A perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises a layer stack formed over a surface of a non-magnetic substrate, and comprising, in overlying sequence from the surface: a magnetically soft underlayer; an interlayer structure for crystallographically orienting a layer of a perpendicular magnetic recording material formed thereon; and at least one crystallographically oriented, magnetically hard, perpendicular magnetic recording layer on the interlayer structure; wherein the interlayer structure is a triple-layer stacked structure comprising: a first interlayer of a first non-magnetic material proximal the magnetically soft underlayer and containing Ru; a second interlayer of a second non-magnetic material in overlying contact with the first interlayer and not containing Ru; and a third interlayer of a third non-magnetic material in overlying contact with the second interlayer and containing Ru.

Magnetic media are widely used in various applications, particularly in the computer industry for data/information storage and retrieval applications, typically in disk form, and efforts are continually made with the aim of increasing the areal recording density, i.e., bit density of the magnetic media. Conventional thin film thin-film type magnetic media, wherein a fine-grained polycrystalline magnetic alloy layer serves as the active recording layer, are generally classified as "longitudinal" or "perpendicular", depending upon the orientation of the magnetic domains of the grains of magnetic material.
Perpendicular recording media have been found to be superior to longitudinal media in achieving very high bit densities without experiencing the thermal stability limit associated with the latter. In perpendicular magnetic recording media, residual magnetization is formed in a direction ("easy axis") perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic medium, typically a layer of a magnetic material on a suitable substrate. Very high to ultra-high linear recording densities are obtainable by utilizing a "single-pole" magnetic transducer or "head" with such perpendicular magnetic media.
Efficient, high bit density recording utilizing a perpendicular magnetic medium requires interposition of a relatively thick (as compared with the magnetic recording layer), magnetically "soft" underlayer ("SUL"), i.e., a magnetic layer having a relatively low coercivity below about 1 kOe, such as of a NiFe alloy (Permalloy), between a non-magnetic substrate, e.g., of glass, aluminum (Al) or an Al-based alloy, and a magnetically "hard" recording layer having relatively high coercivity, typically about 3-8 kOe, e.g., of a cobalt-based alloy (e.g., a Co—Cr alloy such as CoCrPtB) having perpendicular anisotropy. The magnetically soft underlayer serves to guide magnetic flux emanating from the head through the magnetically hard perpendicular recording layer.
A typical conventional perpendicular recording system 20 utilizing a vertically oriented magnetic medium 21 with a relatively thick soft magnetic underlayer, a relatively thin hard magnetic recording layer, and a magnetic transducer head 16, is illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein reference numerals 10, 11, 4, 5, and 6, respectively, indicate a non-magnetic substrate, an optional adhesion layer, a soft magnetic underlayer, at least one non-magnetic interlayer (sometimes referred to as an "intermediate" or "seed", and at least one magnetically hard perpendicular recording layer with its magnetic easy axis perpendicular to the film plane.
Still referring to FIG. 1, reference numerals 7 and 8, respectively, indicate the main (writing) and auxiliary poles of the magnetic transducer head 16. The relatively thin interlayer 5, comprised of one or more layers of non-magnetic materials, serves to (1) prevent magnetic interaction between the soft underlayer 4 and the at least one hard recording layer 6; and (2) promote desired microstructural and magnetic properties of the at least one magnetically hard recording layer.
As shown by the arrows in the figure indicating the path of the magnetic flux φ, flux φ is seen as emanating from the main writing pole 7 of magnetic transducer head 16, entering and passing through the at least one vertically oriented, magnetically hard recording layer 5 in the region below main pole 7, entering and traveling within soft magnetic underlayer (SUL) 3 for a distance, and then exiting therefrom and passing through the at least one perpendicular hard magnetic recording layer 6 in the region below auxiliary pole 8 of transducer head 16. The direction of movement of perpendicular magnetic medium 21 past transducer head 16 is indicated in the figure by the arrow above medium 21.
With continued reference to FIG. 1, vertical lines 9 indicate grain boundaries of polycrystalline layers 5 and 6 of the layer stack constituting medium 21. Magnetically hard main recording layer 6 is formed on interlayer 5, and while the grains of each polycrystalline layer may be of differing widths (as measured in a horizontal direction) represented by a grain size distribution, they are generally in vertical registry (i.e., vertically "correlated" or aligned).
Completing the layer stack is a protective overcoat layer 14, such as of a diamond-like carbon (DLC), formed over hard magnetic layer 6, and a lubricant topcoat layer 15, such as of a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) material, formed over the protective overcoat layer.
Substrate 10 is typically disk-shaped and comprised of a non-magnetic metal or alloy, e.g., Al or an Al-based alloy, such as Al—Mg having a Ni—P plating layer on the deposition surface thereof, or alternatively, substrate 10 is comprised of a suitable glass, ceramic, glass-ceramic, polymeric material, or a composite or laminate of these materials. Optional adhesion layer 11, if present, may comprise an up to about 200 Å thick layer of a material such as Ti, a Ti-based alloy, Cr, or a Cr-based alloy. Soft magnetic underlayer 4 is typically comprised of an about 500 to about 4,000 Å thick layer of a soft magnetic material selected from the group consisting of Ni, NiFe (Permalloy), Co, CoZr, CoZrCr, CoZrNb, CoFeZrNb, CoFe, Fe, FeN, FeSiAl, FeSiAlN, FeCoB, FeCoC, etc. Interlayer 5 typically comprises an up to about 300 Å thick layer or layers of non-magnetic material(s), such as Ru, TiCr, Ru/CoCr37Pt6, RuCr/CoCrPt, etc.; and the at least one magnetically hard perpendicular recording layer 6 is typically comprised of an about 50 to about 250 Å thick layer(s) of Co-based alloy(s) including one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Cr, Fe, Ta, Ni, Mo, Pt, V, Nb, Ge, B, and Pd.
A currently employed way of classifying magnetic recording media is on the basis by which the magnetic grains of the recording layer are mutually separated, i.e., segregated, in order to physically and magnetically de-couple the grains and provide improved media performance characteristics. According to this classification scheme, magnetic media with Co-based alloy magnetic recording layers (e.g., CoCr alloys) are classified into two distinct types: (1) a first type, wherein segregation of the grains occurs by diffusion of Cr atoms of the magnetic layer to the grain boundaries of the layer to form Cr-rich grain boundaries, which diffusion process requires heating of the media substrate during formation (deposition) of the magnetic layer; and (2) a second type, wherein segregation of the grains occurs by formation of oxides, nitrides, and/or carbides at the boundaries between adjacent magnetic grains to form so-called "granular" media, which oxides, nitrides, and/or carbides may be formed by introducing a minor amount of at least one reactive gas containing oxygen, nitrogen, and/or carbon atoms (e.g. O2, N2, CO2, etc.) to the inert gas (e.g., Ar) atmosphere during sputter deposition of the Co alloy-based magnetic layer. The latter process does not require heating of the substrate to an elevated temperature.
Magnetic recording media with granular magnetic recording layers possess great potential for achieving very high and ultra-high areal recording densities. An advantage afforded by granular recording layers is significant suppression of media noise due to great reduction in the exchange coupling between adjacent magnetic grains, resulting from the presence of non-magnetic material, typically an oxide material, at the grain boundaries. As indicated above, current methodology for manufacturing granular-type magnetic recording media involves reactive sputtering of a target comprised of the ferromagnetic material for the magnetic recording layer (typically a Co-based alloy) in a reactive gas-containing atmosphere, e.g., an atmosphere comprising oxygen or a compound of oxygen, in order to incorporate oxides in the deposited film or layer and achieve smaller and more isolated magnetic grains. Alternatively, a target comprised of the ferromagnetic material (typically a Co-based alloy) and the oxide material may be directly sputtered in an inert atmosphere or an atmosphere comprising oxygen or a compound of oxygen.
As indicated above, perpendicular magnetic recording media typically include at least one magnetically soft underlayer for guiding magnetic flux through the media and to enhance writability, at least one non-magnetic intermediate or interlayer (hereinafter referred to as "interlayer"), and at least one main recording layer. The role of the interlayer(s) is critical for obtaining good media performance. Specifically, in perpendicular magnetic recording media the interlayer(s) serve to provide:
1. control of the crystallographic orientation of the main recording layer(s);
2. control of the grain size and grain distribution of the main recording layer(s);
3. destruction of exchange coupling between magnetically hard recording layers and magnetically soft layers; and
4. physical separation between adjacent grains of the main recording layer(s), which feature is particularly desirable and important when the latter is formed by a low temperature, high gas pressure sputtering process, and/or by a reactive sputtering process, so that an oxide, e.g., Co-oxide, occurs in the boundaries between adjacent grains.
More specifically, the SMNR of perpendicular magnetic recording media is improved by increasing the strength of the preferred c-axis out-of-plane orientation of the perpendicular main recording layer(s) while maintaining a small uniform grain size of the layer(s). The preferred orientation of the magnetic layer(s) depends upon the structural properties of and the interactions between the various previously deposited underlying layers of the media, as well as upon the nature of the substrate.
In general, control of the strength (or amount) of the preferred orientation of thin-film layers is difficult. Formation of a Co-alloy magnetic recording layer with a strong <0002> growth orientation on a structure including a substrate, a soft magnetic underlayer, and non-magnetic seed and interlayers between about 0.2 and 40 nm thick is extremely difficult.
Differences in crystallographic orientation between adjacent thin film layers are affected by the surface and interfacial energies of the materials of the layers, and by heteroepitaxial (or coherent) growth of one layer upon another layer of a chemically incompatible material with related crystal lattice structure and atomic interplanar spacings.
The soft magnetic underlayer of perpendicular magnetic recording media generally is composed of a small grain or amorphous material containing at least one of Fe and Co. According to prior practice, a non-magnetic material of hcp structure, e.g., Ru, may be deposited on the soft magnetic underlayer, which non-magnetic hcp material grows with a moderately strong <0002> preferred orientation and small grain size. A magnetic material of hcp structure, typically a Co-based alloy, may grow coherently on the hcp non-magnetic layer, also with <0002> growth orientation and small grain size. The quality of the <0002> growth orientation can be determined from the size of symmetric X-ray diffraction ("XRD") peaks and rocking curves. Strong preferred growth orientation of the Co-based alloy with the hcp <0002> axis out-of-plane is generally necessary for achieving good performance of high areal recording density perpendicular magnetic media. Unfortunately, however, the quality of growth orientation of an hcp material upon the soft magnetic underlayer depends upon the selected material, and prior intermediate or underlayer structures, such as with a Ru layer and a Co-alloy layer, generally have not afforded the desired strength of <0002> growth orientation.
As indicated supra, one type of perpendicular magnetic recording media comprises Co alloy-based recording layers wherein oxides are present between adjacent magnetic grains for enhancing inter-granular separation. Such layers are typically formed by a sputtering process performed at a high pressure, e.g., about 30 mTorr, with Ru alloy-based films utilized as interlayers beneath the recording layer(s). When the Ru alloy-based interlayers are deposited, as by sputtering at a relatively high gas pressure, the physical separation between neighboring grains afforded by the oxides and/or voids promotes de-coupling of the magnetic grains and enhances the coercivity of the layer. However, the crystallographic <0002> orientations of the Ru/Co-alloy interlayer/magnetic alloy bi-layer structure are not as good as when the Ru interlayer is sputter-deposited at a lower pressure.
U.S. published patent application No. US 2004/0247945 A1, published Dec. 9, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,925 B2, issued Feb. 13, 2007, commonly assigned with the present application, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses very high areal recording density perpendicular magnetic recording media with improved crystallographic orientations performance characteristics. The media disclosed therein typically utilize magnetic alloys as the material of the perpendicular recording layer(s), e.g., hcp Co-based alloys requiring strong <0002> preferred growth orientation, reliably and controllably fabricated, for example, by conventional sputtering techniques. Optimum crystallographic properties (e.g., growth orientation) and physical separation of the grains of the component crystalline layers, particularly the interlayer(s) and perpendicular recording layer(s), are obtained by means of appropriate layer design, deposition conditions, and materials selection.
Perpendicular recording media fabricated according to the abovementioned U.S. published patent application and U.S. patent include one or more of the following features:
1. a very smooth-surfaced first interlayer of a dual-layer interlayer structure, i.e., an interlayer structure comprised of a first crystalline interlayer of a non-magnetic material formed by sputter deposition in a gas atmosphere at a first pressure (e.g., not greater than about 3 mTorr) and a second crystalline interlayer of a non-magnetic material formed by sputter deposition in a gas atmosphere at a second pressure greater than the first pressure (e.g., not less than about 15 mTorr), which interlayer structure promotes and strengthens a desired out-of-plane crystallographic growth orientation of the perpendicular magnetic recording layer deposited thereon;
2. at least one very smooth-surfaced, amorphous or crystalline seed or wetting layer beneath the interlayer structure for improving magnetic and crystallographic properties of the media;
3. at least one very smooth-surfaced, magnetically soft underlayer, formed by sputtering at increased target-substrate distances (e.g., not less than about 2 in.) and at low gas pressures (relative to conventional sputtering practices), for controlling the out-of-plane crystallographic orientation of, e.g., hcp-structured interlayers and magnetic recording layers; and
4. crystalline interlayers and perpendicular magnetic recording layers formed with physically well-separated crystal grains.
Referring now to FIG. 2, schematically illustrated therein, in simplified cross-sectional view, is a portion of an embodiment of a perpendicular magnetic recording medium 20 fabricated according to the aforementioned principles. More specifically, perpendicular magnetic recording medium 20 resembles the conventional perpendicular magnetic recording medium 1 of FIG. 1, and comprises a series of thin-film layers arranged in an overlying (stacked) sequence on a suitable non-magnetic substrate 2, and includes a soft magnetic underlayer 3, an amorphous or crystalline seed layer (3A), a dual-layer, non-magnetic interlayer structure 4′ according to the therein disclosed invention, a perpendicularly oriented, magnetically hard (main) granular recording layer 5, a protective overcoat layer 11, typically comprised of a carbon (C)-containing material, such as diamond-like carbon (DLC), and a lubricant topcoat layer 12, typically comprised of a perfluoropolyether compound.
When utilized in hard disk applications, the non-magnetic substrate 2 is sufficiently thick as to provide medium 20 with a desired rigidity and comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Al, NiP-plated Al, Al—Mg alloys, other Al-based alloys, other non-magnetic metals, other non-magnetic alloys, glass, ceramics, polymers, glass-ceramics, and composites and/or laminates thereof. Substrate 2 may further comprise, in overlying sequence from the surface thereof, a plating layer 2A and an adhesion layer 2B. A suitable material for plating layer 2A, as when substrate 2 is comprised of Al or an Al alloy, such as Al—Mg, is amorphous NiP, and suitable materials for adhesion layer 2B include Cr, CrTi, Ti, and TiNb.
Overlying substrate 2 is a magnetically soft underlayer 3, from about 50 to about 400 nm thick, preferably from about 80 to about 200 nm thick, typically comprised of at least one magnetic material selected from the group consisting of: NiFe (Permalloy), NiFeNb, CoZr, CoZrTa, CoZrCr, CoZrNb, CoFe, Fe, FeN, FeSiAl, FeAlN, FeSiAlN, FeCoC, FeCoB, FeTaN, FeTaC, and FeCoTaZr, and a laminated structure comprised of a plurality of magnetic layers, each comprised of at least one of the recited magnetic materials and spaced-apart by thin spacer layers each comprised of at least one material selected from the group consisting of Ta, C, and Si or thin anti-ferromagnetic coupling (AFC) layers, each comprised of at least one material selected from the group consisting of Ru and IrMn.
An optional amorphous or crystalline seed or wetting layer 3A from about 1 to about 5 nm thick, preferably about 1-2 nm thick, and comprised of at least one material selected from the group consisting of: Ta, Au, Cu, Pd, Pt, TiCr, and Ag, may overlie the soft magnetic underlayer 3, wherein the combination of the soft magnetic underlayer 3 and the amorphous or crystalline seed layer 3A provides a smoother surface for subsequent layer deposition thereon than is possible with the soft magnetic underlayer alone.
A non-magnetic interlayer structure 4′ is interposed between the magnetically soft underlayer 3 (or an overlying amorphous or nano-crystalline seed layer 3A as described supra) and the magnetically hard (main) granular perpendicular recording layer 5, which non-magnetic interlayer structure 4′ is described in detail below.
Magnetically hard, granular perpendicular recording layer 5 overlying the non-magnetic interlayer structure 4′ is from about 5 to about 25 nm thick, preferably from about 7 to about 11 nm thick, and includes at least one layer comprised of at least one magnetic material selected from the group consisting of: Co-based magnetic alloys including one or more elements selected from the group consisting of: (1) Cr, Fe, Ta, Ni, Mo, Pt, V, Nb, Ge, Si, Al, B, Ti, Zr, Hf, and Pd; (2) oxides of the Co-based magnetic alloys; (3) iron nitrides; and (4) iron oxides. Preferably, perpendicular recording layer 5 includes at least one layer of an hcp ferromagnetic alloy material with strong <0002> preferred growth orientation, preferably comprised of Co containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pt, Cr, Ta, B, Cu, W, Mo, and Nb.
Completing the layer stack of medium 20 are protective overcoat layer 11 atop recording layer 5, typically a layer of a carbon-containing material<100 Å thick, and a lubricant topcoat layer 12 atop the protective overcoat layer 11, typically a layer of a perfluoropolyether<50 Å thick.
Interlayer structure 4′ is a bi-layer structure having an overall (i.e., combined) thickness of from about 4 to about 50 nm, preferably about 10-20 nm, which bi-layer structure, inter alia, crystallographically orients out-of-plane growth of the at least one overlying granular perpendicular magnetic recording layer 5 along a preferred growth direction. In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, bi-layer structure 4′ is utilized together with the aforementioned hcp Co-containing magnetic alloys with <0002> preferred out-of-plane growth orientation, and comprises, in overlying sequence from the amorphous or nano-crystalline seed layer 3A:
(a) a first crystalline interlayer 4A of a non-magnetic material from about 2 to about 40 nm thick and formed, e.g., by sputtering, in a gas atmosphere at a first pressure less than about 5 mTorr; and
(b) a second crystalline interlayer 4B of a non-magnetic material from about 2 to about 25 nm thick and formed, e.g., by sputtering, in a gas atmosphere at a second pressure greater than the first pressure, i.e., at least about 15 mTorr, illustratively ˜30 mTorr.
The first and second interlayers 4A and 4B can also be formed by sputter depositing under a continuously increasing gas pressure, commencing with the first (i.e., initial), lower pressure and terminating with the second (i.e., final), higher pressure, which second pressure is preferably at least 10 times greater than the first pressure. When fabricated in this manner, no sharp transition or interface is formed between the first and second interlayers.
Alternatively, interlayers 4A and 4B may be formed by sputter deposition such that a distinct transition layer is present between the first and second interlayers, which transition layer is formed at a transitional gas pressure.
Preferably, each of the crystalline interlayers 4A and 4B is comprised of a non-magnetic material selected from the group consisting of Ru, RuCr, other Ru-based alloys, CoCrRu, Ti, CoCr, CoCrPt, CoCrTa, and CoCrMo. Adjacent grains of the second crystalline interlayer 4B and the overlying at least one crystalline perpendicular granular magnetic recording layer 5 are physically well-separated, as by the presence of oxide(s) and/or voids at the grain boundaries.
Each of the constituent thin film layers 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 4A, 4B, 5, and 11 of the layer stack of medium 20 is preferably formed by sputtering, and lubricant topcoat 12 may be formed in conventional fashion, e.g., by dipping, spraying, or vapor deposition.
While the above-described hcp structured dual Ru interlayer media featuring a lower pressure first Ru interlayer in combination with a higher pressure second Ru interlayer demonstrate significant improvement in bit error rate ("BER") and media signal-to-noise ratio ("SMNR") over conventional single interlayer media, the current high market demand for Ru has led to sharp increases in its cost to unacceptable levels for either the short or long term. As a consequence, replacement of at least a portion of the Ru required for interlayer formation in high performance granular perpendicular recording media without compromising the improved BER and SMNR performance is considered imperative from an economic standpoint.
In view of the above-demonstrated critical nature of the interlayer in obtaining high performance granular perpendicular magnetic recording media, there exists a clear need for improved interlayer structures for facilitating highly oriented crystal growth thereon, and for highly crystallographically oriented granular perpendicular magnetic recording media comprising improved interlayer structures for providing enhanced performance characteristics at lower manufacturing cost than presently possible with Ru-containing interlayer structures.
The present invention, therefore, addresses and solves problems attendant upon the design and manufacture of improved film or layer structures for facilitating highly oriented crystal growth and fabrication of high performance, ultra-high areal recording density granular perpendicular magnetic recording media, while maintaining full compatibility with the economic requirements of cost-effective, large-scale, automated manufacturing technology.


A child vehicle includes a power mechanism having a motor, at least one wheel selectively operatively coupled to the motor, and a propulsion switch coupled to the power mechanism and having a first position and a second position. The first position is from a user-initiated force. The propulsion switch automatically moves to the second position upon disengagement of the force. In the first position, the child vehicle is in the first operational mode and the wheel is being driven by the motor. In the second position, the child vehicle is in the second operational mode and the wheel is allowed to rotate substantially free from drag or resistance due to the motor. A method is also disclosed.

Child vehicles, including a wide range of tricycles, quads, scooters and the like, remain very popular with consumers. Traditionally, these child vehicles were self-propelled, in that the rider of the vehicle typically provides the motive force that results in movement of the vehicle in a direction dictated by the handlebar or steering mechanism. These self-propelled vehicles might take the form of pedaled vehicles, such as traditional tricycles, or foot-powered vehicles, such as traditional scooters or foot-to-floor vehicles. More recently, however, consumers have found motorized vehicles an attractive alternative to self-propelled vehicles. These types of vehicles typically include an electric motor operatively coupled to one or more of the vehicle wheels for providing the motive force resulting in movement of the vehicle. Such motorized vehicles include a power source, such as a battery, for providing power to the electric motor. The battery is usually of a rechargeable type that allows the battery to be recharged over a certain period of time by coupling the battery to an electric outlet via a power cord or the like.
While motorized child vehicles have gained in popularity over the last several years, these vehicles have a number of drawbacks that limit their full acceptance in the commercial landscape. By way of example, the batteries used to power the electric motors are typically heavy and cumbersome to use. In this regard, a recharging operation may require the battery to be removed from the vehicle prior to charging. This may require the owner to perform several disassembly steps and lifting operations to achieve battery removal. Additionally, battery life for such motorized vehicles is often relatively short. For example, a typical battery may power a vehicle for as short as a few hours. Moreover, in contrast to useable battery life, the recharge time of these batteries is relatively long. For example, in many cases, the battery would need to be charged for several hours to reach a fully-charged state. Many users charge the battery overnight in anticipation of use the following day. In many cases, however, owners forget to charge the battery overnight which often results in frustration and disappointment.
Another drawback of motorized vehicles is that once the battery is depleted and the motor no longer propels the vehicle, children tend not to use the vehicle for further play and enjoyment. In this regard, the vehicle is often left abandoned in the yard, porch or garage until an adult recharges the battery. Accordingly, the available play time of the vehicle is limited, reducing the overall enjoyment factor of the vehicle. In an attempt to extend the play time of motorized vehicles, some vehicles are configured to be used in a traditional sense after the battery life has been depleted. However, the drive train of these vehicles, typically connected to one or more of the wheels, remains engaged with motor such that movement of the vehicle has to work against the motor (often associated with an audible motor "whining"). This results in a significant drag or resistance due to the motor that may make it difficult to move the vehicle under pedal power or foot power. Alternatively, some motorized vehicles are heavy, making carrying such vehicles difficult as well. Consequently, these vehicles remain difficult to use or move after the battery has been depleted, and as a result, are often not used after the battery is depleted.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved motorized child vehicle that allows the vehicle to be more effectively used in a traditional sense after the battery life has been depleted.

Power mechanism for automatically switching the operational mode of a child vehicle


Boat cover fastening system for aquatic craft utilizing a rail having a continuous securement channel along its length which receives a plurality of cover mounted flexible spring clips distributed along the periphery of the boat cover. An alternate embodiment discloses a flexible spring clip having members of different flexibilities.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is for a cover system for an aquatic craft, and more particularly, pertains to a cover system which is readily installed on or removed from an aquatic craft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art boat cover devices have often included a snap system having a male snap member secured to a surface of the aquatic craft which mates with a corresponding female snap member secured to the canvas or plastic cover member. Initial alignment and installation of the female snap member on the cover member proved to be a demanding and time consuming task and often the mating parts were found to be out of desirable alignment when weather elements caused stretching or shrinking of the cover member. Stress points were created on the boat cover material in the area of the female snap members causing undue stress and possible separation of material at the snap. Clearly what is needed is a boat cover fastening system which is easily fabricated, which distributes stress, and which is quickly and easily installed on or removed from an aquatic craft.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of various prior art devices by providing a suitable boat cover fastening system.


An optical transport system configured to transmit information using two or more modulated optical carriers spaced at spectral intervals that are smaller than the baud rate. An example optical receiver in the optical transport system includes a signal equalizer configured to implement frequency-diversity multiple-input/multiple-output signal processing directed at canceling the effects of inter-carrier interference caused by the spectral overlap between adjacent modulated optical carriers to enable the optical receiver to recover individual data streams encoded onto the different modulated optical carriers at the corresponding optical transmitter(s). Some embodiments of the optical transport system may advantageously be capable of achieving a higher spectral efficiency than the spectral efficiency supported by the optical orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplexing transmission format.

1. Field
The present invention relates to optical communication equipment and, more specifically but not exclusively, to an optical transmission scheme using frequency-diversity (FD) multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) signal processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the invention(s). Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.
Telecommunications companies face continuing demands for increased capacity in their metro, regional, and long-haul optical networks, e.g., due to the proliferation of high-speed data services, video services, and business and residential broadband connections. While optical fiber has a very large intrinsic capacity for transporting data, the spectral efficiency realized in modern optical networks still has significant room for improvement. For example, one of the most spectrally efficient optical-transport techniques employed today is optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), which uses modulated subcarriers that are spaced exactly at the baud rate. However, a higher spectral efficiency than that supported by optical OFDM is likely to be required to meet the capacity demands in the future.
In telecommunications and electronics, the term "baud rate" refers to the data rate expressed in the units of symbols per second or pulses per second. Baud rate, also sometimes referred to as "modulation rate," is therefore the number of distinct symbol changes or signaling events applied to the transmission medium per second using a digitally modulated signal or line code. The corresponding bit rate is a product of the baud rate and the number of bits per symbol in the employed modulation format or constellation.

Frequency-diversity MIMO processing for optical transmission


A Wireless bridge conjoins two previously incompatible technologies within a single device to leverage the strengths of each. The Wireless bridge marries the Personal Area Network (PAN) technology of Bluetooth as described in Bluetooth Specification Version 1.0B with the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technology described in the IEEE802.11a specification to provide a wireless system level solution for peripheral devices to provide Internet service interactions. The invention brings together in a single working device implementations of these technologies so they do not interfere or disrupt the operation of each other and instead provide a seamless transition of a Bluetooth connection to Wireless Local Area Network/Internet connection. From the Wireless Local Area Network perspective the inventive wireless bridge extension allows a Bluetooth-enabled device to roam from one Wireless Access Point (bridge) to the next without losing its back end connection. The invention takes into account the minimum separation and shielding required of these potentially conflicting technologies to inter-operate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of communications and more particularly to a communications apparatus which enables seamless, two-way transmission between a plurality of wireless, personal area network (PAN) devices and a wireless local area network (LAN) which may communicate with an Internet-connected server.
2. Description of the Background Art
There are numerous applications where it would be advantageous to provide a plurality of PAN devices that can be wirelessly operated for two-way communication with a remote Internet-connected backend server. By way of example, in many "drive-in" transactions involving a multiple kiosk-type environment, it would be useful to permit a vehicle occupant to communicate wirelessly with the kiosk to facilitate the local transaction. Moreover, if, in turn, the kiosks provided communications with a remote Internet-connected server, a central control system could then monitor, approve and record local transactions in real time without a wire link. A typical automotive service station is a prime illustration of a drive-in kiosk type environment where one could advantageously employ a wireless PAN/LAN two-way communications system using a vehicle-mounted device or hand-held device. The vehicle-mounted device could be a module that operates automatically. The hand-held device could be a personal digital assistant (PDA).
The available art includes various communications systems that provide two-way transmission from transaction kiosks to a remote server. However, such available systems normally require direct interaction with the kiosk or a hard-wired link between kiosks or between the kiosks and a local transceiver. Available solutions for gas stations require that explosion-proof rated cable (e.g. EX zone 1 area 1 rated) be installed between the remote server and the gasoline pumps. Often, the conduits for additional cables may be full or absent. With 24,500 branded gas stations in the U.S. and Canada alone, the envisioned upgrade could be extremely expensive if implemented using available resources.

Bridging apparatus for interconnecting a wireless PAN and a wireless LAN


An exercise therapy device includes pedals, a pedal rotation shaft connected to the pedals, a load motor for driving the pedal rotation shaft, and a load control device for controlling the load motor to cause rotating motion of the pedal rotation shaft to be started by the load motor.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a conventional exercise therapy device as disclosed, for example, in JP 62-46193 B. As shown in FIG. 3, in the conventional exercise therapy device, there are provided a pulley 1 connected with pedals 2 to be depressed by the exerciser and a motor 7 for imparting a load to the pedals 2. Between the pulley 1 and the motor 7, there is provided a pulley 3. A belt 4 is looped around the pulley 1 and the pulley 3. Further, a pulley 5 is provided beside the pulley 3. The pulley 3 and the pulley 5 share the same rotation shaft. A belt 6 is looped around the pulley 5 and the motor 7. Magnets 8 and 9 are mounted to the pulley 1 and the pulley 5, respectively. Further, there are provided Hall elements 10 and 11 for detecting the magnets 8 and 9, respectively. That is, the Hall elements 10 and 11 are situated such that when the magnets 8 and 9 rotate with the pulley 1 and the pulley 5 to reach predetermined positions (the lowest positions of FIG. 3), they are opposed to the Hall elements 10 and 11, so upon each rotation, the magnets 8 and 9 are detected by the Hall elements 10 and 11, whereby it is possible to detect the number of times that each of the pulley 1 and the pulley 5 has rotated. Connected to the Hall elements 10 and 11 is a computer 12, to which signals from the Hall elements 10 and 11 are input, whereby the RPM (Revolution Per Minute) (or the number of revolution) of each of the pulley 1 and the pulley 5 is calculated. Connected to the computer 12 is a load control device 13 for controlling the motor 7, and the load of the motor 7 is controlled based on the RPM supplied from the computer 12.
Next, the operation of the device will be described.
The rotation of the pedals 2 is transmitted to the pulley 5 through the belt 4 looped around the pulley 1 and the pulley 3 to thereby effect an increase in speed, and is further transmitted to the motor 7 through the belt 6. Upon each rotation of the pulley 1 and the pulley 5, the Hall elements 10 and 11 output pulse signals to the computer 12. The computer 12 calculates the number of the pulse signals, and outputs it to the load control device 13. The load control device 13 determines the RPM based on the number of pulse signals to thereby control the load of the motor 7. Further, it is possible to detect the phase angle of the pedals 2 from the RPM, so also when the load is to be set in correspondence with the rotating angle position of the pedals 2, it is possible to effect load setting for each rotating angle position of the pedals 2 by using the RPM.
In the conventional exercise therapy device constructed as described above, at the start of an exercise therapy, the exerciser is required to exert a force larger than a frictional load of a drive system of the exercise therapy device before exerciser can start depressing the pedals 2. Thus, when the strength with which the exerciser depresses the pedals 2 is extremely low, the exerciser receives an abrupt load at the start of the exercise therapy.
It should be noted, however, that when an exercise therapy is to be performed, in particular, on an exerciser whose muscular strength (e.g., the strength of quadriceps femoralis and coxal extensor group) has been markedly reduced, a patient with a heart disease, a patient with a cerebrovascular disorder, or an aged person, it is necessary for the pedal rotating motion to be executed with a particularly small load.
In this way, in the conventional exercise therapy device, at the start of an exercise therapy, the exerciser is required to exert a force equal to or larger than the frictional load of the drive system before he or she can cause the pedals to begin to rotate. Thus, in a case in which an exerciser whose muscular strength has been reduced, such as a physically handicapped person or an aged person, performs exercise with the exercise therapy device, there is a problem in that the pedal load at the start of the operation constitutes a considerable load for the exerciser.

Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Company, Limited


Provided are a handover method and apparatus. The method includes following steps: a UE receives an RRC reconfiguration message sent by a source base station, where the RRC reconfiguration message includes a list of target cells for performing a conditional handover by the UE, information of each target cell in the list of the target cells for performing the conditional handover includes at least one of the following: frequency information of the target cell, a physical cell identifier of the target cell, a conditional handover command of the target cell generated by the target cell, or at least one piece of measurement configuration identifier information, and the at least one piece of measurement configuration identifier information is used for instructing an execution condition for the UE to perform a conditional handover in the target cell; and the UE performs a handover according to the RRC reconfiguration message.

Mobility performance is one of the most important indicators in a wireless communication system. The industry has been committed to improving the mobility performance in the wireless communication system. For example, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) has been continuously discussing and evaluating how to improve the mobility performance, including how to reduce handover failure probability, ping-pong probability and the like.
Taking a handover process of long term evolution (LTE) as an example, in a handover based on wireless signal quality, a basic handover or an enhanced handover process such as a make-before-break (MBB) handover or a random access channel-less handover (RACH-less HO) is triggered only when an "actual handover/mobility condition" is met. That is, a handover command is sent to a user equipment (UE) only when the "actual handover condition" is met. Here, the "actual handover condition" refers to that the signal quality of a target cell is good enough such that the UE can perform normal communication after switching to the target cell. Conversely, if the UE continues to stay on a source cell, a wireless link failure may be caused. In an LTE system, the "actual handover condition" may be that the signal quality meets an A3 event (the signal quality of a neighbour cell is one offset higher than the signal quality of a serving cell), an A4 event (the signal quality of a neighbour cell is higher than a threshold), an A5 event (the signal quality of a serving cell is lower than threshold 1 and the signal quality of a neighbour cell is higher than threshold 2), or the like. Reconfiguration of parameters, such as the offset of the A3 event and the threshold of the A4/A5 event, of the "actual handover condition" is usually determined after the network planning and the network optimization.
The mechanism that the handover is triggered only when the "actual handover condition" is met was originally designed for a homogeneous low-frequency network. However, with the evolution of networks, a heterogeneous network (HetNet) is deployed in addition to the homogeneous network, for example, a microcell is deployed within the coverage range of a traditional macrocell. Additionally, in a 5th generation mobile network (5G) system, high frequencies up to 100 GHz will be used in addition to low frequencies. In the 5G system, the deployment of cells becomes denser, and the coverage range of cells becomes smaller compared with systems before the 5G. This makes the handover (mobility) frequency in the 5G system more frequent than the previous systems. Additionally, after evaluation, it is found that the transmission of a measurement report and a handover command is more likely to fail in the 5G system. More frequent handovers and higher failure probabilities of the measurement report and the handover command ultimately lead to higher handover failure probability, higher ping-pong probability, higher wireless link failure probability and the like in the 5G system.
In view of the problem of the handover failure caused by the transmission failure of the measurement report or the handover command in the related art, no effective solution has been proposed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A display panel includes a substrate and a plurality of pixel driving circuits disposed on the substrate, and the plurality of pixel driving circuits include a storage capacitor and transistors. The transistors include transistors of a first type and a second type. The transistor of the first type is a composite transistor and includes a first sub-transistor and a second sub-transistor that are connected in series. The first sub-transistor is a low-temperature polysilicon transistor, and the second sub-transistor is an oxide transistor. The transistor of the first type includes a composite active layer, a composite gate electrode, a composite source electrode, and a composite drain electrode. The composite source electrode or the composite drain electrode of the transistor of the first type is electrically connected to the storage capacitor, or the transistor of the first type is in an off state during a light-emitting phase.

A display panel includes a pixel driving circuit and an organic light-emitting element that are electrically connected to each other. The pixel driving circuit provides a driving current to the organic light-emitting element to drive the organic light-emitting element to emit light. The pixel driving circuit includes a storage capacitor and a plurality of transistors. However, based on an arrangement of transistors in the pixel driving circuit in the related art, a node voltage in the pixel driving circuit is unstable and an operation state of the pixel driving circuit is unstable. As a result, the driving current provided to the organic light-emitting element deviates from its standard value, thereby affecting a display performance.

Display panel, method for manufacturing the same, and display device

Xiamen Tianma Micro-Electronics Co., Ltd


An infant support structure with an entertainment device that may be used to pacify and/or entertain an infant is disclosed. In one embodiment, the infant support structure is an infant swing. In one embodiment, the entertainment device includes a toy aquarium. The entertainment device may be removably coupled to the infant support structure.

This invention relates generally to an infant support structure, and in particular, to an infant support structure that includes an entertainment device.
Conventional infant support structures may be used to pacify and relax infants. Some conventional infant support structures include activity components that provide entertainment to an infant supported by the infant support structure. Such conventional activity components include some form of output to attract and retain the attention of the infant. However, infants quickly become disinterested in conventional activity components.
A need exists for an infant support structure with an entertainment device that stimulates the senses of the infant. A need also exists for an entertainment device that moves as the infant support structure moves.

Infant support structure with an entertainment device


A mounting assembly for a piezoelectric airblast gage includes a steel insert into which the gage is screwed. The insert is contained within a steel housing to provide a protective enclosure for the piezoelectric gage and its associated electronics. The insert is clamped inside the housing by means of a steel clamping ring which is bolted to the housing. Gaskets surround the insert on all surfaces which might come in contact with the steel housing or clamping ring. Prior to final assembly, the external electronics package for the piezoelectric gage is shock-isolated by filling the cavity beneath the insert with a shock-mitigating substance. Once fully assembly, the top of the insert and the piezoelectric gage are flush with the top of the housing.

The Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) sponsors continuing efforts to evaluate the survivability of structures under loading conditions produced by nuclear detonations. High-explosive charges are typically used to simulate the nuclear loading phenomena on smallscale structures. The most widely used simulation method is the High-Explosive Simulation Technique, or HEST. A new simulation method employs Dilute Explosive Tile (DET) as the explosive source.
High-explosive charges used in nuclear simulators are designed to produce a specified level of airblast loading. To properly assess the validity of the simulation, it is necessary to measure the airblast pressure and the impulse histories produced by the charge detonations. The present invention relates to a mounting assembly for a piezoelectric airblast gage which enables the gage to provide accurate airblast measurements without being destroyed in high shock environments produced by explosions.

Piezoelectric airblast gage mounting device for use in high shock environments

The United States of America as represented by the United States Army Corps of Engineers


A separating apparatus includes a shroud that has a wall having a multiplicity of through-holes. At least one baffle is provided on the inner surface of the wall of the shroud. The baffle directs the airflow entering the shroud towards the central region of the shroud, thereby reducing conflicting air currents. The baffle may also be used to assist correct assembly of the separating apparatus. The baffle may be arranged to locate with a member provided on another component of the separating apparatus, such as a cyclone assembly, in order to locate that assembly in a predetermined orientation.

It is known to provide vacuum cleaners with cyclonic separating apparatus for separating dirt and dust from an airflow. It is also known to provide such separating apparatus with two cyclones arranged in series, the upstream cyclone arrangement being of relatively low efficiency and the downstream cyclone arrangement being of higher efficiency. It has been found to be beneficial if a so-called shroud is positioned at the outlet to the upstream cyclone in such an arrangement. This positioning of the shroud has been adopted in vacuum cleaners manufactured and sold by Dyson Limited.
A shroud is commonly formed by providing a wall having a large number of perforations or through-holes which communicate on their upstream side with the separating chamber of the upstream cyclone. The through-holes of the shroud thus form the outlet from the separating chamber.
A problem which may be encountered with conventional separating apparatus is that, as dirt- and dust-laden air is pulled through the shroud, eddy air currents may be set up on the inner surface of the shroud, which turbulence may cause dirt and dust to be re-entrained in the airflow or to gather on the inner surface of the shroud.


A stereoscopic retinal camera capable of photographing the stereoscopic picture of the fundus by dividing a light beam reflected by the fundus into two light beams and transmitting the two light beam respectively along the light paths of separate image forming optical systems, the stereoscopic retinal camera comprising photographing diaphragms having two apertures for dividing the light beam reflected by the fundus, disposed in a conjugate relation with respect to the pupil of the examinee's eye through an objective lens so that a photographing image of the fundus of the eye may appear stereoscopic properly based on a stereobase determined on the pupil, the respective apertures of photographing diaphragms having a longer vertical length than a width.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic retinal camera, and more particularly to a stereoscopic retinal camera comprising a photographing diaphragm preferable to photograph the eye of a small pupil diameter, and to photograph without using the mydriatica, namely, under non-mydriasis of the pupil.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, simultaneous stereoscopic retinal camera comprises a photographing diaphragm disposed in a position substantially conjugated with the pupil of the examinee's eye, which separates the luminous flux reflected by the fundus of the eye into two luminous flux, and an image forming optical system disposed on each optical path of the two luminous flux to photograph an image of the fundus focused on a photographing film through the image forming optical system by a flashlight. The almost conventional photographing diaphragm are small circle or round in shape.
A photographing diaphragm in the retinal camera is arranged substantially conjugate with the pupil of the examinee's eye, and also there is known from experience that the stereobase being not less than 3 mm may give a satisfactory stereoscopic vision in the stereoscopic retinal observation, the stereobase being a central distance between a right and left diaphragms on a surface of the pupil the satisfactory stereoscopic vision may be obtained in the stereoscopic retinal observation when the stereobase being a central distance between a right and a left diaphragms on a surface of the pupil.
When trying to photograph by such a stereoscopic retinal camera without the mydriasis, one flash for photographing the fundus will make the examinee's eye miosis, then, the sequential photographing can not be continued. Therefore, the condition requested for the non-mydriasis photographing is to photograph certainly by one flash. It is also desired that a pupil diameter capable of being photographed is the shortest possible diameter. However, it is necessary in the stereoscopic photographing that two photographing luminous flux are taken out respectively from right and left sides of the optical axis on the pupil, whereby the shortest pupil diameter necessary to produce the luminous flux will become larger. Thus, non-mydriasis photographing needing the capacity to coordinate with respect to a small pupil diameter is considered unfit for a stereoscopic retinal camera.
For example, when a stereobase on the pupil is 3 mm and a pupil of the a .phi.4 mm diameter, the luminous flux to be transmitted into the pupil can have only 1 mm diameter through the conventional circular diaphragm as shown in FIG. 1, and the light quantities will be 1/2.25 based on that a diameter of luminous flux in a standard retinal camera is about .phi.1.5 mm.
A relation between visual resolution (.psi.) and pupil diameter (d) will be given in accordance with the following formula: sin .psi.=1.22.times..lambda./d, where .lambda. represents a wavelength of luminous flux, and then, .psi. is about 1.77.degree. (.lambda.=550 nm) when d=1, about 1.18.degree. when d=1.5. It is thus understood that the visual resolution (.psi.) lowers by about one-third, so that the vision quantity of the fundus can not be preferably obtained.
As described above, when keeping the stereobase 3 mm and using a small circular diaphragm in the conventional apparatus, it will be necessary to expand the pupil of the examinee's eye correspondingly to heighten the resolving power of photographing by extending the diaphragm, or to introduce much quantity of the light. Thus, if a standard diaphragm diameter of a retinal camera is about .phi.1.5 mm and the stereobase is 3 mm, the pupil needs to have a diameter of 4.5 mm and more, namely, it is not able to photograph the fundus of the eye when the pupil diameter is less than 4.5 mm.
It is said that a stereoscopic retinal camera is very useful in diagnosing a case of glaucoma, particularly the gradual change in progressing condition thereof, but the use of mydriatica is prohibited because the mydriatica causes the deterioration of condition dependent upon the progressing condition. Therefore, the stereoscopic retinal camera has limits of the use also in a case for which the retinal camera is very useful.

Stereoscopic retinal camera including vertically symmetrical apertures


In case microcontroller and digital signal processing blocks are used together in one chip, there has been a problem in which the synchronization of the clocks are not consistent with each other when sending a signal from one block to another. In addition, when a reference clock is activated during a change of input signal, an incomplete interval has occurred. Accordingly, in order to solve the above mentioned problem, the present invention discloses a synchronizing circuit which uses a latch circuit("RS") consisted of NAND gates to synchronize an asynchronous input data and a reference clock, thereby solving the problem in which an incomplete interval occurs.

As the digital system becomes complicated, blocks having various functions must be integrated into one chip. For example, in case there is a block to process a digital signal and there is a microcontroller to control it, the velocity of the microcontroller is accordingly determined by an application program since it processes a software. However, in case there is a digital signal process block, the operational velocity is defined since the input digital signal format is fixed. Due to this fact, a different clock is used in one chip.
In this case, the microcontroller sets various data values and passes them to a digital signal processing block so as to control it. Then, when finishing calculating using the data values set by the microcontroller, the microcontroller block executes a next instruction by reading a digital signal processing value. During these procedures, in order for the microcontroller to execute a write(and/or read) operation, it requires an operation to write(and/or read) values into(and/or from) a digital signal processing register. In these procedures, the address and data values that are synchronized with the clock of the microcontroller are recognized by the clock of the digital signal processing block. Therefore, it is required that the address and data values be synchronized with the clock of the digital signal processing block.
Also, the addresses and data values are controlled by a microcontroller as well as one value of a signal which is processed by the digital signal process block becomes one input signal of the microcontroller.
In this case, it is required that the control signal of the digital signal processing block be synchronized with the clock of the microcontroller, as with the control operation by the microcontroller. As such, it is necessarily required that multi-function blocks operating at different clocks in one chip be synchronized with one another.
As such, after converting an input signal into a short pulse, the conventional synchronizing circuit is kept one block of the reference clock by the converted pulse. The synchronizing circuit consists of a ready circuit for converting the input signal into a short pulse and resetting using the short pulse, and a circuit for making a synchronized signal using the short pulse.
In addition, in an instant when the state of the input asynchronous signal is converted, the signal used to synchronize becomes unstable since a data is maintained unstable. Due to this problem, a stabilized input asynchronous signal is synchronized by means of a logic AND multiplying the input asynchronous signal to the reference signal and a delay. A synchronous signal is reset by sensing a falling interval of the input signal.

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


The semantic hierarchy of a document written in a markup language is represented by a hierarchy of elements, which are viewed and edited using a tree view editor. Each element is represented as a node of a semantic tree, to which may be attached a special purpose editor, capable of editing the semantic properties of that particular element. Such special purpose editors handle the single element to which they are attached and may handle a hierarchy of elements that share common properties in the subtree headed by the single element. They offer a visualization of the elements to which they are attached that is not necessarily hierarchical in form.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computerized documents. More particularly, this invention relates to improvements in the editing of computerized documents written in a markup language.
2. Description of the Related Art
Markup languages permit creation of documents in generally simple, flexible text formats. For example, XML, a derivative of standard generalized markup language (SGML, IS0-8879), was originally designed to meet the challenges of large-scale electronic publishing. XML is also playing an increasingly important role in the exchange of a wide variety of data on the worldwide web and elsewhere. Details of XML may be found on the Internet at the web site of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Existing XML editors provide a tree view for all the elements of a XML file and, a common editor for the attributes of each element. For example, Xeena is a XML editor, which is available from Alpha Works via the URL "www.alphaworks.ibm.com". In Xeena, which is a Java® application, XML attributes of the XML elements are edited via a table. Each attribute value is entered using an editing graphical user interface (GUI) component, e.g., a combo box or text field, which is derived from the document type definition (DTD). The editor then guides the user in inserting elements into the tree. Xeena uses a tree widget to display hierarchically organized file elements, and a small table-like widget. The widgets allow a user to interface with the XML document via a graphical user interface (GUI) and to edit the attributes of a currently selected element.
Another known XML editor is XML-Spy, available from Altova Inc., 900 Cummings Center Suite, 314-T, Beverly, Mass. 01915-6181. This editor presents all the elements of a XML document, and their attributes in an extended table format.

Viewing and editing markup language files with complex semantics

International Business Machines Corporation


This invention relates to compounds useful for treating fungal infections, more specifically topical treatment of onychomycosis and/or cutaneous fungal infections. This invention is directed to compounds that are active against fungi and have properties that allow the compound, when placed in contact with a patient, to reach the particular part of the skin, nail, hair, claw or hoof infected by the fungus. In particular the present compounds have physiochemical properties that facilitate penetration of the nail plate.

Infections of the nail and hoof, known as ungual and/or periungual infections, pose serious problems in dermatology. These ungual and/or periungual can be caused by sources such as fungi, viruses, yeast, bacteria and parasites. Onychomycosis is an example of these serious ungual and/or periungual infections and is caused by at least one fungus. Current treatment for ungual and/or periungual infections generally falls into three categories: systemic administration of medicine; surgical removal of all or part of the nail or hoof followed by topical treatment of the exposed tissue; or topical application of conventional creams, lotions, gels or solutions, frequently including the use of bandages to keep these dosage forms in place on the nail or hoof. All of these approaches have major drawbacks. The following discussion is particularly directed to drawbacks associated with current treatment of ungual and/or periungual antifungal infections.
Long term systemic (oral) administration of an antifungal agent for the treatment of onychomycosis is often required to produce a therapeutic effect in the nail bed. For example, oral treatment with the antifungal compound terbinafine typically requires administration of 200 to 400 mg/day for 12 weeks before any significant therapeutic benefit is realized. Such long term, high dose systemic therapy can have significant adverse effects. For example, terbinafine has been reported to have liver toxicity effects and reduces testosterone levels in blood due to adverse effects on the testes. Patient compliance is a problem with such long term therapies especially those which involve serious adverse effects. Moreover, this type of long term oral therapy is inconvenient in the treatment of a horse or other ruminants afflicted with fungal infections of the hoof. Accordingly, the risks associated with parenteral treatments generate significant disincentive against their use and considerable patient non-compliance.
Surgical removal of all or part of the nail followed by topical treatment also has severe drawbacks. The pain and discomfort associated with the surgery and the undesirable cosmetic appearance of the nail or nail bed represent significant problems, particularly for patients more sensitive to physical appearance. Generally, this type of treatment is not realistic for ruminants such as horses.
Topical therapy has significant problems too. Topical dosage forms such as creams, lotions, gels etc., can not keep the drug in intimate contact with the infected area for therapeutically effective periods of time. Bandages have been used to hold drug reservoirs in place in an attempt to enhance absorption of the pharmaceutical agent. However the bandages are thick, awkward, troublesome and generally lead to poor patient compliance.
Hydrophilic and hydrophobic film forming topical antifungal solutions have also been developed. These dosage forms provide improved contact between the drug and the nail. Topical formulations for fungal infection treatment have largely tried to deliver the drug to the target site (an infected nail bed) by diffusion across or through the nail.
Nail is more like hair than stratum corneum with respect to chemical composition and permeability. Nitrogen is the major component of the nail attesting to the nail's proteinaceous nature. The total lipid content of mature nail is 0.1-1.0%, while the stratum corneum lipid is about 10% w/w. The nail is 100-200 times thicker than the stratum corneum and has a very high affinity and capacity for binding and retaining antifungal drugs. Consequently little if any drug penetrates through the nail to reach the target site. Because of these reasons topical therapy for fungal infections have generally been ineffective.
Compounds known as penetration or permeation enhancers are well known in the art to produce an increase in the permeability of skin or other body membranes to a pharmacologically active agent. The increased permeability allows an increase in the rate at which the drug permeates through the skin and enters the blood stream. Penetration enhancers have been successful in overcoming the impermeability of pharmaceutical agents through the skin. However, the thin stratum corneum layer of the skin, which is about 10 to 15 cells thick and is formed naturally by cells migrating toward the skin surface from the basal layer, has been easier to penetrate than nails. Moreover, known penetration enhancers have not proven to be useful in facilitating drug migration through the nail tissue.
Antimicrobial compositions for controlling bacterial and fungal infections comprising a metal chelate of 8-hydroxyquinoline and an alkyl benzene sulfonic acid have been shown to be efficacious due to the increased ability of the oleophilic group to penetrate the lipoid layers of micro-cells. The compounds however, do not effectively increase the ability to carry the pharmaceutically active antifungal through the cornified layer or stratum corneum of the skin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,011, West et al., Jul. 22, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,113, West et al., Aug. 23, 1988.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for compounds which can effectively penetrate the nail. There is also need in the art for compounds which can effectively treat ungual and/or periungual infections. These and other needs are addressed by the current invention.
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARS) are a family of essential enzymes that attach amino acids to the 3′ terminal adenosine end of tRNAs, the charged tRNAs are then used by the translation machinery to synthesis proteins from mRNA. Although there are few exceptions, for example in Gram-positive bacteria and archaea, most organisms have at least one ARS for each amino acid. In the case of eukaryotes, they have two ARS, one is localized to the cytoplasm while the other ARS is located in the organelle(s). The ARS catalyzes two reactions, as outlined below, the first reaction adenylates the amino acid with ATP followed by its transfer to the 2′- or 3′-hydroxyl of the terminal adenosine of tRNA.Amino acid (AA)+ATP→AA-AMP+PPi;AA-AMP+tRNA→tRNA-AA+AMP
The family of 20 ARS fall into two distinct structural classes as determined by their crystal structure. Class I, which have a Rossman like fold, include the ARS for the following amino acids-arginine, cysteine, glutamate, glutamine, isolelucine, leucine, lysine (in archaea and some bacteria), valine, methionine, tryptophan and tyrosine. Class II ARS include the enzymes for the amino acids, alanine, asparagine, aspartate, glycine, histidine, lysine, phenylalanine, proline, serine and threonine. The ARS mediated reaction is the major checkpoint of specificity that ensures the correct amino acid is charged to its cognate tRNA. Since some amino acids only differ by a single methylene group, for example valine and isoleucine, it has been postulated that the specificity of the synthetic reaction alone can't explain the observed in vivo accuracy of tRNA charging. The synthetic active site should be able to exclude amino acids that are not close analogs of the cognate amino acid, but analogous amino acids pose a bigger problem. Therefore to increase specificity, proof-reading and editing must occur. So far nine ARS have been shown to have an editing mechanism that significantly reduces the frequency of mischarged tRNAs. The enzymes for the following amino acids have been shown to have editing activity-alanine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, lysine, phenylalanine, proline, threonine and valine. These ARS can hydrolyse the incorrectly adenylated amino acid AA-AMP (pre-transfer editing) or the incorrectly charged tRNA (post-transfer editing). To date the isoleucyl, leucyl and valyl-tRNA synthetases have the best-characterized editing mechanisms; an additional structural domain called the connective polypeptide I (CP1) inserted in the synthetic domain has been shown to contain the editing active site. This is located more than 25 Å away from the synthetic active site, which suggests that both the adenylated amino acid intermediate and amino acid tethered to the 3′end of the tRNA must be moved from the active site in the synthetic domain to the editing site for the reaction to be proof-read. It has been postulated that the 3′end of the charged tRNA is translocated in a similar manner to that of the proof-reading mechanism of DNA polymerases. Much less is known about the translocation of the adenylated amino acid. A similar CP1 domain is also present in the methionine and cysteine ARS enzymes, but it is much smaller than that found in the valine, isoleucine and leucine enzymes. Despite the absence of a direct homolog to the CP1-like domain in class II ARS, separate editing domains have been found in the enzymes for proline and threonine. Although editing is important to ensure the correct charging of tRNAs, it is not essential for viability and is not required for the synthesis of charged tRNAs. For example, in Escherichia coli, in which 10 amino acids in the editing domain of isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase were changed to alanine, the resulting mutant was still viable, although it did have many pleiotropic effects, including a noticeable cell growth defect.
In spite of significant homologies between human, bacterial and fungal ARS there are a number of compounds that have been developed as anti-infectives. The most notable example of an ARS inhibitor is the commercial antibiotic mupirocin (pseudomonic acid), which is sold under the label Bactroban. Mupirocin specifically inhibits bacterial isoleucyl-tRNA synthetases, while its activity against the human homolog is more than 1,000 times less active. Mupirocin binds specifically to the synthetic active site and mutants that are resistant to this drug have mutations in the synthetic domain of leucyl-tRNA synthetase. Likewise, reveromycin A inhibits the eukaryotic isoleucyl-tRNA synthetases: Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistance mutants have mutations in the synthetic domain. So far all attempts to develop better ARS inhibitors than mupirocin, an isoleucine-adenylate analogue, have relied on inhibiting the synthetic reactions.
Since it has been previously thought not to be essential for the synthesis of charged tRNAs, the editing domain of tRNA synthetases has not been thought a promising target for drug development. Data from mutational analysis of the ARS editing domains tend to suggest that inhibition of the editing mechanism leads only to an increase in mischarged tRNAs and does not lead to cell death. Compounds that are active against, and specific for, the editing domain of the tRNA synthetase would provide access to a new class of antimicrobial therapeutics to augment the arsenal of agents currently in use. Quite surprisingly, the present invention provides such compounds and methods of using these compounds.


A venting apparatus for a bubble contactor used to dissolve oxygen in water prior to introducing the water into a biological fluid bed reactor that, under aerobic conditions, removes potentially combustible contaminants from the water for removing fuel constituents from water. The venting apparatus includes a float-operated valve wherein the float senses the existence of a gas space in the upper part of the bubble contactor and is operable to open the valve to vent the gas space. Such a space is potentially capable of supporting a combustible mixture of oxygen and fuel constituents which could be ignited by a source, such as a static electric discharge. The valve remains closed under normal conditions when no significant gas space exists to prevent the needless waste of oxygen.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for dissolving gas in liquid, and more particularly to an apparatus for venting a bubble contactor employed to dissolve gas in liquid.
2. Reference to Prior Art
In many processes it is desirable to dissolve gasses in liquids. In one such process an apparatus for dissolving oxygen in water is employed in a water treatment system for removing fuel constituents from water contaminated thereby. The apparatus for dissolving oxygen in water, or "oxygenator", includes a bubble contactor having a somewhat complex design for routing water and gas bubbles. The bubble contactor includes a degas vessel and a downwardly diverging funnel-shaped member extending into the degas vessel for conducting a downflow of water into the degas vessel. The funnel-shaped member defines a bubble contact zone in which oxygen containing bubbles tend to suspend. Excess gas bubbles crowded out of the bubble contact zone escape from the bottom of the funnel-shaped member and ascend to a gas trap at the top of the degas vessel. The oxygenator also includes gas recirculation equipment and a gas vent system communicating with the gas trap for purging from the gas trap accumulations of gas in excess of that which the recirculation equipment can handle. The gas vent is manually operated and, when opened, results in a continuous gas loss which can be costly since oxygen enriched gases are expensive to produce. If the venting arrangement is left closed there is no protection against the build-up of a potentially combustible mixture of oxygen and fuel constituents.
Additional examples of oxygenators are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,477,393 issued Oct. 16, 1984 to Kos and 3,926,588 issued Dec. 16, 1975 to Speece. The venting arrangements employed in these constructions also continually vent gas from the system.

Apparatus for venting a pressurized bubble contactor


Methods of forming polymer layers on polymer surfaces using surface initiated atom-transfer radical-polymerization (ATRP) are described. The method can include functionalization steps prior to performing surface initiated ATRP, such as hydroxylation steps and/or halogenation steps. The hydroxylation step can be carried out in a solution including potassium persulfate, ammonium persulfate, or lithium hydroxide. The halogenation step can also be carried out in a solution. The methods described herein can be performed on bundles of hollow polymer fibers, including bundles of hollow polymer fibers mounted in a module.

Membranes are widely used in a variety of applications to separate and purify liquid and gas streams. The most widely used material for the separation layer of membranes are polymers. Many polymeric materials have desirable membrane properties. However, many of these polymer materials can only be used by forming the polymer material on a support material. Exemplary support materials include polymers, plastics, metals, ceramics, and organic material. The support material may be porous or non-porous. The support material is generally required because the separation layer is thin and delicate.
Various methods have been used to form thin separation layers on support material. Traditional approaches involve solution-deposition, plasma polymerization, interfacial polymerization, and doctor blade approaches on flat sheets. These techniques may have various drawbacks, such as limited choice of applicable materials, high expense, and lack of coating durability.
Another method that has been used to form thin polymer separation layers on the surface of support materials is surface initiated radical polymerization. However, various issues arise with such techniques. For example, a free radical polymerization process initiated from a surface is generally not controllable. As a result, the polymer layer formed by this method may be too thick to function and/or may lack uniform thickness.
Controlled radical polymerizations initiated from a surface have meet with greater success. The slow and controlled nature of these reactions allows for uniform coatings to be formed. Unfortunately, previously available techniques of controlled radical polymerization involve the use of harsh conditions and/or environments that were not economically viable to scale.
Atom-transfer radical-polymerization, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,763,548 and 5,789,487, allows for controlled radical polymerization reactions to be performed using inexpensive reagents in mild conditions. Varieties of ATRP may be performed at room temperature and pressure with aqueous solvents.
The process of carrying out surface initiated atom-transfer radical-polymerization generally requires one or more preparation steps in which the surface on which a layer of material is formed is functionalized. Functionalization steps can include hydroxylating the surface and halogenating the surface. Various drawbacks associated with these functionalization steps have contributed to surface initiated atom transfer radical-polymerization not being usable on a commercial scale.
In the traditional hydroxylation step, gases such as ozone have been used to add —OH groups to the surface of a material. The use of ozone complicates the overall process because it can rapidly degrade the mechanical properties of the polymers upon exposure.
In the traditional halogenation step, acyl halides such as bromoisobutyrl bromide has been used. The use of such acyl halides poses difficulties due to the air and water sensitivity of these reagents (i.e., they environment must be kept air and water free). As a result, scale up of the halogenation process is difficult or impossible.
The problems identified above with functionalization have also posed problems with respect to scale up. To date, no methods of surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization has been developed which can be used to add polymer coatings to surfaces at high volumes and with relatively low costs.

Methods of forming a polymer layer on a polymer surface


The present invention relates to a driver device and a corresponding driving method for driving a load (22), in particular an LED unit, said driver device comprising power input terminals (51, 52) for receiving a periodic supply voltage from an external power supply potentially including a dimmer for dimming said periodic supply voltage, power output terminals (53, 54) for providing a drive voltage and/or drive current for driving a load (22), a power stage (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d) coupled between the power input terminals and the power output terminals for controlling an input current received from said power input terminals to draw a high power from said external power supply in a first mode or to draw a low or no power from said external power supply in a second mode, said high power being higher than the power required for driving said load and said low power being lower than the power required for driving said load, wherein said power stage controls said input current to be in the second mode only for a percentage of half cycle periods of a number of subsequent half cycle periods of said supply voltage, and for providing said drive voltage and/or drive current to said power output terminals in said first mode, and an energy storage unit (90) coupled to said power stage for storing electrical energy provided at said power input terminals in said first mode and for providing stored electrical energy to said load via said power output terminals in said second mode.

In the field of LED drivers for offline applications such as retrofit lamps, solutions are demanded to cope with high efficiency, high power density, long lifetime, high power factor and low cost, among other relevant features. While practically all existing solutions compromise one or the other requirement, it is essential that the proposed driver circuits properly condition the form of the mains power into the form required by the LEDs while keeping compliance with present and future power mains regulations. Of critical importance is to guarantee a minimum perceptible light flicker (preferably zero)
Typically, two series connected power stages are employed to obtain high power factor while keeping the output power constant throughout a mains cycle (or supply cycle, i.e. the cycle of the mains voltage or the supply voltage). Also known are converters with a single power converting stage that allow high power factors (HPF) by means of integrating a boost converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode. These converters actually combine two power conversion stages.
For some retrofit LED driver products compatibility with phase-cut dimmers is desired, which however were designed to drive much larger loads including resistive and/or reactive components, in particular R, RL, C, or RLC components. Many of those dimmers are of two-wire type.
Enabling maximum dimmer compatibility for low power LED lamp modules (also called LED units hereinafter) involves several problems, which mainly have to do with the power rating mismatch between lamp and dimmer. Such problems include, for instance, to provide sufficient holding currents for thyristors or triacs used in the dimmers, or to deal with unavoidable oscillations between LF filter elements of typical dimmer circuits, which may lead to uncontrolled flicker.
Existing solutions—if available at all—typically show increased losses, such as known bleeder circuits often used in such driver devices (see e.g. JP 2010-2122678), and also require several passive and/or semiconductor components.

Driver device and driving method for driving an LED unit


The sensor comprises a field coil generating a time-variant magnetic field, and sensor coils arranged inside the field coil, a rotatable device being arranged for modulating the magnetic flux passing through the sensor coil according to its angular position. Each sensor coil comprises a magnetically permeable core having a polar portion facing the rotatable device. A portion of a magnetically permeable sealing element is arranged facing the rotatable device on the opposite side from said polar portion. The air gaps between said polar portion and rotatable device, and between said portion of the sealing element and said rotatable device, are wholly located substantially within the field coil.

Sensors of this type are known in the art. The angular position of a shaft is determined from the signal obtained at the terminals of the sensor coil or coils. However, in the known devices, the amplitude of the variation of the signal as a function of the angular variation of the shaft is relatively small and the precision of the measure is often insufficient.

Inductive position sensor for determining the angular position of a rotating shaft


A paint spray booth and air supply arrangement includes a main fan for blowing air and an air supply plenum in fluid communication with the main fan for receiving blown air therefrom. A support grid is positioned beneath the air supply plenum and includes a plurality of grid openings. A painting chamber is positioned beneath the support grid. A plurality of diffuser modules are positioned within the plurality of grid openings, respectively, for directing blown air from the air supply plenum in a substantially vertically downward direction through the painting chamber. Each diffuser includes an adjustment feature for selectively adjusting the speed of air directed therethrough. An apparatus is provided for individually adjusting the adjustment feature in each of the plurality of diffuser modules for creating areas of variable air speed through the painting chamber corresponding with each diffuser module while the diffuser modules being adjusted are supported on the support grid. Accordingly, the need is eliminated for removing the diffuser modules for individual adjustment.

Paint spray booths are commonly found in production lines for vehicle bodies and parts. A vehicle body is transported through a paint spray booth where paint is applied to the body and subsequently dried. The paint may be applied by hand, or mechanically by automated equipment. During this painting process some of the paint may not be applied to the vehicle, but rather appears as overspray in the booth atmosphere. This overspray must be removed from the paint spray booth to keep it from falling back on the painted vehicle or from being inhaled by the operators of the equipment.
The paint overspray is typically removed by providing an air flow from a supply plenum above the paint spray booth, through the paint spray booth and out to gas scrubber equipment which removes paint particles from the exhaust gas. It is desirable to maintain the airflow passing over the vehicle being painted turbulance free. This ensures that the air flow does not disturb the uniform paint application to the vehicle. The minimizing of the air flow closely adjacent to the vehicle increases the transfer efficiency of the paint onto the vehicle body. High air flow volumes into that location have a tendency to disrupt the transfer efficiency of the paint being applied onto the vehicle body. Moreover, by reducing the air flow at the central portion the overall volume of the air is reduced. A portion of the air passing through the paint spray booth must be treated with a complicated solvent abatement process, and by reducing the air flow volume, the abatement requirements for cleaning the air are correspondingly reduced. At the same time, it is also desirable to keep the air flow passing over the painting equipment and operators at a higher velocity to prevent the equipment and operators from experiencing paint contamination. However, it is further desirable to minimize air flow in as many non-critical areas as possible in order to decrease energy consumption.
Existing spray booth designs envisage a certain predetermined air flow and flow distribution for the entire spray booth. The plenum has various dampers, diffusers, mixing plates, etc., to provide essentially smooth air flow through the spray zone at a fixed rate of flow. However, in practice, this is rarely achieved due to the non-standard configuration of the booth and the workpiece to be painted, and due to poor air flow design of such spray booths which often causes unwanted turbulence and nonlaminar air flow in critical areas of the spray booth. Poor spray booth air flow causes paint wastage by blowing paint particles in unwanted directions, and often away from the vehicle onto the floor, walls, operator, etc. This is a major cost penalty for manufacturers which are attempting to minimize paint usage and environmental impact.
It is common to have excess air flow in spray booths of up to 20 percent due to poor air supply control. This leads to a significant annual energy penalty for the user. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a means for accurately and efficiently controlling air speed in various areas of the paint spray booth to optimize flow conditions in certain areas of the booth, and to minimize air flow in those areas in which flow is not required. In current systems, in order to adjust air flow in various areas of the spray booth, individual diffusers must be removed or accessed from above the ceiling for adjustment. This limitation significantly affects energy efficiency and painting performance of a particular spray booth. The performance of the booth is particularly affected by such limitations when the configuration of the article to be painted within the booth is changed, such as a change in car lines, which changes the air flow requirements around the article, which sometimes requires flow adjustment.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a paint spray booth and air supply arrangement in which multiple air speed zones are provided, and in which air speed may be quickly adjusted without removing diffusers or adjusting them from above the spray booth ceiling.

Paint spray booth and air supply arrangement


Embodiments of the present invention are described in a pluggable transceiver. The pluggable transceiver comprises a housing, a handle and a cover. The cover comprises a resilient member, wherein the cover is configured to receive the housing and the resilient member is adapted to retain the cover in place and to be moved by the handle to release the cover.

Fiber optic transceivers facilitate bi-directional data transmissions between electronic devices and optical data links in fiber optic systems. Each transceiver includes a photo detector for converting optically encoded data received from an optical data link to electrically encoded data readable by a host electronic device, and a laser diode for converting electrically encoded data from the host electronic device into optically encode data that are transmitted through an optical data link. Each transceiver is mounted onto a circuit board assembly of the host electronic device and, typically, packaged such that it occupies as little circuit board surface area as possible.
Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) transceivers are one type of transceiver having standardized physical dimensions and performance characteristics that are defined in the "Cooperation Agreement for Small Form-factor Pluggable Transceivers", as executed on Sep. 14, 2000 (herein "the Cooperation Agreement"), which is incorporated herein in its entirety. The Cooperation Agreement is part of an SFP transceiver multi-source agreement for establishing internationally compatible sources of pluggable fiber optic transceivers in support of established standards for fiber optic systems. Specifically, the Cooperation Agreement sets forth transceiver package dimensions, cage and electrical connector specifications, host circuit board layouts, electrical interface specifications and front panel bezel requirements that are followed by each party.
A typical optical transceiver assembly includes a cage, a female electrical connector and a pluggable transceiver. The cage and the female electrical connector are mounted on a host printed circuit board. The pluggable transceiver is inserted into the cage to electrically couple the pluggable transceiver to the female connector. An optional faceplate or bezel is mounted over the end of the transceiver assembly.
The pluggable transceiver includes transceiver electronics mounted in an elongated transceiver housing that includes one or more receptacles for receiving optical connectors, such as duplex LC, MT-RJ or SC connectors. Mounted within the transceiver housing is a housing printed circuit board that supports the transceiver electronics. The transceiver electronics process data signals from a photo detector and supply data signals to a laser diode. Extending from the back of the housing printed circuit board is a male connector card including contacts that meet with corresponding contacts of the female electrical connector as the pluggable transceiver is inserted into the cage.
The pluggable transceiver is latched into the cage to prevent the pluggable transceiver from inadvertently sliding away from the female electrical connector. Typically, the cage includes a transceiver latch that defines a latch opening and the housing includes a housing catch pin or boss. As the pluggable transceiver is inserted into the cage, the housing catch pin engages the transceiver latch to bend the transceiver latch. The latch opening receives the housing catch pin to secure the pluggable transceiver in the cage. To remove the pluggable transceiver from the cage, a manual force is applied to bend the transceiver latch and release the housing catch pin from the latch opening.
It is often difficult to manipulate the cage transceiver latch in highly populated arrangements, thereby making it difficult to remove the pluggable transceiver from the cage. Also, latch mechanisms for releasing the housing catch pin from the latch opening, typically, include many components for forcing the flexible cage transceiver latch away from the housing catch pin.

Pluggable transceiver with cover resilient member