting from this method.
Non-woven cloth (fabric) is used for an ever-growing range of products and applications. In particular, the constant trend towards use of disposable products has lead to huge growth in the market for non-woven materials, and has seen non-woven cloths being adapted as a cost-effective basis for many new products.
Types of non-woven cloth may be classified in many ways, for example, according to the type and gauge of fibers used, the laying technique for forming a web, or the linking technique for uniting the fibers into a cloth. Examples of classes of cloth production techniques to which the present invention is believed to be applicable include, but are not limited to, hotmelt, wet-laid and dry-laid water entanglement, thermo-bonding, air-through thermo-bonding and chemical bonding.
For certain applications, it is desirable to provide various degrees of abrasivity to non-woven cloth. This ranges from very mild abrasive properties used for facial cleansing or skin treatment through to highly abrasive scouring pads used for cleaning kitchen utensils. The required abrasive properties are generally achieved by use of thick gauge fibers which inherently exhibit the required abrasivity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,065 to Annis et al. describes a process for producing an abrasive non-woven material from an initially non-abrasive precursor by heating the cloth which includes between 10% and 50% by weight of thermoplastic fibers to near the melting point of the thermoplastic fibers so that they contract to form nodules. These nodules impart abrasive properties to one planar surface of the material. Differential properties between the two surfaces is achieved by ensuring a gradient in the proportion of the thermoplastic fibers through the initial cloth.
According to the teachings of Annis et al., the abrasivity is a function of the size of the nodules which is, itself, a function of the gauge of thermoplastic fibers used in the precursor material. From the examples quoted, Annis et al. implies that effective high abrasivity may be achieved by using fiber size in the range of 10-55 denier, corresponding to about 11-60 grams per 10,000 meters length of fiber (referred to as "decitex" or "d-tex"). This thickness of fiber necessarily imparts a noticeable coarseness and, after heat treatment, a degree of stiffness to the resulting cloth. In all cases, the surfaces of the material are clearly stated to be planar.
There is therefore a need for a production method and corresponding product which would provide a controllable degree of abrasivity of a non-woven cloth using low-gauge fibers and while maintaining a high degree of flexibility in the cloth.

Method for producing abrasive non-woven cloth


A system for alerting some individuals in a large open space such as a store or restaurant to an incoming telephone call, but that avoids disturbing other individuals by loud ringing. Individuals carry miniature alerting units that are clipped to their clothing and that can also serve as identification badges. An incoming telephone call is received by a telephone ringer control which transmits a signal by a wireless medium to an alerting unit, which emits a low-level auditory (or vibratory or visual) signal to alert the user, and also transmits an acknowledgment signal by the same wireless medium back to the telephone ringer control. If such an acknowledgment signal is not received within a short time period at the telephone ringer control, a loud auditory ringing signal is broadcast. The acknowledgment signal--and resulting loud ring if it is not received--ensures that individuals will always be alerted to an incoming call, even if an individual forgets to carry an alerting unit or an alerting unit fails to operate because of an obstruction in the transmission path or a drained battery.

In many environments, it is desirable for some individuals to be made aware of incoming telephone calls, but at the same time undesirable for others to be disturbed by the loud ringing that typically results with some present-day installations. In environments such as restaurants, bookstores, department stores, libraries, etc., it is often the case that it is necessary for loud ringing to permeate the atmosphere. In some cases, ringing signals resulting from incoming telephone calls are broadcast over a public address system so as to insure that they will be heard, which can be annoying and unpleasant for customers, particularly when the calls are not answered, which often happens.
This problem is on the surface solvable by making use of some form of paging receiver that is carried by individuals, such as the paging receivers now commonly used by individuals outside of a building. Several drawbacks result from such an approach, however. Radio is relatively expensive because of the cost of paging receivers, and also requires substantial energy, limiting battery life. In addition, radio bandwidth is required, involving possible licensing or the need to deal with paging companies (and paying monthly service fees), and also raising the possibility of signal delays that could substantially delay the receipt of a paging signal after a ring was received.
An alternative is the use of some other medium that is particularly useful within a building. Thus, for example, the Curtin invention (U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,715) discloses a paging system for use in a building using ultrasound, in which an ultrasonic signal at a frequency unique to a given individual is transmitted over a power line to a set of transducers that converts the signal to sound and is received at an ultrasonic detector carried by an individual. Similar systems, including those by Lester (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,696,384, 3,805,227, and 3,805,265) disclose variations that use ultrasound and other media, sometimes in combination, including infrared light, radio, baseband wire, or other media, to allow paging of individuals. Such systems typically also allow tracking individuals, with the Ward invention (U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,320) using ultrasound for tracking the location of individuals and routing incoming telephone calls to the room that a given individual is in when the call arrives.
The primary problem with such systems is the potential for failure. Potential customers of such systems are reluctant to buy them if there is any possibility of failure. Failure is not just a matter of factors that impair transmission, such as electromagnetic interference or shielding that might impair radio waves, visual obstructions that might impair infrared light, or auditory obstructions that might impair ultrasound. Failure of a system also results when a user forgets to carry the unit on a particular day, or leaves it on one's desk when at lunch and then forgets to carry it after lunch, or goes out to the parking lot and takes the unit with him or her. Failure can also result from a drained battery or defective electronics. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a system that is "fail safe" and will always result in effective alerting of users to an incoming telephone call regardless of any of these forms of failure.
An invention by Brown, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,123) has some similarity in mechanism to the present invention. Brown, et al. discloses a cordless telephone system that redirects calls. A user who desires to be reached at another location will program that location to expect the user at a certain time. When a caller places a call to the user, the central office will redirect the call to a base station, which sends a polling signal by radio to the cordless telephone. In the embodiment most similar to the present invention, of the cordless telephone is near the base station, it will respond and a call will be set up. However, if the cordless telephone does not respond, the base station will so indicate and the central station will redirect the call to a different location, such as the location the original call was placed to. The present invention is directed to receiving calls at a single fixed location and insuring that at least one individual will be alerted to such an incoming call.
Another invention by Emery, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,496) also has some similarity to the present invention. Emery, et al. discloses a system for integrating wired and wireless telephone systems, in particular cordless telephones that have a base station unit that is connected to the wired telephone system. Emery, et al. is particularly concerned with providing flexibility in routing calls and in routing calls in a manner customized to the particular needs of individuals. In the version of the Emery, et al. invention most similar to the present invention, a base station sends a signal to a cordless handset, with the handset responding by indicating that the handset is busy (e.g., already on a call), is ringing, or is unavailable (out of range). In the case of the handset ringing, the base station waits for a certain specified number of rings and then, if the handset has not answered, the call is redirected to a different line or service, such as transferring the call to a secretary's line or to a voicemail system or answering machine. In contract, the goal of the present invention is to insure that the alerting signal resulting from an incoming call is effectively and quickly (and quietly, if possible) transmitted so as to notify an individual or individuals that the incoming call has arrived, even if they forgotten to wear their alerting device or it has malfunctioned. In the present invention, the incoming call is accepted on the same line and at the same telephone station regardless of whether the individual is alerted by a signal from a wearable alerting unit or by a broad range auditory ringer. The call itself is not rerouted if the alerting unit does not respond.

Wireless system for alerting individual to incoming telephone call


Aramids, which in the drawn state have high tensile strengths tensile elongations, and tensile moduli, are made from units derived from p-phenylenediamine, terephthalic acid, a substituted terephthalic acid, and 4,4'-bibenzoic acid or 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid. The aramids are useful for ropes and composites.

It is well known in the art that the essence of high fiber tensile strength and modulus is the capability of macromolecules, of adequately high molecular weight, to adopt a fully extended (rod-like) conformation and good parallelization (orientation) with respect to the fiber axis. With fairly stiff-chain para-aramids, exemplified by poly(p-phenyleneterephthalamide) (PPD-T), good orientation is accomplished by virtue of the ability of precursor liquid crystalline spinning solutions to become well oriented on extrusion through a spinneret and prior to coagulation. Fibers thus formed are not capable of significant draw-orientation, although modulus, and sometimes, to a lesser extent, tenacity may be improved by heat-treatment under tension, which is in effect a crystallization process. A second route to oriented aramid fibers of high strength and modulus is by choice of a semi-flexible composition such that, while it cannot form ordered, liquid crystalline solutions, an initially amorphous as-spun fiber may be very highly stretched at elevated temperature to bring the chains into good alignment. These are typically random copolymers which are non-crystalline in the drawn state. Random copolymers based on the corresponding diacid, 3,4'-oxydibenzoic acid have been disclosed in a general way, e.g., as part of a large number of possibilities for combining certain cited monomers (Japanese Patent Application 78-143726), or as within the description of a generalized formula (H. Sasaki et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,467). Such drawable copolymers generally do not have the capability for substantial crystallization, which is known, as cited earlier, to enhance orientation which is a major prerequisite for maximization of fiber strength.
Herein are disclosed random copolymers based on terephthalic acid, mono- or dichloroterephthalic acid, 4,4'-bibenzoic acid or 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, and p-phenylenediamine (PPD), which upon drawing as spun fibers at high temperatures, or just heating as spun fibers under tension yields fibers with a combination of high tensile strength, high modulus, and relatively high elongation to break.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,414 discloses copolymers derived from terephthalic acid, 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, and PPD. U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,036 discloses polymers containing units derived from chloroterephthalic acid, a second dicarboxylic acid such as terephthalic acid, and PPD. Neither of these patents mentions a polymer containing both chloroterephthalic acid and 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid. Fibers made in both patents cannot be drawn significantly in the dry state.
N. V. Luikasheva, et al., Vysokomol. Soedin., Ser. B, Vol. 20, p. 151-154 (1978) reports the synthesis of a polymer containing units derived from terephthalic acid, 4,4'-bibenzoic acid and PPD. It is believed that chloroterephthalic acid is not mentioned in this paper.